#but in a good way I love nikola hes such a piece of shit who got himself in too deep
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
Note
JUST GOT THE LOG WHERE NIKOLA. THE. THE "EVIL" LOG. WHAT RHE FUCK. WHAT THE FUCK? that was. a lot of lore all at once. and this is a phrase i normally reserve for olivia but. NIKOLA WHAT DID THEY DO TO YOU
YEAH IK RIGHT. Nikola is so fucked he's a rabbit hole that just keeps going, and "evil" in particular is sooooo fascinating because it's one of the like what 2 logs that we can be pretty sure are towards the end of the timeline, and it's the only one that gives us a real look into how fucked gravitas was at the end. Nikola in particular is soooo fascinating to see in that log because in other logs we see him mentioned in, managing the temporal bow wasn't his job, or at least if it was he was perfectly capable of leading other ambitious projects on the side, which I find unlikely but it is technically possible. So the question of what the fuck happened with him is soooo fascinating, and it's a big part of the reason he's one of my favorites among the scientists
#rat rambles#oni posting#what I love most abt that log is how even though we as the audience know that shit is fucked it shows that most ppl still didnt rly know#even most employees likely didnt rly know that they were living their last days#and ofc the question must be pondered what the fuck happened to nikola afterwards#it rly is the question of what flavor of absolutely fucked morals jackie was operating off of at this point#also congratulations on reading the closest thing we have to confirmed to be nikola dialogue his ass rarely escapes the second hand zone#and by that I mean he has like A email that is probably written by him#but yeah evil was like the 2nd or 3rd log I read back when I was first reading the lore logs?#it was a big contributer to me getting as hooked as I did in reading all of it so it's a favorite of mine#also it is a delightfully fun experience reading that first and only afterwards reading all the other stuff nikola is involved in#I didnt realize it was him in those other logs that last name him until a bit later and once I did it blew my mind#and trust me his other appearances do not answer any questions you may have abt evil they in fact only create more#but in a good way I love nikola hes such a piece of shit who got himself in too deep
1 note
¡
View note
Text
true genius-
my actual favorite episode ever ever ever Iâm SO INSANE FOR THIS EPIDODE
this is like the first one o watched on my own ITS SO GOOD
reid centered so yayy
this is how i fell in love w him
spoilers ahead
YAYYYYY NOSTALGIA!!!!!!!
lol typical making out in a car
DID I MENTION THISBIS MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE EPISODE
FINN WITTROCK IS IN THIS TOO
the zodiac killer case is so interesting like wym dude never got caught
A FETISH FOR TREES
POOR BABY IS SO NERVOUS
ITS HIS BJRTBDAY IN THIS EP TOO
the cOUGHING
âyes a fetish for treesâ HES SO AWKWARD I LOVE YOU REID
no he LEAVES NOOO
lol this guy runs a company
The way if reid was at a conference iâd run and be listening to every word
awww reidâs sad :(
rossi lol âno wayâ yes way
this is so interesting like how did bro get the original artifacts from the real case (i know how he did it)
reid reid reid!!!!
imagine if spencer knew how many people love him and write fanfic about him LMAO
heâd be a little terrified letâs be honest
but just a little
UGH EVERYONES SO HOT
âthree can keep a secret if two are deadâ i thought this was criminal minds not pretty little liars
i canât even tell you how many times iâve seen this episode
like this is MY episode i claim this one lol
CHESS YOUNKNOW WHO ELSE LIKES CHESS
SPENCER
bros playing chess on break
SPENCERRRRRR
lol enlightening
he wants the printed out version of the paper đđ
the way spencer just knew this wasnât the real zodiac killer is why i was like this guys great đđđ my heart
AHHHHHHAHEJDJWBEWJWIROSOWBDBEKENFNF
IM SO EXCITED TI BE WATCHING THIS ONE
itâs so funny because iâll be watching this show and this is my view
the barbieâs r like wtf
THIS GUY LYING ABOUT HIS COUISN
lol reid ended this guy
LOL
LUCKILY I GUESS ITS NOT YOUR COUSIN AHAHAH ATE
FINN WITTROCKđđ
LOL his presentation
âyour soulmate is standing before you nowâ is he talking about the lady or himself
i remember originally watching this because finn wittrock but fell for spencer/matthew instead lol
i like this detective from the local pd
âwhere do people find the timeâ lol reid
dr spencer reid i love your mind
âyoure not as smart as you think you areâ đŤđŤđŤđđđSIR IM STUPID FOR YOU đđđ
REID IN PURPLEEEEEE
OMG HES STANDING IN THE SUNLUGHT
yâall have to see this
UGHHHHđđłď¸đłď¸đłď¸đđđ
profile!!
REID AT THE COFFE SHOP STOEOEJDWH
dude has a detective board
lol he thinks she wants to call off the wedding
bro she doesnât want you
REID NO YOUVE PASSED EXPECTSTIONS YOURE PERFECT I LOVE YOU
âHow old are you 29,â
âIâm 30â NOOOOOOOOOOO
nikola tesla my beloved
emily lol
doesnât he accidentally see a pattern lol dudes so smart
emilyâs little smile lol
for he
god heâs so smart
the problem is i think i could understand the code and idk my iq but itâs prob not 160 or above
how do u even calculate that shit
reidâs face is perfect
the taxi driver, didnât he kidnap the best friends wife from the back of the cab
i donât think i made this very clear but this is my favorite episode EVER
iâm gonna fucking bite spencer if he keeps being so adorable
finn ainât no angel in this
vegas!! matthewâs hometown
REID IN THE BACKGROUND
heTALKSK SO FAST I LOVENIT SM
mY leg itcjes
i also would like to catch the zodiac
REID ON THE FHAIR
staring at nothing
HAHAH
best friend activities
REIDS HANDS MOVE SO FAST
i need him now
aDmiT iT yOure HaVing FuUuN
i literally canât get cozy
A CHESS SWUARE
listening to himđ đ
no matches
doesnât he plant a piece of evidence
yep
they found him
o love when reid comes up behind him
bro kidnapped his future wife
UEAH THEY KILLED SOMEONE OMG
itâs spencer reidâs world weâre just living in it
bro said âsanctimoniousâ wtf does that mean
ânot reallyâ đđđđđ
the vest đŤđŤđđ
i donât think harvey here is going to shanghai anymore he going to jail
SULPHURIC ACID dude thatâs insane
LOL REID âiâm sure heâll send you a postcardâ
AWWW REID AND HIS COFFEE
THE BIRTHDAY PARTY
spencer reid youâve made the biggest difference in my life đđđ
AWWWWWW HAPPY BIRTHDAY SPENCER
lol morgan the way heâs in his 40s nowđ
awww him blowing out the candles he looks so happy
the end
MY FAVORITE EPISODE MWAH MY BELOVED đđđđ
#criminal minds#spencer reid#mgg#criminal minds rewatch#matthewgraygubler#dr spencer reid#true genius
27 notes
¡
View notes
Text
Self-tagged from @bleachbleachbleach
1) How many works do you have on AO3?
Only three â most of my ff is in Finnish and online elsewhere
2) What's your total AO3 word count?
91,889
W00t w00t the next couple biweekly updates will get me above 100 k!
3) What fandoms do you write for?
I have only Bleach fic in AO3, but I've also written Black Lagoon, Daria, Doctor Who, Dragonlance, House M.D., Raid (a Finnish crime drama/thriller), Sanctuary, Supernatural and Stargate Atlantis
4) Top 5 fics by kudos?
All Her Parts (13 kudos at the moment), Kimâs game (6) and At one evening in a convenience store (4)
Interestingly, the 5/10 chapters of All Her Parts has also more hits than the 19 chapters of Kimâs game. Maybe the title of Kimâs game was unfortunate - It isnât an OC story, the name refers to the memory game played in Kiplingâs novel Kim)
5) Do you respond to comments?
Yes! They are few and far between, but I love them and I love responding.
6) What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?
I have quite a few angsty or unhappy endings in my stories but perhaps Salakatselijan päiväkirja (Diary of a Stalker, the content only in Finnish) or Etsin vain ehdotonta rakkautta (I was only searching for unconditional love, also the content only in Finnish) might be at a tie.
Diary of a Stalker is a Bleach AU where Bya mourns for Hisana and kinda starts to stalk Rukia, who he doesnât know is Hisanaâs sister. I was only searching for unconditional love is a House M.D. fic of Cuddy and Rachel and their mother-daughter relationship.
7) What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?
Uuf do I have happy endingsâŚ? I have plenty non-sad or ambiguous endings but I guess not that many Iâd call happy. Kimâs game actually ranks high in here imo?
8) Do you get hate on fics?
Iâve never gotten any hate comments for some reason.
9) Do you write smut?
No. Tried it once, didnât like it. I rarely write sex in general, and when I do, it tends to be strictly non-explicit.
Nothing wrong with smut, it just isnât my thing to read or write. Unless things get weird enough, then Iâm happy to read. With enough weird in the mix, it stops being about sex even when genitalia is at use. Then I'm on board again.
10) Do you write crossovers?
Not really. I find that itâs rare that different pieces fit together in a way I find satisfying. The one and only x-over Iâve written is a DW+Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy humor piece.
11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?
No
12) Have you ever had a fic translated?
Only if you count me doing translation/rewrite of my own fic
13) Have you ever co-written a fic before?
No. But Iâd like to â there is sooo much great ideas and such with powerful scenes and fun plots. Iâd love to be the person who adds description of various shit without having to deal with characterization and whatnot. But with this role and me not operating in my native language it has an extra layer of working not great.
14) What's your all-time favorite ship?
My OPT of all-time is Raistlin+Dalamar, where Iâm using the + to indicate itâs not romantic or sexual but not platonic in âjust friendsâ or "practically family" way.
15) What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will?
Almost all I seriously plan to finish, but Iâm going to pick the story with a working title of Ihmeiden kaupunki (City of Wonder). It's a Sanctuary fic where a bunch of women, Helen and Ashley among them, are sent to another planet to spread human life to space. Itâs supposed to be women only (resource use & lack of artificial wombs) but Nikola uses his connections and gets in.
16) What are your writing strengths?
Persistence. If I see enough reason to write something, and if I judge that I want to write it, then Iâll fucking write it. It may take a long time, but Iâll write it.
Iâd like to think that Iâm good at writing description but thatâs for my readers to judge.
17) What are your writing weaknesses?
The snail speed I proceed, lol.
Iâm actually not good at making plot. Itâs difficult for me to plan the scenes and decide whatâs going to happen next, and what kind of feeling the scenes should carry.
18) Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language?
I avoid it. If the reader should understand the dialogue, then it must be âtranslatedâ to the reader for them to do so.
If the reader isnât supposed to understand it, why bother to write lines that wonât make any sense to the reader? Then what it the reader understands it, is it going to spoil something, or does the reader find themselves reading something utterly irrelevant?
I can imagine there are some tricks that can be done with this but itâs a niche use.
19) First fandom you wrote for?
I canât remember
20) Favorite fic you've ever written?
An unfinished The Walking Dead piece with a working title tkei. The title is probably an abbreviation of something but I canât remember what. But the writing! I love the way I was able to write it! When I read it, Iâm making myself happy and immersed in the story instead of wanting to alter phrasing here and there.
Itâs an AU where the zombies never came and no found families form. After Rick wakes up from the come and find Lori and Shane banging, he is forced to move to Darylâs place (Merle is in prison, Daryl canât pay the bills to keep the lights on, and Rick canât afford to rent). Everyone is deeply unhappy and lonely.
1 note
¡
View note
Text
How I would Fix GH
Carly and Jason get married, sleep together, and just as they are about to go for round 2, Sonny walks in. Betrayed and pissed, he declares war on Jarly and decides to keep quiet about Nina keeping him secret.
Sonny retains Mike qualities and continues to bond with Nina in PC especially after Jarly's betrayal. Carly is her usual self, wants Jason but doesn't want Nina to have Sonny either. Jax leaves town. sick of Carlyâs shit.Â
Anna/Valentin/Robert track down Victor and discover his compound, Liesl, and put together that he's working with Peter. The trio surround Victor and Peter about to put a bullet in them, but Victor admits that he not only has Drew, but Holly and Emily(!)
It was Helena's sick plan to take Emily from Nik because she (other than Laura) pulled him away from his Cassadine urges. Victor discovered her and hid her away. The trio spare Victor but kill Peter once and for all. They bring Drew, Holly, and Emily back to PC
Spencer, fearful of being revealed as the stalker, he and Esme pin everything on Kevin. Laura totally believes that Kevin is innocent. Nava take the bait and blame Kev. Kevlaur vs Nava. Spencer feels guilty but Esme convinces him their plan is working.
Esme visits Ryan and we discover that she's Kevin's daughter with his PC wife Eve, who never told Kevin she was pregnant before leaving him and PC. She is teaming up with Ryan to tear apart Kevin's life piece by piece.
While Esme is messing with Spencer and Kevin, she is attracted to cam. we get a messy Joss/Cam/Esme triangle... with Cam and Joss having a massive argument about Joss defending mob life and he runs into Esme and they sleep together. Esme ends up pregnant. and plays it off as Spencer's.
Spencer is on edge with Esme's plans and ends up confiding in Trina. Trina is torn between helping him but also helping her girl Ava. She comes up with a plan to help Spencer confess but as she does some snooping of her own, discovers Esme's ties to Ryan.
Spencer, with Trina's help, confesses, Nik still kicks him out and he goes to stay with Laura who gets him a job at the hospital where he learns some compassion. Trina exposes that Cam is the baby daddy and Spencer is broken. Sprina kiss for the first time as she comforts him.
Eve Lambert comes to town after Kevin discovers Esme is his. She tries to help her evil daughter and explains why she kept Esme a secret, and leaves town. Kevin tries to fix Esme, putting a strain on his marriage.
As Emily returns, Nava is on rocky waters. What will Nikolas do when the true love of his life returns? Who will he choose? Will Ava resort to her old ways to get rid of Emily?
Sante are 100% together. All is happy and then Drew returns. Sam feels terrible for what he's gone thru and tries to fake a relationship with him, but things don't feel the same. They end things and Drew runs into Britt and sparks fly.
Just as Sante get back on track, we see LuLu wake up. LuLu wakes up thinking it's 2006. no memories of her kids, Dante, her mom waking up. so she stays away from PC for a while and falls for her doctor Tommy Hardy Jr.
Willow, Brando, Sasha, Gladys all die in a mob shoot out. idgaf. Michael leaves town with Wiley in grief. Kristina gets his airtime and becomes Sonny's heir apparent putting her in opposition with Jarly. She finds herself falling for Ms. Wu's daughter.
Finn and Elizabeth never happen. Elizabeth, after Franco's death, basically drinks herself to death in grief. Hayden finally returns from hiding and her, Finn, Laura, and her kids help her get help. Just as liz gets back on her feet, her parents return. Liz is torn between allowing her parents in and trusting them or telling them to F off. She also gets another surprise return.... (and its not Emily)
Monica is thrilled at the return of Drew an Emily. ELQ is returned to Ned. We continue with the autism story. Ned is super open and wants to learn and assist Leo. Olivia is totally blocked off and ignores it.
Brook Lynn tells Chase about Bailey's true parentage. Brook also admits that she doesn't want to give up Bailey when its all over. They keep growing closer, but keeping the secret is killing good boy Chase.Â
Vanna/Robert return and Maxie is thrilled that Peter is dead and rushes to the Q's to get Bailey/Lou back. Val is confused and BLQ finally admits the truth. Val is crushed. Curses the Qs and vows to keep ELQ from them. Maxie takes Lou. Chase and BLQ sleep together. Annie Donnelly comes to town and works at the PCPD undercover. Bonds with Chase. BLQ/Chase/Annie triangle.
Val tells Anna about the whole baby switch. She feels for him and takes him out drinking again. Val wants to forget about everything and sleep together but Anna wants it when they are both sober.
NO Maxie and Austin. TBH there would be no Austin. Dillion returns to help in the ELQ vs Val war. Him and Maxie connect as he starts to work for deception as the photographer.
Taggert remains Trina's dad. Period. After Jordan left, Curtis also assists Liz in her addiction struggles and they have a casual relationship, but he starts to catch feels. Lucky happens to return just as Liz gets her life back on track.Â
We find out Lucky's stayed away because he has relapsed and is still taking pills. He doesn't want to disappoint his kids/mom/liz so stays quiet but Portia finds him OD in a back alley. As he recovers, they bond and are attracted to one another. HOWEVER, Serena Baldwin returns to town and starts her own law firm with Scott, Martin, and eventually Alexis. Lucky needs a lawyer since he got caught buying narcotics on the street right before he OD. Serena takes his case and she fights her feelings. We get a Serena/Lucky/Portia/Curtis/Liz mess.
Alexis is FREED. Gets her law license back. and gets and AMAZING love interest. (Maybe Shawn). Martin and Lucy get together. Liesl and Scotty remain cute. Molly and TJ get Brando/Sasha/Willow's airtime. Holly and Robert reunite.
IF you read all of this, you are a saint. The show is just so boring, dull, and unbalanced. Useless characters are taking up the place of legacy kids. Iâm sure others have way better ideas, but this is just what I think the show could do to improve and be something I rush home to watch again.Â
9 notes
¡
View notes
Text
Hell to Pay: Chapter Fifteen
I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII, XIV
cowritten by @lux-scriptum
A/N: warning for smut and past mentions of abuse
Lev only stirred because Nikâs weight vanished. By the time he was awake enough to look up, blinking lazily against the morning sun, Nik was already pulling on a pair of pants. The fact that Nik even had a pair of pants in here, since this was Levâs bedroom, was mildly impressive. Lev didnât remember wearing clothes before they fell into bed the night before, tangled around each other and heedless of anything else.
âWhere are you going?â Lev finally managed, yawning into the pillow as he arched his back, stretching his arms in front of him and wiggling in an attempt to wake up more.
âAmara needs me, but I mean, I can be.... persuaded to not goâ Nik said, clearly eyeing Levâs ass. âBecause that is an invitation and Iâm trying to leave, what the fuck.â
Lev snorted, flopping onto his side. âIf Amara needs you, you should go. And that wasnât supposed to be an invitation, but... consider it an open one for when you get back?â He blinked innocently, hiding a smile. âJust donât be gone too long? Iâll miss you.â
Nik jabbed a finger in Levâs direction. âThis is dirty. Youâre playing dirty.â That didnât stop him from leaning over and kissing Lev quickly.
Before Nik was even fully out of the room, Lev was stifling his giggles with the pillow. He could hear Nik groan as he stormed away, his muttered Spanish floating back to Lev. That only served to make Lev laugh more, but eventually he calmed down. The bed felt empty without Nik there, and the room too large, and a creeping darkness to Levâs thoughts he didnât want to deal with, and there was only so much silence Lev could take before he slid out of bed. After some searching, he found one of Nikâs shirts. He tugged it on, pleased to be wearing Nikâs scent since Nik couldnât actually be here, and then trotted off to find Cameron.
Itâd been a couple of days since Cameronâs rut ended, and things were back to normal. Whatever that was. The sentries were back, Cameron was... Cameron. Mostly. Lev wasnât completely convinced, but he wasnât stupid enough to ask about it.
His first guess was right: he found Cameron in the kitchen. Lunch, Lev assumed, judging by the time. He pattered over to one of the empty counters, close enough he could talk to Cameron without getting in the way, and hoisted himself up. Cameron flicked him a look, but didnât say a word, so Lev braced his hands on the counter. The only reaction Lev got from Cameron this time was some hand sanitizer thrown his way. Lev wasnât even sure where it came from, but he got the message, loud and clear.
âNik left,â he said, as soon as it occurred to him to do so. âHe said Amara needed him?â
All he really got in response was a curt nod and a brief, âOkay.â Which- Lev didnât really know how to continue the non-existent conversation for that, so he swung his feet back and forth quietly while he waited for Cameron to finish cooking.
Eventually Cameron told him to get ready to eat. Assuming that was a request to get off the counter, Lev slid down, and settled at the table in time for Cameron to put a bowl of some sort of stew in front of him.
âThank you,â Lev said as he closed his eyes and took a big sniff. âIt smells delicious.â
Cameron, who had settled across from him, just said, âI know. I cooked it.â
Lev blinked at Cameron. It took a couple of seconds to recognize the satisfaction in Cameronâs expression, but when Lev did, he smiled a bit. After a few bites, he tapped his spoon lightly against his bowl. âDid you have any plans today? Especially now that Nik has abandoned us for Mar?â
Cameron shrugged. âPaperwork from the club. Unless you needed to do something.â
âI forgot you owned the club,â Lev said, more to himself than Cameron. He shook his head. âNo. Now that I- I dunno. Since Iâm not living with the angels, I really donât have anything to do. I was still training.â Even if he was far too old to be. At least on the level that he was.
The sweeping look Cameron gave him was both unimpressed and unsurprised. If Lev didnât know any better, heâd say Cameron was awkward, just a little, as he said, âDo you want to come with me to the club?â
Startled, Lev just stared. He swallowed his usual replies, and just simply said, âYes, please.â He paused, and then couldnât help adding, âI need to get dressed though.â
Cameron nodded. âFinish eating first.â
âI planned on it,â Lev promised earnestly. To prove as much, he took another bite, swinging his feet back and forth absently. It really was good, but he didnât want to seem insincere by repeating as such over and over again. After all, Cameron already knew he was a good cook.
---
Nik swung off his bike the moment it was in park and made his way through the apartment building to the second floor and went to knock impatiently on Amaraâs door but the door swung open before he even got to the second knock. Amara dragged him inside before he could even protest.
Nik swatted her away. âOkay, Okay, Iâm here. What did you want?â
âIâm hungry and out of cereal,â she said. âMake me something.â
Nik glowered at her. âI could be fucking your cousin right now,â he accused. âAre you incapable of making meals? Donât answer that,â Nik said, pushing his way into the kitchen. He opened the cupboards and then went to the fridge when he didnât find anything. There was spoiled milk and mayo in the fridge. His blood ran hot. âWhat is this?â he said, offended. âHow are you still alive? I cannot believe we are friends. How dare you.â
âWell, I had cereal. And you canât burn sandwiches. Usually. Sometimes,â Amara said. âReneeâs been cooking. But sheâs spending the week with a friend.â
Nik made a pained sound. âYou are so lucky I am not Nate.â Nik pulled out his leather wallet and went through it before shoving it into his back pocket. âWeâre going grocery shopping. Whereâs CinĂĄed?â
Amara shrugged. âCouch. Napping. Heâs been useless for the past three days, unless heâs helping me demolish what food I had.â
Nik shouldered his way over to the couch and grabbed Cinâs feet and pulled them off the cushion. âGet up, weâre going grocery shopping.â Cin grumbled, fangs flashing. Nik was unimpressed by the empty posturing. âCome on. Get your ass up before I kick it.â
Amara threw Cinâs shoes at him. âPut on a damn shirt.â
Cin flashed his fangs at her too, but pattered off to find a shirt. Nik arched a brow and plopped down on the couch, crossing his ankles. He dragged his eyes over her before looking at where Cin had gone. âSo. How long have you been preheat?â
âShut the fuck up, Iâm not.â
Nik snorted. âMar, Iâd think you were above denial.â
âAnd that is why we donât let you think. Maybe if I ignore it it'll go away." She paused. "At least Cin and I have synced up. Its a pain in the ass to go through it two weeks in a row because one of us triggered the other."
Nik snorted. âSounds like a you problem. Two weeks of a heat sounds like a good time to me. I guess you just donât have my stamina,â he lied.
"You don't have a kid to take care of, Nikky."
Nik looked pointedly towards her kitchen. âSeems like the kid takes care of you, Amara.â
"Fuck you, low blow,â Amara said, glaring at him. âI take care of her. Food's only part of the equation."
A cheeky smile graced his face. âDidnât mean to offend your delicate feelings on the subject. Get ready.â
âYouâre a dirty, rotten liar.â
Nik winked at her. âItâs what you love about me. Youâre just as awful as I am.â
"Whatever helps you sleep at night." Amara reached for her jacket before yelling to Cin, âCâmon Cin, letâs go!â Only then did Cin appear, dressed and rubbing his eyes, clearly still half asleep.
Nik held out his hand when he got to his feet. âGive me your car keys.â
âI donât have a car, Nikolas. Just the bike.â
Nik sighed, bitterly. âAnd what about Cin?â
Cin dug into his jeans and tossed him a set of car keys. Amara frowned. âWait. Is that how we get groceries? I thought you got rid of that.â
Cin blinked at her. âI still have my car, Marmar.â
Amaraâs mouth opened and closed. Nik laughed at them both. âStars, youâre both disasters. Come on. I want to get this over with. Iâll feed you but then Iâm going home. I have prior engagements that I dropped because I am a nice person.â
Amara pouted at him. âYou can fuck Lev whenever you want, Nikky. You spend more time with him than me now.â
âAwe, I didnât realize you were clingy. Just come over to the house. Cameron isn't going to just kill you.â
âWonât he though? Besides, I canât come over until I remember to get Levâs shit or heâll look at me real sad and I hate that shit, man.â
Nik rubbed his thumb and forefinger together. âCan you hear that whine? Itâs not my fault youâre afraid of Cameron and that youâre too lazy to bring Lev his shit.â
âI am not afraid of Cameron, Nikolas,â Amara said. âJust havenât been in the mood to fuck with him lately. Just distracted. And I donât really want to step foot in that house. Iâm pissed enough and Iâm annoyed with Nate, too- not letting me know when he handed that pile of shit over. I wanted a piece of him too, you know.â
Nik frowned. âBlame me if you want. Nateâs not at fault for anything.â He looked towards the open door. Cin was probably wearing a hole into the concrete by the car by now. âHe has a lot going on.â He flicked her a look. âYouâd think you would know that since youâre raising a kid.â Nik started for the car, knowing that Amara would be following him. He found Cin leaning against the back of the car, waiting for him. Unlocking the car, Nik said, âGet in, loser, weâre going shopping. And Iâm driving.â Enough hurt flashed across Cinâs face, Nik knew he didnât get the reference. He sighed. âI really need to get you both to sit down and watch movies.â
Amara climbed into the passenger seat next to him. âGood luck.â
Nik electively ignored her and started up the car while Cin snuggled into the back seat. âWeâll get some easy shit that not even you can get wrong, and then Iâll get some things that Renee can cook for you because I know for a fact that you will burn down your apartment.â
Cin was sound asleep by the time they got to the store. Nik put the car in park and leaned over the seat to flick Cinâs nose. âHey handsome, weâre here.â Cin grumbled at Nik. âCome onnnn. If I have to, so do you.â
Nik got out of the car and into the frigid cold air, shoving his hands in his pockets, waiting for both Amara and Cin to get out. The cold air seeped into his holey jeans and did nothing for Nikâs sour mood. âYou ready yet?â
Amara was already dragging Cin towards the store when she said, âI was born ready, grumpy pants.â
âHmph.â Nik followed after them. âIf that was the case, you would have bought more food before you ran out. But sure.â
âIâm broke,â she replied. âDidnât have any money for groceries.â
Nik side eyed her. âUh huh.â
âWhat?â she said. âDonât believe me? I didnât have a single bottle of alcohol in the apartment either.â
Nik snorted when he grabbed the cart. âProbably because you drank it all.â
âWow rude.â
Nik shrugged while starting for the grocery section. He started putting things in the basket that even Amara would be able to use, and if she couldnât, he was sure Cin would. Hopefully. Stars, theyâre both useless. At least when Nik was dating her he could make sure she didnât die from food poisoning.
Amara wandered off while Cin moved between sticking close to Nik and following after Amara like a lost puppy. When he was close enough, Nik had him get the items he was too lazy to get himself. When Nik was satisfied there was enough food in the cart to feed them all for at least two weeks, Nik started for the register. He gnawed at his thumb nail until he could put the groceries on the thing. When Amara didnât come back, Nik told the clerk to call her. The kid gave him a considering look, judging his age before, âAmara? Your father is waiting for you at register nine.â
Nik choked. âOh gross. Do I look like someoneâs father? Daddy, maybe. But not a father.â
The clerk pressed her lips together to stop herself from laughing. She gave him the cost and he dug a few hundreds Cam had given him out of his wallet and paid for the food. Beside him, Cin said, âI can pay you back?â
Nik waved him off. âItâs not like itâs my money. Itâs all Cam.â Cin seemed displeased as he made a disgruntled sound. He just shrugged. âI mean, you could make it up to him. Though, it wouldnât probably pan out well. Not sure how Lev would react.â
Cinâs only answer was rolling his eyes. When Nik opened his mouth, Amara rounded the corner, eyes puffy enough Nik arched a brow. âDo you feel better, honey?â Nik asked in an overly sympathetic voice.
âNo, fuck you,â Amara snapped. She shoved a stuffed koala at him. âBuy this too.â
Nik looked down at the stuffed animal in distaste. âGet enough snot on that?â The store clerk closed her eyes in defeat, clearly wishing to be put out of her misery. Nik grunted when Amara kicked him in the shin. âYou donât have to kick me because Iâm right, you know. I just bought you three hundred dollars worth of groceries.â Nik leaned over and snagged the tag off the koala and tossed it to the clerk. âThe least you could do is be nice to me.â
âThe least you could do was not make fun of me during my emotional breakdown,â Amara said, sharply. She paused before kicking him again. âTalk shit, get hit, motherfucker.â
Nik pointed at her. âThatâs rude, itâs not like I can just find some random hot mom, Amara. My mommy issues arenât that bad.â
The store clerk choked. âSir⌠the line?â
Nik looked around Amara to see the decent line of humans. âUgh.â He rolled his head towards the clerk. âKeep the change.â He started grabbing the groceries and shoving them in cart alongside Cin. âCome along, children.â
Nik got them out to the car, the groceries in the truck and the snot-covered koala back in Amaraâs arms. It didnât take long for Cin to fall back asleep in the back, curled against the seat. Nik got them back to the apartment relatively quickly before poking Cin in the face again. âHey, make yourself useful and carry these up.â
Cin didnât bother reacting and just got out of the car and carried up the groceries. Nik waited at the counter in the kitchen while Cin finished. He spent three hundred dollars on them, he wasnât doing the leg work. As soon as all the groceries were inside on the floor, Cin just disappeared back to the couch to sleep.
If Nik hadnât just spent the last week in bed with Cameron, he might have joined him on the couch, but he wanted to get home soon. But first, he needed to feed them. Amara was still at the counter, clutching the koala to her chest when Nik said, âPut everything away except for what Iâm cooking.â He rattled off the ingredients while he dished out the pans and utensils he needed to make empanadas.
Unsurpisingly, Amara just walked off, probably to go clean off the stupid koala. He had the ground beef dethawing and a few of the veggies cleaned and cut up when he opened a bottle of tequila he had found hidden behind the pans. When Amara came back, she frowned at the bottle. âWhat the fuck? I thought I was out.â
Nik snorted, taking a drink from the bottle before moving on to start with the dough. âThis is why we donât let you think, Mar.â
She just flipped him off before starting to put things away. When Nik was done with the dough, he started on the egg mixture he mixed with the dough. He looked her over after putting it in the fridge for thirty minutes, messing with the timer on his phone. âSo, clearly youâre feeling the preheat. Do you think you can help me- wait, no, never mind. Youâre not touching my food.â
Nik started back up with food prep when she wandered over and looped her arms around his waist, pressing her forehead against his back. He fell into a rhythm, singing under his breath while he filled the dough with the meat he cooked, Amara moving with him in sync. He was making a mess of her kitchen, which he usually did whenever he cooked, but she didnât seem to notice. It was one of the reasons why Cam didnât let him cook.
When the empanadas were frying, Nik took that as an opportunity to make the aioli dip. Nik was half sure that Amara was asleep on his back, but he just smiled a bit and mixed together the mayo, adobo sauce and lime juice before shoving it in the fridge to boost flavor while the empanadas finished.
When they were finished, Nik turned his head to the side. âMar, theyâre done,â he murmured. âYou need to let go so you can eat. Even if it is hard.â Amara bit into Nikâs shoulder before letting him go. Nik grinned at her. âWas hard, wasnât it?â
âNext time Iâll go for the jugular.â
NIk arched a brow. âIâm spoken for. But Iâm sure you can work it out with Cam.â
Amara ignored him and went to go wake up Cin. Nik used that time to get the empanadas out on plates after taking another swig from the tequila bottle. When they came back, Nik shoved their plates to them. âGo nuts. I accept payment in forms of blowjobs or alcohol.â
Amara just rolled her eyes. âIâm not blowing you when youâre dating my cousin. You can keep the tequila.â
âAnd you say Iâm the grumpy one,â Nik retorted, taking a bite from his own plate. âBut fine. I will, and unlike you, I will not lose it in my stash of pots and pans.â
âRenee probably hid it from me,â she said, making a face. Amara took a bite from her food, before frowning. âFuck you, this is so good.â
Nik grinned. âI know, I made it.â
------
Lev was pretty sure his back would never forgive him for how heâd squeezed himself awkwardly into this chair. There were plenty of reasonable ways to sit, but this felt more comfortable, and he could brace his sketchbook on his knees as he doodled. That's all it really was, honestly. Doodling. He did not consider himself an artist, but a little practice never hurt, and he was bored, in all honesty. It was better than being alone, but he was still bored.
Heâd filled a couple pages with sketches of, well... Cameron. Not really him. Sort of. His hands. His mouth and jawline. His eyes. What else was Lev supposed to draw, though? All he really had to look at was Cameron, who for the most part was engrossed with his paperwork, though it didnât escape Levâs notice any time Cameron glanced over at what Lev was trying to draw.
Could he tell? Lev wasnât sure. If he could, he hadnât told Lev to stop, so there wasnât anything wrong with it. Probably. Maybe?
Lev realized he was staring at Cameron as he pondered, and slowly flushed. He couldn't remember what heâd been trying to draw. Heâd definitely been staring blankly at Cameron for a good amount of time, and now he didnât know how to stop. Stopping was a good idea. And yet he kept staring.
âIf you're bored I can give you something to do.â
That was such a Cameron thing to say. Lev pressed his lips together, wishing he could force himself to stop blushing. âIâm fine,â he said automatically, rubbing his face and narrowly avoiding poking himself in the eye with his pencil at the same time. âIâm just- dunno, lost my- my groove? I was distracted.â He sat up, tucking his feet underneath him as he leaned closer, trying to deflect. âWhat are you doing?â
Cameron looked back down at his papers, rifling through them. âClub ratios. Alcohol and admissions.â
Lev scrunched up his nose. âOkay,â he said, unsure of what else to say. He blinked at the papers, trying to make heads or tails of it all.
âDo you want to suck my cock?â Cameron asked bluntly.
Lev was mortified how quickly he perked up, eyes dropping to Cameronâs lap briefly, before flicking back up to Cameronâs face. âI-â there was no point in lying. Yes, he was interested. âYes. Please. If thatâs- here?â Lev could have groaned at how awkward he was being. How much he wanted it.
âDo you see me moving?â
Lev shook his head. He unfolded from the chair, almost tripping over his converse in his haste as he stood. He sidestepped them this time and dropped his sketchbook on the chair heâd abandoned as he rounded the desk.
Cameron pushed back from the desk, just enough. âCrawl.â
Without a second thought Lev was on his knees. If Cameron wanted him to crawl, heâd crawl. Cameron hadnât turned towards him, leaving Lev a little confused. He sat back on his haunches when he reached Cameronâs side, but Cameron just nodded towards the desk.
âUnder,â was all he said.
Even Lev couldn't misunderstand that. He slithered underneath the desk, twisting until he was peering up at Cameron again. Cameron didnât miss a beat and moved right back to how he had been, and judging by the rustling of papers, he was right back to working. This time Lev didnât hesitate. Fumbling with Cameronâs belt, Lev managed to pull Cameronâs dick out.
It was tempting to go right for it, but Lev took his time, wanting to make it last. He kissed and licked his way up the shaft before sucking on the tip, sliding all the way down once before going back to his curious teasings. There was- there was something to the idea of seeing if he could get a reaction from Cameron. Something tempting. It rankled, just a little bit, in a way Lev couldnât quite put into words, that Cameron could just go back to his paperwork like Lev wasnât under his desk with his mouth on Cameronâs cock.
Not once after that first time did Lev even try to go all the way down again. He explored at his own pace, thoroughly enjoying himself. Already heâd forgotten why heâd decided to be a little bit of a tease. He just liked doing whatever came to mind, and trying to figure out what Cameron liked as he went.
After a few minutes Lev discovered Cameron definitely liked it when Lev dragged the tip of his tongue along the underside of Cameronâs dick. Lev got caught up in trying it over and over again, pausing only to occasionally lap at the head of Cameronâs cock to catch the precome leaking from it.
For the most part he kept his hand either on Cameronâs thigh or wrapped around the base of Cameronâs cock to keep it steady. The space beneath Cameronâs desk was cramped, even with the ridiculous size of the desk, and it was just easier to hold onto Cameron, absently stroking the inside of his thigh with his thumb as he licked and teased his way up and down Cameronâs length repeatedly.
Lev wasnât actually sure how long heâd been lost in what he was doing when Cameronâs fingers found Levâs hair and yanked firmly. A high pitched moan came from Lev in response, and he almost pulled away. He would have, if Cameron hadn't tightened his grip on Levâs hair. Right. Message received. Lev slid down Cameronâs length, working his way down to the base determinedly. He kept a careful rhythm, bobbing his head as best he could without smacking his head on the desk above him.
It took several minutes before Lev managed to make Cameron come. The only signs heâd been getting anywhere were the way Cameronâs breaths had sped up, and how his fingers were all but fisted in Levâs hair. Occasionally, Lev had been rewarded with the rustling of Cameronâs papers going silent, but other than that it was radio silence, at least until Lev heard Cameron give a low sound. That, and the way Cameronâs hand clenched reflexively in Levâs hair, was all the warning Lev got before Cameron came.
Lev sucked him through it, fighting the instinct to hum smugly when he pulled off. He wiped his mouth off with the back of his hand, before wiggling closer. Only after tucking Cameronâs dick away again did he settle, folding his arms on Cameronâs lap and resting his chin on them as he listened to Cameronâs breathing slowing. The weight of Cameronâs hand in his hair was soothing, and Lev was more than tempted to see if he could possibly fall asleep like this without sliding down to the ground. Instead he gave a contented sigh, hesitantly pressing his face against Cameronâs stomach before he looked up.
âCameron?â
âHmm?â Cameron barely glanced down before continuing what he was doing.
Lev debated how to word what he wanted to say for a solid minute before he finally said, âI really was curious about what you were doing.â He furrowed his brows thoughtfully. âI just- could you explain it again? I want to understand.â
âDo you?â
Lev grimaced. âIâm not a liar. I wouldnât say it just to- I want to know. I donât like not understanding things.â
Cameron looked irritated this time. âI wasnât calling you a liar.â
The comforting weight of his hand was gone, and Lev wasnât sure where heâd gone wrong. Panic fluttered like a bird behind his ribs, and he had to stop himself from retreating underneath the desk. There was no reason to get that worked up, and he knew it.
âI was asking you for a yes or a no,â Cameron said.
Lev blinked. âOh.â He swallowed, and then nodded. âYes. I want to learn. I donât- I donât like feeling stupid, and when I donât get things I feel really dumb.â He settled against Cameronâs stomach again. âI just want to understand.â
Cameron watched him for a heartbeat, but he did start to explain, and that was all Lev wanted, really, so Lev was content to tilt his head up and listen intently.
---
Nik was about ready to pull his jacket to leave when Amara demanded, âAnd where the fuck do you think youâre going?â
Nik looked over his shoulder, stopping before he could get his second arm in. âWell I was going to go get fucked, if you must know, since I am done feeding you.â
Amara whined. âNoooo. I want to snuggle. I missed youuu.â She wrapped her fingers around his wrist and pushed his jacket off his shoulders. âI never get to see you, I deserve this. And even if I donât, Iâm a selfish bitch.â
Nik frowned. âSnuggle with Cin. Thatâs what heâs here for.â
âHeâs not you though, and heâs boring when heâs comatose.â Nik was this close to whining too. He could feel his body protest, but he ended up letting her drag him over to the threadbare couch to be smooshed between her and Cin. Cin didnât seem bothered to have two bodies on top of him; he really was sleepy.
âYou know you missed me,â she crooned, putting her face in his neck.
âNot right now I donât,â he grumbled, wrapping his arm around her waist. âWhat am I getting out of this forced cuddling? Besides your radiant company?â
She playfully nipped at him. âYou can keep the tequila.â
Nik pinched her ass. âI was already planning on keeping the tequila as payment for cooking you food, Mar. But whatever. Since I am a good and kind soul, I will keep you company free of charge because itâs the right thing to do in your hour of need.â He put his boots up on the arm of the couch. âLucky you.â
She snuggled deeper into him, arms wrapping around his waist. âLucky me indeed,â she mumbled into his chest. âYouâre mine for the foreseeable future.â Nikâs body was rebelling against him. He could feel himself half hard against Amaraâs stomach. She seemed unbothered and perfectly aware. âNot my problem.â
Nik groaned, wiggling helplessly under her. âWhy are you doing this to meeeee.â
"I didn't ask for you to show up horny and bitter. I just needed a friend in this trying time."
âHonestly, Amara, for someone supposedly so intuituve, you sure do know shit about how I am horny all the fucking time. And when you wake me up,â he groused. âBut sure, youâre the one in need.â
Amara said, â"Would you rather me have starved?"
âDo not ask questions you do not want the answers to,â Nik warned.
âWow Nikolas, I thought we were friends.â
Nik yanked on her hair. âIf we werenât, Iâd have let you rot. But here I am, hard and under a woman I canât fuck. So. I am a saint.â
She choked on a laugh. âSaint Nikolas.â
âOkay you know what-â
Nik rolled over and let her fall on the floor. She stared up at him, half shocked and half amused. âBullying people is my thing, Nikolas.â
âTalk shit, get thrown on the floor,â Nik shot back.
She sat up on her elbows. âYou left yourself wide open for that, Saint Nikolas.â
Nik pointed down at her. âKeep calling me that and I will walk out that door right now. Then weâll see how hilarious you are when you keep whining about what a bad friend I am.â Cin grumbled from under him, pulling his pillow over his head, muttering about them talking too much.
Both he and Amara ignored Cinâs whining. âOkay, okay. Someoneâs touchy today.â Before Nik could even call her a hypocrite she was up on her feet and flopped on him. âDonât leaveeee.â
âWell, I canât very well do that with your big head on my chest, now can I?â
"First of all, that was the idea, and second, who are you calling a big head, big head?"
âAt least my big head is full of things,â Nik said, poking her in the forehead.
"Yeah, weed and booze, maybe."
I mean, yes, Nik thought. âAt least it has something in it other than air.â
âFuck you,â she said, cheerfully, snuggling deep into him.
âYou canât,â Nik whined. âIâm dating your cousin, remember?â
âNot my fault,â she mumbled. âYou were just supposed to fuck him, not get attached.â
âUgh.â
âNow I have to break in a new fuckbuddy.â
Nik slipped a hand in her back pocket, unable to stop himself from grinning. âSorry you had to downgrade. Canât relate.â He oofed when she jabbed him in the side. âThatâs so mean, stars, Amara. I thought we were friendsss.â
Amara had opened her mouth to counter when Nik found himself on the ground, landing on top of Amara, her own head smacking against the threadbare carpet. The next thing Nik registered was Cin on his feet and stalking back to the bedroom, grumbling about not being able to sleep. Nik looked down at Amara, feeling laughter bubble in his throat. âWell, that was nice. I went out of my way, making him a home cooked meal and he nearly gives me a concussion.â
He had rolled over onto his back, with Amaraâs face pressed into his chest, laughing, when he wheezed, âThe audacity.â
Amara just snorted. âYou ruined his nap.â
âMe?â
âYes you.â
âWow,â Nik said, pushing her onto her back. âThe blatant disrespect. I cannot believe this.â He sat on her and looked down while brushing his blue and black hair out of his eyes. âLying straight to my face. Hmph.â
Amara smacked his chest. âGet oooooooff.â
âOr else what?â Nik asked, roguishly.
âIâll whine.â
âYou mean you havenât been whining this entire time?â
She threw her arm over her eyes. âWhy are you bullying meeee.â
âBecause Iâm horny and I am mean when I am horny. Itâs your own fault.â Nik got to his feet and held out a hand. âTake it or Iâm taking this opportunity to escape.â
"I can't help that Iâm so sexy," she said, taking his hand. She straightened her shirt, before: "If you need to jerk off the bathrooms down the hall."
Nik frowned. âDamn right you are, and Iâm annoyed.â Nik considered her offer, though. Stars knew how long she was going to hold him captive, and he was only going to get more irritable the longer he wasnât able to get off. âI am not getting blue balls for you.â He turned on his heel and went to the bathroom.
--------
Cameron was finishing locking up the office, half ignoring Lev hopping around the hallway trying to tie his shoes. He slid the key in his pocket and watched Lev for a few seconds, before flatly saying, âAre you done?â
Lev smacked his shoulder into the wall and crumbled to the ground. âYeah. Just. Give me a second. Itâs easier from down here.â
Cameron looked down at him, unimpressed. âNice coordination, Levant.â
Lev just stood up. âNever once implied I was coordinated. Or graceful.â He gave Cameron a pained smile. âI really am a terrible angel,â he said, mechanically enough it was obvious he was just echoing someone else.
Cameron shrugged slightly. âYou make it sound like a bad thing. Come along.â He didnât give Lev a look, seeing if he was following him as he started for the main floor of the club. The only noise was the bartender quietly working, getting ready for that night.
He went straight for the grand piano in the middle of the room, on the raised dias. He ran his fingers across the glossy black of the keyboard cover as he sat. Lev shifted. âMay I sit next to you..?â
Cameron debated for a heartbeat, not wanting to break his routine, but eventually moved over just enough for Lev to sit. Wordlessly, he opened the keyboard cover while Lev sat next to him, curiously listening to Cameron start his warm ups. His fingers glided over the keys while muscle memory took over; he didnât even have to think about what notes to play before he played them. He had music drilled into his head since he could barely walk. It was expected of him from a young age- it was another appealing thing that attracted people to him. Cameron just hadnât outgrown the habit, and despite being forced to learn, he did find some kind of solace playing the piano.
He could feel Lev staring at him with big golden eyes. Cameron almost told him to stop, but just kept focused on the piano, his own eyes closed. It was easier playing than it was dealing, and this was something he was good at. Though, Cameron thought, he was good at many things. He didnât have the luxury of failing.
After a while, Lev asked, âDo you play every day?â
Cameron kept playing, going back and forth, deciding if he wanted to answer or not. He finally said, âYes. Two and a half hours every day after paperwork.â
âThatâs a long time,â Lev murmured to himself.
Cameronâs lips twitched. âNot really,â he said, after a bit. âFucked Nik for longer.â
He almost didnât hear Lev mutter under his breath, âNikâs so damn lucky.â
Cameron snorted, and tilted his head, listening to the music. âAll you have to do is tell me.â
Cameron rarely, if ever told Nik no, and when he did, Nik just went elsewhere. If it was what Lev wanted, Cameron would feel compelled to give it to him, just as he was compelled to give it to Nik. All he had to do was say the word. It was what he was trained to do. âThatâs easier said thanâŚ. Oh.â Cameron could almost see Lev make a face.
âIf youâre going to speak, stop mumbling,â Cameron said, half annoyed. âI can barely hear you over the music.â
He could feel the bartender silently watching them. Zareth knew better than to speak while Cameron was playing and he was not going to be that stupid now; not unless he wanted his tongue ripped out.
Lev fell silent for a while before asking, âCan you teach me to play? Not today, but⌠one day?â
Cameron inclined his head, enjoying the smooth keys at his fingertips. âI can teach you now, if you want.â
âI donât want to interrupt your playing anymore than I already have,â Lev said, âBut⌠I do want.â
Cameron finished his song before, âWhat do you know about music? Can you read it, write it? What all have the angels taught you besides not actually being able to teach you how to fight.â
Lev shook his head. âI can sing along with the radio. Gramma says Iâve got a good ear, but no one ever taught me anything.â
âHmm.â Cameron went over the major keys, the minor keys; explaining the difference between white and black before saying, âIâll get you a keyboard. No one touches the piano but me. And Iâm sure there are song books you can look at to learn music notes. Iâll look into it.â
âOkay,â Lev said. Then he added, âThank you.â
Cameron went back to playing, letting himself try to fall back into rhythm. He tried to not get aggitated at his routine being altered too much. It wasnât Lev- it was literally anyone that stopped him from being able to work seamlessly.
After a while, Cameron barely registered Lev getting up and wandering over to the bar. He didnât bother looking to see what Lev was doing, and kept playing.
----
Lev slid into a seat at the bar, tapping his fingers on the smooth wood silently. He twisted in his seat, peering at Cameron, but Cameron was still playing, hadnât even looked up. Good. that meant he wasn't too bothered by Lev leaving. He felt a little bad heâd kept bugging Cameron, but he didn't really know how to be still and quiet for long, for all he was a quiet person.
After a few minutes, Lev hesitantly waved at the bartender. After a moment the bartender flicked him a look. Lev waved at him again, widening his eyes and what he hoped was a plea. The bartender kept cleaning the glass in his hands for longer than Lev thought was necessary before coming over. Once the bartender raised his eyebrows, Lev realized he hadnât thought this far. He knew Cameron probably wanted quiet, even if Cameron had been remarkably patient with Levâs talking.
âCan I get some water?â Lev whispered, as quiet as he could. âAnd a pen?â There were napkins nearby, and Levâd forgotten his sketchbook in Cameronâs office. He wasnât stupid enough to bug Cameron for that.
The bartender flicked Cameron a look over Levâs shoulder, and then turned away. Lev thought for a moment heâd been ignored, but the bartender slid a glass towards him. Lev mouthed a âthank you,â before holding the glass in his hands. He sipped it occasionally, and blinked gratefully at the bartender when he got the pen heâd asked for.
Lev swiveled on the chair, and then started sketching Cameron. Or his piano, at least. Lev kept himself busy that way, wiggling to his heart's content. At least the stools didn't squeak. Lev couldn't imagine Cameron allowing his stools to squeak.
It was almost a surprise to hear the music stop. Lev wasnât sure if it had been two and a half hours or not, but he was pleased to see Cameron settle beside him.
âMy usual,â was all Cameron said.
The bartender hopped to, something Lev decided not to think about. Instead he kicked his feet back and forth lightly, and sipped his water. After a minute, he looked over at Cameron. âIs there anything else on the schedule?â
Lev almost missed the tiny smirk the bartender had when Cameron looked at Lev. âDo you want to be fucked?â
Lev blinked. âI-â He really should stop being surprised by Cameron offering. âYes? Yes.â
Cameron set his glass down, and then leaned over, pressing kisses to Levâs neck. Levâs breath caught in his throat, and he tilted his head up to give Cameron more room. Oh. Cameon really meant right now. He hooked his fingers in Cameronâs sleeve. It wasnât long before Cameron started unbuttoning Levâs jeans, and that was enough Lev twitched his hips upwards, giving a soft moan. He hadnât expected to be fucked today, but he was absolutely down for this.
Cameron was pulling at his jeans, so Lev lifted his hips again. Too far, it seemed, because he slid right off the stool. He flung his arms around Cameronâs neck, squeaking. Cameronâs arm was around his waist, keeping him from falling any lower. In the next moment, Lev found himself swung around, back against the bar, and Cameron pulling his pants and underwear down efficiently.
The next thing Lev knew, Cameron was on his knees and taking Levâs half-hard cock in his mouth. Lev jerked forward with a gasp, one hand going to Cameronâs hair. Cameronâs hand found Levâs hip, pinning him in place against the bar. More than anything Lev wanted to squirm, but Cameron was firm as he teased Lev to full hardness.
-----
Cameron only pulled back when he knew Lev was close to coming. He didnât even want to think about whatever was on the floor as he got to his feet. Levâs whine was suppressed when Cameron flipped him around, and bent him over the bar. But Lev wasnât able to stop the second whine when his fingers traced down Levâs spine before pressing inside. Two fingers in and Lev was already moaning.
Lev was leaning on his forearms, head bent over as a flush worked its way down his back. Cameron took his time stretching him out as he worked himself up to his own hardness. Cameron kept using just his fingers until Lev was whining enough he started wiggling. Cameronâs only warning to stop moving was his teeth in Levâs shoulder.
âCameron, please,â Lev was already pleading. âPlease fuck me?â
âHmm.â Cameron added another finger, finishing stretching him out, before pulling them out one by one. He stroked himself lazily, halfway ignoring Levâs small whine; completely ignoring Zarethâs half hearted attempt to keep himself busy. Wasnât the first time he fucked someone in front of the demon, likely wouldn't be the last.
Cameron pressed inside Lev, eliciting a moan from the angel. He took his time deciding what he was going to do before sliding his hand up to the back of Levâs neck and bending him forward on his toes with his cheek pressed against the cool black bar.
Cameron wrapped his hand around the back of Levâs neck, his other hand digging into Levâs hip, pulling back as he fucked into him. Zareth had forgotten his duties and was watching them blatantly enough Cameron debated on giving him a look to get back to work, but ultimately decided to put his energy into what he was doing. Levâs eyes lifted to the demon staring at them, but instead of protesting, his moans unsurprisingly only got louder, his fingers curling into fists.
He only twisted Levâs arm behind his back when it went between his legs to the dripping cock. Cameron leaned over him, teeth pressing into Levâs almost healed shoulder. âDonât touch,â was all he said to the angel.
That got a loud enough whimper from Lev, Cameron felt his lips ghost into a curl. Levâs legs were trembling when he said, âPlease let me come? Please.â
The part of his brain that was hardwired to give what was wanted was tempted, but Cameron wrapped his hand around the base of Levâs cock hard enough Lev gave him a choked moan. Cameron lightly pressed his teeth into Levâs throat enough to just barely break the skin. âNo. You come when I feel like it. Not the other way around.â
Levâs only response was a whimper. Cameron kept fucking into him hard until he felt his knot catch at the rim. He pressed Lev harder against the bar when his release barreled out of him. Cameron barely suppressed his pants against Levâs shoulder when he finally was able to pull out. Cameron cleaned himself off and was rebuckling his belt when Lev, clearly sounding desperate and fucked out, said, âCan I come? Please?â
Cameron considered it. âDid I say you could?â
Lev gave a broken whimper but didnât argue. Cameron flicked a look over to Zareth who was already pulling the black box from under counter out and sliding it towards them. Cameron selected a black and silver plug and pressed it into Levâs leaking ass. âPull your pants up,â he said, pulling back from the angel and straightening his shirt. âMake sure to clean up the bar,â he added, to Zareth, slipping the plug's remote into his pocket.
Lev clumsily did as ordered, his face flushed a bright gold. Cameron only looked to his watch before starting for his office to gather his things. He heard Lev eventually catch up to him by the time Cameron was already unlocking his office to get the remaining paperwork and his phone. Lev slipped inside to get his sketchbook and had it pressed to his chest when he followed Cameron out to his car.
------
Lev squirmed again. Heâd thought it was awkward enough walking with the plug. Heâd been very aware of itâs presence then, and he was very aware of it now that he was sitting in the front seat of Cameronâs car. He couldn't find a good way to settle that didnât have it pressing against him.
âSit still.â
Lev stilled obediently, swallowing a whine. Home couldnât come soon enough. If he was home he could at least stand up. Cameron didnât expect him to keep it in forever, did he? Lev wiggled, and then froze again. He leaned against the door, giving another excited wiggle when the manor came into view.
âDo you think Nik is home yet?â Lev asked, switching his gaze to Cameron.
After a moment, Cameron said, âMaybe.â
Lev hummed softly, and then said, âI missed him. Is that stupid? It was just a day.â
Only after Cameron had parked the car did he finally say, âNo, it isnât.â
Lev was out of the car in a heartbeat, but he leaned against it to peer at Cameron across the roof. âI had fun today.â
Cameron flicked him a quick look. âGood.â
Lev watched him circle the car, and slunk after him. Stars, he was super aware of that blasted plug. Sure it was keeping Cameronâs come from getting everywhere, but at what cost? That didnât mean Lev wasnât going to wander after Cameron. He wasnât sure what else to do. Besides, he liked being around Cameron. Even if he wasnât much for conversation most of the time.
It shouldnât have surprised Lev that Cameron headed for the kitchen. Lev followed after him, eyeing the counter. No, he wasnât going to settle there today. Heâd had enough sitting for now. He leaned his hip against it instead, watching Cameron move around.
âWhat are you making for dinner?â Lev asked, just to break the silence.
âSteak and potatoes.â Cameron nodded at the potatoes. âCut up the potatoes?â
Lev wiggled happily, and sidled over to them to start. He paused only long enough to wash his hands when Cameron reminded him, and then kept himself busy. He was just about done when hands grabbed his hips, and a face pressed against his neck. Lev squeaked, but he recognized Nikâs scent a heartbeat later. After setting the knife down, Lev squirmed until he was facing Nik, sliding his arms around Nikâs neck.
Nikâs mouth was on his before Lev could say anything. Lev arched into the kiss, moaning softly. He pulled back just a little, blinking up at Nik. Before he could get a word out, Nik was kissing him again. Well. Lev couldnât really argue with that. He kissed back enthusiastically, opening his mouth for Nik as he leaned close.
Without warning the plug in his ass started... vibrating. Lev jerked, pulling back. âWhat-â He flicked at glance at Cameron, eyes wide. Cameron hadnât even looked up from the steaks he was cooking.
âYou kept yourself occupied, Cam,â Nik said, drawing Levâs attention again. Nik looked amused.
âFinish the potatoes, Levant,â was all Cameron said.
Lev blinked again, before pressing a chaste kiss to Nikâs lips. âMissed you today,â he promised, before wiggling around to finish up the potatoes.
Nik wrapped his arms around Levâs waist and pressed a kiss to Levâs neck, despite Levâs squeak. âClearly you kept busy in my absence.â
Lev shrugged. âI went to the club with Cameron. I had fun.â He wasnât near as neat with his chopping as he had been before, but he couldnât imagine how Cameron could expect perfection when the plug was still going and Nik was pressed up against him.
âI can smell that.â
Lev flushed, pausing. âThat wasnât- He showed me some of how his paperwork works. And he promised to teach me how to play the piano.â He set the knife down, and added to Cameron, âPotatoes are done.â
Cameron took the potatoes from him, putting them in the pan. Nik just said, âYou and I clearly have different views of fun.â
Lev considered that. He turned around, sliding his arms around Nikâs neck. âI mean I liked the sex too, but I just also liked the other stuff. Maybe I have a broader idea of fun?â He pressed his nose to Nikâs to let Nik know he was teasing, even as he pressed his hips against Nik, absently seeking friction.
Nikâs hands settled on his hips, holding him still. âI resent the idea that you are more fun than I am. Take that back.â
Lev whined softly, squirming in Nikâs hold. âI didnât say I was more fun, just that I have more ideas of what is fun.â
âHmmm. Sounds the same to me, Levant.â
Lev shoved his face in Nikâs neck, whining, âNiiiiiiik.â
Nik bit Levâs shoulder lightly. âSaying my name like that does not move me.â
That wasnât fair. The feeling of Nikâs teeth in his shoulder went straight to Levâs aching cock, and did nothing to help with the frustration of having the plug vibrating incessantly inside him. He whined in the back of his throat, saying, âIs me admitting it under duress really me admitting it, though?â
âOh is this duress? I hadn't realized you were that delicate.â
âYou call me delicate all the time, Iâd think you knew this already.â
Nikâs response was to slide a hand between them, grinding the heel of his palm against Levâs crotch. Lev gasped out a whimpered protest, squirming. The counter behind him kept him from going anywhere.
âOkay, okay, you're more fun, Nik, please."
Nik grinned. âAm I?â
âYes,â Lev insisted, his flush creeping lower. âNik.â
Cameronâs sharp, âNikolas,â made Lev jump. Heâd forgotten Cameron was still here. It made Nik step back, though. Lev wasnât sure if he liked Nik not touching him at all, but it was a relief to get a brief respite. Other than that damned plug still going. Cameron was moving about, starting to set the table. He barely looked over as he said, âGo wash up.â
Lev eyed Nik suspiciously, waiting for more teasing, but Nik was heading for the bathroom. Lev slunk after him. It wasnât that he didnât like the teasing; normally he would have loved it, in an overwhelmed sort of way. But he would have felt very silly coming in his pants, and besides, dinner was almost ready and he didnât want to annoy Cameron by delaying it just to change his pants.
After shuffling up behind Nik he pressed his nose to Nikâs shoulder, hoping Nik wasnât annoyed. Judging by the wink, he wasnât.
âGet washed up, Lev.â
By the time Lev was done, Nik was hovering in the doorway. Lev dried his hands quickly, and snuggled into Niks side as they headed back. Lev slowed a little bit when they got back to the kitchen, eyeing the table. He did not want to sit again, especially since Cameron still hadnât turned off the plug.
Lev must have lingered too long, because to Levâs surprise, the plug started vibrating harder. Or more. Or something. Lev snapped his gaze to Cameron, eyes widening.
âSit down.â
Nik snorted as he sat down himself. Lev sank down in his chair, sitting gingerly. He poked at his plate, before starting in on his potatoes. He eventually glanced at Nik. âHowâs Amara?â
âDepriving me of dick,â Nik said.
Lev blinked. He didnât want to think about dick, not with how turned on he still was, and so he pressed, âI take it sheâs okay? Is she bringing me my stuff?â
âNot any time soon, she isnât. Sheâs in preheat.â
Lev stifled a groan, wiggling. âI don't know why she couldnât-â He made a face. âDo you think one of you two could take me to get the stuff?â
âIâm sure if you ask nicely I might be so inclined,â Nik said.
Lev widened his eyes. âCould you? Please?â
Nik smiled at him a bit, letting Lev squirm until he finally said, âYeah, sure.â
âThank you,â Lev said, squirming again. âTomorrow? Or is that too soon?â
Nik grinned. âI think I can manage to fit you into my schedule.â
Cameron spoke up. âYour schedule of fucking and sleeping and eating?â He arched a brow.
âIn that exact order, yes.â
Lev snorted softly. He shifted his weight again, and began to cut up his steak. If nothing else, he was hungry. Heâd been hungry at lunch, too. Maybe his body was finally catching on that someone was making sure he ate regularly. Didnât quite distract him enough to keep him from wiggling in his seat. No matter what he did, he couldnât quite settle in a way that let him ignore the plug.
Nik went on, adding, âI can fit him in between sleeping and eating, it should be fine.â
Cameron rolled his eyes at that. Which, fair enough. Nik was being ridiculous.
Lev ate a few more bites, wiggling a bit more before he said, âWhat did Mar-Mar need so desperately?â
âApparently to not die of starvation.â
Lev opened and closed his mouth a few times, blinking at Nik before sighing. âI suppose that would be a very boring way for her to go,â he finally said.
Nik dropped his head in his arms. âIf I wasn't such a good person I would have strangled her for the state of her kitchen. How dare she not have any food.â
Even Cameron looked disgusted. Lev just shrugged. âThereâs a reason she always came to my house for dinner, not the other way around.â He squirmed a little, shaking his head. âThat and only ReneĂŠ can cook in that household.â
Nik said, âI am offended,â right as Cameron said, âAnd yet sheâs still alive.â
Lev wrinkled his nose. âTakeout is a thing,â he reminded them, standing.
âDisgusting,â was all Cameron had to say about that.
âDepends on the takeout,â Lev said. âIâll be right back.â
As Lev was leaving, he heard Cameron mutter, âConsidering the booze she drinks, Iâd not hold my breath,â but he chose to ignore that.
Lev slipped into the bathroom and let out a small breath. Standing did make it a bit easier, that neverending buzzing that was the plug deep in him, but it didnât do anything to ease the arousal constantly simmering under his skin. How long exactly did Cameron expect him to wear this?
He pressed his hand against his boner, but that just made it worse. Giving in, he fumbled with his pants, pushing his zipper down and out of the way so he could pull his cock out. Stroking it almost made things worse. He was so damn horny.
âAnd what do you think youâre doing?â Cameronâs voice startled Lev so bad he jumped. Cameron was leaning against the doorway, and something about his heavy stare made Lev flush.
âI was- jerking off?â Lev blinked, a realization building in his mind.
âDid I say you could come?â Cameron asked coolly.
âN-no?â Lev blinked again. âI thought that- oh. I- oh.â
To make matters worse, Nik appeared beside Cameron, looking amused. âWhat did you do?â
âI- I donât-â
Nikâs grin grew. âDid you talk while he played the piano?â
âI- yes? I didnât know-â Lev paused, frustrated.
Nik burst into laughter. âOh you poor bastard.â
He glanced at Cameron, and then back to Nik, who was still laughing. âIâm starting to gather I wasnât supposed to?â
Cameronâs brows rose fractionally.
âYou could have just told me you didnât want me to talk,â Lev tried.
âDo you not know how manners work?â Cameron asked.
Lev opened and closed his mouth several times before giving up. âIâm- I didnât know. Wonât happen again,â he finally said helplessly.
Cameron pushed off from the doorway, turning to head back to the kitchen. âSee that it doesnât,â was all he said.
Nik gave a low whistle. âAt least you got fucked.â
Lev pulled up his pants, making a face. âCan we go back to dinner? Iâll dig a hole to hide in later.â
âI think your holes are quite occupied, princess,â Nik said as he headed back. Lev scampered after him, grumbling.
----
The kitchen was clean, and Lev had this feeling that Cameron had something planned. Didnât stop Lev from shuffling after them both to Cameronâs bedroom. Heâd barely set foot in the bedroom when Cameron ordered, âGo put your collar on.â
Lev backed out of the room, touching his throat absently as he slipped down the halls. He hadnât worn it once since Cameron had bought it for him, hadnât been sure if heâd earned it, and the idea of wearing it now sent a hot thrill of desire through him. Which... didnât help, really, because he was still so damn horny, and that plug was still going, and he was well aware of Nik following behind him.
It was right where Lev had left it, on top of his dresser. Lev picked it up, running his fingers along the smooth leather before turning to Nik. âHelp me put it on?â
âSure thing, princess.â Nik wandered over, taking the collar from Levâs unprotesting fingers. Once it was in place, not too snug but not loose by any definition, Lev reached up, running his fingers along the leather again.
âThank you,â he said faintly, letting out a small breath.
He flushed the moment he realized Nik was smirking at him. Ducking his head, he headed back to Cameronâs room, shoving his hands in his hoodie pockets. Cameron was waiting, still dressed and sitting in his chair.
âStrip. Slowly.â
Heat coiled deep in Levâs gut. He shrugged out of his hoodie awkwardly, and fiddled with it. âI- where do you want me to- to put everything?â He asked hesitantly.
âFloor,â Cameron said simply.
Right. Well then. Lev dropped the jacket on the floor, and then fumbled with Nikâs shirt until he got it off. He plopped down and started picking at the laces on his converse, wondering why in the hell heâd tied them so tight. The weight of the othersâ eyes on him just made him flush deeper. He eventually managed to kick them off, and dropped them with the growing pile of clothes before he stood, pushing his pants down awkwardly. He hesitated only a moment before squirming out of his underwear last.
Only then did he lift his gaze to Cameron again, reaching up to touch the collar anxiously. There was something... he didnât even know what, to be the only naked one in the room right now.
âTouch yourself,â Cameron ordered.
Levâs brows furrowed. â...where?â he finally asked.
Nik snorted from where heâd drifted to settle behind Cameron to watch. Cameron arched a brow at Lev. It still took Lev a few moments to get it.
âOh. Oh. Right.â He was pretty sure his blush was well below his chest by now. He didnât think heâd ever touched himself in front of anyone before, and it was as awkward as heâd feared. His hand was jerky and unsure, but he was so turned on even that was enough he was quickly short of breath and tense. Holding Cameronâs gaze proved impossible, so he dropped his eyes to the floor as he did his best to obey while not pushing himself over the edge.
Lev was damn close to losing his self control when Cameron said, âStop.â He wasnât sure if he was relieved or not. After he lifted his eyes back to Cameronâs face, Cameron said, âPut your hands behind your back.â
Lev obeyed automatically. Even just watching Cameron slowly undo his tie had Levâs breath catching in his throat. That wasnât... that wasnât supposed to be as hot as it was. Right? He tracked the tie as Cameron pulled it off and handed it to Nik.
---
Nik wordlessly took the black silk tie from Cameron and slipped behind Lev. He had his thumb on Levâs quick pulse, his mouth on Levâs neck while he watched the minute changes in Camâs face as he tied Levâs wrists together.
Nik could smell the amount of arousal on Lev and he wondered how much Cameron moved todayâs events into place to get to this exact moment. This was what Cameron did, and he did everything with the razor sharp precision of someone who has been trained in these kinds of things for centuries.
Nik lightly bit into Levâs neck as he finished knotting the tie. Lev trembled beneath his lips, his entire body holding back restraint. Nik could not blame him, he had been in this exact same position before- several times. And it was hard to not crumble beneath Camâs icy eyes. All three of them were aware that there was one person in this room calling any and all shots and it was neither him or Lev.
Cameron tilted his head slightly to the side, pale blue eyes on Nikâs before sliding to Levâs. The cold calculation in Cameronâs expression did not do any favors for the hardness between Nikâs own legs and if he wasnât so damn afraid of ending up on the receiving end of Camâs next punishment heâd whine about not being able to be fucked in this moment.
The fact Lev was the only naked person in the room only served to make him harder, and the small black remote in Cameronâs hand almost escaped his notice. The fact Nik wasnât being filled right now had every complaint he had been building since this morning on the tip of his tongue. The only thing that stopped him was sheer self preservation and knowing Cameron would make the next solid week hell on earth.
Levâs small, cracking, âCameron, please?â had Cameron only notching the vibrator up another setting. Lev slumped back against Nik, his entire body trembling as he pressed his face into Nikâs shoulder, moaning.
Nik slipped a hand down Levâs side, eyes still on Cameronâs borderline neutral face. Anyone would have thought Cameron looked uninterested, but Nik saw the amusement, the pleased look at Levâs response, as if that was Cameronâs intention from the beginning. Nik bit into Levâs shoulder before saying, âCan we move to the bed?â
Cameron seemed to consider it before nodding once. Nik turned Levâs hips and propelled him forward onto the bed. âOn your knees, Princess. Face in the bed.â
Lev almost seemed like he was made entirely out of jello as he did as ordered. Those golden eyes closed as he gave a low whine, turning and pressing his face into the silky black sheets. Nik looked in time to see Cameron taking his sweet time getting up from his seat. It was purely calculated and Nik was both horrified and impressed at the level he was willing to make Lev get to to be fucked.
Been there, Nik thought, dryly.
---
The sheets smelled like them both. That was all Lev could really think. He could barely think that. There was too much of everything, and Lev thought he might cry with how turned on he was. Another low whine built in the back of his throat just thinking about how much he wanted to come. There couldnât be a higher setting on that plug, could there?
Lev hadnât even noticed the bed dip under Cameronâs weight, but he certainly noticed when Cameronâs fingers tightened on his hair, pulling him up until he looked at Cameron. It still took a second for Lev to really focus on Cameronâs face. Only then did Cameron say simply, âBlow Nik.â
After processing what Cameron said, Lev sat up, twisting to peer at Nik. He slid off the bed, sinking to his knees in front of Nik. Faced with the fact that Nik was still fully dressed, Lev paused, blinking hard several times, before he hesitantly started using his teeth and tongue to undo the button on Nikâs jeans. It took him a couple of tries, but when he got the button undone and zipper pulled down, he was faced with another challenge. He had no idea how to get Nikâs dick out without his hands.
He stared too long, lost, and the plugâs vibration kicked up another notch. Lev lurched forward, his moan half a sob, his face pressed against Nikâs crotch as he panted. After gathering himself, he did his best, eventually managing to pull Nikâs cock free. Without hesitating, Lev dove in, working his way to the base quickly. He would have gone at it with reckless enthusiasm if Cameron hadnât spoken up.
âSlowly,â Cameron said, voice silky smooth.
Lev whimpered, but slowed his movements, taking comfort in the hand Nik slid into his hair. Lev pulled back a little, licking and kissing his way up and down Nikâs shaft before going down on him again. He bobbed his head, slowly as Cameron had ordered, dragging the blowjob out. Nikâs fingers tightened in Levâs hair, a low moan coming from both of them. It was easier, having something other than how fucking horny Lev was to focus on, and Lev took that to heart. Still, though, by the time Nik came down his throat, Lev was breathless and keyed up even more.
Eventually Nik moved out from under Lev. Lev all but slumped against the bed, breathing hard and whining softly. He wanted to come, or at least some sort of respite, and instead he was kneeling on the floor, face half smooshed against the side of the bed, gasping for air, and he didnât even have anything to thrust against.
He slowly started to tense, realizing he had no idea where Cameron and Nik were. A shudder went through him. Was that it? He got Nik off, and now they were done? He... maybe that was part of the punishment? Lev could... he could handle that, he was used to that, but panic rose anyway, leaving him tense and trembling.
The plug went still without warning, and hands started pulling at the tie binding his hands together. Lev twisted a little, staring up at Nik and Cameron in confusion. His confusion only grew when Cameron asked, âWhatâs wrong?â
âI- I donât-â Lev flicked a glance between them. They were both mostly undressed, which only made him feel worse. They hadnât been leaving. He took a couple of gulping breaths, and then tried again. âIâm used to- I thought- or, I was- I was rememb- he used to just... leave me. Once he was done. I didnât know- I didnât know where youâd gone, and I just- I panicked.â
Cameron crouched, grabbing Levâs chin as he said coldly, âI am not Remiel. I do not leave anyone unsatisfied and I do not take my own pleasure first.â Lev couldnât read Cameronâs expression at all.
âWeâre not leaving you, Lev. I promise,â Nik said.
Lev flushed, tears welling up. âI know youâre not him,â he said in a small voice. âI know. I wasnât thinking, I was just- Iâve never reacted like- not ever with him, it wasnât- I knew it wasnât safe to- I know, and I know Iâm safe with you. I just- I didnât mean to. It was stupid.â
Cameronâs fingers slid into Levâs hair. The action was awkward, but Lev took comfort from the contact anyway. âItâs not stupid, itâs a response.â
Nik pressed a kiss to Levâs shoulder. âYouâre safe with us.â
âI know. I- I know.â Lev took a shuddering breath, and wiped his cheeks hastily with his newly freed hands. âI didnât- I didnât ruin... this, did I? I donât want to- I donât want to stop, if you donât.â
Cameron helped him up, settling him on the bed. âThen we donât stop.â
Lev gave a soft sigh of relief, sniffling a little. âOkay,â he said faintly.
âHow do you want to pick up? Do you just want to be fucked or do you want to go back to what we were doing?â
Lev blinked. âI want... I want to keep going. I liked it, I just- yeah. I want to go back.â He managed a smile, a little small but genuine. âI did talk a lot while you were playing.â
Cameronâs mouth quirked, just enough Lev couldnât deny it was there. Something warm fluttered in Levâs chest. He watched Cameron and Nik exchange looks, a conversation he couldnât really follow, and then Nik took Levâs hands, carefully tying them together again, in front of Lev this time.
Lev jolted a little when the plug buzzed to life again. Not near as intense as it had been when he fell apart, but it still startled him. He watched with wide eyes as they finished pulling off their clothes. Nik finished first, and was on the bed beside Lev in a heartbeat, mouth pressed to Levâs skin. Cameron was a lot more deliberate, and Lev couldnât help the way he tracked every single movement Cameron made. Between both of them and the plug going cheerfully, Levâs erection, which had flagged somewhat, was back in full force. He moaned softly when Nik nibbled on his earlobe.
Nikâs hand dragged down Levâs side, distracting him. Lev looked over as Nik stroked the inside of Levâs thigh. When Lev leaned close, Nik kissed him. Another moan escaped Lev when Cameron climbed onto the bed beside him, his hands dragging firmly across Levâs skin. He was getting lost in kissing when the vibrator kicked up a notch. With a small groan, he ducked away, pressing his face into Nikâs neck. Someoneâs fangs pressed against his shoulder, making his breath catch harshly.
Lev found himself sliding into Nikâs lap, almost immediately rocking against Nik. Hands immediately held him still, drawing another whine from him. âPlease?â he asked, plaintively, deliberately. âI just- I want- please?â
The only response was the plugâs vibrating growing more intense, and then even more so. Lev whimpered, shoving his face against Nikâs throat, squirming. Cameronâs teeth latched onto Levâs shoulder- hard. He gasped, jerking, and then stilled obediently. He kissed up Nikâs neck apologetically, nuzzling under his jaw.
Cameron tugged at him until he slid off Nikâs lap. Lev quivered, breaths picking up in anticipation, especially as Cameronâs hands slid up his thighs, spreading his legs. Cameron tugged on the plug, sending a spark of arousal fizzling through Lev, only to shove it right back in. Lev swore he saw stars, and a low moan punched out of him.
Lev arched his back, trying to lift his hips in encouragement. Cameron simply pressed his hand against Levâs hip, holding him still. Lev didnât get a chance to protest. As Cameron set up an uneven, unpredictable pace, one Lev couldnât adjust to, Nik hooked two fingers in Levâs collar and dragged him up until Lev was in kissing distance again. Not even bothering to do anything but kiss back, Lev braced his bound hands on Nikâs chest, gasping for breath between kisses.
At some point it just became a blur of hands and touching and kisses and that damned plug, and being stretched one way, or another. Nik fucked him, he remembered that, and then Cameron pinned him to the bed and had his turn, his hand wrapped around Levâs neck the whole time. Only when Lev was stuffed full of Cameronâs knot did he let Lev come. Lev damn near sobbed in relief, and it was probably the best damn orgasm heâd ever had.
It was only after heâd caught his breath, still locked together with Cameron that Lev realized he really had started crying. Silent, steady tears were sliding down his cheeks, the first real tears heâd had in weeks, and now he wasnât sure how to stop.
Cameron hooked an arm around Levâs side, his face pressed against Levâs neck. Lev wondered if he should try to scoot closer, or pull away, but in the end he just... cried. Nikâs hand in his hair was a comfort, but it didnât really do anything to stem the flow of tears. As far as crying sessions went, this was pretty mellow, his sobs soft. He wasnât... it wasnât hysteria, he just. He needed this.
Eventually they tapered off, and Lev was left sniffling softly. He tucked his face in Cameronâs neck, breathing deep. The scent of his alpha was steadying, calming. âIâm okay,â he said thickly. âI think- I think Iâm done.â And now that he was he was exhausted.
Cameron looked down at him. âAre you?â
Lev considered that. âI mean... I think so? Iâm always good for more crying, but... I think Iâm done for now. Iâm- Iâm kinda tired, honestly.â
âI mean, you better be,â Nik said. When Lev looked over, Nik was smiling.
Lev turned his attention back to Cameron. âYes. Iâm done. Iâm... better.â
Cameron hesitated, and then nodded. He pulled out, getting up. Lev winced a little, but couldnât be bothered to move even a little bit. Instead he closed his eyes, letting out a tired sigh. He barely noticed when Nik cleaned him up, undoing the collar and untying his hands. At some point Nik lifted him from the bed and set him on the couch. Lev didnât even whine, barely even opened his eyes.
When Nik scooped him up, he looped his arms around Nikâs neck loosely, sighing against Nikâs neck. The sheets he was settled against were cool, and clean. He let Nik shift him around however Nik needed, and then snuggled close. Behind him, he could feel Cameron getting in bed as well. Something clicked into place as Cameron settled. Lev didnât even flinch as he felt Cameronâs fingers brushed along the scars on his back. This was right, was safe, was home, and he wouldnât have it any other way.
------
@idreamonpaper @livvywrites @incandescent-creativity @solangelo3088 @halstudies @firesidefantasy
#writeblr#writers on tumblr#wip boost#angels and demons#abo verse#a/b/o verse#ship: Cameron and nik#cameron and nik and lev#ch: cameron#ch: nik#lev#original writing#my writing#hell to pay
31 notes
¡
View notes
Text
Thoughts leading up to series 12
Happy holidays, friends! I know, I know. It's been a while. I would love to sit here and say I have been away doing important things, but really I've been hibernating. The results of that awful election, mixed with the holidays had left me feeling a bit lethargic as of late. That being said, I had a nice Christmas. Being an immigrant, I don't see my family on holidays. My boyfriend and I spent the day piecing together a Babylon 5 jigsaw puzzle. I made my pal Gerry a celery for his 5th Doctor cosplay and he gifted me a replica of the Li H'sen Chang poster from "The Talons of Weng-Chiang." It was a very Doctor Who Christmas! Sadly, there was no Doctor Who Christmas episode!
Alas, it hardly matters, as new Doctor Who is mere days away! As I did last year, you can expect weekly coverage for each new episode. I'm looking forward to getting back into the groove of consistent writing. Usually, the fandom is more abuzz when the show is actually airing, so please remember to check in with this blog, as I will be watching along with the rest of you!
If you recall, prior to series eleven, I made a list talking about some of my hopes and expectations for the new TARDIS team and the new production team. Seeing as series twelve is just days away from premiering, I thought I might do it again. Let's get to it, shall we?
The Thirteenth Doctor
Seeing Jodie Whittaker back in the TARDIS for another round of adventures has me massively excited. One of the downsides to Christopher Eccleston's run is that we never really got to see him develop the role of the Ninth Doctor. I'm hoping we'll get to see more aspects of her character. Seeing as I don't expect her to regenerate any time soon, there's still much of her personality left to explore. We've met the friendly adorkable Doctor, now let's see her bend a little.
One of my primary complaints about Jodie Whittaker's portrayal as the Doctor was that I didn't think she got scary. While I love her bravery, running headlong into danger, I would like to see a shade or two of her dark side. Up to this point, she's been too friendly to be scary. I know I'm not the only person with this complaint, so it will be interesting to see what a year of hiatus and refocusing will do for her. Honestly, I hope they don't change her too much, as she's pretty great. I'd just like to see them flesh her out a bit.
Other than her personality, I'm also hoping to see some costume variations. The trailer for the new season does give us Jodie in a bow tie, which I am all for. I've also seen a picture where her trousers are black. I'm hoping they continue to tweak her costume here and there, as watching the Doctor's costume evolve over time has always been one of my favourite things about the show.
Chris Chibnall's return
Was there anyone from series eleven that drew more ire than Chris Chibnall? Sure you got the people who hated Jodie solely because she was a woman, but on the level of legitimate concerns, Chibnall was up there. I myself threw a bit of mud in his direction, and I don't feel as though it was without good cause. The general management of the show seemed a bit aimless, despite many promising elements.
Something about the way series eleven was received gave the BBC pause to reevaluate the show's trajectory, and I have a distinct feeling that Chibnall was at the heart of a lot of it. From his lack of a season-long story arc, to the villains being a bit shit, to an overly dour tone, his first year as showrunner left something to be desired. The fact that we didn't even get a single webisode during this gap year shows me that they're still not 100% sure what to do with Doctor Who.
However, having said this, Chibnall's core TARDIS team is one of the most exciting aspects of series twelve. I can't wait to see more from this great line up of characters. And if the exciting trailer for this new series is anything to go off, we're in for quite a ride. Chibnall's most recent endeavour as showrunner was last year's "Resolution," a much-needed bit of classic Who villainy in the form of a Dalek. I was left feeling optimistic that Chibnall was capable of delivering solid storytelling. And that's the operative word- optimistic. As long as he doesn't get needlessly gritty, I'm cautiously optimistic that this year-long hiatus has yielded positive results.
The Companions
Like many other viewers, my chief complaint about the companions has to be Yaz. She really got shafted on the level of character development last year. When you have someone as talented as Mandip Gill, it's a shame to waste her. I know the fandom was quite vocal about this fact, so I fully expect to see the show give her more time in the spotlight. I don't know anyone who disliked her character, which is a good sign that the fandom wants more of her.
Ryan and Graham were two characters that I felt got a great bit of character development. The moment when Ryan finally calls Graham "granddad," was a truly exciting moment for two characters we had grown to love. The logical next step, at least in my mind, is to test the boundaries of this new relationship. I'd really love to see Graham meet a new love interest. Introducing someone into Graham's life would make Ryan have to broaden his definition of family even further. It might also be a catalyst for his own personal growth.
I wouldn't be surprised if we didn't also see one or more of the companions depart from the TARDIS. My gut says it would be Graham, but I wouldn't be surprised if all three of them left at the end of the series. As much as I love the current companions, I would love to see what energy a new companion or two might do for Jodie's Doctor.
The Villains
Prior to series eleven, I was feeling very optimistic for new Doctor Who. That is until I read an article where Chris Chibnall announced there would be no returning villains. Other than the announcement that Chibnall would be showrunner, nothing had made me more concerned for the show's future than "no returning villains." It's not that returning villains are a must for Doctor Who. It's actually a rather brave thing to attempt. The reason it's brave is that if you're going to leave out classic baddies, you've got to justify your decision by crafting new classics. And I'm sorry, but some Slipknot dude with teeth in his face is not classic.
From what I've seen of the trailer and promotional stills, we're looking at at least three returning creatures from the Whoniverse. We've all seen the picture of Jodie staring down the Judoon. If I am completely honest, those have left me with the least amount of hype, as they weren't ever even full-on villains. I've always found the Judoon slightly hokey, so I could take or leave them. The plus side is that there is still plenty of room to develop them as a species. Are there non-Shadow Proclamation Judoon? Are there evil factions? I'm curious if nothing else.
Another familiar face is the Cybermen. While I feel like both the RTD and Moffat eras used the Cybermen ad nauseam, they're still a classic baddie with a solid track record. It appears they'll have something to do with the finale and that "timeless child," storyline I'm uninterested in, so fine, sure, ok. The real alien species I'm excited for is the Racnoss! Much like the Judoon, the Racnoss are also underdeveloped. I wasn't a big fan of them the first time around, which is why I'm excited for more. I'm curious to see what depth can be found in these campy arachnids. If nothing else, the makeup is fun.
The Guest Actors
Series eleven treated us to a surprisingly tender performance from Lee Mack in "Kerblam!" We got a decent turn by Mark Addy, working with not a lot to go off as the underwritten Paltraki. But without a doubt, the best performance came in the form of Alan Cumming's King James. Not only was he as hilarious as he was loathsome, but he also elevated what could have been a more straightforward performance, by finding that sweet spot of camp and contemptible.
That being said, with actors like Stephen Fry, Lenny Henry, and classic Doctor Who alum Robert Glenister joining the show, I'm hopeful we'll get at least one memorable performance out of the lot. I've not followed many of the ins and outs of the storylines, so I have no idea who anyone is playing other than Goran ViĹĄnjiÄ as Nikola Tesla. That being said, the addition of Tesla to the series seems an obvious fit. He was an eccentric man who was a bit weird about his pet bird. I expect his story to be one of the stranger ones we'll enjoy this year, or at least, it had better be.
The BBC's involvement
I'm hoping that in this last year, the BBC weren't just reevaluating Chris Chibnall's direction for the show, but their own involvement as well. They got rid of Bake Off and Formula One, Top Gear's audience followed Clarkson over to Amazon. All that's left are partisan news coverage, QI, Countryfile, and Doctor Who. Oh and I guess "His Dark Materials," but I don't know anyone who's talking about that show. As I said earlier, it's been a year of nothing from Doctor Who as a series. Other than comics and a less than perfect VR game, we've gotten nothing from the Thirteenth Doctor and the fam. Not even a novel or webisode to tide us over. How hard would it have been, while filming series twelve, to shoot a quick little skit on the TARDIS set? The Moffat era did this a lot, and it was always nice to see a little bit of Doctor Who while waiting for more episodes.
As the last vestige of the BBC's once-great television empire, you would think they might start to give a shit about Doctor Who. I know it's a crazy concept, but perhaps shelving one of your best shows for a year wasn't the best option. It would be nice to see them put more money and effort into the show. It would be a welcome sight to see them also put more money into the budget for things like merchandise or extended universe media. We've got three books for the current Doctor and that was last year. David Tennant had over thirty novels, while Matt Smith's Doctor appeared in over 15, and Capaldi only appeared in nine. Do you remember the last time we got a Character Options figure that wasn't a repaint of another figure? The most recent one we got was Harry Sullivan, and I'm pretty sure the only new element to that figure was his head. I've seen previews of the new companion figurines, and they're great, but I want more.
Perhaps I sound a bit spoiled. Many shows never expand beyond their allotted episodes, but this is Doctor Who, a show with a broader reach than your telly. It seemed last year that they were finally giving the show its dues. There were billboards of Jodie's face everywhere. The hype was palpable. Now, it's just four days from series twelve, and I've not even seen a bus ad for the new show. A woman I see out on dog walks was surprised when I told her the show was returning on the first of January. She had no idea. This is the Doctor Who audience that they're failing, not people like me who count the days like an advent calendar. The BBC needs to decide once in for all if they're going to give Doctor Who the respect it deserves, or sell it someone who will.
And that's it for now, friends. I hope you're all just as excited as I am to be back in the blue box. If all goes as planned, I should have a new review up the day after each episode. I'm optimistic that I'll have some great things to say!
#doctor who#series 12#Jodie Whittaker#Thirteenth Doctor#chris chibnall#dalek#cybermen#yazmin khan#Ryan Sinclair#Graham O'Brien#mandip gill#tosin cole#Bradley Walsh#bbc#stephen fry#racnoss#judoon
9 notes
¡
View notes
Text
Forged
Hey guys! @genesissane gave me this prompt idea a while back, it took a while to fill because Iâm definitely not a glass blower and I wanted this to be at least a little accurate.
Anyway I hope yâall enjoy this âşď¸
No betas this time, all grammar mistakes are because I officially suck at grammar.
âââââââââââ
List of tools used in glass blowing for the curious/ for reference because theyâre mentioned in the fic
Blowpipe- used to gather molten glass and the glass worker then breathes into the pipe to expand the glass, you can add more glass at this point, when youâve reached the final size you attach the bottom to a Punty
Marver- metal or marble slab used to roll/ shape the glass by creating a cooler surface(when itâs attached to the blowpipe)
Blocks- ladle like wooden tools used to shape the glass, like a marver but handheld
Punty- stainless steel pipe that the glass is attached to so the glass worker can finalize the top, using a variety of tools
Handheld tools- tweezers, jacks, glass shears, thereâs also handheld torches used to heat individual sections of the piece
Sleeve- Kevlar gloves that the glass worker uses when using the glory hole or moving the final piece to the annealer
Glory hole- used to reheat pieces while working it
The crucible- initial furnace that melts the glass 2400-2000 degrees
Annealer- a furnace used to cool the glass slowly so it doesnât shatter
âââââââââââââââââââ
Sweat poured down his face, stinging his eyes as he spun the molten glass. The workshop was hot, and the piece was large, truthfully too large for him to be working on his own.
Spinning the orb he returned the piece to the roaring glory hole. Abram, the fire spirit who lived there was gone, making a rare trip to Venice. The forges still worked without him, not as efficiently, but they still worked. Daniel had left hours ago, leaving Nico to complete the mundane end of day tasks.
As Nico pulled the piece from the glory hole again he wished heâd taken Danielâs advice and waited for either him or Abram to return before setting back to work.
âCome on, Come on....â the piece wobbled, the glass warping slightly on the punty as gravity pulled at it. He spun the piece harder, correcting it.
He clenched his jaw anxiously. He needed this to work. He needed to prove to Daniel that he could handle more of the glasswork, more of the metalwork Daniel needed done. Daniel hadnât complained at all but Nico could see the fatigue pulling at the man at the end of the day. The cane in the corner of the shop being used more frequently as the days progressed.
He would do anything for him. He just wanted his friend to rest, stay healthy. Heâd lived with Daniel for almost 2 years and he needed to keep the one good thing that had happened in his life.
Nico moved the pieces closer to his tools, narrowly avoiding the hissing torch. The piece had cool significantly, the angry red giving way to a myriad of blue and gold glass.
Heâd worked the piece for hours, he loved watching the glass form, smell of burnt cherry wood and ink filling the air. The feel of the Kevlar sleeve sizzling against his hand as he pressed against the glass.
Nico strained as he pulled the piece from the bench, intending to break it off into the box filled with fire blankets. Grunting, his hip struck against the the old marble marver, jostling the piece.
âFuckfuckfuck, noââ Nico slipped, off balance as he tried to catch the piece before it broke from the punty. The piece hit first, thick blue and gold glass scattering across the shop floor.
Pain exploded in Nicoâs arms as he landed on the concrete, air rushing from his lungs.
âOh, fffuuuck....â the sound erupted from low in his chest, and he hiccuped as he drew in air again. Hot glass surrounded him on the floor and he froze as he took in the mess. â....shit....â
Daniel had told him to wait on Abram to return so he wasnât alone in the shop. Daniel would know that heâd been here against his wishes. Anxiety crawled up his back and he felt his heart pounding against his chest.
Not only was he not going to be able to present the piece to Daniel, heâd messed up the shop instead of cleaning it like heâd asked.
âShit.â Nico trembled where he was on the floor. Heâd messed up. He shouldnât have tried this, he should have done exactly what Daniel said. Daniel was going to hate him now, make him leave. Tell him how fucking stupid of him it was, that he couldnât ever do anything right.
He needed to fix this.
Nico pushed himself to his knees painfully, broken glass digging into the thick gloves encasing his hands and wrists. His arms throbbed as he pushed himself up, hardly noticed, red and blue glass tinkling as it fell to the ground.
Wait red-? Nausea clawed at his stomach as he examined the floor. Liquid red was smeared along the floor in front of him and he tasted bile as he realized it was blood. Oh fuck.
Nicoâs breathe came in short gasps as panic infused him. Thick glass protruded from the meat of his right forearm to his bicep, blood running in rivets into his gloves. Smaller cuts littered his left forearm, pieces of glass glittering in the low light from the forge.
âF-fuck.â Blood started to drip from his arms to the floor, splattering among the blue and gold glass. Well that will make cleaning up the glass more difficult. The thought was distant, arms numb as adrenaline pumped through him.
He fumbled at the bench next to him, standing shakily. What was he supposed to do now.
Nico gripped the thick gloves in his teeth, pulling the blood soaked leather from his hands. Brushing at the left arm lightly, glass sprinkled to the ground and he dismissed the small cuts.
Stumbling to the large sink he cupped a hand beneath his right arm, attempting to slow the spreading puddle of blood. He shivered at the cold water, suddenly dizzy as the water rushed across his forearms.
âShshshiiit.â Nico ground his teeth together before gripping one of the the thick pieces of glass embedded in his forearm. This was going to hurt. Nico yanked the thick piece, blood gushing from the wound. His fingers twitched and jerked as water ran across the exposed muscles.
More bile crawled up his throat but Nico quickly yanked two more pieces from his arm, before hesitating at the last and larges piece in his bicep.
He took a few shaking breaths and steeled himself. Fucking just do it you fucking coward. Nicoâs fingers slid, slippery from blood, and his palm caught on the glass briefly, pushing the glass further into the muscle. He moaned at the dull pain, numbness starting to fade.
Just get get it out, wrap it up, and clean the shop. Daniel would be happy because the shop would be clean, he wouldnât have to know that Nico hadnât listened. He wouldnât hate him.
He wiped his clammy fingers against his sweat soaked shirt, staining it with blood. The glass pulled from his arm with a squelch and nausea won as he saw stringy muscle.
âOoh f-fuck....â Nico groaned into the sink, spitting chunks as he shivered violently. âJust-just need to w-wrap it now... f-fuck.â
Nico fumbled at the first air kit under the sink, Daniel had said it was for emergencies and guilt made him pause. He could just replace what he used right? Would Daniel care? Indecision pulled at him, anxiety climbing higher.
Blood poured from his arm and the growing mess on the floor decided it for him. He couldnât clean the shop if he was bleeding all over it. He picked a small pack of roll gauze from the kit, careful not to smear any more blood.
Nico quickly wrapped the deep lacerations to his right arm, the sloppy bandage smudged with blood. He grimaced when he came to the end of the gauze, blood slowly staining the bandage. His left arm stung, but the bleeding had slowed to a trickle, he pressed the hand towel from the sink to it, stemming the bleeding further.
It would have to do.
âNikola? Are you in here?â
Nico yelped, Daniels voice startling him. Fuck. Why is he back? âHere-âVoice wavering Nico called out to the older man, â-Iâm back here Daniel. I-Iâll be there in just a second.â
Danielâs cane clanked as the man made his way from the entrance of the shop, right beside the sink he stood at. Nico panicked, grabbing his pullover from where heâd left it hanging by the sink at the beginning of the night he covered the bandages as best he could.
âWhatâre you still doing here, I thought youâd be back hours-â
Nico swayed as he stepped from the sink, trying to catch hold of the door as it started to swing open. He missed the handle and the world spun around him. âFuck.â
âWhoa sonâ!â Daniels thick hands grabbed Nicoâs shoulders as he stumbled, choking on a whine as they squeezed at the deep lacerations on his arms.
Nico jerked, pulling away from Danielâs hands. âSo-sorryââ he slurred, vision graying for a moment before he leaned hard against the frame.
âWha-what the hell son, what happened, are you ok??â
âIâm fine, fine, just finishing up.â
âRight.â Daniel gave him a skeptical look, pushing the door open the rest of the way. Nico tensed, waiting for Daniel to see the mess heâd made. He shrunk in on himself, cradling his right arm to his stomach, suddenly aware of how much it hurt.
He heard a deep inhale and shook harder, cringing as he wait for Daniel to react. Hitting, screaming, telling he needed to leave an never return.
âImsorryimsorryimsorry....â Nicoâs shaking voice filled the space and his vision swam again. He didnât realize that he had slumped to the floor beside the door, hiding his arms behind his bend knees until Danielâs face swam back into his vision.
âHey, there you are Cola, youâre doing great just breathe, deep breaths. Listen to my voice ok? Do I sound angry? Of course not, you didnât do anything bad. Deep breath Cola....â Danielâs deep voice whispered to him, voice calm from where he he knelt beside Nico, rubbing his shoulders slowly.
Nico realized slowly that heâd been sobbing, and quickly muffled his mouth against his left forearm, gripping the smaller wounds tightly. He focused on the pain and slowly started to calm down.
âIâm sorry Daniel.â Guilt colored his voice and he sniffled against his pullover.
âFor what?? Breaking some glass?? Son, that happens here all the time. You know that, youâre usually here when I do it.â Daniel continued rubbing at his shoulders, and he leaned into the touch, not wanting it to end.
âI, I didnât listen to you, you t-told me to wait for Abram to come back so I wasnât alone down here. And I didnât listen, and I broke the glass and the shop is still messy, and you told me to clean up, and-and nowââ
âHey, hey listen, this isnât a big deal okay? I expected something like this to happen much sooner actually.â
âWha-what??â Nico trained his reddened eyes on the older man, confused. Had he known he wouldnât listen? Had he expected him to screw up? Was it because of how heâd found Nico? Because Nico had always been a screw up?
Daniel gave him a small smile. âI know exactly what youâre thinking son, and thatâs not it. Eventually everyone takes on a task they arenât ready for, or canât handle alone. Itâs how we learn.â Daniel gripped Nicoâs neck tightly. âIâve done the same thing. But I learned from that. You have to learn how to lean on other people.â He stared into Nicoâs eyes intently, the kindness in them overwhelming. âAbram and I are here for you to lean on now, youâre our family now. We want to help you. Not to mention, this shop is dangerous by yourself. Anything could happen to you.â
Nico grimaced, guilty, he should have realized that was why Daniel told him to wait. It wasnât that he didnât think Nico was capable, he wanted him safe. The idea that someone else cared about his well being made tears blur his vision again.
âItâs ok son.â Daniel went to pat his shoulder and Nico flinched, bumping his head against the cabinet. âMmmmm.... thatâs what I was afraid of. You didnât happen to get cut did you?â Nodding towards the blood now decorating the shop.
Nico flicked a guilty glance up before nodding.
âAll right, lets get you to the hospital son.â Daniel pulled at Nicoâs arm, and he automatically steadied the older man as they stood.
âDan-Daniel, thank you. Iâm really sorry. I just wanted to prove I could help.â Nico tucked his arm closer to his body, pain slowly worsening.
âI know son.â Daniel smiled at him, scrubbing a hand through Nicoâs hair. âNow lets get you taken care of.â
#nico series#whump#nico#my ocs#angst#daniel#emotional whump#kind of#glassblowing#self as caretaker??#i guess#drabble#whump prompt#background
53 notes
¡
View notes
Text
DW s12e10: It's Quite Unfortunate That This Child Keeps On Regenerating
It's only fitting that the first post on a blog called "SciFinal" should be about a season finale.
Not that fitting is the fact that in said post I'm going to begin where it all started for me.
Part One: How I Even Got into This Mess of a Show in the First Place
While I call myself a huge Doctor Who fan, even a â *gasp* â Whovian, I must admit I am not as familiar with the franchise as I would like to be; I've seen the new show, I've seen Torchwood (though, admittedly, I had to force myself to finish the fourth season â but that's a story for another day), I've listened to a handful of audio dramas (including Kaldor City, which I consider to be canon for both DW and Blake's 7) â mostly Torchwood audio dramas, but who cares, â I've read a couple of comics, I've got a novel or two somewhere on my bookshelf, I've seen the first couple of seasons of the classic show, but that's about it. I can't say I grew up with it â it wasn't on TV when I was a kid, there isn't an official Ukrainian dub, et cetera, et cetera. I first heard about it when I was about thirteen, when my classmate did a project about something they liked â and was pretty dismissive of my peers' hobbies at the time, believing myself to be somewhat above them, so I didn't pay much attention.
Then somebody finally pressured me into watching it (I believe I was fifteen or something back then) and I loved it. The first two episodes of the first season, I mean. I watched those, texted my friend something like "consider me a Whovian now!" and abandoned the show completely only to return to it maybe several years later.
I loved it. This time, for real.
Doctor Who has been with me ever since that time, it has a big soft spot reserved for each and every Doctor ever in my heart, and for each and every companion. I know full well it's cheesy, and it's stupid, and it's technobabble-y, and it's glorious in all of its cheesy technobabble-y stupidity.
And I hate this finale.
Part Two: Doctor, Why
I hate this finale â because I hate Chris Chibnall. Mind you, not the gentleman himself (I don't even know what he looks like, and I can't be bothered to Google), I hate what he did to Doctor Who.
Now, when it was revealed that the would replace Steven Moffat I felt... nothing. What did you expect? I had no idea who the man was. I know now he's made Broadchurch, and I know he wrote a bunch of stuff for Torchwood back in the day, including Cyberwoman. I had to drop Broadchurch because of how well-handled the depressing atmosphere was, and I love the flawed, dumb, sexy-cyber-bikinied, almost-fifteen-minutes-of-Ianto's-whining-including (I know because some time ago I literally cut almost every single moment of Gareth David-Lloyd whimpering, moaning, groaning, screaming, and mugging at the camera out of the episode and made those bits and pieces into a beautiful clip show called "I HATE THIS" to explain exactly why his face was and still is so punchable) mindless fun that is Cyberwoman (this is also one of the two episodes in which they actually do something fun with the pterodactyl living inside Torchwood's underground base). The latter also led to the creation of one amazing in how it develops Ianto's character audio drama entitled "Broken". I love Broken. I am now forcing you to look at its cover because of how much I love it.
Here we go. Now, back to the point of me rambling pointlessly
In his video "Sherlock Is Garbage, and Here's Why", a well-known YouTuber hbomberguy pointed out how Steven Moffat's problem is that he is more than capable of writing a good one-off episodes, but ultimately fails at managing multiple complex, overarching stories, as visible when you look at the difference between Moffat's individual episodes and his run on the show.
Now, I believe that Chris Chibnall suffers from the same affliction: he's a good screenwriter but a terrible, terrible showrunner. Sure, he's made Broadchurch, but Broadchurch, in its essence, was a complete singular story with a beginning, a middle, and an end. There were no bigger, incomplete arcs expanding at the expense of other episodes, and the show did exactly what it was originally designed to do: it told an uninterrupted story.
Here comes Chris Chibnall's run on Doctor Who.
Now, while Steven Moffat was ultimately not very good at managing overarching stories, he tried to do so nonetheless, and the fans seemed to like his attempts. And while I can't be sure as to whether it was Chris' original vision for the show or he and his co-writers were merely trying to emulate Moffat, he attempted the same. A friend of mine has even pointed out how, to her, it was painfully obvious how the writers of the finale were desperately trying to copy Moffat's style (to give you some context, she grasped it from a 30-second clip of the CyberMasters' reveal, and that clip basically consisted of me filming my laptop's screen and laughing at their design, making the video wobbly and the audio distorted). At the time of writing this post this friend hasn't seen a single episode of Chibnall's era and, as far as I know, has no wish to do so â mainly because of two reasons that both have something to do with the finale:
Somebody's already spoiled it for her, so who cares;
I ranted to her about how shit this finale is and now she hates everything about Chibnall era.
I am very sorry for the latter, since I genuinely believe there are some nice episodes in these seasons, and I especially like the "historical" ones, they really are quite a lot of fun, I like Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison fighting badly CG-ed alien scorpions, I love Lord Byron and Mary Shelley running around a haunted house trying to escape from a Cyberman (even though it's all too similar to the Agatha Christie episode from Russel T Davies' run), I adore that episode about Rosa Pââ oh, wait, no, that one was crap and ripped off Blake's 7... Anyway, I love Jodie Whittaker's Doctor, I am a big fan of Graham, I like Ryan just fine, and I can put up with Yaz, even though it's been two seasons and I've still got no idea what's her personality supposed to be, and I absolutely love the new Master (he reminds me of a cute little pug with a big Tommy gun). There is plenty of good stuff in these two seasons, they are lots of fun to watch, but this finale... Oh god, this finale.
Part Three: We Had All of Time and Space at Our Fingertips and We Ended Up with This
We are getting to the point of this whole thing. I would love to begin with the obvious, the twist, but there's so much wrong with this who-cares-how-many-parter than this one big thing.
It is inept. It is impotent. It is incompetent. It is bad at almost everything except its okay camera work, somewhat good (for a British TV show, I mean) effects, and its really solid performances.
Its editing is tone-deaf to the extreme. There is a moment in the final episode where Ko Sharmas asks who will be the first to cross the Boundary and step into the unknown, and immediately it cuts to Yaz walking towards it, all fast and silent. I would love to show you a clip of it, but I don't have one and I can't force myself to download the episode and sit through this shitshow again just to present you with a ten-second clip. Nonetheless, that part is not edited like a dramatic moment. You edit comedies this way. Bad comedies. Bad editors edit bad comedies this way.
Its plot is incoherent. There are several plot threads in this finale, and they're managed in a way that doesn't make the viewer care about all of them at the same time, rather the viewer goes "oh, I've completely forgotten this was happening" and then, before they can even begin to care, the show cuts to something else. It's all over the place and oh so annoying.
The plot armour is painfully obvious despite every attempt to disguise it. There wasn't a single, solitary second when I believed the Doctor was really going to sacrifice herself and, lo and behold, here comes the old guy ex machina to do it for her. The only questions I was asking at that moment were "How are the writers going to prevent the Doctor's death now that they've seemingly created themselves a way to go on forever?" and "How can Whittaker care so much about her performance in this scene she's literally almost crying?". I wholeheartedly related to the Master asking "So why are we still here?" and shoutââ hissââ mumblââ whatever-ing "Come on, come on, come on!" â at that point I've suffered through at least forty-five minutes of utter nonsense, people going preachy, religious Cybermen with Dalek motivations, that absolutely ludicrous scene in the previous episode when the show was trying its worst to make me perceive autonomous flying Cyber-heads with laser eyes as a serious threat, a shit twist and... Oh.
I've got to finally touch on the shit twist, haven't I?
It doesn't make sense. No, I mean it. I guess it makes sense from the show's writers' standpoint to retcon everything in a way that would allow them to go on forever without having to come up with a way to circumvent limited regenerations, yes. And I won't be touching upon all the lore people say this twist has ruined. No. It doesn't make sense as it is.
The twist is revealed to us by a madman that claims to have hacked into a database, claims to possess control over the Doctor's mind, and gives the Doctor and the audience no actual solid proof that the Timeless Child is, indeed, the Doctor. We have Ruth, sure, and she's nice enough (damn, I want that vest), and she's a Timelord that happens to own a TARDIS that looks like a blue police telephone box, and she calls herself the Doctor. Here's Ruth:
I really like Ruth. She also makes no sense from the show's timeline standpoint, since the Doctor's Type 40 TARDIS only got stuck looking like a police box in 1963, so there's no reason for the Doctor to not remember being her.
We also know that the Judoon have identified Ruth as "the Fugitive"... except in one of their previous appearances in the show they weren't able to identify their targets exactly and thus were seeking out non-humans. There is a possibility that they were only looking for a Time Lord on Earth.
You know what? It's possible that Ruth is actually the Master messing with the Doctor. I have just as much proof of this as I have of the fact that the Doctor is some kind of an endlessly regenerating superbeing.
But this is not the most maddening thing here. I loathe it, but I don't loathe the twist itself: I loathe its lifelessness, I loathe how empty, how unemotional, almost robotic it feels. When somebody'd spoiled the finale for me, I got angry, and I started asking questions, and when later I saw the actual thing...
This gif. I can't even explain how accurate it is. I stood there, in the middle of my kitchen, episode paused, holding a cup of cold tea and desperately looking around as if in my surroundings I could somehow find that emotional reaction that this show failed to evoke. I was ready to burst into tears of how empty it felt, and how empty I felt, and how the same show that has Christopher Eccleston go from literally foaming at the mouth with pure hatred to shocked silence in a matter of second because of one sentence that you, a viewer, can't help but be astonished by failed to make me feel the tiniest speck of literally any emotion. And slowly, I felt that vast void in my chest fill with sheer, pure, flaming hatred for the person who made me feel nothing, for the story that left me not bored â but empty.
And the next moment, in its own unique way of being absolutely tone-deaf, the show introduces the CyberMasters, looking ridiculous, being asinine in concept, making me burst into laughter with their dumb design. Wow.
So.
Chris Chibnall's Doctor Who is no longer a show. Chris Chibnall's Doctor Who isn't even, as somebody on Stardust said, a fan fiction. It's a rollercoaster. A lackluster rollercoaster that lifts you from the vast caverns of frozen hell, devoid of any life whatsoever, soulless and abandoned, to the heavenly torture of being so bad, so utterly awful and ridiculous, that you can't help but laugh as you watch something you used to love be distorted and deformed to the point where you can't recognise it anymore nor really care. This is what Chris Chibnall's Doctor Who has become. And I'm going to continue my ride on that grotesque rollercoaster. I'm going to pirate that ride and get on it again. Because I'm a masochist. Because I want to feel something, even if it's hatred towards those that make me feel nothing.
Because some time ago my fifteen-year-old self watched the first season and learned a lesson that I hold dear after all these years â that I can't abandon hope, and that someday, somehow, things are going to get better. That the future is being written right now. That the future can change.
2 notes
¡
View notes
Text
Random Magnus Archives thoughts because itâs consuming literally every moment of my free time, spoilers through ep 106
ep 100 was unexpectedly fun and simultaneously provides a really cool new twist on some of the assumptions we as listeners came with or have accepted. Like I subconsciously suspended my disbelief at how polished the tellings of the statements all are because thatâs just the medium. Like duh all of these random traumatized people sound like professional writers because that's how you make an effectively written piece of media. But no, in story itâs actually an effect of the Archivist themself. I love that. It takes 100 episodes of suspension of disbelief, explains it away within the story, used that explanation to cast new light on EVERYTHING that's already happened, AND given us a rare bit of humor all at once. Iâm in awe of how well written it is
on that note, Jonâs only started being aware of his growing powers this season, but how long have they actually been there?
I also love how good that episode is at showcasing all of the side charactersâ personalities
MARTIN TRYING TO GIVE THAT WOMAN HIS OWN POCKET MONEY OH MY GOD
Obviously thereâs lots of messed up shit that happens in this podcast, but hearing the sound effects of someone or something getting beaten to death is by far the most legitimately hard to listen to. Maybe itâs cause all the other messed up shit is sanitized and distanced through the statementâs words and being after the fact while this is right up in your face with shit that happens in real life, but oof the two beating scenes so far have been A Lot
The voice acting and editing for Michael and Nikola is so insanely perfect. Nikola is so much fun to listen to
Elias: ���my employee keeps trying to kill me, just another day at the officeâ
Gooooood Jon and Martin trying to talk is so painfully awkward but damn am I glad heâs finally at least trying
The way Tim describes the clown/Stranger dancing and taking his brotherâs skin is so vivid holy shit those some good words
Melanie doing the clapboard at the beginning and end of her recordings is somewhere between endearing and funny
ayyy Jon is canonically ace! Itâd be kinda nice if they actually used the word but hey Iâll take what I can get, and maybe they will later down the line
holy FUCK Elias that was evil and cruel
Jon is a fun accidental bastard whoâs trying his best but Elias is a bastard bastard
Someone please let Jon get a good nights sleep please
17 notes
¡
View notes
Text
Some thoughts about MAG121! (... it ended up getting long, rambling and screaming ahead.)
- âAntonioâ had been one of my hypotheses for the first episode (same as season2!Jon: try to consider all the possible options, increase statistical chance to be right about one of them), since he had popped up a few times through allusions when crystal shops were involved:
(MAG011, âAntonio Blakeâ) These dreams have been a regular part of my sleeping for about eight years now. Even as life improved and I found a new job and place to live â believe it or not I now work selling crystals and tarot cards in a âmagicâ shop â they continued to crop up a few times each month.
(MAG032, Jane Prentiss) I had a job. I sold crystals. [âŚ] I remember, before I found the nest, someone new came. His name was Oliver, and he would look at me so strangely. Not with lust or affection or contempt, but with sadness. Such a deep sadness. And once with fear.
(MAG042, Jennifer Ling) [âŚ] I saw someone staring at me from the doorway of a small shop. The sign above didnât have an obvious name, simply reading âCrystals. Books. Tarotâ. He was tall, black and careworn, deep lines of worry etched into an otherwise handsome face.
⌠but I had pictured a visit paid to the Archives, not⌠apparently-already-turned-Avatar!Oliver visiting Jon at the hospital and basically encouraging him in this path, SHHHHHHHIT. (Handsome black queer Death Prophet introducing himself officially, and Tim isnât around anymore for this, I feel cheated (like Death). I⌠had been wondering if Tim hadnât met the guy off-screen towards the end of season 3, since he sounded unsettlingly convinced that he wouldnât come back⌠And now, I kinda hope that it really didnât happen â it would probably have make him lose faith in (in)humanity even further. Oliver would have told him to ârest in piecesâ, uh.)
- ⌠Iâm also so, so mad, because, yes, I had spotted him in MAG032 and MAG042; but I had totally overlooked the fact that he had lied/concealed some information back when heâd given his statement (March 14th 2015) and itâs so, so obvious in retrospect, gdi!!! He totally got me with the seemingly pure good boy utterly honest façade, and nop, heâs just super good at casually lying/dissimulating while pretending to be charmingly deadpan honest, which he did again with Georgie by introducing himself as âAntonioâ without missing a beat (lol) (donât misunderstand, Iâm love him, his voice was effing amazing, and also WOW WHAT A LITTLE SHIT).
(MAG011, âAntonio Blakeâ) I tell you this because I feel you have a right to know the sort of timescales that weâre dealing with here. I havenât had much of a chance to experiment or see anything more specific, Iâm afraid. There are so many people who die in London, and I know so few of them.
^he only gave the two examples of his ex-colleagueâs (a âJohnâ =D) and of his fatherâs deaths, but he worked in Jane Prentissâs shop before she gave her statement in February 2014; he had already seen her, seen her condition (and it looked⌠really fucked up) and yet didnât mention it at all in his statement, and⌠it should have ticked me off, damnit!! Same with MAG042 (statement given November 3rd 2013):
(MAG042, Jennifer Ling) When he saw me looking at him, he began to walk up to me, still with that intense look. I took a couple of steps back, and asked if I could help him. He shook his head as if unsure what to say, then asked me what I was listening to. A chill ran over me as I realised he was staring at my ears. I said I wasnât listening to anything, as I wasnât wearing headphones, and asked him what he wanted. He shook his head again, and mumbled something about protecting my hearing. He turned away then, and started walking back into the shop.
He thought that Jennifer was wearing earphones!! Because there were roots in her ears!! He couldn't see her ears!! Because he was seeing it live, not remembering it from his dreams!! Gdi!!! Iâm still so mad I hadnât realized, it was just right there!!
(MAG011, âAntonio Blakeâ) Or maybe they just couldnât be seen, fighting off death for so long that when it came at last its icy tendrils covered every inch of them.
That âicyâ: he knew that they were cold because he had already touched them!!! Damnit!!
- ⌠there is some ambiguity about the number of statements he gave (I definitely heard the plural in the second sentence?):
(MAG121) OLIVER: I gave the old woman a statement, so, maybe I owe you one as well. [âŚ] So. My name is Oliver Banks. In my other statements, I used the name âAntonio Blakeâ, but I donât really think either name has much meaning for me anymore.
So, mmmm, is there another one laying around, or did Gertrude take a live statement from him after his written one?
- efhrefdjknefd about the fact that the One Person Sent To Talk To Jon would be calling him âJonâ (âHum⌠Hello, Jon. Do you⌠mind, if I call you Jon? I, I mean. You donât actually know me, itâs just⌠well. âArchivistâ, itâs so⌠formal, isnât it?â), while, until now, other avatars had called him âArchivistâ without batting an eye:
(MAG039) PRENTISS: Archivist. (MAG047) MICHAEL: There has never been a door there, Archivist, your mind plays tricks on you. (MAG089) JUDE: No more questions, Archivist! (MAG091) MIKE: Archivist. Take my mercy and leave. (MAG097) NIKOLA: Question time is over, little Archivist. (MAG100) HELEN: Time is hard, Archivist. Itâs difficult to follow without a proper mind, especially here.
(Nikola also used âJonâ sometimes, but it had mostly been âArchivistâ, and hey, ~the Stranger is not known for its consistency~) -> Dat sweet-talking and trying to get in Jonâs good graces by calling him by his name, while he usually goes into squint&snarl mode as soon as heâs called âArchivistâ. Oliverâs obsession with finally being able to have a good night (he wanted a âdreamless sleepâ, recalled his âdesperation to finally have a good nightâs sleepâ, âto have one good nightâs sleepâ) must also have hit a bit close to home, uh.
- Martin begging for Jon to wake up and help them, finally accepting a deal that sounded shady to protect the others since Jon is still unresponsive => Jon: *stays undead* Handsome black mlm passing by to tell his story, right after Valentineâs day => Jon: *HEAVY BREATHING.*
- In all seriousness, I wonder how Oliverâs statement expressed itself in Jonâs mind: were they suddenly on the boat, breaking the cycle of Jonâs dreams? Did Jon indeed feel a âfearâ, since Oliver is already an avatar? (Julia&Trevor hadnât really sounded afraid when he quickly saw them in their dream, in MAG120.) Interestingly, it looks like Oliver could see Jonâs dreams, or at least knew their content, inside of his own dreams?
(MAG121) OLIVER: [âŚ] And I do kind of know you? Havenât had much choice, really. Dreams are like that, yâknow: no matter how lucid you think they are, there is always that part that just drags you along. Guess I donât need to tell you that, at least⌠not right now. [âŚ] I sâpose thereâs only so long you can dream about someone and not at least try to find them. [âŚ] I don't talk to many people these days. Putting my thoughts outside myself, it's gets a bit⌠hm⌠clumsy. [âŚ] âwish there was a better way, but⌠Touching someoneâs mind, itâs not⌠as simple as that, is it? Doesnât always make things clearer, yâknow? Still. I gave the old woman a statement, so, maybe I owe you one as well. Thatâs how it works, right? Give you a terror. Give you a dream. âtâs not like I donât have âem to spare. Mm. Let me tell you about how I tried to escape.
Itâs⌠curious, given that he used to dream of people themselves (how do the tendrils interact with Jonâs⌠state?); but it looks like in Jonâs case, he could access Jonâs dreams, since he knew what Jon has been experiencing. Is he currently able to communicate with people through dreams? (Either something he developed since his 2015 statement, either yet something else he didn't bother to mention at the time?) (I do wonder how Jonâs choice manifested in his dream, too! Was it to face the Eye, since Elias had narrated that Jon⌠was basically trying to escape its gaze/pretending that it wasnât there by focusing on other people, though he couldnât not watch them anyway? I had been wondering if his clue for leaving would have to do with the âDIGâ ad, since it came from Martinâs statement, static included; or from Helenâs door, since⌠âHe does not know what is behind it anymore, and he is deathly afraid of finding out. The Archivist turns away.â (MAG120) sounded like Jon fleeing, and also the least Beholding-like thing he did in the cycle of dreams.)
- Iâm laughing SO HARD about how Oliver had quite clearly been sent by The Web:
(MAG121) OLIVER: [SIGH] I wish I could tell you why I came here. I wish I knew why I came here. I sâpose thereâs only so long you can dream about someone and not at least try to find them. [âŚ] Then again, maybe Iâve just wasted my breath. But I donât think so. Honestly, hum, I'm still not exactly sure why Iâm here. But⌠you know better than anyone how the spiders can get into your head. Easier to just do what she asked!
(The fact that he tried to rationalize actions that he had not chosen is quite reminiscent of the effects Trevor had described in MAG056: âThe weirdest sensation began to flow through me; I wanted to leave. [âŚ] This was just a sudden awareness of my own desire. Iâd been sober for three years at that point, but I felt like I desperately wanted to get high, and I knew that the best place to get some was out in the night. Looking back, I think it might have been my own mind rationalizing the way I felt my will being tugged out of the room, but it was still very powerful.â) ⌠and thatâs the thing that made Jon tip over. He had been holding on for six months, prisoner in his dreams and under the big eyeballâs stare, and the thing that apparently made him ~choose~⌠was the message that The Web sent him. Thatâs so rude towards Beholding, Jon =D
- Also itâs the *screams* confirmation that⌠Jon probably never really escaped Mr. Spider back when he was a kid. At the very least, the spiders have plans for him, and itâs apparently in their interest to have Jon functioning, whether it stems from a Web-Beholding alliance or from the Web having its own plan and trying to hijack the chessboard. As far as the tense relationship between The Web and free will is concerned, I remembered something Elias had said a while back:
(MAG092) ELIAS: [âŚ] And your will is still your own, mostly.
âŚâŚâŚâŚ that âmostlyââŚâŚâŚ..âŚâŚâŚâŚâŚ Elias, what do you know about thisâŚâŚ.. (Iâm still unable to pinpoint, for a lot of things regarding Elias, if the answer is âhe knows a lotâ or âhe barely knows anything and only manages to stay in control because heâs a very pretty/lucky complete buffoonâ.) (In the same exchange, there was that moment of âFeels like all Iâve managed to do is⌠not die.â âAnd believe me, that is a remarkably rare skill.â and that also does take another dimension now fedhbjnefd.)
- Relatedly: if Jon indeed gave himself up to Beholding⌠well⌠Gods. Gooooooods. I am not ready for elated!Elias since uwu!! Jon chose this path himself!! uwu. We already had a glimpse of it in MAG102 (âNo, Jon, this is good! Itâs a promising development!â) but I think nobody is ready for Elias being elated over something Jon-related again. (⌠Except for Ben, probably.) Will Elias make arrangements to send a Congratulations postcard and/or flowers to Jon from his cell. Will Jon still be Jon enough to dump them in the trash.
- Important logistic question: did Jon receive his salary during his coma, and what happened to his shiny new flat? According to Georgie, he hadnât been paid during his, erm, escapade from the police&the Institute at the beginning of season 3 (for a bit more than two months) (though it could have been Jon avoiding to use his bank account altogether in order to not get tracked down):
(MAG099) ARCHIVIST: Look, Gâ Georgie, I need to move out. GEORGIE: Umm⌠yeah. I thought you were looking for a place. Yâknow, now, now youâve got a salary again.
(Elias, you could have at least compensated him for the weeks he spent on the run since he worked even more than usual if his sleep schedule is any indication, youâre a terrible boss in more than one aspect.) So, yeah. Does Jon still have his new flat, or will he have to find a new one again (or go back to Georgieâs, or⌠keep definitive residence in the Archives).
- Same question as Iâd asked myself during the trailer: is the clock in Jonâs hospital room specifically the clock from Eliasâs office, and did Elias arrange for this? Since we first heard it, Iâve been wondering if it had⌠something behind it (aside from informing the listeners that scenes were taking place in Eliasâs office). Bones, or something else entirely. Itâs super ominous on its own, the regular sound being half a constant reminder that things are advancing their natural course, and half a feeling of mechanicalness and of things being trapped in an cyclical system! But I do wonder if that clock had a function in-universe, too, since⌠itâs very noticeable. At the very least, Oliverâs words resonated strongly with it
(MAG121) OLIVER: Time is like that, isnât it? Just keeps going. No matter what happens, it just carries on. And it strips everything away from you in the end; the good, and the bad alike, until there is nothing left of either. âThis too shall passâ, âAll good things come to an endâ. âMemento moriâ.
and it was a beautiful (and terrible) atmosphere.
- Itâs possible that Georgie and Martin have met off-screen!!
(MAG121) OLIVER: Uh⌠uh, Iâm a friend. Of Jonâs. GEORGIE: Are you now. OLIVER: Yâ yâ yes. GEORGIE: Right. Just⌠havenât you seen visiting before.
Well, that depends if Martin has been visiting often but⌠Georgie sure is keeping a close watch on Jon. I wonder if Jon will still be in a state to feel guilty about it, since⌠~before~ the coma, he didnât want for her to get involved further and in the end, she did.
- I love that sheâs also picky about the friends Jon should be surrounding himself with, but she quite clearly understood that Oliver was bad news (âSorry about that. But you really donât need friends like thââ). What was the reason she chased Oliver at the end? Because the tape recorder was running and it usually didnât react when she was there? Because there was something weird already with Jonâs body? Or did Oliver leave something in the room for Jon, a gift from The Web? (⌠or could it be specifically the zippo again, returning to Jon? We donât know if Martin had used it in MAG118, but it could have been, since it could burn statementsâŚ)
- Iâll forever be laughing at the fact that Jonathan fucking Sims dated someone who would later be a supernatural podcaster who says âspooktacularâ, but at the same time, I Would Die For Georgie Barker:
(MAG121) OLIVER: Iâm Antonio. GEORGIE: Sure. OLIVER: Do you mind, uh⌠giving us a minute? GEORGIE: No, I think youâre done here. OLIVER: Oh. Uh, right. H⌠have I upset you, miss? GEORGIE: No, you just remind me of someone. OLIVER: Ah, Iâm sorry. Were theyâ GEORGIE: Evil. Yes. OLIVER: ⌠Oookay then. I, I just, guess I should just go. GEORGIE: I guess you should.
This was the first time we've heard Georgie interact with someone else than Jon, and⌠Georgie!!! GEORGIE!!!!!!! Iâm guessing that âsomeoneâ was referring to the events in the dissection class, since that was an agent of The End too⌠and now Iâm worried for her, since woops, theyâre related to the same shade of fear, and the idea that Georgie is getting involved in that, or at least with people deeper in it than she is⌠is worrisome.)
- Well. Iâm assuming that Oliver chose to serve The End, it sounds pretty clear to me? He wouldnât be punning that much about it if it wasnât the case (do you get more powerful when you pun about your patron all the time. *eyes Elias*). Iâm not sure about the rest of his situation, though, since⌠I saw a few other people mention it, and same, Point Nemo sounded like a Lonely and Vast territory â different powers fighting to get the upper hand influence-wise, like at Hill Top Road? The shades bleeding into each other in the spectrum of colours-that-hate-me? I had wondered, with MAG011 alone, whether âAntonioâ was actually under The Endâs or Beholdingâs influence â the latter because⌠there were, and there still is in MAG121, a lot of references about him witnessing without being able to help and slowly coming to terms with that fact, his being mostly a passive observer overall, unable to do anything about it, and the idea that, when given a choice, he wanted to see, even when it wouldnât do him any good:
(MAG011, âAntonio Blakeâ) Eventually my wandered drifting led me back to the Barclays building. Something inside me wanted to go inside, to see what it was like in this rhythmic, fleshy dreamscape. [âŚ] I was aware that I had two choices: to follow the light to wherever it might lead or to turn and retreat into the waking world. I decided to follow the path of that scarlet glow [âŚ].
(MAG121) OLIVER: I donât know why I did it. I knew it was a stupid thing to do, walking past my own home in a dream, but I just⌠Maybe I wanted it this way.
By contrast, his ascension made him take an active part, with him purposely leading people to their deaths⌠So I donât know if this was The End all along, or Oliver switching from another power to The End, Ă la Mike Crew? Also, we donât know if heâs gay or bi/pan (heâs a mlm at the very least, since he mentioned his ex-boyfriend Graham) but: it would add another dimension to the fact that he referred to The End as a He while The Web (or its avatar) gets a She =D (My Patron Is More Appealing To Me.)
- âŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚ.. okay, so this statement seems to confirm that Avatars tend to have a death experience or something close to it in order to⌠become. Itâs unclear if Jane Prentiss had clinically died when she was treated, but as for others:
(MAG089) JUDE PERRY: [âŚ] It became clear that, where once I had destroyed to fuel my life, I now lived for the pain that I caused. [âŚ] I doused myself in kerosene and set it alight. [âŚ] As the heat warped my bones and bubbled my flesh, all I heard was the loving exaltation of my god.
(MAG089) MIKE CREW: [âŚ] In the end I threw myself into the arms of that vast emptiness, and I bound my tormentor to the book.
(MAG109) ARCHIVIST: Last I heard, you were dying of lung cancer. TREVOR: I was. ARCHIVIST: And now? TREVOR: Iâm not. [CHUCKLES]
(MAG121) OLIVER: [âŚ] I could feel all their eyes lock to me, panicked, hoping for some sort of explanation. I almost tried to give them one, but I barely got the first word out before the falling satellite debris hit the ship at two hundred miles an hour, killing us instantly.
Mike jumped from a tower pursued by a Lichtenberg figure; Jude immolated herself; Trevor was dying from lung cancer (and Martin thought that people had mentioned he had died after the first part of his statement); Oliver explicitly states that he died (and yet is still present in some way, and corporeal enough to need to open and close the door). That. Sounds. Really. Really. Bad. For. Jon. Given that, for all of them, it was presented as a turning point â the thing that made them tip over into another sort of existence. Interestingly, Jon got⌠many of his powers before this stage (compulsion, the ability to Know things he had never learned as highlighted by Elias in MAG102 and later Tim in MAG114, the languages-thing, the ability to⌠See?, unravelling oneâs story, as he did in MAG119, and the nightmares-sharing as we learned in MAG120), but Trevor had the ability to feel the vampires his entire life, and Jude set someone on fire before completing her transformation.
IâM DEVASTATED BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT JON WAS AFRAID OF, ESPECIALLY AFTER TALKING WITH OTHER AVATARS, GDI!!! The prospect of becoming a monster and of losing himself like the others⌠shook him quite badly at the time.
(MAG092) ARCHIVIST: So itâs⌠itâs back to breadcrumbs, and statements, and risking my life talking to things that barely remember how to be human anymore? [...] Am I⌠Elias, am I still human? ELIAS: Jon, what does human even mean? I mean, really? You still bleed, you can still die. And your will is still your own, mostly. Thatâs more than can be said for a lot of the ârealâ humans out there. ⌠Youâre worried about ending up like that thing, lurking in the dirt under the streets of Alexandria? Donât be. Just do what you need to, and youâll be fine. Understood?
(MAG093) ARCHIVIST: Youâve seen monsters? GEORGIE: Not the time, Jon. ARCHIVIST: Right, itâs⌠itâs just I think Iâm turning into one. GEORGIE: Really? Thatâs⌠not great. [âŚ] ARCHIVIST: But [Avatars] end up getting these abilities, and they lose a lot of their self. Sometimes all of it. GEORGIE: And you think⌠thatâs whatâs happening to you? ARCHIVIST: Yes. Yes. The Institute serves one of these beings. AâAt least, Elias, who runs the place, does. Since accepting the Archivist job, IâIâve been⌠different.
(MAG114) TIM: So, why donât you âArchivistâ me, then? Just pull it straight out. ARCHIVIST: Because I donât want to! I am not your enemy, Tim. TIM: [DISMISSIVELY] Like that matters! These things arenât human. Itâs⌠instinct. You canât not. ARCHIVIST: [SOFTLY] Iâm still me, Tim. [TIM HUFFS] Iâm still⌠me.
(MAG115) HELEN: Weâre both changing, Archivist. I had hoped, that togetherâ ARCHIVIST: [FURIOUS] Get out. HELEN: Archivist⌠ARCHIVIST: Get. Out.
⌠And at the same time, Oliverâs statement just highlighted how⌠far Jon was from the state the other Avatars were in just before they turned into their current beings? Jude Perry was depressed, isolated, straying away from her girlfriend (projecting Agnes on her instead) and decided to start killing pretty easily. Mike Crew had lost his parents and was apparently quite solitary, and discovered along the way that he didnât mind killing (MAG089: âMy experiments werenât entirely pointless, though, they did have a truth to me. I learned that I was more than capable of killing, if it brought me closer to what I needed.â) Oliver didnât sound like he had anyone who could have mattered to him (we knew heâd lost his father in MAG011, but he didnât mention any other family member or friend in MAG121) and⌠decided, at the end, to kill everyone on board. Their transformations were all preceded by them losing touch with their previous surroundings, to replace it by their dedication to their god? (Iirc, one of the Q&A had even explicitly referred to the relationship between the Hive and Jane Prentiss as a clear case of toxic/abusive love.)
But Jon⌠Jon had precisely being going in the opposite direction in season 3: where it wouldnât only be about him, but about the others, and about trusting them, even artificially. That was the decision he had made.
(MAG0117) ARCHIVIST: [âŚ] Still, it does sometimes make it hard to⌠fully trust them, Iâ  ⌠[SIGHS] Youâ you know what, no. Iâm⌠Iâm done with that. No more paranoia. Itâs almost got me killed more than once, and⌠Georgie was right. If I am⌠slipping, then I need people I can trust. And I⌠I donât think that can happen naturally for me anâanymore, so⌠Iâm making a decision. I trust them. All of them. Eâ except Elias, obviously, thatâs notâ I mean⌠Iâve listened to the tapes. Iâve listened to the tape, Iâ I know what they talk about behind my back, how much theyâve⌠suffered⌠because of⌠this place⌠because of me. God. Poor Melanie. [âŚ] I do worry about Martin and Melanie, leaving them behind, but⌠Iâ I suppose thatâs- part of trusting someone, isnât it? Letting them help how they can.
(MAG0118) TIM: You thought you brought me in as a distraction, right? ARCHIVIST: What?! TIM: Let me do it! Go in, maybe you can get some of themâ ARCHIVIST: Tim, contrary to what you think, I did not bring you here to indulge your death wish! [âŚ] I knew none of us might be coming back, and Iâm not gonna let anyone get killed for nothing! [âŚ] I am not losing you as well!!
Iâm a big sap when it comes to the Power Of Friendship (feed it to meee!!), and Iâm also aware that it might nnnnot go down super-well in a horror podcast where Bad Things Happen, but part of me still⌠hopes, very deeply, that it mattered in Jonâs apparent decision to not die-die (which meant, if we judge by othersâ stories, to give himself up, be it to Beholding or to another one).  ⌠Two counter-arguments, though: Jon spent six months in his loop of nightmares, which⌠could have been enough to break him quite a bit, and to reduce him to a state in which his decisions at the end of season 3 donât matter much to him (or whatâs left of him) anymore. There is also the feeling that Avatars tend to⌠look down? on their past selves and feelings, as if they now knew some deeper truth that invalidates their past thinking, and a bit like they're⌠rewriting their own story in order to conclude that what they became was the logical achievement of who they were?
(MAG032, Jane Prentiss) Perhaps Iâve always heard it. Perhaps the itch has always been the real me, and it was the happy, smiling Jane who called herself a witch and drank wine in the park when it was sunny. Maybe it was her who was the maddened illusion that hides the sick squirming reality of what I am. Of what we all are, when you strip away the pretense that there is more to a person than a warm, wet habitat for the billion crawling things that need a home. That love us in their way.
(MAG089) JUDE PERRY: I know now they were simply guiding me upon the path to my true epiphany. All this time I was serving my god, but only for my own glory. But with each new gift, each renewal of the fire, I saw how lifeless and hollow it was, how grey and ashen my existence had become. It became clear that, where once I had destroyed to fuel my life, I now lived for the pain that I caused. And for Agnes. My sweet, hopeless Agnes. And so I ended it.
(MAG091) MIKE CREW: I know it was the first storm, the first real storm, I had seen for almost ten years, but nothing else remains in my mind. There are echoes of resignation, I think, almost desperation. That canât be right, though. What reason would I have had not to jump? Not to become as I am now. Perhaps I just didnât know the true joy of vertigo. It doesnât matter.
(MAG121) OLIVER: [âŚ] That was it with the old woman too. That was different, though. Way I figure it? She stuck her nose in just about everywhere it wasnât wanted and stirred up hornets. âTill all the precautions in the world couldnât stop Death from finally catching her. If Iâdâve known more back then, Iâm⌠not sure I wouldâve bothered trying to warn her. Still⌠you live and learn, donât you? [âŚ] And the worst part is that somewhere, in me, I⌠I liked it. Underneath all that awful fear, it felt like⌠home.
(Oliver had also mentioned that the tendrils had felt âalmost affectionateâ at first. We⌠really got to witness his degradation: he had initially tried to stop what was supposed to happen (with his father), he switched to warning (Jennifer from MAG042, Gertrude in MAG011), and then, was just witnessing (the âThomasâ whose identity he stole in MAG121) until⌠he brought around ten people to the spot where they were supposed to die, actively ensuring that they would all meet their planned ends. On the one hand, he became his current self in just two years since his first statement; on the other end, he had already concealed a lot of things in that statement from two years ago and was already deeper in that he had claimed, but overall, that⌠doesnât bode well for Jonâs evolution, yeah.)
Of course, itâs only natural to come up with different conclusions at the time youâre experiencing something and in hindsight (knowing where they led to in the end, the mistakes you were making, the consequences your actions would bear), but it. still. sounds A LOT like a kind of brainwashingâŚ? And we donât know yet what Jonâs state of mind was when he âchoseâ in MAG121, though we do know that he was, personality-wise, The Best/Worst Possible Person to get into Beholding stuff, yeah, because he⌠had had the craving for novelty since he was a kid and the tendency to pursue knowledge at all costs (MAG093, Georgie: âThat does at least explain why he picked you. [âŚ] If your job is asking questions, I mean. You were always the one who pushed too far, and asked smart-arse, awkward questions. I always was surprised you never got punched.â) Except for Mike, who switched, the Fears tend to choose people who will fit in with them and⌠thatâs⌠badâŚ
- So overall: no idea if weâll perceive drastic changes in Jon right away, or if it will be a slow slippery slope. Iâm⌠worried for the hospital staff, though; Jon seems to have understood the correlations between live-statements and his dreams by the end of season 3 (MAG113: âIâm not too concerned, to be honest, my dreams are, uh⌠well, letâs just say I donât think theyâre going be letting anyone else in any time soon.â); we know from Basira and Daisy that itâs not only Jon, that it also affects the statement-givers unless theyâre Archival Assistants and/or directly working for the Institute (MAG112: âAre you sleeping?â âYeah. ⌠Do you still have the dreams?â âUm, no, not really. Not since we joined up here, I donât think. You?â âYeah.â) and⌠there is a clear line between being harmful without knowing, and being harmful despite knowing (but not caring and/or prioritizing oneâs own gain). So Iâm afraid that Jon might extort a statement or two as soon as he wakes up, if heâs hungering for them and/or wants to get better, after having been deprived of them for so long.
I mean, Iâm totally expecting Jon to go bad â and Iâm not quite ready for it right now, but then, itâs not like I canât expect my feelings to get repeatedly crushed by a lead pipe in this series, I know what I signed for, Iâm in for the ride, Iâll Take It Anyway >:3 But Iâm a bit more concerned about the idea of following Jon as he knowingly hurts people and doesn't care⌠without anyone there to remind us that hey! This is bad, actually?, and without⌠anything about the people Jon is making suffer. Itâs not only about Jon: itâs about them, becoming victims through their live-statements, apparently being haunted by them in their dreams through Jon? (The series has been great, though, at making us feel like all these Characters Of The Day are people, with their own lives and stories, so I trust that there will be⌠something about the fact that this is happening to them! Also, I donât know if Georgie has been suspecting something regarding the dreams, but if characters managed to piece things together, then, I doubt that Georgie would allow Jon to run wild? Mmmartin might, maybe a bit, but not Georgie. She might not outright kill him if she sees heâs gone bad, but she would scream at him until he puts effort into fighting it as best he can.)
- Also overall: a⌠lot of things will depend on Jonâs state of mind, and what he's understood from Oliverâs story. I have trouble finding a âlessonâ in it, honestly? What are we supposed to take away from his experience?
(MAG121) OLIVER: At that moment, a sudden calm came over me. I understood it all. I could follow the lines of the huge veins that encased the ship down into the water, leading off to a point almost a mile from the South-East. There. That was it. That was our fate. Where we would always be. Because I was going to take us there. Running was pointless. To try and to escape from my task would only serve to fulfil another. I finally understood what I needed to do. [âŚ] I donât know where I got the gun, but once Captain Macabee was dead, the others were very keen to sail wherever I wanted.
That you canât escape these things? That the longer you try to run, the more innocent people will get harmed because of you? That the only way for Jon to leave the dreams would be to give in (and give himself over), confirming that there is no other solution? (Oliver told Jon that he had ~to make a choice~ but⌠technically, Jon canât die in this state. How could have he chosen that option? Was he waiting for someone to mercy-kill himâŚ?) What were Jonâs options exactly, and what did he choose? We didnât hear about the notebook that he had found in Gertrudeâs hangar in MAG113 (âNames, locations, dates. Iâll, Iâll check properly later. Doesnât look like itâs to do with the Unknowing, I donât think.â) and it sounded valuable enough for Jon to plan to take a deeper look at it ⌠so as usual, Jon Is Probably Ahead Of Us, and what he does and chooses to do with it will get explained later. Notes on preventing The Watcherâs Crown? On the ânew emergenceâ mentioned by Adelard? (But if Jon indeed gave himself to The Beholding⌠is it possible to do it if heâs still planning on wrecking its ceremony? Thatâs not really giving yourself up if you donât want it or are planning to work against it?) (So as usual: what happened, aaaaarrrrrg)
- So far, we had been hearing all the statements recorded by the Archival staff, so⌠has that changed, and we didnât hear the ones being recorded by Melanie-Basira-Martin while Jon was in his coma? Or did they stop recording them? Or did the tape recorders refuse to work because Jon was away? ⌠Or will Jon listen to them to catch up on the time he missed, and we will discover them with him â and how things apparently got progressively worse for the assistants?
- ⌠I had been wondering about Jonâs use of the tape recorder. He used it for statements starting season 1 and, starting with the climax and all through season 2, as a way to convey his discoveries to a hypothetical successor in case something bad happened to him. In season 3, the tape recorder started to apparently turn itself on, pretty often to record quite mundane conversations, whether Jon was there or not, and in a few cases there is some ambiguity over whether or not he had actually been turning it on when he had it on him (with or without realizing it), but⌠there were also moments in which it was explicit that Jon wanted conversations and talks to be on tape. It culminated with the testaments in MAG117:
(MAG098) MARTIN: [âŚ] Have you seen [Jon] sinceâŚ? TIM: [GRUNTS] Kind of. We tried to talk, but he, he reached for thatâ Ah, he, he wanted to turn on his recorder. I freaked out a bit, and I said some stuff: if he wanted to talk, no tapes, I just, I just hate that thing.
(MAG102) [CLICK] ARCHIVIST: Youâre sure you donât mind? MARTIN: No, no, no, itâs fine, Iâve⌠Iâve kind of stopped noticing if Iâm honest. They just sort of⌠turn themselves on these days.
(MAG115) ARCHIVIST: [âŚ] There is nothing you want to say to me. TIM: Nothing with that thing here, no. ARCHIVIST: [SOFTLY] Interesting. [âŚ] TIM: Why are you so set on having it running? ARCHIVIST: I⌠Look, if you want my honest opinionâ TIM: I donât.
(MAG117) ARCHIVIST: I, I wanted to get some thoughts down before, erâŚeverything. We all should, actually, I⌠Iâll maybe mention it to them.
âŚâŚâŚâŚâŚ. Iâm wondering if⌠this wasnât actually... all about Jon fearing that yes, he would (have to) turn into an avatar for real at some point, and it would probably fuck with his mind a bit (highlighting parts of him that were already there, but also rewiring him to serve his godâs objectives rather than what felt right to him) â and so, using the recordings in an attempt to⌠keep traces of who Jonathan Sims used to be, what his actual trains of thoughts were, the actual choices he made. Jon was very conscious that something else would come afterwards: Gerry had told him about The Watcherâs Crown, and Jon⌠sounded like he had picked up that stopping The Unknowing wasnât an end in itself but also a way for Elias to get him closer to something:
(MAG117) ARCHIVIST: [âŚ] Elias seems pretty insistent I go along. Part of me thinks itâs just so that we can see if whatever this⌠preparation heâs been trying to do on me works. And you know what? That same⌠petty little part of me⌠rather hopes it doesnât; that all this time, all his⌠cryptic nudges and âlearn to fly by fallingâ attitude ends up being a complete waste of time. Just to show him.
I do hope that his âIâm making a decision. I trust them. All of them.â will matter in the long run, but Iâm also crying in advance that it wonât and that will be the tragedy ;___; (Iâm also not ready to say goodbye to Jonathan âIâd rather doom the world rather than prove something I despise rightâ Sims, please keep some of that stuff in you, Jon.)Â
- worriedaboutmartin.jpg since⌠we still have no idea what happened/whatâs happening⌠and heâs the only one left of the original assistants. Sasha got killed. Tim sacrificed himself to get his revenge, and his words from the season 2 finale are resonating more strongly than ever right now:
(MAG080) MARTIN: Sorry? Sorry, what? How can you not care!? TIM: Because this is us now. Worms. Monsters. Corridors. Theyâll keep happening until one of them kills us and weâve just got to deal with it.
Iâm⌠really hoping that we will get some mourning around Tim â maybe not right now, but at some point, like it happened with Sasha. Sasha had been an open wound since Jon learned about her death, despite the fact that they didnât remember her; Martin and Tim had expressed their feelings in covered-up, indirect or delayed ways, but there were still⌠bits that hinted that it was gnawing at them a lot more than they were saying:
(MAG082) MARTIN: Maybe they said something about Sasha, yâknow? TIM: Sheâs dead, Martin. Come on! Even youâre not that blind. He got her too. MARTIN: Donât you say that. Donât you dare say that!
(MAG086) TIM: The first Sasha. What⌠What was she like? [âŚ] ⌠Who am I even sad forâŚ? MELANIE: I⌠Iâm, Iâm sorry⌠I donât, er⌠TIM: Um⌠Iâm, Iâm going to lie downâŚ
(MAG114) TIM: You know how long that thing pretended to be Sasha? ARCHIVIST: Oh god⌠TIM: And I had no idea? I knew Sasha for years, we⌠I donât know Martin as well as I knew her.
(MAG117) MARTIN: Hey, hey, I mean whatâs normal, right? Is living in an old document storage normal? Is losing a friend and not even noticing normal?
(MAG118) MARTIN: [DRY LAUGHTER] Dignity? Alright, yeah; like the dignity of being trapped in your flat by worms, or sleeping in the Archives, clutching a corkscrew! Orâ or fetching drinks for the thing that murdered your friend without you even noticingâŚ! Laughing at all their little jokes, then being left to wander impossible corridors for weeks!
⌠and just the mention of Sasha was enough to make Jon snap in two different season finales:
(MAG079) NOT!SASHA: [âŚ] And it will hurt. Oh, yes, it will hurt. It hurt Sasha. ARCHIVIST: Shut up! NOT!SASHA: [CLOSE AND DISTORTED] There you are.
(MAG0119) ARCHIVIST: Who are you?! NIKOLA: Who am I? Tim, of course! Who else would I be! ARCHIVIST: Youâre notâ youâre not⌠Tim. NIKOLA: Oh, you caught me~ Iâm⌠Sasha! ARCHIVIST: Shut up! NIKOLA: No~! Really, itâs me! Sashaâ whatever her name was! Back from the dead, just like you wanted~! ARCHIVIST: Get away from me, or, or I swear Iâll⌠IâllâŚ
Itâs been a series where characters tend to take even more shape after their death, or at least⌠where the characters who died (or their secrets) tend to still have an influence, or to be present in other charactersâ minds. Tim probably got the best ending he could have wished for in the circumstances and in the overall universe, but it was also a stupid death, intertwined with his desire to not come back and his conviction that the others had only taken him along as a distraction for the Strangerâs minions (which⌠didnât sound like it was the case at all, at least in Jonâs mind: he had to accept Timâs desire to come along in order to regain some of Timâs trust). It was a sad death. It has the potential to hurt A Lot â and who will mourn for him, or at least highlight that what happened was plain unfair? Basira was wary of him and will have the Daisy issue in mind; Melanie didnât hold Tim super-dearly in her heart, since he'd been an ass to her for the few times they spoke. Tim made a point of staying away from them, since he couldnât trust them. There are only Martin and Jon to really remember Tim; it would feel⌠very cold and gritty? to just pass over his death as something that happened and to barely mention it, so Iâm assuming that weâll get something at some point.
The only glimmer of pain about Timâs death that we have got was when Elias sweet-stabbed Martin about it in MAG120 (âHello, inspector. Martin. Iâm⌠sorry to hear about Tim.â âDonât.â), and Martin might not currently be around if he was heading off to somewhere dangerous in the trailer, and itâs been six months already for him, so⌠I donât know! I hope that weâll get some mourning. Jon waking up and realizing only then that Tim died when the others have already had the time to process the information in the last six months, could have the potential to be Absolutely Awful, but the whole series is a competition between Potentially Awful Things to happen (ie: will Jon still be able to care or to feel the Hurt, in his new state). At the very least, Sasha was an open wound until the end of season 3, so I donât really see Timâs death getting brushed off like that â itâs a series that make you care about things, a series in which wrong things are constantly highlighted and denounced. It doesnât mean that the horror doesnât happen, but it always has effects on people. (Also, hi! Jonâs feeble and fragile âTimâŚ?â was the last word he said before the explosion happened! Before Timâs âI don't forgive you. But thank you for this.â which Jon most probably heard! Iâm fine, itâs just rain falling indoors right on my cheeks!)
⌠This might also be why Martin accepted to do something dangerous, after checking that âthey [would] be safeâ. Because Basira had put her finger where it hurt, when she told him that he couldnât just wait and hope (MAG110: âLook, Martin. I know you care. I know you do. But caring isnât enough. You canât just stand next to someone with a cup of tea and hope everythingâs gonna be alright.â), and Martin had decided to act on it at the end of season 3 (MAG117: âAnyway. I guess Iâm just sick of sitting on my hands, drinking tea and hoping everyoneâs okay. This way I finally get to do something. Itâs gonna hurt, but⌠Iâm ready. And I want to.â), though⌠even his plan, in the end, had most of its victories sucked out of it (yes, Elias was sent to jail, but he still has blackmail material for the officers and had already made arrangements to get Peter to manage in the interim while he was gone; and Melanie resents Martin for robbing her of Eliasâs murder, if Eliasâs comment is any indication; and Tim died; and Daisy went into the coffin and is probably mostly gone; and Jon is unresponsive⌠and will only be able to come back by sinking deeper into his inhumanity). It could make sense, for Martin, to start trying to take more risks, since he⌠is the only one of the original assistants to have survived this far, and hasnât even ever been physically hurt until now (though what Elias did will probably have long-lasting effects).
At the same time!! Iâm!! Glad!! That the trailer was Martin apparently asking and begging for Jonâs help, but⌠not for Jon to wake up in itself. It sounded like the threat looming around was unrelated to Jonâs current state? And Martin did ask about the othersâ safety before agreeing, which means⌠that heâs not doing everything for Jon and Jon only, or to protect Jon. The others factored in.
(Itâs not something I believe to have happened, but the date worries me a bit further since hey! Peter Lukas had shown Interest in Martin (MAG120: âAnd donât look so down! I know, change can be scary, but eventually it happens just the same. I think weâre going to great things, Martin. Great. Things.â) and Jon has been in that state from August to February, with Martinâs visit taking place at some point before he started breathing again. That time frame⌠would fit with the Tundra being in the UK area, if its route is annual:
(MAG033) ARCHIVIST: [âŚ] Sean Kelly disappeared from the port of Felixstowe in October 2010, and his body washed up on the coast of Morocco in April 2011, six months later. According to the coroner, it had only been in the water for five days.
Or maybe Martin still has six months to live from now on? I mean, Sasha and Tim both died around the end-of-July/beginning-of-August. Summerâs gonna get fun in the Archives.)
(ALSO WORRIED ABOUT MELANIE AND BASIRA, OF COURSE, since Martinâs âBasiraâs keeping things taking over, and Melanie is⌠well, Melanie is MelanieâŚ!â from the trailer isnât announcing good news and itâs been six months, Melanie had been doing worse and worse in just a few weeks when we left her in season 3; and Basira⌠just lost⌠her own anchor⌠and Daisy seemed to have snapped for real â not dead, but We've Lost Her, since Jon canât reach her dreams anymore. I think we might be switching to them in MAG122? Will ~see~ in a few hours /o/)
- ⌠the only glimmer of hope for a Good Thing is that if (if.) Elias is still in prison, it will mean that he has spent six months in jail. I donât know if itâs worth everything else but. Still. Possibly One (1) Good Thing.
#tl:dr *strangled noise and waits for mag122 tonight*#i'd take the comfort blanket but then. 'the blanket never did anything.' :|#the magnus archives#tma spoilers#mag121#*eXCITED*#tma season 4#long post; pondering&rambling&screaming&scratching at the table etc. etc.#the magnus archives spoilers/#long post/#tma liveblog
37 notes
¡
View notes
Text
â ⌠° âž henry cavill + cismale + he/him â have you met maksym petran? they are a thirty eight years old known around town as the the prevaricator. theyâve been in the gang life for two months, and currently work for the gang as a soldier, as well as a private investigator. they are a bisexual gemini, which means they are protective + level headed, as well as stubborn + secretive. faded bullet hole scar, worry lines, frayed photographs. Ă tony. twenty five. he/him. gmt.Â
hey there! iâm tony. iâm 25. irish. generally a mess but sure look, who isnât. iâve managed to get mamma mia! here we go again (2018) to step off my neck long enough to free up one of my two braincells to let me figure this lad out and iâm very excited to write him with you all.Â
                             ABOUT.
Maksym Hadeon Petran -- goes by Maks.
Born in May in 1980 in Kiev, Ukraine to Adrian and Vivianna.Â
Older brother of Nikolas Petran.Â
Father to Nicholas Petran (5).
 Moved to Valdez, Colorado with his family when he was 14 years old. Initially, he found it difficult to acclimate to life in a new town, in a strange land, but gradually he began to get used to it. Unlike his father, he was a free thinker with dreams bigger than that of a company man.Â
He was out of Valdez and out of the family home as soon as he got his college acceptance letter, leaving barely a trace of himself behind as he set off to Seattle on a scholarship. He did fairly well despite English being his second language, but he dropped out of college in his second year to pursue a career in law enforcement.Â
This was the same year that he was woken up at 3am by a phone call from a sympathetic voice telling him they were sorry to call so late, but something horrible has happened. Both his parents slain like pigs in their home, leaving him and his brother orphans. Despite his intentions to look after Niko himself, it was too late by the time he had returned, Balthazar Caito had gotten his hooks into him deep and with nothing to offer him, he resolved to leave him there until he got his life together and then he would return for his only remaining family.Â
Maks kept his head down and relocated to Kansas so he could at least feel he was nearby and got a job as a police officer, rising up the ranks to detective. While he loves his work, another part of him wondered if it was a final of rebellion against his father -- what was more of a fuck you to the son of a criminal than that same criminal in a badge and blues putting away guys who were like the man who raised him?Â
But for the most part, Maks has a strong moral compass and a clear idea in his mind of whatâs right and whatâs wrong, and he settled into this job well. It was easy to forget his roots when faced with a new life and a path that he chose to walk instead of being told was what he had to do but there was one piece of his past he couldnât leave behind -- his brother.Â
The weeks meshed into years before he knew it, his career remaining steady and the fulfilment he got from it like no other. The idea of reaching out became more difficult as time got the better of him. He kept track of Niko, of course he did, but he had been taught well and it grew harder and harder to get information on him.Â
Until one fateful evening when assisting on a narcotics case with one of his detectives he spotted a familiar face in a photograph. Older than he remembered and rough around the ages, the grainy CCTV screen capture bore an image of his brother with the words PERSON OF INTEREST underlined in bold red letters beneath.Â
This discovery was what lit a fire beneath him, despite the life he had made for himself in Kansas, he knew that the time had come when he had no choice but to go back for his brother. This departure was made equally as difficult by the fact he wasnât just leaving behind a job but a little boy too, with eyes as blue as his and a name he shared with his long lost uncle.Â
Telling himself it was in his boys best interest did nothing to soothe the ache that it caused in him, but he couldnât be deterred. His return to Valdez was done quietly, getting the lay of the land and a feel for the town again. Rather than join the police force in his âhomestateâ he had quit altogether, electing instead to set up his own private investigation business which allowed for him to continue to gather intel without raising too many suspicions.Â
Six months after he moved back he made it known that he wished to take what he called his rightful place in the organization. With two parents who had given their life for the cause, he was sure that his long sabbatical on the moral high road could be overlooked with some useful information that only someone who had walked down the roads he had could provide.Â
Heâs been a soldier for the past two months, deliberate in his attempt to not make too many waves as he tries to toe a dangerous line between a good man and a good soldier.Â
                             PERSONALITY.Â
While Maks can be withdrawn and sullen, for the most part he projects himself as easy going. A pathological liar, heâs gotten used to having to tell fib after fib since his return, which has gotten easier with each time heâs had to do it. Slow to drinker and never one to dabble in using drugs, he likes to keep a clear head about him at all times -- it was safer that way.Â
Stubborn to a fault, he can be hotheaded when pressed despite trying to remain reserved. Heâs deeply devoted to his family, to the point where heâll let other personal connections wither if his brother or his son need him. Theyâll always come first.Â
                             WANTED CONNECTIONS.Â
These arenât fleshed out yet, but Iâll send them to the main when they are! The general gist of them would be:
GHOSTS OF THE PAST -- those who would remember him from age 14-18 as a quiet Ukranian teenage boy with a funny accent and broken English at first. Could be friends, lovers, enemies. Pretty much open to anything.Â
KNOWING ME, KNOWING YOU -- His baby mamaaaa. Iâm keeping that as vague as possible but he would have met her in Kansas sometime six years ago. Could have been earlier and they could have been a relationship, could have been a one night stand that resulted in a son. This one would have to be discussed && plotted in great detail because aside from Niko it would be the most central personal relationship in his life. Could be unrequited feelings, antagonistic as shit, exes with feelings. Iâm breeeeezy.Â
MONEY, MONEY, MONEY -- people who work in Valdez with connections with law enforcement out of state. Maybe they worked a case or two in Kansas? Maybe they interacted at out of state meetings? Worked together on cross state cases? Maybe they know the extent of his career as a police officer and realise what a fun blackmail opportunity could be given his current attempt at gang life.
YES two out of three of them are song ABBA song titles. and YES i am deeply sorry for that. if any of these interest u or u just wanna yell at me about life, dogs or the mamma mia franchise my ims are open and or feel free to add me on discord @ -- can you hear the drums fernando?#0510 (i know thatâs another one... meryl streep pay for my therapy 2k18.)Â
#valdez.intro#tony stop tryna write characters while in the grips of a hyper obsession#o well at least maks didn't come to me while i was in a reba abyss or else fancy would have been his name jdhgshjk
10 notes
¡
View notes
Text
the fact that this isnât even all of it.. someone plz take my wifi away after 12am
stella: so whatâs the relationship between you two?
sydney: sheâs my best friend. like if i killed someone sheâs the person i would call for help to get rid of the body
jackie: we actually have done that before, itâs buried in the woods
stella: creative
marianne: what are those dead bodies doing there?
stella: honestly? not much
kim: what are those dead bodies doing there?
alistair: honestly? not much
stella: allow me to serenade you
marnie: okay, but first, let me put in earplugs
alice: aaron câmon
frank: she wonât even notice youâre gone
aaron: no, i told her i wouldnât
frank: she wonât notice youâre gone! what happened to bros beforeâŚ
alice: âŚ
aaron: âŚ
frank: ⌠my sister
(decorating a christmas tree)
joanne: and⌠weâre done!
marnie: we just need one final touch
joanne: what?
marianne: please donât do it, marnie
marnie:
marianne: donât⌠please-
marnie, lifting stella: star. goes. on. TOP.
stella: i donât do relationships anymore
marnie walks in
stella: shit.
saskia: hey alice have you seen-
saskia: SHIT ALICE ARE YOU BURNING OUR MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE??
alice: GOOD LUCK TRYING TO RETURN ME WITHOUT THE RECEIPT HAHAHA
saskia: i have only said âi love youâ to two people in my entire life
saskia: alice,
saskia: and alice wearing my shirt
marianne loses stella in a hoard of zombies
marianne: finally
stella: babe (derogatory)
marnie: babe (derogatory)
baby: what does derogatory even mean?
marianne: iâve learned not to question them
kim: whereâs the candy stash gone?
baby: i havenât had any since last week
stella and alistair, riding one skateboard between them: KIDS whereâd you get those TWIZZLERS we want MORE
marianne: kids thatâs a wolf it will kill you if you keep trying to pet it
kim & baby: d o g g y
marianne: youâre losing blood fast, whatâs your type
stella: uhh, tall and scary, green eyes, huge badass
marianne: i meant your blood type
stella, looking down: red :(
baby: can i have a soda?
stella: i dunno, what did your mum say?
baby: she said no
stella: then why are you asking me?
baby: because she isnât the boss of you
stella: this is a trap this is a trap th-
alice: what do i do if our relationship just doesnât work out?
brady: just talk it out!
lena: burn her
bette: stab her
kenny: shoot her
cara: this is why i donât trust yall.
trixie: oh come on sydney doesnât know any words worse than crap
jackie: i think sheâs been having a masterclass with stella
sydney in the distance: SHIT THE BATH
stella watching from afar: youâre doing great sweetie
sydney: can i have some cake?
stella: whatâs the rule?
sydney, sighing: no cake after dinner
stella: no, thatâs jackies rule. my rule is that you have to bring me a slice too :)
tyler: we literally havenât caused trouble in weeks!
marianne: what about the flamethrower incident?
stella: we donât talk about the flamethrower incident!
alice: alright, but-
saskia: holy shit
alice: are you sure you love me? because maybe you just misunderstood your feelings for me
saskia: oh my god alice itâs 3 in the morning
alice: ..and?
saskia: weâre married..
alice: uhum
saskia: for three years..
alice: i still donât see your point and you havenât answered me yet
mickey, as zombies are coming: donât worry
alice: about a thing
mickey: cause every little thing
alice, killing zombies: is gonna be alright
aaron: i canât believe you married her
saskia: i canât believe youâre going to marry her
hanna: trixie, while iâm gone, youâre in charge
trixie: okay :)
hanna, whispering: sydney, youâre secretly in charge
sydney: obviously :)
kim: We need to distract these guys
baby: Leave it to me
baby: Centaurs have six limbs and are therefore insects. Discuss.
*Stella, marianne and charlotte Immediately begin arguing*
kim, watching in horror: Oh this. I donât like this. I don't like this at all.
marianne, walking into her house: Hello, people who do not live here.
stella: Hey.
charlotte: Hi.
hazel: Hello.
johnny: Hey!
marianne: I gave you the key to my place for emergencies only!
stella: We were out of Doritos.
stella: Who the fuck added me to a fucking group chat?
charlotte: >:O language
baby: Yeah watch your fucking language
charlotte: OKAY WHO TAUGHT BABY THE FUCK WORD?
johnny: 'The fuck word'.
hazel: Are you stupid? You guys use the f word all the time
charlotte: Oh my god she censored it
johnny: Say fuck, hazel.
stella: Do it, hazel. Say fuck.
callum: Would you guys be there for me if I was going through something?
marianne: Nope, absolutely not.
hazel: I hope it sucks, whatever you're going through.
johnny: I hope it emotionally scars you for the rest of your life.
charlotte I hope you reach out to me so I can ignore you.
stella: I can't wait to go to your funeral, knowing I could've changed that outcome.
stella: Time for plan G.
marianne: Donât you mean plan B?
stella: No, we tried plan B a long time ago. I had to skip over plan C due to technical difficulties.
charlotte: What about plan D?
stella: Plan D was that desperate disguise attempt half an hour ago.
baby: What about plan E?
stella: Iâm hoping not to use it. alistair dies in plan E.
kim: I like plan E.
alistair: Where's stella, charlotte, and baby?
marianne: They're playing hide and seek.
alistair: Where?
marianne: I don't think you get how this game works.
stella: Bye marnie! Bye charlotte! Bye baby! Bye alistair! Bye marnie!
marianne: You said âbye marianneâ twice.
stella: I like marnie :)
Charlotte: You really put aside everything and came all this way for me? How did you even get here so fast?
hazel: Several traffic violations.
marianne: Three counts of resisting arrest.
johnny: Roughly thirteen cans of energy drinks.
stella: Also, thatâs not our car.
stella: Iâve done a lot of dumb stuff.
hazel: I witnessed the dumb stuff.
charlotte: I recorded the dumb stuff.
johnny: I joined in on the dumb stuff.
marianne: I TRIED TO STOP YOU FROM DOING THE DUMB STUFF!!!
jacob: Weâve been conducting an ongoing study to see what russell will and will not eat.
louise: Grass? Yes!
jacob: Moss? Yes!!
louise Leaves? Ohh, yes!
jacob: Shoelaces? Strange but true!
louise: Worms? Sometimes!
jacob: Rocks? Usually nah.
louise: Twigs? Usually!
jacob: louise's cooking? Inconclusive!
Belle: How did you⌠test this?
louise: You just hand him stuff and say âeat thisâ and if he eats it, he eats it.
belle: ... I donât know how to feel about this.
nikola: IS THAT WHERE ALL MY SPARE SHOELACES WENT?
Marianne: stella isnât answering her phone
marnie: Iâll call
marianne: charlotte and I have both tried six times each, what makes you thi-
stella: Hello?
marianne, banging on the door: stella! open up!
stella: Well, it all started when I was a kid...
charlotte: No, she meant-
baby: Let them finish.
stella: You lying, cheating, piece of shit!
marianne: Oh yeah? Youâre the idiot who thinks you can get away with everything you do. WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD
stella: Iâm leaving you, and IâM TAKING CHARLOTTE WITH ME
baby, picking up the monopoly board: I think weâre gonna stop playing now.
stella: I just ended a four year relationship.
charlotte: Oh, Iâm so sorry. Are you okay?
stella: Hm? Oh yeah, Iâm fine. It wasnât my relationship.
*marianne and patrick fighting from across the room*
baby: Yo is stella sleeping or dead?
marianne: Hopefully dead, I hated her guts.
charlotte: Yeah, so did I.
stella: Okay first of all, fuck you-
Marianne: I currently have 7 empty notebooks and I have no clue what to put in them. Suggestions?
stella: Put spaghetti in it.
marianne: I'm currently taking suggestions from literally anyone but you.
johnny: Put spaghetti in it.
marianne: I'm currently taking suggestions from anyone but you two.
charlotte: Put spaghetti in it.
marianne: I'm no longer taking suggestions.
stella: I told marianne her ears flush when she lies.
charlotte: Why?
stella: Look.
stella: Hey marianne! Do you love us?
marianne, covering her ears: No.
Charlotte:
charlotte: Why are you on the floor?
stella: I'm depressed.
stella: Also I was stabbed, can you get marianne, please?
*stella and charlotte sitting in jail together*
charlotte: So who should we call?
stella: Iâd call marianne, but I feel safer in jail
jackie: WHY. why did you give sydney a KNIFE?!
Stella: Iâm sorry. she said she felt unsafe.
jackie: Now I feel unsafe!
stella: Iâm sorry.
stella: ... would you like a knife?
stella: Who thinks I can fit 15 marshmallows in my mouth?
marianne: Youâre a hazard to society
charlotte: And a coward. DO TWENTY.
0 notes
Text
About Me
Astoria Cathryn Andromeda
I am 19 years old. I had blonde hair for my whole life until last month when I dyed it dark brown with blue underneath. I am an electrical engineering student. I had an internship at NASA Ames Research Center last summer. I work on my university's small satellite research lab, mainly on electrical hardware. I think calculus is fun as long as I'm not confused. I hate coding, no matter how useful it is, I hate programming. I like skateboarding with my friends in random parks, making a fool of myself, reading books, being a whore for attention, being a whore for the trope enemies to lovers in literally any form. I like swimming in the ocean until a fish touches me. I love my fraternity, it's a co-ed professional engineering fraternity. Dogs are pretty fantastic, I think cats are too but I am much more allergic to cats than I am dogs even though I have lived with at least two dogs since I am home from the hospital. I like cats, but my body doesn't. Technically my body doesn't like anything furry, or anything outside, or gluten. I always say natural selection should have taken me if modern technology wasn't a thing. I hate overhead lights, especially white ones. I am always in low lighting. I love the sun, I love summer and swimming, and I wish I could get tan, but I just burn. For Christmas, my mom is buying me a piece of land in the Highlands in Scottland, so I can protect it from being commercialized and I get the title Lady. My mom's maiden name is Scottish, so there's that, but also I feel very strongly about the environment. I hate it when they start to build new stuff. I think the human race should end with Gen Z, jokes. I really love the smell of books, but I prefer reading stuff on my phone or kindle which is super backward I think. I really only eat salad, chicken, cliff bars, and gluten pasta with nothing on it. My car's name is Djibouti, named after the capital city, not the country to be specific. I love her, she has front pinchers very badass for a Toyota. I really hate the Christmas season like in general. I especially hate Christmas music, or the number of covers, and how long they play it on the radio. I mean I like getting gifts, but everyone is very joyful and lovey and it's sickening to me. Idk be a good person all year, and stop being sickly fake sweet right now. Yes I know I'm a grinch. I like Halloween and Thanksgiving. I just think Christmas is overhyped, and I've been over it since I was 12 so sorry. I mean I still think Micheal Bubble is a fine guy, I just don't like the season in general. I prefer big dogs over little dogs. I really have always wanted a little black cat and name it Harley, but I am quite allergic. The protein in the cat's salvia is what most people are allergic to, and there are certain breeds that produce less of it, and female cats produce less, and lighter colored lights produce less, but that pretty much destroys my dream of having a little black cat. I don't know where that came from, but I've always that it was dope. I am from suburbia of America, and I went to crazy shit competitive high school, so I thought I was average intelligence until college and I found out I am slightly below average. Like 70 people went to ivy leagues, my class. I hate the two-party system in America, I think it literally reserves any progress this country could have made. I think like every white guy in your history textbook gloried. Like Trump said he's done more for African-Americans than Abe Lincoln did, and let me tell you that asshole literally only freed the slaves in the states that were rebelling. There were still slaves in like the in the middle area, and he also was responsible for the largest mass hanging in American history, and guess who it was. Some Sioux tribe Native Americans and they did it to them on their own fucking land. If you think Thomas Edison is cool, well I am about to ruin it, he was a fraud and a snake. All he did was be big charm big business man and steal patents and pay people to make stuff. My dude, Nikola Tesla though, you can trust him, he's real. He didn't get any money for all the scientific discoveries, because they were stolen, or he literally just didn't care. He was just in it for the science, man and that's respectable. I really like music. I really like a lot of different kinds of music. My spotify be popping, but for only me specifically and my very specific music taste. There are two people in this world that share 70% music taste with me. If you know who Usui is, um that's my dream man email me so we can simp. legally I do not drink alcohol or smoke oui'd or do psychedelics. legally in this written statement. I do not. Um I can't think of anything else, but I'm sure I'll come back and add more. I hope this was not your stereotypical bio. Making bios are boring as shit. Oh I love Rick & Morty. Love Get Switfy, Existence is Pain, definitely Pickle Rick, and that fucked up dragon one. Hilarious literally peak humor. I like Futurama too, and New Girl. I used to be fucking ripped as shit when I as gymnast, and then I switched to swimming and weight lifted and I was still ripped as shit but like in a more long way, and then I stopped swimming when I went to college and I lost 23 pounds of muscle. So yeah that interesting, I was like wow didn't know I could weigh this little, and then my legs will hurts when I walk up the stairs and I'm like woooooow you are weaaaaaaak, you used to swim for like 5 miles straight and do flips the fuck. But I don't care enough to work out again. I don't like to do it by myself. I was on my university club swim team for like a hot second, but the practice was at 9pm and I got cold waiting o the bus after so I stopped lol. Things I recommend:
niche youtube documentaries
pdfdrive.com
bookbub
excel is fun like if you just do it for fun like for you lmao
Things I don't recommend:
skipping your programming class before a pop quiz on Friday
sitting in this hunched position I'm in my back hurts
thinking too much or too little: they both hurt
taking things for granted: I do this a lotđ
"Tu ne me manques pas"
Bis später,
Astoria.
0 notes
Text
RTARLâs NBA Previewpalooza: Part One
One of the most hectic and entertaining NBA offseasons in recent memory is finally drawing to a close, and real-live game action is nearly upon us. After ending last season by swiftly dispatching the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Golden State Warriors have cemented themselves as the most ridiculous Final Boss in the history of team sports. Barring an injury that prevents either Kevin Durant or Steph Curry from playing in the postseason, itâs damn near impossible to imagine anyone preventing them from repeating. In the same way that a movie can still be great even if you guess the ending ahead of time, the ups and downs of each of the thirty teams in the NBA are still a ton of fun to follow, even if the eventual champion is basically a foregone conclusion. For me they are, anyway.Â
Today Iâll be previewing the Eastern Conference, with the teams presented in the order I think theyâll finish, worst-to-first. Iâll roll out my Western Conference predictions and my picks for the end-of-season awards as soon as I can. Letâs rock and roll.
15. Chicago Bulls. Mother of God, this roster is an atrocity. Zach LaVine is the best player the Bulls have on their roster by a country mile, and heâs currently recovering from a torn ACL. Heâs not even going to be cleared for contact until sometime in November. In the meantime, their best player is...Nikola Mirotic? I guess? Mirotic is a 6â˛10âł PF who averaged as many three-point attempts per game as rebounds last season, while shooting under 42% from the field. Woof.Â
This year is all about landing a high draft pick to add to their young core of LaVine and uh, Denzel Valentine, Kris Dunn and Lauri Markkanen. Damn, GarPax. Nice work.Â
14. Brooklyn Nets. Oh, jeez. Iâll say this for the Nets: I really liked the move to ship Brook Lopez out of town for DâAngelo Russell. Lopez served no purpose on a team this bad, and thereâs always the chance that the next foot injury he suffers is a career-ender. Getting a young guy with Russellâs pedigree for him is a score. In addition, the Nets are doing that thing where a team acts as a dumping ground for other teamâs shitty contracts, while picking up draft picks along the way (they got a 2nd rounder from Toronto for taking DeMarre Carroll, for example).Â
Speaking of draft picks, itâs impossible to talk about the Nets without mentioning the truly heinous trade that deprived them of their â14, â16, 17, and â18 first round picks. I still canât believe that happened. The light at the end of the tunnel for the Nets isnât going to be all that bright until after next season, when their rebuild can finally begin in earnest. In the meantime, enjoy DâAngelo and Jeremy Lin!
13. Atlanta Hawks. I learned recently that Dennis Schroder is a huge douche and his teammates really donât like him at all. A teamâs best player being an asshole isnât a big deal when the player is a legit stud. When itâs Dennis Schroder, thatâs less than ideal. The Hawks have some decently fun guys to watch in Schroder, Kent Bazemore, Taurean Prince and incoming rookie John Collins (pride of Wake Forest). I donât really see it translating to a whole lot of wins, though. This feels like a transitional year for them, and Iâm not sure if coach Mike Budenholzer is the kind of guy whoâd want to stick around for a full rebuilding project. I canât for the life of me find any information on his contract, so it wonât be surprising if he bails after this season, and the Hawks sink into full tank-mode.Â
12. New York Knicks. Well, they got rid of Carmelo. The return wasnât all that great (thatâs putting it kindly), but itâs tough to argue that it was the wrong move. Now, the team can focus on developing Kristaps Porzingis into a superstar, and trying to build around him. The Knicks definitely arenât going to be a GOOD team, but with Kristaps doing Kristaps things, Michael Beasley doing Michael Beasley things, Willy Hernangomez hustling like a madman, and Tim Hardaway Jr. possibly attempting 10 threes a game, they wonât be a total drag to watch.Â
11. Indiana Pacers. I love Myles Turner as much as almost anyone, but heâs not enough to carry a winning team by himself quite yet. Victor Oladipo is a fine running mate, and I think heâll have his best year to date. With Darren Collison and Cory Joseph both on the roster, the Pacers are assured of having a competent, unspectacular general on the floor at all times. I think the Pacers have enough to keep from completely bottoming out, but this still looks like a lottery team.
10. Philadelphia 76ers. Thereâs not a team in the league with as wide a range of possible outcomes as the Sixers. There are so many âifsâ here. IF Embiid plays 65+ games, and IF Ben Simmons hits the ground running, and IF Markelle Fultz is ready to play, this team could sneak into one of the final playoff spots in the East. On the other hand, IF Embiid has a health setback and another lost year, and IF Ben Simmons is still too raw to count on, and IF Markelle Fultzâs terrible jumper totally undermines his other qualities, the Sixers could find themselves dangerously close to the Nets and Bulls at the bottom of the conference. I think the Sixers will be one of the most fun teams in the league to watch this year, but they wonât coalesce enough to make a legit run at the playoffs until next season.
9. Charlotte Hornets. Truth be told, there really isnât much of a difference between the Hornets, Pistons, and Magic. The Hornets losing Nic Batum to injury is a bummer, as this is a team that can ill-afford to lose a playmaker. They brought in Dwight Howard, and if the early reports are to be believed, heâs as healthy as heâs been in awhile, and heâs feeling rejuvenated. It remains to be seen how long the honeymoon period will last for him in Charlotte. The Hornets are well-coached and they have several good defenders. Kemba Walker is a legit star and has shown the ability to drag his team to the playoffs in the past. I also really liked their drafting of Malik Monk. Add it all up, and the Hornets arenât a top-tier franchise, but theyâre far from a smoldering trainwreck. Iâm not great with compliments.
8. Detroit Pistons. I might be one of the few people remaining on the Andre Drummond bandwagon. I still think he has it in him to be an absolute force defensively, and I hope he makes a leap this season. Bringing in Avery Bradley gives them some more shooting and further fortifies their defense. By surrounding a rim-wrecking big man with shooters, itâs pretty clear Stan Van Gundy is trying to recapture the glory of his Orlando days. If he can get something useful in return for Reggie Jackson, and if Stanley Johnson progresses enough to be a legit rotation player, the Pistons may very well have a stew going.Â
7. Orlando Magic. I really like a lot of the Magic players individually, but theyâve had issues fitting together in recent seasons. I think things will be different this year. Aaron Gordon is primed to take a step forward and become an All-Star, and Elfrid Payton has the skill to be a very good PG, especially defensively. Evan Fournier and Terrance Ross can both score in bunches from beyond the three-point line. The organization seems to dislike Nic Vucevic, but heâs a good player. Heâll either be productive for the Magic, or theyâll finally find a trade they like and bring in someone who fits what they want to do. 6Ⲡ10âł rookie Jonathan Isaac was one of the picks at the draft that made the analysts ooh and ahh, so I guess thatâs a good thing.Â
6. Toronto Raptors. The Raptors are a pretty good team. They have two All-Star caliber players in Lowry and DeRozan, and Serge Ibaka is a perfectly decent third wheel. With that said, it feels to me like theyâve gone about as far as they can go. Most likely, theyâll chug through the season similar to the way they have the last couple of years, and proceed to bow out early in the playoffs. However, it wouldnât surprise me if they get off to a slow start and decide to fire Coach Dwane Casey. After that, things could really spiral out of control, and DeRozan or Lowry could end up being traded.Â
5. Miami Heat. I love Erik Spoelstra, and this roster is tailor-made for a coach to go buckwild trying to cause matchup problems for the opponent. They have an elite rim-protector in Hassan Whiteside, an upper-echelon point guard in Goran Dragic, and a slew of very good role players. Thereâs size and athleticism up and down the roster. They can go small, they can go big, they can load up with perimeter shooting, they have Peak Dion Waiters, and they brought in Kelly Damn Olynyk. This team as constituted is a blast. The only thing keeping them from legitimate contention is their lack of a go-to superstar. Pat Riley has proven rather adept at securing the services of players like that, but they donât have any young guys that are obvious trade pieces, and theyâre devoid of draft picks for 2018, so odds of an in-season deal are pretty slim.
4. Washington Wizards. I consider myself to be a reasonably WizWoke guy, but much like the Raptors, this feels like a team thatâs reached itâs ceiling. The difference between the Wiz and the Raptors is that while Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka have caused locker room issues in the past, John Wall and Brad Beal seem to be more measured and mature guys, their own rocky relationship notwithstanding. I donât see the potential for their locker room to implode the way I do with Toronto. Barring major injuries, this is a team that should coast to home court in the first round of the playoffs. Wall and Beal are a spectacular backcourt, and Otto Porter has improved every year heâs been in the league. Marcin Gortat is steady, but his style of play is rapidly becoming a liability in todayâs NBA. Theyâre an athletic rim-protector away from taking another step forward, and unfortunately those arenât all that easy to acquire. Also, Markieff Morris is a total piece of shit.
3. Cleveland Cavaliers. Just to be perfectly clear, Iâm not saying the Cavs are the third best team in the East. Iâm saying theyâll finish with the third-best regular season record. Isaiah Thomas, Derrick Rose, and Dwyane Wade are going to miss a ton of games. LeBronâs only objective is winning a title, and if he thinks resting during the season will improve his chances, heâs gonna sit some, as well. They arenât going to care about gunning for a #1 seed, because they know they can beat anyone in the East without it. There will probably be a little bit of a feeling out process at the beginning of the year, but this is a veteran-laden roster and it should go smoothly. Thereâs a faint whiff of danger here, with Isaiah Thomasâ uncertain health, and the cloud of LeBron possibly bolting after the season hanging over everything. I donât THINK things will take a nasty turn for them, but if they did it would be delightful from an entertainment perspective.Â
2. Milwaukee Bucks. I am ALL IN on the Bucks. The term âposition-less basketballâ has become en vogue recently, and the Bucks are perfectly suited for it. They are flush with young, athletic, lengthy defenders. Half the battle in todayâs NBA is trying to force defenders to switch assignments until you end up with a matchup you can take advantage of. Well, the Bucks have a boatload of guys who can reasonably guard every position on the floor. Theyâre going to be a nightmare to play against.Â
In addition to their defensive capabilities, they have motherfuckinâ Giannis Antetokounmpo. Heâs a superhuman. I think this is the year he vaults into superduperstardom, and heâs a legit MVP candidate. The Bucks figure to get Jabari Parker back sometime around the All-Star break, and if he can pick up where he left off, itâll give them a massive boost offensively. Jabari was averaging over 20 PPG and shooting over 36% from three before he went down.
I think the Bucks will keep the pedal to the metal all season long as they announce their presence as a legit team, and as a result the wins will pile up. They are young and hungry, and will enjoy the hell out of wrecking people. The main thing keeping me from vaulting them all the way to the top spot, and giving them serious consideration to make the Finals, is the fact that theyâre coached by Jason Kidd. I have no idea if heâs a good coach or not. He does completely inexplicable things all the time, but then heâll counteract that by pushing all of the right buttons for a few games in a row. Much like the rest of the Bucks, thereâs room for him to take the next step forward and become one of the leagueâs best.Â
1. Boston Celtics. I swear this isnât me being a homer. The Celtics are loaded and they have a very good coach. Itâll likely take them a bit to figure out how to play together, but once they get the hang of things, theyâre gonna be really good. Basically everyone has a Celtics-Cavaliers Eastern Conference Finals set in stone at this point. But, whereas the Cavs have the kind of well-earned confidence that allows them to not give a ratâs ass about the regular season and homecourt advantage, the Celtics arenât there yet. I think getting homecourt for a potential playoff showdown with the Cavs is really important to them, and as a result they wonât let up during the season. Even if Kyrie Irving does miss games, as heâs wont to do, the roster is deep enough that they should still be able to hang with most teams even without him. When you have a team with this amount of talent trying to win as many games as possible, playing in a weak conference, theyâre gonna put up a enough Ws to lock up a #1 seed.
Whew! Thatâs it for the East, be sure to come back next time for my thoroughly uninformed opinions on the West!
1 note
¡
View note
Text
No space
16. things you said with no space between us.
a prompt for my bf @knightlnred w his oc Nikola and Samson!
The smell of blood and body odour came from both Nikola and Samson. When Nikola got closer to Samson his nose scrunched up, laughing a bit which earnt a confused look from Samson. âWhatâre you laughing at, brat?â He teased as he set his weapon down on the forest ground and begun to remove his gauntlets.
âYou smell like a dirty arse.â
Samson rolled his eyes. âLike youâre any better, princey.â He responded witfully, dropping the rest of his armor to the ground. It was as if he didnât care about the black steel with red colored lyrium sticking out that protected him. Nikola was more confused as to why he was getting undressed. âUh.. Love? Youâre getting undressed? In the middle of a damn forest?â Nikola affirmed with a squeaky, concerned tone.
The former addict made a sound confirming Nikolaâs affirmation. âI smell like Fereldan dog shit and blood, Iâm gonna try and wash that shit off in the lake. You coming or gonna continue smelling like shit?â
âBathingâŚ.in a riverâŚâ
âYes.â
The young prince shrugged. He had done crazier things, had seen crazier things, bathing in a river was at the very bottom of the list. He undid his armor and placed the pieces and his large, sharp sword on the forest floor near Samson and looked around, making sure there were no⌠peeping toms. As if Samson heard his non verbal worries. âNobodyâs watchinâ, except me.â Samson teased then laughed loudly afterwards, earning a glare from Nikola who hurried into the water, splashing some of the cold river water at Samson, who shrieked way louder then Nikola had ever heard.
Nikola held back a laugh. âIâm sensitive to the cold you twat.â
âIs that the new name for me now?â Nikola teased as he swam over to Samson grabbing his hand so he couldnât escape. âNot the best choice but youâre getting closer.â Samson didnât entertain with a verbal response, just a shake of his head and wrapping his arm around him, pulling him closer so their chests were right against each other. The prince grinned, then decided to lay his head against Samsonâs chest. An action he had done probably dozens and dozens of times, and it soothed him every time.
Samson rested his head on top of Nikolaâs, placing a small quick kiss on his forehead and allowed his lips to linger in the princeâs thick dark hair. âWe arenât exactly getting much bathing done.â Nikola joked, earning a âmhmâ from Samson.
âThis is nicer.â He admitted quietly. It was nice, definitely. The cold water no longer was cold to them as their bodies had grown used to the temperature. The sound of the careful whisps of wind running through the trees were soothing, their calm, slow breaths soothing the other one. âWould this⌠be a bad time to be mushy?â
âItâs never a terrible time to be mushy.â
The former templar chuckled, running his hand up and down Nikolaâs back in a gentle, soothing motion. âIâm not.. good with words, you know that.â
âYou did say you smelt like Fereldan dog shit, so no, I wouldnât say your vocabulary is at an expert peak.â Samson snorted. Not something he could deny, obviously.
âI just⌠wanna know I appreciate ya, a lot. Youâve saved my ass many times since Kirkwall and I donât know why youâre with me-â Nikola brought his head up and brought his hand to Samsonâs mouth, covering it so it prevented him from speaking. âIâm with you because you have made mistakes, and youâve done whatever you can to try and make things better. You have a heart kinder then the gods who placed us together.â
âNow you have the way with words.â
âOnly for you, Samson.â The warm tone and words made Samson burst with affection, something that had rarely happened and was for Nikola and for him only. He tightened his grip on Nikola, making sure he wouldnât leave. They wouldnât be separated again, I wouldnât allow it.
âThank you⌠for being you, and loving me..â He mumbled, voice barely over a whisper, for only the two of them to hear. The words and their love would remain pure, untouched from the cruel world. And they would thank the gods everyday for that.
#dragon age#dragon age fanfiction#dragon age inquisition#dragon age oc#raleigh samson#samson#bloodyfruits;writing
7 notes
¡
View notes
Text
#gallery-0-5 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-5 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 16%; } #gallery-0-5 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-5 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */
Itâs heeeeere! The eighth comics anthology from Oneshi Press is all about trauma, redemption, and healing. And itâs got eight new pages from the graphic novel by Lynsey G. and Jayel Draco about ME! These pages are really special. They show my BFF Nikolaâs backstory for the first time! And, on top of that, they show the moment I decided to change my adult filmmaking work from just a money-maker into a passion project. I decided to heal my wounds and my pal Nikolaâs by taking back the powerâŚwith my vagina. The new anthologyâwith these eight pages and 13 other short comics from two dozen indie creatorsâis out in limited-edition trade paperback now! And the digital version is coming soon!
About the Healing Anthology
Wrapped in a beautiful cover by James Groeling, the Healing Anthology starts with PJ Harperâs multi-character introduction thatâs totes adorable.
Then, itâs V2.3 of the epic graphic novel from Lynsey G. and Jayel Draco, Tracy Queen! At last, readers will learn about Nikola the racoonâs past, how he got so damn good at electronics, and how he deals with his trauma. You wonât want to miss this reveal!
Next, itâs on to âKreepyâ Kevin Sheely and Desiree Kingâs âFinn: Guardian of the Five Gates.â Follow a teen rocker into a realm where the mistakes of her parents mean only she can save the worldâŚagain. UGH!
And then, Grivante and Samir SimĂŁoâs Zee Brothers face their fears! They set off to help a homeowner with a zombie infestation in âThe Case of the Zombie Omelet,â Part 2. Lol, these guys are too much!
Float into a beautiful meditation about dissociation and identity in the haunting short comic âFar Awayâ from Jacey Chase. I canât tell even tell you how much this story made me reflect, cry, and smile.
And explore friendshipâs healing powers, whether real or imaginary. Dive into AJ O. Mason and Luca Cicognolaâs âMy Giant Strange Friend.â This one really gets to me. Itâs got powerful healing energy, folks.
Next, discover a redemptive graphic novel that transforms a chicken wrestler into a savior. Itâs the introduction to Jayel Dracoââs âMr. Guy: Zombie Hunterâ! This story is so gonzo, even Iâm kind of impressed. This is, by the way, also Nikolaâs favorite comic, so⌠I guess he has okay taste!
Totally blown away that thereâs much awesome in one anthology?
Well holy crap thereâs more!
Next, journey into a supportive yet dangerous adventure with a polyamorous trio! The first half of âDetourâ from Allison Bannister and Tom OâBrien is a refreshing new look at fantasy. Hooray for queer, trans, poly feats of courage and daring! I love this story!
Enter a world where medicine, addiction, and blood have become complicated bedfellows. âZiegler Box, Part 1â hails from Chaka Brown Freeman, Vicente AlcĂĄzar, Greg Gallagher, and Nouri Zander. This art is SOOOO freaking gorgeous, folks.
Up next, return to Children of Gaia with Peter Lampasona and D.L. Johnson. âCarrying Ironâ offers our first glimpse into the realm of TerraâŚand its shady underworld. I totally dig this dark story from a whole new part of the Children of Gaia universe. Talk about healing through redemptionâŚwow.
Then, Oneshi Press debuts its Poets and Artists series! Jenny Williamsonâs haunting poem about grief and survival, âLungs and the Ghosts of Lungs,â becomes sequential art by Libby Bacon. This piece made me cry, but in a good way⌠I think? Youâll have to read it see if it does the same to you. Thereâs trauma and healing out the wazoo here.
Follow that up with a badass female superhero who realizes that trauma doesnât have a quick fix. âA Tale of Good Intentionsâ is an unsettling short comic from Patricia Loupee and Amy Hay. I love butt-kicking women!
Next, a comic Iâm suuuuuper psyched for! âQuantum 1.1â finds a Northern Cheyenne woman grappling with a missing sister and newfound superpowers all at once. Lenny Peppers and James Mason team up to deliver this first installment of a new indigenous superhero comic that Iâm so excited to read!
Finally, begin the third arc of Lynsey G. and Jayel Dracoâs PACK. Here, the gentrification of these stray vigilantesâ mean streets has begun⌠And hot masked crime-fighter Patience is having none of that shit.
Look, these pages are packed with art and comics, pleasure and pain, healing and redemption. Theyâre gorgeous, immersive, and progressive. And I hope youâll find a bit of your own healing inside!
The limited-edition trade paperback is out now from Oneshi Press!
Subscribers at the Oneshi Press Patreon get everything when itâs releasedâincluding new Tracy Queen art, comics, and more!
Are you into Tracy Queen? Then sign up for the Oneshi Press newsletter and never miss a thing!
8 New Pages of My Story in the Healing AnthologyâOut Now! It's heeeeere! The eighth comics anthology from Oneshi Press is all about trauma, redemption, and healing. And it's got eight new pages from the graphic novel by Lynsey G.
#aj o. mason#allison bannister#amy hay#backstory#carrying iron#chaka brown freeman#children of gaia#comics anthology#comics collection#d.l. johnson#desiree king#greg gallagher#grivante#healing#indie comics#jacey chase#james c. mason#james groeling#Jayel Draco#jenny williamson#kevin sheely#lenny peppers#libby bacon#luca cicognola#Lynsey G#mr. guy#new pages#nightmist#nikola#nouri zander
0 notes