#{; alice deserves happiness in any way and if that means she ends up with victor van dort why are y’all pressed? ;}

[liddellvxndort-a]

{; lil rant ahead:

kinda tired of seeing people hate on other’s ships (except problematic ones ofc). like you can have alice as an ace lesbian, and i won’t judge, but why judge if others ship her with a different character and it doesn’t match your headcanon? i just saw a post making fun of valice and idk man it just rubbed me the wrong way. i guess bc that fic/ship literally saved my life in so many ways (and i’ll never be able to thank vicky enough for that). like i support everyone’s view of alice bc yes she’s definitely canonically ace, but why does it bother people if she’s shipped with victor? if you actually take the time to read the fic it’s so well written and their relationship is extremely well developed. it’s not some “love at first sight” bs, vicky has put in so much work to make the ship realistic. idk i’m just sick of the valice hate, man, just respect other people’s work. unless it’s bumby/alice then fire away lmao

thanks for coming to my ted talk ;}

[b-rainlet]

Gotham for the fandom ask thingy.

(I ran here so fuckin fast you have no clue)

Hello anon! :D I will answer this now, so you don't have to wait any longer but also....this would be very nice to answer through gifsets...(maybe when I am feeling up for it).

For now, have this:

(It's not proof read because I just sat at this for several hours and I don't wanna look at it anymore).

Favourite Male Character

You mean...besides the obvious answers?? :D

Ngl, it's S2 Jerome. I love that little twink with his parental issues and his tragic backstory and I wanna see him happy. There's a reason I have a bunch of AUs where he ends up having a family (mostly in the form of Lee as his Mother) and gets some actual help instead of being ostracized for being a mentally ill person snapping after years of abuse.

(This also ties into my very strong feelings regarding the fact that nobody actually helps the people at Arkham. And I don't mean the main villains there, I mean all the inmates who get treated like shit and are left behind on the regurlar (remember in S2 when Arkham was about to explode and nobody was talking about evacuating the inmates???? I do).

Other than that, one of my faves is also Jonathan. Which may be a little surprising because I barely talk about him but he was my favourite character throughout the show and he had way too little scenes.

(Kinda telling that the characters I latched onto are both helpless teens who were fucked over by the people who were supposed to protect them and can both trace their villain origin story back to Jim Gordon not caring enough about them lmao).

But the cast is big and varied enough that I actually like everyone? Butch, Zsazs, Penguin, S1 and 2 Ed, Jervis, Harvey, Jim......I like them all!!

(Special shoutout to 514A too, he was soft and baby and I wanted to keep him safe and sound really desperately).

(Another special shoutout to Barnes!! I didn't expect to like him when I first saw him, given he looked like he was gonna be mean and stoic and all, but I ended up really liking him and his story!)

Favourite Female Character

Let's just pretend Ecco doesn't exist for this answer ajdkaskaslj.

I fell in love immediately upon seeing Ecco but all! the women! are so!!! good!!!!

I especially have a soft spot for the side characters. I mean, upon first watching I got attached to Alice (even though she only features in two episodes lmao), and also Kristen Kringle - who isn't talked about much within Fandom, but she was pretty and her and Ed were actually quite cute but then she had to die for him to become the Riddler which was...pretty much telling us from the beginnning 'The woman here die to advance the men's plots'.

Barbara was also a big surprise to me because I figured she'd be the female love interest and nothing more but!! her and Jerome were the best thing in S2 and also the most entertaining thing about the Maniax Plot. (In several ways, I think I had the most fun watching this show during S2 , it was just. Good).

Also upon being in this Fandom and thinking about certain characters a bit longer I also really like Vicky Vale. And Montoya. And I wish they had kept both around for longer.

(I also wish they wouldn't have made Vicky a love interest for Jim. Or Sofia. No love interests for Jim except Lee and Barbara please).

Also Selina!! I love both Selina and Tabitha with all my heart - which may also be surprising because I barely ever talk about Tabby but I contain multitudes aklskddsm, and while I like sharing my horny thoughts about Ecco, I also love to think about Tabby and daydream about her being happy and exploring her (and Selina's) issues with showing weakness and affection and their strong loyalty regarding people that they trust.

I just.....women. Women good.

(Women also deserve to have more character than just being somebody's love interests and I have enough wips that completely sideline the guys to focus on the woman instead lmao).

Least Favourite Character

I don't have many characters that I hate??

I generally tend to instantly love everybody unless they are specifically made to be unlikeable. (I also spite-like characters who are hated for petty reasons, I just have a lot of love in my heart and not much energy for hate lmao).

But there were characters who annoyed me while I was watching.

For one, I think Gotham has a variety of super entertaining villains, but the main villains of each season tend to be....boring.

Safe for Strange they all kinda fell flat for me. Theo. Kathryn. Ra's Al Ghul. His Daughter. Mostly because their plotlines were less exciting than stuff like Jerome's carnival or Mother and Orphan's Hotel of Horrors.

Or their motives seemed a lot less understandable than the ones of the other Batman villains who pretty much always come from a place of suffering and abuse and break/snap under the pressure that's put on them (continuing this take of Gotham creating its own villains by leaving behind - mentally ill - people that need help, which I think is very true to most - if not all - Batman villains).

And then you have some characters that simply suffer from the fact that the show was cut short - which is pretty much any and every S5 character that had way too little screentime, but in this specific case means Jeremiah.

Because I disliked Jeremiah a lot while watching.

Without wanting to step on anybody's toes, him and Nygma are probably the two characters on this show I ended up disliking the most.

Mostly because Miah felt like a very cheap copy of Jerome and to this day I think it was a bad idea to replace Jerome with him, since Jeremiah - to me - seems like a super flat character.

Maybe if we had gotten him without meeting Jerome first, just having a Joker character introduced in S4, maybe I would've adored him, who knows.

But in comparison to Jerome...no. Just no.

(I will spare you from any longer rambles, but I think if you follow me, I talked about the ways Miah is lacking for me before).

My made up version of Miah though? I love him.

With Nygma it's even worse because I adored him. I instantly liked him. I was 100% behind him right up until the godawful Isabella plot happened and then it just all went to shit so quickly, I couldn't stand seeing him on screen anymore.

It's surprising that I didn't stop liking Oswald but to me, Oswald pretty much stayed the same while Ed became all bitter and hard and I just miss dorky S2 Ed you know?

It actually got so bad, I completely turned my back on Nygm/obblepot as a ship because I was so severly disappointed and I barely talk about Ed because I just can't stand what they did with him.

(Another victim of bad writing).

Favourite Ship

I'm just gonna stick to canon ships because I don't ever shut up about my Fanon ships so you probably know which ones I love the most :D

There isn't much romance going on within Gotham if I think about it - apart from Jim - which I definitely prefer. You wouldnt guess it from my blog, but I am not a fan of too shippy stuff because in most cases it just means sex scenes and I can live without those. I want action! Blood! Dead People! Not a two minute make-out session between two bland characters!

I gotta admit that Ed and Lee have some cute scenes and I would definitely ship them if I didn't dislike S4 Ed so much (S2 EdLee tho?? Yes).

Also I thought Jim and Lee was okay and Baby Batcat was quite cute at times but mostly I don't care about the canon ships.

I do ship Barbara and Jim though :D

I remember right before they hooked up in S5 I was like: 'I wouldn't mind if they got back together' and then went 'yay!' when they did and I wouldn't have minded a little more 'Will they?? Won't they??' between those two and them just having the mother of unhealthy relationships on this show.

(Also Jim/Barbara/Lee poly relationship but we can't have everything).

Favourite Friendship

So many good relationships on this show!

I need to rewatch the show soon because I probably already forgot about most of them but from the top of my head: Oswald/Butch and Oswald/Zsazs

Which were both then done dirty lmao. One by having Oswald be overly petty (one of the few times I was like...Pengy...wtf...) and the other by passing up the obvious opportunity to have Zsazs find out who really killed Falcone and just...letting Oswald and Victor never interact again. 

Then of course Ivy and Selina which also gloriously fell apart. Just like Ivy and Oswald. 

(Gotham isn���t the best when it comes to maintaining friendships). 

And the biggest and most grandious friendship of them all: J Squad. 

(Who have too little scenes together honestly and then also simply fell apart after Jerome died. Consistency who?)

Favourite Quote

I don’t know, I don’t have many quotes in my head from the show. Me and my niece mostly reference: “Yeah, that’s a spoon.” - “IT IS ALSO A FORK!!1!!!”

Also: “Gotta Go! Gotta Go! They’re after me and the Scarecrow!”

(There are some dialogue blurps I have written down somewhere because they are inspriration for gifsets but in order to be able to just recite some of them from Memory, I would have to watch this show way more obsessively). 

Worst Character Death

I don’t even gotta say anything do I? :D

But I think the character death that actually made me cry was Jerome’s first death. I clearly remember crying because...he just wanted recognition! And praise! And instead he was used as a pawn and betrayed by someone he idolized and he was only 18! My poor little meow-meow!

Seriously, the only things that make me cry on this show: Jerome’s first death, any and all mention of Bruce as a baby - told by an emotional Alfred, any and all Bruce/Alfred interaction at all and Solomon Grundy. 

This made me so happy you have no idea Moment

I seriously need to rewatch this show, it’s been so long :D

But I remember being pretty excited for the J Squad Team Up - because I was like ‘If I were Jerome I would definitely work with Tetch and Scarecrow since they’re also in Arkham atm’ and then he did!!

And I also distinctly remember in S3 that I was close to falling asleep right when they scene came on where Oswald realizes his feelings for Nygma and let me tell you - it caught me so off guard, I was awake instantly lmao. 

(I knew that people shipped them but I was so used to mlm ships being popular when they only have a handful of scenes and are platonic friends that I didn’t expect them to actually have a possibility of being canon). 

From then on I was super pumped for them to deliver on that ship but well....we all knew what happened asnksnndk. 

Saddest Moment

Aside from the already mentioned scenes in the character death column, the scene where Bruce leaves and Selina runs to the airport. I always liked Selina but she wasn’t a priority character of mine (much like Bruce isn’t) but then that scene happened and in an instant, I felt super protective over her. 

She is now my baby. My daughter. My beloved wife. She deserves everything and most importantly she deserves better than Bruce Wayne. 

(Coincidentally that was also the scene where I decided I don’t care much about Bruce asldjkjlj. I absolutely adore early seasons Bruce though). 

Favourite Location

There are so many different locations, I don’t think I can adequately answer this with my spotty memory :D

But I always loved the few episodes where Alice features, because I love how her scenes are shot so probably the little carnival Jervis prepares for her.

Also!! Jeremiah's church!

Or Commissioner Loeb's secret house (Especially the Attic).

There are a lot of cool locations, I gotta gif some of them soon :D

[victorluvsalice]

Forgotten Vows Friday: Favorite Moments, Part IV

It's my BIRTHDAY! :D And much like the 13th was the perfect day to talk about the darkest moments I love in this series, I think today is the perfect day to talk about the brightest moments -- aka, my absolute favorite favorites. I don't think any of you are going to be surprised by this list:

1. Forgetting You, Chapter 9: Splatter Gets What He's Owed -- Victor punching Jack Splatter and rescuing Alice from the burning Mangled Mermaid -- Okay, first of all, I like this chapter in general because it was one of the first I did after getting some solid writing tips from reading the first book of the Riverworld series (namely, "I do not want to write like this"), and I feel it represents a big jump in quality in my storytelling. And this particular moment -- oh, it was satisfying to finally give Splatter exactly what he deserved for hitting Alice! (Which is, uh, kind of why I kept doing it. XD) Not to mention I threw myself into properly describing the burning Mermaid and Victor's rescue of Alice, and I feel it turned out beautifully. (I still like "If the exterior of the Mangled Mermaid was a glimpse at Pastor Galswells's favorite vision of Hell, the interior was the full Time-Of-Judgment-Featuring-Dante-And-Virgil experience.") Not to mention I liked letting Victor play the hero for Alice, as she was going to be playing the hero for him for much of the rest of the verse!

2. Forgetting You, Chapter 24: Confrontation At Moorgate Station -- Victor punching Bumby during the brief moment he broke free of his control -- Speaking of satisfying moments where someone gets what they deserve. . .ooh, this felt good to write after Chapter 22! Bumby obviously deserves worse, but that moment where it becomes clear he never truly broke Victor -- well, Alice wasn't the only one bouncing up and down in delight. XD

3. Forgetting You, Chapter 25: Into Londerland -- Alice shoving Bumby in front of the train -- Obviously I have to include what is also one of my favorite moments in Alice: Madness Returns itself. I was so worried that he was going to get away scott-free, and then Alice took matters into her own hands, and it was great. And I think I did a good job in translating the moment into text, particularly Bumby's shock as Alice turns to face him as her Wonderland self. (Which he definitely saw her as, thanks to my Alice having a natural talent for a certain disguise spell. . .) Not to mention the exchange right before she shoves him:

"Could you kill a fly?" echoed in her head, the Dollmaker trying to get in one last shot from beyond the grave.

I can kill a lot more than that, she replied, and used her free hand to give Bumby one good, hard shove.

Eeee~ So good.

4. Remembering You, Chapter 13: Taking Back The Crown -- Victor defeating the Bumby Heart within the Wall, and regaining his memories -- Again, more satisfying moments against Bumby -- or, at least the remnant of him still left in Victor's head. The whole fight against the Wall, with Victor wielding Alice's weapons against the Ruin, was great to write, but the final battle? Victor clawing his way back from the edge of oblivion thanks to remembering Alice's eyes? The memory of getting the fork from Ms. Plum becoming the initial form of the Vorpal Fork? Victor staring the Heart down as it starts panicking? The "MY! NAME! IS! VICTOR!" line right before he stabs it?! *chef's kiss* That was so good, both to write and to read afterward. :D And then afterward, designing the first form of his Otherland -- the sweet little forest where his memories come back? That was a great way to destress after the fight. Just what Victor and I needed.

5. Remembering You, Chapter 14: So Kiss Me – Victor and Alice's first kiss -- It's their first kiss I'm not supposed to pick this? XD More seriously, this was a sweet and wonderful moment to finally write. And it probably helps that I took some inspiration from one of my favorite Disney movies, Enchanted -- you know how Victor picks up Alice and spins her around a bit? I had in mind Giselle getting spun around by Prince Edward when they reunite in Robert's apartment. (Yeah, I know, wrong couple, but I still thought it was a cute moment!) After so much time spent with them either pining but shoving down their feelings, or being utterly oblivious, or being in love but struggling past lingering mental issues. . .damn, it just felt good to have them finally smooch.

6. Fixing You, Chapter 7: Heck Though Ain't It Grand – Alice's reunion with Lizzie in the Land of the Dead -- I know this was one of the two "big moments" everyone wanted to see in the series, and I was more than happy to deliver. Mostly because it was a moment I wanted to see myself. Setting up the surprise of Lizzie being Burtonsville, not in Oxford, was a lot of fun in-universe, and the actual moment when the two sisters saw each other again – even I "awwwed" internally when they flung themselves into each other's arms. :) It was just so heartfelt. . . The follow-up hug between Alice and her parents when they finally reach the Ball & Socket is great too. Just – I know this is the thing Alice has wanted most ever since the series began, and I was thrilled to give it to her. (And this leading to the final defeat of that damned Jabberwock was a great bonus! Call that an "honorable mention" on this list.)

7. Fixing You, Chapter 10: The Grand Wonderland Tour – Victor and Alice's tour of Wonderland – Yes, the entire chapter. This is the other big thing everyone wanted, and, again, more than happy to deliver. This whole chapter is probably my favorite in the whole series, just because I had so much fun coming up with stuff for Victor and Alice to do in all the various domains! It was like a "greatest hits" of every fun "Victor and Alice in Wonderland" scenario I've ever thought of! :D Personal favorites within the chapter itself are the mine cart ride in the Village of the Doomed (it was fun going back to AMA, coming up with a special suit and dress for the mains for the "domain," and it was very interesting to look up stuff on early roller coasters!), Victor and Alice building a sand castle in the Music Fish's "Choral Coral" spot (that's my personal favorite bit in the Deluded Depths when it comes to the scenery, and it brought back fond memories of being on the beach and watching Mom make sand sculptures), the battle against the Army Ants (more fun with AMA stuff, and a good opportunity to show the pair's battle skills – not to mention, I love the way they got the Ants to back off in the end), and Victor and Alice's race through Cardbridge (again, my favorite level in A:MR, and them just getting to play like kids in this beautiful world was -- I swear, I was smiling and squeeing so much writing that bit. . .). But the whole thing was fantastic, and I think well-worth the wait!

8. Fixing You Chapter 16: Round Three: The Conglomeration. . .and Thirteen – Victor redeeming Thirteen, and the full creation of his Otherland afterward -- I like the whole sequence in Silent Burtonsville (Victor going Hysteria to kill the Colossal Nell when she threatens Alice is definitely an “honorable mention” moment), but the final confrontation definitely makes favorite. Victor and Alice finally recognizing just what it is he's struggling with, and Alice convincing Victor that the only one who sees himself as a monster is him, leading to him forgiving himself. . .ooooof. It just hits you right in the feels, doesn't it? The moment of him hugging his corrupted self, whispering that he doesn't hate him? How could you not sniffle, seriously? And then, after Thirteen's redemption back into Desire, the whole bit where Victor starts getting into what he actually wants his Otherland to look like. . .once again, had so much fun doing the descriptions! I was as enthusiastic as Victor about the whole thing! And Victor's joy at seeing the Living Dead Forest come to life outside the window? So much squee, seriously. Love it.

9. Fixing You, Chapter 18: A Day For A Glorious Wedding – Victor and Alice's wedding – Again, this is their wedding, I wasn't supposed to pick it?! XD I'm pretty sure we were all VERY READY for this to finally go down by the time it happened, and I was just thrilled to finally put it to paper. I mean, I'd had Victor's reaction to Alice's dress stored away in a "notes" file for ages, but to actually get them in front of that registrar, do the vows, go back to Houndsditch and have that cake. . .it did my heart good, seriously. Especially that moment when Victor hears Alice say her vows back to him, and all he can think is that he didn't want to cry. . . Even if it wasn't necessarily the most "romantic" way to get married, I still just wanted to sweep them up in a big hug and weep for a while. XD And then the reception afterwards in the Land of the Dead, with Victor and Alice getting a surprise party from their dead loved ones, Victoria finally getting a chance to see the place, June reuniting with her mother and meeting her brother, and the kids giving Victor his pictures back? I don't think I could have ended that story any more perfectly.

10. A Wedding, A Wedding, We're Going To Have A Wedding, Chapter 7: In A World Of Our Own – Victor and Alice's Wonderland reception – Honestly, the whole fic is a win for me (as probably evidenced by the way it kept growing chapters), but the last bit, which was a complete last-minute "oh hey, if I did a Land of the Dead reception for Victor and Alice, I should do a Wonderland one too!" is just – so full of fluff, I swear. I wasn't expecting it to be so squee-inducing and squishy when I first came up with the idea, but. . .Alice's Wonderland and Victor's Otherland merging like they do, with the inhabitants of both their minds teaming up to give them a party? Showing once and for all they've stopped beating themselves up about stuff for the most part? Awwwwww. . .the bit that really gets me, though, is the very last part:

[. . .] Victor turned to offer Alice his arm as the various citizenry hurried off through the combined woods –

Then paused. A playful grin crossed his face. "What?" Alice asked, raising an eyebrow. "What are – Oh!"

Alice automatically grabbed for his neck as he suddenly scooped her up into his arms. "Oh," she repeated, trying to get her bearings. "Er – any particular reason for giving me a lift?"

"Well, you're my new wife," Victor told her, adjusting his grip. He nodded at the join between their two worlds, the Vale of Tears and the Living Dead Forest mingling in perfect harmony. "Aren't I supposed to carry you over the threshold?"

Oh, he was such a sap – and she loved him for it. "You are," she confirmed, snuggling into him. "If you would, Mr. Liddell?"

"My pleasure, Mrs. Van Dort."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH – no I DON'T know why that affects me so much but it FREAKING DOES. It just – ooof. *flops* Best way to end anything about their wedding, I swear.

And that covers it! All my favorite moments in the Forgotten Vows Verse! :D Hopefully you guys saw a few of your favorites in here as well. . . I'll see you all in the New Year! With any luck, we'll get some more content for this world, and maybe even a few more favorite moments. :)

[jeromevalseka]

Female! Jonathan and Female! Bruce Being soft, enjoying each's company whilst getting revenge on Jervis.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!! i don’t know how soft they turned out in this but i’m officially in love with fem!scarebat, like. they are so powerful. okay i’ll shut up now, i hope you enjoy! 

(also on AO3)

nine.

Johanna Crane had soft skin and chapped lips and tasted like maple and brown sugar. Briana Wayne shouldn't have known any of those things, but she did, and she refused to regret her choices because kissing Jo felt ridiculously, unexplainably, right. Her hair was long and tangled, and Briana only tangled it further, pushing her fingers through it, tugging, gently at first and then harshly, relishing in the way she gasped under her ministrations.

It's nice, she thought, half-dazed, her tongue still in Jo's mouth, to have such an effect on someone.

(it's nice, she thought, less loudly, her tongue still in Jo's mouth — where else would it be? — to love someone.)

Briana should not be where she was. She should not let Johanna Crane push her calloused hands up against her thighs. She should not let her scrunch her dress up, high above her belly, the silky material tickling along her skin making her twitch almost as much as Jo's blunt-tipped nails running along her skin did — first tracing over her hip bone, then trailing around her navel, moving even higher, dragging to the edges of her bralette, teasing. She should not drop her mouth from Jo's lips to her jaw — her neck, pulse racing — the juncture of her shoulder. She should not bite down. She should not suck a bruise into her soft skin.

She should not do a number of things—

But she does.

ten.

There were many benefits to being rich, Briana mused as she stood, waiting alone in a back alley of the Narrows. She probably looked out of place. Actually, she knew that she looked out of place. Her curled hair and her lips red; a wool trench coat worth more than any of petty drug dealers around her made in half a year, kitten heels worth double the coat. She had a meeting with her board of directors later and then, if all went well, dinner with Alfred and Jim. She had a part to play.

Besides, if anyone thought to try anything she had a few tricks up her sleeve — literally. Once more, she found herself fiddling with the bracelet-slash-fear-gas-dispenser Jo had given her, warmed, even after so many weeks, by the thoughtfulness of the gift. It wasn't as if she couldn't hold herself in a fight — something that Jo was well aware of — but if it came down to it, Briana Wayne, socialite and CEO, taking down an armed assailant with her bare hands would raise several questions that she'd rather not have to answer.

At long last, as her patience finally began to dwindle, the man she'd been waiting for appeared.

Victor Zsasz did not have, as she'd been expecting, a frightening presence, but an off-putting one. He looked very much like a kid in a candy store, his dark eyes lighting up when he caught sight of her. At his back was only one of his Zsaszettes, a remarkably pretty girl with high cheekbones and a purple mohawk. Briana wondered if she should have been offended that he came with so little backup.

"My, my," he said, once he stopped in front of her, his hands spread wide, consolatory, "What is a girl like you doing in a place like this?"

"Business," she said, briskly. "I hear you're the best at what you do."

Zsasz nearly smiled. "And I hear you have dinner with good old Captain Gordon twice a week. I'd say that leaves business between us a little... difficult. Wouldn't you?"

She tilted her head up higher, glaring. "No, I wouldn't. What Jim doesn't know won't hurt him."

He clicked his tongue against his teeth. "No need to be so catty," he said, sharing a long look with the woman beside him. "Alright then. I'll bite. Who do you want me to kill?"

"Jervis Tetch," Briana answered, his name poisonous on her tongue.

She wasn't sure if she'd ever hated anyone as much as she had grown to hate Tetch. No one — not Matches Malone or Hugo Strange or Ra's al Ghul or Theo Galavan or any of the other horrible, monstrous men she'd been forced to endure — filled her with the same amount of visceral, all-encompassing hatred as Tetch did, an impressive feat considering they'd never even been acquainted before.

(Jo knew him though. Jo was scared of him, still, despite everything, and Jo wasn't scared of much anymore — after all, what did a personification of fear have to be afraid of? perhaps a weaselly man in an ugly tophat who could take away a person's control of themselves with one swing of a watch.)

Zsasz blinked at her, his eyes more calculating than she was comfortable with. "Tetch, huh? He is kinda a creep, isn't he? Did he make you do something? Something bad?"

Not me, she thought.

Briana wondered, briefly, if she could get away with stabbing him without his henchwoman retaliating.

"No. Does it matter?"

"Of course not," he said, drolly. "I was just curious is all. It's not every day I get business with the Briana Wayne. Makes a guy think."

She really wanted to stab him. "Will you do it or not?"

"Patience is a virtue, you know. Tetch is worth five tallies on his own, don't you think Loretta?" Zsasz asked, turning towards the woman at his side who was, evidently, Loretta. She shrugged in disinterest. "We'll talk about it later, then." Addressing, Briana again, he said, "Yes, I will do it—  that is if you're willing to pay the right price."

She let herself smile. "Kill Tetch and I'll give you 10 million. Two up front, before you do it, and the rest upon completion. How does that sound?"

"It sounds like I should do business with billionaires more often, your highness. Any special requests?"

"As long as he ends up dead, I could care less how it happens." Briana paused then, remembering something Jo told her, voice shaking, about Tetch's obsession with tea parties, about his relationship with his sister, about how he started to call Jo, Alice. "Actually, could you shove a teacup down his throat? After he's dead. Or before if that works."

Zsasz laughed. "It's been a real pleasure, Briana Wayne. Keep your eye on the news this week. I have a feeling something's gonna make headlines."

"I'm looking forward to it." She said, completely honest, holding back a smile that she knew would end up stupidly wide.

one.

"You're a mean, little thing, aren't you?" Jo asked her, appraising. There was a bruise blossoming over her jaw that Briana refused to feel guilty for. Johanna Crane was a criminal and a murderer and did not deserve any of her sympathies. Unfortunately, she was also charming and clever and smiled at her like she was something special and—

Briana was fucked, essentially.

"Sometimes," she shrugged. "It depends on the situation. I tend not to play nice with my kidnappers. I'd hate to boost their egos."

Jo laughed then, tapping a gloved finger to her chin. The needles she kept in the tips of the gloves glinted menacingly. She had to remember who she was dealing with. Johanna wasn't a run-of-the-mill Arkham escapee. She was a different monster entirely, armed with both her scythe and, worse, her fear toxin. Briana had to tread carefully.

"Oh, sweetheart, this isn't a kidnapping," she tilted her head to the side, infuriatingly coy. "Unless you'd like it to be?"

"What do you want, then?" Briana asked, unwilling to play whatever game Jo had lined out. If only she could reach her phone, still sitting on her desk, then she could send an S.O.S to Alfred and—

She smiled. "I just wanted to drop in and meet the girl who survived Jerome Valeska for a third time. He told me you were boring. Just another boring, blue-blooded brat, but you're more than that, right? There's something that's just eating at you. I wonder what it is."

Briana thought back to her horrifically miscalculated visit to Zack Trumble's diner. She thought about Jerome, on his knees, choking, and then she thought about Jerome with his gun —  Jerome her savior, Briana his, an awful inversion of roles — and then she thought about Selina, her second savior — and on and on and on, because nothing in Gotham was ever easy or clean.

"You're wrong," she said, "I am boring. And a blue-blood. I don't know if I'd call myself a brat, though. Most people prefer to call me a bitch."

If anything, Jo's smile widened. "You are just darling. We're gonna have a blast together, sweetheart. I can already tell."

Briana didn't know it yet but that — Jo's smile and southern drawl — was the beginning of the end for her.

Or, maybe, it was the end and the beginning, circular.

Or, maybe, it was neither. Just transitionary.

[actuallylorelaigilmore]

A - Z (Fandom ‘Come At Me, Friend’ Meme)

WELL THEN *cracks knuckles* HERE WE GO 

(all 26 letters behind a cut bc this is very long)

A - Your current OTP(s)/OT3(s)/OTX(s)

As of this hour, my top OTPs are Penelope/Schneider from ODAAT and Joyce/Hopper from Stranger Things. But I have endless numbers of them, even within each fandom.

B - A pairing you initially didn’t consider but someone changed your mind

Jean/Alice from TDBM. 

C - A ship you have never liked and probably never will (be nice)

Um…hmm. I’m such a multishipper, I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about my NOTPs. I’ve never been onboard the Keens from The Blacklist, though. Not even a little. I only enjoyed Tom in his original villainous state.

D - A pairing you wish you liked but just can’t (again: be nice)

A couple of my spouse’s faves, I really wish I liked too, especially Sam/Josh and Mal/Simon. I don’t like one of the characters in each very much, so I’ve never been able to get into them–even though I understand them, and have had fun writing them…I just don’t love them too.

E - Have you added anything cracky/hilarious to your fandom, if so, what

Yeah, mostly graphics, though. I don’t think I’ve ever written crackfic. I did New York Times Minus Content edits for TDBM, a ton of those. Also Sext Message Error sets for Lizzington and for Josh/Donna. And Welcome To Nightvale sets for iZombie and Lizzington. And OTP Bot sets for Lizzington.

And this isn’t EXACTLY crack, but my original tumblr claim to fame was this Hamilton/TWW crossover that got reblogged by Lin himself.

F - What’s the longest you’ve ever been in a fandom

Mm, the first time I actively joined a fandom was Buffy, and I was about 14 when that started for me…so as of this year I’ll have been in that fandom for 20 years! But I’ve been a fangirl literally my whole life, I just didn’t really join fandoms before the internet, and I started using the internet more in junior high and HS.

G - Do you remember your first OTP, if so who was in it

Lou/Joey from Brotherly Love, or Claire/Trevor from Cupid (original run), or Dharma and Greg, or Allison/Wade from CryBaby, or Idgie/Ruth from Fried Green Tomatoes. I was a shipping prodigy, and the couples I was obsessed with as a literal child blur together a bit in the timeline, so I’m not completely sure which came first.

H - What is your favorite source text for fandom stuff (e.g., tv shows, movies, books, anime, Western animation, etc.) 

TV shows.

I - Has tumblr caused you to stop liking any fandoms, if so, which and why

The Aaron Tveit fandom made me uncomfortable watching BrainDead before I even had the chance to decide if I liked it or not. Most fandoms I love, though. I prefer to ignore the drama and focus on the people I actually like. 

J - Name a fandom you didn’t care/think about until you saw it all over tumblr

SO MANY. Parks and Rec, TDBM, Stranger Things…a significant portion of my watchlist comes from this hellsite by now–I have friends with good taste.

K -Say something nice about someone in any of your fandoms

@mossdonnatella is in a lot of my fandoms. She is a much better fic writer than she thinks she is!!

L - Say something genuinely nice about a character who isn’t one of your faves (chars you’re neutral on are fair game, as are chars you dislike)

I really ended up disliking Jacob a lot, on Grace and Frankie. But I will say that in the beginning he is very respectful of Frankie’s boundaries and tries to be patient with her, and I did like that.

M - Say something genuinely nice about a ship that you don’t ship (or its shippers, or anything related to you)

I don’t actively ship Jancy on Stranger Things after seeing S1 (I don’t really ship Steve/Nancy either, though…I think I mostly just ship Nancy x happiness) but the moment when her mom knocks on her bedroom door and they reach for each others’ hands instinctively? That is a damn fine understated sweet connection moment and I really enjoyed and believed it.

N - Name three things you wish you saw more or in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice)

Okay since a lot of my top fandoms are for shows that ended a long time ago, I’m going with One Day At A Time. In fic or in canon, I want to see a lot more of Schneider being Penelope’s BFF and her confidant. I want more serious!Schneider moments bc it turns out the actor rocks at them, and I want to see Pen really get to move on from Victor as her kids get older, I want real confirmation that she’s finally past any possibility of reconciliation with him bc she deserves SO MUCH BETTER.

O - Choose a song at random, which ship or character does it remind you of

Randomizing my music gave me “Quiet” by MiLCK feat. GW Sirens and Capital Blend. 

Sample lyrics:

Cuz no one knows me, no one ever willIf I don’t say something, take that dry blue pillThey may see a monster, they may run awayBut I have to do thisI can’t keep quiet, no A one woman riot

Despite the mature meaning behind the lyrics, and probably because I’m watching Stranger Things right now, it reminds me of Eleven, the tiny badass fighting her way to freedom.

P - Invent a random AU for any fandom (we always need more ideas)

Alright, I’m gonna invent one right off the top of my head right here and now since you asked. Um… a One Day At A Time AU in which Penelope meets Schneider not as her landlord but as a patient, once she becomes an NP. Doctor/patient “okay if you won’t stop asking me out then get a new doctor so I can say yes” fluff ensues.

Q - A ship you’ve abandoned and why

Lizzington. I’m technically still writing fic for it bc I have a chapter fic to finish, but I haven’t watched the show in years, I avoid content for it, and have no interest in it anymore besides the phantom limb feeling of having been so invested in a ship for that long and making friends around it.

R - A pairing you ship that you don’t think anyone else ships

Well, since I mentioned it earlier, I think I’m the only person ever to watch the scenes Bud and Brianna have together in Grace and Frankie and think “that should really be a thing.” 

Also…Kate/Donna from The West Wing. Based entirely on one scene.

S - Show us an example of your personal headcanon (prompts optional but encouraged)

I genuinely don’t understand this question, sorry. What’s an ‘example’ of my headcanon, and how does that relate to prompts? If somebody wants to explain this to me, I’ll answer it. 

T - Do you have any hard and fast headcanons that you will die defending, about anything at all (gender identity, sexual or romantic orientation, extended family, sexual preferences like top/bottom/switch, relationship with poetry, seriously anything)

Yep yep yep. Andy was the leak, not Toby, and that is the hill I will die on always. I’m sure I have others, but that’s the big one.

U - 5 favorite characters from 5 different fandoms

Toby Ziegler (TWW), Alice Harvey (TDBM), Lorelai Gilmore (Gilmore Girls), Jim Hopper (Stranger Things), and Spencer Hastings (from what I just saw of PLL with @actuallylukedanes). 

V - 3 OTPs from 3 different fandoms

Luke/Lorelai, Gilmore Girls. Parker/Hardison/Eliot, Leverage. Joyce/Hopper, Stranger Things.

W - 5 favorite ships and 5 kinks you like best for said ships

Josh/Donna (TWW), Donna in control. Matthew/Alice (TDBM), hurt/comfort sex. Alvareider (ODAAT), “whoops are we kissing wait do we like each other?”Jared/Miss Parker (The Pretender), conflicted kisses up against wallsI’m having trouble thinking of a 5th one but I used to really like Lizzington angry!sex bc damn that ship was angsty

X - top 5-10 characters who are yoUR PRECIOUS BABIES AND YOU WILL DIE DEFENDING THEM

Eleven, Toby Ziegler, Schneider, Lena Luthor, Logan Echolls, literally every main character on The Good Place.

Y - What are your secondhand fandoms (fandoms you aren’t in personally but are tangentially familiar with because your friends/people on your dash are in them)

Game of Thrones, Agents of Shield, Doctor Who (though I finally have started this one!), Jane the Virgin, The Worst Witch, and lots more…I like learning about fandoms secondhand. 

Z - Just ramble about something fan-related, go go go (prompts optional but encouraged)

Every single one of these tiny Stranger Things children in S1 is the epitome of epic friendship and I love it. Mike jumps off a cliff to protect Dustin and Dustin’s willing to get his teeth cut out to protect Mike and Lucas offers a sincere apology when he’s wrong, something most adults still suck at, and Will tells Mike the truth even when he would benefit from lying and Eleven chooses death to save them all and they are beautiful and perfect and I love them.

[thorne93]

Who Will Win? (Part 22)

Prompt: Jefferson (Once Upon A Time) sees you on the sidewalk one day, his “dead” wife.

Word Count: 2135

Warning: Threats, language, angst, sadness, darkness, talk of loss of parent / grief

Notes: This will span from season 1 through 5, if you don’t want spoilers, maybe don’t read this, haha. Also, the reader’s Storybrooke name is Alice. Beta’d by the amazeballs @like-a-bag-of-potatoes and badgered @amarvelouswritings Thank you both! Could never get this done without you!

Tags:  @amarvelouswritings @cocosierra94 @essie1876 @magpiegirl80 @letsgetfuckingsuperwholocked @harleyquinnandscarletwitch @iamwarrenspeace @marvel-imagines-yes-please @superwholocked527 @myparadise19982sand @missinstantgratification @thejulesworld @nedthegay @marvelloushamilton @munlis  @bubblyanarocks3​​ @thefridgeismybestie​ @kaliforniacoastalteens @random-fluffy-pink-unicorn @hardcollectionworldtrash @igiveupicantthinkofausername

Sebastian Stan Tags: @nedthegay @lostinspace33 @alwayshave-faith @elleatrixlestrange @buenostardissherlock @the-red-world-of-jess-chibi  @lenawiinchester​​  @memory-of-a-goldfish​

Who Will Win Tags: @mrs-lancelot @elivanah @ultrarebelheart @learisa @isis278

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You had been searching and searching for a way to get everyone back to Camelot that needed to go back, including Merida, so she could return to her home as well. You were coming up empty and you were becoming enraged from staring at spell books and debating on whether to consult with the Charmings and Regina or not. You wanted to trust them, but after they broke in, you couldn’t. You didn’t blame them for wanting the Darkness out, but if that’s really all it was about, why not come to you first?

With a sigh filled with frustration, you got up and began walking around the castle, hoping the exercise would do you some good. You heard someone softly crying and you realized it was coming from Merida’s room.

You opened the door softly, seeing her shoulders bob from the sobs that coursed through her body. You quietly made your way over to the other side of her bed and sat down. She wasn’t startled by your sudden presence like everyone else usually was.

“Your father,” you said, a knowing in your voice. You knew how grief was. You could be fine for days at a time and the smallest thing could send you spiraling into heartache. You also knew Merida. She was your closest companion for years, she hated to cry, and there were only a few things that would probably make her weep near another. The loss of King Fergus.

She nodded and swallowed so she could talk. “I...Before I was taken with the curse that swept us here, I was looking for my father’s killer. I discovered a piece of his cloak on my arrow on the battlefield. I was hoping I could track him somehow using it. I have been on the hunt looking for his killer for so long but now….being here, my father’s killer is out there somewhere, roaming free.”

You remained quiet as your eyes flashed to the thing she was fiddling with in her hand. A piece of torn, burgundy cloth. She was turning it over and over in her hand.

“I just feel like I’ve failed him,” she said, looking up at you for the first time.

“I know what you mean,” you offered. “My dad...he was sick for years...and he put up one hell of a fight for a long, long time. Too long, too long he endured. But when he passed, I feel like it was my fault. I mean I should’ve gotten him better care or a better doctor. I even imprisoned the doctor’s brother who cared for him,” you admitted with a sad laugh. “Part of it was grief, and pain. I wanted him to feel the loss that I felt, but part of it was I couldn’t come to terms with the fact that I failed him. I should’ve taken off work to be with him more. I should’ve looked into better care….I don’t know, gotten him home healthcare. Anything is better than dying alone in a hospital.”

Merida offered you a sad, supportive smile. “I’m sure he felt it was his time. I knew your father well and only he would let himself go. He was his own man. Nothing could stop that man.”

You smiled at her. “Thank you. I just….I had so much rage inside me, that becoming the Dark One it just...it gave into that. That’s what scares me the most. I had these feelings before coming the Dark One, I just kept them buried inside. Now? Now I do what I want, when I want, where I want.”

“Grief will make you want to do terrible things. I understand that,” Merida said.

“Your father was proud of you, you know.”

“How could you possibly know that?”

“Because I am. You always were just like him.”

She smiled before tears started to fall down her cheeks. “I miss him so much. I wish he was still here to guide me.”

You nodded before your own tears began to fall, you hadn’t even realized you were crying. “Me too. Our father’s were great men, who deserved better. I miss him every single day. There are days it doesn’t feel real, and days it feels all too real.”

“Isn’t that the truth?” Merida said.

“I know they wouldn’t want us to dwell on their passing, but to live and relish in their memory. But some days...I find, it’s all I can do, to not break down entirely.”

Merida laughed a quick laugh. “Aye, I know that pain. It seems like every time I want to only focus on the good, the fact that there won’t be any more good memories seems to take its place.”

“That it does. That it does…”

This was so therapeutic for you. You had no idea this was what you needed. You thought giving Victor pain would do that, and at first, it did. All the grief and heartache you felt when your dad passed had manifested into bitterness and hate. You hated seeing other men who weren’t deserving of the air they breathed just walk around and be with their families. You were tired of women who were vicious have their fathers. Why did they deserve their parents but you didn’t? How was that fair? Besides that, you had seen villain after villain cause issue for your family and friends. You were tired of going through life, taking the good path, only to watch evil, heartless people get all their heart desired. They say villains don’t get a happy ending, but from where you stood, neither did the heroes. Constantly battling the villains, constantly at war with someone, their families being threatened...How was that a happy ending, either?

So you thought causing pain to those who you thought deserved it would make you feel better. But what you really needed was this. Someone who absolutely understood your pain. Jefferson parents were still alive. He could sympathize but that was it. Snow lost her father and mother, but it didn’t seem quite the same. Merida and you grew up together practically, your father’s almost the same men. You and her were like spitting images of your fathers, with their same heart and vigor and love. Knowing she had lost her father as well killed you, of course, but now your shared grief was a bit of a blessing in disguise. She could understand the jealousy and bitterness when it came to seeing other girls with their fathers. She could understand the soul crushing feeling that he wouldn’t be there for grandchildren, weddings, holidays. They would miss it all.

An idea struck in your head.

“Merida, what if we could find your father’s killer?” you asked.

“But...you said revenge didn’t make you feel better.”

“Well, to be fair Victor didn’t murder my father, he may have just not saved him. But in your case...whoever is the owner of that cloak, he did take your father from you. It’s only fair to find him. Even if you don’t kill him, I’m sure you’d like to know...Yes?”

“Well, of course. I’ve been searching for him since it happened but…”

“Do you trust me?”

“Yes.”

“Then give me the cloth and we’ll find your father’s murderer.”

She nodded as she pursed her lips and gave you the cloth. She followed you to your magical room and you placed a drop of locater potion on the cloth.

“What will this do?” she asked.

“It will find its owner. It’ll lead us right to them.”

You let it go and the enchanted piece began to fly away from you two. You worked to keep up with it, following from the castle, to the driveway, to the street, to into town, to finally - Granny’s.

The cloth landed on a table in front of Arthur where you and Merida approached.

“It’s you? You killed my father?” Merida accused from right behind you. You put your arm out, more to protect her than Arthur.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Arthur scoffed with a half smile, looking to his friends.

“You! You were there and killed King Fergus, my father,” Merida repeated.

“Clearly you’re deranged or this Dark One here,” he said, looking up at you with malice, “has twisted your reality.”

“Did this cloth belong to you or not?” you demanded in a low voice as you picked up the clothing and held it in front of his face.

“I--” he started before you cut him off.

“Choose your next words wisely, Arthur, you’re dealing with a dark one who hates villains and is a grieving daughter. So I suggest the next words that come out of your mouth be the wisest words you’ve ever uttered.”

He looked at you, then the cloth, then Merida, then back at you before he jumped up and ran out of the diner.

“What a coward,” you muttered as the two of you followed. You flipped your hand up and froze Arthur where he stood in the street. You and Merida stood before him as you unfroze him, noticing that the townspeople were emerging from stores and restaurants on the main street to see what was unfolding.

“Such a coward,” you said, circling him. “First you kill King Fergus with his back turned, your face hidden. Then, you can’t even admit it to his daughter. Then, you run away when approached. Tell me, Arthur, how is it that you pulled Excalibur from the stone? I thought that a hero was required for that. All I see before me is a pathetic excuse for a man.”

“Please. I needed the helm that your father was wearing,” Arthur explained to Merida.

“The magical helm?”

“Yes, but when I got the bloody thing, it didn’t work. The helm your father was wearing wasn’t enchanted.”

“I knew it,” Merida said. “But you...you killed my father...for a helm. What kind of a person…” she asked, the idea trailing off as her eyes turned glassy with hurt and rage.

“I had to do what I must,” Arthur said, drawing his sword. Merida immediately drew hers.

“And I must do what I must, to avenge my father.”

“I killed Dumbroch’s king, what makes you think I’ll have any trouble killing its queen?’ he asked, stepping up to her. Next to them, you watched. You wanted so badly for Merida to get her revenge, and if you had to, you would intervene to make it so.

“Because I have fire in my veins, lad,” she answered. She stepped forward. “You killed my father, I’m going to make you pay for that mistake.”

“Do your worst, girlie,” he challenged. Within the next second, they were sword fighting, beautifully.

It seemed they were equally matched, the fight just wearing them out. You wanted this to be over. You finally reminded her, “Merida, he killed your father. He took him away from you. You’ll never see him again and it’s his fault. Don’t let him get away with this.”

Arthur’s wife came running up the sidewalk at that moment.

“Arthur?!” she called. It was the moment Merida needed. He was distracted, she was enraged, she raised her sword and knocked him to the ground. Guinevere cried out. “Arthur!”

“Make one move toward him and I’ll snap your neck from where I stand,” you said as you whipped your face to her, holding your hand out at her.  She remained planted where she was, her eyes going from you to Arthur on the ground. Merida stepped forward, her blade close to his throat.

“Do it, Merida,” you encouraged. He wanted to get the darkness out of you and you didn’t want that. You needed it. You needed him out of this town. If she killed him, it would help a friend and help you. Two birds - one stone.

She looked at him for a long time, something in her eyes. There was a fierceness...A loss in her eyes.

“I--I can’t,” she stammered, tears brimming over as she took her blade away from his neck.

“Merida,” you said softly.

“I can’t, Y/N. I can’t take another man’s life in cold blood. I thank you for finding him though,” she said.

You nodded. “I understand. I wouldn’t want you to darken your heart anyway.” You turned to him though and knelt on one knee. “Me on the other hand…” A sword manifested in your hand as you raised it high above you. “I don’t mind wiping out his kind.”

You were about to swing when you heard your name and you were being pulled somewhere against your will.

“What the hell?” you muttered, looking around and seeing you dark castle surrounding you. You turned and saw Jefferson, holding the dagger.

[victorluvsalice]

Happy Birthday Nebby!

@nebbychan As indicated last week, I have some Victor/Alice going-out-for-pizza fluff, based on the messenger RP stuff we’ve been doing together. For the rest of you, the context is: Her character Nebula Donk has adopted Victor (officially and everything -- she managed to trick William and Nell into signing the papers), and our current back-and-forth involves Alice having fallen into their lives rather literally thanks to a time portal Nebby opened up into Victorian Whitechapel (she was planning shenanigans while riding the wave of pleasure she got from beating up Victor’s childhood bully Gordon). Alice is still getting used to people being nice enough to buy her clothes, feed her, and say they can resurrect her dead sister. (. . .Nebby Donk is a pretty advanced sorceress.)

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

"What's with that funny little smile?"

"Nothing," Victor said, expression not changing a jot. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Just -- I'm always amused at how you wolf down any slice of pizza put in front of you."

Alice smirked back at him, dabbing her lips with a napkin. "As if that habit of mine isn't your fault," she informed him. "You and your mother's. You two didn't have to take me to a pizzeria for my first taste of modern food."

Victor grinned at her, all cheeky Cheshire-Catness. "Technically, it was your second taste."

"Ah-ah -- what I had at your house was my first taste of modern drink," Alice corrected, holding up a finger. "Which, admittedly, tasted more or less exactly like tea from the 1870s, so it wasn't much of an experience." She picked up her cup and took a sip. "Root beer was a much more pleasant surprise."

"I felt much the same way when I first tried it," Victor said, taking a swig of his own drink. "And pizza too. Though if I remember correctly, Mum and I ordered in for my first time." He turned his face back to hers, thoughtful. "We really dropped a lot on you your first day here, didn't we?"

"You did," Alice agreed, helping herself to another slice of pepperoni and sausage. "I mean, for starters, there was ending up in the future in the first place. One moment, I'm strolling the streets of Whitechapel, wondering what I was going to make of myself in the wake of Bumby's passing and the Houndsditch Home passing to a new owner -- the next, I'm tripping over the carpet in the home of a sorceress who'd been aiming for a visit there for reasons I don't think she ever fully explained. At least it was a soft landing."

"I'm very glad you didn't accidentally brain yourself on the coffee table," Victor agreed, taking some chicken wings. "And then we had to explain everything to you. . .tell you about your role in history, and what happened with Bumby--"

"I am never not going to be pleased that his reputation was ruined so thoroughly in death," Alice nodded, taking a vicious bit out of her slice. "Bastard. . .being known as one of psychiatry's greatest monsters is all he deserves."

"You won't hear any argument from me," Victor said, a brief shadow passing over his face. "How people can be so vile. . ."

"Well, you and Nebby proved very well that day that not everyone I met was destined to be horrible," Alice assured him. "Welcoming me so kindly, taking me out to get new clothes and have a full belly for the first time since I was a little girl. . .and, of course, Nebby's offer to bring my sister back."

Victor nodded. "That threw us both for a loop, didn't it?"

"Oh yes. I'd only just learned magic was real, and was getting myself more or less settled with the prospect -- and she goes ahead and tells me she can resurrect one of my loved ones. That, even with the risks to her health, her very life potentially, she wants to reunite me with my Lizzie. Because she knows everything I've been through and wants to balance the scales a little." She pulls off a piece of pepperoni and stares at it. "It was -- so much more than I ever dreamed."

"I'm sure it was." Victor picked the meat off a bone, watching her curiously. "So -- was that when you decided you wanted to stay?"

"Very close -- it was when I finally got to embrace Lizzie again after twelve bloody years that I actually made the decision," Alice replied. "But if I'm honest? I was half-considering it thorough the day. You two treating me so well, with such sympathy and warmth, after I'd spent so long without. . ." She grinned, popping the pepperoni into her mouth. "Besides, I knew I already had the history books on my side. They wouldn't have written about my mysterious disappearance if I didn't mysteriously disappear, right?"

Victor chuckled. "True." He reached over, laying a hand on her wrist. "But I'm still very glad you did."

"So am I," Alice said, leaning over to give him a quick, pizza-y kiss. She glanced at his fingers. "Though I would have been gladder if you'd wiped the grease off your hands before touching me."