#he killed that guy but he's too pretty to go to jail you can't do this to him

[fighterjetfucker3000]

Swordsmachine try not to be beautiful challenge (FAILED!!!)

I wanted to try to work on a drawing that focused more on his wires with a soft, warm color palette and shading and of course he turned out pretty again. i am cursed to always accidentally make him hot. but. that's not really a curse if you ask me :3

anyway.... boy why you so wires???

[cockkette]

baby alonso

charles leclerc x alonso!reader

warnings - swearing, google translate spanish, dad!fernando, tomfoolery + shenanigans (it is alonso!reader so are we suprised), i think that's it xoxo

face claim - girls on pinterest

y/n.alonso

liked by astonmartinf1, fernandoalo_oficial and 409,345 others

y/n.alonso: causing chaos in the aston garage per usual 😘

comments

astonmartinf1: not too much chaos though... right

y/n.alonso: of course

fernandoalo_oficial: my daughter is an angel and can do no wrong 🤨

user1: praise the alonso father daughter duo we all say in unison

user2: and to think this man committed war crimes

y/n.alonso: allegedly* 🙄

liked by fernandoalo_oficial

fernandoalo_oficial: now that you finished with that waste of time you can come to every race just like when you were little cariño!!

y/n.alonso: by 'that waste of time' do you mean the university that you payed for?

fernandoalo_oficial: yes i'm glad we are on the same page mija 🩷

user3: you heard it here first fernando alonso says university isn't important

astonmartinf1: this is not the view if the aston martin f1 team or any of our sponsors

user4: is he trying to kill admin?

astonmartinf1: i fear he might be 🥲

user5: baby alonso is the paddock princess

user6: she is living the dream for real

y/n.alonso: it is pretty sweet being a nepo child 💪

lance_stroll: you know it 😎

user7: i'm praying for aston points

y/n.alonso: hang on i'll pull some strings brb

y/n.alonso: dad! lance! score some points!

liked by astonmartinf1

user8: she's so pretty 😍

charles_leclerc: she really is

carlossainz55: bro do you actually have a death wish

fernandoalo_oficial: i'll see you on the track leclerc 🙂

y/n.alonso: papá!

astonmartinf1

liked by fernandoalo_oficial, y/n.alonso and 245,071 others

tagged: fernandoalo_oficial, lance_stroll and y/n.alonso

astonmartinf1: race weekend with a special guest 😉

comments

user9: we love baby alonso

user10: BABY ALONSO

user11: get her to sort aston martin tf out

y/n.alonso: guys i'm trying my best 😔

fernandoalo_oficial: mija lawrence is going to make me go to another pr training session if you keep doing this

user12: the king can't get locked up in pr jail!!

charles_leclerc: i might have to swing by the aston garage 😉

fernandoalo_oficial: you might fucking not

charles_leclerc: yes fernando, sorry fernando

user13: charles is going to get himself run off the track

user14: charles is a braver man than me fernando might kill him

y/n.alonso: thank you for having me! it's always so so much fun 🩷

liked by astonmartinf1

user15: petition for y/n to be at every race ever please

user16: where do i sign

user17: her paddock fits are literally everything to me

lance_stroll: she has started to give me fashion tips to 'inspire' me please don't encourage her

danielricciardo: you might want to start taking the advice...

lance_stroll: oh 😦

fernandoalo_oficial

liked by y/n.alonso, charles_leclerc and 324,391 others

fernandoalo_oficial: i think i need to fire my new race engineer she's mean

comments

y/n.alonso: boo 👎👎

fernandoalo_oficial: don't boo your own father

y/n.alonso: don't be a boring old man

sebastianvettel: she's got you there mate

fernandoalo_oficial: what the fuck are you doing here!?

jensonbutton: she gagged you fr 💅

aussiegrit: ate and left no crumbs

sebastianvettel: slay 💋

fernandoalo_oficial: what is actually happening

user18: i swear they will never miss an opportunity to try humble nando

liked by sebastianvettel, jensonbutton and aussiegrit

user19: i'm sure charles wouldn't mind having y/n as a race engineer

fernandoalo_oficial: no.

user20: the way i would never speak again

user21: noo i would love them together

liked by charles_leclerc

user22: in my head they ARE together

astonmartinf1: i mean we did get points this weekend soooo...

y/n.alonso: you're welcome xxx

y/n.alonso

liked by charles_leclerc, astonmartinf1 and 283,912 others

y/n.alonso: home sweet home 🏠

comments

user23: how is charles always in the likes before me? i have notifications on?!?

charles_leclerc: you snooze you lose mate

user24: he really is just like us (in love with y/n)

user25: too bad he's too scared of alonso to do anything about it 🤷‍♀️

yourbestfriend: your outfits always eat pretty girl!

y/n.alonso: aww thank you baby

user26: oh to be called baby by y/n

liked by charles_leclerc

fernandoalo_oficial: have fun!

fernandoalo_oficial: not too much fun though be careful and safe

y/n.alonso: yes papa

user27: he forgot who his daughter was for a second there

liked by fernandoalo_oficial

astonmartinf1: see you next race week!

y/n.alonso: wouldn't miss it!

user28: yesss

iamrebeccad: i miss you (and your gossip)

y/n.alonso: miss you too (don't worry i have plenty more)

user29: show it to me rachel!!!!

charles_leclerc: i'm in madrid too we should meet up

fernandoalo_oficial: what are you doing??

y/n.alonso: i might take you up on that offer cha 🤭

fernandoalo_oficial: noooo stop this

user30: this is sending me 😂

user31: the way they are fully ignoring him

user32: i won't ever get over y/n calling him cha

liked by charles_leclerc

charles_leclerc

liked by y/n.alonso, carlossainz55and 592,842 others

charles_leclerc: time to unwind

comments

user33: wait is that y/n???

user34: it totally looks like her

user35: my chay/n heart can't take this

user36: the matching shirt with the dress? please!!!

user37: charles + spain = slaggy pictures

user38: and we thank him for it

liked by y/n.alonso

user39: omg y/n does not give a fuck

carlossainz55: where was my invite bro?

charles_leclerc: i'm so sorry i was too busy...

carlosainz55: i thought it was bros before hoes

chalres_leclerc: nah my hoe is 4 life

user40: so unserious i swear

pierregasly: i love knowing things nobody else knows

user41: tell me please

user42: pierre is my biggest opp rn

pierregasly: don't hate the player hate the game

user43: he is the king of gossip

liked by charles_leclerc

user44: i've been manifesting this for months i hope it's y/n

user45: oh so you're crazy crazy?

y/n.alonso

liked by yourbestfriend, charles_leclerc and 12,812 others

caption- look who i bumped into 😉

replies

charles_leclerc: you say this like we didn't come here together

y/n.alonso: i'm trying to be mysterious and nonchalant

charles_leclerc: dork 🤓

y/n.alonso: you know you love it

user46: OMG

user47: this is so important to me

fernandoalo_oficial: tell him not to try anything

y/n.alonso: whatever papa 🙄

charles_leclerc

liked by y/n.alonso, carlossainz55 and 872,849 others

tagged: y/n.alonso

charles_leclerc: happy 6 months mon amour 🩷

comments

user48: they are already my favorite couple ever

user49: the way i will be yapping about them i am about to get at least 10 times more annoying

user50: as you should tbh

user51: i'm so so happy for them but this might take fernando out

user52: i just know he is being restrained by aston martin rn so he can't comment

astonmartinf1: 🤐

user53: the goat is being silenced

pierregasly: now the secret is out i feel less special

user54: it's a tough life out here for the gossipy hoes

pierregasly: don't i know it

y/n.alonso: i love you

charles_leclerc: i love you more

user55: ew are they going to start being sappy on main now

pierregasly: i fear they might

liked by charles_leclerc and y/n.alonso

oscarpiastri: bwoah

user56: felt that

user57: charles has... game?

maxverstappen1: we are all as surprised as you are mate

user58: flabbergasted fr

maxverstappen1: he bamboozled us all with his loserness

user59: max i know you're not talking rn

y/n.alonso

liked by iamrebeccad, charles_leclerc and 17251 others

caption- this jacket looks supa cute!

replies

fernandoalo_oficial: ewww it's so ugly 🤢

y/n.alonso: papa i'm sorry for not telling you about charles earlier

fernandoalo_oficial: i'm not over it yet i feel betrayed

fernandoalo_oficial: i just need time mija

y/n.alonso: you are so dramatic old man

fernandoalo_oficial: what the sigma?

user60: my favorite wag and nepo baby

charles_leclerc: please tell me you bought it mon coeur

y/n.alonso: yep! and when you get back to the hotel i'll be waiting for you wearing just that

charles_leclerc: fuck i'm on my way right now i'll just get the food delivered you aren't going anywhere

y/n.alonso: yes sir

charles_leclerc: you kill me cherie

user61: I JUST KNOW CHARLES IS LOSING HIS SHIT

charles_leclerc

liked by yourbestfriend, fernandoalo_oficial and 436,592 others

tagged: y/n.alonso

charles_leclerc: my ferrari girl ❤️

comments

fernandoalo_oficial: i'm still mad but no one told me but this is actually kind of cute ig

charles_leclerc: woo he likes me now

y/.alonso: don't push it amor 💋

user62: i'm sobbing he loves her so much

user63: if my bf ain't like this then i don't want it

y/n.alonso: he is pretty great icl

fernandoalo_oficial: i think i preferred when i didn't know about this... now you don't shut up about him

user64: she is so me

y/n.alonso: i'm you're ferrari girl

charles_leclerc: that's right baby

user65: shut up shut up i can't handle this

user66: they are literally everything

user67: i don't know how charles managed to hide this for 6 months

user68: now he posts y/n all the time 🤭

user69: ikr its so cute!!

carlossainz55: he can't keep a secret to save his life so he just yapped to me and pierre all. the. time

pierregasly: and he wasn't exactly subtle in the comments 🤨

scuderiaferrari: y/n is a ferrari girl confirmed 😦

liked by y/n.alonso

user70: everyone is a ferrari fan

user71: even if they are not, they are a ferrari fan

a/n - thank you for reading i hope you enjoyed and as always any feedback is apppreciated <3

[kittykattropicanna]

would you please be able to go into more detail about your prison penpal!simon? why is reader doing it, how did they choose simon (if they had a choice at all), the sorts of letters they exchange? and if they’re any sort of smutty bits for them too? your mechanic au has me absolutely feral beyond words so seeing this made me so excited.

Omg you’re my first asked AHHHHHH I want to scream thank you so much!!!!! 

Absolutely I can go into detail about PrisonPenPal!Simon :3  I can't get out of my mind how deprived he is argh!!! >:( all this time alone, and now that you're here writing him pretty little letters, he can't imagine life without you :3

TW: mentions of murder, jail, corruption kink, breading kink, masterbation (Reader & Simon), public masterbation (kinda), smut, not sub!simon but he does cum in his pants, ahhh you're both just so obsessed with each other :3

PrisonPenPal!Simon masterlist

Regular masterlist

I’ll give you a little back story to why Si actually ended up in jail…

I feel like he retied, left SAS and tried to integrate back into civilian life but failed miserably. He started going out to bars and drinking pretty heavily. The alcohol made him angry, he never was outwardly violent, but everyone could tell he was just a very dark, tortured guy that sat in the back of the bar every night and drank himself stupid. It was like an unwritten rule that nobody bothered him. His a massive guy who’s ex military, if you had half a brain you would leave him alone. 

One night he was leaving the pub and this stupid, stupid 18 year old kid thought it would be funny to try square up to him and impress his friends. 

It didn’t matter how many times they told him to quit it and leave Simon alone, he still trudged up to him with his head held high and chest puffed.  

This kid came up behind Si and punched him in that back of the head. It wasn’t a good punch by any means but it was more then enough to drive Simons drunk brain into utter rage. 

He turned around and punched this kid straight in the head. He went down like a stack of bricks, head making direct impact with the concrete floor, killing him instantly. 

The kid was only 18, he had so much life left to live…..

Of course Si felt absolutely disgusted in himself, he couldn’t believe what he had done. Killed a poor kid who made a stupid decision and ultimately ended his life as well. 

He handed himself over the the police without hesitation. He went quietly and respectfully, cooperated with the police throughout the whole trial, never redirecting blame onto the kid or made it harder then it needed to be. 

He pled guilty for involuntary manslaughter and assault. Gaz, Johnny and Price all pitched in to get him the best defence lawyer humanly possible……ultimately, it worked. Even though the general public was outraged at his light sentence. 

Simons lawyer claimed the punch was in self defence. Someone attacking him from behind also trigged his PTSD resulting in Simon not being able to control his actions in that moment. 

These defences along with him serving in the military for 15+ years and cooperating with the authorities got him 8 years in prison, his sentence was quickly reduced to 4 because of his good behaviour. 

It wasn’t an ideal situation by any means, but it was the best case scenario with the cards he was dealt. 

But lets fast forward to the present….. How did you decide to actually start writing to an inmate? How did you even find out about it?

I have this really cute idea that maybe you were walking through the shopping centre and there was one of those pop up markets that sit in the middle of everything, you know, with the really annoying people that flag you down and you have to awkwardly not make eye contact and walk past them while they’re try and sell you stuff?

Yeah, one of them. This specific stand kinda caught your eye though, It was called “Write An Inmate”

You talked to the guy at the stand about what exactly “Write An Inmate” was and he explained that he was part of the program when he was locked up, how much it helps inmates get through their sentence, helps connect them to the outside world and genuinely just keeps them hopeful. 

First off you were a little hesitant…..speaking to someone who’s in jail because they broke the law sounded a little scary…. 

But hell, its a start of a new year and taking some time out of your day every once in a while to write a short letter to help keep someones hopes up is the least you can do. 

Besides! One of your childhood best friends big brothers went to jail and he wasn’t a bad guy! One of your new years resolutions was to spread more kindness and this is just a perfect way to do so!

Once you got home, you look up the website on the brochure that was given to you and quickly start scrolling through inmates.

They all had profiles with information about them. You couldn’t see what they were in for, but you could see other information like their name, age, date they signed up for the program, time served/time until they get out, amount of letters they have received, a short description of who they are/what they like and a few photos showcasing what they look like. 

You scrolled through a few but they all seemed to have gotten hundreds of letters, you wanted to write someone who wasn’t getting flooded every week with letters, maybe send a letter to someone who could use a pick me up. 

Clicking on the last page you scrolled to the very bottom and click on the last inmate before it even had time to load. 

Once the page opened the name “Simon Riley” appeared on your screen

After looking through his profile a wave of sadness rolled over you 

Name: Simon Riley, most people call me Ghost  Age: 36 Joined: December 26th, 2021 Letters Received: 0 Time served: 3 and a half years  Sentence ends: Year and a half  Description: ex military. I like dogs, big ones not small ones, the outdoors, playing cards and motorcycles. The first thing I want to do when I get out is to eat a steak. 

Attached was three photos. I won’t even lie, they’re definitely dad selfies from different angles HAHAHA they’re such grainy photos too, like they’ve been taken on a 10 year old android. 

Two of the selfies are him with a black balaclava on and the last one was of his face without anything covering it, but again it so grainy you can’t really make his facial features out. 

Simon had joined the program two years ago and hadn't received one letter. You felt horrible, he joined the day after Christmas probably hoping to receive something, anything, but not one person took the time to write him….. 

So obviously Simon was going to be your prisoner pen pal, how could he not be…..

I think the letters start off pretty innocently tbh, you don’t start writing to Simon with the intention of starting any sort of sexual or romantic relationship, it truly is out of the goodness of you’re heart, you sweet girl :(

Simon had totally forgotten about the program honestly, imagine his shock when the prison guard threw him a letter. 

When he frowned and asked who its from the guard just shrugged and said “write an inmate program” and walked off completely unfazed. 

But again, starts out super innocent, things like “I saw that you like big dogs, what’s your favourite breed?” and “what’s your favourite card game? I know how to play blackjack but I’m not very good haha”

I’d like to think you don’t even disclose your gender or name at the start. Keeping everything under lock and key.��

Simon also answers back with pure intentions at first, he has an inkling you may be a women because the hand writing is wayyy to pretty and delicate to come from a man. 

But again! He doesn’t get his hopes up, it could be an old granny for all he knows, but he can’t shake the idea that maybeeeee it could be someone a little more his type, ya know ;)

After a couple weeks of writing letters back and forth you feel like you’re getting to know him a little better. He asks you to call him Simon, not Ghost and he starts writing the cheesiest dad jokes at the bottom of every letter. 

“Two fish are in a tank, one turns to the other and asks “do you know how to drive this thing?” a little army humour for ya’ :)”

His so charming in such a rough and rugged sort of way you know? It sounds silly to say, I mean, you’ve never met him! But the way his handwriting is complete chicken scratch and how he adds little “:)” “:(“ and “>:)” makes you giggle! 

You end up telling him your name and how old you are, I mean, its only fair! You know his name! You definitely didn’t tell him because you wanted to get his mind racing, get him thinking about all the different possibilities, make him fantasize…

Its fair to say you have a little crush on him :( ahhhh its so humiliating! A city girl like you, good job, successful family and a bright future laying in bed every night fucking your pussy with a brand new dildo you bought just so you could imagine Simon, a felon, fucking your little cunt :( 

When Simon sent his letter that week asking for a photo of you, your little crush just got bigger :(

“Its only fair don’t ya’ think? You know what I look like, why don’t ya’ return the favour sweetpea ;)” 

And of course you did!! He asked so politely! 

Putting on your pushup bra, doing your makeup and styling your hair all for him:(((

You get so frustrated because you don’t want to look like you’re trying too hard for him, argh! Its all so embarrassing!! Your such a needy girl >:(

You make sure to push up your tits, your bra helping them spill out over your cute little shirt and giving him a good view of your gorgeous body. 

After an hour of taking photos you finally get the shot you were looking for 

Eyes sparkling, cute little smile on your lips, light hitting your face just right, lacy bra slightly peaking out the top of your shirt just enough that it looks like an accident, beautiful tits sitting right in frame so he can get a good look and the slight curve of your waist visible. 

Its perfect, it look so effortless…..in your eyes at least

When Si received your letter, his cock got hard the second he saw your picture :((((

Since his been locked up he hasn’t been able to jerk off properly >:( 

His balls are so heavy as is, and now he has a photo of you 

He could basically cum in his pants at the thought of holding your waist as you ride him. Using his big callused hands to fuck your pretty pussy onto his aching cock >>:((((((

You’re so put together! nice clothes, from the look of the background, nice apartment, clean bedroom. Just the thought of him corrupting you, fucking his baby into you, making you move into a shitty little apartment while he works and you look after his chubby baby makes his dick start to twitch :3

Before he can stop himself, he cums all in his pants :(

He hasn’t cum properly in years! yet a simple photo of you did it for him in seconds!!! You’re such a nasty minx, you know exactly what you’re doing you dirty girl >>:(

That night he lays under the covers, his cell mate fast asleep on the other side of the room as he slowly pumps his cock to the photo of you.

Eyes closed and head thrown back against the thin pillow, he bites his lip so he doesn’t make any noise. 

You see, playboy magazines get passed around all the time, they’re not hard to find if you know the right people, but it just doesn’t do it for Si!!

Of course they’re beautiful women, there’s no doubt about it, but everything so photoshopped :(

Si likes his women natural. No skin smoothing filters or enhancements from photoshop, he likes his women real 

His so deprived that he cums in record time, his hot load shooting all over your face, the once clean photo now sticky and stained….

He wished he had it in him to be embarrassed, but he just can’t! God, he needs to hear your voice, your picture just isn’t enough anymore….

In his next letter he asks if he could use his monthly call to speak to you……Johnnys just gonna have to wait, they can talk football another time >:(

Aghhhh, PrisonPenPal!Simon is so fucking cocky it hurtssss, PrisonPenPal!Simon is open for requests so feel free to send them throughhhhh, add to the AU, ask me expand on certain topics, whatever floats your boat >:)

!Disclaimer! - Above is NSFW content - MDNI - If you follow my blog without your age in your bio, you will be blocked - If you are under the age of 18, you are not welcome here, otherwise, enjoy :)

Cat divider sourced by @positively-mine from Pinterest - Pink line divider by @eloquentreverie - MDNI divider by @cafekitsune

Basic blog housekeeping -  fic requests guidelines, boundaries and my rules for minors

[burningcheese-merchant]

burningcheese evidence part 2 because yes

I'm kind of foaming at the mouth right now, I'm not really going to be 100% coherent in this post, episode 6 has melted my brain and I need to cool off (also I have actual work to finish irl lololol)

Spoilers under the cut, don't want to be That Asshole

Also for the 1,000th time, it is perfectly okay and understandable if you do not like this ship, I'm not holding a fucking gun to anyone's head, I know it's not really canon or anything, just let me have my dark hero/villain relationship in peace

"Hey where's Golden Cheese? Is Golden Cheese awake yet? Can she wake up now? No? Why isn't she awake? I want her to wake up already, why won't she wake up already? It's implied that I've asked this question multiple times, when will someone give me the answer I want? I want her here, I want her attention, I want her to wake up already-"

He thinks so highly of her in his Joker-esque way. She's so strongggg. He knows she's strong. Why wasn't she strong before? This isn't like her, he knows that. He knows her. He knows she's strong. He wanted to see her be strong. What happened?

Wanting to straight up get high with her. Wanting to watch her let loose. Calling her a combination of "little thief" and "little bird", two pet names the BurningCheese community (spearheaded by yours truly) has had Burning Spice assign to Golden Cheese

"I KNEW SHE WOULDN'T DISAPPOINT ME" bro thinks the whole damn world of her and had faith she wouldn't let him down, look how fucking happy he is she broke out of prison. She's just like him right now fr fr

She's giving him precisely what he desired, which is a struggle. Which is a chase. Which is a hunt. Which is a FIGHT. Which is HER. HE WANTS TO HAVE FUN WITH HER.

Bro is literally SMELLING her everywhere dude. He's attuned to her. To her presence.

"Hey bring her back to me, I miss her. But I swear to God, if y'all hurt her, if y'all ruffle a single one of her feathers, I will KILL YOU, YOU GOT THAT? SHE'S MINE! ALL MINE! BRING HER TO ME ALIVE AND THAT'S IT! YOU GOT IT?!?!?!"

God the cute sing-song voice I can't right now. Jesus Christ, my guy. Calling to her like that, really??

Sniffing her out again because he's fucking deranged and obsessed with her. He's got her whole essence on lock. Tracking her down like a fucking bloodhound. He's hungry for her, he's STARVING, he's BARKING MAD THAT ANYONE IS TRYING TO GET IN HIS WAY

Little bird? Little bird?? Little bird??? LITTLE BIRD??????????

THE NAME I HAD HIM GIVE HER IN MY FIRST BURNINGCHEESE FIC, WHICH I WROTE DAYS BEFORE THIS FUCKER EVEN RELEASED? THE NAME ALL THE OTHER SHIPPERS HAVE HAD HIM CALL HER TOO? YOU CANONIZED THAT? YOU MADE IT REAL? YOU MADE THE PET NAME HE HAS FOR HER REAL??? I CAN READ THIS IN A DIALOGUE BUBBLE FOR REAL? THIS IS IN THE GAME FOR REAL? ARE YOU FUCKING WITH ME RIGHT NOW???

"How good it is to see you in one piece" SMILING AND LAUGHING BECAUSE HE'S GLAD SHE'S OK? TELLING HER SO TO HER FACE? MY GUY

Every step she takes that is wrong to others is right to him. Bust out of jail? Yes good I like that, I want it, I knew she wouldn't disappoint me. Lead him on, make him chase her, have them play hide-and-seek? Yes good, this is fun, I love the thrill of a chase, I KNOW WHERE YOU ARE I CAN FUCKING SMELL YOU I CAN FEEL YOUR FUCKING SOUL YOU CAN'T HIDE FROM ME LITTLE BIRD. Not taking his own goddamn power back? What kind of fool would make such a stupid, regrettable decisi- JK HE'S GLAD HE MADE THIS DECISION, THAT MEANS SHE CAN BE HERSELF AND KICK HIS ASS STILL, THIS IS WHAT HE WANTED, THIS IS EVERYTHING HE WANTED, SHE IS EVERYTHING HE WANTED! YES! (Also, one Freudian slip of several where he says it's HER Soul Jam and not HIS. He's already handing it over to her in his mind. Why? Why tho? Didn't he want it back? Guess not, huh? Guess having the pretty cheese lady beat his ass was too much of a turn-on, huh???)

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW? ARE YOU FOR FUCKING REAL? HE SAYS THIS TO HER? WITH THAT FACE? WITH THAT TONE OF VOICE? SAYING SHE'S LOVELY? THAT WHAT SHE'S DOING IS LOVELY? CALLING WHAT THEY'RE DOING A "DANCE"? TELLING HER TO KEEP IT UP? TELLING HER HE'S THOROUGHLY ENJOYING THIS?

HE KEEPS TRYING TO REASON WITH HER. HE KEEPS TRYING TO TALK TO HER, TO GET THROUGH TO HER, TO GET IT INTO HER PRETTY LITTLE BIRD SKULL THAT HE'S RIGHT. THAT DESTRUCTION IS THE ONLY WAY. Why go to that trouble? Why does he give a single, solitary fuck what she thinks or feels? Why even bother speaking on the matter at all, if it's a fundamental truth in his eyes already? WHY KEEP TELLING HER TO FIGHT, TO KEEP PUSHING, UNTIL SHE UNDERSTANDS HIM? WHY DOES HE WANT HER TO UNDERSTAND HIM? WHO GIVES A FLYING FUCK? And what's this about "and see the day"? Didn't you want to kill her, Burning Spice? Didn't you want to crush her, break her to pieces? Was that another Freudian slip there? Did your mask fall off for a second? DO YOU NOT ACTUALLY WANT HER TO DIE? DO YOU WANT HER TO LIVE, TO STAND UP AND FIGHT, JUST SO SHE'S FORCED TO RECKON WITH THE TRUTH OF YOUR PHILOSOPHY? WHY DO YOU CARE, MOTHERFUCKER? HUH? WHY???

"Stop teasing me" my brother in the Witches we ALL know you don't mean that. You've been BEGGING her to tease you the past two fucking chapters. Stop lying you dumb fuck, your face is giving it all away anyway

He's still clamoring for them to get fucking high together, honestly wtf is wrong with him? Drug-fueled combat, is that his kink? Also boy he sure has a vested interest in her enjoying their battle, doesn't he

She wants more? She wants more of him? She wants more of what he's got? She wants more fun? She wants him to strike a pose that clearly shows off his arms and chest more? YOU GOT IT BABYGIRL-

"You would destroy everything you have, just to get to me?"

"FUCK YES!!!"

My guy. My man. My cookie. My bro. My dude. Your mask fell off. Your mask fell off, my guy. You just told her point-blank that you'll kill people to get her. You'll blow up your own house to get her. You'll trash everything you ever owned to get her. You even have excuses ready to go to justify it. "Oh, it's all garbage, if you want it go ahead. This place ugly as fuck, I hate it, I wanted it gone anyway." Burning Spice. Burning Spice Cookie. You just admitted out loud that you are so obsessed with her that you will tear down your entire life for her. You just told her that to her fucking face, with a big, dumb grin. You've got the "happy" sprite equipped, buddy. You're HAPPY to tell her in no uncertain terms that all that matters to you is going after her. Fighting her. Getting to her. HER. ALL THAT MATTERS TO YOU IS HER!!!!!!!!! YOU JUST FUCKING SAID THAT SHIT OUT LOUD!!!! CAUGHT IN 4K AND YOU'RE NOT EVEN MAD!!!!! YOU'RE NOT EVEN DENYING THE ALLEGATIONS!!!! THIS CAN BE USED AGAINST YOU IN COURT, BURNING SIMP COOKIE!!!!!!

If he doesn't compliment her in some way, even indirectly, at least once per conversation, he will spontaneously combust. Pointing out how different and interesting she is, how she breaks the mold, how she defies the cycle of change and history even after it's already chewed her up and spat her out. Just say you want to put your dick inside of her, dude, please this is fucking embarrassing-

Ok nvm bro is straight up having the biggest, hottest orgasm of his entire fucking life right now, he's straight up speechless, he says like 3 coherent words to her after she awakens and then he's just looking like THIS and smiling so hard his damn is about to be split open by that ecstatic grin. Laughing his stupid, horny, obsessed, creepy ass off. Bro looks like he's CHEERING FOR HER in this shot, are you fucking kidding me? He's HAPPY she got back up, he's HAPPY she got a power boost, he's HAPPY she's kicking his ass, JUST LOOK AT THAT BEAUTIFUL SMILE, HE'S SO IN LOVE IT HURTS

And last, but not least:

Was this really necessary lol

BurningCheese is canon, Burning Simp Cookie is down terminal, we can all fuck off home and die now, I will now be ascending to Heaven (for 5 seconds before God smacks me back down to Hell, because no way I deserve paradise for all of my bullshit lol), thank you goodbye

[threepandas]

Sun Burnt: Yandere Reborn

Lot of stereotypes came with having certain Flame types I mused. As bullets rammed into my back, ricocheting around me like bouncy balls of death. My feet eating up the earth as fast as I could. It was all kinds of unfair.

Like? If you were a Sun? You were expected to be gregarious. Cheerful. Some happy go lucky healer type. To hell with your ambitions, I got a paper cut! And a storm? Well OBVIOUSLY watch out! We got a HOT HEAD over here! Look out for the HOT HEAD! A TEMPERAMENTAL ASSHOLE coming through!

I mean? Maybe they're pissed cause you keep POKING at them, huh? Wouldn't anybody?

I dodge down an alley. Jumping trash cans. Throwing them down behind me. Hearing curses and howls of outrage. Man, they are persistent. And! And like? Being a LIGHTNING?! God, being a LIGHTNING can SUCK sometimes! Sure, I get to be a Tank. And yeah. Human tazer. Pretty neat. But the ASSHOLES!

It's all "ooooh~! You're nothing but a DUMB MEAT SHEILD! Come be my DUMB MEAT SHEILD and lick my BOOTS, meat sheild! That's all you're good for! Because you're so DUMB! Impulsive! We wanna use you to solve our stupid ass turf disputes and lead you ooooon~!" Like? Fuckin REALLY?!

Is it MY fault your brains move so slow? That you're so SQUISHY? I'm not fucking IMPULSIVE! I think things through! I just do it FASTER then you jack asses! Granted... never said I do it BETTER. I may, in fact, be a dumbass. Probably am. All signs point to "maybe"...

......ARE THEY SERIOUSLY STILL CHASING ME!?

It was MY haul!!!

Steal your own SHIT!!!

And yeah, was it WISE to flip the table, punch the Don, and jump out a window with the fugly ass statue they planned to stiff me on? No. No it was not. But I REFUSE to not get paid! Try to steal from ME will you?! I'ma toss this fucker into the SEA!!! Swim for it BITCHES!

I skid onto the main road of Mafia Island. Knocking over somebody's fancy ass mistress. Probably gonna pay for THAT too. Fuck it! Yolo! I am pouring on the Lightning flames at this point. COATED. The metaphorical bull in this, the mafia land China shop. Pulling shooting. Amused and playing bets. Flames rising up to brush against me.

I am a fuckin circus act on display and I HATE it.

But by all that is holy! Those bastards ARE NOT getting their stupid statue back!

To the SEA with it! I shall cast it to the briny BLUE!

FUCK THOSE GUYS!

The crowd is parting like the red fucking sea. Except... except?! Oh shit! Pretty guy on a suit! Move pretty guy! MOVE!! Aaaaah!

I barely... BARELY!! Manage to stop myself from running into Pretty? Hiiitman? Hitman. Got a gun. Very calm. Yep, hitman. Barely! Dodge! By forward flipping OVER the guy and Superhero sticking the landing. Dropping the statue but... meh. Don't care. I still plan to...

Are. You. FUCKING SERIOUS!?

Drugs!?

That FUGLY STATUE WAS HOLLOW! No WONDER they were so desperate to get it! They were BREAKING Vongola's BAN!!! Ooooooh! I'm TELLING! You FUCKERS USED ME!!! Jail! Ten thousand years JAIL! Kill um, Mr. Hitman! They're dirty, non-thief paying, DRUG MAKERS!

Am I pointing accusingly? Yes. Hanging over the hitmans shoulder like the tattling tattle that I am? Absolutely. Jail for them! Get um! Boooooo! My flames still coat every part of me. Which is why I can FEEL when the hitman decides... "fuck it. Why not?"

I can TELL? Because it's like feeling the mountain you're standing on suddenly deciding to move. Like a giant, blinking their eyes open and beginning to stand. Rising up and up and UP. So great it feels impossible. The Sun flames infront of me? Go beyond the concept of "powerful".

It's like standing in front of a star up close.

So bright and burning fury, it consumes all other light.

I can't even FEEL the other Flames around us anymore. Almost can't HEAR what's going on. He... he has a low, purring voice. Like espresso. Smooth. The smell of gunpowder and decadent things... CLINGS to him like a lover. The suit under my carelessly grabbing hands... f... feels EXPENSIVE.

Bad. T... this is BAD. D..Don't panic. Just. Just let go! Yeah? Let go, be polite, and apologize. Y... you'll be okay. Oh god. What did I DO?! L... LET GO. Move! W.. why can't I MOVE?!

I feel more then hear the shots. The slight recoil. Utterly effortless, he ends their lives. An amused lilt to whatever he's saying. His head tilts so he can view me from the corner of his eye. A mean smirk on his beautiful face. I amuse him. My FEAR amuses him.

His Flames reach out like a crushing fist... I... I can not move...

The world seems to STOP.

As two notes of the same song find each other. Flitting and high to some great and terrible low. The two farthest ends of a Set, still empty, with no sky to hold it in balance. Yet? Resonance none the less.

"Oh~?"

The flat disinterest of those abyssal eyes changes. Like a damning light flickering on in the dark. Leading something terrifying straight towards me. No longer just background noise. I was interesting. I... I didn't WANT to be interesting! No, no, NO!

He turned towards me.

And my stomach plummets straight through the earth. Oh god. Please God, no.

Before me stand a terrifying legend. Living infamy itself. THE World's Greatest Hitman, it's greatest killer, Reborn. Who's eyes were locked on my face with a terrible interest. Who's Flames, vast and hungry, tugged and prowled at the edge of my own. His mean little smirk had turned into something that could pass for charming... if I didn't know who he was.

If I wasn't probably going to die.

He casually tucked his gun away. Pulled his other hand from his pocket. And then... oh god. Then two burning weights clamped down on my shoulders. No where to run. No chance of escape. He leaned forward, towering over me.

"You know, I didn't catch your name, bella. Who do you work for again? We have so much to LEARN about each other, don't you think? All the time in the world. Now... give me your phone."

I whimpered. His hands were almost burning with Sun flames. They washed over me in a greedy search for ties that bind and cracks in my defenses. Pushing and pushing. Trying to get IN. Covetous.

"After all~ It's not like you could possibly escape me."

[itsnothingofinterest]

I actually find it funny when people will say the heroes need to kill more villains instead of arresting them when, from where I'm looking, every instance of the heroes killing a villain(s) has led to some consequence that would've been avoided had they just been taken in alive. (Which evidence has often shown them quite capable of doing.)

Lady Nagant was made to kill loads of people, driving her crazy and leading her to kill her boss and deprive the hero side of one of it's best. Her case feels like a big reason why killing on the regular would be incompatible with the rest of the hero shtick; 'cause it turns out people with lots of blood on their hands have trouble using them to then shake the hands of children.

People say All Might should've killed AFO; but you can tell both from All Might's dialogue in Kamino & from how AFO regrew his head that that's exactly how their first fight ~7 years ago ended. AFO's brains met the pavement that day. And I can only assume this allowed his body to be easily recovered & revived, letting him lay low for the next 6 years to mould Tomura into a successor and orchestrate a good portion of the conflicts we've seen in this series. Just saying, that sounds much harder to do from Tartarus. And at least the heroes knew when he broke out of jail way faster then when he broke out of the grip of death. Heck, it could easily be argued he only broke out of jail thanks to that 6 years of set-up.

Oh and where to start with Hawks killing Twice? Maybe how it enraged Toga & Dabi to make them more crazy & dangerous, maybe how it affected people's trust in heroes? Oh but the big one has to be how leaving Twice as a corpse let his blood be collected for Toga to get a parade off anyway; one the heroes were unprepared for too, which distracted a lot of the pros meant to keep AFO in Gunga. All of which could've been avoided if Hawks had just taken Twice in alive. (Which I must reiterate he easily could have done; I mean his quirk was shown pretty easily countering a Parade.) The heroes wouldn't have had to deal with a Parade in this war at all if Twice was sitting pretty in a jail cell next to Compress & Geten.

I can't help but think those last two cases could be a surprisingly common occurrence too if heroes killed as much as some readers say they should. Like, could you imagine if every dangerous villain in Japan's history was killed and then just dumped somewhere for a guy like Dr. Garaki to get his hands on them the same way he got Shirakumo?

So anyway, between the mental health issues it causes, combined with how villains keep finding ways to perform necromancy; I'm just not seeing a lot of evidence that things go well for the heroes when they kill villains, or that they'd go much better if the heroes were kill-happy soldiers of the war on villainy all the time.

[thisbuildinghasfeelings]

The Police Station Scene

Arguably the most important season 1 Tarlos scene (it won the poll, after all!), the police station scene in 1x03 is undoubtedly iconic. The sheer chemistry between these two becomes truly apparent, and the journey they take throughout the scene...I have no words. Or perhaps I have many words. Yes, I think it's that second one. Many words. Under the cut, my analysis of this excellent scene.

We start out with TK in a pretty miserable situation. On top of everything else he's going through, he just got arrested, and at this point, he's not sure if the guys he fought are going to be pressing charges. For all he knows, he could be ending up in a jail cell using his one phone call to get Owen to come bail him out, something that Owen will probably not be too happy about. Not only that, but he's bleeding and his face clearly hurts judging by the ice pack he's holding to it. He's having a very bad night.

Then, things suddenly get even worse. Because the police officer coming to deal with him is none other than the guy he hooked up with and then later stormed out on. The guy TK had started having such strong and unexpected feelings for that he had given in to the urge to flee. The guy who TK assumes probably already thinks terrible things about him because of the way things went down the last time they were together. So now not only is this an undesirable legal situation, but it's also an awkward and embarrassing social situation. And now this guy knows that "TK" stands for Tyler Kennedy. Ugh.

From Carlos' perspective, he met this guy who was smokin' hot who he felt an instant connection with...this guy who made him feel for the first time like maybe he wasn't actually broken and then gave him the best orgasm of his life. Said guy then stormed out on him for what appeared to Carlos to be no good reason. He couldn't even be bothered to sit and have a meal and a little conversation. And now? This guy is out getting in bar fights completely sober, putting himself in a dangerous situation where he could very well get himself killed. This guy who Carlos already cares about, and who has seemingly completely rejected him at the first sign of Carlos wanting to get to know him. Carlos is hurt but he's also angry. Most of all, Carlos is angry about the fact that TK is being so completely reckless with his own safety.

The guys from the bar fight don't want to press charges, so Carlos tells TK that he's free to go. But he can't stop from giving TK a little advice. He's not trying to be his boyfriend (lie) or even his friend if he's not into it (oh, Carlos) but he tells TK that he "should talk to someone about why you felt compelled to do something so suicidal." Carlos says this without knowing that TK was suicidal and acted on it not long ago.

TK appears to be affected by this but says nothing. It appears that maybe the fight has gone out of him...until Carlos lets him know that he has something on his face, giving him a box of tissues to take care of it. TK gets visibly frustrated when Carlos tells him he's trying to clean off the wrong side. But then Carlos does something that TK doesn't expect.

He says, "Stop, just...let me." And with a shaky hand, he uses a tissue to dab at the spot on TK's face.

This clearly isn't nothing to Carlos. The emotion in his eyes is undeniable. He cares. That simple act of caring is enough to break TK's walls down the tiniest bit. To allow him to show some vulnerability. TK wants to explain.

He apologizes for what happened between them and tells him that he just went through a really bad breakup, "like nuclear bad," and then he relapsed. Not, as Carlos assumes, with him, but with substances. TK is giving Carlos a piece of himself, trusting him in a way he has not trusted anyone else he's met in Texas, as much as he likes them and enjoys working with them.

Carlos recognizes the significance of this moment of vulnerability. But it's more than that. It gives him context for what happened. TK wasn't just being a jerk and storming out because he didn't care to get to know Carlos. He has serious things going on. And...the champagne! TK has issues with substances and Carlos had offered him champagne without even asking first!

Carlos, always quick to blame himself, apologizes, and in that moment, his walls come down a little too. He had been trying to play it stoic and tough and like he didn't care so, so much. (Of course he already gave himself away when he started gently wiping TK's face)

But TK doesn't stop there. He gives Carlos more of himself, explaining that, ever since he's gotten to Austin, it's just grey. And he feels numb all the time. To explain why he started the bar fight, TK says, "I guess I just--I wanted to feel something."

Carlos looks at him. The anger is gone. He has understanding in his eyes...and that look of caring is still there, too. He watches TK gather his things and stand up. Carlos could have said anything in this moment. He chooses to tease TK a little. TK said he started a fight because he just wanted to feel something, so Carlos tells him, "Judging by that lip, I'd say mission accomplished."

TK looks at him with annoyance. He kind of can't believe that THIS is Carlos' reaction to his vulnerability!

"You really busting my balls right now?"

But Carlos stands his ground as the corner of his mouth goes up slightly.

"Yeah, I suppose I am."

Carlos made the right choice here because TK smiles too.

They like each other so much.

I fully believe that everything that happens after wouldn't have happened without this scene. It's pivotal in their relationship. The journey they go through is incredible! From this:

To this:

Iconic and unmatched.

[respectthepetty]

I think your theory about Saifah robbing Kang’s house seems pretty plausible. Im just wondering what happens after that. We see Sailom getting shot at which is crazy. But why? Are the debt collectors just evil villains willing to murder a poor kid because he can’t payback money or is it something else?

Anon, oooooohhhhh, I have spent far too much time thinking about this particular scene in the Dangerous Romance trailer, and I think it boils down to politics.

So I offer you my wildest ass theory yet!

At first, I thought since Sailom has to go back to escorting with Saifah in jail, Kanghan will fuck up that job with his anger, leaving Sailom with no way to get the money to pay the debt collectors. They follow him with plans to shoot him, but . . . they are the torture type (iron to skin, remember?) because they still want their money. They wouldn't kill him. ❌

So I thought about the possibility of Kang swindling someone on his honeymoon by playing pool to get more money, and pissing someone off, so they go after Sailom, but they have to drive to the honeymoon place, so would that person find them again back in their hometown? No. ❌

Then, I thought that Sailom hustled someone to get the money, and they are pissed off at him. He knows how to make money, so maybe he swindled someone, and they angrily chased him down like the guy who aggressively approached in the alley for sex in episode three.

But then I remembered that Sailom isn't about that life, which is why he gets upset at Saifah. He doesn't like to deceive people, so he can get money. He takes up escorting because the client is getting what he paid for, which is his company and dinner with him. Sailom isn't being deceitful to get money. ❌

This is Laws of Attraction political.

Why would Saifah, who normally asks clients for gifts, rob a client's house? But more importantly, why would he rob a client's house that his brother is basically living in?

HE WOULDN'T!

At least, he wouldn't do that intentionally. But his high school buddy who doesn't have an honest job sure the hell would!

But, but, but, why would Name want to rob the house? He is a debt collector. Saifah and Sailom being in that house assures that they can pay their debt. So is he trying to make a quick buck too? NO!

Either Name leaves his job as a debt collector and joins Saifah in his great adventure as a rich person's caretaker or he has motivation for being in that house and "robbing" it. I have believed someone gets shot during the robbery by mistake, but what if it isn't a mistake? What if the robbery is simply a cover-up, and the shooting is the real purpose for being in the house?

The dad is running for office.

That means he is a target from "all sorts of people."

So Name gets in the house under the guise of taking some stuff, only to intend to shoot Kang's dad because his boss tells him to. Saifah isn't about this plan, freaks out, and tries to stop it. The dad still gets shot, but it isn't as bad as it could have been because Saifah intervened maybe. Saifah gets arrested, but Name (and others?) escape. Sailom believes his brother didn't have anything to do with the shooting and in normal Sailom fashion, he won't let that injustice slide.

Saifah is already in jail, but Sailom has now become an unpredictable loose end. The night of the Sailom's shooting, both boys are in a (police) office possibly hearing more news about the open investigation. This could be before he gets shot, but it could also be him reporting the shooting after Kang rescues him, but either way, it's meaningful to the criminal investigation.

Name or whoever his boss is can't have Sailom out there running his mouth. Sailom may not even know anything, but he knows the debt collectors, he has been escorting (the ONE client who may or may not have some info), and he knows his brother would not shoot someone. He knows SOMETHING that can connect Name or whoever his boss is to the shooting of Kang's dad, so little homie gotta die.

I noticed before that Kang doesn't take Sailom back to his house after rescuing him, and this isn't Sailom's house either. It's not the hotel from their honeymoon stage that has to happen in episode 8 or 9.

If the grandma was shot, I feel the dad would stay at the house, but if the dad got shot, the grandma would move Kang somewhere safe because she knows this wasn't an accidental shooting (Pimfah's house?). Kang is protected, but Sailom isn't.

The last snippets from the trailers and OST are coming up in the next two episodes, which means only the shooting, the shower scene, and the swings scene (which feels like the final) are left for the last three episodes.

It seems like a lot of plot but we need the "dangerous" portion of this romance, so if the dad is shot by episode 9 . . .

my wild ass theory might just have a chance.

[alexjcrowley]

I am sorry but I need to say a couple of things about Brad Bakshi, even though I haven't finished season 3 yet. I am not attacking anyone's characterization, let your headcanons and interpretations thrive, but I want to share my take because sometimes it's like I watched a different show.

I either find takes that are "Brad is a lovey-dovey tsundere" or "Brad is a fuckboy, no attachment, he doesn't do feelings". And man, I do not agree with either. It's something in the middle for me.

First of all, Brad is way more caring than some people give him credit for and I will prove it.

He may be an asshole, but he is completely self-aware of it. Poppy, Ian, even David think they're good people, even whan they do or say very questionable things, Brad knows he is being a bastard. He never hides it, never tries to put up an "holier than thou" act, never tries to make people believe he is a good guy. He doesn't try hiding that is an asshole because deliberately acts like one. He wants to be seen as an asshole. He goes out of his fucking way to prove it.

Turning himself in at the end of season 2? "Oh, but it gave him street credi-" it's pretty convenient he wanted street credit when going to jail could also be beneficial to Jo. Otherwise he could have straight up done inside trading himself way before Jo put herslef in trouble.

The whole animal thing? The fact that he was a mouse? Let's pretend for a moment he actually filled it randomly, he happened to get mouse by mistake. Why do you care so much people do not associate you to a mouse? If you're an unforgiving asshole, it will show even if a random test (that people will probably soon forget about) gave you mouse. Look, let's say I make Donald Trump fill out this test and he comes out as a mouse. I will not stop thinking he is a piece of shit! If the test was so meaningless he filled it out randomly (or so he says), why does he care so much about Jo's opinion on it?

Brad is a performative asshole. He does his job in the less nice way possible, but he never sabotages others just because. He tries with that whole buscuit thing, but that's the most damage he causes to someone and it's thrashing a piece of biscuit and give an evil speech that just hans there. Rest of the show? He always ends up helping out people, if not out of kindness, out of understanding every cog needs to fuction properly for the whole Mythic Quest machine to work. He doesn't go out of his way to damage other people, the worst he does? Mean comments. It's performative. It's all performative.

And you know how I know that? Breaking Brad. The Kate story tells us one thing: Brad is a naturally caring person. Kate was a pig. Not a dog, not a cat, not a turtle, not even a fish, animals we are used to consider as pets. Kate was a pig, an animal considered dirty, ugly, ungraceful (fat, but I will not talk about Brad's ED here), the word "pig" is even used as an insult, plus the pig is famously known as the animal you can kill and not waste a single part of it.

A pig is the perfect animal to impart a lesson of cruelty. You don't feel sorry for a pig. And what does Brad do, with this wretched creature? He names her. Zack doesn't, Zack tells us he was on board with killing the pig, it's Brad who can't do it. Zack doesn't care and Brad cares too much, even when he knew Kate's fate was doomed from the start. Right there, you have a character who, despite being taught to be cruel, can't help but care.

"Oh, but this happened when Brad was a kid, he hardened as he grew up" okay, then how do you explain him begging Zack? The thing is, I do believe Brad wanted to get more out of Mythic Quest and was angry bis brother tried to destroy it, I am not saying "Brad is caring because he doesn't want to lose his job", that's fairly normal. The point is, Zack asks him to beg for it, and Brad does. I have seen characters in more desperate situations refuse to plea, but Brad does it. With less resistence than I would have imagined. Instead of being like "I would never beg you, I will not submit myself to this humiliation, I'll find another job", he grovels. He puts his pride second for a company which he will leave the moment his friend Jo (and if I say colleague instead of friend it's even crazier!) is in danger.

Quickly compare it to David asking a whole company to walk out when he gets fired.

Brad is a performative asshole. He didn't have it in him, he taught himself to act and speak like an asshole, and he learned the part well, but his heart is not in it. If you watch Succession, it's like Kendall, he is not a killer. He can pretend to be killer, but he is not.

So now it seems like I said people who view Brad a repressed lovey-dovey tsundere are right, but just wait, i haven't finished yet.

The thing about teaching yourself to be someone else is that first, some habits stick, second, what doesn't stick, you try harder to make it so.

What I mean is, precisely because Brad is a caring person, he tries very hard not to seem like it. It means that if someone shows him kindness, Brad will refuse to accept it twice as hard, because he is fighting towards a natural instinct to show kindness in return.

Someone finally lends Brad a helping hand? For the exact reason he feels like he wants to take it, he'll turn it down. It's not that he is not touched by that care, it's that he can't afford to show it. That's the whole point of the performative assholery, repressing his natural responses.

I see a lot of someone pays Brad a compliment and he blushes because he doesn't know how to take it, but to me is like no! He doesn't blush! The whole point of fighting his own instincts is that he doesn't show his feelings. It's not that he doesn't know what kindness is so he reacts to it like a caveman would react to a computer, he knows exactly what kindness, care and affection are and he deliberately avoids them.

To me Brad doesn't do feelings because he doesn't want to. Brad fights his natural instincts because they're very strong (so he is lovey-dovey on the inside), but, at the same time, that fight implies a lot of trained resistance to his nature (Brad doesn't want to do feelings).

Being an asshole doesn't come natural to Brad and that's why it's so difficult for him to act kind: because being an asshole is not a random trait of his personality he may be willing to change, it's a carefully crafted mask he doesn't want to get rid of.

It's the difference between explaining something to someone who doesn't understand it and someome who doesn't want to understand it.

And one last thing (because you kidded yourself if you thought this wasn't about Braddavid).

I get that, especially at first, especially to keep that mask on, even if Brad had feelings for David he would take a long time before admitting it and I can see him reluctant to put a label to the relationship, because that would be admitting that he cares.

But let me take you back to Brad begging his brother to leave Mythic Quest alone. The moment he senses David might slip up from his fingers (for whataver reason: David might have found somebody else more emotionally available, is growing tired/sad of Brad's emotional distance, etc.) Brad is Back On. Brad is putting the effort to verbalize his feelings, is putting a name on the relationship and, one day, he'd even be willing to put a ring on it. He is "Everything I’ve ever let go of has claw marks on it" coded and you can argue you with the wall.

(Plus, I feel like, exactly like his performative assholery mainly comes from mean comments, he may not be very affectionate when it comes to words of affirmation, but by his behaviour you can tell he cares. He is all about quality time, acts of service and gifts he diguises as not gifts. He tries to be subtle, but he can't help revealing in someway he cares about people).

If Brad could beg his brother, one the people he hates the most in the world, to let him have Mythic Quest for a while more, he could surely find the courage to tell the person he loves that he loves them. "But his pride-" he flushed his pride down the toilet when it became an obstacle to him. He came back to his old company as a janitor, which sadly many people do not considered to be a valuable job, especially since he used to be the Head of Monetization before. He had none of that "oh my God, this job is not well paid or respected enough for my previous standards" crap. He is way less prideful than a lot of people think. Getting where he wants to go, obtaining what he wants to gain is way more important to him than his pride.

Last note, this man in possessive. And I don't necessarily mean in a toxic, abusive way, but you can't deny that he is. He wants to own people, he probably rarely calls in favours from them because he gets high on how long he can own them. The "Everything I’ve ever let go of has claw marks on it" comes back into the play, this man is jealous. Again, of course this was about Braddavid, shame on you if you didn't catch it, but I have seen too many "David is too affectionate, Brad is aloof and cool" and I don't buy it.

Brad may not be into PDA, and he may not show it with words, but when he is in a committed relationship he is committed. He may say it's casual, but this is just like Kate. No matter how many times he tells himself he won't get attached to a person and that every relationship ends, at the end of the day, if he truly cares about that person, he won't be able to kill the relationship like it was nothing and go on with his life. I cannot imagine him breaking up with someone because "oh no, I am getting too involved", that's the whole point, he cannot do that, or he'd be a killer, he would have been able to kill Kate and let go of Mythic Quest and let Jo end up in jail. Even if he did break up with this person, it wouldn't come natural to him and he would an absolute wreck, haunted by the memory of this person like he is haunted by the memory of Kate.

It's the duality here! Brad's all about the duality, nature and (self) nurture fighting one against the other. And I have mainly found stuff in which this duality is not shown.

If you made it to this point, thank you for indulging me in overanalysing this character, have a wonderful day.

P.S. I forgot to mention, Brad totally watches those animal predators video for desensitization. Because he couldn't kill Kate so he teaches himself to be insensitive to animal cruelty. The kid who couldn't harm his pig is not watching animal on animal violence for kicks and giggles.

[stitching-in-time]

Voyager rewatch s4 ep9: Year of Hell pt 2

I definitely haven't seen this one since it first aired, because the only things I remember from it were Janeway and Tuvok hugging, and the ship crashing. Literally everything else in this was like new to me, which was completely wild to experience after more than two decades.

Why I didn't rewatch it again in all this time, I don't know- I remember thinking 'ugh' whenever I'd see it on a rerun and flip channels, but it's actually a lot better than I gave it credit for??? Maybe as a kid all the sad, scary stuff the crew goes through just made more of a negative impression on me, and I know I would have been very worried that somebody would get killed off back then. I had a deeper attachment to Star Trek characters than any other shows I watched, so the stakes always felt a little bit higher in Star Trek, versus other shows I didn't care about as much.

But anyway, I was clearly way too young to realize how hot the whole crew was yet, because I didn't remember the part where Chakotay and Tom are aboard the Krenim timeship at all. And oh boy, watching it as an adult? with Tom in that costume with that v-neck top? Incredibly distracting. Like, excuse me sir, how dare you be that pretty?? All tall and blonde and blue eyed with your tousled hair and your unbuttoned shirt?? Illegal levels of hotness!!! go to jail for 1000 years!!!

But aside from making my fangirl brain go brrrr every time Tom appears on screen, I do think the scenes on the ship with the Krenim bad guy, Annorax, were very interesting and well done. We learn that Chakotay and Tom have been held captive there, in solitary confinement, for two months, before Annorax decides to let them out. He brings them to have dinner with him in an attempt to convince them to work with him to help him get his timeline back, and restore Voyager in the process. Tom is pissed off and skeptical, but Chakotay plays it more diplomatically, and tries to hear Annorax out. Annorax does a convincing job of presenting himself as cultured and reasonable, until he tells them that the little feast he's treating them to is actually a macabre repast made up of the last existing delicacies from civilizations he's erased from existence. He tells them how he's been manipulating the timeline with the time weapon on his ship for 200 years, existing outside of normal time, trying to get the calculations right to bring the entire Krenim empire back, like some sort of Flying Dutchman in space. Chakotay and Tom are horrified, and Tom won't hear of helping him, guessing that the only reason Annorax is asking them is because he hasn't been able to find and destroy Voyager yet. He storms out, but Chakotay stays, hoping there might be a way to use the time weapon in a less violent way to accomplish what Annorax proposed.

Meanwhile, back on Voyager, the seven remaining crew members are fighting tooth and claw to keep the ship together, hiding in a nebula to avoid the Krenim and try to repair their failing systems. Janeway, as usual, powers through it all by throwing herself into work, rarely eating or sleeping, risking her life time and again, and ignoring doctor's orders to rest when she gets sick or injured. (She has a rare moment of sentiment when she finds the watch Chakotay gave her still in his quarters, despite her order to recycle it. She doesn't know of he's alive or dead at this point, so she's too moved to be angry, and she picks it up, and puts it on her belt, like a good luck charm.) The Doctor tries to relieve her of command when he thinks she's pushing herself too far, but Janeway hits him with the reality that she can just say no- they have no security officers, they have no brig, no energy for more forcefields- he can't enforce any orders on anyone. He tells her he'll record her refusal in his log, and that she could face a court-martial for disobeying, to which she responds with a wry smile that they'd have to get home before she could ever face a court martial, and she's the one who's going to get them home, by continuing to work. Even making it out alive to face a court martial would be nice for her, compared to what they're going through. She walks off, leaving the Doctor to contemplate his abstract principles, while she, as always, is forced by necessity to do the real, hard work to hold things together and shoulder the responsibilty for the ship and crew, alone.

Back on the Krenim ship, Chakotay works with Annorax to learn how to use his time weapon, and Tom buddies up to the crew, trying to gather what info he can from them that might be useful against Annorax. He tells Chakotay the crew are unhappy in their endless mission, and that they could be convinced to mutiny against Annorax with their help. Chakotay says no, and wants to try to use the time weapon, which Tom disagrees with, and they come pretty close to having a fistfight over it, since Tom (rightly) thinks Annorax is a maniac, and that Chakotay has been swayed over to Annorax's side. Whether Chakotay actually has been swayed or not is kind of open to interpretation- Annorax certainly was giving him a lot of seductive speeches about what an art form the manipulation of time can be, and Chakotay seems to earnestly believe he can find a way to use it for good. And if he was actually just playing a long game, and trying to earn Annorax's trust so they can get the better of him, he absolutely should have told that to Tom, rather than letting him think he's sympathizing with the enemy, and thus giving him a good reason to not follow his orders. At any rate, Chakotay seems to finally realize that Annorax is a madman who can't be reasoned with once he learns that his centuries of meddling with the timeline stem from accidentally erasing his own family in one of his attacks, and that everything he's been doing has been a desperate attempt to get them back. They watch in horror as he uses the time weapon to erase an entire planet, and Tom finally convinces Chakotay to go with his plan. Tom gets his Krenim friend to let him send a message to Voyager, and to help them shut down the time weapon so Voyager can attack.

By the time Voyager receives Tom's message, Janeway has assembled a small fleet of allies to stand against the Krenim- Voyager is nearly crippled, so she sends the rest of the crew to the alien ships, and stays behind on Voyager to coordinate the attack that now has a fighting chance, thanks to Tom's help. This is the scene I always remember, of Tuvok attempting to convince Janeway not to stay on a compromised Voyager to die. But Janeway waxes poetic about how a captain always goes down with the ship, and how Voyager is more than just a ship, it's their home, a part of their family that she can't abandon. Tuvok knows her too well to argue, so he gives her a Vulcan salute, and accepts a hug from her in return. Her face as he returns her embrace for one rare and probably final time, when she almost breaks down as she says goodbye to him, only to snap herself back to composure, to send him away in order to do what she has to do, is an absolutely devastating moment, and an incredibly subtle piece of acting from Kate Mulgrew.

Even standing alone on her wrecked ship, battered and filthy, with Chakotay's watch tucked into her belt, Janeway still exudes the air of a Captain, and leads the charge to the Krenim ship. (Which looks so much like Babylon 5! I honestly have to wonder whether it was intentional- I can't imagine anyone working on Star Trek wouldn't have been aware of that show, or what their space station looked like. Though whether it was a nod to them or a dig at them, I don't know.)

As soon as Annorax sees Voyager, he wants to destroy it, but his second in command holds fire long enough for Tom to take the time weapon offline. Even with regular weapons, Voyager is too damaged to fight back, so Janeway decides if she's going down, she'll take them with her. Only Kate Mulgrew could sell that incredibly cheesy 'time's up' line with so much conviction that I buy it completely. I get why her whole crew would die for her- I would die for her too. If you watch this show and still say you wouldn't die for her, you're lying. Janeway supremacy forever <3

Somehow, Janeway figures that taking out the timeship might reset the timeline, so she has her ships disengage their temporal shielding and rams Voyager into the Krenim ship, destoying them both.

And the timeline resets!! How? I have no idea! How did she know that would happen? I also have no idea! Would it have been nice if that theory were introduced into the script earlier, and played with a bit more so it didn't seem like a crazy last minute add-on that was too convenient to be true? Yeah! Am I mad enough about it that I'm gonna complain about it too much? No! Do I just enjoy the badass ferocity of Janeway ramming her ship into a bad guy's ship to save millions of lives, even if she has to risk her own to do it? HELL YEAH!!!

So we end up back on Voyager before the Year of Hell began- everything is pristine and lovely, and the crew is looking forward to their little opening celebration for the new astrometrics lab. A Krenim hails them, gives them a friendly warning that their territory is in dispute, and recommends going around their space for safety. Janeway thanks him, and sets a course to avoid their space. They go on their merry way, never knowing the year they endured in another timeline.

And the last scene is of Annorax, back at home, with his wife, going over his time manipulation research, and ignoring her until she insists the research can wait, and that he should have breakfast with her. He agrees, but his research is still there, and it's a chilling thought that without knowing the 200 years he spent trying to fix his mistake, he might make it all over again one day. (But seriously, in 200 years, he didn't figure out that blowing his ship up would reset the timeline and bring his wife back?! Like that's literally all he had to do?! But Janeway guessed that correctly in one split second hunch?! Not the best writing in the world, but hell, I'll give it a pass because Janeway badassery! I love you, my captain!!! No thoughts, just Janeway!!!)

Tl;dr: The ending wasn't as strong as the beginning, but it was an exciting ride, with some really fine moments. I won't be waiting another 20 some years to rewatch this again, I can tell you that!

[whyreyousoobsessedwithme]

Spoilers 477

It took long because I was trying to work with my very uncooperative group members who suck ass at communicating.🙄 I literally had a dream about it because I was so stressed.

I like how different Jinyoung's personality is when he can't remember, you know like bashing Allied while in pain, but that also means he's getting better at sorting out his thoughts despite the pain and panic attacks. And is it just me or what Jinyoung's experiencing, not panic attacks at all. Like, I'm not a professional psychiatrist or anything, but those do not look like panic attacks.

Also, isn't anyone going to help him like his ass is just there bleeding out.

Lmao, we all know what happens when Yujin gets cocky about his fighters.

🥺he wants to stay by samuel,even though samuel doesn't give him the time of day.

On god, this bitch is pissing me off, chasing after this lifestyle is literally what ruined him and big deal. He has people that care about him even though he doesn't deserve it and still chooses to act like a douche. Honestly, Jake's is pissing me off too. He's too nice for giving chances to people who don't deserve and clearly should be in jail (jihoe, xiaolong, vivi and samuel).

Warren bought them chicken like he always does 🥺. I honestly like how Amy and Natalie are so much smaller here, I feel like it shows us that these girls are younger than Sally and the others. Like they actually look like children, unlike the other girls. Also, yenna looks so cute and pudgy, but jokes aside, someone tell ptj that 3 years old don't look that small.

Bros about to get manhandled by a kid too. Do the men working for yujin forget their boss is also a child.

It's so funny whem when he tries to act intimidating when he's so tiny. I will stomp on him (I am also under the average height).

Thr audacity of this Lil bitch. He literally had his friends tortured, especially Daniel, and Sally almost got r*ped; and now he has the nerve to ask Daniel that! Bitch should be glad he's getting an option instead of his ass handed back to him.

Pretty sure ptj forgot to draw his tattoos just like he forgot Goo's wound on his neck.

It makes sense that Yujin would go after Gun. However, I'm going to be honest, I don't think it'll be easy or even possible. Honestly, lung cancer has a higher chance of killing Gun than these guys. I feel like James Lee and Tom Lee are probably some of the few people capable. Yujin probably knows that Gun is an heir to a powerful mafia group in Japan or that he at least has ties to the Yakuza. So he's either really overconfident or actually has more tricks up his sleeve. Although I'm sure Yujin knows of Gun's reputation as the white demon why else would we see him in all white.

I also feel like we'll finally get a backstory on Gun, I know his ass is downright evil. Like come on, the Yamazaki clan is currently the most powerful in Japan. They didn't become the number 1 by being decent human beings, that's for sure. He's probably worse than Charles, Goo, Tim Lee, Minsik, James Lee, and Jake's older brother combined✋🏼.

[koreanbibliophilegirl]

Can I see your oshi no kono but happier au?

!!!! HELLO I ONLY JUST SAW THIS ASK, YES OF COURSE YOU CAN SEE IT :DDDD It's still in WIP jail for now, but I can give you a basic rundown! I'll put it under a cut:

So, Tommy is the main character because I'm an unapologetic Inniter, lol. He is both Aqua and Ruby, and maybe Ai too a little bit!

Originally, he was Tommy Innis, a sick orphan who'd spent nearly his whole life in hospital under the care of Doctors Sam and Ponk(they both have the role of Goro, though not Aqua).

He dies right before his 16th birthday, and on the same day is reborn as Tommy Craft, the son of superstar actress Kristin Trix and famous artist/sculptor Philza Craft. Tommy's a huge fan of both, but he didn't know they were married bc it was kept under wraps. He's really happy he gets a second chance at life though! He wanted to be an actor/singer/whatever-involves-artistic-talent, but he was too sick to do any of it properly- except maybe writing.

Also, Technoblade Craft is his teenage(?) uncle who's already making a name for himself in writing & various sports. Tommy is a fan of him too. Hehe👍

So anyway, Innis!Tommy used to be online friends with this one guy, idk which guy it's gonna be yet. Let's call him Guy for now.

Guy was an aspiring movie director, he* and Tommy often talked about how Tommy would appear in Guy's movie, and they'd both be super successful, and stuff like that- but Tommy died before any of it could happen...

(*: I'm assuming he's gonna end up being a he? Niki, Hannah and Tina all have roles already, and I'm pretty sure Puffy's gonna be Foolish's mom or something, so yeah.)

But!!! He follows Kristin to one of her movie sets, and lo and behold, the director's his old online best friend!

Guy, being 21(?) now, is rising fast in the movie industry. He has Purpled on set as a child actor, but he makes a spur-of-the-moment decision to have Tommy appear with him. Purpled, who's been acting for a while now, understandably isn't too happy at having to act with a complete newbie.

But turns out, Tommy's a natural! Purpled is kinda jealous, though he's also impressed. (You can probably tell by now, but Purpled is Kana. Kekw) Then Tommy teaches Purpled a bunch of new swear words, much to Kristin's amusement and Guy's exasperation. They become friends-for-the-day after that👍

Uuuuhhhh not entirely sure how things are gonna go from here, but something about Techno nearly getting stabbed? He's fine though DW, it's called Oshi No Ko But Happier AU for a reason! :D

Guy dies though.

.......Yeah.😬

BUT that will come later, for now Tommy's gained quite a reputation as a child actor with tons of potential! Under a pseudonym of course, bc he can't really announce himself as the son of two of the most influential artists of the century, not to mention the nephew of one. He gets to learn how to play a bunch of instruments too! (Innis!Tommy, being a sick orphan, had only gotten to learn a few that were easy/cheap to learn, and could fit in a hospital room.) Techno nearly getting killed puts the family on edge though, so they all agree to keep the acting jobs to a minimum until Tommy's older.

Fast forward to 13 years old, Tommy's just started to attend a super-prestigious school specializing in the arts. Turns out Purpled is here too! But Purpled's changed a lot during the time they didn't see each other. He's a lot less expressive- it reminds Tommy that all of Purpled's roles, during the last few years, have been apathetic acts. Tommy's a bit concerned, but Purpled is in the year above his so Tommy can't really catch him in school.

He makes a friend in writing class though! Their name is Ranboo, he's pretty cool! Ranboo introduces him to Tubbo, who's attending a technology-centered school.

Turns out, Ranboo's older sister, Niki, is friends with Techno. She & her queerplatonic partner, Jack Manifold, are co-leaders of the dance team 'Rocket'. Tommy's been calling them Team Rocket as a joke.

Shenanigans happen! Oh and Tommy's family is still searching for the person that ordered a hit on Techno, because what the f*ck.

Around this time Tommy's accidentally gotten super SUPER famous, and he starts to see that a lot of murders have been happening in the entertainment industry for years. The family lawyers & the authorities hadn't made the connection bc of different methods/seemingly different motives/different culprits, some of whom have been caught- but Tommy thinks there might be a connection. It's kinda irrational, he has no evidence, but murders/murder attempts HAVE been happening more often in the last decade or so than before.

Oh yeah!! I haven't drawn any concept art yet, but I have a list of "star pupils". (no pun intended, I genuinely did not expect that to sound like a pun, what the heck.😅)

If I do get around to drawing some characters for Oshi No Ko But Happier AU, I'll be changing the Star Pupil rules from the original manga/anime.

I'm thinking talent in creation- drawing, painting, writing, etc. - would be four points, shaped like a + sign, while performance- acting, singing, playing instruments, etc. - would be four points, but shaped like an x. Talent in only one aspect of each category- ex. Good at writing but bad at drawing, Good at dancing but average at singing- would be a single line or thin shape.

Additionally, the center of the star would get bigger according to your confidence!

So, Phil and Kristin have four-point stars, with Phil's being a + shape and Kristin's being an x shape. Purpled also has an x-shaped four-point star, but his stars have a big center in childhood and grow small in teenage years- and then grow big again, bc as I keep saying, it's Oshi No Ko But Happier AU. Ranboo has a cat's eye pupil-shaped pupil, while Niki and Jack both have lightning bolt-shaped pupils.

Techno has six-point stars, and Tommy has eight-point stars :) Hopefully I can avoid making them too OP by nerfing them in other aspects lol.

Uh, I think that's all for right now! Thank you for the ask, hope you enjoyed my ramblings haha😅

-Lilly xx

[walker-extended-universe]

A Killer by Any Other Name, Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Relationship(s): Liam Walker & Cordell Walker, Malcolm Bright & Dani Powell, Micki Ramirez & Cordell Walker

Tags/Warnings: Graphic Description, Murder, Investigations, Wrongful Imprisonment, Mistaken Identity

Summary: Cordell Walker is accused of twelve counts of first degree murder due to some damning evidence. Problem is, he didn't do it. Liam is determined to prove this so he calls on an old friend, Malcolm Bright, for some help. Meanwhile, Sam Winchester hears of the case and it doesn't take him long to figure out Walker has been pinned for one of their hunts. He can't sit by and watch an innocent man go to jail so he resolves to help in any way he can.

Written for @augustofwhump Day 7: Promise

Taglist: @theladywyn, @ihavepointysticks, @klaatu51, @itsjessiegirl1, @neptunium134

-------------

"So what are we looking at here?" Dani asked.

Malcolm shrugged and settled into his airplane seat. "I'm not sure; haven't had a chance to look at the case file yet." He pulled his briefcase into his lap. "Wanna do that now?"

"May as well; we'll have a few hours to kill."

It was a pretty straightforward case. 12 dead bodies (“Dodeca homicide,” Bright helpfully supplied) and one fateful DNA test tied in with a few witness statements made Cordell Walker, Texas Ranger, their prime suspect. “No one actually saw him do it, right?”

“No,” Bright confirmed. “But the neighbors pegged someone matching his general description being in the area at the time and the DNA is a near perfect match. Plus, he doesn’t have a solid alibi….”

“Seems pretty cut and dry to me, sad as it is. Why are we looking into this?”

“Our suspect’s brother is an old college friend of mine and he’s convinced there’s something wrong with the case. He called me in as a favor to get a second opinion before it gets to court. Just looking at the case, I don’t think we actually have to figure out who solved the case; we just need to prove that it wasn’t our good friend Walker.”

“And how are we going to do that?”

“By creating a criminal profile and proving that he doesn’t fit it.”

“Will that work? I mean, could you convince a jury?”

“I don’t have to convince a jury,” Malcolm said. “I just have to convince the prosecution to drop the charges and return the investigation to the DPS so they can get back to looking for the actual criminal.”

“Assuming Walker is innocent.”

“Yes, assuming Walker is innocent.” Malcolm sighed. “I really hope he is. I’d hate to let down a friend.”

“Hey, if this guy is guilty, then you’re not the one that let your friend down, okay?” Dani said, petting Malcolm's leg. “His brother did that all on his own.”

“I know, I know. I just….” he shook his head. “I just hope he’s innocent.”

“That’s all we can do.” Dani was saved from any further useless comforting by the flight attendants starting the safety presentation. In just a few hours, they’d be in Texas. Then, the real work would begin. Hopefully, they weren’t flying out there for nothing.

—--------

Cordell flipped mindlessly through reality TV channels, trying to find something to distract him from the quiet house. He was lucky to be allowed to come home instead of waiting in a cell, but the drawback was that his family couldn’t be there. Aside from Liam, as his lawyer, and an armed babysitter, he was alone. He was too dangerous to be among humanity and was only given these small comforts by mercy of a few technicalities.

Normally those tiny laws irritated him because they made his job harder. Now, he couldn’t be more grateful. But he knew it was only a small mercy. With no other suspects and some hard evidence against him, he’d likely go away for life, no matter how innocent he was.

Just thinking about where his future was likely heading was depressing. Too bad there was nothing good on TV to distract him.

A knock on the door startled him so badly he almost reached for the gun he wasn’t allowed to hold anymore. He smiled when he saw who was on the other side of it. “Hey, Micki. I can’t believe the guard dogs let you in.”

“Hey.” Micki stopped at the end of the couch. “You look comfy.”

He shrugged. “I’m not going to complain. Could be a lot worse.”

She sighed. “I don’t know about that. I’ve gone over every detail of this case about a hundred times and I’ve got nothing. We might be able to argue against the eyewitness accounts since the crime scene is in such an isolated area but…. It’s hard to refute DNA evidence.”

“I know,” he said softly. “I wasn’t expecting you to pull a miracle. Just- Thanks for trying.”

“Hey, I’m not giving up yet, partner. Everyone knows you didn’t do it. We just have to figure out a way to prove it, that’s all. And I won’t stop until I do.”

“I know. Just- Don’t be too hard on yourself, okay?”

She nodded. “I’ll try.”

They were distracted from any further consolations by another knock on the door. This time, it was Liam- and he had some guests.

“This is Malcolm Bright and Detective Dani Powell. I asked them to help with your case.”

“We already have a team of investigators,” Micki said.

“But do you have a profiler?” Malcolm asked. “That’s what I do. I’ve been talking to Liam and I think if I can convince the DPS that you’re just not the right suspect for the case, that will get you out of the hotseat.”

“You don’t sound very confident,” Cordell said.

“It’s a long shot,” Malcolm admitted. “But I promise I’ll do everything I can to prove your innocence.”

Cordell nodded. For some reason, he believed this stranger. “Alright. Where do we start?”

Malcolm smiled. “Why don’t we start with your side of the story?”

—-----------------

Sam found himself a decent motel room on the outskirts of Austin. If he was going to try to help, he needed a game plan first. This wasn't like a normal hunt, where he’d need to show his face to the cops maybe once and be able to trick them with an ID they probably wouldn’t inspect too closely. A high-profile arrest like this probably already had FBI agents on it and the last thing he wanted to do was attract their attention. He needed a way to anonymously help the investigation without getting close enough that they’d ask questions.

Dean was probably right that he was stupid to even consider this, but he couldn’t let someone else face the consequences for his own mistakes. He needed to fix this, or he’d never forgive himself.

The first thing he needed to do was figure out what went wrong. He got out his laptop and got to work hacking into the Austin DPS case files. There had to be something useful in there. If he could just figure out what evidence he needed to disprove….

After about an hour of poking around their cybersecurity, Sam was able to get in and locate the file for the Ranger’s arrest. And there, he found his answers. Very close DNA match and witness testimony.

Not very easy to fix. Actually, nearly impossible to fix. An eyewitness was bad enough, but combine that with DNA…. There wasn’t much Sam could do to undo that. Not without presenting better evidence that someone else was behind the case, which would be basically impossible.

Unless….

Unless he did get close enough to get involved. Unless he presented himself as a potential suspect. Unless he was suspicious enough to get the blame thrown off of Walker and onto him. Their DNA was obviously close enough and there was an uncanny resemblance.

It was risky, but it would work. He just needed to make sure he didn’t really get caught.

Wouldn’t be the first time he ran out of town by the seat of his pants. What was one more FBI charge?

[blazehedgehog]

Most obvious question in the world, maybe, but hey, I'm interested! What'd ya think of today's Sonic Central?

There was a part of me that really regretted watching it. They definitely had a lot to announce, but a LOT of it was like...

Mobile games I hate (because of f2p mechanics) or cannot play (because they are in Apple Arcade jail).

Merchandise I either can't afford (Lego), don't want (a motorcycle helmet) or don't have space for (statues and action figures).

After a while I started to get that melted brain feeling like when you watch too many late night infomercials in a row. I could feel my fight or flight mechanism trying to kick in. Framing one of them as an actual infomercial did not help.

The two ones of most interest were, one, the Sonic x DC crossover.

We're going to be getting two years (24 issues?) of some sort of alternate universe where The Justice League is made up of Sonic characters. I don't know what to make of it, but I'm willing to keep an open mind about it.

There's a part of me that wonders if this is Sega testing the waters just in case IDW folds -- my understanding is they aren't very stable right now, but then I suppose the same could be said of a lot of the North American comics industry. I don't read much outside of Sonic, but I absorb some degree of the culture through my friends, and I know Marvel and DC aren't doing super well in the comics space either right now, and that's been an ongoing, long term issue (long enough term that it's been cited as the driving reason Marvel pivoted to the MCU over a decade ago, since the comics biz has been suffering so much for so long).

I floated "maybe Sega is shopping around in case IDW folds" in a Discord earlier and was told pretty definitively that's unlikely, and I think that's fair. You never know, but DC also did that ridiculous Looney Tunes crossover series a few years ago.

They just do weird stuff like this. Which is nice, really. More power to them.

The other notable thing being more information about Sonic X Shadow Generations. A peek at Mephiles, a look at more levels and bosses, and the possibility that through the time distortion Shadow finds himself in, he may be able to see and interact with Maria and Gerald again. There's mention of "correcting the timeline," which could mean a lot of things. I'm used to hearing that in comic books, where it means "we get to clean up clutter we don't like."

Speaking as someone who does not like their involvement in the story, would be funny if Shadow Generations ends with Shadow somehow making it so Gerald never made a deal with the aliens. In theory it wouldn't change our Shadow; for the same reason that in Sonic 06, defeating Iblis in the past did not get rid of him in Silver's future (see also: "Classic Sonic is from another dimension.") But I think it would be cool to say "I didn't just kill him, I erased him from the timeline."

But yeah. It continues to look cool. Cool enough that I preemptively spent my Twitch earnings to pre-order the game after the show. I won't get paid those earnings for another three weeks, but it's fine. Hopefully.

I guess they also announced they're going to be putting up the Shadow Origin series for free on Youtube starting today, when it originally sounded like those would be exclusive to the Digital Deluxe on PS5. Now the Digital Deluxe is merely getting "extended and deleted scenes." At least they'll be included with the game this time, unlike most of the other animations Sega's put out to promo a new game.

But it's very telling that their "one more thing" was a Sonic movie 3 feature that was basically just one of the... producers? writers? director? standing on the backlot telling us "the movie is going to be so good you guys" while interspersed with clips from the one and only trailer we've seen. I can feel myself being carried away on everyone else's hype for that movie, but the realistic expectations in my heart is that, bare minimum, I personally won't like it.

Outside of that first movie I haven't felt like this series has been put together very well and I could see it all crashing and burning with this third movie.

[lady-maracas]

Wildflowers, A RDR story - 0.4 - Friendship

Series Masterlist

-Emerald Ranch, New Hanover, December 1898-

The air is chilly, the December wind reminding me a new year is bound to start. I can't say I'm sad to let the past year go, considering how difficult it was for me. Being locked up for months for a crime I didn't commit really made me realize just how unfair life can be.

Recently, I've been busy, which isn't surprising based on the fact that I seem to accept every job that is given to me. I've assisted Cripps in setting up our revolutionary trading company, a task that has taken up much of my time and energy. One of my jobs involves skinning animals. Their pelts are particularly popular this time of year because of the chilly weather, folk use it for coats and boots. Hence, I've been deliberately avoiding Harriet, the animal protector, knowing she would lecture me about how I "brutally kill" animals.

I've also formed a good friendship with Maggie. We share similar personalities and, of course, a mutual love for moonshine that has drawn us closer together. Recently, I helped her find a new cook since our operations rely heavily on having someone skilled in the kitchen, especially after Danny-Lee decided to betray her and steal her customers. That's when I met a French fellow named Marcel. We get along pretty well, especially since we speak the same language—though his tendency to talk a bit too much can be overwhelming at times. Nonetheless, he's been doing a great job so far.

Speaking of chatterboxes, I also assisted Maggie in breaking her nephew, Lem, out of jail. To be honest, I don't think he's stopped talking since that day, though I must admit I found myself chuckling softly at some of his jokes. It's interesting how quickly these new friendships are beginning to grow on me.

As I enter the shack where we prepare our alcohol, a small cabin partially hidden in the woods north of Emerald Ranch. Keeping a low profile is crucial—making moonshine is illegal after all. I fix my hat while making my way down the stairs towards the area where we prepare the moonshine.

"Bonjour! (Hello!)" I hear Marcel exclaim cheerfully. "Qu'est-ce que je peux faire pour toi? (What can I do for you?)" he asks me, his enthusiasm unmistakable. I'm about to respond when I'm abruptly interrupted by Lem, the other professional yapper in our group.

"Good day, Marcel! Oh, hello Ms. Watson. How's it going?" It's clear he's busy, as he's holding a stack of papers in his hands, likely indicating a busy day ahead.

"I'm doing fine, thank you." I reply and smile at my friend before turning back to Marcel. "J'ai reçu une commande; une recette à la pomme rose, tu veux bien la préparer pour moi? (I received a Wild Cider moonshine order, mind preparing it for me?)" I ask the cook politely.

"Avec plaisir! (Of course!)" He turns back to the preparation counter, making sure we have all the necessary ingredients.

"You know, when you talk together like that, I can't help but feel like you're plotting something behind my back," Lem chimes in, sounding a bit left out.

"It doesn't count as back talk if you're in the room, Lem," I tease, laughing at the scoff he lets out.

"De toute façon, I got better things to do than talk about you, Lem Fike," Marcel retorts, his focus still on preparing the order.

"Thanks, you guys, you really make me feel appreciated, you know," Lem manages to say with a hint of sarcasm, though his expression shows he's half-heartedly annoyed as he glances at the pile of papers he's still holding."Anyways, I got this letter for you. Well at least Cripps said it was for you, apparently it's from one of your friends." He hands it to me and I waste no time opening it.

The letter is from Horley, instructing me to meet him and Jones in Blackwater as soon as possible. I recall meeting Jones a couple of weeks ago; the old man is certainly a funny character. He reminds me of Cripps in a way—both of them are distinctly quirky old men.

"Thanks, I gotta go. I'll see you both later," I say, waving goodbye before heading back up the stairs and exiting the dim light of the shack.

Stepping into the crisp air, I make my way back to my camp located in Great Plains. Scrawny Nag's whining serves as a gentle reminder that I sometimes ask too much of him. Poor horse.

As I arrive at camp, I don't bother dismounting; instead, I call out for my most loyal friend. "Sam! Sam, we've gotta go meet Horley in Blackwater!" I shout, my voice echoing through the vast landscape of the plains.

"Why?" I hear the tired voice of my friend drifting from his tent across camp. "I wanted to sleep, for once!" He sounds grumpy, and I can picture him rolling over, trying to ignore the call.

"We both know that's not true, Sam; you're always sleeping. Now c'mon, cowboy, we've got business to attend to!" I hear him mumble a few swear words under his breath as he reluctantly gets up and makes his way toward his horse, a sleek black Turkoman.

"We better get paid for this, let's go," he warns me before spurring his horse into a lope. I follow suit.

When we finally arrive in Blackwater, the bustling atmosphere hits us immediately. We spot Horley, who is patiently waiting for us, his face lined with anticipation.

"There you are. How did you get on?" he asks us, his tone professional yet friendly. I'm about to respond when I'm interrupted for the second time today.

"She got on just fine, you know she did," Jones jumps in, making his presence known. Sam and I exchange an annoyed glance, accustomed to his interjections. "Well, I know she did. You see it in the sky, you smell it in the air. She ain't a saint, but she's a good one. A fine gal in a nasty world! An American, I guess!" His nice words make me chuckle despite my irritation.

"What's with the praise, Mr. Jones?" I ask, genuinely curious about his sudden enthusiasm.

"Oh, the madam picked you well!" he replies, referring to Mrs. LeClerk. "Horley, this gal will do more than avenge her; with any luck, she'll save us all!" He adds excitedly, his eyes shining with hope.

"Oh, there ain't no luck, Mr. Jones. It's just a woman's heart and not much else," Horley explains, his tone turning more serious.

"Well, she's got a fine one. Send her to help the marshal! The whole damn place is going to shit, and we need more good souls to let us loons rant in peace and howl at the moon in safety," Jones insists, pointing at me. I stand quietly, listening to them, confused by their fervor.

"Maybe..." Horley seems lost in thought for a moment.

"But, don't you and the madam kill the girl with vengeance—nor kill her inside with grief," I hear Sam sigh beside me. I turn to look at him, and he appears unimpressed with the conversation.

"I thought we had business to do, not listening to Jones talk our ears off," he says playfully, trying to lighten the mood.

"Like you said, she's no saint. But like I always say; if you need to earn some money and stay somewhat out of trouble, go see Marshal Davies. He's supposed to stop every bastard killing innocent folk," Horley instructs me, his expression serious.

"And where can I find him?" I ask, eager for direction.

"Up in Tall Trees, I'll show you, c'mon!" Jones struts up to his horse, happy to help.

"That won't be necessary, Mr. Jones." I get back on my horse, so does Sam.

"Of course, follow me!" He trots away, so we have no choice but to follow him.

-

"Marshal! Marshal Davies, this is the people I wanted you to meet!" Jones calls out as we arrive at the small camp nestled in Tall Trees. The area is serene, with towering trees surrounding us and the faint sound of a nearby creek adding to the atmosphere of the place.

"So you're Horley's protégés, huh? He did say you was decent. I hope so," the Marshal says as he looks forward. He appears serious and somewhat intimidating, with a sturdy posture and a keen gaze that suggests he means business. He's the kind of guy you wouldn't want to mess with.

"And he said to me that you stop bastards from killing innocent folk, so I guess that's one thing we got in common," I reply with a smile, feeling a weight lift from my shoulders as I engage conversation with him.

"This land is full of scum," he sighs, the gravity of his words evident. "I spend most of my time wishing they're better off left to it." Before he can continue, he's interrupted by Jones, who has come closer to the small campfire, wanting to soak in the warmth.

"Oh, they're good ones, real good ones! Heart of pure gold," Jones insists, rubbing his hands together as he tries to warm up.

"Go away, old man. I told you to go away," the Marshal snaps, clearly losing his patience.

"I'll go away, Mr. Marshal... I'll go," Jones mumbles in response, turning away and trudging back to his horse, a resigned look on his face.

"Tom Davies, US Marshal," he introduces himself formally, cutting through the tension.

"I'm Elizabeth, and this is Sam," I say, motioning to myself and then to my friend, who stands quietly, probably daydreaming about sleeping.

"I've been sent on the trail of a band of killers. This one, Alfredo Montez, killed a family up near Thieves Landing and did some unspeakable things. He's wanted in four states and two countries, and I think he's holed up near Manzanita Post. You take a ride with me to take a look?" the Marshal offers, and Sam and I exchange a glance before agreeing.

Each of us mounts our horses, the sound of hooves stirring up dust as we prepare to head to Manzanita Post.

"Follow me!" the Marshal directs. "I got a man been tracking him. When I left him, it looked promising, but we all know a trail can go cold in a heartbeat—particularly if the one you're tracking doesn't want to be found," he explains, his tone serious.

"That makes sense," I reply, trying to keep pace with his insights.

"Fortunately for us, signs point to Alfredo Montez not caring one fart for who's on his trail," he adds with a laugh. "You got bows? Something like that? You'll need them," he informs us as we continue our ride. "Coming up on the post."

In the distance, we spot our destination to the right: a small house and a shack, both enclosed by a fence.

"Now, I can't be seen to get too close to any of this. I'd be causing a crime or... whatever the damn law is. Ah, anyway, there's Lee, the feller we're supposed to meet," he says, gesturing toward a figure sitting on the porch of the house.

"Hello, friends!" Lee greets us with a wave.

"How's it going, Lee?" the Marshal responds, his demeanor shifting slightly.

"Montez is tricky, you know it and I know it. He knows we're coming, Tom. He's holed up in there waiting for us. The place is crawling with guards, patrols, everything. It's gonna be tough, you know?" Lee's voice betrays his nerves, a hint of nervousness creeping in.

"Well, that's what I pay you all for," the Marshal replies, and I glance back at Sam, who smiles slightly, clearly pleased about the prospect of payment for our effort.

"Yeah, paying us to do your job!" Lee bites back, his tone half-joking, half-serious.

"I can't go and kill a man in cold blood, Lee. Not while I don't have the evidence I need. But, I can turn an old-fashioned blind eye to an unfortunate dispute that I did not see, resulting in the death of some undesirables," the Marshal explains with a serious tone, his eyes flicking between Sam and me to ensure we agree with this morally ambiguous plan.

"Good thing I don't have a problem with an 'unfortunate dispute'," I say with a shrug, trying to keep the mood light despite the tension.

"Then that's perfect. Good luck in there!" the Marshal replies, offering a hint of encouragement.

"Let's go..." Lee instructs, leading us forward into the dense underbrush.

"Montez knows we're coming; it's best if we don't make too much noise," Lee advises as we set off. "There are going to be some guards, for sure. Make sure to take them out quietly, with a bow if you got one." He glances at my bow before looking over at Sam, who readies his throwing knives.

"There's a patrol up ahead; hide!" Lee drops down low, his urgency evident. Sam and I quickly find cover behind a large rock, the rough surface cool against my back. We exchange a look, silently communicating our shared goal.

"I take the one in the front, you take the one in the back?" I suggest, nodding towards the guards.

"You read my mind," Sam replies, slipping out of our hiding spot to find better positioning. Once I see he's settled, we share a final glance, then take our aim. My arrow flies straight for the front guard's eye, piercing through and killing him instantly. Sam's knife finds its target in the back guard's throat, the blade slicing through seamlessly.

"Okay, let's move on," Lee says, emerging from his own hiding spot with a smirk. "Cold-blooded killers, I see."

"Only when we need to," Sam and I respond in unison, a hint of camaraderie in our voices.

As we continue toward the criminals' camp, we cross paths with other guards. We make quick decisions, letting some pass while taking out others without hesitation. Arriving near the camp, Lee motions for us to split up, ensuring we cover as much ground as possible. We find hiding spots while surveying the area, preparing for what's to come. The guards seem aware of our presence, their movements tense and intentional.

I shoot first, mine using my pistols, a bullet finding its mark in one guard's chest. The sudden noise sends the camp into chaos; shouts and gunfire erupt in every direction. Lee, Sam and I keep to our positions, carefully avoiding unnecessary movements as we await our next targets. Each of us takes down a few more guards, strategic and efficient.

Finally, the moment arrives: we spot Alfredo Montez, our primary target. I shoot him straight in the head, without hesitation, his dead body stumbles from his hiding place.

"There he is; he's dead alright," Lee confirms as we gather around Montez's lifeless body. "Let me get him. You know what? All we need is the bastard's head." With a grim determination, he pulls out his hunting knife and decapitates the dead criminal. The sight is horrifying. Lee places the head in a bag and swings it over his shoulder. "Okay, let's go. Take one of their horses to get back to Manzanita Post."

Without hesitation, we gather the gang's mounts, leaving the scene behind us as we ride away. The rush of adrenaline surges through me, while some other gang members spot us and take shots in our direction.

We steer our horses skillfully, dodging bullets and navigating the path to make it back to the Marshal in one piece. There's an urgency to our escape, each second feeling more critical as we charge forward, determined to return successfully after the deadly mission.

After a couple of minutes, we find ourselves back at Manzanita Post, the dusty road crunching beneath our horses' hooves. The Marshal is waiting for us on the porch, his silhouette framed against the fading light of the day, casting an imposing figure.

"How did you get on?" he asks as we dismount, his expression unreadable but focused.

"Pretty well, I would say," I respond, wiping the sweat off my brow with the back of my hand.

"Here's his head," Lee announces with eagerness, pulling out the gruesome head from the bag. The sight is chilling; the head is harshly disfigured.

"Oh... That's very civilized," Marshal Davies replies with a note of sarcasm dripping from his voice. He inspects the head with a mix of curiosity and disgust. "Well, this should show folks that we're willing to bring law and order any way we can. But this ain't Montez. At least it ain't Alfredo Montez."

"You're kidding me? Who is it then?" Sam asks, surprise evident in his tone as he stands beside me, trying to understand.

"That's his brother," the Marshal sighs, his disappointment clearly taking over. The weight of the situation settles heavily, overshadowing our earlier excitement. "Anyway, here's your money. It's better than nothing, given that you killed the wrong brother. Now let's be clear; Jorge Montez was a no-good son of a bitch with a price on his head. Only in that family was he considered a saint. Alright, friends, I'll see ya up in Van Horn, if you get the chance. My next lead is that maybe Alfredo Montez will be there..." The Marshal waves us goodbye, his demeanor shifting back toward the professionalism we had first encountered.

"Killed the wrong bastard, well I'll be damned!" Lee scoffs, a wry smile on his face, before throwing the severed head away with all his might. It lands somewhere in the dense underbrush of the forest, a disgusting sight.

Sam and I exchange looks of amusement, the tension of the moment slowly fading away.

"Well, this was fun!" I laugh, reaching for my satchel. I pull out a cigarette and light it with a match, the flame flickering momentarily before catching.

"The only thing that matters is that we got paid. I can't believe you woke me up for that!" Sam giggles as he makes his way back to his horse, shaking his head in mock disbelief. "I'll see you at camp?" he asks, looking back at me while adjusting his gear.

"Yeah, see you later!" I wave him off, taking a final drag of my cigarette before stepping on it with my boot, extinguishing the flame.

Killing the wrong folk... I let the thought linger in my mind. Why does this kind of stuff always happen to me?

-

Sam belongs to @sam-vdl , all RDR characters belong to rockstar games.

[thessalian]

Thess vs TLOVM S3, Ep 8

Hoboy. Not entirely looking forward to this, even if I do know it works out in the end. But to get to it, you have to get through it, so...

Pre-beard Grog. What the--? Wait, is this when they meet Percy?!? I seem to remember that his backstory was that they kind of ran into him while he was in a jail cell.

Yep, they're there without him. ...Wait, which one of the prisoners is the what-now?

I seem to remember that originally (or at least according to the comics, which I think were pretty true to character backstories), they needed to question the cult leader because they needed the skull of a Nightmare to cure Grog of his whole ... being the phylactery of a lich ... thing. But we're doing it as a bounty now? Okay.

Well. That was ... to the point, Vex.

You're going to shake down the prisoner. Who, if he came from money - or at least, accessible money - would have been sprung by now.

Percy, are you lying to them right now? Or are you just ... not being frank about how small that fortune is? I-- Ah. Yeah, Vex would have at least been grudgingly impressed at being used if you'd been less honest, Percival.

Ah, and Vex gets defensive. Which means no, dear; he's not shit at negotiating.

Where the truth takes you iiiiiiis ... a funeral. Woe.

Awwww. Feeling a little bad about butting in on some of their earlier moments, Trinket? ...Ah, who am I kidding; I can't be sarcastic at Trinket when he's so worried about his momma.

Yeah, no, I am not okay. Though Matt Mercer getting voice credit as Trinket amuses the hell out of me. Particularly since the one time we heard Trinket speak words, he was voiced by Cheech Marin.

(Most of you are too young for the above; look up Cheech and Chong, and then you will fully understand why it was so fitting for Cheech Marin to be voicing Trinket as heard by Vex while tripping balls.)

Ooooooh Scanlan, I don't know how you're going to feel about yourself after that. I mean, you couldn't have done anything had you been there, probably? But Percy dying while you weren't there has got to hurt.

Vax ... why is it you only manage to say the right thing to your sister?

Hrm. Vax... Are you going to do something stupid--? Oh. Maybe not?

Okay, Keyleth, how are you going to handle this? Please handle this better than Vex did...

THANK YOU.

Ooooooh, Scanlan. Yeah, that's got to hurt. All that for nothing.

...WHAT THE FUCK.

No. NO, Raven Queen. You don't get to dictate that shit.

Oh, FUCK not you again. GO AWAY, RAISHAN.

.........Oh, holy hell. This is when they find out about who killed their parents.

No, Allura, I prefer Kima's terminology.

Grog finally manages a nat 20 on his INT check. Or possibly WIS check in this case.

Not sure what precise subclass of monks we've got here, but this is some Stormlord shit, and if you've got the Stormlord on side, you're doing well.

They actually bothered to do blood splatter on the camera lens that isn't technically there? With realistic blur and everything?!? DAMN, those animators rule.

I was wondering why it wasn't Vex going to talk to Zahra and Kashaw, since she was the one with the best rapport (albeit of a frenemy type) with Zahra, who's clearly the leader of that particular duo. But Vex is going to face Syldor?!? Ooooooh this is going to be either very good or very painful.

Oooooooooh. Both. Definitely both.

Well, at least a cloaking spell still does some good.

Wait. Pike can read sheet music?

Hello, Syngorn forces! That's a loooooooot of Syngorn forces. HOLY SHIT.

Larkin LIIIIIIIIIVES. ...And I don't trust that far too convenient back entrance.

HE USED THE TITLE, HOLY SHIT.

Echoing what I just said about the Stormlord; NIIIICE. Also, Ike Amadi ... well, given how much my little Dragon Age-loving corner of the internet is panting for Veilguard ... that's Davrin's voice actor, guys. Also Javik. And ... Koth-- This guy is seriously prominent in Bioware's Rolodex.

Heh. It's nice that they more or less remember that for all they never officially agreed on it, Vex was always more or less the leader.

It's a little too quiet... GILMORE NOW IS NOT THE TIME.

This ... this is fishy... I do not trust Raishan worth shit; she worked too hard to get them there.

...Oop. AMBUSH.

Wait. WUT. YES, THANK YOU, KIMA.

RAISHAN WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?!?

Oh. Oh shit. Oh shit DUDES RUN.

YEAH YOU GUYS TOO. SHIT SHIT SHIT.

OH HELL. No, no, Vex, OFF THE GUILT TRAIN.

AAAAAAA NO FUCK OFF WITH YOUR CLIFFHANGER I WILL FEED YOU BEEEEEEEEEES!!!

...Anyway, who wrote this? Meredith Kecskemety. Only writing credit. Pretty new, too. Gotta say, for someone who was mostly executive assistant, casting assistant, and assistant writer on an episode each of The Midnight Gospel and If You Give A Mouse A Cookie? That's a hell of an episode for your first solo writing credit ... and she nailed it.

(I am still going to feed her beeeeeeeeees for that fucking cliffhanger, though.)

So now I have a choice - watch the Omn1 reaction to this episode first, or go straight to the next episode. Proooooobably the former. ...Look, I found out just the other day that Omn1 did reactions to the Michael Flanagan series on Netflix and I got to spend most of today mucking around with Terrascapes and listening to him react very much as I did to The Fall of the House of Usher and he might actually make Midnight Mass something I can watch at least in part without religion-based PTSD flashbacks. Anyway, I find him comforting. As I said, I don't get to watch stuff with people very often; this is the next best thing.

Of course, I kind of want to watch TLOVM S3 in its entirety before Arcane S2, but I've got about two weeks before I need to worry about that, so I won't rush.