#Who gives a flying fox about dead cops?

[nando161mando]

"Who gives a flying fox about dead cops?" (EN: English)

[rickgrimesdoingrickthings]

"Detective Alkaev." Richards muttered, feeling so tired. Maybe it was the meds, maybe it was the time, maybe it was him reaching his limit, or hunger. He felt like sleeping, still, he couldn't deny the anxiety that woman had caused him.

The nurse kept hovering around like a little fly, touching, wanting to lick and land on him. Annoying. Fox made some anger blossom inside him- and since he could do nothing, it was hard to turn off the switch, it was hard to bury it.

When the nurse touched him, he stared her. "Do not." She kept taking his vitals, pretending she hadn't listened, touching his cuffed wrist, her fingers brushing over his skill seductivelly, thumb wanting to caress. "I told to stop-" His features transformed- ultimate anger and danger in his face- he grabbed her wrist- that made the nurse smile. Yes, she wanted drama- he could read that. His grip was strong, but he kept to that. The effort was big to not break her wrist- he didn't. He let go.

'He's not letting me take his vitals...he was aggressive to me.'

And the cops walked in and cuffed his other wrist. Glorious. The nurse had such a smirk on her face. She was in control, she wanted him to see and appreciate that. After the policemen left, she closed the door.

'Why don't you let me tame you? It will be good, I promise. She gave his chest a soft teasing caress. Now that both his arms were cuffed, the shirt he had over his shoulders was failing to cover his chest. 'Why don't you let me make you have some fun? Most guys love it...why are you different? Who hurt you, kitten?' She smiled, hand caressing his torso, his stomach.

'If you don't like being exposed you should have accepted the gown.' She chuckled, lowering the sheet covering his hips down to under his bellybutton, massaging his muscles. 'Why can't you take some pleasure? Is it something criminals have? Or is it just you?'

She was so interested in him. And there was a reason. Despite her natural perverse, flirtatious nature, there was one event.

'Are you the guy who killed Jeff Winter?'

Mark's annoyed expression changed, his lips parted a bit. Yes. It was. He had. Some years ago.

'I won't tell anyone if it was you. But if it was...thank you.' She caressed his cheek, when gave it a kiss. 'That asshole married my mom...stole all her money...he used to hit me. A lot. Suddenly one day he was gone, no one ever hurt me again, my mom got the money back.' The nurse said, wiping his hair off his face.

'Only taming you so you listen to me, right?' she moved a hand to his chest, caressing a nipple. 'Are you really not liking? You really want me to stop?' A soft blush was forming on his face- of course it felt good, but he didn't like people touching him or giving him strong sensations.

"Yes. I want you to stop."

She sighed and rolled her eyes, letting go.

"And no, I have no idea what you're talking about. If the guy who used to beat you is dead, well, good for you, but I don't care. Enjoy your life, whatever. But leave me alone."

Fox's phone rang.

'Alky! It's John John! We uhhh we got some stuff you gonna....you gonna have a heart attack or something, but in a good way!'

It was her young assistant.

'So...first of all...uh...I'm holding a cat. It's his cat. I found her on his flat and there's no sign of anyone else. She ate all her food already...so...I guess we should look after her? I mean? Poor baby right?? He will be out for a while so...a...anyway! I need to focus sorry. So we searched the whole flat, this guy is suuuper clean- not....not legally clean! I mean literally, no grain of dirt here. She used the UV. Zero. Nada. No blood at all. But then...I tripped on a fluffy rug- it's fluffy for real, you had to feel it! So I tripped on it, fell on my face- I'm okay, don't worry, forehead just a bit red- but so, when I fell I hit the wall and there was this pretty paining on it...ah...it fell down and I tried to put it back in place and then...I noticed the wall was weird. When I fell it made CRECK! instead of THUD! If you get what I mean...and..basically, Michonne thought it was fishy and broke- we found...uh...very crazy shit.'

There were noises of paper being flipped in the call.

'Uhhh....so...you still there? We found so many files, all super organized, about...uhmm...people. Like, we found times and observations...like the dude is a stalker. But...a whole shit load of proof that all these people are abusers. Of the worst type...if you get what I mean. Michonne opened the laptop and she's crossing some data- happens that...most of these people are dead. There are many files. I'm not sure if...if this dude killed them all but...it seems so. I mean, to the police they're random people with no connection, all unsolved cases, but this guy Mark...he connects them all, they seemed to abusers- at least...it's what stuff he collected say. He has pics, pen drives with info, he has even CDs and...old shit. Makes me wonder since when he has been collecting these.'

The noise of papers shuffled, as if things had been put on the floor. John John was sitting in Mark's living room, all evidence around him.

'Alky....this guy...this guy is dangerous. Even if he didn't kill those people himself, he has a freakin deep connection for sure...he...he's some...sick hunter...the guy is insane...don't get near him! You...you didn't get near him, did you? Be careful okay??'

“It’s my word against yours.” He said, his eyes feeling so heavy. “The police pushing me off a building proves their homicidal intention. As a good officer, I believe you will report that to your superiors, won’t you?” Mark paused a bit, lips parting. He was getting so sleepy. Fox and him, facing each other so broken…so hurt…near their limits. No, past their limits. “What do I mean? Huh. If you’re smart you’ll find out on your own.” He closed his eyes. Nothing more to say. She was leaving…. And then…she dropped that bomb. Mark swallowed dry. Well…his things were safe…they were hidden. Would…would they find it? His wall had been so well projected… His tired eyes opened a bit, looking at her expression. So much determination in her eyes. He was in danger. It was legit. He was in so much danger. His expression was still calm though. Confessing was the end. He wouldn’t until the last drop of hope. “Confess what?” Mark’s eyes stared Fox’s, deeply, some anger in them- “I’m not a rapist.” He was clenching his jaw. It was so personal. He hunted them. It was the ultimate offended to compare a hunter to the prey. Those people had destroyed his life….he wasn’t one. “I hate them. With all of me.” Richards tilted his head, a soft snarl formed- so much anger and hate he had been containing…escaped a little bit. Then he went silent, his hands gripping the sheet, the began monitor beeping, his heart rate was so high, his blood pressure too. Each one of his heart beats were announced with a loud beep. He realized- he had allowed the emotions flourish… Huh. That woman sure was special. It was the second time and they hadn’t met for more than…a few hours? A few hours of interaction at least. Mark breathed, looking away, his his eyes getting a more vivid cyan color as they got wetter.

[fnf-amateur-writing]

Hey! It’s Fox again! How are you doing? I just started school back up today, so I’ve been busy Xp.

Think you would be cool with writing some Pico with an s/o who is a writer, and tends to ask him about things like “hey, how long does it take someone to bleed out” or other things like that?

I understand if you don’t feel like it, and I hope you’re having fun 😊

🦊

Hello again Fox, I'm doing quite well rn. I'm cool with your prompt, especially since I need more writing material anyways.

Took me a while, because I didn't want to do a hc, but rather come up with a oneshot with a little twist to the style. Well, hope it works well.

Good luck with school, mate!

TW: Mentions of violence, swearing, slight sexual reference, and crime.

Pico with a writer S/O who asks him strange questions

Prologue:

On a chilly autumn morning, you were sitting out on your patio with a laptop and a mug of your favourite beverage next to you. Whenever you looked up, you could see the warm coloured leaves fall as the breeze accompanied you. The whole scene was an aesthetic.

When your boyfriend, Pico, came outside to see this, he knew that the nice environment you surrounded yourself with meant one thing. "You're back in your writing space already. Heh, with that bestseller you published, I thought you were comfy taking a break." You simply smiled and said, "can't waste the inspiration rush I got right now."

Pico had a good point though, with your rising popularity as an author, you were near set to retire before turning fourty. But you wish you weren't given all of the credit, since your boyfriend's stories of his dodgy job has occasionally sparked some ideas for your stories. However the books you wrote in the past were usually meant for the young adult and had few mature themes. This time, you thought maybe it's time to garner extra inspiration from those stories.

You were met with some disappointment when you realised that your mug was empty, only a drop entering your mouth. "Here, babe, I'll ya some more," Pico said, taking your mug and walking inside. "Quick question," you stopped him. "Yeah?"

"What would be the best place for a murder cemetery?"

"... What?"

Chapter 1:

"So you're doing some story about the police hunting down a mass murderer?"

"Pretty much."

"And to think you were gonna write Pixar's next script. Aight' I respect that." Pico takes a seat next to you with a refill of your drink placed next to your favourite writing laptop. "Thanks, Pico. But yeah, I want to branch out to something edgier, and I think you can help too."

"Let me show you what I've got so far." You showed him some of your notes in a little notepad document, detailing the story thus far and your current plans for this chapter. "Oh, that's it? Just looks like boring police preparation mainly," Pico commented. "Yeah, it's not much right now. But it'll get juicy later." "And bloody?" "And bloody."

"Welp, I'm gonna head back in," Pico got up, "let me know if you need anything." He head back inside, closing the door, but then opened it almost immediately afterwards. Pico stuck his head out, "by the way, the guy should use some strong alcohol or something to throw off those sniffer dogs."

Chapter 2:

"And then, because they used a silencer, the police don't immediately notice the--"

"Nope! I'm calling bullshit (Y/N)!" Pico had suddenly interrupted your explanation of the scene you were currently working on. "Silencers can help prevent some hearing loss, sure, but they're not magic."

"Alright," you reply, "no silencer, but the killer still has to kill in a way to not get blood on them, so I thought shooting and killing them from a distance would work." "Well, they're alone. Instead, have the guy get shanked in the neck or something, and have the killer use a plastic bag as a glove. It saved my ass one time."

"Woah!" you exclaimed with a giggle, "you used a knife once? What happened to my trigger happy boyfriend, huh? That's pretty sus."

"I forgot to reload the Uzis, alright?"

"What an impostor would say."

Chapter 3:

"What would be the best way to muffle the scream of someone you kidnapped?"

You two were sitting on the couch together watching a show. You didn't have your laptop on you, so Pico didn't expect you to still be thinking about that book. "I can't say from experience, really," he said as he paused the show. "However, shove a rag in their mouth and duct tape it in, and you should be good."

"Thanks Pico, also one more thing." "Yeah?" "What if our killer also wanted to..." God, this one was gonna be awkward, but you had to say it or else no help. "You know, cut off this victim's willy. How would you do that?"

"Wai-wha-uh-ga," Pico started fumbling his words like never before. He stopped, then took a deep breath. "YO, WHAT THE FUCK?!" "It'll make sense in the story later, I promise!" You watch Pico begin to lose it, breaking into laughter. "Ladies, gentlemen, and others," Pico dramatically stood up, pulling a little Showcaster impression and directing his arms towards you, "my famous 'young' adult novelist partner!"

Chapter 4:

It was in the dead of night, but you awoke to Pico on his phone. His vpn was on and Tor was up. As per usual, he was checking up on his little hitman service, where others could request for a certain someone's guts to fly if they paid him a hefty sum first. Though tired, you ound this to be the best time to ask him some more questions.

"Pico, how do those sites work?"

"Oh, you're awake," Pico blankly stated, sleepy too. But he still answered you. "Basically, some anonymous rich guys in the area give me money and a target, then I just do the thing and send a mission accomplished email." "Do they pay you in person?" "Nah, we use always use Bitcoin. It's a lot harder to trace than real money."

"Thanks Pico. Goodnight," you wish him, yawning and going back to sleep. "You too... So this guy is a hit man too?" "Hush. Tomorrow." "Okay." Pico puts his phone away, leaving it on a nightstand. You then spoon the night away, peacefully thinking of murder as you drifted off.

Chapter 5:

On a morning similar to before, you two sat on the patio with your drinks and laptop at the ready. Pico watched rather awkwardly as you typed away, wondering why you haven't entertained him with another question yet.

"You gonna ask anything else?" "What? Oh, nah," you plainly state. Inevitable, sure, but he was kind of saddened. He liked being able to share his messed up wisdom. "So, you're done?" "Almost." You turn to look at him, "want the spoilers?" Pico smiled, "sure thing."

In the novella you and Pico crafted together, the main character is a cop who hunts down a killer. They eventually notice that there would be two murders at a time for unknown reasons. Well, it was unknown until one victim had left up a dark web hit man for hire site. They that the hit man not only kills the target, but the client as a hidden price for the service.

And any request will be fulfilled, according to the hit man's site.

"Do they catch 'em?" Pico asked. "Well, ANY request is granted. So, if our hero were to... hire him to kill himself..."

"No way!"

"He did. They find both of their bodies in his bedroom."

Pico was a bit impressed with the ending you came up with, but then he remembered something. "Why did that guy get his thing cut off?" "Lol, I forgot," you giggled. "He sent a message to the hit man, saying he wishes the target would choke on his dick."

"That's my favourite part."

Epilogue:

After everything was finished up, you sent the book off to your editor. After the initial joy of knowing how the story ended, you saw that Pico was still in thought. "What's up with you?" "Oh nothing, well it's just... I'm probably just biased, being that I'm a bit of a hitman myself, but it's kind of sad to see the guy go."

"Then I should spoil the epilogue I came up with." Rather than being excited, Pico nervously asked, "what's an epilogue?" He didn't get an answer, only you staring at him. "Sorry, school held too many bad memories for me to pay attention."

"Anyways," you continue, "the rest of the police gang did some background checks, and find that our killer was a normal guy with no criminal history."

"Penilian?"

"No. But I did decide to take a more supernatural approach here. Somewhere across the country, another string of double homicides occur and that site is active once more. And the story kind of repeats itself."

"Penilian."

"You joker," you give him a playful little kiss on the cheek, one that definitely caught him off guard. "So is it canon?" Pico smirked. "Nah, just thanking you for being my cute little co-author." "Oh," Pico started, "so we're flirtin' now, huh. Come here babe!" He tackled you onto the ground, giving you several kisses in exchange.

"Actually, I think we call that 'making out'," you chuckle out, flustered. "But that doesn't mean I said stop'!" You pull him in for more, accidentally bonking your heads together rather painfully. "Nice double kill there, (Y/N)."

[mulderist]

Wicked Game

Chapter 1  // Chapter 2 // Chapter 3  // Chapter 4 // Read on A03

Washington, D.C - 1948. Fox Mulder is a detective on the top vice unit; scandal, corruption, and lies come with the territory. He is forced to investigate a fellow officer and finds the lies go much deeper than the truth.

tagging @today-in-fic​

CHAPTER 5

The phone rang three times before she answered. My jaw ached as I tried to mask the slur in my voice when I told her who was calling. I realized it was a long shot ringing her number but I needed something to get my head on straight. I told her I was in Georgetown and as luck would have it she did not have a shift at the hospital that evening. She accepted my invitation to have a drink. I confirmed her address and I said I would wait outside the building to meet her, adding to look for the forlorn gentleman with a grey fedora. We disconnected and I exited the booth then walked to the curb to hail a cab.��

Scully’s apartment building was tucked into a quiet tree-lined block on Q Street. In a town built on history this neighborhood dripped vintage charm with neat colonial rowhouses and brick sidewalks. I paced a slow line in front of the staircase then stretched a foot on the bottom step. The sound of a door opening and heel clicks on brickwork caught my attention. There she was. A vision in a short-sleeved olive green sweater with a high neck, wide-leg trousers gave way to dark t-strap shoes that peeked out from under her pant cuffs. Her ginger-red hair was pinned up halfway and decorated with a small flower. I straightened up and tried to smile as she landed on the last step. 

“God, what happened to you?” she questioned before I could even greet her properly. 

“And hello to you too.” I replied.

“Oh, your cheek,” Scully frowned, “This reminds me of when we first met.” She inspected my face without laying a finger on me. I tipped back my hat slightly so she could get a better look. In the afternoon sun her eyes processed a diagnosis and she reached out a caring hand to touch my jawline but withdrew it quickly. Fingers formed a loose fist instead as her hand dropped slowly towards her hip. I cleared my throat.

“Serves me right for interrupting someone’s lunch, huh?”

“Must have been someone important for them to leave a mark like that,” Scully said, stepping back and adjusting her handbag. I shrugged then said,

“No, just me being a nosy cop.” I found myself staring as she smiled.

“So now that we’re here, where are we off to?”

“There’s a little place I visit when I’m in the neighborhood.” I slipped my hands in my pockets and gestured with a nod down the block. She joined me at my side and we strolled for a few silent moments. Her presence helped to mute the extra noise in my head. Though with each intersection we crossed I was still checking my corners, making sure we weren’t being followed. After the little scene I caused at the restaurant my guard was up. I knew I could never be too comfortable with my surroundings and I certainly didn’t want to put her in danger.

We walked farther down Q street and crossed over to 33rd to a small bar named The Blue Note. I opened the door for her and followed inside. It was your standard set-up with a small stage on the side arranged for a jazz combo. Too early for a gig, so the jukebox in the corner played the matinee performance. Regalia from the university littered the walls but in a more dignified fashion, like the proprietor was trying to distance the establishment from looking like a run-of-the-mill college bar. Still, it was dark, smoky, and my kind of familiar. Only a couple of bar flies had landed to start their day-drinking. I ushered her through a fresh haze of cigarette smoke to an empty spot at the far end of the bar. She took a seat and I adjusted my barstool, sitting close but not too close. Scully caught the attention of the stout bartender.

“I’d like a vodka tonic and my friend here will have?”

“Whiskey.” 

The man nodded and scuttled back to fix our drinks. I put my fedora on the bar and ran a hand through my hair.

“Can you tell me about this case you’re working on?” Scully asked as she placed her handbag in her lap. I thought about how much I wanted to divulge so I kept the names and places to a minimum.

“It involves a drug ring, fairly standard for the vice unit. However the fly in the ointment is that it also involves an investigation into my partner.”

“Wait, the one who was buried at Arlington?”

“The very same,” I answered as the bartender delivered two short glasses. I grasped the drink and raised it, she mimicked the motion. “Cheers,” I said before taking a long sip and swirling the ice cube around. Scully sampled her drink as well and I continued.

“The papers painted it that he was killed in the line of duty. Now, I was there that night. It was the same night I got a hot lead kiss on the shoulder and I think my partner was bumped off in a deal that went sour.”

“Your partner was a hophead?” she asked as she twisted the bottom of her glass on the bar napkin.

“I didn’t suspect he was a hophead,” I said after I downed the last of my whiskey, “but the medical examiner ordered blood work that confirmed he was sky high.”

“Did you see who shot at you?” she asked after a beat, tracing a fingertip along the edge of the highball. 

“No, but we did get a match on the weapon. So all I need to do is take him in .”

“Let me guess, that’s who gave you the bruise.”

“Very perceptive Scully. It was one of his goons actually.” I said as I rubbed my left cheek and glanced reflexively over my shoulder. She held her glass close to her lips and thought for a moment before taking another sip to finish it off. Scully pressed her lips together and focused on her now empty glass. I caught the change in music from the jukebox; a heavy piano piece that fit the tone in our little corner of the bar. I flagged the bartender and ordered another round.  She was hesitant at first on the refill but I guess she didn’t mind my company and decided to stick around. Time seemed to slow to a halt, dripped down like molasses on a winter day.

“Enough about me and the DCPD, I want to know your story.”

“My story, Mulder? I don’t think I’m as interesting as all that,” Scully said as she glanced at her hands, admiring the tidy red varnish on the nails.

“Try me,” I replied as our second round arrived and my attention was now only on her.

“Let’s see...you already know I’m a nurse,” she began with a gesture, “I’ve been one since before the war. Schooling was no cost and once the conflict started I opted to stay home in Maryland to fill the nursing shortage. My brothers had gone through the gauntlet at the naval academy and were sent to San Diego then the South Pacific respectively. It would have broken my mother’s heart if I joined up and got shipped off too” She paused and took a drink. “My sister and mother stayed in Annapolis but in ‘45 I headed to Washington to continue with medicine. There was more I wanted to learn and more ways I felt I could help.”

“And that’s how you ended up in Georgetown?”

She nodded and softly exhaled.

“After I buried my father, I buried myself in studies, work, and other hobbies. I figured if I kept myself busy enough I wouldn’t have time to think about the loss.” Her shoulders shrugged and she absentmindedly toyed with a strand of hair then swept it behind her ear.

“Any travel in that time?” I asked, hoping she had an answer. I was shit at small talk when I wasn’t using my badge.

“California after the war ended to see my brother Bill and his family for Christmas, then last year I took the train up to New England for a change of scenery.”

“Ah, I’m familiar with that area. My parents live on Martha’s Vineyard.”

“It’s really lovely. I was fortunate to visit in the fall.” A hint of a smile crossed her lips as she recalled the memory. A pleasant silence then fell between us. More small talk followed, less personal this go around. Filler subjects like the weather and sports weaved their way into conversation. I was pleased to learn she was a baseball fan and was hoping for a better season than last year. 

The bar was getting more clientele and as much as I wanted to stay and extend my friendship with Mr Jack Daniels, I figured we should make it last call. I paid our tab and escorted Scully outside, placing a featherweight touch on her shoulder as I guided her through the open door. The air felt cool as the sun hid behind passing clouds, setting up for another storm. She thanked me for the drinks and though she was a captain’s daughter who could certainly hold her liquor, I offered to walk her home. 

As we turned the corner and walked back up the block I still felt that we weren’t alone. I kept a close stride next to Scully as we neared her building. She ascended the steps and I joined her at the door. This time her hand found my cheek. 

“I hope to see you again,” she said as she gently stroked my jawline, “But next time without any occupational damage.” 

“Can’t make any promises, doll,” I said moving closer, feeling her fingers twitch, catching a flutter of her eyelashes as she exhaled. My gaze was soft, hypnotized by her features. She grazed the stubble on my skin then Scully raised her chin and placed a soft sweet kiss on my injured cheek. 

“Take care of yourself, detective.”

Through the narrow pane of glass on the building’s door I watched her walk up the stairs, she looked back over her shoulder giving me a final flash of that flower nestled against her red hair. As I turned and walked down the steps I noticed a car parked across the street and a man with a sharp suit and glasses leaning against the side.

“Are you following me?” I called out once I was on the sidewalk, my hand on the butt of my weapon.

“This is your surveillance detail?” Skinner questioned.

“Chivalry isn’t dead yet, Captain.”

“Something’s come up. Get in,” Skinner said as he motioned to the car. I walked around the front of the cruiser and opened the passenger door joining him inside.

“I heard about your incident with Carlo Lodi today.”

“Word travels fast.”

“You’re damn right it does, Mulder. This city is more connected than ever. I had a conversation with our friend Alex Krycek when he returned the squad car you lent him. Seems that he was privy to information regarding a Vincenti heroin shipment tonight.”

“Ha! What did you have to trade for that info?” I asked. He tensed his jaw then said,

“Continued protection. It appears he’s been sitting on this since we first interrogated him.”

“Jesus Christ.”

“There will be a boat arriving at the Navy Yard tonight. Small crew. They are going to make a transfer to one of the warehouses, but it’s up to you to find how they’re moving the shipment from there.”

I took a moment to process the details of my assignment. 

“Will I have back-up?”

“Via radio. Do not engage after you make the mark. Follow standard tailing procedure.”

“If you’re going to send me on a suicide mission, can you at least drop me off in Alexandria. I could use a shower and something to eat.” Skinner gave me a sideways glance and turned the key in the ignition, bringing life to the cruiser. He shifted into gear and we were on our way back across the Potomac.

[radicalgraff]

“Who gives a flying fox about dead cops?”

Sonic poster seen in Sydney

[ladyanput]

Seeing Green Ch.11

I gave zero fucks this chapter. I promise I'll make up for it in the next one.

---

    Marinette stared down at her cell phone with a blank look, before she took in a deep breath, raising her gaze to Bruce, who was sitting across the table from her. She and the Waynes were seating in the dining hall, with the kwami from the Miraculous box flying around, exploring everything they could get their tiny hands on.

    “Mr. Wayn- um, Bruce? I was thinking, since you said you were going to get the Justice League in on the entire Paris situation, I want my team in on it too.” Marinette said firmly as Alfred set down a delicate china cup in front of her, filled with fragrant, flowery tea. 

    “You have a team? I thought you just had the pervy cat.” Jason rose a brow, his hand clenched tight around a mug of coffee. He had been tense ever since they had returned to the manor without Eva, but was holding himself together rather well. 

    “Oh, I have three other members in my team. Queen Bee, Viperion, and Ryuko.” Marinette sipped the tea, then hummed in approval. She motioned to Wayzz, who made his way down and indulged himself in some of the tea as well. “They are keeping Paris safe while I’m away. I find it odd, from what they’ve told me there has been no akuma attacks in the city since I left.”

    “Maybe the crazy butterfly man is taking a holiday?” Tim snorted as he downed his coffee as well, ignoring a glare from Damian. “Or maybe he left the country?”

    “Angel, are you sure Paris would be safe if you brought your team here and left the city unattended?” Damian reached over and gently took her hand, lacing their fingers gently. He smiled at her and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “I just mean that, I wouldn’t want anyone hurt.”

    “I’m sure. A lot of things need to be done now, thanks to all that’s happened.” Marinette got to her feet, a determined look on her face, her blue eyes sparking with a fierceness. “I need to find Hawkmoth, I need a stable team and I just want this all over. I mean, first I need to find a new Black Cat holder, then I need to introduce Lady Vixen to the team, and hopefully Alya won’t be akumatized, and-”

    “Miss Marinette.” Alfred quieted her by setting a hand on her shoulder when he noticed the girl had begun to tremble. The older gentleman gave her a kind smile and a gentle pat on the shoulder. “There is no need to fret for now. Just take a deep breath, your parents are on a flight over here, remember? They are due to arrive in a few hours, perhaps you should just take some time to collect yourself? You were just faced through many traumatic incidents in only a short week, so I suggest just laying low for at least a day?”

    “Alfred’s right. If you get too worked up right now, you’re going to overexert yourself, maybe even make rash decisions.” Bruce gave the girl a kind smile, then after a moment of silence, he nodded. “But once your parents are here and settled, you can bring your team here without issue, then we can contact the League. Hawkmoth has tormented Paris long enough and he needs to be dealt with before it gets too far out of control.”

    Marinette visibly relaxed, but then tensed when she heard the sound of someone running. Evangeline appeared in the doorway, clutching the Fox miraculous tightly in her hand and seeming visibly shaking.

    “Eva, what happened, are you okay?” Marinette took a step towards her, but Eva held a hand up, stopping her in her tracks. “Eva?”

    Evangeline was quiet as she went over and embraced Jason tightly, buried her face in his chest and trembled. Jason held her close, concern flickering across his features before he led her out of the room before anyone could say a word.

    Marinette stared after them before she hugged herself tightly. What on earth had happened?

    …

    When Marinette’s parents arrived and rushed to embrace her, the young girl let loose the tears she had been holding in. She wept and sobbed in her mother’s embrace, while her father talked quietly with Bruce, thanking the man for paying for their tickets to get to Gotham.

    “Well I know she would have wanted her family with her after facing such an experience. And the two of you must have been worried sick when you heard that Marinette had gone missing.” Bruce shook Tom’s hand, exchanging a look with Damian as a confused look crossed the parents’ faces.

    “We were never informed. We only heard about it when you called us, Mr. Wayne.” Sabine admitted, fury brimming at the edge of her tone as she spoke. She held her daughter tighter as realization settled in. “We had never been told about the incident with the other villain either.”

    “I-I’m so sorry, Mama, I should have called, I’m so so sorry..” Marinette hiccuped as she tried to wipe away her tears, her nose and eyes red from crying.

    “You mean to tell me Caline never called you? She never once informed anyone of what happened in Gotham?” Evangeline, in a much better state now, looked ready to take something heavy and go beat up one Miss Caline Bustier. “She should have called you the moment she realized Marinette was missing! The moment she knew that your daughter was being held captive with a gun to her head! Tom, Sabine, I’m sorry that I didn’t call.”

    “That’s enough, both of you” Sabine’s firm tone made any more apologies die off both ladies’ lips. “What matters is that Marinette is safe and that horrible boy is in jail. Honestly, I hope his foolish father doesn’t try to turn this around on her.”

    “Knowing Gabriel Agreste, he’ll get his secretary to handle everything while he stays back in his mansion and cries about his missing wife.” Eva commented dryly, crossing her arms and grinning when she heard a giggle leave Marinette’s lips. “Okay, enough of this sappy stuff. I am starving and I think we’ve all cried enough for one day. No one is dead, so let’s get some dinner and talk about our course of action from here, such as getting Marinette home.”

    “But the Wayne Gala!” Marinette blurted out the words before she could stop herself. She suddenly looked sheepish at all of the stares being sent her way, and shifted uncomfortably. “I-it’s in a few days and I was really looking forward to attending. Please? I made Eva and I dresses and everything.”

    “I don’t know…” Tom’s brow furrowed as he didn’t quite grasp why his daughter didn’t want to leave the city where she had faced such horrible things. But when he caught sight of how one of the Wayne boys and his daughter were looking at each other, it clicked, it was the same look he always gave Sabine. The two of them were in love, even if they didn’t realize it yet. “Well… One or two days couldn’t hurt, but afterwards we’re going straight home and contacting the school board about this entire incident. It wouldn’t have happened in the first place if your teacher had been more careful.”

    There were many hums of agreement and Marinette hugged her father tightly, squealing in excitement. She’d get the dream night, one last perfect night with Damian before she had to go home to Paris and deal with the headache that is her class and the torment that is one Lila Rossi.

…

Gabriel frowned as he entered the filthy, disgusting Gotham police station with Natalie. This is why he hated going out in public, people were so disgusting, so sloppy and uncouth. He had to get his son out of here before they all corrupted him.

"Pardon me." Natalie stepped forward towards the reception desk, her face a perfect blank slate as she gazed the woman at the desk now. "We are here to take Adrien Agreste home."

"Are you his legal guardian?" The woman behind the glass rose a brow, before Gabriel stepped forward and showed his ID. The receptionist nodded and pushed a button on the com. "Commissioner, Adrien Agreste's legal guardians are here."

Gabriel felt an irk of irritation as a gruff looking cop stepped through the doors, eyeing the duo before holding out his hand.

"Commissioner Gordon. I take it you're Gabriel Agreste? Sorry that we had to meet under these circumstances." Gordon kept his hand held out, but when he got none in return, he dropped his hand and guided the man back towards the cells, where Adrien was being kept. 

Adrien was found curled up in a corner, looking dazed, his left cheek covered in scratches from Lady Vixen's sharp claws.

"Son, what have you done this time?" Gabriel stepped forward, barely hidden fury being heard in his tone. Adrien raised his gaze and met his father's, allowing Gabriel to see the madness in his eyes.

"Father, I had my Miraculous taken away."

…

Marinette sighed as she stepped into the library and saw Eva sitting in one of the comfy chairs, staring down at her Miraculous with Trixx on her shoulder.

"Evangeline, what happened today?" Marinette stepped forward and nearly froze when Trixx's and Eva's eyes snapped up, both pairs of eyes the same shade of unearthly purple.

"I don't deserve this Miraculous." Eva blurted out, moving to unclasp the necklace, but Marinette quickly moved to stop her, her gut clenching at the sight of the shakiness in Eva's eyes. "Marinette, I'm a loose cannon, I attacked Adrien so easily, I-"

"Why did you, though? I've seen you angry, but never so ready to cause physical harm like that. I mean, it was so out of left field for you." She hugged her friend, giving her back a few gentle pats.

"... My ex boyfriend said the same thing to me. I was trapped because he had me in this horrible abusive relationship and I didn't ever leave because… Because he kept threatening to kill himself." Eva stared down at her trembling hands, before letting out a shaky whimper. "One day I did. And as I was shoving my bags into my car, he came out of the house with a gun. He called me name, put the barrel in his mouth, and-"

Marinette didn't need to know the rest.

"But I saw a therapist and I worked through that shit. He did that to hurt me, to spite me. It wasn't my fault, he would have done anything to control me or to hurt me. So that's why I'm so adamant on you seeing a therapist, sugar cookie." Eva took her hand gently, giving it a squeeze. "It wasn't your fault. It was never your fault, Adrien was bound to do this because no one ever told him no, no one ever taught him right. Yes, like Plagg explained, the Miraculous may have corrupted him, but that shouldn't excuse him from what he did."

Marinette was quiet for a long time, trying to digest those words as she left the library, allowing Trixx to talk to her newfound kit in peace.

Marinette wandered the halls of Wayne Manor, her mind just… Gone. Off trying to process all that had happened to her in only a few days. When she finally came out of her senses, she found herself standing in front of Damian's bedroom door. With a small smile, she knocked.

Damian answered the door, his eyes lit with concern as soon as he realized who it was. But before he could get a word out, Marinette reached up and pulled him down for a soft kiss.

"Thank you. Thank you so much for respecting me." 

"Angel, where did this come from?" Damian let out a surprised laugh as he gathered Marinette close, giving her forehead a soft kiss.

"Today just made me realize that if you find shut that treats you right, you should never let him go." Mari shrugged and smiled, pulling him in for another kiss.

Tim, who decided to exit his bedroom just at that very moment, made a gagging noise and went off to discuss with his brothers that he needed to stop coming across random make out sessions. It was getting utterly ridiculous.

…

Marinette set the Miraculous box down on the coffee table, as the Wayne family watched. She pulled out what looked like a pair of glasses, and smiled as Kaalki gave her a muzzle, then opened up a portal.

Out of the portal stepped Chloé Bourgeois, Luka Couffaine, and Kagami Tsurugi. The trio brightened at the sight of Marinette and rushed forward, old friends hugging onto each other for dear life.

"Are you sure the League will listen this time?" Kagami took a step back, wearily eyeing Bruce Wayne. "They've been ignoring our calls for years."

"They'll listen, we'll make them listen if it's the last thing we do." Marinette said firmly.

Soon the entire team was down in the Bat cave, facing the monitor. Ladybug stood with Ryuko, Queen Bee, Viperion, and Lady Vixen as the Justice League came onto the screen.

She forced a smile as she introduced herself, and fought back tears as she thought of the partner that would never be introduced.

If only she had been stronger, she could have saved him.

Taglist: @realrandomposts @interobanginyourmom @ladybug-182 @ladylb @zalladane @mochinek0 @persephonebutkore @urbanpineapplefarmer @vixen-uchiha @angelofmusickaterinapetrova @thewheezingbubbledragon @northernbluetongue @violatiger8 @thequestionablyhuman @ginamarie1512 @maude-zarella @2sunchild2 @saphiraazure2708 @ayuchan07 @virgil-is-a-cutie @thepeacetea

[fictionfromafar]

Unmissable International Crime Fiction Novels from April 2021 onwards

1 April

The Untamable by Guillermo Arriaga

MacLehose Press

A gripping coming of age thriller of vengeance and destiny set between Mexico City's murderous 1960s underworld and the bleak tundras of Canada's most remote province. By the BAFTA-winning screenwriter of Amores Perros.

Yukon, Canada's far north. A young man tracks a wolf through the wilderness. In Mexico City, Juan Guillermo has pledged vengeance.

1 April

Bullet Train by Kotaro Isaka, translated by Sam Marissa

Harvill Secker

Five killers find themselves on a bullet train from Tokyo competing for a suitcase full of money. Who will make it to the last station? A bestseller in Japan, Bullet Train is an original and propulsive thriller which fizzes with an incredible energy as its complex net of double-crosses and twists unwinds to the last station.

15 April

Silenced by Sólveig Pálsdóttir, translated by Quentin Bates

Corylus Books

After a turbulent few years, Guðgeir Fransson is back with the Reykjavík police force and is called on to look into the suspicious suicide of a young woman in a cell at the Hólmsheiði prison. On the surface, it looks like a straightforward investigation. As he digs into the dead woman’s past, he unearths links to a man’s disappearance more than twenty years ago.

My review of The Fox:

15 April

We Trade Our Night for Someone Else’s Day by Ivana Bodrožić, translated by Ellen Elias-Bursac

Penguin Random House

Nora is a journalist assigned to do a puff piece on the perpetrator of a crime of passion–a Croatian high school teacher who fell in love with one of her students, a Serb, and is now in prison for having murdered her husband. But Nora herself is the daughter of a man who was murdered years earlier under mysterious circumstances. And she wants, if not to avenge her father, at least to bring to justice whoever committed the crime.

15 April

How To Betray Your Country by James Wolff

Bitter Lemon Press

Following on from the acclaimed debut novel Beside the Syrian Sea, this is the second title in a planned trilogy about loyalty and betrayal in the modern world. An authentic thriller about the thin line between following your conscience and following orders. James Wolff is the pseudonym of a young English novelist who “has been working for the British government for the last ten years”.

22 April

Trap for Cinderella by Sebastien Japrisot

Gallic Books

A beach house at a French resort is gutted by fire. Trapped inside are two women - one rich and the other poor. Only one of them survives, burnt beyond recognition and in a state of total amnesia. Who is she, the heiress or her penniless friend? A killer, or an intended victim?

29 April

Geiger by Gustaf Skordeman

Zaffre

The landline rings as Agneta is waving off her grandchildren. Just one word comes out of the receiver: 'Geiger'. For decades, Agneta has always known that this moment would come, but she is shaken. She knows what it means. Retrieving her weapon from its hiding place, she attaches the silencer and creeps up behind her husband before pressing the barrel to his temple.

29 April

Facets of Death by Michael Stanley

Orenda Books

Detective Kubu, renowned international detective, has faced off with death more times than he can count... But what was the case that established him as a force to be reckoned with? In Facets of Death, a prequel to the acclaimed Detective Kubu series, the fresh-faced cop gets ensnared in an international web of danger—can he get out before disaster strikes?

29 April

The Girl Who Died by Ragnar Jonasson

Michael Joseph

Una knows she is struggling to deal with her father's sudden, tragic suicide. She spends her nights drinking alone in Reykjavik, stricken with thoughts that she might one day follow in his footsteps.

So when she sees an advert seeking a teacher for two girls in the tiny village of Skálar - population of ten - on the storm-battered north coast of the island, she sees it as a chance to escape.

13 May

Seat 7a by Sebastian Fitzek, translated by Jamie Bulloch

Head of Zeus

Psychiatrist Mats Krüger knows that his irrational fear of flying is just that – irrational. He knows that flying is nineteen times safer than driving. He also knows that if something does happen on a plane, the worst place to be is seat 7A. That's why on his first plane journey in 20 years – to be with his only daughter as she gives birth – he's booked seat 7A, so no one else can sit there. If no one is sat there, surely nothing will go wrong.

My review of Passenger 23 :

https://fictionfromafar.tumblr.com/post/643950323513311232/passenger-23-by-sebastian-fitzek-passenger-23-by

13 May

The Assistant by Kjell Ola Dahl, translated by Don Bartlett

Orenda Books

Oslo, 1938. When a woman turns up at the office of police-turned-private investigator Ludvig Paaske, has accepted a routine case to find evidence of a cheating husband but soon enough his assistant Jack Rivers has been accused of murder. Rivers is no angel, and Paaske must dig deep to find out what’s going on. The secrets he uncovers go all the way back to 1920s Norway when smugglers, pimps and racketeers ruled the Oslo underworld.

20 May

Summertime, All the Cats Are Bored by Philippe Georget, Translated by Steven Rendall

Europa Editions

It’s the middle of a long hot summer on the French Mediterranean shore and the town is full of tourists. Sebag and Molina, two tired cops who are being slowly devoured by dull routine and family worries, deal with the day’s misdemeanors and petty complaints at the Perpignan police headquarters without a trace of enthusiasm. Out of the blue a young Dutch woman is brutally murdered on a beach at Argelès, and another disappears without a trace in the alleys of the city. A serial killer obsessed with Dutch women?

20 May

Oxygen by Sacha Naspini, Translated by Clarissa Botsford

Europa Editions

Laura disappeared into thin air in 1999, at eight years old. She was found in a metal container, fourteen years later.

Luca is having dinner with his father dinner when they are interrupted by a visit from the carabinieri, who take his father away. Luca can only watch the scene unfold, helpless. The charges brought against esteemed anthropologist Carlo Maria Balestri are extremely grave: multiple counts of abduction, torture, murder, and concealing his victims’ bodies.

27 May

The Waiter by Ajay Chowdhury

Harvill Secker

Disgraced detective Kamil Rahman moves from Kolkata to London to start afresh as a waiter in an Indian restaurant. But the day he caters a birthday party for his boss's friend on Millionaire's Row, his simple new life becomes rather complicated. The event is a success, the food is delicious, but later that evening the host, Rakesh, is found dead in his swimming pool.

27 May

The Fortune Men by Nadifa Mohamed

Viking

Mahmood Mattan is a fixture in Cardiff's Tiger Bay, 1952, which bustles with Somali and West Indian sailors, Maltese businessmen and Jewish families. He is a father, chancer, some-time petty thief. He is many things, in fact, but he is not a murderer.

So when a shopkeeper is brutally killed and all eyes fall on him, Mahmood isn't too worried. It is true that he has been getting into trouble more often since his Welsh wife Laura left him. But Mahmood is secure in his innocence in a country where, he thinks, justice is served.

10 June

In the Shadow of the Fire by Herve Le Corre, translated by Tina Kover

Europa Editions

The Paris Commune’s “bloody week” sees the climax of the savagery of the clashes between the Communards and the French Armed Forces loyal to Versailles. Amid the shrapnel and the chaos, while the entire west side of Paris is a field of ruins, a photographer fascinated by the suffering of young women takes “suggestive” photos to sell to a particular clientele. Young women begin disappearing, and when Caroline, a seamstress who volunteers at a first aid station, is counted among the missing, her fiancé Nicolas, a member of the Commune’s National Guard, and Communal security officer Antoine, sets off independently in search of her.

10 June

The All Human Wisdom by Pierre Lemaitre

MacLehose Press

In 1927, the great and the good of Paris gather at the funeral of the wealthy banker, Marcel Péricourt. His daughter, Madeleine, is poised to take over his financial empire (although, unfortunately, she knows next to nothing about banking). More unfortunately still, when Madeleine's seven-year-old son, Paul, tumbles from a second floor window of the Péricourt mansion on the day of his grandfather's funeral, and suffers life-changing injuries, his fall sets off a chain of events that will reduce Madeleine to destitution and ruin in a matter of months.

15 June

The Transparency Of Time, Leonardo Padura, translated by Anna Kushner,

Bitter Lemon Press

Mario Conde is facing down his sixtieth birthday. What does he have to show for his decades on the planet? A failing body, a slower mind, and a decrepit country, in which both the ideals and failures of the Cuban Revolution are being swept away in favor of a new and newly cosmopolitan worship of money. Rescue comes in the form of a new case: an old Marxist turned flamboyant practitioner of Santería appears on the scene to engage Conde to track down a stolen statue of the Virgen de Regla—a black Madonna. This sets Conde on a quest that spans twenty-first century Havana as well as the distant past to uncover the true provenance of the statue.

My review of Havana Fever:

https://fictionfromafar.tumblr.com/post/631759758177746944/havana-fever-written-by-leonardo-padura

24 June

The Wrong Goodbye by Toshihiko Yahagi, translated by Alfred Birnbaum

MacLehose Press

In a nod to Raymond Chandler, The Wrong Goodbye pits homicide detective Eiji Futamura against a shady Chinese business empire and U.S. military intelligence in the docklands of recession hit Japan. After the frozen corpse of immigrant barman Tran Binh Long washes up in midsummer near Yokosuka U.S. Navy Base, Futamura meets a strange customer from Tran’s bar. Vietnam vet pilot Billy Lou Bonney talks Futamura into hauling three suitcases of “goods” to Yokota US Air Base late at night and flies off leaving a dead woman behind. My review:

https://fictionfromafar.tumblr.com/post/641412317374988288/the-wrong-goodbye

24 June

Sleepless by Romy Haussmann, translated by Jamie Bulloch

Quercus

It's been years since Nadja Kulka was convicted of a cruel crime. After being released from prison, she's wanted nothing more than to live a normal life: nice flat, steady job, even a few friends. But when one of those friends, Laura von Hoven - free-spirited beauty and wife of Nadja's boss - kills her lover and begs Nadja for her help, Nadja can't seem to be able to refuse.

29 June

Black Ice by Carin Gerhardsen

Scarlet

January in Gotland. The days are short, the air is cold, and all the roads are covered in snow. On a deserted, icy backroad, these wintery conditions will soon bring together a group of strangers with a force devastating enough to change their lives forever when, in the midst of a brief period, a deadly accident and two separate crimes leave victims in their wake.

1st July

The Darkness Knows by Arnaldur Indridason

Harvill Secker

A woman approaches Konrad with new information and progress can finally be made. But as Konrad starts to look back at the case and secrets of the past, he is forced to come face to face with his own dark side. In What the Darkness Knows, the master of Icelandic crime writing reunites readers with Konrad, the unforgettable retired detective from The Shadow District.

1 July

Resilience by Bogdan Hrib, translated by Marina Sofia

Corylus Books

Stelian Munteanu has had enough of being an international man of mystery: all he wants to do is make the long-distance relationship with his wife Sofia work. But when the notorious Romanian businessman Pavel Coman asks him to investigate the death of his daughter in the north of England, he reluctantly gets involved once more in what proves to be a tangled web of shady business dealings and political conspiracies. Moving rapidly between London, Newcastle, Bucharest and Iasi, this novel shows just how easy it is to fall prey to fake news and social media manipulation.

8 July

The Therapist by Helene Flood, translated by Alison McCulloch

MacLehose Press

A voicemail from her husband tells Sara he's arrived at the holiday cabin. Then a call from his friend confirms he never did. She tries to carry on as normal, teasing out her clients' deepest fears, but as the hours stretch out, her own begin to surface. And when the police finally take an interest, they want to know why Sara deleted that voicemail.

13 July

Elena Knows by Claudia Piñeiro translated by Frances Riddle

Charco Press

After Rita is found dead in a church she used to attend, the official investigation into the incident is quickly closed. Her sickly mother is the only person still determined to find the culprit. Chronicling a difficult journey across the suburbs of the city, an old debt and a revealing conversation, Elena Knows unravels the secrets of its characters and the hidden facets of authoritarianism and hypocrisy in our society.

My review of Betty Boo:

https://fictionfromafar.tumblr.com/post/633225446612484096/

15 July

The Basel Killings

Hansjörg Schneider

Bitter Lemon Press

It the end of October, the city of Basel is grey and wet. It could be December. It is just after midnight when Police Inspector Peter Hunkeler, on his way home and slightly worse for wear, spots old man Hardy sitting on a bench under a street light. He wants to smoke a cigarette with him, but the usually very loquacious Hardy is silent—his throat a gaping wound. Turns out he was first strangled, then his left earlobe slit, his diamond stud stolen. The media and the police come quickly to the same conclusion: Hardy’s murder was the work of a gang of Albanian drug smugglers. But for Hunkeler that seems too obvious.

20 July

The Double Mother by Michel Bussi, translated by Sam Taylor

W&N

Already shown as a serial on Channel4’s Walter Presents (as The Other Mother), four-year-old Malone Moulin is haunted by nightmares of being handed over to a complete stranger and begins claiming his mother is not his real mother. His teachers at school say that it is all in his imagination as his mother has a birth certificate, photos of him as a child and even the pediatrician confirms Malone is her son. The school psychologist, Vasily, believes otherwise as the child vividly describes an exchange between two women.

22 July

Girls Who Lie Eva Bjorg AEgisdottir

Orenda

When single mother Maríanna disappears from her home, leaving an apologetic note on the kitchen table, everyone assumes that she’s taken her own life … until her body is found on the Grábrók lava fields seven months later, clearly the victim of murder. Her neglected fifteen-year-old daughter Hekla has been placed in foster care, but is her perfect new life hiding something sinister?

My Review of A Creak On The Stairs:

https://fictionfromafar.tumblr.com/post/631717704661942273/

22nd July

The Doll Yrsa Sigurdardottir

Hodder & Stoughton

It was meant to be a quiet family fishing trip, a chance for mother and daughter to talk. But it changes the course of their lives forever. They catch nothing except a broken doll that gets tangled in the net. After years in the ocean, the doll a terrifying sight and the mother's first instinct is to throw it back, but she relents when her daughter pleads to keep it. This simple act of kindness proves fatal. That evening, the mother posts a picture of the doll on social media. By the morning, she is dead and the doll has disappeared.

5 August

The Soul Breaker by Sebastian Fitzek, translated by Jamie Bulloch

Head Of Zeus

He doesn't kill them, or mutilate them. But he leaves them completely dead inside, paralysed and catatonic. His only trace a note left in their hands. There are three known victims when suddenly the abductions stop. The Soul Breaker has tired of his game, it seems. Meanwhile, a man has been found in the snow outside an exclusive psychiatric clinic. He has no recollection of who he is, or why he is there. Unable to match him to any of the police's missing people, the nurses call him Casper.

12 August

Cold Sun by Anita Sivakumaran

Dialogue Books

Bangalore. Three high-profile women murdered, their bodies draped in identical red saris. When the killer targets the British Foreign Minister's ex-wife, Scotland Yard sends the troubled, brilliant DI Vijay Patel to lend his expertise to the Indian police investigation. Stranger in a strange land, ex-professional cricketer Patel must battle local resentment and his own ignorance of his ancestral country, while trying to save his failing relationship back home.

August date TBC

Skin Deep by Antonia Lassa, translated by Jacky Collins

Corylus Books

The corpse of an elderly millionaire is discovered brutally scarred with acid burns. Her young lover is the chief suspect but the authorities admit they are baffled. It will take the intervention of private detective Albert Larten to explore all the complexities of desire, and ultimately reveal the truth.

19 August

Come Hell Or High Water by Christian Unge

MacLehose Press

The first in a new Swedish crime series featuring Tekla Berg – a fearless doctor with a remarkable photographic memory

With 85% per cent burns to his body and a 115% risk of dying, it’s a miracle the patient is still alive. That he made it this far is thanks to Tekla Berg, an emergency physician whose unorthodox methods and photographic memory are often the difference between life and death.

30 September

Night Hunters by Oliver Bottini

MacLehose Press

The fourth in the Black Forest Investigations - by the four-time winner of the German Crime Fiction Award. Over the course of several days one hot summer, a female student from Freiburg disappears, a father is murdered in a brutal attack, a teenage boy drowns in the Rhine in suspicious circumstances. It soon becomes evident to Chief Inspector Louise Boni and her colleagues at Freiburg's criminal police that the three cases are connected - and that others are now in terrible danger. Including Boni herself.

07 October

Lemon by Kwon Yeo-Sun

House Of Zeus

Focusing on the unsolved murder of teenage girl, this literary crime novel offers insights into gender, class and privilege in Seoul, and marks the English-language debut for award-winning Korean author, Kwon Yeo-sun.

In the summer of 2002, my big sister Hae-on was murdered. She was beautiful, intelligent, and only nineteen years old. Two boys were questioned, but the case was never solved. Her killer still walks free.

12 October

Bread: The Bastards of Pizzofalcone

by Maurizio de Giovanni

Europa Editions

Sometimes it takes facing a formidable adversary to truly know one’s worth. The Bastards of Pizzofalcone may have found just that: when the brutal murder of a baker rattles the city, they are ready to investigate. There’s nothing they wouldn’t do to prove themselves to their community. But this time the police are divided: for the special anti-mob branch, the local mafia is doubtlessly responsible for the crime, but the Bastards are not so sure and think there may be another reason for the murder of the renowned artisan, whose traditionally baked bread attracted customers from far and wide. A rivalry between the policeman and the magistrate is formed, one that, in the end, will extend to more than just their work lives.

12 October

The Corpse Flower by Anne Mette Hancock

Crooked Lane Books

It's early September in Copenhagen, the rain has been coming down for weeks, and 36-year-old journalist Heloise Kaldan is in the middle of a nightmare. One of her sources has been caught lying, and she could lose her job over it. And then she receives the first in a series of cryptic and ominous letters from an alleged killer.

28 October

Inertia by Camilla Grebe

Zaffre

Inertia is an eerie psychological thriller from the award-winning Swedish bestselling author Camilla Grebe. When 18-year old Samuel finds himself at the centre of a drug deal gone wrong, he is forced to go underground to escape the police and an infamous drug lord.

October date TBC

The Commandments by Oskar Gudmundsson

Corylus Books

On a cold winter morning in 1995, Anton, a 19-year-old boy, met a priest outside Glerárkirkja in Akureyri. After that, he was never seen again. Two decades later a priest is found murdered in the church in Grenivík. When the police investigate the case, they finds that a deacon has also been executed inside Akureyri.

28 October

Cold as Hell by Lilja Sigurdardottir

Orenda Books

Icelandic sisters Áróra and Ísafold live in different countries and aren‘t on speaking terms, but when their mother loses contact with Ísafold, Áróra reluctantly returns to Iceland to find her sister. But she soon realizes that her sister isn’t avoiding her … she has disappeared, without trace.

As she confonts Ísafold’s abusive, drug-dealing boyfriend Björn, and begins to probe her sister’s reclusive neighbours – who have their own reasons for staying out of sight – leads Áróra into an ever darker web of intrigue and manipulation.

28 October

The Rabbit Factor by Antti Toumainen

Orenda Books

What makes life perfect? Insurance mathematician Henri Koskinen knows the answer because he calculates everything down to the very last decimal.

And then, for the first time, Henri is faced with the incalculable. After suddenly losing his job, Henri inherits an adventure park from his brother – its peculiar employees and troubling financial problems included. The worst of the financial issues appear to originate from big loans taken from criminal quarters … and some dangerous men are very keen to get their money back.

2 November

Bricklayers

Selva Almada

Charco Press

Oscar Tamai and Elvio Miranda, the patriarchs of two families of brickmakers, have for years nursed a mutual hatred, but their teenage sons, Pájaro and Ángelito, somehow fell in love. Brickmakers begins as Pájaro and Marciano, Ángelito’s older brother, lie dying in the mud at the base of a Ferris wheel. Inhabiting a dreamlike state between life and death, they recall the events that forced them to pay the price of their fathers’ petty feud.

My review of Dead Girls:

https://fictionfromafar.tumblr.com/post/642554449326489600/dead-girls-charco-press

4 November

The Night Will Be Long

Santiago Gamboa

Europa Editions

When a horribly violent confrontation occurs outside of Cauca, Colombia, only a young boy is around to witness it. But no sooner does the violence happen than it disappears, vanished without a trace. Nobody claims to have seen anything. Nobody claims to have heard anything. That is, until an anonymous accusation catalyzes a dangerous investigation into the deep underbelly of the Christian churches present today in Latin America. The Night Will Be Long is a dark, twisting thriller filled with moments of humor and pain--a story that will stick with readers long after they turn the last page.

11 November

The Shadows of Men by Abir Mukherjee

Harvill Secker

When a Hindu theologian is found murdered in his home, the city is on the brink of all-out religious war. Can officers of the Imperial Police Force, Captain Sam Wyndham and Sergeant Surendranath Banerjee track down those responsible in time to stop a bloodbath? Set at a time of heightened political tension, beginning in atmospheric Calcutta and taking the detectives all the way to bustling Bombay, the latest instalment in this 'unmissable' (The Times) series presents Wyndham and Banerjee with an unprecedented challenge.

[suspiciousbluejay]

Thoughts on watching Dark Knight Rises for the first time

Wasn’t dent evil?

Bruce gave up being Batman for 8 years ?

Is that selina Kyle

F she’s hot

It is her

Bruce y u no have ligaments in ur legs

How the f are u dancing with no ligaments in ur legs

WHERE ARE BATKIDS ????

Where’s Babs and Gordon’s wife

Why everyone treating Gordon like Churchill

Who is this random cop dude

Is him time drake ?? He figured out who batman is ??

Selina is badass

Yayyy fox

Fox has all the cool shit

Holy shit that’s a ufo

I approve of the new flying bat Mobley

Nooooo Alfred why u do thiss

Comic Alfred would never Abandon Bruce

Bruce random rich kid hook up is hot

Why is there no mucic for Bruce and babes fight?

Seriously just grunting ?

On no there’s a bomb I bet that’s no going to get diffused right at the end or anything

Oh no an unexcapable prison I wonder what will happen

WAIT bane is ras al Gauls son??????

What about Talia and Nyssa ?????

Ras al Gaul is alive?? Lassarus pit ??

Ras al Gaul was married what?

Oh he’s a hulusionatin

Where the f is Alfred

Why they sending all the police it’s obviously a trap

And it’s a trap

Do amerinacs really Liston to little kids sings there National anthem?

With there hands over their hearts????

Epic explosions

Why the f is the president not doing anything??

He’s still better than trump

I am British but vote Biden

Bane does have a point eat the rich

Holy shit Bruce climbing is the best thing I have ever watched

Bomb set for 5 weeks how long was Bruce in that prison

Jim Gordon is only good cop defund police (except him and Rando cop orphan guy)

How did Bruce get into Gotham ??

Crazy time skips

Wait is Gotham an Island or a Peninsula

That moterbike is awesome

Yay Bruce saved jim I acculturation like him

Yayy police escape

Wait that’s talia ?????

She’s so hot

My bi self is in love

How can Bruce suddenly fight bane when last time he got his arse kicked ?

Gordon finding out who batman is 😍

Bruce sacrifices him self

He’s not dead righ t ?

@alfred now u show up

It’s fine I still love u

What rando cops name is robin ??

Which bat kid is he ??

Dick Jason Tim ???

Wait did we see Damian get made ???

No wait Talia died

But lassurus pit ?

Bruce is alive

Him and selina are cute

But selina is mine

But why he give up batman

Gotham is still like broke ??

[our-happygirl500-fan]

Reverse Robins

I was talking about the Reverse Robins AU on discord and it was actually mention that Duke would technically come before Damian in this AU and that actually makes things super perfect.

The We Are Robin kids are the Baker Street Irregulars to Batman’s Sherlock Holmes! (For those who don’t know Sherlock Holmes used to pay/ use kids to spy for him or do jobs for him to help with his cases and he had a network of these kids all across London).

Just as Batman is starting out rumours and stories about him fly around Gotham and Gotham kids can feel that times are changing, criminals are less likely to get away cops are more eager to do their job, they’re inspired to take their city Back!

Like Bruce they figure out that they need a symbol to unite under and fight against crime with but a Bat isn’t representative of what they want to do, what they want to be. They don’t use a Bat bathed in darkness as their symbol but a bird, a symbol of freedom, bathed in colour. They are represented by something linked to Spring and new life.

They are Robin.

They stop crimes where they see it, feed information to good cops, and try to influence events. Batman starts noticing these kids and starts getting more involved with them, he worries but he can't stop them all (and it's new/ young batman he's still as optimistic as he can get) so he gives them missions that will allow them to help while not putting them in too much danger. He gives them equipment. He let's Alfred coordinate them and the Robin's call Alfred 'the nest' they're very fond of him. Through these kids Batman ends up having eyes and ears all over Gotham and criminals become even more convinced that The Bat is somehow everywhere at once.

Eventually Bruce has to put a stop to them, all of them except for Duke who he takes in and continues working with. Bruce keeps on working with the leader Duke who becomes The Signal and Duke starts his own intelligence network like a hands on Oracle leading a team he calls the Birds of Prey making and coordinating allies.

Then one day when Talia reveals that during the time Bruce trained with the League of Assassins she became pregnant and Bruce suddenly finds himself with a ten year old assassin son who insists on going out at night with him and it’s the only way Bruce can seen him using his training for good and Damian needs an outlet so Batman suddenly finds himself with a partner.

And what better name for a partner of Batman than Robin?

Bruce wanting Damian to interact with children his own age but worried about Damian’s assassin training finally leaves his solitude from other heroes to reach out to other heroes namely Superman who’s son is indestructible. Clark nearly has a heart attack when Batman turned out to be real and tried to set up a playdate between their kids.

Nell Little a girl who was inspired by the We Are Robin movement decides to don a cape and calls herself Batgirl, when she grows up she starts working with the Foxes but an attack on the Wayne enterprise building by a new crime lord king pin called Black Mask forces her into a wheel chair and she becomes The Oracle one of the most important players in the Justice League working closely with Duke and his Birds of Prey.

Jon and Damian are best friends and when they are older become crime fighting partners Nightwing (Damian) and Flamebird (Jon).

Stephanie Brown’s mother OD’s and she’s stuck with her criminal father, sick of her fathers crimes and wanting to stop him she puts on a homemade Batgirl costume to try and get back at him due to her father hating Batgirl. Bruce finds out someone who isn’t Nell is running around as Batgirl and goes to confront her only for Stephanie to panic and hit him in the face with a brick and Bruce decides to adopt her on the spot. 

She becomes the second Robin and though Damian wasn’t sure how to react to this girl becoming his successor Jon encourages him to mentor/ look out for each other and Damian and Steph becoming like real sibling, always bickering but always there for each other.

Steph’s dad knows she’s Robin though due to knowing she had dressed up as Batgirl to stop him and he sells her out to Black Mask and she dies. Eventually though Stephanie comes back as the Spoiler getting in the way of not only criminals but Batman’s own operations that she doesn’t agree with. (Steph becomes Spoiler in reverse which is fun).

Tim is literally still just Tim here which is hilarious, Tim will always be Tim. Damian is resentful of this boy taking the place of someone he viewed as a sister and is hostile towards him leading Tim and Damian though they do care about each other to have a slightly hostile relationship. Timsteph in this AU is hilarious because Tim is still Tim he's the kid that was obsessed with Batman and Robin and followed them across Gotham. He would spend hours talking to talking to Steph’s case you can't tell me that he didn't have the biggest crush on Steph in the reverse Robin's AU. Then his childhood crush comes back from the dead to kick his ass meanwhile Steph wanted to mess with her replacement and was not ready for Tim.

Their first interaction is literally this.

Jason get’s caught stealing the wheels off of Tim’s Red Bird and Tim takes Jason under his wing and becomes kind of like a mentor/ partner to keep Jason out of trouble. Jason reminds Bruce heavily of Steph giving them a complex relationship as he tries to keep Jason out of the field. Jason ends up being Robin when Tim’s dad finds out for a short time only to be fired by Bruce. Trying to prove himself Jason ends up beaten with a crow bar by the Joker when he comes back he calls himself the Red Hood as a middle finger to the clown.

Cass is still Cass because she’s perfect. It’s revealed that Jason is her brother (because I really like the Jason is Shiva’s kid and Cass and Jason are sibling stories) and Jason cares about Cass a lot and Cass loves her little brother. Jason gets frustrated by being called little because they are only like 9 months apart.

Bruce takes Tim to the Circus to try and cheer him up after Tim’s life took a downward spiral and they witness the Grayson’s fall. Being reminded of his own tragedy Bruce takes Dick in. Dick wants to be Robin because he wants to go after Zuco and also those are his families colours, that’s his mothers name for him, it’s destiny! When Bruce is believed to be dead Damian takes over as Batman and makes Dick Robin because he thinks Dick needs it. When Bruce comes back Damian goes back to being Nightwing but Dick continues to be Bruce’s Robin.

Dick is spoiled rotten by all his siblings as the baby of the family.

It’s my personal headcanon that Bruce always planned for Cass to become Batman when he died but didn’t think Cass was ready quite yet so in canon he made Cass give Steph Batgirl and sent her on missions around the globe to prepare her until Tim found her in Hong Kong, Bruce came back and Cass set up shop there. In the Reverse Robins AU Cass is still Cass so per Bruce’s orders she leaves Gotham and starts going on missions around the world.

Barbara who’s noticed Batgirl hasn’t been seen and noticed criminals getting more confident during the shift in Batmen makes herself a Batgirl costume and starts fighting crime. No one wants to go against her, she literally decided she was Batgirl now and they all went with it. She forces Steph to train her which Nell encourages, Cass loves her a lot.

[thewhumperinwhite]

Café Interlude: Police Station

Reasonable Question: Why Are There No Ladies In Café?

Answer: There are, they’re just too competent to make decent whumpees.

Andrea Santos appears in Hospital/Squad Car and No More Squad Car. Medea is introduced briefly in Used Car Lot 2. Sophia is mentioned in this ask.

TW for: cops, poor gun safety practices, city-wide crisis with patterns of contagion that reads different in April 2020 than it does when I planned this story fuckin’ six years ago.

OH ALSO. Original concepts for everyone except Sophia come from the inimitable @sweetheartblue, A Queen.

@whumpitywhumpwhump

Day 1

Officer Andrea Santos listens to the steady beat of the heart rate monitor and tries to slow her own heart to match it. On the bright side, she no longer feels close to tears. She’s going to consider that a victory. There have been few enough of those today.

Andrea pulls at a few loose strands of her hair—at some point during this long, awful day, it came halfway out of its braid, and now it’s matted with sweat and blood. She’s had a chance to wash her face and tape over her more obvious cuts and scrapes, but not to actually shower. The force is stretched far too thin for her to go home now, even if she had a cruiser to go home in.

“So you’d better get on your feet fast,” she says softly, giving Ben’s hand a squeeze. “No excuse for sleeping on the job, partner.”

At the sound of a very awkward throat-clearing form the doorway, Andrea straightens hastily and snatches her hand away.

Monique looks honestly sympathetic for a second before her face settles into a more familiar deadpan expression. “You god in here, Drea? We could use you in the briefing room.”

Andrea stands, trying to brush off some of the dirt clinging to her uniform. It doesn’t really work. She tosses her head. “I’m fine. Let’s go.”

Her boss is seated at one of the briefing room desks with a map of the city in front of him and probably his seventh cup of coffee in his hand. He looks up at her as she enters, his worry-creased face immediately softening.

That’s--bad. She can handle Monique’s guarded pity, if only because it looks so strange and uncomfortable on her face that it’s almost funny. But any show of sympathy from Greg Halstrom is going to crumble her resolve immediately and they don’t have time for her to cry on him.

“I’m sorry, Andrea,” Halstrom says, and he sounds like he means it, goddammit. “I wish we had more time to give you space.”

“Well, we don’t,” she snaps, and plops down across from him. “Did I miss any game-changing revelations?”

Monique huffs. “You wish. We still don’t know a goddamn thing.”

Halstrom turns his map so she can read it. “Here’s the best we can figure so far. There were six initial points of attack, that we know of.” He taps the map. Six locations throughout the city have been circled in red ink. She spots the café, near the center, and glares at it. “Two resulted in no survivors at all, so once the original assailants were killed, those were pretty much dealt with.” Halstrom leans forward, a green pen in his hand, and crosses out an antiques store on fourth street and a Subway on ninth. “The attacks on more crowded places—” Two of the remaining circles mark the public library and a major city park, and Andrea doesn’t want to think about how many people must’ve been involved in those. “Well, there was basically no way for us to have kept track of all the survivors,” Halstrom concludes, frowning down at the map. “We’re stretched thin as it is. The hospital is pretty much a lost cause— too many of them ended up there.”

Andrea clenches her fists and doesn’t think of Ben, in his makeshift hospital bed, kept alive by contraband equipment. “Yeah,” she says grimly, “I caught that. Hold on, though.” She frowns up at Halstrom. “You keep saying ‘attack,’ ‘attack point.’ Do we think these were—coordinated, somehow?”

Halstrom and Monique exchange an uncomfortable look.

“That’s hard to say,” Halstrom hedges.

“It’d be a hell of a coincidence for six of these crazies to show up at once, though,” Monique says, and she’s right. Andrea’s stomach turns. What does that mean?

“Goddammit,” Andrea mutters, slamming one of her hands down on the table. “Somebody knows what’s going on in this city.”

Halstrom frowns at her, his face going soft and sympathetic again, and then he frowns down at the map. There are deep dark circles around his eyes— she wonders how long it’s been since he last slept. Since any of them have.

“We don’t know that, Andrea,” he says in a low, frustrated voice. “Who knows if all this is what anybody wanted, even if the initial attacks were planned. Even if somebody meant for this to happen, they’d have to be idiots to be in the city when it did, and we can’t leave now.” He looks at her, and then drops a big warm hand onto her shoulder. He’s probably trying to give her a reassuring look; she glares down at the map because she has to. “The best we can do now is try to keep as many people alive as we can.”

Melody clenches and unclenches her hands on the edge of the table. Of course she wants to keep people alive—but at the moment, she thinks she’ll settle for killing some fucking bleeders.

——

Day 2

She shifts Harrison Krieger’s weight on her shoulders, and growls at the necessity. He’s bleeding badly from under his hairline, but he’s also breathing, so his master probably won’t be happy with her if she leaves him to die.

At the moment she would love almost literally nothing more than to do just that.

The old man will be unhappy enough as it is—he never fully trusted Paxon Field, but there’s no denying that they were a very useful asset, and it’ll be tricky to explain why she let them wander off without trying harder to stop them. Hopefully she’ll be able to make it Harri’s fault. Which it is, come to that.

She shifts his weight again, shaking her hair out of her face. Best case she’ll get the call soon, and be able to give up this whole nasty business. It had better be soon, before she goes fucking feral and joins God’s Hammer for real.

“Hold it!” a girl’s voice calls suddenly. She freezes. “You stay right where you are, lady!”

This seems like as good an excuse as any— she drops Harrison like a sack of potatoes and sprints across the street, sliding in through the broken front window of an antique store and crouching under the window ledge to draw her gun, fleet-footed as a fox.

She hears three gunshots while she runs, but she must move faster than her pursuers expect, because all three fly hopelessly wide.

Under the window ledge, she waits.

“Andrea!” a man’s voice shouts from just outside her field of vision. “For god’s sake, you can’t just run around shooting at people, okay?”

She shifts sideways, so she can see her pursuers: a middle-aged blonde man and a young woman. The woman has bandages wrapped around her head; she marks this down in her mental assets column.

They’re both in dark blue uniforms she recognizes belatedly—it has been a very long day—as those worn by the city police.

Oh. Hmm.

The man pokes at Harrison’s body with the toe of his boot. “She just dropped him,” he says, sounding bewildered. He isn’t shouting anymore, but with no car noise for blocks, she doesn’t have to strain much to hear him. 

“Is he dead?” the woman says, sounding alarmed. Sounds like the police have at least some knowledge of the bleeders, then. That’s— good, she guesses.

“I, uh, don’t think so.” The man hesitates, then squares his shoulders and kneels to check Harri’s pulse, his hand on his gun.

She rolls her eyes. Good thing Harri isn’t bit— there’s no way the man is fast enough to avoid him if he’s just playing dead.

“No, his pulse seems normal,” the man says, sounding relieved. He straightens, frowning down at Harri, and then around at the surrounding buildings. His eyes pass over her storefront without so much as a second glance, so she thanks god for his apparently shitty vision. It seems like too much to hope that the woman didn’t see her enter this store, though. She wonders if there’s a back exit. 

“Should we— take him in, then?” the woman asks uncertainly. 

Shit.

“I guess so— for his own safety, if nothing else. Think we can carry him, between the two of us?”

Shit. It’s probably too late to try and kill Harri now, but she really can’t let him get taken alive, then his master will really think she’s incompetent or a traitor, and all her months of hard work will be for nothing.

“Not without making ourselves vulnerable,” the woman is saying, tugging at her long braid thoughtfully, and at that point she stands from her crouch and steps carefully over the window ledge, her pistol drawn.

“Don’t move, either of you,” she says flatly, and while the man obeys her orders, only laying a hand on his gun, the woman draws her gun and trains it on the center of her forehead. Under other circumstances she might be impressed by the girl’s speed, but at the moment she’s just annoyed. “Oh, for Christ’s sake,” she hisses. “I didn’t want to do it this way, dammit.” Reluctantly, she puts her gun back in its holster on her thigh.

The man and the woman both stare at her.

“Look,” she says, planting a hand on her hip, and points at Harri’s prone form. “Will you just give him back to me, please? I need him.”

The officers blink again, in unison.

The man recovers first. “Uh,” he says, a confused smile finding its way onto his handsome face. “What? Why would we do that?”

She sighs. “Because we’re on the same side.” Shaking her hair out of her face, she takes two steps forward— the woman conspicuously follows her progress with her gun— to offer the man her hand, since he seems to be the one in charge. Or she hopes he is, anyway. “My name is Medea,” she says, lifting her chin. “I’m with Interpol. I’m an agent.”

The man blinks at her hand, and then takes it in his and shakes once, though the woman makes a disbelieving squawking noise. “Greg Halstrom, Police Captain. I— would like to believe you,” he says, and while his voice is polite it is also very clear that he doesn’t.

“Well, you should,” Medea says, a trifle coldly. She misses her badge. This undercover bullshit is more trouble than it’s worth. “It’s the truth. I have been infiltrating the terrorist organization known as God’s Hammer for almost six months now, and that man—” Releasing Greg Halstrom’s hand, she points at where Harri is still lying face-down on the asphalt— “is crucial to maintaining my cover. As an agent of the International Criminal Police Organization, my authority exceeds yours, and I order you to relinquish custody of this criminal to me.”

Crossing her arms, she waits and hopes they’re dumb enough to believe her. It’s the truth, much as she wishes it wasn’t, but she doesn’t, she’s painfully aware, actually have any proof.

“Um,” says Captain Halstrom, looking very uncomfortable.

“What are you looking so conflicted for, old man?” the woman snaps. “Of course we won’t do that!”

Medea glares at her. Her gun still drawn, the woman stands her ground and glares back.

“Ah— she’s right, I’m afraid, ma’am,” Halstrom says, looking, if possible, even more uncomfortable. “We can’t let you run off with this man if we don’t know what your intentions are. But— you’re welcome to come down to the station with us.” He puts a little extra weight on the word ‘welcome,’ and Medea is well aware that he’s only framing his order as a request for courtesy’s sake.

Medea pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs. On the downside, this is a hell of a setback. On the up, there might be showers at the police station.

Straightening, she tosses her head. “Alright, that sounds like a fair deal,” she says, just a few slivers of ice in her voice, and the look of disappointment on the woman’s face is almost as rewarding as the man’s relieved smile.

——

Day 3

“You can’t be fucking serious,” Andrea snaps, gesturing at the mess of red on the map. “If he has a brain, the leader of God’s Hammer’d kill you on sight by now!”

Medea glares at her. “Has it occurred that maybe I, an expert, know what to expect from a gang leader than an untrained twenty-something who—”

“Uh, guys?” Monique says from the doorway, and quails slightly when everyone snaps their heads around to look at her—Andrea furious, Medea impatient, and Halstrom deeply relieved. “There’s, um—there’s somebody here to see us?”

Andrea exchanges a baffled look with Halstrom— after two days of phone calls ending in screaming, the neighborhood hasn’t been calling the police, let alone coming to the station. Andrea gets to her feet, and they all follow Monique back to the front desk.

Andrea doesn’t know what she’s expecting. It isn’t—fucking—Gossip Girl.

The girl is looking out the doors at the empty street when they crowd back into the reception area, and then she turns, and Andrea half expects to see cameras flashing. She looks like she should come with her own paparazzi. As it is she’s flanked by two big out of breath men in suits, holding guns, and they take up positions on either side of the door like trained dogs.

Andrea watches the girl look Halstrom up and down, and then she strides up to the desk. Andrea can’t see her feet, but she can hear that she’s wearing stilettos, and the collar of her coat looks like actual fur.

“I’m here to report a missing person,” Gossip Girl says, and Andrea is surprised when she sees her eyes— they’re narrowed in determination, sharp as flint.

Halstrom is staring at the girl like she’s got two heads—or like she’s got perfectly straightened hair during the apocalypse, possibly—so Andrea’s the one who speaks up. “You fucking what?” she says, eloquently, and Gossip Girl narrows her eyes further. 

“My fiancé,” Gossip Girl says, with all the confidence of a person who can afford bodyguards in the apocalypse. “He was downtown with his father on April tenth, two days ago, and he was left there.” She says this last part with her perfect white teeth bared, anger directed somewhere outside the room. “I haven’t heard from him since. I want to know where he is.”

Halstrom is still staring at her, eyebrows raised. Medea has a strange look on her face, and is hovering in the doorway like she doesn’t want to be seen. Andrea takes the initiative again.

“He’s a fucking zombie, lady,” she says, too confused and annoyed to sound sympathetic. Gossip Girl turns her ice-shard eyes on Andrea, and Andrea almost takes a step back.

“I’m aware of the possibility,” Gossip Girl says, standing there in her fur coat, with her unstained unwrinkled dress and her stilettos. “I still want him found. If he’s fallen ill, I’ll take him to my father’s doctors, and he’ll no longer be your responsibility.”

“He isn’t our responsibility now,” Andrea snarls. “Listen, lady, we don’t have time or bodies to run around after some rich asshole during the end of the—”

“I thought you might say that,” Gossip Girl interrupts. “Therefore, I’m prepared to offer you access to my father’s resources and laboratories in exchange for finding my fiancé.”

“Your, uh,” Halstrom says, sounding very lost. “Who exactly is your...”

“I can answer that,” Medea says with apparent reluctance. Gossip Girl looks over Andrea’s shoulder and spots Medea, and does a serious double take. “Captain, this is Sophia Rinaldi, only daughter of Albrecht Rinaldi.” Andrea stares over her shoulder at Medea, who is leaning in the doorway looking slightly uncomfortable. “Leader of God’s Hammer.”

All three officers stare at Gossip Girl. The buzz of the fluorescent lights is the only sound in the station for about two minutes.

“Hello, Media,” Sophia Rinaldi says acidly at Medea, who waves ironically at her. “Actually I think you’ll find my father is a respected entrepreneur and philanthropist.”

“Who funds every violent crime in the city,” Halstrom offers with a bewildered smile. “I’m not sure we want the kind of help your father is offering, Miss Rinaldi.”

“My father isn’t offering it,” Sophia says, and she looks at Halstrom, beautiful and apparently sincere; Andrea pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs. “Listen to me, officer. His father just— just left him out there, during all of this. I’m not going to do the same. If he’s alive, I want him safe. If he’s— unwell, my father has the best labs in the city. If he’s—” she falters for the first time, her hand tightening into a fist on the fur collar of her coat, but then she swallows and raises her perfect pointed chin. “If he’s dead, I will recover his body. I am willing to assist your officers in exchange for their expertise. That’s the deal, sir.”

She holds Halstrom’s gaze, which means Andrea gets to watch him crumble in real time. The old man sighs, running a hand through his hair, which has gone more gray at the temples in the past three days than in the five years he’s been her captain.

“God. Who exactly are we looking for?” he says finally, defeated, and Sophia Rinaldi blazes with triumph, reaching into her fur coat for a glossy photograph which she slams on the counter.

Andrea looks at the guileless blue eyes and the overlong, neatly styled blonde hair.

“Oh, what the fuck,” she says, and hears Medea saying the same thing beside her.

[milquetoast-on-acid]

Sanctuary City p2, A Reactionary Post

Lacking Faith

Major Crimes, S6xE2: Episode Review What this episode is about: Provenza's Printer Pricing & Prickly Page & Knowledgeable Nolan The Question of Father Jonas' Guilt Rusty goes to Stepdad Looming threat of Stroh Sharon's Office & Fish Art Two Mothers The Morgue & The Church: Sharon and Sarah Fire & Water: Dealing with our emotions Sarah & Mateo Garza Sharon & Andy Conflicting Missions Sharon & Father Stan The Ending Scene(s)

I really enjoyed this episode, more so than the first part. I see the first part as exposition and this part as the start of the emotional meat to the episodic arc. There is a lot to unpack in this episode but it's focus is on emotions this time.

Hyphenated Nation: Mike Pointing out the Hypocrisy in people Mike gives me life. I love it when he points out hypocrasy in people. "What about Irish American's or German Americans?" "Doesn't seem to come up."

"Michael" I don't know why but hearing Provenza shout out Mike's full name gives me life. When the team serves the search warrant at Ian’s house. Like when have we heard anyone call him Micheal? About as rare as we hear Louie, Andrew, Francis, Fernando and Russell. Page punching Ian was pretty badass, though. 

The News Vultures Can I love how each of the news casters have their own spin on what's going on since the police haven't released any information on the Joseph's three.

This one is obviously Fox news.

Sanctuary City I love when Sharon lits into Vega and gets on her soap box. Love the rant so much. Her pointing out that them threatening deportation is going to get them no where. 

"I'm not giving up my jurisdictional authority over this case without cause." Sharon was not happy when Mason negotiated their case over to the FBI if it was a kidnapping. If it does end up coming to that you can bet damn sure that Sharon is going to fight tooth and nail for it back.

Provenza's Printer Pricing & Prickly Page & Knowledgeable Nolan

Last week I thought that the printer was new because I had thought it was white. And then this episode went and proved that was not the case. "Look you just have to do it." I love how, Wes doesn't even know why everyone has to pay Provenza to use his printer.  And takes the moment to tell Page about everyone's various quirks and how to work around them. Not that he can understand why they are the way they are. He has just learned to go with the flow - so to speak. He does get a bit snarky when he tells Page she really shouldn't interrupt Sharon.

Question: Does Page only express one emotion? Why does she always have this dower look on her face?

"This is a new federal tax." This scene reminds of when Provenza made Taylor pay ten cents a page instead of five cents. And as everyone knows five cents is the friends and family discount. Except here he's really pushing the price up really high for the feds.

Mason as a Leader "Commander Raydor leads or we go our separate ways. The End." I love this and another comparison to Taylor. I don't think I would have ever seen this much support for Sharon (as a leader) in Taylor. Taylor usually humors the FBI but didn't ever put his foot down quite like this. "Uh ever hear of money laundering?" "Uh ever hear of house flipping?" I do love this moment of the FBI thinking they found some really good information only having it turn out that it was just how the couple made their money.

The Hollywood Strangler Buzz is really terrible at coming up with an on the spot story. And I can't believe the FBI actually bought it.  And I wish Andy would have given one of the FBI agent's the cursed desk.

The Question of Father Jonas' Guilt I wasn't so convinced about about Father Jonas in the last episode but now he's looking very suspicious. Especially with him flying the coop right as the kid he had so much feeling for was found dead and they hadn't even determined if he'd been killed or not. Especially since Father Jonas is someone the kids would go with willingly and would definitely be someone who'd leave Lucas at the church. Not to mention him moving to five different diocese in six years. Some things that could be alarming... "Ryan is not interested in Kelly Garret that I can promise you." "My bond with Ryan is more intense." Both statements sound soo creepy.

"This is exactly the ending I want to avoid." Father Jonas is kind of stuck in the 50's. And as much as I want to blame Provenza, Wes and Page for their pushy interrogation. I have to put some of the blame at Sharon's feet. They are the wrong detectives to interrogate him. I would have sent either, Mike, Amy or Buzz in there. The three of them have a much gentler touch that was needed for him. Provenza hates the Catholic church, Page doesn't know subtly if it hit her in the head and Wes is a bit of a snark king.

While everyone is preoccupied with Ma Garza's explosion over the death of her son. It seems that everyone is missing the most important thing that's happening at that moment. Father Jonas seems just a little too close to Miss Rojas. "So Ryan didn't do it. Thank God." Sounds like she inadvertently told the cops that Ryan killed his step father.

Rusty goes to Step Dad "Why ask me about a gun instead of Sharon?" The answer to that question is that Rusty knows exactly what he's doing. And knows that he's got a much better chance of getting the gun and a concealed permit by speaking to Andy first. This way Rusty has someone else on his side about getting the gun. If Rusty were to go to Sharon first she'd be much more likely to say no. He's got someone as a buffer to Sharon and that will help soften the blow for him. And I also love Andy's reaction. "What!" "At least your not completely crazy." "Oh my god."

Looming threat of Stroh

Sharon's Fish Artwork and her Office

In my review of pt1 I talked about one of the kid's book Moby Dick that Sharon had on her desk and how that symbolizes Stroh and Sharon's relationship. Sharon's new artwork on her walls. One of the paintings is of a giant whale being caught by a tiny fishermen. MC is very deliberate with it's details this not a coincidence. Especially considering this really isn't the kind of artwork you would think Sharon would have. It isn't anything like any of her other artwork. And when has she ever talked about her love of fishing?

Not to mention that since Sharon's office has blown up all of her furniture and artwork is completely new. Her furniture is very sixties vintage looking to me. While the condo might have a touch of that this it's much more so prevalent here. I also really like the colors they choose. Lots of soft blues and a few splashes of bright yellow. Blue is a very calming color and Sharon would want to feel comfortable in her office. A space that's a home away from home to her. The yellow gives it a bright vibrancy to the room but there's only a small touch of it. To the point that it wouldn't overwhelm you, it's an inviting room. 

Andrea Hobbs and her slightly awkward speech about her feelings on Rusty Can we talk about how awesome this little speech Andrea gives Rusty. Her I didn't like you because I don't like kids and you were annoying but now you're an adult and mostly have out grown that annoying. Is pure awesome. And I love how she gives this speech because it's her worrying over him because he doesn't want protection. 

I don't understand why Sharon doesn't compromise. She loves making deals. I could see her making a deal with Rusty. He can get a gun and a CPL if he accepts undercover officers. And I am kind of surprised that Sharon didn't put her foot down more about the protection. I get that it's been a few years since Stroh was around - but this is Sharon we're talking about. She knows how to negotiate. I think the only thing I can think of is that...

1. Rusty is older and wiser. Rusty has grown up since season 3. He's not the same person he was before and he's not as naive as once he was. 

2. Sharon ordered undercover officers without Rusty knowledge and she saw the effects of that from a different perspective. And how something like a mother's obsessive protectiveness ended up putting a wedge between a mother and her child. 

3. Rusty is an adult. Who is capable of making his own decisions. 4. If he doesn't accept police protection he's going to need some kind of way to defend himself. 

5. Seeing that Lucas died because he didn't have access to food or his insulin. Prompts Sharon into thinking that Rusty should have a gun. In case he's separated from Protection. And this sound an awful lot like foreshadowing to me. 

Wait...Is Rusty tracking Stroh's kills? huh....why?

Shooting Range Seeing Sharon load a gun is such a contrast to Rusty firing the gun. She's instructing him but all the while she's completely focused on the gun. Rusty's confidence isn't his problem but focus might be. He certainly needs a lot of practice that's for sure.

Fire & Water: Dealing with our emotions

Sarah & Mateo Garza

This arc really seems to make a huge point in the way that Sarah deals with her emotions and grief verses the way Mateo deals with them. Sarah is volatile and angry. She feels her emotions very intensely and often lets them control her. Look at how she explodes with anger at everyone closest to her when confronted about her sons death. Her husband, priest and her son's closest friend's parents. When the search warrant is executed at their house in part one. That's the first time we get some intense emotions coming off of her. She explodes with anger at Mateo, yelling at him. Which gives the detectives a sense that there are some real problems in their marriage. 

Mateo on the other hand doesn't deal with his emotions at all. He's intensely repressed. It's not that he doesn't feel the same emotions. In fact I may argue he may feel them more intensely which may explain why he's an addict. He doesn't want to feel them. He doesn't want to feel out of control. Especially his behavior at the morgue. He was so numb almost like a walking corpse. The way he talked about his son, about how they removed his organs and stitched his body back up. In such a clinical detached way almost like he was talking about a doll or a car. 

I find it interesting that these two are married, yet so very different. It's obvious that things aren't rosy between the two of them. There's so much going on with Mateo that he's not dealing with and may even feel that he needs to hold it together to deal with Sara's volatile moods. They are such a spot light in these episodes with their emotions and the way the deal with them that they are most definitely a mirror to...

Sharon & Andy Sharon and Andy are two very different people. Something all of us fans know very well. Like Sarah Garza, Andy is an intense ball of emotions. He feels and acts first and thinks second. There have been many times when Sharon (most often) has had to hold Andy back from his emotions. Like in "Heart Failure" when the killer punched Sharon in the face. Sharon had to yell at Andy to defuse his emotions. Like Mateo, Andy is also an addict. Fortunately for Andy, he's sober and clear enough to feel his emotions. 

Since we really don't know what it was that caused Andy to drink so heavily. I suspect that it was a combination of different things. The stuff that you see as a cop could drive anyone to drink. And since Andy feels his emotions so deeply there might not have been anyone he could have talked to about them. It was also suggested in "The Ecstasy and The Agony" that Andy may have drunk because their was an emptiness inside of himself that he was desperately trying to fill. 

Sharon is much like Mateo Garza. Repressed and reserved. She feels emotions quite deeply but does not express them very easily. She takes her time in dealing with her emotions, usually by herself. Sharon is similar to Mateo in another way in that she desperately does not want to feel out of control. She has a hugely hard time feeling vulnerable in front of others. So much like the way she dealt with shooting Dwight Darnell. She detached herself from her own emotions. She was cold, probably more cold than we'd ever seen her. It's a defense mechanism for her, in that she's trying to protect herself from the intensity of her feelings. 

Unlike, Sarah and Mateo. Sharon and Andy have a much healthier relationship. They have managed to balance themselves out with the other. In a way that I can't see Sarah and Mateo ever getting to. Sharon is still Sharon and Andy is still Andy but the two of them are better people for having been in a relationship with the other. 

Andy has his anger issues but he's become a much calmer person that he was before. A lot of that has to do with his own work on himself and a lot of that has to do with his relationship with Sharon. And how her calm personality and influence temper the flame inside of himself. Like wise with Sharon. She's still very reserved and always will be but not like she was before. Andy's bright and passionate personality has helped to push Sharon much more out of her shell. She is able to enjoy life more now that she has a supportive partner.

Two Mothers

The Morgue & The Church: Sharon and Sarah

The way the morgue was lit and shot. Felt like another funeral scene. The stark colors, the natural light. The organ/funeral music that has played very subtly throughout both parts. I don't think we've had music quite like that on MC ever before. Most of it's pretty standard stuff so to me to have it so tailor made for an arc is something that stands out. 

The morgue scene is very similar in tone and the way it's shot to the ending of part 1. But where's the church scene focused on Sharon's emotions. The morgue focus' on Sarah's emotions. Lucas' mother.

Conflicting missions

Sharon & Father Stan

Anyone find it odd that Father Jonas Alcaraz has a full name but Father Stan is just called Father Stan. And I don't even know if that's his first name or last name. Maybe Father Stan has only one name. You know like Cher. 

"Are you suggesting are mission's conflict?" I also really like how Sharon talks to Father Stan in her office. Notice that she doesn't take him to her conference room or an interrogation room, the break-room or the murder room. It's her office she talks to him. Why? Because it's her inner sanctum and the place she feels most comfortable. Her office really represents her heart. 

Sharon bares her soul to him. Sometimes in matters that even Andy doesn't know or understand (as we have seen in White Lies). Father Stan is one of the very few people that she trusts to be open and vulnerable with. So got to be extremely troubling for her to find herself on the opposite side of him. 

Sharon being pulled in two different directions by challenging her faith in the catholic church verse her belief in the justice system. Is about a million times more interesting of an arc for her than her being sick. I am so jazzed about the next few episodes and seeing how she's going to have to struggle in dealing with being on the opposite side of her priest/church. This is a position that she never expected that she would ever be in but somehow has found her way to. She has dealt with the church before but this is different because this is not just any church and not just any priest. 

Speaking of Sharon being sick....whatever happened to that storyline? It's such a odd thing for them to subtly hint about it in pt1 and not doing anything with it in pt2.

I love how Sharon speaks to Father Stan after Father Jonas leaves their interrogation. Almost like she's talking to a little boy and leaving out the part that they pissed him off. I mean I understand what she was trying to do. Trying to talk it down and smooth some edges before he hears Father Jonas' side of the story.

Unfortunately for her it doesn't work. 

"We have nothing to hide." Father Stan goes from being open and very cooperative in the beginning of the episode. But by the end of the episode only a court order will force him to let the police into the church's private rooms. I find it interesting that he tells Sharon that there's no need for them to have a search warrant but he won't let them in. Neither did he tell them that Father Jonas had left until Sharon asked him. He knew what they were there for. And I understand his need to protect him but if Father Jonas hurt those boys he needs to answer for it. And While I don't think it was Father Jonas that took the boys I do think he it very likely he was molesting Ryan. 

It's also interesting that since Sharon is so open to Father Stan with herself and her own heart. He's not as reciprocal when it becomes too tough for himself. And by that I mean his emotions regarding Father Jonas. Sharon let him into her heart and now he won’t let Sharon into his. 

The ending scene(s)

I really really love what their doing for the Sanctuary City arc. The first two episodes and I'm guessing their going to continue doing this throughout the arc. Each ending scene is an poignant moment for Sharon. Part 1 features a Sharon who is almost blown away by the death of a child. To the point where she had to take a moment for herself before she broke down in front of her team. Part 2 features Sharon as she has to battle her own priest for access to a potential suspects room. And if we want to boil down the emotions that Sharon expresses in each scene. It would be...

Sadness (or depression) Anger

Could each episodes's ending express a different emotion in the stages of grief? Interestingly there are five of them and their are five episodes in this arc. Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance. 

I don't know if I'm reading too much into it but I think it would be kind of cool if they did that. What is becoming clear is that Sharon is at the focus of these very poignant scenes. And do you know how much I love that!

Speculation: Let's gather what we do know. Lucas may not have been murdered and his death looks like the result of him not getting insulin to treat his diabetes. He did not have access to food or was not allowed to have any. He was left at the church, wrapped in a blanket and left on the flower bed. The boys were not coherst into the car that drove them away from the field trip.  All three boys had family issues. Two with father issues and one with the looming threat of deportation. Father Jonas Alcaraz left in the middle of the missing boys not being found. 

What does this information tell us? The person who took them was someone they knew and trusted. The person who dumped Lucas' body cared about him. Probably someone with a connection to the church. Like a member of the church or one of the parents. 

Which makes me think definitely not Marvin Garret or Ryan's father. Both of them wouldn't think twice about putting Lucas' body at the church. Garret wouldn't care where he would have left his body and Ian doesn't have enough care for Lucas to put his body there. My new suspect, Ryan's mother. Miss Rojas.

What I don't like: Lots of over acting. While I like the contrasting between the two parents, Sarah's extreme emotional outbursts verses Mateo's calm almost corpse like manner. And I talk about the reason why their portrayed the way they are but Sarah was just was just too over the top. If they could have held her back a bit on that I think she would have nailed it. I think for the case with The Garza’s mirroring Shandy the point could have gotten across the same but with more subtly. I'm all for annoying FBI agents doing their job in a shitty way and MC walking all over them. But the two of them are written so brusque that they could be scaled back a bit too. 

the face of crazy

What I do like: Sharon getting an emotional arc! Sharon battling her own priest in her own church. Makes it so intensely personal for her and I love it so much! The Garza's as a mirror for Sharon and Andy's relationship. The ending scene, the morgue scene. Rusty going to Andy about a gun. Because he's smart and also because fathership. Every time I view this episode I like it more and more. And I am really excited to see how the rest of this arc is going to play out and what it will ultimately do to Sharon's psyche.

[typingtess]

THE X-FILES - “Plus One” until 8:28PM

At a concert at a fairly small hall, a young guy is walking the through the crowd, drinking.  He jumps on the stage before crowd diving.  As he crowd surfs, he sees himself among the concert goers and non-crowd surfing guy is pissed.  Following himself from the concert, he drives off – only to catch the attention of a patrol car.  Somehow, he loses the cop car but picks up a passenger – his pissed off self.  The two struggle over the steering wheel.  The car plows into a telephone pole.  Young guy goes through the windshield.  

Hey, "The Truth is Out There" is the tagline.  Home sweet home.

Mulder shows Scully a photo of the young guy – Arkie Seavers.  He's alive, a mess and blaming his double for the accident.  Mulder explains that there has been a spate of murders – Arkie is the only survivor – where suicides were blamed on a second version of themselves.  Mulder wants them to investigate quickly so they can get back to their bread and butter.

Arkie meets with Mulder and Scully.  His lawyer and Arkie 'fess up to drug use and six DWIs.  Arkie explains how the accident happened.  Mulder and Scully check out the tire marks and Arkie's story holds up.  Mulder thinks Arkie is too stupid to make up the story.

Mulder and Scully see a doctor at a psychiatric hospital.  All the suicides/murders were an outbreak/mass hysteria.  Troubled people were suddenly led to suicide.  Mulder sees a woman making odd drawings in her room.  They're hangman games.  Mulder wants to talk to her.

The woman (who was Mrs.  Peacock back in the day) is Judy – "little Judy", a very famous actress according to Judy.  "Fox and Dana" want to talk to her.  Mulder notices one of the hangmen games uses the word Arkie.  Judy doesn't know Arkie but "maybe she does."  Judy points to an empty chair.  Judy is playing hangmen telepathically with her brother, who she says awful things about.

Arkie is put into a cell for transfer.  Doppelganger Arkie is there.  Real Arkie screams for help.

Scully and Mulder go to the St. Rachel Motel at 11:21PM (11-21).  They want a room.  They get one room with a pull-out sofa because Chris Carter is the worst.  Scully is having trouble sleeping.  She flips over and Mulder is standing over her.  Mulder asks if she's comfortable.  She tells him to go back to sleep.  He can't – Arkie Seavers is dead.

Arkie's lawyer is pissed.  Arkie may or may not have been hung.  The lawyer does not believe it is a suicide.  Arkie wanted to live.  Poor Arkie.

Mulder meets with Chuckie Poundstone, the trustee at the jail who found Arkie.  Chuckie has some awful things to say about Scully.  Chuckie has hangmen games hanging on his wall.  I think Chuckie is played by the actress playing Judy.  Anyway, Chuckie is playing telepathically with Judy.  And with that guy – Chuckie points to an empty chair.

Scully goes to meet with Judy.  She's warned that Judy is in a dark place and throwing "dookie" according to the nurses.  Judy and Chuckie's parents hung themselves.  Scully sees Judy's bad side.  And ducks tossed "dookie".  Scully tells Judy that Mulder would leave her for some time with Judy.  She also asks how old Scully is and if she's past the childbearing years – all dried up.

Mulder and Scully meet in their hotel room.  Scully thinks this is some sort of psychic transference.  Mulder is looking at ghosts.  Scully gives a long explanation about why people think they see ghosts.  Mulder thinks it is flying dookie.  Scully asks if Mulder thinks she's old.  "You still got some scoot in your boot," is Mulder's affectionate reply.  Scully is feeling old, however, as she gets him to leave.

Chuckie and Judy start playing hangman again.  Chuckie is going after Arkie's lawyer.

Truth be told – I could have done without the flying "dookie".

[jasperovl-blog]

Scott Henson File 877930

Name:    Scott Henson

Nick name(s): The Phone Guy, Scotty

Age: 37    Status: Taken; Dead

Height: 6″5 1/2    Gender: Male

Other Guard Files

William Afton:

Despite being cousins, Scott utterly hates William. He doesn’t even take the time to hide his distaste for the brunette. Scott has been involved in all 11 murders and has delayed the cops multiple times for his cousin’s festivities. Although he’s been thinking of ways to twist away from William, he still is wrapped in tightly between his fingers. The most recent ‘help’ Scott has provided for William was a pill bottle for a fake death scene.

September Charles

September is the usual acquaintance. He always waves politely back to ensure trust with him. September however seems to be on edge whenever left alone with Scott, which he can’t blame him for. Scott has been trying to say hello whenever switching shifts. It’s the least he can do after baking the cake that killed the guy’s best friend.

“Storm” Rayanna Stoudt 

Whenever the girl wasn’t talking with September and Mike or giggling with William, she found herself baking with Scott. The two liked to cook, which was one of many things they had in common. Despite Storm’s lack of age compared to Scott, they were usually talking about the last baseball game, a drag race on television, or some sort of comedian. It hurt him like hell when he had to kill her.

Michael Schmidt:

Michael had an opinion Scott strongly disagreed with: He shouldn’t fake his death to scare off new workers. A common thing Scott would answer him with was, “Who else should be stuck in this hell hole? No one, no one at all.” Michael of course agreed. Other than that, Scott never really talked to him. It was all he could do to bite his lip and not scream, “YOUR FATHER IS RIGHT HERE!”

Joshua Pines:

Whoever thought the twenty six year old man was a dork and silly was mistaken. Yes, he had an odd hairstyle and pink hoops hanging from his ears, but that was just the appearance. Joshua was not at all Scott’s type. Such as, he liked listening to rap music and cursing 24/7. It wasn’t a surprise to him when as soon as Joshua stepped outside, three hooker looking girls ran up to him. Very distasteful in Scott’s opinion.

Blake Finney:

Blake hid away from Scott at every chance he could. Surprisingly, they were put on a single shift together. Blake accidentally cut open his bandages as to which they fell off, showing several bruises and red marks. He finally admitted to having abusive parents, and told Scott why he was so scared of men. His mother always told him, “A man who sees you’re a wimp will kill you.” Scott filed a report and two weeks later, Blake was gone. After a month, FOX NEWS gave out a report themselves. Blake’s mother and father were arrested and facing chargers for substance abuse, alcohol abuse, child abuse, and a hit and run. After that, Scott only saw Blake with his Aunt, as to which he shyly waved to him from across the street and was gone. A really nice kid.

Jeremy Fitzgerald:

Jeremy is nice enough, seeming to always have a nervous edge about him. Scott and Jeremy are the usual acquaintances. Just saying a good night or hello for God’s sake.

Fritz Smith:

Without a doubt the most trouble-making kid in the entire establishment. Yes, he may be 26, but he still acts like a frequent child. Scott doesn’t want to say he hates him, but he doesn’t exactly like him either.

Nicholas Macey:

Whomever said people needed feelings, Nicholas proved them quite wrong. His stare was always blank, face seemingly the same no matter what the mood in the room was. Always snarky and rude or quiet and cautious. So to speak, Scott doesn’t really know him. 

Jackalyn Aroscoe:

They’ve never met to be plain and simple.

Azzalina Kamikaze:

He can’t see the appeal to horror and blood as Azzalina does. The thrill of flying heads isn’t Scott’s forte. The two get along finely but don’t talk all that much.

Augustine Jamarica:

The boy makes Scott green with envy. Not only is he good looking and smart as a whip, but he’s flooded with friends. Scott was never that way. He was usually reading by his lonesome, not partying away and laughing. Augustine is the definition of perfect, and is surprisingly still alive after getting locked in a room with Springtrap. Augustine came out with a few scratches but still maintained his stunning appearance, making Scott feel even more rage. The two are fine, but Scott’s always had the urge to pull his hair out and scream when near him.

Lukas Fiscal:

The two are usually sharing stories about life on the farm. Fun fact: They only live about three miles away from one another, which meant they would sometimes visit eachother on occassion. Scott had a favorite cow which was named Lulu and Lukas was practically in love with Tulip, one of Scott’s cats. They did this up until Scott met Lukas’s cousin, and the manager, Jasper Charsepd. Lukas became ignored whilst Jasper was being haunted by Scott’s lovey dovey eyes.A few months later, Jasper moved away and Lukas and Scott became good friends. Jasper moved back and they became a group of three up until Scott died.

Lillian Hacksin:

No, they did not like each other. At all. Frankly couldn’t stand each other. They would bicker about everything. From posters to a single cobweb in the corner. Lillian is Scott’s least favorite co-worker.

Kaleb Musi:

Even though Scott never knew Kaleb, he knew enough about him. For instance, he was two people. Gary Emerald had taken his shift under his name and then on his last night let Kaleb in. Scott wrote the report of him being the “Fright Guard” and also noted that he was killed on his first night. Better to keep is sweet and short, right?

Gerard Feren:

The guy is creepy as hell. He hasn’t ever looked Scott in the eye or even said a word. Odd, since the two had to clean together. Gerard just gives Scott an off vibe and he believes it best to stay away.

Adrien Smoreglee:

“Eggs Benedict” is a pretty funny name. Scott voiced this and Adrien huffed, giving scott the name “Hollywood” due to his acting skills for his death scene. it became a common joke between them until Scott died. Adrien never said the word Hollywood after that.

Henry Emily:

Nice enough. The promotions are nice, the job however is hell. Scott can’t complain though, it keeps him going. Henry is kind and pretty good to Scott. No complaints from him.

Jasper Charsped:

If a love interest wasn’t enough, curiousity was. She wore an eyepatch and mouth guard. Why? Henry said it was okay. That she had an.. accident. Scott always found it enhancing but decided to try and focus on what he could see instead. Before she moved, they both got drunk at a bar and kissed. That however was all, because Jasper rejected him the next week after he had bought flowers. The next week she did the same thing. This went on until Scott met Dominic, who started dating him a month before he died.

[kittenwritesstuff]

Guardian angel

Fandom: FOX Lucifer Pairing: Lucifer Morningstar x reader Genres: mention of murder, angst, humor, mild fluff Words: 2.580 Summary: Reader is a witness of a murder. She’s not really fond of Lucifer but it changes when he turns out to be the one saving her from being killed - requested by Anonymous. Prequel to “Sympathy for the Devil”.

Leaning against the back of a police car, you keep pinching yourself on your bottom lips, trying to figure out what had happened barely two hours ago.

You went out of your office, as per usual. Nothing out of ordinary occurred as you took a lift and rode to the lowest floor, where the parking was. There was a lady in the lift with you, she joined you somewhere in the middle of the drive, but it, too, was normal.

The two of you stepped out of the machine and headed to your cars. You were few steps behind her, wanting to check something on your phone, and then it all went crazy.

A shadow came flying by and then it disappeared, the woman collapsing onto the ground with a heavy thud. When you took a step towards her, you notice blood draining from her throat and your mind turned into a tornado of thoughts.

Luckily, the rational part kicked in and you looked at your phone, which you had been holding in your hand firmly, and dialed an emergency number, stating that you had just witnessed a murder. You couldn’t believe how calmly your voice sounded.

But the calmness is long gone now and you can’t stop your body from shaking nervously and twitching every time someone passes you or comes too close for your liking. The event is starting to sink in and you’re realizing what you actually saw. Something you watched only in movies. Something you knew was happening but never thought it would happen to you.

“Excuse me, I’m Detective Decker-“ a voice rings from in front of you and  you jerk your head up, gazing at the woman. Her eyes are gentle but you can see that she’s attentive. A right person in a right place, you decide.

“-and this is my partner, ” she says, pointing at the tall man accompanying her. He’s grinning widely, obviously looking as if he’s having a lot of fun.

“Lucifer Morningstar,” he introduces himself and your lips twist with a mocking smile. What kind of stupid name is that?

His smile, however, doesn’t fall as he glances at Detective Decker expectantly.  

“So, do you mind telling us what you saw?”

“It came out of nowhere,” you start and clear your throat when it becomes dry. Fidgeting your fingers, you inhale deeply before continuing.

“I was walking to my car, that lady was few steps ahead of me. She got into the lift probably on 10th floor, but I’m not sure, I was paying attention. I took my phone out of my bag, and then it happened. When I looked up, someone just flew by and then she collapsed. I approached her and saw blood. Then I called the cops.”

“Do you know the victim?”

“No, I don’t. I work on the higher floor. I saw her sometimes but I didn’t know her personally.”

“And the attacker – did they look familiar?”

“No, they didn’t even look like a human. Call me crazy, but what killed her looked like a moving shadow.”

“It’s okay, Y/N, you’re in shock.”

“Maybe you want to relief some tension, darling?” Lucifer, who was so far silently watching you, speaks up, a shit-eating grin plastered at his face. You frown.

“No, thanks.”

“I give the best back massages in the entire LA. Sure you don’t want one?”

“Lucifer!” Detective Decker scolds, looking at him angrily.

“What?! I’m only concerned about our witness here! Y/N looks so tensed, Detective, don’t you see it? Y/N, dear, may I suggest a hot, steaming bath with a glass of wine? I can arrange both,” his smile turns to slightly seductive one and, due to the nerves and panic still present on your mind, quite literally explode.

“You know what you can arrange, mister Morningstar?! A big, long stick that will surely go up your ass if you don’t get out of my face!”

Your outburst results in a dead silence, curious and amused glances, Detective Decker’s mouth fall slightly agape and stunned Lucifer rushes away, peaking at your over his shoulder.

You glare at him when you catch his gaze and he quickly finds himself a job – bothering police officers.

“I’m sorry about that, he’s just… I don’t even have the words to describe it.”

“A pain in the ass, maybe?” you suggest and Detective nods, smiling softly at you.

“I think that’s all for now. Will you come to the station tomorrow to give official statement?”

“Sure.”

“Are you feeling well enough to drive? I can ask an officer to drive you home.”

“That would be great. My hands… I can’t stop the shaking.”

“That’s okay,” Detective says soothingly and you flash her a grateful smile as she stops a policeman.

“Dan, will you take our witness home?”

“Yeah, no problem. Come one,” the man grabs your elbow delicately, leading you to the car, “you sure need some rest.”

_____

The next day you arrived at the police station, still feeling unsettled. You didn’t get much sleep the previous night, the memories still too vivid to let you fall asleep easily, and even despite having a drink before going to bed, you kept tossing and turning till early hours.

You called your boss and asked for a day off, telling him about what you witnessed. Fortunately, he was a great guy and gave you whole week off, telling that you could call him if there was more he could do.

Well, he couldn’t take the burden on himself, even if it was possible to transfer it, right?

So, you took a shower, ate breakfast and headed to the station, wanting to be over with it.

After you step into the building, you start to look for a familiar face. Secretly, you hope you won’t see that Lucifer guy, but since he’s a partner of the Detective that runs that case it’s probably not going to happen. You only wish he won’t be around when you give the statement.

Dan, the officer that drove you home last night spots you and calls for Chloe, who comes to you quickly.

“Hi, Y/N. If you’re ready, we can start.”

“Yeah, okay. Can I ask for glass of water?”

“Sure,” she says and leads you to a room. You sit down and Chloe leaves for a moment, coming back with your water.

“Thank you.”

“You don’t need to worry. We’ll just talk about what you remember from last evening.”

You take a sip of the water.

“Will your partner join us? I kinda don’t feel comfortable around him,” you admit, a bit bashfully, but Chloe seems to understand what you mean.

“He’s not in the room but he’s looking through two-way mirror,” she points a finger over her shoulder and only then you notice the large glass.

“Hello, darling!” Lucifer’s voice calls through the intercom and you stop yourself from rolling your eyes. You’ll just have to suffer through it, hoping he won’t throw any dumb comment.    

“Anyway, I think I recalled something from that evening,” you say, focusing your gaze back at Chloe and she nods, encouraging you to elaborate.

“The attacker, I think a man, looked like a shadow, because he was wearing all black. He even had gloves and a balaclava. He was tall and rather skinny. Also, I don’t know if it’s relevant…”

“If there’s anything that might help us, please tell me. We’ll check every lead.”

“Okay, so the guy I work with, his name is Edwin Chus, had a fight with someone on the lower floor. I don’t know if it was that lady but he came back pretty angry and I heard him calling that person a ‘stupid bitch that got the job only by knowing the boss personally’.”

“Does he match the description?”

“No, not really. But maybe he asked someone else to do it? I don’t know, everything’s meshing together now. I can’t think straight.”

“Sex’s good for that sort of things!” Lucifer chimes in and you flash an offended look at the glass.

Chloe sighs, reaching out a hand to pat yours.

“You’re doing great, really. And just ignore him,” she waves a hand behind herself and you force a smile but inside, you feel like shit. You thought that today you’d maybe add something important to the case, but know what you said seems silly. What difference will it make for them to know that the attacker wore all black? You couldn’t see his face, you’re useless as a witness.

“Y/N, if I may ask, when was the last time you slept with someone? I mean, considering your current state, I do believe that a good laid can uplift your mood-“

“If I punch him, will I get arrested?” you ask, anger hinting your voice and Chloe grimaces, tilting her head to the side.

“Technically, he’s not a police officer so you won’t be punished for assaulting one and if I happen to not see that you punch him…” she muses and winks at you, both of you giggling when Lucifer starts to mumble rather incoherent things, cut off by someone turning off the intercom.

“I’m sorry but I don’t have anything else to add.”

“That’s fine, Y/N. You can go home, just stay in the city, in case I have more questions for you, okay?”

“Yeah, I’m not going anywhere,” you say as you stand up and make to walk out. “And, uhm, can I ask you to not bring Lucifer with you if you decide to pay me a visit? I just-“

“Sure, I get it. I’ll see what I can.”

“Thanks,” you smile tightly and go out, walking fast. You want nothing more than to get home, lock yourself up and try to find peace of mind again.

_____

Detective Decker kept her word as, when she came to ask you some questions, she was alone. She wanted to know more about your co-workers and you truthfully answered everything, although it didn’t make you any calmer.

Was it one of your colleagues? Someone you knew? You kept thinking about it but nothing, no one came to your mind.

So, tonight, you decide to finally let go and let the more clever people solve the case. You’re no detective, you’re not skilled enough to connect the dots and find out who the killer is. You trust that Chloe will do it better and faster.

You settle in your living room, watching movies. An open bottle of wine rests on the table, a glass in your hand as you sip on the alcohol while looking at the screen. It’s your favorite movie and despite knowing it by heart, you enjoy it nevertheless.

You pay no attention to the sounds outside. For the first two days after the murder, you were jumping at the every noise you heard but today, mostly thanks to the wine, you’re more oblivious to them.

Frankly, why would you think that whoever did it, would come for you? He probably didn’t even notice you were there, much less recognized you and followed you or learnt your name? It didn’t make any sense to you so you ignored any foolish thoughts. Your life’s not some Hollywood movie.

Your favorite scene starts and you focus entirely on the screen, forgetting even about the glass in your hand. The tension is almost palpable and you hold your breath, waiting for what comes next.

The glass lands on the floor and shatters as a gloved hand covers your mouth, brutally preventing you from catching a breath. You try to reach the attacker, throwing your arms behind yourself but to no avail. The attacker’s arm wraps around your forearms, caging you.

“If I’m going down, you’re going with me, sweetie,” he growls and you want to scream but you can’t. You can only desperately breathe through your nose, but it’s not enough - your head starts to spin from the lack of oxygen, your vision becomes blurry, your lungs burn and even the adrenaline pumping through your veins can’t help.

“Bet you thought I’d let you live and talk around what I did, huh? Well, the police won’t find me, I can cover myself. They won’t catch me,” he sing-songs and chuckles and you close your eyes, tears of dread pricking at them.

“Ah, you’re gonna cry, little girl?” he mocks, his voice low and dark and you pray to whatever deity is out there to save you. You’re too young to die, you did nothing wrong, why the hell are in such a hopeless situation? And why the hell didn’t you take that damn dog from the shelter after all?!

The man’s grip tightens, covering your nose as well, cutting you off from oxygen entirely. Your heart slows down, the blood roars in your ears and you’re on a verge of losing consciousness as suddenly the cover disappears and you can breathe again.

With loud, shallow inhales you fill your lungs with air again, trying to fathom what has just happen. You turn around to look at the floor behind your sofa, only to see Lucifer holding your attacker down, muttering angrily into the man’s ear. He fidgets, trying to free himself and Lucifer, running out of patience, punches the man, knocking him out. Then, Lucifer fishes handcuffs out of his jacket’s pocket and cuffs the man, leaving him laying on the floor.

“Y/N, are you okay? Did he hurt you?” Lucifer asks, crouching in front of you and cupping your face to examine you. If it wasn’t for the shock, you would surely push him away and yell at him but now, you actually want for someone to take care of you.

You shake your head, swallowing thickly as the lump in your throat grows bigger and bigger. Lucifer’s fast to read you as he gently wraps an arm around your shoulders, guiding you to lay your head on his, his other hand cradling your head.

“You can cry, I won’t tell anyone.”

“I was so scared, I didn’t even hear him…” you sob, finally letting the tears run freely.

“Detective will be here soon, Y/N. That asshole will rot in jail.”

“H-how did you know he’d c-come here?”

“Well, I don’t work with Detective only for my looks, I’m clever sometimes,” he jests, making you chuckle despite the tears. Neither of you moves as you wait for the police, even when you stop crying. You just stay in that position until Chloe and the rest of officers come in and you and Lucifer are being questioned.

Then, when everything’s over, Lucifer the only ones remaining in your apartment  after Chloe stepped out, you come to him, a shyness in your eyes.

“Can I ask for a favor?”

“Yes,” Lucifer faces you and you tug a strand of your hair behind you ear, feeling a bit nervous.

“Would you, uhm… can you stay here for the night, please?”

“Sure. I will, Y/N. But under one condition.”

“No sex, Lucifer-“

“I’d never ask you for something like that, come on. I’ll stay if you go for a coffee with me tomorrow.”

“Well, uhm… okay, why not?” you smile weakly and Lucifer grins happily, instantly bubbling cheerfully about that place he found recently with an amazing coffee. You listen to him while preparing a bedding on the sofa for him, feeling somewhat safer. And very happy that Lucifer came to save you.

Maybe he isn’t that bad after all?        

[theabominableblogger]

Rewatching “Transformers”

Yep, the Michael Bay one.  Because I felt like it and it’s the only Transformer movie I enjoy as a guilty pleasure.  Dab.

I like how they put the transformer noise over the shooting stars for the Paramount logo.

BEFORE TIME BEGAN, THERE WAS THE CUBE.

I will give this movie a little bit of credit:  the music over Optimus’ explanation of the AllSpark is not bad.

Actually the music in this entire movie isn’t that bad.

Man, Peter Cullen isn’t getting paid enough in these movies.

Yeah, Tyrese (Gibson), earn that paycheck!

Oh my God, the color filter in this movie.

Traits of a Michael Bay movie:  America, America, helicopters, fighter jets, blue, orange, green, yellow, aqua, the army, sparks, street lamps, America, esplosions, some shady shit in the government, lens flares, product placement, really really quick pan shots, a shady government agent covering up some secret government conspiracy, technicolor smoke, slow-mo shots of something being thrown up in the air behind someone, slow-mo shots of something AMERICA, and a whole bunch of metal

Waaiiiitttt... how come the wife of the Josh Duhamel character looks like Mary Winchester from “Supernatural?”

Compared to the other movies in this series that I’ve seen (Revenge of the Fallen and Age of Extinction), this one actually feels a little more... slow... like they take more time to explain things instead of just throwing explosion porn at you.  I mean, they still do in this movie and I consider this one to be the un-laziest in this series.

Man, I remember when this movie first came out

WAAiiitttt.... why do I recognize the history teacher?  Isn’t he Dr. Taub on House?

“The ice is freezing faster than it’s melting!”  What?

NO SACRIFICE, NOOO VICTORYYY!!

This history is full of the most immature teenagers I’ve ever seen.

ELEVENTH GRADE?!?  THESE ARE THE OLDEST ELEVENTH GRADERS I’VE EVER SEEN

“What would Jesus do?”  I can still quote like 50% of this movie.  That’s sad.

How do they not notice the 1977 Camaro driving into the lot by itself?

RIP Bernie Mac

So much yellow in this scene alone.

Why does a used car lot have a petting zoo?

Another question I have is why Bumblebee decided to have the Autobot symbol on the horn.  Usually Autobots have their Autobot symbols on their chestplate so if you think about that, that’s just weird.

Jon Voight!

RACHAEL TAYLOR!  TRISH WALKER!  I forgot she was in this movie!

Trish, get back to your radio show!

Sam, why is your username LadiesMan217?  If you’re trying to sell stuff on eBay, which probably no one uses anymore (so that dates this movie by a long shot), have a username that doesn’t scream “Hey, I’m a egotistical dick.”

God, I hate the parents in this movie.

My dad used to have a lot of audio files from this movie and one of them was “Wow.  You are so cheap.”

“Why don’t you use those magic voodoo powers and get us the hell out of here?”  Man, I forgot about that line.

I forgot how cringy awkward Sam is in this.  Jesus Christ.

Why is Megan Fox wearing a scarf when it’s shown to be like ninety degrees out?

“OK.  You’ll call me.”  We quote that all the time in my house it’s not even funny.

The little bee air freshener says “Bee-otch”

Megan Fox uses her teeth a lot when she talks.

Oh my God Sam stop talking.

Wow, Michael Bay absolutely could not keep it in his pants when it came to Megan Fox in this movie. 

There’s only three female characters in this movie and Michael Bay gets freaky deaky filming-wise over Megan Fox

“You think I’m shallow?”  Yes.  You’re not sneaking that past me, movie.

*dramatic drum*  THE PENTAGON!

OK, I agree with the Air Force One attendant, Ding Dongs are disgusting.

Couldn’t you use one pan-up to Frenzy after the Ding Dong stops rolling instead of having three cuts to even show it?

AN:  I’m only 30 mins in and this movie is almost 2 and a half hours long

Oh my gosh, the filter again.  They made Trish’s eyes REALLY BLUEEE

*imitates Frenzy as he slams his head on the screen in frustration*

Why is Sam’s profile picture look like his mugshot?

If the dad is the head of the neighborhood watch, his tired ass should be fired by the town council.

Wow, another thing that dates this movie:  a flip phone.

Obligatory mean dogs chained to a wall of some sort.

But seriously though, who leaves their dogs in an empty land fill during the night?

How does Sam not notice that no one is driving his car? 

Wait, at first, they (the Department of Defense) didn’t know what the hacking was caused by and now they think it’s a SpiderBot virus?

Isn’t “living organism” an oxymoron?

That’s a great question to ask a cop:  “Are you on drugs?”

Why is the little Arab boy that travels with the Josh Duhamel character one of the best actors in this movie?

I don’t mean to be racist, but the bit where the Josh Duhamel character calls the India outsource center always cracks me up.  I don’t know why it does.

Oh, the Josh Duhamel character’s name is Lennox.  OK.

“Spooky 3-2, use 1-0-5 shells.  Bring the rain.”  The best line in this movie.  Hands down.

Me and my sister pretty much quote this entire scene where Maggie goes to consult Glenn about the signal, including the “SHUT UP GRANDMAAAA!” and “GET OFF MY GRANDMAMA’S CARPET!”

“We’re not told where they’re going.”  Of course because the Hover-round takes them where they wanna go.

That’s the same hologram dude who was the helicopter Decepticon in the beginning and now he’s in the police car.

Dude, the random rock music?  What?

Barricade just said “AIYAIYAIAYAIYAIIII!” as a battle cry.  I can’t take that seriously.

Obligatory trailer music at a heroic moment.

“What?!?”  BA DA DAAA!!

“This is a hundred more times cooler than Armaggedon!  I swear to God!”  Don’t think you can get by with that self-deprication, Michael Bay.  We know.

“‘Cuse me, are you the tooth fairy?”  I’m sorry, but that bit’s really cute in my opinion.

Man, by the time the other Autobots transform, Optimus just finishes transforming.  And he took like a full minute to transform compared to the ten second panning shot of the others transforming.

I know it probably isn’t him, but it sounds like Steve Blum performing as Ironhide.

“His vocal processor was damaged” Ratchet says as he points a freaking laser at Bumblebee’s “throat”

NO NOT THE DOG!

Dude, it isn’t about measuring whether or not you’re guilty.  I’d eat a whole plate of donuts.

“DON’T TALK TO ME!  DON’T TALK TO ME, CRIMINAL!”

Yep, sure, this asteroid sized projectile falling out of the sky is an airplane.  And this guy is the head of the neighborhood watch?

“BAD MOJO...”

Sam:  Be subtle

Autobots:  OK (proceeds to trash yard and park themselves in the middle of it)

Optimus rubbing his faceplate in frustration is totally me

*DRAGS FACE ACROSS DESK IN FRUSTRATION AT THE BAD AND POORLY TIMED SEX JOKE* 

“The parents are very irritating.  Shall I dispose of them?”  YES.

Hello John Turturro.

Wait, this whole movie takes place within a week?

BUMBLEBEE, STOP LUBRICATING THE MAN!

GET THIS THING TO STOP, HUH?

*Sam and Mikaela fall off of Optimus*  Sorry, but you two would have shattered your ribcages after that.

“I bought a car.  Turned out to be an alien robot.  Who knew?”  They should have made a TV spot centered around that quote.

“NBE?”  “Non-Biological Extraterrestrial.  Keep up with the acronyms here.”  And that is how I remembered what an acronym is.

To be honest, I don’t like Charlie Adler Starscream that much.  Get me Steve Blum or Tom Kenny then I’ll be good.

What kind of Nokia phone is that?

I actually like the effect of the AllSpark collapsing in on itself to make a smaller version of itself

Man, I’m not even a fan of Hugo Weaving as Megatron.

I like that shot of Megatron before he goes “You fail me yet again, Starscream” where he just clicks his fingers together.

*The team still at Hoover Dam barricade the door*  They got a cave troll!

The truck Decepticon takes down Optimus via flying tackle hug

BUDDY!!!!!

Now see, why does Optimus have a sword?

No, not the Orpheum!

Now why is Jazz sitting there still in car mode just watching Bumblebee get his legs cut off?

YOU WANT A PIECE OF ME?!?  YOU WANT A PIECE?!?

NO!  I WANT TWO PIECES!

“Megatron.”  “PRIIMMEEE!!!”

They keep reusing sound effects from the beginning in this battle

Oh no, not... Mountain Dew cans... *shrugs*

Did Megatron just yell “SURPRISE!” when he burst into that abandoned building?

He must be great at birthday parties

*Barricade gets shot in the Spark and dies*  Oooh, right in the arc reactor!

AN:  God, there’s only twenty minutes left.  I can do this.

Starscream does virtually nothing in these series.

“Oh, so unwise.”  MR. ANDERSON...

That one human Megatron flicked away is totally dead.

IT’S JUST YOU AND ME, MEGATRON.

NO, IT’S JUST ME, PRIME!!

“Armor’s just weak under the chest.”  So let’s aim the aiming laser at the Decepticon’s hand.  That sounds good.

That bit of Lennox driving the motorcycle and sliding under the Decepticon to kill it is actually pretty awesome

*Megatron dies with choking noises*  And so, Stanley Yelnats killed Elrond with the AllSpark

Now how are Optimus and Megatron brothers?  Unless there’s some cut backstory where they were like best friends until Megatron was like “You know what?  Being a Decepticon sounds cool.  Imma go do that.”  and Optimus was like “YOU WERE THE CHOSEN ONE!”

I’ve heard rumors that there’s like 40 minutes of backstory that they cut from “The Last Knight”

Linkin Park!

*proceeds to sing all of “What I’ve Done”*

[alienkaiwrites-inactive-blog]

2. What is Theo’s day like?

      5:16 – Turn off the alarm clock after hitting snooze for the second time. Roll out of bed, don’t disturb Rowan as he begins to curl up at the end of the bed for an early morning nap, having spent the night at vigilant watch at the end of the bed, keeping away the nightmares and anyone peering in. Pull on a sweater and make your way to the bathroom. Turn on the hot water before the lights. Take a shower in the dark.      5:41 – Turn off the water, turn on the lights. Dry off, shaking hair and waking up the cat with flying water droplets. He’ll growl, and sulk away, but use this time to make the bed like mother taught. Fluff the pillows, set the bed as though company is coming over. Head to the kitchen.      5:57 – Start with eggs. Add tomatoes, salt, a little hot sauce. Light a cigarette as you open the door to the fridge and remember yet again you need to buy butter. Substitute vegetable oil. Don’t let the ash fall in the hot pan, because that happened just a week ago and it ruined the whole morning.      6:17 – Head outside as the first rays of sun start to hit the sky. Walk up to the roof of the apartment building with Rowan following behind, quiet as a fox. Spread out the yoga mat, throw the bird seed. Begin vinyasa yoga.      7:15 – Turn off alarm. Put things away, grab a bottle of water. Tell Rowan to stay home, but let him out the door when you open it to leave again. Tell the rabbits to behave and promise to be home soon. Water the plants as you leave, giving special attention to the cannabis plants about to bud and bloom. Take a slow walk to the library, enjoying a cigarette and feed the birds.      8:00 – Clock in at work, or wait for the librarian to unlock the doors and let you in with that soft smile. Read whatever history book of the week, on Scandinavian Witches, or Irish folktales, or African Magicks. Mumble Latin to yourself and practice little parlor tricks – holding a ball of fire, or drawing runes in that ratted notebook.      10:00 – Stop for a bit. Stand and stretch your legs, look for Rowan who’s probably by your feet yet again, giving that terrifying little jump as you nearly step on him. Find the charger for your phone (front pocket or jacket pocket, always), make sure it’s charged though it’s rare to have a text from anyone. Plug in your headphones. Stretch. Sit down again.        12:00 – Lunch break. Try and find something new, though it’s rare in such a little town. Find that dinner that the cops dine at, or maybe sneak into that little spot where the werewolves hang out. Admire people. Admire their happiness, or false perception of it. Keep your mouth shut and your head down. No one wants to deal with some fragile boy anyway. Wonder for a while if you ought to find a coven – someone who knows what they’re doing.      12:30 – Pay the bill, tip generously. Walk for a while. Work will call if they really need you to return.      1:00 – Stop by the plant store, if only to look. Maybe buy a little cactus. Give wildflowers to strangers passing by. Maybe return to the library. Have another cigarette. Feed the birds again. Feed a dog. Sneak into the music store and try that violin (why don’t you just buy the damned thing, Theo?). Sketch things you like. Harass the spirits at the local haunted house. Stay away from the church that smells even more like death than the cemetery and the funeral home.      2:30 – Start job #2 at one of the shops downtown. Serve and fake your smile and try to ignore Rowan wandering around your feet at all time. Tell the nosiest customers he’s a service pet. Ignore him when he bites into your calf after you say it. The cat seems to understand whatever you say, no matter how you say it. When you’re waiting in the back for the food for your tables, play that stupid game on your phone or read that book that they’ve been waiting for you to return. Be charming, show the guests that sparkle in your eye that used to make a girl fawn over you in high school (though you really wanted the boys to fawn over you, too). Be charming and smile and try your best to get tips.      6:30 – If you’re lucky, clock out from work. Otherwise sneak a meal behind the building, picking at your food because you don’t really like it, but your mother’s voice whispers yet in your ear eat or you’ll shrink, and I won’t be able to find you. Your father’s voice whispers as you finish your meal get back to work, boy.      8:00 – If you’re unlucky, finally get off work. Wander home in the dark, Rowan at your side. Do not fear the dark, unlit streets. Create witchlight in your fingertips and let that guide your way with the soft mewing noises of Rowan.      8:23 – Greet Lucifer and Lestat. Give them their extra food, and their treats for being such good bunnies today. Feed Rowan, if he’s hungry. Shower again, this time wash your hair. Use that body wash that smells like vanilla and coconut. Check your phone, know that no one will call unless they need you.      9:53 – Throw in a movie. Maybe tonight it will be a documentary on lore of generations long dead. Maybe it will be a proper movie. Try not to feel so alone.      11:14 – Fall asleep, right on time, just like clockwork. Dream fitfully. Have those visions of running through the forest and screaming at the sky.      1:05 – Wake up for a while. Finish a chapter in a book, wondering why it’s always 1:05, why these times are so concrete. Run your hands through Rowan’s fur. Ponder if he’s part Maine Coon. Sneak out for a cigarette, Rowan glowering at you.      1:41 – Fall back asleep, ignoring the tears that fall from the corners of your eyes and choke your throat. Curl tight around Rowan. Feel a little less alone with the city’s aura pressing down around you.