#from my post earlier. i love making fake gerard posts

[patronsaintofgirls]

gerard way 2022 instagram post

gerardway ✅: Relinquish yourself to the cold embrace of our benevolent Floor Mother every once in a while. Gets you goin’…

raytoro ✅: You’re in your flop era!!!

_unholyversemustdie_: @raytoro ray that’s not…

[electriccenturies]

I posted 676 times in 2022

That's 434 more posts than 2021!

208 posts created (31%)

468 posts reblogged (69%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

daddymikeyway

**************

butchviking

electriccenturies

dingdongyouarewrong

I tagged 465 of my posts in 2022

Only 31% of my posts had no tags

#mikey way - 5 posts

#gerard way - 3 posts

#my chemical romance - 3 posts

#:') - 3 posts

#🥺 - 2 posts

#him - 2 posts

#<3 - 2 posts

#shout out to my dad for making me an email in the early 2000s i guess?? - 1 post

#and like... i have a bunch of fun shitty decks im just selling my edh deck and the cards i have in binders - 1 post

#'a disproportionate number of people who spend lots of their free time maintaining wikis for media are probably nd' is likely true - 1 post

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#seeing a*tistic people get torn apart by other a*tistic people is like? no no — they do get an opinion you dont get to dictate how they feel

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

actually THIS is the bullshit i use my degree for. “funeral clown” illustration. why yes, he is faking his tears via gag squirty flower and wiping them away with a never-ending sleeve handkerchief, thank you for asking

15 notes - Posted July 16, 2022

#4

See the full post

15 notes - Posted November 15, 2022

#3

mcr fans stop conflating gender expression, gender stereotypes, and sexuality challenge... like please get it through your heads that men can be masculine without automagically becoming straight... please...

17 notes - Posted November 13, 2022

#2

hot take that mikey is the weirdest mcr member by far, he’s just the awkward type of weird rather than the super eccentric type so it’s Quieter

40 notes - Posted July 14, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

re: your tags on the mikey party/revenge post - which part of the bio :0 been a hot minute since i read not the life it seems (or are you referring to something else)

Ahhh okay so I was wrong, it's not the bio, it's from "Sellout" by Dan Ozzi! A little earlier than I thought, too, but still. Teen Mikey was such a strange guy, I love that for him. He'd do great on tumblr I think.

See the full post

63 notes - Posted November 2, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

LOVE using social media in a way where i post an average of <twice/day and my top reblogged blogs includes myself 🥰 self care!

[bbodysnatchers]

Tbh if you actually like answering early fandom questions I have like a million (btw it’s me again from the last 2)

You mentioned before that you were kind of out of the fandom by Danger Days but do you remember what the reaction was when Gerard talked about drinking again?

Did many og fans stick around or did they really turn on the band? Like I know you said bullets ppl hated revenge but did it grow on them eventually?

What did ppl think when Gerard and Lynz married???? That one I really want to know bc when I was newer in the fandom everyone kissed her ass like crazy and it seems like ppl have only recently realized she and msi aren’t the greatest.

Ok! Hey!!!! I kind of love you for all of these btw. this is gonna be LONG. SO yes, I was totally out of fandom at that point. However, I do follow a few blogs and I remember when the article was posted where he talked about his struggle with an ED and starting to drink again during DD. Personally, I was kind of. In shock? I didn't realize how much he was struggling at the end of it tbh. I think it also took a lot of older fans out a little bit too. It kind of made him a tangible human being rather than this formative icon we idolized. Saying that sounds awful. But at the beginning, because there was no social media, we had NO idea what the guys were actually like irl. They were human, obviously, but they were people we had put on a pedestal and we could project onto them, y'know? We had interviews and such, but the first glimpse we got into ~the real them~ was LOTMS, which was a highly edited version of the truth that fell into the stereotypes we kind of built. It glossed over Gerards addiction pretty rapidly. Reading his struggle at the end of MCR and DD broke my heart. This band did SO much for me, and a lot of us, but we never took into account how much it was taking from them or Gerard. That's all I can really say about it? Like I said, I wasn't in the fandom. So this was mostly my perspective. No one turned on the band. I think we just kind of grew up and started experiencing new things. Our interests change and merge as we get older. Some things I got from being an MCR fan stuck with me forever - i.e, my love of horror films and graphic novels, as well as my forever love of the guys. But the music wasn't what I needed anymore, yknow? I have diagnosed avoidant personality disorder, and severe depression as a result. My Chem helped me feel seen when I felt totally fucking invisible. It helped me form lasting friendships. I'm still friends with people I met in line to their shows in 2005, and on myspace. As I turned 19-20, my sadness started feeling more melancholy rather than anger. I listened to a lot of The National around then, and started getting seriously invested in film as a way of escapism. In regards to people hating revenge - I think a lot of people either left or stuck around for good. You can go back on old lj entries on the chemicalromance comm and read peoples reaction to Revenge songs. They hated how manufactured it sounded, hated how clean Gerards vocals were, HATED I'm Not Ok - thought it was too commercial for what they were prior. As someone who got into the via Revenge, it actually took some time to get used to the sound of Bullets! ALRIGHT. Ok. GERARD MARRYING LINDSEY. I wish I could figure out how to add a cut to tumblr now but IDK OK.  SOOO. Some background that y’all know but is needed for context. Gerard was in a LONG TERM relationship for YEARS with someone named Kat. No one has ever EVER seen her. Gerard only talked about having a girlfriend, thanked her in notes, and she is mentioned by some reporters sometimes (as goth looking). They break up. Gerard is ~technically~ single for like. a fuckin MONTH. then Eliza shit starts up (even tho she was alluding to being with him for fukin EVER). She fakes a pregnancy, they get engaged (around I Don’t Love You), shit was WILD. like BALLS TO THE WALL INSANE. I can go way way way more into this if y’all are interested just lemme know. THEY BREAK UP around the beginning of Pro Rev. Ok. OK. Within like. another fukin MONTH Gerard is seen MAKING OUT WITH LYNZ FROM FUCKIN MSI. They go to each others shows, seen holding hands ETC ETC. LIKE. THIS DUDE. This dude who had a LONG TERM GIRLFRIEND WE NEVER EVER SAW suddenly has had TWO PUBLIC RELATIONSHIPS IN THE SPAN OF NOT EVEN A YEAR.  also btw. We ALL thought he was gay, no fukin joke. Like I was saying earlier about not having any social media. We had an idea of what the guys were like from their stage personas and LOTMS. And like. Gerards Stage Persona is Loud. We thought Eliza mightve been a beard? Idk it was a weird time tbh.  BUT THEN THEN T H E N G AND L GET MARRIED????>>????? THEY HAD BEEN DATING A M ON TH. a MONTH. and they got fuckin MARRIED. The conspiracy theories, y’all, I can’t. IT WAS INSANE.  SO DUDE GETS ENGAGED TO SOMEONE, BREAKS UP, MAKES OUT WITH BASS PLAYER FROM MSI AND GETS MARRIED TO HER. ALL WITHIN T H R E E MONTHS.  goddamn.  So, ok. Last bit. Unfortunately the attitude towards language and WAS different back then. I know a lot of younger fans shit on older fans for saying so, but it WAS. It was totally different. MSI were seen as ~too cool, and their fans were pissed they went on tour with My Chem, etc. I wasn’t a fan, but I had seen them live a few times with a friend who was (not on Pro Rev). They just weren’t my thing and I hated Urines face. My friend who was actually a huge fan of BOTH msi and my chem separately was SHOCKED that G and Lindsey got together because their band and their vibes were so different. People mostly thought Lindsey was hot at the time but didn’t know anything about her, cuz again, no social media. Like, I cannot stress enough how much about these people we did not know. No one cared about their social lives or what they were like irl so we DIDN’T know how gross Urine and crew were. Like. A Huge factor as to why people were pissed and mad at Eliza was because she was making something Gerard obviously wanted to keep private into a public thing for attention and clout. Also, when he was being SO public with Lindsey it was shocking. Anyway I h8 msi. 

[babymetaldoll]

Danger Days - Chapter seven: "This mess we are in"

Word count: 12,7K

Summary: Matthew is worried after the incident Joey had with a fan. The drummer gets drunk celebrating Frank's birthday. In fact, everybody but Gerard is drunk, and they end up in a strip club. Joey makes a few bad decisions she regrets in the morning.

Warnings: Alcohol consumption, bad decisions. Cursing.

A/N: Missing Gubler? don't worry, he'll be very present in the next chapter. Meanwhile, read how these kids keep making a mess they are gonna regret pretty soon.

Also, all of this is fiction and the gif ain't mine. Love you!

Masterlist

Chapter one | Chapter two | Chapter three | Chapter four | Chapter five | Chapter six | Chapter seven | Chapter eight | Chapter nine | Chapter ten | Chapter eleven | Chapter twelve | Chapter thirteen | Chapter fourteen | Chapter fifteen | Chapter sixteen | Chapter seventeen | Chapter eighteen | Chapter nineteen | Chapter twenty | Chapter twenty one | Chapter twenty-two | Chapter twenty-three | Chapter twenty-four |

--

- "We are not going out!"- Ray was emphatic and looked like an angry father as he stood in front of Joey, who kept frowning, very upset.

- "But Ray!!"- the drummer whined- "It's gonna be Frank's birthday!! We have to party!!"

- "No!"

Toro was serious. He stood in the middle of Joey's room, arm-crossed on his chest. She was dressed and ready to go, pouting.

- "Joey, there is no way I'm letting you leave the hotel in this country ever again!"

- "The country has nothing to do with what happened!"- there was a knock on the door, and she walked over to answer- "You already posted against the attack, Gerard made a speech, nothing is gonna happen to me!"

- "Hello Bug!!"- Frank walked in with Mikey and Gerard- "I heard you were ready to party!"- Ray sighed and covered his face with both hands.

- "Finally! my people are here!!"- Joey shouted, excited.

- "Yeah!! We brought pizza, beer, and video games. Let's do this!!"- Frank said, and Joey knit her brows immediately.

- "You have to be kidding me!"

- "Nope! It's gonna be my fucking party, and we are doing the fuck I want to do"- Frank said, smiling.

- "Fuck..."- Joey sighed and sat on her bed- "I got all pretty for nothing."

- "Not true. You are gonna look as hot as fuck in all the pictures we are gonna post of this lovely evening"- Iero chuckled at his own words.

- "Don't you fucking dare posting anything!"

Ray started the preach the minute Joey's cell phone rang, and the girl locked herself in the bathroom to have some privacy.

- "Akumu, I miss you"- she whispered and sat in the bathtub and stared at her boyfriend's face on the cell phone screen.

- "How are you? What the fuck happened?"- and he looked honestly worried and upset.

- "What?"

- "What the fuck happened today?? Why didn't you tell me a fan smashed a bottle against your head?!"- the drummer sighed and closed her eyes

- "'Cos I didn't want you to get worried."

- "Well, too bad 'cos I found out on Twitter, and I am fucking worried!"- Joey sighed, staring at him, and pouted- "Don't give me that all innocent look 'cos I am mad! How couldn't you fucking tell me, Joey?! This is serious!"

- "I am ok, Akumu. Nothing bad happened."

- "This is all Frank's fault!!"- Matthew was honestly upset. He kept walking around the set, hitting walls. and making his best not to yell at his girlfriend- "I wanna break that fucker's face!"

- "Please don't say that. He was just trying to help,"- Joey whispered but didn't have another excuse for her friend.

- "Well, he is an asshole..."- Gubler looked at Joey on the screen and sighed- "What if something worse would have happened?"

- "But it didn't"

- "Joey, I mean it, what if something awful happened to you on tour and I am not there with you..."- he paused 'cos a knot in his throat didn't let him say another word.

- "Matthew... I am ok, I am going to be ok. It was just a psycho fan. There are bodyguards around us the whole time. I am not walking around alone. And most important of all, I am not going to hide just 'cos a few teenagers hate me for touring with this band."

- "Joey, please don't be the tough girl I know you are this time. This is serious."

She sighed and stared at Matthew. Sometimes Joey felt he was more sensitive than she was. He wasn't afraid to feel, and she was scared to feel weak.

Joey's cell beeped as she and her boyfriend kept staring at each other in silence, both of them feeling like shit for being apart.

- "What is it?"

- "Mom is calling... I bet she knows too."

- "Call me later?"

- "Ok..."

- "I love you, Yami. I don't want anything bad ever to happen to you."

- "I love you too, Akumu... I'll call you in a few minutes, ok?"

- "Are you ok?"- Gerard asked his brother as he watched him drink a can of beer in less than two minutes.

- "Yeah, why?"

- "'Cos you look sad? Weird? Depressed?"

- "No, I'm ok. Have you talked to Lynz?"

- "Yeah, earlier today"

- "How is she?"

- "Good, she has a lot of work, but that's good 'cos she is busy"- Gerard didn't get why his brother was asking so much about his wife- "Are you sure you..."

- "Yeah, dude! I'm ok! I'm fine"- Mikey looked around and frowned- "Where's Bug?"

- "In the bathroom talking with Gubler"- Frank said as he walked to the door, and James walked in with more booze- "Yeah! Party time! excellent"

Iero was excited. A big part of him wanted to be back home with his wife and kids, but after the shitty day they had had, he felt like he could use a chill party with his friends to ease his mind from the deep guilt he was feeling.

Frank felt like the shit, to be honest. Before and after the show, he locked in his room alone and basically cursed himself for being such an asshole. He stared at the picture he took with Joey for a long time and felt he had been too selfish. He got carried away by the moment and his urges to kiss her, and everything ended up being a fucking disaster. The worst part of the whole mess: he fucking loved the picture. He would frame it if he could.

- "Iceland!"- Iero sort of yelled and hugged Joey as soon as she walked out the bathroom, making her chuckle surprised.

- "Jersey! are you drunk already?"

- "No, I'm just happy to see you! Now let's get drunk!"- the girl smiled and nodded- "Everything ok?"

- "Yeah, I was just talking with Matthew and my mom, and then with Matthew again. They saw the whole deal on the internet and were pretty scared... and Gubler hates you now"- Frank fake smiled at that, praying Joey didn't notice- "I'm just kidding!"- she quickly added and hugged Frank for a second- "He is just worried sick about everything."

- "We are all worried, but nothing bad will happen to you again"- Iero smiled, and Joey nodded, walking away from him.

To be honest, Frank didn't give a shit if Matthew hated him. He wasn't a fan of the actor either at that point. He followed Joey with his eyes across the room until he found Gerard looking at him with a frown. Iero smiled and nodded. Gerard did the same.

It wasn't even midnight yet, and Mikey was drunk. Seriously drunk. He sat next to Joey on the floor and rested his head on her shoulder.

- "Are you ready to sleep?"- she whispered and moved her head on his.

- "Nope."

- "Are you gonna puke?"

- "Not yet."

- "I always forget you are the most functional intoxicated person I have ever met,"- and Mikey chuckled.

- "I love you, Bug,"- the girl smiled and sighed. It made her happy to know she had a friend on him.

- "Thank you, bróðir, I love you too. I'm glad I met you"- she made a pause and turned to him- "But if you puke on me, I'll kill you"- and Mikey burst out laughing.

- "Got it."

- "Joey, you are up!"- Frank said and handed her the joystick- "Dude, come on! You can't be that drunk just yet! I'm still halfway there!"

- "Then you should catch up!"- Mikey answered with barely opened eyes.

- "It's on bitch!"- Frank laughed and walked to grab another beer. Joey chuckled and walked closer to the tv, to bump into her opponent: Gerard.

- "Hey"- she smiled and sat next to him- "What are we playing now?"

- "Mario Kart."

- "Ok, ready to lose?"

- "I don't know, are you?"- Joey turned to him and found his eyes on her, making her heart skip a beat.

- "Eat dirty, Gerard Way"- she answered and pressed start.

Gerard was chuckling nonstop as Joey groaned, frustrated. He was winning, and she hated it. Although, she knew she was having a good time. The rest of the guys were talking and drinking, so no one really paid attention to them.

- "And suck it!!"- he shouted, winning another race.

- "No way, José! You are fucking cheating!"- Joey argued immediately- "I want revenge! I need revenge!!"

- "Fine by me"- the singer smiled and watched how the girl started another race.

- "Hey, Gerard"- she said after a few minutes of playing.

- "Yeah?"

- "This is the first time we do something together in days... actually, this is the first time you talk to me in days... is everything ok?"

- "Yeah, why?"

Gerard pretended to be surprised. He was thankful they had to be looking at the screen, 'cos it kept him from staring at her eyes and melt. Joey was thinking the very same thing.

- "After the day you found me crying, you basically ignored me."

- "I didn't! I've been tired, that's all."

- "Is that it?"

- "Yes, of course. "Liar liar pants on fire."

- "Good,"- Joey made a pause and just spit out- "I thought maybe you were mad or uncomfortable with me after that nap."

- "No! of course not!"

Gerard was blushing and his deepest desire at that moment was to run away from that conversation. He felt like he had to lie about every single thing he had to tell that woman.

- "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

- "You didn't"

- "And if..."- Gerard paused the game and turned to her. He even sighed as his eyes locked in hers.

- "Joey, it's not a problem. I really enjoyed our time together that night, it was very special to me"- and suddenly he realized he wasn't lying, and it was a mistake- "I mean, we didn't start with the right foot and the fact we were able to talk and have a moment together made me very happy 'cos... it meant we were... leaving all that bullshit behind."

Joey nodded and sighed. They kept staring at each other, and Gerard had to literally fight the instinct of leaning over to kiss her. Until it got weird.

- "Can you please unpause the game so I can fucking kick your lousy ass??"- she said, waking from the trance and making her best to look cool after all whole time staring at him.

- "Burn!!"- Mikey yelled and sat next to Joey at the end of the bed.

That party was wild. By two in the morning, everybody was trashed, and Frank was drunk as a skunk. He kept walking around the room, holding a beer, wearing the dragon onesie Joey had gotten him as a birthday present. Why? She didn't have a reason. She just wanted to see if he would wear it. And he loved it.

- "Bug!! My phone!!"- Mikey shouted and looked at the girl, who stood at the other side of the room, laughing with Ray and James.

- "No!"- she replied and frowned as Mikey stumbled over, wasted.

- "I need it!"

- "No, you don't!"

- "I have to call my mom"- he begged with closed eyes in a big pout.

- "No, you can't call you "mom" this drunk"- the girl said with air quotes- "I told you I was gonna stop you."

- "You also said you were gonna get drunk with me."

- "Dude, I am drunk! You are intoxicated. There is a bunch of booze in between, but I'm not sober, and that's the point."

- "Bug, that made no sense"- Ray said, laughing, also pretty drunk.

- "Shit!"- and she giggled.

- "Now, the phone!!"- Mikey demanded, again.

- "No! I'm not gonna give it to you!"- Joey argued and felt Mikey wrapping his arms around her, searching for the phone in her pockets- "Dude! I don't even have it with me!"

- "Where is it?"

- "Why is Mikey not allowed to use his phone?"- Frank asked with glassy drunken eyes.

- "'Cos he is wasted"- Joey simply explained as the youngest Way kept searching around for his phone- "You are not gonna find it bróðir!! gefast upp!! (give up!)."

- "Don't go all drunk and Icelandic at the same time!"- Frank argued and wrapped an arm around Joey's waist, laughing along with her.

- "þú ert sætur! (You are cute!)"- the girl chuckled and kissed Frank's cheek.

Gerard was burning in anger, sipping his diet coke at the other side of the room, staring at the scene, thinking of a way to stop it all. Being jealous of Frank hadn't happened before, and he didn't know how to deal with it 'cos he was his fucking best friend.

- "You are a lovely drunk. Now, what the fuck did you say?"

- "Happy birthday"- she lied and stuck out her tongue- "Mikey!!"- and she turned around and let Frankie go- "You are never gonna find it!"

- "But I wanna call her!!"- he shouted, starting to lose it.

- "Why?"

- "'Cos I love her"- he whispered and felt Joey hugging him.

- "Come on, bróðir. You shouldn't do this... you know what's gonna happen."

Mikey broke into tears, and everybody was lost 'cos none of them knew what had happened.

- "Mikey, are you ok?"- Gerard asked and walked to his brother, honestly worried

- "I'm getting a divorce"- he simply confessed- "And I didn't want you to know."

The whole bunch of friends stayed quiet. Joey hugged Mikey again and felt him sobbing on her shoulder.

- "Dude, I'm so sorry"- Ray walked over and rubbed on his friend's back, as pretty much everybody in the room walked to hug him.

- "And you are not calling her,"- Joey added, and the whole bunch agreed with her- "You and I made an agreement when we were sober, and I am going to respect it."

- "Bug is right, dude"- Ray sat down next to Mikey and wrapped an arm around his shoulder in support- "You are going to regret everything you say to her in the morning."

- "You know what we should do?"- Joey kind of yelled- "We have to go to the Red Light District! Right now! I am gonna buy you a lap dance, my dear brother!!"

The girl's eyes shone as soon as she delivered that line, and no one in the band said a thing until...

- "Fuck yeah!!"- Frank yelled- "It's my birthday, and we are doing this!!"

- "We are not leaving the hotel this drunk"- Ray quickly said, being a bummer.

- "Can you stop being a dad just for tonight?"- Joey asked and pinched his cheeks- "Please! I can buy you a lap dance too."

- "Can you give me a lapdance, Bug?"- Frank asked, and Gerard clenched his fist.

Way had been in silence the whole time, surprised by his brother's news and not getting what was going on with that drunk bunch of people.

- "I'm just asking 'cos you are offering a lot, and I could help you save some money"- Joey hit Frank's arm and didn't even answer. Instead, she looked at Ray again and pouted.

- "Please, dad! Let me get a stripper to my friend"- and Toro chuckled.

- "Fine, let's do this, just 'cos I don't wanna be a bummer."

- "But I don't want a stripper"- Mikey argued- "I just wanna call my wife and tell her I love her!"

- "Mikey, you are getting tits on your face. You are not calling that bitch! Come on!"- Joey grabbed his hand and forced him to stand up- "I know I got this hot for a reason tonight!"

James was the first one to avoid the plan and returned to his room. The same about their tour manager, though he gently got them a van to take them from and to the bar and tickets to get into the best strip club in the Red Light District.

Gerard was only coming along 'cos he was worried about his brother and Joey. And about the fact Frankie sat next to her in the van, wrapping an arm around her waist, again. She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder for a part of the trip, and Gerard couldn't do anything to stop it. He only knew he felt he had to rescue Joey from his friend. And make his best not to punch him in the process.

Gerard hadn't felt this jealous in years. Years. He didn't even remember if he had ever felt like that about his wife. Probably he had... but he couldn't recall it, 'cos this blind jealousy had taken over all his brain.

Joey was on fire that night. She was pretty drunk and mostly very worried about Mikey. He was her buddy and best friend in the band, and she wanted him to feel a little bit better. He had always been the nicest with her, aside from Ray. She wondered suddenly what nice thing she could do for Ray, but it was Mikey's moment that day.

They walked into the BonTon Stripclub Club Amsterdam, Joey singing Careless Whisper followed by the band. They were all pretty shy about going to a strip club. None of them would have ever thought about doing such a thing... well, not in a long while at least.

- "Come on, kids!"- she chuckled and thrust Mikey in.- "Let's get more booze and a lap dance for my buddy!"

- "Was she always this..."- but Gerard couldn't finish the sentence.

- "Fun? Drunk? Hot? Yeah, she has always been that"- Frank said, wasted, and followed the girl inside, grabbing her by the waist and walking to the bar.

But that time, Gerard didn't just stare. He quickly moved along and grabbed Joey's hand. Ray frowned and nodded. He totally got what was going on right away, and he knew how childish any dispute between Iero and Way could be. They were both like kids when they wanted the same thing, in this case, Joey's attention.

- "Hey... are you ok?"- Toro asked Mikey as he stood still, looking around in shock.

- "How did we end up here?"

- "Joey is gonna buy you a lap dance."

- "Right..."

- "Come on, buddy."

The band sat at the private VIP area, 'cos Ray (being the dad in every situation, even when drunk) thought it was better to catch the least attention as possible. Joey argued no one was going to pay attention to them in a strip club but gave up arguing when she got a champagne bottle in her hands and got to pick a girl for Mikey.

- "It's my birthday!"- Frank said and smiled in the sexiest way he could, considering how drunk he was.

- "Do you want a girl on your lap, too?"- Joey asked and grabbed another ten euros from her pocket- "Let me get a hot one!"

Frank chuckled, he didn't want one, but it was fun looking at the girl all hyperventilated.

- "Fuck! What if she makes out with a stripper? Shit! she totally should make out with a stripper! I wanna see her doing that!"- and now Frank couldn't get the idea from his head.

- "Ok, can we settle on being here for an hour and then going back to the hotel?"- Gerard tried to convince the bunch, but no one listened. Joey arrived with another girl, placed the money on her bra, and sat with the guys to enjoy the dance.

- "Mikey, Natasha was just telling me she thinks you are hot,"- Joey lied, 'cos the girl's name wasn't even Natasha, and she didn't speak English, but no one cared actually.

- "Really?"- "Natasha" kept dancing on Mikey's leg as he looked at her hypnotized. Joey chuckled, thinking at least for a while her friend wasn't going to think about the shitty wife who dumped him. She knew a stripper wasn't the solution to his problems, but it wasn't going to hurt under the circumstances.

Ray looked at Gerard and chuckled. For being the one who wanted to go home an hour ago, he seemed to be having a good time. Way sipped his diet coke and laughed as Joey and Mikey danced for them to a Loveage song. The girl kept putting bills on the edge of Mikey's pants as Frank spanked him.

- "Best birthday ever!"- he shouted- "Can we do this every year?"

- "You don't get to celebrate your birthday in Amsterdam every year, Jersey!"- Joey laughed and sat next to him to catch her breath- "Fuck, I'm tired"- she closed her eyes for a second, and the room started spinning- "Oh fuck! I'm wasted."

- "We should go back, then"- Gerard quickly said, staring at her with a worried gaze. It was apparent she had drunk way too much, and he still felt the urge to carry her in his arms and put her in a safe place, probably in his bed, to take care of her on his own.

- "Not until Mikey gets one last dance!"- Joey rang a bell, and Ray closed his eyes.

Honestly, Ray never thought Joey could be like that when she got drunk. Then again, you never really know anybody until you are locked with them on tour for weeks, not having many more people to talk with.

A stripper walked into the room, and Joey pointed at Mikey. But the woman walked to her instead and held her hand. Frank clapped like a maniac as Joey and the stripper started dancing together. Gerard wanted to stop the whole thing, and at the same time, he felt like staring at the show, hiding the boner in his pants. It was a hot scene. It was way too hot. He had material to jerk off for an entire month.

The stripper ran her hands over Joey's body as the girl chuckled nervously but actually enjoying her time. She knew it was harmless, and she was with her buddies... and Gerard. She was drunk, and for some weird reason, she wanted him to want her. She wanted him to think she was sexy.

- "I'm not gonna do anything about it, but if I fancy him, it's only fair that he fancies me as well"- she thought, drunk. And so, she slowly moved even closer to the stripper and smiled, staring into her eyes. The woman smiled back and slowly ran her tongue on her lips, landed her hands on Joey's waist, moving her closer to her and kissing her.

- "Holy shit!!"- Frank Iero yelled, jumping on his chair. Mikey widened his eyes, not believing what he was seeing, as Joey and the stripper kissed once more, with more passion, a little dirtier than the first, before giggling and splitting. Frank clapped. It was the only thing he could do with his hands in public at the moment. Ray did his best not to make eye contact with Joey, who blushed and sat down, looking at Gerard. She was a little embarrassed, a little aroused, and mostly wondering if Gerard Way wanted her at the moment. The answer was yes, but she had no idea how badly.

The stripper finished, and the whole gang stayed in silence. Joey chuckled again as Frank burst out laughing.

- "I thought the onesie was the perfect present, but that show was priceless. You, my friend, are the fucking best"- and Joey giggled.

- "Guys are so simple, a girl just gotta kiss a girl to get some attention"- she mumbled and yawned.

- "Bug, are you ok?"- Mikey asked and sat next to her- "Bug?"

- "I think she is falling asleep"- Gerard said and moved his brother away from her- "Let's take her back to the hotel."

- "Ok, I'm gonna pay"- Ray stood up, but Joey raised her arm and chuckled.

- "Dad, it's all covered."

- "What Bug?"- he leaned closer and moved the hair carefully from her face.

- "I owed you"- she smiled, and Ray sighed- "I told you I was gonna get you something with my first paycheck... I got you hoes!! Best drummer ever, right?"- the whole band nodded and smiled.

- "Best drummer ever, Iceland"- Frank stood up with her and kissed her temple- "Now let's get you to bed."

Gerard grabbed her jacket and made sure there was nothing else left when they left the room. They all walked to the door, doing their very best to look sober... of course, except for Gerard, who was, as always, the only one sober.

Raymond Toro carried Joey in his arms, bridal style, when they got off the van. Gerard was helping his brother Mikey walking, along with Frank, who was doing his best to look sober than he was.

- "Best fucking birthday ever!"- he chuckled in the elevator- "Thank you, guys."

- "We love you, Frankie"- Mikey whispered and tapped on his back- "Remember that when I throw up on you in a couple of minutes."

- "No one is going to throw up in the elevator. Come on, let's get Joey in bed,"- Ray argued immediately.

- "I'll puke in her bathroom"- Mikey nodded in agreement with his own words.

Gerard checked on her things until he found the key to her room, and everybody walked in. Mikey rushed into the bathroom and locked himself in there. Ray walked to the bed and carefully dropped Joey on it. Gerard took off her shoes and hesitated for a second if he should take anything else off. But he didn't.

- "Dude, we really trashed her room,"- Ray said and looked around. Frank was drinking a can of beer that was left on a table- "Really?"

- "I'm not even so..."- Frank didn't finish talking and gagged. He had to rush to the bathroom and fight for a place to puke.

- "This got wild"- Ray chuckled and started cleaning. He was wasted, but he still acted like the responsible one. Gerard didn't answer. He sat next to Joey and looked at her in silence.

- "Dude, stop that"- Ray argued right away.

- "What? I'm not doing anything"- Gerard tried to act cool, but it was too late.

- "I'm drunk, but I got it, you have a cr..."

- "Shh!"- Gee commanded his friend to stay quiet, and Toro chuckled.

- "So it's true."

- "I don't! I'm just worried about what happened today with the fan and how bad I acted when we met her... I just feel like I owe her being extra nice."

- "Sure, dude"- Ray laid on a couch and yawned- "Just remember I met you a million years ago, and you can't fool me that easily."

- "I am not fooling you, just... stop talking or even thinking about this."

- "Fine."

Ray yawned again and closed his eyes for a second. Gerard turned to Joey again to make sure she was asleep, suddenly he panicked, thinking she might have heard that conversation. But she didn't.

- "Ok, I feel better"- Mikey said, stumbling over the bed and lying next to Joey.

- "What the fuck are you doing?"- Gerard nearly yelled.

- "I'm crashing with Bug here 'cos I don't wanna sleep alone"- he kicked off his shoes and closed his eyes.

- "Dude, you can't sleep with her!"- Gerard wanted to do that, but he couldn't, so he wasn't going to let anyone sleep with her either.

- "Shut up, you are not mom"- Mikey argued, cuddled with Joey, and fell asleep a second later. Gerard was furious, staring at the scene. His little brother was spooning Joey, and he couldn't do anything about it.

- "Ray, help me take Mikey back to his room"- he said and turned to his friend: he was snoring on the couch- "You have to be fucking kidding me, Ray! Come one! Let's take Mikey to his room"- Gerard shook Toro's arm.

- "He's already asleep there. Let him rest"- he mumbled and took off his shoes.

- "Really? Are you doing this too?"- Ray didn't even answer- "Fucking shit!!"

Gerard was about to yell and force everybody out when he heard Frank retching in the bathroom. Way walked over and opened the door. Iero has kneeled next to the toilet, flushing.

- "Are you ok?"

- "Yeah! Best birthday ever"- Frank smiled and repeated- "We hadn't had this fun in a long time, everything has been so serious lately... it felt good to just... be stupid for a while"- Gerard knew Frank wasn't just talking about the band- "And that chick, man! She knows how to party"- Way smiled and nodded.

- "Come on, let's get you to your room"- Frank nodded, and both of them walked out of the bathroom.

- "And where's everybody?"

- "Crashing here apparently"- Frank looked at Ray on the couch and at Mikey on the bed.

- "Oh, man! I wanted to crash here!"

- "Well, you are not!"

- "Why not?"- Frank whined, almost pouting.

- "There is no room to crash here!"

- "There is room right there!"- Frank laughed and walked to Joey's bed, but Gerard grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

- "You are not getting there!"

- "Oh, come on! Mikey is there!"

- "Can you shut the fuck up?!"- Joey grunted, her eyes still closed- "If there's room somewhere in this bed, get in there, stay quiet and make sure Mikey won't puke on me."

She moved to a side and hugged her pillow.

Neither Gerard of Frank said a thing. They just kicked off their shoes and crawled into bed. That was the fucking moment the two of them had been waiting for. In a way, at least.

Mikey cursed as soon as he woke up. He felt someone had hit him in the head with a stone. He opened his eyes and stayed still in shock: Joey was sleeping next to him. And so he panicked immediately.

- "What the fuck did I do?! No! no! No! I didn't fuck my best friend! Please! Somebody tell me I didn't fuck my best friend!"

He looked down and noticed he was fully dressed and that his brother was sleeping next to him. He was drunk, but he would never fuck his own brother. So for a second or two, Mikey felt better.

That until he remembered why he had gotten so drunk and his chest ached. He was getting a divorce. His wife had confessed she had been cheating for months now. She said she didn't love him anymore. He felt like he wanted to die. Not in an emotional way, but physically and painfully.

Tears fell from his eyes, but he didn't want to cry in the middle of the room surrounded by his friends. So Mikey slowly stood up and looked for his shoes.

- "Thank you, Bug"- he whispered and looked at the girl snoring before leaving the room quietly.

Gerard opened his eyes and contained his breathing for a second. Joey was sleeping next to him. It took him a minute or two to gather all the pieces of the night before. He stared at her making his best not to move. His heart was racing. He knew none of what he felt was right. He loved his wife very much. He had to stay away from Joey. But at the same time, damn it! He wanted to kiss her.

- "I don't wanna think about this anymore. Just five more days and this leg of the tour will be over, and I won't see her for a month..."- he slowly moved his hand closer to her but didn't dare to touch her. She could wake up, and he would be busted.

Joey started waking up slowly but refused to open her eyes. Her head hurt, and her mouth was dry. Hangover hit her as soon as she stopped dreaming. What happened the night before? It was Frank's birthday, they got wasted in her room... Mikey was in terrible shape... she forced them to go to a strip...

- "Fuck!"- she wide opened her eyes and sat on the bed as soon as she remembered she had taken her friends to a strip club, paid for lap dances to pretty much everybody, and even made out with one of the strippers.

But it didn't get better when she opened her eyes, 'cos first thing she noticed was Gerard and Frank with her on the bed, jumping with her yell, waking up pretty scared.

- "Oh shit! What the fuck are you doing here?"- she wide opened her eyes in shock

- "What? Oh... hey, Bug"- Frank opened his eyes and smiled- "We crashed your room 'cos we were too drunk to move."

Iero simply answered and laid back, to keep on sleeping. Joey looked at him and Ray on the couch, waving and literally falling asleep again a second later.

- "Are you ok?"- Gerard whispered and made her chill immediately. Gerard Way was sleeping with her on her bed. What the fuck?

- "My head is killing me"- the girl laid back and turned to him- "Fjandinn! (Damn!)"- she covered her face with both hands and wished to be sucked by the earth as soon as the memories kept hitting her- "Did I..."

- "Yeah, you kissed a stripper..."- Gerard whispered and smiled. Joey's cheeks were burning as she kept her eyes closed and covered herself with a blanket

- "Fuck, I'm so sorry, I never get so drunk and stupid and... I just..."

- "Nah, it's ok"- he whispered, making sure neither Ray nor Frank would wake up- "I mean, it was a fun night..."- he added, in a hopeless attempt to make the girl feel a little better.

- "Yeah, it was... but shit, I feel I made a fool out of myself"

- "Don't worry... you didn't"- Gerard made a pause and stared at her in deep silence for a moment- "It was... very... "it was so fucking hot! the way kissed that girl, I got a hard-on for so long, I almost locked myself in the bathroom of the bar to jerk off like a manic" very nice of you to try to cheer Mikey up."

- "He was so sad... he has been so fucking sad for so long..."

- "So you knew the whole thing?"- Joey stayed still and looked into the hazel eyes next to her. She could lie... but what for? Mikey had told everybody everything already.

- "Yeah... we've... he trusted me with his problems, and I've been trying to cheer him up ever since"- she made a pause and watched how Gerard's face was calmed and sweet. It was hard to concentrate if he was there staring at her- "Ég elska augun þín (I love your eyes)."

- "What?"- Gerard whispered, confused.

- "I... "Stupid!! It's a good thing you are rambling in Icelandic and not in English!" nothing, I'm just cursing 'cos my head is killing me."

- "Do you want to sleep some more?"- she nodded and took a look at her wristwatch.

- "It's too early to be awake"- he nodded and looked at her smile, scared to ask what he was about to.

- "Do you want me to go?"- he murmured and fought the instinct of moving closer to her.

- "No..."- she whispered immediately, not even thinking- "You can stay."

They looked at each other for a few seconds felt like minutes, though. Until Joey moved slowly on the bed and grabbed a blanket

- "Are you cold?"- Gerard asked and moved the blanket closer to her

- "Thank you"- he covered her with it and automatically wrapped his arms around her protectively, snuggling with her.

- "Goodnight, Gerard."

- "Goodnight, Joey."

When Frank woke up, he had to take a minute to remember where he was and what had happened the night before. He heard Ray's snores from somewhere in the room with him and rolled in the bed to see Joey and Gerard sleeping next to him.

- "What the fuck happened?"

Iero nearly grunted, staring at the scene. He remembered Mikey drunk puking, Joey kissing a girl, and... that was it. But none of that actually mattered that much, considering how pissed he was staring at Joey in Gerard's arms. She looked cozy and calmed, and... she could look even better in his arms. Why was she in Gerard's anyway?

Frank stared at her for a few seconds and then started coughing. Fake cough, noisy cough. Stridently enough to wake everybody up in a minute.

- "Are you dying?"- Joey asked, opening her eyes and staring at him, honestly concerned

- "I hope so, 'cos I feel like dying"- she smiled at him still in Gerard's arms. He was the big spoon in the hug, so Joey never saw his face when he woke up with her in his arms. Only Frank noticed that glance in his eyes. But refused to think his friend had a crush on the girl he was crushed on. They were both married men. They couldn't even think of being crush on her. It was just some silly thing, nothing to worry about.

- "Happy birthday, Jersey"- she whispered and smiled at her friend.

- "Thank you Iceland, I had a lot of fun last night."

- "It's still your birthday"- the girl added- "We can still do fun shit."

- "Stop trying to make fun shit"- Ray argued and walked from the couch to the bed, laying at it, next to Joey and Frank- "You are too young, and we are all old men who need to rest and eat soup."

The girl chuckled at his words and raised her hand, reaching Ray's wavy hair.

- "Move closer, old man, let me pet you"- she argued, and Ray chuckled.

- "We are not old men"- Gerard whispered and refused to take his arms from around Joey's waist, even though Ray and Frank could see him, and everybody knew it was weird.

- "You are the only one who's not hungover, man"- Frank smiled, watching how Joey was now braiding Ray's hair- "And yet last night you were the one who kept repeating we had to go back to the hotel."

- "'Cos you were all too drunk, especially you"- he said and shook Joey's arm sweetly.

- "Sorry, Gerard. I won't get that drunk and irresponsible again."

- "So you won't kiss strippers anymore?"- Frank asked, and Ray burst out laughing. Joey quickly grabbed a pillow and covered her head with it, forcing Gerard to remove his arms from around her.

- "I am never drinking again!"- the girl sentenced and stood up a few minutes later- "Now if you gentlemen excuse me, I am going to take a long shower. Then, I hunt this whole hotel for coffee... dad, when do we leave?"

- "After lunch, my dear, promiscuous, and slightly lesbian daughter"- Ray joked, and Joey grunted, walking to the bathroom and locking the door behind her back.

- "Get out of my room!!"- she yelled before starting the shower. Frank and Gerard sighed as Ray pulled them out of bed.

- "Come on! You heard her! Let's go!"

Joey took the longest shower. Well, Gerard's was longer 'cos he was jerking off. Just as Frank... not in the same shower. But it's not the point. Joey stood under the hot water for a good fifteen minutes 'cos she actually felt bad. She had flirted with Frank and with Gerard. She didn't know if they had noticed it, but she had, in fact, been a flirt with the two of them while being seriously drunk.

Besides, she slept with Mikey, Gerard, and Frank on the same bed. That wasn't better either. They were her friends, but they just met a few weeks before. She couldn't just act like that! They were all married. And besides, they were technically her employers.

Everything about the night before was wrong except for the part where they cheered Mikey up. Mikey worried Joey the most, and he and Ray were the only ones she wanted to talk to that day.

After her shower, Joey got into her sports outfit and hit the gym. She wasn't into it for beauty, but because she had to keep and work on her upper body strength for drumming. Besides, working out kept her mind from rambling into random thoughts, like Gerard's arms around her body. Damn, that felt good, which made it something very, very bad.

Gerard knocked on Mikey's room and waited, looking down at his shoes until his little brother showed up. Neither of them said a thing. Mikey walked back to his bed, and Gerard closed the door behind his back.

- "If you are coming here with the whole "Why didn't you tell me?" speech, I'm not in the mood for giving you stupid explanations."

- "I just wanted to bring you coffee"- Gee whispered and handed Mikey a cup.

- "Thanks."

- "How's the hangover?"

- "It's lovely, I am dying"- Mikey chuckled and closed his eyes for a moment. The tv was on, though neither of them paid any attention to it. Gerard sat next to his brother on the bed, and they stared at the screen for a while.

- "Frank is dying too."

- "The little rat was on fire last night... shit, how's Bug?"- Mikey asked, honestly concerned- "I'm gonna text her, her head gotta hurt like shit, hangover and hit with a bottle..."

- "She was fine. She kicked us out of the room and got into the shower."

- "Did she remember the whole stripper thing?"- Mikey snorted at his own words as she texted Joey.

- "Yeah, she was pretty embarrassed."

- "Dude, your boner was epic!"- Gerard looked at his brother and frowned, disgusted and busted.

- "What the fuck, man?!"

- "You looked so fucking funny trying to be the cool one"- Mikey was now laughing. Making fun of his brother was always something that made him feel better- "And hiding your woody with a jacket, adorable!"

- "Fucker!"- Gerard smacked his brother's head, but Mikey kept laughing.

- "You were at a strip club with two girls making out. You weren't the only one!"

- "Stop!!"

- "It's awkward to think about it because we were all hard at the same time, which is pretty much like watching porn together, and that's disturbing!"

- "Stop it!"

- "Never!! I'm the annoying little brother you had a hard-on with last night!!"- Mikey was laughing, and Gerard was disgusted- "Shit! That didn't come out quite right."

- "You think??!"

Gerard smacked him again, and they stayed quiet for another while. Mikey sighed and looked at the tv for another while. It was some random local show he couldn't even understand. But it was better than thinking.

- "Thanks for the coffee"- he whispered, and Gerard nodded

- "Any time you want..."- the silence continued for a while until Mikey turned to his brother and tried to explain.

- "I didn't want to tell you 'cos I didn't want to talk about it. I didn't even want to think about it, 'cos it made it real, and I kept trying to pretend it was all in my head"- he made a pause and rearranged the words in his head- "I told Bug 'cos I didn't know her, she was there, I was drunk... I trusted her, and she was understanding with the whole "we are not analyzing this shit" deal. We just talked about random shit the whole time, and whenever I felt bad, I'd told her, and she would come up with something to do to ease my mind."

- "She is a good friend"

- "The best..."

- "I'm sorry I was jealous you were spending too much time with her"- Gerard was honest. However, he meant he didn't know his brother needed to hang out with her so badly, and he was just jealous Mikey had her attention the whole time.

- "Anyway... I still don't wanna talk about it."

- "That's cool."

- "So, let's pretend none of that happens or even exists."

- "Deal"- Gerard wrapped an arm around Mikey and rested his head on his shoulder- "Wanna go get something to eat?"

- "Not really"

- "Too bad I'm forcing you 'cos I don't wanna eat alone."

- "Fuck you."

- "I'm your annoying older brother. Deal with it."

Frank wiped off the tears as he stared at his daughters on the screen of his phone. They were so beautiful, sleeping in their little cribs. Jamia smiled and whispered happy birthday for the hundredth time to her husband.

- "I miss you so fucking much"- he said and sighed.

- "Just a few more days and you'll be changing diapers"- she answered with a big smile- "I'm happy you had a big celebration last night."

- "Yeah, it turned into a "let's cheer Mikey up" kind of thing pretty quickly, though."

- "I can't believe she cheated."

- "Me neither... I wanna kill her. He doesn't deserve this."

- "At least he has you there."

- "Yeah, Joey was so drunk she dragged us into a strip club and bought Mikey so many lap dances"- Jamia stayed still thinking what she had just heard- "Sorry, I mean, nothing happened."

- "Frank, calm down. I just never imagined she would be like that."

- "Neither did we... but she... Mikey had only told her about it, and I guess she was desperate to get him happy somehow."

- "That's nice"- and Jamia meant it- "What happened with her head?"

- "She is pretty hungover."

- "I mean, with the hit she got from that fan, Frank."

- "Sorry"- he smiled and watched his wife's face- "She is ok, she was very calmed, Ray was a dad."

- "Shocking!"

- "Yeah"- Frank chuckled- "Her boyfriend hates me, though."

- "Frank, what you did was so fucking stupid, and I feel you still don't get it! I should hate you for making that hot guy mad at you! Now we are never gonna be his friends... and I wanted to spend the holidays with him in California, where it's hot, and he can walk around without a shirt!"

- "Jamia Iero!!"- and she chuckled.

- "Sorry, I got carried away."

- "Yeah, you did."

- "Happy birthday, Frank."

- "Thank you."

- "You are the only hot guy I wanna see without a shirt"- he blushed and smiled.

- "'Cos I've got amazing tattoos?"

- "Yeah, that too."

Ray and Joey were having lunch together in the hotel. The two of them were eating, sunglasses on, and drinking coffee with their food. That's how bad it was.

- "Please stop me next time you see me with a drink."

- "Ditto"- he quickly answered ad smiled- "You seemed to be having a lot of fun, though."

- "I was."

- "I never imagined you were that wild when drunk"- and Joey laughed a little. Her head didn't let her make or listen to loud noises.

- "Well, I'm not wild... I just... sometimes..."- she made a pause and blushed. The truth was simple: he never really partied that much. She didn't have a lot of friends to party like that. Tucker was the only one, actually. And they never saw each other.

- "Is everything ok?"

- "Yeah, just don't tell Matthew about the stripper"- and Ray nodded, laughing.

- "Deal... the whole strip club thing or just the kiss?"

- "The whole deal, especially the kiss, I don't know if he is going to like that."

- "Why not? It was hot"- Joey raised an eyebrow and stared at her friend- "Sorry, it was..."

- "I mean, Matthew has this thing where he keeps trying to treat me like a little porcelain doll or a fragile princess. And that's so not me. If he knows what I did, I just feel that he will think less of me or something."

Ray looked at Joey and noticed how honest and vulnerable she was. For the first time since they met, Ray saw her winding down her shield.

- "Come on, Bug. It's not like you killed someone."

- "I know..."

- "You should tell him because it's a good party story, and he is gonna think it's awesome. Besides, Gubler looks like a nice guy who loves you very much,"- she nodded in silence and sipped her coffee.

- "He is the sweetest guy I've ever been with."

- "See?"

- "I just don't wanna disappoint him"- Toro landed a hand on her, and she smiled- "This is when you say, "If he hurts you, I'm gonna kill him" or something dad like"- he chuckled and nodded

- "You know that's how I feel"- he smiled and stayed in silence for a second- "And you are grounded for being such a party animal"- he added in a very paternal tone of voice.

- "But dad!! All the guys were drinking!"

- "I don't care what the other kids did! You are grounded, and tonight we are staying at the hotel watching horror movies"- she smiled and nodded.

- "Best plan ever, dad."

The ride to Paris was very quiet. Everybody was still tired from the night before, so they all basically just slept the whole trip. Now Joey was avoiding Gerard and also Frank. She decided to keep a safe and professional distance from the two of them. Joey still felt awkward about everything that had happened the night before.

- "I'll see you guys tomorrow"- the drummer smiled as they got the keys to their rooms. Gerard smiled and waved. She cut him the tiniest smile on earth and turned to the rest of the guys.

- "It's still my birthday Iceland, we should eat something and maybe go out and see the city, what do you say?"- he shook her arm with a huge grin- "Where is the party girl from last night?"

- "She stayed in Amsterdam, sorry"- she answered- "Go and have fun, I just need to do nothing for a night"- Joey grabbed her bags and walked to the elevator.

- "Everything ok with her?"- Gerard asked, watching her walk away. He felt her distance, and it bothered him. After waking up with her in his arms, he just wanted to keep her close.

- "Yeah, she is ok"- Ray nodded and grabbed his bag- "Wanna get room service and watch a movie? Halloween special?"- the whole gang stayed in silence- "Fine, I'll be eating and watching some Halloween classics alone."

Joey lied about not wanting to do anything or about being tired. She just didn't want to be with Gerard or Frank. Mostly Gerard. So she locked in her room and talked with Matthew for a long while instead.

- "I can't believe I'm not spending Halloween with you."

Joey pouted as she looked at Matthew, sitting on his couch, wearing the dorky Halloween sweater she had gotten for him, eating candies. She was wearing the dorky Halloween sweater he had gotten for her, eating candies as well.

- "Yami, when we are together, every night is Halloween"- he whispered and smiled.

- "That's the cutest thing ever!"- she blushed, and he giggled- "What are you doing tonight?"

- "The guys are gonna come to watch some terror classics with me."

- "I was going to do the same with Ray"- she smiled, and so did he.

- "So, did Mikey overcome his hungover?"

- "Yeah, he is a champ, we watched a few movies on the bus on our way over, and I'm guessing he is in his room right now."

- "And the rest of the guys?"

- "I think they were all pretty sick today... we kind of went real wild last night."

- "How wild?"- Gubler raised an eyebrow and looked at Joey. The girl sighed and bit his lips.

- "I might have gotten drunk."

- "And?"- Matthew wasn't enjoying the course of the conversation.

- "And I... decided to... cheer Mikey up."

- "How?"

- "I took him and the guys to a strip club and paid lap danced for everybody."

Joey just spit it. She had to say it. She wasn't going to be able to keep it from her boyfriend that much longer anyway.

- "If he is going to be mad at that... then maybe he is not as cool as I thought,"- she said to herself as she stared at his face, as a grin appeared on his lips.

- "What?! a strip club?! I can't believe it"- and Matthew Gray Gubler burst out laughing- "You are so amazing!!"

- "Do you really think so?"- Matthew was still laughing, and Joey was in shock.

- "Yes, Yami! That's pretty cool"- the sigh sighed, relieved, and kept her eyes on Gubler.

- "I also kissed a stripper... a little bit."

- "Wow!"- Matthew almost choke on the candy corn he was eating.

- "She kissed me actually, I didn't do anything or asked for anything.... she kissed me, and I laughed and... that's it..."- Joey closed her eyes and stayed very still.

- "You had a wild night without me, young girl!"- Matthew stared at the screen, trying his best to stay serious- "Is there any chance someone had footage of that moment?"

- "No"- Joey pouted and opened an eye to see how Matthew was taking her confession. He was still smiling- "You are not mad at me?"

- "'Cos you kissed a stripper? No, Joey. It's a bit upsetting I missed it, but I am not mad at you,"- she smiled and blushed.

- "I can kiss a stripper when I come home so you can watch"- Matthew laughed and grabbed his phone, kissing the screen.

- "I just want your kisses, Joey."

- "I'm a good kisser"- the girl joked, chuckling.

- "Yes, you are. That stripper is a fortunate woman"- there was a pause in the call. Matthew had to get something out of his system- "Can you please promise me you will not put yourself at risk again, please?"

- "With my wild party lifestyle? I swear I am not drinking again after last night!"- Joey chuckled, but Matthew Gray was serious.

- "I mean, with the fan and your head."

- "Akumu, you know I can take care of myself."

- "Yes, I do... but..."- and this was something that frustrated him the most- "I want to be there to protect you if you are in danger."

- "I am not in danger."

- "You are away, and I love you. If anything happens to you, I would never forgive myself for being so far."

- "Matthew Gray, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. And if something bad happens to me, it would never be your fault, 'cos your work is not taking care of me like a little princess. Your job as my boyfriend is to love me and support me the way I love you and support you."

That frustrated Matthew, 'cos he loved her and he wanted to protect her. He knew life had been hard on her. He knew why she could be so rational and independent. He just wished she could ever let him take care of her the way he wanted to.

- "Promise you'll come home safe"- he whispered, and she nodded

- "That I can do, 'cos I have too many kisses to give you, Akumu."

Ray walked to his room and laid in bed, talked with his wife, and ordered dinner. He was still pretty tired from the night before.

- "Dad? Movies?"- he read the text and smiled

- "Thought you were tired"

- "You promised"

- "Come over."

- "Everything ok, Bug?"- he asked when the two of them sat on his bed and picked a classic movie for the night: Halloween, the 1978 original.

- "Yeah, why?"

- "I don't know. You look off."

- "I'm hungover dude, this is the best you are getting tonight"- he nodded and grabbed a bunch of the candies Joey had brought. She was loaded with sugar for the night. Tons of Halloween candies, her only way to be close to Matthew that night. That, and the sweater.

The two of them laid down and watched the movie in silence. Ray wrapped an arm around her, and Joey rested her head on his shoulder. Neither of them overanalyzed it. It just felt nice and friendly.

- "Dude, there is something I've been longing to ask you for a long while"- she said, not moving her eyes from the screen.

- "Shoot"

- "How do you keep your hair so good?"- Ray chuckled and messed with her hair- "No! Don't destroy the best I could do with my hair today!"- she giggled and grabbed her phone after feeling the hum of a text- "Mikey wants to hang out, can he come?"

- "Are you asking me for permission to bring a friend over?"- Ray asked and closed his eyes- "Shit, I am your dad."

- "Yes, embrace it"- Joey grinned and cuddled back with him- "And thank you for that, I don't let guys take care of me"

Her conversation earlier with Matthew was still spinning around her head. She let her boyfriend take care of her, but maybe Gubler couldn't see it... she had softened a lot being with him in the last six months. Perhaps it wasn't evident for everybody, but it was for her.

- "Wait! Are you sure you are indeed letting me taking care of you?"- Toro's eyes widened, surprised at that confession.

- "Yeah! Since I signed that contract"- Joey made a pause and made her best to explain- "I kept thinking about what we talked about earlier... you give the protector friend I never had vibe 'cos..." - Ray held her hand and rubbed it with his.

- "'Cos?"

- "'Cos I'm not really good with friends, I usually push people away."

- "You haven't done that with me."

- "I know. That's weird... you give a long-lost best friend feeling like Mikey gives me the older brother sensation."

- "You feel like a little sister- she smiled and stood up to answer the door- "But I don't think you push people away."

- "I do... that's what I've been told at least."

Mikey smiled at the other side of the door and raised his arm, showing a paper bag.

- "I've got candies."

- "Awesome! Come in."

- "You are not pushing me away, Bug!"- Ray finished the conversation and smiled- "Hey dude."

- "What are you talking about?"

- "Joey says she pushes people away"- Toro sum up as Joey laid back next to him, and they cuddled again.

- "You are doomed. You are not pushing me anywhere"- Mikey added, kicked off his shoes and laid next to her, holding her hand- "You are fucking stuck with a Mikey Way now."

Joey chuckled and sighed

- "Guess I'll have to learn how to deal with that."

Gerard was staring at the ceiling, mortified. He had talked with his wife already, he was definitely not hungry, and he just wanted to knock on Joey's door and ask her if everything was ok. She hasn't talked to him since that morning, and it honestly felt she was ignoring him. That wasn't normal. No one ignored him.

- "You are not going!"- he said to himself in his head as soon as he stood up from the bed- "No! No way!"- he grabbed the key to his room and put on his shoes- "Fucking stop!! Aren't you listening to me?!"- his brain kept yelling, but his body was still moving.

- "Hello! This is Gerard Way from room 1305, can you tell me which is Maria Sveinbjörndottir's room, please? Yes, she is part of my crew."

He waited in line for a second, and to his happiness, Joey had a room on his floor, just two doors down. It was heaven to Gerard. He took a deep breath and walked over. He planned to ask if there was something wrong, smile, and go back to his room. That was it. That was everything. He just wanted to make sure everything was ok. Nothing else.

He knocked and waited. Nothing. Again. He waited a little longer, 'cos maybe Joey was asleep. Or in the shower... or something. But nothing. Slightly worried and mostly scared she could be with Frank, Gerard texted Mikey, just in case he was with her, 'cos he knew they were closer.

- "At Ray's, 1002"- Mikey texted back and stared at the screen again.

- "Why is there always a sex scene in every horror movie ever?"- Joey asked and kept chewing fun-sized snickers, or like Mikey kept calling them: Frank-sized.

- "I guess it's the guide of who's dying next"- Ray answered and grabbed some candies, too- "If you think about it, half of the fun in horror movies is figuring out who will die."

- "You are right..."

- "And it also helps to set the mood when you are watching a horror movie with a date"- the girl turned to Mikey, and he smiled guiltily- "If she is scared and she hugs you, you win proximity, but when a couple is banging on the screen, you win the chance to start rubbing her and getting the idea of having sex into her head."

- "You are disgusting"- Joey quickly argued and heard a knock on the door- "Please tell me that's a pizza. I would kill for a pizza right now."

- "Damn it, Bug!"- Ray argued as Mikey stood up to get the door- "Now I want pizza too!"

- "Hey dude"- Gerard stared at his brother and took a peek inside the room- "What are you doing?"

- "Watching movies"- the youngest Way walked around and headed back to the bed. Gerard closed the door and followed him, only to feel his heart aching. Joey was cuddled with Ray. His arm was around her. Her head was on his shoulder. Gerard wanted to hit him.

- "Hey... I didn't know you were busy"- Way whispered and stared at the scene. Joey looked at him, and her eyes just lock into his. Gerard didn't stop looking at her either. He felt betrayed. Or worst, he felt maybe their time together wasn't really that special, 'cos she would cuddle with everybody in the band, 'cos they were her friends and she wasn't making a big deal out of it like he was.

- "We are watching horror movies, wanna join us?"- Ray asked and smiled. He immediately noticed what was going on in Gerard's head and realized he would have to talk with his friend. He felt he was too crushed on Joey for his own good.

- "No... I just wanted to..."- Gerard wouldn't stop staring at Joey in Ray's arms. It just hurt too much.

- "Come on"- she whispered and moved from Toro's side- "There is room for one more. Besides, Ray is failing in his poor attempt to make me feel secure."

- "Dude!!"- Ray argued and softly elbowed her.

- "Auch!! You hurt me!!"- Joey exaggerated and rolled in the bed. Gerard smiled, though he was still feeling pretty jealous.

- "I'm gonna get that pizza"- Ray picked up the phone and dialed. Joey tapped on the bed and invited Gerard.

- "We've got Halloween candies"- she said, smiling. The drummer wanted to keep a distance from him, but watching him was making it too hard. He sat next to her and looked at the bag.

- "We ate most of the Snickers, but there are still some m&m's and Life Savers"- she whispered and felt Mikey's arm coming from behind her trying to reach the candies.

- "Bug ate all the good ones"- he argued.

- "Bróðir þegiðu!! (brother, shut up!)"- the girl quickly answered and slapped Mikey's hand coming out of the bag.

- "How many of these have you ate?"- Gerard asked and frowned- "You seemed to be a little sugar-rushed."

- "Maybe... could be... but it's Halloween, Gerard, it's the day I am allowed to do this, you can't judge me, you can only join me."

Joey raised an eyebrow making her best to look sexy. She shouldn't have, but she meant it as a joke. Not really. She just wanted to lie to herself. Just like the night before in the strip club, she wanted him to want her. Gerard grabbed an m&m and opened it. Joey turned to the screen and laid back in the bed to watch the movie. The oldest Way did the same and sat next to Mikey, 'cos it was wiser to stay away from the girl he wanted to make out with.

- "Where's Frank?"- Joey asked after a while

- "Out with James and Worm"- Mikey answered- "Now shut up and let me watch the movie."

- "Sorry"- the girl chuckled and opened another Snicker's bar. She wanted to be away from Gerard. But his body was a magnet too intense to resist.

After Halloween, they watched Bran Stocker's Dracula. Ate pizza and had a relaxed evening. It was all good until Joey decided it was time to go to bed. She yawned and stood up. She had managed to stay between Ray and Mikey the whole time, successfully avoiding being close to Gerard. She was actually proud of herself.

- "Ok kids, I'm going to bed"- she announced and grabbed her shoes, standing up- "It's not time to make a change, just relax, take it easy"- she sang, and Mikey threw her a pillow

- "I hate that song."

- "Me too! But shit is right there everything time I say goodbye. I don't know why my brain makes that fucking connection every fucking single time"

- "I'm going to bed too"- Gerard said, and Ray raised an eyebrow- "It's late, and we have a busy day tomorrow, full of interviews."

- "Yeah, we have to meet at the lobby tomorrow at nine, ready to leave"- Ray announced- "We start with a radio show at ten-thirty."

- "Oh fuck!"- Mikey whined immediately, and Joey grinned.

- "And while you do that, I'll hit the gym and relax"- she said and stuck out her tongue to her friend.

- "Shut up! No one likes a showoff."

- "No one likes a bad loser"- she added and jumped.

- "Ok, Bug, you really need to calm down. You had too much sugar"- Ray laughed, staring at her.

- "Fuck, you are right, I'm not gonna sleep in a long while... maybe I can make a marathon of scary movies... The Exorcist was in the pay-per-view, I'll watch it all alone and fucking traumatize myself" - the girl jumped on her spot and chuckled.

- "Ok, come on, let's go"- Mikey grabbed her arm and started walking to the door- "Bye, Ray."

- "Bye kids"

- "Thanks for taking care of me, dad!"- Joey smiled at him and waved.

- "Anytime you want, kiddo."

Gerard, Mikey, and Joey walked into the elevator. The girl pressed the 13th button and Mikey the 12th.

- "Which one?"- he asked, looking at his older brother.

- "I'm in the 13th too"- he answered with a short smile and avoided looking at Joey, which was pretty good for her, 'cos her cheeks were burning red.

- "Fuck! Fuck! Just say goodnight and lock yourself in your room, just say goodnight, and that's it!"- the elevator's door opened, and the girl smiled at Mikey.

- "Good night, bróðir"

- "Good night, Bug. I'll text you tomorrow"- Gerard smiled at his brother and tapped on his back- "Good night, dude."

- "See you in the morning"- he walked to the hallway with Joey and heard the door closing behind them.

- "I'm going this way"- the girl whispered and hoped Gerard was going the other way

- "Me too"- they walked in silence for a few seconds, it felt awkward, and the two of them knew it- "Joey, listen, I wanted to talk to you about something"- he just said it.

- "This is my room"- she announced, hoping to manage to get away from him.

- "Do you mind if I come in for a second?"- his words surprised him. He didn't think when he asked that. Joey didn't really have a reason to say no. She didn't want to say no. And so she nodded and opened the door.

- "Come in."

Her body shook at the realization they were alone in her room. Completely alone, just the two of them. That had only happened once before, and this time, somehow, it felt dangerous.

- "What is it?"- Joey asked and walked around the room, taking off her shoes and making her best to avoid eye contact.

- "I just... had the feeling you were mad at me over something."

- "Why would you feel that?"- she asked, pretending to be surprised. She wasn't mad at him. She was mad at herself for being such a flirt.

- "'Cos you avoided me the whole day"- he simply answered.

- "That's not true. I've been hungover most of the day, sleeping on the bus."

That was a lie. She watched tv with Mikey the whole trip, though they slept most of the time.

- "It felt like you were mad at me"- he said and kept looking at her, knowing she was avoiding his eyes.

- "You got it all wrong"- she simply answered and smiled, opening her bag and looking for a pajama- "Why would I be mad at you?"

- "I don't know..."- Gerard stayed quiet and walked around the room- "I know we didn't start with the right foot, and sometimes I feel like I'm still walking on eggshells when it comes to you"- he simply confessed. Joey raised his eyes to meet him.

- "Sometimes I feel the same about you. Until we talked about it, I actually felt you were avoiding me after we fell asleep together."

Joey made a pause and regretted landing her eyes on his. There it was, the magnet pushing her closer to him. He stood in front of her, feeling the same.

- "Maybe we are overthinking everything"- he whispered, and Joey nodded

- "Maybe we are."

- "So... friends?"- he reached out his hands to her and bit his lips- "You don't wanna be her friend, you really want to fuck her brains off, and you know it, don't you, Gerard Way?"

- "Friends"- Joey shook his hands and smiled- "I don't know why I've got the feeling this shit will never work out well."

They kept shaking their hands in silence for a while, longer than it should have been. They just stared and smiled at each other, lost in thoughts.

- "So..."- Joey finally whispered- "How are the crowds here in France?"- she asked the most random question ever, just to talk about something.

- "They are wild. It's fun playing here."

- "Great"

- "Never been to France?"

- "Never been to Europe, except Iceland"- Gee smiled and kept looking at her, still standing right in front of each other. He was fighting the urge to touch her. But it was too dangerous. The attraction he felt for her might actually cause him not to be able to stop once he began.

- "Maybe we can push the schedule to show you around, at least the Eiffel Tower"- the girl smiled and nodded.

- "That would be awesome"- and silence again, staring at each other was probably the only thing they couldn't stop doing when together.

- "And... are you gonna watch The Exorcist?"

- "Yeah, I'm not sleepy. Ray was right, I am in a sugar rush... and the worst part is, I still have some candy left, and I'm considering the idea of finishing them today"- Gerard smiled and watched how Joey took another bag of candies from her backpack.

- "Girl! Where did you get so many sweets?!"

- "Gub and I made matching candy bags for Halloween,"- she answered with a big smile- "And Mikey got me some more. I might have an addiction problem."

- "I bet you do"- Gerard stared at her with a smile and asked without thinking of his words- "Would you like some company to watch the movie?"- the girl wide opened her eyes and took a deep breath- "Don't feel pushed or something like that"- Gerard quickly added when he noticed her reaction- "I just... I'm not sleepy, and the idea of eating more candies was pretty tempting"- she giggled nervously and nodded.

- "Sure, let's watch the movie together, but you better be braver than Ray. He kept jumping with every scene.2

Gerard smiled and agreed. The two of them knew it was a bad, terribly dangerous idea. But still, it was what the two of them wanted.

They sat on the bed staring at the screen in silence for a good twenty minutes. They ate candies, they watched the movie, they were behaving great. But Gerard knew it was all bullshit. He needed to move closer and wrap his arms around her. It was totally harmless, though. Just a hug, not kissing, no nothing. Just holding her close, like the other day at the bus, or just like the night before. That had felt too good. He needed more of that.

- "I'm gonna get under the covers"- the girl announced and shivered- "I'm fucking freezing."

- "Sure"- Gerard stood up and moved the blankets, watching her getting under them.

- "Are you cold?"- she asked, and he nodded- "You can come too"- and so he did.

- "I could come, that's a fact"- he mentally slapped himself for thinking that.

- "What the fuck is your problem?! You got him in your bed! Underneath the fucking blankets! Do you have any kind of idea of the signals you are sending him?"- Joey was freaking out as she felt Gerard's warm body next to her- "I just hope he doesn't think I wanna make out with him or whatever... I mean, no, why should he anyway? I can do this with Mikey or with Ray, and I would never worry they could come with that idea... well, that's 'cos they are my friends, and I don't wanna fuck them the way I wanna fuck Gerard. Oh shit, Joey, you are fucking sick. Did you know that?"

Joey covered her face and jumped when a possessed Linda Blair kept stabbing her vagina with a crucifix. Gerard chuckled and felt how she instinctively moved to him and looked for protection. She did it so normally; she didn't even think about it. That part of the movie had always made her jump.

- "Come on"- Gee wrapped an arm around her and fondled her arm sweetly- "It's just a movie."

- "I know, but that's too upsetting to be true"- she covered her eyes again and hid her face on Gerard's neck.

- "It's ok, sugar"- he whispered and landed a small soft peck on her head.

His heart stopped for a second. He called Joey a pet name and kissed her. He hadn't. He shouldn't. He needed to undo it. Joey stayed still and made what anyone under those circumstances would do: she ignored the kiss and the pet name, sat down, and kept watching the movie.

- "I hate pet names, I hate cute nicknames, and yet, that one was heart-melting. Gerard Way fucking called me sugar..."- Joey sighed and made her best to focus on the exorcism taking place on the screen. It was very hard, though, considering all she could think of was Gerard's arm around her.

The movie ended, and neither of them moved. Joey was hoping Gerard was asleep, so he would stay with her the whole night and cuddle. Gerard felt the same. Exactly the same. The girl slowly moved from his chest and looked at him. His perfect nose, his thin lips. It was too tempting to have him there.

He blinked a few times and cut her a short smile. She rubbed her eyes and sighed.

- "Thank you for watching the movie with me Gerard, it was worse than I remembered"- he kept the smile on his lips as he rubbed his hand against his arm, still hugging her.

- "I'm glad I could help."

- "Best friend ever"- she whispered to remind herself she had to keep that distance.

Gerard fake grinned and stared at her. She was so close, he could simply just lean in a little and kiss her. It was so simple. She was right there. She stayed still, her eyes locked in his. She was never going to be his friend, and she knew it. That was an impossible friendship, no matter how much she'd try.

- "I have to sleep"- she whispered, but neither of them moved.

- "Me too"- they just stared at each other in silence. Neither wanted to move, but both knew it had to happen.

- "Thank you for hanging out with me"- Joey added, and Gerard nodded

- "My pleasure"- and pleasure was in Gerard's mind the whole time.

The girl slowly sat down and yawned. Gerard looked at her and smiled, then put on his shoes and stood up.

- "See you tomorrow, Joey."

- "Bye, Gerard."

++

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[anystalker707]

Vampires will never hurt you

🎃Halloween special Pairing: Gerard x Reader Word counting: ~ 3 600 Genre: Terror, suspense, fluff TW: Description of death, though vague Summary: Why not to go to the graveyard at midnight? What can go wrong? Being attacked by a vampire? a/n: I wrote this thinking about Bullets era, but the era’s up to y’all

There was a light thin rain falling outside by the beginning of the day - it seemed incessant and like if it would continue for the whole day like in the previous one, but it came to an end before it was even noon. It was practically just a warning of the colder days that still are to come, maybe a free sample of them, like Ray called it once. Well, a sample wouldn't leave this mess of gross wet dry leaves near the sidewalks or under trees, but that's fine. I'd prefer some different fall vibes.

Even with the clouds leaving, the rest of the day remained kind of cold, with the sun's heat not seeming enough to take over the result of the rain or more so dry the soil properly. It's not really something new and brought a quite pleasing atmosphere, the change evident in how there are more people standing under the sunlight rather than under the shadows, like usual. The chilly air feels just perfect to get a thicker hoodie off the wardrobe; or just steal one of Gerard's, in my case.

Even so, it isn't enough to get us outdoors - it only makes the fact of staying home like always more pleasing.

I'm surprised by Gerard suddenly sitting down beside me, getting my attention off my phone with a kiss being pressed to my cheek. He hums softly as making himself comfortable next to me, resting his head on my shoulder; a pleased smile plays on his lips after I press a kiss to his cheek. He's got the faint smell of the coffee he just drank before going upstairs to take the used cups to the kitchen and also ask Donna if I could stay the night.

"Okay, so," he starts, "my mom says you can stay over but we have to stay out of the basement. They're having a seance to call my grandparents." Shifting around more, he throws his legs over my lap, seeming finally satisfied with our position and the new proximity.

"They are?" I ask him, thinking for a moment then letting out a thoughtful hum after he nods in response. "I guess we should go somewhere if so. You remember how your parents complained a lot that we plus Mikey kept disturbing the place's energy." My eyebrows furrow a bit at the memory, almost ten minutes of scolding that somehow left us feeling guilty for the rest of the night and following day.

"You voiced my thoughts," he says with a small smile, though seeming more focused on playing with my hair. Observing him, I wrap an arm around him, letting the other over his legs, absentmindedly playing with the folds of the jeans. "You've got any place in mind?" He asks again after a moment. "Like, to go to at midnight."

~

"Of course, the graveyard at midnight is super sexy and not creepy, let's go there."

I roll my eyes at Gerard and look at him, bored; the sarcastic expression remains on his face for a few seconds before he goes back to grabbing what he needs. "What?" I twist my mouth in certain disappointment. "C'mon, it's better than being stuck in your bedroom like we do every day and you know this city has nothing better at this time."

"Well," he shoots me a look, almost pouting. "The way you said it, I thought you had some kind of special spot, like an abandoned bridge or building like in a cheesy fanfic," he teases, giggling after I snort, rolling my eyes at his playful attempt of annoying me.

"I mean, we could go somewhere like the skate park or something, but you know how these are full of idiots." I shrug in frustration, remembering the past experiences. "And I'm not up to getting lost in the woods at night again." My words make him send me a questioning glance, most likely about to ask me about it, but I quickly speak up. "Ask Ray if you wanna know all about it. Dealing with lost ghosts is better."

Gerard gazes at me for a moment then raises his eyebrows like if making a mental note. "Okay, fair point," he trails off, seeming to fumble with something. I raise an eyebrow at him questioningly and he shrugs. "It's holy water," he explains with a tap on the jeans' pocket that held his attention until seconds ago, grabbing his phone and his keys before extending his hand to me.

"Oh, you're on that shit again. Why would you carry holy water around?" I question, taking his hand and pulling Gerard with me out of his room, giving him time to close the door after we leave it. The chains attached to his pants make a tinkling sound as he walks, the metal cross and the pendants hitting each other.

No word come in response; he raises an eyebrow at me, wordlessly asking if I'm being serious. Being met with the same look coming from him mirrored by me, he shakes his head, his face gaining an air of disbelief.

"C'mon," he mutters in defeat, starting to walk down the stairs. A quiet sigh escapes my lips, but I don't say anything in response, inevitably following him.

A cold air embraces us in the same moment we step outside, thankfully not enough to make us shiver; the hoodies hold enough heat to make us warm and the cold breeze is too weak to even send our strands flying. The tips of Gerard's cold fingers touch are still felt through the fabric of my fingerless gloves and I bet his situation isn't much different. He squeezes my hand, rubbing his thumb over my fingers lightly in a poor attempt of heating them up as we look down both sides of the empty street before stepping down the porch.

Only a few lights are on inside the houses while we walk down the street, a pleasing silence hovering around, our footsteps echoing behind us. It lasts until we reached the main street - people occasionally walk by and there's a place or two open, so the faint incoherent talk is heard under the sound of a car eventually passing by. Still, it doesn't make it any worse.

It's rather easy climbing the wall to the graveyard, even more with each other's help. Though not really seeming scared, Gerard looks around the dark place with narrowed eyes once we land on the other side of the wall. I grab the flashlight I brought, lighting our surroundings before pulling Gerard along with me to a rather empty space - there are no graves, just a few trees. Frank and I came here a few times already, with the same intention of avoiding the other places, so the place isn't really unknown to me. It's got a good lighting, with the light posts right on the other side of the wall, that's not so far from the spot.

A kind of relieved sigh escapes my lips as I sit down under the tree, pulling Gerard with me and turning off the flashlight. Only the sound of us sitting against the slightly damp grass and quiet exchanged words cut through the thick silence, which doesn't seem to lose its power even with the occasional night sounds.

"Your choice is still really questionable, but I'll offer you if a demon, vampire or something decides to attack us," Gerard teases as scooting closer to me, grumbling quietly as nuzzling my neck, his cold nose brushing the warm skin affectionately. "I'd throw the holy water at them, but you're not worth my holy water," he continues, sending me a playfully angry look, eyes narrowed and bottom lip sticking out lightly.

"I'm not worth it?" Furrowing my eyebrows in a fake sadness, I scowl jokingly after he nods, a kind of childish air over his manners. "Well, thank you for telling me your plan, then, I'll make sure of running away before you can notice," I tease, chuckling at the glare he sends me followed by a whine. I press a kiss to his lips, what makes him giggle before kissing me again, humming in appreciation against my lips; the once heavy atmosphere we were once set in slowly melting away into a comfortable, almost warm one.

"What'd you bring?" Gerard asks as seeing me shoving a hand inside the hoodie's pocket after pulling away from him.

Preferring to not answer, I just hand him the black can of Monster Energy, followed by the small bag of M&M's he had bought earlier today plus a small bag of chips which contents have most likely been reduced to crumbles with the heavy can pressing against it for almost the whole way here. A pleased hum comes from him as he gets the can first, flicking the can a few times before the sound of it being cracked open echoes in the place and he takes a sip of the drink.

Meanwhile, my phone holds my attention as I try to chose something that fits the mood - a pleased smile stretches my lips once Dig Up Her Bones comes up on the screen and I decide to just let the song play and be surprised by whatever comes next. Gerard raises his eyebrows as soon as he identifies the song, shooting me a glance to show how the choice pleases him too.

Letting out a sigh that finally seems genuinely comfortable, Gerard practically melts against me, seeming to observe the sky for a moment - it's got some stars decorating it, apart from some areas covered by clouds, probably a warning that it'll rain during the night or by the morning because they're slowly taking over the sky.

We're able to shape the ambient into something we're almost used to, the fact it's a graveyard now being a minor detail in the back of our minds while Gerard sips on his drink and I nibble on the chips he occasionally steals from me.

Though the light doesn't really reach further in the graveyard, I'm able to sense someone else's presence, tensing up lightly before looking around. It is like someone is standing some feet away from us, but, still, there's nothing but even more tress and bushes making us company.

"What's wrong, love?" Gerard asks softly, leaning forward lightly, squinting his eyes at the spot I stared at just seconds ago.

"Nothing," I shrug, "'must've been some lost werewolf attracted by the beginning of the song." A chuckle escapes my lips as I say it more of as a joke. Even without seeing it, I can tell Gerard rolls his eyes then I can feel his elbow meeting my side in a light motion, though still carrying a reprehending air. In spite of that, I can hear the faint laughter caught in his throat.

Once again, we fall in comfort, exchanging a few words once in a while as we ate, mostly just enjoying the music playing in the background and pressing occasional lazy kisses to each other's lips.

Everything is fine until I sense the presence again and, suddenly, it's behind me. It's too solid to be just a paranoia from earlier - it blocks the cold breeze from hitting my back and my side and I swear I can feel a shallow breathing. Gerard probably notices how I tense up. At first, his eyes are confusedly flickering over me, first looking at my hand before going up, still not understanding it when he observes my face, but his eyes widen and he freezes too when looking past me.

Gerard's eyes move to mine for a second like if telling me something. I'm not sure about how to interpret it, but follow him as he clumsily stands up and starts running, his hand tight around mine the whole time. Our plan, however, is screwed when we're met exactly with what we feared - at least as a joke.

All the stories about vampires, werewolves or any other kind of beasts are always mostly taken like a joke, though there are a few people who'll tell you their stories about how they escaped a creature's attack if you ask them to. Nonetheless, it's rather easy finding a house with a cross hanging right above the doorway or seeing someone discreetly blessing the doorway or windowsill with holy water and looking around in a hope no one will see them doing it. If you are around for time enough, you'll see how the city has a strong belief in spirits and you'll most certainly gain a curse if you enter a wrong place in the woods - what Ray and I know very well.

Anyways, I'm sure we'll probably be laughed at if we tell someone we went to hang out in the graveyard and ended up being visited by a fucking vampire. Well, that if we fucking survive long enough for so. Their characteristic sharp features are badly illuminated by the light coming from the light posts, the light reflecting on the red sink of their cliché Victorian suit and showing a few metal details, like a pin on the blazer and a chain, probably of a pocket watch. It's rather easy identifying a vampire after hearing the stories that go around and the description of this one isn't really unfamiliar to me. And, like, I don't think a normal person has teeth that sharp, but...

A shaky fuck escapes Gerard's lips, both of us trying to step back from the beast, clutching onto each other for dear life. The panic makes a thin layer of sweat quickly form itself over our skin, in a way I'm able to feel my palm sweating under the fabric of the glove, making the fabric slightly damp.

Swallowing thickly, all I can think about is running the opposite direction. And I do so. The quiet cry leaving Gerard's lips demonstrates he didn't expect the sudden tug at his arm, what sends him stumbling behind me. In any moment of this, his hand escapes mine and, when I turn back around, I'm alone. There's just the faint sound of a The Cure song playing in the background, coming from my phone, thrown on the ground next to the neglected food and the flashlight.

The silence is almost deafening. There isn't even a quiet cry coming from Gerard or the hushed movements of the vampire.

My heart suddenly becomes heavy with the thought of having lost Gerard. Slowly, I start taking steps back, with the intention of at least getting the flashlight back and maybe stopping the music coming from my phone so it'll be easier to be aware to my surroundings.

It's difficult determining if I should be happy or not that there's no other movement or anything in my way back to the tree. I let out a quiet sigh as bending down to get the flashlight, flicking it on, but the weight of the worry and panic is set back on my shoulders at once when I adjust my posture and I'm able to feel someone standing right behind me. Too tall to be Gerard.

Turning around at once, I point the flashlight at who's most likely the vampire. Even being extremely quick, my brain is able to process the sight of the face contorted in a motion to attack, showing their fangs while making a scary face on purpose while they also make a hissing sound - it all snatch a loud scream from me as I jump back.

The cries coming from me as I push myself back against the tree don't seem to be something I can control, becoming more desperate with a louder hiss coming from the beast.

And the attack never happens, for some reason. All I see when pointing the flashlight at the beast is them hissing louder for no apparent reason, slowly contorting while falling to the ground, twitching a bit before they stop moving at all. Everything is silent again. That asides from the sound of my heart beating in my head and my heavy breath.

The vampire lays there, immobile. Did they die? Why?

With a movement coming a few feet away from the body, I hear something. My heartbeat pace picks up again, my throat dry while I adjust the flashlight on my hand, mentally preparing myself to move it.

"Y'know-"

As much as it's spoken by a familiar voice, the single word doesn't fail in making me scream again, a shaky light illuminating Gerard a few times while I was still scared, but also relieved, with his presence.

"-stop screaming- they'll never believe us when we tell them we fucking killed a vampire to the sound of The Cure," Gerard says in an extraordinarily calm voice. By the time he finishes talking, I'm able to recover myself, my grip on the flashlight becoming steady, illuminating him properly. Gerard looks down at a glass flask on his hand in certain approval, slowly nodding, then he turns to me, squinting his eyes and bringing a hand up to protect his face from the light.

"Stop fucking pointing that thing at me," he complains.

A quiet oh comes from me, reality hitting me and making me feel like if I'm an idiot. After a minute debating about what should be the light's aim, I point it at the vampire again, grimacing lightly at the sight and poking the creature lightly with my foot. I quickly pull it away, afraid it'll go back to 'life' or something. It doesn't happen, thankfully.

"I told you I carry holy water around for a reason!" Gerard's voice suddenly next to me makes me jump again, clutching onto my chest, glaring daggers at him - what he's most likely not able to see, unfortunately. He grabs his own phone, the screen lighting the small space between us just enough for us to see each other properly. Just like his voice had a proud hint, his wide smile also carries the same feeling, the row of short teeth somehow standing out more than the rest of his face under the dim light. He chuckles noticing my glare.

I roll my eyes, smiling a bit as finally allowing myself to calm down. "Idiot," I mutter through a breathy chuckle, weak, like if I've been holding my breath for hours.

"Anyways," Gerard says as poking the body with his foot too, pulling the arms stiff arms away from their chest after he bent down. I can't really see what he's doing, but an unamused look falls on my face once my eyes land on the pin, a pocket watch plus a few other things now on Gerard's hands. "At least it wasn't a completely bad situation."

"How can you be so fucking calm?" I ask in disbelief, another nervous chuckle coming from me. "I just fucking had a heart attack, I thought I'd fucking lost you."

"I believe in my holy water, love. And my silver cross pendants," he says in a matter-of-factly tone that just earns another indignant look from me. It makes him giggle. His giggle helps me a lot with relaxing.

"Though I believe we can cross the graveyard off the list of places to hang out in at midnight," he says with a nervous chuckle, moving to gather the things we left on the grass. Gerard throws some M&M's in his mouth before chugging down some Monster then handing my phone back to me. He holds everything clumsily with an arm while shoving the pocket watch and other things in his pocket before he offers me some of the drink.

It's still unbelievable how he's so calm. Actually, if you think well, not something really surprising after Elena's uncountable stories about vampires. Maybe there's more behind Donna's acts when she shakes her head in maybe reproval and rolls her eyes whenever the older woman is telling a story and the way Gerard's always excited about listening to these. And how their houses are full of crosses, creating a nice goth vibe that matches the dark wooden furniture and vintage decoration. How there's an unsaid superstition in whenever they walk in the house or leave it and the inaudibly muttered words whenever Donna's either serving or preparing some food. Or maybe the lack of family pictures. And too many mirrors hanging around the house.

Shaking my head to myself, I just sigh as taking the can in hand, pressing a quick kiss to Gerard's lips before taking a sip of the drink. "C'mon," I mutter lightly, making sure he's following me to out of this place.

[misstrashchan]

Since @im-the-king-of-the-ocean did a post about what TMA fear entities the RWBY characters are aligned/avatars of, I’ve been itching to do one myself because as a result of overlapping hyper fixations I think about this A LOT

The basic concept is that avatars in TMA become what they fear most or embrace a fear they have developed the most complex relationship with that plays into their motivations and drive as a character. What negative impulses they have to constantly fight themselves on, the shape of the monster that lives in their heart.

To quote the RWBY song Fear, “But our greatest fear will be realised, if we fall and lose ourselves to fear, we’ll become what we’ve feared all our lives” yeah that’s a very loose definition of what becoming an avatar is.

Since MAG s5 has proven that you can be an avatar of more than one fear, (Like Martin serving both the Eye and the Lonely) some of the RWBY characters might have more than one, but I’ll try to limit it to two to avoid getting complicated, but at the end of the day it’s all fear soup, we might categorise them according to Robert Smirke’s 14, but they all bleed into one another, like Gerard’s colour analogy in 111:

GERARD

I always think it helps to imagine them like colours. The edges bleed together, and you can talk about little differences: “oh, that’s indigo, that’s more lilac”, but they’re both purple. I mean, I guess there are technically infinite colours, but you group them together into a few big ones. A lot of it’s kind of arbitrary. I mean, why are navy blue and sky blue both called blue, when pink’s an entirely different colour from red? Y’know? I don’t know, that’s just how it works.

And like colours, some of these powers, they feed into or balance each other. Some really clash, and you just can’t put them together. I mean, you could see them all as just one thing, I guess, but it would be pretty much meaningless, y’know, like… like trying to describe a… shirt by talking about the concept of colour.

O-Of course, with these things it’s not a simple spectrum, y’know, it’s more like –

ARCHIVIST

An infinite amorphous blob of terror bleeding out in every direction at once.

GERARD

Now you’re getting it.

ARCHIVIST

Like colours, but if colours hated me. Got it. 

Ruby Rose: The End. The fear of death itself, uncaring and unstoppable. Man this was hard to think about but I have a lot of Big Feelings about this one. Initially I really, really wanted to give Ruby the Eye simply because “can laser beam monsters with their eyeballs once they become powerful enough” and there is a fascinating overlap in how the Beholding powers and Silver Eyes function in the same way, (especially in how Cinder being exposed to the Silver Eyes fills her with an overpowering fear and reopens old wounds from trauma that have never properly healed; which is VERY similar in the psychological affect Jon’s has on his victims when he Beholds them) they’re both direct enemies/opposites to the Dark that expose their enemies/victims true nature and destroying them in the process at times. Only one feeds on fear and the trauma of others while the other feeds off of hope and love (Gerard says there’s no such thing as an avatar of hope and love, clearly he’s never heard of Ruby). 

But nope! The fear and nature of the Beholding just doesn’t really match with Ruby at all. She isn’t driven by a need of knowledge, nor does she fear being watched, followed or having her secrets exposed. The End though? Death itself? Ruby outright states that’s her biggest fear in volume 5 to Oscar “It doesn’t matter if you’re standing in Salem’s way or not. She’ll kill anyone. And that, scares me most of all” to me Ruby’s fear of death itself is projected onto Salem here, I think. It’s uncaring, unstoppable, it doesn’t discriminate, and it could come for the people she cares about at any time. What matters though is the context she says this is in explaining her motives to Oscar. Her whole life has been shaped by her inability to process death, her relationship with grief, all starting with the tragic and abrupt death of her mother Summer as a child. She’s also surrounded by a lot of death motif too, the hooded cape, mostly wearing black, the giant grim reaper scythe. She’s the End. 

Of course, her being an Avatar of the End means having to imagine the worst version of Ruby, one that is fully consumed by that fear. Avatars of the End are not malicious or destructive in nature but instead are… very apathetic. They don’t need to seek out victims to feed off of, nor do they have a ritual, because the End comes for all. And that fits with what Ruby would be like if that fear fully consumed her. It’s more or less established in vol6 during the apathy arc when she tries so hard to fight against their influence and how horrified she is when everyone around her falls prey to it. Giving up, not caring, accepting the inevitable demise of everyone and yourself? Ruby was terrified of that. And when looking at the vol8 opening where we see Ruby being dragged down by what looks like the arms of the apathy? She fights the hardest against it because it’s what she’s most afraid of, but because of her inability to process her grief properly is ultimately what will make her the most vulnerable to it when she’s pushed to her limit. All Salem needs to do to break Ruby is to remind her of Summer’s death. Not even what actually happened to her or how she died, just the death itself. Hell, the first time we see Ruby in the Red trailer, she’s at her mother’s grave, the first verse in Red like Roses that’s about Ruby “Red like Roses fills my dreams and brings me to the place you rest” in which we come to understand that the “Red like roses” lyrics in both part one and two of the song is referring to Summer’s abrupt death which Ruby apparently dreams about, which brings to mind Oliver Banks, our most prominent Avatar of the End, whose first statement to The Magnus Institute in 011 (underneath the fake alias of “Antonio Blake”) is concerning how he started dreaming about the deaths of others, which he didn’t begin to take seriously- until it was his father that he saw in his dream. Upon which Oliver realised how terrifying death really was and that fear began to consume him. 

Okay I’ve probably gone off long enough about this but yeah. Ruby is the End. I mean, she also just got a song in the v7 soundtrack called Until the End 

Weiss Schnee: The Lonely. The fear of isolation, of being completely cut off and alone or disconnected from the rest of society. I don’t really have to go too deeply into this one. It’s pretty cut and dry. “The loneliest of all”? And the Schnees basically are the Lukas family. Actually thinking about it the Lukas’ are actually somewhat better? They were the only ones in the whole of TMA that understood to raise a child to be an heir/avatar of their fear they needed room to reject it or actively choose it, even if that had an 80% success rate. Both are still awful though. (Damn, I can’t believe Jaques is an actively worse parent than an eldritch fear avatar)

When Weiss comes back to Atlas in v4 she’s more aware of her loneliness than ever, feels more aware of how she and atlas high society as a whole is disconnected from the rest of the world and its struggles. Whitley commenting on her being in her room for months implies she’s purposefully been isolating herself during this time as well, in order to avoid her family members “A pleasure to see you out of your room for a change” (sidenote; the fact that whenever Whitley shows up it always catches Weiss off guard, like she didn’t even notice his presence until he wanted her too. That’s. That’s a BIG Lonely thing. Given Peter’s siblings eventually ran away and he was the only heir I can imagine Peter being what Whitley would end up like if no one intervenes)

I’d say they might also be an possibility of the Stranger due to her struggling to find her own identity and inability to recognise oneself, but that can be an aspect of the Lonely too, as we see when Martin is in a house that is a domain of the Lonely in s5, and is unable to recognise himself in the mirror or recall who he is.

What I do have to say about this is it’s pretty interesting considering at this point in the show Weiss’ relationship with loneliness is actually somewhat healthy and something she can use to relate to and help others. She understands other people’s loneliness, that Blake in v5 needed space and in time she’d come back, and Weiss would be ready to be there for her when she did. And she also understands Yang’s loneliness in the same volume and that she needed someone there to support her.

“But you’re right. I don’t know loneliness like you do. I have my own version. And I bet  Blake has her own version too.” 

Speaking of Blake…

 Blake Belladonna: The Stranger, I Do Not Know You. The fear that you cannot trust the perception of yourself or of others. The creeping sense that something isn’t right. I considered the Spiral, but the Stranger and the Spiral overlap more than any other two entities so I’m just gonna go with the Stranger. Especially with her semblance being a metaphor for disassociation, a coping mechanism for the abuse and gaslighting from her relationship with Adam being kind of the biggest thing here, since the Stranger and Spiral deal with that a lot. She literally creates false copies of herself, shadow clones which she uses to feint, distract and evade. As well as statues/mannequins when dust is involved, which the Stranger is known for manifesting. Her fighting style centres around misdirection, stealth and fooling people’s senses. She also used to be part of the White Fang, known within Sienna and Adam’s faction to wear the masks of monsters, appearing anonymous. And she literally disguises her identity as a Faunus in order to escape the White Fang and enroll at Beacon. Blake at first was hesitant to trust and rely on the others in the earlier volumes, to let her guard down, and when she finally did, the worst happened and her fears were proven right. In s2 Jonathan becomes more paranoid due to being marked and in close daily proximity to the Stranger (as Not-Sasha), much like how Blake in v2 becomes far more paranoid and less trusting of her team. She also does seek knowledge or answers even at the cost of her wellbeing, which is an Eye thing, but Blake’s desire for knowledge and answers isn’t really consistent or important enough with her character and motives beyond vol2 for me personally to consider her an Avatar of it, but I do think she is Eye aligned. 

Yang Xiao Long- The Eye. The Ceaseless Watcher, It Knows You, as well as The Hunt. For the Eye, the first time we see Yang is her trying to find information on her mother, and we see Raven in bird form at the beginning too, as she has followed Yang her whole life, never actually interacting or doing anything for her, just… watching her. We learn in vol2 that her search for answers surrounding her mother has been a part of her entire life, almost overwhelmingly so to the point where in her childhood she and Ruby nearly lost their lives to the Grimm when she decided to journey to a shack in the woods she thought would lead to clues in finding her mother. She is adamant because of that experience to never let her need for the truth and answers control her, but it is a need that is always there. When she finally meets Raven, she’s encouraged to “start questioning everything she knows” which, she does. Questioning and knowledge is a big part of Yang’s character, even now. She’s the one who questions Ozpin the most, as well as Raven herself, and in the recent volumes is the one who challenges and questions Ruby’s leadership the most. There’s also a moment in vol7 of her drawing parallels between herself and Robyn and relating to her when she says “I won’t stop until I find out the truth” Her being the one to take the relic of knowledge is hugely significant in this too, especially given the context that she acquires it right after confronting her mother, getting the answers she’s searched for her whole life, holding an artefact possessing infinite knowledge, and she sinks to her knees and cries because there is no sense of closure, that anything is better because of her knowing who and what her mother is, and that her choosing this path might have cost her ever having a relationship with Raven (which is more Raven’s fault of course, and Yang knows that, but that’s not how she’s feeling at that exact moment). 

For the Hunt, this one’s a bit simpler. The thrill seeker aspect to Yang’s character and motives in becoming a huntress and enjoying the chase and fighting in of itself. There’s another element in that as most Avatars of the Hunt start out as monster hunters who then develop the need to hunt and kill monsters, and gradually what qualifies as “monster” starts to blur more and more as they become consumed by the need and thrill of the chase and hunt itself. I bring this up because in vol3 Blake draws parallels between Yang and Adam after she is disqualified for attacking and injuring Mercury, worries with how familiar this all feels and that Yang might turn out the same as him (and just for the record Adam is a full blown Avatar of the Hunt, and the Slaughter too most like) 

 “I had someone very dear to me change. It wasn’t in an instant, it was gradual. Little choices that began to pile up. He told me not to worry. At first they were accidents, then it was self-defence. Before long, even I began to think he was right. This is all just… very familiar.” What Blake describes is… kind of similar to Basira’s relationship with Daisy with how Daisy, an Avatar of the Hunt, would justify to Basira and explain away how the violence and murders she committed as being for the greater good. 

Also just one more, because I have to

 Pyrrha Nikos: WebwebWEBWEB. Hoo boi Pyrrha is the Webbiest of Web Avatars as they come. Her whole character’s themes surrounding destiny, control and agency, feeling like her whole life had been decided for her, the fact she’d been blessed with incredible talents and opportunities meant she was supposed to be a huntress, the fact her talent as a world champion meant she was placed on a pedestal without her realising, becoming separate from the people who placed her there in the first place, that Ozpin and his inner circle tell her she has been chosen as the next Fall Maiden, but the method in which she must become so might result in the loss of her identity, that though they ultimately leave the choice to her do pressure and manipulate her into it. The idea of destiny being a predetermined fate you can’t escape is Pyrrha’s greatest fear, and rejects that idea in that she will not let her life be manipulated but will be the one to take control it instead, which is manifested in her having a semblance that she uses to subtly control and manipulate her surroundings. As Cinder puts it, “People assume she’s fated for victory when really she’s really taken fate into her own hands”.  

[writingforyourpleasure]

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Characters: GERARD WAY x Reader

Link to chapter two :   https://writingforyourpleasure.tumblr.com/post/613879271149223936/on-the-road-again

Warnings : None

Author’s note: HO BOY ! I can not believe I wrote so much in only one night.

3.      “ Text it Away “

The knot down your stomach was tightening with anxiety. 

You and your mother were at the grocery store , you were pushing around the shopping cart while your mother was talking to you , well at lest she pretend , but she just loves hearing herself talk , really. It seemed like a lot of families got the same idea than you, the mall was pretty crowded today. You were staring at your phone for the last ten minutes, wanting to text Gerard but had no idea how to start the conversation.

“Y/N are you even listening to me ?”

Your mom was staring at you disappointed.

“I’m sorry , you were saying?”

“We don’t get to spent much time together these days , could you even try to care ?”

You looked at your mom with a blank expression .

“So which book should I buy?” said your mom after a few seconds.

You realized that you were in the book section next to the music one.

“I don’t know . I don’t read that much.”

“And it’s a shame!”

You sighed , looking around you to set your eyes on the music section . You realized that next to the shelves of album was a life size cutout of Gerard . You started to laugh uncontrollably under the questioning look of your mom.

You asked your mom to take a picture of you in front of it doing the same posture that he did. You mom executed your request with a questioning look. After that both of you continued your shopping around the mall. You followed your mom , still hesitating on how to approach him. It was silly really, you were a grown up woman and you didn’t even knew how to write to one of your friends.

“Mom I’ll help pack the groceries to the car but meanwhile I think I’m gonna go get a coffee if that’s okay with you?”

Your mother sighed, her arms crossed over her chest.

“You may go. It’s not like you were paying attention to me anyway.” She said kind of tired.

You brushed it off and walked up to the exit of the market to land in the center of the huge mall. You put your headphone over your head not to hear any sounds . It was a special sounds blocking headphone often used to play drums. Your had a little smile on your lips finally tasting some calm after all this irritable noisy crowd. You took a hallway on your right already seeing the green neon of the Starbucks coffee . You weren’t a fan of them for a lot of reasons, but unfortunately it was the only coffee shop to provide a decent coffee in this mall.  You were listening to “The Regrettes” when you remembered you didn’t send the picture from earlier to Gerard.

You took your hands somewhat a little nervously , you suffered from social anxiety even though you knew how to hide it pretty well and appeared as an extrovert most of the time, but somehow being in your hometown didn’t help your anxiety .

-Hey look who I ran into today at the mall!

You texted to Gerard , making you cringe a little bit coz’ you sounded like a stereotypical mom who just texted her son on her way to her book literature club. But it’ll have to do right now.

You glanced at the window double checking, if anyone you knew from high school was there, when you checked that the perimeter was clear your phone buzzed .

It was Gerard

-Ho no … it’s so uncomfortable haha I didn’t even knew we had new ones installed in stores. Can you burn it alive for me pls ?

You smirk reading his text.

-No way , I think we’re becoming besties me and him . I will buy you one  , don’t worry, it’s on me , I know of much you wanted one . 😉

You breath out through your nose , laughing silently to yourself.

-You’re aware that if you do buy it , I’ll throw it in the garbage can , right?

A slight smile played on your lips while sipping on your coffee before it got cold.

-You mean your bed ?

As you waited his answer you glanced around the Starbucks to find it much more full of people . Most of them around your age . Sure where else were they gonna buy coffee from? I mean they probably don’t even know how to cook an egg , so a coffee must be a little too ambitious. An echo of a buzz made itself known before you even realized it .

-That’s low, even coming from you.

-Well I mean you understood it all , Way. Into your bunk you have breakfast and dessert reunited , it’s a win-win situation you got there , you can jerk off, sleep and eat in the same place , sounds pretty magical to me!

“Would you look at that ! L/N in bones and flesh! So what as you come back piggy ?”

You were so into your discussion with Gerard that you didn’t pay attention to your surroundings . Just your luck, Tyrell decided to take a fucking coffee at the same time than you , you hoped the gang wasn’t here , you didn’t want to have to staple a fake smile on your face for over thirty minutes.

“Tyrell hi. Can you not call me piggy please?” You breathed out trying to contain yourself and stay calm.

“Ho but babe it suits you so perfectly.” He said starting to take a seat in front of you.

Anxiety at this point wasn’t even enough to describe your mental state.

“Okay once and for all don’t call me piggy,babe,honey or any nicknames. You know living in the past can’t do you any good” You sat down the cup you just finished, looking him dead in the eyes.

“Well highschool’s not so long ago since you still look the same . So you haven’t given up music ? I mean you should think about doing a stable job now, you can’t dream all your life Y/N.” He said cockily .

“And remind me … What is your job ? Dealer right ?”

He chuckled a little, his arrogance radiating from him.

“I’m a lawyer student now.”

“Sweet o’ sweet irony.” At this your phone buzzed.

He glanced toward your phone , curiosity getting the best of you, you looked down at your phone.

-You should take notes ;p I could teach you my secret.

Gerard. You had forgotten you were texting him in the first place, since Mr.Dickhead had judge wise to come annoying you.

-Don’t even take credit for it , pretty sure it’s Frank fault . He’s the one with the magic. Maybe it should’ve been him on the life size cutout ?

You sighed remembering Tyrell was in front of you. Starring. Like a creep.

“Well it was an incredible thing to see you , but I actually have a thousand things better to do than talking to you.”

You took your cup ready to leave before he got the chance to talk back.

“Y/N !!!” A sudden voice called you. Ho no. The gang is here.

Your old group of friends were facing you and Tyrell , before you could do any move , you were wrapped up in a big hug by the girl who literally just yelled your name across the coffee.

“Hey what’s up Y/N ?” said the boy to the left side of the girl . Mallon .

“Well I’ll be better if Julia here would stop trying to hug the life out of me.”

Julia at your words stopped hugging you pouting like a child.

“You never give us news about you so it’s only fair .” replied Robert who was standing on the right of Julia.

“Not sure having me be dead would give you more new-“Your phone cut you off buzzing once again.

-Hey I help making the magic happen ! Next time you should come give us a hand 😉 And I’ll give him my place any time haha

Your cheek took a deep shade of red at the proposition. You chuckled a little to yourself at that. Replying immediately.

-You should have asked sooner , it’s always a pleasure to help a friend in need ! I hope when you’ll find one of my crumbs , you’ll think of me . And maybe you’re helping Frank in putting crumbs in your bunk but let’s be honest here … you’re just Frank’s assistant , he’s the real superstar here.

“Who’s Gerald?” Surprised you Julian creeping over your shoulder way too close . When did she even came all the way around you ?

“Could you respect something called personal space?” You replied a little harshly . But still , she did creep out looking at your texts.

She took a step back mumbling a tiny ‘sorry’ before asking the same question.

“Sooo…Who’s Gerald?”

“It’s Gerard for one and-“

“Is it Gerard Way?” Asked Mallon bluntly. You raised an eyebrow at him a little taken aback .

“Isn’t he in my Chemical Romance ?!” Added Julia a little too excited for it to be not without any expectations .

“Yeah… It’s like ….The lead singer or something right?” Asked Robert , much more calmly with a blank expression. Tyrell was looking way too interested in the matter . Now all four eyes of your ancient friends were on you.

“Huh Yeah he is . Mall how the hell do you even know who’s Gerard , I’m texting to ? Could be any other Gerard really!”

“Well, aren’t you like working with him?” Said Mallon before taking a large gulp of his drink.

“Haha ! So I was right your just useless in the music industry ! What even is your job ? Your in charge of bringing them refill of water bottles and shit?” Said with a vicious expression Tyrell, crossing both of his arms across his chest.

“No dude! She’s like the opening band of My chem.” Said Robert still with a blank expression . But with a little bit of venom in his tone. You and Robert used to be close, so you weren’t all that surprised to have him take your side.

“C��mon let’s sit guys, Y/N what about another free drink on me ?” He added , while the others were sitting in the seats . Before you could respond anything he took by the arm and lead you to the queue leading to the counter.

“You didn’t even let me-“ you started before being cut off for what felt like the dozen time this day.

“Were you really gonna say no to a free drink ? Even with you touring along a band like my chemical romance I can tell it doesn’t pays all that much.”

“What makes you so sure about yourself young men?” You said sounding somewhat a little flirty . Shit. He raised an eyebrow at that. But you brushed it off acting as if it always was your goal to come off as flirty.

“Well…What you seem to forget is that I actually know you Ms./N unlike the three idiots back there. If you’re in our sweet old hometown it isn’t to pay us a visit . Not when your mom’s home… We’ve crossed paths on our way down here.” He said giving you a glimpse of a smile , pointing his thumb in his back in direction of Julia, Mallon and Tyrell. You stared at them thinking.

Julia was small and curvy with cherry hair color and was dressed entirely in black with a yellow tote bag on her left shoulder . A plugging V neck black T-shirt associated with a black skinny jeans and classic vans. She had her cherry hair in a ponytail and was wearing a deep shade of read on her lips with liner and mascara to compliment her brown eyes . Tyrell still had his classic brown frizzy hair a perfect tan and brown eyes. He was wearing a jean jacket covered in pins a white shirt and black jeans with deep red docs. Mallon on his side had changed his hair color opting for a neon orange , he had curly hair just like Julia’s, wore glasses and was a little chubby. He wore a leather jacket with a forest green sweatshirt and black skinny jeans with massive new rocks.

You glanced up at Robert who was rolling a cigarette . He had still the same straight blond hair in a buzzcut, lip piercing. He was wearing a large dark shirt with cuts in random places , grey skinny jean, black converses, black fingernails and a large silver chain around his neck. The only thing that seemed new were tattoos sleeves on both arms and not entirely complete. It was somewhat comforting to know he hadn’t change all that much.

Your phone buzzed.

-          Ho man, He always was, was he? Maybe I should just give up the place of lead singer to him, and let him the superstar he always was…

A huge smile was stretching across your lips.

-          Hell no, it’ll be chaotic to have you as rhythm guitarist or guitarist, period! Just stick to the basis, love. Or else your band would be over before you can even play a live show.

You returned your attention to Robert who still was waiting a response. You truly wanted to prove him wrong but you knew, it would be stupid , to try denying it to him.

“Yeah… Well at least I have a job Ro’. “ You exhaled dramatically at him.

“ Yeahhhh well I also ben happening to have a job Y/N/N”

“What ? Wait, really? You dropped out of college ? What’s your job? “

“Yeah design school wasn’t what I thought y’know? The people there were all so fake. Didn’t like it too much like high school , and I didn’t graduated to end up in a working place with the same mindset. I’m a security guard for now but I’m taking part-time classes in a marketing school. I want to open my own music label someday.”

“Woaw… Man that’s huge . I mean it’s like awesome if that’s your dream I’m just surprised . But I guess I shouldn’t be since you’re here and your design school was in London so it makes sense I guess.”

Your phone buzzed.

-          Ho really now ? Is that why you’re starring, every time, I’m playing guitar? Is it because I’m such an painful sight to the human eye , now?

Your face grew hotter once again as you typed your response before embarrassing yourself further.

-          Yeah it’s so awful that I’ve been trying to subtly tell you to never play guitar again for the past months . Guess you never took the hint.

You drew back your attention at Robert .

“By the way Ro’ , what are you even doing with them? I though we’ve left the band at the same time…?”

He looked unsure of what to say next .

“We did Y/N, we did… I just. I came back , and you were gone y’know? All of my other friends were gone too. I was all by myself and it seemed to be the only people to have stick ‘round so I’ve just started to hang out with them again.”

The waitress asked what you both wanted to have before you were able to think of a sentence. She gave an unhappy glance at Ro’s cigarette tucked unlit on the corner of his pinched pink lips.

“Your names please?”

You shared a knowing look with Ro’ before saying yours first.

“Kurt” She wrote as you said on the empty cup.

“Cobain” finished your friend with a shitty grin plastered over his face as the waitress rolled her eyes.

Once you both had your cups in hand you headed toward the exit of the Starbucks , Ro’s explaining to the other that he wanted to take a smoke. You headed for the parking lot.

“Tyrell’s still mad at me though.”

“What , seriously? God, I whish I didn’t slept with him at this party . Seriously I was just so drunk plus it was so long ago. He’s just jealous. He called me piggy again.”

“Well I’m not complaining , was worth it. Yeah I know that’s just his shitty jealousy , I mean after all , I get it, he had slept with you one night. I ,on the other side , had been with you for two years so I clearly won over this asshole.”

“You sure did haha.” Comfortable Silence filled your conversation .

Your phone buzzed. Right. Gerard. You’ll check later .

“Can I have a shot on yours?” You said glancing at his cigarette.

He handed you the end.

“Y/N it was nice to see ya . I’m gonna join them, take care.” He said kissing you on both cheeks .

“Huh Yeah , you too dude.” You watched him getting further away as you were ending his cigarette , before smashing it against the cold pavement.

“HEY RO’! LET’S HANG OUT BEFORE I GO ?” You asked yelling across the parking lot. You smiled happily as he raised a thumb up.

Once he disappeared into the mall , you took a look at your texts.

-          Ho was it now? Yeah , right I’m probably getting’ ideas. Well Frank’ll have to stick as the rhythm guitarist then. Oh man, he’s gonna be so disappointed . Guess I’ll be the one to break the news to him, he’s gonna be so disappointed not the be the next superstar of the band.

You laughed a little, taking the path leading to your mom’s car , texting your response .

-          Don’t fool yourself he still is the superstar .

-          Well , how come he isn’t he the one on the cutouts then?

-          Coz’ he’s one generous motherfucker. And It’s because your music label’s been distributing cutouts of you all across the country as a joke for your second album. But then they realized you believe it for real and they haven’t had the heart to break your dreams so they stick to it making you believe it was real and everybody’s been playing along since then. The fans are being paid to make you believe they cheer for you when they usually cheer for Frank obviously.

Your mom was just done putting away the groceries in the back of the car when you opened the passenger’s door.

-          Gotta to admit sounds like him haha. And what about Ray and Mikey in all of that ? And I don’t want to rain on your parade but I’m pretty sure they sometimes cheer for me along with Mikey and Ray.

Your mom started the car.

“Oh guess who I came across in the mall? Robert! I mean he was also with a girl and a boy but I didn’t knew them.”

Your mom never met them, because of her job. She wasn’t around long enough to meet most of your friends.

“You and Robert were the cutest I remember! Such a polite young man and good looking too! Aren’t you getting lonely always on the road like this? I hope you’ll meet someone, you know it shouldn’t stop you from looking for a boyfriend or a girlfriend-

You sunk down on your seat , turning to face the window, looking down at your phone drowning the rambling of your mom .

Your phone buzzed.

-          What about you?

You frowned at your screen .

-          What about me ?

-          Well are you getting paid to cheer for me?

-          I’m the most paid one coz’ I have to put up with your bullshit after the show too.

-          Right so you’re some kind of a creepie groupie then.

-          You wish . I don’t think you can call me a groupie if I’m paid for faking it , call me a talented actress.

-          You mean a infamous one since you’re so desperate for work you accepted to be paid to pretend to like a band in which you don’t even like the lead singer.

-          Touché…

-          Unless you actually like the lead singer you pretend to hate ?

[unmaskinglynz]

I HEARD THE RUMOR OF: STEVE HELPED LYNZ TO JOIN MSI

Many have been the rumors of Lynz's entry into the band, however, it has been herself who has told in various interviews how she joined the ranks of the controversial band.

In April 2017, Lindsey gave a short interview to the monsterecords site.

 Q: When or how did you find what you wanted to do?

L: Well, for art, it was something I always knew. I really didn't think about it. I realized that I wanted to go to art school as I grew up. While I was in school I started playing bass and I got into a band and then the music took over for a long time. Art was always my first love, music was secondary. It's not that I don't love music. Art is my right hand and music is my left. I don't want to be without one, but if I had to make a decision, I'd cut the left.

 Q: How did you chase him?

Art: I went to college, and for music: I lied. My roommate bought a drum kit and I had a bass. She went to CBGB’S and boasted that we had a great band. Mindless had their last show there with their former bassist. His manager asked Asshole Dave, the goalie, who could be a good stand-in bassist. He recommended me, so I got a call from his manager, who gave me one of his CDs when he came to my art show. Jamie Hewlit, one of my favorite artists, made the album cover, so I thought about how bad they could be. I had to quickly learn three songs for an audition and I couldn't play bass. So a friend of mine came to show me what a tablature was and taught me. I spent every moment where I was awake to learn. It was a really decisive moment in my life. I learned that if you really work hard and work very hard at something, you will succeed.

I applied to the audition unsure of my abilities, but decided to stick with the position, so I filled a can of film with Bacardi 151. When the ten-second break in the song Tornado came, I ripped matches from my hair and blew fire all over the room. I almost caught Jimmy, the singer, on fire. I got the gig!

 Another thing that she has also told in numerous interviews and that is known to all, is her previous punk band tribute to country singer Dolly Parton, called "Beg Yer Parton" where Lindsey was a bassist.

 Q - When did you join MSI? You had no music experience, did you? I know you said before that you didn't even know what tablature was. How scary was it to jump straight into a touring band?

L: I joined MSI in 2001. Before, I had no formal training but had a bass and played with friends. It was very scary, jumping like that, but more than anything it was exciting. He had never been on a plane before and was suddenly flying to Las Vegas to perform in front of thousands of people. A lot of it was not knowing what I was getting into, but most of all I was hungry for an adventure. I also felt like I had nothing to lose and if I at least failed miserably I would have a great story to tell my friends. I think that was the key, that I didn't care if I failed miserably.

Q: How long did it take you to start getting comfortable playing bass? Was there anything in particular that helped you feel more comfortable with him before?

L: I was in the band on tour constantly for years before taking over the term bass. I will say that although I didn't really know how to play before MSI, when the opportunity presented itself, I made a commitment to learn and practice tomorrow, afternoon and evening. I have never understood the mentality that complicated equals good. My favorite bass lines have always been the simplest and if I had to list all of my favorite songs, none of them contain any crazy bass lines that only Les Claypool can master. In fact, they are probably so simple that I could teach you how to play them in an hour. I'd rather be Dee Dee Ramone than Flea.

Q - Rumor has it that you were ever in a punk band from Dolly Parton, true or false? (If false, I'm totally starting one!)

L: A truth! Beg Yer Parton was the name and it was great fun and very short lived. Did I mention it wrong? We were terrible, I think you should start your own punk rock band Dolly and do the woman justice.

So far everything in order, right? Very inspiring and novel.

The doubt arises when we look at the dates:

 Lindsey allegedly joined MSI in 2001, giving us a 19-year gap between Lynz coming into contact with the band to this day.

But then why does Lucinda Montano (Steve's wife, MSI guitarist) say she has known her for 25 years?

Note that this capture is at least 2 years old from its posting on the lynzuglyliar blog. So what about the rest of the years Lucinda says? Either one must be lying, who will it be?

  Recently on Twitter a woman named Charlsie Astrid made an appearance.

At first she was nothing more than a stranger, but when we investigated her twitter account we realized that she is followed by Lola, Jonathan Rivera (Gerard's friend and collaborator), Anna Milanollo (Lynz's watchdog), Weirdtrufax (the fake account Lynz), Lauren Valencia (recently deceased MCR manager), MSI, Aaron Hoye (Lindsey’s tech and witness to L's alleged infidelity in Russia according to Jessicka Addams), as well as Chantal Claret. Weird, no?

Charlsie defended Lindsey in one of her tweets, which is why several accounts began to question her about whether she was a faithful follower and advocate of MSI and LW.

Charlsie claims to be friends with Lindsey Way since they worked together as bartenders in Brooklyn. Recall that Lynz lived in Brooklyn during her stay in Pratt, which means that she was still in her student stage.

This girl said she was a friend of Lucinda Montano despite knowing Steve's infidelity with Lynz…. But wait a moment, so Steve, Lucinda and Lindsey knew each other long before Lynz's entry to MSI ?? So LW is the one who lied ???

It all sounds very strange. And if Steve was that "friend" who helped Lynz learn the songs for her “audition”? What if Steve really was the one who interceded for her to join the band? Maybe their romance could have happened a couple of years earlier. How comfortable it would be to have your lover in your same band to be with her under the guise of tours and concerts.

what do you think?? true or false?

[othernecessarythings]

back on my bullshit again

and once more!! if you happen to stumble across these posts of mine, please just ignore them.. they’re a way for me to reflect on my life (and improve my english), and while i can’t stop you from reading them, can i say that you probably wouldn’t benefit much from it lol. anyways let’s go

1) Put your iTunes on shuffle. Give me the first 6 songs that pop up.

my lots of songs list: the love club-lorde, river en vacker dröm-håkan hellström, living dead-marina, why we ever-hayley williams, snälla bli min-veronica maggio, take this lonely heart-nothing but thieves

2) If you could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be?

oof um the person who will be the love of my life? no lol but like zendaya would be pretty cool ig

3) Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 23, give me line 17.

“... and the top was red-and-white striped, and it all zipped up in the front.”

4) What do you think about most?

hmm my friends maybe?

5) Ever had a poem or song written about you?

not that i know of

6) Do you have any strange phobias?

nah i feel some trypophobia (?spelling) sometimes but that’s it

7) What’s your religion?

i’m kinda christian, but like i choose which parts to believe in and not, like i believe in the message of doing good and love, but not like homophobia or an actual god lol

8) If you are outside, what are you most likely doing?

sitting in the sun, listening to music

9) Simple but extremely complex. Favorite band?

ah probably paramore, yeah it must be them

10) What was the last lie you told?

eh kinda basic but “i’m fine” i guess

11) Do you believe in karma?

ooh that’s a questioning worth discussing, no i don’t believe in the actual the-universe-is-constantly-judging-our-actions, but like that people who do good tend to get good things back? yeah that makes sense

12) What does your URL mean?

my main (neon-places) is from perfect places by lorde, and just neon bc it sounds cool

13) What is your greatest weakness; your greatest strength?

oh god if i only knew,,, i really need to improve my empathy, but my systematical skills are quite good

14) Who is your celebrity crush?

hayley williams

15) How do you vent your anger?

i don’t get mad😌😌 no but like when i get irritated do i just close my door to my room and like listen to music in headphones and solve a puzzle or something lol

16) Do you have a collection of anything?

i kinda collect things that mark an important/memorable event in my life, like my first pride bracelet, my favorite jeans from when i was like 15, lots of birthday cards,, yeah it’s not so unique, but they’re important to me

17) Are you happy with the person you’ve become?

yes!!!! me a few years ago would’ve never thought that i’d be like this now, but i’m proud of myself and what i’ve become!!

18) What’s a sound you hate; sound you love?

fun fact i HATE sleeping to the sound of rain. it makes me really anxious,, i love the sound of waves though, or my little sisters pure laugh :,)

19) What’s your biggest “what if”?

what if i’m just faking everything, what if this is not actually me but something i put up to please others around me

20) Do you believe in ghosts? How about aliens?

not ghosts really, but there must be some sort of life in the whole fucking space,, while maybe not what we traditionally would categorize as “life”, must it exist something, somewhere

21) Stick your right arm out; what do you touch first? Do the same with your left arm.

i’m in my bed so like. my nightstand to the right, my wall to the left

22) Smell the air. What do you smell?

absolutely nothing, i’m so used to the smell of my house

23) What’s the worst place you have ever been to?

oo idk??? i’m usually quite content with wherever we’re going, although fotografiska in stockholm was shitty though

24) Most attractive singer/s of your opposite gender?

oh um like tyler joseph maybe? gerard way, frank iero? yeah i’m an emo slut

25) To you, what is the meaning of life?

no don’t go there,, thereisnomeaningoflifesoitsallaboutmakingasmuchaspossibleandliveashappilyaspossiblyuntilourfleetingexistenceonthisearthisover

26) Do you drive? If so, have you ever crashed?

.. yeah you could say that i drove, i have a driving license after all, and i’ve never crashed but i’ve been stopped by police a few times lol

27) What was the last movie you saw?

no idea, i never watch movies... or wait!! we had legally blonde on at my friends house a few days ago when we got home from a party, i didn’t exactly watch it but it was playing

28) What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had?

i’ve had some bad allergic reactions in form of severe eczema

29) Do you have any obsessions right now?

‘the devil and god are raging inside me’ by brand new, doing my makeup a special way

30) Ever had a rumor spread about you?

yeah, that i’m gay and together with my earlier best friend (we were not)

31) Do you tend to hold grudges against people who have done you wrong?

not really,, i’m really fucking scared of conflicts so i simply forgive and move on, it’s easier that way

32) What is your astrological sign?

pisces baby

33) What’s the last thing you purchased?

a blue skirt second hand!! v cute

34) Love or lust?

um idk i’ve never really experienced any of them, but maybe love

35) In a relationship?

nope

36) How many relationships have you had?

a whopping amount of zero

37) What is your secret weapon to get someone to like you?

I DONT KNOW someone tell me please how to get someone to like me,, but like more friendship-like is it usually to always choose my words very carefully to not upset anyone, it usually gets me quite far

38) Where is your best friend?

where? i hope she’s home? well like we took the bus home together a few hours ago, so i guess she’s home

39) What were you doing last night at 12 AM?

aha ha funny,, i was having a small mental crisis so i sat and did math (by free will, school has ended for summer) while listening to melodrama.. yes

40) Are you the kind of friend you would want to have as a friend?

i don’t know, this is so hard.. but like. no? or it wouldn’t really work to have someone like me as a close friend, i’m to introvert, i tend to surround myself with extroverts who bring me with them to do stuff

41) You are walking down the street on your way to work. There is a dog drowning in the canal on the side of the street. Your boss has told you if you are late one more time you get fired. What do you do?

oh um i call 112 (the swedish 911) and make sure someone else notice the dog too and help it while i hurry to my job

42) You are at the doctor’s office and she has just informed you that you have approximately one month to live. a) Do you tell anyone/everyone you are going to die? b) What do you do with your remaining days? c) Would you be afraid?

a) yes, i think so. only my closest though, to give them a chance to say goodbye properly, but i wouldn’t really like other just acquaintances to reach out just bc of the circumstances

b) i try to travel as much as possible, party all i can, tell everyone i love how much they mean to me and just. live

c) of course, i would be scared to death (see what i did there) but i wouldn’t have any other choice but to fully live my last month

43) What’s a song that always makes you happy when you hear it?

hard times by paramore!! it always makes me want to dance

44) In your opinion, what makes a great relationship?

no

45) How can I win your heart?

show any whatsoever interest in me lol

46) Can insanity bring on more creativity?

i guess,, i’m like the opposite of insanity though, i’m constantly numb and completely lacking any creativity, so it may work the other way too

47) What is the single best decision you have made in your life so far?

hmm maybe my school application? i’m so fucking happy with my choice

48) What would you want to be written on your tombstone?

hmm nothing too special i guess, just the usual loved and missed and so

49) Give me the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “heart.”

like the anatomy and stuff,,, i really like biology, more than romances lol

50) Basic question; what’s your favorite color/colors?

usually different shades of blue, but right now all pastel colors, especially purple

51) What is your current desktop picture?

my locked screen is two of my best friends, and my home screen is paramore ofc

52) If you could press a button and make anyone in the world instantaneously explode, who would it be?

trump would be pretty nice

53) What would be a question you’d be afraid to tell the truth on?

oh um like “name a few things you don’t like about me” or something, bc as i said, i hate conflicts

54) You accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what’s even cooler is that they endow you with the super-power of your choice! What is that power?

the ability to change the probability!!! it’s the ultimate superpower!!!

55) You can re-live any point of time in your life. The time-span can only be a half-hour, though. What half-hour of your past would you like to experience again?

my tøp concert maybe? i was really euphoric then, and i haven’t really felt like that since, but i’m afraid i’ll destroy that memory if i could go back so idk

56) You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be?

i’ve had quite a happy life yet, there’s no big thing i’d like to erase,, no i feel like every experience in my life has leaded me to where i am today, so i wouldn’t like to erase anything

57) You have the opportunity to sleep with the music-celebrity of your choice. Who would it be?

hmm idk maybe alex turner. idk i feel like it would be pretty nice

58) You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go?

italy maybe? my friends and i planned to go there this summer before the corona hit, so i’d like to go there lol

59) Ever been on a plane?

yeah several times

60) Give me your top 5 hottest celebrities.

idk idk i’m not really.. attracted to anyone rn? it’s kinda weird but there’s no one where i’m like wow this person is HOT,, nah i don’t really feel anything like that at the moment

[pkmntrainergreyze]

Hitman for Hire (Gerard Way Imagine)

A/n: Thanks for the notes you guys. I’m sorry this was late, I realized just now that this imagine wasn’t posted in months now ;-;

(Okay I’ll stop with the ;-; ‘emoji’)

I’m not sure if I could update more, since examinations near. Wish me luck guys, algebra is killing me.

Anyways, Enjoy

————————————-

“Agent Way you’re not supposed to do that…” I felt the words trailed off before I heard a loud bang! coming from the now cold lifeless business man. He was corrupted to begin with anyways, just in it for the taxes of the nation. Agent Way smirked “Who cares?”, the ‘a’ in the word 'cares’ dragged longer. How immature can this excuse of a man- no, a hitman get?

“We’re supposed to eliminate him by a stab-” He placed his right index finges in my mouth, his mouth formed an 'o’. “Shhh” rolling my eyes, I placed my pistol back in the bag with a groan. “Agent Dun will be as done as his name, don’t you feel bad for him? He hacked the cameras just for us to properly elimate him?” I want to ask do you have any conscience at all? but I guess not.

It’s his turn to roll his eyes. He placed his hand in his waist and dang, He’s so slim after all the years of working out in the agency huh? “We can always fake his death, Agent (L/n)” does he actually think that reassured me?

He’s always the laziest man on the job- going for his pistol. I wish he would just pay attention to the files.

Every man avoids to be his partner- even Agent Toro! The most patient one in our organization. He is so notorious for this behavior. Although he’s the most brutal one at the group, I mean, one time he killed twenty men with just a sharpie, stabbed a man with just a toothbrush, instant death, he’s not exactly the most obedient one.

“We?” I scoffed, avoiding his dependent gaze. He poked the dead man and took it as a sign of death. He can’t make me do stuff! What is he? My boss? All I remember is that Mr. U’s our boss.

He didn’t seem to listen. He grabbed the nearest ballpoint pen out there and blood spurted out even more, scattering down the carpet.

“If you have your DNA there I swear…”

“Shush! I have my gloves ya know?”

“And a hair net?”

“What kind of f*cking hitman wears a hairnet?” He retorted, his glare practically sent to my direction. Well, it was a stupid question but I just tried to bulge his strong built confidence.

I mean, he has long greasy hair that looks badas-

Nope! Avoid those thoughts! You are a hitman (Y/n) (L/n)! A hitman! No relationships!

Gerard’s hair strands flew from when he blew it, his hands found it’s way to tie down the man, a bit too tight to make it seem like it was long there. The bloody ballpoint pen and gloves was already disposed in a ziplock bag.

“Let’s go?” He asked while walking out the door. I grumbled lightly when he kissed my cheek before he left, so I couldn’t help it, I hate how this man makes me feel a bit too odd.

After a bit of traveling- okay, maybe not a bit, but we traveled passing by five cities. Entering our office once more. Mr. U stood there, stimmering, his feet tapping wild like constant raindrops and his face as red as tomatoes.

“Agent Way and Agent (L/n)!”

Crap, this is why I hate working with him. Why did I have wake up late that day? I could have been partnered with Agent Iero.

I mean, it’s always fun and games with Agent Iero.

His hand clenched to the metal bar as the boss spoke. Fumbling to make his voice clear as he took a step forward, stumbling on his way in front of the door. I sighed and walked in a straight body and a chin up head. Remaining professional is always part of the job, one wrong move means one wrong bullet down your skull.

Mr. U, the man with his forehead as large as his name, which is pretty darn known around this world, he’s the sh*t, and even a bigger one when he’s mad, he is right now, unfortunately in front of me.

“Gerard…” His voice vibrated slightly and Agent Way stiffened. Mr. U would always use an agent’s real first name to threaten them, and now I’m witnessing the hundredth time he’s spoken his.“We do not play around in this job…” Agent Way slightly smiled.

“And (Y/n) you swore to take care of him” His eyes as peirce as an iron sword I laughed nervously. “I know Mr. U but Agent Way here-” I sent Agent Way the same dirty look.

“Doesn’t like to follow orders”

“Well” Mr. U smirked, arms crossed before we walked towards us. “this room doesn’t have to be dirtier and redder than this, isn’t that right?” he tapped and held one of of shoulders, it hurts, he grips it too tight, but I knew I deserve it. “Agents?”

“Y-Yes sir!”

“Yes sir”

“Good” He sat back to his comfortable, probably five star, seat, his elbows on the chair’s arm and his feet crossed in the glass table. “I have another mission for the two of you, don’t f*ck it up” he tossed files beside his feet, with a picture of a bald man attached to it.

“Make sure to follow what’s written” I think that was mostly directed to Way. “I think that is your specialty Agent Way” He grabbed the file with interest and flipped the pages.

Korse (Name Unknown)

Age: 51

Description: Rumored to be a big drug lord in town. Corrupt. He had finished mastering law. He lost his mother at a young age.

Prefered cause of death by the client: “Kill him with a shot in the right temple, I heard he’s going to go to a comic convention next Tuesday, wear killjoy outfits. There are no CCTVs in the building yet, it is brand new, I beg you, kill him for me, I’ll pay a bank full.”

Agent Way smirked, I didn’t read all the details, I just skimmed to the important ones. You see, I don’t like killing people with no wrong deeds, that’s probably the reason why Mr. U preferred if I handle the job.

“Agent Stumph and Agent Wentz will join you on eliminating the target, are you up for it?” Mr. U asked after removing his legs on the table and his closed fists replaced the position.

“I want to do this alone with Agent (L/n) if you don’t mind? Oh, and I want the Party Poison costume” I stared at disbelief. No way in hell, okay, wrong statement, Way better stay in hell.

“I’ll have a rearrangement” Mr. U looked at my direction. “Is there any request?”

Knowing Mr. U, he wouldn’t let me change his mind, I shook my head.

Looks like I’ll have a long night with Agent Way-or should I say, Party Poison. More like a night alone, and an elimination happening single-handedly.

—————–

We arrived in the God forsaken place, it was a pretty lit party, I think, well it won’t be lit without cocaine on the carpet now wouldn’t it? I stared at the floor in disgust. Looks like there will be blood on the dance floor.

And no, this was not the place me and “Party” was supposed to go, someone (you-know-who) got us lost like mad cats.

Did I also told you I’m wearing (KJ/n) costume? It so happens to be Party Poison’s love interest, courtesy to Agent Way and Agent Iero for encouraging Mr. U to do this.

I groaned lightly, I do like the costume, it wasn’t so bad, but the party near- or I hope was near the comic convention, got Agent Way’s attention, that punk.

“Way we have to go!” I yelled to bury my voice into the music, careful not to call him agent out of the office, but Agent Way stuck his tongue out “You’re not my mother!”

Great, I’m babysitting a hitman.

I rolled my eyes, guess I have to do everything like I said. So much for undercover.

My combat boots found it’s way to the building with no help. I really needed the help I could get from asking strangers earlier so I did. God, I wish Agent Way let Agent Stumph and Wentz to join instead of leaving us two on the mission, he would have guided me there with my headset and Agent Wentz would have given me my gun (that Mr. U likes to get from me- he’s not exactly giving me the permission to use it)

But no- I traveled alone, kudos to Party Poison. Gee, I sound salty.

I found myself silently judging the people- more like couples who wore a matching Party Poison and (KJ/n) shirts, disgusting honestly.

“A lot of people sure like the two of them huh?”

“Yep, it’s a trend people get into, mostly couples” I jumped when I heard the familiar voice, Mikey smiled. It’s Agent Way’s brother. Trust me, he’s hundred percent better than his own brother.

He wore this red jacket-thingy I couldn’t describe and a yellow shirt with some kind of slashed pattern in it-don’t ask me, I’m not a fashionista, I’m an assassin, a hitman if you prefer.

“Heard my brother’s off smoking, I had to fill in” Agent Mikey Way said. “But… I’m not in the job to kill, I’m just here to make sure you’d carry out the deed, I’m not exactly assigned to do other things than watch and help, so is Agent Iero and Toro”

Dang it.

“Nah, that’s okay really kiddo” he smiled- which was rare, consider it an achievement.

I found Agent Iero in costume as well, I think the name of the man he’s playing is Fun Ghoul, from the posters and constant chattering about it. “He’s so hot! He looks exactly like the character”

I swear I almost snorted when I heard the group of teenagers, ahh their thoughts scares me.

Agent Toro was still left unnoticed, nice job Toro. He held a walkie-talkie in hand, I simply raised an eyebrow in confusion but he didn’t saw me.

“Target on your right” I heard his voice spoke, out of the blue I suddenly felt my palm on my neck. I didn’t realize Agent Way- the other way, was smart enough to put a voice chip there without me knowing.

I looked to the right, seeing Korse walk pass a few tables and stopped to a woman with straight black hair that seems to ve wearing a white coat. His face looked blank as a sheet of paper, but I knew with just the right amount of pencil, I could tell what was once written in the pages.

I pretended to play cool, the usual. I placed my elbows in the table and stared at the dishes served, pretending to be interested in plain broccoli. I saw him move out and I did the same.

“He’s heading to the bathroom” Agent Toro spoke once more and Agent Iero leaned on the wall, while the flock admired his look.

“Omg! He looks exactly like the ray of sunshine Jet Star!”

“Let’s take a picture!”

“Sh*t” I giggled when his curse was sfill transmitted to the device.

I headed exactly where the bald man was up in, luckily it was not the men’s room, just the sink between the two doors. He opened up the faucet and the water ran. I tilted my head and peaked in to the mirror in his front.

Only to see him with a small smirk. “Hello Agent (L/n)”

I pulled out my gun and removed the safety, he laughed. “Well well, quite the aggressive one aren’t you?” I scoffed. He sounds like Agent Gerard Way

“Why are you alone to do the deed? Isn’t your admirer supposed to be here with you?” I rolled my eyes at his pathetic words. Pathetic.

He’s probably off to f*ck stoned girls. He’s useless!

But for some reason… It hurts.

I diverted my attention back at the man. “Who are you really?” his smirk only grew inches wider, he didn’t spoke.

“I am your father”

Is he high?

I rolled my eyes, it felt like the hundredth time this week. I smiled at his weakly. “Enough bullsh*t Korse”

He looked a bit down, his confident smile dropped he raised his head at me.

I pulled the trigger

Nothing happened, like a Magikarp using splash. No bullets came out. “Sh*t”

I’m so doomed, with no patrol to guide my way out of this hell of a scene. Korse just shook his head, leaning at the sink in disappointment. Guess the disappointment, sinked in? Why am I making puns now? I hate doing that.

And I’d hate dying right now.

He pulled out a pistol in his pockets, it flashed in the light, it’s metallic view is breathtaking, literally now that I’m about to emerge back to hell, where I came from.

Bang!

I opened my once deeply closed eyes and saw blood stains on the white tiles, on top of it was supposedly my murderer. I looked up and saw oh who else can it be?

Gerard f*cking Way.

He smirked as he rolled Korse’s head with his shoes.

He shot him in the right temple. Instant death. He ran his fingers in his own greasy hair, he raised his chin a bit, like an alpha showing some dominance, this time over some corpse, which is Korse.

“Hey babe” I scoffed once more.

“After going out, leaving me all alone in this you say Hey babe?” I spat in disgust. He laughed, a hand behind his neck. “You have my brother and Agent Toro with you or maybe…” He went closer, he leaned in, towering my form (-trying to). He placed a finger on my chin and raised it “You just preferred to be with me?”

I bitterly scoffed, how dare he?

But deep inside, I was worried the whole time, there are always this voices wondering if he was alright out there in the party, if he knew what he was doing, if he actually still care about me and our plans on the elimination …. Up until now, I still don’t know the answers to those questions.

“In your dreams Way” I almost forgot to reply his narcissistic comment. “Let’s go, Mr. U will kill us if we don’t head back to the base, anyways, where did you came from when you suddenly burst out of nowhere?” I askes while walking out the empty halls with the man in my tail.

“Bathroom windows, duh” He answered, hands on his waist, his now red dyed hair still sticking out of his face.

I didn’t realize his hands snaked to my waist, I felt my face heat up a bit, cursing myself silently, hoping he wouldn’t notice.

“So, (KJ/n)?” His voice sounded so suave, and his eyes seems to be lazily relaxed. “Yes 'Party’?” I questioned with air quotation marks.

“Let’s finally get married, I hate dealing with Fun Ghoul all the time!” He whined, I laughed a bit. He could be an actor from this, I heard that comic would be turned into a TV show on Netflix, he should probably play on that role.

“You should play as Party Poison in that future TV show, I heard they’re still looking for an actor” His eyes lit up, it felt like it was sparkling our like pixie dust when I voiced out my thoughts. “You think?”

“Yeah” I placed my gun back in the bag, since we’re near the crowd. His innocent eyes turned back to his signature look.

“But….” He pursed his lips as we walk a few steps. “If I became Party Poison’s actor you have to be (KJ/n), my dime piece wife” he emphasized on the 'my’

I laughed nervously, is he planning on something again? I swear if he persuaded the boss to make me marry him it wouldn’t be that bad

Wait what?

Nope! No relationships!

…Right?

He remained smiling, it haunts me so badly, I wish I could scream out. I shook my head and continued to walk pass him.

But why does it seem so genuine?

I brushed away the thought. No way!

“In your dreams Way?” I threw profanities at myself for making it sound like a question. It only made the man even more cockier. He snickered and pulled me closer. “Let’s take a picture” he mysteriously pulled out a clean phone from his pocket, he opened his camera app and placed the phone up.

Let me tell you, this is just one of million unforgettable events I have with Gerard Way.

The light flashed, capturing out his reckless moment, and my small comical frown

Gerard Way, the only man who ruins my plans.

But for some reason, he took the bullet for me.

[michaelbennettcrypto]

Bitcoin Inheritance Solution? Startup to Make Passing on BTC Easy

A startup focused on Bitcoin management has launched a service to make passing on Bitcoin as part of inheritance easier. The service, known as the Casa Covenant, addresses one of the biggest issues with using Bitcoin as a long-term store of value. 

The service will introduce an extra private key that may be used in conjunction with those already available as part of Casa’s key management solution. The key will be held by an attorney appointed by the Bitcoin holder and used in the event of their passing.

Passing Your Bitcoin on? It Might Not be as Straightforward as You Think…

Earlier this year, NewsBTC reported on the Canadian Bitcoin exchange QuadrigaCX suddenly going offline. In the days that followed, it emerged that its founder and CEO, Gerard Cotten, had suddenly died with the only copy of the platform’s cold storage private keys. With Cotten’s death, the millions of dollars worth of digital assets held on behalf of the exchange’s customers effectively disappeared.

Announcing Casa Covenant!

A Bitcoin Inheritance Service that solves the question:

“What happens to my bitcoin when I die?”https://t.co/NtLuD9sy4P

— Casa (@CasaHODL) October 16, 2019

The story has far more twists and turns in it than the bare bones detailed above. However, the incident served as a stark reminder (or perhaps revelation) of a very pressing issue with Bitcoin: inheritance.

The truly revolutionary qualities of the Bitcoin protocol are only achieved when users hold their own private keys. This gives them absolute sovereignty over the funds. Literally no one can move their Bitcoin without that private key. Unfortunately, this remains true after they die too.

Typically, when someone passes down money in a will, that money is held in a bank. It’s very easy for them to authorise a payment to a loved one should you pass away. In fact, it’s just as easy as it is for them to shut down your account, freeze funds, or place withdrawal limits on every customer at once. That’s another story though.

The problem of inheritance is one that Bitcoin startup Casa has taken aim at with its latest service. The Casa Covenant builds on its existing key management protocol. It introduces an additional private key to its existing multi-sig system. This is held by an estate attorney appointed by the user.

The wallet requires three keys be used to transact with the Bitcoin associated with the wallet. One of these is held by Casa itself. One by the estate attorney. Finally, for the system to work correctly, another must be held in a safe deposit box under the user’s own name. In the event of the user’s death, the “Safe Key” can be retrieved by the interested party, Casa can relinquish its own key, and the attorney will complete the trio of private keys needed to pass on the funds.

As part of the service, Casa says that it will not only aid with the setup itself but will also educate the legal expert on how exactly to use the additional key.

Casa has not yet offered the service to all its users. For now, it is reserved for its highest tier members. In a blog post detailing the new system, the company explained the reason for this slow launch:

“Over time, we plan to add inheritance solutions to other membership levels. But it’s important to handle this rollout carefully.”

  Related Reading: CEO Who Held $150M in Crypto Died in a Region Known for Having a Fake Death Mafia

Featured Image from Shutterstock.

The post Bitcoin Inheritance Solution? Startup to Make Passing on BTC Easy appeared first on NewsBTC.

from Cryptocracken WP https://ift.tt/2MmeEkL via IFTTT

[brettzjacksonblog]

Bitcoin Inheritance Solution? Startup to Make Passing on BTC Easy

A startup focused on Bitcoin management has launched a service to make passing on Bitcoin as part of inheritance easier. The service, known as the Casa Covenant, addresses one of the biggest issues with using Bitcoin as a long-term store of value. 

The service will introduce an extra private key that may be used in conjunction with those already available as part of Casa’s key management solution. The key will be held by an attorney appointed by the Bitcoin holder and used in the event of their passing.

Passing Your Bitcoin on? It Might Not be as Straightforward as You Think…

Earlier this year, NewsBTC reported on the Canadian Bitcoin exchange QuadrigaCX suddenly going offline. In the days that followed, it emerged that its founder and CEO, Gerard Cotten, had suddenly died with the only copy of the platform’s cold storage private keys. With Cotten’s death, the millions of dollars worth of digital assets held on behalf of the exchange’s customers effectively disappeared.

Announcing Casa Covenant!

A Bitcoin Inheritance Service that solves the question:

“What happens to my bitcoin when I die?”https://t.co/NtLuD9sy4P

— Casa (@CasaHODL) October 16, 2019

The story has far more twists and turns in it than the bare bones detailed above. However, the incident served as a stark reminder (or perhaps revelation) of a very pressing issue with Bitcoin: inheritance.

The truly revolutionary qualities of the Bitcoin protocol are only achieved when users hold their own private keys. This gives them absolute sovereignty over the funds. Literally no one can move their Bitcoin without that private key. Unfortunately, this remains true after they die too.

Typically, when someone passes down money in a will, that money is held in a bank. It’s very easy for them to authorise a payment to a loved one should you pass away. In fact, it’s just as easy as it is for them to shut down your account, freeze funds, or place withdrawal limits on every customer at once. That’s another story though.

The problem of inheritance is one that Bitcoin startup Casa has taken aim at with its latest service. The Casa Covenant builds on its existing key management protocol. It introduces an additional private key to its existing multi-sig system. This is held by an estate attorney appointed by the user.

The wallet requires three keys be used to transact with the Bitcoin associated with the wallet. One of these is held by Casa itself. One by the estate attorney. Finally, for the system to work correctly, another must be held in a safe deposit box under the user’s own name. In the event of the user’s death, the “Safe Key” can be retrieved by the interested party, Casa can relinquish its own key, and the attorney will complete the trio of private keys needed to pass on the funds.

As part of the service, Casa says that it will not only aid with the setup itself but will also educate the legal expert on how exactly to use the additional key.

Casa has not yet offered the service to all its users. For now, it is reserved for its highest tier members. In a blog post detailing the new system, the company explained the reason for this slow launch:

“Over time, we plan to add inheritance solutions to other membership levels. But it’s important to handle this rollout carefully.”

  Related Reading: CEO Who Held $150M in Crypto Died in a Region Known for Having a Fake Death Mafia

Featured Image from Shutterstock.

The post Bitcoin Inheritance Solution? Startup to Make Passing on BTC Easy appeared first on NewsBTC.

from CryptoCracken SMFeed https://ift.tt/2MmeEkL via IFTTT

[joshuajacksonlyblog]

Bitcoin Inheritance Solution? Startup to Make Passing on BTC Easy

A startup focused on Bitcoin management has launched a service to make passing on Bitcoin as part of inheritance easier. The service, known as the Casa Covenant, addresses one of the biggest issues with using Bitcoin as a long-term store of value. 

The service will introduce an extra private key that may be used in conjunction with those already available as part of Casa’s key management solution. The key will be held by an attorney appointed by the Bitcoin holder and used in the event of their passing.

Passing Your Bitcoin on? It Might Not be as Straightforward as You Think…

Earlier this year, NewsBTC reported on the Canadian Bitcoin exchange QuadrigaCX suddenly going offline. In the days that followed, it emerged that its founder and CEO, Gerard Cotten, had suddenly died with the only copy of the platform’s cold storage private keys. With Cotten’s death, the millions of dollars worth of digital assets held on behalf of the exchange’s customers effectively disappeared.

Announcing Casa Covenant!

A Bitcoin Inheritance Service that solves the question:

“What happens to my bitcoin when I die?”https://t.co/NtLuD9sy4P

— Casa (@CasaHODL) October 16, 2019

The story has far more twists and turns in it than the bare bones detailed above. However, the incident served as a stark reminder (or perhaps revelation) of a very pressing issue with Bitcoin: inheritance.

The truly revolutionary qualities of the Bitcoin protocol are only achieved when users hold their own private keys. This gives them absolute sovereignty over the funds. Literally no one can move their Bitcoin without that private key. Unfortunately, this remains true after they die too.

Typically, when someone passes down money in a will, that money is held in a bank. It’s very easy for them to authorise a payment to a loved one should you pass away. In fact, it’s just as easy as it is for them to shut down your account, freeze funds, or place withdrawal limits on every customer at once. That’s another story though.

The problem of inheritance is one that Bitcoin startup Casa has taken aim at with its latest service. The Casa Covenant builds on its existing key management protocol. It introduces an additional private key to its existing multi-sig system. This is held by an estate attorney appointed by the user.

The wallet requires three keys be used to transact with the Bitcoin associated with the wallet. One of these is held by Casa itself. One by the estate attorney. Finally, for the system to work correctly, another must be held in a safe deposit box under the user’s own name. In the event of the user’s death, the “Safe Key” can be retrieved by the interested party, Casa can relinquish its own key, and the attorney will complete the trio of private keys needed to pass on the funds.

As part of the service, Casa says that it will not only aid with the setup itself but will also educate the legal expert on how exactly to use the additional key.

Casa has not yet offered the service to all its users. For now, it is reserved for its highest tier members. In a blog post detailing the new system, the company explained the reason for this slow launch:

“Over time, we plan to add inheritance solutions to other membership levels. But it’s important to handle this rollout carefully.”

  Related Reading: CEO Who Held $150M in Crypto Died in a Region Known for Having a Fake Death Mafia

Featured Image from Shutterstock.

The post Bitcoin Inheritance Solution? Startup to Make Passing on BTC Easy appeared first on NewsBTC.

from Cryptocracken Tumblr https://ift.tt/2MmeEkL via IFTTT

[kiss-my-freckle]

I’m making this timeline post in hopes to shorten my third domino theory post. I’m gonna post this, then link back to it for those who want the dialogues. 

My Timeline

(For Berlin, Keen2, and Jolene Parker)

1991: The Kursk Bombing 1996: Berlin escapes prison by this time, spends 12 years hunting Red. 2008: Berlin starts attacking Red’s business.          Red hires Tom to protect Liz from an arm’s length (Like Ezra)           Berlin makes his connection to Liz 2010: The Campolongo Incident in Beirut (Fake Berlin)          July 9th: Tom and Liz meet at a cafe in Georgetown          Red starts monitoring Tom once he enters Liz’s life.          Red fires Tom - Berlin hires Tom. 2011: Red convened the Shell Island at a chateau in Ile-de-France, which he said happens when they're presented with a problem so difficult, it can only be resolved by enemies working together. January, 2011: Red meets with Dr. Sanders in Lichtenstein. Coincidentally, he’s the doctor used for Berlin’s plans to enter US airspace on a prisoner plane. March 12th, 2011: Tom’s supposed bachelor party. Gone 36 hours. No pictures. November 3rd, 2011: Keen2 wedding. 2012: The earliest confirmed for Jolene tracking Red. She was reported missing by her parole officer. The Alchemist faked her death so she could elude Red. March, 2012: Tom's last contact with Berlin - three months before the murder of Victor Fokin. June 23rd, 2012: Tom murdered Victor Fokin.  End of 2012: Gina reached out to Red as Shubie Hartwell. She wanted Red to broker a deal to assassinate a supreme court judge. "April/July”  2013: Tom issued three passports through Red’s forger. Summer 2013: Red stands Madeline Patt up in Florence                          Red informs Marvin Gerard of his plans to turn himself in. September 23rd, 2013: Red turns himself into the FBI.

Timeline dialogues

1x6 -

Liz: March 12, 2011. Your bachelor party. In Las Vegas. I’ve never seen pictures. Tom: You never will! I was gone for 36 hours! Liz: You can get to Paris and back in 19.

Liz: According to Reddington, her real name is Gina Zanetakos. Nearly a year ago, she reached out to him as Shubie Hartwell. She wanted Red to broker a deal to assassinate a supreme court judge who was the swing vote in a case that could have cost her corporate clients billions.

Episode 1x6 took place October/November of 2013, which places Gina reaching out to Red at the end of 2012.

1x14 -

Madeline: Last summer, what happened in Florence? What happened to you? You left me alone. I deserve an explanation.

1x18 -

Red: Several years ago, it came to my attention that somebody was meddling in my business. To protect myself and my interests, I inventoried my vulnerabilities.

Several, meaning six - given they started years prior to the Campolongo Incident in 2010. What I do not believe, is that Red inventoried his vulnerabilites in 2008, but chose to wait an entire year before hiring Tom to watch over Liz. I believe he would’ve hired Tom that same year. I also have a hard time believing Tom had been sleeping with Liz for almost 6 months, and Red knew nothing of it. There was no given time frame between Red hiring Tom and him actually getting romantically involved with Liz. Being a friend of a friend is different than dating. Once they started dating, it was their 3rd or 4th date when things got intimate. As Red stated, he should've removed Tom, but he simply fired him. So basically what I’m saying is, if Tom and Liz first met in July of 2010, then Tom got fired in 2010.

Red: I’ve been monitoring Tom since he entered your life. About a year ago, I discovered that he had purchased three passports from a trusted forger I use in Warsaw.

1x18 took place around April of 2014, which places Tom getting those passports issued around the same time in 2013 "about a year ago."

1x21 -

Sanders: Liechtenstein. Right. December 2010. No, no. January 2011. Reming - No, no, no. Reddington. Red: Raymond. Sanders: Yes! Raymond! Sit down, Raymond.

Liz: I first met the individual who calls himself “Tom Keen” on July 9, 2010, at a café in Georgetown.

Additional dialogue -

Liz: I believe he was inserted into my life in an effort to locate Raymond Reddington. I believe he had advanced knowledge that Reddington would contact me. How or why, I don’t know.

Additional dialogue from 3x16 -

Gina: It’s me. He came. Just like you said he would. How do you want me to handle it?

Reddington made a move, hiring Tom to watch over Liz just like Berlin knew he would. Red protecting his vulnerabilities. Basically, Berlin attacked Red’s business in order to locate him and learn of any weaknesses.

1x22 -

Berlin: No one knows how he did it, but he did - some say that he carved a knife from one of his daughter’s bones and slaughtered all the men that had held him captive for so many years.

Liz: The man you killed wasn’t Berlin. Red: Yes, I know. Liz: You know? How? Red: He spoke of Beirut 2010, the Campolongo Incident. An unfortunate mess, but Berlin’s attacks on my business started years earlier. The moment he said it, I knew.

2x2 -

Berlin: I almost gave up looking for you. You were like a ghost for 12 years. Heard rumors. And I followed them. From Barcelona to Melbourne to Stockholm. But always nothing. Until one day, I made a connection. Elizabeth Keen. That’s why we’re sitting here today. Because of Keen.

2x8 -

Berlin: It was in ’91. The Soviet union was falling apart. A small group of us. Members of the Politburo, the military, KGB, Stasi. Had a plan to push back the progressives, to stem the tide. We were meeting and discussing strategy when a bomb - Red: The Kursk Bombing.

2x19 -

Red: When I learned that your relationship had become intimate, I fired him. I should’ve removed him, but you were already in love with him.

This "non-removal" of Tom basically allowed for his continued relationship with Liz. We don't know how long Tom acted as a friend to Liz when Berlin hired him.

Tom: You know, that day at the hospital, the day Sam died - I think about that day a lot. I worked for you two years - we never met. You were always this shadow, moving from place to place. Talked about, but never seen.

This sounds quite similar, doesn't it? Tom's "shadow" to Berlin's "ghost." Tom's "moving from place to place" to Berlin's "From Barcelona to Melbourne to Stockholm." Tom's "Talked about, but never seen." (never "seen" because he was like a "ghost") to Berlin's "Heard rumors." Sounds like Tom knew as Berlin did all the while he was searching for Red, as Tom stated to Jessie in 1x21 -

Tom: But the man that you work for - he’s very careful. He’s cautious. He’s controlled. He’s ruthless. I know all that ’cause I followed him for years.

3x11 -

Ressler: Did you host a Shell Island retreat four years ago? Red: I did.

4x19 -

Gale: September 23, 2013 - Does that date ring a bell? Liz: Should it? Gale: It should for you. You see, that’s the day that you went from being a rookie profiler to a classified assignment.

Lucy Brooks aka Jolene Parker As Tom stated in their 1x16 shared scene, she was not his handler for Berlin. Same with Craig in Milton Bobbit’s episode: “I’m the one who is accountable to Berlin.” In Ivan’s episode, which takes place in 2014, Liz stated: “Two years ago, her parole officer in Santa Fe reported her missing. Hasn’t been seen since.” So Jolene went missing in 2012. Dialogues from Cowboy, Red, and Jolene hand us events and timeline. These dialogues show us that Jolene was assigned by Berlin to track Red, then was sidelined from that to check in on Tom.

1x15 -

Red: She’s already faked her death to elude me. Now she’s back. I want you to tell me everything you can about where she’s been, what she’s been up to.

Cowboy: The last six months, she’s been in Havana (Frederick Barnes' episode), Port Au Prince (The Stewmaker's episode), Miami (General Ludd's episode), various aliases. Last September, she was in Prague.

Prague timeline is placed in the same month Red turned himself into the FBI. It also places Jolene around The Kingmaker storyline. This means that The Kingmaker was likely a move made by Berlin after Jolene gathered intel from Red’s visit with Emil Dusek. Red and Niko shared a conversation about this at the pool.

1x16 -

Tom: And now it’s been two years, and I’ve heard nothing. Jolene: We sent word four months ago. Tom: Four months ago, I had to go dark because Reddington sent a psychopath with a knife into my house.

Timeline for episode 1x16 is March 22nd, per the Swan Lake performance. Tom's last contact with Berlin was around March of 2012.

[gerxrdwxy]

In The End, Everything Collides - Peterick

My first fic…

Description: Patrick thinks Pete is dating Mikey, but he isn’t. It’s more of an elaborate ruse than anything, and it definitely backfires.

Warnings: Cursing (mild language)

Word Count: 2133

Read at AO3 here or below

MCR is just lounging around on their bus, pre-show, when Gerard gets a text from Patrick. Sure, it might just be about the show - they are sharing a venue - but Gerard isn’t quite sure. Patrick never texts about the shows, he always calls.

Patrick: hey ik this might be a kinda awkward question but does your brother have a bf?

Gerard is shocked. This was definitely not what he was expecting. He glances up, though, and sees Mikey frantically typing away on his phone.

Gerard: wat, wanna date him?

Patrick: ew no I’m just… wonderin

Gerard: why?? and no idk but I don think Mikey is dating any1

Patrick: o ok thx Gerard

Gerard: np

Gerard clicks his phone off and drops it back into his lap. Frank sits back down from grabbing his and Gerard’s coffee. He kisses his boyfriend and goes back to playing around with chords from “Mama” as Gerard silently muses about Patrick’s strange text.

—

On the Fall Out Boy bus, Patrick watches Pete carefully. He’s texting hurriedly - probably Mikey, Patrick thinks. He drops back onto the couch, leaning into the cushions and taking advantage of Pete’s distraction. His eyes follow the messy black fringe that is always falling in Pete’s eyes, wishing he could walk over and push it back into place. He mentally reprimands himself: he shouldn’t be thinking about his best friend and band member like this, especially if he’s with Mikey. Which Patrick is sure he is, even if Gerard doesn’t know. Who else would Pete be texting that he won’t let Patrick see?

After the show, the two bands gather behind the venue to pack up last minute items and head back to their respective buses when Pete pulls Mikey aside. Patrick notices immediately, not that he was staring or anything… He inches his way over towards them and strains his ears to see if he can hear what is so important, and his fears are confirmed. He walks over just in time to have his hopes smashed.

“I really like you - do you wanna go out with me?” Pete asks and Mikey giggles and claps his hands excitedly, and Patrick has seen enough.

He walks quickly away, back to their bus. He slams the door behind him and is about to storm back to his bunk when he sees Pete’s phone lying on the table. He knows he shouldn’t, but he needs proof. He’s almost afraid of what he’ll see. He doesn’t know Pete’s password, so all he can see are the recent messages displayed on the home screen. Before he can stop himself, he’s scrolling through the messages on the screen.

Mikey: Good luck at the show today!

Mikey: You were great today!! I can’t wait until later ;)

Mikey: You’re a lucky guy, aren’t you

Patrick clicks the phone off, not wanting to see anymore. When it dings behind him, he doesn’t even glance back. He walks straight to his bunk and, not bothering with his nasty post-set clothes, climbs into bed and shuts the curtain before letting himself cry. Eventually, the exhaustion of today’s show washes over him and he falls asleep, tears still staining his face.

Patrick wakes up to Pete standing over him, looking concerned.

—

“You’ve been crying,” Pete states. Patrick raises his hands to his face in a futile attempt to hide his eyes, but there’s no point. Pete has seen. “What happened?” Pete asks gently. “I want to help.” Now fully awake, the events of the past few hours flood Patrick’s mind and he shoves his band mate away. Still Pete persists, saying, “Oh come on Patrick, I just want to help you!” but Patrick doesn’t respond, instead grabbing the end of the curtain and pulling it shut in Pete’s face.

Pete walks back to the main “living room” of the bus, wondering what he could’ve done to upset Patrick so badly. He picks up his phone from where it was lying on the table, checking his text messages. He scrolls, bypassing congratulations from Mikey on the show until he comes to a new message.

Mikey: So have u asked him yet?

Pete: No… he’s in a bad mood rn and idk why

—

“Mikey get your ass over here!” Gerard shouts from the other room. Mikey quickly taps out his last text to Pete before going to see what his brother wants from him.

Mikey: o. idk then but I gtg talk to Gerard bye

Pete: bye mikes, thx for the help today

Mikey walks over to where Gerard is sitting on the couch with Frank.

“What do you want, Gerard?” Gerard stands and walks over towards the opposite side of the little room, motioning for Mikey to follow.

“Hey, so this is going to be a little weird but do you have a boyfriend?” Gerard whispers.

“What the hell Gerard? No. I don’t have a boyfriend and I don’t even know why you’re asking.” Mikey suddenly thinks of something and grins to himself: “Frank not enough for you anymore?” Mikey asks, a bit too loudly. Gerard gives him his worst big brother glare and walks over to explain himself to a not-so-happy looking Frank.

Mikey chuckles a little to himself and pulls his phone back out of his pocket.

Mikey: I’m back if you’ve got anything else to say

Pete: actually, yeah

Mikey: What’s up??

Pete: so I have this idea… it’s prob not a good idea but I’m getting impatient

Mikey: Oh yeah? hmu

Pete: I kinda wanna make him jealous…

Mikey: that’s actually not a terrible idea

Pete: I feel like he’s not really interested and I wanna c if I’m can make him jealous but I don’t have anyone to make him jealous w/

Mikey: I could do it

Pete: omg thx mikes … I’ll call my “bf” later

Mikey: K call u later bye Pete

Pete: bye Mikey, thx again

Mikey wonders what he just volunteered for, but decides its for the best. He paces around for a little bit, eventually wandering back into the living area and after one glance at Frank shoved up against the wall decides that now would be a great time to go outside and call Pete.

—

It’s getting kind of dark when Pete gets the call from Mikey, but he answers right away.

“Hey,” he says, not wanting to sound too awkward while talking to his fake boyfriend.

“Hey babe,” Mikey says on the other end of the line and Pete can hear him suppressing giggles. So this is how this is going to go.

“So what are you doing tonight, baby?” Pete asks, feeling a twinge of guilt when Patrick walks in on this. He sees Patrick freeze up, turn around and grab his jacket and then practically run out the door. Mikey, oblivious, is giggling.

“You, honey” comes from the other end, and Pete wants to punch his face off.

“He’s gone now Mikey, I don’t think there’s a point to this right now,” Pete tells him, sounding a little sad.

“What, did my horrible flirting scare him off?” Mikey jokes.

“Probably,” Pete says, chuckling along with him. Pete, bored because Patrick left and Joe and Andy are God knows where, heads back to his bunk. He can hear Ray yelling in the background and Mikey mutters a slightly annoyed goodbye and hangs up. Pete lies in his bunk and stares up at the bottom of Patrick’s. He thinks of the sweet boy with the beautiful voice who hides behind hats and haunts Pete’s dreams - the boy who sleeps just above his head.

—

Patrick doesn’t typically drink, but tonight he just wants to forget everything he just witnessed. He enters the bar alone, and he leaves alone. He’s there just for the alcohol and the alcohol only. A few drinks and a few hours later, Patrick is so drunk he can barely walk back to the bus, his final bottle in hand. He downs it as he nears the bus and stumbles through the door, almost making it to his bunk before he passes out with a crash on the floor.

—

Pete finds Patrick, asleep, his face wet with tears, again. Evidently Joe and Andy were back and asleep long before Patrick got back, because Pete was the only one to hear the crash. This time he shakes Patrick awake, wondering how he could’ve ended up like this. He gets his answer before Patrick regains consciousness, though, as he realizes that Patrick reeks of alcohol. Patrick doesn’t drink.

When Patrick’s eyes open again, it’s obvious he’s drunk. Pete’s entire world narrows to find and destroy whatever made him like this.

“Hey, Patrick, buddy, what happened?” Pete asks gently. To his surprise, Patrick begins to cry again. Pete tries to pull Patrick into his arms but Patrick shrinks away like Pete’s skin is on fire. “Patrick,” he tries again. “What happened?” Suddenly frustrated, Patrick grits his teeth.

“You.” Pete is stunned, and a little bit surprised at how clearly Patrick seems to be speaking and comprehending, considering how drunk he is. What did I do? He wonders. Patrick curls up into a ball again, and Pete feels just as helpless. “I knew it.” Patrick surprises him by speaking again. Encouraged by the sudden dialogue, Pete speaks.

“Knew what?” Patrick’s face scrunches up like he’s wrestling with what to say, until he finally decides.

“M-Mikey. I knew it was Mikey.” For a second, Pete is confused. Then, he remembers his phone conversation earlier that day. But why would he care if I’m with Mikey? Pete muses to himself. He considers just playing the game, but the pain in his heart from seeing the man he loves curled up on the floor like this, piss drunk because of him, makes him decide that he will tell the truth, whether Patrick hates him for it or not.

“Patrick,” he begins quietly, “I’m not dating Mikey.” Patrick looks up, a mixture of shock, confusion, and is that relief? on his face.

“Wh-what?” Is all he can manage before tears begin to fall again. Pete breathes in, it’s now or never.

“Patrick, I- well, um… fuck this. Patrick, I’m not dating Mikey, but I do want to date you, if you wanted to do that?” Pete asks, his voice getting slowly quieter as he speaks. Patrick looks lost.

“But… but… the phone call, and the text messages, and that conversation after the show!” Patrick’s voice rises as he recounts everything he saw and heard (in summary) and then it’s Pete’s turn to be shocked.

“You saw that?” Pete asks, which probably isn’t the best thing to say. “Oh, shit. That didn’t sound right. Patrick, I- Ididallthatbecauseiwantedittobeperfectwheniaskedyouout and Mikey helped,” Pete explains, talking so fast that Patrick can’t understand nearly a word he says. “Ah, damnit, this will take a while. Maybe we should get off the floor?” Patrick nods and Pete helps him off the floor and they slowly make their way to Pete’s bunk, since it’s at floor level.

Once they’re sufficiently cocooned in blankets, Pete begins to explain, from the beginning, how Mikey helped him practice (among other things) asking Patrick out. Once Pete is finishing explaining the phone call with Mikey, Patrick lays a tired head on Pete’s shoulder and and whispers quietly into his shirt.

“I’d love to go out with you, Pete.” Pete smiles and blushes, but only for a moment until he straightens and speaks again, his tone final.

“No. I want that answer when you’re sober,” He slips out of his bunk to go sleep in Patrick’s. Patrick, drunk and exhausted, falls asleep almost instantly in Pete’s bed. When we wakes up, terribly hungover, he’s happy to realize that he remembers the previous night with surprising clarity.

“Pete,” He says, his voice quiet, hoping the man sleeping in his bunk hasn’t left yet. To his relief, he hears the bunk above him creak and Pete make his way down and poke his head through Patrick’s curtain. Patrick can feel the tension, and apprehension is written all over Pete’s face. “I still want to go out with you,” He says, and he can’t hold back his grin. He glances nervously at Pete and adds, “If…if you want me to, th-that is.” Pete’s grin is equally huge and he wraps his arms around Patrick.

“Of course,” he says, and, tension buzzing in his fingers where they lie on Patrick’s back, he kisses his boyfriend. He pulls away a moment later and, giggling, says, “Go take a shower, Patrick, you reek.” Patrick hesitates a moment, gathering his courage before saying, “Only if you come with me.”

The two boys walk giggling and holding hands, into the bathroom together. As they walk through the main room, Joe silently hands Andy a twenty and goes off to sulk.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/9794450/chapters/21994796 (AO3)

[doctorwhonews]

The Sound Of Drums

Latest Review: Series Three - Episode 12 - "The Sound Of Drums". STARRING: David Tennant , Freema Agyeman , John Barrowman,  WITH John Simm and Alexandra Moen  ALSO FEATURING: Adjoa Andoh, Trevor Laird, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Reggie Yates, Elize du Toit, Nichola McAuliffe, Nicholas Gecks,  Colin Stinton, Olivia Hill, Daniel Ming, Lachele Carl, Sharon Osbourne.  ALSO WITH VOICE WORK BY: Zoe Thorne, Gerard Logan, and Johnnie Lyne-Pirkis  WITH CAMEOS by McFly, and Ann Widdecombe.  --- Written By - Russell T Davies, Script Editor - Simon Winstone Directed By - Colin Teague Music - Murray Gold Produced By - Phil Collinson Executive Producers - Russell T. Davies + Julie Gardner Originally Transmitted 23rd June 2007, BBC 1 This middle component of the storyline that saw out the 2007 run of modern Doctor Who is a dynamic, compelling slice of action and political satire. As good as it had been to have the likes of Autons and Macra come back from days long gone, and especially welcome to see the Who staple monsters that are the Daleks and the Cybermen return with a vengeance, the show badly needed the most masterly of humanoid villains to keep the Doctor on his toes. --- John Simm's Master can be best likened to 'The Joker from Batman. He is utterly unhinged, and without remorse for the crimes he commits.  He actively enjoys causing chaos and misery. But such is this prolific performer's calibre of acting, the viewer cannot help but like him on some level. This is a quality inherent in all the more effective Masters – with other notable names being those of Delgado, Ainley, Jacobi (albeit mainly resting on the fake Yana persona), and Gomez. Of course I will acknowledge the pure villainous qualities of the 'decayed' Master that showed up in the Tom Baker era, and in places also in the 1996 TV Movie. To my mind though, the ideal variant has some level of dark charm, and humorous edginess. A great idea that makes this episode work, is putting the TARDIS crew firmly on the back foot. They do not even have their magic ship as a 'home base', and arrive late on the scene as the Master Plan has already unfolded to near finality. 'Harold Saxon' has become the British Prime Minister, and virtually the whole population are enthralled by his charisma and decidedly alternate style to politics. The manner in which he sweeps aside all dissenting voices in his Cabinet through the method of poisonous gas, and tapping his hand on the table to the 'Sound of Drums' is a fine scene. He even gives some warning to his victims, but in such a way that he is comically obtuse, thus catching some of the supposed smartest people in the land completely off-guard. It is hard to tell which is the more disturbing death in these 10 Downing Street sections: the prolonged suffocation of senior politicians by gas, or the way the Toclafane slice-and-dice Vivien Rook - a reporter rather too bold and determined for her own good.                                    "I'm taking control, Uncle Sam, starting with you. Kill him!" By contrast, the execution of the American President is played very much as black comedy. We have a boisterous and self-important world leader, and one perhaps looking down on Britain; no doubt due to the "ass" elected by the population. In this day and age, with such a controversial new president in charge this scene plays out on a different level. Even the very current affairs savvy Davies could not have anticipated this dimension his work would take. Having a wife by the Master's side is a neat spin on an antagonist that was normally a lone wolf. Whilst he may have temporary stooges to help him (and usually hypnotised ones at that), this is the first time it appears he has a stone cold lover to endorse his villainy. In the Colin Baker portion of the Classic Series, there were tentative alliances with The Rani and Glitz respectively. However, in Lucy the Master has someone who seems to love his unending ambition, ruthlessness and even his sadism. (But of course there are limits to what evil a spouse can put up with, and this is explored effectively in the concluding episode).                                                                                                                                 The telephone conversation scene gives both Simm and Tennant a chance to share screentime equally. When they finally meet in the same frame the effect is even more marked. When they finally meet in the same frame the effect is even more marked. However, whilst the Tenth Doctor swansong The End Of Time is inferior to this Series Three closer, it is ahead in terms of offering decent one-on-one material for two of Britain's most respected screen actors. The 'Toclafane' - a name from young Gallifreyan fairy tales – essentially act as the Master’s force of marauding assassins. But they are a pretty neat invention, in that they combine a distinct monster look with some semblance of a disturbingly imbalanced personality. Having multiple voices to breathe life into them is also a great production choice. The story behind who these creatures are is kept mysterious for now in this particular outing. If one were to be overly critical, they could be accused of looking somewhat like the confectionary Maltesers - especially when the pulsating Voodoo Child track plays out for a distinctly long stretch. Using a piece of popular chart music was a bold move by Davies and can perhaps be seen as risking dating the production. But taken as a suitably offbeat piece of rhythmical noise, that the Master would choose to celebrate his crowning moment with, it is more than appropriate. Also, this is one of the few moments in the show at the time when composer Murray Gold is not providing persistently stirring backing music to the onscreen drama.  Series Three did a serviceable job of giving the viewer a clan of relatives to make Martha’s attachment to Earth mean something, and managed to be both similar enough but also distinctly different from the dynamic that Rose Tyler had in terms of her original 'home'. Furthermore, some good groundwork was done in terms of exploring just why Martha eventually chose not to remain by the Doctor's side full time. Adjoa Andoh is probably the best performer out of this family group, and combines steely determination with a subtle sense of really caring for all those closest to her. She would justifiably return in Series Four's closing pair of episodes, as well. Trevor Laird is notably stronger in his acting, than the very tired and ineffectual henchman role that was part of 1986's Mindwarp. He makes for a devoted father figure, and shows some real bravery in helping the Doctor's party evade capture. Reggie Yates is the kind of casting choice that peppered the 1980s under John Nathan-Turner's watch, and is engaging enough. It is a rather generic brother role as Leo, however, and there is virtually no character development that the show normally pulled off so well by now. Also, for whatever reason, Yates barely features in this episode, and contributes even less in the following one. Martha's other sibling Tish, played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw is perhaps the best used recurring character in terms of the Saxon Arc itself, and is performed with conviction throughout. Much like Freema Agyeman, Mbatha-Raw has had a very fine career post-Doctor Who. Martha herself remains a solid companion, with Ageyman really selling the reveal that the Master is the most powerful man in the country. The response to the startling impact of her 'normal' world being so drastically changed is a strong core theme of this multiparter, and plays out with full effect in the ensuing Last Of The Time Lords. As this episode comes to its cliff-hanger ending, the viewer is utterly captivated as to how Dr Jones will cope without her near-immortal mentor. Like Rose she is capable and independent, but has usually needed some superior experience and incredible intellect from the Doctor to overcome the problem at hand. This particular challenge is mountainous to put it mildly. Captain Jack perhaps is just more along for the ride after some very good material in the preceding episode where he sought some kind of acknowledgement from the Doctor. Of course, he does helps with the escape back to present day Earth - conveyed in a frenetic flash back - and he also gets to do a (very deliberate) plug for his own spin off Torchwood. Otherwise he is arguably surplus to immediate story requirements, and also suffers yet another helpless 'death' - this time at the hands of the Master, and his upgraded sonic screwdriver. This disconcerting cycle of painful demise and lurching back to life in traumatic fashion has been echoed in more recent times in the Forever TV series. Whilst short-lived at just one season, that particular show had a lead character - Henry Morgan - that has some minor similarities with the Jack Harkness character. Pacing in this story is mostly good, and the episode packs a lot into its duration (which is slightly longer than the average of most episodes that year). The climax plays out for a good ten minutes, and thus is both truly riveting and furthers the long-running story concerning Harold Saxon, that first was glimpsed back in Love And Monsters. Most of the earlier sections are breathless chasing or exposition, with some detail on the Master's raison d'etre, and what he means to the Doctor. The whole thing could so easily be rushed, but in the hands of the dependable Colin Teague, it all comes together sufficiently well. One recurring plot point which was a little less welcome was the call-back to The Lazarus Experiment, which many still regard as the weakest story of the run of thirteen episodes. Having the Doctor rendered helpless was a good idea on paper, but the choice here is to make him look like an especially ancient-looking man. Whilst showcasing good make up it never really adds much to the overall story, and would lead to the regrettable 'Harry Potter' CGI imp the following week. Perhaps something different, which rendered our main man immobile and slow of wits, would have worked better.  Although much of the episode is focused on action, satire or re-establishing the Doctor-Master rivalry, the most moving and powerful portion concerns some exposition and visual display of Gallifrey and its orange skies. This is portrayed so much better on a respectable TV budget, compared to the closest precedent in the six-part 1970s serial The Invasion of Time. The narrated flashback makes use again of the poignant music Gold previously used in Utopia, and this backing track seems even more appropriate, as the key to the scene is making the viewer care for the Master through showing him in the form of a mere innocent child. Some mysterious and anonymous Time Lords also feature, with the scene notably breaking the ethnic onscreen barrier which for so long had been a minus point concerning the Doctors home world TV stories. --- SUMMARY : Whilst a little lacking in fully combining both fun adventure and true depth in terms of themes and moral lessons, this is still a good episode in a generally strong second full season for the Tenth Doctor. In comparison to the prior Utopia, it is a small step down in most respects, but many other stories would also struggle to compare favourably. Taken on its own merits, it is still a great watch, and has stood the test of time well. Back in mid-2007, the season finale was set up with a very dark and intriguing premise, and most regular viewers at the time were left desperate to see how it played out. http://reviews.doctorwhonews.net/2017/03/the_sound_of_drums.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr