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Riverdale 4x19 Finale Review/Analysis

First off I’d like to apologise for how late this review is I had written all but the last part but then was dealing with some family stuff so its a bit later than usual. But anyway here it is my review/analysis for the season 4 finale. Despite them having to reschedule everything so that this was the season finale when it clearly wasn’t suppose to be I still actually really enjoyed this episode. However that said there were some things that, well I guess you could say they didn’t quite sit right with me but overall I think this was one of the better episodes of the seasons. I don’t have as much to say about this episode as I do feel like it was a bit of a filler episode but I figured we could still go through the episode and talk about the things I liked, the things I didn’t but also what clues might have been left for us. I’m also going to give some theories and predictions for season 5 based on some of the interviews I’ve read since watching the episode. As always these are just my own opinions its fine if you disagree and of course there are spoilers.

No Seriously Though Who Is The Voyeur?

So to kick things off I figured we could talk first about the video tapes and again who I think the voyeur is. Well I’m sticking to my theory that it’s Donna accompanied by a group of lackies. Yeah I know I’ll die on this hill. The episode starts out similar to the one before with Charles, Betty and Jughead watching the re-enactment of Jason Blossoms murder. Just as a quick tangent here but can we have a shout out for the casting team because seeing all three of them side by side really brought out the resemblance between them, like Charles looks so much like both Betty and Jughead like I can fully believe that Charles is brother to them both. Any way back on track, during this scene all three of them ask some very good questions. Charles asks why the escalation now and could it be a warning. Betty suggests that maybe its a pratice run for an actual murder. (This is actually something I suggested myself when the first re enactment was shown and I said that Donna and the stonies might have filmed it as a practice run for Jughead’s actual murder.) Jughead also makes a suggestion saying it seemed like the voyeur was trying to blur the lines between fact and fiction. This I think might be a clue to who the voyeur might be. I also think its more evidence to support my theory. Fiction makes me think of writing and story telling, when we first meet Donna its at Stonewall Prep where she is part of a writing seminar. In my opinon from the way these videos are set up it seems to me that the person sending out the videos isn’t just a voyeur but a storyteller too and Donna fits this bill. We know that she is a writer so thats a check for the storyteller, and by her own admission she watched the tapes Bret was making of the other students at Stonewall so thats the check for a voyeur. Also all of the re-enactments can be linked back to Jughead in some way. Obviously the first one shows Jughead’s would be murder with Betty killing Jughead with a rock, the Jason Blossom one I talked about in my last review and how Jughead had based his first Baxter Brothers draft on his murder, Midge’s death can also be linked to Jughead as he filmed the whole Carrie BTS thing and so was actually the one who (accidently) recorded Midge’s original murder which the voyeur then watched and used for the re-enactment. The latest one depicting Mr Honey’s murder can obviously be linked back to Jughead as its his story. In an interview RAS said that the voyeur had very personal reasons for what they were doing and well we know that Donna is holding a grudge against Jughead. The other thing that is interesting is that there are several references to Stonewall, the Stonies and that plotline throughout the episode. The first is when Jughead says getting into Iowa could be a way to make up for the Stonewall hell, then during his story they all wear Stonewall jackets and the infamous bunny masks, there is another reference when during the story the two boys in the locker room are talking about rumours that Mr Honey had an affair with a student, I mean a false accusation of an affair with a student made against a dead teacher, hmm that sounds familiar. Of course I do think this is a reference to Donna and the story she made up about her and Mr Chippens in an attempt to cover up his murder. Also the story line of a group of teenagers commiting a murder and then murdering one of their friends when they get cold feet is the same as the Stonewall plotline where the others murdered Jonathon because they were afraid he was going to tell. The last reference comes from Mr Honey when he says hes going to be the new principal at Stonewall. I don’t think its a coincidence that just as things a heating up in the storyline with the tapes they are now starting to drop more references to Stonewall and by extention Donna, I think these might be clues left by the writers. Of course I could also be barking up the wrong tree.

So who else are my main suspects for who the voyeur could be? Well RAS said this in an interview about the voyeur.

So we know from this that the voyeur’s primary motive is a personal vendetta but we also know that on some level they are also interested in how trauma has changed the town and the kids in it. So now we just need to figure out who fits this criteria. I do think its going to be a character that we have already met because its too late in the game to introduce a new character or have it be someone we don’t know as it would be very anitclimatic if that did happen.

Ok so unfortunately my boy Charles could fit this description. As much as I love him he does have a very personal reason to have a grudge against the town. It is very possible that he is angry that he was given up for adoption but also that Alice, when he came looking for his family, shut the door in his face. He could also be angry specifically at Betty, Jughead and also even Archie and Veronica as he could consider them responsible for getting Chic (his lover) arrested. It also wouldn’t be a reach for Charles who due to being an FBI agent has a very inquisitive mind and an investigative nature to be interested in how his birth town became corrupt and what trauma can do to kids especially if he on some level is trying to figure out why he was given up for adoption and why he was later turned away by his family. Maybe he wants to know if it was because of the town’s sickness and the darkness of the people in the town. It could also be him looking into whether he too has been twisted, afterall we know that he was raised by the Sisters of Quiet Mercy and who knows what kind of an effect that has had on him, so he could be trying to learn about his own darkness too. I personally, as I’ve said before, don’t want them to go this route. I just, one, feel like it would be way to predictable, it wouldn’t shock me at all. Two, they’ve done the whole evil brother earns the family’s trust then turns out to be a phychotic killer with Chic. I don’t want or need to see that storyline again, like please please Riverdale show me something new. I just think it would be more interesting to go the secret FBI agent route where he is manipulating the villians to take them down than the he’s evil one.

Another of my suspects I’ve also spoken about before is Terry the Ticklemaster. This one I’m less sure on and is based mostly on the fact that I just think he’s really suspicious and we know that he works with cameras. I’m unsure on what his personal vendetta could be as we don’t have enough information about him to know. However I could see how as a film maker he might also be interested in human behaviour so might also be interested in how the trauma effects Riverdale and its kids. To be honest I think its more likely that he is helping the voyeur than him actually being the voyeur.

Suspect number 3 is Evelyn. I know she’s been in prison but she could be using the hypnosis she’s put on some of the farmies like she did with Polly and Alice to get others to do her bidding. Kind of like she’s the puppet master. As for what personal reason she could have well she could blame all those in Riverdale who used to be with the farm and who now aren’t, like Alice, Fangs, Kevin, Toni and Cheryl for abandoning the Farm and also Betty for the fact that she has been arrested and her husband has been killed. Also we know the Farm used people’s darkness to manipulate them into joining the cult so its possible that she would have a dark, twisted interest in how trauma is infecting the town.

Mr Honey could also be another possibilty. I know they kinda painted him as being the good guy at the end of this episode but I still haven’t forgotten about him visiting the red suite or other questionable behaviour such as wrecking Reggie’s car and being manipulative with Kevin and Reggie in the halloween episode. He also seems to have a weird vendetta against the students. Also his whole speech about trying to prepare them for the outside world because Riverdale isn’t normal makes me think that maybe he is sending the tapes to force these kids to look at their past traumas and understand how the town has a darkness and a sickness, a way of forcing them to see how dark they’ve become themselves and how wrong it is. Also weirdly the fact the show is trying to show him as a good guy makes me more suspicious of him. Of course all of this is provided he wasn’t the one being murdered at the end of this episode which I will discuss in a bit.

Another option is Ethel. I mean poor Ethel has been mixed up in some pretty messed up situations. She’s got alot of reasons to be angry at the town. I mean there was the whole thing with Chuck in season 1, then in season 2 she was sending those threatening letters about Cheryl pretending to be the black hood in the Carrie episode, season 3 was the G&G plotline and she ended up with the sisters, now in season 4 we find out she is mixed up in the red suite where they had homemade sex tapes and snuff films. Plus she had that line about making it out of Riverdale in one piece which suggests that she recognises that the town isn’t normal and had a traumatic effect on the kids. Out of all of them though I think she’s the least likely.

Ok this one is a little more out there but when going over the footage of the Honey Murder I did notice that the woman in the Betty mask does look to have blonde hair. It is a little hard to tell though because of the low quality and the lighting. But if they did have blonde hair who do we know who might have an issue with Riverdale. Well I think it could be Polly. We haven’t really heard from her since the beginning of the season so we don’t know for sure if she is still at Shady Grove or not. Also she’s got plenty of personal reasons to be doing this. Her fiance and father of her twins was murdered by his own father, FP hid the body, her own Father tried to force her to have an abortion before with her mother’s agreement she was locked up with the Sisters. Then she is taken in by blossoms only to find out that she was having her cousin’s babies and that the blossoms were only helping her so they could get the babies. Her dad turns out to be a serial killer. Then she ends up joining a cult, gets a bomb strapped to her chest and then ends up locked up in a mental hospital. She’s been deeply affected by the darkness of the town and more specifically Jason’s death. His murder has been brought up alot this season this could be in preparation of revealing the voyeur to be Polly getting revenge for Jason’s murder.

Ok please forgive me for this one, I’m really hoping this one isn’t true but the thought did pop into my mind so. But I realised that the two videos found at the Red Suite, the Jason Blossom murder and Midge’s have something in common. They were both pieces of footage that were handed into the Sheriff’s Department. More specifically they were handed in when Tom Keller was Sheriff. Now I’m not suggesting that its Tom but rather Kevin. We know that Kevin was one of the first people to see the footage of Jason Blossom being murdered. He was also in charge of the Carrie production and I feel like he felt alot of responsibility for what happened to her. It’s also not unreasonable to assume he might have been able to get hold of those two pieces of footage through his Father he could have snuck in and stolen them. We also know he knows how to use a camera as we saw him filming for Alice in episode 15. Also Kevin has gone through alot of crap the last couple of years and I think his speech to Mr Honey in the musical episode is very telling of his mental state right now particularly how he talked about how he felt numb but was screaming on the inside. Also in the beginning of the season when he was talking to Betty and Charles he said he had felt alone all summer after leaving the Farm. Maybe these tapes are his way of getting the anger out. Also he was in prime position to get his hands on Jughead’s story about Mr Honey. It was Kevin who came and told Jughead and Betty that Mr Honey was looking for them. Its during this scene that we see Jughead leave his pages on the desk. Its possible that Kevin then went in there and took the pages. However although I don’t watch Katy Keene I am aware that apparently Kevin was on that show and that its set 5 years in the future I believe. I did see one clip where Kevin is talking about how he is still in Riverdale and that he works at Riverdale high. But if he were involved surely he would be in jail. But its possible that he was either hypnotised by Evelyn, the group find out he’s involved but the authorities don’t, he’s sent to jail but is released by the time he is seen in Katy Keene, he makes a bargain with the authorities where he gets immunity if he turns the ringleader in. I feel something must have happened though because last episode Kev was talking about going to Carniege but after watching that clip I’m not so sure he did go because I feel like if he had he wouldn’t now be back in Riverdale working at the school, he’d be onto bigger better things. Him being involved in the video tapes could explain why he didn’t go to that college if that is the case. But as I sai I don’t watch the show, I haven’t seen the full episode I’ve just seen the one clip so there could be something in the episode that exonerates him of my accusations.

So out of them all who do I think is most likely the voyeur? Well actually pretty much all of them. We know from the Mr Honey tape that the Voyeur is not working alone, there were six people in that video doing the murdering so there must be at least six people involved. There were three females and three males. So I think our ringleader is Donna and that she is accompanied by Polly, Evelyn (who seeing as we haven’t checked in on her in a good few episodes it possible she could have either been released from jail or escaped), Terry, Mr Honey and Kevin. All of these characters have a motive and they can all been linked, Donna knows Evelyn because she went to visit her in jail and they worked together to mess with Betty, Evelyn is connected to Polly and Kevin through the farm, Kevin is connected to Terry and Mr Honey. Several of them can also be linked to the Red suite or to film making in some way.

As for whether it was really Mr Honey being killed in the video I do have some thoughts on that. Firstly the bandage that was on Mr Honey’s hand all episode doesn’t appear to be on the victims hand, of course they could have taken if off. If we go with Mr Honey is one of the killers in the video then we still have the problem that no one in the video had a bandage on their hand. Another thing I thought of is if it is the real Mr Honey why bother putting a mask on him? Is it just for theatrics? In which case surely it would have been much scarier and dramatic if the viewer knew it was Mr Honey. So I’m kinda 50/50 on that one. If it is him then I don’t think that neccessarily means he wasn’t ever involved after all if it is Donna masterminding it all then it wouldn’t be the first time she’s killed someone on her side because they stopped being useful. But if it is him then Jughead could find himself in hot water considering he was the one who wrote the story about Mr Honey being murdered by his group of friends and then that actually happens, that looks very suspicious. But what about you guys do you think it was Mr Honey who was killed or do you think he’s lived to cancel prom another day?

Freaky Friction

Next I want to talk about the storyline of Jughead’s revenge fantasy story. I actually loved these parts of the episode, mostly. There were some things that I wasn’t quite ok with but for the most part it was really entertaining. I loved loved loved seeing the kids work together as a group. Also just them hanging out as a group. Those scenes where they were altogether are the kind of scenes I’ve been looking for all season, these characters are suppose to be friends and it was refreshing to see those interactions, the only thing that could have made it better would have been if Toni, Fangs and Sweet Pea were also included. What I found most interesting about this storyline was firstly, this whole concept of how the kids are really the monsters and how the town has become dark and corrupted. Jughead’s story kind of held a mirror up to both the kids and the town as a whole and showed just how dark they had become. I loved how that was a gradual realisation as well, like as the story went on Jughead is slowly beginning to see that. The other thing I thought was really interesting is the way Jughead depicts the characters in his story. So starting with the way Jughead wrote the charaters. To me they all seemed really ooc like none of them behaved the way I thought they would. For example it was interesting that he depicted Reggie as the one who can’t handle the aftermath of the murder and starts to slip up and cave and tell people about what they had done and that it was Archie who stopped him. The reason why I think this is interesting is because although we don’t know how Reggie would react in that situation, we have some idea of how Archie would because of the whole Jughead attempted murder thing. Now I know they are slightly different scenarios because Jughead didn’t die but we have to remember that in those first couple of days they didn’t know if Jughead was going to die and they also didn’t know if Betty had actually been the one to do it. So essentially they were acting how they would have if they were trying to cover up a murder. In that scenario it was actually Archie who nearly slipped up and told his mum what had happened. The only reason why he didn’t was because Betty saw what was happening and rang him up to warn him to stop talking. Later Archie actually does cave and tells his mum the truth about how Jughead had faked his death. So we know that really if Jughead had written the characters accurately then Archie should have been the one struggling not to tell anyone.

Also its interesting the way he depicts Reggie, as mostly throughout the series he and Reggie have been at odds with each other. In season 1 Reggie straight up bullied Jughead and there has been alot of conflict between Reggie and the Serpents in the rest of the seasons. But there have been moments when its really mattered where they have all come together. Given all the physical altercations he and Reggie have gotten into you’d think Jughead would write him as a violent unremorseful character but he doesn’t while he does have one scene where Reggie loses his temper and beats on Mr Honey for most of the story Reggie is seen being very regretful and guilty of his actions. I think this is because Jughea recognises that alot of Reggie’s anger and outbursts stem from the abuse he has suffered growing up. Reggie says to Archie that his dad has been hitting him for as long as he can remember. That has to have had an effect on him. I think Jughead knows that unltimately Reggie is a good person underneath it all.

Veronica was another one that wasn’t written the way I was expecting her to be. I’ve said this so many times in my other posts that you are probably getting bored of it but we have to remember to look at things from the character’s pov in situations like this. Obviously all of this is told from Jughead’s point of view. This is what makes it so interesting because in the past Jughead has villanized Veronica. In season 3 there was pretty much an all out war between his family and hers and he was fully aware of the fact that she was helping her parents with their schemes. She knew about Southside High being closed down yet acted like she didn’t and even tried to manipulate the situation in her parents favour, as nice as it was for her to greet the serpents and welcome them to the school she wasn’t doing that out of the kindness of her own heart it was because her parents told her to. She also knew about the prison and actively helped her parents bring that about. She got her redemption arc later when she then turned agaisnt her parents. But I feel like Jughead has always seen her as a cold, calculating person who is often influenced by her parents and I wouldn’t say they have been particularly close over the seasons. Also again, as with Archie, we know how she would react in a situation like this due to the whole Jughead is dead thing and in that situation in my opinion she was the calmer more logical thinking one out of the three. So its really interesting to me that in both versions of his story he wrote Veronica as the moral compass. I do have one theory on it though. If we are going on the assumption that Jughead has a negative and biased view of Veronica because of his family’s hardships at the hands of Veronica’s family and that he believes that Veronica is the one who is the most corrupt because of those events then maybe him putting Veronica in the position of being morally correct is his subconcious telling him there is still hope that they could escape the darkness of the town. Like if Veronica can turn things around then there is hope for them all. It’s possible that he has watched her fight her way out from under her parents thumb and escape their dark influence and make her own path and he actually kind of admires her for it. It’s been something he himself has tried to do in respect of getting away from his own family’s dark past and being the first Jones man to go to college. He’s been judged his whole life for where he comes from and who his family is and its something he has fought back against as long as we’ve known him, this whole idea of no you’re wrong I’m so much more than what you think I am. I think he is now starting to recognise that Veronica has been through that same thing too. From day one people have judged her for being Hiram Lodge’s daughter, that her family are criminals and she’ll be just the same. But as I’ve said he’s witnessed her journey and seen how she has fought to prove people wrong and make herself into the person she wants to be. I think this is a character trait that Jughead really respects and admires. This is why he then writes her as almost the heroine of the story.

Cheryl is also another one that behaves differently to how we’ve seen her at in the same situation in the real world. Its really intriguing that Jughead chose to write Cheryl the way he did. Again we know that when confronted with a dead body to get rid of and a murder to cover up, Cheryl will react calmly and in that situation she was the one that came up with the plan to get rid of the body and how to make sure her relatives stayed quiet she also showed little signs that it had effected her much afterwards. Yet in Jughead’s story she’s one of the most emotional. We and also Jughead have seen in the past that Cheryl tends to keep most of her emotions bottled up, she rarely really reacts to trauma. She tends to put on a brave face most of the time but then we’ve seen her show emotion enough to know that she is still capable of feeling emotion and that she is effected by what is happening around her but she tends to keep it all in check until it finally bubbles over. Out of everyone you could argue that Cheryl has had one of the roughest times on the show and I don’t think she is ever really given the time or space to properly process her trauma or grieve her losses. She’s been damaged by the things shes gone through and her parents abuse who I feel like taught her emotion was a weakness. We know that her mother often told her she was a loveless monster and heartless and I think on some level Cheryl believed her, it was something that plagues her as we see from her conversation with Toni at Pop’s after they saw Love, Simon. Her relationship with Toni is helping her realise this isn’t true but I still think those scars from her mother’s phsycological abuse run deep and I think this not being allowed to properly grieve was what led to that really unhealthy situation where she had Jason in her basement. What I think Jughead has done in his story is portrayed Cheryl how she probably should behave and react to this situation given her past traumas. He’s allowing her to let her emotions out and actually grieve. Maybe he recognises that she’s hiding behind a wall and feels some kind of sympathy for her and so in his story where he is the master of what happens he lets her process things in a more healthy way of crying it out to her friends.

Which brings me to the next part because if that is the case and he is trying to write Cheryl as processing things healthily then why does his own character of Jughead behave the way he does towards Cheryl and tell her to get ahold of herself and even potentially plans to kill her for showing emotion? Well I think the most interesting part of Jughead’s story is the way he depicts himself and Betty. Again these are characters where we’ve seen what their natural reaction to getting rid of dead bodies is. With the whole Shady Man plotline we saw both of them have very emotional reactions, Betty is seen throwing up and having flashbacks and Jughead looked visibly shaken when she told him about it. Betty again reacts the same way when she thinks she might have hurt Jughead we again see her throwing up and really struggling with it. Yet in Jughead’s story they are without a doubt the most ruthless and darkest out of all the characters in the story. It almost comes across as them enjoying it, they show no remorse for killing Mr Honey or Reggie and they ridicule the others for showing emotion like they see it as them being weak. They seem straight up psychotic at times. So why has he written them this way? Well some of it I think is his own fears making their way into his writing. I think he has this fear that they’ve all been through so much that by this point they are too damaged and that they will never fully escape the darkness of the town, that no matter where they go that darkness will follow them. I think this particularly hits home when Story Jughead says ‘are we going to be monsters in college or in jail.’ This to me seems like he doesn’t believe that leaving Riverdale will free them from all the pain and horrific events they’ve experienced. That this is something he fears. I feel like its a fear that alot of the other kids feel too. But I think Jughead fears the most that he and Betty are the ones that will struggle the most to leave it all behind. If you think about it he and Betty are the ones who are most often pulled into the murder and mayhem of the town by their investigative adventures. More and more willingly over time they went looking for mysteries to solve. I think it got to the point where they started to enjoy and almost become obsessed with solving these mysteries to the point where they are now almost in too deep. I also think it would be natural for Jughead to worry more about Betty the most as she’s the one he’s closest too. If you think about it the next darkest character in the original story is Archie who is the next closet person to him. The other interesting part though is when he rewrites the story he ‘saves’ Archie from his darkness and makes him a good guy who does the right thing. I think part of this is because he has seen Archie consistently try to do the right thing and so maybe he thinks this will somehow help spare Archie from being stuck in the darkness. But both he and Betty are still the dark characters who get no redemption in the end, I think this is because it is such a deep rooted fear that he believes neither he or Betty will ever be able to walk away from it all, that they will always be sucked back into another murder mystery.

I think another reason why he might have depicted them as the darkest of all the characters is because as Cheryl said they found each other in this town of nightmares. It was the darkness of Riverdale that their relationship was born out of. I made a post about how Archie sees the light in Betty well I feel like its the opposite for Jughead and he sees the darkness in her. Now before some of you start picking up your pitchforks and flaming torches I don’t necessarily mean that’s a bad thing. In fact in some ways its a good thing that Jughead can understand that darker part of her and that he accepts it, I feel like its what Betty needed at times. I also think it was important that Betty was also able to do the same for Jughead. But this only works if they are helping each other work through their darkness, which they used to do in the past.

And this is where we reach the true problem, that epiphany that Jughead reaches. These kids have stopped helping and supporting each other through the darkness, now instead they’ve started to encourage each others inner darkness. As Jughead says after he rewrites his story he realised that he was revelling in the town’s sickness and enjoying the suffering of another. This was true of all the kids. I liked this running theme, that ran simultaneously through both the story Jug was writing and the plotline of the kids going up against Mr Honey over prom, of the real monsters being the kids who have been corrupted by the town and all its happenings. I mean during the whole planning out the revenge fantasy and planning how to overthrow Mr Honey not one of them stopped to question whether what they were doing was right, not one of them called their friends out they all just encouraged each other and threw in their own ideas. I mean when Betty starts talking about how Mr Honey works late on tuesdays so they could sneak into school and kidknap him, Archie doesn’t comeback with wow Betty that’s really dark maybe we shouldn’t be thinking about this, instead he points out that Mr Honey would recognise them. It all just kind of snowballs from there. And yes I get that its all fiction and made up and its played off comically but its different when its set in a town where this sort of thing actually happens on a regular basis and, as Betty says herself, alot of lines in the story they have said in real life, I mean Betty, Jughead and Cheryl have been in the postion where they have had someone tied up, Cheryl has actually mapleboarded her mother which is what gave them that idea for the revenge fantasy. Some of them have legit had to get rid of a body before. Its the fact that while it might be made up they are getting the ideas from real life experiences that makes it seem all the more sinister.

The other disturbing thing to though is throughout most of the episode the kids don’t recognise that they are the bad guys. They see Mr Honey as this enemy because when you think about it every person in town in twisted in some way, that’s what’s normal for riverdale. I think its very telling that the first thing Betty plans to do when thinking of a plan to overthrow Honey and get prom back is look for skeletons. Again she does this because that’s just how Riverdale works, everyone has a secret that they are hiding or some dark past they don’t want anyone to know about and using blackmail to get what you want is just a normal way to deal with things in Riverdale and its been this way for so long now that the kids don’t even see why that’s wrong. I saw alot of comments saying about how they thought the way the kids were behaving with Mr Honey was wrong and that he was in the right most of the time when he was punising the students, like he was right when he punished Cheryl for locking her coach in a room and causing that coach to have a panic attack, the tickle gang were wearing school uniforms in those videos which could give the school a bad rep, he didn’t know that Betty didn’t cheat on the quiz and if as the evidence suggested she had then banning her from prom was the right thing to do. There were some things he did that were very questionable and as I said above I’m not completley sold on him being a good guy. But all these comments are right, for the most part he behaved as a normal strict principal would in most of those situations. But we have to look at it from the kids point of view and remember that the majority of the adults they’ve had in their lives have been abusive or manipulative and done some pretty awful things to them so its not at all surprising that these kids would see Honey’s actions as him being out to get them afterall that’s what a normal adult in riverdale would be doing. I think the most worrying part though is that it almost seemed like on some level the kids didn’t want things to change. For example when Jughead told Honey not to mess with them in their own town or how when Honey pointed out the all the murder, mayhem and depravity in the town was not normal, Betty replied it was normal to them. I feel like the kids are stuck in this limbo where some part of them wants to escape and get out of Riverdale and another part of them is afraid of leaving what is normal to them. Whilst Riverdale and its ways are not normal to the rest of the world its what these kids know and understand. I just thought this idea of holding up a mirrror to the town and showing just how effected the residents of riverdale and the kids in particular was a really interesting one that they explored this episode.

I’m Not So Sure About That

Ok so I do want to quickly talk about the parts that I had a bit of an issue with. Firstly I really didn’t like that Jughead used Reggie’s abuse at the hands of his father as a plotpoint in his story. This story was being sent off to a College where other people, strangers that Reggie doesn’t know will read it. Ok so Jughead was going to change the names but even so something about it seemed wrong to me. I also feel like it is something that happens alot with Jughead’s writing to, he wrote about Jason Blossom without taking into consideration how it might be traumatic for Cheryl to know a book about her brother’s murder at the hands of her father is being read by people worldwide. Especially when she is trying to move on from it. Also he did the same with Betty where he was going to write one about her father which she got understandably upset about. I just feel like we are seeing this pattern of Jughead using his friends’ traumas for his writing without asking them first. Like I understand that he is drawing from his own experiences like he was heavily involved in solving these mysteries but it still didn’t seem right. Like if they had written in a quick scene or line where he talks to those who will be effected and was like hey I want to write this story, I think its important people know this story, I’m going to change the names, is it ok for me to do this, then it might have been a bit better.

The other thing I was conflicted or even confused about was Jughead writing Betty the way he did, as Dark Betty and how ok Betty was with it. Now I did explain above why he might have done this but I’m still somewhat conflicted about it because I feel like this season Betty has really struggled with this whole dark side of herself to the point where she thought she might actually have hurt someone she loved and where she was willing to be hypnotised so she could kill her dark self. It seemed a bit insensitive for Jughead to then write Betty as Dark Betty and I was genuinely confused as to why Betty seemed to like it so much. I feel like she was a bit ooc this episode in that respect and it almost felt to me that she had gone backwards. I mean she had made all this progress before where she had moved on from this darkside of herself she had wanted to move away from the whole murder mysteries and focus more on other things and now its like she is being sucked back in again. I do think some of it is because thats the dynamic of her relationship with Jughead, they go on murder mysteries together and they’re both a little dark and twisted. But I can’t help but wonder if you take that away what’s left? What would their relationship look like without that stuff because I feel like its such a big part of them. I think the other part is as a mentioned above as much as these kids want to escape they also don’t want to leave what’s familiar to them.

The other thing that I found a little odd and this one is minor, but when did Archie tell them about going to the Naval Academy? Because it seemed like a big decision for him but it was kind of just brushed over. I mean Jughead clearly knows about the Naval Academy because he writes into the story and Betty must know to because she didn’t have much of a reaction to reading it. The only thing I could think of is that Archie mentioned he had applied but they don’t know yet if he has got in. I’m pretty sure Jughead in the story said he was going to Iowa but we don’t know if he has got in yet. Obviously in that scene though they had to say they were going for it to fit the scene seeing as they were all listing the colleges they were going to. If that was it though its a bit disappointing as they made a bit of a big deal out of him questioning whether to go and I feel like him telling his friends he’s going would be kind of something we should see. But I guess they still might ave a scene where he confirms he’s going to his friens, we’ll have to wait and see.

The fact that Toni, Fangs and Sweet Pea weren’t included in this episode. I’m assuming that they had some good reason why they weren’t included like scheduling or something but still I would have liked to have seen them in those scenes.

The Bits I liked

Ok so now I want to talk about the bits I liked. I loved the comedy in this episode. Like it was dark humor but it was still good, I laughed alot during this episode at just how ridiculous some of it was and I do think that was the point they weren’t expecting you to take it seriously it was meant to be fun and it was. Some of my favourite moments was Archie suggesting he could sneak up on Honey and knock him out then when it shows the story acting it out Archie just runs straight at him and punches him in the face, no subtlety, no sneaking just pure chaotic energy. Everyone putting up their hands when asked whose got experience dealing with a body before and Reggie commenting on how was he the only one who hadn’t dealt with a dead body before was another golden moment. I also loved the scene when the parents are confronting Honey and FP says he and Tom are just the muscle. I gotta admit as well that as sorry as I felt for him there was something very amusing about seeing Mr Honey being wheeled out of his office while stuck to his chair and with the hand still glued to the phone. There were just so many comedy gold moments throughout the episode.

Reggie. Just Reggie as a person, he was great in this episode I loved every minute he was on screen and I really hope we get to see more of him in season 5.

The scene where the kids recruit the parents and they all come walking slow mo down the hall and then threaten Mr Honey with lawyers and governors and scathing news articles (and of course the muscle) was amazing.

Also the scene with the parents and the kids celebrating at Pop’s was really sweet with everything the parents were saying it did feel a bit like the end of a chapter like the parents are getting ready for their kids to fly the nest.

Season 5 Predictions and Theories.

Ok to finish off I want to talk about what I think might happen next for our Riverdale gang. I’ve based some of this off of the interviews that I have read since watching the episode and on what’s happened in the show already and where I logically think the show can/ will go from here. First I want to address the issue that there’s been some talk that the time jump might not happen. This is based off of an interview RAS gave where the reporter asked if the time jump will still happen and this is what RAS replied:

So obviously this has caused some confusion as to whether the time jump will still happen. I personally feel like even though its going to be more difficult then doing it between seasons it is still something they should do. I feel like it could be a bit of a mess trying to follow them while they are all at colleges miles away from each other. I mean only Toni and Cheryl are going to the same school so they would have to build at least 5 new sets for each of the colleges. I feel like it would be kind of impossible for the group to interact when they are all at different schools. Alternately they do some storyline where none of them go to the colleges they wanted to and they all end up at local colleges which is kinda what they did with Gossip Girl and to be honest it turned into a bit of a mess. By the mid point of the season the audience wasn’t even sure if they were still even in college because they would never go and it just stopped making sense. They could try and draw out a storyline set in the summer right before they go to college up until the midseason finale and then do the 5 year time jump inbetween the mid season break. They did this with Pretty Little Liars and while it was a little jarring it worked slightly better than Gossip Girl trying to follow them through college. My personal preference would be for them to stick with what they planned orignally and finding a way to make that work so still have the time jump after episode 4x22/5x03. It’s not ideal I know but I feel like ultimately it will make more sense from a storytelling point of view. But seeing as it is so uncertain I am going to base my preditions off of the assumption there will be a time jump as planned.

FP and Hermione

So we know that FP and Hermione won’t be in season 5 past episode 3 as the actors are leaving the show. However RAS has confirmed that neither character will die and that he hopes that they may be able to return now and again in the same way that they have Mary Andrews pop in and out when the narrative allows it. So if they aren’t dying how might they be written out of the show. Well this is where the time jump could come in handy. If Veronica goes to Barnard then maybe the Lodges or just Hermione move back to New York to be close to her. When whatever draws them back to Riverdale happens it wouldn’t be unreasonable for Hermione to choose to stay in New York. Maybe Hiram either doesn’t leave Riverdale to start with I mean he is Mayor, or if he did maybe he also comes back to keep an eye on Veronica. As for FP I think with Betty and Jughead going to college maybe FP and Alice decide that they’ve had enough of Riverdale and all the crap they’ve been through and so they decide to move out of town and raise Jelly Bean somewhere a little more kid friendly you know where she might not be murdered or roped into joining a cult or running drugs for a gang. Then when Betty is back in Riverdale maybe Alice comes back to help with whatever is going on.

The Love Square.

So based off the interviews we know that ep 20 was going to be the prom episode, that 21 was one where alot of emotional journeys climaxed and that 22 was graduation. We know that at some point Jughead and Veronica will find out about what happened between Archie and Betty and RAS did confirm two things one was that it won’t be the video tapes that outs them. The second is that they both find out in different ways.

In regards to Veronica and Archie I think Veronica is going to find out in the prom episode. This is what RAS said about it:

From what he is saying here about how we haven’t seen the last of the song Archie wrote for Betty I think it might be the song that gives him away. Now it could be that he sings it at Prom but I’m not sure why he would do that. Realistically you are not going to sing a song that you wrote about your childhood friend who you’ve caught feelings for and who is dating your best guy friend while at prom with your girlfriend. So I feel like someone is either going to find a recording of the song (we know that Archie sometimes records his songs as we’ve seen him play them from a portable recorder and his laptop) or someone will overhear him singing it. This could be Cheryl as she does like to meddle in things and cause some chaos. But maybe whoever hears the song puts Archie on the spot and asks him to sing it at prom leaving him with no other choice. Its possible that Veronica then realises that its not about her and there is some big dramatic blowout between them.A more awkward situation would be if something happens at the prom that prompts Archie’s mum to go on stage and suggest that Archie come up and sing as a way to distract from whatever drama is going down. Trying to be helpful maybe she asks if he can sing that beautiful song he wrote for Veronica. Again this puts Archie right on the spot as now everyone is expecting him to sing and Veronica is there beaming at him thinking he’s written some love song for her only to realise as he sings it that its not actually about her. Maybe this then forces him to come clean to Veronica and then they break up.

Another option is that on Prom day/night Veronica either finds the song, either written in his notebook or a recording of it, or is mother mentions it to her and thats when she realises he’s written a song about someone else. Understandably this puts her in a bit of a bad mood but she doesn’t want to spoil the night so she quietly seeths for a bit until eventually during prom Archie having recognised she’s in a bad mood asks whats wrong and she can’t keep it in anymore and confronts him.

Option 3 is again someone finds the recording and they download it and then play it at prom as oppose to Archie signing it live. I could see a potential scenario like this happening if Cheryl were to find the song and decides she really likes it and wants it to play while she and Toni have their prom queens dance so she just takes it and gives it to the DJ to play. Then we get the same as I’ve said before, Veronica confronts Archie he confesses and they realise their realtionship isn’t going anywhere. I feel like finding out about the kiss will bring up alot of other things they need to talk about too such as where their relationship is going in regards to what happens when they go to college and that kind of thing.

As for Jughead and Betty RAS doesn’t mention anything about them in this interview in regards to prom but in another he does say that when they were looking at the footage of 4x20 to see if they could patch an episode together a big part of the reason why they chose not to was because they hadn’t yet filmed some important character scenes between Archie and Veronica and Betty and Jughead. So we know something important happens between Betty and Jughead during the prom episode but I don’t feel like its actually at prom because RAS said they had already filmed the big event. RAS had also said that after everything happened with Barchie Betty was feeling good about returning to Jughead and that she was trying to reconnect with him. To be honest this makes sense to me and we saw a bit of it in episode 19. I did feel like Betty seemed to be trying a little too hard with Jughead she just seemed more touchy feely with him than she usually is. We all said that we thought she would throw herself back into that relationship and really try to focus on it to distract herself. This is the same behaviour as the last time she and Archie kissed. Just pretend it didn’t happen and put extra attention on her relationship with Jughead. It would also make sense for her to feel good about it as she has convinced herself she made the right choice, Here’s the thing though RAS said trying to reconnect he doesn’t say anything about succeeding in that. Also Betty is being untruthful with Jughead right now by not being honest with him about what happened with Archie. So long as she is being untruthful with him its not going to work between them. Eventually its going to come out and its going to be made worse by the fact that Betty has been lying to him. RAS says this about episode 21:

He also in another interview said this about Betty an Jughead’s relationship:

So I could see a couple of things happening here. One it’s still possible that Jughead finds out about Archie and Betty in the prom episode just maybe not at prom itself. It could be that Veronica finds out earlier in the episode and then Jughead finds out at the very end of the episode and its the cliffhanger for the episode which would leave things unresolved between Betty and Jughead. RAS says that in episode 21 alot of emotional stories climax meaning they come to a head or to the end. He also says before graduation Betty and Jughead have a big, difficult conversation about their future as they are going to different schools. The thing is similar to how I think its going to go with Veronica and Archie I do think that this big, difficult conversation will start off about what happened with Betty and Archie and then evolve from there into a discussion about where there relationship can go from here considering they are going to different schools. I do think it’ll be in episode 21 that Betty and Jughead will break up. As for how I think Jughead might find out we know its different from how Veronica does. Also RAS when asked if Barchie were truly over mentioned how Betty kept her diary which suggests that as we suspected will come back into play. I actually think it’ll be through the diary that Jughead finds out and I think that’s why so much focuss was put on these two items (the song and the diary) in episode 18 because these were the things that were going to reveal the truth about Barchie. I think its possible that at the end of the prom episode they’ve made it home after prom and maybe Betty is grabbing a shower or something and while she’s out the room Jughead knocks the diary off the side or desk and it falls open at the page where Betty wrote about the kiss. As Jughead picks it up off the floor the words catch his eye and he can’t help but read what it says. At that moment is when Betty comes back into the room and Jughead looks up from the diary to her and thats when it cuts to black.

Another option is that Jughead doesn’t find out in ep 20 but in ep 21 they talk about what’s going to happen after graduation and decide they are going to make a long distance thing work. Then either at the end of ep 21 or the beginning of ep 22 he finds out about the kiss through the diary, another way he could see the diary is if someone else finds the diary pages about Barchie and decides to make a photocopy and send it to Jughead, maybe Jellybean is snooping in Betty’s room for some reason and wants to protect her brother but doesn’t want anyone to know she read Betty’s diary so she sends it instead. After a confrontation they then break up.

Then graduation will be this really emotional bittersweet episode where the core four will be broken apart but also coming together to celebrate the end of this stage of their lifes then they will all go their separate ways.

As a quick interjection I have seen some speculation that maybe Jughead and Betty will get engaged. I personally don’t think its likely, I’ve not seen any hints myself that suggest that may happen. I think from the sounds of this difficult conversation they are going to have its more likely they break up and it does seem like the goal was to break up the core four for the time jump. However one scenario where this could happen is if they get engaged before he finds out about Barchie and then they break up after he finds out. While I’ll admit that would bring alot of drama to the show I personally really really don’t want that to happen. The main reason for this is, and I know some might disagree with me here, but one thing I hated, like really hated, last time they kissed in season 2 was how Betty then slept with Jughead before telling him the truth about Archie. Now anyone who has read my barchie analysis for ep 17 will know that I don’t hate characters for making a mistake, so I want to make it clear that I still love Betty and I’m not hating on her when I say this I recognise that she is a young girl who is still making mistakes and growing. But like I said for me I thought it was wrong of Betty to take that next big step with Jughead whilst he was in the dark about the kiss. I feel like he should have been given the option to walk away from her without having taken that next step if he wanted to break up with her because of it. Whilst we know now that Jughead doesn’t break up with her when he finds out there was no way of knowing that at the time. What makes it worse was that Jughead was honest with Betty about how he had done stuff with Toni when they were separated. I just wish Betty had returned the favour and had also been honest. I feel like if she were to get engaged to him without him knowing about what happened with Archie it would be the same situation. I just feel like if you are going to be making these big steps in a relationship then you need to do it with all your cards shown. It kinda reminds me of the situation in this movie I loved growing up called The Wedding Date, if you haven’t seen it then I’m sorry but I’m about to spoil it for you (to be fair it did come out in 2005) so skip this part if you want but its where a bride is revealed to have been sleeping with her sisters ex and cheating on her fiance, the ex also happens to be the grooms best friend, there’s this one scene where the sister confronts the bride when she says she plans to tell her fiance the truth but after the wedding, and the sister sarcastically tells her that she should pick the right time because when he finds out she has been cheating on him ‘he won’t feel like the whole world is collapsing around him and there’s no escape because you tricked him into marrying you.’ I feel like this would be a similar situation if Betty were to accept Jughead’s proposal without telling him that she cheated with Archie. It might make Jughead feel more trapped if they are engaged. With every new step they take together its going to be worse when Jughead does eventually find out. Anyway I feel like I’ve just gone completely off course here. But yeah it could potentially happen, it would definitely be drama filled but while I might be a Barchie shipper I still love Jughead and I would hate to see him crushed like that.

So I’ve spoken about the other two couples so what do I think will happen with Barchie? Well as I said Veronica and Archie will break up in ep 20, Jughead and Betty I reckon will be ep 21 and I think Barchie will come in ep 22. In his interviews RAS said that Betty’s emotional affair with Archie reconfirmed her feelings for Jughead. Again I feel like this makes sense. I said myself that I felt like Betty choosing Jughead had more to do with not wanting to lose Jughead than it did with how she felt about Archie. Thinking back on it, twice now this season Betty has been confronted with this possibilty of losing Jughead, first with his attempted murder and then when she cheated. Jughead isn’t just someone she loves he and their relationship is something familiar to her and so I think she is clinging to that out of fear or not knowing what her life will look like without him in it. She got a small taste of what it was like to be at different schools when he was at Stonewall and it was during these times that she drifted closer to Archie. The thing is she hasn’t yet had to fully comprehend what it’ll be like to lose Archie. I think when she ended it with him at no point did she believe that she could lose Archie by ending it. I think she just knew he would still be there for her even if they weren’t romantically involved. Again this thinking would make sense as the last time they kissed after despite the fact that they didn’t get together he was still there for her. Archie has been this constant in her life and I think in ep 22 there will come a moment maybe at graduation or right after where she will realise this is it, they are going to go their separate ways and that she might not ever see him again. I could see it happen while everyone is sitting around at the graduation after party and they’re all talking about what their plans are next and maybe Archie says something like he’s not sure if he’ll come back to riverdale after he’s done with the navy. I do think they will then have a really emotional goodbye scene where they both admit they have feelings for each other but accept that now just isn’t the right time for them. My ultimate fantasy would be if they then make a pact that in 5 years time they’ll meet back in Riverdale and see where they stand with each other. I do think if they ended the episode there it would be nice follow on for the next episode where it is 5 years in the future.

What Brings Them All Back

So if they do go with the time jump then what is it that could bring them all back to Riverdale 5 years later? The obvious one would be someone is murdered so they all come back for the funeral and end up staying to solve the mystery. I mean its definitely possible but I feel like from some of the interviews and the direction they have taken this season so far that they are setting up the show to have a huge shift in focus. A time jump could be a great way of kind of resetting the show and turning it into something new and well I think they are running out of ideas for the whole murder mystery type genre and I think people are getting a little tired of it too, so they might shift it to focus more on just a drama full of adult life obstacles and problems. No murders or cults or any of that, maybe turn it more into a later seasons gossip girl, One tree hill or 90210 type of show. In that case I can think of three possible reasons why they come back. 1) There is a 5 year high school reunion. 2) At graduation they all made a pact together to all return to riverdale on that exact day 5 years later so they could see where everyone ended up. 3) This ones my favourtie, what if Choni are getting married and they all come back for the wedding. Whatever the reason for them coming back I do feel like something will happen that will keep them all there. It could be like a One Tree Hill type thing where they came back because nathan was injured but found reasons to stay for example Peyton wanted to open her own recording label and said she needed inspiration which One tree hill was giving her (but lets be honest she also stayed for lucas). Brooke stays because she decides to open a store there. I could see something similar happening here. If they do a time jump of five years to skip over their time in college then they still have a problem with one of the characters Archie. When Brooke (the woman from the navy academy) told him about the navy academy she said it was four years at the academy and then five years on active duty in the navy. That means 9 years away so if the time jump is only 5 years then Archie will still be in his first year of active duty in the navy. However it is possible that they will go with a storyline where Archie is injured in his first year of active duty and has to be medically discharged from the navy or at the very least take time off to recover. This could be what brings the rest of them back to riverdale as they all want to help and support Archie in his recovery. It would be a rather tragic stroyline for Archie as he would go through all that training, work on his boxing career only for it to all be torn away from him. If they do it right it could be a very emotional and moving storyline and it would take the show in a different direction but still have storylines that the audience can get invested in. They could make the show more about human emotions and real life struggles and the relationships of the characters as oppose to all the wacky, strange mysterious murder stuff.

So that is where I could see Archie being post time jump, he went the academy things went really well for him, then during his first year of active duty a sustains a life changing injury. He then has to go on this journey of dealing with this traumatic event thats happened to him and recovering from his injury. It would be a story about healing.

As for Veronica I think she would have graduated from Barnard with a business degree and would now be foucced on growing her La Bonne Nuit into a franchise or something similar to that. Or maybe La Bonne Nuit isn’t doing so well so she wants to reinvitalise it and restore it to its former glory. I do think she’ll return to Riverdale engaged though. Likely to a rich and ambitious kind of fellow. I also feel like either she would have already gotten close to Jughead over the break or she will start to get close to Jughead when they are all back. I think this joint betrayal will bring them closer together. I don’t know if it would be a romantic situation but if they did do that I could see them as doing something similar to Spencer and Caleb on PLL in the sense of they have both broken up with their S/O and are feeling lost and end up connecting with each other. Now I don’t think their relationship would neccessarily go the same way as Spaleb went but I could see it starting out the same way in that they connect through the hurt they are feeling about their break ups.

Jughead I could see struggling to get a book published after leaving Barnard or maybe it’ll be the same thing as Lucas on OTH where he’s had one book that’s done really well but now the pressure is on him to give his publishers another one. Maybe this is why he stays in Riverdale as a way of drawing inspiration.

As for Betty again she would have graduated from Yale. I could see her going one of two ways, either shes looking into journalism or I do think she could start training with the FBI. It would be a good way of tying Charles back into the storyline if he doesn’t turn out to be evil and it does seem to me like Betty really enjoys being in the Junior FBI program. We also know how much she loves to solve mysteries so I could definitely see Betty coming back as an FBI agent.

Choni as I mentioned above I feel like they will be getting married. I think they’ll probably still have custody of the twins who will be much older now which could be quite fun to see. As for job wise I’m not sure where they’d be. I’m assuming Cheryl will still be doing the family Maple business. Maybe Toni goes into photography of something like that, I’m sure there was a storyline where she said she liked photography when we first met her, but I could be wrong on that. I feel like Cheryl probably kept in touch with Betty over the years and Toni probably kept in touch with Jughead.

So yeah that’s what my predictions for season 5 are.

Final Thoughts

So overall I thought this last episode was really good. It was a fun episode to end on. A huge well done to Madchen because she did an amazing job directing this episode, not that I’m surprised she is an absolute queen afterall. It would have been nice to see the prom and graduation but I’m happy knowing that we will get to see them in season 5. I think this season as a whole was good. I thought the storyline around Stonewall Prep was really interesting and I am intrigued to know who is behind the video tapes. I loved that we got to see Charles and that he has been interacting with Jughead and Betty, I think seeing that sibling bond grow has been fun, lets just keep our fingers crossed it doesn’t all end in tears. Obviously I loved the Barchie storyline we got and I am glad that they seem to be changing things up in the show. I think it was starting to feel a little stagnant and stale and I do think that by changing up the relationships and having different characters interact with each other like Toni and Reggie, and Veronica and Cheryl, I think we need to see some more variety in the interactions in the show. Also it does seem to me like that might move away from the murder mystery part of it which could be interesting. I do think this whole idea of them forcing the characters to see the darkness of Riverdale is what will ultimately make the characters change their ways and heal Riverdale. I do think season 5 could be a season about healing, the town healing, the people healing and the relationships healing. So thats it for now, we’ve got a bit of a wait but as always thank you so much to everyone who read to the end of this.

#riverdale #riverdale spoilers #riverdale theories #barchie

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alexthepartyman · 4 years

Text

Fine Line

Chapter 4: Take me back to the light.

“Easy there, tough guy, have some coffee with your sugar,” Derek teases, grabbing a mug.

“I need something to wake me up.”

“Same. I feel like I’ve slept for five years,” I joke.

“You had brain surgery a couple of weeks ago, it is normal to be tired.” I sigh, rolling my eyes as my phone vibrates against my ass.

“Back pocket,” I groan as Derek pulls my phone out of my pocket. “It’s probably more get well soon wishes.”

“Oooh, you had a late night?” Derek asks, handing me my phone before going back to make coffee.

“Very.”

“My man.” Oooh, it was probably with Grant, too. Oooh. I slowly type, trying to remember how to spell certain words.

“Not that kind of late night.”

“Really? I was rooting for you,” I groan as Derek chuckles.

“Okay, so tell me, what does keep young Dr Reid awake at night? Wait, let me guess. Memorising some obscure textbook. No, no, no, no,” Derek teases. “Working on cold fusion. No, I got it. I got it. I got it. Watching Ster Trek...and laughing at the physics mistakes.”

“Actually, there aren’t that many scientific errors in Star Trek, especially considering how long ago it was made.”

“Did his face just fall?” I ask with a big smile on my face.

“There are certain improbabilities, but not that many outright errors.”

“Right.” I laugh lightly as Derek walks away awkwardly, holding my head in my hand.

“Hey, Morgan?” Spencer asks, following him. I grip my crutches and turn myself, slowly following along. “Uh, do you ever have dreams?”

“I’m sorry?”

“I guess nightmares would be a more accurate description.”

“Is that what’s keeping you up?”

“I used to get them occasionally, but lately it’s like I have them every night.”

“What are they about?”

“This. What we do. Do you have nightmares?”

“When don’t I?” I remark.

“Reid, I’m not sure I’m the right person for you tot alk to about this.”

“Why not?”

“It’s just, uh...did you ask Gideon about it?”

“No.”

“You should. Both of you.”

“Hey, Hotch wants everyone in the round table room.”

“Derek, carry me. I’m not getting anywhere with these things,” I retort as Elle walks away from us.

“Nuh-uh, little buddy. You gotta do it yourself. I ain’t gonna be around to carry you everywhere.”

“Fuck...I take forever!” I groan, stumbling towards the staircase.

“Something up with you three?” Elle asks.

“No.”

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“McAllister,” JJ says as we head in. “Western slope of Massanutten Mountain in Virginia. Two bodies discovered in the woods, both with apparent bult trauma to the head.”

“Skeletons?”

“Skellingtons?” I ask, approaching the table and looking at the picture in Spencer’s hand.

“One of them. The second victim was just killed this morning.”

“How do we know there’s a connection?” Elle asks.

“Found about seventy-five feet apart with nearly identical head wounds.”

“Where’s the rest of the case file?”

“There isn’t one. The sheriffs are on the scene waiting for us.”

“Their location is only half an hour away by plane.”

“What’s the rush?”

“Well, there was evidence on the scene that could cause a bit of public uproar.”

“Satanic cult.”

“But...killer satanic cults...those don’t exist…”

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“JJ, we obviously need to keep this out of the press for as long as possible.”

“I’ll do what I can.”

“Why is that so important?”

“There was a nationwide scare in the 1980s involving Satanic ritual killings and abuse. The Satanic panic, it was called. It began after the publication of a book about repressed memories being recovered through hypnotherapy. Memories of growing up with devil worshippers who use children in their rituals and ceremonies.”

“Most of the claims were later found to be false or just impossible.”

“Still, numerous therapists accepted the assertions as true and began searching for similar signs in their own patients. After one year, thousands of people reported the exact same repressed memories.”

“But the bureau conducted an investigation and concluded that most of the ritual killings or abuse were more urban legend than anything else.”

“You’re saying that there’s no such thing as Devil worshipping?”

“Not at all. But most of the Satanism we’ve seen is juveniles damaging property, descerating churches, cemeteries. To my knowledge, there’s never been a proven case of a satanic ritual killing in the United States,” Uncle Jason says.

“Well, maybe there is now.”

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“Morning. John Bridges,” the sheriff greets us.

“Yeah, we spoke on the phone,” JJ shakes his hand. “I’m Agent Jareau, this is Agent Gideon, Dr Reid, and our intern James Rossi with the FBI’s Behavioural Analysis Unit,” JJ introduces us.

“What’s with your intern?”

“Concussion. Can’t walk on my own yet. Hi.”

“Thanks for coming out so fast, all of you.”

“Yeah, of course.”

“There was an in-service in Charlottesville last year, said if we ran into any unusual homicides, we were supposed to call you folks soonertather then later.”

“They were right.”

“So is this unusual enough?”

“It’s certainly interesting. Is that blood or red paint?” I ask, nodding my head towards the carving in the tree.

“You guys must get a lot of this, huh? Satanic stuff?”

“Not really,” Uncle Jason answers. “Who found the body?”

“Hikers found the first one at the trail, my deputies located this one while searching for evidence. Don’t even know if it’s a man or a woman.”

“It’s a man. The male pelvis is more narrow, and the opening at the bottom is heart-shaped, as opposed to oval,” Spencer rambles. “Melted wax?”

“Candle wax?” JJ asks.

“Candles are used in rituals.”

“Also used on birthday cakes,” Uncle Jason says, watching my feet carefully.

“Actually, they were orginially used to protect the birthday celebrant from demons for the coming year. As a matter of fact, down to the fourth century, Christianity rejected the birthday celebration as a pagan ritual.”

‘What kind of doctor are you?”

“One that knows everything,” I quietly comment.

“Does LOD mean anything to you?”

“I don’t know of any significance in Satanism, either.”

“Well, I’d have Garcia research this LOD thing, if I could get a call out.”

“Not much of a chance of that out here.”

“Are there any cults in the area that you know about? Secret groups? People you see you don’t know much about? People who stay to themselves mostly?”

“This is a very religious area. Church on Sundays, fellowship on Wednesday, bible classes. If there was a secret group, I’d probably know about it.”

“That’s an inherent contradiction,” Spencer chuckles.

“Excuse me?”

“Spencer,” I hiss, picking up the tip of my crutch and stomping his foot with it.

“Ow…”

“He means if there was a group being secretive, you probably wouldn’t know.”

“Look, people out here just want a quiet place to raise their kids. What I know is that none of them are capable of doing this.”

“Rethink that statement,” I comment.

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

“Here you go,” Jason says, setting me back down on the ground after carrying me back up the road.

“Thanks, Uncle Jason.”

“It’s no problem, Jamie.”

“Find anything interesting down there?” Aaron asks.

“Yeah, it does look like some kind of ritual site,” Uncle Jason answers.

“Have any of you ever heard of LOD or the acronym L-O-D?” Spencer asks as Elle helps Spencer up onto the road.

“Not me.”

“Cherish? Cherish? Sheriff Bridges!” A woman yells, being blocked off by an officer behind the yellow tape.

“It’s okay, Harris. Let her in.”

“Was Adam Lloyd killed out here?” She asks, marching up towards us.

“Who told you that?”

“Was he? My daughter was with him. They were out running together this morning. Oh my god, and I can’t find her. Cherish is missing. Cherish is missing! Help me, please.” She starts to cry.

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

“Take her home.”

“I will.”

“Who are we looking for?” I ask as we head back to the team.

“Someone who can overpower our victim, abduct a girl from a traveled path without being seen.”

“A local would know their way around here,” I add.

“It certainly fits with the cult theory. More than one unsub to control multiple victims.”

“But if the attack were ferocious enough...a single unsub could do it too. Kill Adam and grab the girl while she’s still in shock.”

“This is some rough country. I don’t think Jamie could do it right now,” Elle comments, walking back to us with Derek. “We only went a quarter of a mile, and we almost got lost.”

“Jamie was right. The unsub is a local. You don’t just stumble onto a place like this.”

“JJ, where’d the sheriff go?”

“He’s setting up a search party.”

“Tell him I want him to use volunteers from the area.”

“Do you want him to know why?”

“No, not yet.”

“Is it wise to alienate him?”

“Well, he thinks we’re looking for a monster. If we tell him we’re looking for volunteers so we can profile who shows up, he might call the whole thing off.”

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

“State won’t be here for over an hour. We’re not gonna wait. I want you to gather everyone up, and I’m going to assign grid locations.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You have a moment, sheriff?” JJ asks.

“I’ve got a missing girl, a hundred square miles of woods, not enough men, and in a couple of hours, it’s gonna be dark.”

“Have you considered using the people that live in the area?”

“I’m not gonna have civilians messing up the crime scene.”

“We can instruct them not to touch anything until a member of Law Enforcement arrives.”

“What if they get lost, too?”

“We can have them sign into a volunteer sheet and keep track of what grid square they’re in. Look...I grew up in a small town. You have the state police coming in?”

“Yeah.”

“Your locals can do a better job of finding this girl than any statie. Especially in these woods,” I cut in. “You know that.”

“You’ll keep track of them?”

“She’s coordinated searches across the country.” The sheriff nods, and we head towards the vehicles.

“Let’s go. Harris, I’m going downtown. Don’t do anything until I get back.”

“Hey! Can I come with you guys?” Spencer calls out, catching up to us and nearly knocking me over.

“Spencer, I will hit you again,” I threaten.

“Sorry. I need to call Quantico and have them research that whole LOD thing,” he says, stumbling after us.

“Yeah, sure. Hop in.” JJ helps me carefully climb into the back of the truck, and Spencer hops in after me, holding my crutches.

“No bickering, you two,” JJ scolds us both from the shotgun seat. “Sorry, they get along like cats and dogs sometimes.”

“I wanna be the dog,” I whine. “Spencer can be the cat.”

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

JJ helps lift me out of the truck, and I grab my crutches from Spencer.

“What’s happened, John?” A man asks, stopping them and giving me a moment to catch up to them.

“Reverend Paul Burke, this is...I’m sorry, I forgot your names.”

“I’m Agent Jareau, this is Dr Reid and our intern James.”

“They’re with the FBI.”

“FBI? It’s true, then? Adam’s dead?”

“Cherish Hanson’s missing, too.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

“Actually, yes,” the sheriff answers. “We’re putting together a search party. Could you call the congregation?”

“Of course. I’ll go make some calls.”

“Thanks, Reverend. This way.” We follow sheriff Bridges into the station. “You can use any phone you want, Dr Reid, just dial 9 to get an outside line. I’ve got an emergency phone list back here in my office.” I see Spencer wander off to the corkboard, and so I redirect myself to follow.

“Why is there a football?” I ask.

“Did you play ball?” A boy asks, coming up to us, donning a letterman jacket.

“No,” Spencer scoffs.

“You hold that thing right, or I swear to God-” I reach for the football.

“Yeah, I probably wouldn’t have either, if not for my father. I’m Cory.”

“Spencer Reid. This is Jamie, he played.”

“You’re talking about me like I’m dead. I would play, if it wasn’t for these crutches and my three month ban from sports. Who’s that, Nietzsche?” I ask.

“Thus Spake Zarathustra is rather antagonistic of the Judeo-Christian world view for this town, isn’t it?”

“I don’t think too many people here would’ve bothered to read it. If they had, they wouldn’t understand it. Might as well be a Hawking essay on quark theory.”

“People don’t typically read Nietzsche.” I look to Spencer, who laughs to himself.

“Hey, nobody ever got that reference before. Is my father around? The sheriff?”

“He’s in his office with another agent.”

Agent? Hey, uh, Jamie. Why don’t you sit down? You should give that leg a rest,” Cory says, pulling out the closest chair.

“Leg? Am I…” I look down at my legs. “I’m limping again, aren’t I?”

“I didn’t notice. We’re with the FBI, the Behavioural Analysis Unit.”

“Profilers?” We both nod. “This is mad cool. I got, like a hundred questions I go...wait. Why would FBI profilers be here in McAllister?”

“There was a murder outside of town on the mountain,” Spencer explains.

“A murder?”

“And a girl’s missing.”

“It’s Cherish, son.”

“Cherish Hanson?”

“We’re putting together a search party. I need you to get the rest of the team together and meet us out at the trail about half a mile south of the point.”

“Yeah, okay.”

“Spencer, can you get me my drink out of my bag, please? Thank you.” Spencer hands me a bottle of Mountain Dew, and I screw open the bottle and gulp it down.

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

“Man, this is one Peyton place of a town.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask.

“Most everyone lives well above the median income of the country. You have doctors, lawyers...one guy owns a bunch of shoe stores up and down the Eastern seaboard.”

“Is he married?”

“Yep. Story of my life, sunshine. Reverend Paul Burke, looks like he became born again in prison.”

“Love that. What was he in for?” I ask.

“Yeah. Two years as a guest of the state of Ohio for embezzlement.”

“JJ, what’s embezzlement?” I ask.

“It’s when people steal money from their jobs.”

“I’m seeing a lot of tax sheltering and various hanky-panky here, but I’m not sure what would suggest potential Satanic cult members. Hold on.”

“You got something?”

“Yeah. I got a guy with a ton of debts, spotty work history, his house is in foreclosure. He’s got a record, too. Assault with a deadly weapon three years ago.”

“Wait, does it say what the weapon was?” JJ asks.

“Baseball bat.”

“Our unsub used a blunt object.”

“Bats are blunt, aren’t they?” I ask.

“What’s this guy’s name?”

“Dent. Henry Dent.”

“Apt name.”

“Jamie, where is he on the list?”

I look over the list of names, quickly finding it. “Grid B-5. That puts him with...Elle. JJ? Should we let her know?”

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

Spencer yawns. “Tired?” Aaron asks.

“I’m fine.”

“We all get them sometimes.”

“Get what?”

“Nightmares.”

Spencer looks straight at me. “I didn’t say anything,” I recount.

“It’s not that bad.”

“If you want to talk about it, you know where I am.” We watch Aaron walk away from us.

“Uh, they’re ready,” JJ says.

“Okay.” I look to the crowd gathering near one end of the station. Wait, when did they start showing up? What?

“When did they show up?”

“Why don’t you catch another nap, we have to deliver the profile.”

“Hell no, I’m not napping right now.”

“Contrary to popular belief,” Aaron begins, “there has never been a proven case of Satanic ritual killing. Never a verified human sacrifice. Having said that, there have been isolated cases of animal sacrifice…and many, many cases of vandalism in the name of Satan.”

“Now, that doesn’t mean that ritual satanism is impossible,” Derek adds. “More importantly, for our purposes, there have been cults that killed, just not in ritual fashion.”

“The Reverend Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple...his followers killed a US congressman and three people before committing mass suicide, leaving over nine hundred people dead.”

“This also happened with the Order of the Solar Temple and Heaven’s Gate, and perhaps the most notorious of the killer cults, the Manson family, they, uh, killed nine people in a four day period in an attempt to initiate a race war,” I cut in, getting up from my chair and onto my crutches.

“Killer cults do exist, and they all have one thing in common. Invariably, they’re headed by charismatic megalomaniacs.”

“You’re looking for that leader. He’s who will stand out. He’ll be memorable to somebody, people who aren’t in his group will see him as strange, weird, scary.”

“Since we’re dealing with professed Satanists, which is often practiced by younger males, we may be looking for teenagers. Heavy metal music is often associated with satanism, and these kids and their leader may reflect that in their look.”

“Most likely, there’ll be sex, drugs, and alcohol. Now, the leader, he’ll be older. It’s part of his charm.”

“And he is from this area. He’s definitely local. These woods are too thick and confusing for a visitor to get around in.”

“You think one of our own people is doing this?” An officer asks.

“I believe that anything is possible,” I simply answer.

“I would know if someone was capable of doing -”

“Dad. I know somebody like that,” Cory says.

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

“His name’s Mike Zizzo. He graduated about five years ago. He’s in his twenties, but he still hangs out with high school kids. He’s got a group of them. They follow him everywhere. They all get high and listen to heavy metal. He calls them the Lords of Destruction.”

“LOD,” Spencer and I say in unison before staring at each other.

“How do you know this, Cory?” Silence. “It’s alright, son.”

“I’ve been there, where they hang out drinking beers. He talks about Satan all the time. Says he’s the one true God.”

“Where is this place?” Uncle Jason asks.

“On the other side of the mountain. The old Jenson house.”

“It’s out of my jurisdiction.”

“Not ours. We’re federal.” I look up to see Spencer, Jason, and Aaron get ready to leave.

“I’m sorry, Dad.”

“It’s okay to let loose once in a while, Cory,” I say.

“It’s alright, son,” the reverend says, and I walk myself out of the office and station, seeing the team load up into the SUVs. Uncle Jason stands outside of one, and I head over as fast as I can.

“What’s going on?” I ask, turning to where Uncle Jason is looking, a girl stands on the other side of the road, staring at us. She watches the SUVs drive off, lights blaring, and I turn my attention back to find Uncle Jason crossing the road to get to her. God, what is with you people? Move slower, all of you! Fucking assholes.

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

I look around and inwardly groan at the fact that I had followed Jason into a church. Of all the fucking places? A church? He unwraps his scarf from around his neck and sits in the front pew, next to a silent girl. Ignore the pain, ignore the pain.

“Do you believe in God?” She asks, I stop next to the pew behind them, gulping and ignoring the sharp pains in my chest.

“Excuse me?”

“Do you believe in God?” She asks again.

“Yes.”

“How about the Devil?” I look away, taking in how red the interior of the church is. Why is it so red in here? “You’re one of the FBI agents, aren’t you?”

“Is there something you want to tell me?”

“Do you think God is vengeful?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t think he punishes us?” Well, I have a lot of reasons to be punished, if that was the case.

“After Hurricane Katrina, I read some essays by religious scholars. One writer said God was punishing America for its immorality. New Orleans was a wicked city, like Sodom and Gomorrah. Another one, a priest from New Orleans, he thought the hurricane was proof of God’s love.” Sure, show them you love them by killing them. Nothing like sending a fucking hurricane to prove your undying love. “Those levees didn’t break until after the storm was over. If they’d broken sooner, thousands would’ve died. So...I guess the answer to your question depends on whether or not you think you have something to be punished for.” Uncle Jason looks past her and right at me. I hate you so much.

“My friend Cherish...she’s missing. And it’s my fault. The skeleton under the tree, he died a year ago. He fell off the trail, cracked his head open. He was just some tourist or something.”

“How do you know that?”

“We went to see the body all the time. We watched it decompose.”

“Who did?”

“We did. Everybody, the whole group. At first, we were just curious, you know? We’d go, a couple of us at a time, show each other. None of us had ever seen a dead body before. And then it kind of became our thing.” Uncle Jason nods along. “Something we had that our parents didn’t know about. It was ours.”

“This was a human being.”

“I told you that we’re being punished.”

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

“I’ve been with Brandi Dreifort. Do you know her?”

“Yeah. She’s a friend of my son’s.”

“She’s a friend of Cherish’s, too.”

“And?”

“They all knew about that skeleton,” I cut in.

“Who did?” Sheriff Bridges asks.

“The kids. Football team, cheerleaders, everyone. They all watched him decompose...like a game…”

“What?” Elle aks.

“Far as I can tell, the only kids in the area who didn’t know were Mike Zizzo and the LOD.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“Sounds impossible, it’s unbelievable, but she told Jason all about it. Guy was a...a hiker. He’s probably listed, missing person somewhere…”

“How do you know the LOD wasn’t involved?”

“She said the pentagram and the candles, they weren’t there a few months ago.”

“Which means?”

“Someone’s framing the LOD. Somebody wanted us to believe there were Satanists here.” I answer.

“Jamie, you should sit down. You’ve been up a while-”

“No, no, no, I got more. Unsubs like to...insert themselves into investigations. Who gave us the LOD? Who gave us Zizzo?”

“You’re talking about Cory?”

“Con...con...convin...convien…”

“It was convienent, wasn’t it? Lucky we had a kid right in the room who could tell us where the LOD was. A group of fringe kids nobody in the town would like.”

“But-”

“You called us here to advise you. My advice would be to get in front of this before yourson hurts himself or anybody else. You know where he is, Sheriff?”

“He went up to the Jenson house to see if your guys found anything on Cherish.”

“Morgan and Reid are out there right now.”

“Hey, Sheriff. DId you open the gun locker?” An officer asks.

“No.”

“Someone did. There’s a revolver missing.”

“Cory,” I solemnly answer.

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

I stare at Spencer, who just zones off at the wall behind me. “Stop staring at me, Spencer,” I whine. “I can’t exactly go anywhere without the damn crutches.”

“Reid,” Uncle Jason says, bringing the beanpole’s attention back to reality. “Deborah Louise Addison. Her husband Tim. The kids are Amber and Kieth. Eight and six. In 1985, Deborah Louise was walking home from school. She was abducted. She was thirteen. We profiled the unsub, and we were able to locate her before he harmed her. She writes a letter to the BAU every year. She updates us on her life.”

“It’s nice, but -”

“We all have bad dreams. Everyone on the plane. Even Jamie. Jamie, do you remember that one recurring dream where Hotch’s neighbour killed you and your dog?”

“No?”

“Who wouldn’t have nightmares? We hunt the worst of humanity, we see the depths of depravity, we dream of monsters…”

“Inmy dream, there’s a baby in the middle fo a circle and there’s someone on the other side. And I can’t get to her before…”

“Every night I look at Deborah, helps me go to sleep thinking of the victims we’ve saved. We don’t always beat the monsters to the babies, but we do enough to make the job worth it, keep the nightmares bearable. Jamie, you should catch some sleep before we land. I’ll take you straight home to your dad.” I nod and lay my head down in his lap, staring at blurry pictures of my friends from the last play we were in.

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

“Your show sounds lovely. I’m sure if you tell Jordan how much you want to be in the show, then he’ll find a way for you to be in it,” Jason advises as he pulls into my dad’s mansion driveway, driving me up to the front door.

“Jason? What if nothing ever goes back to the way it was?” I ask. “What if I’m stuck on these stupid crutches forever? I’d have to rethink everything-”

“We’ll take it a day at a time, remember?” He cuts me off immediately. “I’ve known you all your life. You have tendencies to over worry about things. It’s going to work out okay.”

“Will it? I can’t go back into school until next semester, I lost my hair again, I lost all of my activities. I can’t even watch music videos without getting a massive headache. All I want to do is everything I’m not allowed to do! It’s so fuck-”

“Don’t. Your fracture is still healing.”

“I can’t even get my anger out, cause I’m not allowed to box or wrestle! Fuck this!”

“Jamie, Jamie. I need you to look at me right now.” Jason rotates my head towards him. “You’re allowed to be mad about this. You are a fighter. You overcame a cancer scare, numerous spinal injuries and concussions. Your conditions don’t hold you back. Just because you’re going through a set back doesn’t mean it’s time to give up. Come on, I’ll walk you in and put you to bed if you want.” Jason climbs out of the drivers’ seat and rounds the front to help me onto my feet and position my crutches so I can use them. “I think you worked yourself too hard, and you should rest some more.” I groan in pain, wincing at the throbbing in my head.

“Headache?” I nod weakly.

“Here, I can carry you in,” Uncle Jason offers, swinging an arm under my knees and sweeping me into his arms with a groan. “You’re getting too big for me to carry you.”

“Mio bel ragazzo,” I hear Dad exclaim from up ahead.

“Dad,” I quietly answer back with a smile.

“He tired himself out. Headache right now, Spencer almost tripped him a few times.” I hear Dad groan as a door closes, and dogs start barking. “Oscar, Mudgie, down,” Dad commands. “Go put him in bed, I’ll get his medication ready.” I nuzzle my head into Jason’s warm chest and whine, scrunching my face as the throbbing gets worse.

“I know, I know. You’ll be in bed soon.” It feels like a lifetime before I feel my mattress dipping under me, my soft covers enveloping me. “There. Your dad’s gonna be up soon.” I hear a dog whine as I bury my head into the bed. “Here you go, Oscar. Cuddle up nice and tight, will you? Here’s your blankie and your turtle.” I make my grabbie hands as the items are handed to me, Jason wraps me in my favourite bright green blanket and puts my turtle into my arms. I nestle my head into the crook of the turtle’s neck, squeezing it tightly against my chest. Rough fingers run gently through my hair as I feel a small dog walking up and starting to lick my neck.

“Oscar…” I whine. Jason chuckles as my pup moves to lay on my stomach.

“Goodnight, Jamie. Your dad’s here now.”

“Daddy…” I mumble, pouting my chapped lip.

“Here, it’s time for your meds,” Dad whispers, gently helping make sure I don’t choke on pills or water. “There you go. That’s my boy.” I smile, breathing deeply and gently opening my eyes as Dad plays with my hair. “You must have tired yourself out, huh?”

“Daddy...stay…” I reach out, grabbing his rough yet gentle hand.

“Of course. Anything for you, ragazzo.” My other hand rests on Oscar’s soft curly hair, my thumb gently cascading the soft, gentle skin. “Sssh, it’s okay. You can sleep now. I won’t go.”

“Hol...hol...hol me…” I murmur.

“You want me in bed with you?”

I gently nod.

“Okay. I’ll be right back, I just have to get ready for bed. Don’t wait up for me, okay? Ti amo.”

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prettylittlebrownskingyal · 4 years

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Your commentary on titans 👌👌 give us the full review

My main problem with Titans is that there is (a.) no logical and solid justification for these characters and their actions and (b.) this may just be the film nerd in me— but there’s no emotional payoff.

What irks me more is that the cast is incredible. They’re likeable and capable of handling emotion and they can clearly deal with more than they’re given.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure from writers to showrunners to directors and crew— a lot of work and time and energy has been put into the production of this show. But these characters are so iconic and in my nitwit opinion, it’s almost painful to see their potential go to waste.

And I say potential because there are moments— mystical and magical, full of hope and wonder and rich comic goodness that make you want more. But they fall flat.

“Families can be fucked up.”

Titans is supposed to be about family. They literally end the last episode with the song “We are Family.” So why would these people— who supposedly view each other as found family— abandon each other at every given opportunity?

They gang up on Jason in the tower when only moments before they were all fired up about saving the kid from Dr. Light. Gar gets left behind by himself with an unconscious, cleary dangerous super clone. Donna and Dawn fully agree to let Dick rot in prison.

These actions do not reflect people who care for each other. Who want to protect and keep each other safe. Why would this be the core emotional catalyst for any development whatsoever when no actual families are portrayed?

Also, here are two established families featured this season and there were no attempts to have them act as foils for each other even though that would have made clear sense. The Wilsons and the Waynes. Two kids that share stoic father figures that are linked to their trauma. Rose and Jericho have no relationship. No communication. No reason to trust each other. Also, why does Rose immediately give up her life for her father?

Dick and Jason’s relationship had some moments that could have been great to both of their character developments. Dick is his best when he’s being a big brother to Gar and Rachel. Why not let him be the same for Jason?

Here are some things I’d do differently.

1.) No Conner storyline

Conner, Krypto and Eve’s episode (episode 6) was quite possibly the best of the season. It’s because a family dynamic is clearly established. (It’s a little weird, I’ll admit) But these characters rely on each other. They look out for each other. They care. (“You didn’t abandon me”// “Can I call you mom?”// “Hot dogs? Get it?”– i ate that shit up)

That being said, it also feels like Conner was just created so they’d have someone to save Jason from his fall.

The introduction of CADMUS as another antagonist when Slade is a major, overpowering one feels like too many things to juggle at once. If they’d held out, Conner and CADMUS would have been great as the main focal point for a whole season.

2.) More Jericho

Jericho was essentially the highlight of the season. I can’t tell if it was the way he was written or the way Chella portrayed him but that’s what Titans really needs.

humanity. kindness. friendship and family ties.

why couldn’t he have had more time with the Titans? why couldn’t he have a relationship with Rose?

I’d have let him explore his abilities more. His relationship with his mom, with Slade, with each of the Titans.

They needed to have actual bonding with him. Not just a shoddy backstory.

3.) Better treatment of Rose

Rose Wilson could have been so much more than just a plot point. More than an informant. All she did this season was eat cereal, say “i’m out” and then solve a major fight plot point in fifteen minutes. We needed more of her training, her relationships, her justifications to just pick and fall into a life of an assassin.

She and Jason had some decent moments of believable cheesy teen behaviour between them but not enough to cover the gaping hole in Jason’s storyline.

4.) Jason needs more emotional moments!!

Not going to lie, I wasn’t sure Curran Walters could do big emotional scenes or make me care as much as he did. But he did. He’s got the bratty, troubled Jason down but he needs to be more fleshed out.

Like Rose, he feels like a caricature of a troubled teen. Where’s his interaction with Bruce? His backstory? His impulsivity and need to prove himself to Dick should be established but it’s not.

That scene where he learns that Rose has been using them all along? That was better than most of what we’ve seen him do.

5.) Donna as a big sister// Donna’s relationship with loss

You’re telling me “older smarter prettier”// “you can crash at my place” Donna Troy who took care of Dick would not look at these kids and want to help? After all Diana’s taught her? WACK

Also Donna and Garth’s relationship? It felt forced. He literally said “I love you” and then died. C’mon man, really? At least give them a pre-established relationship.

6.) Kory?? what happened y’all?

She felt so underutilized this season. Anna Diop is a star. She delivers her performance so well. The moment she heals Conner, her rushing to save Rachel— she has this essence of kindness that fits so well with her strength and the potency of her powers.

She’s a gifted, royal powerhouse.

So why give her a runaround, stretched out storyline? Why make her kill someone she cared about?

7.) Hank and Jason?//Dawn, Donna and Kory?// Dick & Gar

The dynamic between these characters whether seen or hinted at could have literally carried full episodes. Why consistently break them apart? Or make them fight or ignore each other? Why not let them play into each other, learn from each other? INTERACT??

8.) Bruce// Dick’s version of Bruce

I like Iain Glen as an older version of Bruce Wayne. I like that he’s a bit quirky, snarky, an asshole and he says things like “no shit.” But he doesn’t serve much of a purpose and he feels like an instant solution in certain situations. Plus he has no interaction with Jason.

That being said, the use of him as Dick’s voice of reason/subconscious does hone in on the question that Dick keeps trying to run away from— “What would Batman do?” That works for his character. It works for his growth. Their dynamic is wonderful but ultimately, not necessary.

9.) Donna dying?

That WHOLE scene was so out of place. Why would that have happened after the climax of the story? As an extra source of angst?

Again, the Titans are separated by death. Again, a sense of a family is built up and torn down. No one should have to die for a real sense of familial bond to be established.

10.) Deathstroke’s character//takedown

He’s supposed to be the main antagonist and they all have beef with him. Rightfully, everyone should have gotten a chance in that battle. It happened way too quickly and was very anticlimactic for the old Titans.

Also, Slade killing one of their friends with one, single bullet to the chest literally does nothing for me. Especially since Aqualad is supposed to be a Titan. There’s no real conflict, no tangible establishment of hate. Where’s the torture? the real hurt?

11.) Gar, Dick and Hank and their repeated storylines

they all went through the same arcs again. Dick with his Batman struggle. Hank and his own darkness. Gar and his struggle with control and being controlled and experimented on.

This season should have been about Dick coming into his own as Nightwing. About Gar finally having some normalcy and a place that he feels safe in. He should have gotten some redemption as a hero. Hank (and i hate to say, i hope i don’t sound ridiculous but) should have gotten some resolution with Dawn. Either they’re in or out because the back and forth they do with each other is incredibly toxic and they’ve been established as smart enough to see that.

It wasn’t all bad though and I’ll probably end up doing a re-watch sometime. Since I’ve pretty much spouted asshole nonsense, here are some of the best moments:

The end of the first episode where they’re all standing around their cars and laughing? GOLD. More of that cheesy, established friendship.

Jericho hugging Dick, Dick being unsure how to deal with warmth and forgiveness. Everybody say thank you to Chella for improvising that.

Kory and Donna being detectives and arguing over jelly doughnuts? Yes, please! I love them together. How they clearly knew each other, how they worked well together to take out Shimmer.

Kory speaking Kryptonian. Anything that furthers her development brings me joy.

Conner saving Jason. That was pretty comic book like— I liked it.

All the scenes Krypto’s in.

Hank telling Dawn that he knows what Jason’s probably feeling. That was emotional and heartfelt. Also, Hank going “Atta boy” when they were on the phone with Slade. I’m really upset they couldn’t have a brotherly relationship because their characters are quite similar.

Gar, Jason and Rachel interacting like friends/teammates/siblings. Their dynamic works. I’d love to have seen the three of them take on a challenge together.

#ar.txt #asks #prettylilanons #ar watches Titans #i have more thoughts but i can't form them right now.#Anonymous #titans #dc’s titans

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thepurplebutterflythings · 4 years

Text

Curiosity Killed The Cat (Part 3) - Gar Logan

Gif: Dxnninja on Tenor

Word Count: 1.7K

Paring: Gar Logan x (f)Reader

Summary: Gar walks Y/N home after her drop-in surprise visit.

Warnings: Mentions of Sex.

Masterlist

Tagging: @ninergirl1d reclusive-chicken-nugget

________________________________________________________________

“I should head home,” Y/N said, “Sofia must be worried.”

“Oh, right,” Gar nodded as he stood up, “can I walk you home?”

“I would like that,” Y/N nodded as Rachel smiled and rolled her eyes.

“See ya later, Gar” Rachel also got to her feet, “It was very nice to meet you, Y/N.” She chuckled as Gar poked the floor with his shoe, red stretching up his neck to his forehead as Rachel grinned wickedly. Gar Logan was whipped as hell for this Amazon chick. If Y/N knew what that was and what that meant, she’d have a cheeky smile on her face and would be teasing the life out of Gar. Rachel strolled out the room, chuckling as she did.

“So, out the door or the window?” Gar asked playfully.

“Considering that if someone saw me walking out of the door here, it’d spread around Themyscira quicker than you can blink, I’d say the window.”

“Good to know,” he smiled as he dramatically gestured to the window, “ladies first.”

Y/N cocked her head to the side in confusion at the expression. Perhaps Diana or Donna could’ve explained more about the world of man to her if she pushed them harder, but Sofia wasn’t too pleased for Y/N to hear more and more about the dangerous world that had experimented on her.

“Is this something from your world?”

“Huh?”

“Ladies first – is that from your world?”

“Yeah, I guess it is,” Gar nodded.

“What does it mean?”

“It’s a chivalry thing, I guess,” he shrugged.

“Chivalry?”

“Being very polite, honest. Kind behaviour,” he explained.

“Oh,” Y/N nodded in understanding, “I like chivalry then. Amazons are very chivalry.”

“Chivalrous,” Gar corrected for her.

“Amazons are very chivalrous,” Y/N repeated with the correct grammar, smiling proudly. “You should go out the window first,” she said.

“Alright, thanks, Y/N.”

“You are very welcome,” Y/N bowed her head as Gar smiled and climbed out, offering Y/N his hand to help her steadily get through the window.

________________________________________________________________

“So, growing up on Themyscira must’ve been fun,” Gar began as they slowly strolled. They wanted to take their time, to savour the time they had left together before being forced to part ways when arriving at Y/N’s home. “Sword fighting, horse riding, and all this kickass stuff with badass warrior women.”

“I loved being raised here,” Y/N nodded, “From what Donna told me about the world of man, I am certainly lucky. I wouldn’t change my upbringing for anything. How about you, though? You mentioned you travelled with your parents – you must’ve seen some incredible things, things which I cannot even begin to imagine.”

“It’s been a pretty interesting life, I can’t lie,” Gar scratched the back of his head, “though after what happened to me, I didn’t really travel much. Until Rachel came along, I lived with Chief.”

“Chief?”

“He’s a doctor, like Epione,” he explained, “He gave me the injection which made me… well… you saw…”

“Must be a smart man this chief if he managed to come up with something like that.”

“He is,” Gar nodded.

“What was living with Chief like?”

“Restricted,” Gar said after some consideration. “He wanted to keep us safe, so me and the others there didn’t have much freedom outside the house. Though that didn’t stop me from sneaking out.”

“Something I understand,” Y/N teased, “we are very similar in that aspect, aren’t we?”

“Yeah, we are,” Gar nodded, “All these miles apart, yet the same experiences.”

“Goes to show, doesn’t it?” She chuckled, “growing up is a universal experience.”

“Did you ever get caught sneaking out?”

“Oh yes,” Y/N said, “I tried sneaking out to see if I could see you and Rachel, but I was caught halfway out the window.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes, Sofia was not pleased.”

“As I could tell when we actually met and she caught us.”

“She’s protective.”

“I get it,” Gar smiled and nodded, “my friend, Rita, she was very motherly to me after I arrived at Chief’s house.

“Did she have any side effects?”

“Huh?”

“I assume she was given what you was if she lives with Chief, meaning side effects, no?”

“Rita’s a different story…”

“What is hers?”

“She was an actress,” he explained, “You know those, right?” He wanted Y/N to know that she didn’t have to pretend to know things, that he was more than happy to take the time to explain things to her.

“Yes, we have plays on Themyscira.”

“Good,” Gar nodded, “well, she was working on a project, and she was exposed to a gas, a toxic gas that altered her cellular structure - which allows her to stretch her body, but also causes it to deform. She doesn’t have good control over it, not yet at least. It’s hard for her, in more ways than one.”

“I imagine it must be hard,” Y/N nodded as she spoke softly, “It must be so difficult.”

“Rita would like you,” Gar told her.

“She would?”

“Yeah, you’re smart, funny, kind, plus you’re kickass – who doesn’t like that?”

“Perhaps if you have any time we can train together – I assume you train, I heard you are part of a team called ‘The Titans’, who fight bad guys.”

“Yeah, I train, and training with an Amazon is quite the bucket list item to cross off.”

“And quite a specific one too, may I add.”

“But one I’ll be crossing off, nonetheless,” Gar teased her right back, “if Sofia is alright with it, that is. I don’t wanna upset an Amazon.”

“Oh, well, let me tell you,” Y/N chuckled, “I would find a way for us to train together if Sofia said no. In case you haven’t been paying attention, Garfield Logan, I am not one for the rules. Anyway, Sofia is always fine with me training, and perhaps she will be eager to see me defeat someone from the world of man.”

“Hey, I may not be an Amazon warrior trained from birth to fight, but I can hold my own!” Gar said. “I managed to pin you, didn’t I?”

“At the end of the day, I was the one on top, wasn’t I?”

Gar felt himself redden at her words. He could imagine the innuendo that Jason or Larry or Cliffe would make about what Y/N had just said. The one on top. God, was he really thinking something so rude about an innocent conversation.

“Well, maybe we need a re-match,” Gar coughed, “where both of us are aware, and not you sneaking up behind me.”

“I was curious about who you were.”

“And are you satisfied?”

“Very much so,” Y/N nodded firmly as they walked, her hands behind her back, “albeit I saw more of you than I thought I would.”

“Alright, changing the topic,” Gar said awkwardly, “let’s not talk about my…”

“Genitalia?”

“Look, as long as we don’t talk about it, I’m fine with it.”

“If you are embarrassed, then maybe we even it out and you look at me nude.”

“No, that’s not it, not that I don’t want to see you nude, not that I feel entitled to see you nude. God, I’m so awkward.” Gar groaned and brushed his hair from his eyes. They stopped walking and looked at each other. “I’m sure you’re lovely nude, and it would be nice to see you naked, but I don’t want to ‘even it out’, it doesn’t bother me that you’ve seen me naked and I haven’t seen you naked. It feels a little awkward because… I like you, and I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, and the thought of making you uncomfortable makes me uncomfortable. Still, I’m also a little uncomfortable because, in my world, you don’t really show someone your naked body unless you intend to be intimate with them.”

“Sex? You mean sex, correct?”

“Yes.”

“And you want to have sex with me?”

“NO! Yes, hang on a minute,” Gar said, clearly overwhelmed. “You are stunning, no doubt about it, and I’m sure sex with you would be good, incredible even,” he began after taking a deep breath. “And I do like you a lot, but sex, for me at least, is all about romance, about being in love, and that takes time. It’s a bond, for when you want to be completely one with someone when you can’t imagine life without them, and you want to be with them and only them. For me, that’s it at least. If we were in love, then yes, but we aren’t so… no. Does that make sense, or did I just ramble on?”

“It made sense,” Y/N nodded and smiled, biting her lip, “and it’s very sweet.”

“Y/N, IS THAT YOU?” Sofia called as she walked out of the door of their home. “AND THE MAN?”

“JUST SEEING HER HOME SAFELY, MISS SOFIA,” Gar called back. Sofia squinted for a moment before smiling and nodded, stepping back inside to give them the privacy to say farewell for now without an audience.

“Thank you for walking me home, Gar,” Y/N smiled.

“Thanks for letting me walk you home.”

“I enjoyed our conversations.”

“Me too.”

“Shall we pick up here tomorrow? Perhaps we speak about training together then?”

“I’d like that,” Gar smiled and chuckled, “um… can I kiss your cheek?”

“Pardon? Is that a common thing in the world of man? Is it a chivalry thing?”

“No, for both of those,” Gar said shaking his head, “basically, it’s what you do when you really, really like someone.”

“Like them, how?”

“Like them like you think they’re very pretty, and smart, and funny, and kind, and you hope that you and that person could grow to like each other more.”

“And you like me like that?”

“Yeah, do you like me like that?”

“Yes, you are very funny and kind, and pretty.”

“Thanks, that’s very flattering,” Gar chuckled, not bothering to comment that commonly men were referred to as ‘handsome’, “so, can I kiss your cheek?”

“Yes, I would like that very much.”

“Good,” Gar smiled as he leaned in and softly pressed his lips, plush and gentle, against Y/N’s cheek, stroking his thumb over her other cheek. They both remained still and savoured the moment before Gar slowly sighed and pulled back. “Night, Y/N,” he murmured as he rested his forehead against Y/N’s forehead.

“Goodnight, Gar. I look forward to seeing you again.”

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trashyslashers · 5 years

Note

Jason & Michael & Thomas & Freddy with an s/o that self-harms?

here you go! under a readmore for obvious reasons

Jason Voorhees:

To put it bluntly; Jason is utterly heartbroken. You’re the light of his undead life so the fact that you struggle with harming yourself is absolutely angushing.

Right away he’s pulling you into a hug and holding you there for as long as you’ll let him. He desperately wants you to know how deeply he cares for you, and he wants you to feel safe and secure in his arms.

If you have any fresh cuts or burns, he’ll want to fix them up for you. I think he has a basic knowledge of first aid so he’d pull out an old kit and patch you up, the last thing he wants is for them to get infected.

He has his own moments when he’s upset where he just needs to be left alone, so he knows better than to hover over you too much and if you say it, he’ll let you be (though you can tell he’s a bit hesitant to). However, when you two are together, he’s upping the physical affection. His arms are around you tighter, his grip on your hand is more firm, and so on. He doesn’t want you to feel alone.

If he got the sense that you were upset or struggling again, he’d try his best to distract you. Taking you out around for a walk in the woods, hand in hand, would be his go to. While there wasn’t anything super interesting, he hoped that looking at the scenery and getting fresh air would help you feel better, at least a little bit.

Michael Myers:

Michael, characteristically, is silent when he first finds out. After spending a good chunk of his life in a sanitarium, Michael is pretty familiar with self harm. While he never struggled with it, there were occasions he saw other patients with scars or fresh wounds, and he’s heard the doctor’s talking about it before.

Don’t take his silence as him not caring because it’s the exact opposite. Internally? He’s freaking out. He’s feeling a jumble of emotions; sadness that you’d feel the need to hurt yourself, confusion because he couldn’t understand why you’d feel the need to hurt yourself, and frustration with himself because he didn’t know how to help.

Mikey would want to make sure that what he saw was the extent of it. If you self harm on your arms, he’d want to check both of them, same if it was on your thighs. Don’t freak out if he suddenly tried to pull your shirt up; he just wanted to make sure there weren’t anymore hiding on your stomach or anywhere else. He may do this often; sliding the sleeve of your shirt up just to make sure you haven’t hurt yourself. If you tell him if you’re uncomfortable with it he’ll respect that, though.

As I said before, Michael is very standoffish when it comes to much physical contact, so it would be a complete surprise when he suddenly pulls you into probably the tightest hug you’ve ever had in your life. He doesn’t speak; so he’d hope that his actions would be enough to show you how much he cares for you.

After he discovers your self harm, he’d try to push his own hesitance with physical contact off to the side so he could comfort you more often. He wouldn’t want you to feel alone. He’d hug you a bit more often, pat your head, hold your hand, etc. He’s big on small touches.

Thomas Hewitt:

Upon finding out about your self harm, an all too familiar feeling of sadness weighs heavily on his heart. As I’m sure you know, Thomas used to have a tendency towards self mutilation when he was younger, and I think that on occasion it’s something he still struggles with if he’s particularly stressed or destructive. It breaks his heart to know that you struggle with something similar.

His first line of action is to make sure you don’t have any fresh wounds, and if you do, to patch them all up. While the most he could do himself is bandage them up for you, he may take you to Luda Mae to see if she can help. However, if it’s something you don’t want his family members to know about, he will respect that.

Tommy would be very wary about letting you alone for awhile. I know, it feeling like someone doesn’t trust you once they find out you self harm can sometimes make you feel worse, but he’s just incredibly worried about you. It’s not that he doesn’t trust you, he’s just worried that if you start to feel lonely or sad then you may hurt yourself again.

If you’re comfortable with it, he’s the type of person who would caress any scar that you had, he’s a pretty touchy-feely person. I’m pretty sure that part of the reason he self harmed was because he didn’t like his appearance, so I feel like in his mind you self harming = you not being happy with that part of your body, so he’d want to make sure you knew he loved that part and all of your body.

Expect extra hugs. This sweet boy wants to make sure you know you’re loved. If you seem like you’re having a hard time he’ll hold you close for as long as you need and will be a shoulder to lean on if you just need to cry. He just wants you to be okay.

Freddy Krueger:

Freddy is a bit different from the others as he’s never actually dealt with it or seen anyone display self injurious behaviours. Don’t take it the wrong way if he seems a bit put off; he just really doesn’t know what to say.

For once he’s silent, when he finds out. Eyebrows furrowed (though he doesn’t really have any anymore……. just pretend that he does), he’d look over any scars that you had, his ungloved hand holding your arm in a gentle grip.

He’d offer a shoulder to lean and cry on. He cared about you deeply, even though he may not always show or say it, and he’d much rather you get your emotions and feelings out verbally instead of harming yourself. If it’s too much for you to put into words, he’d tug you close to him and let you cry it out.

Since the only time he really sees you is in the Dreamworld, he’d try to make your dreams as pleasant and warming as possible. He’d want you to have at least one safe place away from the stressors in your everyday life, and what better place than your own dreams?

Though he won’t admit it, he feels pretty bad that there isn’t more he can do to help you. Internally he’s worried as hell that you’re going to self harm again, and he wishes he could be there throughout your day to give you any support that you need, but he can’t. He hopes that the love and attention he gives you in your dreams is just enough to help keep you going.

#request #sorry if freddy's is kind of lackluster #im still making my way through the movies #slasher imagines #slasher x reader #jason voorhees #michael myers #leatherface #thomas hewitt #freddy krueger #tw: self harm

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forestfairy72-blog1 · 5 years

Text

Like Breathing

[Ao3]

A Fresh Start

Annabeth could barely think over the music. The reggae baseline was pounding at what most would consider an inappropriate volume for a small café. The bored-looking barista clearly did not fit into this category. She had picked the venue for Piper’s benefit. A quick google search for vegan-friendly coffee shops had led her here, to the Cerulean Café, even though Piper was veggie rather than vegan. It was a not what she had expected; faux-rustic or pretentious, instead it had a cute homey feel. Every table had a few mis-matched chairs around it, differing materials but in the same colour story which her inner designer approved of. Annabeth’s table was next to the window, looking out onto a window box full of brightly coloured plants.

The barista glared at her from behind the counter, clearly annoyed that she was yet to order despite having been sat at her table for nearly fifteen minutes. It probably didn’t help that she had cleared some dirty plates off the table so she could sit down since there hadn’t been a vacant table. His gaze caused her face to heat up slightly. Annabeth rationalised that the shop managers hadn’t used the space effectively, if she had been the one designing the layout there could be another three tables, none of which would be blocking the fire exit, unlike the current set up.

Impatiently, Annabeth ran her fingers through her hair. Piper was always late. She didn’t know why she expected today to be any different. Just like that Piper appeared at the door, a whirlwind of denim, feathers and bags. She scanned the room the look for Annabeth and rushed over as soon as she spotted her.

“Ahhhhhh! So good to see you!” Piper squeezed as if to make up for four months of missed hugs. Annabeth beamed as she hugged back, her frustration dissipating more with every second she was back with her friend.

“Right back atcha McLean. Can I get you a coffee?” “Don’t worry about it.” Piper began to rifle through her many bags for her wallet. “Nah, I insist. It’s the least I can do.” Annabeth’s smile faltered for just a moment but luckily Piper didn’t notice. “Bullshit.” Piper scoffed, “But I will treat you next time.” “Flat white with 2 sugars?” Annabeth asked. “A woman after my own heart!” Piper fake swooned.

Annabeth approached the counter with the cheeriest grin she could muster, ready to face the scowling Rasta hat wearing barista. The guy clocked her and instantly plastered his own smile on. “Hi there! Can I get a flat white and an Americano please?” She asked, struck by how easily the guy switched into customer service mode. Maybe he was just happy that she was actually buying something. The café was pretty full still, so it wasn’t like he didn’t have anything to do. “Absolutely! Can I interest you in anything else? One of our home-baked cakes perhaps?” “Ooh… What would you recommend?” “Well, I’m partial to the banana bread.” “Sounds great! I’ll take one of those and a lemon drizzle please.” Annabeth handed over the money and turned to look back at her friend. Piper was casually scrolling through her phone while she was waiting. Every once in a while she would click on something of laugh quietly to herself. Her friend’s presence made Annabeth feel lighter already. She thanked the barista as he placed her many dishes on to a tray and then carried them over to the table. “You are a jewel, thanks.” Piper smiled as she unloaded her coffee from the tray. Annabeth halved the two cakes and swapped over plates so they each had a part of both treats. “How cute is this place? I can’t believe I have never come here before! Loving the blue theme.” She indicated to the cups, saucers and plates which were also mismatched all in similar shades of blue.

“Yeah, it’s really adorable. Kind of reminds me of that place we went to in Soho when you came to visit me at school.”

“Yes! Oh my god that place did the best pancakes! Do you think it’s too late for me to order pancakes?”

Annabeth just laughed at her friend and agreed it was too late for pancakes. The pair began some small talk as they ate and drank – how Annabeth’s journey had been, how things were going with Piper’s PR internship, how Jason was adjusting to his sister Thalia going on the road.

“It was so sweet of Thalia to let me stay in her room while she is on tour. I really appreciate it.”

“Babe, you know she would’ve killed me and Jason both had we not done everything we could to get you here.”

Annabeth could believe it. She had met Thalia nearly fifteen years ago at summer camp and the pair had somehow managed to remain friends after all this time. They were sisters in all but blood, that curtesy extending to Jason, Thalia’s younger brother. In the years since becoming Piper’s boyfriend that had only doubled down. When Annabeth had first called Thalia to say there had been a… change in her living situation… she had to all but beg her friend not to cancel the rest of her band’s tour dates and come back east.

“Well I just don’t want to seem ungrateful. Having somewhere to stay was the first big step. The next of course is finding a job. Do you know of anything going?”

“What kind of thing are you looking for? Are you thinking of going for something design-y like an internship or…?”

“No. I need something that is going to pay bills. I cannot afford an internship right now.” Well that was certainly part of the reason. Piper noticed Annabeth twitch slightly at the mention of design.

“I mean I saw a sign in the window here saying they are looking for a barista/waitress. What about that?” Piper walked over to the notice board and returned with the flyer. “It says to ask for Grover at the desk. You could be a waitress!” Annabeth paused for a moment while she pondered this. She knew very well how to put on a customer service persona from her time in retail helping to fund her school experience.

“I mean the worst thing they can do is say no. I’ll go ask the guy up there.” Annabeth rose from her seat, drank the final gulp of her coffee and approached the rather grumpy looking man at the till.

“Hi, may I speak to Grover please?” She smiled as brightly as she could as she said it. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror lining the wall behind him, realised that she looked a bit demonic so tried to tone it down.

“You are already.” Grover tensed up at this. “Is everything okay with your food and coffee?”

“Oh, absolutely,” Annabeth rushed. “I was wanting to ask for an application.” He physically relaxed at her response, gave her a big grin and pulled out a form from behind the till. Clearly he had expected to have an ‘I want to speak to the manager’ conversation.

“There you go, the boss mentioned there have been a couple of applicants so interviews will be Friday. It’s pretty straightforward – if you think you have any experience which is going to be particularly helpful make sure you make it stand out. Good luck!” Grover smiled, Annabeth returned to her table, feeling ever so slightly guilty for thinking of the guy as grumpy when he had been incredibly pleasant. She shot Piper a thumbs up as she headed back to the table.

The pair of them grabbed their things and left the café, thanking Grover as they left.

- - -

The walk to the apartment did not take long, though it would have been much shorter had they not each been pulling a large suitcase topped with Piper's many bags, filled with flyers for some event she was promoting through work. While it was a pain in the neck in the short term, Annabeth couldn’t help but feel conflicted. She was getting a fresh start, but it was sad to think that her whole life was neatly packed into these two cases.

Dalinver Bay was a small coastal town about an hour outside of Manhattan. Ideally Annabeth would have wanted to go west and join Thalia, but she would only have been a distraction. Escaping her woes by partying across California sounded much too self-destructive and she was pretty sure she maxed out her quota for self-destructive behaviours this decade. Besides it was incredibly kind for Piper to let her stay

“Well here we are!” Piper sang, pulling out her set of keys and opening the front door.

“Damn. You are living large Piper!” Annabeth exclaimed as she pulled he case into the large foyer.

“You say that every time you come here.”

“Yeah, that’s ‘cause it is still true every time I come here!”

Annabeth was no stranger to money. She had attended private school, her mother was a regular in the Upper East Side social circle but there was money and then there was money. It was Piper’s turn to blush now. She didn’t like to advertise it but as the child of one of Hollywood’s most sought after action stars and the head of a fashion empire she was obviously very well off.

The apartment was three bedroomed, each being en suite, and had several other rooms spread across two floors including a guest bathroom, kitchen, lounge, gaming room and a room nicknamed the library which was full of books ranging from rare classics to summer reading fodder. The whole interior had a chic, minimalist vibe and had obviously been decorated by someone who had created many a show home. But there were still flavours of Thalia and Piper throughout the house, be it Piper’s artifacts from her father’s side or rock memorabilia Thalia had scattered around the place, including the band’s debut album’s platinum record hanging in the foyer so it would be the first thing any guest would see.

Between the two of them they took two trips to hoist the heavy suitcases up the spiral staircase to Thalia’s room. After having plonked it on the floor they headed into the lounge. There was an L shaped sofa and a love seat both facing the large tv mounted on the wall. Each of the sank down onto the black leather sofa and let out a sigh. The lifting had been heavier than expected.

“So…” Piper began then paused. “Do you want to watch tv?”

“Sure.” They stuck on some mind numbing trash and sat curled up on the sofa for a long time. The silence between them was a comfortable one but Annabeth couldn’t help but think that hadn’t been the question Piper wanted to ask. She was waiting for the full story. Things must have seemed so good when Piper had visited back in February. SO why had Annabeth had called hysterically crying three days ago? Why she was taking a leave of absence from school? Why she did pale at every mention of her family? Why she had left… everything?

But she couldn’t answer.

Not yet.

So instead she snuggled in closer to her friend and before she knew it she dozed off. Ot was the best sleep she’d had in a year.

- - -

By the time Friday had rolled around Annabeth had applied for seven waitressing jobs, three cleaning positions, four admin assistant posts, and even one of those advertisement jobs where you have to throw a massive plaque around telling customers where to go to buy over priced sports equipment. But hey, beggers can't be choosers. As she walked the now familiar route from Thalia's to the Cerulean Cafe her heart was jack hammering. She had been in two days ago to drop off her application and make use of their complementary wifi to send off her many applications. The walk should only have been twenty minutes but she had to stop every so often and take in a deep breath to calm herself down. It wasn't her first job interview. Annabeth had been employed every summer since she was sixteen. Bsck then however she had always had a safety net. Now she had to rely on herself. Asking for help from her friends would be mortifying, especially after everything they were already doing for her and hell would freeze over before she turned to either of her parents for help.

She was stood outside the door. All that was left to do was go in, get through the interview telling as few lies as possible and get out. She pushed the door and stepped inside, feeling the calm atmosphere of the room wash over her. It was amazing seeing the difference between the place first thing in the morning when it was empty as opposed to the bustling experience she had shared with Piper.

"Hello?" She called out when she realised the room was completely empty. "Is someone there?" "Miss Ramírez-Arellano?" Came a woman's voice from the kitchen area. How her heart beat faster. She regretted it the second she had handed in the application. But what else was a girl to do? She didn't want to risk being tracked down so she couldn't use her own name. Reyna was going to be on tour with Thalia for the next two months anyway so what she didn't know couldn't hurt her. Now that she was faced with the repercussions of such an obvious lie she realised just how stupid she had been. First of all, she was white. Secondly -

"Yes." Annabeth finally called back before her thoughts could derail her. She had made the bed, now she had to lie in it. The woman came round to shake her hand. Annabeth would have placed her in her late forties, but something about her kind smile made her appear younger. If it weren't for the grey streaks in her otherwise brown hair she could pass for younger still.

"I'm Sally Jackson. Walcome to the Cerulean Café!" She gestured to the room around them. It was obviously in the midst of being set up for the day since she had been asked to come in before the place officially opened for the interview to take place. "Shall we take a seat?" Annabeth nodded and followed her to a table near the kitchen so Sally could keep an ear out for the timer to tell her the scones were ready.

“So, I saw on your application that you have worked in customer service. Did you have waitressing experience through this post Miss Ramírez-Arellano?” Sally Jackson asked Annabeth. It was a simple question so Annabeth should have been able to answer with the simple obvious answer but the name game was already throwing her.

“Not really, but I am a fast learner Mrs Jackson.” Annabeth smiled. “I have been practising at home and can carry three plates at once. I am dyslexic so I know that I’m going to have to learn the menu by heart which I can happily do, I have a great memory-“ Annabeth felt her cheeks redden. Now she was bumbling like an idiot, plus she was pretty sure she was sweating through her shirt.

“That’s okay, the thing I care about most is that you are friendly and welcoming to the customers. Please call me Sally, rather than Mrs Jackson. Also, can I call you Reyna? I am not fond of too much formality, if you can’t tell by the place” Sally laughed and Annabeth nodded. “We change the specials every day but the rest of the menu is seasonal, so it only changes once in a while. How comfortable are you with technology? The till is basically an iPad – my son set it up because I’m useless at that kind of thing. He is also dyslexic so it is on a pink background.”

“I can work with that! The black on pink helps everything stay in the right place.”

“That’s what he says!” Sally sighed slightly and continued reading down the application form sat between them. “So, what is it that has taken you out to the Bay?”

“I- uh” The real answer would be too long and painful. Annabeth had expected to be asked it but not quite so soon. She still hadn’t really figured it out yet herself so was surprised when the words started flooding out. “I’m uh, taking a little break from my studies” that was true “to pursue a love of surfing!” That was not. “Yeah, I just can’t get enough of the waves! So I uh, thought a place like this would be ideal…” Annabeth trailed off and suddenly felt compelled to look anywhere in the room but at Sally Jackson’s face.

The woman pursed her lips and looked Annabeth up and down, considering her carefully.

“Okay.” She straightened up a little and locked on to Annabeth’s eyes. “I am going to ask you five questions. I want you to answer them honestly, and the job is yours. After that I won’t ask any more. Are we clear?”

Annabeth felt her heartrate quicken, her nerves coming back all at once. “Yes.”

“What is your name?”

“Rey-“

“I said honestly.” Sally’s face did not change at all. “I don’t care what we put on your name badge, and I’m sure you’ve got your reasons for giving a fake name but if we are going to work together, I need honesty.”

“It’s Annabeth, Annabeth Chase.”

“Okay Annabeth. Whatever you are running from - is it drugs? If it is drugs here is where our conversation ends I'm afraid.”

“God no!” Annabeth spluttered. “I can assure you I have no interest in drugs.”

“Good. Will whatever it is keep you from being able to work?”

“Not at all.”

“Is it going to impact my business or my family?”

“No.”

“Can you start Monday?”

Annabeth stared at her, trying to work out if Sally was joking or not. “Yes.”

“Perfect” She clapped her hands together. “Grover is going to be delighted, he’s been desperate for some more wait staff to keep things going smoothly. Come on and I’ll give you the tour.”

“That’s it? You don’t want to know anything else?”

“That’s it.” Sally smiled softly. “This café was built on trust. I trust my employees and they trust me. If I were to force you to tell me every decision or experience that has led you here, you would never trust me and we wouldn’t be able to work together. The most important thing to us here at Cerulean Café is family – we are all one big family. The job is yours if you want it. Under the condition that you never lie to me again.”

“I promise, Sally.” They were three simple words, but the weight Annabeth put behind them felt like a vow, one that she would not break.

“So, come on then.” She rose to her feet and Annabeth followed suit.

The tour was very straightforward. She had already seen the shop floor which Sally now explained the fairly straightforward numbering system for. Annabeth remembered it as if the room was split into quarters and then there was a circle inside of each. Sally informed her that there was no table thirteenfor some superstitious reasons which she managed to not laugh at. Annabeth felt a bit bad for criticising the lay out of the café as Sally explained how it had been arranged for optimal ease for disabled patrons, inspired by her favourite regular who Annabeth was bound to meet soon.

“I’m really looking forward to Monday now!” Sally beamed. “But just a piece of advice. We have a few regulars who are the nosy type. Whatever story you decide you want to tell you better get it straight before you start because they will be asking questions.”

“Okay.” Annabeth nodded.

“And there is no way you are getting around trying to pass yourself off as Reyna Ramírez-Arellano – I’m assuming you are staying with her? She is known in the area so that just wouldn’t go un-noted. Besides, are you going to remember that when we are slammed with customers and you are being called for? It needs to be something a bit closer to home.”

A light bulb went off in Annabeth’s head. The name her step-brothers had called her before they could say her name.

“Abby. Please put it as Abby on the rota.”

“You got it Abby.” Sally added her to the bottom of her shift rota board and walked her to the door. “I need to finish getting set up for opening. You’ll have some training to do on the job, but Grover will get that sorted out for you and you’ll meet most of the team on your first shift. Remember blue top, black bottoms and hair up. See you Monday!”

“Monday!” Annabeth echoed and stepped out of the café and onto the bright street.

She whipped out her phone and began texting Piper to share the good news. She got a job! Things finally were beginning to resemble a fresh start.

#percabeth #pjo #hoo #annabeth chase #percy jackson #coffee shop au #in this house we stan sally jackson

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ask-percy-jason-nico-will · 6 years

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Can we get a fan fiction where this four dorks confess to each other?

Jercy Confession

Based on this ask

Nico sat on the couch, quietly curled up into Will’s side. Percy and Jason were sitting at the opposite end in a similar position, both of them smiling nervously. His boyfriend was gently running his fingers through his hair, probably to calm Nico down which was very much appreciated right now. The tension in the room was strung tight, like an elastic that was seconds away from snapping. The peace and content he’d felt when he woke up in Will’s arms this morning were long gone. Now his stomach was tying itself into knots as they all sat awkwardly on their too small couch, none of them brave enough to speak first. It was all Nico’s fault.

Okay, maybe that was a bit of a stretch. Will’s flair for drama was starting to rub off on him.

The day had started out as it usually did and Nico had just gotten up after a few moments of cuddling Will to go get breakfast. Percy and Jason had lumbered into the kitchen not long after, making Nico wrinkle his nose as Percy’s rather obvious sex hair. Percy only grinned at him and swiped the pot of coffee that Nico had been brewing for himself before kissing his cheek as if that was an adequate apology. Disgusting. Such blasphemous behaviour, right in front of his Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Even Jason didn’t support him, just chuckling at his misery and kissing the top of his head like he always did before he got to work cooking up some eggs and bacon. ‘Actual food’ is what he called it but he could just try to take his beloved sugary cereals away from him. Will had tried once and it hadn’t been pretty.

Speaking of Will, Nico watched as he walked into the kitchen to join them, his bed head looking rather messy and wild just like Per- oh. Oops. Maybe he had made some assumptions. Judging by the look on Percy’s face he was definitely making some as well but Nico refused to let himself be embarrassed by those beady sea green eyes, no matter how sparkly they were. Still, he could just feel Percy making faces behind his back like some cute insolent toddler and before Nico even know what he was doing, he was grabbing Will by the front of his shirt and kissing him like his life depended on it. Ha. Take that Percy, Nico doesn’t give a damn about what you think. Thankfully Will started kissing back relatively quickly so Nico wasn’t just awkwardly standing there with his lips pressed an unresponsive boyfriend. Gods, he loved kissing Will. He was always filled with a sense of warmth as if Will’s kisses were filling him up with sunshine. He would kiss him forever if he could but unfortunately, Jason, the beautiful jerk, cleared his throat to interrupt them, Nico sighing as he reluctantly pulled away. He went to sit down at the table, making sure to look as petulant as possible to try and show Jason he was not happy about his kissing time being interrupted, though it only accomplished getting all three boys to smile fondly at him as they sat down to eat as well.

Ugh.

Will, Jason and Percy were all so open with their love and affection, Nico had no idea how he managed to put up with them most of the time. Though on the other hand, he mused to himself as he ate a bite of his cereal, he didn’t hate it so much. He loved them too after all. Nico continued to eat his breakfast normally for about two minutes before he froze and went over his thoughts again. Love?! Them?! Plural?! No. No no no, that couldn’t be. He hadn’t even told Will he loved him yet, how could he think he loved Jason and Percy too? His two best friends, who were dating each other and were in a very happy relationship. There wasn’t any room for Nico in there, relationships don’t consist of more than two people. Forget that, what about Will? How would he feel about all this?! He could just see how crushed he would be, how betrayed. Oh, gods did this count as cheating?! He didn’t mean to cheat! He didn’t know, Nico barely knew anything about relationships in the first place! How was it even possible to love three people at once?!

Okay. Okay, he had to calm down. Maybe he was blowing this out of proportion, misjudging his feelings. For all he knew, this could all be platonic. That was a thing right? Platonic love? He was sure Will had mentioned the concept to him at one point. Yet, as he looked up at the boys sitting around him, he knew in his heart that it wasn’t true.

He loved Jason and the way he always put his glasses on wonky in the morning, how he always looked after Nico and teased him for his bad habits, yet he’d still sneak him some of his favorite candy behind Will’s back. He loved how Jason had accepted him for who he was, how Jason was the first person to make Nico feel comfortable in his own skin, how that one fond look that Jason reserved specifically for him always made Nico’s heart thump wildly in his chest.

He loved Percy and how he was strong, courageous and the most loyal friend you could ever have. He would like to believe that his childhood crush for Percy had faded but if he was being honest, the only thing gone was the hero worship. Gone was the unattainable idol that Nico had constantly put on a pedestal, the Percy that Nico saw now was so much more human. He was kind and sweet and an absolute dork who made it his personal mission to drive everyone up the walls with his mischief, but at the end of the day, he had everyone smiling and laughing.

And then there was Will. His first boyfriend, his first kiss, his first everything. Jason had helped Nico accept himself but Will had shown him that he wasn’t alone. That what he once considered to be one of his darkest secrets, didn’t have to be hidden away. His smile lit up the room and Nico would happily spend the rest of his life counting every single freckle on Will’s body. He loved waking up next to Will in the morning and being the first that those beautiful eyes saw. Nico loved how Will always peppered him with kisses, pulling him close so that he was safely tucked in Will’s arms. Nico loved Will more than he could say.

He loved them all more than anything. It was absolutely terrifying.

Nico’s worries came rushing back to him all at once. He didn’t feel love anymore, he felt scared. What were they going to think when they found out? They’d be disgusted. How could they not be? He was in a relationship with the most wonderful boyfriend he could have imagined yet he had fallen in love with two other people. There was no doubt that Nico would lose them for good. He could maybe just not tell them but he knew that would never work. He wasn’t a good liar in the first place and they all knew him too well. Well enough that they had noticed Nico had been staring at them for far longer than normal and were starting to realize that something wasn’t right, to his growing horror.

“Nico? Angel, what’s wrong?” Will reached out to gently take his hand, concern lacing his voice as he spoke. Of course, it had to be Will out of all of them, the Fates seemed to hate him today. Nico could feel himself panicking, his breaths getting quicker and shorter as he scrambled to find an excuse for his behavior. This only resulted in Jason and Percy becoming more alarmed. Percy reaching to grab his other hand while Jason got up in order to rub his shoulders soothingly. Nico felt the panic slowly ebb away with all the care but he was still left feeling absolutely miserable, especially with how worried the others looked. Will squeezed his hand once more, almost pleading him to tell them and Nico decided it was just best to get it over with.

“I-….I’m in love with you guys. All of you.”

So now here they were. They used to be open with each other about everything, to the point where they knew each other’s biggest dreams and darkest hopes. They used to snuggle up to each other on this very couch, unafraid on the implications of physical contact, all of them just happy to be with each other. They used to immediately offer a shoulder to cry on or an open ear willing to listen to rants if someone in their little group had a bad day, even if was caused by the most trivial matters. Now they were all closed off, their expressions blank and unreadable. They sat on opposite ends of the couch, too scared to bridge the gap between them. Nico was having what felt like the worst day of his life and he knew he’d get no comfort. Why should he? He was the reason they were all like this. Will was still holding him, but how could Nico expect comfort from him. He’d betrayed Will in the worst way. He was surprised that Will could even stand to be near him right now. Nico knew they needed to talk but he didn’t want to. What was going to happen to them? To all of them? Would Percy and Jason distance themselves from him now? Would Will break up with him over this? The thought of losing the three people he cared most for hit Nico with such an intense wave of pain that he couldn’t hold it back anymore. It bubbled up and spilled out of him, starting with a small sniffle before it became full out sobs, Nico desperately trying to wipe them away. He didn’t want the others to pity him, but once again the Fates sneered down upon him and three heads turned towards him with panicked expressions. Suddenly Percy and Jason were scrambling over to Nico’s side in a rush to comfort him while Will held him impossibly tight, all of them speaking over one another.

“Wait no, don’t be upset-”

“Nico, it’s not as bad as you think-”

“Oh darling, there’s no need to cry…”

“I love you too.” They spoke in unison, only to blink and look at each other in surprise. After that, it was if a barrier had broken and suddenly they were confessing their love to each other as well. Jason and Percy. Will and Jason. Percy and Will. All of them looked as if a weight had been lifted off their shoulders, now smiling and happy. Nico had never felt more muddled.

“But…but how…? How can you all love each other, isn’t that…? Isn’t a relationship only supposed to be two people..?” He asked meekly, shrinking back away when he was met with looks of confusion. Will seemed to be the first to understand Nico’s distress, taking his hands to squeeze them reassuringly.

“Neeks, angel, relationships don’t have to consist of only two people. You can have three or four or however many you want. It’s called polyamory.” He explained softly.

“Polyamory is about having intimate, loving relationships with multiple people. As long as everyone has given their consent and their boundaries are respected then it’s perfectly okay.” Percy chimed in while Jason gently ran his fingers through his hair.

“It can be a little bit complicated at first and we may have some difficulties since we’ve never done this before, but as long as we’re willing to cooperate and support each other, then I know we can make it work. If you want to, that is.” Jason added. Nico swallowed thickly, looking at the three boys around him with expressions that were nothing but open and honest and loving, and for the first time today, Nico felt like everything was going to be okay. He gave them a small nod and the resulting smiles made his heart beat wildly.

They spent the next few hours talking more about polyamory and their feelings for each other, making sure that everyone was in agreement about being in a relationship together. It was a conversation filled with romantics and confessions and rules and boundaries, and in general, was very emotionally draining. All of them were tired by the end of it so it was a unanimous decision to build a pillow fort in the living room and cuddle each other. They still were still things that needed to be worked out and there was still stuff that Nico didn’t understand very well but looking around at his three new boyfriends, all giggling tiredly and fighting over the blanket, Nico couldn’t wait for what tomorrow held in store for them.

#asks #fic #mod post #contains mod's blood sweat and tears #too lazy to edit very sorry #jasico #percico #solangelo #solgrace #solackson #jercy #solperjasico

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damian-lil-babybat · 6 years

Photo

The Bat boys as mermen but sharks! Since why not?

If Gotham sunk and became part of the seabed, it’ll definitely still be your typical inhabitable hostile sea dwelling place, filled with dangerous creatures and predators. And the one specie that dominates them all are Wayne mersharks!

Bruce Wayne

The great white shark, commonly known as the great white or the white shark, is a species of large mackerel shark. The great white shark has no known natural predators other than, on very rare occasions, the killer whale (apex predator at the top of the food chain!). The great white shark is arguably the world’s largest known extant macropredatory fish, and is one of the primary predators of marine mammals (biggest and the baddest). It is also known to prey upon a variety of other marine animals, including fish and seabirds. It is the only known surviving species of its genus Carcharodon (the last of his kind), and is ranked first in having the most recorded shark bite incidents on humans.

Many bite incidents occur in waters with low visibility or other situations which impair the shark’s senses. The species appears to not like the taste of humans, or at least finds the taste unfamiliar. Further research shows that they can tell in one bite whether or not the object is worth predating upon. Humans, for the most part, are too bony for their liking. They much prefer a fat, protein-rich seal (won’t touch outsiders unless they got close enough to invade on his territory)

Dick Grayson Wayne

Blue shark is a species of requiem shark (his namesake is blue!). Although generally lethargic, they can move very quickly (looks harmless but quick to change into bite mode). Blue sharks are occasionally sought as game fish for their beauty and speed (yup definitely him). Like most pelagic sharks, tend to fare poorly in captivity (you can’t cage him!). Attempts of keeping blue sharks in tanks of various sizes, shapes and depths have shown that they have trouble avoiding walls, aquarium windows and other smooth surfaces, eventually leading to abrasions to the fins or snout, which may result in serious infections.

Jason Todd Wayne

Dusky shark is a species of requiem shark (like merman!Dick since he was taken from his likeness, however his scales were vastly different, not realizing he was actually more similar to merman!Bruce than he thought. Like their adopted parent) it is a generalist apex predator, however the dusky shark is very vulnerable to human-caused population depletion (he just can’t take a break). This species is highly valued by commercial fisheries for its fins, used in shark fin soup, and for its meat, skin, and liver oil.

The strongest shark bite belongs to the dusky shark; its jaws have been measured to exert 132 pounds of force. Their bite force of a dusky shark is 60 kilograms per tooth, the equivalent of being crushed by ten cars (he’s still badass).

Tim Drake Wayne

Shortfin mako shark (aka blue pointer, or bonito shark) part of mackerel shark (his species is similar to merman!Bruce but he shares the same blue scales of the eldest). The shortfin mako is on record as the fastest-swimming shark and it can jump to heights of approximately 9 m (30 ft) which is one of the reason they are sought as game fish (he is very in demand). Of all studied sharks, the shortfin mako has one of the largest brain:body ratios (obviously).

“Mako” comes from the Māori language, meaning either the shark or a shark tooth. Maori are Polynesian, (so…Hawaii is usually considered as Polynesian? Home of Superboy? I just want Conner and Tim to still be BFF in this AU so I’m winging it!)

Damian al Ghul Wayne

Oceanic whitetip shark or lesser white shark (petite version of his Dad!), is a large pelagic requiem shark (his lineage is mixed and took after his mother, which was why he’s on requiem species. He share the same kinship to merman!Dick and merman!Jason so he was not that lonely, but he can’t forgive Tim for sharing the same species with his biological father—which was no one’s fault, but still disturbs this fingerling so he tend to attack Tim whenever possible).

It is a slow-moving but aggressive fish, dominates feeding frenzies, and is a danger to shipwreck or air crash survivors and counted as the most dangerous shark in the world (if Great White mostly test - bites, this one attacks and maim. So be very careful when dealing with him)

It is the most common ship-following shark, exhibits dog-like behaviour when its interest is piqued (it’s a dangerous vicious curious specie that sometimes acts like a cinnamon roll…on a hunt for prey!): when attracted to something that appears to be food, its movements become more avid and it approaches cautiously but stubbornly, retreating and maintaining a safe distance if driven off, but ready to rush in if the opportunity presents itself (it’s an assassin!).

#mermay2018 #merman #mermay #robin!under the red sea au #damian wayne #dick grayson #jason todd #tim drake #robin #bruce wayne #batman #batman and robin #fanart #doodle

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margarittet · 7 years

Text

“Tombstone” (1993): cowboys and gay subtext

Disclaimer: I wrote this text long time ago, when we first heard the title of the episode, and we knew perfectly nothing about the plot - I just somehow never got to posting it. Back then I never DREAMED that we will be getting Cas and Dean roleplaying Texas rangers, and running around in cowboy hats. (What a time to be alive!) Anyway, I hope this little rant about how “Tombstone” (1993) is relevant to tomorrow’s episode will still be fun to read.

Disclaimer 2: I do not equal effeminate/weak bodied/flamboyant = gay, just different from the surroundings in the context of this movie. At the same time, the movie uses cheap stereotypes to characterize their characters in subtext. It is 1990s, and this is not good, but it happened back then.

File it under the “Things I do because of my “Supernatural” obsession”: I watch and read stuff I hadn’t expected to before I started watching the show - you know, like a 1993 western telling the story of the legendary gunman Wyatt Earp and his two brothers, hunting and killing some Old West gang of outlaws in a frontier town.

Nevertheless, I did watch it, and now I will write about it because I am painfully aware that episode 13x06 is called “Tombstone”, that it has a western theme, and that it’s an episode by the writer who gave us “Stuck in the Middle with You” (12x12). It is therefore quite possible that the source material is relevant to the final product - plus with Tarantino being a western buff, it all connects nicely.

I will not speculate about the actual episode since we have almost nothing to go on at the moment - besides a few pictures from which we can gather a couple of facts:

The boys are most probably in Dodge City at some point (we saw pictures from the set saying “Dodge City” on one of the buildings). The city is about 3,5 hour drive from Lebanon - where the bunker is - and it was here Wyatt Earp was the sheriff before he moved to Tombstone. It also is “the cowboy capital of the US” because of it being the main city on the old “cattle trail”, famous for its cow markets and for its gunfights. We saw Dodge City on the show once before when Krissy’s dad was attacked in “Adventures in Babysitting”, but otherwise this is the first time we visit it,

We also know that at some point we will visit a cowboy-themed motel.

[While all of this gives us no story hints whatsoever, I think it’s safe to assume that the keywords for the episode are “cowboys” and “western”. Since Davy Perez’ most noteworthy episode last year was Tarantino themed, I am not remotely surprised this season for him is “westerns” (he is also bringing us the train heist episode later this season - yes, please.)]

I can, however, present the movie “Tombstone” that may or may not have something to do with the final episode (we’ll see). As I am aware that not everyone is as dedicated (read: bored and obsessed) as me to check out every pop culture reference on the show, I decided to share my newly aquired wisdom with the class.

Ok, so the story. The movie tells a (rather idealized) version of the shootout that occured in the frontier town of Tombstone, Arizona, between Wyatt, Virgil and Morgan Earp (plus their friend, Doc Holliday) and the gang of outlaws who called themselves “the Cowboys” - known as the gunfight at OK Corral. I will talk just about the movie here (since the historical truth is a little different, and a compare-and-contrast historical analysis is not what we need right now).

So, Wyatt Earp got famous being the marshall of Dodge City, while also being a pacifist and trying to avoid starting conflicts as much as possible. Tombstone was supposed to be his retirement - he wanted to settle down, finally having his family around, and earn some money for a comfortable and silent life. He came to Tombstone together with his two brothers and their wives; upon arrival, he found out that his best friend, Doc Holliday, also ended up in the town, searching for his luck and trying to cure his TB - an illness that will later kill him at the age of 35.

We meet Wyatt Earp when he has people closest to his heart right around him, and is very content with his life. He is also very adamant to leave the past and the fame behind, and start a completely new chapter in Arizona. The Earp brothers find out very quickly, however, that Tombstone is very far from the sleepy abode the name might suggest. The town is full of colourful characters - gamblers, gunslingers, preachers, prostitutes, outlaws etc. And of course there is a conflict boiling just below the surface.

Unwillingly, one by one the Earp party is pulled back into being the law officers again, and into the bloody frontier war.

SPOILERS AHEAD (you know, if you wanna watch the movie yourself)

So many themes here that remind me of SPN!

We have a duty bound man who meets a maverick and outgoing woman. She offers him excitement and adventures, and of course he falls for her, but doesn’t let himself have what he wants because of his mission, his situation (he was married at the time), and the need to act honourably. He is, however, perfectly aware of his feelings and that a part of this behaviour is fear of following his heart because he had never done this before in his life;

It takes a death of his closest friend to realize life is too short, and he should go for what he wants, which he does;

Before this, however, he follows the murder of one of his brothers by going on a shooting spree, and killing every bad guy he can find until they all are eradicated,

There is also so much gay subtext between two of the characters that the movie is always mentioned when “gay westerns before Brokeback Mountain” are discussed.

“Tombstone” as a lesson in gay subtext:

It is never mentioned in the movie that Billy Zane and Jason Priestley’s characters are gay. Yet, it is so obvious from the way they are portrayed that even people who are not used to reading subtext are perfectly aware the two characters are most probably lovers.

The characterization

The first thing we notice is the look of the characters. The two man are both dressed in a way that differenciates them from the enviroment around them - Billy Zane’s Fabian is completely different from the masculine world of the Old West, with his soft hair, boyish good looks, clean shaven face, and elaborate outfits.

Jason Priestley’s Billy is more in accordance with the tough world of Tombstone - he is the deputy sheriff after all, and can be tough when needed - but still, in his time off he is portrayed as soft, effeminate, especially while contrasted with the criminals he usually runs with. His outfit is not too different from everyone else’s, but he is the only person to wear a bowtie (everyone else wears neckties or bandanas) and spectacles. He is portrayed as a slightly weaker and more vulnerable person.

Exposition in relation to other characters

The two characters sexuality is shown, not talked about, especially through the kind of interractions they have with other people.

We meet Fabian when he steps out of a carriage, all confident, flamboyant, well-groomed and witty. His person awakens the reaction in the manly-men of the West, which is shown by Morgan Earp asking the local sheriff “What kind of town is this?” (at which point Wyatt shushes him, as if he said something offensive).

To hammer the point home, Fabian is an actor who travels with a gorgeous woman, but obviously has no sexual interest in her - they are best buddies who ogle the Earps together, and comment on their attractiveness.

As for Billy, we meet him when he arrives at the theatre to see the actors’ performance, and right away he is shown bullied by the Cowboys. The quips obviously refer to his sexuality (“Hey, sister boy, gimme some!”). He doesn’t try to shoot them down, just tries to avoid being touched. Quickly he is “saved” by the leader of the gang, and seated beside him. Shortly afterwards the camera shows us the difference between the Cowboys and the deputy sheriff’s approach to Fabian onstage (mocking vs in awe).

Later, during a blink-and-you-miss-it moment, Billy grabs Fabian in the saloon, and cordially invites him to his table. This is the last time we see the two men together, alive.

Fast forward to the end of the movie: Billy is riding around with the Cowboys while Wyatt Earp runs around, shooting everything he can find. The outlaws stop a carriage and find the actress and Fabian in the back: the actor is dead, shot by the Cowboys. Everything here happens completely beside the dialogue and the rest of the scene. Billy watches dead Fabian while the actress holds her dead friend, and angrily discusses the war with the leader of the gang.

(Just for your viewing pleasure, I created THIS GIFSET of the scene)

It is never said out loud that Bily and Fabian are lovers. It is still pretty damn obvious. It is perfectly clear from the way they are presented, their interactions with other characters, and the (very limited) onscreen interactions with each other.

“Tombstone” is a cowboy movie that takes a step towards the actual reality of the Wild West, and makes it almost textual. Homosexuality was a natural part of the cowboy lifestyle - it was after all a society full of men, where the men to women ratio was around 8:1. Everyone had needs, not everyone had money, and love and sexual encounters between men were as common as in any other, similar enviroment. There is a reason why the uber-masculine cowboy stereotype is one of the main figures in American gay iconology - think everything from “Midnight Cowboy” to The Village People and “Brokeback Mountain”.

Why Davy Perez chose to call his episode after the kettle-market town in Arizona, but also after the movie with such a strong gay subtext?

WE MAY NEVER KNOW!

#spn vs tombstone #spn 13x06 speculation #pop culture references #gay subtext #destiel #spn season western romcom 13 #yeehaw

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opticien2-0 · 4 years

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Heavy drinking, lower spending and more sustainable living: how shoppers see the future of retail

UK has increased its drinking by more than any other country – and will continue to imbibe

With as many as 90% of UK consumers keen to ‘get back to normal’, a study of what they think that will look like reveals that most will be spending less, are looking for more sustainable ways to live and have dramatically increased their alcohol intake over the past few months.

The insights come from a study by GlobalWebIndex, which has been monitoring every few weeks shopper attitudes across 20 countries, and find that, while the level of concern about the pandemic has dropped slightly in May, three quarters of shoppers now believe the affects of the pandemic on life in generally will last six months or more.

Across the 20 countries surveyed, just over half of consumers now say they will return to shops immediately, very quickly, or quite quickly – and in the UK this increases to 59%. However, behaviours boosted during the pandemic could become new habits; almost 1 in 3 plan to shop online more frequently after the outbreak.

In addition, two thirds of UK consumers expect the pandemic to have an impact on their personal finances. As a result, consumers are delaying big-ticket purchases (66%) and 20% are looking to reduce their regular financial commitments for example by cancelling subscriptions and memberships.

The majority of UK consumers are in favour of getting back to ‘normal’ though, with 9 in 10 saying this is important. 85% place importance on cafes, bars and restaurants being able to reopen and 6 in 10 think it’s important sports leagues and competitions resume. However, consumers remain much more reticent about returning to large indoor venues (30%) or large outdoor venues (27%).

Social distancing measures (64%), regular cleaning / disinfecting (60%), restrictions on the numbers allowed inside venues (49%) and provision of hand sanitizer (47%) are the biggest priorities for UK consumers in public places.

Jason Mander, Chief Research Officer, GlobalWebIndex comments: “People expect shops to be able to better manage their safety concerns and are yet to be convinced that similarly adequate measures could be put in place in larger venues where crowds would typically be bigger. These safety concerns coupled with a need to reduce spending, means many consumers expect to cut back on their out-of-home leisure moments. 31% think after the outbreak is over they will eat out at restaurants less often, about a third plan to visit bars/pubs less often, and about a fifth think they will visit fast-food outlets or the cinema less frequently. Demonstrating the challenge that out-of-home leisure providers will need to face in terms of encouraging people back to venues.”

Sustainability is key

While climate change campaigners have said that pre-coronavirus momentum could be lost, sentiment from consumers across 20 countries shows sustainability is set to enjoy heightened importance even in light of the pandemic.

In the UK, half say it will be important that companies behave more sustainably. Meanwhile, 45% think it will be more important than before to reduce their personal usage of single-use plastic, and the same proportion feel there will be heightened importance on reducing their personal carbon footprint / environmental impact. Across each of these areas, less than 10% think they will be less important than previously.

Mander, says: “There have been questions about whether some might feel less compelled to reduce their single-use plastic consumption after it played a vital role in some aspects of the coronavirus response. However unlike previous economic downturns, sustainability isn’t thrown to the side in the spirit of cost-savings. It’s being kept alive as part of a pathway back to profitability. Consumers have seen benefits of being environmentally conscious during the “lockdown” – from the advantages of shopping locally and supporting businesses in their area, to the reported drops in pollution. With “lockdown” having been very challenging and stressful for many, they will want to celebrate any perceived benefits. ”

Drinks all round – but not in the pub

Although almost a third of UK consumers plan to visit bars and pubs less often after the pandemic, across the 20 countries surveyed 14% feel that their overall alcohol consumption levels have actually increased during the crisis.

The UK (19%), Ireland (18%), the U.S. (17%), New Zealand (17%) and Brazil (17%) are the places where people are most likely to feel they have drunk more alcohol overall.

Millennials in the UK (21%) and the top income group (28%) are most likely to think their consumption has increased. Also, 11% in the UK think they’ve drunk alcohol at times of the day they wouldn’t normally.

New types and brands of alcohol have been discovered during the lockdown period. Some 10% say they’ve tried new brands, with a similar proportion reporting they have tried new types. In both cases, the figures peak among Millennials and the top income group.

from InternetRetailing https://ift.tt/2UrBpaf via IFTTT

#Retail 2.0

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impracticaldemon · 7 years

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Nalu Fluff Week 2017 Within the Law, Chapter 2

fanfiction by impracticaldemon Words: ~3000 | Also on FFnet | AO3 (coming soon) | CH. 1

Author's Note:

Chapter 2 of Within the Law is based on the Day 4 prompt "History", with several nods to the Day 1 prompt "Soulmates".

I'd like to thank everyone who is reading, following and liking this story so far, with special thanks to those who have taken a moment to drop me a line to tell me what they think of the story.

Chapter 2—Friend or Foe?

Prompt: History

I—Scrutiny

The interview did not go at all as Lucy expected. For one thing, it was a great deal more informal than any interview she'd ever had for a job (other than one for a paper route that her father wouldn't let her keep). The real shock, however, was finding out that the law firm of Makarov & Vermilion—known to lawyers as Fairy Tail—had a history with her family.

The room was more or less what she had envisioned—corporate-Fiore standard boardroom with an oval table, big comfortable chairs, and fully updated with the newest in lacrima technology. The artwork was a little unusual, and appeared to have been contributed by various members of the firm, since there wasn't any cohesion or similarity between the pieces that she could make out. Lucy couldn't help but glance at Natsu when her eyes caught what appeared to be an original Star Wars movie poster in all its kitschy, late- seventies glory, mounted in a place of honour on one wall. Natsu gave her two thumbs up, apparently aware of her interest—in the poster—and Lucy found herself smiling.

"That's the slightly more common version, of course," he stage whispered to her as she sat down in her designated spot. "But I have the Type A poster at home."

Lucy had no idea what he was talking about; apparently Natsu was an even bigger geek than she was. Also… was that a pick-up line? Gray either shared her concern or saw her expression. He punched Natsu none-too-lightly on the shoulder.

"Seriously, Pepto B? Lucy's here for a job interview and you sound like some kind of nerdy pick-up artist."

"What the hell, Gray?! I just thought she'd like to know—I mean she can recognize an Imperial Destroyer-class capital ship when she sees one!"

"So could anyone who's known you for at least five minutes," argued Gray, unconsciously pushing back his sleeves. His pale blue shirt was now unbuttoned most of the way down his chest, revealing a stylized silver sword on a matching chain around his neck—and some very nice muscle, and part of a dark blue tattoo.

Lucy saw Erza Scarlet, the firm's youngest-ever managing partner start to tense at the childish behaviour. She leaned forward, but Makarov Dreyar, the firm's senior partner, shook his head at her slightly, and Ms. Scarlet sighed but didn't intervene. Lucy wondered just how often this kind of thing went on around Fairy Tail. Were they at least more professional around clients? And did their lead forensic specialist really need to show off his chest like that? Lucy found herself looking back at Natsu in the hope that maybe this was a common habit for Fairy Tail guys. Hope?! Did I really just think that? Ugh! This is getting out of hand.

Ignoring Ms. Scarlet's glare, Natsu poked Gray in the chest with a forefinger. It didn't look like much, but Gray almost fell out of his chair.

"Hah!" crowed Natsu. "Shows what you know, Stripper! Lucy hadn't known me for five minutes yet!" He beamed at Lucy, who once again felt like a deer caught in particularly attractive headlights. She scrambled to get her wits together, her task made harder as Natsu reached up and loosened his tie and unbuttoned his collar. Mercifully, he stopped with just one button.

"… I guess not," she ventured. "At least, I know it wasn't for very long."

Gray leaned forward toward Natsu with a predatory smirk. "Thought so. You didn't go fetch Lucy like you were supposed to, did you? I'll bet you ran home to let Plue out, set Happy to keep an eye on him, and then—let's see—you had to rush back here because you can't stand riding the subway. You know, I thought it was strange that Lucy got caught in the rain."

Lucy felt a blush starting—why had she lied to cover up for Natsu? Then she discovered that nobody else seemed especially upset, although Ms. Scarlet was obviously irritated.

"And which great detective are you today, Ice Cube Brain, Poirot or Holmes?" Natsu rolled his eyes. "I mean for crying out loud, Ice Princess, don't you—"

"That's enough!" Ms. Scarlet's hand smacked the table, and Lucy jumped right along with the guys. "Natsu—we'll have to have another chat about your billable hours later today. Gray, put your shirt back on and stop baiting Natsu."

Wait, what? Lucy stared at Gray, whose expensive broadcloth shirt was hanging neatly over the back of his chair. What the hell?

Okay, so the lawyers at M&V were a little… unusual. Lucy had already known that in advance. She'd done her research—and seen the news stories—so she'd been aware that Makarov Dreyar was extremely short and tended to conduct business sitting cross-legged on top of tables, podiums, bars, and—in one very famous case—the back of a client's expensive and extremely explicit Greek statue of three lovers.

Mr. Makarov had argued that as the statue was a perfectly functional chair, and as there were no obscenity by-laws regarding lawn furniture, the City of Magnolia had no right to either fine his client or force him to remove the object from his front lawn. He'd lost the case, but it had made his law firm known to most of Fiore by the time it was over. On top of that, the client had reputedly been pleased that he and his statue had been on the news for the better part of two months. It had allegedly doubled the client's business, which Lucy preferred to not think about too hard.

Lucy had also been prepared for Erza Scarlet to be a gorgeous redhead who was not much older than she was. Ms. Scarlet was known equally for her uncompromising courtroom tactics and her custom-designed suits, which had a strange tendency toward colorful bows and thematic patterns that she claimed were related to her cases. Three years ago, journalist Jason Khol had commented that if Erza Scarlet ever showed up for court in a regular black or navy suit, he'd know for sure to leave immediately; the case would either be boring or leave people dead. He had also reported that the lawyer's one weakness was strawberry torte with real whipped cream. Looking across at the giant portrait of a piece of cake so deliciously realistic that Lucy's mouth immediately began to water, Lucy concluded that the information might have been more accurate that Jason's usual offerings.

She was called back to the present when Ms. Scarlet cleared her throat and thanked Lucy for coming to the interview. Lucy almost hugged her for saying something so normal.

"I'm very happy to be here," she began.

"Well, that's just it," interrupted Makarov. "You see, we've had our eyes on you for some time, but since we're all very much like family here, we had to make sure that you weren't just applying for a position in order to spy for your father."

Lucy froze in place. This was actually worse than she'd expected. She'd become more or less inured to being courted for her family's wealth and connections, but she'd never ceased to be hurt on the rare occasions that she'd been met with grim scorn or open hostility because of her family's "opportunistic" business practices.

"Oi, gramps!" Lucy blinked in surprise. It sounded like Natsu was—angry?—on her behalf. Sure enough, the pink-haired securities lawyer waded in with total disregard for rank or protocol. "You didn't have to put it like that! Besides, it's perfectly obvious that she's not here to spy for Old No-Heart Heartfilia!"

No-Heart Heartfilia. Yes, that's what they called him—the nebulous "they" being almost anyone from whom he'd ever wanted something.

Lucy looked up when a heavy arm dropped around her shoulders and squeezed. She automatically noticed the high-quality wool of the suit and the fine linen of the shirt cuff. She'd been raised to notice things like that in the same way that others noticed hair and eye colour. Still a little in shock at the unexpected—well, not attack exactly, but close—she mused that she didn't like Natsu's cuff links and would have to choose him a new pair. That thought brought her out of her daze. What was it with him that made her think things like that? He smells good, her nose suggested. She didn't recognize the soap, so it was probably an off-brand—something he'd picked up for himself—but there was a hint of pine and fresh wood smoke that was both very odd and somehow comforting.

"I have to agree with Pinky, jiji." To Lucy's surprise, that was Gray's cool, rather deep voice, and it sounded like he was on her side too. "Lucy lied like a champ for Natsu and—as we've heard—she barely knew him. Not just that, but I'm pretty sure she didn't know he was a partner, so I doubt she was looking to buy favours." Gray must have moved closer, because she heard him murmur sotto voce: "Waste of time with Natsu anyway…"

Lucy looked up at Mr. Makarov, who seemed to be frowning at her. All at once she realized that Natsu was still hugging her. It was nice, but she preferred to stand on her own two feet, metaphorically speaking.

"Um, Natsu?"

"Natsu��personal space?" Erza's voice sounded slightly weary; no doubt they'd had this conversation before.

"Yeah, Natsu, she hasn't accepted your offer to come see your Type A Star Wars poster yet you know." Sure enough, Gray was right behind her.

"Gray—put your shirt back on."

"Oh—sure thing Erza."

Gray's presence disappeared from behind her and at the same time the warmth around her shoulders vanished. She felt surprisingly disappointed, but persevered.

"Mr. Makarov—Ms. Scarlet—is this still an interview for a job? Or am I here because you're angry with my father?"

"Hmmm, well, I wouldn't say I was ever angry with you, Ms. Heartfilia. It's just that your father has a way of hurting people when he doesn't get his own way, so I am… protective."

Lucy stood up, pleased to find that she was fully in control of herself and her voice again.

"There is nobody who understands my father's nature better than I do," she said in a clipped voice. "Am I here for a job? Or a trial?"

Mr. Makarov smiled at her, and to Lucy's surprise, his smile had quite a bit of the same elusive, sunny charm as Natsu's.

"Actually, if Gray and Natsu hadn't jumped in so quickly, I would have explained that although we were concerned about your motives for seeking employment here, we've already determined that you're just the kind of person we want here—and the right person to make sure that past history stays in the past."

"Oh." Lucy suddenly felt deflated. Then her normal good spirits—which had somehow survived her father's rule after her mother's death—started to bubble back to the surface. "Um, Mr. Makarov?"

"Yes?"

"Does this mean I'm hired?"

"If you want the position, it's yours."

Lucy nodded firmly. "Absolutely. I've dreamed of working here."

"Awesome!" That was Natsu, and he was grinning even more brightly than before.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail," said Gray, who still hadn't put his shirt back on. He offered Lucy a slight smile—the first she'd seen other than when he'd been laughing at Natsu.

"We're very happy to have you here," put in Erza. "Please, just call me Erza. If you have some time now, we can do up the proper contracts and so on."

"And discuss billable hours," muttered Natsu.

"Nonsense, she's a summer student," Erza told him sharply. "You on the other hand…"

"Right—got it! And, uh, I've got to get going… are we done here? I mean, gramps has a beer out now and all…"

Sure enough, Mr. Makarov was drinking placidly from a giant beer stein. Where had that come from?

"Fine. Go." Erza shook her head as Natsu rushed off. "That boy… brilliant, of course, but not focussed."

"He's young," murmured Erza's boss—to the extent that she had one. She started to nod in agreement, when Makarov added, "So are you, of course."

"Well then, time to wrap this up," said Gray. He was looking impatient, but was too polite to simply leave.

Just then, Natsu stuck his head in at the door.

"Lucy! I forgot! I'll walk you home, okay? Also—don't let Gray convince you to try out for the hockey team and don't let Erza talk you into putting on a musical. See you in a couple of hours!"

The pink hair vanished as quickly as it had come.

"Musical?" Lucy asked, puzzled.

"Oh yes!" replied Erza, suddenly looking much less severe and considerably younger. "I happened to notice on your résumé that you've done some amateur theatricals, and…"

Lucy heard a snicker from Gray; he patted her on the shoulder on his way out, careful not to interrupt Erza's excited description of the potential for the first ever Fairy Tail musical operetta. Seated to Erza's right, on the conference table, Lucy saw Mr. Makarov smile into his beer.

II—Not Alone

"So, how was your first day?"

Lucy looked sideways at Natsu, who looked cheerfully unrepentant about leaving work early. He'd told her that he'd probably go back later. Unless she wanted to see the poster today, of course. Lucy had declined, citing fatigue and a need to find a place to live in the city now that she could more or less afford to pay rent.

"Well, I didn't really do any work… I mean, I still have end of year exams to go before I can work full-time for the rest of the summer."

Natsu gave her a knowing look.

"I'll bet Erza talked you into the musical."

"True. But she agreed that it might be better to consider a play to start."

"Heh. She wants Gray to sing—he's a dork, but he's got a good voice. He's usually willing to go along with stuff, but he's put his foot down on the singing." Natsu paused, considering. "So far."

"I know exactly what you mean," Lucy told him with considerable feeling. "Erza's amazing, and she's been my idol for the last two years, but she's really… intense."

"Accurate," Natsu agreed. Despite the beautiful clothes, Lucy was starting to believe that he really wasn't much older than she was.

They walked along for a few more minutes, chatting and laughing with surprising ease, when Natsu stopped abruptly and looked toward a park about a half-block away.

"Come on," he said. "I've got to get Happy and Plue."

Bemused, and amazed that she was going with him despite her skirt and heels—she'd ditched the stockings and not bothered with her spare pair—Lucy trailed along behind Natsu. When they reached the park, the white dog and blue-grey cat came trotting up. At Natsu's request, Lucy carefully squatted down in her tight skirt to pet the dog. He was an adorable little thing, with short, velvety fur and dark, expressive eyes.

"So his owner is away?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah… Well, kinda." Natsu shifted from foot-to-foot, his cat Happy in the crook of one arm. "Actually, they're not coming back. But I didn't want Plue to go to just anyone, so I took him in. The building doesn't allow dogs, but I'm planning to get my own place soon anyway, so I thought—why not?"

There was obviously some kind of story there—more old history?—but for some reason, Lucy didn't feel the need to find out about it the way she usually did. She liked the dog—more of a puppy, really—and for some reason, she liked the man. She smiled when it occurred to her that Natsu seemed like a bit of a puppy himself at times. Corporate law shark he might be, but she hadn't seen it so far. She might feel differently once they'd worked together for a while, of course.

A hand reached down, and Natsu helped her to her feet. He seemed a little abstracted, so Lucy gave him his space. Or tried to, anyway. He appeared to like walking close to her, and—again, she wasn't sure why—it didn't bother her.

"How about I give you a hand with finding an apartment?" Natsu asked, after several minutes of silence.

Lucy stopped, since they were about to head down into the subway station, and it would be next-to-impossible to chat down there, given the noise and people. She was surprised by the offer—but not really.

"You don't mind?" She hesitated, and then said bluntly, "The thing is that I'm going to have to do a fair bit of looking. It's got to be nice enough to be comfortable, but not too expensive—although I've got some money saved up, which will help. But the big thing is that my dad's going to be really upset. So I need to look without him knowing."

Natsu nodded, obviously thinking. "So you're running away then?"

"Pretty much. But I've still got a year of school to go so… I don't know exactly how it will work out."

Her companion studied her face and then smiled reassuringly. "We'll make it happen—no problem! You're not on your own now, you know?"

An odd lump rose in Lucy's throat, and she hastily blinked away tears.

"Yeah. Thanks, Natsu."

"There is one thing, though."

"What?" Lucy could feel her original wariness return.

"I really hate subways. Worse than anything." He looked embarrassed and ran a hand through his pink hair.

"Oh. I see the problem." Lucy pulled herself out of her unproductive thoughts. She smiled at Natsu. "I think I can make it home from here on my own, to be honest. Besides, Erza will be happier with you if you head back to work, won't she?"

"Yeah… After I drop off these two, anyway." He seemed a little disappointed, and Lucy hoped it was because he was sorry she had to go. "Well, maybe you can come by on the weekend? Hang out with me and these guys?" His head indicated the cat and the dog.

Lucy didn't know what to say. She wanted to say yes, but it was ridiculous to trust a guy that she barely knew.

"Aren't you going to be working?" she temporized.

"Probably not; there's nothing big in the works for a couple more weeks. Actually, that's the thing—I don't always have a ton of free time, but this weekend's good. That's how it goes in my practice area—you're either working flat out or not too much. I don't mind it. But I want to help you find a place, so…"

"Well, okay then." Lucy gave in and decided to go for it. She couldn't tell if the guy was just being nice—very nice—or whether he was asking her out in a very, very circuitous way. It was impossible to tell. At the very least, he seemed to want to spend time with her. She definitely wanted to spend time with him, although she couldn't quite explain why. She felt less alone than she had in years.

Natsu was frowning again, but he grinned at her response. "Great! Okay, let's exchange numbers"—they each pulled out their communications lacrima—"and we'll aim for early Saturday afternoon. Good?"

"Works for me."

"Also, if you ever just want to come over and study, I can probably help. Gray's not too shabby either, though I wouldn't tell him that."

"Such fulsome praise!"

"I know, right?" Another blinding grin.

"See you on Saturday, Natsu!"

"Bye Lucy! Don't trip in the turnstile this time!"

Lucy opened her mouth to protest—it was Happy and Plue that had tripped her up—but Natsu was already jogging away. She suspected he was laughing.

[END]

A/Note: So, this chapter ended up three times longer than planned—mind you, I'm using the term "planned" in a very general kind of way. I hope you enjoyed it! I'll probably do one more to wrap up Fluff Week. The story needs at least a kiss and definitely some cuddle time... but what do I know?

As always, your reviews and comments are very much appreciated! You'd be surprised how encouraging it is to know that people look forward to reading your work. :)

Confession time ~ I do have a law degree and practiced law in a large firm for just over two years after finishing law school. I practice law in Canada, which means primarily "common law" - that is, law based on both legislation and the decisions of the courts. The US, and most former British colonies, are also common law jurisdictions. The system is different in "civil law" jurisdictions, such as Québec (in Canada) and most of Europe.

@shell-senji @nalufever @eliz1369 @nalu-natic @naluloverforever @unashamed-shipper @kazama-hime @sabinasanfanfic @sanguine-fairy @very-x-vice @walk-tall-my-fr1ends @hakusaitosan @strawberrysweetlove35 @fic-writer-appreciation @ftfanfics

Note: I may not be tagging all the right people; I apologize to those I’ve included by mistake and (in absentia!) to those I’ve missed.

#fairy tail #nalu #nalufluffweek #fanfiction #impracticaldemon #within the law 2 #prompt history #nalu fluff wk 2017

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