#and maybe Jim and Walter for Father's Day

[blade-liger-4ever]

I finished The Complete Sir Marrok, and I had this wacko-brilliant idea, at least in terms of a modern day (sort of) take on the tale:

The Complete Sir Marrok in the vein of The Dukes of Hazzard.

Just think about it.

Lady Irma could be some kind of witch from Appalachia, and Marrok could have his own land near the mountain range, and bonus points, he's the local sheriff! Heck, maybe he could even be a relative of some kind of high-class family, and therefore he's got enough ties to higher ups to pull some strings and get the people of his county good food, supplies, etc. It'd totally work!

And somehow or other, Irma gets to turn him into a wolf, though he'd likely have to be a red wolf - but hey, just make him bigger than normal. He'd still stand out to folks when he appears. A red wolf is a rare sight, and a big one even rarer.

Then Irma could be manipulating events, and she'd put in Prior Richard, who'd be our stand in for Boss Hog, as the mayor, while Morcar would be like some uber nasty invertion of Enos, trying to get Agnes (Daisy Duke) from Sir Simon (Uncle Jesse). That way, you could put in (maybe, I'm speaking crazy now) Bo and Luke Duke as the son of Sir Simon and one of them as Sir Roger, though maybe not so much Sir Roger. And you could still fit in Father John and the friars, though I got nothing on who could be standing in for them. All I do know is I'm picturing Jim Caviezel as Father John, and I keep having visions of Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister) as Marrok. Maybe Max Charles as his missing son Walter too (I will literally take them in live action or animation as this duo, modern day retelling or a straight up adaptation of the book. Please, I'm begging you, see my vision!)

Anybody else got ideas? Like Marrok's adventures as a red wolf who goes around the county saving people and searching for his son, who got sent out of state but returns as a young lawman?

[royalhouseofcarrington]

Happy Mothers Day! Wishing a very happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers, grandmothers, aunts and maternal figures out there who love us and support us through thick and thin, through our mistakes and our triumphs. We love you!

[weeklyhumorist]

Give Your Dad the Best Father’s Day Gift Ever: A Long, Rambling Conversation About Steely Dan

Your dad is a simple guy. He loves meat grilled over a fire. Muting the television during commercials. Wearing white socks with sandals. And the jazz-inflected rock sounds of AOR stalwarts, Steely Dan.

So, this Father’s Day, give him the best gift ever: an epic conversation over brunch about the amazing collective works of Donald Fagen and Walter Becker.

It won’t take much to get this conversation started. In fact, it might have been occurring regularly and you’ve just zoned out and started thinking about grad school whenever you heard the words “Steely Dan.” But even if that hasn’t happened, don’t panic. It’s possible to get your Dan dialogue with Dad going by using any of the following keywords: guitar, bass, drums, songs, lyrics, studio, perfectionism, intelligent, cynical, school, Jeff Porcaro, Black Friday, The Eagles, pretzel, Doctor Wu, cocaine, vinyl, 19, music.

If your Dad doesn’t take the bait, you’ll need to gently lead him into the conversation. He was probably just distracted thinking about some puttering around in the garage that he’s missing out on because of this Father’s Day brunch with his Aja-averse offspring. So, you’ll need to introduce a suggestive phrase that’s maybe something like this: “So I discovered Steely Dan on Spotify.” At this point, you might not need to say anything for the next hour or five.

However, if you find the conversation flagging at any point or grow weary about hearing about how 1972’s Can’t Buy a Thrill incorporated ideas from not only jazz but, get this, also mambo, you might want to steer the conversation towards your appreciation for Fagen and Becker’s clever, incisive lyrics that offered a wry refreshing counterpoint to the dewy-eyed self-absorption offered by the likes of Jackson Browne, James Taylor, and other tender FM-radio friendly balladeers. That level of comprehension about the Dan might stun your father or make him question if you are really his child or are instead somehow channeling one of your father’s only true heroes: rock critic, Robert Christgau.

This is an excellent opportunity to dig in deeper to Fagen and Becker’s lyrics and maybe point out that My Old School is actually about a drug bust at Bard college. While your Dad already knows about this, it gives him the chance to tell you (again) about how Chevy Chase was also a student at Bard and had often jammed with Fagen and Becker. This might be a good time to casually drop into the the conversation that you never got busted for drug possession in college.

Your lyrics conversation might stretch brunch into the late afternoon if you’re not careful. Nip this in the bud by shifting gear into how Steely Dan’s later, surgically precise sonic stylings are an audiophile’s delight— a delight that’s typically ruined by hamfisted mp-3 compression. This will bring a wide, knowing, relieved smile to your dad’s face—just like when you opted for two years of junior college and transferring. He’ll probably say that for the true Dan experience, you’ll want compact disc. To which you’ll say “the original CDs or the remastered efforts which have squashed the nuance of the interplay between bass player Chuck Rainey and Jim Keltner during ‘Josie’?”

If you’re thinking of changing your major away from something practical, like finance, you might want to at this point soften the blow by mentioning that the best thing about discovering Steely Dan: finding out that Walter Becker made two solo albums and that both are honestly better than anything on Two Against Nature—with the exception of ‘Cousin Dupree.’ Because any song that results in the Dan writing a letter to Owen Wilson claiming that the title of his film ‘You, Me and Dupree’ was stolen is just so Steely Dan.

Your Dad will agree with this sentiment. To put the button on the whole day, you might want to end with a Steely Dan song title. ‘Do it Again’ would work. ‘Rikki Don’t Lose That Number’ would not and is, honestly, trying too hard. Unless, for some reason, your Dad’s name is ‘Rikki.’

  Give Your Dad the Best Father’s Day Gift Ever: A Long, Rambling Conversation About Steely Dan was originally published on Weekly Humorist

[buzzdixonwriter]

Hoo U?

A spirited discussion is raging on Facebook now, the good kind of spirited discussion, an enthusiastic exchange of ideas and ideals, not a snark fest.

The top is a deceptively simple one:  Who are the characters various actors played?

Let me clarify:   It began as a trivia challenge to name actors who have won Oscars for playing the same character.

And there in lays the debate.

How exactly are we defining a character.

This all sounds trivial, and to be frank this part of the discussion is, but it’s gonna get deep by the end.  

Trust me.

So here’s the kickoff:

Marlon Brando won a Best Male Performance Oscar for playing Vito Corleone in The Godfather; Robert DeNiro won a Best Male Supporting Performance Oscar for playing Vito Corleone in The Godfather II

Heath Ledger won a Best Male Supporting Performance Oscar for playing the Joker in The Dark Knight; Joaquin Phoenix won a Best Male Performance Oscar for playing the Joker in Joker.

(Trivia bonus: Kate Winslet and Gloria Stuart received Oscar nominations for playing the same character at different stages of her life in Titanic, and Winslet and Judi Dench were both nominated for playing the same character at different stages in Iris as well; plus Peter O’Toole was nominated twice for playing Henry II in Beckett and The Lion In Winter which technically counts as a sequel…)

The Facebook debate is over whether Ledger and Phoenix were actually playing the same character.

Now in the case of the former, The Godfather II is a continuation of the same story in The Godfather by the same creative team with much of the original cast reprising their roles, the Oscars going to two actors who played the same character at different stages of their life (BTW, where's the love for Oreste Baldini, who played Vito as a young boy?).

The two films were re-edited and combined with The Godfather III to make a nine-hour and 43-minute miniseries The Godfather Trilogy.

It is clear the creators’ intent from the beginning was for audiences to accept Baldini / DeNiro / Brando as the same person at various stages of his life.

The Ledger Joker and the Phoenix Joker cannot possibly be the same character for a wide variety of internal continuity issues separating the two films.  The creators of Joker went out of their way to state their version of the character was not The Dark Knight version.

Unlike The Godfather movies, you can’t link up the various live action Batman / Suicide Squad / Joker stories into a single coherent narrative (especially since you have to drag in the live action Supeman and Wonder Woman movies and TV shows as well).

. . .

Can different actors play their version of the same character in otherwise unlinked productions?

Of course they can.

Stage plays do it all the time.

If you start with the same exact text, then clearly any number of actors can play Hamlet or MacBeth or Willy Loman.

The problems arise when one goes afield of the text.

. . . 

In 1932 Constance Bennett made a movie called What Price Hollywood? that did okay but really didn’t set the world on fire.

In 1937 Janet Gaynor remade that film as A Star Is Born, the story changed to give it a tragic yet uplifting conclusion; her version was a big hit and Gaynor received an Oscar nomination.

In 1954 Judy Garland remade A Star is Born as a musical and that proved a big hit, and Garland received an Oscar nomination.

In 1976 Barbara Streisand took a swing at the material with a country-western version of A Star Is Born and while she got an Oscar nomination, audiences were unreceptive.

In 2018 Lady Gaga remade A Star Is Born and received both an Oscar nomination for her role and an Oscar win for her song.

Question: Are they all playing the same character?  Each played a character that started their film with a different name than the other versions, but the Gaynor / Garland / Streisand / Gaga versions all end with the central character proudly proclaiming they are “Mrs. Norman Maine.”

Same character?

. . .

There’s no argument that William Gillette, Basil Rathbone, and Benedict Cumberbatch all played Sherlock Holmes, even when their productions took certain liberties with the stories.

But Sherlock Holmes is not an idiot, and Michael Caine played Holmes as an idiot in Without A Clue.

Was he playing the same character as Gillette / Rathbone / Cumberbatch?

(Ironically Peter Cook played a very recognizable and wholly credible Holmes in his farcical send up of The Hound Of The Baskervilles with Dudley Moore.)

Did George C. Scott play Holmes in They Might Be Giants?  Almost everybody else in the story thinks he’s a New York banker who’s suffered a nervous breakdown and only thinks he’s Holmes, but Scott believes he is Holmes 100% and throughout the film other people he encounters accept him as Holmes at face values.

He functions as Holmes throughout.

And in the end, the audience is left in a weird place, not really knowing what his fate may be, not absolutely sure if he is a bonkers banker but maybe…somehow…he is Sherlock Holmes…

. . . 

Did John Cassavettes in Tempest and Walter Pidgeon in Forbidden Planet play the same character?  Were either of those roles Shakespeare’s Prospero?

Did Christopher Lee play the same character in Horror Of Dracula and its sequels, in Count Dracula, and in In Search Of Dracula?   (The producers of Count Dracula sure went to great pains to explain their version was a different and more accurate version than the Hammer version of the character, and In Search Of Dracula cast Lee as Vlad Tepes who was the real life historical figure Bram Stoker based his novel on.)

For that matter, is Count Orlok in Nosferatu:  A Symphony Of Terror actually Dracula?  A European court awarding lawsuit damages to Bram Stoker's widow sure thought so.

Along similar lines, was Bela Lugosi playing Dracula in Columbia's Return Of The Vampire? Universal's lawyers sure thought so.

Did Jim Caviezel in Passion Of The Christ, Max von Sydow in The Greatest Story Ever Told, Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke, and Michael Rennie in The Day The Earth Stood Still all play the same character?

Did Toshiro Mifune, Clint Eastwood, and Bruce Willis all play the Continental Op?

Did Clint Eastwood play the same character in all three Dollar films?

Did Vincent Price, Charlton Heston, and Will Smith all play the same character?

Did Leonardo DiCaprio play the same character Steve McQueen played in The Great Escape (even if just for one brief scene) or did he play a character who played a character Steve McQueen played in The Great Escape?

Ooh, here's a good one!

Lon Chaney Jr starts Ghost Of Frankenstein playing the same monster Boris Karloff played in the original Frankenstein / Bride Of Frankenstein / Son Of Frankenstein trilogy, but by the end gets Ygor's brain (Bela Lugosi) transplanted into his body and speaks / thinks / acts briefly as Ygor in Frankie’s body.

However, Frankenstein Meets The Wolfman while maintaining continuity with all four previous films cast Lugosi as the monster (because Chaney had to play the Wolfman, duh) without dialog.  Glenn Strange then assumed the role again in continuity with all previous films for House Of Frankenstein, House Of Dracula, and Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein, occasionally speaking briefly in the role.

Who was Strange playing in his films?  The original Karloff monster or Ygor in Frankie's bod?  Are those two distinct characters?

. . .

All the above is fun trivia to debate, but it links to a much more serious question:  Who are you?

That’s not a trivial matter.  What constitutes out identity?  What makes us who we are?

I lost my father years ago to Alzheimer’s.  As my brother Robert observed, the only member of a family not affected by an Alzheimer’s diagnosis is the person suffering from it themselves.

I would talk to my father on the phone, and he was always pleasant and cheery, but about three years before he died I realized he had no idea who I was, I was just some voice on the other end of the line that mom wanted him to talk to.

My father was by nature and easy going kinda guy, and that certainly made his last few years easier for my mother and brother Rikk to cope with, but one night when I was visiting, trying to get their affairs straightened out so he could enter a nursing home, he got irritated with my mother as she was trying to help him and raised his hand as if to slap hers away.

My father never raised his hand against my mother.  

Ever.

He taught me and my brothers that was something no real man ever did.

He might sound gruff on occasion but he never raised a finger, much less truck our mother.

The fact he did so in the throes of Alzheimer’s indicated that whoever he once was, he wasn’t that person anymore.

We got him into a nursing home and he lasted a little less than a year there, his mind and his memory and his personality deteriorating rapidly.

Who was he at the end?

I didn’t go to his funeral.

What was the point?

The father I knew and loved had departed long before they buried his shell.

My grandmother, on the other hand, remained her cranky, irascible self until a week and a half before she died, finding the wit to crack one last memorable joke before her body began shutting down.

. . .

The question of identity is related to consciousness, and these are referred to as “the hard question” by physicians and physicists and philosophers alike.

What makes us “us”?

How do we know who we are?

What constitutes identity?

There are no easy, pat answers.

We have textbook definitions that dance around the issue of identity and consciousness, providing enough of a foundation for us to recognize what it is we’re discussing, but no one has yet come up with a clear, concise explanation of what either phenomenon is.

It’s like saying “apples are a red fruit.”

Okay, we know what you’re talking about, but we also know that description falls far, far short of what an apple actually is.

That’s why trivial discussion like whether or not Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix are playing the same character is a lot more important than it seems.

(BTW, they aren’t. Phoenix won his Oscar for his version of the Rupert Pupkin character in a violent remake of The King Of Comedy.)

    © Buzz Dixon 

[amerie-wadia]

jj spends all the restitution money on a hot tub and misses his hearing. he doesn’t tell pope. 

a mayward one-shot that has been floating around my head since the first time I watched the show. i've read so many post-canon mayward fics (and they’re all great) but none of the ones i’ve read really address jj’s restitution money. i wanted this to be longer but i hate writing about legal stuff since i don’t understand it, so this is somewhat short. i don’t think i’m gonna make a part two, but i might write like an established relationship drabble in this same series/universe/canon. 

Pope knows it’s a bad idea to go to JJ’s house. He’s been there a handful of times before and usually Luke is off playing poker, working, or getting drunk at his favorite bar. This time is different, though. This time, it’s been two weeks since he’s heard from JJ and JJ has no idea Pope is coming. The last time Pope showed up out of the blue JJ was sending bullets through his childhood teddy bear.

When Pope parked his car in the driveway of beaten down grass and sand, it was like looking at still water. The only movement or sign of life surrounding the house was the soft sea breeze rippling through the branches and the tattered screens that no longer stuck to their frames. Pope hesitated before stepping out of the car.

Luke is a scary dude. Luke scares Pope more than anybody on the island and when he opens the front door, he looks pissed.

“The hell do you want?”

Pope figured it was obvious—that he had come for JJ—but Luke didn’t appear to be connecting any of the dots. Pope glanced over Luke’s shoulder, he had never seen the inside of JJ’s house. Dishes, dust balls, and bottles littered the living room where Pope could see. The smell was strong and Pope couldn’t tell what it was. It didn’t smell like weed, but it also didn’t smell like a cigarette. He figured it must be a mix of sweat, alcohol, and garbage. The only thing he could even compare it to was bile.

“Is JJ home?”

“No.” Short and stark. His eyes didn’t even blink and he looked ready to close the door so Pope quickly interjected, still keeping his distance.

“When will he be home?”

“He’s not.”

Which wasn’t even a full sentence and Pope couldn’t figure out what Luke meant by it.

“What?”

Luke rolled his eyes and sighed as if Pope was a nail under his foot.

“He’s not coming home, kid. So get out of here.”

“Why? Where is he?” Pope knew he shouldn’t push, especially with someone like Luke, but his answers were vague and peculiar and the last time Pope saw JJ was the night John B died. He needed to make sure JJ was okay.

“Wadesboro.”

Oh. Oh shit.

“What? Why?”

“Kid, I don’t have time for the interrogation. I have a business to run, so you get off my property before you make me mad.”

Pope thought Luke had been mad the whole time but now his fists were clenched and as much as Pope needed to keep asking, he knew the answers had already stopped coming.

“Thank you.”

“Get out of here.”

Luke had disappeared into the house by the time Pope was starting up the engine. Wadesboro? How the hell had JJ managed to get himself thrown in juvie in the two weeks since Pope had seen him? Not that JJ getting arrested shocked Pope, per se, but still it shocked him. Pope pulled out of the driveway and went fifteen over the speed limit until he got to Kie’s house.

“Kiara!” He called out as he padded his knuckles against her front door, ringing the bell enough times that his own father would give him a soft smack on the back of his head. “Kiara, open the door!”

He rang the bell two more times before the door opened and Kiara’s wide eyes met his own.

“What’s wrong?” she asked immediately, reaching out to tug him inside. Pope realized his hands were shaking a little bit when she wove her own through his.

“It’s JJ.”

“You finally heard from him?” She pulled him up the stairs and over to her bedroom. It was only the second time Pope had ever been in it and the lines were too straight, the floors too clean, and her shelves too neat for the room to feel like Kie’s.

“I went to his house,” he admitted and as Kie’s mouth opened wide to reprimand him, he continued. “He wasn’t home and his dad told me that he’s in Wadesboro.”

“Wadesboro?” Pope could tell she really didn’t understand because she still looked angry.

“Juvie.”

Her face dropped and she plopped down beside Pope.

“Why?”

“He wouldn’t tell me. What do we do?” Pope could feel the panic in his voice and Kie held onto his hand again and gave it a squeeze.

“We can use my dad’s lawyer. We can go visit him.”

“When can we visit him?”

“I don’t know. Here,” she said, opening up her phone to Google. “I’ll look up their visiting hours and we can go see him.”

“Do you think he’s scared?” Pope asked, because it felt wrong to ask if he was okay. He knew Kiara didn’t actually have a good answer for him. She just nodded and continued to type with her thumbs.

It calms Pope to watch her focused, watch her biting her lip. She finds the hours and tells Pope that next weekend they can go.

“That’s in four days away!” Pope exclaims, as if Kie doesn’t know and as if being upset could solve his problem. Usually, Pope is the one finding the solution but right now all he can think about is JJ sitting in a prison cell and an orange jumpsuit.

“Oh wait,” Kie interjects, softer and it worries Pope. “No, we can’t. He has to put us on a visitation list otherwise we can’t see him.”

“How do we contact him to put us on a visitation list if we can’t see him?”

“I don’t know.”

“Kie?”

“Yeah?” she asks, finally drawing her attention away from the phone and back to Pope. He feels himself near tears and he thinks she might be too. “Do you think this is my fault?”

“What? Of course, not,” she insists, her voice gentle and high and she squeezes his hand. “Why would you even think that?”

“I let him take the fall for me. What if he couldn’t pay back the restitutions and now he’s in jail because of me?”

“Juvie. He’s in juvie not prison.”

“it’s the same thing.”

“No, it’s not.”

“We have to help him.”

Her face softens again and she just nods, resting her head on his shoulder as if the idea how helping JJ has already exhausted her.

“We should talk to your dad’s lawyer, then.”

“Yeah?”

“Maybe he can get us on a visitation list, at least.”

———————————————————————

“Who are you?” JJ asks when somebody who is absolutely not his lawyer takes a seat on the other side of the table. There is nobody else there but JJ can see the guard’s shoulder through the little square window on the door. His right hand is cuffed to the table and he’s sweating through his clothes and even he can smell his own odor. The man sitting down beside him has a suit and gelled hair and wristwatch. He smiles slightly at JJ and it makes him squirm.

“My name is Gabe Walters. I am your friend Kiara Carrera’s father’s lawyer. They’re really worried about you, bud.”

Bud sounds weird. Bud makes JJ feel even more uncomfortable and he wishes he had something in his hands to fiddle with.

“I already have a lawyer.”

“You have a public defender, is that right?”

JJ nods because, to be honest, he doesn’t know if that’s what the first guy was called. The new lawyer sounds very confident when he says it, so JJ just goes along with it.

“The Carrera’s would like for me to represent you. I think I can get you out of here. Is that something you would like?”

The way he worded that comment was sneaky and JJ knows this guy already thinks he’s a loose cannon. Maybe he is a loose cannon. He doesn’t want a pity lawyer. He has no idea how Kiara even found out he was in. juvie.

“I already have a lawyer,” he says again, quieter, because he really doesn’t know what to do and the guard outside has turned around to glance inside the room and it’s distracting. JJ adjusts the way he sitting and kicks as his toes.

“I can’t force you to do anything. But I have a lot more time and more resources than the lawyer you have now. I know, Jim, he’s a good guy. But he has a pile of cases so high he can’t see the top.”

JJ shrugged, wanting to say yes but also knowing very well that he couldn’t. He didn’t have the money to pay the restitution let alone pay a fancy lawyer to get him out of juvie for not having enough money.

“I can’t afford it anyway,” he finally said after a minute of silence that he was dying to break.

“I don’t think you understood, son. You wouldn’t owe me any money. The Carrera’s want to cover the legal fees.”

Fuck no.

“No, that’s okay.”

“Are you sure?”

“They shouldn’t have to pay anything.”

The lawyer sighed and rested his hands on the table. He was looking too deeply into JJ’s eyes so JJ reverted his gaze down to his lap, all too aware of how grimy and tired he looked. It was pathetic.

“I know how important pride can be, especially when you’re in a place like this where they’ll try to strip you of every ounce of what you’ve got. I sat where you when I was seventeen. I had a shit lawyer and I ended up serving three years for stealing a bag of chips. I didn’t have anybody in my life offering me a hand. You don’t have to take it, I’ll leave right now if you ask. But I’d think all of this over before you make your decision.”

It was patronizing, but comforting. JJ looked up and the lawyer’s eyes were still glued to his own.

“You think you can get me out?” JJ asked softly. The lawyer nodded.

“I can’t make any promises, but I think there’s a very strong possibility I could get you home within the next two weeks.”

Home. JJ wanted nothing more in the world to go home. His bed, his pillow, clean underwear, pooping with the door closed.

“Okay, then.”

“Is that a yes?”

“Yes, sir.”

———————————————————————

Kie’s dad’s lawyer gets her and Pope on the waiting list for the following weekend and she offers to drive since Pope is a terrible driver when he is anxious. Plus, he always goes exactly the speed limit and it makes Kie go ballistic. She picks him up Saturday morning and they stop at McDonald’s on the way there for breakfast.

Normally, Kie has music queued up for long car rides. Today the drive is silent.

After around five hours, they pull up to the detention center. It’s cold and lifeless and wrapped in a snake of barbed wire fences. There are boys outside playing basketball and walking around a track. Kie looks over to Pope and he looks paralyzed.

“If you can’t go in, it’s okay,” she tries to reassure him. She knows how scared he is of the prison. How scared he is to see JJ. She reaches out for his hand.

“I can do it,” he says, voice quiet but determined. Kie just nods and turns off the engine.

It takes them a few minutes to find the correct entrance and then they go through security, sign in, and take a seat in the waiting room. The chairs are made of plastic and leave imprints on Kie’s thighs but she can feel how close they are to JJ. There are a few other people in the waiting room, one looks like a lawyer, there is a set of grandparents, and a woman who is likely somebody’s mother. She’s crying and it makes Kie’s stomach churn. The two guards standing by the door are chatting, laughing. While the woman cries.

“Alright, this way,” a guard finally instructs the two of them down a hall. Kie can see windows beginning to line the wall ahead. It’s the visitation room. Her heartbeat increases and Pope squeezes her hand. “Only thirty seconds of touching, you cannot give him anything, and we have the right to escort you out immediately should the situation escalate.”

Kie isn’t paying attention to what the guard is saying because as he opens up the door to the room she spots a blond head of hair.

“JJ!” Pope cries, both of them dashing toward where JJ is sitting. He stands, turning to look at them, and they both stop in their tracks. He has a dark bruise lining his neck like a noose and his eye is purple. The smell is putrid. He doesn’t move, just blinks as he takes them in. A huge grin grows over his face and Pope throws himself at JJ.

Pope takes all thirty seconds so Kie just gives him the best smile she can muster up and takes a seat beside Pope. JJ won’t stop smiling and Kie wants to smile back, she really does, but he looks to terrible and Pope’s hands are shaking and there are way too many other people in the room.

“Are you okay, dude?” Pope speaks first, voice warm and grounding and it brings Kie out of her head and into the moment.

“Never been better,” JJ lies, giving them a shrug and his smile drops for a moment. She sees the exhaustion and hurt in his eyes before he brings the smile back, even if it’s just for a second it was there. “I mean, it could be a lot worse.”

“How long have you been here?” Kie asks. JJ doesn’t meet her eyes, just looks down at his hands and then up at Pope.

“Only a week.”

“What the hell happened?” she asks when he doesn’t elaborate.

“Missed my hearing. Forfeited my plea deal when I bought that stupid hot tub.”

Kie’s eyes are welling up by how cold his voice sounds. He’s still smiling but his eyes are hollow.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Pope asks, so delicately that Kie almost didn’t even hear it. “Do they let you use the phone.”

“It costs money to call somebody in a prison.”

“JJ,” Kie melts, feeling a tear roll down her cheek but she tries to wipe it away before anybody noticed. She knew she couldn’t get too emotional right now. She needed to focus on JJ right now.

“Call us tomorrow, yeah?” Pope asks, but it doesn’t sound like a question.

“There won’t be much new to talk about.”

“We’ve missed you.”

Kie nods her head in agreement, not trusting her own voice quite yet. JJ keeps his stupid fake smile on his face and scratches at the back of his neck. Involuntarily, he reminds them both of the bruising around his neck.

“How long are you going to be in here?” Pope asks.

“At least until my next hearing. Maybe longer.”

“When is the hearing? We’ll come,” Kie offered, her voice shaky but she tries to steady it.

“It’s two weeks from tomorrow,” JJ comments and Kie pictures him sitting in a cell and counting down the days. “And thanks, but since I’m under eighteen you actually can’t come.”

Pope lets out a trembling breath and Kie knows how hard he’s fighting not to break down. JJ still sounds and looks lifeless, hiding behind his smile.

There’s yelling from across the room and the guards are rushing over to break it up. They announce that visiting hours are over because of the fight and JJ loses his fake smile. The guards step closer to escort Pope and Kiara out but before they arrive JJ grabs a hold of Pope and tucks his head against his shoulder. Pope holds onto him for a moment—even kisses his forehead, which makes Kie really want to cry because Pope is the kindest person she knows—and then the guards pull them apart. They’re too aggressive with both of them and Kie wants to yell but she’s afraid and so she holds onto Pope and tells him that it’s going to be okay.

A guard manhandles JJ out of the room, his grip hard and frank, but JJ doesn’t look to put up a fight. He smiles to Pope and Kie. She can’t tell if it’s genuine but she gives him a small smile back until he’s being led out the door and Pope and herself out another. The visit was supposed to be a lot longer. Kie still has so much she wanted to ask.

The second they get in the car, Pope starts to cry. Kie shoves down her own desire to let it out and pulls Pope into a hug. His grip on her is tight and she buries her face against his chest as it bounces up and down to the rhythm of his cries.

———————————————————————

JJ calls Pope every day. He waits in line for usually about an hour or two until one of the phones is free and dials up Pope’s number—another guy had to teach him out to use the payphone, but it wasn’t that once he figured it out. Pope picks up after two rings every time. They talk until the guard tells JJ his time is up.

“How did the date go?” JJ asks since the day before Pope told JJ that he and Kiara were having a date night.

“It was nice.”

“High praise,” JJ jokes, and it feels so good to be light-hearted for a moment, to hear Pope chuckle through the phone. JJ feels hot eyes on his back from other guys waiting to use the phone but he curls toward the wall and clutches the phone close to his ear.

“Things are awkward between us. Like, we both care a lot about each other…” Pope trails off and JJ would let him finish but they don’t have an unlimited number of minutes.

“But?”

“But sometimes I wonder if us being together is actually a good idea.”

“Oh, shit.”

“Like, I care about her obviously. And we like spending time together but when it comes to the romantic stuff, it just feels weird.”

“She’s a bad kisser?”

“No! No. But, I mean, I don’t feel much emotionally when she kisses me.”

“But you feel it physically?” JJ laughs and he can feel Pope rolling his eyes.

“I’m being serious, JJ. I think we might break up.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not going to affect the Pogues though. I mean, we’ve talked about it actually, what we would do if we broke up.”

“You know, talking about how you would handle a breakup in the first three weeks of dating usually isn’t a good sign,” JJ comments.

“You’re telling me. Have you heard any more from your lawyer about the hearing?”

“Nope.”

“Are you ready?”

“It’s not like I’m the one who actually has to do anything.”

“I’m ready for you to get out of there.”

“Me too.”

The guard tells JJ the time is up and Pope tells JJ he loves him. JJ says it back. It’s just something they do now.

JJ likes it a lot more than he would ever admit. He thinks about it when he sits back down on his bed. His roommate is reading a book, not angry right now like he usually is, and JJ lays down and stares at the cinderblock wall, thinking about Pope and Kie having to break up. Thinking about his hearing. Thinking about Pope. Thinking about his dad. Thinking about how he has to go to the bathroom but isn’t in the mood. Thinking about going home.

———————————————————————

Pope and Kie wait outside the courtroom, Heyward sitting them beside and Mr. Carrera. Pope has told his dad the day before that he was going to go to JJ’s hearing and just sit outside, in case they released JJ on the spot. Heyward had done a double take and then immediately picked up the phone. Pope had thought his dad was ignoring him and was annoyed until five minutes later he popped his head in Pope’s doorway and told him he got his work shift covered and he would come too.

Mr. C and Heyward talked about fishing quietly, blissfully unaware that Pope and Kie had broken up the night before. It had been a loving breakup—if you can call a breakup loving. Kie had agreed it would be for the best. She said she never wanted to lose their friendship and Pope had been eternally grateful for how amazing of a person his best friend was. He reached out for her hand about halfway through the hearing as he started to get lost in his worries. She gave it a squeeze.

The doors open and Mr. and Mrs. Thornton spilled out first. They were both standing too straight and it made Pope uncomfortable but they walked out with their lawyer and then JJ’s lawyer made his way through the doorway. Then Luke. Then JJ.

Pope felt like he had just lost one hundred pounds.

“You’re out!” Kie cried excitedly. JJ flashes her a big smile and this time it looked genuine. Luke said something to the lawyer and then reached out for JJ’s arm. The flinch was tiny, but Pope noticed it.

“JJ, it’s good to see you,” Heyward started, but Luke gave him a wild look and then tugged JJ.

“You can talk to your friends later. We need to have a chat.”

Mr. Carrera took a step in front of them to block the path to the exit.

“Our kids have been waiting here for two hours and would appreciate a moment to say hello.”

Kie’s dad had balls. Luke didn’t seem to care.

“I’d appreciate it if you took a step back.”

His words were vicious and JJ started down at his feet. JJ’s entire body was tense and he was biting down on his lip and Pope had never in his life seen JJ looked so scared. Pope’s chest hurt and he squeezed Kie’s hand.

“Take a step back. And don’t you talk to me about my boy again.” He turned to JJ. “Outside, now.”

Mr. C took a step to the side and Luke pulled JJ out of the courthouse.

“You know,” the lawyer said quietly to Mr. C—but Pope was good at eavesdropping and listened. “I know a good Children and Youth Services lawyer. If that’s necessary.”

Pope’s blood boiled when Mr. C just nodded and shrugged. What can ya do? There was a lot they could fucking do. Heyward lead Pope and Kiara out of the courthouse while Mr. Carrera talked a little bit more to the lawyer.

At least JJ wasn’t in juvie anymore.

“Have either of you ever met JJ’s dad?” Heyward asked as they walked outside. Kie shook her head but Pope nodded. “When?”

“About a week ago.”

“I don’t want you ever going near that man again, got it?”

Pope got it. Kie nodded too, even though Heyward had no control of her here.

“If you ever JJ say something that sounds off about it, I want you to let me know.”

It was too late for that, and Pope wasn’t sure if he even could tell his dad what he knew about Luke. What he figured was about to happen. It made him feel sick. But he agreed and so did Kiara.

“What an ass,” came Mr. Carrera’s voice as he approached the three. “Excuse my language, honey.”

Kie looked over to Pope as if to silently ask what they could do to help JJ. Pope shrugged.

“We drive all this way, provide him with a lawyer that actually gets his kid out of juvie, and he can’t even let the kids say hello?”

Heyward was mad, but Mr. Carrera seemed genuinely shocked. He must not have heard the rumors about Luke Maybank before.

———————————————————————

“How did the hearing go, baby?” Pope’s mom asks when they arrive home.

“He’s out of juvie.”

“Isn’t that wonderful. Maybe we can have him over for dinner one night this week to celebrate.” It’s the first time either one of his parents have ever asked Pope to invite JJ to their house. Heyward sighs behind Pope as he places the key ring on a hook and comes into the kitchen to start up the electric kettle.

“Pope why don’t you go and lay your suit across my bed. I can put it away for you,” his mom instructs. He knows that they just want him to leave the room so they can talk about JJ and his father. Pope wants to leave before they start asking him questions he’s not allowed to answer, so he grabs a cheese-stick from the fridge and makes his way to his bedroom.

He has two unread messages from Kie but he’s not really in the mood to answer them. He changes his clothes and places the suit on the bed like he was told. He opens up his phone and sends a text to JJ, asking him how he’s doing and when they can hang out. He doesn’t expect a response back tonight, but he hopes that he’ll get one anyway. He’s used to talking to JJ every day.

Pope waits until his mom calls him back into the kitchen for dinner. They don’t talk much about the hearing or JJ or JJ’s father during dinner. Pope finishes quickly, thanks them, cleans his dishes, and heads to bed. He’s wiped out from the day and he has to get up early to tutor a freshman in geometry the next morning, so he’s ready to get in bed and go to sleep by ten.

He comes very close to falling asleep when he hears a clinking sound. Then another. And another. It’s coming from his window. Kiara can’t throw for shit, so his mind goes straight to JJ and he’s rushing over to the window to pull the blinds up. Sure enough, JJ is standing in his backyard, throwing pebbles at Pope’s first floor bedroom window.

“Be careful, you could break a window,” Pope says as he slides the window up high enough for JJ to crawl through.

JJ’s not crying and he’s not covered in blood, which Pope takes as a good sign. As he stumbles to his feet, Pope sees the bruises peaking below the hem of his shirt. JJ tugs it down into place.

“Are you okay?” Pope asks because what else is there to say.

“Fine. I just couldn’t stay in that house any longer.”

JJ’s words are practiced and Pope knows they’re a façade, but Pope also knows this is not the time for an argument.

“Are you gonna stay for the night?”

“If that’s cool?”

“It’s good, I just need to go get the air mattress.”

“No!” JJ cries and reaches his hand out as if to pull Pope back. “I don’t want to wake your parents.”

“They’re asleep, they won’t hear.”

“Please, Pope.”

Pope isn’t sure if he has ever heard JJ say please in his life so he respects his wishes. Pope has a twin bed, so he’ll just sleep on the floor and let JJ take the bed.

“Do you want to shower or have something to eat?” Pope asks, trying not to sound too gentle because he doesn’t want to embarrass JJ. JJ’s eyes fall and he shrugs. Pope takes it as a yes.

“I’ll get you some food, the bathroom is just down the hall. Don’t turn the handle too far left or the water will burn you.”

JJ doesn’t say anything but Pope hands him a clean towel and heads into the kitchen to heat up some of the leftover mac and cheese. Pope wonders how much JJ ate in juvie. How much JJ eats at home.

He can hear his parents faintly arguing in their bedroom from the kitchen and tries to block it out but he hears JJ’s name and instantly panics.

“You think DCS doesn’t know about his father? Do you know how many times I dropped Pope off to elementary school and that little boy was bruised or bleeding? We have nothing to report that they don’t already know.”

“You should’ve heard the way he spoke today. The way he scared that kid.”

“I believe you, baby.”

“We have to do something.”

“We’ll have the boy over for dinner. As many dinners as he wants.”

It wasn’t really a fight, just louder than usual. The microwave buzzed and Pope removed the plate and fished a spoon out of the drawer for JJ. He took them back into his room even though he technically wasn’t allowed to have food in his room. And technically he wasn’t—JJ was. There was no rule that JJ couldn’t eat in his room.

And after the conversation he had overheard, Pope didn’t think his parents would actually be upset if they found out.

JJ walked back into the bedroom shortly after Pope. He was wearing the same clothes from earlier but his hair was wet so Pope figured he must’ve showered. Pope ushered to the mac and cheese sitting on his desk and JJ took a seat.

“It’s not as good in the microwave, but it would’ve taken forever to turn on the oven.”

“It’s perfect,” JJ hummed, shoving heaping spoonfuls of pasta into his mouth until he started to cough. Pope, unthinkingly, reached out to put a hand on JJ’s back and it caused JJ to jump out of his seat and he fell on his butt beside the desk. Wide-eyed and quick-breathed, JJ scooted further against the wall until it hit his back.

Pope took a step back and held his hand to his chest.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t think.”

“I’m fine you just uh startled me,” JJ said, trying to sound nonchalant but his voice cracked and his eyes were still big.

“JJ.”

JJ swallowed and Pope noticed the spit up pieces of mac and cheese on the carpet. They would probably stain. JJ’s eyes had gone wet and Pope hesitantly stood before him. He held his hands up so JJ could see where they were. That they weren’t reaching out to hurt him. With his eyes locked onto JJ’s, he reached out a hand to help JJ up.

“I’m sorry,” JJ whispered, taking Pope’s outstretched hand and helping tug himself up. JJ looked to the floor where the mac and cheese had sprinkled. “Shit.”

“Don’t worry about that. Just eat slowly, okay? We have more if you’re still hungry.”

JJ nods and takes a seat in Pope’s desk chair, taking a significantly smaller bite of mac and cheese. If it wasn’t so hearting breaking it might be funny how the moment he begins chewing a tear falls down his cheek. But it is heart breaking and Pope doesn’t know what to do because he’s not good with words and he can’t touch JJ. He sits at the edge of his bed so they’re close, but he doesn’t touch. JJ doesn’t wipe his tears away, and he eats slowly just like Pope suggested.

He finishes what’s left on the plate and tries to steady his breathing but his chest is rising and falling rapidly and Pope notices the way JJ is fiddled his thumbs around the hem of his shirt.

“You take the bed,” Pope says, standing up and taking a few steps back so that he’s not in JJ’s space.

“That’s stupid,” JJ whispers.

“It’s not stupid at all.”

JJ looks up at him and Pope realizes he hasn’t actually stopped crying yet. Pope motions his arm toward the bed even though he wants to reach out and pull JJ into a hug. But he can’t. JJ stands and climbs into the bed. He lays above the covers so Pope grabs a fuzzy blanket from the upper shelf of his closet and sets it at the foot of the bed.

“If you need it,” he says. JJ pats the space beside him softly and Pope freezes.

“Please?”

His voice is barely there and there are still tears running down his cheeks and Pope is in absolutely no position to say no to JJ right now.

Pope slides into the bed, laying down on his side and sticking his hands under his head so that they’re face to face. JJ blinks, tears fall, and he reaches his hand out to the middle of the space between them with his palm facing up. Pope isn’t sure if it’s what JJ wants, but he pulls his hand out from under his head and places it on top of JJ’s. JJ grips his hand instantly and Pope feels relief wash over him.

“Are you okay?” Pope asks again, wondering if maybe in the dark JJ will have a different answer than he had before.

“No.”

“Can I hold you?”

Pope is surprised he even asked the question and wants to take it back the moment he opens his mouth. It sounds so stupid and JJ gives him a confused look and Pope feels like an idiot.

But then JJ mumbles, “Yeah,” and Pope doesn’t feel like an idiot anymore.

He reaches his free hand out above them and JJ burrows into the space between Pope’s chest and his arms and Pope wraps his arm down across JJ’s back. JJ’s tears are wet against his shirt and they seep through his skin. It’s sticky.

“I’m so glad you’re home,” Pope says, wanting to see JJ smile. JJ doesn’t smile though, only chokes on his breath. “JJ?”

“I didn’t mean to,” he whispers. It’s hard to hear him before JJ is speaking into Pope’s chest but he manages to decipher the message. “I never mean to do it.”

“It’s not your fault.” JJ doesn’t seem to hear and continues mumbling into Pope’s shirt.

“I didn’t mean to do forget the hearing or spend all the restitution money. I didn’t mean to.”

Pope’s heart is crumbling like rubble to ash and he can’t seem to hold JJ any tighter so he uses one of his hands to run circles around his back because it always calms Pope when his mother does it to him.

“It’s not your fault.”

“I didn’t mean to get John B killed or break up you and Kie.”

“You didn’t get JB killed, man,” Pope says, even though it feels weird to call JJ man when he’s holding him so gently. “And Kie and I didn’t break up because of you.”

JJ shakes his head and continues rambling as his cries begin manifesting into sobs.

“I didn’t mean to make Mom leave.”

Pope thinks JJ might be too far gone to realize what he’s saying at this point.

“I know,” Pope says, running his hand through JJ’s hair and then brings it to his back again to run his fingertips around. “It’s alright.”

JJ shakes his head again but he’s finished talking—unable to get anything else now that he is sobbing. His fingers are twisting Pope’s shirt and he can feel his nails lightly throw the fabric across his chest. It doesn’t hurt, but it reminds Pope that JJ isn’t just sad but angry too. That JJ isn’t just soft but has sharp edges and steep slopes.

“It’s alright,” Pope says again, brushing through JJ’s hair and across the skin of his arms as he tries to sooth him. JJ clings to him.

The sobs eventually die down and JJ’s hand loses its grip on Pope’s shirt. Pope can hear snores escaping his lungs and feels relieved that he’s fallen asleep. Pope holds him just as tight, taking the blanket from the end of the bed and uses his foot to pull it closer. He wraps it around them both—giving the vast majority of the blanket to JJ. He brushes the hair out of JJ’s eyes and tries to keep his fingers as far from the purple and blue skin as he can.

In his sleep, JJ curls closer to Pope.

Since JJ is asleep and Pope wants to scream but cannot, he chooses instead to press a kiss to JJ’s forehead. It’s all he can think to do. It’s not enough.

———————————————————————

tagging: @kikifromtheblock (if anybody would like to be added to a mayward taglist, feel free to lmk!)

[childofaura]

Walter Strickler, Trollhunters. BREAK 'IM DOWN!

YESSS ANON, YOU’VE MADE MY DAY!

How I feel about this character:

SO. MANY. FEELINGS. ALL VERY POSITIVE AND I LOVE THIS CHARACTER. So I’m fascinated by Strickler’s character, that he (And Nomura, but that’s for another day) is so deeply invested in human culture that he’s repulsed by average troll-habits; it makes you wonder how his upbringing was as a child. Academic achievements and rewards in school? Did he join any kind of athletic teams in school? How did he decide on becoming a teacher when we can kind of agree that being a teacher for an absolute hodge-podge of high-strung teenage personalities is hard to get into? ALSO, his intellect. He’s so meticulous that very rarely does he get caught in his own slip-ups, it’s usually the result of an outside force or someone else (Bular calling Jim “Young Atlas”, Jim causing Angor’s soul to break, etc). He’s the best kind of antagonist, the self-serving kind; He knows how to get under people’s skin, he knows how to keep his head attached to his body when need-be, but despite all that and despite the belief of superiority that trolls are better than humans, he has an honest-to-goodness liking for Jim, being that Jim’s an earnest kid who puts his effort into class and homework, but just falls behind because he’s balancing taking care of his mom with being a teen.

OH, AND HIS ACTOR. HE FITS LIKE A GLOVE AND I COULDN’T IMAGINE A DIFFERENT ACTOR.

All the people I ship romantically with this character:

Pretty easy, him and Barbara. The show does a really good job in displaying the progression of how he falls for her; She’s got a genuinely kind demeanor, she’s witty, charming, and very social. Someone that, for a guy like Strickler who embraces humanity more than the other changelings, is delightful to spend time with. Even if it was just a way for him to keep his thumb on Jim, he got way too involved (but that’s a good thing, though!)

My non-romantic OTP for this character:

I know I’m like everyone else, but him and Nomura. I feel like the show’s pacing didn’t leave enough room to show them interacting without someone else in the room. Both Strickler and Nomura are changelings who invested very deeply into human culture (Strickler in history, and Nomura in artwork), and since art and history are intertwined, there was a lot of missed opportunity to see them make historic or art references that they very well could have been there for... depending on how old they were or how long they lived, of course. Still don’t really know their canon age. Also would have been nice to see back-and-forth banter, even if they’re just mocking each other.

My unpopular opinion about this character:

Oh gosh... I don’t even know if I have one? Mmmm... maybe the fact that at one point the show attempted to slightly push a “father-son” tone, however lightly it was, with him and Jim. But that might also be my faulty memory, I could have sworn at one point they said something similar to that but I could be wrong. But either way, Blinky firmly has to hold the father role to Jim.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:

MORE. SCREENTIME. DURING. 3BELOW AND WIZARDS! HIM AND BARBARA ARE NOW PARENTS TO LIKE 50 BABIES, YOU CAN’T TELL ME THERE WEREN’T ANY MORE SHENANIGANS GOING ON AFTER THE TROLLHUNTERS FINALE. Especially because he would have been devastated to see what happened to Jim after they came back to Arcadia and came back from the past! ALSO SHOULD HAVE HAD EVEN MORE FIGHT SCENES WITH HIM! His fighting technique was so fascinating (Not Nomura levels of amazing, but still amazing on his own merit)!

[allthefilmsiveseenforfree]

Magnolia

I don’t know much about Magnolia or Paul Thomas Anderson, but I do know that it takes someone paying me to get me to watch a 3-hr+ drama that doesn’t star Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio, and a really big boat. This is one of my mom’s favorite movies which is why she requested it for me to review. It’s packed with a balls-to-the-wall star-studded cast (Tom Cruise! Julianne Moore! Phillip Seymour Hoffman! John C. Reilly! William H. Macy! Felicity Huffman!) and I’m genuinely excited to see how they all fit together. Cause they have to all fit together in some coherent way, right? Well...

Do you remember in Sorry to Bother You when the Equisapiens came out and things just took like...a real turn? That’s kind of what this was like. Whereas StBY pushed a thought to its most extreme, but logical, conclusion, what Paul Thomas Anderson has done here feels like a magician doing a lot of impressive illusions - sawing a lady in half, making a motorcycle disappear, pulling smaller things out of bigger things - and then for his final trick, walking onstage amidst a grand plume of smoke, dropping his pants, taking a gigantic shit, and then saying, “You’ve been a great audience, thanks a lot and goodnight!” It’s not like you can say the experience was BAD. Everything up to the finale was a really great time! But when you’re left on a note that is that bafflingly odd, it kinda colors the way you’ll remember the whole thing.

Magnolia is the story of one long day in the life of 12 people living in Los Angeles who are all connected via an extensive web from acquaintances to married couples to parents and children to paid caregivers and beyond. It’s a day that has the same kind of ups and downs as any other day until it, well, turns into something else entirely. I’m not sure how else to explain it, but if you want to know more, spoilers will be spoiled below.

Some thoughts:

Patton Oswalt cameo! I am a massive fan and thought I knew his whole filmography and OMG how did I not know that he was in this!!

Ok, in spite of my skepticism this entire opening sequence about coincidence had me hooked IMMEDIATELY. Like, this is some damn good storytelling, if this were a novel, I would not be able to put it down - that pull, that’s what it feels like.

Am I the only person whose encyclopedic memory of character actors/roles gets distracted when they see someone from something that is wildly disparate compared to the role you’re currently watching? For example, I had to pause the movie and confirm via IMDB that I did just see Professor Sprout from HP scream “Shut the fuck up!” at her husband while brandishing a shotgun.

Would people really recognize a grown ass man from being a successful child game show contestant? I’ll tell you the answer, no they wouldn’t, because no one realizes that Peter Billingsley (aka Ralphie from A Christmas Story) is the head of the elf production line in Elf.

I knew this was a stacked cast, but holy SHIT this is a stacked cast. If I had $1 for every fantastic character actor I recognize in this, I would have at least $37, and these are people in the film who have maybe 2-3 lines each. It’s a deep bench is what I’m saying.

This makes me miss Phillip Seymour Hoffman so, so very much.

Watching PSH care for and be so compassionate and gentle with his hospice patient, Earl (Jason Robards),makes my heart ache terribly. All of the people who have been unable to perform this kindness, this type of compassionate care for their closest loved ones as they lie dying in isolation of Covid...it’s overwhelming.

OMG I’m counting 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Very Good Dogs in the old man’s house!

I know Scientology is evil and he’s undeniably a complicated and morally grey person. I know all that. But goddamn I just love watching Tom Cruise COMMIT. Particularly when he commits to just absolute fucking sleazebag slimeballs. And boy oh boy is Frank Mackey an absolute fucking sleazebag slimeball.

Related - I know Frank looks like Tom Cruise, so he could get people to sleep with him no matter what, but I honestly feel like as a human being, this flesh suit is WAY more attractive balding and fat in Tropic Thunder than he is in this shiny brown shirt/leather vest/long hair combo.

I’m getting an uncomfortable vibe about these black characters being written by an artsy white dude, because I don’t know any young black kids who want to hang around with cops and offer up information about who committed a murder in their building. In fact, the way all of the black characters are treated in this film - as liars, criminals, the disingenuous “main stream media,” and thieves - feels rooted in some racist ass bullshit. We see a lot of nuance in our white characters, but even in a film that has, shockingly, more than one key black role, we don’t get that spectrum or nuance.

There is nothing I would love more than to learn that Frank Mackey is 1) gay 2) impotent or 3) both. He’s so disgustingly over-the-top misogynistic, it honestly feels like it should all be a complete act.

I confess I am on the edge of my seat trying to figure out how all these narrative threads tie together. It’s compelling as hell, even though half the time I don’t know why these people are having these long, meandering conversations. The pacing feels so deliberate, like a puzzle coming together. There’s real craftsmanship in how every scene is plotted to feel connected rather than manic or disjointed.

This pharmacist is being unprofessional as hell. Judgy McJudgerson, mind your fucking business, Julianne Moore’s father is dying! [ETA: ope, that’s embarrassing, Earl is actually her husband.]

NO THE DOG IS EATING THE PILLS OH NO VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE DOG.

I think I knew this, but this soundtrack is fantastic. All Aimee Mann and Supertramp, and Jon Brion’s score is this thrumming, anxious thing full of strings that underscore all these nervous conversations, and then it shifts into these low, mournful horns when things start to take a turn and everyone is reaching their lowest points.

I love this interviewer (April Grace) who is taking Frank (Tom Cruise) to task. I think it’s particularly noteworthy that she is a black woman, because the kind of misogyny Frank peddles is rooted in white supremacy.

Stanley (Jeremy Blackman) is breaking my goddamn heart here. I think he and Phil (PSH) are my favorite characters.

Jim (John C Reilly) is the perfect example of how even a cop with the best intentions, with absolute kindness and love is in heart, is abusing his power and sexually harassing a woman he encountered in the line of duty, who is eager to appease him because she doesn’t want to be charged with a crime. This movie reads a LOT differently than it did in 1999.

I normally really love Julianne Moore, but she is a screeching mess in this. I can’t stop staring at her mouth and all the contortions it makes as she delivers every line in hysterics. She’s one of the few weak spots for me here.

Listening to Frank go on his whole diatribe about what society does to little boys to break them and victimize them HAS to be the source of where Keith Raniere got at least half of his NXIVM bullshit. Like, some of these points are word-for-word.

Also if Frank makes as much money as he seems to, there’s no way he would drive a shitty Saturn sedan.

It feels like the common thread of this movie is everyone is terrible and cheats on their spouses, and you should come clean when you get cancer so you can die peacefully. Weird moral, but ok.

If Jim is a cop, how does he not see that this woman he’s interested in (Melora Walters) is coked out of her mind?

Y’know for being a quiz kid, Donnie (William H. Macy) sure is kinda stupid.

I confess I’m not taking many notes throughout this because I’m just kind of sitting breathlessly still watching all these conversations unfold because I am on the edge of my fucking seat to find out how all this is gonna come together.

Secret MVP of this movie is the mom from A Christmas Story (Melinda Dillon) who is giving the performance of her goddamn life as Jimmy Gator’s wife.

Did I Cry? On the surface it appears ridiculous, but when Tom Cruise is having his breakdown at his dying father’s bedside, I admit, that really got me. If you’ve ever been faced with that kind of hysterical, I-can’t-believe-this-is-happening, it feels like the whole world is ending kind of shock and hurt and anger, that’s what the crying looks like.

Are those......frogs?? That landed on Jim’s car? It’s raining fucking frogs???? OK for those of you sensitive to frog harm, this movie is going to take a real hard left turn for you, because I swear that came out of NOWHERE.

Um.

What.

Pray tell.

The fuck.

The climax of this movie - is when literal frogs rain from the sky.

And we finally got resolution about the dog, and the dog DID die, and I’m pissed about it. It’s offscreen but still.

I'm sorry - I know I’m fixating. But how is it possible that I knew about all the characters performing a sing-along to Aimee Mann’s (excellent) song “Wise Up” but I did NOT know that the climax of the film involves literally thousands of frogs falling to their death from the sky? How is that something that escapes entry into the cultural zeitgeist? I’m with it, you guys. I have been Very Online for over a decade, and before that, I read a lot of Entertainment Weekly, and like it just seems that this is something that pop culture really should have told me.

I think the funniest moment of this movie might be the credits in which I discovered that not only is Luis Guzman playing a man named Luis, he’s actually playing himself. I don’t know why, but I can’t stop laughing about it. That was a 189-minute setup to one dumb punchline.

I think I loved this movie but I don’t quite know. The frog thing really threw me. What I’m taking away from it is that even when it doesn’t feel like it or seem like it, we are all connected to each other, always, in ways we can’t see or know. As Wife astutely pointed out, it’s reminiscent of the pandemic - we’re all in the same storm, but we each have our own boats and our own experiences within that storm. And it’s kind of nice to remember that right now, that connection still exists even when it feels so far away. Just not if you’re a frog I guess, cause they really got the short end of the stick here.

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[elizabethemerald]

A day soul-bound to Dr. Lake

@cqsthings Had this amazing thought about Strickler’s Soul-Bond with Barbara. I wanted to expand on that somewhat. 

Strickler woke up in annoyance and pain. It may well be time to replace his mattress. If he woke up with the level of back pain as he was currently experiencing. He sat up and stretched, though that did nothing to alleviate his discomfort. He thought about his mattress for few minutes. He was the head of the Janus Order, with access to the accounts, he could afford a new mattress, in fact his mattress was only a couple of years old. The realization hit him the next moment. 

“Barbara.” Strickler growled her name out. He threw himself back down on his mattress as pain radiated down his back. He could only guess that her mattress apparently hadn’t been replaced since before Young Atlas’s father left them. He wondered idly if he could donate a new mattress to her without raising suspicions. He could only imagine the look on the Trollhunter’s face when he realized who the mattress was from. 

Oh well. This was the cost of security. Jim would never risk any harm coming to his mother. Strickler stood up and and began getting ready for his day. Breakfast and a morning coffee later he was almost ready to leave when he felt a curious sensation. 

Walter was quickly able to determine that it was coming from Barbara, but at first he couldn’t tell what was happening. He felt pressure all the way around his torso, then a joining pressure on his arms. After a moment’s thought he smiled. Jim was giving his mother a goodbye hug. How sweet. Maybe he could use this as material to harass his opponent later during the day. He smiled and whistled as he walked for the door. 

A new sensation stopped him in his tracks. The unmistakable feeling of a kiss on the cheek. It felt...wrong to feel what was clearly a expression of love between mother and son. He felt almost like a voyeur for being able to feel it. He shook his head and marched out the door, his briefcase in hand. Strickler tripped, dropping his suitcase as a sudden scalding sensation burned down his throat.

“Dammit, woman. Wait for you coffee to cool properly!” Strickler growled out quietly before striding to his car. 

.

Sharing sensations with Barbara Lake did not improve as the day progressed. His growling annoyance with his surroundings and the woman he had bound his fate to grew throughout the day. 

Strickler was baffled by how a woman as clumsy as Barbara had managed to become a doctor. He knew he would have bruises on both shins at the end of the day. The worst happened when he had been crossing the courtyard of the school. He had tripped and stumbled around rubbing his shin when he noticed Young Atlas glaring at him. He was sure the boy could guess why he was suddenly in pain. 

He was in his office again, his stomach aching and growling. Or rather Barbara’s stomach was as she continued to ignore her hunger. He was sure she was busy and had simply forgotten to eat but the pinched feeling was throwing him off more and more. He wanted to burst into Uhl’s classroom and demand that Jim text his mother and remind her to eat. 

Instead Walter texted Barbara, asking her if she wanted to grab dinner this week. Maybe the reminder about food would remind her to take care of her body. 

A few minutes after texting her Walter felt a new peculiar sensation. A pulling and slight amount of pain on the inside of his bottom lip. It repeated several times along different areas of his lip, then his cheek. 

As he pondered he checked his phone. A new notification from Barbara! She did indeed want to grab dinner, but her response wasn’t what drew his attention. The pulling and pain in his lip increased. He tasted a small amount of blood as his lip opened up from the magic that bound them. 

Dr. Lake was nervously chewing her lip he realised. He texted her back confirming the time she had requested. Once the text was sent there was a small delay in her chewing on her lip, before it picked up again. He concluded with a smile that she must be nervous about their date. He leaned back, a smug grin on his face. Wouldn’t this be just the perfect thing to rub in Young Atlas’s face?

Strickler’s smile died on his lips and he sat forward again. She was nervous about dating him. Extremely nervous if the way she was chewing her lip to shreds was any indication. He wondered when she had last gone on a date. Maybe it was before James Lake Sr. had left her and Jim. If her last date was with the man who had abandoned her and her son, what must she be thinking about this date?

He didn’t have the full details of what happened between her and James, only a few details that Jim had shared during small moments of vulnerability prior to being called by the amulet. Walter supposed he could find out exactly what happened. Use his contacts to dig up the truth. 

Was he any better than James? Using Barbara to get to her son? Strickler knew his intentions, he had brought Angor Rot back with the express purpose of the assassin killing Jim. How could he face Barbara, knowing he was going to hurt her like this?

.

Strickler laid in bed, one arm over his face. His whole body ached. His feet felt swollen and throbbed with each step Barbara took. He pulled the arm from his face to glance at the clock, almost midnight. She had left for work just after he had, yet she was still walking around. 

Walter desperately wanted to text Young Atlas and ask him how late his mother usually worked, but knew that would be futile. Instead he growled to himself as his back, shoulders and feet continued to ache. He had not taken into account the long hours of a doctor when he had created this plan. Nor had he realized how much daily pain her work caused her. 

His thighs burned as Barbara apparently climbed a set of stairs. Had she finally made it home? He had felt what he was sure was her driving only a few minutes ago, maybe her day was finally over and she would pass out, so he could finally sleep. 

Instead of sleep he felt another strange sensation. A warmth across the palm of one his hands, a caress across his finger tips. His bafflement grew as the feeling lingered. Then a feeling against his lips and he understood. 

Barbara had come home from work, after working a double shift at a job that caused her considerable pain and discomfort and the first thing she did was check on Jim. She must have found him a sleep, gently held his face, then kissed him goodnight. 

Tears sprang unbidden to Strickler’s eyes. The Lakes loved each other so much. And he was a plague on them, bringing only heartbreak. He starred at his hand, even as the sensation of warmth faded. 

“I have made an incredible mistake.” Walter whispered to his empty bedroom. Then he sat up with a howl as a sharp pain shot up his leg. He threw his head back onto his pillow. “Dammit woman! Watch where you are walking!”

[bamby0304]

Her Saviours- Ch.19

Series Masterlist

Summary: During an odd case, the Winchesters came across Y/N, a scared young Omega girl who had been used as a lure for a nest of vampires. After rescuing her from the monsters, John and his sons took her in knowing she was in no state to live among ordinary people. But three Alphas and one Omega is a mixture bound for disaster.

Warnings: Explicit language. ABO dynamics. Angst. Fluff.

Bamby

Dean’s arm was around your waist as the two of you snuggled on your shared bed. Sam was sitting at the dining table of the night’s motel of choice. On the phone to one of John’s oldest hunter friends, Sam was determined to get to the bottom of where his father was.

“No, Dad was in California last we heard from him. We just thought...he comes to you for 'munitions....maybe you've seen him in the last few weeks. Just, call us if you hear anything.” There was a pause before Sam added a ‘thanks’ and then hung up.

Looking over your shoulder at him, Dean asked, “Caleb hasn't heard from him?”

“Nope,” Sam sighed, rising from his seat. “And neither has Jefferson or Pastor Jim. What about the journal? Any leads in there?”

“No, same as last time I looked.” Dean shook his head, settling back down into his pillow and pulling you close again. “Nothing I can make out. I love the guy, but I swear, he writes like friggin' Yoda.”

“You know, maybe we should call the Feds. File a missing person’s,” Sam suggest.

You scoffed, pulling away from Dean to sit up and turn to Sam. “Have you lost your mind?”

“I want to find my dad. I’m desperate enough to do anything to find him,” he countered.

Shaking your head, you pushed up to your feet and stepped towards him, a little challenging. “And what? You think Dean doesn’t want to find him? You think I don’t want to find him?”

“I’m not saying you don’t want to find him, but you and Dean… you’ve always followed his orders. You’ve always gone where he told you to, and done what he’s said to. Hell, you two went off on a case because of him, and now look at where we are.”

“So you’re blaming us?” You couldn’t believe what you were hearing.

“No I’m blaming his overbearing Alpha attitude,” Sam countered, surprising you. “No one ever questions him, so he doesn’t feel challenged or threatened, so he thinks he can get away with anything and it’s stupid shit like that that’s gonna get him hurt.”

“You did.”

He frowned down at you, confused. “Huh?”

“You challenged him every chance you got,” you noted, stepping closer to him subconsciously.

Raising one shoulder in a shrug, he reached up to fix the collar of your flannel top. “Someone had to. Just because he’s Pack Alpha doesn’t mean he’s right. Doesn’t mean he should be Pack Alpha.”

The way Sam said it… you weren’t sure he was even aware of the way his scent intensified ever so slightly. You were though. You could feel it pulse around you, and fill your senses. Suddenly you felt a little light headed and warm.

Noticing the way you swayed on the spot a little, Sam’s hand shot out to grab your waist and hold you in place. “You okay?” he asked with genuine concern.

Biting your lip, you hummed a ‘yes’ as you nodded.

Dean cleared his throat from where he was leaning up on his elbow in bed. “You two done?” Once you’d pulled away from Sam and crawled back onto your spot next to Dean, he turned to his brother. “We've talked about this. Dad'd be pissed if we put the Feds on his tail.”

“I don't care anymore.” Sam shrugged just as Dean’s phone chimed. “After all that happened back in Kansas, I mean...he should've been there, Dean. You said so yourself. You tried to call him and...nothing.”

“I know!” Dean exclaimed as he reached over to the bedside table behind him to check his phone.

“You know, he could be dead for all we know.”

Sam’s words made your blood run cold.

“Don't say that!” Dean warned. “He's not dead! He's- he's…”

“He's what?” Sam pressed. “He's hiding? He's busy?”

Instead of answering Sam, Dean finally checked his phone. He mumbled after a pause, “Huh. I don't believe it.”

“What?” Sam asked, taking a seat on his own bed.

“It's, uh… it's a text message. It's coordinates.” Dean turned and showed the two of you his phone.

Sure enough, someone had sent him coordinates.

42, -89

There was only one person who wasn’t in the room who sent those kinds of messages to the Winchesters… John.

Dean jumped out of bed in an instant and hurried over to the dining table where Sam’s laptop sat. You and Sam were still in shock, watching as Dean got to work right away.

When Sam’s brain eventually did catch up, he stood and headed over to his brother. “You think Dad was texting us?”

“He's given us coordinates before,” Dean noted.

“The man can barely work a toaster, Dean,” Sam countered.

He was very wrong about that, though. John wasn’t great when it came to tech before Sam went to college, but after? When John saw how the loss of his son was dragging you down, he got you to show him how to do things. It was a way to distract you, but also a way so he could check up on you. Make sure you knew that even when he wasn’t around, he was still there for you.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t shown the same reassurance this time around...

“Sam, it's good news!” Dean insisted. “It means he's okay, or alive at least.”

“Well, was there a number on the caller ID?”

“Nah, it said 'unknown'.”

“Well, where do the coordinates point?”

“That's the interesting part.” Dean read from the computer screen. “Rockford, Illinois.”

“Ok, and that's interesting how?”

“I checked the local Rockford paper. Take a look at this.” He turned the computer so Sam could see it as he explained the case he’d found. “This cop, Walter Kelly, comes home from his shift, shoots his wife, then puts the gun in his mouth, blows his brains out. And earlier that night, Kelly and his partner responded to a call at the Roosevelt Asylum.”

“Okay, I'm not following. What has this have to do with us?”

“Dad earmarked the same asylum in the journal,” Dean noted.

Taking that as a cue, you got out of bed, headed over to Dean’s duffle and pulled out John’s journal. Flicking through the pages, you quickly found what you were looking for. “Seven unconfirmed sightings, and two deaths.”

“Until last week at least,” Dean added. “I think this is where he wants us to go.”

Sam just snorted, pulling back from the table and shaking his head. “This is a job... Dad wants us to work a job.”

“Well, maybe we'll meet up with him? Maybe he's there?” You weren’t sure if Dean actually believed his own words, but you wanted to hope he was right.

“Maybe he's not?” Clearly Sam wasn’t as confident. “I mean, he could be sending us there, by ourselves, to hunt this thing.”

“Who cares! If he wants us there, it's good enough for me!”

“This doesn't strike you as weird? The texting? The coordinates?”

“Sam! Dad's tellin' us to go somewhere, we're goin'.”

Knowing Dean had the last say, Sam just glared at him as Dean rose from his seat and headed towards you. You stood there, feeling a little uncomfortable and conflicted as Dean wound his arms around your waist from behind and turned the two of you until you were facing his brother.

“He’s Pack Alpha. Doesn’t matter if you want him to be or not. Doesn’t matter if you think he shouldn’t be anymore. Dad’s the boss, we do as he says and that’s final.” Leaning forward, Dean rested his chin on your shoulder. “Now, pack up your crap.”

“We’re going now?” you asked, turning your head so you could look at him.

“He sent the message now, so we’re going now.” Dean gave your cheek a kiss. “Don’t worry, you can sleep while I drive,” he promised before letting go of you and turning away to head into the bathroom.

As soon as the door was closed, leaving you and Sam alone, the two of you looked to each other.

“You can’t agree with all of this.”

“All of what?”

He scoffed and stepped towards you. “Dad has control over your life, and now Dean does, too. You must hate having to do what they say.”

“I don’t have to do anything. I don’t belong to anyone. You see a mark on my neck?” Pulling your collar back, you tilted your head to give him a better view. “I’m a free woman, Sam. I can do what I want.”

“If that’s the case…” he shrugged, “why don’t you join us on this case?”

It was a challenge. He knew you’d always wanted to do more than just sit around and do research. More than just sit around and wait for the Alphas to return. Now, however, things were a little different.

“After the shapeshifter-”

“That was months ago,” he countered, cutting you off. “And you’ve come a long way. You’re strong, Y/N. You’re better than the woman people think you are. You’re not weak or timid or shy. I know you, even after all this time. I know you. You hate not having full control over your own fate, you just won’t say anything because you feel like you owe Dad, Dean and me some kind of debt.”

Swallowing the thick nothingness in your throat, you averted your gaze.

He wasn’t entirely wrong.

“You deserve better than waiting around for my dad to give you permission.”

Eyes darting back up, you glared at him. “What are you saying, Sam?”

Was he suggesting you deserved more than hotel rooms, microwave meals, and bad day-time TV? Or was he suggesting something else?

Before he could answer you, the bathroom door opened as Dean stepped out and spotted the two of you.

“Am I interrupting something?” The tension in Dean’s voice an palpable. There really was no question as to whether he was okay with you getting close to his brother or not… clearly, he was not okay.

“No.” Shaking your head, you decided you didn’t want Sam to answer. Reaching for your bag on the floor, you turned to look over your shoulder and smiled at Dean. “I’ll meet you in the car.”

Without giving Sam a second look, you walked out of the room, hoping he wouldn’t bring the subject up again.

Dean was playing the bad guy in the bar, which meant you and Sam had to pretend not to know him, but still be around and wait for the cue. At first you thought that meant the two of you were just gonna sit at the bar, pick at some peanuts and drink some beers… but Sam had other plans.

“Come on.” Grabbing your hand, smiling widely, he led you over to the jukebox.

Your eyes grew wide and darted around the room. “Sam what are you-”

Cutting you off, he twirled you around before pulling you closer. Hands landing on your hips, he smiled down at you. “Dance with me?”

“You’re insane,” you scoffed, moving to pull away.

As you pulled back he caught your hand again and kept you from going far. “Just stand here and sway with me. Please. Nothing serious. Just… I wanna hold you, Y/N.”

The flutter of butterflies that assaulted your stomach almost had you fainting on the spot.

Moving back to him, you couldn’t help but return his smile with one of your own as his hands landed back on your waist. You couldn’t deny that they felt good there. That it felt good to have him close again.

“Are you doing this to mess with me?” you asked, voice soft, unsure, a little scared of his answer.

Sighing, he slid his hands around to the small of your back, pulling you a little closer. “Don’t think for one second that I’ve forgotten what it feels like to be with you, Y/N. I never once ran away from you.”

“No… but you didn’t stay with me, either.”

“I would’ve asked you to come with me if I thought you’d do it. But I know you care about Dad and Dean, and I knew you would have begged me not to go.” He sighed, “I never could say no to you.”

“You're Daniel Gunderson. You're a cop, right?”

Dean’s voice carried through the bar, drawing yours and Sam’s attention to him as he spoke to a man at one of the tables. It was pretty obvious the guy didn’t want to talk to anyone, but that was kind of the point.

“Yeah.” The guy nodded shortly.

“Huh. I'm uh, Nigel Tufnel, The Chicago Tribune,” Dean introduced himself with the fake name he’d chosen for the case. “Mind if I ask you a couple of questions, about your partner?” he asked as he slid into the seat across from Gunderson.

“Yeah, I do. I'm just tryin' to have a beer here.”

Just like you’d all planned, Dean insisted, “That's okay, I swear it won't take that long. I just want to get the story in your words.”

“A week ago, my partner was sitting in that chair. Now he's dead. You gonna ambush me here?” Gunderson gestured to the chair Dean was now sitting in.

That was Sam’s cue.

Dean was not giving up. “Sorry. But I need to know what happened.”

Walking away from you, Sam stormed across the bar and shove Dean right out of the chair. You could tell by the way Dean’s head snapped in the direction of his brother that the shove had been harder than he’d been expecting.

“Hey buddy, why don't you leave the poor guy alone! The man's an officer! Why dontcha show a little respect!” Sam snapped.

Staring at Sam a moment longer, Dean then fixed up his jacket and walked out of the door.

Once Dean was gone, Gunderson looked to Sam. “You didn't have to do that.”

“Yeah, course I did. That guy's a serious jerk.” Shaking his head, Sam took Dean’s place in the seat across from the cop. “Let me buy you a beer, huh?”

Not waiting around to see what was gonna happen next, you headed for the nearest exit.

In the farthest corner of the parking lot, you found Dean sitting on the hood of Baby, shaking his head with his hands in his pockets. The way he was looking at the ground, it was clear he was unimpressed.

“He did it for the effect,” you assured Dean, heading for the car.

Looking up, he scoffed. “He did it to get back at me.”

“And what does he have to get back at you for?”

“Oh, I don’t know?” Dean gave a short shrug. “Let’s see, there’s the fact Dad’s gone and I’m not looking hard enough for him. I dragged Sam back into the life and now I’m bossing him around like Dad always did. And there’s you.”

“Me?” you asked, stopping in front of him.

“Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“Play pretend,” he answered. “I saw the two of you dancing.”

Gesturing over your shoulder at the bar, you gave a short laugh. “You mean you saw us standing in front of the jukebox together.”

“I know what I saw, Y/N. I’m not an idiot. It’s not just tonight. The two of you… he wants you, and you want him.”

“Of course I want him!” you exclaimed, getting agitated. “Have you forgotten the years I spent with him? I might’ve been with you first, but Sam and me… it was safer for the two of us to be together. We could do the public thing. It wasn’t illegal, it wasn’t weird, and we took full advantage of that. Sam and I actually acted like a fucking couple, not some dirty little secret!”

Dean pushed off the car suddenly. “I never wanted that for you! You think I wanted to treat you like some secret?”

“You still fucking do!”

“Because I can’t have you!” he countered.

By now, you wouldn’t be surprised if the people in the bar could hear the two of you screaming at each other.

“You fucking think I like not being able to show you off to the world? You think I like flirting with every set of boobs, and then crawling back into bed with you like they’re nothing?” His nostrils were flaring as his angered eyes searched yours.

A calm settled over you as he said his last point. “If you hate hooking up with so many women, then stop.”

“Being with them keeps me from making a huge fucking mistake.”

Gasping, you flinched and pulled back. Right away he could see his mistake.

“Y/N-”

“You think marking me would be a mistake? You think… being my Alpha would be a mistake?”

“No.” He quickly shook his head, all traces of anger now erased from his voice. “I think marking you without talking it out with Dad first would be a mistake… ‘cause I don’t want to take you away from him, and I don’t want to take him away from you. When Sammy left I know how much that hurt, and now that Dad is gone I know you’re hurting all over again. But just because he’s not here now doesn’t mean he’s gone forever, and when he is back by your side… I don’t want either of you hating me.”

The sincerity in his eyes made your heart hurt. He meant every word of it. Dean… he wanted to give you more, but he didn’t want to take from you at the same time.

“No one ever said making me yours would take me from him,” you countered.

“I’m not willing to take that risk.” He sighed, “I’m sorry.”

Smiling sadly, you nodded. “No, it’s fine. I get it. I can wait until we find John. Then we’ll all sit down and we’ll figure this out. I get it. It’s okay.”

Despite how much you wanted to believe it… you weren’t sure you could. You weren’t sure the words were enough to keep your heart from breaking even more than it already was.

“Everything okay?”

Spinning on your heels, you watched as Sam approached you and his brother.

Avoiding the question, Dean leaned back on Baby again. “Shoved me kinda hard in there, buddy boy.”

“I had to sell it, didn't I? It's method acting.” Sam shrugged as he stepped up to you, turning away from his brother. “You okay?” he asked, lifting his hand to caress your cheek.

You pulled back and looked away, folding your arms over your chest. “I’m fine.”

Watching you, Sam frowned with concern. “Y/N-”

“What did the cop have to say?” you asked, cutting him off.

Sighing, realising you weren’t going to talk, he got back to the case. “So, Walter Kelly was a good cop. Head of his class, even-keeled, he had a bright future ahead of him.”

“What about at home?”

Turning his attention to Dean, Sam shrugged. “He and his wife had a few fights, like everybody, but he was mostly smooth sailing. They were even talking about having kids.”

“Alright,” Dean pushed off Baby again. “So either Kelly had some deep-seated crazy waiting to bust out, or something else did it to him.”

Sam gave a short nod. “Right.”

As the three of you headed for the car doors to get in, Dean asked, “What'd Gunderson tell you about the asylum?”

“A lot.”

Bamby

[dragon-kazansky]

The hypnotist - Jervis Tetch x reader

Summary: Jervis has lost his sister and is bitter towards Jim, blaming him for her death. He comes to you. You’re the only one left he can trust, but you don’t know how to feel about that.

This chapter is a long one, strap in folks. 

I also apologise that’s it’s so linear to the episode again, but I’m building up the connection between you and Jervis.

Chapter 3 - Choices

Several days passed since the tragic event of Alice's death. Her scream as she fell haunted you ever so slightly, but you can't imagine the pain Jervis is going through. His whole reason for coming to Gotham was gone and there was nothing anyone could do to change it.

You put Jervis to the back of your mind. You assumed he would have skipped out of town and have gone far away. He had no reason to be in the city any more.

You busied yourself with work from Barbara, who scolded you slightly for the not getting her errand done the other day. You made it up to her by being on top of your game from now on. Barbara didn't have all that many jobs for you and at one point pointed you towards Cobblepot, saying the Mayor would most definitely have more work for you.

It kept you busy at least.

On the tenth day after her death, you were home alone, taking some time to rest and not over work yourself. You needed some time to yourself for once. Things were starting to go back to normal, well, as normal as Gotham was.

The knocking on your door startled you. You weren't expecting anyone and you didn't know anyone who made house visits to you, you had very connections in the city.

You got up cautiously, inching your way over to the door. You pondered not answering for a moment, maybe they would think no one was home and they would leave.

That didn't seem to be the case. The second round of knocking sounded a little more urgent than the first, so you swung open the door.

You were not expecting Tetch to be standing there.

"Jervis?"

"Y/N, my dear!" He looked so pleased to see you, almost as of he hadn't seen you in quite some time. It was almost enough to make your heart race, but everything that happened came rushing back.

"What are you doing here? I thought you would have left the city." You let Jervis into your apartment.

"I cannot leave with serving James Gordon his punishment for what he did to my dear Alice." Jervis removed his top hat and turned to look at you with big brown eyes. It made your heart ache to see him like that.

"You're going to get revenge?"

"Quite, but first I had to see you. You're all I have left here in Gotham. You're the only one I can trust." He spoke softly, as if he was treading on dangerous ground. He didn't sound so convinced by his words, and frankly you weren't either.

"I see."

"Please, my dear, I hope you don't think bad of me. I can see it in your eyes that you were not, and still not, pleased with what I did to Gordon. I cannot let him get away with taking Alice from me." His gaze shifted to the ground.

You licked your lips nervously and stepped a little closer, not wanting the distance to give him the idea you didn't want him here.

Mentioning the possibility that Alice would have preferred death over leaving with him was a bad idea, so you remained far away from that thought.

"I understand you're hurt about what happened. I can't even pretend to imagine what you are going through, but must you retaliate? Jim won't let you get away with it." You returned his sorrowful gaze, though his expression did seem to light up with your words.

The idea that you were worried for him lit up something within him.

"I won't let Jim know you dropped by, but I need time to think. I've become quite fond of you after the time I spent with you, but I'm not sure I'm OK with the hypnotising yet. Give me time to think?" You stood there awkwardly, hoping he would grant you your request.

Jervis gave a small smile as he placed his hat back onto his head.

"Very well, I don't want Jim to take you from me too. Take all the time you need, I'll be only a phone call away." He held out a small piece of paper with a number on it.

"Thank you, Jervis."

You walked with back towards the door, both of stopping just as you reached it. He turned to you and with a smile, lifted your hand to his lips pressing a gentle kiss there.

"Please don't let James Gordon turn you against me too." He said, just loud enough for you to hear. There was so much emotion in those words.

You didn't say anything to that and opened the door for him, watching him leave.

Once he was gone you turned around and let out a long drawn out sigh. Your mind was once again conflicted with him. You felt awful about what happened to Alice and you could see it in his gaze that he was suffering from her loss. There was something sinister about him that night, the way he was using his sister's blood as leverage over her. The way he almost had Jim shoot himself. He was evil, but you couldn't hate him.

You had no idea what it was he had in store for Jim, but something told you it was for the better that you didn't know.

You decided it was probably best to busy yourself, so you began to tidy your apartment while you thought about what Jervis had said.

Jervis left your apartment feeling like a slight weight had been lifted from his shoulders, but he wasn't quite in the clear yet. He couldn't forgive Jim for what happened to Alice, but the rage he would feel I'd you were turned against him too, that was something he didn't want to even think about.

Pulling out his watch, he checked the time.

“I must change.”

Jervis was going to put his plan into action and the time was now.

A newly wedded couple leave the chapel holding hands. The bride is smiling as she approached her father. She thanks him for her special day as they hug, she returns to the groom’s side and they wave at their family and friends. The chauffeur opens the door to the car and waits till they have climbed in before closing the door and turning around. 

Jervis Tetch smiles as he tips his cap to the father and makes his ways to the drivers seat. This was step two. Step one was the young boy sitting in the passengers seat.

Despite the fear in the couple, Jervis told them their fate was on James Gordon’s hands. He did what he does best and drove off, hypnotising them along the way.

Jim had just left the diner where he had met Valerie, a reporter seeking answers to Gotham’s secrets, one such secret being Alice Tetch’s blood. He was following an odd fellow dressed all in white. The odd man had come to Gordon with a riddle from Tetch, so naturally Jim had to go with him.

He was to an underpass, a public phone on dull display. It wasn’t until he reached the street corner that the phone began to ring.

Gordon walked over and answered it.

“This is Gordon.”

“Hello James.”

“Jervis. Never should have left that hole you were hiding in.”

“Oh, I wasn’t just hiding, I put the time to good use. Made a thorough study of you.” Jervis listed what he had learned of Gotham’s James Gordon. Jim looked around trying to see if Tetch was near by. There was no sign of him.

“And here I didn’t think about you once.” Jim refrained from rolling his eyes as Jervis droned on.

“Oh James,” Jervis chuckled as he let the couple out of the car, “I’ve been inside that head of yours. I’ve seen the web of lies you tell yourself,” The couple began to walk away from the car, “strung together to keep that fragile psyche of yours in tact.”

“Well, it’s been nice catching up with you.” Jim made a move to put the phone back, but Jervis’ voice could still be heard, so Gordon put the phone back to his ear as he listened to the mad man drone on.

“I’m going to force you to confront who you really are and I’m going to drive you mad doing it.”

Jim furrowed his brow.

“Now, please, direct your eyes to the overpass.” Jim looked up. “Meet Dave and Amy Walters. Married just this morning, lovely ceremony. In thirty seconds they are going to jump to their deaths. Take the stairs and you can save them. However, down the street is a little boy. His name is Shane and he’s going to be hit by a truck driven by my highly esteemed associate.”

A truck pulled up further down the street.

Jim knew what was happening right away.

“The choice is yours James. You can’t save both. So, who’s it going to be?”

Jervis hung up and climbed back into the car, leaving the choice to James Gordon. This was his punishment for what happened to Alice. Jim would have to live with the fact he let someone day today to save the other.

As Jervis drove away his mind went back to you.

He wondered for a moment what you would have thought of him if you had known what he was doing. It’s not as if you and James Gordon were friends anyway, you had a mutual friend in Barbara. Though it would be the fact he was using Gordon the way he was that might upset you. He wouldn’t forgive himself he caused your hate.

If Jim thought this choice was bad, wait till he saw what else Tetch had planned.

Jim ran for the boy, pulling him right out of the way of the truck. The couple fell with a splat, Gordon could only watch. He had made his choice.

Gordon moved the boy from the street and looked down at the couple. Tetch’s words lingered in his head, ‘You can’t save both,’ over and over in his mind.

The phone began to ring again. Jim ran over and answered it.

“You son of a bitch!”

“Good.” Of course it was Jervis again. “Now I have your attention.”

“They were innocent Jervis, you didn’t have to kill them.” Jim was angry.

“It was your choice, James. You practically pushed them off the ledge. Stay with me, James.” Gordon wasn’t answering. “James!”

“What?” Gordon spat the word out, grinding his teeth.

Jervis gave him an address and time, telling him not to be late. Any police and more people would die.

The GCPD received word of the dead couple and were on the scene quickly. Harvey questioned the little boy, Shane when he arrived. The boy couldn’t remember much, but Harvey thanked him for what he did remember and let another officer take him away from the scene. He joined Barnes’ side.

“You’re not going to believe this, he said Jim Gordon saved his life, pulled him out of the way of a truck.”

“Get him on the phone. Now.”

“I already tried him. No answer.” Harvey took note of Barnes without his cane, but his only answer was that the captain didn’t need it any more. That’s when he saw the odd man in white.

“Hey, does that guy look strange to you? I mean more strange than the usual wack job.”

Both men approached him, the captain calling out to him. The man turned in their direction slowly as if he was acknowledging them, but he wasn’t really. He was repeating the same line over and over again.

“James Gordon, I have a message for you.”

“James Gordon I have a message for you.”

“James Gordon I have a message for you.���

He said nothing else. Just stood there on repeat. It was clear they weren’t going to get any answers from him, verbally anyway. Harvey knew exactly what was up.

“He’s hypnotised.”

“Tetch.” Barnes caught on.

It was now clear what was happening. In slight worry, Harvey pulled away from the two men and pulled out his phone. He had been so focused on Jim, he forgot about you. If this really is Tetch then there was a possibility he would go to you. After all, you did say you were friends with him.

The phone rang three times before you picked up.

“Hello?”

“Y/N, thank God you’re there.” Harvey let out a sigh of relief.

“I’m fine, why? Something happen? How did you even get this number?” You were stood in the middle of your apartment having just finished cleaning it. “Dis Barbara tell you I’d do you a favour? I’m already on the Mayor’s list.”

“No, that’s not it and don’t worry about it. Have you seen Tetch?”

“Jervis Tetch?” You felt your heart drop, but you were a pretty decent liar when  you needed to be.

“Yeah, have you seen him?”

“Not since that night. I figured he would have left town.” You sat down on your sofa. “Why? What happened?” You were more than a little concerned about what Harvey was going to say next.

“I think Tetch is messing with Jim again. A couple have fallen to their death and there’s this hypnotises dude here saying his has a message for Gordon. I figured he would come to you since you two seem to be friends.” Harvey hated thinking you might be involved in all of this some how. He didn’t really know you, but seemed like a decent enough person.

“I haven’t seen him. Like I said, I thought he had left town.”

Silence fell over the phone and you found yourself silently praying that Harvey bought the lie.

“Good, if he calls you, let me know.”

“Sure.”

“At least let me send some police protection.”

“No thanks Harvey, I don’t need police hanging around my place.”

“Right, well, stay safe.”

You hung up.

You sat there in silence wondering what was going on. Had Jervis used Jim to kill someone? Why weren’t you more surprised? Perhaps you have just grown used to the ways of Gotham and the crazy people who lived there. You bit your lip anxiously.

Then the phone rang again.

You picked it up.

“Hello?”

“Y/N, my dear!”

“Jervis! Are you alright? What’s happening? Harvey Bullock just called me. I didn’t tell him you came by earlier.”

“I’m fine, dear. James Gordon and I are having a little chat. Everything that happens is on his shoulders.” He sounded so calm. “I hope you’re not worrying too much about me. I’d hate to cause you distress.”

“I’m fine, I just... what’s going on? I’m not here to lynch on you, I just want to know what you’re doing to those people?” He could hear the worry in your voice and it made his frown.

“Don’t worry, please don’t worry. Everything is Jim’s choice. He is the one to blame. I can’t talk for much longer, I must make another call, I want you to come and see what Jim will do.” Jervis gave you an address and a time. “I want you to see the real James Gordon.”

“Alright. I’ll be there.”

Jervis smiled, of course you couldn’t see it, but he hoped you could tell from his words.

“See you soon, my dear.”

He hung up.

Jervis was standing in the middle of the street, dressed in usual attire. He was looking up at the building in front of him with his phone in hand.

Jim Gordon was inside, he picked up the ringing phone after looking at the information Jervis had collected on him.

“Jervis.”

“Cutting it close, James.”

“Like what you did with the place.”

“Everyone needs a hobby.” Jervis sounded rather cheerful. “Take a peak though the lens, let’s chat face to face.”

Gordon moved over  to the telescope.

Jervis smiled and waved.

“I wonder, what is you have against married couples? Bad memories perhaps. Understandable, given the last time you saw a woman in a wedding dress, she had a shotgun pointed at you.”

Jim was caught off guard with just how much Jervis knew about him.

“Hey Jervis?”

“Yes, James?”

Jim hung up.

Jervis glared up at the window and instantly dialled the number again, angry with Jim’s behaviour.

“Don’t you ever do that again!”

James hung up again.

Jervis called him straight back.

“This is about your sister isn’t it? In your adult brain you blame me for what happened to her.” 

“Don’t you talk about her!” Jervis was fuming.

“I got to know her Jervis, she was a good person, that’s why she hated you,” Jim was also seething with anger, “why she died trying to get away from you. You want revenge? Kill yourself.”

“Dismissive. Rude. I don’t like your attitude!”

“I also have to wonder what you did to make Y/N so fond of you. You’re sick, Tetch. She called you her friend when I saw her last.”

“Don’t talk about her either.”

“She’s not involved in any of this is she?”

“I know Y/N wouldn’t be too happy to know the details, but she’s the only friend I have here in Gotham. I won’t pretend with her. I’m going to show her who you really are, then maybe she’ll understand. Now, are you quite finished?” Jervis didn’t want to talk about you any further to Jim.

“Tell you what, I’ll come down and we can talk in person.” Jim offered.

“Hang up again and she dies.”

“What are you talking about?” Jim pondered for a moment if he was referring to you, but he had spoken so fondly of you. Who else could he be talking about?

Jervis looked smug. “Surprising really, given that every relationship you’ve been ended with such misery, and yet, you make the choice to date again. Poor girl, she had no idea who she was getting into bed with. She will soon. See for yourself!”

Jim angled the telescope further up the street. Valerie, the girl he was seeing, was being dragged away by one of the brothers who were still under Tetch’s influence.

“Great thing about reporters, tell them you have a story and they’ll meet you anywhere.” Jervis grinned.

Jim hung up and ran out of the building.

The van had driven off already.

While Jim followed Tetch’s instructions, you were at home making yourself look presentable for whatever it was Jervis had planned. You found yourself rolling your eyes at the idea of trying to look nice for someone you didn’t know all that well. Yet, his impression of you mattered to you.

You kept yourself occupied until the time you had been given, and set off to the address, unaware the afternoon Gordon was having. Jervis had given him another choice, but it didn’t quite work out in Jim’s favour. 

The house wasn’t familiar to you, but it was very nice. Clearly whoever lived here had plenty of money. The door was unlocked, a note left behind telling you to come in.

You entered.

Music could be heard from the dining room. You walked in slowly, not sure what to expect. What you did see, however, was far from what you had thought.

A tea party.

Valerie Vale and Lee Thompkins were  facing each other on either side of the table. Jim Gordon sat at one end, Jervis Tetch as the other.

Jervis stood from the table with a bright smile on his face, he was so pleased to see you. You couldn’t help smiling back at him as you walked over to him, ignoring the looming figures behind him with guns in their hands.

“Jervis, what is this?”

“This, my dear, is Jim’s final choice of the day. Please, sit.” Jervis pulled out a chair next to his, leaving space between you and Lee. You sat down and watched him take his seat again.

“I don’t understand.” You turned to him confused.

“Jim took away someone I loved, so I will take away someone he loves.” You turned slowly to Jim.

“So, this is what you’ve been doing. I see.”

“Y/N, don’t listen to him! Tetch is insane.” Jim called out, but Jervis glared at him and hit the table once with his fist.

“Don’t tell her such things!”

You sat there quietly unsure what else to do. Jervis relaxed his hand and turned to smile at you again. He was trying to comfort you, not that you needed it much. You couldn’t deny that you weren’t scared of him. Honestly, you weren’t shocked at all with what was happening.

“Ah yes, your gun. Place it on the platter.” Jervis had been so caught up in waiting for you to join them, he needed to focus back on the main guest.

“Really?”

“Now you have to think about it? Not everyone here has to die, James.”

You cast your gaze between to the other two women at the table. He was going to make Jim pick one. You really weren’t sure what to feel now. Was he going to make you watch?

He did say he was going to show you who Gordon really was...

Jervis began to pour tea for everyone.

Jim looked between the two ladies. “It’s going to be OK.”

Jervis looked up and gave James a disappointed look, just as he was about to fill your tea cup. “Don’t lie to them James.” He turned back to you and smiled as he filled your cup. You gave a small smile and picked the cup up, watching as he filled the next cup and asked Lee to pass it down the table.

She did as she was told.

“I must apologise for the hideous china.” Jervis chuckled softly. “Frankly, I expected more from Don Falcone’s son.” Tetch filled his own cup last. “Guess I know what I’m getting you for your wedding.” He gave Lee a smile.

You sipped your tea quietly.

This would have been lovely if not for the eerie atmosphere and the fact Jervis was going to have someone in the room killed. His hospitality was otherwise quite sweet.

“To good health!” He lifted his cup.

Lee and Valerie opted out, causing the hatter to frown. So far you were the only own being considerate enough to drink what he had prepared. With how he had been with you so far, there was no reason to think he had done anything. Why poison the tea if he was going to force Jim’s hand anyway?

“You know what,” Jim lifted his cup, “I’ll have some.”

“Bravo James.”

The two men simultaneously drank from their cups, you took a slow sip of yours right after. Everything was still too weird right now.

“Now, I’d like to begin by telling a story of a brother and a sister, separated for years, but whose love never waned. Fair warning though, it has a sad ending.” Jervis glanced down.

Here we go. You knew your heart would yearn to comfort him. The events didn’t happen so long ago and everything was still fresh. You wondered how long it would take for his heart to heal.

“But I couldn’t find my sister alone, so I turned to this man, James Gordon. Whom everyone said was a good man, an honourable man, and what did this good man do? Why, he found my sister,” Jervis banged the table with his fist again. “and he turned her against me! Poisoning her mind and then he killed her!” He hit the table again, only with more force this time. You jumped slightly in your seat.

Jervis lowered his voice as he eyed James across the table. “Does that sound about right, James?”

You looked to Gordon, wondering what he would say or do.

“Sure, why not.” He said nonchalantly.

“Now James, i get the sense you’re not being honest.” Jervis pointed at him. “Though that’s not surprising, considering you’ve run from your true self every day of your life, but you can’t run from this choice. The woman you love, is going to die.”

You knew it.

“I just need to figure out which one it is. So, let’s review our options! shall we?”

Jervis looked between the two ladies.

You really weren’t sure how comfortable you were anymore. You sat with your hands in your lap and you bottom lip between your teeth, your eyes flickering between each of their faces.

You weren’t even sure why you were there. Not really. You didn’t have any personal connection to Jim, or the other two. Perhaps Jervis wanted to show you exactly what he was capable of.

“On the one hand, we have Lee Thompkins.” Jervis moved to stand beside her, giving your shoulder a light squeeze as he passed behind you. Intelligent. Kind. She thought she could save you from your darkness, drag you into the light. What did she get for her efforts? Hm? Pain and sadness.”

“Don’t listen to him Lee.”

“Look in her eyes. She still has love for you James.”

The silence was awkward.

“And then there’s Valerie Vale.” Jervis moved over to Valerie. “The entrapped reporter from a blur collar family. She still has hope for you. What will happen when she learns who you really are?”

Jervis returns to the end of table, standing beside you. He gazes at you as he explains that those are the choices Jim has. Tetch reaches for Gordon’s gun and holds it out.

“Now it’s up to you.”

You looked at Jim wondering what is going on inside his head.

“Which,” Jervis points the gun at Valerie, “lady,” then at Lee, “has your heart? Who do you love?”

“You want me to choose? Tell these idiots to lower their guns. I don’t trust them not to shoot me by accident.”

“You’re right. They are stupid.” He chuckles. “Down boys.”

The two goons lowers their guns.

“Now you drop your gun.” He looks Jervis in the eye.

“Jim.” You sigh. “Really?”

“No, no, it’s alright, my dear.” Jervis chuckles. “Though she is right, why would I do that?”

“Because I’ll shoot you.” Mario Calvi comes into the room from behind you all, you only knew of him because he’s a Falcone, plus his engagement to Lee was in the paper.

“Brilliant.” You mutter to yourself.

“Well well,” Jervis gazes over his shoulder, the gun still pointed at Jim, “this was your grand plan, James? Play along until the doctor could sneak in and shoot me dead?”

You glanced back at Mario.

“But there’s only one small problem.” Jervis wasn’t the least bit concerned about the extra person in the room. “Before you arrived I went down to the basement and switched the magazine in that gun with an empty one.”

You couldn’t you were impressed. Tetch really thought this out apparently.

Mario tried to fire the gun, but Jervis spoke the truth as the gun only made a small clicking sound. You let out a small chuckle, instantly covering you mouth. This really wasn't funny, you were just impressed.

Jervis glanced down at you having heard you and smiled at you. He made you laugh! Oh how happy he was. He turned his gaze back to Mario.

“My apologises, I only set the table for five. Dumfree, will you please escort doctor Calvi to the bathroom?” They left. “Now, I’m out of patience!” He was raising his voice again and waving the gun around slightly. “Who do you love?” He pointed the gun back at Jim.

Your attention was back on the ex-cop.

“You want to talk about love, fine. Let’s talk about who you love.” Jim glanced your way and you furrowed your brows at him. No way! You’ve known Jervis a number of days. “Or loved.” Jim looked back at Tetch.

That was more like it.

“Don’t.”

“Your sister knew you were crazy.”

“Just stop it!”

Jervis hated Jim talking bad about him when you were in the room. He wanted to show you who Jim really was and perhaps impress you, but right now it was looking bad for him. He didn’t want to look at you and see your disappointment in him.

You were more confused than anything. You couldn’t say you were disappointed in Jervis because from the beginning you knew there was more to him than he let on.

“She was terrified of you.” Jim continued. “She hated you.”

“Enough!”

“She told me. What you did to her, when you were kids.”

You glanced up at Jervis, you remember what she said. 

“The thought of you disgusted her.”

“Lies! Deceit! The sorry you tell is incomplete!”

“Jervis...” You want to reach out, but he’s still holding that gun. The last thing you want is to accidentally shoot someone. “She loved me!”

“She loved you? She killed herself rather than be with you.”

“She didn’t... no.” Jervis didn’t believe those words for a second.

“She impaled herself on a spike and died in agony because even that was better than having you touch her.” Jim didn’t stop. 

“No, no, no, no ,no, no.” Jervis shook his head, he couldn’t even look at Jim. You were sure Jim was somewhat telling the truth, whether or not the fall was on purpose or accident, Alice didn’t want anything to do with her brother, but you didn’t like this sight. Jervis was becoming confused, sidetracked. Jim was spewing words at him and it was hurting him.

“I saw her when she was dying, her face when she knew she was finally safe from you, she was smiling.”

“Jim!” You hissed.

“Because despite the pain, she was happy.” He ignored you.

“LIAR! She was the only thing I ever loved!” Jervis stomped over to where Jim was sitting and pointing the gun right at his face. You stood from your chair concerned about what was going to happen. “And you! YOU, sent her soul to heaven above!”

Jim grabbed Tetch’s wrist.

“That’s right.  Me. I’m the one you want, so let Lee and Vale go, keep me, but let them go.”

Jervis was so close to shooting him, but he took a deep sigh and lowered the gun. You let out a sigh of your own.

“Oh James, you’re trying to confuse me, but I won’t let you. No, I’m determined that you’ll live on and suffer without your love as I have. Choose.”

“No, I won’t choose.”

“You will. You will!”

Jervis returned to where you where standing at the end of the table, you looked awfully nervous. Tetch sighed as he gathered himself once again.

“I’ll make it easy for you, one the count of three, instead of telling me who you love, tell me who to kill.” The gun was being pointed again between the ladies. 

You began to shift in the spot. At this point you just wanted this whole thing to be over. You didn’t think your heart could take much more of this.

“Or I shoot both of them which would be such a thrill.”

“One.”

You could feel your heart racing in your chest.

“Two.”

Jim kept looking between them both.

“Three.”

“Kill Lee.” Jim replied instantly.

Lee gasped.

Jervis pointed his gun at her. “Oh, finally!”

You took a step back as he looked at her.

“The truth is revealed. You chose Lee because you love Vale. Very well!” Jervis turned to gun to Valerie and shot her in the stomach. You covered your mouth in shock as you stared wide eyed at her.

You should have guessed Jim would play this game.

“I knew you had it in you, James. All this time, you made everyone believe you were the hero, but deep down you always knew the truth. You’re a villain!” Jervis opened up his arm with a smile.

Jervis turned to you, his business was done here.

“Come, my dear. Let’s go.” He held out his hand to you. You looked at Jim and the girls once more before taking his hand and leaving with him. You just wanted out of that room. Jim had made his choice.

You weren’t sure what was going to happen now.

Jim Gordon would never let Tetch get away with that. Tetch still won in the end and it was defiantly going to eat away at Gordon.

Now you wondered what was going to happen to you.

Jervis held you hand do gently as you both climbed into the car and drove off, far away from that house. You knew now what this man was capable of, yet here you were, willingly going with him.

Perhaps a part of you was mad too.

Tags:

@mistressoftorture @fandombeehive @awyr

[yellowmagicalgirl]

Grieved it On its Way

Claire, Jim, Blinky, and Nomura say goodbye to their loved ones.

When I started writing this, my plan was to turn this into a fic for jlairweek, since an asteroid could be called a falling star. However, I couldn't find a way to turn this into a ship fic instead of a family-orientated one, so have this relatively gen hurt with not too much comfort fic instead.

Takes place during 3Below S2E7 "Asteroid Rage". No death actually happens, but it is discussed. Please do not tag this as Strick///lake, I don't like that ship and I intended for their relationship to be platonic but somewhat canon-compliant in this fic.

AO3

FFN

Ophelia rarely showed fear. She was a strong woman, and Javier loved that about her.

In the past month she had looked scared so often. Their daughter had been fighting trolls and hopping through different dimensions. Their town had been invaded by man-eating trolls.

“I love you,” she said, pulling away from her husband’s embrace. “Tell Claire I love her and I’m proud of her.”

Their town was about to be bombarded by a pair of extinction-level asteroids, and for a moment she looked more afraid than he had ever seen her. Then she put on a brave face and went to talk to their town about the doom they couldn’t fight.

“Hey, do you feel that?” Jim said. He tilted his head eastward, like a sunflower towards the sun.

“Feel what?” Claire asked in return.

“It's like a warm buzzing, or a pull.” Claire gave her boyfriend an odd look.

“When was the last time you slept?”

“Last... day? Yesterday afternoon? It sounds so weird to say it like that.” Jim frowned. “The point is, I slept the same amount of time as you did!”

And the last time they had slept had been a merciful rest, uninterrupted by new dangers or PTSD-influenced nightmares. “Maybe you need more now?”

“Why? The trolls don't sleep as much as we do, if anything I shouldn't need as much sleep as you do.”

“I mean, our circadian rhythms were definitely thrown off from all the late-night patrols.”

“Don’t worry, it’s not a lack of sleep causing that feeling, Master Jim,” Blinky said. “You’re sensing the heartstone. We’re getting close.”

“Okay, troll thing. Cool,” Claire said.

“Does it always feel that intense?” Jim asked.

“You’ll get used to it,” Nomura said. The three of them turned to her. “The only heartstone in Japan was on the other side of the country from where my familiar’s family lived. It was an odd feeling to me, as well, but living in Arcadia made it normal.”

Jim opened his mouth to make a remark when Claire’s phone went off.

“Hi, Papi,” Claire said.

Jim’s phone rang. “Papi? What’s wrong?”

“We’re already in New Jersey. What’s wrong, Papi?” Nomura’s phone rang.

As Blinky’s phone rang, Claire’s face went pale.

“Hi, Papi,” Claire said.

“You know your mother and I love you, right? And that we’re proud of you?” Javier asked. He glanced at his wife. Knowing Claire, she would prefer if her mother would say those words herself. However, Ophelia had a duty to Arcadia.

“Papi? What’s wrong?”

“Your brother loves you, too.”

“Both of us do!” NotEnrique said, popping out from under the bench. If Javier had more time, maybe he and Ophelia would have officially adopted the small troll.

“Claire, we all love you so much,” Javier continued. “How far are you from Arcadia?”

“We’re already in New Jersey. What’s wrong, Papi?”

“Good, you’ll be safe. I think. There’s a pair of asteroids.”

It was feeding time at the Lake-and-Strickler residence. Both Barbara and Walter held babies in their arms as they watched the news. The broadcast on the potential recall of avocado-based products was cut short by the image of Ophelia Nuñez behind a podium.

As Ophelia began to speak, Barbara adjusted her grip on Waltolomew to grab the phone to call her son.

As she gripped her cellphone between her shoulder and her jaw, Walter spoke. “Could you grab my phone? Left pocket. I’d call Nomura myself, but I don’t want to drop her familiar.”

Barbara handed his phone to him and mouthed “adjust your grip.”

“Hi, Jim,” Barbara said, standing up. “Basement,” she mouthed to her housemate.

“Hello, Nomura,” Walter said, fumbling with the infant in his arms as he followed Barbara.

“I love you, and I’m so glad you found Mr. Blinky,” Barbara said, tossing her laundry on the ground to make it into a softer surface.

“I know we’ve had our differences, but I don’t know if I have much time left,” Walter said as he placed Hisa down next to his own familiar.

“Jim, there’s a pair of asteroids heading towards Arcadia,” Barbara said, taking two stairs at a time. “Walter, the babies, and I are going to be sheltering in the basement, but in case anything happens to me I want you to know that I love you. Listen to your dad for me, and I know you’re going to try and find a way to blame yourself for this so don’t.”

“It’s fitting, almost. We knew rocks would kill us,” Walter said, grabbing formula and water bottles. “We just thought they’d be sentient and call us impure.”

“Love Blinky,” AAARRRGGHH!!! said, picking up Gnome Chompsky’s dollhouse and carrying it to T. “Space rocks falling.”

“Asteroids?” Blinky said from across the continent. “That’s terrible, can you get everyone to Trollmarket? You may be safe there.”

“Not enough time.”

“Oh, AAARRGGHH!!!, I wish you could be here with me. I can’t bear to lose you, not again.”

“Want to be with you, too.”

Claire had been a good child. She hadn’t thrown large tantrums like articles on raising teenagers warned against.

As asteroids rained towards his town and his daughter’s choked and panicked breathing filled his ear, Javier realized that he would never find out just how much his and his wife’s parenting had hurt Claire. They had taught her to repress her emotions, and he didn’t know how she would take his death.

He hoped that she would be okay in the end.

Twin green lasers flashed streaked across the sky.

“Mija, it’s going to be okay,” he said.

“No, it’s not,” Claire said. She sounded like she didn’t want tears to be running down her face as she spoke her last words to him.

“No, it’s, well, the asteroids are gone now.”

“Wait, they’re gone?” Claire asked. She looked up at the equally panicked trolls.

“How?” Nomura asked, both to Claire and her former superior.

“Green lasers?” Jim asked. “Okay, that sounds weird, hey, did I cry as much as the familiars do?”

Hanging up with their loved ones was a herculean effort. When they did, Claire and Jim fell wordlessly into each other’s arms, sobbing. Blinky wrapped his arms around the children. Nomura tried to keep her distance but ended up patting Jim on the head in a way that was meant to be comforting.

“Oh, what is all the ruckus about?” Merlin asked, walking towards the group. “Can’t a wizard get any sleep around here?”

Claire looked up at him. “Wait, so it wasn’t you who exploded the asteroids with magic lasers?”

The wizard scoffed. “Like I said, I was asleep. And don’t think you’re going to be learning how to explode rocks until you can figure out how to levitate that pebble I gave you. Don’t wake me unless the world’s ending or we’re going to start moving again.”

Claire chose to nestle herself further into her boyfriend’s and his father’s arms rather than make any comments on exactly where she would levitate that pebble.

[thesportssoundoff]

“The XFL is a thing. Should you care about it?”

Joey

February 2nd, 2020

Another winter, another money mark attempt to figure out winter football.

The NFL has wrapped up another successful season and now it's Vince McMahon's turn to try once more with a brand new football league. In 2019, the son of his friend Dick Ebersole tried with the AAF which fell apart before the season finale could even take place. Vince McMahon seems more prepared than Charlie Ebersole and his backers, especially when you consider that the XFL apparently has long term financial backing place to absorb what figures to be some money losing seasons. The XFL's rule set which features things like a revamped overtime, a double forward pass concept, a continuously running game clock and a variety of different special teams related rules designed to entice an improved pace of play. Is the XFL going to revolutionize the NFL? Probably not. Will it provide some concepts that inevitably get stolen? I'm going with a pretty solid "oh yeah absolutely." It's live sports and chances are if you're reading this you know that the SportsSoundoff is all about live sports and activities that are able to cosplay as sports (axe throwing and chainsaw-ing come to mind).

If you're looking for more football to take in then the XFL figures to give you that and with readily-ish available-ish games across FS1/2, Fox, ABC and ESPN/2 platforms. Long story short, games will be out there for ya if you want to spell some time between the NBA's second half kicking off and the start of baseball and college basketball's tournament run. With a neat and tidy eight teams across a variety of markets, I'd like to go team by team and detail why you should try your hardest to give each team the benefit of your time. Some teams figure to be easy and some teams figure to be impossible BUT I've got free time and I gotta do something, right?

The Dallas Desperados The most intriguing coaching staff in the entire league

Let's start from the obvious; if Bob Stoops truly wanted to, he could be coaching in the NCAA right now. This is a guy who left Oklahoma as an insanely successful well liked legacy coach who won a national title and 10 conference championships. Bob Stoops took Oklahoma football to a level not seen since the Barry Switzer run and is clearly one of the greatest coaching minds of his era. Health and perhaps a general all around malaise for football led to Stoops stepping down but when you look around the number of college teams divided by the number of quality of minds currently available for head coaching jobs, there's zero doubt Stoops could've been the guy at any school he wanted to over the past two years. Hell, I would NOT be surprised if Stoops would've been on the radar of NFL teams if he did an Urban Meyer-esque TV gig as opposed to just falling off the face of the Earth and living life in the shadows. Instead he re-emerges in the XFL as the GM and head coach of the Dallas Desperados. Stoops admittedly took this gig because of its proximity to his recruiting trails of the past and just general all around comfort with the area. Stoops was the prized announcement of the XFL, the first coach they revealed and put in the biggest football media market of the entire XFL league. Long story short? Bob Stoops was a rare coup for the XFL and he's being advertised and promoted as such. So much so in fact that when Stoops stopped appearing in XFL promotional material for a short spell, there were rumors that the XFL was going to lose the only drawing card it had with Stoops maybe making a move all the way up to the NFL for the Cowboys head coaching gig. The fact the XFL has Stoops gives it something the AAF never had; a familiar well liked face who isn't tired or old hat; the two knocks that basically hurt the AAF when Steve Spurrier was limping around on the sidelines for the Orlando Apollos.

The intrigue goes beyond JUST Bob Stoops as the Bob Stoops coaching staff is genuinely pretty ridiculous. If you love the Lincoln Riley and Mike Leach style offenses then you know of the name of Hal Mumme. Mumme is the father of most of the modern air raid offenses you see today, the likes of which that get mediocre-y college coaches like Kliff Kingsbury head coaching gigs in the NFL. Mumme is a bit of a college coaching legend with concepts that have bled into the highest levels of football. Stoops will be the offensive coordinator for Stoops' offense and with a few years away from the coaching circuit, I'm intrigued to see if Mumme has anything new left to offer. Defensively, Chris Woods and Jim Jeffcoat have long ties to Bob Stoops or Hal Mumme. The offense has a mastermind, the defense has a glut of former defensive coordinators and there's a damn good chance that Bob Stoops could turn a solid run in the XFL into a head coaching job elsewhere. Just keep an eye on the Desperados coaching staff as a potential breeding ground for coaches into the next level.

DC Defenders Name defensive talent = ???

It seems like the XFL is going to make it a lot harder for defenses to really play a meaningful part in the games with rules clearly designed to go for more of a high paced scoring first and foremost brand of play. That said, the DC Defenders do have some defensive talent to keep an eye on. They've got a name defensive line with guys like former Giants starter Jay Bromley, USC's Kenny Bigelow, Washington Huskie Elijah Qualls and a linebacking core with Arizona undersized legend Scooby Wright, former Atlanta Falcons player Jonathan Massaquoi and former Bills player and early retiree from football AJ Tarpley. In the secondary is where things really have "could play in the NFL potential" with former draft picks Jalen Myrick and Bradley Sylve and former starters Shamarko Thomas and Matt Elam at the safety spots. Most of the attention will be on former National Championship winner Cardale Jones at the QB spot with name weapons like Malachai Dupree and Rashad Ross but in truth, I'm curious to see if their defensive talents can find their way back into the NFL.

Houston Roughnecks Actual NFL name talent

Soooo yeah, let's take a second to talk about the Houston Roughnecks. There's a WEALTH of NFL level talent on here, if not in actual talent but in name value. We can start at the QB spot where the Roughnecks at the very least boast an interesting "What if?" scenario. Going into the 2016 NFL Draft, a lot of teams needed QBs and the draft boasted some really interesting ones. The top two were pretty much locked in (Carson Wentz and Jared Goff depending upon your preference) and Paxton Lynch seemed like a solid lock as the #3 QB. After that? Free for all! The likes of Cardale Jones, Dak Prescott, Jeff Driskel, Connor Cook, Nat Sudfield and Christian Hackenberg were all fighting for spots to try and eek themselves into that next tier. There was a belief of sorts that Cook was the leader in that clubhouse but concerns about his personality and how teammates viewed him at Michigan State dogged him all the way down to the 4th round. The Cowboys were going to take Cook (who they had as a late 2nd round pick on their draft board) but he got snagged up as the Raiders as a developmental QB behind Derek Carr. The Cowboys, not exactly heartbroken but not exactly thrilled, moved to taking Charles Tapper out of Oklahoma and then with their comp pick (thanks Eagles! Thanks DeMarco Murray!) picked Dak Prescott at the behest of their coaching staff, bucking scouts who had him behind Jeff Driskel. Dak Prescott will likely earn anywhere from 30 to 40 million next year and Cook is trying to carve out his path in the XFL after failed stints in Oakland, Cincinnati and Detroit. It's a fun "What If?" scenario to toss around while Cook can perhaps reset his career in the XFL.

Beyond Connor Cook? Houston boasts a kicker in Sergio Castillo who as an all star in 2019 and boasts an NFL quality leg potentially. Kickers come and go in the NFL and if Castillo is good then he probably has a chance to pop up somewhere. RB De'Angelo Henderson was a 7th round pick who has bounced around the NFL and figures to probably get similar looks as a 3rd round COP back somewhere if he's good in the league. Cam Phillips and Kahlil Lewis are former NFL camp bodies while Sammie Coates played in the NFL for the Pittsburgh Steelers. SS Marqueston Huff played in the NFL for a variety of teams and has a pedigree as a former 4th round pick. DL Kony Ealy, Gabe Wright and Walter Palmore could probably fill out the back end of an NFL defensive line rotation right now. There's some actual NFL talent lurking in these waters, even if most of it is probably training camp filler variety. Those guys still have merit!

LA Wildcats The Josh Johnson Situation

So let's chit chat a spell about this. Josh Johnson is one of those guys that seems to pop up once a year on an NFL roster. He's been in the league since the dying days of the Gruden Era in Tampa Bay, a former fifth round pick who carved out a career as a somewhat competent-ish back up. He bounced around, played in the United Football League (consider THAT one) and seemed set to flame out. When the Redskins brought Josh Johnson in in 2018 after injuries to Alex Smith and Colt McCoy, Johnson stepped into the starting role and actually played pretty well! Not well enough to get brought back but well enough to earn another shot in the NFL as a back up for the Detroit Lions. Johnson was let go and continued his playing days by adding onto the XFL. I think Josh Johnson is the only dude to play in all three short term gimmick leagues (the UFL, AAF and XFL) but that's not where our story ends. Injuries to Jeff Driskel and Matt Stafford opened the door to play the NFL again when the Lions came calling. Surprisingly the XFL refused to follow the AAF's lead and kept Johnson to his XFL deal, forcing him to pass on a Lions opportunity. Josh Johnson basically has to be the best QB in the league to justify the XFL's decision to force him to stay in the league. Otherwise they'll probably be looked at unfavorably by future players for robbing a guy of an NFL opportunity. Also keep an eye on Nelson Spruce to be a big third down guy who racks up 1st downs.

New York Guardians ???

So I've looked over the roster a bunch, taken a gander at the coaching staff and honestly? I mean I don't have anything. This team on paper is pretty boring with no real flashy star name value and a head coach and offensive coordinator in Kevin Gilbride who had his best years some fifteen years ago if not longer. I suppose there may be some interest in seeing former AAF names like Jamar Summers and Luis Perez do stuff? This team is boring but boring teams can win games and boring games can win championships. Just don't expect the Guardians on paper to be something you'll feel compelled to go out of your way to see. In a way the Guardians match up pretty well with Vince McMahon's current WWE product; a severe lack of storylines and star power that compel and force you to go out of your way to tune in on a weekly basis.

St. Louis Battlehawks Football is BACK in St. Louis!

The Rams left St. Louis for LA in 2016 and to be entirely honest, I'm not sure if it worked out any well for the NFL. Surely the Rams bring in more money and notoriety in theory but it sure feels like the Rams have not exactly caught on with the locals in LA who are clearly baseball fans during the summer/fall and basketball fans every other time else. The Rams boast a tremendous team and watching a city like Kansas City enjoying its first Super Bowl win (in the great state of Missouri or Kansas or Kansourri) has me wondering how much more fun the NFL would be if the Greatest Show On Turf stayed in St. Louis as opposed to venturing out west and had kept up the tradition of having two teams playing in a rather "small" market. The fans of St. Louis will get to show how much they support football when the Battlehawks take flight (Ugh) in a few days. The Battlehawks have an intriguing roster with plenty of Mizzou names on it like WRs L'Damian Washington and former TE turned WR Markus Lucas. They also have swagmaster Marquette King trying to rebuild his NFL case after his falling out in Oakland. To add to the madness, the Battlehawks boast the most QBs on any of the 52 man rosters in the XFL and are led by Ole Miss QB legend Jordan Ta'amu who is coming off a failed stint in the NFL. I still really like Ta'amu and think he's got developmental upside for what it's worth but that's neither here nor there.

Seattle Dragons Holy shit Jim Zorn is still around?

The Redskins have a rather....interesting history in the modern era. Outside of a few brief periods of success from the likes of Joe Gibbs and Mike Shanahan, the Redskins head coaching history is rather no bueno. Among those bodies lost to the annals of history you have Jim Zorn. Zorn was a bit of a QB whisperer for the likes of Mike Holmgren and Dennis Erickson before surprising folks by making a massive leap from QB coach to head coach for the Washington Redskins in a stunning move. Zorn's move went...about as well as you'd expect. Jim Zorn became the latest victim of Redskins incompetence and then sort of just disappeared. He coached QBs for a bit after getting fired and then became the NFL equivalent of a ghost. Well Jim Zorn's back and back in Seattle where he led Matt Hasselbeck to some insane-o Seahawks records. The Dragons roster overall isn't exactly must see as it's mostly AAF leftovers with the occasional 2019 UDFA but at the very least seeing if Jim Zorn can wash off the Redskins stench some 10+ years later might be a bit of fun.

Tampa Bay Vipers A Florida all star team

The Vipers have the world's most name recognizable pseudo all star squad in the entire XFL. With former Bears head coach Marc Trestman at the helm, the Vipers boast a wide array of talents from various schools in the state of Florida. Miami Hurricanes WR Stacy Coley, Florida OL Martez Ivey and TE DeAndre Goolsby, South Florida QB legend Quinton Flowers will be trying his hand at RB as well as FSU RB Jacques Patrick and DB DeMarcus McFadden. That doesn't even begin to cover the number of Central Florida, South Florida and FAU players on this team as well. Also Aaron Murray is here and it seems like people are still going to try and make him into a thing after being a 4th round pick back in 2015.

[rosemaidenvixen]

You are my Sunshine

Chapter 16: Fifteen Part 2

Ao3

With a hiss the last few drops of brown liquid trickled down from the machine, allowing Walter Strickler to remove the pot from the apparatus and top off his mug. The coffee here was swill, but common courtesy prevailed.

Immediately after he was done, Karl stepped up to the counter to refill his own mug “Are you sure you can’t be a moderator for the debate team this semester?”

“Quite,” Strickler replied before taking a sip.

Swill, like he expected, but it got the job done. He headed out of the teacher’s lounge with Uhl following shortly after. 

“Are you absolutely sure? Bonnie’s retirement left us short staffed, we really need more teachers involved,”

“I’m sorry Karl but I simply don’t have the free time,”

If he took on more duties as an educator, it would eat into the precious time he had for his other extracurricular activities. 

But Karl didn’t need to know that.

“Have you tried asking Lenora? I’m sure she’d be more than happy to help out,”

Uhl’s expression turned stony “Have you forgotten the last time she moderated a debate? We nearly had a full scale riot on our hands,”

Strickler caught himself before he could chuckle at the memory. Calling it a riot was a bit extreme, but it had served as a lesson in why a student debate should never be catered with only Hawaiian pizza.

He was about to say something in Lenora’s defense with he caught a commotion out of the corner of his eye. 

Turning he saw one of the freshmen, James Lake if he remembered correctly, kneeling on the floor and crying. No crying was too gentle a word, what James was experiencing was more akin to heavy, gut wrenching sobs that shook his whole body combined with tears flooding down his cheeks.

He was showing absolutely no sign of stopping or slowing down.

At first he wondered if this was an instance of bullying, certainly wouldn't be the first or last one of his career, but a second glance revealed that the students around him wore looks of shock and incredulity rather than scorn or mockery. More likely than not James was upset by something else entirely, and for whatever reason, was expressing that at the most inopportune moment.

Strickler eyed the steadily increasing crowd of adolescents.

Inopportune indeed.

He looked towards Karl, a look of mutual understanding flashed between the two of them.

“I will see to Mr. Lake, do you think you can disperse the crowd?”

The large austrian cracked his neck “Leave it to me,”

Uhl stormed into the throng of teenagers, some of whom fled immediately upon seeing him approach “Alright everyone, move along, you all have classes to be at so get going,”

Thanks to Karl’s...encouragement the crowd quickly thinned. Allowing Strickler to step in and pull James up by his shoulders, swiftly leading him down the hall away from the other students.

James had to have noticed Strickler's presence along with the fact he was upright and walking, but he showed no outward indication that he was aware of these things. Merely kept on weeping. 

After less than a minute of brisk walking they reached Strickler’s office. He opened the door and shepherded James inside. 

He let go of James’s shoulders to step back and partially close the door.

Turning back towards James, Strickler saw that while the teen was still bawling his eyes out, he had taken a seat at the piano stool.

Strickler cleared his throat in hopes of subtly grabbing James’s attention.

It was successful, James stifled his sobs to the best of his ability while wiping his eyes and looking up at him. 

“Stay here for as long as you need to. Whenever you’re ready, come down into the principal’s office,”

James kept his composure long enough to meet Strickler’s eyes and nod, then it was straight back to sobbing.

Strickler quickly and discreetly exited the room, shutting the door behind him as silently as possible. No doubt the thing James probably wanted the most in this moment was privacy. Checking that the hall was clear of looky-loos, Strickler made his way to the front office.

He was starting to become concerned, the level of anguish James showed was far greater than anything that would be caused by typical teenage drama.

Something significantly more troubling was going on in James’s life.

After briefly explaining the situation to Principal Levit, Strickler began thumbing through the student records. All teenagers had their emotional ups and downs, but an outburst this severe and public at the very least warranted a call to his parents.

Still his mind wandered. What could be upsetting enough to cause a fourteen year old boy to break down in tears in full view of his classmates?

His search was interrupted by the sound of someone bursting into the office; and the sound of the secretary screeching at them about said bursting in.

“Is Jim around? Is he ok!?”

It was another freshman; Tobias Domzalski, often seen in the company of James Lake. No doubt the two were close friends. Maybe he could shed some light on the situation.

“Mr. Lake is just fine,” Strickler cut in, surprising both Tobias and the secretary, the latter of whom looked disgruntled about having lost the opportunity to give a student an ear blistering lecture “He is currently collecting himself somewhere private, although your concern is appreciated,”

Tobias visibly relaxed upon hearing that.

“Oh, ok...that's ...good….”

Strickler seized his opening.

“Do you have any idea why James-- Jim, was so out of sorts?”

Tobias visibly hesitated, showing the look of someone who clearly knew relevant information, but was uncertain about sharing it. No doubt he didn’t want to air his friend’s secrets to a stranger, and an adult at that.

But Strickler had been doing this for years and was nothing if not good at his job. 

He relaxed his shoulders and opened his posture, projecting a manner that was reassuring without being patronizing “I know you’re worried about Jim, but if he needs help, any information you can give would be greatly appreciated, and I promise, nothing you say will leave this room,”

It was only a few seconds before Tobias relented, concern for his friend’s well being winning out over a desire to preserve his secrets “It’s just that...today’s his birthday…which was also the day his dad walked out...ten years ago,”

Well that would certainly lead to a public crying fit. Just when he thought that humans couldn’t surprise him with their pettiness anymore.

“Thank you for letting me know,” Strickler gave Tobias a smile that was affable but firm “Rest assured Jim will be fine, now you really should get back to class,”

For a moment it looked like Tobias was about to argue with him. Then he deflated, no doubt deciding that now was not the moment to argue with a teacher, before turning and exiting the office.

Filing away the information he gleaned from Tobias, Strickler went back to looking up Jim’s parents-- his mother’s contact information.

And there it was, the daytime phone number for one Doctor Barbara Lake.

He wasted no time in punching it into the office phone.

The other line rang three times before a female voice picked up “Hello?”

“Is this Dr. Lake speaking?”

“Yes?” she replied, a hint of a question behind her words.

“My name is Walter Strickler, I’m one of your son’s teachers at Arcadia Oaks High School,”

“Did something happen, is Jim ok?”

Well this one certainly didn’t beat around the bush.

“Jim is unhurt, but there was a bit of an incident,”

“A what!” 

Strickler flinched at the shrillness of her tone, perhaps he should have been more specific.

“Jim started crying in the middle of the hallway,” he elaborated “Although currently, he is in my office getting it all out of his system,”

Rather than panic further at this news, Dr. Lake let out a small sigh of relief.

The fact that hearing this caused Dr. Lake to relax rather than rile her up further gave Strickler the courage to prod.

“A friend of Jim’s, Mr. Tobais Domzalski, told me what he thinks the cause of Jim’s emotional state might be,”

There was a brief pause before she spoke again.

“What exactly do you mean?” unexpectedly, her voice had taken on a hard, defensive edge. 

Strickler winced, sensing he had ventured into dangerous territory, he would have to choose his next words carefully.

“Tobias made reference to the tenth anniversary of an event that was greatly upsetting for Jim,”

The silence between them stretched out for so long he wondered if the phones had been disconnected.

“Dr. Lake, are you still there?”

When her words came they held the promise of a coming storm “What sort of event was he talking about?”

Strickler took a deep breath, planning out the next thing he would say to her very carefully. One thing that remained constant throughout his years as a teacher, was that marital issues have been and always will be a sensitive subject “Forgive me if I’m incorrect, but my understanding of what he told me was that this day ten years ago was the day Jim’s father...left,”

The line was silent for a few seconds, then, rather than unleashing a tirade of indignation at him, he heard Dr. Lake sigh in what sounded like relief, oddly enough.

Strickler let out the breath he’d been holding, her responses were difficult to place, but he was happy enough to avoid butting heads with a parent, there was no need to dissect this woman’s motivations right at this moment.

“I….I think I know what this is about. I’ll be there in twenty minutes to pick him up,”

Strickler wasn’t sure if breaking down in tears warranted missing an entire school day, but Jim’s mother obviously knew more about the situation than he did. And he certainly wasn’t going to argue with her.

“I’ll meet you in the front office, Jim will come down and meet you as soon as he feels ready,”

“Thank you,” for the first time since she picked up the phone, Strickler thought he could detect the slightest hint of vulnerability in her tone.

And then she hung up.

Strickler set the phone down in the receiver and settled into one of the hard, plastic chairs to wait.

He’d been a teacher for longer than most humans had been alive, but certain aspects of it were just as trying now as when he first began, all those centuries ago.

[magic-and-moonlit-wings]

Chapter 20: Saving Face

Becoming the Mask

Text that is both bolded and italicized indicates trollish.

"How're you holding up, Jim?" Toby opened up his half-made sandwich to put the vegetables on it.

Lunches by Chef Jimbo that required a final, in-cafeteria step to assemble weren't that odd, but usually they were more complicated than cold cuts and veggie slices. This was Jim's 'day off' lunch, for days when something was stressing him out to the point where he didn't even feel like cooking, or didn't have the time.

"Not great," Jim admitted. "… Did you talk to Draal this morning?"

"I've met that guy, like, twice. Plus, don't trolls sleep during the day?"

"We had a fight."

Toby gasped. "But – you don't look smushed."

"More of a 'hurt feelings' fight." Jim's hands tightened on his sandwich. He put it down without taking a bite. "He said I was unworthy of the Amulet. Then I said it still picked me, so I was obviously more worthy than him. And, considering his dad was the Trollhunter before me and Draal really wanted the job …"

"Ouch. Like in The Book Of Life, when Manolo told Joaquin he'd never be as great a hero as his father. What the heck set all that off?"

Jim grimaced and shook his head. Toby could respect that.

"Got a plan for apologizing?"

Jim hated having anyone mad at him. The very few times he and Toby fought, Jim was usually first to try and make amends.

"Wait for tonight, so he's had some time to cool down, then say sorry and see if he's ready to hear that. If he's not … I dunno. Go into the Void and ask his dad's ghost for advice, maybe."

"If you need to avoid him for a bit, you can crash with me and Chompsky."

Jim half-smiled and started eating, which meant he wasn't tensed up with nerves anymore. Toby patted himself on the back.

Barbara parked, neatened her hair in the rear view mirror, and sighed over her steering wheel. She wanted to go home, wolf down some food, take a hot, soothing shower, and collapse into bed. Instead, she'd agreed to meet her son's teacher for lunch.

"For Jim," she reminded her reflection. Her child needed his remaining parent to be involved in his life.

There were a few tables set up outside the café. Seated at one of them was a man in a brown jacket and blue turtleneck. She didn't notice him until he stood when she walked past.

"Dr Lake?" Barbara jumped a bit.

"Yes–? Oh." She recognized his accent from the phone. He probably guessed by her teal scrubs. "You must be Mr Strickler." She put on a smile and held out her hand to shake. He kissed it instead, making her blush.

"Indeed. Lovely to meet you at last." He pulled out the chair opposite him and she sat. It was so nice to be off her feet.

A waiter appeared, or perhaps Mr Strickler had signalled them now that she'd arrived, and asked if they wanted drinks to start. Barbara ordered a coffee. Mr Strickler asked for something she assumed was a blend of tea.

"I'll start by repeating that Jim's not in trouble." He folded his hands on the table. "I've noticed he occasionally has trouble staying awake, or that his focus seems to drift, snapping back to attention when called upon but wandering again soon after."

"That sounds like he's tired. He's always up early … I'll talk to him about when he's going to bed." Barbara had heard, and seen evidence at the hospital, that a lot of teenagers were sleep-deprived. With the way Jim tried to take care of her …

"He also has a habit of, shall we say, overstretching himself," said Mr Strickler, following the same train of thought as Barbara. "Taking on more than his share of responsibilities."

The waiter returned with their drinks. Barbara hadn't even looked at the menu's lunch options. She took a gulp of coffee and ordered the first thing she spotted with 'sandwich' in the description; a 'croque monsieur'. Mr Strickler ordered the same thing.

Maybe it was the hunger or the exhaustion talking but it actually sounded more appetizing when he said it.

"With all respect," continued Mr Strickler, once the waiter left, "Jim's behaviour is not uncommon among children whose parents have demanding careers; they seek to ease the pressure on their parents by being helpful –"

Barbara nodded; that certainly sounded like Jim.

"– Or they see the sheer number responsibilities their parents hold, and conclude this is a normal level of activity for anyone. Or, in some cases, are encouraged to be perfect because their reputation reflects back on their family, but I don't believe that's the case with Jim."

Barbara fidgeted with a napkin. "I've never meant to put him under pressure … But I have, ah, encouraged some of his habits."

Like the cooking, or cleaning the house, or doing yard work, or helping her budget the utilities …

She'd viewed it as practical, teaching Jim things like how to operate a washing machine or handle money so he'd know how to do it when he was living on his own, but, was she interfering with his academic education, letting him take on – praising him for taking on – so many responsibilities at home?

Mr Strickler touched her hand, lightly, briefly, bringing her back to the present.

"Jim is a kind boy," he said. "He wants to help people. But it's impossible to help everyone, and Jim," the teacher steepled his fingers and contemplated his words, "Jim is young enough to not necessarily recognize his limits."

Over lunch – croque monsieur turned out to be a ham and cheese sandwich fried in white sauce – they discussed ways to encourage Jim to cut back without making it sound like his helpfulness was being rejected or like he was being criticized for not being able to do enough.

They didn't come to any solid conclusions. Barbara could encourage Jim to sleep or ease up on his chores; both adults could remind Jim of the importance of taking care of himself; but Barbara didn't want to ground him from extracurriculars or socialization to force him to rest. It hadn't gotten to that point, and hopefully it never would.

"I should be getting back to the school," said Mr Strickler, checking his watch. He uncapped the pen he'd toyed with off and on during their conversation and scribbled onto a sticky note from one of his jacket's inside pockets. "My phone, Dr Lake."

"Please, call me Barbara."

She took the phone number and he kissed her hand again.

"Barbara." Her name sounded lovely with his accent. "Walter. Do call if there's anything you'd like to discuss."

He summoned the waiter and paid their cheque and then he was gone, and Barbara was left feeling unsure if she'd just had an unorthodox parent-teacher conference or an even more unorthodox first date.

She went home and had the relaxing shower and nap she'd been craving.

Draal was conflicted. He was unaccustomed to that feeling. He did not care for it.

He wanted to believe he had done the right thing, not killing the Changeling immediately upon discovery.

He wanted to believe the Amulet of Merlin knew what it was doing when it chose … one of them … to be the Trollhunter.

He wanted to believe Jim's oath to turn against Gunmar was genuine, and not yet another act.

There was a pipe in the centre of the basement, and if Draal stood by it, he could hear nearly everything from the main story of the house. He'd heard Jim quietly threatening Nomura over Barbara's safety last night.

He should've been listening at the pipe when Nomura first came to the house; he might've learned more about what the Changelings were up to –

Draal's failings aside; the exchange he had eavesdropped on suggested Jim had been truthful about Barbara still being human instead of another Changeling collaborator, and that he felt a certain level of protectiveness for her, matching his explanation of why he'd let Draal move in.

As Blinky and AAARRRGGHH had each independently pointed out, Jim could have simply, easily, killed Draal that night, instead of agreeing to expose himself as a Changeling.

Or Jim could have stayed out of the fight, rather than exposing himself as the Trollhunter to protect Nomura.

If the helmet materialized with a faceplate, Draal still wouldn't know what Jim really was.

They hadn't spoken on the return journey from Trollmarket. Jim hadn't come downstairs before leaving the house that morning, either. Draal had gone upstairs midmorning to scavenge some food. A pile of cans waited for him in the blue box in the kitchen.

He brought them back to his living space and sat behind the furnace, on the blanket Jim had given him when he moved in, now somewhat ragged after a few encounters with Draal's spikes. He slowly snacked his way through cans and coal, and stared at the little Heartstone piece.

Why had Jim given him that? It wasn't like Draal had been expecting one. The Changeling could've kept it for himself. Jim had, by his own confession, been working for Gunmar up until last night, and that was assuming he really had changed sides.

That was what made Changelings dangerous, Draal supposed. They thought differently than normal trolls. You never knew what they were thinking. And even when you knew that, you still found yourself wanting to trust them.

Draal really hoped he had done the right thing.

Barbara woke up when Jim got home from school.

"Hey, Mom." He hugged her hello. Jim had never outgrown how affectionate he'd been as a small boy. Barbara hoped he never decided he was 'too old' to hug his mother. "How was your day?"

"I had lunch with your history teacher."

Jim's shoulders tensed, just slightly, under her hands – typical teenaged surprise and alarm over unforewarned parent-teacher interaction? Or, wait, with how Barbara phrased it, did Jim think she meant she'd gone on a date? Well, she was uncertain herself, but never mind that now.

"He's worried you aren't getting enough sleep."

"Oh, that." He relaxed in her arms. "Yeah, he's asked me if I'm sleeping okay. My eyes just bag up really easily, I guess."

Barbara held Jim out a short ways from her, examining him for signs of fatigue. Noticeable bags under his eyes, yes, he'd started getting those when he was twelve, but his pediatrician hadn't been concerned when Barbara mentioned it. Jim wasn't swaying on his feet, and his eyes were focused, and he wasn't jittery like he'd been using caffeine or sugar to compensate for exhaustion.

"Jim … if you ever need a break. A mental health day? One less chore on the roster? I get it, okay? You're a kid. A very responsible, considerate kid, but still a kid, and you need time to be a kid. And I'm your mom. It's my job to take care of you. So if you need anything, you know you can tell me, right?"

"Do what's good for you, or you're no good to anybody," Jim recited.

Mr Strickler – Walter – had shared the same quote at lunch when he asked Barbara when she'd last had time off, and gently suggested taking some might demonstrate to Jim that it was okay to prioritize oneself once in a while. Adolescents, whatever they may claim of their near-adulthood and independence, do look to actual adults for guidance, approval, and example.

"I know, Mom," said Jim. "I don't feel like I need anything right now, but I'll give it some thought and get back to you, okay? We could … revisit the topic this weekend?"

What books were on those packed shelves of his? Sometimes Jim talked like he was an office manager or something. He hadn't picked it up from her.

It was a good idea, though, so Barbara agreed.

"If you and Mr S met for lunch, then the three-bean salad's been marinating all day, not just for the morning. We can have that for dinner. Maybe a light soup and some rolls. I think we still have some frozen from last time."

"Mr Strickler seems very nice," said Barbara. "And he really likes you. I've never seen a teacher take such an interest before."

Jim, now rummaging in the freezer, made a vague affirmative noise.

"Is he single?"

Jim bumped his head on the ice cube tray.

"Um, I think so? His office has a bunch of curios but no family photos." Which implied the lack of them wasn't because he didn't care to personalize his workspace.

Jim had no confirmation Stricklander was on board with the plan yet, but Barbara spending time with Stricklander and getting him attached to her seemed to be off to a good start. That would be a good backup to keep her alive if Gunmar won anyway and Jim was exposed as a traitor.

Once his mother was asleep, he went downstairs to update Draal before going to Trollmarket.

"I've been working on our cover story. If any of the humans ask, we had a sparring match last night. I lost. You got mad and accused me of slacking off in training and said I was unworthy of the Amulet. I got mad and said I was still more worthy than you since it picked me. You took that as an insult to your father, and I apologized for that but we're both still upset; that's why things are awkward between us now."

"You didn't tell them what you really are?"

"Are you kidding me? I'm in enough trouble that Nomura knows you know; I'd be dead meat if it got out Blinky and AAARRRGGHH know, and the humans'd be dead meat with me if they knew, too."

"Hello, Trollhunter."

"… Blinky?"

"I know you speak this language. Did I actually teach you anything in our lessons?" Blinky asked bitterly.

"Blinky …" Jim scuffed his foot on the floor. "I'm sorry I … lied to you, about how much I knew. But you really did teach me a lot. I knew … keywords, before; every Changeling does, in case we overhear something about Killahead or Gunmar. I knew directions and distances and quantities. I understood … many words I heard you say. But the syntax and grammar and etiquette and culture were all new to me. That first thing you taught me, that greeting? It is my honour to meet you. I had never heard that before. I was barely literate. I … I faked how much I needed to learn, but, yes, I did learn from you."

"You don't actually know our verb for 'to deceive', do you? I'm fairly certain that comes under the heading of irony."

"Um, only as a noun. It's deception, right?"

Blinky rummaged in his pockets and got out a notebook. "Deception. Deceiving. To deceive. It's a regular verb, following the same rules as to see. Now, I have a number of questions about my brother I'd like you to answer."

"Okay. Deception, deceiving, to deceive, same rules as to see," Jim muttered. "I don't exactly know Dictatious well, but we've met."

"Describe him. I want to be sure we really are talking about the same troll."

"Okay. He mostly looks like you, except green instead of blue, nose is dark grey instead of orange, and … his horns point more up than back?"

Jim made an upward-sweeping gesture from his own head.

"Hair sticks up, too. It's got a couple of white streaks that might not've been there when you last saw him. And … I don't know if you know who Mark Hamill is, but he's a human actor and I've seen some of his movies and they sound alike. Like, uncannily alike."

Blinky slumped and sighed into his list of questions. "That's him. Next question. When and how and why did he join Gunmar?!"

Jim recoiled from the shouted inquiry.

"Survival? Maybe? I wasn't there. I'm not old enough to remember anything before Killahead closed. But either he was a double-agent already who got stuck in the Darklands with us, or he was too close and got pulled in by accident and offered the Underlord his services in order to not get killed."

Previous Chapter (Jim is convinced to turn against Gunmar)

Table of Contents 

Next Chapter (A breather episode after all this drama!)

The Book Of Life is a movie that canonically exists in the world of this show. Mary is giving a report on it during her Spanish Comprehension exam in the episode that introduces Gnome Chompsky. Guillermo del Toro was involved in both that movie and this show.

HannaVictoria from AO3 jokingly suggested Jim mention to Blinky that Dictatious sounds like Mark Hamill, his voice actor. I went for it.

In English, 'see' is an irregular verb. But trollish grammar is different, so I decided it would be a regular verb (one that conjugates based on consistent rules) in their language.

[im-the-king-of-the-ocean]

Who proposes, Barbura or Nomura? (Or do they end up proposing at the same time?)

First, links: 

AO3 

Chapter 1. Chapter 2.

I love writing this, I hope you all know that cause it is delightfully fun XD

(also everything in the coffee shop bit is gonna come back later, I’m just getting it set up now).

Some Might Call It True Love

Chapter 3: Together, We’re Family

“Hey, mom, when are you and Ms. Nomura getting married?”

Barbara nearly choked on her breakfast cereal. “What gave you that idea, kiddo?”

“Cause that’s what you do when you’re in love.”  Jim didn’t look at her as he spoke.

Barbara dipped her spoon in her bowl, watching as the milk stained with rainbow colors from the Froot Loops swirled.  “Sometimes, kiddo, things don’t work out the way we want them to.  Remember how we had that talk about personal space and boundaries after the closet incident?”

“Yeah.”  Jim hunched his shoulders.  “I’m still really sorry about that.”

“It’s okay.  Just remember that you can’t make people do things they don’t want to do just because you want them to.”  Barbara put her hand on her son’s shoulder.  “Everyone has the freedom to make their own choices.”

“So, you and Ms. Nomura aren’t gonna get married?”

“No, kiddo.  We’re not.”  Barbara exhaled.  That had been a lot easier than she expected.

“But, you’re still in love though, right?”

Barbara put down her spoon.  She folded her hands together and rested her elbows on the kitchen table.  This was as good a time as any.  “Jim, Ms. Nomura and I are very good friends but we aren’t in love.”

They’d spent a significant amount of time together these past few weeks to keep up their ruse, though.  After their ‘first date’, Zelda had invited her to the symphony, then Barbara had returned the favor by taking Zelda to an art gallery opening.  They’d had quite a bit of fun having a picnic in the park before heading to a museum exhibit, where they joked about heisting ancient Greek pottery.

It all had to come to an end at some point, though, and it occurred to Barbara that that morning might just be that moment.

“Do you understand, Jim?”  She asked, almost hesitantly.  “Ms. Nomura and I talked it over.”  They hadn’t, but this had been the plan all along and she was sure Zelda would agree with what she was doing here.  “We’ll be friends.  You’ll get to see Ms. Nomura everyday in school.  But we aren’t going to be a couple.”

“Oh.”  Jim looked looked at his feet.  “Okay.”

It was a quiet acceptance, but it was still an acceptance.

When she dropped Jim off that morning, Barbara stopped in to see Zelda.  “I got Jim to believe we aren’t a couple,” she told the elementary school teacher.  “So, we don’t have to pretend anymore.”

For the briefest second, Zelda frowned, but then the expression was gone.  “That’s great.”  She answered politely.  “But I already got us tickets for the music festival this weekend.  Should I—?”

“I told him we’re still going to be friends.”  Barbara rushed in cutting her off.  “So we can still go.”

Barbara put on her apron and headed behind the counter of Bella’s Coffee Shop.  Being a barista wasn’t her dream job, but Bella paid well and was flexible to things like needing off work cause Jim was sick.  Once upon a time, Barbara had wanted to be a doctor, but then she’d looked into the finances of it, as well as the time commitment, and realized those things weren’t exactly compatible with raising a son (on her own, without child support cause Jim’s father had hightailed it out of there within a year of Jim’s life beginning).

“Just in time for the morning rush,” Walter, her coworker, greeted her.  “Don’t know how I would’ve endured it if you were a moment later.”

“I had to stop in and talk to Zelda when I dropped Jim off.”  Barbara explained after taking the first order of the day and passing the cup down to him so he could prepare the cappuccino.  “I had a talk with Jim this morning and finally got through to him so we no longer have to do the whole ‘fake dating’ thing anymore.”

“Ah.”  Walter went on to prepare the cup of coffee and hand it over to the customer.  “Happy to hear the good news.”

They didn’t have a chance to talk more, as a line gathered.  The morning rush had started.

Barbara wiped her brow.  A quick glance at the door told her they had a short break in the steady stream of customers.  She breathed in relief.  She’d been working this job years and could handle it, but still.  It was nice not to be in constant motion for a minute.

“So, I was thinking.”  Walter wiped his hands with a towel.  “The annual Arcadia Local Music Festival opens this weekend.  Now that you aren’t pretend dating anyone, I was thinking maybe we could—”

“Sorry.”  Barbara stopped him short.  “Zelda and I are already going.  There’s this band we both like and we already had the tickets.  It would be a shame to just waste them.”  She winced, realizing how that could sound.  “Sorry.  Not that going with you would be a waste.  It’s just we already had the plans and you know…sorry.”

“It’s fine.  Fine.”  Walter made a show of cleaning his work area.  “Perhaps another time then?”

“Sure.”  Barbara turned away when a customer walked in.

“I always wanted wings,” Nomura whispered.

She and Barbara were stretched out on their blanket.  They’d gotten to the grassy area in front of the festival stage early as to be able to get a good spot.  After Barbara had bought some roasted almonds, neither had felt much like wandering around so they’d settled to munch on the sweet treat and talk until the evening show began.

“It never seemed fair.  Other changelings got to explore the sky, but not me,”  Nomura continued.  Absently, she wrapped a stray strand of Barbara’s hair around her fingers.  Whereas Nomura had brought a purse large enough to use as a makeshift pillow, Barbara had not.  So, the redhead had opted to use Nomura as a pillow instead.  This should have been awkward, but both enjoyed being in close proximity to the other too much to say anything about it.

“Hmm.”  Barbara vocalized.  She shifted so she was lying on her side, facing Nomura.  “Trust me?”

“Always.”

Barbara propped herself up on her elbow, before sitting up completely.  She shook out her hair and smiled when she noticed Nomura watching her.  “Come on.”  She reached for Nomura’s hand.  “We’re going to the sky.”

“What?”

“I saw hot air balloon rides when we arrived.  I’m taking you to the sky.”  Barbara checked her watch.  “We have time before the first set begins.  Come on.”  Barbara stood and offered her hand again.

“Barbara—”

“Watch our things?”  Barbara turned and asked the gay troll couple on the blanket next to theirs.  When they nodded the affirmative, she turned back to Nomura with a wild grin.  “Come on an adventure with me?”

When they were thousands of feet in the air, alone but for the balloon pilot, Barbara wrapped her arms around Nomura from behind.  She took her hands in her own and spread Nomura’s arms out wide.

“Now, you have wings,” Barbara whispered in her ear.

Nomura wiggled around so she was facing Barbara.  “I’ve been thinking and, you know how you stole a kiss from me that time after the milkshakes?”

“Hmm…”

“It would only be fair if…”  Nomura pulled Barbara in close.  “I return the favor.”  She captured Barbara’s lips in her own.

When they broke apart in order to breath, Barbara murmured, “I have an idea.”

“Yes?”

“We should date.  For real.”

“I’m confused,” said Toby.  “I thought you said your mom and Ms. Nomura weren’t in love?”

“Oh, they are,” clarified Jim while doodling with his crayons.  “They just needed me to learn a Valuable Lesson about personal space and stuff so they pretended they weren’t.”

“Oh, okay.  Whatcha drawing?”

With pride, Jim held up his doodle.  “This is their wedding.  See, there’s my mom and there’s Ms. Nomura.  Mr. Blinky who lives down the road is super nice so he’s gonna marry them.  And there’s me.  I get to hold the rings and the flowers and have the first slice of cake cause I’m the kid…”

“What’s your favorite movie?”  Jim asked Nomura.  They were crouched in front of Jim and Barbara’s DVD collection.  From the kitchen, they could hear the popping of instant popcorn packs in the microwave and Barbara humming to herself as she got out some bowls.

“Hmm.”  Nomura tapped her finger against her chin.  Most of the movie options were kid films, so, though she was familiar with them, none were particular favorites.  “How about this one?”  She plucked The Iron Giant from the stack.  It was a movie she could see Jim loving.

“You guys pick one?”  Barbara walked in the room, carrying three bowls of buttered popcorn.

“Ms. Nomura wants to watch The Iron Giant, Mom!”  Animated movie in hand, Jim rushed up to his mom.  “She passes the test!”  He loudly whispered to her.

Barbara smiled.  “Oh, she does, does she?”  She carefully put the popcorn bowls down and sat on the couch.  “I should hope so.  Cause I have to ask her something.”  She winked at Jim, and then gave Nomura a knowing look.

Nomura had asked Barbara The Question first about week ago, on a very romantic trip to the beach, just the two of them.  At sunset.  Where they’d walked barefoot along the shoreline while holding hands.  Barbara had said “yes” then, but they’d also agreed to do it a second time, so Jim could be involved too.

So, this time, Barbara got to ask Nomura,

“Marry me?”

[elizabethemerald]

Jim is Honest: Lie 4

Jim Lake Jr lies again and again to his loved ones. What if instead, he told the truth? How would that affect his relationships, and story of Trollhunters? Let’s look at all the major lies and omissions Jim made and let’s turn them on their head. This time Let’s say Jim is Honest.

Jim returns battered and bruised from his confrontation with Draal the Deadly. Barbara Lake has some concerns, as both a mother and a medical professional. 

Barbara sat on her couch with a cup of tea and one of her books. She wasn't actually reading, instead she was mostly staring at it while she thought. Jim wasn't home yet. He had texted and said that Blinky and Aaarrrgghh, his troll mentors, were showing him something. 

Barbara tried not to let her worry get the best of her. Jim said he would be honest with her. She just needed to trust him, but could she trust those around her son?

She glanced at her computer. She knew it would be useless to try and research the two trolls Jim spoke of, but she should have been able to find more information about Walter Strickler. He was apparently well reviewed by his students, but those reviews just appeared suddenly a few years back. 

Other than that she couldn't find any information on the teacher. Even the hospital database wasn't turning up anything. It's like the man just appeared in Arcadia one day and immediately was a beloved teacher. 

Barbara was distracted from her thoughts by the sound of a key turning in the front door. She turned to see Jim slowly enter. He put his bag on the banister. She heard a grunt of pain as he dragged himself to the stairs. 

"Jim." Barbara said, pulling him up short. "We promised to be honest with each other."

Jim sighed, though Barbara was sure she heard his breath hitch in pain as he did so. 

“A troll beat me up today.” He sounded defeated, the poor boy’s shoulders drooped and he hung his head. 

“Where does it hurt?” Barbara asked. Jim gestured to his entire torso. She jerked a thumb up the stairs. “Head up stairs kiddo. I’ll be up in a second to take a look.”

Jim groaned softly as he pulled himself up the stairs. Barbara waited a second for him to get a head start then hurried to the hall closet and began digging under her jackets, umbrellas and shoes in the closet. Under all the detritus of daily life was her medic bag. 

Before she met Jim’s father she would occasionally find herself at protests providing medical care to the protesters. After Jim was born, and especially after his father left, she felt it wouldn’t be safe to risk spending several days in prison, but she still had her old kit from that life. 

As Barbara walked up the stairs she opened the bag and hissed her disappointment. It had been years since she had used it during an actual protest and the once carefully organized bag was in shambles. They had borrowed medical supplies from the kit over the years, and it was missing a huge amount of supplies. If she was going to have to be patching her son up after fights with trolls she would need to get this kit back into ready status. 

Jim was sitting in his bedroom on his bed. Barbara set the kit down and started looking him over. He obviously didn’t have any immediately life threatening injuries. And anything she could see on his face was purely superficial. 

“Go ahead and take off your shirt.” Barbara said leaning back. Jim immediately recoiled and wrapped his arms around his stomach. “Jim, I’m your mother and I’m also a doctor. You can take your shirt off in front of me.”

Jim slowly unzipped his sweater, and Barbara helped him out of his shirt. She took a sharp breath in through her teeth when she saw his torso. Then she settled into her more professional mode. His entire chest and stomach were covered with mottled bruises. His binder normally blended in better with his skin, but now stood out stark against the bruises. She carefully checked his ribs, but it didn’t look like any were broken. 

As he stared resolutely at the ceiling, she tried to make him feel better by keeping him talking. 

“So why did this troll want to beat you up?” She asked. 

“His dad was the last Trollhunter. Apparently Draal thought he would be the next one and got pissed at me. He said he wanted to spar. Then beat the shit out of me.”

“Language Jim. Though all things considered, it looks like it could have been a lot worse.”

“Yeah the armor creates an aura of light whenever I’m about to get hit. That’s what happened when Bular knocked me into the air. I think it protects me.”

Barbara stayed silent for a few seconds. The scientist in her that drove her to be a doctor wanted to argue about the idea of magical armor, but she could also see the evidence of its protection right in front of her. The mother in her wanted scream and hold her baby close. This world sounded too dangerous for Jim to be in. 

“What are you going to do if this Draal keeps causing problems?” 

"I guess I’m going to have to defeat him in combat. Once I’ve had some training, I mean.”

“It doesn’t look like you have any broken ribs kiddo. Just some bad bruising.” Barbara sat back and Jim quickly put his shirt and jacket back on. “You probably can’t practice them right now. But would you like me to show you some moves from Grav Maga?”

Jim nodded, “That would be great!”

“Well then you get to sleep, and I’ll try and show you something tomorrow ok?” Jim nodded and Barbara stood to leave her son alone. She paused at the door, one last concern on her mind. “Uh, Jim... do you fight in your binder?”

Jim’s face grew a little red. “No. My armor replaces my clothes when it appears. And best of all it seems to keep everything out of sight, so I don’t even feel like I need to bind!”

Barbara smiled at his excitement. But her smile didn’t reach her eyes. She was still worried about her son fighting monsters. It just didn’t seem right to her for a child to be expected to shoulder this weight. 

“Did I tell you it called me Jim?” He asked. Barbara almost tripped on the door. 

“It did what now?” 

Jim pulled out his amulet and looked at it closely. He couldn’t see the look of shock on his mom’s face. 

“When Toby and I rode our bikes into the canals, I saw this pile of rubble. I heard something call my name. The amulet called me James Lake! I could barely believe my ears!”

Barbara smiled at him again, this time letting it show on her whole face, and said goodnight. Maybe this magical world wasn’t so bad. If the amulet called him by his name...maybe he really was destined to be the Trollhunter.

Lie 1, Lie 2, Lie 3