#evil carmen was so right for everything ever

[fedorah-the-explorah]

i don't personally think carmen did anything wrong in the final episodes of the series, but since I'm reading a fic where she's getting down on herself for it, i just have to say... i support women's wrongs! carmen was soooo right to beat up several people and then commit attempted murder!!! she looked sexy while doing it too! gray deserved a little zappy zap idc

[malottie]

i keep telling myself that i'll make a comprehensive document of lobotomy corporation (and libary of ruina, not really for limbus company)'s inspiration from judaism more specifically the kabbalah 'cause i don't think there is. the problem is i don't know shit about that and google searches only go so far. not talking about the sephira as emanations rn, and i haven't even touched yet on the enoch symbolism. there's also adam, abel, and the significance of it being abram and not abraham. and then qliphoth and the creation of evil by men and how it relates to cogito. and the abnormalities rank names. but for now, here's what i have for ayin if anyone wants to fact check me

16th letter of the alphabet, ayin is pronounced /ajin/ or /a.in/ contrary to the often seen /ajn/. it represents the glottal stop /ʔ/ or the guttural consonant /ʕ/. often seen as a silent letter, this ties into ayin's meaning as the nothingness from which everything emerges by god (most important of which, all the other sephira). ayin is keter, the first sephirot, and the link between chochma/hokma, the second sephirot, and ein sof, god/everything/creation/the primeval light. due to its existence as both nothing and the closest thing to god, keter is often excluded from the sephira, making hokma the first node of the tree of life

some connections are obvious, such as ayin being what creates the sephira in both cases, but most is closer to speculation. its meaning as nothing ties into his global absence from the plot, while at the same time being the centerpiece and catalyst for it all. its existence as a link between ein sof and hokma represents ayin as the link between benjamin and carmen, but moreso as what enables carmen and allows the light to flourish (ein sof/god represents both carmen and The Light that is her objective pretty interchangeably). god/the light doesn't need anyone to be attractive or gather faith, but by itself it cannot do much. only through ayin can it create life and spread its light: ayin is nothing without the light, litteraly, and is what trully enables carmen to try and spread the light to the world

ayin's most simple symbol is the eye, which added onto its emptiness and connection with the light of god leads to different degrees of interpretation:

- the one that sees and is nothing but that sight (relates to ayin/X as the manager that only see through cameras and does nothing but watch and give orders)

- the pioneer, the one that sees what others cannot and brings forth hidden light, but also as overseer or planner, as the one who sees wider and farther (relates to ayin's role as the one bringing the whole crew together, working closely to help carmen, then as the only one in charge, planning for the light, the play, and even past his death)

- more litteraly, the first one that saw the light of god (ayin might not be the first to have followed carmen, but he was the first to see past the person and grasp the enightenment she was trying to bring the world)

and now starts a bit of rambling, basically speculations worded as if i knew it was true

ayin is nothing, it holds no purpose for itself and crumbles without the light/carmen. nothing cannot create something without god, least of all god itself; and so, ayin could not resurrect carmen. instead, in search of the light, he, without god which means without goodness, understanding, or even the right to do so, created what he remembered of it, the imprint the void kept of the light; a negative. vaguely the same appearance, and intrinsically and forever linked, a lingering sense of it, a memory, but also as different as could be. angela isn't carmen because ayin couldn't. he is nothing without her and could not create her, nor could he ever want to. he sacrifices everything in search of the light that has faded, plans to die at the moment when finally carmen/god is present again through the enlightenment that was her goal, life and light created via ayin/nothing, but not by it or for it; and in the end, what destroys his plan and corrupts the light of god is the blasphemy he created without the divine, from nothing, because he didn't know better, the one who was never meant to be the light and could never be, the one who wouldn't have been born had the light not died and could never forgive the circumstances of her birth. icarus, not killed by the blazing sun but created by its fall, melted by its rays nonetheless, wax wings that could never fly nor protect

there. as stated before, tell me if anything is wrong/incomplete. i might add onto this later too

[kaylinalexanderbooks]

Character voice

Thanks to @urnumber1star here, @bookish-karina here, @leahnardo-da-veggie here, and @elsie-writes here!

I'm not getting behind like last time! Four is plenty!

“I promise you everything is going to be okay.”

Lexi: "It's okay. Everything will get better eventually. I promise. I'll help."

Maddie: "Hey, on the more optimistic side of things, there's no real way this can get worse, right?"

Ash: "I dunno, try being optimistic about this."

Gwen: "Hey. Don't worry. Things will get better. We will make things better. I promise I'll do whatever I can."

Robbie: "It's okay, man, things will get better." (Internally unsure if this is the right thing to say because what if they don't???)

Akash: "It's gonna be okay. I promise. I'll help you."

Jedi: "Generally speaking, it will get better. But you must believe it will before it does."

Carmen: "Well, worrying about it won't make it better."

“you're making us look bad.”

Lexi: "Can you stop? Imagine what these people are thinking of us!!" (Ash: I don't have to - they don't care)

Maddie: "Why can't I do this? This isn't fair. Now no one will see how cool and awesome that was."

Ash: "Hey, why do you get to have fun with your powers while I have to sit and meditate? Now I look lame."

Gwen: "Shh! You're making us seem so rude! We should stop this argument. Imagine if you were them! You'd be judging us. Thinking terrible things."

Robbie: "You're making us seem ultra lame and pathetic."

Akash: "Dude, you're embarrassing me in front of everyone. Now first impressions are ruined."

Jedi: "Well, I don't think you're making quite a fair judgement on our character with that display."

Carmen: "See, if you'd just gotten your act together, they would actually respect us!"

“Is that really all you've got?”

Lexi: "Really? That's it? Huh."

Maddie: "Wait, that was the best you got? Wow, that was kinda lame."

Ash: "You don't think I can handle more? I think I can, so give it all you've got."

Gwen: "You think that will hurt me? Well, it won't! You'll have to try harder."

Robbie: "Woo! Is that it?! I was expecting more of a punch!"

Akash: "Haha, that's the best you got. Kinda underwhelming."

Jedi: "I do not suppose there is anything more impressive that you would like to demonstrate."

Carmen: "That was the dumbest thing I have ever seen. If that's your best, you're even worse than I thought you were."

“I'm going to kill you.”

I'm gonna operate under the assumption that you've done something that has pushed these characters to killing, regardless of how hard that will be. All are capable, I think, but we have to push them...so far. Hehe, this will be fun.

Lexi: "If you come anywhere near her, I promise that I will kill you."

Maddie: "Leave me alone or I swear I'll kill you."

Ash: "Get OUT OF MY WAY!"

Gwen: "You're such an awful, evil person! If you don't end your suffering on others I swear I'll end you."

Robbie: "Huh. Wow, you really are a piece of shit. You're gonna regret that. You have no idea what I can do to you." (Please, if you will, imagine lights flickering and our lovely boy here glowing maroon, eyes included)

Akash: "Agh! Leave me and everyone else alone! I'm sick and tired of awful people like you!"

Jedi: "I would rather not do this, but it is for the greater good."

Carmen: "Shut it! I'm in control of this situation, and I know what's right! This is for the good of the cause, and if you don't understand that -- Well, let's play a guessing game, shall we?"

Ok guys we're done hooray

Tagging @ahordeofwasps @sarandipitywrites @andyswritings @tabswrites @mk-writes-stuff

+ ANYONE ELSE

Your phrase is: "Are we going to wait here all day until a decision is made?"

TSP intro

TSP tag list (ask to be +/-): @thepeculiarbird @illarian-rambling @televisionjester @finchwrites

@nebula--nix @literarynecromancy @honeybewrites

[itsdappleagain]

It's time for the end of season 2- The Deep Dive Caper!

What an absolutely showstopping finale!! I'm so thrilled to liveblog it. This episode gets serious like no other episode really does before or since. Lets get started!

Late, as usual. Buy a lottery ticket the day I do one of these on time. Notes under the cut as always!

right off the bat this episode is pretty much unlike any other. they try to have a caper setup- the vile drive- but it's not long before we realize that EVERYTHING is gone. even in the last finale the sort of "caper" of the episode was rescuing devineaux. this episode is all about answers.

"all on my own. the only sure way i know." hrnnrgh carmen

their boat is being so nice and stationary in the middle of a raging storm and waves taller than they are

"MY FIST IS GOING TO MAKE YOUR GUTS EXPLODE" ivy never change

its ALLL GONE

rip vile island we hardly knew ye

the cs team is just showing off their background artists 😌

ah would you like some mashed shadowsan with your steak

maelstrom your plan sucked babygirl sorry. should have sic'd brunt on her on the train like a rottweiler

interesting plan though. if shadowsan really had killed dexter, what would carmen have done? beat him up? sent him to acme? just thrown him out? she promises to hunt him down if he runs but like what were you going to do after that? murder for a murder?

malestrom: maybe she'll show up in botswana ✨ carmen who's been out for the count for half a year and has no reason to have even shown up in botswana as early as she did:

the teddy bear <3

in love with cleo's boob straps. that safety harness does not even clip in the front its like if a backpack was securing you to a car

that explosion animation is so good though its so impactful

its a damn good thing devineaux showed up when he did he could have been blown to the gates of hell in one second flat and no one would have been any the wiser

chase drinks so much disrespect women juice the first two seasons that he blames julia for an impression of her that his own mind dreamed up i love him for that

angry carmen is so babygirl to me. go bestie show emotion. get so mad about that shit

mmm and theres the shot i used for our title card! and what a fantastic one it is. shadowsan's motif playing in the background as carmen pauses at the oni, but the show itself telling us that he is still on her side with that gigantic, massive symbol of him framing carmen in a circle of red. if you pay attention and learn the colors the team likes, you don't even have to worry about this ep its all cool

you know what the dominant color in this entire scene of carmen trying to find out the truth is, though? blue. even when she's in the server room or staring at shadowsan's oni, the water isnt tinted green like they easily could have made it. its. all. blue.

obsessed with how zack wakes up he's being exorcised and the demon was the peppers and onions

agree it would have been hilarious if devineaux finally gets rescued and it turns out to be a really, really pissed off carmen sandiego

roundabout has the air of a theater kid who always got the leads but had to act surprised about it

evil ihop

i love how confused roundy looks its so funny

devineaux stabbing himself and the scream makes me cry laughing every single time

devineaux really goes ↘️↗️↘️↘️↘️↘️↘️↘️↘️

i would watch a series about devineaux being left to fend for himself on the island and slowly losing his mind

his supervisor was so excited about firing him

okay here we go it all gets real now

carmens realization going from my dad was a cop -> my dad was literally the exact opposite of a cop and neither of those things being things she is happy about

i love the realization hitting her face (even if it was animated. a touch blandly)

shadowsan's face s just animated fantastically here. his eyebrows are up- he realizes carmen is there, maybe confused about why she isnt saying anything. then his eyebrows drop, his face falls ever so slightly. he knows the jig is up

also. yes. "your silence is like thunder" is just. ough its such a good line

he isn't even surprised by the question he knew it was coming eventually

"if you run, I will find you." its not a threat its a damn promise. for older viewers its easy to draw the connection between the famous i will find you and i will kill you. it doesnt have to be said.

mm and carmen rejecting the offer to sit and be comfortable around him. she just can't

even in the flashbacks your can see so much of carmen in him its so great. its dishonorable, and everything carmen stands against, but she is undeniably her father's daughter

the plot for this flashback is so sophisticated its so so good. they treat the audience really well about it

also young faculty designs <3

the red on the inside of dexter's jacket to symbolize his secret with carmen im sobbing

also the decision to make carmen have his eyes is. hrngh.

already been pointed out but the way the music softens when shadowsan says "you" HURTS

THAT BABY IS A SNITCH. carmen. snitchdiego

the heartbreak when present carmen speaks again gfgrgh

i like the new mask he hangs behind him before carmen confronts him, by the way. its green and white- the shadow of vile and his past looming over his shoulder, maybe- but also the mask of vile he had to put on to lie about what really happened to wolfe

BABY CARMEN CRYING AS DEXTER TRIES TO HIDE HER :(((

the dolls rdhg im not crying you are

anyone have any thoughts on a dexter voice claim btw?

also also i sprang this on rueitae already but "dexter" while referring to dexterity and his skill as a thief can also mean "the one who dyes" which. jesus. it refers to dying cloth but the double meaning is ouchie

he locks her in gay baby jail!!!

i gotta stop making jokes about the most serious part of the entire series sorry

there's a little bit of a pink panther hint to his theme as he sneaks out the window which is interesting

rue's also already covered it but what WAS this man's plan for just leaving baby carm in there. like shadowsan says desperation i guess

god young chief shooting and killing an unarmed dexter wolfe and presumably orphaning her is the twist. of a fucking lifetime

the despair in the music cue when it reveals it was only his car keys

the matryoshka dolls getting burned in that fire ahrhgfrdshgsghds

love that shadowsan not only sets the house on fire while he and a baby are still in it but gives said baby an object that just got set on fire

also vile protocol dictating that he should have just burned a baby alive?? what the fuck!

bellum's apathy, mael's mild interest/concern, and cleo's disgust towards baby carm shdfjads

little tiny baby carmen shunting her butt at cleo is hilarious

faculty: omg she's a real natural thief she stole that thing without anyone noticing baby carmen in broad daylight five seconds earlier:

btw bb carm is so cute she's so round

carmen finally just sliding to the floor under the weight of all of that information. now that she has at least the idea that shadowsan was not the one who murdered her father, even if she still needs proof

"why would you make me find out on my own?" is one of the most heartbreaking lines in here. she had to go through this realization almost completely alone. her trust in the man she was coming to see as a father was shattered and he could have just told her. he could have just told her

ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh shadowsan crying theyre so family

you can just hear the regret and fear and sadness in his voice paul nakauchi is literally so good

REAL CHIEF!

COMMANDER!!!! oh shittt i missed the one and only canon commander caturday rip...

ivy violently hitting the cash register is a mood

the little reveal even in the music as it pans to ivy in the starbucks uniform

chief nailed the good natured but a little exasperated "hmm" when dealing with people who have no idea what they are doing

ivys little look as she sees carmen walk in. the smile drop off her face as she walks away

carmen's theme ahrugdhjdsg the music in this show is so good

what is her hand doing

oh chief no honey

the deadpan "i wouldnt drink it"

i love the little nod/head bow thing of acknowledgement of carmen's efforts

the sinister music as carmen ever so casually pulls off her little trick is GREAT

i didnt know chief could open doors 🤨

congrats on being gay agent argent you did it again

player hack chief so bad the logo goes off of the screen

"somethings wrong" yeah no shit julia

chiefs oh shit face is so funny shes like aohhhhhhhhhhhh noooooooooooooooooo

little guy

im so mature

we love digging up graves

that dawning apprehension on carm's face as she realizes there's a chance she might be about to see the decayed corpse of her twenty-years-dead mom in there

carlotta being modelled after old carmen was a cool choice. lots of fan theories about old carm being her mom this day 🫡

"are you with me?" "to the end of the line." grgfhgjhsdhjsgds im shaking them violently in my teeth if i ever got a cs quote tattoo or something it would probably be that line

the only thing i dislike about this cliffhanger is that in s3 they kind of try to deliver on this big wide promise that this finale gave us and then give up until the last episode of the entire series. like. isk. i feel like they should have either gone harder on the carlotta mystery or left it alone although they did leave me the opportunity to write a 66 thousand word fic series on the concept so i guess i cant complain

half clean shaven half very unshaved chase is so funny its cursed. he shouldnt have no hair but he shouldnt have that much worst of both worlds

devineaux's theme mixing in with that iconic action/danger soundtrack as he grins devilishly is just fantastic shit

chief waiting for a response as chase just silently smirks into the mirror

anyway GOODNESS GRACIOUS i cannot believe we're already through season 2????? what???? tis the end of my favorite season :( but s3/4 are nothing to sneeze at, either!! im super excited to get into more. (plus tsonts? are we doing that?)

[a-cloud-for-dreams]

Hello I’m here to demand you tell me everything about Scarlet SanDiego pretty pretty pls with a Cherry on top

EEEEEK *takes in deep breath* ok this is a long one

-> Scarlett Vera Sandiego

Sister: Xiomara Isabel Calloway

Animated FC: Princess Elena Castillo Flores from EOA (different eye color and auburn hair)

Fandom: Carmen Sandiego 2019/Laws of Attraction

Designated Tag: #scarlett sandiego oc

LI: Soren Reinhart (OC; International Spy)

I also remembered my OG LOA MC literally after you made the ask 😭 (Kavya "Kavi" Asvaldr Nikatas I think, also she/her who is besties with my CoP MC) and I actually was gonna end up pairing her with Thomas in an alt MOTY Universe! Though I haven't finished the series yet so Thomas was gonna be my backup LI unless I decide who she wants to be with/stay single. The idea of her 7th wheeling is hilarious to me. So if she sounds more interesting for the Windverse™️ feel free to tell me. It might even be easier since she's a blank slate that I can add to after replaying

I don't really know where to begin so this post is kind of gonna be a mess/super vague uhhhh

Nickname(s): Scar

Pronouns: She/Her

Sexuality/Preference: Bisexual

Religious Identity: Agnostic

Birthday/Zodiac: December 15 (Sagittarius) 

Major: Lawyer

Born/Raised: Buenos Aires, Argentina -> Sydney, Australia

Parents: Carmen Sandiego (Superthief -> Philanthropist) and Graham "Crackle" Calloway (Ex-Electrician; Deceased in "Accidental" Fire)

Ethnicity(?): Argentinian and Indigenous Australian

Trivia: Central Heterochromia (Hazel-Gray Eyes)

Life Motto: "Find your inner flame"

Connection w/ Other MCs: Friends with OPH MC and I believe she's distantly related to my ACOR MC? I have to check lol

I'm literally blanking rn but basically, her parents used to be thieves and part of a secret evil organization (her mom was raised there from birth and met her dad at the same school), and after they defeated said organization, they settled down (even started the Scarlet Sheep Orphanage) but ofc the leaders of [organization] weren't gonna let them live happily ever after. So they staged a fire that killed Gray. Scar ran back inside after she saw her father die. She lived with a lot of resentment towards the organization and specifically the people who killed her father, but eventually, she was able to take that grief and do everything she could in her power to ensure justice is always served (literally, she's a fashion icon in my head). She didn't have a conventional family growing up but there was a lot of love (ninja grandfather, mechanic aunt and racecar driver uncle, secret agent godparents, famous singer aunt, and-)

How They Look Like:

From left to right: Scarlett Sandiego (art by @procrastinateland) and Kavya Nikatas

[eddysocs]

It’s Not Right That You Left (Jackie Tyler x OC)

Summary: Frankie broke a very important promise. Can she make Jackie understand that it was a necessary evil?

Word Count: 553

Warnings: Angst with a hopeful ending, broken promises, loss of trust

"You were gone. Just vanished. And I was still here, waiting like I always do. You said you wouldn’t leave me, that you’d never leave me. But you did." Here, Jackie's voice broke, and Frankie could see the tears welling up in her eyes. All she wanted to do was rush over and brush them away with her thumb. But she couldn’t, not after what she’d done. She’d made Jackie a promise the night Rose left with the Doctor. They always left her behind, but not Frankie. She swore she wouldn’t.

"I’m so sorry, Jackie. Where I went, I—" Frankie paused, feeling her own eyes begin to form tears. She hastily wiped them away with the back of her hand before continuing. "I couldn’t take you. It was something I needed to resolve on my own. If I had brought you with me, I wouldn’t have been able to protect you."

"And that was your call, was it? Leave poor old Jackie Tyler behind while you go traipsing off to get yourself killed. You didn’t even tell me you’d be gone. And you promised you’d never leave. Guess the only question is, how can I ever trust you again?"

The words hurt Frankie more than she cared to admit. While she may have returned with hardly a scratch on her by the grace of some unknown god, she’d left enough emotional scars for them both by going in the first place. "So you won’t travel with me anymore?"

Jackie made like she was going to reply, but as soon as she opened her mouth, she realized she didn’t know how to answer. Sure, she was pissed at Frankie, and hurt that she’d gone and betrayed her trust, but could she really give it all up and return to her old life? Nothing was that black and white anymore, not since Frankie and the Doctor and this whole time travel business.

"I don’t know," Jackie finally settled on. "I can’t just forget everything we’ve done, everywhere we’ve been. I wouldn’t want to either." A silence grew between them for several moments. "Why couldn’t you just tell me you had to leave? I suppose I’d have understood," Jackie offered.

"I can’t tell you everything, not right now. I thought if I told you, you’d find some way to convince me to take you and believe me when I tell you I could not take that risk."

"What was so bloody dangerous then?"

"An old enemy. He knew I’d been hiding on earth, and I kept waiting for the day he’d come for me. Then Rose brought me around to the flat and I met you. I wasn’t scared of him coming after me, but I was terrified of what he might do to you to get to me. I’m sorry, I should have handled it differently. "Can you find it in your heart to forgive me someday?"

"Can’t promise it’ll be overnight, but yeah, I think I can get past it if you give me a little time."

"You mean it?" Frankie felt like her hearts would both burst. She feared she’d ruined everything. But she was going to fight like hell to get Jackie's trust back since she was giving her the chance to. She’d make it right. She’d make it all right again.

Forever Tag: @arrthurpendragon, @baubeautyandthegeek, @foxesandmagic, @carmens-garden, @bossyladies, @getawaycardotmp3, @misshiraethsworld, @kmc1989, @curious-kittens-ocs, @fanficanatic-tw

Frankie Wright: @mrsfullbuster500, @freshmoneyalmondathlete, @fxnfandxmmp4, @sweetchaosv

[thegamingcatmom]

Hello! I’ve been re-reading the first few published chapters of your fanfic and you mentioned that reader’s mother died in a fire? I was just wondering if mc had any other family and if they ever considered what kind of impact their disappearance would have on the family? Would mc ask the sisters to return home to their family? Would they let reader? Maybe not in the beginning but at least let mc visit them so that they know that reader is safe. Or maybe just let reader contact them? Even though Carmen and Eleazar are accepting of the sisters’ decision to keep mc would they still help reader at least contact some relatives as long as she didn’t reveal her whereabouts for obvious reasons.

Also could you give me more insight on Irina’s relationship with mc and how she later found herself falling for reader?

Thank you! Have a good day

Hey there!

As much as I would love to gush and fangirl with you, my story is tagged with slow burn for a reason. 😉

Everything you´re mentioning will be addressed at some point. But that point is probs gonna be way, way, way down the line, especially when it comes to Irina.

Speaking of, oh boy-

As it stands now, Irina considers MC food at best, and a danger to her coven at worst. Which is the lesser of the two evils, you think? 🤔

(Spoiler alert: Both involve a rather unpleasant ending for MC.)

The Denalis will keep MC on a rather tight leash for the foreseeable future. For safety purposes, of course...

And for some other purposes. 😉

As for MC´s family? We might find out (some of it) sooner than you think. 🤭

.

.

.

That is all I can tell you right now without spoiling too much, I´m afraid. Just keep in mind: this story has only just begun. We´ve yet to see MC´s introduction to the rest of the family, more of Irina, MC´s family, the Cullens, the Wolves, Bella, etc. etc. etc.

I got big plans for this story, but it requires patience on both sides. 😅🫠

Thanks a lot for your ask, very happy to have you! ❤️

Have a good day as well! 💋

[pattysplaceofplaces]

Can I make a Yandere request for Carmen Sandiego where carmen kidnaps fem reader and reader escapes and on the run from team red and reader manages to stay under the radar for 2 months and she decides to go out to get groceries but what she don’t know is that carmen found her and has been tracking her every move and one day reader comes home to her door being half open ( side note: reader has/had high tech security installed into her apartment) and she was wondering why her alarm didn’t go off so she went to turn around but before she can she felt a cloth go over her mouth, reader vision is getting blurry but before she blacked out she heard a very familiar voice (Carmen’s voice) say “I finally got you back in my arms”

The Truest of Treasures 

[Author’s Note: I decided to tweak the story a bit but I made sure to add most of everything! I doubt normal Carmen would do something like this so let’s say when Dr. Bellum brainwashed her it caused something no one expected to happen] 

Content Warning: Good character becomes evil, yandere themes, obsessive themes, reader gets kidnapped, kidnapping, reader is going through severe depression.

[From Patty to Readers: There are no “Yanderes” in real life, but there is people who have been so messed up from trauma they become violently dependent on a person. People with OLD (Obsessive Love Disorder) do not deserve to have the label of “real life yanderes” they are victims in their own right and should not be fetishized. As someone who has OLD due to severe neglect and abuse as a child that made me feel so detached from the world. It’s not fun, it’s being trapped in your own mind, being scared of your terrible thoughts but knowing you can’t stop them. Please recognize that. 

Thank you and proceed with caution.]

Yandere Carmen Sandiego x Fem Reader

     “Dr. Bellum, have you been able to pin her location?” The green glow of her many screens reflected back into her goggles, lips curling down in displeasure. 

Professor Maelstrom squeezed the bridge of his nose as he sighed. “What kind of malfunction turns a super thief into…that?” 

Coach brunt slammed her large fist against a wall. “Of course something has to go wrong! That girl is more trouble than she’s worth!” 

“No matter,” Countess Cleo spoke up. “We need to find her now or she’ll blow our cover and bring VILE to light. With ACME on our tailcoats we’re on thin ice.” 

—————————-

You hesitantly peek  through the slip of the blinds and sigh. Ever since Carmen changed you couldn’t sleep, in fear she would find you. How long had you been staring at the ceiling deep in thought? It didn’t matter. You slip out of bed and to the bathroom in your bedroom despite knowing you would be unhappy with what you see. Yet everyday you seemed to look worse. 

Two weeks in the same pajamas, your hair was starting to get too long and tangled in the sloppy ponytail you had it in, your lips were cracked and coated with dried blood from dehydration.

Who were you? 

How did this happen? 

You knew how. Team red used to be your home, they used to be your family. It was a challenge not to fall in love Carmen. She was moral, courageous, witty, everything anyone could want. She loved you too but unfortunately you guys never went further than friends. It hurt but you knew it was for the best, her work would always come first.

You shuddered thinking about it. How VILE changed her, twisted her into their model thief. Yet despite the cruel brainwashing she loved and remembered you.

Not in the way you wanted though. 

For the safety of Zack, Ivy, Player, and everyone else you separated yourself from them. 

You didn’t even realize you hadn’t eaten in several days until black spots appeared in your vision from moving too fast. Despite your fear you opened your room’s door and went down the stairs. No matter how many times you searched the pantry or the fridge you couldn’t find anything palatable or fresh. You didn’t want to believe that the time had come so soon. There’s no way you ran out of food that fast. Yes you could have just ordered groceries but you tried to limit your digital footprint so you couldn’t be traced. 

You would have to go outside again, be around bugs, the stuffy weather, away from the safety of your bed, and around so many people. 

You changed into a clean pair of clothes, grabbed your wallet, old flip phone, and pepper spray then you were out the door.

Like your expected, this was absolutely terrifying. Anyone resembling her made your fight or flight response activate and you can tell people would whisper about Your rotten appearance under your hoodie and you couldn’t blame them. You were disgusted at yourself too. Once you got enough as you could pay for you started to walk home, relieved that people were still around and the sun was still up. If Carmen did find you there’s no way she would do anything in public…Right? 

While walking home you were filled with hope and even liberation from your fears. It has been two months, if Carmen had found you she would have made her move. Yet everything was okay. You went out there, got your groceries and nothing happened. You passed a park where you saw kids playing, dogs roaming about, and cheerful couples. What if you didn’t have to isolate yourself from the world? What if you could finally be happy without fear? For a moment all you could do was savor the moment. The wind on your face, the joyful sounds, the colors you couldn’t find in your dull home. This was your world and it was time you be apart of it. 

With a newfound perspective you walked back home with a sense of purpose to turn yourself around. 

Yet all that hope was gone with one sight. Your door was ajar. It wasn’t all the way open but noticeable enough. Carmen was toying with you. She wanted you to know she was in there. It was foolish but you had nowhere else to go and you knew she would find you again if you ran. You set your groceries down and opened the cap of your pepper spray as you went inside. 

Like you guessed, there she was: Sitting leisurely on the couch as if it was hers. “Nice place doll, if you like dingy, empty houses.” Carmen stood up and you took a few steps back which caused her to snicker. As much as you wanted to pepper spray her or stand up for yourself you were frozen, allowing her to stroll up to you. Her hand moved forward and all you could do was flinch away and squeeze your eyes shut. Yet instead of any harm was a soft hand placed on your cheek. Then it glided upwards and removed your hood down in such a way that made you wonder if you could get the old Carmen back. 

“Look at you…” She muttered softly, so much care in her tone as if she wasn’t just trying to scare you moments ago. “Look at what you’ve done to yourself.” You couldn’t open your eyes out of fear, standing there as stiff as a board. “If I had known I would have done this sooner.” 

For a moment it really did feel like you had the old Carmen back with you. You hated this, you hated feeling trapped. You missed her and you wanted her back more than anything. Warm tears glided down your cheeks as your breaths became erratic. You finally opened your eyes to see her staring at you in concern. She let out a sigh as she shook her head. “I knew it.” Carmen pulled you into a hug and you found yourself holding onto her tightly in fear your legs would give up on you. “I knew you needed me.” She picked you up and you were too emotionally and physically exhausted to resist. “I’m gonna take you home doll, no VILE, no ACME, just you and me.” 

[carmen-fics-for-thee]

Series: A Date With Devineaux Part 1

The Deal - Grey x Tigress, Carmen x Chase

Summary: Grey knew about her feelings for a while. But if Tigress wanted to date him, she needed to be nice to Carmen. Easy peasy, right? (Genuinely think these two have good chemistry and want to explore the vibe they have. ...But will it work? Can a good boy tame an evil heart, or will disaster strike?)

...

She saw it when it was time to nab the stamp. That look in Carmen's eyes as she threatened the detective with her claws. Ooh, could this possibly be a crush...? Carmen didn't usually look so distressed when other innocent lives were at stake. Laughing, she'd decided to just steal the stamp in her own signature way. The way Carmen freaked out was just so... cute.

But the way Grey freaked out on her afterwards? Not so cute.

Months after he was de-brainwashed, she'd told him about how funny Carmen was.

"That girl is so kidding herself if she thinks that guy would ever fall for her!"

Grey glared at her.

"Dude, it's a crush. It doesn't have to make sense!"

Tigress chuckled.

"Still protecting Carmen? Come on. She stabbed us in the back. Why should we feel bad for her?"

He looked down and sighed.

"She was trying to do the right thing. She didn't know how ruthless they'd made us."

"Ughh! Why do you care so much anyway?"

Mm. A bad attitude. Grey knew how to fix that.

Reaching out, he held her hand. She didn't pull away.

"Tigress. She's like a sister to me. I saw someone who needed help and I helped her. Don't you have someone like that?"

She looked at him pitiably. There was a long silence.

"Oh."

Scoffing, she looked away bitterly. Hesitating for a moment, he took his hand and put it on her cheek, turning her face to look at him.

"Hey... It's okay. I can be there for you now."

She laughed. And she didn't know why. It was half-happy, half-insane.

"Grey, please. We all know how this is going to go. You'll be there for me now, but when Carmen comes along, all eyes will be on her. Only her..."

He narrowed his eyes.

"Hey, I promise to stay with you. You're the one I want, and even though I'm protective of her, I won't let that ruin us! I love you."

The words were out faster than he thought they would be. Tigress looked at him with a sad smile.

"I love you too."

They kissed, and no more words were said.

...

Tigress encountered Carmen while civillian shopping for clothes. Carmen was immediately suspicious, but she shrugged.

"Not everything I do has to be crime." She said nonchalantly. "Sometimes I want to get stuff legally; it's easier to relax."

"Then what are you doing here?! The mall that just got a showpiece of Britain's oldest crown jewels? Why not a different, smaller mall?"

Her eyebrow raised. It was tempting, yes...

She shrugged.

"I didn't even know that was here."

"Right."

"Honest! I didn't even know you'd be here. Nice getup, by the way. 2010 was a decade ago."

Carmen scoffed.

"Really? It's newer than whatever you're wearing."

Tigress laughed.

"Ooooo, looks like the Black Sheep can fight back~"

There was a ruckus down below. Extra security had been brought to the exhibit just in case V.I.L.E. tried anything. Among them was Chase Devineaux. Carmen gasped. If he was here, he could be harmed!

Also spotting him, Tigress looked smugly at her nails.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to scare you with another pickpocket."

Grey's voice in her head told her to be nice, but this was just too delicious to pass up!

Carmen scoffed.

"He doesn't even have anything valuable this time."

Pausing for a second, Tigress spoke what she felt was true.

"Only your heart."

"What?!"

Her eyes had widened in that same way as on the docks. Oh yes. Delightful.

"Don't worry. I won't tell him... In fact, I think you'd make a cute couple."

Carmen felt all the feelings inside her swirl around. She needed to sit down. She felt sick. Shaking her head, she looked away.

"I-I can't. He'd arrest me..."

Tigress tipped her head.

"What if he doesn't, though? Hm. Doesn't though. Kinda rhymes with Devineaux..."

Carmen thought for a while, her eyes still on the floor. Since she wasn't saying anything, Tigress decided to elaborate.

"...I know a guy. Real good disguises. Hey. Maybe we can dress you up for a date with him."

Looking up, there seemed to be a spark of hope in her eyes.

Smiling, Tigress patted Carmen on the back.

"Come on, I can take you to his shop."

She hesitated.

"W-why are you being so nice to me?"

Tigress shrugged.

"Grey's orders."

"Oh."

Carmen smiled.

"How is he, by the way?"

"Yeah, he's doing great! Really happy ever since we started going out!"

"Nice. Congrats."

She raised her hand slowly to shake Tigress'. Tigress was quick though, and shook her hand fast.

"Thanks. And you know, I think this could be a good thing for you. Haven't seen you all goo-goo eyed in a while." She joked. Carmen laughed.

It truly did seem like Tigress was trying to be kinder for Grey's benefit, and she appreciated that.

...

Back at headquarters, Tigress chuckled to herself. This was just perfect.

"Great plan, Walt!" She purred. "In the middle of the date, the disguise slips off, Inspector Devineaux realizes Carmen tricked him and arrests her, Carmen's heart shatters, and Grey is all ours!!"

"Are you sure that will work, ma'am?"

She snapped back.

"Of course I'm sure! Now, watch the magic happen."

Tigress' laughing voice echoed throughout the room, a sense of doom wafting in the air.

(End Part 1)

[memento-morri-writes]

Hi Morri! I'm sorry that your mom was positive, I hope she gets the least symptoms possible (I passed covid as well, so I hope her and my experience are close, since I was almost asymptomatic)

I've seen that one of your comfort movies is The Princess Bride!! It's my mom's favorite, and we even have it on DvD so that she can watch it as many times as she'd like. (Honestly, I watch it a lot cause...It's a great movie ngl)

Since we are all talking about Six of Crows (as well, awesome book, great taste), have you read or heard about The Gilded Wolves?? It has definitely similar vibes in terms of heist and characters, but it's on an alternate 19th Paris. I'd say is sort of steampunk with magic<3

Also I am very much on board with your book recommendations, you know I'm always looking for new books to read and since you have such a great taste, I'd love it if you could tell me a couple of your favorites...

Right now I'm reading When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhil, a novel about women in the 1950's who turn into dragons when they feel opressed (so basically feminism with a layer of metahpor, which is cool, cause who wouldn't want to turn into a dragon and unleash anger??)

I'm here if you need someone to talk to, no matter what it is, I'm sure we can figure out a topic of conversation to distract you from everything that's going on

take care, my love<3

-@ink-fireplace-coffee

Hi Carmen!!!

The Princess Bride is one of my all-time favorite movies! If you like it, you should definitely watch Stardust. It's kind of similar (goofy fantasy romance movie), and I love it dearly. Magic, flying pirates, romance, and comedy. And lots and lots of ghosts. I highly recommend it!

Funnily enough I heard of The Gilded Wolves for the first time a few minutes ago, from @nicola-writes. It's most definitely going on my "books to buy" list.

Some of my favorite books:

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein a woman pilot and a woman spy (who are best friends) accidentally end up in each other's places during WWII.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel the before, during, and after of a world-ending illness, and the story of how one person's passion project connected many, many lives.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir Science based science fiction, with the best take on extraterrestrial life I've ever seen in media. (it actually makes fucking sense!!)

The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones a fairytale-esque story based on welsh mythology. the dead won't stay dead, and a gravedigger and a mapmaker are going to fix it.

Vicious by V.E. Schwab a super-powers story where no one is "good" or "evil". also the only piece of media I've ever seen that has a logical explanation for not only who gets powers, but also why they get what powers.

The Illuminae Files by Aimee Kaufman and Jay Kristoff a sci-fi trilogy told entirely via collected documents. (message logs, transcript of security videos, etc.) sarcasm, lovable characters, and some found family in a way.

If you plan to read any of these, please look up the trigger warnings!! All of these have some pretty dark themes.

[jillvalcntines-archive]

5 SONG PAIRING PLAYLIST !!

i was tagged by @aartyom, @denerims & @arklay to make the five song playlist for a ship of mine! thank you so much, and i am so sorry this took me so long!

tagging: @mandalhoerian @aelyosos @girlbosselrond @cultistbase @morvaris && everyone who hasn't done and wants to do this !!

1. iris — DIAMANTHE & breaking benjamin

and i'd give up forever to touch you / 'cause i know that you feel me somehow / you're the closest to heaven that i'll ever be / and i don't want to go home right now [...] and i don't want the world to see me / 'cause i don't think that they'd understand / when everythings' meant to be broken / i just want you to know who i am

Considering this song got out in the year they both met, and definitely won't have an official cameo in Saints & Sinners, it explains so well, how they think of each other and yet don't dare to go any further... first. especially carmen has a "people will keep on judging me for having belonged to umbrella... but you know who i truly am".

2. i'll be good — jaymes young

i thought i saw the devil this morning / looking in the mirror, drop of rum on my tongue / with the warning to help me see myself clearer / i never meant to start a fire / i never meant to make you bleed / i'll be a better man today / and i'll love the world, like i should / for all of the times that i never could

it's the song about the times they have both been depressed, lost hope and were about to give up, and yet kept going because of each other. "better man" in this context is meant as in human. the two last highlighted phrases are foreshadowing of what is to come or in one way, already happened, still i don't want to give away too many spoilers...

3. let me down slowly — alec benjamin & alessia cara

don't cut me down, throw me out, leave me here to waste / i once was a man/girl with dignity and grace / now i'm slipping through the cracks of your cold embrace [...] a little sympathy, i hope you can show me / if you wanna go then i'll be so lonely / if you're leaving baby let me down slowly

it's an overall song about how they are dealing with trauma and the emotional wounds over the years. carmen deals with depression and guilt mostly before raccoon city's destruction and "loses" most of her "dignity & grace", when she is at the low point shown in chapter one... chris goes through that during resident evil 6 and both of them think the other might leave, even though that would never be the case

4. someone to stay — vancouver sleep clinic

you were alone, left out in the cold / clinging to the ruin of your broken home / too lost and hurting to carry your load / we all need someone to hold / you've been fighting the memory, all on your own / nothing worsens, nothing grows / i know how it feels being by yourself in the rain / we all need someone to stay [...] will you fix me up? will you show me hope? / at the end of the day you were helpless / can you keep me close? can you love me most?

this song just screams another "getting over trauma together". you've been fighting the memory, all on your own actually shows how similiar carmen and chris are, because they don't share their trauma with anyone... at first, even not with each other, which is something they have to (re)learn over the years

5. chasing cars — tommee profitt & fleurie

we'll do it all, everything on our own / we don't need anything or anyone / if i lay here, if i just lay here / would you lie with me and just forget the world? / i don't quite know how to say how i feel / those three words are said too much, they're not enough [...] forget what we're told, before we get too old / show me a garden that's bursting into life / all that i am, all that i ever was / is here in your perfect eyes, they're all i can see

this is their ride or die song (no pun intended). those three words are said too much, they're not enough is 100% carmen's pov. carmen has a big problem with the infamous three words and struggles to say them to chris. not because she doesn't, but because she has kind of a phobia saying them, considering everyone she has told them died shortly after it. she was also never a very sentimental person, until chris came along. the last phrases perfectly shows how they both see each other.

you can find chris & carmen's playlist here, if you are interested!

[fandom-imagines-stories]

Empty Eyes

Dean Wincester x Reader

Words: 3574

The Deal S2 Finale: Series Masterlist

Summary: The reader and the boys go on a hunt to distract themselves from the growing chaos, but the hunt proves to be more than they anticipated. 

Notes: Now, I have to admit, season two was a little rocky, but I think it turned out okay. I hope you guys are as excited for the third and final season because I am beyond pumped to write it. As always, please please let me know what you think! 

-

Your leg bounced up and down, the tension in the car making your anxiety about the hunt even worse. Mary left. You weren’t sure if it was because of you or because of the stress of being back from the dead, but she said she needed time on her own to figure things out. Dean wasn’t taking it well, so Sam wanted to distract him by getting on a case fast. 

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Dean wondered, noticing your nervous fiddling. You snapped your attention to him and gave him a convincing smile. 

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” With his mind so many other places, he settled on believing you. At least for now. You checked your eyes in the rearview mirror. They were still Y/E/C. They were your eyes. 

“Alright, remind me what we’re after?” Dean asked. You could hear the desperation in his voice. Desperate to put his fist through something. He needed to break something before he bust. 

“Looks like a shapeshifter just outside Castle Rock, Colorado.” Sam informed, scrolling through the article on his phone. “But I won’t be sure until we get there.” 

“What do you mean you can’t be sure?” Dean snapped. Sam knew that his brother’s frustrations were not directed towards him, so he did his best to keep a cool head. 

“Well, there have been a series of deaths that all involved people suddenly turning against their friends and family after a weird change in personality.”

“That could be a number of things.” You pointed out, leaning up from the back. 

“Yes, but there have been a few instances where the person that supposedly killed their whole family was caught on camera in a bar half way across town.” Sam gave you a smug look and you returned it with a rough pat on the shoulder. 

“Oh, how I missed your know-it-all brain, Sammy.” You laughed, hoping the lighter mood would ease Dean’s mind. He feigned a small smile, but his hands were still gripping the wheel a little too tight. 

Mom leaving was not the only thing that Dean was worried about. Ever since Cas had taken that angel blade from your hands a week ago, you had pretended that nothing had happened. You were back to being exactly the same girl that he fell in love with and as much as he hated it, it worried him. He knew what was eating you up inside and he knew you were trying so hard not to show it. But just because you wanted to pretend it wasn’t there, didn’t mean it wasn’t stirring in your chest, waiting to consume you. He knew the feeling. 

By the time that the impala pulled into town, everyone in the car had inner turmoil and were desperately trying to hide it. So in other words, a typical Thursday. 

-

“So be serious,” Sam started as you walked up to the door of one of the crime scenes. Dean was looking over security tapes at the police station, so it was just you and the giant Winchester. “How are you feeling?” 

“I’m fine, Sam.” You rolled your eyes playfully and hoped he would just leave it be. But of course, it was Sam, so he couldn’t. 

“You know you can talk to me about it, right?” His sincerity made guilt seep into your head so you walked ahead of him. Sam let out a frustrated breath and stopped on the first step of the porch. “I get that you just want to pretend that it didn’t happen, but you can’t.”

“Sam, we are not talking about this now. We’re on a case.”

“Y/N, I don’t care about the case. I care about you and Dean and the fact that neither of you are processing anything that has happened in this past week.”

“Dean doesn’t know how he feels about your mom leaving. I understand that.”

“No, Dean knows how he feels, he just doesn’t want to feel it.” Sam corrected, running his fingers through his hair. “You both are just pushing everything so far inside of you that it's just going to build up until it explodes.”

“I’m not exactly going to go to a therapist, if that’s what you want.”

“I just want you to talk to me. To both of us. I’m not saying I know exactly what happened to you down there, but we’ve all been to hell-”

“Well that just makes it so much better. Maybe we should start a support group.” You snapped. “I saw his face. Nothing is ever going to erase that from my head.” You watched his face fall. 

“Y/N-”

“Just stop it, Sam!” You shouted. Even though he was much taller than you, you got in his face, seething. “Just. Stop.” The fury in your voice frightened even you. Sam took a startled step back. You felt like your blood was on fire, racing through your body and searing off your skin. You sighed and looked down at the old, rotted wood steps beneath your feet. “Sorry, Sam, I just-”

“It’s okay.” He put a comforting hand on your shoulder. “This is just what I’m talking about though. You keep this inside of you for too long and it’s going to lash out.” 

“I know.” You leaned against one of the beams, almost worried that it would collapse. “I don’t know what to do, Sam. Everywhere I go, I’m worried that I’m going to snap and hurt someone.” 

“You won’t.” He assured you. “Y/N, I know you don’t believe it, but there’s nothing evil growing inside you.” His green-blue eyes stared lovingly at you. “It’s like Cas said. There is a part of you that is broken, but that does not mean it can’t be fixed. That’s what we’re here for.” 

“I don’t think that a couple of beers and a road trip is going to put me back together, Sammy.” You said, keeping your head down. 

“No,” Sam put a finger under your chin and lifted your gaze back to his, “but we can sure as hell help you pick up the pieces.” 

You fought back tears and pulled the younger Winchester into a hug. After all that time in hell, Sam Winchester was still your brother.

“Are you two the agents that called?” An officer peaked their head out the door. You quickly pulled away from Sam and nodded. 

“That’s us.” 

“Well come on in. Better prepare yourselves though. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much blood on one carpet.” The officer shuddered. You and Sam exchanged a look before following him inside. 

He wasn’t lying. The carpet was soaked with red and it was splattered all over the walls. This had to have been one sick shifter to do all of this. Sam checked out the largest pool of blood since that’s where the victim bled out. You made your way around the room, checking little details that might give you any clues as to where this son of a bitch could be. 

“Can you tell us anything about the victims?” Sam asked the officer, crouching down to look at the extent of the blood. 

“Well sure, agent. This is a small town. Everybody knows everybody.” He motioned to a broken picture frame on the floor. “The first was Talia Gonzolaz. She’s lived here her whole life, my sister went to school with her. The next two were her kids, Rosalia and Carmen.” He looked mournfully at the once happy family. “I still can’t believe that Mateo could do something like this.” 

“So you knew the killer well, too?” 

The officer nodded. “He ran the bar that us cops would go to after our shifts. Always seemed like such a nice guy.” 

While Sam continued to ask questions about the family, you walked the perimeter of the room. Everything seemed deliberately out of place; books were torn apart and thrown about the room, furniture was slashed up with a knife, records were shattered on the floor. There was only one intact and it sat with the needle still running. The local police must not have noticed. You switched the record player off and felt a chill run through your veins. 

“I think we’ve got it from here if you’ve got some work at the station to take care of.” You announced, giving the officer a look that said you wanted him out of the room. He obliged, hardly in a position to argue with a federal agent, even a fake one. Sam got up and walked towards you. 

“Find something?” He looked over your shoulder to see what had your face turning white. You gulped. 

“I don’t think that a shifter is behind this.” 

You both stared down at the blood smeared record, the last sound the victims heard before they were hacked to pieces. Bad Company. 

-

Dean burst into the motel room, adrenaline coursing due to his brother’s urgent phone call. Sam was sitting on the bed, resting his head in his hands while you were hidden behind the partition separating the sleeping area from the kitchen. 

“What happened? You said something was wrong.” He asked. Sam just glanced back in your direction. 

“This hunt may be bigger than we thought.” He said grimly. Dean quickly went into the kitchen, where you were pacing madly in front of an open book. You didn’t even notice him. 

“There has to be a reason she’s picked me.” You muttered to yourself. “Demons don’t just follow people around forever for no reason. She picked me. Why?” 

“What happened at the crime scene?” Dean wondered, watching you with concerned confusion. 

“She’s here, Dean. She’s here for me.” You yanked your fingers through the tangles in your hair, keeping up your furious pacing. Dean grabbed you by the arm, forcing you to stop moving. 

“Woah, okay, first I need you to calm down.” He put his hands on your shoulders and waited until your breathing seemed to return to normal. “Now, what are you talking about?” 

“Lavina is here.” His brows drew together in even more confusion. You gulped. “The demon I made the deal with. She then made me her personal punching bag in the pit.” 

“Why would some low-level demon have a grudge against you?” He asked, pushing images of you being torn apart out of his head. He saw them enough in his nightmares every night. 

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out.” You moved to stand over the book on the table, fingers running down the columns of words as you scanned them. “I’ve been looking for hours and I can’t find anything about Lavina or demons with special connections to humans.”

“How do you even know she’s here? I thought we already figured out it’s a shifter.” 

“There was a record on at the last house. It was meant for me, I know it was.” You flipped through the pages, eyes wild and determined. Dean sighed. He’d seen that look of furious obsession before. 

“If it really is this demon chick, then we can figure it out together.”

“No.” You blurted, suddenly looking up at him. He straightened his shoulders and narrowed his eyes. 

“What?” 

“Dean, this is my fight. Lavina wants me. I’m not going to let you and Sam get in the middle of it.” You started to pack up your things into a backpack: exorcism books, paint for devils traps, and most importantly, an angel blade. 

“Oh, you’re not going to let us, huh?” He glowered, blocking the doorway. “You’re just going to march out there, summon her up and take her down, right?”

“That’s the plan.” You put your hands on your hips and stared him down. If he thought he could bully you into staying then he was sadly mistaken. 

“Y/N, a week ago you tried to use that blade on yourself, so if you think I’m letting you out of my sight with that thing, you’ve got another thing coming.” 

“This is my fight, Dean.”

“No.” He growled. “No, the second you made that deal, you made it my fight too. So don’t you dare tell me that ‘you have to do this alone’ because that’s crap. We either go after Lavina together or not at all.” He loomed over you, jaw clenched and eyes hard. He would tie you down if he had to and you knew it. 

“Fine.” You sighed in submission. “We’ll go together. But, I need a shower first.” Dean quirked a brow. “No, you can’t come with me. I want to get this blood out from under my nails.” You moved around him to grab a fresh set of clothes from your bag. Sam was still sitting on his bed, giving you an inquiring look. He had heard the argument, but decided not to say anything. He just gave you a small nod of reassurance and started looking through some old lore books. As you walked towards the bathroom, Dean gently grabbed your arm. 

“Y/N, I…” He took a deep breath, trying to figure out his words. “I can’t risk anything happening to you. Not again.” His hard gaze had turned sad, almost desperate. You gave him a small smile and pressed a sweet, short kiss to his lips. 

“That’s how I feel about you.” You whispered, running your fingers along his jaw. You slipped past him and tucked something between the shirt and jeans in your arms. Dean ran a hand down his face and sighed heavily, taking a seat across from his brother. 

“She wants to go alone?” Sam asked. 

“Yeah.”

“Did she really think we’d let her?” 

“I guess so.” 

“Dean, I saw her face when she saw that record. The look in her eyes…” He shook his head. “It’s consuming her.” 

“I know.” The sound of the water running set him at ease slightly. “Sam, I don’t know what to do. We can’t let this demon run around making meals out of people, but if Y/N gets to her without a real plan?”

“Then we’ll make a plan.” Sam shrugged. It was really their only option, as much as he hated to admit it. “We’ll do it together, like we always do.” All Dean could do was nod, staring at the wall while thoughts ran rampant in his mind. Half an hour must have passed before he started to worry. 

“Y/N?” He said through the door, knocking lightly. The water kept running. “Sweetheart, I think the water’s cold by now. Sam and I want to start making a plan, so why don’t you come out?” Still no response. 

Then something caught his eye. An empty spot on the table where you had set the angel blade. Dean’s blood boiled. With one powerful kick, he busted open the bathroom door to find the vacant shower running and the window wide open. 

“Son of a bitch!”  

-

You climbed into the window of the abandoned warehouse being careful not to scrape your arms on the broken glass. Looking around the room, you found the best spot for the trap and pulled out the spray paint you’d bought on the way here. 

“There’s no need for that.” It was a different voice, but you’d recognize that malicious tone anywhere. This time, Lavina possessed some poor blonde college student. “I knew you’d come looking for me. Especially after that little incident with Dean-o.” You narrowed your eyes, grabbing the angel blade from your boot. 

“How do you know about that?” 

“Oh, Y/N, haven’t you figured it out yet.” She put her hands over her chest in mock sincerity and pouted her lips. “We’re connected.” 

“Screw you.” 

“I see your manners haven’t improved in the company of the Winchesters.” She stalked towards you slowly, like a cat looking at a canary. “Unfortunately, you haven’t killed the brutes yet, so what can I help you with today?”

“This ends. Now.” You growled, lunging at her with the blade. 

The fight wasn’t a pretty one. Having missed with the knife, you brought your elbow back into her nose, satisfied with the crunch that came with it. Lavina then grabbed your hair and slammed your head down into her knee. Your vision blurred and your head was spinning, giving her the chance to land a kick to your stomach. Grabbing your hair again, she yanked your head up to face her. 

“I’m going to have so much fun dragging your sorry ass back to hell.” 

You swung the blade again, this time cutting a large gash into her leg, making her cry out furiously. You swung a third time, catching her arm. When she looked at you again, her eyes were empty and black. 

“Playtime’s over.” She spat, holding out her non-injured hand. You felt an invisible force push you back, pinning you against the wall. The angel blade clattered to the ground. “Did you really think you could come in here with that toothpick and defeat me?” She clenched her fist and that invisible force squeezed around your neck. “You’re going to make one hell of a demon.” 

“I don’t think so, bitch.” The voice was both a relief and a new problem to deal with. Dean and Sam stood in the doorway, their own blades ready to attack. Dean stepped forward. “Let her go.”

“Oo, the Winchesters in the flesh. Aren’t I the lucky gal.” Lavina smirked, tightening her fist. You gasped for air, eyes blown wide with panic. “I don’t know if this is a good idea for you, Dean. Don’t you remember what happened last time you fought a demon with little old Y/N here?” 

“There’s only one of you, now.” Sam jeered, stepping forward with his brother. Her smile widened. 

“I guess you’re right, Sammy boy.” With an innocent shrug of her shoulders, she looked at you. “I’ll see you later, sweetheart.” 

A black cloud roared out of the blonde’s mouth and her body slumped onto the floor. You fell to your knees, gasping for breath. Dean and Sam both rushed to your side, helping you sit back against the wall. While Sam kept a hand on your shoulder, waiting for your breathing to return to normal, Dean paced back and forth in front of you, his feet stomping furiously. 

“Dean-” You started, your voice raspy and weak. 

“I said we’d go after her together and you decide to climb out of a window!” He screamed. “You know, if Sam and I thought you were still in the shower, you’d be Lavina’s bitch all over again. Or did you even think about that before marching in here alone?” 

“I just… wanted… this to be… over.” You coughed, trying to stand up, but Sam kept you on the floor. 

“Yeah, well it isn't over now, is it? Lavina is still out there, probably possessing some other poor girl as we speak.” 

“I’m sorry.” You looked up at him with tears of shame in your eyes. “I thought I could face her, Dean. I was wrong.” Your gaze fell to the floor, cheeks burning with both embarrassment and the hot tears threatening to spill over. “I’m not strong enough. I’m not the hunter that I used to be. I didn’t want to believe it until now, but I don’t have any fight left.” 

Sam gave you a sympathetic look, but Dean just looked angrier. 

“Alright, that, right there, is crap.” He knelt down in front of you, eyes blazing with both determination and devotion. “If there is one thing that you’ve shown this past week is that everything you have been through has only made you stronger. You made it through hell without breaking. You have shouldered so much and kept going. Never think that you don’t have any more fight in you, because the fight is all we’ve got. And if you need someone to take that on for you, then dammit Y/N, I will take it on. But fighting on your own doesn’t prove anything. You are still the badass woman I fell in love with and nothing is going to change that.” 

He held his hand out in front of you and you took it. He pulled you up and wrapped his arms around you. 

“Nothing is going to change that.” He repeated, running a hand up and down your back. You pulled back and gave the two Winchesters a small smile. 

“Alright boys.” You straightened up with a new sense of power. With the Winchesters by your side, you were invincible. “We’ve got work to do.”

-

In a small, quiet town not too far from you and the Winchesters happy little moment, a young waitress was closing up for the night. Just as she turned the key, something dark filled her reflection. It was the last thing she saw. 

Content with her new look, Lavina examined the pretty young thing in the window. She usually preferred blondes, but that was nothing a little bleach couldn’t fix. The uniform would also have to be ditched, but all in all, she would do very nicely. 

She let out a frustrated cry and shattered the glass with her fist, enjoying the pattern the blood left on the pavement. Those damn Winchesters. They never learned how to stop meddling. No matter. Those boys weren’t the only ones who could hold a grudge. Her fight to avenge her family was far from over.

-

General Tag: @rae-gar-targaryen; @takemepedropascal; @childhood-imagination;  @mylovegoesto; @yellowbadgergirl; @itmejado; @suckmyapplejacks; @kendahl0216​

Supernatural: @desimarie12; @deandreamernp; @vicmc624; @halesandy; @livshaes; @d-whinchestergirl87; @mrspeacem1nusone;  @crist1216

The Deal Series: @writeroutoftime; @ minninugget; @mia-ono; @erule; @ dannyo000

[firelxdykatara]

Do you think the creator meant that Gray wasn’t good enough for Carmen at the moment, but when they meet up later they’ll both be more mature and grown and he’d be good enough for her? Because if not and he just meant not good enough period then I’m really confused.. I mean why make their relationship so important and recurring ever season? Why give them history and so much development from best friends to enemies to possible romantic interests to evil duo to enemies to open ended? and so many romantic themes and Gray sacrificing himself for Carmen multiple times and vice versa? How is he not good enough for her by the end? Or at least potentially at the very least? Also did he say red crackle was one sided on Gray’s side because I swear Carmen definitely appeared to reciprocate his romantic feelings?? I’m bummed out :/

I got another ask from an anon yesterday that put it pretty succinctly:

Duane straight up called Gray a sociopath in that interview like.... don't think the dude has the best grasp on his character.

So that’s basically my headspace right now. The fact is, I’m no stranger to showrunners not exactly understanding their own work--see: my opinions about bryke--and while I absolutely respect the man and love that he helped bring Carmen Sandiego to life, I recognize that his voice was not the only one in the writer’s room, and certainly not the only one that matters.

in fact, during the same interview he said that after he wrote the pilot, he was actually surprised that the rest of the team loved Gray so much. He hadn’t actually planned for Gray to play a part in the rest of the series--from what he said, the amnesia plotline and, therefore, everything about Gray’s importance to season 4, came from the other writers, because they saw Gray and loved his dynamic with Carmen and wanted to build upon and develop that.

So I would venture to say that he didn’t recognize the wealth of potential Gray--and Gray’s relationship with Carmen--had, for much the same reason that he doesn’t understand Gray as a character. It’s also entirely possible that he misspoke, or didn’t exactly mean ‘sociopath’ but couldn’t think of a better term--sociopathy and psychopathy are outdated psychological terms to begin with, and if we were going to apply them to VILE characters, Maelstrom or Tigress or Paperstar (especially Paperstar) would come to mind long before Gray would, in terms of ‘willingness to cause harm and an inability (or refusal) to care about harm caused’.

I will say, too, that the specific context in which ‘not good enough’ came up was ‘at that time’--if I recall, he was talking specifically about Gray in the flashback, and the Gray who was willing to kill Carmen in the pilot, although I would argue that while he may have gone to Paris with the intent to get rid of her, per VILE’s orders, his resolve wavered the instant they were face to face. It’s the only explanation for why he was so clearly stalling for time, asking Carmen about her story, asking her to tell him why she left him, and why she never came home. I think it’s fair to posit, at this point, that he was desperately hoping for some excuse--anything that could give him a reason to take her in alive.

And, like I said in my very first meta, when the time came to actually fight her? His heart just wasn’t in it.

At the end of the day, though, Duane Capizzi is just one person. He’s the showrunner, true, and he had a voice in the writer’s room, but he wasn’t the only voice, and so he wasn’t the only person interpreting the show as it went along. And he also said, in reference to romantic relationships as a whole throughout the series, that ‘if you see it, then it was intentional’. Carmen biting her lip during the date with Gray, Carmen accepting that date in the first place, the depth of their emotional connection--all of this was intentional. It isn’t the only potential relationship dynamic to be found in the show--and, honestly, playing to the most vocal shippers in the event that no relationships were canon is the smart move here, so I can’t even blame him for that--but I’m not gonna let the showrunner’s personal opinion dissuade me from my own reading of the text.

Bryke couldn’t put me off by being vocally anti-zutara for over a decade, so I’m ok with a kind of lukewarm ‘if you like it then it’s there’ acceptance, especially since I don’t exactly agree with the showrunner’s views on other aspects of the show.

[invisible-light789]

I only had two issues with the end of Carmen Sandiego:

- did the squad like, not talk anymore? They were a total family and then they all just split up, when I prefer the idea of the siblings being agents and Shadowsan doing his thing and Carmen being with her mom and eventually returning to fighting crime, like I liked all of that, but they all meet up for chaotic dinners with Player sometimes and it would be fun to meet everyone’s family and stuff. Like they were friends beyond Carmen, so they would hang out even without her, and she would still contact her best friends, right? Especially now that they all have met Player and stuff, they would totally hang out with him and visit

- WHAT HAPPENED TO GRAHAM like he did so good this season and I adored him but he just gave up everything and Carmen was so scared she killed him and obviously she found out he was alive and yet she didn’t go find him?? Dude she would totally admit him into the squad after like one talk to figure things out, and maybe he wouldn’t fight crime and he’d still do his opera tech thing, but he’d at least talk to her I feel like and they’d still hang out once in a while

- actually one more thing - Player??? What happened to him??? My boy just did nothing for two years besides the occasional chat with Carmen? How did he feel about his best friend being evil for however many months? What was their talk like when she returned? Idk I felt like he was too absent in the last couple episodes besides being an information source when they’d been so good about actually giving him character earlier on in the season. I love that kid and I want to know how he did in school and stuff and if ACME ever officially recruited him when he graduated and stuff, I think that would be awesome

I didn’t mind too much that we never learned anyone’s real name bc that’s like, their thing, and I didn’t r e a l l y mind we never got to see Carmen’s mom? Like that felt like an epilogue thing anyway but I’m kinda sad but also it makes sense? Idk

Oh yeah last thing but how did everyone act when Carmen FIRST came back like wasnt Zack scared she would try to kill him again or at least wary? And wasnt Ivy pissed for that (even though she knows it wasn’t the real her) or something? And what about Player what did he feel losing his best friend and big sister and then getting her back after so long?

[shera-dnd]

Cupid’s Kiss

Took me way longer than expected curse the whims of my mental health but the winner of this month’s 3k fic poll is finally here!

In which Carmen and Julia have a lovely totally not date in Paris while in search for two thieves who are certainly also not having a date

if you’d like a chance to get your fic ideas written by me, or just want to support me, you can feel free to donate to my ko-fi (rules over here)

and here is the ao3 link if you’d rather read it over there

also this fic was brought to you thanks to the help of @cantdrawshaw

NOW ON WITH THE FIC

Carmen Sandiego was the best at her job. She had bested trained assassins and killer robots, evaded the world’s most advanced detective agency, and destroyed the largest criminal organization. All in her early twenties.

Yet there was one task she was not prepared to face. One that escaped her skills, both martial and technical. One that she had failed to plan around. One that existed entirely beyond the range of her skills. A foe that she could not beat.

“Come on, Carm,” Zack called, “it can’t be that hard. If even Ivy could score with the girls, you can do it too.”

“Even Ivy?!” His sister replied, furious, “I’ve been with more girls than you, jackass.”

“Guys, guys!” Carmen interrupted, “you’re not helping.”

Mentioning her interest in spending more time with Julia Argent had been the biggest mistake she had made in weeks. This was supposed to be a peaceful day at their old home base, but now here she was.

Her friends were trying so hard to help her and she couldn’t even be mad at how poorly they were doing, because she knew she wouldn’t fare much better were the roles reversed.

“Sorry,” the siblings replied in unison.

“I appreciate the support,” she assured them, “but I’m not trying to ‘score’ with anyone. I just wanna get to know Jules a little better.”

“So this is not a date?” Ivy asked.

“No!” She replied, a little too quickly, “me and Jules aren’t like that. She’s more of a… professional acquaintance. A coworker.”

“Carm,” Zack replied, “we’re coworkers and you’ve never had a bouquet of roses delivered to my door.”

“It was just a thank you for handling all those precious artifacts for me,” she explained, “she’s a hard worker, she deserved it.”

“Sure,” Ivy nodded, unconvinced, “is that why you take time to chat over coffee with her every other caper?”

“Not every moment of our lives has to be a chase, you know?” she countered.

“Or why you keep finding excuses to dance with her?”

“It’s the easiest way to speak privately at those parties without garnering unwanted attention,” she recited as if from a textbook.

“Or why-”

“Cease this!” Shadowsan’s stern voice commanded and the siblings fell silent, “VILE has trained her to never cave under interrogation. You’ll have a better chance extracting information from a rock.”

Carmen smirked at them, proud to have her skills of deflection recognized.

“Do not be so full of yourself,” he added, making Carmen flinch just a bit, “I have taught those lessons for years and I know how to see through them.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” she deflected, looking away.

He walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder with uncharacteristic gentleness.

“I have seen the happiness Miss Argent brings you,” he said, “and I wish you the best of luck should you wish to pursue it.”

That meant a lot to Carmen. More than she could really express in words. But after she had been so thoroughly embarrassed by her friends, all she could really say was,

“Not you too.”

She looked up at the smirking siblings and braced herself...

“Hey, Red,” Player’s voice called, just in the nick of time.

“Player!” She jumped to attention and grabbed the laptop from their desk.

“Woah!” he exclaimed, “everything okay, Red?”

Zack and Ivy snickered as they sat by each side of her, so they could see Player.

“I think Carm would rather you sent her on a crazy chase instead of sitting here talking about her crush on Jules,” Ivy teased.

“Well it looks like you might get to do both,” Player replied, to Carmen’s dismay, “look who our cameras just found walking around Paris.”

The screen cut to a video feed of one of ACME’s hidden cameras over the streets of Paris. None of the people on camera seemed particularly conspicuous… until a particular pair walked on screen. Even without their costumes Carmen could always recognize them.

“Tigress and Paper Star,” she noted, “those two can’t be up to any good.”

“Looks like we’ll be going to Paris, eh Carm?” Ivy commented as she playfully nudged her side.

“City of love,” Zack added as he joined the nudging.

Carmen groaned. This was gonna be a rough mission.

Chase had grown a lot over the past few months. His deductive reasoning had vastly improved, his mood was far more amenable, and he actually stopped to listen to Julia nowadays. What hadn’t really improved with time was his overall clumsiness. 

“Miss Argent, I’ll be fine,” his insistence was interrupted by a powerful sneeze, “This is nothing.”

“Agent Devineaux, please,” she pleaded, “you’re in no state to continue this investigation.”

Devineaux had landed himself into his fair share of rivers over the months he had worked for ACME, and it seemed that so many cold baths had finally caught up to his health. Not that he would ever admit to that.

“Nonsense,” he claimed, “I’ll be back in perfect shape by the time we land in Paris.”

The sneeze that followed said otherwise.

“Chase, please,” she asked again, “rest. I can handle this.”

“I refuse to send my partner on a mission by herself.”

“As sweet as your concern is,” she countered, “I doubt I’ll be by myself for long.”

“Ah yes, I’m sure La Femme Rouge will make for good company,” he agreed and she was glad he did, but it sounded like there was more to his words. “Were you anyone else I’d worry this was all a ploy to have some private time with Miss Sandiego.”

She shot him an unamused glare.

“Apologies,” he said almost immediately.

“Accepted,” she sighed, “but I do not appreciate any insinuations as to the nature of me and Miss Sandiego’s relationship. We’re good friends, nothing more.”

“Of course,” he nodded, but Julia could tell he had more to say.

Truly his detective skills have improved considerably as of late. It had become harder and harder for Julia to pass her excitement for those missions as simple passion for her work. Not when she had abandoned that work as soon as it conflicted with her passion for… something else.

Chase was her friend and she knew he’d understand her feelings for Carmen. She was also sure he’d do his best to keep it a secret until she was confident enough to bring these things to light. She trusted him and she didn’t fear anything of the sorts.

What she did fear was Chase trying to wingman for her. Just the thought was enough to fill her with dread. Enough dread to keep her mouth shut about her feelings in the vicinity of Agent Devineaux. Even if it felt bad to hide this from her friend.

Thankfully the Chief chose that exact moment to call her to give her updated information on their targets. 

Now she could just shut off all these awkward feelings and focus on her work.

The Louvre had been an obvious target. The world’s most famous museum, home to thousands of priceless works of art, including the Mona Lisa itself. It was so obvious in fact that VILE had never bothered to consider it.

But VILE was gone now and its escaped students no longer had any faculty to dissuade them from this target.

That’s why Carmen now walked its halls, diligently searching for any security flaws that could be exploited and any sign of the two master thieves on the loose.

She still took time to appreciate the art of course. This was the most famous museum in the world for a reason and she wasn’t gonna let this unique opportunity escape her, even with the evil duo to watch for.

Carmen had her attention split in every possible direction, her mind juggling its many tasks as she wandered hall after hall. Until, that is, she found something that pulled her focus into one singular point.

A shorter woman in a nice fitted suit, standing before one of the statues.

“Jules,” she greeted as she walked up behind her.

“Miss Sandiego,” Julia smiled as she greeted her, utterly unsurprised. She must have been expecting her, “it’s nice to see you here.”

“It’s nice seeing you too,” she replied, “and we went over this before, Carmen is just fine.”

“Carmen,” she said, in a way that warmed Carmen’s heart, “I take it you’ve been enjoying your time in Paris.”

“Hard to go sightseeing while I’ve got work to do, but I’m making do,” she shrugged, “how about you? What caught your attention today?”

Julia turned back to the statue she had been appreciating until then, “Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss.”

Carmen smirked, it was her time to shine.

“Sculpted by Antonio Canova, commissioned by welsh art-collector John Campbell in 1787,” she recited from memory, “its prime version was acquired by the Louvre in 1824 after the death of its previous owner, Joachim Murat.”

“Very impressive,” Julia praised, “I wish my students put half as much time as you do into their research.”

“I’m just good at memorizing trivia,” Carmen shrugged, trying to hide her pride at earning that praise, “I’m sure you know so much more than me on the subject.”

Boy was Carmen right about that. That seemed to have been the cue to send Julia into a long lecture about the neoclassical and romantic periods, as well as an analysis of the sculpture’s mythological origins and the many interpretations of the myth.

Many people would probably find this amount of information unspeakably tedious. But for Carmen, who was always hungry to learn about the world around her (and could never get tired of Jules speaking so enthusiastically,) it was exciting and endearing.

Carmen had realized then that she wanted nothing more than to spend her every waking hour listening to Julia talk on and on about anything she wanted, as long as it was passionate like this. Maybe someday soon.

Right now they had the whole rest of the Louvre to scout.

“Alright, alright, victory is yours,” Carmen playfully interrupted, “I guess you really are the biggest history nerd here.”

“Oh I’m sorry, it seems I got a bit carried away,” Julia cringed in shame. Damn it Sandiego! “I didn’t mean to bore you.”

“You couldn’t bore me if you tried,” Carmen assured her as she placed a hand on her arm, “I mean it. It’s nice hearing you talk.”

“Unfortunately I no longer teach,” she replied, “otherwise I would have given you an open invitation to any of my classes.”

“Well, how about you show me around the place?” she suggested, “we can call this a private lesson.”

At that Julia smiled again, “then I hope your memory is as good as you say it is, Carmen Sandiego, because I’ll be quizzing you at the end of the tour.”

They both laughed as Julia led them along to the next art piece in what was clearly a meticulously planned tour of the museum. Jules kept her teacher face on for all of her little lectures, but as they walked from room to room it felt so simple and casual.

For once Carmen felt like there was no rush and that she could just enjoy her time with someone she cared about. Maybe that was the moment. Her chance to make something out of this and let Julia know how she felt.

“Hey, Jules,” she called, walking a little closer to her.

“Yes?” Julia turned to look at her, she seemed surprised by the sudden closeness, but did not move away from her.

Carmen decided to take that as a good sign.

“This has been really nice, you know?” she tried, her usual confidence failing her, “just spending time with you like this.”

“I guess it was,” she replied with- Wait, was that a blush? No, that had to be wishful thinking.

“Yeah,” she agreed, awkwardly scratching the back of her neck, “and I just feel like-”

It was then that she was rudely reminded of what she was here to do.

“-you have got to be kidding me!”

“What?” Julia jumped a little in surprise.

“5 o’clock, behind you,” Carmen instructed.

She turned to look and there they were. Tall, blonde and scheming, and short, monochromatic and homicidal. The two thieves they were here to catch. Two thieves that had also noticed them.

They both smirked at them for a moment, before Paper Star whispered something into Tigress’s ear and they both bolted in separate directions.

“I go for Tigress, you go for Paper Star,” Carmen ordered as she bolted after her target.

Tigress was the fastest of the two, and the one most likely to pull dirty tricks on them. Unfortunately for her, Carmen was well-versed in all of those tricks, and of course had all her equipment on her. It’s amazing how much she could hide in just a red hoodie.

Soon Tigress had led the both of them out of the main building, ready to make a run for it and disappear into the city. Her mistake though, was going somewhere Carmen could use her grappling hook without worrying about damaging priceless works of art.

She swung after her, quickly closing the distance and knocking her down with a kick to the stomach. Tigress groaned as she forced herself back up, but instead of running again or getting ready to fight Carmen, she simply shouted.

“Come on!”

“Done running around?” Carmen taunted.

“Yeah yeah whatever,” she replied. Well that was unusual, “did you girlfriend catch Paper Star already?”

“What!?” She nearly jumped in surprise, “She’s not- we’re not- that doesn’t matter! You’re going to jail, for good this time.”

“For what?” she replied.

“Trying to steal from the Louvre!”

“Ah yes, because that’s the only reason we’d be enjoying some time together in the city of love,” she mocked and rolled her eyes.

Was she implying what she thought she was implying?

“Aww, babe,” a voice above them called. Paper Star leaned out of a nearby window and openly teased her partner in crime.

Babe?

“She caught you already?” she continued

Tigress groaned again, “not my fault you got easy mode.”

Paper Star jumped down and casually hooked her arms around Tigress’s neck.

“Well I’ve won,” she declared, “now where’s my prize?”

The last thing Carmen expected was for the two of them to kiss right there in front of her, and yet that was exactly what they did.

“I did not need to see that!” She complained.

“You were the one who interrupted our date!” Tigress complained back.

“Do you seriously want me to believe that you two were just spending the evening together in the Louvre as a date?”

“Was that not what you and your little agent were doing too?” Paper Star teased.

Carmen’s reflex was to say no, but… was that what they were doing? They had been walking around, sightseeing, talking and laughing and enjoying each other’s company and- oh god Carmen almost confessed to her back there. 

This was her chance to have a proper date with Jules and it got ruined right at the finish line because of a mission that didn’t even exist in the first place!

She would have time to figure all of this out later, right now she had a job to do and two smug assholes to put in their place. Thankfully she already knew just how to do that.

“You’re right, it was very rude of me to interrupt your romantic evening,” Carmen raised her hands in surrender and backed away, “how about you two get back to what you were doing and I can arrest you both tomorrow?”

“What?” Tigress challenged, “no romantic chase over the rooftops of Paris?”

“I’m sure your girlfriend would love that,” Paper Star added.

“Actually I think Julia would rather just have you behind bars,” she shrugged.

Right on cue the ACME’s blue sleep gas finally reached the both of them, making them both drop on the spot. It was kinda cute how they were put to sleep still holding each other. Carmen almost felt bad for arresting them. Almost.

She pulled her grappling hook again and launched herself through the open window above, landing right next to a very proud Julia Argent.

“Two for one,” Carmen praised, “at this rate, pretty soon you won’t be needing my help anymore.”

“I appreciate the compliment, but I had my partner down there to keep them in place,” Julia replied playfully. Carmen’s heart skipped a beat at the word ‘partner’, even though she knew she meant it as coworkers.

“Always happy to play distraction for you, Jules,” she played along.

Taking another step forward, Carmen felt her sense of balance completely leave her as she accidentally inhaled some sleep gas fumes. 

She tumbled forward, but before she hit the ground she felt Julia’s arms holding her up. It took her a second to shake away the effects of the gas, and another second to process the position they were in. How Julia was holding her like she had just dipped her in a dance.

For a moment they froze, staring into each other’s eyes as they held onto each other, until finally Julia helped her up again.

“I’m so sorry about that,” Julia apologized as she tried to fix up Carmen’s scuffed clothes.

“It’s fine,” Carmen assured her, “I should’ve been more careful around the sleep gas.”

Still Julia fussed over her, readjusting Carmen’s hoodie as she muttered a few more apologies. It took her a moment to notice just how close they were both standing now. The realization made her jump back a bit on reflex, but still she remained considerably close to Carmen.

She took a moment to collect herself before finally asking, “so uh- you had something you wanted to tell me?”

Carmen sighed in relief. Good to know those two hadn’t completely destroyed her chances.

“I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed our time together today,” she admitted, “before we got interrupted that is.”

Julia gave her a genuine smile that made her heart stop, “I enjoyed our time too. It’s nice to be able to talk about these things outside of work.”

“Yeah,” she agreed, feeling her confidence return bit by bit, “wanna do that again sometime? Maybe over some coffee.”

Jules seemed surprised at first as she caught on to what Carmen meant, but that expression was quickly replaced by a playful smile.

“Carmen Sandiego,” she called, “are you asking me out on a date?”

“Nothing escapes ACME’s best detective,” she joked, “I guess I am.”

“Then I’ll have to ask you to wait a little for my answer,” she asked.

Carmen opened her mouth to say that she was more than fine with waiting however long she needed, but she was frozen mid motion when Julia’s lips met her own. A quick, sweet little peck. 

“I want to finish our first before we plan the second.”

[heroesandmasterminds]

Swan Lake: A Red Crackle analysis (can be read as platonic) of The Crackle Goes Kiwi Caper

At last I managed to get around to this! I rushed to finish it recently since the finale comes out on Friday! So sorry to anyone I kept waiting - I know some of you have wanted this since my analysis of L'amour Est Un Oiseau Rebelle from The Opera in the Outback Caper.

I had to do quite a bit of research on Swan Lake and Dance of the Little Swans because going into it I only knew the bare minimum about this ballet. What jumped out at me right away is that Dance of the Little Swans (referred to as DotLS from here on out) is a dance which is known for requiring all the dancers to be in perfect sync. They need to work together seamlessly for it to come out right. That's a direct parallel to how Gray's handling of the electrical fields and Carmen's passage through them has to be in perfect sync with each other!

In DotLS, the swans try to fly away but fail (they're cursed by the evil Rothbart, who has cursed them to become swans during the day but girls at night by a lake). At the end of the episode, Carmen and Gray fly away from the lab by use of her glider! They succeed, unlike the swans... or do they? This could parallel the specific moment they fly away, or be a larger metaphor for the whole caper where the 'flying away' is getting Gray in and out without ever letting VILE (or ACME, though Carmen didn't think of them) see him.

DotLS is less than halfway through the ballet: partway through Act 2 out of 4, just like this episode is partway through Season 2 out of 4. This could imply that this moment in Carmen and Gray's journey is nowhere near the end! That really does seem to be the case! (I actually first predicted this when I started this meta before S3 came out; I'm so glad it still holds up!)

In the play, Odette and Odile are played by the same actress but one of them is good and one evil. At one point Odile pretends to be Odette in order to fulfil Rothbart's evil plan. This actress plays both sides and the characters' and audience's perception of Odile, especially, depends on what you know as the audience (the fact that she isn't really Odette) and what you can see (the characters believe she is Odette). This is similar to how different people perceive Carmen - it sometimes seems there are multiple Carmens since ACME, VILE and her allies (or people like Gray, wholly unaware of the whole situation) all have a different idea of who she is.

Odette and the other swans can turn into girls at night and interact with other people, like Odette talks to Siegfried, but at the end of the night they must become swans again. There are a few ways this could be taken, but for me I think it might represent how Gray can act like he's a normal person after the memory loss but some part of him will always be tied to the world of VILE and Carmen. The VILE operative Crackle and the electrician Graham are the same person just as the swan and the girl are both Odette.

As with pretty much everything ship-related in this show, the inclusion of Swan Lake provides us with no concrete evidence to point at and say 'This is proof of a Red Crackle endgame!' because there are as many unhappy endings for Siegfried and Odette as there are happy ones (and there are other/no ships that might be canon). To be honest, I quite like it that way - lots of room for surprises!