#edward crawford

[curiousb]

The Collins Family Album: Volume I

Back home in Merybury, winter has really set in.

With childlike joy, Edward is making the most of it - in his PJs.

He and Erasmus couldn't be happier, in their own little home.

There's just one thing missing - Erasmus really wants a kitten to complete the family!

They welcome little fuzzball Dave (previously a Martin) into their home.

Edward has never had a pet before, but he's even more smitten with their new friend than his fiancé!

Family dinnertime.

It's all very cosy and wholesome, with no drama to report at all - sorry! (Erasmus's casual infidelity seems to be well in the past...)

Edward in particular is thoroughly enjoying a carefree lifestyle. A bit of potting in the morning...

...followed by a midday bath, and time to play in the bathtub in the afternoon.

Grown-up Dave seems more of a serious customer.

But he enjoys chilling with Edward, while he does a little relaxed skilling in his bath towel.

[girlwithhat]

Oh, you know, just thinking about them:

And them:

And them:

And them:

And them:

Even them (just finished rereading all of ACD canon using the new annotated version):

Revisiting my love of these Victorian boyfriends/husbands/domestic partners/soulmates has helped me so much through these past few months 💖

Continuing on (slowly) to discover the other Holmes/Watson duos I haven't properly watched/listened to yet...

[bathappybat]

me trying to convince people to read and watch these adaptation of Sherlock Holmes

[cloveroctobers]

BODE LEONE — Spring Writings 🩵

A/N: Happy Fire Country Friday! It’s just me feeding the ghost town of a tag that was inspired by that last episode with a side of drama or triggers—i try my best to make spring writings more fluff based which you will get somewhere here. I want to say this takes place a year or two after this current season idk whatever makes sense lol. I know timelines are kinda confusing for this show so feel how you feel!

WARNINGS: strained parent and child relationship, established relationships, infidelity of other characters, mentions of abuse to minors, alluding to s*ic**e, PTSD, blood, lots of descriptions that I should be employed as a screenwriter for the show with the amount of detail I give but we can just pretend, also I’m assuming that Bode and Riley were at least two to three years apart whereas him and Jake are the same age? I think that’s about it enough!

PROMPTS ARE FROM HERE + HERE & I’m using: 9. Our first dinner party & “god you’re bleeding! how the hell did you do that?” “i was trying to cut the tomatoes!”

⚘𖦹☼❀𑁍❀☼𖦹⚘ ⚘𖦹☼❀𑁍❀☼𖦹⚘ ⚘𖦹☼❀𑁍❀☼𖦹⚘ ⚘𖦹☼❀

“God you’re bleeding! How the hell did you do that?” Bode’s voice booms off the “almost oyster,” kitchen walls, making you zone back in to the fact that your middle knuckle and tip of your thumb happened to be oozing red all over the makeshift counter and cutting board.

He’s scrambling around the kitchen, snatching a rag from underneath the sink to wrap around your two fingers awkwardly. Applying pressure, which you hiss at, you meet Bode’s concerned blue-green eyes to see that he’s waiting for an answer.

You sigh, “I was trying to cut the tomatoes!”

Bode keeps his hands securely over yours and barely glances at the work you started on along with your phone that keeps silently lighting up. He blinks his attention back to you, sensing that you were disconnecting and was not entirely sure why. It was your idea to have your first dinner party after he moved in with you at the high rise out in Hillford, which was thirty minutes west of Edgewater.

“I see that,” he starts, “you don’t even like tomatoes, so I’m not sure why that’s on the menu for tonight?”

Closing your eyes for a moment you lift your shoulders nonchantly, “your mom loves a good Mediterranean salad, so I thought why not give it a go?”

Bode snorts, “my mom wouldn’t know the difference if it was store bought.”

His mom was a decent cook but she hardly had the patience to keep up with it. Majority of the time Bode’s dad was the one to throw down thanks to his own mother and grandmother forcing him to learn. Sharon loved to eat and sample so she wouldn’t be too judgmental…unless she ended up with food poisoning then you’d never hear the end of it!

“Vince would depending on what it is.” You peer at him underneath your eyelashes while Bode breathed out a laugh, figuring that you were most likely right. Mr. Leone may seem like a go with the flow kind of guy but one thing about the Leone’s? They loved to eat and if the food wasn’t cutting it then some words would be said.

Bode hoped the idea of his parents being here tonight didn’t make you nervous. It wasn’t your first time having a meal with them and one thing Bode knew about his parents is that they rarely held back. They liked you and they wanted to see him rebuild his life after being released. They were just happy that Bode was finally able to do that but after that text you just received…you weren’t so sure if that would remain true.

Bode gently lifts the rag from your fingers, “the bleeding from your thumb seems to be slowing down but that knuckle might need some stitches.” He announces before raising your hand back above your heart.

Feeling a wave of frustration fly over your being once more, made you want to lay face first on the kitchen floor—if it was sanitary. Hey you kept a clean house, otherwise you wouldn’t be having any family over! You were a bit of germaphobe and tried to ignore the itch of your brain to get to cleaning the mess you left on the wooden table turned island, that you got from a antique store two years ago.

“Hey,” Bode grips you even tighter, prepared to handle the deadweight if you decided to just drop to the floor, “what’s wrong?”

This was more than just you losing blood.

Opening your eyes you move your body around to slump against Bode, who didn’t hesitate to rest his cheek against the back of your head, “Sharon invited my mom and Manny, which is okay, I guess! Then my mom invited Gabriela! Which automatically makes what’s his face, the fiancé, her plus one while also extending it to Eve who invited Jake.”

The mumbling from you was a bit difficult for Bode to grasp but he listened intently anyways to get the gist of it all. There were many things wrong with this and he was tempted to call his mother up right now—despite knowing she had no ill intentions. Sharon seemed to get a kick out of your mom (which only meant trouble) who was casually dating Manny and you already knew your mother was solely the one to drag Gabriela into this. You’ve known the Perez’ since what felt like forever, way back in San Diego where you and Gabriela both attended school and actually became friends due to being in the same friend groups. You both tried out for the swim team, Gabriela made it and you excelled better at gymnastics.

She had the dream of being in the Olympics while you were being shot up with steroids from your coach to be the next star of the team. There was Lilavati Sharma who was the face of the team and carried herself with such grace despite the pressure to always be the best. She was sweet with all the girls and guys on the team and was genuinely likeable. The coach favored her just a little too much to the point she was here and then in the next she wasn’t.

Her father pulled her away from the team and gave the coach a nice shiner to the face that took weeks to heal. That only made the coach train you harder until you broke your collar bone, becoming the biggest disappointment until the truth of your coach came to light after the unexpected death of Lilavati.

That’s when you learned, maybe second best wasn’t so bad after all but that didn’t mean your trauma needed to be diminished as well. You hurt for Lilavati more than you did for yourself and it took years for you to understand why that was.

The universe seemed to have it written in stone that you and Gabriela were meant to be in each other’s lives. Yes you were older now compared to high school but it was safe to say that the both of you have fallen out long before. There always seemd to be some sort of connect with your mother and Manny. They were both once married and Manny’s been raising Gabriela all on his own for as long as you could remember. You recalled the conversations Gabriela would have about the gap she had in her life because of her mother’s absence and how lucky you were to have your parents.

Well…your mother’s been cheating on your father since you were a kid and basically bullied you not to tell your father about it once you were a bit older. Although he’s always known, he hated that she put you in that position after realizing that you’ve known. By the time leaving for college came around, your dad was moving from San Diego to Northern California far out to Edgewater; after serving your mother divorce papers who gave him such a hard time on signing them. She even followed him all the way out there after putting the house up for sale a month before your graduation.

Going back and forth to court was a common thing between them along with a restraining order being filed and lengthy phone calls from your mouthy mother filled your head while studying for finals. So yes your upbringing was as peachy as everyone thought.

Bringing it back to present time, your father was remarried and seemed to be thriving with his new aeronautical engineer of a husband, that you had to cat-sit every time they left the country to explore the world. Your father’s always been open about his sexuality and made you comfortable (considering he was a psychologist) if you ever questioned anything of your own personal experiences. You were one of the rare cases where you always had crushes and flirted once it felt like those crushes also showed interest but…it never amounted out into much.

You never had a significant other until you reached college. Let’s just say, you didn’t marry your college sweetheart. That wasn’t your story. The idea of love that you had wasn’t the brightest although it’s something you always wanted to have, it was just hard to truly receive it. And here you were with a man that always fought through so much in life that also wanted to give love and be loved in return.

“So the gang is all coming basically?” Bode used one hand to gently rub your back, “we could just cancel. It was supposed to just be with my parents…although I don’t mind Manny and your mom tagging along but…inviting everyone else to our place without talking to us about it…is crossing boundaries. How’d you find out?”

It still felt odd for Bode to call this waterfront townhouse his as well but you constantly reassured him that he was open to doing anything that made him feel like the home was his too. For one contributing to the HOA fees was a good start (after fighting a lengthy battle with the court to get EMT training and finally getting a spot on CalFire as stable income was a long time coming). Pre-Prison Bode had jobs before—some that he’s walked out on—but being with CalFire gave him purpose with a smidge of financial freedom. He was able to spend money on things that mattered like annoying adult stuff, a creepy ornamental two piece banana sculpture that he installed on the wall of the breakfast room (a small separate area from the dining room), and you.

“Mom texted.” You huffed, “and I’m trying to get better at not blowing up on her but when she does things like this? It makes it so hard.”

It took a lot for you to stand up to your mother since you tended to hold everything in. Over the years it’s been a build up and she’s apologized various of times but it started to fall on empty ears when she continued to repeat her same patterns.

Bode hated that your mother caused you such anxiety. He’s cupping your face now, gently placing his forehead against yours, “what do you want to do? I’ll call mom and yours up right now if it’s too much? We can have dinner ourselves, just us two and see if there’s any new streams on that movie you’ve been telling me about.”

You send him a small smile, cherishing that, “the kebabs are already done along with half of the other food. We can’t eat all of this ourselves.”

Bode peeks over at the covered food on the rest of the counters then back to you with a smirk of a smile, “want to bet?”

“Bode!”

“What? I can eat and I’ve been dying to try a kebab since you slapped my hand with a Spatula an hour ago.” He playfully glares at you, “I needed a snack.”

“There’s always crackers.”

Bode furrows his brows, “…I thought you loved me but I think you’re trying to starve me. What is this? Three rock?”

You laughed, “well at least one of us has an appetite and I just want to get through this night and enjoy the company of what I thought would just be with Sharon and Vince.”

Bode nods his head, “we still have time if you change your mind so, I’ll give you until after I’ve cleaned you up.”

“I love that you already know that I want you to do my stitches.”

Bode slides an arm across your hips to guide you out of the kitchen, “of course I know my baby. You nearly collapse every time you see prices in the grocery store when we’re out so I can only imagine what the bill from urgent care would look like. Lucky for you, you have a certified first responder as a boyfriend.”

He’s careful with you as he guides you up the narrow creaky stairs to the second floor to the main bathroom and you’re reminded this is the love you deserve.

You’re seated on the toilet while Bode is making a mess��like he commonly does—searching for what he needs. His hands are large and quick as they work the needle through the thread before setting it aside. He turns back to you, moving your hands from the pressure you’re applying against the rag, before motioning for you to keep it on the knuckle while he cleans, applies antibiotics and bandages your thumb first.

Bode kisses your thumb over the bandage, “how are we doing? Feeling faint? Do you need water? I probably should have asked before we came up here.”

“I’m fine.” You smile softly at him as he grabs a stool to sit down on as it’ll take him longer to work on your knuckle, “thanks for checking.”

He hums in response, “want to talk about work as a distraction?”

Blood didnt really bother you but you did cringe at the thought of needles. You can go ahead and write down PTSD note takers! You were an application security specialist, yes a true nerd, and also damn good at your stressful but fulfilling job but it was the weekend so that was a negative.

You redirect the conversation, “I’d like to draw you your next tattoo.”

Did you have artistic abilities like Bode? Let’s just say you were more of a data person while also being pretty athletic—although gymnastics was somewhat history you still found yourself stretching and working out to be crucial to your health routine—you had your own taste.

“Yeah?” Bode asks as he gets to work, “are you telling me you don’t like the two I already have?”

You shake your head, “sure I do. They have their own significant stories, which I’d never change and I have ideas if that artist brain of yours craves for more ink.”

“Appreciate that…so what’s on your mind?”

You deeply inhale as you feel the needle piercing your skin but talk through it, “you’re surprisingly into some odd art and I’ve been looking at vintage Halloween art that my co-worker is obsessed with and thought, why not create a wizard frog with a pointy star hat, wand and everything?”

“A wizard frog?” There’s a teasing tone in Bode’s voice while he pictures it as he pulls tight before going back to your skin while you hold your breath, “Magic’s not really my thing especially since I told you about my dad having me watch that one weird movie with Anthony Hopkins. Riley on the other hand? Could sit up for hours watching that horror crap with my dad…although she always ended up in my room, stealing my covers while talking away as I tried to sleep. As her big brother I dealt with it if that meant keeping her nightmares away, although I regretted it in the morning.”

The both of you share a laugh at this.

What you knew of Riley was that her and Bode were sorta opposites. She had the kindest big round blue eyes, was friendly and open to having conversations with strangers whereas Bode was more reserved before he felt comfortable enough to approach. Apparently she was soft spoken yet determined, into the well-being of animals that she planned to be a vegetarian once she was older, liked magic tricks and horror movies but only if that meant she got more time to bond with Vince that is. She seemed to have a heart on her sleeve and probably would have been a veterinarian if she lived past sixteen.

“Just big brother duties.” You inhale air between your teeth, “and I think she would like my wizard frog idea.”

“Yeah…I can see you two plotting against me.” Bode smiles over at you before giving one last tug before snooping off the excess thread, “all set.”

Before he can even move to start cleaning up, you throw your arms across his shoulders and give him a squeeze. Bode pauses but buried his nose against your fuzzy cardigan before rubbing your back against your embrace once more.

“What’s this for?”

You say, “just because I love you and I’m happy to have you here with me, which I know I probably don’t say enough since words of affirmation is more your thing than mine but I stand by this. I look forward to many more days with you, good and challenging.”

Bode feels his body go warm at your words and pulls back to meet your eyes. “I can’t wait and I love you too, softie.”

You roll your eyes as he chuckles at you while you scratch at his facial hair.

“…You’ll think about the wizard frog?”

Bode sighs with a small smile on his lips, “If it makes you happy, love.”

“Cop out answer!” You flick his broad shoulder with your good hand.

“How?” Bode lifts his shoulders in confusion.

You crinkle your nose in annoyance, “You can’t ever say what I want to hear and make me think I’m always the winner, fight back.”

“Okay…I’ll remember that when I don’t want to watch the traitors uk with you.” Bode holds your stare while you gasp with a hand to your chest and then nod your head, mentally saying that was fair game.

Bode can already tell what you’re thinking, which makes him grin at you before leaning forward to cautiously peck your lips. You humph before slowly pushing yourself to get to your feet and steady yourself.

Bode’s hands are immediately on your hips as you balance yourself and you give him a nod in reassurance before leaning forward. You connect your lips again, his beard tickling your face as you breathe him in. He smells sweet like amber, fresh but calming like cypress, and warm sandalwood and you feel like you could just sink into him endlessly but manage to pull away.

“You sure you don’t want to cancel? We could do more of that and I wouldn’t mind.” Bode squeezes your hips with a lick of his own lips.

You pull from his grip, “that’s what Sunday is for, a day with no plans! Now let’s go, chop chop! We have a dinner to finish.”

And you’re out of the bathroom before Bode can even blink. He’s shaking his head at you and calls out, “fine. Don’t touch any more knives though!”

Once putting everything back where it belongs, he stares at his reflection in the mirror. He’s not entirely thrilled to have Jake here, since they were attempting to get back to where they once were but Bode wasn’t holding his breath since he felt like Jake was trying to live what could have been his when it came to Genevieve. It took time for him to accept what happened when they were teenagers meaning with Riley but since he’s been locked up? It felt like it was one thing after the next even in his freedom. Then there was Gabriela…which you had your own issue with although you tried to downplay it and there was a smidge of a history that Bode had with her that probably didn’t help…

He just hopes this dinner isn’t a true disaster for both of your sakes but at least he could have the task of throwing someone out…if it came to that of course.

That wasn’t what brought a smile to his face, it was the thought of hosting something that he could call his own with the person he wanted to spend countless days with.

You.

⚘𖦹☼❀𑁍❀☼𖦹⚘ ⚘𖦹☼❀𑁍❀☼𖦹⚘ ⚘𖦹☼❀𑁍❀☼𖦹⚘ ⚘𖦹☼❀

[citizenscreen]

Douglas Fairbanks, Jr and Joan Crawford by Edward Steichen for Vanity Fair in 1931

[voguefashion]

Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, and British & American Vogue editors Edward Enninful and Anna Wintour, photographed by Rafael Pavarotti for the 2023 September issues of both American and British Vogue.

[livelovecaliforniadreams]

[lilalbatross]

#and that's the end of the scene

FIRE COUNTRY 2x01 | Something's Coming

[hexedwinchester]

Fire Country Season 1

apparently, some very lovely people on Tumblr asked for a quick review on Fire Country and since I'm already bingeing hard on this, why not?! (Some spoilers in the review, please proceed with caution). This one's for you @idontknow-1213 and @sounknownvoid 🤗🤗

For those who don't know the show, it starts with Bode Donovan (actually a Leone but changes his name to Donovan) in prison applying for a program to be a firefighter. It's all good and lovely, until the day he starts the program and is assigned to a firefighter camp, Three Rock in Edgewater, his hometown. Ghost of his past actions (revealed later) have him conflicted about being back home and he requests for a transfer but of course ends up staying. Throughout the season, Bode struggles to build the bridges with friends and family that were burnt long ago, all the while striving to be a better person. He believes if given a chance, people can change.

Now let's talk about some key characters!

Bode Donovan (Leone): our protagonist, though looks like a guy you wanna don't cross, thanks to the muscular build, long hair and prison tats, he is actually sweet but deeply misunderstood guy. He takes his job as a firefighter very seriously and is not afraid to defy an order if it means saving people. I mean you can't always play by the books, right? One thing I noticed about him is though he is out of prison (in a way), he still goes by the prison law. Bode has a long way to go.

Manny Perez: Captain of Three Rock, Gabriela's father and Bode's mentor. He keeps the inmates in line but also believes in them and has their backs. He comes to appreciate Bode's knack at being a natural firefighter and regards him highly. Unfortunately, Manny has his own demons he tries to fight on the side. This is also why Manny relates to the inmates because he shares a similar past. I like his character. He is a man who learnt a lot the hard way. Quite hard bitten like that.

Sharon Leone: Division Chief Sharon Leone is Bode's mother (gasp!). She is also sick (kidney disease, it sucks) so she requests Manny to keep Bode in the camp and he does. While Sharon has a soft spot for her incarcerated son, she is headstrong and damn good at her job (woman knows her shit and how to make it work). She is a total badass and popular among men (I mean, seriously what's with other men hitting on her like she's single cause she ain't?!)

Vince Leone: that's Bode's dad (and if you are a huge Twilight geek like me, you would recognise him as Chief Charlie Swan, Bella's father) who doesn't want to be Bode's dad because he is the reason why his daughter, Riley dies. (Not really, he thinks he is but accidents happen and the catalyst is someone else). So Vince hasn't forgiven Bode for this until the real guy confesses and Vince is stuck in a situation that brings back old memories. What's Vince like? A devoted husband (except for that one incident), a good firefighter and a girl dad that's hard on his son. And did y'all know, the actor Billy Burke is a damn good singer??!

Gabriela Perez: Manny's Olympic-swimmer-turned-firefighter daughter. Honestly, when I first saw the cast, I expected Gabz to be a lot stronger but she's just a sweet girl next door that's trying to follow her heart, conflicted to choose between swimming and firefighting, just like Jake and Bode. Sparks fly between her and Bode as they try to balance their feelings among other chaos. Although, they are still not my favorite couple. I prefer Vince and Sharon (tooth rooting couple goals!!). I honestly wanted to like her but she comes with unnecessary baggages and is a bit of a crybaby (sorry!) but whoever is incharge of her costume, needs a raise. Her wardrobe is really pretty 😍

Jake Crawford: ex boyfriend to Gabz and ex friend to Bode. They have a fallout when Bode discovers Jake cheated on Riley which ultimately led to her demise. And honestly, I was prepared to hate Jake (no, it has nothing to do with Jake reminding me of Jacob Black from Twilight) and while he starts off as a jackass, towards the end of season 1, they redeemed him well. He is also serious about his job and his new love interest (thank God!) Cara who happens to be Bode's ex! (Yeah, they date in the family, it seems like����) he respects the Leones (Vince and Sharon, I mean)

Eve Edwards: (is it just me or that's too many Twilight references already? 🙊) a part of Bode, Jake and Eve trio friendship, she is funny but doesn't sugarcoat it. She is fiercely loyal and hardworking. They start exploring her character towards the end of season 1

Freddy Mills: Inmate at Three Rock camp and Bode's friend. Their camaraderie is commendable. Both are loyal to each other and have each other's back. I think Bode needed a friend like him. So that's good. Plus, he wants to marry a girl named Cookie!

Throughout the season, Bode tries to prove he is worthy of being at Three Rock, worthy of Gabriela's love but with his own conflicted nature and Sleeper, an inmate from Bode's past comes to stir trouble, it creates a challenge, leaving Bode with a difficult choices to make.

I honestly went in blind with Fire Country. At first, I was just going to see the episode with Camden in it (duh!) but I decided to give the show a try and I'm glad I did. What I love about this show is, if you have seen Walker, it will give similar family vibes. The entire Cal Fire unit works like a family including Three Rock as they fight fire side by side. The whole romance between Bode and Gabz is not in your face (which is nice) but the chemistry between Vince and Sharon is too cute to ignore. The first few episodes are a bit slow as they set the tone but then the show ups the stakes progressively. It is quite intense at times and you can feel the heat (no pun intended) on your face. I love that the show takes the time to scratch beneath the surface for each of its characters and not just the main ones, giving them a certain depth. I didn't expect to like the show as much as I do! But it's quite refreshing and a bit different than your regular crime/cop procedural shows. All I can say is Max Thieriot, who I know from his The Pacifiers time, has done a great job as an EP.

Let me know if y'all have any interesting takes on the show or the characters!

[curiousb]

The Elton Family Album: Volume XIV

Chase has become a regular fixture in Ellen's life.

And is there to welcome Olivia and Elliot's second child to Merybury. Hello, Philippa! Named after her deceased grandfather, of course.

Elliot has yet to meet his new daughter. He's been dispatched to lay Harley to rest, and in so doing bumps into his brother-in-law Ambrose. Seeing a chance to build some bridges, Elliot tries to engage him in conversation. Ambrose, however, still hasn't forgotten how Elliot humiliated his family, and has no time for him - Olivia might have forgiven her now-husband, but he certainly hasn't!

The pet cemetery is a regular hunting ground for the Unsavory Charlatan - he has no respect for the dead! Poor unsuspecting Edward!

Impatient Olivia has take surprisingly well to motherhood, and is currently embracing her role.

Although it's good to see the little ones growing up.

~ Virgo 6 / 3 / 10 / 7 / 3

~ Adventurous / Equestrian

~ OTH: Nature

And while she has been happy to continue the family line, two tots are quite enough, thank you, and it's time to start progressing her career plans.

Especially as their oldest child Phineas is becoming more independent by the day.

~ Scorpio 4 / 3 / 10 / 4 / 3

~ Slob / Dog Person / Computer Whiz

~ OTH: Games

~ Favourite Colour(s): Orange

Ellen is also making some changes in her life. Interestingly, neither she nor Philip ever felt the need to put their relationship on a more formal footing, so something is different with her new love Chase - perhaps just the fact that neither of them is getting any younger!

But cruelly, her intuition was correct, and their newfound happiness is snatched away from them almost immediately!

Poor Ellen - it really does seem most unfair that she's been deprived of companionship twice in her elder years!

[bethanydelleman]

Estimated Sexual Abilities of Austen Men

In no particular order within tier

Edits added in blue based on your reblogs and careful consideration

Top Tier:

Mr. Mainwaring: to have the near undying loyalty of the exceedingly selfish Lady Susan, this man must be a sex god

Henry Crawford: he knows he’s not handsome, he wants women to love him, he'd put in the work. Also one of the only men to be rated by a woman who has had sex before.

Henry Tilney: he cares about things women like, high emotional intelligence, and extremely kind.

Frederick Wentworth: passion and experience (I imagine), also has high emotional intelligence when he’s not being a dufus.

Colonel Brandon: passionate, thinks about other people’s feelings a lot, self-sacrificial

John Knightley: I think there’s a good reason that they keep banging out those kids

Admiral Croft: I cannot believe I left him off, obviously amazing in bed because he respects his wife as his equal and is very fun. You are telling me they spend all their time together and don't have amazing sex? No freaking way!

Good Tier:

William Price: athletic, cares about his sister a lot (good sign), and gives good presents. He’s only nineteen in the story which is why he has room to improve.

Captain Harville: Obviously

Mr. Morland: dude isn’t even on page, but in my head Mrs. Morland enjoyed making all ten of those children.

Colonel Fitzwilliam: I think he’d be good, but not awesome. He'll probably be wasted on a mercenary marriage.

Charles Bingley: I get the feeling he’d be on a race to the end, and maybe not the best communicator at first. Will improve.

Mr. Gardiner: Just because he’s awesome and seems to respect women

Captain Benwick: poetry and passion!

Robert Martin: seems like a pretty romantic guy, also works on a farm so probably athletic.

John Willoughby: Mostly because of experience, but he is also pretty passionate. He’s also super hot, Miss Grey knew what she was getting into. But this guy can only go downhill from here.

Reginald De Courcy: He’s a sweetheart, an occasionally dumb sweetheart

Mr. Bennet: Is he lazy in most domains of life? Yes. But Mrs. Bennet wasn’t just trying for that heir, I’m telling you folks. Maybe he's just trying to make her unable to talk 😉

George Knightley: Promoted to good tier, I do think he's very caring, but he also is always sure HE is right, which may be a problem.

John Yates: Maybe not the most selfless person, but he's got passion and he does love his wife. Probably very into roleplay.

Mediocre but can improve tier:

Fitzwilliam Darcy: he’s a bit stiff... I think it might take some time for him to get good at it (demoted to this tier because he will need time to improve)

Frank Churchill: He’s got passion, but he’s so darn selfish and doesn’t seem to send that much time thinking about Jane’s feelings

Edward Ferrars: I just see him being a nervous wreak the first few times, it’ll get better (Note: I think Lucy is way too smart to have had sex without a wedding date)

James Morland: Dude, I’m just disappointed with you in general. Being led by lust, not protecting your sister. I hope you grow a lot before you try to get engaged again.

Charles Musgrove: could be good, but Mary never seems to appreciate the effort he puts in so he kind of gave up

Tom Bertram: Selfish, never has to try for anything, but he did reform so maybe he can get better here too.

Edmund Bertram: Repressed and selfish. He needs to actually start listening to what women say if he’s going to improve and there is a whole book of him doing exactly the opposite...

Mr. Elton: selfish, full of himself, and low emotional intelligence, however, I think he does love his wife so he is willing to put in some effort for her.

Just bad:

James Rushworth: Maria was not impressed at all, despite how much “taller” he was

Captain Tilney: riding on good looks and money, selfish

John Thorpe: Selfish and he never shuts up. I have trouble imaging him getting a woman to sleep with him without paying her.

George Wickham: selfish and good looking, he’s not doing any work. He thinks you should be honoured to sleep with him.

Robert Ferrars: selfish and not even good looking. There is nothing here. Lucy did not win people.

Mr. Woodhouse: I can’t even imagine, if he didn’t have children I’d say he was a virgin

Mr. Collins: The woman he is trying to please is not his wife.

Mr. Elliot: cruel to his first wife and not even handsome!

Sir Walter Elliot: I don’t think any part of his personality would tend toward being a “giver”, however, if you like mirrors...

John Dashwood: exactly the opposite of a “giver”

Mr. Price: the guy had 11 children in 14 years so I wish I could say he was better in bed. My suspicion is that he started in the good tier and has had a very slow fall into just bad. And all that alcohol, ug...

Dr. Grant: Noted for being a whiney, selfish glutton. Hopefully he just falls asleep before he can attempt anything because I can't imagine him being that good in bed.

General Tilney: If you don't want to even try to imagine their sex life, they go in this tier. And he is so freaking controlling!

No Data: We interviewed Lady Bertram for information on Sir Thomas, but she confessed that with full consent, she has always fallen asleep during sex. Given her personality, we decided that this information has no bearing on Sir Thomas’s abilities. She did say that giving birth was, “Very disagreeable.”

Mr. Hurst: I really can't decide with him because while he does love the finer things in life, we don't know exactly why he and Louisa married. More info required.

Criteria: In the domain of F/M sex, communication is key, so we need a man who is willing to listen to what women say. Also, selfishness is obviously a negative trait when it comes to a happy sexual partner of either gender. Some of this is just vibes, but I think there is a fair amount of canon information about how much men respect women, especially their sisters. 

Feel very free to fight me in the reblogs. The only hill I will die on is that Henry Crawford’s rating is correct 😉

[rileykeouhg]

CHRISTY TURLINGTON, CINDY CRAWFORD, LINDA EVANGELISTA & NAOMI CAMPBELL British Vogue (September 2023)

[leatheryhoward]

ER Rewatch: S02E05 Days Like This

[cloveroctobers]

LITTLE DARK AGE — Bode Leone x Reader x Fire Country? [October Prompts] 🧡

A/N: It’s still early into the new season but there’s always potential for me to write more for reckless bode lol. This was a quick write tbh because it definitely could have been longer but I’ve barely had time to write so for those of you who like the spooks, I hope you enjoy this one! Yet this is more of a platonic love (because those are important too!) along with the rest of the characters from fire country hence the question mark lol. + mentions of a character from Chicago Med because why not? Have a safe, fun, and happy Halloween ghoulies 🧡🥳!!!!!

PROMPTS ARE FROM HERE & I’m using: GENERAL PLOTS — SURVIVING SUMMER CAMP | possibilities: our muses survived a terrifying serial killing at camp as teens and now as adults we've returned to pay our respects for the nth anniversary. only for us to find that there's a copy cat killer. or maybe one of our muses is a journalist teen actor and the other a survivor.

WARNINGS: slight language + small references to what happened but nothing graphic for the soft Halloween lovers🤞🏽

<- Read my previous October anthology prompt here.

𐬺𖦹꧁🃏꧂𖦹𐬺 𐬺𖦹꧁🃏꧂𖦹𐬺 𐬺𖦹꧁🃏꧂𖦹𐬺

The summer of 2006 at Camp Goulcrest has been described as one of the most horrific crimes that has ever taken place in Hadleigh, California. What was supposed to be an enjoyable time for young teens to spend their summer with other fellow teens…they would soon experience an unforgettable terror as their precious lives became targets to Hadleigh’s first and only known serial killer.

“I’ve just never expected anything so tragic to happen in a town like this.” Sixty-Three year old, Mary Dixie says with her clasped hands pressed to her mouth before speaking again, “My twin grandsons were supposed to attend that same camp next summer and now this happens? Those poor kids who lost their lives, their families, and oh for heaven’s sake, those young survivors!” She gasps while the camera zooms in on her face, as if she thinking about it for the first time, “I can’t even imagine what they’ve went through and will continue to go through. Although Edgewater—where those kids are from—isn’t that far from us, This has also affected the community of Hadleigh and our deepest sympathies are always with them. It feels as if god is telling us that the dark age is near. I’m glad they caught the bastard but may god be with us all!”

𐬺𖦹꧁🃏꧂𖦹𐬺 𐬺𖦹꧁🃏꧂𖦹𐬺 𐬺𖦹꧁🃏꧂𖦹𐬺

Attempting to keep up and not have your ankles roll as you’re being dragged along by the collar, the last trip on a branch irks your nerves just enough for you to snap up at the dark haired man who has his paws on you, “If this is how you treat a lady, then I see why you’re still single.”

He stops in his tracks to glare down at you, “I see you still have a mouth on you.”

You grin up at him, making sure it’s full of sarcasm until the slowly heated exchange is interrupted.

“Hey, Luke! What’re you doing?” The familiar voice catches both of your attention, turning to see Vince Leone making his way over with his wife, Sharon right in tow.

Now those were much better faces to look at!

Luke only pulls on the collar of your jacket some more but that doesn’t stop you from trying to yank yourself from his grasp. “I found this one lurking about fifty yards away in the trees. That tells me everything that I need to know.”

“Oh? Does it?” You mock.

Sharon snickers while Vince tightens his stare at you as he says your name, “…what’re you doing out here kid?”

“I’m back in town and thought taking a stroll to the one place that handed me a nice portion of trauma, would be a good idea.” You state while Vince scoffs and Luke rolls his eyes, never finding your antics to be amusing like everyone else.

Luke huffs, “We’re never going to get a straight answer out of them. Which is exactly why I’ve called it in, one of the cops will take you in since the sheriff will be expecting you.”

“Wait, what?” Sharon questions, “You can’t just go around speculating things, Luke. That’s what gets your ass in trouble all the time.”

The man frowns, knowing that was a jab and thought they were all past that.

“What other explanation would there be?” Luke quizzes, “This old abandoned camp, where the most gruesome murders took place, which they were involved in, along with your son, my nephew, happened eighteen years ago—

Vince holds his hands up, “We don’t need a history lesson, Luke. And I’m sure they don’t either.”

“…im just saying,” Luke sighs, “it’s suspicious that this place almost burned down and yet I find the one person, who has the closest connection to it, just lingering in the woods.”

You’re looking down at your nails, wondering where you could find a good nail shop…definitely not in Hadleigh’s small ghost town, that’s for sure! You only just got here two hours ago, spending majority of the time at the diner where the vanilla milkshake was giving cream sickle instead and the chicken and dumplings had extra seasoning of flies.

It took you a minute to bite the bullet to even get out to this camp but it’s not like Luke Leone bothered to hear any of that.

“Well who do you think called it in, Mr. Know it all?” You piped up, “Yeah that’s right, me! I watched the cabins go up in flames because that’s where it started before it spread.”

Luke glances at his big brother and sister-in-law.

“I think you can let go of them now,” Vince encourages but Luke still hesitates.

You pluck Luke’s wrist, making him focus back on you with a sneer. “That’s Ferragamo you’re messing up and I know you would hate to see the bill.”

“How humble of you.” Luke mutters with another roll of his eyes, “Is it sustainable?” He picks as he finally lets you go with a fling of his wrist.

Fixing your jacket yourself you sigh, “I don’t know. Maybe I’ll ask my auntie for you and see what she says, oh wait…she hates you too.”

That struck a nerve because the next thing you know, Luke is ready to put his finger in your smug face but Sharon steps in, shoving his wrist right back to his side, sending him a stern look before turning back to you. She takes one look at you before slipping an arm across your shoulders and leads you back to where the rest of the firefighters are just about finishing the clean up.

“It’s good to see you,” Sharon starts, always having this nurturing energy about her, “Just didn’t expect it to be like this. You know this is going to be a lot of shit now.”

You cover up a yawn before tilting your head towards the blunt haired woman with a lazy smile, “When isn’t it, Mrs. Leone?”

Equally she sends you a small smile, in an attempt to be comforting. For as long as you known the woman, she was pretty good at reading people. If your mother had lived long enough and didn’t have two older sisters who would do just about anything for you, you were certain that she would have made Sharon your god-mother instead. Plus Sharon lived for the celeb gossip and was always rooting for you, not just in the limelight either.

She turns you by the forearms while Vince is having a hushed conversation—well somewhat—since Luke has definitely raised his voice and is pointing at you, while Vince is caressing at his facial hair in frustration.

“Here’s what’s gonna happen.” Sharon takes her eyes off the two as well, “You’re gonna go with the cops and cooperate because you have nothing to hide. Vince and I will meet you there.”

You nod, not surprised that the older woman didn’t bother to hear much else of your story. Sharon had the upmost respect and trust in you still, even though you both couldn’t recall what year was the last time you visited Edgewater. All you remembered was it was sometime in the fall where your aunties put together this big event at their Victorian cottage and that always got the people talking.

“Promise not to tell my aunties?”

Sharon laughed, “And stress those highly spiritual ladies out over nothing?! I wouldn’t dare and leave that all up to you, girlfriend!”

“Thanks, Mrs. Sharon.”

“Course.” Sharon squeezes your shoulders, “Now try not to make much of a scene since Bode, Jake, and Eve all realize it’s you that I’m talking to.”

A crooked smile spreads over your lips while a throat clears. You turn to see a burly cop waiting for you with one hand on his waistband.

“Where the hell did they find you?” You ask, sizing him up just as the man states your first and last name.

He doesn’t bother answering your question and does a twirl with his finger, “Hands behind your back.”

Sharon begins, “Is that really necessary? They’re not gonna run—

Just as Sharon says this, you jerk to the right of the cop who was probably Samoan—if you had to guess—who easily follows your movements and latches onto your wrist. Playfully smiling up at him with your hands raised you say, “You’re fast, Mr…Mahuta.” You read off his chest, “Play any sports before becoming one with the law?”

Officer Mahuta glances at Sharon to see if you were in fact being so causal about this or it was just in his head. He was also new to the town, been here for six months and he heard some things about you along with your family but once he heard that you were back in town, he didn’t mind being the one in charge of bringing you in.

His sister was a fan.

“Uh yeah, Rugby back in New Zealand for about seven years.” He grins at you, honored that you kind of figured it out without him saying anything.

He even loosens his grip on your wrist, leaving you to clasp them behind yourself while winking at Sharon, who shakes her head at you.

“Oooh, New Zealand huh?” You continue the conversation as Officer Mahuta starts to cuff you, “I originally auditioned for a show that was supposed to film out there but the project got scrapped.”

Officer Mahuta begins leading you away by the elbow, “It’s the most serene place to be with the highest quality of life.”

“Yeah? So the pictures don’t do it any justice? Why leave and come to stinky Edgewater? was it a woman? Or man? Or person?” You quiz as you soon feel more eyes on you the more you get closer to the rest of the firefighters.

Officer Mahuta tells you about his wife and how they both made the decision to come back to help her ill parent. It took a turn for the worse so they ended up staying here much longer and found out they were expecting their own bundle of joy soon. It was nice to hear that some people still found blessings in disguise.

“Superstar?” Jake calls out to you, making you zone back and glance to your right where he stood with Eve.

Kicking that slight dissociation to the side you send a grin his way, “Guess who’s back?”

Eve mutters from Jake’s left, “It ain’t slim shady, that’s for sure.”

You laugh before your eyes shift further to see Bode making his way to stand beside Jake.

“Now what did you go and get yourself into?”

Is the first thing that slips out of Bode’s mouth.

You scoff, “Ask your unc, you know how obsessed he is with me and my whole family. Now that I’m here for who knows how long, it’s going to be marathon for him…because you know I’m about to give him hell.”

Bode side eyes the direction of where his Uncle Luke is, who’s now on the phone but his eyes are sharp on you as Officer Mahuta paused to let you converse with your old friends. His hand is raised in confusion, silently wondering why you’re getting special treatment but again his arm is shoved down but by his brother this time.

“I don’t doubt that.” Bode comments as Officer Mahuta lightly starts to steer you away at the widen stare Luke is sending him some feet away, “Let’s just hope it’s not you going to three rock this time.”

You snort, “Oh, I’m going to make them all look crazy for doing this, believe me. It’s going to be even more satisfying when I make Luke eat shit…so if you’re all not busy, would you care to meet up for breakfast or something tomorrow?”

Eve glances at the two men to her right and shrug, “As long as we’re not bombarded with your fans.”

“Don’t forget, apparently I’m not the only star here. At least in this town.” You tell as Officer Mahuta actually gets you moving again, per Luke’s visual request.

A equal shudder passes over the three but Bode is the one that answers redirecting it back to catching up and not the fact that they’re all standing on the grounds of the one place they tried to shove to their back of their minds, “Yeah. We’ll be there.”

“Great.” You state as you allow Officer Mahuta to lead you away into the night.

𐬺𖦹꧁🃏꧂𖦹𐬺 𐬺𖦹꧁🃏꧂𖦹𐬺 𐬺𖦹꧁🃏꧂𖦹𐬺

“Why’re you looking at me like that?” Bode asks from across you.

You lift your cheek from your balled up knuckles, “I’m just trying to figure out, when you decided you wanted to look like your damn grandad?”

Eve and Jake share a snicker, just as the waitress slides over your herbal tea. You thank her verbally and with your eyes before latching onto the mug then meeting Bode’s shining dark teal eyes.

“What? You’re not a fan of the new look?” Bode quizzes, while watching you barely blow on the tea before sipping at the liquid.

It was a thing, you not caring about how hot the food is temperature or spicy wise, you would dive in. Jake often joked that your aunties better watch out since their relative might just be a demon but they all knew you had a phobia of fire. Which is why it didn’t make sense for Luke to accuse you of setting fire to the old camp that required Cal Fire to come out and assist on. Sure you had motive, just as the rest of the three but you got snippy, ready to show your burn marks to the cops who interrogated you until the sheriff came back (to take over) from a quick ran he had to make.

It was obvious the old cops wanted to keep you here for the night and you might as well have, since you didn’t get released until one in the morning!

“You need to give your dad his mustache back. As for the new chop? Reminds me of how curly your hair used to be back in the day, now that? Was a look.” You informed, making Bode laugh lightly before biting into his bagel.

Eve whispers from beside you after obnoxiously slurping on her smoothie, “Careful now…”

Jake also chimes in after bumping the blond’s shoulder, “Bode can’t help it if the curls always got the girls.”

Playfully gagging, earned you some napkins being tossed your way by the man himself. You soon watch the expression on his face turn serious, which immediately, being that friend, makes you use your elbow as leverage to twist your body against the booth to see what changed this demeanor of Bode’s.

“Can you not be so obvious?” Bode gruffs, which makes Eve almost want to turn too but she figures it out once Jake mouths what she was thinking.

The table goes quiet as the dark haired woman heads to the counter, saying that she’s picking up an order. With one hand on her phone, she slowly turns towards the table you’re all seated at and waves with a smile.

“Hey, Gabi.” Jake calls over his shoulder.

Eve also smiles back at her, “Morning, Gabs!”

Her eyes flick to Bode and then you, but turns her attention back to the guy behind the counter who hands her a bag. She makes her way by the table but not without throwing in a, “Bode, hi.”

“Um, hey, hi.” Bode stumbles which makes you raise a brow.

Reaching over Eve you hold out your hand to introduce yourself, “So you’re thee Gabi I’ve seen and heard little about. I’m…old friend of these three rascals.”

Gabby places her hand in yours to lightly shake, “Uh…yeah, I’m familiar with some of your work. How did you hear about me, exactly?”

“Jake’s Instagram!” You admit, “Just to learn you two are not together anymore.”

Gabriela awkwardly glanced at Jake who shakes his head at you in annoyance, “Don’t mind them, they just say whatever comes to mind.”

“Y’all are acting like I said something horrible.” You place your hands on your chest with wide eyes, “Is it not a fact?”

“It is,” Eve verified, “Just not the first thing you need to bombard her with, given that you’re just meeting, so early in the morning.”

Gabi stretches a smile over her lips, “It’s not a big deal. Things just didn’t work out, as some relationships don’t, right?”

You hum and sip at your tea.

“Well…It was nice meeting you.” Gabi bids her farewell, “I’ll see you guys later.” She sends another glance at Bode who presses his lips together at her before leaving.

Meeting everyone’s eyes again you demand, “Okay…out with it. What was that?”

“What was what?” Bode lifts his shoulders, ready to bite back into the half of his bagel but you slap it back down onto his plate.

Mocking him with a lift of your shoulders you say, “That whole lingering look between you two. What’s the story?”

Jake rolls his neck around, while Eve points between the two.

“So are you two going to tell them, or shall I be the one to do it?”

“It doesn’t even really matter.” Jake exasperates, while Bode appears to be more interested in his breakfast than meeting your eyes.

Your brows raise, “I call bullshit. I’ve known all of you since forever and may have been living a different life in Chicago and wherever else I’m expected to be but please don’t think I’m dumb.”

Jake meets Bode’s eyes while Eve decides to tell you. You were all friends and it didn’t need to be a secret.

“Jake and Gabi used to be in a relationship as you know, and we’re actually engaged. Then that was broken up by Bode and Gabi becoming an unofficial thing—mind you this was all happening while Bode was serving his time in three rock. THEN Bode pushed her away and Gabi got involved with a paramedic dude named Diego, which led to them getting engaged pretty fast. That wedding didn’t happen either because Bode and Gabi keep going back and forth with their feelings for each other. Oh! And also Jake and Cara, you remember Cara Maisonette? Were in a relationship for a while and due to her untimely passing, rest in peace! Jake is now raising her daughter, Gen, Genevieve who was potentially Bode’s but she actually might be Rick Stengler’s.” Eve gave you the run down, while you pointed mentally connecting the dots as she talked as if you were Adele in that one livestream.

Sitting back against the booth you blink back and forth between the two men, “…what kind of soap opera shit is this?”

Jake points his fork at the short haired woman on your right, “Notice how Eve didn’t air out any of her business?”

“That’s because I’m clean from the drama baby!” Eve whoops with her fist raised up in the air.

Sipping at your herbal tea once more you say, to the two across from you, “The tabloids would have a field day with you two.”

“Thank god we didn’t go Hollywood, we’ll leave that all to you, superstar.” Jake lifts his own mug up at you, as he uses your nickname.

Bode clears his throat, deciding to ask, “Enough about our crap, what’s up with you in that department? Are you and the foot? Doctor guy still a thing?”

“He wasn’t a foot doctor.” Eve scrunches up her nose.

Bode is confused, “I could have sworn—

“Uh, He’s a pharmacist?” Jake affirms so matter of factly, “And it’s John, right?”

Laughing at your friends you say, “you’re all wrong. The only thing Jake got right was his name. He’s a resident in Pediatric emergency medicine.”

“That’s a mouth full.” Eve comments as she pops some grapes into her mouth.

“Tell me about it.” You nudge Eve who raises her brows at you while you smirk.

“Ew, alright! It’s too early for that kind of talk, shut up.” Jake cringes while you just laugh.

Stretching your arms above your head you exhale, “That’s unfortunately over with after four years. He tried to say it was to focus more on his career but he and I both know he didn’t want that kind of spotlight put back on him.”

“That’s right, he was on that one show when he was a kid right?” Jake snaps his finger.

You nod.

Bode apprised, “That’s his loss, he had to have known what he was getting himself into.”

“Sure,” you shrug, “People change their minds all the time though, which is scary. We all know I’m also not the most easiest to deal with either so…I have no choice but to respect it.”

Eve nods, “yeah maybe…but if you love someone enough and the relationship is healthy then you put the work in to keep it going strong. That’s just how I see it.”

“I never liked him anyway, not that we’ve been around him much.” Jake adds with his mouth full, which makes you scoff with a roll of your eyes, “His face was too perfect and you can’t trust that.”

Oh brother!

Bode even pretends to think about it too.

“I’ve missed you guys,” you let out sigh resting your hand in the center of the table reaching out, which is shortly followed by Eve placing her hand right on top of yours.

“Are we really about to do a whole hand huddle right now?” Bode inquired after Jake stacks his right on top of Eve’s.

Jake scoffs, “Don’t act like you don’t miss this on the baseball field.”

“…Never really thought about it.”

“Really?” You quiz.

“Yeah, there’s always been too much going on to really think about what went on before.” Bode speaks, “…At least some things.”

Which definitely meant he was hinting at Riley.

You nod in understanding, “I get that.”

Bode searches your face in that moment before slowly placing his hand on top of Jake’s.

You let the ball drop, “Which is why…I’m going back to the camp tonight since it’s the anniversary today.”

“What?!” Eve peered at you sideways.

“I knew there was a catch,” Jake grumbled, taking his hand back, “Buttering us up just to throw something crazy on us.”

You shrug your shoulders, “I’m not forcing any of you to come with me. It’s been eighteen years and i was drawn there for a reason—

“Yeah it’s call unresolved trauma.” Eve answers, “I think there’s been more than enough signs to stay away from that Goulcrest. I even bet that the sheriff told you to say away from there too.”

“…I cannot confirm or deny.” You rest your elbows against the table, sticking your nose up into the air.

Eve groans with her hands thrown back up in the air, pleading with her eyes as she looks at Jake and Bode to be the voice of reason.

“It’s mostly about paying my respects.” You try to justify.

Bode blinks as he leans a bit over the table, “You shouldn’t be out there alone, especially when that place is being investigated on arson and they thought you had something to do with it.”

“Mostly Luke, since he couldn’t blame it on my aunties…but give it time.” You continue, “Clearly I’m not afraid to be out there on my own and I’ll do it again.”

Jake hisses, “That’s your problem. You don’t know when to quit.”

“Hey, you’ve guys have been here for years and not once did any of you bring it up to me in our adulthood and that’s fine, we all deal with trauma differently. I got out as soon as I could, ran away from it but can any of us really sit here and say we got the closure from what happened?”

“…my closure is not ever mentioning it again.” Jake explains, now pushing his food around on his plate.

“Keep telling yourself that, you bury yourself into your work and are strictly by the book not being open to new ideas because of what exactly?” You round off, “Having control over things is better than not having control and where do you think that stems from, hm?”

Jake swallows the lump in his throat as he fires right back, “…how would you know? You haven’t been around.”

Chuckling to yourself humorlessly you respond, “I’ve heard more than enough just sitting here listening to you talk and it’s been over an hour. Whether you like it or not, I know my friends, no matter the distance.”

Eve comes in, “if you know us enough, then it should have been in your best interest to probably keep your little second venture to camp of horrors to yourself.”

Your tightened stare meets all three sets of eyes, “Wooooow, okay! And here I thought this was a safe space to not avoid shit because that’s what you’re all doing.”

“Did you or did you not just say that we all deal with trauma in different ways?” Eve tilts her head to the side.

“I did. But I also dont need for you all to look at me as if I’ve grown three heads for wanting to honor the victims…which most of us were too, if you forgot.”

Eve sucks in her cheeks at this, feeling as if that was a jab. She had been sent off to a hospital after breaking her collarbone during one of the activities. Just to come back to multiple bloody scenes that didn’t go away even when she closed her eyes.

“How could we?! We were kids. I’ve never been so depressed before in my life. You and Bode thought I was dead, I did almost die. I don’t think it’s a crime to try and move on and that’s no disrespect to those we lost.” Jake speaks, “I tried to play it off once recognizing the address before it was announced that it was camp Goulcrest because we had a job to do. All I wanted to do was turn that damn truck around and let it burn. Once I finally snapped out of it, I knew I had to live my life and that’s what we should all be doing. Not living in the fucked up past.”

The table goes quiet.

“The thing is…the limelight isn’t bright enough for me to live the life I need.” You say with a shaky breath, “So I’ll be at the camp tonight, no matter what anyone says or thinks.”

Bode’s seen that look in your eye plenty of times before so he knew you meant it, as you collected your things and excused yourself from the deli.

𐬺𖦹꧁🃏꧂𖦹𐬺 𐬺𖦹꧁🃏꧂𖦹𐬺 𐬺𖦹꧁🃏꧂𖦹𐬺

Letting out a slow exhale, you stood inside what was once known as the rec hall. It didn’t experience as much damage as the cabins which completely burned down but the soot covered a good portion of it along with a hole in the wall that brought in the air that was ready for a season change. It smelled like smoke opposed to its old sap and dirt feel it used to have back then.

The ceramic wind chimes that you managed to loop around one of the lower beams, had you hugging yourself as you stared up at them afterwards. Your eyes felt like they wanted to burn remembering all the lives that were lost and you fought the urge to scratch at the burn that took up a good chunk of the side of your thigh. The more you stood in the rec hall, eyes scanning the end of the stairs, where your mind sizzled with the thought of the killer causing you harm in his off-putting mask.

A hand goes to your shoulder, a reflex was instant as you twisted the palm and pressed on their thumb, ready to break it.

“It’s just us!” Jake’s voice calls out, wincing and you immediately let go of him, “I called out to you a good five times but you seemed to be zoned out. Damn.”

“You don’t sneak up on people!”

“I wasn’t sneaking,” Jake shook of his hand, “How else did you want us to get your attention?”

“By not touching me?”

“Okay, relax you two.” Eve commands as she peers up and around the ceiling of this place, “we’re all okay.”

Which sounds like she was trying to convince herself more than anyone else.

“…are we?” Bode asks, his voice projecting a good distance from you three.

That’s when all of you set your eyes on the blond, who’s standing by the fireplace that’s tucked into the back of the spacious hall.

You’re the first that moves over to Bode, seeing that he’s holding something between his two fingers. His eyes scan over your face once more, as you latch onto his wrist holding his arm in place as you peer at the card he’s holding.

The card read: THE FOOL which was a distant memory of the joker card that was always left at the scene of The Goulcrest killer’s crime.

“W-what is that?” Jake rasped, although you can sense that he already knew.

Eve whispered, “…is that blood?”

Bode calls out your name after you step back from him, moving around the hall in search of what could be another dead body.

“What is happening right now?” Eve is frantic as she watches you, seeing you stop in your tracks, hand going to pinch at your hairline in thought.

The chimes start to whip from the beams in a manner that is less than gentle. You’re overwhelmed, knowing that there had to be somebody here because who randomly leaves behind a card like that, which is highly connected to what happened years ago?

The Goulcrest killer tried to set you on fire as if the brutal attack before that wasn’t enough. You were his last target and the first to see the camp begin to burn in present day, there had to be a connection there.

It felt like being in a trance the longer you stared at the chimes that were supposed to honor the old camp members, although it was better to define it as trigger like because the harder they whipped against the wind, the more they started to sound like the bells that dangled from the killer’s mask.

Jake and Eve were already back by the door, ready to high tail it out of there once they got a good enough look at the bloody card Bode found. It was Bode who had to remind you that you weren’t alone, just like you had to do at fourteen watching him get tortured.

Telling him that you were there and wouldn’t leave him as you lay by the stairs with only a shattered ankle at the time.

“Hey,” his voice broke through the jingling of bells that did their best to occupy your mind.

Those same bells that commonly affected your sleeping patterns so much that no pill or drug could conquer it.

“It’s you and I, remember?” Bode said, now cradling your face, “And we can leave this time, okay?”

He’s patient but firm, letting you known that now you had the choice to get away from the dark. Bode didn’t think it was the best idea being here but he also didn’t think you should be here alone and he was right—which it wasn’t about—but there was now this high risk of there being a copy cat killer.

Something all of you didn’t deserve to see a repeat of.

So you allowed him to tuck you underneath his arm, leading you out of the old rec hall to where Jake and Eve stood by the doors of Eve’s car. Once they saw the two of you made it out, they did not hesitate to hop right into the car, which was already started.

“I’ll drive.” Bode tells you, awaiting for your keys, which you surprisingly didn’t fight him on as you slapped it into his palm.

Bode watches you as you get to the passenger side of your car and he glanced over at Jake who had his window down as Eve slowly starts to pull off, “I’ve called it into the county here but you know with a smaller town like this, they probably won’t jump right on it.”

“Better safe than sorry.”

“Hey,” Jake calls out to Bode, who glanced at the brown skinned man over his shoulder, “…you didn’t take the card, did you?”

The look in Bode’s eye was enough of an answer to Jake, as he’s rolling his window back up.

𐬺𖦹꧁🃏꧂𖦹𐬺 𐬺𖦹꧁🃏꧂𖦹𐬺 𐬺𖦹꧁🃏꧂𖦹𐬺

“You should tell your aunties you’re here.” Bode suggestions in one of the motel rooms you chose to stay in.

He’s been watching you pace the floor for awhile and even muted the reruns of Family feud, finding your shuffling to be more soothing than the slightly irritating sound of the trumpet instrumental that played on that fan favorite show.

Bode’s seen your episode before in prison about three years ago with your now ex-boyfriend, John right at your side. It was weird seeing someone you grew up with be surrounded by people you didn’t think they would mesh with.

You never really had the time to just be.

After what happened at camp and being seen by numerous of doctors and counselors, it seemed as if everything was expected to go back to normal. At least that’s what Bode tried to do when it came to his healing process, dived into baseball to get rid of what still lingered, got into relationships, got into drugs, the distance between you grew as you went out to Los Angeles full-time to pursue acting, lost his sister, dealt with his father hating him, robbed a store, and you all know the rest.

It was all anything but fucking normal so in a sense, Bode understood that it was more than just paying your respects on the anniversary, it was about seeing the darkness little by little, and finding your way out for good this time.

“So they can try to locate this new copy cat killer for us and attempt to vanquish them?”

None of you saw a body or stayed around long enough to find out but it was something that was mutually felt.

A smile appears on the corner of Bode’s lips as he sat in a nearby chair with his elbows digging into his knees, “…if you think that would help?”

“No, Bode! I don’t.” You finally plop down on the edge of the bed, being aware that he was just trying to lighten the mood.

It was no secret back in Edgewater that people thought your mom and aunties were witches. Your mother was always chasing after normal whereas your aunties had no problem living in their truth.

Soon Bode’s sitting beside you, elbows digging into his knees. “…if you need me, I’m here.”

“I won’t leave you either, Bo.” You flop back against the bed, “Definitely not now.”

Bode also moves to lay back against the bed beside you, “…Did you have plans to go back?”

“To what?” You sigh, “Being under a microscope? Being tugged this way and that way like a robot…although this was what I wanted.”

Bode hums, “Originally you wanted to be on broadway, which is still huge and I won’t ever discredit that, yet you’ve been on the big screen and plenty of streaming services. If John walked away for good in terms of acting, why not take time to decide if this is still what you want?”

“…when did you get so wise, old friend of mine?” You raise your hand so that your knuckles can bump each other’s.

Bode snorts, “I’ve had time on my hands.”

“Literally.”

“Smart ass.” Bode laughs, slipping his fingers through yours.

Squeezing Bode’s hand against yours, you close your eyes. “Just you and I, Bode Leone.”

And you feel him shuffle closer with his head resting against yours.

𐬺𖦹꧁🃏꧂𖦹𐬺 𐬺𖦹꧁🃏꧂𖦹𐬺 𐬺𖦹꧁🃏꧂𖦹𐬺

October 2024 Masterlist here.

[letterboxd-loggd]

Sadie McKee (1934) Clarence Brown

April 24th 2024

[televisionpromos]

Fire Country 3x06 "Not Without My Birds" Promo (ft. Jared Padalecki) - When a fire breaks out in a park that contains an eagle nest, Station 42 and Three Rock work to rescue the protected species and try to prevent the fire from spreading into town.