#jacobi: did you want me to shoot you in the head? do you want to fucking die??

[clonerightsagenda]

Realized the 'shoot the gas line' bit of the Alien Minkowski AU is just me revisiting my perennial theme of why are there guns in space. It always comes back to that.

[nobodysdaydreams]

My thoughts on the SI-5

For as much as a lot of fandom romanticizes the SI-5 as a friend group, Kepler really did Jacobi and Maxwell so dirty. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad he got it in the end, and the character himself is hilarious. But I need to talk about this. This man is insane and needs to be held accountable.

First of all, he meets them at the very lowest points of their life. Maxwell is isolated from her family and support systems, and it’s implied her career is heading for the toilet due to her fight with the ethics board. Jacobi’s career is totally over after he was blacklisted from his work, and it’s implied he doesn’t have strong support systems either. Kepler knows that and uses it to manipulate both of them into working for him. They both, especially Jacobi, have such a strong loyalty to him because they saw him as their only way out of their situations, and Kepler does not match that loyalty at all.

How do I know this? Because he was totally cool with Maxwell dying. Didn’t shed a tear. And when Jacobi called him out for that and threatened HIS life? Kepler was like “well okay. Guess we have to shoot Jacobi then.” I was reviewing my episode reactions, and I totally forgot he told Minkowski that. Like he didn’t hesitate or even try apologizing to Jacobi or admitting he was wrong first, he jumped right to “kill Jacobi instead.” He also had the audacity to say “how could he (Jacobi) do this? After all we’ve been through? 🥺” and then what they’ve “been through” is Kepler buying Jacobi fireworks (1) time, admitting to stalking Jacobi and Maxwell for years before he hired them (creepy), harassing and threatening them if they fail to comply with his orders, telling Jacobi and Maxwell they’re worth about as much as a glass of whisky and he wouldn’t miss them (which is verified by his reaction to Maxwell’s death and brief willingness to kill Jacobi to save his own skin when Jacobi tries to get revenge), lying to Jacobi and Maxwell and keeping secrets from both of them, and being an arrogant jerk of a boss who treats them more like his patronized pets than his friends. It’s actually funny how Kepler is shocked that wouldn’t be enough to keep Jacobi’s loyalty after gambling with the life of his best friend. He’s so blinded by his own ego it’s hilarious. Like buddy, it’s a miracle of desperate circumstance that either of them were loyal to you in the first place, you pompous whisky-worshipping buffoon.

You even see it in the little details. Kepler talking to Cutter about Jacobi and Maxwell behind their backs on that one call, the way Jacobi calls Maxwell “Alana” but Jacobi and Kepler use their formal names for each other until the very end when Kepler calls Jacobi “Daniel” and acts legitimately terrified to discover what Cutter and Pryce’s true plans are. Which again, love the way the redemption arc was done and those little details show you proof that Kepler rethought his views and isn’t doing this on a whim and that Jacobi and Maxwell’s friendship, as compared to their relationships with Kepler, was a stronger and more real and genuine friendship. I mean, headcanon what you want, write the SI-5 how you want. But a lot of people seem to either love or hate the whole SI-5 group (I admit this was me for a long while, though I do love post-redemption duck and whisky boys) so it’s easy to gloss over these internal dynamics within the SI-5, but if Kepler survived, I would personally need him to acknowledge just how much of a jerk he really was because yikes.

[newsie-collective]

Hey! Hi! Here's Finch!

Quick note: Finch's was the first one we did, so his is a little all over the place. I've been trying to get it into a semi-coherent thing, but 😌yk

T/W: Abuse,

Patrick “Finch” Cortes

Quickfire Favorites

Food: “BLT from Jacobi’s. Him got the best sandwiches ‘round.”

Color: “Black. The only reason I don’ wear it ‘s cos it get too hot.”

Season: “Spring! The flowers bring birds!”

Weather: “Sunny, bu’ not too hot.”

Hobby: “Practicin’ me aim wit’ Snipe.” 

Animal: “…Birds…”

Memory: “Takin’ this-“ holds up his slingshot “-from Delancey. You shoulda seen ‘is face!” 

Comfort Item: “Sling, ov’iusly.”

He got his nickname because he would rescue fallen birds that the other boys would shoot at, he carries his own sling to shoot at the boys to keep them from doing it

He was taken from his mother at a young age, kidnapped by his father and hidden away. It’s his mom singing amongst the newsies in 92sies, looking for him. His father passed, and still he wasn’t reunited with her. 

He was sent to his uncle’s. He ran away from the bruising and the fighting when he was just under eight. He took refuge solace with the newsies. He thinks of them as family more than he ever did his own

Finch’s slingshot was Oscar’s, but Finch had such good aim that Oscar didn’t dare try to get it back

He wears it in his waistband all the time. He wants Oscar to know that he could kick his ass ANY TIME

He and Sniper would have competitions to see who had better aim

Has way too high of a sleight of hand modifier

Sarcasm and backhanded compliments. Without hesitation. 

Doesn’t like fighting up close but will if he has to and isn’t even close to unwilling to fight dirty

Do NOT let him and Crutchie get together. The world will burn to the ground, they’ll have the matches and gasoline, and the sweetest smiles. 

They will not be caught

He’s so bad at math

Like horrendously, comically bad

Boy cannot add 2+2

The mom friend. Not like Davey. Like “you’re dumb as fuck but I’m the one who has to take care of you so calm the fuck down”

Al also likes rocks, and picks up rocks for Finch to shoot. He isn’t fond of giving up rocks that he didn’t specifically pick up for Finch, but he will. 

And Finch will totally go find the one he didn’t want to give up

Not gay specifically, but he’s head over heels for Romeo, so I don’t think labels matter much

He hates capitalism

Which is valid

He also doesn’t know what capitalism is

He hates the idea of it

He likes to run for fun (like a weirdo)

He doesn’t mind cuddles, but he won’t initiate them (usually). He’ll cuddle anyone who asks, because he assumes that if it’s bad enough to actually ask then they really need it

He’ll lay however his cuddle partner wants

Want a big spoon to whisper calming things to you? Finch gotchu

Want a little spoon to just curl up and hold your hands? Absolutely

Want someone to hold you and play with your hair? They. Are. For. It.

Pda makes him a little uncomfy because the more people know about who you care about the more they can hold against you

Not to mention it’s quite illegal to hold hands with who they really want at this point in time

He has a lot of trust issues, and being with Romeo is really hard for him. 

He’s so scared of getting really attached to him and then Romeo moving on to another crush

He likes going out the window more than he likes the door

He ain’t scared of no turf

He’s the one who started calling Tommy Boy that. Because someone actively misgendered him. And Finch made it a point to use he/him pronouns and call him Tommy Boy

This was obviously after he beat the snot out of the guy who misgendered Tommy on purpose

"I think TOMMY BOY should go inside. HE looks really tired and HE should get some sleep before HE goes selling tomorrow."

He thinks too much. Usually right before he goes to sleep. He likes to write things down.

Examples include (but are not limited to):

When we yawn, do deaf people think we’re screaming?

I can fly but Albert can’t know

Why is it called a building if it’s already built?

What happens to thoughts when you stop thinking them?

How did the people who made the first clocks know what time it was?

Nothing is ever really on fire. Fire is on things.

Counts birds and cuddles Romeo to go to sleep

He’s exceptionally competitive, and will play anything and everything

He almost always loses

It pisses him off

He has to be dragged away before he loses everything

Do not

Under any circumstances

Let him in the kitchen

Dated Albert before he and Romeo got together, and before Spralbert happened.

They fell out of love with each other, but are still best friends.

Forgets to tell people things

“When I was sellin’ nea’ Medda’s-” “You was at Medda’s?”

“Yea, bu’ tha’ ain’t the point. I was-”

“How she doin’?”

“I ain’t had time to stop in-”

“You gotta make time fo’ Medda!” 

Romeo asked Finch out a lot. Then again, Romeo asked a lot of people out. So, whenever he would ask Fin, they would tell him that if the crush lasted longer than a week, they’d go on a date with him. They never did last longer than that.

Until they did. 

His handwriting is really tall letters really squished together

He loves birds. Especially penguins. They’re really interesting and he likes going to the library and having someone read to him about them.

Always gets compared to crows, because he picks up things off the sidewalk, but he really can’t because they’re cute and smart.

HE JUST REALLY FUCKING LIKES BIRDS OK???? HIS SPECIAL INTEREST IS BIRDS, IF YOU CAN'T TELL

He definitely can imitate most, if not all bird calls

Collects rocks

Hates socks and shoes with a burning passion

Finch!!!! I love him so much. They're such a sweet person and they deserve the world <3

I haven't decided if Finch gives off He/They vibes or just outright They/Them

So there's also that

👻

[catierambles]

Shades Ch.16

Pairing: Walter Marshall x Faith Culver (Vampire!OFC)

WC 2421

Warnings: mentions of blood but in a vampy way Minors DNI 18+ ONLY

@brattymum96 , @ouroboros113 , @peaches1958 , @summersong69 , @henryownsme , @greensleeves888

A couple days later and there was a solid knock at the front door. Walter got up from the couch, heading over and looking out through the peephole, seeing the man standing on the doorstep. He could see the leather ball cap the guy was wearing as well as a tidy dark beard, but everything else was obscured by the brim of the cap. Turning back the locks, he opened the door, leaning against it.

“May I help you?” He asked and the guy looked him over with pale blue eyes.

“You must be the new guy.” He said with a thick Texan accent and held out his hand, “Jacoby Barnes, call me Jake.” “Walter Marshall.” He said, shaking his hand. “Come on in.”

“Thank you, kindly.” He said and moved past Walter as he stepped aside, walking into the house as Faith came up from the back.

“Hey, Jake.” She said and they met in the middle, Jake pulling her into a one-armed hug.

“Hey, darlin’, how’re you holdin’ up?” He asked and she made a noise, “Yeah, I feel ya.”

“You get everything handled with your job?” She asked as she pulled away.

“Collared and delivered this morning, check’s already gettin’ processed for deposit.” Jake said.

“Faith told me you’re a bounty hunter?” Walter asked and he turned to look at him with a nod.

“Ain’t as glamorous as the TV shows like to put it, but it pays the bills.”

“Walter is a Lieutenant with the local police force.” Faith said and Jacoby gave him an interested look.

“What department?” He asked.

“Homicide, but I’ve worked with SWAT.” He said and Jacoby nodded.

“Not bad, not bad at all.” He said, “Okay, well, I wish this was just a social call, but it ain’t. Doll, I got your assortment right here.” He set down the backpack he had on his shoulder on the kitchen island and pulled out a cooler, unclipping it and sliding it open. “Got a range of types for you, I prefer O Pos personally, but we’ll see what you like.”

“Different blood types have different tastes?” Walter asked and Jacoby nodded without looking at him, not at all surprised at the question.

“And before you ask, Walter, you taste like raspberry dark chocolate.” Faith said and Jacoby snorted.

“I was going to ask when we were in private, but good to know.” Walter said with a small, embarrassed smile. “Question, though. For you, Jake.”

“Shoot.”

“Where do you get the blood?”

“Donation centers across the country.” Jacoby said, “There’ll be blood drives every so often if stock runs low. People come in and donate, thinking it’s going to hospitals and clinics. Shady? Yeah, kinda, but they are savin’ lives in a way, just not the way they thought. They get their fifty bucks and a cookie, and we get a reliable food source. There’ll always be ones like Quintus who will prefer it from the source, so to speak, but as a whole we try to lessen the impact we have on whatever community we’re in.”

“Ones like Quintus who leave bodies behind, what do you guys do? Is there…some kind of police force or governing body?” Walter asked but Jacoby shook his head.

“Nothin’ organized. We’re not a nation within a nation, we’re private citizens just like everyone else. Do we have those who are more influential than others? Yeah, but that’s true for humans, too. If we come across ones like the fuckhead, there’s an unspoken law to put them down as quickly and quietly as possible.” Jacoby said and turned to Faith, “Speakin’ of, doll. You want me to take care of him for you? I keep silver bullets just for this occasion.”

“I appreciate the offer, Jake, I really do, but I need to do this myself. He’s been haunting me for way too long.”

“Yeah, and if anyone has cause to kill the fuckhead, it’s definitely you.” Jacoby said.

“So you know what he did to her.” Walter said and Jacoby nodded, turning back to the cooler.

“I know enough to know it was bad.” He said, “When Faith came rollin’ into the town I was Sheriff of alone, I asked her why she wasn’t with her maker. New vamps should be for the first hundred years or so, to get taught the ropes. I wasn’t because mine was dead, but Faith told me what Quintus had done, to her and to Sean, what the first group who found her had done to her. Luckily, those assholes got what was comin’ to’em.” Walter gave Faith a questioning look and she shrugged.

“That second group I told you about? The one I was with before I came over on the boat? When there’s a nest of ones like Quintus, others are encouraged to hunt them down, take care of them. That’s what happened. They found me there, saw what had been going on, and got me out of there after killing all the others. They helped me, helped me process what had happened to me and everything after, and what I was now.” Faith said, “They showed me how to live with what I am and how to survive.”

“What should have happened to begin with. Not the nightmare it was.” Jacoby said, “What Quintus did was…” He shook his head, “This is supposed to be a gift, the person is supposed to want it, to ask for it, not have it forced on them.”

“Remember when I first came into town, and you pulled me into the station?” Faith asked, an amused smile on her face. “You kept asking me all these questions and I just…”

“Kept giving me that blank stare?” Jacoby finished with a laugh. “And then you would say something and it just didn’t translate?”

“Keep in mind, Walter, we were speaking English, it’s just that our accents were so thick at the time we couldn’t understand a damn word the other person was saying.” Faith said.

“Almost had to out myself to one of my deputies just to get a damn translator in there.” Jacoby said, “We were able to get it sorted by writing it out, though.”

“And right before I left for Port City, I had the saloon, and that cattle rustler kept giving me and my girls problems.” Faith said and Jacoby laughed.

“I was all set and ready to toss him in a cell, let him think about his life choices, but this one damn near breaks his arm and literally kicked his ass out the door.” Jacoby said and she snorted, giving a shrug.

“He touched one of my girls.” She said and looked over at Walter, noticing how he had gone serious as they were reminiscing. "I'll be right back, Jake."

"No problem, doll." Jacoby said and she went over to Walter, taking his hand and pulling him down the hall to the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

"Hey, you." She said, going to him and laying her hands on his chest. "You've gone all green eyed and broody again."

"You two have history, I get that." Walter said.

"We've known each other for over a hundred twenty years now." Faith said, "We have actual history, but you're wondering what kind of history it is."

"He calls you pet names and drops everything to help you." Walter said and she sighed, going over to the door to open it only so much as to stick her head out.

"Hey, Jake? Question for ya."

"Hit me, darlin."

"Have you ever wanted to sleep with me?"

"No, ma'am."

"And we've never done that ever, correct?"

"Not to my extensive knowledge." Jacoby said.

"Thanks, Jake."

"No problem." She shut the door again and gave him a look.

"Better?" She asked and he sighed, pulling her against his chest with an arm around her shoulders.

"I know I'm being foolish." Walter said, "You've been around a long time, I should expect you to have friends and acquaintances who're like you, and yes, some of them will be male."

"But you are the one I'm with, and you are the one I want." Faith said, "I don't want anyone else but you."

"Faith, I know we haven't been together officially for very long, but I…I can see myself falling in love with you. One day."

"Me too." She said and he pressed his lips to her forehead. “You want to stay in here while I try what Jake brought? Knowing him, it's not at all disguised.”

“I’ll see how I feel.” He said and she nodded. Jacoby was organizing what looked like medical blood bags on the kitchen island when they came back out and Walter scowled slightly as he saw them.

“Told you.” Faith said, “No tact.”

“I can’t be carrying around heavy glass bottles like you.” Jacoby said, “I move around too much.”

“I know, I know. They’re still like a macabre Capri Sun.” Faith said and Jacoby snorted.

“Well, start sippin’ and let me know what you think.”

Walter watched quietly as she tried the different blood types, sipping from the bags through the IV tube like, yes, a macabre Capri Sun. There was a couple she was indifferent about, a couple she flat-out didn’t like, but he watched the pleased smile come over her face as she sipped at one.

“I think we found a winner.” Jacoby said.

“Raspberry dark chocolate.” She said and Jacoby looked at the bag.

“O Negative, universal donor. Not a bad choice.” He said.

“As much as I like it, I’d rather I keep associating the taste with Walter, if you don’t mind.”

“Makes sense.” Jacoby said and Walter snorted, shaking his head slightly. In the end, she settled on A Positive, which she said tasted like grilled eel, smokey and delicate.

“Huh, always tasted like bourbon to me.” Jacoby said and she shrugged.

“You know the types taste different for each of us.”

“So blood doesn’t taste like blood to you guys?” Walter asked and Jacoby shook his head.

“Somethin’ about gettin’ Turned changes how our brain translates the taste, makes it taste like food or alcohol. Probably so we actually like having to drink it.” Jacoby said.

“Faith, what does animal blood taste like?” Walter asked, “To you, I mean.”

“Pig is bitter, cow, well unsurprisingly, cow tastes like steak or roast beef, and sheep is slightly sour and a little gamey.”

“Blech.” Jacoby said, pulling a face, “I’ll drink cow’s blood in a pinch because it tastes the same for me, but I’ll stick with my O Pos, thank you.”

“I keep bottles of cow in the fridge if you want to take some with you.”

“I’m fine, darlin’, but thank you.”

“Can I…” Walter paused and they looked at him, “Can I ask something that may seem a little…invasive? Feel free not to answer if it is.”

“Shoot.” Jacoby said.

“What does the blood of other vampires taste like to you?” Walter asked and they both got very quiet. “Again, feel free not to answer.”

“No, it’s fine.” Faith said, “It’s less a taste and more a feeling. It tastes like…home, like comfort. It all depends on the relationship to the vampire in question, of course. Quintus would probably taste downright poisonous to me, but if say, Jake here opened a vein for me, it would be more of a positive taste.”

“There was an accident, not long after Faith came into town, an ornery bull got loose and I caught a horn. Ripped a hole in me. Docs at the time couldn’t do much and they weren’t optimistic about my chances. The only reason why I wasn’t killed almost instantly is because I drank mostly human blood. Faith saved my life, allowed me to take from her and heal. She tasted like…comfort, like she said. Comfort mixed with…whiskey, oddly enough.” Jacoby said and she snorted, pushing at his shoulder.

“For a vampire to take from another vampire is the ultimate show of trust.” Faith said, “Nests will take from each other to strengthen their bonds. I wasn’t…doing so great when I was found by that second group, I was nearly starved to death. One of them helped me, even though she didn’t know me.”

“She?” Walter asked.

“Elizabeth.” Faith said, “I’m still in touch with her, she’s living somewhere in Europe now. The others, they…they figured with everything I had gone through, that I would be more comfortable around another woman, at least in the beginning. They were right, but that was still a rough first decade.”

"Heavy conversations aside, Faith." Jacoby said, "I brought a few of each kind, should hold you over until your own shipment comes in."

"Thanks, Jake." She said and he separated out the bags of A Positive, packing up the ones she didn't choose. He dug out his wallet when he was done, pulling out a card and handing it to her.

"This is the company I get mine from, drop my name and they'll give you a discount, I've been a customer of theirs since they started." He said she looked at the card, giving him a nod. "Well, it's been fun, but I have to hit the road. Got a job lined up in the state over and that bail jumper ain't gonna collar himself."

"Sure you can't stay a little while longer?" Faith asked, "Maybe stop by the bar tonight?"

"Wish I could, doll, I really do." He said and pulled her into another hug. "Don't be a stranger and let me know how things turn out with Quintus."

"How about this, if I don't take care of him and he leaves town, he's all yours." Faith said and Jacoby nodded, pulling away from her. 

"I can accept those terms. You don't kill the fuckhead and it's open season." He said and she gave him a small, crooked smile.

"I'll walk you out."  She said and they went to the door after Jacoby put the cooler back in the backpack, zipping it up and hefting it onto his shoulder.

"Walter," Jacoby said, stopping by him. "It was nice to meet you." He held his hand out and Walter took it, shaking it solidly. "I'd say take care of her, but we both know how that's going to turn out."

"She can take care of herself." Walter said with a shrug, a small, somewhat proud smile pulling at his lips and Jacoby nodded, the same kind of smiling pulling at his.

[aaronsciencia]

things I wrote about Kepler once

(I already posted this as a thread on twitter but who cares. obvious note: just my opinion, would love to hear others thoughts about these things!)

1. why Kepler hates Hilbert and how that shows how much respect Kepler has for his own team

there are many reasons to hate Hilbert, alright, but the first thought that came into my mind after I thought a bit longer about this was: “oh fuck the respect he has for Maxwell huh”

Kepler only did the whole “hand in drawer” thing because Hilbert was way too lost in his own thoughts to answer Eiffel - his superior- , something we know Maxwell does all the time. Yes, Hilbert doesn’t respect his superiors, but that’s not the only reason why Kepler almost broke his hand, like I’ve said Maxwell also does this, but Kepler knows that Maxwell 100% knows what she is doing when she doesn't respond for a moment. The work she did for and with Kepler gave enough ground for trust and respect because her work is THAT good. Even Michelle (Maxwell's VA) once said: Kepler made her the boss of herself and he may be the commanding officer but he gave her a lot of autonomy [because of her excellent work]

and sure, this could have also been about Eiffel a bit because “hey, look Hilbert, if he doesn’t want to be a part of this, then you can’t do this to him.”, but I don’t think so. It’s not about the person. It’s not about Eiffel. Forcing someone to do something without prior consent? and ESPECIALLY without the needed knowledge if and how it works? That’s something he doesn't agree with (+ he already hated Hilbert and how he works). Hilbert may be a good scientist, but a human life means literally nothing to him, so he acts sloppier than a scientist who values human life which results in a high body count. He uses more resources than needed and that’s something Kepler would never tolerate. If the results don’t match the used resources, you’re out. Him gaining sympathy and trust from Eiffel is just a bonus. I mean… they never wanted to return with the Haephestus crew to begin with, why bother saving their lives, they just need extra hands for the mission itself.The bodycount in the end matches the results. Bigger picture, right? (and that’s why I love the scene now with Hilbert at the end where he talks with Eiffel and says:“You have no reason to trust me, but please: do not make the mistake of trusting him.” (idk. I just like how this scene is caused because of a lack of trust and ends with someone telling the other one what happened is no soil to grow trust on, but moving on)

2. Kepler and Jacobis first interaction (mini-episode: things that break other things )

Just a short thing first that ties to the finale: I am thinking a lot about how Kepler went from "friend" to "Daniel" to "Jacobi" and then to "Daniel" again.

also: Kepler quotes Shakespeare literally 2 min into the first conversation with Jacobi and basically sees himself as King Lear in that part of the play and Jacobi as Kent. Kent, who comes to the king to ask to serve him, so King Lear asks Kent for his loyalty in that scene.

I actually really like the scene he chose, because it does continue with King Lear after a few lines saying: "I thank thee, fellow; thou servest me, and I'll love thee." (it's something just "randomly" thrown in until you look it up and I love little things like that)

2.1 Kepler just knows the most random shit ever wtf

besides him being able to just quote god damn Shakespeare (which Eiffel does as well tho) he also does this. how the fuck do you just know things like this?

3. He gets less impulsive in really intense situations after Maxwell's death

fr: he literally doesn’t hesitate to kill Lovelace. Yes, she wasn’t human, but no one except him knew that and tbh I’m pretty sure that he would have shot her in the head like this even if she would have been the original.

But in the finale he gives Rachel literally every opportunity to not get shot. Gabriel in a Q&A once said "Kepler decided to kill Rachel when she figures out what he has done and not before that. And even in that scene he is giving Rachel every out. " He is like “Don’t you think we could do something else?” but she is like “No. No, this is the way to go." he doesn't even shoot her in the head.

[teacup-crow]

Maybe, Maybe, Maybe

Fun bit of survivors’ guilt for @badthingshappenbingo, based pretty heavily off Don’t Poke the Bear and Variations on a Theme. Post-finale.

They take it in turns to keep watch for when he wakes up: Doug, Reneé, Isabel, first names still such a novelty. Just his luck, he opens his eyes to the impassive face of Captain Lovelace.

“Hi, dickbag. Sore head?”

“Unnnnhh…” he whines as if he’s lying under a ton of rocks rather than a cosy quilt on Renee’s living room floor. His face is a patchwork of bruising. “Aspirin?”

She takes pity, and passes him two and a glass of water. The sitting up takes longer than he thought it would.

“You look terrible. Lucky for you, Renee makes a mean chilli con carne. Never would have guessed she could cook.”

“No thanks, I should, should be going-”

“You need food in your system, that’s non-negotiable. First thing’s first, though, you’re having a shower, and you either go willingly or get dragged bodily, because you goddamn stink. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, sir,” he mumbles automatically, and he remembers the Colonel - Warren? Was it on a day he could call him Warren? - once saying something similar and his head pounds. ((“mr jacobi, of all the irresponsible, stupid shit i have seen from you this really takes the-“))

“Bathroom’s on the second floor, just past the master bedroom. Dominick put a pile of clean clothes in there before he left for work. And it’s Isabel, okay? Not sir. Not Captain. Never again.”

***

“Who did this to you?”

He grips his mug of sweet tea like it’s thousand dollar whiskey. He’s still ashen. “I did this to me.”

“You beat the shit out of yourself? Okay, yeah. Don’t buy that one.” Isabel repeats the question. “Who did this to you?”

“Just some guys I pissed off. I don’t know how many. I don’t know who. Happy now?”

The room goes silent. Isabel continues:

“And did you go provoking them deliberately?”

Not for the first time, Renee wonders whether they should have included Doug in this little intervention. He’s been through so much just like the rest of them, but he doesn’t know it, and he’s clearly freaking out at the situation.

“Why would he want something like that to happen? He looks terrible!”

“I don’t know, Doug,” Isabel says levelly. “Care to answer, Jacobi?”

He’s not on a first name basis, apparently.

“Not… I didn’t... no. No, no, no. I was too drunk and… picking fights, but suddenly there were too many of them, okay? But I got out. And if I want to drink then that’s my own problem, so thank you for the hospitality but-“

Renee cuts in there. “When you drink yourself into a stupor, get attacked by a gang in a back alley, and stumble into my doorway at 0300 hours after six months of radio silence, it becomes our problem.” Her look of pity makes his stomach churn even more than the chilli did. He breathes in, hold, out; in, hold, out; in-((alana’s breathing technique and why why why is she everywhere in everything why does he have to see her out of the corner of his eye when it’s been so long he can’t properly remember her face-))

“Fine. What do you want from me?”

“You are a good man and you saved every single one of our lives and we need to understand why you’re so intent on throwing yours away.”

Jacobi starts laughing then, guttural laughs that worsen the ache in his head and bones but he can’t seem to stop them. “...me? I’m a good man? Oh my God, Lieutenant, that’s hilarious. Give us another.”

“You need to take this seriously! This is a form of self harm! You could have died!” Isabel is pacing up and down. She and Renee do good cop, bad cop like it’s a professional sport.

“Boo fucking hoo. And the world would forever be worse off for my passing.”

Isabel stops, and turns back towards him with some heat in her gaze. “I have lost too many crew members who deserved to die far less than you do. Okay? Is that what you want to hear? Do you need me to reconfirm that you are a an asshole? Do you need to hear about how Fisher, and Hui, and Fourier, and Lambert were all far better people than you will ever, ever be? Or will you accept that you are good in there? That deep down you’re on the right-“

“We burned their letters.” He’s staring at the duvet he’s wrapped in, running his finger over the flowers on the pattern. “Okay? Still think I’m a good person?”

“...wait. What?” She laughs a little, in shock perhaps. “But you told me…”

“I told you what I needed to tell you to make you trust me. We burned your crew’s letters. Lambert’s… I remember those especially. His hands were shaking really hard when he wrote them, weren’t they.”

It’s not a question.

Isabel stops pacing, and Jacobi grins again but it doesn’t reach his bruised eyes when he looks up at her. “More than mine, even. You could tell he was sick. They didn’t make any sense. We laughed at them. The irony of a Communications Officer who can’t communicate. Are you listening to me? We read their letters and we burned them and we laughed about it-“

Renee loses her softness. “Jacobi, that is enough!”

Isabel has a hand on her chest as if something has hit her there. She counts to ten in her head, ((fisher’s technique to try and stop her fighting with sam, never worked but still stuck in her head, or this copy of her head, or whoever she is now-)) and leaves the room.

They hear her slamming drawers in the kitchen.

Doug glances at Jacobi and shakes his head, before hurrying after her.

“How could you,” Reneé says. “How could you.”

“I don’t know. Will you let me go and ruin my own life now?”

“Never,” she replies. “Because, God help me, you’re still a member of my crew.”

At that, his eyes prick with tears he can’t explain. He rolls over on the air bed, and closes them.

***

“Lovelace?” Jacobi finally makes himself walk into the kitchen, grimacing like each step is on hot sand. The words are monotone. “I’m so sorry. What I did and said is... inexcusable.”

“Nope. That’s too large a word for your vocabulary. Come back to me with an apology Renée didn’t script,” Isabel snaps, going back to scribbling in a sketchbook.

“Look, I’m not much good at this-“

“You’re telling me.”

“I’m… really used to people yelling at me and hitting me until they feel better. Or you can shoot me if you like!”

“Jesus. Well, I am not about to do that to ease your guilt. You look like you’d snap if one more person poked you. So apologise properly.”

“I’m sorry…”

“For?” Isabel prompts over the top of her book.

“I’m sorry for burning your crew’s letters.”

“You did what you were ordered to do. It is what it is. I’m not condoning it.”

There’s a moment of silence, and Jacobi realises she’s waiting for him to continue. “And… I’m sorry for bringing it up. That was… needlessly cruel. It sucked.”

“It really did,” she replies, putting the book down. “Tell you what: that sounded somewhat genuine, and Goddard brought out the shit in all of us. You look so pathetic, I’m going to forgive you. Not because you deserve it, but because I don’t bear grudges. Not anymore.”

She holds out a hand, and he shakes it. “Thank you.”

“Wow. That actually hurt for you to say.”

Jacobi nods. He sits down across from her at Renée’s huge darkwood table, and thinks about how she and Dominick must have bought this when they moved in together with plans to have people over for dinner every other night. Maybe even plans to have kids.

He wonders if Dominick ate at it alone while his wife was gone.

“So, you gone on that holiday yet?”

“No, actually. I’ve legally been dead for about seven years, so getting a passport is proving pretty tricky.”

“I can imagine.”

“Where have you been, anyway? We tried to get into contact with you. We drove down to your old apartment - got your address from the Goddard database - but it was cleaned out.”

Jacobi looks sheepish. “Yeah, well, I’d mostly been staying at Alana’s for the last few years or overnight at… yeah… so I’d not been a very good tenant and turns out they took ‘lost in space’ as the perfect opportunity to kick me out. So I’ve been sofa to sofa, on the streets a bit-”

“For heaven’s sake, Jacobi. We would have helped you, you stupid asshole! All you had to do was ask and you could have stayed here! Renee and Dominick would probably even let you have a cheese collection or whatever the fuck it was.”

“Guess the amount of drinks it takes for me to lose my pride is somewhere over eighteen?”

“How do you have a functioning liver?”

They sit in an almost comfortable silence for a few minutes, Isabel reopening her sketchbook.

“I never knew you drew.”

“You never knew me outside of a life-threatening situation.” Isabel sighs, twists the pencil between her fingers. “I don’t think I did. Before. The old ‘me’, I mean. But I was bored and I can’t get a job because of the ‘being dead’ issue, so I thought I should take up a hobby or something. Might be therapeutic. I’m not very good at it…”

“Can I see?”

“I, uh,” Isabel suddenly looks uncertain. “I drew her. Maxwell. I drew everyone, actually. Are you sure you want to look?”

“Yes.”

He leafs through the pages, at first simple doodles before branching into full portraits. Eiffel, upside down and smoking a cigarette. Hilbert, looking troubled at a shadow behind him he can’t quite see. Two ghostlike figures in lab coats staring out at the star, the man with a prophetic terror etched on his face - must be Isabel’s old crewmates. Mr Cutter smiles up at him with far too many sharp teeth in sharper lines where the pencil was pressed far too hard and he turns the page quickly. There’s Kepler, mid-whiskey speech and it almost stops his heart. He pauses. Maxwell.

In the picture, her eyes are shining as she stares at Hera’s console, fingers nothing more than a blur - the three-day stint she spent trying to get the AI online. Aside from the orange and blue of Wolf 359, elsewhere in the book Isabel has barely used colour, but here the room is bathed in a serene green light from the screens. Behind Maxwell, Jacobi sees himself, little more than a stocky, sketchy outline, waiting for her to finish.

He looks so proud of her.

He looks so… content.

After staring for a long moment, Jacobi closes the book and hands it back. “Thank you.”

“You can keep the pictures of them, if you like,” Isabel offers, but he doesn’t know whether he would like, so he says:

“Tell me about your crew.”

“What?”

“Your old crew. Tell me about them. Was Lambert the one staring at...?”

“No. No. No, that was Kuan Hui, our senior astrophysicist. He was whipsmart and funny and fearless, until the time Goddard Futuristics played around in his brain, stretched out his perception of time. He was completely alone in the dark for two weeks. His smile never really reached his eyes after that.”

Jacobi sips tea awkwardly, even though it’s cold.

“Something like that, it stays with you. At least he had Fourier, though.”

“That’s the woman behind him?”

“Junior physicist. Victoire Fourier had eyes like stars. Cleverest person I’ve ever met. She played six instruments, spoke four languages and she had the most gentle soul. She used to read to Hui when he got sick with Decima. Coughed up every organ in his body. I thought it would break her, but she was made of stern stuff. She vanished off the space station in the final days and I still don’t know what exactly happened to her-”

“I… do. If you want to know, I mean.”

Isabel shakes her head. Then pauses. Then shakes her head again. “I get the feeling whoever is to blame is long gone.”

Jacobi shrugs. “Who else?”

“Well, there was Mace Fisher. Fisher… Fisher died because of me, not Goddard Futuristics. Asteroid shower tore him from my hands. He had a boyfriend waiting at home. He was sensitive, sensible, grounding. A real older brother type. I- I didn’t deal particularly well with his death. Well, you know that much.”

((Pill popper!)) Jacobi gulps more cold tea.

“And Lambert?”

“Sam Lambert. Officer Samuel Lambert had a stick up his ass. He was whiny, and authoritarian, and he treasured his copy of Pryce and Carter more than Reneé and Kepler combined did. He drove me nearly insane, and I drove him likewise. The best second in command you could ask for. A damn good man. Sam got sick after Hui, so we knew what was coming. What it meant. He was brave, though. At first.”

((“C-Captain, please shoot me, please, it hurts, it hurts, Captain, please, I just want it to-”)

She falters.

“Lovelace?”

“Yup?”

“You know, it’s not even really about the Hephaestus. I keep… it’s insane, but I keep thinking about… I was an explosives guy for the Air Force. Before Goddard. A trigger failed and two men died. Andrews and Sullivan. I haven’t thought about them in years and suddenly-“

“They’re everywhere?”

There’s a sudden understanding between them.

“They’re everywhere. Them and Maxwell and Kepler. They’re in mirrors, in the back of my brain, around corners.”

“Flashes of them.”

“And if you just reach out far enough, maybe-“

“Maybe-“

“Maybe.”

((let’s go be monsters)), Jacobi’s brain echoes. He grits his teeth.

“Did it stop for you? When does it stop?” He finds himself asking. Isabel doesn’t answer.

[darling-i-read-it]

The Great Red Dragon

3x08

Hannibal Lecter x reader x Will Graham 

Hannibal Re-Write Series Masterlist

Word Count: 2.9k 

Warnings: spoilers for hannibal, murder, dead bodies, blood, surgery, canniblism  

Author’s Note: I LOVE will graham and you can tell in this chapter i kinda went ham with my absolute adoration for him. Usually i try and hold back but im to sad to tonight so here is this love letter to will graham 

I used some direct quotes from the script so some things may seem familiar 

Official Episode Summary: As events jump forward three years, Jack seeks help as he pursues Francis Dolarhyde, AKA `The Tooth Fairy Killer'.

I don’t own these characters. They belong to author/director 

Tag List (is always open!) : @llperfectsymmetryll​ @ericacactus​ @vlightning95​ @sweetgoodangel​

(not my gif) (can you tell i love will graham. i feel like its excessive now but he is so handsome in this episode and every epsiode but this episode too) 

Alana Bloom sat on an uncomfortable chair. The divider between her and Hannibal Lecter was a thick, clear plastic. To Hannibal they were sitting together at his desk. To her, to the reality of her, he sat in his jail cell. The two of them seemed comfortable with each other once again, now that there was no way Hannibal could lay his fingers on her again. 

It was the only reason Alana agreed to stay. 

“Congratulations, Hannibal. You’re officially insane.” 

In front of Hannibal were different and various papers. A newspaper sat there, detailing a family slaughtered in Buffalo. 

“There’s no consensus in the psychiatric community what I should be termed,” he said.

“You’ve long been regarded by your peers in psychiatry as something entirely Other. For convenience, they term you a monster.” Hannibal’s eyes flickered up, away from his papers and on to her. She had cleaned herself up since they were last close. The suit she wore made her look distinguished. Her hair up in curls. Sophisticated. 

“What do you term me?” he questioned.

“I don’t. You defy categorization.” 

“Do you still prefer beer to wine?” he questioned. She pursed her lips, remembering bad memories.

“Stopped drinking beer when I found out what you were putting in mine.”

“Who,” he corrected. She gave the slightest of nods.

“Who.” She paused for a moment, collecting her thoughts. “This means you’ll be spared the federal death sentence. They had enough to convict you dozen times over.” 

“A baker’s dozen. Lest we forget Mason Verger. You’re welcome.” 

“You’re welcome Hannibal. The needle was guaranteed. But you beat it all on an insanity plea.”

“I’m not insane.” Alana nodded. She understood that.

“You know that and I know that. A dozen or a baker’s dozen, enough people have died.” 

“You haven’t,” he pointed out simply. 

“A promise in waiting, isn’t it? A promise you intend to keep.” 

“I always keep my promises.” His lips flew into a small smile. Alana simply adjusted her spot in the seat.

-

“Get out of my chair, Frederick.” 

Chilton stood up from Alana’s chair. Since she had become the director of the asylum things had been changed. For the better. Chilton was crooked, despite his frequent placing in her chair. She walked over and sat down at her desk and reorganized the documents that Chilton had been messing with. 

“Shall we join hands in prayer of gratitude? ‘Thank you, Father, for allowing us to remove this monster, monster of monsters, from your flock. Thank you on behalf of the souls We will spare of pain.’” Chilton stood at the other side of her desk now. 

“Thank you on behalf of the monster.” She leaned back in her chair. “Was that the magisterial We?” 

“It’s our cabal, yours and mine. Hannibal Lecter will spend the rest of his life in a state institution, watching the diaper cart go by.”

“We lied. You wrote a book of lies,” she pointed out.

“Not difficult to see lies flying above my head, but it is almost impossible to shoot them down,” he pointed out. 

“You should be lucky that Y/N is a respectable woman. She should have sued you for what you insinuated between her and Hannibal,” she pointed out.

“You say that only because you couldn’t sue me for speaking the truth about you and Hannibal.” He dragged a finger along the desk. “I wasn’t invited to the wedding though.”

“You held the groom at this asylum when you ran it,” she pointed out.

“Still. I put the actual murderer in jail.” 

“I’m pretty sure they did that.” She picked up her pen. “Either way, Hannibal will shoot down your lies. He’s written a brilliant piece for The American Journal of Psychiatry.” 

“Everything he writes is always about problems he doesn’t have,” Chilton said. 

“What he’s written is going to be your problem. It’s not so much an article as it is a rebuttal.” She smiled to herself. “He has an acid pen.” 

-

Will stood out by the shed. The dogs were balancing around him, running around and barking happily. Will was bundled against the cold although you had been the person who threw all of the layers at him. The dogs kicked up the snow. He was repairing the fence out there, something to keep busy. 

He looked up the gravel driveway and a black SVU came down the track. 

He let out a sigh, caught by the cold. 

Jack Crawford came out of the car.

-

“Don’t want to talk inside?” Jack asked as Will handed him a mug of hot cider. Several stray dogs lay and mill at their feet as Will leaned against the porch railing. “Don’t want to let me inside. Come too far to let the cold stop me, Will.” 

Will pursed his lips.

“Bold of you to show up.”

“Where’s Y/N?” he questioned.

“Making dinner. She didn’t hear you coming up and was, lucky for you, unaware I was making two cups of cider.” Will was relaxed but his tone was uneven. 

“You don't want to talk about it here,” Jack said.

“I don't want to talk about it anywhere. You’ve got to talk about it, so let’s have it. Just don’t get out any pictures. There’s no point in doing that.” 

“How much do you know?” Jack questioned.

“Two families killed, in their homes, a month apart. Similar circumstances,” Will said. You and him and passed the newspaper to each other at breakfast. Looked into it. 

“Not ‘similar’. The same. You ever think about giving me a call?” 

“If I ever thought about it Y/N would divorce me on the spot. But I didn’t think about it,” he admitted.

“You know what it is,” Jack said. 

“I didn’t think about calling you because I didn’t want to. I don’t think I’d be all that useful to you, Jack. I never think about it anymore. I don’t believe I could do it now.” Will looked down at the lakeshore and Jack pulled out two pictures from his jacket pocket. He flipped them out on the table. Will looked down at them. 

“All dead. This freak seems to be in phase with the moon.” Jack tapped the photos. “Killed the Jacobis in Chicago almost four weeks ago. Full moon. Killed the Leeds family in Buffalo night before last. One day short of a lunar month. If we’re lucky we have a little over three weeks before he does it again.” 

“Will!” Your voice carried in from the home. Both men looked over. 

“Looks like your luck has run out Jack.” You opened the door to alert Will that dinner was done. Upon seeing Jack you stopped. For a moment you were wordless. You looked down at the two pictures on the table, at Will, and then back at Jack. You recognized those people from the newspapers. You took in a deep breath and held your composure.

“If you want to by any chance keep your head I would recommend picking up those pictures, putting them back in your pocket, getting off my goddamn porch and driving your car back to where you came from,” you said evenly. “And give me that cup of cider.” Jack handed it to you and you snatched it, allowing it to spill on your hand without a reaction. “We need Will’s help. More of these families are going to die,” Jack said.

“I’m not going to let this happen again. I let it happen once.” 

“You would sacrifice families lives for the miniscule chance one person gets a little hurt?” You stepped forward to him but Will lifted his hand. You stopped but you were still pretty close. 

“If that one person is Will then yes. He’s saved enough lives.”

“He isn’t going anywhere,” Will said. You looked up at him and stepped back. 

“Dinner is done,” you said and turned back into the house. Jack and Will shared a look.

“So,” Will started, pushing himself off of the balcony railing. “Joining us for dinner?” 

-

You sat beside Will who was at the head of the table. Jack observed the house. It looked simplistic, comforting. On the small shelf by the table were picture frames. Each one of both of you. One when you were fishing, a small fish in front of your face as you laughed. One of Will by the fireplace in the Baltimore house. A couple from the wedding of the two of you looking happier than Jack had ever seen. 

Jack had been at the wedding. Will invited him discreetly and because you were so distracted by your own happiness you couldn’t fight. You looked amazing. It had been a long time coming that day and when it did come everyone celebrated. There were even pictures of you, Margot and Alana on that day, cheering to a new beginning. 

“People dump small dogs here all the time. I can give away the cute ones, rest, stay around and get to be big ones,” you muttered, petting the dog at your feet. 

“You’ve always been a sucker for strays,” Will said.

“You’re not fooling anyone Will.” You stabbed at the plate and took a bite. Will placed a hand on your thigh and kept it there. You put your hand on top of his destreetly. 

“Got a nice life here,” Jack said. 

“I’m lucky here. I know that,” Will said. 

“Surprised there aren’t any kids yet. Bella and I wanted them but with my job we could never fit it in.” The mention of Bella would make you sympathize with him and he knew that. Despite having calmed down a bit you still held up a good face. 

“We have a lot of dogs although I can’t say we haven't been trying,” Will said. His face flushed a bit but you were so mad still you couldn’t even be flustered. Will knew there were some things you needed to say to Jack that you couldn't’ say in front of him. “I’m going to take the dogs out to pee.” He tapped your thigh once more before letting his hand leave as he stood up from the dinner table. You nodded numbly as he left, watching him go.

Your gaze went back to Jack. 

“When you came into his classroom that day I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt but you failed me Jack. Countless times, you failed me.” 

“You left me there to die In Florence.” You smiled. 

“A fond memory.” You placed your fork down carefully. “You’re going to take him no matter how much I want to kill you for it.” 

“I have to. I’ll make it as easy on him as I can. He’s changed. It’s great you got married.” You nodded.

“He’s better and better. He doesn’t have nightmares anymore.” You paused and collected yourself. “He was really obsessed with the dogs for a while. Now he just takes care of them. He doesn’t talk about them all the time. Doesn’t worry about them.” 

“I know what it is I’m asking Y/N. And I wished to God I didn’t have to.”

You smiled slightly at what you were about to say.

“If he decides to go, and that’s a big if, he will not be going alone.” Jack nodded slowly. He figured this would happen. There was nowhere he went you would not follow.

“I know.”

“And you’re willing to deal with me for as long as it takes to get rid of this killer?” 

“If I have to.”

-

You sat on your bed. The world was quiet out here. You loved it. Will loved it. It was why you got it together, your first joint home purchase. Will was taking off his shoes and you put your arms around him from behind. 

He cuddled his head against yours. He could feel your breath against his skin when you spoke.

“I don’t want you to go, you know that.” 

“I don’t imagine you’ll let me go alone,” he whispered. “But you know if I go, I’ll be different when I get back.” You nodded.

“I loved you at your worst and I’ll love you for the rest of the time you’ll let me,” you promised. You kissed him tenderly and his hands rested on your cheek, moving your body with his other hand so that he didn’t have to crane his neck. 

-

Darkness moved around the bedroom peacefully. You slept beside Will but he was awake. He looked over at you and then slid out of bed. He pulled open a drawer quietly and took out a letter. The envelope is addressed to Will and Y/N, through the FBI. He hadn’t shown you this yet. He wasn’t sure if he should. 

But you had felt him get up. Years of feeling when he was having a nightmare trained you for that kind of moment. You sat up and slid out of bed. Will looked over to you.

“What’s that?” 

“I wasn’t going to show it to you.”

You walked over to him and put your arms around him from behind. You looked at the letter and the second you saw the handwriting you froze. 

“Is it directed to you?”

“Both of us.”

You took it from his hands and stood up straight. 

‘Dear Will and Y/N, we have all found a new life, but our old lives hover in the shadows, like incipient madness. Soon enough, I fear Jack Crawford will come knocking. I encourage Will, as a friend, not to step back through the door he holds open. I don’t doubt Y/N will protest against this ever happening but in case her will is not strong enough I must promise that there is darkness on the other side of the door and madness is waiting.’ 

You handed him the paper. 

“I’m calling the girls from down the street. Their teenagers will watch the dogs.” 

-

Will and you looked through the Leeds house. The two of you looked at the bloody remnants of what had happened there. You weren’t there to observe though. You were there for moral support. 

His eyes were shut for a while. You watched him stand there. You were silent.

Until he opened his eyes and a deep breath left his lips. You quickly approached him and hugged him tightly. He hugged you back, catching his breath in your arms.

-

“Jimmy you’re the light of my life,” Jack said.

“I know. The print’s smudged. Came off Mrs. Leeds eye. Never did that before. Never would’ve seen it, but it stood out against an eight-ball hemorrhage,” Jimmy explained. You, Will, Jack, Jimmy and Brian all stood in the morgue together. He kept stealing glances at you and Will whose thoughts were elsewhere. “I just...I can’t believe you’re back. I’m surprised you're back.”

“I’m surprised Y/N didn’t drag Jack's dead body in here,” Brian said. He hit Will’s back. “Welcome back.” 

-

Jack looked up from his desk to see Will and you standing before him. You were both looking at the information sheet. 

“You were asking about the dog. Last night, a vet called the police. Leeds and his oldest boy brought it into the bet the afternoon before they were killed,” Jack explained. 

“What’s going to happen to it?” Will asked.

“Please don't worry about the dog.” Will smiled a bit.

“What do you expect me to do?” he whispered. You smiled at him. Ever the sweetie. 

“Best you can, that’s all. Busyworks been a narcotic for me sometimes, especially after I quit the booze. For you too, I think,” Jack said. 

“There’s something else we can do,” you started. You paused for a moment. You and Will had talked this over just briefly but you understood it was what you needed. “We can wait until Will is driven to it by desperation in the last days before the full moon. Or we could do it now, while it might be of some use,” you finished. 

“Is there an opinion you want?” Will nodded slowly.

“We have to see Hannibal.”

3x09

[chaoticgremlinwholikescheese]

Pining

JACK’S POV:

“You’re going to Jacobi’s, right? And you have your phone? And pepper spray? And you have your location on?” Alex rolls her eyes. “Yes, yes, yes, and yes. I’ll be fine. It’s just a date.” 

“You can’t blame me for being cautious. I don’t know the guy. I don’t trust ‘im.”  I scowl. “He works at the tailors with me. He’s a good guy. I have to go or I’ll be late. See you later, Jack!” She grabs her purse and heads out the door. Once I’m sure she’s gone, I let out a giant groan.

I love Alex. Not in a friend way, in a ‘I’m completely in love with her’ way. Everytime she goes on a date, it crushes me. I’m standing right in front of her, but she always turns away. The thought of her falling in love with someone else makes me want to swallow laundry detergent. 

I stomp over to Davey’s room and knock on the closed door. “Not now, Jack!” He shouts. I heave a big sigh. That means I need to use the window. I walk out onto the fire escape and make my way to Davey’s window. I force it open and climb through. I lose my balance and collapse face down on the floor. I don’t bother moving. There’s no point.

Cora and Davey are sitting on the bed cuddling while watching a movie on a computer. Due to Davey’s red cheeks and messy hair, they were clearly not paying full attention to the movie. “Jesus! I thought you were my mom!” Davey shouts. “Why the fuck would she be coming through your window?” Davey shrugs. Cora looks over at me with concern. 

“Jack, are you alright?” I don’t answer. I just groan into the carpet. My voice is muffled by the carpet, but it gets the point across well enough. “Um. Jack. Cora and I were having a date night-” 

“Dates! That’s the problem! They’re so stupid!” I shout. I stand up and clamber onto the bed, laying in between Cora and Davey. “Dates should be outlawed. No more dates.” I grumble. Davey’s eyes light up with understanding. “Oh. Alex went out on a date again?” 

“Yes!” I sob. “If you told her how you feel, maybe she wouldn’t be going on dates with other people.” I shoot Davey a look. “I can’t tell her that. She only sees me as a friend. And I’d much rather have her in my life and painfully pine over her than have her hate me and disappear.”

Cora pats my shoulder comfortingly. “I’m so in love with her. Have you seen her eyes? Prettiest green I’ve ever seen. And the way they light up when she’s happy? Her smile will be the death of me. And when he talks for hours about something she loves, she gets this cute little look on her face. And her singing! She sounds like an angel. An angel, Davey!” He nods sympathetically.

“She keeps going on dates with these guys. And the thought of them kissing her just makes me want to cry. Why them and not me?” I fling an arm up and accidentally hit Davey in the face. Cora looks at the clock on the night table. “I’m going to get started on dinner. Let me know if you two need anything-”

“All the girls leave meeeeee!” I flop over onto my stomach and mash my face in a pillow. “-Or I can stay.” Cora sits on the edge of the bed. “I’m so in love with her. Every time she touches me, I feel a spark of electricity. I just want to hold her and kiss her and tell her I love her. I’m miserable. Absolutely miserable.”

“She’s probably at the restaurant right now, laughing at his jokes. And he’s going to walk her out, they’re going to have a good night kiss, and she’ll come home completely in love. They’ll get married, and have kids, and I’ll have to watch her be happy while I’m secretly dying inside.”

“Slow down. It’s just a date. There’s no wedding happening anytime soon.” Cora says. “Maybe if I hit myself hard enough with a brick I can forget everything. Davey, I need you to hit me with a brick.” Davey rubs his eyes. “I’m not hitting you with a brick. Now c’mon, Cora is going to make some soup. Lets go help her.”

I allow him to pull me up. I shuffle behind him to the kitchen. Cora starts to boil some water and Davey pulls out different veggies. I bang my head against the counter top a few times before Cora places an oven mitt in between my forehead and the counter. I lay down on the kitchen floor and stare at the ceiling. Davey steps over me to get to the fridge, seemingly unfazed.

“Maybe you should try to go on a few dates,” Davey advises. “I tried. But they weren’t Alex. There’s no one else but her. She’s my soulmate.” I continue my ranting as the two cook around me. An hour or so later a hot bowl of soup is placed in front of me at the table. I take a sip before slamming my face down into it. “Jack? You okay?” I blurble something into the soup. 

Eventually I pull my face out of the soup. “I’m going to go take a shower.” I announce. I walk to the bathroom, leaving a trail of soup behind me. The shower doesn’t do much to help. I still feel sad. But now I’m sad and wet. I lay down on the couch, flinging my limbs off the side. 

I hear the lock on the door click open. I sit up just as Alex comes through the door. She’s muttering something angrily under her breath. “How was the date?” Cora yells from the kitchen. “Terrible! He was a complete asshole.” She shouts. She falls onto the couch next to me. She lays her head in my lap and crosses her arms. “I need a guy like you.” She states, pointing up at me. I choke a bit, trying to figure out what to say.

“There’s a guy like me that definitely likes you.” I mutter under my breath. “What?” She asks. “Nothing.” I look away from her, trying to hide my blush. “I need a milkshake. You’re coming with me.” She stands up and pulls ne with her. “We’re going out for a milkshake! We’ll be back at some point!” With that she drags me out of the apartment.

We make an odd pair. She’s dressed nicely, in a red dress and red lipstick. Meanwhile, I’m wearing a ratty old shirt and a pair of flannel pajama pants. She opts to drive. She turns on the radio and begins to sing along to the song. Her voice is like a beautiful sunset. Full of color and emotion, almost like you can see it.

We walk into the diner. It’s empty at this hour. Alex orders a strawberry milkshake, like she always does. I order a chocolate one. We take a seat at the table in the farthest corner. Alex angrily takes a sip of her milkshake. “Why do I keep having such terrible dates? What am I doing wrong? Do I just not deserve anyone?” She sighs.

“You aren’t doing anything wrong. And they don’t deserve you, not the other way around. You are one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. You are clever, funny, talented, beautiful. Your the most amazing person I’ve ever met.” Alex has that beautiful smile on her face, the one that makes butterflies appear in my stomach. I can’t believe I said all that.

“And this is why I keep going on dates. There’s just no one like you.” She freezes when she realizes she said it out loud. “I didn’t mean it like that- well, I did, but not in that way, but-” I cut her off. “You like me?” She cringes. “Maybe?” She squeaks out. 

She likes me. Alex likes me. Alex likes me.“I’m sorry if this is making things awkward. I didn’t mean for you to know.” She starts to fidget nervously with the straw wrapper. “I’ll go. I can walk to my apartment from here.” She grabs her bag and stands up. “Wait!” I grab her arm. I stand up as well. 

“Maybe I like you too.” Her eyes widen. “Screw that. I’m completely and totally in love with you, Alex. I have been for ages.” Then she presses her lips to mine. Electricity courses through my veins. Her lips are soft against mine. I can barely breathe. When we pull away, we’re both flushed. We stand forehead to forehead. “I love you. I love you so fucking much.” I whisper. “I love you too, Jack.” Those green eyes look up at me, shining like they always do.

“You aren’t going on any more dates, are you?” She laughs and gently hits my arm. “Only if it’s a date with you.” 

“Good. ‘Cause I don’t think I can handle another day pining over you.”

A/N: Cora is @the-cowbi‘s. They also helped me come up with a lot of the plot, because they’re awesome. Hope you guys enjoyed!

[orangecrane]

Javid and 55 from the fluff hurt/comfort prompt list please?

takin’ care of yourself ain’t a crime

Dialogue prompt 55: “Don’t ever think less of yourself.”

In which Jack has been pushing himself and Davey's kinda sick of it

--- Davey opens the door gently, “Jackie, you in here?”

“Oh Dave! What’re you doin’ here?” Jack asks before quickly glancing back at the sleeping kid on the bed next to him and lowering his voice, “I thought you’d be wit’ the rest of the boys.”

a/n: this was kind of an experiment in present tense so I hope there aren’t any errors but I also wrote this in one sitting and barely edited so... also i changed the wording of the prompt a little bit so sorry

CW: Illness (I guess?)

“Hey, does anyone know where Jack is?” Davey asks as he and Les make their way into Jacobi’s, “I haven’t seen him since distribution and I need to talk to him about something important.”

“Nah, ain’t seen him, sorry Davey.” Albert responds, unconcerned. He turns back to Race, resuming their conversation as if Davey had never spoken. A few other boys scattered around the room chime in with similar answers and Les goes to sit at a table with Specs, Romeo, and Finch.

“He’s probably back at the lodging house checking on Pine, they haven’t been feeling well for a few days now, he’ll probably be done in time for evening distribution.” Specs provides helpfully. Davey is so grateful that at least someone here knew what was going on. Though it is concerning that he hadn't heard about one of the littles being sick before this.

“Ok I’m gonna go check on the both of them then, thank you Specs.”

“No problem Davey.” Specs says with a smile.

“Oh and Les, make sure you stick with one of the older newsies while I’m away.”

“Yeah, yeah I’ll be good.” Les responds.

“Don’t worry Davey,” Specs says, “We’ll keep an eye on him.” Davey shoots Specs a grateful look before heading to the lodging house.

---

As Davey approached the lodging house his worries started getting the better of him. Why wouldn’t Jack just tell him he was here? What did that have to do with them not selling together today? What if Specs was wrong and Jack wasn’t here, then what would he do? His mind only grew louder and louder as he opened the door, thoughts echoing around his head. As he made his way inside he asked Mr. Kloppman “Is Jack here?”

“Yeah kid, he’s just upstairs, go on ahead.” Davey smiles nervously and moves towards the rooms, at least Jack was actually in the lodging house. What Davey still couldn’t figure out was if Jack is here checking on one of the littles, why didn’t he just tell him? He thought Jack would’ve trusted him with something like this, even if he didn’t need help.

Davey opens the door gently, “Jackie, you in here?”

“Oh Dave! What’re you doin’ here?” Jack asks before quickly glancing back at the sleeping kid on the bed next to him and lowering his voice, “I thought you’d be wit’ the rest of the boys.”

“Yeah well I came to check on you when you didn’t show up at Jacobi’s, have you been here since you finished selling?” Davey’s concerned. Jack looks exhausted, he’d brushed it off as him still being a little asleep this morning but if anything he looked even worse now. Though, now that he could see them, Pine looked even worse, no wonder Jack wanted to check on them. “Oh, is that why you wanted to sell alone today, so you could finish up faster and come here?”

“Uh yeah, to both questions, but Davey, you should be back with the boys. I’ve got things here under control.” Jack looks back over to Pine and runs his hand through their hair. They whine and pull away from his touch, but don’t open their eyes. Davey’s concern for the kid keeps growing but he focuses on Jack right now.

“Havin’ things under control doesn’t mean a little help will hurt Jackie. Besides, you aren’t looking to hot yourself, maybe you should lie down for a bit and I can watch Pine.” Davey says. He sits by Jack and takes his hand.

“N- no Davey,” Jack shakes his head and pulls his hand away, “I don’t need help and you don’t need to be gettin’ sick. If you get sick then it’ll just be Les supportin’ your family and I ain’t gonna let that happen, they need you out there workin’.”

“And what about you Jackie, if another newsie was in your condition I severely doubt that you’d let them sell, so why are you still tryin’ to push yourself?”

“Because Davey!” Jack raises his voice. Pine whimpers and shifts away from the sudden outburst and Jack looks almost ashamed. He repeats, quietly “Because Davey, if I can’t watch out for them without your help then how am I gonna do it when you’re not here? They need me to look out for them, they all do, and if I’m sick then I can’t do my job and I’ll let them all down!”

“Jack Kelly don’t you dare martyr yourself. Do you think that when the other newsies come to you for help they’re somehow failing or letting you down?”

“Wha- Of course not! But Davey that’s completely diff-”

“No Jack, it really isn’t. Taking care of yourself isn’t a crime, and don’t you ever think less of yourself for needing help. You aren’t letting anyone down by taking care of yourself or leaning on others. Now if you aren’t in that bunk and resting in the next thirty seconds I’ll put you there myself.” Davey says firmly. Jack hesitates. “If you don’t start movin’ I’m gonna start counting Jackie boy.”

“Okay okay, I heard ya Davey, I’ll take a nap while you watch Pine for a bit. Don’t need to start countin’ on me.” Jack says lightheartedly and moves to lie down in one of the nearby beds. Davey watches until he’s settled and his eyes are closed, then takes Jack’s place by Pine’s head. If their condition didn’t improve soon they might have to scrape together the money for a doctor, but for now he hoped that this would be enough.

“Hey, Davey…” Jack whispers. Davey hums in response. “Thanks for lookin’ out for us, for me… I know I can be difficult to put up with an’ it really means a lot.” Jack cracks his eyes open to look at him. He’s rewarded with Davey’s smile, the soft affectionate one he rarely gives to anyone outside his family, and Jack feels warm inside.

“Of course Jackie, but right now there’s no place I’d rather be.” Jack closes his eyes once again and falls asleep quickly. Looks like Davey had been right about him being tired. He’d have to wake Jack up again for evening distribution, but for now the boy could get some much needed rest. The ability to watch the rise and fall of Jack’s chest as he breathes allows Davey to relax for the first time since this morning, he hadn’t even realized how wound up he was.

Oh well, looks like confessing to Jack would have to wait for another day.

[wheel-of-fish]

By the Numbers: Ben Crawford, Ali Ewoldt, Jay Armstrong Johnson

By the Numbers:  The Ben Crawford/Ali Ewoldt/Jay Armstrong Johnson  Stream, August 22, 2020

[long-awaited submission from Aldebaran; I’m putting it behind a cut]

Oh my gosh, an epic stream deserves an epically long and epically late By the Numbers!  Come with me back in time, all the way back to two weeks ago, which in pandemic days is a month and a half.  Before we were treated to  Giant Ivan and Tiny Tamara in Moscow, there was The Swagger, The Disney Princess and The Bot…

This was a fantastically fun boot to watch as part of a group of enthusiastic Saturday Streamers!  Plusses included an earlier-in-his-run Ben “The Swagger” Crawford as the Phantom, with the spotlight on his booming baritone voice, and Ali “Paris’s Sweetheart” Ewoldt as an enchanting Christine.  And—Jay Armstrong Johnson (we’re pretty sure) as Raoul.  Or some semblance of Raoul.  Something was up with Raoul in this performance and the consensus was there may have been robotics involved. I won’t say more here; the streamers have it covered below and a fantastic set of memes by Onthevirg/faunaproductions caught tons more great moments.   Very very nice filming job by a master who clearly knew the show well and anticipated major moments and character moves in a smooth manner.  Not a bot though.  As far as we know.  And featuring an AIAOY– let’s just say that has to be seen to be believed.    

Some stats on the stats:  An asterisk * indicates a recurring category.  All numbers are accurate except where they are not.  I was tempted last week to resort to making crap up for this recap, but resisted the temptation.  I will occasionally add in a missing letter or two.  If a person’s train of thought is split up, I will ignore intervening commentary and put that thought back on track.  Occasionally, by design or by mischance, a comment or two will be moved slightly out of original chronological order.  Or wildly out of chronological order to cater to a theme.  Or a whim.  Only when it’s funny.  There is also no clean way to say the word “organ” which pops up a lot in this stream. (See what I mean?  It can’t be done.)

*Suggested names for this boot: The Animatronic Boot, The Better Than Cooper Boot, The It’s Alive! Boot, Robot Roll Call Boot (Okay, nobody suggested these.  It was me.  I suggested these)

*Statistician’s Favorite Boot Name:  mechanical hands down, The RaoulBot Boot

*Wow, we like to talk about Phantoms:  It has become clear to me that we like to talk about everybody.  And everything.  Phantoms, Christines, Raouls, Mandalorians.  Here are most of the people mentioned in the stream.  There is no context.  Just like a real stream!!!

John Riddle (9), Gina Beck (8), Ramin (6), Rob Houchen (2), Ethan (1), Eiji (1), Uwe (3), Jordan Craig (2), Sierra (1), Steve Barton (3), David Shannon (2), Norm (14), Earl (1), Cooper (2), Darua (4), Thiago (11), Rachel Barrell (1), Meghan Picerno (2), Cherik (19), Pedro Pascal (1), B*rbour (7), Eva Tavares (4), Ted Keegan (5), Maree Johnson (2), Quentin Oliver Lee (1), Jeremy Hays (1), Ben Jacoby (3), Andrew Keenan Bolger (1), Greg Mills (1), Michael Maliakel (1),  KKA (8),  Jordan Donica (1), Kyle Barisch (8), Andrew Ragone (3), Paul Stanley/Stankey (3), Hannah Gadsby (2)

Residual Stolle Thirst:  Residual Stolle Thirst from the stream a week prior to this one, plus Mr. Stolle’s appearance as Passarino AND the Conductor in this boot resulted in >32 mentions.  There may or may not have been comparisons between his Raoul and this boot’s Raoul.  I certainly wouldn’t put it past us.

Epithets for Ben Crawford:  Ubiquitous mentions of Crawdaddy and The Swagger.  More personalized and clearly personal epithets:  Big Ben—ktarinajones, BENBENBENBEN—whereisthepersian, OH HELLO VOICE—butdreamsofbeauty, my horny bastard and I love him—ktarinajones

Epithets:  reader’s choice as to which Phantom(s) the following apply to (no one in this stream):                                                        Fuckface McGee–therosenpants                                                      Sir Scruffsalot—snows                                                                    Voldemort—Benny-Lynne                                                                  Traschcan–therosentpants

Antici_____pation:

I can’t wait for jay                                                                                I honestly thought they’d slapped a human face on a robot and called it a day—angedelamusique

Let’s all just have fun trying to spy hints of actual emotion in Jay’s Raoul—GlassPrism

Oh there will be memes.  Ben Crawford is a walking meme and there will be a robot on stage—ktarinajones

Oh boy, here we go—GlassPrism

We love a trainwreck:

I love this stream crowd because you all show up for trainwrecks just as enthusiastically as you do for good actors—wheel-of–fish

We love a trainwreck!—butdreamsofbeauty

we’re ready—angelofthelake

trainwrecks are v satisfying—christinegrrl

We’re here with roses, we’re here with rotten fruit, we’re versatile!  A good tirefire is a marshmallow roast–snows

Debut of RaoulBot:  Before the show even began, JAJ’s Raoul had a name:                                                                                       

RaoulBot—ktarinajones at 20:01:33 (historic occasions get timestamps!)                                                                                     

wait they can’t moisten the raoul if he’s a robot, can they?—butdreamsofbeauty

they can oil him—ktarinajones

oil the raoul, perfect—butdreamsofbeauty

He has a silicone exterior—Benny-Lynne

wd-40—wheel-of-fish

How do we know he is waterproof?  Let’s see if he sparks when he hits the Raoul Hole—Aldebaran

Earliest Meme Generation:  Our intrepid memester Virg had material for a meme within 8 minutes 27 seconds of the start of the stream.

Love is in the Air:  There was a lot of love in this stream

Ali Love:  >32

Laird Love:  28

Carlotta Love:  20

Filmer Love: 5

Extreme John Riddle love: 2

when there’s video of John Riddle the filmer can have a kidney if they want—ktarinajones, seconded by christinegrrl

And then there was Jay:

Oh he did a head nod.  Well done.—Bozzleboz

At least Jay doesn’t shoot a policeman—PureAnon

Several head turns in succession there.  Getting ambitious.–Bozzleboz

Illumination!:  Auction Raoul set the tone for the evening to come, and the chandelier seized the moment to shine.

OMG, his jaw moves just like a real person….or a nutcracker—Aldebaran

His batteries are running down.  Maybe they will wire him for the new electricity.—Aldebaran

Robot Raoul is using all the electricity—Aldebaran

That chandelier isn’t rising—Ladyrock18

It’s not rising because they have to unhook the cables that power Raoulbot—DocTy

The chandelier shows more emotions than Jay as Raoul—Maze-zen

Erik made a Raouldoll to add to his collection?—Benny-Lynne

The chandelier shows the full range of human emotions.  That is why it was cast.—haunted-hideaway

The chandelier is more expressive than this Raoul—Carole

The chandelier can actually sing in morse code—DocTy

Meanwhile backstage Raoulbot is recharging in his alcove—Aldebaran

If you listen closely you can hear diesel generators in the background recharging the batteries—DocTy

C’mon guys, he’s solar powered—ktarinajones

is that why he stops working in the dark during AIAOY–christinegrrl

Statistician Aldebaran wonders if she will be able to handle viewing Cherik:

Oh I finally finished the 90’s miniseries!  I have thoughts!—Abberina

Abberina do you have thoughts other than “I hurt, I am in pain”?—snows

@snows the ending was WILD—Abberina

Abberina, I spent the whole day lying and crying after the 90s miniseries, are you allright?—Carole

“Wild”??? How are you still living!  That ending!  Gghh!—snows

Do you need something?  A glass of water?  Therapy?—Carole

My heart hasn’t recovered yet.  And I watched it 4 years ago.–Carole

Christine Who?:  One would think that Christine’s debut in Hannibal would have the streamers’ full attention.  But no.  All eyes were on Raoul in his box.  Or maybe just unpacked from the box he came in.

can it be? can it be a robot?—christinegrrl

can it be chreeeestineeee—butdreamsofbeauty

engage clapping program—Aldebaran

clap beep boop clap clap—angelofthelake

beep boop clapping action beep boop—Jadowdra

EXECUTE EMOTION—missbuster

Stache or cache?:  Once we were beginning to get an idea of the limits of Raoulbot’s programming, we turned our attention to his most character defining feature—the mustache.

omg mustache—MelancholysChild

His mustache is a little full for me.  Oh well.  I guess that’s where he hides his secrets.—haunted-hideaway

wowWWWW—put that boy in a floofy shirt and stick him in the pirates of the caribbean ride at disney, damn—snows

it’s where he hides his processer—therosenpants

haunted he needs something to cry into—ashadeintheshade

That is not a mustache, that is fiber optics—Aldebaran

although he is stiffer than the other robotic pirates—snows

Haunted, his secret is his charger entrance—Carole

You keep your secrets then, Raoul—haunted-hideaway

Autocorrect Follies:

Pinging = Piangi–Bozzleboz

Paul Stankey = Paul Stanley—IamErik771

Ironic Statement is Ironic:

I always forget there’s an elephant–yiks

Cooper finds a role:

[as Buquet appears] oh hey look it’s cooper!—snows                                                                                                                                    finally a role for cooper, buquet all the way—Aldebaran                                                                                                                                ohh wait sorry it’s the other scruffy creepy nasty weirdo—snows

*Best from Onthevirg’s Mom:  “like stolles passarino cooper should always be buquet—it’s a fitting role”

Joseph Buquet job  performance review:

DO YOUR FREAKING JOB BUQUET.  –madamefaust                                                                                                                                I’ll never get over that line “i promise i wasn’t doing my job!!!!!”—butdreamsofbeauty

The Boy Ain’t Right:  Little Lotte made it very apparent that Raoul may have been compromised.

Don’t make fun of him, you guys.  The tiny alien in his head driving his body is doing his best, ok?—haunted-hideaway

li tt le l ott e—tearoses

So….Erik’s looking like an awesome choice right about now…–HerbalPath

Usually i’m r/c  but uh not today—yiks

His hat is just an excuse he’s going to recharge a bit—Carole

That was almost threatening how he said little lotte—Ladyrock18

*Vintage MadameFaust:                                                                   Don’t quote me too much, my knowledge is based on judicious use of Wikipedia;-)

[inspired by Raoul’s Little Lotte performance]                                    CHOCOLATES 

HUMANS LOVE CHOCOLATES                                                                                                                                                                    *Biggest Organ in Paris:  The mirror scene included a thunderous organ accompaniment.  It took me ten minutes to write a non-filthy sentence that conveyed that information while containing the word “organ.”  The Saturday Streamers were fired up!  Except for a certain statistician–

WOAH—therosenpants                                                                    THAT ORGAN—PureAnon                                                                ORGAN—haunted-hideaway                                                              Wow—DocTy                                                                                      ORGAN!—butdreamsofbeauty                                                          did you hear that??????—therosenpants                                          organ—DocTy                                                                                    Orrgannnnn—Xyloghost                                                                    that roused me from Lore Olympus—therosenpants                          ORGAN!—Jawodra                                                                          What’s with the loud organ?—maze-zen                                            organ AWESOME—snows                                                                THE ORGAN WAS PERFECT—whereisthepersian                          I loved it!—MelancholysChild                                                            Is that new? that’s BADASS–snows                                                  Organ <3—Carole                                                                          The organ is loud because Ben is loud—PureAnon                          Erik is playing his pocket organ–Abberina                                        It’s the phantom of the phantom of the opera—wheel-of-fish

Oh God now I have to count Organ mentions (>20) and everyone is going to judge me—Aldebaran

*What scent are the Phantom’s candles:  Previously established in the official “Love That Lair” candle line, in addition to  Vanilla Brown Sugar, Cucumber Melon, Tobacco Spice, Underground Despair, and Hopeless Mist, the newest entry unveiled for this stream was Sepulchral Solitude, a light and airy blend of ennui, nihilism and condensation, perfect for occasional bouts of midnight composing.

*The Phantom’s pillows mentions:  2

obligatory pillow mentions, they are a nice colour scheme–missbuster

Baritone Love Fest:

we! love! a baritone! phantom!—butdreamsofbeauty

Baritones are the best!–PureAnon

Yes!—JacobZ

Yes to baritones.  To whatever they ask.—Aldebaran

baritones are incredible—angelofthelake

I like em big and boomy—Bozzleboz

yes they are—MelancholysChild

The deeper and boomier, the better—PureAnon

*Erik has Skillz:

Okay so Ben just flipped through about six alternate personalities in a single line, and that’s impressive—snows

his voice is like chocolate sauce—Benny-Lynne

His voice is so deep I wanna scuba dive in it—Benny-Lynne

The Swagger at Rest:

Sir must you spread your legs so—snows

snows yes he MUST—ashadeintheshade

nice stance—MelancholysChild

Oo.  Manspreading—Bozzleboz

but like… the good kind–snows                                                       

Sweet Music’s Throne:  Ben’s nascent aggression came out in his organ playing.  The INSTRUMENT!

OMG HIS KNEES This is really funny to me—madamefaust

He is def using his knees a lot—christinegrrl

Oh he’s….trying to play the keyboard—missbuster

He’s putting his back into that organ playing, there—haunted-hideaway

he’s definitely a more aggressive phantom I think—wheel-of-fish

A good squat workout I guess?—christinegrrl

Lift with your knees man—haunted-hideaway

The key to being an organist is all in the lumbar–Jacobz

Ben’s stance remains a source of….let’s call it concern.  Yes, concern:

He’s got good stance—ashadeintheshade

why are his legs SO far apart though—butdreamsofbeauty

because they’re so loooong—missbuster

power stance—MelancholysChild

is he riding an invisible horse?—jadowdra

And, inevitably, boner mentions: 5 (You know who you are.  Good thing, because I was watching Ben.)

The Phantom is pleased to announce:   boner mentions are ummm holding firm

Christine makes questionable choices:

oh she looked down—christinegrrl

she totally looked down and then bolted but let’s be real WHY RUN—snows

Boner-adjacent vocabulary:

Horny and variants (>17)

Lusty (2)

Organ—THE INSTRUMENT!!  (>20)

Christine does not stan a crafty Phantom:

he’s doing so well then he has to bring Barbara into it—Virg’s mom

SEE?  I MADE THIS FOR YOU?

OOPS

THAT DID NOT GO TO PLAN—haunted-hideaway

Strange Ships:  The debut of a long overdue category highlighting all the really random ships that are proposed during a given stream.

Erik/RaoulBot—haunted-hideaway

Andre/Carlotta–????

Barbara/severed Hannibal head—????

Christine/Luigi—ashadeintheshade

Barbara/new and improved sexbot from LND—Onthevirg

RaoulBot/Barbara—DocTy {streamers were split here that Barbara shouldn’t settle versus OTP}

Yes, I know, it’s a great disservice to Barbara but still, maybe they can bond over replacement parts—DocTy

Only in this streams I walk away with either a new favourite actor, a fanfic recommendation and/or a new pairing to ship—Jadowdra

*Education of the Innocent:  Several seminars were held this stream.  First,  a wide ranging and frank discussion of historically accurate ballet rats, pimping and ummm social diseases.  We segued from a dissertation on our own Madame Giry as a probable pimp to the topic of the hierarchy of French Royalty.  These topics heavily featured our resident history buffs therosenpants, angedelamusique, PureAnon and madamefaust, with varying degrees of participation in the pimping and social disease discussions.  Second, a discourse on “the catch” and variations, the catch being allowed in London and not on Broadway due to union rules.  A variant unknown to me, the “half catch” was mentioned.  Third, a sadly eye-opening (for some) discussion of the “horsey dance”:

Look, Norm was directed to do the horsey dance.  Anything is possible on Broadway.—madamefaust

sorry a HORSEY DANCE—butdreamsofbeauty

HORSEY DANCE???—onthevirg

horsey dance…??—angelofthelake

ah yes the ever classic jumping up and galloping horsey dance—madamefaust

It was more of a forceful trot during ‘Order your fine horses’ in Final Lair—madamefaust

faust you can’t just drop that in chat and not explain yikes—butdreamsofbeauty

someone link the gif—andgedelamusique

[fatefully the gif was linked]

thanks, I hate it!—butdreamsofbeauty

OH I thought that was a JOKE, that was REAL?—ashadeintheshade

oh noooo I saw that in like a compilation of funny phantoms and i thought it was a joke oh no—ashadeintheshade

The Horsey Dance claims more victims–Aldebaran

STYDI Sound effects:

[the Phantom collapses]

plorp—wheel-of-fish

plorp—MelancholysChild

Now I want to hear his palms squeak on the ground—madamefaust

I’m Jewish and I don’t approve of this level of ham Curse youuuuu—JacobZ

Prior to Il Muto the organ makes another appearance.  The INSTRUMENT!!!:

Organ boop!—Bozzleboz

Organ again.  Oh God now I said it.—Aldebaran

Aldebaran, you can’t escape the organ.  The Phantom’s organ WILL find you.—PureAnon

this Erik is so extra he took the organist’s place in the orchestra—DocTy

Il Muto Pillow Mentions:  1

Fascinating discussion about which is worse/better, bad actors or boring actors:

It’s the old argument between what’s worse bad or boring—GlassPrism

is it better to burn out or fade away—wheel-of-fish

Is it more fun to watch an Uwe or a Thiago—GlassPrism

Thiago activates my RAGE setting.—madamefaust

AIAOY is never make me watch this again:  Words cannot capture AIAOY.  Nevertheless we tried. Here are selected comments.

EXECUTEEMPATHY2.0—missbuster

Maybe there is a rat driving him by his mustache like in Ratatouille.  Raoultatouille.—missbuster

turn.her.90.degrees—Aldebaran

if she shakes him, I bet we can hear him rattle—DocTy

Raoul.exe has stopped working—christinegrrl

he bluescreened—butdreamsofbeauty

error 404—angelofthelake

can you even play Doom on this Raoul?—Jadowdra

Does he even like her?—madamefaust

He’s just staring into the abyss—angelofthelake

Why did no one tell him that wooing does not involve low-level dread—JacobZ

<10> no more talk of darkness GOTO20—snows

<20> forget these wide eyed fears GOTO30—snows

his wooing program has bugs–Aldebaran

YOU ARE NO BETTER THAN MY ARCH-ENEMY THIAGO–madamefaust

are they actually kissing?—madamefaust

now you must place your face upon her face and remain still—butdreamsofbeauty

this is depressing—virg’s lil sister

It’s more fun to suffer as a group—wheel-of-fish

Prevailing Theory:

The Phantom clearly switched Raoul with a mannequin—Maze-zen

Fondly Remembering Christian Lund during this AIAOY:  4

Fondly Remembering  “the Boop” during this AIAOY: 5

*Requests for AIAOY Kiss replay:  0

Priorities Straight:  Host Fish caller for dog pictures on her blog during the stream, resulting in the following mentions

Dogs (35, may need to be adjusted as one of Flora’s dogs is large enough to count as two), Goats (6), Cats (9), Rabbits (5), Chickens (3) Regular non-Cherik deer (1) Pig (1) Cherik deer (9)            actual human children (1)

The Masquerade, or as some wags had it due to the mannequins on the staircase, the de Chagny family reunion:

Let’s see the robot try to dance—katarinajones

dance.exe—whereisthepersian

dance.exe failed to start—phantomofthebasement

He is going as a robot to the masquerade–Aldebaran

People gonna trip over his charging cable—whereisthepersian

Relief is the wrong emotion to feel when the Red Death arrives:

Why at a costume party is everyone afraid of a costumed man?  How do they know to be scared?  Do they hear the background music?—JacobZ

It’s his authoritative stance—madamefaust

Christine’s reaction maybe?—ktarinajones

I think they’re afraid he’s going to drop another chandelier on them.  Which, valid.—madamefaust

They saw the bead work.  They know who it is.—haunted-hideaway

*Sad comment is sad:  commenting on the ornate bow on the score for Don Juan Triumphant

He wraps it up like the present he never received.—haunted-hideaway

*Fathering Gaze lyric: 1

*That staff tho:    

“I’m going to a graveyard.  I should take my shooty stick with the skull on it!”—haunted-hideaway

We passed the Point of No Return long ago.  From the auction, in fact:

his accent, lol–ashadeintheshade 

Accent—Bozzleboz

itsa me…—Aldebaran

ITSA HIM—madamefaust

I hate you all—wheel-of-fish

And Ben plays videogames backstage.  His inspiration is literally Super Mario.—madamefaust

That was some nice cup stroking—GlassPrism                   

The Raoul Hole holds no dangers for Raoulbot:

Oh no he’s going to rust and shut down in the lake—wheel-of-fish

They spray him down and moisten him before he jumps in, otherwise he’ll just float on top—haunted-hideaway

Raoul’s wifi is down once more:

Is the boat stuck?  Oh, there it goes—madamefaust

The radio signals running Raoul confused the boat—Aldebaran

The organ makes a return in Down Once More:  The INSTRUMENT!!!!:  2

Veil Fluff Mentions: 2

he didn’t fluff the veil—ashadeintheshade

I like the veil fluff–ashadeintheshade

Veil Yeet Mentions: 11

The Kiss.  An actual human kiss, unlike AIAOY:

ohhh he bends into the kiss—Aldebaran

Aw he’s TRYING to figure out how to kiss—Flora-Gray

He done touched a lady.—haunted-hideaway

That was a good kiss—Abberina

Bozzleboz breaks me, as the Phantom approaches hanging Raoul with a candle:

I burn him now, yes?–Bozzleboz

The Phantom breaks us:

oh god.  He just broke me.—Bozzleboz

ohhhh poor angel—Aldebaran

aw erik :(–angeloflake

he’s so resigned:(–Benny-Lynne

we love an exhausted depressed sewer man—butdreamsofbeauty

This Phantom survives just so he can go disassemble Raoul—Aldebaran

Looks Like We Made It:

Time to go plug Raoulbot in for the night—angelofthelake

Performance Comparisons for Raoul/Career Suggestions for Raoul, You Decide:

Nutcracker—Aldebaran

Mannequin Bride—coroaline

Tin Man—christinegrrl, yiks

Edward Scissorhands—GlassPrism

Calculon from Futurama—IamErik771

C3PO—wheel-of-fish

Automaton—ktarinajones

Dalek–missbuster

Cardboard Cutout—haunted-hideaway

Hat Stand–Bozzleboz

*Things I wish I had said:            

Christine in Final Lair:  She has to go put Raoul in a bag of rice but she’ll be back—Benny-Lynne

*Statistician Aldebaran’s two favorite personal quotes:  

little known fact, the red scarf is actually a fanbelt from Raoulbot

19 years on the score, 1 year on the bow

Phew!  See you shortly with the By the Numbers of Moscow from LAST week!!!  Aldebaran

[dancerlittle006]

With Fancy Ties and a Top Hat On

First things first, I don’t own anything related to Disney or Newsies. Second of all, this is a continuation of my “The Many Adventures of Sammi & Race” series. You may want to read the others in the series but it’s not necessary! There are two poems that are mentioned in this part and I do not own either one of them - see end notes for proper credit. 

Tuesday, October 17, 1905

The night before the wedding, Spot and Race were commandeered by their respected boroughs for one last night of fun before the big day.  Jack and Albert had stolen Race away from Spot, dragging him from a long drawn out goodbye. The two men gave Race a proper sendoff into marriage, with a party at Jacobi’s filled with all the Manhattan Newsies before collapsing on the roof of the Lodging House for one final send off. 

Race had been loud and excited the entire night but on the roof of the Lodging House, he was quiet and withdrawn. Jack and Albert traded glances before Jack nudged Race. “Yous okay?”

“Justs thinkin’.” Race resting his head on his drawn up legs, his eyes looking over on the city he loved. “What ifs I ain’t too good at marriage?” 

Albert and Jack grinned at each other, knowing exactly the doubts their brother had, as they had each experienced the same, Albert much more recently than Jack. Jack cleared his throat before speaking.  “Yous be fine. It’s Spot yous marryin’. The best part is that yous never been married to anyones and neither had Spot. Yous discover it togetha.” 

Race shook his head, knowing his brother was right. “What’s botherin’ you Race?” 

“Is excited to be marryin’ Spot but there’s just an unsettledness there, ya know?” Race looked between his best friend and brother before his gaze drifted to the city around them. 

Albert put his hand on his shoulder. “Yous worried that Spot ain’t gonna show? Becauses that's the last thing yous should be worryin’ about - the ‘Hattan boys’ll make sure hes shows.” 

“Nah, he’ll show.” Race grinned. “Is don’t know how to explain it.” 

Jack smiled, reaching over to ruffle Race’s head. “Let me give yous some advice. Don’t go to bed angry, always tell him he looks pretty, say “I love you” at least once a day, pull yous weight equally - in the house, in the relationship, in life - and surprise him every now and then.” 

Race nodded, taking every word to heart. He raised an eyebrow in Albert’s direction. “Always offer to pick something up when yous out and about. Argue - it’s healthy for a relationship and communicate - don’t let them fester, get them out in the open.” 

“Have yous met Spot? Hes the king of arguin’.” Race chuckled.

 “And yous the king of arguin’ right back.” Albert bit back. 

A calm quiet rest over the three, all lost in their own thoughts.  All three had been very involved with the wedding details and knew the entire rundown by heart. Katherine had made them all agendas with every single detail on it on where they needed to be and what needed to be brought with. Race chuckled, thankful to have Kat by his side as he and Spot planned this. 

“How many peoples comin’ tomorrow?” Jack asked, nudging Race’s shoulder. 

Shruggin’, Race bit his lip. “I thinks we mailed out 100 invites but we’ll see whos shows up.” 

“Yous nervous?” Albert reached over putting his hand on Race’s shoulder before gentle squeezing. “It’s completely okay to say yes.” 

Race smiled. “Not nervous to marry Spot. But to stand in front of those people . . .”

“Yous just have to stand there and looks pretty. Yous don’t even have to look into the crowd, just stare lovin’ly into Spot’s deep brown eyes.” Jack chuckled. “And Albert and Is will be right beside you. But nothin’ gonna happen. Yous and Spot are gonna get married and live happily ever afta.” 

Race grinned. “Yous been readin’ too many of Sammi’s fairy tales, Jackie Boy.” 

“It’s true. Yous and Spot will run off into the sunset and live happily ever afta. Mark my words.” Jack gave him a pointed look. “Yous two will build a great marriage, just as yous built a great home and relationship to begin with.” 

As he woke up that morning, Race grinned knowing a big day lay ahead. He took a few minutes to himself, to mentally prepare for the day before walking out of the guest room. He heard a gentle hum of activity, including a little girl singing off key to a song. Peeking into the living room, a grin slid across his face as he saw Jack holding Tommy, Kat trying to wrangle Sammi’s curls, and Albert enjoying a cup of coffee. 

“Mornin’ Race. How are you feeling?” Kat looked away from Sammi’s curls for a moment when she noticed him standing in the doorway of the living room. 

Shruggin’, he hid his yawn before collapsing into the chair in the corner, looking around the room. “Good. Ready for 4:00.”

“Well considering that’s 8 hours away, you’ve got some things that need to be completed before that.” Kat gave him a look before sending Sammi over in his direction. 

Sammi crawled up in his lap, her finger at her lip before snuggling deeper into his embrace. “It’s yous ‘eddin’ day, Uncle Race.” 

“It is Sammi. Yous excited?” He hugged her a bit tighter. 

She nodded her head as she looked around the room at her parents and other uncle. “Momma says theres cake.”

“There will be cake. Will yous help me eat it Sammi?” He chuckled at the four year old’s excitement for the sweet. 

“Yeah.” She went quiet, looking at her uncle. “Momma says theres dancin’ and Is has a ‘retty dress.”

Race nodded. “Yous do have a pretty dress; I bet yous’ll be the best dressed girl there.” 

“Not uh huh.” She popped up and looked at him. “Momma will be.” 

Looking over at Kat, Race grinned. “Is think yous and your momma will both be the prettiest girls in the room.” 

Bouncing Sammi on his leg, her sweet giggles filled the room. Looking at her friend, Katherine smiled. “Hey Race, how about you take a walk around the neighborhood? Spend a little bit of time by yourself before the madness starts.” 

He smiled at Kat, loving how she knew him so well. Taking his leave from the house, Race promised Kat he would be back in 20 minutes. Putting the familiar cigar in his mouth, he made his way down the sidewalk. The street was busy with Newsies hawkin’ headlines and the street vendors were busy setting up for the day. His feet led him, no real destination in mind. 

Coming up to a stall, he bought a sour green apple before continuing on his journey.  Biting into the juicy apple, his mind was packed with details of the day and nothing all at once. Pausing to stand on the corner, he heard a Newsies hawkin’ a completely made up headline “Dozens injured as fairy crashes in the harbor.” 

Race grinned, remembering all the ridiculous headlines he and his friends would make up just for a penny. Feeling in his pocket for a dime, he approached the Newsies. “Buy a pape, mister?”

Holding out the dime, Race grinned. “Good headlines today?” 

“Dozens injured as a fairy crashes in the harbor.” The kid grinned, handing over a pape to Race. 

Race hummed, opening up the paper before seeing the story on page 3. “Only two people were injured, kid.” 

“Gotta embellishin’’ a bit mister; ya know to sell papes? Thanks for the dime.” The kid grinned. Race folded the paper back up, putting it under his arm before nodding. “I know that all too well. Have a great day.” 

Race had a grin on his face as his feet led him back to the Kelly House. Walking up the front steps, he let himself in the front door, causing the conversation to die down in the room. “Where did you go?”

“Corner for an apple and pape.” Race grinned at Jack. “Kid on the corner is quite the embellisher.” 

Kat raised her eyebrow at him. “As I recall, you were quite the embellisher as well Higgins.” 

“And look at me now.” He grinned, sitting on the couch opening the paper to read the headlines. 

Jack sat next to him, raising an eyebrow. “Why the pape?”

“Sentimentally sake. Remind myself where Is was and wheres Is now.” Race shrugged, giving Jack a smile. “Besides Is wanted somethin’ from the wedding day.” 

“Yous a sap, Racetrack Higgins. Sap.” Albert quipped from the opposite couch. 

Kat smiled at the three. “Leave him be. He’s allowed to be a sap on his wedding day. Need I remind you two of your own wedding days?” Kat gave them both a look. “As I recall, one of you was sobbing in the corner just before you walked down the aisle and the other was sentimental for many days before the wedding.” 

“Yous don’t gotta remind me.” Albert put his hands up in surrender before shooting Kat a mean glare.

“Love you too Albie.” Kat kissed the top of his head before depositing Tommy in Race’s lap. “I’m going to start to get ready. Jack, my mother will be here at 9 to pick up Tommy. Will you make sure everything is in his bag?” 

Race grinned at his nephew who had just started recognizing his own voice and loved to vocalize it. “Hey Tommy boy. Yous get to go to yous grandparents tonight while mom and dad are at the weddin’.”

Tommy just babbled as Race nodded his head. Thankfully, Sammi had warmed up to her brother. Sammi is the only one who Tommy will laugh for and as soon as she’s up in the morning, she’s always looking for him. She’s a great helper with giving him his bottle or a toy. 

Once Tommy was handed off to Kate, Jack clapped his hands and suggested they get some breakfast before starting to get ready. The three men and Sammi ventured down to the local diner, hungry and excited for the day ahead. 

2:00pm

Arriving at the Pier A Harbor House in Battery Park, Race hopped out of the carriage before straightening his black tuxedo. He had a black jacket with tails on top of a grey vest over a crisp white shirt, a grey and white stripe tie around his neck.  He took a quick look at himself - everything was rented for the wedding, including the black top hat that Jack had just handed to him. Jack and Albert had stepped out of the carriage, both dressed in tailed tuxedos and matching top hats. 

“Wow do you three clean up!” Kat exclaimed watching them walk up the walkway towards the venue. Her hair was tied up in an elegant updo while pulling off an elegant emerald green wrap dress. Sammi was at her side in a white and navy blue flower girl dress, her hair up as well. 

Meeting them halfway, Sammi ran to Race’s side, the older bending over to pick her up. “Wows Sammi, yous so pretty.” 

“Tank yous Uncle Race. Yous gettin’ ‘arried!” She placed a kiss on his check and grinned brightly at her uncle before pushing away from him. “Mys dress ‘wirls.” 

She turned around, letting the edges of her dress twirl around her, her giggles echoing off the buildings. “Sees, Uncle Race?”

“Very pretty Sammi girl.” Bending over, he placed a kiss on her cheek before looking over at Kat. “Where do wes need to go?” 

Kat looked over from having her own private moment with her husband with a grin. “You’re in the Willow Room. There’s some food in there for you guys and you can relax before the next part.” 

The three headed inside, feeling the cool of the air circulating within the building. Finding the Willow Room, the three settled in, Race flexing his fingers and toes tapping while waiting for 4pm to roll around. 

“Yous got your vows?” Jack asked, looking over the back of the couch. “You did write them out, didn’t yous?” 

Race smirked, tapping his head. “Its all in here. I didn’t writes them out.” 

Albert snorted loudly. “Yous gonna remember?” 

“Someone told mes to just speak from the heart and thats all Is gonna do.” Race shrugged, not really understanding what the big deal was. 

Jack smirked. “Yous be fine. Just make sure you don’t cuss in yous vows.” 

“Yous should be tellin’ Spot that, not me.” Race’s eyes went wide. “But that’ll be a memory wes have forever if hes did that.” 

Chuckling, Albert shook his head. “Well yous always go your own way so cussin’ in vows shouldn’t be anys surprises to anyone.” 

A knock at the door caused the three to look over. Standing in the doorway, Crutchie, Specs, Elmer, Finch and Romeo were all standing there looking dressed to the nines with grins on their faces. Even though they were all at Jacobi’s the night before, there was a loud excitement as the eight men greeted one another.  Settling in various places around the room, a calm quiet enveloped the room. “So yous ready?”

Race grinned at Elmer’s question. “Just antsy . . . wants to just get the show on the road.” 

“Why a Tuesday and why 4pm?” Finch asked, raising an eyebrow at Race. He was used to this question by now, almost all of the Newsies had asked at one moment or another.

The groom looked around the room at all of his friends. “Tomorrows a year since Spot proposed . . . wes didn’t wanna go a year so wes gettin’ married today. Four is when the venue would be ready.” 

Jack started a conversation regarding the New York Giants baseball team which pulled all of the Newsies into the discussion. Every Newsies was very invested in the game, often standing outside of the stadium on game days trying to hear the familiar crack of the bat as it sent the ball flyin’ into the outfield. 

Race caught a glance at the watch on his wrist, a present from Spot. 2:50pm. He knew Kat would be comin’ to get him in a few minutes to give him some alone time prior to the ceremony.  

In those few minutes, Race ran over the details of the afternoon. He knew Spot had Itey and Hotshot standing up as his best man and groomsman. But Spot had told him nothing’ about his tuxedo for the wedding. All Race knew is that they would both wear the same boutineer, a white Ranunculus flower with some greenery and some twine wrapped around the stems. Kat promised the ceremony would be pretty straight forward - two readings and exchange of vows then they would be pronounced husbands and the party could start. 

The loudness of the room pulled Race from his thoughts. The room had split into two different conversations. Albert caught Race’s eye, raising his own to ask the nonverbal question if he was okay. Race nodded, a grin on his face, toes continuing their nervous taps. 

A knock on the door caught Race’s attention. He grinned seeing Sammi and Kat standing there. “Race?”

Nodding, he stood and told the guys he would see them in a little bit. He followed Kat and Sammi out of the room, walking out of the venue to see the harbor in front of him. Kat gave him a big hug and a grin. “I’m so proud of you. You are going to be a wonderful husband.” 

“Thanks Kat.” He paused, pulling her back into a hug. “Thank you for everything yous done. This day has gone so smoothly, simply because yous got everything handled. The venue looks amazing.” 

Squeezing his arm, she grinned at the praise. “You’re welcome. Now you’ll have 30 minutes out here before I’ll come get you. I’ll try to keep the boys away from the windows.”

“Thanks.” 

He heard her heels click as she made her way back to the venue. He leaned against the barrier, listening to the waves crash and the seagulls call as they lazily flew around the harbor. He heard a door click shut and gentle footsteps behind him as a grin slid across his lips. 

“Are you waiting for someone?” The smooth voice of the one and only Spot Conlon caused him to turn around, his eyes moving up and down taking in his appearance. “Because if yous not, that’s a damn shame.” 

Spot was dressed in a navy blue tuxedo with tails, a cream vest, and a navy blue polkadot tie around his neck. In his hands was the familiar Newsies cap Spot was rarely seen without. “Yous look breathtakin’.” 

“You don’t look half bad either, Higgins.” Spot closed the gap between the two, pulling Race into his arms. “Happy Weddin’ Day, love.” 

Race nodded, suddenly overcome with emotions at seein’ his soon to be husband dressed to the nines. He sniffled, trying to keep the tears at bay. Spot softened seeing his boy so emotional, taking a handkerchief from his pocket, and gently wiped the tears away. “I love you.” 

“Love you too.” A watery smile crossed Race’s lips before he bent over and placed a chaste kiss on Spot’s lips, turning to face the harbor, watching the water hit the pier. “Been wanting to do that since yesterday.” 

Spot chuckled. “Soon, cara, soon. What did you do today?” 

“Nothin’ much. Got breakfast, bought a pape, played with Sammi and Tommy, and came here. Yous?” 

Spot leaned against the barrier, mimicking Race’s stance. “Swam in the harbor for old times sakes then went to the Lodgin’ House before getting ready and comin’ here.” 

Hummin’ in contentment, Race laced his fingers with Spot’s, squeezing them gently. “Of course yous swim in da harbor before wes got married.” 

“It was relaxin’ and its a tradition.” Spot exclaimed, Race shaking his head at him with a chuckle. 

“I love you.” 

“I love you too. Ready to be married to yous. Is it 4pm yet?” Spot whined as Race brought their connected hands up and kissed the back of his hand. 

Looking at his watch, Race smiled. “We’ve got 45 minutes until the weddin’. Kat will be heres in 15 minutes.”

“And in 75 minutes wes married and time to party.” Spot grinned, squeezing their connected hands. 

The clicking of high heels caught their attention. Looking over their shoulders, they both smiled seeing Kat coming closer to them. “Sorry boys to interrupt, but I figured you’d want to pin these on each other.” 

Handing over their boutineers, Kat gave them both a smile before disappearing back into the venue. Facing his betrothed, Spot took the pin out of the arrangement, before quickly attached it to the lapel of Race’s tuxedo before kissing his cheek. Race followed suit before dippin’ Spot and placing a kiss on his lips. “If yous gonna do it, do it right, Conlon.” 

“Last time you’ll get to call me that, Higgins.” Spot grinned. 

Race’s eyes lit up at the thought. “Last time you’ll call me that, Sean.” 

“That might be a new nickname for you snookums.” 

Race paused as a thought hit him. “Jack and Albert told me Is shouldn’t cuss in our vows.” 

“Was that a bet?” Spot turned, leaning over the barrier, watching the waves crash against the pier. 

Race shook his head. “No but then they amended that would be a pretty amazin’ memory if wes did.” 

“There may or may not bes a cuss word in mine.” Spot shrugged, grinning as Race’s head whipped up in his direction. “Gotta keep you on yous toes, cara.” 

Running a hand through his hair, Race chuckled. “Did you write yours?” 

“No. Is gonna speaks from my heart.” Spot smiled, lacing their hands together once more. “Did yous?”

Squeezing their locked hands, Race smiled, a seagull catching his attention as it flew by. “No. I just figured Is speak from the heart.” He shrugged. “So Is apologize if its a jumbled mess.”

“Wes steppin’ into this togetha. If it’s a jumble mess, then its our jumbled mess.” Spot grinned, Racce’s heart melting at the sweet words. “Is love you Anthony Racetrack Higgins and no messy vows will every change that.”

Tears clouded Race’s eyes once more, Spot reaching up to catch the tears on his finger. “Is love you too Sean Spot Conlon.” 

The door opening once more caught their attention. Spot and Race both smiled seeing Kat coming towards them with a grin of her own. “Alright you two, you have 30 minutes until the wedding. Back to your rooms and I’ll come get you when it's your time to walk down the aisle.” 

The two kissed for the last time as boyfriends before making their way to their own rooms, where their boys were waiting. Walking into the room, Race grinned, shutting the door behind him. “How about you be a little more lovey dovey there Higgins?”

Looking around the room, all seven of his brothers were still in the positions he left them before he met Spot. He shrugged, grinning at Finch who made the comment. “Not sure whats you talkin’ about but it’s my weddin’ day so Is be as much lovey dovey as Is want.” 

“That was quite an impressive dip you did to Spot, Higgins.” Crutchie piped up giving Race a big grin. 

Race chuckled, pausing and looking at each of the seven people in the room. “Is know I haven’t said this lately, but yous my best friends. Yous been there for the good times and the bads and Is damn lucky to have yous in my life. I love you guys.” 

“Yous a sap Higgins.” Specs grinned. “But wes loves you too.” 

And with that, the others left the room, leaving Race with Albert and Jack. “Any partin’ words before Is walk down the aisle, oh wise married ones?” 

Jack and Albert traded glances with each other. “Just be good to each other.” 

Jack nodded, agreeing with Albert’s sentiments. “Just be happy. Don’t let anger fester, talk it out, and just loves him. He’s really good for you, Race; better than anyone wes could’ve picked out for you.” 

Kat came to grab Albert and Jack, getting them in place leaving Race in the room alone. The door opened, causing him to turn around and grin. “Hi Sammi. Hows you doin’?”

“Good, there’s music playin’. Uncle Race?” 

“Yes Sammi?”

She climbed up into his lap, throwing her arms around his shoulders. “Yous gettin’ ‘arried, right?”

“Yes, to Uncle Spot.” He chuckled, seeing the girl’s excitement. “Is that okay?”

“Yes! Love Uncle Pottie!” She exclaimed. “But Is still yous best girl, right?”

Hugging Sammi tightly to his chest. “Yous always will be my best girl, even if Is have a girl of my own, got that?”

“Got it. Love you Uncle Race.” She reached up and smacked her lips against his cheek. 

“Love you too Sammi.” Kissing her forehead, he gave her a tight hug. 

Kat stood in the doorway and wiped away tears that had clouded her eyes at the sweetness between her daughter and uncle. “You two ready? Everyone’s seated and Spot’s up front with the boys.” 

“Momma, Is throw ‘lowers?” Sammi hopped off Race’s lap before running over to Kat.

Kat bent down, wrapping her arms around Sammi’s shoulders. “Yes, you’ll throw flowers before Uncle Race walks down the aisle.” 

Grabbing the basket full of white rose petals, Kat handed it to her daughter before giving her a hug. “Go stand by daddy when you get up the aisle, okay?”

Nodding her head, Sammi grinned. Hearing the music change, Kat quickly opened the door, allowing Sammi to slip through, before starting her journey up the aisle.  “You doing okay?”

“Me? Is should be askin’ you that.” Race grinned. “Yous been runnin’ around like a crazy person while Is been relaxin’ in a room.” He paused. “Is ready to be married.” 

“Kat, Is need to ask you somethin’.” Race had stopped by the brownstone after work one afternoon in September. She was typing up her newest article as a four month old Tommy slept soundly in his bassinet across the room. 

Motioning him to give her a minute, she finished her sentence before standing and making her way to him. “What’s wrong? Is it Spot?”

“Spots fine.” He looked at her. “But wes were talkin’ last night about the weddin’ and Is wanted to asks you something.” 

Kat smiled, giving him a quick hug. “Anything.”

“Spot wants to watch mes walk down the aisle but I don’t wants to walk down by myself.” He paused. “Jack’s in the weddin’ along with Albert so neither of them can do it. But since yous my sister, will you walk with me?”

Tears clouded her eyes. “Race, really?”

“Yous my sister, Kat. Always has been and always wills be.” He squeezed her hand. “Please?”

Throwing her arms around his shoulders, she bounced on her toes and let out a happy squeal. “Of course I would. It’ll be an honor to walk you down the aisle. But why didn’t you want to walk down by yourself?”

“I wouldn’t be heres if it wasn’t for yous, Jack, or Albert. Those two are already ins the weddin’ but I wanted a few moments where its just yous and me.” He shrugged. “Besides, yous always been not only a sister to me but a moms as well.” 

“Race, Racetrack.” She cooed quietly putting a hand on his back, not wanting to startle him from whatever memory he was in. “Are you ready to walk down the aisle?”

Shaking his head, he looked at his sister with a grin. “Let’s do this.” 

Standing side by side with their arms linked, Kat winked at Race as they stepped into the chapel. The music had changed to “Clair de Lune,” by Debussy and Kat and Race took their journey down the aisle.  Race had locked eyes with Spot about halfway down and hadn’t looked away. 

Standing with Spot was Buttons, who had gone into Seminary School and become a preacher. When Spot and Race had gone to him with the request to marry them, Buttons happily accepted. 

Coming to a stop at the end of the aisle, Kat turned to Race with a smile before standing on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek and whisper “be good to one another,” before making her way to her seat. Spot walked over and laced his fingers with Race’s, giving them a squeeze before they both faced Buttons. 

“Dearly beloved, we gather here to witness the union between Anthony ‘Racetrack’ Higgins and Sean ‘Spot’ Conlon. Before we begin, does anyone object to this union, speak now or forever hold your peace.” 

Spot and Race glared around the chapel, daring anyone to speak up. After a few uncomfortable moments, Buttons grinned and continued on with the ceremony. 

“Marriage is a sacred act, between two people in the presence of God, their family and friends. Race and Spot have decided on their own twist to the ceremony. I believe York will start us off with a poem.” 

York stood, walking over to the side of Spot with a piece of paper, grinning at the two grooms. 

“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth;

 Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”

York made his way back to his seat as Buttons shifted. “A marriage is not only the joining together of two individuals, it is also a joining together of two families. The care, support, and nurture which have been extended to Anthony and Sean by their families is as important now as it has ever been. In fact, it needs to be extended now to include another person” 

“Katherine, I believe you have a reading Anthony and Sean would like you to read.” Buttons said with a smile in his friend’s direction. 

Kat walked to the front on Race’s side. Clearing her throat a bit, she started reading, keeping her eye on the grooms, a smile crossed her lips. 

"A good marriage must be created. In the art of marriage the little things are the big things –- It is never being too old to hold hands. It is remembering to say ‘I love you’ at least once each day. It is never going to sleep angry. It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives. It is standing together facing the world. It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family. It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways. It is having the capacity to forgive and forget. It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow. It is finding room for the things of the spirit. It is a common search for the good and the beautiful. It is not only marrying the right partner –- It is being the right partner."

Race squeezed Spot’s hand after Kat finished reading. Flashing a smile at his sister, she flashed him one back. Waiting until she sat down, Button looked between Race and Spot. “Now the grooms have written their own vows. Sean, would you like to begin?” 

“Race, from the first time I laid eyes on you, Is thought you were a pain in the ass. But Is guess from this day forward, yous will be my pain in the ass. I love that you may sometimes make questionable decisions but what Is love about yous is Is know that you do those things because you care so deeply about those who are close to you and are genuinely one of the most thoughtful and considerate people Is have ever known. As we continue to grow in our lives together, Is promise to give you all of my words when needed, and to share in the silence when they are not, to pick you up if you are down, and to love you unconditionally. Anthony, yous my everythin’ and this is my promise to you.” Sniffling, Spot squeezed Race’s hand as he finished.

“Anthony, your turn.” Button smiled as Race squeezed Spot’s hand. 

“Spot, I never imagined this day would come, but now that we are here.  Is couldn't have imagined choosin’ anyone else but you to go through life's journey with. Is love your laugh, your smile, your tough guyness and the sentimental side that you only share with me. Yous my best friend, my biggest cheerleader, and the one Is want to spill all my secrets to. Is will not take our time together for granted. And because words cannot do it, Is promise to show you, for the rest of my life, how much Is love you. Is promise to make you laugh when you are takin’ yourself too seriously.  From today forward, you’ll never walk alone again; I’ll forever be bys your side. Spot, yous my everything and this is my promise to you.”  Sniffling, Race bit his lip trying to keep the tears at bay. Spot reached over with a handkerchief and wiped the tears that had slipped down Race’s face as the two smiled at the tender moment. 

“You have chosen to seal your vows by the giving and receiving of rings. The ring forms a perfect circle, without a beginning or an end, and is thereby a symbol of eternity and signifies the duration of the commitment you are making. Let us now exchange these rings.”

Handing a beat up silver ring to Race, Buttons looked at him. “Anthony, repeat after me: I give you this ring, as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am, and with all that I have, I will honor you.”

“I give you this ring, as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am, and with all that I have, I will honor you.” Race smiled, sliding the ring onto Spot’s ring finger. Spot squeezed his hand with a smile before Buttons continued. 

Handing a ring to Spot, Buttons looked at him. “Sean, repeat after me: I give you this ring, as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am, and with all that I have, I will honor you.”

“I give you this ring, as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am, and with all that I have, I will honor you.” Spot grinned, sliding Race’s engagement ring back onto his ring finger. 

“And now, by the authority invested in me as a preacher, and in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, I now pronounce you man and man. Anthony, you may kiss your husband.” Catcalls and excited cheers rang out from both sides of the aisles as Race pulled Spot into his arms and dramatically dipped him before kissing him not so chastly. Settling Spot back on his feet, Race pulled him and dropped a chaste kiss on his lips before linking their hands together. 

“Gentlemen, please face the congregation.” Buttons grinned at both his friends before clearing his throat. “It is my pleasure to introduce to you, for the very first time, Mr. and Mr. Higgins-Conlon.”

The noise level in the chapel escalated as the two raised their hands in celebration before walking down the aisle to the catcalls of their friends.  Walking out of the chapel, Race drug Spot behind a column, where the two wouldn’t immediately be found. Pulling Spot to him, Race grinned before kissing him. “Hello husband.” 

“Hmm . . . Is could get used to hearing you call me that.” Spot purred before standing on his tiptoes kissing Race once more. “Hello husband. Wes did it, wes married!”

Their bubble was busted a few moments later as Kat found them with her eyes covered. “Is it okay to peak?” 

“Wes still decent if thats what yous asking.” Spot chuckled, watching Kat remove her hand from her eyes. 

She rolled her eyes before grinning at the two. “You two have some things you need to take care of before you run off. Come greet everyone before you sign your marriage certificate.”  

Standing outside the chapel, they greeted all of their guests with hugs, kisses, and a few comments. Medda was wiping her eyes as she greeted them while Elmer and Specs were both looking for the free booze they were promised. Jack, Kat, and Sammi were the last ones out of the chapel. Sammi quickly ran to her uncle who easily picked her up and put her on his hip. “What did yous think Sammi?”

“Yous married Uncle Race to Uncle Pottie.” She exclaimed, throwing her arms around his shoulders before smacking her lips to his cheek. “Con’tulations!” 

“Thank you Sammi. Yous threw the flowers perfectly.” He snuggled her before she jumped into Spot’s arms to congratulate him. 

Turning to his brother, he was surprised to see the remnants of tear tracks on Jack’s cheeks. “You okays, Jackie?”

“Yous vows got me.” He shrugged. “It was a beautiful ceremony, Race. Congratulations!” 

Race brought him in for a hug before slapping the back of his back. “Yous wife is a godsent. She’s an amazin’ planner and wes got her to thank for this.” 

Jack smiled. “She is pretty spectacular. But it’s your day today. Makes sure you take some time to commit this to memory. It’ll go by too fast.” 

Nodding at Jack’s advice, Race patted him on the back before turning to the one person he knew was the biggest piece of the day being pulled off beautifully. “Plums, yous amazing, yous know that right?”

“Race, your the amazing one. I just did what you asked.” She pulled him into a hug. “Congratulations, the ceremony was beautiful and look, you’re a married man now.” 

“All thanks to you, Kat. Seriously, yous pulled off an amazing ceremony.” Race grinned at his sister before Spot popped up, with Sammi still in his arms. “He’s right yous know. Thank you, Kat. Wes couldn’t have done it without yous.” 

Hugging them both, she grinned pulling back, grabbing Sammi from Spot’s arms. “You’re more than welcome. I’d do anything for you two since you’ve done so much for me and Jack. Enjoy tonight but take some time and really soak this in - tonight will go by too fast for you both. Trust me.” 

Looking in the chapel, she saw Itey, Albert, and Buttons waiting for them. “Go sign your marriage certificate. Then, you’ve got a few minutes before they’ll announce you as husbands inside the dining room - take some time just for the two of you and I’ll come get you before they announce you.” 

Quickly signing the document, the two made their way back down the aisle waiting to be called in as Albert, Itey and Buttons all walked into the dining room. Race pulled Spot into a hug, letting the calm of the moment pass over them. “Is love you.” 

“Is love you too.” 

“What song did yous pick for the dance?” Race had given that to Spot as he had no idea what to pick. Spot was quite secretive on what he had picked. 

Spot grinned. “Yous just have to wait. Any surprises tonight, snookums?” 

“Not that Is aware of. Wes havin’ dinner, dancin’, speeches; Albert and Itey may has come surprises up their sleeves but none that Is aware of.” 

Spot shook his head. “Is told Itey to go easy on us.” 

“Is told Albert the same but Is slightly afraid of what lies ahead.”  Race reached for Spot’s hand, giving it a squeeze. “Husband . . . when do you think it’ll hit us?”

Spot squeezed his hand, grinning at the metal on his ring finger. “Is hopin’ not for a longs time.” 

Kat stuck her head out in the lobby. “You two ready?” 

They walked over to the room’s entrance, hands intertwined before hearing a booming voice speak. “For the first time, please welcome Mr. and Mr. Higgins-Conlon.” 

The room was loud and crazy as the two walked in. They were both greeting people as they made their way to their own table. As soon as they sat down, there were clinking glasses, signaling them to kiss. Race happily obliged, leaning over and sweetly kissing Spot. 

Soft music started to play as everyone got situated at their tables and the waitstaff started serving salads. Race took a moment to look around the room at all the tables set up. They hadn’t made table assignments, instead all of their friends could sit wherever and with whoever they wanted to. There were vases of white peonies on each of the tables with a candle (or tea light as Kat always corrected him) flickering bringing a gentle ambiance to the room. 

Spot nuding his shoulder broke him from his thoughts. “You okay?” 

“Just takin’ it all in.” He smiled, leaning over and kissing Spot’s lips. “Is love you.” 

Spot smiled. “Is love you too, snookums.” 

Soon, the buffet opened for everyone while the servers delivered plates to Spot and Race. The room quietened into a comfortable hum as everyone got their food and started eating. 

Before long, Itey stood up and clanked his glass, getting the attention of everyone in the room. 

“Ladies and Gentleman, if there is anyone here amongst us this afternoon who should be feeling nervous, apprehensive and maybe little queasy at the thought of what lies ahead… It's probably Race because you have just married Spot. For those who donts know me, my name is Itey and Is would like to thank Spot for finally confirming that I am indeed the best man.” A hearty laughter rolled through the room as Itey gave Spot a cheesy smile. 

“Some would describe him as loyal, caring, sincere, popular, honest, good looking and most of all modest. But that's enough about me; we should maybe talk about Spot. Spot and Is met back in 1887 when we were just wee lads as we ended up in the same Lodging House hawkin’ papes for the World. Spot was a reserved young man who rarely talked, a skill he seems to lose as hes gotten older.” Spot sent a glare in Itey’s direction before shaking his head. 

“Is could go on humiliating Spot but I have to remind myself that there are children present and he can do a good job of it himself anyway. Is have other stories about Spot that are available for a small fee at the bar later, just buy me a lager. Spot has been a wonderful friend with a tough guy exterior but once you break through that exterior, you’re friends with him. Over the years I've been taught several great things by Spot, the art of drinking-too much, how not to go chatting up a pretty girl. But the biggest thing he’s taught me is how to be a decent person; hows to keep your word and how to be a great leader. Spot, Is happy for you and Race and I  sincerely hope the pair of you have a long and happy marriage together. I know that you will make him very happy and you are everything that he needs. Just please try and look after him as much as we do.  Please raise your glasses and toast Spot and Race.”

“To Spot and Race!” The room echoed Itey as he made his way over to the grooms with a grin. Spot bearhugged him as Race gave him a bright smile. 

As soon as Itey was seated, Albert stood up with a piece of paper and a big grin on his face. 

“Hi! For those of you who don’t know me I’m Albert, Race’s best man. When Race asked me to be his best man I felt honoured and had to say yes.” Albert grinned, looking between Spot and Race. “I’ve known Race for 16 years now, and he’s asked me to talk today about what a great guy he is, so I can honestly say that he is handsome, brilliant, funny and char…. (TURN TO Race) … Race, I can’t read your writing. What’s this last word?” A loud ripple of laughter sounded through the room while Albert grinned brightly at Race. 

“Since we first met, I have seen his transformation from an awkward youth to a slightly less awkward adult and it’s my great pleasure to speak on this important occasion. I met Race when Jack picked me up from the streets and brought me into the Lodging House. We struck up a good friendship and it’s stayed like that ever since. We may have gotten into our fair share of trouble - can anyone recall the incident in Central Park?”  

“Moving on Albert!” Race yelled, squeezing Spot’s hand as he glared at his best friend. Albert grinned brightly and turned his head. “Love you too Race!”

“Moving on . . . Is look back at some of the stuff we have done together and it makes me proud to have a friend like you. We have had some truly great times and have shared some great experiences together, memories Is will never forget. Is have been honoured to have been your best man and want you to know that Is look up to you more than you could imagine. Just remember, love is like a circle, it goes on forever and I love you man! I can see how happy you make each other and I wish you both nothing but happiness for your future together. Ladies and gentlemen, it truly has been an honour delivering this speech to you, so please, join me in raising your glasses to the happy couple!”

Raising his class, Albert grinned. “To Race and Spot!” 

Everyone in the room reciprocated the action while Albert hugged Race. “Thank you, Albie. Why the Central Park incident? Nothing really happened.” 

“You’re welcome, Race. Gotta let the people wonderin’ what happened.” Chuckling, Albert patted him and Spot on the back, he headed back to his seat beside Marie.  

Music started up as Spot held his hand out for Race. “Shall we?”

Spot pulled Race into his arms as they started twirling around the dance floor. Race grinned, letting Spot lead him across the floor. “So Is got a question for you.” 

“What’s that?” 

“Hows many kids yous want?” Race titled his head, giving Spot a soft smile. 

Spot gave him a look, shaking his head. “Shouldn’t wes talked about this before the weddin’?” 

“Ugh . . . I knows you want kids and yous know I want kids. We knews there’ll be kids but Is askin’ how many.” Race gave him a cheesy look while tryin’ to look innocent. 

Spot chuckled, dancing in tune with the music softly playing. “Maybe 2 or 3. More than 1 for sures.” 

“Sounds like a plans to me.” He said before Spot dipped him in the middle of the dance floor as applause rang around them at their first dance. 

They parted ways after their dance as people wanted to talk with them. Race got pulled into a conversation with some of his coworkers as Spot headed to the Brooklyn table. Within minutes, Race was scanning the crowd looking for someone in particular. He grinned when he spotted her, excusing him from the conversation before heading over to where she was. 

Bowing at her, he grinned at her. “Can Is have this dance, m’lady?” 

Sammi giggled, her curls falling out of her ponytail. “Uncle Race, yous silly.” 

“Is silly? Will yous dance with me?” Race gave her a puppy dog smile as she nodded her head before hopping off the chair she was kneeling on. 

Following him onto the dance floor, Sammi hopped on top of his shoes, as they twirled around the dance floor. Her giggles were loud as Race sang along to the music. Picking her up in his arms, she threw her arms around his shoulders as they moved together. “You havin’ fun, Sammi?”

Nodding her head, she looked over his shoulder. “Uncle Race?”

“Yes Sammi?”

Cupping her hands around his ear, she leaned in to whisper. “Whens da cake?” 

Throwing his head back laughin’, Race shook his head at his niece. “Soon, Sammi. Yous’ll get the first piece, alright?” 

“Okay!” She giggled before her eyes went wide. “Momma!” 

“Samantha.” Kat giggled as the two stopped dancing. “May I cut in and dance with Uncle Race?” 

Sammi looked at her uncle. “Its a plea’ure dancin’ with you, Uncle Race.” She kissed his cheek before he set her on the ground. A moment passed before she headed back to the table where her coloring book and crayons were. 

Pulling Kat into his arms, Race started dancing as they made their way around the dance floor. She took a moment to look at her brother. “You doing okay, Race?” 

“Is just over the moon happy.” He sighed. “Alls I want is to go home and just be with Spot.” 

Kat laughed. “I remember that all too well from my own wedding. You just want the quiet and your spouse.” 

“Yes!” Race grinned. “Lookin’ forward to the rest of the week in Cold Springs just the two of us. Wes rented a cabin ups there.” 

Kat grinned. “You’ll enjoy that. We used to spend summers up there at a family cottage. There’s a lot to see and do. Jack and I really enjoyed getting away from the city on our honeymoon. Dinner when you get back?” 

“Is sure Spot and Is can swing that.” Race grinned, pulling her into a hug. “Thanks Kat. Is know you’re probably tired of hearin’ it but yous been a lifesaver and Is thankful for yous friendship and sisterness.” 

She grinned. “Just remember that when you have kids and you need to think of a middle name. Kate or Katherine would be great middle names.” 

Throwing his head back, Race laughed loudly, catching the attention of several others on the dance floor, including Jack as he made his way towards his wife and brother. “You two causin’ trouble over here?” 

“No more than usual.” Race grinned. “Where yous been, Jackie? Thought you’d be tearin’ up the dance floor.” 

Sticking his hands in his pockets, Jack rocked back on his heels. “Just conjuring up a surprise for yous and Spot. Can yous grab him and meet me in the Willow Room?”

Kissing Kat’s cheek, Race promised he’d meet Jack there in a few minutes before going to find Spot. Sliding up beside his husband, he slid his hand into Spot’s squeezing it gently, as Spot looked up from his conversation with Itey and Hotshot. 

“There’s my husband.” Spot exclaimed. 

Saying his hellos to Spot’s best friends, Race grinned. “Can I steal you away for a few minutes?” 

Promising to catch up next week after they returned, Spot followed Race across the room and out into the lobby of the venue. Spot squeezed Race’s hands but not asking any questions. “Jack wanted to see us in the Willow Room.” 

Walking into the room, they saw Jack leaning against a table with something on the table. “Ah there yous two.” 

“What’s up Jackie?” Race asked looking at his brother for any signs of what Jack needed them for. 

“I wanted to give yous something as a present. I sketched it earlier and was trying to figure out how to get it to yous two - thought about sneakin’ it into the house but Kat said this would be better for yous two.” Jack rambled, which never happened, giving Race the heads up that he was nervous about whatever was on the table. 

Stepping forward, Race looked at the frame on the table. Jack had sketched the two of them as they stood on the pier earlier before the ceremony. Spot’s face was facing the river as their hands were linked, perched on the barrier. Race’s face was turned towards Spot’s with a big grin on his face. Race’s top hat was skewed on his head while Spot’s Newsies cap was perched delicately on top of his head. 

Race swallowed the sudden rush of emotions of seeing the sketch. “Jack . . . this is incredible. When did you have time to do this?” 

“While you two fools were standing out there.” Jack smiled. “I asked Kat to ensure that you two had 30 minutes to just see each other before the weddin’. I knew I wanted to sketch something from today but didn’t know what - this just sorta happened.” 

Spot swung his arm around Jack, pulling him in for a hug. “This is incredible - it’ll go in the living room of the house, right above the couch. Thank you for sketching it - we’ll cherish it always.” 

Race followed suit, pulling his brother into a hug, tears in his eyes. “Thanks Jackie. This is the best present yous could’ve given us. A perfect weddin’ memento.” 

“Kat and Is will take it to the house tomorrow but Is wanted you to see it tonight.” Jack grinned, the nervousness from earlier gone. 

Spot and Jack gave him one more hug before they headed back into the lobby, taking one moment just the two of them. “Yous made me the happiest man alive, Sean Higgins-Conlon and Is love you forever for it.” 

“Yous made me pretty happy yourself, Anthony Higgins-Conlon. Is love you.” 

They joined their guests in the room as an upbeat song was played. They danced, laughed, and shoved cake in each other’s faces as the night came to an end. Long drawn out goodbyes to their friends and family were said before the two left via carriage as tin cans tied to the undercarriage sang their departure. Mr. and Mr. Higgins-Conlon married at last. 

Okay some credit is due. There are two poems that are read in the wedding ceremony. The first poem York read is “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost. You may recall that this was partially read when Spot proposed to Race. This poem wasn’t written until 1916 but I felt like it fit Race and Spot so well - so forgive me for utilizing artistic liberties. The second poem that Kat read is called “The Art of Marriage” by Wilferd Arlan Peterson. When I read this, I immediately fell in love with it and knew that it fit our two leading men perfectly. 

So what did you think? This is 8,900 words of pure love written over two days and I would really appreciate some comments on what you loved, hated, or got emotional at. I had some tears in my eyes as I wrote this. Any feedback would be appreciated!!!! 

[nobodysdaydreams]

I have many questions about Pryce and Cutter's backstory, but I mostly want to know more about their insecurities and failures. Also, do they have bones?

(Or my reaction to Episodes 55-58 of Wolf359).

Welcome back dear readers! Should I have reacted to more Wolf359 this weekend? No. I have work to do. But, like Doug Eiffel himself, I cannot just let a cliff hanger like that go unfinished. The events of the last two episodes have been spinning in my head for the last 24 hours and I need ANSWERS DANG IT. Will this lead me to an even bigger cliffhanger that I will surely regret later? Probably, but that's the risk we need to take. As Doug Eiffel said "a leap of faith".

Tagging the mutuals who got me invested in this, and if you want to be tagged or untagged from these posts, lmk, or you can follow my blog or simply follow the tag "#bods wolf359 reactions". Anyone who has followed me for a while knows my updates are inconsistent, so I apologize in advance for that and for any spelling/grammar mistakes in my posts.

@sophieswundergarten @oflightningandstars @acollectionofcuriousreblogs @herawell @commsroom @lovelyladylavie

Episode 55: A Place For Everything

Okay, before we start this episode, a few thoughts that have been going through my head:

Obviously Minkowski is brainwashed sadly :( BUT:

Is Jacobi brainwashed too because Kepler ratted him out, or is Jacobi playing as a double agent?

Did Pryce and Cutter brainwash Kepler too, or is he on their team?

Hera is clearly fighting Pryce to warn Doug, but how much is she able to fight past her?

Can Pryce and Cutter even brainwash Lovelace considering she's an alien clone?

I need to figure out where everyone is. I need to know what happened. Was there a struggle or did Cutter just stroll in and snap his fingers?

Oh we're going back in time. Nice to see Minkowski, Jacobi, and Lovelace working together for as long as it lasts.

Okay so they are looking for Doug, and find Dr. Evil and her psychotic murder business man boyfriend instead.

It's nice that they're doing so much to rescue Doug though. But he really should have talked this through with them. And then they all should get the heck out of there before Cutter shows up.

Kepler. BE QUIET. Has he learned nothing? Does he have a death wish?

Kepler: "There are limits to the human body...I'm not talking about Eiffel. Give them a chance to catch their breath" Wow, such caring words from the man who risked the lives of his crew just to get a bottle of Whiskey back.

"Since when you are worried about pushing people too far." GREAT QUESTION MINKOWSKI.

Oh you "knew" Jacobi was on your side did you Kepler? "Maybe there's other things I've been wrong about." NOW? You're figuring this out now, Kepler? It took you that long? Is he awkwardly trying to grab a redemption arc too? I want to hope so, but something tells me he'll flip the second Pryce and Cutter show up.

"Just be wrong quietly" I love Minkowski

A shuttle? Shoot it. SHOOT IT.

Oh great Cutter has a message.

Wow, he even made a fake "We're not your enemy" message.

HERA CAN'T STOP THEM FROM DOCKING. NO NO NO NO NO.

And what are they doing to Lovelace.

Does Kepler know it's them? Oh yeah. He and Hera know. Everyone knows now. Oh boy...

Yeah. Really really bad is an understatement. I hope you guys have a plan. A really really good plan.

Well here come the bad guys.

"Who's gonna come through those doors? High level SI-5?" Jacobi doesn't even know...oh Kepler you really kept them in the dark didn't you?

Um. What was that. Four people? Who are they?

Another Australian guy?

Oh is that Rachel Young? Ew. Why is she there?

Ah...there he is. Yes, Cutter they did have quite a party. Shame you're here to ruin it. "You look awful" don't insult Kepler, Cutter. That's MY job.

THEY TOOK OVER THE MINDS OF THE HERMES CREW? So that's why they're following them.

"This is just a formality, don't you Daniel? Just until you can be...processed." Okay, so he's gonna brainwash him.

And Cutter has been 100% listening in on EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING. Who are you lying for? Those "reports" are probably just so he knows how much information you're willing to tell him.

And...there she is.

Oh Cutter named the AI? Interesting.

She said "no" Pryce, does she need to say it again?

HERA DON'T TELL HER THAT.

Oh dear. They got Hera too now.

I'm surprised more people aren't freaking out about Pryce and Hera sharing a voice.

"Neither of them is my type" Then...who is Jacobi, also what do you think picking the lock will do?

Yep. Brainwashed Zombies.

"I'm an SI-5 agent in good standing..." Jacobi, that doesn't matter anymore.

"There isn't someone worse that still hasn't showed up" Oh...but you haven't considered the dear listeners.

Okay so we got Cutter, Rachel, Pryce, a black ops agent, some brainwashed zombies they picked up from Hermes, and...wait what's wrong with Pryce's eyes? Is she a cyborg?

Huh. Pryce would need to be 50 at least to have written the space manual. And Cutter would too, but did so under a different name. Oh this is a development. I assumed they were like in their 50s/60s being played by 20 something years old actors...but I guess they actually do look that young...

...

...I guess they have a great skin care routine? Diet? Biotech? Are they both cyborgs? Do they replace parts of themselves whenever they break down? And if so...just how old are they?

Oh Doug is back! Poor Hera. You can save him, Hera. I know you can.

"Hi Doug :)" Don't like that.

"The Sol" of course Cutter would name it after the sun. He sees himself at the center of the universe.

"Renee is fine. Healthy as a horse" shut it Cutter!

"Hera? Is that you?" I love that Doug is the one that picked up on that and Pryce, being mistaken for Hera is the biggest compliment you could ever hope to get.

Counterpart?

"Why do you have Hera's voice?" Because Miranda is evil and likes to play god. Oh my gosh, they literally do think of themselves as gods. Not them quoting scripture too, I swear with each and every episode Cutter and Pryce make me want to vomit. You're not gods. You're just every other selfish terrible lazy parent who has a kid and thinks that they have a right to control the course of their life. Just because you make or create someone doesn't give you the right to do whatever you want with them!

"What?" MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY DOUG.

"1,001 pains in my ass Pryce?" TELL HER DOUG! It's the least of her crimes, but we have to start somewhere.

The...the next you? What um...what happened to the real Carter?

Don't call Doug "good boy" ONLY HERA GETS TO DO THAT.

"You have not been doing a good job as communications officer." HE JUST CONTACTED THE ALIENS. He's the best communications officer you could ever hope to have. Sure, up until now he's done a terrible job, and openly neglected his duties, but this is what happens when you send random ex-convicts with known substance abuse issues and obviously ADHD up into space instead of, oh I don't know, rehabilitating them???

"4 months ago, you took a while to get up here." Exactly what I've been saying.

So they got to Hermes two months ago, but...oh the aliens kept them away! And now Bob let them in, oh no. See Doug, this is why you should have talked to the crew first.

"Go screw yourself" Tell them Doug. They deserve to hear it.

Oh Miranda's torture chair. Of course they have one of those.

"Too bad" it's so unsettling how much Miranda sounds like Hera.

Hopefully, Bob managed to give Doug's mind a little resistance.

It seems that Rachel and Kepler don't get along so well. Bit of a rivalry there?

"Deliver or you're off the team" I don't like that motto.

Oh hi Australian guy. I'm sure my mutuals will be more than happy to tell me more about who he is. But since he's evil and not that interesting, I don't really care.

"He makes you disappear, Warren" Rachel seemed way too happy about that. I always thought she and Warren were on the same level, but I think someone just got promoted and someone else might be getting demoted.

"It will take some time to uncouple it from all the Star Wars trivia" good work Doug, keep the hyper fixation noise in your brain.

"Do you ever get a little tired of hearing yourself speak?" Doug is asking the best questions!

"Defiant until the end. You gotta respect that." "No, you don't." It's interesting how much Pryce and Cutter seem to differ in that Pryce stays very guarded and cold while Cutter embraces a very fake pleasant exterior.

"I am never following your orders ever again." Doug...I love you calling them out, but please do not tempt fate. The more you push, they more they push back. They clearly have a thing for breaking people (and machines).

"That wasn't an offer. There's not an element of choice here." Yeah...saw that coming. Sorry Doug. :(

Hopefully Hera can save him and Minkowski.

Oh Jacobi's been dragged off. So did they get him too?

Ew Rachel's here too. Oh and they have a way to hurt Lovelace. But can they kill her if she's an alien?

"Critical system failure" you go Lovelace!

"I owe you a coke." So apparently Pryce and Cutter don't stay young by avoiding sugar.

New friends? Oh no, he's going to show Lovelace what he did to her friends.

UPGRADE TO THE FULL VERSION? Like Hermes? Deleting certain thoughts? Oh my gosh. Like it's irreversible? Do they want to make the whole world like that?

And also if they had that the entire time, why have they not used that on everyone at Goddard from the beginning? They wouldn't have so many problems if they did that from the beginning. But I suppose that if they can't do the full version right away, the tech is probably pretty complex and expensive.

Okay so Raymond is the name of Australian guy. (Got it from the credits).

Well. At least they didn't get Lovelace's mind. We have that to be thankful for.

Episode 56: Idle Hands

Once again, another episode with no opening credits they just take you right in don't they?

So...is Jacobi not brainwashed? He seems agreeable, but not as robotic as Minkowski.

"Don't push them too hard." "Well it's not like they feel it" "I only turned off their pain receptors. They still have bones, primitive things." Miranda, DO YOU NOT HAVE BONES? WHAT ARE YOU?

Great, now I have the bananas have no bones song stuck in my head.

"It's not like any of them are gonna be alive much longer" And perhaps neither will any of you.

AND STOP WITH THE UNIT 214 STUFF.

"No need to speak. Just give me the sum." Interesting. Miranda really hates the sound of Hera's voice.

"What are you trying to accomplish with these attempts at resistance?" You designed her Miranda. You built and created her. She has your voice. You gave her a personality, presumably similar to yourself. You declared yourself her god. So here's an idea. Why don't you figure it out for yourself?

"My name is HERA...screw you" I'm glad Hera told her off, but the way that Pryce and Cutter scold Eiffel and Hera like they're disappointing children...you really do feel the age gap now.

MINKOWSKI CALLS HER UNIT 214 NOW???

"Things are going to be okay." Did they get Jacobi too? Oh they did.

"Just because they can't talk back doesn't mean they-" good point Hera. We understood what you meant.

Also: "I'll find a way to discipline her later." ... Well, well, well. Looks like someone slipped up there for a moment, didn't you Miranda? What happened to "not her. It?" All of a sudden Hera is a her now? And you talk about her like a disappointing child. But since you clearly just view her as an object, I have to wonder, is it hard losing an argument to someone who sounds like you? Someone who expresses a part of yourself that you perhaps, are a little insecure about? See, Miranda, that's the problem with the whole "playing god" thing. You can act all proud of yourself for making something in your own image, but if you don't like yourself, you might not like the image that looks back at you. Happens to real parents with children all the time. Happens to every human who spends too much time together and starts picking up each other's habits. I am going to enjoy writing some fic about you, Miranda /ominous.

"I'll get creative" I'm sure you will, Miranda. And so will I.

"She was always very persistent" "Watch yourself Warren. You don't want to sound like you admire it" well, it looks like RACHEL knows to refer to Hera as an it, and Kepler doesn't, so it seems Miranda really did slip up there. It's not a writer's mistake if they're being so intentional a few minutes later. Oh, this is going to be so fun for me.

"Pryce gets everyone sooner or later" And Hera was made in her image, Rachel. You might want to think about that.

"Pryce doesn't delete AI, she just corrects them" Oh, the AI that sound exactly like her? The ones that sound just like her? She finds their flaws and corrects them, does she? Not at all reflecting her own self-esteem issues I'm sure.

Replaced cranial architecture? Just because Miranda was bored? Wow, she and Cutter really are the worst.

Rachel is also the worst. Oh and Warren calls her "Miss. Young" while she calls him Warren...I guess they're not on the same level at Goddard or if they were...that's for sure over now and Kepler knows it too.

"I'm not worried about her." It's okay to worry about things other than Whiskey, Kepler. A little character complexity before you die won't be a horrible thing.

"Something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy." And it sounds like Rachel would wish a lot on her enemies. So...what is happening with Lovelace?

Cutter's playing Funzo with her? I assume it's Funzo, but they seem to be playing something. Oh Backgammon. 😂

So this is what Rachel was referring to. Oh the parallels between Cutter and Pryce and Doug and Hera just write themselves at this point.

Lovelace: "I don't eat with creeps" Cutter: 🥺 ...me?

Yes you, you evil creepy murder man.

"I mind every second that you exist." Same Lovelace.

Cutter is smoking? "We all have our vices" That is the LEAST of your vices Cutter. Also between the sodas and cigarettes, clearly Pryce and Cutter haven't been staying alive and looking young due to healthy habits.

"You seem tense" very observant Cutter.

What is it with this man and chai lattes? I've seen a few untagged posts about it, I thought people were exaggerating.

"Miranda and I don't agree on everything" "Tell me you're not about to make me do marriage counseling for you and your work wife" CALL HIM OUT ON IT LOVELACE. 😂 "Even for you that's too evil."

"Miranda is...wonderful. But she can be a little cold." Ah. I see. So you and work wifey disagree on how best to torture people. Luring them into a false sense of security vs. being unfeeling and dark from the start. I suppose that's why they work together, to strike that unhealthy balance.

"I don't wanna do that. It's messy. And that's not how I want to do that. We can be better." So they're doing the good cop, bad cop routine?

And something tells me Lovelace doesn't want a pony. I think she wants you dead.

"Compromise is the cornerstone of a good work marriage" so he doesn't deny it then.

Cutter really is an old man. The smoking, the board games, it's only a matter of time before he starts playing bingo, watching wheel of fortune, and talking about how it was "back when he was young whippersnapper".

I swear, if Cutter and Pryce try to drop their tragic backstories...

Who is asking for Unit 214? Oh Doug. This is so sad. "Thank you 214 :)" "Yeah whatever" "Is everything okay?" EVEN BRAINWASHED HE STILL CARES ABOUT HER. "Pryce is nice" No, she's not Doug!

What happened? HE CALLED HER HERA! DOUG IS BACK! DOUG IS BACK! Doug, you have to pretend, but this is good. He's back. Our boy is back. 💕 Did talking to Hera bring him back?

YES HE IS BACK BABY. TAKE THAT CUTTER, YOU NASTY OLD FART!

"I was alone" Oh...oh. Hera's I am alone monologue. :( 💔

Doug talk like a robot! You need it to be believable. Oh Doug, don't become an actor. Thankfully Australian guy (Raymond, whatever) doesn't seem to be the most perceptive.

"It could have been worse. It could have been Dr. Pryce" Yep. Way worse.

What is Pryce doing that has RACHEL of all people so rattled? I don't like those sounds.

Oh her eye? And I guess that looks pretty gross. And still needs routine adjustment too. Well, well, I think we found some more insecurity. My "ripping apart the villains" sniffer is sniffing out some good stuff here.

Oh yippie. Jacobi's here to help.

Performance review? Review of who? Kepler? Style is Marcus's department, that is very true. HOW BADLY DO YOU NEED JACOBI? oh Kepler is gonna be tested isn't he? Are they gonna make him torture and shoot a compliant Jacobi?

"Boring again..." you're one to talk Cutter. It's always the same with you people.

DOUG, HE CAN TOTALLY TELL. Oh good Cutter is preoccupied and leaving them alone. Just say "yes sir" in a monotoned voice Doug!

Phew. I guess Cutter isn't used to doubting his work wife.

"Wanna know a secret?" 😂😂😂

What's funny is that Cutter could totally make Doug do that to trick her. Oh it looks like Lovelace thought of that.

Doug be incompetent and make references. Not even Pryce and Cutter can fake that. See? She believed that!

Headache? What does that mean? Lovelace's blood? Oh.

So what I'm hearing is that we need to do a few blood transfusions.

"Dr. Pryce can see and hear everything" then you might need to leave Hera.

"I'm here to help! 🥰" Jacobi seems cheery.

Examination table? What are Pryce and Cutter doing to him?

"How old was Dr. Maxwell?" 28. That's...that's young, oh no. That's so sad. Cutter knows it's Kepler's fault too. He's never gonna be done getting tortured with this.

Oh right. His arm is gone, I keep forgetting. They're giving him a prosthetic arm? Well they could have been far less ominous about that. "Prove you belong here." Um...how? He's giving him reading homework? Well that was less ominous than I thought. Wayyyy less ominous.

Hearing Jacobi like this is so funny, I'm sorry. Hopefully, Doug got him the blood and hopefully Jacobi keeps his mouth shut.

Oh. Jacobi didn't make it. Doug you can't risk losing the ground you have. You don't have 10 minutes!

Oh no. It's not Jacobi is it?

Ah. Kepler /derogatory.

I don't know about that Kepler, but I think you might be drowning in Whiskey.

Episode 57: The Devil's Plaything

Nice of them to take us directly back to Kepler's "well, well, well".

"I'm done here" That's the most you've sounded like a robot all day Doug!

See?

Oh and Jacobi is back!

I see Jacobi doesn't know about Kepler's new prosthetic upgrades.

"Putting an end to this. Blowing up the Hephaestus." I hate to say it, but that might be the only solution now.

Doug. Look. I know. I would never pick this solution. But think about your daughter.

Oh, Jacobi has plans to get them off. But um... WHAT ABOUT HERA? She IS the Hephaestus. Can you um...make her the sol? Oh, the sol can hold her consciousness? Well that's good, but Maxwell would be really useful right now. If only Kepler had been the one to go.

That is a good question Doug. Why didn't you get Minkowski first?

Oh gross. Doug. Doug. Do not talk to her. Don't talk to Rachel Young. Don't talk to Dr. Pryce.

"Are you there?" It might not be safe to speak. But Hera is always there, she said so herself.

Visual and thermal sensors? Good plan, but won't Pryce notice?

"As long as it's not Jacobi" *flashes to Jacobi*

"How are things?" Not the best time for small talk Jacobi.

Jacobi knew one of them? This is so sad. He's...yeah they're gone. No one comes back from what Pryce did. 💔 "What they did to them is what you wanted Maxwell to do to me" That was rough, but fair. Jacobi needed to hear that. I like his redemption arc. I'm glad to see it's finally going somewhere.

Rachel really hates Doug 😂

Doug please don't talk to yourself. And remember, you technically can't feel pain. Pretend it's an inconvenience. Why does Rachel sound like a schoolteacher yelling at a first grader while Doug moans and whimpers? 😂

"Oh hello Eiffel. You're bleeding." Indeed, Minkowski.

"Everything is going to be fine." Why do I feel like that might be a phrase Cutter and Pryce use to hypnotize them or something, they say it constantly.

"You just stuck a needle in my neck. That wasn't very nice of you" 😂 Please this is too funny.

"Everything is going to be okay." SEE? SHE LET HIM GO!

Oh no. He called her Hera. Pryce won't allow that.

"Why are you calling her that?" I knew it! Just come up with something... um...Cutter asked me to call her that for his amusement?

oh and even "it's all okay" won't save him now.

How did Minkowski get the walkie-talkie? Oh dear. She's been under the longest too. And she's a trained solider. Doug you should have shot the comms system faster!

"Commander?" "Not quite." "I'm putting the lieutenant on manual." PRYCE CAN JUST SPEAK THROUGH THEM?

DOUG DON'T TELL HER! DON'T TELL HER!

"Don't delude yourself boy" It's little things like calling Doug "boy" that make me realize how old Pryce and Cutter really are. At first I thought they were boomers, but are they from the early 1900s because they seem even older than boomers sometimes just by the way they talk.

Oh dear what's happening now.

"Eiffel is sacrificing himself, what a hero" 😂 Jacobi, never change. Well, do change, but not your sense of humor. That can stay.

The airlock? She's making Minkowski leave out the airlock?

Oh Pryce is onto Jacobi too! "Go to hell" "not before the lieutenant does" Just because you're doing there doesn't mean everyone is Pryce.

Hopefully the alien blood protects them?

Gross. Rachel and Hermes zombies. The worst.

Minkowski! Come back! You can do it!

The Hermes crew went down! They did it! And yes! Punch Young in the face!

No. Not Minkowski. No. She needs to see her husband again!

SHE'S BACK! NOW RUN! RUN FAR AND FAST!

"Have they hit you with a wrench before?" well, no, but they did try it. That's what happens when you lose Jacobi, Rachel. You get hit with wrenches.

Oh poor Hera. It's not your fault.

Alive or dead? Alive, if you can manage. Well at least that's good...I think...

"Only a set back" well let's hope not Cutter. Not interested in your idea of fun.

Episode 58: Quiet, Please

Is this episode about Kepler or Cutter? Because I need them both to be quiet.

Oh right, the plant monster. Good thing Minkowski set up all those weapon stations! Now let's go hunt the real monsters.

The new plan can't be the old plan. Hera told them everything. They know. It's not her fault Jacobi!

Hera, you have to realize that you can't hear this. You have to trust that they will get you off the ship. "Show that WOMAN some respect" YES MINKOWSKI. Very true. But also, you need to make sure they have no way to hear about your plans.

Cutter is also probably waiting on the sol for them in a big evil chair. He's likely practicing his evil speech right now.

This would be a great time for the plant monster to come back and kill Cutter. I wish they keep him around. 💔🪴

"As long as I don't have to be out there" *cuts to Doug out there*

"The only time you're getting visuals from one place" "It's weird I don't like it" Interesting. It probably does feel weird to Hera.

And there goes Doug. I just imagine Kepler telling Pryce "don't worry. I've been tracking them and I'm positive they're in storage, right behind this door" only for Doug to go screaming and flying past the window as Pryce stares at Kepler with a deadpan look.

Talking uses air. Good point. Perhaps they should all talk less. The good news is we haven't heard from Whiskey boy the entire episode. Perhaps he's giving Pryce and Rachel the Whiskey monologue as they go through the ship.

"You're other left" once again Doug is me.

As we listen to Doug go on this journey, I once again return to Kepler's prosthetic arm. I wonder if they can hack it.

Wait what's happening now? Oh the security system is active? Oh dear.

I'm just waiting for things to go wrong. There's no way Cutter Pryce and the gang aren't onto them.

Biometric or retinal... do they need Pryce's eyes? Oh she has spare eyes. I wonder what happens if they break. And how she lost her original eyes. 👁️

"Everyone in favor of going to the lab say "eye"" Lol, "the eyes have it" I love it.

I just know they're gonna show up. I know it. I'm just waiting for it.

There's no way Miranda would leave her lab this unsecured.

Oh...she has a lot of eyes does she? THEY MOVE? Ew. Well... I guess Pryce needs a lot of backups. If I were them I'd just grab one. What's so gross and unsettling about it? I mean, I get that they're eyes that move, but...they make it sound so horrifying. I guess this really must be Miranda's insecurity.

Did he drop the eye? Oh no. This just keeps getting worse. And why wouldn't you grab a backup and smash the rest? If Miranda needs backups, it must be for a reason! Make sure she can't see. It's like smashing someone's glasses or destroying their contact lenses. Get whatever upper hand you can!

Oh. Hi Raymond. Didn't expect you to be here. Um...what now?

An inspiring speech from Doug. Yes, give Hera a moment. I believe in her. 💕

Oh never mind it's Kepler. Gross.

Oh right, Pryce can see in the dark because of her eyes.

"I don't kill people. It's wasteful. I value all my workers highly" I hate Pryce. She's clearly mad about how they broke out of her restraints.

Recycle it! Good work Doug. Recycling and reusing is good the planet. Of course, we're in space, but...oh fire code. ♻️

Oh so Eiffel, Minkowski, Pryce, and Kepler are ejected in space?

Well. Um... that's an awkward group. Perhaps they can play a little Funzo?

Okay, now I REALLY can't listen to anymore. I've wasted way too much time procrastinating. But we're coming to the end now, which is exciting. See you (hopefully) soon everyone!

[that-gt-and-vore-stuffs]

Sweet, Sweet- er, Sour Revenge

Ask and ye shall receive! [Looking at you @pockette-sized ;)]Another of the odd names on Davey’s list shall be explained! Buckle up! (This gets shippy)

Vore under the cut

He won’t forget that first day with Jack. Not after all that happened in the short time. The Delanceys, Weisel and most memorable, Snyder. He can remember suddenly being told to book it and ending up in Medda’s theater after running from said man. He can remember the way Jack looked him dead in the eye before leading him and Les as far away as they could.

Another thing about Snyder he remembers is after the strike.

He wasn’t sure what exactly Jack and the other boys did but he did know that it ended in him knowing the answer to a question he wasn’t that keen on knowing at first.

————

The strike was settled, Jack was staying in New York, and things didn’t seem like they could get better. That night they all had met at Jacobi’s to grab a bite and talk and celebrate and boy was he glad for it. Co-Running a strike was tiring. Not to mention time consuming. Had he gotten to eat? Not that he remembered. Meaning he was more then glad to get something at their celebration.

Or so he thought.

The boys wouldn’t leave his food alone. They didn’t steal it, no. But what they did do is keep it out of his reach.

“Jackie!!” He whined, reaching towards the leader of Manhattan as the boy pulled his plate out of reach. This earned laughs from the rest of the group gathered at the table, furthering his embarrassment. “Come on! Just give me my food back!”

“I thought you would’ve learned Jack don’t listen by this point.” He hears someone, Elmer, joke.

Race is quick to shoot a comment back. “Oh please. He listens t’one person and one person only, wise ass. His Daveyyy~!”

Davey, in turn, goes red. The teen pulls his cap down over his face as he rests his chin on the table. He can feel his stomach growling, glad that no one can hear it over the sounds of celebration. At this point he might as well just shrink and swallow Jack, but...no. He can’t do that. Not now. Not here.

“Jack, come on. Let the poor boy.....” Katherine, about to stand up for Davey, is silenced by a single wink from Jack. Mouthing a little ‘oh’ she quotes down again, listening in on the conversation of the others.

“Now what the hell is that supposed to mean?!” Davey finds himself huffing at the other boy, once again gaining the attention of the others though their conversation doesn’t stop.

“Nothin’ Dave. Nothin’ at all.” Jack’s smirk is not sitting well with Davey as he reaches again for his plate, only to get it taken away.

“God Fucking Damnit! Stop being a dick, Jack!”

“Woah-ho! Language David!”

“Oh don’t even go there, Kelly.”

The rest of the night there is filled with playful banter, plenty of teasing, and sadly no food. Not for David at least. They had wrapped up the hotdog and told him “later.”

As he started the walk home, alone and stomach growling at him, he started to wonder when later was.

That’s when he was dragged into the theater.

————

Did he like being yanked into the theater by unknown forces? No. Did he like being tied down by said forces? No. Did he like that he was still left hungry during all of this? Not a chance.

The teen struggled against his bindings the best he could. Hand, feet, and legs. Damn ropes were tied good too. He sighed, slumping over the most he could in the chair. Then a light turned on. As it flickered to life above him Davey squinted, both trying to adjust his eyes better and to see who trapped him here.

“Jesus, Dave. You really wanna fight me?” Came a smooth, cocky voice that the young Pred knew all too well. Jack Kelly. “I thought we’s was friends.”

“Why in the world am I tied down, Jack?” Davey asks with a relived sigh. At least it wasn’t some creep. He tried to squirm against his bindings again, only to find it still did nothing.

Jack can’t help but laugh. Davey was adorable when he was mad. He couldn’t deny that one. Walking more into the light, the boy slowly stalked forward. “I want t’help you, dork.”

Davey’s eyes locked in Jack’s form the moment he could see him. That look....he knew it. In this situation? It wasn’t a good thing to see. He couldn’t help but try and lean back in the chair. “What do you mean help me? How can you do that after the stunt you pulled in Jacobi’s?”

A small laugh bubbles from Jack’s throat. “That’s exactly what, dear David. Don’t think I’m not aware that you’s....runnin’ on empty.” Smirking, the painter presses a hand into the taller teen’s stomach for emphasis. He can’t help but snort when he feels and hears a growl from under his hand.

Davey tenses temporarily, melting before he can stop it from the soft pressure. Once again red, he tries to stutter out his thoughts. “Wha....what in the world? Are you finally going to let me eat?”

“.....you could say that.”

“Jack, what do you mean by that?” Davey asks, clearly wary if his tone said anything. He squirmed lightly as Jack pressed harder before removing his hand.

“Well, I’s am gonna let ya eat. So you can calm ya nerves on that one.”

“Then what in the world does the “you could say that” mean, Jack Kelly?”

Jack looks away for a moment before turning back and booping Davey on the nose. “I’ll be right back.” Without further explanation he walks off to a corner of the backstage area.

Davey frowns. What in the heck was Jack getting? What was this going to lead to? Knowing Jack...nothing good.

Sometimes, he really hates when he’s right.

Like now for instance. When he watched Jack Kelly walk out of the darkness with a gagged tiny in his fist. A tiny he could place the name Snyder to. As if this wasn’t bad enough already, the drool puddling on his tongue thanks to the sight of the tiny only served to tell him his instincts were back at it again. Oh boy. “I-I-“

“Now Dave, before you say anything, I know what you’re thinking. How and why the hell does Jack have a shrunken Snyder in his hands.” Jack makes sure to gesture with his hands to make this worse for the tiny. As if it wasn’t bad enough. “See, me and the boys, we’s managed t’convince some people t’let us handle him for a night. They’s was gonna have me be the one t’do this but I’ve had my fun against him and I recall you not havin’ eaten anything in like, a day and a half. So here we are.”

Davey blinked. He....Jack wanted him to....oh boy. The teen gulped, looking to the squirming tiny again. How was he supposed to respond to that?

“Well? Ya doin’ it or not?”

Davey’s gaze never moved from the tiny. His tongue slowly peaked out and snaked around his lips. If that wasn’t enough of an answer for the painter then the growl from the curly haired boy’s stomach sure was.

Jack smiled, walking back to Davey’s side. Watching Davey track the man his his hand was oddly satisfying. Maybe it was the way he felt Snyder shaking. He booped the Pred, smiling down at him. “Davey? Could you open your mouth for me?”

Davey didn’t have to be told twice. Hunger was starting to blind him as he felt his chin tilted back. He opened his mouth wide, as instructed, closed his eyes and waited.

Seeing Davey so obedient was so weird. Usually the boy used his mind. Never really did he act like a mindless puppet or a obedient puppy. /Heh...cute/ Shifting his grip, he dangled Snyder over his friend’s maw. “You want a treat, Davey? Wanna help me out and keep him captive in your empty belly?”

Ok. Maybe he was having a bit too much fun with this.

It wasn’t like Davey could argue with him. Poor boy was mindless. He just waited with a open mouth, leaning forward a bit to try and coax the tiny into his mouth.

This was perfect. Jack had never seen the scared side of Snyder and boy was he going to savor it. Smirking at the small man who caused him and many others harm he merely waved before dropping him to his friend.

The hunger blinded Pred was quick to take to the tiny in his mouth. Jaws snapping shut around him, tongue pushing him around for a while.

When it came to situations like this, Jack was often the one most ok with it. Now was no exception. Smiling and getting to work undoing he bindings he gently pressed the pred’s belly. “You can swallow whenever, Dave. Just keep him down.”

It’s not a surprise to him when Davey swallows near instantly after he finishes talking. Looking up he can see the last of the small bulge disappearing past his friend’s collar bone. With a smile he presses against Davey’s belly, waiting for the first sign of Snyder entering his sleeping place for the night.

When it came he heard a small groan from above, finishing on the last binding already. “Oh? Someone back t’themselves?”

Davey groaned quietly, trying to comprehend the feeling along with the oddly sour taste in his mouth. He tilted his head, confused until a shiver hit him like a door. Oh. That kind of Back to himself. Not thinking, he brings a hand down to his belly only to find Jack’s there. “J-Jack-“

“Nuh-Uh. You’re letting me handle this.”

Davey cant even get out a small noise before he feels Jack’s somehow both rough and soft hands press into his gut. They start to move in circles as his captive fights off the sudden rubs, sending him into full submissive mode.

He’s gone limp and can’t move if he tried.

Jack knows it. He had to be the first one to have learned about Davey’s weakness for belly rubs and boy did he use it to his advantages. Now was no acception. Completely ignoring the muffled protests from the man inside his friend’s gut, he continues the little massage.

It’s no surprise when he starts to hear soft snoring.

Davey doesn’t remember much after that. What he does know is that he woke up in the best position ever. He had to assume he passed out and Jack carried him to the lodging house after, thanks to waking up curled up, still pleasantly full. Was he complaining? No. Was he going to Spit Snyder up now? No. Did he owe Jack? Big time.

But how does someone repay their friend for belly rubs and cuddles?

[geejaysmith]

"Would You Fuck an Alien?" The Goddard Futuristics Approach to Party Comp

beep beep guess what time it is, it's Kat and Gill's Wolf 359 Discord Shitposts time!

Kat [09/23/2019] we've done the 'would you fuck your clone' thing but I feel like before you go to space the question of 'are you an alien fucker' comes up Eiffel: has jokingly said he'd fuck an alien, is now less enthused Minkowski: said she would not fuck an alien, is now conflicted Lovelace: is an alien now. unsure if that means liking humans makes you an alien fucker Maxwell: came here to try to fuck aliens, discovering them has only encouraged her

Gill [09/23/2019] Rachel, during Lovelace's polygraph test: Are you an alien? Lovelace: Uh, no? Rachel: Would you fuck an alien? Lovelace: alternatively "the ethics of extraterrestrial contact" is a self-paced packet they give you during the training process it looks official and stuff but then there's a section in the back titled "So you want to fuck an alien"

Per Kat: “Goddard ensures there is at least one alien fucker and one person who errs on the side of shooting first and asking questions later on each ship, it's standard party comp”

During training/job orientation the on-boarding questions include: "thoughts on alien fucking?"

a) Aliens are an existential threat to humankind and so I would not fuck them.

b)  Aliens are an existential threat to humankind and so the best solution is to fuck them.

c) I thought this was a Wendy's interview, can I leave

d) Aliens aren't real stop being stupid

It's standard protocol to have a balance of each

Gill: “if you select C you are automatically relocated to the Wendy's AU”

Answered “A”: Hilbert,  Kepler B: Eiffel, Maxwell D: Minkowski, Jacobi

Eiffel and Minkowski later have second thoughts about their choices for completely opposite reasons 

Kat: “Jacobi also answered D and when he's complaining post bolero that 'I didn't know what I was getting into' they're like 'the form DID specifically mention aliens Daniel' 'It also asked if we'd committed any war crimes and if so to list the really cool ones, I thought it was just Goddard being Like That'”

Lovelace's first crew had two of each, a full set for the science team and the operational team. 

A: Lambert, Selberg B: Fisher, Hui D: Lovelace, Fourier

Kat: “Given Lambert's extreme readiness in the simulation to take down Lovecraftian monsters, I feel like he has been preparing for potential alien invasion his entire life”

Gill: “I find it fun to imagine Lambert answered A but deep, deep down inside he's a B and isn't ready to confront that part of himself”

Based on how Lovelace made fun of Lambert for taking his job seriously we settled on her answering D, though I personally think it likely she might also have put down B as a joke, a la Eiffel (per Kat: “how the tables have tabled”).

Based on how she’s not familiar with Lovecraft, Fourier likely isn’t much of a sci-fi person, but is level-headed enough to know that life elsewhere in the universe is a "when" question, not an "if". That said, she likely didn’t feel adventurous enough to put down B as her answer. 

Fisher answered B, although he’s choosing to interpret “ the best solution is to fuck them” very... liberally. Sure, making genuine connections with any new community you find yourself meeting is the best way to co-exist peacefully. 

ANGST BONUS: Gill: “Lovelace 2.0 trying not to overthink these answers (bc you know it came up at dinner at some point) in relation to the ‘how would the crew react if they met me now’ question” Kat: “selberg would've killed her while she was human #equality”

Full chat transcript below the cut: 

Kat [09/23/2019] we've done the 'would you fuck your clone' thing but I feel like before you go to space the question of 'are you an alien fucker' comes up Eiffel: has jokingly said he'd fuck an alien, is now less enthused Minkowski: said she would not fuck an alien, is now conflicted Lovelace: is an alien now. unsure if that means liking humans makes you an alien fucker Maxwell: came here to try to fuck aliens, discovering them has only encouraged her

Gill [09/23/2019] Rachel, during Lovelace's polygraph test: Are you an alien? Lovelace: Uh, no? Rachel: Would you fuck an alien? Lovelace: alternatively "the ethics of extraterrestrial contact" is a self-paced packet they give you during the training process it looks official and stuff but then there's a section in the back titled "So you want to fuck an alien"

Kat [09/23/2019] Goddard ensures there is at least one alien fucker and one person who errs on the side of shooting first and asking questions later on each ship It's standard party comp onboarding questions like: thoughts on alien fucking a) Aliens are an existential threat to humankind and so I would not fuck them. b)  Aliens are an existential threat to humankind and so the best solution is to fuck them. c) I thought this was a Wendy's interview, can I leave

Gill [09/23/2019] if you select C you are automatically relocated to the Wendy's AU

Kat [09/23/2019] d) Aliens aren't real stop being stupid Hilbert Eiffel and Minkowski answered a b and d Eiffel like can I change my answer now that I’m taking this seriously

Gill [09/23/2019] Minkowski, initially: I would not have sex with an alien, why is that even an option for your initial concerns in the event of contact with an extra-terrestrial intelligence?? Minkowski, later, making sure Lovelace is out of earshot: So I might be, hypothetically, interested in aliens, but I'd need to discuss it with my husband first.

Kat [09/23/2019] Minkowski on day 3 of the mission: Did you get that alien question? Ridiculous, right? Eiffel: yeah lol I answered b Minkowski: They put the guy who said he would fuck aliens in the role of trying to contact them? Eiffel: I take my booty call job seriously

Gill [09/23/2019] Eiffel, on day 200 of scanning the void of empty static for alien signals: yup, just like my teenage love life

Kat [09/23/2019] Jacobi also answered D and when he's complaining post bolero that 'I didn't know what I was getting into' they're like 'the form DID specifically mention aliens Daniel' 'It also asked if we'd committed any war crimes and if so to list the really cool ones, I thought it was just Goddard being Like That'

Gill [09/23/2019] he knows how Kepler would answer so he's like, "Ok, Eiffel, you answered B, right? Would you be down to clown with my alien doppelganger?" any amount of time Eiffel spends thinking over his answer is too much

Kat [09/23/2019] Every ship gets an A B and D them's the rules gotta balance the party was lambert an A or a D... he DID take his job seriously so I guess A

Gill [09/23/2019] Eiffel: ...now, before I explain my thought process, keep in mind I have put a lot of things in my body I'm not terribly proud of. the pre-scratch crew had double the amount of people, plus Rhea, so it makes sense you'd have two of each Hilbert's still an A, so there's gotta be one other A-answer on Lovelace's team

Kat [09/23/2019] Given Lambert's extreme readiness in the simulation to take down Lovecraftian monsters, I feel like he has been preparing for potential alien invasion his entire life they're mentioned as a possibility in the rulebook, he will be prepared Hui is one of the Bs

Gill [09/23/2019] Lambert is probably it, although I find it fun to imagine he answered A but deep, deep down inside he's a B and isn't ready to confront that part of himself oh yes Hui is a B for certain Lovelace I can see answering B as a joke bc she's not taking it that seriously when she could kinda go either way

Kat [09/23/2019] she doesn't seem to believe in them considering her mocking Lambert for doing his job how the tables have tabled

Gill [09/23/2019] Ok, so that's one D Leaving Fisher and Fourier as our remaining B and D Whichever way around that falls

Kat [09/23/2019] feel like that's a tossup Fourier's unfamiliar with lovecraft so maybe she's not a scifi person

Gill [09/23/2019] Both of them are level-headed enough, I feel, to know that life elsewhere in the universe is a "when" question, not "if", but it's such a big place that the odds of finding life at all are incredibly remote, never mind sentient life that's technologically advanced enough to make contact And Fourier doesn't strike me as being quite that adventurous, so D Fisher is enough of a peace-and-love kinda dude that, sure, he'll answer B, even if he's choosing to interpret "the only solution is to fuck the aliens" as "forming relationships with the aliens as one would with members of any new community you may happen to meet" Also; this way it breaks down so that you have an even mix among both the science team and the operational team (w/e you want to collectively call navigations/commanding officer + communications + engineer)

Kat [09/23/2019] 'I would not be opposed in theory but I'm in a stable monogamous relationship’

Gill [09/23/2019] bonus points: Lovelace 2.0 trying not to overthink these answers (bc you know it came up at dinner at some point) in relation to the "how would the crew react if they met me now" question

Kat [09/23/2019] selberg would've killed her while she was human #equality

[tcm]

Counterculture Films of 1969 by Susan King

One often looks at 1969 through nostalgia-trimmed glasses. It was the year we landed on the moon. Woodstock took place. Women’s liberation and equal rights were very much on everyone’s mind. There was sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll. People were turning on and tuning out. But the U.S. was still reeling from the assassinations of Senator Robert Kennedy and Rev. Martin Luther King the year before. Richard Nixon was president. The Vietnam War continued to rage and so did the anti-war protests.

Though Hollywood was still producing successful, traditional fare like the Western TRUE GRIT, for which John Wayne won his only Oscar, the counterculture was very much on the studios’ minds. John Schlesinger’s MIDNIGHT COWBOY, the only X-rated film to win the best picture Oscar, found commercial success and Dennis Hopper’s low-budget road picture EASY RIDER, with Peter Fonda and Jack Nicholson, captured the zeitgeist of that time. Its blockbuster status forced the studios to produce films for the young and often disenfranchised.

It was during this turbulent, albeit creative time that Columbia brought French auteur Jacques Demy to Hollywood to make MODEL SHOP. Accompanying Demy on the voyage was his wife and fellow New Wave filmmaker Agnes Varda, who managed to make a short and a feature while her husband was toiling on MODEL SHOP.

The auteur had made his film debut with 1961’s LOLA starring the luminous Anouk Aimee as a cabaret dancer in Nantes who has a young son. Demy had received international acclaim with his lush 1964 musical THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG, which made Catherine Deneuve a major star. He and Deneuve reunited for the 1967 musical THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT, which also starred her sister Francois Dorleac and Gene Kelly.

In MODEL SHOP, Gary Lockwood, still riding high from his role in Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 masterpiece 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, plays a young uncompromising and unemployed architect who lives in Los Angeles in a tiny cottage in the middle of oil rigs with his aspiring actress girlfriend (Alexandra Hay). Not only does the couple fight like cats and dogs, Lockwood’s George is about to lose his cherry red sportscar due to back payments and get his draft notice.

While on a search to get money to keep his car, he witnesses a beautiful woman (Aimee) dressed in white in a parking lot and decides to follow her. She is none other than Lola, now divorced and working without a permit in a grungy part of Hollywood at a model shop where men rent a Polaroid to shoot photos of women in intimate settings.

MODEL SHOP wasn’t a hit with critics or audiences, and Demy and Varda packed up their bags and returned to Paris. Nevertheless, the film feels less dated than a lot of the films released 50 years ago. First of all, for anyone living in Los Angeles it’s great fun to watch Lockwood drive around the City of Angels of half-a-century ago. Demy avoided the traditional L.A. locations and set MODEL SHOP in the grungy part of the city reflecting the characters’ marginalized lives. Demy deftly captures the angst and dissatisfaction so many young people were going through at the time.

Paul Mazursky captured the affluent L.A. culture of 1969 with his R-rated comedy BOB & CAROL & TED & ALICE, which marked his feature directorial debut. It was a winner with critics and audiences. And the ads which feature stars Robert Culp, Natalie Wood, Elliott Gould and Dyan Cannon sharing a bed together caused controversy and an even bigger box office.

Documentary filmmaker Bob (Culp) and his wife Carol (Wood) attend one of the era’s enlightenment swingers’ retreats which opens their minds and hearts and makes them more sexually aware. But their uptight friends—the delightfully funny Gould as Ted and Cannon as Alice, who both earned Oscar nominations— are upset at the changes in their friends Bob and Carol.

Featuring a score by Quincy Jones, BOB & CAROL & TED & ALICE also earned Oscar nominations for screenplay and cinematography. It was definitely groundbreaking and is still quite amusing, but it seems so tame by today’s standards that one wonders what all the hullabaloo was about 50 years ago.

There was very little hullabaloo over the comedy-drama STAIRCASE, starring Rex Harrison and Richard Burton in their first film together since 1963’s CLEOPATRA. In fact, the best way to describe the production directed by Stanley Donen is as a mess.

Adapted by Charles Dyer and based on his hit play, STAIRCASE finds Harrison and Burton as longtime lovers who operate a barbershop in a lower-class London neighborhood. Harrison serves up the ham as Charles, an egotistical part-time actor who is about to go on trial for cross-dressing at a nightclub. Burton’s Harry wears a towel on his head because he suffers from alopecia and refuses to wear his wig. He spends a lot of his time taking care of his mother (Cathleen Nesbitt) who has dementia and suffers from incontinence. For the majority of the film the two lovers scream and yell at each other. It’s exhausting to watch. Unlike the recent Brit-com VICIOUS, starring Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi as a squabbling gay couple, there is little humanity or love emanating from Charles and Harry.

The production was difficult. Both actors were earning over $1 million for their work. And because they wanted to avoid England’s severe taxes, they insisted STAIRCASE be shot in Paris. And talk about demanding stars. Because Elizabeth Taylor didn’t want to be separated from Burton, she insisted the film she was making, the Las Vegas-set THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN also be shot in Paris.

Granted, it was brave of Donen, the actors and 20th Century Fox to make the film, considering it had only been two years since homosexuality had been legalized in England and Wales with the passing of the Sexual Offences Act of 1967. But STAIRCASE is so campy and mean-spirited, no wonder critics panned it and audiences stayed away.

Foreign films broke out of the art house circuit in 1969 with the release of the political thriller Z, directed by Greek-born, French-based director Costa-Gavras. The Algerian production not only became the first foreign language film in three decades to be nominated for the best film Oscar, Z won Academy Awards for best foreign film and editing. Costa-Gavras was also nominated for screenplay and directing. Z, starring Yves Montand, Irene Pappas and Jean-Louis Trintignant, was a very thinly veiled account of the assassination in 1963 of the liberal Greek politician Grigoris Lambrakis.

Costa-Gavras told the L.A. Times in 2009 that the film ended up being made in Algeria because no French producer or distributor wanted to do the film. There was no love story and there were several characters going through it, he said. “I remember even an important producer said to me, I will film the telephone book, but not that story.”

“Thankfully, co-star and co-producer Jacques Perrin knew high-profile individuals in Algeria. We saw the minister of information in Algeria”, noted Costa-Gavras. “He was a very great intellectual. He said we can do it. We can’t give you money, but all the facilities.”

The closing credits were unusual and masterful listing everything that had been banned in Greece after a 1967 military coup including Mark Twain, the Beatles, popular music and even the letter Z because it was symbolic of Lambrakis and the resistance that was still very much alive in the county.

[ithurtsbutidoitforshrek]

Cupid 💘

I found this in my draft, it's from a while ago and I'll probably never finish it. 🤷🏻‍♀️ it was inspired by a clip from the original charmed I found on Instagram from the episode: Heartbreak City (2x10)

Fandom : Charmed

Pairing : Harry x Maggie

“Another loss huh” the man cackled walking up to the defeated witch who just kicked another one of her dates to the curb; she had her signature pout on, lips coated in cherry red, a piece of hair stuck to her gloss by the wind blowing around her. “Didn’t like your cherry chapstick? Maybe you should bat for the other team.” He wiggles his eyebrows devilishly at her already knowing there was a part of the male anatomy she wasn't willing to give up anytime soon.

Maggie scowled at the man, her eyebrows furrowing together in disgust and confusion, just who the hell was this guy? He was kind of cute if he wasn’t pissing her off. Tall, muscular build brown curly hair and bright blue eyes. He had sort of a babyface that she just wanted to pinch. “Who the hell are you?”

He grinned walking over to her in long strides and offering out his hand to her to which she just stared at, rolling his eyes he let it drop to his side. “I need your help. Well you and your sisters, really. So would you be so kind and invite me inside? It’s a bit chilly.”

“Invite you inside?” she mocked ”What are you? A vampire?”

He snickered. “No, and that’s a myth by the way. Humans told themselves that thinking it would give them a sense of security to keep them safe, that they were in control.” He informed her in a matter of fact tone that made her want to slug him. “Now invite me in.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, not really judging if she could trust him or not. “I don’t even know your name.”

He rolled his eyes. “uh…Gabe.”

“You had to think about it?”

He shrugs. “Hit my head the other day”

“Shouldn’t you go to the hospital?”

“I’m fine, really. Now let me in.” He said sternly, not at all touched by her concern.

Maggie rolled her eyes and opened up the front door stepping inside and leaving it open. It wasn’t exactly the friendliest invite but an invite nonetheless.

“Nice place you got here.” He whistled looking around the room and up the stairs. “Ever play hide and seek in here?”

Maggie shrugged leading him more into the house trying to find the whereabouts of her sisters. “Yeah, when I was like…five.”

“Maggie?” Mel called wandering into the room with Macy on her heels. “I thought you weren’t feeling Jacoby anymore.”

“Oh, I wasn’t.” She assured her, Jacoby was as dull as they come, she’d rather be sent to Tartarus again than entertain the thought of another date with him. “This is Gabe.” She gestured vaguely in his direction, walking towards the couch and plopping down on it.

Macy’s eyes grew wide. “Wow. You leave with a different date and come home with a new one.” She whistles, however noticing Maggie’s hurt look she quickly backtracked. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I’m not judging or anything. Kind of jealous actually.” She frowned sitting down beside her sister.

Maggie smiled letting her off the hook. “He’s not a date, I found him outside – apparently he needs our help.”

That perked their interest, Mel gestured towards the couch as she walked motioning for Gabe to join them. “What can we do for you?” She asked once they got settled.

“I’ve seemed to have lost my ring.”

“What do we look like? The police?” Mel scoffed.

“My ring. Cupid’s ring... Cause I’m Cupid.” He deadpanned.

“You don’t look like cupid.”

“Yeah, where’s your diaper? The wings and the bow?” Maggie asked eyeing his person for any hidden wings or arrows.

“Your name is Gabe? Like Gabriel? Cause that’s original.” Macy mocked, causing the other two to giggle.

“Yeah yeah laugh it up.” He grumbled offended. “I lost the diaper after 2 years of age thank you very much. I only get the ability to fly with my ring, and I don’t need a bow. Another stereotype.”

“I don’t believe you.” Maggie who hasn’t had the best luck with love as of late shot at him. Surely if he was indeed who he said he was she would have been happy and in love already.

Gabe rolls his eyes. “So you believe in all these other magical beings and demons and what not but not me?”

Maggie shrugged.

“I mean I wouldn’t believe you’re witches without the pointy hats, brooms, warts and green faces, and yet here I am.”

“Fine, show us something supernatural.” Mel challenged.

Gabe rolled his eyes. “I cant. I lost my ring, a demon stole it. It’s the way I get into people’s hearts, their innermost desires.”

“Still don’t really believe you.” Mel taunted, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms against her chest. If he didn’t do anything to prove he wasn’t a fraud soon, she was going to call Harry to toss him out.

“I didn’t want it to come to this but…” Gabe rolled his eyes rising to his feet, pointing his finger at Mel. “Bryce in kindergarten, Amanda in 5th grade, Molly your first serious girlfriend – she was a bitch by the way, Niko and Jada the one that ran away.”

Mel pouted looking away from him, but he continued on pointing to Macy next. “William, Cory, and Galvin.”

“Okay I think that’s enough.” Maggie shifted uneasily in her chair watching the wannabe angel stare her down, with a smirk on his handsome face.

“Too bad.” He mocked, starting to list the names off of his finger tips. “Elliot, Danny in 6th Grade, Brian, Kendall, Brian again, Parker, and…” he sent her a cruel smile, obvious payback for mocking him. “Harr-”

“Okay we get it” she shouted cutting him off, but the damage was done by the look her sisters were shooting her. “For the record I didn’t love all of those guys.”

“They all had the potential for you to love them, but the last three? You definitely did.. well do. Especially-“

“What do you need?!”

“So you’re responsible for all our past relationships?” Mel asked after recovering from the information that was revealed about her sister.

Gabe grinned at her. “Last two years give or take. I was the reason you met Nico, I was also the reason she came back into your life.”

“Yeah, Taken.”

He shrugged. “If you love something set it free. Jada was sent to you by another agent because I gave up on you completely, all of you except for Maggie.”

“Lucky me.”

“So you connected Maggie and Har-“

“Can we drop that?” Maggie snapped irritated.

“Good question, Macy, and to answer; no. That was all on her own, we obviously can’t connect them because of the rules – forbidden. Sometimes they just do the job for you.” He explained. “Now will one of you call your Whitelighter so we can get started?”

“We don’t need him. We need to learn how to be independent without Meghan Markle.” Came Maggie’s hasty reply a light blush still coating her cheeks from his accusations.

“Ouch.” Harry called walking down the stairs, a crestfallen look on his face from her comment. “And here I thought we were family.”

“Is that what we’re calling it?” Gabe muttered under his breath.

“You are Har. You’re more than that.” She gave him a reassuring smile, to which he returned.

“In more ways than one.” Gabe snarked receiving a sharp elbow to the ribs for that comment, and for Harry to a acknowledge his presence.

“Are you Maggie’s date?” Harry asked with a raise of his eyebrow as he studied the man. He barely caught a glance of the fellow she left with but he was certain this wasn’t him.

“He wishes.” Maggie snickered.

“You’re not my type, love. Harry on the other hand.” He licked his lips hungrily eyeing the Whitelighter up and down . “Yum.. you know if you don’t- I’ll take him.”

That delivered him a sharper blow, causing him to gasp for air. “Testy. Territorial. I love it.”

“You said you needed the Charmed ones help, Charmed ones require the power of three, keep it up and all you’ll have is the power of two.” She threatened.

“Do That And all the people I helped fall in love are at risk, hate will take over, do you really want that?”

“Well if they really love that person, they can over come your hocus pocus magic. What kind of love is it anyways if they’re under a spell?”

“Parker really did a number on you huh. You used to believe in fairytales.”

“Yeah well…”

“Anyways, the name is Gabe, but you would know me as Cupid.” He grinned smugly holding out a hand for the Whitelighter to shake, Harry gripped it in his own giving it a firm shake, while eyeing him up and down suspiciously.

“Where’s the bow?”

Gabe groaned, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose in exasperation, ignoring their teasing and laughter.