#dr who extended universe

[find-me-in-hell]

was talking to some other people, and it seems the general consensus is that doctor who canon is a mess and constantly contradicts itself and its hard to factor in the extended universe constantly so if you wanna ignore a piece of 'canon' go ahead no one can stop you, if you wanna acknowledge every piece of canon and see certain parts as parallel or alterate universes go for it. literally no one can stop you and tbh i dont think anyone cares

[dweuquotes]

“I thought the Master was your friend.”

The words seemed to faze him, just for a second.

“He was... he is.”

Alison snorted with laughter. “For somebody who's so clever you can't half be stupid sometimes, Doctor.”

The Feast of the Stone

[thebraxiatelcollection]

The more RTD is going on about Doctor Who and Disney working together in partnership, the more I go: Hmm...

[eutravels]

Doctor Who 60 Years - Once And Future : A Genius for War (3)

Oh this one was great for sure. It's definitely my favourite one from the range yet. We still have no more clues on the degeneration thingy but at this point who cares? The ride is enjoyable enough for me to not care about this!

It is the very first audio that I listen to that features the Seventh Doctor or Davros and they both work very well in this format. Also I really liked the Time War setting as well as the characters attached to it – the general, whom I already knew from the show, and Veklin, who I loved meeting – really made me want to listen to the Time War sets, especially War Room!

The whole cast was really brilliant. Unsurprisingly, McCoy wonderfully embodies the energy that his young televised self had in the eighties. What a brilliant actor! Terry Molloy definitely upgraded his game because Davros is really frightening!

The story in itself was very well paced and didn't let you catch your breath! I'm really enjoying Morris' works so far. I remember he did the opener for the first Rose Tyler boxset which was absolutely brilliant. Listening to this one made me feel like I can't wait to discover more of his work.

The next paragraph is about some details that I want to talk about, so if you don't want to get spoiled maybe you should avoid that.

SPOILERS BELOW

It is quite interesting to hear about the Hybrid again in such a way. It's also pretty fun to witness Seven's guilty pleasure: seeing how Davros always has the next step already planned, as Seven often does as well. However, his enjoyment of the situation may rely on the fact that he actually is one step ahead of Davros.

END OF SPOILERS

I can't wait for the next Once and Future story to drop!

[safyresky]

Question (hope this isn't controversial): I've read that in the old Doctor Who, there was hardly any romance between the doctor and his companions. Do you ever feel like they should have just left it like this? I really loved the Nine & Rose friendship and I can grasp the romantic undertones between Ten & Rose but in Season 1 it felt like there was this awesome platonic bond and someone on the team went "hear me out, the romantic subtext needs to be in there for the quota". Took me out of the immersion every time because it felt like someone tried to squeeze it in there where it didn't fit. I think this would have been different if they had made Season 1 today :D

Maybe that's just me tho

As someone on the aro spectrum I'm also super excited for some of the more platonic relationships of the doctor and their companions. Especially Donna and Ten sounds very fun from what I've seen so far ^°^

Oh dude, I FELT THIS!!

I've no idea if it is controversial, lol. Doctor Who has a LOT going on in terms of content and everyone enjoys it differently, so some people are like HELL YES for dr/companion romances and some are like HELL NO.

I loved Nine and Rose they were SUCH FUN and their friendship really DID feel like a nice platonic bond! Ten and Rose were fun and while I saw the romance I...wasn't a fan of it? Which MAY be a hot take lmao. But to each their own, I say! After 10 n Rose anytime there was a HINT of romance between dr/companion I was very like NOW YOU STOP THAT (gently smacks hand), so you're not alone there!

You're gonna love Ten and Donna (I hope!) They're BESTIES and THAT'S THAT and it's AMAZING.

I think my enjoyment would go up a notch if they just stopped trying to ship the doctor with people in the show. Honestly, post Rose/Ten I found it very tiring. Every time another person made goo-goo eyes at the Doctor I was like. That gif of Oprah looking into the camera and like, waving her hand like "yeah of fuckin COURSE"

Sometimes you just wanna see silly plots and shenanigans and bad special effects and friendships and none romance, so like. FELT lmao.

[renegade-time-lord]

Okay so forgive me for spouting out possible nonsense but I’ve started reading The Book of War and I love the idea of Time lords being history or a part of it. Like what if there’s other populations that make up the whole of Time? What if Time lords are history and non time active species are present (because they can only perceive the present) and someone or something else is the future? I dunno I love this concept maybe I’ll write a fic with it.

[theangelshavethephonebox]

Read more stories from I am the Master- excellent anthology- and I've been listening to BF main range! I'm going in order- I'm on the 9th one!!! Lanyon Moor, here we come...

[zagreus]

the most frustrating thing about dr who's extended universe is that it's so full of cool ideas and wonderful stories that no one outside a very specific subset of dedicated maniacs will ever experience

[annabelle--cane]

I'm not sure at this point whether I'd categorize the paranormal in this universe as being desire based exactly, but there seems to be a repeating theme of, sort of, giving people what they want.

harriet wanted arthur back, and hey, she got. at least some of him. ink5oul gave daria exactly what she wanted, a way to make herself "perfect." the stranger on the side of the road gave the violinist exactly what he wanted, a beautiful violin that he used to climb the social ladder. tom the horror blogger was searching and searching for a film that could finally make him feel afraid again, and he sure got it. dianne margolis felt a bit abandoned and really wanted more staff, and hey presto there they were. this dice guy fashioned himself as a mysterious purveyor of curses and fortunes, reminding me a lot of the violinist's stranger in magp 04 who said that "a stroke of luck" was in order.

this extends to the meta plot as well. gwen wants lena's job and she gets a mysterious email with the perfect blackmail material. celia spitballs about searching cases about being buried alive and she's given one where the case subject is almost crushed to death. sam wants to pursue the magnus institute and the software keeps randomly giving him just the clues he needs to continue.

this doesn't hold up for every case, I don't see wishes being granted as directly for redcanary, dr webber, needles, or terrance stevens, but nonetheless it is making me go hmm. something about wants, obsessions, not leaving well enough alone? with the exception of needles, I think there have been concrete moments where all of our case subjects so far could have stopped, and they know they probably should have, but then they kept going and/or did something a little extra and royally screwed themselves as a result.

[lou-struck]

Distracting

Keiji Akaashi x reader

College AU!

WC: 2k

~ Thanks to the new library aid, your once quiet study spot has become much more… Distracting

a/n: sorry I have been gone for so long, it's been hard to do things lately. I hope you like this one. I tried to make it cohesive but when you start something and stop it in bi-weekly intervals you tend to loose yourself a bit in the process.

There is always that one damn professor who takes an extra step to make their course more challenging for students for no reason in particular.  

Yours is your history professor, known throughout the campus as Dr. Asshole. He is known for handwriting confusing exam questions and surprise Pop Quizzes on material chapters ahead of the assigned reading.

His newest pretentious obsession is assigning massive papers and requiring that his students research the whole thing using non-digital sources. This wouldn't be an issue normally, but your university is in the middle of nowhere, and there are at least a hundred students in this particular class. Which means every desperate student looking to raise their grade will be flocking to the library trying to find as many sources they can.

As soon as your class and you start your usual walk to the university's library, your usual study spot, and hope it will be the goldmine of information you need it to be. 

The sliding glass doors part for you as you enter. The faint smell of books wafts under your nose as you enjoy the natural sunlight that streams in through the glass skylights. The quiet, studious atmosphere lacks the noisy distractions that are back at your place. The air is comfortable, not too warm, and not too cold.

Your usual table is bare and sun-soaked under the glass skylights. Your book bag slides stiffly down your shoulder, and you wonder if it would be a good idea to leave it unattended for a few minutes.

Your eyes scan the room. There are a few students lounging in the corner on some large beanbags, Little white earbuds snug in their ears as they scroll through their sleek, thin, laptops. You see the back of one of the Library assistants slowly pushing a cart of books down a lowly lit aisle. 

Your gut tells you that you can trust the small group of randos. You set your bag down on the table so you can begin your search for academic materials. Slowly, you make your way down the rows of books. The space has never looked cleaner; all the selves, even the hard-to-reach ones, are free of dust, and as you flip through possible sources, you notice that someone has taken the time to smooth out previously dog-eared pages and pluck out the old bookmarks. 

After only searing the shelves for a few minutes, you have an uncomfortably tall stack of books in your arms. 

For balance, you stretch your chin out to steady the stack as you start to walk back to your table. The smooth laminate of the book jackets causes your literary mountain to quake as you shuffle through the shelves. Your arms burning from the weight as you turn a blind corner. 

There's a crash

There's some cursing

And you are on the ground…The books clattering to the floor around you as you wonder how you ended up face to carpet. 

Books are scattered all around you as a hand comes into your peripheral. It extends itself toward you as if it was trying to help you up.

"Are you alright!? I am so sorry." the voice of its owner says. Their voice laced with genuine concern as you take in the worried face of and the dark, slightly-messy hair of Keiji Akaashi. You know him as the setter for your university's Volleyball team. 

You have only ever seen him with his friends walking to practice or from the stands whenever you make it to a home game. Never up close like this. He is so handsome that you wonder if you hit your head during your fall to have just noticed it.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asks again, and you realize that you haven't answered him at all. You must've been too busy admiring how great the lean athlete looks in his cream-colored sweater.

"Yeah," you reply, taking his hand and allowing him to help you to your feet. "I'm all right."j

"Really?' His blue eyes are looking you over again as if he doesn't believe you.

You know your head and give him a sweet smile. "I'm positive. I'll take a whole lot more than a book cart to take me out."

"That's a relief." he chuckles, "I guess I got a bit distracted earlier." his gaze casting downwards slightly. They embarrassingly land on a half-open book, which must be the cause of this whole thing. 

"Pride and Prejudice?" you muse, craning your neck to view the title. "Good choice. I'd get distracted too."

"It's a great book." he sighs, "But I should've been paying more attention to where I was going. Especially with the cart, those wheels are stubborn." 

You look at the cart behind him and find yourself agreeing with him. The library may have been renovated fairly recently, but those carts were not included in the remodel. "I see what you mean; they certainly have seen better days." Your fingers reach out to gently tug at the peeling top layer of paint on the cart. The tan color covers up chipped and uneven coats of grays and black from years past. 

It brings a silly smile to your lips when you think about the similar paint job covering the light switches back at your rental. College housing does not have the highest caliber or repairs, and so it is often subjected to the 'landlord special.'

You notice that he is watching you, his blue eyes scanning your features like he is reading a book. They flicker from your eyes to your mouth as if he is trying to discern what you are thinking at that moment. 

This careful attention isn't creepy at all. It's rather endearing. Especially coming from someone as blatantly attractive as Keiji Akaashi. 

Your cheeks burn with embers of youthful bashfulness, and you hope that he doesn't notice.

"Oh wow, you were really carrying a lot of books," he comments, looking away from you long enough to notice your stack of fallen library books. Without any hesitation, he crouches down and begins gathering the pile for you. 

"You think so?" you ask. "I still don't know if I have enough for my assignment." the somber tone of your voice causes the library aide to inspect the large stack of books in his arms.

"Let me guess, you have Dr. Asshole this semester." he chuckles dryly. "I had him last spring."

"He's really the worst," you chuckle. "I just want to get this paper over with before everyone is fighting over the same three books."

"I remember that," he laments, "Bokuto- uhh, my friend was in that class for about one hour before he dropped it. I think that was the smartest thing he has ever done."

"I think I'm a bit too stubborn to drop." you chuckle, holding your arms out to take the books from his sweater-clad arms. 

"And I'm a bit too stubborn to give these back to you." he glances at the tables behind you. "Where are we taking these?" 

"I- can take them back myself," you say defiantly, a light playfulness to your tone.

"I'm sure you can. But it's the least I can do after running you over with a book cart."

"It's hard to argue with that logic. My spot is right there." you point to your lonely table as he follows behind you. Easily carrying the stack of books you had selected. 

Having a gorgeous man carry your books was something you thought only existed in coming-of-age rom-coms (or whatever). But now that it's happening in real life, you can't say that the experience is not enjoyable.

"Is there alright?" he asks, gesturing to the tabletop. When you nod, he sets the pile down at your spot and notices that there is a student waiting by the checkout counter, their fingers drumming impatiently against the wood. Keiji sees them and lets out a deep sigh, "I guess I have to get back to work, but if you need any help finding more books for your paper, I'd be more than happy to help."

You hate that this little moment, whatever it was, is over. But you understand that he has a job to do, and so do you. "Thank you, I will definitely let you know if my pile is too small."

He smiles so genuinely at your words that you start to wonder if him hitting you with that book cart is one of the best things to ever happen to you. 

As he walks away, you get settled into your seat and take the first book from your pile. Your eyes scan over the crinkly, water-damaged pages without really processing anything. 

How could you think about anything other than Keiji Akaashi, the volleyball-playing, sweater-wearing, snarky library assistant who keeps glancing over at you from his desk?

You hide your smile with the palm of your hand, determined to pretend to be engrossed in your studies.

~

Half an hour later, you have not made any progress on your paper at all. Your poor, distracted brain tries to read those tiny words. But you can't comprehend anything. So you're just staring down at the pages with a furrowed brow.

It's not your fault, really…

It's his…

You wonder if he takes pleasure in distracting little old you. 

As if to test this theory of yours, you shyly glance back over at the checkout counter only to make direct eye contact with Akaasi. His blue eyes shine almost mockingly as if to say, 'I caught you.'

You look back at your incomprehensible book, trying to make your movements as natural as possible. But from the corner of your eye, you notice that he's coming over. 

"Someone just turned this one in," he says, placing a well-loved book at the top of your pile. "I thought it would help you with your paper."

"Thank you." you beam, not realizing that your empty page of notes is shining up at him. 

"It's not a problem." he smiles. 'You may want to move on from that one; it doesn't seem to be giving you anything useful."

He caught you. You feel that familiar, embarrassing heat creeping its way up your neck. You shake it away and look at him with a reassuring smile.

"Masterpieces take time." you chuckle, "What would Dr. Asshole say if he found out I rushed through this precious little paper of his."

He leans against the wood. "There's a difference between taking your time and getting distracted." the way he murmurs that last word sends the butterflies resting in your stomach flying all over the place. Their imaginary wings tickle your heart as they travel upwards.

"Just watch." you grin, taking a new book off of your pile. "I am about to make so much progress."

"I'll believe it when I see it," he says, turning to walk back to his table. You may not notice it, but the tips of his ears are flushed a deep shade of pink as he glances back at you from over his shoulder.

Determinedly, you read away. Jotting down little bits of information with a newfound energy. Cute library aides may be distracting, but passing this class is a bit more important at this moment.

You manage to get a decent amount of work done before your water bottle runs dry. 

The warm air makes studying without it rather uncomfortable, so you grab the cylinder and take it to the water fountain near the bathroom. 

By the time you come back to your spot, you notice a little blue notecard on your tabletop taped to a pack of gum.

Sorry again for running you over. I had to go to practice, but I hope this makes up for it. - K. Akaashi

In this moment, you couldn't care less about the gum. How could you when his phone number is carefully printed at the bottom of the card?

Tagging: @enchantedforest-network

[find-me-in-hell]

anyone know a good place to read doctor who comics for free?? theres so many i want to read but i cant really justify the costs

[dweuquotes]

“I can see that for myself. What did you say it was called?”

“The TARDIS - the initial letters of Time And Relative Dimension In Space. The name was coined by my granddaughter, Susan.”

Sam gave him a look. “Sure it was. And you're an alien?”

The Eight Doctors

[novafire-is-thinking]

Speculative Analysis: Why TFP Soundwave is so Terrifying to His Fellow Cybertronians

Time for an essay on why I think TFP Soundwave might have chosen his current cryptid form—electrical tentacles and all. There’s a TL;DR at the end, so feel free to scroll down first and then decide if you want to read the full thing.

This will involve cross-continuity speculation, centered around TFP / Aligned but with some IDW / MTMTE lore thrown in. This could also loosely apply to Bayverse Soundwave, but I won’t be focusing on him. I’m confident you all can infer the potential implications for that version of his character by the time you reach the end.

Okay, so I’ve seen several fellow TFP fans speculate about why Soundwave went from beefy gladiator to bonafide cryptid. Some say it could have been due to the loss of his horde of “minicons” (the term used in ‘Exodus’ by Alex Irvine). Others think it was just Soundwave’s way of adapting to the direction of the war by taking on a form that would give him the best strategic advantage in his position as Megatron’s communications officer. I agree with the latter, but I think there could be more to it than that.

As we see in the flashback for Ratchet’s story and the TFP Titan comics, Soundwave had his current frame type, armor, and alt mode back on Cybertron:

[Sarcastic Soundwave: Superior]

In the real world, Soundwave’s design is based on the MQ-9 Reaper military drone—an earth-based aircraft, but I’m not going to address that small discrepancy since it’s not relevant to this analysis. Skinny, cryptid drone Soundwave existing prior to his arrival on earth supports my theory anyway.

“Can’t we throw a tarp over him? He’s creepin’ me out.”

-Bulkhead in Minus One

On the surface, Bulkhead’s comment and Smokescreen’s subsequent response seem like an interaction between a couple of Autobots who are unnerved because they’re familiar with Soundwave’s reputation—Bulkhead more so than Smokescreen since the latter had probably not seen Soundwave up close in action before coming to earth. However, I think some of Bulkhead’s fear might have been due to an entirely different reason: Sparkeaters.

While reading MTMTE #3, my eyes were met with this lovely sight /s :

[Hey, wasn’t the energon eater in Rescue Bots called “Sparky” too? I guess it’s a cross-continuity tradition to call life-sucking parasites “Sparky” at least once.]

Terrifying? Yes. But I stared in horrified awe at this abomination and thought, “Wait. One. Fragging. Minute. I’m having a galaxy brain moment.”

Mind. Blown. Their overall sharp, jagged appearance, their thin, but formidable frames, their prehensile cables extending from somewhere inside (fuel lines for the sparkeater; multipurpose tentacles for Soundwave). I was—and still am—fascinated by the uncanny resemblance.

[Now who’s Sparky?]

It’s true that sparkeaters aren’t confirmed to be canon in the Aligned continuity, but their existence isn’t denied either. We got something similar with the zombie Terrorcons, but those were a new phenomenon produced either by Megatron’s blind ambition and stupidity or Knockout and Starscream’s lack of forethought and scientific restraint. For the sake of where I’m taking this, let’s assume that sparkeaters, as defined by IDW, do exist in the Aligned universe. What would this mean for Soundwave’s disturbing choice of frame/body type? Why choose a visual motif so strongly associated with death and disease?

One word: Mimicry

Mythologically, historically, and medically, sparkeaters are inseparable from death and disease. Their very existence instills fear in most Cybertronians. What better way for Soundwave to strike terror into the sparks of his enemies (and potential enemies) than to take on a physical form that resembles the sparkeater—something that has been known to kill normal Cybertronians using a deeply disturbing, painful, and even sacrilegious method? Even though the initial shock of seeing a “sparkeater” show up during or around a fight would have dissipated once the Autobots realized it was mostly cosmetic, an impression would have been left. Coupled with his spy capabilities and gladiator-style prowess in combat, a message would have been sent: Be afraid. Be VERY afraid.

And there you have it, folks! Another reason to love Soundwave’s design.

Bonus:

I could see Soundwave being called a few things by allies and enemies alike: “The Decepticon Sparkeater,” “Soundwave the Sparkeater,” or just “The Sparkeater.”

An interaction between two Autobot scouts:

Scout 1, over comms: “You there, kid? Who is it? Who did Megatron send this time?”

Scout 2: “It’s The Sparkeater! He’s here!”

1: “You mean Soundwave!? Do you have a visual?”

2: “How many ‘Cons do we see walkin’ around looking like sparkeaters??? Of course it’s Soundwave! And yeah, I’ve got a visual.”

1: “Aw, hell. Things just got a whole lot more complicated.”

TL;DR: Soundwave may have put more thought into his appearance than is obvious. He may have opted to look like a sparkeater as a way of sending a highly effective warning.

[notedchampagne]

Bro the 6th familial relationships fuck me up so much like the weird Juno and Pal more of a mentor than a mother vibes? And it seems like from Dr Sex that her and Pal's dad are either divorced or just straight up had nothing to do with each other until the genomics department decided they should have a child together?? Like imagine you're a ruthless academic career-woman and one day you get an email from the government like 'congrats! You're a mother!' And they hand you a fresh vat baby that is half you and half your co-worker that you talked to one time at the Christmas party like??? I don't think I would have the most healthy relationship with that child either tbh

And Cam! Earlier in Nona when Pal and Pyrrha are talking about going to the park it is only Kiki that he mentions she might want to save, no mention that apparently both her parents are there too? Her entire family is on the line here. Then she doesn't want her dads to see the Paul transformation because they "wouldn't understand"? You just know there's some long running disagreement there with how far she's yoking herself in with Pal. Do you think they secretly resent him? Did this cause a rift in their family? And what did the conversation look like before or after the transformation? Did Cam tell them she was about to die? Or did they turn away for five seconds and she finally killed herself for her obsessions behind their back? Who broke the news to them? (Who is going to break the news to Pal's dad?) The whole thing just makes me insane!!!!

Also apparently there is some incredible nepotism going on in the 6th oversight body here (or maybe everything is nepotism on the 6th lol)

YOU GET ME i love the 6th house so so much the way the house functions both as a united family w their genetics & a university with the academic quibbling is so fun to me- the sixths weakness was described as "A sprawling organization of erratic loners, the Sixth are chaotic by nature and terrible at collective action." which is 1) hilarious. palamedes is the peoples marxist princess 2) just generally fascinating as a whole. if we take that at face value and consider the 6th house as populated by genius loner nerds, it actually makes sense that they prioritize sending out attractive people to diversify the gene pool - with reference to your statement: dr sex provided a nice handful of evidence that while palamedes and juno have a formal dynamic, theyre affectionate enough that they seem close (at most, to the extent of some gay kid and their favorite english teacher) but seeing juno like a distant mentor is most likely right

taking on more quotes from dr sex, i think its most likely that the Sixth house encourages child bearing / raising through subsidies and an extended work leave of sorts:

Palamedes said, “Enjoying parenting. Enjoying the parenting buyout, I should say. He’s only doing dissertation supervision—and half a year of Immediate History, of course—but he’s got his own projects on the go.”

alexandrites and nireids might be required to go offworld to flirt and have children (i think i came across another post floating somewhere noticing kiki and cam were half-sisters, implying their parent was one of the mentioned) but for residents staying in the sixth house, they probably have about 3-7 other people they could possibly produce children with outside of consanguinity. although forcing them to have children by way of vat birth etc etc is entirely possible in Hell Empire a lot of them probably gave in just for a few years of parental & academic benefits.

one last point - sixth house children canonically live in a dormitory! so if you consider a professor going on paid leave to raise children while doing their own projects for about 7-9 years, then going back to work while their children are sent to a dorm to do nothing but study and train with other peers their age, it falls together so perfectly bro. it makes so much sense. of course pal and cam are nice to their parents but rarely ever close - they were most likely raised and taught communally! god i love worldbuilding

[joelswritingmistress]

You Scare Me, Professor: Chapter 41

Summary: The reader is taking graduate classes at a local university in the wooded upstate New York. She is drawn to her professor, Dr. Joel Miller, though she is also inherently aware that he has something dark about him that she can't quite put her finger on. As the reader's attraction grows deeper, she has to decide whether to endure the danger or run away as fast as possible.

Pairing: Professor Joel Miller x f!reader

James parked his car right at the spot where he’d last been able to see the figure walking on the security footage from the night of the last murder. He'd sat there for a moment trying to put himself into the person’s shoes.

Would he have parked his car close? Was his residence within walking distance? Did he go out for a late night pizza at the lone store that stayed open after hours for the drunken, munchie-driven calls from college kids? Maybe a drink at the bar?

A drink. Someone would certainly need a drink to calm their nerves after murdering someone. Wouldn't they?

James got out of his vehicle and began to walk the sidewalk. He put his hands into the pockets of his jacket and mirrored the posture of the stranger.

O’Malley’s was first. It would make sense. And so James entered the establishment, starting there.

A short, aging man with alcohol miles plaguing the saggy skin under his bright blue eyes turned and ran a hand over his stark-white beard. He noted James’s attire and made a face, asking blandly. “What can I do for ya officer?”

“Good afternoon,” James started with a nod. He glanced over at the row of regulars, all carbon copies of the bartender, who were staring at him as if to say, ‘what the hell do you want’?

“Do you have security cameras that view the street?” He asked after a brief pause.

The row of old men turned to the bartender in unison, awaiting his answer. He huffed a little laugh and began wiping down the top of the bar.

“That all depends on what you're lookin’ for.”

“Looking to catch the Lady Killer,” James said honesty, prompting everyone to stop and look back in his direction.

“That bastard killing all them college girls?” The frailest of the men asked, extending a wrinkled finger.

James nodded. “That's right. On the night of the last murder I have reason to believe he left campus and rounded onto Bank Street. Lost sight of him on our cameras after that.”

The bartender put his hands flat on the bar and stared at him directly. “Well if ya already got him on camera, what do you need ours for?”

The heads all turned again, a willing audience to the conversation at hand.

“I couldn't make out who he was,” James explained. “Just a dark silhouette.” He whipped out his phone and extended his arm across the way to show the man the picture he'd taken of the figure beneath the light. “That's all I got. I figured if he rounded that corner,” James motioned to the small screen, “That O’Malley’s is next. Maybe he even stopped in for a drink.”

The bartender looked back up with more interest.

“You remember anyone in here the night of February 18th that doesn't normally come here? Some time late into the night, probably near closing time.” James glanced around at everyone present. He assumed they were probably there most nights.

“Always some odds and ends,” the bartender explained. “Lots of regulars, lots of college kids, lots of in betweeners.”

James nodded. “If anyone comes to mind,” he slid a card across the table with his name and number on it, “Let me know.”

“You know,” the same frail old man spoke, “There was a fella who dropped in that night. Sat alone. Shaky hands.” He gently hit the man next to him, “Wilbur you remember? We thought he was balancing out some caffeine kick with a little bit of grandpa’s cough medicine.”

“What did he look like?” James asked.

“Had a ball cap on,” Wilbur explained.

“Yankees,” the first man added. “And a hood. It zipped up. Had some words across the front.”

“What did the words say?”

“I can't even remember what I had for lunch,” he gave a laugh.

“Old? Young?”

“Younger than us but older than you.”

“What did he order?”

“Damned if I know,” he said raising his arms, “I said I noticed him, I wasn't trying to take him home.”

The row of men laughed in unison.

“Thanks.” James nodded again and then looked back across the bar. “So.. about those security tapes..”

…

I walked back down the hallway after the incredible spa day. There were only a few hours until the rehearsal dinner and I felt perfectly content. My body was relaxed, my toes were freshly painted and laughing with a bunch of women all day was like chicken soup for the soul.

When I entered the hotel room, finding it vacant, I took a few moments to myself. I wandered onto the balcony and glanced out at the slopes. Being on a ski resort, in what typically felt like the gloom and doom of winter, made the month of February feel all the more brighter. The dead, cold world felt alive here.

I huffed a smokey breath and went back inside and turned on the water to the shower. Almost immediately u got lost in the steam and my thoughts. Like the weekend before, I didn't want to return home. I wanted to stay in that lively place until spring thawed everything out.

It's not so bad back at the castle, I reminded myself. Being with Dr. Miller was such a treat in itself. That made me smile to myself.

Joel Miller. My professor. The man I fell for without even realizing it until the feeling swallowed me whole. I couldn't imagine my life without him now that he was the focal point of it. It felt like it had been years since I had been in my old bedroom in the little house with Tori - but in reality it hadn't been that long.

I closed my eyes and pictured him. His smile. His voice. The feel of his lips against mine. The warmth of his body. The squeeze of his fingers when our hands were entwined.

Right when I really started wishing him back to our room, I heard the bathroom door creak and then the shower door opened. I jumped only for a second before I recognized it was Dr. Miller. My wish had come true. It was my only wish, really. To be with him.

He pulled me by the hand to him and our lips locked without saying a word as the shower door closed. With my eyes closed I could hear Dr. Miller breathing steadily through his nose above the sound of the water.

“I missed you all day,” he whispered before diving in to kiss me again.

My arms wrapped around his broad shoulders. “I missed you too.” I had. I knew the early phase of a relationship had the ability to feel intense and clingy, but it was magnified for us. And I could use the phrase us with confidence. Dr. Miller was as possessive as I was.

Dr. Miller’s lips parted from mine and then he pecked them again as he reached for the soap. “Turn around,” he said quietly.

I swallowed hard and did as he asked, closing my eyes as he began to draw sudsy circles across my shoulder blades. I let out a deep exhale.

Dr. Miller snaked the bar of soap around, penetrating my breasts before trailing down my midsection. I reached a hand up behind me, gently pulling at the back of his head as he dipped his lips down to neck.

I allowed him to lather up my entire body and watch the soap stream off me into white, bubbly pools by the drain. And then I held a hand out, prompting Dr. Miller to hand over the bar of soap. He gave a barely-there smirk before I eagerly began to return the favor, gently soaping up the top of his chest.

I could tell when he didn't have it in him to hold back anymore after touching him for so long. Dr. Miller topped my hand with his and removed the soap, placing it back on one of the ledges and then pulled me back into a smoldering kiss.

I took the lead and reached a hand down to touch him. Dr. Miller moaned into my mouth and kissed me harder.

He let his hand drop to my hip and pulled up at the back of my thigh. I instinctively let me knee raise high up toward his hip as he lined up at my entrance.

“Mmm..” Dr. Miller still held the back of my leg up and kneaded my breast with the other hand as we continued to kiss. I felt my back hit the cool tiles and I let out a gasping breath.

“I love you,” I said quietly against his lips. Part of me kind of hated saying it at such a cliche time but I couldn't help myself.

Dr. Miller ran his hand up my chest, past my neck to the side of my face. “I love you, too,” he let out a deep breath, “And for the rest of this weekend you're all mine.”

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[ourdreamsareneon]

tired of people who don't play D&D saying that Gale is obsessed with his ex because he talks about her and/or still has his matching earring with her.

In D&D a LOT of magic comes from worshipping a god. opposed to clerics, wizards don't have to draw their power from the gods but they certainly can. It's clear that Gale has a relationship with the weave that goes beyond study, he worships it, he worships the god who made it.

His earring is simply her sigil (simplified to work for an earring, but her sigil nonetheless.) Going back to wizardry in 5e, this could also be his arcane/spell focus. It isn't uncommon for wizards to have something related to their god as their spell focus if they draw their power from their god. If this is the case, he wouldn't have his power without it.

It isn't as simple for him to go "oh we broke up time to stop worshipping her" because he can't just let go of all his power and of the weave. If he were to stop he may have to relearn how to wizard with drawing his power somewhere else. BUT even then, to give up Mystra is to give up the weave which isn't physically possible for a wizard because they use and manipulate the weave.

Regardless, even if it wasn't as simple and not deep as I've made it out to be, remind me again how any of that would be his fault? You can write paragraphs and build up universes in your mind where Astarion gets a happy ending and is cured, but a healthy relationship between Mystra and Gale that is purely professional, that's where you draw the line? D&D gods are fucked, they take, they abuse, and they are still worshipped regardless because they are needed. Like fuck, did you miss all of Shadowfell where you see the Shar worshippers do insanely fucked shit and Shadowheart still has big ol' heart eyes? Even though she was also abused and used by her god? Not to mention I'm pretty sure she still technically worships Shar until you finish her companion quest in full, so that means everything happens with the Nightsong and she still is drawing power from Shar. If you can resist victim blaming Shadowheart, I don't see why that compassion doesn't extend to Gale.

TL;DR Just because he's not as charismatic and likable (in your opinion), doesn't mean you have to burn him at the stake for doing something completely normal as far as D&D 5e is concerned.