#Phillip Low

[grlbts]

[pampanope]

I think we’ve never seen Shepherd in any of your comics, so I was wondering if we’ll ever see shepherd in any comics or what shadow company thinks of shepherd interacting/manipulating their commander 🥰

We going back a bit…the manipulation starts earlier

I have this hc that Graves and Shepherd go waaaaay back to his early marine years, when Graves was eager to please and more impressionable.

And Shepherd knows this. He sees this. He decides to keep tabs on this promising kid. Who knows? He could prove to be useful someday.

(Oh i plan on having Shepherd show up again sometime in the future lol)

[the-real-list-of-ominous-threats]

I'm going to make you obsessed with evil video game men

[lillyli-74]

...for the monsters, for those who fear the monsters, for those who fear to know they are the monsters, for those who know to fear they are the monsters...

~Phillip Andrew Bennett Low

[astralbondpro]

Xtro (1982) // Dir. Harry Bromley Davenport

[cod-dump]

Can we get a sequel to your ‘Selfish’ pricegravesnik? I just really want to see how that goes over

Part two has been sitting for awhile collecting dust due to ✨life✨ distracting me (I started working on part two after I posted the first part, lol). This is split up into multiple chapters on AO3 which is why it was posted on there first

___

Selfish

Part 2

PriceGravesNik

___

Graves first noticed how clear his lungs felt, the loudness of machines around him, then voices on the other side of those machines. Then he noticed the brightness of the room, it made him wince and squeeze his eyes tight to block out the light. After a moment, he cracked his eyes open. It takes a lot of blinking until his eyes adjust but he finally looks around the room. He recognized as one of the rooms in the medical wing. Graves swallowed and became very aware that there was something down his throat and he felt himself start to panic.

"дорогой!"

Graves looks over and sees Nik running from the door. He's kneeling by the bed, one hand running through Graves' hair while the other grabs his hand. Graves could see his eyes full of relief.

"Easy, дорогой. The tube is putting air into your lungs. Oh, зайчик... We were so worried."

Graves slowly calms as Nik holds up his hand and presses several kisses to it. Graves squeezed as hard as he could (which wasn't very hard) as Nik smiled against his hand, holding it against his cheek. Graves looks past Nik to the door and Nik notices. He looks behind him before looking to Graves.

"John was talking to the doctor. Wanted to make sure everything was alright. I'll go get him, okay?"

Graves didn't have much strength to do much but nod. Nik kisses his hand again before he lets it drop to the bed. He leaves and Graves just stares after him, mind fuzzy. He didn't want to think about what lead him to getting in here. He really didn't. Graves knew the moment he started to think about it, the moment he relived what happened, he would start to panic again. And he didn't want to panic with a tube down his throat. So he just closes his eyes and thinks about Nik. Thinks about how delighted he was to see him, how warm his kisses were and how Graves ached for more.

"Love!"

Graves opens his eyes and Price is there. The man doesn't hesitate to lean over and press kisses to the parts of his face that wasn't covered by the ventilation mask. Price swallows hard as he rests his forehead against his.

"God, when they brought you in- Fuck... I was so scared."

"We both were," Nik said from the other side of the bed.

Graves' heart was aching, tears welling up in his eyes. Price pulls away, stroking Graves' face so lightly. It was as if he was afraid Graves would break. Price stands when someone walks in, Graves assumed it was the doctor because of the white coat. Price turns to address the doctor, Graves turning to look at Nik who was sitting on the side of the bed. The doctor steps towards the bed and Graves turns to look at him.

"Alright, Phillip. Let's have a look at you."

_

After a thorough checkup and another night in medical, the doctor allowed Graves to leave and sleep in his own bed... with heavy work restrictions and an inhaler that he had to take a puff of every couple of hours until his lungs recovered. Graves had walked outside of medical and headed straight for his room. Not Nik and Price's room, his. He hadn't slept there since he started dating Nik and Price and the room was pretty much only used to store his things.

But he wanted to be alone. Just for a moment at least. He knew that it wouldn't take long until one or both of his boyfriends sought him out after learning he was released from medical earlier than what they were originally told.

Graves refused to look at anyone, making sure to make his way to his room as fast as possible without pushing himself. He could feel eyes on him as he walked through the halls. Graves reached the barracks and froze when he saw Soap and Gaz talking near his room. He swallows and ducks behind a corner, taking a moment to breathe. He didn't want to deal with them, Graves was sure he wouldn't be able to mentally handle it. Graves leans against the wall, squeezing his eyes shut.

I should just go back to Nik and John's room...

They were going to find him there and undoubtedly attempt to question him about what happened. Graves couldn't tell them what happened, what was going through his mind as he tried to run. It would just stir up more trouble for him and everyone already hated his guts. He couldn't do it...

Graves takes a breath, steeling himself before he turns the corner and starts walking. He focused only on the door to his room, ignoring Soap and Gaz. He did everything he could to block them out and pretend that they weren't there. Graves managed to get to his door and pulled out his keys, focused on getting into the room and sealing himself inside. He found himself shaking as he fumbled through the keys, having difficulty finding the one to the room.

"Graves?"

Fuck.

Graves doesn't look over at them, just focuses on putting the key in the lock.

"Fucking- Graves!"

"Leave him alone, Soap."

Graves could see Soap walking over in the corner of his eye and he panics. He manages to open the door and darts inside, slamming it shut behind him and locking it. Graves backs away from the door, hearing the two on the other side but he couldn't understand what they were saying. Graves lets out a shaky breath and sits on the bed. The mattress was new when he had joined but he didn't use it much before he started seeking out Nik and Price's company. The mattress was firm, the sheets and a dusty smell to them, too.

But Graves didn't care about that at the moment. Graves lays down, wondering how long it'll take for Nik and Price to find him. He knew they were going to want to talk about what happened when they found him and he was trying to delay that as long as possible. He doesn't want to hear them say it, doesn't want what he already knows to be put out there. That they wouldn't hesitate to throw him out if it meant to keep the peace with the others.

Graves was never someone's first choice, ever. He's always been second rate no matter where he went or what he did. He had stopped trying to be first place and started to put himself first. Stabbing others in the back, cutting corners, doing everything he could to get himself at the top and get what he wanted. Shadow Company was born from cheating, betrayal, and pure selfishness. It represented everything Graves was. Everything that he will ever be.

Someone knocked on the door but Graves ignored it, not bothering to move. More knocking, someone talking through the door but Graves wasn't listening. He just laid on the bed, staring at the window. He couldn't help but think how beautiful the rays of sunlight were coming through the curtains, dust floating through them with grace similar to snowflakes. The person on the other side spoke louder but Graves was now actively trying to block them out. He grabbed the pillow his head was resting on and folded over his head, still staring at the window.

Then he heard the jingle of keys and Graves felt his heart beat faster. Only a couple people on base have keys to the doors on hand, and he was praying that the one he was thinking of wasn't the one opening his door. The door opened and the voices from outside became much clearer and the pillow no longer was an adequate buffer.

"Graves? Shit-"

"Let's just go get Price! Leave him alone!"

Graves wanted to scream, feeling himself start to shake. They wouldn't leave him alone, they wouldn't be satisfied until he was gone for good. Nothing will be good enough for them. Nothing that Graves will ever do will make things right. He's broken, he hasn't tried to fight back against them since he was taken into 141. He let them push him around, kept quiet like Soap wanted and didn't cause any problems.

"I like you better when you keep your mouth shut."

But... even doing everything they wanted, it still wasn't good enough. Nothing he will ever do will be good enough. He's made his bed, now he has to lay in it.

Graves flinched hard when the door closed, he was too scared to look behind him. He laid there, no longer to find beauty in the sunlight or the dust dancing in it, so he squeezed his eyes shut. He felt his breathing pick up, tears pricking at his eyes. He wanted this to be over with but he was too much of a damn coward to do anything. He won't do anything and just let himself be thrown around until he drops dead.

The door opened and Graves prepared for the worst. Something to happen, someone to grab him and drag him away. Something bad needed to happen because nothing else made sense.

"Phil?"

No-

"Love?"

No-

Graves was unable to stop the sob that escaped his lips. The door closed behind him and Nik got in bed behind him, a gentle hand touching his back. He flinched upon contact and the hand jerked away. There was a moment where nothing happened, a moment of stillness. Then Nik gently pried the pillow away from his head, and with his only buffer gone Graves felt exposed.

"дорогой, can I hold you?"

Graves said nothing because he knew that 'yes' would be the only thing to come out of his mouth. Nik lightly touched his shoulder and Graves restrained himself from rolling over and burying himself into the man's arms. Nik muttered something in Russian, it sounded so sweet and full of worry, making Graves' heart ache.

Will he be so sweet when the truth comes out?

"Милый?"

Graves closes his eyes, unable to ignore Nik any longer. He turns and buries himself against the man who immediately wrapped his arms around him. Graves felt Nik press a kiss to the top of his head, muttering something as he held him. Graves felt himself start to cry, knowing it would all be over. He didn't want it to be over, he didn't want to lose Nik and Price. Two men who looked at him for him and believed in him. But they're loyal to their own and Graves wasn't among those people. He was exactly what Laswell said he was: A temporary fling.

"Я люблю тебя."

Graves cried harder, Nik holding him like he was afraid he would disappear if he let go. Graves’ fingers were curled into Nik's shirt, desperate to keep the man next to him. The truth was going to come out sooner or later, he might as well enjoy any affection he can get before things go sour.

Graves wasn’t sure how long he cried, he just knows he cried until he had no more tears to shed. And by that point, when his tears ran dry, he found himself exhausted by it all. Graves pressed against Nik’s chest, wishing Price was there with them.

”I’m here, love. I’m not going anywhere…”

Yet.

Graves sighs, taking in the warmth of Nik’s arms and his smell before he drifted off to sleep.

_

Graves expected to wake up alone. But he wasn't, instead he was still being cradled against Nik's chest... with a body pressed against his back. Graves had never been fond of being in the middle during cuddling, something about it made him feel trapped. Nik and Price never pushed him to be stuck between them longer than what he could bear. But right now, it was welcomed.

He felt an arm on his waist, slow shallow breaths. They both were asleep or deeply relaxed. Graves could see that the room was lit by sunlight from the window meaning he hadn't been sleeping for that long. He didn't want to move, afraid everything would end right there the moment he did. So he just stayed there, waiting. He tensed when he felt Price shift behind him, feeling the man kiss the back of his head. It made his heart ache how sweet he and Nik could be.

It clashed against their terrifying personas they displayed when working.

Graves heard Nik mutter something, feel his voice rumble in his chest, "I'm worried about him."

"So am I, love."

Graves could hear their concern and he felt undeserving of it. He had avoided talking to them for too long and he knew he wasn't going to be leaving this room before they got the answers to their unspoken questions. But he was so scared of what was going to happen to him if he told them anything. Everyone here hated him and he imagined it wouldn't take much for them to finally see that standing beside him was nothing but foolish.

"Phil?"

Graves winces, he was thinking too loudly. He was never good at hiding when he was thinking about something. Graves feels Price shift behind him again, probably sitting up. Graves then felt Nik shift in front of him but he didn't make a move to get up.

"Love, can you sit up?"

Graves takes in a shaky breath before he sits up, propping himself against the headboard. Price turns to where he was facing him, trying to meet Graves' eyes but he couldn't look at him. He wouldn't be able to talk if he met either of their gazes. They sat there, no one saying anything at first. The silence became a bit too much for Graves so he went to say something but nothing came out. He closed his mouth, sighing. He needed to speak even though no one had even asked him to.

"I'm sorry..."

"Sorry? For what?"

"I know things haven't been good since I came here."

Graves feels Nik's shoulder brush his and he finally noticed how small the bed was for three grown men.

"Things have been good, Phil."

Graves shakes his head, "No, they haven't."

He's always put on a smile for them. Always acted like nothing was wrong, that he hasn't been miserable. That he hasn't been enduring the torture from those he's hurt hoping that it would make things right. Torture seems to be too much, not the right word. But that's what it's felt like for him. Torture.

"What's been going on?"

Graves keeps quiet, fear slowly clawing its way through him.

"Phil? Please, tell us what's been happening."

He couldn't imagine how this wouldn't end poorly for him. Maybe Nik would hold on for a moment but he couldn't imagine Price turning on them for Graves. They were his boys and Price would do anything for one of his boys. Graves jerks when Price takes one of his hands, Graves finally turning to look at him. Price looked so worried, desperate to fix whatever was wrong. But Graves wasn't sure if he could fix this without any issues. If he even would try.

"We can't help if you don't tell us what's wrong, Милый. We want to make things better."

"Would probably just make things worse," Graves muttered, mostly to himself and instantly regretting everything he's said.

Graves knew the likelihood of getting out of this room without telling them anything was nonexistent. That getting out here unscathed wasn't an option. Graves felt Price take his hand and squeeze so gently, a thumb rubbing over the back of his hand.

“Love… what has been going on?”

Graves shakes his head, "Nothing! Pretend I didn't say anything."

"Phil-"

Graves jerks his hands from Price, tucking his hands into his lap. He attempted to make himself as small as possible, curling in on himself until his shoulders didn't touch Nik or Price. He's said too much and he knows he won't be able to leave until he talked. He's already said enough to make them curious, make them worry. Graves should've kept his mouth shut and played everything off as him just having a bad couple of days.

"дорогой... Please..."

Graves tears up, "I don't want to cause any issues..."

Neither of his boyfriends say anything and Graves lets out a shaky breath. He crawls to the foot of the bed and sits there, trying to figure out what to say first. Their silence was of course accompanied by patience. Patience that Graves didn't deserve.

"Your men haven't been... as forgiving as you."

Price moves, "What?"

Graves has seen Price come to the defense of his boys with the drop of a dime. He's always defended them and Graves had scarcely seen any scolding or disciplinary actions made. Nik has put Soap and Ghost in their place before, but that was long ago and the situation was tense for everyone.

"Is this about Soap? Or Ghost? I've talked to them about their behavior."

"Did you? I never noticed..."

Graves winces at his own words and feels his heart pick up speed in anticipation of Price's response. Nik was quiet, too quiet.

"Why didn't you tell me about the issues you've been having with them?"

"I've seen you bend over backwards to keep them happy. Felt like it would just stir up shit."

There was more silence and Graves hated it, it was too much. So much louder than any words. He would have preferred Price openly discussed how this relationship- This arrangement- has run its course. Nik was still quiet and Price had joined him in that silence, so Graves decided to keep talking. He was already in a hole so why not keep digging.

"I know I'm just entertainment. Everyone else says I am..."

"That's not true."

If Graves didn't know the man by this point, he wouldn't have known that it was Nik who had spoken. His voice was so small, so weak. It was like he forgot what he was supposed to sound like but still forced himself to speak.

"I heard what Laswell said."

Pieces snapped together for them, "You heard that-?"

"I wasn't trying to eavesdrop. Was just in the wrong place at the wrong time... She knows what she's talking about. She's always been the voice of reason."

"Phil, that- What she said wasn't true."

Graves felt fingers brush his back and he jerked away without thinking. He didn't mean to but he wasn't expecting any kind gestures at the moment. Graves could feel his heart aching because he could imagine the hurt expressions on their faces… He could also so clearly see anger at what he was saying. So Graves closed his eyes when he felt Price get off the bed, squeezing them shut. He’s always been a coward, unable to face the consequences of his actions.

He could tell the man was in front of him but he refused to open his eyes. Graves flinched when he felt fingers graze his hands. They jerked away for a second before they came back, easing their way around Graves' hands. Graves let his hands be held, still keeping his eyes screwed shut. His hands were moved away from his lap and Graves felt whiskers on his skin before warm lips. He swallows, letting out broken breaths before he opens his eyes.

Price was kneeling on the floor, holding his hands so close to him. After another kiss Price looks up at Graves with such a sincere and loving look in his eyes. There was a pain there, an ache that Graves felt responsible for. Graves feels Nik move closer to him, reaching out to touch him again. This time Graves didn't jerk away and let Nik move close to him, pressing against him back and kissing his shoulder.

"Phil, tell us what's been happening. And please, don't leave out any details."

Graves broke and the tenderness in his boyfriend's voice. So, he started to cry. And he told them before everything that had been happening since he had officially joined 141 ranks. Things were admittedly not bad, not until Graves had grown closer to Nik and Price. He remembered everything went to shit after Ghost saw Graves leaving their bedroom, wearing one of Price's shirts. Since that moment, it felt like it became Soap and Ghost's mission to make his life hell.

They told him nothing he could possibly do would fix what he had done, that no amount of dick sucking and brown nosing would make them ever trust him. Graves didn't want to go into detail about what had been going on but once he started talking, he found himself unable to stop. Price kept a neutral expression as Graves cried, Nik held Graves the entire time. Finally, Graves stops talking and just leans back into Nik's hold.

Nik pressed a kiss to Graves' head as Price stood. While his face didn't display any particular emotion, his eyes were angry. He took a moment to compose himself before he leaned down and kissed Graves. He would then lean over and kiss Nik, muttering something to him that Graves couldn't understand, before he left the room. Fear made Graves shake and he was afraid of what was about to happen.

"We should've noticed, зайчик."

Graves turns his body and rests against Nik, staring at the door. He felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, like he could breathe clearly. But he also felt regret, guilt, like he was once more betraying Soap and Ghost. Those thoughts washed away with Nik pressing a series of kisses to his face.

"Let John deal with them."

So, Graves rested against Nik. And he let Price deal with them.

_

The silence after Price left made him anxious. An hour after Price left, Nik took Graves to their bedroom to run him a bath in their private bathroom. While Graves soaked, Nik ran to grab him food and whatever else the man could possibly want. He half expected Nik to come back with news about what was happening with Price. But he had nothing to say on the matter and just gave Graves his requested bowl of hot stew and fizzy drink.

After his bath Graves would lay in bed with Nik, Nik giving him full control of the TV. Though Graves spent a good half hour just clicking through movies and shows, not settling on anything to watch, he appreciated the sentiment of Nik giving up control of the TV. He had previously joked that Nik was a tyrant when it came to what they watched because the man never agreed with anything Price or Graves picked. But here he was, not saying a word as Graves just surfed through the channels before just settling on some low rated rom-com.

Price would walk in much, much later. Graves was dozing by that point, not even watching the show while Nik was fully invested into it. They both gave their attention to Price when he walked in, face flushed. He had been yelling, Graves could tell. Price took a deep breath when he had closed the door behind him like he was trying to chase off any remaining anger in him before he crawled into bed with them.

Price had crawled between Graves and Nik, facing Graves and pulling the man into his arms. Graves accepted this, relaxing against Price. He was curious, partially afraid, and deep down he wanted to know if Price had given them hell. Price had a temper that, if let loose, could burn a city down. He had seen it before, had a taste of it. Graves wanted to know if the boys had faced it, if it had burned them.

But he didn't say anything, didn't ask. He just rested against Price, melting against him as the man rubbed his back slowly. Then his hands went lower before Price rolled them over, sticking Graves between him and Nik. Nik immediately turned off the TV and turned all his attention onto Graves. It didn't take long for Graves to become breathless, flushed with want, and completely content with being stuck between Price and Nik.

_

It was a long evening with Nik and Price, neither giving him a moment to think about anything. He could feel their burning kisses and everything they did lingered on his skin. They managed to make him forget about everything, at least for a moment. Graves was nestled between them, completely in bliss and satisfaction.

Then Price got a phone call and the moment ended.

By how fast Price got dressed and left, Graves knew it was Laswell. He couldn't think of anyone else that could spur that kind of reaction out of Price. Graves felt anxious as Price left, Nik also getting out of bed. Graves just stared at Nik, wondering if the man was going to leave as well.

Nik noticed him staring and smiled, "Just going to clean up, love."

Graves relaxed, slumping back down in the bed. As promised, Nik just went to the bathroom for a moment before he returned. Graves watches Nik grab clean clothes, taking his time dressing.

”Heading somewhere?”

”Grabbing some food. Care to join me? Be good to stretch your legs.”

Graves wanted to say ‘no’ and curl up further in the covers, but he didn't and instead decided to join Nik. Graves took his time cleaning up, anxiety rattling him with the thought about leaving the room. He managed to ignore it enough to put clothes on and leave the room, sticking close with Nik as he could manage without actually touching him. They made it to the lounge without running into anyone and Graves sighed in relief.

Nik went through the lounge to the kitchen while Graves chose to sit. His mind was racing, he felt exposed. Any officer could walk into the lounge, anyone could be coming through. Choosing to remain in the lounge instead of following Nik into the kitchen was a conscious decision. He could leave quicker, it would be harder to block him in. Though he didn't doubt Nik would come to his defense if something was to go wrong, he could only think about if he would be able to come quick enough.

Paranoid bastard.

"дорогой, do you want anything?"

Graves nearly jumped out of his skin at Nik calling from the kitchen. He took a moment to breathe before he called 'no' back to the man. He was almost afraid to raise his voice, afraid to attract any attention to the lounge. The last thing he needed was someone to come in and- well, do anything really. He didn't want anyone to look at him, couldn't stand the thought of their eyes on them. Pity, loathing, annoyance— Any such thing would be too much.

Nik comes back from the kitchen and sits down beside Graves. Graves notices the tower of a sandwich in his possession and snorts.

"Have enough for an army there!"

"Enough to share~"

"No thank you, there's no telling what you put in that monstrosity."

Nik rolls his eyes before makes himself comfortable. Graves felt his heart leap, finding nothing but adoration for the man beside him. Then his mind naturally turned to Price and it sunk once more. The call that made him leave so quickly—

Graves jerks his head back as a fucking pickle is shoved in his face.

"Nikolai-!"

"You need to eat something!"

"I'm not eating a bread and butter pickle you psycho!"

Nik was good at getting his mind off of things. Graves knew he was purposely annoying him, purposely making it impossible for him to think about anything other than him. It was something that Graves loved about him.

“Nothing wrong with them! You and John are just weird!”

”Oh? We’re the weird ones? Sorry, babe, but you’re the weird one in this relationship.”

Nik feigns a hurt expression and Graves couldn’t help but smile. God, he loved this man.

Nik ate his food, Graves closing his eyes and enjoying his presence. But the relative silence allowed for his thoughts to brew once more. He frowns, heart aching as he thought about Price. Graves open his eyes, staring at Nik for a moment before he finally said something.

”Do you think John crossed a line with his boys? Or if Laswell is punishing him somehow…”

”Hey, none of that. John is fine. He can handle whatever is thrown at him. The boys got what they deserved and Kate is just going to understand. I doubt she knew what all was going on.”

”Right… because she definitely doesn’t have eyes and ears everywhere.”

Nik sighs, “Phil, she has eyes and ears everywhere on the job. Out in the field, not here. She knows what we tell her and I doubt she’s been given the full story.”

Graves hums. Nik was right, of course he was. He’s smart and he definitely knows Laswell better than Graves. Price was fine… everything was fine…

”What if-“

”Phil I will shove this pickle in your mouth.”

Graves couldn’t help but laugh, Nik looking at him with his softest, most loving glare he has at his disposal. Graves took Nik’s threat to heart and silenced himself. He’ll at least wait until the man has finished all his food before saying something else. He could imagine a few ways Nik would do to hut him up, running into the kitchen to grab another pickle included.

Graves felt a light vibration in the couch which was most likely Nik’s phone. Graves had long abandoned his phone elsewhere (probably now in Nik and Price’s rom somewhere). Nik takes out his phone to check it, poking around until his face gave a subtle hint of relief. He’s a good actor so whatever it was was truly comforting.

”The boys will be getting a talking to… something about teamwork and harassment.”

Graves felt his heart skip a beat, “John is-?”

”And Kate. I told you she would understand.”

Graves let’s out a short, surprised laugh. He slumps against the couch, feeling a weight being lifted. There was of course anxiety about how the boys would react, how they would treat him going forward… but Graves felt at ease, he felt secure where he was.

And that felt amazing.

[thekatebridgerton]

Ok funny idea, modern AU, the spouses are friends and are a little put off by the Bridgerton who are privileged and not understanding how privileged they.

So they pretend to date each other to fend of the Bridgerton but since they change often, people are so confused because are ALL EIGHT of them dating each other or is their cheating!?

Until one day,

Simon text the group chat to save him from Daphne…

Kate: WAIT YOU ARE CHEATING ON ME!? I LOVE YOU, HOW COULD YOU SIMON!?

Simon: Kate, no it’s not what it looks like!!

Daphne and Anthony are staring at each other in shock until Philip comes, trying to run away from Eloise.

Philip sees them and decides to make a scene and looks at Kate: Kate!? You are cheating on me with Simon!?

Kate: Uh, I can explain!

Simon: Wait what!?

Sophie then comes, trying to fend off Benedict and grabs Philip’s arm: Wait, you are cheating ON ME!? HOW!?

Benedict and Eloise look at Anthony and Daphne all confused and baffled.

Then Michael and Penelope come.

Michael looks at Sophie: YOU ARE CHEATING ON ME!?

Penelope smacking Michael’s arm: EXCUSE ME MICHAEL!? HOW COULD YOU!!

Francesca and Colin stare in bafflement.

Then Lucy and Garett come hand in hand and freeze at the other six and the six of them shouted:

Kate, Sophie, and Penelope: GARETH HOW COULD YOU!?

Simon, Philip, and Michael: LUCY WHY!?

Gregory and Hyacinth are staring at their siblings stunned.

Look at that two asks for the price of one.

Okay so clarification before I answer this ask, Yes to the first part, the second part….I'm feeling a bit awkward about this, to be honest. It's just coming across as kinda cringy, you know? Because I personally credit the Bridgerton spouses with a high degree level of intelligence, in every situation except when horniness is involved, this author has always HC that the spouses are smarter than the Bridgertons to a certain degree, and the only moments they’ve actually been more stupid than the Bridgertons has been when their horniness surpassed their common sense.

Which is why, while I do think that the Bridgerton significant others would be the type of idiots hatch a plan to pretend to date each other in order to get away from the Bridgertons, I don’t think they would get caught. What I do think is that someone in the group had too much horniness induced stupidity and actually came clean which sort of created a very funny chain reaction of miscomunication. So in this scenario here’s what I think happened.

Kate is sick of Anthony being garbage in human form with the push and pull between her and Sienna, Penelope low key thinks Colin is a jealous idiot who may result to stalking soon and destroy her secret Gossip Column when he finds out about it, Sophie is dowright ready to sue Benedict for workplace harassment because he won’t let her do her Live in nurse duties in peace, Simon is afraid to find Daphne somehow sneaking into his room one night to have babies which he’s not ready for, Michael is really trying to be a gentleman and not hook up with Francesca whenever she asks him to teach her how to be Wicked and Phillip is just a dude that can’t escape Eloise tendency to boss him around. Meanwhile Gareth and Lucy were just chillin with their respective guardians (Kate and Simon) but somehow got caught in a teenage love triangle with Hermione and Haselby. Because Gregory thinks he can steal Lucy from Haselby and Hyacinth thinks Gareth is looking too much at Hermione. Hence the plan.

So Kate and Simon of course pretend to date each other, because sure they are both athletic, hot people who like to drink posh tea, that gives Gareth and Lucy the excuse to spend time together fending off Greg and Hyacinth, because if Kate and Simon were dating then wouldn’t it be natural for their adopted siblings to also ‘fall inlove’, meanwhile Sophie and Phillip strike the most unconventional pairing ever, using the excuse that they’re both going to the same therapist and bonded over shared childhood trauma, mostly because if Penelope tried pretending to date Phillip they would be so awkwardly awful they’d get discovered in 5 seconds flat. Which leaves Penelope and Michael to ‘take their friendship’ to the next step and also pretend to date.

So Kate basically tells Anthony that oops she’s dating Simon now because, umm ahh, she’s so hot she actually extracted commitment from the Hastings manwhore extraordinaire, meanwhile Simon explains to Daphne that he’s super committed to Kate, who doesn’t…want children? Yup, that’s why he’s dating her, Kate is a modern lady who is cool with adopting teenage Lucy and Gareth and never having kids of their own. He’s a rake, who aint having kids, hence why Kate is perfect for him. Anthony of course gets very mad but can’t do anything about it, neither can Daphne who is absolutely heartbroken.

Lucy is the opposite of Simon, she then tells Gregory that she’s discovered that Gareth is the love of her life, because Gareth… is okay with her getting married to Haselby (who totally convinced his senator father that he’s going to marry Lucy once they graduate highschool because he’s very straight, so straight, really), Gareth is 100% into being Lucy’s lover when they go to college and giving her lots of babies she can pass off as Haselby’s kids, because you know he’s a stud. And her gay fiancée is totally on board, so please just go away and let Lucy have a torrid love affair with Gareth. Gareth too, tells Hyacinth that he’s having a torrid love affair with Lucy, not Hermione, because Lucy is 100% understanding of his need to marry an heiress after college and she’s not opposed to sharing him, in fact their love is so strong they’ve been together since Kate and Simon got involved and when they both get married to other people for convenience sake, they will continue their torrid love affair. See how super inlove with Lucy he is.

Phillip and Sophie meanwhile just tell Ben and Eloise that they are so inlove, nothing can break them apart, their shared trauma has created an unbreakable bond of love, but really they just use their dates to plan each other’s respective professional futures. Because Phillip is totally up for sending Sophie back to school to get her buisness degree, and Sophie is out here planning on how to grow Phillip’s alternative medicine business', encouraging him to get his masters in bothanical research, the kids too are super on board with the ‘Education is money’ plan, so these two are seriously on their path to become billionaires, and Simon is going to be their primary investor once they form an official pharmaceutical research company. Benedict who? Sophie is on her path to greatness, and Phillip and his kids are doing all they can to become the award winning academic family they know they can be.

Michael and Penelope obviously end up being the ones who have the most fun out of all the couples, going as far as getting engaged and inviting the other six to their fake engagement party. Penelope can freely claim they were friends that started seeing each other as something more and Michael is okay with hyping Penelope up as the most beautiful girl he’s ever met, so of course he proposed. She gets protection from gossip (and Protection from Colin) and Michael gets a shield against Francesca’s horny intentions with his virtue. If he gets socked in the jaw by Colin, well, that's his business' okay.

I think that they begin tripping up because the Bridgertons realize that their cover stories don’t match and begin poking holes at it. Because they’re just so jealous they can’t help it. And that’s when horniess starts overriding the spouses natural intelligence. I don’t know who trips up first, but I know that at one point, someone cornered their beloved in a library and said person threw a friend under the bus accidentally.

Maybe Kate was cornered by Anthony and lets it slip that Gareth doesn’t want to sleep with Lucy in the obsessive way Anthony wants to sleep with her (She probably saw his abs in their full glory, that poor woman, Kate.exe not found). Or Daphne catches Simon in one of his horny moments and he lets it slip that Michael has more fun taking Penelope to the theatre and the horse derby than he does when he’s doing romantic things with her, or maybe it’s Lucy, who casually mentions to the friendzoned Gregory that Kate has been her second mother since childhood and has always wanted a big family, which contradicts what Simon told Daphne, or maybe a horny unaware Michael would have told Francesca that Sophie is more interested in going back to school than in Phillip himself, so they’re unlikely to get engaged soon (This one was probably undone by a shot of Francesca’s bare ankle and I’m not even sorry for him). All I know is that it wasn’t Sophie, and it wasn’t Phillip, because those two do not confess things under pressure. But it could have been anyone that started the chain reaction of the Bridgertons thinking ‘hey maybe these people think were idiots’ and prompted them to work together and pool their one brain cell to catch their significant others in their own web of deception.

In my opinion, I don’t see the miscommunication happening in the way Anon suggested, but I do see the spouses accidentally pushing their friends under the bus when they get too horny and short circuit. And causing a very funny chain reaction of ‘I caught you in your own lie’ and ‘no, I wasn’t lying, I was just bending the truth a lot’ defensive arguments that would be extremely funny to read about.

And that’s the tea.

[abcmuushroom]

I just saw the new Titanic movie, Unsinkable: Titanic Untold, and I have thoughts. No huge spoilers, but I'll still put it under a cut if you want to scroll on past

Alaine Ricard is fictional. I have never been more disappointed in my whole entire life

Absolute disservice to Harold Lowe; all of his best moments were ignored. He had a little snark in the beginning but nothing else to show his brilliance. I don't think they even mentioned Lifeboat 14

They called Frederick Fleet a quartermaster at one point? It's clear they knew he was a lookout, but the lookouts didn't have the title of quartermaster, did they?

In the scene with all of the surviving officers, only Lightoller and Lowe talked, which, fine. I guess that's to be expected. Pitman and Boxhall do tend to get left in the background. But I'm like 99% sure there was only one other officer with them. Like? Which officer are we ignoring here?

"Songe d'Autumne" played in the end credits and I recognized it and I've never been more proud of myself

Maggie Malloy is my new favorite person

Harold Bride looked on the verge of tears the whole time. Especially when he brought up Phillips. (As it should be /j)

Really though, very entertaining movie, would recommend.

[batsplat]

I know Marc kinda took over Sachsenring and stopped it from producing its regular amazing races but I feel like he made up for that partly by being a major part of all three absolute classic Phillip Island races 2015, 17, 24 (and the absolute clowning that was 2013) Marc once again proving this year that in order to finish a race at PI he needs to be engaged in battles.

Not PI but he also gave us Assen 2018

I haven't rewatched it recently enough to know if I completely stand by this opinion, but my potential hot take is that 2019 phillip island was substantially better than 2024. had a way more fun battle at the start and also low key felt more up in the air who would win that particular duel until the very last lap. 2024 has a fun gimmick with marc's problems off the line, a genuinely exciting moment mid-race when all three of them converge... but idk man, late in the race I didn't really feel any doubt that marc had the pace to make that pass and make it stick. in 2019, for all marc's dominance and my scepticism at vinales' race craft, it did feel more uncertain. the gimmick is neat and objectively it's an extremely impressive win, but it's also one of those races where you see some of the reaction and do feel like the baseline we're setting for race quality is pretty low this year. and, look, I cannot stress this enough - it's not primarily the fault of the riders themselves, it's the current formula being actively hostile to w2w racing. it's not their fault!! and phillip island was fairly fun to watch this year, it'll probably make my end of year top five. even if the tv direction should have maybe showed us a bit of the dogfight that was apparently raging for fourth place. it's still not going to crack my top ten favourite phillip island races any time soon, let alone my top ten favourite marc wins

but yeah it's true lol, marc's got such a bizarre phillip island record. if you're valentino late 2016, you do have to look at it and feel like he's taking the piss. though I reckon marc's contribution to fun racing was really more substantial at other circuits like austria - it's not that impressive to make phillip island racing great, but going by recent evidence you'd have to say marc on a honda was the only reason worth going to the red bull ring every bloody year. basically the pattern in his prime tended to be that he contributed the most to fun racing at the worse circuits for himself/honda. (you'd think this would be stating the obvious - but this is not true at all for valentino, who showed his love for circuits by winning by the skin of his teeth year after year. different approaches. with the other aliens, where they produced their best races is a bit more random.) the mugello's, catalunya's, silverstone's, austria's, qatar's of this world... basically anything that's either fast and flowing (minus pi) or has a bunch of long straights

phillip island is a bit of an exception in that he's obviously accomplished there but has never been particularly dominant (tougher to do at that circuit anyway but casey showed that it is possible). the closest he got to winning there in dominant fashion was 2014, until his tyre choice bit him and he went down. otherwise it's always been quite dramatic... and speaking of assen 2018, that's another example of a fast and flowing track where he's not particularly strong and was involved in a bunch of very fun races (2015, 2017, 2018). which meant that in 2018 you could have like. a genuine feeling of suspense about who would end up winning. until marc ends up easing away from the pack late on. in retrospect, sure, marc did always have something more in his back pocket than everyone else, it did feel a bit like he was toying with his food - in some ways one of his most valentino-esque wins. but you can't fault his commitment to the dramatic arc. assen's obviously another track known for great racing anyway, but yeah. marc's always at his most interesting when he's out of his comfort zone. got to poke him with a stick

as for the sachsenring, yeah, he did kind of ruin it! admittedly you can't point to much of the racing behind him being all that great either, but this is a circuit that was regularly producing classics. even in the alien era, which was renowned for its shit racing! off the top of my head, you had really fun races in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012. that's an incredible hit rate! consistently one of the best races in the season! 2011 arguably it's top of the pile, and maybe you could say the same for 2006. 2023 also managed to produce an extremely rare last lap battle for the win between title contenders, and 2024 could've easily been headed the same way. it's a sneaky good track for racing - narrow and technical, does have overtaking hotspots but is weighted somewhat in favour of the defending rider. which ideally helps prolong fights. the poster child for this is 2006, where valentino gradually works his way up the field from tenth on the grid, gets to the lead but can't shake his pursuers, seems to have a pace deficit towards the end of the race... but makes use of some rather sturdy defending to keep the three hondas behind him. 0.307s covering the top four! where's that gone!

idk, maybe there's also been a decline over time unrelated to marc, something about how the current bikes work on that track. and obviously we are in for a couple of years where the track can be written off completely again. ah well. looking forward to that last lap duel in mugello at least

[judgeverse]

good image

[jenniferstolzer]

could I ask for Phillip and Benoit Blanc?

If you really must wear it, at least wear it well...

I actually just watched this movie tonight.

[boanerges20]

Alex Lowes WSBK /Phillip Island, 2015 Photo: Andrew Gosling

[sea-owl]

I’m gonna be honest, with the way they have set up seasons so far, I have doubts that season 4 is gonna be Benedict's.

 Now I’ve thought this for a while but one tiktoker, thecool_table, highly recommend her if you enjoy Bridgerton, pointed out that Shondaland has created this aesthetic of the Bridgerton Man with the adult brothers, and by the end of season 3 we will have two of them married. Marrying off the third adult brother in season 4 would have the show loose this luster they have. That in season 3 it is time for the show to open up to the idea of pulling in other sexy people besides our leads and the main family. It’s time to open up the world beyond London and the family. 

Now yes this is a show about the Bridgertons, siblings and spouses, but a tv universe works very differently from a book universe. The biggest example is having multiple storylines starting as a subplot to the main leads, which can take place in different locations. 

Personally for me I actually wouldn’t mind if we pushed Benedict back for another season. Not only will it leave some anticipation for when he does get his season, but it will give viewers something new besides the almost cliche alphabetical/birth order/marrying off a brother.  Yes I know, I can already hear some of you, but it’s not like the books! Blank Bridgerton is supposed to be next! Blank Bridgerton needs this one married for this reason in their story! I know I mix book and show canon all the time when creating my aus but I honestly do see the books and show as two separate universes. Shondaland has done it’s own thing and will continue to do it’s own thing with some inspiration from the books, and I believe it will include making one of the sisters the lead for season 4. 

As it stands right now with the past two seasons and the synopsis for season 3 I believe season 4 is gonna be Eloise. Elements of her story has been in the works since season 1 such as the introduction of her leading man Phillip. In season 2 she is the one they have also labeled to prefer living in the country. Do I believe Eloise is gonna need some major character development in season 3? Yeah, but she was kinda due for that anyway. I can also see them using her as a gateway to get Benedict out into the country and into My Cottage. It will also allow Francesca/us more time with John. After that I can see it being Benedict who has spent the past seasons leaning into his status as a second son, and his move to the country side. Francesca taking on a more prominent subplot in Benedict’s season with the death of John, her friendship with Michael going astray when he runs off to India, and continuing her character development so she’s ready for her season and Michael. 

Also if we do continue that trend of the past leads mentoring the new ones polin would fit better as philoise’s mentors rather than benophie’s. Benedict is more than likely gonna be at an extreme low come his season and Eloise is probably more equipped to handle that train wreck than Colin is. 

Now I may be wrong, maybe they will have Benedict and Sophie be our leads for season 4. It’s all a toss up until we see season 3′s development on these characters and when Shondaland officially confirms season 4′s leading couple. 

[bigbadmuerte]

Philip chimes in immediately before Azzy can say anything, still trying to lighten the mood. "You don't make me uncomfortable!" He blurts out, perhaps a bit too loudly. And then, more softly, "It wasn't your fault and you have no obligation to either of us, of course, but I've found your guidance to be of great help and I'm glad you are with us."

Death just stares at Phillip, red eyes wide as saucers, before barking out a laugh, long and loud. One of those wide grins breaks across his face as he nearly doubles over. All of the tension in his form nearly evaporates at once, that same easy fluidity returning like it never left. The wolf gets to his feet and walks over to the other, ruffling his hair.

"Yeah okay, you're alright viejo," he snickers, still grinning. "You could just say you'd miss me and get it over with. You don't have to go the whole "formal priest from the 1600s" route just to say thanks." There's a clear amusement present here that hasn't been aimed at Phillip before, not from Death at least.

It's almost like the wolf considers him a friend.

[darkmovies]

Subject (2023) Date de sortie : 22/08/2023 Réalisateur :  Tristan Barr Scénario : Vincent Befi Avec : Stephen Phillips, Tristan Barr, Cecilia Low

[cod-dump]

Graves: Let me tell you something about Price-

Price: Don’t you DARE start!

Graves: This asshole got on his computer and looked up a brick of tea leaves. It was 1500 American dollars!

Price: You know why?! Because it was Da Hong Pao! We’re talking about a tea that comes from trees where there are hardly any of the originals left!

Graves: You’re tea boujee! You’re fucking tea boujee!

Price: Shut up you were looking at a watch that was 60’000 pounds!

Graves: IT WAS HARRY WINSTON-

Price: YOU CAN’T EVEN TELL TIME! YOU SIT THERE AND STARE AT THE CLOCK LOOKING LIKE AN OWL WITH YOUR EYES ALL BIG TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TIME IT IS!

Graves: HOLD UP-

Price: YOU HAVE A CLOCK THAT HAS NO TICKS ON IT! NO TICKS!