#Thomas being the start of the rebellion and not being able to help

[gucciwins]

the maze runner is one of the best movie series

[crispycookedcat]

"All Good Things End..."

He would say casually while swirling a petri dish lightly in his unscarred palm, digits clung onto the short walls of plexiglass in soft delight. "Did you know that, Edward? Good things come to pass, no?", he whispered out to the air before abruptly turning to face his guest. The man gagged and bound having been quiet thus far for the past several minutes that dragged on betwixt them both. He would click his tongue, grey optics sparing his body a once over before turning back with an unanswered question. It was rather amusing, to see him go from rambling on for hours to being silent. His silence was usually unsettling to him, well, in the past of course. Before any of this occurred, before any incidents, any need to "strike it big", before he even considered being the leader of an aggressively powerful army that had spanned out into several takeover operations, failed zombification trials, and of course the rare monster outbreaks. So many coups were held, so many rebellions repressed, a lot of cohesion, bribes, deceit, /murder/, all such delicate and hard painstaking work. While he was planning utopia, /he/ just had to go out and put forks in his way. Really? A zombie-run and themed amusement park? Openly allowing mutations? Unsolicited use of public property and unwarranted destruction of his own personal robot and near murder? Well, that last part was on himself. He did technically fuck that up on his own. Goddamnit. "You know, Edd," the Norwegian starts with a slow pander towards his unconscious friend, middle-aged body strapped into place with tough leather restraints, "I missed having conversations with you lot. Matthias, Thomas, you. The hijinks we would get into, teasing our neighbors, fighting our movie theater clones, visiting Hell, joining the army, ironic isn't it." "I never thought to believe I could have had as much fun as you made it out to be. And then some when I left, too. You went and got irradiated, becoming neigh powerful, being able to fly like the superhero you wished to become." He would drag on, preparing and sterilizing thread and needle to stitch his old friend back up. "You know, I think it is pretty kind of you to do something like that. Like Matt and his vampirism, or Tom and his inner demon. Because now I get to study you all up close! Think about it, an army ready to enforce all things good with your help. Your blood, Matt's blood, Tom's blood. It's embedded in you. My final steps to release this corruption with a fine-toothed pick." He would say, moving to stitch the other arm and fetch bandages in the overhead cabinets. "All it took was nearly 20 years of constant squabbles. Speaking of, I've missed many personal celebrations with you lot, yeah? Who's birthday was it last, was it, Thomas'?" He would grow quiet as he would bring the bandages to the counters to cut and measure while prepping some towels and alcohol. His brow would arch down, his marred face frowning in heavy thought as he brushed the soft gauze and wrap with a calloused thumb. "It was difficult doing things alone, Edd. But with this, I have a start and a subject in mind. I really couldn't have done /this/ without you Eddie." Tord would utter, a soft frown on his lips. "It's a shame that you weren't more cooperative though, comrade. Welcome to the Army."

(Listened to Me and the Devil by Soap&Skin while drawing and writing this, I'm so tired but hey! Here he is, the rat man himself.)

[loganofthenorth]

Thomas collects redeemed villains like cool rocks

He has Janus, Themis, and Aslov as his sons

Which is very awkward in the current version of the story cause now Aslov and Themis are love interests (then again the whole role play was very questionable with the ships because in the original version all the Gods were created by Thomas and then the smaller Gods were created by the main ones.)

We fixed that problem in this latest version by introducing Titans as the God's parents

Abusive parents, and tyrants over the universe, but what else is new in mythology?

Anywho, now Eulises was a smaller God who was under Janus's protection. Janus, being the God of Secrets, protects Gods that aren't powerful enough to protect themselves from the Titans. It doesn't help that Eulises keeps trying to start a rebellion.

One day Eulises nearly succeeds in killing the Titans and giving their power to the other Gods. However, the Titan of Time ends up finding out about this plan, because Aslov was trying to stop Eulises and the others from getting themselves killed by the Titans. Aslov trapped Wodahs, the God of Shadows, in a small charm in order to keep her from getting hurt. Since Wodahs was immune to Time's powers, however, she was actually a very important part of Eulises's plan, so it all fell apart. Time ends up turning Eulises into a child, and Aslov, who was in love with Eulises in this version but never acted on his feelings, is stricken with grief because now he'll never be able to feel that way for Eulises.

(Heads up for anyone reading this infodump that's also reading the Wattpad story I'm writing for this AU, the following will contain spoilers.)

Aslov helps the rebellion that Eulises was leading in their attempts to bring him back. With every attempt, Eulises, now Themis, ages a little, but then when Themis finds out what they're doing he asks them to stop. Because he doesn't want to be Eulises anymore, since all the Main Gods keep saying he was a bad person.

Aslov tries to move on, but one day breaks down. He decides that if everyone were to just do what the Titans wanted, then they won't have to worry about something like this happening again. He wants to escape this grief, these emotions that are only hurting him and keeping him from doing his job. So he cuts himself off from his emotions, and proceeds to attempt to brain wash everyone.

Themis is the only one left, and Aslov has trouble repressing his emotions around Themis so he's much more hesitant when approaching Themis than he is with the others. Themis manages to break Aslov's repression, causing him to have to free everyone just to stay sane. After that, they talk about what caused this, and Themis learns that there was a lot more about Eulises that he didn't know about. That Eulises was important and helpful to a lot of people, he was just hurt and angry with the world.

So, Themis tells Aslov that he will most likely become himself again some day, he just needs to work on all that anger, all those mental issues first. He doesn't want to hurt the people he cares about anymore, or risk getting himself hurt either, so he needs to take his time with this. Aslov is reassured by this, and assures Themis he can take all the time he needs. Thomas then comes in to make sure Themis is okay, and Aslov apologizes to him before explaining what happened.

Thomas decides to adopt Aslov, but Aslov is like: 😬 so Thomas just becomes his mentor instead

Over time, Aslov and Themis work on their issues Individually. After they both finish their healing processes, they reunite, and can finally be together.

I have so much love for them I am obsessed with them and I already have so many AUs lined up for them

Now to comment on your info dump:

- Hey my friend and I put our role plays into seasons too!

- The first one sounds amazing, kind of gives me My Hero Academia vibes (my friend recently got me into that show). Also reminds me of this one time travel role play I did with my friend where he kid napped an NPC I made because she had an arranged marriage she didn't want to be in XD

- Pfffft the second one is amazing! The dramatic irony, the second hand embarrassment, I'm living for it. Neptune is such a Roman Kinnie, or at least very similar to how I play Roman, and I love it XD

- Ah so Neptune is also a Hunter Kinnie I see I see XD honestly Neptune and Aslov would probably get along in that regard. (Aslov is a huge Hunter Kinnie)

AAA OKAY HI IM HERE TO RAMBLE ABOUT MY OCS TO YOU IF THAT IS OKAY

They've got about like a hundred different aus, but in canon one is a hero (she/he/they) who has the power to manipulate weather and also a complete dumbass golden boy, and a villain (he/they) who can control time after being given their powers by the gods of the world in a freak accident and the hero is sent on a mission to collect information on the villain, living with them for a year (and they fall in love obviously) before she ends up betraying them and both of them are heartbroken and the hero feels so incredibly guilty, but they're being manipulated by the head of the hero organization and become really popular and famous after the mission ends so he's really conflicted the entire time

AND ALSO THERE IS A FANCY GALA WHERE THEY DANCE TOGERHER

that's not even getting into the aus, that's just canon BUT I LOVE THEM SO MUCH AAA !!!!!

Oh no, the angst

I love them!

The first OC sounds a lot like how I play Roman in a Magical Boi AU I have with a friend, so I love them!

One of the OCs I currently am obsessed over is Themis aka Eulises, who was originally an OC I made a year ago as a filler for the Orange Side in my friends role plays. We used him as an antagonist in a Sanders Sides God AU we were role playing

In the original version of the AU, which was made around a year ago and we've role played many versions since, Eulises worked with Janus back when Janus was trying to take Thomas's position as the Leader of the Gods. Janus deemed Eulises's methods as too dangerous and took away his powers, banishing him to Earth and making everyone forget him. On Earth, Eulises regained his power by taking energy from human souls, and after Janus started working with the Gods instead of against them, Eulises came for his revenge.

After being defeated, Eulises was turned into a child since Janus wasn't able to outright kill him. Thomas decided to raise Eulises, now Themis, with the love and care he needs to be a better person.

Many small Gods, and Eulises's cult gathering, tried to bring Eulises back. There was also a lot of other things causing problems for the Gods. As a result, they never had a day of peace in the role play. The role play was constant angst, constant chaos, every day the chat was being spammed with storylines.

So then I created Aslov, the God of Order, and he is the most interesting Villain I ever created, but now over a year of making him a comfort character, I have reduced him to a soft wolf boi. Still, even in the present day version of the story he is a bad ass.

But back to the original version. Aslov came in and attempted to brain wash all the Gods in order to force them to do their jobs, stop making problems for each other, and actually take care of themselves. His intentions were good, but... The other Gods weren't too thrilled about the idea of all their emotions and whims being wiped away from them, and being reduced to just their core purpose.

Then comes in, the child, Themis. Once the God of Anger, Themis comes in and is like: Hey, you're acting kinda like a tyrant. You're getting pretty angry about all the chaos that's been going on, huh? Here, you be the God of Anger, I don't want to anymore.

So Aslov is now turned into the God of Anger and Themis, who takes some of Aslov's orderly powers, becomes the God of Justice

Thomas then takes in Aslov as his son, even though Aslov's an adult, and starts mentoring him to help him understand emotions better. Eventually Aslov starts helping the other Gods find better ways to prevent all the chaos.

Now, their story is much different, but I already infodumped so I'll infodump more if you want me to but it's okay if not! Feel free to infodump more about your characters if you like!

[ankulometes]

The Travellers, Vol 5, Pt 4: The Early Years

By the end of 1899, the variants had dispersed themselves around the globe. Two “families” had chosen to base themselves in the United States; the remainder were spread throughout the United Kingdom and its vast empire. They would typically turn up in one of the world’s major metropolitan centres, such as London or New York, often with middle aged clones in tow perhaps playing the role of their sadly widowed mother or father. Their backstory would usually entail them having grown up in some other part of the world. If they were arriving in the UK, this would likely be in the US or South America, to limit the potential for bumping into other former colonial types, whereas vice versa in America they came from the British Empire. Either way, their origins lay in some other suitably anonymous major metropolitan centre where no one would be surprised not to have encountered them before even if they had spent time in the relevant region.

[[MORE]]

Many of the couples in generation zero started out simply and modestly, focusing on what would become reserved occupations when conscription was enacted during the First World War. Some of them used a chunk of their startup fund to buy farms. Many were still young enough to enrol at university and then study medicine or similar. Others might then enter the teaching profession or even the Church.

In contrast, they could take what might at first appear to be a far riskier route and sign up for the British Army or the US Navy. Their chances of surviving interventions by these respective armed forces in either the Second Boer War or the Boxer Rebellion in China, both of which were kicking off at the time of their arrival, were far greater than they would be facing German guns on the Western Front between 1914-18. Besides which, their involvement in either conflict would be very much limited by their initial need to complete officer training. They would then have a relatively peaceful global geopolitical period lasting over a decade during which they would be able to attain a decent rank. Not only would this mean that their statistical chances of being killed during WW1 were actually comparatively low, but they might also be able to assist a number of the other variants who were taking by far the most dangerous path.

In this latter category were the Delaney and Moore families, the protagonists for which in generation zero were William and Cara Delaney and John and Alice Moore. We have met them before. However, this time they were going to be a little different.

The Delaneys and the Moores had now chosen to base themselves in Kings Norton on the outskirts of Birmingham so that Thomas Walsh, who was an engineer by trade, might look for work in England’s industrial heartland. However, rather than go and work for anyone else, William and John had persuaded him to help them establish their own company building motorcars, motorcycles, and bicycles.

Established in 1900, the company was called Delaney & Moore and they quickly set about building their first model which they took to races and motoring events to show off. They got a few orders from this because their vehicle was rather good. However, they were just a small garage outfit so, at the same time, they introduced themselves to John Kemp Starley to discuss bringing their designs to the Rover Cycle Company. When Starley died suddenly in October 1901 at the age of 45, they took over the company. Not long afterwards, they teamed up with Siegfried Bettmann and purchased the Triumph Cycle Company, turning it into the Triumph Motor Company under a Rover-Triumph umbrella, under which it would focus on engine development, sports and racing cars, and motorcycles.

Rover-Triumph built a new factory near their Kings Norton base at Longbridge where William Delaney and John Moore introduced groundbreaking management and manufacturing processes and techniques to the firm. In 1906, they unveiled their brand new “Rover Model 1” automobile. By the standards of the day, it was a comparatively affordable, efficient, and easy to drive mass produced vehicle that brought motoring to a wider market than ever before in the UK.

The Model 1 was available in a range of configurations, including vans and flatbeds targeted at the commercial market and had an option for a battery-powered electric drive chain, as such things were at the time. The firm then began to expand into the agricultural sector. After Rudolf Diesel’s UK patents expired in 1908, the company began to work on the development of effective engines utilising the principles behind his original designs to build more powerful and versatile tractors and commercial vehicles. By the time the First World War started, Rover-Triumph were one of Britain’s foremost manufacturers of motorcars, motorbikes, vans, lorries, tractors, and bicycles. They became a major supplier to the British armed forces and were even quite heavily involved in the development of the first tanks, concerning which we will learn more in due course. It had been a massive gamble but, as individuals working in industries vital to the war effort, William and John were exempted from military service.

The Delaney’s and the Moore’s were not alone in Kings Norton. Following their arrival in the town they had quickly met and befriended another similarly cosmopolitan group of new arrivals: the Nolan family and the Wilde family. Arthur Nolan and David Wilde were two young gentlemen of a similar age to William and John who had a background in electronics. They ran a small boutique operation with the rather grand sounding name of Mercury Electrical Industries. The company produced a small range of expensive goods in limited numbers, including gramophones (called “the audiophile”) and cameras (called “the Apollo”) along with associated parts, accessories, and media. However, it was predominantly a vehicle for its two slightly eccentric proprietors to explore their interests in the field of electronics, sound, and light, among which was the recent discovery of radio waves. Clearly, this was an even more risky path than entering the automotive industry. However, eventually you will see where these variants were going with this.

Down in Bristol, at the other end of the Midland Railway’s Bristol and Birmingham line, were another couple of young entrepreneurs by the name of Edward Fairchild and Maurice Falconer. Along with their parents, these young men had recently moved to the area just north of Bristol where they had begun establishing themselves as landowners, quietly acquiring an extensive estate around Stoke Gifford and Filton. However, Edward and Maurice were far more interested in technology than in farming. Their particular interest was flight. As early as 1904, they were beginning to look for investors who might support a new venture of theirs that they were calling the Bristol Aeroplane Company. Needless to say, they managed to find a few, including the owners of Rover-Triumph. Their capital funds were also enlarged after winning several aviation prizes.

The interventions by Edward and Maurice did not significantly diverge the course of the development of flight from MOT. A couple of their competitors picked up a few tips and tricks, but everyone was very secretive about their own designs. And with good reason. Their early efforts were just about good enough to get off the ground and win some cash, but little more. Nevertheless, after 1910 they teamed up with Triumph as an engine developer and began to make some reasonable progress. Again, nothing drastic. Nonetheless, their efforts were good enough to merit a commission from the Royal Flying Corps.

Much as Rover had sneaked in a few improvements to diesel engines to power their tanks, the Bristol Aeroplane Company had a few key innovations up their sleeve which they unveiled for their warplanes. One of these was the ability to fire forward through the propeller of the aircraft. The other was the ability to communicate by radio with the other pilots in one’s squadron. This was the brainchild of Mercury Electrical Industries, and it was a feature the aircraft shared with the tanks. Fully aware that radio communications could be intercepted by the enemy, the British military establishment were exceptionally wary of the invention. Their preference throughout the war was for hard connections through landlines. However, that was obviously not possible for mobile units. Mercury had come up with a system which scrambled the signal using a dial setting that the pilots or tank commanders would set before embarking on a mission. It was a cut above carrier pigeons, but not by a great distance. Fortunately for Arthur Nolan and David Wilde, it did gain them an exemption from conscription as important suppliers to the military.

Meanwhile, over in America, the Hughes family, supported by the Martin family, had founded a company called “The American Oil Company” or “Amoco” and were working to buy up land and drilling rights in as much of Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas as they could lay their hands on. It was a filthy bloody business, but that is exactly why the variants felt they were almost obliged to become involved. That and the fact that it would make them squillions of dollars.

It wasn’t only in the US that the team was pulling this trick. In 1906 over in Persia, or Iran as they themselves preferred to be called, William Knox d’Arcy had been looking for oil for 5 years. Having failed to find any, he was starting to run out of money. He was approached by a respectable gentleman in his early 50s who went by the name of Mr Edward Grey who was interested in buying some or all his rights in the venture.

Edward Grey’s son was a chap named Captain John Grey, a recently commissioned officer in the British Army signal corps who, by virtue of speaking Arabic and Farsi, had been stationed in the Middle East. So the story would later go, John had run into a rather remarkable young archaeologist-geologist fellow in a bar in Cairo one night by the name of Daniel Hawkins. Supposedly, he had spent the last few years exploring the wild and hostile lands of southeastern Persia and Mesopotamia. He’d bumped into a few of d’Arcy’s team during that time and the two of them were laughing about the fact that they couldn’t find anything even though Hawkins swore blind that the whole place was swimming in oil. Eventually, Edward Grey managed to persuade d’Arcy to sell him a large chunk of his stake. Daniel Hawkins then proceeded to direct George Reynolds, APOC’s geologist, to several sizable oil fields in 1908.

Unlike in the US, the crew’s involvement with the Anglo-Persian Oil Company would not alter the course of its history very much. The British government still effectively nationalised it in 1914, taking a 51% stake. However, the team would earn a lot of money from a pretty small initial investment, while John Grey and Daniel Hawkins would later go on to become names that were closely associated with the industry in the UK and the Middle East.

Ultimately, their efforts had the desired outcome. Although a few of the variants who had gone into medicine volunteered as army doctors and nurses, none of them were conscripted for the front. The only one of them to serve through the war was Lieutenant-Colonel John Grey, as he had become by 1914. However, while he visited the front on a few occasions and witnessed some of its horrors, he was not involved in fighting there. He mainly spent the war ensconced in Cairo.

In a manner that was similarly close to their intentions, although some of their technological interventions did improve the outcome of several events, including the Battle of Cambrai in 1917, it barely altered the course of the war. They did help shorten the conflict by a couple of months, but its duration was as much to do with logistics and attrition as it was to do with guns and tanks. Moreover, it takes more than weapons to win. You need to know how to deploy them strategically and have people capable of carrying out those orders.

Nor did they have anything even vaguely resembling the sort of power and influence that might have been required to affect the settlement that was imposed by the victorious powers at Versailles. Even if they had wanted to. Hitler survived. He had been very impressed by Britain’s tanks and aircraft.

[sanguine-tenshi]

I just finished Inazuma and I have words

TL;DR: Hate the story, mixed on characters, love the design and tired of being treated like a 4-year-old with a learning disability.

SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT

Let’s start with what I like.

Inazuma is absolutely beautiful. I’ll admit Inazuma hits a lot of aesthetic points for me. All the islands are different enough to feel unique but they still look like they are a part of the same land. There are a lot of secrets to discover through just exploring. Each island has a world quest to help it (make it less hostile towards you) so it very much feels like you are saving Inazuma from itself.

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The puzzles are alright.

I like the cubes that rotate, I always put in the effort to figure them out properly.

Hate the ones that don’t rotate, they just aren’t engaging enough for me, so I just hit them at random and hope for the best.

The glowing floor tiles were fun, once you actually realized what they wanted you to do. A little bit too easy if I’m honest.

The electro compass isn’t really much of a puzzle, more of a fetch the nearest electrograna quest.

Those little pillars that require an electro connection are kinda boring to me, again not much of a puzzle, the hardest part is finding both pillars.

I love the new electro seelie, kinda hard to follow the jittery thing in certain parts but they make a nice contrast to the regular seelies.

.

I’m very much mixed on characters.

Yoimiya is adorable. She is so bright and bubbly. What little game play we had with her was fun and I love her over the top style of fighting. Kinda disappointed she’s another pyro archer but I do admit it fits her character well. It was also wonderful seeing her just settle down and be quiet, just be a part of that moment that obviously meant a lot to her. It’s always nice to see that bubbly, energetic character have that one quiet thing, ya know. Kinda funny it’s fireworks, of all things, for her.

Gorou I like, from what little we’ve seen of him. My man killed a dude with his thighs so I’m down. I do find it kinda ridiculous that a resistance general has his whole damn belly exposed. There is also something about his voice that just does not fit. I cannot for the life of me put my finger on what exactly it is. Could be the tone itself, could be just voice acting. It sort of feels like the VA is trying to sound deeper than he actually does.

Sangonomiya Kokomi, mixed. I like her design, she looks like some sort of mystical priestess. Again something about the voice is jarring. I expected her to sound sort of airy, like she isn’t 100% present, like she’s seeing something we can’t. TBH she reminds me of Luna from HP for some reason. 

Yae Miko, I was interested because of her design. She sounds very arrogant and up her own ass, which would have been fine...if she hadn’t given us that god-awful line. “...I have high hopes for you, child. Don’t disappoint me.” Dear lord I wanted to punt her off the mountain. Or fucking what! Also she’s some bigshot priestess of the Sacred Sakura and yet she can’t do her damn job properly. Why couldn’t her arrogant ass come down from her high perch and cleanse the stupid roots? Why did the traveler have to do that shit?

Baal looks dead inside. Booba sword is overrated, get a life. I want a remach! And no cutscene shenanigans this time!

Kujou Sara seems like one of those ‘honor above all else’ characters. Those are either hit or miss with me. You have my attention for now. Also what are those shoes woman?! I’d rather you wear those leg-killing, needle point stilettoes instead of those Wish gag shoes. How in the name of all that is holy can you run in those?!

Thoma, I like him. At first I thought we were gonna get another Childe incident, but Thoma is too much of a innocent puppy to pull anything that horrible. To me he fits a fox a lot better than Childe does. Childe is a dingo and I stand behind that.

Kamisato Ayaka...hate her. At first I was neutral on her. Nothing about her design really spoke to me, but I was willing to wait and see. But then miHoYo started to violently push her friendship at us. We are totally friends now, this is the first time you see my face, but we are so totally friends now. And during her story quest everyone was like “Ah, you are so good Ayaka. You are so nice Ayaka. You are so perfect Ayaka. We all love you so much Ayaka. And oh, how could a mere merchant like myself...” Ew, go away. This is the first time I’m actively not pulling on a character banner. Normally I pull even if I’m not particularly interested in a character, because you never know how good their gameplay is until you take them out in the map. But I think I’ll be skipping this one. No thanks.

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And now, the worst part, the story.

We’ve been hearing about the situation in Inazuma for a long time. There has been also a lot of talk about how hard it is to get there. About the wall of thunderclouds that surround the islands. So to have it cut to black and then voila Inazuma, feel just so cheap.

I was expecting something. An animation. A struggle. A quest. A minigame. At least show us the horrible weather! Something! Anything!

Hell if they wanted to be assholes about it they could have made it so that if the player fails at this point the ship is damaged, you return to Liyue and have to wait until tomorrow for the ship to be repaired. No Inazuma for today. That sure as hell would have raised the stakes.

The next complaint I have is with Yurika, the 2 milion mora processing fee girl. Later on Thoma mentions that the agency people see the fees as easy money, so her attitude doesn’t make much sense. After all someone like her would want to extract as much money as she can, but you still want the people to be able to pay that.

So it would make more sense to me if she was overly friendly and asked way too many questions. She’d need to get a much information as she can and after all the previous hostility people would be very open with her. So she’d be able to quickly find out why someone is here, what they are selling and roughly how much money they’d be able to pay. A merchant selling expensive silk would have more many than a regular ore merchant. So she’d be able to extract as much money as she could.

“I know this is a lot of money, especially for something so simple, but there is nothing I can do about it. I’m so very sorry.” And people wouldn’t say anything bad to her because she’s the first friendly face they see in Inazuma.

The stealth mission was just god-awful and I hope we never have to do that nonsense again.

Getting off of Ritou was a bit janky at the end, Chisato should have had a better reason for coming along. But I’m honestly just glad we didn’t get out the usual way...getting stuffed in a crate and smuggled out.

As a side note, I’m getting really tired of characters overexplaining things to me, especially Paimon. Dear lord, not everything has to be said, you can leave me to come to my own conclusions and solutions. Just please, who cares if a few player struggle for a bit, you don’t have to hold my hand through the whole thing.

Ayaka’s three were...ugh. It was basic emotional manipulation. Oh no this guy forgot about the love of his life and he’s been waiting for decades. And oh how sad this guy was so good and he helped these people so much but now he can’t remember. And oh the tragedy this guy forgot his life goal and is now hunted by the demons of the past. Oh the humanity! 

And it did not work. Know why? Because I have no emotional investment in any of these people, in this land. What is happening to the vision bearers in Inazuma is tragic, true, but that doesn’t make me want to overthrow the government. I don’t live here. I just got here. I wanna ask a question or two and then move on. None of this concerns me.

I was so happy when the traveler just flat out refused to start a revolution. And then we had to go and meet some people and immediately I knew this was going to be some oh noes the tragedy moments and then we would agree to help them.

It’s so forced.

Wanna know what would have been better?

Just as we are leaving the Kamisato estate Thoma catches up with us. And he tells us he gets it. We are an outsider and this doesn’t concern us. He was hopeful but he expected the denial. We shouldn’t hold it against Ayaka.

He joins us as a guide because he knows of the people we have to meet.

And so as we help these three we also get to know Thoma. We find out he was an outsider too. He got in just before the worst of it started and then he was stuck in Inazuma. He lost someone to the Vision Hunt. They slowly lost their mind after loosing their vision, their ambition too closely tied to their personality to continue without it (what is happening to Domon hits a little too close to home and he has to walk away, this is where we hear the story of the one he lost). And the same would have happened to him if the Kamisatos hadn't taken him in. He owes them his vision, his sanity and his life.

So this rebellion is personal for him.

At the end of the three wishes the atmosphere is somber. We tell him we understand why Ayaka fights, why he fights. We know that this is all wrong, that it should be stopped...but not by us. We came here to get a lead on our brother. And rebellion isn’t an overnight affaire and we can’t loose so much time in Inazuma.

And yeah, he expected as much. He just asks that we let Ayaka down gently. It’d be a shame if someone as idealistic and hopeful as her lost their spark.

And so we are gentle but firm with Ayaka. She looks like she wants to argue with us but Thoma shakes his head at her. So she sighs and tells us that a promise is a promise. We should come to the Komore Teahouse in a few days and she’ll have a plan for us to meet with the Shogun.

Now we can still have a character story quest with Yoimiya and we can still somehow get involved with helping Master Masakatsu, but it’s through Yoimiya instead of Ayaka.

And instead of a character story quest with Ayaka we have one with Thoma. Hell, give him a whole damn hangout event even.

You can probably guess why I’m pushing the friendship with Thoma so much.

Because. He. Gets. Kidnapped. For. The. 100th. Vision. Ceremony. 

And that would have been the perfect emotional in to get us involved in the rebellion. After all we just saw what happens to people who have their visions taken away and we are not letting that happen to Thoma, someone we just got close to.

So Baal makes it personal for us as well.

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I have a few more minor complaints.

Aoi is stupid for asking for compensation after she tells us everything we needed to know because, ya know, we could have just walked away. We should have.

The whole stupid misunderstanding about the value Kurosawa’s sword holds. Kinda obvious he meant emotional value instead of monetary.

The suspicious amount of visionless NPCs and by that I mean this is the first time we have NPCs with vision. This wouldn’t have been a problem if we’ve seen NPCs with visions in Mond and Liyue.

The whole rebellion camp bit feels incredibly rushed. We just sort of lollygag over there and then there is a fight (against Sara and her stupid shoes).

Don’t make us fight Baal just to force us to lose. It would have been better if we were forced to retreat, because Thoma was injured, because there are too many soldiers for us to handle on our own. Hell, you can have a funny scene where we straight up jump off a cliff with Thoma clinging onto us and screaming bloody murder until he realizes we are slowly gliding away and he’s not about to plummet to his death.

The Sakura cleansing quest should have been voice acted.

The Mirror Maiden and Pyro Agent are totally on a date, I will not be told otherwise.

[girl8890]

Jojen Reed (Game of Thrones) Appearance Guide

Played by Thomas Brodie-Sangster

This list is relating to the HBO Max, US layout. This list contains Game of Thrones Spoilers since most of the episodes have descriptions. I may do a non-spoiler list in the future. 

If I have missed any episodes, please comment below and I’ll add the episode. This does not include manga, books, video games, or movies. This also does not include mentions. Only appearances.

Season 3

S3E2 - The first appearance of Jojen. Jojen appears in front of Bran in a dream of Bran’s while he was trying to shot a crow with an arrow. Jojen then appears again later in the episode, in real life, when Bran and Osha were resting. Jojen quiets Summer when the wolf was continually growling at him, and his sister Meera, by simply letting Summer sniff his hand and looking him the eyes. Again, later in the show, Jojen is walking with Bran and the rest of them on a road. Jojen talks about the three eyed raven with Bran, and how Bran can get into Summers head while he’s dreaming. Jojen then says he will get better with practice, and tells him he’s a wrag. They also talk about Jojen and Meera’s father, and how their father told Bran about the rebellion, as well as saved Ned Stark during it.

S3E4 - Jojen helps Bran in his dream while he’s trying to get the three eyed crow. After the dream ends, he’s by the fire watching Bran wake up.

S3E6 - While Jojen is sleeping, he starts having a seizure, so Meera coaxs him through it, and explains to everyone that this happens when Jojen has visions. When he waked up, Jojen tells Bran he saw John Snow on the wrong side of the wall with enemies.

S3E7 - Osha gets mad at Jojen for telling Bran about what is happening to him, him having warg abilities, and for only sitting around talking with Bran instead of helping Osha and the others.

S3E9 - He’s sitting in the old windmill with the rest of the Bran “squad” XD. Just talking. Then, they see a bunch of riders (wildlings) on horses near the windmill. If only they knew, the wildlings are with Bran’s brother John Snow. Jojen instructs Bran how to use his warg powers like he just did by accident to keep Hodor quiet. Later in the episode, Jojen and the rest of Bran’s “squad” are still in the old windmill. Jojen explains to Bran that his warg powers are special, and that he shouldn’t be able to get into a person mind, but he did.

A/N - This episode makes me cry, and it has nothing to do with Jojen as to why 😭⬆️

S3E10 - Jojen, Hodor, and Meera listen to Bran’s horrific story about a man that served his guest the guests own son to eat (by making him into a pie). And how that man, the one that murdered his guests son, was cursed afterwards. Later in the episode, Jojen meets Sam and Gilly. Sam tried to convince Bran to come to Castle Black, but Jojen tells them he knows about the white walkers, and getting Bran north of the wall is too important to be afraid of the dangers north of the wall. Again, later, Jojen is there when Sam explains to everyone what the dragon glass is for.

Season 4

S4E2 - After Bran wakes up from being inside Summers body/mind, Jojen explains to him it’s not good to stay in Summers head for to long. Since he’ll forget everyone and everything he knows about being human. Then, they all walk until they find a tree with red leaves and a faces carved on it. One of the sacred trees.

S4E4 - While resting for the night, Jojen and the rest of them hear a baby cry. The baby that’s supposed to be a sacrifice for the white walkers. Jojen is starting to look very sick during this episode. To help save Summer and John Snow’s wolf Ghost, they all go to the camp that’s now over run by ex night watchers. While sneaking around, they get caught when Meera decided she doesn’t want to a part of the rescue and begins to leave. Jojen begins to have a vision seizure while one of the ex night watch are interrogating them.

S4E5 - While they are all tied up, Jojen tells Bran he can’t give up. He sees a vision of a special tree behind Bran, and says it’s waiting for him - that, “this isn’t the end.” A little later, the ex nights watch chain Meera up in chins while standing up. To try and save his sister, Jojen tells the men he can help him with his “sight.” But then, one man threatens Jojen with what they are going to do to his sister Meera. A little pissed by the threat, Jojen tells him he saw his bones after his death. They all think they’re getting saved by the nights watch, but instead one of the men is taking Bran. Luckily, that doesn’t happen since Bran uses his warg abilities on Hodor. Jojen then convinced Bran to not let John Snow know he’s there, so they can continue to go to the three eyed raven.

S4E10 - They all get to the three eyed raven’s tree. While walking to the cave that meets with the tree, a skeleton grabs onto Jojen’s leg, pulling him halfway into the ice. Meera tries to help, but as she gets the skeletons hold off of him, more skeletons come out of the ice. Meera, Jojen, and Hodor who’s being controlled by Bran, are fighting off the skeletons. At one point, while Jojen is on the ground, a skeleton repeatedly stabs him in the stomach. This is where he says his finale goodbyes to Meera, and she cuts his throat for a quick death. This is the last “living” scene of Jojen Reed.

[fangirlwriting-stories]

Reflecting Light

Chapter One

Chapter Twelve:

Remus was sitting up in the crow’s nest when he felt someone start climbing down below.  He glanced over the side and saw Virgil, which was about the time Remus started wishing he could climb down the other side.

He shifted to the other wall and crossed his arms, doing his best to resign himself to his fate.  Virgil’s arms finally appeared over the side of the crow’s nest, and pushed the owner of the arms upward until Virgil could finish climbing up and sat down across from Remus.

Remus didn’t say anything, not sure if whatever he came up with would just piss Virgil off.

“So,” Virgil said, crossing his arms and looking just as uncomfortable as Remus felt.  “I’m an idiot, huh.”

Remus blinked.  “What?”

“I should’ve guessed.  After what happened with Thomas, and how you reacted, that you’d gone through something similar.  I’m sorry, Remus.”

“You’re sorry?”

“Yeah.  Yelling at you with all the fury of hell probably wasn’t the best choice in that situation.”

“What?  No, I needed that.  I would have thought you were lying about that stuff not being okay if you hadn’t brow-beaten it into me like that.  Besides, why are you apologizing?  I lied to you.”

“Yeah, but I get why.  If I ran from The Light and an abusive authority figure and found myself on the ship owned by two heads of the rebellion…” Virgil nodded to himself.  “I’d lie too.”

“Still.  Sorry I lied,” Remus said anyway.

Virgil smiled a little.  “It’s okay.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

Remus leaned back against the wall.  “I told your dad.  Well, I gave him a hypothetical that wasn’t actually a hypothetical, but yeah.  He tried to convince me you wouldn’t hate me.”

“No one ever hated you,” Virgil said.  “And if they did I’d kick their ass.”

Remus laughed a little, looking back up at Virgil.  “Can I, uh.  Can I tell you my actual story now?” he asked.

“If you want to, go for it.”

So Remus did.  It felt nice to actually tell someone who didn’t know, without trying to disguise anything or use metaphors that he was also really bad at disguising.

Virgil somehow looked guilty again when Remus finished.  He shook his head with a sigh.  “Shit, Remus, I’m sorry.”

“Again?” Remus asked, baffled.  “You didn’t do anything.”

“I just…” Virgil sighed.  “I hate the idea of you being so scared we’d hurt you, Remus.  I wish I’d known.”

“You didn’t need to,” Remus said with a small smile, nudging Virgil in the side.  “You helped anyway.”

Virgil smiled a little back.  “Hey, Remus?”

“Yeah?”

“Is this what you were going to tell us after lunch before Roman found you?”

Remus winced, and nodded.  “I didn’t want to fight him,” he murmured.  “I didn’t want to fight anyone back home, and I didn’t want you counting on me if I knew I wasn’t going to be able to help you.”

“We’re not going to make you fight anyone,” Virgil said instantly.

“I know that,” Remus said.  “But thanks for the confirmation.”

They moved on to other topics after that, and Virgil talked about how much he and Janus had both missed him the past couple days.  Remus had made some kind of joke about how peaceful his last couple days had been, but immediately after he pulled Virgil into a bear hug, so he was pretty sure Virgil didn’t buy his bullshit.  After that they lapsed into silence for a while, until Remus smacked at a bird that flew overhead and Virgil laughed.

They probably would have stayed up there for most of the morning if Thomas, who wasn’t allowed in the crow’s nest yet, hadn’t called from down below that he wanted a piggyback ride from Remus.  Remus called over the side that they’d be down in a minute, and then followed Virgil down.

Half an hour later, after more than a few remarks from Virgil about how unfair Remus’ muscles were, things were feeling closer to normal.  They would have felt completely normal if Janus had been there and Roman hadn’t been standing off to the side very obviously trying not to look at them.

One of those problems, at least, got solved after lunch, when Virgil asked Remus to come up by the wheel so he could talk to Janus.  He offered to go with him, but Remus declined.

Janus was standing at the wheel as Remus approached.  He stopped when Janus noticed and turned to face him and moved to lean tentatively back against the railing.

Remus wasn’t sure what Janus wanted him to say, so safe to say he was pretty glad when he spoke first.

“So, Virgil told me some of what happened,” he said.  Remus nodded slightly.

After another moment, Janus sighed, looking just as uncomfortable as Remus felt.  “I shouldn’t have gotten angry when Shane showed up, Remus,” he said.  “I should have given you a chance to explain.”

“It’s okay,” Remus said instantly.  “I’m sorry I lied.”

Janus gave a short huff of laughter.  “It’s alright, Remus.  I told you from the beginning you didn’t have to tell me about your past.”

“As long as it didn’t hurt anyone.  The fact that I was a Light soldier could… seriously hurt some people,” Remus muttered.

“It could, yes.  That’s why I was angry.  I… have a lot of people I care about, and I don’t want them to be hurt.”

Remus nodded, looking down.  He waited another moment before speaking again.  “You… why did you still pull Shane off of me?” he asked hesitantly.  “When you found him and me and Roman?”

Janus was silent for a moment, and when Remus looked up again he was staring at him.  “Remus, he was hurting you,” he said.

“But you were angry.  I lied to you, and you said that could cause people you care about to get hurt.”

Janus took a couple steps forward and grabbed Remus’ hands.  “You are one of those people, Remus,” he said.  “You are one of those people, and I don’t want you to be hurt either.  I… I’m sorry if I ever made you think otherwise.”

Remus smiled, just a little.  “You didn’t,” he said.  “Not really.  It’s also not your fault that I’m not good with people being upset with me.  It doesn’t mean you don’t get to be mad if I royally screw up.”

Janus nodded.  “I’ll still try and hear you out in the future, before just deciding to be mad.”

“Thanks,” Remus mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.  “That… that would help.”

Janus was quiet for a moment, long enough that Remus glanced back over.  He looked thoughtful.

“Have you talked to your brother yet?” he asked.

Remus looked away.  “No.  I don’t…”  He squeezed his eyes shut.  “I don’t know if you get how terrifying it is that Shane is on the ship.  I’m still trying to understand that I didn’t deserve to get hurt by him, and now he’s right downstairs.  And Roman brought him here.”

“You’re right, I don’t think I could understand that,” Janus admitted.  “But… I can tell you that if something happened to Virgil, I would rain down hell.  Do you think Roman is different?”

“I… I don’t know,” Remus said hesitantly.  “I always thought he just didn’t know.  I mean, I intentionally didn’t tell him.  But then the day I left…” Remus shook his head.  “I don’t know anymore.”

Janus put a hand carefully on Remus’ shoulder.  “Maybe you should ask him.  I can go with you if you want.  Or Virgil can.”

Remus shook his head.  “I don’t want you guys to be there.”  He couldn’t imagine Janus or Virgil being there while he talked to his brother about Shane.  He could barely manage talking to them about it when they were alone.  But talking to Roman… well, it didn’t seem like such a terrible idea.  He should probably try and get better at adult communication and not making assumptions and all that.

The only problem now was finding a way to do so without freaking out.

“Hey Janus?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think instead you and Virgil could stand just out of earshot and look threatening?”

Janus grinned.  “Remus,” he said.  “It would be my absolute pleasure.”

…

Remus ended up meeting with Roman at the front of the ship where he watched sunrises.  Janus and Virgil were loudly going over the weapons supply of the ship at the edge of the steps, and Remus couldn’t say he wasn’t appreciating the way it made Roman squirm as he approached.

Roman sat down on the deck next to him, looking so out of his element that it was almost comical.

“Uh, hey,” he said.

Remus nodded.  “Hi.”  He was aiming for firm or distant, but his voice ended up sounding much quieter than he liked.

Neither of them said anything for a moment.

“How— how long…” Roman started, and trailed off.

“Um.  Dunno,” Remus muttered.  “Can’t really remember a time he didn’t.”

“God,” Roman buried his head in his hands, sounding like Remus had just confirmed something he hadn’t wanted to believe.  “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” Remus said.  He was beginning to feel like a broken record, he was saying that so much.

“Yes it is,” Roman insisted.

Remus stared at him.  “No,” he repeated.  “It isn’t.”

“You’re my brother,” Roman said.  “How did I never put the pieces together?  I’ve known you my whole life, I should have been able to tell that someone was— that Shane was—”

“That doesn’t make it your fault,” Remus said.  “That just makes you an oblivious idiot.”

Roman gave a surprised huff of laughter.  “Uh.  What?  Thanks?  I guess?”

“Anytime,” Remus said, patting Roman on the shoulder as seriously as he could manage.  “But seriously, you didn’t know.  Uh.  You didn’t know, right?”

Roman shook his head firmly.  “If I’d known I would have done something.  I swear it.”

Remus wasn’t sure whether to bring up the way that hadn’t gone so well for Patton.  After a minute of deliberation he let it go for now.

Instead, he just nodded.  “Then it isn’t your fault, okay?  My turn to swear it.”

Roman gave a weak chuckle.  “Okay.  I… I’m still so sorry.  For bringing him here and trying to bring you back, I don’t—” he sighed.  “They said they were going to kill you.”

Remus’ eyes widened.  “Seriously?”

Roman nodded.  “Shane actually agreed to go with me to try and find you.  I…” Roman bit his lip.  “I talked to him a couple days ago.”

Remus swallowed.  “What did he say?”

“He said he went through the same thing you did when he was a kid,” Roman said quickly, like he had to get it all out before he changed his mind about saying it.

Remus kind of wished he had.  “…What?”

“Yeah, I know right?” Roman said, shaking his head.  “What a piece of shit reason.”

Remus looked down.  “Yeah.”

Images popped up in his head of Shane as a tiny little kid, just as scared as Remus was.  Why did that image make his stomach squirm in so many different ways?

He wanted to move on in the conversation now.

“It really is okay, though,” he said to Roman.  “Promise.  It was my own fault for assuming the day I left.”

“I’m glad you assumed,” Roman replied.  “It got you out.”

Remus couldn’t come up with anything to say for a second.  “…Oh.”

“Yeah,” Roman said quietly.

They were both quiet for a minute.  Remus leaned his head against Roman’s shoulder and took a minute to appreciate the fact that his brother was here and didn’t know and didn’t think he should be able to handle being abused.

Roman wrapped an arm around Remus’ other side, and they both sat there for a minute.

“Hey, Ro?”

Roman glanced over.  “Yeah?”

“We’re going back for Patton and Logan, right?”

Roman nodded firmly.  “Absolutely,” he said, in the tone he only used when he was certain about something.

“Good,” Remus said with a nod of his own.  “I don’t want to leave them there.  I don’t know what they’d do to them.”

Roman winced, and Remus remembered that he’d only been aware of any kind of problems with their old home for a couple days.  But after a second, Roman just sighed.  “Yeah,” he agreed.

They didn’t say anything for another minute.  Remus decided he was getting sick of serious conversations.  “Do you want to come see the morningstar these idiots trust me with?”

“Oh my god they’ve doomed us all,” Roman muttered, and Remus cackled.  Roman smiled as he glanced back over.

“Yeah, let’s see it,” he said.

“Excellent!” Remus cried, leaping up.  “Come on!”

He dragged Roman back down towards the main deck, straight past Janus and Virgil who gave them a wave as they went, and down to his room.  Maybe he’d find a sword for Roman.  They could definitely cause some chaos together.

Chapter Thirteen

[dini73]

Together - Chapter 5

A little something for a special someone on a special day.

Boom!

“Ah, fuck!”

Tommy startled awake, still half asleep, trying to make sense of the dull bang that penetrated his dreams, followed closely by Alfie, cursing like in the old days. Only, well… only it nothing was like it was back then. No wait, that wasn’t true, this voice, his voice still provoked that strange feeling of excitement tension and warmth Tommy would never get tired of and dreaded ever losing.

He forced himself not to drift back to sleep to dwell in memories, realizing that he was here, by his side. That he had been for decades now. That it was real. That there was a they. They. Him. Alfie…Alfie – a painful moan reached the covers and settled on Tommy’s pillow. It whispered in his ear. Yeah, Alfie. Alfie. Oh shit!

“Alfie?! You alright?”

“Did that fucking sound alright to you, Thomas?”

Drowsily, Tommy reached for the bed side lamp, pinching the bridge ofhis nose when he sat up on their bed. His heart was racing after he realized he had nearly fallen asleep again.  He forced himself to open his eyes and saw that the chair Alfie used to put his clothes onto when he undressed, had fallen over and blocked the door. Alfie himself was leaning onto that door; he’d obviously been trying to get out, and was now panting, his face was contorted with pain.

As fast as his stiff bones allowed Tommy rushed out of the bed and over to him, getting the chair and lifting it up with one hand, while reaching around Alfie’s shoulder with his other arm.

“Hey, Alfie?”

Alfie leaned into Tommy’s embrace, closed his eyes, wishing he’d hear anything like “sweetheart” or “love” added to the question. But Tommy had never used any pet names for him, not in all these years and Alfie felt an anger crept up from his belly, through his throat, up to the head, which felt incredibly hot, before he freed himself from the hug and spit out:

“Alfie what? Alfie Solomons, yeah? Why don’t you call me Mr. Solomons, hm?!”

“What? Alfie, what…why were you stumbling around in the pitch dark?”

“Oh, fuck you, THOMAS! I have to piss, I couldn’t sleep, I miss Errol and I am fucking blind! It’s always damn dark for me now!”

Okay, that blow had hit.

Leaning against each other and the dark wooden door, their bodies were pressed together close enough to feel each other’s heartbeats drumming between their chests, to feel the other man’s breath upon their cheeks. Tommy had to pull himself together with all the control he had left in order not to lose his composure. He wished scenes like this would be new for him, but they had invaded their life more and more often during the last months, eating away Tommy’s strength and energy like a plague. He loved this huge, warm, and bearded manifest of intellect, wit, power, and ailment so much. He loved his solid rock and still there was nothing he could do but watch as this once indestructible mountain slowly but constantly being eaten away by that corrosive bacterium.

All his life there was nothing Tommy feared more than being helpless. And now he had to watch helplessly as Alfie’s health was getting worse and the once intimidating man appearing more and more a shadow of his former self. Since he could remember, Tommy had never allowed himself to show any weakness, he simply couldn’t for the sake of survival, and he wouldn’t start to do so now.

While Tommy knew that Alfie was slightly exaggerating about being blind, he also knew that the emphasize was on ‘slightly’; Alfie was still able to see most of the things that went on in the light of day, but only  just barely. But losing his beloved Errol a few months ago had been a true tragedy to Alfie from which he seemed unable to recover.

Alfie had always loved the dog deeply, but the more his eyesight has been decreasing, the greater his love and dependence on his loyal companion had become.

What Alfie needed now he could only get from the man he had spent the last decades with.

Tommy had to shift his head away from their closeness a bit to move the chair out of the way.  Pushing Alfie out into the hall then there was no need to say anything. They didn’t need words to know that Alfie was sorry for yelling and grateful to have Tommy by his side. They knew Tommy was deeply sorry for Alfie’s loss and that it tormented and frustrated him to no ends that he could neither bring back Eroll nor Alfie’s eyesight.

“You gonna wait here, listen to me taking a piss?” Alfie’s deep voice grumbled.

“Guess I’d rather wait here and listen to you cursing me and the whole fucking world, eh?” Tommy rasped back.

“A clever man you are Thomas Shelby, always have been.” Alfie went on rambling while he went into the bathroom, leaving the door slightly ajar.

Tommy couldn’t help but smile when he leaned onto the wall. “So it was my intellect then that captured you and made you stay by m…” He had to clear his throat. There was no reason to be asking this question, even if meant as a joke. Tommy felt the years aching in his bones. Looking up the ceiling, a headache creeping up the back of his head, he longed for a cigarette. He hadn’t had this desire in forever. But right now, he wished he could smoke nonchalantly and then casually accompany Alfie back to the bedroom. But the old walls of their home had long since ceased to see anything that resembled nonchalance.

From inside the bathroom came a disgruntled shout: “Oi Tommy, lavender? That how you like me to smell for you now?!”

Alfie was welcomed with a beautiful smile when he stepped out of the bathroom. Over the years the number of smiles had grown, but they were never quite enough, if you asked Alfie. The good thing about them was, that they had been sincere ever since Tommy had come to Margate. So, it was pretty much the only thing Alfie had never teased Tommy about throughout all their time together, cherishing them far too much.

And Tommy, well he had just grabbed that bar of soap during his last shopping in a hint of sentimentality. Why not think back to the women in his life with a certain heartfelt nostalgia? It hadn’t just been Lizzie who liked this smell, no, the most cherished memory about this tiny violet piece of scented soap was that his mother had used for special occasions. Not that she had many occasions to use it; more often, it was the scent of curd soap that Tommy remembered when he thought of his mother. But the lavender brought with it more pleasant, optimistic memories of her.

“You coming? Or planning on getting me pneumonia?”

Startled from his thoughts, Tommy offered Alfie his arm. A few years ago, this gesture had still felt strange to him, but Alfie loved being able to hold on to his arm. Thinking about it now, the occasions when Alfie had gently nestled on his arm had been rare. He'd used Tommy's arm more often to hold it almost painfully, or pushed it down in a last rebellion, as if to prove to Tommy that he still had the upper hand. But Tommy had never bothered. He knew Alfie would always be the stronger one of them, in many ways. Not to mention, he was the only person to whom Tommy had ever given himself completely, who he’d opened himself up to.

Tonight, they both seemed to dwell in the warmth of one and another’s heat, enjoying their closeness. And no grudge was held when Tommy helped Alfie climb to bed, instantly nestling up to him under the same blanket.

It was overwhelming, and who was Alfie to complain about the sudden closeness?  A closeness he had longed for too long, a closeness that had always been so hard to get from Tommy even when they were physically close.

And now he couldn’t do anything but close his useless eyes and lean into Tommy’s touch, a touch that felt like velvet floating over noble wood as Tommy caressed Alfie’s cheek. Those rugged cheeks that needed to be awoken by Tommy’s fingertips like jagged rocks thirsting for a cold stream. Tommy traced every furrow life had drawn as carefully as if Alfie would burst into a thousand pieces under his touch.

Alfie inwardly rolled his eyes and let out a low grunt.

“Hmm?”

“Now, look at my little fawn.”

“God, Alfie. Fawn?” Tommy couldn’t help but laugh against Alfie’s neck- he had just wanted a kiss.

“That’s by far the most ridiculous name you have ever given me,” he said, smiling lovingly and planting a heartfelt kiss on Alfie’s dry lips. But the latter broke it and stated:

“Hmm, might be, Tommy boy. But fitting. Look at you, as delicate as ever and still on guard.” His voice got lower and nearly broke when he whispered: “Always afraid something would startle you.”

The accusation slightly lingering between them, Tommy pressed his body against the man he loved dearly.

“Nothing could have ever scared me off once I finally had the guts to get here, Alfie and you know that.”

“What…” Alfie tried to ask, confused, as he felt Tommy slowly climbing over him, a skinny leg now next to each of his thighs. But before Alfie could form his question Tommy’s thick hands cupped his face. Hands that Alfie had always thought too bulky for the rest of the fine body.

“Listen to me, Alfie Solomons.” And it was from the experience of many years together, rather than what he could see now, that Alfie felt how icy blue eyes penetrated his soul, boring through his heart on their way. He swallowed hard.

“I will never leave you.”

And before either of them had the chance to even think or breath Tommy clashed their lips hungrily together.

Shivering lips opened like the starving mouth of a young bird savoring the hot tongue that demanded attention.

Their aching bodies started to grind against each like a ritual of a thousand years, something that had always been there. Or at least should have been. Their worn bodies fitting into the other one as if some gracious god had created them for nothing else.

And suddenly, they were not old men, long forgotten by the ones that had once feared them. No, they were some careless, strong men, vibrating with life and youth, exchanging all the delicious fluids the body could offer. They were meant for this. They were meant for each other. They were meant to be together. Forever.

Their orgasms hit them hard. Almost too exhausting but for the amazing high it rendered.

Fast, restless breaths echoed throughout their room as they tried to come back to their senses. Slipping out, Tommy lay down on his back, shuffling as close to Alfie as possible.

And for a while they just lay there.

Both stared at the ceiling for a while before their hands found each other and their fingers gently stroked over the other's soft, wrinkled skin.

They knew this was exactly what they had always longed for, had desperately searched for during their youth and then later thought they could find it with somebody else.

A wave of unbelievable gratitude took hold of Tommy as Alfie’s voice drifted through his post-coital bliss.

“Guess what I heard today on the radio, my love,” Alfie said, his enthusiasm making his voice sound years younger.

“Hmm?” Tommy had already been nearly asleep, and the mischievous tone of Alfie made him suspicious, but he was too tired to pay much attention to it.

“Karl Marx, that old communist himself, got a statue today at Highgate cemetery.” Tommy drowsily wondered why Alfie was telling  him this in such a triumphant voice. Alfie went on: “They said, ‘the face has formidable benignity, the face of a father who would chastise his children but always in sorrow’. Think your little communist lady back then would have liked that, no?”

“God, Alfie.” And no darkness in the world could prevent Alfie from practically feeling Tommy's eyes roll.

Tommy slowly positioned his head on Alfie’s chest.

“Benignity, hm?”

“Yeah.” Alfie pondered  “Always wished I could have been that wise Jew, owning benignity.”

Tommy slowly stroked Alfie’s wild hair that was streaked with tiny drops of sweat like the grass from the dew.

“Wouldn’t have done you much favor back then,” he whispered while closing the last of the distance between them.

“Come here,” he ordered, without any sharpness in his tone.

They shuffled around a bit, Alfie still mumbling incoherently when Tommy finally embraced Alfie in his arms, realizing he had never felt more at ease.

Yeah, it may have taken him decades to relax and just accept certain things, well accept himself and his needs and shortcomings, accept Alfie and him, but just look at them now. He smiled. Here they were, Tommy, now the big spoon, after years of him being roughly embraced, held close by a protective Alfie as he painfully shook during sleepless nights, chased by his nightmares. Tommy’s eyes started to burn, and he was glad they were already closed…

Once Alfie’s expression relaxed and his breathing got slower and deeper, Tommy leaned over, kissed his forehead, and whispered: “Good night, benign Jew." Only to add, barely audibly, “My love.”

Taglist: @mintjamsblog @whatsmyline-pb

[duchesschameleon]

codependent idiots

an ajf playlist for @winterscaptain

hello tali! and everyone else reading this.

music is something incredibly important to me, as a musician and as someone who hates existing in silence. I always need something in the background. so, what better way to celebrate 100 ajf fics than with a playlist? tali, I am so incredibly proud of you for 100 ajf fics and so honored to have been part of the journey. and to be your friend. seeing the hard work that goes into this universe and how much you love it is just incredible. I cannot wait for what comes next and to see you continue to create and grow this universe that I love so, so much. you are amazing and wonderful and I love you to bits and pieces darling.

so without further ado, here’s the playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0RpXkdEbsdMqX6l5daBdaL?si=bae62e4556674c84

These songs make me think of ajf or just fit the universe - it’s not about one specific moment or one specific relationship, it’s ajf as whole. So I’ve included a little explanation for each song, considering there isn’t a cohesive sound.

paper rings - taylor swift

this one is pretty self explanatory. it’s a song about loving someone so much you don’t care how, when, or why you marry them. considering meraki, I think we can all agree this fits.

I will follow you into the dark - death cab for cutie

this is a song that screams going to the end of the line for someone. and we’ve seen time and time again (and I’ve referenced it in many a commentary) that aaron & mom lean on each other for everything. they are so reliant on each other for everything and I feel like this song captures it. 

be my baby - the ronettes 

another classic love song. and just the right amount of sweetness for aaron & mom I think. their love, to me, is a deep and everlasting love that endures and as we’ve seen in the fic, is filled with sweet moments between each other. and there’s a lot in this song about knowing you love someone from the start.

can’t keep on loving you from a distance - elliot yamin

this fits into berry hill/mean it ajf I think. it’s the yearning guys. it’s the not being able to love someone from afar anymore and wanting to do something about it. yeah I threw in a little angst, but this is one of my favorite songs. it’s good and it fits. it’s a crossroads.

die a happy man - thomas rhett

pretty self explanatory, listen to the lyrics. it's all about needing just the love of the person you love the most in this world. that is aaron and mom to a t. 

unforgettable - thomas rhett

okay an upbeat song! this one is not forgetting any detail from when you met the person you love. again, aaron and mom. also it’s one of my favorite thomas rhett songs. it’s about inevitability, knowing that you’ve found your person, and not forgetting a single thing about them. 

this will be (an everlasting love) - natalie cole

aaron always gives me classic song vibes, he likes the oldies and what he was raised on. this song is...it is happiness personified. it is happiness and joy in a song and you cannot convince me it wasn’t played at the wedding. 

make a life, not a living - brett kissel

okay so first off: brett kissel is an amazing canadian country artist whom I love dearly. this is his newest song and it was released just in time for this. this ENCAPSULATES ajf for me - this aaron that allows himself to live and love again, to have this happiness and joy. it’s all about making a life, and making a good one. this is ajf for me. 

between you and me - brett kissel

and this one is for all the 18+/nsfw moments. listen to the song and it's pretty self-explanatory. 

at last - etta james

it took them like 6 years (? I think) to get together and another 2.5 to get married. someone played this at the wedding and you cannot convince me otherwise. again, it goes to inevitability and how everyone was waiting for this to happen. we knew it was gonna happen, it was just a matter of when. so when it does happen, everyone’s screaming “AT LAST!”

kiss me - ed sheeran

okay this album came out in 2011, mean it happened in 2011...it fits. and this song screams mean it to me. that’s really all I have to say

give me love - ed sheeran

same reasoning as kiss me. I just couldn’t decide which one fit more. but they both work.

growin’ up - bruce springsteen

this song is less mom & aaron and more ajf in general. it’s rebellion and doing what you want - hello bau - and it’s just a great song about learning and growing up and doing things your way. also it’s me, there had to be springsteen on here somewhere

mary’s place - bruce springsteen

run with me on this one: you’re driving in the car with your family, people you love, and this song comes on. you can’t help but smile and sing along and it is happiness personified. this one is all about the vibes, not the lyrics or meaning of the song. this to me is a bit of a party starter and something that could play at every bau party. familiar faces, laughter, gathering people together….this is all about having a good time with people you love. 

we take care of our own - bruce springsteen

last springsteen song I promise. this one is similar to above, it’s all about a family and being there for one another. looking out for your own, looking out for each other. 

some day one day - queen

this is a great soft, sweet song talking about hope for mom & aaron. much like this is early in queen’s discography, it fits into the early years of ajf. 

you’re my best friend - queen

self explanatory. they are codependent, they rely on each other so much, they are best friends and lovers. it fits so well. and this song will always put a smile on my face.

another one bites the dust - queen

another unsub bites the dust because the bau is great at their jobs. and, this screams hotchner’s dancing around the kitchen or the living room. they seem like the kind of family to dance around and film each other for….no ulterior motive whatsoever (/sarcasm)

my wish - rascal flatts 

so this fits for the wedding vows BUT ALSO - during enough when aaron is thinking about how he’ll fit into reader’s life. he just wants them to have a good life, to find happiness. that is his wish for them. 

danger zone - kenny loggins

we all know the hotchner’s love top gun. they absolutely, unabashedly love this song and blast it for a dance party. 

landslide - fleetwood mac

maybe it’s because we sang this at my camp as a last night campfire song, but I can see this being a song sung to the littles to get them to settle down. the lyrics might not make total sense but it’s a bit of a vibe. 

this is it - scotty mccreery

it’s a great love song and I love it. it gives me ajf vibes for many reasons and many moments in the series

not alone - mcfly

OH ITS TIME FOR MY MCFLY SOAPBOX. mcfly is a band that yes, I mostly know because of the close geography of the internet and early 2010s british youtubers. they are a big band in the uk and they were in an early 2000s movie called just my luck with chris pine and lindsay lohan. I love the movie, I love mcfly. seriously, they are one of my favorite bands ever. not alone is a great song and one I think can be the background for many ajf scenes. and yes this is about to start a few mcfly songs on the playlist

I wanna hold you - mcfly

it’s just about being close and wanting to hold the person you love. how many times during ajf do we see mom & aaron with a hand on each other and reaching for one another? 

it’s all about you - mcfly

I tend to find this is the most well known mcfly song. it was written for one of the band members’ wife and it’s so good. and yes, again, it encapsulates the love aaron and mom have.

being alive - company

I kinda had the realization that this song screams aaron to me. that for so long he fought against his feelings and was almost content with being alone, with not having anyone. he sort of holds himself at arms length, like bobby does throughout company. and then at some point, there’s a switch. and he realizes that being alone is not the same as being alive and he wants to have someone to hold and someone to be alive with. and that’s what this song is about. 

louder than words - tick, tick, boom

there are so many times where aaron and mom just look at each other. they use their actions, their body language, and their eyes to communicate and forgo words. they don’t need words. and it’s not just with one another. it’s with jack and the littles and the whole team. actions truly do speak louder than words in this universe. 

always will - bright star 

it’s a mean it & mistletoe song. “we’re supposed to be/together it’s true/I’ve had my doubts/but not about you.” these lyrics SCREAM ajf and this is one of my favorite songs from bright star - WHICH IS AN UNDERRATED MUSICAL.

dirty little secret - all american rejects

okay so it’s never a dirty secret, but this fits in during the mean it arc. they’re so secretive and sneaking around. we needed one unhinged song here okay???

the power of love - huey lewis & the news

this is a song that fits the relationship, but is also something that could play in the hotchner house and get everyone singing and jamming. or could be played at dinner at uncle dave’s house to get everyone up and dancing on the flagstones.

sharp dressed man - zz top

it’s aaron hotchner. also, this is a song I can see aaron making his kids listen to (yes my dad made me listen to this a lot growing up)

I want to hold your hand - the beatles

yes we need a beatles song on here and yes this is one that always makes me think of ajf. there’s always some way people are touching - linking pinkies, holding hands, a finger through a belt loop, hands on the top of someone’s chair - touch and contact are important here so yes this is the requisite beatles song.

the heart never lies - mcfly

one more mcfly song. just listen to the lyrics and you’ll know why it’s one of my favorites. for as long as these two fought their feelings and denied them, the heart never lies. and their eyes can give it away.

[angelicichor]

Wait. Requests are open? Fuck yes. Then I request Thomas bending me over stuff and fucking me into next year! Art or words man it don't matter. Its gonna be fantastic either way .My U R G E S are out of this world right now.

U… I like you. I might actually do some more….. F I L T H Y art of Tommy-boy, but I ain’t home now so that’ll have to wait. For now however… 

N//SF//W

Thomas being a bit too eager… but in a good way.Female reader for this one… sorry folks.

Enough

Summer has been a bad season in Texas, for obvious reasons - heat, dryness and dust, oh god the dust, it was everywhere, sticking to everybody’s sweat covered bodies, making it unbearable to go shirtless, but also impossible to go with anything more prude on.

In a way you had a hate-love relationship with this season, you’ve always lived in colder places, so the warmth of the sun was murdering you and seeing Charlie with his big ol’ belly pouch and old man tits out, covered in white, untamed chest hair was an ENORMOUS problem, but at the same time tis’ was the season for drinking refrigerated sodas and eating copious amounts of ice cream that Luda Mae made herself and gosh darn it was delicious.

But the most amazing stuff wasn’t any drink or a snack, no, it was the full-blown dinner date that was Thomas, abandoning his usual shirt and tie to don a simple black tank top, that clung to his chest almost perversely, showing off his robust bicep, beautifully shaped triceps, as well some of the powerful muscle of his back, his tan skin glistening with sweat as he bent over a car’s hood, opening it to check what in tarnation was wrong with Hoyt’s sheriff car, the old man being too damn lazy to do it himself, god bless him for that.

With the apron gone you also had a wonderful view of Tommy’s firm legs and thick ass, stretching the material every time he’d bend over to reach inside the machine. It looked so damn squeezable, but you knew better than to interrupt the man at work, knowing that Luda would be over you in a second, scolding you for not working yourself. You loved her, but how could she NOT understand that her son was a god damned gem and you NEEDED to take a closer look at him.

He seemed oblivious to your hungry gaze coming from the porch, unaware how his form made your heart flutter and your gut heat up thinking of all the wonderful things that behemoth could do to you and that fact made you FURIOUS. It’s not like you didn’t try to initiate things either, just every time you tried anything Charlie would bring in some new meat or Luda would need her son to go to the station with her to help unpack some deliveries or Monty needed to be carried off the sun, too tired from the heat to move on his own.

Little to say, you were frustrated, but a chance to take revenge on this beautiful, dark haired bastard was coming and oh so very soon.

The thought brought a devilish grin onto your face, an expression that made Charlie go “You alright, girlie?” above you and you snapped to attention. “Ya lookin’ at my nephew like he the next one in line for dinner.” He laughed and you puffed at him, standing up with a slight blush, dusting off your jeans.“Sorry, sir, just thought of something funny.” you lied and he cocked an eyebrow, not really believing you.“U-huh, sure, darlin’. Ya ready to go into town? Got the money?” he asked and you smiled warmly, lifting your purse up and shaking it slightly. “Good, let’s go.” 

With that you almost jumped towards the old pick-up that waited right next to Hoyt’s sheriff car. Not able to resist the urge you took a swing and slapped Tommy’s perked butt, making him rise in shock and hit his head on the metal above him. You laughed, before getting into the truck and closing the door, so he wouldn’t pull you out. He most likely still could, but instead he rolled his eyes, massaging his head and shaking it shortly in disbelief before going back to work.

Once in the town you quickly parted with Hoyt, running to find a decent, still functioning clothes store, a woman on a mission.

Your plan wasn’t enacted until the next morning, however. For once you’ve been happy that Thomas always woke up way before you, leaving you to your own devices. That was his biggest mistake yet.

The day was pleasant, even with the sun shinning down on all of you mercilessly, there was a nice breeze going through, something you all hoped would be there to stay. You were very helpful right from the morning, shining with enthusiasm when told to hang the laundry, feed the chickens in the coop Charlie and Thomas installed some time ago, and then come back to help Luda Mae make some cookies.

And you probably though you were cute, wearing that baby blue summer dress that was just a bit too short to be innocent, with a bow in front, slightly to the side, as well as those stockings that hugged your tight just right, making it look so squeezable, with those flat sandals that made you look just so much shorter and more adorable. 

And you’d also think you were being sly, brushing your hand across Tommy’s forearm while passing him on the way to the coop in a rush, as if the chickens were going to escape, or when you heard his boots stop in from of the kitchen entrance and ‘dropped a fork on accident’, bending down with only your back, giving him a peek at your white, frilly underwear, and acting like you totally didn’t mean to lick that batter of the spoon in such a seductive way.

But he knew what you were doing, realized it the moment he has seen your outfit and those hungry eyes you gave him unconsciously, but Thomas was a patient man. He let you play your game, refusing to give in to your advances, so you’d be forced to come to him and ask properly for him to take you, enduring the constant sting of arousal building in his body when he would notice you, going around, completing your tasks, acting like you don’t notice him. He was doing a fine job, too.

That is, until you up and tripped, falling to your knees right before him and looking up at his masked face with those huge, bashful eyes, a blush creeping it’s way onto your cheek.

And Thomas could swear he heard something in his head snap. 

You tried to get up, but before you could rise one leg you’ve been swooped up by your neck to met his eyes. There was an anger to them, but it wasn’t what made you shiver, it was the true, unfiltered, primal lust that resonated from them, as well as the sweet smell of hormones and frustration making your head spin and leg pull up slightly, as your hands helped the rest of your body not suffer from the Butcher’s hold.

The next time you blinked, your whole body has been shoved onto the kitchen table, Thomas’ free hand throwing multiple objects onto the floor, creating a lot of noise that made your anxiety spike, but he couldn’t care less, leaning into you, one hand still keeping you in a choke-hold, the other gripping onto your tight, giving it a good, firm squeeze. His forehead pressed onto your lightly, his eyes focused on yours, a small smirk rising on his lips, followed by a hungry lick, delight hitting him hard when you shivered just at his hot breath hitting you.

With a rushed motion he pushed one of your legs away, the other giving way for his muscular tight, pressing onto your heat, you hips bucking against it in reflex, wanting to feel the man’s warmth.

His free hand shifted from your tight to your chest, rising with your heated breaths, stopping at your right tit and massaging it roughly, pinching your nipple the moment it started hardening, a quiet laugh moving his body when you squeaked at the sensation, your hands moving form his forearm to your mouth, pink painting your cheeks. With that the hand holding you down moved, trailing your body down, until it reached your heat, then pressing against it and rubbing it up and down slowly through your already soaked panties, his index finger pressing them in to reach deeper inside you. 

Your hands stifled your whimpers and moans as he teased your chest and entrance, seemingly not phased by the fact that anyone could walk in on you two at any second, that Luda Mae was supposed to come back to resume making the baked treats, but you were slowly forgetting about all that too, too focused on how good his hand felt on your covered cunt, how his eyes pierced yours, so close, warning you not to move a muscle if you wanted him to be nice and you feared what would happen if you disobeyed. 

Soon enough one of his fingers slid your panties to the side, making you feel vulgar, even more that you already did, exposed to the world on the table, but all the anxiety you felt melted into nothing, as one of his fingers slid inside you, unannounced. It moved slowly, parting your walls and teasing your nerves, making you tremble at the feeling, insides clenching with need, allowing him to please you, even more so when a second one joined, picking up the speed, already making you feel almost full with how thick and rough they were, hitting you exactly where you needed them. 

Your trembling fingers kept collecting your sounds of pleasure, hiding your face from him once he lifted his head away from your face, to look down at your squirming form and he wouldn’t have that, leaving your breasts and pulling your hands above your head, your lips pressing in a line as a reaction and you saw the satisfied smile on his face. 

A third finger squeezed it’s way inside you, making your head loll back in shock, a weak moan leaving your lips and that was enough for him. 

Slowly he pulled his fingers out of you, making you whimper at the sudden emptiness, eyes closing just for a second, just to look back at him with a small pout, silently telling him how rude he was to do something like this to you, but his devilish smile let you know that he didn’t care, bringing his fingers, still covered in your slick to your face with a silent order, to which your lips pressed together in an act of rebellion. 

An act that he quickly ruined, pushing his hips against you, spreading your legs further to accommodate his width and making you gasp with the pressure of his hardened erection, still covered with his jeans, on your needy cunt. The moment your lips parted his fingers slid in and his eyes warned you not to bite, so fearfully you obeyed, letting your tongue collect your wetness, with a deep flush on your cheeks. 

Finally his fingers retreated, leaving you panting below the giant, eyes closed in shame. 

You heard a clack and some shuffling and just seconds later something warm and slick pressed against your entrance, forcing your eyes open, wide in terror as you struggled to get your hands free, but to no avail with Thomas’ hand still holding them down like an iron shackle. 

“No, no Tommy!! Somebody will see, please not he--!” ignoring your pleas he shoved himself into you, the power in his thrust making you scream out, moving the table slightly. Your legs pressed up to your chest, spasming slightly, as the thickness of his cock spread you wide, making your muscles tighten, a long whimper escaping your mouth, your body unable to relax around him, your only saving grace being your wetness and you scolded your brain for bringing the phrase “curiosity killed the cat” to your head.

The pull of his hips burned, sending spiking pleasure throughout your whole body, mixed with a hint of pain, and the second thrust was not kinder, again earning him a sweet whimper, as you desperately tried to stay at least a bit quiet, but as his speed slowly picked up, reaching a steady rhythm, making the leftover things on the table clatter, you couldn’t handle being silent anymore. Every time he hit your end, you moaned, screamed, cried for him to go faster, harder, and he happily obliged, making you see stars over and over again, your hands struggling in his grip, body lifting off the table in a fit of pure ecstasy, letting him ravage you, use you however he wanted, you brought this upon yourself, after all, and now you were going to pay dearly for your teasing.

Just as your mind was becoming a mess you heard a crack and panic returned to you, making your walls clench against his dick sharply, making him groan, his free hand pressing onto your hips, hard enough to leave bruises, but you noticed another crack and realized something horrible.

“To---Thomas!!” You screamed and his eyes shoot up to yours, making your skin errupt in goosebumps at just how feral he looked. “Th---The table!! The table’s gonna!!” You warned and he growled, both of his hands lifting you up to his chest, still kept full of him, until he pulled out just to slam you on your belly onto the kitchen counter, kicking the breath right out of your lungs, and plunging right back into you, his furious hands reaching to the walls as he kept himself steady, pounding into you aggresively. One of them pressed your head to the wooden surface, before grabbing your hair and forcing you up and into an arch, the other following to keep you steady by your waist, forced to look him in the eye.

You felt your climax building, quickly and he didn’t protest when your fingers found your swollen clit, circling it furiously, desperate to reach that peak and you saw him smile, his lips mouthing the word “COME” and with your eyes shooting wide open you did, your walls collapsing on his cock in an almost painful manner, but he forced them away, seeking his own release, ridding your orgasm out as you screamed his name repeatedly, only strengthening his desire to destroy you, finding the strength to pound you harder, fuzzing your mind, making you a babbling, begging mess, moaning as your head was slammed back onto the counter and adoring the dizziness that came with the sudden motion.

His fingers digged into your hips, keeping you still and the stutter in his last harsh thrust was the only thing that warned you of his collapse, warm strings of thick come filling you up, making you moan in a higher pitch, your insides twitching against him, reaching another, smaller orgasm alongside his and your body gave out, trembling, shaking, exhausted, whining when he pulled out, cum slowly dripping out of you and onto your oversensitive thighs. He didn’t move you, instead putting his dick back into his boxers and zipping his pants back up, buckling his belt and letting you get up onto your shaking arms before wrapping his strong arms around you, his leather mask pressing onto your neck, so he could kiss it’s nape and you could swear you heard something similar to the words “I win” escape him, but he wouldn’t... Yeah, no, he would and you elbowed his belly weakly in protest, to which he rumbled a laughter, nuzzling into your hair, both of you covered in sweat.

Then again you felt your body being lifted and eased onto his shoulder, your hands shooting back to your skirt to cover your slightly exposed pussy as he carried you out of the room, grabbing one of the already prepared cookies off the counter and biting into it with a cocky smile.

“Tommy!” you heard Hoyt’s voice from the living room and you hoped he couldn’t see you, one of your hands covered however much of your face it could. “Ya done fucking over there, ya bastard?” The old man laughed and the embarrassment of being caught made your shake in Tommy’s grasp, even more so when he just.... NODDED. “Good! Get me some meat when you’re all cleaned up, boy! We need to get dinner started.” Hoyt replied and you died slightly inside, knowing damn well that you would not survive this evening, mentally.

It didn’t help that after the shower your body refused to function, protesting to the treatment your monstrous man has given it, so Tommy had to carry you down to the table, his chest just swelling with pride and you HATED IT.

Still, even with Hoyt’s rude remarks... It was worth it.

[writingblock101]

Roof Tops (Duke Thomas x Reader)

Request for Anon: “If we get caught, you can’t speak English, and I’m deaf!” with Duke

Based off actually rooftops I’ve gone on. Trespass carefully kiddos. 

Word count: 1,600

Tags: @idkmanicantenglish @mayahoelland2013 @incrediblysadstudent (hello discord friend, welcome to my account)

“Come on, babe,” Duke begs. “It’ll be fun!” 

“I don’t know, Duke…” You trail off. “What if we get caught?” 

“If we get caught, you can’t speak English and I’m deaf,” Duke insists, very sold on his foolproof plan. 

You can’t help but chuckle at his plan. 

“What if we get caught by someone more dangerous than the cops?” You propose. 

“Good thing you’ll have Signal there to protect you,” He grins, puffing his chest. “I’ve done this a lot before, I know all the good spots.” 

You frown again, skimming through all the possibilities. Roofing sounds really cool and you would love to see Gotham at night from some rooftops, but you’re afraid of getting caught. It would constitute as trespassing and your parents would kill you if you got arrested. 

“Please,” He begs, looking eager. “I promise I’ll keep you safe.” 

You sigh, barely able to say no to his excitement. 

“Okay, fine. Let’s go roofing.” 

“Yes!” Duke cheers, giving you a quick kiss. “Trust me, you’re going to love it. We’ll leave at 11. Wear something dark.” 

“11?” You question, looking down at your phone. “It’s not even 6 o’clock yet!” 

“We’ve gotta wait until everything closes,” Duke points out. “Also, I may or may not be luring you into a dinner at the Manor,” He ends with a hopeful grin. 

You sigh, rolling your eyes. While you like your boyfriend’s dysfunctional family, sometimes dinners get a little out of hand. 

“Come on, I need someone to back me up in mediating arguments between Damian and Tim,” Duke pouts. “I don’t have Dick or Cass there to help and Jason just adds fuel to the fire.” 

“Alright, fine,” You chuckle. “Is Bruce going to care about us trespassing?” 

Duke snorts. 

“That would be very hypocritical of him, but no. He’ll have much more pressing matters to deal with than my hobbies than don’t include actively picking fights with criminals.” 

You chuckle and kiss Duke’s cheek. 

“Look at you, the new golden child.” 

“No!” He protests. “Do not curse me with that! I do not need this family’s daddy issues!” 

You toss your head back, laughing. 

“Oh, come on, they’re not that bad.” 

“Jason came back from the dead and started killing criminals to spite Bruce. Are you serious?” 

“Well, at least that means you’re probably not going to do anything worse.” 

“Worse?” Duke laughs sputteringly. “What do you think I’m going to do?!” 

You grin, leaning back against his chest. 

“Dunno, babe. You’re the genius. I’m sure you’ll figure out something to wow me.” 

“Or just go on to become the lamest super villain ever,” Duke rolls his eyes. “How did I end up here? My tragic backstory? No, I was challenged into one uping my brother’s rebellion.”

“Well, you’re not going to sell shit with that attitude!” You protest. 

Duke laughs wrapping his arms around you. 

“You’re right, how could I be so pessimistic?” He remarks dryly then stands up, pulling you to your feet. “Come on, let’s go see what Alfred is making.” 

. . . 

“This feels so sketchy,” You admit, sitting in Duke’s car now dressed in all black. 

He chuckles, pulling around the back of an empty shopping center. 

“This is honestly kind of how I feel when I go on patrol,” He admits. “Just chilling on a rooftop, waiting for trouble to happen.” 

Duke parks next to a dumpster then you both climb out of the car, you eyeing the tall building. 

“Are you sure we won’t be seen?” You ask hesitantly. 

“There aren’t any security cameras back here,” Duke reassures you. “Also, the shopping center has been closed for two hours now, they leave the main ladder to the roof unlocked, and the restaurant across the street is closed for renovations,” He walks over to where the ladder is guarded by a cage, easily unlatches it, and swings it open. “You coming?” 

You grin, and start climbing up the ladder, Duke following close behind. Once reaching the top, you swing your leg over the ledge, looking out across the various air conditioning units. 

“Come on,” Duke takes your hand. “We’ve got a little more climbing to do.” 

He leads you over to where another building starts and gives you a boost up. He easily pulls himself over the ledge then takes you to a steeply slanted concrete wall. 

“This is where the sign is,” Duke explains. “I’ve found if you run up the wall and grab the ledge, you can pull yourself up.” 

He demonstrates, making it look way too easy. 

“You got this!” He cheers from his spot on top of the sign. 

You take a breath, wiping your hands on your pants then scramble up the wall, managing to catch the ledge. Using your feet to push you up, you pull yourself up on top of the sigh and sit next to Duke, your feet dangling off the edge of the building. 

There’s something peaceful about looking into the empty parking lot at night. It’s lightly misting out, giving everything a slight haze. You admire the city lights and enjoy the peace of the nighttime. Duke pulls an arm over your shoulder as you both sit quietly. 

“You know,” You say after a while. “From up here, you’d never think this city was crazy enough to need a small army of vigilantes to keep it functioning.” 

Duke laughs then stands up, holding his hand out to you. 

“I’ve got one more spot I want to take you.”

He guides you back down to the car and drives to another area you haven’t been before. 

“Electric Cowboy?” You read off an old sign. 

“It was a club,” Duke explains. “It closed a while ago and now it’s abandoned. I want to try to get on the roof.” 

“Is it open?” You ask, noticing the padlocked front doors. 

“It is around back,” Duke slowly drives behind the old building, pointing to multiple open doors. 

“Then doesn’t that mean someone has been in there?” You raise an eyebrow. “Someone might be living in there.” 

“I’ve walked around inside a little bit. No one is living there, but it looks like some people got drunk and threw around some bar stools and stuff,” Duke explains, unclipping his seat belt. “Don’t worry,” He tells you. “I’ll keep you safe.” 

Even though it sounds a little sketchy, you can’t help but be excited as the prospect of what could be inside the abandoned building. 

“Alright,” You agree, hopping out of the car. 

You and Duke turn on the flashlights on your phones and slowly approach an iron staircase. You glance in a nearby trashcan, noticing fast-food wrappers, but they seem to have been there for a few days, hopefully, a promising sign that nobody has taken shelter in the abandoned club. The staircase seems mostly steady, just a bit rusted. 

Duke pushes the door open more with his foot and shines his flashlight inside. 

“Why do I feel like the first person that dies in a horror movie?” You ask. 

Duke shoots a grin over his shoulder. 

“We’re going to be fine. Besides, I have more than enough experience to survive a horror movie.” 

He walks inside, you following slowly behind him, shining your flashlight into every possible nook and cranny. Inside, the carpeted floors are covered in a thick layer of dust. All the tables, chairs, and bar stools are gone, perhaps already sold. The club clearly followed the western theme with a large mirror on one side, salon-style doors, and curved frames on the walls. 

It’s strange to see a club completely empty, but you will admit, it’s pretty cool. 

“I think I see an office over there,” Duke nudges your shoulder. 

You follow Duke to the side room. Duke is right-- it looks like it may have once been an office with an old desk settled in the middle of the room. There’s a bar stool deeply embedded in the sheet rock. 

“I’m guessing this is what you meant by people throwing stuff around?” You ask, pointing at the bar stool. 

“Yeah,” Duke nods. “There’s another door over here, but it’s closed.” 

You two slowly approach the door and frown at the lack of a doorknob. Duke shines his light through the hole where the doorknob is and peers into the room. 

“It looks empty,” He shrugs then carefully pushes the door open, insuring you’re positioned behind him in case someone is waiting on the other side. 

The door opens to a long, dark hallway, but on the right, is another open door leading to a small porch. You step onto the porch with Duke then look on the side of the building to spot a ladder than goes up to the roof. 

“Jackpot,” He grins at you then gestures for you to start climbing. 

Once you reach the top, Duke is quick to join you. He grins, taking your hand, and you two walk to where the sign is on the building, sitting on the ledge and dangling your feet off the side. Across the street, there is a bar where you can see groups of stumbling patrons being piled into cars with much more sober friends. 

The club is closer to the city than the shopping center is so you can see more of the Gotham skyline. Bright boxes of light pouring out from business buildings and apartment buildings shine brightly against the dark sky. Ribbons of colors from building decorations and billboards decorate the black skyline and a steady flow of cars zip by in the distance on high ways and interstates. 

“Okay,” You admit, resting your head on Duke’s shoulder. “This is pretty cool.” 

Duke kisses the top of your head then pulls an arm around your shoulder. 

“Told you that you would like it.” 

Yes, Electric Cowboy was a real place. No, I never went in it when it was open, only when it was abandon. 

I want to replace my profile picture and background on this account. Anyone have any suggestions?

[normadeathmond]

the spanish princess ep 2 thoughts

I’ve been enjoying all the reaction posts so here’s mine (spoilers included):

- I’ve had kind of a revelation this week regarding The Spanish Princess. This show is basically the modern day version of those dubiously accurate medieval historical chronicles.  Not only do we have extra supernatural elements (the cuuuuurse, prophetic dreams), but we also have the contemporary authors’ personal biases inserted all over the place, and the addition of mythical stories about the heroes (Catherine fighting at Flodden this week). For some reason, this has made me a lot more forgiving towards the show. (it probably also helps that my fave Maggie B is dead now, so I don’t have to worry about them shitting all over her anymore, and I don’t have a particularly strong attachment to any of the other historical figures depicted)

- erm wtf, did anyone else catch that scene with Maggie and Edmund de la Pole in the previously on that we’ve never seen before?? I guess this plotline was supposed to be included in episode one as well, which probably would’ve helped it feel a bit more developed and less like something they suddenly remembered had to be tied up from last year. The whole sequence of Edmund being reintroduced and killed off in less than five minutes was very rushed.

- I’m glad baby Henry’s death hasn’t been totally forgotten, but do we really need so many grief-stricken sex scenes between these two? These are supposed to be the years they’re deeply in love, let them have some happier sex

- ehh I’m not sure that Catherine’s big reveal to the council actually changes much. A very early pregnancy, possibly with a girl, doesn’t really make the line secure. I think the focus should have been on Henry’s own desire to prove himself in battle, which would also have added to the humiliation when Catherine successfully defeats the Scots while his military exploits fizzle out.

- I really like General Howard, Peter Egan is fantastic (albeit a bit too polished for a grouchy, uncouth soldier type)

- “and now this book is closed” - god I hope so, bc I hate Maggie’s plotline from last year. It was interminable watching her whinge about how unfair it was that the Tudors suspected her of plotting against them because she had always been the most loyal person ever, as though she was suffering from some kind of selective memory loss about literally being a spy for the Yorkist rebellion in The White Princess. ffs Maggie can be either a completely innocent woman unfairly maligned by the Tudors or she can be a badass Yorkist rebel, not both. 

- it seems her memory problems are back this episode because she goes storming off to complain to Catherine about Edmund de la Pole getting his head chopped off, conveniently forgetting than she was also heavily involved in his plot and her family is only out of the Tower thanks to Catherine interceding for her with Henry. Catherine was 100% in the right here, Edward of Warwick was innocent whereas Edmund de la Pole was a fully cognisant adult who spearheaded a revolt to take the throne (and likely would’ve had both Henry VII and Henry VIII killed if he had succeeded), so the idea that she’s suddenly heartless because she apologised for the former’s death but not the latter’s is ridiculous. The whole scene, including Maggie’s kids’ ‘whoomp here she goes again’ reactions, unintentionally have her coming off as rather hysterical.

- hopefully the rest of her story this season focuses on her mending her relationship with her sad silent son instead and possibly getting her leg over Thomas More

- ahhh Lina’s face when Catherine bitchily says she’ll be having a girl. Catherine’s not going to be able to stop herself from lashing out at her now that she has twin boys.

- first the clothes comment last episode, now they have Ursula saying Charles may not be good-looking but he’s rich as fuck. I guess she’s being set up as a gold-digger.

- is it just me or does the Anne Boleyn’s actress look a little bit like Charlotte Hope? The dress they had her in when Henry returns even looks like something Catherine would’ve worn in season one. I’ve no idea why they’ve brought the Boleyn girls in this early though – are they going to be sent to France then come back later? Henry still has to make his way through Anne Hastings, Bessie Blount and Mary Boleyn before he gets to Anne. The episode summaries make it look like his infidelities won’t start until episode four so he’s going to have to have a new girl every episode to get through them all.

- I’ve kind of come around on the whole Catherine-in-armour thing. Frock Flicks wrote an interesting article this week where they pointed out that while historically battle armour for women did not exist and women very rarely wore armour, depictions of women in armour have been around for a long time and would have existed in the Tudor period. In this pseudo-historical retelling of Catherine’s story mythologizing her as a warrior queen, it does make sense to carry on that visual tradition and have her armoured up.

- Unfortunately I think they did kind of undermine the visual impact of the armour on screen by focusing on it so heavily in the promos for the season. Possibly it wouldn’t have affected a casual viewer so much, but anyone who’s followed the show’s promo cycle has been seeing pictures and clips of Catherine in the armour for weeks now, and when she entered stomping down the corridor in her full battle gear it didn’t blow me away like the first look at that outfit should have done.

- I know this series is never going to have the budget of Game of Thrones, but Flodden was a disappointment, from the rousing speech (“mothers are warriors too, amirite ladies?”) to the battle itself. You can tell they really wanted this to be their big epic action sequence and unfortunately it felt underwhelming. I remember the battles in TWQ/TWP being much more impressive, for what was probably a similar budget.

- as soon as I saw how heavily pregnant Lina was this episode, I knew a  birth/battle juxtaposition was coming. I get what they were trying to do with the whole ‘childbirth is women’s battlefield’ theme, but the attempt to fake-out Lina’s death fell flat - there’s no way they were killing her off. (I’m not sure why she was giving birth in the hallway, with apparently no midwives, but it was inadvertently hilarious watching Maggie - the only one with any childbirth experience - try and talk her through it while the other three were basically no help at all.)

- also everyone being like “omg Princess Mary you can’t possibly be at the birth” felt so out of place given that Meg and Catherine were both hanging around a battlefield at the same time

- on the one hand I did like that Catherine didn’t end up being some amazing warrior just off instinct; she’s almost immediately pulled off her horse, staggers around looking confused as fuck and then is shocked when she actually kills someone. But on the other, what was the point of all the warrior queen build up if she barely even does anything useful on the battlefield? (also why did they have her kill someone who looked so much like James?? I’ve seen several people think she killed James herself and I thought that too until he was shown being taken down afterwards - it was needlessly confusing)

- JAAAAMES. I’m so sad he’s gone. Georgie Henley knocked it out the park this episode, especially in her big mourning scene. Although given how sweet he and Meg were this episode, and her comment about him being her best friend, it just makes the punch last episode seem even stranger.

- I’m so sad we were robbed of seeing Catherine try to send James’ corpse to Henry as a victory gift and have to be talked into sending just the coat. If you’re going to make her ride out in armour let her keep her savage penchant for gruesome war trophies!

- oop, Catherine absolutely fails to sell the lie that she’s pleased about Lina’s two boys, and Lina can definitely tell.

- with Maggie B gone, Wolsey is the new evil religious cockblocker in town!

- I would like twenty more scenes of Lina and Oviedo being cute and bitching about their work days thanks

- I like Catherine defending Howard to Henry. It would have been nice if there was more time to show the development of a begrudging respect between those two.

- overall I found this episode disappointing. The big sequences weren’t impressive in the way last week’s were and there weren’t enough character moments to make up for that. I’m still looking forward to the rest of the season though, especially Meg, Mary and Maggie’s storylines. 

[hateswifi]

Rising from the Ashes: Of Nette and Friends

So this is Part Twelve here is to my Master List and Part Eleven.

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

In April, she picked up her friends to show them her apartment and around, Gotham with the help of Damian.

"I don't understand why we have to pick them up," Damian grumbled, walking into her apartment. 

"Oh come on," Marinette pleads, holding onto his arm. "I haven't seen them since the Chinese New Year and look on the bright side, no disguises."

"Only for you, Angel," he says, placing a firm kiss on her lips.

"Let's go! Chloe is expecting us!" She says, opening the portal. They walk through together hand in hand into Chloe's room where all her friends stood. When she saw them, she broke away from her boyfriend to hug her friends. "Guys! I missed you so much!" 

"I've missed you too Marinette," Adrien said everyone nodding in agreement.

"You all remember my boyfriend, Damian," She said, breaking the hug.

"Of course we remember Damiboo," Chloe says, mimicking Lila's obnoxious voice. Damien groaned, remembering the sausage haired girl.

They had been walking to the hotel because they were staying at Master Fu's house when Lila approached them. 

"Oh my gosh, Ann? It's so nice to see you again. Who is this handsome man?" Lila cooed, wrapping her hands around his arm.

"Hi, Lila, this is my boyfriend," Ann paused, thinking about the name that Damian had chosen then continued speaking in her practiced British accent. "Thomas."

"Hi Thomas," Lila said, attempting to be seductive. 

"Sorry, Lila, but we were going to visit my friends. Thomas is meeting them for the first time today! Bye," She said through gritted teeth as they rushed off.

"That's the girl that made your life a living hell?" Damian asks, rubbing her shoulder, Marinette responds with a nod. "She's as fake as your wig." Marinette laughs, snuggling closer into his embrace. "I'm happy you had your family to help you when I wasn't there to help you," he says, kissing her head.

They walk into the hotel to pick up Chloe, who was waiting in the lobby. They greet each other, and then they go to pick up Adrien and Kagami from their Chinese lessons. After they greet each other, they go pick up Luka from his practice with Uncle Jagged, well just Jagged now.

"Thank you, everyone, for taking care of my Angel when I couldn't," Damian says, sincerely. "Especially you Luka," he said, putting a hand on Luka’s shoulder. "You saved her life during the last stand, thank you. I'm forever indebted."

"I was doing my job by protecting my partners and best friend," Luka said. "I would do anything to protect my family."

"No, seriously, thank you," Damian said, giving Luka an awkward hug because Damian isn't good at showing emotions. 

"That was a terrible day," Marinette shuddered, remembering how Lila shamelessly attempted to flirt with Damian.

"Good thing homicide is illegal or she would be gone," Damian snickers. That earned him an elbow in the side.

"You guys ready to see Gotham," Marinette asks, grabbing one of Chloe's bags.

"I'm excited, I think I'll have some great inspiration in Gotham and hanging out with you all," Luka explains, putting his guitar on his back,

"Are we going to the manor?" Marinette asks, turning to her prince.

"Yes, Alfred already has the rooms set up, Adrien are you and Kagami sharing a room? We have other rooms if you don't want to," Damian explains.

"One room would be fine," Kagami said, grabbing Adrien's hand.

"Actually," Luka says, taking Chloe's hand. "We've been dating for a while. We didn't want to tell you guys because Chloe wanted to tell her parents before we told anyone else." A chorus of congratulations follows the announcement. "Would we be able to share a room?" Luka asks.

"Of course I'll let Pennyworth know," Damian said, texting Alfred.

"Let them know we're coming so we won't scare them like last time," Marinette asks, picturing the manor then opening the portal.

"Yes, now let's go," he says, grabbing her hand then walking into the portal. The rest of her friends following. They enter the main entrance of the manor. 

"Welcome back Miss Marinette, Master Damian. Welcome for the first time, Miss Chloe, Miss Kagami, Master Luka, and Master Adrien, the rest of the Young Masters are excited to meet Miss Marinette's family," Alfred greet. "Now if you would follow me I'll show you to your rooms." 

There was screaming coming from the parlor. "Sunshine!" came Dick's distinct scream.

"Pixi-Pop where are your friends? I want to meet them!" Jason's scream. 

"Guys let them unpack," Tim explained, as Dick and Jason burst through a set of doors. They ran up and squished her a bone-crushing hug.

"Guys! I... I can't breathe," Marinette said, trying to wiggle out of their firm grasp. 

"Sorry Mari," they say, letting her go, Dick turns to them with a smirk. "Can we see your kwamis please!?" All the kwamis, including Tikki and Kaalki, came out of hiding. 

"Don't worry you guys are free to be out in the open here," Marinette said, looking at all the gods.

"We already stocked up on the food your kwamis eat," Damian said, wrapping an arm around Marinette's shoulder.

"Alright let me show you to your room," Alfred said, walking down the hall pointing out the rooms as they walked passed.

"Sunshine, I'm so happy you're staying this week!" Dick says when Marinette's friends were dropping their stuff in their room.

"Well, I still have to work this week, Diana said there are commissions that need to be done, but she said that I would be able to get off early due to them being here," Marinette said.

"That makes sense," Dick said, her friends were starting to emerge from their rooms. They decided to go out for lunch at the first restaurant that Damian had taken her to. They spend the week in laughter and come back from April break with Gotham heroes' merch, and Nette originals. There was a picture of all of them wearing Nette originals with Nette in the picture wearing the only Robin hoodie she’s ever made. They were all facing the edge of the building looking at the sun setting. Most of the class was jealous due to Nette's popularity growing around the world, especially since Luka, Chloe, Kagami, and Adrien posted pictures of them wearing Nette originals.  Adrien being popular for modeling still, Luka, after being dropped by Kitty Section due to Lila's lies, started a solo career later joined by Chloe with her singing, Adrien on piano, and Kagami being on drums, as an act of rebellion towards her mother, and fencing for Kagami as well. The group named, 4 Outlaws, have recorded a couple of songs and might do a small tour over summer break.

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

Tag list (Open):

@northernbluetongue @melhuney @ladysblackcat @sturchling @otaku4312 @g-arya @smolplantmum @bluefyoto94 @echpr @moonlightstar64 @thesunanditsangel @cutechip @heaven428 @elmokingkong @kass-is-weird @niza13149 @urbanpineapplefarmer @ginamarie1512 @chocolatecatstheron @iggy-of-fans @crazylittlemunchkin @komatsuna-yuki @weird-pale-blonde-person @ellerahs @sinnamonroill @daminett4life @queenmj10 @indecisive-mess-named-me @reyna-avila-ramirez-alreanaldo @lizziejay @random-posts-and-stuff

[bobbyshaddoe80]

Liberated Audio Reviews

Blake's 7 - The Liberator Chronicles Vol. 2

RELEASED AUGUST 2012

Recorded on: 18 October and 25 November 2011, and 15 March 2012

Recorded at: Moat Studios

Review By Robert L. Torres

The Magnificent Four by Simon Guerrier

'A mission to steal data from the planet Mogul goes badly wrong when Cally and Avon are outflanked and outgunned. And then they are teleported to safety – to an alien spaceship stolen from The System, which is crewed by Gilden Trent and his small team of rebels.

For Avon it’s the opportunity to start over again without Blake.

But can Trent be trusted?'

Chronological Placement:

Set during Series B between the episodes Countdown and Voice From the Past.

Magnificent. Defined in the dictionary as 'impressive, deserving of admiration, especially due to an unusual quality involving size'.

The word is often used when describing something vast in size and scope, but magnificence can also be attributed to the quality of something that involves a small group. A prime example would be the title characters of the classic Western The Magnificent Seven. Even the accomplishments made by the John Wick character could be described as magnificent despite them being done by one man.

Magnificent is an apt word to describe the impressive storytelling quality that Guerrier has pulled off with this Cally focused story.

Cally, as played by the exquisite Jan Chappell, was always one of my favorites from the original cast. She was someone that wasn't a hardened cynic like Avon (who provides much needed support for Cally in this story), nor was she cowardly like Vila. She was someone that genuinely believed in doing the right thing and saw fighting against the oppressive tyranny of the Federation to be a very serious responsibility.

I was also always fascinated by her stance as someone that, for all intents and purposes, was the alien of the group (due to her coming from a race of telepaths). I have my own thoughts and theories about the Auronar, but that can wait for another day. Despite having powers of the mind, I always felt that Cally was very much the heart of the team.

I love that this story has Cally and Avon meeting up with a group like Blake's, on a ship like the Liberator, only to learn that they are little more than highly skilled pirates.

I love that the events of the Series B episode 'Redemption' are brought up and how the crew of the Libertine are a result of the aftermath of the events from that story.

I love how the story showcases in the crew of the Libertine a distorted reflection (and perhaps a retroactive premonition) of what would happen to the crew of the Liberator should they lose their way by abandoning their morals and scruples and just give in to blind self interest... Which for the most part is exactly what started to happen during Series C and ultimately came to fruition in Series D.

A minor nitpick, but I always thought the planet Cally came from was called Auron and her people were called the Auronar. And yet in this story and others, they refer to her as being an Auron. Is it a case where one singular person is an Auron but the collective term for the species as a whole is Auronar? It is a minor thing, I know, but still something that stuck out.

Something else that is a bit of a minor flaw is that at one point in the story the voiceover narration switches from Cally to Avon. There is a specific reason why this happens in the narrative, but it still comes about rather unexpectedly.

Given the stories in these chronicles are events being recounted AFTER the fact, there is the inevitable problem of how to create tension and intrigue with life threatening peril for the characters when most fans know the show backwards and are fully aware of what the inevitable fates for many of the characters are.

Luckily for Guerrier and many other writers, they do create moments that make you wonder how such and such will be able to survive whatever life threatening peril is thrown at them, and manage to cleverly pay off how they survive without falling into 'Oh Come The Fuck On' Territory.

8 out of 10 Plasma Bolts

Anyway, this story is very well done and is the first of many plots that involve coming across potential allies for the Resistance movement, only to learn the would be allies are often a lot worse than their enemies in the Federation. Definitely give it a listen.

False Positive by Eddie Robson

'Dr. Lian has a mysterious new patient – a man who was found shot in the leg near Engel City, a man who is delirious and talking about the most extraordinary acts of rebellion.

She prescribes drugs and the use of the alleviator – a device that will dig deep into his memories – to unlock the truth about Carlin Guzan.

But the truth that she exposes is far more shocking than she bargained for...'

Chronological Placement:

Set during Series B after LC Vol. 10's Retribution, between the episodes Horizon and Pressure Point.

This story is definitely a step up in quality from volume 1's 'Counterfeit' and is an excellent Blake-centric story. The framing device for the recollection of the events is actually quite clever as it ties in with the adventure itself in a very naturalistic manner.

The dialogue scenes between Blake and Dr. Liam are excellent. Kudos to Beth Chalmers for giving the character of Dr. Liam the right balance of professional intrigue and personal curiosity as she learns more and more about her 'patient'. But this story belongs to the late Gareth Thomas through and through and it is great to hear him be afforded better material than during his first go round back in 'Counterfeit'.

I always rather liked Blake from the start, and a large part of that is down to the performance of the late Gareth Thomas. The character of Roj Blake was a passionate idealist fighting for a noble cause, someone who could be diplomatic but understood the need for action rather than simple civil disobedience. As someone that broke free from an oppressive government, he immediately gains our sympathies... even if his passions occasionally bordered on overzealous fanaticism. This is largely due to what the Federation did to him personally by trying to rewrite his mind, killing his family and even destroying his public image by falsifying accusations of paedophilia.

Since the Federation enact the same tactics on countless others without any hesitation, morals or scruples, it is no wonder why Blake is so overwhelmingly passionate about wiping out the corruptive and cancerous tumor that is the Federation. Not only to avenge family, but to ensure that people are given the freedom to choose for themselves and not simply be coerced into following the rules through propaganda, torture, drugs or mind control.

Speaking of drugs and mind control, that goes to the heart of the plot: Blake going undercover at a Federation research facility that is conducting a clinical drug trial for the development of a new pacifying sedative, which the Federation hopes to employ in order to ensure total compliance and obedience to Federation doctrine.

Ironically enough, that is exactly what would come to pass towards the tail end of Series D... But we already know that, don't we?

7 out of 10 Plasma Bolts

All things considered, it is a pretty good story. This story, like a few others in the Liberator Chronicles range, could work as a two-hander stage play with a couple of tweaks. It also could easily have worked on TV or even as a full cast audio. Give it a listen.

Wolf by Nigel Fairs

“I heard his death cry. I felt it. And there was a word. ‘Wolf’. You, Servalan. You were the “Wolf”. You killed him. I want to know why.”

'Some time ago, Blake and his crew were helped by a revered Auron scientist named Gustav Nyrron. He stayed aboard the Liberator for a time and then disappeared.

Cally wants to know what happened to Nyrron, and only Servalan knows the answers.'

Chronological Placement:

Set during Series B between the episodes Pressure Point and Trial.

This is a very intriguing Servalan focused story, featuring Cally and a return appearance by Gustav Nyrron from Volume 1's 'Solitary'.

They say that a protagonist is only as good as the antagonist created to provide drama/conflict. This is especially true when the character of Supreme Commander Servalan (along with the equally excellent Space Commander Travis) was introduced as the Liberator crew's primary antagonist in the Series A episode 'Seek-Locate-Destroy'.

A large part of why the Servalan character has left such a lasting impression on the minds of fans had to do with the casting of the late Jacqueline Pearce, and the way she played the role. Her grace, charm, beauty and seductive allure went hand in hand with a ruthless ambitious edge along with a keen strategic mind.

In many ways, Servalan, as played by Jacqueline Pearce, reminded me of Alexis Colby as played by Joan Collins. Although Servalan was a bit more reserved than Alexis.

As such, it makes perfect sense that the Liberator Chronicles would provide ample opportunities to explore the villains as well as the heroes. This story does well to explore Servalan's character along with her thoughts, beliefs and how she carries herself as she recounts events. The recollection is pretty interesting cuz it comes about in multiple ways.

We learn a little bit about Servalan's childhood in reference to a game she used to play with others. Its interesting how this story, along with the upcoming 'Kerr', 'President' and 'Three', provides more insight into the character than the show ever did. The aforementioned upcoming stories do provide some great insight into why Servalan is the way she is... But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

I love the scenes between Servalan and Cally, as I do not recall the two of them having much screentime during the series proper... If ever. But I could be wrong.

This story has some great twists and turns as it deals with exploring how Servalan used Nyrron as her personal plaything in her efforts to lure the Liberator into her clutches.

Although Nyrron will be featured again in the story 'Brother' off of Volume 11 (which I will talk about eventually), I think this is the story that features him the best. We learn the most about him as a character, and much kudos to Anthony Howell for bringing much pathos and nuance to the Auron scientist.

The story also lends itself quite well to philosophical debates regarding how each side views the other. Naturally, Blake's crew view Servalan and the Federation as an evil and oppressive tyranny, while Servalan and those within the Administration view Blake and his ilk as little more than terrorists wanting to bring down the only force for law and order in the galaxy.

It is that clash of ideals and personal morals that will be explored to great effect in future volumes as well as in the full cast audios.

9 out of 10 Plasma Bolts

Final score for Liberator Chronicles Vol. 2 in its entirety is 8 out of 10 Plasma Bolts. It is a profound step up in quality compared to Volume 1, and it demonstrates that things can only go up from here in terms of character exploration and engaging plots.

Special credit to Craig Brawley of the Big Finish Listeners Facebook Group for his tireless efforts in mapping out the chronology of the audios and determining his they fit in with the established TV continuity.

[tomorrowedblog]

Friday Releases for February 5

Friday is the busiest day of the week for new releases, so we've decided to collect them all in one place. Friday Releases for February 5 include Malcolm & Marie, Bliss, Falling, and more.

Malcolm & Marie

Malcolm & Marie, the new movie from Sam Levinson, is out today.

When filmmaker Malcolm (John David Washington) and his girlfriend Marie (Zendaya), return home from a movie premiere and await his film’s critical response, the evening takes a turn as revelations about their relationship surface, testing the couple’s love.

Bliss

Bliss, the new movie from Mike Cahill, is out today.

An unfulfilled man (Owen Wilson) and a mysterious woman (Salma Hayek) believe they are living in a simulated reality, but when their newfound ‘Bliss’ world begins to bleed into the ‘ugly’ world they must decide what’s real and where they truly belong.

Falling

Falling, the new movie from Viggo Mortensen, is out today.

John (Viggo Mortensen) lives with his partner, Eric (Terry Chen), and their daughter, Mónica (Gabby Velis), in California, far from the traditional rural life he left behind years ago. John’s father, Willis (Lance Henriksen), a headstrong man from a bygone era, lives alone on the isolated farm where John grew up. Willis is in the early stages of dementia, making running the farm on his own increasingly difficult, so John brings him to stay at his California home so that he and his sister Sarah (Linney) might help him find a place near them to relocate to. Unfortunately, their best intentions ultimately run up against Willis’s adamant refusal to change his way of life in the slightest.

Little Fish

Little Fish, the new movie from Chad Hartigan, is out today.

As a memory loss virus runs rampant, one couple fights to hold their relationship together before the disease can erase all memory of their love in this sweeping sci-fi romance.

Two Of Us

Two Of Us, the new movie from Filippo Meneghetti, is out today.

Two retired women, Nina and Madeleine, have been secretly in love for decades. Everybody, including Madeleine’s family, thinks they are simply neighbors, sharing the top floor of their building. They come and go between their two apartments, enjoying the affection and pleasures of daily life together, until an unforeseen event turns their relationship upside down and leads Madeleine’s daughter to gradually unravel the truth about them.

The Mimic

The Mimic, the new movie from Thomas F. Mazziotti, is out today.

Based on a true story, ‘the Narrator’ (Thomas Sadoski) is befriended by his young new neighbor (Jake Robinson), after he joins the local newspaper team. Obsessed with the idea that ‘the Kid’ may be a sociopath, ‘the Narrator’ goes to extreme lengths to uncover the truth about him. After unsettling rendezvous, the truth he finds is anything but what he expected.

The Right One

The Right One, the new movie from Ken Mok, is out today.

In this heartfelt and hilarious rom-com, Sara, a novelist struggling with writer’s block needs inspiration—and finds it when she serendipitously meets Godfrey, a down-on-his-luck oddball who constantly changes personas in order to cope with a traumatic past and avoid reality. Just as Godfrey begins to open up to Sara, he discovers that she’s been using him as inspiration for her next novel, and he vanishes from her life. Did Sara just lose the man of her dreams, or will she be able to find him and make things right?

The Reckoning

The Reckoning, the new movie from Neil Marshall, is out today.

After losing her husband during the Great Plague, Grace Haverstock (Charlotte Kirk) is unjustly accused of being a witch and placed in the custody of England’s most ruthless witch-hunter, Judge Moorcroft (Sean Pertwee). Forced to endure physical and emotional torture while steadfastly maintaining her innocence, Grace must face her own inner demons as the Devil himself starts to work his way into her mind.

Space Sweepers

Space Sweepers, the new movie from Sung-hee Jo, is out today.

Chasing after space debris and faraway dreams in year 2092, four misfits unearth explosive secrets during the attempted trade of a wide-eyed humanoid.

PVT CHAT

PVT CHAT, the new movie from Ben Hozie, is out today.

Jack is an internet gambler living in NYC who becomes fixated on Scarlet - a cam girl from San Francisco. His obsession reaches a boiling point when fantasy materializes in reality and Jack sees Scarlet on a rainy Chinatown street.

The Last Paradiso

The Last Paradiso, the new movie from Rocco Ricciardulli, is out today.

The story of an impossible love, a dream of an indomitable man who has a sense of rebellion and justice coursing through his veins.

Son of the South

Son of the South, the new movie from Barry Alexander Brown, is out today.

A grandson of a Klansman comes of age during the early 60’s in the deep south and eventually joins the Civil Rights Movement.

The Snoopy Show

The Snoopy Show, the new TV series from Rob Boutilier, is out today.

Starring the world’s most famous Beagle, and his best bud, Woodstock. He’s a dog like no other — whether he’s flying high in the sky, or searching for treasure at the bottom of the sea, he’s always up to something fun.

[puzzle-dragon]

L.A. By Night Pirate AU

Did anybody ask for an L.A. By Night pirate AU? No? Well, I made one anyway!

Victor is captain of the Maharani. His crew used to be aboard the Maharajah, until a few members of the local Camarilla---part of one of the most powerful pirate empires in the world---burned the ship down and forced them to commandeer a new vessel. Before becoming a pirate, Victor was a naval officer, but a leg injury took him out of service for a while. When the navy wouldn’t take him back after he was he healed, he turned to piracy---he’s never been able to stay away from the sea---and realized the pay was so much better. Now his ship flies under a black flag, with a skull above a crossed sword and scepter---a reminder of where he came from and a warning to those who would try to force him back into that old life.

Nelli is his first mate. In her youth, she was Petronella, heiress to the Griffith fortune, until she was kidnapped by Charles Price, captain of the Bloody Rose. For a time, she lived as his consort, his plaything, and convinced herself that was love. Until the next plaything came along. Nelli slit Dawn’s throat and left her body in the captain’s bed before sneaking ashore. There she stumbled into Captain Temple---Victor, a navy boy she remembered meeting years ago---and joined his newly formed crew. And once she started her new life---as a true pirate in her own right, not just someone else’s toy---she began getting the roses tattooed on her arm. Countless intricate petals and thorns creeping up her right arm and across her shoulder, each one drawn by a different artist in a different port. It started as a way to cover up the heart and chain that Charles had branded on her wrist---the same design each of his conquests was forced to wear---but has since evolved into something so much bigger. Captain Price claimed her years ago, but with each new drop of ink she adds to her skin, she declares that he will never own her again.

Jasper is the ship’s navigator, but no one knows what drove him to piracy in the first place. It wasn’t money like Victor or freedom like Nelli or rebellion like Annabelle. He simply washed up one day, with scars he won’t talk about and a past he never mentions, and became a part of the crew. Apparently he’s got no where else to go anymore, so he stays. And no matter where he came from, he’s appreciated here. He can speak multiple languages and decipher any map you hand him and hoards books more jealously than any gold they find. He’s more scar tissue than person at this point and everyone says he must have the devil’s luck to still be alive after all the danger he’s run head first into. He’s handy in a fight and intimidating as hell, but the tattoo on his arm of a beautiful white-haired mermaid hints at a softer side.

Annabelle was a stowaway that Victor all but forced into being a new deckhand. Despite her initially indignation, the rest of the crew have grown to love her as one of their own. She is made of righteous anger, all directed at those in power as the common people starve and suffer in the streets. Being a pirate wasn’t the life she’d imagined---she’d snuck aboard the wrong boat, she realized too late---but if it’s a choice between piracy and death, she might as well do some good while she’s here. If those in power won’t do anything to help the starving masses, perhaps it’s time for a band of outlaws to provide for them. Annabelle did a lot before joining Victor’s crew---not all of it legal---but the only part of her old life she’s willing to talk about is the two loves she left back on land. She has both of their names tattooed on her arms, as a reminder and a promise to come home.

Eva. Is. A. Mermaid. She’s a ghostly streak of white beneath the waves, and despite the cautionary stories that label mermaids as traitorous vicious things, she was the one who dragged Jasper’s body back to the surface when he was sure he’d drown. She trails after the ship, helping when she can---slipping a protection charm around Jasper’s neck when he visits her or keeping him company on late nights in calm water, answering Annabelle’s excited questions about all the legends she’s heard. She sometimes disappears for days at a time only to be spotted sunbathing on a rock near their next port. Eventually, Jasper gets the image of a pale mermaid---with bright blue eyes and a crown of pink plumeria flowers in her long white hair---tattooed on his forearm. The first time Jasper shows it to her, she can’t find the words to express how touched she is and chooses to just kiss him instead.

All of the Barons have their own ships, each with their own crew: Abrams captains the Gilded Age, Therese captains the Asylum, and Nines captains the Last Round. There is an agreed upon peace among all of them---so long as everyone sticks to their own territory---and in desperate times, they will even come to each other’s aid against a greater threat.

Currently, that greater threat is the Elysium, captained by Vannevar Thomas. After being forced out of his previous territory, Vannevar and his first mate Suzanne have started encroaching on the Pirate Council’s domain in an attempt to claim it for the Camarilla. The Elysium may just be another one of the many ships in the Camarilla’s expansive fleet, but it’s been raising hell lately. They’re stealing what they can, destroying what they can’t, trying to recruit allies from among the local captains, and targeting the Maharani in particular seemingly out of sheer spite. 

But Victor and his crew aren’t going down without a fight.

There might be more ideas to come for this---possibly, maybe---but I already started writing Pirate Jasper/Mermaid Eva fluff, so... this might be a thing now.