#hold on wait actually that’s IN the show though it’s in season three! they talk ab misha! will goes to lector manor! what on earth

[macroglossus]

come on dude

[cottonconnielvr]

if you are taking ideas/requests whenever you are can you write reader going to see plug!connie in jail and they talk on the phone and it’s just so cute and ughh

WARNINGS ✩ — (i don’t know how visitations work so bare with me), suggestive language, eh nothing just cute, connie is written as dominican

You follow the security guard into a cold concrete room. You’ve been here plenty of times before so you know exactly where you are going. You keep your face straight and mean mug every security guard who looks you up and down. You make sure to listen to Connie’s orders everytime.

“Make sure you look mean as fuck when you come up in here. You too pretty to be inna place like this”

You sit at the booth, waiting for Connie to come out. You were slightly chilly sitting at the cold metal. Your pink longsleeve shirt wasn’t enough to keep you warm. You brushed your palms on your true religion jeans. Connie always made you nervous no matter how long you’ve been around him.

You look up when you hear the door open, slight chatter in the background from other booths.

You see your gorgeous husband boyfriend, his arms covered in tats. He had on a short sleeve white tee, His jumpsuit resting around his waist.

You immediately break out into a smile as he sits down, grabbing the phone off the wall.

“Hi babyyy” Connie feels his heart beat faster as your sweet voice greets him. “Hey princess. You look so pretty.” His voice slightly cracked in the middle of his sentence. He wanted to touch you so so bad. But soon he’d be able to.

“Thank youuu. Do you like my nails? I got ur favorite color.” You hold your hand up to show him the pink charmed nails.

Connie shook his head and smiled. I’m pretty sure that’s you’re favorite color.”Yeah baby they look good.”

“How was your week?” Connie just wanted to hear you talk, hear your voice. In these moments you kept him sane. These little fifteen minutes highlighting his entire month.

“Ummm it was okay. I went over Mika’s for a bit and I actually meal prepped this whole week which surprised me because I never make it through the whole week,” You talked with your head down.

“Look at me I wanna see your pretty face” Connie demanded. You swallowed your nerves at looked him in the eye.

“What did you eat?”

“Just simple chicken and rice and then I just seasoned mixed vegetables. It was good though.”

Connie groaned and threw his head back, “Baby that would hit so good right nowww”

You laughed, “Don’t worry. When you come home i’ll cook you all of your favorite foods and you can eat it all by yourself”

“I think I just wanna eat one thing.” Your eyebrows furrow before you look at Connie’s expression, seeing him look at you with low eyes scanning your body up and down.

You gasped, covering your mouth, “Baby you’re so nastyyyyy”

“Girl y’know you want me to.” His teeth tug on his bottom lip before he smiles.

You fight the urge to scream, kick your feet, and giggle.

You roll your eyes playfully while smiling.

“You went shopping like I asked you too?” You nodded your head, “Mhmm. I got some more shoes and some random stuff from Bath and Body Works” Connie nodded his head. “That’s good”

“I checked up on your mom too like you asked me” You add.

“Good girl” His smooth voice rings through your ear. You always complied with him. You were such a one in a lifetime girl and he would kill just to not fuck it up. You were holding him down while he was locked up, he couldn’t ask for more. You made sure his business still resumed, running drops yourself even when Connie asks you not to. You just have Jean come with you to be safe.

“I miss you so much” You pout. “I miss you more princess. Just three more months ight?”

“Yeah” Your voice trailed off. You haven’t touched your boyfriend in over a year. You were touch and sex deprived but you would wait on Connie. Even if it took decades.

You were interrupted out of your thoughts when you heard the security guard from behind you.

“Time is up”

Connie laughed as he watched you look over your shoulder at the guard, rolling your eyes before flipping your hair over your shoulder. “I hate that big neck ass block head guard” You smacked your teeth.

“I love you so much princesa. You take care of yourself good kay ma?”

“Okayy. I love you more” You fight away that burning feeling in your throat, not wanting to leave your man but you had no choice.

You blew a kiss at Connie before following the guard.

Connie made sure to take a look at your ass, licking his lips. “No way her ass got fatter…”

[ellielatinagf]

Ellie Williams in Covid head cannons

Sooooo this is just a small idea I had because I’ve never seen anyone else do this soooooooo. Our poor girly in yet another epidemic. Love you all!

Warnings: a tiny bit nsfw content, cursing, for the girls only pleaseee, lmk if there’s anything else

Was absolutely thrilled when everyone was advised to stay inside because she’s such an antisocial loser untilllllll she saw how everyone was rapidly spreading the disease. She’s low key a germaphobe.

Totally had a YouTube channel which consisted of her recording herself doing nothing but laying on the couch with you watching tv. Her only subscribers were Jesse, Joel, and Dina and some rando from Tennessee.

She found a new obsession every week and now the garage is filled with boxes of old paintings, crochet chickens, and diy art stuff.

Had ranked every Ramen noodle flavor from best to worst

Absolutely freaked OUT when you got Covid from your job and she ended up sleeping over at Joel’s. She actually refused to come back untill you showed her how you deep cleaned the whole house.

Ellie on FaceTime

Ellie: wait babe lemme see right there on the dresser

You: Ellie I literally wiped it down twice

Ellie: well I didn’t see it

Tried to make cookies one time and thought they were perfect and crispy around the edges. They really tasted like chips and she got mad when you laughed and claimed you never take her seriously.

Okay I’m sorry but she was a horny monster like cmon she was in the house all day with you like how can she not.

Had an obsession with the Big Bang theory and made you watch it with her and explained all the science stuff which she knew for the most part. On the ones she didn’t know she’d yap about it till you looked it up and she’d gaslight you into thinking she was right.

You: “Umm babe google says……”

Ellie: “that’s literally what I was saying”

She was at Joel’s house one time helping him make more guitars. She accidentally cut herself and when you demanded she go to the hospital which she was terrified of because of all the Covid patients getting her sick she went like this

“Hold on babe i watched greys anatomy”

Fell victim to the meme pages all in her camera roll that were like this

Hated zoom meetings but she’d be the type to hold her phone on the screen and watch those Roblox Tik toks.

I know i already said she was a fortnite god but that girl watched every single fortnite concert at the time and made sure you were right there with her and she made sure to clip the whole thing even though when watching the clip back her and Jesse were yelling their asses off. She loved season three of fortnite.

Ellie: “ HURRY UP BABE TRAVIS SCOTT IS GONNA PREFORM OH MY GOD JESSE WHERE ARE YOU!!!”

Ellie hated when people overstocked at the grocery store meanwhile she did the exact same thing because she was paranoid and it came in hand since you guys wouldn’t need to go grocery shopping for at least a week and a half

Ellie also discovered games with an emotional storyline like Detroit becomes human, red dead redemption, resident evil, ect. And had a phase where she’d be all poetic and shit thinking she was Shakespeare, she got tired of talking like she was from the 1800s.

Ellie: “my love, your eyes, they remind me of a thousand sunsets…”

You: “did you take out the trash?”

She had all her favorite YouTubers and would watch them on the tv and she’d make you play among us with her because that was “the game of century” as she proclaimed.

She actually had a small mini breakdown because our poor girl found out Joel had Covid and remember that in the news it said older people were more at risk. The poor girl though Joel was gonna die and you laid in bed with Ellie who was sniffling and crying in your shirt while you rubbed her back. Those always calm her down. Then when Joel was better again she made you pinky promise not to tell anyone anything. But she did end up calling Joel more frequently.

You guys actually had spent a lot of time together and most couples who spent so much time together broke up and got bored and such and such but you two actually enjoyed you time together. You and Ellie would would go to an open park where no one was around and watch the sunset and talk about what your plans were after everything was back to normal. Ellie asked if you two could get a puppy and who can ever say no to those eyes and freckles cheeks?

Another thing you guys liked to do was spent all day in bed and cuddling. Now a lot of people will assume Ellie would be the big spoon and that can be true sometimes but the girl is a hugeeeeeee softie. She loved being the little spoon because she felt safe by feeling your soft breath ok her back or shoulder. And she’s hold a dinosaur plushie. Like always.

She cried when she watched videos of family’s finally being able to reunite or grandparents watching their families through a class. Who didn’t cry?

She loved playing just dance with you and she’d purposely pick a song where you both had to dance together because she never has the balls to ask you to dance to with her.

She had a little camcorder where she recorded almost everything in your lives at that point. You brushing your teeth, both of you eating cereal, having tickle fights, ect. What Ellie doesn’t know is that now you sometimes go to the camcorder and watch the old videos and she’d a tear here and there because you loved the memories.

Some how she was actually a beast at the toilet paper kick up challenge and got a good 14 kick ups.

You cannot tell me she didn’t buy those apple juices that actually founded like apples when you bit into them.

I lowkey just had an idea of what Ellie would be like at this time sooooo lmk what other hcs you guys might want! Also be sure to let me know if you’d like to be in the Taglists! Don’t forget to talk about Palestine guys! Free Palestine 🇵🇸 🇵🇸🇵🇸

Taglists: @vqxen @bready101 @lilylynne11 @Lively-blues @Yurixxiii @vampyangel @gato-chino @a-little-bit-of-everybody @abbysbraids

[zorobae]

Luffy and Zoro throughout One Piece (season 1)

Although I've written an entire essay on Luffy and Zoro and their relationship in the manga, I think that their live action versions (and the plot surrounding them) are different enough to make it worthwhile to analyze them separately. So here goes...

Luffy gets introduced to us as someone who is enthusiastic and full of stubborn determination to reach his goal, i.e. to become the King of the Pirates. Zoro gets introduced with a similar determination except that he goes about his goal in a more aimless way. The show never explicitly states why Zoro is spending his time hunting pirates, yet it becomes evident early on that being a pirate hunter is something he does to pass the time or to earn money rather than something he intends to do for the rest of his life. Zoro, the pirate hunter, was in a state of stasis. He wasn’t challenging himself, not moving forward or any closer to reaching his goal of becoming the world’s greatest swordsman. Meeting Luffy is what makes him reflect on that and it’s also part of what makes him initially stay with Luffy. Also, both Zoro and Luffy are straightforward and share the same sense of justice. In fact, there are probably only two things Luffy was looking for in a first mate and that’s firstly, someone who he considers to be a good guy and secondly, someone who is strong. Zoro gets established to be both when Luffy first encounters him.

An interesting change on the show is that we get to see Zoro being recruited by two different organizations. First Baroque Works and then the Marines. However when Zoro refuses their offers, he gets punished for doing so. Those offers serve as a stark contrast to Luffy asking him to join his crew. Luffy doesn't try to force Zoro to follow him nor does he punish him for not agreeing to join his crew. So when Zoro does help and follow Luffy, it is entirely of his own volition. And their teamwork when they fight against Axe-Hand Morgan is just as effortless and badass as it is in the manga. Luffy was definitely right when he said they’d make a good team.

In the first three episodes, Zoro keeps saying he is not a part of Luffy's crew whenever Luffy refers to them (including Nami) as such but he also makes it evident in episode 2 already that he is devoted to following Luffy. And that’s not even subtext but something Zoro clearly states when talking to Cabaji. He not only believes in Luffy but he is also starting to believe that next to Luffy, as part of his crew, is where he belongs. To quote Mackenyu: “Meeting Luffy is the biggest thing to ever happen to Zoro… though, of course, he’d never say that out loud”. Right after they defeat Buggy and leave the island, there’s also that adorable blink-and-you-miss-it moment where Zoro actually turns back and waits for Luffy which is just such... quality first mate behavior.

The first mate behavior slowly but surely gets better from here. Because naturally, the more time Zoro spends with Luffy, the more he gets to see what kind of a person Luffy is. He sees Luffy’s determination and possibly his own reflected in it. He sees his compassion and loyalty and how he’d stop at nothing to protect his crew and realizes that Luffy is someone worth following. And Zoro returns Luffy’s loyalty with his own, so to say. However he still keeps an emotional distance. Or to put it differently, he doesn’t fully commit to following Luffy. And the only reason I can think of as to what’s holding Zoro back is the importance of Zoro’s own dream. He may not want to follow Luffy if doing so gets in the way of his goal. That concern is gone after Luffy decidedly does not stop Zoro from fighting Mihawk. And it’s also why Zoro chooses the moment he wakes up after the fight as the one to vow his undying loyalty to Luffy.

This moment is important for Zoro cuz it is the start of his wholehearted commitment to Luffy and the first time he is “emotional” with him. The emotional distance that was there before — and that prevented Zoro from having an actual conversation with Luffy after he revealed Garp is his grandpa — is no longer here. But this moment is also incredibly significant to Luffy so let me dial back just a bit. Luffy is willing to die for his dream and Zoro has the same attitude. Luffy also said that he “doesn’t do regret”. And yet... he seems to be unwilling to admit it but what else does Luffy feel besides regret and fear when he nearly has a panic attack after Zoro lost to Mihawk. Or when he refuses to eat in order to clean Zoro’s swords. Or when he fails to find the right words to say to an unconscious Zoro. Add to that Nami leaving and Luffy getting bested by Arlong and you have a Luffy who, for the first time, seems to have doubts. In himself and in the path he’s chosen. But those doubts get assuaged by this same moment, thanks to his first mate. In the manga, Zoro is often the only one who understands Luffy and who is his pillar of strength in the rare cases that Luffy needs one. Luffy is always there for everyone when they need him but who is there for Luffy when he needs someone? Well, it’s usually Zoro. And we get another example of that in the following episode.

Not only is this scene meaningful cuz Zoro is there for Luffy when Luffy needs him but it also goes to show the deference and trust that Zoro has for Luffy. Even when Luffy does something Zoro may not agree with, he never tries to undermine his position as the captain in any way. (Zoro has in fact zero tolerance when it comes to anyone disrespecting his captain.) He always follows his lead. Or rather, he always follows his lead in the manga but in this scene on the show, it basically explains why Zoro trusts Luffy’s intuition in the first place.

The respect, admiration, understanding and growing love that Zoro and Luffy have for each other was both wonderfully written and could not have been better portrayed. I’m quite grateful. There are differences to the manga of course but personally, I have no issue liking both versions and I look forward to seeing how having changed the story so far will possibly “change” Luffy and Zoro’s dynamic within the rest of the show~

[percyslcver]

 ✦ ࣪ ˖ 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐨

𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐳 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨𝐬

𝐨𝐫

𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠

arabella perez stood beside her boyfriend and his two brothers as larray introduced the video. he informed the viewers that he would be helping the triplets and arabella cook fried chicken.

"now, arabella, i know you already have seasoning to you - you sexy latina." larray joked, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "but, for the sake of this video... embrace the uncultured-ness that is your boyfriend."

matt awkwardly held his thumbs up and grinned at the camera, before snatching his girlfriend back from larray and placing both hands on her shoulders, resting his chin on her head. the pair listened as larray continued to talk, throwing in a joke every now and then.

"hold on, should i move my cake?" arabella asked, looking at her beautiful chocolate star cake.

it was made for her sisters sixteenth birthday, and she would be giving it to her the next week. it was perfectly designed, with chocolate frosting and gold sprinkles, with the words 'happy 16th pops!' on top. the cake was currently on the furthest corner away on the counter, as no one had actually used the kitchen in a while.

"nah, it'll be fine." nick shook his head, walking over to it and checking it out. "it looks amazing though."

"thanks, i spent all night on wednesday making it for poppy." arabella smiled, looking at the camera as she spoke about the cake. "we can't show you guys cuz this vid's gonna come out before her birthday, and poppy usually watches these videos."

"shame." chris deadpanned, no amusement in his voice whatsoever.

"LET'S GET STARTED." larray shouted, clapping his hands. "right, we're having a deaf, a mute, a blind, a helen keller a whole package deal."

"hold on, someone's gonna be blind, deaf and mute?!" nick exclaimed, looking at his friend in utter shock.

"yeah... there's five of us, sis, what do you want me to do?" larray snapped back, bobbling his head as he spoke.

"i think nick should be mute and blind cuz he doesn't shut the fuck up." arabella snorted, resting her hands on the counter.

"no, i'm being mute and blind." larray butted in. "bella, boo-- betty boop-"

"huh?" matt raised his eyebrows, looking at larray with confusion. "where did that come from..."

"i dont know, she reminds me of that bitch." larray shrugged, pulling out a bandana and waving it in arabella's face. "you're blind babe."

"oh, fuck me." she groaned, "wait, like right now? or are we swapping over?"

"you can be blind in a bit, how about you be all three for now." larray offered, his evil giggle coming out as he watched arabella stare at the camera with a blank look.

"sure, whatever, fuck it." arabella shrugged, taking the bandana and tape that he was holding.

"that's my girl!" matt clapped excitedly as he took the things off of her and proceeded to tie the bandana at the back of her head, before taking the tape off the edge of the counter and pressing it over her lips and smoothing it down.

"is it good?" her voice was a hum, but her words were obvious. matt proceeded to hold a thumbs up, forgetting the fact she was blindfolded. "matt, is it good?"

so far, the video was going well. they had somehow managed to have chris and arabella successfully season chicken while matt helped them out and nick and larray danced around the kitchen, singing 'the sweet escape' by gwen stefani.

it was now turn to swap over, and everyone removed the items making them unable to perform certain actions. arabella and matt winced and wriggled in pain as they peeled the tape off of their mouths.

"babe, you got a makeup line." larray mocked, pointing at her mouth and cackling evilly. some of the tape had removed her face makeup, but, luckily, on camera it wasn't that obvious.

"you still look beautiful." matt mumbled as he stood in front of her, trying to blend the line away with the pad of his thumb.

"aww!" chris, nick and larray screamed, before chris fake gagged and burped in the space between them, making them step apart.

"you're fucking disgusting." matt groaned, punching his arm.

"can i be blind again? it was fun as shit." arabella grinned, snatching her blindfold back and attempting to tie it, when matt came to help.

"okay, bella's blind, matt's deaf, chris is blind and deaf, larri is mute and i'm mute and blind." nick announced, moving his hands dramatically as he spoke.

"but now, there's nowhere to hide-!" arabella started to sing randomly, even though she wasn't even listening to music. "since you've pushed my love aside!"

chris, who was yet to put his headphones on, found arabella and wrapped an arm around her neck from behind, dragging her back and shutting her up. larray jumped in shock, looking between the assault and the camera, whereas matt pushed chris aggressively, pointing a finger in his chest and shouting. "don't fucking do that!"

chris pushed him back before pointing at arabella and placing a finger on his lips. "tell her to shut up! she's making my senses inbalanced!"

"you're senses have been inbalanced." arabella spat back, kicking the back of his knee as revenge.

matt placed himself in front of her as he saw chris go to hit her. he turned around to face her and shouted, not realising his volume: "bels, you have to be quiet!"

"okay! i got it! stop yelling in my damn face!" arabella shouted back.

as the video continued, it was still going smoothly, until chris and matt began to fight each other again, and nick and larray had began to dance around again, mentally singing songs as both of them were mute. that left arabella all alone to complete the chicken, and she was beginning to get overwhelmed. she couldn't see, matt and chris were screaming at each other, and no one was helping her at all. she took a deep breath in and shook her hands, trying to dry them of the damp sweat that was building up, she scrunched her eyes underneath the blindfold, trying to remove the tears that were also building up.

she cleared her throat and continued to make the chicken to the best of her ability. before matt unintentionally screamed at her. "no! bella, stop! wrong thing!"

"it's not my fucking fault, no ones helping me!" she shouted, her voice cracking and wavering.

"what?!" matt shouted back, having not heard her.

larray, who was the only one (besides nick) who could hear her distress, waved his hand in front of his neck, trying to tell matt to stop yelling, but matt thought that meant carry on.

"bella stop!"

"stop what?!" she began tearing up, her bottom lip quivering.

larray quickly hit him and pointed at him, telling him to stop. arabella wiped her hands on her jeans as she felt herself getting really hot.

then, chris accidentally walked into matt from behind, making him shove him aggressively into the counter. a loud clatter and the sound of glass breaking came as everyone stopped their movements.

"what? what broke?" arabella asked, looking around for someone to help her.

sudden arms wrapped around her shoulders, one pressing into the back of her head. she reached her hand up to try and feel who it was. "who is it?" her hands came into contact with the spikey facial hair she loved. "oh, it's matt. what happened?"

matts fingers moved to untie the her bandana and she squinted as they adjusted to the sudden light. everyone stood in silence, jaws slack and in shock horror. nick had a hand over his mouth as chris' were interlocked around the back of his neck.

"what?" arabella muttered, walking around the back of the counter and seeing what everyone was so shocked about.

poppy's 16th birthday cake was splattered all over the floor, face down, and the plate was smashed. the kitchen as a whole was a complete mess, but this was the cherry on top to the growing panic attack arabella could feel approaching.

however, she shrugged it off with a sniffle and returned to her work station, cracking an egg and putting it in a foil tin.

"bella, i'm so sorry." chris muttered, too scared to look at her.

she shrugged, and wiped at her nose with the back of her hand, ignoring the stares of everyone. matts hands snaked around her waist and he rested his chin on her shoulder, pressing light kisses to her neck.

"im sorry, baby. i know how hard you worked." he mumbled. "im so sorry."

"no, it's fine, i'll just remake it, it's whatever." arabella passed over the way her voice cracked multiple times and continued making the chicken.

"bella i stopped the video." larray told her, letting her know she could stop.

she nodded her head and walked over to the sink, washing her hands before disappearing into matts bedroom. she hid in his covers, pulling them up to her chin and silently crying, trying to regulate her breathing while trying to be quiet. it was a mission and a half.

but matt walked in a few minutes later, quickly shut the door behind him and sat next to her in bed, pulling her into his lap. "it's okay. it's okay, shh. shh."

his hushes and coos only made her more emotional, as she soaked his shirt with her tears.

"oh bels, i'm so sorry. we'll remake it. we'll all help." matt whispered in her ear, dragging his fingers through it.

"no." she coughed/ sobbed out, sitting up and wiping her eyes. "no, it's not just that but i was doing everything myself and no one was helping me everyone was just shouting at each other."

matt placed a hand on her chest and tucked some of her hair behind her ear. "you gotta breathe, baby. follow my own breathing, look at how i do it."

"did you know, you're bandana is the same colour as your bead bracelet that madi bought you?" arabella stared at his face as he helped her, looking at his encouraging eyes and warm smile. "there you go, you're doing so good. just like that, bels."

after a while, her pants had ceased and her panic attack was over, making her feel entirely drained and tired.

"i'm so sorry, arabella. we can all remake the cake, and you can decorate it, or you can do it all yourself, whatever you want." matt told her, holding her tightly. "and we're gonna redo this video another day because there's no way larri is posting this one, it was a mess."

"i feel so ridiculous." she muttered, hiding in his chest. "crying over a fucking cake."

"you're not ridiculous, bella." matt replied, kissing the top of her head lovingly.

a/n

dude this one is so long omfg im sorry about that yall but i hope you liked it. i had this idea for a few days now and decided to write it up because i love fanfics where the s/o is in a yt vid

[canonicallyobserving911]

Buck & Eddie: Buck saw their future and Eddie prepared them for it!

(I created GIFs for this post but every time I posted it, Tumblr wouldn’t allow it to show up on the dashboard or in the tags🙄.  I’ve been trying to post this for three weeks but since I couldn’t with the GIFs, I’ve included the video from 2x8 instead.)

In 2x8 "Buck Actually", Buck saw how his and Eddie's future could be when he looked at the pictures of Thomas and Mitchell while they were on the scene of Mitchell's accident. Reminder, he was the only one who looked at the photos Thomas dropped on the ground when he rushed over to help Mitchell after their SUV crushed him in between the vehicle and the fence.  Several photos fell out of the album he was planning to take with them that day. Therefore, Buck saw how his and Eddie's future could be from start to finish.

The top of the photo album's cover read: "Love, Life and Adventures" and it also had a picture of Thomas' and Mitchell's first date on one side and a picture from their wedding day on the other. After he finished his conversation with Thomas, Buck saw their entire life including all the moments they shared together as a couple when he picked up each of the photos. Then he looked over his shoulder at Thomas right before he died.

Eddie and Bobby were both there with Buck while he performed chest compressions on Thomas.

Even though Eddie didn't see the pictures, he did see how distraught Buck was after Thomas died and he saw Thomas holding Mitchell's hand, actually they both saw it and he touched Buck's shoulder to comfort him.  He also heard Buck say, "That's Love!" and after he said it, he looked at Eddie not Bobby!

Not long after Buck saw a glimpse of their future via the photos that he picked up that showed him Thomas' and Mitchell's life together, Eddie started preparing for them to spend forever together in season 3 after he had been trapped in the well in 3x15 "Eddie Begins". Reminder, he changed his will right after he emerged and he named Buck to be Chris' legal guardian.

Also, it happened right before Buck met Red in 3x16 “The One that Got Away” and Red was the one who told Buck not to neglect having a life of his own. This was the same episode that Buck was afraid of being left behind but the narrative showed he wouldn’t be since Eddie had already prepared for their future. Buck was panicking about dying alone and everyone at the 118 leaving him like the people who worked with Red left him behind but Eddie was the ONLY one who said, "Anyway, that won't happen to US!" and Buck said, "It better not!" They were looking right at each other while they were talking and the camera remained on them instead of it being turned back to show the rest of the 118.

Eddie didn't tell Buck about his will until one year later in 4x14 "Survivors" after he had been shot by a sniper.

Here are more instances that illustrate the parallels regarding Buck and Eddie's future to the pictures Buck saw of Thomas and Mitchell.

Buck did chest compressions on Thomas in 2x8 (see above) and he did them again on Lev in 6x2 "Crash and Learn" but in 6x2, Eddie was working on Lev's friends and he wasn't there by Buck's side like he had been in 2x8. Eddie being separated from Buck could signify the fact that Buck had to take his journey alone during season 6 while Eddie waited for him to finally "get it", meaning Buck had to get the fact that Eddie's been waiting for him.

Reminder, right before Lev died, he said "I think I get it now".

A few months later, in 6x10 "In a Flash", Eddie did chest compressions on Buck after he was struck by lightning and HE WAS THE ONE WHO RESTARTED BUCK'S HEART EVEN THOUGH CHIMNEY HAD BEEN DOING COMPRESSIONS ON BUCK FOR MORE THAN THREE MINUTES.

The last 17 seconds was ALL EDDIE and he's the one who brought Buck back to life. He corrected Chief Williams after she said Buck was dead for three minutes when he interjected and replied, "Three minutes and seventeen seconds".

This show is so unhinged it's ridiculous but there are two questions that plague season 7.

Will 9-1-1 continue the original narrative they started in season 2 that has continuously illustrated BUCK'S & EDDIE'S EPIC LOVE STORY in season 7 and make them a CANON COUPLE?

Or will they stay on that redundant BS with Buck and Eddie dating one dimensional women like they did in seasons 4-5?

Only the showrunner(s), writers and producers know the answer to that question but hopefully they'll finally let them be together so they can be happy!

[yumeka-sxf]

Takuya Eguchi (voice of Loid) had a panel at Anime Expo!

I was able to attend and it was great fun! Unfortunately photos/videos weren't allowed during the bulk of the panel, but I did my best to document his hilarious responses to the Q&A!

His favorite character is Henderson.

When asked who he thought the scariest character was, he said Anya because he feels like he can forgive anything she does!

When asked if he'd rather go on a dangerous spy mission or eat Yor's cooking, he chose the spy mission!

When asked how he and the other three Forger voice actors record together, he said that they're all actually kind of shy and don't talk much while working.

At one point they did a rapid fire question session where they asked him an English word to describe each of the Forgers - for Yor he said "cool," Loid he also said "cool," Anya he said "very cool," Bond he said "miracle" 😂

He commented that it made him glad to see all the SxF cosplayers. He was like "Anya," "Anya," "oh...Kanroji!" (character from Demon Slayer who also has pink hair)

He had mentioned that he got drunk when he arrived in LA, and then proceeded to bring alcohol into many of his answers 😂

When asked about something he'd do that would get a tonitrus, he said "getting hung over every single day."

When asked about something he'd do that would get a stella, he said "craft a new kind of beer."

When asked the best way to eat peanuts, he said "with whiskey."

When asked which character he'd want as a friend, he said Frankie because it would be nice to drink together.

When asked what his spy codename would be, he said "Alcohol Sake" 😂

The funniest part of the panel was this totally cringe drawing he made!

It's a running joke that he's terrible at drawing 😅 He made sure to point out that Anya is holding a peanut and not...something else, lol.

They did a giveaway where one lucky person would win a shikishi with the drawing and his signature. It kinda sucked how they did the giveaway though. They put an envelope under a random chair in the room, and whoever was sitting there and got the envelope won. Not sure when they put it there though, so probably the longer you were waiting for the panel the less likely it would be under your chair...so someone like me who was there hours early had basically no chance. Oh well.

At the end of the panel we took a group photo and that was it. I was surprised that they didn't announce/show anything related to SxF season 2 (though they did show a cool montage video of season 1). Usually they bring exclusive guests like this to the expo to hype new releases. Guess it's still too soon. But overall, it was awesome seeing Eguchi in person!

[lewkwoodnco]

Now That We Don't Talk - Lockwood x Reader

A/N: very very brief suicidal mention, sooooo much writer's block hhhh (the seasonal depression is depressing), (angst but diluted if that makes sense) add/remove yourself from my taglist in the link beloooow ALSO

🎄Special Announcement! I'll be doing a twelve days of Christmas fic series (1 songfic fic a day leading up to Christmas) BUT I will also be accepting extra holiday-themed requests (if any)!🎄

(speaking of the holidays, thinking of switching to a santa-themed george icon soon hmmm), wc 3.1k

Ch 1 | Ch 2 | Ch 3 | Ch 3.5 | Ch 4 | Ch 5

TAGLIST | MATERLIST

Moving had been a surprisingly smooth process that she remembered little of. She had to take care to not think too much about the ornaments she was packing or the boxes she was taping shut or the lonely town she was numbly driving towards, lest the rest of her catch up to the grief weighing her down. Her supervisor had looked plenty confused when she explained where she was transferring to, and muttered something about not knowing if there were any visitors there.

As steep as the change was from working in central London to a significantly sleepier town, she seemed to be adjusting fine. In fact, she was liking the peace and quiet. Or at least, she would, soon enough. She'd learn the right habits, like finding contentment in the stagnant void that descended on her windows far too quickly every evening, the same way she'd unlearn bad habits, like him. So no, her biggest problem was hardly the early sunsets here, but was actually what everyone wanted to talk to her about when she called. The one thing everyone - her old teammates, colleagues, friends - wanted to make sure she knew.

"The gala was fantastic this year - though not as fun without you, of course -"

"You'll never believe who showed up."

"He looked very sharp in his suit. He cleans up nice, I suppose - Anthony Lockwood, I mean."

"They've become quite the celebrities, that Lockwood & Co., though the other two don't seem to tolerate the cameras like he does."

"Oh, you should have seen it. Say what you will about Lockwood but does he know how to make an entrance!"

"Were you at the gala this year?"

She sighed for what must have been the fifth time that day. "No, Ted, I was not. You were at my farewell party, remember?"

"Tha' was for you?"

"Goodbye, Ted."

"Wait! You've seen the pictures, haven't you?"

"No, I haven't, because contrary to popular belief, I am not obsessed with evrything that goes on at Fittes."

"Well, we had a tiptop chocolate fountain this year. Didn't get clogged once and looked absolutely gorgeous. Anywho, I've recently stumbled upon this smashing business opportunity involving chocolate fountains - they're selling like hot cakes, I tell you! - and I'd love to spread the wealth."

"Theodore, you haven't joined another MLM, have you?"

"What is an MLM, other than an opportunity to invest in yourself?"

"Don't make me phone your mother."

The call ended rather abruptly after that. Only Lucy, as always, was an angel.

"I take it you've heard plenty about him?"

"Who? Oh, him. Yes, more than plenty."

"I thought you might. He has...quite the presence, so the papers wanted to interview him, and he agreed - "

" - obviously - "

"And I think they asked him about you at some point."

Her mouth dried. She struggled to find her voice, forcing it to stay casually disinterested. "Hm? What did he say?"

"Absolutely nothing. First and probably last time I've seen him stunned speechless. Naturally, it's all anyone can talk about."

"Mhm."

"He hasn't talked about you, if you're wondering. Sees it coming from a mile away every time George and I try to bring it up. It's so stupid; we know it, he knows it, and he's always in a foul mood. He keeps thinking, these days...Y/N?"

"I don't care."

"No one would blame you if you did."

"I don't."

"So how are you holding up?"

"Well, Luce, I felt happiness outside of external validation for the first time in...ever, then three months later I'm crying in my bathtub wishing I would die, and now I'm miles away from everyone I ever knew and it's always dark outside and I'm always miserable. I'm doing great."

She could hear the exhaustion in the crackling static of the telephone. It occurred to her that she wasn't much acting all that cheerful either.

"If it makes you feel any better, I think he half-expected to see you there."

She inhaled sharply and sat up in her armchair so fast she could feel a cramp curling in her neck. She didn't dare believe Lucy's words. "Really?" she wanted to breathe into the telephone, and revel in dormant delusions, if only for a moment. Instead, she gingerly sank back into the chair, continuing in a flat voice.

"Well, I don't care about any of that now. Oh, I'm sick of it. All of it. If I never hear his name again for as long as I live, it'll be still be too soon. How's George doing?"

After she hung up, she laid in her chair, watching the shadows from her shutters stretch and fold over her furniture as the sun set. She was thinking about the last party she had been to, a yacht party where some of Fittes' and Rotwell's biggest investors were in attendance. How Lockwood had managed to score an invite was beyond her, but what intrigued her more was the cab ride they shared back to Portland Row.

She had been half-dozing off when she felt a hand cover hers. As she blinked at him blearily, she noticed the rigid tension in his spine, as if poised and waiting for an attack. He was clutching her hand purposefully, as if holding off on warning her about something malevolent that was consuming him. She couldn't see his face, which began to feel no different from the cold, hard window pane it was peering out of.

She stirred, distantly unnerved by his impersonality. He glanced at her, apologetically retracting his hand with a sheepish smile. But that look of consternation remained on his face as he turned back to the window with a furrowed brow, with the air of waiting for something. He visibly relaxed as they approached Portland Row, but she couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling even by the time they reached the doorstep.

"You all right?" she was asking, while Lockwood fumbled with their keys.

"'Course. Why wouldn't I be?"

She didn't respond, and the two of them watched him wrench at the key in the lock, trying to steady his mildly trembling fingers.

"Key turns the other way."

He paused his efforts, and after a second or two turned the key the other way. The door slid open smoothly with a click. He held it open, but she just looked at him expectantly. He sighed.

"I'm fine, I promise. I just...get a little nervous around some parts of London."

"Which parts?"

"Some."

"Scared of what?"

"A few things."

"Why?"

"For fun. Look, I'm freezing out here. Can we just drop this?"

That was more than a mild exaggeration; the sun had only just set and the air was still pleasantly balmy. But he looked so beseechingly, and it didn't take much for her to relent when it came to Lockwood, so they stepped inside and shrugged their coats off in silence.

"I'll tell you some day. I'm sure I will."

That was some day too far away. Now she'll never know if, or why he ever felt like that. Or rather, she wouldn't know when he would feel like that. But it was no matter. It was none of her business then, and it was even less of her business now.

She had mostly forgotten about her conversation with Lucy by the following week, which was why her parcel came as a bit of a surprise, especially since she'd mentioned being swamped by a mountain of upcoming cases.

Y/N -

I was thinking about our call the other day. On a completely unrelated note, here's about every gossip rag from the past month I could find at Arif's.

Love, Lucy.

She was beginning to see what was so appealing about these magazines. As ruthless as they could be, they sure knew how to sell a pipe dream to common folk with less exciting lives. The gala was clearly as glitzy and glamorous as it was every year, and the articles held an air of intrigue now that she was quite separate from Fittes. But that quivering excitement became somewhat muffled as she flipped through the glossy pages.

The Anthony Lockwood she saw now looked worlds apart from the Lockwood she left behind. His well-fitting suit, megawatt smile and carefully styled hair made him look expensive in a way that destabilised her. She flipped through photograph after photograph of him looking jarringly luxurious besides walls of text effusing about the success of their latest case, and what an honour it must have been to be personally invited by Marissa Fittes herself. It weighed at the pit in her stomach to see this unfamiliar silhouette of a friend who was become increasingly unattainable, speeding along roads to prosperity faster than she could ever keep up with.

She sifted through the other rags. The most extensive feature was a few pages long, and was centered more on the exciting, up-and-coming agency that was Lockwood & Co. rather than a specific case. There were pictures from their most recent cases, and in each one he looked unnaturally distinct from the last, but in every single one he oozed an appealingly languid charisma. It was good to see him doing so well. She was happy for him. Or she would be, tomorrow, when she had the strength for it. Lockwood was unbearable in a way that made him perfect for a life in the public eye, a life for which she was somehow always deficient. She traced a too-long strand of hair flopped on his forehead in one of the photographs, as if she could magically straighten it out.

She could see him now, thumbing through the pages with an approving tilt to his head, limbs folded uncomfortably in the armchair he always insisted on sharing with her. "No such thing as bad press," he'd claim absent-mindedly, his too-long hair flopping impractically. And she'd watch him with bruised eyes like she always did, wishing for nothing more in that moment shared with him. In other words, wishing for nothing short of what she could never have.

Maybe it was some lingering wish to break herself before he beat her to it. Because that was all it was; dodging blows, lying through pretty teeth, racing ahead to pull one over on him, cursing the feel of his breath on her. There was simply no calm, no respite, only the all-consuming experience of becoming wrapped up in him and losing bits and pieces of herself which would never again be truly hers.

She picked up the telephone again. It felt too heavy in her hand. Numbly, she spun the dial as if on autopilot, keying in her mother's phone number. The dial tone comforted her in some twisted yet cathartic acknowledgement of the emptiness inside of her.

Looking at it now she could see the distinct air of mystery that engulfed Lockwood and clouded her vision. He was never quite fully present; a part of him was always tucked away to be kept secret in some dark corner, and her mind was only too happy to extrapolate, to construct this most desirable yet entirely mythical figment. She felt ragged, winded and worn from battling reality day after day, all alone. And most of all, she felt so very stupid.

Her mother was saying that she had made the right decision. Not that she needed any reminding. Of course her life had taken an upward swing ever since; she'd be a fool to think otherwise. She was positively paralysed with liberty, bedridden with joy, simply immobile with ecstasy!

She was slowly but surely going very insane. Now making eyes at each other, now disconnect, now love, now heartache, now this, now that, but never any peace. Maybe it was some lingering wish to shatter and let the pent up misery dissipate.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Months passed. The holiday season arrived, and she choked through the November blues with shivering bones and clammy hands. Even with the slight uptick in visitors, as was expected in the colder months, her life provided little to distract her from her own ghosts under the floorboards. So when she received a consultancy request from Fittes one morning, she had written back and mailed her response all while still holding the jam knife.

The train was crowded and noisy with the bustle of the holidays, but as it chugged along through the fields of snow, she couldn't help but perk up ever so slightly at every sigh and creak of its wheels. There was a spring in her step all the way to Fittes headquarters, where she was supposed to collect her apartment key.

A tall, indistinct figure was walking out of the revolving doors as she approached. She flinched when she realised who it was - Lockwood, who didn't seem much happier to see her either. He looked mostly well, though the corners of his mouth were a little strained, his face flushed in the cold.

"...Y/N?"

"Lockwood."

"You're...home?"

"Yeah. Um, how have you been?"

"Good...good. Busy. As busy as winter gets."

He was wearing a different coat. It was quite similar to his old one, but this one was thicker and more structured, and looked like it was at least somewhat effective in keeping the brisk winter wind out. He looked foreign and unfamiliar in a way he hadn't since...since the Investors Party.

It had taken her a while to pick his face out of the pretentious crowd, given how preoccupied she was with weaving through the thicket of people. It had taken her a eyes minute to adjust to the almost nauseatingly charismatic silhouette of an especially-chuffed Lockwood in a newly tailored but otherwise identical suit. She tried to give him a reproaching look, but there was something infectious in his smooth ease as he larked about in his prime which made her lips twitch despite herself as he waded through the crowds.

"You really shouldn't be here."

"You're clearly not drunk enough yet."

"How did you even get in? This is invitation-only."

"Had an invite, didn't I?"

She pursed her lips, shaking her head slightly. He was hopelessly incorrigible in an oddly fascinating way. Her voice dropped to a murmur as she felt herself begin to relent.

"I ought to...tell someone about you."

"That you're secretly in love with me?"

"That we have an illegal stowaway."

"You're not going to rat me out, are you?"

The pleading look on his face was enough to give her pause. She was already beginning to regret her decision, but he looked so vivacious it was difficult to stay disapproving for long.

"Excellent. Now, would you be so good as to point me in the direction of the bigger spenders?"

They spend the next few hours laughing and entertaining the many important men on the boat and their great deal of important thoughts. She'd excuse herself towards the end of every conversation to leave Lockwood and the glimmer in his eye to close a deal. For someone so adept at climbing the corporate ladder, she was surprisingly poor at fulfilling these adjacent duties.

She hated every second of it, and she drank as much as she could without raising eyebrows to make it all halfway palatable, but it was all worth it then. He had wanted to stay for as long as it would have been polite, so when they finally left, long after the media had made their rounds at the event, his jacket was folded over his left arm and his hand was delicately holding hers.

When she was stuck in her drafty cottage on the edge of nowhere, she'd think about the feel of his fingers curling around her palm more than it was appropriate, and wonder how she ever thought she was somehow better off here.

But that evening's sense of camraderie was long gone. Now, she regarded him coolly, holding him at arm's length. They may have had a rough falling out, but that didn't mean they couldn't still be friends. Just friends. Nothing more. But the vaguely intimate look in Lockwood's eye told her he was in no mood to entertain any kind of platonic notions.

"I didn't know you were back."

She relented. It was the season of giving, after all.

"Only for a while. Fittes hired me as a consultant for a few months."

He blinked at her. "You could have called."

"I didn't think you'd be interested."

"Of course I'd be interested. I'm always interested when it comes to you."

She sighed sharply. It was so easy to get swept up and believe him when he said things like that, that she wondered how she found the strength to leave. He was a bastard, a ne'er-do-well who only knew how to break her heart after promising sweet, simple luxuries in whispers over expanses of skin. She made her lips tremble, her pulse quicken, her heart shake in all the worst ways.

But underneath all that, love was there. Love was there...still.

"Ready to go?"

They turned in unison towards a strikingly beautiful girl with glossy raven curls walking out of the revolving doors. The girl's smile only slipped a fraction as she shook her hand, and she was distantly aware of making some kind of clumsy introduction. They stuttered through some stunted small talk, during which all she was aware of was the blood roaring in her ears that gave the whole scene a distantly muffled feel. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

"Well, this was...lovely. Shall we go, then?"

The girl turned to leave, but some semblance of hesitation prevented her from pulling Lockwood along with her.. His face still had that same confused look.

"You could have called," he repeated tonelessly, like a broken record. The girl's presence made the back of her neck smart and prickle uncomfortably.

"I might, later."

"Bye. Nice meeting you."

"Nice meeting you too."

"We're home all day."

The last one was from Lockwood.

"Just...if you want to drop by. So that Luce and George don't have my head on a platter by supper."

"Goodbye, Lockwood."

He was captivating in a way that made her want to keep him all to herself. No one needed to intrude on this tantalising secret they shared. It was at that moment that she made the very unfortunate realisation that she didn't need to say it out loud to make what she had been screaming from the rooftops of her heart any more real - him and her would forever be unfinished business.

And nothing she could do could make the palpitations of her heart any less real either.

As the life she once dreamed of walked away from her, all she was acutely aware of was that it was a lingering wish, some half-thought dream, to sit opposite him in a chilly kitchen on blustery mornings, watching him drink his tea while she got drunk on him.

TAGLIST: @novelizt @avdiobliss @dangelnleif @mischivana @mitskiswift99 @houseoftwistedspirits

[camryntheking]

Season 4 reaction

I might just do this for every season cos i need to rant (Autism things. Iykyk).

Ok. 4x03. The whole Eddie and Hildy thing is so fucking funny. And Buck and Chris teaming up to get the coffee maker is so domestic. I love it so much lmao

And naturally i watched 9-1-1: Lone Star 2x03. Ive seen some episodes so i have some knowledge about the characters, but not much. But its so funny. TK always knew lmao

Then we have 4x05. Buck Begins. Man i almost cried so many times. I knew about the Daniel thing but i didnt know the whole story and. Whew. Its a lot. But im glad he has the 118 and Athena to help him and to be his family. Maddie to. I can see both of their sides tho. But when Buck got the clean bill of health Eddie was just like a husband waiting for him to come home lmao. I love them so much. And the ending scene with Maddie and Buck is so sweet 🥹

And i know its not my usual topic, but in 4x07, the whole plot with David, Michael, and Bobby is so funny. I dont know much about Michael’s storyline, so i am actually clueless as to how it turns out. But the three of them are so great together and i hope to see more!

4x08. I know some about Taylor. So the fact she is back is making me 😠. And she did not have to call Buck out like that. Homeboy has been through some shit and is trying to figure it out. But Buck and Chris’ friendship is so pure and i love them so much❤️❤️

4x11. Athena’s “dont even think about it Buck” has me CACKLING. She is such a mom to him and its amazing

And Jealous Eddie in 4x12 with the treasure hunt? Homeboy does NOT like Taylor (cant blame him tho). And Chim and Hen’s friendship is fucking amazing. But the whole 118 trying to find the treasure is so funny. The fact that Ravi found it first tho? I love that man

4x13. Eddie is already having doubts about Ana. Homeboy does not like women and you cannot convince me otherwise. And the scene of Eddie getting shot made me cry. I can definitely see why people think that this is where the Buddie arc was supposed to happen. Cos they held eye contact and Eddie reached out for Buck. And that could be seen as platonic but knowing everything we do, it just seems like it was a set up for a romantic arc

And 4x14 starts with Buck crawling under a fire truck to get to Eddie. Without a second thought, he rolled under a firetruck, the thing that caused so much trauma, to get to Eddie. And Eddie was so concerned that Buck was hurt even though he was the one bleeding. And i guess Taylor can have her good moments. But the scene where Buck tells Chris what happened breaks my heart. He was trying to hold it together for Chris but once he knew that Eddie made it through surgery? He couldnt hold in his emotions. And then when they are talking about the will. Its so soft between them. And Eddie just knows that Buck wouldnt say no to taking in Chris. And i think that just shows how close of a bond they have. This was totally a set up for a romantic arc, but of course F*x had to shut that down 😒

“Because, Evan” 😭😭😭

And i love that Albert is gonna be a firefighter. I love that man

[laremsworld]

Okay but imagine this:

We get all 8 seasons, but while Season 1-7 all have 8 episodes each, S8 is suddenly featuring 9 episodes. The first 8 are telling Gregory‘s story and showing with their happy end.

Episode 9 starts with their a few years later. The Bridgertons are preparing to celebrate Violet’s Birthday in Aubrey Hall. It starts with Anthony, being happy about not having to care about the courting season anymore and Kate reminding him that his daughter will be introduced soon enough.

Colin and Pen make a stop at Hastings house on their way to the party, because their son seems to have the same speech impediment like Simon. Daphne is sad to announce to them that Simon is not there first, but then RJP storms in, saying „I missed your mum‘s birthday once and she refused to talk to me for a whole year afterwards. It‘s not going to happen again.“

Fran and Michael just welcomed their second child, a girl, and made some detours to pick up Philip, Eloise and their children. Hyacinth and Garreth can be seen renovating the house Garreth grew up in, because he just inherited it and they want to move in. Hyacinth asks the Sinclairs to hurry up. She doesn’t want to be late. Just in that time, Gregory enters the house with three toddlers, between the age 1-4 and tells them that they are here and waiting for them so that they can go to the party together. Lucy, who seems to be pregnant again, follows him, telling Hyacinth that they can’t share a carriage though, because the family is barely fitting inside one already.

Later that day, everyone is at the dining table in Aubrey Hall, celebrating Violet, who is obviously so happy to have them all around her. Eloise points out that she wishes that Benedict would be here, as well, but Violet explains to her that Sophie is on her last days of pregnancy and can’t take the carriage ride to Aubrey Hall, unfortunately.

„Actually, things turned out differently than we expected“, Benedict suddenly says from the treshold. He‘s holding a little baby in his arms, while Sophie enters the room with the two sons they already have, „this little girl here, decided to join our family last week.“

„Everyone“, Benedict announces while walking directly to his mother, to hand her the baby, „this is Violet.“

Tears, laughter, a nice music, and the end ♥️

[momolady]

Jijel the Troll

An annual musica festival, an unrequited crush, and the smell of wonderfully cooked food. It's all background to this wonderfuls tory featuring romance, a sweet troll, and some good food.

Female Reader x Male Monster (both cis)

The Cryptstone Bridge Music Festival was one of your favorite times of the year. You and your band had been going for a while now and every year it just got better and better. This year, you hoped it would be the best yet, considering everything that had happened the previous year.

“It got cold early this year,” you bassist, Tawny said as you were setting up your camp area.

“It’s great right?” You were nearly bouncing in your boots. “It actually feels like spooky season.”

“You mean fall?” Emery, your guitarist, snickered. “Not everythings a meme.”

“It can be christmas season but not spooky season?” You huffed, carrying luggage over to the big tent. “Sounds like big christmas got to you.”

“Big christmas,” Tawny wheezed under her breath.

You looked out across the campground where the other bands and the vendors were setting up. You were looking for one specific food vendor who had saved your life during your first festival.

“Looking for your boyfriend?” Your lead singer, Devon, asked. They leaned over to match your gaze. “I’m sure he’s here.”

You pouted. “He’s not my boyfriend. He’s a friend who happens to be a guy, but that’s neither here nor there.”

Devon smirked knowingly and stood back up. “Well, if you do find him, I love his turkey wrap.” They took the luggage from your hands and strutted back towards the tent.

You wandered away from the camp, going towards the food vendor station. Several vans and trucks were lined up, and some were already serving. You then saw it, the big black camper attached to a small green truck. You rushed up to it, seeing the windows to the camper were open and there was already some outside waiting for food.

A big, long arm jutted out of the window, handing the waiting patron a brown bag. Your stomach did flip flops as you watched the arm. It went back into the camper and from within a big, bellowing voice called out; “next!”

You stepped up to the window. “Hi Jiji!”

The service window fully swung open and the troll inside peered out at you. “There you are,” he laughed. “I was wondering when you would show up.”

You smiled brightly. “I promised I would come and see you as soon as we got our stuff set up.”

Jiji leaned out the window, his long tusks and big nose greeted for first, but you could see the big smile on his face. “And how did that go?”

“Just fine.” Your heart was pounding wildly.

“Are you going to have another drum solo this year? Or do I need to skip your set,” he chuckled.

“Please don’t skip!” You pleaded. “I have a special song this year.”

Jiji chuckled. “I was always going to see it. I’ve become quite the fan of your troupe.”

You beamed again and came closer to him. You called him Jiji, but his full name was Jijel and he had saved your life a few years ago. Ever since then, you’d kept in touch with him and built a friendship. You also had a massive crush.

“Did you get your hair cut?” You asked. “It looks great.”

Jijel scoffed and ruffled his hands through his dark green hair. His thick brow pinched, showing the several piercings he had in them. “It’s alright. Nothings going to make me look good though.”

You snapped your fingers and pointed at him. “Hey, I told you not to talk like that to me. You're a big, badass troll, and nothing less is slander.”

Jijel chuckled, his smile returning to his face. “Tell that to my mirror.”

“Mirrors are bitches!” You turned as you heard people behind you. “I guess I better order so I don’t hold up a line. Uhm, one vegan wrap and three turkey.”

“You got it.” Jijel slipped back into the camper as you searched your pockets for your wallet. “When can we hang out?” You asked.

“Not sure,” Jijel said from inside. You could hear the grill sizzling and you could smell his delicious cooking, something you looked forward too almost as much as seeing him every year.

“You promised me we could this year,” you pouted.

“Don’t play cute with me,” he laughed. “I’m sure we can find some time. If not, you’re welcome to hang in here with me for a while.”

Your eyes brightened. “That could be fun! I’m not a good cook but I could do something to help you out.”

Jijel laughed. “I wouldn’t ask you to do anything except keep me company.” After some more sizzling and sniffing he handed out a paper bag to you.

“How much?”

“On the house,” Jijel looked back at you, his smile as big as ever. “For making my day.”

You shoved money into his tip jar. “I’ll see you later! Thank you!” You really didn’t want to leave, but a line was already forming behind you.

Back at the campsite, you handed out the food and the band took a moment to rest. You’d been going all day, and this was the first chance all of you had to just kick back and not worry about anything.

“Di you get these from that ugly troll guy again?” Emery asked.

Devon’s lip curled and they shot Emery a dirty look. “Hey! That’s her friend you’re talking about.”

“He’s not ugly,” you grumbled.

Emery gave an apologetic glance. “He’s a good cook at least.”

Devon shoved him. “If it weren’t for him we wouldn’t have a drummer. He saved her ass by making her drink water and resting in his camper.”

“I didn’t realize heat stroke was a real thing,” you grumbled under your breath.

Tawny snickered. “He’s a troll at a bridge, I just got that.”

Devon rolled their eyes. “Anyways, we need to go to bed early so we can get our shit together in the morning. There’s a fuck up every year and this year I want to get ahead of this years, whatever it is.”

After eating, you all clean up and get to bed in the tent. But since it’s a campsite filled to the brim with other musicians and the attendees, it was easier said than done. The campsite was loud with people yelling and hooting. One by one, each member of the band gave up and left the tent. Devon was the only one remaining when you got up and left, and you felt guilty for leaving them alone, but you knew sleeping now would be a fool’s errand.

You wandered back to the vendors’ area in hopes of seeing Jijel, maybe even hanging out with him a bit if he wasn’t busy. Some vendors were open, serving drinks mostly, so the area was crowded. Jijel’s camper was closed, but you could see lights inside.

You knocked on the door in the very back. “Hey, it’s me, are you busy?”

There was no sound from within.

Sighing, you knocked again. “Jiji, it’s only me!” You waited for a bit in hopes he would come out, but he gave no sign. You started walking away when the door opened. You turned, seeing his hand wave you over.

“I’m not bothering you, am I?” You asked as you approached. “I can’t sleep and thought we could chill for a little while.”

Jijel stepped out of the camper before you. “You’re really serious about that.”

You furrowed your brow. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

He chuckled and was quiet as he looked at you. Your heart began pounding wildly again and you broke into a big smile. “So, is it okay?”

“Sure,” he nodded. “It’s cramped in there though.” He closed the doors then took out his keys to lock them. “Why don’t we go for a walk?”

“Okay!” You happily took to his side, walking with him down the vendor ally until you came out into the field.

The campsite with all the partying was to your right, while the pathway to the Cryptstone Bridge was at your left. Jijel went left, heading towards the bridge.

“It’s pretty over here with all the lights.” You marveled at the display that the festival always put up on the bridge. Lots of lights that created a canopy, turning the bridge into a tunnel of lights that would do special shows during the concerts.

“It is.” Jijel kept his head down as they stepped onto the bridge. He was really quiet all of a sudden. The way you chatted through text you figured you would have a great conversation like always.

You came to a stop in the middle of the bridge. “Is something wrong?”

Jijel leaned back against the railing and sighed. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You’re awful quiet though. If you’re tired you don’t have to hang out with me. You could have said so.”

Jijel grimaced and fidgeted with his hands, twisting a ring around his finger. “No. I’m not tired. I do want to spend time with you though, but-” His eyes flicked to a group of girls crossing the bridge and he kept his head down.

You frowned as you looked at him and you grabbed his hand to hold. You tugged him, making him look at you. “I like you!” You confessed.

“What?” His brow pinched.

“I like you-” Your voice cracked as you realized how silly that sounded. “As in feelings! Not like...high school and-” You were slowly starting to crumble. You’d held onto this crush for so long and now it was all falling out so ungracefully.

“You don’t have to say things to make me feel better,” Jijel chuckled.

“Don’t say that. And I mean it. I really, really like you.” You held his hand with both of yours. His hand was so big, it was something you always liked about him. “I think you’re amazing.”

Jijel sighed, as he gently took his hand away from you. He didn’t say anything, he averted his eyes and crossed his arms against his chest.

“The way we talk all the time, sometimes through the night and all day...I like that. You make me smile and laugh all the time. You make me happy. Where’s that guy?”

Jijel’s brow downturned, giving him a sad look. “It’s different when I’m around you.”

“How come?”

“Because you’re this...cute and pretty woman and I’m-” He went to wave his hand around his face but stopped and crossed his arms back.

Your cheeks burned. “You think I’m cute?”

Jijel bit his lip. “Of course I do.”

You placed your hand upon his arm. “I think you’re handsome.”

He scoffed and shook his head.

“I mean it! Don’t make me kiss you!”

Jijel froze and his expression went blank. You look the fall of his guard and raced forward, placing a kiss upon his lips. He pushed you away too soon, keeping his hands upon your shoulders. He looked at you, eyes wide and face darkened.  You gazed back, lips pouted and cheeks pink.

Jijel’s hands shook upon your shoulders. You moved in again, wrapping your arms around his neck, tugging him down so you could kiss him again. You closed your eyes and his stubble rubbed against you, his lips stayed still for a moment and then he kissed back. His big hands wrapped around your waist and you excitedly pushed closer, feeling his big belly against yours.

“I like you too,” Jijel confessed. “I never thought you would...that you could feel the same way.”

“Get over yourself, you’re so much better than what you think. I told you, your mirror’s a bitch.” You hugged his neck tighter. “I’m willing to show you how much I like you. How deeply I feel-”

Jijel put a finger over your lips. “Hush up,” he snarled. “You’ll make my head explode.”

You smiled, kissing his fingertip then darting your tongue over it. Jijel ripped his hand back, glaring at you for doing such a thing.

“I want to,” you murmured. “I’ve wanted to for a long time.”

He gazed at you in disbelief but then he huffed and took your hand. “Not here for cripe’s sake.” He took you off the bridge and away from the lights.

There was a small path off the bridge that was a scenic walk. There were small lights dotting the pathway so you could see some. Jijel took you down this path until you came to a picnic area which was completely empty. Only one of the lamps there was working, so the ambience and the sound of the river was so romantic in your head.

“You can’t just say those things to me so boldly,” he huffed. “Give me a second.” He paced in front of the table you sat at for a while.

“Sorry, it's been building for so long I couldn’t stop it. Plus that kiss-” You touched your lips with a big grin upon your face. “It was so good.”

Jijel snarled something under his breath as he stopped. “What happened to that guy you were telling me about?”

You shrugged. “He didn’t wait for me to get inside my place, just drove off. So I ghosted him. He’d already shown one red flag. I wasn’t waiting around for a third.”

“Well...fine,” he huffed. “Okay but-”

“No buts, unless you want me to grope yours.” You held back your laughter but you snicker and snort.

“Hey!” He snapped. “Look Im not used to this, okay?”

You stood up from the picnic table and approached him. You placed your palms upon his chest. “Then sit down, let me help you relax.” You stroked your hands down to his big belly then took hold of the button at the top of his pants.

Jijel snatched your hand up. “You’re going to give me a stroke.”

“No. But stroking is involved,” you tease. “Big guy like you, I might have to use both hands,” you giggled.

“You’re serious,” he growled.

“I am,” you insisted. “And I want to show you how serious I am! I think you’re amazing, and I want to climb you like a monkey climbs trees!”

Jijel went silent. He gulped and dropped your hand. “What for?”

You unbuttoned his pants and pulled down the zipper. “Because I want to. No one makes me laugh as much as you do, and no one makes me feel all warm and fuzzy like you do either.” You grabbed him gently through his boxers. “All of that makes me want you.”

Jijel’s hands grasped your shoulders and he moaned into your ear. “You’re crazy.”

“For you maybe.” You stood on tiptoe to kiss him. You licked his lips and nuzzled your cheek to his tusks. “Fuck, you really are big.”

Jijel jerked from your touch and took a few steps back. “Wait a second. Wait...wait-” He panted. “What exactly are you going to do?”

“Sit down,” you coaxed him. “I just want to make you feel very, very good.”

“How?” Jijel stumbled over to the picnic table, taking a seat on the tabletop while you knelt down upon the bench. Jijel put his hand over his belly, trying to hide it as his shirt rode up.

“Well, let me see what you’ve got.” You tugged down his pants and boxers and his thick cock flopped out before you. You took him into your hand where his pounding pulse and heat traveled through our fingertips and down to your belly. “You’re barely hard and you’re already this big.” You spit onto his tip and stroke him slowly.

Jijel winced and whined, throwing his head back. “This is crazy-”

“I know.” You lick your other palm and wra it around him. “I knew you’d be impressive, but you’re so fucking hot.”

“No, not that-” he whined.

You kissed the head of his cock, lapping your tongue around the glans until his tip was between your lips. You moaned at how good that felt, like a too big bite of your favorite meal.

Jijel shuddered, groaning in agony and pleasure above you. “Fucking hell,” he whined.

“Is it good? Can I keep going?” You asked.

“Y-yeah,” he trembled.

You smiled and continued your work, licking down his cock and kissing back up. “Jijel,” you moaned. “Oh fuck, Jijel.” You took his fat head into your mouth again, suckling as you tried to take as much of his thickness as possible. When your jaw began to ache you pulled back, strings of spit connecting the glans to your lips and tongue.

You looked up at him again. “You okay up there?”

“That’s enough, stop.” Jijel huffed. “I can’t take anymore.”

You smiled. “That’s the point. I want you to come.”

Jijel shook his head. “Not unless you do too.”

Your eyes widened in awe. Of all the things he could have said, he had to say the sexiest thing imaginable. You stood up on the bench and he placed his big hand around your hip so his fingers kneaded into your ass.

“You don’t have to face me if you want,” he murmured.

You shook your head. “I like looking at you.” You pulled up his shirt and placed your hands upon his bare skin. “I especially want to see you while you’re inside me.”

Jijel snarled and buried his face against your neck. “Stop saying shit like that!”

You laughed and hugged him tight. “I mean it though!”

Jijel’s shaky hands removed your pants, tugging them all the way down. His big fingers then slid between your thighs and he moaned at what he found. “You’re so fucking wet.”

“You did this to me,” you whimpered.

Jijel’s finger rubbed against your wet lips, prodding inside for a moment before he rubbed against your clit. You shivered, holding onto his arms for dear life. You moaned his name, panting it longingly.

“Please, lay down, I can’t wait anymore.”

Jijel swallowed and laid back upon the picnic table. You climbed up on top of him, taking hold of his cock in one hand while balancing against his belly with the other.

“Don’t force yourself-” he pleaded.

You guided his thick cock to your lips, opening up wide for him. You whimpered as you took him, easing down, down, down upon him as you stretched to take him.

“Fuck, you’re amazing,” Jijel groaned.

You took all of him and grinned in triumph. “You big beast,” you panted. “I’m so happy.”

Jijel reached up, touching your face and brushing your hair away. His big smile spoke volumes, as did the tears falling from his eyes. “Me too.”

You pressed your palms to his chest, riding him slowly at first. He was so big, you weren’t used to him yet. His hands roamed your body, stripping away the last of your clothes. When he found your nipples were pieced he sat up to kiss them and suck them. You whimpered loudly as it was your weak point. Jijel took advantage, biting and suckling upon them until your whole body tremored. You cried out loud and held tight to him, shaking violently to the pleasurable eruption happening inside.

Jijel moaned into your ear. “Did you enjoy that?”

You whimpered, nodding as Jijel placed you in his lap. His warm belly pressed against you and he bounced his hips upwards. Each new thrust made you tremble, and you hugged onto him tightly.

Jijel kept moving his hips, thrusting them so he went upwards inside you. His moans turned to bellows and soon, he erupted like you did. You whimpered against his chest, trembling again with another orgasm. The two of you sat still with labored breath, listening to the sounds of the campsite muffled in the distance.

“I’ve wanted this too,” he whispered into your hair. “Ever since I first met you, I thought I would be so lucky to have a girl even remotely like you. Despite my feelings I never hoped you would-”

You kissed him to silence him. “I’m the lucky one here. No one has ever made me feel this way, let alone give me an orgasm to brag about.”

Jijel ducked his head down. “You keep saying shit like that.”

You wrapped your arms around his neck and sighed dreamily. “Can I at least say I have the best boyfriend in the world?”

“Not sure about that but…” Jijel held you tightly in his arms. “I certainly have the best girlfriend there ever was.”

You kissed him lovingly and gazed into his eyes. “Good, because I plan to be.”

[citrusrick]

s7e3 Air Force Wong

the return of unity! i was soooo excited to see them, the unity episode was one of my favorites in season 2. unity caring about rick going after prime again and making an effort to talk to him about it says a lot. i was surprised to find out that they knew about that actually. though unity doesn't trust rick, they still love him and worked hard to help him.

also "you almost died last time." more backstory i'd loveeeee to see.

rick in therapy. that was something we saw in the trailer that i had been waiting to happen, it definitely shows a significant amount of growth for him. he's still his childish self, which really comes out when he's with the president and they have their little petty arguments.

we see that growth exhibited when he apologizes to summer. though he does so unenthusiastically, he still does, which rick in the past wouldn't have even thought to do. and the way he comforts unity shows this, too, it was sweet!

i kinda like wong and the president as characters, but neither are my favorites. so their little side plot was funny, but meh, not my favorite personally.

my biggest gripe, which has been for all three episodes so far, i want more morty! but i'm sure this season is done this way on purpose, and i'm holding out hope they have some good rick and morty content for us in store. (along with some good plot points like prime).

some specific moments i enjoyed: rick and morty on the couch watching tv together, rick grumbling an apology to summer, rick trying to comfort unity, and rick telling the president not to speak to unity that way.

[petertingle-yipyip]

MAD AT GOD - MATT MURDOCK

Season Three - Lavender Haze

tags: @americaarse @dusstory @ironprincessstranger @johnmurphys-sass @astrobees @mayasaurus--rex @woowwwee // three // five // masterlist

Pairing: Matt x Reader, Dex x Reader

Word Count: 9,303

Summary: Betrayal and reunions. For Exodus, seems one can’t exist without the other. All relationships are tested when it all turns into something bigger.

You and Karen took a seat at one of the pews closest to the side door. You were waiting for either Sister Maggie or Father Lantom, knowing one of them would be the best bet to talk to about Matt. He knew at least one of them would’ve sworn everyone else to secrecy, but they would talk to you.

They were always willing to talk to you, but you never quite knew if it was for your sake or Matt’s.

The idea of seeing Matt again, inside a place you so frequently visited. To know he was right there the entire time, the thought let the red haze tease your vision. You dropped your head and closed your eyes and to anyone else, the sight would’ve looked like you were praying. Rather, you were trying to settle the sparking heat of anger that was urging you to take off your jacket.

“Sister Maggie?” Karen said suddenly, leaving your side and your attention snapped up. All remnants of the red gone.

“Can I help you?” She asked politely, but you seemed to steal her attention as you stood by Karen’s side. “Y/N.. It’s nice to see you inside finally.”

You gave a polite smile in return.

“Still doesn’t smell like cinnamon but…” You gave a small shrug. “We were actually hoping that Matt Murdock was here.”

She shook her head slightly. “No, he’s not.”

“Right.” You said with a small nod. “I wasn’t so sure anyways.. Thank you.”

“Y/N, wait.” Karen reached for you.

“No, it’s fine. I can do it without him. Just.. Text me where to go and I’ll handle it.”

“Y/N.” Sister Maggie called behind you.

“Thanks for your time, Sister. I’ll see you next time.”

“Will you wait for just a minute?” She insisted. You sighed heavily and cursed yourself mentally before you turned to face her. “It wears you out, doesn’t it? Trying to save him from himself.”

“Considering I’ve only seen him once and he didn’t really care to talk or explain anything, it’s not like he wants me around right now to begin with. And it’s funny when you think about it. He used to be the one trying to save me from myself … You know what he told me? That I’ve already mourned Matt Murdock so I shouldn’t care. How can he tell me I shouldn’t care?”

“When someone in need tries to push you away, you have to find the strength to hold on tighter… Everyone in Matthew’s life has abandoned him, even me. He needs someone who’ll stand by all his struggles and be there to pull him through on the other side. You have to keep pushing back, Y/N.”

“How can I do that when he won't come near me?” You shrugged with an exhausted sigh. “He’s intently visited everyone that mattered before Midland Circle except me.”

“You’re a smart and stubborn girl, Y/N. I’m sure you can find a way.”

Karen picked you up later that night. She refused to let you go alone so you climbed into the backseat with your duffel in hand. As she drove, you changed in the backseat. She told you what her plan was, for her to go in first as a buyer and make sure Evans was there. And even though you didn’t like the idea of her going in alone, you knew it’d be less dangerous than if you showed up in your mask. Instead, you found a decent vantage point to watch her go in after slipping one of your comms mics into her pocket, then you clicked your mask and implant to watch her venture inside.

The hand on your shoulder was the only thing that took your focus away.

You instantly dropped to the ground. Sweeping their legs from under them, you yanked one of the knives from your belt and raised it above your head to throw. When you turned to find a target, you found Matt laying on his back with hands up in surrender.

“Тебе повезло, что я тебя не убил. Опять же.” You groaned and bit the blade as you hauled Matt up. (You’re lucky I didn’t kill you. Again.)

“Yeah, missed you too, Y/N.” He said with a small smile.

“Sure doesn’t seem that way.” You mumbled. “Besides, that’s not what I said.” You rolled your eyes and flipped your knife idly before tucking it away.

“I know.”

“You do understand that we still need to talk. Right? About all of it. You owe me that much.”

Before he could answer, you heard a male voice in your head. Listening carefully, you heard Karen say his name and a tight, almost threatening response.

You hurried into the room with Matt on your heels. You got to the room just in time as Karen threw an elbow at the person behind her. You yanked the man you assumed was Jasper by his shirt collar and threw him into Matt.

Two more men came after you two so you ran at the first one. You slammed into him and wrapped your arms around his shoulders as something to hold on. You kicked out hard at the second one’s chest and used the movement to throw your legs back and your torso forward to slam the first man to his back. As you stood, one of the men went to get up so you threw a knee against his temple and he fell flat. You looked over at Karen, who offered a silent nod that she was okay.

“You knew his last known address and that he’d probably be here.” Karen said to Matt. “What were you waiting for?”

He turned his head to you but you scoffed slightly and crossed your arms. Either he was waiting for you to say something or you were what he was waiting for.

“You knew we’d come?” She kept going.

“I’d hoped.” Matt answered.

“But you couldn’t have come to me?” You said angrily. You moved to Matt, still knelt by Jasper’s side, and forced your foot against his chest, pushing him to his back and leaning your weight forward to keep him down. “You didn’t want to just talk to me?”

“I didn’t know if I could get to you.” He tried but you leaned forward more and he groaned slightly.

“I may not read heartbeats but I know when you’re full of shit.”

“How was I supposed to try? When Fisk has the FBI in his pocket.”

“Because we live together!” You said angrily. “Because I never was! Because I was at that goddamn church every day!”

“He could’ve had eyes on you the whole time. How was I supposed to know?”

“You never even tried!” Your voice broke as you yelled.

You felt a hand on your arm and turned quickly, only

to see Karen with a concerned expression. Her eyes darted between yours and you knew by the colors lurking in your peripherals that your eyes were reflecting that bright, hot red. You gave in and let her pull you off Matt but once you were clear, you turned and slammed your fist through a nearby picture frame.

“I’ll help you, but after that, you need to help me and Foggy. The FBI is all over us and-“ Karen tried to explain quickly but you could feel her worry for you.

“You want me to turn myself in.” Matt cut in as he stood, rubbing the spot on his chest where your weight had been. You knew it didn’t hurt him. He was still built too well for just your weight to hurt.

“You talk to Foggy?”

“No, but it’s the smart move.. Sure, I’ll do it. I’ll turn myself in.” He turned towards you. “To you.”

“What?” Your brows raised quickly and you pushed your mask to the top of your head as if you wanted him to fully see your expression. “I’m not supposed to be involved with your investigation. It’s the one conflict of interest I can’t get around.”

“I won’t do it if I’m not turning myself in to you.” He said simply.

“They find out I’m anywhere near you and I’m done. Everything I’m working on is thrown away.”

“I thought you were an elite spy?” He tried to joke.

“It doesn’t matter. Even if you turn yourself in to me, I would still have to hand you over to Ray. It’s not my case.”

“Wait, what if they’ve figured out you’re… you?” Karen tried.

“Ray would’ve been hassling me a little more to figure out me if he knew anything.” You waved a hand, wincing as you felt the small glass shards shifting in your knuckles. Matt made a move for your hand but you crossed your arms, unintentionally pushing the broken pieces deeper into your skin.

“The mask doesn’t do me any good if I'm a wanted man either way.” Matt shrugged. “Besides, if the FBI figures out who I am, maybe I’ll get lucky and they’ll lock me up next to Fisk.”

“Да, хороший пентхаус в президентском доме для Кухня дьявола ада.” You snorted to yourself and Matt chuckled. (Yeah, a nice penthouse at the Presidential for the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen.)

“Foggy said you were different, that you had changed. I thought it was bullshit but..”

“You’re acting a lot like me, Devil Boy.” You warned as you repositioned your mask. “Remember when I told you that you were gonna become just like the one person you didn’t wanna be?”

“Whatever.” He scoffed and you had the desire to kick him in his teeth. “We can’t take his statement here. Fisk’s lawyers will say it was coerced.”

“We’ll take him to the Bulletin.” Karen answered. “We get him on record in front of witnesses.. Besides, my editor is gonna wanna hear all this with his own ears.”

Matt yanked Jasper up and threw him into a nearby chair. You collected a bright yellow ball of fear in your palm and pushed it into his chest, watching him jerk awake in sudden terror. He moved to get out of the chair but you shoved a foot against his chest and forced him back. You held that position, leaning your weight forward as Matt came to your side. 

“It’s your lucky day. We’re gonna give you a choice.” Matt began. “Option one- I call the FBI and Fisk has you killed before you can tell ‘em how you got out of prison.”

“Trust me when I tell you that Fisk will be able

to reach you, even from his penthouse.” You threatened, your accent tinting your voice as you leaned away. “Even with the FBI watching him.” 

“Option two- you tell this nice reporter the truth about what you did for Fisk and I’ll let you run someplace Fisk will never find you.”

“I can’t.” Jasper shook his head.

“Cool. Option one.” Matt shrugged and made a move but you shot your arm out to stop him. You shot him a pointed look and he simply pressed his lips together in a line.

“If I talk, Fisk kills my son!” Jasper panicked. “We had a good life before the neighborhood went down and I got myself put away… Left my son without a father and this is what he does with his life.”

“What makes you think Fisk would need you to talk to kill either of you?” You countered simply. “If that man feels even the slightest bit threatened by what you know, he won’t hesitate to kill you both.”

“If Fisk stays out of prison, a lot of innocent people are gonna die.” Karen said, a dark tone in her words. “So you can either tell my paper the truth and we let you and your son run far away or you can go back to prison and I print the story like you talked anyway.”

“You would lie and get us both killed?”

“In case you haven’t noticed, she’s pretty well protected.” You gestured to yourself and Matt.  “The way I see it, you are the one that needs our help.”

“If you three hadnt-“

“Shut up.” You groaned and leaned away, moving your foot off his chest. “What if I can guarantee your son gets out of town before anything happens?” You offered and you felt his panic slowly drop as he looked at you with wide eyes. “People in this town owe me some favors so I can have your son out of town tonight and you can follow right after you’re done. New names, new lives in a new place.”

“You would do that?” He asked gently. “I thought you didn’t give chances.”

“I’m not doing it for you.” You said honestly. “It’s a limited time offer that I will not extend again. I have no problem putting a bullet in your head if you back out or you take too long. Do we have a deal or not?”

The next morning, you and Foggy sat in the conference room as you waited for Ray. Your foot tapped quickly under the table and all you could think while Foggy and Ray talked was how different Matt really was. He was so much darker, so lost in his own head. You’d never seen him so miserable. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, whether he said it out loud or not, that thick slime of misery trailed behind him like footprints.

It was like he had forgotten everything about who he was.

Did you do that? Had your influence broken him?

No, you had been apart too long. There’s no way it was your fault.

“My client’s ready to submit to questioning.” Foggy explained before turning to you. “Under the condition that she’s the one to bring him in and is present during all interrogations.”

“She’s not allowed on this case.” Ray countered easily. “Conflict of interest.”

“I have a witness lined up that can help provide information on Mr. Murdock’s innocence.” You said honestly.

“Sounds like I’m being jerked around, Y/L/N.” Ray sighed. “You know you’re not supposed to be anywhere near this. I tell Hattley and you’re done.”

“What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”

“It’s too personal for you, Y/N.”

“It’s less about Murdock and more so about getting Fisk locked up again. I will hand Murdock over to you immediately, I swear. As long as he gets into your custody, does it really matter who he turns himself in to? I’m just there for the witness statement. Anything else that happens is out of my control. Besides, I’m the only one he knows isn’t playing Fisk’s games. I’m the only one at this bureau he trusts. Why not capitalize on that while you can?”

“You’re a real pain in my ass, you know that?”

“Yeah, it’s a running theme with me. Are we doing this or not? Cause if Murdock gets away, when he’s literally being handed over to you, that’s not on me. I’m sure Hattley will have a field day with that.”

With a heavy sigh and realizing you had him in a corner, Ray agreed. A weight lifted off your chest but a new one settled on your shoulders. While you made good on your end with Jasper, having called Natasha and asked her to help get some ducks in a row so the kid was out of town before the prior night ended, you were now worried about taking his statement. Fisk had to have eyes on Jasper

to ensure something like that didn’t happen, that he didn’t open his mouth.

You knew something was coming. As someone who grew up knee deep in the blood of people who didn’t keep their mouths shut, you’d be lucky if you got two words out of Jasper before a bullet shut him up for good. Especially if a certain FBI SWAT sniper was involved.

Having returned to his hidden dwelling under his church, Matt was conversing with Sister Maggie and thinking. Every time he had spoken to Y/N since his return from the dead, it hasn’t been from him reaching out. It had been a matter of circumstance. But that didn’t stop one of her sentences from bouncing around his brain.

You never even tried!

The apartment was closer than the basement after he got out of the river. Karen brought her along when they confronted Jasper Evans. As far as Matt could control and despite the way it hurt, he wanted to keep her away. He didn’t try to reach her. In fact, he actively tried to stay away from her. Because he knew, no matter what was going on or who was trying to kill him or arrest him, he wouldn’t want to leave her side again once he returned.

Her life was going great without him, for the most part at least from what he understood. Whoever she was sleeping with. Her position at the FBI. No one trying to kill her. No secret to keep. Friends who cared about her. She had almost everything she ever wanted, everything she deserved.

Though, and he couldn’t admit it out loud, he was hoping there was still a part of her that wanted him.

Admittedly, he noticed something different in her demeanor. Something darker, empty. She didn’t feel quite the same but maybe that was due more to the change in Matt than her. Or that was a result of processing the grief and trauma from Midland Circle on her own.

As caring as Foggy and Karen could be, they just wouldn’t get it. The only person that probably would was Frank, and neither of them had heard from him in a while.

Despite it all, despite the protests in his head and all logic he had left, he wanted to be with her again. To feel her touch against his skin, more than while she beat on him - though he’d admit he deserved it. He wanted her sleepy voice, muttering some old song or just talking about whatever thought she had.

What he wouldn’t give to have his Y/N back.

“This have anything to do with a certain fiery one with a couple scars that visits us?” Maggie teased with a knowing smile. 

“Y/N.” He said her name softly, like a secret only he knew. He smiled as he thought of her, coming all the way inside a place she didn’t care for just for him. “Yeah.. I’m meeting her.”

“She’s lovely. Temperamental, but lovely.”

“She is.” He chuckled lightly.

“She knows you’re Daredevil.”

“She does. Took a while of her fighting beside me for her to figure it out but….”

“But she sticks around? Sounds like a keeper.”

Matt couldn’t hide the grin.

“Yeah, she’s… She’s definitely more than a friend.” He agreed. “I really do love her.”

“Nice to hear you used the f-word and the l-word.” Maggie continued with a smile. “And to see you reconnecting.”

“No, we’re not..” He tried to explain but the wrenching feeling of his chest cut the words off. He had to remind himself to keep distance, to make it easier on Y/N. “She’s just helping me… I gotta turn myself in to the FBI and Y/N is the only one I can trust.”

“Trust?” She nodded in thought. “Trusting someone usually means you care.”

“I do.” He agreed sadly. “I care about her more than anyone but.. I can’t just waltz back into her life like nothing happened. She wants answers and I can’t give them to her.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

“I can’t give her the answers she deserves.” He clarified before he cleared his throat, hoping to clear the growing tightness, and redirected the conversation. “I’ve been falsely accused. Gotta clear my name.”

“You mean Matt Murdock’s name.. If you’re leaving him behind, what does it matter?”

“My life is complicated enough without being a wanted fugitive… Besides if they look too deep, they’ll figure out me and then they figure out Y/N/N. I’m doing this to protect her.”

It had always been to protect Y/N.

“Y/N/N…” She smiled slightly, seemingly proud of what she heard. “Careful, Matthew. Someone might think you’re still a bit soft under that hard exterior.” She joked

lightly as she left.

Something about the day felt off as you sorted the duffel from your trunk. It was a looming anxiety and it wasn’t coming from you. It was stemming from a distant source. Lonely. Cold. Afraid. Panicked. It was the feeling of someone who had lost everything, who was at the end of their rope. Teetering the ledge, willing to plummet rather than be saved.

It sent a shiver down your spine but you pushed the sensations away to focus on the task at hand.

You doubted you’d have time to change into the full suit, so that and your pack, you left in the bag. You had access to a mask and a pair of Bites in your glove box. Under your shirt, you wore the discreet vest and fit your holster with one of your own guns, rather than your bureau issued piece. Your badge was in your jacket pocket and two knives sat at your back, tucked safely into your waistband. You slipped a couple discs into one boot and a smoke bomb into the other. Satisfied with your simple collection of gear, you grabbed your bag and headed to pick up Foggy.

“How do you feel?” He asked as you drove with the radio low.

“He hasn’t explained shit to me.” You said simply. “He’s avoided every real chance at a conversation and he’s definitely different.. He reminds me a lot of myself and I don’t like it. It doesn’t feel right.”

“Just give him some time. You are probably the one person that he can’t hide from for long.”

“It took him how long to admit to me he was Daredevil?”

“And it took how long for you to admit you were Exodus?”

“Are.”

“What?”

“I am Exodus.” You turned to him at a red light. “She’s not just gone because I don’t wear the suit as much.”

“Regardless.” Foggy said carefully, taken back by your words.

The determination was easy to recognize. There was no mistaking your intent. Exodus would never be the past for you, and the time without Matt - the way you let that side of yourself handle the fallout from Billy - was more than enough to recognize that you were more the vigilante than anything. 

“Matt’s not a criminal.” He continued as you drove. “FBI won’t have anything and it’ll expose Fisk. We all win.”

“Once this all blows over, I don’t think I’ll keep this job much longer.” You confessed.

“I thought you liked the FBI.”

“I do but it seems like.. Every path I take, I end up in the same situations. I always end up in a fight that puts the people in my life at risk… I don’t know, maybe it’s better if I take off again. Keeps everyone safe.”

“No.”

“No?”

“You don’t get to leave again.” Foggy said simply. “I’m still trying to get Matt back. You can’t leave.”

“Fog, c’mon.” You tried as you parked. “I have no place in the world.”

“No.” He shook his head firmly. “You don’t get to go anywhere. Your place is here, with me and Karen and Matt. End of story.”

You smiled slightly as you got out of the car. Despite everything, your own lies and secrets and selfish behaviors, Foggy refused to turn his back on you. Nearly everyone had abandoned you, some you admittedly turned your back on first but still. No matter how hard you pushed, Foggy pushed right back into his spot.

That’s why he was your best friend.

You two walked into the Bulletin and the Foggy found Matt before you did. You stopped at the end of the hall and felt your heart jump to your throat. You felt Foggy’s hand on your elbow and you glanced over, catching his concerned expression.

“You okay?” He said softly.

“Yeah, uh.” You nodded and gathered yourself. “I’m just gonna call and check in with Ray.”

“Y/N.” He gave a small frown.

“It’s not like he’s gonna talk to me anyway.” You offered a sad smile. “Sooner this gets done, the better it’s gonna be for everyone.”

“Sooner you talk to him, the better it’s gonna be for you.” He softly insisted.

You let out a sigh and watched Matt’s head turn. His eyebrows raised slightly and you knew he was listening to you. Your heart rate or breathing. Maybe he was listening for your voice. Either way, you gave him nothing. Your pulse and breathing were as steady as ever while you quietly left to another room. You felt Foggy’s demeanor fall as he went to sit with Matt.

Your conversation with Ray was short and sweet. It was clear that he wanted some sort of confirmation that you had Matt and Jasper, but you gave him neither simply

for the fact that you couldn’t guarantee who was listening on his end. All you asked for was confirmation that his team was en route and that was exactly what you got.

Their conversation suddenly fell when you got back.

“Ray’s getting his team together. They should be here in less than ten.” You said simply, standing behind Foggy’s chair.

“Are you sure you wanna do this?” Foggy tried.

“You sure this FBI agent can be trusted?” Matt turned his head to you.

“He just wants the truth.” You said honestly. “He’s a good guy as far as I can tell.”

“Then yeah, I’m sure.” He nodded.

“Y/N.” Foggy turned. “Say something.”

“He knows.” You looked to Matt, shutting down the sharp pang in the center of your chest. “He saw everything at the prison. That’s why you’re under investigation, why he put a spotlight on you.”

“Are you?” He asked, a worry in his tone that he tried to push away. “Under investigation.”

“Not yet, but I’m sure the SAC is looking for a reason.”

“Y/N…”

“Matt.” You said sharply, maybe sharper than intended, but that didn’t seem to bother him.

He smiled slightly but the expression quickly fell away.

“What happened?”

“You mean how you died?.” You said flatly. “Well you pretended to at least. Or did you mean after that?”

“You know what I meant.”

“And yet you still don’t get it. Death doesn’t happen to you. You’re not the one dealing with the fallout. Death happens to everyone around you, to the people left standing in the rubble of that building wondering how the hell are they supposed to go on without you. And your death happened to the people that couldn’t even talk about it.”

“You’re right..”

“Don’t just agree with me.” You said angrily. “Argue with me. Defend yourself.”

“You wanna have an argument in the middle of the Bulletin?” His brows raised in accusation.

“I want you to show that you give a shit. I want you to acknowledge the fact that you don’t care about getting hurt, and you sure as hell don’t care when it hurts someone else.”

“You know I didn’t want to hurt you, Y/N/N.”

“But you did.”

“If there was another way, I would’ve-“

“There was.” You cut in sharply. “You could’ve left when everyone else did.. No one was recovered from the rubble because they couldn’t get deep enough. So as far as I’m concerned, there was no way out and you made it by some grace of your God. You didn’t have to stay down but you did. But you won’t admit that you were wrong.”

“At the time, I thought-“

“So where have you been?” You cut in again, not wanting to hear an excuse. “It’s been a very long time since you’ve been home, Matthew.”

“I thought you’d be safe.”

“So you were trying to protect me?” You laughed.

“I’ve always tried to protect you.”

“Well you didn’t. You left. You left like I was never a reason for you to stay.” You felt the sting in your chest grow sharper, begging for the attention that you weren’t giving it. Instead, it manifested as a waver in your voice as he stood and made a move around to come around Foggy’s chair.. “You left and I just let you. So really, it doesn’t matter how we choose to remember what happened between us. Because I know two things. One, that I was good and I loved you. And two, it just wasn’t enough.”

“Y/N, you’ve always been enough.” Matt tried but something over his shoulder caught his attention. 

A wave of panic washed over you, disappearing as suddenly as it came, so you took a few steps to try and see something. Along with the panic you felt an empty sadistic pride, pride in the pain caused and a complete lack of empathy. What really worried you was the familiarity of that lack of empathy.

“Matty?” You tried, looking down the hall to where that feeling came from.

“Screaming.” He said simply, moments before the light cut off. 

“Он сломал его..” You said to yourself, realizing your fake offer to help Fisk wasn’t needed and that’s why he didn’t take it when you offered. (He broke him.)

“What?” Foggy jumped up. “What does that mean?”

“It means that this just went from bad to worse. Get to Karen, get as many people as you can, and get out of here.”

“Go help him. I’ll handle this.” Matt said, trying to push you to follow Foggy.

“Not a chance.” You pushed him off. “You can't handle this on your own. Trust me.”

Matt grabbed your arm and gave a small squeeze, feeling for the usual material of your vigilante top.

“You’re not dressed for this.” He said lowly as you yanked your arm away.

“Neither are you.” You countered in the same quiet tone as you pressed against his abdomen, revealing not the hard pad of his suit, but the firm feeling of his muscles. He gave a small groan when your hand hit a still healing wound. “Unless the Devil suddenly fights in a suit and tie.”

“Y/N.” He tried.

“You’re gonna need me.” You said simply. “Keep him busy till I get there. And try not to die.”

You hurried out to your car, striping out of your FBI jacket and button-up. You threw the clothes in the back seat which left you in your vest from Melvin, your under arm holster, and a short sleeve black workout top underneath it all. You grabbed the mask and Bites from your glovebox. You hesitated at the Bites when you realized that the brace was too easy to recognize.

It was meant to absorb kickback from pulling a trigger and impact from hits, but if it truly was Dex, he would know it was you. It left your wrist vulnerable but you couldn’t risk it. You noticed your gym bag was still on the floor of your backseat. You dug through it for your wraps and quickly secured them into place, You threw the brace  in the back with your clothes and fit the mask to your face before rushing back into the building as you slipped the Bites over the wraps.

You threw the door open to the office space Karen was supposed to be when you saw him. Across the room, a familiar frame was sporting a very familiar look. He slowly turned to face you and it felt as if all the blood in your body drained out.

You expected to stand against Dex. From the second you knew Fisk wanted him, you didn’t have high hopes that you could keep him on your side. The man was a ticking time bomb from the start, and without you to keep the timer from running, it was a matter of time before you two were opposing forces.

But the fact that he wore Matt’s suit was what made you stop in your tracks.

“Thought you were dead.” You called across the room, watching his head tilt as your accent laced your words. “Been a long time, Red. I was starting to get lonely. Where’ve you been?”

He said nothing as the door was thrown open behind you. You watched as Dex smirked and pulled his arm back, a baton in hand. He launched the weapon across the room and you were quick to step in front of whoever came in after you, arms up to block your face as you braced for the impact. But the impact never came.

Lowering your arms, you saw the baton was caught by Matt. You released a small breath of relief before you shoved Foggy away. While the two boys were locked on each other, you took the chance to find a new angle.

You knew Dex was always better at a distance. He was strong but ricochets and projectiles were his strong suits. All you had to do was get in close. You were fast and precise enough that he shouldn’t be able to touch you for a while but the new problem was that Matt was in the mix.

Once there was an opening, you moved in. Matt had hit Dex hard enough to have him stagger back so you attacked from behind. You used the desk as footing and jumped off, hooking an arm around his neck as you swung yourself over his shoulder. Your fingers had closed around the material of the suit and yanked him with you, your momentum strong enough to throw him to his back. You landed on your knees and so you spun yourself and saw him pushing himself up to his elbows.

You planted both hands flat against the ground and kicked out sharply, slamming both heels against the side of his head. Once he hit the floor again, you pushed yourself through a backwards tumble and pulled a knife from your belt.

Dex turned to you and you could feel the anger from his glare. You offered a wink, which only seemed to piss him off more, before moving in first. You swiped for a familiar gap in the suit but he caught your wrist while his foot kicked out the back of your knee. He forced you to the ground and twisted your arm outward. You let out a yelp before dropping the knife to your other hand and slicing upwards, catching a space between the plates of his arm.

He dropped his hold which let you fall to the floor. Matt helped you to your feet and put his hands on either side of your head. You nodded quietly and waved away his concern so he could take over the fight.

You moved out of sight, pressing your back against the side of a desk while holding your blade between your teeth as you rubbed the aching joint. You shook your head quickly, collecting yourself enough to let your anger take control. You felt it burn through your veins instead and you rolled your shoulders to break it up before turning to peek over the desk and see what the boys were up to. Matt had knocked Dex down and you took your shot.

You slid across the top of the desk and hooked your ankles around Dex’s neck. His hands landed on your hips as he lifted you so he could slam you back against the desk. You coughed roughly but kept your hold, jamming your Bite against the exposed skin of his neck. He fell to his back, but with your ankles still locked, you were dragged down too.

You landed on top of him so you twisted your hips and leaned a knee against his throat. You freed the other foot and planted it beside his head for balance. You grabbed either arm and held them outwards, leaving him struggling under your weight.

His flailing was slowing when you were tackled off. You two rolled for a minute before Matt was on top of you.

“The hell is your problem?” You angrily pushed him off.

“You don’t even know this guy.” He reasoned breathlessly.

“You think that’ll make a difference to him? I wasn’t even gonna kill him.” You scoffed and turned to find Dex. “Yet.”

As soon as you did, you barely had a second to get your arms up. The butt end of a baton slammed into your forearms, forcing your own limbs against your face. You staggered back into Matt and you tasted blood in your mouth from how the impact slammed your teeth together hard enough to catch a piece of your cheek.

Dex slammed into you, tackling you into Matt and knocking air out of your lungs. Your head smacked the desk before you rolled over it and you could see Dex’s feet on the other side when you landed. You twisted and kicked the edge of the desk to hit Dex in the stomach.

You crawled under it and between his legs before he could stand fully. You reached under and hooked your fingers around the holster strap. You yanked him down and turned to get your feet against the ground. You pushed backwards and as you were rolling, you shifted your arms to grab his. You fell back and flattened his arm before kneeling on it. With a sharp red glow at your Bite, you lifted the weapon to fire. 

You heard Matt getting closer so you lifted your other wrist to ensure he wouldn’t stop you again. Opting for a blue glow against your newly returned partner, you fired both weapons at either man. You hurried back to your feet, punctuating your success against Dex with a swift kick to his jaw, before you made a beeline for where you saw Foggy go in.

When you heard the slam of metal on metal above you, you turned and saw the light fixture coming down. You dropped to a knee and lifted your arms, wincing slightly as the spark scattered across your exposed arms and the corner of the metal scraped your forehead.

You grabbed the metal frame and turned back, seeing Dex giving you a proud smirk as he came around the nearest desk and grabbed a handful of things from the organizer. He kept eye contact with you as he flung them at Matt, who had just made it behind an overturned desk. You gripped the frame tightly, jagged edges digging into your fingers. You rushed him quickly, momentarily distracting him from Matt. You swung the frame at him, knocking him to his back. He hurried to reach for your ankle but you jumped over, changing the grip on the frame to slam it downwards against his chest. His body jerked with the impact and he groaned as you dropped the metal on him. You made a face to yourself and moved to find Matt.

“You probably just pissed him off more.” He mumbled to you.

You gave a quick shrug and waved him off. You heard Dex yank something off a desk but Matt turned the corner to steal his attention before you could. You shook your head in disappointment as Matt was launched into the desk behind him so you went the other way.

While Matt and Dex were playing a cat and mouse game, your fingers slipped into your boot for the smoke bomb. You’d be able to see through it with your mask. You figured Matt would be fine, considering you’d seen him fight through worse. Dex was the one you needed it to be an issue for and if your train of thought was right, it would be. You moved the device into your front pocket as you crept through the office space to get to the room.

You stopped when you heard the clatter. Glancing over your shoulder, you saw a shelving unit on top of Matt and Dex slammed his boot down to knock him out.

You looked between a now-unconscious Matt with scissors sticking out of his chest and the door to your friends. Your hands began to shake slightly as you felt that familiar heat of rage crawling up your spine. You tapped your mask to see through the door, finding there was something blocking it along with four bodies huddled in the corner. With a sigh, you stood in front of the door and faced Dex again.

They’d be alright as long as you kept him focused on you, so you took all of Dex’s rage and enjoyment from the prior events and redirected it to be focused solely on you.

“Finally… You learned how to have a little fun.” You spoke simply to egg him on, slipping a hand behind you for a knife - realizing you had dropped your other one - as you feigned ignorance. “What happened to you?”

He answered with a quiet chuckle.

“What now? You try to kill me too? Is that how you treat the woman you love?” You toyed with a pout.

His head cocked to the side before a smile took over. You realized then that Dex didn’t quite know the story of Exodus and Daredevil. Fisk clearly knew, willing to use it as leverage to break you at work. But he didn’t tell Dex everything. It made you wonder exactly how long Fisk planned on using Dex, because that was an easy man to snap.

Maybe you didn't need to break Dex for Fisk. Maybe you needed to break his trust in Fisk. And destroying trust seemed to be one of the things you did best.

You both heard the sirens at the same time and you let out a sign of relief. You had been so focused on keeping Dex away from Jasper and your friends, on ensuring Matt got out alive, you had forgotten that Ray and his team were on the way. All you had to do now was stall for a few more minutes  so you left the knife where it sat at your back.

You reached into your pocket and threw the smoke bomb at Dex’s feet. Once the gray cloud erupted and your lenses adjusted, you pushed through it to slam your knee against his chest. The action forced him back against one of the temporary cubicle walls. He swung a left hook but you caught it, using it as stability to flip over and kick across his jaw. He swung a kick to your stomach as you landed but you spun to avoid it, meeting him with a roundhouse of your own that threw him to the closest desk.

You hurried around the desk as he was pushing himself

up. You put your hands on the back of his head and dropped to a knee, slamming him back down. As you turned away, the edge of the desk jammed into your hip and you were knocked to the floor. You were quickly pinned under Dex’s body weight as one of his hands looped around the strap to your vest. The other landed hard jabs to your face, hits that you were barely able to squirm away from.

You began kicking your foot, trying to knock one of the shock discs out of your boot. You tucked your knees up and shook your foot, turning your head away from his hits in time to see the circular device slip out of your boot. You squeezed your knees together around his waist and threw yourself to the side to put you on top. You leaned and grabbed the disc quickly. You held the tech between your fingers while you pulled your wire between your hands. You pressed the wire against his throat and his hands came around your wrists in a panic.

He coughed and thrashed beneath you but that only

made you press harder. You saw the drops of blood fall from your lips and land against the helmet, red on red to match the color of your vision. You pressed down harder and watched the dark bruise sprout across his throat.

His hands disappeared from your wrists and gripped the straps of your vest. He threw you over and you rolled until your side hit the edge of a cubicle wall. You groaned sharply as the impact vibrated through your old rib injury. You were getting to your hands and knees when a heavy kick slammed into your stomach, making you collapse again.

Another kick that knocked the air out of your lungs.

A third kick that made you cough sharply.

He threw a fourth kick but you turned to catch his foot. You yanked hard and he fell to his back. You slipped the disc under the top edge of your wrap near your knuckles and got up to a knee. Dex was making his way back to his feet so you used the cubicle as leverage to haul yourself up. Once Dex faced you, you threw your entire body weight into a hook that jammed the disc against his jaw. The shock jolted up your arm and you felt the joints throughout it lock up as Dex cried out. He fell to the floor with small convulsions as you felt yourself wobble slightly on your feet. You blinked hard and shook the vertigo away as your vision cleared of the manic haze.

You moved back to the door and as you were reaching for the handle, you heard a metallic clink just before you felt a sharp pain in your hip that caused you to cry out. Looking down, you saw your own discarded knife buried to the hilt at the bend of your leg. You fell against the wall, unable to support your own weight as Dex came over with a smug smirk. He used his foot to push you away from the door before breaking in.

You groaned loudly as you pressed your hand around the wound, moderately scared to try and take the blade out. Instead, you wobbled to your feet and used the door frame to hold yourself up just as you heard the gunshot. Your head snapped up and you saw Dex moving closer to Karen. You noticed a body on the floor from the corner of your eye. You turned slightly and realized it was Foggy. The sight made your knees buckle and you gripped the doorframe even tighter. Nudging the side of your mask with your shoulder, you gave it a second to load. You saw there was a heartbeat and you let out a soft sigh of relief. He was alive.

If he hadn’t been, you wouldn’t have hesitated to end Dex then and there.

“Hey!” You called out and his movements stopped, head turning slightly towards you. “You’ve gotta do better than that if you want me dead.”

“Hello, Karen. It’s nice to see you again.” Dex told her calmly and the sentence puzzled you.

Your moment’s confusion allowed him to get a hand around your throat and force you out the room, coughing and gagging as his grip grew tighter. You heard Karen calling for you but you took the concern she directed at you and moved it towards Matt, though you ensured there was enough fear in her to keep her from moving until you had Dex’s sole attention. Dex pulled you closer before slamming you into the wall behind you.

He forced you back again and again. You grabbed at his wrist and tried to push your Bites against his neck but he recognized it and slammed you before you could.

“I wasn’t gonna kill you.” He said lowly.

Head bouncing.

“But he said you would get in my way.”

 Air forced out of your lungs.

“All for that guy.”

Back slamming.

“All because you love him.”

Rib burning.

“What happened? I thought you were gonna make this fun.”

He threw you to the floor and you coughed roughly, turning to the side to try and give yourself space to move while your throat burned .

His foot forced you to your back and he slammed it down on the Bite you were trying to aim, which so happened to be the one that needed the brace. You winced loudly and he reached down for the knife in your hip. Once his eyes left yours, you reached the other hand for the gun under your arm. You stole Frank’s old move that he used against Matt and pressed the gun against Dex’s forehead.

When you felt the blade move, you pulled the trigger. The loud bang reverberated through the otherwise quiet room, rivaling the sharp cry you released as the blade shifted back to its first position.

He fell off of you and you moved as best you could to Matt and Karen. You reached them and pushed both their heads down while Dex staggered out the room, holding his head and falling occasionally.

“Y/N.” Matt mumbled, reaching for you.

“Yeah… I’m here.” You replied quietly, taking his hands in yours.

“Your leg.”

You offered a small smile, feeling some of your anger and pain melt into a soft sort of sadness. Almost like longing. “Your chest… Are you okay?”

“Are you?”

“Get out of here, okay?” You tried, looking towards the stairs and your lenses showing you Ray’s team coming. “I’ll find you when I can sneak away.”

“No.” He held your hand tighter, a desperation in his touch that made you soft - if only for a second. “No, I’m not- not leaving you.”

“Matt, you have to.” You brought his busted knuckles to your lips. Matt quickly put his hand at the side of your head, pushing his fingers into your hair, and pulled you to him to bring your lips to his. Behind your eyes, things turned a misty lavender when you felt Matt’s thumb running gentle patterns.

“I love you.” He mumbled against your lips. “I’m so sorry I hurt you.”

Something deep in both your chests seem to snap.

“What about that guy?” Karen asked when you two separated, panic clear in her words.

“I’m gonna kill him.” You said simply, giving a determined tilt to your head.

“Y/N.” Karen tried as you stood.

“Nadeem and his team are coming. Just hang tight till he gets here.” You patted her shoulder.

She reached for your hand but you pulled away. You hobbled to the stairwell and braced yourself as you yanked the knife out. A loud yelp left you before you gritted your teeth and forced your anger down, literally. You took the anger bubbling inside - anger at Dex for betraying you, at Matt for nearly getting himself killed, at Ray for not getting there in time, at Fisk for stealing your partner, at yourself for falling so far behind in Fisk’s game - and directed it down to your joint so the wound would heat itself while you wiped the blade against the exposed bottom of your shirt. The burning made you close your eyes tight and ground your teeth so hard you thought you’d break them. When your leg no longer stung, you pushed yourself up and kept going with your bloody knife gripped tight.

When you threw the door open, you saw Dex climbing the railing. You kicked Ray’s gun from his hand and slammed your shoulder into his chest to send him tumbling a few stairs, rendering him unable to follow or attack you, before vaulting yourself over the side. Both feet collided with Dex and you two tumbled down the stairs. When you two finally landed, with you on top with a knee against the center of his chest, you jammed your knife between the protections of his suit and he shouted loudly in pain. 

“I’m leaving you alive to deliver a message.” You threatened, grabbing him by the chin to force him to look at you. “Tell your boss that I’m coming for him. And when I get to him, he’s as good as dead.”

“You’ll never get the chance.” He coughed.

You smiled slightly and twisted your knife, making him grab your hand in a panic.

“Try me.” You yanked your blade out and took off, hooking a wire around the bar before jumping the railing.

When your feet hit the ground, you flicked the wire to release it. You tucked it back into place and hurried back to your car, checking your surroundings before changing back into your original shirt and jacket. You wiped the blood off your hands and face as best you could and tucked your accessories under your seat before making your way back to the building.

You went right back up to the floor you left Karen on and found Ray in the room with her. Evans’ body was on the floor while two agents talked over him. An agent was checking on Ellison. Foggy was on Karen’s other side and Ray grabbed your arm to pull you aside. Your eyes didn’t leave your friends and they caught your gaze as you pulled. They both gave short nods that they were okay, but their concern for your well-being was more prevalent.

“Where the hell were you?” He asked tightly.

“Are they okay?” You asked instead, finally breaking eye contact to look at Ray. “My friends, Nelson and Page. Are they alright?”

He looked over his shoulder and sighed before facing you again. “Yeah, they’re fine. Nelson’s probably gonna have a black eye but other than that..”

“I was trying to help evac the lower floors while I waited for you.” You lied easily. “I couldn’t figure out what was going on and then- ” You gestured to the cut on your forehead. 

”Ah shit. You good?” His eyes flicked between yours to gauge your awareness. 

“Yeah, just knocked me down for a few seconds. I got up here as soon as I woke up. You see anything?”

“Yeah… Daredevil and his little girlfriend did this.”

“I saw a red suit but I thought I was hallucinating.” Your brows furrowed. “I would think those two would want Fisk locked up again more than anyone. This would’ve been the ticket to do it.”

“Maybe.” He nodded. “But how much you wanna bet they wanna be the ones to do it?”

“I doubt it matters who does it.” You made a face to yourself. “They don’t seem like the type that need the glory and the headlines.”

“I don’t think all of this was part of their plan. Not the girl’s at least.”

“What do you mean?”

“Cause she went after Daredevil. And not in a ‘my partner’s leaving me behind’ kind of way. It was like she was trying to take him down.”

“If Daredevil’s gone off the rails, she wouldn’t hesitate to stop him.” You agreed. “She’s probably the best qualified if we’re being honest. She can track him, contact him, and beat him better than any of us can.”

“Question now is why'd he snap.”

“If he snapped.”

“What do you mean?” His head tilted in interest. “You don’t think he’s lost it?”

“I’m from Hell’s Kitchen, right?” You explained and he nodded along. “I’ve seen this guy work. I’ve seen both of them work. This?” You gestured around. “This isn’t how they work. Not even the girl.”

“What are you trynna say?”

You glanced around, noted the puddles of blood from reporters. The trashed office scene. Pencils and pens stuck into the bottom of overturned desks. Shattered computer screens and fallen lights. Torn papers and loose cables. You sighed and turned back to Ray.

“I don’t know.” You lied. “But something doesn’t feel right about this.”

[mdhwrites]

The Owl House Season 3 Could Never Have Been Great

This isn’t to say it couldn’t have been good or enjoyable. However, the concepts at play and the setups for S3 were flawed so deeply that more S3 doesn’t necessarily mean a better S3 and could have never been something truly special. So why do I think this? Well, first let’s just state the obvious: While we’ve an abridged version of whatever S3 was dreamed by the cast, we have gotten their S3. The Collector exists so the crew’s willingness to abandon ideas and concepts for the sake of their narrative is only display as a firm “No.” After all, if they knew they had so little time, the Collector and the trip the human realm should have been cut. Period. There wasn’t time to make an audience properly care about the Collector or make trip to, or the return from, the human realm satisfying. So I’m basing this mostly off of the structure of the three specials. How they decided to build and lower tension because it’s hard to believe that there was ever a different plan. For some parts, it’s literally impossible to imagine a proper different plan that isn’t just what Amphibia did. Belos was almost always going to be needed for the portal after all and to be something that even COULD challenge the characters in a fight. Kikimora is the only villain in the Isles that has shown much agency of her own and built up at all besides Terra who the kids haven’t already beaten. These were fundamental problems going into S3 that the show wasn’t going to ever have proper answers to because it simply didn’t setup proper answers. But let’s talk about those villains because The Owl House is ostensibly an adventure show. It’s aiming for a big, dramatic, adventure/fantasy show climax as I write this the day before the finale. The first villain of S3 is Belos who at the end of S2 got beat with one poke by the Collector. He also was shown to be irredeemable, racist and an idiot who hasn’t even tried to keep up with what the human realm is like now while waiting for his final plan. He is an evil emperor though who is connected to Hunter and Luz and strong enough to even beat all five Hexide Squad members when together as he proved both in King’s Tide. He is a genuine threat who has no reason to hold back. He is the villain that works... But everything I just described also is why he needs to the big bad. No other villain who is strong enough to challenge the characters has any connection to them.The only person the Collector has a connection to is King. From just a basic storytelling perspective, Belos is the big bad. Is the logical final boss and he’s not being allowed to be that because they want to do the Collector. Worse yet, because of how natural of a cliffhanger going through the portal is, that’s the halfway point of the season. 10 episodes gone to the human realm with a bestial Belos being the only real threat there. So the rest of the human realm stuff would have had to be drama and slice of life while looking for how to get people back home in a realm that frankly should have less answers than the Boiling Isles and the Boiling Isles had few themselves and less that worked when read.

So how well did S2 setup drama and slice of life stuff in the human realm? Well, Amity’s been reduced to being Luz’s girlfriend and her daddy issues, half of which aren’t there and the other half doesn’t appear to be allowed to have actual angst so I guess nothing from her. Willow is barely a character at this point, having been mostly used for other characters and what was brought up in S3 Ep. 2 only works really for one episode. Gus is actually the best Slice of Life character with how his knowledge could be challenged and reactions to realizing how little he actually knows about humans but from a drama perspective he doesn’t have a lot because he’s only been taken properly seriously in two episodes of the whole series. Luz has angst that admittedly could have been pulled back and forth on for if she was staying or going but if they kept the characterization Luz has post Yesterday’s Lie of Luz literally seeming incapable of telling the truth to anyone besides Eda and King, you’re screwed in doing anything with her. She’s not going to actually be tackling the issue so you can’t actually make plots around it. At best, you can bring up through other characters for and against. But, you know, two of those characters are her best friends, one is her girlfriend and Camila is a literal saint who’s characterization would have had to be DRASTICALLY changed in order to make her make cases for staying in the human realm at this point. Hunter is the only point in favor for Luz needing to stay and Hunter’s big character finish against Belos is about how much he prefers the perks of being a good guy over having been an EC stooge so he still reinforces that Luz has done good. This is part of why Luz’s angst over the Collector is so assinine because even if in real life, one can easily ignore that people like them, they’ve done good to others, etc. like that (hi, I have depression myself), narratively is INFURIATING and easily can imply other things about her if not addressed or in a very careful way. I’ve talked about this in both Luz’s character finish and in how Vee kind of fucked Luz’s character by being such a good contrast to her. Speaking of, Vee is EASILY the biggest opportunity for something special but only if she’s willing to actually go against losing the life she’s gained. This is the first life that has been anywhere close to hers after all and having to restart for the girl who ran away would theoretically be crushing for her. But it would have to have a character actually criticize and stay with that criticism of Luz. Or more likely just have an episode where Masha and co find out what Vee is so Vee can keep her friends between forms because that’s easier to do. It also would have made another argument for Luz going back to the Isles because Luz just existing in the human realm is now fucking someone over. Vee covering up Luz’s disappearance also makes any inclusion of government agents like what Amphibia did for human realm stakes much harder because there’s no reason for anyone to be on alert in anyway like when Anne arrived but not her friends. And because I’ve covered everyone else: Hunter has slice of life potential because he still needs to actually become friends with everyone else, Huntlow probably would have a confession happen when he died because it could be built up and frankly it’s very likely that Hunter would feel like the main character of the first of S3 just because he’s simply the character with ANY real potential to do anything. And if you’re thinking “Well, the human realm itself can provide angst and slice of life oppurtunities”, we run into how S2 assassinated the identity of the Isles. After all, in S1 the main point of friction between Luz and the Isles wasn’t that it had magic, its magic effectively replaces technology, but that the Isles was crueler. The laws were more about conformity in a society that was actively hostile to each other than anything else. S2 has shit like “Child Endangerment Laws” and in general just makes the Isles feel like the fantasy complaint of “It’s our world but with more teeth!” So the first half of S3 from a conceptual standpoint is just kind of fucked. You don’t have a villain that can be around much. Your main other option is a gag. Your characters have limited opportunities for growth or challenges because you haven’t given them enough attention or actively sabotaged what potential they did have. You also essentially have to entirely change the format of the show because the new environment offers no threats so you have to lean into pure slice of life and comedy and comedy has been a common weakness for this show. Especially in the specials, it’s often effectively anonymous. Just point and laugh at someone obviously dumb or doing something wrong. ALL the comedy for Amity in S3 feels nothing like Amity, has no logic to it and could be done by anyone else. It’s done by Amity just because she needs to literally do SOMETHING as Luz’s girlfriend but at this point has nothing to contribute besides “Look at me now being comic relief.” This happened to Lilith too so it’s not just a S3 problem and Gus has ALWAYS suffered from being treated more as a joke, especially in S1, than an actual character. But hey, after they get through the portal, they now have the Collector, the Hexide Rebellion and the coven heads to deal with. Actually, scratch that last one. After all, there’s literally no reason for the Collector to be using the coven heads at all and we genuinely have zero explanation, outside of Raeda angst, as to why Darius or Raine are puppets but TERRA ISN’T. Or wasn’t. So we Kikimora and the Collector. Aaaaand scratch the Collector as well. You can’t have the Collector interacting with Luz and company because then his redemption would come too soon or the fact that he is so much more powerful than ANYONE becomes a problem for why they aren’t being turned into puppets. So your narrative potential for a half a season in the Boiling Isles comes down to Eda and Lilith, the Hexide rebellion (most of whom haven’t mattered in over a season at this point), trying to figure out how to free King and stuff with King and the Collector. Now that is actually enough to fill half a season. There is a major problem though. After all... The Collector needs to be redeemed at the end of that season and the last time we saw him before this, he potentially threatened to murder the Hexide Squad so he could play tag. That’s even more of drastic starting point than Hunter had as the Golden Guard. And reminder: Despite Hunter having effectively all of S2 to have his arc... It’s not a good arc. I would argue it’s not an arc. And Hunter had 6 episodes of S2, many of which were ONLY his stuff for the whole episode and he was able to interact with the entire cast. In order for the Collector to still be the dramatic finale, he cannot interact with the cast. He can only interact with King. And King has always been one note through the entire series, usually discarding one note for the next so they’re not getting full episodes. At literal best, the Collector could get 8 half episodes and then a two part finale.Buuuut then we get the problem the Collector had in the second special: The more time you spend with him, the more you humanize him, the less tension there is about the resolution. It becomes increasingly obvious that he’ll be redeemed and redeemed villains can’t actually harm the main characters because then it becomes harder and harder for the audience to forgive them. It’s part of why Zuko being 98% a bastard in the first season of Avatar is important to narrative tension. Not only did it allow him to be a good, early antagonist but it also made it hard to believe that he could turn good. His decision to go back to the fire nation kept that up. Kept you guessing and also allowed AMAZING character as to what was actually important to him. This is why his turn in season 3 is so powerful because you could never be 100% certain until it finally clicked and even then, you understood everything that he was giving up and all the reasons why he would and so even if you doubted, like the characters do, you believe it as an audience and are ready to see him work for forgiveness. There could never be satisfaction like that with the Collector. Going “He’s a child!” forgets the fact that the Titan who imprisoned him has also likely been dead for THOUSANDS of years. Bare minimum, he’s been trapped in his prison for over 400 years. The other Collector we see in Knock Knock Knocking is taller, yes, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the Collector is a child. He simply has a childish personality and outlook on the world which is part of what makes him a terrifying final threat if he were an actual threat. Just because he looks and acts like a child doesn’t mean he is. A lot of that is likely to just use base, human instincts to pave over the fact that an audience wouldn’t accept the arc he’s undergone if he looked like an adult. So the finale is fucked, the first half is shaky narratively but could at least be enjoyable, what about the filler of S3B? Well, little of it could actually progress anything because how do you beat a god? And even if they find a solution, the more that it’s telegraphed that the Collector will be redeemed means the less a solution is necessary so it’s just killing time. So all you have left is dealing with Kikimora and Boscha as antagonists, both of whom have been jokes for over a season, WELL over a season for Boscha, by the time any of this would be happening. It’s even unclear as to what else they could be fighting or doing because how much did the Collector actually change things?

This is why I say The Owl House wanted five seasons, not three, and only could have made this worked if guaranteed from go. That’s the only way the writers would have known they had enough time to properly build up elements into the statements they wanted, at least with the skill and lack of focus they have, and been able to make villains that could be stepping stones up to the Collector while making the finale not feel pointless because the ending was made obvious. And even then, that’s putting a LOT of faith into writers who have the attention spans of goldfish sometimes and a show runner who actively undermines her own world building for the sake of whatever idea or subversion or meta text that she wants to make. But, being fair... A full S3 could have at least been fun. At least properly dealt with some of these issues to make it so Luz didn’t claim she was going to break up with Amity through portal closure and never address it. To make it cute, charming, creative... But those aren’t elements that the show has often been celebrated for. It made too many characters plot devices. It made too many of them one note. It made too many into comic relief. It didn’t put enough thought into its magic or worlds. A lot of what it does is cribbing from better fantasy that knew what it was doing. And I think in general, the longer the show has gone on, the worse and worse these fundamental flaws, flaws that damage the long term execution of something far more than the immediate statements it can make, have become obvious. It’s how a fully fledged, independent, amazing character like Amity is reduced almost entirely to just being Luz’s girlfriend even by the end of S2A. So no. I don’t think a full S3 would have suddenly turned the show into the next Avatar or the like where it becomes a cultural touchstone. And no, I don’t touch on changes to s2 because by the end of S2, for ANY of this to even FUNCTION, the Day of Unity still had to happen. So all the flaws of S2B, or damn near all of them, would still exist because Hunter still needs to be 90% done with his arc to be there to go to the human realm. Belos’ rushed and bad backstory still needs to happen in Hollow Mind. S2B still wasted almost two entire episodes for Elsewhere Elsewhen and Them’s the Breaks, Kid, both episodes where only one plot point in the whole damn thing matters and at best is character neutral for all involved, negative in some cases, including Belos. And Elsewhere Elsewhen only has an important plot point if you think Luz’s angst about helping Belos meet the Collector is warranted at all. Which, no, I argue it’s not. It is an inter-tangled mess that never wanted only three seasons and never was willing to change to fit the time it had. And frankly, I don’t blame Disney for shortening it with these facts in mind. For saying it was too expensive to produce, too complicated to air since it’s not random episode friendly and too scatterbrained to be properly serialized and so they wanted this done. They wanted to be done with it. And since a full S3 couldn’t make it better, why not go with specials and save everyone some money and time then? Which is mean but with the product we got and the fact that TOH can only be claimed as somewhat more successful than Amphibia, a much more cohesive, much more television friendly show, why should a business have decided to dedicate more time to The Owl House? It’s realistic and unfortunate and I would love to be kinder. But my mind likes facts too much and the fact is that The Owl House had an amazing start which it simply didn’t have the planning or focus to make into a great series overall. All we could ask for was the ride to be enjoyable and that’s going to be up to you. ======== I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join! I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead, If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat. And finally a Twitter you can follow too!

[mushroompapitheoriginal]

It's been like almost a full week since episode 8 came out and WOW. Just WOW.

The fight with Ares was exactly how I imagined it as a child and more. The way Percy immediately got his ass headed to him only to go full Moana perfection. Also the actor for Ares is a former WWE wrestler, so when Percy is like I wanna fight i'm like boy he will break your skull.

Alecto maybe a bitch but she's one of the cool ones and possibly in my top ten of antagonists who aren't really antagonists they just have different morals.

Did I cry when Annabeth gave Percy her necklace? Yes. They quoted the scene of her giving it to him, word for word.

Luke teaching Percy to sword fight and give him advice was so cute only to be riped to shreds at the climax, but we'll get there.

Olympus looks like something out of a video game and to be honest, I don't really like it that much because it doesn't really give me this is the land of the gods. It looks gorgeous, but not something i'd for this show. I personally prefer the one for the movie. I know sue me, but it gave more of what ancient Greece would have actually looked like. One of three things the movie did right. BUT the throne room spot on ten out of ten.

Also Zeus just chilling in his throne waiting for Percy, beautiful. The actors whole demeanor while playing Zeus is so intemanating yet ignorant. This maybe one my favorite irradiation of Zeus. But the way Poseidon protected Percy from Zeus AND surrendered to Zeus for his son, someone just one the Best godly parent of the year award. This meeting or reunion of Percy and Poseidon was too perfecto. Percy calling Poseidon dad in ANCIENT GREEK no less. Also the way how Poseidon holds him self while talking to Percy you can see the pain, fearfullness, and proudness all in the actors face. The cast in this is so good. You can also see how Poseidon just wants to scoop Percy up in a hug and protect him. Why does this show play with my heart strings.

The batrayal is prefect. With everything to Percy's realization in the way Luke looks at Annabeth when she reveals herself. This is better then using the scorpion because it adds more emotional depth and you can feel just the pain coming from Luke. Also when Percy was like we met your father and Luke just snapped. I got chills but also laughed out loud because if Lin was my father i'd have issues too.

I bawled when the trip split up at the end, all of them have grown so much. Also Annabeth going to Disney World, you know that's the photo the Percy will have in his notebook, guaranteed. Also Grover's searcher license being a flower is too adorable.

The reunion between Sally and Percy also destroyed me. It was all the emotions. As I said before this show is phenomenal and it wouldn't be anything with its cast. Where's the award for this show gods Damit.

Cronos just invading Percy's dream and Percy just going full Persassy on his dusty titan ass was perfect. Not Sally with the Dream Journal though. Also I'm probably the only one, but I forgot that Percy was Seventh grade.

The ending with Gabe becoming stone not because Sally had enough, but because of his disrespect and lack of being a decent human being was what he deserved.

In total I cried 7 times probably because I can't believe this season is over. This show is full of so much passion and you can feel it. It has some faults was piece of media adapting a popular series doesn't, but this does the books justice and it intorduces the story to a wider audience. Though a longer episode count would be much appreciated.

If this doesn't get a award I throwing hands anyways, good morrow fellow fans, hyperfixators, and all the others in between.

[mindswriters]

first-hand interview ─ joseph quinn

ty @waynemunson for the perfect gif :)

summary: you and Joseph give your first interview together after making your relationship official publicly

pairing: joseph quinn × famous!reader

warnings: did not proof read, some curse words, long-ass answers, kisses and fluff fluff just fluff

word count: 2.1k

a/n: not me posting a joe fic when i have more than three for eddie on hold in my drafts....... anyways! it was just a random thought I had while showering and imagining how cute would it be going to interviews w my sweet bf joseph quinn 😙😙 hope u enjoy it!!

"So, yeah, Matt and Ross worked really hard on this season, them and all the production team, even during the whole pandemic thing they never stopped working to give the audience the best they could, so behind of the cast's amazing work we also owe the success of Stranger Things 4 to this guys who worked with us through all of it." you can't help but admire the way Joe finishes his answer to the last question about the show the interviewer asked you.

"And we owe a lot, 'cause it was an amazing season!" the lady says excitedly, making you both laugh and mouth sweet 'thank you's to her "So, uh, I know that you came here to talk about Stranger Things, but I can't help in asking a little about your personal lives, especially when it comes to you guys. I believe at this point we all have seen your Instagram posts, the internet is freaking out over it, knowing that Y/n and Joe are really a thing. You're a thing, right?" she finally asks humorously, earning smiles and soft laughs from both of us.

"Yes, we are a thing." you answer with a smile and eyeing Joe "We have been dating for quite some time now, we thought it was better keep it on the low at first, Joseph here isn't really the type of exposing his personal life, but the rumors were already all out there, so we decided to finally make it official to the public as much as it is for us."

"Yeah, people who follow me use to know that I normally don't post anything about my life outside the work, but in this case it was worth it." Joseph adds, nodding towards you with a smile "Don't get used tho, most of the contents you guys live for will still be coming from Y/n" he jokes.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get plenty of content now, my gallery is full of the most hilarious and cute moments of us.” you cheer making Joe roll his eyes playfully.

“Oh, trust me, we can’t wait to see it!” the interviewer matched your excitement “While we're on the subject, can you tell us a little about how you started dating? Did you guys meet on the set, or had you seen each other before?” you exchange looks at the question, but you let Joseph answer, or you’d end up being the only one talking on the interview.

“That is actually a funny history.” Joe laughed, straightening his posture in his chair to tell the history “The first time we saw each other was at the table read, but we haven't talked much that day, I was new and still getting used with everyone and Y/n was already all over the place, even though her cameo in season three was pretty small she already seemed to know everybody." he said looking smugly at you.

“I mean, what can I say? I’ve always been an extrovert who talks a lot, so yeah, maybe I was all over the place. And I also remember very well how I tried to introduce you into the conversations, and you were all quiet in your own shy bubble.” you tease him nudging his shoulder.

“It was my first time around! I was more like trying to analyze the place, and the people. But I feel glad for it, maybe if you weren’t all over the place and I wasn’t paying attention, I wouldn’t have noticed you and-“ Joseph was naturally saying until you interrupted him with a frown.

“You what?” your voice sounded high while you leaned in your chair, pretending to be mad at his statement.

“Sorry, yeah, sorry, there is no way I wouldn’t have noticed you, darling.” Joe apologized quickly grabbing your hands and kissing both of them.

“You better be.” you joke “Anyways, after that day it didn’t took long for us to become friends, along with the rest of the group, we started to hang out together a lot during filming, on our free days, between scenes and everything.”

“Well, it all happened before the pandemic, and when I finally got the courage and tried to ask her out or something, she casually informed me that she had a super-secret anonymous boyfriend, and that she hadn't said anything before because the guy didn't want her to mix their personal life with work, and I was like what the actual fu-?” he didn’t finished his last word so they wouldn’t have to censure, meanwhile you were laughing your ass off at his antics and the interviewer’s reaction.

“What? Y/n had a boyfriend when you guys met?” she asked incredulously.

“Yeah, I kinda did had a boyfriend, who was a spotlight hater, so maybe dating an actress wasn’t the best decision he’s ever made, but at that time we were together, so I had to reject Joe right away.” you explained gritting your teeth, and Joseph faking a pout beside you “But soon came Covid, the filming put on hold, we got quarantined, and during this whole craziness my relationship went bye-bye so…” you shrugged, giving Joseph a cue to continue.

“Maybe I’ve spent half of my isolated days praying for it, and apparently someone up there listened to me, ‘cause a couple months later we’ve returned to shooting, and soon she came crawling for me to try a second chance.” Joseph joked dramatically, earning a narrow stare from you.

“Just for the record, I didn’t crawled back, I was waiting for him to make a move like he had before, but it was taking him forever, so I’ve had to solve it with my own hands.” you smirked playfully rolling your eyes.

“Just for the record, I was trying to be respectful! Come on, you had just broke up, I didn't want to seem annoying or pressure you into doing something ahead of time.” Joe stated arching his eyebrows.

“Yes, ‘cause you’re a gentleman, and because of that we’ve got to spend even more time together in the second phase of filming, getting to really know each other, talk about what we were feeling and that’s what leads us here, to a sweet couple interview.” you resume the last year in a few words, not wanting to prolong more than you already did.

“That’s really impressing guys, I’d have never imagined that you were living your own romantic cliché script behind the cameras.” the lady in front of you laughs “So, if that’s what happened, I wonder if you guys got quarantined together at some point? Like in some of the post waves of the virus, and if it helped in your relationship in some kind of way?”

“Oh, yes, I mean, the first Covid wave was like world wide panic so we all went back to our homes, ‘cause we didn’t know at all when we’d be able to work again, and Y/n was still in her past relationship, so at first place it didn’t happened. But when we got back to Atlanta to resume our work, things were more under control, so it happened a few times that the state declared lockdown and we kept working within the health protocols, but going from set to home and home to set, and since we didn't want to be apart for too long, in those lockdown times we practically lived together in one apartment, it sounds crazy since our relationship was new, but I believe it was a great time for us.” Joseph explained, immediately looking at you and passing the lead for you to share your point of view.

“Yeah, totally, I guess that spending times like these together is really important, there’s a lot of couples out there who don’t really know their partners because they’re too busy with other topics of life, and when they spend time together they try to follow a script to the perfect relationship, when honestly this isn’t even a thing. Me and Joseph got to share amazing things when we were quarantined together, of course there were days where we’d simply want to be alone, and deal with our things, but that’s how we’ve learned to respect each other’s personal space, that amongst a hundred more things we learned about and with each other during those days. To be honest, I think that learning is the key word for this question, I can say that back there I’ve learned a lot, not only about, but also with and from Joe, in every matter of life, and from this I got to understand him better as the human being Joseph Quinn, and I’m pretty sure he feels the same towards me, and it helps a lot when it comes to keeping our relationship always healthy and not getting bored of it at the same time.” you say calmly, catching their full attention but also noticing how Joseph would smile and nod his head at your words.

“That’s really nice words coming from a couple like you guys, who gets to inspire people out there with your experience.” the interviewer offers a warm smile to the both of you before moving to the next question “Y/n mentioned that you’ve learned a lot about each other, so would you be able to pin point a small trait or a craze that the other has?” she suggests wiggling her eyebrows.

“Oh, I got it!” you straight up your posture with a small laugh “I mean, I'm pretty sure people have already noticed it, but I’ll have to mention anyways, Joseph pokes his tongue out all the time.” you pause between the last three words and laugh at you “Like in more than one situation, when he's too concentrated, sometimes when he's having a hard time to think about something, when he has to make a decision, or do something precisely, the little tongue is always there, and truthfully I think it’s the cutest thing ever.”

“Aw, thank you, babe.” Joe blows you a kiss in the air and you pretend to catch it, bringing your hand to your chest as if keeping the kiss in your heart "But yeah, at this point our little traits are all around the internet. Like, I've seen people mentioning Y/n's side smile already, like the way her lips tend to move more to one side, the left one I guess, when she's feeling confident or trying to cause a good impression. And besides that, I think I'd say the nose scrunch she does when she gets too genuinely happy, which is also the cutest thing ever." he concludes giving you a lovely stare, and you scrunch your nose as he said on purpose.

“Well then prepare yourselves for all the compilations that fans will make of Joe's tongue and Y/n's nose.” the lady jokes making you both laugh.

“Please, don’t use my boyfriend’s tongue too much, it’s mine and I’m a jealous woman!” you also joke pointing both your fingers to your eyes and then to the camera in a playfully way.

“That’s right, be careful guys!” the interviewer supports you, while Joseph can only laugh and try to hide his blushed cheeks behind his hands “Okay guys, we’re having a lovely chat here, but unfortunately we have to finish soon, so last but not least, what’s one song that is always playing when you guys are together? That one that you guys choose together to sing in your car rides and everything, ‘cause I know you do that!” she asks amusingly.

“Hell yeah, we do, we love music, and in this case I think the answer is… Friday I’m In Love by The Cure?” Joseph says in half a question, diverting his eyes to you so you could confirm his answer instead of just admire him with a stupid smile.

“Yeah, he’s right, that’s our carpool karaoke song.” you agree fully smiling back at him.

“It’s a lovely one, just like you guys! I just wanna say thank you for your time, it was such a great interview! I really wish the best things for you both professionally and in your personal life, hope we get to see each other sometime!”

“Totally! We really enjoyed it too, thanks for the invite!” you say softly.

“Yes! Bye bye all you watchers, hope to see ya around!” Joseph says waving to the camera, grabbing your hand to the same.

+++

“Honestly, I thought it’d be worse, like, because it was our first one together after going public, y’know.” Joseph says approaching you in the backstage, some snack in hand while you waited for the next interview.

“I told you it wouldn’t be bad at all, actually I enjoyed it quite a lot.” you quietly laugh, taking a bite of his little salad sandwich.

“Hey! There’s a lot of those at the snacks table, you sneaky little shit!” he protests lifting his arm higher so you couldn’t reach the sandwich anymore.

“Yours is tastier.” you smile innocently, stealing a peck from his lips and intertwining your arms in his torso “I hope they invite us to more interviews, wanna go to that one with the puppies, it’d be so funny.” you admit, putting an adoring smile in his face, followed by tons of kisses around your face.