#* / carol & leo - we could make a good thing bad.

[punishertruther]

@qvimcra

[tangledinink]

Chapter Seven of I'm Sorry, Teenage Mutant What Now? is out! Just normal teenage boys doing normal teenage things. :) Read it on ao3 or below the cut.

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It had been three days now since they last saw their dad.

On the first night, over and over, everyone kept saying, ‘I’m sure he’ll be home any minute. He’s more than capable of defending himself. He wouldn’t just disappear. Any second now,’ and the only reason that Mikey had been able to get himself to sleep that night was because he thought that maybe when he woke up again, Dad would be back. He wanted to just skip forward to the good part. But then when he woke up, the good part wasn’t there.

The following morning, Mrs. O’Neil was in the kitchen making breakfast, with the blankets all folded up neat on the couch as if she hadn’t slept there that night. April helped set the table, as if this were normal, as if she hadn’t slept on a bean bag in the Lair, as if they were meant to be here and it made sense for them to be carefully preparing for a big pancake breakfast instead of wolfing down bagels and granola bars in a chaotic frenzy, attempting to make it out the door on time.

It wasn’t like Mikey didn’t appreciate it. He did. It was nice, the gentle looks, the backrubs, the hugs… But it felt weird. Alien, almost. And yet, even with things being so starkly different, even with the five of them staying home from school, staying home from activities, in this absolute jarring contrast to their normal routine, at the same time, there were still these moments that felt so… untouched. Leo and April made bad puns when the opportunity arose like they always did. Raph physically picked up and moved them when they were in his way or getting on his nerves, like usual. Donnie took the time to check up on all of his houseplants, watering anyone who needed it. Some memes were sent to the group chat. Leo and Raph got in a fight over the last raspberry popsicle in the freezer. 

There were moments where Mikey could almost look around and pretend like everything was normal. Dad just wasn’t home right now, and that was all. There were all these beats and steps that just weren’t colored by this horrible thing at all, in this weird way that Mikey wasn’t expecting.

But just on the surface level.

Because no. Dad isn’t just out getting groceries or meeting with an agent or picking up takeout. Dad isn’t here. And they don’t know where he is. 

They had already discovered, on that very first night, that Dad’s cell phone was left in his bedroom. They had obviously all tried texting and calling him about eighty times each, with no response, and eventually found the phone, plugged into its charger on his nightstand. They tried guessing the passcode, but none of them knew it, so they had all looked at Donnie. They said that they would figure it out and pocketed the device. And aside from coming down to care for their plants and grab some banana pancakes, they hadn’t been down from their room since.

They spent most of the first day making calls. They contacted everyone that they could think of. Dad’s agent, his lawyers, any friends or acquaintances he knew. They called each and every one of his dojo locations. Anyone whose number they could find who they had ever known to speak with Dad, they contacted, asking them if they had seen him, heard from him, had anyone idea who the masked guy could be? And over and over they heard, no, sorry. We haven’t seen him. We haven’t heard from him. We don’t know anything about this stranger. We’ll keep an eye out and let you know right away if anything changes. Dead end. Dead end. Dead end.

They texted people, they sent emails, they combed the internet for anything that might be helpful, but they didn’t find anything. The whole group, Mrs. O’Neil and even Donnie included (Mrs. O’Neil, I mean, Carol, made them come. Mikey thought that it was probably because they were nervous about anyone being alone after… you know,) took multiple walks around the neighborhood, the neighborhood next over, and the neighborhood next over to that, looking for any sign of their father.

On the second day, Mikey made posters, and they started hanging those up when they did their walks. Word was starting to spread, and Mikey kept getting texts on his phone-- friends from school, friends from dance, friends from sports, friends of friends… At first, Mikey would reply to all of them. Would say, oh, thank you so much for reaching out, we really appreciate it, please, if you see him at all, let us know… But that rapidly became exhausting. After the first ten, Mikey took to just copy-and-pasting the same message asking them to look, along with an image of the poster he had made. And even just that was exhausting. What was he supposed to say? ‘Everything is horrible and I have no idea how I’m feeling right now, I’m just overwhelmed and terrified-- thanks tho, melting face emoji?’

Donnie got into Dad’s phone but didn’t find anything useful. They sent out emails and texts to every contact he had saved, even though they didn’t recognize half of them, and posted on every social media that he had. All four of them posted on their social media, too. Mikey made a TikTok video reaching out to 350k of his followers. He kept all his notifications on, hoping and waiting that someone would message him telling him that they had seen him and he was okay… but it didn’t come. There was a flood of empathetic comments, of thoughts and prayers, of heart emojis. But nothing that would help them. He and his brothers posted on every Lou Jitsu fan forum that they could find, but they got much of the same there, too.

And now it had been three days. Three days was a long, long time. Ever since that first night, Mikey couldn’t really sleep. He knew his siblings couldn’t, either, and he anxiously fussed over them whenever he could, trying to encourage them to get some rest. Especially Leo. He hardly ever slept even on a good day-- now he kind of just seemed more and more like a wreck as time passed. All of them did. 

It was on the third day that Mrs. O'Neil got a phone call. Well-- she had been on the phone on-and-off ever since she got here that first night, making calls and taking them, even more than they had. But this phone call, in particular, went a little like this:

"Hello?" 

"Yes, this is she,"

"What?"

"No, I'm sorry,"

"No."

"Yes, I'm absolutely certain. No. No, we're not accepting any interview requests right now. I'm not sure you do understand. With all due respect, I'm not putting any of these kids on TV right now. Yes, I'm quite sure."

"Yes."

"You have a great day, too. Goodbye."

Mikey knew that all four of his siblings were listening, but Leo was the first one to speak once Carol hung up the phone.

"Who was that?" 

"A reporter," Carol sighed in response. They had barely exchanged five words and she already seemed exhausted with this conversation.

"What did they want?"

Carol pursed her lips. "They were asking about doing a live interview or bringing you guys on their talk show. I told them we weren't interested."

"Why would you tell them that?"

"Because we're not."

"Uhm. Maybe you're not," Leo corrected, his brows furrowing. "Why the hell can't I do an interview? I can do interviews! I've done interviews before! I'm great at interviews."

"It's not a good idea, Leo," Carol said, putting her phone down, turning her attention back to her laptop in front of her, beginning to type again. Oof. That was gonna piss Leo off.

"Why not?!" Leo demanded, growing pissed off. "I've done interviews before! I've done live shows! I could totally handle this! Besides, we're trying to get the word out to as many people as possible. What if someone saw the interview and knew where Dad was? This could help!"

"This isn't up for debate, Leo. I'm not putting any of you kids on a talk show right now."

"Why is it your decision!? I'm the one who would be on the show! Why don't I get to decide?"

"Because I'm the adult," Carol was just a step away from snapping, but her voice was hard, definitive. "I just said this isn't up for debate. I'm sorry, but it's off the table. It's not a good idea."

Mikey looked nervously at his brother, wondering if he should say something. Raph looked like he was about to, but Leo huffed, rolling his eyes and getting to his feet. "Fine," he hissed in reply, promptly moving to the front door and beginning to put on his shoes.

 "Where are you going?" Carol questioned, frowning a bit.

"Gymnastics."

"Leo--"

"I'm sick of sitting around here not doing anything! It's driving me crazy. We have gymnastics practice right now. I'm going to gymnastics. Mikey, are you coming?"

Mikey jumped when eyes shifted to him, floundering for a second. If he was being totally honest, he wasn't exactly in a gymnastics mood, but... he knew that Mrs. O'Neil wasn't gonna let Leo go by himself. And there was no way he was gonna convince Donnie to even leave his room, let alone go to gymnastics practice. Maybe... it would be good? Get his mind off of things?

"Yeah. Uh. I'll come. Let me grab my stuff. Hang on," he said, jumping to his feet and scampering off to grab their gymnastics bags-- packed and ready to go in the hallway, like they always were, like they didn't know anything was wrong. 

"Leo, I don't know if this is--"

"I'm not going alone, Mikey is with me. There's gonna be adults there. We'll get a taxi cab home when it gets dark. I'm not gonna sit here twiddling my thumbs anymore. I'm gonna go insane." Leo spoke over her, and Mikey thought privately to himself that that was rather ballsy. Leo must really be upset because usually none of them would dare interrupt Mrs. O'Neil. He hurried to get his shoes on, hoping that they could escape before things got too heated. Sorry April, sorry Raph. 

"Ready, Mikey?"

"Yeah… yeah, I'm ready. Let's go." 

---

April was trying really hard to be patient with her brothers right now, 'cause she knew that they were having a hard time. I mean, if either of her parents went missing, she'd probably be behaving less than her best, too. Raph was clingier than ever, and April had had to talk him off the metaphorical ledge about five times now, Donnie had turned into a total hermit, even by Donnie standards, Leo was honestly being kind of a brat, and Mikey was...

Ugh. God. Mikey. He was such a sweetheart. He was killing himself, April could tell. Even more than she was killing herself right now. She would have to corner him later. Right after she cornered Leo.

And kicked his ass.

Look, she got where he was coming from, but did he really need to tick her mom off like that!? And then leave her to deal with it?! She knew her mom was mostly just worried, (and, okay, maybe also kind of peeved, but April could only kind of blame her,) but that didn't make it any more pleasant. And once she managed to settle her down, she had to deal with Raph, too. 

 If her mom was freaked out, then Raph was about ready to lose his mind. April half thought he was gonna take off after Leo and Mikey on foot any second now. April sank into the couch next to him, bodily draping herself over his lap to make sure he didn't go anywhere.

"Hey Big Guy," she said, blinking up at him, forcing a half-hearted smile. "How you holding up?"

"Me?" Raph said, just barely glancing down at her before his eyes snapped away again, anxious and flighty. "I'm fine. Raph's fine. How are you holding up?"

God, they were all so predictable. April privately thought that self-sacrifice must be a Hamato tradition. It was simply a question of which one of them could outdo the rest.

"You're a bad liar. You're as bad as Mikey. As bad as Donnie."

"What?!" Raph squawked in protest. "I am not as bad as Donnie! No one's as bad as Donnie!"

"Okay, well, maybe not that bad," April relented. "Leo and Mikey are gonna be fine. They're taking the subway in broad daylight. They're only gonna be, like, ten minutes away. They both had their phones and they already said they'll take a taxi cab home. It's okay."

"I know," Raph said, wrinkling up his nose. "It's just-- I mean. What if somethin' bad happens to 'em? And I'm not there to help?" 

"You know it's not your fault, right?"

There was a telling silence.

"Raph. It's not your job to protect your Dad from creepy stalker fans. And you couldn't have done anything."

"I know," Raph relented, frowning a little. And it wasn't that April didn't believe him, but... There was a difference between knowing and knowing. April knew that perfectly well. Raph might be the biggest brother, but she was the biggest sister, and... okay, she wasn't gonna sit here and delude herself into thinking that she could have physically stopped that guy if she had just moved a little faster. She wasn't a martial arts champion like the rest of them, (even if she did have a mean left hook and an even meaner softball swing.) But she hated... watching them fall apart. She hated watching all of them shrivel up under the stress. She hated that she couldn't fix this for them... Or at least make it a little easier.

And she was worried too. Mr. Hamato might not be her dad, exactly, but... this was her family, too. She had known Yoshi since she was five! She used to spend every afternoon after school at their house, and they would spend the weekends at hers. She couldn't even count how many slumber parties and sleepovers they had had over the years. Raph, Donnie, Leo, and Mikey were like her brothers, and Yoshi was, like... her weird uncle or something.

She really hoped he was okay. And that he'd be back soon.

"Nothing bad is gonna happen. They'll go to gymnastics, they'll blow off some steam, they'll come home, and maybe Leo will be less of a headache for the rest of the evening." She said with a sigh. "Maybe he's got a point! You guys aren't used to being cooped up for so long."

"I guess," Raph said, seeming unconvinced, though he leaned back a little into the cushions, slumping a bit. April would take even the littlest victory. 

"You could probably use a distraction too."

"Mmm..."

"Sooo... You could paint my nails for me? I'll paint yours back." She offered, raising a brow. He had to take the bait here. This always worked. The boys loved getting their nails painted. Especially Raph, since he was so bad at doing his own. He was okay if he was working on someone else, but if it was a solo project, that right hand just never quite turned out right.

It took a moment, and for a moment April thought he might actually turn her down, but eventually, he sighed and relented. "Okay, fine," he agreed. "But Raph gets to pick the colors this time."

Thank god for small miracles. He could pick whatever color he wanted.

---

Mikey had never noticed how loud the gym was before.

Usually, it didn't bother him. But today? It was just... so much noise. Every thump of a landed flip echoing through the padded floor, reverberating, every shout, every stomp, every clap of chalk on hands... It seemed to travel right through his bones.

He was waiting for it to wear off. 

Their instructor had seemed... surprised to see them, especially since they had gotten there a half-hour late, but hadn't protested or turned them away, much to Mikey's relief. Well, initially it had been relief, but now he wasn't so sure. Usually, he adored gymnastics. It was easily one of his favorite hobbies, (tied between ballet, painting, cooking, yoga, hip-hop, and skateboarding,) but there was something... off today. Every movement seemed just a beat behind reality, as if he himself were lagging somehow, like the connection was slow. His head felt fuzzy.

Every second they were here felt so odd. Everyone was just... working. Doing gymnastics. Practicing back-flips and floor routines. Mikey wanted to scream at everyone. How could they all just act like this when their dad was missing? How could they pretend like things were okay and just keep moving through life? Every person they passed on the walk here, every passenger on the subway, the receptionist at the front desk, he wanted to grab them by the front of their shirts and wail to them and explain everything. 

How could people just live? How could so many people just not know that their dad was gone and might not ever come back?

Mikey had been working on his high bar routine for almost forty minutes now, and he still wasn't getting it right. Usually, this was easy. It wasn't even that hard of a routine, not compared to some of the other things he had done before. But every single time he made another go at it, he missed a beat or moved the wrong way, his brain blanking out on the next step, and he'd have to start over again, gritting his teeth and telling himself he'd get it right this time. The chalk on his hands itched. He was forming a blister. Blisters had never bothered him before.

His coach was being so patient. So sweet, repeatedly telling him it was okay, he could just try again, but it wasn't okay. He wanted to yell at her, too, that they both knew he could do better than this. But he didn't. He just thanked her and nodded his head and kept going.

Leo was over at the vault. He could see him from here. From what he could see, he was doing fine. He wasn't missing any turns or freezing up or losing his balance. He was doing great. His routine looked perfect. Why was he doing so perfect? What was wrong with him? If the problem wasn't Dad, if it wasn't affecting Leo, then it had to be--

Mikey's hand missed the bar. He never missed the bar. He didn't swing far enough and his hand didn't make contact. 

He missed. He fell.

He never fell.

It didn't hurt. They had all this matting for a reason-- for exactly this reason, in fact. There wasn't even any heavy thud of contact, no wind got knocked out of him, he just flopped sadly down on his back on the padding, bouncing a tiny bit, staring up at the bars above him.

He fell down. He never fell down. He missed. He never missed the bars. 

He knew he needed to get up. He should try again. If he didn't move, people would worry, or think he was hurt or something. But every time he told himself to sit up, his body didn't quite listen. 

After a few minutes of staring at the ceiling, his older brother's face came into view. He had been expecting a coach. He wasn't sure if Leo was better or worse.

"Well that wasn't very razzmatazz," Leo remarked with a grin, leaning over and offering a hand to the other. "Here, c'mon. I'll help you up."

Mikey sniffled a tiny bit. His body didn't listen when he told it to grab Leo's hand, either.

"I wanna go home," he finally got his mouth to move.

"What?" Leo immediately protested. "Oh, come on, little brother, we just got here. We've still got two hours left of gym time! You love gymnastics. You're not gonna let one little fall get to you, are ya?"

"I wanna go home," Mikey repeated, because he didn't know what else to say. His voice sounded horrible. What was the matter with him? This wasn’t even what he wanted to be saying. He didn't want to talk to Leo like this. He did love gymnastics. This wasn't him! He didn't act this way. Why was he acting this way? He blinked rapidly, hoping that it would help somehow.

He didn't want to look at Leo anymore, so he didn't. But he heard him sigh. He felt the gym mat shift as Leo slowly moved to lay down next to him, until both of them were staring up at the ceiling like silly little animals stuck on their backs, unable to flip back over.

Like...

I dunno, like beetles or something.

"We can go home if you want to, Mikey," Leo said, and Mikey hiccuped softly, wrinkling up his nose.

"Sorry," he bit out. "... We c-can stay if you want. I can stay."

"Nah. It's fine. We should go home," Leo repeated, finding Mikey’s hand and squeezing it shortly. "Sorry. For dragging you out."

Mikey shook his head, sniffling a bit. Ugh, crying on your back sucked. His nose was all full of gunk. 

"I like gymnastics," he said weakly, and Leo laughed.

"Yeah, I know. That's 'cause you're really good at it."

Mikey nodded kind of numbly, crossing his arms over his chest, clinging to himself slightly. 

"Everyone is acting like nothing's wrong," Mikey whispered.

"Yeah," Leo sighed through his nose. "It's weird, right? I keep seeing people on the street and being like... Oh my god. They don't even know. They have no idea. And, like, I don't even know what's going on with them, either. Like. You know that lady we sat next to on the subway? I kept thinking, I dunno, maybe her dad went missing once, too, and we don't even know. How much shit do we just not know?"

"Leo, what if he doesn't come back?"

It wasn't like Leo was bad at hugs. It's just that he wasn't as good at hugs as everyone else. There was a very clear ranking, and yes, Mikey did keep track, like a reasonable person. At the very top of the ranking, obviously, was Raph. Raph gave the best hugs-- He scooped you up and swung you around and you got all squished and squeezed in the best way possible. Absolutely top-tier. Second best hugs were Dad, because, well, they were Dad Hugs. Dad Hugs had a special quality to them. He really didn't think he had to explain himself any further. Next up was Donnie, not necessarily because Donnie was good at hugging or anything, but just because he was so rarely down for hugs that every time he got one it was special. It felt like he was winning something-- especially since he got Donnie hugs more than anyone else in the family. April hugs were next, because while she gave really good hugs, and she always let him cling to her for as long as he wanted, her glasses could be a bit pokey at times. And then Leo brought in the rear-- not because he was bad at them, but just because the competition was so stiff.

But this was a really, really good hug. Two really's.

The absolute second Leo had him wrapped up in his arms, Mikey just dissolved into sobs, before he even had a proper chance to try not to. He was just so tired of feeling scared like this. If Dad wasn't going to come back, could they just know already?! He hated waiting. He hated not knowing! He just wanted to tear the band-aid off so that he could mourn and then get better. This was worse than their Dad being dead, he thought to himself. He almost wished that he was just dead, and that this could at least be over. Wasn't that horrible...? How could he feel that way?

 He was pretty sure Leo was crying, too, but he couldn't really tell for sure. He was clinging way too tight to see anything. 

"It'll be alright, Mikey." Leo's voice was muffled, but he could hear him all the same. "We'll be okay. Dad would never stay away from us on purpose. We'll figure it out."

---

They had been getting a lot of takeout since Dad went missing. No one really felt like cooking-- not even Mikey, and Leo couldn't even blame him. He wouldn't wanna cook, either. He barely even wanted to eat. And there was pizza in front of him. That was a big deal.

 This was their third Jupiter Jim movie marathon night in a row, but Leo wasn't the least bit excited. He was trying hard to pretend like he cared about which title they put on, to keep up with all the running jokes they had, to pay attention, but his heart wasn't in it. No one else's was, either, he knew. They hadn't even been able to convince Donnie to come out of his room and join them since the first night, much to his frustration.

 It was all just distraction. They were just smoke-screening themselves to pretend like everything wasn't awful, and frankly, Leo wasn't even sure who it was benefitting anymore. Clearly not Mikey. He had gotten it back together by the time they started heading home from gymnastics and had made Leo swear to secrecy, insisting that he 'didn't wanna worry anyone.' Leo had told him that that was stupid, that everyone was already worrying anyway, and pretending like he was fine wasn't gonna make a difference, but if he was being honest, he and the rest of the family rarely won any arguments against Mikey, so... 'keep it between them' it was. 

It was stupid. He wasn't fooling anyone. None of them were. 

And yet here he was, playing pretend right along with them anyway. He was such an idiot. 

As was rapidly becoming routine, they all stayed up long enough to watch three Jupiter Jim movies while eating whatever dinner had been ordered that night before everyone headed off to bed, saying keywords and phrases like 'I dunno about you guys, but I’m exhausted' and 'it’s getting pretty late,' etc etc, even though Leo was pretty sure no one was sleeping. He certainly wasn't. And he was really trying. He swore he was, but... 

Even under the best of circumstances, sleeping was hard. He had never understood how Dad or Mikey could just fall asleep the way they did, laying their heads down on their pillows and almost instantly drifting off. Sleeping involved so much work, so much effort, that sometimes it just felt easier to call the night a wash, take the all-nighter and go from there. Yes, he had tried meditating. Yes, he had tried Melatonin. He had tried sleep podcasts, white noise machines, drugs, music-- he swore he had tried it all! And none of it fixed the problem. Some of it helped, sure, but nothing consistently guaranteed him a full night's rest. Every night it was just a roll of the dice; a total blind bag. Some nights, he would sleep, and some nights, he wouldn't. It was anyone's guess.

Including his.

He wouldn't have put money on going to sleep that night. But he did.

He had no idea what made him realize that he was dreaming, but at some point, he did. He couldn't even tell you what had been happening before that point, because now, he didn't remember. Had he been outside? It had been cold. It had been dark, and there was water nearby, but he didn't think he had been outside. Somewhere else, but... He wasn't sure where.

But now, he was in their house. Right in their living room. Leo frowned a bit, looking around slowly. It was odd for their house to be this quiet. 

He paused, looking at the family pictures hanging on the walls in abundance. Someone had written something on them in black marker, but he couldn't read it. It was in plain English, but he had no idea what it said. He leaned in a bit closer, narrowing his eyes, trying to translate, when a cry ripped his attention away.

"Blue!"

He knew that voice. Eyes widening, Leo whipped around to face his father-- on the ground not more than five feet away, pinned beneath some hulking stranger with jagged horns erupting from their head, their eyes glowing white and their jaws dripping with foamy blood.

"Dad?! Hang on!" He tried to jump forward, to reach out for him, but his legs wouldn't move. Why wouldn't his legs move?! His dad was right there-- right there in front of him! He could help him! He could save him, so why wasn't anything working?!

"Blue!" The same howl tore through his mind, and Leo hissed, clapping his hands over his ears as if that would help. He didn't want to watch. He didn't want to watch this creature kill his father-- he couldn't do it. 

This is a dream, he reminded himself. You're dreaming. If you don’t want to watch, then you have to wake up. Wake up. Wake up now!

He could see it-- almost feel it-- his own body laid out on his bed back in the waking world, curled up on his stomach, his cheek to his pillow. He knew exactly where he was. He could see his room. He knew he was dreaming, so why couldn't he wake up? He couldn't get his body to move at all, repeatedly trying to sit up, to open his eyes, to jolt a limb to the side to no avail. The pitch of the screams shifted higher.

"Come on! Wake up already! I know you can hear me!" He cried, gritting his teeth. He knocked his fists angrily against the side of his head. "Move. We have to move!" He bit down hard on the inside of his cheek, tasting blood, and he wasn't sure if that was his dream self or his actual self. How was he supposed to tell the difference? "Move!"

Leo startled awake, his head jerking upwards and his limbs splaying outward in surprise. The entire house was quiet. Right... because it's the middle of the night. Because he was dreaming.

He had just been dreaming, and now he was awake. It was fine. He was fine.

Slowly, he sat up, running his hands through his hair with a sigh, rolling his head a few times to try to work the stiffness of his neck. He reached for his phone, knowing it would be plugged in on his nightstand, except... It wasn't there. 

 Leo frowned a little bit, wrinkling up his brows. His phone wasn't there. In fact, his nightstand wasn't there either. His bed wasn't even there, he realized with a start. He wasn't in his own room. He was on the floor-- the floor of-- somewhere else in the house, he guessed. How the hell did he get here? Had he sleepwalked? That was new.

 He noted, vaguely, that whatever room he was in wasn't nearly as dark as he would have expected. There was this warm golden-orange glow blanketing the room like a nightlight, and Leo thought vaguely that someone must have accidentally left a desk lamp on or something, turning to take a look.

He had not been expecting to see his youngest brother floating half a foot above his own bed. Nor for him to be glowing.

[twdmusicboxmystery]

TWB 1x09/1x10: A Template for the Daryl/Carol Spinoff and a Bethyl Reunion

So, what did everyone think of TWB finale? I really enjoyed it. As I’ve been teasing, I had a HUGE lightbulb moment about this series and what it points to symbolically.  I know many in the fandom are asking what the point of this series is if we don’t see Rick. Well, I think I know. As I’ve said in Asks, I think plot-wise, we may still see Rick (or even Beth) in S2. The characters aren’t actually inside the CRM yet, but at least Hope and Silas are going there, so there will be more opportunity for them to run into Rick or Beth next season.

***As always, spoilers abound below for TWB 1x09 and 1x10. Don’t read until you’ve watched!***

So, what was my big lightbulb moment? Here it is:

Symbolically, this is foreshadowing what will happen with the Daryl/Carol spinoff, Rick, and how Daryl and Beth will reunite. The good news is, I’m more convinced than ever that she’s close. You’ll see why as we go along. The bad news is, we really probably won’t get a Bethyl reunion until the spinoff, which will come after S11. That’s a ways off. I was just praying we’d see her either in the flagship series or in TWB or FTWD before then, and then the news broke that she’ll be in the bonus episodes in flashbacks. I know that doesn’t prove she’s alive, but it was still kind of an answer to a prayer for me. Okay, so here goes.

This will be long, as I have a LOT of things to talk about here. Let’s establish names, first of all, as I’ll be referencing all these people. Iris and Hope’s dad is Leo. The woman with him (the same female scientist we’ve seen in the codas) is Lyla Belshaw. Felix’s boyfriend’s name is Will.

So, we finally met Will in ep 9. We see him in flashbacks. We see when he and Felix first met (which incidentally was when he first met Huck; that’s important). Then there’s a bedroom scene where they’ve obviously been in a relationship for a time. We see Felix talking to Will about how he really wants to go with Leo, but Leo has asked him to stay behind with Iris and Hope. Then we see Felix find out Will was going with Leo instead (which kinda crushed him) and then we see them all say goodbye.

This is a funny thing to say, but it was the bedroom scene that made it all click for me. Lol. It was because of the sleeve Felix wears on one arm. My fellow theorists tell me that they talked about this earlier in the season, but I either completely missed it, or it went in one ear and out the other. Hey, I’m human, too. ;D  

It reminded me of the plaid sleeve on Daryl’s coat when they went to Oceanside in 7x15 to take their guns. Remember that? 

At first, I thought he was missing the sleeve of his jacket. But then someone told me it was actually just that a different sleeve was sewn onto the jacket. As though someone had put it together piecemeal. Well, same thing, only this was black rather than plaid. Now, we’ve seen parallels between Felix and Daryl before, especially in the beginning. He talked about how he had a not-so-happy family background and specifically how his dad (like Daryl’s) was just not cool. He’s also like Daryl in that he’s kind of the badass protector of the group, right? So when I first noticed the sleeve, I went, “Okay, another Daryl parallel. Hmm.”

Then Will had an interesting line. As they got up, he said, “I’ll make pancakes if you made dinner later.” I went, “pancakes!” 

Cue first lightbulb moment. (Reminder: pancakes/Bisquik is a Beth/resurrection symbol.) Felix = Daryl; Will = Beth. That’s what these symbols are pointing to. And it actually makes perfect sense in a way I hadn’t really thought of before. Think about it: at the beginning of this series, we had Felix who was once in a romantic relationship with Will, but the two of them are separated. Felix hasn’t talked to, seen, or heard from Will in a long time, right? So, it’s a separation thing. You could even argue (and I think I did back in ep 1) that Felix keeping and wearing Will’s coat lines up with Daryl having Beth’s knife. At the end of ep 10, Felix runs into Will and they have a huge reunion. I’ll come back to that in more detail in a minute.

So here’s the thing: the more I thought about this, the more lightbulb moments I had. What do we know about Felix’s backstory, especially where Leo (Iris and Hope’s dad) is concerned? We know Felix and Leo became friends, Leo kind of adopted him, and Felix became part of the family, right? Well, that’s pretty much exactly what happened with Rick and Daryl. If Felix = Daryl and Will = Beth, Leo = Rick. Think about that. Leo left to join the CRM/helicopter group. Felix was left behind to protect his children. The biggest difference in TWD is that Rick didn’t go voluntarily, where Leo did. But other than that, same situation. Rick was taken into the CRM, and Daryl is now raising and protecting his children.

My next lightbulb moment came later in the episode. Felix gets hurt. He can’t walk very well. Huck says she has to leave him behind. Everyone is upset and saying goodbye and Felix hugs Huck and tells her he loves her. And of course this isn’t romantic love because, well, he’s gay. And THAT’S when it hit me.

From a Daryl standpoint, who is a woman Daryl loves, but not romantically? Carol. Gals, if Felix is Daryl and Will is Beth and Leo is Rick, then Huck is Carol. And think about it: if you set Iris and Hope and the boys aside for a minute, this entire story line is about the Daryl character (Felix) and the Carol character (Huck) taking off together to look for Leo. (Otherwise known as the Rick character.)

Boom. This entire thing is a foreshadow and parallel/proxy of the Carol/Daryl spinoff storyline. I guess you could say that my official theory now is that it’s new of Rick that will pull Daryl and Carol away from the community. They’ll go to find him. That’s why they’ll leave together after S11. But what happens here for Felix? On his journey to find Leo, he runs into Will, his love interest, who represents Beth.

So, Daryl will leave to find Rick, and somewhere along the way, he’ll finally find Beth and they’ll have their reunion.

Couple of thoughts/details here, just for clarification:

1) I’m not sure Huck’s exact arc here will be Carol’s. She’s a member of the CRM, which Carol is clearly not. And she really betrays Felix with all this. In the finale, the two of them get into full-on hand-to-hand combat, which I REALLY don’t see being the case with Daryl and Carol. But we also know Carol has betrayed TF in various ways over the years (Karen/David, letting Negan out of his cell, Connie) so it may be more about the type of character than about the exact arc.

2) I’m not sure how the kids fit in. Even though we’ve always thought Iris and Hope might be proxies to Beth and Maggie (and I still think that’s true) overall, I think they MORE represent Judith and RJ. Only because of Leo = Rick and they’re his kids. Now, obviously Iris and Hope are much older than Rick’s kids, and Judith and RJ aren’t going to take off to find Rick. So I don’t know if they’ll figure into this or not. It’s hard to say because in this show, Leo’s kids are with Felix. So will it be a matter of Judith and RJ being taken, or will he leave them behind? I honestly don’t know.

What I said above about Felix meeting Huck and Will at the same time? It just struck me as yet another parallel. Even though Daryl knew Carol before Beth (because S1), S2 was only days after s1. So really, he met them around the same time. And while he became besties with Carol, the romance lies with Beth. Same with Felix. Besties with Huck. In love with Will. Just saying.

Oh, and something @frangipanilove​ reminded me of: Tom Sawyer Theory. There have been tons of Mark Twain/Widow Douglas/Tom Sawyer references around Carol. Now this character’s name is Huck, and it’s a nickname that comes from Huckleberry Finn because she was found on a raft.

Okay, moving on. Um…let’s talk Percy for a minute.

Remember that I said last week he was a major Beth proxy, because he seems to have staggered off, wounded, and everyone assumes he’s dead, but there was no body.

In this episode, Elton finds him and guess what? He’s been shot. So in keeping with the Beth parallel (no body, staggered away, presumed dead) he was also shot, not stabbed. Not in the head, of course, but in the chest/shoulder. But it was important for Elton to find that because it made him realize Silas didn’t do it. Silas didn’t have a gun. 

Another thing I found interesting is that Elton was sure Percy would die. His hallucination of Percy kept saying, “you know I’m going to die, right? I’m not going to survive.” And things like that. But low and behold, Percy actually lives. So, yet another way to round out the Beth parallel. Got shot. Staggered away. No one correctly understood what actually happened there. But he runs into someone who helps him and saves him. And, he lives.

So then Elton and Percy find Silas. And this was super cool from a TD standpoint as well. Silas accidentally starts a fire. The smoke from it, while less, looks EXACTLY like the smoke from the moonshine shack in Still. (Ah foreshadows.) Elton sees the smoke and follows it, hoping to find Silas, which he does.

And here’s where, again, it gets interesting. They have a small but sweet reunion. Elton runs up and hugs Silas really tight and says that he found him and also that he brought Silas’s bag and that he found his walkman and headphones in the road. 

It was the way he said that that caught my attention. He found them in the road. Last week, we totally compared the headphones to the music box, but I didn’t think about the fact that he dropped them in the middle of the road. I didn’t think to compare them to Daryl finding the green jasper in the middle of the road. But Elton found Silas’s MUSICAL DEVICE in the middle of the road and brought it back to him. Also, Rock in the Road story/theory. And @wdway​ pointed out Daryl’s line to Beth in Alone: “Go up the road a ways; I’ll meet you there.”

So, think about this. We have this rock-in-the-road reference, and a reunion between Elton and Silas. In the same episode, we see Felix, out on the road, walking through the woods, stumble onto his romantic partner, who he hasn’t seen in a LONG time. They hug, have a reunion, both are crying, and Will cries out, “I thought you were dead.” 

Let’s talk about Leo, Iris and Hope’s dad. In terms of the plot, I actually have a lot of questions, but I suppose that’s the point. In ep 10, we have lots of scenes of Iris and Hope’s dad. The woman from the codas, Lyla is in them, too. She and Leo are in a romantic relationship. But it’s obvious that she’s a plant by the CRM and that she’s feeding them information. I wasn’t sure if these scenes were meant to be present day, or flashbacks. I THINK they’re present day. So, he’s actually fine and not really in any danger.

We were right in thinking that Hope is the asset. In this episode, they say they just want her for her smarts, to help her father in his research. To some extent, it’s like she’s Eugene for this show (except for real, lol). Her dad says of her at one point, “maybe she’ll save the world.” Which feels like a foreshadowing. So maybe she really will find the cure or something. We’re also wondering if there’s something more they aren’t telling us. Like some sort of immunity thing. But they haven’t said anything like that in this episode.

The other reason I’m not sure about what Hope’s role will be is that she is obviously a proxy for Beth on her own. (In one flashback, everyone is eating dinner together and she says, “I made the carrots.” So yeah, self-proclaimed Beth proxy.) Carrot Theory Here.

So maybe she’ll find the cure and save the world. Or maybe all these characters will die at the end and she’s just functioning as a Beth proxy. Beth isn’t the super-smart Eugene type that will save the world in that way, but I do think the fact that Hope is the “asset” and the CRM wants her is probably a proxy for Beth in some way. Just not sure how it will play out.

So, back to the dad. In these Leo scenes, it’s obvious that he’s suspicious about things having to do with the CRM. He says that he recognizes they do good things, but he’s suspicious about the military. He says that Will’s scouting mission should have been back days ago. (Yes, Felix’s Will.) But he’s not. And Lyla just passes it off as “lots of things can happen that might have delayed him.”

So, I wasn’t sure if Will’s group, which we only see for a few seconds at the end, is part of the CRM and has just been delayed in returning, or if they’re purposely not returning because they know what the CRM did to the people at the university and have become a rebel group. My first impression was that they were rebels, hanging out in the forest, but they honestly don’t tell us much, here.

Well, that was because, the first time through, I missed the coda at the end of episode 9. You guys gotta see this shot! What happens is basically that we see Will running. He trips and falls by this walker, stares at it a moment, and then jumps up to run again. We see CRM soldiers running after him. So, that confirms that he’s now a rebel. Hiding from and rebelling against the CRM because he saw what they did at the University.

And the only reason that even matters is that we’ve conjectured that Beth might be leading a rebel group against the CRM. This is a confirmation of that theory (because Will = Beth).

But look at this shot:

It’s a blond walker who’s literally rising from her grave. If that’s not confirmation that Will = Beth, I don’t know what is.

Oh, let’s go back to Silas for a minute. I said last week that he might be headed toward Beth, right? Yeah, I still think he might be. So, after Elton, Percy, and Silas reunite, Silas is happy to know that he didn’t kill Tony or hurt Percy. Huck did. But he and Elton want to go find the girls and tell them about Huck. Before they can, the CRM soldiers arrive. They probably followed Silas’s smoke, and also at one point Percy talked to Huck, very briefly on the walkie on an open channel. 

So, the CRM knows they’re around and is looking for them. They try to sneak away, and come to a chain-lined fence with a locked gate. They unlock it to go through, but Percy is still bleeding a lot from his GSW. He tells them to leave him behind because he’s slowing them down and the dripping blood will be a trail right to them.

Silas makes a choice to save his friends. He pushes them through the gate and turns himself into the CRM, even cutting his hand to account for the dripping blood. He locks it so they can’t come back in and says, “go save Iris.” The CRM does take him into custody and Elton and Percy get away. So again, if Rick and Beth are inside the organization somewhere, he really could run into them.

What this really reminded me of was Sasha and Rosita. Major parallel there. Which, sadly, makes me wonder if Silas will die next season. A proxy, just as Sasha was. I thought it was interesting that Silas cut his hand across the palm. It’s a Christic wound and he sacrificed himself for his friends. But he’s also inside the CRM now, which means he could potentially run into Rick or Beth next season.

I wrote down other, smaller symbols. Things we always talk about like dialogue and background symbols. There’s a part where Elton kills some walkers and a bright red leaf flies across the screen. One of our red objects, I think. And that’s while he’s saving Percy, who should have died, but lived. Percy calls Elton Corduroy at one point, which is a bear reference.

Oh! Here’s an interesting one, though it’s not directly related to Beth. At one point, when Felix gets hurt, he and the ladies (Hope, Iris, Huck) go to a particular building. I believe it used to be a retirement home, though it honestly doesn’t look medical at all. More like a manor house. Like Hilltop, only in major disrepair. When they go in, Iris says, “This place feels haunted.” And Hope says, “the whole world is haunted.” 

That’s a shockingly exact echo of Tyreese saying that to Carol in 4x14. He said, “the whole world is haunted now.” It’s so lovely and sad, it was always one of my favorite lines. So, I sat and thought about what the parallel is supposed to be. 

I think it may be about the truth coming out. Because the biggest thing about 4x14 was Lizzie and Mica’s deaths, but nothing happened in this episode to really mirror that. No one died. But Carol also told Ty the truth about her and how she’d killed Karen. And remember that Huck is the Carol character. Here, they all find out who Huck really is and what she’s doing. It’s like, deceptions fall away and the truth is revealed. So yeah, not really a TD thing, but I thought that was super interesting.

One other thing: at one point, Hope and Huck run into walkers on the road and have to fight them. Hope has Felix’s gun, but she drops it. They’re standing on a bridge (Bridge Theory) but it’s not a huge bridge or an overpass. It’s one of those little wooden bridges over a pathetic little stream. Like, literally four feet down and they could jump off the bridge without being hurt, right? Well, when Hope dropped the gun (because she’s fighting a walker) and it slid down off the bridge and into the stream.

Visually, it reminded me a lot of when Beth kicked the gun down the elevator shaft in Coda. So I watched closely to see if they would retrieve it. They didn’t. Huck even said something like “well, the pistol is gone, so let’s just keep going.” And I had to laugh at that. Not realistic at all. The pistol isn’t gone. It’s right there. They just had to jump down and get it. No way the little bit of water would have been enough to carry a metal gun away. So yeah, I feel like that was a purposeful parallel to Beth at Grady.

That’s most of the big stuff. My overall theory, following the template TWB is laying out for us is this: Daryl and Carol will take off together after S11, either because they have word of Rick or something to do with the kids. Just as Will is inside the CRM with Leo, Beth is inside the CRM with Rick. Somewhere on that journey, Daryl will run into Beth on the road. What happens next season in TWB will give us a better idea of what will happen where Rick is concerned in the story. But this is definitely a foreshadow of the spinoff and how Daryl and Beth will reunite.

And now, with word of Emily being in the bonus episodes, even if they’re just flashbacks, it makes me think we’ll see her in the second season of TWB. The flashbacks are priming the audience for her true return. I literally wrote the above to @wdway​ and @frangipanilove​ on Friday morning. Friday afternoon, news of Emily being in the bonus episodes broke. For me, it was just everything falling perfectly into place.

Thoughts?

[okaybutlikeimagine]

(tumblr won’t let me respond to asks directly so we’re screenshotting them till further notice  🤷)(i had the WHOLE THING typed out w/ the italics fixed into the ask and i copied it so i wouldn’t have to go through and put the italics again and then my DUMBASS SELF went to copy a fucking SHRUG EMOJI and now i have to put the italics in again. good thing i do all this stuff on a separate google doc bc i’m a moron and would have lost the whole thing just now. anyway)

Hi!!! I’m crying bc you fucking KNOW that Billy would get so fucking embarrassed!!

Bc Billy is prideful!! I’m telling you, that boy has some Leo in his chart or something bc if anyone so much as smiles at a joke at his expense, he gets defensive. And that’s not to say that he doesn’t banter back and forth with Robin, and that’s not to say that he and Steve don’t give insults that sound like endearments, and that’s not to say that he and Jonathan don’t rib each other amicably… but it’s different. Pride is a very different thing.

Bc Billy is legit like a little lion cub. (AKA every Leo i know, therefore Billy has Leo in his chart, don’t @ me) it’s an almost juvenile kind of attachment to pride. Like a baby lion cub who’s just getting their mane in but holds their head like they’ve got the biggest one in the pride, it’s a little childish (as much as he may not want to admit it).

And it’s really not Billy’s fault. That’s what he’ll tell you. That’s what he’ll tell anyone. It’s not his fault he’s a brat and he’ll shrug his shoulders and he’ll continue to be rude/bratty and for some people (Steve) it’s charming and for others (almost everyone else) it’s tolerable but for Jim…. It’s…. It’s upsetting. Jim doesn’t like to be seen as “controlling” or a “hardass” or whatever but he’s not sure how he can just ignore when Billy is being disrespectful. Even if it’s only slightly. bc like…. He feels like he needs to be a good dad and good dads make sure their kids grow up to be good people, right??? Which isn’t to say he thinks Billy is a bad person but he worries because, like every parent, his biggest fear is fucking up. He didn’t get a whole lot of practice with Sara. and after her death he couldn’t help but think of every time he slipped up. Every time his wife soothed his hair and said: “We have time to get it right.” every day that passed with Sara in the hospital where he realized she was wrong.

And i’m SO sorry for getting into that but I think that really influences how Hop parents now! The man was broken and then just…. Acquired a 12 year old. And then a 17 YEAR OLD?? Like… the man would be Confused as to how to proceed. And then THIS happens…

Bc Billy has mood swings. Billy is a teenager and also the human version of a bratty little cat that puffs his chest out and ruffles his own fur and may leave a few scratches but is ultimately harmless (esp now that he has a nice, loving family!!) and so they’re at the dinner table and the boys are talking about their grades and whatnot and Billy may be a little pouty. Because maybe Billy didn’t study as hard as he should have for his last history test. He just thinks history is so stupid. He’d rather read a book or do 100 math problems. What’s history gonna teach him?? He doesn’t need to know any more about plagues.

So he says that.

Jonathan’s talking about how well he did on his essay and Will is talking about how he did on his math test and Billy’s pushing carrots around when Joyce asks: “How’s school for you, Billy?”

“Just peachy keen.” he sneers down at his plate. Hop tuts harshly.

“Hey.” Hop chastises, only serving to make Billy’s blood boil more.

“What?”

“Calm down.”

“I’m plenty calm.” Billy snaps back, but it’s quiet. He shoves a sliced carrot in his mouth.

“Have you had any tests or anything lately?” Joyce asks calmly, in that motherly voice she always gives that makes Billy’s mind swirl a bit.

“Yup.”

“Billy-” Hop warns and it makes Billy sit straight up, but give a challenging look in Hop’s direction as he says, loudly:

“Yes, ma’am.”

Joyce stops asking, but she sends a look to Hop, who’s still caught in a staredown with Billy. Billy can’t see her look, but he wouldn’t understand it if he could, because it says: Hop, cut it out.

And the conversation shifts to significant others and then Joyce is smiling kindly at El and asking about her and Mike and maybe Hop is pouting but he’s not gonna draw attention to himself bc Joyce will just hit him like she always does when he’s pouting over their kids dating (specifically El). And Jonathan is smirking a bit into his dinner but Will is visibly uncomfortable as El gushes about Mike before complaining that he doesn’t come over enough and that she doesn’t go out enough and Billy gets irritated. Why should he and Will have to listen to this when they don’t want to??

And he mutters something, darkly. Something about Mike and El and “ungrateful little brats”.

And everyone hears. He only half means it, but they don’t really think that far.

And Hop shoots a look his way before chewing on a carrot rather aggressively.

“Somethin’ to say?”

Billy gives Hop a challenging stare, but he backs down as soon as he starts it.

“No sir.” He mutters harshly.

“Then behave.”

“How about you and Steve, sweetie?” It’s Joyce. Being sweet.

“Happy as can be.” It sounds bitter the way he says it because it is. They got in a fight today. A little one, but enough to make Billy taste something sour in his mouth when he thinks about it. He figures they’re gonna make up just fine tomorrow, no flowers or empty promises needed, just another heated conversation followed by a heated make out in the front seat of Billy’s Camaro. Maybe followed by a serious talk that’ll make Billy’s face heat up because he still can’t believe this boy has Billy wrapped around his finger so fucking tight.

“Yeah, well Officer Callahan says you and Harrington have-”

“You know his name.” Billy growls, resting his fork on the plate.

“Steve. You and Steve have been running around empty fields a lot lately.”

“And?” Billy’s vision is turning red. It’s tunneling a bit.

“And what’s that all about?”

“Don’t really wanna give you all the dirty details.” Billy shoves some meatloaf in his mouth. Hop’s looking at him like he’s a hassle and Billy’s proud of it.

“You guys shouldn’t be doing that. Someone’s gonna say something.”

“And?” Billy’s getting madder. He puts his fork down with a loud clang.

“And you’re gonna cause problems-”

“For you?” Billy seethes, leaning forward a bit, just willing Hop to say it.

“For yourselves.”

“Oh yeah?” Billy asks, leaning back in his chair, blood boiling hot. “Well what about the little twerps?”

Billy nods over to El, who makes a whining noise.

“Hey!” She calls, face pouting.

“What about them?”

"I just don't think it's very fair that it's safe for them and not us." Billy growls, gritting his teeth, eyebrows low.

"That's not true."

"It's safe for everyone else but us!" He’s mad. He’s mad bc him and Steve have argued about this before. Argued about how there’s no real point in being together if they have to hide all the time. That one time when they saw Cindy and Jason being grossly affectionate in public and Billy grabbed Steve’s ass and Steve got mad. They fought for a few days and it ended with them laying in Hansen’s big empty field, on the outskirts of town, talking in dreamy, far away voices about how one day they’d move to California bc “It’s not like this there… trust me, babe. It’ll be so much better.”

Billy’s vision tunnels more. All he sees is Hop in different shades of red. He forgets where he is. He’s livid, thinking about El and Mike and Cindy and Jason and Tommy and Carol and Nancy and Jonathan and he’s going to scream. His heart is racing with disdain.

"You know it's still dangerous for El to go out." Hop warns.

"You know that's not what I meant."

"Look... kid-"

"I'm not a fucking kid." Billy growls, leaning forward even more.

"Language!" Hop’s voice is booming and Billy’s had about enough of this. He resents being told off like a kid.

"Sorry! Excuse the fuck out of me!" He’s snarling and Hop seems about as livid as Billy feels.

"Go to your room!"

"Fine!" Billy yells, shoving his chair back and standing up, turning to Joyce for the first time all dinner and seeing her eyes full of… concern. He doesn’t know how to feel about it. Something in his chest heaves at the sight. His eyes flick over to Jonathan and then to El and then to Will…. And then his chest tightens. He looks away just as quickly.

He thanks Joyce quietly for dinner, mumbling it a bit but he thinks the sentiment is clear enough. He drops his plate off next to the sink and storms off to his room, slamming the door with probably too much force but everything’s on his mind and he has the right to be a brat if he wants.

It’s just that he hates just sitting here with nothing to do but think about everything. He doesn’t even have his stereo to listen to music with bc he gave his to El until she can get a new one bc hers broke and her nightmares have been bad recently. Listening to music before bed calms her down. Billy didn’t say anything about his own nightmares or his own need for music before bed. He wishes he had now that he’s laying in bed, about ready to rip his sheets to shreds bc he’s boiling. He feels like a storm but, to any outsider, he looks like a toddler- red-faced from a tantrum and fidgeting and bubbling like a shaken up soda bottle.

He’s so mad he can’t even do anything. The minutes pass in sticky but frantic moments of anger and thoughts and memories and the only thing his body will let him do is just sit there. Lay in his bed and pull at his covers and fall into thoughts and think about Hop reprimanding him like that and how awful it was and how red and angry he looked and how he sent him to his room like a kid and… and how Joyce looked so worried…. And how that same look was in Jonathan’s eyes…. And Will’s…. That same worried, concerned look. They all three have the same eyes- Lonnie be damned. Those boys share their mother’s eyes and all of the emotion that goes within them and it makes… it makes Billy mad he’s mad about it he knows he’s mad and-

And…

And he calms down a bit. Calms down enough to do what Steve told him to do when he gets angry and stressed and doesn’t know what to do with himself. Because Steve’s family is “well-traveled” and Steve knows all these weird little things from all these cool different countries.

So Billy takes out his notebook and rips a couple pieces of paper out (bc he saves the fancy paper Steve gave him for when he’s actually trying) and does some origami. Bc Steve said it’d help him to do something with his hands and this is something he can do quietly, in his room, without being destructive. ”It’ll help, I promise!”

The hardest part is making a perfect square, bc it takes too much patience and usually Billy doesn’t have that. But he’s just doing this to calm down so he eyeballs it as he cuts the paper and starts to fold what he knows, which is either a heart or a crane. Those are the only 2 things Steve has taught him that he knows off hand w/o the instructions or Steve guiding him through it.

There’s more crumpled paper on the ground than folded paper on his desk but Steve had assured him that was more than okay. It’s kind of the point, he figures. Crumpling and ripping up the paper is almost as nice as folding it to make something, and it makes actually making something feel even better when it happens.

He’s sitting there, on his 3rd heart, when there’s a small knock on the door.

“Go away.” He calls, realizing that the paper he cut isn’t a perfect square bc the corners won’t match.

“It’s Will.”

Billy pauses a bit. He goes back to folding his paper, not caring about the corners bc it’s not bad enough to start over. He doesn’t say anything.

He hears the door open.

“Do you think ‘go away’ doesn’t mean you?”

“Does it?” Will asks, voice earnest. Billy looks up to see his face matches.

Billy sighs, the harsh feeling in his chest softens a bit at the boy in his doorway. He turns back to his folding.

“What do you want? And close the door.”

“I wanted to ask if you wanna come listen to records with me.” Will says, closing the door behind him.

“I don’t think they want me out there.” Billy folds his paper with his fingernail to make it sharp. It burns his thumb a bit.

“That’s not true.” Will says, taking a few steps closer. “Mom told Hop… Dad he shouldn’t have done that.”

And that makes Billy mad. He’s not even sure why. It’s a heat in his chest and his face that feels like anger and he messes up his fold and he’s just… he’s confused and he’s red and all he can think about is Will saying “mom”. Not “my mom” just “mom” and also “dad” like he’s theirs and Billy can’t understand it still and he smashes the paper into a ball in his hand-

“I don’t need your mom defending me.” Billy says harshly, spitting the words out like he hates them, chucking the paper on the ground. He’s too aware of the way Will flinches a bit at his harshness. He takes a deep breath.

“Uh... “ Will’s fidgeting. Billy feels bad. He sighs.

“I don’t have my stereo.” Billy leans back, running a tired hand down his face. “Ask Jonathan.”

“But I wanna listen to your music.” Will says quietly and Billy believes him. Will’s been getting interested in Alice Cooper and Led Zeppelin and all of the fun bands that actually perform. Steve gifted Billy a VHS performance of Led Zeppelin and Will seemed to like the lead singer quite a bit.

“Well I don’t wanna go out there, pipsqueak.” Billy rips out another piece of paper. It’s quiet for a second, Billy eyeballing another square to cut. It’s so quiet, Billy thinks Will has left.

He thinks wrong.

“Can I still hang out with you?”

Billy puts the scissors down, exhausted, and looks up at Will.

“Alright, what’s wrong?”

Will shrugs. “Nothing. I just…. Like it in here.”

Billy’s confused, but he almost believes him for a minute.

“I don’t have music for you.”

“I can grab a book to read.” The boy’s so earnest, Billy knows he’s not gonna shake him.

So he waves him away with a nod and Will’s out and back quicker than Billy can think about how weird it is that this boy would rather sit in his room in silence than do something fun. Will’s closing the door carefully, latching it quietly and moving over to sit on the bed.

Billy has crumpled up 2 more pieces of paper before Will begins to pry.

“Are you folding things again?”

“Uh huh.”

“What’s it called, again?”

“Origami.”

“Cool.” Will scoots on his knees to the edge of the bed so he can see what Billy’s doing. “Do you need any help?”

“I’m good.” Billy mutters, unconvincingly.

“I can cut the paper for you. I’m good at making squares.”

And so Will is sitting criss cross on the bed, cutting perfect square after perfect square, while Billy sits backwards on his desk chair with his arms folding on the back rest and mind racing a mile a minute. Will’s so quiet and calm, willingly coming in here just to spend time with Billy, helping him now and… and something sick fills Billy’s chest. The only thing he can hear are his words at the dinner table.

‘Hey-uh…” His voice sounds weird to his ears and his tongue feels thick but he’s got Will’s attention now so he needs to get it out. “Sorry.”

Will’s eyebrows scrunch up. “Sorry for what?”

For being a dick? For ruining your dinner? For ruining your family?

Billy shrugs.

“I dunno. Just… not being a good example.”

“Whaddya mean?” Will asks, handing over a handful of squares before working on some more.

Billy shrugs again. “I dunno kid I just… I’m not like Jonathan. I’m not… I’m not a good example for you. It’s embarrassing.”

“What’s embarrassing?”

“Getting told off like that in front of you guys.” Billy turns back around so he can start folding again. He needs to do something w/ his hands.

“I told you, mom told him he shouldn’t have done that.”

“But he was right-”

“No, you can be upset if you’re upset. It’s fine.”

Billy falters a bit. He wonders if Will is quoting Joyce. The small boy keeps speaking.

“You’re a good example,” Will’s voice says, and he sounds so sure that Billy believes him. “You’re just a different one. You show me to stand up for what I believe and… and that it’s okay to be… to like boys…”

Billy stops folding altogether. Will’s voice gets quieter.

“You’re a good example. It’s good to let things out when you feel them.”

Billy’s mind is racing. He’s folding without thinking about it. Because the only thing he can think about is how he got accepted into this family so quickly. How Hop took him in and Joyce accepted that like she was accepting a package at the door. She took him in like he was her own son and not some bratty problem child being dumped on her. And now Hop reprimands him without his fists and Joyce chastises Hop for being too harsh even though he’s… doing his job, whatever that entails and it’s… it’s too much sometimes. It’s too much to think about but Billy knows he wouldn’t give it away for the world bc every moment like this reminds him that every passing day is a day further away from the pain he grew up surrounded by. The pain now doesn’t even compare to the pain then. This is so different bc this pain is laced with care and love.

He’s made a crane before he realizes.

“I’m glad you’re my brother.” Will’s voice sounds so far away but it crashes over Billy like a wave.

Billy nearly crushes the crane in his hand from the words. He’s so shocked at them.

He turns and gives Will the crane, not looking the boy in the eye as he gathers up the paper and the scissors from the bed.

“I don’t need any more paper. Thanks.” Billy mumbles, dumping everything on his desk.

“You’re welcome. Is this for me?”

“Yup.” Billy shoves the paper in a drawer and tosses the scissors into his pencil cup.

“Thanks!” Will’s so excited about it. Billy’s heart is fluttering.

“Wanna listen to those records now?” Billy asks, hands on his hips, fingers fidgeting bc this is a lot and he just…. He needs music now. Whatever. He realizes he shouldn’t be so scared. There’s nothing to be scared about. Will beams up at him.

“Sure!” Will gets up and rushes to the door as Billy grabs a folded heart and follows the boy out, aiming to give it to Joyce by means of apology. He thinks briefly about giving one to Hop as well, but he figures a spoken apology and a light punch on the shoulder and a promise to listen should do just fine to get the man smiling again. Bc somehow- somewhat miraculously -it always does.

[vapcrwaves]

━♡ guess the 24 YEAR OLD JULY baby just arrived to dallyeog! it makes sense, because AOKI IMOJEN is just as BLAZING as the month of JULY. wait, why do they remind me of HIRAI MOMO? beyond that, they seemed SELF-RELIANT & BUOYANT upon first glance. i heard someone say they’re sort of INSURGENT & RECKLESS though. i hope they get acquainted here in COMPLEX # 3 / APARTMENT # 2 / FLOOR # 2 ; they seem to have a lot going on with HER job as TATTOO ARTIST / BASSIST. 

bonjour , y’all !! my name’s jade ( she/her , twenty-one , gmt+8 ) !! and i’m super excited to meet and write with everyone !! this is my spunky kid , imojen , and i hope you’ll come to enjoy her as much as i did writing everything about her :D if you wanna plot , do not fret because i’ll be dropping in everyone’s IMs hehe , but if you prefer to plot over at discord , don’t hesitate to tell me !! <3 

*   𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖑𝖔𝖌𝖚𝖊   ╱  ʙᴀꜱɪᴄꜱ   .

name  :  aoki imojen  nicknames  :  yoki , jen . age  :  twenty - four . birthday  :  july 27 , 1996 . zodiac  :  leo sun , aquarius moon , sagittarius rising . place of birth  :  tokyo , japan . currently living  :  seoul , south korea . occupation  :  tattoo artist , bassist . pronouns  :  she / her . orientation  :  bisexual biromantic . ethnicity  :  japanese .  spoken languages  :   japanese , korean , english .  character insp.  :  kat stratford from 10 things i hate about you , bridget vreeland from sisterhood of traveling pants , effy stonem from skins uk , young carol rhodes from gossip girl tv series , rhonda smith , mia’s backstory from if i stay . label  /  tropes  :  hoyden , icarian , insurgent , reveller , the rebellious spirit . pinterest  :  here .  aesthetics  :   scared of commitment , but has 7 tattoos. a habit of endlessly lighting a lighter. platform boots to boost your height. but then again, sneakers for comfort while running from the cops. forgetting to discard empty cigarette packets from your bomber jacket. spilling your fifth espresso onto your drawings and designs , maybe it’s time to sleep. a frightening look on your face which millennials like to call a resting bitch face. the heat ruining your collection of leather jackets. finding comfort in your friends who seem to understand your mood swings. having a pet cat who’s as feisty as you. spontaneous adventures live inside your head and your friends fall victim to those ideas. liking the rays of the sun more than the moon despite being a night owl. oversleeps anyway. trimming your bangs yourself because you couldn’t be bothered to go to the salon. overcooking your sunny side up eggs. sleeping to forget problems. drinking to forget problems. epitome of a ride or die. 

*  𝖋𝖎𝖗𝖘𝖙 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗    ╱  ᴘᴀꜱᴛ   .

aoki imojen was born to understand what it was to live a life with no structure. her father was part of a rising band in the 90s, toured all over small venues in japan that they slowly rose to a known local name, and imojen has seen all the chaos unfold from backstage in the arms of her mom. however, slowly transitioning into the year of 2000s, the economy was still struggling from the lost decade and the income from touring never sufficed for a growing family. imojen’s father was forced to leave the music scene with the help of her mother’s influence: “it’s time to be serious”; and work multiple jobs in order to fully provide for his first child and the another growing one inside his wife’s womb. 

growing up, imojen’s no stranger to music and her father loved to introduce rock music and bands to imojen’s upbringing. she adored b’z and the gazette, and it leaves no doubt that imojen’s father had been her greatest influence in life. as she grew older, not only did they share identical music preferences and influences, but imojen’s learned to play various instruments— the bass being her favorite. imojen’s also stemmed from that infamous reckless behavior his father’s known for back in the day, and when the teenage years came, so did the impetuous reputation begin. 

imojen and her mother aren’t exactly as close as she was with her father. in fact, their relationship was a toe out of the civil line. it got worse when imojen started to focus on the band she created with friends instead of school and late night practices turned to never returning home for a few days and having the audacity to blatantly lie when asked where she was when asked. it’s hard not to blame her mother when she assumed things for the worst. imojen’s gone quite defiant especially when she discovered that her and her father’s relationship had began to run askew. imojen blames her mother’s interference with her father’s music career as much as her father did, she loved him so much that she was completely blindsided to always take his side. and when the divorce papers came and went, imojen chose her father as she always would. 

her father got a job as a musician locally and eventually overseas, however, money didn’t come by so fast and easy initially. instead of going to university, imojen invested in learning the arts in tattoo design and worked as a tattoo artist to help with the bills. the pair finally thought to settle in korea when imojen’s father got a permanent job. and at this time, imojen has decided to try pursue a career as a musician as well, hoping that the thrill in her early band days are still well stored in her system. 

*  𝖘𝖊𝖈𝖔𝖓𝖉 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗    ╱  ᴘʀᴇꜱᴇɴᴛ   .

imojen can never be satisfied of living in the same area for so long, or at least under the roof with the watchful eye of her father. work’s payed well and imojen decided to move out and get an apartment of her own. hence, she found dallyeog, parties almost every single day, drags everyone into spontaneous adventures, comes home terribly drunk and wakes up with a huge hangover—well, still pretty normal. aside from the norm, imojen working at the tattoo parlor and taking gigs at bars as a bassist, imojen’s investing in writing music as well. she hopes one day to finally finish at least one song she’s been procrastinating for far too long and convince her father to make them a rock duo instead, but a band of her own would fantastic too.  

*  𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖗𝖉 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗    ╱  ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ   .

imojen looks quite mean at first glance, and it doesn’t help that she’s indifferent towards anyone who isn’t part of already her friend. she doesn’t hate, hate is such a strong word, she simply doesn’t have the attention span for people that don’t interest her or she doesn’t know fully well to enjoy a conversation with.

honestly has the gina linetti energy “how was i supposed to know there’d be consequences for my actions” as she literally does anything she wants before her brain can even weigh the pros and cons to it.

imojen enjoys taking risks despite the relaxed attitude and seemingly nonchalant view in life. it might be a surprise to learn that she’s quite ambitious, but underneath, she does aim for the highs (both meanings) in life, except there isn’t exactly a time frame for those and would much rather pursue them steadily. 

everyone can depend on imojen to have a good time, or if someone needed a friend to vent to, she can surprisingly be all ears, but never follow her words of advice. she does mean well, it’s just that she doesn’t know what she’s saying half the time and is quite reckless,, like ask her to pick between two choices and she’ll advice you to take the riskier one bc “it’s fun don’t be a prude”.

she is more sympathetic than she let on. imojen’s not very vocal especially with her emotions and on what she exactly feels about other people’s situation. serious conversations? catch her yeet away from those. they render her uncomfortable, most especially if it is about her. however, seeing her friends gloomy doesn’t sit right with her that she does anything to make them crack a smile. 

believes that people should be left to roam free and that authority is useless and ruins the fun— hence why she’d always be caught defying them. yes, she uses her brain, but acts more towards intuition and what she felt like doing that day. so yes, she might loves setting her life on the line.

*   𝖋𝖔𝖚𝖗𝖙𝖍 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗   ╱  ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴄᴏɴɴᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴꜱ .

plastic hearts   ╱   someone whom imojen shares a passion for music with. the both of you are like peas in a pod as you both are in the same wavelengths as each other. they may not have the same types of music, but open enough to share a plethora of music playlists.

angels like you   ╱   the typical bad-good influence trope wherein imojen’s reckless behavior and liberated thoughts on legalities have gotten your muse in various dangerous but fun adventures. on a flip, your muse may be the reason why imojen’s woken up at 8 in the morning, bright, well, and not hungover.

prisoner   ╱   an angsty and toxic relationship that imojen could not get enough of. everyone sees this partnership (romantic or platonic) of destructive nature, both of you may or may not know, but regardless it can never be broke off no matter how hard both try. 

gimme what i want   ╱   the typical fwb relationship, we can add spice to it, but on the base that’s the idea. 

night crawling   ╱   imojen’s ride or die, the person she would instantly run to for an adventure, midnight strolls, alcohol escapades, and vandalism. but as things you both do burst into haywire, you’re both aren’t afraid to be open to each other too and spill secrets or bodies hidden in the closet. 

midnight sky   ╱   perhaps a new acquaintance?? friend?? that doesn’t exactly have a first good impression of imojen?? maybe vomited on your muse the first time they met, or jen was really mean for no reason under the influence of alcohol?? she’s chaotic so perhaps it wasn’t a good first meeting. 

bad karma   ╱   imojen hasn’t been exactly an angel all her life, and perhaps karma has run around to bite her in her ass. your muse might’ve been somebody who hurt imojen; either a terrible break up or severing trust, let’s explore :D 

golden g string    ╱   a band :D maybe nothing too serious, just a group of pals playing and making music together :D  or maybe the group's been playing gigs for awhile now and wants to head into the big leagues :D

honestly im so down with anything so !!!!!!

[papermoonloveslucy]

LUCILLE BALL: NUMBER 1, BUT STILL TRYING HARDER

July 29, 1974

Editor's note: following is the final part in a series of eight profiles on America's self-made women.

By PHYLLIS BATTELLE 

“Success - whaddya you mean by that?” rasps Lucille Ball in that rowdy voice which strikes adoration into the hearts of Lucy lovers. 

“If your concept of success is happiness in what you’re doing, in being a mother, in being a wife, then I’m a success. I’m also damned lucky that I have my health and guts life takes guts and that my work paid off. 

“But if you’re talking of the kind of success that’s about dollars and cents, forget it. The real wealth is not out here in Hollywood. Its all highly taxable, honey, and who cares? Money has never been important to me. I hate looking at bills. I hate math. I’m a typical Leo: money-blind. What I’m saying is that not one of us out here has more than $25,000 to buy a stamp with! 

“Pennies, Pickles Or Something" 

So much for Lucy’s petty cash. Aside from stamp funds, she has assets: a million-dollar home in Beverly Hills, another in Palm Springs and an apartment near Aspen, Colo.; investments resulting from the sale of her Desilu Studios to Gulf & Western for $17 million in stock, her own Lucille Ball Productions Company: earnings from 23 years of “Lucy” series (now running in 77 countries); a percentage of “Mame”, the new super-movie musical; not to mention the proceeds from diligent work dating back to 1913, when she was two years old in Jamestown, N.Y., and spoke little pieces at the grocery store for pennies or pickles or something. 

At 62, Lucille Ball Arnaz Morton is No. 1 - but still trying harder. (1) Husband Gary Morton says proudly, “Her work is an obsession and a labor of love, and as long as the public likes her shell never retire.” 

Lucy recently did terminate her “Here’s Lucy” series, at least temporarily, but will hold her "business family” (about 500 staff and cast members) together while she produces TV specials. Now, she leers at her orange-haired image in a dressing room minor and says, “I’ve loved to work, always. I discovered very early that the way to please people was to make them laugh at me. So I appeared at church, school, Girl Scouts, anything and anywhere. Made the tickets, sold them, starred in my own shows. That seems backward now. That’s gone out. The business has been hanging itself, and the kids with it, by making stars and superstars out of strange, young people who don’t know their craft."

Drums And Records 

An example, Lucy says, could be found in her own son, Desi Arnaz, Jr. "When he was nine, he was very good on drums. Used to beat them while the records played as background. He got a group together with a couple of kids at school Dino Martin and Billy Hinsche and they called themselves Dino, Desi and Billy. Then Sinatra heard them, and they made a record and had a hit. 

"A magazine took off on them, and they went on tour. Poor waifs - thank God, they didn’t have any more hits. But it left its mark, this being made a star when you don’t know anything at all, and after two years it was damn hard for Desi and the other kids to get back to doing their homework." 

That sort of "big payoff for mediocrity" was not what happened in Lucy's own youth. Her family in Jamestown was "lower than middle-class, hard working, had a truck garden and was never hungry." 

Most Influential Man 

Lucy's father, a mining engineer, died when she was four. (2) Her stepfather was the most influential man in her early life. To encourage young Lucy’s "flair," he took her to see Julius Tannen, a monologist. (3) “When I saw Tannen sitting on a empty stage in a dark theater, making people cry and then laugh - oh, it was magic, pure magic," she recalls. 

At 16, she went to New York, where her stepfather entered her in drama school. "I found out how shy, awkward and unable to cope I was. The teachers put me down, said I had no talent whatever.” Lucy's blue eyes flash. “New York frightened me. Still does. You have to take me out of the hotel on a leash to get me on the streets of New York today. Being tall, lithe and well-sculptured, Lucy took up modeling. But then, almost tragically, she contracted pneumonia with complications and was bedridden for eight months. It took three years of convalescence before she regained complete control of her legs. At 21, through an agent, she was hired to become a Sam Goldwyn showgirl in Hollywood for an Eddie Cantor film, “Roman Scandals”. 

Would Take Any Part 

“Out here in California, I knew as much as the rest of the girls in movies, which was nothing,” she says. “The difference was I would take any part. I never sought to be a star. I didn't mind being typed. I wanted to be typed. One of the greatest thrills of my life was hearing a director say he wanted a Lucille Ball-type for a picture. 

Of course, later it was different, she growls, "when they said they wanted a young Lucille Ball-type. 

In 10 years as willing “Queen of the B movies," Miss Ball was out of work only two days. 

In 1939 she met a young Cuban bandleader named Desi Arnaz, and they married in 1940. From the beginning, their marriage was a difficult venture: Desi toured the United States with his group, while she stayed in Hollywood making movies. Then Desi served in the army, while Lucy starred not in films but a popular radio series, “My Favorite Husband”. They split. They tried again. 

Finally, in 1951, in a desperate move to keep their marriage alive. Lucy sold CBS on what, at the time, seemed an unlikely television series: "I Love Lucy.” 

It was the beginning of greater professional success, but not the end of domestic upheaval. Their first child, Lucie, was born when her mother was 40; Desi was born when Lucy was 43. But the much-adored children were not to save the marriage, and in 1960 - tearfully, knowing her diligent efforts had failed - Lucille divorced Desi, citing his outbursts of temperament, instability and violence. Desi did not contest the action. 

In parting, they split a $20-million television empire. They are better friends today - at arms length, with new matrimonial ties - than they were during the 19 years of marriage. 

Today, Lucy’s sense of well-being with one-time comedian Gary Morton (who is executive vice president of her production company), is obvious and delightful.

"It s really a super life, grins Gary, living with a thoroughbred." Says Lucy, I guess its very possible to live without a good man. Possible, but no fun. To bake a cake is no fun without a man. It’s no fun to make a garden without a man to watch it grow." 

Lucy also is, and always has been, a proud and over-protective mother. Is that bad? I don’t think so." 

A Share Of Problems 

But despite Lucy’s mother-hen" closeness to Lucie, now 22, and young Desi. 20, the Arnaz offspring have strayed into their share of problems. Desi and actress Patty Duke had a much-publicized affair when he was 16 (and Patty was 28); later he became engaged to Liza Minnelli, but that broke up last summer. Lucie was married in 1971 to actor Philip Vandervort, but the couple quickly split. 

Lucy is convinced her daughter, who is featured on “Here’s Lucy," will be a star. “Lucie," her mom says, “has all the material of stardom - ability, inclination, vitality, intelligence, beauty, good sense and good taste. 

“Wholesome Movies Alive" 

In fact, one reason that Lucille Ball finally agreed after three years of rejecting the role to star in the movie “Mame” is that Gary convinced me it could keep wholesome movies alive for talented people like my daughter. 

"This industry," Lucy shudders, “has turned into a sex-and-violence factory. The whole thing’s ugly, with thousands of ugly people ripping-off their clothes and ripping-off the public. If that’s what makes good box office, and if box office is what they mean by success, then success is out of kilter!”

#   #   #

FOOTNOTES FROM THE FUTURE

(1) The advertising slogan “We Try Harder” was developed in 1962 for Hertz Rent-A-Car company, who was perpetually number two in popularity to Hertz Rent-A-Car. Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett satirized the campaign on “The Carol Burnett Show” on October 2, 1967. 

(2) Henry Ball, Lucille’s father, was actually a telephone lineman, not a mining engineer. One story had Hunt as the executive of a mining company in Montana. his death certificate listed him as a ‘laborer’. 

(3) Julius Tannen (1880-1965) was a monologist in vaudeville. He was known to stage audiences for his witty improvisations and creative word games. He had a successful career as a character actor in films, appearing in over 50 films in his 25-year film career. He is probably best known to film audiences from the musical Singin' in the Rain, in which he appears as the man demonstrating a talking picture early in the film.

[queen-erika-the-songful]

for the barbie ask - 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 21, 22, 23, 25 ! srry its so many xx

----Don’t worry about it. I’m happy to answer them all!!----

7. Favorite Barbie film male secondary/side character?

Prince Leo! I love that he acts more like a big brother to Starlight instead of a love interest, and it’s hilarious to me how there is barely a time that he is NOT eating. He’s very sweet and a delight onscreen.

8. Favorite Barbie film female secondary/side character?

Sal-Lee!! I love the archetype of “tough girl learns to lower her walls” and I think it’s done very well with Sal-Lee. The fact that she’s quick to allow a heart-to-heart with Starlight their first night together says a lot about how lonely she must be traveling all the time. I also love that it is her that stands up to Constantine because she was acting leader at that point and knew he respected her so it would make sense that she would need to be the one to get through to him. I really, really wish we had gone a bit more into her backstory because the little that was hinted at sounded so interesting. I wonder if it’s similar to Keira’s in that she had to grow up too fast because of her career.

9. Favorite Barbie film villain?

Tie between Preminger and Malucia. I think Preminger is very intriguing and scary because he always comes up with a backup plan. He’s always able to adapt the situation to suit his needs, so it’s no wonder he almost got away with it. As for Malucia, I just think she’s really funny. It’s kind of refreshing that she’s just a literal spoiled brat as opposed to some big powerful sorceress or world-dominating supervillain or whatever. 

10. Favorite Barbie film animal sidekick?

Sequin or Kuda. Sequin is confidence goals and I really wish she had been in more Barbie movies. She had a lot more personality in one movie than the puppies have had for the last 4 years. As for Kuda, I love her cutesy design and personality. She’s the perfect foil to Lumina too, always being the voice of reason and telling her mermaid friend to slow down and think. 

15. Saddest Barbie film scene?

For me, it’s always been when Gothel destroys all of Rapunzel’s paintings. While I think the destruction of the paintbrush is even more tragic, the scene with the paintings hits me worse because at that point of the movie Rapunzel didn’t know anything, nor did she understand why Gothel had suddenly become a lot more hostile. Like, before, she was simply strict and Rapunzel felt like she owed Gothel for taking care of her, but once she came back from the village Gothel became extra nasty for what seemed like no good reason. It’s the moment when Rapunzel really starts to question everything. Between finding the hairbrush and village to this, what is actually going on? Isn’t Gothel supposed to care for her despite her rules and chores? Rapunzel finally starts to understand that she is in a bad situation. Not unideal, but bad. When Rapunzel sinks into the floor, clutching the pieces of her work and crying “Why?” it just breaks my heart every time. What makes it even worse is that I personally know what it feels like to have something of yours destroyed by someone who is supposed to care for you. We see this abusive behavior again in A Christmas Carol, but Rapunzel’s was always worse to me just because I saw it first. 

16. Most romantic Barbie film scene?

Anneliese’s confession to Juilan. It’s one of the most real, endearing moments in any Barbie movie. Anneliese knows this could be the last chance she has to tell Julian how she feels, and when she does, she calls him a “treasure”. It’s a very short scene, but it always warms my heart. It’s also incredibly satisfying to have that reveal be right before the climax, as it gives Julian the courage to keep going and makes the audience cheer them on to esape so they can finally be together.

17. Funniest Barbie film scene?

Almost every moment between Bella and Kris. Their stupid puns and Bella’s “Really?” face are just too good. They were my favorite thing to come out of Video Game Hero. 

21. Favorite parents/guardians?

Miss Privet. I love that she personally tutored Blair and never gave up on her, even when earlier she said only 27% of lottery girls become Lady Royals. She also never took shit from Dame Devin and wasn’t afraid to let her know. I wish she had been able to do more for the girls when they were framed, but her hands really were tied and I don’t blame her for that. She is one of the best mentor characters in the whole Barbie film series.

22. Favorite kids?

Makena. When making an environmental movie for kids, I think having an actual kid for the intended audience to relate to is a much better idea than an adult. I also like that Makena has to go through an actual character arc of being a spoiled girl who didn’t care to understanding why the environment and speficially Thumbelina’s flower patch was so important. She’s what Illumination wanted to do with Ted in The Lorax, but done right. 

23. Favorite siblings?

Barbie’s sisters, but especially Skipper. Skipper really had potential to be more than just the joke “Haha teens and their tech”, but only Perfect Christmas and occaisionally Dreamhouse Adventures ever really attempted to explore the other sides of her character, including her love of music and her inferiority complex with having such an amazing older sister.

25. Favorite Barbie film happy ending?

Princess and the Pauper, because literally everyone got what they wanted. Anneliese’s discovery lead to Genevieve’s kingdom being saved from bankruptcy (they probably got their gold back too but that’s a discussion for another day). Anneliese herself was free to marry her best friend, Julian. Erika traveled, sang, and then came back to marry Dominick. Wolfie and Serafina got together. Bertie became free of Madam Carp just like Erika, and I also headcanon that she ended up taking over the dress shop for her own. Hervé stood up to Preminger, got a girlfriend, and persumably became Anneliese or Julian’s new horse since he's seen pulling the wedding carraige at the end. Pretty much every loose end is tied up in a neat little bow.

[dyde21]

Mistletoe

So @granger-chase made a post about wanting a mistletoe fic, then @annabetncnase reblogged it wanting one, and I got inspired. Then that inspiration turned into a lot longer story than I planned for anyway here’s this: I thought the fandom could use a little more Percabeth Christmas Goodness! :D I hope ya’ll enjoy!

XxXxXxXxX

“If you change the playlist, I’m drop kicking your Playstation out the window, Jason.” Percy called out as he heard the Christmas carol pause, before resuming a moment later, if not a little quieter.

“Can’t you choose something less… boring?” He asked, walking around the corner of their small apartment. Raising an arm he leaned against the wall, staring at his roommate. Percy just ignored him as he ripped open another bag of chips, dumping them into one of the few tupperwares they had. “Grab the sodas.” He ordered, walking past Jason towards the tiny kitchen table that usually served little more purpose than a coat rack, aside from the occasional last minute, panicked study session. 

For once though, it was actually cleaned off properly, and he had even grabbed a tablecloth from his mom to borrow for the night. 

“It’s a Christmas party, Jason. We’re supposed to play carols.” He explained, snagging a chip and eating it before turning to face his best friend. 

Jason grabbed a chip himself, rolling his eyes. “Yeah yeah, tis’ the season and all of that. But there could be a little more pep, you know?”

Percy paused, his shoulders slumping. “Maybe you’re right? Maybe modern stay stuff works better?” He paused, thinking for a moment. “But Hazel is coming over too so I don’t want to play too messed up stuff.” He glanced up at Jason, looking for help.

Jason’s usual cocky smirk faded as he looked over. “Hey, I was just complaining. You’re fine, I’m sure they’ll love it.” 

Percy nodded. “That’s cool then…” He trailed off, glancing over the table of snacks and sodas. “Think we need more? I know Piper and Annabeth said they were bringing food but…”

Jason walked over, resting a hand on Percy’s shoulder. “Hey man, chill. Alright? Everything is fine. We still have some time and we’re just hanging out with some friends. I know you’re getting stressed.”

Running a hand through his hair, Percy shook his head. “I’m not stressed, I just want to make sure things are… right.”

Jason gave him a deadpan stare, making it clear he wasn’t falling for his crap. “Dude, your leg is bouncing as you’re freaking out over whether or not we have enough chips when I don’t think we’ve had this much food in our house in a month.”

Staying quiet, Percy couldn’t exactly refute him. He knew himself well enough to know that his stress was starting to peak. “Okay, maybe a little.”

Pulling out a chair, Jason sat down and slid the other chair back with his foot, motioning for Percy to sit down as he took another chip. “Talk.”

Resisting only for a moment, Percy sighed and sat down, dropping his head into his hands. “I know, I’m stressing out. Sorry. I’ve just… never had a party or something like this. Usually my mom took care of things when I had friends over. Plus she’s coming over.”

“She’s been over countless times.” Jason offered, letting his friend continue to get out what he needed to.

“Right. But… I want tonight to be the night. It’s been so stressful around her. You know… since…”

“Since you fell in love with your childhood friend?” Jason helpfully offered, laughing at the stricken look Percy got on his face. “Don’t say it so loud!”

Jason rolled his eyes and dipped a chip in the onion dip. “Yeah, I almost forgot it’s the worst kept secret in the world.”

Glaring the blonde, Percy narrowed his eyes. “Aren’t you supposed to be nice?”

Shrugging, Jason returned the look. “I am, dude. When I met you two you were practically joined at the hip, and I’ve never seen that change in all these years. But since you started…” He paused at Percy’s glare. “...thinking differently about her, you’ve been stressing out over the little things, freaking out for no reason, and frankly we’re all getting a little worried about you. What you need a push in the right direction, for your sake.”

Percy knew his friend wouldn’t lie to him. After Annabeth, Jason was his best friend for sure. 

“I know it’s cliche but I really don’t want to screw things up between us. Even if she might feel something too… I don’t want to do it wrong. I wish I could handle things as well as she does. She’s still so… perfect. ”

Jason rolled his eyes but kept his mouth shut. His girlfriend was Annabeth’s roommate, and he had heard first hand how objectively false that statement was. Percy was a victim of being hopelessly in love, which meant he had a habit of missing out on obvious things about Annabeth. The way her usual fluid speech tended to get flustered around him, or the way she had gone from a comfortable companionship with Percy, to jumping at the chance to be with him as eagerly as percy was. Even the way her eyes always were always drifting to him, with a soft smile he never saw her wear any other time.

It was painfully obvious these two dorks were head over heels for each other, but were too scared to admit it. What really drove Piper and Jason crazy were that they were pretty sure they both knew it as well. After all, they did know each other better than anyone.They were just choosing to ignore it, writing it off as them just being their usual friend.

Still, if Jason had to catch them being a moment away from kissing without going through with it again, he was about going to lock them in a closet until they were engaged.

“Trust me. She’s got it as bad as you do. Tonight is the perfect opportunity to do it right.”

Percy looked up at him. “You think?”

Jason laughed. “I’m pretty sure you could confess behind a 7/11 and she’d still say yes dude. You just need to actually go for it.”

Percy nodded. “Maybe you’re right…”

Jason could sense his hesitation, but also the spark of confidence in him. Maybe tonight all of them could finally be put out of their misery. “Come on, we still need to put up these lights.” He said, grabbing a box of small tree lights and tossing them at him. 

Percy nodded, clearly grateful for something to do other than think and started to move to a corner to figure out how they were going to attach them to the walls without damaging them while Jason pulled out his phone. He sent a quick text to Piper.

XxXxXxXxX

“Do you think this is enough food?” Annabeth asked, pacing back and forth as she looked at the two pizzas, the bowl of pasta salad, and a tray of brownies for dessert. 

Piper raised an eyebrow. “Are you kidding me? Even with the appetite of Jason and Percy, there aren’t that many other people there. We’re bringing plenty and Hazel said she’s bringing Jambalaya, and Leo was bringing his famous tacos. We have plenty, stop stressing.”

Annabeth nodded. “Right. That’s fair. I don’t have to eat if we start running low too.” 

She paused, looking down at herself. “Are you sure I look okay?”

Scoffing, Piper glanced at her best friend up and down once again. “Please, I dress you you myself. You look cute, don’t worry.”

The blonde nodded again, twice. “You’re right. Thank you.”

Piper just shrugged. “If I left it up to you, you’d still be standing in front of the closet.”

Annabeth flushed slightly, running a hand through her hair. “I just wanted to look nice, is that so bad?”

Piper paused, noticing the slightest hint of hesitation in her voice that made the joke seem a little less innocent than normal. 

“You’re fine. Any reason you’re so nervous though?” She asked, not so subtly opening the door for the conversation she knew they would be having before they left at some point anyway.

Pausing, Annabeth opened her mouth to deny it before she dropped her head against the wall.

“Tonight could be… something.” 

Piper was stunned, Annabeth was usually full of a lot more denial, or subtle about her “crush” on her best friend. If you could still call it a crush based off how long she’s had it and how much it had been distracting her lately.

“Are you going to confess?” She asked gently. 

Annabeth hesitated for a moment before shaking her head. “I don’t… probably not… I just. I just think Percy might… being thinking the same thing of me.”

Piper screamed internally. Her friend was one of the smartest people she knew and so incredibly dense at times it hurt. She was glad Annabeth was working through her fear of being rejected or abandoned by him to take the next step, but if she spent a minute not being lost in his eyes, she would be able to see how adorably head over heels he was for her. The number of times she had seen the poor boy practically collapse in on himself with regret when he let a chance to kiss her slip by, or he fumbled his words.

“I’m… glad you’re starting to see that.” Piper said carefully, reigning in her own frustration at the fact her two best friends were depriving themselves of happiness out of pointless fear. Annabeth could be touchy at times so she knew she had to tread carefully. “Just remember, Percy has fallen for you, the person whose been by his side longer than anyone. Don’t try and change yourself. He’s seen you at your best, and at your worst and he’s still by your side. All you need to do is reach out a hand and he’ll meet you there.” She offered gently.

Annabeth fell quiet as she let the words sink in.

Piper leaned down a bit to get a better look at Annabeth’s expression. She saw a mix of determination and concern. A look Piper often saw her with whenever she tried, and usually failed, to take the next step with Percy.

Her phone buzzed, and when she checked it she saw Jason’s text and grinned. It seemed like the stars were aligning for things to finally happen tonight. Typing out a quick response, she moved over to Annabeth. “We have a little time before we need to head over. Let’s squeeze in an episode of The Great British Bake Off before we head over so you can relax. This is supposed to be a fun christmas party, remember?”

Annabeth stared at her, and nodded after a moment. “Yeah.” She said slowly, grateful for the moment ceasefire on her lovelife. 

They moved over to the couch, and a few moments later they were lost into the episode.

Glancing down at another text from Jason, she grinned. Tonight would be a bit night if their idea worked.

XxXxXxXxX

The sound of a few knocks on their door had Percy heading over to it too quickly. He opened it, shoving down the pointless nerves he felt. 

The door had only been open a minute before Piper had shoved a bowl of pasta salad into his hands that had been balanced awkwardly on the pizza boxes as they made their way up the stairs before. 

“Trick or treat.” She said with a wink as she walked past him, setting down the boxes she carried before throwing her arms around Jason’s neck to share a kiss with him. 

Annabeth was standing awkwardly in the doorway. Her arms were full of the rest of the food as she looked at Percy. “Hey. Merry Christmas.”

Percy grinned at her, before his gaze drifted upwards to see the santa hat she had on. Adorable. Blinking once, he realized he hadn’t answered her yet. “Merry Christmas, Wise Girl. Now come on, I need you to prove my point to Jason about chips.”

Annabeth looked confused, but nodded and followed him, closing the door behind her.

“Jason says plain Lays chips are better than Ruffles.”

Annabeth looked horrified and made an indignant sound. “Are you kidding me?”

“Right?” Percy agreed.

The blonde woman crossed her arms, glaring at Jason. “How could you say that? Ruffles have texture, are much better with any kind of dip, and are actually more than just salt.”

Jason rolled his eyes. “Don’t drag your best friend in to win your arguments for her.”

Percy took a bite of a Ruffles to make a point. “If you weren’t so stubborn I wouldn’t need to bring in the big guns.”

Piper leaned up and kissed Jason’s cheek. “Sorry hun, but they’re right about this one.”

Jason huffed and moved over to the couch, plopping down on it and looking away.

Both Annabeth and Piper laughed, as Piper moved over and sat next to him, messing up his hair and chatting with her pouting boyfriend. 

Percy glanced over at Annabeth as she made her way over to him. “You guys actually did a good job decorating and cleaning, I’m impressed.” She teased.

Around the room various Christmas decorations had been put up. Tinsel was hanging from most things, they had a tree propped up in the corner that was decorated in pure chaos. There was a random assortment of reindeer paraphernalia across various surfaces. 

Letting out a sigh of relief, Percy grinned. “I’m glad you liked it. It took us a while.” He paused. “I’m glad you dressed for the occasion.” He said, nodding his head towards her santa hat. 

Annabeth laughed. “You know me, Ms. Christmas Spirit.” She countered.

“You say that like it’s a joke.”

Percy challenged, knowing full well how much she actually enjoyed the holidays. 

Going to take another chip he dipped, Annabeth’s hand shot out as she grabbed the chip from him and ate it, grinning at him. “It’s the season for giving.” She said to his scandalized expression.

He was clearly about to protest when someone knocked on the door again. 

He gave her a glare letting her know that it wasn’t over, before he moved over to the door. 

When he opened the door he saw Frank and Hazel standing there, all bundled up and smiling. He shared a quick hug with Hazel before bumping Frank’s fist as the lead them in. 

Not much longer after, their group finished getting there as they spread out across the apartment. The carols had been turned up, and Leo was currently belting along with Mariah Carrey as his girlfriend laughed next at him. 

“Tyler and Ashe aren’t coming?” Annabeth asked, leaning on Percy’s shoulder as she looked over at Piper. 

Piper shook her head. “Nah, they had made plans already apparently.” She said, before turning her phone around and showing Percy and Annabeth an instagram post. Tyler and Ashe were kissing, standing in front of a display of lights that Percy recognized to be at the zoo. 

Annabeth laughed. “There is zero chance they aren’t engaged by our next christmas party.”

Percy nudged her hips. “I’ll be amazed if they aren’t engaged by spring.”

Jason laughed. “Sounds like we need a new bet.”

One round of betting later, and soon they were chilling on one of the couches. Percy was devouring yet another slice of pizza, while Annabeth worked on a bowl of Jambalaya, her legs draped over Percy’s lap. 

He was currently chatting with Jason about a new game that had been announced, giving Annabeth a chance to just see him laughing and smiling and she couldn’t do anything but smile.

Eventually turned back to look at her, causing her to shove a spoonful of food into her face to try and look like she wasn't just staring at him. 

Behind them, Jason and Piper shared a look as Piper got up, moving to their balcony outside for a moment. 

Jason stood up a minute later. 

“Percy, do me a favor, come with me for a second?”

Percy glanced at Annabeth, before nodding and untangling his legs from her. He followed Jason off to one of their rooms for a moment while Piper came back and moved over to Annabeth. “Okay, Annabeth. I need you to trust me.”

“No.” She replied instinctively, making Piper roll her eyes. “Then trust Percy.”

“Why?” Annabeth asked, red flags instantly being raised. 

“Look, he prepared a surprise for you tonight. Jason told me about it, but we need you to stand up and close your eyes.”

Annabeth paused for a moment. 

Piper’s voice went softer. “Please?”

Sighing, Annabeth figured she might regret this later but stood up anyway and closed her eyes. 

“Good. I promise nothing bad will happen. Besides, I still live with you so I don’t want you mad at me.” She said, before gently resting her hands over Annabeht’s eyes from behind and started leading her. “Just walk, trust me.”

“I know exactly where you sleep.” Annabeth warned as she let Piper lead her. A minute later it was a little chillier and she realized she was on the balcony. “Just where are we going?”

“Just wait a minute, it’s almost ready.”

Piper stepped back for a moment, leaving Annabeth shivering slightly as she thought of all the ways she’d make Piper’s life a living hell if this was a trick. A second later she heard Percy’s voice and her heart rate spiked.

“Where are you leading me? I never trust you, dude.”

Percy’s voice sounded just as confused as her. A moment later she heard him stumble next to her. “This better be worth it, Jason.” His voice sounded right next to her, making her jump. “Percy?”

“Annabeth?” They both asked, as they heard the sound of a door being slid shut. 

Annabeth opened her eyes to see… nothing special. They were just out on the balcony.

Percy opened his a moment later and looked at her expectantly. “So…?”

“So? I thought you had a surprise.” Annabeth countered.

“But they said…” The gears turned in Percy’s head. “I’m kicking his ass.” Percy said as he turned, before pulling on the door and trying to step through. 

Instead, the door didn’t budhe and he slammed into the glass.

“Don’t tell me…”

Annabeth said after a moment. 

Percy dropped his head against the class. “It’s locked. I’m actually going to kill him.”

He turned around and leaned on the balcony. “Great. Locked out of my own party.”

Annabeth nudged him with her hip. “If it makes you feel better, I got locked out too.”

He shook his head. “Of course it doesn’t. You’re the one person I trust to keep them in check.”

“Why do you think they did it?” Annabeth asked after a moment. If they bothered with this dumb prank, they had to have a reason. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Piper staring back at them with an amused, if not slightly apologetic look. And a finger pointing straight up.

Glancing up, Annabeth’s stomach dropped.

Hanging above the sliding door was a mistletoe.

“You’re kidding me. That little bi-”

“Are you serious?”

Percy said as he saw it too. 

They glanced at each other, before they both flushed red and looked back out at the skyline. 

“I’m burning her present.” Annabeth said after a moment.

“I’m dropping his down the fire escape.” Percy countered, before they both started laughing. “We’ll get them back for this sometime.”

“Naturally.” Percy agreed. 

Annabeth shivered slightly and she felt Percy’s jacket drape over her shoulder. She raised an eyebrow. “Thanks, but won’t you be cold.”

He shrugged. “We won’t be out here long but you get cold easily.”

Annabeth sighed. “I guess we know what we need to do.”

Percy’s face was red, and Annabeth was pretty sure it wasn’t just from the cold. “I guess.”

He turned to face her, and Annabeth’s pulse was pounding. They tried their best to ignore all of the eyes watching them. 

They stared at each other for a moment, before they started to move closer. 

Annabeth’s eyes closed as she tried not to panic over the fact that she was about to kiss her crush. 

“Wait.” 

Her eyes flew open at his words. Instantly it felt like a sword had pierced her heart. Her fears were true, Percy didn’t see her that way. “I-” Before she could try and come up with anything to say that wouldn’t end in tears, Percy continued. 

“I can’t do this.”

She nodded her head, feeling tears well up in the corner of her eyes. “I know. I’m so-”

“Annabeth!” He snapped, making her look up surprised. 

“I can’t kiss you like this. I… like you too much. I love you. But I don’t want you to kiss me just because they are forcing you to. My heart can’t handle that. You deserve bet-”

“Percy!” She interrupted, her brain melting. “Did you say you love me?”

He nodded, unable to meet her eyes. “For a while now. I just…”

“I love you too.” Annabeth blurted out before her courage could fail her. “For so long. But I wasn’t sure… I didn’t know if…”

They stared at each other for a moment while Piper’s words echoed in her head. 

Just reach out a hand.

Slowly Annabeth reached out a hand, and found Percy’s entwining with it. 

Leaning forward, she pressed her lips against his as they shared their first real kiss. It was brief, and they looked at each other for a moment, before they leaned forward again and kissed each other in the cold night air. Annabeth’s other hand slipped up into Percy’s hair while his wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer. 

Time seemed to fade away, and she felt warm in the cool night air next to him. 

They kissed for a minute more before they separated as they caught their breath. 

Percy had her new favorite goofy smile on his face as he kissed her nose briefly. “I think we can go back in now.”

“They can wait.” Was Annabeth response as she leaned in for another long anticipated kiss. 

All Percy did was hum his agreement into their kiss as Annabeth was pretty sure she loved the holidays even more now.

XxXxXxXxX

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! It was just a short cute little story for me! :D I hope ya’ll have a wonderful holiday season!

If you feel like it, please check out my Christmas sale on my Art Commissions! It’d really help me afford to get my friends and family a little nicer gifts this year, and I’d love to make some art for ya’ll! You can find them HERE

[miss-nerdstiles]

THE WEST WING #105 [5-17] The Supremes Full transcript Written by Deborah Cahn Directed by Jessica Yu.  I do not own this in any way, nor do I get anything from the sharing of it.

(MONDAY)

(CROWD OUTSIDE)

DONNA: (on phone) Tommy at Justice.  Covitz at Justice.  Citizens For a Strong America. Archbishop Gaudio, Archbishop Rummel…

JOSH: What?!  

DONNA: Rummel! Of New York. Man of God.

JOSH: I can't hear a damn...  Excuse me please.  Thank You.  How are these people up so early?  

DONNA: It's a Supreme Court seat.  They had sign-painting parties the second Justice Brady dropped dead.  Council sent a new list, said burn the old list.

JOSH:  Listen to this.  “They cavalierly sacrificed the unborn innocents and beckon, arms akimbo, the reaper, the horseman and the apocalyptic end.  Akimbo is a word you wish got used more.  There’s someone out there selling  “Who Would Jesus Nominate” t-shirts.  

DONNA: They’re in Leo’s. They just started.  

(OUTSIDE LEO’S OFFICE)

JOSH: You want this?  

DONNA: You don't like it?  

JOSH: Not really. Sorry I'm late.

LEO: Dem Leadership is in with the President.  

JOSH: They giving us more names?

LEO: I'm sure they are.  

TOBY: I need the short list by the end of the week.  

LEO: Your schedule.  Your schedule.  Mine.  Keep 'em quick.  You got 3 judges an hour.  

C.J.: Who has Austin Girelli from Connecticut?  

TOBY: Me.  

C.J.: ACLU called about him.  I don't think it'll be a problem, but ask him about that migrant workers thing he wrote.  

JOSH: Why isn't Haskins on here?

LEO: Having an affair with his clerk.  

MARGARET: Toby - Dubar on line two.  

C.J.: Here’s Bernstein. And this is…

TOBY: [on phone] Senator? Yes, Senator.  No we're not having a party over the death of a Supreme Court Justice.  Well, not a big party.  

JOSH: Evelyn Baker Lang?  

LEO: Fourth circuit.  

JOSH: Isn't she kind of a lefty?

LEO: Yeah  

C.J.: Decoy duck.  And don’t do it in your office.  Do it someplace where the press can see her.  

LEO: We want the left flank sufficiently mollified and the right flank sufficiently panicked so as to inspire a little conciliation on all flanks.  

JOSH: Lang should do the trick.

TOBY: Put Fred Canterbury down on some list of people we’ll never consider.  

C.J.: Baker Lang's just with Josh?

LEO: You want Toby too?  

C.J.: It'll look more like we're taking her seriously.  

LEO: Toby, Evelyn Baker Lang will be your 8:45 with Josh.  Let's go, people. First one to find me a Supreme Court Justice gets a free corned beef sandwich.  

(ROOSEVELT ROOM)

JOSH: Obviously we're impressed with your record.  

TOBY: Your work on the 14th Amendment in particular is the stuff dreams are made of.  

JOSH: But before anything else, we want to gauge your interest level.  This will certainly be a lifestyle...  

LANG: We can just chat  

JOSH: I'm sorry?  

LANG: I hear you really went to bat for Eric Hayden.  

JOSH: I wish we could have gotten him confirmed.  

TOBY: Judge Lang, if the President were to...  

LANG: Is he still teaching?

JOSH: Eric?  Yeah.  Umm...again, if we...  

LANG: A conservative anchor of the court has just died.  A young brilliant thinker who brought the right out of the closet and championed a whole conservative revival.  You cannot replace Owen Brady with a woman who overturned a parental consent law.  You'd be shish-ka-bob'd and set aflame on the south lawn.  Two reporters have... three reporters have walked by since we started.  I'm window dressing. That's fine. I'm happy to help.  But let's just chat about the weather.

(OUT IN THE HALL)

TOBY: Not bad.

JOSH: That's what we're talking about.  Maybe we should put her on the short list.  

TOBY: Yeah

JOSH: Okay, who's next?  (Donna gives them folders)

TOBY: That’s his.

DONNA: This is…

JOSH: That’s a “no”.

ACT ONE  

(DONNA’S DESK)

DONNA: Sign, please.  

JOSH: You want to move it so I can see?  

DONNA: Not really  

JOSH: Why are we apologizing to Ashland?  

DONNA: We sent him flowers. Condolence flowers.  

JOSH: Condolences?  

DONNA: For his death.  

JOSH: He's alive.  

DONNA: That's what he said.  

JOSH: We sent flowers to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court on the occasion of his death?  

DONNA: They were supposed to go to Justice Brady's family.  

JOSH: Get protocol on the phone.

DONNA: They didn't actually....

JOSH: We did this?!  

DONNA: It was an honest mistake. Ashland's 80, he's knock knock knocking on ....  

JOSH: Who put the order in?

RYAN: Hey guys!  

JOSH: You sent a funeral bouquet to the family of the living breathing Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?

RYAN: No I sent them to the guy who died , Brady.  

JOSH: No, actually you didn't.

RYAN: This is terrible.  Umm... I really apologize.  You know I am a nightmare with details.  It's embarrassing.  This stuff just leaks out of my head. We should leave the detail work to Donna.  She's got the head for it.  I'm more of a big picture kind of guy.  

JOSH: She's here because she's invaluable.  You're here because your uncle's so powerful I can't fire you.  Big Picture.  

LISA: Hi.  Bad time?  

JOSH: I'm on my way out.  

LISA: Two minutes.  

RYAN: Lisa, right?  You work for the Judiciary Committee.  

LISA: Staff Director.  

RYAN: Ryan Pierce, we met at my office.  

JOSH: Excuse us.  

LISA: Is he the one who flipped the car in Nice?  

JOSH: Yeah.  

LISA: When do I see names for Brady's seat?  

JOSH: Do you want to let the body cool?  

LISA: You’re meeting with Barwald, Girelli, Evelyn Baker Lang.

JOSH: Here we go.

LISA: Whose acid trip is that?

JOSH: Just take a breath.  

LISA: The committee’s not going to let the balance of the court hurl wildly to the left.  You fill Brady's seat with...  

JOSH: It's not Brady's seat.

LISA: It's not your Senate.

JOSH: We're just looking at the field.  

LISA: Girelli has a fondness for Vicodin and Evelyn Lang is not an option.  Save us all some time.  

JOSH: We're some democrats over here.  We're not going to nominate a born again elk hunter with a tattoo of the confederate flag on his ass.  

LISA: Look at Arthur Lopez or Brad Shelton or Mayra Height.  You go with Barwald or Lang and the Senate is going to make the next year of your life a living hell.  I tell you this as a person who would be your friend if I was a person who looked for different things in friends.  

JOSH: We should do this in more often.  

LISA: As often as it takes.

(LEO’S OFFICE)

LEO: [on phone] We don't' hate Asians.  No we don't.  Justice Wong is more valuable to us where he is. Certainly. Thank you sir. [hangs up] Do a drive-by with Sebastian Cho, Massachusetts Supreme.  

TOBY: Yeah.  You were looking for me?  

LEO: You hear about a congressional delegation to the Middle East?  

TOBY: Next month.  

LEO: It was Jordan and Egypt. Now they want to add Israel and do a day in the territories and meet with this shadow negotiation crew.  State's iffy.

TOBY: As they should be.  The Prime Minister is going to go through the roof.  

LEO: Not to mention the Palestinian authority.  

TOBY: I'll look into it.  

LEO: Andy's leading the delegation.  Is that going to be a...  

TOBY: No.  I'm on it.  

JOSH: President's on his way.  What's up?  

TOBY: We hate Asians.  

JOSH: Okay.  

(OUTSIDE OVAL OFFICE)

DEBBIE: Ah Rina, how goes it?

RINA: These are today's. And Mr. Ziegler says that the President would want this before their 1:00.  

DEBBIE: Oh here, you can put it in his hot little hands yourself.

RINA: Ah, this is for you, sir.

BARTLET: Thank you Lana.  

RINA: Uh, thank you sir.  (to Debbie) It…

DEBBIE: I hate to do this, but it's Rina, sir.  

BARTLET: What?  

DEBBIE: The girl in the dress with the flowers.  

BARTLET: Just now?  

DEBBIE: Yes.  

BARTLET: What'd I call her?

DEBBIE: Lana.  

BARTLET: Who's Lana?  

DEBBIE: I'm guessing an exotic dancer from your spotty youth.  

BARTLET: I should apologize.  Get her back.  

DEBBIE: You asked me yesterday how the schedule gets off the rails.  

BARTLET: Yeah.  

DEBBIE: This is how.  

LEO: Good afternoon, Mr. President.  

BARTLET: Hey, we make any friends?

JOSH: Maybe Zimmerly, Shelton.

TOBY: Mehldau.  

JOSH: Lang was pretty impressive.

BARTLET: The gal from the 4th?  Didn't she strike down some stuff?

JOSH: Parental consent for abortion.  

BARTLET: Yeah, that's not going to happen.  

LEO: She was a red flag to the bull.  

JOSH: Well, it's working.  Lisa Wolfe from the judiciary committee showed up today spewing all kinds of threats and admonitions.  

LEO: About what?  

TOBY: Three dems on the committee called, elated we were considering bold choices.  

LEO: If the strategy's working, let's get her in again.  

BARTLET: You like Shelton?  

JOSH: Yeah.  Moderate, insightful, gets it.  

BARTLET: Let's meet him.  Who else?  

JOSH: Helen Waller.  Beresford Bannett DC Circuit.  Ellis Yaffe.  Martha Zell. Uh.. Howard Kagen out of New York.

(TUESDAY)

(C.J.’S OFFICE)

TOBY: What are you doing?  

C.J.: Nothing.  

TOBY: What?  

CAROL: She has a date.  

C.J.: And she's getting fired.

TOBY: Evelyn Lang’s coming back in for another red herring performance, 3:00.  You don't find that annoying?  

C.J.: I'll have Carol march the Times by Lang at three.  

TOBY: Brad Shelton's in with the President.  

C.J.: We like him.  

TOBY: Yeah,  we do.  

(OVAL OFFICE)

BARTLET: E. Bradford Shelton.  What's the E for?  

SHELTON: Elijah.  

BARTLET: That's a burden.  

SHELTON: Hence the E.  

BARTLET: I hear good things about you from my staff.  What did they miss?  

SHELTON: My son burned you in effigy.  

BARTLET: Did you watch?  

SHELTON: I didn't. It was a campus demonstration against American presence in Saudi Arabia.  There's a photo in his yearbook.  Someone'll dig it up.  I thought it would sound better in person than on paper.  

BARTLET: I'm not sure it did.  Did he burn anybody else?  

SHELTON: No, just you.  

(HALLWAY)

LANG: Well, I’ve missed you both.

JOSH: We appreciate this.  

LANG: I keep running into Brad Shelton in the parking lot.  Some say coincidence. I'm not so sure.  

JOSH: You have been very patient.

LANG: Well I don't mind.  But people wonder why the appellate system is so backed up.  We shouldn't let them know this is how I spend my time.  

TOBY: Well, if you were less appealing.  

LANG: Same to you sir.

(OVAL OFFICE)

BARTLET: Affirmative action is going to be back in the next few years.  Let's start there.  

SHELTON: What do I know about it?

BARTLET: What do you think about it?

SHELTON: I don't know.  Not the answer you were looking for?  

BARTLET: Not really.  

SHELTON: Unnerving isn't it?

BARTLET: Is there another topic you'd be more comfortable with?  

SHELTON: Nothing comes to mind.

BARTLET: Perhaps you should make something up.  

SHELTON: I'm not trying to be cagey, but I don't position myself on issues and I don't know what I think about a case until I hear it.  There are moderates who are called that because they are not activists.  And there are moderates who are called that because sometimes they wind up on the left and sometimes on the right.  

BARTLET: You think I want someone who’s gonna vote with Ashland?  

SHELTON: I think you are looking for somebody who will vote with him now and replace him later.  

BARTLET: And that's not you?

SHELTON: Wish it were.  He's a giant.  But my allegiance to the eccentricities of a case will reliably outweigh my allegiance to any position you might wish I held.  

(ROOSEVELT ROOM)

JOSH: Let's talk a little bit about what the judiciary committee's concerns would be.  We can safely say reproductive rights are gonna come up.  

TOBY: They're going to say judicial activism, particularly in drori.  How would you address that?  

LANG: And you're who?  

TOBY: I'm sorry?  

LANG: Who are you?  We're playing committee.  

JOSH: This will be coming from one of the 11 Republicans on there.  Mitchell -  

LANG: You can only be one.  

JOSH: We don't need to -  

LANG: If you're Webster, the question is 'Where do you stand on Roe v Wade?'.  And the answer is 'Judicial ruling shouldn't be based on personal ideology, mine or anyone else's'.  If you're Davies, the question is 'How would you approach a D&X case?' because he's the drum banger on partial birth.  And the answer is 'I don't comment on hypotheticals'.  If you're Malkin, you're from Virginia, so you ask about my decision in drori.  I take you point by point from the doctor to the father to Casey to undue burden to equal protection back to Roe at which point you can't remember the question and I drink my water for a minute while you regroup.  

JOSH: Will you excuse us for a second?

(OUT IN THE HALL)

JOSH: I love her.  I love her mind.  I love her shoes.  

TOBY: We march her to five senator's offices and they'll be so scared they'll beg us to put Shelton on the court.  

(ROOSEVELT ROOM)

JOSH: Sorry. You were vetted by the FBI when you hit the Federal bench, but if we re-opened an investigation....

LANG: I'm a shill, right?  Why would you bother with a background check?  

JOSH: Humor us.  

TOBY: If there's anything that they didn't find...  

LANG: Let's see, umm... in high school I snuck a copy of Lady Chatterley’s Lover out of the public library and never returned it.  In college I got a marijuana plant from my roommate as a birthday present.  And in year two of law school I had an abortion.  Can I get some water while you regroup?

ACT TWO  

JOSH: Okay.  Okay.  

LANG: I tell you this so you'd be prepared. It might not come up, but if it did, I wouldn't comment.  

JOSH: But if they know, it'll be hard.  

LANG: Roe v Wade affords me the right to terminate a pregnancy and to do so, free from all restraint or interference of others.  

JOSH: A hearing room....  

LANG: I'm told I have a right to privacy.  I think this would be the sort of thing it's referring to.  I also bet like a drunken sailor during my bi-monthly games of Hearts.  Do you wanna talk about that?

(C.J.’S OFFICE)

C.J.: An abortion?  

TOBY: Of all the gin joints in all the world....  

JOSH: Maybe they won't find it.

TOBY: Oh, they'll find it.  

JOSH: Yeah, but who's going to bring it up?  The committee, they'd look like monsters.  

C.J.: They don't have to.  Someone leaks it to the tabloid press, it's a feeding frenzy in 12 hours.  

JOSH: She says she can handle it.

C.J.: Oh, okay.  

TOBY: Well, we need her.  She's the cautionary tale.  Without her, we may not get Shelton.

C.J.: You been outside today?  We don't hand someone to the madding crowd so they can take the heat off some guy from Indiana.  

JOSH: The woman is - you should hear her.  

C.J.: What? So she IS a serious candidate?  

JOSH: She should be.  

C.J.: She's going to be on posters under a headline that says 'Wanted for the murder of 15 million American children'.  

JOSH: Let's think about this.

C.J.: Let it go.  

JOSH: No.  Really, nominees live or die by Roe v Wade.  We're playing along with the ridiculous notion that the Supreme Court is a single issue body in a way it hasn't been since, I don't know what...  

TOBY: Slavery.  

JOSH: Exactly.  So she had an abortion. Who the hell are we?  

C.J.: You think I like this? You keep this up, somone's going to take this to the press and this bright woman's going to be a checkout counter spectacle. Get her out of the building.

(WEDNESDAY)  

(OVAL OFFICE)

BARTLET: Brad Shelton could work for us.  I like him.

LEO: So talk to him this afternoon.  He's going to start getting calls.  

BARTLET: Who else?  

TOBY: Wisnewski’s a good maybe.  The majority leader’s really pushing him.  And Barkham from the 5th, though he has a question.  

JOSH: It's a tax thing.  We're looking into it.  

BARTLET: You still having a love affair with Evelyn Lang?  

JOSH: No. Uh, Robert Brant.

BARTLET: How come?  

JOSH: She won't make through vetting.  

BARTLET: Why not?  

TOBY: She had an abortion.  

JOSH: Robert Brandt’s on the 9th circuit state.  Stan Yancy's worked with him and says he's always kept his cards -  

BARTLET: When did she have an abortion?  

JOSH: Law school.  

BARTLET: Before or -  

C.J.: After '73, it was legal.

BARTLET: We discarding anybody else for legal activities?  

TOBY: Not yet.  

BARTLET: Tonsillectomy? We down on surfing this year?  

C.J.: She'd be publicly eviscerated.  

BARTLET: 27 million women voted for me.  I think they might had in mind that I was going to protect this particular right.

JOSH: We have plenty –

BARTLET: “I like that guy from Florida with the good hairdo, but I want to retain my right to choose, so I'm voting for what's-his-name, married to Abbey Bartlet.”  

TOBY: Sir.  They're going to make this about her objectivity.  

BARTLET: We promised the committee a short list by Friday.  I want her name on it.  

LEO: Okay.  

STAFF: Thank you, Mr. President.  (EXEUNT)

BARTLET: That pisses me off.

LEO: Apparently.  

BARTLET: We marched her around here all week.  The honor of a place on the short list is the least we could do.  

LEO: We’re still going with Brad Shelton?  BARTLET: (nods)

(DONNA’S CUBICLE)

RYAN: Filling a seat on the Supremes…heady stuff.  

DONNA: Don't call them that.

RYAN: My uncle calls them that.  So does the minority leader.  So does Henry Clark.  You know him? He's on the court.  

DONNA: You drop one more name and I'm going to staple your mouth shut.  

RYAN: (chuckles)

JOSH: There’ll be hell to pay at Agincourt.  I've offended the dauphin.  

DONNA: Lisa Wolfe called twice.  Senator Webster called regarding E. Lang.  “What can you possibly be thinking?”  Senator Milbank, regarding Lang.  “NO NO NO NO NO.” Bertha McNull, “Not a snow ball's chance in...” oh, that's not about Lang.  That's about the highways bill.  

JOSH: I need a drink.  

DONNA: Sun’s not over the yardarm.

JOSH: C.J.'s right.  

DONNA: Usually. You want a Black Eyed Susan?  

JOSH: Is that a drink?  

DONNA: It's a cookie.  My mom sent them.  

JOSH: No -- Yes.  

DONNA: Peanut butter with a chocolate kiss.  

JOSH: They’re cat people?  [holding up cookie tin]

DONNA: No they're not.  

JOSH: These theirs?  

DONNA: Shadrach and Meschach.

JOSH: Two cats, they’re cat people.  

DONNA: For years they only had one, but he died over Christmas.  

JOSH: This is a dry cookie.

DONNA: After what was deemed an appropriate mourning period, they went to get a new one. And my mother liked the abyssinian and my father liked the gray.  And they claim that after 39 years of marriage, they’ve outgrown compromise, so they got both.  It doesn't make them cat people.  The house doesn't smell. Do I have crumbs?  

(TOBY’S OFFICE)

JOSH: They pick one.  They pick one! That's how we get Evie Lang. And not as a decoy.  We put her on the court.  

TOBY: Hi.  

JOSH: The Chief Justice says he wouldn't step down because the President wouldn't be able to fill his seat with another liberal lion.  She's the liberal lion. Ashland resigns, she takes his seat, okay?  And we offer the Republican Senate Judiciary Committee the opportunity to hand-pick a conservative for Brady's seat.  We put 'em both up.  

TOBY: I’m ordering mu-shu. You want some?  

JOSH: Listen to me.  

TOBY: No.  

JOSH: I'm serious.  

TOBY: And then we got what, after we hand the Republicans a seat on the Supreme Court with a red bow on top?

JOSH: We have a balanced court.  They can't let Brady's seat go to a liberal.  So let them keep it.  Meanwhile, we name the first female Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in the nation's history.  I'm taking it to the President.  

TOBY: No you're not.  Do not go in there.  

(HALLWAY)

JOSH: Trip him.  

TOBY: Ashland is 82.  We may have an opportunity to put two people on this bench. That's two seats we fill with Democrats.  

JOSH: Moderates.  

TOBY: What do you care how moderate they are?  Two is twice as many as one.

(OUTSIDE OVAL OFFICE)

JOSH: Can I get in there?  

DEBBIE: No, just a minute.  

TOBY: We don't need him.  

JOSH: Not moderate, mediocre.

TOBY: What, Shelton’s not bright enough for you?  

JOSH: I want more than bright.  If we had a bench full of moderates in ’54, 'Separate but Equal' would still be on the books, and this place would still have two sets of drinking fountains.  

TOBY: Moderate means temperate.  It means responsible.  It means thoughtful.  

JOSH: It means cautious.  It means unimaginative.  

TOBY: It means being more concerned about making decisions than making history.  

DEBBIE: Indoor voices please.

JOSH: Is that really the biggest tragedy in the world?  That we nominated somebody who made an impression instead of some second rate crowd pleaser?

TOBY: The ability to see tow sides of an argument is not the hallmark of an inferior intellect.  

DEBBIE: Toby!

JOSH: What about the vast arenas of debate a moderate won't even address? A mind like Lang's?

DEBBIE: Josh!  

JOSH: Let them pick a conservative with a mind like like Justice Brady had.  

DEBBIE: Josh!  

JOSH: You can hate his positions, but he was a visionary.  He blew the whole thing open.  He changed the whole argument.

DEBBIE: (sprays water in Josh’s face) The President will see you now.  

BARTLET: And you?  

TOBY: I think they're going to pick a young, spry, conservative ideologue who's going to camp out in that seat for 45 years.  

JOSH: Fine.  Two voices are articulating the debate at either end of the spectrum.  

BARTLET: Filling another seat on the court may be the only lasting thing I do in this office. Shelton's a great choice. He'll make us proud. And if Ashland resigns in a year, we’ve got a stack of great options. We can't give it away.  

JOSH: Mr. President, the first woman in that chair.  

TOBY: We go out on some limb here and alienate the Senate, they'll tread water for three years, and we get nobody. The next guy gets to fill Brady's seat.  

BARTLET: Take it to Ashland.  See what he says.

TOBY: How’d you come up with it?

JOSH: What?  

TOBY: The swap-a-dee-doo.  

JOSH: There was.... Donna's mom... I thought it up in the shower.

(JUSTICE ASHLAND’S OFFICE)

ASHLAND: Who let them in?  

TOBY: Sorry to disturb you, sir.

ASHLAND: Carrier pigeons. Oh -- your flowers.  Yeah, we like them.  

JOSH: I'm dreadfully sorry about that, sir.  

ASHLAND: Oh for God's sake, let us sit upon the ground and tell sad stories of the death of kings.  Brady was your age.  Eat your greens.  

TOBY: He was a great man.  

ASHLAND: He was a selfish bastard.

JOSH: You told the President you hope to be replaced by a liberal with the same level conviction that you brought to the chair.  

ASHLAND: That sounds like something I'd say.  

TOBY: Sir, are you familiar with Evelyn Baker Lang?  

ASHLAND: Miss Lang. You've met with her?  

JOSH: Yes sir.  

ASHLAND: How are you going to get her past the pit bulls?  They're not going to like the notion of Miss Lang in Owen Brady's seat.  

JOSH: For your seat, if - if - you were to resign, she'd be Chief.  

ASHLAND: My seat? What about Brady's?  

TOBY: We'd allow the Judiciary Committee to choose someone.  A conservative.  

JOSH: Would you consider stepping down under those circumstances?  

ASHLAND: Sure.  

JOSH: We think it might be a viable option.  

ASHLAND: Go ahead, see who they pick of their favorite sons.  See what segregationist, anti-miscegenationist,  Isaiah-quoting, gay-bashing bastard they come up with. Jed Bartlet from New Hampshire had an idea.  Uh-oh.

ACT THREE

(THURSDAY, LISA WOLFE’S OFFICE)  

LISA: No, I cut this because what he's implying is illegal.  Take it back out. [to Josh] Three times in one week.  In some cultures we'd be married.  

JOSH: Chilling.  

LISA: Is it Shelton?  

JOSH: He's the front runner.

LISA: Good, are we done?  

JOSH: Mind if I shut the door?

LISA: No.  

JOSH: How are you doing?  

LISA: Ah, super!  

JOSH: Feeling good?  

LISA: I got a meeting in 4 minutes.  

JOSH: I'm going to float an idea here that even I can't believe I'm mentioning and my colleagues definitely can't believe I'm mentioning, and the President would probably prefer I drop completely and if I find it in the Washington Post tomorrow morning, I'll march straight out to the Press Room and tell them the idea came from you.  It'll embarrass the crap out of your boss and you'll be on Hotjobs by nightfall.

[THE WHITE HOUSE. TOBY’S OFFICE]  

TOBY: There's someone in my office.  

RINA: I thought it was your ex-wife.  

TOBY: You didn’t want to warn me about that?  

RINA: You asked her to come in.

ANDREA: She's cute.  

TOBY: Late some night, our eyes’ll meet over the maritime commission report. We'll be at the Justice of the Peace before dawn.  You want to talk about this dog and pony show you're attending in Gaza?  

ANDREA: Not really. Bradford Shelton.  

TOBY: He's on the list. You're not going to Gaza.  

ANDREA: I still don't want to talk about it.  

TOBY: You're not attending peace talks with a bunch of Israelis and Palestinians who don't work for the Israeli or Palestinian governments.  

ANDREA: They may generate some useful ideas.  

TOBY: The ideas already exist. The problem is getting the recognized parties to stick to the plan.  

ANDREA: So we sit with our hands folded?  

TOBY: We asked them for democracy. We should maintain some scrap of respect for the guys who are democratically elected.  

ANDREA: If you're really interested in peace, you negotiate with anyone.  You negotiate with the mailman.  

TOBY: Thanks for tee-ing that up. The mailman can't deliver.  

ANDREA: We'll see.  

TOBY: No, we won't see. You're jeopardizing this country's relationship with the Likud party and with the Palestinian authority, and it is not an option.  

ANDREA: Is that all you've got? There’s no “and what about the kids?”  

TOBY: Did something happen?

ANDREA: I'm going away for two weeks.  

TOBY: Will they be...?  

ANDREA: At my mothers...  

TOBY: Good.  

ANDREA: Would you have asked?

TOBY: I figured your mother’s, which is apparently....  

ANDREA: You say you want to be involved. It doesn't come with an embossed invitation. You involve yourself or you don't.  

TOBY: The President would like to remind you that this is a fact-finding mission. Please make it clear to any parties that you meet with that you are not empowered to negotiate for the United States.  

[OUTSIDE C.J.’S OFFICE]  

JOSH: Is she in there?  

CAROL: Hang on. She's getting off....  [C.J. laughs loudly through the door]  the phone.... [into speaker phone] you want Josh?  

C.J.: Lord knows I do! Josh Lyman as I live and breathe!  You want a cookie?  They're from Donna's mother.  

JOSH: I spoke to Lisa Wolfe.

C.J.: What did she say?  

JOSH: I don't want to talk about it. I'm hiding from Toby.  

C.J.: [giggles] Nothing. You're hiding. It's funny.  

JOSH: It's not funny.  

TOBY: Hey  

C.J.: [laughs] see?  It is.

JOSH: I gotta go.  

TOBY: What's going on?  

JOSH: C.J. has the giggles.

C.J.: It's your deal.  I find it elating.  

TOBY: She stoned?  

C.J.: I'm fine. I just didn't get enough sleep.  

JOSH: You were with Ranger Rick weren't you?  

C.J.: Josh spoke to Lisa Wolfe.

TOBY: She give you a name?  

JOSH: You are a faithless wench.

TOBY: What's the name?  

JOSH: Christopher Mulready.  Wait for it....  

TOBY: Christopher MULREADY????!!!!

JOSH: There it is.  

C.J.: He’s not the....  

TOBY: American's Democrats - The triumphant of Socialism.  

JOSH: He doesn't like the name.

TOBY: The man wrote a book that flushes the entire doctrine of un-enumerated rights down the -

C.J.: Toilet.  

TOBY: …garbage disposal. No right to use a condom. No right to get an abortion, certainly. No protection from electronic searches. No substantive due process.  

C.J.: He's what, 48?  

JOSH: I know.  

C.J.: The left's going to blow a gasket!  

TOBY: No separation of church and state.  

JOSH: We got problems on the right too.  Kogan, Howard, Tondello.  They can't vote for a Mulready.  Their constituencies are too moderate.  

TOBY: Get another name.  

JOSH: That is the name.  

TOBY: There are other....  

JOSH: This is the deal. He's what Evelyn Lang is to them. We nominate the patron saint of a woman's right to choose for Chief Justice. We ask them to ignore an incredibly rich piece of her personal history. We take the name they give us.  

TOBY: This isn't going to work.

JOSH: Yeah.  

TOBY: It isn't.  

[JOSH'S OFFICE]  

TOBY: If --- if we were going to try this, what would be the plan?  

JOSH: We give the President and Leo the name. We bring Christopher Mulready in. We bring Lang back in, hopefully the two of them woo the pants off the President. And he agrees to the deal without noticing he's standing in the gaze of history, pantless.  

TOBY: I'll talk to him.  

JOSH: You don't have to talk to him.  

TOBY: You have been on about this. It sounds more plausible coming from me. What are you gonna do about the committee?  

JOSH: Lisa Wolfe’s gonna take it to the Chairman.

TOBY: I mean the Democrats. I need to get Senator Pierce on board or you get nobody.  What are you going to do about Pierce?  

RYAN: (singing)'Won't you stay... just a little big longer... '  

DONNA: Stop.  

TOBY: I thought you were firing him?  

JOSH: If wishing made it so. Donna! Send in Elvis.

RYAN: What's up?  

JOSH: Come on in, take a load off.  I was a little, ah, brusque with you before. I'm sorry about that.  

RYAN: Okay.  

JOSH Your feelings a little hurt?

RYAN: Not at all  

JOSH: Really? Why not?  

RYAN: Would this be easier if they were?  

JOSH: I said I was going to fire you if it wasn't for....  

RYAN: Are you?  Firing me?  

JOSH: No.  

RYAN: Then there's a “sticks and stones” thing that comes to mind.  

[OUTSIDE OVAL OFFICE]

TOBY: Finishing a call. I spoke to Andy.  

LEO: Anything?  

TOBY: No. The National Security Caucus is sponsoring the delegation. We could talk to them.  

LEO: We'll deal with it next week. Don't worry about it.  

TOBY: We got a name for Brady's seat.  

LEO: Somebody workable?  

DEBBIE: You can go in now.  

LEO: Thank you.

(OVAL OFFICE)

BARTLET: MULREADY!  

TOBY: That's the name.  

BARTLET: No! Are you out of your bloody mind?  

TOBY: Let's sit down and talk about this.  

BARTLET: The last time I heard Christopher Mulready's name it was in conjunction with a treatise over the rights of incorporation, and some sort of baloney about the stranglehold the EPA has placed on the endangered species list…

ACT FOUR  

(THURSDAY)

[DONNA’S CUBICLE]

JOSH: Ryan in here yet?  

DONNA: Not yet.  

CHARLIE: Chris Mulready?  

JOSH: Yeah  

CHARLIE: Dissented on minority set asides. Struck down hate crime legislation. Went after miranda rights. Feeling pretty good about that?  

JOSH: It's not a perfect plan.  I'm the first to admit.  

CHARLIE: The President wants to reiterate, he’s not spending more than five minutes with this clown.

C.J.: The press room is clear. Carol is going to babysit the filing shop.  But keep an eye out for roving reporters.  

CHARLIE: You're in on this too?

JOSH: We got Lang coming in to meet the President at 7.  Christopher Mulready is at 8.  The press can't see him. We need a clear shot from the Roosevelt room to the Oval.  

DONNA: He's on the short list?

JOSH: He is if she is. We may get both.  

DONNA: Oh my god. You're putting my mother's cats on the Supreme Court.  

C.J.: You're what?  

JOSH: It's just an experiment. She’s on sentry.  We’re good.

TOBY: Hi.  

JOSH: Don't ever tell anyone that story.  

TOBY: We all settled?  

C.J.: Lefty’s got the goods.  Rocko got the call.  Stinky's on lookout.  

DONNA Hey!  

RYAN: Shall we?  

JOSH: Your uncle’s here?

C.J.: Knock 'em dead. Pierce’ll never buy it, will he?  

TOBY: Nope.

RYAN: Remember, he's all bark.  Just let him holler and wear himself out.  He's got the strength. You've got the endurance.  Here.  [hands over bottle of scotch]. Use it wisely and for God's sake, don't try to keep up.  You're way out of your league.  

JOSH: Not necessary.  Thank you.

(MURAL ROOM)

SENATOR PIERCE: Good to see you, Josh.  

JOSH: Senator Pierce, thank you so much for stopping in.  

RYAN: Josh was pretty impressed with your floor speech on Tuesday.  

PIERCE: Josh can kiss up all on his own.  Get back to work.  

RYAN: Yell if you need anything.

PIERCE: My nephew behaving?

JOSH: He's a… treat.

PIERCE: Well, he better be.  Bugged me for two years to get him a job in this place.  

JOSH: Really?

PIERCE: Watch yourself, he's a lean and hungry type.  Have someone taste your food.  

JOSH: Ryan?

PIERCE: So!  Craziest rumor you ever heard running around the committee.

JOSH: Oh, yeah?

PIERCE: Charlie Felson says you want to put Chris Mulready on the Supreme Court. I said anybody who tries is going to find himself in a closed session with myself, the minority leader, and the business end of a two-by-four.  

JOSH: You know, we got a 21year old Glenlivet knocking around here. Can I get you a drink?  

[DEBBIE'S OFFICE]  

C.J.: Lang still in there?  

DEBBIE: Oh, she's a big hit.

C.J.: She has to leave. Her evil twin Skippy is on his way.  

DEBBIE: I did our secret wrap-it-up sign, which is, I knock and say 'The deputy NSA needs to talk about Japan' and he said 'you talk to him, you've been there' which is true. But it makes me think he's forgotten it's a secret sign.  

C.J.: How about "Excuse me Mr. President we need to move on"?  

DEBBIE: If you want the job, you're going to have to work on your typing.  

[ROOSEVELT ROOM]  

TOBY: Apologies.  He's running behind schedule.  

MULREADY: I imagine that happens.  You want to tell me what I'm doing here?

TOBY: Oh, just a hello.  

MULREADY:  I'm not being impeached?  

TOBY: No.  

MULREADY:  This isn’t a not-particularly-subtle form of intimidation about the gays in the workplace case?  

TOBY: That would be illegal.

MULREADY:  My point exactly.  

TOBY: The President will explain....any minute now.  

MULREADY: Hm.

TOBY: But since you mention it, I read your article on Bellington, and I may be out on the fringe here, but I - I don't see how a family values conservative justifies denying committed couples access to the benefits of state sanctioned monogamy.  

MULREADY:  Homosexual couples.  

TOBY: Couples. A couple is a couple.  

[C.J.'S OFFICE]  

JOSH: Hi.  

C.J.: How was Ryan's uncle?

JOSH: He's a blast. Come meet him.

C.J.: He's still here? Oh my God!  You're drunk!  

JOSH: I think I just promised him a pork barrel roads project on an omnibus bill that doesn't exist. Don't try and keep up.  He's got a wooden – a hollow leg. He drinks a lot.  

[ROOSEVELT ROOM]  

TOBY: It's an equal protection violation.  

MULREADY:  Homosexuals are not a suspect class.  

TOBY: D.O.M.A. denies access.

MULREADY:  No.  

TOBY: To over 1,000 federal protections.  

MULREADY:  To what?  

TOBY: Survivor benefits under Social Security.  

MULREADY:  $255.00? I'll write you a check.  

TOBY: Hospital decision making.

MULREADY:  So talk about power of attorney, not marriage. Besides, the fact that D.O.M.A. doesn't restrict access to marriage.  

TOBY: Of course it restricts access. It restricts full faith and credit.  

MULREADY:  So, Vermont gets to steer nationwide marriage legislation? Vermont?

LANG: Well, this is a sight to see! One of the more unlikely meetings in the history of the Bartlet White House.  

MULREADY:  It's good to see you, Evie.  

LANG: You too, Chris.  I came to say goodbye. I wish I had a camera.

MULREADY:  Mr. Ziegler was trying to convince me that the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional.  

LANG: Oh, D.O.M.A.?  He was trying to convince you?

TOBY: What?  

LANG: He doesn't need convincing.

TOBY: I wasn't doing it because...

LANG: He was yanking your chain. He would never uphold D.O.M.A.  He may not love the idea of gay marriage, but he hates congressional overreaching, and Congress doesn't have the power to legislate marriage.  The issue isn't privacy.  

MULREADY: Or equal protection.

LANG: It's enumerated powers. He'll have an easier time knocking down D.O.M.A. than I will.  

MULREADY:  Lack of imagination on your part, if I may be so bold.

TOBY: You were yanking my chain?

MULREADY:  You called me in for a meeting with a Democratic president in the middle of the night.  Are you really going to give me crap about yanking your chain?

LANG: Josh Lyman is gesticulating wildly.  

TOBY: Excuse me.  

[HALLWAY]  

TOBY: Where's the Senator?  

JOSH: He's in with C.J.. He got me a little drunk.  

TOBY: Is he leaving?  

JOSH: I think he's getting C.J. a little drunk. How's it going?  

TOBY: He's striking down gay marriage bans and she's defending him and they're as thick as thieves and he's a fan of chain yanking.  

JOSH: She's defending him?  

TOBY: Down is down, down is up.

LANG: I am not... no I am not rewriting Article 1. What I am saying is that a gun free school zone...

MULREADY:  Is not a federal issue. In Lopez…  

LANG: Lopez overturned 50 years of precedent.  

MULREADY:  Too bad, they ruled a plain text reading of the commerce clause, does not afford Congress...  

LANG: A plain text reading of the Constitution values a “negro” at three-fifths of a man.  

MULREADY:  Hence the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments.  

LANG: Oh, generous. Thank you.

MULREADY: The relationship between guns and schools and interstate commerce is... is...  

LANG: You don't think that the quality of education has a direct affect on the economic...  

[DEBBIE'S OFFICE]  

TOBY: Is he?  

DEBBIE: Waiting to meet a man you're holding hostage in the Roosevelt room.

(MURAL ROOM)

C.J. AND PIERCE: Oh and while the king was looking down, the jester stole his thorny crown, the courtroom was adjourned, no verdict was returned…

JOSH: Ok... ok.... Everyone needs to put down their glasses and pay attention.  

[OVAL OFFICE]  

BARTLET: You like him.  

TOBY: I hate him. I hate him, but he's brilliant. And the two of the them together, they’re fighting like cats and dogs, but it works.  

[MURAL ROOM]

PIERCE: You couldn't find a single warm-blooded centrist to put on the court?  

JOSH: We've got centrists. We've got six of them plus two staunch conservatives plus Justice Ashland. The one clarion voice articulating a liberal vision. He's going to go and then what?

[OVAL OFFICE]

BARTLET: Well, send him in....

TOBY: Sir…  

BARTLET: I said I'll listen to him, Toby. That's going to have to do it.  

[HALLWAY]

DONNA: Toby.  

TOBY: What?  

DONNA: Nothing's happening.

TOBY: Hang on.

DONNA: That's him?  

TOBY: Yeah.  

DONNA: No tail.  No cloven hooves.  

[OVAL OFFICE]  

DEBBIE: Judge Mulready.  

BARTLET: Thanks for coming in.

MULREADY:  It's an honor sir.  

BARTLET: Please.  I understand that you and Judge Lang had a bit of a knock-down-drag-out.  

MULREADY:  She wants to federalize law enforcement.  

BARTLET: Yeah.  

MULREADY:  I thought it was hasty.  

BARTLET: Not your brand of judge?

MULREADY:  Quite the opposite.  I haven't had that much fun in months.  

BARTLET: Really?  

MULREADY:  Use her, if you can. I'm not sure what all this is about.  I suppose a number of people are placated by a glimpse of someone like her or someone like me in these halls. I'm most certainly here for that.  But if there’s anyway that you can use her…  

BARTLET: It's unlikely.  

MULREADY:  Who's at the top of the list?   ... If I leaked it, would they believe me?  

BARTLET: Brad Shelton.  

MULREADY:  Really?  

BARTLET: You don't like him?

MULREADY:  He's a fine jurist. And in the event that Carmine, Lafayette, Hoyt, Clarke and Brannaghan all drop dead, the center will still be well tended.  

BARTLET: You want another Brady?

MULREADY:  Sure, just like you'd like another Ashland - who wouldn't?  The court was at its best when Brady was fighting Ashland.  

BARTLET: Plenty of good law written by the voices of moderation.  

MULREADY:  Who writes the extraordinary dissent? The one man minority opinion whose time hasn't come, but 20 years later some circuit court clerk digs it up at three in the morning.  Brennan railing against censorship.  Harlan's Jeremiad on Jim Crowe.  

BARTLET: Maybe you, some day?

MULREADY:  They can't put me on the court, just like you can't put Evelyn Lang on the court.  It's Sheltons from here on in.  

BARTLET: There are 4,000 protestors outside this building worried about who's going to land in that seat.  We can't afford to alienate all of them.  MULREADY:  We all have our roles to play sir. Yours is to nominate someone who doesn't alienate people.  

(FRIDAY)

(PRESS ROOM)

JOSH: Where's Toby?  

C.J.: Can you see this? [pointing to spot on her blouse]  

JOSH: Yeah.  

C.J.: It's water, it'll dry.

JOSH: Okay.  

TOBY: Ready?  

[on the TV in background...]  

REPORTER ... have gathered around..... Ashland having served 32 years on the United States Supreme Court, 12 of them as Chief will officially announce his retirement in just a moment.

ASHLAND: (at podium, on TV) Henry Staub retired, and I received a phone call, you were probably learning to walk. It's been an honor to pause in Henry Staub's chair, a joy to spend...  

C.J.: (to Bartlet) He’ll take three questions at the most, and then we’re off  .  

LANG:[to Lang] you ready?  [Lang is engrossed in Ashland's announcement] [To C.J.] That's a yes.

MULREADY: So, why a racial preference and not an economic one?  

CHARLIE: Because affirmative action’s about a legacy of racial oppression.  

MULREADY:  It’s about compromising admissions standards.  

CHARLIE: That's bull….excuse me. It's about leveling the playing field after 300 years of…

MULREADY:  See, this is where the liberal argument goes off the rails.  You get stuck in the past. Now you wanna comeback at me with grading is based on past performance, but admission should be based on potential on how a candidate may thrive with this sort of opportunity. And studies show that affirmative action admits have a higher predisposition to contribute to society.  

CHARLIE: Hang on, I gotta write this down.  

BARTLET: Ah-ah-ah.  Hand it over. [to Evelyn] Toby has a daughter, Molly, 10 months old. She's a looker and very bright. And someday he'd like to give her this copy of the 14th Amendment signed by the first woman to ever hold this job.  

LANG: Have you got a...  

TOBY: Oh... [hands her a pen] Would you mind adding that title?  

LANG: That's a bit premature, isn't it?  

BARTLET: No.

TOBY: Thank you.

C.J.: Mr. President.  

BARTLET: Shall we? [at the podium]

C.J.: Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States.  

BARTLET: The honorable Christopher Mulready, nominee for Associate Justice - United States Supreme Court. The honorable Evelyn Baker Lang, nominee for Chief Justice - United States Supreme Court. I look forward to taking your questions.

THE END

[creativeskullcreations]

Outside chapter 7: Article Delivery

Ugh, this one took forever to write. Not because it was hard to do, but I think I burnt myself out a little bit. So! For anyone who doesn't already know, chapters will now be uploaded every two weeks. So two(2) weeks from now, on Monday, chapter 8 should go up! As for this chapter, it's more of a transitional chapter than anything. Although there is a few important details in here. Maybe you can notice, maybe it'll be more obvious later.

When Stacy woke up next, it was to Scout once again sleeping on her chest. With some maneuvering she managed to get up without waking the Puppet, leaving her laying in the middle of the bed. She then went in to the bathroom, where she changed her bandages and got ready for the day. By the time she came back out, Scout had woken up herself and moved back to the living room.

Feeling bad about the night before, Stacy went to the kitchen and got out some ingredients. Bread was set on the counter. A pan went on the stove. Milk, eggs, and a little bit of cinnamon were mixed into a bowl. She soaked the bread in the mixture, then put it in the pan. Quickly, the smell of french toast filled the apartment, and she heard the TV pause. Seconds later Scout was on the counter, looking at the pan from behind the still mostly full loaf of bread.

"What's that?" She asked, leaning as close as she dared. She could feel the heat coming from the stove, and was wary of getting closer. Stacy grinned, checking the bottom of the bread.

"French toast. It's a breakfast food, commonly eaten with peanut butter and maple syrup. And it's delicious!" She flipped it, then set the spatula down to grab a couple of plates from the cupboard. "How much do you think you'll eat? This is all we'll be getting until lunch."

If Scout could salivate, she would be drooling all over the counter. "Twenty!" She told her Host seriously. Stacy paused, looking her up and down.

"How about two." She said. "They're kinda big and you're kinda... not."

"Fiiiiiine." The Puppet groaned, watching as she placed two pieces of toast on one plate, and the last piece on the other. She put them on the table, then got out the peanut butter and syrup while Scout Jumped to her plate.

Stacy showed her how to spread the peanut butter, which Scout copied with some difficulty. The second piece looked better than the first, but it still wasn't as good as Stacy's. The knife was too big and unwieldy for the Puppet to use properly, though her pride kept her from asking her Host for help.

Though her Host did have to help with the syrup, the bottle being far too heavy for her to lift by herself. Though, once she saw how liquid it was, she didn't let Stacy put much on either piece, with the second one getting absolutely none on it.

She had to use two forks to keep her hands clean, but Scout found herself loving the french toast. She wasn't entirely sure what made it different from regular toast, but it was the tastiest thing she'd eaten so far. Even the one with the syrup wasn't so bad, even though she could feel it soaking into her fabric as she ate it.

"This is fucking good!" She told Stacy around a mouthful of tasty bread. The Host just grinned, sticking another small bite in her own mouth.

"Glad you like it. It's one of my favorite breakfast foods." She told her, poking at her slice with her fork. Scout thought she looked a bit distracted, but ignored it to eat her own toast. By the time she'd finished her two slices, Stacy hadn't even gotten through half of hers. When she saw Scout staring at it, she willingly gave it up to the Puppet, taking the empty plate to the sink.

"So, I gotta go take the article to Carol today." The Host said as she washed Scout's plate. "But I'm gonna give her the fake one I wrote up yesterday. It should be enough to keep people out of that place, without drawing too much attention to it."

"Sounds good. When do we leave?" Scout asked, pushing the last plate over towards Stacy, who hesitated before picking it up.

"I mean, if you want to stay here, you can." She told her quietly, turning and putting the plate in the sink. "You don't have to go just because I do."

Scout frowned. "Yeah, but I want to come." She insisted, finding it odd. Just a couple days ago Stacy seemed upset that she wouldn't go with to wash some rugs, but now she wanted to be alone. It was just confusing to the Hand Puppet.

"If that's what you want to do..." Stacy didn't sound sure, and it was starting to annoy the Puppet with how inconsistent she was being.

"Yeah, it's what I want to fucking do." She said angrily, and felt a little smug at the wince Stacy gave in response. Other than that, the Host ignored the outburst and finished washing the dishes, only to pause when she picked up a fork. She glanced between the Puppet and utensil, frowning, and Scout felt her stuffing go cold.

'Oh shit! She's gonna stab me!' The Puppet panicked, looking for a hiding place. But, other than deepening her frown, Stacy did nothing and just put the fork to dry with the rest of the dishes. She then drained the sink, drying her hands, and heading to the living room.

As she passed the table, she picked Scout up, almost cradling her as she grabbed something off of the TV table. She settled on to the couch, placing the Puppet in her lap and leaning back.

"What are you doing?" She asked while the Host turned on the TV and changed the channel. It looked similar to Netflix, but there was just one row of pictures, rather than several. She watched as Stacy did something with the large, square-ish remote in her hands.

"I'm making you a profile on my Switch so you can play games." She told the Puppets, choosing a little pink round thing for an icon. "And then I'm gonna teach you how to play. We'll start with something simple, like Kirby."

"Kirby?" That wasn't something Scout had ever heard of before. But she didn't have much time to think it over as soon Stacy had taken the controller apart and handed her the blue half. She was then given a quick rundown of how to work it, and and told to select the first game on the list.

They watched the cut-scene, then got right into the game. Scout was playing the pink thing, who was apparently supposed to be Kirby. Stacy was playing... something else. It changed a lot and Scout couldn't really keep up. Still, with the Host guiding her they managed to get through the first few levels without dying. The Puppet was actually getting into it when Stacy suddenly quit the game, leaving her alone.

"Hey!" Scout yelled as she stood and left the room. "Where are you going?"

"I gotta go get dressed, it's almost time to go." Stacy told her. "Don't worry, we can bring the Switch and you can play it while I talk to Carol."

"But-" Scout went unheard as Stacy went into her bedroom, leaving the Puppet alone with the game. She let out a small growl, then picked up her controller again. When Stacy came back out, dressed up in nice jeans and a light yellow collared shirt, it was to Scout beating up Wispy with Fire Kirby and three Burning Leos. She watched and, when the boss fight was finished, clicked the Switch into sleep mode.

"Hey! I was still playing!" Scout protested, but Stacy ignored her and took the switch out of it's stand. She took apart the remote, snapping the colored parts onto the small screen.

"I know." She said, slipping it into her backpack. "That's why it's going with us, so you can keep playing."

Scout stared, looking between Stacy and the TV. "... We can do that?!"

Stacy just sighed, having to fight off a small smile of amusement. "Yeah. We can do that." She finished packing up her stuff and pulled on her hoodie, then held out her open bag to the Puppet. "Want me to carry you, or do you wanna ride in the bag?"

"Like I would ever ride in that thing." Scout scoffed, and the Host hid a smile at that. She slung her bag onto her back and picked up the Puppet, who then climbed up her arm to hide in her hood.

'Adorable...' Stacy thought as she felt Scout settle in to the lowered hood. Hopefully she'd be out of view of any passerby, at least until Stacy got to the truck. If not, they could always go with the toy story again, it worked last time.

The Host made her way out of the apartment, locking up as she went. She didn't meet anyone on the way, and they made it to the truck without incident. Stacy climbed inside, putting her bag on the floorboard in front of the passenger seat. She then dug Scout out of her hood and dropped her in said seat. While she considered if it was worth it to make her buckle up, the Puppet went straight for the bag, prompting Stacy to grab her by the back of her "shirt".

"You can't play the Switch while the car's moving, I don't want to find out if you can get carsick. You can play when we get to the college." Stacy told her, pulling her against the back of the seat.

"I won't get car sick!" Not that Scout knew what that was, of course. But it had the word sick, and she wasn't sick. She wasn't even sure she could get sick, for that matter.

"Not that you know of." The Host countered, pulling out from the parking lot. "And, frankly, I don't really want to find that out right now."

Scout pouted, but let it go, instead watching out the window as they drove the short distance to Stacy's college. It was a nice looking building, different to what the apartment buildings were like. It was made of red brick, with a green slanted roof, and was much wider and even a bit taller than Stacy or Sammy's apartment buildings.

Stacy parked in the mostly empty lot, then grabbed her bag and pulled the Switch out of it, which she handed to the Puppet. She then made sure the windows were rolled down just enough to let some fresh air in and keep the cab from being too hot.

"Okay, so I'm going to go talk to Carol about the article. You stay here and play Kirby. I'll be back soon, okay?"

"Yeah, sure." Scout answered, already distracted with loading the game back up. Stacy just smiled a little and got out of the truck. She locked both doors, then pocketed the keys and made her way into the building.

Being close to the end of Spring Break, there were more people around than she would've liked. But, it made sense that the students were starting to come back. It was Thursday, after all, and classes started up next week.

'Ah geez, what am I gonna do with Scout? She can't come to class with me, it'd be a disaster! Either the others would freak out, or she would.' She clutched the strap of her bag tighter as she approached the new office. 'Maybe she can stay with Will sometimes? Or I could get her a cellphone? I don't know if I can let her be alone at the house without a way to contact me. What if she turns the stove on and hurts herself? Or gets stuck somewhere?'

She paused and pulled a small note book and pen out of her bag, on which was already a short list. She quickly scribbled cellphone/flip phone at the bottom, then put it back. She was already planning a trip to Walmart when she was done here, so she could pick one up during that.

She entered the office, nodding to Adam as she passed his desk. To her relief, he seemed like the only one there other than Carol, which would make talking to her boss a lot easier.

Carol herself was currently hunched over two separate laptops, typing furiously with one hand on each. Stacy wasn't entirely sure what she was doing, but somehow she managed to keep her focus equal between them.

Truly, she was a wonder of an editor, and it almost made Stacy sad she'd have to disrupt her.

"Boss!" Didn't stop her from shouting her name and smacking the desk, though. And, to her credit, Carol didn't even flinch as she kept typing. only briefly glancing up at the reporter.

"Are you finally here with your article?" She spoke quickly, but was obviously very annoyed. Stacy just gave her the most shit eating grin she could as she dropped the USB on the desk.

"Sure have!" And here it was, moment of truth. Time to see just how good at lying she really was. "It was pretty boring, actually. Most interesting thing was the big hole in the floor from the fire way back when." She shrugged nonchalantly. "Send me somewhere cool next time, mkay?" 'Nailed it.'

Carol glanced from USB to Host, brow furrowing. "And the missing homeless people? Those were supposed to be a big draw in the article."

"Probably fell down the hole or something. I don't know, it was pretty dangerous in there so I couldn't get too far in." She leaned against the desk, looking at a framed issue of their paper on the wall.

"Hmm..." It was clear Carol wasn't fully buying the lie, and Stacy was glad she'd put on extra deodorant. "Did you at least make it sound interesting enough? There's no time for you to find somewhere better."

"Do you really doubt me on that, Boss?" She asked. "And here I thought you knew me better than that."

"Ugh, fine. I'll put your story in." The editor sighed, but couldn't keep a small smile off her face. "You gonna stick around for a while?"

"Nope! I got some shopping to do." Stacy informed her. "I'll see ya on Monday, though." She gave a wave as she turned and left. As she passed Adam's desk she tipped over the cup holding his pencils, giving a quiet cackle when he jumped at the clatter.

As she walked back the way she came, she reached up to grab at her bag strap with her left hand, only to pause as she realized it had gone numb. She rubbed it vigorously with her other hand, wincing when the pins and needles started. 'Ugh! Is my hoodie too tight or something?' She stretched the cuff of her sleeve a little bit, then shoved her hands in her pockets as she finally left the building.

She blinked as she came out into the sun, making her way across the lot to her truck, where she spotted a cat on the hood. As she approached it ran off, and a quick glance in the window showed Scout staring after the cat with her tongue sticking out.

Biting back a laugh at the frankly adorable sight, she climbed into the drivers seat, almost losing it when Scout turned towards her, tongue still out. She managed to keep her composure, but only barely, and hoped the Puppet hadn't noticed.

"So are we going home now?" She asked, finally putting her tongue back where it belonged. Stacy shook her head, starting the truck.

"Nope, gotta go to Walmart now." She told her "I've got some stuff to pick up. And put the Switch down, I need to start driving."

"No. I'm not carsick." Scout told her, already turning back to the screen. The Host frowned, but didn't say anything more. If she wanted to learn this the hard way, then she could.

Sure enough, not five minutes she was yanking the Switch out of Scout's hands, dropping it into her lap as the tell tale gagging sounds started. She pulled over with a sigh. Once parked she grabbed a roll of paper towels and a half used water bottle from the floor board, ready to start the clean up process.

At least her seats were easy to clean.

[punishertruther]

xulia braña kovaleva

1. intentando parecer causal 2. ruliña 3. está practicando para impresionar a leo 4. maëlys me dijo que tuviese cuidado, yelena que no tenía cojones 5. puta guiri de los cojones (te quiero) 6. 📸 @avrass

leo a. akímova

1. juro que es sin azúcar 2. serving cunt (in a sad queer folk way) 3. rufus tampoco quiere que conduzca 4. me está mirando así porque le he pedido que vaya volando al mcdonal’s a traerme una hamburguesa 5. and if i could give you the moon, i would give you the moon 6. being howdy for my gf

avra (argyris) o’riordan

1. picnic day at highgate 2. se le quemó la sartén y se hizo la sorprendida 3. waiting for my girl (always late as usual) 4. robado de @anyaromanoff 5. the two best things i have 6. @anyaromanoff ha salido a sus cuñadas

anya (argyris) romanoff

1. yelena está tardando mucho en hacerme la comida 2. @leo.a.a. ha hecho explotar (otra vez) el laboratorio y se cree una rock star 3. yelena me ha traído el desayuno a la cama 4. fuck off bucky 5. boyfriend material 6. date meal

@qvimcra

[whenrockwasyoung19]

Thoughts after the Golden Globes -Elton and Bernie just carved out a path to Oscar gold. I think Bernie stating that this is the first award they won together will excite awards voters and will probably get them the win. 

-now that Think I’m Gonna Love Me Again is a lock for a nomination, we’re going to get to see Taron sing with Elton on the Oscars stage 

-After a hostless Oscars last year and a hostless Emmy’s this year, Ricky reminded me why we need a host. Funny or offensive, he was able to give the show momentum and maintain it. Without a host, the start of the show feels awkward and slow. 

-Ricky wasn’t as mean as I thought he was going to be. He largely avoided picking on the people in the room which was a change for him. I think that either better as it wasn’t as uncomfortable.

-Ricky will be back. I’d bet on it. He just has too much fun making people squirm. -lots of politics but that’s not too surprising. My favorite political moments were Michelle Williams speech and Russell Crowe’s message. 

-Brad Pitt ending his speech telling people to be kind was the kind of positive messaging I like. 

-Tom Hanks should teach a master class or just straight up a film class. The man knows his techniques. 

-Ellen’s speech was perfect. I do think it’s amazing that the second person to win the Carol Burnett Award is a queer woman. 

-Ellen talking about her “husband Mark” and her “two kids” had me dying. But I also like that she added that “the reason y’all are laughing is because you know me so well”, and that’s so true. 

-The fashion was just ok. I thought most people looked pretty but few were really trying to turn a look. I did think Saorsie Ronan looked fire and Renee Zellwigger had such a simple but divine look. Of course the fashion moment of the night was Billy Porter. 

-Every time the camera cut to the Elton table, I looked for Taron, but he was often blocked, not in frame, or missing. 

-Taron going ape when Elton won was so adorable and sweet. He really is a loyal friend and great cheerleader to his mates.

-Elton and Bernie’s acceptance speech was very nice. I thought giving a shoutout to Taron was lovely. When the camera pointed to him I got so excited. 

-I forgot to mention that Elton also turned a look. The embroidery on the jacket, the puffy sleeves, the big broach, it was simple but elegant and a little bold. It felt authentically Elton. I also thought David looked very dapper. I think the embroidery on his suit was gorgeous. They were probably the best dressed couple of the night tbh. 

-Elton and Bernie getting a standing ovation just to introduce a clip shows what legends they are.

-Leo looked happy for Taron, so I’m guessing there will be no sad Leo memes.

-Roman Griffin Davis looked happy for Taron as well, and I was relieved because you gotta feel bad when a young kid loses like that, and you just hope they’re not crushed, but he seemed happy, so I’m relieved. 

-Word is that Roman Griffin Davis’s suit was inspired by Eggy’s suit in Kingsman Golden Circle. I’m not sure if that’s totally true, but if so that’s awesome! If so, it must’ve been awesome for him to get a special shoutout from Eggsy himself. Also, he had a fashion moment himself. Like that suit was perfectly tailored. He honestly took more of a fashion risk at 10 years old than 90% of the people in that room, and I’ve got to respect that. 

-Okay, I’ve held back long enough; it’s time to talk about Taron. 

-So, TARON WON A FREAKING GOLDEN GLOBE! I was so worried it wasn’t going to happen. I was literally on edge the whole night, and when the announcer said the award for best actor in a musical/comedy was coming up, I was so freaking nervous. Literally, when Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson started their presentation, my heart was racing. I couldn’t even stay on the couch. I had to crouch on the floor, because I was so anxious. And when they said the nominees, and they said Eddie Murphy’s name, I was like THIS IS IT WHO LIVES OR DIES WHO TELLS OUR STORY. Then, there was that little pause before Chris Evans read the name. Every time I’m anticipating an award, when the presenter does that little pause, in my head I’ll say the person who I want to win/think will win and try to will it into existence. This time, I was like “taron egerton” in my little brain thinking that Chris was about to say Eddie Murphy. Then, I heard a “tar” and I lost my shit. At this point, I am sitting on my living room floor inches from the TV. I screamed so loud, and started applauding. I was so freaking excited. But there was definitely this weird feeling of disbelief in my brain. I had so readied myself for him to lose that I couldn’t even process the fact that he’d won. So, when it panned to him, it was like this weird reassurance that yes, Taron in fact won. So, watching him approach the stage looking flabbergasted, I was so just excited and emotional. But it didn’t really hit me that Taron had just one a Golden Globe until he was standing on stage holding the award and starting his acceptance speech. That’s when I let out a second even louder scream. And then, the more it sank in that he actually won (and that everything I hoped this night would be had come to fruition) I burst into tears. I literally sat on my living room floor crying over this man who I didn’t even really know anything about a year ago. It was so surreal but in the best way. I could not have been more excited for him. 

-Taron’s speech was PHENOMENAL. A commentator from Gold Derby, in their post-show recap, declared it one of the best speeches of the night, and like yeah it totally was. His speech was humble, gracious, and just the right amount of sweet. He came off as so surprised, overwhelmed, and overjoyed to win. It was so refreshing after a night where so many people who won seemed like they totally expected it and weren’t all that floored by it. So, to have Taron go up there, his voice all shaky, be totally blown away felt all the more genuine and even needed. He did the typical thing of acknowledging the other people in his category. I thought he had some kind words for the others. I also thought it was so sweet to give a special shoutout to Roman. It was so sweet. I also think it’s amazing that he managed to thank just about every person he was obligated to thank (except for poor Emily, but we’ll let that slide). He thanked his costars, Dexter, Giles Martin, the producers, his team, and the team at Paramount and managed to have something nice to say about most of them. And of course, he gave a very special shoutout to Elton and Bernie. I thought his message to Elton was touching and sweet. Again, he came off as so gracious and humble. Lastly, he gave a special thank you to his mom (which was so lovely). I think the fact that he managed to thank everyone and to do so with such genuine gratitude made it one of the best speeches. It was the type of speech that reminds you why we have to sit through these speeches. 

-It shouldn’t surprise any of us that Taron is amazing at award show speeches. The guy is made of gratitude and humility, so the fact that he showed that off in his little moment shouldn’t be surprising, but yet I was still floored by it. It was just that good. 

-Not to go all cynical analyst or anything, but a speech like that can push him further in the Oscar race. Oscar voters love a good speech, so simply having a memorable speech that people get behind is already a big plus. But also, I think the fact that his speech was so gracious and humble also helps. Oscar voters love a bit of humility and gratitude. So, I think that can carry him far. In fact, I believe his attitude has already carried him quite far in this business along with his talent. But I digress. 

-What I did not anticipate when I conceived of our boy winning was just how much post-show content we were going to get. Last night, I stayed up till all hours looking at the interviews from a variety of big entertainment outlets. It was amazing to see Taron so overjoyed and thankful. I could tell before the awards that he was a little nervous (I’ll get to that in a bit), so it was great to see him so happy and elated. 

-Bringing his sisters along to the Hollywood Reporter interview was adorable. If you didn’t see it, Taron held Mari while Rosie stood at his side holding his Globe during the interview. They were being so polite and so shy; it was cute. Plus, he gave them each a little kiss towards the end of the interview. So precious. 

-My god he did a lot of interviews in a short time span. He somehow had momentum through a marathon of interviews.

[whitewolfofwinterfell]

No rush, but if you're in the mood for another question: pick your one favorite and least favorite season of each of these series :) Charmed, BtVS, Angel, Friends, TVD. I know it's hard to pick just one favorite and one least favorite, so good luck ;)

Charmed

Favourite season: Season 4

What can I say about this season? It’s just brilliant. Although Prue is my favourite character, the aftermath of her death, introduction of Paige and transition to a new trio is handled brilliantly. I love the different dynamic that Paige brings to the show and how Piper and Phoebe’s worlds are completely turned upside down by losing Prue and finding Paige. I love getting to know Paige in episodes like A Knight to Remember and A Paige From the Paige, I adore seeing the process of Piper accepting Prue’s death and embracing Paige and their magic in episodes like Hell Hath No Fury and Lost and Bound. And despite the controversy surrounding the Cole/Source plot, I enjoyed Phoebe’s arc in this season with adapting to becoming the middle sister, getting married and pregnant and suffering the most life-changing, soul-destroying losses imaginable. We even got a Leo-centric episode with Saving Private Leo which finally gave us insight into Leo’s past. Season 4 is a consistently strong season in my opinion (albiet with a weak finale) and episodes like Charmed Again, Hell Hath No Fury, Charmed and Dangerous and Long Live the Queen are some of the most memorable episodes of the series for me. You can read more about why I love season 4 here.

Least favourite season: Season 8

This season is so weak. The show could’ve (and probably should’ve) ended with season 7 so the whole season suffers from a complete lack of direction. All of the characters have already gone full circle with their arcs and development so there’s nowhere new to take them. As a result, they all feel watered down. Phoebe and Paige lose all of their personality and spark, whilst Piper is reduced to a stereotype where her snark and sarcasm is taken to unnecessary levels. Billie and Christy are poor villains for the final show-down and neither actress fits within the show. They steal too much focus from the sisters and since it’s the final season this is the season that should be all about the sisters. In addition, there’s a complete lack of sisterly moments in this season, Darryl is absent and Leo is removed for a large part of the season. Not to mention, Paige and Henry and Phoebe and Coop are rushed romances established simply to give Phoebe and Paige their “happily ever after” for the season finale. Even the final episode is pretty weak. Whilst I appreciate the happy ending, it all seems cheesy and too good to be true, and it’s way too Piper-centric and lacks balance. You can read more about why season 8 is my least favourite here.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Favourite season: Season 2

This season is a solid and a really great season. We have Spike and Drusilla as the best villanous pairing in teleivision history, a brilliant two-parter with a dramatic twist in Surprise and Innocence, the Angelus arc which I never get tired of watching and a strong ending with The Becoming Part 1 and 2. For Passion alone this season deserves to take the number 1 spot, but my love for Angel/Angelus (and Bangel) only adds to how much I love the season.

Least favourite season: Season 7

Whenever I rewatch BTVS, I rarely make it through the final season. It’s just not a good season. I don’t like the direction Buffy and Spike’s relationship is taken in, I dislike the introduction of the Potential Slayers, the after-math of Willow’s dark arc is handled poorly, the Willow/Kennedy romance is rushed and completely forced, The First is a poor final villain to end the series with particularly following villains like the Mayor, Angelus, Spike and Dru. All of the supporting characters (Willow, Xander, Anya, Dawn etc.) are pushed aside and given no real arcs or development. Overall this season is completely forgettable and a very weak end to a brilliant series.

Angel

Favourite season: Season 2

Ah, it’s so hard to choose because it’s a toss-up between season 2 and 3. At this present moment, I’m going to go with season 2. I love Darla’s arc in this season and her dynamic with Angel, it’s also so satisfying to see Dru and Darla wreak havoc together. Angel gets pushed to arguably the darkest place he’s ever been (up until this point) and I love seeing him lose all faith in the world, life and humanity only to then have an epiphany where his entire perspective shifts and he gets absolute clarity. Seeing Cordy, Wes and Gunn go off on their own is great, I love their dynamic and how strong they are in this season. This is also the final season that features Kate, who I really like and think is very underrated. There’s a lot of focus on other minor characters who I love such as Lilah and Lindsey. This is also the season that we get the newest additions to Angel Investigations: Lorne and Fred. Honestly, the end of this season really lets it down for me, but the beginning and middle is so strong with Darla and Angel that it always sits near the top as my favourite season.

Least favourite season: Season 4

This probably won’t come as a surprise to any Angel fans reading this. Season 4 is undoubtedly the worst season of the series. It takes a beautiful, complex, well-developed character in Cordy and completely decimates her. Everything that she is and that fans love her for is stripped away, her agency is removed and she’s hijacked by an evil being who uses her body to commit horrendous acts. Seeing Cordy!Jasmine sleep with Connor will always make me feel physically sick. For Angel to have to witness that and endure the pain of seeing the woman he loves having sex with his adolescent son is disgusting. Overall, the treatment of Cordy and Connor in this season makes me so uncomfortable. Fred and Gunn’s relationship is dismantled to make way for Fred and Wesley, which in my opinion is by far the weaker ship. Even the appearance of Angelus and Faith later on in the season doesn’t make up for the rest of the season. Losing Cordy and Lilah are huge losses that also make this season my least favourite.

Friends

Favourite season: Season 3

This is a great season. Whilst every season of Friends is generally a mixed bag in terms of the quality of episodes, season 3 is pretty consistent. The ensemble feels at its strongest in this season and every episode gives focus to the group as a whole. Ross and Rachel’s relationship is great in this season and their break-up is genuinely heart-breaking; we have Janice this season who I find highly entertaining; Monica and Richard’s relationship which I enjoy (despite being a Mondler shipper) and of course, the chick and duck. Despite this being a sitcom, all of the characters go through genuine development in this season too. Joey gets to experience what it’s like to be on the other side of things when he falls for Kate who plays around with his feelings; Chandler navigates his first serious relationship with Janice where he has to try and overcome his fear of commitment and later deal with the hurt of their break-up; Monica deals with the loss of her first great love in Richard and has to reconsider what she wants from her future; Rachel progresses in her career and tries to establish her own identity and independence for the first time; Ross has to face up to the damage his relationship with Carol has done to him in regards to his jealousy and insecurity. It’s rare that we see character development like this in a sitcom, but season 3 is definitley a strong season for this. There are so many golden episodes from this season: TOW No One’s Ready, TOW the Flashback, TOW the Football and TOW the Morning After.

Least favourite season: Season 9

Lets get this straight, there’s no such thing as a bad season of Friends, however, this is the weasest season in my opinion. I don’t like Chandler’s move to Tulsa, the direction Ross and Rachel’s relationship takes, how Rachel’s feelings for Joey are handled and the two parter TO in Barbados is my least favourite season finale, I really, really don’t like those episodes. I also find that there are quite a lot of episodes in this season that are just plain bad and not funny like TOW the Sharks, TOW Phoebe’s rats and TOW Monica sings just to name a few. Overall, there’s not a single season 9 episode that I could name as being a favourite or even coming close to being on my top favourite episodes list.

The Vampire Diaries

Favourite season: Season 3

This is an easy choice for me (although season 2 is a very close second). I love season 3. It’s the season of the Originals and for that reason I can’t do anything else but love it. Klaus is the best villain and feels like a genuinely terrifying threat to the gang. The overall plot across the season is tight and well executed. Despite my dislike for the triangle, it’s handled amazingly in this season and it’s the only season where I can genuinely appreciate the triangle and the dynamics within it. As a Stelena shipper, I live for the angst between Stefan and Elena in this season and adore every single scene they have together. I also love Stefan’s arc with him being forced to become Klaus’ side-kick to save Damon and then being compelled to turn off his humanity despite how hard he fights against that. It’s a great season for Stefan’s character and shows the complexity of him better than the previous two seasons. Elena is also at her best in this season. Her strength and resillience really shines through and in this season she stops feeling like a by-stander and like someone that’s taking charge of her life and getting shit done. Alaric’s arc is dark and heart-breaking. Caroline and Tyler are strong in this season and they’re one of my favourite TVD ships. However, Klaus and Caroline’s dynamic is intruiging and brings a new flavour to the show. And although I never wanted Elena to become a vampire, the season finale is fantastic and a very strong ending to a brilliant season.

Least favourite season (note that I haven’t watched seasons 7 and 8): Season 5

Urgh, this season is just the worst. It totally retcons the mythology and history of the show with making Stefan a doppelganger. As much as I love Paul’s acting, Silas is such a crappy character. The Travellers are pointless; Damon and Elena’s on-again-off-again relationship is tiresome, the Augustine plot goes no where; the switch from high school to college is bumpy; Stefan is completely sidelined by awful writing choices; the best character on the show (Katherine) is done a huge disservice and her exit from the show is pitiful; Bonnie suffers once again (surprise, surprise); the introduction of Nadia just doesn’t work; there’s stupid scenes and episodes that are present for the sole reason of baiting Stelena shippers (5x04 and 5x18) and the finale is completely dumb. There’s not a single thing I like about this season.

Thanks for asking, lovely! 

[saebaragi]

answering questions i make for people i just met to see if i get to know me better

1 - what kind of music you listen?

i like pretty much everything, i really mean it, i just feel like music is one of the purest form of art and every artist cwork so hard and they all deserve love and aprecciation so i just listen to every type of music i can with an open mind and i love everyone in their own different way 

2 - do you know how beautiful you are?

On the outside? Yeah, i know i’m pretty and i’m always looking great; but on the inside? No, i have a lot of problems with my personality and i hate me for so many reasons. But is okay, at least i’m cute and people buy me candies

3 - whats your sun sign, moon sign and rising?

i’m a sagittarius sun, scorpio moon and leo rising. I’m really proud of my astrology chart, stars always make me feel happy and special smh

4 - whats your favorite ice cream flavor?

i guess is strawberry cuz taste like pink ? Do that make any sense? I dont think so

5 - how do you define your aesthetic?

vsco things, car trips, vinyl discs, 60′s hippies, motorhomes, cats, stars, glitter, dawn talks, coffee, sun rising, sky in pretty colors, vintage radios, girly tv showns, arcades, pastel colors, messy songs, rainbow candies, shine makeup, fire, sunflowers, planets, beaches, sea, shells, ducks, stones and litteraly everything that shines

6 - do you have a ideal type of lover?

if we talk about apparence, girls are so pretty, i never found one girl who don’t make my heart flutter, but black eyes, cute smiles and smaller than me would always attrack my attetion faster. About personality, i just want someone who loves me and accept me with all my many many flaws

7 - whats the best present you ever get?

letters and drawings from my friends; i met a lot of talented people in my life so far and i’m so grateful for them to share their art with me and express their feelings with their gifts

8 - whats your hogwartts house?

ravenclaw. I get a lot of tests and reflected a lot about that, and i feel comfortable with this house, it helps me to feel like myself

9 - whats your biggest fear?

i could say something deep like lost myself or die without doing something useful; but my biggest fear are bugs, i can not lie about this, i cry and scream everytime i see a bug, dont matter what bug is it, i hate and i’m gonna cry about

10 - what would you say is your talent?

idk, i mean, i think i can sing, i love to sing and some people who heard told me is not bad, but i dont think is nothing special tho; i also write some stuff, i do it as a hobbie, but sometimes it makes me proud; i’m good with advices, i guess, people look for me a lot when they are with problems

11 - whats your favorite movie, serie, reallity show and tv show in general?

i don’t watch a lot of movies, so i would just say every dc movie is my favorite and i also enjoyed carol; i love gossip girl and brooklyn nine-nine; my favorite kdrama ever is reply 1997, i watched it so many times, i love everything about it; i watch next in fashion more often, but i literaly live for reallity shows

12 - top 5 favorite colors

(5)purple, (4)orange, (3)pink, (2)yellow, (1)green

13 - any celebritie you would like to have a conversaton with?

theres a lot, but if i had o choose only one it would be mark lee from nct, i mean, this boy inspire me so much and i’m so proud of him, it would be great to listen him speak his mind in a long and comfortable conversation

14 - whats on your mind rigth now?

tbh, i dont really know, i’m feeling something weird, i’m easly boreed and thats sucks while we are in quarentine, i dont know how to keep myself busy adn all i do is eat, cry and complain; i dont think i’m doing okay these days, i’m trying to take care of myself but i’m doing a terrible work

15 - if i was a genious and gave you three wishes now, what it would be?

i want corona virus to disapeer, my cat allerg to be cured and money on my parents bank account so we can stop paying rent

okay, thanks for handling my questions, i hope we became friends so i can ask you more random stuff!

[lovelyirony]

@latinxstark hey....HEY. I LOVE U 

Steve Rogers was many things. An artist. A guy who tried to eat anything new, regardless of whether or not he thought it was going to be good. And, on occasion, a romantic. Well, he thought he could be a romantic. (He was...really bad at it.) 

Here’s the thing. He worked at a studio, putting out new designs for comics. Right now, he was working on a comic about a guy named Leo who was an alien masquerading as human, which was hilarious to work with. 

Every day occasionally, he would sit at a window seat for lunch and look at everyone passing by. There was a woman who always had a pristine white uniform on, and he thought she worked with Natasha, maybe? He wasn’t quite sure. 

There was a man in khakis and a purple shirt who rode to work on a skateboard, and was recently joined by some kids trying to get a video of it. He always rolled his eyes, but played along. He was pretty good at it. 

And then...him. Steve sounded like a cheesy romance book, and that was fine by him. Because this guy was...gorgeous. Curled brown hair, a smile that could probably rival Expensive Dental Work, and his left hand was always holding his own coffee mug. It had a picture of the Statue of Liberty on it. 

Steve would sometimes bring his sketchbook, just to draw him. He’s lucky that the guy hasn’t found him out yet: the windows aren’t tinted by much, and Steve usually edges a potted plant forward to kind of obscure his body. 

Except one day, Hot Guy walks into the building. Apparently, he knows the ever-so-terrifying Maria Hill. 

“I need to speak with you about a certain artist, M,” the Guy says. “Really has captured my interest with how he draws. The lines are always so clean.” 

“That’d be Steve Rogers, Tony,” Maria says. “He’s on his lunch break, should be in the window seat...” (Even his name was cute.) 

Steve has to steel himself for the Cute Guy Interaction. 

He loses all his composure when he sees the cup. “Hey, it’s your cup,” he says. Like an Idiot. 

“So you’re the guy in the window seat,” Tony says with a smile. “You know, you’re a bit bigger than the plant. I can see your shoes.” And Steve burns a bright red. “Hey, no sweat. I like sitting in the sunshine too. But, you’re the special one I’ve come to talk to.” 

“About?” 

“I have something I’d like done, and I can’t do art for shit. Years of practice down the drain. Or money, can’t remember which. Anyway, I would really like you to do a present. If you’re comfortable.” 

“When is the present going to be, um, presented?” Steve asks. He sounds dumb. He’s probably going to die in a week at this rate. Luckily, Tony snorts. 

“Don’t worry cute stuff, it’s gonna be in about three months. I wanted to make sure you had a lot of time.” 

“What do you want me to do?” Tony gets serious, sitting down at a chair. Steve leans back into the window seat. 

“I need a wedding gift. My best friend Rhodey is getting married to literally a ten-out-ten woman. She’s badass. Problem with me is, I don’t do the wedding registries. Well, that’s a lie. I did get Rhodey that reinforced garage, but that was more of a friend thing...regardless. Both Rhodey and Carol are absolute shit at picking out art. I think Carol has a portrait of a cat that she found at a thrift store. I want them to have something that can remind them of their wedding, their life.” 

Steve nods. “Sounds good. Any reference pictures?” Tony pulls a couple from his briefcase. They’re a nice couple; Steve’s eye is drawn to one of Carol and Rhodey at dinner, laughing their asses off about something or other. 

“That one,” he says decisively. “I can have it done.” 

“Great!” Tony says. “Thank god, because my next option was trying to follow along to a Bob Ross painting thing, which has not gone well.” 

“Nonsense,” Steve says with a grin. “I’m sure you did great, the pinnacle of all human genius--” 

“Aw shut up, you artist nerd,” Tony teases. He glances at his watch. “Shit, I’m about to be late for a meeting.” He digs out his phone. “Here is my phone, please input your number. I’ll text you as soon as I get out of the meeting, just you remember that it’s not a creepy number that’s asking if you can wire money to Scotland or something. I don’t know how scams work anymore.” Steve snorts, tapping in his number and texting “this is Steve.” (Auto-corrected to sieve, but damn it, he can’t change it now.) 

Tony winks on his way out. “See you later, handsome.” 

“Um, yeah,” Steve says awkwardly. “See you outside my window.” 

Maria gives Steve an amused look. 

“You really cannot flirt at all, can you?” 

“No,” Steve says miserably. “I’m going to die alone.” 

“No you’re not,” Maria says, ever the no-nonsense type. “Because Tony happens to have a thing for you. Saw it as soon as I came in the door. And he called you ‘cute stuff.’ That’s good, right?” 

“Maybe,” Steve contemplates. “Unless he calls everyone ‘cute stuff.’ That could be a Thing.” 

“It’s not,” Maria says. “But hey! More money from a commission! Does this mean I can scrimp on the paycheck?” she teases. Steve responds by flipping a bird, grinning.  

“We’ll have to wait to see if he even likes it first. 

Steve finishes it in a month and a half. He hates shading, but he thinks it’s pretty good. Done in acrylic paint, and he’s pretty proud of it. Got Rhodey’s eyes right, and even managed to slip in a couple of references Tony had texted him. 

They’d been texting a while now. Mainly because Steve thought he was texting Natasha and sent “kiss my ass, we all know that Prokofiev was a bonafide drama queen,” and then Tony responded back with, “what’s ur impression of Vivaldi then?” 

And then it stopped being so much about the art as what their lives hold, and what kind of dog Tony wants in the future. 

And then Steve would wave at Tony through the window, and sometimes Tony would spend his lunch break with Steve as they talked about anything. Tony was some of the inspiration behind the comic books, not that he would ever know that. 

When Steve gives the painting to Tony, it’s kind of a bitter moment, because what if he sees Tony NEVER again, and then Tony texts him something and he gets his hopes for about four seconds only for “lmao sorry wrong number! who is this lol?” text to shoot forth, and fast-forward twenty-five years give or take and Maria says “I’m sorry you’re fired” and then Steve huddles by Tony’s building and Tony doesn’t even recognize him? 

“Hey, wanna go on a date?” Tony asks. Steve blinks, brought out of his reverie. 

“What?” 

“A date,” Tony repeats. “Like, I’ll pick you up at seven? Or if you don’t wanna go on a date, then that’s cool.” 

“Immediately, yes,” Steve blurts out. “Thank god.” Tony lets out a bark of laughter. 

(Steve proposes to Tony by painting a portrait of Steve proposing with a ring. He hangs it up over the dinner table at their house, thinking Tony will notice it and immediately be overcome with joy. 

It takes Tony two days, and Steve laughs so hard he’s pretty sure he has an ulcer. 

But they still get married.) 

[actuallylorelaigilmore]

@beturass requested the prompt “things you said that made me feel real” -- thanks for your patience with this one, I hope you like it :)

[major thanks goes out to @motherfuckingjonesy for helping me get this posted sooner!]

Josh x Donna, The West Wing. Also on AO3.

“I couldn’t do this without you.”

She isn’t sure what to do when faced with an ancient-looking book about skiing instead of any of the Christmas gifts she actually asked for, but luckily Donna’s parents raised her with classic Midwestern manners, so she recovers quickly and offers him a polite, if baffled, smile.

He tells her there’s an inscription, which at least gives her a reason to crack the book’s weathered spine. As soon as she starts reading, she realizes the inscription is the real gift. Josh isn’t a writer like Sam or Toby, but he always says what he means, and she’s in the middle of her workday trying not to tear up. 

She needed this job; not just to pay bills and get out of a college town that was drowning in bittersweet memories, but for herself. Her relationship turned out to be a tragedy, she’d loved her classes but never managed to find a major that really fit, and now she was on her own without even a degree to show for it. She had to be good at something.

And it turned out she was really good at this, the White House--working for Josh in particular. They clicked right away, no matter how much he whined about getting his own coffee or insisted on messing up her careful organization of his desk. She’s an excellent assistant to the Deputy COS.

But knowing that doesn’t quiet the doubts, the voice in her head that likes to remind her where she came from and how unqualified she is to be here. In the Bartlet Administration she’s surrounded by the smartest people she has ever met...and she’s picking up their lunch orders and answering the phone.

One sentence in the middle of Josh’s scrawled handwriting jumps out at her and nestles itself deep in her heart. “I couldn’t do this without you,” it says, before thanking her for all her hard work this year.

As silly as it might be, the idea that Leo’s right hand man needs her makes her want to cry. All she wanted was to find her place, and make a difference, and now here she is. Getting a gift like this from him.

Josh wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t true, she thinks, hugging him and not caring what it looks like. His face is pressed into her shoulder, breathing her in, and Donna has to crack a joke to break the moment.

Anything to cover up how much she doesn’t want to let go.

****

“Stay with me.”

Josh is in and out of consciousness in his hospital bed, voice weak but smile genuine whenever he sees her. 

Of course Donna has work she should be doing, she knows that things are busier than ever since the shooting, and with Josh out of commission she feels a greater responsibility to keep his office running smoothly--but she’s still by his side more than anyone else, juggling administrative duties with cafeteria runs that he doesn’t even appreciate.

Nobody says anything about her using the hospital as a second office, though Margaret watches her carefully and Carol shoots her sympathetic glances whenever she leaves the White House. Her friends know her well enough not to worry out loud; it would just make it harder on so many levels.

He almost died. 

She still sees him through that observation window when she closes her eyes, blood-covered and surrounded by surgical staff. The nightmares are worse, a million variations where he dies on the table, or Toby never finds him and he dies trying to hold himself together in Rosslyn, or he falls into a coma and never wakes up again.

But warring with the anxiety Donna feels over almost losing him is a not-insignificant amount of guilt over feeling as anxious as she does. It’s disproportionate to the nature of their relationship, and makes as little sense as her certainty that the more time she spends with him, the safer he’ll be.

If she talked to somebody about it, she knows they would point out the obvious: she wasn’t there, when the bullet found Josh. She wasn’t with him, he got hurt, therefore being with him might mean he won’t get hurt. It’s childish logic but she’s clinging to it anyway. And she’s telling no one, because that would mean admitting how much she cares and he’s her boss and she knows the way they would look at her then, how they would act.

It’s bad enough he almost died alone. She refuses to lose him for any other reason.

In the antiseptic quiet of his new room, Josh reaches for her on the first day they’ve moved him out of the ICU. Donna’s tidying the stack of forms she brought with her and packing them up--she jumps a little when he grips her wrist.

"You’re awake.”

“Mm. You’re leaving? You just got here.”

It’s been three hours, she stops herself from pointing out. His eyes are half-shut against the medication they’re using to fight the pain, and she doesn’t have the heart to correct him.

“I have to get these back to the office,” she says instead. 

Josh blinks against the fatigue. “Margaret’s sending someone later,” he remembers out loud. “Leo needs...something. Don’t remember what. You could pass them back then.”

It would be too easy to fall into a rhythm of never leaving, Donna thinks. Just phone calls to the West Wing and messenger service and a laptop. That’s not what her job is supposed to be. 

His fingers flex against her skin, getting her attention. “It’ll all be there tomorrow,” he says quietly.

Josh is right about that part. She can count on the work to still be there tomorrow. 

It’s a miracle that he’s still here today.

Donna nods to herself, and smiles at him, disentangling her arm from his grasp. “All right,” she says, setting her bag back down. “Want to watch TV? Or I can read you the paper.”

“My head hurts,” he admits, laying back against the pillow. “I don’t care what we do. Just...please. Stay with me.”

She stays late and falls asleep at an awkward angle in the chair next to him, an hour after he does. The nurses have to kick her out in the morning.

****

“It’s going to be okay.”

When Josh opens his door and finds Donna standing there, crutches in hand, he blinks at her blankly for several seconds before he finds any words. His hair is sticking up a little; she’s pretty sure he fell asleep on his couch again.

“Donna?”

“Hi.”

“What...” He rubs his eyes. “You know it’s 1 o’clock in the morning, right?”

If she didn’t, his shorts and thin white tank top would have tipped her off. She lifts a shoulder. “Can I come in?”

“Sure.” Brow furrowed, Josh steps back. She brushes past him on her way to his kitchen and he trails after. “Everything okay?”

“What have you got to drink in here?” Donna’s already opening the fridge while she asks. She surveys the contents critically, ignoring his question.

“Not much. You came to raid my beer?”

“I was hoping for something stronger.” With a sigh, she grabs a bottle anyway and takes it to his living room, sinking onto the couch before she opens it.

“You know, if you’re in the mood for a drink, they have these places called bars...”

“The last place I want to be is a bar right now,” Donna replies. 

“But you wanted to be here in my apartment at 1 a.m.?”

“Josh, you know that thing you do where you get drunk and show up at my place in the middle of the night and sleep it off?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, you owe me one.”

He moves her crutches out of the way and joins her on the couch, trying to decipher her tone. “I’m not saying I mind. You just don’t do this often. Or ever. In the last six years.”

Donna sips her beer and doesn’t respond, watching as Josh huffs out a breath and drags a hand through his hair.

“Talk to me. What’s going on?”

“Nothing.” She swallows hard. “Everything.”

“Is your physical therapist giving you a hard time? Because you know I’m ready to--”

“To what? Snark him to death?”

Her words come out sharp, and she knows she doesn’t sound like herself, but she can’t take them back. That’s been happening more and more lately, Donna thinks as Josh stares. Blurting out the words on the tip of her tongue, kicking herself for not being able to hold them back, not knowing how to apologize for things she was thinking--whether they’re appropriate or not.

She’s just so tired. 

“It’s not physical therapy,” she admits, staring at the bottle in her hand instead of at him. “It’s all of it. The explosion, the hospital, the nightmares. Everybody who means well and checks in seven times a day about how I’m feeling. It’s too much.”

Donna’s voice cracks, and Josh leans over to grab her beer. He takes a drink before setting it aside; the casual familiarity in that makes her smile a little. 

She’s waiting for him to make a joke to lighten the mood. He’s always been good at that. Josh is much better at avoiding heavy feelings than dealing with them, a skill she envies lately since she can’t stop feeling crushed by the weight of hers.

It’s surprising when he turns toward her instead, his dark eyes serious as he reaches for her hand and holds it. “You came to the right place.”

She wasn’t actually looking for sympathy when she found herself heading his way, Donna thinks. A comfortable place to get numb, where even if she can’t sleep--and lately she’s barely sleeping at all--at least she won’t be alone. Faced with his sincerity, she feels the tears come against her will. 

Josh pulls her against his chest as soon as they start falling, shifts so that her ear is resting right above his heart. “I was where you are, remember?” He whispers against her cheek. “I’ve still got the scars.”

It’s only been four years, of course she remembers. She can still taste the fear that soured the back of her throat when Toby told her. The memory makes her cry harder, all of it mingling together into gulping sobs with Josh’s arms keeping her close. 

Donna would be embarrassed if she had any energy to spare...she shouldn’t be here like this, with him. Especially with him.

But he’s still holding her, grounding her in the moment, and he doesn’t let go. 

“It’s going to be okay,” Josh murmurs, over and over until the tears stop. And as hard as it is to believe right then, she tries. 

Because he’s right, he has been where she is. 

He’s the only one who really has.

And knowing that Josh understands what she can’t find the words for, Donna feels safe for the first time since she woke up in Germany.