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greengrayeyeswrites · 3 years

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shit-faced in love (chapter five)

Title: shit-faced in love

Pairing: Corpse Husband x OC (fem!youtuber!reader)

Word Count: 1,158

Warnings: Mental Health/Mental Illnesses are a big topic in this story. Mentions of depression, bpd and other mental illnesses. Angst, Fluff.

Note: This may be a Corpse x OC story but feel free to insert yourself into the main girls role. If Corpse ever announces that he doesn’t like fanfics about him, I’ll delete this.

Prologue — Chapter 1 — Chapter 2 — Chapter 3 — Chapter 4 — Chapter 5 — Chapter 6

Author’s Note: Hello guys! I am very, very sorry that I didn’t update this any sooner. I’ve had a lot of troubles with my mental health lately, especially my bpd acting up and making me feel so worthless I wanted to punch myself in the face with a chair... But I thought that I need to get my shit back together and post a new chapter. I am really sorry about the delay. All these likes I am getting on a story that I mainly write for myself is overwhelming... so a massive thank you!

Also HAPPY BIRTHDAY CORPSE!

— — —

Imogen ended up being MIA for two whole days. She didn’t update her Twitter after cancelling the stream and didn’t upload anything on her Instagram story and her feed.

The day after her bad mood swing she stayed at home and Baylee came over. The two girls were spending the day on the couch watching silly old-school romcoms; Buddy sitting in between them in case Imogen needed him.

They were watching movie after movie, falling asleep in between and Imogen felt bad for Baylee. She apologized for being so unmotivated, boring and weird today but Baylee quickly shook her head and told her that it was okay.

Imogen couldn’t believe how happy she was to have Baylee as her friend, but since she was shifting from black to white thinking and back to black, she couldn’t really feel the happiness she knew existed somewhere.

All she felt was emptiness and sadness. The episode lasted four whole hours and Imogen fell asleep crying in the middle of it.

On her final day in Houston, Imogen and Baylee decided to go shopping and Imogen wanted to spoil her best friend. She got her a new computer and a new phone—which Baylee couldn’t quite believe. But Imogen was persistent and wanted her to keep the things.

Imogen then rented a beautiful NCT green colored Jeep Wrangler; which the girls immediately tried out when they were driving to the Space Center Houston for their last day.

„You almost sounded like MrBeast, when you gave me the phone and Macbook“ Baylee chuckled, as the girls looked for a parking lot in front of the Space Center. „I mean I’m meeting him and the crew next week for the first time, so I have to practice“, Imogen grinned, feeling way happier then a few days back.

„D’you already know what you’re doing with them?“ Baylee asked, but Imogen shook her head, when her phone rang with a message notification.

„Would you mind?“ Imogen asked nodding towards her phone, that was peeking out of her totebag in front of Baylee’s feet. Buddy was lifting his head from the backseat, looking at his owner and her friend.

„You got a voice message from Corpse“ Baylee read the notification on the lock screen and Imogen gulped. „Would you mind playing it?“ The twenty-eight year old asked and Baylee nodded, unlocking Imogen’s phone and pressing play.

The first thing both girls could hear was shuffling in the background before Corpse’s deep voice rang in their ears. „Whaddup baby?“, he asked and a shiver went through Imogen’s body, while she maneuvered the car into a parking lot.

Baylee slapped her hand over her mouth, staring at Imogen in shock. Hearing his go-to phrase so close to her ears and so intimate was kinda scary. Baylee felt like she was eavesdropping.

„How are you feeling?“ Corpse asked, „We were kinda worried when you didn’t respond to the group chat. I know I go MIA as well but you usually told us what was wrong. Rae was worried and I was as well. Please text us soon, so we don’t have to worry anymore.“

A quiet breath left his lips and Imogen looked over to Baylee, who was still covering her mouth. „I hope you finish your MrBeast stuff soon. I want to meet you real quick!“ Corpse finished the message and the phone screen turned black.

„Oh my god“ Baylee let out and stared at Imogen. „I felt so bad for listening, Mo!“ She cried out and Imogen gulped. „I feel so bad for not telling them what happened. I know how worried they get when I don't text!“ Imogen shook her head.

„Here, here!“ Baylee pressed the phone into Imogen’s hands. „Text them now! Tell them how you’re feeling and what you’re up to today!“ Baylee turned around to Buddy.

„Buddy, I can’t believe I heard Corpse speak like that! He was genuinely worried!“ Imogen watched her best friend and shook her head.

She had to be honest. Hearing Corpse’s voice like that made her heart jump a little bit. What was he doing with her? She didn’t even know what he looked like, yet he made her heart do weird dancy-dances.

She knew Baylee was watching her, while she typed into her phone. She knew Baylee wanted to know what she wrote—and she would’ve told her, if she wouldn’t be so shy about it.

When the women came home this night, Baylee decided to crash over in Imogen’s AirBnB. They stayed up most of the night and talked about everything and nothing. They were talking about Baylee’s crush on her co-worker, that didn’t even notice her presence. They spoke about Imogen’s therapy and medication and how Buddy had helped her out of so many dark places already; and then, as the sun was about to rise again, they fell asleep.

— — —

They woke up to Buddy licking their faces, wagging with his tail only a few hours later. Baylee sat up and looked at Imogen, fighting her dog off her.

„You know what? I’m going to miss you.“ Imogen finally got Buddy off her and looked at Baylee. Tears filled her best friends eyes and Imogen looked at her. „Bay“, she whispered and crushed her best friend in a hug. „This week went by way too fast“ Baylee cried into Imogen’s shoulder. „I swear, before I go back to Ireland, I’ll take you on a vacy to Hawaii. So be prepared to take a few days off, once I’m done with my travel!“

Imogen started laughing and Baylee grinned. „Gotcha!“

After having a breakfast together, Baylee helped Imogen pack her stuff and load it into the Wrangler. Imogen was fastening Buddy in the backseat, when she closed the door behind her and hugged Baylee once more.

„Take care, Mo.“ Baylee said and squished Imogen’s cheeks. „I will.“ - „No, I’m serious. When you feel low or sad or empty , turn off the cameras and hold Buddy. Okay?“

Imogen smiled. „I will. Thank you, Bay.“ The girls hugged once more, Baylee clinging on to Imogen as if her life depends on it. „I just wish I could quit my retail job and follow you around, being your camera woman or something.“ Baylee sighed and Imogen looked at her.

Imogen’s brain buzzed. „Keep that in mind, Bay. Okay? I’d even pay you.“ Baylee looked at Imogen and the Irish lass grinned. „Whatever you say, big girl“ Baylee grinned and softly banged the side of the Wrangler.

„Go and take the NCTzen car through the states.“ Baylee grinned and stepped aside to her own car. Imogen grinned and climbed into the Wrangler.

„Good luck on these 1,270 miles!“ Balyee yelled, as Imogen turned on the engine. „Take breaks in between okay?“ Imogen nodded and started backing out of the driveway.

Baylee disappeared into the distance and a piece of Imogen’s heart broke, when she left Houston behind.

to be continued...

Taglist: @wineandionysus @chanbaeol @rexit-mo

#corpse husband #corpse husband fandom #corpse fandom #corpse fanfiction #corpse husband imagines #corpse #fanfiction #imagine #corpse x reader #corpse x oc #corpse x you #corpse x yn #corpse husband x reader #corpse husband x oc #corpse husband x you #corpse huisband x yn

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imaginesofharrypotter · 4 years

Text

Asgardian ale

Bucky Barnes x reader

Summary: Thor brought some Asgardian booze to the party. Surely, nothing can go wrong.

Warnings: a little bit of angst I guess, but mostly fluffy Bucky

Last night, it was one of Tony Stark's notorious parties but only including the Avengers. Everyone was dragged there as it was mandatory, "team-building fun" as Tony liked to put it. Surprisingly enough Thor showed up and brought something with him that made the party all the more exciting: Asgardian ale.

You see, the two super soldiers were so enhanced that they could never get drunk and let loose, with human alcohol that is. It was truly a sight to behold. Pre-serum Steve had so many ill conditions that alcohol was off-limit and boy, did he enjoy the calm feeling of the booze. The always polite Captain America ran around the tower shouting nonsense, swearing while he tried to lift Thor's hammer and cutely but miserably flirting with Natasha (but given the unlikely situation, it made the assassin blush nonetheless)

You were laughing your ass off on the couch with Wanda when two strong arms draped around your shoulder making you look up.

"Hi Soldier" - you greeted your boyfriend who had an adorable cheeky grin on his face

"Hi, Beautiful" - he planted a sloppy kiss on your mouth that made all eyes wander from Steve towards the two of you

You see, Bucky never was a fan of PDA, rarely showing affection when the others were around. That was fine with you, you understood that he was a private person, and it made his love for you even more precious, knowing he would make it up when in your shared room alone. He was a big, sentimental, clingy, and handsy person and you wouldn't have it any other way. It was so sweet that you were the only one seeing this affectionate side of him... Up until last night.

"I miss youuuu" he purred in your ear, tone slightly slurred by the alcohol

"But I'm right here, Buck" - you cocked an eyebrow and smiled sweetly at him

"I miss your warmth" - he cornered the couch and sat down next to you, instantly wrapping his arms around you in a side hug, nuzzling your neck.

"Better?" - you asked in a whisper as you started stroking his hair, just the way he likes it

"Soooo much" - he purred again, closing his eyes and inhaling your scent - "You smell so gooood"

You chuckled lightly and yelped as you felt yourself being lifted. You landed on Bucky's lap, him pulling you flesh to him and tightly wrapping his arms around you, resting his head on one of your shoulders. You laid back and let yourself relax in your boyfriend's embrace, closing your eyes, and feeling utterly content. That is until a flash went off.

"Hey" - you exclaimed as you saw Sam holding his phone and showing the photo that he just took to everyone

"Oh, calm down Snowflake, it's not every day that we get to see Mr. Grumpy so kind and calm." - he shrugged his shoulders

"At least send it to me then." - you asked him, already knowing what your new phone wallpaper will be

You lightly turned your head to see Bucky's reaction, only to find him still in the same position, contently sitting with closed eyes and a little smile plastered on his face.

The rest of the night mostly contained talking and laughing as everyone gathered around you. During the late hours, slowly, everyone went back to their rooms. You haven't failed to see Steve following Nat out and to her room. You smiled to yourself then you tried to think about a way to get you and Bucky into a comfortable position to sleep. You assumed that he had fallen asleep a long time ago as he never said a word all night, nor did he move after snuggling up with you. You slowly loosened his arms around you.

"Wanna go to sleep, doll?" - he asked and you jumped a little bit on his lap - "Sorry to startle you" - he chuckled lightly and hugged you tightly again

"It's okay, I just thought you were asleep" - you turned halfway and smiled down lovingly at him

"Nope" - he popped the p in it - "Was just too comfortable to move or say anything" - Bucky smiled goofily up at you while your heart melted

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself" - you caressed one of his cheeks, basking in the feeling as he closed his eyes and leaned into your touch - "Are you feeling sleepy yet?"

"I could sleep" - he mumbled tiredly while picking you up bridal style and carrying you to your shared bedroom

He put you on the floor and kissed you sweetly. It was a gentle and loved filled kiss, not hungry, nor rushing, just full of passion. He pulled away and undressed you slowly, trailing little wet kisses on your skin as he exposed it. After you were only standing in your panties he walked to the closet, picked out one of his T-shirts, and pulled it over you. Bucky loved it when you wore his clothes, it was a sense of pride that you were his and his alone. You started to undress him too, focusing on his clothing but you knew his gaze never left you as he followed your every movement with an expression filled with adoration. You pulled out a drawer and picked out a fresh boxer for him and panties for you. You both changed and got under the covers, Bucky instantly nuzzling your stomach and wrapping his arms around you the best he could. You reflexively started to card your fingers through his luscious brown locks and felt him hum against your skin while planting a soft kiss on it.

"I love it so much when you are this affectionate" - you laid your head on the soft pillow

"I can't help it, you are so soft and warm, the best feeling ever" - he mumbled softly and you heard his breath even out

"Sweet dreams, my love" - you kissed the crown of his head gently and drifted to sleep yourself

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A loud crash woke you up from your slumber. You turned around, wanting nothing more than to nuzzle into your boyfriend's warm body, but you found his spot empty and cold.

You yawned and walked to the kitchen to get some breakfast for yourself. Steve was already there, making coffee for himself, his back to you.

"Well, well, I didn't know purple was on the new Captain America color palette" - you commented with an obvious smirk as you saw the not so little love bites around his neck"

"Thor should definitely not bring that ale on a party again" - he laughed nervously while turning around and sipping his coffee

"Ohhh, on the contrary, Stevie. I will personally ask him to do so if it makes you finally admit your feelings" - your smiled turned more soft - "How much do you remember?"

"Everything" - he face-palmed himself - "The strength of the alcohol was enough to set me loose but not enough to make me forget things or even to have a hangover"

With that, you took out your phone to check social media. The first pic that came up nearly made you drop the device. Before you could ask Steve about it, Sam came running into the room, screaming, while a very angry looking Bucky followed him with heavy steps.

"Take it down" - your boyfriend demanded with a growl, the authority in his voice making your legs week

"No way man, where is the fun in it, there are already thousands of view on it" - Sam retorted while trying to hide behind you, knowing Bucky would never hurt you

"Oh, no, you are not getting me into this" - you stepped away, but towards your love - "Sweatheart, what got you this mad?"

"Oh, why not ask Birdie here?" - he still threw daggers with his eyes towards Sam

You thought about the post with the caption "The big bad Winter Soldier is actually a big softie #BuckyBear" that Wilson made and uploaded.

"Is this about the picture from last night? Do you not like it?" - you asked softly

"Of course I do, you are on it" - he smiled lovingly at you, his voice softened - "But other people aren't supposed to see and like it" - he mumbled and pouted like an adorable child

"Oh, honey, but we look so good. We've been together for almost two years, it's only natural that we love being affectionate towards each other" - you put your hands on his cheeks, lightly caressing them

"So it wouldn't bother you if I hold your hand or kiss you in front of others?" - he asked shyly, avoiding eye contact

"Of course not. I would really love that. But I respect your choice of privacy if it's not okay with you." - you reassured him

He didn't answer verbally, just bent down and captured your lips in a passionate, deep kiss.

"Ewww, get a room" - Sam exclaimed loudly, making you break the kiss

"You cooked yourself a meal, now you're gonna eat it" - and with that, you went back kissing Bucky

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From that moment on, Bucky always kept an arm around you and was never afraid to show his love for you. It turned out that he was a real sucker for PDA, knowing you loved his attention. You were also able to finally shower him with love anytime you wanted, to cuddle up to him and relax, and to go to long walks, holding hands. You two were never overdoing it though, but the team never minded it anyway. Everyone knew how happy and calm moments are so rare in the field of work you were doing, they were truly happy for you. Maybe Sam not so much, especially when Bucky randomly grabbed you and kissed you deeply whenever he walked in, pissing him off and reminding him that he never should invade your privacy again. Oh, and Bucky never admitted it, but he actually was grateful for Sam to take the photo that now served as his wallpaper too.

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Author's note: I have a bunch of ideas of Bucky, so most probably I'm gonna post about him for a while. But also really wanna write something sweet for Tj Hammond. What are your thoughts? Have a lovely day ^^

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heyheshi · 4 years

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The Lucky Car

2.3k words

written and uploaded: July 16, 2020

🦋 - fluff...? Kinda

🌙 - angst...? I think it's a cute angst

Please like and reblog! Also please don’t post my writings anywhere!

I dreamt about this a long long time ago and so I thought, why not write it? So here it is!

Masterlist

Part 2

Part 3

_________

Y/N

"Are you sure you're okay for me to use your car while you're gone?", you asked Nina, your cousin as you two are on your way to the airport to drop her off.

It's not like you're afraid to use it, it's quite the opposite actually, you're feeling so giddy to have your own ride for the upcoming months, it's just that it's a bloody RANGE ROVER, a black and shiny one at that!

You can afford your own car, with having your own bakery at that but you recently bought a house and not planning on spending a lot of money anytime soon.

"Babes, I don't really want my car to be stuck for the next three months, plus I know you can drive. I have faith that you won't crash Bella!", your cousin replied, talking about her beloved car, "and you have a license, you're an excellent driver, and single!", Nina continued to tease you. You don't really mind, it's one of your favorite personalities of her and she's not wrong either!

"Shut up! But if you're really sure then hell yeah! Thank you!", you couldn't hide your excitement as you dance on your seat while holding the steering wheel, "but what the hell does this car have to do with me bein' single?!"

"Stop dancing and drive safely! And this car has a name! She's Bella!", Nina reached across the console to steady you to your seat and sigh, "Bella is a lucky car!"

"Yep! Sure!", you scoffed not looking at your cousin.

"She is! You know this is the car I used when I went to the bar where I met my now fiancé! And this is also the car we were in when he proposed to me!", she sounds happy talking about her love life yet annoyed at the same time, but who could really blame her, you haven't been in a serious relationship since after college!

You just chose not to reply to her. You're not bitter, you believe in love - it's just isn't for you and now that it's said, there's no reason to believe how this is a "lucky car".

See, you've only been into two serious relationships, one in high school that ended because of college, and one in college that ended because he needs to move across the world to be able to do his dream job.

You're happy for your exes though, none of it ended on bad terms. You understand it. The timing of both relationships was just wrong. Both ended up leaving to move away.

While your cousin, however, is the exact opposite, she's never been into a serious relationship until almost two years ago when she met her now soon - to - be - husband at her graduation party. Jacob, her fiancé is three years older than her but nobody minded, he's an architect and can support your cousin if he ever knocked her up.

You approved of Jacob, you can tell that his intentions are well and really loves your cousin. He also tried to set you up with his brother but it didn't work out - all is well though - it's was more of a friendly relationship type.

On that note, you love your cousin, she's like the sister you've never had and would hate it if Jacob ever hurt her. You two are really close, both at the same age, that's why sometimes you feel pressured to get in a relationship and get married at just the age of 23.

With that, you continue driving to the airport, the air not thick as you both listen to the playlist you share with your cousin.

---

Harry

It was really hot out when he left off the plane, quickly putting his sunglasses and hood up making him feel suffocated and hot but needing to do it in order not to get noticed.

He loves his fans, he really does but the main purpose of this trip is to relax and he wants it to be as peaceful as possible, not wanting anybody to know where he is so he would not be disturbed.

It's not like he wants to make it seems like he dropped off the face of the earth, he's just really conflicted and tired with his recent breakup and wants his privacy as much as possible. No one knew where he was aside from Jeff and his mum and sister.

He got a text from Jeff when the plane was landing. It was a forwarded email from the company where he booked his rented car for the next few weeks. Of course, being a celebrity has its perks as the forwarded message said that the car with the driver for the day is already waiting outside.

Harry didn't think twice before collecting his items of baggage and taking an exit from the airport, he couldn't wait to get his butt on a Range Rover, it's much more comfortable than his 1st class seat of the flight.

But of course, leaving a crowded airport is not easy especially if you're Harry Styles and can be noticed by anyone even with a disguise on.

He was already near the exit when someone shouted "IS THAT HARRY STYLES??!". His plan to get some privacy for the upcoming weeks seemed to have vanished in that exact second.

Harry didn't look back as he scrambled into his feet holding his multiple luggage with both hands and running outside the airport while people crammed near the exit to take a glance at him.

---

"Take care, Nina. I'll miss you!", you hugged your cousin one last time before she had to leave.

"Hush it! You won't! You know I'll be calling you every night asking for your opinion on the wedding!", your cousin just hugged you tighter either way, "take care of my car and put yourself out there please!"

"I'll try. Love you, see you in 3 months! Say hi to Jacob for me!", you kissed your cousin's cheek as she does with yours.

You helped her with her bags - she's not bringing much since she practically have a whole wardrobe at her fiancé's anyway!

With that she went inside the airport, leaving you with Bella.

"Well I guess I'm your mommy for the next few months while your mommy and future daddy plans for their wedding huh?", you asked the car, talking to it like it's a real person, you chuckled at the thought, you're really picking up on Nina's antics.

You rounded the car and went inside, buckling your seatbelt, getting ready to leave.

You just finished starting the car when someone opened the passenger seat, practically slamming the door shut.

You stared at the anonymous person on your cousin's car - bewildered.

"Drive!", the person said.

"Drive away!", the person repeated, not looking at you as he still scrambles to buckle his seatbelt with bags on his legs.

"I sai-"

"Y-yes, okay!", you drove off the airport shakily. You're scared, yes! You don't know who this man is and what he is doing in your cousin's car!

Nina told you not even 15 minutes ago to take care of her car but you think that the idea of it is absurd now! You're in a car with a complete stranger commanding you! Then you remembered that you were at the airport, the security cameras will know where you are when you ended up being missing and dead by tonight.

Then the color of your face drained, you just realized that there's a lot of security guards in there! You could have left the car and run for your life! But it's too late now!

"Oh my God, thank you!", you heard the man sigh as you felt him relax on the seat while you, on the other hand, is still as stiff as ever driving to somewhere you don't know! You're just driving straight with no intentions to stop, thinking that the police can find you easier and better this way!

"You okay? You look pale, Ma'am?", you heard the guy talk again and you can see from your peripheral vision that he's putting his bags on the backseat of the car.

"Miss...?", the guy asked again but you never dared to make a sound. Yes, he sounds normal but he's still a stranger and you couldn't risk anything!

He's removing his hoodie now and you can feel yourself become paler - if that's possible. He's gonna strangle you with his hoodie or something! You might be over-exaggerating but still! You felt that you needed to do something.

"Who the hell are you?!", you shouted at the man beside you while pulling on the side of the road.

"Wha-"

"Who are you and what are you doing to this car?", you finally faced the man with a scowl on your face.

"That's not the right way to g-"

"I don't care! I asked who are you and what are your intentions?!", you're fuming now. The man beside you put his hands in the air in a surrendering manner.

"Miss, please calm do-"

"Goddamn it! Don't tell me to calm down! I'm minutes away from being killed by you and I'm not go-"

"Killing you?!", he nameless man asked with an amused, voice hands still in the air.

"Yes! That's wh-"

"No! No no no!", the man is completely laughing now, hands covering his face while your mind is all over the place and the only thing you can think of is that if he's laughing then you got spare more minutes to live.

"I'm Harry, Ma'am.", the man finally introduced himself putting his right hand in front of you, "and I'm not going to kill you. I'm your customer. I'm sorry for busting in here that way and I'm really sorry for scaring you off. I was just running away from being mobbed."

You looked at the guy - Harry - confused. "Customer? I'm- I don't... what are you talking about?!"

"Miss I rented a car on yo-", Harry's voice got cut off by the loud ringing of a phone, his phone. He took his phone from his pocket, then looked at you signing one second.

You relaxed to your seat, finally. He looks decent - and familiar too! You couldn't help but eavesdrop on his conversation. He's practically sitting beside you! You can basically hear everything even though you could only hear his side and a few murmurs from his phone.

"What do you mean, Jeff?"

"What? No, I'm already here at the car..."

"Wait, so this is - yes, okay okay, I understand, I'll call you when I made it to the hotel."

"Just call the company and give the driver extra tips, please. Yes, okay. Bye!"

You heard Harry sigh so you looked at him. He was racking his hand to his hair then bringing both hands to rub his face, looking so tired.

"I'm so sorry about that - for everything I mean. I really thought that this was the car I rented for my stay. I didn't even think about how this might not be the car since I was running an-", he was rumbling and you felt bad. As much as you hated him the first time, you can tell he's really sorry for bothering you.

"It's alright, you're good.", you smiled at him then remembered you haven't introduced yourself yet. "I'm Y/N, I'm sorry for judging you and raising my voice at you earlier", you looked down feeling ashamed of your actions.

"Don't be, it was my fault", he chuckled. "I'm really sorry for bothering you and scaring you", he said smiling sheepishly.

"You didn't scare me!", you defended yourself - well at least you tried.

"You looked pale!"

"Don't think about it.", you dismissed him then laughed, "so where to, Harry?"

"You're not asking me to leave this car?", he asked stunned. If it were someone else, they would have probably made him leave the second he stepped into the car, but not with her.

"I'm not", you blushed as he's staring at you, "I'm not doing anything at all, might as well drop you off, you seemed pretty tired and stressed. And you don't look like a killer to me so...", you shrugged your shoulders trying so hard to hide your blush, he really is attractive. Everything you said is true but he's still a stranger.

"Um- oh well, didn't expect that", Harry laughed, "can you recommend a place to eat?", you smiled and nodded at his question.

"Of course! Uh, there's this small shop that sells bomb milkshakes and burgers! They also have lunches on their menu so if you haven't had lunch yet then it's a good place to eat!", you explained talking about one of your favorite places to eat in the area.

"Okay, there, please! We're going to eat there an-"

"We?", you asked.

"Yes, we... if you don't mind. I mean you told me you're not really doing anything today and I need to pay you back somehow for bothering you", he tried to woo you but you're not giving up easily.

"Oh, you don't have to, Harry, I'm fine! You're alright!", but it seems like your stomach isn't cooperating as you both heard it grumble. Thinking about your favorite resto makes you hungry!

"Well, your stomach disagrees!", Harry pointed out laughing silently.

"Fine!", you put your head on the steering wheel as Harry continued to laugh, there’s really no point in fighting with him.

"My treat!", he said and you just nodded making him cheer.

With that, you drive to the road again - to the resto - this time much more comfortable knowing deep inside that Harry means no harm, and he's really cute, you haven't been attracted to anyone in a long time!

Then you realized that damn, this car might be lucky, indeed.

_____

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vinyls-and-valentines · 4 years

Note

✨sandkid angst? (romantic, if you’re comfortable)

Description: In fair Battery City where we lay our scene, from two grudging rebel factions to allies fighting side by side, and young love ending in hot white lights and blood, the stainless walls watch tonight as heart shatter like they’re made of glass.

Warning(s): Major Character Death, Smoking, Blood, Graphic Violence & Death

Additional notes: Holy shit, this is long and i promise i’ll upload it later to ao3, but i’ve just spent the past 5-ish hours writing this, so good morning, i’m going to sleep now <3.

ao3 link | requests prompt post

Kobra never really understood the appeal of the Lobby. Even when he lived within the concrete City walls, everything about the place seemed too crammed and chaotic for it to be somewhere enjoyable- it’s like a dozen little plants growing in the cracks of a concrete sidewalk where a tree’s roots had dug underneath and worn it out in time. Still, the green is always pretty against the dull shades of white and gray, and that’s what Kobra’s looking at as he sits on that rickety old fire escape with a cigarette dangling from his lips while he rummages in his pockets for a lighter.

“Need stardust?“ a voice asks from nowhere, and Kobra’s hand instinctively finds his switchblade as he looks up at the stranger.

He’s maybe a few inches shorter than Kobra- clearly a juvie hall, judging by the way his dark coat still has an intact bottom hem despite its length- and looks like a cross between a skeleton and the crash queens in NewsAGoGo’s magazines. His hair is long and stringy, sticking out at odd sharp angles from a mix of hair products and damage from dying it over and over again, but what really ties the whole look together is the large skeletal grin painted on his face in black and white, matching the dark smudged make-up around his eyes.

“Use you big boy words, juvie. I can’t understand shit you’re saying.“ the blonde killjoy huffs, tentatively letting go of his knife as he resumes his search for the small red contraption he’s claimed as his own. If any of the others stole it again-

“Well, what’s the fun in that? There is no drama!“ Sandman complains, jumping down to join the other on the platform below and startling him out of his thoughts as he instinctively clutches onto the railing for dear life, “There was a great pre-war writer who once said the whole world is a stage, y’know.“

“Shakespear.“ Kobra supplies, as he gives his pockets a last once-over, “He wrote like...dozens of throwaway works and he’s only known for a couple. Not that impressive if you ask me.“

“Still impressive enough they’d burn him.“ Sandman shrugs, leaning over the railing and into the night, and the former finds himself staring at the way the streetlights below hit the juvie’s jawline for longer than he’d like to admit to himself.

“Sure.“ he admits dismissively, coughing to shake the confusing haze he’s created in his own mind, “Do you have a light or something?“

The question makes the other grin widely, what feels almost as wide as the fake smile plastered over it, and for a painfully long moment Kobra knows exactly how a coyote caught in the headlights feels like- frozen in place, yet unable to look away or run from its impending doom.

“That’s what i asked you when you told me to use me ‘big boy words’. I asked if you wanted stardust- ‘sparks’, if you will.” he explains, sitting down and threading his legs through the bars in the guardrail, swinging them over the street like he doesn’t have a care in the world.

“Yeah, well i don’t speak your- your, uhh...“ Kobra snaps his fingers as he wracks his brains for what Ghoul had called the juvie slang all those years ago.

“Fiction diction?“ Sandman fills in amused, leaving the other no choice but to nod bashfully as a blush slowly its way creeps onto his face.

“Yeah. That. My friend- Fun Ghoul- they tried to teach me it, but nothing really stuck. It’s like i’m cursed or some shit- i can’t use slang to save my life.“

“Huh, so your little black-haired friend is an alleycat.“ the juvie muses and the blonde turns with the intention to ask him what the term means, but the words get stuck in the back of his throat as he catches the former looking at him already with a lazy smile on his face, “What else should i know about you, darling?“

“Depends on what you want.“ he answers distractedly, as every cell of his body screams in protest of the decision he feels himself edge ever so closer to, every word that they exchange. The cigar had fallen away from his lips at some point, but in the moment it felt like the most insignificant thing in the universe.

“What i want?“ Sandman’s eyes flicker down for a moment, so fast that Kobra almost convinces himself he’s imagined it in, caught up in his own stupor of being so close to someone he thought was attractive whether or not his pride let him admit it, but then the juvie hall is kissing him.

It’s just a small peck, near the corner of his mouth- an invitation of sorts or perhaps a love letter in its own right- but it’s enough to short-circuit the blonde killjoy’s entire nervous system. He pulls the other back by the collar, bringing him down in an insistent kiss, as his hands find their way up the detail of Sandman’s lapel and to the back of his neck as the latter’s get tangled up in his hair. There is a hunger in the way their mouths move together, but it’s underlined with the desperation of knowing that whatever this is it could never last, that something is bound to come along and break them apart once and for all.

That something turns out to be the hissing of a blaster, as it shoots out bolts of white lightning into the starless night sky and startles the two young adults out of their impromptu make-out session, sending them both back up to the apartment window they’d come out of. If the circumstances were different, the two would’ve been no doubt mercilessly teased for their tousled hair and red faces and how Sandman’s make-up had mysteriously made its way over to Kobra’s face, but as the two doubled over trying to catch their breaths and barely clinging onto each other for support there is only confusion and concern written on their faces.

“Vamps- Dracs.“ they tell their respective crews, when their lungs finally allow them, despite aching like they were drowning on shore, and the room shares a terrifying feeling of understanding before each scramble for their respective weapons.

By the time the masks make their way to the apartment the rebels made into their base, they’d all already made it out onto the fire escape, Benzendrine closing the window shut with a yelp as glass shatters under the attack of a dozen violent rays of light. The stairs shake like an earthquake to end all things as the eight of them clamber down the sheet metal steps, Kobra momentarily loosing his footing and falling down halfway onto the platform below before Sandman pulls him back up and holds him close, softly kissing the back of his hand, as they make their way further down.

It’s the fifth floor that Jet, Ghoul and Poison are forced to open fire against the enemies below returning it tenfold, and the third that Dr. Benzendrine, Donnie and Horseshoe are forced to do the same with the dracs following them down the fire escape, leaving the two young lovers helpless between them as they all slowly dropped into the middle of the madness. Dracs circled around the bottom of the steps like rabid dogs and no matter how hard Kobra and Sandman tried to stay by each other’s side, they got separated in the chaos of dodging lights and swinging wildly at anything dressed in spotless white.

Kobra finds the other again after getting rid of a particularly annoying group of draculoids who’d decided to be smartasses about it and swarm the killjoy in an attempt to overwhelm him, which while it had temporarily worked, it only pissed him off more than anything. Sandman has his back turned to the blonde, seemingly producing knives from his coat and using them to stab or throw at anything that comes too close, but soon into view comes a drac like a cloud passing in front of the sun, if clouds had blasters and were trying to kill the sun.

The young ‘joy tries to warn him, but a gloved hand covers his mouth and an arm firmly snakes around him, trying to constrict his movements before he even gets the chance to make a sound. Instinctively, Kobra stomps on the mask’s foot and headbutts it hard until it lets go when he stabs it wherever his switchblade lands before he charges at the one aiming at Sandman, taking it down with a yell as he drives his blade through its spine, “Fuck off, stupid motherfucker!”

As it falls, the draculoid fires and misses its target making Sandman turn around just in time to see another one of the brainless soldiers walk up to the rebel on still the ground and take its aim. Time seems to move in slow motion from that point onwards. Sandman tried to warn Kobra about what’s behind him, but he’s too late because as the killjoy turns around the damned thing fires, hitting him in the throat. The juvie lounges at it, knocking it off its feet and stabbing at it repeatedly to make sure it would never be able to get back up from where it laid dead like a horrendous roadkill in the middle of the alleyway, before he cast the knife aside and crawls over to Kobra’s side, who has a hand wrapped around his throat and is sputtering blood.

Sandman frantically tries to reassure him everything will be fine, that he’ll be okay, though the more he says it the less he knows which one of them his words are meant for. Benzendrine passes by at one point and Sandman yells at them to go grab Horseshoe and tell her to get the med kit because they have an emergency, but the next familiar face that surfaces from the chaos is Party Poison who drops their blaster to the ground which seems to clatter louder than any of the noises from the fight as they crumble next to their brother shouting and crying and desperately shaking his shoulders as they plead for him not to die- not to leave them again.

This time the juvie manages to warn Poison about the enemy creeping up behind them, which they charge at with an angry cry as they disappear back into the chaos. By the time the sun begins to rise, everything is quiet, two killjoys laying dead amongst more draculoids than one could or would reasonably want to be able to count on even two or three or four hands and a pretend-medic unconscious in the arms of another. The first killjoy, a lanky thing with old scars littering the backs of his arms and a nasty gash in the side of his neck lays with his head cradled in the lap of someone who would’ve liked to one day even be considered his lover. The other, is at the top of a pile of dracs, a knife- Sandman’s knife- sticking out of their chest like a cruel mockery of a gravestone.

As Sandman sits there, soaked in blood and sweat and sunlight and Destroya knows what else, he can’t help but laugh. Laugh at the irony of how death and sleep look so much alike

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border-spam · 4 years

Text

Leech Lord - Dumbass

Seifa

8 loss streak at cards with Ven and Eli

EIGHT.

Couldn’t cope, went from talking cocky bullshit and swanning around their table to grab her favourite spot against the wall, to swearing under her breath and stink eyeing Ven when he won for the 4th time.

How. She was good at poker. She was made for poker, this wasn't luck anymore - he was clearly cheating. Took no time accusing him of this either, brandishing a shaky lipstick tube at him like a switch blade, snarling that it wasn't funny anymore and to stop using his jank-ass future bullshit to WIN.

Got smirked at lovingly, he wasn't! Swore on his damn life, a laughing Eli joined in and tried to help convince her. Ven wasn't doin’ nothing, she was just losing! This shit happens Sei, calm down!

Absolutely refused to, got more worked up as the drinks kept coming, the wins kept stacking against her, and whatever little injoke the brothers were enjoying apparently kept getting funnier.

Tried to storm out but only managed a half way confident wobble after way too many tequilas, swore up a storm that she'd never come back, they weren't worth her time, bled her dry and cheated. Eli had called after her that they'd see her for a rematch tomorrow.

They did, and she kept losing.

This went on over a week, her intense stubbornness refusing to acknowledge they were just better at poker. I mean they couldn't be, she'd been reading tells since she was FIVE. Her pride wouldn’t let her call it quits - she kept her coming back nightly, and her wallet kept getting slimmer.

It eventually all made sense on the final night when she was ready to flip their goddamn table and Eli was on the verge of needing an oxygen mask with how hard he was pushing his lungs laughing at her red-faced little egotistical shithead tantrums.

He managed to catch it all on E-Time with Troy, the exact moment she finished another volley of slurs and turned to grab her coat, catching her filthy glare in the wall mirror as she did.

The mirror she'd been sitting in front of... every night.

Tyreen and Troy - Early COV

Some of the bandit clans like Troy better. It doesn't upset her, people think it would but it doesn't, it makes sense. Her brother and her are very different, there have always been the groups who shrink away from her and side-eye him in awe, just like there were ones who'd carve their own skin off to offer her praise and not even notice her brother.

The brute clans, the muscle, those always seem to swarm to the God Queen. The Slabs, the Rippers, the cannibal hoards covered in gore and screaming for glory, but the others always flock to her brother. The schemers and the more technically orientated like the Tink-Tanks and Bloodshots... then there's the Rats.. but she doesn't like to think about those.

She prefers not accompanying him when he's visiting a compound she knows he'll get all the attention in, I mean, what would be the point in the end? She'd rather just stay home and wallow in priest's adoration, but he was harder to convince.

He was meant to have left hours ago but was still prowling around the cloister, muttering and complaining to himself as he rushed to try and organise content. If he goes, who's going to cover the editing? They've 4 uploads ready for posting but he's not scheduled them yet, who's going to organise it? What about the media tags, there's a merch push that has to be released 2.5 hours prior and blah blah blah blah.

She told him to shut the hell up and leave it to her. She'd got this, bro! Stop worrying, it's no problem, everything would be fine. She could manage this without breaking a sweat, just fucking shut up and leave already, the escort caravan was hours overdue.

He'd narrowed suspicious eyes at her and asked if she was SURE about this, they had sponsor contracts for the upload times, shit had to go up when it was due to or they'd breach serious deals, and she'd groaned sarcastically at him. Just go. This stuff is easy. Of course she can do it. If he can, she can. Duh.

Troy had gone silent for a moment, glaring daggers as he hissed out controlled breaths, then turned and stalked out of the cloister - the crackling atmosphere dragging behind him like a stormcloud.

Idiot. She had everything sorted that hour. Queued the whole list at staggered intervals, date and times scheduled and planned exactly as he'd left notes for. Easy, just like she'd said.

Tyreen woke up to an e-dev on the verge of crashing and Troy's contact alerts covering the homescreen in flashing warning panels that made her eyes swim.

What the fuck did you DO. WHERE ARE THE UPLOADS?? 6 hours late, 3 flays missing, one product review, ALL THE SPONSOR MERCH DROPS. FUCKING MORON, WHERE ARE THEY.

Her stomach dropped as she checked the queue. Empty. Gone. Nothing. Where were they... she'd.. scheduled everything?? It was done, she'd triple checked before bed she'd... when she noticed the date in the screens corner, time froze around her.

It was the 1st. She'd scheduled for the 30th... and last month had 29 days. System error, queue wiped, content gone.

All his media team's work, his editing, she.. she hadn't backed up the files, why would she have? It was done it was all done she.. she..

She couldn't handle replying. Knew it was just making things worse but couldn't do it. Felt her guts turn inside out at the thought, so climbed under her duvet to wait in dread. Easier to block things out right now than face what was coming. Easier to pretend.

He said nothing when he got back. No contact, straight into Sanctum and at work placating enraged sponsor contacts, organising his team to botch together replacements from cuts, covering the COV's ass silently and efficiently as always.

Said nothing, till she got a ping later that night -

I'll be controlling content management fully from this point on, keep out of my way and stick with whatever the fuck kind of things YOU have talent in... if any.

I mean hell, having an IQ high enough to know how to count days clearly ain't one of them is it, you IDIOT.

Doesn't matter that she knew she deserved it, or that she'd been such a tool to him while insisting she had it covered, that stuck with them after. He'd been too blunt, and she was never able to shake the confirmation that her brother really did think she was stupid.

Ven and Eli belong to the amazing @hieroglyphix

#borderlands #borderlands 3 #bl3 #tyreen calypso #troy calypso #calypso twins #seifa #ven #eli #leech lord #my hcs #my writing #sbsart

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kurtbastian-land · 5 years

Note

Hi! I'm currently on Kurtbastian fics binge read, so I was wondering if you could share your 10 favourites?

Wow, my top 10 favorites. That’s going to a tough one. I’m obviously going to skip the major well-known ones that this fandom knows - A Change In The Weather - cacophony, Don’t You Remember - discordandrhythm and Glad You Came - daftydraw and JWMelmoth. With that being said, any other stories from that authors are bangers as well! But off to the actual list (in no particular order)

TOP 10 KURTBASTIAN FICS (MULTI-CHAPTERED, COMPLETED)

1. Europe Is Our Playground [Explicit] - GlassParade

Summary: Eight years and half the world away from home, a chance encounter in a Paris club leads Kurt and Sebastian - each running from the ghosts of their pasts - into the diversion of chasing each other across Europe.

2. A Shot In the Arm [Explicit] - somebetterwords

Summary: Kurt Hummel was a catch. Kurt was a catch, and Santana didn’t know what she was talking about. That’s what he’d tell himself until he believed it. But actually, talk was cheap. Kurt was going to go out and dangle himself at the gayest nightclub in the tri-county area and watch the men clamour to catch him. He wasn’t having a slutty meltdown or anything. His self esteem was not dependent on the attentions and opinions of strangers. He just needed an ego boost, one single night of his life for recalibration and encouragement from unbiased observers and also drinks. He just needed… a shot in the arm.(Though it wasn’t exactly a needle he was looking to stick in himself, and he didn’t want it going in his arm either.)

3. Live Without Shame / Call Me Anything You Want [Teen and Up Audiences] - Walden_pond313

Summary: Kurt is fed up with being heartbroken or disappointed when it comes to guys. Maybe it's time for some fun... / Sequel to Live Without Shame. Basically, season 2 if Kurt/Blaine never happened

4. Barista Confessions [Explicit] - TheFirstMrsHummel

Summary: Unsure of his future following graduation, Kurt finds the status quo impossible to maintain. And when Sebastian Smythe comes crashing back into his life, it gets even more complicated. PLEASE NOTE NOT KLAINE/BLAINE FRIENDLY

5. The Boys of Summer [Mature] - MoreThanTonight

Summary: A camera. A jacket pin. A phone. Lemon balm leaves. A bottle cap. A box of condoms. A bottle of sleeping pills. On the last days of summer before college, Sebastian remembers the most eventful summer of his life and the items related to it. Kurtbastian.

6. Before You Met Me [General Audiences] - ellodoctor

Summary: When Kurt goes to Dalton to spy, he meets Sebastian Smythe who then points out lead singer Blaine Anderson, his latest “goal.” After Kurt runs into him again at sectionals (and actually meeting Blaine), he suddenly finds himself to be a fast and slightly coerced friend to them both. He’s thrown right into figuring out how much Sebastian cares about Blaine, how Blaine feels about Sebastian, confessing his bullying problems and dealing with Sebastian’s ego. And it actually seems to be worth it. But will that last?

7. give your heart (a break) [Mature] - drunkonwriting

Summary: Post-TBU AU. Life moves on after heartbreak: Kurt knows that more than most. As he tries to put his life back together after Blaine, he finds an unexpected ally in his new coworker and Isabelle's nephew: Sebastian Smythe. As Kurt goes through his new life as a single man, he finds an unexpected depth to Sebastian and realizes that losing the first love of his life doesn't mean he'll never love again.

8. (Let’s give them) Something to talk - MemeKonGlee (MemeKonYA)

Summary: “I need you to—”“I heard you the first time,” Kurt interrupts, putting his fork and knife down on his plate and pushing his half-finished pancakes aside. “What I meant was: what the hell?”He points towards the neglected pancakes, trying to stall in the face of Kurt’s reaction.“Are you sure you don’t wanna finish that first?”The look in Kurt's eyes tells him in no uncertain terms that no, he doesn't want to finish his pancakes, Jesus.And so Sebastian has no option but to take a deep breath in, exhale slowly through his mouth and just… get on with it, internally cringing at how unbelievably ridiculous it all sounds when he puts it in words, all out there for the world (and more importantly, Kurt fucking Hummel) to judge. It all boils down to: I fucked up and I'm too proud to deal with it the mature way.

9. Twitch Verse [Teen and Up Audience] - sincerelyjessy*

*A series of oneshots that explores Kurt Hummel and Sebastian Smythe’s relationship

10. Would You Hold It Against Me [Mature] - deliriumbubbles

Summary: The Warblers discover that they and McKinley will be doing the same musical during the fall semester. After a spot of espionage against their rival school McKinley, new Warbler Sebastian finds himself fascinated by one of the young auditioners… and unintentionally becoming the Warblers’ nefarious leader.

TOP 10 KURTBASTIAN FICS (ONESHOTS)

1. The Daily Grind - orphan_account

Summary: Kurt Hummel is a bored barista, and Sebastian never gets off his phone.

2. The One with the Amusement Park [Teen and Up Audiences] - a_storm_of_frustration

Summary: “It was the only place I could think of where we could have 'fun’”, he grits his teeth.Snorting indelicately, Kurt rolls his eyes as he fixes the lapel of his sky blue pea coat. “And by 'fun’ you mean snark at each other and insult each other’s weak points until we feel like murdering the other? And whoever gets to do it first wins?”Sebastian immediately grins. And he had to bite down that grin the minute that he sees Kurt grinning at him. “Well, I did pick a public place. Full of people. Potential witnesses.”“There are rides that provide some sort of privacy. I’ll take the chance, however brief it is.”“There’s always the Tunnel of Love.”Kurt gives him a look. Sebastian bites his tongue so hard he could taste blood.--In which Sam thinks that his best friend and his boyfriend should get to know each other better and…Well, bond.

3. Weather With You [Teen Audience and Up] - chocoholicannanymous

Summary: Kurt Hummel might not exactly be the last person Wes expects to see at the club, but not far from. Who he's with, and what he's doing however... Yeah, that might the last thing he expects.This is a fic-of-a-fic, showing a scene from "A Change In the Weather" from another point of view.

4. The Truth About Sebastian Smythe [Mature] - DasWarSchonKaputt

Summary: Sebastian Smythe does what he wants. Fuck the world. Now, if only the world would quit fucking him back. AKA: Sebastian Smythe's therapy journal, ages 17 to 18.

5. Misery Loves Company [Teen and Up Audiences] - prettypurpleflower

Summary: Kurt and Sebastian keep getting ill and it messes everything up. Especially their feelings.

6. One Shots, Drabbles and Prompts (Oh My!) [General Audiences] - bastiankurts (orphan_accounts)

Summary: A collection of various pieces of written work for Kurtbastian that are either too short to upload individually or that I just felt worked better archived in this bundle. The majority of these have been shared on my own tumblr in the past and are labelled with their titles and the blurb they originally were given when first uploaded, and they include different scenarios for Kurt & Sebastian as well as a few familiar faces along for the ride!

7. Joysticks and Glitter [General Audiences] - supercanaries

Summary: Series of daddies!Kurtbastian drabbles and oneshots going through Kurt and Sebastian's path as parents and their choices that drove them towards this direction.

8. First Brick [Teen And Up Audiences] - supercanaries

Summary: It’s only when he has almost managed to suppress any thought about his boyfriend’s unusual silence that Sebastian speaks, his breath heavy and preceding a revelation Kurt has been aware of for a long while now."I’m gay."

9. Let Them Look [Not Rated] - AnarchyWretch

Summary: Sebastian observes his boyfriend in his element, surrounded by adoring NYADA boys. It's kind of an inflation to his ego, really.

10. The Textactive Stalker [Teen And Up Audiences] - Wednesday Thunder (wednesdaythunder)

Summary: Sebastian: Ever since he started getting text messages from an unknown number, it becomes evident with every new text that the other person knows exactly who he was. Yet, even the creepy stalker factor wasn't enough to stop Sebastian from forming a real connection with a friend he only knows by written words. Or does he? Kurt: Never the one to go down without a challenge, he anonymously starts texting to Sebastian Smythe, trying to find any weakness in his armour. But never was he prepared for the boy he got to know, or the feelings to grow stronger with each unopened message...

Honorable Mention (if you truly want a binge)

1. Lady Divine (fhartz91)

#fic rec #I have a few fic rec under this tag #ask:answered #kurtbastian #kurt hummel #Sebastian smythe #kurtbastian fic #sorry for the late reply!

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thewakingcloak · 5 years

Text

ProtoDungeon: Episode II

(Quasi)Daily Updates Thus Far

Hey all!

ProtoDungeon Episode II (TWC prequel) is coming along nicely, and I’m building out a lot of vital systems for it, future episodes, and The Waking Cloak. I also began a sort-of-daily update on the Discord server that I’ve been meaning to post here but keep forgetting to because I am a scattered, scattered person.

Anyway, uh, yeah, there are a lot of these, lol. I’ll try to post these more regularly in the future, but I hope this is fun and informative for those of you who like reading weirdly specific details about gamedev.

Daily Update - May 24, 2019

Summing up what I've already done before today: -Ring mechanics are done -Day, night, and light sensors are done (though don't have any art) -Created an object that will switch day/night

Today: - Reworking my "interaction" code so that you stop walking after interacting with something during the walk state.

Daily Update - May 25, 2019 -Finally resolved the "interact" code by adding a new player state. Now the player actually stops when interacting with objects instead of just walking into them the whole time. -Fixed a small bug where dialogue boxes would show up with the first message already "fast-forwarded" to the end with no sound. -Started working on polishing up the day/night switcher object (this is what the interact code was for). Should be important in this dungeon since the player won't have the cloak!

Daily Update - May 26, 2019 -I tend to take Sundays easy. I worked on a bed sprite for like ten minutes though!

Daily Update - May 27, 2019 -Added the ring and its upgrades to the test room! We're now technically ready for super early patron alpha testing, which I'll put up sometime in the secret patron channel in the next few days!

Daily Update - May 28, 2019 -Set up the Itch build for pre-alpha patron testing -Worked on figuring out how to clarify the day/night and ring mechanics, visually -Began sketching out dungeon layout, now that I have mechanics set (as opposed to Episode I where I had to retrofit my design a few times after it was mostly done).

Daily Update - May 30, 2019 -Finished the rough draft of the dungeon layout!!!

Daily Update - May 31, 2019 -Finished the second draft of the dungeon map, including several more detailed rooms with puzzle designs

Daily Update - June 1, 2019 - Finished the THIRD draft of the dungeon map, think I've finally got the layout and puzzle locations pretty much settled (it's been a toughie with day/night/dayshift/nightshift)

Daily Update - June 3, 2019 -Updated level 2 of the Ring of Starlight to generate two blocks instead of one block with a dayshift/nightshift effect. This is like what was originally level 3, except the blocks will move in sync with each other -Changed the ring upgrade descriptions. I'm going to try for a more lore-based, somewhat poetic approach for these over a mechanical explanation. (Level 3 is obviously a temporary description) -Pushed the build up to Itch as v0.3.0

For those of you who have access to the pre-alpha and are using the Itch client, updating should be very easy! However, since something got renamed somewhere along the line, you will most likely have to remove the previous version of the game if you don't want it to ask you to select your version when launching the game. I don't think this will happen again... probably. :) I'm still working on the level 3 mechanic, also.

Daily Update - June 5, 2019 -Decided on new lvl3 of the ring -Fixed blocks so they now fall into pits. Long live the king. -Updated Itch app to v0.3.1

Daily Update - June 7, 2019 -Added level 3 of the ring. -Fixed a bug where pushable blocks couldn't be pushed. You had one job, pushable blocks. -Fixed a bug where the player wouldn't fall into a pit after swapping with something that's over the pit. -Fixed a bug where the synced level 2 ring block would not collide with objects when starting from "rest".

Daily Update - June 8, 2019 -Fixed bug where the dialogue box would crash sometimes. I fixed this bug before. I don't know why it came back. The code I used to fix it was gone. Will keep an eye on this code to see if it disappears again. -Updated HUD to display ring and ring level instead of scroll and swap spell level. -Fixed the controls. Space was mapped to both item "A" and item "B", and apparently it doesn't work that way when the item isn't mapped to both slots :P -Fixed a bug where the game would be very, very tiny if it was not in focus when starting in fullscreen mode. I commented out a line of code when updating the application surface resizing and forgot to uncomment it. -Updated v0.3.9 to Itch -Started work on the next draft of the dungeon sketch now that the ring mechanic has been finalized wooooo

Daily Update - June 12, 2019 -Competed new draft of the dungeon, pretty happy with this one. I'll just need to work in the puzzles and make sure the dungeon graph (a la GMTK Boss Keys) works out so players can't get stuck. -Fixed an issue where you could push blocks past the edge of the screen (and a related one where when you tried to do that, you would keep moving through the block while the block stayed still). -Fixed an issue where you could create blocks on top of each other.

Daily Update - June 14, 2019 -Started working on Tiled draft of dungeon -Began experimenting with larger default room sizes. One aspect I liked from Blossom Tales. Still keeping rooms, of course, since that's what counterintuitively makes an overworld feel big, but bumping up their width/height by about 50% each makes them feel that much larger and explorationy. -Updated test room to new room size. -Uploaded v0.3.12 to Itch, which includes the new room size, as well as the fixed bugs from the June 12 daily update

Daily Update - June 16, 2019 -Continued working on Tiled draft of dungeon. Slow work at this stage, but I believe the overall layout is complete. -Started laying out my sticky note version of the dungeon and puzzles. Lots has changed since last time I built puzzles for this dungeon, so reworking it has been fun.

Trying to decide whether the blocks should stay put when you move out the room, or disappear like the Cane of Somaria. Persistent blocks would make for some interesting puzzles.

Also trying to decide how the overworld will map down to the dungeon, since some of the dungeon rooms are a bit small and constrained. I'd like them to line up. Might still make them the same size as the overworld rooms, just with long connecting bits.

Daily Update - June 18, 2019 -Puzzle design is done! -Tiled map draft is coming along much faster now that I know what to fill the rooms with. Already making tweaks to the puzzles (and I'll certainly make more tweaks when building in GameMaker, just how it goes)

Daily Update - June 19, 2019 -Tiled map draft is almost done! Getting verrrry close now.

Daily Update - June 21, 2019 -Tiled map draft is COMPLETE!!!

Daily Update - June 23, 2019 -The actual dungeon in GameMaker is underway and making quick progress. Already improving on the Tiled map, I think! Could be done with the graybox and have it playable for patrons by the end of the week--stay tuned. Lemony Snicket voice "Graybox" here means "with crappy programmer art and white/black tiles"

Daily Update - June 24, 2019 -Made major headway on the dungeon in GameMaker. Very close to wrapping up the graybox tiles, and I've made a bunch of refinements to the existing layout and puzzles!

Daily Update - June 26, 2019 -Layout and graybox tiles are done -Colliders are done -Cliffs are done -Stairs are done -Pits are done -Item upgrades are placed -Some keys are placed -Buttons are placed (not hooked up yet)

Quasidaily Update - June 27, 2019 -Worked on hooking up buttons and bridges and simplified the lvl1 ring room (for me, should be about the same for the player)

Quasidaily Update - June 28, 2019 -Finished doors and hooked up buttons -Fixed various puzzles and rooms that weren't working correctly

Quasidaily Update - June 39, 2019 -Finished the ladder! -Finished bridge collision -Completed... the trap room -Hooked up the doors/buttons I missed (pretty easy to find since I use a red color blend on the offending buttons ingame) I... uh... am just gonna leave that as the 39th Very very close to alpha now, unless those two bugs end up just crushing me

Quasidaily Update - July 1, 2019 -Added day/night blocks -Added a missing teleporter (int/ext door) -Fixed one of the two softlocking bugs (in about 5 minutes)!

Remaining before patron alpha release: -Secret thing -Second bug -Verification that the dungeon is playable from start to finish

Quasidaily Update - July 2, 2019 -The second bug is technically fixed, but it's pretty janky and unpolished. I'll keep working on this tomorrow. -Cleaned up and optimized the block pushing check logic, which had all kinds of duplicate collision checks and wack timers being set all over the place

Quasidaily Update - July 3, 2019 -Finally fixed the second bug. This was a block syncing/pushing issue that would've prevented everyone from completing the dungeon -Began testing the dungeon's playability from beginning to end. Ran into a few more things I fixed: -Added a level 3 ring upgrade description since it actually does something now -Some bridges were missing pits under them, so you could walk across even if the bridge wasn't activated. -Discovered the level 1 and 2 ring blocks don't fall in pits anymore. Oops. Gotta fix this still. Quasidaily Update - July 3, 2019 PART 2 -The dungeon is playable from start to end (except you can't get in the final room yet, but that's a quick fix) -Hooked up MORE buttons/doors that I had missed -Replaced/moved the keys around--I think this will be much more satisfying now -Added the method to get to t h e s e c r e t Pretty pleased with it this time around--I think it's even more cryptic and fun to discover ehehehe "ehehehe" is to be read with a witch's voice

Quasidaily Update - July 4, 2019 -Tweaked t h e s e c r e t entrance ほほほ -Worked on t h e s e c r e t puzzles.... they're pretty devious お~~ほほほ

Quasidaily Update - July 5, 2019 -Fixed broken challenge puzzle. -Fixed bug with lv1 and lv2 ring mechanics--they weren't falling down pits anymore. That just makes this game way too easy. -Fixed a bug with lv3 ring blocks that was also breaking the challenge puzzle -Added some tiles to cover up my greybox "answers" -This wraps up all the changes for alpha. We'll go live with the alpha for patrons early tomorrow!

Quasidaily Update - July 6, 2019 -Released the patron alpha! Woohoo! Rali has been enjoying it at least/ -Released v0.4.2 update: -Fixed two unmarked pits. Kinda sucks to fall into the solid ground. -Game Over now resets only the player, not the entire game.

Quasidaily Update - July 7, 2019 -Released v0.4.4 update: -Added collision around water bridges so you can't walk on or get trapped on the water... -Removed a call to GMLive that may be causing a crash on the PlayerEquipmentRingState script.

Quasidaily Update - July 7, 2019 PART DOS Released v0.4.10 update: -Removed "You got a key!" text because... well, it should be obvious. -Do not freeze player on headstone moving. -Fix stutter when a level 0 equipped item is "used." -Made it so you can't push jars and blocks up stairs. They are TOO HEAVY. -Added an escape route to the challenge room so you don't have to throw yourself in a pit to get back to the start if you get stuck. It doubles as a "skip" for one of the puzzles once it has been opened. -Fixed challenge room exit so you don't get trapped. :)

Quasidaily Update - July 9, 2019 -Fixed colors on the east/west player "use ring" sprite so that the night palette shader doesn't miss it (meaning it would render her skin in the day palette) -Updated teleporters to use channel strings so I don't have to manually set the target coordinates for ALL THE TELEPORTERS AAAAAAAH. -Oh, and yeah, most importantly: released v0.5.0 update! Completed dungeon remodel!! It uses the build-a-final-key method like in Episode I. This allowed me to make the dungeon a bit less linear. It also meant I knocked down a wall or two, added another puzzle or two, and all around made something I'm much more satisfied with.

Quasidaily Update - July 10, 2019 Released v0.5.5 update! -Fixed a crash when attempting to push arrows (read: moving toward an arrow while it's trying to kill you). -Toned down the arrow knockback effect -Fixed awkward/slow interaction with arrows knocking you into pits -Shortened room respawn freeze time -Fixed a bug where the player could walk directly into the arrow and avoid taking damage. Pretty sure that's not how arrows work (this was related to the pushing bug above!).

Quasidaily Update - July 11, 2019 -Starting to place actual tiles over the greybox tiles and gosh it's nice to have real art.

Quasidaily Update - July 12, 2019 -Majority of the final tiles have been placed and it looks great. I still need to make a few interior wall sets and a handful of floor tiles. It really brings the dungeon to life

Quasidaily Update - July 14, 2019 -Released v0.6.0!!! I'm very excited about this one because it's the first of the graphics updates. The majority of the basic final tiles have been placed. There are more graphics updates to come (which you'll note if you play this version), but is the biggest of 'em. Looks great in day and night!

Quasidaily Update - July 15, 2019 -Added new one-way-jump wall tiles -Completed secret room tiles and decorations -Added lighter tall grass

Quasidaily Update - July 16, 2019 -Today was a writing day, mainly. I'd like to have the little snippets of dialogue and bookshelves and so on done in a day or two. It's exciting stuff, showing off the tips of all these icebergs. -Last night I pushed v0.6.4, an update that had lots of good graphics updates. Except I forgot to replace the player back at the start of the level after testing, so neipo had some fun times starting at the END of the level. Fixed and uploaded in v0.6.5!

More! -Uploaded v0.6.6 in which I fixed an arrow issue that I already fixed previously. Except, I had only fixed it for ProtoDungeon I. Which is why @neipo13 ran into it to my great confusion.

More!!! Uploaded v0.6.8: -Fixed one of the lvl3 ring puzzles so it didn't have a ridiculously easy solution (thanks for finding that, neipo). -Fixed description of round key.

Quasidaily Update - July 17, 2019 I intended to do some writing today, but I got more excited about something else.... sooooo, cue the upload of v0.6.13 - The Optimization Patch! - in which the average framerate on my dev laptop is now 260fps up from 120fps. -Moved the half-speed/GIF mode to only be available in debug mode (this was "G" on the keyboard, so people could just press it and not be sure why the game was running so badly). -Scott's [regular & mod on the server] lappy had major framerate issues running the game, so I did some optimization and found out the pits were accounting for 50% of the time of every single frame. The best part: they only needed to run the offending code ONCE. So I moved that code from the step event to a one-time event and voila, framerate is way more stable. -Turned off GMLive entirely and added an easy toggle for me. This is very useful during development, but it likes to make lots of calls when turned on. -Updated the "listener" step event, which was setting a blend mode every single step. In debugger mode, this is so that stuff like buttons and doors turn red if they're not hooked up. Otherwise it "unsets" the blend mode by setting it to -1 every single step (regardless of debug mode). Apparently this has some unexpected overhead, even if the blend mode is ALREADY -1. A quick and easy fix. -Swapped out the existing (non-moving) tombstone objects for different objects. Almost all of the tombstones were instances of the same object as the ones that move, but that came with a lot of additional overhead (my "listener" object still accounts for a lot of time because it's doing some checking with ds_lists every frame for every listener object; the moving tombstones have listeners, the normal tombstones do not). They're behaving themselves now.

Quasidaily Update - July 18, 2019 Uploaded v0.6.14! -Fixed up collision in the secret room -Finished secret room lore dialogue

There's still more writing to do for the headstones, bookshelves, and a certain NPC who isn't in the game yet, but yeah! Getting there!

Quasidaily Update - July 20, 2019 Over the last day or two, I've slowed down a lot--think I'm getting close to burning out, plus not certain I'm satisfied with the story implementation thus far in Episode II (am I too obscure? Revealing too much? Will people care? etc). That said, I've gotten some stuff done, and uploaded v0.6.19 -Fixed some borked collision near the hut (thanks for finding that, Rali) -Fixed tombstones so they could display text -Added text to various tombstones >:) (and bookshelves) -Fixed the interaction check so that you don't interact with objects to the north of you when facing to the east or west.

Today I switched gears and created a batch file that could compile an executable without even opening GameMaker!! This is actually pretty exciting. I could almost, at this point, switch completely to GMEdit, which is significantly faster and more intuitive tham GM workspaces. Oh, and the batch file also uploads the compiled exe to Itch

Quasidaily Update - July 20, 2019 I decided to switch gears again and work on the save game feature. Not done yet, but it IS saving the player/inventory objects, and I'm setting it up to be pretty easily able to take in any set of objects, auto-read all their variables, and set 'em.

Quasidaily Update - July 22, 2019 Been working on the ol' save system still. It's going well. I had to fight a bit with my camera system (like always lol), and now I'm making sure the ring blocks properly reset--currently they crash the game which isn't quite right...

The system as planned for PDII will essentially be an autosave that triggers on entrance of each room. When loading the game, all solved puzzles should remain solved, and ring blocks should remain in place, and you'll appear at the entrance of whatever room you exited the game from. At some point in a later episode I'll include slots and specific save points not unlike bonfires from Dark Souls

Quasidaily Update - July 23, 2019 Saving and Loading Continued Cleaned up the loading--it would snap you back to the load point and the camera had trouble keeping up. Now it's a nice, clean fade transition with no camera moving around.

What's left: -Properly saving blocks and other puzzle elements. Currently it, uh, duplicates them? So that's nice. -For some reason, the ring itself disappears when you reload the game -Need to set up the fadeout transition so it finishes before puzzle elements get reset and the time of day changes -Set up an autosave on room enter -You can actually get stuck in the first ring room by crossing a bridge and having that bridge disappear behind you, then quitting and loading your save. I'm trying to think of a good way to solve it now and in the future without making it easy to miss setting up something manually.

Quasidaily Update - July 25, 2019 Moar Savingz Ring blocks are finally managing their own order, and it's wayyyyy more stable and uses a ton less code than before. Previously, during the player's "use ring" state, it would call the inventory manager to update the order of the blocks, which it stored in two variables. It worked, but occasionally the order would get really weird and so on, plus it was going to be a nightmare for reloading. The problem is that the inventory manager was holding the ring block IDs in those two variables, and IDs are not guaranteed to be the same on re-run.

Solution: ring blocks get an integer variable that stores their order, called order. When a ring block is created, it tells the other block to update its order. If that order is already 2, destroy it. Simple, and easy to save since it's an int.

In a pre-quasidaily update today Daniel learns why his ring blocks aren't loading They are And then they're instantly destroying themselves Because of the code he wrote To tell them to destroy themselves Thank you

Quasidaily Update - July 26, 2019 Uploaded v0.6.22, possibly the final 0.6 version since saving is coming sooooooooooon. BUT. Here's what you guys get: -Fixed some more collisions near the hut (seriously, did I move that entire room over one tile somehow) -Allow jumping off ANY ledge (WOOO) -Fixed occasional crash when creating ring blocks

The save/load system is working also, but not available outside of debug mode yet! As far as I can tell everything is saving and loading properly as expected. There are a couple places you can save scum past, and I have a few ideas for handling those, but that probably won't be something I deal with for a bit. However, the player is not currently able to save or load (unless they're in debug mode, as mentioned), which leads me to the next major update I will be working on: M E N U S and O P T I O N S

Quasidaily Update - July 27, 2019 I'm 25 minutes through a 70 minute series by FriendlyCosmonaut on a menu system. This is a lot lol.

In the process, I did a little bit of reworking/cleaning on my controls system. I now have some global variables that hold all the currently configured controls, instead of hardcoding the controls into the input manager. This was in preparation to allow control remapping!

Quasidaily Update - July 30, 2019 Been quiet for a few days--hard at work on the new menu system. This one is a doozy, you guys. I haven't done this much straight code on the TWC "engine" since Episode I.... maybe even longer.

Finished the FriendlyCosmonaut series, which was a great foundation. Now I'm building off it (and trying to get tons of parts of it to actually work still). I'd ideally like to have it look a lot like the old mockup from my blog post on difficulty settings (many of those difficulty settings will not be used in ProtoDungeon or TWC).

Here's what I got so far. Still a lot of the FriendlyCosmonaut design in this, which is good, but doesn't quite fit with this game.

brightness/contrast do nothing, window actually works pretty well--unless you change the smoothing size, in which case it starts acting up...

vsync.... I think works? I haven't even tried toggling screenshake I want to use the "bouncing arrows" style from the mockup instead of color, fix the on/off to use arrows instead, fix the sliders so they use pixel arrows instead of drawn circles.... so much left to dooooo I just have to remember it was loading a black screen this morning

Quasidaily Update - August 7, 2019 Been alternating between taking breaks and working furiously on menu stuff, as you can see with screenshots.

Spending a lot of time on remapping. There's a lot to polish here, stuff you might not think about on first glance (What happens if a key is already mapped to another? Do you handle the menu not closing while you're remapping the menu key? Do you handle the menu so it doesn't navigate when mapping the back key? Do you include primary and secondary control sets, and if so, how do you display that clearly? Etc.)

Not all these questions have difficult answers, but they add up. So that's basically all I've been working on for the past week or so :)

Today I got the gamepad up and running and the secondary control set as well. I forgot how good it feels to play the game with a controller vs a keyboard. My wife happily exclaimed "You're playing with a controller!" :D

The secondary control set was a back and forth decision. The deciding factor was mainly wanting to ease the initial "time to start" for different players--so you can move with WASD and the arrow keys, or with the dpad and the stick. I have a pretty good idea how the UI will work for this too, so now that the gamepad is working, I'm gonna start on the secondary controls.

Quasidaily Update - August 11, 2019 -Primary and secondary gamepad button remapping are working -Got some cool new gamepad icons, improved thanks to Corvos -Fixed the menu so you couldn't close it on the menu page when starting the game -Added a second, ingame menu with resume/settings/save & quit as options -The new menu will pause all "actors" (objects with states) -Fixed a bug where the secondary gamepad right input was not mapped

Quasidaily Update - August 13, 2019 -"Defaults" option now works for keyboard and gamepad -Fixed an issue where you couldn't remap some of the secondary keyboard inputs (broke it with the gamepad remapping). -Fixed an issue with the menu arrow being in the wrong place (broke it with the gamepad remapping). -Removed light blue coloring on selected menu items. Judging by other menus, arrow seems to be enough by itself. -When remapping, the current selected control will now blink instead of remaining static. -Made sliders more usable--it wasn't really possible to move them 1% at a time, which was unwieldy and annoying. Now they have a "ramping" speed and are much easier to control.

Quasidaily Update - August 13, 2019, Part II -Toned down the strength of the brightness slider just a bit. -Updated the shaders to affect the GUI as well as the game. This should include the menu as well as the HUD, the dialogue box, and, in TWC, the inventory screen. I kinda like this. We'll see if it bothers people. :D

Quasidaily Update - August 17, 2019 -Fixed an issue with menu sliders not being drawn when the shader is applying to GUI elements. Turns out the built-in line drawing doesn't pass texture information to the shader. At this point I'm not sure how to configure the shader correctly, so I just made the lines into sprites instead lol. -Added title to the top-level menu! Yay! -Fixed game loading so it would load the correct room (both GameMaker room and in-game "area"). -Autosave the game on room entrance. -Autosave the game on getting an item (this way you can't cheese certain rooms). At this point, playing the game, quitting, and coming. back to continue is working REALLY WELL. -No longer save "region" (rooms in the game) objects, since these get created and setup perfectly fine on room creation. -Added SOME SECRETS YAY! -Autosave the game on "teleporting"--going through doors, up/down stairs, etc. -Fixed the "circle out" transition, which was apparently not working or used anywhere. -Changed all "teleportation" to use circle-in/circle-out transitions--a little less visually jarring and much nicer looking than a fade-to-wipe-from-center.

Quasidaily Update - August 19, 2019 -Added tiny pause in the middle of the teleportation transition so that it's a bit less jarring -Simultaneously, allowed toggle to camera easing so that I don't have to add fragile pauses to loading and certain transitions and so on (to wait for the camera to finish moving to catch up with the player loaded position). This fixed a small camera jerk when loading the game. This will eventually be an option on the menu for those that don't like the easing (and also because turning off subpixels makes camera easing REALLY BAD). -Fixed issue with audio groups not loading (by loading them, wow). This is probably temporary since next big task is to add the Wandersong audio engine, but the fix let me actually see my debug messages instead of spamming "Audio Group 2 is not loaded" whenever a sound is played lol. -Fixed bug with loading the game on a teleporter (doors, stairs, etc.) where it would immediately take you to the target location. This had multiple parts, but namely 1) just making sure to set the global "isLoading" flag and to not teleport during that, and 2) setting the "isLoading" flag earlier, since the teleporters were faster than my load manager lol. -Fixed "New Game" issue where it would fade to black, start the game, and then fade to black again. Turns out if you call "fade out" twice, it will fade out twice.

#gamedev #indiedev #devlog #devblog #game development #The Waking Cloak #prequel #ProtoDungeon

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xxwritemeastoryxx · 5 years

Text

Forgotten Alliance Ch 38

Author: xxwritemeastoryxx

Pairings: Elijah Mikaelson x OC with other parings mentioned throughout.

Word Count: 6.9K

Warnings: Canon Typical things

Author’s Note: As a reminder, FA can be found on ffnet up to chapter 42. I am uploading chapters here on tumblr for convenience. I decided against tagging this until new chapters are posted. If you would like to be tagged please let me know! Chapters are queued and will be posted randomly. Enjoy

Liz, I've got some bad news.

What came after those words had caused Elizabeth to chuck a vase at the wall once the call had ended. The glass from the vase had shattered into pieces upon contact and showered onto the floor. Frustration and anger coursed through her in that moment and all she wanted to do was throw anything she could get her hands on in that moment. Of all the things that could have gone wrong in the last few months it had to have been that.

She could handle the uprising of a few rebellious vampires. She handled killing the ones that had stepped out of line while making the others fear her that they hadn't done anything to give her a reason they were around. It was a small annoyance that she handled with ease. That had been simple, a small piece of entertainment for the darker part that lingered in side her. She could handle that, but not that phone call.

She could handle keeping the city running as it should be. She could handle the council meetings, the endless fundraiser parties and the numerous other things that the city needed her to plan or attend. She could handle anything that came up unexpectedly in the city that involved any of the factions. She could even handle the last four months as Hayley had suggested her to do.

A phone call from Lily, that she couldn't handle. She couldn't handle the bad news that Lily had given her slowly and repeated it again because Elizabeth didn't think she heard her correctly. This was something she couldn't find a simple solution to the problem. There was nothing she could do and that had been the thing to make her furious.

"Everything alright?" Malakai asked. He came the moment he heard the crash of glass. He thought someone had been breaking in or someone had been attempting to attack Elizabeth. They had all been on high alert since the rebellious Vampires had made a scene in the Quarter. But when he found Elizabeth standing in the middle of the room looking as if she was about to kill someone or something, he knew it wasn't a threat that was present.

She held her phone up to show him. "That was Lily." She said trying to keep her voice calm and failing. "There was an accident at the lab. All of the progress she had been making is now gone."

"What the hell happened?" He asked walking over to her. "Tell me they have that stuff backed up."

She shook her head quickly. "The whole research building went up in flames. Something about an intern playing with one of the burners around chemicals."

In all honesty, Elizabeth wanted to find that human and have a chat with them. She wanted to make idiot fear her and it wouldn't hurt to lose one simple human to an accident. But that wouldn't have gotten her anywhere. It definitely wouldn't have sit well with anyone that knew her either.

"So were back to having nothing." Malakai said as he crossed his arms over his chest. He knew how much those cures had meant to Liz.

"Pretty much. But something tells me it is time to start really thinking about a different way to get the cure. I may just give in and go the faster route of going out and seeing about getting the venom. It may be a while before Lily can get a new place to work from." She placed a hand to her forehead as she tried to think of anything she could possibly do to make the situation better.

...

In the living room, Elijah had been teaching Hope how to play a game of chess when he felt the rush of anger fill him. It had been unexpected seeing as Elizabeth had just felt content just moments ago. There was no pain or anything that came with the anger. It made him worry what had pissed her off enough that he had been feeling something close to rage.

"What is it?" Hope asked. Elijah had been in the middle of moving a chess piece when he stopped half way, holding the piece mid air.

He shook his head slightly and placed the piece down where he wanted it. "It seems your Aunt is angry with someone."

"Mom said she's been stressed, is it because of that?" She asked as she looked at the pieces in front of her. She was still unsure of what pieces did what but she was trying.

"It is possible." He said with a nod. "Elizabeth has been under a lot of pressure lately with those misbehaving children." Elizabeth had told him all about the rebellious vampires that had came to the city weeks ago. While he had suggested just ripping a few hearts out and calling it a day, Elizabeth knew that wouldn't solve anything. But the moment they had caused trouble, she had killed a few of them without hesitating.

"Did Aunt Liz say why they were misbehaving?" She asked copying his words before she moved a pawn forward.

"Details that you need not to worry yourself about." He said giving her a small smile. He had always known that someone would eventually come and create a mess for Elizabeth to clean up. The city had been thriving as the months passed and every once in a while there would be a few that would challenge the rules Elizabeth had over the vampires. He just wasn't sure what her anger was towards this time.

Before Hope could say anything else, Elijah noticed the way she looked up at nothing in particular, a usual tell that Hayley was currently speaking to her outside of the spell. There were times where the siblings tried to see if they could enter Hope's mind to get a glance of the world around them but it never worked. How they all longed for just a taste of the outside world and they may not get it for a while longer.

"Mom said Aunt Liz is coming for a visit." Hope said looking back at Elijah with a smile. "She also said that you shouldn't worry about what Aunt Liz is feeling, she got upset about a phone call from her scientist."

That had peaked Elijah's interest. "Did she say why the phone call made her upset?" He wanted to know what Lily had said that had made Elizabeth so angry as she was.

Hope shook her head slightly. "No. But she needs to talk to you guys."

Elijah thought for a moment before sighing. "Why don't you go see what Kol is doing? I need to go speak with your Aunts for a moment." Hope smiled and nodded quickly before she got up from her seat and ran outside the house, where Kol had disappeared to earlier.

"Angry with the scientist and she needs to speak to us." Rebekah said leaning against the entryway to the living room. "That doesn't sound good."

"Assuming it has something to do with the cures, this may be a set back we don't particularly need." He said as he stood from his seat.

"Hence the feeling of rage." Freya said from her spot on the couch. "I have a feeling this will be our temporary home for much longer than we think."

"We can't think like that." Rebekah said shaking her head. "She'll come up with a plan before she gets here."

"This may actually be the pushing point for that trip she's been expecting to take." Elijah noted.

"If that is true, then there will be no telling when she'll decide to leave on that." Freya said with a nod.

"Given that we still don't know if Elizabeth has reached the points in Jess's visions, she could be very well coming to say that she is leaving tonight." Even as he spoke the words, Elijah didn't like hearing them as they passed his lips.

He was still uneasy about her leaving in general. He had grown so used to her visits, going a year without seeing her, he wasn't sure how he'd feel. Not to mention he didn't know if the bond would reach wherever it was she would go.

"You know, between her being stressed and possibly leaving, the both of you are going to need tonight." Rebekah said with a small smile.

"What are you hinting at Rebekah?" He asked eyeing his younger sister.

She shrugged. "We have all this lovely pretend things in this spell, make her forget about the problems of the outside world for a while."

...

"I swear if anything else goes wrong today, I will start ripping hearts out." She was being sarcastic but her body language was anything but.

"Should I go hunt down the idiots hiding in town?" Malakai asked with a smirk. "Could bring them back so you can take your anger out on them."

Elizabeth shook her head even though it would have been a nice idea. "The others haven't done anything stupid since I killed the others. There is no reason for us to go out there and stir up trouble."

"At least you know nothing will happen while you go over to Hayley's." He said with a nod. "That should be all rainbows and sunshine right?"

Elizabeth thought for a moment. "Shit, Kai I am sorry." She said shaking her head.

"It's fine. You need to see him. We can always go indulge some other night." Malakai had been wanting a night out of drinking and partying. A night much like they used to have before they had came back to New Orleans. They had been looking forward to going out for a few days now. They were going to leave the city limits and enjoy themselves for a night without any kind of worries on their shoulders.

"How about we go when I get back?" She asked hopeful. "I won't stay out there too long. And when I get back we'll head to wherever it is you'd like to go."

"Even Atlanta?" He asked with a smirk growing on his face.

"Why the hell not?" She said with a smile. "We haven't had ourselves a good best friends' night out, might as well go all out for it."

The smirk on Malakai's face had grown even more. "Sounds like one hell of a night. I like it."

_____

"What's the status on our visitors?" The mayor asked from his spot at the head of the table.

"For the most part, they've been dealt with." Elizabeth said with a nod from her spot across the table from him. "I killed the few that had been the most problematic and the others fled. While I am assuming they are lying low, I have others keeping an eye out for them. They show their faces even for a second, they will be brought to me."

"Good. Once they have been brought to you, I'd like a full update on what has been done." He nodded his head slightly as he watched Elizabeth. "Anything else that needs to be discussed?"

She shrugged slightly. "We are fine on our end. We plan on having our weekly 'Snatch, Eat, Erase' party tomorrow night. But like the past several times we've had them, everything will be going according to plan. They know the consequences of killing them."

"Perfect. The number of deaths in this city has been decreasing. I'd like for that to continue." That was something they had all been gearing towards. The city had come a long way from where it had been several years ago. "And for you two?" He asked looking towards Mary and Vincent. "Anything on that end that needs to be discussed?"

"Nothing on our end." Mary said with a shake of her head. She had been sitting next to Elizabeth and for once her hands or her arms weren't crossed as they usually were. "There haven't been any complaints or even anything that I can think of that needs to be addressed. The wolves are still happy with the terms and have been thriving in both the city and out in the bayou."

"Same with the witches." Vincent said with a nod. "We've been doing more in the last few years than we had during Marcel's reign. Our younger witches have been learning magic as they should be and have been showing a lot of progress even without the ancestral well."

"It seems as though we've all been doing better." The Mayor said with a nod and they all agreed.

"Vincent," Elizabeth said as she looked over towards him. "What is the progress on your renovations with St Anne's church?" Over the last few years Vincent had many people working on that church to turn it into something that even the others hadn't really known about.

Vincent's eyes lit up at the question. "Almost complete." He said with a smile before looking towards the Mayor and Mary. "My intentions with the church had always been to turn it into a sanctuary for us here in New Orleans. A place where magic can't be practiced, no worries of blood lust, and the moon has no effect on anyone."

"How will that be accomplished?" The mayor asked curiously.

"The infirmary had been enveloped with magic that created a barrier. When the ancestors decided that they were going to shake the foundation, the spells were broken and the place no longer a supernatural sanctuary. We'll be doing the same with the church. This time the spells won't be so easily undone as it had been before." Vincent explained. They could see the ideas in his eyes that he wished for that place to be and he was determined to get it to that way.

"It's the perfect place for anyone to go to to seek refuge, a safe haven for anyone that may need it in the city and even for those that come to the city looking for it." Elizabeth said with a smile.

"Precisely." Vincent said with a nod. "It's the perfect place to hold town meetings without any kind of tensions getting in the way."

"Not that there has been any tension between the factions." Mary said with a small smile pulling at her lips. "But the city does tend to get people coming into the city that needs a place to stay."

"It's also a perfect place to get to know outsiders before allowing them to stay in the city." The Mayor noted. "When will this be expected to be finished."

"At least another month and things will be up and running." Vincent nodded. He had been glad that everyone had been on board with his plans for the church. Once it was done, he was sure things would be even better for the city.

...

"Now, you'll have to keep an eye out for Elizabeth." Freya said as she pulled a few boxes out from her closet.

"Are we keeping a secret from her?" Hope asked as she looked at the boxes that Freya had just pulled out.

Freya stopped for a moment, trying to find the right words. "I guess in a way we are, but we want to surprise her. When she gets here, we have to keep her distracted until later."

"Wouldn't she be mad that we are keeping her from Uncle Elijah?" Hope asked. She easily remembered the day that her Aunts had kept Elijah and Elizabeth apart.

"She might." Freya said with a nod. "But this time, your Uncle is the one that wants us to keep her away for just a little."

"He's the one giving her the surprise?" Hope asked with a bit of excitement.

"They both need a night to be together without us interfering in anyway." Freya wasn't going to mention that while it was possible that tonight would be the last night they all see her for a while, they had all agreed that Elijah needed this more than the rest of them did. "Want to help us get things ready?"

"Yes!" Hope yelled out as she picked up one of the boxes Freya had set down and ran out of the room. Freya shook her head slightly as a smile grew on her face watching as she disappeared from her sight.

...

"So what time are you supposed to head back?" Malakai asked as he watched Elizabeth head towards the exit of the compound.

"I'll be back in a few hours." She said as she looked over at him. "You're more than welcome to come with and we can head out once I talk to everyone that I need to."

Malakai shook his head. "I'll wait here and keep Veronica company for a bit."

Elizabeth's brow rose. "I thought she was out with Vincent?"

"She is." He said with a nod. "She should be back soon. Once she is, we'll probably pregame a bit."

Elizabeth laughed and shook her head. "Look at you using words we never knew would ever exist at one point in our lives."

"Gotta love the kids of this generation." He said with a smile.

She nodded her head slightly. "Just remember the rules." She watched as Malakai rolled his eyes before she turned to leave to Hayley's.

_____

"You look like you need this more than I do." Hayley said holding out a glass as Elizabeth entered the house. Hayley had been lounging on the couch in the living room reading a book. The glass she offered was currently in her out stretched hand while her eyes went back to the page in her book.

"Thanks." Elizabeth said as she grabbed a hold of the glass and walked around the couch to go sit in the chair that sat across from Hayley. She finished the rest of the drink in one gulp and placed the glass on the coffee table. "I take it Hope is visiting?"

"Up until that door opened, she was sitting there in that window." Hayley said with a chuckle as she took not of the page she was on and closed the book. "She's been going back and forth all day, since I told her you were coming for a visit."

"Something tells me I should be afraid for my visit." Elizabeth said with a small smile on her face. "If they had her on look out duty, I can only imagine the possibilities of what they have planned."

Hayley returned the smile and shook her head. "We both know you probably need whatever it is they are planning in there." She sighed softly as she sat up straight in her seat. "What is it this time?"

Elizabeth bit down on her lip for a moment, trying to find the right words to ease their current situation. But no matter how many ways she could possibly say them, it always sounded horrible. "There was an incident at the lab that Lily works at. All the samples, research data is gone without any way of recovering it."

She noticed how Hayley's eye widened before she let out a breath of air. "After all that time, we still have nothing."

Elizabeth nodded. "I've tried racking my brain on how I can fix it this time, but nothing I come up with helps." That was a lie. She knew there was one thing in particular that she could do. She just still wanted it to be the last resort.

"Have you thought about what we talked about?" Hayley asked curiously.

"I've thought about it non stop today." She admitted. "After the realization that there was nothing that I could do to make this work in our favor some how, I started thinking that maybe it is time just to say to hell with waiting and just go out and find them myself."

"It honestly wouldn't hurt." Hayley said with a nod. "Its been almost five months. We set that deadline for you and you still haven't seen anything. I think its safe to say that it is time to take it into your own hands now."

"Yeah." Elizabeth nodded before she looked up at the ceiling for a moment. "It seems as though the moment we get an inch closer to having anything, we are thrown several feet back without any kind of way back to where we were."

"I used to wonder about that all the time, what it was that I had done to be thrown back like that." Hayley said watching Elizabeth. "Eventually I stopped wondering and just...tried it a different way."

Elizabeth looked over at her and nodded once more. "Can you ask Mary about recent whereabouts for each pack?"

Hayley covered her mouth as she feigned a surprised gasp. "You actually want me to do something?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I'm not asking you to go out and find them for me. You can't get into any kind of trouble by making a phone call."

Hayley laughed and stood up from her seat. "While I get your reasoning for not wanting me to do anything, but one of these days you'll actually take me up on my offer." She tilted her head towards the hall. "Go on, I'm sure he's waiting for you. I'll make a few calls while you're visiting."

Elizabeth watched as she walked out of the room before she stood up from her seat and made her way down the hall to the familiar room. Opening the door, she found Hope standing on a stool right in front of Freya's casket. She walked over to Hope and kissed the side of her head. "Hey Kiddo." She said softly, letting her know she was there. "I'll be in there in a moment."

She walked over towards the middle of the room and opened the lid to Elijah's casket. While she could have easily caught a ride into the spell by placing her hand on top of Hope's and Freya's hand, it just felt different somehow when she held onto Elijah's hand while she was there visiting. Once the lid was opened, she ran her hand along his face, just as she did many times before, a smile tugging on her lips as she did so. A moment later she grabbed a hold of his hand, she closed her eyes and allowed the gem to do its work.

The gem that now hung around her neck, for safe keeping as well as the convenience of it, had easily worked just as the day Hope had done the spell. And like all the other times before that she visited, she found herself in the grass field that she had grown so familiar over the past few years. But when her eyes opened in the dream world, she was met by both Mikaelson sisters and Hope.

"Not this again." Elizabeth whined as she looked at the three of them standing there with smiles on their faces. While she needed to speak with all of them, she had been expecting Elijah to be standing where they were. The slight pout on her lips had caused Rebekah to roll her eyes and Freya to laugh.

"He'll be around shortly." Rebekah said wrapping an arm around Elizabeth's shoulders and leading her towards the house, avoiding the garden completely. "For now, you'll fill us in on what is going on out there and when Elijah is done doing what he needs to, you'll be free to be the sappy love struck couple that you are."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes at her words. Even though they had just told her that Elijah would be joining them at some point, it didn't stop her from looking around, trying to spot him. She may have came to talk to them about what Lily had told her, but she had also missed seeing Elijah as well. "Fine." She mumbled.

A chuckle could be heard and Elizabeth knew it was Elijah's chuckle. While a rare thing to hear, she knew it all to well. It made her look towards the garden. "What is he doing in there?" She asked curiously. She knew he could hear her. If he could laugh at her annoyance, she knew he was there just on the other side of the hedges that were currently blocking her view.

"Something you'll see later." Elijah's voice carried over and it actually made Elizabeth's mouth drop slightly as the sisters drug her into the house before she could try anything at all.

Elizabeth had spent several hours with Freya and Rebekah while Elijah had been in the garden finishing up the last little touches on what he had been working on. During that time, Elizabeth had given every detail that Lily had given her in regards to the mishap. She continued on with the plan that she was now desperately thinking about. While she had assured them that she had no intention of leaving just yet, it would be in the next several days that she probably would be making the plan to leave.

None of this had been what they were hoping for. While it left the siblings upset about it, the hope of Elizabeth doing things with a different strategy made them feel that none of this had been a total lost cause. They technically had two of the seven that they needed. The sisters encouraged Elizabeth to do things the way Hayley had told her months ago: befriend them, ask for the help, and when that failed, take what she needed.

While Elizabeth knew Elijah had been listening in on the conversation and been giving his opinions on the matter through the bond, Elizabeth still wasn't sure how she would be doing things once she was out there. For now, she had to figure out where the packs were currently at. She wanted some kind of plan instead of just driving around in circles looking for the packs and attempting to befriend them blindly.

It was one of the reasons why she asked Hayley to talk to Mary. Elizabeth was sure that Mary wouldn't just easily hand over that information. While they had been on great terms in the city, this was all about the packs now. She was sure she would be met with resistance in asking. Not that she was hoping to avoid it altogether. She knew she would be met with it out there while talking to the packs. While a great plan, none of it would be easy.

"I believe that is enough of this conversation." Elijah said entering the house, causing all of them to look towards him. "I'm sure Elizabeth will know the correct course of action when the time is right." He smiled over at her and she smiled in return. He walked over to her and held out his hand for her to take. She took it without any kind of hesitation. "Thank you both." He said to his sisters before he lead Elizabeth out of the house.

Once the cool night air hit them both, Elijah held up a black sleep mask to Elizabeth, causing her to raise her brow. "I hate surprises, Elijah." She said eyeing him.

"Humor me." He said with a small smirk pulling at his lips. She rolled her eyes before she grabbed a hold of the mask and put it on. Elijah moved his hands in front of her face, testing her vision.

"I swear if you ask me how many fingers you are holding up, the mask is coming off." She said with a shake of her head. "Not to mention I'll give you one specific finger." The laugh that had passed his lips had made her smile. Oh how she enjoyed hearing it.

"Don't pull it off until I tell you to." He said as he grabbed a hold of both of her hands and lead her towards the garden. A smile played on his lips as he watched her with every step they took. While he knew that Elizabeth trusted him, her steps were careful. While she could hear everything around her, having her sight gone had made her both cautious and curious as to what he had planned.

Leading her further into the garden, he stopped her once they were in the center of it all. Rebekah's plan of using all the 'pretend' things in the spell had been the best idea she had. And with the help of his siblings and Hope, the garden had looked completely different from its normal look. It had all been planned and executed in several hours and he couldn't be more impressed with the work they had done. He couldn't wait to see the look on her face at it all, once he took the sleep mask off of her.

"Are we there?" Elizabeth asked with a smile, still holding on to his hands. She had been so curious as to what he had been doing while Freya and Rebekah had kept her from him.

"We are." He said as he let go of her hands and pulled the sleep mask off from around her eyes. He watched as she blinked slightly before her eyes widened at the sight before her.

Each of the hedges that circled the garden had twinkling lights in them. The few trees that were in the garden were lit with lights that helped illuminate their surroundings in the darkness. In between two of the trees was a table that been set with a few candles, glasses, and to her surprise, glass bowls that held fruit in them. She took a step away from him, taking it all in.

No matter what detail she had looked at, it had all been perfect. There was nothing there that looked like it didn't belong or that it was set carelessly. Knowing Elijah, Elizabeth was sure that each detail had been thought out and nothing was placed without his approval. It definitely something that she hadn't been expecting to see when she arrived there. She certainly didn't think doing something like this here in the spell was even possible.

"This is amazing, Elijah." She said as she took a step towards the table, a small smile pulled at her lips. The details, where she was currently standing once she reached the table, even the cool air that she felt had all been familiar without her ever actually seeing any of it before hand. "I've seen this before." She said as she ran her fingers over the back of the chair. Her eyes wandered around the beautifully decorated garden once more. She had to remember to make sure that once he was cured and awake that she'd ask Elijah to take her out on a real date. If he could plan this within a spell, she couldn't wait to see what he could do out there in the real world.

Elijah's smile fell slightly. "You've peeked."

She smiled and shook her head. "No, your sisters made sure of that. This is the first time I've seen it in person."

"The visions." He said a moment later as he remembered. He knew Elizabeth had been waiting for two particular visions to come. And if this was one of them, that meant that soon she'd really be leaving for that year just as he suspected.

She nodded. "The last one before I leave actually." She said as looked over at him. "The next one to play out will be me saying goodbye to you and Hope."

"How long do we have before that happens?" He asked wanting to know how long before he wouldn't get to see her for that time. He thought he had been mentally prepared with her leaving. Even after he and his sisters had spoke about it earlier that day, he thought tonight he would be saying goodbye to her. But now that he knew she really would be leaving soon, he didn't want to let her out of his sight.

Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders slightly. "Days, weeks, months. You know how random Jess's visions can be."

"Have you asked her too see any more?" He asked curiously. He wanted to know what she knew. He wanted to help her piece together whatever new information she received so she wasn't stressed over it. He knew now that all he had to do was ask and she would tell him about any of the visions she had seen from Jess.

"No, I haven't." She said shaking her head. "I'm sure that with whatever this year away will bring, I'll be able to handle it." Even though she knew there was that chance that she could ask Jess for another peek into what her future held, For the time being, she was content with not knowing. "But let's not worry about that now." She said looking around once more. "You've had the evening planned and I would hate to ruin it with talk about something I don't fully understand myself."

He nodded his understanding. That was the whole point of tonight. She was stressed about everything going on outside of the spell just as he had felt it earlier. This was supposed to help them relax. While he thought it had been for a goodbye, it was now them just spending time together.

Pulling out her chair for her, he watched as she smiled and took a seat before he took his own across from her. "How is Malakai and Veronica?" He asked as he popped open a wine bottle and poured the two glasses.

She sighed softly as she watched him pour the glasses. "Kai is..." She shook her head slightly. "Well he is Kai." She laughed at her own words that had caused him to smile at her. "As for Veronica, she's been kept busy between Vincent and myself."

Elijah handed her a glass and she accepted it. "I cannot wait to meet her." He said as he picked up his own glass. "If she is everything you've described her, she is one hell of a girl to mess with."

"She is definitely at the top of her training. Poor Josh is afraid of sparing with her for fear of having every bone in his body broken from one punch from the kid." Elijah enjoyed seeing the smile on her face as she spoke about Veronica. She was like a proud mother that was boasting about her child's accomplishments.

Their conversations continued on, them talking about anything and everything that did not include the spell, the cures or the future visions that would come. They spoke of future vacations that they would take around the world once everything was all said and done. The idea of being on their own for a while had been something they had been talking about for years now. But this time, they seemed to be planning out every detail. France, Spain, where ever it was that Elizabeth wanted to go and see with Elijah, he agreed right away.

He cared not for the past experiences he may have had in different countries. None of the memories he had of them would matter once he replaced them with the new ones that they would be experiencing together. With every thought of the future, they both could feel the bond between them growing in ways that words may never be able to explain. It was a feeling of warmth and love that couldn't be torn from either of them.

Once the last piece of fruit had been eaten and the last sip of wine gone, Elijah stood up from his seat and walked over to Elizabeth holding out his hand towards her once more.

"Is there more to see?" Elizabeth asked curiously.

He smiled and shook his head slightly. "Dance with me."

Her eyebrow raised slightly as she placed her hand in his. "But there is no music." She said as she stood up.

He shrugged his shoulders slightly as he pulled her close to him. "When does one actually need music to dance?"

"Point taken." She said smiling as she placed her hand on his shoulder as he began to lead her in a dance of their own.

Even though there was no music, Elijah moved them as if a song had been playing in that moment. One that would make anyone get lost in the song as their feet moved easily through the garden. Once in a while, Elijah would spin Elizabeth before bringing her back in to his arms. Every time he did a smile was plastered on her face that was simply contagious.

There was even a few missteps here and there that left them in a fit a laughter. For even two creatures, that had been as old as they were, had them as well in their moments of watching the other in the low lights.

Once the laughter died this time, Elizabeth leaned up and kissed Elijah, ceasing their movements. The kiss was slow and gentle, conveying everything that didn't need to be said in that moment.

They both had no idea how long that they would be in this current situation or anything else that may come in the future, but for that moment, nothing else had mattered but each other, keeping close and not wanting to let the other go just yet.

Pulling away from the kiss, Elijah placed his forehead against hers. His hand coming up to brush his knuckles against her cheek. "I love you, Elizabeth."

The words had been barely above a whisper but Elizabeth had heard them clearly. The man she knew who had usually kept those he loved at a distance had just said the words that expressed the feelings she had felt from him tonight and the past several visits.

She grinned up at him and placed her hand on top of his. "I love you, Elijah."

______

Elizabeth felt bliss when she arrived back in New Orleans. Even though Hope hadn't been awake when she left or even visiting them, there was a part of her that could still feel Elijah there with her. It left her walking into the compound with a smile on her face. That visit had been greatly needed and she wasn't sure how long she'd be able to go this time without seeing him again.

But as she walked into the courtyard, the strong scent of blood filled her nose. Her first thoughts had gone back to that damn dream she had months ago. But there wasn't blood covering any of the walls, or anything for that matter. She wondered who was currently raiding the blood supply they had with in the compound until she reached the center of the courtyard to find Malakai and Veronica standing there. Her eyes widened and her smile fell at the sight of Veronica being covered in blood.

"What the hell happened?" Elizabeth asked as she rushed towards Veronica.

"She's fine, Liz." Malakai said trying to reassure Elizabeth that everything was fine. "Its not her blood."

"Who's blood is it then?" Elizabeth asked worriedly.

"Humans." Veronica said with a sheepish nod.

Elizabeth's mouth dropped slightly as she looked back and forth between the two. "Please, please tell me you took her out of the city limits." She said looking over at Malakai. "And that they weren't locals."

"If I told you that, I'd be lying." He said shaking his head. "This was here on Bourbon street."

In that moment, Elizabeth swore she felt her heart stop. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. And if this was all true, everything was about to change.

#Forgotten Alliance #The Originals #The Vampire Diaries #The Originals AU season 3-4 #series #elijah mikaelson x oc

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demonphannie · 7 years

Text

dan and phil - july 2017

7/12

first week (1-7): crash bandicoot review from dan. wow phil tweets about crash bandicoot. more crash bandicoot tweets (when will they play for the gaming channel?!?!?!). thomas sanders is a darling and loves dan and phil. phil ordered pizza to the old phlat. dan and phil in YOUTUBERS REACT TO BTS (K-Pop). phil liked baby driver. new gaming video: DIL GIVES BIRTH! - Dan and Phil Play: Sims 4 #42. dan enjoys sharing with the internet that phil finds it stupid that dan wears a hoodie and his boxer briefs around the house. fourth of july pancake tweet #content. dan liveshow! (highlights: missing the america flight, people were doing shots on the plane, he pet a lot of dogs in la, cool fka twigs merch, dan basically just took a facebook pillow from vidcon without consent, dogs and babies make him happy, also asparagus, he doesn’t wanna give dalien to the aliens, lorde is good, also vince staples, he was nervous curling phil’s hair, dan is dumb and thinks yoi is queerbaiting, dan wants a grand piano). phil hates grapefruit. dan loves it when you call him danyul howul. phil bought a v v tall houseplant and also they have round walls. phil liveshow! (highlights: he thought it would be a smaller plant, jetlaggy, he feels a sore throat coming on, phil is not an iron man supporter, get on the right team, iron man is overrated, stop living in the past, fruity juggler, cat’s dog sigma is v v good, the next sims is a house decorating, baby driver was good, phil is a finger guns kinda guy, scary spider means it’s time to move, he took a quiz and he is a humanitarian, hamsters are my city). anthony padilla series pt i: Stop saying we look alike! (ft. Daniel Howell). marshmallow drinks from phil.

second week (8-14): london pride tweets from dan and phil ❤️💛💚💙💜. also dan is there in spirit and if i’m not mf crying right now??????? wow. new gaming video: STOP SEARCHING FOR THIS! - Dan and Phil Play: HIGHER OR LOWER. dan is the mom friend as confirmed by anthony. phil loved spiderman homecoming. “Does it count as half a press-up if I just lie on the floor?” inspirational quotes from phil lester. watch dan and phil play ddr it’s good. the rain is god peeing on you. new daniel howell video: Would you date THE REAL Dan? (what a loser honestly). phil gets emotional over undercover boss. dan realized that he was flirting with all his neighbors on tinder. phil liveshow! (highlights: he placed a plant behind him but it doesn’t usually go there phil lester is a fake, he isn’t sick as he thought, fruity boye, crash bandicoot playing with dan, it’s not vodka it’s water, going to wimbledon on sunday!!!!, appreciating tennis face, voting for what shirt he’s going to wear, dan thinks he looks like a white science teacher, the pug shirt wins, he’s happy dan is taking care of the houseplants, excited for game of thrones, ice cream floats are good, the lesters used to go to lagos every summer in the same house, portugal with the lesters stories, excited for stranger things, get someone that knows law to check your renting contract, phil is a unicorn hipster, he does a buzzfeed quiz, anthony uploading bloopers with dan is an excuse to leave). anthony padilla series pt ii: Stop saying we look alike! [BLOOPERS] (ft. Daniel Howell). dan and phil raised a lot of money for the red cross with the manchester shirts good job boyes! new amazingphil video/anthony padilla series pt iii: Anthony, Dan or a RAT? NATHAN ZED POSTS A PIC OF THEM TOGETHER WOW THANK YOU GOD.

third week (15-21): dan is back in his hometown acting like a fucking ninja. dan posts a really good pic of colin (the howells’ dog) and i would not only like to thank god but jesus as well. time isn’t real (source: AmazingPhil). dan and phil in YOUTUBERS REACT TO ODDLY SATISFYING COMPILATION #2. day in the life at wimbledon: dan posts a really genuinely super nice selfie thank you god, strawberries and cream selfie, selfie from the court, some nice shots of dnp at the game, also spotted in this video. phil is blocking out the GoT spoilers (and i guess dan is too). phil asks what the next season of dan and phil plushies should be and pastel wins (what the fuck guys why didn’t pajamas win i’ve literally be screaming). phil has laryngitis and dan weighs in for honestly no reason why does he keep trying to be noticed by phil. dan liveshow! (highlights: dan has social anxiety but he’s plenty confident, dan likes his youtube comments, big ant, he flirted with everyone in a kilometer radius so he literally was just flirting with his neighbors, that’s why he can’t leave the house, dan watched back phil’s liveshow to hear him say anal tampon, being back in wokingham was scury, wimbledon talks, they got there in a taxi in the special entrance and almost got arrested, dan loves pimms, jim and tanya were there, filmed a tomska sketch, dunkirk talks, philly is still sicky). phil’s voice is coming back! PHIL HITS FIVE MIL!….on twitter :/. fdjknvxc someone received merch that’s not released yet. phil liveshow! (highlights: it’ll be short because he was told not to talk, he went to the dentist, vocal range testing, hah what merch that leaked, fruit flies but no fruit, phil is the fruit). dan is a heckler. anthony padilla series pt iv: wtf am i doing (ft. Phil). new merch! backpacks and pastel edits poster.

fourth week (22-31): happy coaster via phil lester photography. dan is just stupid and thought he was stuck in a lift. new gaming video: ‘Stormy Ascent’ - THE HARDEST CRASH BANDICOOT LEVEL EVER (this is god tier gaming). twitter games with phil. dan is in a tomska vlog: Last Week I Got A Gun. new daniel howell video/anthony padilla series pt v: PSA: Stop Emo Shaming. guilty pup phil knocked down soundproof boards in the gaming room with his thicc ass. dan liveshow! (highlights: in the moon room, he doesn’t want to share the room with the internet because it’s not aesthetically appealing, mirror themed items, he wrote the emo shaming video in the car on the way to anthony’s house, dan waxes poetic about emo culture, phil cursing, he got rejected from mark and spencer’s, they are trying to do livestream gaming, unironic candle haul maybe, make a wish tomorrow, guild wars two things, myspace talks, he likes tyler the creators new album and i agree, likes new louis tomlinson, he’s a shorn sheep, they will get evicted like jake paul, diss track one of this best videos). cute make a wish pic. slime floor via phil lester photography. phil liveshow! (highlights: glasses, pupils dilated, floater in his eye, voice is back, shorn sheep, goth phil, drinking glasses are iridescent, he can hear his neighbor sneeze so they can probably hear dan screaming, nicole from make a wish beat phil at mariokart, parents are going to be in london next week to celebrate his mum’s birth, he doesn’t know london that much, phil has a clean sheet fetish, phil has an afternoon cookie and coffee fetish, he likes his red bomber jacket the best, also his nice suit for weddings, he hasn’t used his new red glasses frames at all, phil tried really hard to get the g note for dan’s video, he has a good visual memory). dan and phil appear in DARKIPLIER vs ANTISEPTICEYE (and accompanying bloopers). dan in tomska sketch First Contact (feat. Daniel Howell) (and accompanying bloopers). new gaming video: SOLVE THIS CRIME - Dan and Phil play: Layton’s Mystery Journey! phil’s review of dunkirk is good. hint to a sleepless night. new amazingphil video: A HUNGRY Sleepless Night With Phil. dan has to go to a meeting and not be in pajamas?! heresy. dan is a woman from olden times.

#phan #dan and phil #amazingphil #daniel howell #danisnotonfire #2017 timeline

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jinyoungs-hipsdontlie · 7 years

Text

a letter to you, jonghyun.

Hi everyone,

I’ve been hesitating and reconsidering alot regarding this but i felt the need to do it so here goes.

This is going to be my last farewell letter to Jonghyun. This is where i’m going to spill all my thoughts out on everything that has happened, in order for me to finally let go and heal from this situation. I didn’t intend for it to be this long, but i guess i really need to let it all out.

I want to finally move on from this. I want to get back to my usual self. It’s been terribly exhausting for me lately; emotionally, mentally and even physically.

And no, this is not the last time i will post about Jonghyun. But this would be the final one filled with sadness and grief. After this, i want to only post bright and happy memories of him, just like how i want to remember him forever.

NOTE: It’s going to be EXTREMELY long (2800+ words i never knew i had to express) and kinda triggering so i put it under keep reading. Please ignore and scroll past this post if you know you might be triggered. I really dont want any of you guys to hurt more than you already have.

[death tw] [suicide tw] [suicidal ideation tw] [depression tw]

. . .

And now i think, it’s time.

It’s time for me to finally let you go, my beloved puppysaurus.

Fly high and mingle with the stars and the moon up there. Feel the happiness and peace that you’ve craved and deserve oh so much. Take care.

I will always love you, Jonghyun.

수고했어요. 정말 고생했어요.

May your beautiful soul rest in peace. ——————————–

Sigh.

Where do i even begin.

This is so hard.

…It still hurts. Everything hurts.

Hearing that you took your own life broke me. Death, especially of a loved one, has always been my biggest fear in life. I lost a schoolmate back in September 2012 through suicide. And just last year in November 2016, i lost my aunt to suicide. And 5 days ago, 18th December 2017, i lost you, my first ever idol through the same horrid way. And that’s part of the reason why i think, that i felt the news of you leaving the world hit so close to home for me personally.

It opened up old wounds for me, and i thought that this time, instead of keeping strong and playing a facade, im going to let myself feel, to grieve and mourn and then recover. When i lost my aunt last year, i wasn’t able to grieve much. Because i had to stay strong for my mother who had just lost her beloved sister. I couldnt just stand and cry, i had to hold my mom’s arm and support her to walk during the funeral and prayers. So this time, i did not lie to myself that i was okay, because i wasnt at all.

The first 3 days. I havent been able to eat, just water and barely a few spoons of rice each day… eating so that i wouldn’t make my family worried about me. I havent been able to sleep well, just a few hours each day, because the image of you appears before me whenever i close my eyes. I couldnt even watch your videos or listen to your voice as it hurt too much. I couldn’t believe you were gone. I feel so lost, so empty, literally on autopilot mode.

But no, i’m not blaming you for taking your own life. I’m not angry at you, i’m not disappointed in you, i really have no negative feelings towards you. Because i know, that what im suffering now… is the tiniest fraction of how much you have. For how long you have been in pain and how much you hurt, i’m so sorry.

I’m sorry that you had to go through all this. I’m sorry you felt so alone even though you’ve been practically screaming it out to us. I’m sorry that the world was not your fate. I’m sorry for everything.

It pains me so much, to know that you had everything planned out. You, suffering in the dark, still continued being the kindest person through it. You had waited for your member’s birthdays to be over, you waited until your solo concert series was over, you left a meaningful song for us fans… to cope with the loss of a loved one, knowing fully well that we would need it after hearing the news of your death. You left a note for your loved ones, you even messaged your beloved sister before it all. You have always been so kind.

Reading that letter you left us, it broke me so much. I cant even find words to describe it because i never ever thought you have been in so much despair. I don’t advocate suicide or taking the life of ownself, but as your long time fan, i respect your decision. All i can say is, you did so well Jonghyun. It is indeed commendable that you made it this far, and you really did go through alot.

I can’t help but feel so sorry even though i know that there’s nothing i could have done. It just hurts to know it was so bad, so bad that you had to end it yourself since it was too much for you to handle. I cant imagine the feelings that went through you that day, when you knew you were going to take your life. Did you eat your favourite meal knowing it’d be your last? Were you crying or just all numb? I tried to tell myself not to think so much about you on that day, but i couldn’t stop myself from thinking.

Sigh.

The first three days was a nightmare. That monday evening, i cried so much. The initial shock and sorrow was too hard to handle. The news crashed down on me so hard.

On the 19th, i remember breaking down when i came home after class. I broke down bad, crying so terribly hard.

On the 20th, I attended a vigil that we had for you here in Singapore. It was one of the hardest thing i’ve ever done.

I tried to be strong, but seeing the other shawols at the florist also buying roses for you, i broke down. We all did. It was so heartbreaking. I had to fight so hard make sure i didn’t cry on the train as i made my way to the venue.

I think the only way i could describe the vigil; bittersweet. Approx a thousand people came, of all ages, to pay our last respects to you in our own way. The lightsticks, the flowers, the letters, the shawols who relied on each other and grieved together. It was all so beautiful, but it hurt so much.

I teared up when i was already in the queue. I held the lightstick and letters in one hand, and a red rose in the other. As i got closer, i brought the rose close to my nose. I took a deep breath, five times. Each time after i say a prayer for every member of SHINee. First you, then the rest by age order.

My walls finally broke, after i placed my flower near the picture of you and said a prayer. It was so hard. I couldnt stop the tears. And to the little angels over there who gave out tissues fo all of us who broke down, and giving free hugs to anyone in need, thank you. I cried in my sister’s arms. I’m not one who shows my tears infront of people i love, but this time i couldnt keep the strong facade. I had to let it all out.

Shortly after, we all gathered close, and sang the chrous of your debut song, Replay. I tried to keep my voice stable, but i couldnt help the falter at the end. Also, like what you wanted and what you deserved to hear, we all told you ‘수고했어요 - You did well’ in unison. I couldn’t help but break down again at that. It was really so difficult to face reality, but that vigil had brought me the slightest bit of acceptance. Im thankful for my chance to attend it.

And then Thursday.

21.12.17, you were finally laid to rest. With all your loved ones by your side, i hope those last moments were not lonely for you. You are so loved Jonghyun, you really are.

I woke up that morning trembling for some reason. I checked my phone, and saw that none of my alarms had rung. Puzzled why i woke up so early, i looked at the time. And realized that it was just 10 minutes before your funeral procession.

I had to be in class in an hour and i knew i couldnt bear to see or hear anything about your funeral so i immediately uninstalled Facebook and Twitter. But when i came home that afternoon, i told myself, that i should just see the pictures/watch the procession. Not to see everyone mourning or what so ever, but for the sake of closure. For acceptance. I think i needed it.

And so i did. And god, how much i cried. It broke me so much, i shook terribly while sobbing. It was the worst thing i have seen, every single second pained me. That was not the image i had when i said i wanted to see SHINEE has five again. What’s worse, Kibum’s letter to you was uploaded 10 minutes later. And damn, cue the tears again. He’s so strong and he really loves you so much, Jonghyun.

After crying for longer than i’d like to admit, i drank a glass of water and stared up to the sky. I gave a final prayer to you, for you to rest in peace.

A few hours later, strangely, i felt calmer. For the first time since your passing, i felt like i could feel you were finally in peace up there. I really hope you are. That evening, i managed to eat my first proper meal in 3 days. I guess i’m finally accepting it.

And yesterday.

I woke up and even though it hurt, i told myself i have to move on. I still couldnt eat properly and skipped meals but i managed to eat dinner? And even though i was still pretty empty and lost, i agreed to watch a movie with my sister at the cinema. I was reminded of you throughout and i did feel pangs of sadness, but i could still enjoy it slightly.

And last night, i managed to watch a video of you singing. I’ve seen it on my tumblr dash a few times and so i told myself to watch and listen to your voice again, instead of scrolling past. It was that video of you singing ‘This Woman’s Work’. Oh how much have i missed your voice! I would be lying if i said i didn’t cry, but i pulled through and watched til the end. The way you sang with all your heart, so beautiful, that’s the Jonghyun i have always loved.

Then after, I listened to your song, ‘End of a day’. I already knew my dams would break with this one so i got my tissues ready. And cried hard did i. But i was able to listen to the end, paying so much attention once again to the tones of your voice and how beautiful it is.

I don’t know how but somehow after listening to your voice, even though i cried through it, i felt much calmer and stronger. Sigh… look at you, even in heaven you’re still comforting me with your beautiful voice. An angel you really are. And last night after all that, for the first time this entire week, i managed to sleep well. For 10 hours straight. Call it wishful thinking, but im pretty sure it’s because i finally listened to your voice again. That calming voice which i love.

And today, a Saturday, i woke up to Jinki’s letter. Look at him, the world’s greatest leader. Even in all this chaos, he’s still so strong and reliable. He loves you so much, Jonghyun. And so does all your members.

I was also able to eat 2 full meals today. I drank more water than i had for each of the past 5 days. I also watched funny videos of you, Jonghyun. I washed my hair, did my usual skincare routine which i paused since Monday. And now, here i am, about to sleep, with a facial mask to use once i post this.

I think i’m coping better these days.

Jonghyun, i’m doing well right? Please tell me i’m doing well too. Please continue to give me strength and happiness from up above, to help me move on and be myself again, and even in the future. Please be my guiding angel, like what you’ve been for the last 8 years to me.

You’ve changed the colour of the moon and lamps to our favourite pearlescent aqua, you’ve given us so many signs that you’ve made it to heaven and the skies this past week, thank you for reassuring us fans that you’re doing well up there. Please look after us from above; most importantly, your mother, sister, the members, your friends and loved ones.

…..

I just want to let you know again, that becoming a fan of SHINee and even more, a fan of you, Jonghyun, is still and will forever be one of the best decisions i have ever made.

Do you remember that time i first heard SHINee? I saw a group of students performing Ring Ding Dong at a school event and thought it was great so i went to check it out.

Do you remember the time you made me smile and laugh so hard during Hello Baby? I watched the entire thing in 2 days on Youtube, it’ll always be my favourite, i can never forget you and your skinship with baby Yoogeunie.

Do you remember how i was so proud when you released your first solo album? It was amazing!

Do you remember how much happy tears i cried along with you and the boys when SHINee won Best Artist of the Year at Melon Music Awards in 2013? My heart was bursting with pride!

Do you remember how i went to Seoul in October 2015 and September 2017 and took a picture/selfie next to every standee or advertisement of yours i saw? I didn’t care if i looked weird or funny cos as a fan, that was a golden moment as i never was able to get that close to you.

And of course, do you remember how ecstatic i was when i heard SHINee was coming to Singapore for Music Bank in August and Shilla Duty Free Beauty Concert in November? Who cares how overpriced the tickets were… I was the happiest person when i got them!

Watching you perform and listening to your beautiful voice live not once but twice, is one of my happiest moments in life, and it will forever be.

…sigh… it sucks when reality hits me and i realize that i won’t be able to see you again, well not in this lifetime at least. But i can assure you, Jjong, that i will never ever forget you.

You may not be in the same form as me, but know that you are everywhere with me. In my heart, in my mind, in my music albums, in my phone’s gallery, in my old study notes that i scribbled your name, in my keychain hung on my bag, in my pearlescent aqua coloured portable charger and sweater, and ofcourse, in my beloved SHINee lightstick.

I love you and i won’t forget you.

…Before i conclude, i want to say thank you.

Thank you for being my first ever idol and my first love.

Thank you for making me smile and laugh til i cry.

Thank you for composing and writing such beautiful songs, your music as SHINee and as a solo artist has given me immense strength and happiness and comfort all these years.

Thank you for being an amazing role model, your actions/thoughts/words have inspired me to be a better person.

Thank you for being so strong all these years, and trying your best to fight the negativity.

Thank you for being the best son and the best brother to your mother and sister, your adoration and love for them are the sweetest thing ever.

Thank you for being the kindest, most loving and the most supportive brother to Onew, Key, Minho and Taemin; your love for them and their love for you have shown me what true friendship and family is.

Thank you for everything, Jonghyun.

And now i think, it’s time. It’s time for me to finally let you go, my beloved puppysaurus.

Fly high and mingle with the stars and the moon up there. Feel the happiness and peace that you’ve craved and deserve oh so much. Take care.

I will always love you, Jonghyun.

수고했어요. 정말 고생했어요.

May your beautiful soul rest in peace.

#personal #jonghyun #shinee #you did well #rest well my dear #i will always love you jonghyun

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jarienn972 · 7 years

Text

The Right Place - Chapter Two

Here’s the next chapter for this WIP. It’s a pretty long one with lots going on. Some mysteries will be solved while others continue to befuddle our heroes. I’m working on editing Chapter Three so hopefully it will be posted in the next few days. If you missed the earlier post with the Prologue and first chapter, catch up here:

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Also on AO3 and FF.net

Tuesday Morning, Storybrooke Sheriff's Office

David Nolan sat anxiously at his temporary desk, having promised his daughter that he'd help out with some of the duties at the station until Killian was found. Distraught as she was, Emma had once again turned to busy work to keep her mind occupied – leaving behind piles of paperwork which were now scattered across the desk before him. There were reports that needed to be uploaded and filed, bills that needed to be paid, bills that had already been paid, numerous pages of case notes that probably needed updating and one pile that the Prince had simply labeled miscellaneous crap. He really was trying his best to help her out, but his mind just wasn't focused on the task any more than Emma's would have been. He knew she was heartbroken. He knew she hadn't gone home last night, probably crashing on the sofa in the back office here at the station or perhaps camping out in her car parked down at the harbor so she could watch for any sign of the Jolly Roger should it drift into port.

The pirate had been missing for two full days now without any contact and the entire family was searching for anything that might provide a clue as to what had happened to him. He knew she'd tried several tracking spells that had failed and had attempted to ping the GPS locator on his phone, but that hadn't been successful either. The phone hadn't even registered a connection to a tower since he'd left Storybrooke - which wasn't entirely surprising out on the open ocean. He would have to be close enough to land and to a large enough population area to get a signal – and that was assuming he was still even in this realm. David, like the rest of her family, was attempting to remain positive, but he knew that there were grumblings around town fearing the worst. He knew he had to be a pillar of support for his daughter – remind her of their family motto – we always find each other. If Killian Jones was still alive out there somewhere, they would indeed find him.

He just had to keep those positive thoughts as he turned his attention back to the mess on his desk, eyeing the largest pile – his aptly named "crap" pile which was a jumbled mess of forms, receipts, faxes and stuff that Emma had printed out for one unknown reason or another. Most of this was just junk that could have been thrown out and that was something that David should have been doing but instead, when Emma walked in through the front door around 8:30am, she caught her father sailing a paper airplane toward a metal trash can placed under the front window and based on the wreckage of multiple aircraft littering the floor around the can, most of his flights hadn't reached their destination.

"Sorry," David smiled sheepishly, his entire face instantly flush with embarrassment that he'd been caught engaging in such childish behavior. He quickly crumpled the folded paper in his hands and dropped it carefully into the closest trash receptacle while she merely rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I guess I got a little distracted – and a little carried away…"

"I hope those weren't made from anything important," she scolded as he sulked over to the window to scoop up the rest of his crashed fleet and deposit all of the carnage into the wastebasket.

"Just a bunch of random junk. I don't even know why you kept some of this stuff…"

"I don't know," she sighed as she slowly made her way toward her office. "You can deal with the rest of that later. It doesn't need to be done today…"

"Okay," he replied, noting the defeated tone to her voice. "It's been a slow morning so far so I'll just get it done and out of your way."

"If you want," she offered, but clearly paperwork was far from her mind. "I'm going to grab a cup of coffee and then check in with the cell phone company again to see if they've managed to locate Killian's phone today."

"I'm sure something will turn up soon," he tried to encourage her, but in the back of his mind, he knew that was likely to be a fruitless effort as well so he simply left his statement at that.

She fetched her silver travel mug from atop her desk and made her way over to the coffee pot, thankful that her father had remembered to turn it on and brew the first pot of the day before he'd begun piloting paper airplanes around the squad room. She didn't really fault him though, she thought as she filled the insulated mug and snapped the lid back onto it, delicately taking her first sip and offering her dad a faint smile of approval that it was palatable. Mug in hand, she strolled back to her desk and plopped herself down onto her chair, letting it spin slightly while she attempted to relax her mind. If only that was as simple as twirling around in an office chair…

She'd scarcely had time to press the power button on the desktop computer when a shout came from the station's front door as it swung open widely.

"Mom! Mom!" Henry shouted at the top of his lungs as he allowed the door to slam closed behind him. He was clearly out of breath, his face beet red as though he'd just run the entire length of Main Street. Wondering what the emergency might be, both David and Emma sprang to their feet at the boy's sudden arrival.

"Henry? Whoa… Where's the fire?" David wondered. "Shouldn't you be at school by now?" His grandson barely acknowledged him, darting past the prince into his mother's office.

"I agree – why aren't you in school?" Emma asked, awaiting her son's response, quite curious as to what this outburst might be about.

"I was getting ready for school this morning," Henry began, breathlessly panting through every word. "I turned on the morning news while I was eating breakfast as part of a homework assignment on current events and I caught a piece of a story they were running about a man they were attempting to identify… A picture flashed onto the screen, and although I didn't really get a good look at it, something about it was very familiar…"

"Okay, kid, slow down and take a breath," she said, still awaiting the actual answer to her question. "Is there a point to this because if there isn't, you really need to get to class…?"

"There's definitely a point, Mom. I went to their website to see if I could find the whole photo because I was curious – and Mom, you really need to see it! Open up Channel 7's website – and click on the Local News link…"

"Channel 7 is a Portland station, right?" David queried, joining his daughter and grandson in the office while Emma humored the teen and typed the website address into her browser. When the page opened on the screen, Henry pointed to the hyperlink tab for Local News from their banner and she clicked on it. As the next webpage opened, she could already see the headline that Henry wanted her to find: Cumberland County Authorities Seeking Assistance in Identifying Comatose Man.

"That one," Henry stabbed his index finger toward the line of text on her screen. "Click on it. You'll see why…" Emma begrudgingly clicked on the story headline which opened a video clip from the previous night's newscast. The station's female anchor, stern yet professional, displayed little emotion as she read the story from her teleprompter:

In other local news, the Cumberland County Sheriff's Department is currently seeking the public's assistance to help them identify a man found yesterday afternoon on one of Portland's coastal islands. The man was carrying no identification, but he was found wearing some rather unique jewelry that authorities are hoping would be recognizable to his family and friends. This man may be a victim of a crime, so at the present time, we are unable to relay any photographs of him, but the Sheriff's Department has supplied us with a close-up photograph of the rings and pendant worn by their John Doe. If you recognize any of the items in this picture, please contact the Cumberland County Sheriff at the phone number listed on your screen.

A full screen photograph was then displayed with a phone number embedded into the bottom of the image causing Emma's jaw to immediately gape open. The items shown were unmistakable: three men's rings and a pendant featuring a skull and dagger.

"Those are Killian's!" she gasped, now instantly having part of the answer as to why her husband hadn't returned. He was apparently lying unconscious somewhere in Portland and no one there had any idea who he was. "Henry – thank you!" She exclaimed, reaching for the phone receiver and rapidly dialing the number shown on her computer monitor where she'd paused the video.

"Cumberland County Sheriff. How may we be of assistance?" the female voice of a dispatcher answered.

"Good morning. My name is Emma Jones and I'm Sheriff here in the town of Storybrooke, Maine. I need to speak with whoever is handling the John Doe case that was profiled on last night's news."

"Do you have information regarding the case, Sheriff?"

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do. It's highly likely that your John Doe might be my missing husband. The jewelry in the photograph from the newscast was what he was wearing when he left here two days ago."

"I see…," the dispatcher continued. "So that we can be certain that this isn't someone simply fishing for information, would you be able to provide a description of your husband? We've had quite a few prank calls already this morning…"

Emma knew the drill. They had to be certain she was legit. "Sure – I understand. He's 5 foot 11 with short, dark brown hair and blue eyes. He has numerous scars including a diagonal one across his right cheek and several tattoos, but his most obvious feature is that he's missing his left hand. Does that match the description you've got there?"

"Thank you, Sheriff. It sure does," the woman stated, now convinced that this was no prank call. "Let me get you through to Deputy McCallen. He's the primary on this case."

"Thanks," Emma replied as the dispatcher put her on hold for a moment, then she heard the sound of the phone ringing again as she was connected to a different number.

"This is Deputy McCallen," a new voice answered. "My dispatcher tells me you can identify our John Doe. She said your description was a definite match to our victim."

"Hello, Deputy McCallen. I don't know if your dispatcher told you but my name is Emma and those rings and the pendant from the photograph belong to my husband, Killian Jones. He went out sailing two days ago and hadn't returned."

"Killian Jones you say? We've tried everything to identify him but we couldn't find a record of his fingerprints anywhere."

"Yes, I know. That's a very long story… Would you happen to have a photograph of your John Doe's face just so that I can verify that it is definitely my husband?"

"I can email or text you one. Which would you prefer, Sheriff?" Emma quickly rattled off her cell phone number and seconds later, a notification popped up. She immediately clicked the file to open the attached photo, taking in a deep breath as her eyes fell on the bruised and swollen face of her husband. What the hell had happened for him to end up like this and hours south of Storybrooke?

"That's Killian," she replied with a sigh, relieved to finally know where he was, but with a renewed concern for his welfare because she had no idea what circumstances had led to this current predicament. "I don't know how on earth he ended up on one of your islands down there, but I'm so happy to know he's been found. I can be down there in about two hours if you'd have time to meet me and discuss the case?"

"I'll be more than happy to make time to meet with you, Sheriff. Why don't I meet you at Portland Medical Center downtown where they're treating your husband? I'm sure you're anxious to be reunited with him, although just to let you know, as of this morning, he still hasn't awakened. I'll call over and let them know you're on your way and of course that he's no longer a John Doe."

"Thank you, Deputy McCallen. I'll see you in a couple of hours," she stated as she hung up the telephone.

"So your pirate turned up in Portland?" David asked as Emma pushed away from the desk and stood up, tugging on her jacket while fishing her keys out of the pocket of her jeans.

"Looks that way. I'm going to run by the house and pick up a few things. Sounds like I might have to be down there for a few days. Think you can handle taking over Sheriff duties again for a while?"

"I've got things handled here. Go take care of your husband." David insisted.

"I think I saw the evidence of how well things were being 'handled' earlier…," she teased, directing a thumb toward the trash can while she playfully shook her head. "I'll call you as soon as I know more."

"Can I come with you?" Henry asked as he followed his mother out of the station toward her battered old Volkswagen beetle.

"That's probably not a good idea," she replied as she pulled open the driver's door. "You have school and honestly, I don't know how long I'll be gone."

"Please, Mom? I'm worried too and you could use the company…"

"Henry, until we know more, I think you should stay here. Besides, I don't need Regina getting upset with me over you missing school again. Let me find out what's going on and maybe we can work out something for you to visit later this week?"

"Okay…," he sulked as Emma climbed into the car. "I better get to school then…" Emma felt a little pang of guilt over the pained expression on her son's face but until she knew what was going on with Killian, it really was for the best that he stayed behind.

Portland Medical Center – two hours later

Of course, she really should have known better. Henry was far more like her than she ever wanted to admit and the boy had decided to sneak into the back seat of the Bug while Emma was inside the house packing a bag with clothing and necessities. She'd nearly run off the road when his head popped up in her rear view mirror as she'd turned into the highway. She almost turned the car around and took him back to Storybrooke but not wanting to make Deputy McCallen wait, she scolded him for disobeying and forced him to call Regina to explain his actions as soon as they reached the interstate. Stubbornness certainly was a Charming family trait… Regina agreed to let him stay the night, but stated she was coming to Portland to pick him up tomorrow since Emma had enough to worry about and the Queen was right - Emma herself was focused on just getting to Portland, disobeying more than a few speed limits during her drive south and she managed to arrive at the medical center ahead of Deputy McCallen.

She checked in at the reception desk to get visitor's badges for each of them although it took the receptionist a few moments to locate the room information as Killian's name hadn't yet been entered into the hospital's directory. He was still listed officially as John Doe, but his electronic file contained a note that Deputy McCallen had advised that the patient's wife would be arriving. The young lady then directed Emma to the sixth floor – room 627 – and advised her to ask for Jackie, the head nurse for that unit. Emma thanked her and as they made their way to the bank of elevators on the left, Henry gave her a reassuring pat on the back, trying to ensure that his mother kept a positive attitude. They'd found Killian and everything was going to be fine soon. She knew exactly what he was trying to express so as they rode up in the elevator, she wrapped her arm around his shoulders and while neither spoke a word, their intentions were clear.

Mother and son stepped out of the elevator when the doors parted on the sixth floor, searching for signage that would tell them which way to head. Henry spotted the placard on the wall first which displayed an arrow indicating that rooms 615-630 were to their left. Passing through a set of automatic glass doors, they arrived at a short corridor that led into a U shaped section of patient rooms surrounding a central desk. Each room in this unit had floor to ceiling glass windows with privacy curtains on the inside which could be drawn as needed but otherwise gave the nurses a clear view into each patient room. It took merely a quick glance around for Emma to determine that the only room with an armed guard seated outside was likely the one they were headed to, but she figured it would probably be best to introduce herself first rather than head straight into her husband's room.

"I'm looking for a patient of yours – Killian Jones?" Emma asked hesitantly as she approached the young nurse seated at the desk. "I'm his wife…"

"I'm sorry…," the nurse stammered, slightly startled by Emma's arrival. "You said Jones?" she asked as she scanned her list of patient names, not finding a match.

"Yes, Jones, but until earlier this morning, you had him listed as a John Doe… found on a beach a couple of days ago?"

"Oh!" the nurse exclaimed, a little embarrassed at the oversight. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Jones. We just received that notification about an hour ago so I do apologize that I hadn't yet associated his real name. He's in room 627 – right behind me."

"Thank you. I was told I should also ask for Jackie? Is that you?" Emma wondered.

"Jackie is my supervisor. She's been the one primarily in charge of your husband's care during the day shift with Colleen filling in at night. I'm certain she would like to speak to you about his condition. Let me page her..."

"Thanks. I'm not going to have any issues with getting past him, am I?" Emma asked, aiming her thumb in the direction of the armed guard seated just to the right of the door to room 627.

"Not at all. The Sheriff's deputy phoned this morning so we've been expecting you. Again, I'm sorry about the confusion with the name and all…"

The privacy curtains had been drawn across the windows to Killian's room so Emma couldn't yet see inside to get even a brief peek at her wounded husband. She managed a polite smile as the guard nodded to her when she pushed open the door, still slightly reluctant to enter. Even with Killian having been identified as a deputy sheriff, she was surprised to see a guard positioned at his door. There was a clear concern for his welfare and she was formulating a mental list of all of the questions she'd have to ask Deputy McCallen when he arrived, but for the moment, she let the butterflies in her stomach take over as she stepped through the doorway, the image from the photograph McCallen had shared earlier still clear in her memory. If she'd been aware that she'd been holding her breath, she might not have allowed the little gasp to escape her lips when she at last was able to see him with her own eyes. The marginal bit of information she'd been given before leaving Storybrooke simply hadn't been enough to prepare.

She hadn't expected to see him positioned on the narrow bed nearly sitting upright with a heavy blanket draped around his shoulders and chest like a cape. Only his hand and a few inches of his wrist were left exposed most likely due to the IV line that was taped there. A second matching blanket was draped over the lower half of his body which made her wonder if his body temperature was a concern. It was April in Maine after all and since she knew he'd been found out on one of the islands, she guessed he had spent some time in the frigid waters of the Atlantic. Almost unconsciously, she reached out to gently squeeze his fingers finding them slightly cool to her touch, but warmer than she'd expected.

Her gaze drew upward toward his face, taking in the sight of the deep eggplant purple bruise under his right eye that extended to the bridge of his nose. His lips, parted by the plastic breathing tube, appeared to be dry and chapped – another strong indicator that he had been exposed to cold temperatures. But she just couldn't fathom how he'd gotten here... Had he been in a shipwreck or had a storm swell thrown him overboard?

"Oh, Killian… What the hell happened to you?" she asked her comatose husband aloud as she tightened her fingers around his once again while raising her left hand to his face, tenderly cupping her palm around the right side of his jawline as her thumb grazed across the thick growth of scruff along his chin.

Henry remained standing stoically behind his mother, fully understanding how much she needed this moment. He considered excusing himself so she could be alone with Killian but he decided against it, preferring instead to just stay back out of the way, relieved that they'd found his stepfather alive yet wary of just how severe his injuries could be. They had learned from the news clip that he'd been found two days ago – the same day he had sailed out of Storybrooke harbor. Since he'd been listed as a John Doe, he must have been unconscious this whole time or they might have been able to ask him his name so while he knew his mother was elated to locate him, the circumstances were raising more questions than answers – answers they weren't likely to get anytime soon.

"You must be Mrs. Jones?" Emma heard a woman's voice ask from the doorway. She turned to see a petite ginger haired woman wearing faded floral print scrubs. "I'm Jackie, the head nurse for this floor. I've been taking care of your husband for the past few days and thought I could answer some of your questions."

"Yes, I'm Mrs. Jones. You can call me Emma. This is my son, Henry. We can't thank you enough for all you've done to take care of my husband – even when he was just a John Doe to you."

"It's all in a day's work, sweetie, and I'm so glad to finally know his name. We don't get a whole lot of John Does around here but I've handled a few where we never learned the victim's real name. It's a bit discouraging sometimes." The nurse smiled then briefly glanced at her watch. "I have a briefing in a few minutes but I'll try to answer your questions about his medical condition, but more specific details regarding the case might have to come from the Sheriff's department."

"I appreciate it. I spoke briefly with Deputy McCallen this morning, but he didn't really tell me anything about what happened. Could you give us a brief overview?" Emma wondered.

"Of course. From a medical standpoint, here's what we know: your husband, then John Doe number 3, was brought in by a Coast Guard rescue unit two days ago. He was hypothermic from immersion in frigid salt water and then from exposure to the elements after washing up on the beach. He showed symptoms of near drowning including mild cyanosis and fluid in his lungs. His body temperature was below 95 degrees when he arrived to our ER, but his lowered core temp may have helped save his life because it might have slowed his circulation enough to prevent him from bleeding to death…"

"Wait – bleeding to death?" Emma interrupted. "I see bruises all over his face but I don't see anything that would possibly have caused him to bleed to death? Wasn't he in a shipwreck or something?"

"You'll really have to speak to the deputy for more specifics, but your husband appears to have been stabbed. He suffered a single puncture wound through his torso from a narrow, very sharp object consistent with a long knife. It entered his body from just below his rib cage on the right side of his back then angled upward through his chest slicing through a portion of his liver and puncturing his diaphragm. Luckily for him, no major blood vessels were severed and surgeons were able to repair the damage. We've been working to get his body temperature back to normal and maintain it which is the reason for the thermal blankets. We've had some difficulty keeping it regulated so he definitely has a way to go - and of course there is still lingering fluid in his lungs which runs a risk of developing into pneumonia so we're keeping a watchful eye on him. With the damage to his diaphragm, his breathing is still compromised so we've kept him on the ventilator, but we're hopeful to have him breathing on his own soon. I've probably rambled on enough, but essentially, we won't know the full extent of the damage until your husband regains consciousness." The nurse paused for a moment to let Emma attempt to digest all of that information then glanced down at her watch once more. "I know that was a lot to take in, but did you have any questions?"

"Honestly, you covered most of it but I know I'm going to have a whole lot to ask Deputy McCallen when he gets here," Emma sighed.

"I'll be in and out periodically for the rest of my shift, then either Colleen or Penelope will be in later this afternoon. If you need any immediate assistance, you can have me paged or just ask Kelly or Judy, the other two nurses in duty."

"Thank you. I appreciate your time and all of the info you've given us." Emma tried to smile as Nurse Jackie excused herself, closing the door behind her. Emma now had a better idea of what he was facing, but they still didn't have the whole picture. She could only hope that Deputy McCallen would be able to fill in a few of the blanks when he arrived.

By this time, Henry had moved to take a seat on a chair by the window as the nurse's words had made it clear that nothing was going to happen for a while so he settled in for what could be a long day.

"Do you want me to text Grandma and Grandpa to let them know what we've found out?" the teen asked, pulling his iPhone and ear buds out of his pocket.

"Sure, kid. You're faster at it anyway," Emma replied as she began to lower herself onto the uncomfortable looking molded plastic chair at Killian's bedside only to be interrupted by a light rap on the door. Medical staff wouldn't knock so perhaps this could be the deputy who was running a little bit late.

"Sheriff Jones?" a voice called out as the door swung open slowly, a voice that was the same as the one she'd heard on the other end of the phone line this morning.

"Yes – come on in," she instructed, turning her attention momentarily away from her husband toward the uniformed deputy as he stepped into the room, trying not to comment on how much younger he appeared to be than what she'd expected. "And please, you can call me Emma."

"Thank you. I'm Deputy Aaron McCallen," he introduced himself, extending his hand toward her for a courteous handshake. "You're welcome to call me Aaron or just McCallen if you prefer. Everyone pretty much just calls me by my surname anyway." He grinned as Emma shook his hand, his dimpled cheeks making him appear even younger. She guessed he was probably in his twenties or at the most, early thirties which really wasn't much younger than she was but he didn't wear the strain of her more jaded existence. He stood at least a foot taller than her and wore his sandy hair cropped very short, almost military style. "I apologize for the delay but I was meeting with a colleague to gather some new information pertinent to your husband's case."

"It's alright," she insisted. "It gave me a few minutes to speak to a nurse so it all worked out just fine. She filled me in on some of the basics that our brief conversation this morning hadn't covered so I'm appreciative of this meeting to find out the rest of what you know about how my husband ended up in this hospital bed. I'm also really glad that my son, Henry, stumbled onto that newscast or we might still be searching for Killian."

"I'm glad he found it too," the deputy stated. "I'm glad we now know your husband's name, but there's still a huge mystery to unravel about how he ended up on the island before we can close this case. This morning, I was meeting with a colleague on the Portland police department as we're working on this as a joint investigation for the time being…"

"A joint investigation into what? Was my husband in a shipwreck or some kind?"

"No – not a shipwreck. Is that what you thought happened?" McCallen seemed understandably confused.

"Well, Killian was out sailing when he disappeared. I guess that was the most logical conclusion, but then I guess that doesn't explain the stab wound the nurse told me about."

"A shipwreck would have been a far easier investigation to sort out," McCallen sighed, glancing toward the window where Henry sat, headphones tucked into his ears as he tapped away on the tiny electronic screen. "Do you want to talk here or would you prefer to step outside?" he asked Emma, slightly uncomfortable about discussing case details in front of the teen.

"It's okay to talk here. It wouldn't be anything he hasn't heard before with his mom, stepdad and grandfather running the Sheriff department back home."

"Bit of a family business?"

"You could say that," she snickered. If only this young deputy knew the whole story…

"Okay – just checking. Why don't you have a seat while I fill you in on everything we know at this point?" McCallen retrieved a small, wirebound notebook from his uniform coat pocket while Emma finally settled down onto the plastic chair at Killian's side, feeling slightly awkward that they were about to discuss what had happened to him while he lay beside her unable to confirm or deny any of it. "As you know, the coastal islands here mostly fall under the jurisdiction of the Cumberland County Sheriff Department which was how I became involved in the case. I was sent out to investigate how an injured, unconscious man came to be found by the Coast Guard on one of our islands with no identification on him – further complicated by the fact that that our John Doe's fingerprints weren't in the system anywhere…"

"Yeah, Killian's a bit of an enigma. He doesn't usually carry a wallet and I really doubt you have the time right now for me to explain his lack of identifiable information in your database," her response came with an uncomfortable laugh that she hoped the deputy hadn't picked up on. "It's a very long story, but please, go on."

"Sounds like a story I'd like to hear some day, but I don't want to digress… Getting back to what we do know, yesterday, before releasing the photograph of your husband's jewelry to the news media, we also sent out a photograph of your husband to local county law enforcement as well as to some of the surrounding areas looking for any additional help in identifying your husband. I apologize that I wasn't familiar with your town of Story…" he struggled to think of the town's name so Emma helped him out.

"Storybrooke," she reminded him.

"Storybrooke," McCallen repeated. "I'd never heard of Storybrooke before so the alert didn't make it to you but our bulletin did generate a hit for facial recognition from the Portland PD – the ones I met with earlier today – who are investigating a robbery and hostage situation that took place the same morning that your husband wound up on the beach."

"You're saying that Killian may have been somehow involved in a robbery?" Emma was slightly dumbfounded at this new revelation.

"He was. I've confirmed that your husband was definitely there from the security video provided by Portland PD."

"How exactly was he involved?" she wondered, her mind racing with questions regarding what her pirate's intentions may have been that drew him into a robbery.

"From the accounts and evidence we have, he appears to have volunteered to allow himself to be taken hostage instead of the store owner," the deputy explained. "I'm heading over to speak to the proprietor myself later today to see if she can provide me with a better idea of how your husband ended up there in the first place to try and sort out the timeline of events."

"When did the robbery take place?"

"If we can believe the time stamp on the security camera footage, just before 11AM on Sunday morning. Portland PD's witness statements put the time between 10:30 and 11AM so we're pretty certain that the video is correct."

"And Killian was rescued from the island at what time?"

"We don't have the exact time that the fishermen spotted him, but Coast Guard Rescue received the call at 1:46PM."

"So the hazy timeline you're working with puts the physical attack – when he was actually stabbed - somewhere in those roughly three hours that are unaccounted for…" Emma thought out loud. "Killian sailed out of Storybrooke harbor about 6AM and ended up on the Portland waterfront about four hours later…"

"What kind of boat does your husband have?" McCallen queried. "One with a powerful motor?"

"One with sails," she deadpanned her response.

"Damn! He must have caught one heck of a breeze to bring a sailboat this far south in that amount of time. I mean, it took you two hours to drive it and sailboats aren't exactly the speediest mode of transportation…"

"It's a pretty good sized 'sailboat'," she chuckled, turning toward her husband and imagining the offense he would have taken to hear his ship referred to as a sailboat, but she also found herself wondering how he'd managed that much speed. "I just wonder what he was doing…"

"Does your husband make a habit out of going sailing alone?"

"He does. I guess you could say that it's his therapy. He's an expert captain and the sea was definitely his first true love…"

"Well, you've filled in a few more points on my timeline," McCallen said as he scribbled a few notes into his little memo pad. "Looking forward to getting some answers from him though." He gestured toward the unconscious Killian with his pen.

"You and me both," Emma sighed, reaching over to pat Killian's hand, remembering how happy she was that they'd found him and just how heartbreaking it was that he wasn't able to tell his side of this mysterious tale.

"I'm sure this hasn't been easy on you," the deputy said, his tone genuinely empathetic as he tucked his notebook and pen away. "I can't begin to imagine what the past few days have been like for your family not knowing where he'd vanished to."

"No, it certainly hasn't been easy. A whole lot of awful things went through my mind," Emma confessed. "Just looking forward to getting him safely back home now."

"Well, I'm going to get out of your hair for now. I've got a witness to go interview, but I promise to check back in with you later."

"Actually…," Emma spoke up as an idea suddenly popped into her head. "Would you mind if I tagged along? Professional courtesy or whatever?" She was slightly torn in asking, but she had her own questions – ones the young deputy might not think to ask and while she didn't really want to leave Killian's side, curiosity generally got the best of her and of course, there was no doubt that he would rather have his wife out there searching for whomever injured him than pining away here.

"I don't have a problem with it, Sheriff, but what about your son? I can't bring a teenager along to an interview…"

"I'll be fine here," Henry chimed in, clearly having been listening to far more of the conversation than he'd let on.

"If you think it would be okay with the guard and with the hospital staff, Henry could stay here so there would be a familiar face if Killian wakes up…," she suggested as she stood up. "I'd honestly rather stay here myself but my gut is telling me that we'll get more answers if I go with you."

"It's fine by me. I know Hank outside. As long as the kid stays in the room, he won't have a problem, but you might want to check with the nurses to see what they have to say," McCallen didn't really know what to make of this blonde Sheriff but she intrigued him. He had a feeling that she had a way of getting answers and admired the strength she displayed, not certain if he'd be able to even consider leaving his spouse's side if he'd just been reunited with them after days of being missing. Finding out what had happened to her husband was such a clear priority and it had the deputy smiling stupidly as she walked past him and headed out to the nurse's station, returning maybe a minute later to collect her coat.

"Okay, kid – you're cleared to stay here but should anything happen, you'll have to stay out of the way. You also need to stay here in the room unless told otherwise by security or one of the nurses."

"I'll be fine, Mom. I've got my phone, headphones and a charger. I can keep myself entertained," Henry insisted.

"Thought so. Call me if there are any changes, okay? We should be back in what – about an hour or so?" she looked over her shoulder at Deputy McCallen for confirmation.

"Um…yeah… I would say about an hour," the deputy stammered, not really certain how long the interview would take as he didn't really have a plethora of experience with these types of investigations. "If you're ready, we can head over to the witness' shop. She said she'll be there all afternoon and with traffic, it's about a fifteen minute drive from here."

"Okay – just a sec…," Emma paused as she tugged on her camel colored wool peacoat, lingering momentarily at Killian's bedside before stooping to plant a quick kiss on his forehead. "I'll be back soon," she whispered, hoping he was able to hear her. "Would love to see you awake when I get back." She then turned to Henry, giving him the same reminder that she'd return soon. "Do me a favor and give David a call? Let him know I'll fill him in on everything later?"

"I already texted him that message," Henry grinned, "but I'll give him a call too. I know Grandma's pretty worried." Emma nodded, agreeing that both of her parents were likely very worried since they still had so little information to work with and especially since after two days, Killian remained unconscious. She pushed back the lingering guilt as she really didn't want to leave him, but her inquisitive side was demanding answers and she felt she'd serve him better if she tried to obtain those answers instead of just sitting idly here.

"See you in a bit, kid. Don't do anything I would do," she said with a little grin as she stepped through the doorway following Deputy McCallen.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Mom," Henry responded as she left, realizing very quickly after she and the deputy were gone how eerily quiet it became. It wasn't totally silent as he could still hear the voices of people out in the corridor, but now that he was alone in this sterile hospital room, he felt a heightened awareness of the strange sounds coming from the abundance of machines and monitors that surrounded his stepfather – oddly equally unnerved and comforted by the unusual noises. It was weird and a little bit lonely – even though he wasn't technically alone. Killian was right here – just a few feet away from where he sat, yet at the same time, he wasn't there. He had no way of knowing if Killian could sense his presence – whether or not he now knew that he wasn't alone anymore in this strange city.

It certainly wasn't that Henry hadn't seen the pirate injured before. He'd had the unfortunate honor of watching Killian die twice for heaven's sake, but something about this was different. The boy sat there oddly transfixed by the unnaturally even rhythm of his stepfather's machine-aided breath and the consistent bleeps and blips that registered everything from his heart rate to blood pressure and other vitals that Henry couldn't even identify right now. It was all slightly surreal and there was a part of his mind that couldn't shake the thought that he could be sitting here watching his stepfather slowly dying yet again – all the while wishing that there was something he could do.

He finally broke his stare when he felt his phone vibrate in his hand with a message from Violet - a reply to his earlier text expressing her relief that Killian had been found. He responded with a promise to call her later when they had more information, remembering his assurance to his mom that he'd call his grandfather – awkwardly wondering for just a moment whether Killian might be bothered by him making a phone call.

Yeah, certainly nothing normal about this situation…

#cs ff #cs fanfic #cs fanfiction #captain swan ff #captain swan fanfiction #the right place

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fromtheringapron · 6 years

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Observations from ‘92 WWF Episodes of Superstars

After years of demand, the WWE Network has finally uploaded episodes of WWF Superstars, although not without a catch. They can’t yet upload any episodes before April 18, 1992, which is when the show’s named was shortened from Superstars of Wrestling to simply Superstars due to some legal wrangling over the “Of Wrestling” part. This date also happens to be just a couple of weeks after I was born, so please begin your conspiracy theories on how these two events are somehow related.

Regardless of the controversy, these episodes are a blast. Each hour is packed with the perfect amount of nostalgia and leaves you wanting more. Wrestling on Saturday mornings as a concept may seem like a such strange one to audiences in 2019, but there’s so much to these episodes that three-hour Monday Night Raws can certainly learn from. It’s also a nice glimpse into what the WWF was like in 1992, which was just as much a transitional year on-screen as it were a tumultuous one off of it. Allegations of steroids and sex abuse had damaged the WWF’s public image, familiar faces who’d been on the roster for the past several years were beginning to disappear seemingly by the week, and the wrestling business in general had entered a recession. Perhaps the biggest game-changer was the absence of Hulk Hogan, which caused Vince McMahon to start shifting focus to the likes of Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels.

I’ve been breezing on through these episodes as of late. They’re a sweet treat that goes down easy, like a tube of mini M&M’s. I’m up to July 1992 in my binge watch, and here’s the most notable stuff from them so far:

The WBF and Grade-A Beef

The first few months of episodes on the Network are stuffed with Vince hyping his failed venture into bodybuilding, the World Bodybuilding Federation. He can’t stop talking about the weekly show WBF Bodystars, the WBF magazine, and the upcoming the WBF pay-per-view special (which turned out to be a commercial dud and ultimately spelt the end for the organization). Worst of all, he refers to both his wrestlers and bodybuilders as “100% Grade-A Beef” which makes me vomit just thinking about it. Note to anyone: referring to any appendage on your body as any sort of meat is disgusting. Seriously, I get grossed out when dudes on Grindr refer to their piece as “beef.” It’s just not a good look. Interestingly enough, a few of the articles in the WBF magazine talk about the dangers of steroids, which feels like Vince desperately trying to deflect attention of himself. This also marks the beginning of the ICOPRO era and to be honest, all these years later, I still don’t know what the fuck Vince was thinking if he believed the kids in the audience would’ve cared about creatine.

Unscripted Promos

Each episode features cuts to the Event Center hosted by Sean Mooney, where the superstars give promos on their feuds, grudges, house show programs, plans to challenge Bush Sr. and Clinton in the presidential election, etc. The magic of these promos, outside of the excellent characterized green-screen backgrounds, is how unscripted and ad-libbed they are. In a time where superstars are now force fed lines from TV writers, there’s something about this approach that feels so refreshing in contrast. Truthfully, a lot of what comes out of these guys’ mouths is nonsense but, in a way, that’s precisely why it comes off more realistic. If a reporter held a mic to Tom Brady right after his umpteenth Super Bowl win, chances are that he’s not gonna give this five-star, ultra-rehearsed promo. He’ll probably ramble on a bit, give a vaguely satisfying answer, and move on. The characters and storylines are still campy as hell, but still feels like something within the realm of real-time sports. That’s exactly how this era works best.

The Fan Reaction Shots Are Everything

These episodes also unintentionally serve as audiovisual evidence of what human beings in 1992 looked like, in case you didn’t know. As with anything in the early ‘90s, there’s a lot in terms of fashion that still makes everything look like the ‘80s. The hair is still pretty big and teased out, the neon is bright and unrelenting, and you’re bound to find a few dads in the crowd with some pretty thick mustaches (and if there’s isn’t a mustache, you can except some thick-rimmed glasses instead). Crowd reaction shots are an underrated aspect of getting an angle or character to over to the audience. A more modern example would be that shocked, hapless Edvar Munch painting of a man when the Undertaker lost at WrestleMania 30. Here is no exception. I particularly love the shots of terrified children when Papa Shango walks down the aisle, most notably an adorable little red-headed child who looks like he just saw a ghost.

Cartoon Violence! Cartoon Violence Everywhere!

At some point during the early ‘90s, the WWF had successfully captured the feel of a darkly humorous comic book, and these episodes boast plenty of it. The Berzerker tries to stab The Undertaker with a viking sword! Rick Martel stealing Tatanka’s feathers and blinding him with cologne! The Repo Man hanging the British Bulldog! The Mountie shocking Sgt. Slaughter with a jumbo-sized shock stick! What makes these angles so fun is that they’re completely ridiculous yet manage to stay true to the characters. Of course The Repo Man wouldn’t just use a steel chair or any other ringside weapon on the Bulldog. Of course The Model would try to maim Tatanka while also promoting his signature fragrance. Sure, Lou Thesz wouldn’t have liked it, but you can’t deny it sells the characters to the audience pretty well.

The Papa Shango/The Ultimate Warrior Saga

And speaking of a darkly humorous comic book, the Papa Shango/Ultimate Warrior feud is perhaps the most infamous of this particular era in Looney Tunes hijinks. As you may know, this involved Shango putting a curse on the Warrior, which later caused the Warrior to spew green vomit Exorcist-style and have black goo drip out of his head. A visual feast, indeed. The craziest part is that none of this resulted in a huge blowoff on TV, which would be considered a cardinal sin in today’s climate. It was instead used to promote house matches between the two. Maybe they thought people in Fort Wayne, Indiana or wherever the fuck would attend their shows hoping Warrior would puke all over them? I don’t know, but I can’t help but the feel all of this was supposed to be some sort of artistic statement. Was this commentary on our collective ennui? A hard look at the appropriation of Haitian voodoo in pop culture? An obscure nod to the then-recent fall of the Soviet Union? Send me your thesis papers, grad students!

The Big Bossman Deserved to Get His Ass Kicked

The Bossman/Nailz feud has aged poorly. It was easier for viewers to gobble up the narrative the WWF were trying to sell back in 1992 but we, in 2019, know better due to the shift in rhetoric surrounding law enforcement and the abuse of power that system can often breed. If you’re not familiar, promos began to air in the spring of ’92 where a mysterious voice accused the Big Bossman of abusing him when he was in prison. The man later turned out to be Nailz, who then attacked the Bossman on an episode of Superstars and gave him an absolutely brutal thrashing.

And the Bossman deserved it. You see, for as much as Vince McMahon tried selling the Bossman’s innocence, there’s plenty of evidence supporting Nailz’ allegations. From day 1 of his WWF tenure, the Bossman loved to beat poor, defenseless jobbers with his nightstick and handcuff them to the ropes, even when he turned into a happy, smiley babyface. In fact, right before Nailz beats him up, he can be seen taking his anger out on a barely conscious jobber. It’s not that much of a stretch to believe he did the same to several of his inmates in Cobb County. And don’t even get me started on the Confederate flag on the Bossman’s sleeve, or else this post will take a seriously dark turn on the extent of his brutality and prejudice. When you consider all of that, is there any surprise this is the same man who killed Al Snow’s dog and crashed the funeral for Big Show’s dad later in the Attitude Era?

The Tornado’s Last Spin

I hate to discuss an even darker topic, but I was so stricken by how these episodes are essentially some of the last recorded moments of Kerry Von Erich’s career and, ultimately, his life. It’s often forgotten that he lingered on in the WWF until August of ’92. He was arrested for forging painkiller prescriptions in February, which led to his suspension from the company. He made his return to the ring two months later and would toil around on the undercard for the next four months before leaving/getting released altogether. It’s next-level tragic to watch him cut promos on repurposing his life toward God and his family, knowing he’s making allusions to all the trouble he’s found himself in. It’s even sadder knowing how much more trouble he’d find himself in before his untimely death, including a possible prison sentence that, had he served fully, wouldn’t have seen him released just a few years ago.

The Jobbers Are Ugly

This is going to sound mean, but the jobbers on these shows are not attractive men. I mean, seriously, some of these dudes look like they just got off their shift at the local liquor store before they hit the arena for their scheduled thrashing. I do wonder how much of this was a deliberate choice by the bookers themselves. You need guys who are going to make Nailz and Sgt. Slaughter look appealing by comparison because that only enhances their star power. The lone exception to this rule is Ron Cumberledge, who would be classified as a hunk in any decade. A true renaissance journey man.

Squash Matches Galore

Even if you’re only slightly familiar with the WWF’s old syndicated weekend shows, you’d know most of the matches were these quick squashes where a superstar would easily trounce one of the jobbers I discussed previously. Matches between name superstars would only happen occasionally on TV, as it this was still an era where those were kept to draw buys to pay-per-views and house shows. While it would be highly unrealistic for the WWE to just revert back to them 100%, and they still do them on the main roster occasionally, it’s definitely something they’d benefit using more. And don’t just give your top talent squares either. In these episodes, Virgil gets squash matches. The Bushwhackers get squash matches. Repo Man gets squash matches. Obviously none of these guys were key players or anything, but it still gave them TV time and wins under their belt. Imagine if they did that today for, like, No Way Jose or Dana Brooke. It doesn’t seem like much, but it goes a long way in building credibility to your roster.

So that’s that. Or at least for now, anyway. I’ve still got plenty more episodes to watch for 1992, and who knows? Maybe in the future the Network will upload episodes from 1993, 1994, and so on. In the meantime, I’ll go back to chilling out, binge-watching, and daydreaming about Ron Cumberledge.

#wwe #wwf superstars #wrestling #wwe network

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bigyack-com · 4 years

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With ‘Upload,’ Greg Daniels Takes a Leap Into the Great Unknown

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The new Amazon series “Upload” was in its final week of shooting last May, and Greg Daniels was chewing on everything he could get his hands on, including his hands. Time was waning, and the set — a convincing facsimile of a claustrophobic Queens apartment — was tricky to navigate. Daniels, the series’s creator, watched a monitor as the crew worked the tight spaces and the director shouted commands.He chewed his gum. Cut! — another take, please. He chewed his fingers. Cut! — let’s try again. He leapt from his chair, consulted the crew and came back chewing his thumb. Cut! — one more time for safety.“At least I get to sit back and let her direct,” Daniels said, nodding to the episode’s director, Daina Reid, which was maybe half-true. He had complete faith in his directors, he emphasized, but this was a passion project three decades in the making. There wasn’t much actual sitting back.“It’s hard not to micromanage,” he admitted.Perhaps more than “Parks and Recreation,” which Daniels cocreated, and more than the American version of “The Office,” which Daniels developed and oversaw, “Upload” is his baby, based on an idea he conceived as a writer for “Saturday Night Live” in the late 1980s.A sci-fi dramatic comedy set in 2033, in which the souls of the dying are uploaded to a virtual afterlife, “Upload” is also Daniels’s first major creation since “Parks” ended in 2015. And when it debuts, on May 1, it will do so in the wake of several other notable series focused on similar themes and issues. The pressure was palpable.“It’s been three and a half months of go, go, go,” Daniels sighed. “It’s been a little bit crazy.”As much as anyone in television, Daniels is responsible for a successful brand of TV comedy that feels as familiar now as it felt groundbreaking when “The Office” debuted 15 years ago. His half-hour, single-camera sitcoms, with their deep ensemble casts and tonal blend of cringey awkwardness and heart, offered viewers the easy reliability of the best multicamera comedies but without the one-liners and studio audiences.“Upload,” however, is new territory for Daniels. Gone is the hand-held, mockumentary aesthetic he is best known for. He took a more cinematic approach to “Upload,” which Amazon encouraged him to write as a single contained story. It is his first creation for a streaming service (his second, the astro-political satire “Space Force,” lands next month on Netflix). The plot — told over 10 mostly half-hour episodes that will drop all at once — is tight and binge-ready. The special effects are complex.It also has action. And a murder mystery. And cursing and nudity. And competition.“There are so many good shows,” Daniels said during a car ride between sets. Audience attention is strained, he said, so he packed as many of the things he likes into “Upload” as possible.“Part of the impulse here is to kind of do a genre mash-up — to have satire but also to have romance and the mystery,” he said. “There’s a lot to look at and a lot to think about.”

Heaven, for a price

People love the characters Daniels creates and writes — as in, actually love. The way viewers talk about Michael Scott and Leslie Knope, they might as well be real people. Pam and Jim could be a real couple. Put “Ron Swanson” on an election ballot, and he’d probably do OK.Along the way, the list of actors his series have turned into stars is impressive. Aziz Ansari, Mindy Kaling, John Krasinski, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt: All were relative newcomers before appearing in Daniels’s sitcoms. Fans of “The Daily Show” knew Steve Carell as a correspondent, but it was his role on “The Office” that catapulted his career.“Upload” has a sharper edge than Daniels’s earlier shows (including the animated “King of the Hill,” which he created with Mike Judge), but the cast has familiar qualities: charismatic, diverse, good-looking but approachable, and led by actors who have the glow of indwelling stardom but aren’t widely known.“I think that’s really exciting from a casting standpoint, is to find somebody and see how you’re going to break them,” Daniels said. “And I think there’s a pleasure for the audience in going into a show and being like, ‘I don’t know any of these people.’”One of them is Andy Allo, who plays Nora, a customer service representative at Horizen, a company that manages the virtual afterlife and its digitized human souls, known as uploads. (The reps function as the angels of this digital heaven.)In the series, Nora’s father, a religious man, is dying, and he hopes to join Nora’s deceased mother in the celestial afterlife, not some digital one.“It does bring in so many questions of your existence after death,” Allo said between takes. “Heaven, on this spiritual level, is what my dad believes in, but I work for this company that has created heaven.”Like today’s wireless companies (note the name), Horizen offers different data plans based on what families can afford. If customers exceed their limits, things get glitchy.“How darkly funny it is that you end up almost in a similar way and place that you were in real life?” Allo said. “It’s like pay-by-month” on the bottom tier, she added — heaven when you can afford it. “You get two gigs a month, and once you run out, you freeze.”Although Nora has dozens of other clients, she grows close with Nathan (Robbie Amell), a handsome young upload who took his charmed life for granted before he was critically injured in a self-driving car crash. Ambiguity surrounds the circumstances of his eventual death, drawing Nora and Nathan deep into a dangerous mystery.Meanwhile, Nathan is even more beholden to his rich and controlling girlfriend (Allegra Edwards) than he was before he died, because her family is financing his digital existence.“Being uploaded and essentially being owned as a human being, or as intellectual property, by my girlfriend throws a huge wrench in my life,” Amell said. “So although I get to continue living, it’s definitely not on my own terms.”To create the show’s complex mesh of realities, Daniels relied on multiple directors with prestigious, wide-ranging résumés. (Reid got an Emmy nomination for “The Handmaid’s Tale”; Jeffrey Blitz directed the Oscar-nominated documentary “Spellbound.”)Daniels was among them, directing two episodes including the 45-minute pilot. It is a rare role for him — “I am probably the worst director of the bunch that I have hired,” he said laughing — and “Upload” presents its own technical challenges. Dogs talk. Heads explode. Characters and objects (and useful body parts) appear and disappear.On an outdoor set, an actor whacked a nonexistent golf ball toward a green screen, then traded barbs with a patch of grass. In the finished version, the empty space became a hologram of another actor playing Arnold Palmer, who died in 2016.“The game just keeps getting harder,” Daniels said. “I shot the pilot, and then ‘Ready Player One’ came out. Spielberg is master of special effects, and he had, like, a 20-minute opening shot with no cuts in it, zooming through this world, going in and out of VR and the real world.”Thirty years ago, Daniels likely wouldn’t have measured himself against Steven Spielberg. But in the era of streaming and prestige TV, the competition had evolved.“I was like, ‘Oh God,’” Daniels said. “‘His one shot is like 20 times the budget of my entire pilot.’”

A convincing future

TV has become highly interested in post-mortem journeys of self-discovery, in shows like Amazon’s “Forever,” TBS’s “Miracle Workers” and Netflix’s “Russian Doll.” Daniels is aware of the micro-trend but doesn’t consider “Upload” to be following an increasingly well-trod metaphysical path.Ask about “Black Mirror,” and he is quick to tell you he devised and sold the idea for “Upload” well before the debut of “San Junipero” — an episode that won two Emmys in 2017 for its story set in a digital hereafter.Ask about “The Good Place,” however, and he is thoughtful to the point of appearing vulnerable. “The Good Place” wasn’t TV’s only comedy about the afterlife, as he noted. But it was the only one put out by his “Parks and Recreation” co-creator, Michael Schur.“I couldn’t believe that Mike had the idea for ‘The Good Place’ while I was doing this,” Daniels said. “I don’t watch ‘The Good Place’ because of the similarities. I don’t want to watch it.”Given the creators’ shared history, comparisons between the shows will be inevitable. Each is a high-concept comedy set in an afterworld with design flaws and equally flawed but charming staff. But “Upload” has a detailed and believable universe all its own.Perhaps its greatest distinguishing feature is the focus on technology and class. The tone is sometimes dark, not just darkly funny, and even frightening.Daniels said he’d wanted realism, a version of the near-future that was convincing and recognizable. A Tinder-like app lets people rate their hookups. Unemployment might keep you out of heaven.“For the pitch, I was referencing Kafka and Charlie Chaplin in ‘Modern Times,’” he said. “That’s, to me, why to do it, because it feels like it says something about income inequality and capitalism.”Traditional notions of heaven are about “both living past your body’s death but also, supposedly, some sort of fairness or ultimate reward for the good and the meek,” he added. “In this version, that’s not happening — it’s just the rich and capitalistic getting it.”That pitch had traveled its own Kafkaesque journey, metamorphosing as it went. Daniels conceived an early version while brainstorming “S.N.L.” sketches but ultimately decided to table the idea, and then later tried to turn it into a short story. During the writers’ strike of 2007-8, he took a stab at making it a novel. He didn’t pitch it as a TV show until several years later, selling it to HBO in 2015.HBO spent some time developing the concept, but then the executive who bought it left. Daniels resold it in 2016 to Amazon.“There have been other shows that dealt with the afterlife, but I think the way that Greg has designed the show is truly and fully unique,” said Ryan Andolina, the head of comedy at Amazon Studios. Andolina also bought Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s “Fleabag,” a favorite of Daniels’s, and he viewed “Upload” as another kind of auteur comedy. “Greg is very meticulous and specific, and had a very clear idea of what the show was.”It would’ve been easy for Daniels to make another network mockumentary, but he seems determined to push himself. “Space Force” will reunite him with Carell, who pitched him the show in July 2018, not long after President Trump announced his desire to create a new military branch of the same name.The Netflix series is not quite science fiction, though there are spaceships, and the cast and cinematic production signal a significant budget. Another thing it isn’t: a network mockumentary.“Mockumentary is terrific — it’s a really fun style,” he said. “But after nine years of ‘The Office’ and seven years of ‘Parks and Recreation,’ I don’t know, I felt like I wanted to do something else.”He paused, then laughed. “After dealing with this many green screens, I could see going back to mockumentary.” Read the full article

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