#HELLO I NOTICED TODAY THIS PARTICULAR PARALLEL

[eparch]

the wizard's court / the king's throne

[miitarashi]

HELLO I SAW THE REQUEST THING can i request 1 2 4 and 9? If that’s alright?

DAMM it is a lot of things lol.

bUt

How i'm really happy in having request about my precious boy...IMMA DO IT.

It got to long i had to make a part 2 😔. I'll leave a guide to ease things.

THANK FOR THE REQUEST THO. LOVE YA🥺❤️

Prompts - 1 and 9 (part 1). 2 and 4 (part 2)

Warning: none. Just Tintin being cutely silly and completly in love.

And here Tintin was again.

Passing by that same little fruit stand where you work. It wasn't even the right way to his house,coming for this particular street aways make the way longer,but he couldn't care less.

In his mind,these extra minutes worth every time because of you.

God knows how many times he tried to go and talk with you,even pretending to be a costumer but looking you from a far was more "safe" so he aways turned back with just two or three feets away to reach you. Tintin has been in this pattern for weeks now,it was getting frustrating,why it seems so hard?

Its just walk over,say "hi,i want this",buy the thing and go away.

It isn't that hard right?

Then why??

And there he was. Pretending to be distracted by something just to stand on the other side of the street parallel at the little fruit stand,stealling little peeks and glances of you. Normaly,he don't have this type of problem in talk with strangers but...you're different. He felt butterflys in his stomach,nervousness,his face get warm and the only time when he was passing by this same place with Haddock,the man teased him saying that he was love sick.

Maybe...

Just maybe the old man was right?

...ok he was.

"Enough. I...i'll go"

Tintin said more for himself then for his loyal friend snowy,but the little dog seemed pretty happy for his owner,even bumped his head on his legs trying to push him forward giving some plus motivation so this time he wouldn't back up.

"Ok ok,i get it snowy. Thank you"

He get down a bit with a more calm smile giving some well deserved pats behind snowy's ears,who really appreaciate the affection and soon,bumped his head against him again to make he go.

Tintin chuckle,nodding and getting up. Looking for you,he take a deep breath and started his walking towards the fruit stand adjusting a little his clothes to be more presentable for the moment.

Tintin was almost there. His heart was in his throat. Beating so fast that seem about to explode.

What if he say something wrong? Like the amount of time where he get the long way for his home just to see you from afar?? No no,this couldn't happen. The nervousness was unbearable,his mind was distant but his feets still walking and without noticing,he arrived.

"Oh,good evening sir! Would you like some of those delicious fruits?"

He snaped back so quick that he have to take a moment just to digest the situation.

Tintin was really in front of you. Seeing you closely this time. God you were much more beautiful then he was thinking. That welcoming,warm and friendly smile,the way your hair looked a little messy but cute regardless,those eyes. He died inside. It was too much.

"Uh...sir...? Are you ok? Should i..."

Snowy take some steps closer and start barking bein succeed in caught the attention not only from you,but from his owner as well. Tintin look at you for a brief second before turning his head away cleaning his throat to regain some composture and letting out a deep breath,he maneged,somehow,to be more calm thanking snowy mentaly for this.

"I'm sorry for this,i just got...a little distracted on my own mind"

He said in a apologetic tone and smile,you returned with a undestanding one nodding your head.

"Don't need to worry to much sir,its quite normal. Let's start again,shall we?"

You said in an kind tone,he felt relieved on how much pacient you was bein with him and Tintin couldn't be more greatfull for it. Nodding his head,more relaxed then before,he resume.

"Hi,good evening"

"Hello there! What can i do for you today sir?"

He couldn't contain a little smile,you were so kind and good with people,but still,there's so many ways to respond that. Just to make sure he wouldn't say something weird,he look at the fruits trying to decide what he would want,after all,you offered it first so is probably a safe choise. And you,without a second of delay and quite used to take action quick,already grab the bag to put the fruits and speak in your normal friendly voice.

"Which of them do you want sir?"

The answer in his mind was clear,his eyes were on the apples and he was calm,no big deal.

"Oh,i want you"

At least he thought it was.

"Excuse me??"

When what he said sink in,Tintin felt his heart stopping. Why of all the things he said that?? He wished with all his might for the ground just crack open for him to fall in the void. All of his calmness disapear in a blink of an eye,everything was going ok,why it now?!

"Oh- no- no no i- i'm so sorry i-"

In the middle of his apologies,you laughed. It just go out in a lack of attention of your part. You covered your mouth for a moment and he stop talking immediately just to hear your laugh.

"Sir,don't need to apologize so much"

You speak between little giggles taking the apples along with one tangerine and putting it in the bag.

"You were looking for the apples right? Here. And one tangerine,my treat"

You said in a warm tone,handing the bag for him with a little wink. His heart skiped a beat or two by it and in a slowly moviment,he grab the bag almost in a awkaward way looking dumbfouded,confused and with a faint blush from the embarrassing moment.

You...laughed.

Tintin was expecting a worse reaction but instead,he could hear your laugh...he feel all warm inside,in a good way and soon,an smile make its way on his still confused face.

"But sir. The apples still need to be paid though"

"Oh- of course...!"

He quickly reach for the wallet in his pockets while you giggled again,he may be looking a bit goofy now because of everything that happened but,if this is what it take to hear you laughing,he make a mental note to try and do it again,it was already one of his favorite things about you. After a while, he take the money and paid for the fruits.

"Thank you very much sir! Have a wonderful day!"

"Thank you and,i'm sorry again"

You readily denied,shaking your head keeping that same warm smile.

"You don't need to be sorry sir,at least it was funny!"

"If you...don't mind me asking,could you say your name?"

"Yes. I'm [Name]. And yours? If you don't mind"

"It's Tintin"

You look at him quite surprised and give yourself a facepalm. It was obvious that he was the famous reporter Tintin,just look at this cute topknot and beautiful blue eyes,those little faint freckles on his cheeks and-

Oh.

This was your time to look away a little to regain your posture back. And yes,he noticed it,that red not to obvious on your face,could it be...

"Sorry,it should be evident for me"

The roles seem to be reversed. The one apologizing and blushing was you,and him shake his head to deny your sorry.

"It isn't necessary,miss [Name]. That's ok"

"Well,thank you then mister Tintin. I've seen you passing every day down this street,the next time...maybe stop by to talk for a bit"

"Yes!- i mean...certainly. i'll"

He got a little too excited,but this had a good effect because you was laughing again making that same warm feeling build up inside him.

"You can't stop it,can you?"

You speak with an eyebrow rised in a playful manner,with the atmosphere more at ease than before,he allowed himself to be in the same track of thinking and played along.

"Well...this time i was,indeed,trying to make you laugh...is it working?"

With a little "hunf",you laugh it of,pretending to be thinking and replied.

"I guess....yes"

This time,you two chuckled together.

All it costed was just a little walk to the other side of the road. The only regret on his mind was not doing it sooner.

After this enoyable moment,Tintin said goodbye because it was your work time still,so the talk unfortunaly had to wait,but both of you couldn't be more excited for it...

___________________________________________

A.N: I'M LOVING DOING IT??? But it got to long like i said in the begin so i had to make a part two. And,after this i'm gonna make a proper request list and info,because just two prompt is enough but in my head i really thought that would fit four 😔. aNyAwAyS i'm having so much fun doing Tintin in this silly way DON'T SAY IT I KNOW THAT THIS IS NOT HOW HE WOULD ACT I'LL DO IT PROPERLY SOME DAY I SWEAR 😭. And again,thank you for the request! Its cool know that people really like my shit way of writing lol. Now,go to the part two! Bye bye!

[writerrobinarnett]

I'M BACK AGAIN 😈🙏

jokes aside i have shorter questions this time (yes, i elaborated chapter 20 LMAO).

ok i noticed this particular earlier but i just wanted to be sure when i asked you this. is it mullo (the kwami ​​of multiplication– oh well, the mouse) who sends the diary pages to will and eleven? tbh i already figured it that was a kwami who was ​​sending them the informations, and i suspected it was mullo (to clarify, i just googled her name because until today i had no idea what her name was lmao). chapter 20 only confirmed the thing. but why a kwami should be free when the miraculous should be in the miracle box?

we were just talking about love square and will is just starting to notice mike (destiny). i'm really curious how will will understand that mike mayfield is actually mike wheeler (sometimes i forget that he's supposing to be max's brother LMAO). and i'm also curious to know how el will react if will confesses to her his feelings for mike (⚰️ <- this is eleven)

henry creel is the felix of this story. i just elaborated that. that's cool. that's not really a question but that's cool.

can vecna and tikki unify (i didn't understand this tbh) ?i

i've run out of questions for now 😃👍

ohmygosh Hello again! 😄

I see you’re back at it with the super insightful and awesome questions!

This is such an astute observation! Tbh the references are pretty subtle, so I’m impressed that you connected the mouse that keeps appearing to the diary pages. Unfortunately, the answer to this question is a spoiler, since it will be revealed later in the story. You won’t get the answer for a long, looooooong time, but you will get an answer, I promise! (Lmk if you want a very vague hint though lol)

Also, I’m curious, why do you think it’s a kwami that’s leaving the diary pages? Not confirming or denying it lol, just wondering 😊

Ahh, you’ll just have to wait and see how Will discovers the truth about Mike’s name. (but you won’t have to wait long hehe) I don’t have a moment where Will confides in El about his crush on Mike… But if I did, I think it would totally go like this:

Will: I think… I might like Mike El: *stares silently ahead, dying inside* El: *inhales deeply* Will: Um… El? El: JUST ASK HIM OUT ALREADY JESUS #$@%*& (the rest is censored, but it would go on for like five min lol) Will: geez okay omg. Calm down! I guess… I guess I’ll ask him tomorr– El: *grabs Will’s phone and throws it at him* No. ASK HIM OUT. RIGHT. NOW!

That’s such a cool idea!! I honestly didn’t realize they were so similar (I kinda wrote that chapter before I saw s5, but now that you point it out, I totally see it!) I just wanted to make a villain that was a big threat but had good intentions. But yeah, he really is a very Felix/Argos like character! Such a cool parallel 😊

Great question! I’m sure you’re not the only one confused, so I’ll try my best to explain it well. Okay. So, when Tikki and Vecna “unify” in ch. 18, it’s meant to be very different from how unifying kwamis works in MLB, and that is because of Vecna. As opposed to being an entirely new kwami, Vecna is half of Tikki. “Unifying” the two, in my story, is more like recombining two halves of a broken kwami. When I say “broken,” I mean how Tikki was losing control of her creation power (as well as her miraculous literally being cracked). To put the unification process simply: “broken” Tikki + Vecna should make a Normal Tikki. However! Vecna was created by a dark/fundamental magic that is “of the Earth.” That magic is not compatible with normal kwamis (who come from space). Because Vecna and Tikki can’t fully recombine, they have a partial unity. They are both tied to Will’s soul and bonded to each other, which stabilizes Tikki (filling in her cracked miraculous), but they can never recombine fully.

If the explanation for unifying doesn’t make sense, then don’t worry too much. 😊 It’s not super important how it works. All that matters is Will has two kwamis. He can’t ever take off his earrings or renounce his two miraculous. And he can switch between his upside down powers and his ladybug powers

[princessamericachavez]

Fjorester Talk in episode 117

also known as Sofía goes buckwild and overanalyzes 10 minutes of conversation and body language.

ready?

Ok, first of all, Fjord looks so worried from the get go as he asks Jester if Lucien/Cree was speaking to her directly. 

And when she confirms it he does this little grumpy sigh

He no like it. No like it at all.

Fjord: Does it seem like he’s keying in on you in particular?

LISTEN GUYS

I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR LIKE TWO WEEKS

HOPING FJORD WOULD GET PROTECTIVE OVER JESTER CONSTANTLY GETTING SCRIED ON/MESSAGED BY LUCIEN BUT I DIDN’T THINK TRAVIS WAS ACTUALLY GOING TO DELIVER

AND HE DIIIIIID

Ok anyway he goes on about how when they see someone else scrying it’s usually just a representation of the spell and wonders if Lucien is more powerful and therefor can see the person

and then he makes a pause mid-argument

because Jester makes this face and he realizes this is upsetting her, so he quickly backtracks trying to reassure her. 

Fjord: I’m sure it’s just coincidence but...

and here’s where the idea comes and god how long has he been thinking about this???

Fjord: since we’re not in the sea... would you... want to wear this?

YES HELLO DO YOU SEE THE PARALLELS TO THAT ONE TIME HE WANTED TO GIVE HER AN EXTRA POWERFUL HEALING POTION TO MAKE SURE SHE WOULD BE SAFE??? PROTECTIVE FJORD PARALLELS!!!

and then he just brushes off the fact that he’s a huge Uk’otoa beacon everytime they are on water —baby, you died once already, don’t act like it’s whatever???

Fjord: maybe it would provide some protection if we were to keep checking in on him?

Jester: I mean... it’s worth a try. 

Of course, as she points out, Lucien has already met all of them and he could just as easily scry on any of the M9 if he wanted to, but that’s not really what Fjord is worried about, what is bothering him. Fjord knew Lucien was watching and it’s not the first time they are scried on, but he makes it clear that he’s concerned about how centered on Jester that’s been lately. 

Jester: Maybe it’ll keep me from getting seen next time I scry on him?

Fjord: I guess we’ll find out next time we try it. 

The way he chuckles softly, trying to defuse the tension, and she smiles back even though this subject clearly has her nervous??? 11/10

Jester: Thank you. 

SHE SAYS IT SO SOFTLY. SHE’S CLEARY SO TOUCHED THAT HE’S WATCHING OUT FOR HER AND HAVING HER BACK JUST LIKE HE ALWAYS DOES. 

LOOK AT THOSE HEART EYES THEY BOTH HAVE WTF

THEY ARE BOTH SO SOFT 

Fjord: Yeah. Just in case it’s not... coincidence. 

Listen there’s such a heaviness in how he says the word. 

Like the possibility of anyone —especially this very dangerous stranger with the face of a friend— purposefully targeting Jester is his worst nightmare. It probably is. 

Jester: It’s also creepy. He did say that he kind of knew me, right?

NOTICE HOW JESTER IS STILL PLAYING WITH THE AMULET IN HER HANDS??? 

Idk why but that’s getting to me. She’s so nervous with this whole thing. 

Fjord: He did?

Jester: When we got there he said he hadn’t met anyone except for me. 

OH FJORD DOESN’T LIKE THIS AT ALL

So of course Jester tries to defuse the tension talking about how she must look like through the scry

AND HE’S JUST SO IN LOVE

And so he plays along

LOOK AT THE WAY HE MAKE HER SMILE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(same, Ashley, same)

And so, more reassured by the goofiness, Jester finally puts the necklace on. 

Fjord: And of course, it’s Caleb’s...

Jester: oh

LISTEN SHE DID NOT LIKE THAT. She was clearly so excited to get a present like this from Fjord and you can see her face fall a little when it’s deviated towards someone else. 

Jester: should I ask him if it’s okay?

Fjord: Well, he gave it to me to use it..

Fjord: and you seem to need it more. 

AKA THE AMULET WAS FOR FJORD’S WELLBEING BUT THE WAY HE IS OK IS IF HE KNOWS JESTER IS PROTECTED

Jester, now that she knows this is something that he is personally choosing to transfer to her: Okay...

LOOK AT THE WAY SHE CLUTCHES IT TO HER HEART I’M DYING

Fjord: And just be careful.

Fjord: I don’t like the possibility of him keying in on you or using that connection between the two of you to manipulate something. His magic seems strange. 

LISTEN GUYS LISTEN 

THIS PART HERE IS HUGE OK?

This is the part where Fjord took 18 steps forward instead of one since Rumblecusp

Whereas before he could’ve hide his concern as something tactical, something useful that made sense and could help their mission... or could’ve hidden behind group speech to disguise his concern...

here he says “I don’t like the possibility of him keying in on you.”

here he is straight up saying “I am worried about you”

(quietly hopes Lucien does exactly that to trigger more protective fjord instincts in the future and lots of angst based shippy shenaingans)

Fjord: Alright. More adventures tomorrow. 

BECAUSE THAT’S ALL OK

THAT’S IT

HE SAID HIS PIECE, HE KEPT HER SAFE, MADE SURE SHE LAUGHED A LITTLE AND THAT’S ALL HE NEEDS... THAT AND MORE ADVENTURES BY HER SIDE

But then Jester hesitates

AND LOOK AT THAT, THE WAY SHE PULLS BACK LIKE SHE’S AFRAID IF SHE SAYS THE WRONG THING HE’LL CLOSE OFF

THE WAY HIS FACE SCRUNCHES WITH WORRY OVER WHAT COULD POSSIBLY BE TROUBLING HER THAT SHE’S HESITATING TO SAY

Fjord: What?

Jester: H- How are you?

FJORD MELTING IMMEDIATELY: 

The way he goes from super concerned to extremely soft in 0.2 seconds.

(i am ashley and ashley is me)

Jester: *explaining all the very valid reasons she has to be worried about Fjord too and all the crazy shit that happened to him only a few days ago*

Fjord: *bursting with feelings of love*

seriously travis pls have some mercy of my poor yearning soul

Also I wanna talk about the way Jester brings up Avantika.

Jester: She tried to pull you into the water... you guys had a thing... it must have been weird to see her all kinda dead and stuff... was it weird? And then you killed her... again...

The way she calls them “a thing” and the way she checks if it was “weird” for him to see her as undead really says a lot to me. I think Jester never quite got over the heartbreak during the pirate arc and part of her probably still thought that Fjord harbored some sort of feelings or attraction towards Avantika. 

I think she believes whatever they two had was far more intimate than it actually was. Or, at the very least, Jester thinks it must have meant something to Fjord. 

How could she not? The whole thing had her bursting with jealousy and pain and unresolved feelings... you can tell how anxious she is around this subject but also she needs to know if he’s alright because she cares too much

Fjord: It was weird. Yeah, it was weird, for sure. I wasn’t expecting that...

HE DOESN’T EVEN REGISTER IT AS AN “EX” THING I SWEAR

Fjord: I’m alright. 

And so she finally relaxes.

Fjord: It feels like I keep trying to start newer chapters in my life and leave the old stuff behind and then it just... keeps popping up. 

Fjord: It feels like it’s hard to... pursue something new, when the past is not dealt with. 

YOU CAN’T SEE IT IN THE SCREENSHOTS BUT JESTER STARTS NODDING VERY GENTLY WHEN HE STARTS TALKING ABOUT NEW CHAPTERS AND MOVING ON 

ALSO THIS

(ashley knows what I’m talking about)

Jester: Do we need to deal with the past?

WE

SHE SAYS WE

BECAUSE AS USUAL THEY ARE A TEAM ALWAYS FIRST AND FOREMOST

AND IF THIS IS SOMETHING HE NEEDS TO DO SHE’S GOING TO HELP HIM AND BE BY HIS SIDE WITHOUT A DOUBT NO MATTER WHAT

Fjord: I think so. 

Fjord: Yeah... I want to. 

THE WAY HE LOOKS AT HER WHEN HE SAYS ‘I WANT TO’. HE WANTS TO HAVE A FUTURE WITH HER. HE WANTS TO LET GO OF THE PAST SO HE CAN HAVE A FUTURE WITH HER. HE’S LETTING HIMSELF ‘WANT’ THIS AND ADMITTING IT.

Fjord: I feel like I need to close all of that before...

AND THEN HE JUST GOES THROUGH THIS BLESSED FACE JOURNEY FOR 6 ENTIRE SECONDS

LOOK AT IT

AND THE WAY SHE SLOWLY SMILES LIKE SHE MIGHT KNOW WHAT HE MEANS

LOOK AT HER OWN FACIAL JOURNEY

ASHLEYYYYYYYYYY

And so Jester jumps into action mode offering her help. 

and Fjord —once again— proves that he’s able and willing to open up to Jester about things that he’s keeping close to his chest... like Sabian. 

Fjord: I um... I actually... I put a bounty out for S-Sabian. 

IDK WHY THIS FACIAL EXPRESSION AMUSES ME THIS MUCH

THIS IS FJORD’S ‘IM ABOUT TO CONFESS SOMETHING PERSONAL TO JESTER FACE’ AND WE’VE SEEN IT BEFORE AT THE KILN AND IN RUMBLECUSP

Jester: A bo- When? How?

SHE’S SO BEWILDERED LMFAO

and a little offended that she didn’t know

and I think Fjord can tell by the way he quickly tries to excuse it as a way to keep Kotho occupied after the whole Vokodo ordeal

But Jester quickly gets back on track and starts looking for a way to help him with this. If finding Sabian is what Fjord wants —what he needs— right now, she’ll do anything to help him. 

Jester: *describing how she would be able to help Fjord*

Fjord, who never had anyone be this ride or die for him ever and who is bursting at the seems with love for this kind and wonderful woman:

Fjord: Sure.

Jester: You want me to do it?

Fjord: Yeah. 

THOSE HEART EYES SHOULD BE ILEGAL 

Jester: *uses a sixth level spell to send a message for Fjord because this is totally her number one priority now and it’s not like they are dealing with stuff that literally drained her today or like they are stuck up north for god knows how long... nope... she needs to find a way to help Fjord right now*

Fjord:

okay okay okay

so after the message

you can see how Jester is worried that the news she finally found for him are bad news and not going to cheer him up

Jester: Oops

Fjord: No, no, no, no! No oops! That’s great! That’s great!

I love the way he rushes to reassure her, to make sure she knows that what she just did for him is amazing and means so much and please jester do not be sad about this because this already means so much to me you have no ideaaaaaa

Fjord: That’s... totally distracting but that’s great. 

Fjord: Thank you.

Jester: You’re welcome! Now you know!

Fjord, with more feeling and emotion behind it like he wants to tell her that she and everything she does for him out of love mean the entire universe to him: Thank you.

Jester, blissfully unaware that he’s in love with him but delighted that she was able to help and that he is letting her in enough to help deal with his past: You’re welcome! I’m glad I could help!

Fjord, still not over how good she is and how diametrically different her kindness is compared to everything else he’s known in life so far and still after these many months shook and surprised by how wonderful she is: That’s very nice of you, I-

Jester: It’s just a (6th level) spell. Easy to do.

SHE HAS NO IDEA THAT WHAT HE MEANS ISN’T THE MAGIC NOR THE SPELL NOR THE INFORMATION... IT’S HER HELP AND SUPPORT THAT HE IS SO SHAKEN WITH. 

Fjord: I.... will think about that all night. 

Sure you will Fjord. We know you will. But we know it’s not about Sabien but about Jester’s kindness that you’re gonna be thinking all night. We know that’s what’s keeping you up. Not the past, the future. 

AND OF COURSE

THE OBLIGATORY AWKWARD ENDING

Fjord: I’ll race you to the top!

Both: UP!

THEY ARE SO ADORABLE AND GOOFY AND PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER WTF HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO LIVE MY LIFE INSTEAD OF THINKING ABOUT THEM 24/7??

ANYWAY WHO IS READY FOR PIRATE ARC PART 2 AND MORE SHENANIGANS WITH THESE TWO WHILE FJORD GETS FINALLY READY TO MOVE FORWARD TOWARDS THE FUTURE HE WANTS WITH JESTER? I AM

[joneswuzhere]

hello join me in thinking about some books and authors that are, or might be, part of s5′s intertextuality

5.10 in particular offered specific shout outs, and also u know i’m always wondering what might be ahead so i have some ideas on that:

- first, as mentioned in a previous ask post, i know i wasn’t alone in keeping an eye out for 5.10 parallels to the lost weekend (1945) the film that gave episode 1.10 its name and several themes - or to the 1944 book by charles r jackson which the film is based on

- s5 has not been shy about revisiting earlier seasons, especially s1. altho i feel that 1.10′s parallels to the lost weekend centered characters other than jughead (mostly betty), a 1.10-5.10 connection involving jughead and themes from jackson’s story (addiction, writers block, self reflection) seemed v possible if not inevitable

- but like,, , for a hot minute after the ep, i was really stumped on understanding how anything from the book or film could apply, even tho the pieces were almost all there

- jackson’s protagonist don birnam goes thru and comes out the other side of a harrowing days-long drinking binge that could be compared to jughead’s one-night hallucinogenic writing retreat

- but jughead is struggling primarily with traumatic memories, not addiction and self control like birnam. and tho drinking activates birnam’s creativity, it paralyzes his writing as he gets lost in fantasies; he’s never published anything. jughead’s drug trip recreates circumstances that already helped him write one successful book. even the rat that startles him mid-high doesn’t line up with birnam’s withdrawal vision of a dying mouse, symbolic of his horror at his own self-destruction thru alcohol

- and maybe the most visible discordance: in the film there’s a romantic motif around a typewriter. first it’s an object of shame; birnam’s failure to write, tied up with his drinking, makes him flee his relationship. he tries to pawn the typewriter for booze money and finally a gun when shooting himself feels easier than getting sober. but with the help of relentless encouragement from girlfriend helen, he quits drinking, commits to her, and focuses on typing out the story he’s dreamt of writing. rd goes so far to avoid setting any comparable scenario that jughead has brought a wholeass printer into the bunker so there can still be a physical manuscript to cover in blood by the end, even without his own typewriter. the subtle detail of his laptop bg image is a little less noticeable than his avoidance of betty’s gift

- tabitha might be closer to a parallel than jughead is, but she’s still no helen. both refuse to take advantage of the inebriated men in their care, but birnam takes advantage of helen, financially and emotionally. jughead refused a loan from the tate family and now has resolved to deal with his shit before he considers a relationship with tabitha. instead of helen’s relentless and unwelcomed attempts to get birnam sober, tabitha reluctantly agrees to help jughead trip safely bondage escape notwithstanding. she even helps him get the drugs.

- whatever potentials exist for parallels to jackson’s story, they were not explored for this episode. ok so why tf am i even talking about this? what was there instead?

-  i have arrived at the point

- s5 has been revisiting s1, not directly but with a twist. and jughead’s agent samm pansky is back. u may recall, pansky is named for sam lansky

- jughead’s trip-thru-trauma is a story device tapped straight from lansky’s book ‘broken people’

- lansky is like if a millenial john rechy wrote extremely LA-flavored meta but just about himself no jk very like a modern successor to charles r jackson. both play with the boundary between memoir and fiction. lansky is gay; jackson wrote his lost weekend counterpart as closeted and remained closeted himself until only a few years before his death. both write with emotional clarity and self-scrutiny on the experiences of addiction, sobriety, and the surrounding issues of shame and self worth

- i feel like a fool bc after this ep i had been thinking about de quincey and his early writings on addiction (c.1800s), but i failed to carry the thought in the other direction, to contemporary writers in the genre, to make this connection sooner

- lansky’s second book, broken people, follows narrator ‘sam’, mid-20s, super depressed, hastled by his agent to write a decent follow-up to his first book, but too busy struggling with his self-worth and baggage from several past relationships. desperate, he takes up an offer to visit a new age shaman who promises to fix everything wrong with him in a matter of days. not to over simplify it but he literally spends a weekend doing psychedelics and hallucinating about his exes. jughead took note

- unless u want me to hurl myself into yet another dissertation about queer jughead, i think his parallel to sam - who, unlike jughead, has considerable financial privilege and whose anxieties center on body dysmorphia, hiv scares, and his own self-centeredness - pretty much ends there

- But,, the gist of the book could not be more harmonius with a major theme shared by the 2 films that inform the actual hallucination part of jughead’s bunker scene: mentally reframing past relationships to get closure + confronting trauma head-on in order to move forward

- so that’s neat. what other book and author stuff was in 5.10?

- stephen king and raymond carver get name dropped. i’m passingly familiar with them both but u bet i just skimmed their wiki bios in case anything relevant jumped out

- like jughead, carver was a student (later a lecturer) at the iowa writers workshop. also the son of an alcoholic and one himself

- i recall carver’s ‘what we talk about when we talk about love’ is what jughead was reading in 2.14 ‘the hills have eyes’ after he finds out about the first time betty kissed archie (at that time he does not respond as would any of carver’s characters)

- this collection of carver stories deals especially with infidelity, failings of communication, and the complexities and destructiveness of love. to unashamedly quote the resource that is course hero, ‘carver renders love as an experience that is inherently violent bc it produces psychic and emotional wounds.’ very fun to wonder about the significance of this collection within the s2 episode and in jughead’s thoughts. and maybe now in the context of the s5 state of relationships. or, at least, the state of jughead’s writing as seen by his agent

- anyway pansky doesn’t want carver, he wants stephen king

- i have too much to say about gerald’s game in 5.10, that’s getting its own post someday soon

- lol wait king’s wife is named tabitha uhhh king’s wiki reminded me of his childhood experience that possibly inspired his short story ‘the body’ (+1986 movie ‘stand by me’) when he ‘apparently witnessed one of his friends being struck and killed by a train tho he has no memory of the event’

- no mention of that in this rd episode but memories of a train could be interesting to consider with the imagery that intrudes on jughead’s hallucination. i still feel like it was a truck but the lights and sounds he experiences may be a train

- ok now we’re in the speculation part of today’s segment

- if jughead’s traumatic memory involves trains, then it’s possible this plot will take influence from la bête humaine <- this 1938 movie is based on the 1890 novel by french writer émile zola. this story deals with alcoholism and possessive jealousy in relationships, sometimes leading to murder. huh, kind of like carver. zola def comes down on the nature side of the nature-vs-nuture bad seed question (tho i should say he approaches this with great or maybe just v french compassion). also i can’t tell if this is me reaching but, something about la bête humaine reminds me of king’s ‘secret window’ which we’ve observed to be at least a style influence on jughead post time jump

- but wow a late-19th century french writer would be a random thing to drop into this season, right? then again zola also wrote about miners, which we’ve learned are an important part of this town’s history + whatever hiram is up to this time.  and most notably, zola wrote ‘j’accuse...!’ an open letter in defense of a soldier falsely accused and unlawfully jailed for treason: alfred dreyfus. archie’s recent army trouble comes to mind.

- since the introduction of old man dreyfuss (plausibly Just a nod to close encounters actor richard dreyfuss, but also when is anything in this show Just one thing) i’ve been wondering if these little things could add up to a season-long reference to zola’s writings. but i had doubts and didn’t want to speak on it too soon bc, u know, it’s weird but is it weird enough for riverdale??

- however,,,

- (come on, u knew where i was going with this)

- a24′s film zola just came out. absolutely no relation to the french writer, it’s not based on a book but an insane and explicit twitter thread by aziah ‘zola’ wells about stripping and? human trafficking?? this feels ripe for rd even outside the potentials here for the lonely highway/missing girls plot.

- that would add up to a combination of homage that feels natural to this show

- anyway pls understand i’m just having fun speculating, most of this is based on nothing more concrete than the torturous mental tendril ras has hooked into my skull pls let go ras pls let go

[hatsukeii]

hello! could you possibly do a scenario where tsukki has a secret passion for dancing, n one of his favs genres to listen to is like 80's music ?? i prefer it to be like raining n dark, just you two. i want tsukki n the girl to be like rly good friends, but tuskki lowkey likes her jus a bit n the girl is like totes in love with him, but they dont rly know about each other, until they like kiss after the songs stops. wkhsjdbf idk if this is too much but i love your writing sm!! thank you. 🥺❤

Okay that’s super cute so don’t worry lool

80s and indie music are SUPERIOR NO ONE TELL ME OTHERWISE.

I was looking through my playlist bc I have 80s songs but then I realised IT’S ALL ROCK LMFAO SO I HAD TO STEAL SONGS FROM MY FRIENDS JAHAHAH

Like I can’t make them dance to ACDC or like Guns n’ Roses wtf are they gonna do air guitars?

But then I realised I literally have a song called we can get together sooo👀👀👀👀

And I genuinely love it so much SOOOO👀👀

Earphones// Tsukishima Kei x Reader

Word count: 2000+

Warnings: None lol I’m not even gonna warn for swearing anymore if it’s just swearing then none

Summary: You randomly discover Tsukishima’s knack for dancing.

You always saw him as a calm, or sly person. He was witty, mean, sarcastic, an asshole in every way possible. He was that one person that would call everyone out for looking stupid while dancing at a party, or the one that would remind couples on Valentine's day that it was to celebrate the death of a tortured and beheaded saint. He was pretty much the most no-bullshit person you’ve ever met. It was as if he simply didn’t understand the meaning of enjoyment, and thrived to seek out every opportunity to ruin it for others as well. He rarely went to social events, never showed up at parties, and you don’t think you’ve ever seen him smile genuinely. Ever. 

Yet tonight, you witnessed something you never thought would happen.

You see, every night, you would take a good old stroll around your neighbourhood. Tonight was no different, except it was pouring, the constant pitter patter of your umbrella clouding out any other sound that was coherent. Sometimes you might run into street vendors, other times you would get a bowl of ramen to fulfil your midnight hunger.

Walking along the street to your favourite convenience store, instead of an eerily empty park, what you saw was Tsukishima Kei, the one person you were somehow close to, sitting in a park, with no headphones on. What a shocker.

Ever since you gave him those iconic white headphones, he has never gone anywhere without them. It was as if those headphones were a staple of your friendship, or more so, how much he meant to you. Just saying, those things were expensive. Like eighteen thousand yen expensive. You knew how much Tsukishima enjoyed listening to music, especially whilst doing work. You saved up for months, just to scrape together enough money to get him a brand new pair of headphones to replace his broken ones that only worked in one ear and had shitty quality. You would never admit it, but something in your heart clenched at the sight of the absence of those headphones you spent so much on. Many might have thought you were just sensitive, but they didn’t understand. In fact, no one would understand how insanely in love you were with him. 

“Hey, beanstalk.”

The blond looked up from his phone, his legs crossed on the bench.

“Well, would you look who’s here. It’s the infamous shorty.”

You approached his hunched-over figure, taking a seat next to him on the bench. “So, why are you here? It’s pretty late already.” Shoving your earphones into your ear, you hastily scrolled through your playlist, trying to hold off the urge to ask where his headphones were. “Lost my umbrella while going home from practise, it’s raining cats and dogs, I’m not looking to get soaked while going home, so I’m waiting for the rain to stop. Thank God I brought an extra sweater, my uniform is all wet and gross.” Chuckling, you punched him playfully, muttering a quick “Idiot,” before picking a song. You were very low-key about your feelings towards him. God knows how he would react if you ever told him. He would probably ignore you for the rest of your high school lives. Even worse, he might make fun of you for being childish and emotional. Just the thought of it sent shivers up your spine and a dark feeling towards your chest. Shaking your head, you tried your best to drown yourself in the terrifyingly loud music that was blasting through your earphones. From next to you, Tsukishima could hear every single note that was playing from the internal speakers. He scooted closer to you, much to your embarrassment. You grabbed your phone, pretending to scroll through it when in reality, you were just trying to hide the burning blush that was now painted on your cheeks. He paid attention to every little sound that came out of those tiny little earbuds, as if trying to figure out what song you were listening to was a fun game. Noticing the sudden absence of music in your left ear, you heard a tiny, almost breathy chuckle, followed by a pull on the earphone jack. “Pulp, hm? Nice taste you got there.” your eyes widened in surprise, mouth curling up into a wide smile. “Ahhh, never thought the great Tsukishima Kei would know them.” The blond smirked, shoving the rubber tip into his ear. “What do you mean? I have a playlist dedicated to this kind of stuff. 80s music will forever be superior.” You rolled your eyes, not falling for his shit. “Nonono, no way. Hand it over, I need to see for myself. I’m convinced you’re listening to raptor mating calls on a daily basis.” The blond shrugged, dropping his phone onto your lap. “See for yourself.” Opening up his Spotify, you were bombarded with a huge selection of his playlists. “Right there shorty, that’s the one you’re looking for?” Pointing his nimble finger at a specific one that was labeled “Old Stuff,” you scrolled through every single song, not believing what you’re seeing. “Holy shit, and I thought you would be into indie or EDM or something like that. This is some new information that I have to process.” Snatching his phone back, he wiped the screen with his sweater, turning it off. “That’s enough snooping for today. Come back at snooping hours again.”

It was at that moment, did the song decide to change. 

“Yeah, no. We’re skipping this shit.” You acted sad, fake pouting and huffing out. “But Tsukishima! All Star is God’s work, you can’t just skip it! Here, I’ll sing it for you!” The blond tried to look at you in disgust, but the smile he was holding back was clear as day, biting his lip as he tried not to laugh at your silly antics. “Oh God (Y/N) please no-” 

Too late.

“SomeBODY ONCE TOLD ME THE WORRRLD WAS GONNA ROLL ME, I AIN’T THE SHARPEST TOOL IN THE SHEDDDD.”

“Absolutely not.” Laughing softly, Tsukishima managed to heave out.

Grabbing your phone and shoving it in front of your face, he unlocked it with ease, navigating his way through the five pages of otome games to find your Spotify. “Jesus Christ, never knew you were this desperate for a man.” The tips of his ears were red, one thought circling his mind. 

If she really wanted a boyfriend, would she pick him? 

Grabbing his arm, you begged for him to let you continue jamming to All Star. You were shaking him, trying to grab your phone, but nothing worked. “Nooo! Kei! Nooooo lemme listen to the Shrek sex anthem!” 

“No.” 

Scrolling through your usual playlist, his eyes landed on one particular song. “Hm? What’s this? You listen to Icehouse? Nice taste you got there.” Your grip on his arm loosened up as you looked up at him in shock. “You know them too! Yes! They’re very much adequate.” You stared in awe as the blond smiled from ear to ear, picking a song much to your dismay. “Yesss I love this song with my whole heart. My dinosaurs make way for this.” Hearing the similar synth, you instantly knew what he had picked. “Seriously? You like this song? It’s like cheesy as shit! This is so out of character for you oh my God Kei.” Tsukishima rolled his eyes, completely done with you. “It’s a good song, don’t come at me. Plus, if you think it’s so cheesy, then just delete it.” You frowned. You liked that it was cheesy. You always imagined someone singing it to you, most of the time this imaginary person being Tsukishima. “I like this song too, it’s fine.” The two of you sat in comfortable silence, your earphone jack being the only thing connecting you guys. The park felt weird. You felt weird. This whole situation was weirdly unreal. It was as if the two of you were stuck in a parallel universe, where you and Tsukishima were the only people that existed in that timeline. The silence was thick in the starry night sky, the streetlamps occasionally flickering as the song continued to play. Humming along to the addicting tune, you don’t even realise your body that’s starting to rock, arms swaying from side to side to the rhythm of the chorus. 

“We can get together,“

“Get up.”

A hand comes into your sight, willing for you to take it as you feel another tug on your earphones.

“What?”

“You wanna dance, don’t you?”

Never in a million years, would the thought of Tsukishima being able to dance even cross your mind.

 “What? It’s raining, I thought you said you didn’t wanna get soaked-”

“Just take my hand and dance with me.”

Hesitating a bit as you looked up at the blond, you raised a brow, grinning playfully as you let your hand fall into his, pulling yourself up and letting him take your other hand. You felt the cold droplets of water fall onto your skin and rolling off, the fabric of your shirt going damp.

“Just take one step forward,” he instructed, motioning for you to follow along with his dance moves. “Then take another step backwards. Everything else will come into place soon enough.” Lacing your fingers with his, the two of you danced in perfect sync, having the time of your lives. “I am learning so, so much about you right now and I’m all for it. Why’d you never tell me you could dance?” Tsukishima’s cheeks went a light pink, looking away bashfully. “It’s embarrassing.” Chuckling, you twirled yourself around, pulling on his arm as you forced his attention back onto you. “It’s not. I think it’s super cool. Do this with a girl and they’ll be head over heels for you in no time.” You mentally facepalmed yourself for saying that. His blush went from a light pink, to a dark red in no time, saturating his cheeks like paint. “Let’s test that theory out.” Mumbling to himself, he continued to guide you, twirling you around and hoisting you up at times.

“Baby we can get together, we can get together.”

The two of you were just jamming along now, not caring about your wet hair and soaked clothes. Tsukishima’s hair was now a damp mess, sticking to his forehead as he whipped his head from side to side, laughing as water droplets flew off his blond strands. Your hair was no better than his, (H/C) strands reflecting the light from the streetlamps as they hit your face with every sway of your head. The earphones were falling off at this point, but it didn’t matter. The two of you already memorised the entire song beforehand. All you wanted was to enjoy the short moment. Grabbing his wet hand again, you randomly started jumping to the beat, letting the blond follow along.

“Later sometime, you can buckle my shoes, you can pick up my sticks, why don't you open that door.”

You gasped in surprise as you felt a large hand spin you around one last time, before dipping you dangerously close to the floor, rainwater rolling off your face. The song came to an end with its final guitar chord, the reverb still ringing in the background. “So, what’d you think?” Tsukishima leaned down, his face dangerously close to yours. Feeling a Cheshire grin form on your face as your tried to raise your head up, you gave his nose a boop with your own, before falling back onto his hand. “That was amazing.” Giving you a cheeky grin, you could feel his breath on your face as he sighed contentedly. His breath smelled like mints, you couldn’t help but wonder how lips would taste too. “You good now, or do you wanna go home? I think the rain just stopped.

Still in that intimate position, you decided to finally ask him.

“Where are the headphones?”

“I didn’t want to get them wet, they’re too important to me. They’re in my bag.”

And that’s when your body decided to act on its own.

Your mind couldn’t even register what you were doing as you pressed a long, soft kiss on Tsukishima’s lips, feeling the heat radiating off of him.

“Now I’m good. Wanna go home?”

“Did you just-”

“Yes.”

Pushing you back up to a comfortable position, he stared at you for another ten seconds, face burning crimson as his mouth opened and shut repeatedly, trying to process what you just did. Finally snapping out of his thoughts, he awkwardly leaned towards you, before pulling himself back. After doing that a few times over, you were properly confused. Grabbing your shoulders, he pressed a firm kiss to your forehead, before grabbing his bag from the bench he was sitting on, pulling his headphones out and hanging them on his neck, handing you the earphones.

“Wanna do this again tomorrow shorty?”

“11pm sharp, don’t be late, and I expect another kiss.”

“Whatever you say cutie.”

Tags:

@tiger1719 @burnt-tomato @thirstyvolleyballhoe @agentvicinity @izzyphantomgamer @sunshines-and-tatertots @sakusasgarbage @trashcanweeb @kaylacinderella @talks-a-lot-of-stuff @random-fandomlover @bokutokoutarou @for-ests @mariechan123 @justachillgirl @ewfilthymundane @just-another-bored-writer @inlwlevi @tiredgr3mlin @itmekisuu

I’m gonna check over the tags again tmr so feel free to dm or comment if I missed you or if you wanna be in the taglist

Eyyyy this isn’t that great but I hope you like it and feel free to give me feedback both good and bad lol love you guys I’m going to sleep now baiiii

[yuvon-writes-letters]

Paper Clip

(Huh. It seems like all the letters from Yuvon and from others so far have arranged themselves in order, all clipped together. You can see the first few sentences of each. How convenient.)

(...Now that you think about it, you’re not entirely sure how so many letters manage to fit in this paper clip. You put it down to entity antics.)

(You could read them all from the beginning. Or are you looking for a particular letter?)

(Or maybe you’re looking for the recap? :) )

To whoever reads this...

Yeah, that’s working. This is so weird.

Your formatting is fine, don’t worry.

Yes, the parallel universe theory!

“Efficiency” would be a good motivation

Honestly, the fever dream theory is sounding more and more likely.

Better than I’d feared, but worse than I’d hoped.

I'm more of an emoticon girl, anyhow.

Ah. Lovely. Symbols of death. Just the thing I want to see.

Well, today’s been more than a bit of a trainwreck.

It almost sounds as if you and I are in inverse situations.

If so, that’s actually pretty relieving, knowing it CAN mess up.

It’s hard to tell time, here.

Yep, we might be trapped in cosmic horror stories, but no one could ever say this is boring XD

I’m really glad to see someone else here with us :)

Your theory’s a pretty solid one, but obviously there’s no evidence of anything

Maybe I freaked out prematurely.

The reason I was worried about chess...

I’m still alone here, thankfully.

Even if I’m physically alone, I’ll be alright.

This all sounds like it could get dicey fast.

Apparently, I’m not the only person who can lie.

I’ll try to hide as little as I can from now on.

Has the MWAF sent you another message?

Everything’s complicated and this is time-sensitive.

Here’s the first letter Lis sent.

I’ll take a risk and speak mostly plainly.

I think anyone concerned about Lis should see this.

That’s the most I can do right now.

Like hell this is the end.

Even for us, this is kind of insane.

Wow, your entity is pretty straightforward.

Seems like we’re actually pretty similar.

This has all grown so insane, I sort of wondered when it’d start getting to us.

Everything comes down to time, doesn’t it?

It didn’t work. What a shock.

I FUCKED UP

We have our Jakes.

Wasn’t exactly my finest moment, I’ll admit.

He’s sort of hypervigilant, I’ve noticed.

“A result you’ll like” seems to use a fairly vague definition of “like.”

The Crow Crew drama is fading a bit.

I sort of thought they were finished until we massively fuck up again.

I am very sorry for your loss.

We now have an issue.

I don’t think there’s exactly a way to avoid being rude in a situation like this.

I spoke to her about her false assumption.

That misunderstanding could’ve snowballed into something bigger.

Let’s review the evidence you’ve told me so far.

I have no plan I have no plan I have no plan I have no plan I have no plan I have no plan I have no plan

You’ll make it, I know you will.

Your defiance was amusing, sweetling.

I do not know if this letter will ever reach anyone. (Proceed with caution.)

I do not blame you.

She will recover.

It is admittedly difficult to remain calm.

When you are living a cosmic horror story, four days is quite a long time, it seems.

That is enough for now.

I dont know what her relationship with Lilly is like in your world.

Hello, all.

I don’t seem cold blooded anymore.

It’s been sorta quiet.

There’s absolutely a point to it.

It’s been awhile since she wrote.

As I am sure many of you know, I am occasionally slightly overzealous when it comes to withholding information.

I feel like I’m on a soap opera or something.

Thanks for the luck, I’ll need it.

They must’ve talked about this offline, too.

I see you.

RAI WHAT?!

Those of you who have received the letter...

Recap

You don’t command me.

Well, welcome to Duskwood Detectives Inc., then :)

Yeah... that sounds like Rai XD

That’s got to be the third person, at least.

It seems to like doing that.

I’m glad Rai seems to be doing well. / The screenshots

Are you... alright?

Yuvon is sleeping in right now.

If you show any signs of hostility...

How? She’s asleep.

I would attempt an ounce of skepticism, but in all honesty it’s probably not any odder than this entire situation.

That is an interesting description, yes.

I bought a little time.

I live! Good morning :)

Please don’t give Yuvon ideas.

Jake caught me up on the basics of what happened.

I don’t like not knowing things.

My lines are going a little crazy right now.

I’m not going to make excuses for myself.

As I said before: commence the yelling.

No, no, you’re right.

Agreed. I think.

At least she woke up.

Sincerely, Jake

I’m sorry.

I don’t even know how many Detectives are getting these letters. / No, you definitely didn’t phrase it that way earlier.

Am I human?

That is indeed unfortunate.

Damnit, Black Ink has zero sense of privacy.

In my defense, it’s early in the morning and there’s no coffee here.

I’ll say what I remember.

You are quite the jokester, aren’t you?

I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt.

Why anyone would wish to speak to that thing is beyond me.

Hi, welcome back.

I am unclear if reading up on the backlog would be of use to you, under your circumstances.

GET SOME SLEEP.

Asking if you’re alright would be incredibly stupid.

Lovecraft wasn’t big on happy endings.

Hooray. Cue the music and canned applause.

How do you really define innocence?

That is pretty unnerving.

That doesn’t seem too likely.

Okay, then...

Ow.

She’s not too talkative.

Your entity just wrote a letter doing that whole evil gloating thing.

And my proof is what again?

This is no one’s fault but that entity. (Proceed with caution.)

As you may have gathered by my previous letter...

Thank you.

There is little use dwelling on what-ifs.

Jake is... taking a break.

I truly cannot comprehend your purpose in this.

That is unfortunate.

That’s an interesting theory.

I would presume that your diary somehow stood out.

Neither of us are sure how Yuvon did it.

Whatever shall we do.

I’ve got an iffy track record on nicknames.

Nothing is even vaguely legible of the first letter from Jake in this chain...

For fuck’s sake, I start looking though old letters for like five minutes and shit starts going down.

First things first, this is Yuvon.

I can get like that sometimes too.

You should know...

I’m trying not to fall asleep right now, but… losing battle.

Yuvon will wake soon.

I’m back to normal!

Many answered, some didn’t.

Don’t worry over the logistics.

Hiya. I’m Yuvon, yes.

It was for privacy first, but then it stuck.

I figured I should make that clear just in case.

But it doesn’t seem to work all the time.

I remember your friend mentioning you.

I appreciate your sentiment.

You’ll fit right in.

That Well, that’s something, at least.

The reason I’m asking...

IF YOU TRY THAT AGAIN, I’LL MAKE YOU ALL WISH I’D STUCK TO LETTERS AND BUGS.

You have pretty interesting timing. / I feel like you might not have... / Sorry.

Whaddya got for me.

I don’t know anymore.

I think we might be in trouble.

I’m still getting letters.

Part One

Something else has broken.

Part Two

The letter has been acknowledged.

What a coincidence.

I should explain what I can.

Tell me or suffer. / I’m losing patience.

You’ve all been pretty quiet recently.

I managed to split without going insane.

She’s, shall we say, busy at the moment.

Here I am, writing on her behalf again.

Thanks for the clarification.

H__lo?

Shh.

How DARE you?

I’m sure you all saw that.

Hello.

Why?

Why aren’t we...?

Something’s seriously wrong.

I’m fine :)

Sorry for disappearing.

This may be a long letter.

It’s literally been months.

Is that you?

Yeah, I’m reading this.

Is this working?

Chaotic angsty bullshit is our bread and butter :)

I’m glad your boredom cleared up, at least!

Sorry for freaking out.

My phone is dead.

I’m shocked I’m keeping it together as well as I have so far.

Things happen. People change.

The transcription. I recommend you read this one.

I... wow. Thank you? You’re welcome?

Oh, great, you again.

Damn, I was afraid of that.

I wish I could :(

Hello.

Well... / ...Okay.

Did you miss me?

Not again.

I’m not mad. You meant well.

Where am I?

I only just saw the letter.

I’m... conflicted.

I didn’t send that letter.

j̴͕́1̶̻̕q̷̤̒h̶͍̓a̷͉̿4̴̻̀m̵̘̽o̸̜̿f̶͔͝g̸̜̍y̶͓̓u̶̼̒2̷̤̓t̶͔̾8̶̳̊f̶̼͒

Apologies.

Were you just trying to talk to me over the link?

Well, when is there ever good news? XD

Not your fault.

What the hell, Domino?

(Mild TW for described gore.)

Troublemaker here. We’ve got issues.

Another transcript.

Oh, aren’t you adorable.

Bitch.

Say hi to the camera, Yu! (Proceed with some caution.)

Get this to Walker or use it yourself.

Carry a bag of baking soda with you.

Innocence and survival are antonyms.

Shit I need to figure out

Is there any news on how Yu is doing?

I’m okay.

As of today, sweetlings...

A whole year has already gone, dear Inky?

Let me tell you a little story. (Rennie)

Let me tell you a little story. (Dream)

Oh, Genesis, dear, I think you might have dropped something.

Let me tell you a little story. (Inky)

Strings on strings on strings.

What just happened

I’m awake. Again.

I’ve admittedly fallen behind on the letters a bit.

Hi, there.

Hello? Is this working?

[stereogeekspodcast]

[Transcript] Season 1, Episode 10. Flashback Favourite – Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is always a ton of fun to watch. Repeatedly! But what makes it such a great film? Is it the characters, the design, the score, or the story? How about all of the above? In this Flashback Favourite episode on Stereo Geeks, we discuss our love for this film and why we keep returning to it.

Listen to the episode on Anchor. 

[Continuum by Audionautix plays]

Ron: Hello and welcome to another Flashback Favourites episode of Stereo Geeks. I'm Ron.

Mon: And I'm Mon.

Ron: Today, we’re talking about Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

Mon: This episode is going to be full of spoilers. So, if you haven't watched this movie, why not?

[Continuum by Audionautix plays]

Ron: What is Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse about?

The story follows Miles Morales, voiced by Shameik Moore as he becomes a new Spider-Man. Parallel to this plot, is Wilson Fisk voiced by Liev Schreiber, opening up portals into other dimensions, which brings in other Spider-People from alternate universes. All the Spider-People have to work together to stop Wilson Fisk, save the world and return to their own dimension.

Mon: We’ve seen Into the Spider-Verse four times, which, for us, is a lot.

It's a great combination of bringing a comic book property which a lot of people aren't familiar with, but also bringing in that ethos, that Expanded Universe feel that we all love. And the best thing is that this Spider-Man is so different but also similar to all other Spider-Men that we have had before.

Ron: Miles Morales is really relatable. We’re introduced to him humming/singing a song—which is so much fun—Sunflower by Post Malone. And that's something that everybody does. We’ve all done it! It immediately makes that connection between the audience and Miles, and that carries throughout the entire film.

Mon: Yeah! When we meet Miles in the film, he's just been enrolled in this prestigious academy. He's convinced that he's just the diversity hire, but in fact, he is a genius. He's very smart, but he really needs to apply himself in this new place and it's work, work, work all the time. It's very different from his old life.

There's a part of him that, obviously, wants to go back to how things used to be, which is natural. He's a teenager, he probably misses his friends. And he doesn't get to be at home that often. So, the film really pulls us into Miles’ universe, as well makes him this very relatable kind of character. And we can all sort of see parts of ourselves in him, even though we are across different ages.

And then Miles sees something that, well, it's scarring. He basically sees the death of his universe’s Spider-Man. Around the same time, he's bitten by a radioactive spider, and he's just discovering his own path. So, we've got these classic, heroic Spider-Man elements, but they're on Miles.

Ron: Yeah, I love that we get this origin story for Miles, while we're also getting to know all these other Spider-People. And then we get the mentor-mentee relationship with Peter B. Parker and Miles.

There are these really sweet moments between Miles and the Spider-People, but also more importantly, between Miles and his own family. A lot of the time—and this is probably one of the biggest failings of Peter Parker in the Marvel Cinematic Universe—we don't really get that much of Peter and his own family. We see that he's really fond of his Aunt May, but it's more like a protective kind of thing. She's a bit of a quirky, kookie aunt. We get very little idea of his bond with his Uncle Benjamin. It’s kind of riding on people's past knowledge of the character from the films and the comic books. If you're coming in as a brand-new person who hasn't got that knowledge, it's putting a lot of pressure on you to find that information out.

Whereas, with Miles, you see that his parents are fond of him. His mom dotes on him, his dad is crazy about him. That hilarious opening scene where Miles’ dad picks him up in his cop car and drops him off at his school and then insists, using the loudspeaker, that Miles proclaim that he loves his dad. It is so so cringe. But you’re like… you totally get it. His parents love him.

Mon: When we recently re-watched this film, remember I was telling you that Miles is cringing now, but 20 years later Miles is going to look back at this moment and he's gonna love it. And he's gonna be so happy that his dad really, really wanted to show how much they love each other. It’s just so cute.

Ron: And you can see that, you know, everybody in his school has noticed this particular event. People keep teasing him about it throughout the day. Yeah, right now, Miles is feeling a bit like ‘oh gosh, why?’. But as you said, he will love this moment later on. And by the end of the film, it's something that he does come back to, and he tells his father that he loves him.

But there’s another relationship that we get to see which is really, really sweet, and that is between Miles and his Uncle Aaron, voiced by Mahershala Ali, who is soon going to be playing Blade. Not sure when that's gonna happen, but we'll wait. And that's a really cute bond in the movie.

We’re used to the Peter Parker-Ben Parker relationship, and it’s great to see a different character have that kind of bond with his uncle. And Aaron gets a whole arc of his own. He's great as Miles’ uncle—he loves Miles, he lets him do all the crazy stuff. He takes him to graffiti this particular area that he’s found. We can assume that he found it while scoping the joint for Wilson Fisk, who we learn Aaron is actually working for, as the Prowler. But it's a really sweet bond and it's something different from what Miles has with his parents.

Mon: With Uncle Aaron, he's this doting uncle who really lets Miles be himself and do whatever he wants. But Aaron isn't there as a foil to Miles’ parents. He's there to encourage Miles to think outside the box. So, I like that Aaron is a really positive influence in Miles’ life, even though he turns out to be a bad guy.

Ron: You can see how Aaron and Miles’ dad, Jefferson, probably were always destined for different paths. When we see their phone screens, you see that both Jefferson and Aaron have pictures of themselves together—you realize that that bond is there, it's just that because their paths have diverged so drastically that they can't have that relationship. But they're still being able to have something of a bond because of Miles.

Mon: There are a lot elements in Miles’ story which are similar or throwbacks to Peter Parker’s. But, at the same time they have their own angle. And the fact that Miles is half-Black-half-Puerto Rican, it gives us a hero story for a wider audience.

Ron: This is always going to be an issue with the comics universe. It has been very largely white and male. When we get any kind of representation that's outside of that very narrow focus, we're excited. We see ourselves in Miles even though we're not sharing the same kind of heritage.

Mon: It's because Miles goes beyond just being a few labels. He's a very relatable character and that's exactly what Spider-Man is meant to be.

In the comics, Spider-Man was always the little guy. He was the underdog who was fighting for everyone. I would say that all adaptations of Spider-Man continue in the same vein. For a lot of people what they find with the MCU Spider-Man is that he has the backing of Tony Stark—he has all that tech and the entire Avengers behind him, so he doesn't seem relatable in the way that the comics do.

Miles brings that in. He brings it in exactly the way that people who grew up reading Spider-Man will feel when they're watching him.

Ron: Yeah, that's definitely what makes Miles so memorable in this film and makes us want to see even more of this particular Miles and the universe they've created.

But let's move away from Miles, which is hard. With such a great protagonist, you want to focus on him. We get a lot of other Spider-People—we get Gwen Stacy from another universe and she's Spider-Woman in her dimension. Voiced by Hailee Steinfeld, this Spider-Woman is sadder, she’is lonely.

She got the spider-bite two years ago and she's been Spider-Woman ever since, but she also lost her friend in the past. So, for her, finding other Spider-People is an enormous relief. Just having other people around her who understand what it means to get that spider-bite, to become a hero, to fight for the city, and more importantly, to keep that duality of their actual identity and their spider-persona, that's a huge boon for her.

And the relationship between Gwen and Miles is really quite sweet. They end up in the same school because Gwen’s Spider-Sense tells her that this is the place to be. And she obviously forms a bond with him, which is not the best way to meet somebody, but hey, we take our Spider-Friends as we get them.

But yeah, it’s a sweet relationship and I like that it doesn't become romantic immediately. I always find that so frustrating because if you shoehorn in a romance, the problem is that it adds a different level to a relationship within a story. And when you have a story like this which is quite densely packed, there's a lot happening, adding a romantic encounter becomes just too much. I like that they decide to be friends.

Mon: At the end of the day, Gwen's journey is to come out of her shell and accept friendship again, which is something that she's closed herself off from, because of what happened in her dimension.

And I agree with you that adding a romantic element would be too much, too soon, especially in a plot-heavy story like this one.

Ron: And when there's so much at stake. Gwen can't stay in this universe. Her entire goal here is to get back to her own dimension, even though it will continue to be a lonely existence, but at least she's opened herself up to the possibility of finding new friends. She didn't have that when she was still on her Earth. A romance really wouldn't have worked.

We saw that on the The Flash. Kid-Flash on Earth One with Jessie Quick from Earth Two, they do try to have that relationship but eventually it does fizzle out.

Mon: Let's talk about the Spider-People. There’s Spider Noir, voiced by Nicolas Cage.

Ron: What a resurgence!

Mon: When we first saw this film, I remember I was like, ‘who is this? This such a familiar voice.’ But he really works in this character, because it's actually quite subdued. Because Spider Noir is so different from the rest of the Spider-People who are human, but yet he brings this gravitas and credibility to it. I really like the character.

Ron: I love Spider Noir. They've actually got comic book spin-off for him and yeah, definitely check it out.

Mon: So, there’s Spider-Ham who is voiced by John Mulaney. I would say that he's probably the strangest incarnation in this film. But the creators realized it and definitely used him to the minimal.

Ron: But they make the quirky work, which I liked. There's not too much hamminess, pardon the pun, but it's funny.

Mon: We also have Peni Parker, voiced by Kimiko Glenn. She doesn't have spider-powers, but she has a robot created by her father which is powered by radioactive spider. So her abilities are completely different but very integral to the plot.

So, let's talk about the main Spider-Man in this film, which is Peter B. Parker voiced by Jake Johnson. He's basically the Spider-Man we know, but different. He’s been Spider-Man for 22 years.

Spider-Man on Miles’ Earth has been in action for 10 years. He's voiced by Chris Pine and he's blond.

So, Peter B. is closer to the Spider-Man that we’re used to, but he's older. He's semi-retired because he's suffering from a heartbreak. He and Mary Jane Watson have broken up and he's really, really struggling with that.

Ron: We also learn that Peter B. Parker has lost his Aunt May. So, he's pretty much alone. Being Spider-Man has kind of lost its charm. He's saved people, and he's helped people but he still had to face these losses on his own. He's still hiding his identity. It's not been an easy life and he seems kind of depressed but unable to get any help for it. Which is not surprising—how are you going to tell your therapist that you’re depressed because you’re Spider-Man?

Mon: Yeah. So when he's drawn into this world, all he wants to do is get back. He's not interested in helping Miles with his goal, which is taking down Wilson Fisk.

Ron: He's also not as capable. He realizes very soon that Miles needs a mentor. He's lost his own Spider-Man, so he needs somebody with Peter B.’s experience to teach him the way. That's not what he wants to do. He just wants to get out of here. He definitely does not want somebody looking up to him.

Mon: Especially not a kid. As we soon realize, Peter B. and his relationship with Mary Jane dissolved because she wanted kids and he didn’t it. This is a subplot that happens with a lot of superheroes because given their lifestyle, it doesn't seem safe. So, we can understand that maybe that's why Peter B. did not want to start a family.

But at the same time, Miles is kind of a reminder of what he could do and could be and he does change his mind by the end of it, because Miles can do that to people.

Ron: I mean, it is a lot of responsibility. Peter B. does not seem in the right place for that kind of responsibility, so this particular mission ends up changing his mind because he realizes what he doesn't have and what he could have with somebody like Miles.

Mon: When I first watched this film,I felt like the biggest chink in the armor was Johnson's voicing of Peter B. Parker. I felt like he didn't bring that much gravitas to the role. And while his voice and Chris Pine’s voice [sic] are both very similar in the film, I just found that the OG-Peter had more of a punch when he was speaking, whereas with Jake Johnson, it's not that much.

That being said, three watches later, I'm fine with it.

Ron: I also felt the same way. But having seen it more times now, I feel like Jake Johnson's voice kind of works with Peter B. because it sounds older, it sounds jaded. He sounds like a mellow man.

Chris Pine’s Peter is more hopeful and younger.

Mon: He’s excitable because he's only 10 years into this and he’s only 26, so he has the world at his feet. And he's in a happy relationship and everything. But yeah, I can understand where we originally came from and why we’ve changed our minds now.

And especially because when you listen to Peter B. in conversation with Miles, it's so different because Shameik Moore is bringing so much emotion and levity to the voice. Miles is so alive and he's an animated character, but he’s popping off that screen. But, it makes more sense when you've watched it a few times.

Ron: Absolutely.

Mon: The entire voice cast is brilliant. It is not only full of these known names but they really add their own dimension to all these characters. We haven't even mentioned Doc Ock yet!

Who doesn’t love a world which has a gender-bent Doc Ock? Kathryn Hahn as Olivia Octavius, she's scary. She's scary good, but she's scary scary too. I just love this character, she's amazing.

Ron: I also love that when she's revealed as Doc Ock, she says that only her friends call her Liv. And later on, when we meet Peter’s Aunt May, she says, ‘Oh, it's Liv’. [both laugh] Are these two friends? I need to know more about this story.

Mon: Speaking of Aunt May, she’s voiced by Lily Tomlin. I really like this Aunt May, because it seems like she’s really apart of Spider-Man’s universe. We're so used to seeing Aunt May as being this frail, old Auntie who really needs help and protecting, but here, Peter Parker has an arsenal of suits and gadgets and it looks like it's basically because Aunt May is Peter's Q.

Ron: Yeah, because she makes up the suit for Miles. So, she's obviously been helping Peter for a long time now.

Mon: And she's got this edge to her, which I like, I’m totally digging.

Ron: She's amazing.

I think the only thing that I would change in Into the Spider-Verse is the way they kind of fat shame Peter B. Parker. I mean, the guy is depressed, he is lonely. Yeah, he eats a few more pizzas and he’s got a gut, do we have to keep bugging him about it?

Mon: Yeah, I think one joke, maybe Miles is like ‘oh, what’s that?’ But then it happens three or four times, so it was a little too much.

Ron: And considering that Hollywood as a whole, and especially superhero films, are so nasty about people's body sizes, I really feel like we could have done without it in this world.

Mon: Yeah, I agree with you. That's probably the biggest issue and criticism that we can have about this film.

Ron: Because the rest of the film is great and the characterizations are great! There are some moments when you’re just like, ‘wow these characters are so well thought out’.

Like when Peter B., Miles and Gwen Stacy go to see Aunt May, for Peter B. he's lost his Aunt for a long, long time. He can't wait to get out of there. He barely even waits for her to answer the door, because he just needs to leave. And he finally says, ‘I'm not ready for this’. And we understand how Aunt May is shocked when she sees a version of her Peter standing in front of her, but for him, it's just as devastating to see somebody who he’s lost.

At the same time we got a more quirky scene later on where Peter B. sees this world’s Mary Jane. And yes, she's younger, she's different from the Mary Jane of his world, but he cannot get over the fact that this is Mary Jane and he really needs to speak to her.

Mon: He, sort of, uses this Mary Jane as a proxy for venting all the feelings and emotions that he has for his own one. And it's so funny because she's essentially asking for bread…

Ron: And he's a waiter.

Mon: And he's just going on and on about how he's failed her, he's disappointed her. And she's like, ‘what?’.

Ron: ‘It's only bread’.

Mon: It's just so funny. It's like these moments which are so tinged with emotion but also levity and they just do it perfectly time and time again.

Ron: And there are so many laugh out loud moments in this film and that really helps, because there are some devastating moments as well.

Like, we’ve already mentioned Peter B. meeting Aunt May, but Miles loses his Uncle right in front of him. And that entire sequence is so so sad, because we've already seen how much Miles loves his Uncle Aaron, and he also obviously loves his nephew as much. For them to be on opposite sides, and for Aaron to be killed just as he is realizing that Miles has become Spider-Man and that the two of them need to figure this out, it’s just an awful way for that entire sequence to go down.

And then when Jefferson comes to tell Miles, he can't really speak to Miles because Miles has been tied up by the Spider-People so that he does not get into any more trouble. So, Jefferson kind of goes about it very differently and he doesn't come out with what happens but he just tries to tell Miles that they're there for him, because they don't want Miles to end up going down the same pathway that Aaron did, which ended up in Aaron dying. It's a really touching scene.

And the two of them on the two different sides of the door, feeling this particular loss so strongly but not be able to communicate it, it just gets me every time I see it.

Mon: Yeah, this entire film is quite a rollercoaster ride, but it never feels like anything is too contrived.

Which is funny because this is an animated film with a whole bunch of Spider-People. But yeah, it just really understands the human condition.

Ron: When you're invested in the characters, you become more interested in everything that's happening in the film. And we haven't even talked about Wilson Fisk yet.

Yeah, he's the bad guy. But why is he doing what he's doing? We figure out that Wilson Fisk as strong and powerful and scary as he is, he had a family. And he lost that family because of the person he was. He's conducting these experiments with Doc Ock in the hopes that he will be able to get a version of his family from another universe.

And as I was watching this for the fourth time, I realized that Fisk is never going to get what he wants, not because the Spider-People are going to stop him—which they do—but because even if he does succeed, the version of his wife and son that he will get are never going to be his wife and son. They're going to be another Wilson Fisk's wife and son. And also, as we figure out, the alternative dimension Spider-people, they can't actually stay here, they start glitching. And the longer they stay, the more dangerous it becomes. And they finally figure out that if they stay too long, they will die. So, Fisk is never going to get what he wants, but he's so desperate. And what I realized was that it's not just desperation to have a family again, it’s desperation for that redemption that he's never gonna get.

Mon: So, with Fisk, the reason he lost his family is because they caught him fighting Spider-Man, and they rushed out and were in a car accident. The thing is, his need for redemption comes from the fact that he knows that he's responsible. It’s that guilt that is driving him to do these experiments over and over again, even though it is harmful for his city.

I think that, that just makes such a great character, because it's not just fridging the dead wife. It’s the fact that we know that he's a bad guy, he knows he's a bad guy and this is the one thing that he's lost and he needs it back. And the layers of knowing that he's never gonna get what he wants, makes the story even more powerful.

Ron: Every character is so well thought out in this film that you just can't not watch it again and again, because every time I've watched this film I found a new layer to another character. That's great! Because that's what you want in a superhero film, that rewatchability and to spend more time with people that you’ve ended up really caring about.

Mon: It's so easy, especially with genre films, to get wrapped up in spectacle and for far too long genre films only relied on spectacle. But in this film, you know from the very instance that it begins that you're going to be invested in the characters. And the story comes second, the gimmicks come third.

Ron: Gimmickry could have easily been the leading force for this film. There are so many different animation styles working in this film because of all the different universes. You've got Miles’ universe, You’ve got Peter B.'s universe; you've got Gwen Stacy's universe. You've got Spider Noir’s black and white world; you've got Spider-Ham’s 2D animation; you’ve got Peni Parker, who's from the anime universe. That's a lot and that's why it took this film so long to be made.

But all these different animation styles make it even more beautiful to watch. It doesn’t take away from the actual story or the characters. That’s what I love.

Mon: The combination of all these animation techniques add layers to the story and the plot, while the writing has added layers to each of the characters.

What I really loved about the animation is that it brings this vibrancy that we are so not used to seeing, even in animation. I mean, you can understand why it took them, what, four years to bring this movie to life. Every time we look there's something else that you find in the corner here or the corner there, because it's so artistic, and these aesthetics are from the comic book world, but for the screen. So, this is poetry in motion, quite literally.

Ron: Absolutely.

Mon: I mean I just love looking at this film; each frame can be a canvas that you can hang on your walls. It's amazing.

And it's no wonder that this film ended up getting the Oscar for Best Animated Film, it would have been an absolute travesty had it not.

Ron: Because Into the Spider-Verse brings together everything that we love about genre films, superhero films, and animation films, but it also does this amazing thing of appealing to a variety of audiences. It doesn't matter what age you are, you're going to love this film, and that's great.

Mon: Every time you see these Twitter watch parties or something, people are just going out of their minds with new things that they’ve found or new little Easter Eggs, and that’s why everybody loves this film. It's hard not to, because it's just such an incredible world full of incredible characters.

And we haven’t even come to the music and the songs.

Ron: So good, so good. I have listened to this soundtrack and score so much since I first watched the movie. I think my Spotify is bored of me.

Mon: What I like about the soundtrack is that it leans into the fact that Miles has mixed heritage, so there's a lot of songs by hip hop, rap R&B stars, and they really definitely add to Miles’ story. It’s incredible.

Especially the ‘leap of faith’ scene, and the ‘shoulder touch’ scene. Both of them, they’re incredible scenes, but the music and the score just add a whole new dimension to how you feel about those scenes.

Ron: Everything works so synchronously in this film. It's a masterpiece honestly.

Mon: And we don't use that word lightly, but I can't argue with that. Having watched it four times in two years, and to really enjoy it every time we watch it, that's what surprises me.

The last scene of the film definitely suggest that there's going to be a sequel. Now, we do know that there is a sequel planned for 2022. We're not entirely sure which angle they're gonna go with. It seems that they're going to bring in the Spider-People again. Let's just hope that it lives up to the layers of storytelling and characterization that it does in this film.

I'm looking forward to seeing these characters again, for sure. And I'm curious to know if Spider-Man 2099 is also going to be there.

Ron: We do get to see him, and it does seem to suggest that he has a dimension-hopping device with him. Whether that means that he's going to appear in the next film, we don't know. Voiced by Oscar Isaac, this is a character we definitely want to see. It will be fun to see the Spider-People that we already know make some new friends and add some new abilities to their arsenal.

Mon: I'm just glad that we got this film, and that it was received so well, not only was it critically appraised, but fans loved it, it was big in the box office. It's so rewatchable that I'm pretty sure Sony is making lots of money. Because stories like this, they need to be told, because they're a completely different perspective, completely different audience, and it expands who can watch,s enjoy and see themselves in these superhero films.

What I will say is that given the kind of strobe lighting and animation, for some people you might enjoy this film more as a home viewing experience, rather than on the big screen.

When we first saw it on the big screen, there's so much coming at you, it's a little too much stimulus. When you watch it in the comfort of your own home, you might be able to enjoy it even more.

Ron: I agree with you. The first time I watched it, I found it a bit too much. I wasn't able to concentrate on everything that was happening. But when I watched it again on a smaller screen, I felt like I could really appreciate the details.

Mon: Yeah, it’s not so overwhelming.

Ron: But this has been such a great film to go back to. And every time I've watched it, it's just been like meeting old friends, but also finding new characteristics and new details. It's been a wonderful experience, and I can't wait for the sequel.

What did you love about Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse? We'd love to hear from you.

Ron: You can find us on Twitter @Stereo_Geeks. Or send us an email stereogeekspodcast@gmail.com. We hope you enjoyed this episode. And see you next week!

Mon: The Stereo Geeks logo was created using Canva. The music for our podcast comes courtesy Audionautix.

[Continuum by Audionautix plays]

Transcription by Otter.ai and Mon.

[the-fangirl-way]

2: Ink

I looked up Harry's file, I had looked at it before on the FBI page, but it was the standard documents, medical history, school records, and his background.

I pulled out the access code Mr. Callahan had given me and typed it into the systems network, instantly at least thirty more documents on Harry came up, these were the very private documents that only officials such as Mr. Callahan and the higher ranked officers were allowed access to.

The newest up to date picture of Harry had been his mugshot from six months ago, back when his skin wasn't so pale it was almost gray, or when his cheeks weren't so sunken in from malnourishment. His hair was tamed, still long, but not as long as it was now.

Harry had been an attractive guy at one point, although I would never admit that to anyone.

Reports of Harry's recent run in with the law came up and I wasn't shocked to find out he had ties with several drug busts and had been caught using more than once. It was minor charges of marijuana, nothing heavier than THC.

The next few files were smaller accusations, a DUI, and a claim of property damage, the dated year was Harry's senior year of high school, no doubt a stupid high school prank.

Nothing really seemed to stand out, but I jotted down the small accounts in the file.

The next couple of pages were more or less just added information, court dates, tickets, so on and so forth.

It wasn't until about the fifth page I found the one document that could be my potential next lead.

Mr. Samuel Tracey, the owner of the handgun found in Harry's car that night.

It looked like I was going to have to pay Mr. Tracey a visit.   

Samuel Tracey lived six blocks from my apartment, he wasn't hard to find.

I knocked on his door and waited patiently, I could hear shuffling from the other side. Finally a gruff voice hollered "Who is it?"

"Detective DeLaney. I'm looking for a Samuel Tracey." I said holding up my badge to the peephole, the deadbolt clicked and the door cracked open before an old man with a beard submerged from behind it.

He was wearing glasses and a sweater vest, those were the first things I noticed about Mr. Tracey.

"What do you want?"

"Mr. Tracey, have you ever seen this man?" I asked holding up a picture of Harry from the folder in my hands.

Tracey studied the picture for a second before nodding slightly.

"I've seen him. Why? What has he done?"

I looked around, his house was located on a busy street, cars and people passing by.

"It's kind of a personal matter, mind if I come inside?" I asked and he paused before slowly moving out of the doorway allowing me to step inside.

His home was warm, and smelled old.

"Have a seat." Tracey grumbled before taking a seat himself on the recliner across from the couch.

"So what's he done?"

"Well, Mr. Tracey-"

"Call me Sam." He corrected.

"He was found about six months ago with a handgun in his car, this particular handgun belonged to you." I said and he sighed a long exasperated sigh.

"Damn kids." He mumbled under his breath.

"Excuse me?" I asked and he rubbed his hands together sitting forward.

"Harry and my boy were friends, Douglas," He said gesturing to a picture of a young man about Harry's age hanging on the wall.

"Douglas was killed about two months ago in a drug heist." Tracey said clearing his throat and I instantly felt sympathy for him.

"I'm so sorry."

"No, he was always getting into trouble, hell from the time he was in elementary school I was getting calls for his behavior, I didn't expect much more out of him as he got older." He explained, I noticed then the bottle of scotch and glass sitting on the coffee table. Mr. Tracey poured himself a glass before offering me some which I declined.

"My wife Laura," He continued, "died giving birth, leaving me to raise Douglas. I tried my best by him, worked three jobs to give him the best life I could give him, but he took it for granted." He said taking a sip of his drink.

"Mr. Tra- Sam," I corrected, "You said Harry and your son were friends?" I asked and he nodded.

"Harry and Douglas went to school together, and they were friends all the way up until about six months ago when Harry disappeared. They would hang out after school and once they graduated my son and Harry would hang out almost every other day or so, no doubt both doing things they shouldn't do, which leads me to ask again, what did Harry do?"

I sighed and opened the folder containing Harry's file.

"About six months ago the police found Harry's car outside of a Mr. Wesley Langston's home, he had been waiting there for about four hours for Mr. Langston to return home, and he had your handgun in the car with him. He also had some rope, sheets, duct tape, other various items, so the intent was clear what he was planning on doing." I said and Mr. Tracey's features changed to surprised by the news.

"Harry?" He asked and I nodded.

"Harry was such a good kid, I mean, he got into trouble like Douglas but Harry would never try to kill anyone.."

"I would like to think so too Mr. Tracey, but as of right now Harry is still pledging guilty until proven otherwise." I said and Tracey sighed.

"I don't know anything about the gun. I realized it was missing about two weeks ago when I was going through my things trying to find something to sell to pay my rent," he said taking another sip, "since Douglas passed I've let myself slip, I lost all three of my jobs, of course, the government takes no pity on people like me. So I decided to try and sale some of my things to get money to get back on my feet until I could find a job, I didn't even know the gun was gone until then." He explained and I nodded sympathizing.

"Well, the gun will stay with the police for evidence until the trial is over and decided, if you want it back-"

"I don't want it back." Tracey said cutting me off.

"Tell them to keep it, I'll even sign my name over to them, I just, I don't want it back. I'm old," He started, "I'm old and I'm at the point now, my wife is gone, my son is gone, if someone breaks into my house with the intent to kill me, well, I'll be ready." His eyes were misty and I swallowed a lump, such a sad thing when someone doesn't value their life anymore after all the trials and tribulations they had been through.

"I understand." I said finally, gathering my things to leave.

"I'll let the police department know that you want to sign the title over to them, I'm sure someone will contact you within the next week or so to do it."

Tracey nodded and then he too stood up.

"I'm sorry I wasn't more help." He said and I shook my head.

"No, you were a good help, I can mark this off my list." I said and he smiled a small smile then offered to walk me out.

"Thank you for your time Mr. er, Sam." I corrected.

"You're quite welcome Ms. DeLaney."

I headed to my car, it had started to rain, shocker.

My phone began to ring and it was Lennon.

"Hello?"

"Good morning." He said from the other end and I could practically hear his flirty smirk.

"Are you off today?" I asked.

"I am, I was actually wondering if you wanted to get some lunch?" He asked and I wanted to say yes, but I knew I had far too much research to do.

"I would love to, but Callahan has me on Harry search all weekend."

"Oh, I understand." He said sighing.

There was a silence.

"So I'm guessing our dinner plans are off for tonight then?"

I felt my heart sink, I had forgotten about our date.

"Tristan I-"

"No really, it's fine." He said sincerely although I knew he was really disappointed.

I thought about it for a minute.

"You know what? How does takeout sound? My place tonight? Maybe you can help me with my research." I said and I heard him chuckle.

"Sounds great. Seven?"

"Seven." I agreed before hanging up.

I drove to the library, it was always quiet there and I figured I could get some more research done.

The wind whipped around me creating goosebumps on my arms and legs, I was glad I had chosen to wear slacks today.

As I stepped through the library door, the warmth welcomed me, I always silently adored libraries, the smell of books and the serene calm of the silence of those going into parallel universes created in their minds by the turning of each page.

The librarian, Doris, knew me well, she lived in our building for while after Devlin and I moved in and I had come to this library many times in the past to do research on cases. She smiled fondly at me as I walked over the help desk.

"Detective DeLaney nice to see you."

"Doris, I told you, call me Avery." I said smiling and she laughed.

"I'll try to remember that."

I smiled at at her and headed over to the table I usually sat at, pulling out my laptop and connecting it to the internet.

The next four hours I spent looking up every single detail I could get about Harry, his mother Anne, his sister Gemma, his father Desmond, all of the people in his life. There was nothing out of the ordinary, which only infuriated me more that I wasn't getting anything.

My cell phone buzzed in my pocket and I stepped outside to take the call, it was Devlin.

"Hey Ave, I'm on lunch wanna grab something?" She asked and I thought about declining but the growl in my stomach told me otherwise.

"Where?"

**

I met Devlin at Wahaca, a Mexican restaurant, she was sitting in a corner booth clad in her scrubs, today was Minnie Mouse.

"I ordered you a tequila sunrise." She said smirking and I rolled my eyes.

"It's midday."

"And? You walked here didn't you?"

I started to protest but the waitress reappeared with a large glass of orange and red liquid, an umbrella and orange wedge sat on top.

"Thank you."

She took our order before disappearing again.

"So, any news on Styles?" She asked dipping a chip in salsa.

"No, and the only lead I got turned out to not really be a lead at all. Turns out the gun that was on him belonged to a friend of his father, his son, Harry's friend, was killed a couple of months ago and he doesn't want the gun back." I said and she looked sympathetic.

"How sad."

"Tell me about it."

"So what now?" She asked and I shrugged tugging on my hair.

"I have no idea Dev, Callahan wants all this information on Styles by Monday and I have nothing."

"What about the other guy? Langston right?"

"I haven't done a lot of research on him yet, but the police already talked to him and said he cleared." I said and she nodded.

"You should still do some research just in case they missed something."

"You're right." I agreed and the food arrived.

We ate and talked some more about the case and her job.

"I'm telling you, if he asks again I'm tempted to do it." She said and I laughed.

"I think you should, he's good looking, smart, he's obviously got money.."

"Yeah, yeah." She said waving her hand.

"What about you and Officer sexy?" She asked talking about Lennon, I could feel my cheeks reddening.

"He's actually coming over tonight."

Her eyebrows lifted and she smirked.

"Oh really? Should I occupy myself with something tonight and leave you two...?"

"No, it's not like that." I said rolling my eyes, "He's just coming to help me with the case."

"Mmhmm, I hope you shaved your legs."

I rolled my eyes but could feel my cheeks blazing again.

"I mean it's not like you haven't-"

I blushed even harder and avoided her gaze.

"Oh my God, you haven't slept with him yet? Seriously?"

"Shut up." I said and she burst into a fit of giggles.

"Ave! Get on it! I mean literally get on it. "

"Shut up!"

"I'm just saying!" She said throwing her hands up and then checking her watch.

"Shit, I have to get back to work."

I nodded and slid out of the booth behind her, laying a tip on the table as we walked out.

"I'll see you at home." I said and she shook her head.

"Oh no, I'm not coming home until late, I'll leave you and Officer Hot Pants to it."

I smacked her on the arm and she laughed again before hugging me and departing in the opposite direction to her car.

The walk back to the library was short, but I was freezing by the time I got there.

**

My muscles were stiff from sitting so long and when I checked the time I jumped in panic to realize that it was going on five thirty.

I put my laptop back in my bag and my things before waving goodbye to Doris and leaving the library.

The air outside had dropped measurably and I shivered getting into my car putting the heat on full blast.

When I got to the apartment I took a quick shower, shaving my legs I felt the heat return to my cheeks, Devlin could be right.

**

I was in the kitchen when I heard the doorbell buzz and I headed to the speaker.

Come on up." I said and within a few minutes I heard a light tap on the door.

I opened the door, expecting to see Tristan on the other side, but who was there instead had my heart pounding, my head swimming, and the feeling of vomit creeping up my windpipe.

He was leaning up against the door frame, his arms crossed, clad in a white tee shirt and a pair of black jeans; his inky tattoos snaked up his arms and across his torso visible through his thin tee shirt. His hair was now tamed and swirled in waves around his face, a smirk placed on his full lips, his green eyes burning dangerously into mine.

"Hello Avery." Greeted Harry.  

[crazyrandomfucker]

Hero Apprentice Twins 3

Chapter 3:  Stormy weather

Summary:

This akuma in particular is very similar to canon, but instead of summer it's October, the whole twin thing going on and some love parallels of later akumas.

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

-At the Dupain-Cheng living room-

"Manon! Mina! Give Marin those hats back!" says Marinette chasing two little girls across the living room.

"But we want to be designers too" says Mina dodging Marinette again.

"Those aren't finished!" says Marin trying to catch Mina but failing again.

"Please girls! Marin needs to finish those! He should be working and not chasing you two!" says Marinette as she hits her head against the table.

"And remember, press 1# for Aurore and Aria and press 2# for Mirielle and Miriam" says the TV presenter.

"Mirielle! I love Mirielle!" says Mina grabbing Marin's phone and sending a message to the TV station.

"I love Miriam" says Manon grabbing Mari's phone and copying her sister.

"Hey!" say the designers at unison.

"I forgot today was the weather girls competition, Aurore mentioned it if I'm not wrong" says Marinette.

"You know Mirielle and Miriam?" ask the little girls.

"Well, we were classmates once" says Marinette.

"Yeah, but they are really timid. We know better Aurore and Aria" points Marin.

"Can you present us to them?" say the girls with puppy eyes.

"Well... I-" says Marinette trying to resist the puppy eyes.

"We can't unless they want to" says Marin as he catches the hats.

"But we-!" begins Mina, but the doorbell rings.

Marin opens the door and the Césaire twins are standing there. "Hey man, you busy?" says Alen.

"A little bird told us that your crushes are doing a photoshoot in the park" says Alya smirking.

"It's not a crush!" says Marinette blushing.

"I don't have a crush Alya. Besides, we're both working" says Marin.

"Another request from your crush boss or is it from THE boss?" asks Alen.

"First, only god knows how many times I've told you that I'm not crushing on Adrienne" says Marin. "Second, I have a request from Gabriel to make a hat for Adrienne's Halloween costume, which I have already finished".

"Thanks god, because I think that I DO have a crush on her, lucky me I won't have competition. Let's go see her" says Alen.

"Yeah, no. Also, me being the only competition? Are her model friends and army of fans not enough competition for you?" says sassily Marin.

"Man, you're the only one I'm afraid to lose to. You've got it all: baked goods, baked looks and baked talent" teases Alen.

"Bro, stop it with those half-baked puns. Besides, you're more handsome than I am" says Marin.

"Shut up you two and kiss already. What are you working on Marinette?" asks Alya curious.

"I'm babysitting the daughters of my mom's friend. They are... Little precious angels" says Marinette. Mina and Manon appear from behind Marinette.

"Well, luckily for you, we're experts in dealing with little precious angels and we know that a walk in the park can help to tire them" says Alya.

"And what a better opportunity to show your progress on the hat to the one who is going to wear it?" says Alen winking to Marin. "Besides, taking a break is necessary when working and I want to see her but I'm not going without my bro".

Marin sighs. "Okey, I'll go  with you scaredy cat, but you owe me".

"Wait, who are them?" ask Mina and Manon.

"We?" asks Alen smiling.

"We are unicorns from the magical planet Wualulu trapped in the bodies of these two gorgeous teens" says Alya getting down.

"No you're not" says Manon laughing, but then she doubts. "Are you?"

"Do you grant wishes?" ask Mina excited.

"We only grant wishes to well-behaved children and we eat bad-behaved ones. What are you little monkeys?" says Alen.

"I don't know, they sometimes do behave" says Marinette smiling.

"We'll behave!" say both little girls.

"Then let's ride to the park!" says Alya as she and Alen put Manon and Mina in Marin's and Marinette's shoulders.

-At the Kidz+ TV station-

"Now it's time to announce the winners of the Kidz+ weather twins contest!" says the TV presenter. "And the winners are... Mirielle and Miriam! Congratulations you two! And don't be sad Aurore and Aria, you've only lost for..." says as he looks at the paper. "Half a million votes! Yikes, better luck next time!"

Aurore and Aria leave the studio furious and they enter the elevator. "We should have won! We are more cute, more confident and we're dressed a lot better!"

Without the girls noticing it, two dark butterflies enter to the elevator and the elevator stops. The girls, surprised, turn around and see the akumas approaching them just as the elevator lights began to fail. In a desperate attempt of defending themselves, Aurore and Aria fence their umbrellas trying to scare away the butterflies, but as soon as the umbrellas touch the cursed butterflies, they turn to a very dark purple and a light purple butterfly symbol appears on Aria's and Aurore's faces.

"Hello Stormy Weather and Hail Queen. I am Hawk Moth. You should have won that contest but worry not, you can be my weather girls. In exchange, I want you to bring me the miraculous".

"With pleasure Hawk Moth" say the girls and a dark blob covers them.

-At the park-

Adrien and Adrienne are sitting on a fountain with the new winter line their father was releasing in weeks and posing for their Italian photographer, Vincent, when they notice four familiar people coming into the park. Adrienne's face lights when she sees Alen and Alya, but then her expression turns into a strange mix of blush and confusion when she notices that Marin and Marinette are carrying kids on their backs. Adrien also brightens up when he sees the Césaire twins, but then he looks confused because of the little girl on Mari's shoulders, and finally his gaze turns bitter as he glares Marin, who returns him a similar glare. While Adrien now understood better Marin thanks to the little chat with Adrienne some weeks ago, he still didn't trust him because of his odd behaviour around Adrien. Now that he thought about it, Adrien finds weird that both Dupain-Cheng twins behave different only around him.

"Oh no. No no no no no. Don't put hat face. Cheer up, think of Mamma's spaghetti" says Vincent.

The models remember that they still are on a shoot and they regain focus again, putting on a model facade and fake perfect smiles for the cameras. Even so, after twenty or so pictures it gets really boring and the Agreste can't help but to lose their focus. Then, as the expert photographer he is, Vincent notices the boredom of his models and gives them a little break as he searches for something to spice the photoshoot up a bit. The models happily wave at their friends and Marinette waves at Adrien with a dumbfounded expression until Alya hits her softly on her back, making Mari regain some composure. However, Alen just begins to tease Marin about him having a crush on Adrienne (again) and the designer just rolls his eyes. Adrienne goes to the girls and pulls them into a hug while Adrien just shakes Alen hand and holds a kind of staring competition with Marin. Noticing that, Vincent comes up with an idea and, while Mina and Manon beg to the designers to go and play with them until they resign and accept, he approaches the young models and carefully scans the Césaire twins, nodding in approvement.

"Friends! Some emotions are lacking on the young models and what is better than some friends to bring out great emotions than friends" exclaims Vincent without making much sense. "Are you two interested on being in a photoshoot with the young Agreste's?"

"Uh, us?" asks brilliantly Alen.

"I'm sorry sir, but we're horrible picture material" says Alya with a smug grin. "But our friends Marin and Marinette who are over there would be an excellent choice".

Adrienne blushes and Adrien frowns. " But aren't they busy with... those kids?" asks Adrien.

"Don't worry sunshine, we could take care of the little angels if that brings out your model smile" says Alya winking.

"Yeah, imagine making the shoot with sweet old Marinette, she's really cute and hey, maybe she could give you a treat or two as a thanks later" says Alen as he and Adrien gawk thinking on food.

"Idiots" say Alya and Adrienne deadpanned.

"Wait a moment! Those beauties, those cute little features!" says Vincent. "Forget about friends, those two little girls would bring out the excellent adorableness that we need for the picture!"

"What?!" exclaim the teens together, backing away.

"Excuse me! Young sitters!" says Vincent ignoring the surprised teens. "Would it be okay if I borrowed those two cuties for a photoshoot?"

"Uh- I-" stutters Mari unsure of how to react.

"I'm sorry sir, but unless their parents’ consent, I'm afraid we can't" says Marin diligently.

"Of course, that's understandable. Could you perhaps ask their parents?" asks Vincent.

"It would be difficult; we don't have their father's phone number and their mother is currently working. I'll try to send her a message, but I can't assure she'll answer" says Marin and sends a message to Nadja.

"Thank you for being so understanding young man. May I know your name?" says Vincent, examining Marin's clothes.

"I'm Marin Dupain-Cheng and this is my sister Marinette. The girls are Mina and Manon" says Marin.

"Oh, I see you've met already Marin" says Adrienne. She puts on a proud expression. "He's my personal designer and my father has taken interest in him. You will probably work with him in the future, he and Marinette are both really talented".

"We're not that talented" says Marin blushing a bit and rubbing his neck.

"Is that so? Then it's my pleasure to meet you" says Vincent.

"Likewi- Oh, Nadja answered. She says that it's fine as long as there aren't many photos and they are revised by her before using them" says Marin.

"Wait, Nadja?" asks Adrienne confused. "As in Nadja Chamack? The reporter?"

"Yes, she is mom's old friend and we sometimes babysit her daughters while she works" says Marinette sheepishly.

"Anyway, let's just simply finish the break and take the pictures" says Vincent, but Manon stops Mari.

"But I still want to ride the carrousel!" says Manon making puppy eyes.

"Sir, couldn't we have an extended break, we'll be in better shape later" asks Adrienne succumbing into the puppy eyes.

"Fine, but I'll expect only the best afterwards" says Vincent resigning.

"We'll ride the carrousel with them, we already have kept Adrien and Adrienne for ourselves" says Alya as she and Alen pick up the toddlers with smug faces.

"Alya, I love you, but I hate you so much right now" thinks Marinette. Then she notices Adrien approaching and her mind disconnects.

"Hello Marinette, what are you doing here?" says Adrien.

"I- We- Uh- We are Nadja babysitting- I mean, we're daughters Nadja- I mean-" stutters Marinette before Adrienne puts a hand on her shoulder.

"They are babysitting the daughters of Nadja Chamack" explains Adrienne.

"Really? Wow Marinette, I didn't know you were a babysitter" says Adrien impressed.

"I-I'm not really a ba-babysitter. I-I-I've just taken c-ca-care of them and N-Nino's yo-younger brothers" mumbles Marinette awkwardly as she plays with her fingers.

"I see..." says Adrien looking down, remembering what had happened some weeks ago on her rooftop.

"A-Are you o-o-ok Adrien" says Marinette noticing it.

"I'm fine, don't worry" says Adrien gloomy, getting a soft pinch from Adrienne.

"Hey, Marin! The girls want a balloon of Mirielle and Miriam!" says Alen and Marin goes to buy them mumbling something.

"What are you doing here by the way?" asks Adrien.

As Marinette opens her mouth to reply that he is obviously not fine, two akumas descend from the sky. When they see the balloon guy only selling  Miriam's and Mirielle's balloons, they get mad and Hail Queen freezes the poor guy. Marin, who was already back with Mari from giving the balloons to the girls, instinctively puts himself in front of Marinette, Adrien and Adrienne to protect them. Adrien is surprised by that and doesn't have time to react, but Adrienne blushes and mentally fawns over Marin. But unluckily, the akuma notice them and approach, freezing the Agreste's bodyguards who tried to immobilize them.

"Wait, those umbrellas, those faces... Aurore! Aria!" jumps Marinette before she can stop herself.

"Aria and Aurore are gone Marinette. We are Hail Queen and Stormy Weather!" says Stormy Weather.

"And look who do we have here, Agreste twins and Dupain-Cheng twins. Tell me, who did you vote at the contest?" says Hail Queen getting close to them.

"You two of course, I stopped from working just to cheer you two from home" lies Marin.

"I also vote you two" says Marinette quickly.

"Yeah, so did us. We even told our photographer, Vincent" says Adrien.

"We voted Mirielle and Miriam" say Manon and Mina, oblivious to the danger.

Hail Queen freezes the carrousel, trapping inside the little girls with Alen and Alya, and Stormy weather unleashes a storm that covers all of Paris. Adrien takes Adrienne and goes to the limo, letting both of them transform privately and go to their bags to find their kwamis, who were mysteriously gone until the models pull out a piece of cheese. The black kwamis appear and try to bite it, but the models call upon their transformation. Once they have suited up, they exit the limo using the opposite door to avoid suspicion.

Marin and Marinette, on the contrary, rush to the now frozen carrousel to check on their friends and the little girls. Alya and Alen reassure that they are okay and rush the designers to take cover as soon as they can. After promising their return, the designer duo run to the nearest bushes and check that no one could see them transforming. Their kwamis smile knowingly and the designers call upon their transformation, changing into their superheroes personas.

"We have to save them" says Ladybug.

"Agreed" responds Lordbug already leaping and landing near the carrousel.

"Lordbug! Man you need to call your sister and get us out of here" says Alen.

"No need to call me" says Ladybug landing. "I'm already here. I was just talking with two teens who begged us to save you. I recall their names are Marinette and Marin".

"Those are our friends!" says Alya excited.

"Have they abandoned us?" asks Manon and Mina.

"Of course not, they went for help, like us or the firemen" says Lordbug.

"Come on brother, let's try to break this igloo" says Ladybug backing off.

The red clad heroes throw simultaneously their yoyos in opposite directions, rolling them up around the iced carrousel, and pull to break the ice but the yoyos slip away without leaving even a scratch, but landing on the heroes foreheads. Meanwhile, Stormy Weather keeps shooting lightnings to the Mirielle's and Miriam's balloon and Hail Queen keeps shooting big ice chunks at them. People panic and everybody tries to run away, but the akumas chase a couple out of the park and they prepare to shoot once again, until a certain black cat appears on top of the park's fence that is in front of them. Then, Kitty Noir jumps behind them, cutting a possible escape path and thus creating a pincer attack pattern.

"Hey ice queens, why all the terrorizing?" says Kitty Noire moving her tail.

"Why don't you pick someone your own temperature?" says Chat smiling smugly.

"Our names it's not ice queen!" says angered Stormy Weather.

"We are Hail Queen and Stormy weather!" says Hail Queen with an angered but cold tone.

"Listen. I'm feline more generous today than usual" says Chat Noir as he slowly slithers down the fence while playing with his tail. "So cool down and we'll call it quits, okay?"

"Come on, don't give us the cold shoulder and surrender" says Kitty grinning.

The akumas give them a dead stare and Stormy Weather opens her umbrella evoking a gust of wind that sends Chat Noir flying across Paris, who lands on a car and, due to the strength of the impact, bounces to another car and bounces back again. Luckily for him, their superhero magical costume absorbs most of the hits they take, which if you combine it with the strength boost they had, the damage was almost non-existent, but they still felt that they were hit. To avenge her brother Kitty jumps to the akumas, but Hail Queen opens her umbrella and Kitty is tossed to the sky. When she's about to crash to the floor at the speed of sound, Stormy Weather opens again her umbrella and sends her flying in the same direction as her brother. However, before she hits the floor Lordbug catches her on his arms as he swings by. He lands and lets her down by herself, just as Ladybug lands next to them.

"And here I thought that cats always landed on their feet" says Ladybug amused, helping Chat to stand up.

"Well, thanks my Lady and my Lord, but we had it covered" says Chat leaning to kiss Ladybug's hand, but she boops his nose pushing him softly backwards.

"There's no time for your childish charms Chat Noir, but you're welcome" says Ladybug.

"We have some akumas to beat!" says Kitty Noire.

"We should be expecting lighting storms like, right now!" says Stormy Weather as she and Hail Queen descend. She lifts her umbrella and shots a lightning to the sky, which gets stormy and begins to roar with thunders.

Lightnings fall straight to the cat heroes and the bugs tackle them just before the lightnings strike them, rolling and ending with the bugs on the floor and the cats pinning them down. Chat Noir is surprised and smiles sheepishly as he rejoices internally for the unusual luck, but Ladybug deadpans and push his head towards the akumas to make him focus again, unimpressed by Chat's behaviour. Meanwhile, Lordbug thanks the gods for the amazing view he's getting to see, with Kitty pinning him down and her hair all down kind of blocking everything except her. Kitty at first is surprised, but in a moment of smugness, she pulls her hair back and smirks at Lordbug, making him fluster.

"Enjoying the views, my Lord?" says Kitty Noire with a wink.

"W-We sh-should foc-c-cus on the a-akuma f-fi-first, m-my Dame" stutters Lordbug being a blushy mess.

"Come on sis, those akumas have just won themselves a cat fight!" says Chat getting up and charging towards the akumas.

"Flat ice!" says Hail Queen smiling as she points to the floor and covers almost the whole street in ice.

Chat slips and falls, but before he hits the ground, Stormy Weather opens her umbrella, summoning a gust of wind that sends the heroes away. Ladybug and Lordbug react quickly and grab the nearest fixed objects, which resulted to be post lamps. The cats aren't that lucky, but Ladybug manages to catch Kitty Noire's tail and pulls her closer so she doesn't slip away. Lordbug doesn't catch Chat Noir at first, but he somehow gets a firm grip of his yoyo and throws it to Chat, getting the yoyo stuck on Chat's belt and pulling him closer. Then, Stormy Weather closes her umbrella and the wind disappears leaving the heroes mid-air, who fall to the ground and get up complaining. The akumas ignore the superheroes recovering from their fall and turn around to continue their march surrounded by a gust of wind that spun around them, pushing back cars and anything that came near them in a five meters radium. A broken electronic billboard lights up and shows an image of Mirielle and Miriam, catching the akumas attention. Hail Queen and Stormy Weather share a look as if they were mentally speaking to each other and destroy the billboard before heading to the TV station with a devilish grin on their faces.

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

First - Previous - Next

[nomnomsik]

To Catch a Dream - (13)

It’s difficult for Yoongi, who’s completely infatuated with you, to quietly remain your college friend. With a slow appearance of unusual tendencies in him, he realizes what he needs to do to attain his dream. However, jealousy and possession are universal in everyone.

Word Count: 3.3K

A/N: Things get worse. Way worse.

Trigger warning: yandere themes, unhealthy relationships, profanity, yelling, slight parental abuse, manipulation. Please do not read if you are sensitive to these topics. 

Your recovery was steady, allowing you to leave the hospital, a place which had given you a strange comfort throughout your week stay. Yoongi continued his visits, bringing gifts and small items he believed were of important significance. From roses to sweet fruit, he took it upon himself to make sure you were properly taken care of as if he wasn’t the reason you were lying there in the first place.

You were given an extra two days before being discharged. Before your discharge, you felt somewhat normal and healthier which nobody would believe. While you expected to pale in color, the only thing that changed was your weight. But that was only from physical changes. It was as if your mind had experienced a roller coaster. Yet the ride had not come to a halt.

"Moving?" You asked as Yoongi held your hand in his, walking out of the hospital. The strap of your bag hung onto his shoulder as you used his weight to walk properly.

"Yes, I've already bought a new place. An apartment."

You gulped, feeling a bit uneasy. He didn't even ask for your opinion?

"Is it pretty?" You forced a smile, stepping out for the first time in the sunlight. Your eyes glistened as you stared up at the bright blue sky, watching as the clouds slowly trudged along. The sweet smell of wind blew strands of hair behind you as tree branches rustled and swayed as if greeting your return back outside.

"Yeah, it is."

He took your hand, helping you into the back of the taxi before joining you.

"You're not sitting in the front?" You asked, watching him close the car door. Yoongi turned around, picking your hand gently and stroking your skin.

"No… I want to be with you right now." His voice was soft and delicate, with hints of shyness that seemed to parallel the Yoongi you used to remember.

The car ride was silent with only gentle touching shared between the two hands. Wind seeped in from the open window blowing Yoongi’s hair. He looked up, out the window, watching the buildings pass by in a blur.

"I know you'd be worried, but don't be." He interjected suddenly.

"What do you mean?"

"An investigation is going on, but don't worry about it. Your mother has it under control."

Your body stiffened as you looked down at your interlocked hands. A growing disgust overcame you as you pondered why you were even sitting there with him.

You need Yoongi. You're nothing without him.

Your throat tightened and head thumped. You felt small for following the man who hurt you. You wanted to cry and break down, cursing out to the sky that you hated yourself.

It's your fault. You hurt him first.

Did you love him or did you have to love him? The scarred image of your mother's eyes piercing into you made your skin crawl. You were sure you loved him before, but now, was it too late? You already invested more than a year. Wouldn't it be difficult to start over again, taking tedious steps to build a relationship that you already developed with Yoongi?

You understood him and he understood you. You two were similar, just lonely souls who transferred their loneliness onto each other rather than clearing it. Yoongi was independent, he could take care of him, not needing to burden you with his troubles and you were the same.

Despite all the things that made you cry, you never burdened him with your troubles. Karma always came to your side at the end as you remember chuckling darkly at the alcohol poisoning incident.

"We're here," Yoongi called, swiping his card before thanking the driver.

But you weren't there mentally. You still haven't made up your mind, haven't decided how you should feel. Do you love-

Yoongi tugged you again, breaking you out from your thoughts. You followed him, wobbling as you put your weight on him, Yoongi supporting you up like all the other times you relied on him.

The two of you slowly walked into the apartment complex and ascended the elevator. When you stepped out onto the eighth floor, the first thing you saw was a long balcony with the city underneath. Unlike your other home, where everything was inside the building, this new one had the door to each room outside with a railing you could look out from.

The city looked beautiful from where you stood and you stopped to take in the unique architecture and textures of the floors and walls. Trees rustled with a few branches poking out into the view of your floor, greeting you.

Yoongi watched your expression, peacefully enjoying how your hair blew back and your face softened. He let go of your hand, pulling out his silver keys and unlocking the door. He quickly reached from your hand again, pulling you in.

"Welcome. Do you like it?"

"I do…" you breathed, taking in the cleanliness and polished furniture. You took a seat on one of the white couches, running your fingers over the soft material.

A clock read 10:23 am, a painting greeted you, and a flower pot sang out to you. Yoongi took a seat beside you, touching the soft skin of your cheek before tilting your head to meet eyes. He leaned in, softly connecting lips as his hands came up to the back of your head. Nothing had changed. He still tasted like vanilla and he still kissed you as if you were going to break. His loose strands of black hair still tickled your skin and his eyes always remained closed. The two of you still moved together, like you were one, desperate for each other, afraid of each other. As Yoongi parted from your lips, his forehead met yours, his eyes intensely looking into your soul.

"I missed kissing you."

You gave a small nod, your hands folded on your lap. Why were you no longer feeling the tingles that were usually there? Before Yoongi could go in for another kiss, his phone vibrated loudly in his pocket. His clicked his tongue, annoying digging through his pocket to pick it up. His eyes widened at the caller ID, clearing his throat before putting it up to his ear.

"Good morning."

"Good morning, Yoongi! Are you home yet with y/n, yet?"

"Yes, we are."

"Can you put her on the line for me?"

"Of course."

He handed you the phone and you put it to your ear.

"Hello?"

"Hi, darling~”

“Oh, hi mom.”

“I know you got out of the hospital, but I really need you here. So I need you to help me with an upcoming event we have planned at the town hall."

"Today?"

"Yes today, I'm sorry for the short notice, but I realized it would be better to have you there. Also! You don't have to bring anything. We have anything you can wear."

"Mom, it seems like I don’t have a choice." You joked. "Alright, I'll go."

"Thank you darling~ Mommy loves you!"

"Love you too."

Your arm fell as the call clicked out. You handed the phone over to Yoongi, but he rejected it.

"That one is yours."

"Wait really?"

"Yeah, I upgraded our phones. Though I couldn't get the memory from the older phone to transfer over." Yoongi muttered, placing his own phone onto the coffee table. He looked back at you, his expression turning serious.

"Y/n…Don't ever change your number. Alright?"

His voice was different, completely laced with urgency, almost like a threat.

"If anything were to happen-" he paused. "Just never change it. Do you promise me?"

"I promise." You obediently responded. Getting him riled up at ten in the morning did not seem like something you wanted to do.

"Good girl." He complimented. You stood up, walking over to the front door, preparing to leave as soon as possible. As you reached for the hanger, you stopped, not seeing your bag.

“Yoongi?” You called.

“Yeah?”

“Have you seen my bag?” You walked in the living room, your eyes meeting his before catching the bag on top of his lap. “What the-”

“Yeah, I guess I might have seen your bag.” He smirked. You walked over, extending your hand out.

“Can you give it back to me?”

“No.”

“Yoongi.” Your voice stern as your eyes slanted. He held onto the bag with both arms, wrapping it into his embrace.

“No.”

“Why are you being like this all of a sudden?” You asked, crossing your arms in irritation. He looked down, refusing to meet your eyes as he muttered something under his breath. “What’d you say?”

You squatted down, trying to look up at his lowered face.

“But if I give you your bag back then… then you’ll leave me and go…I’ll miss you…”

“Oh, Yoongi…” You sighed. “I’ll stay in touch alright?”

“Alright…” He muttered. “I have work anyways.” He handed over the bag, pouting and sulking on the couch. You opened and closed the door with Yoongi listening as it slowly closed shut. He smiled to himself, laying down on the couch and staring up at the ceiling.

What fun will I have today?

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

“Mom~” You wrapped your mom in your arms, your body rocking back and forth as she held you in your arms.

“I’m so sorry for the short notice, darling…” Her voice muffled in your shoulder before letting you go. “We have lots to do, no second for delay. C’mon let’s go.”

You were helped in a sapphire blue dress, your hair was done and needless to say, you looked presentable enough. By now, you rarely cared about how you looked. You didn’t need to look like a beautiful gem when a particular someone already believed you were one.

“Now, listen y/n. Your job tonight is to talk as many people and make them feel welcomed. At some point, stay with a group and chat with them for the rest of the night.”

“But why?”

“It’s important for people to retain a good image of you. So what better way to do it with an event I’m in charge of?” Your mom smiled turning around to give orders to the staffers. “Okay, darling?”

“It doesn’t seem too difficult, I guess.” You shrugged.

“Great.”

But after a few hours of talking to almost everyone at the event, you stood at one of the cocktail tables, swirling the alcoholic beverage in its glass container by yourself, 9 pm at night. You sighed, finding these grand events completely boring. With a huff, you abandoned your table, walking through the hall to find another person to converse with. As you walked over to the bar, you spotted a familiar face entering the doors. Your eyes met from across the room and the male gave you a smile.

“Jimin!” You smiled, walking over to him and catching sight of the male that always seemed to be with him.

“Y/n,” He breathed out, smiling himself. “How have you been feeling?”

“Oh, I feel a lot better. I heard that you helped me. Thanks for that.”

“Of course, of course.” He gave a small bow, before ushering the male beside him. “I’m not sure if I formally introduced you, but this is Jungkook. Jungkook, this is y/n.”

“Hello.” His voice was small and calming, definitely emitting a reserved personality. He stood a bit taller than Jimin, his brown strands of hair almost covering his eyes.

“Hello, Jungkook.”

The three of you walked over to a cocktail table, pouring each other glasses of champagne. The bubbly liquid filled the top of each glass before you all cheered together. Jimin downed the drink immediately, before releasing a satisfying grunt.

“Damn, that’s some good stuff.” He smiled, pouring himself another glass. Jungkook slowly downed the drink, finishing the entire glass but in a more polite manner. He wiped his mouth with a napkin before shyly asking the older male for another glass. You barely took two sips, hating the way alcohol tasted. But over time, the glass slowly dwindled down until you finally finished the single glass.

The three of you were giggly idiots, not enough to disrupt the event, but then again, not being the most reserved guests. Without a doubt, you could feel the alcohol coursing through your veins making you much more bubbly and flirtatious. Jimin was wrecked, constantly laughing and barely able to form a coherent sentence without slurring. The younger looked at him concerned before shrugging it off as if he was used to it.

“So, y/n,” Jimin hiccuped, placing his fourth glass down on the table. “How’s your arranged marriage going, hmm? Did the loser finally propose to you?” He laughed, holding himself up from the table.

“Arranged? What are you talking about, Jimin? Stop talking, you’re so drunk.” You giggled, your face a flush of red.

“I’m not!” He protested even though he clumsily hunched over the table. “Everyone knows the arrangement of the two of your families. Did he never tell you?” His voice was much more serious, making you uncertain whether you should believe him or not.

“There’s no way it could be arranged.” You denied, forcing out a laugh. “Yoongi loves me. There’s no way.” You repeated again.

Jungkook spoke up this time, his eyebrows knit together.

“It is arranged.” He spoke clearly, unaffected by the alcohol the three of you had ingested.

“Okay, but how could you know when I don’t even know?” You countered.

“They probably didn’t want to tell you to make it seem ‘real.’” Jungkook argued, softly placing his glass onto the table. “It’s okay to be in denial. I’m pretty sure it’s arranged.”

“You guys can’t be serious.” You muttered, feeling a growing embarrassment come over your body. “Yoongi… He wouldn’t do that...” You spoke in a hushed whisper.

“Hyung, she’s in denial now. I knew you shouldn’t have brought the topic up.” Jungkook complained, sighing and shaking his head in frustration.

“Not my fucking fault. The dude’s an asshole, I swear- He’s so sensitive to everything. I bet he’d blame it on y/n knowing how often he gets jealous.”

“Hyung, you should shut it. Saying stuff like that even though you know nothing about their relationship is kind of-”

“No Jungkook, I know their parents. Why do you think her mother married that loser? The same thing happened herself. She probably just wanted y/n to go through the same thing because she had to do the same thing when she was younger. She’s just doing it out of spite I bet. As for Yoongi, the dude couldn’t care less.”

“You both are wrong!” You interjected, blushing at their conversation.

“I doubt it,” Jimin whispered, turning the other direction, the alcohol slowly wearing out of his body. This sort of conversation was suffocating. Nothing could change his mind. Yoongi was scum and that was final.

“I don’t want to hear this from someone who kissed me!” You accused, pouring a glass of champagne out of irritation.

“What?” Jungkook spoke up, turning his direction to his lover.

“I’ll explain later,” Jimin shrugged nonchalantly.

“You kissed another girl? Seriously?” He ticked in irritation, crossing his arms. “Ugh, Hyung, you have to stop doing that. How do you think I feel?”

“Listen, I said I’ll explain later.”

A new voice inserted itself into the conversation, causing the trio to jump.

“How about you explain right now, I’d be interested to hear.”

You quickly turned around in shock, meeting Yoongi’s eyes as he stared down at you before looking at the two males. He was dressed in a glossy black suit, his hair straightened and flat. Jewelry decorated his wrists as he gave a devious smirk at everyone at the table.

“Oh, did I interrupt something important?” He sneered, pulling you into his arms, your back hitting his chest. “I just thought it’d be nice to hear the reason why you kissed my girlfriend, Park. You even promised me you wouldn’t make any moves on her, but you’re nothing but a filthy liar.”

“Oh, get over yourself, Yoongi.” Jimin spat. “You’re so insanely jealous of everything it’s disgusting to see.”

Yoongi laughed. “Isn’t that an excuse for you to kiss any girl you can get your hands on?”

Jimin's hand twitched, clenching into a fist as he clamped his jaw shut.

“Let’s go, Jungkook.” Jungkook nodded, following the older to another section of the hall. Yoongi sighed, pulling you into his chest as he embraced you.

“I’m not happy with you.”

You opened your mouth in an effort to say something, but Yoongi hushed you.

“I already told your mother I’m taking you home. Now, let's get going.”

The two of you walked out of the hall, Yoongi holding your hand as you descended down the steps. You sat into the passenger seat, Yoongi firing up the engine to his Audi before zooming off. 

The car ride was dead silent, not even the sound of the radio echoed in it. You watched the illuminating lights in the night sky, from the buildings to the cars, you couldn’t care less at this point. You almost died, how much worse could your life actually get?

The elevator ride was silent with the electronic sounds filling the container. The constant jingle of Yoongi's keys paired with the soft clicks of your heels seemed to be the only noise of the night. 

Even as you walked in, the two of you shared no words. Even when you slipped out from the bathroom, having showered, a towel on your head, he said nothing. Even when you two were in the same space of your bedroom, everything was dead silent.

Yoongi spaced out in the room, looking out at the new view out the window. As you threaded your arms through the last piece of nighttime wear, Yoongi spoke up.

“Why do you always betray me?”

“Huh?”

“I give you everything you could want. I take care of you. And yet, you always play with my feelings.” Yoongi ignored your flustered reply and continued, his eyes fully set at the row of cars passing by.

“Yoongi… Are we really going to talk about this right now?”

“Do you like it when you fool around with other men? Do you enjoy it when I hurt?”

“Yoongi, you have to stop saying things like that. Don’t you think you’re being too manipulative?”

"Manipulative? I don't have the right to feel the way I do?" He countered.

“If that's the case, what about me? I don’t even fucking know why I’m here!” You shouted, throwing your hands up in the air. “Isn’t it ridiculous? I still want to marry you, that’s how fucked up my mind is. And it’s because of you!”

You cut him off before he could speak, adamant on finishing your statement.

“I just wanted to try and fall in love. That’s it. That’s all I wanted! I never asked for this!" You shouted, raising your voice in anger. "Never in my life would I have thought my own partner, my lover, the person who I was supposed to spend the rest of my life, was going to somehow be the reason I got hooked on life support!”

"Y/n, you cheated on me when you kissed Jimin!" Yoongi retorted, slowly getting riled up himself. "I have every reason to not trust you!"

"Oh, shut up." You spat. "Enough with your manipulating bullshit. You don't love me, just shut up. Stop trying to keep me here for my family's money. It's tasteless behavior."

Yoongi rose from his spot on the bed.

"Excuse me?! I do love you! You think I'm in it for the money?! How could you even say that?!"

You laughed at his remark.

"Of course you love me." You cried out sarcastically. "After all, who wouldn't send their partner to the ER?"

"Y/n, stop acting like this. Now." Yoongi warned.

"Or what? Are you going to hook me on life support again?" You took a brief pause before continuing your outburst.

"You know what. You know what, Yoongi? We’re done. This. All of this. I don’t care anymore if my family disowns me. We’re done. We're through.”

Chapter 14

[nevergiveupneverrun]

Bodyguard - Chapter Thirty-three “From coldness...”

Hello, I hope you’re all doing great. Here is chapter thirty-three of my story Bodyguard. I’m sorry by advance for the mistakes… English isn’t my first language and I do my best. Here is the link of the previous chapter: Click Here. I’m sorry for the slow update recently, tell me which days you want me to post a chapter.

I hope you will enjoy this chapter :) 💛

                                        –––––––––––––––––––––––

« Emerald domain »

These words stand out from a small sign at the edge of a path as I gradually decelerate the pace, our final destination very close. I feel Amelia’s little fingers against my belly slightly loosen. At the end of the journey, I had not felt the constant contact of her body behind me, as if she voluntarily maintained a certain distance. And she allowed herself, as we approached, to undo a little more the only contact that still bound us by the pressure of her hands. We drove well for more than five hours with a single break in the middle of the route at my initiative: she had not directly claimed that we should stop, always immersed in her bubble, not very receptive to my presence or my requests. During this break, she was silent, her shifty eyes: she had merely nodded to the few questions I had asked her, her face as stubborn as a doll of wax. I dreaded, even more, the days to come after this interlude: I did not know how I could handle the situation if she stayed in this attitude… Her behavior during the ceremony had made me hope she was ready to open up, to rest on me in this ordeal. But it was only a short-lived hope. I would have to redouble efforts and attention to try to make her react and get back on top. And in this area, I was going to have to improvise: I had learned how to handle hostage-taking, flying a helicopter or stitching up a wound in the middle of the desert… but my special forces training did not teach me how to make life worth living again to a woman who feels she has lost everything…

Daylight begins to dim on the landscape that unfolds before our eyes when I make a final turn… a landscape that is familiar to me but that I had not seen for five long years. I advance slowly on the last meters by resuming the measure of the image that is offered in front of me: a wooden chalet with shutters decorated with stars on the first floor, rising in front of an almost turquoise stretch of water… a small lake whose color had to inspire its name in the domain. Arrived a few meters from the chalet, I park the motorbike and actuates the crutch to stall the vehicle. Amelia comes off gently from me and I let her down first. I imitate her a few seconds later, watching her leave her crash helmet and immediately release her hair. I also remove the protective accessory around my head and put my crash helmet and hers on the motorbike. I look at Amelia briefly as she looks at the landscapes around us: but to my dismay, she sweeps the landscape with her eyes without the least sign of curiosity or pleasure… or would I miss this stealthy moment while I was getting off the bike?

.

Footsteps behind us come out of my questioning and I see a silhouette come forward leaving the house. A silhouette that is taking shape precisely through her steps to let me perceive a face that I know… who had aged but still had the same kindness and joie de vivre. - Owen… what a pleasure to see you… - Good evening Rosie, I answer, taking her in my arms. This tiny woman of about sixty years firmly squeezes me for a few seconds then observes me for a long time, passing my face in inspection then my outfit. - Always so beautiful… you remain the most beautiful babies even at your age. I smile at her remark that brings me back some memories of my past. - And you, you are always so lively and in great shape, it’s really nice to see… - But I should tick you off for waiting so long to come back here… I look down quickly before noticing the look of Rosie pointed to Amelia, who is positioned on the side, a spectator of our exchange. - Is this the lady you told me on the phone? - Yes, it’s her… Rosie, I introduce you to Amelia… I pause to prepare the presentation and install a new context, a new connection for the coming days. - And Amelia, I introduce you to Rosie, a longtime friend… of my parents… of my mom more precisely… and who helped me a lot at certain moments of my life… I meet Amelia’s eyes in which I detect for the first time in two days a brand of surprise… this calling « tu » surely took her by surprise, but in my new mission, I had to break down the barriers, the marks of distance… and whit respect to Rosie, Amelia was a friend, I should not at any time make her know the true identity of Amelia, her job, the reason for her presence because it would put Rosie in danger. I take my eyes off the singer and I notice that Rosie stares intently at her, in an attitude that challenges me and intrigues me. Feeling my gaze on her, she redirects her attention to me and I read in her eyes a hint of surprise and as a question that I can not translate directly. - Nice to meet you, Amelia… she declares after a few seconds. Amelia smiles weakly and Rosie kisses her with two big kisses on the cheek, and I look amused the scene including Amelia a little taken aback by the momentum of the spontaneity of Rosie. - Did you have a nice trip? Rosie asks me promptly. - Yes, no particular problems. - You always know the road, then, obviously… - Rosie… Apparently, my absence marked her strongly… even maybe hurt her. It’s true that the last time I came here to spend time here, Rosie had been of great help to me after a difficult ordeal. I had to be vigilant and not to offend her, I was a little ashamed of myself at this moment: my attitude of recent years seemed to me so ungrateful… not worthy of the support she gave me.

.

I can see Rosie scrutinize the motorbike and then Amelia and myself before taking the floor again. - You only have this backpack with you? She asks, pointing to the Eastpak bag still in place on Amelia’s shoulders. - Yes, I told you that we would come in « light » mode… - I didn’t think it was this level… fortunately, there are still some of your kinds of stuff that you had left during your last visits… and also stuffs of… Her voice stops in the middle of a sentence, but she gets up quickly. - But sweetie, it will take a walk to the market… in any case, I ventilated the house and put a little thing in order… and I did some basic shopping for tomorrow morning. - Thank you, Rosie, I’m sure it will be perfect. - We’ll see each other tomorrow in the morning… She walks away after a wave as she approaches her little red Hyundai parked nearby. I meet Amelia’s eyes before joining Rosie for a few moments. - Rosie… - Yes, Owen. - Thank you, really… and excuse me for this radio silence and lack of news… I was selfish and ungrateful. - Don’t worry, I know you’ve gone through difficult times, but promise me that you will not do that anymore for years to come… - Promised, Rosie… She smiles widely and then lets her gaze divert on Amelia behind us. - You didn’t tell me a lot about your friend? I remain silent for a few seconds, then decide to answer. - I bring her here because she has just experienced something very difficult… she lost her home… and a man who was very important to her… she needs calm, tranquility and I know this place can do wonders on tormented souls… - You didn’t tell me what she looked like… - I don’t have the habit of making an Identikit by phone, you know. - Yes, but in this case, you could have warned me. - Warn you? Would she have recognized Amelia? It seemed so unlikely to me… I knew that Rosie was a bit out of the world of showbiz, just like the majority of people in the region, more interested in the generous nature that surrounds them than in the glitz of the entertainment world. - Owen, don’t tell me you were not troubled the first time you met her? The first time you met her eyes? Rosie’s questions are noticeably disconcerting me, I could not see where she was going… and in parallel, the first moments shared with Amelia come back to mind, and it is true that from the beginning something had fascinated me… captivated in her… - The likeness struck me at first slight… I stare at Rosie as to discern on her face what she insinuates for several seconds. - I have the impression to see your mother… at 30… Her words echo in my head as my eyes find the image of Amelia a few steps from us. - The same blue eyes that seem to me to able to reveal a myriad of rich expressions. The same thin, mischievous face with fake little girl appearance that I could see behind the mask she’s wearing. And this silky and shiny hair, with similar light-brown highlights… I can see you playing with your mother’s hair when you were a baby, to wrap her locks around your little fingers… I listen to Rosie’s comments while observing Amelia and I understood for the first time where I got this fascinating fascination I felt for her… a slap that I take myself in the face… I was completely unaware of this similarity until today… but it’s as if I had always known deep within me, which had made me so quickly sensitive to this little woman, who touched me like no other in such a short time… no other except my mother. - And you didn’t hear her… - She sings? - Yes, she sings… with a voice as pure and sweet as Mom… I look away quickly, surprised by this admission that escapes me despite myself… this information that I spontaneously reveal to her as if it were stronger than me. I stare at Rosie again and distinguish her in front of me with a knowing and complicit smile on the lips. - I’ll leave you, I’ll come back tomorrow… - Thank you, Rosie, for everything… I give her a kiss and let her get into her car, making the last wave as she walks away and leaves the small domain. I turn around and walk towards Amelia a few steps away, the bag lying on the ground, her hair slightly swept by the evening breeze.

.

I get the crash helmets on the motorbike, by the way, stalling them under one of my arms and I take the backpack at Amelia’s foot from my other free hand. - We go in? She just nods and I lead her to the entrance of the house. I open the door and let her enter in first: I notice her hesitant walk almost reluctant to enter. She takes a turn on herself and then turns to me. - Can I know where we are? Her question troubles me, especially the slightly brutal tone she uses. - We are at Campbell River, in a locality a little back in the mountains… and… I don’t have time to finish my sentence and explain the context, the whole story of this place that she cuts me short directly. - And you decide to use « tu » with me now? - It’s… vis-a-vis to Rosie… but if it’s a problem… - For me, yes… - Ok, fine, excuse me… I am taken aback by her reaction, this refusal that she sends me to give up this use of vous, this constant mark of our professional relationship… a step that I wanted to symbolically make towards her, to show her that I was present if she needed me… beyond a contract of employment, beyond a role to be held in front of Rosie. I reply quickly, to change the subject and leave aside this unpleasant impression that wins me. - Do you want to eat something? To visit the house? - No, I’m tired, just show me where I can sleep. She specifies her need in a dry way, without looking at me and for the first words she gives me for long hours, I a mat least puzzled by her coldness. - Upstairs… I waved her down the stairs and she moves. I am a few steps behind her and arrived at the top of the steps, I waved her in the right. I then open a large room that Rosie has obviously taken care of. A very special room in this house that gives me a thrill by entering it again. Rosie refreshed it: a bouquet of flowers is placed on the coffee table, the bed is neatly made with cotton sheets with lace patterns and not the slightest trace of dust… A place that wakes up the past, which materializes an absence that surrounds me for so many years, but I close the door to memories as they try to interfere in my mind. - It will be your room… the bathroom is in front of the stairs, the first room in front of which we went. Rosie had to put all the necessary toiletries… I watch her as she sits on the bed and takes off her shoes. I remain motionless and silent in front of her a few moments, not knowing what to say or what to do. - You have… all you need? - One bed, that’s all I need… I understand the message that she sends me: my presence is not really tolerated anymore. I force myself to give her a slight smile not to show my confusion but I quickly leave the room closing the door behind me. I go down to the ground floor and put me on the sofa, facing the fireplace in the living room. I sigh for a long time, tired by these first minutes and slightly worried for the days to come. She seemed to have recovered the coldness and indifference she had shown right after the accident: her behavior in the church was definitely only temporary… and what troubles me, even more, is that coldness now mingles with her words, and it is almost more disturbing and violent for me than silence. I quickly feel the weight of the day and the journey to fall on my shoulders and weigh on my eyelids. Not perceiving any suspicious noise around me, I allow myself to close my eyes only a few minutes… to forget this indifference which hurts me.

                                        –––––––––––––––––––––––

Thank you for reading 💛

[sylvieeee5]

Mamma mia, here we go again!

Episode 5 (with its absurdly long name): The Art of Conveyance and Round-Trippery! The preview was promising, so I’m excited to see what’s in store for us…

Oh! And for once, I’m not writing this liveblog solo. We have a couple of special guests…

Meet Bert and Ernie, my foster kittens! These boys are super sweet, and if today’s episode is anything like the last I’ll need the emotional support 🤣

Alright, without any further ado: My liveblog of episode 5: The Art of Conveyance and Round-Trippery!

!Warning!! Book and show spoilers ahead!

gee, I wONDER WHY THAT COULD BE

sticky’s face… baby boy…

I… do not like you.

WRONG

You prize blind loyalty, unquestioning loyalty. Meanwhile, Sticky is loyal to his friends and their mission, because he believes in them, and he knows they believe in him. There’s a huge difference.

Ooh-

There’re some parallels there to Mr. Benedict’s speech about the kids being “needed”, but in Curtain’s case, he only cares about what they can offer him, not their intelligence and value.

Okay, in depth analysis over- I think…

hhhhh

it’s written in the stars, i’m who i’m gonna be i’m taking on the world it’s time-

on that note, watch cleopatra in space!!

okay, back to this adaptation of a beloved children’s series-

WHAT THE FU-

ahem.

EXCUSE ME SIR??? I DO NOT LIKE YOU???

SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UPPPPP

oh man… my mind immediately flashes back to unfortunate-stranger-loser’s post…

Well that was all incredibly creepy! Time to listen to this upbeat bop of a theme song-

kate i absolutely adore you

what-

…

itdigfiytutudoyfitdyouc

you go, sticky

i love her

this boy-

❤️❤️❤️

WHAT

uh ohhhhh

gaslight gatekeep girlboss

kitten break- look at this cute little babyyyyy

alright-

Jackson with the chess metaphors…

Ooh! Good thinking!

MADGE??

what happened between them and those pigeons

Roll credits!

Ah, Dr. Garrison! Interesting to see you again.

wait… why is he looking at-

👀👀👀

HELLO???

what if we all started theorizing that this was some evil scheme for nothing and mans just wanted a nice hat hfogheoyclhoy

she is hyperfixated on this tower and that’s valid of her

YES YOU ARE BBY

she noticed he was spiraling and stopped him- I LOVE THEMMMMM

!!!

art critic constance

i love it-

Martina how did you find them??

she smile :)

she caaaares-

suuuuure, connie girl.

you’re right though, you’re not friends.

YOU’RE FAMILY

what

MADGE MY BELOVED!

AWWWWW

THIS MAN

angry birds

:) :) :)

she just ripped that scarecrow to shreds though you probably shouldn’t send her to the kids-

GODOYOFOYDYIYCODYTETGIYEJFJFYE

MISS PERUMAL?????

MISS PERUMAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SHE’S HERE!!!!!!

YES GO OFF MA’AM GO GET YOUR SON

i’m so happy at this turn of events!!!!!

an assassin she may not be, but did you see her face? she will absolutely throw down if you don’t tell her where her son is

YOU ARE NOT HELPING THIS WOMAN’S WORRY MR BENEDICT

i love this man but he sounds like a dolphin-

I LOVE HER SO MUCH

tetherball time

constance?

THERE IT IS

HOOOO BOY

FUOYIYELYFLIGDOJFITELUFYROJFYEOUFCO

I’M SORRY THAT LOOKS SO RIDICULOUS

egg

???

constance please don’t go alone-

that’s!! my girl!!!

oh no siri’s turned to the dark side

SON BOY

:( :( :(

ayy

number two,,, did you just grab a handful of weeds and serve them to your guest

sounds like my to-do list :)

Seems like Number Two and Curtain share that particular opinion jdjsdjdiodaijdw

wait... has constance been out here all day?? kate shouldn’t you be more concerned about her disappearing for hours???

oooooooooooh

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH

constance really said “it’s therapy time whether you like it or not”

Kate, this sounds exactly like what you were planning to do with the tower. Going solo? Only relying on yourself?

Trust seems to be a big deal with Kate, likely because her father broke hers.

directions! smart!!

THEM

awwwwwwww

STICKY!!! :( :( :(

Oh- does Dr Curtain relate? Is this why they changed his backstory??

YOU AREEEEE

I mean, not by this guy- not for the right reasons- but you ARE wanted!! By the Society, by Mr Benedict and co., and (hopefully) by your aunt and uncle!!

Stickyyyyyyyyy  ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

Home doesn’t have to be a place. Home can be a person... or people. In that sense...

she protecc :’)

!!!!

THANK YOU KATE for FINALLY putting that together :0

HHHHHHHHHH

❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

yes bby  ❤️

she will aDOPT ALL THESE CHILDREN IF NEED BE 

SHE PROTECC

ooh, narcolepsy again

he really cares for these kids,,,

miss perumal:

THAT’S!!! HER SON!!!!

❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

YOU ARE VERY BAD AT SELLING THAT YOU ARE A RESPONSIBLE GUARDIAN

are they-

are they implying curtain uses animal testing?????

ALRIGHT GUYS I ALREADY HATE THIS MAN YOU DON’T HAVE TO CONVINCE ME ANYMORE

THAT LOOKS EXTREMELY UNSAFE

Another small-ish scene from the book (with some slight alterations!), you can tell they really did their research!

um... what??

WELL THAT’S NOT A CREEPY THING TO SAY AT ALL-

jdaeeyeukdadhuakdj

the hospitality- we love to see it-

,,,,,,, Mr Benedict,,,,,

she’s not a random person she is reynie’s amma thank you very much

:( :(

one moment, my laptop is being attacked by a savage beast-

weirdo.

hey constance? what does that mean? what happened to you child

MISS PERUMAL’S MOM??

!!!!!!

ooooooof

heh-

SQ!!!!!!!! MY BOY!!!!

YOU LEAVE HIM ALONE

son-

NO

YOU DO NOT GET TO CALL HIM SON

WELL THAT’S NOT A CREEPY THING TO SAY AT-

Welp! I’m afraid :)

That was really good! I’m glad we finally got to see Miss Perumal again (not to mention SQ-), and we really seem to be setting up the climax now! aaaa i’m not prepared-

w322222222222de 

thank you for that ernie.

I give Episode 5: The Art of Conveyance and Round-Trippery a 9/10!

And now, preview time!

0:08

WHERE? HOW? WHAT??

0:15

uh ohhhhh

0:25

UH OHHHHHHH

well that ain’t good :)

One last kitten check before I sign off!

:) See you all next week!!

[team-crtq]

Volume 5 Episode 8 review

 Say hello to my favorite episode of the volume so far. And holy shit do we have a lot to look over today.

We open to Ruby laying in the morning sun and is soon joined by Yang teasing her a bit and Weiss bringing them some coffee to help wake them up. With a nice callback to volume one for Ruby’s coffee out of the way, the team has a moment to talk. Of course Blake happens to be brought up, and Yang, rightfully so, is a little bitter towards her. Even going as far as to say, “Why would I want her here?” Ruby and Weiss try to get Yang to calm down but are unsuccessful as Yang leaves to recollect her thoughts. 

We then jump to Blake who gets a note from Ilia telling her to find a quiet spot alone. Sun mentions recruiting more people in the nocturnal section but catches on to Blake’s mild distress, and that’s about it for this scene. Yeah I’m not going to lie, jumping from the coffee scene to this one, when both were so short and had little happening to begin with, were an odd choice. I feel like just starting the episode with the coffee scene moving into the scene with Yang in her room, and then getting to Blake’s part of the episode would have been just fine in all honesty.

Anyways you may have noticed I didn’t talk too much about what said in the first scene, well that was intentional. So we get to back to Yang sitting in the room being forlorn about everything in regards to Blake. Weiss comes into the room to talk to her, and yes I would have almost preferred Ruby for this situation mostly because I do want more sister bonding moments. But Weiss is aware of what Yang is going through and therefore is a lot more equipped to talk her down. So I’m not at all upset about that turn of events (we better get another sister bonding moment soon though). Yang is upfront about her being angry about Blake leaving and how it just hit too close to home because of how her life has been up until then. Raven left, Summer disappeared, and Tai was constantly busy, leaving a feeling of loneliness. (and an interesting note of how old Ruby potentially was when Summer disappeared because of the comment about how Ruby couldn’t even talk yet). And I couldn’t help but notice that Yang referred to Summer so matter of fact and Tai by name rather than something like father, a way of distancing from the situation maybe? Would make sense, all things considered.

Weiss pipes in with her own story about how her dad admitted to only marrying her mom because of the family name, on Weiss’s birthday......as if we needed any more reasons to acknowledge that Jacques is a absolutely shit person. And we also have conformation that Weiss’s mother is a alcoholic because of all this and started distancing herself from the family as time went on, (that’s fine RT I didn’t need my heart today).  Yang apologies for assuming that she wouldn’t relate. But Weiss points out that her loneliness isn’t the same as Yang’s, she just has her own version and that Blake has hers as well.  As soon as she said that the quote from the White trailer came to mind, “Everyone’s entitled to their own sorrow, for the heart has no metrics or forms of measure. And all of it irreplaceable.” I love the fact that they are using this quote for the scene more or less. 

Yang still understandably upset about Blake points out Blake could have stayed, that they could have helped her. And what Weiss said here needs to be stamped into everyone’s heads, Weiss points out Blake wanted to protect others by keeping to herself, by keeping up her walls. Blake ran because the universe proved Blake right about her fears. Yeah Blake reacted horribly to the situation, but her past, that she tried to run from, tried to hide from, caught up to her. It’s no surprise she reacted this way. (Trust me when I say I got annoyed back in volume three when people were complaining about Blake running again.) And this particular part made for an excellent parallel to Sun’s talk to Blake back in volume four. 

So remember when I said I was holding off on talking about what was said in the beginning? This part is why. So at the start of the episode Yang said “Why would I want her here?” Here she said “What if I needed her here for me?” People have already pointed out the difference between want and need, and too bad you’re going to hear it from me as well. The fact that Yang admitted that she needed Blake here, makes me wonder if Yang was asking the first question to herself a bit. The fact that Yang needed Blake there after everything is what was hurting her the most. (BTW no I don’t mean this in the shippy way, though enjoy your angst bumblebee shippers.) So the question comes back, why would Yang want her there? Yang on some level probably does want Blake to come back, but her emotions are a whirlwind right now and she is, rightfully, angry at everything that happened. So the other part of Yang may not want her there right now, but she acknowledges she needs her there, if nothing else than to get Blake to explain herself perhaps. The fear from Yang is that she may never come back. (Huh, this feels familiar does it not?) Weiss, showing how far she’s come as a character, firmly believes Blake will come back and that she will be there for her, and that she will lend an ear out for Yang too. Seriously nice to see Yang opening up after everything, hopefully this will start up a lot more healing for her in the future. 

(Holy fuck I took too long to talk about that scene huh?) So we move into Blake meeting up with Ilia, and despite Blake trying to talk her down, shocker, Ilia set up an ambush. (And apparently arachnid faunas exist in the world of Remnant, and....thanks RT, I hate it.)  I will say the spider web looked a little...awkward on Blake, just it looked a little off against everything, but eh that’s a very minor nitpick here. Anyways, Ilia tells Blake she has no choice but to do this because she firmly believes that the Belladonna’s are holding real change for the faunas. Ilia admits that she is doesn’t like the fact she’s hurting people, but that it’s gotten more results than anything else so far. When Blake said “Yeah, look where it’s gotten you,” the face Ilia makes afterwards tells me that cut much deeper than she would have liked. The fact that she had to look away to recompose herself by saying “We all have to make sacrifices for the greater good,” screams she doubts her position and that she has to reaffirm to herself that she’s doing the right thing. (And trust me the Greater Good thing is an interesting discussion that would be best left for another post.) She tells Blake that’s why her family is going to be attacked, and that she’s going to be sent to Adam. Blake keeps begging Ilia, saying this isn’t you and such. Ilia uses the fact that Blake never caught on to the fact that Ilia had feelings for her, (FUCK YEAH, ME AND MY FRIENDS WERE RIGHT) to point out that there are a lot of things about Ilia that Blake potentially doesn’t know about her. (And possibly admitted these feelings to Blake because she may have feared that she may never see Blake again, though that could be my shippy side poking through.) (If you want to hear some of my thoughts about Ilia being one of the LGBT+ characters, click here.) Thank god Blake learned to trust her friends, seriously it’s a massive step in the right direction for her, she calls for Sun to attack her captors, (and gets a satisfying punch to the spider woman). They run to hopefully stop her family from getting hurt. 

Meanwhile the attack on the household has already started and it doesn’t look too good so far. Kali isn’t hesitating (bitch) to defend herself after some of her  guards went down quickly. Ghira showing that despite being peace first type of guy knows how to fight. And yes despite it being extremely short for this episode the fight animation was pretty decent with the right amount of weight behind the hits. Fennec and Corsac showing their true colors, and why they didn’t stay in shadows for this one and claim ignorance should the attack fail I don’t know. And the episode ends with a similar scene from volume two that has me a bit worried, (and Ghira attempting to fulfill peoples bara dreams). 

Yeah, I know another review where I don’t complain about a lot of aspects much, but there’s good reason why this episode is my favorite as of now. Now would anyone like to join me for a prayer circle for the coming episodes? I’m worried for a lot of characters. 

-Tangerine  

[godzillagirl-14]

Bear: Stuart Twombly x Reader

Pairing: Stuart Twombly x Reader 

 A/N: This is my first reader insert. This is also the first smut that I’ve done on here so bear with me. I also feel like the story line was all over the place, so I apologize in advance. Also, I apologize for any spelling and/or grammar mistakes as I’ve procrastinated really hard on this, starting this in like early April and not finishing it until 1:30 in the morning today, and I am way too tired to proof read. 

@writing-obrien

Warning: NSFW 18+

Word count: 4,814

 ~~~

Stuart’s POV 

 How do you deal with having a crush on the hottest girl in the office? Be a complete asshole and ignore her all the time, of course. Admittedly not my best decision, but it’s kept me from fucking her in front our co-workers, so that’s something, right? And I can’t help it. It’s not my fault that she could literally be wearing a paper bag and I’d still get a hard on. The way her jeans hug her curves and the shirts that make her look sophisticated, yet sexy at the same time. Or when she wears these cute little sun-dresses and sandals that make her legs look amazing. It can make any man fall to his knees. And to make matters worse, I was her supervisor. 

She was pretty much guaranteed the job when they advertised at her college and she was the first one to sign her name in her messy handwriting. We took a look at her background and she has the cleanest track record I’ve ever seen. Never smokes, doesn’t drink, and I wouldn’t be even remotely surprised if she were still a virgin. 

Anyways, when she first stepped through the doors of google, I was completely awestruck, much like every other guy within a 20 foot radius of her. I’ll never forget the way those jeans hugged her curves and how her Marvel t-shirt clung to her hips and dipped into a teasingly low v-line. We all just stood there staring at her while she awkwardly looked around. 

“Um.. Hi?” She said, offering a small wave. Neha came up to her, chuckling. “Stare harder guys and you actually might get her clothes off.” She said before grabbing her hand and dragging her off. Later on that day, my boss came up to my desk with her hot on his tail. “Hello, Stuart. To cut this short, you’re her supervisor and I need you to show her the basics.” He said quickly before leaving me with her. 

“Hi. I’m Y/N. Nice to meet you.” She stuck her hand out and smiled at me. She was very timid. I stared at her hand, completely forgetting how to interact with a human and looked back up at her, my face blank. She awkwardly retracted her hand and rubbed the back of her neck. I huffed out a sigh before standing up and walking past her motioning for her to follow me. 

I lead her down the halls, showing her the various conference rooms, watching as she takes all of it in from the corner of my eye. “Oh, hey, Stuart!” a guy who I’ve honestly forgotten the name of said, coming up to us with an overly sweet smile. “What’s up?” I asked, giving him an awkward bro hug. “Nothin’ much. Ya know, just hanging around getting my stuff done,” he looked over my shoulder, pretending to just now notice Y/N and shoved me aside. 

“And who might this be?” he asked, sending her a flirty smile. She introduced herself and he continued to flirt with her. Or at least tried. The poor thing honestly just looked confused and when he actually asked for her number, a little too aggressively, she looked frightened. 

“Actually, we should be going. I have to keep showing her around.” I interrupted, grabbing her hand and dragging her down the hallway. “That was…. very strange.” She chuckled and my lips quirked up a little. Only a little. I lead her back to our office and showed her to her desk. “Alright, and that concludes the tour, that seemed to drag on for nine years,” I meant to say that last part quietly but I think she heard it because she frowned a little. “Anyways, if you’re confused or need help then come up and ask me or more preferably anyone else.” With those last (rude) words, I turned and headed back to my desk. 

“Wow, now your chances with her have surpassed negative eight.” Billy said, clapping a hand onto my shoulder. “Who said I wanted to get with her. For all we know, she could be the biggest bitch in the universe. I’m not setting myself up that low.” I scoffed, rolling my eyes. 

“BULLSHIT!!” He exclaimed, causing a few heads to turn in our direction. He cleared his throat and lowered his voice. “She has got to be the purest soul that has ever stepped foot into this building and she can’t keep her eyes off of you.” He gestured his head towards her direction and I looked to see her talking to Neha, but her eyes were focused on me and they were flooded with curiosity. She smiled at me and then turned back to Neha. “Maybe she’s an observer.” I shrugged my shoulders. I heard him scoff while muttering a ‘whatever’. 

“Alright fine. But you have to admit, she’s pretty hot and and the only reason why any man wouldn’t want to get with that is because they are gay. Are you gay Stuart?” He asked, trying to strike a nerve. I glared at him, causing him to chuckle. “No. I am not gay. Dude, you’re old enough to be her great uncle,” I suppressed a smug grin as he scowled at me. “You shouldn’t be thinking like that or I may peg you as a pedophile.”

“She’s over 18, you shit face.” he spat before walking back to his desk, his scowl turning deeper at the sound of my laughter. “I feel the love, buddy.” I said sarcastically before turning back to my work. And by work, I mean my phone.

And that was our first impressions of each other. Ever since that day, I’ve had a serious case of Apodyopsis every time I looked her way. Every time she would come up to me, her cleavage would tease me, and her legs were begging to be wrapped around my head or my waist, so I could pound her into a parallel universe or make her scream so loud that a siren would be jealous, but I couldn’t. 

So, I would just sit there with a semi-hard on and give her the assistance she needed while throwing in an unneeded snarky comment. Every time I would make a comment about her, she would deflate and trudge back to her desk, where she worked quietly for the rest of the day. I honestly felt terrible for how I was acting, but it was either that or completely lose my shit and do things to her that would make the devil blush and I opted for the first option.

It was one of those rare occasions where she actually smiled. Everyone knew that she was extremely kind, but every time I looked her way, she was either sporting the best resting bitch face in history or this adorable little upwards curl on the corner of her lips, that made her look innocent. 

That’s another reason why I avoided her. Her innocence just makes me want her more, and if she’s as innocent as I think she is, then even the slightest look into my thoughts about her could have her holding out a restraining order on me. I don’t stand a chance with her.

Anyways, it was one of those occasions when she actually had a genuine smile on her face. That smile that could light up the whole room. That smile that could outshine the stars. That smile that could make the sun jealous. The only problem was that I wasn’t the one who was making her smile. She had just gotten a little stuffed bear, to add to her collection on her desk. Yep, She had a collection. 

She had a collection of stuffed bears that aligned her desk, near her laptop, on top of her phone, some under her desk if they were too big. Some of them were welcoming gifts from the staff, others were from her family. I debated on getting her one, but decided not to. She got yet another stuffed bear from Neha. This one in particular was a bear dressed as Princess Leia in her slave bikini. “Wow, the Princess Leia slave bikini. Chain and everything. Not enough to strangle anyone, but just enough to make things interesting.” Y/N said to Neha with a wink. They both grinned at each other before walking off. 

“You gotta stop eye raping her, man. That shit’s creepy.” Nick said, coming up from behind me. “I have an idea, why don’t you just ask her out. You might actually get somewhere with her.” I rolled my eyes and stood up to use the bathroom. While I was in the bathroom, Graham just so happened to walk in, cocky as ever. “I heard you’re having a little bit of trouble in romance, my dear Stuart.” He implied, in his bullshit accent. “Dude, I am standing in front of a urinal with my pants halfway down and my junk out. Add that to the fact that you’re a douche bag and I hate you with every single fiber in my being, you are the last person I want relationship advice from.” 

He just shrugged and proceeded to walk to the door. “Those are some very nice shorts Y/N has on today. Makes you just wanna walk up to her and just….. grab at her ass. You know, you don’t have a chance with her, like at all.” I tried to show that it didn’t affect me. “But you know, she was lucky enough to catch my attention, so I just might get up in that.” 

By this time, I had finished and was washing my hands. “You know, walking to the bathroom only to watch me pee and not use the bathroom yourself really says a lot about your character, Graham.” I said, shoving past him and walking back to my coworkers. 

It seems like no one will give me a break about this girl.

~~~

“Why are you always such an asshole to me?” Y/N yelled, trying to mask her hurt expression with anger. I glared at her seemingly getting more irritated as the night moved along. “Maybe because you’re acting like a fucking slut, shoving your tongue down some random girl’s throat!” 

Yes, you heard that right. 

Billy and Nick thought that it would be a good idea to go out and have some “fun” to make Y/N seem more welcome to the group considering that she’s still somewhat new. So here we are at the same exact strip club where we all got drunk off of our asses. 

Yo-yo was already getting his third lap dance, Lyle was sitting with Billy and Nick who were kind of playing chaperone, I lost Neha and Y/N, and I was sitting at the bar alone drowning in vodka shots and my thoughts. I was thinking about going to find Y/N and apologizing to her for being a first class douche bag. Obviously, I’m a more rational thinker when I’m tipsy. Setting my drink down, I set off to actually find her. And when I did find her, I was quite amused. 

Y/N stood on the dance floor in between two strippers grinding her ass off. I crossed my arms, leaning against the wooden post and stared at the way her body moved between them. She looked over and caught me staring, a smirk grazing her lips as she winked at me. She gestured me over with her finger and I stood there, challenging her with my own smirk. She pouted a little before tuning to the stripper in front of her, running her hands her body and onto her exposed breasts. The stripper behind her grabbed her waist, pulling her close to her to whisper something in her ear.

They both turned to look at me again but I was too preoccupied with the way her hips moved and how she bit her lip when I met her eyes again. She pulled away from them and walked up to me, a childish grin making it’s way across her lips. 

“Stewie, come dance! Cocoa and Rainbow are so much fuuunn.” she giggled as she threw her arms around me and made me support her weight. I looked over at the two strippers - Cocoa and Rainbow apparently - and saw that they were beckoning us over while still dancing. Looking down at Y/N, she had a childish pout on her lips and her dilated pupils looked up at me. “You’re drunk.” I stated, chuckling as she rested her head on my chest. “And you’re sexy.” She slurred, my eyebrows shooting up to my hairline. 

“I’m not as think as you drunk I am.” she whispered and I laughed a little as her arms snaked around my waist. This felt nice. Even though she was drunk off of her ass and won’t remember any of this tomorrow, but I was gonna make the most of it. She suddenly pulled away from me and grabbed my hand dragging me back to the dance floor. “Get some, Stuart!” Nick yelled and I turned to see him and Billy giving me smug looks. I rolled my eyes and let myself get dragged by Y/N. 

She wrapped her arms around my neck, playing with the little hairs and I slowly wrapped my arms around her hips bringing her closer to me. She turned around so her back was against my chest and she ground her hips into mine. I bit my lip as I leaned down and pressed light kisses to her neck, feeling her shiver. She turned around in my arms, her eyes slightly darker. 

She slowly turned around, going back to the stripper, who I assume was Cocoa. She smiled at her, pulling her in by her hips before crashing her lips onto hers. Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting that. I turned my attention from the current make-out session and saw the group just as shocked as me. “When I told her to just let go and go crazy, I didn’t think she was going to go that far!” Neha yelled over the music. 

My reality started crashing down as I watched Cocoa slip her tongue into Y/N’s mouth and as Y/N’s hand moved up to squeeze her breasts. I watched as a group of men started cheering them on and I felt my blood boil as when Y/N pulled away some grandpa grabbed her hips and started to grind with her as she smiled wrapped her arms around the back of his neck. She looked like she was having fun, like she felt free. But, I was too pissed with the way that guy, Cocoa and Rainbow were dancing with her to care. 

So, when she turned to me and gave me a bright happy smile, I scoffed, rolled my eyes and stormed out. 

Which takes us to reality and why we’re arguing. “How am I the slut? I was having fun! Maybe if you weren’t too busy acting like someone shoved a stick up your ass, you would know what that is!” She huffed as she crossed her arms. I wasn’t being fair and I knew it, but the alcohol coursing through my system made me not give a shit. 

“Oh yeah, you know letting some pervert dance with you while you make out with a stripper is totally fun, right?”

“Stuart, what are you talking about? You let a stripper deep throat your finger the last time we were there. Let the girl have some fun.” Nick interjected. Y/N grabbed my arm and pulled me away from the group. 

“What are you getting so mad about? I thought you and I were having fun and that maybe you-”

“Maybe I what? That maybe I actually liked you?” I let out a humorless laugh. I saw her cheeks and ears beginning to turn pink. “Listen, Y/N, on that dance floor meant nothing. And if you’re as dense as to think that I would like you over a drunken dance, then you need to wake up and join the real world, or else you’re gonna get hurt.” I was lying straight through my teeth. That dance and that moment when I held her in my arms meant a whole lot more than it probably should have. 

She looked at me, shocked, before her eyes filled with tears and her ears turned a darker shade of red. She glared at me, lifting her hand and slapping me across the face before turning and running off, running past the group and towards the highway. Everyone gave me disapproving looks before running and trying to catch up with her. 

I fucked up. 

~~~

Ever since that night, Y/N has tried her damned near hardest to avoid me. Whether it be during a lecture, at the cafe, in our office, she would move from one side of the room to the other, like I had the plague. 

Whenever she would need help with something, she would literally ask everyone but me. I needed to find a way to talk to her. Which is why I devised a plan to get her to converse with me even if she didn’t want to. 

As we were all walking down the hall for another lecture, I quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her into an empty conference room. She yelped at the sudden action and glared at me when I closed the door and leaned against it. “What do you want?” She snapped, her stance cautious and alert as she stared me down. “I wanna ask you…. if you want to come over to my place and……. watch a movie?” What the hell was I doing?

Her glare became stonier. “You really think that asking me to a movie night is going to make the way you acted and what you said to me is going to make things better between us?” She asked, crossing her arms, moving towards the door, trying to push me out of the way. I held my ground and I could tell she was getting frustrated as she huffed and pouted. I tried not to show that I was amused and remained “serious”. 

“Look, Y/N, I had a lot of alcohol in my system and I wasn’t in my right mind. I had no right to treat you like that and say that stuff to you, so I’m sorry..” Apologizing felt a little foreign, but I went with it. She stared at me a little before her features softened. “Let me make it up to you. I’m throwing a movie night,” I declared, gently grabbing her arms. “Everyone is invited and if you accept, I will be able to show you, that I’m not as much of an asshole as I put myself out to be.” she chuckled a little, rolling her eyes. “So, can I count on you being there? And if you’re not into it, you can walk out of this room, pretend this never happened and I’ll leave you alone.” I crossed my fingers and every possible appendage that she would say yes.

She stayed silent for a while and I thought that I would have to break out the puppy dog eyes before she sighed and rolled her eyes, a small smile playing at her lips. “There better be snacks.” She stated, smiling at me before walking past me and out the door. I let out a huge breath of relief, leaning against the door for support as a huge smile made it’s journey across my face. 

 ~~~

When I announced a sudden movie night at my house, the group were surprised to say the least. My excuse for the questions was me being honest. “I want to make up for me being an asshole.” So, here I was on this rainy Saturday afternoon, planning for my last minute gathering.

I had all the snacks set up. Chips, popcorn, candy and a stack of movies aligned itself on my table. I smiled at my work before my phone vibrated in my pocket and I looked to see that I got a text from the group. My smile dropped immediately. Everyone in the group had canceled, whether it be from other last minute plans or emergencies. The only one who didn’t text me was Y/N, but I doubt that she was still coming. I guess I blew my shot to redeem myself. 

As I was about to start cleaning up my snacks and putting away the movies, a knock sounded on my door. I set the movies down and walked towards my door, opening it to see a drenched Y/N. “Hey,” she stated, seemingly out of breath. “I over slept and almost missed the bus. Am I too late?” she asked, noticing my empty living room. 

“No, you’re right on time. Everyone else just couldn’t make it.” I shrugged my shoulders and she nodded, stepping inside the house. I noticed her shivering and dashed off to my room, trying to find a clean shirt for her. I managed to find one and a pair of boxers before I went back into the living room. She tried to protest, but I insisted and directed her to the bathroom. While I was trying to pour us some drinks, I didn’t hear her step in the kitchen. “Do you need any help?” she asked timidly, startling me and causing me to jump. I turned to her and swallowed a little. 

Why is seeing a woman in your clothing such a turn on? “U-uh, no, no I-I’m fine. Just go ahead and get settled in the - um - the living room. A-And I’ll meet you there.” I wanted to punch myself for fumbling with my words. She smiled at me before disappearing into the living room. We ended up watching a comedy and as the movie progressed, we ended up shifting closer together. Every time she would laugh, I would stare at her. I loved the way she laughed, it wasn’t like those annoying little school girl giggles. It was real. She looked over at me after she felt me staring. I felt myself leaning closer, watching as she began to lean in too. Just as our lips brushed, she pulled away with a small smile. “I’m gonna go get some more soda.” she said with a wink and a giggle. 

A smirk etched across my face as she stood up and walked away, a little sway to her hips. “Who knew you were such a little tease?” I said sitting up. She turned around and challenged me with a smirk of her own. “Am I?” She asked, slowly running her hands up her body and into her hair. I found myself nodding my head as I stared at her and watched her hands roam her body. 

I watched in awe as she groped her breasts through the shirt and her hips moved in a slow rhythm. 

Fuck it.

 I stood up and stalked towards her, grabbing her and shoving her against the wall. “Do you have any idea what you do to me?” I asked, my breath fanning over her ear. A smirk graced my lips as I saw the goose bumps spread across her (y/s/c) skin. “Do you know the amount of restraint it took me to not bend you over my desk and fuck you until you’re crying tears of full pleasure every single time you so much as glance my way?” My hand slowly trailed down her collarbone, between the valley of her breasts, and to finally coil around her waist, pulling her closer to me. My thigh slotted between her legs as she held onto my biceps to keep herself up.

 “I-” her voice caught in her throat as I pushed her (h/c) hair behind her ear. I dipped down and softly pressed kisses across her throat, all the way down to her collarbone. “Use your words, Bear.” I saw as a blush crept onto her ears, at the nickname I gave her. I actually quite like that nickname, since it fits her so well. “I-I always thought you hated me because - you know- I tend to be annoying and clueless, so I can see why you wouldn’t like me, but I like you…” her voice got quieter as she trailed off. I chuckled as I trailed my kisses back up, stopping right below her ear. “I never hated you, Bear. And you’re not clueless.” I whispered, rewarded with a shiver. “But I-” the fact that she actually thought of herself that way and tried to protest it made me a certain type of angry. I cut her off by nipping harshly at that spot below her ear, causing her to yelp.

 I lifted my head and crashed my lips onto hers, squeezing her hips, making her gasp out giving me enough room to push my tongue in between her lips. I would like to say that the kiss was nice and innocent, but it really wasn’t. My tongue dominated her mouth as she desperately tried to keep up with my pace, me occasionally biting her bottom lip. I explored every crevice of her mouth, bringing my hands down to her ass, making her grind against my thigh. She pulled away from me, chest heaving as she tilted her head back. I nipped at her throat, a whimper leaving her lips. I came to my senses, snapping out of my lustful state momentarily. “You have to tell me to stop,” I murmured into her neck. “If you don’t want this, you have to tell me to stop, right now.” 

 “Please don’t. I want- I need- I-” she sounded absolutely wrecked and I smirked as I forced her to grind harder. “What do you need?”

 “I need you inside of me. I need you to fuck me until your name is the only coherent thing I can say. I need you to fuck me until I’m cumming all over your cock and I’m covered in so much of your cum that I’ll belong to you and only you. Please, Stuart.” She whined, wrapping her arms around my neck. “Look at my naughty little Bear, so needy for my cock to fill her up. You want me to fuck you, Y/N?” I teased, watching as she nodded frantically, her (e/c) eyes staring back at me, darkening with lust by the second. I stopped her grinding on me, adoring the small cry she made at the loss of friction and began to undo the ties of my sweatpants. I grabbed her shoulders and forced her down onto her knees, eye level with my crotch. She bit her lip as she shyly began to palm at my erection, causing me to groan at the contact, before she grabbed the waistband of my sweatpants and pulled them down, along with my boxers. 

Her eyes widened a little at the sight of my cock and she lifted a hand to wrap around me, causing me to buck into her hand. She leaned forward and sensually kitten licked the tip, all the while keeping eye contact with me. Oh, I was going to ruin her. 

She finally placed her whole mouth on me, gently sucking the tip while she pumped me in her hand. She looked up at me with those big (e/c) eyes of hers and something in me snapped. I grabbed a fist full of hair and started thrusting as fast as I could, relishing in the feel of hitting the back of her throat each time. She moaned around my cock, the vibrations going straight through me as I continued to fuck her mouth. I pulled back to let her breathe as she started pumping my cock with two hands, looking up at me, before spitting on the head and spreading it along my length. I groaned out as I pulled her up and slammed my lips back onto hers, trailing my hands down to her thighs, signaling her to jump. 

 Stepping out of my sweatpants, I turned and headed towards my room. I laid her on the bed, pulling my shirt off, like it burned my skin, making quick work to remove her clothes as well. I admired her naked body laying down, only for me. I felt a strong surge of possessiveness course through my body, as I pounced on her, my hands roaming all over her warm skin. “Mine.” I grunted as I grind my hips into hers, my dick sliding teasingly through her folds. “Please, Stuart. I’m yours, only yours, please.” She breathed out, lifting her hips to meet mine. I decided to put us both out of our misery and lined myself up with her entrance.

Slowly pushing in, I watched with a dazed expression as her eyes fluttered shut, and she arched up into me, her breast catching my attention. I quickly leaned down, taking her nipple into my mouth flicking my tongue over the hardened nub as she cried out and wrapped her legs around my waist, pulling me in deeper, hitting a new angle. I groaned, pulling out almost all the way before snapping my hips back in. She reached up and grabbed the back of my neck, pulling me towards. 

I brought my lips down to hers, our tongues battling for dominance as I starting snapping my hips into hers at a rapid pace. She moaned against my lips as I went faster, my pace almost punishing. “Fuck, Stuart. Feels s-so good!” She moaned as she began to buck her hips, matching my pace. I groaned at the feeling, hiking one of her legs onto my shoulder, pounding deeper into her pussy. 

I grabbed her hands and held them above her head, ducking my head down to take her left nipple into my mouth again. I flicked my tongue over her hardened bud and felt her walls clench around me furiously as she threw her head back, bucking her hips up to ride out her orgasm, small whimpers leaving her lips. She relaxed after a couple seconds, breathing heavily as I pulled out.

 I was far from finished with her. 

 I gently flipped her over onto her stomach and she quickly got the message and adjusted herself, rubbing her dripping pussy against my cock. I tease her folds with my tip, my other hand smoothing over the soft flesh of her ass before I lifted it and sent a swift smack to the skin. Y/N lurched forward and yelped gripping harshly onto the sheet. I saw the arousal drip from her pussy down her thigh. I grope the flesh of her ass, smoothing down the skin as I lifted my hand and slapped it again.

 She lurched forward again, letting out a little whine, pushing her ass further into my hand. “You like that, baby?” I asked, teasingly as I watched her grind herself against my cock. She nodded her head rapidly and I landed another smack to her skin. “Yes! I love it! I love so much!” She whined, as I teased her folds with my tip again. I pushed in slowly, setting my punishing pace as she bit into the pillow, trying to keep herself quiet. 

I quickly pulled her up against my chest, groaning as she pushed herself against me to match my thrusts. “Come on, baby girl, don’t hide those pretty little noises you make. It’s just me and you. I wanna hear how good I make you feel.” I grunted in her ear, rewarded with a small moan. I wanted to hear more. I snaked one of my hands up and wrapped my fingers around her neck, squeezing hard, but not enough to cut off her air supply. Y/N let out a long filthy moan, my other hand snaking down to her clit. She let out a string of moans as she desperately gripped onto my forearms. “You gonna cum, baby? Huh? You gonna coat my cock in your juices?���

 "Yes!“

 "Yes, what?” I asked, thrusting faster. 

 "Yes sir!“ She screamed as clenched around me again, riding out her second orgasm.

She slumped down as I pulled out of her. I sat down on the bed and pulled her into my lap, bringing her lips to mine. I caressed her face as she slipped her tongue in my mouth, groaning as my hands traveled down her body to her clit. Her legs twitched as I began to rub slow circles on her sensitive nub and she whimpered into my mouth, grabbing onto my shoulders for support. “You’re so sensitive, Bear. And your pussy is dripping.” I teased in as I began to kiss her neck, sucking on the skin and claiming her as mine.

“You didn’t cum.” She stated, reaching down to stroke my throbbing dick. I groaned at the contact and pulled her hand away, placing a quick kiss to her lips before turning her in my lap, her back against my chest. I began to tease her clit with my tip, my smirk getting bigger every time I saw her thigh twitch. 

I slowly eased into her and the warmth of her walls surrounding me was almost enough to make me cum on the spot, but I restrained myself. I started slow, loving the feeling of her grinding back against me as she laid her head on my shoulder. Both of my hands found their way to her breast, pinching at her nipples as my pace got faster. She whimpered as she tried to close her legs around me but I held her thighs open as I sped up, listening to my skin slapping against hers and her strangled cries of pleasure. 

I groaned as I angled my hips a little and felt her clench hard around me. I pulled one of my hands away from her breast and trailed it down her stomach, her skin hot and sweaty. I rubbed hard circles on her clit, feeling her walls clench around me in a somewhat frenzy, her release so close. 

“Shit! Stuart, I’m- Fuck!” She screamed, as I rubbed faster and my hips snapped into hers rapidly. I leaned up and bit her earlobe. “C’mon baby. Let it all out. Squirt all over my cock.” I grunted as her walls convulsed and she came, chanting my name like a prayer as her juices sprayed onto the bed sheets. I groaned loudly, helping her ride out her orgasm, before pulling out of her. I made her kneel in front of me, grabbing a fistful of her hair with one hand and pumping my cock vigorously with the other. 

I watched as she stared up at me with glazed over (e/c) eyes and her tongue darted out to give a quick lick to my tip. My moans bounced off the walls, as I finally released, my cum shooting onto her flushed cheeks and into her open mouth, some of it getting on her chin and dripping down onto her chest.

I slumped onto the bed, watching as she swallowed what landed in her mouth before looking over at me and teasingly swiping her thumb over her nipple, gathering more before bringing it up to her mouth. She then smiled that cute little innocent smile at me and I huffed, pushing myself up to grab a washcloth from the bathroom. “You are literally going to be the death of me.” I mumbled as I carefully wiped her clean. 

She pouted as I wiped her cheek, leaning up to kiss my nose. “How is it that you could be covered in cum and still look so innocent? I feel like I may have violated you or something.” I said, kissing her cheek after she was clean. She giggled as I pulled her to lay on top of me, wrapping the blankets around us. “I look innocent on the outside but I have the mind of a professional porn star.” She stated, causing me to laugh. 

It was silent for a moment as we lay there, me stroking her hair and back gently. “You know, I never hated you, Bear. I just thought that you would never give me the time of day, and that kind of made me bitter.” She wrapped her arms tighter around me and placed a quick kiss to my lips. “It’s okay even though your thinking was completely irrational ” She smiled. I smiled back before thinking it over. “I’m gonna make it up to you.” I declared, earning a look of curiosity from her. “How?” She asked, sitting up so she was straddling me. I smirked as I grabbed her waist and pulled her body up until she was hovering over my face. “Stuart? W-what are you- Oh fuck!” She began to ask me, but cried out soon after when I licked a long stripe from her folds to her clit.

“For starters I think I’m gonna take my time appreciating this pretty little pussy of yours. Make you cum all over my face and then shove my tongue down your throat so you can taste yourself.” I stated attacking her cunt and attaching my lips to her clit sucking hard. She stuttered out curses as she rocked herself against my face shamelessly. I moved from her clit and shoved my tongue into her hole, groaning when she reached down and tugged on a fistful of my hair.

I began thrusting my tongue in her, looking up to see her gripping the headboard, her eyes closed and her mouth open in the perfect ‘O’ shape. I squeezed her ass and smacked it, right as I began to nibble on her clit and that was her undoing. The hand in my hair tightened as she held me still, rock against my face as her juices dripped into my mouth and onto my chin. I lapped up every thing she offered before gently pushing her off to lay her on her back.

I hovered over her as I saw the sweat glistening on her (s/c) skin. I dove in for a kiss, slipping my tongue in her mouth and she groaned as she tasted herself. I pulled away, looking at her with a smug grin. “So, I take it that you liked it?” Y/N gave me a look before shoving me onto my back, attacking my neck with kisses before she began moving down my chest and abs. She left hot open mouth kisses on my hips, before moving down to my already hard dick.

She grabbed me and licked a bold stripe from the base to the tip. I bit my lip as she smirked at me, giving a small kiss to the tip before sinking down on me, not stopping until I hit the back of her throat. I groaned loudly as I let my head fall back on the pillow, my hips twitching when I heard her gag a little. I lifted myself up on my elbows and watched as she slowly bobbed her head up and down. I cursed under my breath and swiped a few hairs out of her face. She looked up at me before flicking her tongue over my slit and I moaned out as I realized that I wasn’t going to last much longer. She pulled out of me, pumping my cock while pressing a kiss to the tip.

I definitely wasn’t going to last. 

She pulled me back into her mouth, pumping what she couldn’t fit into her hand. My undoing was when her other hand reached down and started massaging my balls. She swallowed everything after I finished and slowly crawled back up to me. I stared at her, trying to catch my breath feeling completely spent. A smug grin spread across her lips as she rested her chin in her hand.

“So, I take it that you liked it?” 

~~~

I stood, leaning against Y/N’s desk as I waited for her to arrive. We spent the weekend together, until I dropped her off at her place this morning so she could get changed. She told me that she would meet me here which gave me enough time to stop by the store and get her a gift  “Hey, sorry we couldn’t make it.” Billy and Nick came up to me and pat my shoulder. I shrugged, not really bothered by it anymore since my weekend ended up being fantastic. “What ya got there?” Billy asked, trying to see what was behind my back. “A surprise.” I responded and walked off, noticing Y/N walking in. 

She smiled when she saw me and pulled me into a hug. “Nice job covering up the hickey’s” I chuckled as she punched me in the shoulder. She gave me a playful glare as she shoved me a little. She noticed what was in my hand and I lifted it up to hand it to her. She smiled the brightest smile I’ve ever seen and I smiled back as she launched herself at me, wrapping her arms tightly around my neck.

She pulled away and pressed her lips to mine, softly. We must have been a little too preoccupied because when we pulled away, the entire group was staring at us. 

“So - uh - What’s going on here?” Neha asked as I interlaced my fingers with Y/N. I looked down at her and smiled. 

“A gift to apologize for my irrational behavior.” 

[frangipanidownunder]

The Path to Enlightenment pt 2

This is a casefile set just before Biogenesis in season six. Thank you to @teethnbone for throwing me scraps to use as inspiration for this story. Read Part One.

Part Two

She ran through the autopsy like she was performing it for students. At best, it was a perfunctory examination, by the book. This victim was a dead body, a cadaver. She couldn’t assign him a soul or a life or a vivacity that she might once have done. Not so long ago, she would have found his life in his death. She was good at that. But today her head throbbed, her vision faded in and out and frankly, she just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep until Mulder had it all sorted. He wanted to believe. She just wanted to let him.             Her phone rang. “What have you found, Scully?”             “David Maddox died of cardiac arrest brought on by severe hypothermia, Mulder.”             “At the height of summer?”             “In an underground cave system, in the Appalachians, Mulder. His body shows all the signs, constricted blood vessels, blackened fingers and toes, organ failure. He froze to death. It explains the skin discolouration.”             She could hear noises the television in the background. He was already back at the motel.   “And the eyes, Scully?”             “In severe hypothermia, the pupils often become unresponsive. I didn’t find your ciladaids, Mulder.”             She signed the paperwork the medical examiner had completed. She noticed the tremble in her hand as she held the pen. She needed something to eat. She didn’t need Mulder debating the results of the autopsy. “What did the partner say?”             “I’ll tell you when I see you. Can you get a cab back here?” She stripped off her scrubs and cleaned up. Greyness clouded her periphery. She massaged her temples and swallowed a glass of water that wasn’t cold enough to quench her raging thirst.   Mulder was spreadeagled on his bed surrounded by pamphlets, papers and other paraphernalia. A year ago she would have flopped down next to him. A year ago he would have patted the bed and waggled his eyebrows. That year stretched out behind her like the rock wall at Fort Mountain.             “Gil Tripodi and David Maddox were experienced cavers. They travelled the world exploring cave networks on every continent. Recently, David had seemed distant. Gil said this trip was a last ditch effort to work through his issues. This range had been their first cave exploration holiday together ten years ago. This trip was supposed to be a nostalgic walk down memory lane.”             She pulled out the desk chair and sat before she collapsed. “I’m waiting for the medical history for Maddox to see if there were existing conditions, but I don’t see an X-File here, Mulder.”             “A fit, relatively young man dies of hypothermia on a summer day, in a matter of minutes. His skin was grey and his eyes were white. But you don’t see anything odd in that?” He punched the pillow against the bed head and sat back. If he’d needled her with a mocking tone, if he’d yelled at her, if he’d thrown his hands up in frustration, she would have cared more. But he was neutral, calm. And that just made her mad.His phone rang.             “If that’s Diana, say hello. I’ll see you in the morning, Mulder. I’m exhausted.”  Even the shower didn’t stop the shivering. She found some extra blankets and cocooned herself in the bed. She could hear Mulder through the wall. Murmuring, pacing, switching channels. Over the years, she’d learned to use his nocturnal hyperactivity as a sleep aid. Perversely, his inability to rest relaxed her. But now, she was ultra aware of his movements, almost as though they were connected physically. Every step, every sigh, every touch of that remote control jolted through her. At 1.30am she gave up.             He was hunched over the small desk pushed against the opposite wall. The room was illuminated only by his laptop. She padded over to him, clasping her hot tea in her hands.              “Are you okay, Scully?”             “I couldn’t sleep. Headache.”             He stopped flicking through the case notes and looked up at her.              “I’m fine, Mulder. I just have a headache. It’s hot here. I think I got a little dehydrated at the morgue. Did you find anything new?”             “David Maddox was the third sudden death in this cave system in five years.”             She sat on the bed and sipped her tea. “You’d be surprised by the number of fatalities in caves, Mulder.”             He rubbed a hand through his hair and let it drop to the desk with a thud. “I’ve done my research too, Scully. But the circumstances of these deaths in particular bear a strong resemblance to what happened to David Maddox. The victims were otherwise healthy. They died suddenly, cardiac arrest. Their skin was pale and their eyes were white.”              He stood up from the desk chair, exhaling dramatically. He sat next to her, the bed moving under his weight. She slipped closer to him, feeling the press of his thigh against hers. She ducked her head to her chest, squeezed her eyes shut against the insistency of the pain in her temples as well as the feeling of familiarity of being close to her partner. His smell, his essence.             “These cases revealed other parallels to the Maddox death.”           “Such as?” She felt the bed shift again. “For a start all the survivors claimed there was a small man in the caves, calling to them. And,” he reached for a file from the bedside drawer, took out a pile of statements and read from highlighted passages. “Gerry told me he was selling the business and then he went further into the cave and I lost track of him…Mum just couldn’t understand that I wanted to go overseas. We argued about it again and I stormed off. I heard her cry out. When I got to her she was cold and her skin was white. Her eyes were glassy.”             “So you’re saying that these people were at a point in their lives where a significant relationship was being tested.” She rubbed the bridge of her nose.             He nodded. “Just as the legend says. And all the autopsies showed that the victims had symptoms of hypothermia.”           “You seriously want me to believe that micro-creatures in the rock sediments burrowed their way into the victims’ eyes and led them to their deaths; that these ciladaids of yours somehow manipulate the destinies of people and cause them to freeze to death rather than face some aspect of their lives that may upset their equilibrium with a significant other?”           He flopped backward on the bed. The tea in her cup swilled side to side. “Why do you keep saying ‘my ciladaids’, Scully? I didn’t make this up. There are dozens of books that relate the stories of the Moon-Eyes and the spirit beings. Cultures around the world have long relayed stories that connect the supernatural with the human, that reflect the importance of the earth, rocks, caves, forests, water sources in human lives. That speak of Gods or Higher Beings controlling destinies. Why is this version so hard for you to hear?” “But they’re just that, Mulder. Stories. Legends. Mythology.”             He rolled on to his side and looked up at her. “I want to go back to the caves. To go in further. I want to retrace Maddox and Tripodi’s steps.”             “Have you considered that the fact their relationship was in trouble could be motive for Tripodi to kill his partner? That all these other cases may well have been crimes too?”             “Are you saying that Gil Tripodi is Mr Freeze, Scully? Cos if you are that’s kind of cool.” He sat up, smiling at her. “But he was devastated. He didn’t kill Maddox. He is grieving the love of his life.” His phone buzzed. She heard him suck in his breath. “Sorry Scully, I need to get this.” She climbed into her own bed, the cool of the sheets lancing through her skin and leaving her shivering.