#carmen answering 'correctly'

[skyderman]

[Muse Monday!] Hi, Carmen! If you could summon one person back to the world of the living as a ghost, who would it be and why?

friend, i can't tell you how ironic it is to ask carmen in particular this question. and i won't. here's her answer:

"A ghost! That's fun. It would be fun to believe in ghosts. I think I read something about Shadow Mages being able to communicate with spirits once. Let me see...

"Oh, what am I thinking? I would bring back Leone Kaya, of course! He was the original konyenon. Because of him, 'Valerius rises,' as the Archmages would say. There's quite a bit written about his sacrifice, but nothing in detail. Accurate detail, anyway... it's a lot of poetry and song. But... if I'm to be the konyenon, to carry on his legacy... I think I should know what he gave, so that I can properly raise Valerius too. And imagine the insight-- the inspiration-- he could bring us! Yes, there's simply no other option. That's my answer. Thank you for the question!"

[laiiaaa]

SARDINES — CARMEN BERZATTO

summary Carmen seems a little off when you visit him, and you try to figure out why. For once, you pry him open.

length 3.2k

contents angst, hurt/comfort, he's really an angel even if he's closed off n stubborn, very very emotional, lots of negative self-talk from Carm, he cares so so much, relationship talk, everything resolves in the end dw <3

It takes more than a few knocks for Carmen to open the door. If you counted correctly, it took six tries, plus a phone call. So you shouldn’t be surprised that when he finally does open the door, he barely gives you a kiss on the cheek and mumbles Hey before turning his back to you again, back in the kitchen with his phone face up on the counter. He’s antsy, almost talking to himself, checking his phone every five seconds.

You walk in and lock the door behind you as you take off your shoes, and you drop your bag on the coffee table, which houses little else other than a remote and a day-old mug with coffee staining a ring in the bottom. “…Everything okay?”

He leans into the counter with his weight on his hands and spares you a glance and a haphazard nod. “Yeah, yeah, everything’s fine—just waitin’ for my guy to call back.”

“Isn’t it a little late for that?” Sitting down on the couch, part of you expects him to join you without being asked. Your back and feet ache, and all you want is for Carmen to lay with you, ease his hands up and down your spine, and watch the first thirty minutes of a random film before falling asleep.

“No, no—he usually answers when I need ‘im.” But he’s working. He’s at home, and you’re waiting on him, but he’s working. He seems to be prioritizing that a lot lately—a lot more than usual, at least. Running a hand through his hair, he watches the screen again, and mutters to himself, “Thirty fuckin’ minutes. Fuck you.”

You peek over the back of the couch. “Are you sure everything’s okay? You sound upset.”

“Yeah, baby, I’m—fuck this—” He derails from answering and instead picks up the phone again, calling and letting the dial tone ring out the second time this hour. He waits with his hand on his hip and his lip tugged between teeth.

You know ‘his guy’ doesn’t pick up when he drops his phone on the counter again with a sigh and another muffled profanity. “Carm?”

His head rests between his hands, but he lifts it to look at you. “Yeah?” 

“Can you come sit with me, please?”

God, how you tug on his heart strings when you ask, your voice all sweet and dripping honey, you make it impossible to resist. “‘F course, yeah,” he answers, pocketing his phone and turning off the kitchen light before joining you. 

He loops an arm over your shoulder as he presses his lips to your temple, and his heart skips a beat or two when you snuggle into him with your hand splayed against his chest. The two of you stare off at nothing in particular, soaking in the touch of the other. You smell so distinctly like you—like home—he’d be getting lightheaded in the best way if he weren’t so…so caught up in everything you help him escape: work, the fringe family, being so dead tired that in his mind he can’t tell where his kitchen ends and the fire begins. But that phone call he’s waiting on. It’s poking needles in the nape of his neck. 

You sit up after a couple minutes, keeping a hand planted over his heart when you look at him. “I can literally feel how anxious you are.” He scoffs, but before he can protest you add, “Seriously, Carm, is everything okay?”

“Yeah, it’s—everything’s just…” He looks off into nowhere behind you, his free hand making circles in the air like the words will fall into his palm if he tries hard enough. He stumbles for a few moments until he looks you in the eye again, a bit pained when he tells you, “Everything’s fine, baby.” The arm that was hooked over your shoulder is now curled around your waist, and his fingers, rough and scarred, trace meaningless shapes into your back, teasing beneath the hem of your top. “You don’t have to worry ‘bout it, alright?”

You’re unconvinced. You shuffle your hips around to straddle his, placing your hands on his shoulders with your thumbs carefully massaging the sides of his neck. Like clockwork, his hands take purchase of your waist, and he brings one to slide down over the curve of your ass before smoothing circles into your thigh. He always seems to speak to you in this way—maybe about as much as he tells you he loves you through his food—the physical connection much easier to manage than trying to crack open the rock-hard shell in his chest.

You lean into him a little more, your back arching ever so slightly. “You know I want you to keep me in the loop. What’s the guy for now?”

He sighs. “It’s just—shit with the stoves ‘n it’s messin everyone up, the kitchen’s basically a fire hazard, ‘n I really need him to answer his damn phone before something…” He shrugs. “…Before something just, I dunno, blows up, I guess.”

“Well, nobody’s even in that kitchen right now, so no explosions just yet.” You eye him for a moment, biting at your lip in contemplation when he doesn’t smile quite like he usually does at your drier jokes. “Is there something else bothering you?”

His brows furrow. “No, no—why, why’re you askin’ it like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like, like…” He shakes his head as if it pains him to consider it. “Like there’s somethin’ wrong with me, or, or somethin’ I’m hidin’—”

“I didn’t mean it like that, Carm, c’mon.” Your voice goes softer, hands a little gentler as you cradle his jaw in your palms. “I just want you to let me in.”

He takes a deep breath through his nose. “You’re always sayin’ stuff like that,” he mumbles, and you can feel the vibration of his voice through your hands through to your heart.

“Because I mean it.” The AC whirrs nearby, almost muffling your words. “I want you to tell me about the things that bother you. I would never judge you.”

You’re so tender with Carmen, he thinks he could melt into a puddle on the floor, left to seep into the floorboards and through the ceiling of his downstairs neighbor. And he feels the words bubbling to the surface, the emotion pooling, red-hot behind his eyes, an answer burning at the back of his throat and clawing through his chest rough enough that the kisses you scatter from his cheek, to his jaw, to his neck do little to aid his wounds. But when he answers you, it’s tame. “I do tell you about things.”

“You do, but…” You wrap your arms around his neck and nuzzle into the space between it and his shoulder. “I’m just thinking about this game I used to play when I was a kid, sardines.”

His head tilts back against the back of the couch, and your breath dances along his skin while his hands smooth along the bumps of your spine. “Sardines?”

“Mhm,” you hum, “It’s kinda like…hide and go seek, but reversed. One of us would hide, and when someone found us, they’d squeeze into that spot too. And I remember being terrible at it, because we’d be making faces at one another in our little hiding spot, and I could never stop giggling, and I’d just expose everyone too soon.”

He chuckles quietly to himself. “I can picture that, you laughin’ while shoved in a closet.” His fingertips trace your shoulder blades.

“Pretty much how it went. Always too loud.”

“But I like hearing you laugh. I—I always feel better…gettin’ to see you all happy.” He’s thinking he got a little too caught up in the moment, and before you can say anything back, he asks, “What were you thinkin’ about the game, then?”

“It’s a little stupid to say it out loud,” you start.

“‘S not stupid, promise.”

You pause, hesitant. “…Okay.” One quick kiss to his neck before you continue, eyes closed to sink into him, “I just like to think that, eventually, you’ll let me in like…like it’s a game of sardines, or something. That I’ll just…squeeze in right beside you, and—and you’ll let me be there for you without pushing me away.”

He hums, low and drawn out to give you a beat to breathe.

“Sometimes I just want you to tell me what it is that’s bothering you, just to…make it easier on you a little bit, knowing someone’s in your corner. Just to be there.” Your fingers twirl into his messy curls and scratch at the nape of his neck the way he likes, and his silence drags on long enough to make you anxious.

But Carmen, too, is anxious. His chest is tight, his hands fidgety, and he’s sure—he knows, he feels it in his gut—that he needs to say something, anything. But he can’t find the words. They swirl in the back of his mind, and he can taste them crawling to the tip of his tongue, but they never become clear. They lurk where he can’t see them, and he keeps his thoughts on lockdown for you, because he’s been convinced along the way somehow in his decades of living that it’s easier, for him, if he keeps the softer parts stowed away, never to be seen again. He’s starting to think you’re trouble, that you make him softer where he grew to be tough. So it’s muffled and covered by his palms smoothing up your waist when he asks, “Sit up for me a bit, baby?”

And you listen, of course, because really you’re thankful he didn’t kick you out by now. Your vision is blurry from tears pooling in your eyes, but his hands—so, so gentle, the touch barely there like he thinks you could break—cup your jaw and urge you a little closer, his thumbs stroking your cheeks and wiping away stray tears. The two of you gravitate closer until your noses brush by one another and you exchange breath, until he leans into you and slots his lips against yours. He’s hesitant and careful, he doesn’t know if it’s quite the right thing to do or if it’s says what he needs it to, but when you prop your hands against his chest and kiss him back he knows part of you needs it like he does. 

Both of you need it—that silent exchange, emotions spilled between sweet kisses and kind hands. So you stay that way, with Carmen’s hands holding you close to keep you from running away, and yours answer back I’m here, until he pulls away, eyes closed, to rest his forehead against yours. 

He keeps himself blind when he whispers, “I know…” You can tell he’s mulling over his thought, so you wait for him to add, “I—I know, that you’re in my corner. An’ I want you there, alright?”

You try to soak in the feeling, so close and seemingly getting closer, a little breathless from his kisses as much as his words. “Alright.”

“I just—I just get so, so stuck in my head that I…” He swallows. “I can’t tell half the time if there’s anything even worth sayin’, I’m just spaced out ‘n…going fuckin’ crazy.” His brows furrow against yours. “I’m not used to stuff like this.”

“I know.”

His hands rest along the curve of your face a little firmer when he suggests, “But I can try—to, to, uh, tell you things, to let you in, or, or however you put it—I—” A deep breath. “I’m so fuckin’ bad at this, I’ve never done this, but—but I’ll try, for you, alright? You tell me, an’ I’ll try for you.”

You nod against him.

“Fuck,” he hisses, “I just—it’s just—I like this, y’know? Being with you, I like what we have, I—I like doing this, and—I wanna…I wanna make you happy. The same way you do for me…” He goes quiet and shakes his head a little, anticipating his next words. “I don’t wanna fuck it up.”

You can’t fight the smile that pulls at your lips, even if it is bittersweet. “You aren’t gonna fuck it up, okay? Being with you already makes me happy. I know you’re trying.”

“But trying isn’t…it’s not always enough, an’ I know in some ways—in a lotta ways, probably, I’m not…I—I’m not the best at saying things, an’—shit, am I—am I saying too much—?”

“No, Carm, no. I want you to keep talking.” You take his lips in another gentle kiss, your stomach whirring warm and content.

“I don’t really know what to say, or—”

“It’s okay,” you coo. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to, but…if there was something else bothering you earlier…you can tell me.”  You pull back a little to really look at him, running your fingers through his curls and making him gently close his eyes. “And I’ll just say okay, and then we can move on. I won’t say anything unless you want me to.”

He hums with his eyes still closed, his mouth in a smirk. “Mm, like sardines.” It’s a little snarky when he says it, but when his thumbs brush beneath your top, you know he’s just thinking over his options. 

“Yes, like sardines.” You’re a little embarrassed, but also a little thankful that he followed the bit.

He waits for a few moments, just breathing, letting you smooth your hands through his hair and over his shoulders and down his chest. It’s calming, he realizes—simply existing in the same space, careful touches and brief kisses. He runs his palms from the back of your waistband to the plane between your shoulder blades and presses gently, urging you to lean against him once again. When your head rests against his chest, he takes in a deep breath through the nose and out the mouth. He watches the ceiling. 

“There’s…” Another pause. “It’s not just the stove that’s botherin’ me.” 

You don’t answer him, not even a hum to acknowledge he’s said anything, and he realizes that you were serious about the whole ‘not saying anything’ bit. 

“I…fuck, I don’t even know how to say any ‘f this. I think…I think I’m just freakin’ out about…about everything. The restaurant…you…” There’s a long, heavy pause, a shaky breath. “An’—an’ that’s it, really, besides family I guess—which is really fuckin’ pathetic when I say it out loud.” A sniffle. “Real pathetic. But all I’ve had is fuckin’…fuckin’ cooking, an’ working, an’ dealin’ with my family ‘n fuckin’ Richie all my life—” His chest gets, tight, a hand leaves your back to run over his mouth. “God, an’ I am so fucked up,” he laughs.

You were already crying before, and the tears keep coming, streaming from your eyes to your cheeks and staining Carmen’s shirt. You’re not sure whether he even realizes.

“I’m fucked up, and you’re just—you’re so perfect, compared t’me, ‘cause you’re all smart, an’ you always know the right thing to say ‘n how to say it, an’ you’re just in a completely different world sometimes, an’ I want in—I wanna be able to do things for you, all of it, but—” He needs to catch his breath. He needs water. He needs sleep. His throat is sore and scratchy, he feels his pulse pounding in his forehead. “I’m just…scared…that—that I could fuck you up, too.”

His chest expands beneath you, and you’re shaking, biting at your lips to stifle sobs. Part of you wants to sit up and hold him close, tell him that he’s the perfect one and you’re anything but, that all he’s ever been is made for you, that maybe he is fucked up, but you don’t care because you love him all the same—you love him.

Carmen isn’t used to this reaction. He’s used to explosions, yelling, screaming, pointing fingers with hot tears, saying what he shouldn’t, saying what hurts, guilt smacking him across the face for years to come. He’s waiting for the other shoe to drop. He feels your trembling and holds you that much gentler. 

“Baby,” he starts, “Hey, lemme see you, you’re shaking—” He tries to peel you from his torso, prodding at your sides until you wipe at your eyes and sit yourself up. His hands reach to hold your wet face. “What—what’s wrong?”

You push his arms away. “Sardines, Carm.” You try to stay true to your word—that you’d take what he says, and only store it away—but you’d be lying if you said you’re not struggling to keep more tears at bay. 

“I want you to talk to me. You said you’d talk if I wanted you to, I—I need you to talk to me, c’mon, please—”

“This is so wrong—I’m the one who should be comforting you—”

“Hey, hey hey hey—” He smooths a hand over your hair and presses kisses to the tear stains on your cheeks. “That doesn’t matter to me. That doesn’t matter to me, alright?” He holds you steady, waits for you to meet his eyes, and when you look at him, it’s like he can see right through you. His thumbs brush away your tears, and your breathing settles.

You sigh, your hands moving from his chest to his shoulders. “We’re such a mess.”

Carmen shakes his head, mind full of you as his eyes trail the contours of your face, the plush of your lips when your teeth bite at them. “Wouldn’t wanna be with anyone else.” His hands touch your waist again and ease you into him, buzzing with your soft curves in his grasp. It’s more than therapeutic, he thinks. Life-sustaining might be more accurate.

You nod, and your fingertips graze along his cheekbones before you plant a soft, yearning kiss to his mouth.

He kisses you again because he can’t help himself, and he might be too scared to look you in the eye when he says it, but eyes closed or not, he means it. “You’re so good to me.” His arms wrap around you again, addicted to feeling your weight beneath his skin, and he presses his lips to your jaw. “So fuckin’ good to me,” he repeats, lower than a whisper like it slipped by without thinking. 

You card your hands through his hair, messily beautiful, and answer, “You deserve someone good,” just as quiet as he is.

He swears his heart stops, and his lips trail from your jaw down to your neck. “You’re too good to me,” he says again, with a bit more honesty in the change. He knows you, so he already knows what you’re going to say, and that any other time he’d deny it.

You hum, a warm smile curling the corners of your mouth as you pull him closer to your chest, grazing your lips by his hairline for a gentle kiss. “No such thing.”

And for the first time, with his arms wrapped tight around your waist with a gentleness reserved only for you, and with your body slotted against his, he really starts to believe it.

[marlenesluv]

۵pairing: fem!albonsibling!ballerina x platonic f1 grid. also, reader x lando norris

۵type: social media au and dialogue

۵authors note: i really love making these, so i’m excited to work on a part 3! also, i know alex has other siblings, i’m just not including them in these posts!

۵warnings: cussing, talk of blood (someone cut their finger, not bad or described much), talk of ballet darks: not eating as much, rude teachers, mean comments.

۵summary: after y/n albon lost her ballet partner, lando comes over to comfort her. but she of course still has a lot of practice before swan lake in two months.

۵this is part 3! please read part 1 and part 2 before this. (part 1 is mine, j on my main blog)

masterlist here -> masterlist link

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

You were devastated to lose your partner, Ben, but all good things must come to an end, apparently. That’s what Lily had told you, at least.

Ben was an amazing dancer, he was, but your ballet instructor has wanted you to do solos for years now. Saying you had “too much potential to waste” and “you’re too talented to be focusing on another person when the show is about you.” Of course this was very nice, but Ben wasn’t only your ballet partner, but a friend.

The two of you went to the movies together, got coffee before practice, dinner after, it was nice. And you were happy that he had found a girl for him. You just didn’t expect for her to make him quit ballet.

That’s right, not a sport he had outgrown or gotten bored of. No no. Destiny was not a fan of the fact that he spent all of his time in the studio. Understandable, but dating a ballet dancer, that is a given. It was a shame that Ben had thrown all of his hard work away for a girl.

But here you were, unlocking your apartment door as Lando Norris walked in with a bag of Indian food and an extra hoodie on his shoulder.

“Hey! I got you some butter chicken and some paneer naan for us to share. Oh, and…” he pulled out two bottles of mango juice and handed them to you as you placed them on your island. “If I remembered correctly, you like mango juice?”

“Mhmm. Thank you, Lando.” you smiled up at him as he blushed a bit, clearing his throat as he sorted through the bag and you got out silverware.

“Wanna watch a show?” you asked, as you sat down beside him on your sofa, opening your juice.

“Yeah. How about ‘Brooklyn 99’?”

You nodded, opening Peacock and starting an episode as you both started eating and talking.

Talking with Lando was easy. When you ranted about how your ballet instructor stretched your arm too far backwards, he listened, only butting in to make sure you knew he was paying attention.

And when he ranted about how Checo pushed him off the track, and didn’t get penalized, you listened, you only butted in to gasp and ask the occasional question about how something worked.

You didn’t feel like he was judging you, and it was nice. Lando felt the same. You were someone that understood Formula 1 to a certain degree, since Alex talked about it, but you still asked questions, not just discounting what he was saying. Sure, Oscar wouldn’t mind listening to him blab on about shit, but Oscar wasn’t you.

And yes, you could talk to Lily, Kika, Kelly, Laila, or Carmen, but they weren’t Lando.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

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liked by landonorris, pierregasly, and 872,024 others

y/n.albon: i am so good at chess ♟️

view comments…

user3: lando and y/n??

alex_albon: you guys are hanging out alone now??

↳ y/n.albon: i guess, yeah

↳ alex_albon: wtf!?

↳ alex_albon: y/n answer my texts what are you doing????

user5: y/n just not answering alex LMAOO

user8: i live for this duo, they are so precious to me

lilymhe: the shoesss🥹

↳ y/n.albon: ikkk🥹🩷

user7: new ship, guys. ballerina and f1 driver 🫠

user2: she’s slaying without ben, fr

kellypiquet: adorable!

*liked by creator*

user4: okay. can they date?? orrrr

↳ user9: literallyyyy

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

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liked by y/n.albon, oscarpiastri, and 602,140 others

landonorris: 📷🩰💇‍♂️

view comments…

user1: BRO?

y/n.albon: gotta get those stretches in👯‍♀️

↳ landonorris: oh yeah🩰🙆‍♂️

user7: anyone notice how much y/n and lando have been hanging out….?

↳ user4: mhmmm. i ship

↳ user7: SAME

alex_albon: ahem, what is the second picture?

↳ y/n.user: me….alex, you’re my brother and you don’t know what i look like? shame shame

↳ alex_albon: that’s not what i meant, y/n

↳ alex_albon: why tf are you guys both on instagram and not messaging me back??

↳ alex_albon: fine. i’ll j come over, y/n

↳ y/n.albon: i’m taking my key back.

user9: little sibling fights in landos comments 😭

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Alex Albon always kept his word. So, naturally, at 8:30pm on a Thursday night, Alex unlocked his sisters apartment door with his spare key. So what if Y/N said to only use it “for emergencies” and “if i had fallen and could not get up” which she thought was hilarious, whilst he just clenched hi jaw at the thought of her falling and hurting herself.

He was definitely on the protective side, but for good reasons. All of her past boyfriends, there were two, had cheated on her. Yeah, he didn’t love how close his sister was to Lando Norris, but at least he liked Lando. Not enough to be okay with their hanging out though. But Alex trusted Lando enough to not freak out too much.

When Alex walked into his sisters apartment, he couldn’t find her anywhere. The kitchen was spotless. Marble countertops cleaned off, fridge stocked up, floor vacuumed. He should have known that was the case before he walked in.

Every Wednesday and Sunday, Y/N cleaned her apartment. It was something she had control over. She didn’t have control over what she ate, her ballet instructor did. She didn’t have control over her spare time, it was spent at the studio. Alex felt bad sometimes, she had dedicated her life since she was five to ballet.

Sure, Alex had dedicated his life to Formula 1 as well, but he knew ballet was more draining. He’d seen the breakdowns first hand. Y/N coming to his house after practice and crying in his arms because she didn’t get a part. Or when she had called Alex ten times and then Lily because she needed new ballet shoes and her instructor wanted them now.

And he would never forget the times that her instructor would tell her to not eat as much, and that she needed to slim down. She would come over for dinner with him and Lily, and drink her water and maybe some vegetables.

It always made Lily mad. She hated how Y/N was treated, they both did. They also both knew how much ballet meant to Y/N, so they never told her to quit.

“Alex?” Alex whipped his head around to see his sister in her ballet leggings, a sweater, and boots.

Y/N sat her ballet bag on the barstool and emptied her water bottle out as she looked at Alex. “Dude? What are you doing in my house?”

“Oh, u-um. I was checking on you. Forgot you had to go in today. Sorry.” He blinked, looking at her tight bun on her head. “Hey, shouldn’t you take that out before your head pops off?”

“So funny, ha-ha.” Y/N mocked, getting out some fruit. “Did you need something? Or did you wanna stay?”

“Sorry, right. Lily wants you to come over for dinner tomorrow.”

“Just Lily?” Y/N raised a brow as she plopped a strawberry into her mouth and chewed.

“No, dumbass. I want you to, too. Bring someone ever too, if you want.” Alex shrugged, accepting the strawberry his sister offered him.

“Mmk. Like who?….Lando?”

“I don’t care. If you want to.” he chewed the berry as she grabbed two waters from her fridge and handed one to Alex.

“Alright. Thanks. That it?” she asked, sighing.

Alex knew she wasn’t trying to be rude. She wanted to be alone, he understood. She had been at the studio since 8:00am, she was tired and wanted to sleep.

“Nope, that’s it. See you tomorrow?” Alex walked to the door, Y/N behind him.

“Yup. Love you, Alex. I’ll see ya.”

“Love you too. See ya tomorrow.” Alex shut the door behind him and walked to the elevator, pushing his thoughts away that maybe his sister was dating Lando.

He shook his head and sent a text to Lily to let him know that he was on his way home. Tomorrow night would be interesting.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

twitter:

F1 Updates @f1updatepage • 2hr

Our beloved Y/N Albon has been spotted on a boat with Lando Norris. The photo below was taken last week:

↳ Y/N my Icon! @y/n4lifeeee • 1hr

WHAT- i knew they were hanging out, butttt why am i shipping them so hard rn????

↳ Piasstri🍑 @oscandlan • 1hr

idk if i want to be y/n or if i want to be with y/n

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

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y/n.albon: pinky 🌸🩰🎀👛

view comments…

user9: SLAY PINK QUEEN

user4: fits always eat

lailahasanovic: cutieeeee

↳ y/n.albon: awe laila🩷

user6: no lando pics?? :(

↳ user2: im sure we will soon lol

danielricciardo: shes working💅🩰

↳ y/n.albon: yuh

f1wags: y/n’s life is sooo aesthetic fr

y/nballetstudio: our favvvv

*liked by creator*

user3: my literal inspo, ugh

landonorris: coffee coffee coffee

↳ y/n.user: thx for the coffee coffee coffee

↳ user1: hold up. he made her that coffee??????

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

You were nervous for dinner with Lily and Alex on Friday night. Actually, the dinner that was currently 3 hours away.

And yes, you invited Lando. So what? You weren’t even sure if you guys were just friends, or maybe he wanted something more….

It was confusing. One day, you guys are hanging out, cuddling on your couch while talking, and the next, he doesn’t even text you.

But he happily accepted the invite. Which is why Lando was sitting on your bed, watching you apply your lipgloss at your mirror. The shiny gloss catching his eye as you smiled and asked him a question.

“Lando? You there?” you waved your hand, smiling and laughing a bit.

“What? Oh, mhmm. Yeah. I heard you.” he shook his head, hoping you would repeat what you had said.

“You do think that we should get sushi next week for lunch?” you questioned, tilting your head to the side and smirking.

“Y/N, no. Don’t joke like that. You don’t even like sushi!” Lando whined, making you laugh.

“I know, sorry. I asked if I looked okay?” you smoothed your black skirt down, pulling the sleeves of the white shirt down a bit.

Lando swallowed, clearing his throat. What was he supposed to say? You truly always looked breathtaking to him. He couldn’t say that though. “Yeah, you look great.” Lando smiled and got up from your bed.

“Ok, thanks. Let’s go?” you shook off the weird feeling you had, grabbing your purse and snapping a mirror picture while Lando got his phone off the charger.

………

Once you guys got to Alex and Lilys, everything went smoothly. Alex and Lando chatted about the cars while they prepared the salad, and you and Lily talked about her latest golf outing and your rehearsals.

That’s how it always went. Except usually Alex would rant about the cars to you and Lily at dinner. Occasionally getting a breadstick thrown at him because you found his complaining aggravating.

“I know! And get this, my engineer said-“ Alex was ranting as Lando kept glancing your way. The was you doubled over when Lily said something, or the way you bit your lip as you concentrated on the pasta. He shook his head and listened to Alex talk about his balance in the car.

“Y/N. You need to seriously open your eyes.” Lily said, looking at you with a hand on her hip.

“They are! The pasta is fine- what…why are you mom stancing me right now?” you questioned, lips parted and brows furrowed.

“Do you not see the way Lando looks at you? He’s going to chop off a finger if he keeps glancing over here and not at his carrots.” Lily sighed, and right on cue….

“Ow! Fuck!” Lando cursed, hissing in pain, holding his finger.

“Lando! What the fuck? You’re getting blood all over the cutting board.” Alex complained, earning a cup thrown at his head from you as you ran over to Lando.

“What did you do?!” you asked, running his finger under cold water. It wasn’t a deep cut, but he grazed his finger with the blade.

“Um…I don’t know. Just thinking about the cars, I guess.” he shrugged, thanking you for getting the bandaids from the drawer behind him and helping him wrap it.

“Alex, you’re so rude! When a guest cuts their finger, you help! Not complain about your $15 cutting board.” Lily scolded Alex, shaking her head.

Alex scoffed, “Lily, he’s fine.” The couple set the table as you guys took your seats. You and Lando on one side, and Lily and Alex across from you.

“Sorry for not helping, Lando.” Alex said, side eyeing Lily.

You giggled a bit as Lando started laughing, “mhm, it’s okay.”

Dinner went well, conversations flowed well and it was nice to talk to the people you enjoyed being around. Now id only you could figure your feelings for Lando out…

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

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seen by: landonorris, alex_albon, and 678,023 others

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

(reposts, comments, and likes are appreciated!^-^)

[ciryes]

An Arbiter of the Head (Project Moon games) vs Marisa Kirisame. Who's winnin'.

I like that despite me not posting for like, years, you have correctly assessed that I've played the entire project moon trilogy somehow so I'm compelled to answer this

Highly situational, an arbiter isn't going to give a shit about danmaku or spell cards, so in this instance Marisa is going to be forced to fight at her full power, but considering she's just an ordinary human she probably relies on the spell card system to be as powerful as she is? In an all-out fight I don't think magic is going to give her enough advantage over a basically superhuman with magic-equivalent technology.

On the other hand, Marisa would probably figure out some kind of way to avoid having to fight in the first place or steal some crazy powerful Singularity to give her the edge.

Also, Marisa is probably going to be able to use E.G.O. fairly easily. Carmen tries to distort her and she just says some kind of casual comeback like 'sorry, i don't have time to turn into a monster because i only get weekends off' and gets a giant fuckoff suit of armor and that is going to level the playing field.

So really I think the answer here depends on how much setup time Marisa is given, how little security is guarding the nearest Wing's singularity, whether or not she can experience enough of a despair event horizon to get contacted by the City's resident intrusive thoughts milf for a limited time offer of FREE SOUL WEAPON, and how bad the head wants her dead.

Unless the arbiter we're talking about is Binah, in which case throw everything I just said out the window, Marisa is going to be lucky to get away from that one with her life. That woman can tank a master spark and frankly I think she'd enjoy it

[frozenwolftemplar]

Waterloo, or Laundry Day Bonus Scene

I was responding to @mmaricarmen23 and @backofthepencil11 comments on 'Waterloo, or Laundry Day' and this popped into my head. To anyone who's interested, hope you enjoy!

"So Red, how's laundry day going?"

Carmen shrugged, leaning against the laundromat's street-facing window, watching a dog walker juggle the leashes of about half a dozen pooches. "Good. Laundromat's nice. Clean. Unlike that other one..."

"So I didn't check Yelp one time!" Player protested, Carmen chuckling at his indignance. "Besides, I thought island girls were used to big bugs."

"Big bugs that stayed outside." Carmen amended, holding up a finger as though to block the teasing accusation, never mind he couldn't see the gesture. "And anyway-" a smug note crept into her voice- "I think I handled them well." Admittedly, discovering the laundromat of the week had a roach problem hadn't been fun in the moment, but she at least had the satisfaction of saying she'd reacted with commendable cool-headedness.

"You shrieked."

In her defense, she'd only be off the Island for two weeks. Kneejerk reactions had been common.

"Anyway," Carmen said, tacitly admitting truce and changing subjects, eyes tracking a pigeon that alighted on the sidewalk once the dogs moved on. "Not really anything unusual. Except..." She paused and sketched a glance towards Shadowsan, studying the contents of the vending machine and debating if any of the brightly-packaged snacks constituted 'actual food' and continued in an undertone. "I don't think Shadowsan had ever done his own laundry before."

There was a pause.

"...Seriously?"

"I mean, he said he meant to wash his darks on the 'whites' setting but-"

She bit her lip as Player barked out a laugh. "And then what," he said, clearly holding onto composure tooth and nail. "Did he, like, forget soap or something?"

A cheshire grin wended across Carmen's face as she answered. "Yup."

Shadowsan glanced her way as Player's helpless laughter tumbled through the phone, eyes dark and more than a little abashed as he quickly deduced the subject of Carmen's conversation. She wiggled her fingers in an impish wave, unconcerned by the look he was leveling her with (not like he'd say anything to her so long as he needed someone to work the dryers).

"So, how did it end? Did he bleach his entire wardrobe?"

"I stepped in before he could do that." Idly shifting her weight so she was standing on one foot, she indulged in a chuckle as Shadowsan, with a long-suffering look, turned back to the vending machine and started slipping in quarters (huh, guess vending machines were immune to the 'fascinating' technological progress). "No harm done." Except his dignity, but he'd get over that.

"So...not like the first time you did your own laundry and messed up with the dryer and shrunk, like, everything."

The pigeon took rapid wing as Carmen choked on air and set her upraised foot down hard, catching herself clumsily against the glass. Shadowsan looked over again, and Carmen felt a flush flooding up her neck as he read her no doubt mortified expression correctly

"It was not everything!" She hissed as Shadowsan turned back to the vending machine, but not before she caught the silent laugh crinkling around his eyes.

"Fair point. Just all your shirts. And socks. You got antsy waiting around the motel until I could get some replacements shipped to you and said the room service lady kept looking at you weird because you were constantly wearing an overcoat indoors."

"Because I didn't have any shirts," Carmen muttered around the hand she'd plastered on her face. Crud, sometimes she really wished her team wasn't that good at reading her. Or remembered every embarrassing moment of her life. "Do you ever forget anything?"

"When it comes to you? Nope!" Player sounded entirely too cheerful of that fact.

"Lucky me."

[desolateice]

personal headcanon of mine with Johnny Lawrence(especially after reading your fic). I kinda see him as Demisexual Bi. Honestly with the movie and the cobra kai I think Johnny has sex because that was what he was taught from Kreese what being a man is suppose to be like and he never really let go of that habit. The only people he's ever been really sexually attracted to is Allie and Daniel. Because he has a deep emotional bonds with them. Even if they're not all 100% postive. Probably why the whole thing with Allie and Daniel in the karate kid so confusing. Would love to know what you think of my headcanon. But that's kinda how I see the whole mess.

Tumblr is not letting me answer this so I'm just testing something. I'll put it under the read more if it works.

I get that. I mean we don't really see Johnny moving on in the first film. There's no one on his arm except cobras and his focus seems to be Daniel. Arguably the only reason he kisses Ali is because he sees Daniel. So at that point I'd argue he kinda gave up on the trying to get her back as a girlfriend, and definitely lost any chance when he did that. Who knows what his life was like after the all-valley. Because, arguably, Cobra Kai is extended fanfiction. And there's all sorts of different scripts where Johnny was supposed to appear in the third movie, and maybe our views of who he was and everything would've changed. I mean in one version, I'm pretty sure he and Daniel became like friends much to Dutch's like fury, if I remember that old scripts summary correctly. And while I feel like I remember someone saying that they had girls around them, I don't remember anyone saying "Johnny dates __" in this script. (To be fair most of the conversation around it wasn't focused on that point.)

But when we see him in Cobra Kai and what he sort of talks about the only past love he's hung up on is Ali. He says he partied but I don't remember if he slept around or with how he sort of bolsters himself up whether that's truly believable. He got with Shannon when they both seemed to be a mess and he just became more of one after his mother died and I kinda doubt there was anyone he actually dated afterwards. In a serious way anyway.

He likes Carmen, the show tries to make that very clear, but sometimes I think they'd be better off as friends. Mostly because while I like Carmen I feel like she often gets sort of stuck in a "Johnny's girlfriend role". Which is a bummer in my opinion because I was honestly so excited when they hadn't put a label on it. Like how often does that happen? And I think she's a great influence on him because he listens and seems to respect her. But I don't like that she's like a reward to him and the creators (and who knows if it was pressure from Netflix and how they rushed that last season) wanted to tie up loose ends by what was convenient.

Sure a person can fall in love with their neighbor. Sure a person can fall in love with a single parent of their student. But it's just…too easy. Especially for a character whose last long term relationship exploded so badly and the only other person he's canonically loved is his high school sweetheart.

Which sometimes I wonder is just an extension of missing that before everything went to shit moment. Like how much of his "I only ever loved Ali" is "Damn high school was the only time I felt good about myself"?

And there's something about that though that throws me a little and that's the cobras. If the time he felt best about himself was high school, then what happened? Sure friends drift away, it happens, but I would like more clarification from the show whether or not that's actually happened. Because they kinda introduce their reunion at Tommy's side as the first time they've seen each other in a long time which is heart breaking. And I also call bull on it. Because, sure they were kids when Kreese tried to kill Johnny, but I can't believe the cobras wouldn't just drop by or check in on Johnny whenever they could. That they wouldn't have a relationship with Robby or try and steer him back onto dry land.

I think at the very least Johnny is so traumatized and depressed that he hasn't had romantic love, not really since Ali. And with Daniel I think Daniel is in a special place because he's like the one person from Johnny's past when things were good, or almost good before things went to shit, but also knows.

They both stubbornly (or at least the writers chose this) not to talk about all their past issues. Johnny and Kreese, Johnny vs Silver, Daniel and Silver. And I think to an extent, when they both calm down get each other. Understand. They've both lost important people. They both are grieving. They both had rough times. But Daniel had people to lean on and a good support system, whereas Johnny's seems to have cracked out from under him or he pushed his away.

Until he falls into Mr. Miyagi's footsteps. Until Miguel gets some life to spark again. And then because there's people listening to him and talking to him he's opening up and maybe realizing the shit he's gone through wasn't right. Because part of me thinks that Johnny's never like realized all of that was fucked up. Like on some level he knows but he probably also hasn't talked about a lot of it until he's had students and watches it all backfire that he realizes well shit, this isn't right. And I think those students of his are such a key development point for him.

And such a great starting point. Because who knows maybe Johnny doesn't know what bi means. Maybe he doesn't know it's an option because he's not online and he doesn't meet people really. His job after all was work alone in peoples houses, go home alone, go to the local convenience store for his beer and that's like it. He's super solitary. I doubt he even watches the news. He probably watches old movie channels or just those same vhs's over and over again and he's like a hermit almost whose unaware that life has passed him by and out of touch with all the fads because that requires effort and human interaction which he has like no energy for.

But those kids of his bring life to him. Bring people and language and new things into his world. For a cliche, color to his grayscale. So maybe he realizes all his action flicks and love for specific action heros and their abs for days might not be just a normal appreciation of the male physique but that if he stops to think about it attractions and one of those labels might fit. But I also kinda like the idea that he knows. And that it's just not anyone's business, or it hasn't come up. Or maybe he's just so used to an era where people didn't talk about it or didn't feel safe so it's a shock if he does bring it up because no one thought he was that self aware. Because he did party, he did dance, he modeled (arguably) once upon a time which if you're close enough to the arts I feel like back then you'd be somewhat aware.

I mean he may have tried it. Right time, right place. But it's not, love. Romantic love and what not. And his self worth seems to have not come back for decades until cobra kai again. So while I don't doubt he's got platonic and familial love all frayed like a worn blanket he's lugged around for decades, I don't think he had any good role models for love. I don't think he knows how to express it well. I think what he had with Shannon was a mess. But I don't doubt that he cares for Robby. That he loves Robby even if he's a sucky parent. I think he doesn't know how to be a parent. And Miguel gets to play safe test child because that's not Johnny's kid, it's his student and he's got a real parent to guide him through life and course correct and do all the hard stuff.

But I don't think he viewed Sid and Laura's relationship as like something to go for. I mean when Shannon tells him that Silver's been creeping around with his money in Robby's life, I think that's a case of something both Johnny and her had agreed on, which was that a relationship with a rich person was probably manipulative and required more hoops and clauses then they expected. And it's said in an offhand way but also in a way like they both know. And I kinda wonder if that was their starting point, their common ground. Both kids from messed up houses where the balance was off because their step parents was a rich asshole.

Daniel meanwhile has an outpouring of love role models to draw upon. His parents. Mr. Miyagi. I'm sure his extended family. And his own life. So he knows what love is. While I think Johnny doesn't have the best idea. So I think Johnny finds Daniel to be this interesting person who clearly knows what love is, who knows him, who knows arguably what happened to him, though I'm not sure if they ever actually talk about it, or just hint about it. Because we, the audience know Daniel saw Johnny choked, but we don't know if Johnny knows Daniel saw or if he just assumes Mr. Miyagi told him or if he assumes Daniel is talking about something else whenever he talks about Kreese.

And I think they both have all this history they didn't get a chance to talk about, partially because of that abrupt jump in the films. Opens on after the all valley and Johnny nearly dying and then huge mood change to Mr. Miyagi's after prom. But I like to think Johnny on a level respects Daniel but is still trying to figure it out. They both are. Daniel who has never seemed to have male friends in his life, and Johnny whose never really had an lot of love and who really has maybe had 3 partners canonically max. Ali, Shannon, and Carmen. And yet he spends more time thinking about Daniel then actually able to get together with Carmen. (To the point I will continue to cry foul on how on earth the baby happened but that's a different point and I blame Netflix rushing things on that)

So yeah I think Johnny probably says he's more of a sexual person then he actually is due to what he perceives he's supposed to be and a large part of that is probably Kreese. I think maybe he has had other partners but it's definitely not been long term and who knows if it's actually what he wanted or if he just felt like it was what he was supposed to do and I do think at the very least he's attracted to guys. And what he's actually attracted to I don't know what I officially would categorize him as, bi because of Ali, or gay and stuck in a closet because he didn't think he could be gay or if he refuses to do any self discovery because he dated Ali.

I don't doubt he loved Ali, but whether or not he felt pressured to have a relationship with her and her being the only woman he's ever really loved, well, like before I don't know if that's him truly loving her romantically and sexually or if it's missing his youth and rose tinted glasses. And I don't think he's been in love much and that he's still figuring it out. But I do think he is attracted to guys and is still figuring that out too. Which is fine because it can all be fluid and it can all change, and he just might not know or realize that or who knows he might. He might be like hmm as a teen I liked Ali so I was straight and now I kinda like Daniel so maybe I'm gay, or maybe I'm bi. Or he could be just like shoving it down into a box in his head and not dealing with it. All of which are fun to explore in fics. So I feel like it depends and yes. This is a long way to go about saying essentially yeah.🤣

[la-cocotte-de-paris]

🦋If you get this, answer with 3 facts about yourself and send it to the last 7 blogs in your notifications, anonymously or not! Let's get to know the person behind the blog🦋

or since you already did this, i will make a change:

🦋Please share with us 3 facts you love about Edwige Feuillère🦋

Et voilà :)

omg thank you for changing this slightly - this is my third one in my inbox within a week! -_-"" :P

Okaaayyyy, so three facts I love about Edwige:

She was a total history nerd just like me (she also had an Ancient Egypt phase when she was young too)

She was a very talented writer -- imo, as a writer myself, I think she could have easily made a career in writing if she chose not to pursue acting. Once she had time to write, I think she even said she would have chosen to be a writer if she wasn't an actress (if I remember that correctly - I think I read or heard her say that somewhere but idk maybe I'm mistaken lmao).

SHE APPARENTLY VISITED IRELAND?!?!?!??!!!! ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION (so I assume she liked it here lol)?!?!?!?!?!! BUT SHE NEVER SAID WHERE OR WHEN?!?!?!?!! I lost my fucking mind when I first learned this and it still blows my mind that maybe she passed through places I would visit or go to on a regular basis. I've also convinced myself she visited the West even though there is ZERO proof of this, but it's a nice thought that maybe she also saw places I love or grew up nearby too. :)

[BONUS ONE BC I'M TOO GAY FOR THIS WOMAN: she literally writes for like 1.5-2 pages in her memoir about how she was kissed by Carmen Amaya and it's deadass Edwige just fangirling about it for this entire passage. I genuinely don't know how people DIDN'T realise that she was bi af. XD

Also mini bonus one: one of her best friends in her 20s-30s was a full-blown socialist, possibly even a communist and he'd discuss Marxist theory with her and she VIBED with it (...mostly).]

[imagines-ahs]

Ok so.... I just re-read the entire fic. And OMG, i fell in love again, and this time I fell harder. It's just perfect.

Having said that I do have some questions that I would like to makes you don't have to answer then all and pls don't feel pressured.

So there was a hint that Billie was harassed at some point, so... Are they gonna talk about that?? I'm really so invested in what you have to say about that.

The backstory you gave to venable is that she's an orphan, are we gonna get to know more about that, did she change homes or was she realized in an orphanage?? Also how was her disability treated and are you gonna maybe like go over how did she ended up being a bitch (like u know ahs Miss Venable bitch)

Who is Olivia, like you mentioned her, but did Mina discovered her sexuality thanks to her, or her only support???

And lastly who is Lisa?? And why do I kinda hate her now??

The company is Billie Dean Howard Co which very nice tbh, but like what do they do??? I mean, i get the show, but is there like smthng else? I love btw how you make it so real, like the building, and the jobs and the dress Carmen said for the sponsor, it's all like in real life.

What's the deal with Carmen??? Honestly...

Also, what's the role of Emma in the company?? She gives me some vibe of finance, but I'm not sure.

Thanks again for this amazing story. You are so so so blessed. And I'm enjoying this story so much. I've had so many theories of what's gonna happen but you amaze me each time.

Can't wait to see how this develops.

Love you.

Oh my 💜 thank you so much, I can’t believing you’re reading it all again!!! That means a lot!! And I LOVE answering your questions, it’s a pleasure! So let’s go:

1- Very smart of you to get that hint AND remember it. Yes, they will talk about it in the future. It plays an important part in the story!

2- Her story will be getting more and more puzzled together as the chapters go by. She has had a complex life and I promise everything will be answered soon.

3- I believe in chapter 10 (if I remember correctly) there’s an inner monologue of Wilhemina about Olivia. She was her best friend up until she died when they were 11. They shared a bedroom in the orphanage ever since they were brought there.

4- Lisa is also someone very important to the story. The answer of who she is and what she means will be coming soon! She’s someone from Venable’s past.

5- Thank you so much!! The company is basically everything Billie Dean. It takes care of her career as a whole, works in publicity, shows, donations… basically everything she’s involved.

6- Hahaha Carmen is one of the usual producers. She’s just a bitch.

7- Emma also works in HR. She’s part of the HR team, which is all under Venable’s charge.

[itsdappleagain]

1-10!

:D

1) Who is your favorite character to write for and is this the character you find easiest to write for?

I love writing for Carmen if it wasn't clear already. She comes easily to me and its easiest too put her in scenarios tm. I actually don't often write for others but I really want to experiment with it.

2) What is your favorite fic of yours?

Hmmm. Good question and one I'm not sure I know the answer to. I like Upon the Sword, and I also really like a few of the shorter ones like the cardinal and the kitten and and the world was framed with red. currently a few wips are occupying my headspace as well

3) What fic of yours do you think is underrated?

uhhh and the world was framed with red I guess. I'm happy with all of my fics though. i think i could have made that one more engaging and have better street appeal tho

4) What fic of yours were you surprised by how popular it was?

well, I started out writing on wattpad- I posted two chapters of a fic and came back months later (i forgot lol) to a bunch of requests for me to continue. that really surprised me, and the relative popularity of upon the sword and love, carmen surprised me there too.

5) Do you like one shots or multi-chapters?

I like both but I usually do multi-chapters :D

6) Do you outline your fics? If so, how?

very, very chaotic bullet point lists usually. I will generally jot down an idea I have and if its lucky ill come and write down some base plot points. from there i'll usually fill in points for an "arc" and then set off (or start the fic and then fill in the plot...more usually. oops). one time for i think hearts and stars i did a full 20+ page document full of character outlines, motivations, emotions, and relationships with others plus plot, character goals, brainstorming, notes, title ideas, tons of blurbs, scene ideas, and even a mini screenplay format scene which i eventually added back in.

7) How do you edit your fics? What do you look for in your edits?

I usually write chunks at a time and when I start a new writing section I read the entire thing over and edit what doesn't read correctly for me. If something doesn't work and its a really big mistake I either ignore it (wow such writer lol) or entirely rework the plot to fix it lmao

8) Do you take inspiration from real life? If so how do you incorporate it into your fics?

Uhh sometimes, yes. It sort of depends on what you mean- when I get injured, I take pictures of the blood or bruises for future reference. I write detailed synopses of pain and unique traumatic medical experiences, plus any depressive or anxious episodes I may go through. Uhmm lets see...I do a lot of research for some bits of the story and I'm often inspired by other things. they help me incorporate a sense of emotion and some realism. i also take inspiration from romantic body language I see portrayed in real life and media because I have 0 experience in that department

9) Do you visualize scenes in your head before you write them? (Can you picture the setting, character body language etc)

oh GOSH yes. currently for say you'll share with me one love one lifetime the scene I have planned for the (eventual) chapter 3 has been runnign through my mind for...maybe months. I plan out a basic action first, usually- in this case a specific consequence of carmne's injury and build a scene around it- who, where, the reaction, the aftermath, how to make it gayer, and how to make it tie in with everything else.

10) How do you feel about writing plot, setting/description, inner thoughts, dialogue?

hate plot honestly. could do without it, but you cant is the thing so i usually wing it (im trying to get better lol). i thrive on setting and description, LOVE that shit. inner thoughts are very fun to do and I like trying to weave a lot of emotion in there. dialogue is...ok. usually i feel a bit awkward with it unless I really get lucky (like a bit of dialogue I feel pretty proud of is the scene in hearts and stars where ivy asks carmen why she doesn't see herself as a person in chapter 11 and i think that confidence is reflected in my reader's reactions from what I've seen :3)

thank you for the ask jo!

[chemicalpeeel]

Chemical Peel Treatments? Dr Carmen is here to assist

Chemical Peels are one of the most common and effective treatments in the range of Facial Aesthetics. By Applying a chemical solution to the preferred area, the skin becomes dry and can be peeled off to reveal fresh and younger-looking skin. Although Chemical Peels are not everyone's cup of tea, there are a large majority of people who swear by them and choose them as their main cosmetic treatment. With that in mind, anybody who chooses skin peels understands that when not applied correctly or safely they can have disastrous results, which is why they choose a Specialist who they trust to apply this treatment.

 This is why Dr Carmen and her Team work extra hard to create an environment that leaves you feeling safe and confident that you will receive the best treatment in a comfortable and professional environment while Dr Carmen performs the Chemical Peel. So if you are looking for professional and passionate Facial Aesthetic Specialists for all your Chemical Peels or other Aesthetic Treatments then Dr Carmen is the Doctor for you. So book a consultation or find out more about our Various Treatments, Contact us Today!

 Everything you could need to know about Chemical peels

 Whenever a Patient hears the word Chemical Peels, they are often left with horrifying images of scarring, blistering and pain. But when you visit a professional Aesthetic Medical Professional, like Dr Carmen, you can rest assured that you will be in good hands. And on this page, we have put together, some helpful answers to the questions that we get asked all the time. This will give you a good introduction to Chemical Peel Procedure. And if you need more information, please feel free to give us a call and we can answer any questions that you may have.

 What are the different levels of Chemical Peels?

As we mentioned before, A Chemical Peel is an aesthetic technique of applying a chemical solution to the skin to encourage exfoliation, resulting in clearer, smoother and younger-looking skin. This then diminishes the signs of ageing on the skin refreshing the texture, reducing the fine lines and diminishing skin discolouration.

To give effective treatment, Dr Carmen offers different levels of the Chemical Peel treatment, from a mild treatment to a more intense peeling session that is customised for your needs. The depth of the peeling all depends on the time of the application, the number of layers and the type and concentration of the agent used

 There are three different levels of Chemical Peels that Dr Carmen will Apply.

●     Light Peel: A light chemical peel extracts a fine, outer layer to reveal new healthier skin. Generally used for superficial lines, acne and pigmented skin.

●     Medium Peel: Removes the top and middle layers of skin to treat wrinkles, scars and discolouration

●     Deep Chemical Peels: The Peels, Penetrate and reach skin cells deep with the skin to treat growths, scars and heavy wrinkles.

For more information about our different peel options, reach out and we can consult you on which helps to solve your needs.

What are the benefits of Chemical Peels

When it comes to the different types of Aesthetic treatments, Many of our clients have wanted to know why this particular method is ideal for their needs, and we often say that the different aesthetic treatments all have their own unique traits to solve to different Aesthetic treatments.

As when it comes to Chemical Peels, there are a number of different benefits that make this remedy the primary choice when it comes to looking younger and “fresher”.

The Benefits of Chemicals Peels include

●     They Reduce the Fine Lines under the eyes and around the mouth

●     They treated wrinkles caused by sun damage and ageing

●     Treats Certain types of Acne

●     Improve the appearance of Mild Scars

●     Reduces Age Spots, Freckles and Dark Patches (Melasma)

●     Refines the Look and Feel of the Skin

●     Improves the appearance of large pores

●     Helps to increase the absorption of productions, therefore, enhancing their effectiveness

●     Reduces pigmentation

●     Evens out Skin Tone

●     Increases the epidermal thickness, resulting in strong skin with a plumbing effect

Who is a good candidate for a chemical peel?

With every treatment, Dr Carmen has had quite a few clients wonder if the chemical peel treatment is right for them. And before any treatment. Dr Carmen and the team will consultant with you to determine your needs and give you the best advice that will suit your desired result.

So how do you know if you are a candidate? Well firstly, if you want to achieve any of the benefits we provided previously then chemical peels are the way to go. Whether it be the reduction of skin blemishes and lines, the rejuvenation and strengthening of the skin or the improvement of your skin, then Chemical peels are right for you.

Can a skin peel be done on darker skin?

Not all skin peels are suitable for darker skin types and by using the wrong peel, there can be certain risks that can be associated with the treatment. From Colouration or Discolouration of the skin to scarring in extreme cases, if you are unsure, it is best to chat with us at Dr Carmen INC

Can Chemical peels be done on the body?

Although Chemical Peels are most commonly used for the face, there are options to apply chemical peels to specific parts of the body. These peels, help to lighten uneven skin and smooth the texture. In this case, it is best to chat with us and we will assist you in the best next steps,

Are Chemical Peels available to those with sensitive skin?

 Again, when meeting with Dr Carmen, we can advise you on the best form of treatment, in terms of your needs and your skin type. As there can both be benefits and risks of choosing the chemical peel.

 How Many Treatments will I require to get the results that I want

 Again, depending on what you are wanting to achieve, will vary on the leave of chemical peels that you will need, considering the level of treatment, skin condition and other factors, treatment is usually scheduled about four to eight sessions 2-4 weeks apart. With skin showing dramatic results around the third session

 For more information on how long, chat with us today!

 What does the Pre-treatment look like?

 Before any treatment even starts, Dr Carmen will sit down with you, and explain everything you need to know as well as create a round of Chemical Peels that best suits you and your desires.

However, if you are wanting to know more about the pre-treatment prep. Here is some vital things to know.

●     Products that contain retinoids, adapalene or alpha-hydroxy acid creams are not recommended to be used for at least three days pre- and post-treatment.

●     Sunscreen should be applied Pre- & Post to guard against sunburn or excessive pigmentation

●     Waxing should not be done for atleast 2 days pre- and post-treatment

●     Isotretinoin (Roaccutane, Acnetane, Oratane) is contraindicated with chemical peels and we advise that you wait four to six months before undertaking treatment.

What do I need to know about post-treatment aftercare?

Dr Carmen and her team will ensure that you are prepared and well taken care of when going through your Chemical Peel Sessions. After you have finished though, there are a couple of things that you can do, to ensure that your skin remains and remains healthy afterwards.

This aftercare includes:

●        Avoid touching, picking or scratching your face.

●        Avoiding sun completely.

●        Applying a broad-spectrum SPF.

●        Using a mild moisturiser.

●        Avoiding harsh products that may irritate the skin.

The Risks of Chemical Peels All chemical peels carry some uncertainty and risk. Chemical peel is normally a safe procedure when it is performed by a qualified & experienced physician. However, some unpredictability and risks such as infection and scarring, while infrequent, are possible. Stinging, Redness, Irritation and crusting. With AHA peels, there may be some stinging, redness, irritation and crusting around the applied area. However, as the skin adjusts to the treatment regimen, these problems will subside. Avoid sun exposure for several months With a TCA peel, your healed skin will be able to produce pigment as always; the peel will not bleach the skin. However, TCA-peel patients are advised to avoid sun exposure for several months after treatment to protect the newly formed layers of skin. Even though TCA is milder than phenol, it may also produce some unintended color changes in the skin. If you are a little unsure of some of the reactions that you are having after the treatment, please feel to contact us for a post treatment check-up How to schedule a Chemical Peel Treatment with Dr Carmen? Ready to Schedule your Next Chemical Peel, Dr Carmen and her Team are ready to assist you in a safe, and friendly environment. Schedule your appointment today, by contacting us on Whatsapp, Email or Contact Form. We look forward to hearing from you!

Dear visitors if you want to more information about Chemical Peel and our all services please visit our website. We have a website. We welcome you. CLICK HERE

[liquid-luck-00]

Connections 11

Chapter 11

@maribatmarch-2k21 Day 3: Warmth

this is based on @thepeacetea  daminette soulmate au

Ao3 *** Masterlist *** First *** Previous *** Next

~~~~~~~~~~

Once they were comfortably settled into their hotel and penny caught up on the magical kids’ front did Jagged start the conversation.

"So, want to tell me why we came to Mexico besides the warm weather?"

"Apparently there is a hidden gift for the next ladybug and black cat." Damian explained calmly.

"Magical scavenger hunt!" Mari exclaimed excitedly.

"So where do we start?" Jagged seemed as eager as Mari to solve this.

Tikki now moved to sit on Mari's shoulder. "Micazoyolin and Ocelome tended to split their time between the Aztec and Mayan empires for ceremonies and since most of the Aztec temples and locations were destroyed, I would start with Mayan areas as we are in the Yucatán peninsula. Try starting with the pyramid at Chichen Itza."

"Good idea Tikki," Penny stepped in, "but how do we explore without being questioned?"

"If I recall correctly Hawkman is an archeologist and may be able to help." Damian supplied on his phone, most likely contacting Bruce to ask Hawkman.

"Okay so while we wait for an answer what should we do first?" Jagged asked but looked like he was about to jump on the walls. Mari looked just as ready to follow his lead without hesitation.

"Why don’t we all take some time to relax in the resort and catch the dinner show of Joyã by Cirque Soleil?" Penny supplied in an attempt to save the room.

"Okay!" Mari answered.

"That is acceptable," was Damian's response.

With that the two ran out to the beach practically outside of their villa.

It didn't take long to hear back from him, so two days later they took a day tour of the pyramid and stayed to wait after nightfall, but they didn't wait long.

"Hello, Batman said to meet a group..." Hawkman began.

"They know," Damian cut him off. "We require your expertise."

"Have you ever heard of the gems of the Ladybug and Black Cat?" Mari asked.

"Yes, I have, a long time ago in ancient Egypt. I met one, a weilder of the ladybug." he hummed in thought. "You, little one, remind me of her."

"That would be because I'm the ladybug of this generation." she smiled.

They had begun to walk towards the Pyramid. "So why call upon me?"

"The kids were left something by the previous holders, and we were hoping to have someone with experience to help." Jagged sounded like an actual adult, but his grin, and bouncing gave away his excitement.

They were a few steps from the top of the Pyramid. "Then it would be my honor to aid you."

"So, what are we looking for?" Damian asked Tikki who was now flitting around the temple area.

"I don't know. They must have done this after giving up the jewels."

It looked like she wanted to add more but the ground began to glow red forming a complicated, but vaguely familiar symbol. The center then opened up revealing a shoot.

On 3.

3

The two ran and jumped into the slide barely registering their names called by Jagged and Penny. A rustle at feathers told them Hawkman managed to come after them. Seeing as the magical hole in the ground, ceiling, has now closed. Tikki joined them a few moments later with a huff.

"I told your Dad and Penny to go back to the resort and get some rest. And that you will make sure they get back safely." the small goddess then dove into a lecture of how reckless and dangerous that was and so on.

"So, where are we?" Mari asked once Tikki landed on her head.

"This Pyramid was built upon two others. I am assuming this is the second. It maybe that what your looking for maybe in either the first or even underneath it."

Now that they knew what to expect they checked the two top floors of each and dropped through the second and inner temples.

"Hello. Seeing as you have reached this far, means you are true souls of the Ladybug and Black Cat." Ocelome spoke, appearing before them.

"It's good to see you again Ocelome, Micazoyolin." Damian nodded.

"It is nice little cub." she removed her headdress and put it on him.

"Oh, you are adorable, Tikki it’s been far too long." Micazoyolin also placed his headdress on Mari, once Tikki noticed what he was doing. "Follow us."

They led the trio to a cave that opened into a cenote, a large sinkhole filled with exposed fresh water, a magical bridge of light across the cenote to the far wall. Which opened to reveal a tome and two ovals of obsidian laced with gold. Marinette was reaching to one of the stones when Micazoyolin stopped her.

"The stones will amplify your magical and physical abilities. They will also extend your lives, longer than the Miraculous already would. Those are our gifts to you, should you accept them." He explained.

What do you think?

You are bearable enough to spend longer with.

She rolled her eyes at him, together they reached out and each touched one. Mari's gained a red sheen while Damian's gained a green one. The stones flew up and swirled around the two before settling just above their shoulder blades on the center of their backs. Ocelome then handed Marinette the tome.

"Be warned when the last page is turned then closed the book shall return here. As will the stones when you finally rest." Micazoyolin added. "to await the next pair to find them."

"What if we want to come back to see you again, we have to go through the pyramids again?" Mari asked the two older holders.

"No little bug you can always find us here. This island is hidden not far from the Playa de Carmen." Micazoyolin comforted the small girl.

"How did we come so far it didn’t feel that long of a walk?" Damian brought up.

"Magic can make even the longest journeys short." Ocelome responded.

"Is that how you could split your time between the two empires?" Damian jumped in again a muffled yawn laced his words.

"That is correct cub. The same goes to you, Hawkman, if you ever want your questions answered we would not mind you coming to visit." Ocelome offered.

"It would be rude of me to not take you up on your offer. Now I think it is time to get these two in bed, it has been a long night it seems." Hawkman accepted the offer, taking a child in each arm and taking to the sky.

Both Damian and Marinette were leaning on one another against Hawkman exhausted, as the time ticks close to four in the morning, the headdresses they were still wearing protected them from the breeze as Hawkman flew them back to the villa via Tikki’s instructions.

The rest of their stay was spent in the warmth of the sun and questions of the stones and the tome. But above all the warmth that radiated from their stones comforted them as there was a minor tug towards the other, connecting them further.

***

Okay so to clear up any impending confusion, true holders for the miraculous are perfect souls for a particular miraculous. This does not mean the Ladybug and Black Cat are soulmates just because Mari and Damian are. The twins, Micazoyolin and Ocelome, are that Fraternal Twins, but their souls are connected to the Miraculous. But they weren’t each other’s soulmates

Next

~~~~~~~~~~

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[disfordevineaux]

Character Parallels: Chase vs Julia

First off, let me start with:

SEASON 3 SPOILER WARNING.

This is somewhat a continuation from my original Chase Devineaux Case Study I did a while back. Feel free to read it to fully understand the context behind my opinions and thoughts on Chase, Julia and such discussed below. Let’s begin.

Although Season 3 was short, it was still a season that provided us with a new potential story catalyst to propel the plot in the form of major character development.

A bit of context:

Throughout the series, Chase Devineaux was always sceptical and often outright against the idea that Carmen Sandiego could have ulterior motives (due to his ill-fated meetings with the said person driving that home and on the surface she literally is stealing), an idea his previous partner, Julia Argent, was the spokesperson for. To quote a long story short, Chase was not too pleased or in agreement with the idea proposed by Julia: Carmen Sandiego isn’t the real enemy. Others shunned this idea too (Zari & Chief) and consistently was never outright ‘proved’ from a physical evidence standpoint. Both stood on opposite ends of the ‘who really is Carmen Sandiego’ spectrum. This was the major theme of division between Chase and Julia, a plot point further driven by the unlucky streak he suffered when dealing with Team Red, and VILE. Mostly he, and ACME, could not separate the entities completely, even up until the end of Season 3.

In the S03E04, ‘The Masks of Venice Caper’, after 3 seasons of being moments away from Carmen Sandiego at every step, Chase succeeds. After a long and clearly exhausting chase throughout the streets of Venice, he is able to finally catch up.

He leaps aboard after making the jump and officially bears witness to the handing over of goods, something which Julia was only ever afforded. Chase is blindsided at her easy surrender, simple innocent explanation and instantly clean escape. He does not go after her, instead stands bewildered at what she said, leaving him with the important line of: ‘Jules would understand’, (because she would with her prior knowledge and experience), to digest what just occurred.

This was not what he was expecting, as on other occasions they met him with hostility or evasion without explanation. Instead, he is treated as if he were Julia, filling the role as a substitute, as she is no longer on the scene to be the recipient of the ‘handoff’. At this moment, thanks to Carmen’s finale line, it all clicks. Previous conversations run through his mind, visibly questioning, as he makes the connection before being interrupted by Agent Zari, congratulating him on stopping the robbery.

The confirmation that he finally gets it is reaffirmed by a theme of a ‘silent partner’ which he now uses himself with commenting, awkwardly, that ‘I did not do it alone’ (A call back to S01E09, see below). This is the formal affirmation that he now understands that Carmen is not the enemy. There was no way he would have ever connected the dots without visual verification, experiencing it for himself first hand, a situation Julia experienced multiple times by fortune, something people forget when watching him grapple with his inability to detain the ‘thief’. Julia was provided with many chances throughout season 1-2 to work with or in situational coincidence with Carmen and aid in the protection of potential goods in harm’s way. (Most notably S02E04)

Julia’s departure, though disappointing to fans (and myself), was a crucial plot device to enable Chase to be finally exposed to the events which would lead him to change his mind for the better. Unless by some miracle he was chosen as the recipient of Team Red’s well wishes with Julia on the scene and/or in tow, it would have taken far longer for the realisation to be made. An understanding that is only able to be fully recognised by Julia and Chase. The only two people around long enough and familiar enough with Carmen Sandiego and the entire case to be in any position to come to the right conclusion about her intentions.

As many may say, seeing is believing. And seeing was what he needed to believe, both Chase and Julia needing that direct witnessing to understand. Seems the red lining of his original coat meant something after all.

(Do note: Julia was more inclined and susceptible to a conflicting opinion due to her heightened observation skills from the get-go but still needed visual confirmation, which she got, to stand strong with her diverging opinion on Carmen Sandiego.)

The Parallels:

In the next and final episode of S03E05, "The Jolly Good Show Caper", we are greeted with a callback to S01E03’s episode "The Sticky Rice Caper". Instead of Chase and Julia being on their way to interrogate Gray in the Paris Interpol office, Agent Zari and Chase are walking through the halls of the Italian Interpol office to interrogate their latest captured VILE operative, Neal the Eel. From a clearly visual standpoint (see below), the makeup of the scene and placement of characters is a direct callback to the dynamic between both Chase and Julia, and now between Chase and Zari.

S01E03 VS S03E05

Chase now takes the place of Julia, physically and mentally, who listens to a rundown of the situation, proposes a vague counter-argument which is disregarded by Zari. Chase is now wanting to look beneath the surface of the robbery or incident (like Julia always did), unlike before. Similar to the situation in S01E03, Zari is unwavering in her opinion that Carmen and the new detainee are in cahoots, Chase stating that his previous statement was merely ‘entertaining all possible angles’, a comment he further elaborates on to Chief at the end of the episode.

S03E05:

S01E03:

After coming to the interrogation room, Zari dramatically pushes it open in the same style as Chase did seasons earlier, halting her statement to reveal the suspect has ‘escaped’. Zari is stumped, Chase not too phased at this revelation and quickly checks the documents to understand what has occurred, once again.

S03E05

S01E03

Chase again, takes the stance of the ‘Julia’, all-knowing and proceeds to correctly recount the possible scenario that they have found themselves in, having experienced this once before. This ‘recounting of events’ is confirmed to the audience by Chase’s voice monologuing of sorts over an escaping by boat, Neal.

S03E05

S01E03

This scene is interesting for obvious reasons: it’s a direct call back to a later episode and the dynamic within. It is also a pivotal moment we see that Chase was always fully aware of what is happening around him, and really only required the correct pieces to fall into his lap at all the right times to now be the new ‘Julia’ in the dynamic. That style of a sequence of events is what helped Julia see the truth in Carmen’s actions in the first place. Chase has always been cognizant of the events around him, even if they could be contradictory to his main beliefs. Actively choosing not to present it to the audience, in favor of the popular opinion presented by and through ACME, their agents their leader that Carmen Sandiego is the enemy. Half of this being pressure, wanting to succeed in his work, gain praise for it and lack thereof witnessing first hand some sort of ‘positive’ reaffirmation of Carmen’s good intentions and that he really thought he was right. We see this through his sheer self disappointment and embarrassment when facing Chief after mistakes he had no true control over.

Towards the end of the same episode. Carmen is ‘captured’ in London. Agent Zari and Chase receive this development while travelling, Chase jumping out of his seat surprised, shocked, concerned that she was detained saying ‘that is terrible!’. Zari is notable taken aback, Chase quickly tries to collect himself and adjusts his statement and ends with ‘that. we were not the ones to make the arrest.’ Time has passed since the escape of Neal, Chase left to stew with his changing opinions and it clearly appears as if he no longer wishes for Carmen’s capture in the traditional sense, knowing that what she has been doing, is not criminally based. It’s unsure what his plans are when facing Carmen once again, but it at the very least no longer her capture.

Not only are Chase and Julia’s mindsets on the same path, but Chase is also no longer the driver between the pair. A fun nod to how Chase always drove, if dangerously at times.

After events unfold, Chase and Zari soon discover the planted crown jewels in Roundabouts office after a tip off, they run to retrieve them and Chase stops to glance out the window, witnessing Carmen Sandiego flying away from the scene. This is important, if a small detail, in once again showing us he has changed. He is far more observant and is the new candidate to witness the usual things Julia would if she were there. He stopped, was in the right place at the right time, recognised first hand the role Carmen plays in the grand scene of things, as a protector who runs interference.

When things have seemingly been resolved, Chase and Zari are in conference with Chief who details how she deems that it was all an elaborate plan where Roundabout and Carmen were in cahoots. In what is shown to be his first moment ever displaying his new and differing opinions to Chief on the events prior, he details how, maybe, Carmen left the items here for them to discover purposefully. Chief glares at him silently, Chase displaying an awkward reluctant smile, then ignores his opinion moving on. She informs him that it is his job to interrogate Roundabout for answers on how Carmen is connected to him, disregarding his prior though they are not united until Zari receives a phone call. They are informed that Roundabout never reached the destination and has escaped.

S03E05

A Sum Up:

In conclusion, Chase has officially changed opinions on Carmen Sandiego and has fallen into the role Julia left for him when she departed from ACME. Even with the pre-existing knowledge of the hacking by Player and all other indiscretions against him perpetrated by Team Red. He has been through a journey and come out the end with a new perspective

Agent Zari has now acted as both Julia’s and now Chase’s, well ‘Chase’, when it comes to the dynamic of the pairing. In many instances when consulting Chief, Julia has been informed to essentially ‘do her job’ or is only half-listen too, in a subtle way, instead of coming up with theories that don’t necessarily correlate with the majority. This all comes ahead in S03E02 ‘The Day of the Dead Caper’, where Chief is finally blunt with Julia (see below). The same thing has now befallen Chase (see below), except with little to no lead up to instant rejection. All of Chief’s patience for differing opinions was used up, all on Julia it appears.

S03E05

S03E02

The summation of all this produces a new defender of Carmen Sandiego; Chase Devineaux. The likely future outcome will be Chase attempting to contact, seek an audience with Carmen as Julia once attempted, and would succeeded in part from time to time. It is unlikely how well this will go considering Chase and is usually outwardly expressive with his determination to arrest her. One can only hope he is given a chance to rectify his past miscalculations and is able to further support these new set beliefs to ACME, Carmen Sandiego and himself. 

One can also hope Julia returns, maybe by a proposition from Chase, who will no doubt have trouble enacting his new purpose of true justice, and seeking answers/help from Carmen Sandiego. This would also promote a chance for an adult discussion, an apology, one sorely lacking in Season 3 between them. With this new air of familiarity between their opinions on Carmen, a rare opinion it appears, a chance for a reformation of a proper team dynamic is possible.

They lacked a connection throughout season 1 and 2 which aided in their bitter union, both full-heartedly, if not realised or intentional, determined to have their opinion victorious over the other to themselves and to those around them. Chase far more openly critical and cynical, Julia keeping such comments more hidden and modest, but also far more willing to stand up for herself to and in front of Chief. (Prominent examples seen in S02E02,4 & 8, S03E02) Chase was aware of his poor behaviour but found it justified in a sense that he truly believed she was misguided, that he was correct about Carmen Sandiego, now knowing she clearly was right all along. (This does not excuse/justify his rudeness in any sense, but can explain it.)

They would be a great team, now finally on the same page but unfortunately separated. Julia has the nohow and Chase possess the drive to make it happen. They do share those traits, each more natural at one over the other. Neither are willing to give up without a fair fight, and proudly declare and justify themselves at every turn, both proud individuals. (Julia far more modest in comparison). If they worked together, who knows the possibilities, if they can change ACME’s stance on Carmen Sandiego or if they decide to abandon it altogether and aid the other fighter of VILE, Team Red. Either way, it was clear Julia could not do it all on her own and I’m sure we will see Chase realise and suffer the same fate. Hopefully reasoning that he needs help, not getting it to form anyone else, remembering Julia, seeking her out and bringing her back to ACME.

Her reason for leaving ACME was that her heart was no longer in it, her passion snubbed out. Her work now directly contradicts her beliefs which are doubted by all those around her at every turn.

A sad but visibly true thing as no one else in ACME was willing to consider her way any longer, her opinion not shared by anyone else, a very demoralising thing to go through. She was always fighting and standing up on her own.

With Chase now sharing this opinion, the burden of seeing and knowing the truth, it will be easier to stand behind with full conviction, to attempt to highlight the innocence Carmen Sandiego has hidden in plain sight, together. Only time will tell how it all plays out.

[teamhappyme]

to care for you

rafael barba x female!reader

referenced cases from S17E04 and S17E16

word count: 4k

a/n: this is my first fic that I’m letting the world see and I’m... terrified. i hope whoever reads this gets some joy out of it. shoutout to @qvid-pro-qvo and @hurricanejjareau , y’all got me roped into loving the SVU boys, and this would not have been created if I hadn’t found your blogs. big inspiration over here. alright, here we go friends.

****

“Well you’re going, right?” 

“I haven’t decided.” “Haven’t decided? It’s Liv and Noah, Barba. A christening for the cutest little boy and the most deserving mother. They’ve been through hell this year, they deserve our support. Besides, you’re a devout Catholic, you should be all in for this.”

“First of all, he’s getting christened in a Unitarian church. Second, I wouldn’t exactly use the term devout. The last time I went to church was with you and Carisi after that trafficking case last year.” He said while grabbing another slice of pizza. In your three years since joining the SVU this was the first time you saw Rafael Barba eat a slice of pizza. 

“Careful. You might get some grease on that thousand dollar suit, Counselor.” He glared at you before taking a bite. “If you’re worried about the priest smelling your absence out, Carisi and I have enough devotion to pass on to you.”

“I don’t want any of Carisi’s Catholic guilt.” “You need me to take your confession?” You asked with a smirk. 

There weren’t many people that could get away with pushing Barba’s buttons without getting chewed out by the ADA in his next breath. And when you first started out with the squad, there were many occasions where you and Barba had some heated arguments.

Getting transferred to SVU was an overwhelming experience. You were thrown into the understaffed department right along with Carisi, so the two of you had to step up pretty quick for the unit. There was no adjustment period, trust wasn’t built, it was forced upon the squad. It took about two months for you to really trust the other detectives, but once you did, the unit got into a groove. Cases were being solved left and right and you started to understand the routine of the SVU. 

Until you had to testify. It was six months in, and it was your first testimony with the unit. It was also the first rape case you worked with minor victims. There were four fifteen year old girls accusing their history teacher of rape, two of which disclosed to you. 

You prepped with Barba for an hour the night before, making sure you knew the case inside and out. You felt confident in your answers, and were ready to take the stand. Until the following morning. On your walk down to the courtroom with him, you rushed into the ladies room to vomit up your coffee and your anxiety. Public speaking was never one of your strong suits, and Barba had cautioned you to be prepared for Buchanon’s toxic cross examination.

As you washed your hands and cleared your face, Rafael stayed outside the door, even deterring a woman from coming in. Once you exited, he was waiting at the side, pulling a granola bar and stick of gum out of his blazer pocket. You took the food, as he gave you a nod and waited for your okay to continue the walk down to the courtroom. A slight nod of your own and weak smile got his feet moving again. 

That trial was the first olive branch extended between you and Rafael. He wasn’t one to offer warm greetings, and since you were often glued to Carisi’s hip, it was hard for him to separate you from the enthusiastic detective. There were passive aggressive comments relayed back and forth while trying to indict a perp, and long nights spent deliberating probable cause at the round table. But it wasn’t until you accompanied Liv to One Hogan Place, in a particularly bad mood when you sassed the ADA back after he made a comment about your witnesses being incredibly unreliable, not having time for the shenanigans. 

After that moment, Rafael knew that he could trust you. The passive aggressive comments yielded, but the sass continued. The repertoire the two of you were slowly building drew quite the audience, Carisi and Rollins almost always feeding the fire with more topics to discuss. 

About a year into your tenure here, you started to check in on Barba. The first time you stopped by was originally a business call. Liv needed a warrant asap, already staking out the apartment of a suspect. You rushed over to the courthouse, trying to find any ADA’s secretary when you saw Barba still in his office at midnight. According to Carmen, he rarely went home before 9:00. After that night, you made it a habit to check in on him at least once a week. The DA’s office was a cutthroat environment, and Barba’s office was an even lonelier place. 

Thursday nights were penciled in for your unofficial drop ins, almost through the week but still burning the midnight oil. You would show up around 10:00 with pizza for you, and sushi for his expensive taste every time, knowing neither one of you had time to eat dinner yet. Most of the time, the two of you would work on your respective cases, sometimes sharing notes if the work overlapped. But if it was a slow week, sometimes the two of you would just, talk. It was nice to be able to talk to someone who understood the demanding nature of the job. Your family in particular couldn’t understand why you loved this career so much, but your squad could. It was reassuring to have their support.

“Alright, enough with the holier than thou attitude, Detective. I actually wanted to talk to you about the case.” Sitting up a little straighter in your chair, you wiped your hands on a napkin as he pulled out a manila folder. “I’ve been encouraged by the D.A. to drop the charges against Bobby D’Amico and Noel Panko.”

“What?” “And I have a motions hearing scheduled for Friday morning to dismiss the charges.”

After everything the squad had done for this case, what you saw Amanda put herself through. It was all for nothing.

“Barba, you can’t be serious. We have three victims, two willing to testify. We have footage of them attempting to rape Rollins for crying out loud.”

“Kristi Cryer has changed her story too many times. She was raped, then it was consensual, it was Panko, it was Panko and D’Amico. A jury will never believe her story.” You crossed your arms over your chest. “The jury won’t believe her or you won’t?”

“Hey, you know this isn’t about what I think. This isn’t a case we can win. We have to look at the optics.”

“The optics,” you muttered as you stood up from your seat. “Multiple women were raped by two well-known men in New York society, and the D.A. doesn’t want to make any enemies, right?” 

“You’re taking this worse than Liv did.” You scoffed. “Am I? Good. Because for the rest of their lives, those girls will have to live with the fact that their rapists are still out there. Not to mention their reputations will be ruined. People are going to call them liars, and whores. Their lives are never going to be the same. All because you won’t stand up to the D.A. and do what’s right?” 

Rafael stood up now, his loosened tie swinging from the sudden movement. “If this goes to trial, it will not go our way.”

“What about when you went after DCFS? You went after Musio, Grayson, Sheridan,”

“That was different,” “Why because it was Liv?”

“Because the department was a mess, and there were months worth of evidence of neglect and backdating reports. You were there, and if I remember correctly you were fighting alongside Liv to get me to prosecute.”

You ran your fingers through your hair, not willing to accept that this case was over. “These girls deserve justice, Barba. You were there when Panko went off at Dodds, he knows he’s done.”

“I want these guys just as bad as you do, Y/n. But we do not have the evidence. It’s a he said she said case, with one other accusation from a year ago without a rape kit. Not to mention Rollins went undercover without notifying a superior, tainting the whole investigation. We will make a fool out of ourselves and lose this case in court.”

“And it’s all about winning for the D.A.’s office, isn’t it. Can’t do anything out of the kindness of your hearts, can you?” You knew you crossed the line as you saw Rafael’s shoulder’s drop the slightest bit, his jaw clenched in place. 

“Maybe if you passed the Bar instead of failing three times you could understand why we can’t pursue this. We can’t bring a case to trial based on our emotions. This isn’t your tissue loaded desks, this is a courthouse.” 

You broke the tense eye contact you were holding after his statement. Insulting your academic failures and empathetic tendencies in one foul swoop. That was a low blow, even for the counselor.

Rafael knew his words pierced you. He pushed his chair back and let out a breath, getting ready to back track. But you beat him to the punch. 

“You know, my capability of empathizing with victims is the reason why you’ve put so many rapists away. If they had to speak to you, there would be no cases for you to even prosecute.”

This wasn’t a normal spout between the two of you. Things rarely got personal, and if they did, they were never this spiteful. 

“Then I guess there’s a reason I’m prosecuting in front of the judge and jury and you’re dealing with the victims.”

You scoffed at his final statement. You knew he was cocky, but you didn’t think he would use your insecurities or shortcomings against you. Especially not the fact that you failed the Bar Exam three times, which was only disclosed to him once Carisi opened his big mouth.

Covering your head with your beanie, you made your way to the door before either one of you could do more damage. You fought the urge to apologize, knowing you would need space before you could think of a response.

“Have a good night, Counselor.”

****

“Oh my goodness, Benjamin! Look at that tower you made with Maura! Did you show Luke?” “No. Mama saw it!” You smiled at the two year old through the phone, his own grin lighting up the room even over facetime. “Benjamin, is mama there? Y/n/n wants to talk to her for a minute.”

“I can bring you to her!” Maura took the phone out of the toddler’s hands, but you quickly protested so you could say goodbye to your godson. “Bye Benny, I love you buddy.” He blew you a kiss and you caught it as your little cousin brought you across the room. 

“Auntie Leah! Y/n/n wants to talk to you.” She handed the phone over while settling in next to her aunt. You saw your older cousin’s calming face, and couldn’t help the tears in your eyes.

“I haven’t even said anything and you're already crying,” You let out a laugh and took a sip of water. “Sorry. It’s been a long day.” 

“Y/n, are you at the precinct? It’s 8:00 your time on thanksgiving, what are you doing there?”

“There was some work I needed to get done. If I can’t be with you guys, I can at least get a head start so I can come home for Christmas.” The squadroom was empty now, but it had only been filled by the desk sergeant and a couple uni’s until five. You’d been here since noon, not succeeding in spending the holiday alone in your apartment. “Besides, I’ve been able to ignore all of my mother’s phone calls with the ‘I’m working’ excuse. Has she called you guys yet?”

“Just mom once. You know she doesn’t mean it to hurt you, she just wishes you could spend time with family for the holidays.” “I know.”

Your family meant the world to you, and having missed the last two years of holidays was hard on you. Sure, you saw them eventually, but Christmas and Thanksgiving weren’t the same alone.

“Since I’ve already started Christmas shopping, is there anything Benjamin needs or wants from his godmother?” “He has requested, and I quote, ‘y/n/n’s nummy cookies’.” The smile that spread across your face was so big it almost hurt. That baby boy was probably your favorite person on the planet, besides your own nieces and nephews. “Alright well hopefully he can help Y/n/n make those nummy cookies in a few weeks. If not, I’ll send a box out, along with an amazing present.”

“What about me?” Maura asked, and you just shook your head. “Hey, I’m not made out of money here girlfriend.” She laughed at that.

“Have you at least eaten anything today?” Leah asked, trying to steer the conversation into a more meaningful direction. She could read you so easily. “Yes, I have. I’m not going to be here much longer, so I’ll grab something for dinner on my way home.”

“Y/n/n,” The eight year old interrupted again, and you couldn’t help the smile that etched across your face as you rolled your eyes at the silly nickname. 

“Yes, Maura.” 

“There’s a fancy man walking towards you.” 

You turned your head and saw Barba walking through the squadroom. “I gotta go, Leah.” 

“Is everything okay?”

He pulled over Carisi’s chair, raising a brow to make sure it was okay. You nodded.

“It’s okay. Just a colleague. I’ll talk to you later.” “Okay. We love you and miss you.” Tears pooled in your eyes again as Maura hopped on. “Love you Y/n/n!” A tear fell from your eye as you let out a laugh. “Love you too guys. Bye.”

You ended the call, quickly wiping your eyes now that you had an audience. It was only last night that you had your rather animated argument, and neither of you had reached out. Being stubborn was one of many traits the two of you shared.

“Can I help you, counselor?” 

He held up a brown bag with a receipt stapled to the fold. “It’s thursday night. It’s usually you making trips to the office, but I figured I could take the field trip tonight.” 

He opened up the bag, pulling out cartons of Chinese food. Your hand immediately reached for the fortune cookies, ripping the plastic wrapper off. 

There was a lingering tension in the air, unresolved conflict, and hurt feelings, but it still felt okay. Mainly because the two of you knew you were both to blame. 

“How did you know I was here?” You asked while grabbing the carton of lo mein. “I called Carisi. He said you were supposed to be in Minneapolis for the holiday, but got wrapped up in the case. Said he offered his family to you, but after hearing the commotion over the phone, I understand why you declined.”

“I didn’t decline because of their raucous personalities. I just wanted to get some work done.” 

He digressed, retreating into his carton of fried rice. “What about you? Why aren’t you eating pie and decorating for Christmas with your lovely mother?”

“She volunteered this year. Since Abuelita died, she hasn’t been a big fan of holidays.” You nodded, knowing how hard it was for Rafael to grieve his abuelita last year. 

“How has she been doing?”

He shrugged. “She has good days and bad days. She blames herself most of the time, but she has her school, and her kids to keep her upright.” “And you.” His eyes met yours for a brief second, the corners of his mouth turning up the slightest. He always wanted to do more for his family. 

“Was that who you were on the phone with? Your family from Minneapolis?” 

“Yeah. I was supposed to go out there for thanksgiving, but when we caught Kristi’s case, I cancelled. I thought,” You stopped, knowing any mention of the case would bring up last night’s conversation.  

“We were going to trial.” He finished the sentence and you nodded.

If everything had gone according to plan, Panko and D’Amico would’ve been indicted this week and the trial would’ve begun the following week. You’d already started prepping Kristi with Rollins, making sure she knew her story backwards and forwards. But it was all for nothing it seems.

“Y/n, what I said last night,” You shook your head. “We both said things we didn’t mean. I started it, and was completely out of line.” 

“You weren’t. You were fighting for Kristi, and your case. I just, I didn’t want to hear it.” He ran a hand through his hair, not perfectly quaffed like usual. “I shouldn’t have brought up the Bar. It was low, extremely low, and you didn’t deserve it. You and Carisi could take me out in court in a day. And if you ever tell him that, I’ll deny it until I die.” You laughed while taking an egg roll, crossing your finger over your heart. “Cross my heart and hope to die.”

You let the apology sink in for a minute before starting your own. “I know you would’ve brought this to trial if we had enough evidence. I know that you care about the victims just as much as we do. I’m sorry that I said you didn’t.”

Poking around the container, he let out a scoff. “You weren’t that far off. I’m the D.A.’s puppet, letting him decide which cases I prosecute or not. We don’t have a lot of room for an emotional influence. I know how cold I can be with vics and witnesses.”

“That doesn’t mean you don’t care.” 

“Tell that to Kristi Cryer. She posted a vlog today, ripped me a new one for not believing her. Called the D.A.’s office, and I quote, ‘a bunch of spineless jellyfish.’ She’s not wrong. I mean,” He let out a humorless laugh. “I went to law school so I could help people. At least, that’s what I’ve been telling myself the last twenty years. But in reality, I’ve been climbing the bureaucratic totem pole, pushing myself further and further away from that kid in the Bronx.”

“You don’t seriously believe what Cryer said do you?” He shrugged, not meeting my eyes. You sighed, placing the carton on your desk, leaning over to rest your hand on his arm. “You are the Assistant District Attorney for the Sex Crimes division. People do not last here if they don’t care about the victims. I’ve seen you in court, in testimony prep, hell even in interrogation. You care about every single person that needs our help. Does it suck that the law is not the most accommodating to rapists and pedophiles? Yeah, it’s really shitty. But you didn’t write the law books, as much as you like to believe you did.” A smile crept onto his face. “You care about your mom, your abuelita, everyone that helped you in the Bronx. I know you care about us, even Carisi, although you’d never admit it. You are not a spineless jellyfish, no matter how fun it is to say.”

“You really believe that?” He still couldn’t meet your eyes. It always amazed you how easily the most put together people could fall victim to their insecurities. 

“Rafael, I would not be spending every Thursday night for the past two years with you if I didn’t believe that you were one of the most kind-hearted people I’ve ever met. I care about you.”

His green eyes finally met yours as he moved to gently hold your hand that was previously resting on his forearm. He gave it a soft squeeze as you smiled, trying to ignore the butterflies that started blooming in your stomach. The same butterflies that rested there every time your hands brushed when you were walking down the hallway, or when his hand rested at the small of your back to escort you into the courtroom. And after tonight, and the way he was looking back at you, you knew he felt them too.

You spent the next ten minutes finishing off the takeout, sitting in a comfortable silence, not needing to fill the moment with anything else. The two of you kept sneaking glances at one another, breaking out into a sheepish grin if you were caught. 

Once you were done eating, Rafael cleaned up the food as you got all your belongings together for the long weekend. It wasn’t until that moment you realized he wasn’t wearing an expensive suit; he had on a navy blue quarter zip, black jeans, and some loafers. A smile crept up on your face knowing that you got to see him in casual clothes.

“Ready?” He asked as you slipped on your gloves and pushed your chair in behind you. “Ready.” 

You lived close enough to the precinct that it was only a ten minute walk. Rafael lived in the other direction, but still insisted on walking you back to your apartment. An Uber could pick him up from there, he said, because that man would not be caught dead walking across the city in his loafers.

He called for a ride as you approached your block, not wanting him to wait in the cold too long. As you approached the brick walk up, you started to fidget with the keys resting in your pocket. 

“Thank you for dinner. And a double thank you for not making me eat your sushi.” He smiled. “You’re welcome. Thank you for being such good company.”

“Anytime.” A sharp gust of wind hit you, causing you to duck your head into your coat for a few seconds. When you looked back up, Rafael’s cheeks were rosy red and wind burnt, and absolutely adorable. “I’ll see you next week for a warrant, I’m sure.”

“I’m sure. Make sure to get me a coffee on the way, listening to you list the legal reasons why you need the warrant always makes me sleepy.” 

You smiled.“Deal. Goodnight, Raf.”

“‘Night, Y/n.” 

Despite the farewell statements, neither one of you moved. You couldn’t bring yourself to look away from his warm eyes, and it wasn’t until you felt his fingers brush against yours that you moved closer. 

His eyes flickered to your lips for a second, before looking back at you. You took another step towards him, waiting for him to close the gap between you. When he did, all you could feel was the warmth of his lips on yours, and the cold tip of his nose resting against your cheek. 

It was short, the two of you pulling away after a few seconds. But one smile from you had him leaning back in, resting a hand on your cheek as he kissed you again. It was slow and careful, but full of adoration. You couldn’t help but smile into him, bringing your hand up to rest against his own. After a few more seconds, his own smile made it impossible to stay connected. 

This time when you pulled away, you rubbed your thumb across his red, wind burnt cheek, not even trying to suppress the stupid smile on your face. And you were happy to see him grinning the same way.

“I’ll call you tomorrow,” He said, shifting his head just enough to press a kiss to the palm of your hand. Neither one of you is willing to ruin this moment with any talks about what this means. “Okay. Get home safe.” “I will.”

One more look at his rosy red cheeks, and you let out a laugh before you let yourself pull away.

“What?” He asked, completely dumbfounded by his affect on you. You shook your head in response. “Nothing.”

He returned your laughter before lightly kissing your lips one last time. You could get used to this. 

“Goodnight, counselor.” You said once you pulled away, lightly shoving him toward the ride that just pulled up. 

“Goodnight, detective.”

****

[lupinblacktheone]

Adopted

Notes: Hey, guys. This is my first bullet fic ever (is that the name? If someone knows how people call this thing, please let me know). It's centered on Robby and Johnny. I hope you enjoy it!

P.S: Please note that this contain some bad words and mentions to alcohol. If these themes are emotional triggers for you, please don't read. Your mental health comes first. Always.

A few weeks before Shannon Keene gives birth, her – obviously drunk – boyfriend suggests they give up the child.

They do that and break up not much later.

The baby is adopted by a rich family. They name him Robby.

Life goes on, the LaRussos have two more kids after Robby: Samantha and Anthony.

Robby loves to do Karate with dad and Sam and to play videogames with mom and Anthony – she doesn’t like to play; she just wants to spend quality time with her boys.

When the Science teacher talks about Genetics, Robby asks him: “Why don’t I look like no one in my family?”

“Maybe you are adopted”, the man answers.

During dinner, inquires whether he’s adopted or not and what does that mean.

Amanda and Daniel exchange a look. Sam takes Anthony’s little hand and drags him out of the room.

Daniel talks about the night when they met Robby.

He was living in a foster home with an old lady who was friends with Amanda’s parents. She couldn’t keep him for much longer because she was too ill.

“Who are my biological parents?”, Robby is sort of glad that he can use this new, complicated word correctly.

“We don’t know, because they wanted it to be a closed process”, Amanda says.

Robby cries because he’s confused. He was taught that parents love their children and his first parents didn’t love him. Why they didn’t love him?

Daniel tucks him in and says, while smooching his forehead softly: “I love you, son.”

The boy jumps and reaches for a hug.

“I love you too, dad”, he says, kissing the man’s cheek.

A little later, Sam and Anthony enter Robby’s room and climb into his bed to cuddle him.

Robby cries again, because he realizes how loved he is.

Nowadays, Johnny is dating Carmen Diaz, who has a son, Miguel.

Johnny and the kid get along – he’s even teaching him Karate.

Every once in a while, he wonders what happened to his first child – shit, why did they decide for a closed process?

All he knows is that the baby was a boy and was taken in by an old lady – why didn’t they give him at least a name?

High School begins and Miguel meets a kind boy in English class.

He has green eyes and soft, golden hair.

Miguel soon invites his new friend to have dinner at his home.

The boy says yes.

When Yaya meets Robby, she automatically thinks he has a crush on Miguel and vice-versa.

Johnny almost sees Shannon in the kid’s gaze.

There’s something else in him. Something that reminds Johnny of that Jersey guy from High School.

Robby leaves after the meal. Miguel puts the plates on the dishwasher and goes outside to train with Johnny.

“So, what’s his story?”, Johnny asks while blocking a kick.

Miguel tells him everything he knows about Robby – this is quite a lot by now.

“Then, Robby had to see a therapist, in order to deal with his feelings towards his past.”

“What past?”, Johnny is really interested. Miguel is an excellent storyteller.

“Oh, he is adopted. Bit of a shock when he found out.”

Johnny talks with Carmen, about this later that night.

She already knows her boyfriend has another son, a biological one, but she never imagined there would be a chance of meeting him.

“Do you think Miguel could tug a strand of Robby’s hair so I can have it tested?”

“I’m pretty sure that’s illegal, John. How about we talk to his parents instead?”

“That’s pretty boring, but yeah, let’s do your thing.”

It takes a while, but they finally call the LaRussos and organize a dinner date.

Sam, Robby and Miguel are at Golf n Stuff with some kids from school. Anthony will be playing World of Warcraft in his room all night long.

Johnny immediately feels awkward, because Daniel looks much younger than him – and the man has three kids and also runs the biggest dealership in the Valley.

Carmen does the initial talking – bless her – but Johnny’s in charge of the bomb, obviously.

“I know it’s weird but… my ex was pregnant and I suggested we give up the kid, because we were broke and not parent-material”, and also, I was drunk and stupid “so, if that’s fine by you, maybe we can have a DNA test?”

“We’ll talk with Robby and let you know”, Amanda promises.

The visitors are gone. It’s Daniel’s turn to collapse.

“I remember his face, asking why his biological parents didn’t love him. I always thought they had died or something like that, but no. They. Gave. Up. On. Him.

Despite his bitter, sad memories, Daniel wants to get along with his kid’s possible other father. To achieve this, he’ll have to get over that long-lasting rivalry with Johnny Lawrence.

So he invites the man to grab a drink and chat.

“Thanks for the invite, but I don’t drink alcohol.”

“I see”, he Is surprised. Somehow. “How about some Karate instead?

“Sounds good.”

The “get-in-good-terms” thing turns out well.

Amanda and Daniel take Robby out for a special dinner at his favorite sushi place – and made sure to pay Sam a good cash to babysit Anthony.

“So, huh… a guy contacted us. He thinks he might be your biological father and asked for a DNA test.”

“What did you say to him?”

“That we would talk to you first.”

“And what do you think of this?

“Without the test, there’s no way of knowing if he is your father or not, but we just want what is best for you.”

“If this guy happens to be my biological father, I can still live with you, right?”

“Of course you can. You’re our son and always will be.”

He agrees to do the test after discussing the matter with Miguel.

Daniel and Amanda’s only requirement is that Robby doesn’t get to know “the guy” unless the result is positive.

Waiting for the results almost kills everybody with expectation.

The email arrives, announcing that Johnny and Robby are father and son.

The first thing Amanda does is calling Robby to let him know he can meet his biological father.

The encounter is set up at a restaurant.

Everybody is, once again, anxious to death.

This time, Anthony wants to tag along and give his big brother emotional support.

“Hello, son”, is the first thing that Johnny says when the LaRussos join them at the table.

Robby is simply amazed.

He takes a look around the table. Everyone is just as surprised as him – except Johnny, Daniel and Amanda, of course.

Amanda gives her son a gentle smile and places a hand on his shoulder, encouraging him.

“Hi, dad.”

[be-bi-do-crime]

If you want to share your thoughts on this, I'm curious on your opinion of what Ivy and Zack might think of Jules and vice versa? If I'm remembering correctly I don't think they ever interact together in canon but reading your Dark!Carmen fic I appreciated that you had Team Red in contact with Jules and how she made sure ACME wouldn't go after Zack or Ivy. So, I was wondering your thoughts on that! Thank you and wishing you a lovely day/night!!

been busy with school the past few days so i didn’t get the time to answer this, but thanks for waiting!

they do interact near each other in canon (e.g. stockholm, fashionista caper) but never directly in canon except for the finale, i believe, so you should be right! i’m glad you noticed that small detail, considering jules is an honorary and if not an actual member of team red so it makes sense to me that she would work with them to save carmen :)

zack and ivy know carmen likes her, so i would say by default they wouldn’t... hate her immediately.

i don’t want to say that they like her off the bat. both of them are skeptical at the beginning, warning carmen that ACME has been hunting her and she shouldn’t be trusting anyone from their organization.

they don’t snap at julia or anything, but if she catches any of their eyes briefly on capers where they bump into each other, both of them give looks like “do not try anything to hurt carm.”

they grow to slightly more than tolerate but not quite like her after the fashionista caper. carmen is all smiles and praising jules and her leadership the entire way home, how she “knew she could trust her to handle the situation” and “my colour looked amazing on her”- and all zack and ivy can do is nod in mild confusion and halfhearted agreement.

their tolerance level for jules and any chances for potential friendship is thrown out the window when stockholm occurs, and ivy absolutely loses it at carmen like “why do you still trust them?! we told you not to—”

“i don’t,” carmen says tiredly. “but i trust- trusted- jules. she did seem to be telling the truth...”

“truth? about what? how she tricked you and led you right into ACME’s trap?” ivy scoffs.

“it was wicked smart, i won’t lie,” zack admits. ivy glares at him, causing him to switch tracks. “i know julia doesn’t look like the type to be an evil mastermind, but you never know, carm. she could’ve been double siding you the whole time.”

“...do you mean two-faced?” carmen asks. “right. not the point. look, guys. i appreciate the concern, but jules isn’t like this. she isn’t,” she emphasizes, but she’s not sure if she believes herself anymore.

“whatever you say, boss,” ivy smiles tightly. she motions for zack to leave so carmen can get some rest, and they leave her alone with her thoughts.

thank god julia reaches out to apologize before zack and ivy consider drastic revenge measures like egging her apartment

carmen’s fondness for and trust in julia is what ultimately convinces the siblings to give her another chance. julia doesn’t stop trying to make up for the incident and eventually they get from one sided enemies / acquaintances to friends and then family.

as for what jules thinks of zack and ivy- she’s never had any reason to dislike them, and she loves how protective they are of carmen. so i guess she wants to befriend and get to know them better, but they’re practically a brick wall after stockholm and don’t let her in at all until she apologizes. it’s difficult on both ends, but they end up bonding because of their shared love for the scarlet super thief.

thanks for the ask, anon! wishing you a lovely day/night as well <3

[florrickandassociates]

TGF Thoughts: 5x09-- And the end was violent...

It’s been a busy week, but I didn’t want to wait until after 5x10 aired to write this. This recap may be a bit rushed (read: I am going to make an effort to just skip over scenes I don’t care about; we’ll see how many of those there actually are). I didn’t love this episode overall, but I thought it was a huge improvement over 5x08’s parking ticket fiasco and wish it had immediately followed 5x07.

Bless these episodes for not being overly long

Oooh, the opening sequence is long and I have nothing to say about it! Thanks for making my life easier, writers!  

The point of this opening is to show that there are lots of problems with the official court system—inefficiencies, inconveniences like broken elevators, overcrowding in prisons (though, uh, I don’t think the actual problem there is that there’s not room to incarcerate more people)-- that might make cops open to an alternative like Wackner’s court.

I know the cop thread kind of started with last week’s parking nonsense, but surely there was a way other than the parking nonsense to bridge the gap between 5x07’s prison system and 5x09’s focus on Wackner’s court suddenly being a replacement for criminal court, too.

(Y’all, I have SO MANY questions about how Wackner can POSSIBLY judge criminal cases, but they’re all just variations on... UH, GUYS, ISN’T THIS ILLEGAL? LIKE SUPER DUPER ILLEGAL?)  

I see that there is a filming notice when the cops bring a dude into Wackner’s court, and that the notice says that by entering on the premises you consent to being on film. I do not think that this sign being displayed would hold up as evidence of anyone consenting to be sentenced to a private prison on criminal charges.

New question: How did Wackner Rules get on the air so fast? And are they just filming endless episodes in real time? They just film anyone who walks in?  

I think there is supposed to be a subplot about Marissa liking fame and attention; it is almost a little too subtle to be meaningful. I see a through line from her sleeping with that editor dude last week to her smiling at the flowers in this scene to her scenes with Carmen later this episode. Unfortunately, I need a lot more for this to work.

I don’t need Marissa to be a hero who constantly does the right thing and calls out Wackner on crossing the line, but I’m really sad that this is what they’re using Marissa for when we were due for Marissa calling Wackner out (in a meaningful, lasting way) like two episodes ago. It’s felt odd to me that she just sticks around and assists Wackner and Del when they’re doing things like putting people in private prisons and comparing the show they’re making to The Apprentice. Any subtle shift in Wackner’s decisions that has signaled to me that he’s gone too far is something that I can say with certainty would signal the same to Marissa. Marissa’s outspoken and passionate, and we have seen enough reaction shots to know she knows things are going bad, fast. Am I really meant to believe that because she likes Wackner and she likes fame, she’s not going to do anything more substantial than look upset from time to time? Not only does that feel out of character, it’s also just boring.  

And, it speaks to another problem I’m starting to have with the arc: they needed to get to the point faster. Once Wackner said “David Cord’s private prison,” this stopped being fun. It would’ve stopped being fun for Marissa and it stopped being fun for viewers (seriously though, the change in tone on Reddit between 5x07 and 5x08/5x09 is VERY noticeable). So why did we follow that up with some repetitive filler bullshit about parking spaces and then start getting back to the point in this episode? I’m sure they’re going somewhere big in 5x10, but you can’t follow an explosive reveal with more status quo.

(Also, lol, I think the parking space thing was meant to be a fun silly absurd little way of entering into themes about authority and Wackner trying to legitimize his court, but it was about an issue so relatable and illogical that I think it feels even harder to believe than the, like, whole concept of a secret court in a Copy Coop.)  

Time for Marissa to look concerned again! She’s confused about if the case is real or not, and when Wackner says it’s real, she says it’s not for their court and it’s crossing a line. She is absolutely correct. Wackner’s like, let me know if you think I’m crossing a line after I rule, and then he makes a silly flailing gesture that Marissa can use as a signal.

I actually don’t hate that scene; it is a good scene. I am only snarking on it because it feels like familiar territory and it belonged in an earlier episode.

Am I correctly understanding that these cops wanted to be filmed bringing a man against his will to a fake court with a private prison? And that they wanted this to air on television? Okay.

I will say that I believe the motivations of everyone involved except Marissa. Wackner thinks he’s doing good for the world. Del is getting good TV (I mean, I still think that Wackner Rules title sequence is shit and the show Del seems to be making is terrible, but that’s besides the point). Cord has so much money he’s untouchable and this is fun for him. The cops just don’t want to deal with bureaucracy when it comes to someone who they basically caught in the act.  

Court! Stuff! Happens!

Wackner sentences the guy to one year in “David Cord’s private prison.” Again, I know they have to say this for exposition/storytelling reasons, but I continue to find it hilarious that David Cord would want his name to be used in this way (because he like, absolutely would not want his name to be used this way).

The cops like Wackner’s verdict so they tell all their friends to also take their cases to Wackner. What could possibly go wrong!  

Like, yeah, there are problems with the criminal justice system—and some of them are even the ones these cops are mad about—but this is ABSOLUTELY not the answer!!! You cannot just take people off the streets and place them in private prisons because they were forced to enter a filming zone for a TV show what the actual fuck

Love David Lee still having candy on his desk. Some things never change.

Allegra, who was welcomed by the partners of RL last week, is interviewing for a job with David Lee. I don’t understand. Doesn’t David Lee have to approve new partners at RL?  

Please don’t mention real estate on Mars, Allegra. You’ve made me think of Jason and how bad season seven was.

Allegra is feeling a bit different from Elsbeth this episode, though she very much still has some Elsbeth energy. She is very strategic and blunt in a way Elsbeth isn’t, and she seems a little more focused and intense.  

“I notice, in a partisan world, the person in the middle controls the agenda,” Allegra says of her alliances with both Liz and Diane. This is interesting. What are Allegra’s goals here? Just to have power? Does she have a vision for RL? Is it just a good paycheck?

(My guess is it’s about power and money for her. I don’t think she is going to be the ally Madeline wants. I don’t think anyone who voluntarily signs up to be a name partner at a firm owned by corporate overlords is a natural ally for Madeline though, tbh.)

(I really hoped this arc would explore that just a tiny bit more. The longer this conflict drags on the more convinced I become that the whole question of if it’s appropriate for Diane to lead a black firm is moot. It’s an interesting and complicated question, but with some distance from the plot, it becomes pretty clear that in this particular situation, RL isn’t a black firm. It’s a subsidiary of a large multinational corporation.)

(The show seems very aware of this and keeps having plot points like Diane using David Lee to keep her job and having Madeline call out all the awful clients they have... but it needs to go somewhere.)

(This also may be why I’m more down on the end of the season—in the middle of the season, nods at the things I’ve been thinking are appreciated references. At the end, they’re more like plotholes or reminders of the questions we should actually be spending time on.)

“Are you shitting me?” David Lee storms into the room as Liz and Diane are working. “David, we are shitting you about so many things, you’re gonna have to be more specific,” Liz responds. God, funny!Liz is maybe my favorite part of season 5?  

Liz calls David out on his power, noting that he also reports to STR Laurie. So it seems like Liz and Diane can make decisions on their own, and STR Laurie can overrule them, but not stop them in advance?  

This little ad about an ice cream chain is like, 15 seconds too long.  

Carmen is back!!!! She’s helping Rivi sign a deal with an ice cream chain so that they’ll turn into a distributor of weed.  

Why do we have to watch a SECOND commercial?  

The farm wants Rivi to stop dealing other drugs if they’re going to enter into this deal.  

Allegra, another character who seemingly has no qualms about representing drug kingpins, quickly impresses Rivi.  

I understand why there is an interpreter for Rivi’s wife. I do not understand why the interpreter interprets conversations BETWEEN Rivi and his wife. And then he’s translating the sign language into Spanish? But also Rivi speaks fluent English in half of these scenes? WHAT is happening?  

Allegra is also different from Elsbeth in that with clients, you’re NEVER going to underestimate her. You might not follow her at first, but she’ll get to the point clearly and concisely and without telling you how much she likes your lipstick.

But like at 13:44 Rivi signs something to his wife, and when she signs back the interpreter tells him what she’s saying. This is so so so clearly for the audience but I wish it had just been captions because it makes NO SENSE that the interpreter is in on this private conversation between two people who both know sign language!?  

Rivi and Isabel now LOVE Allegra. Diane and Liz are like, okay!  

Cop stuff happens.  

Credits!!! If you haven’t already, be sure to check out indiewire’s piece on the making of the credits—it's fascinating.  

Brooke directed 😀  

Marissa the celebrity is signing autographs in Wackner’s court when the cops bring in some young men affiliated with Rivi.  

NO, GOD NO, NOT THIS DEVIL’S ADVOCATE FUCKERY. The problem I have with the Devil’s Advocate, in addition to it being fucking annoying, is that it is also the exact opposite of what Wackner’s court is all about. Wackner is about facts and really hearing people out, and from what we’ve seen, Devil’s Advocate is about... stereotypes and pop sociology so bad it’s essentially just racism?  

“These young men are the victims of a system that arbitrarily declares some drugs illegal, and others, like alcohol, not. They should be released. To hold them is to perpetuate an unfair system,” Devil’s Advocate says. Good lord, a 7th grader could write a more persuasive speech than this bullshit.  

WHY IS DAVID CORD PROSECUTING THIS, WHY IS THE TRIAL ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT DRUGS HARM COMMUNITIES, WHY IS THE DEVIL’S ADVOCATE SOUNDING LIKE A WHITE BOY IN AN INTRO TO SOCIOLOGY CLASS WITH HIS REFERENCES TO THE WIRE, WHY IS ANY OF THIS HAPPENING OMG MAKE IT STOP HOLY FUCKING SHIT THIS IS BAD

Why is Marissa the court clerk being called upon to be defense, WHY IS THE DEVIL’S ADVOCATE JUST SCREAMING “DEFUND THE POLICE” WHAT THE FUCK

I’m sorry, I am going to rant about this more, I truly cannot get over how fucking stupid the Devil’s Advocate is. He just starts screaming “defund the police”??? To what end?! Why does Wackner want this in his court?!  

I revise what I said earlier. Devil’s Advocate isn’t just sounding a white boy in an intro to sociology class. He is sounding like a white boy who showed up to an intro to sociology class absolutely hammered.

Marissa, correctly, argues that the arrestees should be taken to Cook County. Then she hears that they work for Rivi and she knows this is bad.  

Cord calling Marissa out for her firm representing Rivi: Another thing that would NEVER air on Wackner Rules.

David Lee seems surprised Liz and Diane did not get rid of Allegra. I don’t know why he is surprised, I think they made it very clear they don’t see him as an authority figure.

STR Laurie is now demanding (another) 10% in cuts to pay for Allegra. Liz says they’ll pay for her with the money that used to be for Adrian and Diane notes that Allegra has more stature than Adrian. Interesting.  

David Lee then decides to be both sexist and racist for really no reason at all. Pleasant!  

Showing Carmen as competent but not yet as strategic as Allegra is a really nice way to underline that Carmen is still a first year even if she is very very good.

Liz, Diane, and Allegra talk about cost cutting. Allegra is like, no, we need to spend more, which makes sense, both for the reasons she outlines and because when you bring on a powerful name partner, your need for lower level support does not DECREASE, it INCREASES.  

I know this scene is meant to show Allegra thinking outside the box, but I am a bit surprised that (1) Neither Liz nor Diane push back on the 10% cut and (2) When Allegra suggests hiring back all the associates and then some, Diane seems to think Allegra doesn’t understand they’re talking about cuts? Like, obviously she knows the topic of conversation, Diane.  

“We don’t run our own business. We work for a global conglomerate,” Liz notes. Yup. Right point, wrong context lol.

Diane and Liz are just too smart and strategic to have to be told ALL of this by Allegra... especially Diane, who is not only smart but also used to dealing with management.  

And worse... Liz and Diane think they made a mistake with Allegra because of this? I mean, I guess if your goal is to permanently work for a big corporation that will slowly chip away at your budget because they can and to never make any waves because that might disrupt the status quo, sure, Allegra isn’t who you want! But do Diane and Liz REALLY want the status quo?  

I hope they find a way out from under STR Laurie next year, as much as I hate the firm switching, because it’s just such a boring dead-end when Diane and Liz don’t actually have power or control.

OOOH I like Del asking Liz what SHE wants wrt the whole Diane situation. She says she wants to “stop fighting” and for Diane to “stop using her racist clients to keep her job” and for “the firm to be led in the right way by the right people.” So sounds like she wants to work with Diane, then? That last one is as vague as can be, but I think we can infer at this point that Liz is more concerned with stability and a work environment she likes than idealism.

God, Liz and Alicia would’ve gotten along so well as adults lmao.

Del tells Liz that “women at work always want to be thought of as nice. Women always want consensus. But you know what, baby, sometimes you just gotta say, ‘Fuck you, and you and you and you. Alright? This is my business and it’s my decision.’” I see where he’s coming from (even though this sounds like something my nemesis the Devil’s Advocate would say) but I am not sure I agree that’s Liz’s problem here.  

Actually, maybe I do agree with Del. I think Del’s saying to say FU to Diane, but what Liz clearly actually wants to do is say FU to Madeline lol

Liz asks him to change the topic. Where ARE they? Is this a restaurant or an incredibly nice backyard?  

Del changes the topic to how his boss wants him to come back to LA, but he wants to get Liz’s thoughts on their future. Liz asks him to start since men are better at saying what they mean (ha, love her giving him shit for that).  

He basically tells her he wants to stay and she says he should stay. Aww.  

Rivi’s house is... certainly something.  

Isabel is concerned because three of their boys have disappeared. She, naturally, suspects they’re at police blacksites.  

I’m sorry, did Marissa not elevate the Rivi case in Wackner’s court to the partners’ attention!? Rivi blames the dairy company, even though this does not... make that much sense?

This escalates into the murder of cows?? What... the fuck.

Now Marissa finds Carmen and loops her in! But only now that she knows Rivi’s looking for them and Rivi’s about to, like, kill Christian Borle’s character whose name I’ve forgotten.  

Marissa’s position on this is that Wackner will just let the boys go so Rivi shouldn’t know about any of this. Rivi would just kill Wackner. And Carmen is like, Rivi will just kill Christian Borle if we don’t tell. Fair point.  

Carmen, being an actual adult (sorry Marissa, I usually love you), is willing to admit when she’s in over her head, so she walks off to go get Liz for help. Yay!  

Rivi is not impressed with Wackner’s court or Marissa. He and Isabel want either Carmen or Allegra. Liz says Carmen will do it, I think meaning Marissa will do it but Carmen will be client facing.  

I love it when we get to see Liz just be super competent. It’s not a rare occurrence, but it’s just very, very clear in this scene how much better Liz is at handling this situation than Carmen or Marissa would’ve been and I like it when the show makes time to emphasize that even on a show full of hypercompetent people, some people are more skilled than others at handling some situations.

Liz, Diane, and David meet with STRL over Zoom. Allegra somehow pops up on the meeting but also joins as a cat because you know what the cat lawyer on Zoom needed? To be parodied on TGF. Ugh

OH MY GOD I DIDN’T PUT THIS TOGETHER SOONER BUT IT’S A CAT LAWYER YOU GUYS. This will mean NOTHING to any of you because it’s about an inside joke I have with the friend who got me into TGW, but indulge me in a little nostalgia here, ‘kay? So in like 2012, there was a trend on Tumblr where everyone would photoshop cat ears onto their favorite TV characters and my friend and I were like, why would I want to put cat ears on my favorite character, idgi. So then we started photoshopping cat ears on to the most unlikely characters and we landed on David Lee. We referred to David Lee as a cat for a really long time. Like, if we were to talk about David Lee today we would probably still call him Cat! David Lee.  

Allegra starts trying to work her magic on STRL.  Diane literally runs down the stairs to try to stop Allegra. I am not sure why Diane and Liz are so anti-Allegra during this conversation which is only happening so they can have the funds to keep her on board!  

Allegra tries to share a burrito with Diane and Liz and says she stands by her strategy. Liz finally says she’s not sure this will work. Allegra is understanding.

I respect that. Allegra may as well go all out and see if she can make this workable.  

(That said, this is pretty much the opposite of her whole staying neutral thing from earlier!)

No one is in the audience at Wackner’s court when Carmen shows up, yet the musician who I like only very slightly more than Devil’s Advocate is still on call. Just STOP.  

Overall I’ve liked the Wackner arc and I’m excited to see it wrap up tomorrow, but lemme tell you: it had better wrap up tomorrow. I am NOT open to dealing with this for another season.

The musician takes orders from Cord? The cameras are rolling? Rivi is there? WHAT?  

I know that NONE of this makes sense, but some things make exceptionally little sense and I just can’t.

Guys, remember the parking tickets?!  

Oh, excuse me, the ice cream company is actually a yogurt company.

Rivi notes that there are three boys missing. Wackner only has two.  

I am a little surprised Rivi has managed to be successful with that temper. Idk what skill set you need to be a top drug dealer, but he attacks people like three times an episode and that seems like a really good way to not build trust and to also get yourself killed?  

Liz and Del talk about what happened in Wackner’s court. Liz asks how they deal with liability. I guess she isn’t Del’s lawyer, then. Del says they have releases and people want to be on TV. Liz says what I’ve been saying, which is that Rivi doesn’t want to be on TV. Del says there are ways around that and references the show Cops as though that’s enough to make this question go completely away.  

Liz references The Apprentice, for those of us who didn’t catch the reference last week and/or for those of us (me!) who wanted to pretend that Wackner wasn’t somehow a commentary on Trump and star power. Ugh.  

(I don’t necessarily think it’s a bad point, I just am not sure that I think it is the most interesting point about the Wackner plot.)  

“Remember how we all watched and laughed and thought it was funny when they fired people?” Liz says. “We? No, no. Hmm, you... you never watched The Apprentice,” Del responds. She did not. Hahahahahaha I love this exchange. It feels very real.

Liz seems less concerned with Wackner and more concerned with Del’s eagerness to turn Wackner into a larger than life personality with a devoted following, which, yes, thank you, Liz, this is actually a much better and more interesting point!  

“That came out of nowhere,” Del says. “No, it didn’t,” Liz responds, correctly.  

Del talks about how Liz represents Wackner, along with murderers, rapists, drug dealers, and yet she wants to draw the line at reality show producer who makes people famous? He’s got a point, even if I’d argue that choosing a romantic partner is not the same as running a business.  

“Would your firm turn down [the producer of The Apprentice] if he wanted to join the roster?” Del asks. “Good point,” Liz sighs, resigned. She’s not happy he’s right, but she knows he is.  

Sigh. I already said some variation of this, but this season seems to have all the right ideas floating around, it’s just choosing the wrong ones to explore deeply and the wrong moments to mention other ones. Things like Liz worrying that someone she’s considering starting a serious relationship with might have some personality traits she doesn’t love can be done through throwaway lines that quickly come back to being about work/plot (that’s what happens in this scene, basically) and I love that. But the existence of STRL and the influence it has over whether or not RL is a black firm at some point can’t be dealt with through references. Wackner becoming increasingly off the rails can’t be turned down to a simmer after reaching boiling point. RL’s unsavory client’s can’t just come up in moments like this; they have to play into a central conflict.  

Like, what good is it to constantly remind the audience that RL represents a ton of “bad guys” if you’re not going to go anywhere with that other than making Liz and Diane occasionally be like, “hmm, good point.” when called out on their client list? This could be a really, really good piece of a larger puzzle about the culture at RL, and instead it feels like it’s a card they play whenever they need some moral complexity. Just... go somewhere with it, please. Either stop pretending that RL are the good guys or have them seriously deal with their client list.

Anyway, then Liz and Del talk about his possible LA move. It’s kinda inconclusive; they talk about work just being work.

Outside of court, Carmen doesn’t believe that Wackner only has two of Rivi’s boys.  

“I don’t know why you’ve been wasting so much time with this joke court, because it’s not gonna magically turn you into a real lawyer, Marissa,” Carmen lashes out. Oooo. Now this is interesting, can I have an extended version of this scene and also all the other Carmen/Marissa scenes that we should’ve gotten in the episodes Carmen was barely in?  

I understand Carmen’s frustration, especially since I imagine she worked pretty damn hard to get into/get through law school. And, as fun and smart as Marissa can be, she does get bored easily, try to skip over the dull moments, and moves on and still always lands on her feet. I can see how that would rub Carmen the wrong way, especially during a stressful moment.

Carmen isn’t exactly a rule follower, but I’d say she is someone who is very conscious of the rules, and, I think someone who values structure more than she lets on (I especially see this in her decision to stay at RL instead of work independently/with Lester).  

Marissa calls Jay for help!

Allegra talks to David Lee, with Liz and Diane in the background. Allegra makes her argument to  David Lee again and it goes over well. I think the writers think there’s more suspense in this plot than there is; it’s pretty obvious from the start that Allegra is correct and Diane and Liz are only correct if the goal is to avoid all conflict.

What is David Lee’s role at STRL? Is there anything else in that office besides awful HR and RL? He talks like he is more RL than STRL and that doesn’t track with what we saw of STRL last year.

Marissa spots a flyer that leads her and Jay to where the missing boy is: another fake court. This was inevitable—I think one of the very first things I said was that Wackner himself seemed fine and decent, but what happens when someone else decides they, too, want to be a judge because they said so—and I’m glad to see the writers go this direction. I actually think this would’ve been an effective build after 5x07 and would’ve kept turning up the tension, so again, most of my issues with this arc lie in 5x08’s momentum killing bullshit. It’s hard to get back into this plot when they lost me last week.

Shocker: Wackner having a reality show inspired more copy cats who take cues from the show and think Marissa is a celebrity.  

Vinetta, the judge of the second court, puts people in “time-out” (read: imprisons them in her basement) and... yeah, I don’t care how kind she is to them, this is not okay! The solution to the prison system is not for people to turn their basements into prisons!  

I don’t know that the writers are TRYING to comment on this here, but there is definitely something to be said about communities that the legal system repeatedly fails finding alternative measures of justice.  

Vinetta is nice and seems reasonable as a judge, but she also has a basement prison her judgments are influenced by her religious believes so, uh, yeah, not good!!!  

Wackner, however, thinks Vinetta’s court is GREAT! He wants to go see it, because “it’s finally happening.” What’s happening? “Justice,” he says. Uhhhhhhh, no. This is just so dangerous, even if everyone involved so far seems to mean well.  

I’m very curious to see how this little thought experiment wraps up (again: I say wraps up because I cannot deal with the thought of this being more than a one season arc).

One thing I love about the Wackner arc—my 5x08 issues aside—is its slow burn. The writers did a phenomenal job of getting me to take Wackner seriously at first, then slowly started to take all the things that seemed great and reasonable about Wackner’s court to their extremes (while still making his judgment on any individual topic* sound). It’s a very fun and entertaining thought experiment, and I think that’s why this arc has largely succeeded for me, even though it’s so far removed from reality.  

* Exceptions to this include policing, prisons, cancel culture, and, of course, parking spaces.