#Reed & Lock Part 2

[buckylovinglokivariant]

Casual >> Johnny Storm

pairing: johnny storm x popstar!reader (no use of y/n)

word count: 3.7k+

summary: Johnny always meant to keep it casual with you but unfortunately for him, he wasn't so good at sticking to his word this time.

warnings: angst, johnny being his asshole self, hopeful ending

a/n: big thanks to my beta reader, mati! love you so much. her idea for a summary was "manwhore fucks around and finds out" which i thought deserved an honorable mention. this fic was inspired by my (believe it or not) first watch of fantastic four so enjoy and don't forget to reblog!

read part 2 here!

Johnny did not want to be here. Not here as in at a concert, Johnny loved concerts. Loud music, hot girls pressed right up against him as they either tried to flirt with him or get closer to the stage (both were fine by him), and lots of recognition from giggly blonde things that liked to cling to him in photo-ops. All that stuff was fine by him, truly. What he did mind was that it was your concert he was at. He hadn’t spoken to you in months, not that his sister or Reed or Ben knew that. To them, you just weren’t around the Baxter Building as much because you’d been on tour. But the truth Johnny had been avoiding since you blocked his number was going to be difficult to ignore when he was watching you sing your heart out for the next two hours.

Susan had been raving about this concert since before the tour had even been announced to the public. You’d told her about it yourself, offering up four tickets for the whole fantastic Reed-Storm-Grimm family to go. It was a few weeks before you and Johnny fought so you were still around their home all the time, hanging out with Johnny or even just with his sister or on occasion, even Reed or Ben. Johnny watched from across the room as you confessed to his sister how much you would miss spending time with them while you were on tour, so they just had to come and see you perform when you were back in New York. The tickets were special, you’d said–they would give them wristbands and let them backstage to see you after the show. Susan had been thrilled. Johnny, not so much.

You’d been going out for months out of the public eye, at Johnny’s behest. “It’s just casual anyway so what does it matter?” he always insisted. He knew it bothered you whenever he said it but stupidly, selfishly he kept saying it anyway. When it all blew up in his face, Johnny really hoped his sister would forget about the tickets altogether. Boy, was he wrong. And he’d insisted to his family for months that you were just friends so he couldn’t exactly use the excuse that you’d broken up, now could he?

It wasn’t until you were nearing the end of your set that your eyes found Johnny’s and you both froze. Thankfully you were between numbers so you were able to get your bearings quickly and continue thanking the crowd for their enthusiasm, but when you caught his eye a second time very much on purpose before holding your pointer finger up to the audience and then strutting upstage to talk to your band, Johnny’s stomach turned to lead. When you turned back around, you were looking at anyone but him.

“So the band and I were talking and we really want to thank you for being such a fantastic audience tonight. I mean, obviously I can stand up here and say ‘thank you’ a hundred times but I really don’t feel like that’s enough, you know? So to thank you, we wanted to give you guys a fun surprise. How does that sound?”

Everyone except Johnny squealed with excitement.

“I’ve been working on a new song the last few months while touring. And if it’s okay with you, I’d really like to sing it for you live for the very first time right now. Is that okay with you?”

If not for the sudden feeling of cotton in his ears, Johnny would have had to cover them with his hands with how loud the audience around him screamed. When you next locked eyes with him, you were smirking into the mic. Johnny gulped.

“This song is called ‘Casual.’”

Oh shit.

My friends call me a loser / 'Cause I'm still hanging around / I've heard so many rumors / That I'm just a girl that you bang on your couch

I thought you thought of me better / Someone you couldn't lose / You said, "We're not together" / So now when we kiss, I have anger issues

ELEVEN MONTHS AGO:

If you asked Johnny, he wouldn’t have been able to tell you what the gala was for. It was probably some fundraiser for charity or other that Reed organized so they could stay relevant, but Johnny had been to enough of them to know he wouldn’t be the one talking about anything of substance anyway, so he’d long since stopped paying attention. Normally these sorts of things were boring. The people with real money were the old, boring white collars with no personality aside from their wine and boat-in-a-bottle collections. Fortunately for Johnny though, this particular event seemed to be much more laid-back–younger crowds, louder music, shittier alcohol. And if there was a party, Johnny always had to be at the center of it. So there he was on a Friday night, getting drunk off his ass and grinding to the music with New York’s young elite.

He couldn’t tell you why you in particular stood out to him. There probably was a reason at some point but he was much too drunk at the time for it to stick in his mind for long. All he knows is that one moment he was standing at the bar and the next, he was downing the rest of Ben’s drink (ignoring the consequent protests), handing him back the glass, and making his way over to you. You were standing on the outskirts of the room, surrounded by similarly young and attractive girls who were chatting your ear off (or maybe it was the other way around). He wordlessly sidled up next to you, slipping an arm easily around your waist. You turned your head just enough to side-eye him, but you reluctantly allowed the gesture.

“Do I know you?” You asked stand-offishly.

“Nope,” he popped the ‘p’ obnoxiously, “but you will. Can I talk to you for a minute?”

You looked over to your friends for approval and while they looked as suspicious as you, they generally shrugged in acquiescence.

“I don’t see why not.”

You looked him up and down appraisingly, handing off your drink to the girl next to you and allowing him to lead you across the room to a hidden corner.

“So? What did you so urgently need to pull me aside for?” You crossed your arms, stepping just out of his reach.

“Why so suspicious?” He raised his hands in surrender. “I just wanted to ask where you got that dress from.”

You cocked an eyebrow and he watched you search his face for an ulterior motive. Apparently finding none, you replied: “It’s Armani.”

“Armani?” He repeated, raising his eyebrows with intrigue. “Damn. It’s beautiful.”

You waited impatiently for the punchline.

“Would look better on my floor though,” he winked.

“There it is,” you rolled your eyes, unimpressed, before turning back toward your friends.

“Hey, come on!” He stepped in front of you, stretching his hands out to stop you. “Don’t be like that. Can’t blame a guy for trying.”

“If you want to sleep with me, Johnny Storm, you’re going to have to try harder than that.”

“Full name!” He smirked, pleased. “I wasn’t sure you knew who I was for a second there.”

“I could spot your hot head from a mile away, Storm. And if I couldn’t, the terrible pickup line would have given you away.”

“Ouch,” he jokingly clutched at his chest. “Go figure. What’s your name, sweetheart?”

You leaned to the side to peek at your friends over his shoulder before sighing and giving him your name.

“Oh, shit. Like the singer?”

You nodded your head slowly, mockingly.

“Well damn, I really did hit the jackpot, didn’t I?”

“You know who I am?” You questioned him, not expecting him to enjoy your style of music.

“Duh, my sister won’t stop playing your music,” he tried to deflect onto Susan.

“And you know that because…?” You pushed.

He froze before awkwardly moving to rub at the back of his neck. “Because I… maybe… have listened to a few songs myself.”

“So the Johnny Storm is a fan,” you nodded, pleased with the revelation. “I’ll be sure to tell my publicist.”

“How about a deal?”

He took a risk and stepped toward you. You let him, though you pinched your eyebrows with skepticism.

“Go on.”

“You can tell your publicist whatever you want as long as you let me take you out of this place.”

You watched his cocky resolve flicker behind his eyes as you walked toward him, not stopping until your chest was pressed fully against his. You craned your neck to press your mouth right up against his ear.

“Only if you let me take you out of that suit afterwards.”

You’d be lying if you tried to pretend that was the last and only time you saw him. As much as you tried to resist (which admittedly wasn’t much), you continued seeing him. It was purely physical at first, him calling you at ridiculous times at night to fulfill a need or vice versa. But eventually, you found yourself seeking him out for reasons other than the physical. You craved his company so you’d invite him over for dinner or a movie, just in the privacy of your own apartment. When you finally visited the Baxter Building, it was only on the condition that you would be in-and-out and no one would see you. He’d been successful in sneaking you up to his room without anyone seeing. It was the getting you out that failed.

“Johnny, dinner!” A woman’s voice called and Johnny jolted away from your lips.

“Shit,” he muttered. “I gotta go.”

You blinked a couple of times, struggling to pull yourself out of the floaty headspace you always fell into when kissing Johnny.

“What?”

“You gotta go,” he grabbed your hand, pulling you up off the bed. “Come on, I’ll sneak you back out.”

You snatched your purse up off the floor as Johnny tugged you toward the bedroom door, opening it to make sure the coast was clear before dragging you quietly toward the front elevator. He’d just pressed the call button when the same female voice from before called out.

“Johnny, what are you doing over there?” The voice got louder as footsteps approached and Johnny shoved your hand away, covering his face with a groan. “I just told you that dinner was–.”

A beautiful blonde woman who bore some resemblance to Johnny turned the corner and did a double take when she saw you.

“Oh my god, you’re–!”

“Yes, hi, guilty as charged,” you giggled nervously. “It’s lovely to meet you.”

You stepped forward, outstretching a hand for her to shake.

“So you’re the girl Johnny’s been sneaking out to see!” She shook your hand with enthusiasm. “It’s so lovely to meet you! Please, you have to stay for dinner. I’ll have Ben set out an extra place for you.”

“We’re not together,” Johnny butted in, shattering the moment.

“What?” The blonde woman turned to face him, confusion glimmering across her face as you burned red with shame.

“We’re not together,” he reiterated. “Whatever you’re thinking… we’re just friends.”

“Oh,” she gasped, turning back to you. “Well, um, you’re still welcome to stay.”

“I would love to stay,” you smiled at her, embarrassment still burning at the back of your throat.

And as she pulled you away, you couldn’t help but turn around and glare daggers at Johnny before rounding the corner.

You said, "Baby, no attachment" / But we're / Knee deep in the passenger seat, and you're eating me out / Is it casual now? / Two weeks, and your mom invites me to her house on Long Beach / Is it casual now?

I know what you tell your friends / It's casual, if it's casual now / Then, baby, get me off again / If it's casual, it's casual now

TEN-AND-A-HALF MONTHS AGO:

You were in his car, one of the many but you couldn’t say which one this one was. It was dark when he picked you up in it and now you were god-knows-where, the passenger seat fully reclined as you laid half on top of him on it. You were tracing random patterns on his bare chest when he spoke.

“I’m gonna be away for a while.”

You stopped tracing.

“What?”

“She’s got a house on Long Beach,” he elaborated vaguely.

“Your mom?” It was a shot in the dark. You’d never spoken about his home life, nor yours. You didn’t do much speaking when you were together so you only knew about the people you’d met when you had dinner at the Baxter Building. He paused at your question, though you didn’t know why.

“My sister," he clarified. "She’s going up for a few weeks and me and her fiancé are going with her.”

“That sounds fun,” you remarked offhandedly.

“Yeah,” he snorts and you eye him, confused at what was so funny. “They told me to invite you, actually.”

You couldn't help the smile that crept onto your face.

“Johnny, I would love to–.”

“I told them you were busy.”

And then the smile was gone.

“Oh.”

It was silent for a moment, neither of you moving, both of you hardly breathing.

“Do you want me to take you home?”

“Not yet.”

You leaned up and kissed him again, drowning out the emotional turmoil that was rapidly threatening to consume your thoughts.

Dumb love, I love being stupid / Dream of us in a year / Maybe we'd have an apartment / And you'd show me off to your friends at the pier

TEN MONTHS AGO:

You hadn’t seen or heard from Johnny in a couple of weeks. Sure, he said he would be gone for a few weeks but you knew he had your number, which meant was a choice not to call you, not an inability to. Maybe you were just being stupid. You’d only been going out for a month, after all. And even calling it “going out” was a stretch. You had to face the truth at some point–you were just one of his conquests. He probably wasn’t even in Long Beach. He probably just needed an excuse to stop seeing you.

But as much as you tried to convince yourself of your idiocy, you couldn’t help but imagine having a life with him. You could get an apartment together or even just move into the Baxter Building with him. Either way, you wouldn’t mind. Maybe you could even have both and switch between them whenever you felt like it. Maybe next time he’d bring you to the Long Beach house and show you off to his family and whatever friends he probably had there.

Stop it, you scolded yourself. You’re being delusional. You have to move on.

That was when he knocked on your apartment door.

I know, "Baby, no attachment" / But we're / Knee deep in the passenger seat and you're eating me out / Is it casual now? / Two weeks and your mom invites me to her house on Long Beach / Is it casual now? / I know what you tell your friends / It's casual, if it's casual now / Then baby, get me off again / If it's casual, oh, oh, oh

It's hard being casual / When my favorite bra lives in your dresser / And it's hard being casual / When I'm on the phone talking down your sister

SIX MONTHS AGO:

“Please tell me he’s not with you,” Susan begged you over the phone. “Or that he is! Honestly, at this point I don’t know which is worse.”

Johnny watched you with amusement from where he was sprawled out across your sheets, naked as the day he was born. He definitely either saw Susan’s name pop up on your screen or heard her voice from across the room. Either way, he knew exactly who had called you and why.

“Uh… I’m not sure how to answer that question.”

You put a finger to your lips, making sure Johnny stayed quiet, before putting her on speaker.

“Well, if Johnny just so happens to be there, would you please remind him that we have a very public, very live television appearance that he’s supposed to attend which starts in twenty minutes.”

You caught Johnny’s eye and inwardly swore when you saw the sudden panic enveloping his face. He leapt out of bed, reaching for his own phone, and started whispering a chant of curse words when he saw what time it was. You threw your phone on your bed, ignoring Susan’s questions about what the noise was, and began throwing Johnny’s clothes from the floor at him. As he dressed himself, you began searching through your wardrobe for an outfit of your own that wouldn’t make it obvious from the wrinkles what you had been up to just before rushing to the studio.

“Um, yeah, I don’t know where he is, Susan. So sorry. But if I happen to see him or um, am able to get him on the phone, I’ll make sure to let him know.”

“Oh, god, I’m going to kill him the next time I see him. I swear, I’m going to take his phone away for a month!”

“You can’t do that, I’m an adult!” Johnny retorted absentmindedly as he fastened his belt before freezing.

“Jonathan Lowell Spencer Storm!” Susan bellowed from the other end of the phone.

“Damn it, Johnny!” You cursed him out as you desperately searched your wardrobe for your favorite bra.

“It’s in my dresser,” he reminded you, picking the phone up from your bed and handing it to you. “I’ll go. You stay here.”

“Johnny–,” you began to protest.

“I’ll get there faster if I flame on by myself anyway. I’ll see you later.”

He kissed your cheek before running out the door.

“Five minutes or I’m kicking your ass, Johnny!” Susan called after him.

“Susan, I am so sorry," you apologized on his behalf. "We lost track of time–.”

She just sighed.

“It’s not your fault. My brother is… not the most responsible person in the world, to say the least.”

You snorted.

“To say the least, yeah.”

“Okay, he’s a total blockhead.”

“You can say that again,” you rolled your eyes affectionately.

“But I love him,” Susan added. “And so do you, if I’m reading it correctly.”

“What!” You screeched. “No, I don’t. That’s ridiculous. I would never… Johnny’s…”

“He feels the same way about you, if it helps.”

“No, he doesn’t,” you replied honestly. “And even if he did, he would never admit it so I’ll take what I can get.”

“Hey–.”

“It’s fine, Susan. Have a good interview. I look forward to seeing it.”

You hung up.

And I try to be the chill girl / That holds her tongue and gives you space / I try to be the chill girl / But honestly, I'm not

THREE MONTHS AGO:

“I can’t do this anymore, Johnny.”

Johnny couldn’t tell you what had started the argument. To be perfectly honest, he’d thought the night had been going really well. He’d taken you to a fancy restaurant to celebrate right before you left for your big tour. You were in a secluded booth in the corner where no one would recognize you or even see you and… oh.

“Do what?” He blinked, forcing the lighthearted smile to remain on his face.

“Do this,” You gestured to the restaurant around you. “Going out on dates and pretending like everything is fine.”

“I thought everything was fine,” Johnny protested.

“It’s not, Johnny!” You smacked your hands on the table causing the silverware to clank together. “It never has been!”

“Tell me how you really feel,” he grumbled under his breath.

“Johnny, you can’t just… introduce me to your family, and kiss me, and take me on dates for months and then pretend like there’s nothing there. Like there’s nothing between us. I can’t… I can’t go on tour for six months wondering how you feel about me–if you think about me, if you’re waiting for me, if you’ll even want me when I come back.”

“I told you at the beginning, baby. I’m a no-attachment kind of guy.”

“Well, it doesn’t feel very no-attachment, Johnny!” You snapped at him and his jaw snapped shut. “Look, I try to be the chill girl that holds her tongue and gives you space when you need it but honestly? I’m not. I’m not like that, Johnny. I love you, and if you don’t love me back then I think we’re done.”

“You think we’re done?”

“That’s all you have to say? After all that?”

Well, Johnny never claimed not to be an asshole. And he certainly never did things halfway.

“Well I don’t love you, so if that’s how you feel then maybe you should just go.”

You sat there, panting, choking back the tears you refused to let him see if he was going to treat you like that after everything you’d been through over the last eight months.

“Go to hell, Johnny Storm.”

You grabbed your coat and purse and ran out of the restaurant. That was the last time he saw you.

Knee deep in the passenger seat, and you're eating me out / Two weeks, and your mom invites me to her Long Beach house / I know what you tell your friends / Baby, get me off again

I fucked you in the bathroom when we went to dinner / Your parents at the table, you wonder why I'm bitter / Bragging to your friends, I get off when you hit it / I hate to tell the truth, but I'm sorry, dude, you didn't / I hate that I let this drag on so long, now I hate myself / Hate that I let this drag on so long, you can go to hell

PRESENT:

It was the last thing you’d said to him. “Go to hell.” He deserved it, in all honesty. It was true that he’d never been one for attachment. Meeting you, sleeping with you, continuing to see you even when he knew it was a bad idea, it was all the biggest mistake he’d ever made. But he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about you since you walked out on him, and seeing you up there onstage just cemented it–it was also the best mistake he’d ever made. And as he looked down at the wristband adorning his wrist, he made a vow to himself: He was going to fix things with you. No matter what it took.

[a-thought-daughter]

Vivi-Design EAH Fancast 2.0 (Pt.3)

I'm back from the dead. Sorry for being MIA for a while but I'm back now. I'm doing Pt.3 of my @vivi-designs EAH Recast.

Part 1: https://www.tumblr.com/childofmattel/735536666910015488/vivi-design-eah-fancast-20-pt-1

Part 2: https://www.tumblr.com/childofmattel/735638317217021952/vivi-design-eah-fancast-20-pt2

Part 4: https://www.tumblr.com/childofmattel/739542620483747840/vivi-design-eah-fancast-20-pt4

Part 5: https://www.tumblr.com/childofmattel/739611898471923712/vivi-design-eah-fancast-20-pt5

Anyways let's get to it.

Adara Lael as Holly O'Hair

I know her from this Christmas movie I was forced to watch. (I forgot the name) I think that she'd make an amazing Holly O'Hair but idk. I just really like this fancast even if the actress is a little underrated.

Loren Janae Poppy O'Hair

I'm glad I found actresses that were actually twins. I think she and her sister really match with Vivi's idea with them.

Siena Agudong as Cerise Hood

I was debating changing Cerise's FC but I feel like Siena Agudong is honestly the perfect fit. Idk if she's tall like Cerise is described to me but I don't think her height is the most pivotal role of her character.

Queenie Mae Villaluz as Ramona Badwolf

If you guys don't listen to Boys World (and you like Pop) you totally should, they're so good. I think Olivia Rodrigo matched vivi's Pinterest aesthetic of Ramona but I feel like overall Queenie fits as Rosabella Badwolf. Although she's not an actress I feel like she fits as Ramona.

Jack Pililaau as Tucker

I'm keeping the same fc for Tucker cuz why not.

Adrian Lyles as Sparrow Hood

I wanted to cast someone a little younger for Vivi-design's EAH because even though Bryant Barnes is a good FC I think he's a little too old to be playing a teenager even if it is just a fancast. If this were to actually be a live-action show I think Adrian Lyles would fit as Sparrow.

Hanni Pham as Duchess Swan

There needs to be more Vietnamese representation in Hollywood because it was not easy finding one. Hanni Pham is also a dancer like Duchess and even though she's not an actress I think look-wise she can portray Duchess.

Sean Kaufman as Hopper Croakington II

I think he looks a lot like the Hopper in vivi's art, although he doesn't have red hair which really doesn't matter.

Brianna Reed as C.A. Cupid

While scrolling through Cupid's pinterest I saw this picture and was like "automatically yes." Look at this picture and tell me this isn't a perfect Cupid.

Marsai Martin as Blondie Lockes

I saw on fancast on Tiktok and I haven't been able to get it out of mind. I just love the idea of Marsai as Blondie Lockes. And this picture with the blonde braids is stunning. She'd be a great Blondie.

Shahadi Wright Joseph as Cedar Wood

No changes. Shahadi Wright Joseph forever.

Maripaz Romero as Rosabella Beauty

Like vivi's Rosabella she has a prosthetic leg. Speaking of I just want to take a moment to appreciate all the rep Vivi-design's EAH has. I do love EAH but come to think of it -- it was really white so all this rep makes me happy.

Anyways that's part 3, again sorry for the long hiatus. For my Re-Cast I'm planning to do more parts, including one with the EAH character's parents.

[willtheweaver]

Villains crime list

Thanks for the tag @the-golden-comet

Rules: List all of the real-world crimes your villains have committed!

Some of my more villainous characters have committed some really dark stuff… so I’m going for the two characters from A Feather in the Forest who have not committed heinous war crimes:

Reed-

1. Forgery- Being near the bottom of the pecking order means struggle is a daily companion. But Reed found a solution; he became a deft hand at copying handwriting and creating a facsimile of the Roost Lord’s seal (which play a part in…)

2. Trespassing/ Theft/ Falsifying documents- Stuff seems to go missing every so often. But what’s this? One of the workers has an official looking document saying that all the stores are accounted for! Not only that, he also has authorization to be in the storerooms and to inspect the Lord’s private supplies!

3. Assaulting an official- Reed has gotten into a few scuffles, but the one that stands out is when he and Dirge got into a brawl with a bullying Overseer.

Dirge-

1. Giving false testimony- What is the meaning of the brawl? *gasp!* the Overseer is actually collaborating with the enemy, and the two were trying to apprehend him?! Sounds a bit far fetched if you ask me…

2. Forgery and Falsifying evidence- Helping Reed making the fake seals and documents gave Dirge experience at copying things. He used his talent to create a fake paper.

3. Breaking and entering/ Planting false evidence- Funny really, the Overseer swore his quarters were locked. Looks like he misremembered. But what does it matter? There is an incriminating letter hidden in his bed, just as Dirge said there would be!

Tagging @mk-writes-stuff @somethingclevermahogony @kaylinalexanderbooks @winterandwords @theink-stainedfolk

@paeliae-occasionally @oliolioxenfreewrites @lychhiker-writes @whatwewrotepodcast @the-ellia-west

@tamiveldura @rivenantiqnerd and open tag

[disco-elysium-via-polls]

🎵 Disco Elysium

THOUGHT COMPLETE: WOMPTY-DOMPTY DOM CENTRE

BONUSES:

Encyclopedia passives give +10 XP and +2 real -2 Suggestion: Pretentious wanker

SOLUTION:

You're at home, stupid cop, not with the art crowd. You hate them, everyone hates them, even they hate themselves. It's nauseating -- an industry built on sprezzatura and sparkling wine. And, let’s be honest, tax evasion schemes. The Wompty Dompty Dom Centre is the heart of this unholy symbiosis of esthetics and tax optimization, and now that you've internalized it – you can have a piece too!

The rear tyre of a motor carriage adorns these reeds.

Relax, it's not yours. You didn't crash every mc in Revachol. (Hopefully.)

Rust-eaten letters read: "MAZUT."

Looking back at you from the rust-coloured water: you.

A kick drum pulse. The music is coming from somewhere on the ice.

Hm?

A school of fish huddle around the fence post. Then scatter into the dark.

Before you, a drawbridge. It can only be lowered from the other side.

Accidently covered up the bridge by hovering over the cash pickup, whoops.

Full of holes. Could the posts hide... treasure? Look inside.

The posts, as it turns out, all have various rewards in them, including money, medicine, and a bottle of alcohol.

ALCOHOL "POTENT PILSNER"

A sturdy bottle of beer that tastes like piss. Not that you would know how piss tastes like. Just a guess. The label says it's made in Revachol, by Lafayette Potent Brewery.

Heading back slightly to the west of the ice, (or east of the telephone) there's a building.

You feel the shadow of a very large building fall on you.

The sign reads: "Saint Brune 1147."

Dusty pews in the shadows. Many seem to be missing.

An altar shrouded in dark. Or something else like that -- it's too dark to tell.

CHURCH DOORS - Heavy wooden doors more than twice your height stand shut in front of you. The rectangular, sea-worn ornamentation appears in stark contrast to the padlock carelessly drilled into the wood.

Rattle the doors to see if they open.

Inspect the carpentry.

Take a closer look at the padlock.

Inspect the staple.

[Leave.]

CHURCH DOORS - Nothing happens, only the sound of the padlock rattling against the door.

KIM KITSURAGI - "I don't think that's going to work..."

SHIVERS [Medium: Success] - High above, the wind wraps the church in its rush. Cold and wet from the ocean bay, it parts around the massive keel-shaped roof. Like a test tunnel washing both sides, the way it has done for three-hundred-and-forty years. The wind keeps its distance. So should you.

"What is this feeling?"

Back up and look at the door.

SHIVERS -

THERE IS A HOLE IN MY HEART.

KIM KITSURAGI - The lieutenant looks at the padlock. He didn't hear you asking, you were quiet enough.

2. Inspect the carpentry.

CHURCH DOORS - The carving on the door is blocklike and angular, like the church itself. Two large beams shoot downwards, sinking into the wood before they reach the threshold.

Run your hand over a beam.

Back up and look at the door.

CHURCH DOORS - The surface is smooth from the wind, but moist to the touch.

3. Take a closer look at the padlock.

CHURCH DOORS - This cheap-looking padlock is sturdily built. It shackles together a hasp and a staple screwed into the wooden door. The lock is adorned with a yellow sticker.

INTERFACING [Medium: Success] - It'll be easier to break the staple than the lock. Also -- that sticker is interesting, somehow...

4. Look at the sticker.

CHURCH DOORS - You see a yellow circle with two X's and a big curve below them that looks like a mouth. You're pretty sure you haven't seen it before, but what the symbol depicts is clear enough: a smiling dead guy. The curve makes it smile and the X's make it dead.

CONCEPTUALIZATION [Medium: Success] - There is something blindingly *modern* about this symbol. Its modernness puts to shame everything you've seen before.

What makes it so modern?

"Have you seen this symbol before?" (Point to it.)

Take another look at the boring padlock. For absurdity's sake.

CONCEPTUALIZATION - It's the contrast between the cheery, chemical yellow and the rigor mortis. As if the cheery guy didn't know he was dead or the dead guy didn't care that he was. Either way, you get the sense the forces of *future* are at work here.

INLAND EMPIRE [Challenging: Success] - These forces of future have chosen to depict something that reminds you of... you.

"Have you seen this symbol before?" (Point to it.)

KIM KITSURAGI - He takes off his glasses and uses a blue handkerchief to thoroughly wipe them clean before inspecting the sticker. Then he looks up, pauses, and replies...

"No."

"What does it look like to you?"

KIM KITSURAGI - "Looks like a dead man smiling. Suggests... junior delinquency."

"Okay, what is *junior delinquency*?"

"What is suggestive of junior delinquency here?"

KIM KITSURAGI - "For Revachol ZoC, the Moralintern defines junior delinquents as minors between the ages of 10 and 16 who have committed an act in violation of the law..."

"These acts aren't called *crimes* as they would be for adults. Crimes committed by minors are called 'delinquent acts'. This was part of your officer's exams." He puts the handkerchief in his coat pocket.

"What is suggestive of junior delinquency here?"

KIM KITSURAGI - "I haven't seen that sticker before. And I am not a youth."

"I agree -- it's very modern. But does the cheery guy not know he's dead, or does the dead guy not care that he is? What is the source of the irony here?"

Padlock, padlock, padlock!

KIM KITSURAGI - "That level of conceptual thinking is not part of my skill set."

5. Inspect the staple.

CHURCH DOORS - The padlock passes through a staple that's been hastily attached to the wood. Closer inspection reveals that one of the screws is not a screw at all, but a nail. The work has been done recently and is unprofessional, to say the least.

LOGIC [Easy: Success] - Should you want to get through, it might be easier to just pry the whole thing off.

(Turn to the lieutenant.) "This is where Mr. Prybar comes in handy."

Back off.

I just happened to have the prybar equipped from opening containers earlier.

KIM KITSURAGI - He takes a step back. "Maybe we should circle the building first and look for another way. The building has seen enough mistreatment."

EMPATHY [Easy: Success] - There is a touch of guilt in his voice.

"Should we start with that kick drum coming from the ice? I heard a sound, before."

KIM KITSURAGI - "Yes. The pulsing bass..." He raises his hand to his ear. "A sure sign of junior delinquency -- somewhere east of here."

6. [Interfacing - Easy 9] Try to peel of the sticker without ripping it.

INTERFACING [Easy: Success] - There's nothing like the sound of a sticker unpeeling. Now it's stuck to your thumb.

Put the sticker *in* your ledger -- after the last entry, where it belongs.

Put the sticker *on* your ledger -- right on the cover!

Shake it off your thumb and throw it in the wind.

INTERFACING - Voilà! Looks very modern.

Secret task complete: Style your paperwork

+10 XP

CONCEPTUALIZATION [Medium: Success] - You're part of the future-brigade now. And so is your formerly humdrum ledger. Neon, baby!

Let's not break into a church and check out that sick beat.

6. [Leave.]

It must have taken a lot of patience to do this.

ACELE - A shaggy-looking girl in her late teens or early twenties kneels on the ice with an electronic contraption in her hand. Hearing you approach, she looks up.

"Oh, hello there."

EMPATHY [Easy: Success] - It's cold out here, but she's not wearing a hat! She must be freezing.

ELECTROCHEMISTRY [Easy: Success] - Everyone knows drugs make you invulnerable to cold. You bet this one likes to *party*.

"Dear child, it's freezing. Where's your hat?"

"So, you wanna *party*?"

"I have some questions for you."

[Leave.]

ACELE - "Huh?" She looks up at you, distracted.

PERCEPTION (HEARING) [Medium: Success] - Maybe she didn't hear you. A little louder.

"I said, you should have a hat on."

ACELE - "So should you."

HALF LIGHT [Medium: Success] - You don't *have* to do anything.

"*I* don't have to do anything. I am the law. *You* have to do what the law says."

"I should -- and I do." (Point at your hat.)

"We're done here." [Leave.]

ACELE - "Real cool..." She looks down at the device, mumbling under her breath.

PERCEPTION (HEARING) [Medium: Success] - "Way to abuse that power, man..." she says, thinking you can't hear her.

COMPOSURE [Easy: Success] - She bats away your questions like flies. She's not intimidated by mere police officers.

"And the law says you have to wear a hat in this weather."

"So keep that in mind while I ask some questions."

ACELE - "Tsk..." She lets a quiet *tsk* roll off her tongue. "What kind of law says that?"

[hrefna-the-raven]

Lawmen

Masterlist - DBH masterlist

Chapters: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9

Words: 1979

Warnings: drunkenness, self mutilation (involuntarily), self hate, kind of smut (18+)

Chapter 10 - Broken

Gavin shoved his phone to the edge of his desk and pinched the bridge of his nose. Damn it, why did she have to be chosen for an undercover mission with that despicable captain? Why didn't Fowler pick him for this operation? He was fully capable of pretending to be someone else in order to gather the necessary information. After all, he was always playing a role in some way or another, he even did with her for a long time. To be completely honest, not much had changed in that regard. Revealing his true emotions felt like being locked up in a cage with a hungry tiger, and he certainly wasn't the predator in this metaphor. That blasted captain would seize every opportunity to get closer to her – he had to, otherwise he wouldn't have specifically requested her. She was skilled, but she couldn't have been the only competent agent in the Bureau, worst case he could have gotten that jerk Perkins and played lovey-dovey with him to fool the manager. Gavin continued typing his report, reminding himself not to worry so much. She seemed to love him for real and she wouldn't cheat on him and the sooner he finished his work, the sooner he could go home and distract himself with some booze and a good movie until she was back in his arms. There was a harrumph.

"What?!", he exclaimed with frustration evident in his tone.

The person clearly did not appreciate the threatening manner, as his eyes darted upward upon hearing a loud thud.

“What'ya want Hank?”

Hank was an elder superior of his who remained lieutenant despite his personal struggles with alcohol and the tragic loss of his son and. Gavin was not particular fond of him, but Hank held a protective hand over him whenever shit hit the fan and he had a good heart buried beneath layers of sarcasm and alcohol.

"Come on, Reed. You hardly lift a finger around here, but when you do, you always go overboard. Here's a little gift for you", he gestured towards the bottle of aged whiskey he had left on the table, "go home, get drunk and relax," he turned away and headed towards the door, “and don't even start to think I would like you, you're still an idiot.”

Hank weakly waved as he exited the precinct. Gavin stared at the bottle for a moment before shifting his gaze back to the report displayed on his screen. He was nearly finished, so maybe he should take the old fool's advice to heart, write the last part and relax.

“Argh to hell with it!”, he saved his report, switched off his terminal, grabbed the bottle and left.

It was a chilly yet pleasant evening. The soft illumination of the street lamps enveloped the city in a beautiful glow, it would have been a perfect night to walk around with…he sighed, she was with Allen, not with him and it made him feel utterly miserable. No matter what she told him, all he could hear was the sound of his own jealous heart shattering into countless pieces. After walking for a few minutes, he suddenly halted in his tracks and caught a glimpse of his reflection in a shop window. Normally, seeing himself would have filled him with pride and his usual dose of Reed-ish narcissism, but now all he saw was a tear streaming down his suddenly unattractive face. I am an utter idiot, I don't deserve anything, his mind berated him. His gaze then shifted to the bottle in his hand, and a dark realisation washed over him. Without hesitation, he twisted off the bottle cap and swiftly downed its contents in one gulp. Discarding the empty bottle, it crashed onto the ground with a resounding clink as he continued on his way. His vision began to blur, causing his slightly overweight body to wobble unsteadily, as if the floor beneath him

It was a chilly yet pleasant evening. The soft illumination of the street lamps enveloped the city in a beautiful glow, it would have been a perfect night to walk around with…he sighed, she was with Allen, not with him and it made him feel utterly miserable. No matter what she told him, all he could hear was the sound of his own jealous heart shattering into countless pieces. After walking for a few minutes, he suddenly halted in his tracks and caught a glimpse of his reflection in a shop window. Normally, seeing himself would have filled him with pride and his usual dose of Reed-ish narcissism, but now all he saw was a tear streaming down his suddenly unattractive face. I am an utter idiot, I don't deserve anything, his mind berated him. His gaze then shifted to the bottle in his hand, and a dark realisation washed over him. Without hesitation, he twisted off the bottle cap and swiftly downed its contents in one gulp. Discarding the empty bottle, it crashed onto the ground with a resounding clink as he continued on his way. His vision began to blur, causing his slightly overweight body to wobble unsteadily, as if the floor beneath him seemed to wave aggressively. Maybe emptying that liquor in one go was not one his brightest ideas, but he was a complete idiot and a miserable one at that. So who would really expect him to have any ounce of good or clever thoughts? She would...but she was in the company of another man! Forget her! I c-c-can't, I love her!

“Shshshshut up!”, he hammered his fists against his own head.

However, he abruptly stopped when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket.

She was with another man…after several attempts his phone finally found its way back to his pocket. He stumbled over his own feet, and a vibrant purple light in the distance caught his attention. The Eden Club…that damn awful tin can sex club, where she was or would be soon, arriving in a taxi with that damn captain, probably holding her arm gently, lovingly. He despised him, now more than ever. He had destroyed his entire world, which was her, and he simply took her for this mission. He would show them, both of them. Nobody messes with Gavin Reed, nobody fucks with Gavin's girl. If she wanted to be with the captain, he would prove to her that he would not need neither her nor him ruining everything. After all, he was THE detective. He picked himself up and hurried towards the Eden Club, determined to fuck the brains out of whatever android they would give him. He would show them all that he alone was the alpha male, the one and only. Yes Gavin, do it, come on, you can fuck all you want, you're the best, it echoed hazily through his intoxicated mind. He rushed past the androids on display outside and clumsily swiped his hand on one of the ones in the glass containers in the entrance hall and hurriedly retreated with it into the nearest available room.

"Hello, I am an WR400. How may I assist you?", it spoke in its flawless, lifeless voice.

„Shut up and bend over!“, Gavin slurred harshly.

The android obeyed, as the detective fumbled to pull down his pants and pressed his still slack cock inside its plastic entrance. Deep down, he knew it was wrong, but the effects of the whiskey clouded not only his judgement but also his common sense as he continued thrusting into the WR400, disregarding the fact that he couldn't even get hard. Despite his lack of arousal, he was determined to prove himself to this machine, to show it that he could even bring pleasure to this so called perfect creation and that she would regret leaving for this awful SWAT idiot, oh yes, he would show this tin can, her and the whole world. Gavin continued to thrust at a rapid pace, feeling a twinge of self-disgust but pushing it aside. It didn't feel good at all, not in the slightest. He despised himself, he despised that machine, and above all, he despised the captain even more. How could he have the audacity to steal away the only woman who truly loved him? He was so preoccupied with his obsession to fuck this machine that he failed to notice the door opening, revealing the presence of the manager and two other individuals observing his actions. He remained completely indifferent to everything around him until he suddenly felt a firm grip on the back of his shirt, forcefully spinning him around. Despite his instinctual attempt to pull up his pants and prevent any further embarrassment, his intoxicated state rendered his usually sharp reflexes useless, causing him to fall heavily in front of a stranger, with his pants still lowered and his semi erect cock hitting the floor hard. He writhed in agony, contorting his face and reluctantly gazing up at the person before him, consumed by shame. Normally, he wouldn't two shits if anyone else saw him in this miserable state, but he locked eyes with you – the possessor of the most exquisite eyes he had ever beheld – brimming with sorrow and disappointment as they bore witness to the fall of the great detective Reed, who foolishly sacrificed everything he held dear in a drunken fit of jealousy. His mouth hung open, but no words escaped. I'm sorry , he thought, I'm so sorry and I love you, please forgive me...please kill me. His forehead bashed on the floor, the mess he caused this time was irreversible, this was his fuck up of a lifetime. Hastily, he pulled up his pants, desperate to escape from this place, regretting ever being here in the first place. As he rose to his feet, the liquor tore him down again, his head colliding with the corner of the doorframe. Grunting he steadied himself and moved on, fleeing the club as fast as his intoxication allowed it.

The door of his apartment slammed shut behind him and he slumped to the ground. With each sob, breathing became increasingly difficult. What had he done? It was like he boffed the love of his life right in the face and the only person he could blame for was himself…or perhaps…if that damned android sex club hadn't been in his path, none of this would have happened. Shut up, I alone did this! Gavin pressed his hands against his head, trying to silence the barrage of insults and self-blame echoing in his mind. His gaze fell upon the mirror hanging on the adjacent wall, reflecting a pitiful figure consumed by sorrow. Falling to his knees, he grabbed hold of the mirror and stared into his own despondent eyes.

„Why did I do this? Why did I hurt her, me, that much? I'm a piece of shit!“, he screamed at his reflection.

In a sudden burst of rage, he forcefully smashed his face against the mirror, causing it to shatter into countless fragments. The broken glass sliced through his skin, inflicting pain that was accompanied by his cries and the sound of the shards cascading to the floor. This cacophony of despair filled the dimly lit apartment, resonating with Gavin's shattered and bleeding heart. As he glanced upwards, a manic laughter escaped his lips, amplified by the absence of his reflection. The laughter reverberated sadly throughout the room, while a warm trickle of blood flowed down his face. A deep gash marked the bridge of his nose, destined to become a visible reminder of this night for the remainder of his existence. He never was a delight to others, but this was the night Gavin Reed finally broke his love and himself, the night that gave birth to the most miserable and awful douchebag the precinct would get to know.

Chapter 11

[ohsocheesiness]

Played both Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty Endings

Both are super good in my opinion for V, Reed, and So Mi. Needed somewhere to post my thoughts.

My Natural Instinct

I did not trust So Mi at all, bro. Even from the beginning.. the thing with the chimera was suspect. Disappearing like that after I saved myers... idk bro. However, I do empathize with her circumstances. She's stuck somewhere where she's being abused. She's dying and she just wants to be free.

Don't trust Myers, but seemed the type to keep her end of the deal.

I didn't necessarily trust Reed either, but I believed in him. A man of principle who stuck by his team and country even if they did him dirty. I felt like So Mi only fake cared about me, but I felt like Reed truly did care about me and my life. He saw V as another of his comrads to protect. However, I knew it was his government that he'd unfortunately follow till his wheels deteriorated.

Following Reed

I believed that Reed 100% wanted to help So Mi escape. I told So Mi I only kind of trusted her and that I think Reed wants what's best for her.

Gameplay wise I think it's cool that following the FIA turned into a freaking horror survival game lmfao. I love the secret agent style shit in PL

Anyway, only in this ending do we learn that ROGUE AI are basically attacking her and using her as a fucking link to the physical world through the real net. She mentioned she felt like somebody was over her shoulder her whole time. It was THEM. I wonder what Alt would've had to say about it if I asked her tbh.

In the end though, there was a great moment with So Mi who was at her end. I had a save point and played out both instances if I killed her or if I let Reed take her. I don't really remember what my first instinct was to do... but after knowing both endings it would've been best just to kill her and give her freedom man. However, saving her gives us a bit more to Reed's character.

Reed is freaking depressed bro lmfao. He is the one keeping so mi in chains. He is the one locked in chains. He knows he's just a dog, enslaved to ideals he doesn't think truly matters, but it's all he has. The only thing he can do is lean into it, despite knowing it's flaws. "All that matters is that So Mi is still living." I think that's why Reed never comes suicide despite seeming so empty, he's strong enough to carry everything.. it's his duty even.

Ofc I accepted the offer to save my life, it made sense to me that they could really help and that Reed would do right by me.

FUCKING HURT ME that Johnny had to get destroyed so abruptly like that. I know he didn't want it. He accepted it though, his true death. Just Rogue and V being his last remnants of life in NC.

If you tell Reed thanks, he says something like "there's nothing to thank me for, V" and leaves, head hung down. Another life Reed took and ruined. Got So Mi on life support, enslaved by Myers, Alex killed, V some kind of wonky life so different than before. Coma for 2 years.

Also my Panam romance 💔💔💔💔 damnit! Panam is definitely the type to fucking be done with it cause she thinks I broke her heart but dang. Wish somebody would've went through my contacts and gave them the heads up 😐 but I LOVE what happened to Judy after this. She deserved the peace man. She's such a cool homie if you guys are platonic.

Following So Mi

I tried to play a lot more empathetic with So Mi and her circumstances, instead of just it being mutually beneficial. V was the only one who can understand what was happening to her.

& Since I played this second, I felt guilty asking her to use the black wall to hack shit and kill people while we were escaping from Hansen's spot. It's lowkey best to play this ending as a netrunner. You help So Mi a lot more directly.

So Mi is really just like V, kind of. She just wants to live, so she'll betray and lie to her friends and simply just have to feel bad about it afterwards. For the most part, V won't sell out to a corp, but So Mi kind of sold out her friends. Her character flaw I guess.

This is also the only ending where a diologue option will tell you MR BLUE EYES is the one who contacted her for NUSA info and hooked her up with a deal to get to the moon! This is the only time i remember hearing about him before you do the Sun ending. He definitely a major player in the next game and there's something he's trying to do involving space. Which is why i assume he sends V on a mission to the crystal palace.

Anyway, So Mi eventually reveals that she was lying to me the whole time. She knew it was only a one use kind of deal.... prick. But I told her I would've helped her anyway if she just told me.. which maybe I would've tbh.

I carried her to the rocket thing. Reed was waiting for you. You two are at odds now and he means business. He lowkey tries to butter you up about protecting So Mi, but call him on his bullshit. Then he switches up, he wants to take care in to answer for her crimes. I said I didn't want to have to shoot him. He said "neither do i" 🥹 but yea I popped his ass after he gave me no choice. In a certain regard I was happy he found peace. Killing reed is the best thing to do in this ending 100%

You hook So Mi in the rocket to the moon and talk with Johnny as you two watch her go into space. Real.

Wait long enough you get a mysterious message to go find a package. The package has evidence that So Mi is alive on the moon. Very cool! She lives in this ending. And she's free. I was actually super happy about that tbh.

Also with this ending, Alex lives. PL tried to give you a relationship with her... in the ending where she dies I was sad about it but got over it. In this ending where she lives you get another chance to chat with her. She calls you up to the bar and basically wants to ask about Reed's last moments and to say goodbye. I really liked Alex's character and appreciated this goodbye.

A while after this, you get a postcard on your megabuilding apartment door from Morocco. Alex is free too. A very good ending. Now it's up to V to find out how to survive (lol)

Which is better?

You get to see into So Mi's past with the first ending. First hand. You get some conversations with Reed that give him more depth, but So Mi either dies or might as well have died. Reed lives on avoiding his very clear regret, but may have found purpose. If you choose to take the help here V becoming just another face in the crowd... a bit of a shame if you played into the 'become a night city legend' but kind of deep and real considering now he has a new life, but had to go through a lot and lose a lot on the way.

With the second ending, Alex and So Mi live & them and Reed are free from being dogs to the NUSA government. You get your farewells... at least somebody gets a happy ending. With this, you also get your farewell with Johnny in one of the base endings. You can digest the weight of a life and choosing your own way to go. There's some moments in this, the conversations inbetween, in big fights, hand in hand with So Mi that make this worth while. Digesting it all with Johnny means a lot too.

So idk

[garadinervi]

«Rampike», Vol. 21, No. 2, 'Poetics – Part Two', Edited by Karl Jirgens, Windsor, 2012 [UWindsor Institutional Repository, University of Windsor, Windsor. room 3o2 books, Ottawa]

Contributions by Michael Winkler, Leonard Cohen & Judith Fitzgerald, Charles Bernstein, Susan Gold & Mike Dyer, George Bowering, Frank Davey, Katie Solbeck, Terry Trowbridge & Alexander Brown, Richard Kostelanetz, Peter Jaeger, Jesse Ferguson, Cathy Wagner, Tim Atkins, Amy De'Ath, Brenda Francis Pelkey, Richard Parker, Marcus Slease, Edward Nixon, Christian Burgaud, Susan Holbrook, Louis Cabri, Brian Ang, Harvey L. Hix, Kevin McPherson Eckoff, Stephen Remus, Eric Schmaltz, Travis Kirton, Kelly Mark, bill bissett, Judith Copithorne, Gregory Betts, Hallie Siegel, Matt Donovan, a.rawlings, derek beaulieu, Steve McCaffery, bill bissett, Cyril Dabydeen, Babar Khan, Norman Lock, George Elliott Clarke, tENTATIVELY a cONVENIENCE, Denise Desautels & Norman Cornett, Amanda Earl, Nick Power, Lindsey Bannister, Paul Lisson, Raquel Torres, Camille Martin, Stephanie McKenzie, Justin Langlois, Robert Anderson, Andre Narbonne, Tray Drumhann, Eric Zboya, Mat Laporte, Nico Vassilakis, Robert Dassanowsky, rob mclennan & Sachiko Murakami, derek beaulieu, & Ottarormstad, Britt-Marie Lindgren, Michael Basinski

Front Cover Art: Reed Altemus Back Cover Art: Andrew Topel

[bracketsoffear]

Solomon Reed/The Instrumentalist (Hello From the Hallowoods) "The music imagery is all there — the sound of his instruments in the distance brought fear to anyone who heard it. Although his violence was motivated — by his God and against ‘sin’ and all that — he saw most of the Hallowoods’ residents as his enemies, and often attacked unprovoked with little more warning than the music he conducted, and little care for who he was fighting (aside from his particular dislike of the Scoutpost) as long as he could turn them into an instrument. His had the ability to twist the ghosts of his victims to his will by tying them to an instrument, and forced them to enact his his senseless violence."

Oh Il-Nam/Player 001 (Squid Game) "He has run 33 sets of death matches in which he makes poor people kill each other for the chance to win enough money to escape their financial burdens and for the entertainment of the wealthy elite helping sponsor it. He has a cynical and nihilistic outlook on life, and so engineers people into a situation where they will kill for financial gain (and to ensure their own survival) to prove it. No one knows they're being put into a life-or-death situation when they first sign up, and they don't realise until the guns start in Red Light Green Light-- by which point they're locked in with their choices being succeed or die. He joins the 33rd game in order to feel some excitement before he dies, and one of the first images of him that went viral was of him beaming ear-to-ear and having an absolute whale of a time during Red Light Green Light while people were terrified and screaming and being gunned down around him. He doesn't blink once about the fact that the bloodshed and corpses around him are his design. He places a game which encourages teamwork (tug of war) right before a competitive pairs game (marbles) so that people decide to team up for the latter with people they trust and then are forced to either stab each other in the back (Sang-woo and Ali) or watch a loved one die and know they bear partial blame (the husband and wife pair). He calls to stop the nighttime riot, yes, but a very common interpretation of that is that it was consciously engineered to cull the participants and create a more hostile environment between players/encourage random attacks, and that that was simply the stop signal and not him actually being afraid or displeased. He even offers to allow Gi-hun to kill him if he loses a bet, subtly luring him towards murder and the Slaughter-- and arguably he was luring people to his patron the whole series since the players could vote to end the games at any time, but chose to stay and kill each other for the chance of the prize money. Even his recruitment method is violent (although not lethal): the Salesman is happy to take permission to slap players across the face in lieu of money when he wins the ddakji bet. Yes, Oh Il-Nam has reasons for creating the game, so arguably to his OWN thinking he isn't peddling "random" or "unmotivated" violence, but generals also have their reasons and plans and that doesn't stop the Piper's presence on the battlefield itself. The fear he creates in his victims is that they will die violently and unpredictably. The initial terror in Red Light Green Light is peak Slaughter, and the non-stop dread and anxiety is it perpetuating. From the wiki: "It is the fear of not knowing where, how, or when pain will come but that it will,"-- per the rules, the players are not allowed to know what the next game is (one player gets executed for taking foreknowledge as part of a deal), so no one knows what the next death trap is… but they know there is going to be another and another until there is no one else left."

[buckylovinglokivariant]

Casual (pt. 2) >> Johnny Storm

pairing: johnny storm x popstar!reader (no use of y/n)

word count: 3k

summary: Johnny always meant to keep it casual with you but unfortunately for him, he wasn't so good at sticking to his word this time.

warnings: reader gets dangled off the empire state building but i think that's it-

a/n: @fwskullz asked me to write a part two so here it is! sorry it took so long, i did in fact move to college-

read part 1 here!

“So I really messed up.”

Even though the concert had finished a few minutes ago, Johnny’s eyes were still glued to where you were just performing center-stage.

“No kiddin’, Bic-Head,” Ben chuckled. “I ain’t never seen any of your exes so ticked off ‘atcha. And you’ve had a lot–and I mean a lot–.”

“Thank you, Ben,” Johnny growled, whirling around to face the other man. “We get the point!”

“I don’t know how you’re going to get out of this one, Johnny,” Suzie winced. “She looked really upset with you.”

“I didn’t even know the two of you broke up,” Reed blinked, always the one out of the loop.

“Technically we were never really together,” Johnny halfheartedly defended himself.

“Johnny,” Sue cocked a skeptical eyebrow at him. “She wrote a song about you called ‘Casual’. I think it’s safe to say that’s precisely what she’s mad about.”

Johnny groaned, covering his face with his hands.

“I’d better go talk to her, huh?”

Ben clapped him on the shoulder with mock sympathy, briefly knocking him off-balance.

“Yeah kid, I think you’d better.”

⭑*•̩̩͙⊱••••✩••••̩̩͙⊰•*⭑

You were backstage in your dressing room after the show, seated in front of the vanity mirror as you brushed out your hair, when there was a knock on your door.

“Come in!” You called in reply, putting your brush down nonchalantly as you were used to these sorts of various intrusions preceding and following a show.

You watched the door through its reflection in the mirror and leapt from your seat when you saw the first person through the door.

“Sue!” You cried happily, dashing over to wrap her in your arms. “I didn’t think you were coming!”

It was sort of true. You really didn’t think she was coming, but only because you’d forgotten that you’d invited her in the first place. As you held her in your arms, the day you delivered the tickets to her began to trickle back into your memory. It must have been at least four or five months ago now but even still, you can’t believe you forgot. It wasn’t until you heard the door shut that it finally occurred to you: if she was here, then most likely so was–.

Your eyes flew open over Sue’s shoulder and you immediately locked eyes with the blond man leaning against the doorframe, flanked by Sue’s boyfriend Reed and his best friend Ben. You gave Johnny a pointed sneer as you pulled away from Sue, stepping around her to first embrace Reed and then completely ignore Johnny as you sidestepped him to plant a kiss on Ben’s cheek.

“What, no greeting for an old flame?” Johnny opened his arms toward you.

You turned, considering him for a moment before plastering on a fake smile and approaching him slowly. Instead of the warm embrace he expected though, as soon as you got close enough you greeted him with a hearty slap across the face.

“Thought that when I told you to go to hell, the ‘and stay there’ was implied,” you snarled.

“Okay, that’s fair,” Johnny cringed, rubbing his cheek which was now burning red. “I deserve that.”

“You deserve worse than that but seeing as your family’s here, consider it a compromise.”

You turned to the other three who were watching you with a combination of shock and awe and smiled, gesturing at the seating around the coffee table at the center of the room.

“Please, sit! It’s really been too long since I’ve seen you three.”

You led the way, occupying a plush armchair while the other three squeezed onto the couch across from it. Johnny, who you were very purposefully not looking at, hovered somewhere back across the room, investigating the space as you spoke.

“So what mayhem have you three been getting into across the galaxy?” You smiled conspiratorially.

“Oh you know,” Sue waved you off. “New planets, weird plants, alien races—the usual. You on the other hand have been on a world tour! I want to hear about that.”

“Oh gosh,” you giggled, allowing yourself for the first time in months to have missed this—missed them. “Wow um, performing a lot, of course. Partying at night, writing on the rare occasion I have downtime. Speaking of, what did you guys think of that new song?”

“Personally, I loved it,” Ben chimed in immediately, smirking patronizingly at Johnny. “I mean, that last part—“

“The outro?” You suggested.

“Yeah, that!” Ben agreed enthusiastically. “Absolutely brutal. I’m sure whoever you wrote it about feels real sorry now.”

“Thank you, Ben,” you replied earnestly. “Even if he didn’t care about me before, I’m sure he does now.”

“I always cared about you!” Johnny piped up indignantly from the corner.

“Did you guys hear something?” You asked the three sitting across from you. “Must have been the wind.”

“That’s really mature, you know that?” Johnny snarked.

“Oh, that’s rich coming from you!” You snorted. “Now please keep it down over there—I’m trying to catch up with the members of your family who aren’t lying, manipulative pieces of shit.”

“Okay, that’s enough,” Susan stood up, Reed and Ben following suit.

“Wait, Sue, I’m sorry,” you quickly apologized. “I was out of line, just—.”

“I didn’t say he didn’t deserve it,” Sue sighed, crossing to your side of the table and kneeling to rest your hands in hers. “Look, I’m not sure what happened between you two and I’m not going to pretend I do. Whatever you’re feeling is valid and I have no doubt it’s probably justified too. But just… do me a favor and hear him out, okay? He’s a boy and he’s stupid but he has a good heart. Whatever happened, he feels awful about it and he wants to fix it. Just give him a chance to explain himself, please?”

You glanced over Sue’s head to where Johnny was watching the exchange. When he saw you looking, he pressed his hands together and mouthed ‘Please?’. As much as you hated to admit it, you couldn’t deny the flicker of affection that sparked in your chest.

“Fine,” you conceded, standing to open the door for Sue, Reed, and Ben. “You get five minutes and then I’m either letting you three back in or kicking you all out.”

They followed you to the door and out, Ben first, then Reed, and then Sue after she stopped to hug Johnny and whisper in his ear: “You're welcome. Don't mess this up.” When they were finally out the door, all three gave Johnny various pointed looks as you shut it behind you, leaning against it with your arms crossed and eyebrows raised in reluctant anticipation.

“Look, I was an idiot—I am an idiot,” he opened.

“This is a surprise to absolutely no one,” you quipped. “Go on.”

Johnny sighed, running a nervous hand through his blond curls.

“I didn’t realize you were the best thing in my life until you were gone.”

“I broke things off with you months ago, Johnny. Why here, why now? You could have called.”

“Would you have answered?” He asked genuinely.

“God dammit, Johnny, you could have tried!” You forced down the lump in your throat. “As someone who stopped seeing you because I didn’t feel wanted, you’re not doing a great job of convincing me I was wrong about you.”

Johnny hung his head, knowing you were right. Hell, he didn’t realize he missed you until a couple of hours ago—how was he going to convince you he really wanted you back? But the next thing you said gave him an idea that would either make or break your relationship depending on how well he stuck to his word.

“I mean, how would you even start a relationship with me right now, Johnny?” You thought out loud. “I’m on tour, I’m in a new city every day. And it’s not exactly like you can drop everything and follow me around given your line of work.”

“I have an idea.”

You looked very much like you didn’t trust him as far as you could throw him, but you looked intrigued too. You nodded, urging him to continue.

“I’ll wait for you.”

You barked out a disbelieving laugh.

“You’re kidding, right? Johnny, I’m on tour for the next three months. You’re telling me you’re not going to see a single girl that whole time?”

“That’s exactly what I’m telling you. You think I can’t do it?”

“No, Johnny, full offense but I really don’t think you can.”

“So I’ll prove you wrong. And when I do, you’ll owe me a date.”

You squinted your eyes at him, not believing him at all but willing to let him at least try.

“Fine,” you sighed. “If you can wait for me—and I mean really wait, I don’t wanna see you with another girl in the tabloids or on Instagram or anywhere—then I promise to go on one date with you. No promises after that.”

“Yes!”

He pumped his fist and you shook your head exasperatedly, extending a hand for him to shake.

“You’ve got yourself a deal, Lowell Spencer.”

���In the spirit of apologies, I’m going to let that slide.”

“How kind of you.”

You shook on it.

⭑*•̩̩͙⊱••••✩••••̩̩͙⊰•*⭑

If you had known three months ago that your deal with Johnny would end in you being dangled off the Empire State Building by New York’s villain-of-the-week, you might have reconsidered your decision. You hadn’t even been in New York when you woke up that morning—you’d been preparing for the final performance of your tour in Los Angeles. Unfortunately for you though, distance is nothing to an alien who can create portals out of thin air, and thus instead of celebrating the final night of your tour with thousands of your adoring fans, some space freakazoid was threatening your life in front of millions of people on live television.

You didn’t even know what the guy wanted. He’d been monologuing obnoxiously at you since he yanked you from your dressing room and through the portal to New York but apparently there weren’t any public speaking classes in space because you had absolutely no clue what he was on about. Odds are, he probably wanted to take over the city or something but whatever it was, you only hoped that Johnny would figure it out in time. The man (if you could even call it that… what were aliens’ stances on gender?) holding you hostage had made it very clear that you were the bargaining chip for Johnny specifically. As it were currently though, the flamebrain in question was nowhere to be found. Three of the four were gathered high up in the air on one of Sue’s invisible forcefield things but it was evident that wherever Johnny was, he was too preoccupied to come save your life. Figures.

You couldn’t really hear much over the combination of blood pumping in your ears and the wind rushing by but from what you could see, it appeared as though everyone around you was doing an awful lot of talking as opposed to saving like you were hoping for. Thinking on it though, given that you were over a thousand feet in the air, how much saving could the other three really do without Johnny? It wasn’t like any of them could fly. Did this mean you were doomed? Your train of thought seemed to be corroborated by the sudden rrrrrrrip of the back of your bodysuit that the villain was suspending you by. The tear didn’t rip through the costume completely but you squeaked pathetically as the separating fabric dropped you closer to your impending doom a thousand feet below.

Realistically, you realized you should have alerted the Three to your escalating problem but in the adrenaline of the moment, you couldn’t bring yourself to open your mouth, let alone make any voluntary noise or coherent commentary. How did they (and Johnny) do this every day? Performing for crowds of thousands was a walk in the park compared to this. This was horrible. If you made it through this, you were going to tell all four of them how grateful you were for the sacrifices they all made on their mental health.

Once again, your train of thought was interrupted by a bigger, louder rrrrrrriiiip as the costume tore some more. You tried harder to say something, anything but looking down and seeing the city over a thousand feet below you stole your breath in a not-so-pleasant way that had you both choking and hyperventilating at the same time. You managed to tear your eyes away from the ground and over to the Fantastic Three-Fourths but by the time that happened, you were only able to squeak out a “Help” before your costume split clean in half and you were falling backwards through the New York City skyline.

If anyone were to ask you, you would most definitely not recommend freefall. Why anyone would do this willingly was beyond you. If it wasn’t before, skydiving was definitely off your bucket list now. Though you guessed that maybe it was different when you chose it as opposed to having it thrust upon you in the form of some deranged, costume-wearing alien. Forget gratitude, you thought. I probably won’t live through this but if I do, I’m going to give Johnny a real piece of my mind. 

When you asked Johnny about it later, the thing he said haunted him the most in the nights that followed was the sound of your screams as he pushed his flames to grow hotter, stronger, begging them to help him gather velocity and just please god get to her in time—. You don’t remember screaming. All you remember is the force of the wind against your back and the brightness of the sky above as you plummeted rapidly toward the concrete below. It happened in the blink of an eye—one moment you were certain the puffy clouds above would be the last thing you’d ever see, and the next, your vision was bombarded with red hot flames and your stomach swooped as you were swiftly grabbed around the waist as Johnny changed direction.

He flew you both around the corner so the Empire State was out of sight before making your descent back onto solid ground. You swayed on your feet for a moment, Johnny’s arms shooting out to catch you when your knees inevitably buckled. He pulled you in even closer to him, tucking your head securely into his chest, and you allowed it for a beat as you caught your breath before suddenly tearing yourself from his grasp and pounding your fists against his chest.

“Where the hell were you!” You seethed. “I almost died, Jonathan Lowell Spencer Storm!”

“I know, I know,” he tried to take hold of your wrists, gently caressing them with his thumbs, but you ripped them away to continue beating your fists against his chest.

“Three months ago, you said you would wait for me but here we are three months later and you couldn’t care less that I was being dangled over the edge of the freakin’ Empire State Building—!”

“I was in LA,” he defended as you continued talking over him.

“—So much for second chances, huh? What’s your excuse this time? You were away visiting your hot model friend in Ibiza?”

“I was in LA!” He repeated louder this time, trapping your face between both of his abnormally warm hands and tilting it to face him.

You stopped short, taking in a few breaths as your mind struggled to catch up with his claim.

“What the hell do you mean, you were in LA?” You squinted at him in suspicion. “I thought superheroes didn’t take vacations, what were you doing in LA of all places?”

“Waiting for you to perform,” his eyes stared into yours with a devotion so intense you almost didn't believe you were looking at the real Johnny.

“What?” You blinked in disbelief. “Johnny, if this is a joke, it isn’t funny.”

“I’m not joking, sweetheart.”

The corners of his lips tilted up nervously, self-consciously. You didn’t think he was capable of it, but there he was. Your eyes flickered rapidly between his, trying to catch him out in a lie, but you couldn’t find one. You couldn’t help it—you kissed him. And damn, if it didn’t feel good after over a year of angst and pining that you thought would never be requited. After a moment of letting your mind run away from you, you pulled away from him, resting your hands over his pounding heart and your forehead against his.

“Wait,” you panted. “You really haven’t seen any other girls in the last three months?”

“Haven’t had to when I knew I had you waiting for me.”

He went back in for another kiss but you used the leverage of your hands on his chest to hold him away from you.

“Ah-ah-ah, not so fast, you temptress.”

He chuckled darkly, eyes fluttering lustfully between your eyes and your lips.

“You swear you haven’t seen any other girls since I last saw you,” you confirmed.

“Not one,” he squeezed your hip affectionately. “I swear it.”

You couldn’t help it any longer. You sunk your fingers into his golden curls and pulled him back to your lips, smiling when you felt how he melted against you. Unfortunately for you though, this wasn’t the time for your happy reunion. Johnny frowned and looked adorably confused when you pulled away again.

“What did I do now?”

You giggled, giving him another peck for the road before gently pushing him away.

“You gotta go save the world, Flamebrain,” you backed away with a flirty wink. “I’ll be waiting.”

And even through all your hardships, as Johnny flamed on and flew back toward New York’s newest resident space loser, you couldn’t help but feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

[yanderes-galore]

V2 yandere Gavin Reed? Special event or normal request, whatever you want 😁

I have not done a fic where the Yandere loses in a bit, so, here we go! Keep in mind, this is the first time I'm writing Gavin, hoping everything is in character 😄

Prompt found here!

Yandere! Gavin Reed Prompt V-2

V-2: "I like you best when you're sleeping."

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Female Darling, Stalking, Blood, Violence, Threats and Threats of kidnapping, Dread, Attempted murder, Swearing/Mature language, Demeaning behavior.

Lately, in your small Detroit appartment, you've been feeling unsafe. Being part of the police department already made you a target for attacks. But this felt different.

It was always the same time at night. You'd feel as though you were being watched. Yet you could never see what, or who, was causing your paranoia.

Your windows were always locked. Yet even if nobody could get in you still felt like you were being observed. There was plenty of freaks in Detroit, you had to deal with them in your field, though...

It would be nice to consider your home safe at night.

You talked about it with people at your work. Hank showed some sympathy towards you and suggested upgrading your security. Connor, being an android who wants to help everyone, even suggested coming over to keep an eye on things. You kept his offer in mind.

You expected no help from Gavin. After all, he was the asshole of the work place. Always acting so demeaning towards you and making trouble whenever he could.

Despite this, he seemed to have been listening in on the conversation you were having with Hank and Connor.

"Hey." Gavin calls towards you, causing a sigh to leave your lips. You wanted nothing to do with him.

"What...."

"Do you really expect a plastic detective like him to defend you? That is if you truly even have a stalker?"

You scoff, barely even giving him a glance in his direction. He was grinning cockily, trying to get you going.

"Well I'm sorry, Mr Reed, did you have any other suggestions?"

You grin when you hear him grunt out of frustration.

"I'm certainly not allowing someone like you in my apartment."

"You really pulling this right now?"

"I'm not the one trying to make a big deal over considering Connor for protection. He seems like the safest option."

Gavin silently glares at you before trying to distract himself. You smile once his attention is off you and look towards Connor and Hank.

"Whatever... so, Hank. Is it fine if I take up Connor's offer and borrow your android?"

"I don't own him, but sure. If Connor wants to do it so bad."

Connor gives you a small smile, you return it.

"Then I guess I'll be walking you home, (L/N)?"

"You can just call me (Y/N), Connor. Yes, once this shift is over...."

While you continue on with your work, you don't notice Gavin seething.

That plastic prick spends more time with you than him.

It angers him. Irritates him that his plans may be ruined. Unless he gets rid of that piece of junk....

---

Having Connor in your home was foreign at first. Although with some small talk, you warmed up to him. It was nice to have someone to speak to in your home, it gave you a sense of security.

You thought tonight would be the night you receive sufficient sleep. Once your head hit the pillow, you never felt that feeling of dread. Connor wished you well on your rest and you sunk into the deep darkness of sleep.

You were only disturbed when you heard thumping and confrontation. You quickly shot up in bed, breath picking up. No... the stalker was supposed to be scared off by Connor, not grow bolder.

"Connor!" You call, frantic. You quickly get up and press open your door. Crashing was heard and you followed. You hoped Connor automatically alerted the authorities.

"(Y/N)? Stay in your room- I got this covered."

You peek around the corner, gasping. Connor was damaged, thirium covering the floor along with blood. A baseball bat lay on the ground, clearly not belonging to either of you. Connor was restraining someone, yet you could make out their appearance slightly.

"Is that...?"

"Gavin Reed. I caught him sneaking around armed."

Gavin's gaze swaps to you, a grin on his face.

"Why hello, sleeping beauty. Awake finally?"

Gavin grunts, still struggling against Connor.

"Sleeping beauty?"

"Of course. It's my little nickname for you."

Dread fills your stomach again. There was enough evidence to connect Gavin to the reason you've been losing sleep lately. He's been watching you sleep....

"You're sick..."

"What? You know you look cute when you're passed out, right? Besides..."

He grins at you, obsession and mischief swirling in his gaze.

"I like you best when you're sleeping. You aren't as much of a bi-"

Connor slams Gavin's head into the counter he was holding him against.

"Police are on their way."

You narrow your eyes. Not only was Gavin a prick, but he was a creep too.

"You're disgusting, invading my privacy and betraying my trust...."

"Not like you let me close to you in the first place. Got a bit impatient, I don't regret what I did."

"Why's that?"

Gavin scoffs.

"Liked you for the longest time. Honestly, I would've kept this up if you didn't hire a personal plastic bodyguard. Sure... I'll go to jail."

Gavin laughs softly when he hears the incoming sirens.

"But I'll be back, baby. Back to do this right. They'll never find you again next time. I'll have you all to myself."

"Don't listen to him, (Y/N). He won't hurt you."

Connor gives you a sympathetic look before clipping handcuffs to Gavin. You then watch as he escorts Gavin to the door. Gavin looks back at you one last time before the door closes.

"Love you~"

The door is then shut, leaving you temporarily in a room stained from the previous conflict. The dread never left your stomach, Gavin's words echo in your head.

Were you truly safe...?

Even with him gone?

[foxglove-the-never-fairy]

Fairy Names Pt. 2

Fly with you! It’s been a while hasn’t it? Anyway, I’m here for a second part of one of my most popular posts.

The first post listed fairy names that were used in the DS game “Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue” in the create-a-fairy section of the game. While the names provided were feminine, I have pulled all of the masculine fairy names from the original Pixie Hollow game. Some names are repeats from the original post, but I kept them in as I wanted to get this out as soon as possible. I hope you enjoy. Here’s the original post.

~🧚🏻‍♀️🔥 Foxglove 

First

Aaron

Ace

Acorn

Agate

Ajay

Alabaster

Alder

Alec

Aleron

Alex

Anchor

Andrew

Archer

Axel

Badger

Bailey

Baker

Bale

Banjo

Barclay

Basil

Benjy

Bert

Bevel

Birch

Bo

Boomer

Boone

Brock

Bruce

Brynn

Buddy

Burr

Burton

Buster

Calder

Casper

Cecil

Cedar

Chance

Chase

Chip

Clay

Cliff

Coal

Cog

Comet

Cosmo

Cote

Covey

Crag

Crane

Cyan

Dale

Dane

Darius

Darrin

Dawson

Decker

Deon

Devlin

Dewey

Donner

Drake

Dug

Dunn

Dustin

Dusty

Echo

Eddy

Edward

Elk

Emery

Erik

Ernie

Errol

Fennel

Fincher

Finn

Fir

Flint

Ford

Francis

Garnet

Glen

Gourd

Gourdie

Grove

Grub

Gull

Hale

Hare

Harris

Hawk

Henry

Heron

Hob

Jacob

James

Jasper

Jay

Kernal

Koto

Lance

Lark

Leaf

Lore

Lute

Lyric

Martin

Maze

Mica

Michal

Nadir

Nester

Oak

Ollie

Onyx

Otter

Peat

Pier

Pine

Quake

Quarry

Quinn

Rain

Ranger

Reed

Richard

River

Robin

Rook

Rusty

Rye

Sage

Sam

Scout

Sean

Seth

Shale

Shoal

Skimmer

Skyler

Spike

Spruce

Sterling

Stone

Tad

Teak

Thatcher

Thistle

Timber

Tiny

Toadstool

Tobey

Todd

Topher

Torn

Torrey

Vail

Valiant

Vern

Vic

Wedge

Wes

Wren

Wynn

Zak

 Middle

Air

Almond

Apple

Aspen

Autumn

Badger

Bark

Beacon

Bear

Bitter

Brave

Bright

Brisk

Broom

Bumble

Candle

Cedar

Chilly

Citrus

Cloud

Cloudy

Clover

Cocoa

Copper

Cricket

Crow

Cub

Dapple

Dash

Day

Drift

Eagle

Elm

Evening

Falcon

Far

Fern

Fig

Fire

Fleet

Flicker

Foggy

Fox

Frost

Frozen

Funny

Garlic

Green

Hail

Hasty

Hawk

Hickory

Holly

Hurry

Ice

Ivy

Jelly

Jumpy

Lemon

Light

Lightning

Lime

Little

Lock

Lotus

Magic

Mango

Maple

Merry

Misty

Moon

Morning

Moss

Mossy

Mountain

Muddy

Never

Nickel

Night

Nimble

Oak

Orange

Otter

Parsley

Pear

Pebble

Pepper

Pine

Plum

Pollen

Pumpkin

Purple

Quick

Rain

Rainy

Rock

Rumble

Sage

Sandy

Sea

Shy

Silk

Slight

Snow

Sour

Speedy

Spider

Spring

Squall

Star

Storm

Stout

Strong

Sugar

Summer

Sun

Swift

Tangle

Thunder

Tiny

Toad

Tumble

Twisty

Water

Whiffle

Wild

Wind

Winter

Wrinkle

 Last

Beam

Bee

Bell

Berry

Breath

Breeze

Bug

Button

Buzz

Chill

Chime

Cliff

Cloud

Clove

Crash

Curl

Dale

Dance

Dash

Dew

Din

Drop

Dust

Ear

Elbow

Eye

Feather

Field

Fig

Flame

Flap

Flash

Fleck

Flight

Flip

Flipper

Fly

Fog

Foot

Forest

Freeze

Fruit

Garden

Gem

Glade

Glimmer

Glow

Gourd

Grace

Griddlee

Gust

Heart

Hill

Hop

Horn

Hush

Jewel

Knee

Lake

Light

Lock

Loop

Lull

Meadow

Mello

Mint

Mist

Moon

Muddle

Muse

Newt

Noise

Nose

Peal

Pebble

Petal

Pin

Plume

Pond

Pool

Ray

Ripple

River

Roar

Root

Row

Ruckus

Rumble

Sand

Shadow

Sky

Smash

Song

Spark

Sparkle

Sparrow

Speck

Spirit

Splash

Spring

Sprite

Sprout

Stem

Stone

Storm

Stream

Stripe

Swamp

Swirls

Thistle

Thorn

Toad

Tree

Twill

Twist

Vale

Valley

Vine

Weather

Web

Whirl

Whisk

Whisper

Willow

Wind

Wing

Wings

Wink

Wish

[iviarellereads]

Gideon the Ninth, Bonus Content, Naming Systems

(Curious what I'm doing here? Read this post! For detail on The Locked Tomb coverage and the index, read this one! Like what you see? Send me a Ko-Fi.)

The final Gideon the Ninth paperback bonus content: "A Little Explanation of Naming Systems".

First, the official explanation that your last name in the Nine Houses is not a family name, it's an arithmonym.(1) The first name is sometimes used to indicate family connection: the "hark" in "Harrowhark" is intentionally shared with her father, "Priamhark", and is a tribute to an ancestor of the Tombkeeper line. Thus, names like "Jeannemary" and "Coronabeth" derive from "heirloom name particles." Different Houses assign names in different ways.

Many Houses are also fond of referential diminutives (Mortus to Ortus).

Siblings, even twins, do not generally share last names, though sometimes they share parts of them. The Tridentarii being an exception, their shared name may indicate something about their parents' hopes for their children.(2) There are exceptions, such as the three Asht brothers who were definitively not triplets.

Names do not change with marriage. Non-necromancers pick which of the couple's houses to settle and affiliate themselves and their future children with. Necromancers do not marry outside their Houses, so stay affiliated with their native one. There are some additional rules imposed by certain Houses, such as, if a child is born with a Sixth parent, that child is automatically and irrevocably of the Sixth,(3) "which can prove a legal nightmare".

Here we switch to a note that not all names are included in the pronunciation guide that follows, "due to their appearance in the Bible or elsewhere (the Second, the Fifth, Isaac, Silas)."(4) Also, Muir says she's included some meta-notes to explain some of the jokes and references in her names, but adds:

You don't have to read these. Put your thumb over them if you like.

Harrowhark Nonagesimus: Harrow to rhyme with arrow. Noh-nah-GUESS-i-mus, with the last i like "bitter", and mus just this side of "moose". Harrow is named explicitly for the harrowing of Hell, and hark is an ominous word "that always precedes an awful time, in the old sense of "awe.""

Gideon Nav: nav like navigator. There are many reasons behind Gideon's name. The prophet "who really messed up the Midianites" is one. "Gideon is a prophetic name: someone named their own demise in her."

Ortus Nigenad: "ORT-us. To rhyme with tortoise, unless you pronounce tortoise "tor toys," in which case it doesn't." NIGH-ga-nad, with the hard G. Ortus is in reference to his father Mortus, but "Ortus by itself is the Latin for "rising." Is this hilarious or sad?"

Pelleamena Novenarius: Pelly-AM-enna, not ah-MAY-nah. Noh-ven-ARE-ee-us, with the same "oose" sound as Harrow's. Named for Peleus, the father of Achilles.(5)

Priamhark Noniusvianus: PRY-am-hark, three distinct syllables, with the h audible. NOH-nee-us-vee-AHN-us. "You should have the trick of the "us" sound by now. If you don't, it's fine, nobody cares, it's a random name in a novel about bonermancy."(6) Priam is a character from the Iliad, "famously a dad in a city about to go splat."

Aiglamene: Eye-GLAM-en-ay. From the French "aigle", the eagle.

Crux: rhymes with "sucks", means "cross" which has several layers of humour attached.(7)

Aisamorta: EYE-sa-mor-tah. "Aisa" is a Greek word related to destiny.

Lachrimorta: LACK-ri-mor-tah. From Latin "lacrima" (tears, the kind that well and drop from the eyes).

Glaurica: GLAU-ri-kah. Ri from "ridicule", not "reed".

Judith Deuteros: DEW-ter-oss. The Biblical Judith beheaded the general Holofernes,(8) in the deuterocanonical(9) Book of Judith. Also, the "Book of Deuteronomy is a very didactic(10) text."

Marta Dyas: DIE-ass, and Muir apologizes for not having a better way to explain. Marta, like martial, of war. "The Second House names are serious business."

Ianthe Tridentarius: Ee-AHN-thay, Try-den-TAR-ee-us.

Coronabeth Tridentarius: Cor-OWN-a-beth. Corona like a halo.

The twins were originally to be named Cainabeth and Abella, which Muir says was so unsubtle she "might as well have just gone with "Goodtwin" and "Badtwin." And it's not even accurate! It should be Badtwin, and Lessbadtwin."

Naberius Tern: Na-BEER-ee-us, this time "us" as in "fuss". TURN, like wishing he would turn and walk out the door. "Naberius is one of the demon princes of Hell. Will this mean anything significant later on?? (No.)"

Jeannemary Chatur: JOHN-mair-ee, with a soft, French "j" but definitely Mary, not Marie. Cha-TOUR, not chatter, "though that'd be appropriate." Jeannemary is "a Biblical car crash"(11), but Jeanne is specifically a reference to Jeanne D'Arc.(12)

Isaac Tettares: Tett-AR-ez, not "tett-aries". Isaac foreshadows Jesus's death in the Bible, by bringing the wood for his own sacrifice up a mountain. Here, Isaac foreshadows Gideon's death, by doing the brave thing. "I might as well have called Jeannemary and Isaac "Don'tgetattached" and "Deadsoon.""

Palamedes Sextus: Pal-AM-a-dees, and Muir had a comparison but removed it.(13) SEX-tus with the "us" as in "bus". Was briefly named Diomedes, "Athena's favourite goodboy in the Iliad," but that would've taken away Gideon's "stupidest joke in the book."(14)

Camilla Hect: last name to rhyme with "wrecked". Camilla's name was chosen to complement Palamedes's, as the necromancer and cavalier pairs who love each other often share a syllable or sound. In their case, "am", and in the case of Abigail and Magnus, the "g".

Dulcinea Septimus: Dul-sin-AY-a, not dul-sinn-eya. SEPT-i-mus, Sept like September, and the moose returns.

Note: "Dulcinea" is the famously illusory persona assigned to the prostitute Aldonza in Don Quixote: a case of a woman you want to exist, but who really doesn't. In this essay I will"(15)

Protesilaus Ebdoma: Prot-eh-sil-OW-us, prot not prote. EBB-do-mah, ebb like the tide and doma like domain. Protesilaus was the first to die at Troy, and is the first to die because of the Lyctor trials. ""Johnny Quickdeath" would've also been a good pick."

Silas Octakiseron: Ock-ta-KISS-er-on, rather than keys-er-on.

Colum Asht: COL-um like "column", "asht" like "ash" with an extra sound on the end. Colum refers to Columba(16). The Asht brothers have the names of sacrificial animals: Colum ("dove" in Irish), Ram (like the sheep), and Capris (goat). Muir feels bad for meta-misusing the Asht bros so much that she couldn't even manage to make a reference to how "Capris" shares a name with a style of trouser.(17)

Incidental names and terms:

Matthias Nonius: Mah-TYE-us, with a hard T. NOH-knee-us. "As in, no knees for us." Absolutely a Redwall reference.

Cytherea: KITH-er-AY-a, a reference to Aphrodite.

Lyctor: LICK-tor. "In order to facilitate "Lyctor? I hardly touched her," stand up routines in the Nine Houses. Lyctor related to "lych" and to Lictor, Roman emperors' bodyguards.

Canaan House: KAY-nan.

Secundarius Bell: Se-cun-DAR-ee-us.

Drearburh: DREAR-burr. Drear like dreary, burh as a variant of burgh.(18)

=====

(1) From the Greek root "arithmos" (number) and "nym" (name). (2) My guess is, it was a way to force them to be perceived closer, to more effectively hide Corona's lack of aptitude for necromancy. (3) If they generally assign childbearing pairs in-house because of a shallow gene pool, it makes sense they'd formally instate such a rule to bring in as much depth as possible. (4) It would've been easy to say "names missing are probably pronounced the way you think they are" but I love "the Bible or elsewhere". (5) Any thoughts on what this means for Harrow's arc? (6) I think bonermancy is something quite different but I am deeply amused nevertheless. (7) In case anyone's curious, I count: --Cross as in angry, which Crux often is --Cross as in a dishonest contest or match, which is more what Harrow did than Crux, but I think bears mentioning --Cross as in to confront someone antagonistically, like he did to Gideon early on --Cross as in to betray, as in placing the bomb on the shuttle (8) This has been the subject of a great number of pieces of incredible art. Search "Judith and Holofernes" for more. I assume you don't need a gore warning if you've made it this far in the read. (9) Deuterocanonical - belonging to the second canon, or in plainer words, a group of Biblical books which some of the Christian denominations (mainly Catholic and Orthodox types) accept to be part of the Old Testament, but the Protestant denominations call apocrypha (to oversimplify: not real enough). (10) Didactic - intended to teach or educate, particularly with regard to morals. (11) You've got Jeanne as the feminine French form of "John", Mary is both the virgin mother and Mary Magdalene, one of Jesus's disciples and the first witness to his resurrection, occasionally said to have been Jesus's lover. Sometimes called a prostitute, but this seems to stem from a very odd interpretation by Pope Gregory I in 591 CE. (12) You might know her as Joan of Arc. (13) I still say "calamities" is pretty close, but a "deez nuts" joke wouldn't have gone astray here imo. (14) I think you mean BEST joke in the book, but that's opinion for you. (15) Yes it cuts off there, that's the joke. (16) An Irish missionary who spread Christianity in Scotland. (17) Pronounced very differently, but legit. (18) "burh" being much more likely to be pronounced corectly by Americans, is my guess, in addition to Muir enjoying using antiquated variants and synonyms.

[laststandx3]

this episode of daryl dixon i decided i would leave common sense at the door and take a double dose of suspension of disbelief, and let me tell you, it helped a lot. now i don't have to ask questions like: where the food comes from? how comes the bad guys have clean and ironed clothes, electricity, running water but the good guys don't have beans for soup? why every french person knows the exact convert rate from kilometers to miles? why there's no useful electronic like a a working radio? how comes they still have bullets? if the zombies are so easy to kill, why nobody cleaned up the street? why norman reeds looks like he never touched a fish in his life and doesn't want to start now? why french people start singing the anthem in the middle of a speech? or when they see a man about to fight a zombie? why do the bad guys have a zombie/gladiator arena instead of idk being generic evil in any other way? why do they imply that the people lining up to enter the show were there against their will if they are all cheering now?

anyway, now we can go back to focus only on the plot and the characters. good news: in the series titled daryl dixon, the 5th episode out of 6 is finally about daryl dixon. we find out how he get to france (sort of), it didn't had much relevance on the plot so i don't see why they kept if for dramatic value. but on daryl side at least something happened. on Isabelle side, writers weren't sure what to do with her, so we see her plotting how to kill Quinn, (she calls it off bc he quotes some catholic text about redemption, but this isn't brought up again, so it's more likely that it was just for that scene) she then thinks about killing herself but ish..also it's breakfast time, we don't to those things in front of a fresh salad. So at last she decides she will manipulate Quinn: it wasn't an hard task bc he's been simping for the past decade. Imo Isabelle lost her agency around ep 3 when the writers put her in idle. i hope the next episode she'll do something active. so far she's just been brought places. Laurant (little jesus) is the worst. but he's a kid- No. he deserved a face slap from paris to cannes. he cut the rope to the boat they were using to get to safety, bc he has abandonment issues? daryl calls him little shit and forgives him right away. you'll have to walk at least 100km in a place full of zombies, without food, without shelter, your other friend that was helping you just died in the worst way ever written and you cut our chance at safety? i'm leaving your ass! they in fact get captured by the bad guys like a minute after loosing the boat. anyway via plot convenience they all find themselves at the bad guys lair and daryl is to fight a boosted up zombie. will he survive? stay tuned! (episode ends here)

Now about the Quinn subplot, his new girlfriend is jealous of a woman that is there against her will (kinda) and she sells him out to Genet (boss of the bad guys). How does this work exactly? 1) if quinn wasn't useful, genet would've put someone else in his place already. 2)technically it was Anna who let laurent go, so she's the traitor 3)genet and quinn aren't part of the same organization, there can't be betrayal. they are 2 separate parties that at times cooperate. i'm not saying genet can't accuse him of treason but? don't give me bullshit reasons for locking up quinn. she (as french) could've just wanted to get rid of the birtish/american tourist. voilà, tout le monde deteste les touristes, est normal. but hey, my bad i got lost in logic again. my god this show gives us just the vibes of a story. there's no story here. the characters don't have an arc, they're the same people from ep 1, no change, no learning, nothing. things happen to them and they don't have reactions. And you know they're badly written bc the dialogue is obvious and empty and flat. and so absent. there's so much silence in this story that isn't highlighting actions, it's just silence bc nobody could find a way to fill it. I don't come from the walking dead, i have no idea what's up with daryl dixon and after 5 episodes (around 4hours and half) of a story about him I still don't know. What is this story about? faith? tyranny? how easy it is to fall for idols in a difficult moment? even the choice of setting the story in France, was it for aesthetic? were the writers trying to make parallels with french history and dictators? The annoying part is that even the few elements they throw around in could've been used: there's a military party, there's this kid that everyone is claiming is the new messiah, there's a nightclub in paris surrounded by death. those elements can fit in a bigger narrative. about looking for comfort for example. when the world ends where do you find the will to live? do you follow the path of order in hope to fix the chaos around you? do you look for a meaning, hoping it will all make sense and there's some god above looking down at you? do you see the zombie apocalypse as a punishment from above and now you follow only the righteous path? or you say fuck all of this! life has no meaning i'll go to the only nightclub left in the world? is this about avoiding pain or is it about living life to the fullest as much as you can with the limited resources you have?

there are endless possibility for a zombie story. a story about survival is never just a story about survival but about the things we do to survive. those are the stories people get attached to, bc they touch a part of us that we all have and can't explore. (bc hopefuly we won't find ourselves in extremely tragic situations)

they just needed to give genet a real need for order. not just army guys going around in their jeep killing pigeon lovers. give quinn a less aesthetic nightclub, make him sell drugs. this way he has a lot of people needing him and he has power and he's not just some generic bad dude with a night and a silly hat. give Isabelle a real sense of faith. living with nuns doesn't automatically convert you. give laurant actual lines or superpowers, everybody believes he's jesus bc he's off-putting?? he's just a weird kid. he did nothing. nobody knows how or why he's special. he didn't do any miracles. let him cure people. give us audience a reason to believe he's special, not the "he comforted a widow who lost he husband yesterday and was too heartbroken until laurent gave her a hug" bitch her husband died, what you want her to do? how was she supposed to feel? it wasn't even a week.

and into all of this give daryl dixon a journey, not just finding a working radio to go back to america. what meaning did he find in 11 series of the walking dead? does he believe in god? what does he do in front of a miracle? does he think religion sucks and it's all a lie, then he must agree with the new militia, everything illogical must be destroyed bc people will do terrible things for false idols. but then what if it's a child? and what if this whole problem doesn't touch him? can he keep going on the way of the lone wolf or does he intervene? there's no trouble in being alone but what does he do in face of injustice? what if you get killed for stepping up? how do you fight?

there's a lot of plot points that could've given daryl dixon and the other characters depth but unfortunately this series isn't about it :(

[connorwhumpaddict]

Deserving Of Pain (Part 6)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Epilogue

Summary: Connor is finally able to have sit face to face with the man who’s caused him so much pain and anguish for so many months. How will Connor react towards his tormenter?

---

Chapter 6: To Second chances...

Tina heaved one large breath, mentally steeling herself before entering interrogation room nr. 5, looking far more resolved and calmer than she felt.

Reed lifted his head from his arms at the sound of the door. He’d been tossed in here by Lewis and Miller, his handcuffs chained to the desk and then left there to wait for three bloody hours. He wasn’t surprised. He was a detective himself and he knew the game too well. Leave your suspect long enough to throw them off and allow unease and anxiety to build, making for an easier interrogation and hopefully confession of guilt. As he saw Tina enter, he grinned. “Fucking hell.. They actually sent you in here?”

Tina pulled out her chair briskly and sat down, her face showing no emotion. “No.” She answered. “I volunteered.”

“Good, cause I need you in my corner now Ti. More now than ever.”

The first flash of anger pierced through Tina’s eyes at that comment. “I’m not in your corner Gavin, on the contrary. I’m here to try and make head and tails of all the shit you’ve put Connor through the last couple of months for the report, nothing more.”

Reed’s eyes widened. “What the hell Tina? Don’t tell me you really think that Tin Can is worth this fuss? You’re all overreacting!”

“You’ve tortured, tormented, injured and deliberately sabotaged a fellow colleague, Gavin!! Tell me exactly how that is overreacting!!” Tina seethed.

“How many fucking times do I have to remind you people It’s a fucking machine!” Gavin yelled, pounding the steel table once with his shackled wrists.

“Stop calling him an ‘it’!!” Tina yelled back just as fiercely. “I’ve heard the sound he’s made when you’ve hurt him.. No machine sounds like that!”

Reed sat back as if the statement had caused a physical blow to his chest.

“What the fuck happened to you?!” he huffed in disbelief. “You used to be just like me. We used to laugh and joke around with those garbage cans, you never had any issues back then!”

Tina sat back as well guilt and remorse in her eyes. “Yeah, well.. The revolution opened my eyes and I changed. For a moment I thought you had too..”

Reed snorted affronted. His eyes locked with Tina’s in a hard stare. “You disappoint me Ti..”

Tina’s jaw ticked. “You’re the fucking disappointment Gavin. For God sake.. You apologized to him! You acted like you were his friend.. Only to bring him down again and again! You keep saying he’s the machine but the only one acting inhumane is you!” She exclaimed, her voice growing stronger and harder as she spoke.

Reed’s fist clenched and his eyes were hard, but he offered no further comments in his defense

“You better start getting your act together Gavin. Believe me you should be thankful it’s me in here and not Fowler or Collins or God forbid Anderson. Don’t get me wrong I hate what you did to Connor, but you are my partner and despite everything I can’t get myself to hate you.. I’m the closest thing you got to a friend in this place.”

Reed leaned closer over the table. “You say that and yet here I am, chained like some kind of criminal but I’ve done nothing worse than being in possession of banned Cyberlife tech!!”

“You’ve repeatedly assaulted and harmed a DPD officer!” Tina argued loudly. “There’s a log on the remote showing everything you’ve done to him! How the can you still remain so ignorant?!”

“It’s an android!!” Gavin hissed. “I don’t acknowledge this so called ‘revolution’, they’re not people! It’s not real, it’s programs and wiring and a fucking good costume, but it can’t be trusted!! And all I did was trying to show you guys that before it’d be too late!”

Tina nodded slowly as she found herself detaching further and further from Reed’s rant. “So giving the chance.. You’d do it again?” she asked.

“Of course!” Reed answered.

“Even though, in your effort to make your colleague look bad, it caused you to neglect your own job and forget a child in an evacuation on an active bomb threat site?”

At that Reed froze for a moment, his eyes turning guilty for just the barest of seconds before turning hard once again. “That’s no-“

“Even though it was Connor who, despite your best efforts, managed to safe that innocent girl you should’ve pulled out yourself and him almost dying doing so?” Tina interrupted. “With that knowledge.. Would you still act the way you did?”

A tense silent minute followed. Reed’s hand clenching and unclenching repeatedly on the tabletop.

“It’s not alive..” Reed finally gritted out. “So it can’t die anyway.” Was all he offered.

Tina heaved a disappointed sigh. “Well, you stick to it, I’ll give you that.” She stood up, preparing to leave the room. “Just remember I gave you a chance there to make amends.”

She pulled the door open but turned slightly to look over her shoulder. “And for the record, I know who I’d prefer to have my back in the field and it sure as hell isn’t you anymore.”

“Tina!” Reed called in a final futile attempt, only to have the door slam loudly in response.

---

[System reboot initiated…]

[Diagnostic scan in progress]

[…]

[Scan complete]

[Notice: Right arm component replaced – 65% compatibility – Limited function]

[Notice: Left leg component replaced – 71% compatibility – Limited function]

[Voice modulator damage – Self-healing program, running - 45% complete]

[Right leg upper and lower synthetic muscles damage – Self-healing program, running – 64% complete]

[Thirium levels 77%^^]

[Reboot complete]

Connor opened his eyes slowly as his systems came back online, his HUD running continued updates in the background.

The first thing he registered was the foreign feeling of his right arm and left leg. It wasn’t a painful feeling per say, but the limbs felt.. Wrong and uncomfortable. He looked down himself and at his surroundings, quickly recognizing the by now familiar space of John’s upstairs lab and clinic. His shirt and trousers had been removed, but a white sheet covered his lower body. A line of thirium ran into a port in his left arms’ elbow. He couldn’t see his replaced left leg, but he turned his eyes to his exposed right arm his system had identified as a replacement. With his skin program activated it looked the same, but it still felt weird.

He tried softly flexing his new limbs and it sent a sharp pin and needles sensation through them making him hiss out in discomfort.

Immediately after he heard scrambling from the adjourning office as John rushed in. “Connor, You’re awake! Sorry, I thought your reboot would take longer.” The blond tech was quick to reach Connor’s bedside and immediately started checking all the overhead reading and vitals. “Your self-healing program is working at full capacity, that’s good and your thirium levels are rising nicely.” He listed with satisfaction before turning his eyes to look at Connor and placed a comforting hand on top of the others’.

“Wha-..” Connor’s voice broke in static as his damaged voice modulator protested its use. He tried again with same result.

John squeezed his hand. “Don’t force your voice to its usual volume, your modulator got overloaded when it..” He paused and swallowed, unable to finish the sentence when it couldn’t process your screams of pain. “Try whispering instead.” He suggested.

“What happened?” Connor managed in a small whisper. He remembered the confrontation with Reed in the interrogation room, the chilling realization that he’d been the one manipulating Connor’s body all these months, the spike of fear as his senses were robbed from him and the agonizing pain as his joints were broken. He remembered the relief as Hank, Fowler, John and the rest of the team had come to his aid, the repeated pain of having his joints reset and the dizziness that came as Ben and the Captain had carried him upstairs. That’s when it became a blurry, vague recollection of noise, worried voices and burst of pain before everything went black and his internal log read he’d entered stasis for almost 4 hours.

“While you were in stasis I got your systems and thirium levels stable. I’m sorry, but your broken joints were too damaged to salvage. I’ve replaced them with some spare limb parts I keep for the PC200 models Anthony and Jack. I know it must feel unpleasant, since they’re not completely compatible to your system, but it was the best I could do for now. I’ll have yours fixed as fast as I possible can it’s just a bit more complicated with your prototype design I might ne-”

“It’s okay John.. I know.. Thank you for taking care of me.. Again.” Connor interrupted before the tech would go on an apologetic rant and tried sending him what he hoped were a reassuring smile. He turned his hand to take hold of the blondes in a weak grip but returning the gentle squeeze as well as possible.

There was a moment of silence where the two just shared a comfortable silence before another question burned on Connor’s tongue. “What about Reed?”

John’s gaze turned hard at the mention of the other detective. “You don’t have to worry about him Con. He’s been detained for now and I’ve secured and disabled the remote he used on you. He can’t hurt you anymore I promise.” The tech explained. Protectiveness radiating from him.

Connor nodded in understanding. “I want to see him.” He then said in a determined voice and started to stand from his bedside. He stumbled as he put weight on his replaced leg but managed to catch himself with support from the bed and John’s firm arms, as the tech reached out to help.

“Wha- Really right now? You should be resting, healing!” John argued.

“I’ve been doing little else these past months. I want to talk to him.” Connor insisted. He tried to disconnect the thirium line feeding into his elbow, but his new arms’ movement was jerky and uncoordinated, making the task harder than it should.

“Here let me, but just for the record I’m not fan of this idea.” John offered.

Connor allowed the blond to disconnect the line with practiced ease. “Noted.” He then looked down his front, only now realizing he was dressed only in his boxers, before turning his gaze back to John. “Could.. Could you please help me get dressed as well?..” he added shyly.  

“Of course..” John answered with a soft smile.

---

The bullpen was buzzing. Hank and Fowler had briefed them all on the cause of Connor’s sudden departure from his own reception and what had been happening when half the office suddenly witnessed their colleague escorted through the room in handcuffs and under arrest. It was both unbelievable and made perfect sense in some twisted way.

“I just can’t believe Reed really did this.” Lewis muttered. Sitting reclined in his office chair, arms crossed tightly.

“Yeah, I mean I know he still had issues with androids. Hell we all knew, but.. That’s just sick..” Chris said from his perch at Lewis’s desk.

“Oh God.. Remember when he carried Connor in when his sensors malfunctioned, playing the hero? That was him doing that!” Michael said.

“Shit.. Those screams still haunts me, he was in so much pain..” Miller groans dragging his hand across his face in a tired motion.

“Hey Tina, you alright?” Pearson asked, placing a comforting hand on her friend’s shoulder.

Everybody knew Tina and Reed were close, despite their differences in ideology the past year. It’d been a surprise she’d been the one volunteering to do the interview, but Fowler had allowed it under his own supervision.

Tina shrugged. “I suppose.. I Just..” She swallowed once. “I hate what he did, believe me I do, but..” She looked around at her colleagues nervously. “But.. I can’t make myself hate him.. I know I should, but he’s still my partner..” A small tear rolled down her cheek. “He’s a good guy deep down, I know it! He’s just.. So, so messed up about androids, even more so after the revolution and I really thought he’d started to change!” She placed a hand across her eyes in despair. “But now I don’t know what to think or feel.. I’m just so sorry Connor had to go through all that! Maybe if I’d paid better attention I could’ve done something.”

“Now stop that.” Hank stepped in and placed a steading hand on Tina’s shoulder. “Don’t start with the blaming game. I get it Tina, Reed is your partner, for better and for worse. That kind of bond isn’t something you just break that easily and no one here expect you to.”

Tina sniffed and looked up at her lieutenant from her sitting position, with teary eyes. “Really? I’d thought you of all people would.”

“Don’t get me wrong I hate the guy! But I won’t expect you to do the same. I know you’re just as sad and angry for what he did to Connor as I am and that’s enough.” Hank assured gently.

Tina nodded solemnly and wiped her tears away best as possible.

“I should’ve been more aware of the situation and never have allowed this to happen.” Fowler muttered from his spot, leaning against the wall, arms crossed and with a deep frown. It was obvious the man was taking the whole matter hard. He was their Captain and it’s his responsibility to look out for his squad. Right now, he felt like he’d let down Connor, but in some way Reed as well.

“See what happens when we start the blaming game?!” Hank gestured to his commanding officer before turning to address the whole room of distressed coworkers. “Listen up! This is no one fault but Reeds! None of us could’ve seen this coming. All that matters now it is getting Connor justice!”

 A murmur of agreements and serious nodding faces were quick to follow.

“Speaking of.. Any news on Connor yet?” Ben asked. His question was answered faster than he suspected when the elevator opened to reveal the android in question.

He looked beat, pale and disheveled, his hair messier than usual and only wearing his white, slightly wrinkled shirt that was tugged clumsily into his dress pants. Luckily the thirium stains that had soaked through them earlier had already evaporated.

John was right behind and while Connor exited the elevator on his own, even though he looked to be slightly humping on his left leg, the tech looked ready to jump to his aid if needed.

There were a few moments of silence as all gathered personnel processed seeing their coworker already back on his feet when most of them had witnessed the awful state he’d been in just a couple of hours earlier, before the room erupted in a chorus of worried comments and questions.

“I’m ok, really.. Thank you for your concern. Sorry to have worried you all again.” Connor broke through the chatter. His voice still carried a bit of static and couldn’t hold up its usual volume, but he managed.

“Dude, don’t apologize for that! What Reed have done to you.. That’s just wrong!” Lewis spoke up first as the chatter slowly died down.

“Yeah! I mean, I knew Reed had a temper and issues, but man.. I’ll never be able to trust that guy again!” Thomson added.

“He’ll get locked up for sure for this! Don’t worry about that Con!” Jack, one of the two precincts PC200 models whos’ intended spare parts Connor was now in possession off.

“Maybe..” Connor said, sounding thoughtful. “But I’d like to talk to Reed myself before we make any further judgment.”

“I don’t like that idea Connor.” Fowler spoke up and stepped towards him. “You should get some rest first. Reed isn’t going anywhere. We’ll pick it up tomorrow.”

“With all due respect sir. I think its high time Detective Reed and I had a talk and I’d rather it be now.” Connor said with a pointed stare at his Captain, but still followed up with a polite. “Please.”

Fowler’s lips tightened, but after a moment they slacked with defeat and with a firm nod the Captain agreed. “Alright, then, but I’ll be right with you on the other side.” He assured.

Hank stepped up and took a gentle hold of Connor’s shoulder. “Me too son. But if Reeds tries pulling any crap in there, I’m pulling you out! Got it?”

“Got it.” Connor agreed readily.

John also offered Connor one reassuring squeeze on his shoulder before the three men made their way towards the negotiation room.

---

Surprisingly Reed hardly acknowledges as Connor enters the room. He looks up briefly but then only returns his gaze to his folded cuffed hands on the table. Connor made his way slowly to the chair opposite the table, that he pulls out with his functioning arm, his eyes never leaving Reed despite his gaze not being returned. He sits and merely holds his stare on the other detective, waiting for the other man to acknowledge his presence.

One minute passes, then two in complete silence.

“What the fuck..” Hank muttered under his breath from his spot behind the one-way mirror. Fowler sitting in front watching the scene with a concentrated frown.

“I know what you’re doing dip shit.” Reed finally breaks the silence although he doesn’t lift his gaze.

“Oh?” Connor hums in ignorance.

Reeds eyes finally lift, fitting the android with a low glare. “You’re waiting for me too fill an uncomfortable silence.. Expecting me to go off on a justifying rant as to why I’ve been messing with you.”

“I admit I’m curious as to your motives for.. ‘Messing with me’ as you so put it.” Connor said, his voice casual.

This seemed to tick Reed off more. “You know damn well why!” He growled.

“I do?” Connor said with surprise in his voice.

“Don’t act so coy with me you little shit! I don’t trust you! All I did was try and protect my squad!”

“From what?” Connor followed up, his voice still level and steady.

“From you!!” Reed sneered.

“In what way have I ever presented myself as a threat to you or our colleagues?” Connor asked, his voice still level but his eyes turning a bit harder.

Reed huffed in disbelief and leaned back against his chair. “Well for one you gave me a fucking concussion in the evidence room! Remember that?!”

“Yes, I do.” Connor replied immediately. “I also remember the first time we met you pulled a gun on me. The second time we interacted you landed an unprovoked punch to my abdomen- ”

“You didn’t even feel pain!!” Reed suddenly defended, his face red with rage.

“True, I didn’t back then. But since the time you were made aware of my ability to feel pain after my deviancy you’ve deliberately and methodically gone out of your way to cause me harm.” Connor countered, his voice growing harder as he spoke. “So tell me again, detective.. How I’m somehow still the threat?”

Reed’s face grew redder as Connor spoke, primarily with anger but maybe even with a hint of guilt and embarrassment as it got harder for him to refute the logic thrown at him.

“You were aiding in a revolution against humans!” He attempted to reason.

“Wrong. I aided in a revolution to free my people to live as equals alongside humanity.” Connor stated in a matter-of-fact voice. “And that is exactly what I’ve been attempting to do. I even respected your continued opinion in refusing to acknowledge me or my people as being alive. That is what you wanted to demonstrate to our colleagues I assume? That I’m not really alive, but merely untrustworthy, malfunctioning equipment?”

“Damn right!” Reed growled. His voice remained hard but his eyes were starting to flicker and his body language showed his growing discomfort as he held his arms closer to his body, making himself smaller in his seat.  

Connor’s head tilted, his eyes never leaving Reed. “But all you have proven is that I can bleed, like you do.. I can hurt like you can.. And that I can feel fear.. Fear of failing.. Fear of hurting.. Frear of dying.. Just like you..”

Reed finally seemed to falter in his reasoning. “Yes! I mean- No! I-” His words then failed completely and suddenly it looked like all his fight, strength and confidence deflated from his body as he sank deep into his hard chair. And suddenly Reed just looked lost and confused as his eyes feel back onto the tabletop, unable to meet Connor’s eyes again.

“I.. Really just wanted to protect my squad..” He whispered defeated.

Connor stayed silent this time, scanning the now broken form of Reed. He then turned to the two-way mirror and stated gently. “I’m done.” Before gingerly getting back on unsteady legs and made his way out of the negotiating room. Reed never lifted his eyes back up.

---

“Holy shit.. You alright son?” Hank asked as Connor excited the room.

“I’m fine.” Connor answered curtly. His LED spun with a flickering yellow light, a clear sign he was still processing the conversation.

“You did good in there Connor. I’ll make sure to get him transferred to holding and we’ll start building up the case.” Fowler said.

“No.” Connor said, looking up at his Captain. “I’m not pressing charges.”

“What?!” Hank and Fowler exclaimed in unison at the statement.

“You can’t be serious?!” Hank pressed as he stepped in front of Connor. “Son, you can’t let him get away with this!”

“I advise you to consider this very carefully Connor. What Reed have done to you is a serious crime and finally within the laws of android’s rights to charge as a hard offence.” Fowler added.

“I’m not suggesting Reed’s actions should be without consequence.” Connor defended as he eyed the two authoritarian figures before him. “I have conditions I’ll expect to be met.”

Hank crossed his arms, clearly very unhappy with the turn of events but grudgingly allowing Connor to explain himself further before complaining. “Go on, then.” Fowler followed suite.

“I want Reed to complete both the mandatory android basic knowledge and technical first aid course he still hasn’t passed as well as the extended course. I want him to attend mandatory therapy session in order to address his anger and continued android issues. I expect him to be suspended of his detective rank, active field duty and any cases involving androids until he shows improvement in his extremist viewpoints and can be cleared by a professional assessment within a period of a perceived treatment plan.” Connor listed off.

“And if he can’t?” Hank huffed in obvious disbelief.

“The terms will be specified in an internal complaint file. If Reed refuses to these terms or does not show signs of redemption or improvement I’ll make use of my right to press charges within the three year time limit in regards to cases of android violence.” Connor followed up.

Fowler still looked unsure, but he couldn’t force Connor to press charges immediately  if he didn’t want to and he was within his full right to offer the given terms. “Alright.. If you’re sure that is what you want.”

“Fuck no!! It’s not alright Jeffery!!” Hank shouted and turned to his son.

“Why are you even giving this bastard a chance kid?! He almost killed you!! Several times I might add!!”

“I believe him when he says he did it to protect his colleagues. No matter how unfounded the reasoning might be, it was real to Reed and he acted accordingly to his beliefs.” Connor explained.

“That doesn’t excuse what he did! He should be locked up!” Hank yelled in frustration.

“Then you’ll have to lock me up too!!” Connor yelled back, startling both his father and his Captain.

“What the hell are you talking about Connor?” Fowler asked after a few moments of tense silence.

Connor sighed. His LED spun a few laps of red before settling back on yellow. “You all seem to forget.. I used to hunt my own people.. And if the laws had been the same as they are now, I should be held accountable just the same.”

“But that’s different! You were under Cyberlife control, your actions weren’t your own!” Hank defended.

“But when I deviated, my actions were my own! I wanted to help my people and in doing so I took human lives!” Connor countered, his voice filled with regret and guilt as he remembered how fast and efficient he’d killed the two Cyberlife guards in the elevator on the night of the revolution. Back then he hadn’t thought about it too much. All he’d been focused on was his new mission, helping Marcus in aiding the revolution. The guilt came later.. As his emotions and self-understanding had developed, so had the severity of his actions, both before and after his deviancy. In the days after the revolution Connor had offered up a complete recording from his optical units to Captain Fowler, ready to accept whatever punishment was deemed necessary. But everything had been chaotic, no laws had been worked out or passed regarding android crimes or vice versa and the precinct had been desperate for additional assistance. And so, Connor’s actions had been deemed an unavoidable revolutionary casualty paired with a self-defense claim and he’d been reinstated to the DPD effective immediately with no charges pressed.

Hank and Fowler exchanged a brief look, both looking sticking before Fowler seemed to gather himself first. He looked to Connor with sympathetic eyes. “I know how hard it is to make amends with hard choices that had to be made Connor, but you can’t keep punishing yourself for making them. If you hadn’t acted the way you did the revolution would’ve failed.”

Connor turned his eyes away, needing a moment to gather himself before turning back answering. “I know, but my point is.. I was giving a chance to make amends both to my own people and to humanity. If anyone has benefited from getting their share of second chances, it’s me. I want Reed to have that same benefit offered to him. It only seems fair, after everything..” He explained. He hoped they’d understand. He didn’t have to like Reed, but it felt like the right choice to offer the same chance he’d been offered. He’d detected no signs of deception during their conversation. Reed truly believed he’d been doing what he needed to prove a point and protect his team, no matter how backward his logic in going about it had been. Their relationship had been strained from the moment they’d met. Those first interaction coupled with the detective’s already android hostile viewpoints had definitely not counted towards any goodwill either. And it was true, he had knocked Reed out as the last thing before the revolution happened, so he could somehow understand why the other would have an even tougher time accepting and trusting him when he’d had been allowed back on the force with no further reprimand of his attack on Reed.

But it’d already been a long day. Connor’s leg were starting to ache, making it harder for him to keep standing and his arm weren’t much better. His thirium levels were still below optimal parameters and his head was starting to hurt from overprocessing while his self-healing program were still working on full capacity. He really didn’t feel like discussing this matter any further today, his mind was already made up.

“I understand Connor. I’ll handle the paperwork and orient the team. I’ll have Reed stew a few more hours before informing him of the deal. I’ll accommodate your wish that he’s allowed to keep working on the force but I’m revoking his detective rank and there’s no way I’m allowing him back in our district! He’ll be on suspension until his android courses are passed and then have him transferred to the 2nd district. I’m on good terms with their Captain McGregor, he can handle Reed and he’ll keep a good eye on him for me.” Fowler offered. He fitted the android with a kind but insisting stare. “For now, and I really hope this will be the last time I’ll need to say this, I want you to go home, relax and heal. Leave the rest of the work to me and the others. I promise I’ll personally keep you updated.”

Connor nodded. He already felt bone tired and achy, but also relieved at the prospect to hopefully be able to move forward without the constant worry of continued malfunctions. “Thank you, Captain.”

Hank sighed deeply then shook his head gently before walking over to wrap his arm around his son’s shoulder, mindful of the right arm. “Sometimes, you’re too good for this world kid.” He started to lead them out of the room towards the car. “Let’s get you home.”

[slurrmp]

I posted 926 times in 2022

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I tagged 915 of my posts in 2022

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#0 - 63 posts

#dw - 132 posts

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Longest Tag: 92 characters

#look this was a piece i had written ages ago abt a different oc & a slightly different plot.

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

gdi please like this if you see it on dash &/or in the tag. I feel like I’m shadowbanned.

21 notes - Posted April 19, 2022

#4

oh no the urge to write, reader is in love with the doctor but they don’t tell them and it’s too late because yaz is as well -

31 notes - Posted January 2, 2022

#3

See the full post

40 notes - Posted November 20, 2022

#2

unrequited ✰ 13th doctor x reader. part one.

a/n: based on this little prompt i wrote back during the new years special. have fun with the angst because that apparently is all i can do now. also two fics in the span of at least six weeks? ahahahahahahaha, i just up and vanished again - really hope my writing funk disappears soon but like ... wygd. so this is part one, because i assignments i need to do and i just wanted to get this out there after a solid four month hiatus.

Have you ever had a crush on someone but you knew that it was almost impossible for you to do anything about it? Every time you saw them, those stupid, awful butterflies would form in the pit of your stomach and would proceed to fly all over the place and you felt like you would throw up? That your body would gravitate towards them without you even realising it, that everything they did you wanted to do as well? Well - that’s how you felt about the Doctor. You strongly knew you shouldn’t because of the whole being an alien and a gajillion years old thing  but it was just one big fucking mess. 

To say the least.

However, your little human heart couldn’t help it. Your human emotions would always get the better of you. Something the Master had relentlessly teased you about because he saw it before YOU even did. How that rat of a Time Lord saw it always confused you - he had said that it was in your eyes, but the man lied on a good day, so you never wanted to take his word for it. But - you had ended up trying your best to keep your emotions off your face after that. Though, that wasn’t even the most depressing part of the story. Your eyes would always lock on to her frame as she entered a room, watch as she’d float around the console. Your heart would speed up when she would explain plans with her hands and monologue about universes and tell stories (especially about that time she was struck by lightening having fun with Benjamin Franklin.) 

To be quite frank with yourself, you were disgusted by the way she made you feel. You had never really been big on having a partner. Never really wanted to be in a relationship - you liked being by yourself too much, hanging out with your family and friends and then coming home at the end of the night to peace and quiet - sleeping in a big bed only shared by your pet. Some would consider that sad, but you always knew that you preferred your own company to that of anyone else's. But traveling with the Doctor for more than a couple of months now, that all seemed to have changed. Your outlook on life had drastically shifted gear, considering the fact that you could probably DIE on these certain adventures - that anytime you stepped FOOT out of the TARDIS, your life was in the Doctor’s hands. You ended up making a will after the first near death experience with the Doctor you ever had. 

She made you feel like you could do anything, that you were invincible, that you couldn’t be hurt or touched - that you were under her protection. Then came the touches, the hugs, the hanging off you when telling a story. Holding hands and sharing clothes, being used as a human notepad. It was a really really bad crush (even as much as you tried to fool yourself). You had thought about telling her countless times but it never seemed like the right moment. The way she would look at you when you asked to speak to her but that all changed when Yaz entered the picture.

Yaz would always come and ruin it.

You loved Yaz, you promised you really did - it was the green eyed little alien that lived in the back of your head that made you hate to see her. They would always partner up when you were on a new planet. They would always be the first to have a moment. They would always be the ones to stay up late having tea and talking about the day.

It sucked. Majorly.

You would mumbled under your breath and just stay at the back of the pack. Graham and Ryan hardly noticed - they were too busy with their own lives to worry about yours. It was a shame that the Master was the only one to notice - that was until Dan came along. That’s when everything drastically changed. 

“You should tell her you know.” His voice had caused you to jump. You had been standing in the doorway to the console room - head peeking around the corner, watching the Doctor talk to Yaz about something. They were barely a foot apart, heads pressed together almost - looking down at the console.

“Jesus Daniel.” You complained hand coming to rest over your heart. His eyes narrowed at the name, he still hadn’t told you if that was his real name or not (you had been trying to guess his birth name for the last couple of weeks), but a smirk pulled at the corner of his lips, before his own arms crossed over his chest. 

“I’m just saying...” Your FULL name fell from his lips and a whine escaped your own. “You’re going to lose your chance.” head tilted in the direction of the console room. 

“I never had a chance.” Came the pitiful reply. Dan’s eyes narrowed again. He hadn’t been with the three of you for very long, but in the short spam of time, he had witnessed your TERRIBLE pining. Your longing looks and awful stuttering whenever you got too flustered. The older man snorted before patting you on the back. 

“You never know.” He pulled away stepping over the threshold of the console room with a wink, before he turned around and made his way up the stairs. You would as Yaz beamed at him and then drastically started retelling the story the Doctor had just told her. A groan left you, as you fell forward onto the wall once more, your head banging against it for a couple of seconds. Pulling away, you peeked around once more and watched the three of them. Eyes focusing on the Doctor. Her eyes had never once strayed from Yaz’s face, and that god awful heavy feeling in your chest reappeared. This is why you never did romance, never did love - never made yourself openly available to over people. You always ended up getting hurt. 

“Where’s...” Yaz lingered off as her dark eyes spotted you just down the stairs. Her smile reappeared (you hated that she made you feel ... comfortable) and the Doctor turned around, her own smile plastered over her pale skin. Then it disappeared and that heavy feeling got heavier. 

Oh god, don’t notice. 

You thought to yourself, Yaz had waved you up, calling your name followed by “You’ll never bloody believe what this thing does” and you had no choice but to comply. Hands twisted with each other, your eyes now avoiding the Doctor’s, as you came to stand next to Yaz - you forced a smile. 

                                                    -x-

The planet was cold. Your face had scrunched up at the sudden blast of freezing air once the TARDIS doors opened. You stood just inside the time machine, arms wrapped around your stomach and your chin buried into the fabric of your scarf. You really didn’t want to go out there - you just wanted to go back to bed. Cry about your sorrows and watch Love Actually. Mmm maybe not, that - it might make you feel worse. 

The Doctor on the other hand had been ecstatic. Started to blab about the last time she had been on a planet completely frozen, something to do with the Ood and a giant brain. Yaz and Dan however, held almost the same exact facial expression as you - they weren’t too keen about this weather, but Yaz was the first companion off the ship. Of course she bloody was. Your eyes focused on the back of her head, trying to ignore the fact that the Doctor had grasped onto the other woman’s hand immediately and they were off down the hill. Dan looked back at you with a sympathetic look. 

“Come on, love, it won’t be that bad.” He tried to comfort you. “You can partner up with me?” Bless him, he really was trying to distract you. So you gave a soft smile, only nodding your head in the direction of the others. You’d follow after - but Dan gave a look as if he didn’t believe you. Eventually when the others had started to notice that you weren’t following them they stopped. Dan still focused on your face. “Oh love...” He sighed before a hand squeezed your bicep. A choked laugh left you, shaking your head quickly you ducked to look at the floor.

“You’re going to make me cry, Daniel.” You muttered.

“Oi, you two!” The Doctor shouted back at you and Dan. Lifting your head slightly, you could see her looking back, while her hand which was still in Yaz’s, was extended. “You can’t just stay in the TARDIS all day!” You let your gaze fall back on Dan. The both of you just stood there for a couple of seconds, before he sighed and let you go.

“Don’t take too long,” He said before he stepped out fully into the cold. “She’ll start to wonder where you’ve gone.”

“Promise,” You mumbled. “Just - need to get some gloves.” You lied. Dan sighed before he turned around and trailed after the others. Taking a deep breath in, you buried your hands into the pockets of your massive jacket. “I hate this,” You mumbled, turning around you came to a sudden jolt when right in front of you was a coat rack, but instead of coats, there were a pair of gloves. A soft smile spread across yours lips, you looked up at the ceiling of the TARDIS. “Thanks old girl.” Grabbing the gloves, you slipped them on before you turned around again and followed after the others - wrapping your scarf and jacket closer to your body.

You took your spot at the back of the group - the three of them all walked in a line, that was until the Doctor had noticed. “What are you doing back there?” The question almost made you jump, looking up, the Doctor had stopped - turned around and gave you a pointed look. Your name fell from her lips, before she leaned forward, grabbed a hold of your hand and pulled you next to her. “No one is to walk at the back.” She gave you a pointed look and you couldn’t help the blush that rushed to your cheeks - you were glad that it was a SNOW planet, can just blame the weather for that one. You fell into step with her.

Her hand was about the same size as yours, which made holding it easy. Looking down at your hands, fingers laced between yours. “Don’t want to lose anyone.” The Doctor finished her voice sounding so close to your ear.

How could you tell this crush of yours to fuck off.

See the full post

45 notes - Posted August 7, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

stargazing ✰ 13th doctor x reader

a/n: uwu what's this? i live?

holy shit - i'm so sorry for leaving you all for like eight months. just i hit writer's block and the lack of doctor who made it hard for me to get any sort of writing done. anyway, the easter special awoke my urge to write and this came out of it. definitely not really up to parr - but i hope y'all enjoy it. just some soft fluffy moments.

slight spoilers for the special. But not heavy.

posted on my ao3 | wattpad.

“Don’t say a word.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything!”

There’s a smirk that slowly forms at the corner of your lips. Your eyes remained closed and your hands were clasped together, resting on your stomach. The breeze was cool against your face, a nice change from the whole running in the middle of the desert thing all four of you did earlier that day. The sound of waves crashing against the rocks was almost enough to lull you into a deep sleep. Your body was sore and the bandage around your rib cage was uncomfortable, but that was the price you paid when you did stupid things. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

Yaz and Dan had decided to go into the village to find something for the humans of the group to eat - you had a strong craving for seafood, considering where you were staying for the night, but you had no idea what type of food you could even get on this planet. There had been a couple of places that you just could not stomach the food that had been offered to you - worms and something that looked like snails had been the last place you visited, you couldn't keep them in your stomach - throwing them back up, which meant that you didn't eat at all until you were back on the TARDIS, which had been a full twelve hours. You knew that you should probably eat something today if you didn't want the Doctor on your ass again. You had almost fainted from the lack of food on the last trip, and you had been injured this time around - running back to your little air bnb like place didn't help your injuries whatsoever. Having been forced into the bathroom, the Doctor had applied the fast healing cream onto your rib cage and also forced you on bed rest for the rest of the evening, that didn't stop you, however, from utilizing the cute little balcony thing up on the roof.

It was about twenty minutes later that the Doctor had come to join you. Nudging you slightly, so that both of you could fit on the one lounge chair together.

“I was just going to point out the constellations for you.” She continued. A sigh escaped you, as your eyes cracked open. You stared up into the spotted blackness of the sky. The planet had TWO moons, making the evening appear to be brighter than home. The multitude of stars made your head spin - it was almost like there were more stars on this side of the galaxy than at home. “But if you would rather sit here in silence, that's okay as well.”

Turning your head to look at the Time Lord - whose shoulder rested against your own - you couldn’t help the laugh that left you. “Of course you can point out the constellations for me.” You had almost been worried that the Doctor would chew you out again for your reckless behaviour today. But hearing that she only wanted to tell you about the stars, made your entire body feel light for once. The Doctor turned her head towards you - your breath sudden caught at the back of your throat. She was higher up on the recliner than you, causing her nose to brush against your forehead slightly. There had been this ... THING lingering between both of you for a while now. Ever since New Year's and the ever occurring time loop, Dan had figured it out - even Yaz and you didn’t know whether that was a good thing or not. They kept trying to nudge you in the right direction but - after dealing with the Sea Devils and the pirates, after hearing the fact that the Doctor couldn't fix herself to anyone - you backed off.

It was hard to do. Very hard to do. It almost felt like you had shut off a part of yourself, but you didn't want to make the centuries-old alien uncomfortable.

“Are you sure?” She questioned you. Tilting your head up ever so slightly, you rolled your eyes at her. She nudged your arm. “Oi, I just want to make sure - don’t want you going to Yaz and complaining about me.” A fake gasp escaped your lips as you sat up. Your right leg fell off the chair, and you twisted around to look back at the blonde.

“I do not go to Yaz to bitch thank you very much.” The Doctor laughed - causing your smile to grow wider. Slender fingers wrapped around your wrist, pulling you back down on the recliner - but the angel was wrong, causing you to stretch your ribs too far. Your face scrunched up. Why was it whenever you got into a fight, your body would meet a solid object almost every time. Your ribs hurt like a bitch, but the cream that the Doctor had put over your rib cage was slowly starting to take effect. “Besides, it’s really Dan that I go and complain to.” The Doctor snorted as you laid your head against her chest - the sound of twin heartbeats luring you in closer. Your arm slung across her stomach.

“You three...” Her voice was soft, as her fingers started to brush through your hair. “Humans, never cease to amaze me.” A huff left you. “You are so very fragile but you never back down from a fight.” Your nose scrunched once again - of course, she had to make mention of your failed fight. “And when you get hurt and knocked down, you get back up. You’ve spread across the entire galaxy and you continue to live your lives.” You tilted your head back slightly, looking up at the Time Lord. “You have such a short life span, but you do so much within the confinements of those years.”

“To you, we must seem so young.” You replied. Hazel eyes caught yours then. It was quiet for a couple of seconds, before the Doctor leaned forward and pressed a kiss to your forehead. Swallowing, you buried your head into her side. She was bad for your health. Very bad. The things that you would do for this alien were almost sinful. Your mother would never have approved of this relationship - which was why you never told your parents about the things you had been doing for the last three years.

“So very young, which is why I have to keep saving you a lot.” Fingers resumed their petting of your head. “But I never get tired of it.” You could feel the Doctor’s gaze staring down at the side of your face before she tightened her arms around you, pulling you closer to her. Pulling your head out from her side, you let your gaze focus on the night sky.

It was quiet for a couple of minutes - the only noise that could be heard by both of you was the waves. Then suddenly there was a flash in the sky (accompanied by a low rumble). Your arm shot out above you, pointing to the streak of light. “What’s that? A shooting star?” You questioned, you could feel the Doctor move underneath you - her arm coming to join yours. Her index finger pointed at it and you could almost picture her tongue sticking out the side of her mouth and one eye closed. Hand traveled the direction that the “star” had come from, only for it to land on the horizon.  

“The nine-fifteen shuttle to Orion.” The Doctor answered. The prideful tone in her voice made you sit up once again and look down at her.

“The shuttle?” You questioned.

"Leaves every couple of days." A huff left you and your smile was back. "Now, come on - lie back down and I'll tell you all about these clusters of stars." And so you did, finding your position again, snuggled into the Doctor's side. Head rested against her chest, as you watched her finger dance between the shiny dots. You were going to miss this.

89 notes - Posted April 18, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[craftymakerland]

This is my new account after 2 years, I still have the stories from there, I just need to prove Reed them since it's been so long, my old account is "Luisa's Wife" poor choice of words, BUT it cought peoples attention which I'm going for, I hope you like it and lmk how it is!!! There will be more Chapters to come!!

( PART ONE!!!! )

Alexandra’s inferno

By: Tianna White

( Chapter 1 )

“ALEXANDRA!”

I heard my mother calling me from downstairs. I was just reading my book in peace, hoping not to deal with a person this early in the morning. I didn't really want to say anything but I went down anyway. To my surprise I saw nothing unusual. Just my father passed out drunk on the pool table and my mother on the lover seat with a box of cigarettes with only two left inside. They never really need me only if they want money or for me to make a quick stop to get something for them.

“What did you need?” I said in a slight rush.

I Just didn't want to be near her at the moment. She gave me a look up and down.

“You know you look like a man.” My mother said to me,

There was nothing I could do but just take in what she threw at me.

“A woman isn't supposed to grow a beard…your fucking hideouse.” My mom said with a glare.

“You're disgusting as a person, well your looks are what I hate most…You're really disappointing to look at.”

“Get out of my face.”

Just like that, I took it all in. Why did she always have to bother me when all she was gonna do was say such horrible things to me.I couldn't help that I was born with such conditions, but it's my fault. I left without hesitation and went back upstairs to my room, hoping that I wouldn't see them for the rest of the remaining day.

I made it to my room, closed the door quickly and locked it. I went to my bathroom, turned the light on and looked in the mirror. Maybe she was right, I was ugly as sin, the tooth gap, the beard and the afro of hair, I looked like a clown. I don't even know where I even got these genes from, but god forbid I start accusing my parents that they're not really mine. That would be another story that I would not like to get into.

I hated shaving my face, it was not normal for a woman to do as such. To speed up the process some, I just decided to grab the wax strip, bite on a cloth and start to strip the wax off. Besides, it wouldn't grow back as fast if I waxed it instead of shaving it. I counted to three and ripped it off as fast as I could, it was a horrible feeling. I hated it so much and to think that I have to do it six more times. When it came to the last strip I was already in tears. I really wanted someone to pull it for me but we all know that wasn’t gonna happen. So without hesitation I ripped it off and hurried to place my hand on the side of my face, biting the cloth even harder. It took me a little bit to recover but I managed to get up and clean up the mess. It was about time that I did something with my hair. I just threw it in a bonnet and left it as is.

I was more than ready to go to bed. Even though it was still early in the morning, I had blackout curtains so it didn’t matter to me. I just wanted to make it to the next day, then the day after that, and then the day after that. I really didn’t want to be here…

“Bibble…Bibble…BIBBLE!”

I snapped out of my train of thought and looked up.

“Who called my name?” I asked

“Baby are you okay? You’ve been deep in thought for the past hour.” She said worryingly

She didn’t know anything about my childhood and I plan to keep it that way until it is the right time. I really didn’t want to say anything to her but I had to say something. I was tired of answering questions of what I had on my mind. The thing is I wasn’t mad at her, I was just thinking the worst. I'm an overthinker, and it's not something to be proud of. I just got up from my seat and looked at her, trying to fix my facial expression.

“Don’t worry sweetheart, I’m okay, I've just been in my own little world lately.”

I could tell that she knew something was wrong, but I was trying to make it look like everything was fine. I didn’t want her to interrogate me for it.

I watched her come behind me and rest her head on my neck, wrapping her arms around my waist.

“You know that I'm always gonna worry about you, and if anything starts to become harder for you, I'll always be here for you.” She looked at me with a gentle smile and kissed me on the cheek.

With that, she left to go do her daily duties. I was left in the room in silence, I started to walk around the temple, trying to calm myself from my thoughts. While tracing my steps over and over again, I happened to come across a big portrait of me and my wife. I couldn't help but just stand there for a while and think to myself of how I made it this far, how I ended up with a happy life, how I managed to escape all the bad things in my life and how I became so big in life. Come to think of it, it took one little thing to make all this happen. Usually you would think such a tragic event would be a regrettable one, but looking at where it got me. I've never been so happy to make such a decision.

I took another good look at the portrait and walked off. Keeping a smile on my face, I went past my wife's personal assistant, her name was Debrah I'm pretty sure. She was nice and not to mention has known her many years before I did. She was kinda like her kid. They had more of a daughter and mother kind of relationship. I didn't know too much about Debra, but Tempora always talks about her to me from time to time. What I do know is that Debra lost her mom at a very young age due to a huge unnecessary war between her parents and the W.S.B clan. She watched her mother be beheaded by the everlasting sword of life. Her mother was Lucifer's wife, so this wasn't just any sword that was able to kill her, they were on the hunt for it before even starting the war. Now we have it in me and Temporas possession, held in a very private place in the temple where only me and her can have access to it and there's at least thirty guards guarding it. From time to time me or her would go down there and see if it had been tampered with or not. God forbids that someone would make their way into the room without catching the guards attention. Even though the room is fully secure. The people around this area can be quite questionable and I like to keep my eye out for things like this.

Speaking of, I don’t think that either one of us has done our daily check on it. I went to the main hall to see if Tempora was there and I was right, she was sitting on her throne and looking over some papers that I didn’t finish a while ago. I went next to her and placed my hand on her shoulder.

“Hey, when was the last time that you checked the chambers?” I spoke out of curiosity.

Looking at her papers, she slowly put the down to remember the last time thats shes

Checked them.

“I don’t think that I checked them today at all.”

“Gotcha, I wanted to check and see if you did before I went to look for myself.”

“You do know that there are over a dozen guards protecting it right?” She looks at me.

“ I know, but you know how people are here, and the last thing I need is for someone to get a hold of it.”

“I guess you're right, by all means you can check it.” she gave me a smile while looking back at her papers.

“Besides, it hasn't been touched in over twenty-five thousand years, so there's one in a million chances that someone will take it.”

“I know, and in all that time I've still checked it, making sure that it didn't get tempered with.” I gave her a slight smirk.

“You're so lucky I love you dearly.”

“I'm more than lucky.” I moved my hand under her chin and pulled it gently towards me and kissed her on the lips.

“If I were you I would hurry up and check.” she said after parting from the kiss.

I gave her a smile back and started to walk away. I was gonna make this trip to the chambers as fast as possible.

Making my way down the hall, into the kitchen and through the trap doors underneath the cart, there was a set of stairs that would lead you into another hallway. All you had to do was keep going straight and take a couple of turns then you see four guards in front of the doors. They let me pass, and as soon as you go through those doors you have to keep going into a labyrinth maze. I don't need to make myself go through when I could easily walk through them, but you are only able to walk through if you live in the temple as one of the gods. After the maze you would go through another set of doors that contained all of the remaining guards, positioned to attack when threatened or if you're not supposed to be down there. When they saw me, immediately they straightened up.

“Has anyone else been down here besides me.” I gave the main guard a death stare.

“ No, your majesty, no one but you has been down here.” the guard replied.

I looked at them with one more glare to try and sense if they were lying or not.

“Very well, please open the door.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

The guards opened the door, allowing me to pass through. Everything seemed like nothing was wrong. Nothing was tampered with and everything was in place. With that I left the room and let the guards go back to what they were supposed to do.

I finally made my way back up and I intensely remember why I hurried to get back up here. I made my way into the main hall to see if she was on her throne still, to my surprise she was. I walked over to her. She looked like she was really into what she was doing.

“Hey baby, how's the papers going?”

“Oh hi, yeah no, im almost done with making the next meeting with apollo.”

“I see no point in even having one with him.”

“Yeah I know, but I still have to put a reminder out, cuz if I didn't and he actually decides to show up, Zeus would never let me hear the end of it.”

“I guess you do have a point, but he never shows up-”

“Could you both shut up, I've been hearing yall yap all day PLEASE shut up!”

She has a mouth on her neck, one in the middle of her chest, one on each breast and a huge one on her stomach. The one on her stomach is the one that has a huge problem with us talking, they all have a mind of their own but the one on her stomach has a smart mouth and no matter what someone says. It gets annoyed very easily.

“You know what I'm really getting tired of you, you are more than lucky that you're attached to my wife or I would rip you out from the skin.” I threatened

'WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE MOUTH IS LUCKY, I'M THE LUCKY ONE.” Tempora interrupted.

“Yeah that's what I said.” I replied

“Well im stopping this right now haha, I do NOT want to hear you both fight again, and you know how weird that looks? You are arguing with my stomach.”

“Fair enough, and if it says anything here in a few minutes I will cover it with a piece of cloth.” I looked at her with a smirk.

“You know, they feel whatever I feel.” She looked at me as she got up from her throne using her spider-like legs to lift herself up. She grabbed me by the waist and got inches closer to my face.

“You are just so pretty.”

Lifting her hand and placing it on the side of my face, I was gonna kiss her once again. It always sounds like a new experience, considering that we have been married for over thirty thousand years, but being a god gets really busy. So I cherish every moment that I spend with her. I placed my hand on her cheek looking directly into her eyes and my lips touched hers once again. There was nothing that could ruin this moment, nothing…