#could explain why she is with Jeremy

[stealingyourbones]

Submitted Prompts #137

Sam Manson found an old diary of her mother's, and upon reading it she learned of four things. Her mother was married twice, she was named after her mother's ex husband, she has an older sister, and her sister is none other than Lois Lane.

[kadwrites]

young love | T.S

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summary ; a person from your past makes an appearance.

warnings ; arranged marriage!trope , fem!reader , idk what the hell is happening , SLOW burn

a/n ; i promise that i have a plot but i keep getting side tracked????

-

"what the fuck are ya doing here?" you pull the front door shut

"hello to ya too."

you look at him again , brows raised "what brought ya here hmm?"

"ya didn't even invite me to your engagement party." he looks down at you, his voice teasing

"oh i'm sorry" you let out a small outraged laugh "i didn't know that inviting your ex boyfriend was an engagement tradition."

"aren't ya glad to see me?" he gives you a sly smile

"what brought ya here?" you grit your teeth , looking up at him

"i came here for ya."

"for me?"

"to save ya."

"from what?" your patience is thinning

"well i couldn't let ya get married to someone like 'im could i?" he chuckles "not after the love we had for eachother."

"jeremy." you pinch the bridge of your nose "that was years ago," you try to not raise your voice "do ya even know who i'm marrying?"

"oh i do."

"ya do?" you laugh "and ya thought trying to convince his fiancée to run away is a good idea?"

"you're making a mistake."

you just look up at him, laughing. "jeremy, ya slept with your sister in law, i don't think you're qualified to give me any kind of guidance."

"i'm a changed man" he leans down to whisper to you

"no you're not!" you let out an angry breath , trying to compose yourself "what do ya think tommy shelby would do if he found out you're here? hmm?" you hiss at him

"i love ya." he looks at you, his eyes bore into yours , inching closer

"oh my god" you put a hand over your face, turning,

"i do, i can't let ya go" he hand touches your arm

"oh my fucking god!" your voice becomes high pitched , your eyes opened wide "why are ya still talking? do ya want to get killed?" you whisper angrily, keeping your voice down

"i can't let ya do this" he begs , he pleads

"yes ya can, ya just walk away" your hands wave at the door

"did ya not hear what 'appened to his first wife?" his nostrils flare in frustration

your jaw slacks , you feel as if your eyes would bulge out of their sockets

"do ya know what would 'appen to ya if he heard ya say this?" your voice is low.

he closes his eyes, licking his lips before speaking "look..."

"no" you raise a hand , stopping him before he could get another word in "i don't particularly like ya, but i'm telling ya this as a favor for old times sake" you point at the door "leave , and never come back"

"i'm not leaving ya."

"this isn't a joke, jeremy" you can't help the angry chuckles that keep coming out of you "this is probably the stupidest decision you've ever made."

"do ya want to marry 'im?" his eyes scan your face, studying you

"this is none of your concern." infuriated wouldn't even begin to describe what you felt, "what i do with my life is none of your fucking concern"

"i know ya , this is not something ya would do."

"ya said it yourself, you're a changed man now" you try to explain, "we're different, ya and i are so different now, we are not the same kids we used to be. this isn't what it used to be."

he doesn't say anything else in return, he walks out, shutting the door loudly behind him

you have a hand over your forehead , pacing around the living room, renee is still in her place, watching.

"you brought him here didn't you?" your mother stood in the living room with her hand on her hips, looking you up and down

"mum ... please stop." you stop in your tracks , frustrated "how would i bring 'im here? with telekinesis? i didn't even know he still lives in birmingham for fuck's sake."

she comes closer , gabbing your shoulders "we need to forget this, never speak of it in front of tommy"

"what if he comes back again?" you start to panic "what if he does something worse than this?"

she closes her eyes at the possibility, she doesn't answer.

"this is just what i fucking needed" you turn, plopping down on the sofa

"jeremy is a sweet boy... he wouldn't do anything, would he?" your mum picks at her cuticles nervously ,

you look up with a raised brow "he fucked his brother's wife while we were dating, his brother who by the way raised 'im." you rub at your temple "his moral compass is as useless as that brain of his."

"god, now i know why i always hated him."

"and yet ya wanted us to get married at 17."

"well i didn't want him to knock you up."

"so ya tried to talk me into marrying 'im?" your mother's logic made your head spin faster than it already was "ya know what, forget i asked that" you wave a hand

"what are ya going to do now?" renee finally speaks,

you and your mother look at each other, before looking at renee

"i don't know.." you mumble "i 'ave to go see 'im today, to talk about the wedding venues" you groan, the stress of it all comes back to her

"okay" renee gets up, and sits next to you "ya just act normal, ya get this done, ya forget about it for today and then tomorrow ya try thinking about solutions."

you smile when you step into his office, your hands clasped in front of you, and he's on his chair, a cigarette dangling from his lips.

"why do ya look like that?"

"like what?"

"ya're too happy to see me."

you raise a brow "ya don't want me smiling at ya?"

"ya look possessed." he deadpanned, exhaling a cloud of smoke, his thumb scratching lightly at his lips, hiding his smile

you kiss your teeth, "i hope ya choke in your sleep." you walk up the chair and sit down

he chuckles, looking at you with his head tilted slightly "you'll miss me?"

"believe me , i won't."

"what's wrong?"

your brows pinch together "nothing is wrong"

"really?"

"yes."

"you're a very bad liar."

"i'm just ... tired" you shrugged, your voice squeaked

it's not that you're not used to lying, it's that you have a hard time lying to him

"how's your mum?"

a genuine amused smile pains over your lips, "she's good"

"who told ya?" he nods at you

"who told me what?"

"that i talked with your mother" he continues "was it your two nosy friends?"

"hey hey hey" you put a hand up "don't insult my friends"

"they are nosy, it's the truth"

-

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[thoughtfulchaos773]

I've rewatched the episode Pasta, and I've been thinking about the show and its message in combating loneliness as Jeremy points out. It's one of the reasons why I love this series. Yes, it's about the hospitality industry, but it's all about connection, getting to know and learning about the people you love.

But what about disconnect? There were some critiques about the awkwardness in Claire/Carmy's scenes. I wonder if it's intentional. There's this weird dance in getting to know each other in which Carmy struggles to think of the next question. In the scene when he sees Claire again, he seems out of it as he turns away for a minute to think of another question to get to know who Claire is.

Perhaps, for Carmy, this is one of the ways to portray his character regression as he goes back to being the Carmy who is unable to connect with anyone and finds it difficult to express himself to Claire. When we consider that they hung out from March to May, and from Carmy's perspective, all he knows about her is that she is a doctor, her cousin Denny passed, her mom is living and thriving. Is this is because he struggles to ask her any questions beyond that? Shown by his difficulty in forming questions, i.e.- "so how did you um-is that something like- you get to pick that?

Throughout Claire and Carmys' relationship, Carmy's has been holding himself back from any emotional connection or intimacy. They have hung out before, but have never actually talked, as Claire explains. This is the story of their relationship. Claire doesn't understand his eagerness to fix something or his nervousness in waiting for the other shoe to drop. There's subtle conversations that shows their incompatibility.

Comparing this to earlier in the episode as Carmy gets to know Sydney. He holds on to her every word as she tells the story of her last time doing Sheridan Catering. He smoothly asks follow-up questions, and he's relaxed in their interaction.

When Carmy is with Sydney, there's vulnerability in their conversations, along with laughter and curiousity, as he asks Sydney questions to get to know her on a deeper level and he makes the effort towards connection.

Though Carmy and Sydney experience a form of disconnect when Carmy starts dating Claire he still makes the effort to connect with Sydney. At times he could do better but I think its showing us the chemistry and growth in Carmy by his interactions with Syd vs Claire. One where he asks questions that unravel Sydney for himself and the audience vs Claire where we don't even know her last name.

[fandoms--fluff]

Hey i was wandering is you can make one of Katherine second daughter she is like 9 months old and the scoby gang descomer her and use agents her but , Stefan doesn’t like that so he grave her and vampire sped to take her to Katherine and she is happy to have her little baby girl back with her.

My Baby Girl

Baby daughter reader x Katherine Pierce

Warnings: kidnapping, talk of death (but none happenes)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Walking into the boarding house, Stefan hears small cries and his brother apparently trying to stop the crying. What? Confused, he speeds into the library where he sees his brother, Elena, Caroline, Tyler, and Jeremy. And wait, the crying isn't one of them, it's coming from the tiny baby, wrapped haphazardly in a blanket in Damon's arms. (Not like Damon's holding you correctly or that safe for that matter).

"What's going on? Who's baby is that?" Stefan asks, your crying getting louder. You look alarmingly familiar, he just can't tell how or why.

"We had a chance, so we took it" Elena says as nobody seemed to answer the question.

"What chance? And why does it involve a baby?" Stefan asks, not understanding what she's on about.

"Well brother, we need leverage on Kitty Kat, so what better than the one person she cares about most" Damon smirks, not paying any attention to your flailing limbs. You can tell the guy who's holding you is bad. He took you from your mama.

Stefan face immediately slackens and pales. "Please don't tell me you took her daughter?!" Stefan exclaims, putting together why you look familiar.

"Stef, it was the only opening we could get with Katherine distracted, so we came up with a quick and easy plan against the murderous bitch. And it worked, we now have y/n to use against her" Caroline tells him from where she's sitting in front of the fireplace.

"It's the best thing we could do, she's all killed us or torcherd and manipulated us at some point" Jeremy adds on, arms crossed.

You don't want to be in the man's arms. You want to be at home in your Mama's caring and loving arms.

"This is not alright. Yes, she's done horrible things, but that doesn't mean that you should take her daughter and put her in danger, just to get back at Katerine. Have you thought about the long term problems? Katherine will no doubtly come after all of us for this, especially you" Stefan points at Elena. "And then if she haven't already killed us, I'm guessing y/n is her only wore to her full humanity. So, if anything happens to her daughter, just imagine Katherine turning it off." Stefan explains, taking slow steps towards the group.

"It's Katherine, she doesn't care about anyone but herself" Tyler says.

"Have any of you ever thought that it could just be a front from what happened before she had to turn into a vampire to survive Klaus and then run from him till thus day?" He asked, looking around the room of dumbfounded faces. " Didn't think so" Stefan says.

In one swift motion, Stefan plucks you out of Damon's arms and vamp speeds out and far from the boarding house. He stops at the edge of town, and starts walking fast over to where he knows Katherine's been staying. As he's walking, he gently bounces you, trying to calm your crying down. And to his surprise, it starts working.

Your sobbing turns into light sniffles and no longer are any of your limbs flailing about. You can somehow sense that he's nice, and caring.

Katherine's pacing back and forth, thinking of all the different ways she's going to get her baby girl back and how much the entire mystic falls gang will suffer for taking you. She's been so stressed, not knowing what to do, not knowing if you're safe and if she does go after Damon, will something happen to you in retaliation?.

She stops her pacing once she hears knocking at the front door. Walking over, ready for a fight, she opens the door.

To her complete surprise, she sees Stefan holding you in his arms. Immediately she picks you up into hers, and cuddles you close to her chest.

You snuggle into your Mama's warm chest right away. Your tiny hands curl around the soft black fabric of her shirt as she places small kisses onto your forehead.

Walking away from the threshold with you tightly secured in her arms, she motions for Stefan to come in. "Why did you bring her back?" She asks. As soon as she saw Damon take you, she immediately assumed everyone was in on it and knew about it.

"Because what they did, what Damon did, was wrong. No one should ever take a baby away from their mom" Stefan answers simply.

"But you all hate me. I thought something...something was going to happen m" Katherine says, vulnerability showing through her voice as she hugs you closer to her.

"I'm so sorry for what happened. No mom should have to ever go through that worry" Stefan places his hand on her arm gently.

"I couldn't stop him...he took my baby girl" she says quietly, a small tear travels down her cheek.

After a pause, Stefan brings Katherine into his arms, not too tight, making sure not to bring any harm to you as you're about to fall asleep.

Katherine hesitantly rests her head against his shoulder, hoping it's real and not a hallucination. "I'll always be here if you need to talk. Just don't tell anyone about that" Stefan whispers.

"Thank you" she whispers back.

[ciaonicole85]

ESCAPING INTO A SHIP

So what exactly made me latch onto the Sydcarmy ship like a leech on a water buffalo?

It was unexpected (for me)! Yes, the very first meeting between Syd and Carm did make an impact. I thought "Oooh, what's this?!" However, Carmy was/is such a mess that I quickly dismissed it. And Sydney just seemed to want his professional approval and a partner in making something great after the soul-crushing failure of Sheridan. So, the first season I personally didn't feel a mutual sexual/romantic tension, more like an automatic respect and shared goals/passions. Sydney nor Carm were obviously trying to flirt. Most slow burns on TV are 100% obvious like a Jeanine and Gregory (Abbott Elementary), Nick and Jess (New Girl), Jake and Amy (Brooklyn 99), Jim and Pam (The Office)...Until Braciole Ep. 8 that is.

S. 1 Episode 8- I won't get into everything but Carmy was desolate. Yes, he became a psycho chef and two people quit in Ep.7. However, he mourned Sydney more than Marcus. She was in his flashback/nightmare (?), then the way he told Tina that she looked like Syd (the poor pup), him texting her before opening the note from Mikey, and finally the most gorgeous locked gaze scene since Pride and Prejudice (2005). The soft lighting, the music, the colors, the mind-reading...magical. I still didn't get it initially. Silly, blind me.

Mentorship where??? Season 2 Carm and Syd's "mentorship" dynamic is pretty much over. They are true partners and spending more time together. They're dressing alike even when not in uniform, finishing each other's sentences or talking in unison. Sydney is opening up more of herself and Carm is asking to know more. They use the ASL sign for sorry with each other and no one else until ep 10. Then there's that locker scene in ep. 1 or 2, when they almost hang out just cause. However, Carmy misses the moment and there's the return of the kicked pup face. Before being on the ship I was delighted with all of their scenes and was looking forward to the food tour. They just ROCK together on screen.

Classic Love Triangle- Who's Claire? She's "Claire Bear", the prototypical "cool girl", who is willing to chase an socially awkward, wrong-number-giving man, despite being a pretty ER resident with no shortage of options. Did a CW writer get hired? Anyways, why was her presence used almost exclusively to put strain on Carmy and Sydney's relationship instead of The Bear generally? We could have had scenes with Nat, Richie, and Marcus arguing with Carmy about him being distracted due to Claire. They saved 99% of that for Sydney. They CHOSE to insert her in between or just after scenes with him and Claire. Showing Sydney's tattoos and her getting dressed with the stained chef's coat juxtaposed with them was WILD.

I LOVE that both believe their interpersonal problems are solely about The Bear/business partnership. In most "slowburns" the characters are far more conscious and actively work to keep things platonic. Jeremy might be a smidge aware that Sydney means more to him after the panic attack, but I bet he's shoved it down. All he knows afterward is that being with Claire feels wrong hence ignoring her call and recommitting to SYDNEY. He could of said "You all/This/The Bear deserve my full focus etc..." He was also nagged into greeting Claire at Friends and Family, seemed anxious when Fak brought her up right before The Table scene, and also while explaining that "she's great" to Sydney. He was at peace when focused on Sydney in the moment below.

The actors: Jeremy and Ayo's real life friendship is warms my soul and their chemistry onscreen is amazing. DON'T WASTE IT!!!

Jeremy smolders on screen. I want to see Carmy continue to stare, yearn, fall, then eventually confess and for Sydney to reciprocate his feelings. Anyhoo, does anyone else melt when Carm means business?! They do this twice in season one and it's not good for me. Whew, I need to clean my whole house or run a few miles.

Finally, there's so many other parallels between these two. They are fearful avoidants, have a missing or dead parent, jacked up stomachs, use sarcasm, but are generally very earnest, they struggle with anxiety, are compassionate, are perfectionists, peace-makers, give people multiple chances, are workaholics...so much more. A lot of that is also ME, lol.

Sydcarmy is my Roman Empire. I love them as much as you can fictional characters and they deserve the most tender, angsty, triumphant, romantic best-friends to more love story.

[gretavanbear]

Behind The Steel

[a/n : h...hi..... i haven't posted in so long. i hope u guys enjoy this lil thing i wrote. i definitely want to do a part two at some point.]

His bike was always his most prized possession, the way he felt when riding it was an incomparable feeling. The first time he rode it was a life changing moment for him- the wind drifting through his hair, the roar of the engine. It was pure animalistic adrenaline that coursed through his veins; wanting to make her roar like he did was extremely exciting. Nothing could amount to how powerful he felt in the cage, feeling weightless and full of control. 

His best friend initially helped him build it, making it extremely safe to be in and ride around as crazy as he can get. knowing his biker friends, sometimes it really could get crazy in there. 

It became somewhat of a ritual to have cage meets at his house every last friday of the month, where all his friends and acquaintances would come and try out the cage. Sometimes they’d have their girlfriends stand in the middle, building on the anticipation of driving around them. Jake didn’t understand that; wanting someone to stand in a potentially dangerous setting for a couple minutes. Maybe because he saw himself as a lone wolf, him and his bike. How it was supposed to be. 

Sure, he’d see someone now and then but it was purely to let out everything that was bottled in, needing some release sometimes. 

As he were riding home, he thought about all the preparation for tonight’s meet. Had he ordered the keg? Yes. Did he get enough wood for the bonfire? Yep. He tended to worry for nothing, knowing his organized self; it was truly out of habit to worry over little things. 

Jake turned off the bike in his garage, making sure she was nice and safe inside. Naming her the beloved was something dear to him; his friends all giving their bikes something corny or sexy as they said, like “kitty” or “princess”. 

But the beloved was not just some sexy bike, she made him feel things, power. And she was much more special to him than just a method of transportation. As he started caressing her with the clean soapy rag, his phone interrupted his music and began ringing. 

“Jake?” it was Jeremy, his best friend. 

“Yeah?” 

“Dude… I’m so sorry but I can’t make it tonight.” Jake groaned, the meets were never the same without Jeremy. 

“Why? What’s up?” He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes for a second- waiting on his dumb excuse. 

“My parents want me to go meet this mechanic professor because my name was brought up somehow during my dad’s company dinner. I don’t know.. they really want me to go” He explained. Jake paused for a second before responding. 

“That sounds like a great opportunity, Jere. Don’t feel bad, just don’t miss next month’s meet, yeah?” He smiled softly as he waited for his response. 

“Of course, dude. I promise.” He replied, saying bye and hanging up. 

Jake sighed as his music played once the call was over, washing his bike with intense care. Before he could even notice the time passing, people were already showing up to his house. Thankful to be living on a secluded area with a large piece of land, there were no neighbors to be bothered by. 

JAKE

As time flew by, people began showing up to your house, gathering in your back yard. The kegs were set up, the string lights were plugged in, and of course; the cage was set up. There was a row of bikes neatly parked by the side of your house, awaiting for their turn. Though you always went first, no matter what. You passed by your acquaintances and friends, greeting them with a big smile and telling them to help themselves to the keg or drinks inside. 

The bonfire was burning bright, illuminating your surroundings with a beautiful golden glow. 

You passed by your garage to get the beloved, her cherry red color standing out to you, making your heart race. You took her off her stand and brought her to the door of the garage, someone stopping you in your tracks. 

Jeremy’s sister. 

She was only a year younger than the both of you and even though it wasn't much of a time difference, Jeremy did not want her at your house especially during cage meets. Though there she was, looking up at you with a smirk as she leaned on the side of the door. 

“What are you doing here?” You pushed the bike stand down with your foot, resting your arm on the bike. 

“Brother’s out of town. Thought I’d be in the clear for a free show.” She spoke, crossing her arms. 

“You know you can’t, Jere wouldn’t want you here.” You state. 

“Yeah? Who’s gonna tell him?” she countered. You stood back a little in shock. 

“I will. You know how protective he is.” You sigh, looking down at the bike and then back at her. 

“Let’s make a bet, Kiszka.” You open your mouth to disagree but she continues talking. “If I can make one round in the cage with you, you can take me home. If I fail, you tell Jeremy and I’ll deal with him.” She says, confidently. You’re taken aback a little, her confidence roaming around the tight space of your garage. 

She’s always been around, even when you and Jere were younger. You’d always done your best to ignore her even though she was a hell of a tease, and now that he was away you saw it as your chance. 

“You know what? Fine. Let’s see you fail, darlin’.” You smirk, kicking the stand up and walking towards the cage with the beloved, her following you. 

As you arrived to the cage, you settled the bike inside, Y/N following you in. She stood on the red X on the floor, the old tape used as a marking for where people would get their partners to stand. She looked at you with a smirk, though you could see a slight shimmer in her eye. You knew she trusted you, but you were up for a challenge. 

You watched as she took her jacket off, throwing it outside of the cage, it landed on the ground. You zipped up your leather jacket, tucking your necklace inside your neckline. You gave her one good look before putting your helmet on, pulling down the eye mask. 

You could hear the metal gate close, locked shut. The voices cheering on the outside, the music playing faintly in the background. All these distractions but she was the only thing you could focus on. She wore a tight black longsleeve satin dress with some black combat boots, she looked fucking amazing. It just excited you even more. 

You could hear her sucking in a breath as you straddled the beloved, your hand on the handles. You turn her on and roar the engine, the adrenaline moving through you. You kick up the stand and begin circling her across the cage, slowly moving higher and higher as you increase the speed, taking your time with it. 

Once you feel stable enough, you take your right hand off the handle, and begin dragging it gently across her shoulder, increasing the speed of your bike, revving the engine even louder as you watch her jump a little, but you can tell your touch helps her nerves. You bite your bottom lip to contain your smirk- unsuccessfully. Your hand caresses her shoulders, her stomach, her chest slightly. She closes her eyes and smiles in content, which makes you go even faster. Her eyes open once again and you can feel them on you. Ten seconds left of your time in the cage, your hand drags against her whole body, god she feels amazing. 

You hear the loud horn that alarms you the minute is over, and you slow down, to a stop. Your hair is stuck to your forehead by the time you take your helmet off, but all you can focus on is the way she’s smiling at you, how beautiful she looks, how wonderful that dress fits her. 

“So? You gonna tell him?” She smirks, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. 

“I think I can keep a lil secret..” You sigh, smiling down at her. 

-

The two of you walked over to your driveway with the beloved. You had borrowed an extra helmet off a friend since you didn’t own another one. You knew where she lived, and it wasn’t far, but you were more worried about if you’d be able to contain yourself from not kissing her, the way she affected you was something you never felt before. 

You straddled the bike once again as she put her helmet on. “I’m going to hold my hand out so it’s easier for you to get on, you’ll need to hold on tightly because I’m going to be going pretty fast.” You said, holding your hand out. She took it and climbed over the bike, settling herself closely behind you. 

“Like that?” She asked. You smirked behind your helmet. 

“Closer, love. Wouldn’t want you sliding off..” You smiled. She scooted closer and you could feel her chest against your back, it made your heart flutter. Your hands made their way to the handles as you turned on the bike once more, beginning your journey to her house. 

As the wind drifted through the hair sticking out your helmet, your hand drifted to her thigh, caressing it a little. You felt her arms tighten around your waist, and her fingers slowly make their way to the hem of your jacket. You sucked in a breath, trying to focus on the road. Her hands slid underneath your jacket, underneath your shirt, until she caressed your chest gently. You wondered if she could feel your heartbeat, she probably could.. It was beating so fast. You let out a shaky breath and told yourself you’d be at her house soon. 

Parked. Finally, you kicked down the stand. She removed her hands from your shirt, and hopped off the bike. You also got off and removed your helmet, resting your ass on the seat of the bike as you faced her. She removed her helmet and shook her head a little, to let her hair loose. She nearly took your breath away, the beauty taking over. 

“Thanks for the ride.” She smiled, handing the helmet over to you. 

“Thanks for the massage.” You smirked. 

“Anytime” She said, stepping closer. You looked down at her, a slight shimmer in the reflection of her dark orbs. “I like riding with you,” She paused, leaning in. “It’s so…” She paused once more, her lips so close to yours. “Intimate.. Isn’t it?” She said. 

You nodded, your lips parted a little. 

“Are you going to kiss me goodnight, Kiszka?” She said, and you didn’t reply. You kissed her gently, her lips soft like satin, you could drown in them. She was so soft, like honey, a warmth you didn’t know you needed until right now. She pulled away so gently, almost as if she was afraid it would hurt you. 

“Goodnight.. See you at your next meet..” She smiled, waving a little before going inside her house, leaving you speechless.

{taglist:

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[crazycatgirl420]

Gotham's Black Rose

Dpxdc fanfic Sam is Bruce Wayne's daughter, adopted by the Manson family. Everlasting Trio, toddler Ellie. Pharoah Tucker, Witch Sam, Space Ancient Danny. And Cujo too.

Chapter 2: Comfort and Planning

The last thing Sam wanted right now was for cameras to be flashing in her face or for reporters to be shoving mics at her. Shoving past the crowd yelling questions she didn't want to think about right now, Sam made her way towards the street.

It didn't take long for Danny to show up, motorcycle roaring down the street. His ice blue eyes glared at the noisy crowd, and they hesitated long enough for Sam to escape.

She jumped on, wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his shoulder. They pulled away from the event without a single word to her parents - adopted parents apparently- which was for the best. Sam didn't even have words for them anymore.

-

Danny pulled into the Foley driveway with ease. Tucker sat on the patio, laptop open to live broadcast of the Manson's adoption reveal, and Ellie sat in a specially designed play pen with puppy Cujo.

"How's Sam?" Tuck asked, muting the video as Danny walked over.

"Oh you know." Danny said. "She's confused, disappointed, scared."

Turning around, Danny gently shook Sam onto Tucker's open arms.

"What a mess," Tucker sighed. "How do you just forget to mention that?"

"No idea man," Danny said.

The only one of them with a decent childhood was Tucker, and he's got horrible past-life memories of a Pharaoh's life in Egypt to process.

"I'm gonna curse them," Sam said. "They'll never be able to keep a secret ever again,"

"You know that's gonna have more consequences than you want to be responsible for," Tucker said.

"I know," Sam said. "...Pamela will always drop her pearls and Jeremy will never find the right cufflinks Pamela wants him to wear,"

"Petty," Danny said.

Sam nodded against Tucker's shoulder, before lifting her right hand, a twisting purple energy pooling in her palm. With a snap the magic vanished, off to fulfill its purpose on the unspecting Manson couple.

Ellie squealed in the pen, clapping her hands and chanting "magic! Magic!"

"So you've cursed them, what do you want to do now?" Danny asked, sitting on the grass.

Sam sat up, relocating to sitting on the stair and between Tucker's legs. Tucker ran his hands through Sam's hair, enjoying the company of his small family despite the heavy topic at hand.

"I want to know who my biological parents are," Sam said. "I want to know why I was put up for adoption and I want to move to Gotham as soon as possible."

"I can get us transferred to a Gotham high school for our senior year," Tucker said. "We're already accepted to Gotham University,"

"I can have me and Ellie packed by this weekend," Danny said.

"It's the last month of summer vacation so it's going to be a bit of a rushed transfer, I'll follow in my jeep, it's going to take me a minute to pack my office up,"

Sam let the boys plan their move, their voices a comforting background to her swirling emotions.

Ellie would know where she came from, no matter how complicated a story it was. Sam could see it, five years from now, they'd sit her down at the dinner table and explain an evil scientist tried to clone Danny, and instead Danny got an Ellie and she's been their daughter ever since.

Why was family so complicated?

[harry-on-broadway]

Sweet

Word Count: 3.4K

***

A red velvet cupcake. That’s how it started.

You were turning five, the first of February, and your teacher had brought cupcakes for you, and the kid in your class who shared your birthday, to have at lunch. Except Jeremy Jones thought it would be funny to push you in the lunchroom, jostling the cupcake out of your hands and onto the ground.

The reaction wasn’t instantaneous, but once the shock of seeing the crisp, white icing covered in dirt wore off, the tears came easily and what had been the best day of your short life had suddenly become the worst thing a five-year-old could imagine.

A small voice interrupted your tears before the teacher on lunch duty could tend to you. “Have some of mine.” Harry, the boy in your class who shared your birthday, held his hand out towards you. His own red velvet dessert unscathed. “Will you sit with me?”

You nodded, tears gradually ceasing as you followed Harry to an empty table, where he pulled the cupcake into two roughly even halves. “Here,” he said, offering you one piece, the noticeably larger one.

“Thank you,” you managed to squeak out.

“It’s OK,” he said, chewing, small crumbs escaping the corner of his mouth. “My mum is making me a cake tonight. I think it’s going to be chocolate. Are you getting a cake?”

“I think so,” you said thoughtfully. “My dad said we’re having a big cake at my party this weekend, but we’ll do a small cake tonight.”

“I think I’m going to your party!” Harry was suddenly even more excited. “It’s roller skating, right?”

You nodded. You’d been begging your parents to let you invite your entire class to a party at the local roller rink for most of the school year and had been over the moon when they finally acquiesced. “It is! And we’re going to have someone do balloon animals too!”

“No way!”

You were pleased that one of your classmates was as happy as you were. “Are you having a party?”

“I am! Mine is on Friday night. We’re going to play games after school and then eat pizza. Are you coming?”

Your own mother hadn’t said anything about a party but you nodded, hoping she’d have the answer when she met you in the pick up line after school.

“Yay!” Harry dove back into his cupcake, fingers sticky with the same frosting that dotted his face.

You all sat next to each other even after the cupcake was gone, Harry prattling on about something you only partially understood, but you appreciated the company which was a great distraction from your own destroyed birthday treat.

That Friday, your dad came home from work early to take you to Harry’s party, where you gave your new friend a Hot Wheel car and an action figure you’d selected at the store after much prodding from your parents. On Saturday, he was at your party, explaining all of the features of the new Barbie he’d picked out for you.

***

In the years that followed, Harry was always the one constant of your school days.

Regardless of whether or not you were in the same class, or boycotting Jessica because she was mean to Hailey, or ignoring Hailey because she was mad at Jessica, Harry was always there. A friendly face at lunch when you needed it, a pal on the playground when no one else wanted to draw with the chalk, and each year, even if you weren’t in the same class, he’d find you on February 1st, and you’d share some sort of sweet treat. A cupcake. A cookie. One year, a pack of gummy bears because both of you had been caught up in the excitement of the assembly the school had scheduled that day.

But things grew more complicated as you grew older.

Thirteen was a tough year. Boy-girl parties were all the rage (as were the hormones) and when you showed up to Harry’s on a Friday, you’d felt shy and nervous and all out of sorts, even though you had no reason to. You couldn’t figure out why until you accidentally stumbled across Harry kissing some girl from the grade above you as a group of rowdy boys cheered them on. You’d left, holding back tears as you called your mother to come and get you right away. The next night was your own girls only sleepover, and when Kara Chapman had asked everyone to name their crush, you said Josh, even though it was the biggest lie you’d ever told.

Fourteen was even tougher. You’d waited in the halls and the schoolyard, trying to catch Harry in a free moment that never materialized. The cookies you’d bought at a bakery that morning, turned to crumbs in the bottom of your bag as you walked home. Fifteen brought rumors of some wild and crazy party that you weren’t invited to, and by sixteen he was gone.

You didn’t think much about him anymore until one night your dad called you into the TV room. He was watching a singing competition show and pointing to the teenage boy on the screen. “Didn’t I take you to his birthday party one year?” he asked. All you could do was nod.

Suddenly, Harry was everywhere. He was no longer your birthday buddy, your cupcake savior, and childhood crush, but the world’s heartthrob. When you walked into the supermarket, his face followed you through the aisles, dotting candy wrappers and magazine covers, toothbrushes and chapstick, every item reminding you of the memories you still held close.

***

It had been Jonathan’s idea to get everyone back together.

After graduation, everyone dispersed. Some had moved to London, others had stayed in town, but for one night everything would be the same as it had been. The back of the pub had been sectioned off, but the velvet rope was more of a suggestion than a dividing line as people flowed in and out freely.

You were standing with Jessica, the one person you regularly kept in touch with, always making time to see her when you were home. You were nursing a beer she had just replenished and talking shit about Jeremy, who was just as much trouble as he had been at age five.

You felt the tap on your shoulder before you heard the voice, low and soft and close to your ear.

“Have any cupcakes lately?”

When you turned around, Harry was standing there, grinning widely with his arms open for a hug.

“Hi,” you said, words muffled by his shoulder. “How have you been?” you asked as he asked you the same question.

“Well,” he said, chuckling. “And you? Are you still around here?”

“No, I moved to London for school and just kind of hung around.”

“No way. I’m in London now too!” The enthusiasm was just the same as it had been when he was five.

“We should meet up sometime,” you said, the words empty knowing that he probably had more important things to do.

“Yeah, I think I owe you a sweet. Or seven,” he added with a sheepish smile, scratching the back of his neck.

For a brief second you were transported back to 2007, to the moment you first knew you were in love with him. “For sure. If you have some free time, let me know.”

“I’m about to have a lot of that,” he said. “We’re, uh, taking a break,” he explained when you looked confused. “The band,” he prompted.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. All things have to end, right? It’s kind of like graduating uni if you think about it.”

You nodded. “Still, it must be bittersweet. Not getting to see people you care about every day.” You tried to keep your voice neutral, so as not to betray all of the feelings that statement held for you.

“It is,” Harry finally said. He cleared his throat. “So, I don’t think I ever actually got your number. Back then.” He held out his phone.

“Oh, right.” You gave him your own device and typed your number into his phone, adding your name and a cupcake emoji to the contact. He smiled when he saw what you had done.

“So, where in London are you?” he asked.

You were about to answer, when two of his buddies came running over, nearly tackling him as he fell into you, beer sloshing over the rim of your glass. Harry mouthed an apology, but his friends steered him away before you could tell him it was OK.

“What was that about?” Jessica asked when she saw you were free again.

“Oh, just catching up with Harry.” You tried to act casual.

“I didn’t realize you all were close.”

There was no judgment in her words, but you felt defensive. “I mean we weren’t best friends or anything but we had the same birthday. He shared his cupcake with me when we were little and it was kind of a tradition for a little while.” You picked at your nail polish. “I’m kind of surprised he remembered me,” you added as an afterthought.

“Well, he couldn’t take his eyes off you,” she whispered.

“Stop it!” You brushed her words off, but replayed the conversation in your mind. Had it been that intense?

“I’m serious! He was laser focused on you. An elephant could have walked through the room and he wouldn’t have noticed. Did you get his number?”

You nodded shyly as Jessica applauded you. You could tell she wanted to ask more questions, but she thankfully opted for discretion as people surged around you, rounding up teams for a game of darts.

When you left, you scanned the crowd for Harry hoping to steal another moment with him but he had disappeared. You called an Uber to head back to your parents’ house, scrolling through your phone during the brief drive. When you couldn’t resist any longer, you opened your contacts, skimming through the listings looking for Harry’s name, praying your exchange with him hadn't been a cruel practical joke.

It only took a couple of minutes until you found it.

He’d saved his number as Harry.

With a cupcake emoji beside it.

***

Following the reunion, you and Harry had grabbed dinner and drinks a few times and on your shared 23rd birthday, you all met up at a bakery in London that was purported to have the best red velvet cupcakes in the city. When you all reached the counter Harry asked for two from the case, along with two coffees.

“I figured we could each handle our own now,” he explained.

You all sat nestled in the corner, forks clinking against porcelain. Over the past several months, you and Harry had fallen into a comfortable routine, friendship reinvigorated by your long-lasting crush and his desire to be with someone who knew him before everything changed. You weren’t always entirely sure when he’d be in town, but you knew you were in for a good time whenever he was.

He was telling a story about something that had happened when he was in Jamaica, but you were only half listening, observing the way his tongue stuck out in the slightest way each time he lifted the fork to his lips and the way his entire face crinkled when he laughed at his own joke. He was the same boy you’d fallen in love with all those years ago, just an even better version. And you were still the same girl, too shy to say anything.

He walked you home from the bakery. You all stood so close that your hands kept brushing, eliciting soft giggles and apologies from the both of you. You were certain that if he looked close enough, he’d see just how much you were blushing.

“Do you have any other plans tonight?” he asked. His voice was laced with something, but you couldn’t tell what. You were too busy trying to play it cool.

“Not really. The girls were all busy tonight so we’ll probably celebrate over the weekend. Birthdays aren’t as big of a deal when you get older.”

“It’s in the eye of the beholder, isn’t it?” He kicked a pebble with his shoe. “But no plans with a boyfriend or girlfriend?”

“No. There hasn’t been a boyfriend for awhile. How about you?”

“Same. No one for a while.”

You’d reached your building by this point. “This is me,” you said, rocking back on your heels, unsure of what would happen next. “It was lovely to catch up with you. Don’t be a stranger,” you added, surprising yourself.

“I’ll try not to now that I know you’re around. It would be rude to only see you on our birthday.” Like the gentleman he was, he gave you a parting hug and waited until you were safely inside the lobby of your building before moving on.

You didn’t tell your friends about your birthday rendezvous with Harry, but you suspected Jessica had her own ideas about what happened when she pulled you aside later that night, fishing for any details you had to share.

“It was fun,” you said. “I didn’t realize how much I missed him.”

***

In the years after, Harry floated in and out of your life.

You’d occasionally receive a text or email from him at an odd hour of night, sent in the small pocket of free time he had in between shows all over the world. But when he was in town, he made a point to reach out, meeting you for coffee and pastries, and once even a sad, prepackaged salad during your brief lunch hour.

True to his word, Harry made sure you all had plenty of time outside of that special day, sporadic as it might be, but you knew that every February 1, he’d be waiting for you, some sort of sweet treat at the ready.

There were hiccups here and there, when he was caught up in circumstances outside of his control that prevented you all from seeing each other. But he always found a way to make it up to you with a text, phone call, or special delivery. As time passed, you found yourself growing more attached to Harry. He wasn’t a presence in your life the way Jessica and your other friends were, but you felt your friendship with him was much stronger. He remembered, even the slightest detail, and had some sort of sixth sense to tell when you were going through a rough patch and needed someone to check in. In return, you paid him a visit whenever you could, popping into shows here and there when he was back on your side of the globe.

Harry was most definitely a friend, but the thought of him becoming something more lingered in the back of your mind. He was lovely and wonderful and would make an excellent partner, but you tried to talk yourself out of it – he was never here, he probably got into all sorts of trouble when you weren’t watching – so as not to get your hopes up. But the idea of what if, what if he was yours, only grew stronger each time you saw him.

***

You next saw him at what had become Johnny’s annual gathering.

You’d been doing a good job of banishing those pesky thoughts of Harry over the summer and fall, quieting them with a number of dates you’d met on the apps and through friends. But when you saw Harry standing there, shirt wrinkled and fringe pulled back from his face, every thought you’d fought off came rushing back when you saw Harry standing there, ready to help you out of your coat and greet you with a big hug.

“I’m surprised you managed to find time for us,” you teased as his cheeks flushed.

“I’ll always make time for you,” he murmured.

You ignored the subtext you were sure you were imagining, grabbing a drink from the bar. “Any thoughts on what we’re doing for our birthday this year?”

“About that…” He looked nervous. Shifty. And you were preparing for the worst. “So I haven’t actually made it official yet,” he began. “But I’ve got a show that night.”

“Oh?” You tried to hide the disappointment in your voice as the feelings you felt on your thirteenth birthday  came rushing back. “Maybe we can shoot for doing something later in the month.”

“Or how would you feel about coming to the show? It’s in Palm Springs, but I was thinking maybe you have the time?”

Traveling to spend a birthday with him was something you’d only thought of in your dreams, yet here was Harry, ready to make your dreams come true. “Um, yeah I should be able to get the time off. If you’re sure it won’t be too much. You know, with me being in the way.”

“You wouldn’t be in the way, you’d be my guest.”

“Well then, how can I say no to that?”

“Brilliant.” Harry’s grin was the tiniest bit brighter after that, and you didn’t miss how he followed you around for the rest of the night, always seeming to migrate to whatever group of people you found yourself in.

And when the night was over, he was there to help you with your coat and walk you to your car, hugging you tight before you climbed behind the wheel.

“See you real soon,” he whispered against your temple. “It’ll be our best birthday yet.”

***

When you looked back on all of your favorite birthdays, they all had something in common: you woke up with Harry beside you.

Your 29th was just the start of that trend, as when you rolled over on February 1, pulling the sheet tighter over your shoulder to fend off the slight chill to the air, you found Harry grinning at you, freshly cut hair flopping wildly on the pillow behind him.

“Morning,” he said groggily, the strain of last night’s concert – and post-show activities – evident in his voice.

You’d had no intention of falling into bed with him, but a moment of honesty and vulnerability backstage ahead of his first Palm Springs show had revealed what you’d hoped for all along. Harry had been pining for you all those years, just as you were after him. And when he’d invited you back to his hotel room, you couldn’t say no, falling into a pile of limbs on top of the plush duvet. Now, this morning, you were tired, sore, and another year older, and also much more content than you’d ever been.

“Morning,” you whispered back. “Happy birthday.”

“Happy birthday to you as well.” He grinned mischievously. “I feel like we should celebrate again or something.”

“I–” You were cut off by a knock at the door. You glanced at Harry. “What’s that?”

He jumped from the bed, pulling on shorts and a hoodie he found scattered on the floor as he made his way to the door. When he opened it, your view was blocked and you couldn’t make out the words that were exchanged in hushed tones behind it, but when Harry returned to the bed, he was holding a plate with two red velvet cupcakes.

“I had to honor tradition,” he said softly.

You were overcome at the small gesture and were left searching for words. “Thank you,” was all you could manage in a small voice.

Harry wrapped his arm around your shoulders and pulled you in close to him. “Of course. Anything for you.” He peeled the corner of the wrapper off before handing one of the treats to you. “Did you ever think this would happen?” he asked.

“What? Spending my 29th birthday eating a cupcake naked in bed, post-coital?”

“No.” Harry rolled his eyes. “Us. Being together.”

You shrugged. “I always kind of hoped.”

His eyebrows climbed up his forehead. “Really? With me?”

You nodded. “You were always really nice. And I liked that.”

“Nice?”

“Yeah, what’s wrong with that?” You furrowed your brow.

“I don’t know. That’s kind of the placeholder you use when you can’t think of anything else to say about someone,” he said, licking a bit of frosting off of his thumb. “‘Harry’s nice.’”

“Well you are! You gave me your cupcake when we were five. What else am I supposed to say?”

“I dunno.” He was testing you now, you could tell from the impish gleam in this eye. “You have that fancy university degree. I’m sure you could think of something.”

“OK…” you trailed off in thought, absentmindedly. “Sweet. You were always really sweet.”

“Sweet…” Harry mulled the word. “I can work with that.” He grinned. “And I think after last night, you’re pretty sweet too.”

***

A/N: This felt very different from what I normally write, but why not get a little experimental to celebrate our favorite rock star's birthday. Thank you so much for reading. Would love to hear what everyone thinks!

[gingerylangylang1979]

Reddit and Twitter need this most but I won’t, because reasons

I have said before I don’t think ALL the Camry and Sydney hate is racially motivated but PLENTY of it is. It’s Richonne 2.0. This isn’t new to me.

There is the outright racist coded comments like claiming Sydney has to be a lesbian, has to be asexual, looks like Kendrick Lamar (yes, it was said), along with the inability to ever empathize with her character.

But I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about unconscious bias with people who don’t get that they feel the way they do because Sydney is black. So anyone reading this may want to take a moment and honestly examine what I’m saying.

Unconscious bias is, for example, the thing that leads doctors, sometimes even black ones, to presume that black people don’t feel pain in the same way whites do. It’s not necessarily malicious intentional action or obvious hatred towards us. It’s subtle perceptions that change how one views the nature and capabilities of black people while still being able to be friends with them, respect certain qualities about them, and maybe even at times be allies. But there is always something different in perception that is so invisible that you aren’t aware of it.

I've seen it in white people, strangers and acquaintances, making assumptions about what I’m into or should be, what my education and earnings are, and who I should be friends and lovers with. It’s the thinking we can always handle anything and not be burdened. It’s what is happening a lot with Sydney, especially with Carmy.

People are allowed to not like the ship. They don’t have to. I’m not going to assume everyone who doesn’t is racist. But for anyone who doesn’t I think it would be beneficial to examine a few things.

Viewing the first scene between them, how would you interpret Carmy’s taken aback, entranced, nervous reaction to seeing her? To me it obviously says attraction and surprise. If there is another explanation I’ve never heard it. People just gloss over that interaction and I think it’s a tell. It shows that people may not be able to see him showing signs of attraction to her because she doesn’t look like who you would expect him to be attracted to.

2. How would you explain the way Carmy is constantly looking at Sydney closely like he doesn’t look at anyone else? When we see her from his perspective she if glowy or hazy or out of focus. We don’t see that with any other characters he interacts with aside from that finale flashback with Mikey. He doesn’t look at Sugar like that. Syd is the only one who gets special framing. If you’ve never noticed, why?

3. If you think Syd could be a lesbian or asexual, why her and not for instance Tina, or others on the crew? Sex isn’t referenced a lot so why is it not being referenced with her any different than it not being referenced with others? Often people assume a woman who dresses tomboyish is just that. Why can’t that just be her style? I have plenty of women friends that are straight and sexual with a similar style.

4. Could you imagine the scenes with Syd and Carmy if a man was in Sydney’s place? What would you think of the vibe?

5. Could you see Ayo in the Claire role?

6. Could you see Jeremy and Ayo playing love interests in a totally different show?

7. If Molly Gordon plays Syd could you better picture her with Carmy?

8. When you see a dark skinned black woman in a couple with a white man IRL does it make you especially take notice or feel it’s a bit off?

9. Does the thought of Sydney and Carmy kissing or being intimate make you have an extreme reaction like eeew or gross? Maybe not so extreme does it make you feel awkward to think about it?

10. Do you often compare their relationship to siblings?

11. Can you recognize the Syd isn’t into Marcus romantically and has other options?

12. Can you only envision Sydney alone and not needing romance because her career is all she needs?

13. Do you think maybe Carmy could find her attractive if she looked more glamorous?

14. Could you more easily see Carmy into Syd if she was played by Zendaya or someone that looks similar?

15. Have you never seen a couple that looks like Syd and Carmy?

16. if you saw the Emmy magazine photo shoot did you not perceive the touchy pose with Ayo and Jeremy as sexually suggestive and think it’s an impossibility?

17. How do you think Clairs would react if she saw all of their interactions?

18. Is it easy to view Sydney as having complex motivations and emotions at the same time? Can you possibly see that she’s jealous of Claire because she distracted Carmy from business AND because she has feelings for Carmy? Is it possible to think she can view Carmy as a boss, mentor, and someone she is attracted too and that’s hard to process?

All of these things may not apply to your perception but if any do realize these are very common examples of how unconscious bias plays out when thinking of black women, especially in storytelling. This is a lot of what has historically been seen with similar ships and IRL mixed couples. That’s not to discount the numerous white man, white woman ships that people don’t like, but these things are consistently present with black women and white men presented in the media and celebrity couples. There is always more scrutiny with these pairings.

You may not have a context to understand that. You may have never been questioned in this way. You may be angered to think it’s possible this is a role in how you are viewing things, but it’s the truth based on lived experience and observation. It’s worth examining.

I’m not here to be hostile, I’m just trying to voice in a gentle way what so many here already know and you may not be aware of or ready to think about.

I’m not going to argue with anybody about it but any intelligent, respectful dialogue is welcome and encouraged.

[imaginefan]

Blackmail

Damon Salvatore X Fem!Reader

Word Count: 776

Requested: Anon

Request: You're sneaking around dating Damon, but Katherine finds out and tries to black mail you into threatening to tell everyone. (I'm not sure where else to go with this other that that) one shot.

You and Damon had been dating for a little while now and despite everything, people were still finding it hard to trust him, you didn’t blame them you were the same before he started trying to prove himself to you, since then he had saved you on many occasions and has not lied either (as far as you know). Damon was the one who had asked you to keep the relationship a secret, he said that he wanted you to get to know him for who he was and for the rest of your friends to learn to trust him on their own merit, some might have called you naive but you wanted to give him a chance.

Kathrine had become the new problem for you and your friends and while you were trying to stay out of the way given the fact that you were human she still managed to find you when you were on your own, it was one of the rare occasions that Damon hadn’t decided to meet you. “There you are!” You assumed that she was trying to pretend to be Elena but you had seen her already and even without having seen her this morning you would have known that she wasn’t Elena. “What do you want?” You asked. “You know who I am?” She asked. “I know that you're not Elena.” You said as you got out everything that you needed to start studying. “Alright then we can get down to the good stuff.” She smirked as she sat down at the table folding her hands together as she looked at you, “I know about you and Damon.” She said with a smirked and you looked at her for a second before going back to your notes. “Okay…” You mumbled as you started jotting down the things that were worth studying as you waited for her to speak again. “I’ll tell them.” She said as she leaned on her hand, you looked up at her again and shrugged. “What do you get from that?” You asked. “Well nothing apart from hurting you, but if you want me to keep the secret all you need to do is be my little spy.” She said and shook your head. “Go ahead and tell them, I never wanted to keep this a secret.” You answered, she looked at you for a second before sighing. “I really thought that was going to work, you're human so I have to be careful about where I hurt you otherwise they’ll all be asking questions.” She murmured more to herself than anyone else as she stood up and walked around the table to stand next to your chair. “I guess you can play off a broken arm.” She reached out to grab your arm but before she could come into contact with you someone else grabbed her. “Don’t even think about it.” You recognised the voice as Damon's; he pushed her away as he put himself between you and Katherine. “Damon, why are you ruining my fun?” She asked “I thought she was just your human toy… Surely you can still play with her if she’s a little broken?” “Get away from her.” Damon said again and this time she tutted before turning and walking away.

Damon turned to you once she was gone crouching and taking your face in his hands “are you okay?” He asked, looking over your face and hands for injuries. “Damon, someone's going to see Jeremy and Matt work here.” You reminded him. “I don’t care, answer me are you okay?” He asked drawing your attention back to him, you nodded once and he let out a breath. “What did she want?” “She wanted me to work as her spy, she probably thought that because I was human I’d be the easiest to manipulate but she tried blackmail first.” You explained. “What?” He asked. “She’s probably going to tell the others about us, I don’t know how she found out but she did.” You shrugged. “Don’t worry I’ll find a way to fix it.” He promised and you pulled back to catch his eye. “I’m not worried.” You said, his eyes shifted across your face as if trying to find a tell that you were lying and when he didn’t find anything he nodded. “Then we’ll deal with it.” Damon said as you nodded, he started grabbing all of your stuff and putting it in your bag. “What are you doing?” You asked. “You're coming back to the boarding house, you can study there.” He said. “Fine.” You said as he took your bag and followed you out of the door.

Requests and general question!

[darthpastry]

Welcome to part two of my official Henry-hate crusade. Time to cover the true ending of Pizzeria Sim! For this one, I want to take one of the fandoms favorite moments, the connection terminated speech, and shred it to piece while explaining why Henry isn't really a hero in this instance. So! Let's go over certain lines. Maybe compliment some of my favorite ones so this isn't just hating and recognizing he isn't the absolute worst.

"And to you, my brave volunteer."

Idk about you, but it doesn't exactly seem to me like Michael knew what he was volunteering for.

"Who somehow found this job listing not intended for you."

If it was anyone else, they probably would've died. The only other person by this point who was known to be able to survive the animatronics was Jeremy and I doubt that even if he was still around, he would be able to fend them off due to brain injury. Also, not so much a complaint, but did Henry have someone else in mind or just threw the job listing into the void?

"Although, there was a way out planned for you, I have a feeling that's not what you want. I have a feeling that you are right where you want to be."

Why not ask. Or at least tell him what the way out is instead of just assuming he hasn't found anything to live for and effectively murdering him?

"I am remaining as well. I am nearby."

Yep. Just make sure everyone who knows what's going on dies even though it's not like William hasn't escaped a fire before. Very responsible of you.

"This place will not be remembered. And the memory of everything that started this. Can finally begin to fade away. As the agony of every tragedy should."

I'm a firm believer in when history is forgotten it repeats itself, so quite frankly wanting people to forget seems a bit stupid. I agree that they shouldn't be trapped in the agony of it, but "this place will not be remembered" seems wrong.

"Although, for one of you. The darkest pit of Hell has opened to swallow you whole. So, don't keep the Devil waiting, old friend."

I can complain about Henry all day, but William is objectively far worse, and this line is absolute fire. Pun intended.

"My daughter, if you can hear me. I knew you would return as well."

Might be due to that animatronic you made to capture her and deliver constant controlled shocks and also somehow ended up in a magazine? Idk though. Just a theory.

"I'm sorry that on that day. The day you were shut out and left to die. No one was there to lift you up in their arms. The way you lifted others into yours."

But why. I get that being a parent can be hard and you can't have an eye on your kid 24/7, but he should've at least made there was a responsible adult present.

"Not my daughter. I couldn't save you then, so let me save you now."

Yippee. Negligent dad who can only making up for leaving his child without a responsible adult which led to her early death by using Lefty so that she can finally move on. Yayyyy /extreme sarcasm ofc

“Congratulations on completing your work week. We apologize if your situation wasn't presented to you In a completely honest fashion when you first started, but it was important that your intentions and actions be genuine.”

I cannot emphasize enough that Michael was not told what was going to happen and given the last sentence it seems like he didn't even feel the need to be suspicious of what was going on.

“Please accept this Certificate of Completion. Goodbye for now, and thank you for taking this journey with us.”

More of theorizing but it's kind of weird that this whole monologue was recorded and delivered if Michael is supposed to be actually dead. I know it's for the player, but I feel like they could easily spin this and bring Michael back.

Tune in next time where I cover the other endings, possibly rant about how everything in FNaF is awful for everyone, and miscellaneous if there's any!

@uvanuva

[lcandothisallday]

A Shot Worth Taking - Jeremy (WMCJ) x f!reader

Part 2 - First Date

warnings: none

series masterlist!

You sat nervously in the restaurant, waiting on Jeremy to arrive. It was your first date with him and he already wasn't making the greatest impression by being fifteen minutes late. He had offered to pick you up from your apartment but you opted to meeting him at the restaurant, not wanting him to deal with the intense LA traffic--but now you were regretting that decision.

You took a sip of your water and tapped your acrylic nails on the wooden table, letting out a sigh. You looked entirely too good to be stood up and the sympathetic stares you were getting from the restaurant staff were starting to piss you off. 

When your phone buzzed, you scrambled to see who texted you, part of you hoping to see Jeremy’s name pop up with an explanation as to why he’s late or if he was gonna show up at all. Instead it was your best friend Vanessa checking in.

Vanessa: Still a no show?

You: Yeah. Just hoping he’s stuck in traffic or something. I’m giving it 5 more mins

Vanessa: Well good luck and update me💖

You turn off your screen and place your phone down once again. You wait a few more minutes and just as you were about to give up, Jeremy rushes into the restaurant, frantically looking around to find you. Once his eyes laid on you, he let out a breath of relief, coming up to you with an apologetic look in his eyes.

“Y/N I’m so sorry,” he began, his voice breathless. “I had a long day--was training a client then did a few side hustles before I got home and...I really had to shower before seeing you and--”

He was going to continue rambling but you only let out a small laugh and waved him off. “Jeremy it’s fine,” you interrupted him in reassurance, giving him a kind smile. He seemed sincere enough that you believed him and wanted to give him a chance—and his rambling was cute you thought.

Truth be told though, part of the reason why Jeremy was late was because he had forced Kamal into playing an extra pick up to hustle a few extra bucks so that he could pay for the date. Unlike before with Tatiana, since the relationship was quite established, they could each pick up the bill on different occasions, depending on the circumstances. But that was before--and with you, he wanted to impress you so he had to have the money. Of course he wasn’t going to let you know all that though.

Jeremy let out another breath of relief before he pulled out the chair and sat opposite you. That’s when you truly got the chance to take in his appearance properly. His curls were beautifully bouncy and he wore the cutest little white crochet-like open button up that complimented him so well. A complete 180 to what you saw him wear at the pick up. 

Jeremy’s nerves got the best of him and all he could do was stare at you mesmerized, prompting you to talk first. “You um...you look very nice,” you complimented him, your cheeks flaring up with heat as you said it. 

His eyes widened at your compliment and his own cheeks went pink. He licked his lips and smiled at you humbly. Goes down the drain his confidence and all his game. “Thank you...you look absolutely beautiful,” he commented back, his hand gesturing to your everything causing you to giggle.

The waitress came and took your orders—not without giving you a questioning look before she had walked off to put it in. You didn’t quite understand why she gave you that look but little did you know it was because Jeremy and Tatiana used to frequent that particular restaurant a lot when they were still together and the waitress caught on.

“Sooo,” Jeremy began, his arms resting on the table in front of him. “You into basketball?”

You shrugged, “I mean—I’d call myself a casual fan. I follow up during the playoffs mostly,” you explain.

Jeremy hummed in understanding. “What team you got? The Lakers?” he asked, his assumption based off of the fact that you were born and raised in LA.

“The Warriors actually—”

Jeremy groaned, “don’t tell me you crushin’ on Jordan Poole too—”

“What?! He’s cute!” you defended with a laugh. “But I can think of a cuter basketball player,” you flirt, your grin widening as you see him instantly shut up and turn visibly red.

“Aight bet,” he chuckled, nodding before he nervously began to play with his fingers. “Were you uh…were you at the pick up watching anyone in particular though?” he mumbled out in question, wanting to know if there were any other guys in your life, which you easily caught on to.

With a smirk you shook your head no. “Nah…my friend Vanessa—her boyfriend plays baseball in the diamond next to the court. I tagged along for fun,” you hummed in response. “But you definitely caught my eye so I guess I was there watching you.”

Jeremy grinned and his cheeks started to tint pink which thankfully wasn’t too noticeable due to the dim lighting of the restaurant. “M’ glad you came…made it more worth it to win,” he mused.

“Oh I’m sure,” you laughed. “You’re a cocky player, you know?”

Jeremy scoffed playfully, although his expression was one filled with amusement in the conversation. “Don’t act like you didn’t like the attention—plus I’m only cocky cos I’m good,” he shrugged.

“I guess I can’t argue there,” you giggle, before you’re interrupted by your phone ringing, signalling someone was trying to face time you.

You look at the caller ID and silence the ringing to respect the fact that you’re on a date. Jeremy ignored it and continue the conversation with you when it rang again.

“You can answer it you know. It’s fine,” Jeremy reassured with a smile. You instantly wave him off with a laugh. “It’s only my nephew—he forces his dad to give him the phone around this time to call me,” you explain with a chuckle. “But it’s fine. I’ll call him back when I’m back home.”

“How old is he?”

“He turns seven in August—”

As Jeremy goes to respond, your phone rings again which makes the curly haired man laugh. “At this point you have to respond. Can’t keep little man waiting,” he mused.

With a playful roll of your eyes, you pick up your phone and accept the face time. As it finally connected, Jeremy couldn’t help but be mesmerized as he watched your reaction to greeting your nephew. The way your eyes lit up and the cutest smile adorned your features made his heart melt.

“Auntie Y/N!! I called you like three times!” the little boy’s exaggerated voice sounded through the speakers, causing you and Jeremy to laugh. “I wanted to tell you I got an A+ on my spelling test!”

Your grin widened, “that’s very good, Adam! I’m so proud of you!” you exclaim.

The little boy giggled before he looked closer at the screen and furrowed his brows. “Waaaaiiit…where are you?” he pouted, noticing the darker scenery and dim lights, and the fact that you were dressed up with makeup on, instead of home in your pjs.

You bit your lip and your gaze shifted over to Jeremy, seeing he had on an amused smile waiting to see how you’d respond. “I’m having dinner with a friend,” you respond, cheeks heating up. “Wanna say hi?”

You giggle as you watch Adam’s eyes go wide before he bashfully hid his face in his hand as you turn the camera towards Jeremy who grinned upon seeing the little boy.

“Hey little man! I’m Jeremy. How’s it going?” he mused.

His cheeks went red from shyness as he squeaked out a quiet ‘good.’

Jeremy knew if he wanted to impress you, he had to win over your nephew so he kept going. “Is that a soccer jersey you have on?”

At the talk of soccer, Adam’s eyes lit up in excitement. “Yeah! I had a game today!”

“Oh that’s so cool!” Jeremy exclaimed. “I’m more into basketball myself but soccer is cool too…maybe we can play together sometime?” he suggested, causing the boy to grin adorably and nod his head.

“Mind if your auntie calls you back later? We’re…” you watch as he dramatically leans closer to the phone screen and cups his hand up pretending to whisper. “I’ll tell you a lil secret…we’re on a date,” he exaggeratedly whispered. “Hoping she’ll be my girlfriend eventually,” he mused, causing your cheeks to flare up with heat. “But I gotta impress her on this date first.”

Adam went shy again as he nodded his head timidly. “I like you Mr. Jeremy…so okay,” he giggled. Jeremy bid his good bye to the boy before you retracted your arm to say good bye yourself.

“Bye habibi, I’ll talk to you later okay?” you confirm. “Love you, bye.” You end the call and look up at Jeremy with the widest grin.

“You're cute and good with kids?” you ask playfully. “And to think I thought I was gonna get stood up by you.”

“Won’t have to worry about that with me,” he mused, sending a wink your way. “What did that mean by the way?” he asked. “The word you called him when you were saying bye.”

“Oh habibi?” you asked, your demeanour now shy. “It just basically means ‘my love’ in arabic...I don’t speak the language much but a few words sneak out here and there,” you explain.

Jeremy grinned at your explanation before he leaned back in his chair comfortably. “I like that...to be honest—I like the way you say it more. It’s quite...exotic.”

“Oh my god! Don’t ever say that again!” you laughed, shaking your head. Jeremy giggled at your reaction before he leaned in closer to you once more.

“So...you know about me...my passion for basketball and the way I hustle...so what’s up with you?” he mused in question.

You merely shrugged. “Not much to know...I work at a Sephora.”

Jeremy nodded. “You close to your family?”

“That’s...” you take in a breath. “A complicated answer,” you admit to him shamefully. “My brother, he’s two years older than I am--he got his college girlfriend pregnant in his first year and of course that fucked up the whole family dynamic because how could my perfect brother be so careless...but he and the girl managed to work things out up until she gave birth and when Adam was two months she gave up completely and gave up all her rights and literally disappeared off of the face of the earth.”

Jeremy showed that he was listening intently and urged you to continue. “So my brother was gonna drop out, but he had worked so hard to get into UCLA so I ended up deferring going to college myself and stayed home with Adam...but one year led to another and another and I just never got to it,” you chuckled sadly. “My brother graduated, got a big tech job in Silicon Valley and got married to the perfect girl and had another kid and like...I know I should happy for him for escaping that cycle he could’ve gotten into as a drop out single dad but...it just sucks cos they moved hours away and my parents now think I did nothing with my life,” you shrugged, fiddling with the rings on your finger.

Jeremy reached across the table to take on of your hands into his. “Have you ever considered going back to school?”

“College, never. Can’t afford it...I’ve been thinking of community college but...I don’t know if I’m mentally prepared to start studying again after so many years outta the game,” you laughed. “So here I am instead working shifts at Sephora and going to silly little pick up games where I meet cute endearing guys.”

“Ima ignore the fact that you said guys as a plural and focus on the fact that you called me cute and endearing.”

You grinned, “whatever floats your boat.”

[miintsprigz]

Casanova, Crushed

Half-baked Dadspy hurt/comfort drabble, go

Ok fine, bigger explanation: Scout asks out Pauling, she says no, whether it’s because she doesn’t like him like that, because she’s a lesbian, I don’t know exactly what’s canon.

Either way, Dadspy tries to help.

Had this idea for my scout OC and her spymom, but decided to try it with the canon characters

—

It was quiet on the base. Much too quiet for a team with a Scout.

The other mercenaries sat around the table, smoking, playing blackjack, slinging a couple drinks.

Spy sat back, a silent observer even amongst the members of his own team. Seemed that even in the casual moments, he was still a spy first.

But even now, he noticed only seven other men in the room. The eighth, the noisiest one, was suspiciously absent.

His son, as much as he’d never admit it, was nearly as good of a hider as he was.

How could he admit it though, he thought. The kid hated him, and why shouldn’t he. He was a mercenary before he was a man. There wasn’t much there to like, let alone love.

Jeremy had been especially loud earlier—something he himself couldn’t recognize as nervousness. But Spy did. He was shocked at how well he knew his own, despite his careful dodging of the actual responsibility of raising him.

“Arright, arright, shuddup! Cuz I’m actually gonna do it today.”

“Ye always say that, lad.”

“Well I mean it dis time! I’m gonna tell ‘er.”

He had a feeling that he knew what that meant…and if he was right, Scout’s absence meant things had either gone miraculously well, or…

“I’ll be back.”

“No rush, Frenchie! Haha!”

The boy’s room was suspiciously vacant.

Now. If I was an idiot, where would I hide…

Climbing up the side of the fort, sure enough, he got his answer. The limber figure sat hunched on the edge of the roof, his feet dangling over the edge.

Oh…

In a split decision, Spy decided to render his footsteps audible, despite knowing a tumble off the roof could be easily explained away as stupidity. If he was right, and it looked like he was, then the last thing the poor fool needed was a few broken bones in addition to a broken heart.

His hearing sharp, Jeremy turned to look over his shoulder, but not before quickly rubbing at his eye.

“‘Ey. What’sa matta? Got real borin’ wittout me down there, huh?”

Spy rolled his eyes. “Bored to tears.”

He motioned with a tilt of his head to the spot next to Scout, and was surprised when he moved over.

“What are you doing up here, Scout.”

“Could ask you da same.”

“…fair enough. It wasn’t obnoxiously loud enough in the game room, so I went looking for a good source of noise. Found it.”

Jeremy scoffed, shaking his head softly, then fell silent. Unlike him.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Shoot.”

“…are you alright?”

Scout’s eyes widened. The Spy noticed his jaw lock slightly.

“…yeah, yeah I-I’m fine. I uh…I had a weird day.”

“Mm?”

Spy felt a pit in his stomach as the boy’s voice went soft.

“I uh…asked Pauling out. For a date. An’ I called it dat.”

He arched an eyebrow, biting back a smile. Although he’d never own up to it, he knew the look. He’d seen it in the mirror. Although it sometimes felt like he’d been born the devilishly charming rogue he played, he knew deep down that it was learned. Seeing Scout in such a state defrosted memories of more than a few failed passes.

“Well…what did she say?”

“…”

Scout kept his eyes down. Not a sound out of him, other than a soft exhale as he took a gulp.

“…I’ll change the subject.”

“No.”

His eyes went half-lidded.

“She said no, Spy. Long ‘n’ short of it.”

“…ah…”

“Said it ain’t nuthin’ personal. Don’ really wanna get into it, don’t think she’d like dat. But…yeah. So…dat’s it.”

“That’s it then.”

“Yep.”

The two men sat in silence for a while. The Spy pulled a cigarette from the case in his pocket and lit it, taking a short drag before watching the blue-gray smoke twist upwards in a plume as he exhaled.

Ugh. What do I even say to this? Why do I want to do anything at all? I missed my chance for this…he’ll probably punch me if I try anything even resembling comfort.

And yet…he tried. Lifting his free hand, he gently put it on the Scout’s shoulder. Scout didn’t budge. The normally fidgety, hyperactive young man had been still as stone for this whole conversation, as if it had taken all his energy just to sit up there.

“Well…you can never know unless you actually come out and say it. So I’m glad that you did that.”

A smile tugged at his lips, barely there.

“I see why you like her. Dangerous, but sweet. Not bad. Not bad at all. Let me guess: she was polite, but didn’t pull any punches…”

Jeremy nodded, looking up at the watchtower across from the fort.

“Yes, that’s our Pauling. Well…it’s too bad that it didn’t go the way you wanted it to. Even though she was surely graceful about it.”

Spy couldn’t believe the nonsense that was coming out of his mouth. And the fact that it…wasn’t really nonsense. This was stuff nobody told him when he was the one staring into space with a hole shattered through his heart.

Things he needed to reassure himself of, before he was the world’s greatest. When he was just…whoever that was that stared back in the mirror when the mask was off.

“But it really is much too quiet in there, and Soldier thinks he’s the best at blackjack now, so…I know you’d hate that.”

Scout turned his head ever-so-slightly, and Spy could just barely see his face. A dull pang struck his chest.

Jeremy’s eyes were full of tears.

“I’m…sorry, Jeremy. I know how much you liked her. I’ll be honest, I don’t have much experience with this side…”

Liar.

“…so I don’t know how to hel—”

Spy reeled back slightly as Jeremy’s arms snapped around him, locking him in a rough embrace.

“…Spy, I dunno what ta do…I…I love her, but...”

It was so uncanny to hear the normally bold, cocky voice so shaky. So fragile. As if concerned that the boy would dissolve if he touched him, Spy gingerly closed an arm around Scout, giving the closer of the two shoulders a slight squeeze.

He remembered saying those exact words again and again about a woman they both knew very well…

I love her, but…I can’t be with her.

“…I know, Scout. I know.”

Spy felt his stomach twist as Jeremy lowered his head over his shoulder, arms rattling with silent sobs as he fully latched on. He could feel tears dampening the back of his suit, and yet…as much as this would normally repel him—it certainly felt wrong—he couldn’t bring himself to let go of his boy.

His boy.

While the other men did God only knows what down below them, Spy rethought those words.

Could I have been with her?

If I had…

This would be happening under much different circumstances.

He stayed quiet, letting the fellow mercenary get all of his emotions out, eyes falling closed as he held the boy just a bit tighter.

I’m sorry.

[fandoms--fluff]

Just Like Old Times

Gilbert sister reader x Jeremy Gilbert

summary: When Jeremy has a nightmare, he comes to you, his oldest sister

Warnings: mentions of death, 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jeremy gasped, sweat dripping down his face as he tried to control his breathing. He was having a nightmare of watching Anna die in his arms over and over. 

Now that may have not been what really happened, but it wasn’t any different to him. She died not even an hour after the Gilbert device knocked her out in the bathroom at the Mystic Grill, into his arms. He had to watch as the members of the founders council dragged her away, he was helpless and couldn’t do anything about it. 

His mind hasn’t let go of how horrible her death was. Every night he’s been playged with a nightmare with her dying, some nights were worse than others, like this one. 

This one wasn't just Anna, it was also his mom and dad, and aunt Jenna (who he secretly stilled called 'Auntie Jenna' when it was just the two of them), and Vicki. Everyone he's lost all just squished into one torture of a nightmare.

He brought up a shaky hand to his face, moving his hair out of his face, before kicking all the covers off. He tried wiping the tears off his face, but they just kept coming so he gave up on that.

Thinking back to the past, he remembered how every time he'd have a bad dream he'd always go to his big sister. She held him and comforted him until he fell back asleep. But the only difference now is that he's no longer eleven, he's fifteen.

The memories just won't leave his head so from the spurt of the moment, he slowly got out of his bed and walked towards his closed door. As quiet as he could, he turned the knob and opened the door, cursing the door when it let out a tiny squeak in his head.

He quietly walked across the hall to your room where there's a dim light coming from under the door, telling Jeremy you're still awake.

Before calling his decision off, he turned the doorknob and walked a couple steps into your room.

You looked up from where you were sitting on your bed reading, hearing someone coming into your room.

"Hey Jer, - what happened?" You set the book aside and stood up when you saw the tear streaks on his face.

"N-nothing" he stuttered out, not knowing how to tell you he had a nightmare like a little kid.

You raised an eyebrow, not believing your little brother. Reaching over, you grasped his arm and gently pulled him down so both of you were sitting across from each other on the bed. 

“You can tell me anything, you know that right?” you ask in a soft tone.

“Mhm”, he nods his head. 

“Why don’t you explain to me what happened, and I can help you, there’s got to be a reason why you chose to come to me instead of staying where you were” You told him.

After a moment of silence from the fifteen year old, he sighed and started to explain his nightmare to you. 

By the end of his long explanation, telling you how horrible he felt on the inside and the pain won’t go away, he started to cry again. He misses Anna and Vicky, and most importantly, his aunt and parents. 

“Oh, sweetie I’m so sorry you feel this way, you should’ve come to me sooner, that way you wouldn’t have to suffer alone” you said as you pulled him into your arms. 

He immediately nuzzled his face into the crook of your neck, basking in the touch and comfort you’re giving him. You wrapped your arms around his shaking frame and brought a hand up to the back of his head while leaning back on the headboard. 

“That’s it, let it out, it’s going to be okay, I promise” you whispered and gave him a kiss on the top of his head.

You hold your little brother close as his crying starts to stiffle. Soon following, you feel Jeremy slacken his grip as he drifted off to sleep.

Softly smiling, you remember how when Jeremy was younger he'd also come to you when he had a nightmare and after you made him feel better, he'd always fall asleep, cuddling into you. And it seems it hasn't changed, as Jeremy is still nuzzled into your neck.

You reached over and pulled your comforter and blanket over you both before turning off your lamp on the bedside table.

As you lay there, you started to rub circles on Jeremy's back, gently not wanting him to wake.

[crwdgoinapeshit]

I have sooo many The Cleaning Lady Theories

Last night's episode was my favorite of the season! Ramona, Ramona, Ramona. She's a complicated woman to say the least.

I guess I'll start with my first theory:

[Ramona is dying] After Ramona questioned Jorge's feelings towards Thony, there was a moment where it looked like she grimaced in pain. Jorge even noticed that and asked if she's okay. Also, back in episode five when Jorge went to question Ramona about Luca's disappearance, Ramona told him she wants him and Arman to work together when she's gone. If Ramona is suffering from a terminal illness then that could explain why she's been so obsessed with bringing back Arman to partner up with Jorge. She knows she's not long for the world so she wants Arman to take over the smuggling side and Jorge to remain in the fixer/legal role that he already is in.

[Jeremy is an undercover FBI agent sent in by Russo to plant surveillance devices] I'm convinced that he was the one who called the FBI because Jorge mentioned that their contact heard nothing through the grape vine. I also think he set up devices in Thony and Fiona's cleaning shop and now in their home. A judge may have granted Russo a warrant to plant surveillance devices because Thony kept the knowledge of Kamdar bringing back fentanyl into the country. Plus she hangs around Arman, a known criminal. Anyways, who knows what evidence Russo could've brought to a judge. Or there's another option. Russo is hell bent on revenge for Miller and she badly wants to take down Thony/Arman, to the point she's willing to break the law. Maybe Russo doesn't have a warrant to plant these wires. That would be Thony's only saving grace.

[Jorge turns on Ramona] Eduardo just had to air out the family's business in front of company lol. If what Arman's parents said is true then it's clear that Ramona purposely isolated Jorge and turned him against Eduardo. This may be an unpopular opinion, but ever since Arman told the story of how he came to work for Hyak, I wasn't mad at Eduardo. Eduardo isn't wrong for not wanting his son be a violent, drug/gun dealing, human trafficking murderer lol. I would hope NO parent would want that for their child. As for his decision on cutting all ties to Arman, I'm iffy on that, but either way I do understand Eduardo's position. From what it seems, Eduardo wanted to look after his little brother and raise him far away from the cartel life, similarly to Arman. I do think it's wild that Ramona thinks she had any rights to Arman when he isn't her son, but she strikes me as the narcissistic controlling type. Anyways, we know that Ramona sent Jorge to college in order to "beat them at their own game". His education and professional career, which was funded by her, was Ramona's decision. She clearly wanted to use his knowledge and his access to further the Sin Cara cartel. She's a master manipulator and we've seen Jorge push back against her since the second episode of the season. We've also heard him tell Thony that he has no control over what Ramona chooses to do. He seems to be her puppet. A well put together, powerful, intelligent, and dangerous puppet. I believe it's likely that Thony, as well as Ramona's actions herself, will finally cause Jorge to break. A bit of a spoiler, but in the preview for episode 8 we saw Ramona pressing Jorge to kill Thony. Ramona has noted Jorge's fondness of her so forcing him to be the one to shoot Thony, at her command too feels incredibly cruel. So yeah I can definitely see Jorge turning on his sister at some point.

[Nadia and Thony team up to take Ramona down] I was so frustrated with Thony for not calling Nadia when she put together that Dante has been drugging Arman. Even if there was no way for Nadia to sneak away from Ramona's watchful eye, I just get the feeling that someone like Nadia could have figured out a way to stall so Thony could get Arman. However, as we know, Arman had to die. *heavy breath* I hope in one of the upcoming episodes Thony reaches out to Nadia, they sit down together and Thony tells her EVERYTHING. Dante getting arrested at the apartment where she physically saw Arman through a window, the name written in the powder, and even the car chase. If Thony comes clean I think Nadia would question who was this convenient handyman, who also KNEW ABOUT WHERE THE DROP WAS. Anyways, yeah I need to see Nadia and Thony find peace and get revenge for Arman.

[Jorge and Thony run the Sin Cara cartel together] Elodie recently did an interview where she spoke about the love triangle in this season and how she went to the writers and gave input on how she believed Thony's perspective should be addressed. ("I was part of some conversations this season, with the loss of Adan, on how to approach the new love triangle. I was like, 'Guys, this woman just lost someone she loved a lot, if not the love her life. Don't think in terms of entertainment, but ask how to approach someone who's grieving.'" Elodie Yung Character Media). When the season first began Kwok and Renshaw also spoke on what we could expect between Thony and Jorge. ("Thony and Jorge's relationship evolves more slowly and more organically through the season where it is like, 'Who are these people? Who are they together?' For Thony, Jorge is a tough nut to crack. But, so is she." | "It makes it very tantalizing to watch and to write these scenes, because there's just a lot of energy in their dynamic." | "Yeah, a lot of energy, but also resistance. There is a different kind of cat-and-mouse where they're drawn to each other, they're trying to figure each out, they're both a little standoffish - which also makes them even more attracted to each other") Given these two excerpts alongside with what we've seen throughout the season, I can see the writers setting up a romance between them next season(if they get one 😬). Now, ever since episode two we've heard Jorge continually address Ramona's choices and direction with the cartel. He believes that their trafficking routes need to be eliminated given that Arman and presumedly others have stolen and used those routes for their own trafficking purposes. He views them as a weak point and most likely a legal time bomb waiting to happen. During their argument in the dessert, Thony tells Jorge about the dying woman and her baby left in a closet when he asserts that their routes are safe. Thony rightfully pushes back on him and calls him out for not knowing or not caring enough TO know what's going on on the human trafficking end of the cartel. That scene was probably put there to challenge Jorge's humanity, but to also expose how Ramona's running the border smuggling. Back in episode 5, when Ramona said she wants Arman and Jorge to work together to run the Sin Cara cartel, he responded that he'll decide who he will work with. If my, "Ramona is dying" theory turns out to be correct then I'm convinced that Jorge will choose Thony to be his partner once Ramona is gone.

[Thony gets arrested] I mean, it has to happen right? Jeremy snooping around has to amount to something, right? I know last season ended with Fiona being arrested and then deported, so I can see how that would be redundant, but I feel like this all Jeremy stuff has to culminate into something big right? lol I just know Jeremy is a plant seeded by Russo because no way she just gave up and went away. Plus, Nadia told Russo in episode three that Thony is working with the cartel. Maybe Thony gets arrested and makes bail somehow and Jorge goes about getting her clear of her charges.....lmaoooo. This theory is the one I believe in the least so it's hard for me see where this could all go.

Anways, this was looonnngggg hah. I had so many thoughts after last night's episode I just had to type them out. Honestly, this episode was one of their strongest in the show's entire run and Eva was the complete standout for me. Eva really translated Nadia's anguish in every moment. She was incredible.

[magz]

Gaza, Palestine.

"Several people have reportedly been injured and at least 5 killed after parachutes dropping aid over #Gaza failed to open. Video shows the aid falling quickly to the ground, as people gathered to collect desperately needed food and supplies."

March 8, 2024

(Aljazeera English post with video link)

Articles for context:

"Airdropping aid is inefficient—so why is the U.S. doing it anyway?" (NPR)

Article Date: March 4, 2024.

Quote.

[...]

Konyndyk (president of Refugees International): Well, the first thing to understand about airdrops is they are probably the most inefficient possible way to deliver aid. So they're used very, very sparingly and only when there is truly no other way to get aid in. So we would use them if a population was completely physically inaccessible, if they had been cut off by an earthquake or a hurricane or if there was fighting or if they were besieged. So, for example, when Iraqi Yazidis were fleeing the genocidal militia, the ISIL militia that had pushed them out of their town, they fled up Sinjar Mountain. And in 2014, when I was at AID, we organized airdrops by the U.S. military onto Sinjar Mountain to sustain them. Outside of those kind of situations, it's very, very rare. I can't think of one where we've used them in a place that was simultaneously being served by overland access.

Shapiro (interviewer): Can you just explain why it is so inefficient, why it is such a sort of last resort?

Konyndyk: Well, first is cost. It is about - you know, and obviously, every situation is a little different, but ballpark 8 to 10 times as expensive logistically to deliver by air as by overland transport. And the volumes are much smaller. So to put this in perspective, Samantha Power, the administrator of USAID, was in the Middle East last week. And she gave remarks in the West Bank, where she was bemoaning the fact that only about 96 trucks per day, on average, had been getting into Gaza. Well, the three planeloads that the U.S. dropped last week are equivalent to ballpark four to six truckloads. So it really is not a significant additional amount of aid relative to the already hugely inadequate amount that's getting in.

Shapiro: That's staggering, that not only is it eight to 10 times more expensive, but it's the equivalent of four to six truckloads. And the number that President Biden himself has described as wholly insufficient is something like 96 trucks per day.

Konyndyk: Correct.

[...]

"Gaza Authorities Say Accident Involving Airdropped Aid Kills 5" (New York Times)

Article Date: March 8, 2024; Updated March 9, 2024.

Quote.

The authorities in Gaza said at least five Palestinians were killed and several others were wounded on Friday after packages of humanitarian aid that had been airdropped fell on them in Gaza City.

[...]

In the clip, whose date and location were verified by The New York Times, it appears that one parachute failed to open, while multiple packages that were not attached to parachutes plummeted to the ground. In the clip, filmed near Al-Shati Camp, people can be seen running in different directions.

The government media office said in a statement that the packages fell “on the heads” of some people “as a result of landing incorrectly.” The office added that it had previously warned that a similar incident could occur during airdrops and “pose a death threat to the lives” of civilians in Gaza. Noting that some of the aid had landed in the sea or close to the Israeli border, the statement said that airdrop operations were “ineffective and not the best way to deliver aid.”

[...]

U.N. officials, aid groups and experts on humanitarian crises have said the airdrops are insufficient and largely symbolic, given the dire needs of the two million Gazans still trapped in a war zone. They have urged Israel to open up more border crossings and to speed up inspections of the aid shipments.

Airdrops can only deliver a fraction of the food a convoy of trucks can haul, and it is difficult if not impossible to control who takes possession of the goods once they reach the ground, these experts have said.

But dangers posed by failed parachutes and falling pallets of food, water and other aid are also a major risk in airdrop operations.

[...]