#five would murder logan though

[lucyfishwife]

Just a thought

[vivwritesfics]

The Piastri Twins

Logan Sargeant is in love with his best friends twin sister. That's fine, though, because she loves him, too. The problem comes when her brother doesn't know, and hasn't known for the last five years.

Logan Sargeant was going to die.

He knew that, had known that since he'd started looking at his best friends sister as something more than his best friends sister. Twin sister, just a few minutes older. But he wasn't sure if that made it better or worse. (They weren't identical twins - that would have been the thing to make it weird).

She was currently asleep in his arms. But Logan couldn't sleep, not when she was with him. No, because at any minute Oscar might work out that she isn't in her room and then burst in to get Logan's help, realise she was with him and murder him on the spot.

He shuffled slightly, and she let out a groan. "Jesus, Lo," she mumbled, turning towards him, nose pressed against his chest. "Just lay still."

Logan kissed her forehead. "Sorry, baby," he mumbled and squeezed her.

He didn't sleep, but he was still. For that, she was grateful. She slept through the night, right up until the point that her alarm woke her up. It was incredibly early in the morning, so early that there was no chance of Oscar running into her in the halls of the hotel.

This was the kind of shit they had to do to be together, the sort of thing they'd been doing since they were teenagers.

Before she could leave the room, Logan grabbed her arm and pulled her back into him. "Sarge, I've got to get going," she whispered as she pushed against him.

"Cheer me on from the McLaren garage?"

She rolled her eyes and kissed him. "You know I will."

Logan let her go after that. He watched as she disapppeared out of his hotel room, turning left and making her way down the hall. With her gone, Logan laid back on his bed and let out a sigh.

He remembered the first time he had kissed her.

Her and Oscar's seventeenth birthday party. Oscar and Logan were competing in Formula Renault, and couldn't be there on the day. It wasn't the first time this had happened, and she knew she was going to be last.

But it just wasn't her birthday with Oscar and Logan there.

So the party was pushed back by a week. It was arranged for when Oscar could bring Logan back to Australia with him. It wasn't going to be a huge party, just some friends, food and drinks.

Oscar and Logan were so damn tired when they walked into the Piastri household. They were in no mood to party. But the singing started and the cake was shoved into their face the moment they stepped into the room.

Logan managed to slip away, but Oscar was forced to endure it. For the entire party, Logan sat on his own, observing. To assume he was feeling lonely in that moment would have been wrong. No, he was perfectly content to sit and watch his best friends. It wasn't like he was in love with one of them or anything, right?

And then she was sitting next to him, observing her own party with her arms crossed over her chest. She'd had a few drinks, Logan knew when he looked at her. "You okay?" He asked, tipping his head to the side.

[pinkestofpanthers]

you snooped through my wallet? | scott summers

pairing: scott summers x fem!reader warning(s): i would say this is pretty angsty? scott being a little avoidant, logan is kinda mean in this one? lots of fluff and comfort though! i should also mention reader is not a mutant! i could not think of any special powers i wanted to include.

if someone were to ask you, you would tell them you knew everything about the students scott taught at xavier's school for gifted youngsters. he even told you about his coworkers and their beautiful abilities. you always listened to his stories with an open mind and a smile on your face. you swore you fell in love a little more each time he spoke so passionately about what he does.

now, if someone were to ask one of scott's students or coworkers what they knew about you, they'd either stare blankly or laugh in their face. you see, scott didn't think of you as a secret, if there was anything scott was more passionate about than his job, it was you.

so why did it seem like he was hesitant to tell everyone about your relationship?

it made no sense to you. when scott first asked you to be his girlfriend, you raced back to your apartment and immediately called your mom. your gloating got to a point where you had your own coworkers asking where they could "find one like him". perhaps you boasted about your lovely boyfriend a bit too much, because now you were starting to feel like a major issue was rising in the relationship.

that was until late one night when you heard a soft knock on your door. you shuffled out of bed, grabbing a kitchen knife on your way, just in case there was a polite masked murderer on the other side of the door. checking through the peephole, you're instantly met with red lenses. letting out a sigh of relief, you undo the deadbolt and open the door wide enough to let scott in. you see his eyebrows quirk up as he spots the weapon in your hand,

"you can never be too careful, summers," you respond, leading him into your living room and turning on your lamp.

"who would gently knock on your door at this hour?" he asked, sitting down on your loveseat sofa.

"my other boyfriend," you quipped, shooting him a teasing glare. "water?"

"i'm okay for now. you seriously aren't gonna ask why i'm here?" he watches you as you move. right now, he wished you'd just stay in one place. your pacing and opening cabinets and fridges was making him more nervous than he already was.

"well, i didn't get a 'you up' text, so i'm going to assume this isn't a late night booty-call," you spoke and took a seat right next to him.

"i'm afraid not, either way if that was the case i wouldn't have given you the chance to get that glass of water," he joked and you only scoffed, taking a sip from said cup in your hand.

"how cute, scotty," you playfully rolled your eyes. "what's up? everything okay? i do appreciate any chance i get to see my beautiful boyfriend, but not when we have plans to see each other in...five hours," you finished and could see the man before you tense up a bit.

"do you think that i could do more for you?" he blurted out, fidgeting with his hands. you were a bit puzzled, you had never seen scott so nervous. and this was someone who was normally so confident that he didn't even need to ask you what you wanted to do, he had reservations and plans made.

"baby, relax a little bit," you started, setting your water down on your coffee table. "where is this coming from? what you mean 'more'? you do more than enough already."

"like, bring you around to the mansion. have you meet my students, meet charles of all people. do you think i'm ashamed of you?" he continued to ramble and you had to stop him.

"okay, i seriously need you to take a deep breath, hon. what's going on? what's got you so in your head?" your eyes scanning over him for some type of clue.

he let you know about the past few hours spent at the mansion.

an issue that plagued xavier's school for gifted youngsters was the topic of dinner. you would think they'd have bigger things to worry about than what they were going to be eating for the night, but you would sadly be mistaken.

"i don't know scott, i'm not really feeling pizza tonight," ororo spoke, flipping through the pages of whatever book she picked up recently.

"okay, what about from that indian place we all like? you were talking about their samosas the other day!" he replied. takeout was pretty rare at the mansion, everyone having their own regimen and meal preps for each day. today was not one of those days, considering that the team had dealt with a difficult mission earlier. so of course, not a lot of thought was put into dinner.

"if there is nothing else you can think of, then i guess so. you paying?" she looked to him, setting her book down for a brief moment.

"if it will make you agree, then i don't mind. let the others know, need to order before it's too late," he said while grabbing a menu.

with the amount of food ordered, no one was expecting a speedy delivery. that's why everyone hurried off and found something to busy themselves with while waiting. including scott, who went up to his room to make sure he'd call you for the night. he told you about the class he taught earlier that day, the mission he had been on a few hours ago, and how he was planning on ending his night. he even promised you that he would see you tomorrow, suggesting the two of you head to the county fair that was being held outside of town. though he wished he could have stayed on the phone with you forever, he ended the call and hurried downstairs. the rustling of paper bags and chatter filled his ears. the food was definitely here.

"hey, everyone. sorry i wasn't downstairs when they got here, i would have paid. that was all sorted out though, right?" he asked after apologizing, feeling a bit bad that he couldn't answer the door himself.

"don't worry, bub," logan spoke, "you didn't need to hurry up and end your phone call with princess charming."

"excuse me?" scott asked, looking at the man like his mutant powers made him grow three additional heads.

"leave the delivery guy's tip out the next time you rush off to take a phone call is all i'm gonna say," the man replied.

"you snooped through my wallet, logan? seriously?" with this, the rest of the kitchen got quiet, everyone's attention turning to the two men.

"i didn't! word travels pretty fast here," was all logan mumbled out, and turned to face jean.

"jean? you went through my wallet?" scott turned to his former girlfriend, who looked almost speechless.

"okay, i did! but i wasn't 'snooping'. like logan said, you didn't leave the delivery guy's tip. so i thought if i just went in and got an extra five it would be fine. was a bit shocked when i saw the girl, though," she explained.

"well, we can't all be hung up on the past," scott bit back, and this made jean sigh and logan scoff.

"for your information, my girlfriend and i are just fine," logan retorted and stepped in front of scott, blocking jean from his sight.

"what's that supposed to mean?" scott raises his voice just a bit, not wanting to scare anyone away.

"it means that you have a picture of a girl we can only assume is your girlfriend in your wallet and for some reason, tonight was the first time any of us even knew of her existence. everything okay at lover's lane, bub?" logan questioned, looking at scott defiantly.

"don't talk about her!" scott warned him, trying to push past the man.

"you're right, you're right. you shouldn't speak on people you don't know, scotty," logan teased and it only made scott cringe.

after a long pause hung in the air, everyone went back to situating themselves for dinner. if anything, they'd be nosy about scott's new girlfriend and his little argument with logan after their stomachs were full.

scott didn't even want to eat. he felt his appetite ruin as logan spoke about you. it didn't help that logan spoke so highly of his ex-girlfriend, but for him to not even know you and think he can make assumptions about you and him was enough to put scott off for the rest of the night.

he excused himself after finishing what he could from his meal. making his way back up to his room, he spotted ororo about to walk into the library.

"you okay?" she asked, just wanting to check in on him.

"besides feeling like the shittiest boyfriend alive? i think i'm doing okay," he tried to laugh it off, but the joke fell flat.

"listen," ororo started, "i don't think you're a terrible boyfriend. i think that the line of work you put yourself in is not one that you planned on exposing your girlfriend to, at least not now. she's not a mutant, right?"

scott nodded and ororo continued,

"bringing her around here would be lovely, and i of all people would love to meet her. i need to pick her brain and see how she deals with you," she laughed and successfully got a chuckle out of scott. "but this is why we set boundaries, and have little relationship milestones. don't let anyone make you feel awful because you're doing the right thing and going slow with her, okay?" ororo asked, hand landing on scott's shoulder to offer him some type of comfort.

"thanks, ororo. a part of me just doesn't want her to feel like she needs to worry about me being here. i still work and live with my ex-girlfriend, and for her to be reminded of that every time she comes here isn't something i want her to overthink about. i don't want it to hurt us," scott ranted, finally revealing all his fears and the main reason why he didn't want to introduce you so soon.

"don't you think it might hurt you both more if you don't introduce her and keep hiding her from this place?" it was almost as if all the lights went off in scott's head, and he finally understood he shouldn't continue hiding one part of his life that he cherished from the other.

ending the conversation off, he thanked ororo for her advice and promised her that she'd get to meet you sooner than she expected.

"i'll hold you to it," the woman smiled back as she disappeared into the dimly lit library.

after hearing him recount the entire night to you, you took a deep breath and found the hand of his that was closest to you, taking it in your grasp. you brought it up to your face and kissed it over and over. you hoped it would calm him down, but scott would tell you that your lack of a spoken response worried him a little bit.

"i think," you finally spoke, "that for a while, i was sort of offended that i was this hidden part of you. i felt like every time i would mention a friend of yours, or ask how a certain student was doing, you'd close yourself off. i mean, i'm no mutant but i felt like it was something you were uncomfortable with me mentioning? so i backed off," you explained.

"it also didn't help when you'd mention that there was an upcoming gala you had to go to, or that the mansion was hosting some kind of small party, and i'd sit and wonder if i was ever going to get an invite," you finished, letting go of everything that was weighing you down for the past month.

scott looked defeated, and you could tell he was feeling bad. though you wanted to tell him that he there was no need to continue beating himself up about it, you wanted to give him time to speak for himself.

"i just...what i do is really special to me. and you're incredibly special to me. i have this weird feeling that if i introduce you to everyone, things might fall apart," he let out, and you looked at him sympathetically.

"you'll never know if you don't try, honey," you whispered to him as you kissed his cheek.

it was decided then. scott knew he wanted to introduce you sometime soon, but didn't know how soon. he asked you if you would be comfortable meeting everyone after the little trip you two were taking tomorrow. you could only smile and tell him it was perfectly fine with you.

as scott watched you interact with those living in the house, he doesn't understand why he never wanted these two important parts of his life to interact with each other. it was endearing, truly. watching you laugh with rogue, go back and forth with logan, and even answer all of ororo's questions. while conversing with jean, his eyes met yours from across the room and you could only grin back at him. he doesn't know what he was ever scared of. though his nerves died down a little bit, there was still one person that scott was a bit anxious for you to interact with.

"excuse me," you two heard as you made your way back into scott's arms. turning around, you felt scott's grip on your waist tighten, and your eyes met with the man who was before you.

"hello! you must be-" you excitedly chirped before he politely interrupted,

"professor charles xavier. it is so wonderful to finally meet you," the older man answered with a warm smile.

a/n: hello everyone! i hope that you enjoyed what you've read! i've been searching for scott fics all over and have found almost nothing so i decided to just write one on my own. i haven't written a full fic in so long so please be kind. thank you so so much!!! <3

[jetblack4realz]

lake days iii - jake "hangman" seresin x reader

summary - jake becomes a regular to your family's adventures and a regular in your life

warnings - def no

word count - 4.5k

pt i , pt ii , pt iv

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when jake was the first one pushed into what was deemed the 'murder tube', he was less than pleased. it was a rather large blow up toy, looking like saturn with a big ball in the middle and a ring surrounding it. there were handles every so often, meant for five people to ride, but he was certain that they wouldn't be enough to keep him from flying off.

you jumped next to him, gripping a handle next to him to keep from slipping down as you shot him a quick grin. "you ready?"

"as i'll ever be," he grunted, looking up quickly as he heard his name called.

"catch me," finn instructed the man. jake scooted forward, holding his arms out as logan gently tossed finn into the tube. jake grabbed him around the middle easily, shooting the boy a grin as he helped him maneuver to his own spot on the tube.

"leila, you gonna come sit with me?" you asked, holding your arms out. she smiled, jumping to join you just as logan leaned to give her a boost. your eyes widened as you moved to catch her quickly, sitting her next to you. "you gotta hold on tight, okay?"

brynlee stepped on in between her kids, the final circle complete as darren pushed you guys off. finn was practically shaking with excitement next to jake as the man wiggled his eyebrows at him.

"i don't think you're ready for this guys," brynlee mused with a laugh as you looked over at jake.

"i beth i'll sthay on longer than you," leila taunted in her usual lisp, grinning at jake.

"game on, sister," he said back, returning her excited and slightly competitive smile. seeing him with the kids made your heart warm and you were sure brynlee could tell based on how she was grinning at you.

logan called back to make sure you were all hanging on tight, receiving five confirmations and an eager yell to start from the five year old.

jake turned his attention to you, smirking a bit as he leaned towards you. his voice lowered as the boat started off slowly: "i bet i'll stay on longer than you."

you leaned closer to him, smirking as well. "game on, hangman."

his brows furrowed, surprising you as he pulled his head away. "i like it better when you call me jake."

"what?" you asked, but suddenly you'd gotten up to speed and your attention was on the handles to your sides. leila shrieked in excitement next to you as the tube started to rotate on the ball part, spinning the five of you.

"oh shit!" jake yelled leaning towards you to keep from falling on finn.

"language!" you laughed, your face falling suddenly as you got dragged the opposite way.

logan was not afraid to pull you guys quickly around the water, even though his own children were on it.

you realized later that maybe it was because they were his kids when brynlee and leila switched out for everleigh and kyrie and he slowed down his rather aggressive efforts. jake enjoyed it more that way, taking the time to mess around with finn and trying to stand up. he pulled at your hand that was closest to him, resulting in you smacking him instead.

he laughed, dramatically holding his bicep before turning on his stomach with his feet against the middle and offering his hands to you and finn. logan was still going slower and not making aggressive turns, but you both saw him acknowledge jake's newfound confidence and reach for the throttle.

he held a hand out to you. "you gotta keep me on!"

he was eying you with a little smirk, nodding at his hand as he shook it in front of you again.

"you wouldn't want me to fall off now would you?" he asked.

"you'd be surprised," you answered with a laugh.

"grab his hand!" finn shrieked as the tube started moving faster, spinning as it grazed the water. jake grabbed your hand instead, pulling you swiftly off of the little grip you had on the tube and down onto the ball next to him.

"jake!" you yelled, reaching for a handle that was slightly too far over as he laughed, managing to grab onto one finn was supposed to have a grip on but was holding onto the other with both hands instead.

you held his hand tightly in yours, pulling yourself closer to him when you started to slip down. when logan pulled the boat straight again, you let go, jumping forward to grab your handles again just as it flipped on its side.

you dangled off the edge, feet skimming the water with a yell. jake and finn laughed loudly before they got flipped over too and you all three were just hanging on for dear life as everleigh giggled from the other side of the tube.

you hit a large wave and saw finn go flying, logan immediately pulling the boat to a stop as you pulled yourself back up. you rounded back to where finn had landed, gideon pulling the boy out of the water as he giggled.

"that was fun, dad!" he yelled as he sat next to his mom on the seat.

"yo, you two are out!" darren yelled as gideon climbed onto where finn had been.

you laughed as you climbed out, taking your teenage brother's hand to step onto the surf deck. you turned to help jake back on as darren replaced you, but he was standing on the edge of the tube, back to the water. he winked at you, mock-saluting before back-flipping off the edge.

you cheered, clapping as he emerged from the water, his hair in his face. he wiped it back as he swam towards the surf deck, accepting your hand as you pulled him up to stand in front of you.

"you're so cool," you told him with an amused grin.

"i know," he said, winking before crossing by you and dragging you to the front of the boat. instead of sitting in the designated seat across from brynlee, he sat where you had before with his back to the bow, patting the spot next to him. you obliged, letting your legs lay across the seat as he wrapped an arm around your shoulders. you leaned your head on his, making direct eye contact with brynlee and kyrie who'd traded her spot to leila. their grins are spread the widest you'd seen all weekend.

you just rolled your eyes.

you and jake didn't get back on the tube for the rest of the drive and when you returned for lunch you spent it laid on the surf deck, a sub sandwich in your hands and sunglasses on your noses.

well, each other's sunglasses. he had insisted the moment you pulled yours out that he take yours, smiling cheesily as he explained how you liked his better anyways.

after lunch you messed around on the kneeboards again, spending most of your time bullying gideon with splashes and crossing in front of him to mess up his board. darren went with jake and bullied him, you yelling all your techniques to jake with an amused grin as you leaned off the back of the boat.

that weekend was finished with more boat rides, tubing craziness with your nieces and nephews, and a final family barbecue. throughout the last two days your sister-in-laws wouldn't get off your back, always making sure to note how comfortable you seemed around him and he with you. between the small smiles, inside jokes, and hugs the two of you shared they were certain he was smitten with you.

"he's just... jake. he's jake, this is how it is," you told them, eyes lifting to where he was throwing a football around with barrett, who had a lot of pent up energy from staying on the beach with his pregnant wife and was excited to have you all back to mess around. jake tried to run from finn and keep the ball from the boy, but pretended to let him overtake him and steal it from his hands. it brought a smile to your lips, something they wasted no time in pointing out.

"you're in love with him," kyrie insisted. "and i can't blame you there, sweetheart. he's the picture of a gentleman, is so sweet with the family, obviously cares about you so much, and gosh is he a looker."

"no," you laughed with a shake of your head. "i mean, yes. but, we're friends. good friends. i could never change that."

"hey darlin'," jake said with a grin, standing behind you with his hands on your shoulders, rubbing mindless circles with his thumbs. "are you ladies talking about me?"

"definitely not," you laughed, while alice just smiled and nodded a, "maybe?"

he looked down at you with raised brows, his grin widening slowly. "all good things i hope?"

"they're convinced that we're a thing," you told him simply. it was not the answer he expected, that was for sure, but it didn't keep him from smirking and looking to the other women.

"whatever do you mean?" he asked, playing coy as he pressed a kiss to the crown of your head before running off to where logan had joined josh and finn in football.

you sighed as he ran off, watching as he barreled into your big brother's side, grappling for the football before finn slipped between the two, pushing it out of their hands and into his own. you couldn't help the smile that returned to your lips. you didn't even look at the girls surrounding you, instead holding up a finger as you continued to watch jake play around. "don't even. i know."

when you returned to your house, you desperately wanted to clear the air. all the little touches, teases, kind words, and the wonderful way he treated you and your family was getting to your head. this was hangman, he couldn't be seriously into you. you, of all people, his wingman, a navy girl, and someone you never would assume he would go for normally.

"you're really good with finn and the kids," you told him with a smile as you tossed your keys on the kitchen counter. "i didn't know hangman seresin had a soft side like that."

he laughed lightly, resting his arms on the countertop as he stood across from you. "yeah, i guess i do."

"what were you saying earlier..?" you asked, avoiding his eyes for a moment. "about me not calling you that?"

"calling me what?"

"hangman," you answered quickly. "i mean, i always call you hangman."

"nothing," he hummed. "just weird hearing my callsign when we're not on base."

"i'll stick with jake. if you want," you offered.

"whatever you want to call me i'm fine with darlin'," he told you, smiling gently. "but i'd be lying if i said i wasn't partial to jake. or babe. or honey, darling, sweetheart, husband." he continued on, earning a laugh from you as he grinned at you.

"husband is crazy," you told him, the smile never leaving your lips. "at least take me to dinner first."

"that can be arranged." he leaned closer to you, his smile infectious as ever. you breathed an awkward laugh.

"you serious?"

"why wouldn't i be?"

"because you're hangman."

"jake," he corrected. "and i would love to take you out to dinner. on a date. as soon as possible."

"are you serious?" you laughed again, his eyebrows shooting up as he joined in your laughter.

"yes! dead serious, i want to date you y/n," he told you.

"oh, more than one date," you teased.

"if you'll have me," he answered and you realized that he was, indeed, serious. "this weekend of seeing you with your family just solidified what i already knew about you. you're funny, and sweet, and adventurous, and if i'm being completely honest, seeing you play with the kids is the hottest thing i've ever seen you do. next to you surfing yesterday - you really know how to work a surfboard, sweetheart."

"yeah, i do," you agreed with a laugh.

"so," he started. "you think you'd go on a date with me?"

"when would we even have time?" you asked, reminding him of the mission you both were set to begin that thursday and would take at least three weeks.

"well," he hummed, moving around the counter to stand in front of you, glancing back at the time on the stove. "right now works for me."

"jake, it's seven o'clock and we have to leave early for work tomorrow morning," you said, letting him take your hands.

"didn't say we had to go out. we've had a very busy day, i'm happy to order us a pizza and we could watch a movie," he suggested.

"jake seresin doesn't want to go out?" you mused with a short giggle.

"jake seresin just wants to be with you," he answered quietly, smiling softly at you.

"i've liked seeing this side of you, jake," you told him, squeezing his hands. "it's always been easy hanging out with you, but the way you've been treating me - i like it. i like you."

"is that a yes to pizza?" he asked, grinning.

"yes," you laughed. "you order it, i'll get the movie up, and then we'll get started."

"sounds like a plan," he said with a nod. as you stepped away, he pulled you back, hand dropping yours and coming to your cheek as he tugged you close and pressed his lips to yours. it was short and quick and he was grinning widely. "been wanting to do that for a while."

"well i've been wanting to do this," you told him, wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him close, indulging him in a much longer, much sweeter kiss than he'd initiated before. he smiled into it, arms around your waist holding you against him.

when you pulled away he pulled you right back in, earning a smile from you. you slid your hands down his shoulders and onto his chest, pushing him away slowly. he chased after you, kissing you one, two, three times before you finally stepped away with a giggle.

"i didn't expect this weekend to end this way, but i'm so glad it is," you told him, pressing another short kiss to his lips. "now, go order a pizza and i'm gonna pull up a cheesy romcom that is gonna show me if you really like me or not because you'll watch it with me."

"i'll watch it," he told you. "hell yeah, i'll watch it."

"good, it has ryan reynolds in it and it's my all-time favorite," you laughed.

"well, now that i know it has ryan reynolds in it i'm definitely watching it," he told you, kissing your lips again with a smile. "want hawaiian?"

"how'd you know that?" you asked.

"it's the only kind you ate when they bought us pizza after deployment," he answered with a shrug.

"you're my favorite," you laughed.

jake saw your family frequently in between missions over the next few months. they occasionally took the boat out for a saturday and a time or two you stole it away from logan's house using jake's truck to just go out yourselves. the lake was your favorite place to be, jake quickly learned. and you quickly learned that the wilderness was jake's.

it was a few weeks after a month-long, carrier-dwelling mission that you couldn't tell finn about even though he asked a million times, that jake was on another adventure with your family.

darren had suggested that you bring him along on a four-wheeling escapade with logan, josh, your dad, and one of darren's friends who'd grown up with you all. gideon had returned to houston, so it was back to just the four of you siblings. jake was a little offended you hadn't suggested this before, but you simply hadn't thought of it. whenever you had a full day off with guaranteed no calls in you really only thought of your boat.

jake drove to pick you up, then back down the road to your parents' place to collect the atv's. he'd begun driving you everywhere as you searched and searched for a suitable truck online. you didn't want to blow $13,000 on a brand new ford, and frankly you didn't like the look, but you wanted a cool truck that could pull the boat.

jake had managed to find an old 1986 f-150 for sale by a guy the next town over for only $2,000. it was old and beat to crap, with a few engine problems, but he insisted that he could fix it. when you told him it was a little small to tow the big ole boat trailer, he only looked at you with a grin and said, "well, that's fine. my truck can pull it." you'd never felt more attracted to a man before. and frankly, the promise that he'd be around long enough for you to rely on that made you a little giddy inside.

"my favorite brother-in-law!" darren exclaimed as you and jake hopped out, a laugh on your lips already.

"y/n, when did you get married?" his friend, frankie, asked you with furrowed brows.

"i'm not married. this is jake, my boyfriend."

"he's a pilot like y/n," darren said with a wicked grin. "only a lot cooler."

"that is so rude!" you exclaimed, whacking him in the shoulder.

"nice to meet you," frankie said with a laugh, shaking jake's hand.

"where's dad?" you asked.

"just gassing up the quads," darren told you. "got the side by side too if you and jake wanna take that."

"why? where's my quad?" you asked quickly, eying the boy accusatorially.

"in the garage. don't know if it still works though, you haven't been around to drive it," he hummed, looking to the side dramatically.

"oh that's bull, i know you've been driving it," you told him.

"it's cooler than mine!" he sighed.

"then buy a cooler one, you can't drive mine," you said.

"i tried to get dad to buy a 600 like yours but he said it was too much," he answered.

"that's because you weren't the one buying it," you said with a roll of your eyes. "i had to buy a quad for myself when i was your age if i wanted to ride with the boys."

"i can't afford it!" he cried.

"because you spend it all on food," frankie said, causing you to laugh.

"seems fitting," you hummed. "you take the side by side with frankie and then josh can take yours."

"why does he get mine?" he asked.

"because his is broken and you have a guest, so suck it up."

you all approached the toy garage where your dad, logan, barrett, and josh were waiting.

"hello jake," logan said, smiling as he clapped hands with the man at your side.

"what's up, dude?" jake said, nodding at josh and barrett as they all got on their respective quads.

you skipped up to your black and blue beauty of a four-wheeler. "hello sweet thing!"

"you are my favorite person ever," jake mumbled in your ear as he grinned at your excitement. he'd never been with a girl like you, so adventurous and well, texas.

you laughed as you climbed on, patting behind you for jake to follow. he joined you, arms resting on his thighs next to you.

"you been four-wheeling before, right jake?" barrett called from next to you.

"of course i have, i am from texas after all," he answered with a grin.

"good, you'll have fun with the trails we've got over here," josh said. "maybe not with y/n's driving, though."

"what?" jake laughed, looking at you. you shrugged.

"i'm a little more... conservative with my driving," you told him.

"but you're crazy driving the boat?" he said.

"yeah, well, falling in the water hurts a lot less than falling into the mud," you said.

jake laughed loudly. "just don't be dumb and you won't fall off."

"you calling me dumb, seresin?" you asked, turning to look back at him.

"not yet, we'll see after this," he answered, smirking.

"come on lovebirds!" darren yelled, soaring past you as you quickly started up the quad. logan, barrett, josh, and your dad all followed after him, you taking the back.

you all started down the back trails of the forest, the beautiful pines zipping by as jake wrapped his arms around you, leaning his chin on your shoulder.

"you really are slow, aren't you? taking the back so you don't slow down the group," he hummed, chuckling in your ear.

"it's more scenic," you said, having to yell a bit over the wind. he pulled away from your ear, laughing.

"sure it is."

the views really were beautiful though, as you all followed darren and frankie up to the top of a hill you all called olympus, since it was the highest point on your property. well, that you could reach on the quads at least.

jake's arms stayed wrapped around you even though you definitely weren't going fast enough for him to have to. he was warm against your back and you were not complaining, just enjoying the feel of the wind on your cheeks and your boy behind you.

there were a few times that your brothers stopped for a minute, sending dramatic looks your way as you pulled to a stop. "what?"

"hurry up!" logan called, zipping away quickly as jake laughed, squeezing your waist.

"catch him!" he encouraged, but you still waited for everyone else to follow him the rest of the way up the mountain.

once you reached the top, you all got off your rides and stood out over the edge.

"pretty, ain't it?" you asked, coming up next to jake with your arm around his torso. he wrapped his around your shoulder, pressing a kiss to the top of your head.

"not as pretty as you," he whispered.

"you did not just say that!" yelled logan as darren and frankie laughed next to him. josh and barrett just exchanged grins, your dad rolling his eyes at the boys' antics.

"leave them alone," he told them. "don't want to scare him off."

"i don't scare easy, sir," jake said, turning to face them with a grin. "if the boat trip wasn't enough to prove it, i've got a few tricks up my sleeves when it comes to quadding."

"you want to drive?" you asked with brows raised.

"of course i want to drive," he answered.

"let's do it then," logan said, climbing onto his quad with your dad behind him. "let's see what jake's got."

"come on," jake whispered, quickly mounting the quad with you behind him and starting it up. "hang on."

and he was off. you squealed as you wrapped your arms around him tightly, looking around as he expertly descended the mountain. there were beautiful fields around you, stray cows munching on the grasses, but jake wasn't interested in that area. nope, he wanted to get into the real trails. he turned right, zipping into the forest, rocks trampled under the big wheels and jake grinning as he dodged puddles.

he wasn't sticking to the trails, moving around the edges and dodging between trees and rocks. he was focusing more on the off-roading portion and not enough on the speed part when josh suddenly rode past him. as per most situations, jake took this as a challenge.

he turned back onto the trail, following josh as he directed them back out onto your main riding trails out by the meadows. the road widened and jake took the opportunity to pass josh, mock-saluting him as you cheered.

"you can always drive!" you yelled over the wind as you leaned into him.

"oh, we doing this again?" he teased.

"as much as you're willing for as long as you're willing," you answered.

it had only been a few weeks, but you and jake spent even more time together than you normally did, with a lot more intimacy than normal, and you were loving every minute of it. he squeezed one of your hands around his torso and you could hear the smile in his voice when he answered, "i'll always be willing, darlin'."

you rode around for a few hours before you had to be the one to drag them back to the house. "i've got to go buy me a car."

"you're actually getting yourself a car?" darren asked. "you ain't driving mom's old thing around anymore?"

"jake found it. old 1986 ford f-150 some dude is selling for $2000," you answered as jake parked the quad back in the garage.

"does it even run?" josh asked with a chuckle. "no way you're getting a vintage ford for that cheap."

"well, it's brakes are crap, transmission might be blown, and the upholstery is so trashed, but for what they're asking for and the condition the body is in i am willing to pay to have it fixed," you answered.

"a blown transmission? you know how much that will cost?" logan asked.

"like, my monthly salary," you sighed. "but i really love it. and it's blue and white, it's literally my dream."

"i'll do the work on it, so that'll save on mechanic prices," jake said.

"you know cars?" your dad asked.

"i like to think so, yeah," jake laughed. "worked to get a '92 silverado running when i was in high school and fixed up a '78 bronco for my pal in the navy a year or two ago. better with the old ones than the new."

"me too," you dad smiled, high-fiving him.

"so, we will see you later," you said, giving your dad a hug and waving to your brothers before walking backwards to jake's newer f-150. you waved to frankie. "good to see you frankie!"

jake grabbed the door for you before hopping in on his side and following your apple maps' directions to where the guy selling the truck lived.

"you wanna do the negotiating?" you asked him hesitantly as he held your hand over the center console. "i don't really know cars and i don't wanna get screwed over here."

"yeah, i got you baby," he said, shooting you a smile. "i'm pretty good at talking down a price. especially if we're gonna be investing a lot of time and money into it."

"you really don't have to," you told him. "it's gonna be a lot of work and a lot of time. i don't want you to have to spend your weekends off working on my truck."

"you willing to help?" he asked, grinning as he watched the road.

"well, of course."

"then i'll be spending my weekends with my girl, fixing a truck. it's every guy's dream, darlin'," he answered. you laughed.

"if you say so."

"and like i've said every time you drive anywhere, i can't be seen in a crappy old subaru. it's damaging to my ego."

this made you laugh harder, him squeezing your hand as you whacked him in the arm. "whatever."

"really, though. i'm happy to do it. happy wife, happy life," he hummed with a smile.

"take me out to dinner first, seresin," you said, grinning.

"still haven't been able to do that, have we?" he asked.

"nope. we prioritize take out and movies over a nice restaurant apparently," you hummed.

"and four-wheeling."

"and boating."

[tobiasdrake]

The political conflict at the heart of the film is honestly pretty interesting, though I wish Mariko was more directly involved with it.

And also there are some... unpleasant consequences created by the choice of a foreign venue for this story.

About 3/5 of the way through the film, Logan finally gets a chance to interrogate Mariko's fiancé and find out what the fucking plot is.

Noburo Mori, the Minister of Justice, is engaged to wed Mariko but is also trying to have her killed. Weird flex. It's because he's working for her abusive dad.

Despite being hailed as a visionary whose incredible technological advances altered the course of Japanese life, Yashida's a quack billionaire who threw the family's fortune away chasing after dumb shit. He's basically Japanese Elon Musk.

So, he sucks and his son Shingen has a legitimate grievance with him.

Except Shingen also sucks. Yashida decided to skip Shingen and give everything to Mariko, so now Shingen's flipping out and trying to murder his own child to protect what he considers to be his rightful inheritance.

Noburo's throwing in with Shingen because he's a cheating piece of shit and Mariko would dump him in five seconds flat the second her inheritance went through.

He's going to lose Mariko either way so he figures he might as well make a buck and get a friend in high places out of it.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to everyone involved in this, Yashida faked his death and is actually in the middle of carrying out the immortality plot he nearly bankrupted the company over.

Everybody sucks here except Mariko.

It's a cool idea on paper, but there's a couple problems that the two white male writers and one white male director overlooked. The first is Mariko's complete lack of agency in the plot.

There she goes, the character that this interesting story revolves around.

Mariko... hasn't actually done anything, at any point in this plot. Yashida only picked her as successor to spite Shingen, and not because she had any merits whatsoever of her own. Shingen and Noburo, in response, are trying to kill her for the choices of Yashida.

She's involved in this story not because of any choice she ever made, but for the choices that the men in her life have made about her.

Which can still be fine. A hero's journey isn't always something they control. But she isn't the hero here either. All of this serves to create a journey for this man.

All of this complex political drama surrounding Mariko serves only to explain why there is a princess in a castle for Logan to rescue. She is a lamp that was being passed around between three men until a fourth men showed up from a foreign country to play keep-away with it.

Which is the other problem with the film. That the main character is the only non-Japanese person involved with the story (well, besides Viper) means that this is a movie about a gaijin going to Japan and painting the country red in Japanese blood because he wants to bang a hot Japanese woman.

What they really needed, what this story needed to sort it out and get everything to a happy ending, was a hardy white man to murder all the evil Japanese people involved in an orgy of violence, so that the fuckable Japanese woman can live happily ever after.

This is. Uh. Not great so far as cultural representation goes. They try to balance it out by giving Logan some Japanese sidekicks. Look, you can see one of them standing around in the background in those shots up there. But it's still pretty obvious that they're just window dressing around a story that is ultimately about Wolverine carving up Japan so he can bang the hot princess.

Honestly, watching this movie now, I would love to see a version of this movie that Uno Reverses it. Having Logan, Mariko, and Yukio on the run together but with Logan taking the role of the damsel who finally gets kidnapped halfway through instead of the action hero, and putting Yukio in the action hero role instead.

Of course, that movie never would have been made and also probably wouldn't have sold as well to a white male audience hungry for Wolverine action. But I'd love to see it, all the same.

[not-sure-what-im-feeling]

Sanders Sides as things I’ve said/heard Part Three

part one

part two

As always, use these as inspo for anything, as long as you give credit. Speaking of credit, credit to my friends and students at [REDACTED FOR PRIVACY]. Y’all contribute a lot to this cause.

<<•>>

Janus: I didn’t lie, I just… willingly spread misinformation.

<<•>>

Virgil: Remus is a dirty thief!

Remus: Hey! I may be a thief but I am not dirty. I’m also a murderer, but we ignore that!

<<•>>

Logan: Remus, that is not “fucking around”, that is property damage.

<<•>>

Janus: Pure capitalism… just the way god intended.

<<•>>

[About Logan]

Janus: He’s just so hot when he’s covered in the blood of his enemies.

Remus: I KNOW!

<<•>>

Roman, trying to write: Ugh, what’s it called when someone shuffles from side to side?

Patton: …The cha-cha slide?

<<•>>

Virgil: Stop being queer, god.

Roman: *blows kiss*

<<•>>

Logan: You’re hypocrisy is astute.

Roman: EXCUSE YOU, I BELIEVE IN DEMOCRACY.

<<•>>

Janus: My name… is Janus.

Virgil: Okay?

Janus: Aren’t you going to make some remark and say “Janice? What are you, a middle school librarian”?

Virgil: Nah, you sound more like a stay at home mom.

Janus: Okay that is worse.

<<•>>

Logan, counting money: Four dollars…

Patton: Perry the four dollars?!

Logan: What.

Patton: I was making a Perry the platypus joke!

Logan: Okay,.. Five dollars.

Patton: Perry the five dollars?!

Logan: Stop! Six dollars…

Patton: PERRY THE SIX DOLLARS?!?!

Logan: STOP IT!

<<•>>

Virgil: Dad?

Patton: Yeah?

Virgil: If you were a skeleton, would you play your ribs like a xylophone?

Patton: Obviously!

[This one was a canon interaction between me and my mum)

<<•>>

[On Patton. Unfortunately this was what the original quote was about.]

Logan: His toes are poking out.

Remus: His dogs are BARKIN!

<<•>>

Roman: I’m alone :(

Virgil, creepily: You’re never alone…

Roman: WHAT?!

<<•>>

Logan is enjoying a cup of coffee.

Virgil: AUTISM JUICE

<<•>>

Logan: Oh, my coffee’s really hot right now.

Virgil: Just like you! Ayyy

Logan:

Virgil:

Logan: what?

<<•>>

Patton: Logan! Logan! Can I eat raw cookie dough?

Logan: Well, you can, but you run the risk of E. coli and salmonella—

Patton, running to enjoy the forbidden snack: I DON’T CARE ABOUT E. COLI!

Logan: What do you MEAN you don’t care about E. coli?!?!

<<•>>

Remus: Well piss my pants and fuck me backwards!

<<•>>

Janus, giving business advice (trust me it’s real): There’s two things you need to know about bananas.

1. There’s money in a banana stand.

2. There’s money in a banana ripening warehouse.

<<•>>

Roman: These boots are made for walking, not running!

Virgil: I’m made for walking, not running!

<<•>>

Logan: Alright, twelve nuggets.

Roman: *gasp* A baker’s dozen!

Logan: …You’re pretty.

Virgil: Roman is pretty!

Logan: I was calling him dumb.

Roman: Yeah I got that :(

<<•>>

Logan: Hm. I just killed two flies having sex.

Remus: *laughing* Imagine— imagine if- if god did that *laughing* to two humans *laughing fit that causes coughing*

Logan: Is this too much for you?

<<•>>

Roman: Backflip.

Janus: Evil roman be like. Front flip.

Roman: What?

Remus: FRONT FLIP!

<<•>>

Remus: You’re allowed to be any size, but if you’re tiny, you’re allowed to be discriminated against.

<<•>>

And that’s all for today! I have at least 12 more quote books worth of content, though, so let me know if you want more!

[fixfoxnox]

In The Dark

Description: Roach works a relatively calm job as a Park Ranger. At least calm until a series of odd events begin occurring during his shifts, all starting with a murder on one of the back roads and a pair of glowing eyes watching him from the trees.

Word Count: 3.8k

Warnings: Horror elements, gore, monsters/cryptids

Pairings: ghostroach (potential for ghostroachsoap later)

"There he is," Roach huffed, waving off Logan and Jackson as they laughed at him. "Late as usual."

"Oh fuck off," he walked around to the little computer system at the desk to clock in, "I'm like a minute after my time." He gave another huff but finished checking all of his information in, "Alright, you're free Logan."

"A minute after is still late," Jackson teased, leaning against his security desk with a bright grin, "Thats a minute when anything could have happened."

Roach rolled his eyes and turned away from his friend in favor of nodding to a grinning Logan, "Anything important?"

Logan shook his head, "Few cars in the park for stargazing and drive through, they've all been given the rules of no hiking or exiting their vehicles." He shrugged, "Everything looks calm currently."

"Well, let's hope it stays that way." Roach nodded to his friend and, with a quick goodbye Logan was heading out for the night, leaving Jackson and Roach alone. Roach took the time to pack his "lunch" away in one of the coolers from the kitchen as well as grab himself a few waters, chatting idly with Jackson as he did.

"Shit looks creepy tonight," Jackson flicked through a few of the cameras around the park, "You're a braver man than me."

"You're just a scaredy cat," Roach teased. He leaned over his shoulder to look at the various trail cameras that Jackson was monitoring. They'd set them up alongside the roads to better monitor things, which had worked out for Jackson who hated doing the nightly drive throughs. "Its just dark, you dork."

"Dark and creepy," Jackson shot back, "You can't see shit through there."

Roach gave a low chuckle and pushed himself away from his friend, "Well, lucky you get to stay here and monitor the cameras."

"This place is kinda creepy too," Jackson muttered. "I just want you to know," Jackson called as he grabbed his cooler and radio and headed for the door, "If I see some creepy shit on these cameras heading toward here? I'm gone. You're on your own bud."

"You tell me that every night," Roach pushed his way out of the front door.

As it closed behind him, he could hear Jackson call, "I just have to remind you so you don't haunt me if you die!"

Roach had never been afraid of the forrest. Not when he was a child, running out into the pitch darkness of the trees behind his house with only a tiny flashlight to guide his way. Not when he was a teenager and had to trek through the trails to try and find where one of his families chickens had gotten off to. Not now, when he was an adult and had focused his entire career around the forrest. Perhaps that was what made him such a good park ranger.

He knew the land well. He knew the forrest well. He'd never been scared of the almost overwhelming darkness of the night in the forrest like others did. He'd found a sort of beauty and peace in it. There was something calming about driving through the darkness down the winding roads of the park, watching out for people or animals or anything that needed his attention. The park felt like his home.

That was one of the reasons why he could tell immediately that something was off when he pulled onto one of the small side roads. The particular one that he was on rarely ever got used. Since it just went through the tree's rather than by any particular landmarks, most people avoided it. Roach always checked it though, he knew that because of how little it was used and the easy access to the woods, it would be a frequent place for poachers to try and use. He'd caught five different poachers over the current season, so he knew better than to skip it.

This night he knew that something was different. He could see the tire tracks on the ground from a truck that had driven in before him. And he could see broken branches along the road from where someone had pulled off when they weren't meant to. It spelled trouble for him and he was quick to grab at his radio.

"Hey, Jackson, I'm on Mammoth pull-off right now and I'm worried I may have another poacher through here. Do you have anything on the cams?"

There was a long moment of silence before the radio crackled in, "Camera 40 looks like its blinded," Jackson sounded concerned, "Headlights I think, but looking back it seems like the camera's been blinded for an hour or so at least. Thats a lot time to sit with your headlights on in one place."

"Right," Roach sped up a little bit, moving toward the back half of the road where he knew the camera was located, "I'll proceed with caution. Stay on radio in case I need back up."

He continued around the road, trying to move quickly in hopes of catching whoever was on the road in the middle of the night. He would hope to get them prior to them hurting any of the park animals, but if what Jackson had said was true, he was potentially too late for that.

He sped around the corner to a straight stretch of road only to be forced to slam on his breaks. The tires screeched with their attempt to stop, the sound echoing around the quiet truck.

In front of Roach on the road was a truck. They were facing him, sat sompletely still in the middle of the road. Their headlights were on, the bright light nearly blinding Roach. There was only one thing that he could see clearly with the bright lights shining in his eyes.

The outline of a human figure stood in front of the trucks headlights, silhouetted by the shine. They stood almost perfectly still and, though Roach couldn't see which way they were facing, a tickle at the back of his mind said that they were watching him. That they were staring at him. They didn't move.

Roach slowly reached for his radio, never taking his eyes off of the figure. Something told him not to. "Jackson, I'm at the truck. There's someone here."

"Visual?"

"None. They're standing in front of the truck. Headlights are blocking my sight." He paused for a moment, just watching the figure. They were still frozen, completely still. Unnaturally still. He clicked his tongue after a moment, "I'm going to get out and talk to the guy. Stand by."

Roach grabbed his radio and slipped it onto his belt. His flashlight went into his hands as he pushed the door to his truck open and slowly pulled himself out. The figure still didn't move. He shut the door behind him.

"Hi there!" He kept his voice chirpy and friendly, "How are you?"

There was no answer. Roach listened carefully and he noted, with a bit of worry, that the sounds of the forrest around him were silent. No crickets. No frogs. Nothing. Just silence.

He took a slow step toward the figure, "I don't know if you know, but we have a rule of no exiting your vehicle after ten on park grounds." He took another few slow steps toward the man. No answer, when he was about halfway between his truck and the other vehicle, he asked, "Sorry, can you hear me? It's a safety thing, you know? We don't want anyone getting lost and," he hesitated for a moment before adding, "we don't want any poachers out here trying to get to the animals."

He took another step forward, but found himself shocked into a frozen state when the figure suddenly moved. There was still no noise outside of Roach's own breathing and the two trucks running. Roach couldn't even hear as the figure walked along the gravel road.

It circled around the side of the truck and, for a moment, Roach thought it was going to get in. It didn't, it just kept walking. "Hey!" Roach sped up his steps, "I'm serious you need to get back in your truck. He rushed up to the front of the vehicle and, as he turned the side of it, he flicked on his flashlight, shining it after the figure.

The light didn't offer him much outside of the the fact that the figure was tall and broad. There was something else though. Something wrong. It looked like a person. Everything about it was right, all of the proportions and everything. But something about the tall figure with shining golden hair had dread pooling in Roach's gut. It didn't turn back to him, it just kept walking forward before taking a sharp left turn and starting toward the woods.

"Hey," Roach hurried forward, concern quickly replacing the dread in his gut, "Don't go into the forrest! You'll get lost! Can you-" he rushed past the side of the truck and did his best to catch up with the man. By the time he reached the area of the road the man, he'd already disappeared fully into the thick brush of trees. Roach stepped off of the road and up to the edge of the trees, shining his flashlight through them desperately, hoping to catch a glimpse of the man.

"Sir," he called out, "Listen just follow my voice back to the road, okay? You aren't in trouble, I just want to make sure that you're okay!" There was no response. Roach bit at his lip, his eyes following the shine of his flashlight through the woods. Suddenly the light caught on to something, he stopped it suddenly, finding his eyes locked on to two glowing dots through the trees.

He stared for a long moment, almost locking gazes with whatever it was that he was looking at. It was likely an animal, but...it imdidn't move. Just like the man from earlier, it was completely still. Usually an animal would have looked away or tilted its head or something. The eyes never changed positions. They never moved away from Roach.

Roach stared back. He knew he should have looked away. He knew he needed to look for the man who'd disappeared into the woods. Something in his mind told him to keep looking, though. To keep his gaze locked firmly with whatever he was looking at. So he stared.

He nearly jumped out of his skin at a sudden sound from his radio, his eyes shooting down to the little box as his hands scrambled for it, "Roach? How are you looking?"

Roach gave a deep sigh and brought the radio up to his lips. His eyes traced back up to the woods and he realized suddenly that the eyes were gone. It was just the darkness of the woods now. He moved his flashlight around a bit, noting with confusion that the normal noises of the woods were echoing around him again. It was like with the disappearance of the eyes, the silence had gone too. "The guy walked into the woods."

"What?"

"He walked into the woods," Roach turned back toward the man's still running truck and started toward it. "Left his truck and everything. Still running. I tried to stop him, but he just kept moving." He gave a deep groan as he marched up to the side of the truck and started toward the drivers side door. "I'll check the interior for ID, we'll need to put him in the database as missing in the park. I didn't get a good look, but he was about six foot-"

Roach stopped in his tracks, a cold feeling of horror dousing him. "Roach?" Jackson questioned.

Roach paused for a long moment, just staring. Finally, shakily, he brought the radio back up to his mouth, "Jackson, call local law enforcement out to Mammoth." He paused for a moment, "Tell them to bring the coroner."

"Roach? What is it?" Roach didn't answer. A shiver pulled down his spine. This was not good.

"Hey guys, any news from the police?" Roach pushed his way into the main office of the building, gaining the attention of the three men inside.

"Roach? Dude you're supposed to be off," Jackson gave him a stern look but Roach was quick to wave him off.

"I don't need time off."

"You found a mutilated corpse in the park last night," Logan raised an eyebrow at him and leaned back against the counter behind him. "I would argue that you need like a week off for that."

"It's part of the job description," Roach moved further into the room, settling in the little group with Logan, Jackson, and Ramirez. "Its not the first time I've found a body, probably won't be the last."

"Yeah," Ramirez narrowed his eyes at him, "but nothing like this. We saw the report. This wasn't a hiking accident or an animal incident. This was cold blooded murder and you likely saw the guy who did it."

Roach shivered a bit, images of a face frozen in horror and pain, jawbone hanging on by only a slight bit of flesh. Throat exposed, spine and esophagus hanging out. Flesh torn. Pieces missing. Not a drop of blood to be found.

He shook his head quickly, brushing off the memories, "The guy disappeared into the woods in pitch black to get away," he shoved his hands in his pockets, "Nature will take care of him. You guys know that just as well as I do."

"Doesn't mean that this shit wasn't crazy," Logan shook his head, "Boss wants us to double up on night shifts for the next few weeks."

"So," Ramirez shrugged, "Even if you're staying, we are too."

Roach gave a huff, but didn't argue. "Well, one of you guys is gonna have to stay here with Jackson, he's probably passing his pants with this whole situation."

"Fuck off," Jackson flipped him his middle finger with a roll of his eyes. "Sorry that I don't want to get murdered like you and Logan."

Roach and Logan shot each other an amused look, "Guess that means Jackson expects you to stay behind." Roach turned to Ramirez with a grin and the man was quick to return in.

"Well, I can't say I'm too upset with that choice. I'd much rather sit in the safety of the office then drive around like you and Walker ranger over here."

"Hey," Jackson flicked clicked something on his computer, "Whichever of you guys takes the south road, I need you to stop at the Rainbow Lake picnic area, the camera there is down."

"I'll take it," Roach nodded, "I've changed them out before, so I should be able to do it without you trying to give me your shitty instructions."

He accepted the camera handed to him by Ramirez as Jackson gasped in mock offense, "Is this just bully Paul day? I'll have you know I give only the best instructions."

"Sure," Roach snorted and slung the camera over his shoulder. He grabbed the cooler he'd brought in with him as well, already fully stocked. "Logan, you leaving with?"

"Yeah," Logan grabbed his own cooler, "following you out."

They said a few quick goodbyes to Jackson and Ramirez before starting outside to their trucks. Roach was loading his up when Logan called out to him, "Hey, before you leave." Roach turned to face the man, raising an eyebrow at him when he noticed his serious face. Logan looked hesitant for a moment before stepped closer to him in a few quick strides. "We weren't supposed to tell you," he whispered hesitantly, "but the guy you found yesterday. Police said he was a poacher, they found guns and equipment in the back of his truck. No animals that they could see."

As much as Roach hated to admit it, the words brought a sick sense of satisfaction to him. At least the man hadn't been able to harm any of the animals in the park. He felt bad, but one less poacher in the world was one less problem to him.

"Jackson," Roach radioed in as he hopped out of his truck and started toward the little picnic area, "I'm about to change the camera out, I'll radio when finished so you can tell me how it looks."

"Copy, keep aware of your surroundings." Roach snorted a bit at the words, but didn't respond.

His flashlight lit the dark path down to the picnic area. It was a short little hike from his truck made slightly more difficult by the overwhelming darkness that surrounded him. The picnic area was one of the more popular ones for guests at the park, so he wasn't too surprised that something had gone wrong with the camera. They often had to switch it out because some nosy kid had tried to tear it from the tree while their parents just watched.

The picnic area was quiet so Roach took to humming to himself as he made his way toward the camera to start slowly unscrewing it from its stand. When he was finally able to pull it down from the tree and shine his light on it, he was met with immediate confusion.

The camera wasn't just broken. It was completely shattered. Pieces of it hung out and splintered off as though a heavy creature had walked by and stepped on it. That or someone had come through and slammed it with a baseball bat several times. He twisted it around in his hands, concern written across his face.

A sense of something came over him again and, similar to the night before, he noticed suddenly the complete silence around him. Not a sound. No crickets. No frogs. Not even the sound of the trees rustling in the wind. Only his own breathing could be heard.

Hesitantly, he picked up his radio. "Jackson, send Logan around to the lake. I think there's something-"

He yelped suddenly and span around as quick as he could. His feet got caught together with the speed in which he moved and he found himself tumbling to the ground, his breathing heavy. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He was sure that he'd felt something brush up behind him. Sure that he'd felt a hand brush softly against the back of his neck.

There was nothing. Not a person. Not even the outline of footprints in the gravel he'd fallen into. He took several deep breaths from his place on the ground, moving his flashlight across the area in front of him in long sweeps. There was nothing.

He slowly pushed himself from the ground, listening to the crackle of Jackson calling his name through the radio. "I'm fine," he called over the radio, "Sorry I just," his flashlight caught the glint of something shiny on one of the picnic tables and he started toward it carefully. It hadn't been there moments ago. "I'm fine," he confirmed, "just took a tumble."

"Thank fuck," Jackson gave a sigh of relief over the line, "Scared the shit out of me, Sanderson. Logan's on his way to you now."

"Good, good." Roach stepped up to the picnic and looked down at the little item sitting neatly on the table. He blinked at it for several moments before reaching out to hesitantly pick it up.

His fingers felt over the smoothness of the little crystal. Amethyst. It was a sizeable chunk, about the size of Roach's hand, and overwhelmingly shiny. Almost like it had been painstakingly polished. He turned it in his hands, feeling a bit of awe blossoming in his chest at the offshoots of purple, grey, and white.

There was a snap of a twig in the woods in front of him and Roach was quick to look up, his heart beating faster in his chest. The noise had ricocheted through the silence like a gunshot, immediately gaining his attention. He moved to shine his flashlight through the woods where the sound came from and he found himself pausing as he met the gaze of two flashing eyes.

They didn't move. They just watched. Just like the night before. Roach didn't move either, he just locked gazes with the creature. It was much closer now than it had been the night before, and yet Roach didn't feel any fear. He just paused, watching the creatures unmoving form. He could see its outline now. Similar to a wolf, but much much larger.

There was a long moment where nothing happened. Roach wasn't quite sure what to do. The creature seemed to understand his hesitation and Roach could see as it began to slowly stalk forward. It moved carefully and, even through the darkness, Roach could see how powerful it clearly was. It drew closer, then stopped suddenly, still hidden in the woods.

It tilted its head at him before giving a quick nod downward. Roach followed the motion, his eyes trailing down to the crystal in his hand. He stared at it for another long moment before looking back up at the creature. It was watching him carefully and something suddenly snapped into place for him.

"Is this," he started hesitantly, "for me?" He felt a bit silly asking the random creature in the woods if the crystal was for him. The creature wouldn't answer, it was just an animal. It couldn't understand him.

And yet, the creature gave a jerk of its head, similar to a nod, and Roach felt like it had understood him. Like whatever was looking at him through the woods was able to communicate with him. Was able to talk and was telling him that the crystal in his hands was meant for him.

Roach looked back down at the crystal before back up to the creature, "Thank you." He gripped tighter to the crystal and felt embarrassment run through him when he realized that he was flushed red at the percieved gift, "It's beautiful."

There was another long moment, the creature and Roach just watched one another. It moved again, starting forward slowly.

"Roach?" Roach turned his head suddenly to the pathway, spotting Logan watching him with concerned eyes, "Jackson said you needed help?"

Roach could hear suddenly the noises of the forrest return. The silence was gone and, when he turned to look back into the woods, the creature was gone with it. He hesitated for a moment, looking in the woods again to try and find the creature. He felt almost disappointed when his search came up with nothing. He brushed it off and turned toward Logan, "Yeah." He started forward, tucking the piece of amethyst into his pocket as he moved toward the man. No one but him needed to know about it.

[hollygl125]

On the end of CSI: Vegas:

*Please be warned: This is not in fact a post for fans of (the non-GSR portions of) CSI: Vegas. This is (shocking, I know!) a post for fans of Sara Sidle + Gil Grissom.*

I’d like to pour one out for CSI: Vegas. 🥂

I didn’t watch the series finale of CSI: Vegas, which aired this past Sunday, even though I’d told myself I might, just for the heck of it. I didn’t watch any of last season’s episodes with Greg Sanders, even though I’d told myself I would, though maybe someday I will if I get around to it.

I only watched the first ten episodes of CSI: Vegas—the GSR: The Epilogue episodes—but for those ten episodes I am awfully, terribly, tremendously grateful.

I mean, let’s be real, getting to see the two characters from a long-running TV will-they/won’t they couple come back and be so beautiful together is a one-in-a “I can’t remember seeing it before in my several decades of TV-watching” opportunity.

I’m going to start by quoting what I said on Twitter (for as long as I can stop my iPhone from updating the app it’s still a blue bird and I can use it) a few days after the CSI: Vegas cancellation was announced:

I’m so grateful to CSI: Vegas. By letting us see Sara + Grissom be as beautiful + perfect + magical as I’d have imagined them to be when finally allowed just to be (happy) together, it made the #GSR love story of the original CSI even more satisfying (to me, at least). 💕💕💕

I’m incredibly leery of revivals, which have the ability to wreak so much havoc. On this topic, I’d recommend checking out the story of the 2019 revival of Veronica Mars + the resulting death (murder) of that show’s fandom, if you’re not familiar with it.

Maybe it’s because I read an angstier (for GSR) earlier script for the CSIV pilot. But victories are all too rare, and I can’t call getting to see my two favourite science nerds be happy + gorgeous together anything but a win. Thanks always to JF + WP for being so magical. 💕💕💕

For those not familiar with the murder of the Veronica Mars fandom, I’m going to summarize it, because (in my mind, at least) it forms a kind of interesting parallel with CSI (specifically, the GSR of it all), despite being a three-season (and a movie and a fourth season) cult show, as opposed to the fifteen-season, most-watched scripted show of the millennium.

At the end of the second season (2/3 of the way through the original three seasons, which I’ll roughly line up with “Way to Go” (CSI, 09x10)), Ms. Mars and her beloved were happily reunited. But, by the time the show was cancelled a year later, TPTB had split the couple up. A movie was needed to reunite them and give everyone the happily-ever-after the show’s creator knew the fans craved. (I mean, does that not sound familiar? In the case of Veronica Mars, the movie was a Kickstarter-funded theatre release that came out in 2014, seven years after the show’s cancellation, but still; there’s a parallel to be made.)

Then roughly five years later an eight-episode revival was announced. Veronica Mars + Logan Echolls (“LoVe”) are one of my all-time favourite fictional couples. So was I excited? No, I was terrified. We’d left them happily together and in love. Why f*** with that? I tried to convince myself everything would be okay.

It wasn’t. The show’s creator sh*t on the fans in the worst way possible, and his justifications for it were positively insulting, just, you know, to women as a whole. (Luckily the season dropped earlier than scheduled on Hulu, and I was spoiled and spared the agony of actually watching it.)

So, as I noted on Twitter, I am incredibly leery of revivals. Sometimes we need the chance to give a proper ending to a beloved story (as in the case of the Veronica Mars and CSI (“Immortality”) movies). But sometimes a story needs an actual ending—it needs actually to end—so it has meaning and finality. And that is impossible when things keep getting revived.

My threshold then, for a revival, the bar by which I measure it, is simply that I need it not to f*** up what came before it. The Veronica Mars revival failed horribly (to put it mildly) in that respect. Whereas CSI: Vegas . . . well, to my mind, it made the GSR storyline of the original CSI even better and more satisfying, by letting us see how perfect and beautiful and happy and luminescent (and I could go on . . .) Sara and Grissom would be together if finally allowed to be just that.

I usually like to respond to what I would consider to be negative “bad takes” simply by making my own more positive point(s). But I am going to break that rule here for just a minute. On Twitter (yes, I know, my own fault!) sometimes I still see GSR fans complaining about CSI: Vegas: the “cut kiss” or GSR not getting enough screen time or GSR not seeming married enough (I think because they never got naked—I don’t know—I don’t really get that take myself—they were so divinely married!) or . . . again I don’t know. And it makes me kind of sad, and it drives me kind of ’round the bend. I really think that, if a GSR fan cannot appreciate the beauty WP and JF gave us in CSI: Vegas, they are snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. (I think they tend to be young, and I want to tell them: “Life is hard enough!!! Don’t set up roadblocks for yourself!”)

Aside from the GSR of it all, CSI: Vegas admittedly wasn’t really my cup of TV tea. Tonally it felt like it existed in a somewhat different universe; it reminded me more of Bones than of the OG CSI. Now, I watched all of Bones, more than once, so this isn’t meant to be an insult to Bones; it’s just not what I would be looking for from CSI.

But, the truth is, I wasn’t looking for more CSI. All I needed was for CSI: Vegas not to f*** things up for Sara and Grissom, and on that score it didn’t just meet but exceeded expectations.

I also love that CSI: Vegas put together such a diverse cast; they deserve an A+ for that. Although I didn’t watch either of them, I’m really unimpressed that CSI canned two women-led procedurals. (An obvious response here is that I should have been watching them, but I watch very, very little new TV these days and don’t live in the U.S., anyway, and honestly I just can’t with NCIS anymore.) Progress is achieved in fits and starts, I guess.

(I also will mention that literally hundreds of people work on these shows—Zuiker says 400 in his “Immortality” commentary. So, while it’s the nature of the industry, it’s always rough for those hundreds of people who had presumably-coveted network drama jobs suddenly to be in search of work, so I find it pretty insensitive to be revelling in the cancellation of a show, no matter how much you personally may not have liked it. That’s aside from the fact that, even if you didn’t like it, presumably some other people did.)

I guess that’s all I needed to say, for now.

Whoops, no, one more kind of important point for me: I watched CSI as it originally aired, and Sara + Grissom together were my favourite part of it, but I was not in any sense down the rabbit hole for them. I watched “Immortality,” I was incredibly grateful they were reunited, I wished they had kissed, and . . . I thought of them no more. For some reason OG CSI repeats have never been available where I live? So I thought of them no more—until CSI: Vegas started. We were in the midst of a pandemic, and I shelled out $100 to iTunes so I could rewatch CSI as love story. My CSI rewatch and CSI: Vegas reignited the spark, the disastrous path my mental health was on provided the lighter fuel, and I wound up down this rabbit hole with all of you. . . .

If you’re interested in that angstier earlier script for the CSI: Vegas pilot . . . well, I’ll save that for another day!

But, for now, won’t you join me in pouring one out for CSI: Vegas? 🥂

[tibby]

hey tibby, i got two questions about saw for you. firstly, when do you think the saw movies take place? like what specific year/s? i know theres a few writing errors when it comes to years in the franchise (the tag on jigsaw’s foot at the autopsy, for example) so i’m just trying to see what would make sense despite these errors.

also. what would the spiral killers role be in Jigsaw the family sitcom (more important than the other question)

i am a firm "saw the first movie takes place in 2004" believer. yeah yeah the idea of it happening the day before 9/11 is funny but it doesn't work with the few established dates we do have (gideon night takes place in late october of 2006, hoffman's sister is murdered in 1997 and baxter is released from prison after five years which makes hoffman's revenge kill and recruitment from john in 2002 at the EARLIEST, trying to include a coherent timeline of events by including jigsaw is impossible but fwiw logan was in the iraq war. i think. i don't remember the movie). also the idea that amanda and john manually set up the phone to that date just to fuck with them is also very funny to me. and my research suggests that the motorola used was released in q4 of 2001, which means it came out in october at the earliest. but nothing is conclusive and i respect all walks of life etc etc.

generally though from the time amanda is recruited (april 2004, because i do believe bathroom trap takes place in september regardless of the year and lawrence mentions being interviewed by police five months prior) through to the end of the final chapter (late 2006) it's like a 2.5 year time frame. nerve gas house takes place at least a year after bathroom trap, gideon night is six months after nerve gas house, and the events of v/vi/vii shortly follow. again, no canon confirmation, but given strahm's throat is still bandaged in v we can assume his tracheotomy wasn't that long ago and he dies like the day after being discharged from the hospital. and then hoffman's vi/vii clownery is like two nights back to back. so that's that. early to mid 2000s over a three year time period.

unfortunately the spiral killers don't really play a big role in jigsaw the sitcom simply because it takes place like 15-20 years later. which is a tragedy because i think jigsaw fanboy william emmerson/schenk having the worst "don't meet your heroes" experience of all time only to not learn from it is hilarious to me. i did vaguely conceptualise an episode where he starts his silly little copycat killings and they have to come out of retirement to trap his ass because oh now we gotta be responsible for this clown. and william really does think it's an honour that a bunch of middle aged retired murderers have reunited just to torture him.

my beloved dizzy did write a fic about this concept (not sitcom nonsense but adam/amanda/hoffman live and william loves team maim and kill). unfortunately my concept of retired-but-still-completely-off-their-rockers hoffstrahm (they're NOT dating and they're absolutely NOT married and strahm is still trying to prove hoffman is guilty and hoffman still plans on killing him one day but they do live together and have weird gay sex and are trying to figure out how to get married for tax benefits without actually getting married) having a honey where IS my supersuit moment from the incredibles about the glass coffin didn't make the cut. but we can imagine it <3

they also all try to impart "queer elder wisdom" (see: absolutely horrendous dating tips) onto william to help him with zeke. unfortunately he takes their word as gospel. hence the whole "torturing you and sending you body parts" stage of the flirting process. it's dawning on me that this message is completely incomprehensible i'm sorry. missed saying absolute nonsense about these movies to a public audience.

[i-am-bitterly-jittery]

On Death's Doorstep (pt 23/?)

[<<First],,,,[<Prev],[Next>] [ODD Masterlist]

Word count: 1555

Rating: Teen

Pairing: Anxceit

Warnings: swearing, mentions of character death, accusations of murder

Please Note: While writing the chapter after the funeral chapter, I decided I needed a new chapter between that one and the one before, so this is now chapter 23 and the funeral chapter has been changed to chapter 24. I hope this isn’t too confusing for anyone

~~~START~~~

When they were first starting out as a petty thief, Janus had followed the news religiously. They’d needed to know if anyone was reporting their crimes, if their crimes were being connected together, if anyone realized that there was an illusionist terrorizing the city.  

They were perhaps a little arrogant back then, it wasn’t until Logan started sponsoring them and allowing them to pull off bigger and bigger jobs that the media actually took notice of their existence.  

After the accident, Logan dropped his civilian job as a sociology professor and took up selling his gadgets on the black-market full time, and when that hadn’t been enough, he’d taken up his own supervillain identity. Janus had returned to following the news religiously every time Logan went out as Dr. Frankenstein, terrified that he’d get himself hurt or captured — a fear that only grew stronger when the twins barreled into their lives.  

They’d spent years weaning themself off the habit, and they could now say they were perfectly comfortable relaxing at home while their associates were out on business.  

Today, for instance, they were stumbling their way through a “tea” party with Patton, content with the knowledge that Logan would return home safely before sundown.  

“Um, do you want some cake?” Patton, considering the pile of toy food — a birthday present courtesy of Remus — in front of him thoughtfully.  

“I would love some cake, thank you,” Janus replied. They could feel Virgil smirking at them, but they steadfastly ignored him (they broke into city hall last week and released tons of classified data onto the internet before kidnapping the mayor and abandoning him five miles outside of town without his phone for fun, Virgil should not be smirking at them like that!).  

“I want pizza!” Patton informed them as he placed the plastic pizza on his own plate. “You need something to drink,” he observed, handing Janus a plastic teacup.  

“Oh, thank you, is this tea?” 

“No!” Patton giggled as though the suggestion were absurd. “You drink coffee. I don’t drink coffee because I’m five!” 

“Ah, of course,” Janus chuckled. “How silly of me.” 

“Daddy needs coffee too!” Patton insisted, holding an empty cup out to Virgil.  

“Oh, do I?” Virgil asked as he walked over and took the cup from Patton. “Thank you, kiddo. How’s about I drink this while I make us some lunch with real food?” 

“Um, okay!” Patton agreed. “We can’t eat this food because it’s just pretend.” 

“Yeah, just pretend,” Virgil agreed, placing a kiss on the top of Patton’s curls. He also placed a kiss on Janus’s cheek before he headed to the kitchen, causing Janus to melt just a little bit the way they always did when Virgil casually expressed affection. “Are you staying for lunch, Jan?” 

Janus opened their mouth to confirm when the door of the apartment suddenly banged open.  

“JANUS!” 

“Jeez, Princey, what happened to knocking?” 

Roman, who had seemed almost manic when he’d burst in, blinked owlishly at Virgil for a moment before his words finally caught up to them, then they winced apologetically.  

“Sorry, Virge, I just–” they scanned the apartment before finally zeroing in on Janus. “I really need to speak to Janus about– uh, about business stuff.” 

Janus grimaced — whatever was important enough to be worth bursting into Virgil’s apartment must be pretty urgent — before standing.  

“I’m sorry, Pat, but we’re going to need to postpone our tea party.” 

“Oh, okay,” Patton visibly deflated.  

Unsure of what else to do, Janus leaned down and kissed the top of his head like Virgil had. In return, Patton wrapped his small arms around Janus’s legs.  

“Bye, Janus.” 

“I’ll see you later, Patton,” Janus promised.  

Virgil was frowning as Janus kissed him goodbye, but Janus couldn’t reassure him of anything — they didn’t know anything, and they certainly weren’t going to lie to Virgil just to make him feel better temporarily.  

As soon as the door closed behind them Roman dragged them down to Remus’s apartment. Inside was another Roman — the original Roman as evidenced by the fact that Janus’s Roman reabsorbed into him — and no less than three Remuses expressing various degrees of uneasiness. The original Roman and one of the Remuses had their eyes glued to the TV while a second Remus paced the floor and the third cleaned the kitchen compulsively. The TV was playing the news, which was showing footage of a collapsed building with the headline “Building Collapse During Supervillain Attack: Currently 1 Dead, 5 Injured” underneath it.  

The three supervillains watched as the news station continued to repeat the details they knew and report the new ones as they came out. Dr. Frankenstein had broken into a genetics lab earlier in the day; about half an hour later, the vigilante Sandman went in after him; most of the staff had been evacuated from the building, but a few had remained inside for one reason or another; footage showed Dr. Frankenstein jumping out a fifth-story window just moments before the first explosion happened; so far one employee had been found dead and two more were found injured; at least three civilians outside of the building had been injured either by the blasts or by debris.  

Two employees were confirmed dead, eight more injured. Six civilians outside the building were injured.  

Sandman was confirmed dead.  

Janus had trouble wrapping their mind around it. A genetics lab was right up Logan’s alley, and explosions weren’t uncommon for him, but destroying an entire building?  

Sure, Janus was a supervillain, and so were most of the people they were close to, but none of them were death-and-destruction take-over-the-world types. Knocking out a wall or busting through a window were one thing, but taking down a building with civilians inside was a completely other thing.  

While Logan had never been against taking lives if he had to, he’d never been one to kill people needlessly. Logan was efficient and calculating, this was rash and unnecessary! 

It wasn’t Logan. It couldn’t be Logan. Logan wouldn’t do this! 

Would he? 

It was a tense couple hours while they waited for Logan to return and explain his side of things.  

When Logan finally did come home, he seemed dazed. He blinked owlishly at Janus and the twins when they went to meet him in his lab, not quite seeing them.  

“What happened?” Janus demanded. Logan blinked again.  

“There was an explosion,” he stated blankly. His lack of reaction only agitated Janus further. 

“You blew up a building, Logan!” 

That seemed to snap Logan out of his daze. “I did no such thing!” He snapped.  

“Uh, buildings don’t just blow up on their own, Doctor Frank-N-Furter,” Remus pointed out. “That would be cool though.” 

“You killed Sandman, Logan!” Janus shouted. “Jesus Christ, she was seventeen!” 

“I KNOW THAT!” 

“Hey guys, maybe we should–” 

“Shut up, Roman!” Logan snapped. “I did not blow up that building. I did not do anything that could have resulted in the building blowing up. I–” Logan faltered, staring off into the distance before continuing quietly. “I have no idea what happened.” 

“Buildings don’t just explode,” Janus pointed out, pinching the bridge of their nose. They were developing a headache and this somewhat circuitous conversation was not helping.  

“I am aware of that, but the fact of the matter is: I did not cause the explosion!” 

“So, someone else blew up the building then?” Remus asked thoughtfully.  

“Why would someone else blow up a genetics lab?” Janus demanded, ignoring Remus completely.  

“Possibly to frame me for–” 

“Someone just happened to know you’d hit that genetics lab today?” Logan glared at Janus for interrupting him, Janus glared back.  

“While I understand that that seems unlikely,” Logan explained slowly. “That seems to be the most reasonable explanation.  

“That’s nowhere near reasonable!” 

“So you think that I killed her and am now lying to you about it?” Logan demanded.  

“Yes, actually!” Because why would some other villain frame Logan for this? How would anyone even know that Logan would hit that lab today of all days? 

“Guys seriously–” 

“SHUT UP ROMAN!” Logan and Janus both shouted before glaring at the other for daring to have the same thought.  

“Whatever,” Roman muttered. “Keep arguing in circles for all I care, I’m leaving.” 

The silence that followed in Roman’s wake was tense and palpable. Janus attempted to calm down, knowing that this conversation would be much easier if they all approached it with level heads, but they were too worked up. They’d promised Virgil that none of them would go after Sandman, and now they would need to tell him that she’d died during a battle with Dr. Frankenstein — assuming he hadn’t already heard in the few hours since they’d last seen him.  

It was Logan who eventually broke the silence, deflated and looking older than he ever had. “Get out. I have work to do.” 

“So you’re moving on just like that?” Janus seethed.  

“Yes,” Logan answered coldly. “Just like that. Get out.” 

“Fine!” Janus stormed out, vaguely aware of Remus trailing behind them. Their eye was twitching in irritation and all they wanted to do was go lay down in their room in the dark and hope this had all been a bad dream.  

But someone would need to tell Virgil, and Janus couldn’t let anyone else do it.  

~~~END~~~

So one time I was having a tea party with my 4yo cousin and she gave me a cup. She’d already established that she was drinking milk so I asked if I was also drinking milk and she informed me that no, I was not drinking milk, I was drinking beer, and she couldn’t drink beer cuz she was 4. Which is hilarious to me, and mildly horrifying to her parents.

Virgil doesn’t strike me as a beer guy, and if Orin drank beer I don’t think Patton would associate it as something that favorable adults drank, so coffee

Anyway just to be clear, the next chapter I post will be chapter 25

ODD taglist:

@royalty-of-all-things-snuggly @pixelated-pineapple @arsonic-knight @lost-in-thought-20 @remy-the-lemon-berry @jinxcrafter @apinkline2715 @gothfoxx @donutsarepartybagels @xoaningout @meganmoneky14

[callofdooty]

And Slowly Suffocating, We're Dying

Also posted onto AO3

Fandom: Call of Duty: Ghosts

Summary: Written for Whumpril 2023 Day 23: Smoke | Bloodstains | Sharing Clothes

"It's hard to tell whether the acrid taste on her tongue is a product of the curl of despair running restless in her stomach, or the smoke that has now quickly consumed the room. It chokes her all the same, and as she curls over, knees pressed against broken wood and glass, coughing fruitlessly against toxic plumes, she can't help but feel that this ending, of all endings, is fitting. She always knew the fire would catch up to her. Years of dancing around it, fearing it, controlling it culminated in this one last inferno. Unfair and just, all at once.

Healthy, fearsome cracks and the creaks and groans of a slowly collapsing building were the only sounds to accompany her demise. A symphony of dustruction, though not exactly a score one would think they'd die by, feels all too suited as well. Speaking volumes without words, echoing the life she lived; a life of hatred, spite and vitriolic anger.

But was it?

Begs the question, where did she truly begin? Are ashes truly her foundation?"

OR: Mouse (OC) ponders her regrets, and the inevitability of her own demise.

Rating: Mature

Relationships: Logan Walker/Original Female Character (moreso just hinted)

Warning/labels: Blood, Fire, repeated mentions of a corpse, Death, Dying, Character being Resigned to their own death, Grief, Angst, Fire, Smoke, Female Whumpee (is that a thing that needs tagging? There just in case), Murder

-

Hatch is dead.

Years ago, that phrase would have been a relief.

And only shortly before then, the phrase would have been devastating.

And right now...

Well. Right now, both ring true.

It's hard to tell whether the acrid taste on her tongue is a product of the curl of despair running restless in her stomach, or the smoke that has now quickly consumed the room. It chokes her all the same, and as she curls over, knees pressed against broken wood and glass, coughing fruitlessly against toxic plumes, she can't help but feel that this ending, of all endings, is fitting. She always knew the fire would catch up to her. Years of dancing around it, fearing it, controlling it culminated in this one last inferno. Unfair and just, all at once. 

Healthy, fearsome cracks and the creaks and groans of a slowly collapsing building were the only sounds to accompany her demise. A symphony of dustruction, though not exactly a score one would think they'd die by, feels all too suited as well. Speaking volumes without words, echoing the life she lived; a life of hatred, spite and vitriolic anger. 

But was it? 

Begs the question, where did she truly begin? Are ashes truly her foundation? 

Is it even worth wondering at this point?

Probably not. But it passes the time. There's not much else to think about in the face of death. 

A small part of her - lost, hidden and fragile; the part of her long buried - cries out for her to move. But she can't. Over five years' worth of exhaustion weighs her down. The relief, the victory, weighs her down. All too bitter and hardly a hint of sweet. 

And the other part of her, the driving force, yells out as well. Righteous fury that she should get all this way just to die in a way she fought so hard to avoid. Put through hell, just to be put down at the end of it all. It feels like a sick joke. Like all of this was an elaborate, tragic set up just to be laughed upon. 

Figures. Is all the rest of her can scrape up in response. 

Accepting? Or just defeated? Perhaps both. Either way, the efforts of her survival instincts are quashed, and instead of getting back up on unsteady legs - instead of dragging herself up and out and to the hint of freedom she sought for so long - she fell to her side. Tiredly, her eyes drift to a nearby window, and even through the glaring light of the fire she can spot glimpses of stars.

Familiar, almost. 

Instead of burning foundations, there's only trees. Instead of sickening heat, there's only a creeping chill. Snow bathed in blood and moonlight. Hope that was so close, yet lightyears away. Light, scattered and glittering, all within reach. And now all too consuming and overbearing. 

She didn't want to die then. She doesn't want to die now. But life rarely seems to give her choices anymore. 

Besides, she'd resigned herself to this a long time ago. The second she chose the path of revenge, she was well aware of the consequences, well aware that there was no going back. If Hatch was going down, she was too. Scales balanced, slate wiped clean. A fresh start that she could only hope would finally mark this small, violent cycle as finished. Forever. It means nothing in the grand scheme of things, but to her... it's everything.

Dark... Things are growing dark... Smoke, blood loss and exertion perfectly playing their parts in dragging her down. Her gaze falls to Hatch's body, surrounded by and covered in blood. Mostly his. A vision she only ever saw in daydreams, as fucked up as that sounded. The one thing she'd wanted for so long, and it finally happened, To her horror, a tear catches her off guard, slipping and falling onto the floor below, the noise of it easily drowned out by everything else.

There was once a time where she looked up to him with nothing but admiration and respect. After that, a time where she looked up at him with nothing but fear and confusion. And for the last five years, she's glared down at his image with nothing but hatred. In the last moments, there was fear and anger. From both of them. 

Even now, confusion, betrayal and despair rushes through her veins, soaking red patterns of - of all things - regret into her clothes. One tear becomes two, then three, then four, and then she openly sobs, curling in on herself, even as her injuries protest, even as her lungs protest. She's shaking ucontrollably, the cause hard to pin down to just one thing, but she knows one of them is frustration. 

It's all crashing down on her. This is what she wanted. This is what she dedicated herself to for so long. Why the fuck was she crying?

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry---

She doesn't know what she's apologising for, or who she's apologising to. To all the Orcas she failed? To the person she thought Hatch was all those years ago, before he proved himself a traitor? To the Ghosts and her own damned team that she pushed away, used as a means to an end?

Perhaps all of the above. And perhaps, it's also to herself. To the version of her that was lost to her obsessive vengeance. To the version of her that she'll lose now. Because under all the brutality, there's still faint traces of her, lost and frail; a broken bird singing and singing and singing its sorrows to an absent audience, wasting precious breath on a call that none will answer. That none can answer.

Only, birds aren't often victims of themselves.

She caused this. She'd wanted this. And now all that was left was to face the consequences. There's no turning back now, there hasn't been for a long time.

Weightlessness. Noise.

Unwillingly (and yet all too willingly) her eyes close, and she accepts her fate.

-

The grace of cool air, not biting or burning, but gentle. It reminds her of the ocean. It reminds her of home and the other things she no longer has. Painful comfort. Fitting that, even in death, anything soothing must also sting. It's a familiar push and pull, a tide of relief lapping at a shore of agony, and with every brush against the sand, the water reaches further, washing gently over with soft whispers that recede, only to return a few moments later. Despite everything it's comforting, and it's a welcome feeling to die to, much better than the idea of being utterly consumed by vengeful, fated flames. 

By some miracle (if it can even be called that) they managed to recover the body. A gruesome mess, they'd said. Hardly identifiable as a person at first glance. Not surprising, given how badly the fire had eaten away at the building. At the very least, the confirmed death was, if anything, reassuring. Means whole thing wasn't entirely in vain. Means Mouse's years of suffering weren't in vain.

Home. Safety. At long last, she can return to a place that has always been impossible to reach. A place that doesn't exist in the first place.

-

With a sigh, Logan sits on the side of his bed, idly toying with a piece of paper in his hands. But it's more than just a piece of paper. It was a letter. One that he'd found on his bed after they'd gotten back from the whole.. Hatch thing. Just like then, he unfolded it, quickly grazing over the pages.

Mouse's writing is a lot like her: a rough, sharp scrawl that, at first, seems a task to even begin to understand, but when you take the time to look carefully... It's actually not all that difficult to decipher.

"Logan,

Y'know, I used to be pretty alright with words. Back in school teachers claimed I had a "romantic" way with them, if you can believe it. Bet that seems pretty far fetched, considering the way I am now. I doubt I have such a skill anymore, been out of practice for a long while, and it's not like I had anyone or anything to dedicate the words to anyway. 

That sounds pathetic. Sorry. 

I'm writing this to say Thanks, for everything. I've not been the best version of myself for a long time, and god knows I don't make it easy for others to put up with me. In all honesty, it's kind of on purpose. Actually, it's entirely on purpose. After the Orcas, I didn't see the need in forming any kind of relationships past acquaintances. Not like I had any room in my head or my heart for that kind of shit. Despite that, some of you definitely slipped past that restriction, as much as I hate to admit it. That's not to say that I hate you. I don't think I could ever truly hate any of you. If there's anyone to blame, it'd be me, I know better than to be so fucking careless.

I hadn't felt love in a long time, but in the short time we knew each other, I did. I felt... Well, perhaps "loved" is too strong a word. Moreso known. Seen. Up until now, even the mere thought of that was terrifying. I don't want others to see me. At least, not for who I am: A coward and a joke who can't seem to do much but fail over and over again. But you did see it. And despite all of it, you showed me acceptance, even though I don't deserve as much.

I'm not a good person, Walker. I suppose none of us are, really, but it's easier to forgive others than to forgive yourself, I think. With a couple exceptions, of course. Either way, you didn't hate me for that either, or at least I don't think you did. 

I hope you don't hate me now. I'm doing what I need to do. For myself, the Orcas and everyone around me. Consider it a last favour, yeah? Getting out of everyone's hair, so to speak. Ending something that should have been ended over half a decade ago. I always knew it would come to this. At one point, it would have scared me. At one point I would have also been scared of how resigned I am to the whole idea, but I've come to accept it now. This is just how things have to be. A part of me wants to be sorry, but that makes it sound like it was my choice. It is, but it isn't. Not entirely. 

Funnily enough, I think I've become more scared of the other outcome. The one that, surely, does not exist outside the realm of hopeful thoughts and dreams. Been so focused on this goal that I can't see anything after it. I've never feared uncertainty as much I do when I think about coming out of all of this alive.

I don't want to die. But I'm also too much of a coward to live. 

In that case, it does seem like a choice. But in the end, I don't think I'll be the one making it. 

I think you'll understand. You're smart enough. 

This is getting long. Suppose this was more of a therapy session than a thank you note. Sorry about that. 

Thank you, Logan. For letting me experience this feeling before I go. For making an effort that you certainly never needed to make. I appreciate it. Truly. Probably could've done without this last kick of grief, though. Whoever said you can't grieve for something you never had was a fucking liar.

I'm sorry it had to be like this. Better luck next time, I guess. If there is a next time. Haven't given that much thought, either. Maybe uncertainty scares me more than I thought. Fancy that, learning new things about myself just before the end. Life never stops teaching you shit, I guess.

Take care of yourself, Doe-eyes. Thanks again, for everything. You did more for me than you know.

- Mouse"

He spends a little while staring at it, reflecting, before sighing and folding it back up in order to stash it somewhere safe again. Mouse... Peculiar, is probably how he'd describe her. A mix of... a lot of things, few of which he'd say are inherently bad. Definitely not deserving of the hatred she had for herself, but it's not like he could really talk, knowing that particular pattern of thought all too well.

It's easier to forgive others than to forgive yourself, I think. Logan can't help but agree. Still, behind all that tactless attitude lay a person who's not nearly as abrasive as she makes herself out to be. Someone whose definitely a lot more gentle than she'd ever let on. Kind of sad, all things considered. 

A knock on his door snaps him out of his thoughts. He hesitates a little, making sure the letter is properly hidden before he's opening the door, gaze dropping down to meet now-familiar blue eyes.

Speak of the devil and she shall appear.

"Couple of the others wanna spar. You coming?" Mouse wastes no time with her words, looking up at him rather expectantly.

"Weren't you told to avoid 'strenuous activity'?" Logan leans on the doorframe, raising one eyebrow. She scoffs and rolls her eyes.

"What they don't know won't hurt them."

"But it could hurt you."

"Aww, that's cute," She cooes, immediately smirking afterwards as she steps closer, leering up at him. "Startin' to think you care about me, Walker." Trust her to deflect like this. He doesn't take the bait this time though, and instead fixes her with a more sincere gaze.

"I do care about you." That catches her off guard, if the way she suddenly blanks is any indication. There's a sudden tension, thick and heavy and in a moment of impulse to try and break it, he huffs and pulls her into a hug; arms wrapping around her almost protectively.

Some silent moments pass between them, until Mouse gives simple chuckle as she pat his shoulder. For once, she seems a little lost for words. "Not so bad yoursel', I suppose."

"You suppose?" Logan pulls back a little to glare with mock-offense. Mouse tilts her head and grins.

"'S'at bother you?"

"Uncertainty scares me, I guess."

"Aaalright." Dragging out the word, she pushes away lightly and turns. It's not exactly distressed, but it's definitely a firm shift in topic. A quiet 'you've made your point' before she continues speaking. "'m still going, though. Not every day I get to see Foghorn kick yer brother's ass."

"As if." It's Logan's turn to scoff, "That giraffe of yours has nothing on Hesh."

"Guess we'll just 'ave to wait and find out." That sounds like a bet waiting to happen. Or some sort of challenge. "By the way," she turns on her heel, facing him again, "If you do come, consider changing the hoodie. Don't want people getting the wrong idea now, do we?" She pulls on the fabric of the hoodie he's wearing, and it's only now that he realises it's hers. He must've picked the wrong one up earlier. Shit.  He flushes a little with embarrassment before trying to play it off, tugging her by the front of the hoodie she's wearing and giving her a mischievous grin.

"And what if I do want them to get the 'wrong idea'?"

"Y'playin' a veeery dangerous game, Doe-eyes. Highly suggest givin' up before you end up out yer depth."

"I'd never say no to a good challenge."

Mouse snorted at that, batting his hand away lightly and starting off down the hall.

"That's what your brother said about sparrin' with Fog." She snickers, "Don't be late. Whoever's right gets braggin' rights. Maybe even a kiss, who knows!" 

Logan watches her go, probably looking a little too fond. 

They'll talk about the letter. One day. For now, he's just happy she's still here.

And Mouse... She's found that maybe uncertainty is less terrifying when you're not alone.

She's pretty happy that she's still here, too. 

[khaleesiofalicante]

every wednesday I remember about LBAF new chapter at 7pm when I am either neck deep in shit or about to take a nap and just stare into space for a while knowing I wont be able to liveblog

BUT IT IS FRIDAY AND IT IS 11 SOMETHING AND I AM VERY TIRED BUT I NEED TO DO THIS SO LET'S GO

okay but brain tired I dont remember anything from the prev chapter. Except Nico. That was something else

why is he stressed...what did I miss?

OMG YEAHHH THE ENGAGEMENT PARTY

omg chairman is DRESSED UP

So, here he was, wearing a white kurta with sequins and shit.

damn.

OH RIGHT THE KISS

I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT IT LMAO

yeah secrets are not secrets in this household

Murder, arson, violence :)

Also, would I kill Marcus on site? Yes. Am I attracted to crazy smart assholes who would burn the world down and just intelligence in general? ...yes. I CAN EXPLAIN MYSELF-

Not excusing the shit he did though of course not.

HE IS GETTING MARRIED YOU GUYS I CANNOT BELIEVE

He wondered if he should sit down and talk to bapak about it. Maybe he should check if bapak wasn’t having an immortality crisis while Max was growing up and Rafe was getting married.

omg...

also Lucifer and shadow demons are definitely coming up in this fic. And Nico saw some future glimpse about the LBs which is why he told magnus to take care of them or sum shit. Oh and the Logan (?) guy with mal is the warlock. Also poison theory confirmed! -Leftover thoughts from Tuesday

just kill her now and end it. sigh

Max ignored that. “First…I think she has feelings for me.”

Really Max? You think?

And then he thought, if anyone other than David kisses me ever again, I will set myself on fire.

Oh damn. OH DAMN

pull..?

I dont like this...

“I…I can’t live without him,” Max whispered.

SHUT THE FUCK UP LEAVE ME ALONE

this is sad. I shall now cry

is this foreshadowing? to there being a way for this?'

“If a solution doesn’t exist,” Max said. “Then I will create one myself.”

I...FUCK

ABIGAIL OMG SHE IS EATING GRASS

Abigail is literally the best character in here

New beginnings are so beautiful

Okay but I know we're all worried for the entire mavid drama rn but I am particularly worried about lexi and liv.

they cant communicate. That's it. It was an issue when they first got "together" and then when they finally actually got together and it has clearly not changed one bit. Right now it's about moving in together, what will it be next? I remember thinking it was a little funny in part 1 and 2 but it's just concerning now. How will they work in the long term like this? Relationships cannot be built on miscommunications.

Anyway.

Need to see jace and gabriel bonding please and thank you. Jace's fears are totally valid though but I feel like he needs to actually get to know Gabriel.

He knew Magnus was struggling with his immortality lately.

oh :(

GIGI SAID OKAY IS THE MOST AMAZING THING EVER

omg MALEC AS GRANDPARENTS HJSAUIDIUIJLF

I love diego and alec so much

He saw two girls running across Angel Square, holding hands and trading soft kisses. Unafraid. Unbothered.

Beautiful.

Alec did this <3

“It’s called sexual tension, dad, jeez,” Max had scoffed when Alec had voiced his surprise.

YES!

the blackouts...fuck

oh we had one yesterday! not a magical one but it was in the middle of my nap...

They had an alliance. They protected each other. They helped each other.T hey trusted each other.

I am so proud of him too <3

Would literally die for him

Why was everyone taking so long to get ready? How long did it take to put something on? Five minutes???

DUDE??? WHAT??

Whenever I have to get ready for something, I kick everyone (my brother) from my room and lock the door for a good hour or 2. We just hosted a dinner last week...HOW THE FUCK DOES IT TAKE YOU 5 MINUTES-

“I know she is safe with you. I know however much I love her; Rafael loves her twice as much. Maybe thrice. I have no doubt that he will be a good husband. But Anjali is not just gaining a husband. She is gaining a whole new family.” “And I will protect her as I protect the rest of them,” Alec promised. “That’s all I needed to know,” Diego let out a deep exhale.

Just...no words

no warlocks here...fuck

magnus? you good?

FUCKING WARLOCK MATH

but like...damn he can do math...damn...

me @ me:

10?? 15?? DUDE??

oh my god his OUTFIT I WILL DIE

oh my god they're wearing a lehnga...fuckkkkkkkk

uhhkdhdshjds women

FUCK FUCK FUCK THE OUTFITS I WILL DIE OMG DAVID SELENA AND LEXI FUCK

i will actually pass out they are all so hot

Selena chuckled, realizing that this meant David had probably tried to take selfies with Chopin before.

proof or it didn't happen

I NEED THE MEHNDI DESIGNS BTW

LMAO SOON??? MEHNDI??? HILARIOUS JOKE SELENA

Gabriel...OH MY GOD

sigh...jace be nice

oh yeah logan YOUNG. and they are TWINS

She thought of all the young warlocks in the blacked out cities. They must be terrified of not being able to access their magic. She hoped they felt safe enough to reach out to their institutes.

omg...

GABRIEL AND SELENA OH MY GOD THEY ARE SO CUTE

the signal's been down for that long...?

fuck

also do not climb the twoers

FUCK

THE DEVICE

FUCK FUCK FUCK

I WILL KILL SOMEONE

“Anjali said the ceremony lasts past midnight,” Rafael informed. “So, you’re gonna stay put and play nice.”

Yeah! Welcome to a desi wedding, my loves <3

Today was about him. Him and his amor. Fuck everyone else.

HELL YEAH

his magic...the device

oh :( nooo that's so sad

they should be able to choose their own suggens properly

they're all so BEAUTIFUL

ABBY DO NOT EAT MEHNDI JHJDKFJD

What’s with all the gorgeous women today?

DUDE I KNOW RIGHT??

omg she's beautiful...

“Did you know that the colour of the mehndi has a deeper meaning?” Anjali’s mother asked him. “The darker it is, the happier your marriage will be.” “No pressure,” Rafael chuckled as he looked at Anjali. “Your hands better be red when you wash the mehndi off.”

THEM <333

She knew how to take his dreams and make them come true.

This!! oh my god this!!

I have a feeling something will go wrong

gun

ANJALI NO NO NO FUCK

ANJALI WHAT HAPPENED

I HAVE NO SCROLLED PAST THE FIRST "anjali"

I WILL DIE

NO

OH MY GOD

DIEGO AND DIVYA

FUCK

FUCK FUCK FUCK

WHAT THE FUCK

nope nuh uh I am done goodbye

marcus. fucking marcus.

I...oh my fucking god...

THE MEMES IN THIS ONE KILLED ME.

ps - all of yall lusting after the white kurta has me cackling lol.

[dylan-abbott]

✦ SAMANTHA LOGAN, CIS WOMEN, SHE/HER ✦ DYLAN ABBOTT  the TWENTY-SIX year old has been in Hidehill for ENTIRE LIFE  and was a STRANGER to Miyeon Kang, the murder victim. Whispers on the streets are that the CHEERLEADING COACH who lives in HIDE SQUARE are said to be INTELLIGENT and DECEPTIVE but I guess we’ll find out for ourselves. { LEILA, 23, EST, SHE/HER. }

STATS

FULL NAME: Dylan Abbott

NICKNAME(S): Dyl, D

AGE: Twenty-five

GENDER & PRONOUNS: Cis woman, She/Her

FACE CLAIM: Samantha Logan

EYE COLOR: Brown

HAIR COLOR: Brown

HEIGHT: 5′4

PARENTS: Denise and Leonard

SIBLINGS: Charlie Abbott

DATE OF BIRTH: May 1st, 1997

ZODIAC SIGN: Taurus

OCCUPATION:  Cheerleading Coach

HOBBIES: Working out, cheerleading, Dancing

RESIDENCE: Hide Square

BACKGROUND

Dylan was the third child of Denise and Leonard Abbot, following Charlie. While Charlie and their father had their own stained relationship, Dylan was able to fly under the radar for most of her childhood. It felt like some days they didn't exactly care what she did, but at the same time, she was daddy's little princess. Though she didn't agree with how they treated Charlie, she could still batt her eyelashes and get what she wanted

When it came to terms of Charlie, they were thick as thieves. She was always quick to defend him and after bad fights with their dad, go curl up next to him on the couch and talk him down. She and Chalie would do anything for each other. Charlie was her protector and would take the fall for some things she would do. When High school came around, she was quite the sneaky kind. Slipping out her window, having her fair share of drinks and parties. But in her parent's eyes, she was the innocent, perfect little girl who liked flowers and being nice to people.

Eventually, Dylan went off the college, obtaining a full-ride scholarship to the University of South Florida where she cheered on their all-girl and Coed cheer team, gaining a national champion title or two. Her passion for cheerleading has her back in Hidehill, coaching cheerleading at the high school with ambitions of opening her own cheer gym in the future.

[thornstocutyouwith]

Name: Despereaux Ludde Benjamin Sorley Ásgeir Kristofor Davie Howie Jovian Wolfram Glaucia Pandora

Meaning of Name:  Despereaux: Sorrow, To feel astonishment or Wonder. Ludde: Famous Warrior; Well-known Fighter. Benjamin: Son of the right hand, A favorite son. Sorley: Summer wanderer. Ásgeir: Spear of the gods. Kristofor: He who holds Christ in his heart. Davie: Cherished; Beloved. Howie: Brave Heart. Jovian: Jupiter. Wolfram: Wolf, Raven. Glaucia: Steel blue color. Pandora: All-gifted.

Nickname(s):  Ben, Bennie, Kris, X, 

Age: 30

Birthday: December 25

Species/Nationality:  Human, American (Las Vegas)

Accent: Yes

Language spoken: English,

Powers: None

Weaknesses/Illness/Allergies: Normal human weaknesses, Cranberry Allergy, 

Pet: Weasel (Severus, Male) 

Occupation: Professional Skateboarder, ex-Video game store employee, 

Faceclaim:  Logan Lerman

Description: Shoulder length curly brown hair. Unstyled. Hazel eyes. Burn on one side of his face. Piercings on his right eyebrow, his navel, his nasal septum, his upper lip, his lower lip and his tongue. 

Outfit/Accessories/Jewelry: Wears fine clothes, mostly in black, and revealing, and traditionally expensive boots. Gold diamond bracelet shaped similarly to a snake with a 1960s style. Teardrop earring in Victorian style, colored lavender/purple, that he keeps on a backpack. Earring shaped like five apples, that he keeps on a backpack. A blindfold. Wooden ring. Upside Down teardrop shaped pin. Mask. Dark rose pendant. Almond shaped crystal pendant.

Height: 6’0”

Weight: 175

Body Build: Average/Athletic

Backstory/Background:

Despereaux was born into a poor family. He was born the youngest of seven other children. Because their family was quite large, and their parents had always been working some job or another. The children were often left alone and began to be neglected. This often left to some of his older siblings stepping in to take care of their younger siblings while their parents were busy working. For some years Despereaux would grow up in their family home. He would develop a wild sense of adventure and often be caught wandering around the yard, and farm land their old family home sat on.

But because of his parents always being busy and never having time, Despereaux would also develop into being more difficult to handle at times. Going through a rough phase. This did not help when one night his parents had turned up murdered by some means, due to their careers. The children were then shipped off to an orphanage. The death of his parents had left Despereaux a bit traumatized. For many years that followed after that trauma had affected his day to day life.

Despereaux would become separated from most, and then all of his siblings as they were placed in different orphanages across the state. Their family home condemned. Though there was something...supernatural about the orphanage Despereaux would come to find himself in. Even as a young boy, the vibes were certainly uncomfortable to him. Within this orphanage had also been a secret door. One which Despereaux was told not to go into, at all, if he ever found himself near it. Which he would, several times, actually. He would also feel very frightened each time it would appear.

Despite this, Despereaux would continue living an average life. He would attend a normal, average human school, full of all the cliques and sub-cliques one can imagine. Despereaux would also start to get into many different activities over time. Mostly into skating, as he would find himself hanging out with the skaters more and more. At his school there was a lot of tension between the different main cliques. This was because a rumor had surfaced about an emo and a prep getting together. After this rumor spread far enough, the clique soon began to clash. Despereaux however couldn’t be bothered with it all. It was mostly bullshit and nonsense in his opinion. Instead he focused on himself and his interests. 

Despereaux lives at the orphanage until he is seventeen years old and then moves out into his own apartment. He gets a job not long after working at a video game store and life seems to go very well for him. He starts playing instruments and working on his skating and singing for the most part. Eventually earning a reputation and becoming a professional skateboarder. 

(Work In Progress)

Personality:

Distant, Talkative, Hyper, Amusing, Sad, Popular, Understanding, Perceptive, Vivacious, Attractive, Skillful, Appreciative, Realistic, Sober, Skeptical, Unhurried, Strict, Restrained, Sarcastic, Offhand, Forgetful, Nihilistic, Selfish, Desperate, Argumentative, Grand, Escapist,

Quirks/Savvies/Other: Smelling things, Believes in mythical creatures, Toys with small objects, Committing Petty Crime, Muttering when worried, Prone to stuttering, Believes in and practices magic, Squints, Adventurous eater (Including Leaves, flowers, rocks...), Has bad tastes for relationships, Unnerved by the ocean, Unlucky, Is double jointed, Prone to humming, Nibbles on things, Tinkerer, Thumb/Finger sucking, Ashamed of their liking comics, Unnerved by UFOs, Optimistic, Drinking condiments, Foot tapping when nervous, Never bored, Reciting strange facts, Dislikes attention, Has a good reputation, Vague,  Skill: Magic, Alchemy, Fencing, Metalworking, Glassblowing, Martial Arts, Juggling, Following Trails, Figuring things out, Sculpting, Remembering Details, Falconry, Artistic Skills, Acting, Calligraphy, Haggling, Smooth-talking, Skating, Agile/Movement based skills, Knitting, Pyrotechnics, Philosophy, Imaginative, Lying, Mathematics, Taxidermy, Making people feel comfortable and safe around him, Knot tying, Running, Acrobatic, Programming, Tight Rope walking, Masonry, Hobbies: Impulsive online shopping, Embroidery, Digital art, Civil War History/Site Visiting, Tattooing, Archeology, Golfing, Hunting ancient artifacts, Board/Tabletop Games, Reviewing Gadgets, Entertaining, Feng shui, Visiting Museums across the world, Journaling, Leather tooling, Book Restoration, Farming, Jiu Jitsu, Lego Building, Experimenting, 

Likes: Sweets, Animals, Art, Music, Books, Sketching, Video games, Comics, Manga, Instruments, Board/tabletop games, Skateboarding, Singing,Guitar, Piano, Band, Music History, Recording Studios, Anime, Music, Fighting, Making fun of preps, Conspiracy Theories, Goblincore, Wizards and Witches, Climbing, Archery, Pickles, Exploring, Games, Paleontology, Holidays, Worms, Sandcastles, Tigers, Chickens, Poetry, Martial Arts, Quilts, Pranking, Flowers, Organization, Heights, Volunteering, Foreign Music, Frogs, Painting, Photography, Fungi, Fairy Tales, Winter, Training Animals, Playing Instruments(Piano preferably, Reed Pipes), Mythical Creatures, Strategy, Owls, The color Green, Crafting, Trains, Fantasy Novels, Favorite Drinks: Black Russian, Antoccino, Doppelbock, Traminer, Lucazade, Sodastream, Bourbon milk punch, Syrup, Favorite Foods: Applesauce, Raisin Toast, Baby Ruth, Long John Silvers, Kiwano, Bamboo Shoots, Fat Rascal, Popchips, Crab Ice Cream, Anneau du Vic-Bilh, Slow Cooker Parmesan Ranch Oyster Crackers, Strata, Guava Mango Pop Tart, Tavern Sandwich, Cornish Game Hen, Lobster Bisque, Tangerine Dream Pepper, Bubble Tape Gum, Cheetos Crunchy Cheddar Jalapeno, Sauce Africaine, Dark Chocolate Cherry Cordial Popcorn, Cinnamon Pecan Swirl Cookies, Puto, Chicken Tikka Curry, A&W Root Beer Jelly Belly, Cadbury Creme Egg Cupcakes, Chocolate Orange Cookies, White Chocolate Oreos, Hazelnut Pear Muffins, Star Anise, Chicken Fajita Quesadillas,

Dislikes: Rude People, Bugs, The Cold, Annoyances, Idiots, Jerks, Jocks, Preps, Teachers, Cop Shows, Chess, Treasure Island, Rocks, Clay, Cleaning, Pastel Colors, Spring, Competitive Sporting, Bats, Wonder Woman, Mathematics, Statues, Magical Girls, Hardwood Floor, Clubbing, Hand-Holding, Puppets, Fire, 

Fears: Fear of snakes, Speaking publicly, Necrophobia, Fear of darkness, 

Personality Tests:

Other: Capricorn, 

Parent(s):

   -> Father:

   -> Mother:

Sibling(s): 7 older siblings.

Starters

Chat’s

Para’s

Face

Stuff

Information

Asks

All

                                                            Alternate Universes

Ice and Fire AU: Visemon Black

[maremote]

i’m extremely interested in your silver-shiv-flint-madi thoughts (or honestly just shiv thoughts or succ bs thoughts i’ll take em) if you were wanting to share. if not then no worries!

you asked and you shall receive. this is coauthored by partner in crime @dykementality

flint in succession is either trying to pull some kind of heist or murder one of the roys, but succession is a comedy so he can’t actually succeed. the most he can do is fatally injure logan in a way that puts him in the hospital; big drama, everyone thinks logan is gonna die; boom, miraculous recovery. 

silver tries to seduce post-divorce shiv either so he can scam her or so he can be a trophy husband (the second one is mildly ooc because it’s too much visibility but it’s fine we’re having fun) but shiv & silver have too much in common so they end up becoming repression besties who also kind of hate each other. it's one of Those friendships, you know. the kind where you're only in each others' lives for an intermission, even if you're very important during that intermission.

the silver and roman dynamic? i would like to see it. kendall would be so obsessed with silver because if you're not very perceptive, which he isn't, silver & stewy are quite similar. kendall would channel it into trying to be mean and nasty to him. silver would be terrified of stewy.

something that can actually be so personal is silver & shiv repression hookup buddies with very strict rules around it like NO kissing NO affection of any kind. it’s the most unpleasant unintimate thing ever; think flintmiranda s1 but without the hugging at the end. it’s competitive but not against each other, against themselves. it’s a performance. outlet for frustration & anger with the people they’re Weird And Insane about (tom, every woman her age that shiv interacts with, flint.) 

potentially silver & flint meet when silver is ingratiating himself to the roy family & flint is trying to get close to kill someone or steal something so he’s posing as the captain on a yacht or whatever. this part is just an excuse so he can still be captain flint. 

shiv has a massive crush on madi. you agree. madi gives her one (1) chance to join her and take a stand against the roys/be some kind of inside agent and shiv immediately just starts stuttering and is like “well, i- i mean i- i don’t know- god, like-” and madi is like okay thats a no then! moves on and NEVER even LOOKS at shiv again. madi never even THINKS about shiv again. meanwhile shiv is just. obsessed. shiv and madi are at the same party and shiv goes outside, smokes five cigarettes, comes back in and starts trying to act like someone she thinks madi would pay attention to. silver comes over and is like what are you doing? shiv is like what? silver is like why are you copying me?

shiv trying to be confident because madi is confident & she wants to impress her, but she fucks it up like she fucked up the dinner where she dropped the CEO bomb; she’s an insecure person trying to be confident, but she’s so deeply insecure she doesn’t even know what confidence looks like, so she can’t successfully imitate it. 

max and shiv do not like each other. shiv would be jealous of the fact that max has a genuine bond with silver and she doesn't really. even though their rule is no affection shiv has 0 friends and she does get along with silver as well as she does with anyone- at least, she is actually honest with him to some extent in a very intimate way- which she mistakes for friendship because she doesn't really have any actual friends. so she sees max and silver being actually besties and is jealous because she only has One Person or Two People (silver, tom) and she doesn't like that silver has Multiple People (her and also other people who mean more to him) she cant take being second in line.

this obviously causes massive drama when silver gets with flint AND madi and shiv is shitty to him about it in a really fucked up away because she doesn't understand love not being a scarcity. shes hitting below the belt because this means he doesn't need her anymore and this just violates her enjoyment of them both being miserable together. as long as they're both like this it's fine, you know? i think shiv is someone who really desperately wants to be Normal if you look at the way she tries to make her relationship with tom Make Sense in phrasing & words that are already in use (i'm not built for monogamy, love is bullshit). she doesn't want to feel like a freak, so silver moving on is something she HATES and can't deal with it because it isolates her; it's not "well some people are just like this", it's "well I'M just like this." which she does NOT know how to do.

[yourmypenguin]

Okay I just had a vision. You mentioned remus having a power like Ben Hargreeves (RIP) in your marvel au post thingy. So mayhaps what would you say about each side if they were in the umbrella academy verse (With or with out Reggie Neglectful)? Hmm? sorry if this is annoying.

RIGHT AWAY REMUS IS KLAUS ALRIGHT

Patton is Luther. I know yall might come at me for this because everryyyyboddyyy hates Luther bla bla bla but HEY, isn't Patton always taking on the leading role of Thomas' mind and acts like he knows everything?

Roman is Diego, I know the aesthetic doesn't fit, but always working to prove himself to be a hero and rebelling against daddy's wishes sounds pretty Roman to me. Also, himbo.

Janus is Allison, what's with all the deception surrounding her powers and always wishing not to use it because people don't believe her no more. Allison may seem a bit too soft for Janus' sharp wits and cunning personality though.

Logan for Five? I kinda dislike Five but I'm so up for Logan being a smartass and jumping around murdering people and complaining about how stupid his teamates are and why is nobody listening to me when I always know best!!!

Virgil fits both Ben and Vanya, though Ben's got that little bit of sweetness mixed with sarcasm attitude that I see in Virgil. (but Virgil playing violin?? give me it give me it give me it)

Why, how dare you, show for having more than 6 main characters! how can you do that now i can't fit them all in unless some orange fuck turns up