#hi bebop crew! i'm not dead!!!

[bohemian-rhapsody-in-blue]

Bebop Crew July Challenge, Day 1: Midnight

Thanks to the @bebopcrew community for the prompt list! I’ll be writing fics based on their July 30-Day Challenge all this month (if I can!); I’ll also be posting them to AO3 here!

Fittingly, I wrote most of this around/past midnight—my sleep schedule is so messed up these days that I’m most productive between the hours of 11 PM and 4 AM, so that’s probably when I’ll be getting most of these stories posted. So if you see me posting, for instance, my fic for Day 1 on what’s technically July 2, well…that’s what I have to say for myself.

This fic was also (minorly) influenced by @graysongraysoff’s first fic for Beboptober 2020, “3, 2, 1…Let’s Jam!”

Also, enjoy this rejected first line: “There are many benefits to being a marine biologist bounty hunter….”

As the clock ticked past midnight, Spike and Jet sat on neighboring barstools, keeping a sharp lookout for the bounty head who was rumored to pass through this bar tonight—or from a message from Faye indicating that the bounty head had visited the bar where she was stationed, instead. There had been no sign of the guy for a while, and the only messages from Faye just consisted of her complaints of boredom. (The bar was on a relatively remote asteroid, after all.) The anticipation and the silence—other than the occasional attempt at conversation from Jet or the crack of peanut shells (no drinks for them tonight, or at least minimal drinks; they needed to focus)—gave Spike a lot of time to think about the reasons he’d become a bounty hunter in the first place. The reasons he’d chosen this offbeat, freelance profession to fill this part of his life—such as it was.

Sure, the paychecks were irregular, often scanty, and—more often than the crew would like—nonexistent. And he wasn’t one to pretend that the money didn’t matter, that he was purely in the bounty-hunting business for the love of the job or whatever. And sure, one could go on and on about catching bad guys, keeping them off the streets, bringing justice to the world—and Spike supposed those were advantages too, though he preferred to leave the philosophizing to Jet. And they definitely weren’t the reason he’d picked up the work. Anyway, on nights like these—when he and Jet and Faye were in their element, and he was sure a fat stack of Woolongs was on their way—Spike preferred to focus on the more practical benefits of the job.

Spike knew he’d chafe in some corporate 9-to-5 job, or in retail or customer service, or in any position with set hours and fake smiles and a supervisor breathing down his neck. He’d struggle and squirm as if wearing an ill-fitting jacket. And he couldn’t imagine having to say things like “actionable items” or “let’s circle back��� with a straight face. He often griped and complained about the woes of bounty hunting, but he was feeling unusually optimistic tonight, and he had to admit, the freedom that this job afforded him suited him perfectly.

Take the work hours, for instance. Twelve A.M. and he was wide awake, raring for a catch; in twelve hours he’d probably be passed out on the Bebop’s couch. And the job was so unpredictable that in another twelve hours, he might still be asleep. This was the kind of schedule that suited him; he wouldn’t have it any other way.

And to be honest, midnight wasn’t a bad time to be up and working. The sky outside the bar was pitch-black, but the streets hummed with life. As Spike looked around, he saw flickering neon signs, sporadic streetlights, headlights of cars and spacecrafts, and the occasional tiny flame of a lighter filling the darkness. And while he and Jet were quiet, the bar was replete with lively conversation, raucous laughter, and the sounds of games of pool, foosball, and darts, often accompanied by wild cheering. These were technically Spike’s work hours. This bar was sort of his office. The gun resting securely at his side served as his office supplies. What boring corporate job would let him say that?

For another thing, he didn’t have to deal with any stupid dress codes; he never had to memorize the meanings of words like “business casual” or wear the same polo shirt with the same embroidered logo of the same megacorporation as everyone else. He did business dressed up in a suit and tie because he wanted to, and, in his opinion, it looked stylish as hell. (As bonuses, it also allowed him a lot of freedom of movement and was very comfortable, as was evident from the few times Ed had stolen and wrapped herself in it, gleefully flapping the ends of the sleeves.)

Perhaps the best aspect of the job, though, was that every day of it was different. It brought the Bebop crew in contact with such a wide variety of criminals and other strange characters—from senile old chessmasters, to vindictive bombers using teddy bears as their weapons, to homicidal genetically-engineered clowns—that no two people they encountered were ever the same. And if Spike decided a bounty head was too boring, or too much of a small fry, he didn’t have a boss forcing him to take it. (More often, he had an empty bank account and a disapproving look from Jet forcing him to take it—but that was neither here nor there.) Also, the work took Spike and his crewmates pretty much everywhere in the Solar System. He was constantly on the move, never staying in any one place for long. It suited his restless spirit perfectly—and made sure that nothing, or no one, from his past would be able to catch up to him.

“Spike.” Jet’s voice startled him out of his thoughts. “That’s the guy.”

Spike glanced over to where Jet was gesturing, and sure enough, the muscular, grizzled man entering the bar, with a suspiciously gun-shaped bulge under his trenchcoat, matched the description in the criminal records and the picture on Big Shot exactly.

With a grin, Spike rested his hand on his own gun. “Let’s get him.”

Sometimes, when he was in a more brooding mood than tonight, he’d reflect on how his life never felt real. How it felt more like a constant dream he could never wake up from. The ephemeral, meandering nature of bounty-hunting, with its strange and amorphous structure, felt dreamlike sometimes, too. And for someone on the outskirts of society, seeking autonomy—well, he guessed that applied to his whole group of crewmates, in one way or another—it was perfect. As much as he liked to complain about the job, it fit him better than he’d like to admit.

And here he was now, in the dead of night in a random bar on an even more random asteroid, easily dodging the bounty head’s blows and landing his own—without making too much of a scene that attracted the rest of the bar. The fight was over quickly enough that the man didn’t even need to pull out his gun. Just the way Spike liked it. As he threw the final punch that rendered the man unconscious and Jet tied him up, he was completely comfortable. Relaxed. In his element.

There were worse ways to spend a dream.

[teatitty]

Okay a bunch of bugbot Bumblebee thoughts I'm just gonna rattle them off as they come to me the coherency is not important: Bugbot Bumblebee who not only has emotive antenna and circuitry wings but also transforms into an actual beebot drone so he's zippin and flyin and zoomin everywhere, perfect little aerial scout who can get into so so so many tricky places and navigate many areas. He has so much energy he's constantly stimming in place - tappin his heel, swayin side to side, bobbin his head, flutterin wings etc

His beedrone form is the perfect size for being like the cybertron version of a lap pet. Very normal to see him in drone form just curled up sleepin in Optimus' lap or resting on Elita's head. His eyes are big almond shapes and when he's smiling or sleeping they never fully close so there's always this thin slit of blue light visible with them. If a mech is capable of hourglass figure that's him - most grabble waist you've ever goddamn seen and he's perfect cuddle size [like a plushie] so he gets pulled into hugs a lot. Wheeljack especially loves doin this

He's one of - if not the smallest mech among the autobots and his head barely reached Optimus' waist. Arcee insists he's on his tiptoes and Bumblebee denies it viciously. Bugbots are born in "hives" with a singular "hive mother" as their parent/maker. Bumblebee is the last surviving member of his hive. Jazz was the one who found him in the remnants of the hive, surrounded by hundreds of dead bugbots, curled up in the corpse of his hive mother. Because he was alone for so long he is massively touch starved and imprinted hard on Jazz, so a lot of his overly friendly and affectionate nature is from him [as well as his music taste]

For a long while, as someone who had lived isolated and alone for ages, Bumblebee often forgot to speak in regular cybertronian and would primarily communicate in more bugbot sounds - chitters, trills, beeps, clicks the whole works [think Mothra from Godzilla] and even now, if he gets really excited about somethin or is just extremely tired, he'll sometimes switch to that again mid conversation, a fact that he finds very embarrassing and is privately a massive insecurity of his

The autobots are like the first "family" he's ever had. His memories of his hivemates and hive mother are more like distant static - the only clear memory he has is being given the directive to "live and survive" so his bugbot instincts very much label the autobots themselves as "hive" and "hivemates." He is going to be the most helpful bestest scout ever so that he never fails them cannot fail them not like previous hive can prove his independance :]

Elita for sure sees him as a younger brother and calls him "Bebop" because the beepin was the first noises she ever heard from him. Outside of her, his main nicknames amongst the crew are "Buzzer" and "BB"

As previously stated, his wings being all exposed circuitry means they're extremely sensitive to touch - even a slight bend in the wing can be incredibly painful for him and requires a lot of delicacy to care for. Ratchet has never worked on bugbots before. If Bumblebee's wing ever gets shot, it will hands-down be one of the most stressful surgeries of his career as it'll also be the first one he's ever done of this kind. He's the only who can do it, and Bumblebee himself is in so much excrutiating pain he genuinely has no idea where he is or who anyone is, being in massive fight-or-flight mode which is. Y'know. Fun for all involved :)

Anyway, other hivemind behaviour he has is: head nuzzling, communal sleeping, snuggling into the warmest place possible and embodying the "snug as a bug in a rug" phrase, likes to sit on the shoulders of bigger bots, kickin his legs while natterin to them. He is very friend and, like all good scouts, is great at pickin up body language, general moods, various sounds around him, the usual scout things. He's very observant basically which is somethin you forget easily given his usual personality

Part of bein a scout is having the skill to sneak around undetected; Bumblebee can therefore be unnerringly quiet when he wants to, which makes it very easy for him to accidentally scare the spark out of other mechs. Ironhide cussed up a storm the first time this happened to him lol

[phoenixwatchesmovies]

2023 Favorites

I'm kinda glad I was keeping track of what I watched, in retrospect, because looking back over my posts this year, I realized I forgot about a lot of stuff. XD After looking over the recaps and excluding rewatches, here's my top ten New Stuff I Watched for 2023:

10. Cabinet Of Curiosities

Bizarre nightmares unfold in eight tales of terror in a visually stunning, spine-tingling horror collection curated by Guillermo del Toro.

If GDT is your guy, give this a watch. Creature features, cursed objects, aliens, you name it. 8/8 tentacled eldritch abominations.

9. Wolf Creek

Three backpackers stranded in the Australian outback are plunged inside a hellish nightmare of insufferable torture by a sadistic psychopathic local.

Holy shit, this was intense. And as I said initially, so mean. If you're into Texas Chainsaw Massacre, try this. I'm into franchise bingo, so I'm going to look into the sequels and TV series. 3/3 heads on a stick.

8. Requiem For A Dream

The drug-induced utopias of four Coney Island people are shattered when their addictions run deep.

I get the feeling this is one of those that hurts so much more on rewatching, so there's that to look forward to. I've also rarely seen movies that do so much harmonizing between the music and the visuals, and it was so satisfying. 4/4 refrigerator jump scares.

7. Evil Dead Rise

A twisted tale of two estranged sisters whose reunion is cut short by the rise of flesh-possessing demons, thrusting them into a primal battle for survival as they face the most nightmarish version of family imaginable.

This was probably the most fun I had with a horror movie all year, TBH. Horror exploring family dynamics will always be a fave, and this brought plenty of fresh stuff to the franchise while also holding onto the core traits. 5/5 Staffenies.

6. Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers embark on an epic quest to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people.

This was the most fun I had watching a movie all year, period. If you know nothing about DND, it's a good fantasy movie. If you're a DND nerd, the game mechanics are baked into it. If you're a fan of found families, guess what! 6/6 stealth checks.

5. Cowboy Bebop

A ragtag crew of bounty hunters chases down the galaxy's most dangerous criminals. They'll save the world--for the right price.

I got exactly what I wanted out of this, so haters be damned. The anime is a masterpiece and a classic, but if you're not in the mood for the existentialism and other heavier themes, here ya go. 3/3 shower-bath-showers.

4. The Black Phone

After being abducted by a child killer and locked in a soundproof basement, a 13-year-old boy starts receiving calls on a disconnected phone from the killer's previous victims.

Near perfect, as far as I'm concerned. The older I get, the more kids-in-danger as a concept fucks with me, making this the most stressful movie I watched this year (though It Chapter One gave it a run for its money, and I still think they would make a great double feature). 5/5 black balloons.

3. Evil Dead (2013)

Five friends head to a remote cabin, where the discovery of a Book of the Dead leads them to unwittingly summon up demons living in the nearby woods.

It's gnarly. It's badass. I almost puked. I had THE BEST time. The story works as an effective allegory, the effects are gruesomely awesome, and the finale is metal af. Plain and simple. 70,000/70,000 gallons of fake blood.

2. The Crow

A man brutally murdered comes back to life as an undead avenger of his and his fiancée's murder.

Beautiful, sad, aesthetic for days, hella good soundtrack. *chef kiss* I still haven't seen The Batman, but they seem visually similar, so if you like that, you'll probably like this. For more in-depth thoughts, read my post. 1/1 epic rooftop guitar solos.

1. The Fall Of The House Of Usher

To secure their fortune (and future) two ruthless siblings build a family dynasty that begins to crumble when their heirs mysteriously die, one by one.

Not just a new favorite Mike Flanagan. A new favorite in general, and my number one for the year. I just screamed about this one last month, and I don't have anything more to add. I've seen Succession comparisons, and while I have no idea how accurate that is, there's my "if you like that, here's this." Holy crap. 7/7 deadly sins personified.

Happy New Year! 🥂

[last-ronin-tmnt-competition]

you mentioned finding lots of TLR fics. can you give me some to read. preferably, you rank them as most recomended to least (like fluff and healing to lots of gore and angst ) also! if it's dead dove please tell me, i'm shit at reading tags and have accidently read a couple even though i don't want to

The Last Ronin becomes a discord Admin by MelonPalooza - you probably already read it, funny as hell, bit angsty but sense it’s the last ronin all of the are

To know Peace (you got to let go) by Deadpool1763492 - Mikey taking care of the baby turtles with 1 or 2 flashbacks to him and his brothers

Brother, lay down your weapons by MisterUncanny - not to bad so far, starts with the ending of the last Ronin then brings in the rise crew and Casey Jr

Blood orange by StarBound_Seraph - like the previous one but with it’s with another illiteration of his brothers that isn’t rise, it also was created before the previous one

Beyond Death, there is home by thatonefandomjumper - literally the afterlife, you see each brother reach the after life and waiting for the others

Finding Peace by Ammo_Writes, Ammo_Writes_Turtles(Ammo_Writes) - only one chapter currently, set after TLR, Mikey’s in a coma, in the pov of 2003 Donnie in the chapter

Sunset Linings by Iamheretemporarly - 2012 bros are teleported to the last ronin universe and deals with Ronin bleeding out

Ashes to Blood, from Ghost to Brother by Ammo_Writes, Ammo_Writes_Turtles(Ammo_Writes) - Donnie’s back from the dead because of Bishop

Dearly Beloved by FracturedRain647 - Casey and Aprils wedding after Raph died

Just as it never should be by AlphaGuardian16 - 2003 meets TLR Mikey

Group therapy with doctor feelings by Plutodragon - rise Mikey kidnaps a bunch of people from apocalyptic timelines (ronin included) and forces them into therapy, think the second chapter is in Ronin’s pov (I’m counting this)

The Finer Points of Turtlenapping by Ammo_Writes, Ammo_Writes_Turtles(Ammo_Writes) - Ronin gets teleported to the past, prevents the foot from attacking his home, kills every foot member but Hiroto, kidnaps Donnie on the way

An imposters lies by JustMakeLeftTurns - more time travel, Ronin warns his past self and brothers about the future, Past Mikey has a breakdown

Peepaw Nightmare Blunt Rotation (PNBR) by RyantheLoser_reallyitsme - 2003 Raph, 2012 Robo Donnie, Rise Leo, and TLR Mikey all end up in the same universe but everyone but Donnie’s fucking knocked out and Mikey and Raph are bleeding out (Mikey needing more medical attention than Raph though), only 2 chapters so far

Know Peace by less_depresso_more_espresso - rise Mikey gets teleported to Ronins universe, Ronin thinks he’s a robot, Rise Mikey gets pretty injured after that and loses his arm, Rise Mikey forgives Ronin for believing his a robot and ignoring him during his fight with Hiroto, brings Ronin back to his universe, Hypno thinks Ronin was hot after he nearly kills him, Ronin has a fucking breakdown interacting with Rise Splinter, Ronin hallucinates… something that I can’t remember, yeah a lot happens

A Survior’s Guilt by Justalittleobsessed - Mikey wishing he died instead of his brothers

YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT LOVE MEANS (and it's killing me) by Writing_In_Denial - 2012 AU Version of the last Ronin, Mikey’s brothers fucking leave him, Mikey only has ice cream kitty left, Mikey kills Rocksteady on accident, Bebop kills himself with Mikey’s help, Mikey changes his mask color to black and makes himself a new weapon cause his is tainted with the blood and death of Bebop and Rocksteady, ice cream kitty dies, Mikey gets caught in an explosion and meets his dad, his brothers try to go find him after seeing the news

εἴδωλον (morning arrives, you hear from below) by absenthium - splinter lives, Mikey starts pretending to be his brothers for him, Mikey loses his sense of identity, actually fucking made me cry, he didn’t have to do that but he did

To be young again by Ms. Dragon Reader - another 2012 Ronin AU but this time it’s on fanfiction net, Mikey dies and gets sent to the past, Karai is actually nice in this one, Mikey talks to her in his dreams, Mikey can go up on the surface earlier than his brothers and accidentally becomes leader, his brothers miss how he used to be before Ronin took over his past self, Ronin actually gets into a life threatening injury and has a choice to go to the afterlife with his brothers or back to the present, chooses to stay alive and wake up, finds spike and gives his to Raph, etc, etc, Mikey’s kills the shredder, it’s not as violent or sad as the other ones and the only reason it’s at the end is because it’s on fanficton.net and it’s been a while since I read it

[snowflakeanimelover]

hey! idk if u are still writing for spike, but if you are, could I request a fluff piece with spike x female reader in which either he or she are sick with a cold and one of them takes care of the other? i have a cold and i love your writing so maybe this will help the healing process lol! take care and stay healthy ✨🌸

I'm sorry this is late! I hope you feel better :) I do still write for Spike, so do not worry! I love spike.

Relationship: Spike Spiegel x Female Reader

Fandom: Cowboy Bebop

Warnings: Getting sick, Fluff :)

— — — —

The time to show the crew how good of a partner I can be is the time that I get sick. I was coughing here and there for a couple days, not even thinking it could be a cold coming up, and went on an almost highly dangerous job. Not to mention Spike was my partner for the mission.

Just catching the bounty at a dead end, with Spike slowly catching up, I ended up falling face first into the muddy ground. Yes, I fainted. When I woke up a few hours later, I found myself in my room with a cold rag on my forehead. That’s when I knew I had the cold.

I was so sick, I could barely even move. Faye had to carry me to the bathroom when I had to go, and I felt so bad for her.

“Don’t worry about it. You took care of me while I was sick.” She reassured me. It was true. When Faye Valentine was sick, I was the only one, besides Jet, who took care of her until she got better. Now, I just felt guilty seeing her carry me to the restroom and help me eat. It was just a cold, but it was a bad cold.

For the first couple of days, I noticed everyone, but Spike, had come to visit me in my room. When I asked Jet about it, his smile immediately turned into a frown. Guilt was clear in his gaze.

“Spike, uh…He’s upset.” Jet finally told me after I begged him to be honest.

Not only did I already have guilt from Faye helping me so much, but even more guilt was piling up after hearing Jet’s words. Spike was angry because I let the bounty get away. And there's nothing for frustrating to Spike than a bounty getting away when they were just under our clutches. That night, I cried. I cried myself to sleep, giving me a headache in the morning. A headache piled on top of the sickness really pushed my luck.

Surprisingly, after that day, Spike was standing in my bedroom doorway.

“Spike?” I hesitantly call.

“Damn, you really are sick.” He says bluntly, stepping into the room.

“What…what are you doing here?” I ask. He was upset with me, wasn’t he?

“What do you mean? I came to see if you were okay. Haven’t seen you in a while.” He sat at the edge of my bed, pulling out a cigarette, like usual.

I was shocked. No words coming out as I stare at his relaxed form. “Aren’t you…mad at me?”

His eyes widened, whipping his head towards me. “Mad at you? Why would I be mad at you?”

Now it was my turn to have wide eyes. “Huh? But…Jet said you were upset.”

He looked away in thought, taking a drag out of the cigarette and blowing out the smoke. “I wasn’t upset at you. I was upset at myself.” I opened my mouth to answer, but he didn’t let me say a word. “I was upset at myself for letting you go on the mission when you were sick. You know how worried I was? Seeing you on the ground like that. I thought the guy killed you or something, but you were breathing and had a high temperature.”

It made more sense now. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he really was upset because the bounty escaped. Seeing him so worried over me was like a dream come true. Although we were good friends, it never occurred to me that Spike would ever love again after his first love. Not that he actually loves me. It could just be a friend worried over a friend.

But that look on his face as he stared at me, I couldn’t help but blush. I look away, blubbering out nonsense as I try to figure out what to say. “R-right...I’m sorry for making you worry… I thought you were upset at me for letting the bounty escape.”

He scoffs. “I could care less about that bounty.” I flinch at the cold sensation suddenly being placed on my forehead. He was leaned over, the back of his hand against my forehead. “Are you okay? Your fever is going up.”

“I-I’m fine!” I stutter, removing his hand to calm my burning cheeks. “R-really…thank you for not being mad at me…or something… You can go now!”

He chuckles. “I’ll go ask Jet to make you some soup.” And he was gone.

I should’ve grabbed his arm, or something, to keep him by my side. I felt my forehead, where his hand was just seconds ago. The cold sensation felt good against my burning fever. “Maybe I’ll ask him to do it again when he comes back.” I mumble under my breath.

[ramp-it-up]

Fresh Squeeze, Pt. 6

Pairing: Daveed Diggs x OFC Linden Marshall

Set in 2023, post-pandemic

Warnings: Cursing, Wild Thoughts™️, Angst, Yearning, 18+, Walmart shopping, Anime discussion, Anthony Ramos. Lots of Plot

Word Count: 2.8 K

Plot: Linden Marshall just finished law school at Columbia University in NYC. Daveed Diggs is still creating magic with his platonic life partner Rafael Casal in the form of their Blindspotting musical, Bay Boys. Linden’s boyfriend WAS Mark Monaco, star of the superhero movie series Invincible.  They were together for years, and her trauma and his addictions were toxic. She knows now that wasn’t love. 

A/N: Keep in mind that this the same AU as Arrivals, with Holly Woods, but is BEFORE Rafa and Holly get together. 

Read the previous chapter.

==================

Isabela, Puerto Rico, May 2023

“We are about 30 minutes from our destination. Please stay seated with your seatbelts fastened. The pilot will let you know when it is safe to do otherwise. Enjoy the rest of the flight.”

The flight attendant’s announcement woke up Daveed. He felt warm and happy. And he had you in his arms.

Daveed moved his head down into your curls, and kissed the top of your head., checking to see if anyone was watching. Everyone was knocked the fuck out. 

You had fallen asleep on his shoulder about 45 minutes into the flight after passing around champagne bottles. You were so cute, but he could tell that your neck was gonna be wrecked when you awoke.

Daveed had carefully maneuvered you so that he could pull up the armrest without waking you. You were dead to the world, so you waking up wasn’t a problem. 

Then, he pulled you to his chest, situating the blanket around you two and leaning back.  If he wanted anything from you right now, at the top of the list would be to be able to hold you like this and to show love.

He questioned that word in his mind. Love, really? He did love you, even if it was only as a good friend. But could it be more? Were you ready for that? Was he?

Daveed looked around to see Craig watching him and giving a thumbs up.  No one else noticed, Rafa was on his laptop and he could have sworn that Anthony and Jasmine were doing something nasty under their blanket behind you.  

He settled back into this feeling of being with you and fell asleep too, happy and content.

You woke up to a strange rhythm under your ear. It was a blue covered heartbeat, you recognized as you opened one eye, and it was insistent and hard, yet warm and safe. You shifted, held Daveed’s torso tighter and tried to drift back off. His arms tightened around you in response.

 Then your eyes popped open.

“Oh shit!”  You realized what was going on. You sat up slowly and squinted at Daveed’s smile and his damn low sexy voice. 

“Hey sleepyhead.”

“Hey.”  

You blushed and wiped your mouth. 

“Shit, I’m sorry…” you wiped at his onesie. “I think I drooled all over  your…” 

You didn’t finish the sentence when you glanced at Daveed and caught his eye. 

What you said that night came back to both of you. D’s eyes darkened and he licked his lips. For a minute, you were trapped by the static energy of your attraction. Daveed could do a lot with those lips right now if you’d let him. 

But of course you fought it.

You took a deep breath and sat up, separating from Daveed more fully. You had to get it together. You reached for your phone and checked your face, making sure you weren’t too crusty.

“Practically perfect in every way.” Daveed was watching you.

“That’s your first mistake.” You clicked your camera off. “ Anything that’s perfect isn’t real. Or alive.”  You had learned a lot in therapy.

“Truth.” Daveed looked at you appraisingly. “Such wisdom from a young one.” He leaned close to you.  “That’s why I said, ‘practically.’”  He was staring at your lips, not wanting to give up on meeting them again.

“I’m not a ‘young one.’ I’m thirty in two days.” 

You lifted your chin as a child would do, Daveed noted.  It was appropriate, because you were being stubborn as fuck right now.

He chuckled and stayed close, not letting you off the hook.  

“And I’m 40. I could be your…”  

The timbre of his voice was causing your pussy to vibrate. Holy fuck.

“...Daddy,” you said, huskily.  

You opened your mouth to breathe, as Daveed grunted quietly in his throat. God, you wanted to fuck him. You remembered that you knew how big he was. Your eyes widened and you watched his mouth.

Daveed would teach you about Daddy. He wanted to rail you until your pussy curved to his dick.  Got damn.

Daveed wanted you and you wanted him. It was crystal clear. He began to reach for you under the blanket when the flight attendant’s voice intruded on your vibe.

“We are beginning our descent into Rafael Hernández Airport, please stay seated with your seatbelts fastened and bring your tray tables and seats to an upright and locked position. The temperature is 75 degrees and the current time is 12:47 am.  We should be at our gate shortly. Thank you.”

That’s it. The moment was gone. You reached for your water bottle and took a drink to cool down. You were grateful.

Daveed was frustrated, as he sat back, brought his seat up, but held the blanket on his lap for a little while longer. It wasn’t fair, he almost had you. He closed his eyes. Now he felt like a child.

---------

The crew finally arrived in town around 2 am, after the two hour flight and renting a couple of cars to get to Isabela, a village on the seaside.

Loud music was playing to avoid falling asleep, Rafael driving one car and Ant the other.

Arriving in town, the two cars headed straight to the Walmart to get some food and things. It was almost 2 am, but everyone was re-energized and playing around, glad to be free for the time being on the island.

Daveed had to concentrate to read the titles in the video section.  His mind kept going back to the moment on the airplane.  But he vowed not to chase you up and down this island. He didn’t want to crowd you.  It had to be your decision.

You had to come to him. And  the thought of you made him want to cum. He’d have you to think about in the shower tonight, or today, whatever.

He needed to stop thinking about it.

Daveed was looking for Black Dynamite to watch in the condo in case it rained. He knew better than to think that Walmart had it, but he tried anyway.

He did see Afro Samurai tho… He picked it up as Rafa approached him with a toy xylophone and a big grin.

==================

Puerto Rico did something to all of you. It was like some weird no inhibitions pollen or something. When you stepped off the plane you decided to not overthink shit. You were just going to respond naturally, fuck the consequences.

This was your weekend, after all.

You walked into the entertainment section and heard some vaguely familiar music. As you got closer, you realized what it was.

Daveed was in the book section rapping “Rubber Duckie” as Rafa played a toy xylophone.

I got my rubber duckie

I'm in the tub with bubblies

He isn't very fuzzy

I know my duckie loves me

Call up my homie Ernie,

You know the orange one, ya heard me

D was going in, being silly and laughing with his bestie. He was fucking adorable.  You grinned at them and turned down the dvd aisle.

“I can’t believe they don’t have Cowboy Bebop.”  

You shook your head as Daveed and Rafa walked up and flanked you at the display, a shopping cart by Daveed’s side.

“It’s a classic.  Children will be referencing the War on Titan and it's after effects a hundred years from now."

Rafa just nodded and stroked his chin, having enough sense to be quiet.

“Wait, Attack on Titan is right here Lindy…” Daveed reached for a dvd and held it up in front of you.

Rafa shook his head and covered it with his hand.

"Spike Spiegel wasn't in Attack on Titan.  That's an entirely different anime series, my dude." 

The sardonic wit in your voice. Daveed just nodded, face on the floor, and put the blu ray down.

You squinted at what D had in his hand. 

"Afro Samurai is 20 years old as well.  You know that and not Cowboy Bebop? You put shame on your house. Old Man.”

You gave him a sexy grin and sauntered away shaking your head.

Rafa had been watching the scene, head on a swivel. All he had to say after you left was, “Boom. Roasted.” 

Daveed just chuckled, surprised and exhilarated at the same time. It seemed that you were up to letting loose a little bit.

He looked at Rafa who just watched Daveed falling. He couldn’t catch him this time.

"Man. Tonight looks like the beginning of an EPIC weekend,” Rafa said as he pushed some more dvds into Daveed’s cart.

Then he pulled a pack of Magnum XLs off the shelf that he had been hiding under his arm from you.

Daveed looked at him. Rafa stared back.

“What?  All these beautiful women on this island. I’m not gonna be unprepared or take any chances.”

Daveed shook his head, grimaced and looked around to see where you went, but you were nowhere to be found.

----

You were busy eating some Hot Cheetos that you’d grabbed on the chip aisle and were turning down the candy aisle when you saw Grumpy Care Bear standing there with a basket full of food, dvds and shit, looking at some sour patch kids.

"Oh hell,"  you said as you turned right back around.

"Ay, yo.  Lindy. You can get your candy. I'm not going to assault you with my inferior anime knowledge."

He laughed that sexy laugh and held up his hands. He sort of regretted calling you back because you walking away...Damn. Even in the Pikachu onesie.

Daveed continued to hold up his hands to show he didn't intend any harm, a smile on the lips that were your weakness earlier.  Fuck me, you thought.

You smiled back at him and went for the Jelly Bellys. You crunched loudly on your Cheetos as you clocked him out on the low. You felt bad. A little. 

"Look, I'm sorry about that in the dvds.  I'm just passionate about what I like."

Daveed wondered if you liked him. Like liked him liked him. He allowed himself to go there. 

You sucked the Cheeto dust off your fingers and it was making D feel some kinda way as he watched your fingers go in and out of your mouth. His eyes began to slide down your body.

He needed to stop. Daveed cleared his throat and looked at your face.

"No problem. I get it. It's all good." 

Diggs unconsciously licked his lips and grinned, causing you to stare for a second at his casual hotness. This couldn't continue. You frowned.

Daveed sensed the change in mood, grabbed his Sour Patch kids and backed away.

“I’ll leave you to it.”

That was a close call you thought as you felt some weird pang of disappointment at him leaving. But it was what it was.

Soon enough, you all left the store.  Rafa stole some of your Jelly Belly’s. You just handed over the pack to him and pulled out some more. You were prepared.

==================

When the crew finally got to the house, you dropped your bags and ran to the beach, celebrating four days of freedom from work, acting, fame, fortune, and expectations.

After a few minutes of staring at the waves, y’all made your way back up to the house.

When you walked in before Jazzy turned the lights on, you recognized a large dark expanse which seemed to be the back wall. As your eyes got adjusted, you noticed the white rolls of the waves on the shore. 

The back wall was floor to ceiling glass.  When the lights came up, it turned into a mirror and 6 characters in onesies stared back at you.

You were at the back of an open concept space with a huge u-shaped sectional sofa and a beautiful, big kitchen with a bar.

Daaaammmmmmnnn! This place is gorgeous!  Craig’s mouth was hanging open. You reached over and closed it.

“Welcome to our home away from home!” Anthony was bleary eyed and smiling wide. 

He pointed to the right of the house.

“Me and Jazzy’s room is over there,” he then pointed to the right of the house. 

“The birthday girl’s room is opposite over there, a mirror of the master,” then he pointed to the back of the house behind you and to the right,  “and the other four bedrooms are here.” 

Ant started pulling their luggage toward their room, talking over his shoulder. 

“Everybody gets their own room, even me, when I fuck up.” 

All of you cracked up laughing whole Jasmine nodded her head.

It was almost 4 am, so you all were tired.  You gladly pulled your suitcase to your room, feeling grateful and warm for being the guest of honor of your friends.  Your room was the bomb.

You walked into a spacious room with bamboo wood floors,and exposed wooden beam ceilings and several floor to ceiling windows.  There was a huge fluffy white rug under a comfortable king sized bed in the middle of the room. 

Two uniquely designed bamboo lounge chairs and white pillow ottomans faced a window where you could look through and see the pool and beach.

It was a luxury get away and right now, all you wanted was a shower and the bed.

You put your suitcase on the floor and got down and opened it.  You shook your head at what you saw.

“HOLY FUCK GOT DAMN SHIT!!!!”

Daveed, Craig and Jasmine came running at your screams.  Rafa and Ant were behind.

“What happened.”

You were embarrassed. But so irritated.

“Craig. You got the wrong suitcase.  This is Mark’s shit that he never came to get.  None of my clothes are here.  I have nothing to wear.”  You felt like crying.

“I’m sorry Lindy, you said that your summer clothes and bathing suits were in the rolling soft Louis bag…”

I mean the large one. This is the medium one. It’s okay, Craig.

“You have nothing to wear hunh?”

Daveed was smirking at you and you ignored it, crossing your arms and tapping your foot.

“But it’s perfect!”  You looked at Jasmine and her chipper British accent.

“We can go shopping for your birthday tomorrow. Treat yourself!”

You couldn’t help but smile at Jazzy’s happiness. She was right. Rafa and Ant went away and left y’all to that talk. Daveed was glued to his spot.

“OOooooh. Good Idea.” Craig was in. 

“Ok.I’m tired as fuck. I just wanna shower and sleep now. I’ll not need anything tonight.

Daveed couldn’t get the image of you in the shower and naked in bed out of his head now. He cleared his throat.

“I can give you something to wear shopping tomorrow, Lindy.”

His voice was soft.  You smiled at him and he was a goner.

“Man, you are like three times bigger than she is?”  Jasmine didn’t understand.

“Hold up. Are you willing to sacrifice, D?  Can we cut up one of your t-shirts and jeans?”

Daveed felt pain. The only t-shirts he had were Oaklandish.  

“Let’s compromise. You can cut my jeans all you want, but not the shirt.”

Craig smiled wide.  “Deal, if you throw in a belt.”

“Damn, Diggs…” was all that Jasmine said, smiling and shaking her head.

“Thank you Daveed. I appreciate it.” You were blown away.

Daveed played it off. “No problem…” And then he just turned around and walked out of your room.

“Girlllllllll!!!!”  Craig and Jasmine squealed at you and it took you a minute to get them out of your room.

You walked into the en suite bathroom and marveled at its beauty. It was large, with a huge tub and a walk in glass encased shower with an overhead waterfall  shower head. 

You turned on the shower to get it hot, stripped off your onesie and your underwear, wrapped yourself in a towel and went back into the bedroom.

You stopped short, because there was Daveed standing in your room, clothes in hand.

He had immediately gone to find his least favorite jeans and the Oakland shirt that would suit you the best.  He decided that you would look beautiful in blue.

You just in a towel was a sight to behold. He was sure that underneath that towel was paradise.

You stared at each other for a minute, Your eyes were glued to his.  

“Th-thank you again Daveed.”  He couldn’t discern if your hesitant, sexy voice was for him or from embarrassment.

“Sorry, I…. didn’t think you’d be… sorry.” He put his hands up and backed out of the room.

“Daveed.” You called, softly. “Stop.”

You approached him with a smile on your face. Daveed’s eyes were wide, not knowing what was going to happen.

“Thank you. I mean it.”

You stood on your tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek, your lips lingering. Daveed closed his eyes and fought the urge to grab you and hold you close to him.

“You’re welcome.” His smile wrinkled his eyes as he smiled down at you. 

“Goodnight, Linden. Have sweet dreams for me.”

You just stared at him as he turned and left the room.

Daveed was just outside your door when he heard your reply.

“Yes, Sir.”

==================

Read the Next Chapter.

Thank you for liking, replying, and reblogging! 

Tagging: @einfachniemand @sillyteecup @commandersmiley @ohsoverykeri @theselilwonders @theatrenerd86 @sebastianabucknettastan @imatyoursurrvicesurr @riiyy @ivycomet @lonelydance @curtainremote @biafbunny @id-do-it-for-free-babe

[sapphicmarxism]

Cowboys, Spaceships, and Dealing With Loss

(Major plot spoilers for Cowboy Bebop, although if you haven't seen it yet, just fucking watch it. You won't regret it)

For those of you who, for some reason, haven't seen it, Cowboy Bebop is a 1998 western/noir/sci-fi action anime that managed to blend together incredibly diverse genres and become a cult classic show, often being considered one of the best anime of all time. It follows the adventures of the bounty hunter crew of the ship. The crew consists of five main characters. Spike, a sarcastic ex-gangster, running from his past. Jet, an ex-detective with a metal arm and captain of the Bebop. Faye, a woman who was frozen for 54 years after being in an accident and now lives with crippling debt. Ed, a 13 y/o computer genius with a whimsical, childish personality. And Ein, a corgi.

It's hardly controversial to say that Cowboy Bebop was a landmark show and a major step forward in how we view animation as a storytelling medium. What's less talked about is how every character shows living with loss in a unique way.

Ed

Ed's story is one that will hit close to home for a lot of people. She was abandoned by her father who was too involved in his work to make time for her. She had ended up in an orphanage and eventually on her own completely. She has to deal with losing her only parental figure and she does this by simply never growing up. She acts childish (even by the standards of a 13 y/o) so she doesn't have to face the reality that her father abandoned her. As she sees the crew of the Bebop, the only family she'd ever known, splitting up, she sets out on her own again, trying to find her father and in denial of his faults.

Faye

Faye Valentine is a woman out of time. Having been involved in an accident fifty-four years before, she had been frozen and thawed out when they had the technology to save her. She was left in debt and without any memories of her memories, now in a world she didn't recognize. One of the first men she meets ends up betraying her and she has to go on the run. She spends her life desperately trying to find information about her life and escape her debt. When her memories are finally returned to her, she goes to see an old friend who was now in old age. She talks briefly, until the woman's granddaughter comes up and when she asks who Faye, is she responds that she's nothing more than a ghost, before walking off. Faye spent her whole journey in the show trying to figure out who she is, but when confronted with the answer, she realizes something. Who she was doesn't matter anymore. That part of her life is over and she's ready to start again.

Jet

Jet's story is one of betrayal. He lost his love, his faith and his arm. When he was a younger man, Jet was a big shot detective for the ISSP, attempting to weed out the corruption within the force, but we all know what happens to good cops. In the episode Black Dog Serenade, Jet is enlisted by his old partner on the force to help retake a prison transport ship that had been taken over by death row inmates, namely a syndicate assassin that Jet believed cost him his arm all those years before. The truth comes out on that ship, his own partner with a gun drawn on him, that he was the one that set Jet up. Jet is finally forced to confront a part of his past he tried to hide from behind hobbies like his bonsai trees.

Spike

Spike is often considered the main character of the show and it's easy to see why. He has some of the most depth of any character from that era of television. This is owed in large part to /what/ it is was he loss. Spike lost more than just his lover, he lost his life. The way he grapples with this is largely through his sarcastic, "devil may care" attitude. He faces down every challenge, even near-certain death, with a smile on his face. In his eyes, he's already dead, so why should he fear death? He becomes reckless, uncaring for his own life. He smokes cigarettes, chases bounties, gets into shoot outs, never once stops to question if he should be rushing his life like this. Eventually, he's faced with the realization that he can't run from all his problems when the love of his life comes back to him, then gets killed.

The Finale

For once in his life, Spike feels responsibility. He views Julia's death as his fault and he's finally facing reality. As Faye tries to stop him from going to end the conflict that took Julia's life, he reveals to Faye that one of his eyes is glass. He states that he sees the present through one eye and the past through the other and that it leaves his life feeling like a dream he'll never wake up from. Up until now, he had been dealing with his loss by simply not dealing with it. He used cigarettes to ground himself when he felt like he was floating away, he used alcohol to numb himself when he felt too much, and he used sarcasm to distance himself when people get too close. he leaves her with the words, "I'm not going to die, I'm going to find out if I was ever alive."

After he shoots Vicious down, Spike stumbles away while holding his fatal sword wound. He looks out over the confused mobsters that were waiting for him, aims his finger at them like a gun, and mumbles "bang." He falls to the ground, dead, and the credits roll. As the show comes to a close it fades to black and five words come up on screen.

You're gonna carry that weight.

The message is that, much like the crew of the bebop, we have to carry the weight of our lives. Our guilt, our grieving, our sadness, and our loss. The question now falls to us. How do we carry our weight?