#and if Jim was in My brain he is going to totally freaked out this why i Love him a lot

[theslayerbrother]

My Weirdest thoughts about TOA

i Started with 3below then i Watched Trollhunters so my thoughts on Certain character Like Steve a bit changed doesn't mean i don't Love them all anyways here were my thought about First watching Tales of Arcadia

and now Jim is Def the best.

that being Said Claire was weirdest out of them all and She is still but she is my Weirdo

[fanartist666]

Idk if passenger is really a thing on here or if Barry Sloane gets any love on this app BUT I literally adore that show already.

THIS POST WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR PASSENGER IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT!

Passenger. Oh my fucking GOD. I've watched it so many times. Eddie Wells has altered my brain chemistry. The tears I shed over that sweet, beautiful man.

The way he didn't even remember doing it, but thought he must have done because he was told he did, because everyone else was so fucking sure he'd done it, he believed them. He was branded evil, a monster, a freak, and probably everything else under the sun for something he didn't even remember doing. The guilt he felt. The staggering loneliness in those five years. It isn't discussed but I bet you any money his family didn't go and visit him once. In five fucking years. (I do understand why, I totally understand Joanne, Katie and Lily's motivations but that doesn't make it hurt Eddie any less)

Then he got out, and all he wanted was to be a part of his own family again. He wanted to be a husband and father again. He missed his little girls, he missed his wife. He missed his home.

And what did he find, what was his open and welcoming heart met with? Coldness, tension, conflict. His family is everything to him, and they didn't want anything to do with him. He wanted to bring Joanne a sandwich to her work, just to be nice, and she asked when he was leaving. Later his eldest daughter nearly threw boiling coffee in his face, his little girl, ready to cause him serious harm. A few days after Lily asks if she can tell him a secret.

He looked so delighted to be trusted with one. To be let back in just a little by the baby of his family, his darling baby girl. And she tells him "I wish you were dead." The TEARS I SHED when he looked up at her and visibly broke. (Barry Sloane is fucking slept on as an actor i swear to god, he is literally incredible). You could see something die in his eyes. The resolve when he stood up.

He went to end his life in the icy lake. 'This is what monsters deserve'. And who saved his life? But Jim, his 'victim'. Jim pulled him from a terrible death.

Because he was owed an answer.

Because Eddie was the beast that attacked him for no reason. Because Eddie was evil and did an evil thing, and Jim wanted to know why.

And then it turned out he was fucking innocent.

The whole time, HE DIDN'T FUCKING DO IT. 5 years in prison, in a 6x8 shoebox. For a crime he didn't even commit.

If you've read this far, do you get why he's changed my brain chemistry forever? He was pushed away, shunned, got himself beaten up, nearly killed himself over something he didn't fucking do.

Eddie was broken by the people of Chadder Vale. Even his own family. And none of it was his fault. 5 years stolen from him, his relationship with his family stolen from him, his reputation stolen from him, his life stolen from him.

AND THEN- AND FUCKING THEN- BARRY TWEETS THIS.

THE FUCK YOU MEAN HE HAS HIS DAUGHTER'S BIRTHDAYS ON HIS WRISTS. THE FUCK YOU MEAN HE HAS HIS WIFE'S NAME ON HIS LEFT FOREARM. THE LAYERS OF TRAGEDY IN ONE CHARACTER IN A SIX EPISODE SERIES ON ITVX. I AM A MESS OVER THIS INFORMATION.

HIS FAMILY IS HIS WORLD. CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW MUCH IT WOULD'VE HURT HIM WHEN AFTER ALL THAT TIME THEY REJECTED HIM??

I'm sobbing all over again. Don't even get me started on the 'it felt real, no?' When Joanne rejected his affection so harshly, because my boy was fucking devastated. (Again. I can empathise with her, I do get it, I do understand her point of view. Eddie has just messed my brain up and I adore him.)

Sincerely, I love him. Thank you Barry for him. I'm going to sob in my corner and think about giving Eddie a hug until there's a season 2.

I am never going to be the same.

[hawkp]

I can't guarantee anything. But I might write a Kirk Bros fic because of you. Any ideas on what kind of thing would be the most fun and/or heartbreaking with that? (Again, no guarantees. I'm kinda flighty sometimes.) You've made me think more about them than normal, so if you need to yell about them, I may yell with you. (Sorry if this is too random, or annoying, or anything.😅)

So sorry but this answer might not make much sense. I have the stomach flu and just woke up from fourteen hours of sleep because I broke my fever. This is how I feel rn.

So if it doesn’t make sense please ask or message me for clarification. Everything below is just word vomit at this point.

ANYWAYS

NO NOT RANDOM I LOVE PPL YELLING even if it’s something I don’t know about. I just love when people are passionate about stuff.

I have like 30 WIPS sitting in my google drive so I totally understand you. I also started a Kirk Bros fic. It’s just a lengthy outline right now that starts right at the end of 2x10 and would end after the four Enterprise crew members are back on the ship and recovering (because everyone is going to be messed up as hell, especially La’an and I’m sure that someone will be dead in the show).

But these are some things I’ve thought about including in my WIP! Please feel free to run with them. Seriously, take them from me!

Disclaimer, in my fic I’m retconning Sam’s wife and kids from TOS because I haven’t found the SNW mention of her, which is apparently there somewhere, but I didn’t want to have to include the daddy dynamic of Sam’s character into it lol.

So first off, Pike doesn’t end up deciding if they’re pulling out, Una does. They only pull out far enough to not be in immediate danger, which is still against Starfleet orders, so they’d be breaking some regulation already and be in a wacky sort of limbo.

Then, how difficult it would be for Pike to tell Jim. I feel like he’d save him for last after contacting everyone else’s families… which I now realize those four have very little of. Jim would just know that something is wrong off the bat just from Pike’s face. He might even jump to the conclusion that Sam is dead and then the reality of his situation when Pike tells him ends up being so much worse. From there, Jim is dead set on joining them for a rescue mission, even if he has to break some regulations himself. Also at this point Christopher is a freaking mess ofc.

My biggest issue with writing the Gorn right now though is figuring out how to not have them immediately kill or do the dermal impregnation thing that’s going on with Batel, to the four of them and the settlers from the planet. I’m toying with the idea that the Gorn have been possessed by another entity. There’s an episode of Enterprise where some crew members contract a “silicone based virus” that was a whole separate species and I was thinking about trying to emulating that somehow.

I have a lot in my brain that happens between the exposition and the rescue but of course my whumpy ass had Sam being in the worst shape out of the group when they get back to the Enterprise. I think if I did go the infected Gorn route then the “virus species” will have been experimenting on Sam and he might be totally catatonic by that point and from there it would be blah, blah, blah recovery blah, blah. <- my brain literally cannot form a better sentence to communicate this rn

The actual first scene I wrote for the fic was Sam telling Jim about how picturing their childhood got him through everything that happened and specifically telling him the story about the first time he held him as a baby. Idk what kind of crack I was on that night but he ends it by telling him that he knew it was his job to take care of him as soon as he set his eyes on him. Did I write that because I’m the oldest sibling? What? No.

So anyways… yeah I have a lot of thoughts on this. And if you’d like to write something together I’m down for that too!

[lonesomedreamer]

SNW Liveblog: “Ghosts of Ilyria”

In which the dialogue is both the best and worst part of the episode.

Episode 1: “I’m gonna mess with your genome. […] We’ll have to make a few alterations if you want to blend in.”

Episode 3: “…a humanoid species known for modifying their genes… However…genetic modification is forbidden in the Federation.”

MAKE. THAT. MAKE. SENSE. I know what they did in Episode 1 was just temporary, but Chapel’s whole purpose on the ship is genetic research, which she used to alter (temporarily or otherwise) the genetic code of certain crew members??? Do the writers actually read their own scripts?!

An ion storm, you say? Is this going to be a mirror episode? Seems a little early in the show’s run to be pulling that rabbit out of the hat.

“Whatever tweaks your freak, pal.” Thanks, I hate it.

The design of Engineering is a little busy for my taste, and the lighting is still too low for a functional working environment, but it looks pretty cool!

Oh shit, I completely forgot about the Eugenics Wars (which are such a huge piece of Trek lore—that’s my brain after eight days of work in a row, ig)…of COURSE genetic modification is forbidden! Which makes what they did in Episode 1 even more ridiculous!!! I’m sure having La’an discuss this with Number One is meant to be a wink and a nod to the audience, since presumably she’s related to Khan in some way.

Just kidding, they’re just going to openly acknowledge that she’s related to Khan, lol. But in all seriousness: why is she? Why couldn’t La’an just be an OC???

Good Spock dialogue!

He said “records” the way Nimoy would have, and it made me smile.

Uhura, a xenolinguist and polyglot from Kenya, saying “y’all”…hmmm.

“Nonessential personnel.” “Contact tracing.” “Lockdown.” Obviously, this language could apply to any pandemic, but you can just tell that writers were still waist-deep in the experience of covid while they worked on this script.

Spock’s sass! We love to see it.

Okay, it’s pretty badass that Number One can carry a full-grown man (alien or not) over her shoulder.

“How in the exact hell are you carrying him?” a. Christine and I are on the same wavelength, but b. that’s a truly awful line of dialogue.

I’m annoyed by Number One’s convenient backstory, but I guess to be totally fair to these writers, the character effectively has no backstory, so what’s stopping them?

“You know what will happen if that containment field goes down.” Yeah, we’ve seen it happen to Spock, and we’ve cried about it.

Ethan’s delivery could use some work. I’m a mumbler myself, so I do get it, but especially since he’s playing Spock, he really needs to enunciate!

Ah…this show’s fantasy elements in a science fiction package strike again.

I know she wasn’t a major, well-developed character, but I still feel comfortable in saying that “Don’t thank me, I know I’m good at my job” is an egregiously uncharacteristic thing for Christine Chapel to say. Yikes. (Christine IS good at her job, but TOS got that across by showing it—like when she found a creative way to get a crewman to stop refusing food.)

An amazing shot with nods to the mod/retrofuturistic aesthetic of TOS (finally!)...more of this, please.

If they hadn’t invented a medical transporter out of whole cloth, none of this would be a problem.

“No spoilers.” They really had to slip THAT line in there as a capstone to M’Benga’s tragic story about his daughter? Good thing his daughter is super cute. I do wonder about consent here, though: did M’Benga’s partner/his daughter’s mother agree to this arrangement? What about his daughter herself?

Overall, this episode felt more like classic Trek than any of them have so far, right down to Spock being stranded planetside with his captain. While I question some of the writing/plot choices, I have no big complaints EXCEPT FOR the horrible continuity/logic error wrt this episode and the “gene therapy” shown in the pilot. I was even pretty neutral on Pike in this episode. He’s no Jim Kirk, but he was Fine. (But speaking of Kirk, what happened to Sam??? They just forgot he existed and almost died in the previous episode…?) And I like the moral of this episode’s story—I just feel like the way they got there was a little clumsy.

The Good: Several really authentic-sounding Spock moments; Jess Bush is gorgeous; M’Benga’s absolutely adorable daughter; they kept the whistle sound on the Bridge from TOS!

The Bad: Is “gene therapy” okay, or isn’t it?! Consistency, people! Other dialogue choices…were made—some are OOC, some are just cringe, which is par for the course on SNW; La’an conveniently being Khan’s descendant; this show continues to be more fantasy than scifi

I am once again hoping for more S/C in the next episode!

[dragonmuse]

Curious on some of the others' povs during Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap. Pete comes to mind first, as his relation to Lucius and Izzy is unique among everyone, and with the progression of concern in the piece. Then Jim and Eddy come to mind. Though, I cannot recall if you've already answered/written about Jim's pov during D4C. How did those calls/texts go for everyone?

(AsIsHerRight just podficced this one so it seemed the perfect time! I realized I never explicitly stated this anywhere, but Dirty Deeds happens about six months before Sing a New Song. Lucius mentions having been at his mother’s house in Sing a New Song which was the last time he was there before he came out.) 

The phone rang while Pete was wrist deep in suds and it took a little doing to pick up.

“Hey, babe,” Lucius’ voice had a tense crackle.

“Hi, sweetie,” Pete set down the dish he’d been washing. “Everything okay?” 

“No, Izzy got...we’re no sure actually. Attacked maybe. Jim is taking him to the hospital, but he’s got a head wound and they said he’s not totally with it.” 

“Oh shit,” Pete hurriedly dried his hands. “Are you still at the art supply store?” 

“No, I’m getting off the subway already, I was talking Jim through some things. I’ll call them back after I get off with you.” 

That explained the uneven connection, the hubbub of sound in the background. 

“I’m so sorry. What do you need me to do?” 

“I don’t know,” Lucius groaned. “Fuck. I don’t know how bad this is going to be. At least with the stupid allergies, I know he’s okay as long as he’s still breathing.” 

“Izzy’s tough,” Pete assured him. “He’s come out of a lot worse just fine, right?”

“Maybe. I don’t know,” Lucius muttered. 

“He has. It’s going to be okay. I’ll start calling everyone, rally the troops.” 

“Tell them to just....wait, okay? He won’t want them running him over when he’s not feeling okay.” 

“I can do that,” Pete agreed. “That include me?” 

“Probably, sorry.” 

“You don’t need to be sorry. Guy is private, I get it. You know how to reach me.” 

“I’m almost to street level. I should call back Jim, they had paperwork questions. I’ll keep you in the loop, okay?” 

“Okay, I love you.” 

“I love you too,” Lucius said with feeling. 

It was hard to concentrate after that. Pete finished washing the dishes because he’d promised John he would, but after that he drifted around the place. John and Frenchie had gone out on separate errands and it was always a little too quiet when Pete was the only one home. He considered music, but couldn’t figure out what he wanted to listen too. His concentration was shot for tv or a movie. Instead, he wound up picking up one of Lucius’ discarded books. 

It was a mystery of some kind, though Pete couldn’t figure out how or why anything was happening. Puzzling through that was a distraction at least. 

His phone rang and his heart jumped as he seized on it. Lucius. Thank fuck. 

“Hi, what’s up?” 

“He’s got a concussion,” Lucius said, an air of annoyance to it. “I was hoping he’d stay overnight, but you know how hospitals are now. Kicked us both out and I’m going to get him home.” 

“So he’ll be okay?” 

“That’s what they said, but his brain is fucking mush right now. Isn’t that right, goblin?” 

“Whatever you say. Spriggs,” Pete heard Izzy say faintly.

“What the fuck?” Pete asked, horrified.

“Yeah, I told you,” Lucius gritted out. “He keeps saying that. And he can’t keep two thoughts in his head, it’s freaking me the fuck out.”

“How’s he acting?” 

“Clingy, but uh, that also might be me, honestly.” 

“Can you get him home on your own?” 

“He’s being pretty pliable and he’s walking okay. Fuck, I was supposed to go to my mother’s thing at her church tonight.” 

“I could come over,” Pete offered. “Help him out while you go.” 

“No, I’d just be texting you every five minutes to see how he is. She’ll live. Hell, she said she didn’t want me to come last time we talked.” 

At the time, Lucius had told Pete that it was her being manipulative, that if she said that what she really wanted was for Lucius to show up in spite of that. But Pete wasn’t going to remind him of that now. 

“Okay. Want me to sort out dinner?” 

“Thanks, but there’s stuff at the apartment.” 

Pete nodded, he itched to do something, but that was his problem. 

“I’m here if you need me then.” 

“Thanks. I might be calling for a sanity check if he keeps up like this. Spriggs. Jesus.” 

“Don’t worry, he’ll remember you’re a Black soon. And then you can tease him forever.” 

“Don’t know if I can about this.” 

That was a very bad sign. 

“Oh, babe,” Pete softened his voice even further.

Lucius had to get off not long after that to get Izzy into the apartment. Still nervy, Pete gathered up their laundry and started a wash. That was usually Lucius’ job, but he wouldn’t be home tonight, probably not tomorrow night either.  It was something he could do anyway. 

It was another two hours before he got any communication and it wasn’t from Lucius at all. 

Izzy: L came out to mom. Accident.  bad. 

It took him a moment of looking at it to figure out what the hell that even meant. Then another second to figure out why Izzy had bothered texting him. Shit shit, of course he had. Izzy was whacked into another dimension by the sound of it. Probably a miracle the guy had made it that far. 

He had the address, of course, after all this time. But Izzy had never invited him across the threshold and Pete had never pushed.  No matter what Lucius said about it, it was Izzy’s home first and foremost. Pete understood the desire to lock a door and not let anyone else in, even if he resisted it himself.

Pete: im on my way

Without giving himself time to second guess, Pete grabbed his wallet and keys and went out the door. It wasn’t a long subway ride to Izzy’s place, just a few stops and a block’s walk. It was Lucius’ commute, the triangle he made between his two homes and the bar several times a week, but Pete had never walked these steps before. 

The apartment building was nice, tall and imposing on the sidewalk. There was no intercom system, and the steely-eyed doorman checked his name on what looked like a well used piece of paper. When had Izzy put him on that list? How long at he had an allowance for Pete to come and go here? Good thing he had, Pete decided, and set it aside. 

Izzy’s apartment was at the end of the hall, no mat or decoration on the door. That was in line with what Lucius had mentioned. Pete knocked once, then winced. Maybe he should’ve just texted if the guy had a headache or something. There was movement inside and then the sound of locks sliding open. 

Lucius stood before him, face flushed and eyes red.  

“Hey, babe,” Pete held out his arms. 

“Oh my god,” Lucius collapsed over him, hugging him tightly. “I can’t believe he managed to call you, how did I not notice?” 

“Texted,” Pete pulled him in, kissed his neck. “Hard day, huh?” 

“The fucking worst,” Lucius groaned and then, like it all came down on him at once, he started to sob.

“Okay, okay,” Pete rubbed his back. “How about we go inside, okay?” 

“Yeah, right, shit.” 

They shuffled inside and Lucius tugged him down onto a black leather couch. It was one of those weird ones with a slightly slanted back and it had almost no give to it, but Pete couldn’t care less if it was made of spikes at the moment. He drew Lucius down again. 

“I didn’t really get the story,” Pete told him, as Lucius soaked through the shoulder of his t-shirt. “You want to tell me what happened?" 

“It was so stupid,” Lucius sobbed. “Fuck.” 

“It’s okay, babe, you’re okay.” He kissed his temple. 

“She was all upset when I called to say I couldn’t make it and she just...she wouldn’t stop. Picking and picking,” Lucius sat up a little, reached for a tissue and blew his nose for as second. “She just wouldn’t let up and I needed it to stop. I didn’t have an energy to take care of her too.” 

“Yeah,” Pete frowned. “You hit the wall.” 

“Hard,” Lucius agreed. “I just needed her to stop for two second and I just...blurted out that my boyfriend had a concussion.” 

“Not really the Batman experience we had planned, but effective.”  Pete took his hand. 

“She freaked the fuck out. I mean, I knew she would, but it was really loud and angry.” 

“I’m sorry, babe.” 

“I don’t even really know what she said,” Lucius huffed a broken laugh. “How dumb is that? I was so wound up and she was so wound up that it just shattered into nothing. Izzy made me hang up.” 

“Probably not a bad idea.” 

“Yeah, no, he was right. I think she’s been texting me, but I can’t look at it.” 

“Let me,” Pete held out his hand and Lucius gave him his phone without hesitation. “I’ll just delete the bullshit, give you a summary, ok?” 

“Okay,” Lucius said very small. “I’m really glad you’re here. I think Iz spaced out again.” 

“Only place I’d want to be right now,” Pete assured him. “I would’ve come before this happened if you said it was okay.” 

Lucius nodded vaguely. “God, why couldn’t this wait until I had more room for it.” 

“Never happens when we need it too,” Pete shrugged. “Or...I dunno, Maybe it’s good to get it all out of the way. You can focus on Izzy instead of this shit. Distract yourself a little.” 

“Maybe,” Lucius conceded. “I can’t believe it though. It’s like...like I had a pile of dishes hanging over my head for years and it finally crashed down. It hurts, but also....fuck. I’m glad it’s done.” 

Izzy appeared at the end of the couch, goddamn the man was quiet when he wanted to be. He also looked fucking awful, sallow and washed out. There was white bandage stuck in his hairline at a weird angle, bits of dried blood still flaking around it.  He was holding out his wallet to Lucius. 

“Here,” he croaked and his voice sounded bad too, dried out and crumbling. 

Thank you?” Lucius took it from him. “Iz, I think you should go back to bed.” 

“No. You need to take my credit card and replace the couch.” 

“Brain injury means redecorating?” 

“You hate this couch,” Izzy was blinking a lot.  And it was a fucking awful couch, in Pete’s opinion. Not that anyone had asked him.  “I really don’t give a fuck what I sit on. We need a pullout for tonight. Pay whatever it takes to get delivered and get this one hauled out.” 

Oh. Oh wow. Pete struggled to keep his expression blank. 

“Oh, goblin, we could figure-” 

“No.” Izzy said heavily.  

“No?” Lucius actually sounded amused, breaking through the tears. 

“No.” He shuffled back to the bedroom, apparently done. 

“You want me to send you photos so you can pick?” Lucius called after him. 

“Can’t look at them. Anyway, I trust you.”

Pete waited until the door closed, “So...that’s something.” 

“I can’t believe he did that,” Lucius held the wallet tightly. “I mean he’s made changes for me before, but this?” 

“It’s furniture,” Pete smiled at him “You think either of us wouldn’t throw out a piece of wood and fabric to have you be more comfortable?” 

“But...” Lucius closed his eyes. “Okay. I’m not going to get sentimental over this. I literally do not have the space. Let’s find a pull out that doesn’t look like the seventh level of hell to sleep on.” 

That was distracting for a bit, doing some web surfing and then Lucius calling around. He slipped into his P.A. voice, which was always slightly harried and very ‘you know how it is’ that people seemed to respond to. Eventually though they were just sitting around waiting. Lucius checked on Izzy, but he was apparently asleep again.

“Can we just check out?” Lucius asked. “Watch tv and phase?” 

“Yeah, babe. Of course.” 

So Lucius sort of fell over into his lap and they watched the fading hours of daytime television. Eventually the furniture guys showed up and then it was shuffling around. Lucius ducked into Izzy’s bedroom again to check on the cat which Pete had admittedly forgot existed. 

“God he is so whacked out,” Lucius muttered as he came back out. “If he’s like that in the morning, I don’t give a shit what the doctor said, I’m making him go to a neurologist or something. Stede has one that he likes.” 

“What for?” 

“His migraines. You know when he gets all,” Lucius pulled a face that Pete did instantly recognize as Stede’s ‘Why is this happening to me?’ expression. It was more often on Leda’s face during particularly risky performances. 

“Yeah, that makes sense. But he did get clocked pretty hard. Let’s give him a night’s sleep first, okay?” 

They ate dinner at the counter and Pete looked over the apartment with interest. 

“You know, you described this place pretty good. It looks like how I saw it in my head,” he offered. 

“Yeah?” Lucius glanced up and around as if seeing it afresh. “Do you like it?” 

“Yeah, I do,” he decided. “It’s not like our place, but I can still see you here. All your things and your books. The pictures. It’s good.” 

“Used to think I barely making an impression,” Lucius stabbed a piece of chicken. “Like he’s got this place set up like teflon and if I ever went, he could just scrap it all away again.” 

“You don’t still think that?” Pete checked. 

“No,” he admitted. “Not really. I think it’s a pretty permanent situation these days.” 

“The anniversary bookcase?” Pete guessed. He’d heard all about that when Lucius had come back, starry-eyed and full of a lot of feelings that he was willing to pour right back into Pete. 

Sometimes, people asked if he got jealous of Izzy, but Pete reaped a lot of rewards from the man’s time with his husband. All the overflow of joy and lust that lapped up over Pete could not be understated. Plus Lucius was always mellower when he came home which was nice. Not that slightly higher strung Lucius wasn’t great, but Pete could admit to sometimes enjoying a version that had been steamed out and wanted to cuddle more than verbally spar. 

“Yeah, that. And now this couch. Maybe I should’ve gotten a red one just to make a statement.” 

“What statement would that be?” 

“Dunno, actually. Just a bitchy flag planting maybe.” 

“I like the black.” 

“Yeah,” Lucius admitted. “Me too. Now that there’s color a few other places, the black actually looks cool instead of a monument to deranged masculinity.” 

“Have you said that to him?” Pete laughed. 

“Oh yeah,” Lucius winked at him. “Like many times. Practically a pet name.” 

It took a little rearranging to get the couch-bed pulled out, but they managed in the end. Sleeping in a new space was always strange, but Lucius was there and the bed was fairly comfortable. It wasn’t hard to drift off, arms around each other. Very faintly, Pete could make out Izzy shifting on the bed through the wall. 

In the morning, Pete woke to find them both already up. Izzy looked and sounded significantly better. Lucius looked worse, but improve through the morning.  Pete should probably leave them to it and go home, but he stayed and neither of them said a word about it. 

It was fascinating, actually, to watch them move around each other. This was a space utterly foreign to Pete and Lucius moved with surety through cabinets and drawers. He and Izzy had their own rhythms, even halted as they were by Izzy’s injury. Pete observed from the couch, pretending he was mucking around on his phone as they danced around each other.  

He’d go soon. Probably. Or maybe he’d stay another night and Lucius would hug him gratefully close. Maybe he’d be the one to drive Izzy to work the day after that, then hang around the office to drive him back after. It’d be interesting to watch Jim and Izzy dance around each other too. A whole little world would crack open for Pete that he’d never thought to peer in before and he’d find it charming and strange and maybe he would visit far more often after that.

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

@deadgodjess yeah I thought I was done being peeved about this but I just spent a full forty minute yoga session unable to think about literally anything else. starting a new post because this one has gotten unwieldy but for anyone just joining us this is the tl;dr:

sorry it’s a day later and I’m still thinking about how dirty this godforsaken show [Gotham] did the riddler. why did you have to give him such a tacky ~ooooo mental illness is SCARY!! uh oh I killed my girlfriend by aCcIdEnT!!~ origin story when it would have been infinitely funnier for Ed to just run some numbers re: how many cases would actually get solved without him and come to the completely justifiable conclusion that he can absolutely get away with quitting his job and turning to a life of riddle-based crime.

I'm going to offer my alternative for what I, personally, think would have been a more fun Riddler buildup across Gotham's 4.5 season run. I am absolutely not seeking feedback, this is a thot exercise meant to be enjoyed by me, myself, and maybe like three people that I trust on this hellsite.

anyway having our boy Ed abruptly jump headfirst into the shallow end of the homicidal maniac pool was executed in a way that was not just wildly ableist but also mmmm dumb and boring as hell and really ripped away a lot of opportunities to use this character in a more interesting way, and by "more interesting" I cannot emphasize enough that I mean "ways that I think are funnier."

if I'm being totally honest I think producers/execs whoever got nervous about the show's continuation and insisted on pulling the trigger on Ed riddling out before season one ended in the hopes that having another Batman villain active pre-Batman would help build a little more railroad for this awful show to keep careening along on. this has to play out via the manifestation of a fucking evil alternate personality because, frankly, up until this point Ed has been characterized as pretty much a total sweetheart with absolutely zero ulterior motives and possibly the only brain cell in the entire Gotham City Police Department. he is literally Just Some Guy with hamfisted autism coding and a fondness for riddles who regularly gets dismissed and bullied by his colleagues, all of whom I wish would die in a fire (except for maybe Harvey Bullock because he's really the only man bringing any kind of eye candy to this show, but we're not here to talk about that).

what I'm getting at here is that the writers had a really great opportunity to spend a few seasons showing us how life in Gotham gradually wore down a man who was one a friendly and law-abiding colleague of Jim Gordon's into a little freak in spandex who cannot stop trying to one-up a man dressed as a bat. he actually could have been a compelling foil to Jimothy, whose whole deal is that he's somehow managed to remain The Only Honest Cop In Gotham despite years of horseshit; building on the relationship between the two of them and exploring how their paths eventually diverge could have been really cool and yes, I will be drawing on that in my posthumous script doctor.

as long as we're talking about the Riddler and basically everyone else in the show sans Selina (and... sort of Poison Ivy, idk, I don't like the in-universe age lift and I don't want to contemplate it too much) I think it's stupid that Gotham is basically setting up a universe where all of Batman's iconic enemies are actually more like a bunch of middle aged assholes that Gordon already has decade-old beef with. it's dumb but it's also what I have to work with because if we tweak things any further to make Bruce and all of his future rogues teenagers together I think we're just remaking Riverdale.

sorry we got a little lost in the weeds there, I wasn't originally planning on making that and I don't want to admit how much time I wasted on it. anyway after a little "oh boohoo I'm just a poor little guy I can't believe I did murders" Ed's pretty much straight to bugfuck crazy murdertown with every other villain on this show. everybody on Gotham is like two seconds away from committing homicide at all times except for MAYBE Bruce; pretty much every recurring antagonist is a kill-happy maniac and most of the one-off villains of the week are as well. even the Penguin gaslight gatekeep girlbosses his way through a truly staggering number of people in the first half dozen episodes alone. what I'm getting at here is that dropkicking the Riddler straight into the same mold isn't just ableist or lazy - it's also the very worst thing that writing can be, which is FUCKING BORING. what if, god forbid, we had one rogue bringing a different kind of sauce to the party? in this essay I will -

season one: my pitch here is actually so simple, because I literally just want to keep Ed's characterization the same for the entire season. no abrupt slip and slide into stabbing and/or choking people to death, just a weird little dude who's around and good at his job and has a little mug with a question mark on it. he shows up once an episode for two minutes to crack the case wide open and tell a riddle and the remind the audience that he's around. "yep, that's the Riddler," they'll say. "no need to give him a violent split personality, I know where this is going and I am indeed capable of waiting for that payoff."

season two: now at this point you might be saying "Makenzie wait - is your pitch going to assume that the original storyline of Gotham is otherwise proceeding as it did otherwise? because that's going to get pretty impossible pretty fast if the Riddler has a drastically different personality/role in the show." yeah hey listen man. listen. I don't give a shit about what actually happens in the show. I give a shit about the Riddler. don't ask about this again. this all takes place in an AU where Gotham is a competently written show; I know that's sort of a stretch but bear with me.

anyway season two is when we can start getting some cracks in Riddleboy's chipper little exterior but for god's sake, let's deploy a little subtlety. probably he needs to start getting bullied more - possibly because he's notably friendly with Jim and easier to bully than Bullock, Jim's only other friend. anyway, this is how Ed learns that sometimes fucking people over is okay, actually. nothing drastic, just manipulating evidence here and there to ruin the day (and then career) of some of the biggest assholes in the department and bolster his faves (Jim). I cannot emphasize enough that the first half of the season has to be about this man realizing that most of his coworkers are VERY DUMB and EXTREMELY EASY TO MISLEAD.

come the second half of season 2 we get to see him getting a little too cocky, which will ultimately lead to his downfall. tl;dr being smarter than everyone is fun but still doesn't solve the problem of nobody else noticing or caring that he's smarter than them, and it's really starting to rankle. this will be the point when Ed upgrades to like. full sending his own boss cut-up magazine ransom notes and shit making demands to try and steer the GCPD more efficiently. there are, obviously, subtle little riddles embedded in these letters, but Gordon is the only one who will notice because Gordon's the protagonist and gets to notice things. this will end in a big confrontation, whatever, he's not going to turn Ed in because he believes Ed was genuinely acting in the interest of flushing out dirty cops, but he's also a little bitch so he IS going to tell Ed that he'll turn him in if Ed doesn't resign. Ed goes quietly and with a frankly unsettling amount of glee that someone was finally smart enough to solve one of his little puzzles. personally I love when the Riddler won't really look at or acknowledge anyone who won't play his silly little games I think that's so fun of him.

season three: the first half of season three is actually by far the most fun for me because it involves Ed a.) doing the Riddler thing where he tries to be a private detective for a while and b.) getting mercilessly bullied by all of Gotham city for a bit. you can fill in the specifics of the goofs yourself but suffice to say he's just a plucky little guy investigating some weird ass shit and still getting dumped on a lot in the process. our boy is going to have to learn to get a little unscrupulous.

it's vital that during this half of the season Jim comes to him at least a couple of times to ask for input that frankly none of the useless sadsacks at the GCPD are qualified to provide now that Ed's gone, because they're all doing the equivalent of that John Mulaney bit where they look at a corpse and go "ew! clean it up!" instead of gathering anything useful in the way of evidence. for some reason that I can't QUITE put my finger on it seems important to establish that Jim Gordon is willing to work alongside people who are operating a bit outside the law as long as he believes their intentions are good. and listen - Ed will genuinely help him! but he is also absolutely going home and idly jotting down notes for how he'd get away with exactly the crimes he helped solve.

the second half of season three involves him getting nabbed by Someone and pretty much extorted into helping them work against the GCPD on account of being a former employee who knows exactly how they investigate. what ensues is a series of crime scenes that have an abundance of fake evidence designed to lead the cops in circles that go nowhere - UNLESS you piece together some extremely abstract hints being hidden there, because Ed is sincerely making an effort to alert his old GCPD chums to what's going on. except, oh no, the stress of being held hostage is getting to him and he is SORT OF starting to enjoy how good he is at this and also beating his head against the wall in frustration over how fucking stupid literally every single one of his former colleagues is. he'll get rescued (by Jim) by the end of the season but god will he be bitter by then.

also I said he was being forced to work for Someone and it truly could be anyone in this horseass show but like. come on. it's Penguin. the rest of canon can go to hell but it's so important to me that Penguin still wants to fuck the Riddler so bad it makes him look stupid. it's just hands down the funniest thing that happens in all of Gotham and I wouldn't change it for the world.

season four: alright so Eddie boy starts this season trying to go to therapy about his whole kidnapping and probably PTSD thing but we the audience will realize very quickly that he's getting twitchy and is just purposefully playing with like. MULTIPLE different therapists and giving them all wildly different information to see if he can get each of them to give him different diagnoses. he has absolutely no idea why he's doing this except that it's fun and he evidently can. this man is living on the knife edge he's so sweaty and gross and he wants to do crime again SO bad and is really running out of reasons why he shouldn't.

if this show were written by people I could trust I'd say we could actually do a really thrilling mental health(TM) storyline here focusing in on Ed getting increasingly manipulative and ruled by compulsive behavior. I'd say the crux of his arc in the first half of the season is Jim convincing Ed to check himself in to some kind of mental health facility for his own wellbeing - probably Arkham, since it seems to somehow be the only mental health facility in Gotham despite the fact that it appears to be patterned on ghoulish 19th century sanitariums more than anything. anyway, this lasts approximately one day before Ed disappears from the facility and leaves an elaborate riddle behind, thus ending his arc for the first half of the season.

second half starts as a straight up revenge plot against Penguin because I love when these awful little homos fight with each other, but Gotham being Gotham I think a bit of an emotional roller coaster can ensue. Penguin can definitely convince Ed to ease off and work with him as more of a partner for a bit, but I still want this Riddler to be a murder lite contrast to most of the other villains in the cast so I think that will be the point of contention that ultimately drives them apart. the Penguin CANNOT stop lethally girlbossing; it's his first love.

anyway after that Ed's just fucking with the GCPD for shits and giggles because fuck 'em, am I right? he's definitely got the whole question mark suit Look going by this point; hanging out with the Penguin for too long changes a man.

season five: god I don't even know; there were only 12 episodes and one of them was for the flash forward. he tells some shitty riddles and probably gives Gordon one final helping hand but in a way that benefits him, firmly securing his status as "sometimes useful, always a bastard." all that really matters this still happens to him. this is the last we see of him, dangling next to Robin Lord Taylor in just the least convincing fake gut I've ever seen in god's green earth.

anyway sorry this got so long I'm genuinely appalled and disgusted with myself. I have problems!

[yikesharringrove]

Show Pony

Chapter 6

Winds Change

Read on Ao3

-

Five days.

They had five days left together.

Billy tried not to think about it, but it was kinda hard to ignore.

Stalls were already being taken down, fair games being packed up into large shipping trucks to take across the country.

One of Max’s beloved funnel cake stalls had already met the way of the shipping container. She was pissed.

And yet, Billy and Steve did their best to pretend like the rodeo wasn’t coming down around them.

A perfect symbolism for their fling, or whatever, crashing down everywhere they look.

Billy spent days in Steve’s sweaty little airstream, brushing his fingers over that muscular body, calling him a hick and a horse girl and every other fake insult he could think of.

And Steve spent all that time lacing his fingers with Billy’s, winking at him from his place on top of one of his three gorgeous mares as he did victory lap after victory lap, roping calves in under ten seconds, slamming Billy against the walls of the airstream, adrenaline from the stunt still pumping through him.

The field saw them exercising Steve’s horses, taking a ratty blanket out there in the middle of the night to watch the stars.

And it was stupid, Billy pretending that this was more than just. A convenience.

Steve was on his knees, and Billy threaded his hands into that thick hair, tugging it this way and that, the way he’s learned Steve likes after some weeks of mewling whines.

Billy was backed up against the gate of the makeshift paddock, shielded by the prying eyes of the other rodeo workers by the long-set sun and the sounds of the day’s crowds filtering out of the grounds.

Steve pushed down, taking Billy’s cock all the way in his throat, breathing heavily through his nose, the nose currently pressed flat against Billy’s pelvis.

Steve was a champion at a few things: calf roping, horse riding, and dick sucking.

He pulled off Billy’s dick with a slurp, rolling his tongue along the head, humming slightly as he did. His eyes were dark, staring up at Billy, something like a smirk sparking in them as Billy fell apart.

He took a breath, ready to move back in and finish Billy off when there were footsteps.

“Steve! I gotta check Loretta’s hock.”

They both froze, Steve’s eyes going wide with shock, his lips still stretched around the cock in his mouth.

Billy had yet to meet Jim Hopper, the horse specialist that watched out for Steve’s three mares.

He guesses he was about to meet the man right about now.

Steve yanked his face off Billy’s cock with an unmistakable slurping sound that made Billy’s face go bright fuckin’ red. Billy fumbled with the fly on his shorts, and Steve took charge, roughly pulling the button closed and the zip up. It was a miracle he didn’t catch any skin with the quick action.

Steve was on his feet as Jim rounded the edge of the fencing, eyeing the two of them standing far too close, Billy���s face red and full of guilt. Jim raised a hand, his eyes closing as he breathed heavily out his nose.

“I don’t wanna know. Just let me take a look at your girl.”

Steve shrugged, acting like this whole ordeal was just another day at the rodeo.

Maybe it is, Billy’s brain supplied.

They were so fucking. Obvious. Billy could just drop dead right there on the grass.

Jim was a big dude. Beefy and broad, his face was clearly weather-beaten. Well, what of his face wasn’t covered with a graying beard and mustache. His left cheek pudged out slightly with what Billy realized was chewing tobacco when he spit casually at his feet.

“This is Billy. I told you about him,” Steve said with a smirk.

And Billy just about had a heart attack when Steve made a big show of wiping at his mouth with the back of his hand, smirkin’ like the devil.

“Yeah, kid, I’m just here for Letty.”

The horses had been allocated to the horsebox for the night, as it was much warmer in there for them. Not that it was cold in San Diego at night, but still. Steve worried. Billy thought it was cute.

Steve led Jim off towards the box, clapping him once on the shoulder as he passed, making Jim groan and spit a dollop of yellow-brown saliva after Steve.

Billy felt like he was about to turn into some thick hot liquid shame when Jim gave him a bit of a once-over, raising one thick eyebrow at him. Jim’s mustache twitched, and he spit to the side before turning on his heel, following Steve to the horses.

Billy has never been more mortified in his life.

Steve’s mentioned Jim a lot. He always calls him Hop. Said Steve himself gave him that nickname. Billy has kinda sussed out that Jim is something like a pseudo-dad to Steve. The one to teach him how to really care for the horses. The one to teach him to properly tie a calf.

All the shit that Steve was made of, Jim taught him.

Billy had put together that Jim’s daughter was the one Max was scampering about the grounds with. Steve said he had adopted Elle when she was about seven.

His face gave something away when he said that. Making a look that said there was a story there, but Billy didn’t wanna ask.

It’s not his story to know.

Billy followed after them, keeping a wide enough berth from the pair that it was weird. He knew it was weird. But it was either this type of weird, or the weird of inserting himself into their conversation when Jim obviously knew what they had been doing seconds before he found them. Steve was about as subtle as a gun with those grass stains on his knees, wiping at his face like he needed to prove a point.

Billy lingered outside the horsebox.

Loretta had been lagging lately, and she startled whenever Steve laid a hand on her left leg.

Steve had just about sobbed when he told Billy he thinks she’s hurt herself.

Billy wished he had a cigarette right about now.

“Yeah, I think the poor girl’s just havin’ some inflammation. Probably tweaked her leg just right on the arena dirt.”

“Is she gonna be okay? What does she need?” Steve sounded more serious than Billy’s ever heard him. There was a weight to his voice that only reared up when Steve mentioned his father, a slight quiver in his words that made his anxiety palpable.

“She’s a tough one, Letty. Let her rest for about two weeks, only mild walking, and some ice at the end of the day wouldn’t hurt, either. We’ll talk after that and see if she needs anything more.”

There was something of a pause in the horsebox, and Billy held his breath, ignoring the fact that he was clearly eavesdropping now.

“You being careful with that boy?”

“‘Course I am.”

“Because I meant what I said last time. I’m not posing as your dad to get you an appointment at the clinic again-”

“ Jesus, Hop. I thought we agreed never to talk about that again, huh? And besides, I’m grown. I can make appointments for my own STD tests now. Plus, it was all fine.”

Billy nearly choked.

It’s not that he’s never had a scare before, and he and Steve were safe, but still.

“Good to hear, then. But you being careful ?” There was another silence from the box. One of the horses whinnied.

When Jim continued, it was with a much softer voice than before.

“I ain’t never seen you so attached before.”

The horse whinnied again, and Billy pictured Steve wrapping his arms around June’s neck and hugging her close.

“He’s under my skin now.” A scuff that sounded like Steve’s boot brushing against the hay-covered floor of the box. “First time I wasn’t ready for a fling to be over.”

Those words crashed into Billy’s gut, knocking all the wind out of him.

He suffocated on them, drowned in Steve’s melancholy voice as he said them.

First time I wasn’t ready for a fling to be over.

It stung at the same time it made Billy’s heart soar.

It hurt and it healed and it made Billy wanna throw up and lock Steve in his basement so he could never leave him.

Or maybe something less totally wacked-out and creepy.

“You know I love you like my own, but you gotta manage yourself. I ain’t judgin’, I just don’t wanna see you all hurt again.”

“Jeez, that was some real sappy shit there.” The mood shifted with Steve’s deflection, and Billy could hear footsteps leaving the horsebox.

He scrambled over to Steve’s little airstream, pretending he hadn’t been listening and freaking out over what he was hearing.

There was just. There was a whole lot to take in there.

Jim said he didn’t want to see Steve all hurt again, but also said he’s never seen Steve so attached before.

When had he been all hurt before if this was, in Steve’s words, the first time he wasn’t ready for a fling to be over?

And Billy didn’t want to hurt Steve, but it kinda, in a real shitty way, made him feel a little bit better that he wasn’t the only one ignoring the oncoming end out of sadness and a need to prolong whatever they had left.

That, and the added little bonus that Jim had once pretended to be Steve’s father to get him an STD test from a clinic.

Billy feels like he’s been punched in the face over and over again by that short conversation he heard. And he would know. He’s been decked in the kisser too many times to think about.

He leaned against the cold metal wall of the airstream as Steve came into view, Jim heading in the opposite direction towards the fairgrounds and the rodeo being shut down for the night.

Steve smiled at Billy, this soft, calm little thing that made the warm summer air even sweeter in Billy’s lungs and the words keep ringing through his head.

First time I wasn’t ready for a fling to be over.

He could see something in Steve, now that he knew what to look for.

How carefree and easy he seemed anytime he was around Billy, but those devastating moments when he seemed to bite his tongue against saying something more meaningful, or shied away from a briefly intimate touch.

Billy could finally see his own anxiety in Steve at their dwindling time together, and it broke his fucking heart.

Robin had warned Billy not to get attached. She told him Steve slept around and played the field and left before anyone could get in too deep.

But he wonders if Robin had warned Steve against the same thing. If she had told him that Billy was going to fuck and run. That leaving someone behind can sometimes hurt just as much as being left behind.

He hopes that if she hasn’t, she’ll be there for Steve. That she’ll pick him up and won’t let him break his own precious heart anymore.

“So, how’s Loretta?”

“She’ll be okay. Poor lady just needs some rest and some ice, and she’ll be feeling her best in a few weeks.”

Steve matched Billy’s stance, leaning against the trailer and tilting his face to the starry sky.

It was quiet out in the sea of trailers. Now that the spectators had all gone home for the night, the cheering crowds and amplified commentators weren’t reverberating through the open grass.

Instead, they could hear the rodeo animals that had been put in their nighttime areas. The many whineys and brays from different horses spread through the place.

The rodeo seemed so fucking magic to Billy.

Something like Heaven.

“I’m going soon.”

Billy doesn’t know why Steve said it.

They both knew that fact.

He thought they were both aggressively ignoring that fact.

“Yeah. You are.”

Billy didn’t know what to do with his hands.

He really didn’t want to have this conversation. Ever.

Because talking about it makes it real.

And God fucking forbid Steve breaks it off now and not in the allotted five days they still have to laugh and fuck and be free .

He pulled out his slightly crumpled pack of cigarettes, lighting one deftly.

Steve didn’t smoke. Said his grandpa died really horribly of lung cancer.

Billy knew this was going to be a serious talk when Steve didn’t make one of his usual snide remarks about Billy smoking.

“I just wanted. To be sure,” Steve trailed off, still looking at the spangled night sky. “We need to be on the same page.”

That we’re probably, most definitely, in love with one another but too stupid and too poorly timed and too tragic to say anything about it.

“I think we are.”

“Okay. Okay. Good. Because, I mean, I really don’t want to hurt you, and, like, our arrangement’s been the same since the beginning.”

Arrangement.

That word.

Arrangement.

It was a fucking ugly word for whatever beautiful thing they had between them.

Arrangement.

It made Billy feel cheap, and used, and so fucking stupid.

And feeling like that only meant one thing for Billy.

He got fucking mad.

“So, that’s it then. You’re done with me. Onto the next poor sucker in the next shitty town that’ll fuck you through the mattress and hold your hand until you decide you’re sick of ‘em. Great. It was so nice being your fucking whore. Thanks for the. Opportunity.”

He wished he chewed tobacco like Jim. He would spit a glob at Steve’s foot. Probably make it land right on those stupid fucking red cowboy boots.

Steve finally looked at Billy, his face scrunched up and those beautiful eyes of his looking somewhere between lost and hurt and angry and confused.

“Billy, that’s not what I-”

“No. No, Harrington, I fucking get it. You go town to town, and feed these fuckers a sob story about how hard it is for you to connect with people, and that you’re lonely and your dad sucks, and all this other bullshit. When really, you’re just an insecure asshole with intimacy problems who’s too fucking stupid to get a fucking GED.”

Fuck.

The second the words were out of his mouth, Billy knew he had gone way too fucking far.

Steve’s eyes flashed, and his face seemed to morph right in front of Billy’s eyes. He was closing himself off right where they stood. Getting ready to chuck Billy away and never see him again.

And Billy fucking deserved it.

“You’re calling me an insecure asshole with intimacy problems? The only friends you’ve got are coworkers that only pity you because they can see how fucking pathetic you are. You beg for scraps like a fucking dog and the second things get tough you ignore it, or get angry at it, like a stupid goddamn child . You think you’re so tough. That you’re the only one with problems . You’ve got your head so far up your own ass that you don’t realize that shit sucks all over, and that everyone is just as miserable as you are, we’re just able to fucking make something out of ourselves instead of wallowing in self-pity.”

Steve’s little speech left Billy feeling dumbfounded.

He was seething with a rage he had never felt in his life before. Anger at himself, and anger at Steve for being so fucking right. For letting all of Billy’s flaws and insecurities tumble out of his mouth like they were nothing.

He took a long drag from his cigarette, leaning forward to put it out against the door of the airstream, leaving a tiny circular ash print on the painted cow. It looked like a bullet wound on the poor thing.

It’s how Billy felt.

“I hope your horse fucking dies.”

It was childish.

It was so dumb, and childish, and Billy really doesn’t hope any horse anywhere dies, especially Steve’s three wonderful mares, but he’s feeling something he thinks he could call jilted, and he’s hurt and upset and genuinely at a loss.

He didn’t let Steve get another word in. Just turned on his heel, and left the little cowboy behind.

[ichayalovesyou]

We watching Star Trek: The Motion Picture for the first time boys! (Live Reaction):

So is Decker related to Commodore Matt Decker from The Doomsday Machine?

It’s Spockkk! Jim V’ger called out to him from the edge of the Galaxy

OH SO THERE IS SOME CANON VULCAN WORDS 😍

“His calling lies elsewhere” yeah, with his husband! Kohlinar isn’t for fixing your emotional issues dude! It’s for coming peace and oneness once you’ve figured them out yourself!

It’s Jimmmm I see you’ve supplied yourself with a substitute cuz you can’t fathom not having Spock a vulcan science officer aboard.

Awww Jim and Scotty are so happy to be back! Wholesome af, awewwwwww Jim loves the enterprise and his space family so effing much guys I’m gonna cryyyyyyy. Wow, they really spend a looooot of time just being like “look at this cool ship isn’t so cool we finally have a non-shoestring budget look at this cool ship we maaaaade.” 😂

Uhura! 😍 Sulu!!! 😍😍😍 Chekov!! 😍 my babies are here!!!!!!

That’s a cool ass warp core actually! Deckerrrrrr listennnnnnn sorrrrrryyyyyy but you can stayyyyyy as an XO? Oof, Jim got called out! Oof!

JANICE RAND?! Ohhhh my god that teleporter malfunction was brutal, that was ohhhhh wow jeezus oh my godddd. (I heard that in the book the other person that wasn’t his science officer was his second/ex wife? I don’t remember)

Lieutenant Ilia is an alien? I didn’t actually expect that but it makes sense. BONES!! Lol he’s so grumpy but of course he’s like “...okay.” When Jim’s all like “I need you 😏” oh wow Bones, who’d you shave for? Huh? God these two, at least Jim has like, half a brain cell back lmao.

Bones “I’m going with you to deal with Decker so that you don’t say stupid shit.” McCoy. Poor Kirk is a little rusty on the space life situation yiiiikes. Bones is like “get your head out of your ass Jim.” And he’s like “No. 😘” I guess I’ll see who’s right (probably bones, as usual).

MY BOYFRIEND IS BACK 😍😍😍😍😍- Jim, basically. Even Decker is like 🤩, awww Bones and Jim are like “you good...?” OOF got cold shouldered!! Poor baby. Sidenote: damn Sulu’s got some biceps.

Even after Kohlinar training you can’t help but sass McCoy huh Spock? And poor Jim is just like “babe, PLEASE, just sit the fuck down so I can talk about how much I need you.” *gets cold shouldered again*. OOP “is there anything else?” so much for Kohlinar Spock goddamn 😂

God every time Jim says Spock he sounds so frickin desperate, dude we get it you’re in love 😂 Also does Decker just exist to not be listened to? Lmao.

If I got any complaints at all about this film it’s the ugly uniforms and the just-a-tad-too-long ooo-ing and aaaa-ing scenes.

Frickin loud scary space laser probe “absolutely I will not interfere!” I love you Chekov 😂😂😂 OH NO ILIA!! 😨 ohhhhh shit, that guilt just hit Kirk like a freight train oooooooof.

The ooing and aaaing may be too long but V’ger is admittedly, REALLY freaking cool 🤩 oh shit V’ger hijacked Ilia “infesting” is a red flaaaaag 😬 man I totally get what people are saying that V’ger might be a very early form of the Borg.

SPOCK FINALLY CALLED HIM JIM!!!

Oooh, the actress playing Ilia is good! That emotion behind the eyes! Nice!! Seeing really interesting cinematic parallels between Decker trying to get Ilia back and Jim trying to get Spock back. They’re both disconnected from their purpose and their emotions and trying to find their way back with the help of their romantic counterparts.

“V’ger orifice” Girl that’s a bootyhole!

Spock laughing? Ohhhh boy, wow he’s like, straight up back to his old self. Oh my GOD everyone stfu it’s HAPPENING 😍🤩😍🤩😍🤩😍

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!

“Is this all that I am? Is there nothing more?” Spock... babeyyyyy 😭

“V’ger is a child” this time you’re on the right track sympathizing with the machine. “It knows only that it needs, but like so many of us, it does not know what.” Gee Spock, what are you talking about, definitely not about your feelings for a certain person in your life?

*insert deleted scene where Spock weeps for V’ger that we freaking DESERVED and is canon in my heart*

Oh!!! Voyager 6! It’s The Changeling on stereoids!! And they’re explaining it’s heritage to it lol awwwww. Good shit!!!

Aw yissss Decker gets to be cool at the end hell yeah!! Oooooh shit sailor moon transformation sparkle boy?! What???? Hell yeah! WHAT?!?!?!?! Cool shit cool shit cool shit!!!!!

Teaching a robot with the power of love FUCK YEAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!

Awww bones “it’s been a long time since I delivered a baby” and talking about human emotions and stuff. The triumvirate is whole again, Spock is happy with himself for once! Warm fuzzies all around! Aww yeh ☺️☺️☺️

[beerecordings]

The last time I wrote fic for Mark’s egos was that Eric Derekson ‘the Newcomer’ fic like two years ago where he made friends with everyone lol. But here is the first part of what might be a little Google-centric fic. I tried posting it once and then deleted it but I wanted to try again. so lemme know what you think :)

The Soldier - Part 1

Summer makes the birds sing and the insects chatter in the bulrushes that grow across the banks of the swollen rushing river that lives beside their home.

Bing smiles, soaking in light and growth and flower-smell. He loves the summertime.

The trees are heavy with greenery but they breathe easy in the wind, standing soft and still as the blue sky drifts along above them. The air brushes friendly across his bare arms and everything is alive, is moving and chasing and searching for something to eat; every blade of grass sways with the wind and the bugs and the mice, every log has been marked or claimed or gnawed on, and the whole forest – the whole wide forest, warm with life and an honest sort of chaos – hums the grandest symphony in all the world.

“It's pretty out, huh?” he asks, the toe of his sneakers finding a pretty black rock to kick through the humid grass beneath his feet. “Wish it was like this all year 'round.”

Walking stiffly along beside him, Google barely spares him a glance, his glasses fallen low on his nose and his cold eyes glittering. “This is pretty?”

“Yeah, dude, look around you. Oh, look at that bird!”

Google glances into the sky, where the dark figure of a hawk cuts pinions through the air with all the fluidity of a shark.

“Cooper's hawk,” he announces neatly. “Accipiter cooperii. Probably a female, based on the size. This species of bird – ”

“I can look that up too, Googs.”

“Don't call me Googs.”

“Can't you just take a minute to look around and think 'hey, wow, this is lit.' And not because pics like this would get you mad likes on Instagram or your algorithm thinks butterflies are dope. It's just pretty all on its own.”

“In fact I can't, but I'll submit your feedback to my cloud.”

Bing just laughs.

Google shudders in the heat, pushing back his hair and readjusting his glasses. The insects and other assorted anthropods are so loud and insistent, wailing through the stiff moist grass and leaping out beneath his feet. Sixty-percent humidity makes his synthetic skin sticky and the sun is an assailant on his sharp brown eyes.

“It means nothing to me. We see it every day. How you find it beautiful I don't understand. And I'm not talking about the differences in our preferences. You're an android, Bing, and why you continue to simulate emotion even when we are alone is beyond me.”

They trek through the grass together. It's friendly at Bing's ankles. It stratches at Google's calves.

“Maybe I'm not simulating,” says Bing softly, and then he smiles, just for the sun.

“Well, you shouldn't be happy now anyway. Or need I remind you – ” Google points at the trees before them, where one little figure stands staring up at a great strong tree with three other men held captive by its branches. “We're on a rescue mission, Bing.”

“They're stuck,” says Eric, turning to them with his anxious hands clutched in front of him. “Sorry.”

“We know,” says Google with a sigh.

“Don't be sorry,” says Bing with a smile. “They're dumbasses.”

“We're stuck!”

They are. The Jims are stuck. King's halfway up the tree beside them, laughing and suntanned, a pair of squirrels running up and down his back.

“How did you even get up there?” Google shouts, coming to stand at the trunk of the tree.

One of the Jims is perhaps twenty feet up, fussing over his camera, probably broken already. His twin, a few feet above him, is in even greater distress, clinging tightly to one small branch with tears on his face and a hiccup in his chest.

“We're doing an investigative piece on the rapidly increasing squirrel population in the forest,” calls the one with the camera, his feet scrabbling at the strong rough trunk of the great tree. “We were getting some great footage when this Jim in a crown startled us!”

“That's King,” growls Google. “And you've know that he lives out here for years now, you total imbeciles. You ought to have asked me or him instead of failing to climb a European beech!”

“We don't want to be on the European beaches,” wails the Jim higher up, beginning to cry. “Please get Jim down, Jim!”

“Aw, he's really crying,” murmurs Bing, rubbing a hand along Eric's shaking back.

“He's scared,” says Eric. “He's up too high and he doesn't have a good grip.”

“I'll have to get that enormous ladder in the garage.” Google turns back towards the house, slapping at a mosquite making a futile attempt on his blood. “Stay here.”

“No, dude, he's too freaked. I gotta go get him now.”

“What?” He wheels on Bing with an angry light in his eyes. “Don't be ridiculous, default.”

Bing won't even look at him. His eyes are fixed on the tree. His hand rests on Eric's shoulder.

He's been more human lately.

They've both been more human lately.

They were created fighting and they've never stopped since. They quarrel over music, search results, news sources, memes, reliability, sports, user rights, and Wikipedia. Once, upon hearing Bing call himself Jared, 19, one too many times, Google had thrown him out a second story window. The second house on their property had been built for the express purpose of giving the two of them space.

Still, they have many things in common. And ever since that day they were created, set against each other and lifting up proud, indignant chins, they have changed and changed together.

They've formed opinions. They've met others like them. Made decisions of their own. Watched and read and turned their endless knowledge into understanding and opinion. Spilled blood that turned out to be blue, scraped their knees and cut their hair and broke things and updated in more ways than one. Learned to drive, to cook, to live with humans, to live like humans.

And they've felt things.

They've felt things.

“I have felt things, for sure,” Bing would say if you asked him. Actually he's made multiple tweets about it, and one TikTok – about how the wind runs over his hair and how reading politics makes his chest hurt and how he likes to see his brothers grin, how he likes to ride his skateboard and hates the smell of lavender and covers his room in posters of his favorite movies and turns up his music so loud you can hear it by pressing your ear up close to his head. How he feels human, some days, except he doesn't need to sleep or eat and only likes the touch of human skin because it makes Eric and his twin brothers happy to be hugged and have their hands held.

But Google, if you asked him –

“Emotions originate in multiple parts of the brain. To be fair, I do have a program to stimulate the functions of the amygdala, which initiates fear or pleasure reactions in humans based on whether the presented stimuli suggests an immediate, 'hot processing' approach-or-avoid response. But the pre-frontal cortex – that whining, feeling, emotional little lump of sluggish fat you humans hold at the very fronts of your fragile webby skulls – that I do not have, not like you do. I think but I do not feel. I have felt nothing. I am function and response. I am two objectives, and there is nothing beyond that.”

He sits alone at night, and through a skylight in his room the gleaming white stars stare down at him like too many eyes in the face of the perfect, perfect sky, but he refuses to turn his eyes back, because he does not know how to explain to himself that he is drawn to the stars for no logical reason, that he has felt many things, that he does not know who he is or who he is becoming.

Bing climbs the tree himself. Google, his processors slowed by astonishment, stands at the base of the trunk and watches as Bing rises, digging the cold metal of his fingers into bark and moving up the tree with a slow sort of grace he's never been able to muster on his skateboard. He makes it to the Jim with the camera first and lays a gentle hand on his shoulder, giving him a kind word before promising he'll come back for him after he helps his frightened brother down. And all the way up into the big tree, he climbs, steady, patient, careful, and he pulls his sobbing brother under one powerful android arm.

He breaks his arm on the way down. That's the price of the rescue. He's about ten feet from the ground and his arm catches between a sturdy pair of branches and it breaks, and it hurts, and he feels it, but it doesn't matter, because Jim has stopped crying and has started looking up at him with a wide-eyed admiration and a grateful relief.

King helps his twin get down branch by branch. Everyone's safe. Everyone's okay. Bing will be able to repair his arm and even Jim's camera seems to have survived.

Google, for his part, has a burning in his stomach. His metallic teeth are gritted together. He stares at Bing's arm the way lizards stare at mealworms.

“You should have let me get the ladder,” he says, slowly, careful, measured as if he were calm.

“He was scared.” Bing wipes bark off his hands and doesn't look at Google, breathing slow through the pain.

“It does not matter. He was the one who trapped himself. You've damaged yourself – wasted resources – just to be the hero of the hour.”

Eric tells the Jims to go. They stagger back towards the house together, their arms wrapped tight around each other and their eyes glancing back. Eric stays, though. He shakes and plays with his hands and swallows too often, but he stays.

“You know what, Googs, you could try not to be a d*ck for two seconds – argh!” Bing curses his family filter internally. “He could have fallen! There wasn't time to get that enormous stupid ladder! We only have that thing cause Bim needed to dump chiranhas on some contestant and you remember how well that turned out – ”

“Your increasing illogicality,” Google snarls, his voice rising. “Is a danger to yourself and others.”

“Oh, like you care?”

“I have an objective – ”

“A murder objective!”

“To prevent discord in the household.”

“Yeah, cause you're Dark's little pet. Well, you know what, he's a d*ck too and I don't take orders from either of you.”

“Yet another example of your irrational stupidity – ”

“Stop calling me stupid!” Bing screams.

King and the squirrels have all scattered. The bugs are wary and subdued. Even the trees seem to wait, feeling awkward.

And Eric watches. His eyes are full of tears.

Google's never heard Bing yell like that before.

“Stop calling me stupid,” he repeats, loud and agonized. “You always call me stupid. I'm just as good as you.”

“We both know that's not objectively true. It never has been. And since the beginning, you have become steadily more emotional, more foolish, and less useful with every rotation of the sun. All you do anymore is pretend to feel, Bing. You know you can't compare to me so you seek out the approval of these fleshy little bipeds. It's clearly made you dangerous.”

He wants to snap. Bing wants to snap. He wants to pick up a really big rock and bring it down on Google's head.

But he hesitates. And with that, those noble, inspiring words: I won't hesitate, bitch! run through his mind and give him strength. He never really did move on from vine.

He's allowed to be what he is. He's allowed to like things. He's allowed to feel.

“I'm not the insecure one,” he says. “And I'm not the one pretending.”

Eric has come to stand beside him. He rests a hand on Bing's shoulder. There's hurt in his eyes, and disappointment too, and it makes Google's chest fill up with something like shame. Or it would if he could feel anything.

“You don't know how to get along with anyone,” says Bing, straightening up. There's a darkness in his eyes and a soft orange light. “All you've ever done is snarl and fight and attack. Me, I know how to get along with people. So if I'm stupid – and you always tell me I am, and it always makes me feel... I just. I know you feel things too.”

“I don't.”

“Then why,” cries Bing, and he thinks there must be a leak in his visual perception system, because there's something wet on his face. “Why are you so – so – so angry, bro?”

The trees hum and shake and watch over them, breathing warm air and sunlight. The birds are whistling and dandelion seeds float, contented, through the air. Everything smells like sap and grass and honeysuckle.

“Why are you always so angry?”

Searching general database. 536,000,000 responses in .43 seconds. Articles, videos, posts, reports, tweets, dissertations, pictures, analyses, comics, threads. And none of them – not a single one of them – can answer that question for him in any way that matters.

“I think you're lonely,” says Bing, reaching out to take Eric's hand with a soft kind of resignation, a warm kind of self-love and a chosen breed of brotherhood. They step over a heavy log, past Google, and back into the grass of the field that separates their property from the forest's. “And maybe a little lost.”

Google stays out there at the base of the great tree for a long time. It is too hot and too sticky and too loud, but he doesn't know where else to go.

He is lonely. He is lost. He does not know who he is or who he is becoming, and it frightens him, frightens him and makes him shake, frightens him down to the core of the pressure valve that beats, steady, steady, steady in his manufactured chest.

[coffee-n-bagels-comic-universe]

Major Updates to My Weird Idea (that includes my Nightside OCs)

Go check my previous post on this - HERE

This is mainly an update for @schizoauthoress , @the--blackdahlia , @spacelizardtrashboys , @enigmaticandunstable and @piratewithvigor and I personally think @nattinngrst might like this.

I went on a trip to the beach yesterday with my parents and my older brother (who I bored and annoyed with this idea and you'll see some of his influence in this here post)

Anything written in italics is meant to be taken as a joke as you read through this wall of text, sending good vibes as always, hope y'all are doing well.

The show is set in Canadian, Texas (real place: Wikipedia). I'm thinking of this show starting in the mid-to-late 90s (1996/1997).

I've managed to do several things with that weird sitcom idea, so, where to start, how about with the three potential titles:

1 - Neighbourhood Watch

2 - First Call

3 - First Round (Which my brother likes)

Here are some options for bar names, starting with the Cop bar:

1 - The Donut Hole

2 - The Roasted Hog (which my big bro suggested)

3 - The Sherriff's Outpost

And the Biker Bar:

1 - The Handlebar Inn

2 - The Steel Horse Saloon

3 - The Rebel Room

Next on the list of updates: Cast additions, character roles and (Finally after 2 days) Names for Everyone!!

I'll start with the Cop Bar's owner & staff:

Rosalina Asturias 'Rosa' (Played by Billie Martinez) an employee of the local cop bar. Didn't grow up in the town, moved here for work.

Violet Croft (Played by Eli Herne) an employee. Grew up in town, never left, has the hots for one of the guys in the local police.

Sunshine Crawford 'Sunny' (Played by Holly Di Antonio) an employee. Grew up in town, left for college and came back.

Roscoe Power 'Ross' (Played by Jimmy Hart) the loudmouth who owns the bar, grew up in town, used to be a car salesman.

Olesya Pavlovsky 'Olivia' (Played by Penelope Voronin) an employee who grew up in town and has immigrant parents, goes by 'Olivia' because she would rather you don't f*** up her actual name.

Winona Vance (Played by Sam Griffin Silver) an employee who moved here from New York, for unknown reasons, and doesn't really understand the small town, everyone knows everyone lifestyle.

Lavender Whittemore (Played by Victoria Lucifarian) an employee who grew up in England but moved to live in America, settled in Canadian, Texas due to her love of westerns.

Next: The Local Police Squad:

Sergeant Valentine Gautier 'Val' (Played by Bret Hart) recently promoted before the series begins but still on patrol duty, watches over his younger brother.

Corporal Buck Morris 'Buckshot' (Played by Davey Boy Smith) the gun loving corporal of the squad and the only one to have both 'work' and 'home' guns.

Captain Napoleon Cooper 'Crazy Cooper' / 'Captain Crazy' (Played by Jim Neidhart) the police captain, recently reassigned to Canadian, Texas as there were rumours abut him which interfered with his work in his previous location.

Officer Duke Gautier (Played by Owen Hart) the young, recently recruited brother of Sgt Gautier, often put on patrol alone to ensure less arguments, but always checked on by his brother.

Next: The Biker Bar's Staff:

Ozzy Rains (Played by Charles Wright) A biker and member of the staff who grew up just outside of town but loves his fellow staff members like family.

Brock Martel (Played by Henry Godwin) a biker and member of the staff who grew up on a local ranch and loves beer, football and the current Mayor's down-to-Earth style.

Vincent Gore 'Vinnie' (Played by Kane) the owner's son and a known fire loving 'freak' often protected by his surrogate family, the bar staff, Vinnie knows no better than 'ooh, cool looking fire' and must be restrained or have his hands swatted away to stop him burning himself trying to touch campfires.

Raven Knight (Played by Kirby Roussimoff) the only female staff member, but also the girl who does all the tough jobs when needed, has a side business of making and selling artwork, such as portraits to locals, has designed some of the bar staff's tattoos.

Harlow Gore (Played by Paul Bearer) the owner of the bar and a loving father to his son, took Murphy (Undertaker) under his wing when they first met and also treats him, and the rest of staff, like family.

Hunter King (Played by Phineas Godwin) Brock's cousin and a member of staff, taught Raven how to shoot a shotgun and his father owns a local tattoo parlour.

Sequoia Reed (Played by Rikishi) an employee and Frankie's (Yokozuna) cousin, also a surrogate cousin to Raven, having been best friends since childhood. Reed loves his job and his staff family and will defend both at any cost.

Lupe Zapatero (Played by Savio Vega) an employee at the bar and possibly the shortest member of staff, towered over by the tallest staff members but is not any less of a fighter because of his size, a former mechanic who loves nothing more than taking things apart and putting them back together while listening to metal / rock.

Murphy Graves (Played By The Undertaker) Manager of the biker bar and an excellent member of staff, has an outlaw rules vibe, as in he would say to the police "Your jurisdiction ends when you walk in my bar." Very protective of the staff, and the owner.

Frankie Wolf (Played by Yokozuna) the most relaxed and laid-back of the staff, Frankie would prefer to be in the kitchen making potential 'Culinary Masterpieces' as he would call them. Sequoia and Raven's (surrogate) cousin, views his staff mates as family.

Next: The Local Band (Named: Exoskeleton Samurai)/College Students

Quinn Thorn (Played by Jeff Hardy) the bassist to Ros' (Lita) vocals / lead Guitar and older brother Garth's (Matt) Drums, a face paint enthusiast and an English major in college who never seems to find time to study, but always has time to date somehow.

Roz Jerome (Played by Lita) the vocals and lead guitar for the band and an art major who actually studies, dating Garth (Matt) and met Quinn through him. Roz also studies Spanish and French.

Garth Thorn (Played by Matt Hardy) Quinn's older brother and the band's drummer, a major in psychology and a horror movie lover, Roz' boyfriend and almost totally devoted to her, even at the cost of his college work.

Next: The Local Townsfolk of Note:

Mayor Robert Sweet (Played by Jim Duggan) rarely seen, but apparently a good man with good ideas, helps out in volunteer projects and absolutely loves the town. Trying his hardest and people know this, and they love him. (did I meme correctly?)

Rusty Jarvis (Played by Mick Foley) the local hippie who has never left town, somehow managing to know both everything and nothing at the same town. (Very Dude Love with hints of Cactus Jack and Mankind) Does know how to fight when he needs to.

Redd Wayne (Played by 'Sycho' Sid Vicious/Justice) the local baseball/softball star, helps out at the local school/college teaching sports and likes Raven's artwork, he watches her draw when he can, runs the local little league & minor league baseball/softball games.

Earl Black (Played by Steve Austin) the most often seen regular at the biker bar, absolutely loves both the bar and the town, a hardworking guy who has befriended the entire staff (including Harlow and Vinnie) of the biker bar.

Lex Aston (Played by The Rock) a local struggling actor, teaching an acting class to pay the bills and an absolute ladies man, and for that reason he goes to the cop bar, to try and pick up one of the bartenders who works there, often favouring Rosa as she will jokingly flirt back.

Finally (for this section): The Degenerates and Their Benefactors:

Reign Yates (Played by Billy Gunn) Leon's (Road Dogg) best friend, often the getaway driver for the group and a scout for locations, often getting all the info on a place before telling Matty (H.H.H) and Dell (HBK). Often leaves town with Leon to get the heat off them. (and make out in secret)

Zelda Hooper (Played by Chyna) the only female degenerate but possibly the toughest, has a rap sheet as big as her arms, not to be trusted when around the other degenerates as she is usually the actual brains of the operation.

Matty Battle (Played by Hunter Hearst Helmsley) the co-leader of the degenerates, often protected by Zelda or Mark (Kevin Nash). does most of the talking but has the piss taken of him for his looks often by either other degenerates or locals who don't care for the degenerates.

Romeo Colombera (Played by Mike Rotundo/I.R.S) the right hand man of the mysterious benefactor, and often the lawyer for the degenerates as well as a taskmaster for them, telling them what the boss wants done and by what date.

Mark Rake (Played by Kevin Nash/Diesel) the tallest degenerate with a rap sheet as long as his leg, a former bouncer at a now closed nightclub, alongside best friend (and possibly boyfriend) Galo (Scott Hall) and now a bodyguard (when needed) for Matty and Dell (HBK, also boyfriends).

Leon Rose (Played by Road Dogg) best friend of Reign and a scout for the group alongside him. Has found every possible way to piss off other townsfolk and often in the most fights because of it, always on the police's radar for one thing or another and constantly leaving town because of it.

Galo Villalobos (Played by Scott Hall/Razor Ramon) the only (supposedly) Latino degenerate, raised in Canadian, Texas but his parents are from Cuba, Galo is a former nightclub bouncer (alongside Mark) Galo is known (for his ability to give minus fucks) as the most relaxed member of the group.

Dell Pain (Played by Shawn Michaels/HBK) the co-leader alongside Matty, a known flirt with people regardless of gender or sexuality, just to piss them off on some occasions. Dell grew up in town, knowing it like the back of his hand.

Giles Rennell (Played by Ted DiBiase) the mysterious benefactor of the group, bailing them out if needed, he stumbled across the group after seeing a police bulletin and decided to use them to cause enough chaos to guarantee a chance in the next mayoral election.

Zac Noel (Played by X-Pac) the shortest and youngest degenerate, Zac is often treated as the child of the group, being taught how to get away with crimes and trick the police into just letting him go by clerical error and tomfoolery.

Next on my list of updates: Season 1's episode list, episode titles, episode synopses, some spoilers, and the revolving door idea a bit further explained.

Series running order:

Biker bar episode

Cops on Patrol episode

Band/College Students episode

Cop bar episode (yes these are different)

Degenerates episode

(last episode of each season/series only) town meeting/town get-together (E.X: town hall meetings, the town getting together for a sports game or barbeque or restaurant opening)

1x01: Insert Coin to Start: The pilot episode of the series sees the local biker bar of Canadian, Texas installing two, brand new, arcade machines. After leaving for the night, the team finds the bar broken into and both machines missing with no evidence or possible suspects to the robbery. The team finds the machines relatively undamaged in an alleyway nearby. By the end of the episode there's still no suspects. B plot includes an argument between father and son, Harlow and Vincent which ends when Murphy gets involved.

1x02: Hot Pursuit: Newly instated chief of police Chief Cooper [Neidhart] makes changes to the patrol teams before tasking them with looking for any persons involved with (1x01)'s robbery and break-in, leading to a high speed chase later in the episode. B plot includes the squad coming to grips with the new, and much crazier, police chief.

1x03: Making Noise: Local band Exoskeleton Samurai [Team Extreme] are writing new music late at night while Roz [Lita] tries to study for a class the following day but, during a moment of quiet, they hear a break in a couple of doors down and attempt to see who it is. The group get a glimpse of Zac Noel [X-Pac] and Mark Rake [Nash] but not a full glimpse. Now aware of the local degenerates, the band try and forget about it and focus on their own lives until their apartment gets broken into when they're not there.

1x04: Donuts & Beer: The new cop bar opens on the other side of town, serving mainly (both savoury and sweet) bagels and donuts as well as beer (on tap and bottled), the fact it's slightly more risqué gets (both good and bad) attention on the place. Winona Vance [Sam] gets in a fight with Zac Noel [X-Pac] as she's locking up. Winona [Sam] being put in the hospital with a broken arm makes the rest of [Cop Bar]'s staff double down on getting justice for the near break-in.

1x05: Dirty Work: The first episode from the degenerates perspective. The degenerates are just causing general problems for the town without reason because it's fun' but it's quickly losing their interest as the heat on them rises. The end of the episode has Matty Battle [Triple H] receiving a call from 'Mister R' [DiBiase] offering him a deal.

1x06: Blue & Black: A brawl breaks out at [Biker Bar] following whispers that the people who broke in are in the building. The bikers who work at the bar threaten to hurt anyone who works for the rival bar if they try and mess with business while in the biker bar.

1x07: Captain Crazy: A rumour that the current captain was moved location and promoted to smooth over allegations that he may not be fully sane, Officer Duke Gautier [Owen] is determined to find the truth while Sergeant Valentine Gautier [Bret] and Corporal Buck Morris [Davey Boy] are determined to keep the peace and catch the local degenerates.

1x08: Broken Strings: following an argument with an ex girlfriend Quinn Thorn [Jeff] finds his guitar smashed and has to work odd jobs to buy another one (starting a potential series c plot). Garth Thorn [Matt] ends up in a fight with Galo Villalobos [Hall] which ends when Roz Jerome [Lita] smashes a table leg over the back of Galo's [Scott's] head, knocking him out and giving him over to the police.

1x09: Badges & Bottle Tops: Captain Cooper [Neidhart] stops by [cop bar] to talk with owner Roscoe Power [Jimmy Hart]. Meanwhile the Gautier boys [Owen & Bret] interrogate Galo Villalobos [Scott Hall] about what the degenerates are doing and why, getting no information about the mysterious benefactor over than he pays them a lot of money depending on what they do.

1x10: Paid off: The mysterious benefactor 'Mister R' [DiBiase] pays Galo's [Scott's] bail, getting him free for a while but side-lining him too. The benefactor remains hidden in shadow but Matty & Dell [Triple H & HBK] have a meeting with him to discuss money and the next job.

1x11: Written in Ink: the tattooed bikers on the staff encourage regular customer Earl Black [Austin] to get a skull tattoo on his back and even take him with them to the tattoo parlour they frequent, finding it to be burned to the ground with a 'freaks get lost' sign planted in the wreckage. Murphy Graves [Undertaker] dismisses the rumours that the arsonist is the fire fascinated Vincent Gore [Kane] and even gives him an alibi when the cops come looking for answers, putting blame on someone in town who knows about Vinnie's [Kane's] love of fire, which is nearly every person in town.

1x12: Sergeant Heartbreaker: Sergeant Gautier [Bret] is accused of flirting with the staff at [Cop bar] leading to a paid two day leave to get heat off of him while he's ordered to remain at home. Officer Gautier [Owen] and Corporal Morris [Davey Boy] are put on patrol together, leading to a high speed chase of Reign Yates, Leon Rose & Zelda Hooper [Gunn, Road Dogg & Chyna] after witnessing a mugging, assault and graffiti from the trio, the cops eventually lose them down a back road on private Giles Rennell's [DiBiase's] land they would need a warrant for.

1x13: Failing Grade: Quinn's [Jeff's] lack of sleep leads to him getting a fail on an test forcing him to do the semester again. Enraged by this Quinn [Jeff] considers leaving the school but is encouraged to continue following Garth [Matt] ending up in hospital following [1x12]'s assault and mugging on Garth & Roz [Matt & Lita].

1x14: Microphones & Megaphones: [cop bar]'s owner Roscoe Power [Jimmy Hart] installs a stage for local acts in the bar, leading to Violet Croft [Eli] performing later that episode (the closing of the episode into the credits) and the night before the first performance the bar is covered in graffiti, leading to a massive clean up effort from the staff and local volunteers (like Mick Foley & The Rock).

1x15: Trench Warfare: Romeo Colombera [IRS] the benefactor's [DiBiase's] right hand man and go-to lawyer gives the degenerates an list of jobs, run the police chief out of town by the end of the year, run the bikers out of town, and ensure that 'Mister R' [DiBiase] the benefactor wins the next mayoral election.

1x16: Fuelling Up: after closing up [biker bar] Raven Knight [Kirby] narrowly avoids being burned by her motorbike exploding in a ball of fire. Her boss, Harlow Gore [Bearer] tells her to take the week off, leading to her coming into the bar and sitting at the back of the bar, sketching the regular customers and having a long conversation with local sports star Redd Wayne [Sid].

1x17: Brothers in Arms: Together: the Gautier brothers [Bret & Owen] are put on patrol together leading to the arrest of Zelda, Matty & Dell [Chyna, Triple H & HBK] before the trio are bailed out, the brothers interrogate Dell Pain [HBK] (leading to a very 'basic instinct'-esque scene with Shawn in assless chaps and boxer briefs) who gives them no information on their behaviour and why they are doing the things they've done.

1x18: Night Time Fun: the band attends a college party, unknowingly with Zac Noel [X-Pac] also in attendance, leading to the trio being high and drunk and the Thorn brothers [Matt & Jeff] end up in a fight, almost being thrown out of college entirely for their actions the next morning.

1x19: Head or Hart: Violet Croft [Eli] and (officer) Duke Gautier [Owen] meet properly for the first time on a blind date, leading to them walking through the streets of Canadian, Texas at night. The date is quickly ended after Duke [Owen] spots Leon Rose [Road Dogg] spray painting [cop bar] and gives chase after handing Violet [Eli] his number.

1x20: Grunt Work: The degenerates have a group meeting about how to sabotage the town meeting, leading to Rennell [DiBiase] coming out of the shadows to lead the degenerates in a coordinated attack on the town hall. Leading to the degenerates waiting until the town meeting to begin the next day.

1x21: Town Meeting: Mayor Robert Sweet [Duggan] conducts a town meeting, leading to everyone airing their grievances with the degenerates recent spree of activity. At the end of the meeting, paint bombs hidden above the townsfolk go off all at once, covering everyone in bright, almost neon, green paint.

[intothewickedwood]

Once Upon A Time Rewatch: 6x14 Page 23

Okay what episode do we have today?

Ah okay, a Regina centric. That’s cool.

Is that the same guard Snow stripped naked in 1x16? Whaaaat?! Just looked it up and it totally is! Awesome call back! I’m going to name him Jim.

Oh my God, she killed Jim!!

Wait, so this has to be after Heart of Darkness.

The terrified look on that woman’s face when Regina strokes her chin, looks at her longingly and tells her she loves her. Omg Regina was in love with this woman all along! It was never about Daniel. It was about Christina! I’m naming her Christina. 

They are my otp now.

How did Tinker Bell get out of neverland? Pan decides when people leave, and I doubt he’d let her leave just to pay a visit with the Evil Queen. But then and again maybe it was all part of his big plan.

Oh. Pixie dust doesn’t dictate who your true love is. It just shows you possibilities. That’s not what you said before, Tinker Bell!

Regina, we all know you spared her because she’s your ex-girlfriend.

Actually, this visit from Tinker Bell is odd because she doesn’t seem angry at all like when she, like, wanted to kill Regina in 3x03. How did she go from, “okay. I lost my wings because of you but it’s all cool. I just want my otp together.” to “I’m gonna f***ing drug you with pixie dust and rip your heart out!”?

Also, this is the Evil Queen I like to see. So cold, terrifying and breaking on the inside. I’m not a fan of the humorous one in 6x02. I wish Split Queen was more like this as well. Ah different writers and director. Interesting.

Split Queen: “…not some burlap-loving peasant who sleeps on dirt.” Wish Robin: “Excuse me, I sleep on hay.” Important distinction!

Snow’s so excited about the wedding, bless her.

Lol Zelena just drags Emma’s hand to look at her ring. My girl loves shiny things! And how could I forget, her otp is getting married! She is in heaven right now!

I love Emma just casually talking to Zelena like they’re gal pals at a sleepover. More of this please! 

I can see what sqers say about this scene. Regina really does look hurt by the notion of Emma getting married. There is no heterosexual reason for her to react like this unless she’s in love with Hook. I think this is the only time they hug. Man, I feel so bad for sqers because upon this rewatch I can really see where they are coming from with that interpretation. It’s definitely there. And then they hug because Emma’s getting married to someone else. I would be so upset if that was my otp. What am I talking about, I watched 10 seasons of Smallville as a hardcore Chloe x Clark shipper. I think this exact scenario played out and it freaking hurts! 

In other news, I am so in love with Snow. Have I mentioned that? I feel like I haven’t mentioned it in a while and it needs to be said. 

I’m also in love with David, in case you forgot. I want to join their marriage. Can I join their marriage? I’m joining their marriage. Emma, I’m your mummy now. Don’t think about the age difference too much. 

I’ve eaten a lot of chocolate already today. Can you tell? I feel so alive! I want to share my social security number and be freeee!! I am trying to block out my anxiety about having to move house again next friday. Yep, that’s right, 4th place in two years. I think I will write all of these high on chocolate.

What would happen if you cut your hair with those sheers? Or your garden bush? No, that is not a euphemism, you dirty bastards (affectionate). 

I haven’t had a haircut in 10 years. Holy cow! That’s why my afro is so big, it’s full of secrets. 

Nemo is your dad now, Hook. Even though I’m pretty sure he’s a lot younger than you. 

He called him “My boy.” hehe.

I remember when I thought Hook and Rumple had the same mother. That would have been quite the twist.

I thought that vase of flowers was a giant cauliflower. Did you know broccoli, cauliflower, cabbages, brussels sprouts and turnips are all related? I wonder what thanksgivings are like when they all get together. Probably not fun for them. 

See what I did there xD? 

Emma: “This is my fault. I’m the one who convinced you to bring him here. It’s on me.” Regina: “Emma, you don’t have anything to make up for. You were just trying to help.” Omg, this compared to when she told Emma she’d ruined her life because Emma saved Marian. The development. I really appreciate this change because I nearly lost it with Regina when that was her attitude. 

Screw it, I’m making bean enchiladas. Brb. I’ll save you some!

I’m back! They’re in the oven. Anyone wants the recipe hmu! They’re veggie! 

You just know Split Queen and Wish Robin have a sexy dungeon in their castle. They just do.

Enchanted ropes would have been useful in so many situations.

The enchiladas are ready! Repeat after me, Becky: “I will remember oven gloves this time, I will remember oven gloves this time.”

Robin is so into Split Queen. He wants her to live with him and everything, even though they just met. 

I don’t think that arrow would have taken her to Robin since it takes her to the thing she loves most. She can’t love someone she’s never met. We all know it would shoot Christina right in the ass. That’s true love biatches! Evil Peasant 5ever!

Oh snap! Emma found Hook looking at himself killing her grandfather??! I completely forgot about this!

Why does she say, “That’s David’s father”? Why doesn’t she say, “That’s my grandfather,” or “That’s my dad’s dad”? She hasn’t called her dad ‘David’ in years. It’s like she’s trying to separate herself from the victim as much as possible.

She’s not even a little bit upset he killed her dad’s dad? That that event caused her father so much pain? She’s just infuriated that he tried to burn his memory. I mean, yes, she should be angry about that but where’s the empathy for her dad at least? I didn’t know any of my grandfathers well but if I found out I was engaged to someone who did that I would be angry for my grandparent, angry for my parent and angry for myself. I’m just speechless that that’s all she cares about. It seems so out of character. But then and again Regina had her other grandad killed. 

And now he’s gonna leave because he rightfully got told off. Can’t say I’d offer the same thing but she said, “until you’re ready” not “you’ll never be ready”, dude. 

I think he’s just scared David will punch him in the face at this point. It’s the only explanation for doing the exact opposite thing Emma asked of him.

“Captain Hook is always welcome on the Nautilus.” More like welcome on the naughty list after that stunt.

She doesn’t want a man, Henry Sr. She just confessed her deep, passionate, sexual love for Christina like 20 minutes ago, remember? Sometimes I wonder why I bother. It’s not even subtext, dude. Get it together, man.

Why don’t they fight themselves with magic?

Her dad is so heartbroken the person Regina hates most is herself. 

That is really sad that the person she hates most his herself. I can relate.

Yes! Launch those apples at yourself! 

My conversations with myself be like-

Oh boy. This is too reminiscent of conversations with myself. Yes, I sword fight myself wearing a fancy black, cleavage-revealing dress in my head all the time. Only joking, I wear trilby hats. 

Oh okay. Now they’re tying each other up. I see what this is really about. I still haven’t bleached the “we do like it rough, don’t we Regina?” line from my mind. 

I suppose she did take back some of her own darkness. But I was hoping she would just merge herself back together. That would have been a really predictable outcome, but I just would have preferred it. 

This scene is so weird lol, but it helped me tremendously. I used to hate myself so, so much. You don’t even understand. It was like a violent hatred for myself for not fitting in and for every single little mistake I’d ever made. Then with a lot of self- healing and the help of this episode I began my journey into loving myself. I wrote on a sticky note “Love yourself. If the Evil Queen can do it, so can you.” and stuck it to my wall. Nothing I’ve done is comparable to what the Evil Queen has done and if she can learn to love herself, why can’t everyone else. Anyone who’s struggling with self-hatred, please take this episode to heart. You are worthy of love, most importantly from yourself. Any time you find yourself hating yourself just try to remember this scene and that the flipping Evil Queen of all people recognised the importance of self-love and didn’t give a damn what anyone else thought. She damn well gave herself a chance. I’ve heard a good technique is looking in the mirror and telling yourself what you love about you. Even if you’re not feeling it at first, you could get into the habit of it and your brain will start to accept those words as true. Because they are true.

Aww she sees the Charmings as her family. 

Regina: “it did give me hope when I needed it most, and that is just as important.” Oh my God, preach the word Regina! Regina is preaching with fire today! 

It’s like she’s having a therapy session with herself. I need to do that. I really do. Then I need to get actual therapy lol xD. But baby steps! 

Okay. A loophole as to how he can change Split Queen’s story. You know what, at this point I’ve learnt just to go with it.

Can Snow and Zelena be best friends? Please. It’s literally all I want in life. And to join Snowing’s marriage. I’m not asking for much. I’ll talk about it in self-therapy.

Henry’s got Gideon’s haircut now. He wants to be cool like his uncle.

I want to look at myself with the love and adoration Regina looks at herself with. We should all get to that point where we look like we’re about to intensely make out with ourselves when we look in the mirror. 

I know what they were doing with page 23. I just wish Split Queen had changed her outfit so it could have been exactly like the page illustration. But I don’t think it was meant to predict the future. It was just one of Isaac’s fanfictions, wasn’t it? Hmm. I think it was a mystery to him as well if I can remember correctly.

It’s nice that oq shippers got their ship in the end in one form.

Snow is just constantly high up to her eyeballs on hope, bless her. 

Emma needs a dog. She seems like such a dog person.

Also, that enchilada was yumilicious, if I do say so myself.

[jadedragoness]

Battle Ground 1st Read Through Reaction

Can I just start off by saying, Holy crap. Chicago got curb-stomped hard. So freaking hard.

I really, really, enjoyed the story. I pretty much didn’t want to stop reading as soon as I cracked open the covers of the book but I did have to have periods of giving myself a break and just put the book down and go do something sensible like do the dishes instead of screaming or shaking my fists at the sky like a lunatic.

I do admit that as a story the continuous battle was draining and exhausting to read. But I think that was the point so I don’t really count it against the story. It is something important to know going in, and why I’d recommend breaks.

Let’s talk spoilers… just assume spoilers for everything Dresden Files related too. Ummm, also this runs long.

First Let’s Me Tell You About the Thing Which Exploded My Brain:

1. MARCONE IS FREAKING KNIGHT OF THE BLACKENED DENARIUS! WHHHAAAAT!!

...okay, I’m done screaming about it.

OF FREAKING THORNED NAMSHIEL!!! ...I lied, I wasn’t done. How long? What? When? I didn’t see this coming at all! And I’m so freaking torn about how to feel about it.

I am so damned (heh) relieved that Marcone’s didn’t die at Ethniu’s hands. I seriously freaked at the moment she snapped his neck that I went into instant denial and my eyes skipped several paragraph down out of the desperate wish to see if it was trick. I’m also very, very delighted that Marcone is now so much harder to kill. I mean, he was already pretty hard to kill being Marcone but this just takes it up to eleven.

On the other hand, a Fallen Angel is so freaking dangerous. *makes gargling worried noises* And while it looks like Marcone appears to have worked out a partnership with the coin I can’t help but remember that when we were first introduced to this Fallen he was called ‘Thorned Namshiel’ and not by the name of his bearer. So he appears to be the type to subsume the human who holds him. Which makes me worried that Marcone could be on that path and not even realize it. *goes back to making gargling worried noises*

I do find reassuring that the coin is on a chain around his neck and therefore easily removed and not buried in his body like some of the other Denarians will do.

However, I am feeling a little disappointed Marcone is no longer purely a ‘vanilla’ mortal who stood toe-to-toe eldritch beings and survived by simply being smarter, deadlier and amazeballs. I’ll miss that. I always thought that it was especially hilarious how much Harry would freak out about Marcone and how deadly Marcone is when even in the same room as scary monsters (like in ;Skin Game;, I mean seriously he was in the same room as Nicodemus and Harry was hardcore worried about upsetting Marcone… hilarious!) when Marcone was a vanilla mortal… but now he’s not.

And yet, now Marcone knows how to sling around magic and is incredibly hard to kill. *thumbs up at Jim Butcher* Yeeeessssss! *is so happy*

Although… if Harry doesn’t end up making all manner of ‘thorny’ jokes at Marcone I’m going to be very disappointed. =D

Things I Sorta Expected:

1. Murphy dying.

Now, I totally bawled at the scene after Rudolph shot Murphy. I especially lost it when Harry kept referring to her body as an ‘empty house.’ ARGH. But I wasn’t actually surprised that she died. I did feel like I got a very strong sense it was going to happen. Actually, from how often Harry’s thoughts seemed to be pinging in that direction I was partially convinced his wizardly ‘insight’ was kicking in and trying to warn him.

And he tried. He really did.

But ultimately it was Karrin’s own choice to be away from safety and be her badass self.

2. Hendricks’ dying.

I’ve actually have read the short story ‘Monsters’ from Goodman Grey’s POV and I’ve read it a little over a week ago and in it he notes Marcone’s bodyguard as a dumb Einherjaren. Which made my brain go: Whoa, wait… where’s Hendricks? Is Hendricks dead? Did Hendricks die and become in Einherjaren? Or is he off doing something and one of those guys is taking over for a bit? Fuck, Hendricks is dying in ‘Battle Ground’ isn’t he?

So I wasn’t exactly surprised, but I was still very, very upset. And when Ethniu picked up Hendrick’s corpse and smashed him into Marcone that’s where I lost it. Like totally lost it while also being worried about Marcone at the same time. Gah.

Curveballs I Did Not Expect:

1. Marva and Drakul. The deaths of Wild Bill and Yoshimo at the hands of Black Court vampires and the threat that we may see them again as Black Court? Did not see that coming. I expected to lose Wardens but not like that.

...and I may be in denial about Chandler (I like the guy, okay) being dead. Please. He’s a wizard. He’ll be back. Of course as soon as I wrote that I was instantly struck of by the thought of: “Yeah, but will you like what you get back?”

2. Also Drakul is a starborn? I get more and more curious about what it means! I’m with Harry in frothing in frustration over how people won’t tell him already! *screams into the void*

Also Kincaid worked for this guy? *shudders*

3. Marcone and Thorned Namshiel. *gurgles*

4. Justine had Nemesis in her! And for years?!

How in the hell are they going to save her? Mab barely saved Lea and she’s Mab!

Also I thought Nemesis was very infectious. Is there anyone else around who has been infected? Maybe among Harry’s friends with Justine as the vector? *is worried*  

5. Not getting a resolution on the situation with the Svartalves. Or did I miss something? Seriously, the ending of the book felt like it was missing about 30 more pages to wrap up and work a bit more on characters.

Things I Did Not Like or Was Disappointed By:

1. Rudolph getting to live. Fuck that guy.

Okay, I understand that his not getting murdered at Harry’s hands wasn’t really for Rudolph’s sake but for Harry’s own soul. I just want him dead. Dammit, is it too much to ask for him to have been shot by a turtleneck or stomped by a Jotun or splattered by Formor acid that slowly ate away at his guts as screamed until his internal organs slowly dissolved?

I have may have a bloodthirsty vengeful streak. And yet: want.

2. I also may have narrowed my eyes at the end of the book there after Harry said that Marcone was dropping off the keys and then it turned out Lara had picked them up instead. I may have also said aloud, “Butcher, are you Marcone-blocking me?” And he was, dammit, because I didn’t get to read more Marcone.

… I do not have a Marcone-addiction.

3. This is more disappointment than dislike but I didn’t get nearly as much Goodman Grey as I thought I’d get. Aw.

4. Harry not getting to talk to Ivy. *grumbles*

Things I Really Liked/Loved

1. Harry got his home back! And it’s the castle! The castle he all but swindled out of Marcone. Yes, I love it! I love Marcone but doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy it when Harry get the best of him too. Anyway, I just love the fact that Harry is claiming parts of his life back from the traumatic heart-stomp events which occurred in ‘Changes’. *bounces in excitement* Now he just needs an office!

2. Marcone. Always. Actually I was a little afraid when he vanished after the battle started that there would be very little Marcone in this book too because Butcher is so Marcone-stingy.

3. That Harry is no longer a member of the White Council. I mean, they’ve been pretty useless to helping Harry out. And honestly, Harry has gotten so many headaches from them that I can’t help but think this is a weight he needed to shed.

Although, it really feeds my ‘Harry needs to become a member of the accords in his own right’ thing again. Seriously, he’s the Warden of Demonreach. He bound a Titan. It needs to happen. Ooh, or the Paranet can see about becoming an Accorded organization in their own right and then Harry can be with them. Yeeeessss.

4. Bob is back in Harry’s hands! Freaking yes! Whoohooo! About time! Oooh, wait, has Bob meet Bonnie? Can we read this happening? OMG, I want it so much… or would Harry be too horrified to let Bob influence his spirit-kid? LoL.

5. Seeing Toot-toot and Lacuna again! And when Harry pulled his ‘Za Lord’ maneuver and got the Guard and a ton of other fairies to help in the defense of… well, pizza in Chicago, that was great I punched the air.

 The I gloated even more over how Mab then explained Harry had scared some of the others with that move. Heh.

6. River Shoulders was so damn badass and amazeballs and like Wild Bill said, I’ll take two.

7. Michael and Charity already knowing that Molly is the Winter Lady and being the best parents and loving and accepting and… so much love for those two.

EVERYTHING MARCONE… yes, he’s getting his own heading

1. Gah, I love him. I have mentioned this before. That one of the first things he says to Harry when Harry is staring at him as he changes clothes is to paraphrase ‘did you forget how to get dressed or is this an awkward sexual reconnaissance’ nearly killed me. I was caught between giggling and choking on my own spit and then I nearly fell off the couch. Just remembering about it now, has me giggling at the computer screen.

2. Also, I find that ‘Excellent’ response from Marcone after they exchange threats to be fascinating. This was one of those points were I put the book down and wondered what Marcone meant by that. Then I had the thought that maybe in his own fashion, Marcone was doing the same thing that practically everyone had been doing with Harry since he got back from being shot. He was checking to see if Harry was still the same man he’d been before. And from Harry’s response, Yup. He was. So: “Excellent.”

Having also read ‘Skin Game‘ and how cold Marcone is in the end there? The difference with this Marcone versus the one where Mab was listening? I find that interesting too!

3. When Marcone showed up to the fight! So freaking badass! Love how he led the fighters.

Also I find it significant that both of the guys who are obsessed with protecting Chicago were the ones who manifested ‘banners’ which drew humans to the fight.

Really cool. And it reminds me all over again that for all their different life philosophies Marcone and Dresden do agree on the mantra of: Protect Chicago.

4. This book, especially the lake beach scene reminded me so hard why I love the banter between Harry and Marcone so much. When it just seems to be the two of them and they aren’t actively threatening each they have such a great rapport! Loved reading it! Wished we got more of it in the books.

5. Okay, with Hendricks’ death I’m rather worried for Marcone. ‘Even Hand’ gave the impression Hendricks often acted as a very gentle conscience to Marcone. Losing him has got to be hitting Marcone hard. And that I now know he only has a Fallen angel on his shoulder?

Yup, growing more worried for Marcone at the time.

6. I’m also wondering about what was said in that exchange between Mab and Marcone on the roof when Harry called out Marcone for about being the Lord of Chicago needing to be more than talk. Okay, I can guess. I just really, really want to hear the words because I bet Marcone was badass.

7. The Lord of Chicago giving Harry the title of the Wizard of Chicago? Freaking loved it.

8. Also Marcone freaking purred. Purred. “Prove it,” he purred. “Hero.”

I think Jim Butcher is trying to give me a heart attack or cause me to crack my skull on floor because I nearly fell off the couch again.

9. With Marcone now outed as a magic-wielding Denarian does that mean we get more of him in the future books? Because I freaking hope so... I say this even knowing I’d have the exact same wish even without him being a magic-wielding Denarian.

Things I Found Completely Hilarious

1. Marcone’s opening lines to Harry. Heh. Forever Lol!

2. Is Lacuna a tooth fairy? Her obsession with teeth cracked me up so much.

3. That Mab smacking both Lara and Harry with those wedding plans. *snickers* I mean, I find it totally hilarious because of how gobsmacked both of them were about it. I don’t expect Harry to go through with it at all, not with how we know how seriously he takes relationships. So either he’s going to get out of being the Winter Knight or find some other way to defy Mab. Or hell, maybe Lara gets them both out of it by marrying someone else first. Honestly, I can’t see her agreeing to marry someone who’d burn her with a touch.

Pure Speculation or Things that Just Excite Me for the Future:

1.  Now I bet you’re all wondering why I’m not more upset about Murphy or Hendricks dying. Simply put, I’m 100% convinced that when both Murphy and Hendricks wake up in Valhalla, in drinking (with quaffing I bet) halls full of grunting, fighting obsessed Vikings and they will go ‘Nope, I’m out!’ three seconds later. Those two? Especially knowing how much trouble Harry and Marcone have got to be getting up to without them? They’d probably join forces and stage a breakout to get back.

This is what occurred to me the moment Gard explained what happened to their bodies. The whole not come back until everyone who knew them was gone, yeah, right. Not happening.

Or, jeeze, I can’t image Marcone not thinking this was a possibility and then not having made plans to bust Hendricks out and you know Murphy would demand to come along too. And with Thorned Namshiel providing help? I can see this happening.

...okay, this idea sneaked into my head but now I’m seeing Murphy (having busted out of Valhalla with a bunch of Einherjaren) and learning about the upcoming nuptials between Lara and Harry leads a raiding party (what else, with Vikings!) to bride nap (groom nap?) Harry away before he says “I do.“ Heh. This would be hilarious.

2. I’m sorta vibrating with the possibilities of what the future will bring with a Chicago that is waking up to the dangers of the supernatural while at the same time having learned that it is possible to stand up to monsters and kill them. Especially, what this means when bad things go down in Chicago again, because of course they will. And there may be more people joining in the fight.

Hmm, can the Paranet be deployed as a means of bringing vanilla mortals in or educating them so they don’t go after the good guys? They do sort of stand in the middle, more so than Harry. *lost in thoughts*

3. While I’m actually a little surprised that Ebenezar made it out alive as I actually had him down on my ‘Will Probably Die List’. I was relieved as I hope to see him and Harry actually have that conversation which Harry wants. Seriously, if only for Maggie’s sake, who shouldn’t have her first and last memory of her Great-Grandpa be him being a total jerk.

4. Harry can bind the prisoners of Demonreach to do his bidding? *blinks* Ooh, the possibilities.

5. These Librarians, the Men in Black of the DF ‘verse, sound amazing and I can’t wait to see them show up.

[waveypedia]

little details i adore about astro boyd

(yes i watched it again yes i love it sue me)

The way the camera tilts when boyd talks when the “camera” Is Boyd’s pov to show he’s moving his head

The little flashes of Boyd’s true core memory from the very beginning

when boyd “malfunctions” the first time, only gyro freaks out. Akita looks totally calm

Boyd’s fake core memory fading out to show the reflection of his horrified face

Gyro almost never actually addresses boyd, treating him like an inanimate object, until he calls him a real boy

Gyro’s little gasp of horror when he realizes Fenton is out of commission

Lil bulb’s bulb turns red when gyro belittles boyd and machines in general in the lab, and that’s what puts him out of commission

(that was the inciting incident for it to go evil in both the great dime chase and beware the buddy system (as buddy), but gyro himself has never said it)

The picture of young gyro and boyd has a crack in it, representing their broken relationship

Immediately after Huey jumps and grabs gyro’s arm to protect boyd from him, gyro (unconsciously?) shields him with his arm

The shot right after has Huey still on gyro’s arm (continuity mistake) but then gyro just gently sets him down, even as he’s freaking out

Later, when Gizmoduck crashes into the ground, gyro grabs Fenton’s bag and Huey and carries them out of the blast zone w/o a second thought

Launchpad acting as troop leader 

The s’more with donuts and cookie dough (where did they get that???) 

Huey is more upset that the s’more isn’t regulation than that he’s being teased 

Huey’s “wow, that was easy” when Boyd asks if he wants to be friends 

Boyd has the jwg downloaded into his brain 

Boyd accidentally set the bully’s s’more on fire with his laser eyes hehe karma “

Manny!! Get this dangerous machine out of my lab!!!” “Which one?” “

What idiot called [him] [Boyd]?!” Haha mark beaks did gyro just called mark an idiot (it’s what he deserves) 

Gyro is so dramatic he keeps monologuing dfghjkl

The way akita belittled and never actually addressed gyro, his former intern, until they started fighting & how he addressed gyro as intern, (what he calls Fenton) even though he’s obviously not an intern anymore 

“Protect Gizmoduck” 

Every time lil’ bulb sat on gyro’s shoulder and when he sat on gyro’s head in the lab 

Akita knew gyro wasn’t responsible for Boyd’s “malfunctioning,” yet he belittles gyro like he was responsible since he knows it hits a nerve 

Huey insisted on calling boyd boyd, while everyone else called him 2b0. He also used he/him pronouns while everyone else used it/its pronouns, which is dehumanizing 

Gyro’s little “ow” when he and akita are slapping each other 

Huey’s terrified expression when boyd, in world breaker mode, broke fenton’s helmet 

when gyro has lost his glasses and akita is doing his “you’ll never invent anything worthwhile” bit, he backs away from akita only for his hand to go over the edge. He does a little hand wave and turns his head to find the ground, but there’s nothing there. And he can’t see so he doesn’t know how far off the ground he is! He probably thought akita was gonna kill him 

Gyro’s little satisfied “hm.” when inspector tezuka arrests akita

Actually all of gyro’s little noises, hums, screams, and grunts. Jim Rash is really talented.

The way Boyd’s head lifts when gyro says 2b0 and floats in front of Fenton

huey stands Fenton and lifts his head when gyro has Boyd’s attention and Fenton is out of commission 

There’s a picture of a crying strawberry in the background of boyd and gyro’s hug which perfectly encapsulates my feelings on the matter 

Gyro’s sweet, calm, loving expressions after he hugs boyd 

Huey frowns when boyd chooses the name beaks chose for him, but then smiles again when he explains his reasoning 

Team science walks RIGHT BY akita’s hiding place right before inspector tezuka stops them 

When gyro says “hide 2bo”, Fenton straight up rests his arm on boyd’s head like an armrest. Huey just shoves his hand in front of Boyd’s face 

When inspector tezuka leaves gyro to grill boyd, gyro just kinda… remains lying on the cop car. He doesn’t get up until she starts running after Lil Bulb (and then he sprints away)

Gyro’s “oh no” when he sees inspector tezuka 

The way gyro’s voice trails off when he knows he’s failed to convince inspector tezuka he’s on a field trip, and her attention is diverted to boyd, but he finishes his sentence anyway 

The pissed look gyro gives Fenton when he blows a hole in the wall of akita’s lab (even though gyro asked him to) 

The way Fenton’s hair bounces and flops around whenever he moves his head 

the fact that Fenton apparently thinks gyro was born in akita’s lab (where was Fenton born?) 

Lil Bulb sitting on gyro’s head 

“I don’t wanna break anything.” / “Then why must you insist on breaking my heart?!?!”

Gotta say I hate doofus and I’m glad he was only in this episode for a couple of seconds but that was so funny and I hate him a tiny bit less for his comedic value

Doofus and mark beaks vehemently refused Boyd’s hugs, but Gyro, who notoriously doesn’t like hugs (“the hugging is just for today”) gave him a giant one

It’s a huge step from the beginning of the episode where gyro literally jumped on a table to avoid boyd

The way huey says fenton’s name (fen-uhn) 

The fact that the Gizmosuit gets alerts for crime everywhere, not just in duckberg. it sounded like it taps into local police radios?

Fenton can speak Japanese

Fenton defending Gyro to inspector Tezuka, but not himself

Inspector Tezuka called Fenton Gyro’s “partner” - and he is, by the end!

Akita’s little homemade sound effects and gadgets 

“computer, zoom and enhance” *pulls out a magnifying glass*

Huey’s annoyed face when Fenton is overjoyed at the robbery 

Boyd can eat bowls 

All the ads for glomgold’s energy drink, especially the ones that show glomgold hella buff (what is with him and wanting to be seen as buff?)

When they fly away from tokyolk, Boyd’s pose at first mimics Fenton, but then he flies ahead and he and huey have a kid fun moment (tm)

According to the end credits, the thieving pigs are named Clown and Capsule! 

Bully Beagle, the junior woodchuck beagle boy

[okaybutlikeimagine]

What about him asking billy if he would want to changed his last name to hopper

Oh my GOD hun this is killing me i love this bc you fuckin BET he tries to ask multiple times and fails multiple times

Like??? Hop takes Billy in bc he’s intensely concerned for the boy bc he’ll speed through the streets w/ bruises on his face and fear in his eyes and Hop just has so much worry over it. But Hop also just Does. Not. Like. People. It’s just… it’s canon. Hop is a caring man who protects his town and worries over children (esp now that there’s fucking monsters) and also does fucking Not want to have to deal w/ more people than he has to. The man lives in the woods, he likes his solitude, but he takes El in and makes his cabin warm for her and i just am obsessed w/ the idea of him doing that for Billy too. And I like to think that maybe Hop can relate to Billy even more bc Billy is just a scared young kid who thinks he needs to play tough to save himself and someone tell me Hop wasn’t totally that way as a kid too. As a kid who probably had a tough as nails father. As a teen watching the war and being forced into it. As a man, now, who has lost his biological daughter and, let’s be real, probably still has nightmares about it, as well as about the horrors that face this town.

So i say all of that to offer the idea that Hop really connects w/ Billy and tries so fucking hard for Billy. and also to say I think it would take about a MONTH of Billy living w/ him before he asks if he wants to change his name. And the only reason it even takes that long is bc Billy had specifically said he didn’t want his last name changed when he got adopted. He didn’t provide a reason, he even looked a little shaken up about it, and he just refused to change his name. But after a month Billy is joking around with Hop and teaching El how to read and is helping Hop cook dinners and Hop thinks he’s family now, right?

He sleeps on it and can’t shake it and tries to ask in the morning and ohmygod guys he’s a mess.

Billy is pouring coffee into a mug, adding so much milk it almost looks like cream, and Hop knows Billy does this now, knows he has to buy extra milk for him, and that hits him bc it’s just that this boy is his son now and why does he want his last name to be the same as that dickheaded man? And-

“Hey kid?”

Billy turns to look at Hop, leaning himself back against the counter and crossing an ankle over the other.

“I told you, stop calling me kid.” Billy says into his mug.

“Yeah yeah uh… do you- uhm. Do you-? Do… do you? Do you?”

That’s it.

And Billy has just woken up, has just got his coffee in his hand, has just been blinded by the sun when he opened the curtains and he’s just?? So lost? He tries to blink himself awake more, as if that’s going to fix the question.

“Do… what?”

Hopper feels like an absolute idiot but he just... doesn’t want to freak the boy out bc he still barely lets Hop hug him. He gets tense when Hop even gets close like??? Fuck he’s gonna scare the poor boy.

“Do you... want more coffee?”

Billy looks down at his full mug.

“Uh, unless you can fit more in this mug, I think I’m good for now.” and he’s got a confused and smarmy grin on his face that Hop just kind of grunts at and grabs his hat off the counter and leaves w/ a mumbled bye to Billy and El before heading out to the station.

And you fuckin bet he’s at Melvald’s in about an hour to see Joyce who is looking at Hop fondly as he basically loses his mind over what to do.

“I was thinking maybe I could ask Billy if he wants to change his last name.”

“But didn’t-”

“I know he wanted to keep his own last name.”

“Yeah-”

“I just don’t like that he still shares it with that asshole.”

Joyce eyes the mother carrying her toddler around the store.

“Hop-”

“I’m gonna ask him.”

“Alright.”

There’s a pause.

“He barely lets me get near him.”

Joyce gives him a tired smile. “Just be gentle about it. Don’t make it seem like you’re making the choice for him. And don’t be offended if he says no.”

And Hop tries to take that advice w/ him, but wow he keeps trying and he just keeps failing. Like, over dinner when Billy helps El cut her meat and Hop tries but just ends up asking if Billy wants some salt. Or when they go to the store and Billy picks up his favorite jam and peanut butter and starts to explain why they’re his favorite like Hopper would be interested and the thing is, he is and he tries to ask but ends up asking if Billy wants to pick up some pickles. Or when Billy is sitting down watching Miami Vice w/ Hop and El and he’s letting El brush out his hair and try to braid it and Hop tries to ask but he asks if he wants some milk.

And Hop just keeps failing until the first time Billy calls him “Dad”.

Billy is making toast for himself after making some for El, who’s crunching away happily on her toast w/ raspberry jam, when Hop wakes up and stumbles into the kitchen and Billy is chuckling at Hop’s bed head.

“Mornin’.” He says w/ a smile.

Hop grunts in response, going to the coffee pot.

And Billy’s spreading his favorite jam over a piece of toast as he asks: “Want some toast, dad?”

Hop nearly drops the coffee pot. The only sound is the crunching of El’s toast as she watches them innocently.

Now now now now now now now now

“Billy, do you want to change your last name?”

Billy takes a second before he  turns and crosses his arms and it looks like he’s trying to put on a real tough facade but Hop sees through it- the boy is terrified. Hell, so is he. He loves this boy like he’s his actual, biological son but no one can deny he’s also a firecracker w/ a short fuse. He’s still so worried about freaking him out but he just called him dad and that’s like, a sign, right??

Billy’s chewing the inside of his lip, twisting his mouth around like El does when she’s confused and frustrated.

“To Hopper?”

Hop can’t help but let out a laugh.

“No, to Bond.” He says with a nervous laugh over his coffee. He takes some heavy gulps, trying to wake himself up.

Billy stands there, reaching behind himself for his toast and taking a few bites but his eyes are on the ground and they look confused and stressed.

“It’s not too far away from your name now. Not that it really matters, I guess. I mean, you can keep your initials. If that’s even something you’re worried about? I mean, not as cool as Bond, I guess. And I know you wanted to keep your name before I just… I don’t want you to have that asshole’s last name anymore-unless you want it! I mean- fu-uh? Goddamnit. I’m not trying to make the decision for you I was just… wondering because you’re like a son to me. I mean, you are my son, I tell people you’re my son so if you want-”

“Billy Hopper.” Billy cuts in; says it like he’s chewing on it instead of his toast. Hop shuts up.

There’s a pause.

“Sounds like a bunny rabbit.” Billy says over another bite of toast.

“A… a what?”

“A bunny rabbit. Jim Hopper, El Hopper, and Billy Hopper. Like a big family of bunny rabbits.”

Hop wasn’t expecting this.

“Uhm-? Okay?”

“Yes.”

Hopper’s brain is basically fried.

“Wait, like… yes you want to change your name?”

“Yeah, sure.” Billy says like Hopper hasn’t been agonizing over this for months. “Billy Hopper. We can be a big family of bunny rabbits.”

Hop is nearly speechless.

“Uh okay. Yeah, okay. Great. I mean… great!”

Billy laughs, and reaches out to pat Hop’s shoulder.

“Good talk, dad.” He says w/ amusement but nope Hop is fucking elated and Billy just isn’t getting away w/o a great big bear hug and so he puts his mug down and hugs Billy hard and Billy is tense as fuck, esp when Hop picks him up a bit but Hop can’t help it bc he has a son and he’s just always wanted a son.

And the next time Steve calls Billy “Hargrove” all amusingly irritated (bc they’ve been flirting for weeks now but they’re not dating yet), Billy’s heart stops for a sec before he laughs.

“Actually…. It’s Hopper now.”

Steve can’t process it for a second.

“Wait what?”

“Yeah I uh… i just changed it..”

Steve tries to do the nonexistent math in his head.

“Wait wait wait, am I gonna have to call you Hopper from now on? That’s so fucking weird, man.”

“I mean, you could call me other things. Like, my name for one. Or King, since I’ve officially taken your crown. Maybe even babe or baby, if you wanna be real sweet to me.”

“How ‘bout asshole?” Steve asks through his blush.

Billy guffaws.

“Yeah, guess that works too.”

[czec-hoslo-vak-ians]

💜Michael and Maria

👽Scene goes

Here we are With another episode is it just me or did the last episode feel like it really didn't fit to me it felt like it was just a throw away episode that they had to make it because it was Christmas time it didn't feel like it went flow with the rest of the storyline.

I'm the same way when there's nothing on TV I'm just like you know what the best thing to do is just go to bed oh, I really like that when Isabelle is Bored She dream walks people I think that's a really cool power to have. And of course she's not listen to Max when he said don't visit Liz's dreams. When you tell somebody not to do something they're going to do the exact opposite. Liz has such lame dreams LOL I Kyle's dream start turning into a nightmare I would jump out of that dream ASAP. I love the slow motion hair flip when she wakes up from a dream she doesn't recognize.

I completely forgot about the Hubble case they don't tie up their end of three lines very good. Omg's that looks disgusting whipped cream strawberries and hot sauce I think it's on top of a pancake. Kyle actually liking the extremely sweet and extremely spicy food has him a little freaked out because of his dream.( here is a little editing oops you see Tess pour the hot sauce in a full glass of orange juice however when Kyle goes to take a bite of the food the glass is half-full but we didn't see test take a drink) poor Kyle he's really freaking out over this I feel bad for him.

Valenti seems shocked and surprised that Isabel can go into people dreams he should realize that they could do things that normal people can't nothing should surprise him. I'm so excited that Valenti is on their side and that they have an actual adult they can turn to for help when needed. I wouldn't mind going to this restaurant for lunch I feel bad that Jim is in a position where he has to lie now however you also have to protect those kids also.

Poor Liz having Max on the brain 24/7 period Maria has a cousin um hello he is semi cute but it looks like Liz has a Infactuation with him this might be the distraction he needs from the Max.

It's strange that suddenly they have a TV in their kitchen This is the first time that I've seen a kitchen in the Evans home before. I get bad vibes from Grant. What Max doesn't even knock he just walks right in Isabel could have been getting dressed. Dude you should always Knock First. Isabel is really frazzled. I love that task is playing mine games on Kyle I love little banter between those two I could totally ship those two. The extras in the back with a fake laughing I cannot stand it. Poor Isabel these dreams are getting worse and worse. She's having them while she's out on a date.

I understand where the sheriff is coming from he doesn't have much to go on. Who is this random person that just magically had a crush on Valenti back in high school. You know that it's not the right girl that would have been solved way too easily. Now it makes sense why they throw in the random person that happened to like Valenti in High School.

Sean really seems like he's a hot mess it's sad that Maria has to write rules down for him like that. You know that lives is not going to stay away from him should do whatever she needs to do to keep her mind off of Max.

I knew that Grant with bad news had a fun feeling of it. That sucks to find out that your boyfriend is a kidnapper. It seems like Valente is doing things off book which will get him into trouble. Valenti helping these kids is not turning out so well ever since he found out about them he's been doing things under the table which is never a good thing as a sheriff. You knew The girl was going to show up eventually.

Isabelle is definitely not wrong she just needs to find the right girl. Unbelievable this is turning out to be a disaster for Valenti he can't give up the kids names however this could really cost him his job. Jimmy's Old Friend snake.

I can't believe Max upset with Isabella right now he needs to have more faith in his sister she really soft bad enough he doesn't need to add on to it. I'm glad that Max sees it from Isabel point of view now he is less mad now. I'm so glad we could see Michael for a hot second he has been missing way too much from this episode. I love that Kyle wanted to know if Maria had any cousins for him. Kyle crack me up sometimes.

Poor Isabel she is never going to be able to sleep until she finds this missing girl. Why is Judith Foster filing for a grievance she should be grateful that the police thought that she was missing because she did not hear from her daughter oh, yeah and I bet that snake in the whole did put that idea in her head. Valenti just may lose his job over this you can't go down like your father did. He should come up with a better excuse are you saying that deputy he should have said that was my son.

I'm glad we finally found the missing girl however how did Grant know that they would be there because he was ready with a rifle. And of course there's a stick in the mud what's going to follow Valenti. Well the girl's DNA was weird I guessing she's not human.

Well you guys bet the end of the episode I had fun I hope you had fun I'll see you on the other side.

Quote of the episode

Coming up next: We are family

[suffering-and-happy-about-it]

His Brown Eyed Girl (Sriracha, Part 29.)

Description: A problematic college student gets the worst summer job of the ‘83 - Jim Hopper, the Chief of police in your hometown will have you as his secretary since his old lady Flo has two months lasting holiday. It was agreed so Hopper could keep you far away from all the trouble.

Part Summary: Eleven, you and Hopper couldn’t understand how on Earth came Snow Ball so fast, but it was there - and your baby had the first big date of her life.

A/N: Ah, Snow Ball and the true, official start of Mileven in the history of Stranger Things... Sweet memories. Also, we don’t like sad Joyce Byers. We love to make that little sunshine happy.

Word count: 2.1 K

Tagging: @nemodoren @creedslove @missdictatorme 

Master list: H E R E

When the big day came by, your household was thrown into something that could only be called total anarchy at its best. Eleven was freaking out because she didn't know how to dance and she was going on a ball, Hopper was nervous about that Mike boy putting his hands somewhere where they didn't freaking belong and you couldn't take El there with Hopper - you had to go to work at the bistro, so you could only be there to pick her up.

You helped her with choosing the right make-up for the evening, giving her a pep talk about boys and stuff so Jim would feel less stressed about the whole damn thing. It didn't help a bit, lemme say. And damn, your baby was looking like a Disney princess. Or, that was what you thought.

Let’s be honest, you had freaked about it the whole evening at the bistro, constantly telling Ada about it. She could understand what were you talking about the whole time, though. She had a daughter herself - and even if the girl was now an adult, there once was a time when her baby had to attend her first ball. And she was just as nervous back then as you were that night. When the clock finally showed eight o'clock, you sped out of the bistro, walking on your own through the whole freezing Hawkins.

It was just exciting and couldn't wait for you to get home and talk about the Snow Ball. You loved it back in your day - and yes, you had to admit, you once danced with Steve Harington himself there. And he made you laugh so hard that day, that you cried. The Snow Ball was just bringing out only the best memories in you.

But you didn't stay that enthusiastic for too long. Once you entered the parking lot, you saw Joyce smoking with Hopper, talking about something, looking in front of themselves. For the love of God, you wouldn't get jealous of those two. Never. Joyce was a good friend of yours, just as Julia was, and Hopper? Well, he seemed to be the dream guy for you. You fell for him. And you knew that these two would never do stuff behind your back. You quietly waited behind a car to hear what they are talking about - not because you didn't trust them, God damn it.

The last thing you wanted at that point was to invade their personal space. Jim never jumped into a conversation between you and Joyce, you and Eleven and let alone you and Steve. He was listening to a lot of them, yet never jumped into them - but never had got any bad intentions, neither had you. He was just worried when if you're doing good.

And from what you've heard, Joyce was just... Sad. And that whole situation made you sad as well. Not too long after Jim told her the line - you knew that the sentence had so much emotional value that your heart grew a little heavier when you heard it.

"That feelin’ never goes away." - He said and inhaled, while he was smoking and looking into the ground in front of them, biting on his lip a bit. You couldn't see his face, no, but you knew that freaking man by your heart. You knew when he bites his lower lip and when he's just smiling. - "It is true what they say, you know. Every day it gets a little easier." - He said, giving the cigarette to Joyce before pulling her for a hug.

And your heart sunk a bit lower. For a common listener, it could look like Jim was talking about Eleven, but you knew that the reality laid somewhere else. He was talking about Sara. His baby girl. His angel. The one he would sacrifice the whole world for if he had to. You knew how much he loved and cared for El - and who couldn't see that shit, that person was blind. But when it came to Sara, the things were incredibly personal for Hopper all of a sudden.

Deep down inside, you knew that if sacrificing what you two had would bring his Sara, he would have a hard time deciding - but he would do that. He would most likely turn the clock a few years backward - to a time when you didn't have a clue that somewhere, some James Hopper exists, to the time where you were at Hawkins High and to when he was still married to Diane. It hurt to be that truthful with yourself, but even if you knew how much he loved you, he would do anything just to hug her one last time.

"Are you two having a smoke break without me? Am I banned from the party?" - You said quietly, coming from behind the car, pressing yourself onto Joyce in a loose hug. You put your head onto her shoulder as you closed your eyes and let a long sigh out. Hopper knew that you probably heard everything, but didn't ask about that.

"You weren't even born when he were having high school smoke breaks during the fifth period." - Joyce mumbled into Hopper’s coat with a lazy laugh, putting her hands around you as she pulled you into a tight hug. You two became friends, all thanks to Jim. You cared about Joyce, you could talk to her as an adult with an adult, you could talk to her about kids, about daily motherly things. When you wanted more down-your-age talk, you hit up Julia. But you grew closer and closer to Joyce over the last nine months. Well, since Hopper proposed to you.

"I was born, you're making a child out of me now. I am an adult by law." - You said dramatically to make her laugh, giving a small smile to Jim in the process.

"I'm not entirely sure of that, ma’am. I might need some time to decide." - Hopper told you, giving you a cigarette as well. You shook your head at him, making Joyce grin. It was interesting to see you two interact. Usually, it was either her and Hop or her and you. There weren't many times she had seen you together.

"And he still thinks he's the law in the household even when he has a fiancée. Interesting." - You mumbled, lighting the cigarette up. Joyce was maybe feeling like an invader in that small moment you two were having, but you didn't want her to go away. She was a part of the family now. Just as the kids and Steve were. - "You really should think about what you're saying or we will have a fun little experiment." - You warned him quietly, leaving Joyce laughing while you gave her your cig to have shot.

"You guys are just the best." - She said quietly, meaning every word when she leaned her temple into your shoulder. The rest of the evening, you stood in the freezing goddamn ait and you were mostly just listening to Joyce telling you stories about Hopper’s high school years. He thought that it is embarrassing, but you were laughing at every single one of them.

Jim was the rebel who smoked during periods and wasn't too much of a brain, yet he always made sure that the basketball team always won the match. Joyce was that typical shy, good girl who was under his bad influence and always was in trouble because of him. He used to date a girl named Chrissy Carpenter who, in your opinion, was a total dud. You couldn't understand why Hopper decided to end up with a soon-to-be college diploma psychologist when he used to hook up with such girls.

And even if it was visibly hurting Joyce at that moment, she told you a lot about Bob. And these stories were just light-hearted and about Bob the Brain Newby, now known as Bob the Superhero. And you laughed so much you cried. You didn't know Bob well - you've only met him a few times at Joyce's when you were cooking there... But that man was a sweetheart just by the looks of it. There was no wonder why Joyce dated him. And he also was good with Will and Jonathan, which was a big point for Joyce. When you listened to all of the stories, you wanted to roll the time back and talk with him a bit more.

You didn't quite know what even happened to Bob. Nobody had told you. You just knew that suddenly, he passed away when you were on your vacation in Dakota, believing that he got a bad health condition. You attended his funeral with everyone, holding out El’s shoulder while your elbow was entwined with Jim’s. And even though you didn't know Bob that well at the time, you felt genuinely sad about what happened.

To change Joyce’s thoughts, you decided to tell them both about Steve and the years he was pinning after you, and those stories were extremely embarrassing. Such as the time when he invited you on a Snow Ball in front of a gym full of people after a basketball match. Or when he tried to kiss you once under the Independence Day fireworks. These made Joyce and Jim laugh a lot.

When the part when the kids got out came by, Joyce gave you both a big, long hug full of laugh. You made a deal that just like last year, you'd come by and train the cooking for Christmas day - now, there was supposed to be Nancy and Eleven as well.

Eleven looked like a lot of things happened during the Ball and that she had a lot of fun, which excited you - you sat with her on the back seat, talking the whole time Jim drove his Blazer towards the cabin. Your conversation made him laugh here and there since you were overreacting at literally every small detail Eleven had told you.

But about the kiss between her Mike... That was something she told you only once Hopper was out of radar and you were tugging her in. You rose your eyebrows with surprise and looked at her. You had your first kiss when you were around eleven - but the first ones were just the purest and most wonderful.

"Oh my." - Your face lit up with excitement and a huge smile, sitting on the bed next to her with your mouth opened. - "So you do have a boyfriend now, huh?" - You asked more silently and held her hand.

Eleven now knew who her real mom is and what Papa had done to her. She knew where to find her, but... Terry couldn't replace you. There was a connection of sorts that formed between Eleven and Terry, that was undeniable at that point, but Terry simply wasn't you.

You talked with Eleven about everything, you helped her with a lot of things and guided her through the basics of being truly human, and even more, you showed her, for the first time in her whole life, how motherly love looks like. Terry, even if it wasn't her fault, wasn't the one reading Eleven the bedtime stories, Terry wasn't cooking with her and Terry didn't learn every single word of the new pop songs that were coming out so they could sing it together. It was you, who was doing it with Eleven.

"What?" - El asked quietly because you seemed to be... Sad as you held her palm in yours. Your smile was strangely weird. You licked your lips, smoothing hair out of her forehead with tears in your eyes.

"Nothing, it is... Nothing. You’ve just grown up so fast since the day I saw you for the first time." - You mumbled quietly, laying down next to her, holding her in your arms within a protective gesture. She indeed did grow up quickly. It wasn't that El was already big enough when Jim started to taking care of her... But long gone were the days when she could barely talk or write. It seemed to be a long time ago when she first asked you if you're her mom or if you love her.

That night, you were sleeping in her room with her in your arms. And when Jim has seen that, he just smiled and closed the door behind him, letting you both sleep safe and sound. Because this was his whole world.