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nexility-sims · 5 months

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𝐍𝐎. 𝟕 ❛ 𝐡𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭 ❜ | AUGUST 1991

❧ 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 / 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 / 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 / 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭.

Trish Fitzpatrick wore many hats, but her favorite was “freelance journalist.” Her area of expertise grew directly out of myriad side gigs: what she called portrait pieces of interesting people. Outlets clamored for them—or, they had since she’d buttered up famous, neurotic opera singer-turned-starlet Prudence Boone into revealing she had a glass eye, a secret runaway daughter, and a hair-eating habit. Of course, Prudence was basically a stranger. They had once had a fifteen minute conversation on the deck of a yacht, bonding over the fact that neither actually knew to whom the vessel belonged. Prudence thought Trish’s outlandish suggestions were funny enough to remember her when she called to pitch the piece. It had gone the same way with Renzo. Of course, they had met while fighting over a scarf in a vintage clothing store. Trish considered letting him win to be a debt, one for which she would demand recompense at the ideal time. Opportunities passed, and then August 1991 proved to be the time.

❧ i got the irresistible urge to do renzo backstory, which was meant to be an outtake, but then i was like, "uh, no, this totally works as story proper if i put leonor in it," so here we are ! context and such. given the amount of work, this might be my magnum opus until further notice ... it was also just fun to do :^) checked off the sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll boxes ?? where's my prize. in conclusion, i love my white boy of the week or whatever

𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭 ↓

I grew up in a tiny town—Petunia. Petunia? You say it differently. It’s the country coming out, I guess. Not “pee-tyoon-ee-ah,” it’s “puh-toon-yuh.” Petunia. That’s it. So, how was it? Fond memories? In retrospect, maybe. I wanted to get the hell out of there from day one. What I remember is being very unhappy—dispositionally sullen, not just a pouty kid, but fully down and out. Born that way, probably. And your parents? My parents … Life had the upper hand, man. They were good at losing. I didn’t want that life.

My dad professed to be a traveling salesman—What, he wasn’t? I mean, he didn’t know jack shit about vacuums or whatever the fuck. I don’t know. But, he wasn’t around a lot, it sounds like? Gone for weeks at a time. Just me and my mom. How was she? Not really there either. When I got home from school, she’d pop her pills and be gone until morning. She wasn’t avoiding me; she was avoiding life. She did what she had to do in the mornings—you know, I had what I needed, the bare essentials—but she was checked out. You had a lot of unsupervised time, then. Oh, did I. Too much. I mean, I had books to read, and I got into music early—From her? No. My dad’d blow into town and bring pity gifts. Not kid-appropriate shit, now that I think about it. Heavy, gritty stories. A guitar I was too little to use. Flip lighter. But, you know, I was a kid. I wanted to run and play with everyone else, too. Of course.

Here’s the thing: it was hard to be a scrawny kid named Lorencio in Petunia. Shit, I can imagine. What was that like? … Hard, like I said. Well—Details? I got the shit kicked out of me. Regularly. What do they call it—um—“school of hard knocks”? Yeah. I remember, one time, I limped home on a Saturday. Mom was out of it, but she leapt up when she saw all the blood. Cleaned me up. It’s like I’m there now—in that bathroom with the dirty tile, her burning me with peroxide … She didn’t really talk, you know, not in a serious way? But she did then? She said, in Uspanian, “‘Don’t roll over for anyone.’” Interesting. So, that’s the lesson? Part of it. I realized that summer it didn’t matter if you were scrawny, if you talked funny, if you were poor. What mattered was not being a pussy. [Laughs] Oh, yeah? If you want credibility, if you want respect, sometimes you gotta be able to take a beating. Don’t roll over. That’s right.

I think it also helped when the growth spurt hit. You must’ve still been scrawny. [Laughs] String bean. So it goes. Adolescence . Now, you grew up fast, is what I’ve heard. You could say that. My life changed when Marty got out of lock-up—Sorry, what?—for “teen offenders”; he set his grandparents’ car on fire—oh, I see, regular kid shit—Uh huh. We hit it off. He introduced me to other guys, including Jesse. They’d huff gas together. Oh my God. Not whippits? Sure, but less convenient. That’s—No good, yeah. Fun though. Have you—? I’ve tried everything, Patricia.

Jesus! So, Marty and Jesse…? We got on like a house fire. [Groans] They were into petty crime for the thrill of it—Now, Renzo, is arson petty? He did it one fucking time. Everyone overreacted. They got into trouble for fun, and for you it was—? Money. Not a lot. I was too dumb to consider the risks. But, you did other things for money, too? Don’t say it like that. I wasn’t hooking. [Snorts] I worked a lot. I was cutting school to work, getting paid under the table, all of that. Maybe—hear me out—some of it was thrilling for you, too? I won’t tell anyone. [Chuckles] What can I say? Credibility.

I feel like I’m mischaracterizing … I love Marty and Jesse, to this day. Jesse’s daughter is your godchild, right? Yeah. Marty went back to Petunia in … ‘88? Jesse and I had better luck, or maybe we were just more desperate. Either way, my point is that delinquents get a bad rap—With good reason! Sure, okay. Both of them were deeper and more complicated than that. You’re not an outlier. No. We’re a dime a dozen. No one gives them the chances you got. Uh huh. So, we bonded over that—feeling down and out, like I said, but also the fact that we loved music. Marty’s family had money, so they’d bought him a nice bass guitar. But, Jesse’s mind … He’s so fucking creative. He wasn’t a reader, but I could tell him about something I’d been chewing on, and he’d have a song inspired by it within the hour. He has an incredible voice, too. He does.

I guess it’s not surprising that you guys did what you did. There was nothing for us at home, you know? Packing up and heading out west didn’t feel like a risk. And your mom understood that? Better than anyone. I know people judged her—shit, I judge her, too—but I always knew she was trying. That’s sweet. Is it? I mean, I think so … She met my dad at a bus stop three weeks after she arrived in the country and made the mistake of getting off at his stop. That’s it. That was her crime. Well, I’m sure she’s doing better now, huh? She lives in a nicer house in a nicer city, but that doesn’t cure depression, now does it? I suppose not. There was this woman whose lawn I’d cut all the time … A real bitch, but she was extra nice because she felt bad for me. Hated my mother. I think she was just jealous because my dad was her high school sweetheart. Isn’t that just how it goes? Damn foreigner stealing a real catch from her. [Scoffs] Sticky fingers when she invited me inside for lemonade—cigs and quarters from her purse, Valium from the cabinet, that kind of thing. [Laughs] Casual. It was pretty brazen, honestly. Fucking dumb kid.

Alright, so, you come out here with Marty and Jesse to make music, and now you’re a serious actor with a name and a big career ahead of you. How’d that happen? It was completely accidental. While we waited for a record deal, I did odd jobs, like auto work—you know, in a body shop. It was decent. Had you worked on cars before that? So, I got familiar, uh … [Chuckles] We’ve established I was a rascal. We could get under the hood of a parked car and make a few dollars off parts. I can get you in so much trouble, Renzo! [Laughs]

Don’t tell anyone, come on! I was a kid. Have a heart. I guess it paid off. But, alright, body work? What’s the connection? It’s kind of convoluted. When business was slow, the guy I worked for loaned his employees out to another mechanic. This guy, long story short, brought me along to assist him on a movie set. I guess he was a known quantity? Everyone knows the right guy! That’s everyone’s explanation for where they end up. Me, too. Uh huh. I don’t know why they let me do it, but—Somehow it worked out. Yeah, it did. Right place, right time.

You’re in the spot. How did you get into it, though? This is embarrassing as hell but, fuck it, I’ll be honest. Please. Don’t stop now. [Chuckles] I got a shot because I’d been chatting up this girl who, as it turns out, was the director’s kid—or, in fact, she approached me. I had no idea who she was or why she was there. Of course she did! That’s not surprising, is it? I think I was the most disinterested person there. I don’t know. Anyway, we talked a couple times, then—out of the blue—someone asked me if I wanted to hop into a scene, say a line, ten seconds flat. She did that for you? I don’t know what she did. No one mentioned her. Maybe she thought you looked like a movie star. [Snorts] Fuck. I hope not. Did you want to do it? I wanted to make music. I wanted to finish reading my book. I wanted … I mean, I said yeah. Can’t decline that. Makes a good story, right? What happened with her—? Oh, hell. Sorry! Moving on, for now. [Groans]

I got a call several weeks later about an audition. How did that feel? Bizarre. We’d done a demo for a producer once, but this was different. Were you excited? I was terrified. But, I went. Didn’t get that part, although everyone was perfectly nice to me. How disappointing. You always remember your first … But, hey, you have to look at it this way: I didn’t want to be an actor. I thought it was cool, but it felt like … ? Go ahead, give me a good metaphor. Like when you’ve been craving your favorite food, but then someone offers you a helping of something different, new, appetizing. How’s that? Passable. C-plus. [Laughs] Fuck you, Pat.

Okay, so the road didn’t end there. No, it didn’t. I got another call, and that one went well. This was for … Sugar Sweet? That’s the one. Cornball, but I love that movie. Never seen it. What! How is that possible? You were in it. You went to the premiere screening. There are pictures. Saw my first scene, excused myself to go piss, didn’t come back until the applause had started. Wow. Everyone has opinions about that movie these days—very contentious, whether or not Alicia was in the wrong when she left me and stole my lifelong dream. What do you think? Me, Renzo? Good for her. I thought it was kind of bitchy. It’s peculiar how many women say that. I wonder why … ! Billy’s so dreamy. Please, ask me about something else, Pat. So, this romantic comedy is your launching pad. It leads to the television show. The television show blows up immediately. Walk me through what that felt like?

Also terrifying. I really cannot emphasize enough that I didn’t want attention. I wanted money and time to support my music, and acting seemed like a good way to do that. Just didn’t account for the side effects. Like fame? Uh huh. I was a nobody in Sugar Sweet, and the pay was shit, but it felt like a miraculously good deal at the time. What it did is put me in the running for more serious work. I think, even then, sometimes the casting folks were hesitant to take a risk on someone with no experience whatsoever, even if they had—A spark? Talent? Sure. It was unsettling, the idea that I was some kind of “natural,” and I compensated by working really hard. Well, you’ve established yourself as a hard worker. Sure. I guess they saw that—the improvement, in addition to the fact that I had a resume to speak of by then. Or, eh, they saw that you were pretty. Right, of course, you don’t need talent if you have Teen Mag’s favorite cheekbones. [Snickers] I joined a cast with other people who had very little experience, and we bonded over that. I just didn’t expect to be … What, the center of attention? That, yeah.

You know what’s fucking weird? Huh? Signing your name on a picture of your own face that belongs to someone else. That they’re going to take it home and pin it to their fucking wall or frame it on their bedside table. Someone’s kid treating you like their school crush, blushing and shit while they’re asking for you to do it. That does seem like a strange experience. Over and over again. Teenyboppers, goddamn. You were in the magazines for them. I read a couple interviews. No the fuck I was not. I did not do those. No? What they do is take quotes from actual, consented conversations and stitch them together for their own use. It’s legal. That’s fascinating. Maybe I should try that. Less work. [Laughs] Yeah, alright, flush your “exclusive access” privilege right down the toilet.

But, look, I’m not disparaging the fans wholesale. That’d be unfair. And, ouch, ungrateful? Yeah. The initial couple years were fucking insane, but I was with people I liked, and a lot of the fans we actually met were … Normal? Uh huh. Not a hysterical, handsy, screaming blob. You got grabbed? Groped, Pat. Oh boy. We don’t like grabass, I guess. Well, hold on now, just not like that—You keep sidetracking me. What kind of interviewer are you? I’m having fun with my buddy! Sue me. [Chuckles] You got it, baby. What was I saying? The fans? Yeah. The ones we met one-on-one were cool, usually. They had deep thoughts about the show, you know? Ideas about the characters, the plots—filled in holes in the shitty writing. No offense to Jack and Reuben, I hope! Don’t print that, Pat.

If I’m being honest, having to answer their questions made me think deeply about the role. That’s stayed with me. I don’t like being walked up on in public, but sometimes it’d go fine. The first time someone came up to me in the wild, her mother looked so fucking apologetic that I decided, “Cool it, don’t be a jackass.” She wanted to talk about the book I was buying. Same thing would happen to Frank, Perry, Vicky. How about the show itself? That was a three year commitment.

It was alright. In retrospect, I understand that television isn’t for respectable actors, which made the transition hard. Harder to have been on a show for teenagers. But, you made that switch in Uspana. So, did that play into the calculus at all? I lucked out, in the sense that the show was co-produced, and I got to do the dubbing for the Uspanian version. I wasn’t a total unknown, even if they thought my Uspanian was shitty. Is it? Losing an accent is hard, in my defense.

When my contract ended, I hit the road. You didn’t think about staying on? I thought about it with horror, yes. [Laughs] You’d keep shit-talking the whole production if I let you. Maybe. So, in Uspana? It was like exhaling for the first time in a while. I did nothing for a couple months. All that hard work, being a beloved TV star … Throw me a bone, Pat. But, anyway, I didn’t even see my mom’s family again for a few weeks—You knew them, though? Yeah, we’d met, during the press trips. Beach life by yourself. Luxury.

You know, I needed to reconnect with myself. That’s how I felt. I felt like I had been an imposter, then I felt like I had to be someone I wasn’t, and now … You could go a different way. A fork in the road, for your career. Your life, really. Right, yeah. I went to Canarís like any good tourist. I had more money than I’d ever had in my life. I had no plans. Sounds like a dream. It was.

Crucially, I was out of my mind most of the time. Kite high. So fucking high. I swear I almost drowned twice, at which point it was politely suggested that I stop using the pool. Did you politely agree? Fuck no. [Laughs] Troublemaking aside, I ended up taking phone calls, making plans with people—Industry people? Yeah. There were people I knew already, but meeting the ones I really wanted to work with happened kind of organically—parties, premieres for other films, cafes. At the Morningstar Cafe in Canarís? Right, exactly. Same way I ended up finding The Den. Someone at the cafe had worked with Karolina Teague, and she took me there one evening after we all got tossed out of some poor son of a bitch’s house. Sounds rowdy. Can’t blame him. It was after midnight. And? Well, it was a lunch that’d started at eleven in the morning, so. [Chuckles]

So, I have a question. You’re pretty consistent—in terms of behavior. “Behavior?” [Snorts] Yeah, okay, I understand. What was that like, with cameras on you? The photographers in Uspana definitely aren’t less aggressive. That’s part of it. I don’t know if I’d call it an epiphany, but I left Canarís for Nakawe with the understanding that I was going to just do what I wanted to do. Oh boy. Within reason, fuck. Reason. Sure, yes. You didn’t feel like a dumb kid anymore. I mean, I guess I have more fun with the camera guys here. They can get away with more, ergo, so can we.

I distinctly recall you got arrested for—I barely touched that guy or his fucking camera. Did him a favor, if I did. Dogshit quality device. [Chuckles] Not sure he saw it that way, but the charges were dropped. I mean, don’t get me wrong, shouldn’t have reacted that way. I kept thinking about my mom seeing those pictures … The one time I got picked up, she backhanded me in the middle of the station, right in front of the cops. Jesus. In the car, she goes, “If you get caught again, I’m going to rip your ears off.” Empty threat, I guess.

The Den—I want to talk about that. Please, let’s. Your first time there? It was with Karolina, like I said, and there was a local band playing that night. They’d wrapped up their set by the time we arrived and were just … jamming on the stage, taking feedback and requests from the people who were still there. Some kind of funky jazz mash-up. I liked it. How did it come to you? It opened in ‘57 as a bar and, at some point, it turned into more of a music venue open to a certain segment of Nakawe. The guy who owned it gave exposure to a lot of people who went on to really do something with their art, and that’s why it ended up being a somewhat exclusive spot. Celebrities already knew it and brought their friends. Uh huh. I could stroll up, and the cameras weren’t with me because they were already there. He got tired of that, I think—He was an older fella, right? Yeah. But, really, he managed other properties, and The Den wasn’t his passion project the way it’s become for me. So, you had the money and took it off his hands.

What goes on in there? [Laughs] Pat, you’ve been inside. Well, not for me! If I’m going to describe it to people who’ll never go inside, what would I say? I mean, it’s a hangout spot. It’s a performance venue. We had, uh, mimes last month. Truly gifted, those people. [Laughs] Really? I don’t come up with all of the ideas myself, but I only agree to the shit I’m interested in. It’s kind of selfish, but I guess I’m lucky to know a lot of people who’ll toss in five dollars to enjoy it. It’s something. Compelling. I mean it. Thanks. That’s not all, though. I mean, you describe it as a “haven.” It’s very private. Some of your regulars are troubled individuals. Damn, Patricia, just say it. I feel like a cop! “Do you condone drug use in your establishment?” nonsense. But, well … I’m not explaining it. Either you—they, whoever the hell—get it or don’t. Come for the music, come to unwind however you like, doesn’t fucking matter to me as long as you’re coming with an invitation. I like to go in the back room, close the door, let the music and noise seep through. Muffled. You don’t really strike me as a partier, frankly. You never have. I wouldn’t argue with that. I like parties, but I don’t need to be at the center. Some do. That’s fine. This place is for us all.

Maybe it works out because of that, that you’re curating this space but not necessarily always in it? What do you mean? Well, you reopened it and then, if memory serves, immediately went off to do a film. The party kept going. You just like to know it’s happening. Alright, sure. That’s true. Knowing it’s there … Yeah. I like it. I was in that back room, thinking about the script, when I decided to do it, actually. Life felt like it was falling into place. It was a good time to take a leap. “’You are going to be a cowboy?’” “’No, I’m going to be a farmer.’” I had that conversation a thousand times. Reporters, man. Hey! Everyone was so surprised. I think they thought the premise was … I don’t know, that it just wasn’t something I would want to do? Or, worse, that the filmmakers wouldn’t want to work with someone like me? Unflattering assumptions, sounds like. Can’t blame them. I had a lot to prove. Still do.

How was six weeks in Texict? Fucking heaven. I loved it. My mother’s from the northwest so, even when I visited family, it wasn’t anywhere close. No reason to visit until we dropped in to do the film. Every day, I woke up happy to be alive. Happy to be doing this job. Gorgeous. I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess it wasn’t just the location, was it?

No, you’re right. I felt like I was really acting—for the first time, seriously. Maybe the cast helped? I’d worked with established actors before. The leads in Sugar Sweet were—well, you know who they were. I learned a ton from them. But, yeah, I guess Sasha was the first person I’d worked alongside who had me sweating. Oh? I wanted to impress her so fucking badly. I wanted to keep up, you know? So talented. So raw. She rips every line out of her chest with her bare hands. Bloodbath of emotion. The premise was new, too. Not a lighthearted romance this time. No. We were young parents of a ill child—stressed as fuck, trying to make life work, struggling separately to be together. Can’t lie, I ate that shit up. So did the critics. Hell yeah.

Every nomination felt surreal. The recognition was incredible. Validating. Sasha and some of the others swept up. I was just honored to be up there with them, honestly. Okay, well, let’s talk about Sasha. Do we have to? Yes. Indulge me! [Grumbling] I mean, all I can really say at this point is that I was obsessed, and it wasn’t until it was over that I had the clarity of mind to really wonder, hm, “Was I in love with Sasha, my coworker, or was I in love with Sasha playing Lucy, my wife?” That seems like an occupational hazard. I wouldn’t describe it that way. You take sensitive, delusional, beautiful people, pay them to get vulnerable and intimate with each other … It’s special, even if it’s … Not genuine? No, it is that. It’s not real, but it is genuine. How else can you say, “Well, our schedules don’t line up anymore, but I’ll have this scar of our initials forever?” You do not! No, I don’t. The letter S is really hard to cut without fucking up. Not a sober man’s idea. No.

Since I have you on the topic—hey, no, absolutely not—I’m obligated to ask if there’s anyone in your life right now. How’s that? Women’s magazines can snap this up and stitch it together for themselves. This is a public service. Patricia … Yes, Lorencio?

Look, I know you do your research. I do. I’m very good at it, too. What’s that like, princess pus—Pat. Pat, I’m begging you—Are you obsessed? The letter L is easier, I bet. It is. Would you go with another L or an R?

I’m not talking about this—not for you to print, anyway. Well, talk to me as a friend, then? I’m not just professionally nosy. We’re friends? Who else calls me Pat and gets away with it? You haven’t been Trish in a long time, it’s true … [Sighs] Fuck. Someone can be precious, right? Lovable. You can hold them in your hands and think, “This person matters to me. They’re special. I like to be around them; I like to listen to them; I want their affection.” You can really, genuinely cherish someone.

But? Maybe you find their life to be completely fucking repellent. Unbearable. … Damn.

There’s parallels, though, right? I mean, fame is fame, there’s got to be value in relatability, and—There’s an open mic going on downstairs in the hotel bar right this minute. Let’s take a break, Pat, what do you say? Let’s just go watch some of it. I’ll let you print dick measurements and my deepest, darkest secrets if you say yes. [Laughs] Well, if that’s on the table—

#just gonna toss in a cw #cw drugs #long post #ts4 story #sims story #sims 4 story #royal sims #simblr #ts4 legacy #1992.story.post #1992.a1 #1992.e04

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starsandhughes · 1 year

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Penalty Box— Jack’s Birthday Edition

SERIES MASTERLIST

this is so short i’m sorry

yourusername

liked by jackhughes, lhughes_06, and 8,643 others

yourusername happy our birthday to my soulmate, my ex husband, and most importantly— my other half! we’ve been stuck together like glue since the first day of kindergarten and i don’t know who i would be without you. growing up with you is obviously the best thing to ever happen to you, because you turned out to be a pretty sick ass human being (you’re welcome)!

i remember back in kindergarten when we first found out that we have the same birthday and were so excited because we were so close. we decided that it means we had to be best friends forever! sorry that i later upgraded my best friend to the better model (i’m not sorry)!

in all seriousness, howdy rowdy, i’m so thankful to have you in my life. you made our move to michigan less scary than i thought it would be, and i wouldn’t have survived if not for you. you’ve always been so special to me. i’m so proud of you! i’m so proud of what you did this season, and i’m proud to call you my brother.

part of jacky’s birthday present was some wonderful news, and he has kindly demanded that i share it with everyone! when i am changing my name after mine and trevy’s wedding, i will also be changing my middle name to rowden. it was mom’s idea! she said she loved the idea of twins having the same middle name, and since we do have the same birthday, and i’ve been inducted to the family, i asked her if i could change my middle name. to my delight, she said yes! (he cried when i told him, which made me cry, which made mom cry, which made quinn and luke cry, so the family was really a mess tonight!)

p.s happy birthday to my favorite rookie, wyatt johnson! please score on quinn next season <3

i love you with at least 90% of the atoms in my body❤️ happy birthday!

tagged jackhughes

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jackhughes i love you, too soulmate❤️ your post won’t be as sentimental! (we didn’t cry!)

yourusername bitch <3

jackhughes yes <3

trevorzegras (yes they did)

_quinnhughes @/trevorzegras (nobody asked)

_quinnhughes you choose some amazing pics, sissy

yourusername you should listen to the advice on the last one!

_quinnhughes jack is not a baddie

yourusername it’s our birthday! we’re baddies, you jurassic bitch

_quinnhughes best friend contract!

yourusername birthday clause!

jackhughes @_quinnhughes ✨suck it✨

user52 THE PHOTO OF Y/N, JACK, AND QUINN AS KIDS SJSKSJAK I’M CRYIN

njdevils we thank you for these jack photos🫡

yourusername anything for my fans <3

user28 SHE’S CHANGING HER MIDDLE NAME😭

_alexturcotte hey um… y/n, our love, WHY WAS I CUT OUT OF THE SEVENTH PHOTO

yourusername you pissed me off last week

_alexturcotte I APOLOGIZED! AND THIS ISN’T LAST WEEK!

yourusername calm down, you big baby

jackhughes fight! fight! fight! fight!

colecaufield @_alexturcotte ✨suck it✨

user33 happy birthday!!!

user18 i always forget sissy is a stars fan

trevorzegras must be nice

jackhughes she doesn’t let us forget

_quinnhughes she doesn’t let me specifically forget

yourusername @/trevorzegras @/jackhughes @_quinnhughes cry. babies.

user09 i cry every time y/n reveals more childhood stories

lhughes_06 i’m offended i wasn’t in the childhood pictures

yourusername in my defense… you were infant so we weren’t cool like that yet

_quinnhughes yeah, moosey, gosh

jackhughes somebody’s self obsessive

lhughes_06 i hate all of you

yourusername those teenage hormones of yours are wildin

lhughes_06 @/yourusername i hate you most

jackhughes @/lhughes_06 don’t talk to your mother that way! it’s mother’s day!

user54 i want what y/n and jack have omg! happy birthday!

john.marino97 what? no photo creds on the first pic? (ps happy birthday hughesy!)

yourusername psa to everyone: johnny m wouldn’t leave jack and i alone one night at the hotel and he stalked us and took the first picture! but i love it, so no harm 0.5 foul!

john.marino97 0.5 foul?

jackhughes @/john.marino97 congrats, man! you got off easy!

john.marino97 thank you?

trevorzegras @/john.marino97 now you’re catching on!

#penalty box series #penalty box series: bonus editions #jack hughes #jack hughes imagine #jack hughes x reader #trevor zegras #trevor zegras x reader #quinn hughes #luke hughes #jack hughes au #cole caufield #alex turcotte #john marino #nhl imagine #hockey imagine #jack hughes insta edit

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axelsagewrites · 1 year

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Jamie Tartt*Phone Call

Pairing: jamie x f!reader

Day three: phone sex with Jamie Tartt – even though he loved to play the long nights away from you were almost impossible to bare so he often found himself hitting call at late hours of the night

Word count: 1226

Warnings: phone sex, teasing, nude pics/sexting, dom/sub vibes, sex toys, vibrator, nipple play, smut 18+

Masterlist Here

Kinktober List Here

Jamie didn’t know how to handle this. You’d been sending him pictures all weekend. It was the first time you’d not been able to make an away game and Jamie didn’t know what was worse; not being able to touch you or the fact he knew with each snapchat notification you’d sent another, but he couldn’t check. Not yet at least however the moment the match was done, won by Jamies frustration and libido, he soon rushed to his hotel room.

“Whatca think you’re playing at luv?” he said as soon as you picked up on the second ring.

You giggled from the other end of the phone from where you sat in your shared bed which felt empty without him, “Whatever do you mean sweetheart?”

“Think being a tease is so funny huh?” he asked, his voice lower than usual as he collapsed into a chair and began going through the snaps, you’d sent him. Jamie groaned when he saw a pic of you in his jersey from behind, back arched, and ass proudly on display. It wasn’t long till his hand slipped beneath his shorts. “Not gonna be laughing when I get home are you,” he said, palming his boner through his boxers.

“Oh yeah?” you smirked, your bratiness evident even through the phone, “How not?”

“Not gonna be able to laugh when I’m fucking that pretty lil mouth of yours,” Jamie said, slowly jacking off through the boxers, “That’ll wipe the smirk off those pretty lips,” he said, his voice darkening as he slipped his hands under the final layer of fabric.

“Maybe I’d like that,” you teased, your hand slipping under the sheets unbeknownst to a very wound-up Jamie. Your fingers trailing up your wet slit before finding your clit, biting your lip lightly as you rubbed slow circles.

Jamie groaned, his head falling back as he desperately tried to keep his grip on the phone, “Bet you would as well. Shame you’re only all talk on the phone,” he said, and you knew it was true no matter how much you would deny it, “Don’t get all shy now princess,” Jamie said, slowing his speed so he didn’t blow already like a teenage boy. “You touching yourself?” he asked and imagining the way you’d be blushing right now.

“Maybe,” you stuttered out, your hand pausing as Jamies chuckled.

“Good girl,” Jamie said, his voice deep as he sped up his pace yet again, “Wish it was me touching you though. Why don’t you use that little present I got you last week?”

Even without him here you could feel your skin heat up. You quickly found the sleek pink vibe Jamie had got you as a going away present. For a moment your mind wandered, remembering how he had tested it out on you that night, “You still there love?” his voice snapped you from your thoughts.

“Um yeah was just looking. Found it,” you said as you started to turn it on.

“Uhuh,” Jamie chuckled, imagining how you looked right now and grinning when he heard it buzzing, “Now be a good girl and let me hear what it can do,” he said.

You shivered at his words but did as you were told. You whined when you trailed it up your pussy, almost whimpering when it grazed over your clit, “Fuck you sound so good,” Jamie said, his own hand speeding up, “Bet you look even fucking better,”

“Not as good as you,” you said, trying to sound seductive but the whimper only made Jamie laugh.

“Doubt that love,” he said thinking back to all the cute little outfits you had sent him, “Whatcha wearing?” he asked.

You glanced down at your choice of clothing and smiled lightly, “One of your jerseys,” you said, and you could hear him suck in his breath over the phone, “and nothing else,” you added, smirking slightly at the way he groaned.

“Fuck baby you’re killing me here,” Jamie moaned, feeling his cock get even harder if that was at all possible at this point, “Why don’t you turn that thing up yeah? You’re too quiet baby,” he said, his voice low. Without questioning you’d press the button, and a quiet moan left your lips, “Cmon baby,” he said, smirk evident through the phone, “don’t be shy baby, let me hear you,”

His words send shivers up your spin as your legs tightened around the vibe, holding it in place with your thighs so your hand could sneak up your shirt, “Fuck Jamie, I miss you,” you whined, rubbing your hardened nipples and wishing it was his hands instead.

“Miss you too baby,” Jamie said, feeling his orgasm building up after too many pent-up nights, “Miss your fucking body. Those perfect tits of yours. can’t wait to get back to you. can’t wait to fuck you. fuck I’m not even gonna be able to make it to the bedroom,”

“Yeah?” you asked, closing your eyes to imagine everything he was saying.

“Yeah,” he said, doing the same, “Never know might just fuck you right there on the couch,”

“Then what?” you asked.

Jamie groaned, head rolling back as he tried not to finish as he spoke, but little did, he know your own orgasm was soon building as you began to squeeze your nipples, rolling them between your fingers like Jamie liked to do, “Then I’m gonna take you to the bedroom. Tear off whatever skimpy little thing you’re wearing baby. Then fuck you till the sun comes up. You still touching yourself?” Jamie asked, snapping you from your daydream.

“Yeah,” you said, your voice coming out more like a moan as small moans kept escaping your lips, “Think I’m gonna- “you started to say before you were cut off by your own moans.

“Turn it up,” Jamies voice was husk and commanding and when you tried to say you couldn’t he almost snapped, “Do it,” he commanded, “Cmon you’ve been so good for me so far. I know you can do it baby,”

You whimpered, your hand slipping down to press it one last time. “Fuck,” you whined loudly, the vibrations sent shocks down your spine, your body twitching as your orgasm quickly approached.

“That’s it baby,” Jamie coached, his own hand speeding up as he chased his own release. “Fuck you sound so fucking good right now,” he groaned.

“I can’t wait any longer,” you whined, your eyes clenched tightly shut as you felt ready to explode.

“Then don’t,” Jamie husked, his hips bucking up into his own hand, “Let go baby,” he said, and his words toppled you over the edge. You didn’t try hold back the filthy moans leaving your lips as you came from just your boyfriends voice but as you were coming down from your high you heard Jamie reach his, muttering curses over and over until you assumed he was done.

Jamie looked down at the mess he had made, making a mental note to add it to your punishment list for when he got back, “You okay babe?” you asked, slightly panting as you caught your breath.

“Have I ever told you how much I love you?” Jamie said, making you laugh as you pulled the covers around yourself.

“I love you too baby,” you giggled and for a moment missing him became slightly easier.

A/N: had to repost this since it never uploaded for some reason yesterday so sorry for the wait for anyone following my kinktober

Tags: @angelbarnes-rogers

#jamie tartt #jamie tartt imagine #jamie tartt smut #jamie tartt x reader #jamie tartt x you #jamie tartt x y/n #ted lasso #ted lasso imagine #ted lasso smut #ted lasso x reader #jamie tartt fanfic #kinktober

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harlowtales · 11 months

Text

Jack doesn’t like his girlfriend is one of the guys.

Friends Series: Fic #1

18+ drama/romance ❤️

“Babe, if you don’t mind, can you please go in the room and chill while the guys are over.” Jack asked in his most polite way.

“Dafuq? No.” You protested. “They’re my friends too!”

“Um…I’m pretty sure they’re my friends.” Jack corrected “Besides, I see on all my boy’s IGs what you be getting up to when I’m gone.” Jack was referring to all your shenanigans with his friends whenever he’s out of town or on tour. He should be happy you became so close to everyone that you were now one of the guys, but you were too close for his liking. It was hard to get a night with you alone. He was used to keeping his girl and his crew separate. He didn’t want to seem insecure and say anything. You would get mad and his friends would clown him.

“Ok, I’ll go hide.” You pouted and as the doorbell rang you went to your boyfriend’s bedroom to watch a movie and babysit his new puppy.

“Sup bruh” they said one by one as they filed in and took their rightful places on the couches in front of the big screen TV. Each of them claimed their favourite controller and got ready to get right down to business. After some bantering Sunni remarked “I’m hungry bro, where’s the snacks?”

“You mean where’s y/n. She makes the best snacks.” Ismail said looking around for you.

“She’s in the room with the puppy.” Jack said “I’ll get some chips and beer.”

“Ah hell naw.” Copelan said in disbelief “y/n makes the best nachos and chilli fries. I was craving those.”

“Yeah go get y/n man. Dafuq you got her locked up for? She can’t say hi?” Phil protested with the others. “And I’m fucking starving.”

One by one they all complained that you weren’t hanging out with them and feeding them.

“Calm down y’all should’ve ate before you came here.” Jack said grumpily heading to the kitchen.

It was getting late. You and the puppy were dozing off and you could make out the commotion happening with the video games. You decided to put her in her cage to sleep and went to take a bath before bed. You were disappointed that Jack really seemed to want you out of the way. As you soaked in the bubble bath suddenly the door flew open and Druski stumbled in completely wasted. He thought he was in the hall bathroom. You jumped and cried out as he scared you.

“Oh shit!” He exclaimed

“WHAT THE FUCK??!” You said as you scrambled to cover yourself with bubbles.

Jack heard you cry out and immediately ran to see what was happening. “Babe??!” He said as he rushed to the scene. By the time he got there you and Druski were killing yourselves laughing about the whole incident.

“This reminds me of that time at the hotel in Lexington remember?” Druski said holding his sides he was laughing so hard.

“I know!! That was so hilarious!” You exclaimed. Jack was glad you were ok, mad his friend almost saw you naked, and pissed you guys were sharing a memory he wasn’t there for.

“Fuck is wrong with you!” He yelled at Druski “Get the fuck out of here bro.”

“Yo chill man. I thought this was the hallway bathroom.” Druski explained wondering why Jack was so mad.

“Naw you always on some shit.” Jack said hurting his friend’s feelings. Druski walked away and went back into the hallway to find the right bathroom. He then decided to go home. Jack had killed his night.

“Enough of you hanging with them without me.” He said turning now to you and folding his arms scowling.

“Ok Jack. I won’t hang with them when you’re not around. I swear.” You said and burst into tears. Why was he being this way? Seeing him so upset was really upsetting you. You didn’t even fight him on it as you normally would. You just wanted peace. You wanted everyone to get along.

Jack softened and knelt down by the tub to talk to you. “Baby….I gotta tell you something.” He said sullenly “I feel insecure about my boys maybe liking you too much. I don’t want anyone to take you from me.” He said taking your wet hand. “All the reasons I love you…I’m afraid one of them will really start feeling you, and when I’m gone, you’ll get lonely and there it happens.” Jack confessed.

“Jackman. I love you.” You said for the first time. There was no denying it, and you could see now was the time to say it.

“You do?” He said, a smile starting to creep back on his face.

“Of course I do silly.” You said ruffling his beautiful curls getting them wet. You shared a deep kiss with him and he was tempted to slide behind you in the tub, but the video game was winning the contest for his attention.

“Mmmmm hold that thought.” He said as your lips parted. “I gotta kick Urb’s ass, plus you gotta dry off and feed these MFs because if you don’t they gone tie me up and raid the kitchen.” He threw you a towel and headed back to the living room.

You got dressed in your PJs and walked into complete chaos with Jack trying to give Urban a wedgie. Everyone stopped and looked at you as if they’d never seen a woman in their lives.

“Y/Nnnnnnn!!!!” They exclaimed and toppled you piling on you on the couch. “Y/n save us, we’re fucking hungry.” Phil begged.

“K…but first you need to get off me.” You said. They had become your annoying big brothers.

“Chili fries and nachos anyone?” You said excitedly

“Fuck yeah!!!” Copelan cheered.

Jack called Druski to come back and apologized for yelling at him. He came up behind you in the kitchen and engulfed you in a hug.

“You ok?” You asked him

“You’re the best y/n. I’m sorry” he said looking into your eyes now.

“That’s ok Jackman. I would never fuck any of your friends for the record. As weird as you are…they’re fucking crazy town.” You said making your face up funny sticking out your tongue.

“Yeah they’re fucking insane.” He said looking over to the living room where Phil was now trying to hold down Copelan and fart on his head.

You sank into a long kiss and Jack started feeling on your butt. “Eewwww get a fucking room.” They all said in mock disgust, throwing popcorn at both of you.

“You’re making a mess!” Jack said flying into full dad mode. “And I don’t see anyone using a coaster. That’s a marble table!” He scolded and left you to deal with his band of monkeys he called his best friends.

You giggled and admired how close they all were and felt like the luckiest girl in the world to be one of the guys.

@heavyhitterheaux @jacks-daycare @itsyagirljaz @ride4harlow

#jack harlow #fanfic #romance #jackman thomas harlow #hip hop #jack harlow fanfic #dramatic #jack harlow smut

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harveybwabbit92 · 4 months

Text

[Akari is trying to convince everyone else that Zoffy is hypnotized, after Jack noticed he was acting a bit odd all day. Akari gets one look at him, and remembers an incident involving a patient and some mutant plant spores, Said patient thought they were a hummingbird three days! until the Hypnosis wore off. Of course no one believed her when she said Zoffy was hypnotized.]

Akari: Deeply hypnotized subjects are very suggestible and have very little inhibition. Zoffy, do me a favor. Close your eyes. Please.

[Zoffy closes his eyes]

Akari: Now, relax. Don’t tell me, but think about it. Think about the one thing you wanna be doing right now. You can do anything you like in the whole universe. What are you gonna do? I want you to open your eyes and do it.

[Zoffy opens his eyes there's an excited gleam in them as he gets up and kisses R/n in front of everyone.]

Akari: Oh, yeah. That’s what I’m talking about!

Taro: Whoa.

Man: Okay, he’s hypnotized.

Akari: It was probably from those plant samples Hikari asked me to bring back from home; one of the containers probably wasn't sealed properly or accidentally unsealed while Zoffy was inspecting it.

Seven: Will this effect Zoffy's job in anyway? Not that I care, I just don't want to be stuck on desk duty all day.

Akari: Well, considering how cognitive Zoffy was being during that training exercise earlier- I'd say it's nothing to worry about.

R/n, Still in Zoffy's arms: Yeah…um, Good to know what’s up! N-now try and unhypnotize him?

(Zoffy nuzzles R/n causing her biolights to turn pink.)

Akari: That’s something I can’t do. You’re just gonna have to wait until it wears off.

R/n: How long will that take?

Akari: Well if it was a weak level exposure, about 24 hours! Have fun!

R/n: H-hey, wait a minut-eep!

[She feels a tug looks behind her and sees a pouting Zoffy holding onto her cloak. Akari, the other ultra brothers take off, leaving R/n alone to deal with Zoffy; who followed her around all day like a lovesick puppy!]

=======

[Zoffy bought R/n her cloak when he noticed she seemed uncomfortable walking around outside in her new form, he tried be subtle about it. But it was very obvious to everyone (aside from R/n) That Zoffy had been the one who left her the mystery gift on her desk; seeing as they both share his office and Zoffy is the only other person aside from R/n (And Father) who knows the door override codes.]

#S: the mentalist #ultraman incorrect quotes #tokusatsu incorrect quotes #tokusatsu #ultraman #ultraman hikari #ultraman jack #ultraman taro #ultrawoman oc: Akari Yuri #ultraman zoffy #ultraman zoffy x reader #afab reader #cyborg reader #ultraseven

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cinebration · 2 years

Text

Come Back To Me (Jack Russell x Reader) [Part 3]

You and Jack catch up.

Tagged: @lucy-sky, @faeoftheapocalypse, @theconsultingdoctor10, @starfirette, @bitchyglitterfox, @thefandomqueenuno, @scarlettsoldier, @russell-ed, @xasement, @stand-with-cap, @marvelenthusiast10, @supermarvelgirl15, @mobiusismyfav, @killeromanoff, @hawkins-2000, @fangurldayandnight, @liv-victoriano, @randomchick546, @g1m2g3, @gingermous, @howlingco, @vynsvision, @jwjeepers, @rellasnowheenim, @yelenas-lova, @nyrovia

Warnings: mention of blood

Gif Source: timothydalton

You gaped at him, too surprised to speak. Jack folded you into a hug, careful of your stomach, and drew back to peer into your face.

“I didn’t know if you would make it,” he said, herding you into the apartment. “I didn’t know which hospital they took you to, so I couldn’t check.”

The apartment was sparsely furnished, the furniture probably purchased at a Goodwill or some other discount store. Despite this, it was slightly messy, as though a storm had strewn things about or a dog had bounded through, massive tail sweeping everything into scattered piles in its wake.

Jack picked up a few newspapers and magazines from a chair and deposited you onto it, pulling the opposite chair close. The man’s understanding of personal space seemed lacking, but then again, he had gotten your blood on his hands and had probably glimpsed a bit of your insides. How much more personal could he get?

“Hi,” you managed to say, your brain on a five-minute delay.

“Hi,” he answered back, smiling wide enough to see the delightfully uneven curve of his teeth. “I’m so glad to see you’re better.”

“Yeah, me, too.” You shifted on the seat and winced.

He frowned. “Are you okay?”

“I’m not one-hundred-percent yet.”

“But you are getting better?”

You nodded, unsure how to handle the earnestness in his tone. The sincerity with which he spoke sent shivers through you, as though such genuine honesty was anathema to your being.

“I’m glad to hear that.” A look clouded the bright sunshine of his face. “Oh, where are my manners? Would you like something to drink? To eat?”

You almost laughed. “Uh, no, thanks.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.” Leaning back in his seat, he merely looked at you, his lips stretching into a wide smile. “I can’t believe you’re here! I was thinking about you.”

You frowned, something strange constricting your chest. “You were?”

“Yes, of course.”

He offered no other explanation, merely looked at you some more, the smile so heartbreakingly sincere you had to look away.

“Um…thank you. For getting me out of that hole.”

“You don’t have to thank me.”

“No, really. You could have left me there.”

He frowned. “Never.”

You opened your mouth to protest but decided against it when you saw the expression on his handsome features. Nodding instead, you glanced around the living room and the kitchenette off to your left. There was, you noticed, a methodology to the mild chaos around you, a system of disorder that made sense once you looked at it.

“I don’t remember much of that night,” you heard yourself say, then frowned, wondering why you had spoken.

“Trauma does that.”

You almost laughed at the seriousness of his tone. “Yeah, I’ve heard that. First time I’ve experienced it, though.”

Jack shifted his attention to his hands, plucked at some lint on his pants. “What do you remember?”

“You, mostly.” The admission burned the back of your neck. Clearing your throat, you continued, “And the other guy. He had a radio.”

“Is that all?”

You tried your best to recall that night. After Jack had helped you out of the hole, your memory turned to patchwork. You remembered the crack of bullets, the warmth of Jack’s hands on your face, the other man radioing for help. Words were garbled, the only permanent thing etched into your recollections the pain and the darkness.

“More or less,” you answered, mouth twisting with displeasure. “The doctor said it’s not likely all of the memories will come back. I was in a lot of pain.”

Jack’s face tightened with anguish. “I’m sorry I dropped you.”

“You didn’t drop me. I dove.”

“I should have held on tighter.”

Shaking your head, you leaned forward, ignoring the twinge of pain that lanced through you. “I reacted out of instinct. That’s all. That wasn’t your fault.”

He nodded, though his expression told you he didn’t quite believe it. Perturbed by the man’s reaction, you tried to remember why you were at his apartment in the first place.

The massacre.

Frowning, you scrutinized Jack’s face. Green eyes with hazel centers stared back in an open expression. His eyebrows knitted together slightly the longer you looked at him, but his lips curled into a faint smile, as though he enjoyed the scrutiny.

“Everything okay?” he asked, his tone light.

“I…don’t know.”

He nodded. “That happens to me, too, sometimes. We can’t know everything, not even about ourselves.”

Confusion roiled within you. “Who are you?”

He laughed, the sound both nervous and amused. “I don’t know. Tomorrow I’m not the same as today or the same as yesterday.”

A philosopher on top of a psychiatrist, you quipped. “Okay.”

He tracked your eyes. “That wasn’t the answer you wanted.”

“No.”

A frown pulled on his smile. “How did you find me?”

Swiping a hand over your brow, you glanced back toward the front door. If you left now, you could escape the awkward tension building inside you, your skin crawling with it. The scar on your abdomen pinched as you sucked in a breath through your nose.

“Why are you here?” he asked, caution coloring his voice.

“Well…I came looking for a Jack Russell, and it turns out he’s you.”

“Why are you looking for me?”

“I was…I’m looking for survivors of the Bloodstone massacre.”

Silence lay thick over the room. You forced yourself to glance back at his face, wondering why you felt so uncomfortable admitting the truth. It hadn’t even occurred to you to try and track Jack down to thank him, to let him know he helped save you. The guilt constricted your chest as the silence stretched.

Jack rose from his seat, walked away from you. “Why are you doing that?”

You wondered how much you should say. The bounty had to be lucrative for Jaeger to be sending you so soon after your injury. Telling others about it would jeopardize things.

Then again, Jack had witnessed the massacre.

“There’s a bounty out on the thing that killed everyone,” you answered. “I’m gathering information.”

“A bounty?”

“Yes, by the Hunters’ Guild. They don’t like that so many primo hunters were killed.”

“They were warned,” Jack muttered.

“What?”

Clearing his throat, he wandered into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator door. “We were told that we would probably die in the hunt.”

“I doubt being slaughtered in a closed room was in the plans.”

“No,” he murmured. “No, it wasn’t.”

“How did a werewolf get into the mansion?”

“I suppose he walked through the front door.”

You snorted. Jack glanced over his shoulder, the gloom on his face lightening as he heard your snicker. Closing the fridge, he returned to his seat but didn’t sit, his hand braced on the back of the chair.

“So, you are going after the bounty?”

You nodded curtly.

“But you don’t like hunting.”

Sighing, you passed a hand over your face. “Yeah, I know.”

“Then why?”

“I’m…being sent.” You stood, winced. Jack reached out for you, grabbing your elbow to help you straighten, his hands burning through your jacket. “Thanks.”

Nodding, he let his touch linger before dropping his hands. “Have you talked to Elsa Bloodstone?”

“Not if I can help it,” you snorted.

“She was there when it happened,” he said, each word carefully enunciated. “You should talk to her.”

You frowned. “Where were you?”

“Hmm?”

“Where were you when the massacre happened?”

“Oh, I wasn’t there.”

“So where were you?”

“The, uh, monster we were sent after broke out. I went after him.”

“You didn’t catch him?”

“No.”

Drumming your fingers against your thigh, you nodded slowly, suddenly exhausted as your mind tried to untangle the knots of the case. It must have showed, because concern tightened Jack’s face.

“I’m fine,” you assured him, anticipating his question. “I get tired easier, that’s all. And the thought of talking to Elsa is exhausting.”

“She’s not so bad.”

You snorted. “Wanna help me talk to her?”

“Sure!”

The snicker died in your throat. “You’re serious?”

He nodded. “I want to help.”

Suspicion coiled in your guts. “Why?”

“I like to help.”

You scrutinized the open expression on his face. “You really do, huh?”

He nodded again.

You weighed your options. You didn’t have the energy or the desire to face Elsa Bloodstone alone—or at all. Having someone there she knew who apparently didn’t mind her would certainly help.

A small part of you didn’t want to leave Jack’s presence, either. One of the few things you remembered from that night was his warmth, the feeling of utter safety and protection.

You didn’t want to give that up.

“Okay,” you agreed. “We’ll go to Elsa Bloodstone.”

#Jack Russell x Reader #Jack Russell #Jack Russell imagine #Gael Garcia Bernal x Reader #Gael Garcia Bernal #Gael Garcia Bernal imagine #Gael Garcia-Bernal x Reader #Gael Garcia-Bernal #Gael garcia-Bernal imagine #Werewolf by Night #Marvel #MCU

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1ovemelikeasailor · 1 month

Text

Sailor pt.6

Last part i think.

Play the DAMN SONG

"Sailor Song" -Gigi Perez

Summary: I sleep so I can see you, cause I hate to wait so long.

Jenna Ortega x Female reader

Check out the other parts for more information!

No one's POV:

"I love you, too."

"If you loved me you'll let me continue to be with you." Jenna says tears coming down onto her face.

"Jenna." Y/n sighs, she holds Jenna who's crying onto her shoulder. "I can't—you're risking it all for me. Your family, your image, everything Jenna—you being you—"

"This is being me! Me loving you is being me!"

"Jenna—I—we can't! Your parents they said no."

"I don't care what they say, Y/n I love you—I remember when—I remember when I saw you in church that first time since awhile..I looked at you, and saw everything. And you know, that scared the shit out of me. How could I be me—if I loved a girl? How could God forgive me? But, when I saw you under the bleachers and the way you talked to me—Y/n I'd risk it all for you. I do anything for you, Im in love with you! I don't care if you're a girl and Im not supposed to."

"Jenna—I love you so much. But, this could mess everything up for you."

"I don't care. I love you." Jenna says, and before Y/n can respond she kisses her.

There's a knock at the door. Y/n gets up, opening the door.

"Yea, mom?" Y/n looks at her mother standing in her doorway.

"Um, Jennas parents are here. They are asking for you, Jenna."

Y/n looks at Jenna who has her face in her head.

"Shit." Jenna closes her eyes sighing.

"What's going on?" Y/ns mother looks at her daughter confused. She waits for an answer.

"Uh, nothing mom—"

"Y/n L/n."

"Jennas parents kinda found out about me and Jenna hanging out. And they don't like it obviously because Im gay—"

"Because you're gay?! Why does that matter to them?" Her mother snaps, now starting to get angry.

"They don't want their daughter hanging out with a queer kid mom! It's obvious."

"Jenna!" Jennas mother's voice could be heard from downstairs. Jenna gets up off Y/n's bed walking over to the door.

"I love you." Jenna kisses Y/n.

They pull away.

"I'll—I'll see you later, right?" Y/n mutters, looking her Jennas dark brown eyes.

"Yeah. I love you."

"I love you too, Jen."

Jenna walks downstairs, looking at her parents.

"Jenna—"

"Let's go." Jenna takes her parent's arm, out of Y/n's house.

Y/n's POV:

It was Monday.

That last time me and Jenna had talked was yesterday. She said her parents had yelled at her on and on again.

I was scared. She didn’t care, she was fearless.

I don’t get it. If God doesn’t like homosexuality, then why send me Jenna? Why send me her? Why send me a girl that feels like my soulmate—?that is my soulmate. Why send someone that Im not suppose to have, but feels so wrong if I don’t have her?

Jenna wasn’t at school the whole day. Probably her parents telling her not to go to school, so she doesn’t see me.

It was lunch and I was with Mason, Jasmin, and Jack.

They don’t know about me and Jenna. They probably won’t ever know.

“What’s got you so down?” Jasmin puts her drink down directing her eyes to me

“Nothing.”

“Doesn’t seem like nothing.” Jasmin scoffs, “Seriously what’s wrong?”

“Jasmin, it’s not—“

My phone starts ringing. I pull it out of my pocket, then look to see who’s calling

Mom.

Gotta answer that. I push it close to my ear.

“Y/n?”

“Hey mom, what’s up?”

“Y/n..”

“Yes? Mom whats going on? Im at school right now.”

“Im coming to get you.”

“What, why? I mean—Im glad I have a quiz today, but what happened?”

I see my mom’s car pull up, I immediately get it still confused.

“So, mom what’s going on? Don’t tell me I have a dentist appointment!”

“Y/n, I need to tell you something.”

Shit, she’s serious, what happened?

“Okay.”

“This morning—before school Jenna had drove to that bridge by the convenience store—“

“The one by that one nightclub, right?” My mom nods her head. “Oh, what about it?”

“Y/n—she parked her car—she jumped.” My own mother had tears in her eyes.

I don’t say anything, just confused.

“Mom, what are you saying right now?”

“Y/n—Im so sorry, baby.”

“Mom—this isn’t funny.”

“Y/n.” I open the car door. “Y/n!” I begin running towards the football field, ignoring my mother’s protests.

She’s okay. This is just a dream.

No one’s POV:

Y/n runs toward the bleachers, going underneath them.

She knew exactly what—who she was searching for. She repeated that it was ‘just a dream’ over and over so many times in her head again.

Sunday

It was Jenna’s service. Who knew there would be such a miserable day.

She watched so many people walk in and out of the church. She watched as they greet her mom, say sorry for her loss—then leave.

Over and over again she watched. She watched while she sat on the furthest wooden bench from the casket.

It was too much.

“Hello.” Y/n doesn’t turn her head. She recognizes the voice. “I know..that you know Im not your biggest fan.” The person lets out a huff. They analyze Y/n, the way her eyes were swelled, the way her tie was messed up, the way they knew she hasn’t moved an inch since getting to the service. “But I know..you have to see this—“ Jenna’s mother slid a piece of paper to Y/n.

For once Y/n moves, she takes a look at the paper. Her eyebrows furrow confused. “Because she wrote it for you.” Y/n grabs the paper slowly, then puts it in her pocket. “One more thing, Im sorry..for your loss.” Jenna’s mother finally gets up off the bench, then walks away.

Y/n doesn’t know what to think.

Thursday

“Y/n—I love you, but you have go to school—please. All you do is sleep, Y/n—“

“Mom, you don’t get it—you really don’t.” Y/n marches back up the stairs.

“Y/n where are you going?!”

“Im going to bed!”

“It’s 8pm!”

Y/n falls onto her bed, she looks at her desk. The paper Jennas mother gave her, still folded up.

She can’t open it. She can’t do it.

Her eyes slowly shut.

Sleep was the only place she could see Jenna—in her dreams.

I sleep so I can see you, cause I hate to wait so long.

The piece of paper;

“Anywhere is heaven with you. So, Im not scared anymore. Rather be in hell with you, then heaven without. I love you more than words can say. You are my savior, even when I thought God was.”

#jasmin savoy brown #jenna ortega #spotify #scream #tara carpenter #wednesday addams #jenna ortega x reader #short story #wednesday #viralpost #mason gooding #wlw love #wlw post #wlw #y/n #story #fanfic #sailor song #wlw art

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crystalninjaphoenix · 9 months

Text

Coming Home

Switch AU

A JSE Fanfic

I was planning on having a short, not-very-busy chapter after the action of last time. That did not end up happening. Sometimes ideas just get away from you, y'know? Anyway, onto the summary. The group meets up again after the IRIS infiltration to talk about what to do next. Jackie tries to process everything that he's just learned and get used to being home again, but he's having difficulty. And onto the story now :) Enjoy :)

More of This AU | | First Chapter | Previous Chapter

“Oh my god.” Jackie covered his mouth in horror. “I-I had no idea. I was—I was trying to find some way to protect against Distorter, but all this time—IRIS—th-they had—He was—I can’t believe—Anti—”

“Calm down, Jackieboy,” Rama said from the driver’s seat. “Remember how to breathe.”

Jackie pressed a hand to his chest, feeling his heart beating a mile a minute beneath his ribs. “I’m breathing. I’m just—w-we have to—I mean, can I see Anti? We need to go see him. As soon as possible—”

“Not as soon as possible,” Schneep interrupted. “I know you are worried about him. But I do not want to go straight to the hospital right after breaking into IRIS. They could be following us. Tracking us, somehow.”

I don’t think they’re following us, at least, Jameson signed. His movements were slow, tired, but his eyes still glowed that bright blue that showed he was using his magic. I’m trying to detect their strange signature, and I can’t feel anything.

“They could still be tracking us,” Schneep muttered. “We cannot go straight to Anti. I don’t want to lead them to him.”

Rama sighed. “We have to talk with Marvin, Jack and Stacy about all this. I know we can just text them that the mission was a success, but now we have to think about the next steps. Jackie is right. We need to focus on Anti.”

“This does deserve an in-person meeting,” Schneep muttered.

I’ll text them, JJ offered.

“No, you wanted to take a nap, yes? Give me your phone, I will do it.”

JJ hesitated, then nodded and passed Schneep his phone.

“Okay, so, we’re going to meet up with them right away, then, right?” Jackie asked anxiously. “We’re going to talk about this right away? The Anti thing, I mean?”

“Stacy had work,” Rama muttered. “So maybe not right away, but definitely as soon as possible.” They looked in the rear-view mirror back at Schneep. “Ask them for ideas of where to meet. If IRIS is tracking us, I don’t want to lead them right to my house, or to where they are staying.”

“I-I don’t know if... if I-IRIS will track things...” Jackie trailed off. What did he know about IRIS? Nothing, apparently. He didn’t even know they’d kidnapped two of his friends.

“Jackie, what were those things you grabbed from your desk?” Schneep asked. “They looked like—like those things you put over your eyes to play VR.”

“Oh right. I did start to explain, but then we got cut off. Uh, maybe I should explain when everyone is together. That’d be easier. Do it in one.”

“Okay, okay, but do you know them inside and out?” Schneep asked. “Are you sure what is inside them?”

It took Jackie a moment to process what Schneep was asking and why he was asking it. “Oh. You mean—you mean you think that they could be tracked. We’re still talking about the tracking stuff. Um... I think I’m pretty familiar with them. But I don’t... know for sure. Maybe—maybe—But I-I think—I have an idea, maybe, that’s starting to form, but if they’re being tracked—” He groaned and leaned forward, putting his head in his hands. The seatbelt cut into his neck, but he didn’t really feel it.

“Are you okay, Jackieboy?” Rama asked quietly.

“I’m having a fucking crisis.” His voice was slightly muffled by his hands.

“Well... you and your friends are all very traumatized, by this point,” Rama said slowly. “I guess that’s to be expected.”

Jackie laughed, the sound piercing and manic. “Yeah... yeah.” He didn’t know what else to say.

———————

By the time they’d driven back to Mirygale, Stacy was off work and ready to meet up. Jack was also ready, though he didn’t really want to leave Anti alone. But he understood that this was important and so decided to trust Sam to find him if something happened. Marvin was ready to go whenever. He said that he could take the bus to wherever they were meeting.

When the tracking situation was explained, Stacy said that they could meet at a park near where her rented apartment was. When everyone else arrived, they saw that it wasn’t really a park, so much as just a fenced-in green space. It had probably been part of a church once before modern development took over, and for some reason, the yard had been allowed to stay when the church wasn’t. There was enough room in the space for a few big trees and a couple benches, but not much room for more. Rama parked on the street right outside and everyone climbed out.

The others were already there. Jackie stopped walking for a moment, seeing Marvin in the wheelchair. “O-oh,” he whispered.

Marvin saw him first. His expression brightened. “Jackie! You’re back!” He laughed. “Come on over here! Hey, c’mere to me, how are you doin’? You look... well, you could look better.” His smile faded slightly, but still lingered.

“Jackie!” Jack got up from the bench where he was sitting and waved him over. “Come on! The rest of you! God, you all look fucking terrible.”

“Better than the first time I met you,” Stacy muttered, then winced. “I’m sorry, that was probably too much—”

Jackie laughed a bit. “No. No, you’re right, that was—you’re right.”

“Still. Sorry.” Stacy stood up too. “Here, you guys can sit, you probably need it more.”

The group settled down, Jackie and Rama sitting on one bench, Schneep and JJ sitting on another, Marvin’s chair stopped next to JJ’s bench, and Jack and Stacy standing up. “Weird doing this out here,” Jack said, looking around.

“I agree, t’is is a bit strange,” Marvin said. “But it’s better t’an IRIS goin’ to our houses.”

“Technically, don’t they already know all about where you guys live?” Stacy asked, looking at Marvin and JJ. “Because you had those cameras up for a while?”

The two of them blinked in unison. Well we’re out here now, JJ said. If we put in all the effort to get here, might as well stay here.

“Besides, we don’ want them to know for sure t’at Schneep and Jackie are connected to us,” Marvin said. “The cameras only went up after they both left. We coul’ reasonably deny t’ings the cameras overheard, but not if ye show up in our house.”

“Okay, okay, okay, can we—can we just—” Jackie swallows a lump in his throat. “I-I want to talk about Anti.”

Jack straightened slightly. “What do you know? About... what happened?”

“They filled me in on the drive here,” Jackie said. “Anti disappeared, but it turned out that IRIS had him in their facility to the north. H-he was stuck there for three days before Distorter showed up and... and took him instead. Schneep said that—that IRIS might have isolated Anti intentionally, to get something to happen with Distorter.”

“What?!” Marvin gasped. “Schneep, you never said anyt’ing like t’at before!”

Schneep looked down. “I... am not sure if it’s true. But it feels like something they would do.”

I was just as shocked when he brought it up on the drive, JJ said.

“But it makes sense,” Schneep said, raising his head again. “They have an interest in Distorter. Perhaps they wanted to see if they could trigger an appearance by him.”

“I-I-I guess I can see that,” Jackie said. IRIS had been proud of how much they tested their hypotheses and inventions before putting them out on the market. It had... reassured him. But if they were doing that same sort of testing with people and supernatural creatures... He shuddered. “A-anyway, something did happen. Distorter showed up and took Anti out of there. And ever since... Anti’s been under his control. Y-you said... he’s at the hospital? Because... of the blood loss... and stuff.”

“Unfortunately, it’s also a place where... they can make sure he doesn’t do anything,” Jack said slowly. “Distorter is still controlling him. H-he tries to attack the nurses sometimes but can’t, since he’s... anyway, yes. He’s at the hospital.”

Jackie went quiet. “The first time I ever met him was in a hospital...” He whispers. “That same one, too, from what you’ve said.” He laughed a little. “I don’t think he likes them. Maybe it reminds him too much of what happened to land him there the first time.”

“Huh?” Marvin blinked, confused. “I know you’ve mentioned meetin’ Anti in the hospital before, but—what?”

Jackie and Schneep exchanged a look. Then Schneep shook his head. “It is not our place to say,” he said. “Besides, Anti never fully explained it. I only know about the injury because Jackie told me about it.”

“And Anti never said what happened to cause that,” Jackie added. Though he had started to form a suspicion in recent months... “I-In any case, my point is he’d probably hate that he’s there if he was conscious enough to know where he was. But he’s not. B-because Distorter is definitely doing all sorts of terrible—of horrible fucking things to his mind. We have to get him out of there now!”

“Calm down, man,” Jack said evenly. “Panic isn’t going to help Anti.”

Jackie nodded. He blinked, pushing back the tears threatening to rise to the surface. “I’m calm.”

“You... said you had an idea?” Rama prompted. “In the car, remember?”

“Y-yeah.” Jackie reached into his pocket—he was still wearing this coat, he should probably take it off, maybe burn it—and pulled out the headsets. “We can use these somehow.”

Stacy leaned forward. “Um... what the hell are they?”

“Right, right. So...” Jackie bit his lip, thinking. “There’s this trope in old scifi stories where you can watch people’s memories or dreams on a screen, and their minds are all visualized and everything despite how, in real life, thinking is really abstract. These are kind of similar. MR Headsets, they’re called. ‘Mental Reality’ Headsets.”

JJ’s eyes widened. He grinned excitedly. You mean... we can look at someone’s thoughts with those?

“Basically. One person wears this white one, and someone else puts on the black one. The one wearing the black Headset can experience whatever the person in the white Headset is thinking. Or... remembering, or dreaming. Whatever’s in their head. I-I was thinking that... that maybe if we put this white Headset on Anti, and someone else wears the black one, maybe they... maybe they’ll be able to... reach him?”

Jack nodded. “That could work. Sam says that Anti is ‘deep down’ and they’re having trouble reaching him. Maybe if someone could like... go into his head and pull him closer to the, uh, ‘shallow’ parts, then Sam can burn away the rest of Distorter’s powers.”

“But Distorter will try to interfere,” Schneep said.

“That’s where I come in, right?” Stacy asked. “We know that he’ll be distracted by me being there.”

“We’ll need more than jus’ t’at, I think,” Marvin said slowly. “We’ll need to keep him distracted for a long bit of time t’ere. Someone else will have to be t’ere to help wit’ the distraction.”

Schneep stiffened slightly, then nodded. “I can... I can do that. His tricks and hallucinations do not work on me anymore.”

They don’t?! JJ said, surprised.

“How do you know t’at?” Marvin asked.

“...ah.” Schneep cleared his throat. “Distorter tried to pay me a visit. But nothing happened when he tried to make me see things, and I could see him even when he tried to disappear from my mind. I think... that is also... because of IRIS.”

Jackie burst into laughter.

“What the—Jackie?!” Jack looked at him, shocked.

“Jackie...?” Schneep whispered.

Marvin and JJ just stared, concerned.

“I-i-it’s not funny!” Jackie said, still laughing beside himself. “It’s not funny! But—but it is funny! I’ve been—been—The whole reason I was there was to find a way to block out Distorter’s tricks! I wanted to—I-I wanted to—and they said they could do it! They said they had a prototype, b-but that it had to be in your head, a-and I didn’t want that—But they knew the prototype would work! They knew because they tested it, didn’t they?! I didn’t ask! I-I didn’t ask, and even if I did, they wouldn’t say that they know it works because they fucked with my friend’s head, would they? Would they?!”

“Jackieboy,” Rama said in a soft voice. They put one arm around his shoulder. “Take a moment. It’s not your fault, okay?”

Schneep, looking shaken, nonetheless nodded. “I-I do not think you could’ve done anything even if you knew. Things would just become bad for you, too.”

Jackie swallowed a lump in his throat. “I-it’s just—it’s funny, you know? The whole t-time, what I was looking for was—was being used against—” He laughed again.

“It’s not your fault,” Rama said, more firmly. “Say it, Jackie.”

“It’s... it’s not my fault.”

“Good.” They nodded sharply. “Now... do you need a moment?”

“Or... anyt’ing else?” Marvin added. “Not much we can get for you while out in t’is yard, but still.”

“I’m good. I’m good. I promise.” Jackie took a deep breath and sat up straight. “Okay. So... that’s two people doing that. Should... more people come?”

You definitely should, Jackie, JJ said. I’m assuming you know how to operate these devices.

“The MR Headsets. Yeah, I’m familiar. But I’ve never... actually used them. There’s this practice simulation you can do on the computer with a regular VR headset, I-I did that a couple times when I first got these, but... never used the real thing.”

Still, that’s more than any of us have, JJ pointed out. I’ll go, too. If Distorter suddenly stops being distracted, I can protect you. I’m assuming that you won’t be able to do much while using ‘MR’.

“You’re right,” Jackie admitted. “I’ll basically be asleep, I-I’ll need someone to watch me. If something goes wrong, there’s a button you can press to wake me up immediately... theoretically. Again, I’ve never used them.”

“Well, if ev’ryone else is joinin’ in on the plan, I’ll be joinin’, too,” Marvin said. “Least I can do after I missed the action today.”

We offered to let you come, JJ said.

“Yes, but I wanted to... The point is, I can help, even if I’m stuck wit’ t’is.” He patted the arm of the wheelchair.

“I’d rather stay at home and keep the kids safe,” Rama said. “If that’s okay.”

“It is fine, Rama,” Schneep said quietly. “We are happy that the kids are in your good hands.”

“That’s settled, then,” Jackie said. “When’s the next bus? We can’t all fit in the car.”

“Whoa, whoa, wait a moment.” Jack raised his hands. “We’re not doing this now, are we?”

“Why not?” Jackie asked.

“Um... because you all look terrible?” Jack pointed out. “You haven’t said what happened at IRIS, but it’s clear that it was... difficult, in some way. Physical, emotional, I don’t know.”

JJ nodded slowly. That’s true. I used all my magic. I’m running on fumes right now. I need a day or two to recover.

“But—but Anti—” Jackie stammered.

“I... hate to say t’is,” Marvin said slowly. “But Anti has lasted t’is long. We know Distorter isn’ going t’kill him. I don’ want to leave him to suffer in his hands, but... but if we’re going t’get him out of t’ere, we need to be in top shape for it.”

Schneep sighed. “It is true. There may be a fight against Distorter, and he is a tough opponent even without his mental powers. He does not feel pain, and so he does not stay down. I think that even if his body breaks, he will keep going, and to fight such a power we need to be fully prepared.”

Jackie glanced around, eyes darting to each of their faces. “O... okay,” he said quietly. “When are we going to try this, then? Tomorrow?”

“How about the day after?” Jack suggested. “To make sure everyone has a full rest. We can go to the hospital as soon as visiting hours start.”

“When’s that?” Jackie asked.

You don’t know? You worked there. JJ raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t remember off the top of my head,” Jackie mumbled.

“They start at nine,” Jack said. “So if that’s okay with everyone?”

Everyone agreed that they could meet at the hospital at nine the day after tomorrow. “How long do you think this will take?” Stacy asked. “What if they kick us out before we can fix things?”

Surely it won’t take the whole four hours for visitors, JJ said.

“Our real time limit is how long we can keep Distorter distracted,” Schneep pointed out. “He will eventually turn his attention back to Anti.”

Jackie swallowed a lump in his throat. “I-I can reach Anti quickly. I’m sure I can.”

“Alright.” Rama nodded. “I suppose... we all go home now, then. And keep in contact. JJ, do you want to drive your car back? I can take the bus.”

JJ nodded. I have enough energy to drive. Thank you for driving all the way out of the city and back. He turned to Marvin. I’m guessing you want a ride?

Marvin laughed. “O’course I do! Volt, what abou’ you? Need a lift somewhere?”

Schneep hesitated. “Drop me off at the park where you picked me up. If you could. Please.”

I can do that, JJ agreed. Jack? Stacy? Jackie?

“I can just walk back,” Stacy said.

“And I’m fine with the bus, too,” Jack said.

Jackie paused, unsure. “Um... Volt isn’t staying in his flat, so... I can’t hitch a ride with him. I guess—”

“Actually, um, Jackieboy, I want to talk to you about something,” Rama said. “We can... talk on the bus. If you want.”

“Oh, um... y-yeah.” Jackie tried to hide the way his stomach dropped. When your spouse says they want to talk about something in that tone... “Yeah, I can... take the same bus as you.”

Jack looked between the two of them. “Well, I need a different bus, so you two will be on your own,” he said.

“How do you know what bus we’ll be taking?” Jackie muttered.

“I’ve gotten familiar enough with the system. But there’s only one stop nearby, so want to walk with me there?”

Jackie glanced at Rama. They nodded, and so he nodded too.

“We will keep in contact,” Schneep said. “Jackie, you still have your cell phone, yes?”

“Yes,” he said quietly. “I don’t... know if I’ll get your messages...”

In response, JJ took out his phone and typed something out. Jackie’s phone soon vibrated, and he took it out of his pocket to see JJ’s message on the screen, a simple Test written in the text.

Jackie laughed nervously. “I guess it will, then.”

“We’ll see you later, t’en, Jackie,” Marvin said. “Or you can stop by whenever you want, if you want to stop by beforehand. Or call, o’course. Call when you want. If you want. I-it’s good to see you again, it’ll be grand to see you some more.” JJ nodded along, agreeing with Marvin’s rambling.

“See you,” Jackie said. “All of you.”

And with that, the group parted ways.

———————

The bus was empty except for Jackie and Rama. And the bus driver, of course, but the two of them sat in the back so the driver didn’t really count. Jack had waved them off at the stop and kept waiting for his bus to come. The two of them climbed on, with Rama paying the fare for both of them, and took their seats.

Jackie stared out the window. Why did the city feel so strange? This was the place he’d lived all his life. Nothing much had changed in the time he’d been gone. And yet, it was like he hadn’t seen these buildings for a long, long, time. Maybe he’d never seen them at all.

“Jackie.”

He flinched a bit, then looked back at Rama. “Yeah?”

��Where...” Rama paused, taking a breath. “Where are you going to stay? Are you going back to Henrik’s apartment?”

“I... yeah, I th-thought I would...” Jackie trailed off. “You... don’t want me to?”

“I... don’t want you to... do anything that would hurt you,” Rama said carefully. “But... but I’ve been so worried about you. It feels like I haven’t stopped being worried about you ever since that first time you disappeared. If you go back to that apartment, you’ll be alone. Schneep isn’t staying there right now. He’s too worried about IRIS. If something happens, I... I don’t know. And also, I... I’ve really missed you, Jackie. Michelle has missed you, too.”

“I missed you too,” Jackie whispered. “Both of you. But...”

Rama waited for him to continue, but he didn’t. The bus jolted along down the city streets. They sighed. “I know that it’s not your fault, this way you feel,” they said. “I know that it’s just... how you’re reacting to everything that Distorter creature put you through. But... sometimes... I feel like you’re avoiding me. Or Michelle. Like you don’t want to live with us anymore. Like I’ve done something wrong as your partner.”

Jackie let out a quiet whimper. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I-I never wanted—never intended—It’s not you. I-it’s not Michelle, either. I-I know she’s probably really confused, wondering why she hasn’t seen her dad in the house. I’ve tried to make it clear that it’s not her fault. I don’t... want to avoid you. I still love you, and I still want to live with you, but... god. Fucking damn it.”

“God fucking damn it?” Rama repeated, laughing a little.

“Don’t.”

They immediately stopped laughing. “Sorry.”

Jackie stared straight ahead, not looking towards them, not looking away from them. “I... I hate that I feel this way. It’s my house. I-I should feel safe there, but I just don’t. Everything about it reminds me of—of that place. It’s—it fucking sucks. Sometimes I wonder if Distorter planned that, if he knew that—that by using common things in houses to—to—I-if he knew that I would start seeing regular household items as a threat, and if he knew that would affect how I felt in regular houses. Schneep’s flat was good because it was open plan, the setup was so different that I knew I wasn’t there whenever I looked around. Even staying with IRIS was good, the quarters they gave me were also open like that. But... a house would just be...” He shook his head. “I hate it. I hate it so much that I’m like this now.”

“I’m... sorry,” Rama said quietly. They also looked straight ahead. “I didn’t want to pressure you.”

Jackie took a deep breath. “No, I know. I-I like that you’ve said this. It’s better to know how you’re feeling. Maybe... maybe it’s more of a mental block. Maybe... if I could try... j-just for a night, maybe.”

“You... want to come home?” Rama tried to sound neutral, but they couldn’t disguise the hope in their voice.

“Just for a night,” Jackie repeated. “To test it out. I-I might not—you have to know I might not—”

“No, no, I know.” Rama leaned closer to him, then put an arm around his shoulder when he didn’t push them away. “We’ll see how you react. If I remember, you were... you were working on that in therapy. Maybe you’ve made progress.”

Jackie laughed. “I-I think the progress I made got reversed when I panicked and skipped town.”

Rama paused. “What... exactly happened, then?”

Jackie was quiet for a moment. He wondered if he should tell them. But, well, if he couldn’t tell Rama, who could he tell? “I was looking for some way to protect against Distorter,” he started. “Looking for a while. Everything he was doing was just... really getting to me. So I started looking, and that’s when I heard of IRIS. After doing some research, I realized they had a branch just out of town. I-I wasn’t planning on going there, though. I was just keeping them as an option. Then... Marvin disappeared. Distorter got to him, even though he shouldn’t have been able to, even though JJ warded their house. That became the incident where he broke his leg that Schneep and JJ talked about in the car.”

Rama nodded, following along but not saying anything.

“Something about that just... just got to me. I-it was like all our work came crashing down, like it all seemed useless. A-and they were talking about going into that place like it was so easy, wh-when they didn’t know what it was like—They know now, but... Everything just... snapped in that moment. It was so much. I took our car—S-sorry about that, by the way—”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. This isn’t the time.”

Jackie nodded. “I drove out of town for a while. I didn’t really know where I was going, just that I was going far from Distorter and that place. And then I regained some of my senses—not all of them, but enough to realize where I was. That I was close to this IRIS place I’d made note of earlier. I-I looked up the directions again and drove that way. They weren’t... happy to see me at first. Some guy drives straight up to their secure facility screaming about how they need to help him... I didn’t exactly make a good first impression. B-but I wouldn’t leave. I just kinda kept shouting, a-and crying, I was crying by that point, until they eventually let me in and took me to this room where they... tried to talk to me. I-I didn’t really respond, I just... I just kept begging for them to help.”

Rama inhaled sharply. “Jackie...”

“It... didn’t change... I mean, I didn’t do much else for a while,” Jackie said slowly. “Looking back on it, knowing now what they did to Anti and Schneep, I’m surprised they were so... nice? Or maybe that’s just what I’m telling myself. I-I guess I was in that room for a while. But I wasn’t really thinking about that. The whole time, I was just... thinking about Distorter. Anytime anyone showed up I just screamed for them to help me, to help my friends, to do something about this thing haunting us. Even after I lost my voice I tried to keep talking. I-I got really dehydrated. They were giving me food and water but I was crying so much that it wasn’t enough.”

“Jackie.” Rama pulled him closer to themself. He let them do it. “I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

Jackie took a deep breath. “Eventually I calmed down. Someone showed up, this guy, and he was... really nice. He explained everything about IRIS—well, not everything, b-but he said they could help. And that I was probably really smart and knew a lot about this house they were investigating. And then he said that if I could help them with some stuff, they would help me with Distorter. And I said I would. And then things... just sort of... I just got used to it all.”

“That... Jackie, I don’t know for sure how it was, but... that sounds manipulative as all hell,” Rama said. “You were in a terrible spot, and they took advantage of that.”

“Maybe,” Jackie said quietly.

“Maybe?!” Rama repeated indignantly.

Jackie laughed a bit. “Th-thanks for feeling all defensive about it. I... I appreciate that.”

“This is something to get defensive over,” Rama muttered darkly. “You’re my husband. I’m going to be defensive when a shady company takes advantage of your terrible mental state to—to make you work for them? Am I understanding that correctly?”

“Yeah. I didn’t mind, though. It was kind of cool sometimes.” Jackie paused. “I don’t want to talk about IRIS for now, though. Um... how’s Michelle been?”

“She’s good. Grades are slipping a bit, but that’s understandable, given everything that’s happened in the past year. I’m just glad that the grades are the only thing affected. She hasn’t had any friend troubles or anything, and she’s still very active. She wanted to sign up for the football team but unfortunately by the time she got that idea tryouts had passed.”

Jackie smiled slightly. “She’d be great at football.” The smile faded. “Do you... think she’ll be happy to see me?”

“Of course she will, Jackieboy,” Rama said. “Of course she will.”

———————

“Dad?! Dad! DAD! YOU’RE BACK!”

Michelle was indeed happy to see Jackie. The moment he appeared in the front doorway, she ran up and tackled him in a big hug. “Whoa!” Jackie stumbled backwards a bit, barely managing to keep his balance. He couldn’t help but laugh. “Hey, Mich. You’re so big now, how did that happen so fast?”

“You’re back!” Michelle just said again, her face buried in his shirt as she squeezed him tight. “You’re back you’re back you’re back!”

“I’m back,” Jackie said, hugging her in turn. “I’m sorry I was away for so long. And that I didn’t say anything about it.”

Michelle pulled her face away. “Where did you go? Was it important?”

“Um...” How the fuck was he supposed to tell his seven-year-old that he had a mental breakdown? “It’s... hard to explain.”

“Will says there’s a bad man trying to get to you and everyone,” Michelle whispered, like she was sharing a secret. “Is that what happened?”

Jackie tried not to shiver. Even her childish way of talking about Distorter made him nervous. “No, that’s... not what happened. I’m okay. A-and you’re okay. You’re going to be okay. It’s... it’s complicated. I don’t know how to tell you about it right now, so can we talk about it later?”

Michelle stared up at him for a moment, then nodded. “Okay. D’you wanna watch Supergirl?”

Jackie laughed. “Sure. We can watch Supergirl.”

Will had been staying with Rama too, but he was mostly quiet while Michelle was eager to spend time with her dad again. The two of them spent a while watching this Supergirl cartoon she’d found and gotten really into, and then it was time for dinner and for the kids to do homework. Michelle convinced Will to watch more of the show with her while Jackie... got used to being back here. He still had clothes in the house, but all his toiletries—toothbrush and deodorant and such—were back in Schneep’s apartment, so Rama went out to buy him some more.

Everything felt... strange. Unfamiliar, and yet nostalgic at the same time. He didn’t like that he felt that way. He wanted this to feel like home, but it wasn’t. Had it felt like home at all? Or had he felt out of place ever since he escaped the house on Aspen Street?

Night eventually fell, and it was time to go to sleep.

———————

He woke in the middle of the night and found himself in a dark room. Why did he wake up? Did he hear something? Was something coming? Was someone coming? His eyes darted around, landing on the shadows in the corners.

What was this room? This was a bedroom. Which bedroom was it? Which version of the bedrooms was it? He didn’t remember. He didn’t remember. He didn’t remember.

His chest felt too tight for his heart. It was pounding against his ribs, trying to escape, making its way into his throat but that was tight too—Where was he? Was he back there? Which bedroom was this? Which version was it? Did he move him while he was asleep? When would he show up again? He can’t breathe. He can’t breathe, is that him, did he do something to his breathing?!

He reached for his throat, gasping, feeling nothing. Nothing but the collar of a hoodie. Hoodie? That’s right, he’s still wearing his hoodie. And that—that’s important because—because he didn’t have that in the house. This wasn’t the house. Unless Distorter was tricking him into thinking he’s wearing his hoodie—no! No no, this felt too real. It’s real. He wrapped his arms around himself, pulling his legs up, too. Feel how real it is. This wasn’t an illusion. This couldn’t be. The blurring of the world wasn’t in his head, it was in his eyes, his eyes that were filling with tears. This was real.

Movement. Movement behind him. His breath hitched. Why—who was—The sheets and blankets rustled, so someone was in the bed with him. Who—Was it him? No, he wouldn’t do that. He’d never done that before. For as much as he liked grabbing onto him—especially yanking on his hair—he’d never done something like that.

“Jackie?”

Jackie didn’t say anything. He didn’t know if he could, his breath was passing rapidly in and out of his mouth, not giving him room to speak. He squeezed his eyes shut. Hot tears slipped out and trailed down his face onto the pillow.

“Jackie, is everything okay?” Rama asked quietly.

That was them. That was really them, it had to be, this was real, his memories were too elaborate to be fake. But he still couldn’t answer them. He tried to calm his breathing down, tried to remember how to—how to hold it in for—how long was he supposed to hold it in?

A hand touched his shoulder. He instinctively tensed, and it quickly withdrew. “Jackieboy...” Rama said, sounding a bit unsure. “You’re... you’re safe. I promise. Nothing’s going to get to you. You’re not in that house anymore. You’re in our home.”

Right. Right. This was their home. This was supposed to be his home. Why did it feel so strange?

“Do you want me to turn on the light?”

He managed to nod his head.

More rustling, and the yellow light of their bedside lamp lit up the room. It was their room. It was his room. He was facing the windows, and there were no boards on them. The walls were a warm orange color, not the lifeless, colorless shade of all the walls in that place. The blanket and sheets were not the old, thin ones found in that place, it was the heavy comforter they brought out for the colder months. This was his room. He hadn’t realized that at first. It had been so long since he’d seen it. And wasn’t that his own fault, when he thought about it?

“Do you... do you need anything?” Rama asked. “A glass of water? Or... or I can turn on some noise, of some kind. I-I have audiobooks on my phone.”

“N-no,” he gasped out between breaths.

“Oh... Okay. Okay.”

The silence stretched for what felt like forever, but was actually only a few seconds. Jackie closed his eyes again and concentrated on breathing. Then he reached a hand back over his shoulder. It was an awkward position, but he wasn’t sure he could talk to ask what he wanted.

Luckily, Rama understood. They reached out again and put their hand on top of his shoulder. He pulled their arm over him. Rama inched closer until they were pressed up next to each other. Jackie continued to try and breathe slowly. He opened his eyes again and stared at the curtains covering their bedroom window. He’d never really liked the patterns on them, but now his eyes followed those patterns in detail. Rama was breathing slowly next to him. He tried to match his breath to theirs.

“It’s going to be okay, mi corazon,” Rama whispered.

Tears filled his eyes again. He rolled over and buried his face in their shirt. His head fit perfectly into the spot where their neck met their shoulder. They were warm. Steady. Solid. Definitely really there. He clung to them tightly, and they wrapped their arms around him in turn. “...‘m sorry...” he mumbled.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for,” Rama said.

“W-woke you up...”

“That’s not really a big issue in the scheme of it,” Rama said lightheartedly. “It’s okay.”

“...l-left you. For... so long. Michelle... a-an’ everyone...”

“Nobody blames you for that,” they whispered. “And I can promise that nobody was mad when you disappeared. Or even when we found out about IRIS. We were just worried.”

“Shouldn’... make... make you worry...” The words got caught in his throat.

“Jackieboy, I just said nobody blames you. So you shouldn’t blame yourself. You don’t deserve it.” Their voice was as steady as the rest of them.

He didn’t say anything for a while. He just kept trying to breathe. “S-sorry...”

“Shhh. Don’t. You have nothing to say sorry for.”

“I-I think... think I do...”

“...it’s okay, Jackie. It’s all okay.”

He held them tighter. And he didn’t say anything. They didn’t either. They kept holding him back, one hand rubbing circles on his back.

His heart stopped trying to escape his chest. The tight feeling faded. He closed his eyes again. He counted his breaths for a while until he was sure that they were slow enough, and then shifted from controlling his breathing to just observing it. Rama was still there. They hadn’t gone away.

Maybe it had been a bad idea to leave... No. No, he was sure that it was a good idea at first. But he shouldn’t have stayed away so long. He’d been so scared of it that he forgot what he was leaving behind. It wasn’t just the house. It was his family, too. He missed them. He shouldn’t have let fear keep him from his home.

#jacksepticeye #jacksepticeye fanfiction #jacksepticegos #septic egos #septic egos au #jacksepticeye au #jackieboy man #dr jackie parker #jameson jackson #the jaunty jackson #dr schneeplestein #von voltage #marvin the magnificent #1920s marvin #c!jack #brigid writes fanfiction #septicswitchau

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borisbubbles · 1 year

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Eurovision 2023 PRESHOW - part 2: the irrelevants

Sometimes you come across countries that try their best and still somehow, fail to make it past the stage of mediocrity. These entries aren’t going to make a splash, they merely attend the contest where they’ll likely not make much of an impact. Nothing to be offended by. That doesn’t take away they’re still kind of shit though. 💔

33. SAN MARINO Piqued Jacks - “Like an animal” Semi 2, slot #12

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Another year of me not caring about San Marino. Hooray! 😐

Though let’s be honest that on this occasion I’m in the majority. 🙂 I don’t dislike PJ as much as most fans appear to do though. I think it’s because there are days (most days) I forget San Marino are in this year’s rotation?

But when I am forced to remember San Marino are in and THIS is their entry and... has there ever been an entry this far away from the concept of “a slay”? The goat noises at the ends, jeeeesus. There probably are more inane entries out there, but not in 2023. Everything about Piqued Jacks is painfully heterosexual ranging from their nicknames to the song and its lyrics.

Speaking of the lyrics, um, yeah let’s pick apart its many issues I guess? First and foremost the narrative is that of a random straight man chasing after a woman on the dancefloor (so: IN PUBLIC) because she looked at him funny and he is failing to control his impulses to grind all of his appendages against her bodice. YIKES. 😬

This image is then further enhanced by the..; um... colourful metaphors in which body parts are being assigned animalistic properties (SNAKE eyes, BITING tongue) and suddenly this flirty song about a hopeless normie desperately trying to get laid has taken a turn towards sinisterville. There are plenty of vibes you can go for here, but “accidentally preditorial” is not one of them. 😐

Still better than Salvaje though. 🙂

ODDS at Eurovision

No amount of divine or satantic intervention is going to prevent San Marino’s impending last place.

This is not a question of “Will they receive enough points to qualify?”. it’s a question of “Will they receive points from anyone?”

Qualifier tier: F Projected placement: 14th-16th (semi).

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32. NETHERLANDS Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper - “Burning Daylight” Semi 1, slot #14

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:snore:

To be honest, when I first heard Duncan Laurence would write a song for Eurovision and it would be sung by two indie randoms who barely knew each other, I instantly assumed I’d hate the Dutch entry this year. Yeah, Arcade was good but I am SO sick of it and Duncan at this point (in a similar vein to other people having had enough Måns and KEiiNO) . Mia/Dion meanwhile were giving off Isaiah/Evie vibes. ALLL the worrying signals were there!

So it is any surprise "Burning daylight” churned out to a few stilted, horrendous messy lives that have made it abundantly clear that Mia and Dion do NOT mesh together, at all? No, of course not.

That said, the song’s like........... fine, I guess? I don’t fucking understand why Burning Daylight had to be a duet or you know, this insipid. DE DIEPTE JUST HAPPENED, AND GOT IT ALL RIGHT.

I did get a small snort out of AVROTROS outright admitting that they hadn’t known in advance about the juries getting nixed in the semi, and if they had they probably would have picked something else. Is that admission more painful than the preparty performances at Madrid and Amsterdam? I’ll let you decided. Moral of the story if the selection offers up a choice of MEROL, you always fucking take the MEROL. Morons.

Odds at Eurovision - Netherlands

“GOODBYE OLD LIIIIIIIIIIIFE” -- Netherlands saying goodbye to the Success Era.

Like, seriously. Logically, I feel like good staging and Netherlands’ excellent draw should be enough to clinch a qual on paper. In reality: We’ve all seen the footage.

To be fair though, I was there when they flobbed in Amsterdam, and it seemed not as bad as some others (then again, ESCUnited’s Sean was standing next to me drunkedly SHRIEKING the chorus down my ear canals so i may have missed most of the essence). Alessandra was VERY bad, and Vesna weren’t too great either - too bad Vesna and Alessandra actually have competitive songs where the vocals matter less~

What is going to secure this NQ though is that the Dutch have already lost their fooken MINDS about what have been two supbar lives, and are going to drag Dion and Mia down in their negative spiral. I do feel that if the home country doesn’t support you, your press doesn’t support you and worse, if foreign media and commentators pick up on that and report it back to their audiences, you’re in for a miserable experience and a headfirst collision into a bottom of the scoreboard finish. There is a small window for Netherlands to qualify because, you know.. .Malta aren’t secure. Latvia aren’t secure. Switzerland aren’t secure. SERBIA aren’t secure, Czechia aren’t secure either. And since only five countries die (note that I am not mentioning the two obviously dead NQs) there is a chance for NL to slip through if they fix their most pressing issues.

There is sadly little fixing can do if you’re song’s unvotable.

Qualifier tier: D Projected placement: 10-15th (semi), 23rd-26th (Grand Final)

31. ALBANIA Albina Kelmendi & Family - “Duje” Semi 2, slot #14

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A family! isn’t it CUTE!!!

I’d argue that thanks to the awkward shuffling in every live of “Duje” and the strangely sinister narrative of the music video (are they GENUINELY implying that Albina is having the hots for her own brother?! lol?!), Albania’s song is the fucking antithesis of “cute”. 🙂 “Duje” is so strange man. If you were to just listen to the track without any other input you may find it pleasant enough, I guess. The Kelmendii are just... not very gifted at performing live (Albina excepted), and ESC IS a live performance contest, soz. They’re like D-mol, but less funny and only slightly less embarrassing.

So of course Albania became the object of an irony-fueled lovefest by the fans, because “lololol so inept bless” but i’ve decided I find that particular discouse patronizing, and the entry itself off-putting. 🙂

Idk, an entire family singing a song about LOVE CONQUERING ALL, while awkwardly touching each other and exchanging meaninful creates a cult-like undercurrent that I’d rather steer away from as much as possible.

Odds at Eurovision - Albania

Okay so semi 2 is a really fucking crapshoot in that there are 7 obvious qualifiers, and the others (not counting SM) have a shot at claiming the last 3 spots.

Even with that information in mind, I still feel like Albania are one of the three LEAST likely countries to qualify in that semi? (after, of course, Romania and Poland). As I said before, the Kelmendi’s unironically remind me of D-Mol,and their song is a strange off-putting janky mess that even the Albanians will be reluctant to vote for.

Albina’s only trump card is that she’s brought her family along, and this is a dicey USP when most of them aren’t particularly good at doing Eurovision things.

Also, Albania are missing their biggest allies which are Switzerland (semi 1), Montenegro (not in), and NoMac (not in). So yeah, it will be a huge uphill battle. BUT AT LEAST LOVE WILL CONQUER EVERYTHING (when Gustaph destroys the concept of homophobia and wins the semi)

If Albania do qualify, bottom 4 in the finale seems very clear, here?

Qualifier tier: D Projected placement: 9th-15th (Semi), 21st-26th (Grand Final)

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30. IRELAND Wild Youth - “We are one” Semi 1, slot #06

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A blistering 9th-to-last place for everyone’s favourite act to hate! Hooray!

I don’t know, I do think Wild Youth are strangely... overhated? Like, if you’re Ireland and you want bring a typical sound to the contest your country is known for, then why not go for a U2 B-side track? It seems really valid choice to me. how you can despise any act that DENIED Johnny Rotten’s bid for ESC is beyond me, tbh.

But yeah, “We are one” is really fucking insipid. Musically I don’t have anything negative to say about it though? The composition is fine, if unexciting.

Its message though is where I lost all interest - being INCLUSIVE and DIFFERENT and UNIQUE so that WE ARE ONE. It is meant to be inspirational and instead achieved the opposite effect - annoying clichémongering is not a way to go, ever in life, anywhere. 🙂

Now, I will say that I feel a bit sorry for Wild Youth because their Eurovision experience so far has been a big pile o’ misery. Like at EIC, Connor was DENIED ENTRY to the afterparty by the security guards because he didn’t have a wristband, eventhough he showed up in the SAME outfit he had performed in earleir that night.

When the cunts yelled “NUNCA AL FINAL” at them in Barcelona, they lowered the bar even more in terms of fanbase toxicity - and even this distinction was immediately taken away from Wild Youth when the same crowd chanted “RONELA” at Piqued Jacks (the most pathetic thing i’ve seen eurofans do, aside from maybe that Andromache shell tattoo)

so um yeah. Wild Youth don’t make it higher than NL or SM specifically based on musical merit - although they, unlike Mia and Dion can at least hold a tune.

They made it this far because I feel sorry for them. 😬

Odds at Eurovision - Ireland

Yeah this is NQ. I know, you know, Wild Youth know, let’s not rub it in. Notionally there are scenarios where other countries could fuck up and crash themselves out of the Grand Final, but if I’m honest if that were to happen, it'd probably benefits the other hopeless NQ more?

Besides, Ireland have already run their reputation into the ground through their HORRIBLE non-qualification streak; inept leadership and uninspired entries. At this point everyone expects them to be last place because that’s what we’ve been led to expect from them over the years. I don’t think WY necessarily place dead last though. I could see the parents that tune in liking it enough to cast a vote for it, granting it a random 12th place. Qualification is too big a feat to pull off here though. Qualifier tier: F Projected placement: 12th-15th (Semi)

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And that concludes the entries that were kinda shit, but not shit enough to actively dislike hooray! In the next update I’ll talk about three songs that leave me fucking COLD. Up next: the BORING entries.

THE RANKING:

Part 1: The BAD entries (Switzerland / Croatia / Israel / Greece)

#Eurovision 2023 #ESC 2023 #Eurovision Song Contest #Liverpool 2023 #Albania #Kelmendi Family #Albina Kelmendi #Duje #Ireland #Wild Youth #We Are One #Netherlands #Dion Cooper #Mia Nicolai #The Netherlands #Burning Daylight #San Marino #Piqued Jacks #Like an animal

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station19probie · 2 months

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Station 19: S0104: Reignited

There’s something about this episode, it just really works. Season one has a main set of story arcs it is trying to get through, and this episode beautifully moves us through some of that, when you kind of don’t even realize how much it’s propelling the story along even on first watch. And it also manages to give us some more development for other characters at the station, and begin to introduce some more dynamics that will come into play this season. Whoever wrote this episode did everything this episode needed.

(Side note: my goal for writing this post about the episode, is less tangents. Wish me luck.)

“I thought when your divorce was finalized and you said ‘Sue let’s open up this cute little bed and breakfast’ there would be a lot more bed and a lot more breakfast.”

I haven’t actually mentioned the little opening clips showing characters we will see on calls later in the episode, because there’s so much other stuff to talk about and this bit doesn’t stick around past season one, but this opening and this line is the most memorable for me from the brief handful of episodes that get these opening clips.

“New boots are not worth this, they’ve been bickering all week.” - Vic

At the station the episode gets off to an, explosive start, shall we say, with Andy and Jack instantly at odds with each other… over new boots… and I do remember the first time watching this episode thinking we were finally about to get the confrontation or discussion or whatever it was that needed to happen that had been building up and being left unsaid between them and making things awkwardly tense. But maybe it’s because is it because I’m ace or is it because I’m a lesbian, but I somehow almost always manage to be taken be surprise when straight characters jump to kissing to resolve tension, lol. I mean just…

“Can you stop?” - Jack

“Stop what?” - Andy

“Fighting.” - Jack

“Yes.” - Andy

“Stop fighting?” - Jack

“Yes.” - Andy

“You sure?” - Jack

“Can you?” - Andy

“I can.” - Jack

“I can too.” - Andy

*Andy momentarily just stares in frustration at Jack… oh and now she’s kissing him… and he’s now kissing her back… and they’re going into the captain’s bunk*

“By friend, do you mean you, and by someone, do you mean JJ?” - Travis

“Maybe.” - Dean

“So by broke up, you mean died?” - Travis

hahahaha

“Oh are you asking me to run extra drills with you, voluntarily, with a video game?” - Vic

“More like a completely immersive training experience, but um, yeah.” - Ben

“Absolutely not.” - Vic

I mean, if these two scenes don’t highlight why Travis and Vic are besties, what does? (Everything. Everything does.)

“This is exactly the opposite of how I thought today was going to go.” - Andy

“You and me both.” - Jack

You two, and me as well, as noted earlier! (Sorry, their dialogue was just too perfect to pass up.)

“It beats fighting.” - Andy

“Finally something we can agree on.” - Jack

“Maybe we should talk about this?” - Andy

“Absolutely.” - Jack

“Maybe later.” - Jack / “Not right now?” - Andy

First…. No! You two need to talk about this now! Stop putting off talking! But also, just the end to that dialogue, where they talk simultaneously but are saying different things (even if it technically mostly means the same thing) is just one of those subtle moments that shows they’re just a bit out of sync (which is why they need to talk and actually get on the same page with each other!) but it’s just one of those little things this episode does so well, it’s so simple and subtle, doing just the right amount of emphasis it needs to…

“This morning you were ripping Jack a new one about spending, now you don’t say a word. Vic’s right, something’s up. What gives?” - Maya

*Andy makes a face*

“Right, not my race. Forget I brought it up.” - Maya

“No, Maya, it’s…” - Andy, who is interrupted by a call coming through they have to respond to

As previously established… Maya notices everything. Andy still avoiding talking with Jack, and instead opting for sex to bandaid the tension between them, now means Andy is going to avoid talking with Maya. Like, I think Andy just doesn’t realize just how much the things she leaves unresolved, actually still influence the rest of her life. It’s like she thinks she better at compartmentalizing than she is, but really, she’s just good at giving in to her desire to avoid dealing with things.

I feel like we see over the first few seasons how she absolutely learned this from Pruitt, but he’s much more… emotionally stoic, with the exception being when he’s upset with his daughter, that I think maybe Andy also believes that, having learned his same avoidance tendencies, that she is also as successful as he is at just not letting on that he’s avoiding things in the first place.

But Andy is warm, where he is stoic, and so it’s absolutely noticeable when she’s building walls around what she doesn’t want to deal with.

But Maya… Maya notices everything. Maya notices everything enough that, even here, I think she knows there’s more to it than the “right, not my race,” but maybe she’s hoping that Andy will choose to come talk to her later, and she’s giving Andy an out while they’re at the grocery store in front of other members of the team. Except Andy is not always as perceptive as Maya, so if Maya’s hope was that Andy would maybe come talk later when she’s ready, instead Andy more likely heard an out of “oh good, Maya has no idea it’s anything else but the captain’s race.”

“Could you please avoid using axes… and water?” - one of the B&B sisters

“You want us to avoid using water.. on a fire?” - Dean

Hahaha

“I promise you, I’ll do what needs to be done.” - Jack, yelling during their fake fight for the team to overhear

“Oh really?” - Andy, quietly

“Oh yeah.” - Jack, quietly

“Oh really, you think so?” Andy yelling for the team to overhear

“I know so.” - Jack, quietly

No! Neither of you are doing what needs to be done! Keep your clothes on and talk, instead of taking them off to avoid talking!

“These are our last days on earth. How do you want to spend them? Fighting, or…?” - Jack

“Or in a sexy bubble?” - Andy

I mean, they almost started talking, before bringing up going back in a bubble. The bubble doesn’t resolve the conversation you’re avoiding!

“Miller, have you and I ever spoken about your private life?” - Pruitt

“No, not really.” - Dean

“Has it ever been my business where you put your business?” - Pruitt

“No.” - Dean

“Let’s not start now.” - Pruitt

Thank you Pruitt, for that example in the very same episode highlighting that distanced stoicism I mentioned earlier.

“I kind of assumed Maya already knew.” - Jack

“About before… not about today.” - Andy

And they pan to Jack’s face as Andy says that.. which is obviously an interesting choice.

Because so far, we’ve mostly been seeing how their lack of talking about anything is influencing and impacting Andy, as we’ve been very much in the POV of how her avoidance is impacting the dynamic, and any glimpses to extrapolate about their dynamic has been through Andy’s perspective and the tension we’ve seen building that, yes Jack reacts to, but until this framing, we haven’t seen his POV highlighted since the pilot.

Where, because he goes to Maya the morning after the failed and accidental proposal or ring discovery since technically an actual proposal was ever uttered… Jack knows enough about Andy, to know just how close she and Maya are.

Andy saying she hasn’t talked to Maya about today… and then choosing to center Jack as the camera focus while she says it… is another one of the artful, simple, subtle moments you’ll miss if you’re not paying attention for it. Because his face doesn’t change that much, but the choice to frame him in this moment, it shifts us into his reaction, to highlight that we should be picking up on the fact that finding out Maya doesn’t know about today is important. Until this moment he’s been okay staying in the lane of waiting and reacting to Andy… but this seemingly tiny insignificant moment, communicates a lot to him.

“I kind of like that bed and breakfast place today. Maybe we could go there sometime. Take our bubble on the road, once they fix the kitchen. Obviously.” - Jack

“That’s not really my style.” - Andy

“No? What is?” - Jack

“I don’t know. Never given it much thought.” - Andy

“I think about it all the time… where I want my home to be one day. Which is strange, I know, considering I also know how quickly it can all burn down.” - Jack

If Jack’s backstory hadn’t been decided at all before this point, these scene alone definitely shaped it later. Like, for starters, I do feel like with the showrunner change in season 3 and seeing Jack’s almost-adoptive-parents’ house burn down… which, I wonder how many of those season 3 backstories were created at that time with the new showrunner…

But early season 2 is when we are introduced to the storyline that Jack grew up a foster kid. If they hadn’t decided on that during season 1, this conversation is the perfect inspiration for making that his backstory, because it makes so much sense that he would spend so much time thinking about where he wants his home to he, he didn’t get to grow up having anywhere that felt like home for any real length of time, except the time he almost got adopted.

“What’s going to happen Andy, with us? Once Frankel chooses a captain, if one of us is really in charge and the other isn’t… Will you be okay with that? Or, do you think it has to burn us down?” - Jack

I do appreciate that we see here that Jack is finally coming around to realizing the two of them need to talk… but, Andy’s already asleep. Oops.

“You’ve been on your phone the entire ride, have you heard a single word I’ve said?” - Travis

“Yep. Granny. Secrets. Bad. Couldn’t agree more. No, really, I agree, when you are going through something this big and you have people around you who care, you should be able to let them in.” - Maya

Aww, that was almost like Maya giving herself her own pep talk to find Andy and talk to her as soon as they got back to the station, and before taking off for the police station, because I feel like Maya’s instinct might have been more towards “I can leave and come back without anyone noticing since it’s so late.” But instead, Maya tried to find her friend.

Like, Andy was definitely the first real and true and close friend Maya was ever able to have, because Andy might have been the literal first friend she could make while she wasn’t still under her father’s immediate control. She learned how to build trust and true genuine friendship with Andy, she became Maya’s first “person” and even though they’ve been friends a few years now to the point where it’s easy for her to be there for Andy, she still has to remind herself that Andy would want to be there for her when going through something.

So she ends up saying that in the aid car to Travis, but it really sounds more like encouragement for herself, but then she gets to the station and can’t find Andy, but, well, she’s got this perfect tiny window she still needs to take to leave so she’ll just talk to Andy when she gets back…

“I have to head out real quick, I just wanted to let her know.” - Maya

“Is everything okay?” - Vic

“Yeah, totally. Back soon.” - Maya

Because like, Vic can clearly see that something is up, and Maya obviously knows Vic can tell something is up, and Vic would be there for Maya too, but even though Maya and Vic are friends, Maya has a hard time letting -anyone- in, it’s easier for her to build friendships by being there for other people. Not to mention, she had to give herself a pep talk just to be able to talk to Andy, who was her first true, deep friendship. That pep talk is non-transferable to another friend just because they would absolutely be willing to be there for Maya in this moment, Maya is not prepared for that!

“I saw his name, and he looks just like you. So I tracked down your number and I called. I hope I wasn’t overstepping.” - Ryan

Danielle’s acting as Maya in this scene, almost entirely in body language reaction to Ryan’s dialogue in this scene… it’s just so good. The scene is so short, but there is so much emotional depth.

And then Maya gets back to the station, and she needs to talk to Andy, even if she has to wake her but… oh no… Jack’s shirt. Maya thought they were “tell each other everything” friends, which is what Maya was literally about to go do, but, Maya noticing everything, would immediately realize this is why Andy was acting weird this morning at the grocery store, and puts the pieces together that Andy decided to hide things starting up again with Jack… so how can Maya talk to Andy about something so big and monumental in her own life when Andy is hiding that things started back up with Jack?

“I tried to find you last night. You weren’t.. anywhere. Guess you crashed early?” - Maya

“Yeah.” - Andy

“That’s not like you. Anything you want to talk about there?” - Maya

“Why were you trying to find me?” - Andy

“Just had to take off for a bit.” - Maya

“During shift? Anything you want to talk about there?” - Andy

“Are you asking as my friend or my boss?” - Maya

“I’m just… asking.” - Andy

“Nothing to talk about.” - Maya

I am proud of Maya for still trying to take a chance on talking to Andy, and totally understand and relate to how both knowing for a fact Andy is hiding something, but even without knowing how obvious it is Andy is being evasive about something, how that would make Maya instinctually close off and decide she can’t talk to her best friend.

“The heat’s making the bottles” (bottle explodes) “do that.” - Maya

“I’m gonna die! Get me out of here please!” - one of the b&b sisters

“It’s like an entire wall of dirty bombs between me and our rescue.” - Andy

“Glass at that force, it’ll cut through your turnout.” - Maya

“It has to be the gas line to the stove that’s still open. We gotta find it.” - Dean

“I’ll go knock out the valve.” - Jack

“All right. I’ll go in there and get her. Miller, follow him with that line in case the fire comes back. Maya..” - Andy

“I’ll cover you. The fire could easily come back. You go, I got this.” - Maya

While I know the answer is obviously “for the plot”…. The sister they need to rescue is literally sitting in front of a window big enough for people to go through. Why, when those exploding wine bottles are so clearly a very real and present danger, don’t they exit the house, and go break one of the very large windows in the room she’s in, and get her safely out of the house that way instead of, you know, risking the exploding dirty bombs that predictably cause a problem during the rescue when glass gets lodged in her throat? I know, I know, it’s for the plot, but it’s just like… you wouldn’t actually risk yourself or your rescue going through those exploding wine bottles. And if that’s the only interior path there, wouldn’t you immediately think “oh but look at those windows we can access from the outside instead as our entrance to and exit with our victim?

“Is it because of the coaching thing? Are you upset about that?” - Andy

“Nope. You can’t help people who don’t want it. And I always try, I should know better.” - Maya

I mean, at least Andy realized that something is off with her and Maya and attempted a conversation, but Andy’s just missing that, since Maya notices everything, that Maya knows Andy’s hiding something (and of course now has proof).

And Maya doesn’t trust easily, and is currently overwhelmed at seeing her brother last night and trying to process all that, if Andy isn’t going to be honest with her, Maya doesn’t have the emotional bandwidth to hope that when Andy is acting closed off about her own life when Andy usually does talk to Maya about everything all the time… is Andy even in a place to be there for her?

Though Andy does try to push for Maya to talk to her, but Maya has already decided not to.

And then we have Andy saying “well talk to me” and the scene pans to Maya starting to talk… only to reveal she’s actually talking to Ryan, not Andy.

Ryan who, right now, is the only person who knows Maya saw her brother in a holding cell last night, because Ryan was the one who reached out to call. The same Ryan who her person, her best friend, has known and trusted her whole life, and Ryan went out of his way to track down contact info for Maya because he felt she deserved to know her brother was in the holding cell.

And Maya, who needs to talk to someone, and who doesn’t let people in easily, decides to trust maybe the person her own best friend grew up trusting most in the world, because even if she doesn’t feel she can talk to her best friend right now, maybe her best friend’s history with him does vouch for him, and him reaching out to her last night about her brother proved he is trustworthy to her.

So I’m really glad we do get to see Maya deciding to trust and open up to somebody in this episode, and I really like the friendship that builds between Ryan and Maya after this. Because before this, they were both connected to Andy but not each other, but this connects them to each other.

“I could see he was in pain, but we grew up embracing the pain. I guess I thought it would make him stronger like me.” - Maya

This line always hits me, in uncomfortable ways. On a rewatch after I’d seen episodes that explore Maya’s backstory growing up, hearing this line again with that context actually made me realize… oh, what Maya says is probably how my own sibling felt about me, because where I saw that we would be safer in our household if we employed strength in numbers, my sibling was the golden child who didn’t need that, and probably just didn’t understand why I couldn’t push through things the way they did. But they didn’t see what I experienced as the scapegoat. (And I was too young to know about abuse dynamics, and things like the golden child versus the scapegoat, and even if I had this information as a kid, it took my own sibling like, another decade to realize we’d experienced abuse, so it probably wouldn’t have helped… but I did have the observational skills to have already figured out that on the absolute rarest occasion my sibling did employ a strength-in-numbers solidarity, things were better for us both…)

“I feel like it’s all my fault. He’s.. my fault.” - Maya

When Maya’s backstory first started getting explored in later episodes, I knew from way back to this line that Maya was going to have a tough time coming to terms with and be able to actually face and accept the truth.

“I can keep an eye on him, when I’m on patrol, if you’d like.” - Ryan

Love this! I love that Maya is getting more people in her corner and learning how to trust more and open up more. And this scene really makes me appreciate Ryan’s character so much.

“Take her a new incident report since the old one was damaged, see how that goes.” - Pruitt

“Sir, her incident report wasn’t damaged.” - Dean

“I… think it was.” - Pruitt, as he pours a smoothie over the first one

Hahahahaha

“I do not have some fear of fire. Don’t be ridiculous. You know that is.. that is not the kind of thing a person works through. That’s the kind of problem that turns a firefighter into a postal worker. So let’s be clear, it is not a problem I have.” - Vic

I absolutely understand where Vic is coming from, and her need to figure this out and work through it on her own, and deny it’s happening. Because, it’s not a Vic problem… it’s a systemic problem that shouldn’t exist, because there should be resources for helping firefighters. And, maybe if things had been reported (instead of, but at least thankfully, the rest of the team committing to help her work through this) there would have been resources. I mean, we see next season Jack has to go to therapy for PTSD. But, the fact that Vic believes this will end her career instead of knowing there could be resources that don’t just say “sucks the job traumatized you, get lost” — it’s a systemic problem making Vic feel she can’t do anything more than try to figure things out on her own.

“You say my name like that and I feel a pin in your hand about to pop the bubble.” - Andy

Good! You two need to have a real conversation with each other.

“I’ve been going along with this, it’s been fun, it definitely beats fighting, and it makes you happy. But it doesn’t make me happy.” - Jack

I appreciate Jack starting an actual conversation instead of the easier path of staying in their sexy bubble. And I feel like we learn so much about who Jack is in his conversation attempt earlier, and him having this conversation now, after realizing that he is in fact allowed to do more than just follow Andy’s lead, because he was doing that to prioritize her. And whatever their relationship was or could be or might be, doesn’t he deserve to speak up instead of just following her lead? Isn’t it kinder to end things now, if ending is inevitable, and will only hurt more if they wait?

“I wanted more, and I still do.” - Jack

“Why are we talking about that?” - Andy (in a whisper, showing just how much she’s been avoiding having any conversation)

“Cause we haven’t.” - Jack

“Yeah, I know.” - Andy

“So let’s talk.” - Jack

“I don’t want to.” - Andy

“Why?” - Jack

“Because I don’t want more, Jack. I don’t. Not.. not yet. Not with you, not with anyone. I mean, maybe ever. I mean, you think about the home you’ll build with someone someday. You imagine it. I have my home. I found it already. Here. With these people. At this station. I don’t want something separate. This is the home I know. I’m here. I’m not looking for more. We were so good this morning. What changed?” - Andy

“Those sisters! Seeing how one couldn’t live without the other. All I could think was, I feel that, for Andy. But she doesn’t feel that way for me.” - Jack

“What, you think I don’t care about you?” - Andy

“No, I did not say that.” - Jack

I love their conversation here. We see Andy, whose mom “died” when she was little, and after that her dad fully immersed her into the station as her family from that point forward. She spent years with the single focus of officially becoming a firefighter herself to really truly solidify being a member of the station family. She is building her career in the place that has always felt like home, so she feels that she is home, for most of her life she hasn’t known the idea of home and family separate from this station, not really. And she’s never been put in a position of needing to examine any of this about herself. Because probably the only time someone tried to call her out on it, was Ryan when she got accepted into the fire academy, and she just got frustrated with him and refused to have a conversation and wanted him to take her home because she wasn’t going to talk about it. Like, of course Andy’s secret boyfriend was even someone she ended up working with at the fire station that she considers her family, and because Andy doesn’t think of what her future would be outside of advancing within this station, she and Jack had probably never had any conversations about the future, which is why his ring took her so very much by surprise.

And we have Jack, who does imagine what his future will be, because he never had any kind of solid foundation or real roots anywhere growing up. Yes, the station is also like a family to him, but he’s spent his whole life waiting for the opportunity to build a life for himself. And here’s someone he met at work who he does care for, and she does care for him, and in his mind it makes sense to follow the natural progression of relationship steps, even if they’d never had that conversation, because isn’t that what you do when you care about someone? It took him completely by surprise how taken aback Andy was by the ring, and then if she didn’t want to talk about it, that was easier than facing it, all the way up until he saw those sisters and, after his and Andy’s brief almost-conversation the night before, it’s like he realized this situation was going to end with him getting hurt no matter what, so may as well choose for it to happen now.

“Can’t we just be this? Us? In our incredible, happy, sexy, naked bubble?” - Andy

It’s like she’s so afraid of letting herself feel anything outside of her goals for her career in the one place that has been her home and her family, that she doesn’t realize she’s even ignoring her feelings in the first place. She thinks she is being true to herself, but she’s cut herself off from a whole part of herself. (I mean, been there, trauma in childhood can shape your life in so many ways until you figure out that’s what’s happening.)

And then we end the episode with Pruitt coming into the office, and seeing Andy and Jack in the captain’s bunk, Jack’s shirt having been unbuttoned by Andy while she plead her case for their sexy bubble, and they all just stare at each other… to which I offer a lyric from a popular song from 2005 “haven’t you people ever heard of closing the goddamn door?”

But, well, of course Pruitt was going to find out, this is television after all.

#station 19 #series rewatch #episode by episode thoughts and analysis

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jimblejamblewritings · 2 years

Text

luck be a (leading) lady | part 7.

[Posted 2022.09.25]

Summary: Y/N has always been a background character. That’s just life for some folks isn’t it? But what if she’s determined to not just be another member in the ensemble? What if someone helps her step into the spotlight in her own special way?

Warnings for the Series: a teeny bit of angst but mainly fluff

Pairing: ricky bowen x black!reader

Word Count: 3.2k

A/N: I will get back to the Harry Potter series when I finish this one

Previous Part | (Series Masterlist)

There was no surprise to anyone when you didn’t show up the next day for rehearsal. You had taken that second day to really think. You were going to do the show no matter what because you had never quit a production. But that was all you were going to do. No more showing up early. No more offering suggestions or helping out. You would only do your part and go home. You stretched between Ricky and Gina, avoiding almost everyone.

“You missed all the drama yesterday,” Gina said. “Ricky called Ms. Jenn—”

“Mom, he already told me.”

“Already told—”

“G, don’t.”

“Don’t what?” Ricky asked.

You and Gina both stopped talking immediately. Ricky was suspicious. He spent the entire rest of rehearsal pestering you two for the information. Gina was convinced that you should just tell Ricky how you feel. Many nights were spent with the two of you “arguing” back and forth in your room about telling him or not telling him. She was also convinced that Ricky had underlying feelings for you that he didn’t realize. Gina watched him walk over to his backpack to get his script, waiting till he was out of earshot.

“I’m just saying that if he wasn’t so hung up on Nini.”

“Wouldn’t that just make me Nini’s replacement? I don’t exactly want that.”

“Not a replacement. He’s been hanging out with you in a way that he doesn’t with anyone else, including her.”

You brushed Gina off as you two got into your positions for the opening number. Ricky stopped right in front of you.

“Um, Richard, I don’t remember Beast being in the opening number.”

“Okay, Prima, do you want to hear my idea or not?”

“Prima?” Gina side-eyed you.

Ricky laughed. “It’s an inside thing.”

You ignored Gina’s look and encouraged Ricky to continue.

“Well, I was thinking the Berklee scouts can’t really see you perform in the show. So what if we make a show?”

“I’m sorry what?”

“I read that book you showed me. The one with all the plays, right? There’s a lot with only two people. Or three if you want to join us, G? There’s one that I think is pretty good. Jack and Jill, it’s only ten minutes which is kind of short but it’s a musical.”

“Jack and Jill?” Gina asked.

“Yeah, two friends are inseparable. Jack and Jill but then Jack falls in love with Jill and it’s actually surprisingly funny for only ten minutes.”

You put your hands on Ricky’s shoulders. “Maybe not that one? What about The Dreaming?”

“The one about the two characters trying to figure out if they’re real or not?”

You nodded.

“That’s… that’s not bad. We can make a set in the drama room and then we’ll just invite the scouts after the show. Or we could email them beforehand but I think this might be better off as a surprise. They said they were going to watch all the performances so it’s not like we’d be wasting their time. They’d be at the school already. Actually, they wouldn’t even have to see you on the other nights. We’ll talk more later.”

Ricky quickly rushed off when Ms. Jenn called for places. Gina kept giving you a look like she was positive she was right. The looks didn’t stop when Ricky immediately came over after school to start brainstorming. You guys settled on doing The Dreaming. Ricky even stayed over for dinner just so you guys could plan better.

“So, we can ask Ms. Jenn about borrowing some tech stuff cause we don’t really have a budget for that,” Ricky said as you walked him to the door.

“We don’t have any budget at all.”

“I know, this has got to be the cheapest production those scouts have ever seen.”

“If they agree to see it.”

“They will.”

“Ricky, I can’t imagine living with the amount of confidence you have.” You closed the door, almost jumping out of your skin when Gina appeared right behind you. “I thought you were still in the kitchen.”

“I take back what I said. He’s more in love with you than your little crush on him.”

“He’s not in love with me.”

You and Gina got into Ricky’s car in the morning. “I’ve memorized the first half of the show. Just a little bit left.”

“You know it already?” You asked.

“Test me.”

You and Ricky went over the first of the play at least three times by the time you pulled into the school parking lot. Gina left because she was now hosting the school’s morning news with EJ but you and Ricky kept practicing as you walked through the halls. Even when you caught up to Big Red, you both gave him a wave and kept practicing as he walked with you. You only stopped when Nini’s interview came on the school televisions.

She had worked on a song for the musical and Carlos secretly filmed it, uploading the whole thing on Instagram to show off to North High. It went pretty viral but the lyrics… it very much sounded like a breakup song. You and Big Red took cues off of Ricky who seemed like he was taking it well. He insisted that the song was merely professional. You didn’t truly believe that but you didn’t say anything else, not even when he stood right next to Nini at the emergency rehearsal Ms. Jenn was holding.

“I know you’re all wondering why we’re having a midday session,” Ms. Jenn started, “But we’ve been doing so well and our lovely actor slash designer has finished the first rounds of your costumes!”

Cheering was broken by Carlos’ scream. He held up his phone. “They stole our mask!”

“What are you talking about?”

Carlos showed you all the picture that was posted on the North High Instagram. Your production’s Beast mask had gone missing a few days ago and he was positive that the bit of fur sticking out the trunk in their picture was the mask. It was a pretty believable story. North High had a very intense and very weird vendetta against you guys. They were actually way too much for just a high school production.

The only logical solution to North High stealing your beast mask was to show up to their school and steal it back. It wasn’t even stealing because it was yours to begin with. Ms. Jenn reluctantly agreed just because she knew that the cast was going to go whether she said yes or no. At least this way, she could somewhat supervise.

You guys were searching everywhere in their dressing room area to try and find the mask. Ricky shined the flashlight on you for a moment.

“You think Yale could be my name?”

You rolled your eyes but started practicing lines anyway. “It’s a start.”

“Not much to go on is it? So, what’s it for?”

“For every key there’s a loc—”

“Could you two keep it down?” Carlos cut off your line.

“Sorry,” Ricky apologized. “We’re kind of limited on time. Just trying to rehearse wherever we can.”

“You know what, it doesn’t even matter. I don’t see the mask anywhere.”

You all froze as the North High cast walked in. They didn’t even seem to be mad when you guys accused them of taking the mask. You almost had to hold Kourtney back after their French cast member— because of course they had a French kid playing Lumiere— called the beast mask fugly. Lily scoffed when you guys talked about how hard Kourtney worked on the mask.

“Why would we need your mask? I’m sure it’s cute but, be honest, we’re in different leagues. I mean we’re literally a quasi-pre-professional theater company and you guys put on shows based on made-for-TV movie— I’m sorry, is something funny?”

You shook your head even though you were still laughing.

“What?”

“I mean none of you have ever been paid before. Quasi-pre-professional? I’ve never seen a single thing any of you have been in.”

“Because you’ve been in so mu—”

“She was Clara in The Nutcracker,” Gina cut in.

“Besides that?”

Ricky stood up for you. “Guys & Dolls, Swan Lake, Hamlet, West Side Story. A lot more. She works with actual professional adults. Even getting into these shows is a big deal.” He turned to you. “You totally lied by the way. I think being one of the little swans in Swan Lake is a big role.”

You shrugged. “I only got it because one of the women broke her foot two weeks before production. How’d you even know?”

“I watched your performances when I was trying to find a play you hadn’t done. I had to cut all the Shakespeare ideas, not really complaining about that though.”

“Yeah, well,” Lily started, earning everyone’s attention again. “How much does your ‘professional’ even matter when you can’t get the lead in a school play. Like I said, North High is another level.”

“I’m gonna go find Ms. Jenn, tell her the mask isn’t here.” You left the dressing room.

It was Career Day at East High. Something you thought was absolutely stupid. The whole cast kind of had no choice but to participate in it. You guys had been banned for a week from rehearsal for what happened at North High. The only good news was that North High was also punished because they were the ones that stole your mask in the first place. You guys were allowed to paint sets but not actually allowed to rehearse. So painting sets was exactly what you guys worked on. Everyone started to leave when there was no other work to be done. You and Gina got into your car and went back home.

“G, what do you want for dinner?”

“Let’s make something. Ooh, what if we had a salad and then made cinnamon rolls instead.”

“I love that idea.”

You started to work on the dough when the doorbell rang. Gina was about to yell when the door opened. You both looked at each other once you heard Ricky announce he and EJ were there. With flour covered hands, you and Gina raced to the foyer.

“Um, hi, both of you?”

They both sighed.

“I don’t want to go to Duke.”

“I broke up with Nini.”

You and Gina blinked. She turned to you. “You get Ricky, I got EJ.”

“Let’s talk about this over cinnamon rolls.”

You let Gina and EJ have the house while you and Ricky went to the backyard. You were just there to listen to Ricky as he talked about how it happened and how he was kind of relieved. They had been out of sync for the longest and he knew that. It was just with his mom and everything, he didn’t do change very well.

“Maybe this is time for myself.”

Ricky and Nini started to grow separate from each other. Rehearsals went smoothly with no drama even after their breakup. You all felt confident by the time Spring Break rolled around that you could pull off the show when you got back. Of course, just because there was a break in school didn’t mean there had to be a break in rehearsals.

Everyone agreed on a Zoom time and to have a short rehearsal before getting back to vacation fun. It was fun to see where everyone was. Nini was at home. Carlos went to a five star resort with his family in Los Cabos— Seb was invited but he chose to stay at the farm because one of the cows was about to give birth. Ashlyn and EJ were also at home while their parents went to Park City. Kourtney was at the pizza shop with Big Red although she was leaving for the beach when rehearsal was done. Gina was at the airport waiting for her plane to be fixed so she could head to DC to meet her mom. A lot of the ensemble was also at home.

“Alright, last two. Ricky, Y/N. Where are you guys calling in from?”

“New York… Wait, what? Why are you in New York?”

Ms. Jenn cut in before you two could have a full conversation. “We are on limited time.”

You and Ricky shut up but the moment rehearsal was over you guys called each other. He was there because of his mom’s job relocating her and her boyfriend. You were there because you were visiting your sister. He promised to come to your sister’s restaurant for lunch.

“Bring your mom.”

The line went silent.

“Ricky, you went there to spend time with her. At least try.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll bring her.”

He chuckled when he and his mother entered the restaurant. You were already eating. Ricky almost died of laughter when you started to choke on your food in surprise at seeing him and his mom there already.

“Is it good?”

“Amazing, Richard. Order whatever, it’s on the house by the way that I know the Head Chef.”

“Noted,” he said as they sat down.

You immediately agreed to go with him and his mom as she showed Ricky all around NYC. Most of it you had already seen before but he still seemed reluctant to open back up to her so you were okay to go with them. You guys finished up eating.

“Well,” Ricky’s mom started. “If I had known one of your friends was in the city, I would have gotten a third ticket to the show. I know you don’t watch ballet but it’s Sleeping Beauty.”

Ricky chuckled. “New York City Ballet?”

“Yeah.”

“I think Prima’s got connections to get a ticket. It can’t be packed if it’s the middle of the day.”

“Prima?”

You shoved Ricky. “Stop telling everyone that nickname.”

“Do you have connections or not?”

“I might know Lucy, Sean, and Bentley.”

“Then the Prima nickname still stands. Mom, you said the show starts soon?”

She nodded and led the way. His mom wouldn’t say anything because she knew that he just broke up with Nini a few weeks ago but she was confused at what was going on with you two. You started to lead the way because you knew where the building was and she fell back on purpose. She watched his hands start on your shoulders before his arm was wrapped around your shoulder instead as he moved to walk next to you instead of behind. It eventually moved to holding your hand when you started to pull him along the closer you got to the building.

“Hi, Mark. Any seats still open?”

“Just the box.”

“Can you exchange some tickets?”

“How many?”

“Three… Two and a free one.”

“You owe me.”

“Dinner from the restaurant.”

Mark handed you the three new tickets. “You’re the best, kid.”

The ballet really opened Ricky up to just talk to his mom. You still stayed with them but when he squeezed your hand, you suddenly disappeared into the park to get everyone some smoothies. They seemed to be in a much better position when you came back with the drinks. You plopped down on the grass and put your head on Ricky’s shoulder.

“I saw a piano like four steps away. You should play something.”

Ricky took the smoothie, smiling at his mom who gave him a look like something you said just related to whatever conversation they just had. He took a couple sips before poking you.

“You dance and I’ll play.”

“Social…”

“Anxiety. I’ll be right there with you. It’s not any different from the stage.”

“It is so different, Ricky. Those are all characters.”

“Then let’s make this one a character. You are… Sleeping Beauty and I’ll be Flounder.”

“You mixed your princess metaphors.”

“Sleeping Beauty doesn’t have an animal sidekick, I panicked.”

You gave him a little side smile. “You’re dumb… Let’s do this.”

Rehearsal when you got back from Spring Break wasn’t going the best. The beast to prince transformation was currently a disaster. Carlos went to go find Ms. Jenn who stormed off after to try and come up with a better idea for getting the mask off of Ricky. You left your spot and jumped in front of Ricky.

“Stable.”

He gave you a smile. “Stable?”

“Stable. It’s a bit symbolic don’t you think?”

“I don’t think so.”

“I’m trying my best.”

“I know. Don’t think so much. Ready? Trap.”

“Cage.”

“Book.”

“Page.”

“Actor.”

“Stage.” You two just stared at each other for a brief moment. “Ring any bells?”

“Nope… You know I think we know this play a little too well.”

“We’re gonna crush it. Oh, Gina and I made chicken and pesto tear-and-share bread. We’re supposed to be giving the rest out. I still have some, do you want a piece or like four?”

“Tear-and-share bread?”

“We’ve been watching a lot of Great British Bake-Off.”

“I’d love the rest then.”

You nodded and walked off to go find wherever you had dropped your bag. Everything always got moved around once rehearsals started. Since you guys were now in the theater, you were positive that you had dropped it in the third row of seats. Ashlyn tapped Ricky on the shoulder after you walked off.

“You okay?”

“Oh, the mask. I’ll figure out the velcro, we’ll be good by the show start.”

“That’s good but I meant you kind of went dark over spring break.”

“Oh, yeah, I turned my phone off after our rehearsal. Just focused on my mom and I. And Y/N when she came over.”

Ashlyn nodded slowly. “Y/N came over?”

“Yeah, almost everyday. Odd enough, I actually think her being there helped me understand my mom more.”

“Y/N came over.”

“You are repeating yourself.”

“You don’t think you’re moving on a little fast.”

“I mean breakups suck but I have to get through it.”

“Ricky, it doesn’t take a genius to see Y/N’s a rebound.”

“Woah, who said anything about that?”

“Ricky.”

“Ashlyn. Y/N and I are friends.”

“We’ve all seen the Instagram posts.”

“Hold on. Y/N! You have an Instagram? Why didn’t I know about this?”

“I thought you did. It’s not that big a deal, only the cast follows me anyway.”

You came bounding back up to the stage after putting the tupperware container in Ricky’s bag. He held out his hand and you rolled your eyes while unlocking your phone and putting it in his open palm. Ricky laughed when he saw the username: primasnotebook.

“So you do like the nickname.”

“It’s growing on me.”

Ricky looked at the latest pictures after taking a quick scroll through the rest of your page. It was obvious that your Instagram wasn’t curated at all. It was very much just posting your daily life. There weren’t even captions on anything. You had several posts with collections of New York taken at close-up shots and off-center angles.

There were even the pictures that his mom took and had you send to her. There was one that was just the side-profile of his face at dinner but you could clearly see he was side-eyeing you while smiling. Another was one that his mom took of you two in the park. Your head was on his shoulder but he was also looking down at you as best as he could. Ricky looked back at you as he handed the phone back. He suddenly couldn’t find words.

“Are we still on for skating? I’m actually so excited about this.”

“Um, I don’t k—”

“Rehearsal canceled!” Carlos came running back into the room. “Emergency meeting at the pizza place and yes this is about that ugly trainwreck of a beast transformation.”

You gave Ricky a look. “I guess we’re gonna have to raincheck the skating… G! Let’s go.”

(part 8)

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@mishtay

PERMANENT TAGLIST:

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#hsmtmts fic #hsmtmts #ricky bowen x reader

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mariesakamari · 1 year

Text

Chapter 5: Start of the Pokedex

Masterlist

3rd POV...

Location: Jubilife Village

“Hey look over at that lady,” Deuce grabbed Ace’s attention. They both looked over at a lady who was muttering to herself. They looked back at each other and walked towards the lady.

“Um… excuse me Miss,” Ace greeted.

“Hello, You’re those newcomers who fell from the sky,” the lady had looked at Ace and Deuce in shock that they had talked to her. “I’m Marli. Are you heading outside the village?”

“Yep we are,” Deuce answered.

“Of course you are,” Marli giggled. “The Survey Corps must have to get out and about to compile that ‘Pokedex’ book they’re working on, right? Well, on your way, kindly do me a favor: find out all about Starly! Pokemon certainly are terrifying creatures… But when I see Starly, I feel simply… whole! Not that I have the least desire to actually TOUCH one, mind you. Please let me see Starly’s entry in that Pokedex the moment you’ve completed it!”

“Starly,” Deuce whispered to Ace as they walked away from the lady. “That’s Cater’s Pokemon.”

“We got this request in the bag,” Ace grinned.

“Hey, Ace, Deuce, what are you guys whispering about?” The duo turned around to see Epel and Jack walking up to them.

“We had talked to Marli⎼over there⎼and she requested that we show her a completed Pokedex entry for Starly,” Deuce answered Epel.

“We had just taken a request from the guard named Beauregard in front of headquarters to bring him a Wurmple,” Jack said.

“What if taking people’s requests can help us complete the Pokedex,” Ace wondered out loud.

“Well let’s complete these two requests to figure it out,” Epel suggested.

“I’ll go catch up to Cater since his Pokemon partner is Starly,” Deuce stated and went ahead of the three to talk to Cater.

“So far this place doesn’t seem too bad,” Epel smiles.

“Yep, but I do miss being able to contact my mom,” Deuce frowns. “I tried to contact her since I got up this morning but nothing goes through.”

“Yeah, I haven’t been able to contact any family either,” Epel sighed.

“Maybe our phone services are just blocked in this world,” Jack suggested. “But I think we should worry about the Pokedex for now instead of trying to contact people from our world.”

“Hey, looks like everyone is stopped at the gate,” Deuce pointed out. “Let’s see what’s going on.” The three of them walked up to the rest of the group that was waiting for them.

“Alright, seems like everyone is here,” Riddle stated. “Let’s go out and complete that Pokedex!�� Everyone gave words of agreement and they made their way out of the gate.

……

Location: Obsidian Fieldlands

“Righto. Let’s get to it, then, shall we,” Laventon asked. “In order to complete this Pokedex of ours, there are a great many research tasks I’ll need your help to carry out. The details of these tasks can be found in the Pokedex for you to reference anytime. You must catch and battle diverse Pokemon species and carry out plenty of research tasks. Do so, and you’ll gain research points and other rewards for your work!”

“One last piece of advice,” Akari says. “If you see a wild Pokemon’s attack coming your way… dodge like your life depends on it!”

“Dodge,” Kalim questioned, he had slightly tilted his head.

“Here⎼watch closely, and remember what I do so you can do it later,” Akari demonstrates how to dodge. “That beautiful, flowing bit of gymnastics is what we call a dodge! If you’re light on your feet, you can dodge out of the way of wild Pokemon’s attacks. That way, hopefully you can avoid taking a beating and blacking out in the wilderness. The Security Corps had to collect me when I…got the business end of some Shinx’s Thunder Shock. But don’t you worry! I’ve got lots of experience to draw on, and I’ll teach you plenty!” Akari runs off. The group decided to follow Akari down the hill.

“Now, let me share some Survey Corps wisdom,” Akari smiles. “Open the Pokedex and you’ll see what tasks you have for that Pokemon. You might’ve noticed that you have a research task to do with how many Bidoof you’ve caught. That’s right⎼catching just one isn’t enough. You need two, then four…then more and more!”

“I wanna try to battle the Bidoof,” Jack stated. Leona gave Jack a nod of agreement and Jack went to battle the Bidoof that was in the path. Jack had pulled out the PokeBall that Epel gave him that carried the Shinx and threw it at the wild Bidoof.

“Shinx use Quick Attack,” Jack commanded and Shinx used Quick Attack. The wild Bidoof had taken some damage. The wild Bidoof used Rollout and Jack’s Shinx took some damage. Jack had his Shinx use Quick Attack again and the wild Bidoof had fainted.

“Good job Jack,” Epel complimented. Jack sheepishly smiled as he held Shinx’s PokeBall.

“Let’s continue down the path,” Riddle calls out from farther down the path. Everyone else goes to catch up to Riddle. They spot Akari a bit up the path and walk over to her.

“I think you’ve got it, but as a reminder: don’t forget to open your Pokedex when you focus on a Pokemon to check your research tasks for it,” Akari advised. “Try checking your tasks for Starly next. One of your tasks is to catch Starly without being spotted, right? For that task, try catching them while hiding in some tall grass. I’ll go wait for you up ahead. Come catch up once you’ve finished some tasks.” Akari runs off.

“Let’s check out the Pokedex,” Lilia suggested. Everyone pulled out their phone to check the Pokedex.

“Hey why are the tasks darkened out,” Kalim questioned.

“Maybe we shouldn’t worry about that for now,” Jade said. “Let’s see what else Akari has to say.”

“So where did she go,” Ruggie asked, looking around.

“Let’s go down by the wild Shinx, we might be able to see her there,” Silver suggested.

“Good thinking,” Malleus complimented. The group heads down the path. They spot Akari a bit off the path and make their way towards her.

“This area is called Horseshoe Plains,” Akari explained as she faced the group. “The last area was Aspiration Hill. Each section of Obsidian Fieldlands has different Pokemon within them. Some Pokemon travel and reside in more than one area. Around here, you can find a Pokemon called Buizel. It’s got an aggressive disposition. That means it’ll try to hit you with its moves, just like Shinx, and you’ll need to battle it to catch it. And speaking of which, your research tasks for Buizel include seeing it use a certain move. To be precise, you have to see it use the move in battle. That’s right⎼some tasks require battling! Now, I’ll go on ahead. You take care of some of Buizel’s research tasks, then come talk to me.”

“Cater,” Riddle gets Cater’s attention after Akari runs off again. “I want you to battle the Buizel so I can catch it.”

“Alright, let’s do it,” Cater agrees. Riddle goes up to Kalim to receive a PokeBall from him, and he and Cater approach the wild Buizel. The wild Buizel notices the duo and gets ready to attack, before it has a chance, Cater throws his PokeBall containing Starly at it, and a battle is started. The wild Buizel immediately goes in for a Quick Attack and Cater’s Starly takes some damage.

“Star, use Gust,” Cater called out. His Starly used Gust and the wild Buizel took some damage. The wild Buizel looked around but didn’t attack.

“Let’s do that one more time,” Riddle says and Cater agrees.

“Alright, let’s use Gust again,” Cater commands. His Starly used Gust again and the wild Buizel took damage. The wild Buizel used Quick Attack and damaged the Starly.

“The health bar is in the yellow,” Ortho comes over. “Riddle, you can try to catch the Buizel now.”

“Thanks,” Riddle thanked Ortho and proceeded to throw the PokeBall. The wild Buizel went into the PokeBall and after a few seconds, the Buizel was successfully caught.

“Hey, we just got a notification on our phone’s that a research task for Buizel was completed,” Rook exclaimed. “Looks like we all share the same Pokedex.”

“That makes completing the Pokedex easier since we are able to split up,” Azul stated.

“I wouldn’t advise splitting up till all of us have at least one Pokemon of our own,” Lilia said, then added: “Just to be on the safe side.”

“I agree with Lilia,” Vil joined the conversation. “We must all be prepared in case the Pokemon decide to attack us.”

“Let’s continue on,” Leona walks on ahead of the group. “ Let’s see what else we can get. Also it seems that there are plants we can use for crafting that we can pick up.” The group continues to walk and comes across a group of Ponyta.

“Kalim, can you pass me a PokeBall,” Silver asked. Kalim agreed and handed Silver 3 PokeBalls. Silver quietly approached a straggling Ponyta and threw a PokeBall at it. The wild Ponyta went inside the PokeBall and the ball moved three times before the Ponyta appeared to be caught.

“You seemed to really focus on getting that Ponyta,” Sebek commented.

“They look like horses with fire manes and tails,” Epel observed. “That’s so cool.”

“I thought it would be a good Pokemon to have,” Silver shrugged.

“We should train some of the Pokemon we catch,” Ortho suggested.

“Hey, Ace, Sebek,” Cater called out to them. “Check out these four Pokemon.” Ace and Sebek looked at the small creatures that seemed to be playing with each other.

Jade approached the group: “How about catching them?”

“We don’t have PokeBalls,” Ace said. Jade had pulled out four PokeBalls from his satchel and handed one PokeBall to Ace, Sebek, and Cater. They took the PokeBalls from Jade and through them at the four Pokemon. The boys looked at the PokeBall in anticipation and at the last possible moment the Pokemon were caught.

“Catching these Pokemon are stressful,” Cater sighed.

“Especially with the chance of the Pokemon breaking out of the PokeBall,” Jade added.

“I forgot about that,” Ace shook his head, then remembered something. “Hey Cater, can you train up your Starly? There was a lady who requested a completed entry for Starly.”

“So just do the research tasks for it,” Cater questions.

“Yeah, pretty much,” Ace responds. Cater nods in understanding.

“Wait, you said a lady requested it,” Jade asked. Ace hummed in agreement. “Maybe taking requests can also help us with completing the Pokedex.”

“For sure,” Ace agreed. “Epel and Jack also took a request to catch a Wurmple and bring it back to the person.”

“Let’s train the Pokemon a bit more before leaving Horseshoe Plains,” Jade suggested. The small group agreed and went to rejoin the main group.

……

“Yeah, it’s like they are in danger,” Yuu spoke on the phone. They were currently speaking to Crowley. “I’m having, like, these visions, similar to the dreams I had while there in Twisted Wonderland.”

“What kind of dreams did you have here,” Crowley asked, surprised with the new information Yuu was giving him.

“They were dreams of the Great Seven,” Yuu said, thinking back at the weird dreams they had back in Twisted Wonderland. “They happen when I interacted with new dorms, and I kinda knew when someone from the dorm was gonna overblot.”

“Why didn’t you say anything then,” Crowley voiced his filled disappointment.

“You wouldn’t even have listened,” Yuu sighed. “You always seemed too busy to do your own job, or even find me a way back home. Like so many things have happened under your watch and you did nothing! The only time you did something was when the reputation of the school, like now because some of the students are in another world.”

“I was very gracious while you were here,” Crowley tries to defend himself. “With these new circumstances, it would be best to get Grim and the students back here.”

“Ummm… I don’t think Grim would want to return,” Yuu frowned. “He seems very happy here, and hasn’t even got into trouble.”

“That’s very interesting,” Crowley hummed. “I think it’s time the call ended. I still have plenty of work to do.”

“Alright, Crowley,” Yuu said. “We’ll talk again next week.” Crowley and Yuu said ‘goodbye’ to each other and the call ended. Yuu set their phone down on their desk and looked down at their sketchbook. Yuu had drawn a sketch of a creature made from rocks with axes for hands. They wondered what was gonna happen to their friends.

...to be continued

#disney twst #twst au #twst wonderland #twst x pokemon #pokemon

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