#coworker came in in a cast cause she punched a wall

[vaguelydownwards]

How did I, of all people, become a beacon of mental health at my workplace

[brooooswriting]

Can you write something about Melissa Barrera with a reader who’s shorter than her? :)

Yo shorty

Melissa Barrera x reader

You Met Melissa on the set of scream 6, you were her makeup artist and it was great. She was always very nice and polite, she was on time, didn’t stress you, wasn’t mad if something didn’t work out the first time and was always easy to talk to. You and her were a dream team all of the people you work with always told you which made both of you blush, but truth be told you were a great team. 90% of the time you were the first that were done, there was always laughter filling your trailer and you barely needed a second try on anything by now.

At some point your relationship with Melissa turned into more of a friendship, while everybody else had conversations about the set you were talking about your love life, her family and friends, just everything to the point where your colleagues started shipping you two.

Funny thing though, you have never been with Melissa when she was standing, she already sat in your Trailer when you came back with the makeup you needed and you often left the trailer before her. And due to her full schedule you had never met outside of set, even though that was planned.

The first time was when your co worker had a doctors appointment later that day so you had to change shifts, she would do her make up in the morning and you’d stay on set for fixes during the scene.

It seemed like nobody notified Melissa as she was utterly confused why nobody came running in way too late and hugging her sitting figure as a ‘hello’ and a ‘sorry for the delay’. “where’s y/n?” She asked as she sat down, ready to get her make up done. “We had to switch shifts, but hello to you too” anna, your coworker, grinned as she started with the foundation. “Oh you know I didn’t mean it like that” the brunette joked, sad that she didn’t see you in the morning.

She first saw you that day when you were coming on set, running again because you were late, crushing into her as a hello, your normal greeting by now. Except that this time Melissa didn’t have to look up to you, no she had to crane her neck to look down at you. About 20 cm under her line of eye, were you standing hugging her waist. She knew that you’d be smaller than her but she never thought that you were that small. Her arms wrapped around your shoulder nonetheless, she was slightly giggling while the rest of the cast was awing. “What are you laughing about?” You asked when you finally parted, “nothing, just your lateness” she lied, she didn’t want to point out the obvious. “Very funny” you grumbled as you pulled out a brush with fake blood on it to fix her forehead, the only problem was that even when you stretched your arm you couldn’t quiet touch her forehead the right way to fix the makeup. Jasmin immediately laughed out loud, Mason awed again while Jenna looked at you like she could relate.

This time Melissa wasn’t just giggling she was full on laughing, “want me to bend down?” She grinned at you making you roll your eyes. “Well you can bend down or I can punch you in the stomach so you have to bend over in pain” you deadpanned, Jenna smiling proudly. “Uhh, you got a feisty one Mel” Jasmin laughed again, you turned your head and raised an eyebrow at her which made her shut up and take a step back. “Let’s do my makeup over there” she grabbed your hand and pulled you behind a wall, sitting down on a chair which gave you better access to her face. “It’s cute that you’re so small” she muttered out, it wasn’t uncommon for her to flirt with her but you still blushed and mumbled a quick ‘thanks’ to her. When you pulled the brush away her hands grabbed your small waist, pulling you closer to the point where you sat on her lap, this was new. “Let me take you on a date” she spoke out causing you to freeze, the fact that you didn’t answer made her keep talking, “come on, we’ve been flirting the whole time and I promise I’ll treat you right, I’ll spoil you, love you and I’ll defend you when somebody makes fun of your height” you couldn’t help but laugh out at the last part. “Wouldn’t that be unprofessional?” You asked scared that this might get you fired, “it’s fine, I’ll talk to the producers alright? So can I pick you up tonight?” Your faces was tomato red and you didn’t trust your voice so you only nodded causing her to smile. “I’ll be there at 8”

Your first date was great, you got something to eat and just talked. After that followed 5 dates in the next 5 days, you couldn’t stop seeing each other. Both of you had wanted this since you started filming, you still decided to keep it on the low and not tell anybody right away. At least until your 7th date.

You slept over at Melissa’s, you had drunken a bit and she didn’t want you to drive so you decided to stay, being the gentlewomen she is she wanted to sleep on the couch but after a short discussion you shared the bed. She was nervous, which was pretty cute to you, you had to grab her arm and wrap it around your waist to indicate that cuddling was fine. That night you spent in her arms as the little spoon, due to the cold weather her body heat warmed you perfectly, especially because her body engulfed yours nearly completely.

The only problem was that you forgot to set your own alarm, you woke up to the actress’s alarm. “Mhm, turn that off” she grumbled into your neck her arms pulling you closer by the waist, you stretched your arm out to stop the alarm until you saw the time. “Fuck” you yelled out and jumped out of bed, “what’s wrong?” She asked quickly sitting up too, “it’s 5 am, I have to be there in 30 minutes, we have a conference today” you explained doing the math in your head, there was no way that you would have time to get home and get dressed and you couldn’t wear the dress you wore yesterday for the date, it was way to revealing for work. “It will be fine, you can wear some of mine cloths” she said, standing up and opening her closet. “Everything will be way to big on me” you pouted but it was your last option any way.

So Melissa found a pair of boyfriend jeans that were too short for her and you put on a hoodie from her and your chucks. You looked okay, but you felt awesome as the cloths smelled like her. “I gotta go, I’ll see you at 6 am right?” She nodded as she gave you a to go cup with coffee in it. “Alright, see ya later” you said and stood in your tippy toes signaling her that you wanted a goodbye kiss. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to your lips while her hand rested on your waist, squeezing lightly. After a couple more kisses you finally parted.

You ran towards the conference room at 5:32 am, you were late but at least it was only 5 minutes. “Sorry, lots of traffic” you said as you speed walked towards your seat. “Aren’t those cloths way to big for you?” Anna who sat next to you mumbled out. “No, I ordered oversized ones” you lied keeping your eyes on the producer. Your coworker decided to let it slide this time turning back towards the producer.

When you walked out of the meeting it was 5:55am, “well, I’m gonna go get Mel ready” you said and walked to the trailer where Jasmin and your date already sat. “Nice cloths y/n” Jasmin called after you making you blush, “thanks, they’re new” you lied taking some makeup out of the shelf’s. “Really? I didn’t know they sold hoodies with the writing ‘Barrera’ on it” she laughed causing you to blush and for the first time you looked down and saw her name written on it. “You guys are so cute, but chill I won’t tell a soul” she added and you thanked her before walking to Melissa who was trying to stop laughing.

“You ass! You gave me that hoodie! You knew that your name was on it!” You hit her shoulder making her laugh even more, “well it’s cute” she only said before kissing you softly. “Shut up and turn so I can do your hair” you grumbled out.

“I gotta ask you something” Melissa spoke up as you sat on her couch watching football, “shoot” you mumbled turning your head away from the TV in front of you. “Well, you know that the premier of my new movie is gonna be soon right?” She asked and you nodded, “yes, I can do your make up” you laughed and kissed her cheek but she only shook her head. “No, I want you to come with me… as my girlfriend” she said. You stopped in shock only starring at her. “Your…girlfriend?” You repeated and she nodded. A smile formed on your face, and you threw yourself onto her lap kissing her as a ‘yes’.

Two weeks later you stood on the red carpet with her, her arm mostly resting on your head as a armrest making the others laugh while you grumbled. When the pictures turned serious she hugged you from behind, her arms around your waist and your head tucked under hers. “I love you shorty” she mumbled into your hair. You turned around and kissed her with your hands on her neck, “I love you too you asshole” you mumbled before turning back.

[animetrashlord-007]

AOT ~ Revenge

Word Count;; 1.7k

Genre;; Suggestive

Pairing;; Reiner x Bertholdt

Notes;; Published: 2017-07-10

My Masterlist

AOT Week Masterpost

   It had started as an accident but soon escalated into a war. The small event was blown out of proportion and the once happy household was thrown into chaos. Terror lurked around every corner. Neither knew when the other would strike. They were on edge, every creak and moan sending shivers up their spines. It was only a matter of time before the next assault was launched. Both were out for revenge.

   Neither Reiner nor Bertholdt remembered who was at fault for the first blow. Reiner played the victim, however, and accused Bertholdt of targeting him whenever he was vulnerable. His moment of vulnerability being when he was naked in the shower. The water would fluctuate between ice cold to scalding hot every few seconds thanks to the laundry machine running at the same time. Reiner claimed that the brunet was well aware of his actions and their consequences, hence why he believed his own reaction was justified.

   Bertholdt hadn't suspected it. He didn't realise just how upset Reiner was over the water temperature problem. It had been an accident, after all. He had already forgotten about it the next day when he stumbled into the kitchen, his eyes blurry and moist from lack of sleep. He was too tired to notice the thicker granules within the sugar jar as he poured some into his morning coffee. Stirring in what he assumed was an abundance of sugar, he took a large gulp. Bertholdt thought of himself as a kind, forgiving man, but that was only after he had his caffeine fix. Without it, he was more than willing to swoop down to Reiner’s level.

   Reiner, still in bed and waiting for confirmation that his plan had worked, smirked when he heard Bertholdt scream. He had switched the sugar with salt, knowing full well that the brunet was like a zombie in the morning and wouldn't notice the small change. One of the perks of living with someone for so long was learning their routine. Bertholdt needed the hot beverage or he couldn't function - that was a fact of life. He was also running late to work on this beautiful Monday morning and had no time to find where the real sugar was hidden. With a sense of pride, Reiner rolled over and went back to sleep. Little did he know, Bertholdt wasn't backing down from this challenge. His retaliation already awaited the blond.

   Reiner strutted into the kitchen after his shower. He was grateful that Bertholdt had left early today so he didn't have to worry about any problems with the water. He wasn't grateful, though, for the mess left on the counter after his little prank. There was coffee spilled all over, some even leaking onto the ground with a soft patter. Reiner rolled his eyes and ignored it. Grabbing a pan, some eggs, and vegetables, he set to work on his breakfast. Twenty minutes passed in silence. He slid his omelette onto a red dinner plate. Pulling the tomato sauce out of the fridge, he squeezed the bottle and gasped. The lid popped off and landed in his food as the majority of the container emptied out onto his plate. Sauce splattered onto the counter, mixing in with the coffee, as well as onto his shirt. Although he changed his attire soon after, grumbling the entire time, he noticed a red stain on his fresh white shirt once he arrived at work. He chuckled, the sound low and menacing enough to scare his coworkers, as he plotted his next move. Two can play this game, after all.

   Suspicions were high when Reiner came home. He didn't say a word to his boyfriend who was sitting on the couch with a slice of pizza. He didn't even spare a glance in his direction or visit the kitchen to fetch his dinner. The blond went straight to their shared bedroom and hopped into bed. Bertholdt hoped he wasn’t too bitter about the childish prank from earlier and just needed some rest after a long day. He knew Reiner well enough to know that wasn't the case. Soon he would find himself ensnared beyond escape within their petty battle. There was no sensible end in sight. They were at war now.

   The next attack came at the end of the week. Bertholdt forgot his phone at home and Reiner didn't hesitate to play the dutiful and doting boyfriend, travelling into the heart of the city to give it to the brunet. Timing his arrival to coincide with the start of a meeting, he returned the device he had hid a few hours prior. Bertholdt said his thanks, giving Reiner a swift kiss before darting inside the conference room. Reiner wore a grin the entire distance to the subway. The other male had let his guard down and now Reiner was ready to strike.

   “I- I don't know what this is, I'm so sorry,” Bertholdt murmured, his cheeks flaming as he fumbled to silence his phone.

   The entire room was staring at him now. Some had amused grins, some suffered from secondhand embarrassment, but most shot daggers at the anxious brunet as he struggled to unlock the device. “Never Gonna Give You Up” echoed throughout the entire room. Bertholdt didn't even know his phone could play this loud as he always kept it on silent. Taking a moment to calm his nerves, he found the volume keys and at last silence filled the room. His entire body burned with embarrassment as he looked up at the people sitting around him. One of the couple’s mutual friends, Annie, rolled her eyes. He cursed his boyfriend and his sneaky trick under his breath.

   Once the meeting was over, Bertholdt bolted out of the room. Running to his desk, he clocked out for lunch and headed for the elevators. He needed to have a serious word with Reiner. Searching his contact list, he almost cried out in frustration. Had he not been in a very crowded lift, he might have punched the wall. Every single one of his contacts had been renamed to Rick Astley and their photo changed to match. His text message and call history had been erased to boot. Dependent on technology, he had no clue what anyone's numbers were. He had no idea how to contact Reiner but he sure as hell had an idea on how to repay this lovely gesture.

   A few days passed without incident. Even so, every day was torture as anticipation gnawed at Reiner. Whenever he opened a cupboard or entered a room, he double checked it for traps. He couldn't relax in the shower. Not even in his bedroom did he feel safe. His nights were restless. So when Bertholdt told him he had the day off, Reiner knew a prank was fast approaching. Unsure of what his partner could have conjured up, he went to work and tried to put aside his burning curiosity and mild trepidation.

   Annie offered no consolation, either. He had called to check up on how Bertholdt was doing in the office as of late (and to weasel information out of her). She told him to grow up and that she wanted nothing to do with their game, but she also accepted his earlier invitation to dinner and that she'd see him later tonight. They ended up meeting in the subway before walking the rest of the distance to his apartment. Even though he spent the entire trip calming his nerves, he wasn't prepared for the final assault. Opening the door with Annie by his side, Reiner took a step inside the apartment and caterwauled as the fine particles poured down from the ceiling. Annie, who was known for her neutrality that bordered on indifference, followed suite with her own infuriated bellow.

   “What the actual fuck is this?” She screeched, trembling in anger as she gazed down at the glitter covering her entire body.

   “A-Annie!” Bertholdt gasped, jumping out of his seat, “I didn't know you were coming!”

   “Enough is enough already, you idiots!”

   “I’m sorry, Annie,” Reiner sighed while he rubbed his temples.

   “I can't believe you dragged me into this mess,” she snapped, smacking Reiner across the arm. “If you don't have this shit sorted by the next time I visit, I'll kick both of your arses.”

   Turning on her heels, she stormed out of the apartment complex, leaving a trail of glitter in her wake. The two males stared after her, unwilling to face each other. Their prank war had gotten out of hand and they both knew it. It had gone on for too long; it was time to end it and make up. Neither wanted to be the one to admit fault, though, and they weren't sure how to move past the events of the last few weeks. After several awkward minutes, Bertholdt cast aside his pride and spoke up.

   “Reiner…”

   Bertholdt glanced at the colourful mess known as his boyfriend and the love of his life. To his surprise, Reiner grinned at him. Throwing his irritation and pettiness away, the blond crossed over to the couch. He wanted his boyfriend back. Reiner pulled the taller man down into an embrace. Bertholdt squeaked when he noticed glitter transferring onto his clothes and skin. Reiner laughed and pinched the brunet’s cheeks, causing Bertholdt to blush.

   “I've missed you, Bert. Your touch, your scent, your body, your smile. I'm tired of being near you without having you. I want you by my side, not just in body, but in heart and soul as well. I want all of you again. I want our early morning talks and our late night cuddling back. I need your warmth. I love you and I miss you and I can't stand not being here with you like this,” Reiner murmured before pulling Bertholdt into a kiss.

   “I've missed you too, Reiner,” his words transformed into a moan as the blond captured his bottom lip between his teeth and gave it a light tug. Bertholdt ran his hands down Reiner’s back, fingers resting on his ass before giving it a light squeeze. The action spurring him forward, Reiner pushed Bertholdt onto the couch before removing his own shirt. He unbuckled his belt and tossed it aside, his pants loosening enough to hang off his hips. Reiner then unbuttoned his pants and allowed them to fall to the floor. His boxers clung to his body, his own arousal growing when he noticed the tent in his boyfriend’s trousers.

   “I know I've been a big dick lately, but can you find it within yourself to forgive me?”

   Bertholdt chuckled, beckoning Reiner forward with his finger, “As if I can say no when I have this amazing view.”

[saventhhaven]

Only You - Chapter 2

Title: Calm Before the Storm

Summary: When a man who left the reader six years ago suddenly reappears on her doorstep, she does everything she can to stop herself from falling in love with him all over again. Little does she know that his seemingly brief return will open an entirely new chapter for both of them.

Only You Masterlist

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Word Count: 2,100

You wandered over to one of the cots in the hospital's break room. The smart thing to do would be to try and get some rest, but how could you? You couldn't wipe the boy's hollow, expressionless face from your mind. You had watched the light leave his eyes. He was only 19, and he was gone. Leaning forward on your knees, you buried your face in your hands, tears rushing to your eyes. You had never lost anyone on your table before now. This boy had his entire life ahead of him, and you were the reason he wouldn't get to live it. The door swung open with a familiar squeak, and the cot sunk down a little lower as someone sat next to you, wrapping an arm around your shoulders. Face still hidden by your hands, you glanced over to see Linda, one of your coworkers, at your side.

"This isn't your fault," she said, rubbing your back soothingly.

"You did everything you could, Y/N." Your other coworker, Geoff, was leaning against the doorframe, his lips set in a grim line.

"I could have done something different," you cried. "If I had worked a little faster, maybe I could've-"

"Y/N, you can't do that to yourself," Linda said firmly. "I was right next to you in the OR. Geoff was, too. We saw how hard you worked to save him." You knew Linda and Geoff wouldn't lie to you. You had been working at their side for three years now, and you had an ongoing deal. As the heads of trauma surgery, it was important to point out and realize mistakes when something went wrong so you could do it better in the future. Thankfully, big mistakes like this didn't often happen, because, in this line of work, there wasn't much room for them.

"The paramedics in the ambulance said the internal bleeding started when the car hit him," Geoff added in. "You did a real kick-ass job in there trying to make sure he would live, but there was no way he was going to make it. By the time he got here, too much damage was already done." You shook your head. 

"I've never lost anyone before," you whispered. Geoff knelt down in front of you.

"But think of how many people you've saved in comparison. Yeah, it really, really sucks, but this isn't the last person you're going to lose. Sometimes people die on our tables, and that's not anyone's fault. I wish I could tell you this is something you'll forget, but I'll be straight with you: you're going to remember this for the rest of your life." You looked up at Geoff and noticed an immense sadness in his eyes. It wasn't hard to tell he was speaking from experience. Linda glared at him harshly.

"I don't think you're really helping much right now," she growled.

"Now," Geoff continued, ignoring her. "I know better than anyone this will take a long time to heal. But in the meantime, there are still people out there who need you. What really matters is how you're going to let this affect you in the long run. Are you going to pretend it didn't happen and try to avoid it? Or are you going to get back out there and save some more lives?" Sniffling, you nodded as you wiped away tears.

"We're here for you, Y/N," Linda promised. You opened your mouth to thank them, but a resonating wail from the hallway interrupted your train of thought. The three of you rushed from the break room to see a middle-aged woman sobbing uncontrollably on the floor. Her raven hair was lightly streaked with gray, and currently in a halo of crazed frizz around her face. You recognized this woman. She had been in the ambulance when the boy arrived.

"Oh no," you said quietly to Geoff. "Is that the mother?" He only replied with a somber nod. You forced your professional face back on and braced yourself as you crouched down next to the grieving woman. This wasn’t going to be easy. "Ma'am, I'm so sorry about your son," you tried regretfully. Linda placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"We did everything we could." The woman's piercing blue eyes snapped up to meet Linda's, scanned over to Geoff, and then turned to you.

"It was you three," she snarled. "You killed my only son! My only child! You killed my Emilio!" Her face contorted, and the sorrow filling her eyes was replaced with a fury unlike anything you had ever seen before. Alarmed by her sudden change in demeanor, you quickly stood, scrambling away. With an unnerving amount of strength, the grieving mother slammed you against the wall. As she leaned in closer, you could faintly hear Linda calling for security.

"Ma'am, you need to calm down!" Geoff exclaimed, reaching for her. Without turning around, the woman thrust a hand to the side, causing your coworker to go flying into the wall.

"Geoff!" you called out, concerned.

"Suffocetur!" When she spoke the Latin word, it came out in a hiss. The second she said it, all air was painfully forced from your lungs. The initial shock was replaced with panic as your lips began to tingle. You were suffocating. The moment security pulled the woman away from you, you could suddenly breathe again. You pressed a hand against your heart, which was hammering loudly in your chest as they dragged her away. "You'll pay for this!" She was screaming. "All of you will pay for this!"

You were expecting the heavy feeling of uneasiness to pass when you got home, but it didn't. Not even after locking the deadbolt and putting the chain into place. And although you lived on the fourth floor in your building, you still checked to make sure all of the windows were locked, too. You already knew what this woman was. You knew from the second she had tried to kill you in the hospital's hallway. Six years ago, when you were still waitressing your way through the last part of med school, you had helped the Winchesters hunt one. You were dealing with a witch. The dark magic she had performed on your body left you feeling exhausted, not to mention petrified. And what was worse, you had just stood there as she had attempted to take your life. Had security not intervened, you would likely be dead. An involuntary shiver ran down your spine as you remembered the woman's words again. You’ll pay for this. The only thing worse than a grieving mother was a vengeful grieving mother. And with her ability to cast a lethal spell with just a word, you knew you were toast. Though you were still unbelievably pissed at Dean for leaving you twice, both times without a goodbye or any sort of explanation, you wished you had his number. As much as you wanted him out of your life for good, you had to admit, it would be awfully nice to have a Winchester around right now.

The next few days went by in a blur. Whenever you weren't at work or at home sleeping, you were at the gym, taking out your troubles on a punching bag. You were exhausted. And even worse, you couldn't get your thoughts off of Dean again. Avoiding your emotions was proving to be more difficult than you had initially thought. You splashed cold water on your face from the bathroom sink. When you looked up at your reflection in the mirror, you cringed. With your eyes puffy from lack of sleep, and your cheeks practically hollowed, you looked like death warmed over. You could try to slap on some concealer, but it wouldn't do any good. You had been through this once before, years ago. You already knew despite how much makeup you piled on, the dark circles would never disappear entirely. And no matter how hard you tried to evade the prominent pain in your heart, you would have to face it eventually. You sighed. Your case was hopeless. When your cellphone vibrated loudly from the counter next to you, the number on the screen was one you immediately recognized as the hospital. You groaned. Yes, you were trying to keep busy, but would it kill anyone to give you a second to catch your breath?

"This is Y/N," you answered tiredly.

"Oh, thank God you picked up," Linda said, sounding panicked. Her tone had you fearing the worst, and your stomach twisted itself into knots.

"Linda, what's wrong?" You could hear others speaking in the background, and judging by their panicked tones, whatever was happening couldn't be good.

"It's Geoff," she sniffed tearfully. "Y/N, he's dead."

You got to the hospital in record time, rushing over to your coworker.

"What the hell happened?" you demanded. A haunted look filled Linda's eyes as she slowly shook her head.

"I-I," she stuttered, lip trembling with emotion. "Geoff was taking a quick break, and he'd been in there a while. I went to check on him, and he was dead!" You pulled her aside in hopes she would lower her voice. There was no doubt this was a hellish situation to be in, but it would only be worsened if the patients got wind of it.

"How did he die?" you asked quietly. Linda shook her head again.

"He burned to death. I've never seen anything like it."

"Burned to death?" you repeated, confused. She nodded.

"When I went in there, he was on the floor, and his skin was just... charred." You turned your attention back to the scene at the end of the hallway. More hospital staff emerged from the break room with a body bag, trailed by baffled-looking firemen and policemen.

"But that doesn't make any sense," you said, more to yourself than anything. "There obviously wasn't any other sort of fire, or the patients would have been evacuated."

"That's what I said," Linda agreed. "They're all saying it was just 'spontaneous combustion.'" Suddenly, a thought crossed your mind. 

"Linda, have you seen the woman from the other night in here?" you asked, quietly but urgently. She frowned.

"No. What does she have to do with anything?" You studied the fright in Linda's eyes, trying to decide what to say. If you told her of your suspicions, it would only scare her more. Not to mention, she would probably think you were criminally insane. Linda tugged anxiously on your arm.  "What is it? What's wrong?" No. It wasn't fair to tell her. She was already terrorized enough as is, and this wasn't her burden to carry.

"Nothing," you finally replied.

"Don't lie to me," she pleaded. "I see that look in your eyes. There's something going on, isn't there? Y/N, you always have an answer for everything. Please tell me you know what's going on. Or better yet, tell me I've lost my mind. Maybe all these late hours have finally driven me off the edge." You could barely keep up with how quickly she was speaking. At this point, she was beginning to sound crazed. You wanted so badly to tell her the truth, but you had no idea what you would even say. You tried to remember how the Winchesters broke the bad news to you all those years ago but drew a blank.

"Linda, I wish I could give you an answer. But I truly have no idea what is going on," you lied. Tears rushed to her eyes, and she clung on to you, more desperate than before.

"Y/N, I'm terrified," she whispered.

"I know," you acknowledged. "But right now, we have to keep calm. For the sake of our patients." You nodded down the hallway at patients peering out from their rooms curiously at the commotion. Linda followed your gaze and nodded with understanding. With both the firetruck and police cars out front, there would no doubt be news reporters here soon, and it was your job to keep the peace. Linda took a deep breath, seemingly regaining her composure.

"You're right," she agreed. "You're right." As you scanned the hallway once more, your heart stopped beating for a moment. The raven-haired woman was grinning at you with malevolence from an empty room. You opened your mouth to call out for security, but when you blinked, she was gone. Seeing her there only moments after Geoff's death only further confirmed what you already believed. That woman was a witch. Geoff's death was at her hands. And you were next.

Thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!

As always, links to my masterlist, taglist, and inbox (requests are open!) are in my bio!

Chapter 3 - Thirty Seconds

Taglist:

@cole-winchester @formulafun @greenarrowhead @alexwinchester23

[dougcook]

I wrote words and created sentences to review a game that came out months ago!

               “He will remember that.”

               Well, I goddamn hope so.

               I’ve never played a Telltale game before. I’ve heard they’re great. A lot of people talk about THE WALKING DEAD (Seasons 1 and 2), but I passed because I don’t much care for THE WALKING DEAD. It took me too long to realize GAME OF THRONES was a Telltale game and not a cheap tie-in, and by the time I did I learned the big ending and wasn’t particularly interested anymore. I’ve never played BORDERLANDS so TALES FROM THE BORDERLANDS was never really considered. I’m always intrigued by games that have a shifting plot based off of your choices – HEAVY RAIN got a shot years ago because of this, I fell in love with MASS EFFECT partially due to how skillfully it builds on your choices over three games [1], and I randomly took up LIFE IS STRANGE to see how they did it, even though it was an unknown to me.

               But I know Batman. And in the wake of an uncertain future for Batman video games following Rocksteady bowing out after ARKHAM KNIGHT, I was eager to try BATMAN: THE TELLTALE SERIES.

               Alright, so I’m not such a big gamer that I can talk about gameplay for long, and it’s not a huge factor for me. I mean, I need the gameplay to work and be fun, but beyond that there’s not a huge difference. And while I think there’s a lot BATMAN: THE TELLTALE SERIES has going for it that the Rocksteady games don’t, the gameplay is nowhere near as fun or engaging. The QuickTime event nature of its action makes them tedious to me, and anytime I had to move Bruce or Batman around is was mostly frustrating. And I despise the game forcing me to highlight circles when investigating things with the right joystick, it feels so damn awkward, like being asked to write with my non-dominant hand.

               Thankfully, the game’s real interest to me was its story, and how it developed behind my choices. And this is clearly Telltale’s bread and butter. There’s a lot of spoilery stuff to unpack here, so probably stop reading if you haven’t played and want to remain spoiler free. Or don’t. I don’t care, do what you want.

               So the game’s real strength is its use of Batman lore against the player. And it’s undoing as well. It starts off well enough, by introducing Oswald Cobblepot as a handsome, thin young man around Bruce’s age, and an international criminal. It takes a canon idea (the Cobblepots and Wayne’s as rival families, until the Cobblepots crumbled, leaving Oswald bitter), and takes it in a fresh direction of establishing Wayne’s equal and inversion in all ways. It’s fun!

               This even applies to the big thing I presume people being pissed about: Bruce learns that Thomas and Martha Wayne were in league with Carmine Falcone and corrupt Mayor Hill, and that specifically Thomas is the brutal evil mastermind, committing enemies to Arkham Asylum for petty reasons, such as Esther Cobblepot simply to gain her land for the construction of Wayne Tower. Guys what a great idea! By casting the shadow on the memory of Bruce’s parents, it forces the idea of Batman to be analyzed: why does Bruce do this then, if his memory of his parent’s morality was a lie? (This gets compounded when it comes out that Thomas and Martha’s deaths were a hit ordered by Hill, and not a random mugging). Where does Bruce’s moral code come from, and does it remain afterwards? This is, of course, not really a chance for Bruce Wayne to grapple with these thoughts, but a chance for us, the player, as we dictate what kind of a man Bruce/Batman is.

               This takes me back to a memory of a coworker and I discussing THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS. I really love the book, I do, but I’m not blind to the unfortunate fascistic implications of the book’s portrayal of Batman. He has power and takes more because only he can be trusted with, etc etc. My coworker didn’t see this as troubling – he’s Batman, he is the only person that can be trusted with power. He couldn’t see that, while the fictional character as written by a person is pure and always makes the right choice, that’s not a lesson we as people can take and use in our lives. Superheroes work best as Aesops, and too much Batman fiction gives into the power trip of the character. It comes from the base root of everything, this intrinsic idea: the trauma instilled Bruce with a hardline moral code that makes him incorruptible. BATMAN: THE TELLTALE SERIES forces us to reconcile how that moral code can remain intact when the cause is shown to be even more impure. I find it interesting so many players make choices as Batman that are more merciful when faced with this.

               It’s a shame the things we don’t control are borderline too much. Like the Rocksteady games, it’s a pretty tough sell that Batman doesn’t accidentally kill anyone with his roughness. Batarangs enter eyes; heads slam against walls. I want to applaud the game’s desire to show violence as brutal, I just don’t know if I have it in me to go through anymore crime scenes where people’s eyes are gouged out.

               Oh yeah, and the game seems to have an obsession with eyes. Batman gives Catwoman a black left eye after punching her; the lens on the goggle on that same eye is broken in the next episode, along with Batman’s left eye. Alfred’s glasses are found with the left lens broken, and he can possibly lose that eye by the end of the game [2]. Penguin at one point dons a…um, thingy that looks like a monocle, leaving his left eye open. Falcone is shot (oh yeah, he gets offed so much earlier than one would expect) with a shot to the left eye. So does Thomas Wayne when we finally get the required Wayne’s death scene. And of course, there’s the Harvey Dent scarring, a major part leaving his left eye uncovered, ala THE DARK KNIGHT [3]. The game’s central focus seems to be on secrets; everyone’s got ‘em, and nobody’s what they appear. Except Gordon. Fucker’s a rock in Batman fiction.

               The first three episodes of the game move at a breakneck pace, with things getting wilder until the third episode’s climax, which reveals you were being played the whole time by…Vikki Vale? Um, cool? It’s not that it breaks canon (I’ve shown a fondness for that so far), it’s not that it’s left field (it’s foreshadowed very well in retrospect), but…like, how the fuck does somebody become Gotham’s Lois Lane while secretly planning��huh, not super sure what her end goal was besides screwing with Bruce Wayne. The fourth and fifth episodes continue to fly by, with fun cameos [4], explosive moments, and some heartfelt scenes. But ultimately, the climax falls short due to Lady Arkham/Vikki Vale just…not being interesting. It works, story and theme wise, to fight her as Bruce Wayne, but it’s so muddled what motivates her and what she really wants. It’ so unclear she comes across more like throwing a tantrum. And to have an interesting version of the Penguin as her number two, and even a Two-Face who’s betrayal stings so much due to a strongly developed friendship with Bruce both playing second fiddle to Lady Arkham, well, it’s disappointing.

               The game starts strong, and ends with a bit of a dud. But its highs, man they’re really high. A quick-hit of amazing stuff in this games: Bruce throwing down the Batman cowl and yelling at Alfred, accusing him of lying about his parents; Bruce and Selina Kyle fight off Penguin’s goons in a bar to, well, jaunty bar music; Bruce pulling off the “I’m about to be caught as the other man in a love triangle so I’ll tip-toe away carrying my clothes to hide” move while carrying the friggin’ batsuit; Batman and Two-Face have a showdown in Wayne Manor; Bruce reassuring a despondent Alfred he’s not to blame for the game’s events.

               BATMAN: THE TELLTALE SERIES can delight and make you weep, but only when the villains aren’t around. Rating: 14 out of 17 Stolen Waynetech Grapplers

[1] – There’s a handful of series in fiction that are so tightly wound together that I never engage with a single installment out of context – I begin the series at its start and I go until it ends. HARRY POTTER, THE LORD OF THE RINGS films, and MASS EFFECT are the three examples I can name without hesitation. I’ve played through the three MASS EFFECT games straight three times. [2] – I confess, this didn’t happen in my play through, I simply read about it after. [3] – I consider it a true delight that I could’ve avoided Harvey getting scarred, but that’s another “armed with canon” moment for you. I assumed it was gonna happen, thus I was complicit. [4] – Let’s talk Joker down here briefly. I liked him, mostly, interpreted as like, that awkward, nerdy guy you knew in college with the weird sense of humor. His knowledge of everything Lady Arkham comes across as 80% “get out of jail free” card, but it does kinda fit. He’s…aight.