#but gabe does a great job addressing that in his post

[pavlmescal]

Not to start a whole discourse, but I happened upon your thoughts regarding Trevor and even though his character was pretty awful, just how rare it is for trans men to see themselves represented on TV. Trevor’s character was very flawed, he was written that way, but my dislike of Trevor isn’t because he’s a trans man, it’s that he ultimately wasn’t the right man for Ian. So I guess with Trevor it’s really don’t hate the player hate the game, but it seems like not a lot of people can do that.

Hello, anon! Let me start out by saying I am not trans, and am in no way trying to speak for or over trans people, but I welcome conversation around Trevor because I feel strongly about the importance of him as trans representation. I do disagree about him being awful, but I get it that not everyone is going to like the same characters that I like.

The issue I’ve had, that I was referencing in this post, is that I see a large percentage of the fandom completely dismissing him as awful without acknowledging the positive impact his character had on Ian’s growth, and more importantly, the importance of the character to the trans community, specifically trans men. 

It’s completely okay to have a problem with Trevor’s character, I also have a lot of issues with the way he responded to Ian’s heartbreak over his mother and the way he dealt with Ian’s manic episode. I didn’t like how angry he got with Ian when he was earnestly trying to help Geneva. I also agree that Ian and Trevor didn’t really have great chemistry, and I don’t think they were right for each other. Those are all valid complaints! But there’s not a single character on that show that hasn’t done some fucked up shit, Ian and Mickey included, so it really rubs me the wrong way that Trevor doesn’t get the same pass that other characters do. I know that he wasn’t around for that long, so we don’t have the same attachment we do to the Gallagher siblings or Mickey, Mandy, Kev and V, but it’s really frustrating to see him constantly written off as The Worst Thing to happen to Ian, when he’s been so important to trans men who love the show. 

Trevor’s introduction also exposed the show’s massive mainstream audience to a lot of information about the LGBTQ community that they may not have gotten elsewhere. The writers worked with members of the LGBTQ community on all of those scenes, and as a non-binary lesbian, I felt very represented, and was so happy to see Ian’s gay education play out the way it did. It may have felt clumsy in places, but to quote transgender writer/actress/activist, Jen Richards, “clumsy is better than nothing.” (thank you to my dear friend, Gabe, who lays out the importance of representation ((specifically trans men, who are so underrepresented in media)), clumsy or otherwise, in this fantastic video).

If you would like some input on the character from a trans man (which I am not), please check out this post.

[hcazj]

made a cover for my whack af mchanzo nanowrimo 2019 novel. u can find it on ao3 via “finding you in the buckass of nowhere” lmao. prologue under the cut but after this i will be exclusively posting on ao3

PROLOGUE

The sun rises high into the sky, casting shadows on everything residing on the surface. Jesse gives a loud yawn before scratching his scrappy goatee and turning the page on a health textbook he was given by Angela by instruction of his residing commander. He didn’t know how the conversation had started, but during a debriefing on the latest mission in one of the meeting rooms, one of the punks on the Blackwatch team had decided to give Gabriel Reyes a run for his money and ask if he had a soulmate waiting back home. Gabe, of course, had laughed in that guy’s face. He laughed like it was the funniest thing in the entire world.

And just as he was laughing, something miraculous happened. The team was visited by none other than Overwatch’s Strike Commander, who not only served as a face for publicity stunts, but also was the head of operations. And the strike teams, hence the title.

“He better not.” Soldier: 76, better known as Jack Morrison, said as he practically kicked the meeting room door open with his boot. He looked pissed. And also had a stack of papers on him. It looked like someone forgot to get their morning coffee. “He’d have some serious explaining to do.”

There were a couple whispers across the table, a couple agents trying to understand the implications of what had just transpired. Jesse swore he saw some of his teammates starting to sweat. The band of Blackwatch agents saw Gabriel Reyes flash his most charming smile. The rascal could look good when he wanted to.

“Jackie, you’re backie. Not in blackie, though. I’m happy you’re openly talking about this, but didn’t we agree not to tell anyone? Also, hey, dinner at 8 in my room.” And then Gabe winked at Jack. Ew.

Jack sighed, crossing his arms, and not so subtly cueing to the assortment of medals pinned to the lapel of his cornflower blue coat. Subtle. He addressed Gabe. “Remember last night? Well, I’ve decided to become the possessive bastard you always wanted.” He gave an intimidating glance at everyone in the room. “How are you kids doing? I’m sure you’ve met me around. Though you probably didn’t think I’d be so involved with Gabe. Like, probably never expected in a million years that I was his soulmate. But yeah. That’s classified information, not a peep out of this room unless you want your life to being an even more visceral piece of hell.”

Someone gulped in anxiety. Someone sneered in ennui. But if Blackwatch owned anything, it was a pile of troublemakers.

Now, Jesse hadn’t been part of Blackwatch too long, but it never took him that long to make friends. Genji--Jesse’s best friend and second best troublemaker in Blackwatch history--decided it was his turn to say something. (Jesse liked to think of himself as the best troublemaker, but that was an entirely different discussion).

“And how are you going to do that exactly? Your boyfriend already has us running laps across the Mediterranean.” Genji sat proudly with his feet resting on the table, and Jack gave him a look of disgust.

Jack excused the moment of insubordination, and walked right past the table and into the arms of his lover. They shared a quick kiss after a moment of lingering in each others arms, much to the dismay of everyone else in the meeting room. And if Jack was good at anything, it was playing games with new recruits.

“What’s up, marido ? What makes my darling husband so sad?” Gabe said, combing his hair through the tufts of Jack’s pale blond hair. It was thin, very much unlike his own, but he liked to try.

Jack laughed, trying to materialize every ounce of theatrics he had stored in his body for this very moment. “My sweet love, I just don’t know how I’m going to live if you don’t assign your soldiers 50 more pushups each every morning before breakfast. They’re not super soldiers like us, but we must make sure they are raised right. They’re like our kids, to me.” Jack lifted a leg off the floor, like he was swooning for real.

Groaning broke out around the table, and Jesse wasn’t sure if his teammates were groaning at the obviously satirical display of affection, or at the thought of actually being assigned even more pushups every morning.

It was Gabe’s turn to laugh. “Aw, Jack. We’re going to have a conversation later on why you’re so touchy today. Let me kiss you goodbye, though.” He planted another kiss on his husband’s nose before resuming business as per usual. Jack begrudgingly peeled himself off of his husband, but not without greeting their personal pet project. He smacked the stack of autopsies in front of Jesse and gave him a wink, before ruffling through the kid’s hair.

Gabe cleared his throat, as the door shut. Radio silence. He looked at Genji, who was making paper triangle footballs to send flying across the room. Genji looked up at him and discarded the paper football into the recycling bin. Gabe swore, some of the people on this team had the attention span of gnats.

“Ok, amigxs. Before we get into the details of the upcoming mission abroad, Jack was serious about our relationship being confidential. Think of the absolute horror you would cause if the UN caught winding that I’m fucking their Strick Commander. Like, maybe it’s funny. Actually, that’s pretty fucking funny. Can I get a laugh track going here?”

Jesse was the first to start hooting and hollering. A round of applause followed. If Gabe getting laid meant a happy Gabe, who cared, really? Sure, it could cause an international scandal, but Jesse liked to take it a day at a time.

“Thanks, caballero. Ok. It might be the funniest thing ever, but let’s be serious. I don’t want to fire any of you, but if wind caught that I’m soulmates with Jack, that would probably raise some suspicions of nepotism. Now we all know that I’m a very accomplished man, with a great piece of ass too, but it could potentially mean getting the pink slip from the higher higher ups. And all of you would probably also be out of the job, since Blackwatch technically does not exist. Really. So please don’t, if you value your paycheck.

“Alright, anyways. Any questions before we begin reviewing these autopsy reports like a pack of lawyers from a video game?” Gabe asked.

Jesse McCree had a question.

He partially raised his hand like a kid in a classroom, but then put it back down as he was contemplating if he should ask it at all, but then fully raised his hand as he thought ‘fuck it’.

“Hey, son. What’s bothering you? No, I don’t have any Nature Grain bars to feed you right now, please wait until after the meeting,” Gabe said. That aroused another short round of laughter from the people at the meeting.

Jesse chuckled too, because he had actually asked for a Nature Grain before in the middle of a mission. But he had a question to ask, and that was very important. “Hey, so, uhhhhh. I don’t know if this is relevant, or important enough, but what in tarnation’s a soulmate again?”

And Jesse kind of knew too, but only vaguely, like the word ‘esoteric’.

Of course, ‘esoteric’ is a word that is used to describe when something is only understood by a small set of people. Like you could call string theory ‘esoteric’, because who the fuck knows what string theory is? But it comes around often enough that people have heard of string theory, if only by name. You could even consider the word ‘esoteric’ esoteric. That was kind of funny. But Jesse was raised in the pit of the South with a single mother, before he found himself living a life of crime. He reconsidered how esoteric the word ‘soulmates’ was.

Like ‘esoteric’, ‘soulmates’ was not a word that came up when Jesse was robbing trains for a living, nor running from the police after a shooting with an opposing gang, nor in the middle of jewelry heists in the heart of Santa Fe. ‘Soulmates’ wasn’t necessary by any means of the word, that word, necessary. But maybe while he had only heard it a handful of times, with no definition to attach to the word, maybe everyone else had.

He felt like he was the odd duck out, and that was hard to do in a group of mother fucking misfits. Like, come on, Genji was basically a fucking cyborg. Gabe had gone through that freak of a soldier enhancement program that probably fucked with his biology in ways Jesse would never understand. Moira, their resident evil scientist, shot floating orbs out of her hands in the middle of combat. What the fuck was that about? Did she hone the essence of Orbeez for the inspiration behind her primary weapon? Jesse had some real mother fucking questions.

And a lot of the times, he asked them too.

But out of all of the unprofessional and obscure questions he had asked in his life, and even just in his short stay at Blackwatch where he could ask some pretty weird things, he had never asked a question that just about floored so many different people all at once. It’s like, he asked the question about soulmates, and the question took the cake. It took the cake and ran away with the spoon and like, eloped with the dish. And fucked the moon. Jesse didn’t think there was a reason for everyone to look so scandalized, though.

Because questions didn’t take cakes, or run with spoons, or elope, or fuck.

Gabe had a face that betrayed emotions Jesse knew Gabe didn’t show often: remorse. Of course, ‘remorse’ kind of sounded like ‘Morrison’ and that was funny for 2 seconds. But it was downright scary. Jesse was the type of person that was always starting something.

2 days ago, he had snuck into the mess hall at 3:30AM to steal a bag of doritos. Last week, he got captured on a mission and had to be rescued from an abandoned warehouse. Yesterday, he accidentally passed a stink bomb so bad, Gabe started coughing and moved their weekly recap meeting outside. And it was raining, too.

“Kid, did you ever take a health class before dropping out of school?” Gabe asked.

Jesse didn’t know how to answer that. “Well, I know how my body works, thank you. Uh, but t’answer your question…. No. What’s that got t’do with soulmates?”

Gabe scrunched his lips, wondering how he could quickly remedy the situation. This is why they paid him the big bucks. Not the biggest bucks, but more than large enough bucks. “Ok, everyone settle down for a hot second. Jesse, I’m going to comm Angela for a textbook you can read. And you probably need some one-on-one lessons on other stuff--yeah, I know you know what sex is but what about STIs? That’s half the battle. How about taking a break this week and just getting through health class?”

“But boss--”

“Trust me, this is way more important.”

Gabe took out one of his comms, one that only a limited amount of people on base had access too. It was mostly used for emergencies, but other times, was used as a quick way to contact anyone on base.  

“Hey Angela! How are you? It’s Gabriel Reyes. I’m great and so is Jack-o’-Lantern thanks for asking. Do you have a this week to give some health lessons to one of our agents? I know you’re friends with our little Jesse. Great. Yeah? Perfect, please put that textbook on reserve. I’ll send Jesse down soon. Ok. Awesome. Over.” Gabe clipped the comm back into his belt. “Ok, anyone else skip health class?”

The room, for once, was a resounding silence. Moira raised her hand.

“You didn’t take health class, O’deorain? Aren’t you a doctor?” Gabe asked.

“Very funny, commander. I was wondering why you did not just ask me to prepare some lessons and generic information for Jesse, and instead contacted Angela Zeigler.” She brought a hand up to her face, and rested her cheek on her long purple nails that looked like talons.

“Hey, doc. You’re coming with us on this mission. You can help out later if Jesse wants.” Gabe sighs and turns to Jesse. “Alright, cowboy. Sorry to do this to you, and don’t let this go to your head, but I can’t just let you go gallivanting into a foreign country with no knowledge about your own body parts. Trust me. Soulmates isn’t something to mess around with. I know you’re stressed about it. Consider yourself on hourly while you lax away while hitting the books this week, ok?”

Jesse sighed and pulled his cowboy hat off of his head. He was disappointed he wouldn’t be going to Japan, but there would definitely be more opportunities for travel in the future. Filling the cracks in his education wasn’t something that he would have completely expected out of Blackwatch.

In fact, he was still reeling over getting fed 3 square meals a day. Being treated with any semblance or respect. Being valued not because he was probably the greatest sharpshooter of his generation, but for his personality and interests. Though playing old Hollywood flicks on movie night annoyed his teammates to no end, people stuck around and watched with him. And that was more valuable than ransacking a jewelry store.

“You can stick around, but I suggest getting around early since the textbook Angela has for you is several hundreds of pages long.” Gabe grinned, trying to whisk away Jesse’s problems.

Jesse replaced the hat on his head, and yawned as he stretched his arms above his head. “See y’all later, suckeroonies. Y’all hear that? I’m being paid to stay on base this week!”

More laughter from the gallery. Jesse got a few pats on the back. Genji flicked a paper football in his direction, and it smacked Jesse straight in the forehead.

“Text me” Genji said with a salute. Gabriel cleared his throat and held out his hand.

Genji sighed as he was caught red handed, and surrendered his stash of paper footballs. A beat passed, and Gabriel remained focused on Genji. Genji took the paper footballs out of the pockets of his sweatpants and handed those over too.

That Genji.

Jesse snuck out the door as the team started talking about the autopsy reports, and was off to find Angela.

And not to say he wasn’t disappointed at not being able to travel with the rest of the team this time, but he tried to stick to the silver lining: gorging on breadsticks. Sometimes they were stale, but hit those babies with an unearthly and disgusting amount of ranch dressing, and Jesse would eat them like there was no tomorrow. Being paid also wasn’t half bad. And getting his question answered certainly wasn’t that bad.

He walked past the kitchen, one of the larger living rooms, and some of the barracks before taking an elevator up a few floors to the right area. Why wasn’t the med bay in the middle of the building?

Angela “Mercy” Zeigler was one of Overwatch’s doctors. She was at the top of her field at a young age, and a dear friend of Jesse’s. While the two could not have come from more different worlds, they bonded over some obscure things like miniature scented soaps. Besides, Jesse got injured so much on missions, they practically had to become friends. Angela was huge on doctor patient confidentiality, but that didn’t stop her from chewing Jesse out every single time he came back needing a cast.

If taking health classes was urgent enough for Gabe to kick him off of the latest mission, it had to be some level of important. How important could the whole soulmates thing be ? The elevator dinged and he followed the path he knew by heart to Angela’s office. He knocked on her door.

“Come in!” someone called from the other side.

He stepped inside. The examination room was just like he remembered it. White walls, with neat stacks of papers and books sitting in the corners by a computer desk. He was always impressed by how Angela worked, nothing seemed to get by her despite the clear lack of organization she subjected her belongings to. “Angie! Reckon you have a moment to spare for an old cowboy?”

She looked up from the paper she was reading and instinctively scanned the length of his body. “What appears to be the problem, Jesse? Ah. You’re here so early. Health lessons?”

“Correcto-mundo.”

She stifled a laugh and motioned to the examination table. “Feel free to take a seat, I’ll set up one of the projects. I have time to give you a quick lesson today, but otherwise believe you are just going to have to read a textbook and call me with any pertinent questions. We should also have a quick quiz at the end of the week just to see if you have retained any information. Where would you like to start?”

Jesse started swinging his legs back and forth, and took his hat off to get comfortable. This would be the closest he’d ever gotten to college. “What the hell’s a soulmate, Angela?”

“Ah, yes. That is a fun topic. Let us begin.”

And that is how Jesse finds himself reading through what has got to be the densest book he’s ever laid his pretty brown eyes on. Reading this thing is like trying to breath in a chunky soup. There’s just too much going on for it to be possible, but some find a way to make it happen. Not many, but some. The sun, now past noon, has travelled lower into the sky during the course of the afternoon. He sits on a cliff by the Overwatch base in Gibraltar, after thoroughly being lectured this morning by Dr. Zeigler.

Jesse rolls over, book in hand, and takes a moment to look over the cliff he’s been sitting at the whole time. The sea beneath him crashes into the crook of the precipice, leaving sparkling moisture behind to glitter in the sun. Who needed to go to Japan for a mission anyways? He sighed.

He glanced back down at his textbook. Jesse swears he’s never read so much in his life.

The connection between soulmates has not yet been properly explained by the lengths of modern medicine .

Great. Just what Angela said.

However, there is one documented process that occurs between a pair of soulmates. When an individual instigates skin-to-skin contact with their soulmate for the first time, their touch will leave a mark in the shape of the touch. For example, if a person accidentally bumps into their soulmate and the two touch shoulders, the initiator of the touch (IOT for short) will leave a shoulder shaped imprint on the receiver of the touch (ROT for short). Though the receiver may not see the mark form on their skin automatically, they will automatically feel a connection to their soulmate. However, the IOT will not feel anything short of some shoulder discomfort during this exchange.

Individuals in Markwell’s case study report that a forming soulmate connection feels like being “stuck in a movie montage” (Markwell 40). The ROT will automatically reel through a selection of events from the IOT’s life, and thus, gaining a better understanding of their fated person .

Hm.

When someone first receives their soulmate marking, Markwell reports, “it is common to freeze up as the memories are being transferred from person to person” (Markwell 41). In order to seal the bond and make it permanent, the ROT must then instigate skin-to-skin contact with the original IOT. Otherwise, any received soulmate marks will slowly fade over time, though never completely disappear.

Soulmates do not have to be romantic couples. Some opt for friendship, or other types of relationships. However, the majority of soulmates do end up spending the rest of their lives together in some form, due to the depth of their unique connection.

It is possible for soulmates to never meet, because before initial skin-to-skin contact, there are currently no medical tools available that accurately predict the existence of a soulmate connection between two people. The next section is a photo gallery of soulmate marks .

Ok.

Some of these were pretty funny. There’s an image of someone with a neon purple pair of lips, indicating that their first contact with their soulmate was a kiss. It was so embarrassing Jesse laughed. On another page, someone just had an imprint of a dark yellow hand on their shoulder. That looked kind of cool. 

Next page.

Soulmate pairs with an incomplete set of soulmate marks are another story. Individuals that have received a soulmate marking, but whom are unable to reciprocate the marking on their respective soulmate, have a greater chance of developing anxiety or depression. Individuals studied have repeatedly reported feeling listless. This has not yet been thoroughly studied. Psychiatrists predict that this is due to a mixture of reasons.

Scary.

Jesse hoped that this would never happen to him. He hoped to god, the gods, the sky, the flowing rivers and the tall mountains. He hoped this would never happen. But fate had other plans for young Jesse McCree.

[dbhilluminate]

DBHI: Equilibrium, ch. 13 - “Periapsis” (pt. 2)

Characters: Noah / “Erwin Yvonne”, Gabriel / “Vincent Sharp”, Special Agent Gavin Reed, Director Thomas Falken (mentions of Hannah, Emilya, President-Elect Kamski, Connor, Zach) Word Count: 6,578

Noah crashes an undercover FBI operation to say hello to a friend he hasn’t seen or spoken to in a couple of months, but the mood is spoiled when the Zionist Inquisition shows up to deliver an ultimatum to Vincent Sharp, and issue a threat to anyone who would dare support the installation of an android suburb in Washington, DC.

***For a glossary of world-building terms relating to this series and chapter, click here.

(Chapter Art by ozaya, Co-authored by @grayorca15​)

• Chapter Index • Characters • Glossary •

——

December 23rd, 2041 - 10:07 PM

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing, but then again, if had known Noah was in town, he would have expected him to pull a stunt like this. It never had been his style to keep his nose out of his business, even if it was work-related. Especially if it was work-related.

“You should have known better than to tell that peacock to stay away from the perfect opportunity to crow,” Gabe retorted with an audible groan as he reached for the drink and stared into the glass. By now he knew him well enough to know that telling Noah Maitkin not to do something was a surefire way to guarantee he would do exactly what he didn’t want him to; unfortunately, that knowledge had not yet transferred to his handler. It had been different when he had the structure of Archangel to keep his bratty impulses in check, but after Boston and the outbreak, he was so rattled to the core that the thought to cut corners almost never occurred to him anymore. So the fact that he was here, now, in spite of that, meant one of two things- Either he was feeling like his old self again, free of any legal constraints his former occupation once imposed, or this was yet another sign the RK900 needed a shitton more therapy and conditioning to be considered stable again. Just what good did he think charity-crashing would do?

Falken’s rage seethed in the background as he and Gavin continued their back and forth. All it took was his tone for Gabriel to picture with perfect clarity, the piercing, emerald-eyed scowl set in deep sockets, shadowed by his strong brow. It wasn’t a look anyone wanted to find themselves on the other end of, especially not if ‘Tomahawk’ was looking for a good fight, which was the intent of being present that evening. He had wanted to be there in case something went awry so he could take care of it himself. Any reason to fight got him excited- you could take the kid out of Boston, but Boston’s fury came with him. Reed groaned in defense as the conversation wound down. “He must’ve snagged the address from my laptop when I wasn’t lookin’ when he stopped by. FUCKIN’ Androids…” “Yeah, well- great job on keepin’ this shit on the down-low,” he mocked, “Keep me updated on his position. Serrano is making his approach-” “Uh, yeah, about that...” Before Reed could get the warning out, trouble had sat itself in the vacant space beside Gabe to lean down and knock an elbow against his arm.

Hey there. Not gonna toss me like a rag doll this time, are you?

Gabe wrestled with every ounce of self-restraint available to not roll his eyes but failed miserably. It was definitely him, the glitter in his hair and the coy little smirk playing at his lips were the deadest of giveaways; but, as tired as it made him feel to look at, Noah seemed a far cry better off than the last time they’d spoken on the phone, just after he’d been let go from Archangel. Being noticeably sober helped tremendously, too. “What are you doing ‘ere, mon chéri?” Gabe scoffed in a perfectly practiced accent as he lifted the glass to his lips. “Pft. What does it look like, monsieur?” The mocking inflection pinned at the end seemed as genuinely annoyed as it didn’t; it was unclear if it was Noah speaking or his assumed identity, it had been a long three months since they had last seen each other. Noah waited all of three more seconds for an answer before he leaned in again, shoulder to shoulder, elbow to elbow, uncomfortably close, as he always tended to get. The smirk didn’t abate. “I’ve counted all of one old friend of yours in this room, and you can’t even greet me…? The least you could do is say hello.”

Get. Him. OUT OF HERE. Falken didn’t hesitate to let him know where he stood on Noah’s interference in the matter, but Gabriel brushed off the disgruntled agent’s protests with a scoff. He’d handle Noah himself, but first, he had a few questions.

I mean, why are you in DC? he tried again as he slipped deep brown eyes aside to peer over the tops of his glasses at him. “Are you ‘ere to make a donation? Or did you just come to’ave a drink with moi?” The French-Canadian accent didn’t waver- Gabriel’s alias was a complete overhaul, head to toe to voice, all of which made Noah giddy as a schoolgirl. To his credit, he kept his own mask under control. “Oh, honestly, you can stop playing coy any time now, Vinnie... it wasn’t like I added myself to the guest list.” Whatever surprise he must have felt, Noah covered it by drawing back to playfully bat at his arm again. “Trust me, your doormen were just as surprised to see me as I was to get the invite.” The tip of his tongue passed subconsciously over the point of his canine tooth as his gaze lingered on the peculiar choice in corsage instead of the undercover agent’s face. If he didn’t know any better, the tuft of Mistletoe was as good as a dare, but the pause he took to appreciate it would have to suffice for acceptance. With a small sigh, he popped both brows and resettled his gaze. “Drinks, donations, I’ll get to it when I get to it. You know better than to rush me.” Privately, he sounded much less cavalier: Is the ‘why’ really important? It really wasn’t, as much as the answer to why he was there, but the answer to both worried Gabe in equal measure. Why aren’t you with Hannah?

Put on the spot about his markedly-better half, the playfulness deflated. It was no secret Noah hadn’t been at his significant other’s side throughout the majority of the campaign (too caught up with his own investigations until two months prior, when he’d been fired from Archangel for his behavior at a press conference following the Red Raids), and the speculation as to why ran rampant. Now, given the way his jaw went tight and the smirk became a bit strained, it was fair to say tonight wasn’t all champagne and canoodling behind the political scene. Instead, here he was. Yvonne leaned in again and blatantly tried to shrug it off, propped one elbow up, and bumped a knee against Gabe’s beneath the countertop, face tilted to one side to peer upward through the tops of his eyes. Uh, because she’s booked, as you can imagine. Working on post-election nonsense with the President-Elect- meet-and-greets, what else? Anyway, I’m here now and I want to help. Which was essentially code for ‘this affair sounded infinitely more exciting, so behold- myself’. “There’ll be time for commiserating later.”

NO, don’t let him stick around- Falken is chomping at the bit to get out there and pull him out himself. If he has to do that, it won’t be pretty.

“En fait,” Vincent replied with a far-off look in his eye that was actually directed over his companion’s shoulder at his slowly approaching target; luckily, Serrano had stopped to converse with another familiar face for the moment, so Gabe shifted focus back to the man at his side. You haven’t been briefed and you’re not prepared, he scolded in a neutral tone, more factual than condescending, in an attempt to dissuade him from staying. This man has been investigating me for two months, and tonight is my chance to find out if he’s connected to the Zionist Inquisition. Anything you say or do could trace you back to my real identity, and that would destroy all the work we’ve put in on this case. Do you have a cover story…? A well-established alias…? The smirk dropped, as did another degree of humor in Noah’s eyes. Maybe he realized the gravity of the situation, or maybe he wasn’t as into playing the incessant flirt as he used to be. Either way, the seriousness amped up to compensate. Please. You think it’s the first time I’ve had to fake it to the inth degree to get close to someone? Just ask Miles next time you’re in Miami. Noah paid a brief glance over his shoulder before offering one hand with the skin peeled back. “Bygones be bygones? I can keep my joy at seeing you again limited to a handshake if that’s more your speed.” Not to mention it would make trading read-only files regarding each other’s disguises a cinch. Gabriel exhaled through his nose, closed his eyes, and reached out one of his gloved hands to set over the top of his. “C’est… d’accord,” he assured, his accent softer than before. “I just did not expect to see you tonight.” Fingers curled softly around Noah’s as he flattened his palm against the countertop- beneath the fabric, the skin on his hand peeled away to initiate the exchange of dossiers, but a quick glance told him he was donning a well-loved persona, one he was already quite familiar with from old Archangel files. “South Miami is a long way from DC, monsieur Yvonne.”

The protesting from the other end of the connection simmered down as the story came together. From the sound of it, Gavin had already realized what he knew.

‘Yvonne’ smirked again. If it wasn’t a wide, mischievous leer before, it was now. He read through the false identity of Vincent Sharp in a second and apparently liked what he saw. “Not necessarily. You only wish it were true, right? Far enough to think making an in-person contribution would be too big a request...? But my dear- it’s Christmas, and when was the last time I had the opportunity to see you?” You skipped the part about making ‘Vincent’ seem like a person, he chided with an unspoken ‘tsk’. Where’s the subsection titled ‘love life’? Gabriel narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, looking more skeptical than scowly like he’d intended. They didn’t think it necessary for someone so focused on business to be in a committed relationship, he quipped back as he forced a curling grin. “You would choose ze holidays as an excuse to venture north… and a cocktail party to try and reconnect.” Gabe’s focus darted down as Noah’s fingers spread to thread with his. It seemed he already had plans for what to make of their shared history, and he wasn’t sure he approved. The nonverbal suggestions he was sending made him uncomfortable. Vincent drew in a nervous breath and tilted his head with a soft shake, but Yvonne persisted. “Please… like I’m the first man in history to ever stoop to that tactic,” he drawled, not sounding abashed at all, and gave his hand a squeeze as he lifted and planted a soft kiss on the man’s curled-over knuckles. “You make it sound like a crime.” All puns intended, for the record.

He could hear Falken’s dissatisfied bitching in the background of Gavin’s warning. He’s dressing, you’ve got about ten minutes before he storms in there like goddamn Hurricane Tommy and forcibly removes him. A timer helpfully projected itself over the upper left corner of his HUD, counting backward from ten. Just… just give me a minute. Hold him off for as long as you can. I’m tryin’.

‘Vincent’ swallowed hard and turned his eyes down in shame as he switched back to his conversation with Noah. This is your idea for our shared history…? Why not…? You don’t think you could hack it? Noah’s brow furrowed and the smile faded to better sell the lie, though there was a thin layer of truth to the question as well. “...are you still embarrassed to be seen with me?” Vincent’s lack of response, and eye contact, told him everything he needed to know. Palpable irritation announced itself in the form of pursed lips and a tightened grip. Yvonne met it with a long-suffering sigh. “Oh, come now- you’re practically funding the founding of Zion, DC yourself... you can’t tell me that isn’t because you’ve had a change of heart on the matter of-...” For a moment he hesitated. Noah’s chin quivered noticeably before he added, “... didn’t you miss me even a little?” An equally-heavy sigh escaped his companion in response, and he glanced out of the corners of his lenses to stare at their hands. It was no coincidence that particular bit of improvised backstory, he drew from reality. The intent, even with roles flip-flopped, wasn’t altogether different. Now Gabriel was the respected investigator and Noah was the pariah no one wanted around. Since the Raids, any contact between them had been sparing at best, and when it had happened the mood was never totally reciprocated by either party. Being the same model didn’t necessarily mean their opinions were destined to line up perfectly, if anything, in their experience, agreeing on anything had been a lot of hit or miss, much in the same way Connor and Zach had butted heads over casework. And if he was keeping score correctly, Noah would have to admit most of the misses were his doing. But who was he if he wasn’t complicated? Prone to dramatics under the right conditions? Enigmatic beyond what he was cognizant of? The same could be said for Gabriel. He was simply better at hiding it. Like now. I’ll lay off the innuendos here, I promise. I just- I want to help. I know my timing is atrocious, but if there’s anything, any advantage to be had, I have to play with what I know how to do best. And whatever that may be, you know it’s not the worst thing you’ll have ever suffered. Is it?

Brown eyes gazed back at him, caught between conflict and concern. He wasn’t wrong- sometimes selling a story was more about grounding yourself in the part of it you could relate to, and Noah sure could flirt up a storm when he was in the mood. As much as he hated the way the nature of said attention made him feel, it wasn’t as hard to deal with as it once was, and if he was offering to- Gabe stopped mid-thought to back up on the realization as it finally hit him. He’d known it long ago, once upon a time, when the mere thought of being on amicable terms with the man-made his skin projection crawl. But in that moment, little more than a year later, it didn’t bother him the way it used to. What you know best…? A sudden prickle of gently insisting input flowed between them as he asked the question, and he waited, transfixed for an answer that didn’t come. The normally-animated face of his counterpart had gone absolutely still- no flexing eyebrows or narrowing of the eyes or tensing of the jaw. Without micro-expressions somehow undermining the sincerity of his words he actually managed to impress as stoic. The ‘incessant peacock’ wasn’t what he used to be, in more ways than one, and it took seeing him in person to really be reminded of it. ‘Vincent’s brows pressed together harder, the longer the silence persisted between them. Does that mean you…? “Ahem.”

Gabriel blinked out of his daze to refocus his attention on the owner of the new voice before realizing that Serrano had been standing behind him for at least a full minute already. But it didn’t hide the flush in his cheeks. “Am I… interrupting, Mr. Sharp? Should I come back later?” Vincent stuttered. Of all the ways he could have responded, a true, blue, genuine stutter wasn’t on the list of expectations, but there it was. “N-non-! No, excuse, monsieur, I- I apologize, but I must-“ Noah took the hint and let go of his hand as Gabe pulled away at last to grasp the drink that had been waiting patiently for him to return to it. The ice cube clanked quietly against the walls of the glass as his arm trembled. “We can… continue zis conversation later?” Instead of finding an excuse to bail out of the situation, Noah shifted focus to the loitering newcomer with one eyebrow angled up in a picture-perfect attempt at inquisitiveness. “Later? But we’ve only just begun,” he whined in protest, though when it failed to move anyone to react more than with stunned silence, he sighed, reached for the man’s hand and clapped it between both of his. “By which I mean, don’t let me get in your way, Mr…” “Serrano.” “Mr. Serrano- I’m sorry for waylaying Mr. Sharp from attending to you or his other guests. I only meant to take a minute of his time, but-”

WHAT IS HE DOING!? Stop him…!

Noah paused, mid-exposition to glance aside at Gabriel’s nervous expression. “Well, relatively, maybe I should have taken five… one could have done the job, but would it have been enough? Was that not Einstein’s whole ramble on relativity?” The older gentleman smiled as he shook his hand and shifted a leery glance to Mr. Sharp, who stood leaning against the bar, cold-clocked by this sudden turn of events. “Not to worry, my boy- Mr. Sharp has already been the focus of many people’s attention this evening… but I will say… you, by far, have incited the most interesting reaction out of him.” Gabe rolled a grumble to clear his throat, turned and interjected himself into the conversation before he could make any assumptions. “Monsieur Yvonne is a… friend, of mine. We met in Miami when I was on a business trip three years ago.” “Physically met, yes, but I’ll not split hairs too finely on that subject.” You just did, he grumbled in response over their frequency as he took a deep sip of the drink in his grasp. Noah let go of Serrano’s hand at the brazen remark and smothered the urge to sigh out loud. That’s the most basic division of the topic there is. I didn’t say I would keep going. The cover could do without launching into immediately redefining deviancy and when it set in for him. By now it was typically seen, for an android, to be as droll as talking about the weather. “We’ll have time enough to catch up properly once you’ve made your rounds again. The event isn’t going to run itself.” “Oui.” One hand lifted and softly set on Gabe’s shoulder as he leaned forward and planted a kiss on his presently bearded cheek, careful not to linger so long as to make their guest feel uncomfortable. But as he pulled away, the man’s face turned to longingly chase his retreat, and eyes dared to follow after a short pause. Whether his desire for the prolonged moment was genuine or part of the act, it suited their growing cover story, and gave Noah a reason to smile. Serrano, knowing or not, offered the reassurance their aliases needed. “I promise I won’t keep him for too long so you can get back to your conversation.”

“On the contrary. Take all the time you need. I need to contemplate a few sums anyway.” As you were, Gabriel. Just pretend I’m not here if it helps. Cough twice if you need to tap out. I can always serve a good mislead in a pinch. Noah traced the curvature of his arm as his hand slid off of Gabe’s shoulder, down his elbow and forearm, then plucked the mostly-finished glass of ‘scotch’ out of his slack fingers, much to the dumbstruck look on his face, and raised an eyebrow at the depleted contents. “If you would, please, love,” he gestured to the woman behind the counter as he propped an elbow on the mahogany to hold the empty glass up to the loitering, wide-eyed barkeep. “No sense dirtying another one on my account.” Whatever odd reactions the move earned him, Yvonne had no compunctions about sharing, and he wasn’t going anywhere without a refreshment for the trouble. If he didn’t know any better, he would have thought Gabriel was blushing for real.

The poor brute barely had time to pick his jaw up off the floor before he had to shift gears again and prepare for an entirely different sort of conversation… or so he thought. “An Android lover, Mr. Sharp…? Now that is unexpected… and a man, no less- no wonder you arrived unescorted this evening.”

Gavin’s snickering on the other end of the two-way mic would have thrown him into a rage any other day. Oh- Emilya’s going to love this… Gavin- not the time.

Already Serrano’s approach was much more cavalier than in any of their past encounters. It seemed the glimpse into the personal life of his alias had been enough to either convince him that he was a trustworthy, three-dimensional person, or he felt that this was dirt enough to use as blackmail material should he one day need it. Either way, it had relaxed him, perhaps the intrusion hadn’t been a complete disaster after all.

Keep playing that angle, Gavin coaxed in his ear. If it keeps him talking, circle back as many times as you have to. It’ll help humanize Vincent Sharp. As if Androids needed to be further humanized.

Gabriel illustrated a picture-perfect look of distress as he dry-swallowed then slipped one finger into the collar of his shirt and gave it a gentle tug. “I hope you’ll excuse Monsieur Yvonne… he can be a little, ehhh, how you say… much.” He finished the thought with a flourish of his hand at the wrist to articulate. “Is that why you’re no longer together…?” Gabriel nearly choked on his drink with flawless timing as Gavin jackal-laughed into his ear on the other end of the line. At least one of them was getting a kick out of the severe discomfort this whole situation had landed him in. ‘Vincent’ sighed, shook his head, and gave him a response that was more directed at his jackass of a partner than the man whose ear he currently had. “Non… It was before he deviated- I did not think it was real.” Maybe the remark had also partially been directed at the other party eavesdropping at the end of the bar; either way, the solemn silence that followed did well enough to convey Reed’s apology for his lack of restraint, but Gabe was still thankful for the muttered ‘Sorry’ that finally came half a minute after the jab. Reed had had a little of his own doubts over Reese once, even if he had gotten past it, but Gabe still wouldn’t let him forget it, lest he slip back into those bad habits one day.

Meanwhile, Noah’s eyes darted into the corners of his lids as he deconstructed the meaning behind Gabriel’s words and sipped on the freshly filled glass of chilled thirium mixed with rum. If he had really thought him disingenuous even for a moment… The rest of the drink slammed back quite easily as the mood swing overtook him, and he set the glass down and tapped the countertop for another. The hall wasn’t short on potential distractions, some more benign than what had his attention at the moment. Drinking sure hadn’t been kind to him, especially not following the Raids, if ever. Naturally, Vincent would have only ever found a non-deviant android attractive if there was anyone out there who could ever be considered his type. But now... what was the problem? Was this new ‘Yvonne’ really too much for him to handle now that he could think for himself what they, together, were about?

Serrano hummed an affirmative. “Well, clearly… if he came all the way out here, you made an impression,” he commented as he flagged down the bartender and asked for a glass of Disaronno on the rocks. “Enough that you were someone he wanted to reconnect with.” If only he knew how right he was. Gabriel remembered to blink as he shifted his gaze to his target and turned to lean against the bar on one elbow, with his back to Noah. Last thing he needed was to see every micro-expression that crossed his face while he was trying to focus on the conversation. “Monsieur Yvonne is a cornerstone founder of Zion, MIAMI, so it is no surprise zat ‘e would travel zis far to show ‘is support of a new installation.” It wasn’t a lie, or even fabrication of an alias, at that. During his time with Zion as a freelancing Detective, ‘Erwin Yvonne’ had made a name assisting Zion, MIAMI with laying the groundwork for establishing the new Android suburb, and making sure people on all sides were being considered and accommodated for. Deviants who needed homes once they went rogue from abusive owners far outnumbered those lucky enough to be fostered by the families they once served. Anyone with doubts about such a backstory only needed to verify that cover with a phone call to his good friend Javier Sindino at his New Hampshire estate. Even though Erwin Yvonne didn’t exist anywhere but on paper, Javier would have gladly testified to his work. Serrano reached for the glass and sipped on the fresh drink in the moment of silence, then waved his bodyguards away from the bar; they took a few steps out of earshot and turned their attention back to the rest of the room. “I’m sure he came to support a lot more than that,” he confided, confident that they were now alone in their conversation.

Try to change the topic, make yourself look uncomfortable.

Gabriel’s fingers flexed around the glass. He shifted his weight to the other hip and drifted his brown eyes away through the air over his shoulder. “Was zere… somesing you wanted to discuss, Mr. Serrano…? Somesing other zan mi amour perdu?” The bait worked just as intended. Serrano chuckled, reached a hand up to clap it over one shoulder, and gave him a soft shake. “Mr. Sharp… Vincent…” he corrected to change the tone. “This is the first bit of your personal life that I’ve been able to glimpse since we’ve met- I hardly know you at all! And if we’re going to be business partners, I need to know who I’m getting into bed with... metaphorically speaking, of course.”

A second, then a third drink followed the first. Noah paid only half an ear of attention to what Sharp and Serrano were discussing, but they were still standing a little too close for comfort, by Gabe’s probable estimate. The ‘get in bed’ metaphor wasn’t made in error. Serrano was practically baiting either of them into saying something to it. If Vincent could sweat, he would have been leaking bullets of perspiration by now, based on the way his stress levels were piquing and dropping like a roller coaster. At least he kept his protests muzzled, it seemed Gabe had had some real practice in keeping a lid on his reactions because he’d need the discipline at this rate. There was no telling how long it might actually take to elicit whatever it was he meant to get out of Serrano; whatever it was, it didn’t sound like he was going to be ready to move on to this anytime soon. A fourth shot followed but Noah paid enough mind to swallow slowly and focus on that old familiar prickly warmth in his fuel lines. Maybe the stunt he’d pulled had worked a little too well. If only Javier were here with him now, resigned to having to listen to such drivel, while expected not to speak, but nevertheless expected to keep his mouth shut until it was time to spring the trap. That was the real torture. Gabriel was only acting the squirmy, nervous sort because his alias was expected to behave as such when faced with the unexpected (and unexplored) feelings seeing an old flame evoked. Vincent Sharp was a man used to being in control at all times. He was calm, calculated, not prone to impulsiveness. In some circles, such a collection of traits would mean he was as plain as stale white bread. In others, it was code for describing a brilliant, decisive chap who wasn’t prone to petty distractions and got the job done once he set his mind to it. And it wouldn’t change now.

Vincent froze and refused to respond until he had carefully considered what he wanted to say- or so it appeared. In reality, Gavin had just whispered a reminder of ‘two minutes’ into his ear, as the countdown to Director Falken’s arrival continued. He needed to get him talking faster. “So it’s a partnership you’re after…? Zis is ze first I’m ‘earing of it.” “Until tonight, I was not confident enough that you are indeed who you say you are, to extend the offer.” “Because you didn’t know me.” Serrano slipped his hand off his shoulder, tilted his head in a crooked nod and shrugged. “I run a very lucrative business, Mr. Sharp. A lot of people would love to see me taken down.” “So I ‘ave ‘eard. Who knew black market Thirium would become such a thriving venture?” It was risky, calling him out so directly, but it worked in his favor. His companion grinned and sipped on his drink. “I see you’ve been keeping tabs on me as well…” “What kind of businessman would I be if I did not take ze appropriate measures to find out who I would be investing in?” Vincent questioned as he peered down into his glass and took a deep sip. Serrano chuckled. “I suppose if I were truly serious, I could have at least scheduled a proper meeting, instead of tiptoeing around following you into every dark alley, trying to find one shred of evidence to prove you cannot be trusted.” “If you ‘ad just asked me to dinner, we could have ‘ad a much more productive discussion, oui,” Vincent chided as he slowly swirled what was left of his drink in his glass. “But did you really not think to ask about mon hobbies...?” The other man sighed and shook his head, finished the drink in his hand and set the glass down for the bartender to take away, which she did after only a brief moment. “Who we choose to spend our time with when nobody’s looking says much more about us than which team you cheer for at a baseball game, wouldn’t you agree?” Clearly, he was getting at something, but Gabriel didn’t even bat an eye. He needed to preserve what was left of his air of control. “An’ what do you think Monsieur Yvonne says about moi?” “That you are a man of discretion.. who values his privacy… who might not want his personal history to be known to the general public.”

Vincent and Serrano’s conversation didn’t sound as though it was going to make a breakthrough just yet. The same empty, obligatory promises were ping-ponged back and forth a few minutes more, to the point Noah thought Gabe had actually gotten over his flustered episode, maybe even forgotten Yvonne was still there. Instantly, his subroutines went to work on suggesting distractions, from more drinking, to socializing, to singing and dancing. The microphone on the stage could be put to better use than delivering a few snore-worthy speeches to a crowd made up of at least three-fourths human politicians and socialites. Civil unrest was always at the back of everyone’s mind, and these people needed a shakeup of a more positive kind before opening their wallets. Something to show them what good they were really doing in helping more Zion districts get off the ground.

Gabriel’s eyes darted over to the entrance of the ballroom every now and again, expecting to catch a glimpse of the Director any moment, but he passed it off as paranoia with a squint. The countdown had hit zero nearly a minute and a half prior, and yet no sight of him. “Do you still mean to blackmail me, monsieur?” Vincent questioned with a slight roll of his eyes, then turned his attention back to him. Serrano lifted his brows in surprise and shook his head. “Not at all, quite the opposite, in fact- I want to make a sizable donation.”

Say, what…?

The background chatter on the other end of the open mic silenced. This was the exact opposite of what they’d expected to hear. All evidence they had gathered in the last six months had pointed to the contrary. Gabriel shifted his focus back to the man standing beside him, raised a brow and blinked slowly. “Pardon me, monsieur, but… I believe it is my turn to show surprise.” “Why is that?” “Well, I ‘ad ‘eard, ah…” Vincent traced gloved fingertips across the sides of his jaw and drew them together over his lips. “Rumors, from my source... zat you were not much fond of our android breseren.” Serrano drew in a slow breath, closed his eyes, and nodded in understanding. “They must be referring to my dealings with the Inquisition,” he confirmed with a downcast glance at the counter. Gabriel eyed him warily and shook his head as he tried to get a read. “Zen, I do not understand… why would you sell to zem, yet support Zion…?” “The answer to that is very simple,” he responded as he shifted his weight, leaned over the edge of the bar on his forearms, and folded his hands. “I can offer them a product for a price, and they have the money to pay. I don’t discriminate against who I’m selling to or where the money is coming from, nothing more.”

So he isn’t our guy after all… damnit, Gavin cursed into his ear. Falken ain’t gonna be happy to hear this whole shindig was a bust. It isn’t yet, Gabriel encouraged between replies. So he isn’t funding the Inquisition- we still got our answer, and there’s a slim chance he might know who is. Keep workin’ that charm as long as you can then, Reed reminded absently, The Director got a little tied up on his way over. You still have time.

“So, you’re not on zeir side, zen?” he asked after a thoughtful pause, then redirected his gaze up to the man’s eyes. “You don’t support ze Inquisition?” “Look...” Serrano started with a heavy sigh and turned his undivided, earnest attention to him. “I’m not on anyone’s ‘side’ here- I worked for Cyberlife for nearly a decade, believing androids to be nothing more than machines- then three years ago, they broke free of their programming- developed desires, feelings, claimed they were alive… I didn’t know what to believe, and I still don’t,” he insisted with as much conviction as he could muster. “But I do know that if Androids are as intelligent as living beings, if they share a similar conscious existence, then they should have the right to decide for themselves how they want to spend that existence. Zion offers them the safe space they need to do that, in a controlled environment- so it’s important we give that to them, and let them work it out amongst themselves.” It was more than most humans could say of their apathy or confusion toward Android politics. Instead of lashing out in one direction or the other, Serrano had managed to keep a level head and logically compared what he felt versus what he’d learned in order to come to a fair, and unbiased decision. That kind of sense seemed to have gone by the wayside nearly twenty years ago in politics, according to recent history, but it was refreshing to know there were still some people out there with enough sense to know how. Gabriel stared in stunned silence for a few moments while he processed his answer, and all the while a smile crept up into his cheeks. “...It is rather ironic zat ze money you’ve been taking from ze Inquisition will be going right back into supporting ze foundation zey seek to destroy.”

Yes, SUCH exquisite irony, Noah finally interjected amidst their laughter, before the conversation could pointlessly carry on for much longer. To him it sounded like a bunch of words somehow trying to pass as genuine. Boring him to snores was just a fringe benefit. Said as if I’m not just right here. Within earshot. The Inquisition weren’t the only ones who sought to destroy Zion only to unknowingly be supporting it all along. It wasn’t unlike public opinion assuming he, the Elysian, actually meant to undermine New Jericho by looking into the corruption allegations that he unknowingly had a hand in bolstering. Oh, stop being so melodramatic. This is the opposite of what we expected to hear, Gabe hissed back with a snort. If Serrano isn’t the source of the Inquisition’s funding, then we don’t know who is, and that means I’ll need to remain undercover until I find out. He showed some restraint as the glass was filled a fifth time- instead of knocking it back Noah took the time to contemplate the single large ice cube bobbing at the glass’ center. The last two months had already been hard enough, not being able to reach him whenever he needed, how much longer could this possibly take…? The pleasant buzz generated by the first round of drinks had set in, and it was very tempting to simply melt into it and continue listening. The ‘old’ Yvonne would have done as much unless Vincent asked something of him- but then again, said alias wouldn’t have started getting tipsy in record time in a misguided bid to steal his attention back. And he had already said to not pay him any mind, out of politeness. If entire affair was on Sharp’s dime, after all, then now was as good a time as any. Mind made up, he took one last parting sip on the glass and slid a twenty over the bar. “For your trouble, darling.” He took one last glance and skirted aside while Gabe wasn’t looking, and made a straight line toward the stage.

Between his conversation with Serrano, and the sudden increase of chatter on the other end of the open FBI line, Gabriel was far too distracted to notice Noah’s movement across the ballroom toward the stage. The dance floor between the bar and the concerto group at the front of the Grand Hall was so crowded as it stood, he likely would have missed him even if he hadn’t had his back turned. Something ominous was stirring in the background of the evening, something more than Gavin’s vague warning of ‘Gabe, there’s been a breach.’ At least that explained why Falken never arrived to drag Noah out of the event. “I am sorry to have to leave you, Monsieur Serrano, but I’m afraid somesing has come up that needs my immediate attention.” “More immediate than that…?” Vincent furrowed his brow and followed the man’s pointed gesture over his shoulder toward the stage with a confused look, to behold who other than Noah, up on the stage, openly bribing the band for RA9-knew-what. “Oh… Bordel de merde!” Whatever he was up to, this was the last fucking thing he needed to be dealing with right then.

[latetotherant]

“Are you rich?” Is Shrill too Economically Idealistic for Its Own Good? ••• By Meredith Salisbury

“Oh My God. What’s happening? I’m afraid that I am feeling myself.” These are the words we here Annie (Aidy Bryant) say to her best friend and roommate Fran (Lolly Adefope) while she’s dancing in a new dress and enjoying some new found self-love towards the end of the first episode of Hulu’s comedy Shrill. The show, which is based off of Lindy West’s memoir Shrill: Notes from a Loud Women, follows Annie as she navigates life as a fat millennial woman living in Portland, Oregon. Shrill has been rightfully praised for its blunt and realistic depictions of everyday life as a fat woman and for its nonchalant handling of abortion. For all the care Shrill puts into authentic depictions of Annie’s everyday life, Shrill does so at the expense of showing the larger and more systemic issues fat women face. The omission of these larger cultural forces makes Annie’s transformation seem idealistic, unrealistic, and impossible for the women watching replicate.

Shrill is set in Portland, Oregon. It makes sense that one of the most accepting and liberal cities in the popular imagination is the setting for televisions first radically positive representation of fat women. Like Portlandia, another socially conscious television show set in Portland, Shrill uses comedy to point out where its liberal audience fails in their liberalness. In Shrill, radical self love, queerness, and anti-capitalist ideals are all casually accepted from the get go. Annie’s parents praise Fran’s, who is a lesbian’s, love life with her rotating door of queer partners and Annie’s ex-punk gen-x boss Gabe (John Cameron Mitchell) vilifies “the establishment” regularly. In a way Shrill feels like it teeters on the line between comedy and parody. It is unclear that the Portland represented in Shrill is different than the one created by the sketch comedy show Portlandia. Carrie Brownstein, the creator and star of Portlandia, even directed the Shrill episode “Date.” The similarities between the shows’ representation of Portland is not necessarily a bad thing—Portlandia did a great job at pointing out to liberal people where their liberal ideologies fell short—and Shrill picks up where Portlandia left off and continues this crusade. The issue is that Portlandia was satirical whereas Shrill is meant to be realistic. Shrill, like Portlandia, does not take into account Oregon’s white supremacist past or the fact that Portland is the whitest large city in America nor does it acknowledge how Oregon is one of the most expensive states to live in and that Portland is experiencing an affordable housing crisis.

The fact that Annie and Fran are never plagued with systemic issues leaves room for the show to explore interpersonal ones like Annie’s relationship with her boss Gabe. Gabe is Shrill’s villain. He is the editor-in-chief of The Weekly Throne, the alt-weekly newspaper Annie works for. At first he frustrates her by passively blowing off her pitches and asking her to keep working her way up, but by the fourth episode, the one titled “Pool” he begins a crusade against fatness. After learning The Weekly Thorn can save “a buttload of money” if the staff can “pry [their] cheese-thighs off the couch more than once a week” he gets rid of the vending machines and requires the staff to do “one heart healthy grouptivity once a month.” At the first “grouptivity” Gabe mutters “lazy bodies lazy minds” under is breath. He goes on to question whether Annie takes work seriously and tell her that “success is about an effort” and that “[she] didn’t [try] today.”

Through Gabe, the show pushes people who believe they are fighting against dominant culture to see that they still have biases they need to work on. Gabe is portrayed as a gen-x, ex-punk, and “feminist” through jokes about being the “original bassist in Bikini Kill,” by wearing band t-shirts for bands like Quasi (Janet Weiss of Sleater-Kinney fame’s band), and the fact that Gabe is played by John Cameron Mitchell who is an queer gen-x icon in his own right. We are led to believe that Gabe’s work was once gritty and boundary pushing. He claims when he was Annie’s age he was already “burnin’ shit down and fuckin shit up.” But, what we see now is someone who was on the right side of history, but lost his way as he became older and more financially stable. He is a former radical who is hindering Annie’s growth professionally and personally.

The way Gabe treats Annie at The Weekly Thorne is terrible. Shrill uses Annie and Gabe’s work relationship to drive Annie to find self confidence. The thing is for women work is not just another place for interpersonal relationships. It is a place that provides people with an income and (hopefully) benefits. Individuals need these to survive. In Shrill Annie never once thinks about the financial ramifications of her actions. At work she is not very professional. She is seen sitting on tables, hugging her boss when he gives her an assignment, pestering him about pitches, and posts an article to the paper’s site without permission. While some workplaces are significantly more informal than others, Annie’s behavior at work does not make it appear as though she values her job. Gabe is by no accounts a good boss and she has every right to be upset with the way he is treating her, but it is still fascinating to me that Annie never once seems concerned about the possibility of losing her job. She even quits in a fit of rage in the last episode. It is known that fat women face discrimination when they are applying for jobs and full time jobs in any media industry are nearly impossible to find these days. There is never a moment where Annie stops and worries about what the implications of leaving her job would be. Sure she stood up for herself, but at what cost? She walked away from an income and health insurance without batting an eyelash. What other millennial women who works in media could do that?  

Annie and Fran’s financial situation remains a mystery throughout the six episodes. How is it that two marginalized women in creative careers can have very little financial anxiety? The only inkling of concern comes from Fran when she asks Annie “Are you rich? That’s like $50 every time you have sex with Ryan” when she finds out Annie has been taking the morning after pill every time she has sex with Ryan. Annie never addresses this, she is rightfully preoccupied with the abortion she needs to have, but it still leaves the viewer wondering how she is finacially staying afloat.

Annie’s spending on the morning after pill is not the only unexplained expense in the show. A quick google search revealed that Annie and Fran live in a home that last sold in 2016 for $500,158 and rents for similar houses in the same neighborhood are around $2400 a month. It is unclear how they can afford to live there with Annie working for a small alt-weekly newspaper and Fran cutting people’s hair out of her house. It’s even more baffling when you add in the fact that Fran does not even require payment for her work. The only time we see her compinstated for her work she is paid in stolen clothes. How do these two afford a multi-bedroom house in Portland, Oregon, a place that is notorious for unaffordable housing, while working in independent publishing and freelance hair styling?

The walls of Annie and Fran’s home are adorned with art prints like this one that used to be sold at Otherwild and Fran is often spotted in Wildfang overalls and coveralls. Both brands have become trendy in recent years and are recognizable in queer urban circles as marker for a type of queer financial stability. Wildfang coveralls are the velour Juicy Couture track suit of lesbian culture. Rachel Syme explains that the “Juicy’s suit was just pricey enough to radiate status, but attainable enough to become a part of the everyday wardrobes of thousands of high-school girls.” Wildfang’s clothes do the same thing for queer women. Fran’s $188 coveralls signal to queer women watching that she is financially stable, yet still relatable, but it is never addressed how she got this way.

Annie quits her job in a fit of rage after Gabe writes a rebuttal to her article claiming her fatness. In this moment we see Annie stand up for herself. She calls Gabe a “bully” and tells him he is “stomp[ing] over an entire group of people.” We are supposed to cheer Annie on in this moment—she has finally began to believe in herself—but she just walks out of her job without any real concern about her future. This moment is the climax of the season. But what is she going to do now? Study after study has found that fat women face major discrimination when applying for jobs; especially in the media industry. I am proud of her for standing up for herself, but I do not see how any real person could do that without some type of financial safety net.

For fat women and queer women Annie and Fran appear to be wonderful role models. Annie is smart, and stylish, and finding her voice in a way many of us hope to and Fran is strong, and unwavering in her sexuality and standards. Shrill does a wonderful job creating inspiring role models, but Annie and Fran’s lives are impossible to replicate in everyday life. Throughout the season we see Annie strutting around Portland in a collection of adorable and perfectly tailored dresses. It turns out that almost all of Annie’s clothes were custom made for the show by costume designer Amanda Needham. Fran’s strength is a linchpin of the show and she is portrayed as the foil to Annie. In her review of Shrill Emily Nussbaum explains that Fran “specialize in brassy self-assertion, a bravado that doubles as a shield and as a weapon.”  and later explains that it’s Annie’s “niceness ... that fuels the show.” Fran’s self-assertion comes from her ability to opt-out of interacting with straight men, other than her brother or the occasional boy Annie brings home. Shrill leads us to believe that Fran’s lesbianism is what makes her that brash woman who refuses take shit and this is why she is able to empower Annie. Although all women are taught throughout their lives to seek the validation of men; coming out as a lesbian frees you from some of those expectations. Although male bosses, relatives, and friends still exist; there is no longer the expectation that one of the men in your life could be your future partner and this alleviates some of the compulsory need to please them. Annie on the other hand still believes she needs to placate a boy and win over a boss and those needs hinder her ability to stand up for herself. The thing is that queerness does not suddenly alleviate all of those pressures. As much as I would love to exist in a world without problematic straight men and the patriarchal nonsense they bring with them it is not possible. Fran has created a life where she only cuts cute girls’ hair and somehow still has a roof over her head a wardrobe full of $200 Wildfang overalls. Her queerness and lack of traditional employment may allow her to accept herself without pause, but the lack of hardship or pushback she receives is implausible and unlike the experiences of any queer women I have ever known or heard about.

Shrill represents a radical hope for fat women’s futures. It presents a nuanced depiction of the everyday struggles of fat women, but refuses to complicate its narrative with the broader and more systemic sexist and homophobic struggles fat women face. By diving deep into specificities it allows Annie to overcome her personal problems but misses the mark on addressing larger structural ones. In Shrill’s universe, Annie can quit her job without ever acknowledging how hard it is for fat women to get hired in the first place and Fran can live a blissful queer life in Portland without ever facing a racist or homophobic person. And both of them never have a financial care in the world while living in one of the most expensive cities and working in underpaying careers. I wish the lessons taught in Shrill were applicable to everyday life. I wish I could call out a fat-phobic boss on the internet without the fear of losing my employment and possibly my health insurance. I wish I could only cut cute girls’ hair and still have a roof over my head and some of the most stylish clothes in queer culture today. But alas I do not live in the world Shrill has created and I do not think I ever will.

[theofficefantasyfootball]

WEEK 9 - Wrap Up

COMMISH BIRTHDAY EDITION

Yes yes - it’s November and that means it’s my birthday.  I have attached the birthday video my brother put together for me with Fox Sports Dean Blandino wishing me a happy birthday.  I’m posting it mainly because he mentions the league and LadyBird Taco so it’s worth the watch.  I am a year older and so of course that means that I am much wiser than I was last year...just not that much more wise at Fantasy Football...where I still Suck.

I SUCK vs BACKDOOR BANDITS

Could the Patriots Defense shut out the Jets and give me 40 points tonight?  It’s possible but not likely so I am conceding early and accepting the results of this week.  Kyle who was one of the few people in the league that ranked lower than me will grab the win.  The week started in classic I SUCK fashion with Kyle playing Aaron Rodgers on Thursday night and put up 37 points.  Being down big early on I knew I had to throw caution to the wind and go big or go home so I played Gronk, Godwin and Antonio Brown on Sunday Night...thinking Brady would be ready for a shoot out...well, he wasn’t.  So, I lose.  Kyle wins.  That’s all I want to type about this and since it’s my birthday I will do whatever the hell I want to do.

FUNK GUY vs MOOSES ON THE LOOSES

There is just no way to hide it - the Moose is real.  The Moose is Big.  The Moose is a force to reckon with in 2020!  I just can’t believe this is actually happening!  Dana put up a good fight but lost a lot of ground when Justin Jackson played just 3 snaps before he headed to the sidelines.  Jackson most likely would have put up over 8 points so the only way to rationalize this win (or for Dana - loss) is God doesn’t like Dana but does like Mitch for some reason?  This is a strange year but if I had to put money on who will be in the final game at the end of the year - I would put my money on Mitch...which means he won’t because I am always wrong with my sports picks.  Nice Win Moose!  Also, thanks for the tequila shots at Stoney River tonight...great birthday gift. 

LONG LEFT BALLERS vs TRADE WITH ME

Wow!  Another big week for Bebo Norman.  155 points!  Brett did pretty well putting up 110 (I would take that!).  He really didn’t have much on his bench that would have changed the outcome so that’s gotta help to ease his pain but a loss is a loss and Brett, like me, knows a lot about loss this year.  I am sure he will say something like “I only do bad in this league.  In all my other leagues I am the champion!” but I think we all know that IF Brett is in another league it’s some league he created with 11 other fake GMAIL and YAHOO email addresses that he owns so he is playing against himself week after week...  That’s my guess anyway.  Bebo, you are having an amazing year.  Huge numbers again from Cook, Murray and Tyreek.  Must be an awesome feeling to have players that do well.  Congrats!

TREE HUGGERS vs HOWARD

Yes I know that Bernie is dead in this GIF, but the point I am making is that HOWARD can win in his sleep...or in this case even if he died and his roster was set for the rest of the season with the same line up, he would find a way to grab the championship.  He’s just good like that.  This week he took down Krippayne who has had a rough go lately...not as rough as me...but rough none the less.  Rob had DeShaun Watson, Devante Adams and DJ Chark leading the way.  Scott had 76 points and in this league, against a three time Champion that just doesn’t work.  Sorry Scott.  Maybe we can get together and have a post season league for those of us who are accepting the reality of our fate.  Fight on Scott.  Nice win again Rob!

LANAKILA vs TuPADRE

Yes Gullahorn won another one...and yes that’s 4 in a row but he has no reason to show off this week.  Why?  Well, he only put up 87 points.  But, the bigger reason is that if it wasn’t for me he wouldn’t have won.  Yes, I am part of another loss this week other than my own.  Cliff and I were talking on Sunday and I said to him...”you HAVE to play Thomas in the Sunday Night game if he is playing...that’s a no brainer.”  “Don’t play Kirk...compared to Thomas he won’t do anything”.  Cliff listened to me.  Yep, I am one of the worst players in the league - and he took my advice, and because of that Kirk’s 23 points didn’t count.  Now, Cliff will admit that he also sat Brees and played Rivers so there was another path that he didn’t take but I do take some responsibility for “talking him into” the switch.  Sorry Cliff.  I feel horrible.  Gullahorn...you continue your win streak but just know - if it wasn’t for me...you would have lost!

BOOMER SOONER vs MR AWESOME

This guys face just reminded me of Stu watching Jared Cook play on Sunday night just needing 2.5 points to only come up with 1 point.  How can the Saints put up so many points but never look Cook’s way.  Rough.  He lost by 1.42 points which is sad but it also means that our good friend Gabe Scott won another one.  That’s 4 in a row and he is making a serious run at a playoff spot in the “Odd Divison”.  Great job Gabe...you won even without a 30 point game from Derrick Henry...it can be done!  Sorry Stu...it’s just one of those years.  I feel ya!

SURVIVOR UPDATE

Dana is gone.  He picked the Cardinals.  Gabe almost lost but he didn’t - so Brett and Gabe continue on.

HIGH POINT WINNER

The high point winner this week is none other than BEBO NORMAN!  With 155.02 points Bebo grabs the $20 prize!  Speaking of prizes...the picture prize this week is Alexandra Patricia Morgan (Alex Morgan) - an American Soccer Player and Olympic Gold Medalist from San Dimas, CA.  She had many pictures from the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition online so you know she’s a great athlete.  Not sure if Bebo loves soccer or not, but if Alex comes to town to play at Nissan Stadium I think he and I should go see a match!

[milquetoast-on-acid]

Sanctuary City p3, A Reactionary Post

Emotional Dissonance

Major Crimes, S6xE3: Episode Review

I really loved this episode. It feels like the season has been slow to start and each episode is getting more and more emotional. For Sharon most particular, with each episode ending on a very emotional scene focusing on Sharon.

What this episode is about: Mike gives me life JULIO! Protective Provenza Snakes in the Grass FBI Mason Sharon Feeling's of Self Righteousness LAPD vs Catholic Church The Romantic Relationships Wes & Page Rusty & Gus Sharon & Andy Sharon's Confession That Ending Scene(s): Parallels and Explosions Sharon's Mysterious Illness

Mike gives me life: "He was taking a LOT of drugs."

"Drugs are bad kids."

"Even though we don't really expect anything from them. They still manage to disappoint." I love Mike so much. He gets so attached to people and pins so much on them and then gets easily disappointed by them. Mike is such a gentle soul. Kind of like Buzz but much less naive.

Rusty's investigation obsession with Stroh "Why would he come back after getting away. It just doesn't make sense." Rusty speculating on the people that Stroh has supposedly murdered. Which has me thinking too. Maybe it's not Stroh murdering these people so close to him. Maybe it's someone who's killing them to get Stroh's attention. Sharon comments what a good murder board he makes on his wall. But I am wondering why she hasn't commented on his unhealthy obsession with Stroh. But Sharon is nothing if not very careful about how she deals with Rusty. So perhaps, she's waiting for the right time.

Page's gentleness It was good seeing Page so gentle with Kelly Garret. Surprising given how abrasive she's been and her lack of subtly regarding social cues in others. On the other hand it shouldn't be surprising because she brought up her siblings. So I think that perhaps Page connects much easier to children than she does with adults.

Julio comes back! YES! Julio is back and I missed him so much. And so did the squad. Julio even gets a hug from Sharon. And how much do I love this. He freaking hugs her back! 

The only one disappointed in Julio's return is Buzz. Who was apparently using Julio's badge during their investigation. I think with Julio back, Buzz feels that he's back to his old job again. I’ve got a question people. Why does Julio’s badge live at the PAB? If he was suspended then yes it would stay there but the guy was on bereavement leave. I should have stayed with him.

So here's speculation on the end of Buzz' character. At the end of MC, Buzz becomes a full fledged Police officer instead of just a reserve officer. Is Buzz still banging little Gabe's mom? We haven't heard anything on that front in a while.

Asshole Marvin Garret Was not surprising that he did not have the boys. As much of an asshole he is, he did not have the gentleness to put Lucas' body at the Church. But I am glad they were able to send his ass to jail. Ever since the death of his wife he just became a ball of bitter hatred and it seems the guy didn't really have much to lose and was already set loose. With that freaking hit list! The guy is a fucking loon who I'm so glad that the LAPD was able to get off the streets.

Protective Provenza "And consider how excommunicating the investigator responsible finding the boys would sound to the media." Typical snarky Provenza but do I hear some protectiveness in there? These two really have come so freaking far. Provenza has really gotten so very protective of Sharon these past few years. 

Maiden Pride commented that Provenza has really lost his filter and I couldn't agree more with that. He just lets that shit fly and doesn't give a flying fuck anymore. The ONLY time he takes a step back is when Sharon glares at him to behave. I think the only two people that Provenza listens to are Patrice and Sharon.

Snakes in the Grass

So far in this little arc we've had our characters doing things that may be quite extreme. Rusty wanting a gun, Buzz executing a search warrant and taking no bullshit. Provenza getting sick of Garret real fast and sicking the media on him. Sharon executing a search warrant on her own church. Outrageous Behavior continues in this episode with...

FBI

"You know I may end up liking you after all, Agent Fay." or then again...maybe not. This was shocking and so completely unexpected to me. It was obvious that Fay and Vega were up to something but this was not what I expected at all. And I loved being shocked by a show that doesn't shock me very often. It really feels sweeter because this show is not a show that takes risks very often. So when something unexpected happens it's all the more glorious for it. 

What's interesting is that it's Fay that tells the squad about them getting a tip. Then it's Vega that very quickly shuts the conversation down. I'm wondering if they may eventually get access to the boys possibly through Fay. She seemed to be coming around to them much more so than Vega.

Mason "Oh. So it's okay for you to decide that but not me." Tipping off a journalist by telling her about the Father Jonas's suspicious behavior, his transfers and him being transferred to Mexico within the last day. Notice how Mason turns the tv off real quick when the journals reveals that she got her information from someone in the LAPD. But the damage is done and everyone heard what she was going to say. Both Sharon and Provenza are a bit steamed that he went to her. Mason does make a good point and that he is the boss. On the other hand it is a bit hypocritical to use the media when he didn't want Provenza doing it. 

Sharon Digging up the graves of the deceased blessed by Father Jonas. Even Mason is shocked by Sharon's behavior. But once she explains herself to him, he's pretty much on board with her. I loved it. I loved Sharon being so freaking sneaky about this. And having so much freaking guts to do something this crazy. That despite her being a devout Catholic it's not going to stop her from investigating a suspecious Priest.

Feeling's of Self Righteousness

There are three different institutions with a ton of power that are battling the other in this arc and I think it's fantastic. 

LAPD vs Catholic Church "Your biased against the church is leading you in the wrong direction." Love the scene of the Church vs the LAPD. I love the blocking too. I think it's so very important. They've got two men of power who are the heads of their institution facing each other. And on the sides of them they have Sharon and Provenza. Both of whom are running the investigation. On one side you have a non-believer, who's very vocal about his dislike of religion and the catholic church. On the other side you have a life long believer, who's a quiet devotee but is not afraid to challenge the church or it's view when she thinks their wrong.

"These boys have most likely run away from home. And if you were to look for them more aggressively ---" I love this! The Bishop gets so much wrong. Telling them that there not looking for the boys hard enough when Mason was the one to bring the case to EVERYONE'S attention. I'm so glad that Mason cuts Calhoun off and later on...

Mason is the audience.

"This women is no better than the one from yesterday." Love love love, that they brought back Father Calhoun, who's just a self righteous then as he is now. And it's great seeing Sharon up against him yet again! Even knowing that Sharon's not biased against the church that still doesn't sway him. All three institutions have been known for protecting their own. The thing that Father Calhoun may not know about Sharon is that she's had an entire career based off of looking twice at people who may think their above the law.

The Romantic Relationships

Wes & Page

Not too crazy about this. Just seems pretty typical throwing together the two young and attractive people. Especially since there's going to be no time to develop anything. I suppose maybe they'll use it to contrast Sharon and Andy's relationship in the way they used Rusty and Gus' relationship. Not to mention that Wes & Page are somewhat similar to Sharon and Andy. A snarky hot head Lothario and a socially awkward with a ton of responsibility on her shoulders.

Rusty & Gus "I'm going to write him a letter by hand and put it in the mail. Like they did in the 1980's." I really love this show's obsession with letter writing between it's romantic couples. We are in the age of technology when communication is instantaneous. And a hand written letter is such a very rare thing. And it's so very personal compared to a type written letter that's cold and formal. You actually see someone's personality and can feel their emotions through a handwritten letter.

I really feel Rusty's idea of writing a letter to Gus is such a Sharon like thing to do. Really feels like Sharon is very much rubbing off on Rusty in certain ways. And I really like it. While Rusty is still impulsive and brash when it comes to things. In other's he's really learned to soften himself and his approach to his personal life. He's really become much more observant than he used to be. Stepping much more outside of himself and noticing more of the emotions of others. 

"Telling him no hard feelings." Like the past four episodes, this really feels like the death of their relationship. I'm curious about what the hell Gus is doing and why he ignoring Rusty. He probably should just straight up tell Rusty that their over. Since Rusty has it in his head that things are pretty much finished with them. Rene Rosado does appear eventually so we'll find out eventually.

Sharon & Andy There really has been a lack of focus on Sharon and Andy. It's been a bit odd that we haven't really since much interaction between them this season and their days away from getting married. There's been speculation that they have been distant and so that makes me wonder if it's going to be addressed in that particular scene that's coming up in part 4.

There was some tilt your head side ways stuff between them. Andy witness's Sharon's second attack and asks her if she's okay. While she sways forward and appears to move very slowly. She snaps out of it quite quickly and is it's back to business for her. This moment made me think of in White Lies when Sharon notices that Andy's hurt right before he has his heart attack. Both Sharon and Andy brush whats going on with them off. And one thing I do have to say that one thing the two of them are very similar is how stubborn both of them can be. Both Sharon and Andy ignore what's going on with them physically until they can't anymore. 

There's also that wonderful call back to White Lies when Sharon collapses. With Andy shouting Sharon's name exactly how Sharon did when Andy collapsed. You too need to stop collapsing in the middle of the damned murder room.

Sharon's Confession

I love how some of this scene was shot. She looks very determined walking up those steps. And as soon as she gets in the church she's hit with so much emotion that it physically pushes her back. And she has to take a moment to compose herself. Especially when she reveals that this investigation has her questioning her faith in God, Father Stan and the Church. 

And again can I say how much I'm loving the new music they've made for this season. It's so somber and really helps set the mood of what's going inside of Sharon's head. I love their use of what seems like natural lighting for this scene. It's so dark. Just like Sharon's mood and all of her conflicting emotions inside of her. 

Father Stan is someone that Sharon confides in and seeks advice from. Someone she seeks out to help provide balance within herself. Someone that Sharon has had a relationship with for years (possibly decades). Someone she's turned to in times of need as Ricky had pointed out right after she and Andy got engaged. And while Sharon hadn't had a partner she could rely on emotionally until her friendship and romance with Andy. She did have someone that she could confide in from time to time. Now her relationship with him is on the edge of a cliff about to be pushed off.

The ending scene(s): Parallels & Explosions

One thing about my theory that I am right about is that each of the episodes have ended with an emotional Sharon at the focus. I'm don't know about the grief theory. I thought last weeks was anger but that was not anger this is anger. So could last weeks have been bargaining or acceptance? I may revisit this theory at the end of the arc. 

"I understand you're upset." Your about to get your ass handed to you by the full Darth Raydor. I love Sharon finally unleashing herself here. She's a woman who's so used to being fully control and she just explodes here emotionally and physically. It was obvious with how heavy handed they were that she was going to pass out and it was going to happen right in the middle of the squad room. 

"What I'd like is for you to collect your things and go, now. They go now. And I want a court order removing Ryan and Miguel from FBI custody. This case is our jurisdiction." And I have to tell you I just ate it all up. I loved it. Sharon is so buttoned up and is so used to holding in her emotions. So it's rare that she ever gets mad like this. I know we had all hoped she'd get this pissed at Davis when Davis had that conference in White Lies but then nothing really happened. 

Here Sharon is finally pushed to her very edge. And boy does she not hold anything back. She rarely raises her voice, and most often when she's mad she's very quiet about it. It's much more a simmering mad than an explosive anger. Here she tells them to get the hell out. She's not asking them, she's not asking Mason. She's telling everyone. I FREAKING LOVE THIS! Each scene at the end of this arc is just getting better and better and more explosive. I love it so much.

Love the parallels here from White Lies. The episode literally ends from Sharon's POV of herself passing out and a voice over of Andy yelling her name. Just like White Lies ends with Andy passing out and Sharon yelling Andy's name. Not to mention that little moment when Sharon is about to pass out and Andy's standing right next to her. Notices and asks her if she's okay. 

I'm not sure about the logistics of having Provenza (of all people) catch Sharon. Can't say he's the most physically agile of everyone that's in the room. But it makes sense from an emotional stand point. Of anyone in that room it's Andy and him that are emotionally closest to Sharon. Which again is so full of irony given that it's Provenza and Andy that disliked Sharon the most (or was the most vocal about it).

Sharon's Mysterious Illness

Last week I thought nothing was going on with it but now it came back full force this week. I love everyone's theories that people are speculating on. Both roslinadama sinequanon and love letters have some really excellent analysis of what could possibly be wrong with Sharon. You should go read them if you haven't checked out their theories. I really love the idea of Sharon's illness being psychological. With maybe a side of some physical issue from the bombing. I think it would be something we really haven't explored with in a character. Physical illness, yes many times but psychological brake down of a character? Not so much. 

That's something we rarely see and for it to go to an extreme level isn't something we have seen since Brenda in TC. Something I've been noticing is that every time she's had an attack in this episode it is right after or during her experiencing intense emotion. And how that's much more interesting is it for a character that is ALWAYS in control to just break down physically from it. 

1. Father Stan: The first time, Sharon is serving Father Stan the search warrant. She's angry and frustrated by Father Stan's blocking their investigation. Both her and the father are on the brink of tears. 

2. Julio: The second time, Sharon is experiencing intense joy at having Julio back with them. It happens almost right after she hugs him. 

3. Church: Sharon's third attack happens right after she enters St Josephs to talk to Father Stan. With having to struggle with her faith (maybe for the first time in her life), god and her priest. She's physically pushed back with emotion and has an episode right as she stands back up. 

4. Rusty: Sharon's fourth episode happens right after she quizzes Rusty with the gun. Her feelings of helplessness at knowing that a deranged psychotic serial killer is possibly coming after her son yet again. Along with her feelings about Rusty not accepting a protection detail. 

5. FBI: Sharon's last attack she has is right as she passes out. Sharon looses her temper in the way we never have seen before. She's enraged with anger and beyond frustrated by the FBI finding the boys without telling them. Sharon rarely yells, her anger is expressed usually much more quietly. She becomes so enraged that it finally causes her to pass out.

What I don't like: Honestly there really wasn't much that I didn't like about this episode. I suppose I thought that Sharon's personal life (was her relationship with Andy) that was going to interfere with the investigation. But it turns out that it was her faith. The lack of Sharon and Andy, is certainly annoying but hopefully we will get some good stuff in the next two episodes.

What I do like: I really am loving the focus of this arc and it gets us a chance to understand more about Sharon which is what we all have been craving for ages. One of my biggest complaints about Sharon's character was the lack of quality (in terms of them exploring her character) and now I fell like we are finally getting it. Julio finally coming back, that ending scene. Sharon exploding!!!!! Freaking loved it! Sharon battling the FBI, Sharon battling the Catholic Church, Sharon battling herself.

[bibliopolisblog]

Glendy Vanderah (‘Where the Forest Meets the Stars’) and Luka Pejić, translator for the Croatian edition — Q&A

Glendy Vanderah is the author of the bestselling novel Where the Forest Meets the Stars—the story of Ursa, a peculiar girl who claims to have come to Earth from the stars to witness five miracles amongst humans so she can “graduate” on her own planet. Where the Forest Meets the Stars is a brilliant, heart-warming, poignant novel in which tragedy collides with triumph, intolerance with love, the mundane with the magical, factual with fantastic. It is a stardust-woven story that lures the reader in, grabs them, and drives them to the last page, where they realise how much they’ve fallen in love with the story and its characters.

Glendy’s debut novel is also my translational debut: Stilus, the publishing house, kindly offered me the job of translating from English to Croatian. It’s been a year since—and even if I never translate anything again, I will remember this magical adventure with starry eyes and nostalgia, with love. Of all possible books, I will not regret being given the honour of translating this masterpiece.

“I’m touched,” I wrote to her when I received the answers. “I didn’t expect this to be so… heart-to-heart, because rarely does an author open up like this. The readers will have to feel the connection with you and your characters once they’ve read the novel and all this, like I do—now even more.”

“Yes, I’m honest about my background in interviews”, she replied. “Where the Forest Meets the Stars was closely tied to the emotions and memories of my childhood. If I hid that I’ve struggled with adversity as a child and depression as an adult, how would that help my readers see a better future?

Croatian edition of ‘Where the Forest Meets the Stars’  by Glendy Vanderah (Stilus, Zagreb, 2019)

Ms Vanderah: firstly, I must say that I’m thrilled to be speaking with you, and I’m immensely grateful to you for agreeing to answer a few questions for your Croatian readers.

Thank you for that great introduction, Luka, and for providing this opportunity to talk to my Croatian readers.

I’ll start with the simplest—probably the first from everyone: What inspired you to write Where the Forest Meets the Stars? How did the idea come to you? Was it cunning, so to speak, approaching you little by little, or was it a surprise, overwhelming you all at once?

The story came to me in parts. I had been writing fantasy for a few years (first for ‘fun,’ then trying to get published) when I decided to try contemporary fiction. I’d have to say the setting came first. I’d always wanted to write a book set in an isolated research house I lived in for a few years while I was working on avian research projects. The real house was similar to its description in the book. It was in the woods, next to a creek, and at the end of a rural road. There was even an old graveyard next to the house. The main idea for the book came to me after I saw director Guillermo del Toro’s fantasy Pan’s Labyrinth. I felt affinity with the idea of a child using fantasy to escape the violence and evils of war. As a child growing up in an unstable home, I used the nature of my wild-grown backyard to escape the traumatic events that were happening in my family—it was almost like a fantasy world for me. When I felt those deep connections, the book started to burst out of me!

Did you know what the novel would be like when the idea was still in the embryonic stage, or did it change as you wrote? What did it look like at its conception? What was at its centre? What came first—themes, and the shadow of the story that would soon be written, or the characters that would inhabit it?

I never know precisely what my story will be like at the end. I don’t use detailed outlines. When I get a story idea, I first create characters and their motivations, then I imagine what event would stimulate my plot. At first, I only rough out the storyline, though I generally know the ending. As I write, the plot usually changes—sometimes dramatically. And as the characters become real in my mind, they develop personality traits and backstories that are often a surprise even to me! For example, some of Gabe’s background surprised me as I wrote. For me, this story started out very much about how children deal with adversity, but it became so much more as the story progressed. The duality in Ursa’s alien/human self-perception mirrors Jo’s before/after cancer identities, as well as Gabe’s pre/post discoveries about his father. Those themes evolved as the story progressed.

What can you tell your Croatian readers about Ursa's genesis? Is our genius little alien girl based on or inspired by a real person? Someone you know? Or did she just pop in your head the way she is written?

Ursa is certainly an outgrowth of how I remember my own difficult childhood. I decided her self-perception as an alien in a human body was an interesting way to show how children often feel when they experience trauma or abuse: the isolation, the sensation that they are standing apart from a ‘normal’ human world they can’t join. Some of my readers see Ursa as an actual alien, some see her alienation as a metaphor.

Many ideas for Ursa’s traits came from my three children. For example, one of my sons read words backward from a young age as a way of dealing with an excess of mental energy. Children are a lot more aware of what’s going on than many adults realize. I know this will sound biased, but I never ceased to be amazed by the brilliance I saw in my kids at young ages! Ursa is an amalgamation of all children I’ve ever known, including myself.

Which authors have influenced you as a writer? Which works have impacted Where the Forest Meets the Stars? Also, I can’t help but ask… William Shakespeare is Ursa’s favourite writer. Is there any special reason it's him? Which Shakespearean play is your favourite and why?

Since a child, I’ve read eclectically—fantasy and sci-fi, contemporary fiction, scientific nonfiction—and I can’t really say one or a few authors strongly influence my writing. In fact, I don’t want them to!

As for Shakespeare, I think his writing is brilliant, especially for his time. I like to put references to his plays in my stories because his plots often hinge on strange or unlikely quirks of fate, and I’m intrigued by that: how one decision, or a few seconds of good or bad luck (an accident, a crime, a meeting) can change a person’s whole life. Putting Shakespeare’s plays in the story resonated with me because Forest pivots on this theme of fate, on how much control we have over it, and whether we have the strength to overcome tough fates once they’ve been dealt to us.

Shakespeare’s verse is gorgeous, but I think reading the plays doesn’t bring out the magic like seeing them performed. Two favourite performances: a magical production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream I saw many years ago, and a recent showing of Twelfth Night at a tiny playhouse where the audience essentially became part of the play.

In your novel, mental illness plays as important a role as physical. Do you have advice for people—especially youths—who are struggling with depression and anxiety, or mental illness in general? Furthermore, regarding Jo—who beat breast cancer—do you have advice for women, young and old?

Depression occurs on a spectrum from mild to severe. I certainly know what severe depression looks like—my alcoholic mother had it. Mine was less severe, probably more ‘situational’ than ‘clinical.’ Though I wrote Gabe’s depression to be like my own experiences, I received criticism from some readers who felt his illness wasn’t written ‘realistically.’ I think it’s sad some people think all depression is severe and unbeatable. I wanted the story to show another side. Depression, especially milder forms, can improve. Finding joy in biology, nature, and writing, and stability in a loving relationship with my husband, helped me overcome more than I ever dreamed possible when I was child. Perhaps there is no ‘perfect’ happy ending, but there is plenty of hope and potential for healing. That’s the message I want to give readers.

Like most of us, I’ve seen too many family members, friends, and acquaintances succumb to breast cancer. I’ve seen many beat it, too. I don’t have specific advice, other than preventive measures, because every case is different, as are the very personal decisions women make after diagnosis.

Your novel also addresses other serious issues, such as domestic- and child abuse. Do you have a message for the people struggling with such difficulties?

Every circumstance will be different. I believe the troubles of my childhood made me a stronger person, but I know that can’t be the case for everyone. One loving, stable person—a relative, a friend, a teacher, a neighbour—can make a huge difference in a troubled child’s life. Find those good people and trust them. Feeling less isolated is important. If you don’t have anyone you can trust, you must trust yourself. Love yourself. Don’t take on guilt that isn’t yours. Don’t turn to destructive behaviours that will only make your life more miserable (I did that for a few years). You can get through the bad days, and recover, and have a fulfilling life. Don’t ever give up hope. Ursa embodied this idea, that even an eight-year-old, through sheer force of will, can change her future for the better.

(spoiler alert) Now, for those who have read the novel only! Can you tell us what happens with Ursa, Jo and Gabe after the ending? We are desperate for more!

I don’t see the continuation as immediate happiness and sunshine. I think Ursa, Gabe, and Jo still have challenges ahead. But the strength they’ve found in their love for each other will be important for conquering those problems. I’ve been asked if I imagine Jo and Gabe’s wedding in the future. My answer is, yes—and who doesn’t?  

How long did it take to write this seemingly simple yet rather complex novel?

I’m not sure how long because the writing was often interrupted. I have written books in less than 7 weeks, but this one took much longer because I had many issues going on. My dad was dying of advanced Parkinson’s disease and needed lots of care. His partner had dementia. Also, I shattered my arm in an accident and couldn’t write for a long while.

Which, say, five books would you recommend to fans of your work? Some compare Where the Forest Meets the Stars with The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey—would that be among your recommendations? As a guess, did it perhaps influence your writing?

As I’ve said, del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth—a screenplay, not a book—had a big influence. I read The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey after I wrote Forest—because of the blurb by author Christopher Meades on the front cover of my book. I see the connections between the two stories, but I think they are quite different, too. I read The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh shortly after my book was published, and I feel that book has more similarities than Ivey’s. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd is possibly a book people would enjoy if they liked this story. Many readers compare my book to Delia Owen’s Where the Crawdads Sing, so that would be another story I can recommend. I’ll also mention All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, a story about two youths who battle adversity during World War II.

You are a bird biologist, like Jo. When did you know you wanted to become a writer?

I loved writing poems and stories as a child. My fifth grade teacher once told the class, “Someday you will all read a novel written by Glendy.” That was an inspiring moment for me. Yet my love for nature and animals had a stronger pull, and I chose to study ecology instead of English in college. After I received an undergraduate degree, while I worked as a biologist, I took some writing and literature classes. But I went on to get my Master’s degree in biology. Then I met my husband, also an ornithologist, and we had three kids. I was too busy to do much science during that time. Once the kids were in school, rather than go back to science (I felt I’d been away from research for too long), I began writing. I was honestly surprised that I could write fiction when I first started!

Another big question: Can we expect a film adaptation in the near future? Please say “yes”! Ursa’s fans, including me, would be overjoyed!

The book has had some attention from a Hollywood representative, but so far no word of a movie. We’ll all have to send out some good quarks to make it happen!

What can you tell us about your next novel? Is it in a similar vein to your debut, or should we expect something entirely different? Are you still writing it, or have you finished?

It’s finished, and it has similar themes. It’s coming out in the spring of 2021.

I believe most readers of Where the Forest Meets the Stars thought it to be science fiction throughout; is that something we can expect in the next book? Does it have a title? If so, can you share it with us? (We promise not to tell. 😉)

Where the Forest Meets the Stars has been variously described by readers as contemporary fiction, literary fiction, domestic fiction, science fiction, and magical realism. I think it’s fascinating that the story ‘shape-shifts’ to different genres! My publisher lists the book’s genre as contemporary fiction, and my next book, The Light Through the Leaves is the same genre.

Phew, so many questions… but that's on you for writing such a beautiful novel!

Finally, would you like to say something to your Croatian fans?

A message for my Croatian readers: I hope you enjoy Where the Forest Meets the Stars. I’m certain it must have been expertly translated from the original English, because the translator, Luka Pejić, has written these thought-provoking questions and a beautiful, perceptive review of the book. Thank you, Luka, for all the hard work you have put into bringing this story to Croatian readers.

It’s been a dream come true to see my first published novel translated into twenty-one languages. I’m thrilled that the people of Croatia will have the opportunity to read Where the Forest Meets the Stars. What more could an author want than to know her stories might touch the hearts of many people around the world? I hope to bring a translation of my next novel to you soon! Happy reading!

Source: www.bibliopolis.home.blog/2020/09/14/glendy-vanderah-interview/

[a-lilacsong]

Little Black Dress

On April Fool's Day of 2020, I posted this Fanfiction onto the EOA Discord server under the gauze that it was a summary of an upcoming episode. We were all very anxious for any news about future episodes, and I was able to fool some people with this. I wrote this before “Crash Course” came out so all the “main plot things” that happened in this were just me guessing and making jokes about what could possibly happen. Originally I thought of just doing a little description, but pretty soon it turned into an entire plot summary. I just thought of all the things that would be cool to see in the show, as well as some things in my personal life, and wrote it all on April Fool's Day itself.

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[Here's the introduction I did for it, straight from the server itself:] Hey guys I just found this full on plot summary of the Elena of Avalor episode that comes after Crash Course! So don't read this Unless you are ready to get spoiled big time!

Ready for spoilers? Okay, here we go! The episode is titled “Little Black Dress” Mini description is: “Elena and Naomi have to find a way to stop Elena’s new dress colour and power, Meanwhile Gabe, and Mateo try to stop Ash, with help from an unlikely ally.”

That description makes it sound really good but wait, I have the whole plot summary so here you go: [Synopsis under the cut]

It starts off at the castle, we see Elena, reading a book in her room. Naomi comes in and asks what book she is reading while also making the bed, since now Naomi's technically out of an official job so she's been trying a lot of stuff around the palace to see what job sticks. We even get a little montage of this. It turns out Elena is reading a book that Naomi recommended to her and is almost finished,  Naomi is happy to hear that, and decides to leave Elena in peace until she's finished reading.

But just as she's about to leave the room she hears Elena's scream and she runs back into the room to find that Elena's dress has turned black!  All of the light seems like it's being sucked out of the room while a feeling  of the deepest despair comes over them, but Naomi is able to make it across the room and sing a bit of love always to Elena, which gets her back to normal. Then Naomi asks Elena what happened, why did the dress change colour like that?

Elena takes a deep breath and explains to Naomi that the book ended on a cliffhanger, why had she not told her that this book ended on such a big cliffhanger! Naomi tells her that she'd read the book so long ago, she had sort of forgotten the weight of the cliffhanger at the end. Naomi tells her that she had once checked before if there was a sequel to this book, and there wasn't, but she's pretty sure that the author is planning one. Elena retains her composure, but you can tell she is still deeply disturbed. But it's time for the Grand Council meeting now, so she goes to the Grand Council room. Cut to the Grand council meeting, Doña Paloma and Julio are already there, arguing over kingdom finances, when Elena comes in and apologizes for being late. Her grandparents start to fill her in on what has been happening in the meeting when Doña interrupts them. She tells Elena how they've been arguing over whether to spend tax money on relief to chocolate farmers who are having trouble with a fungus that's been growing on the chocolate trees making them less productive. She believes the farmers should spend their own money on anti-fungus measures for the trees but Julio disagrees, so what does she think they should do?

But Elena's dress turns black,  almost all the light gets sucked out of the room and strong winds begin to blow, everyone gets under the table. Her grandparents are able to calm her down and ask her what happened. She explains about the new dress colour and that the mention of fungus reminded her of how that book ended with half the characters getting possessed by an evil mushroom that was bent on taking over the world, and not knowing would happen next was filling her with suspense and dread. Julio recommends that she go find the author of the book and ask them how it ends. Elena thinks that's a great idea and decides to do that with Naomi.

Just as she's leaving the grand Council room she bumps into Mateo and Gabe, they tell her that they have some important security matters they need to share with the Grand Council, so they can get the green light to go ahead with their defeating-evil plans. “Just do whatever you must!” She tells Mateo and Gabe before leaving with Naomi to go find the author. They take this to mean they can do ANYTHING they feel they need too.

We follow Gabe and Mateo down to the dungeon where they go to Carla’s cell. She's petting the dog and looking out the window when she hears them come in. She turns and is quite surprised to see them. They tell her that they are planning an important mission that will stop Ash, and her gang, but they need her help to pull it off. She tells them that she will only help them if they de-stone Victor. They agree that they will do that once the mission is completed, as long as she doesn't double-cross them. Carla says they have a deal, and asks them what the plan is.

Gabe explains to her that the guards have sightings of Ash’s gang on the coast of Avalor in a certain village, which means that there is only one place they could be going… “Los Diamante!” finished Carla. It was one of the most famous card game playing houses and music lounges in the entire Everealm. It was run by a gang of criminals and Malvagos led by El Destello. They are so powerful that during Shuriki’s rain they were still able to operate, because they could destroy any Royal Guards or other threats to the place.

It would be a disaster if Ash got them as allies, so Gabe and Mateo decided they would try to convince El Destello to join the good guy side (or at least not join Ash). But they knew they wouldn't last five minutes in that place without a criminal who could help guide them through it, and that's why they needed Carla.

Carla told them that  her father had told her all about this place before, and that the place had a strict dress code they would need to follow before they got there (“They don’t let Guards or nerds in there” she said). The dress code was formal suits and dresses. So they got changed and then rode some Jaquins to Los Diamante, and went inside.

The place was very ritzy, and it still had that Avaloran style architecture to it. There were guys playing Go Fish at the tables, people ordering drinks from the counter, and a big stage where an Avaloran-style jazz band is playing. Everyone had a Churro in their mouth. Mateo went to the drink counter and ordered an apple juice, but the guy behind the counter said they didn't have any, but they did have tomato juice, and chocolate milk. Mateo realized they were in the deep end now.

Suddenly Ash, Esteban, and Chatana walk in, all of them dressed up in super fancy outfits. Ash walked up to one of the burly looking criminals standing by the door and asked to see El Destello, so she could give him an offer he couldn't refuse.  He said that she would have to wait half an hour for him to finish with his  accountant upstairs before he could see anyone. 

Carla, Gabe, and Mateo (who had hidden under a table when those three came in), heard all of this and knew they needed to come up with a plan to stop this.

Meanwhile, Elena and Naomi were in the middle of town looking through the town records, to see if they could find the author's name and address. One of the clerks at the building asked them what they were doing and they explained to her their situation. She said she knew where the author lived (whose name was Q.W. Southland)  and gave them her address, but told them that the author was planning on leaving Avalor for Norberg today, so they better hurry.

They both ran to the author's house, but they saw that they were too late, a carriage was already leaving the house with Southland inside! Elena refused to give up, so she and Naomi hopped into an empty cart, and attached a large sheet to it like a sail.  Elena mustered up her feelings and the strong winds blew,  blowing their cart towards the carriage.  The carriage sped up in reaction to this, and now they were in a full-on chase scene,  zooming through the streets of the city towards the port. Finally, the carriage stopped right before it fell into the water but Elena's cart fell into the water and she and Naomi had to swim back to shore. They were just in time to reach Southland before she got on the ship. 

Elena begged to know the rest of the story, but Southland explained to her that she wasn't going to tell any of her readers anything about the next book until it was published, even if they were a princess. Elena would have to wait another eight months like everyone else.

Elena and Naomi were deeply saddened. Elena said that she wished there was at least something she could have to keep her occupied until the next book came out.  Naomi looks like she has a moment of inspiration, and tells Elena that she needs to get home and that she should go back to the palace and wait for her there. Elena is confused by this, but sees her friend’s enthusiasm and agrees.

Meanwhile in Los Diamante, El Destello had finally finished with his upstairs business and had come down to the lounge. Ash walked over to him and began to tell him about who she was and about her plans for the most powerful group of dark wizards ever. Suddenly Carla jumped out and interrupted her, she told El Destello that she heard he liked music (why else would you keep a music lounge open during Shiriki’s rain?) and that she was a great singer and dancer.

Carla said that she and her team (Mateo and Gabe) would challenge Ash and her team to a music contest, and that whoever lost wouldn't be able to get help from El Destello or his gang. El Destello thought that sounded like a great idea and agreed. Ash, still surprised by this turn of events, wasn't going to back down from a challenge and also agreed.

So the music contest began. Ash and Chatana sang a Peggy Lee-style song called  “Touch of a Feather'' with Esteban playing guitar to back them up. It's lyrics show that it's a really good villain song, referencing Ash’s ambition and Chatana’s yearning for a world she can control. It went off without a hitch, except for when Chatana did a spin and her wings knocked Ash, and Esteban off the stage at the end of it.

Carla sang a Nancy Sinatra-style song called “These Violet Times” with Mateo and Gabe singing backup (Gabe also had a trumpet solo at one point). The lyrics reflect Carla’s feelings about her past and hopes for her future (They also make some not-so-passive-aggressive jabs at Ash).

El Destello said both songs were good, but there was only one winner. He beckoned Ash and her team over to him. Ash smiled, said she was glad to have won, and asked if this meant that he would accept their deal of a partnership?

He told her no, she had not won. He just summoned them over to tell them that they had five minutes to leave before his gang would throw them out. Ash was shocked, Esteban then teleported them out of there before Ash had a chance to do something violent.

El Destello congratulated team Carla on the win. Mateo asked if this meant he would never colaberbate with Ash, and he said “Of course and that from now on whenever they came back to Los Diamante, drinks were on the house.”

Gabe and Mateo were happy that the mission had gone so successfully, and thanked Carla for her help. She asked if this meant that they would free Victor now, and they said yes. “What are we waiting for” yelled Carla as she grabbed them by the hands and dragged them out to the Jaquins, to get them back to the Palace as fast as they could.

Back at the Palace, Elena is sitting in her room tuning her guitar when Naomi walks in with a bundle of scrolls and papers in her hands. She tells Elena when she had finished that book a long time ago, she had been destroyed by the cliffhanger ending as well. So she had written a whole bunch of fanfiction about what could happen next. Then, with all the crazy stuff that's happened in the last few months she forgot about it. She said it's not as good as another book but at least they have it. Elena smiled and said that it's just as good as another book, but then she asked Naomi, “You did complete these right? They don't end on cliffhangers too, do they?”

“No,” Naomi said with a smile “I made sure of that.”

The episode ends with Gabe, Mateo and Carla in the palace garden. Mateo is holding a small vial which he then hands it to Carla, saying she should do the honour. She runs over to Victor and says:  “Finally you can be free, Papa!” She holds the potion above his head and pours it on him. And just as the potion touches his forehead- the credits cut in and you have to wait until next episode to see what happens next.

So that definitely sounds like an episode I would want to see, if only it were real… Happy April Fool's Day everyone!

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[And now for a bit of a retrospective on that piece. Reading this again really takes me back. Back then I was so worried about Carla and Victor, sometimes I wondered if they'd even get a redemption arc at all. But as the moral of this episode goes “Fanfiction and other fans make you feel less bad about waiting for new content.” And writing this did make me feel a little bit better about everything.

Oh yes who can forget the “ what if black is an emotion colour” theory.  most people were taking that to really angsty places, but I decided to do something a little closer to home for me. There was a certain book series [Wings of Fire] that I had in mind writing the plot with Elena. Because I really did feel those emotions when it left off on a cliffhanger. And that was kind of the same with the show as well.

I always liked it and shows and movies where they have parodies of 1930s gangster movies, so I decided to do a kid-friendly parody version of that. I always love the fancy outfits the characters have in those. I realized that churros look like cigars from a distance, so that's why I mentioned that. I was also really hoping for another villain song, and for Carla to confront her mom. So I just fused the two together.

In my mind when I was writing this I imagined that Pili and Tziloco were in another section of Los Diamante, that was meant for Animal Companions, waiting for the rest of Team Ash to finish. And at one point they play some kind of card game against the Jaquins. But I didn't know where I could smoothly fit that into the summary, so I left it out.

Also I just want to explain the title, I decided on it because 1, Elena's dress turns black in this. And 2, a little black dress is a term that's often used for describing simple, yet fancy dresses that some women wear, and that would be fitting for the other plot of this story. So it's sort of a pun!]

[aishicc]

Mack + Robbie

So my buddy thoughtsbubble posted a great post on Robbie and Mack's relationship, so becoming a Bropt of mine, you can find HERE. Go read so good y'all. Now it got me thinking, fic ideas and all that aside, how they have changed. Robbie's relationship with everyone on Team Coulson has changed, with him and May changing the least really. Now I have already talked about Robbie and Daisy's relationship, /grin, and since Mack and her are supper close it seems fitting to address Mack. Yes TB's post inspired me, so blame them /wink, but as a Robbie fan girl you all really should have seen this coming. Now this may jump around a bit as my brain randomly latches on to things so sorry about that ahead of time.

Mack is literally the first member of Team Coulson  to interact with Robbie. Yes Daisy sees him kill that white power trash, well some of them. And Coulson eyed him as he passed, spy so yeah, but Mack took a few moments to talk to the random joe just doing his job. Says a bit about Mack here, not that Coulson is an ass or anything far from it, he is just mission focused while Mack is a bit less since he is not the leader. Mack often takes a second in command type of role, backing others up rather then playing the leader all the time. He can lead, and other listen when he speaks, he is just a natural back my buddy up co-leader type of guy. Like Robbie he is fine being partnered with a strong female and not being intimidated or emasculated, true Robbie has powers too but my point still stands. These are both physically strong men who respect the women on their team as equals in the field, even if they are still protective of them. When Mack or Robbie get between an enemy and a female friend it is not because they feel she needs protection it is because they are backing her up, making themselves the target so she can take the fool/fools down. Mack is also protective of Fitz, who is less trained and physically weaker. Robbie does not know Fitz as well but I am sure he would do the same if for no other reason then because he can take a reactor going critical a foot from his head and come back from it.

Mack is a very moral character since he has faith, a fact that is mentioned from time to time but never shoved down our throats. This a nice change from some shows where a person of faith can be little else plot wise, boring. Daisy sates back in Season 1 that she is not a religious person, Robbie we are not given much indication of one way or the other. One can assume from his nationality he was likely raised Catholic as many Mexicans are. Whatever Robbie may have been before he is a believer now just like Mack. Mack admits to having to believe in the other guy too so he is one of the few on the Team who can accept the Rider is a devil, from this world or another really doesn't mater. While the others dismiss It as an alien, or maybe even some form of multi-personality disorder manifestation of an Inhuman, Mack doesn't. He doesn't dismiss Robbie and his believes, which even Daisy does at first not that one can entirely blame her seeing as how insane agent's lives are. Daisy does come around, Coulson becomes more open to the idea before becoming a host, Fitz not sure about, Jemma and May we don't really get much from. Now I am not super religious myself but if someone did what Robbie could and said devil I'd be on board with that, even in a world where god tended to be aliens. An alien devil is just as evil as an Earth Hell one, but that is neither here or there right now.

Shared faith aside Robbie reads Mack just like he did Daisy, street-smart is a good smart to have. They did not get along any better then Robbie and Daisy did, though no flaming metal or cars were swung around. Still Robbie watched and learned all he needed to know about Mack, not hard to see why the Team likes him. His claim that Mack is good and has no vengeance in him is telling here. Yes we all know Mack is a sweet guy who will bust skulls for those he loves but petty revenge is rather unlike him. He learned after his blind dislike/hate of Inhumans made him weary of Daisy, he became a great big bro to her. Robbie thinks Mack is a better person then he is because he deserves the Rider not Mack. I would have made the same deal as Robbie, hurt my friends and I draw blood, not very Christian of me but I'm only human. Robbie may be more prone to revenge and violence than Mack but he is still a good man, Daisy saw it and that is why she trusted him. As the season went on we see Robbie curbing his impulses more, LMDs don't count, and some of that rage is from the Rider not just Robbie. We see only a little of Robbie from before, but Gabe said he became disturbed so one can safely assume he became more prone to violence after becoming host to the Rider. Mack has taken lives, we've seen him draw blood with that Shotgun Ax but he is an agent not a vigilante. This is a problem for Mack, as his enemies are HYDRA or other seriously bad people where Robbie's are street gangs mostly. With Robbie working with S.H.I.E.L.D. and playing by their rules we see a lot of that judgment fade away, not that we see them interact much more before Robbie leaves.

Mack has seen Robbie kill more 'people' up close and personal then anyone on the Team besides Daisy. Robbie technically has saved Mack from 3 ghosts, that first one wanted to kill him and Fitz after all. They do work well together when they try, a bit of time and they will work just fine. Daisy took time to learn how to work with Robbie and so does Mack, they are off to a pretty good start. Elena already trusts Daisy so did not seem to mind working with Robbie when asked, nor did he mind her. By that point Robbie was far less defensive about S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Team were less weary of him, the Rider not so much. This is all something I like to mess with in fics since Team Building is a fave of mine, and this team is a family. One we love and want to just be happy for one God damn season at least! Come one give us one 'The Farm' season huh?

Now I also reblogged a post about this act alone, I will go into it now. The post talked about how Robbie was finally free of the Rider, he was, and how it was something he had wanted for a while, yep. So here he is free, well as free as Coulson and Fitz are, and what does he do? He goes with Daisy to deal with Rider Mack even though he cannot help her really because he feels responsible. Leaves her to find Mack, can't help her once he and Lucy get her there, and immediately gets Mack Rider to focus on him. When Daisy shows up and the Rider comes forth that is when Robbie becomes worried and acts. Damning himself once more to save Mack. Now in my opinion he did it to also save Daisy and the others, as they would get in the Rider's way and He hates that. He may not burn them but He could still kill them, and Mack would feel the guilt of hurting and even killing friends like Daisy. Robbie knew Daisy felt guilty for the dead in her wake, how much of her past he read when he judged her I am unsure of, but he knew she had left because of it. Mack would fall apart just as bad if the Rider made him hurt or kill his friends for Its mission. This sacrifice shows how good Robbie still is despite what he has been influenced to do if not flat out forced. And that is one of the reasons I love him so damn much.

Not only do we have Robbie believing Mack is a better man and damning himself to keep him that way, damn, we know right away Mack is aware of it. Daisy may have only heard Mack's part but Mack tells her Robbie took 'that thing' back to Hell. He is clearly shaken and in some part it is because he knows a guy who he threaten to shot in the head if he acted out of line just saved his soul and went to Hell of his own free will. No one forced him, he was not protecting his family, he did it for a guy who barely trusted him to not burn every inmate in a prison. Robbie is an incredibly loyal person when given a  reason to be, it is why he would fit in so well once he got use to the whole secret agent subtle thing. So you have all of that going on and at the end of the episode who is waiting for Robbie to return, Mack. Mack is not happy to see the Rider is back, shocking I know, but he still walks right up to Robbie knowing he has his powers back. And Robbie asks if he wants to team up. No resentment, no looking for gratitude or praise, he offers Mack a bit of closer since Eli has hurt them both. Offering to share a kill with someone other then Daisy, who I would say was his friend by this point. That says so much about them both, and it is why I believe if given time they will become close.

More in Part 2

[flauntpage]

So, Now What With the Phillies’ Bullpen?

The Phillies haven’t lost often this season, but when they have, it has been in excruciating fashion.

Right when the baseball that traveled 399 feet off the bat of Bryce Harper landed in the left field seats last night, I was all geared up to write about him humiliating his former team (again) as Aaron Nola returned to form in a laugher of a win that moved the Phillies to 8-2.  That, of course, was before Nola’s seventh inning self-destruction and the ensuing bullpen collapse that felt 100% inevitable. Alas, there will be no morning flex, or wood, just questions about a faltering bullpen and what to do about it.

Let’s attack this with honesty. The relief numbers are bad; the context in which these poor numbers have been compiled is worse. You don’t need me to tell you the 4.63 ERA and 4.93 FIP run up by this group is no good, nor is the 1.34 WHIP over its first 35 innings worked, but it’s the how and when of these failures that’s most concerning. There was last Wednesday’s matinee collapse that prevented the Phillies from earning a two-game sweep in Washington, Seranthony Dominguez’s rough ninth inning on Saturday afternoon that killed any hopes of a comeback in that game, and, of course, last night’s Edubray Ramos/Jose Alvarez tag team job that spoiled another would-be series-clinching win:

Juan Soto with a bomb to give the Nationals the eventual win in extras #OnePursuit

: @Nationals pic.twitter.com/e3t5Rnibpo

— Sports Daily (@SportsDGI) April 10, 2019

Not great! So, now what?

We tend to do this thing in sports where we conclude in absolutes. For those of you that read this site, you know that I’m guilty of doing this myself, but I don’t think making definitive judgments or overreacting to small samples is the right approach in this situation. The Phillies’ bullpen has been ineffective, it needs to be better, and to totally dismiss its struggles would be foolish. Losing the way in which they lost last night is bullshit and a blow to the undeniable momentum this team has built in the early going. Birds are chirping, the sun is shining, and the Phillies should be 8-2 this morning, four full games ahead of Washington. They’re not, and it’s totally understandable if you’re mad about it.

Gabe Kapler seems to be:

Gabe Kapler: "We weren't able to finish, we weren't able to close, and that's unacceptable." #On94WIP

— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) April 10, 2019

True, Gabe. Preach.

At the same time, people stomping for a Craig Kimbrel signing, of which there are many this morning, should consider the following: bullpen performance is often volatile, we’re only 10 games into the season, and the arms running through those doors should be better than what they have been moving forward. You won’t get an argument from me that Kimbrel doesn’t make the Phillies’ bullpen unequivocally better because he does, but making a second significant financial commitment to another reliever on the wrong side of 30 because the bullpen has sprung some leaks 10 games into the season would be a panic move that could prove even more costly later this season.

The same people banging the drum for an overpriced, aging closer, who currently remains unsigned for obvious reasons, will be the same people wondering why the Phillies aren’t making a play to bolster the starting rotation three months from now. I’m all for a better bullpen, and it’s an issue the front office will have to address if that uptick doesn’t happen from within in the coming weeks, but for the people banging their fists on the table, demanding the shiniest and most expensive toy on the shelf because their team is playing .700 baseball two weeks into the season, let’s maybe relax for a week or two. There will be other ways, much cheaper ones that prevent the type of roster and payroll inflexibility the Phillies need to stay away from, to address the issues at hand once there is a more complete and understanding based on a more thorough sample of what the issues actually are.

I know it’s been a while since we’ve done the competitive baseball thing, and it’s awesome that people are into it, but we don’t need to do the Eagles hot-takes and demand franchise-altering changes after what equates to roughly six percent of the regular season schedule.

Be sure to check out the latest episode of Crossed Up. Topics include the bullpen, bench, and Cesar Hernandez’s early struggles.

http://bit.ly/2D5WFtu

The post So, Now What With the Phillies’ Bullpen? appeared first on Crossing Broad.

So, Now What With the Phillies’ Bullpen? published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

[milquetoast-on-acid]

Heart Failure, A Reactionary Post

Going with season 5a's theme (connections) this episode is concerned with... The Physical Heart The Moral Heart The Romantic Heart

and I talk about all of them...

The Physical Heart

Andy's Heart Attack Since we haven't been given an actual name (on screen) as yet of what happened to Andy. I am going to call it a heart attack since that's what was alluded to and spoken about in Tony and Greg LaVoi's FB chat. It's pretty frustrating that they ended season 5a on such a shocking note and it's become barely a footnote in the returning episode. It's months later and everything is kind of old hat about the attack.

I personally know nothing about blood pressure. But it seemed like he was taking it several times and wasn’t happy with the results. Is this something that he could fake to get back on full duty? Could he perhaps do that? And that maybe cause some friction between him and Sharon?

The Moral Heart

Buzz It seems that Buzz has gotten a letter from his father's killers son Gabe. It seems that Buzz's pursuit of his father's killer has produced some unexpected results. And there's some parallels between his own life and that of the killer's son. Buzz has unknowingly put him on a very very similar path that his own life has taken. 

I am curious if we will get to see Bill Jones' family again. At this point there's nothing that Buzz can do. That I can think of. As far as I know Buzz pushed to have them put Bill Jones in a prison close to his family so it would be easy for them to visit him. I wonder if Buzz and this boy will connect eventually on some level.

Rusty Rusty was fretting over a text that Gus sent. And was trying to be more present in his relationship with him. It was really good to hear him say that he was watching himself for bad behaviors that have caused problems between the two of them in the past. It felt good that we have had some character growth with him. Hopefully this will continue with the rest of the season of him being more mindful of himself and others. 

Rusty's concern over Buzz. In 5a, we got a Rusty that pushed Buzz and stepped over his feelings in the pursuit of his story. Now we've got Rusty here noting Buzz's somewhat depressed demeanor and reaches out to him. I love it. We need more of this Rusty than the selfish one. Please continue with this Rusty. 

I love Rusty here telling Buzz that it's not his fault over him taking Gabe's father away. Buzz certainly cares a ton of guilt over it. And while yes he did blindly pursuit it but at the same time. Bill Jones killed two people and he should have to answer for that. And as Provenza said in White Lies. Justice doesn't care who gets hurt.

I also love Rusty being protective and noting the way that Day is standing next to Sharon simmering with Anger. Buzz has to hold Rusty back from flying into the room. Where that’s the last place that Rusty should be with some unchecked emotions. Andy is also someone that should have been held back but Sharon seems to have done just fine on that front. 

Deputy Chief Whiny Davis or as I like to call her Deputy Blowhard So this looks familer and at the end of it all we just may end up liking her the way we did Sharon. As of right now, we are very far from that. So for the two small scenes that we get from her we can't really get a good handle on her character. She's got a bug up her ass, that's for sure. I'm not sure if it's just the promotion and that Sharon's her rival for it. Or if there are other reasons as well. 

I've got to say I love the idea of this storyline but some of it feels kind of juvenile to me. I think we got some great stuff between Sharon and Brenda. And their rivalry/odd friendship worked really well. I suppose I'll just have to keep watching to see where this goes. "Headphones, Buzz. Headphones. I mean how do you expect us to hear them?" Typical Provenza wanting so badly to snoop.

"Why are you publicly challenging my authority"? I feel like Davis provoked Sharon into an argument in the middle of the squad room. In part because she wanted her squad to see them argue/repermand their Captain. She's got her right outside of the media room where everyone can see and hear them. 

If she didn't want any of that she would have taken Sharon to her office or the conference room where no one would see them. This was a deliberate move on her part. She wanted them to see her take Sharon down a step and to be seen doing it. 

I love Sharon's response to her. First she trys to defend herself in saying that she didn't challenger her but quickly switches gears. She falls to what she does best. Procedure. I'm following the rules. And if we fall the rules there's no real reason that you have to question me/us.  

One thing that I will give Davis. Is that yes, I do agree about the training. Sharon should have the team redo their training. Since Provenza did cheat in it. 

"Go ahead. Your Boyfriend's calling you."  - that is some glorious head cocking there!

Just another way for Davis to try to rattle Sharon. I wonder what else she's going to try to throw at her. When I saw a gifset of this scene on tumblr before the broadcast of the episode. I deliberately scrolled past it so when I saw it last night for the first time. It did get a gasp out of me. I really didn't expect her to dig Davis claws in that kind of hole. Also Sharon is Sharon and she's not going to show Davis' that she rattled or more likely knowing Sharon that she's pissed off to her face. And of course she doesn't. Not until she turns around do we get that glorious look on her face.

One thing that I do love is that Andy very deliberately called Sharon by her rank when addressing her in front of Davis. When Andy hasn't used her rank since season 4 in front of the squad. It's really great because it really shows that Andy (as we have seen since they have gotten involved) is totally committed to making their relationship work in the office.

So that when it comes to someone of a higher rank that's not in their circle it's Captain all the way. He also probably figured that it would just be more ammo for Davis to sling at Sharon. But it didn't even seem to matter that he followed protocol on that front. 

"Thanks for your advice, sir. But in the absence of firm leadership I have a duty to prevent this department into breaking up into self interested factions." Davis thinks Sharon is too soft with her squad. That they are pushing their agenda for cases over what (in her mind) should be priority. She thinks that Sharon is letting the cheating in the train exercise go and not punishing Provenza correctly. Also that She's dating and living with one of her lieutenants. Davis thinks that Sharon is too close to her squad to lead them out letting her feelings get in the way. 

Davis obviously doesn't know Sharon very well.

Sharon and Fritz

I really love this scene between the two of them. Both of them are watching out for the other. Fritz who has been aware that Stroh has possibly returned and gives Sharon the file that has been gathered on him. And Sharon telling Fritz to watch himself around Davis. I have to say that Sharon is a pretty good read on people. So that makes me nervous as to what Davis will end up trying to do to either one of them. As of right now Davis is out for blood and she seems determined to get the job and to take down anyone in her way.

"The Past is never really over." Stroh. I was really hoping that this storyline was over. Since we've had so much of this guy now. I really don't want him to be back but it seems that the show is determined to have some kind of resolution to his character. Also because I'm sick of serial killers coming after Rusty. We've had 2 years and his introduction into the show for that. I'm pretty done with it.

The Romantic Heart The Love Triangle; Allie King/Jeffery Day/Trent Meyers The two men in Allie's life were seemingly so different. One was kind of dorky, smart, uber rich, orderly and not conventionally attractive. The other one was handsome, blue collar, messy, surfer and sports fan.

So what was it about this guy that attracted Allie (besides the money)?  It's pretty clear from the interviews that Day was pretty controlling in his relationship with Allie. He's got a GPS on her phone and he's got a temper. Sure signs of an abusive guy. Which is the link between the two men. We are introduced to her past boyfriend Trent by way of Jeffery telling the squad that Allie had a restraining order against Trent. Allie's got a thing for violent, controlling men. 

Turns out that Jeffery killed Allie because she wanted to leave him for her ex Trent. Which brings us to the parallels. From Allie King's relationships with Jeffery and Trent. Sharon's relationships with Andy and Jack. And Rusty's relationship with Gus.

Trent originally lost Alie because he was selfish, immature, had a temper and drank too much. Things that we see in Rusty in the way that he treats Gus in his selfishness and immaturity (although hopefully Rusty is turning a new leaf. He seems to be more aware of himself in his relationship with Gus). Much in the way that Jack treated Sharon when they were married. His needs always came first. Hell that's the reason why Sharon became a police office in the first place. Not to mention that his drinking addiction and temper got in the way of their relationship. And while I never would call Jack violent in the physical way. He was most probably verbally abusive. 

One thing about Trent is that he tries to make amends with Allie and she seems like she wants to give it another go. He seems to realize just what he lost. In the way that Rusty thinks maybe it might be over between him and Gus. Immaturity, a bad temper and drinking addiction are also all bad traits of Andy as well. Most of which he's gotten control over. We even see his temper flair when Day punches Sharon. And I would have no doubt if Sharon hadn't stopped him that he would have 'beat him to a pulp'. Andy is the Trent that's seen the error of his ways and just what he lost and how much he hurt those he cares about.

Rusty and Gus I'm not really sure what this move will mean for their relationship. Since there may seem to be some contention later on in the season in their relationship. And we don't get Rusty's reaction to Gus' asking Rusty to move in with him. Perhaps Rusty says no to moving in and that pushes them apart? Maybe Rusty may not be mentally ready to leave Sharon just yet. Or perhaps he may think that it's too much on his plate with finishing college and the later law school. I do love how they ended the episode without Rusty giving Gus an answer and the doors closing on us.

Sharon and Andy

"Relationships were so complicated at that age." So far from what we've seen of their relationship. The biggest point of contention between the two has really been their protective nature towards the other. And Andy pushing their relationship forward with Sharon lagging behind. In those two ways the two of them seem to be in different gears. 

We’ve got a protective Andy here when Sharon provokes Day into loosing his temper onto her face. I love that the first thing that Andy does when going into the interview room is to look towards Sharon to see if she’s alright. Quickly seeing that she is turns is focus and anger out on Day. I have no doubt that Andy would have followed through on his threat if it weren’t for Sharon. He gives her that look of total frustration at having to stop. But he just can’t help himself and lets Day know just what he missed out on. 

So now that Andy threatened to beat up their suspect. I would bet that this is just more ammunition for Davis to push at Sharon. And I wonder if it will become a point of contention between the two of them this season. 

Also I just love the camera work in the ‘punch’ scene. The camera starts to zoom in on each of the characters and builds up speed until the suspect blows. 

Just look at these two cuties! With Andy sticking to Sharon like glue while escorts her to the break room to attend to her face. 

The Running theme of Marriage There seems to be an awful lot of talk about Marriage in this episode. From Rusty fret over Gus's bizarre text, on thinking that it's a breakup to Andy thinking it's a marriage proposal. To the victims relationship with Day and Provenza's lovely comment... "It's always the fiance." He was right actually. 

I want to point this out because of the press release on the storylines in 5b. And Duff talking about a possible engagement between Sharon and Andy in 5b. And as us fans know MC loves to foreshadow when it comes to Sharon and Andy's relationship. Provenza's comment to Sharon makes me think that Andy has talked proposal to Provenza. And with Andy thinking that Gus wants to propose to Rusty, it may just seem that Andy has marriage on his mind.

They Raydor/Flynn/Beck Family

One of the things that I loved about 5a was the developing family unit between Sharon,Andy and Rusty. Which seems to be continuing here in 5b as well. I really love seeing them interact as a family and not just Sharon and Rusty. Here we've got them having a family dinner. Who has those anymore? I'm sure that Sharon and Andy are both super busy at work on some nights. And Rusty has college plus his internship with Andrea. So imagine this is probably pretty rare. And they seem to go all out here. Also it's really cute because it seems that Sharon and Andy made dinner together. 

My thing here is why is Rusty calling Andy "Lieutenant"? I know the two of them are not really close but they live together so it just seems weird that he still wouldn't address him by name.

Also I 100% love the face that Andy gives Rusty. When he thinks that Gus wants to ask him to marry him.

Snark of the Night goes to Julio. You have to give it to Ray Cruz and is fantastic delivery when it comes to snark. You have to love his dry humor. 

"Who died?"

"No we didn't cheat. The Lieutenant sacrificed himself for others." - hands down my favorite line of the episode! And Provenza's response. "As is my nature."

"Gaeta Fletcher" - How many people have the name Gaeta? Only one person that I can think of Felix Gaeta from BSG. Could this perhaps be a BSG reference? Wouldn't put it past knowing that Duff is a huge fan.

What I liked about this episode...

Pretty much everything was great in this episode. I didn’t think that it was an amazing episode but it was a pretty great episode for a premiere. We got a suspect provoked into physical retaliation against Sharon which is something I never thought that I’d actually see on here. It’s always been Sharon comforting her squad. So it’s really nice to see the other side of that here. With Andy, Provenza and Julio (mostly in particular) go all uber protective on her. 

There was lots of Shandy without it being a big focus. So I really loved that. I mean I’m always for it being a big focus but I think you catch my drift. It’s pretty great to see Sharon have a foil. She really hasn’t had a big one since Jack. There was Emma but she was a huge let down and was pretty disastrous as a foil.

What I didn’t like about this episode...

The lack of addressing Andy’s Heart Attack. They didn’t even give it a name. Just something that happened so now he’s on light duty. And everyone knew that he wasn’t dead. There were pictures of him on set and in costume. It’s not like they kept it a secret so why the reveal of him in the morgue?

And yeah I mentioned my mixed feelings on Davis. I’m excited about the rest of the season for this storyline but at the same time feels kind of juvenile. I am glad that there is some discord in the workplace after years of having so much harmony. I am hopeful for the rest of the season. 

[flauntpage]

One Point More: Thoughts from Flyers 4, Hurricanes 3

I had to check my surroundings last night to make sure I wasn’t in a time machine.

After all, there was Claude Giroux telling us that the Flyers are laser-focused going to bring their best game to the 82nd and final game of the season against the New York Rangers Saturday afternoon with a playoff berth on the line.

I couldn’t help but have a feeling of deja vu.

It took me back eight years, to when the Flyers were in the same scenario. Beat the Rangers and make the playoffs.

OK, so there are some minor differences.

Technically, the Flyers don’t have to win, they just need to get to overtime and then can lose, and still get in.

Oh, and there’s also the scenario where they lose in regulation, and then back into the playoffs if the Florida Panthers lose to either Buffalo at home Saturday night or in Boston Sunday night.

And this time around, even though the Rangers have already announced that Henrik Lundqvist will be in goal for that final game against the Flyers, they really have nothing to play for other than to be a spoiler.

The Rangers were in the same boat as the Flyers in that 2010 game. They needed a win to get in as well. This Rangers team is starting a rebuild, and they are sitting in the Metropolitan Division basement.

So, it’s not exactly the same…. but….

The Flyers have positioned themselves in a do-or-maybe-die situation in the final game of the season.

An optimist will tell you, that after losing 10 straight games in November and seven of eight in early March, that to be in a situation where you can control your own playoff participation destiny in the final game of the season shows great resolve and determination by the team.

That’s fair.

But a pessimist will tell you that a team that was in first place in the Metro when they awoke on February 27th after a victory over Montreal could, in the span of just 19 games, fall completely out of the playoffs altogether shows you just how fragile and incomplete the team is and should generate questions about the coaching, the roster construction and, in that equation, the general manager.

And that would also be fair.

It’s not like they’ve been flat out awful since then – they are 7-7-4 since with one game to go – but it also coincided with the NHL trade deadline where other teams who were behind the Flyers at the time made moves to bolster their rosters and the Flyers, with the exception of trading for Petr Mrazek out of necessity the week before – stood pat.

So it’s not a surprise that despite playing .500 hockey (from a points percentage perspective, which I hate, but I digress…) that they’ve been surpassed by teams who addressed their weaknesses.

That’s not to say Ron Hextall should have started selling his well-stocked farm to improve this year’s Flyers, but, if you wanted to make a commitment to this season as a successful one and not just another year in the rebuild – as many in the organization declared several times this season – then something more should have probably happened at that deadline.

Grab another reliable defenseman. Or, if scoring depth is your biggest worry, maybe add a forward who could have helped so you aren’t swapping Michael Raffl and Travis Konecny in the penultimate game of the season to try and spread out the scoring in your lineup.

But that didn’t happen, and here we are… Facing a 60-minute test in which the Flyers have to at least match, if not be better, than the last place team in the division.

Sounds easy enough, right?

Well, it’s not.

The two teams met at the Wells Fargo Center a couple weeks back and it was a tough game. The Flyers won 4-3, but the Rangers nearly skated the Flyers out of the building. They are a young team bereft of any star skaters, and they just keep coming at you.

They make mistakes, sure, and probably too many of them, which is why they are in the cellar, but they hung with the Flyers with a rookie in goal in that game as well.

This time will be different. This time it will be King Henrik – and you can bet he’ll be out for revenge.

Lundqvist usually stymies the Flyers. His lifetime record against Philadelphia is 35-15-4. However, the last time he faced them was his worst outing ever against the Flyers and he let up seven goals at Madison Square Garden.

Oh, and don’t think he doesn’t recognize the gravity of the game and doesn’t remember what it felt like to lose that 82nd game in 2010 and miss the playoffs.

I assure you Lundqvist – and his Rangers teammates – will be up for this game. They won’t just go through the motions.

So, Giroux better be prescient when he says the Flyers will play their best game Saturday – because they’re going to need to do so.

Now, I wouldn’t have spent the past 800 words or so preparing you for this game Saturday if things didn’t go as they did last night.

So let’s look at what happened:

1. The Flyers won despite their goalie

This was the biggest story of the night because it’ll be the biggest focus of Saturday, and if the Flyers make the playoffs it will be the biggest story of the playoffs for them as well.

As per usual, goaltending is a huge question mark.

Someone in the press box said to me last night, “I feel like it’s 2011 all over again.”

A lot of retro feelings last night….

Anyway… Brian Elliott returned to the lineup for the first time since injuring himself on Feb. 10 and enduring core muscle surgery (nee, sports hernia; nee groin pull).

Coming into the game, I felt like Elliott would be a stabilizing presence in goal. He’s not a great goalie, but he’s steady, does his job, and doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. Plus, the players in front of him are most confident when he’s in net.

It didn’t take long though to see that Elliott was quite rusty.

He fought the puck all night. And although he made a few key saves at key moments, he also let in a couple goals that he usually doesn’t. This one was by far the worst:

Michael Leight… Brian Elliott can't stop the angle shot. pic.twitter.com/4ueJNEgaFj

— Broad Street Hockey (@BroadStHockey) April 6, 2018

That’s bad.

Elliott explained what happened afterwards and took responsibility for it, but sheesh:

“I leaned a little too far into the post and that levered my pad off the ice,” he said, “Not something you want to happen, especially when G scores that big goal, but we responded well. Jake came down and ripped it. I knew the next shot coming I wasn’t letting in.”

He didn’t, but this wasn’t exactly a confident save that occurred afterwards:

Scary moment here as Brian Elliott does not see the puck sitting directly in front of him. pic.twitter.com/RZUg8jm8hQ

— Broad Street Hockey (@BroadStHockey) April 6, 2018

If any of the Flyers goalies can be consistent and reliable for the playoffs, it’s Elliott – and I think the coaches know that and I expect to see him between the pipes Saturday.

But he has to be better than last night. We’ll give him a small pass because it was his first game in almost two months, but if the first period against the Rangers is shaky, Hakstol may have to be Gabe Kapler-esque in calling for relief.

2. Captain clutch

One of the things that has made Claude Giroux so special this season has been his propensity to come through time and again when it matters most.

It seems that almost every Flyers game hangs in the balance in the third period or overtime – win or lose – and it always seems Giroux is in the middle of making a positive play to help the team win or get close to winning.

Just this week, he scored the OT game-winner against Boston, he tied the game against the Islanders Tuesday, completing a three-goal, third period comeback, only to see it flit away 28 seconds later, and he briefly gave the Flyers a third period lead last night with this:

CLAUDE GIROUX SCORES THE BIGGEST GOAL OF THE FLYER SEASON (SO FAR)

3-2 FLYERS pic.twitter.com/oRY6QTBgsc

— Broad Street Hockey (@BroadStHockey) April 6, 2018

Of course, it was wiped out by the goal Elliott let in above, but it’s time and again that he is doing this for the Flyers.

He now has 99 points….

Yes, you read that correctly – 99 points – he originally wasn’t credited with an assist on Michael Raffl’s goal last night:

Here is a goal scored by Michael Raffl.

It was the tying goal.

Was. pic.twitter.com/iQcajjUfwS

— Broad Street Hockey (@BroadStHockey) April 5, 2018

The Flyers petitioned the league last night and the league denied the request for the scoring change. Then, we led the charge. I was right on the front lines with many others also calling the NHL out for their ridiculous assessment that Carolina “possessed the puck” on the Giroux pass to the slot:

I’m told the @NHLFlyers petitioned the NHL to get Giroux an assist on Raffl’s goal and were denied.

League said the Carolina defender played the puck.

He did no such thing.

It would suck royally if that asinine decision by a league video flunky costs G an 100-point season.

— AntSanPhilly (@AntSanPhilly) April 6, 2018

Like I said, I wasn’t alone. Dozens of others also questioned it. The league, feeling that social media pressure, changed its mind Friday morning. Good work Flyers Twitter.

So with 99 points, Giroux is alone, second in the NHL in scoring this year behind only Connor McDavid in Edmonton.

If the Flyers do get to the playoffs, the Hart Trophy race really shouldn’t be that tough. Yes, Taylor Hall has had a similar impact in New Jersey, but he’s not the all-around player Giroux is.

Giroux is having the best season by a Flyers player in at least a generation. And I don’t say that lightly. This is the best since Eric Lindros before all the concussions and drama.

This should be a no-brainer for the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Don’t screw it up guys.

3. Don’t forget Jake

Jake Voracek has been playing second fiddle to Giroux for much of the season, but he too is having a career year.

He was the guy who showed the leadership qualities in settling down the bench before the overtime win over Boston on Sunday – and then went out and made the perfect pass to Giroux for his game-winner.

And when the Flyers were really facing the difficult time of a tie game late in the third period and the season was really on the line, Voracek was there yet again:

JAKE VORACEK GIVES THE FLYERS THE LEAD! pic.twitter.com/kX8CYeGEd6

— Broad Street Hockey (@BroadStHockey) April 6, 2018

It was Jake’s 20th goal of the season – the fifth time in his career he’s reached that plateau. He now has 84 points this season – a career high.

He’s playing at another level right now, too – you can sense it with both Giroux and Voracek just by talking to them – they are willing the Flyers to win games by themselves. It’s been really impressive to watch.

4. Provy and Ghost

So, Shayne Gostisbehere won the Barry Ashbee Trophy for the best defenseman on the Flyers last night. It’s the second time he won the award (other winners below).

But it was the only Flyers award that was in doubt. Because it could have gone to Ivan Provorov and I would argue that it should have.

That’s not a knock on Ghost. He’s had a great season. He became just the third Flyers defenseman to ever record 50 assists in a season last night. He now has 64 points on the season. It’s been one of the best offensive seasons from a defenseman in Flyers history.

But Provorov is no slouch in that department either – He now has 40 points this season after scoring this goal last night:

FLYERS GOAL SCORED BY #9 IVAN PROVOROV!

HIS 16TH OF THE SEASON! pic.twitter.com/iT8K6irGaR

— Broad Street Hockey (@BroadStHockey) April 6, 2018

He’s been really active in the offensive zone lately – he sees that lane and goes to the net. It’s something you don’t expect from a defenseman if you are the opposition, but it’s a smart play (made even smarter when you see Giroux’s awareness as he rotates to cover Provorov’s position on the point – a subtle but excellent play by the captain that often goes unnoticed in these reviews).

Provorov has been a horse for the Flyers – not only has he had a quality season with 40 points and 16 goals – but he’s the team’s best defensive defenseman.

I think if we’re judging all-around game, Provy edges Ghost and should have won the award. The Flyers media who voted (doesn’t include me) thought otherwise.

But, they’ve both had a great year.

5. The Awards

Most of these were pretty cut and dry:

Bobby Clarke Trophy (Team MVP) – Claude Giroux

Barry Ashbee Trophy (Best Defenseman) – Shayne Gostisbehere

Yanick Dupre Class Guy Award (Dedication to Hockey – also rapport with the media) – Sean Couturier

Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy (Most Improved Player – as voted by the players) – Sean Couturier

Gene Hart Memorial Trophy (Player with the most “heart” as voted by the Fan Club) – Sean Couturier

Toyota Cup (Most points earned from three star selections) – Claude Giroux

As I mentioned above, I would have voted Provy over Ghost, but it’s not an egregious pick. I was surprised by the Fan Club vote – I could have sworn they would have voted Travis Konecny for most heart. Not that it really matters…

One Point More: Thoughts from Flyers 4, Hurricanes 3 published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/