#HES SUCH A MAAAAAAAN I LOVE HIM SO MUCH IT HURTS | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

bi-outta-cordonia · 5 years ago

Text

Top 10s

The year is coming to a close and despite this being my first foray into PB fandom for the year, some interesting shit has happened in these books and 2019 was full of all sorts of fun stories. I want to cap off Choices this year by naming my top ten favorite moments in all the books released in 2019.

Tagging all my favorite unfriendly Black hotties: @questionablespecies @imogen-wescott @beyonceswigs @annelyseadair @cassiopeiacorvus @massivelysilentchaos @nikkisha16 @boujeechoices @raleigh-carrera @mand-delemonde

10) BB MC training with Jax: I like. Many things. Many things involve swords. Jax training BB MC in fight skills was awesome as a scene, especially since it came with the moment of him reestablishing his connection with his blade and the two of them touching foreheads as they come to terms with her death. But nothing--nothing--is gonna top the moment where the two of them literally fight each other. They train and they train hard as hell. “What’s this position called?” “It’s called ‘you better not break my defense because I’ll kick your ass’.” And then she cuts part of his shirt. He looks up, they start back with the training, and he slices part of her dress. They keep going until eventually there are no more clothes and they are now on the ground, making out. The exact opposite of training, but I can’t hear over the receptors in my brain that sound off for couple training scenes.

9) “Oh, you like that”: Listen. NB was trash. There’s no denying that. But that first moment when you finally get to dive into Cal, make out with him, when ol girl takes off both of their clothes for the most intense face sucking she’s ever experienced in life? And then he dips his head or bites her neck or whatever the fuck he does--I don’t even remember. Because what I do remember--very vividly--is damn near throwing my phone across the room when he says “Oh, you like that...” I read it in his drawl, felt that shit in my soul, and it will never not make me so incredibly disappointed that we will never get to see him really go buck wild with MC because it was there.

8) Landry bailing if you don’t talk to him: It happened with Vanessa, happened with Becca, happened with Olivia, happened with Sebastian--sometimes. I don’t want to make friends with folks who come at me sideways when it doesn’t immediately benefit them. Landry being a little coward was something all the intelligent folks saw coming but you could see inklings of the narrative trying to set him up for redemption at the eleventh hour. Except. I didn’t want that. A majority of folks did not want that it seems. And PB listened for once and didn’t force us to have to interact with him during the last leg of the first book. If you talk to everyone in the friend group before you get to him, he bails and is not seen or heard from. Good.

7) MOTY MC making bank off her deadbeat ex husband: MOTY was also another unexpected favorite to come out of 2019 and told the story of a single mother trying to raise her baby right. Guy was and is easily the worst antagonist to ever show up in these books because he is so disgustingly real. Emotionally abusive, manipulative, narcissistic, and cruel--he did everything in his power to exert power over MC. He wanted the kid, not because he wanted to be her father but because he wanted to use her to help boost him, and going through the whole book making sure to pick options that would best demonstrate that MC was providing exactly what the baby needs, only for the judge to say that not only is she not awarding custody to Guy but he also has to pay child support, pro- and retroactively?? When sis opened that bank account and saw tens of thousands sitting in her savings?? I almost cried.

6) ILB MC rising from certain death and avenging her parents: Okay so this might be cheating a little because ILB came out in 2018, but I also said this was a top ten list of shit that happened in 2019, and seeing this bitch break out of a coffin, swim up, and straight murder the man that took her parents from her was insanity. Richard really thought he had her on the ropes, huh? He thought she wasn’t gonna be able to break out and kick his ass? And when she told him that, as far as the entire town was concerned, he was already dead and they were just waiting for his body to wash up? Ooh, she wasn’t stuck on the boat with him--he was trapped on the lake with her.

5) Logan was a forced LI for a good reason??: Girls, Ride or Die: A Bad Boy Romance was an unexpected fave this year but out of all the moments to choose from that absolutely floored me, the fact that Logan was so heavily pushed was because Kaneko asked him to gain your trust so that the crew could use you? That shit hurt so much and had me screaming the entire time I was tapping through the revelation scenes. I mean, we’ve had LIs betray MCs a ton of times but I still could not believe that Logan had so thoroughly did what he did and when they showed you the flashbacks of the very subtle ways he was trying to weed information from MC? In the early stages?? Man.....this is why my MC went with Colt--kidding kidding. She is with Colt but I love Logan deeply solely because of this.

4) BB MC dying: okay NB tried to do something groundbreaking but like it got completely overshadowed by BB MC getting fucking stabbed through her chest because typically your MC will walk away okay from most scenarios but this bitch actually didn’t. Couple that with the fact that I’m romancing Jax so the thing that killed her was his sword, something that has been revealed as being a precious thing and something he’s cherished for a long time as a tool to help him protect the ones he loves? It hit me right in the a ng s t. She pops back up a vampire in the third book, a reveal which comes to us at the end of the second but oh man watching Jax cradle her dying body, knowing he was never going to forgive himself for this happening? It was delicious.

3) ACOR MC turning the crowd on Caesar: okay, stabbing Caesar was fantastic, no one is denying that, but I honestly thought the most impactful and most fucking insane moment of ACOR is when MC made the first attempt, got caught, and was able to stir the crowd during the final leg of her trial to the point that she started a literal riot in Rome. The flavor, the power--can you imagine being Julius Caesar and watching a ho string your folks along and convince them that she couldn’t possibly have been guilty of a crime because her pussy is too good for that? Who is gonna win this fight--a certified conqueror of several realms or one bitch with the world’s most fantabulous coochie? The answer may surprise you...

2) TRR MC is pregnant: we got stuck in yeehaw hell for seven weeks...seven weeks of having to act like Bertrand and Savannah were even that important according to the narrative when MC is a whole ass duchess trying to start her family....all the months of seeing Liam talk so enthusiastically about wanting a family with MC, wanting to be a father, and wanting to build a life with her, after all the bullshit they went through and the hurdles they had to jump in order to even get to the point where they could be happily married? And then she called him out to the field and told him that they were having a baby? I cried. I cried so hard.

1) ACOR MC stabbing Cassius in the fucking back: I loved ACOR so much. So much of the political machinations, the scheming, the dancing around language while trying to manipulate powerful patrons into doing your bidding--I had Antony wrapped around one finger and Cassius on the other--string them both along while trying to achieve my own goals but maaaaaaan....Betraying Cassius at the last second in order to protect yourself from reprimand so you can make a clean getaway from Rome was the peak. The epitome of ACOR MC in a nutshell. I fucking loved how absolutely unhinged and manipulative that bitch could be. She literally sat up there and told him all the things he wanted to hear, acted like she cared about who he wanted for Rome, in some cases straight up lied to him about how much she loved him, and then during the moment that mattered most--when they both stabbed Caesar and thrust Rome into chaos--she shed the visage of the beautiful woman he had so deeply fallen in love with and unveiled the poisonous snake she had always been. She used him. He truly and honestly didn’t see it coming until he peeked outside and happened to spy her standing firm at Antony’s side. And the narrative let me do that with the utmost glee.

And that’s it. Go forth. Make your own list. Criticize mine, idc.

#playchoices #choices

33 notes · View notes

shadowlink720 · 8 years ago

Text

FE: Birthright Randomised Chapter 15 and Paralogue 6

(aka 'It’s time for some JOLLY COOPERATION...! ok not really, but you get the point’)

Time to fight some yeti people

off to Mount Garou we goooo (it’s funny because ‘Garou’ sounds a little like a howl lol)

well isn’t that just perfect

of course, that’s what I just said-

how Fun

there’s no break for these guys

o hi there, Keaton

yeah I guess he does that

we even have like 2 wolfskin of our own, man

where’s Hinata and Azama when you need them

it’s going too well, lol

yep

yikes

thank u Rinkah-

time to fight the yeti ppl

oh man at least one of these guys has Counter I need to be very carefu l

ooooh, Azura learned Sol! c:

how’s your Strong Riposte now, huh? >:V

it begins

hmmm do I risk it I’ll use the Dragon Vein and see if that helps

eh, it’s a little better

awww yeah

mate you uhh you have made a mistake

oh wait since that guy dropped a Master Seal I can use that to promote Hinata :V I’m gonna do that

>:3c

hah Look at their hit rate that’s cute oh they have poison strike huh

I’m having thoughts that this chapter kinda feels like a hunt I’d make a Bloodborne joke but I don’t think I know enough about it to do so :V

ooh I got a Beastrune I’ll just trade that over to Hinata, thaaanks

heck it The Hunt is ON

though I’m gonna wait for these wolfskin to come to me, hahah

oh man I feel kinda sorry for these guys aaaand Kaze’s level 20 :o

right I need to be careful of Keaton because he has Beastbane and Odd Shaped

the Hunt never ends

I’d say that Beast weapons are overpowered but I’m ok with that

hah

oh hi Keaton yeah about that that was Iago but you don’t care sooooo guess the Hunt continues :Y

oh, more Wolfskin showed up

I really should have given Setsuna a sidelong yumi or smth

it’s funny because any damage that Keaton does to Setsuna just gets healed in the next turn because she’s a) on a fort and b) has Renewal lmao

I can the question is: should I?

...... well if he doesn’t then I can have Takumi or smth finish him off

hey man literally every other way to Nohr was blocked by soldiers o<o

and Hinata levelled up! and we got Spirit Dust, nice

oh yeah got a little Blood Drunk there

true does it count as hunting if it was self defence? probably, idk

a burden you wouldn’t have if you had just let me randomise Revelation but no, of course not that’d be too logical

oh man I hope ur right about that, Rinkah >:Y

... don’t u dare

don’t u freaking dare I have an A rank support with Rinkah, and an S support with Kaze don’t u dare do this, game

wait, is that different? I think it is

it sure seems different

it done exploded

oh thank the Sages she’s going to be ok

yeah you could have Died, even if this is Casual

Rinkah no

yeah we’re fiiine, Kagero :V

hey man be thankful that it was nearly >:V can u tell I didn’t know about that thing the first time I played it

heck yeah I’m gonna praise it to thank it for saving Rinkah’s ass lmao

PRAISE THE SUN, CORRIN PRAISE THE SUN IN THE HOPES THAT YOU WILL BECOME SO GROSSLY INCANDESCENT

... I waited far too long to make that joke is some form

aaand that’s chapter 15! And Rinkah’s still alive! :’’’’’’D

oh hey Hana showed up :o

let’s have a look at her stats and such

oooh she has Icy Blood for a personal, which means she takes half damage from nonadjacent foes and Skill/Spd -3 if she’s hurt and then attacked :V She also has PAVISE-- which halves... pretty much any physical damage with her skill stat being the trigger pretty lopsided bases, but look at that defence o3o but hey! I finally have an axe user! :’’’’’D (Growths: HP - 45, Str - 10, Mag - 35, Skill - 50, Spd - 40, Lck - 15, Def - 35, Res - 30) (Heart Seal: Shrine Maiden and Mercenary)

oh, would you look at that we’ve got ourselves another Paralogue :o ........ don’t mind if I doooooo

oh, but before we do, I’m gonna promote Kaze to a Great Knight >:3c

awwww yeah

.... >.> <.< let’s go to that Paralogue, then--

it is Him he is Here :o

this is oddly fitting for Kiragi, ngl

he keeps cutting himself off--

well that’s Not Good

Kiragi

KIRAGI

nailed it

yeah that guy just got a spear in the back hahaha;;;

this honestly feels very in character for Kiragi-

best parent-child relationship ahdauhsdgafyg

nice one

hey man thieves are pretty good at what they do :V

pls give him the bag back >:V

just take the bag from her, Kiragi she’s an adventurer, she can’t retaliate unless you’re a space away from her .... unless she has Point Blank but that’s special treatment for Takumi, so she doesn’t

>:c

we gon’ have some words, Candace

hah, even if she tries to get away, Felicia will eventually cut her off >:y

but let’s look at Kiragi!

well he’s another ninja :’D his personal is Puissance, which inflicts +3 damage if his strength is at least 5 higher than the target’s, niice (and he’s go a pretty good strength base stat too) He also has Swap, Bowfaire and Poison Strike ..... I think with Bowfaire he’d make a good Mechanist :V (Growths: HP - 30, Str - 50, Mag - 15, Skill - 5, Spd - 45, Lck - 60, Def - 35, Res - 35) (Heart Seal: Knight and Outlaw)

anyway, we go!

hmm

I’m gonna do this, then feed the kill to Kiragi, I think

you better hit, man ayyyyy he diiid

hah

THE STICKY BOMB HAS BEEN DETONATED

how dare that troubadour heal someone D:<

oh well >:3c

heeeeeere’s TAKUMI

gonna get rid of that Troubadour before anyone else

..... I could kill you right now

ohhhhh maaaaaaan

‘I’m the mother of the kid you just stole those herbs from >:V’

ayy she levelled up, too aaand we got back the Dragon Heeerbs

why u screm Kiragi

tru, Rinkah

(her voice line was ‘What do you think you’re doing!?’ it was kinda fitting lol)

don’t be sad Kiragi oAo

boi u don’t need herbs for that o<o;;;

you don’t need them to prove your usefulness, Kiragiiii oAo

he’s too Pure save Him

have I mentioned that I love the dialogue in this paralogue? it’s so wholesome and wonderful ashdasajdshdjkasg

anyway, we have to continue with plot next time :U no more paralogues for me hahahh;;;;;

#Shadow plays randomised Fates #fire emblem fates #fe fates #fe: fates #fe 14 #fe randomised

7 notes · View notes

grizzlefur · 8 years ago

Text

WWEm - Hell’s Gateshead

Transmission date: Monday 6/Tuesday 7 March 2017

Running behind because it turns out longstanding medical conditions are about as likely as jobs to give you time off to talk shit about wrestling, this is MONDAY AFTERNOON RAW!

Also because Fastlane was such bullshit it threatened to put me off Raw forever .

so now we have to deal with the aftermath of that .

sigh .

we open on some dramatic recaps of said bullshit, just in case you'd succeeded in repressing it .

jericho winning it for goldberg with his devastating manoeuvre of 'standing there' .

and brockberg for the championship at mania .

sigh .

there is no outcome to that that won't piss me off .

but anyway .

we're in chicago .

(go...i have forgotten all the sports teams in chicago) .

(cubs) .

(shit) .

but here's jericho, and chicago loves him .

gdi cole, stop saying how close we are to mania .

it reminds me how behind i am .

gonna be a mad rush of posts to catch up before then .

i need my own sign to point at for motivation .

jericho has a new sparkly jacket .

kind of mirror ball style .

and immediately in with the face promos .

been a while .

his argument is basically 'kevin's a twat' .

i'll be honest, i'm skeptical whether jericho can be anywhere near as good a face as he has been a heel lately .

but i'm prepared to be wrong .

chris is calling kevin out for an explanation of his shittiness .

long beat, and here he is .

weird seeing him come in without the belt .

kevin comes out like fuck you why would i answer your questions .

and now jericho proper unloads on him .

which is so weird after the last year or whatever of world-class friendship .

kevin says chris was never his best friend .

ooooooooohhhh .

chris looks genuinely hurt .

kevin just like i betray all my friends, have you seen sami .

apparently kevin picked chris up because hhh told him to be prepared for anything when he got the belt .

the large shadowy figure behind every questionable decision .

kevin is having far too much fun calling jericho a tool .

apparently it was chris accepting the kevberg match that pushed kevin over the top .

which seems fair, tbh .

kevin is apparently a nice guy for not straight murdering chris at the festival .

chris is like okay i kind of get this because ten years ago i would have dicked you over right back .

and apparently he doesn't need a best friend because he has the crowd .

or in his words .

the friends of jericho .

(cheer him on, maaaaaaaaan) .

jericho finally challenges kevin for mania, points at the sign really weirdly .

there's that elephant in the room addressed .

we've been waiting for that match .

kevin angles to make it a us title match .

i only remembered chris was us champ when they pointed it out .

his big jacket and fluffy scarf cover it up more or less completely .

and chris is like okay that'll be fun but let's fuck thsi shit up right now, maaaaaaan

cue punch brawl .

and...samoa joe appears? .

both of them stomp on chris a bit, hit sami's music .

the lovable skank man comes in with a chair, pretty much immediately loses it and gets beaten into a corner by kevin and joe

#youtried .

but chris gets the chair and wins the ensuing scrap .

hit his music, because apparently something was achieved .

and kevin and joe leave .

huh .

thought that'd be a tag match .

ad break, and foley has made it into two matches .

owens/zayn round #fuck this joke again now, and joe/chris later on .

someone in the crowd has a KALI 3:16 sign .

either there's a reference there i'm not getting, or that is the most delightfully strange crossover .

sami does a tope con giro over the ref like fuck you mustafa ali .

and lands on his shins .

ow .

stands up like it's ok i'm fine wait shit that really hurts why did i do that .

don't break your legs, sami .

we'd have to get one of your mexican relatives in to replace you .

i love how these two always pull new moves out in their matches together .

exhibit a: kevin hits a flip senton to the back of sami's head .

ouch .

that into a brainbuster (fuck you wellness policy) and another popup bomb for the pin .

sami is the human equivalent of the smash bros sandbag .

suplex him hard enough and a bunch of items will come out .

oh great, we get to hear from goldberg later .

but next, we have neville/swann for the cruiserweight belt .

when did rich earn a title shot? .

and in other questions, austin where the fuck is your banana .

austin gives us all another look at his package, cole and graves massively corpse on camera .

corey tries to parry some package jokes, cole is just like OKAY moving on here's rich swann .

young guns (handle this) .

oh, apparently this is rich's contractual rematch cos he couldn't have it earlier .

pretty sure that's not how it works, but w/e .

at least this match is reminding me of the best bit of fastlane .

(by miles) .

crowd are just like fuck this, let's do cm punk chants over everything because chicago .

fuck you, guys .

rich seems to have come into this match with the mindset 'nobody can beat me if i do everything at DOUBLE SPEED' .

which is working pretty well, tbh .

until he got bulldogged headfirst into the apron, that is .

crowd start an austin aries chant, the man himself is just like um okay thanks guys but maybe watch the match .

rich nails a high-angle senton (let's call it a swannton, sure) off the turnbuckle to the outside .

into a michinoku driver for a nearfall .

neville kicks out like fuck you, i'm from newcastle .

we used to jump off two-storey buildings onto each other to kill time at school .

i had to kill my breakfast with a michinoku driver every day .

i once had a forty-minute deathmatch with some fish and chips .

you know nothing, rich swann .

(daniel assures me this is an accurate representation of newcastle) .

comes back with an enormous superplex .

damn, but rich can take punishment .

flatliner to facekick to kick out, because, as aforemtioned, geordie .

does a phoenix splash to a complete lack of neville, who counters into that rings of saturn double armbar thing he does for the tap .

he needs a name for that .

my money's on 'hell's gateshead' .

austin turns up in-ring to interview the king .

who just stands there like fuck you you don't deserve my finely-crafted geordie words .

austin aries chants dominate, austin tries to get the crowd back on track .

neville like hey i said i was going to murder the division and that is very much a thing that i did .

austin like hmmmmm did you say there was nobody who could challenge you .

wonder where this is leading .

the crowd know .

nevile just like hahaha wait fuck seriously .

austin dramatically loses the shades .

he has both his eyes .

who knew .

neville's getting all up in austin's business, he's still trying to do the interviewer thing .

until he coldcocks him with the mic .

i am officially hyped for this feud .

austin loses the jacket and shit .

i'm guessing this is why no banana today .

chases neville out of the ring, stands there with his belt .

this is promising .

but now, enzo and cass are backstage .

and it's not a kfc advert? .

apparently not .

they've run into sheamus and cesaro .

cesaro like ummmm this is actually a cuppa coffee .

and they're both just ripping the piss out of enzo and cass for not winning the titles .

god, i love those two .

but apparently next, goldberg exists .

after an ad for mania .

which is in 13 days .

fuuuuuuuuck i have so much wrestling to mock .

but yes, now we have this fucking entrance .

both in the sense that it's a long intro, and that the man himself is an enormous entrance .

during this interlude, let's take a moment to ponder the popularity of Sir Shortmatches Shoutsalot here .

his popularity atm seems to hinge on the fact that he was away for 12 years .

by that logic, i've not been on wwe tv for my whole life, i should be over as fuck .

anyway, these riffs are mostly trying to distract me from the fact that this colossal entrance is universal champion now .

*facial twitch, facial twitch, sweat, snort* .

this man has never been on any controlled substance, ladies and gentlemen .

apparently oldberg is humbled .

believe it when i see it .

and he's dedicating the red belt to the fans .

who are doing a cm punk chant, because fuck you, we're chicago .

bill nods along with it like the churchill dog .

and actually engages with the crowd .

you can't do that .

punk never existed .

this is canon .

quick, bring paul heyman in before that gets any more out of hand .

shockingly, paul hasn't come alone .

like that ever happens .

so here's Bouncy McDickchest himself .

paul dramatically introduces the two .

i'm reasonably sure they already know each other .

angry old man, meet dude who fucked your career .

brock is apparently here to shake goldberg's hand .

camera guy, can we please stop getting closeups on brock's weird, fucked-up ear .

i can't stop noticing it .

paul is just doing a speech while bill and brock twitch at each other .

whoever programmed brock's idle sequence needs firing .

am i alone in not giving a single percent of the smallest shit about this feud? .

paul calls goldberg a bitch, brock f5's him .

we get a brief recap of bromance rains, but now it's enzo and cass/gallows and anderson .

bit of smackdown editing there .

here's enzo to do some freestyling .

and his mate to do lists of people from chicago who've won things .

fun twist: all those people are michael jordan .

and here come the champions with their ongoing work in progress of an entrance .

you'll get there, guys .

dramatic recap stills of the fastlane match .

handy, because i'd forgotten the screwy finish .

couldn't remember why enzo was talking about controversy .

tbh, this is another feud i'm having some real trouble giving a shit about .

ooh, but here come sheamus and cesaro .

aka the good bit of this weird three-way feud .

just to lurk at ringside and drink coffee .

so yeah, this match is very much an event that is happening and taking up space in four dimensions .

enzo knocks cesaro's coffee out of his hands, he goes to colthesline enzo, hits anderson instead, dq, match over, let's brawl .

cesaro cleans everyone out, enzo jumps on his back princess bride-style, .

sheamus brogues him off .

i'm not sure of the physics of that .

but anyway .

the swirish connection win a segment, so i am happy .

they continue to work way better than anyoen expected .

but now, let's talk about the hall of fame .

and it's rick rude and his airbrushed crotch .

who i've just realised looks like 70's austin aries .

huh .

but i knew this, because, as aforementioned, super behind .

to the point where i have a magazine next to me with his name on the cover .

damn time-displaced television .

the hof lineup this year kind of looks like a sexual assault identity parade .

ew .

but anyway .

later, bayley talks .

but now, enzo, cass, cearo and sheamus fight backstage .

mick breaks them up, says fuck it, settle this in the ring next week, #1 contender match for mania, now fuck off .

steph appears behind him like hey mick office now .

so that's gone well .

but who cares, because now HA we HA have HA the most dynamic man in japan .

versus ariya daivari, who doesn't even get an entrance any more apparently .

well, so much for those prospects .

austin not on commentary after fighting neville .

which is definitely a shame .

his presence on mic will be sorely missed .

tozawa does his big wind-up fakeout punch, makes me wonder what'd happen if he fought tyler bate .

no punches would ever actually land .

and it'd still be compelling as shit .

seriously, that suicide dive .

fucking magic .

and snap german for the win .

so that happened .

sorry, ariya .

but more importantly, akira has a mic .

calling brian out for a match now .

and here he comes .

actually *wearing* his jacket for once .

brian's just like hey no i'll answer you tomorrow on 205 and meanwhile have lesson #5 .

end segment .

well that was basically just an advert .

but hey, it meant i got to fangirl over tozawa .

and now, here's the new day yes they are .

with their ice cream cart .

corey trying to protest and reminding us all that new day ice cream does not in fact exist yet so why do they have a box for it .

which big e is now making out with .

the man has few boundaries .

oh, apparently it's the 'new day pop-cycle' .

hooray for a pun .

big e claims that hosting mania qualifies them to host a quinceanera and a bris .

which i'm less than convinced by .

and then he calls out the shining stars, when the camera pans over and reveals they were there all along .

jobbing so hard they can teleport when people forget they exist .

so yeah, that's the match we're having right now .

and in the time it took me to type that, midnight hour to epico for the pin .

side note: i adore the vitriol corey has for new day segments .

but now a women's history month segment .

about trish and lita .

and we had byron and otunga to introduce the black history moth segments, so to introduce the women's history bit, here's...michael cole .

good job, wwe .

sigh .

but next up we have bayley, who is approximately 100000% more qualified to talk about this stuff .

but now it's...mick? .

introducing bayley .

why .

bayley comes in, embarks on high-fives and hugs and shouts to the rampside crowd, and i realise she's basically the female john cena .

bayley is everything that's great about cena .

but yeah .

mick introduces bayley, congratulates her, serves what purpose in the plot? .

bayley is sad because of the screwy finish .

god, that show had so many screwy finishes .

in a desperate attempt to make us care .

bayley points at the sign, take a shot of something wholesome and non-alcoholic .

does an inspirational speech about mania, gets emotional over her dirty victory .

mick like eh, forget about it, they all count .

asks her who her mania opponent should be .

this is not normally how it works .

but here comes sasha .

points at the sign, shot of something cooler and less wholesome .

sasha wants a match with bayley at mania .

not in an antagonistic way, just like let's burn this fucker down together .

mick supports this proposal .

but here comes charlotte .

who i'm going to go out on a limb will like it less .

and dana as her arm candy .

charlotte spins this as all a huge conspiracy against her .

continues with the wedge-driving between them .

shouts at mick, mick kicks back, enter steph .

and huge punk chants .

holy shit, steph both addressed it and explicitly mentioned punk .

i guess they can do that now he's a thing elsewhere .

steph is basically supporting charlotte's argument .

and shouting at mick for fucking up the management of her show .

fucking deafening punk chants continue throughout .

mick protests, steph is just like nope fuck you overruled bayley/charlotte at mania .

mick calls sasha the boss, steph objects .

he wants sasha involved, so proposes a contendership match next week .

steph's like okay but what about instead we have sasha/bayley right fucking now and if sasha wins we'll make it a triple threat .

because fuck you i'm stephanie mcmahon .

but first, let's have a video package of wrestlemania 1, courtesy of snickers .

wrestlemania classic .

wrestlemania cool original .

ready salted mania .

ahem .

(memo: daniel, get me some crisps) .

so yes, now we have bayley/sasha, with charlotte on announce .

and dana sitting behind her without a mic .

oh wait, no, she's standing .

i feel for dana .

can't have a headset or a chair .

this match is already joining the long list of things on this episode that are better than fastlane .

meanwhile, the huge question looming over the raw women's division remains .

namely, what in the name of all the fuck ever to have fucked is going on with emma? .

i do enjoy good-natured, low-aggression, tech-heavy matches like this .

where it's clearly just two friends putting on a show .

corey keeps addressing charlotte as 'your grace' .

that is not the accepted style of address for a queen .

what do you think this is, westeros? .

some really top-quality mat wrestling in this match .

they're both really technically strong .

i do think that's something the division has lost with it being all charlotte all the time .

charlotte and dana ominously approach the ring .

side note: have charlotte and dana basically come as the two looks of gaga from the singles off joanne? .

dana just needs a big hat and we'd be there .

sasha locks in a nasty bank statement, dana distracts the ref, sasha kicks charlotte and reapplys for the pin .

i think that's how it went down .

weird finish .

and i was distracted by whoever's at ringside with a palestinian flag whenever the camera comes near them .

bold .

cue some brawlery, ending with charlotte posing with the belt and walking off to her music .

also, clarification: i meant "for the tap" .

sasha did not somehow manage to pin her with a bank statement .

that wouldn't work in any way .

but now, let's talk about brauman strains .

and play that recap clip again, in the right place this time .

so we have braun settling his business with roman later, but first an interview with hhh and a look at seth doing physio .

but before first, charly interviews roman about how he feels about his imminent conversion to samoan-flavoured jam .

he's like yeah whatever and leaves .

welp, fuck that guy .

but now, seth/hunter .

dramatic recap clips of last week .

with hunter saying he'll fuck seth up if he comes to mania, and seth being like yeah well i'll be the last man you'll ever fuck .

(i may have paraphrased slightly) .

and now we're at the therapy centre .

where seth is doing physio three times a day .

and as somebody who's done a bunch of physio, fuck .

lots of shots of him in pain .

seth's promising to be at mania if he has to sprout wings or invent a bionic limb or whatever .

but now, triple h is LIVE via satellite from...fuck, who knows .

a questionably-decorated room somewhere .

or the base of a basalt cliff .

who knows .

hunter does his wrestling dad thing like hey i just hope seth's doing his therapy and listens to his doctors and maybe DOESN'T FUCK WITH MY SHIT .

his parenting style is questionable .

hunter's letting his facial hair grow out some, and it doesn't suit him .

calls seth out for trying to push his own nicknames, which is fair .

and reiterates his threats .

that interview was about 80% the promo from last time .

corey does a bit about wanting his friend to be sensible and not anger the gods, interrupted by FUCK YOU WOMP WOMP WOMP .

(womp womp) .

it's joe, is what i'm trying to say .

if that didn't come across .

so we're having that match now .

ooh, emma video .

confirming that yes, this whole thing was either a troll campaign or an aborted angle, and emma will be back soon with her usual look and attitude .

well thank fuck for that .

maybe she was just waiting for austin to stop using those aviators .

you know you can buy them in shops, right .

? .

and now we have jericho, wearing fewer clothes than earlier .

down to the classic pants/scarf combo .

meanwhile joe's changed the colour of his shorts again .

keeps the same style for 189 years, then as soon as he changes them, he can't stop .

apparently sami and kevin are banned from ringside for this .

thanks for mentioning that cole, since it was said at precisely no point prior to this .

Chris goes for the walls, joe's just like nope fuck you i am large and dragon screws him off .

knocks joe out of the ring, tries to baseball slide him, but joe just catches him into a coquina clutch .

chokes him out, leaves him at ringside for the countout .

which is unsatisfying yet perfect, because samoa joe personally hates each and every one of us .

brings jericho back in after the bell for some more punishment, eats a codebreaker for his trouble .

but next, raw man brains .

we see braun backstage, walking so purposefully that it just looks like he's trying to catch and possibly eat the steadicam guy .

hype bits for next week, and BRAAAAAAAAUUUUGGGHHHHHHHHH .

calls roman out like this isn't for a match fuck all that wrestling bullshit i just want to kill you come out and let me .

says chicago doesn't like roman, gets the biggest face pop of the show .

long beat, roman's music .

which BONG immediately BONG becomes BONG...something else .

...why is the undertaker here .

oh right, they're gonna do taker/strowman at mania, aren't they .

makes a kind of sense .

well, this at least shows us that there are longer intros than goldberg's .

the crowd are very impressed .

awkward faceoff, then braun slowly backs out of the ring .

even he has his limits .

braun wanders out through the crowd like fuck you guys, i never wanted to be here anyway .

taker's music hits again, is interrupted by roman's .

and now he's here .

so basically, i have no fucking clue what's going on .

the crowd are less than impressed by this latest turn .

or so i think, the crowd mics are leveled down so far it's hard to tell .

taker has done nothing but stand and stare in this segment .

roman's got a mic, and he's actually talking smack to taker .

bold move .

wants him to fuck off out of roman's ring/yard/dojo/whatever metaphor .

taker stares angrily at the sign, chokeslams the life out of roman .

chicago approves, and so do i .

taker's music hits again, he walks off, still without saying a word .

maybe that half-dead squid in his voicebox has got worse .

hard to take him seriously up in roman's business going HRGMFLGHGHML .

see, i can speak squid .

and now an interlude, while i go and check that i haven't accidentally offended any cephalopods reading this and daniel rehearses his performance poetry

take it away .

---------------- .

That wasn't bad, Daniel .

I didn't quite get the chicken bit, and it could probably stand to lose a couple of the recitations of the full script of For A Few Dollars More, but yeah .

in any case .

Running a bit later than planned (naming no Eastwood fans), and still hopelessly behind, this is TUESDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN! .

holy shit, that's actually correct .

a fortnight off being the right tuesday, but still .

where i need someone with catchy music to turn up and get x gon give it to ya out of my head .

but we're opening with a dramatically-edited recap of the bray/randy drama/casual sacrilege .

which is mostly serving to remind me how disappointed i am that we're not getting harper/wyatt at mania .

also, booooo face randy .

but i am definitely intrigued to see how this story goes .

farewell to the hell temple barn .

before i even had the chance to make a single la-mulana reference .

(well, that one counts) .

and now we're live .

here come the moneeeeeeeey .

in his crap jacket and no tie .

also here come the bryan .

okay, apparently it's already been decided that we're getting orton/styles for the contendership tonight .

but shane opens by saying that it hasn't been decided .

i think someone should get fired .

bryan wants randy to have the match, shane backs aj .

bryan's argument is basically TRADITIONNNNNNN .

which shane counters with fucked if i know what's going on this year, tradition clearly doesn't count .

which is a sound argument .

shane's just doing his best to cope with all the shit these wacky wrestlers throw up .

and they keep bringing up vts whenever they mention shit that's happened .

guys, we watch the show .

(daniel would like me to clarify that he does not, in fact, watch the show) .

the indianapolis crowd (go colts) are conflicted about this whole situation .

so now bryan is dramatically announcing that he previously announced the plans for tonight on facebook .

not convinced this is how announcements work .

apparently this is big because we've never seen orton/styles before .

but 50% of that is randy orton, so i'm finding it a little hard to care .

but up next, the mixed tag between bella/cena and carmella/ellsworth .

and lots of shitty jokes by jbl .

(these may continue for the next 90 minutes) .

after another advert in which pitbull reminds me how close mania is getting .

aaaaaaaaa the inexorable march of time .

and now, aj collars the management backstage .

apparently there's a conspiracy against him .

and he feels the best way to deal with this is to shout at his bosses .

he's like whatever fuck it i'mma go murder randy orton peace out .

but now, ellsworth has a mic .

he's actually cutting an honest-to-god promo .

which was good until he forgot how words worked for a moment there .

seriously, the man is just lana in a bad hat .

and i kind of love him for it .

indianapolis seems a lot more pro-cena than a lot of crowds .

but now let's interrupt this episode of smackdown to talk about cena's feature interview in muscle and fitness .

odd sign on hardcam for this episode is 'PaBLO' .

weird capitalisation and all .

bell rings, miz and maryse immediately turn up .

the faces stare dumbfounded for a while, until nikki gets kicked in the head by carmella .

cut to ads, and we come back with miz and maryse on announce .

nikki tags cena, ellsworth stays on the apron like fuck this i'm out .

carmella takes it to him about this, shoves him bodily into cena .

then starts shouting at cena, and gets smacked down by nikki .

nikki and cena both do five knuckle shuffles, and it's evident which of them has done it every match for a decade .

into an aa and a rack attack, for the pin .

at which point miz and maryse immediately blindside them .

and now miz gets to do his speech .

apparently cena is a liar and his relationship with nikki is a sham .

because we're dredging the pre-nup drama from season 1 of total divas up again? .

and apparently cena is stealing miz's shtick .

and doing everything in service of his brand .

which is kind of true? .

i do love it when miz gets to properly rip into someone .

maryse takes the mic purely so she can call nikki a bitch and then throw it at her .

makeout, end segment .

apparently later alexa will be presenting a 'blissertation' .

fuck the what .

but now renee nervously interviews randy at his dressing room .

he's like fuck alla y'all, i burnt down a hell church .

which is a solid argument .

cursory hall of fame thing, rick rude still a person that existed .

cut to the ring, where curt hawkins is suddenly here and calling out dean ambrose .

what the fuck is even your deal, dude .

oh hey, dean is actually coming .

comes out with the ic belt i forgot he had .

coldcocks curt halfway down the ramp, proceeds to call out baron himself .

meanwhile, tom calls curt hawkins 'burt', and mauro calls him 'chad' .

ooooooh, callout about baron not having testicles .

3edgy5me .

baron appears on the tron from his alleyway .

promises to kill dean when he wants to .

dean resolves to come to him instead, perfunctorily hits a dirty deeds on curt on the way out for giggles .

women's history month thing, announced by precisely no women .

also, this is the exact same video as on raw .

black history month had different people each night .

but nope, we can't think of that many women .

and now, dean is backstage looking for a giant dickhead .

weird cut .

to an advert for the kids' choice awards? .

whatever, smackdown .

you do you .

and then cut back to dean, elsewhere backstage .

and then to dasha interviewing mojo rawley? .

FUCK .

SLOW DOWN .

mojo's wearing a waistcoat and tie, and it looks like his mum dressed him .

he's entering the andre the giant battle royal, because that's apparently still a thing .

dolph appears to mock him .

although how you can mock anyone when you're rocking that horrible topknot and low-cut top combo .

mojo gets to throw a bit of shade back, dolph leaves .

cut to dean somewhere else, because smackdown wants me to have an aneurysm .

and baron ambushes dean and just fucking assaults him with a pipe .

dean's just like yeah okay good talk .

because dean .

baron drops him under the prongs of a forklift and lowers them on him .

is this a reference i think it iiiiiiis .

security appear to remind baron he's not allowed to operate machinery .

and call medical for dean .

cut back to the arena, where jbl's take on the situation is basically 'welp, fuck that guy' .

and i can't argue .

but now here are alexa and mickie .

for the oh god i'm not typing that horrible pun again .

this segment presented by snickers: eat a snickers, do a thing. .

alexa's on the mic, and already fire as usual .

she's like oh hey who am i not going to be fighting at mania point at the siiiiiiiign .

she proceeds to list basically the entire division .

while mickie laughs at her jokes .

starts talking smack about becky, and guess who turns up .

(it's not david arquette) .

she's here to make a beclaration .

which she apologises for immediately .

becky says she's going to kill her at mania point at the siiiiiign, and here's nattie? .

becky has been addressed as 'chucky' and 'beaker' so far this segment .

i think they might be reaching a bit .

aparently nattie and alexa are "championship calibre material" .

that is not how those words work .

alexa's immediately just like ha fuck no i'm not fighting you .

argument ensues, mickie shouts them all down for interrupting alexa's segment .

while they should be announcing how mickie's going to fight alexa .

alexa's just like ummmm excuse you .

nobody actually knows what's going on .

cue general argument .

but hey, here's bryan to resolve matters for these feeble women .

he's just like um guys this segment is shit let's sort it out .

apparently him and shane have decided alexa can prove that she's the best in the division by fighting everyone in it .

because hey, why should the tag division have all the 'chuck everyone in the same match because fuck it' fun? .

and he's also making a cheap teddy long reference .

and also a tag match with these four .

becky/nattie, which makes approximately no fuckng sense .

but then, i guess tensions are a bit high in the heel corner as well .

alexa goes down to the shittiest basement dropkick ever from nattie .

more akin to just slipping on an unexpected icy patch .

luckily, becky tags herself in to kick it up approximately 213 notches .

i could watch becky/mickie and becky/bliss for a long time .

i mean, i do still think nattie's largely underappreciated, but everyone else in this is just *so much better* .

heel shenanigans take becky down for a weirdly long time of nothing at shitting all .

nattie is trying to urge her partner on in a very familiar wrestling-mum way .

has she forgotten she's a heel now .

becky doesn't give a shit, and is just winning the match on her own .

until nattie just comes in and suplexes her because fuck it .

nattie walks out, alexa gets the pin .

good match, but why the fuck would it not be .

alexa and micke celebrate, right up until mickie kicks alexa in the head and poses with her belt .

smackdown live, where everyone hates everyone .

now let's have an ad for summerslam, because forward planning is good, kids .

and some recap vids of the baron/dean attitude segment .

which just serve to let jbl complain more .

oh, and a medical statement .

which basically informs us that dean's chest is suffering from a nasty case of 'having a fucking forklift lowered on it' .

talking smack this week has miz and maryse, alexa bliss, and...apollo crews? really? .

was the idea not to have people who were actually on the fucking main show? .

but in happier news, here's austin aries to do a 205 ad .

he looks weird without the shades .

but now, our main event .

they continue not to want none .

aj has a mic .

and is calling out the ridiculous double standards around this match .

he wins a bunch of matches, still has to fight for this spot and generally to be taken seriously, while randy burn's down a man's house and gets a title shot for it .

when you put it like that, wrestling all seems kind of ridiculous .

crowd start chanting for aj, he only gets more pissed off .

like shut up guys i know who i am .

and here comes said unrepentant arsonist .

everyone's hyping 'the greatest smackdown live main event ever', and i can't help but feel like we'll be disappointed .

match starts, and the crowd have no clue who to chant for .

well this is certainly a lot of side headlocks .

otunga calls randy's infiltration of the wyatts "one of the most methodical plans ever seen in wwe" .

which is not exactly the highest bar .

planning has never been the strong suit of anyone involved .

this is a very methodical match on the part of aj, which is to say it's really fucking dull .

woman in the crowd starts talking really loud shit at aj while he's at ringside, so randy drops him on the barricade right in front of her .

after which she really awkwardly tries to touch randy .

fuck the wrestling, there's a biopic right there .

i want to know more about this weirdly invested lady .

aj gets randy in one of those aggressive hug submission holds where it's really hard to tell who's trying to submit who .

his main offence in this is either headlocks or kicking randy in the legs .

like i say, that's a style that makes perfect logical sense and probably works, but that is not what we watch pro wrestling for .

randy does his big powerslam, followed by a full nelson slam rather than his usual vipering out .

side note: aj still has the club insignia on his tights .

did we ever get a clear conclusion on whether they're still friends or anything? .

randy tries to spike aj off the turnbuckle, gets a facefull of ring post and an ushigoroshi for his trouble .

aj winds up the styles clash for about fourteen years, randy counters out into his draping ddt .

which aj also counters out of .

into a calf crusher .

still one of the more legit painful-looking holds out there .

randy gets to the ropes after much manly roaring .

aj goes for a stinger splash, randy counters by just being like oh hey i can walk away from this spot .

does the draping ddt, snakes up the band .

but aj counters the rko with a pele kick .

okay, this match took some time to get going, btu this is good .

aj starts the phenomenal forearm then cancels out, leading randy to rko some air .

but then randy dodges a springboard 450 into a popup rko for the pin .

so we're back to bray/randy at mania .

remind me again what the point of the last month was? .

randy gets up on the turnbuckle, appears briefly torn between doing the pretty and pointing at the siiiiiiign, then plumps for the latter while a despondent aj lies on the ramp .

and so we fade, with an overwhelming sense of inevitability .

on which note, time is continuing to move forward, so i'll cut myself off now, but expect me back sooner rather than later .

daniel, roll credits .

YOU HAVE BEEN READING WWEM .

WORDS: EMMA .

EVERYTHING ELSE: DANIEL (ALSO THESE WORDS)

#Wrestling #WWE #WWE Raw #wwe smackdown

0 notes

eleanorbloom · 4 years ago

Text

For the first time in a long time, he felt like he was no longer a criminal. In an ironic twist of fate, he was the one putting people behind bars. And he relished in every win.

I love thisss, likeee yesss, what a way to do justice, and you’re just as hot as if you were a surgeon (right???? or MORE?? tough question).

So for the first year in the big city, he spent his free time partying hard. With his quick rise to fame, everyone wanted a taste of the majestic Bryce Lahela. He didn’t hesitate to throw himself into the throng.

This, please, excuse me if there are kids out here reading but this turned me on and it’s only 5 PM here (7PM now, I’ve been writing this comment for too long thanks to our convo XD) TASTE OF BRYCE LAHELA IN SUIT, WITH SWAGGER, LAWYER LAHELA, PLEASEEEEEE I WANT EVERY FLAVOR OF THIS MAAAAAAAN.

Pulling off his sunglasses and tightening his slick striped blue tie, he grabbed his suitcase from the passenger seat and got out of his car

I read sunglasses and literally I heard “Greenback boogie tsss” from Suits here HAHAHAHAHH damn, Conch, Bryce in suit will come to haunt me every night and every day of my life thanks to you 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥵🥵🥵

He strode into Edenbrook Hospital with confidence, getting glances from several attendings and nurses as he walked the hallways.

*Me if I was at Edenbrook at that moment*

His brow quirked a little, a fit of curiosity fleeted through him

Curiosity? Who are you trying to kid, baby? We know very well that look of yours 😏😏

Oh, I bet you do.

you little cocky shit 😂😂😂

He couldn’t stop thinking about her ever since.

Awwww I’m melting, Conch 🥺🥺🥺

If only PB’s MC would have been like Heather, cautious about Travis!!!! (well, we wouldn’t have had the colossal angst we had in the book, but, anywaaay)

But getting up close and personal with her that day made him realize that like him, she was at the top of her game.

Power coupleeeee

She was professional and insightful. Bryce was also impressed with how she carried herself. Graceful and poised, yet fierce and tenacious. There were a lot of times that he thought he was hearing himself in the way she talked. And for that reason, he like spending time with her.

aaaaaaahhh OMG I love this. Very alike but I’m anticipating clash of personalities ???!!! I’d love that, tho

But he admired her more when she made it her mission to help him with his runaway sister. She went out of her way to spend time with her, bridging the gap between the siblings.

That was when he irreversibly opened up to her, telling her about his past. Making her see through him, who he really was.

And the way that she embraced it without inhibitions was a breathe of fresh air. He never knew he needed someone like her in his life, the one thing to complete his do-over.

It didn’t take much for him to he admit to himself that he adored Heather. He felt a deep connection to her, something he never felt for someone else.

YOU’RE KILLING ME, I LOVE THIS SO MUCHHH, he adores her. She helped him with his sister. AAAh I know this happens in the book, but the fact that they’ve only met for a few months and that he opened up to her is just 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺beautiful. My heart, Conch! ❤❤❤

But in a sudden turn of events, the hopefulness he had turned out to be just a mere figment of his imagination.

dkjfdslkfjslkfj WHYYYY THIS HURTS SO MUCH. I’m dying, my poor baby! 😭😭😭😭😭--says the same bitch that has been torturing Bryce for 18 whole chapters--

I love the concept of having brunches. I’m an alcoholic that always think about hanging out at Donahue’s but never ocurred me brunch. If you see brunch in my series someday, it’s because of you XD

Yet when he was finally learning to ease her out of his mind, she came crashing back in.

DAMNMNMNALDKJSALFK

“Oooh, I’m not liking your arrogance. Being junior fellow got in your head already?” he teased her, sipping from his own glass. “Has all of your student loans been paid off so you have spare money to buy your own fancy wine?”

you little cocky shit lksdjalkdj you’re so confident only because you parents paid your education. I love their banter.

He saw her bite her lower lip, and instantly felt the hurt she was going through.

Awwww, baby!lfkjlkfj Empathetic Bryce IS MY KINK. YES, I SAID IT, SO WHAT?

“You know I’ll always be here for you, Heath,”

Dani, don’t squeal, don’t squeal *DANI SQUEALS AAAHAASKDFJASHKDJAHKD*

He just held her, wishing so hard that one embrace can take all of her fears away. He closed his eyes, letting his beating heart speak for the rest of his unspoken emotions.

AAHHHHHHHH CONCH, WHO GAVE YOU PERMISSION TO MAKE ME SQUEAL LIKE THIS, I FUCKING LOVE THIS BABYYYYYYYYYlkjdlakjdlskj

If I hadn’t left her alone. If I just fought for her the first time. If I just have been brave enough to let her know…

CONCH AAAAAHHHHHHH MY HEART, MY HEART, HOW COULD YOU DO THIS??????!!!!!

Even the smallest of maybes was more than enough for him. Bryce was willing to risk it for her.

AAAHHHHHHHHH I’M SQUEALING, I’M CRYING I’M AAHHHHH I LOVE THIS SO MUCHHH, AND YOU WROTE IT SO BEAUTIFULLLY 😭😭😭😭

FIGHT FOR HER BABY, GIVE HER WHAT SHE DESERVES, AND PLEASE NEVER LET HER DOWN, PLEASEEEEEEEE.

Conch, it took me sooo long to catch up with the rest of the chapter, I still have one left but aahhh this was soooooo fucking goooooooooood. I fucking love Bryce so much, you did him divine justice, I swear, is beautiful and I wanna protect him so bad (I wanna protect Heather too) but baby 🥺🥺❤❤

This is so great, you’re doing an amazing job sweetie! And I honestly love your writing. As I said in our convo, your writing is my thing ❤ So I’m sooo loking forward what’a coming next!

Keep the amazing work and I’m going to read next chapter now ❤

Two Old Friends

Chapter 3 of Ricochet (An Open Heart AU).

Catch up here: Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2

Chapter Synopsis: As Bryce takes Heather in, a facade that he has blocked out for several months begins to disintegrate.

Pairing: Rafael Aveiro x MC (Dr. Heather Song) | Bryce Lahela x MC (Dr. Heather Song)

Words: 2.3k+ | Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller, Romance

Rating/Warnings: None for this chapter, it's pure fluff! (Yay!)

Author’s Notes: Majority of the characters are owned by Pixelberry, except the main character Heather Song. I was listening to Maybe this Time on repeat when I wrote this chapter, I think that song encapsulates it perfectly.

8 months ago

Bryce Lahela was stoked to have been assigned the Ed Farrugia case. He dreamt up of an opportunity like this ever since he graduated top of class from Stanford Law School. It wasn't out of self-ambition, it was part of his grand plan - to go opposite the direction of his white-collar criminal parents.

At first, Bryce's parents was overjoyed when he told them he's pursuing a law degree. It never occurred to them that it was all part of his scheme.

He soldiered on through law school, bagging an internship in the San Francisco DA. When his efforts to build his network provided an opportunity in Boston, he didn't hesitate to pack up his bags and fly across the country, farther away from Hawaii than ever. It was a big risk, but it eventually paid off given how his career imploded once he got the job.

But perhaps the most memorable experience was when he told his parents that he was to become Boston's newest ADA. They were nothing but furious, there were no counting the amount of expletives he heard that day.

No turning back, mom and dad.

The timing to tell them couldn't be more perfect, because it was only a week after they turned over his trust fund, a "graduation gift". He knew it was just a bribe for him to do the dirty legal work to keep them away from prison for free.

After toiling for so many years, he was more than ready to abandon his past behind and start his life over. More than it was revenge, it was Bryce's sweet and merciful justice. No more crosses behind his back, marking him as his parents' criminal son.

That wasn't his reality anymore. So he focused on work and did his best to shine. And shine he did. For the first time in a long time, he felt like he was no longer a criminal. In an ironic twist of fate, he was the one putting people behind bars. And he relished in every win.

However, being the Chief DA's golden boy wasn't providing him the opportunity to build new friendships. Although he tried to make friends with his colleagues, he began to be seen as a threat. So for the first year in the big city, he spent his free time partying hard. With his quick rise to fame, everyone wanted a taste of the majestic Bryce Lahela. He didn't hesitate to throw himself into the throng.

And in that fateful sunny morning, he felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. He built the foundations of the State versus Perry case over the weekend, not even taking a single drop of alcohol. With the help of Agent Aveiro, he collected mountains of evidence for his breakthrough day at court. He knew his case was airtight. Today, he plans to put the cherry on top.

Pulling off his sunglasses and tightening his slick striped blue tie, he grabbed his suitcase from the passenger seat and got out of his car.

He strode into Edenbrook Hospital with confidence, getting glances from several attendings and nurses as he walked the hallways. He smirked at each of them back, wondering which one he should make of a mission after he wraps up this case. God, these doctors are hot, he thought, as he slid into one of the elevators. He punched 7, and the button lighted up.

Once he arrived at the right floor, he followed the directions pasted on the walls and eventually found the diagnostics team's office. As he neared the sliding glass doors, he heard an exchange of voices in rapid succession, as if they were discussing something important. As he raised his gaze through the glass, he saw two female doctors and two males. His eyes automatically landed to the young brunette, whose hand is on her waist as she listened intently as the others debated.

His brow quirked a little, a fit of curiosity fleeted through him. She was prettier in personal. Television didn't do her justice.

Immediately shaking off the unnerving attraction, he tapped gently on the glass door. All doctors turned to him. One of the male doctors with piercing blue eyes let him in, he later found out that he was the world-renowned diagnostician, Dr. Ethan Ramsey, the head of the team.

"ADA Bryce Lahela, I'm here for Dr. Heather Song?" he walked into the room exuding confidence, burying the distracted innuendos he was currently having.

In response, she moved forward and offered her hand, smiling brightly at him. "Dr. Heather Song, at your service. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

Oh, I bet you do.

He answered mentally, stepping closer to look at her soft features. He took her hand and shook it, returning the warm welcome with a smug look in his face. He couldn't stop thinking about her ever since.

He spent almost the whole day with her, going through her testimony in detail. She spoke in a very confident manner, ascertaining every small observation she made about Travis Perry, and how he raised her suspicions. She also walked him through how she confirmed her theories, and how she decided to report this to the hospital's chief. He was amazed with the way how she mapped out every step, and acknowledged how her actions made the case straightforward and uncomplicated. Certainly controversial and sensational, given that it was involving one of Massachusetts' senators. But getting up close and personal with her that day made him realize that like him, she was at the top of her game.

Over the course of the next few months, he spent more time with her. It was the perfect opportunity to keep in touch, as she was the star witness after all.

Beyond work, it was easy for him to befriend her. She was warm and open, sensitive and caring. Eventually, she introduced him to her exclusive group of doctors, who readily welcome him.

But he admired her more when she made it her mission to help him with his runaway sister. She went out of her way to spend time with her, bridging the gap between the siblings.

That was when he irreversibly opened up to her, telling her about his past. Making her see through him, who he really was.

And the way that she embraced it without inhibitions was a breathe of fresh air. He never knew he needed someone like her in his life, the one thing to complete his do-over.

It didn't take much for him to he admit to himself that he adored Heather. He felt a deep connection to her, something he never felt for someone else.

But in a sudden turn of events, the hopefulness he had turned out to be just a mere figment of his imagination.

He learned about her relationship with Rafael. Once he saw the way she looked at him, he knew it was time to draw the line.

Ever since, that was all he thought it would be between them - an unexplored and faraway frontier.

Gradually, his presence in her life became nothing more but group hangouts in the form of brunches or night outs in Donahues. He learned to withdraw whenever she and Rafael was around, cautious to not let others know about the way he felt. He himself went back to his string of one night stands.

He kept her at arm's length, repeating to himself that he was contented with the friendship that they had. Yet when he was finally learning to ease her out of his mind, she came crashing back in.

***

Present Day

With warm bowls of noodles in front of them, they caught up with each other's life. Bryce poured them both a glass of white wine to chase down the saltiness off of their taste buds.

"Hm, this certainly is an upgrade from that cheap bottle you had the last time," her mocking voice freed him from his thoughts. He grinned at her, leaning towards her.

"Oooh, I'm not liking your arrogance. Being junior fellow got in your head already?" he teased her, sipping from his own glass. "Has all of your student loans been paid off so you have spare money to buy your own fancy wine?"

"Certainly not. I think you're the one getting ahead of yourself, hotshot. That plaque hit you in the head and made you forgot that you're a just a noob?" Heather quipped back, her index finger pointing to the square-shaped glass on one of the living room shelves.

"Psh. It's not like my colleagues skip a day to remind me of 'my place'," his one hand mimicked air quotes, feigning a look of disgust, invoking a genuine laughter from her, her skin illuminated by the late afternoon sun as she glowed in delight.

They went at it as they ate, exchanging insulting banters, trying to one up each other as they went. It was just the way they were, at ease. Two old friends who loved their careers first, always putting their self in second place.

It was the first time in months that they were together alone, Bryce realized now how much he missed spending time with her.

He didn't want to spoil the mood, but he couldn't shake off his interest on what went down between Rafael and her. He waited a few more moments as they settled into a comfortable silence, running out of casual jokes to throw at the other. He drew a deep breathe, taking up the courage he needed to raise the sore subject.

"So, you and Raf huh?"

He saw her flinch and his heart irked a little. Her hand shivered as she set down the empty glass and grabbed the bottle of wine to refill it.

"He wasn't what I thought he was," she swirled the contents of her glass once it was full, looking distracted. "Apparently, it only took him less than a month to reveal his true self." Bryce nodded opposite her, as she shrugged casually. He saw her bite her lower lip, and instantly felt the hurt she was going through.

Without second thoughts, he approached her and opened his arms, inviting her in.

After a few excruciating seconds of hesitation, she finally leaned in and received his embrace, tears falling. She didn't think there was any left, but Bryce's offer of solace was a comfort she didn't think she needed. Her dams of pain overflowed once again, and with the horrible scare that happened this morning, her resolve to put up a brave face in front of everyone crumbled.

"You know I'll always be here for you, Heath," he whispered to her, his senses being flooded by the familiar jasmine scent of her perfume.

"I know, thank you for that," she replied in a hushed voice. "I'm just... just tired of it all, Bryce, I'm sorry."

"Hey, don't be. I got you."

He just held her, wishing so hard that one embrace can take all of her fears away. He closed his eyes, letting his beating heart speak for the rest of his unspoken emotions.

He tried to soothe her as he brushed her hair, rubbing the palm of his hand on her shuddering back. His grip tightened with her every sigh, pulling her ever closer.

For the first time in months of keeping his distance, the feelings he had for her, those he tried to bury deep within his heart, started to resurface. He was feeling the way he felt way back then.

In between her deep sighs and sobs, a flood of regrets raced through his mind. His chest constricted, as his thoughts lingered on what could have been.

If I hadn't left her alone. If I just fought for her the first time. If I just have been brave enough to let her know...

But he knew he couldn't what already happened define what should be and what it will be. Just like he dealt with his past, Bryce knew that with enough willpower, he can turn it all around.

He focused forward. A rush of possibilities, a promise of a future, it overwhelmed him.

Maybe this time, it'll be more. She's free now. Maybe now is a better time than before. Maybe now, it won't have to end. Maybe this time, he wouldn't need to let her go.

His heart burned with a fiery resolve and determination.

That late afternoon, when the setting sun's light began to shine upon his face, he decided.

Even the smallest of maybes was more than enough for him. Bryce was willing to risk it for her.

TAGS: @choicesficwriterscreations @ramsey-lahela

@eleanorbloom - I hope I'm doing Bryce justice 😬

8 notes · View notes