#hm. ten millions explosions

[crescentmp3]

these "what to get for someone you care about for their birthday" websites are utterly useless and i want my time back.

[kindness-ricochets]

I was tagged by @sparrowmoth to share the first lines of my ten most recent fanfics... thank you! (lol Wesper time continues) (I've decided "first lines" is "first paragraph" for simplicity) A Softer Place to Land

"You're late."

Hold on (Stay Close) Wylan could only sigh when even the piano failed to soothe his discordant nerves. He ran a fingertip over the keys, cautious and gentle. Why must everything persist in… changing? Just when he had the shape of the world, it shifted again. Storms Over Ketterdam The rooms on the third floor of the Van Eck mansion have double-thick windows. The family’s rooms stay warm—Jesper and Wylan; Marya; Inej for a night or two; Colm when he visits and Jesper puts himself on best behavior; Plumje on sleepovers when her brothers paint her toenails and let her stay up and eat as many cookies as she likes. Van Ecks protect what matters in their ways: with stacks of kruge and double-thick windows against winter storms. Encounter A man walks down an alley. He tries to walk right, with his head up and his shoulders square. He tries to walk like a man—a confident man. He tries to walk like the lantern doesn’t feel so, so heavy in his hand. He tries to walk like he isn’t afraid to get his pennies picked from his pocket. Voiceless “Kaz!”

Jesper’s voice is ragged, desperation shredding through him, but Wylan feels strangely… serene. Of course he feels Jesper’s hands against his neck and wants to soothe his panic and tell him, it’s okay. Because it is. It’s okay. Wylan knows it’s okay, he can just feel… how okay… Decoration “Can I try this on?” Wylan asked, poking his head and torso out from the closet, a jacket held in front of him. The sage and bright blue plaid couldn’t be called his usual preference. No, their closet was clearly split between Wylan’s few white shirts and dark jackets and trousers, and Jesper’s explosion of every pattern and color known to man, and a few conceived of by some wicked god. Pennies for Your Thoughts Wylan Van Eck was a good and sensible boy who could be trusted with a few pennies. One day, he would be trusted with millions of kruge, after all—but he understood the honor bestowed when his father gave him those coins. "Wylan" Torment. “Wylan,” spits Jan Van Eck like a piece of turned meat from his mouth into a fine linen napkin. He can fire a cook. He cannot fire a son. Yet the fire and the son mingle in bright, burning places. Today, father and son are staying at the lake house. Today, Jan uses a switch. Today, Wylan curls to make himself small and tries to put his back to the wall to protect the organs he sees in his anatomy books, and the pain lights across his arms and legs and knees. Blood flows like a slow flame. Stains linger. Cold Mornings and Sparks Mornings were not a Jesper time of day. Better skipped entirely—noon arrived, whether a man left his bed before or after! Yet mornings persisted. He greeted them sleepily, when he greeted them at all. Kerch is a Morally Bankrupt Country "Wy?" "Hm?" "So…"

I think just about anyone I'd have to tag was tagged by Sparrow, but if you see this and want to jump in, consider this an honorary tag!

[minty-playhouse]

Casper Meets Wendy: A Review/Essay

Or: How to make a decent Wendy movie and save Josh's character

So, recently I joined a club dedicated to trash movies, kinda like a book club, where we pick a movie and then discuss. The first on the chopping block was Casper Meets Wendy, and for fun and whatnot, I decided to write down my thoughts on it.

I had no clue I was gonna get this angry, frustrated, yet invested (I went into this movie fully blind, aside from the fact that this was Duff's debut movie? at least that's what I was told). Follow the read more for the full thing, 'cause it's gonna get long!

So, the start of this movie? Disorienting.

We land smack dab in the middle of a baseball game, and they show us a climatic win with no set up. nothing. I had no idea how I should feel about it because hm, I don't know anything that's going on here?

Then aliens show up.

Confusion intensifies because not only we are getting witches and ghosts but also aliens???

Then wow, surprise, Casper's ghost uncles were the aliens the entire time.

AND I GOTTA A BONE TO PICK WITH THESE GHOSTS!! Like, I already hated these guys from the OG CG Casper movie, like the OG movie was nothing to write home about already, so really they just made them that much more worse. Not to mention that they are less "ghosts that scare people" and more "absolute assholes who cause harm and havoc whenever they fucking go". Like they invaded a perfectly good baseball game where kids and their families were just having a good time, unwinding at night after like, work and school, made them all panic, caused a goddamn explosion (and honestly at this point these people aren't scared because they are ghosts, they're scared becuase they are shapeshifting assholes who are terrorizing them) and just generally made everyone have a hella traumatic experience.

The only redeemable part of this whole ordeal is the hot dog cart having the word "Hotdogalicious" on the side of it.

And yes, all of the scenes with the ghosts feel like they last 5 million years when they barely reach the 5 minute mark. Get used to it.

Either way, we jump from the ghosts ruining people’s lives to a businessman wizard type character, and lo and behold, I lay my eyes on a beautiful sight: GEORGE HAMILTON!

Now I don’t think I saw a movie go from a zero to a perfect ten this fast! Almost makes it worth it to endure those damn ghosts just to see him (but not really, but I’ll tell you about a version of this movie that COULD be worth your time later on). Heck, I can’t even be that bothered by Pauly Shore’s Shore-ness as the mirror because they’re usually on the same scene together so George balances it out.

He plays Desmond aka a character that’s a bit too good for this movie and also a character that I could 100% see Vincent Price play and have an absolute ball while doing so.

He hears from the mirror that Wendy, the young good witch, is super close to surpassing him in power, and in a move that was waaaaaaaay creepier before it was explained to me later on, Pauly pulls out the entire profile on this like 8 year old complete with her FULL ADDRESS. (it was later revealed that Desmond has a tracker that can detect when other witches use magic and uses that to pinpoint their location, so Shore just pulled from Desmond’s own database, but they could have explained that first and not make him look like a creep who knew every detail about this little girl)

Desmond concocts a potion (with a nice nod to Snow White’s Evil Queen in the process, which I thought was nice because he is also an evil magic user who’s jealous of a younger, better person and has a magic mirror, I see what you did there movie) and I dunno if I wasn’t paying attention, or if the movie just didn’t explain, but at first I thought he was gonna use the potion to like, go to where Wendy was, or maybe just disguise himself like the Snow White queen to knock on her door unsuspectingly…

But no. He just straight up materializes two hitmen so he can send them to this little girl’s house so they can kill her.

Because yes, fuck you.

They also have very MIB-esque guns that do big damage. Remember that.

Anyways, we’re FINALLY introduced to Wendy (played by baby Hillary Duff) and her aunts, whom at first sent some really mixed signals and I thought they just wanted to make Wendy’s life miserable but quickly showed they genuinely cared for her (unlike those damn ghosts with Casper). I’m telling you right now that the witches’ plotline is LEAGUES better than the Casper plotline and the ghosts had ZERO need to exist in this movie (more on this later).

The hitmen knock on their door soon enough, and despite having guns that OBLITARED a door at Desmond’s place, they do litte to no harm to the witches’ house. Not sure what their home is made of but it’s some hella sturdy material.

A very bad fight ensues until Wendy disarms them and puts them in a cell.

And now is time for Wendy to be under witness protection service, so they just go to a resort to lay low for a while.

And goddamit, the ghosts are back! And they’re on the resort too because these plotlines gotta merge at some point and after they ruin the honeymoon – and very possibly the entire foundation of a whole marriage – of a poor couple that just wanted to have a good time, they stay in one of the cabins for a “vacation” and it made me SO ANGRY that they like, asked Casper to carry shit for them for this because what the fuck, these guy never ever use anything they literally just float around and harass people, they just make Casper carry shit because, as previously stated, they’re assholes and just wanna make Casper’s life harder.

And like, OK, cool, they’re like family because they’re his uncles, but why can’t Casper just… not hang out with them? It clearly makes him miserable and he’s just a ghost anyway. It’s not like he’s a real, living kid that needs to be taken care of by a guardian or something. He can just find a nice place to stay and do “nice” hauntings and such. Are they chained by some after-life blood relation? Because unless that’s the case there’s zero reason for Casper to even bother being with them (and they clearly dislike him so it’s not like they would care???)

We’re finally back with the witches and OK, if they needed to lay low and whatnot, why didn’t they magic up their clothes to blend in BEFORE going inside the resort/mingling with the humans? Like they did it later once they realized they were standing out and the fits were kinda nice but they could like, have a scene where they were studying the humans for a second and go “OK, we need to dress more like that!” and then conjure up wacky outfits because they just got a passing glance at tacky vacation clothes so that’s what they’re working with (with Wendy having the more sensible outfits because she actually knows what humans wear).

And then we are introduced to the movie’s biggest wasted potential: Josh.

Josh had EXCELLENT opening lines, and a very cheeky attitude. The whole “How are things?” “Kinda boring… until now!” exchange is very cute and honestly at first I thought they were setting up them being friends/vague crushes because there was a previous scene of Wendy trying to give a gift to this very lame paperboy, so I was like “Ah, the aunts were saving her from the boring, almost dead paperboy so she can hang out with a cool kid, I see…”

But more on Josh later, we’re unfortunately back with the ghosts (after a brief scene with Desmond that shows his tracker and redeems Pauly’s character a bit) and there’s an awful scare scene with a chef so they can get food and

WHY 👏 DO 👏 THEY 👏 NEED 👏 TO 👏 EAT?

I hate everything about them.

Thank God the scene is over and we’re back with the witches, who realize they can’t use magic or Desmond is gonna track them, and honestly every time they talk about Desmond is about how strong he is, and if he’s so strong, why did he like, summon hitmen to do the job for him? Gabby (Shelley’s character) even mentions that if he comes knocking he can turns them into “pumpkin guts” like, what was stopping him from dropping by at their place at the start of the movie and just do it himself?

Back with the dang ghosts, they’re eating, much to my increasing anger, which just escalated even more because LOOK AT THIS!

They were eating stuff like pastries, and grapes and juice what the hell kinda leftovers are these? WHY ARE THERE COCONUT HALVES? Also like there's more food NOW after they ate than before like... I hate every scene with them I wish they didn’t exist.

Then we’re back with Josh and that’d when all my hopes and dreams were crushed because Josh was just an asshole to everyone around him + Wendy and? The reason? Motivation? None. There’s a shoehorned reason that she “messed up his game” and from that point on he’s super dick-ish to her because apparently the plot needed an antagonist besides the all powerful warlock that can turn them to putting and wants to throw Wendy into a magical abyss where she’ll be disintegrated. That wasn’t hardship enough for Wendy she needed a boy to treat her bad so she could, I dunno, fall in love with fucking Casper, who at this point hasn’t done anything besides whine and allow his uncles to keep terrorizing and ruining people’s lives.

I refuse to talk about the Wendy/Casper romance subplot thing once they finally meet (at the 30 minute mark no less) because it boils my blood to epic proportions so we are skipping the dumb montage of them “bonding” because not only I hate it but also because they do like 300 million things and by the end they’re like “Wow, today was great!” like TODAY?? It looked like a couple days passed with all you did what??

Either way, Wendy and Casper are told by their relatives earlier in the movie that ghosts and witches/magic users don’t mingle because ghosts are scared of witches since they can cause harm to them, unlike regular humans, and witches don’t like ghosts because… I actually forgot but honestly, it was just so we could set up two seconds of “tension” in the first meeting between Casper and Wendy. They could very well just be OK with each other because hey, we’re both supernatural beings, cool.

But this feud inspired them to trick their relatives to meet and then maybe see they don’t need to be mortal enemies or whatever. And to do so they tell their aunts/uncles that there’s a dance and hey, maybe you could score a date.

Also the least we talk about Josh trying to force Wendy to go the dance with him the better, all his scenes make me sad and mad. Smad.

Also, color me surprised when the guys who pulled over at the dance who were already acting weird weren’t already possessed by the ghosts/the ghosts in disguise, because I could swear. Specially that damn mirror scene I thought it was to show that they were “in disguise” as humans but they had to avoid mirror because their reflection shows them as ghosts and that could set up something interesting but no. This movie hates anything interesting.

The one redeeming thing about the dance? The guy playing “human” Stinky ate the physical performance of the role. He did good and actually made me not hate the ghosts during this one scene.

As expected, the witches find out the guys they were flirting with were the ghosts in disguise, and things just go up in flames, in a matter of speaking. No one gets along and they advise Casper and Wendy to stay away from each other and yadda yadda.

Then Casper is a pos who talks about how the witches can’t use their powers because they’re being tracked by Desmond so the ghosts go to their place to just fucking annoy them and make their life hell, so Wendy just uses her magic to put them in casts and they buzz off. Unfortunately that display has set off Desmond’s radar and he’s now on his way.

Also Josh is being a dick and stole Wendy’s wand during the commotion, so they can set up the “Casper scares Josh to help Wendy” scene that was telegraphed five hundred years ago. Whatever, the only thing Casper hammers on about is how “pretty” Wendy is so he’s a shallow bastard.

Knock knock, it’s Desmond and he’s here to open the mystical portal and send Wendy to like, witch hell. She gets her wand back from Casper, does her darn best to fight back but nope. Desmond is just too strong. And honestly, a the start, I thought they were setting up a “Wendy’s magic is boosted by friendship and love aka something Desmond does not know and that’s why his magic will never be as powerful as Wendy’s” which like, could be a cool message.

But no, he DOES throw her into the portal and Casper needs to go inside it to bring her back (using the longest red velvet rope I’ve ever seen in a film) and the dang uncle ghosts FINALLY do something useful and scare Desmond so he falls back into the portal himself and they have a chance to pull Wendy and Casper out. A very “eh” ending that could have been much better, but then again, I guess I was expecting much from this whole thing. I’m just glad they didn’t make it so Casper and Wendy are now living together or some bullshit like that.

Good riddance you damn ghosts!

Now, because I wrote about that in my notes a lot, how to make this a Wendy solo movie and fix this mess:

Use the first part of the movie that you used with damn ghosts shenanigans to set up Wendy and her aunt’s better. Make it seem more obvious from the get go that they want to protect Wendy from humans, but because they’re isolated witches who are prejudiced against humans they come off as dick-ish, which bothers Wendy but she knows they are at least meaning well. Also give Shelley Duvall a better character she’s just the “gross witch” because we needed a gross character to pair with the ghost. She could just be a cooky one who’s just a little “weirder” than your regular witch. I think she would be good at that.

Desmond’s character remains unchanged except he doesn’t have the hitmen. Heck, you could even keep Pauly Shore as the mirror. He could play the mirror part like in a Snow White deal like they were setting up (yeah, don’t think I didn’t notice they totally dropped the premise and used Shore like only two other times during the whole movie lol). Perhaps Desmond shows up at their door in disguise as I mentioned, but Wendy is not only strong, but also smart, so she manages to trick him and escape with her aunts, but now they’re on the run.

You can also drop the resort thing. Again, they’re only there so their plot can merge with the ghosts. They could infiltrate a neighborhood during like summer break and all the kids are out and about and that’s why Wendy wants to go out and mingle. And when they arrive like they’re “moving into the neighborhood” she meets Josh, which the aunts do not approve.

From this point on it’s all about Wendy and Josh bonding. It doesn’t even need to be like a long period of time. They could bond over a week or so, kids make friendships easy and fast. But it’s pretty obvious that there’s something off about Wendy because she doesn’t know what a bunch of regular stuff is and strange things are always happening around her. But cool, Josh just thinks her and her aunt are from the countryside or something so that’s why they’re a little strange.

Then Josh catches Wendy doing magic and is like “Wow, cool” because he’s a fucking kid and has whimsy. But the neighbours and the other humans living around are probably not gonna be very thrilled about witches being in their small town. Human vs. witches is a feud that has existed for eons now, and it’s a safe dynamic everyone is familiar with.

Maybe a dance still happens, perhaps Josh also has annoying but well meaning relatives that he tries to introduce to Wendy and her aunts, and things can go wrong and they’re exposed as witches. But the people are scared of confronting them because damn, witches can turn them into mush but also why are they in our neighborhood? Then Josh, who’s just a kid, gets frustrated and let’s slip that they’re there because they’re hiding and can’t use their power, and the people are like “sweet, let’s go hunt them!”

They go there, and while the witches can’t use magic (and you know, don’t wanna kill these people) they need to use it to protect themselves or like, die, and that sets off Desmond’s radar who’s there in no time and is like “Yo, very cool, now I’m gonna destroy Wendy, you three and also all these lame-o humans”. Because he’s evil you see.

Wendy and Desmond could end up dueling, and at some point Josh + her aunts give her strength so she can overcome him and protect everyone and they can go “See Desmond? Your magic will never be fully unlocked because your heart never felt true love from friends and family!” and they don’t even need to kill Desmond because children’s movie. He can just go “Hmph, you bested me, but I’ll be back >:(” and leave.

And then the humans are like “Damn, these witches saved us from doom, maybe they aren’t all bad.” And Josh going “I’VE BEEN SAYING!” and the witches are welcome to stay in the neighborhood because hey, you should accept people even if they’re different because they’re likely nice people and so on and so forth…

So yeah, this is my essay/review on Casper Meets Wendy.

#JusticeForJosh

[neonponders]

I have to be an adult today (whatever the hell that means) so this is short but I couldn’t help myself. Based on This Steve with This Billy post for the lovely @lovebillyhargrove 🌹 and @withoneheadlight 🌹

photographer!Steve and model!Billy - boyfriend shenanigans.

💋 💋 💋 💋 💋

Potentially Billy’s favorite thing about Steve - out of many characteristics - was how easily gob smacked he could be.

Billy knew what he looked like.

But still. Seeing Steve just kind of stare in wonder at him for a while never gets old.

He does it today, while Billy’s trying to pay attention to whatever his manager is saying. He can’t help but slide a smirk in Steve’s direction, though: the poor guy standing listlessly with one camera hanging around his neck, and another on a tall tripod next to him.

The manger notices and wraps up what he’s saying concisely. Billy understood his frustration. Billy and Steve working together had proven a 50/50 chance at making million dollar ad campaigns

Or

Just clumsy dates, really.

Billy had been Steve’s entrance into this business - a fact not lost on either of them since various managers and executives threatened reminded them of it whenever photoshoots fell through - but Billy’s second favorite thing about Steve was how he didn’t let that cause a rift between them. If anything, Steve asked for more jobs with Billy, even at the risk of being demoted to a photographer’s assistant or Billy’s personal assistant.

But it kept them together. It allowed Billy a reassurance on international flights that he’d have Steve available to climb into his first class seat whenever Billy’s fear of flying kicked in.

As much as the agencies loathed to admit it, Steve was like a walking insurance policy for one hot-headed Billy Hargrove. If a photographer said something wrong, treated the models rudely, or if he was merely having a bad day, Steve could step in, and Billy eye fucked his boyfriend for hours.

Other models requested Steve. Billy knew that was a big deal for his boyfriend and was proud of him. He could always find Steve on set, either by his brightly colored beanies, or the fluffy hair going without. That had helped Billy feel more at home in this business; he may have opened the door for Steve, but Steve furnished it with friends and loyal connections.

Today Steve yanked the head covering off, already hot under the lights. It was just Billy here, even though he raked a hand through his mane. Billy liked seeing the gleam on his hair. He also enjoyed Steve’s little self-esteem thing about needing his hair styled in the presence of models.

“Ready, pretty boy?”

Steve refocused and stepped behind the tripod. “Yeah. Whenever you are.”

Steve must’ve taken hundreds of photos just in the first half hour. He set it on a steady timer, and moved around the room, changing the lights to warm tones, and then less explosive on the brightness. Billy did his work, tilting himself appropriately to catch the fan’s breeze when Steve pointed it to blow his suit jacket open, or billow through his half-open, black dress shirt.

“Ten minute break,” Steve announced. He was good about breaks. Billy’s manager brought a chilled bottle of water and Steve went through the portfolio paperwork for the shoot. It wasn’t much of a break for him, as he moved the lights and furniture around, but Billy was ready for him.

He sat on the luxurious ottoman, already in his first stance when he peeked at the lack of camera noise. “Steve?”

His boyfriend stood with his shoulders a little contorted so he could examine something going on with the camera hanging from his neck. “Sorry. I...I need another minute.”

Billy relaxed as much as he could so the suit did not wrinkle or collapse in shape. Eventually, though, he noticed Steve crouching over one of his bags for his tools.

Oh boy.

Billy sauntered over, standing over him as he asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Can you hold this?” Steve answered instead. He blindly held the camera up, and Billy accepted, along with the explanation, “The lens is uneven and one of the pieces is askew.”

Billy silently thanked him for not wielding fancy terms at him, but upon a closer look at the device, it certainly wasn’t correct. A thin, middle section between the lens and the camera tilted wonkily. He breathed with a small amount of awe, “How did that happen?”

“I don’t know. I think it got bumped during the drive,” Steve sighed, holding a tiny screw driver as he stood up.

“Come here,” Billy nodded toward the set, and Steve came to sit on the floor while using the ottoman as a table. He removed his jacket and wiped his forehead, glancing at the lights before Billy pestered, “What’s the matter?”

“I have to expose the sensor. With the shudder, it’s fine, but with too much light, we might be stuck with the tripod.”

“Can’t we turn off some lights?”

“I need to be able to see. Maybe you could, um, just hold your hands over it? Or hold that umbrella for me?”

Billy detached the umbrella from one of the unused lights and sat on the ottoman, with the umbrella situated on his thighs. As the camera became more exposed, he added his hands for extra shade. Eventually Steve surprised him with, “Are you okay?”

“Hm? I’m fine. We do this all the time.”

“Wasting a lot of time, though,” he exhaled nervously.

“We’re going to Sydney on Friday. That’s locked in, so don’t worry about it.”

“I don’t think blowing one shoot is justified by the promise of another,” Steve managed to giggle. Then he tilted his face up and just...gazed at him. “You look really good.”

Billy smirked softly. “I know.”

Steve’s eyes rolled. “Forgot who I was working with here.”

Billy laughed and saw in his periphery people moving around, other cameras working. This job always had multiple cameras. Hair and makeup stylists capturing their work from afar. His and Steve’s managers locking in behind the scenes shots for Instagram. Another perk of their success: the fanfare material behind the cameras built as much revenue as the actual scheduled photoshoots.

As Steve unscrewed something, Billy saw and heard the clatter of it falling back into place. “That’s good, right?”

Steve sighed a relieved smile up at him. Billy felt ticklish warmth in his chest. “Yeah, that’s good. The screws are probably bent, but I can get new ones before Friday. It’ll work for now.”

Steve put the damn thing back together while Billy returned the umbrella, and resumed his posture on the ottoman. A couple of people manifested around him to touch up his raiment and make sure his shirt was open to cleavage perfection.

“Steve, come here.”

The stylists retreated as his photographer trotted up -

Billy yanked him down for a kiss. And just as quickly pushed him back up to standing. “Go to work, my time is precious.”

“Don’t be a dipshit,” Steve remarked, and pointed the camera right at Billy’s face to make the lights flash in revenge.

Come Friday, Billy showed him something on his phone: the Instagram account his manager operated. Much to both of their amusement and chagrin - because a long day taking pictures was more grueling than most people realized - was a picture behind the magazine editor’s shoulder while he worked at his computer.

The caption read: Impromptu cover. Sometimes candid is better.

The image was Steve on the floor and Billy on the ottoman, the two of them gazing at each other mid-conversation in the set’s warm lighting.

Steve chewed his fruit and yogurt slowly, processing in the airport vip lounge. His hair was in glorious disarray, and Billy’s not much better underneath his ball cap.

“That’s the cover?”

“Seems so.”

“Your manager’s going to steal my job with a phone camera - why am I on the cover?”

“The theme was Warm Encounters,” Billy reminded. “It’s not a secret that we’re together.”

“I’m not styled or anything - ”

“Your hair looks good.”

“I’m wearing the t-shirt I got in Hong Kong. It says BURBUSSY.”

Billy laughed and closed the app. He pushed his leg to rest alongside Steve’s. “Good thing you were turned around. We don’t know if Burberry has a sense of humor.”

[brian-in-finance]

A Behind-The-Scenes Look At This Year's Oscar Contenders For Best Sound

For the Academy's second year of merged sound categories, they decided to follow the nomination process used by the Visual Effects and Makeup categories to select nominees. Through this "bake-off" process, the sound branch selects ten shortlisted finalists and then allows all ten films to screen 8-minute segments from their films for the sound branch voters, who then vote for the five Nominees based on those reels and presentations. Because those reels only get to showcase one single 8-minute scene from each of those films, we wanted to ask the sound teams more broadly about the work they did in each of their movies.

Here is what representatives from each of the ten shortlisted sound contenders had to say about the sound for each of their films.

BELFAST

Sound Team: Simon Chase, James Mather, Denise Yarde & Niv Adiri

Simon Chase: "Kenneth Branagh didn't want us to approach the sound in "Belfast" the usual way you would approach the soundtrack to a film like this. It seems like a quiet, kind of family story, but Ken was determined to tell so much of the story using sound. Ken wanted the film to not necessarily sound 'real,' but wanted it to be more about recreating the subjective idea of what is 'real' for a 50-year old memory of how the events felt when they were happening to a 10-year-old boy. So a lot of the sound effects are just heightened throughout. So, for example, when we go to the cinema, Ken encouraged us to enhance the soundtracks for the films on screen. For Buddy, seeing a movie is the biggest experience imaginable, so we added all kinds of new dinosaur sounds and lava explosion noises for "One Million Years B.C."

On the Opening Riot Scene...

Ken would talk about how that street he was growing up on was so idyllic. So we kind of open the film, we open with all those sounds of happy children at play, everyone saying hello to each other. It's almost over-the-top how kind of sickly sweet it is. And then Ken talks about the day the riot happened; he heard something and couldn't make out what it was. So capturing that moment of confusion for Buddy was really key to him when he didn't understand what was happening. There's a sound that just doesn't make sense to Buddy, given that he knows the street so well, and it gradually dawns on us as an audience what's happening.

The way the scene is shot, you kind of see that some people have come into the street, but you don't pick up exactly what's going on. Ken wanted the sound of those rioters arriving to just kind of sound "not quite right. A bit of 'hm, what's going on here?'" And then we go in on buddy and see his eyes widening, and we're hearing his breath along with hearing the call-outs and shouts of one or two people again. We had three sessions recording extra voices for this film, and Ken came to each of them and talked with the voice artists about what they could bring and whether they should be scared or angry. The shouting gets closer and closer to Buddy, and all we hear is his breath. And then it's all silent. And we see that rioter throw that firebomb. You might not even catch it because there's no sound to go with it, but when it lands, BOOM, you're away. And all hell breaks loose at once.

Everlasting Love...

One of the characters says, "let's have a singalong at the jukebox," but that's not how buddy saw it. For him, it was this particular moment where his parents reconnect and fall back in love, so we're all kind of watching it as a wide-eyed Buddy would've seen it. Of course, you've got this excellent track, "Everlasting Love," that everyone knows. That's the center, but Richard Armstrong, our music editor, added a load of extra instrumentation to it, and of course, we added the sound of the club and everyone dancing. Hence, it becomes this hyper-real sensory moment for Buddy.

And Jamie Dornan himself was recorded singing. We sent him a microphone to record some other lines of dialogue we needed because it was COVID, and you couldn't get into a studio. We thought that we should have him record his singing at the last minute. He hadn't really prepared for it at all, so we were like, "this is so unprofessional, but can we just play the song's intro for you from my iPhone, and then you go acapella, and hopefully it'll turn outright. He was like, "I'll give it a go," and then literally in his first take, this gorgeous voice comes out, and it's sickenly perfect. We just plunk the phone down once he's done, and we're just like, "yep, perfect, we don't need another take."

Which of the ten films' sounds are you most impressed with? Who do you predict will be the final five Oscar nominees this year for Best Sound? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or on our Twitter account and be sure to check out our latest predictions for Best Sound here.

https://www.nextbestpicture.com/latest/a-behind-the-scenes-look-at-this-years-oscar-contenders-for-best-sound

Remember… one of the characters says, "let's have a singalong at the jukebox," but that's not how buddy saw it. For him, it was this particular moment where his parents reconnect and fall back in love, so we're all kind of watching it as a wide-eyed Buddy would've seen it. — Simon Chase

[novelconcepts]

fic: the shape of it

for a prompt from @karatam

They expect the Lady to come, one day. They expect the Lady to take Dani, in the end. 

They did not expect it to go like this.

“She’s going to take me,” Dani says in a voice so thick with resignation, it nearly kills Jamie outright. Says it like a foregone conclusion, like something biblical ingrained in her from childhood. Jamie looks at her, and thinks, She believes it. Nothing else matters. She believes this with her whole heart.

Jamie takes her hand anyway. Offers her company anyway. Loads up the car with bags and dreams of outrunning all of it anyway. The way she sees it, it’s the only path forward. Anything less would leave bits of Dani--bits of Jamie, too--behind in this house forever. 

They are not running away together, exactly. They are moving slowly, carefully, checking the road ahead for obstacles and cracks in the pavement as they go. Slowly, the distance between the pair of them and Bly Manor expands. Slowly, the world stops looking so much like a ghost story. Jamie, more and more every day, thinks, She believed it with her whole heart, but maybe not so much anymore. Maybe not so much. 

Even so, even as the months turn to years, Jamie can’t forget the certainty in Dani’s face that day as she said it. She’s going to take me. The most certain Dani has been about anything except Jamie herself. Though the days are gorgeous, long and lazy, stretching on like there will be millions more ahead, Jamie can’t forget. She’s going to take me. 

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” she murmurs, brushing Dani’s hair back. She’s fallen asleep on the couch again, her head in Jamie’s lap, and though it’s well past midnight, Jamie can’t bring herself to wake her. Moments like this. Moments like this are so many, and so precious, and so much more than how very small they seem. 

Dani thinks the Lady will take her, someday. Jamie thinks Dani knows her own mind better than anyone. In two very different ways, they’re both primed to fight. 

And even still, when it begins, it’s a blind strike to the side of the head. 

***

Dani has lost her key. 

It sounds so small, so nothing. She turns up at the shop an hour after she’s gone home to get dinner started, looking more than a little sheepish. Jamie, wrist-deep in repotting some of the hardier flowers, cocks her head. 

“What’re you doing back? Don’t tell me the apartment caught fire.”

Dani, head bowed, sits behind the counter. “Can’t get in,” she says miserably. “Left the key somewhere.”

Jamie smiles. Dani hates making silly mistakes--she sometimes thinks it’s this vaguely type-A attitude that drew her toward teaching in the first place, toward helping kids not screw up the little things in life. It’s endearing, the rare occasion Dani lets her see a side of error not confined to her tragic inability to make a hot beverage. 

“I’m sure it’s in with the laundry or something,” she says, brushing off her hands and setting aside her trowel. “No worries, I’m just about finished here anyway. You want to pick up tacos on the way?”

No worries. That’s how it feels, as a pouting Dani tucks her arm through Jamie’s bent elbow and follows her out of the shop. People misplace things every day--it’s not like Dani pitched her key down a gutter or something. It’ll turn up.

And, within an hour of arriving home with the best Mexican food suburban Vermont has to offer, it does: under Dani’s purse, dead center of a couch cushion. Jamie produces it with a flourish, dropping to one knee like a knight of old and raising it upon her palms like a magic sword. 

“M’lady,” she drawls. “Your treasure.”

Dani laughs. She plucks the key from Jamie’s hand, tucks it into her hip pocket, pulls Jamie into a giggly kiss--and just like that, the matter is forgotten. A nothing. A moment. 

If she looks a little puzzled, a little irritated with herself, it passes before Jamie can even comment. 

***

The plants in the back are wilting. 

Jamie stands, hands in her pockets, regarding them with some alarm. Shouldn’t be a problem, she thinks, running through the possibilities. Roots should have plenty of space. Lights are working fine. No sign of rot anywhere to be found. They just look a little...

“Dani,” she calls, eyes still on the yellowing leaves. Dani pokes her head through the door, a bundle of roses in her hands.

“Yeah?”

“Have you, uh. Watered these recently?”

She waits for the obvious answer. Dani always waters this side of the room. She takes the left, Jamie takes the right, and everybody gets the nourishment they need. 

When Dani doesn’t answer for a full ten seconds, Jamie turns to her with a frown, surprised to find Dani’s brow furrowed like she’s thinking hard. 

“I...thought I did,” she says slowly. “Yeah. Yeah, I must have.”

“How many times this week?” Jamie asks. Dani closes her eyes as if counting. 

“I...” She steps into the room like she’s half-asleep, staring at the plants so hard, it’s a wonder the flowers don’t burst into flame. “Twice? Three times, maybe. Or...”

More than that, Jamie thinks, gently lifting a drooping leaf and inspecting its unhealthy pallor. If she didn't know better, she’d say Dani had watered this poor thing twice a day for the last week. 

“S’okay,” she says, though a faint bloom of annoyance is opening in her chest. “It’s salvageable, I think. Just so long as we let ‘em dry out some. Leave this side to me, okay?”

Dani is staring at the plant nearest to her like she’s never seen one before. Whatever annoyance Jamie feels at having to quite possibly start over with previously-perfect plants vanishes at the sight of her expression. 

“Hey,” she says, taking Dani’s hands and squeezing. “Honestly, Dani, don’t worry about it. These things happen.”

Dani’s frown deepens as if to say not to me, they don’t. Jamie gives her hands a gentle swing from side to side until that frown lightens. 

“Maybe I take care of the watering for a bit, yeah? You can supervise.”

She doesn’t look too closely at any of it, at the way Dani’s brow creases like she’s still trying to keep track of how many days are in the week. She doesn’t look too closely at why she’s just heard herself say “supervise” instead of “keep the books”, as she normally would. Don’t look at it. Dani’s fine. 

Just a little scattered today, is all.

***

“It’s, uh...hang on...”

Dani is scowling at the ceiling, racking her brain for something Jamie can’t help with. There was a woman, a woman in the grocery store, who spoke to Dani as though she’d done it a hundred times. 

“Barb?” Jamie suggests, plucking a name out of thin air. “Carol. Monica.”

Dani shushes her, flapping a hand for silence. Jamie shuts up, her mouth pulling into a relaxed grin she doesn’t quite feel. 

Dani’s been doing this more and more lately--stopping mid-sentence to grope for some detail Jamie can’t see behind her eyes. It shouldn’t worry her. She doesn’t want it to worry her. 

These things just happen, she tells herself, watching Dani bend forward to press her face with frustration against her knees. They’re getting older--have been together almost ten years now--and their lives are busy. Busy brains are easily worn out by an abundance of minor details, and sometimes, the less important stuff slips. It’s okay. It’s nothing to be concerned about.

Except Dani looks like she’s on the verge of tears, scraping around in her head for the name of some woman they ran into in the bread aisle. Dani is dragging deep breaths in that old familiar way that says the trigger is small, but the imminent explosion could take out the whole night.

“Poppins,” Jamie says, prodding at her ribs until she sits up and stares with wet eyes into Jamie’s face. “Is this a woman I’m meant to invite to dinner?”

Dani shakes her head. Jamie shrugs. 

“Then I’m going to go right ahead and call her Honeywheat, and we can just be done with it.”

Dani laughs--not a real laugh, but a huff through her nose to tell Jamie she’s trying. Jamie smooths a thumb across her cheekbone, pretending this hasn’t been happening more and more frequently. Pretending she hasn’t noticed just how badly it pulls at Dani’s threads, each time she loses track of something small. 

“Charlene!” Dani says, half an hour later, practically shouting the word into the silence of the living room. Jamie jumps, losing her place in her book, looks up to find Dani staring at her with a fierce sort of pride that scares her. It’s a look that says I did it, and I’m okay, goddammit, and this is not happening. 

“Charlene, hm?” Jamie repeats. “I think I prefer Honeywheat.”

***

The day of the fire, she has to admit there’s cause for concern. 

She thinks, at first, it’s just her. That she’s had such a long day at the shop, been yelled at by far too many young men who didn’t understand why it’s less than appropriate to give your spouse flowers by way of asking for a divorce, and her brain has been scrambled. It’s the only explanation, she thinks, for smelling smoke the minute she walks into the apartment building. 

Except it gets worse as she heads up the stairs. Worse still, until she’s fitting the key into the lock, opening the door, realizing with a jolt of horror that the smell is both very real and very much coming from the kitchen. 

“Dani?” she calls, and her voice sounds to her own ears like a scream echoing over a moonlit lake. She forces the panic down, forces herself to walk--not run--to the kitchen and survey the damage. 

A plate of something undefinable is sitting in the microwave. It is no longer on fire, she notes, but the microwave is still, as she wrenches it open, counting down. The little green numbers flash 40:03, blinking at her, waiting to resume their cook time. 

“Dani!” she calls again, jamming her thumb into the Clear button and slamming the microwave shut on a wall of acrid smoke. 

“Yeah?” Thank Christ. Dani, poking her head out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her body. “You’re home! ...what’s that smell?”

“You tell me,” Jamie says, more sharply than she intends; her heart is in her throat, blocking off anything resembling restraint. She staggers toward Dani, whose face is the picture of bemusement. 

“It’s not...coming from our kitchen?”

“Dani.” Jamie takes her by the shoulders, reassured by the soft slide of Dani’s skin against her palms. Real. Here. Okay. “You had something cooking. Did you...”

Forget, she doesn’t say. The color pours out of Dani’s face, answering the question so completely, Jamie sags against her. 

“Threw it in,” Dani says slowly. “Leftovers. Just...”

Jamie thinks she can guess. Threw it in, walked away, forgot it completely. Would have been fine, if that had been all. If Dani had simply spaced on the idea of retrieving the dish before it grew cold, if she’d opted for a shower instead, there would have been no harm done. 

Except that counter was so high. Except Dani had, plainly, set the timer for nearly an hour. 

Dani is looking at the smoke hazing the air, polluting the hall, with an expression of such grim anxiety, Jamie nearly forgets to breathe. Pull it together. She needs you to keep focus. 

“I’m sorry,” Dani says, so softly, Jamie would have missed it if not for staring at Dani’s face like it might slip away at any second. “I don’t know how...”

“It’s okay.” Jamie pulls her close, struggling to keep her heart from pounding out of her chest. So much could have gone wrong. If they hadn’t gotten lucky. If she hadn’t gotten home in time. So much could have-- “It’s okay.”

“Jamie?” Dani’s voice is tiny, her face turned against Jamie’s neck. “I think there’s something wrong with me.”

***

She calls Owen after Dani falls asleep, careful to keep her voice down. France is six hours ahead, and it’s clear her call catches him still in bed, but his voice is cheerful all the same.

“Jamie! Big surprise. How’s everything--”

“How did it start?” Jamie keeps her voice low, her eyes on the hall. She doesn’t like leaving Dani alone in the bedroom, doesn’t like the idea of Dani waking and not knowing where she is. Make it quick, then.

“Sorry?” Owen sounds confused, and rightly so. “How did what start?”

“Your mum.” She can’t think of a cleaner way to approach it, a nice, easy route to opening Owen’s old scars. “How did it start, with her?”

He’s silent for so long, she wonders if the connection has severed. Finally: “Jamie, what’s going on?”

She can’t. She can’t get into it. If she says too much, if she explains what she’s been seeing in drips and drops over the past few years, it might cement the whole thing into reality. She can’t. 

“Please,” she says, hearing her own voice break with exhaustion. “Just tell me.”

***

There are tests. Dani doesn’t want to take them, and Jamie quite frankly doesn’t want to force it, but there are tests all the same. CT scans, and doctors who ask probing questions that grit Dani’s teeth and put fire into her eyes, and Jamie thinks for a hopeful few minutes that this is stupid. That they don’t need to be here. That Dani is okay, and fierce, and strong, and here. 

“I’m not going to say there’s no cause for concern,” the doctor says, when Dani has jumped through all his hoops. “But your scans don’t show much yet, and your grasp on those questions seems strong. Keep an eye on it, all right? Call me if there’s any change.”

He’s looking at Jamie like he knows why she’s here, why she’s standing just a few inches from Dani’s side. She nods once, sharp, and he pats Dani lightly on the shoulder. 

“You’re young,” he says, like youth means anything at all where tragedy is concerned. “I have a good feeling about this.”

***

Jamie starts coming home when Dani does, starts waiting for her to get ready before going into the shop. She can’t help when Dani loses track of details inside her head--the date, their plans for the weekend, a longtime customer’s name--but she can help with other things. With knowing exactly where Dani’s purse is at all times. With knowing exactly where Dani’s favorite earrings are. With knowing exactly when Dani last ate.

“You don’t have to do that,” Dani says in a voice like iron. Jamie raises her head from the salad she’s preparing for lunch. 

“Don’t have to...?”

“Fuss,” Dani says, almost coldly. “I’m fine, Jamie.”

It hits her like a punch, almost doubling her over, the look in Dani’s eyes. Some horribly chilly combination of frustration and anger, maybe not at Jamie, but directed her way all the same. She pauses, setting the cheese grater down, looking Dani in the eye. 

Really? Only, the last time I didn’t set us up with a timely meal, you went ten hours without eating anything and nearly passed out on me.

She doesn’t say the words. Instead, she says, “I love you.” It’s become a mantra in moments like this, when Dani is so not herself, it’s like staring at someone else in a mirror. I love you. I love you on bad days, and I love you when you remember every detail of our first kiss, and I love you tomorrow.

The fight goes out of Dani’s body, her hand cupping around her eyes. The gold of her ring stands out in the afternoon sun, and Jamie thinks, It’s still her. It’s still her. 

“I’m sorry. I just...I feel...”

Jamie moves toward her slowly, like approaching a trapped animal. She's never moved like this with Dani in all the time they’ve been together, never felt the need, but lately, Dani is so unpredictable it hurts. 

“Trapped,” Jamie suggests softly. Dani nods into her hand. “I’ve been hovering.” Dani nods again. “Too much?”

Hesitation. A final nod that is also sort of a shake. Jamie sighs. 

“Just want to make sure I don’t--” Lose you. “--miss out on something important, is all. I’m sorry, too. I can back off some.”

It terrifies her to say so, to promise that when Dani sometimes looks around the living room like it’s brand-new. But Dani’s right. She isn’t a child. She doesn’t need Jamie to treat her as such. She’s okay. She’s still here. 

“I love you,” she says again, and Dani walks into her arms like she’s the only thing in the room not spinning. 

***

She tries not to panic, when Dani doesn’t come home. Tries to will herself back to ancient therapy techniques, to breathing rituals, to steady reminders that Dani is okay. Dani is fine. Dani has had a really good couple of weeks, in fact, and when she told Jamie she wanted to stop off at the store after work, Jamie had agreed. 

An hour passes. Two. Jamie’s pacing, doing fevered mental math: the shop is a ten-minute walk from the apartment, the grocery store a five-minute walk from the shop. How long does it take to pick up eggs, cheese, tomatoes? Half an hour? 

Okay, she thinks, forcing a calming breath through her nose. Okay, so that’s five--fifteen--forty-five minutes...

Not five minutes after this less-than-bracing thought, she’s throwing on a jacket and storming out the door. A fifteen-minute walk to the grocery store, she completes in eight. The cashier is a teenager in an outdated Nirvana t-shirt, looking at her like she’s out of her mind when she blows through the doors and says, “Blonde woman, brown jacket, one blue eye, one brown. Seen her?”

He has not. She forces herself not to sprint through the tiny store, peering doggedly down each aisle in turn. No sign of Dani. 

The shop, then. She makes her way back, cups her hands around her eyes as she leans into the dark window. Door is still locked, and not a light is burning.  Dani wouldn’t shut them off unless she was at the door--no matter what happens, no matter how confused she gets, she never plunges herself into darkness until she’s ready to make an escape into light. 

Breathe, Jamie thinks. Breathe. Maybe she’s just taking a stroll. 

She walks for blocks, her legs carrying her at twice the normal speed, looking around every corner with absolute terror. When she finds Dani at last, seated on a bench outside their favorite Mexican restaurant, the relief almost stops her heart. 

“Dani.”

Miserable eyes turn up to her, Dani’s face shell-shocked. “How long,” she says brokenly, “have we lived here? In this neighborhood.”

Jamie swallows. “Fifteen years.”

Dani nods, like she’s just given a complicated multiplication problem to a student who got it right on the first go. “Fifteen years,” she repeats. “Jamie. I couldn’t. I couldn’t remember--”

Jamie drops down beside her, arms wrapping tight, not caring who might be looking. Dani is so small, hands gripping Jamie’s shoulders, shaking all over. 

“I’ve got you,” Jamie murmurs. “I’ve got you. It’s okay.”

***

“It’s her,” Dani says. They’re laying in bed, Jamie’s head on Dani’s chest, Jamie trying desperately not to count all the things that have gone wrong in Dani’s head this week. How Dani stared in confusion at an order she’s put together a hundred times. How Dani snapped at a customer, who looked at her like she’d just stabbed his mother. How Dani had been midway through a joke when she lost track of the punchline, and looked ready to burst into tears. 

“It’s her,” Dani repeats. Jamie raises her head. 

“Dani...”

“It’s. Her.” Dani reaches for her hand, fingers pressing down on the gold band she once hid in a plant. Jamie closes her eyes, inhales. 

“Dani, I don’t want you to--you can’t go thinking--”

“Every day,” Dani says, her eyes on the ceiling. It’s like she thinks looking at Jamie would splinter her self-control. “Every day, I feel it a little less.”

Jamie waits. She’ll go on, eventually, explain herself. Jamie hates cutting her off, hates stepping in the way of a thought, lest Dani never quite get it back again.

“Every day,” she says at last, “we’re here. Living our lives. I see that, I feel...I feel you touching me, I feel how much we...and still, it’s like...like someone’s putting up glass. That fogged-up glass you can only see shapes through, you know? I can see us through it, but every day, that fog gets a little thicker.”

Her voice trembles, her throat working. Jamie shifts until her fingers are threaded with Dani’s, clenching tight. 

“You’re here,” she says, unable to think of anything more reassuring. It’s what she’s been telling herself about Dani for months. Years. That Dani, no matter what else is going on, is still here with her. Still smiling at her. Still whispering her name in the dark. 

“What if I’m not?” Something in Dani’s voice wavers to breaking, a hairline fracture in the words. “What if I’m looking at you, and I...I...”

Jamie can’t breathe. A muscle is jumping under her jaw, straining against the sob she’s been holding back for days. 

“What if I’m looking at you when she takes me,” Dani whispers, and Jamie breaks. Can’t not. She presses her face against Dani’s skin, tears coming hot, and Dani holds fast to her like they both know the ship is going down. 

“I love you,” she says, that same voice Jamie’s been leaning into for almost twenty years. “I love you. I love you. I love--”

***

“How is she?” Owen crosses his legs, sips his beer. Jamie’s own leg is fidgety, sock-clad foot hammering a mad rhythm against the floor. 

“She’s...”

“How is she?” Owen repeats before she can polish off a pretty lie. She shuts her eyes against his too-kind stare.

“Told the same story four times yesterday.”

He’s nodding, sympathetic. “Mum used to get stuck on one about the best dinner she ever made. How she rescued it at the last second from burning. Proudest moment of her life, I think, except for the day I got into culinary school.”

Jamie sighs. “It was about the kids.”

“Ah.” He leans back, surveying her as though looking for cracks. If he finds any, he wisely keeps it to himself. Jamie, bottle still angled toward her lips, leans a little to look down the hall. The bedroom door is shut, no sign of Dani waking.

“I tried to get her to stay up,” she says, wondering why she feels the need to convince Owen, of all people. “She does miss you.”

She doesn’t tell him about the heartbeat of confusion, the way Dani’s brow had knit when Jamie mentioned he was coming into town. How, for a second, Dani had seemed uncertain if she knew Owen from Bly, or from Iowa. 

“There’s always breakfast,” he says, placidly keeping tempo with this song they’re tossing back and forth, the one that goes everything is okay, everything is just fine, so long as we don’t look at it. 

It’s good to be around someone who understands, even if she doesn’t really want to talk about it. Good to know Owen, who is watching her with knowing eyes, remembers all too well what it feels like to watch someone slip away. 

“Seem to remember,” she says, taking the last swig and dropping the bottle against the breakfast bar, “saying once that this was a just shoot me situation. That it wasn’t fair.”

“And now?” He unfolds from his seat, moving in three strides to the fridge to replace her drink. Owen Sharma, at home in any kitchen without even trying. 

“Now,” she sighs, “I don’t care about fair. I don’t care about burdens. I don’t care about anything except making sure she still....she’s still...”

He hands her the bottle, leans his elbows against the counter. There’s an abundance of gray in his hair these days, and contacts in his eyes. He smiles like Owen, though. Always that familiar, warm smile. 

“She’s still your Dani,” he says. It isn’t a question. “Even on the days she isn’t. It’s the hardest part, maybe, remembering that. When she slips up, or can't remember the apartment number, or gets angry because you’ve reminded her of a gap she knows shouldn’t be there. But, Jamie, remember. She is still Dani.”

“I know.” Jamie scuffs a hand under her nose, rubs hard against her wet eyes. “I know. And sometimes she is so Dani. As if she was never anything else.”

As if, she doesn’t add, there wasn’t something else in there with her. Wiping her away a little at a time. Something else, matching her movements. Waiting. 

“To Dani Clayton,” Owen says, raising his bottle and clinking against her own. “Your anchor.”

***

She thinks she’s getting used to it, if this is something one can get used to. Thinks she’s building a rhythm, a routine, around Dani’s bad days. Little jokes work sometimes. Little kisses and touches. Dani responds to Poppins better than her own name now, and Jamie leans into it, trying to pretend that doesn’t tear at her. Trying to pretend she can go back to a time when safety was a nickname, a silly joke on her lips to keep the well of feelings from overwhelming her good sense. 

She says, “Morning, Poppins” and “I love you, Poppins”, and “G’night, Poppins”, like she hasn’t mostly been calling Dani by her real name since the day she admitted just how in love she was. 

Even so, it’s a method of getting by. Dani is still Dani, after all, just as Owen said. Maybe sometimes she thinks it’s 1987, and maybe sometimes she thinks there are ghosts in the mirrors, and maybe sometimes she looks sharply up from a movie with the name “Eddie” harsh on her lips. Sure. Sometimes. But, mostly, she is still Dani. 

Jamie is prepared, most days, for the mood swings and the bewilderment. For finding Dani’s toothbrush in the bedroom, or relocating Dani’s wallet back into her bag. She’s prepared for almost all of it, after so much time. 

Nothing. Nothing can prepare her for the day Dani forgets her name. 

They’re setting about readying for the day--readying themselves for the plane, in fact, which is slated to leave in three hours--and Dani has gone off to the bathroom to shower. She returns in one of Jamie’s softest shirts, her legs bare, her hair dripping. Jamie raises her eyes from last-minute packing, smiling. 

“Nice and clean, then?”

Dani freezes. Turns slowly on her heel. Stares at Jamie like she’s never seen her before. 

Something in Jamie cracks. Something in Jamie, something she didn’t even know could break, splintering wide open. 

“I--who--” Dani, backing up fast, backing toward the door. It’s like she walked into her apartment to find some burglar lurking at the foot of her bed. Her hand extends, warding Jamie off, and Jamie realizes she’s been trying instinctively to move closer. To take Dani into her arms. To remind her. 

“Dani. Poppins. Hey.” Each word, a knife turned back on herself. Each word, a question. She’s never said Dani’s name like this, with so much uncertainty weighed into each letter. “Dani, please.”

It’s the please that really breaks her. The please, like begging Dani for the kindness of her own name on Dani’s lips is something she ever thought she’d need to prepare for. 

Dani blinks. Blinks again. Raises her left hand, stares hard at the band wrapped around her third finger. As Jamie watches, she touches the heart, the hands, the crown. 

“Jamie?”

She’s on her knees, she realizes, on her knees on the floor with her arms wrapped around herself, and Dani is all but running to her. She’s on her knees, sobbing, feeling as though she could not be more wrung out if she’d walked in to find Dani cold on the bed. 

Don’t let me find out, she thinks desperately, please, fuck, don’t ever let me find out how that feels compared to this. 

“Jamie,” Dani says against the top of her head, holding her, “Jamie, hey, shh, come on...”

She doesn’t know, Jamie thinks wildly. She has no idea where she just went. No idea what almost washed away just now. She doesn’t know. 

“Still here,” Jamie rasps through a sob. “You’re still here?”

Dani is silent a moment, and Jamie knows she’s heard it: the question at the end of the sentence, placed there for the very first time. Her hand tucks beneath Jamie’s chin, guiding her face up until her swollen eyes are staring into Dani’s tired ones. 

“Still here,” she says softly. “I promise.”

***

Twenty years. It’s been twenty years, almost to the day, and California is glorious. Vermont is home, and Jamie would never trade it, but there’s just something about California she loves. The air is sweeter, somehow. The people, warmer. Or maybe they just care less. 

Dani holds to her arm like a life preserver as they make their way through people much younger and more aloof than they’ve been in years. Jamie tries to stand taller, tries to look as though she belongs among Flora’s friends. Flora, who barely knows who she is, even--her eyes coasted right over Jamie when she walked up, right past Dani’s smile, the polite disinterest of a stranger. 

It’s different than what she’s been watching with Dani. Different--but no less harsh, in its own quieter way. 

Miles, practically a man now, shakes their hands with undue formality. Henry, just this side of relaxed, kisses her cheek. Embraces Dani. Jamie tries not to notice how her wife goes stiff in his arms, like there’s some part of her that can’t quite put a finger on why he feels entitled to such friendliness. 

“Flora’s uncle,” Jamie whispers against Dani’s hair under the guise of a kiss. Dani nods once to show she understands, smiles at Henry like it’s summer, like it’s ‘87, like she couldn’t forget her past no matter how hard she tried. 

“Lovely to see you both,” Henry says, oblivious to it all. Jamie’s glad she kept this to herself, kept it between Dani and her and Owen. No one else knows Dani here, anyway. No one needs to pry into the battle she’s been waging for two decades. 

The rehearsal dinner is pleasant--everyone drinking a little too much, Flora beaming up at her groom-to-be, Owen telling bad jokes and advising them both to run off to Bali. With Dani’s hand gripping hers on the tablecloth, in full view of the world, Jamie almost feels at home. If she has to lean over from time to time to whisper a name in Dani’s ear, if she has to gently guide Dani to the bathroom, it all feels fitting of an out-of-town wedding. It’s fine. It’s okay. They can do this.

They’re sitting in the parlor of a presumably-haunted wedding venue, Dani leaning out of her chair to hold Jamie’s hand, when Jamie hears herself say it. She hadn’t planned on it in advance. It feels like flirting with fire, somehow, something that might keep them all warm or burn them all down. 

“I have a story,” she says, Dani’s fingers warm around her own. “Well. It isn’t really my story...”

She glances up, catching Dani’s eyes, and for a heartbreaking moment, finds them blank. Dani, looking at her with jaw clenched and brow furrowed, trying to place herself. Trying to ward off the thing still working so hard to take her from all of them. 

“It isn’t my story,” Jamie says again, a question, seeking permission. Dani’s face clears. She smiles. Nods once. 

Jamie leans forward, takes a steadying drink. This may not do anything, she cautions herself. May not matter beyond the scope of a single night, with a room full of strangers waiting on her next words. Tomorrow, Dani might wake and not have the first idea whose bed she is sharing. 

That, Jamie thinks firmly, is tomorrow. 

“The teacher,” she begins, squeezing Dani’s hand, “was, by choice, a solitary young woman...”

[etherealvoidechoes]

A Soft Spot

Okay, finally getting this out of my system and should be back to the main fics. Unless that writing bug says otherwise.

So how eventually starts developing that soft spot and protectiveness for kids because dear ol’ Mia wouldn’t leave the workshop because of a nightmare she had. Her poor brother Idris got dragged along. And a fellow operative gives him some advice he eventually took to heart.

2.5k

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

Just another night in his workshop. Zhang was hard at work fabricating some new IEDs for a raid there others were looking to do in a few days. Needed something fairly powerful to take down an ADVENT outpost and prison facility. An elerium core they had pilfered from another raid would do the trick. 

He brought what was roughly the size of an assault rifle magazine towards his face. Eyes carefully studying the dark metal housing. Admiring the soft yellow glow from the alien substance held within. Such a small device contained all the power the aliens' beam and plasma weapons needed. And when wired just right, with other equally volatile substances, it would lead to a spectacular explosion that would level even a fairly fortified ADVENT outpost.

“Hm…” He tried his best to hold back a grumble as he felt something shift and tightly squeeze his side and middle.

Though it was rather late that night, he had some visitors. Visitors. He scoffed at the thought. Children. Children were his visitors for the night as they somehow snuck their way into this restricted part of the base. They were more like annoyances he just couldn’t get rid of since their arrival to the base. Refugees from an ADVENT raid several weeks ago. And nothing he did could get rid of them. Especially the girl. Mia was her name. A headstrong kid and she was the most annoying of the two. He could tolerate her twin brother, Idris, much better than her. Though that was because the boy kept his distance from the ‘scary, grumpy old man’ like most of the other children. Hearing that always made him laugh. He preferred it that way. He didn’t hate kids, but just didn’t like interacting with them much. But he knew how to be kind to them. Especially in these dark times.

But for some reason, Mia was undeterred by his ‘grumpiness’. She just pestered him whenever they crossed paths. Hell, half the time seemed like she was seeking him out. He just couldn’t understand why. 

“The kid says you have a striking resemblance to her Uncle Bo.”

He remembered what Jesse and the others told him one day. He didn’t believe them. Or maybe he just didn’t want to believe it.

He did have sympathy for the children. They were just ten-years-old and in the blink of an eye they lost everything. Family, friends, and their home gone in a fiery blaze and hail of magnetic gun fire. ADVENT had zero tolerance for unauthorized settlements. Even more so if they harbored a Resistance Cell. And to think they barely tolerated authorized ones with the amount of surprise shakedowns they did to confiscate ‘contraband’. They wanted everyone in those golden cities.

He closed his eyes and sighed. Just how many settlements had ADVENT wiped out by now? How many millions upon millions were dead now? What was the point? The Elders ruled with an iron fist and They were losing potential test subjects orchestrating these cleansing campaigns. He shook his head. It was nearly impossible to understand the mind of those tyrants. And it wasn’t like he wanted to. He could still remember how it felt when They clawed Their way into his mind. Painful, terribly painful. Just a never ending chorus of mind numbing voices. Thankfully, he hadn’t had to deal with Them calling to him often after Geist’s help. As of late, They were silent. Perhaps They thought he was dead after each base was simultaneously attack. Or perhaps They were busy ruling over and tearing apart what was left of the Earth. Which ever it was, he was just happy he didn’t have to deal with them.

Feeling something wrap tighter around his chest, following a whimper, drew him from his thoughts. He knew who it was. Mia. Dare he look? He did. Face red and scrunched up, with tears streaming down her face, the kid was in the middle of burying her face into his side and tightening her hug on him. He sighed. Poor kid. Looked like the nightmare was still plaguing her. The reason why she and her brother were down here in the first place.

It was about an hour ago since the two arrived. A tired pair of children clutching their pillows and blankets. Mia’s face was already tear stained. Just how did those two sneak their way down here? He still wished he had shooed the two of them off once he finally noticed them, but their faces, especially hers, made him relent. 

Don’t yell, don’t be angry. They’re already dealing with enough. And it was hard for him to hold his tongue. The workshop was no place for children. But they were hurting.

So, being kind when he rather kick them out, he told them they could stay as long as they were quiet and stayed in the corner he pointed to. They would be safe there, and thankfully Miles was out for a few weeks doing some scavenging. So no spontaneous explosions rocking the workshop, and debris flying everywhere.

But Mia was a stubborn one. Ever so slowly, she, and reluctantly her brother, inched their way towards him. Hopping onto the bench he was siting at. He tried to shoo them off back to the corner, but they didn’t go. Idris kept his distance, but Mia didn’t. She planted herself right by his side. He was thankful he was ambidextrous, as he no longer had full use of his right arm with her leaning against it.

“Stubborn girl…” He muttered under his breath. What was with her strange fixation towards him? Perhaps the statement that he looked like her uncle was true. Maybe seeing him made her think of home? A better time… Possibly it was her way of trying to deal with the trauma?

Another whimper came from her, and her grip tightened again. Great. He grumbled, shaking his head. What to do? 

You know what to do. Get it over with. Hopefully, it would work. Just an act of kindness.

With just a bit of movement, he wrangled his pinned arm free without disturbing her. He then put it around her, pulling her closer to him, before patting her back.

“You’re safe.” He softly said to her. “You’re safe here.”

It took a bit, but slowly her whimpering died down and so did her death grip. But she wouldn’t be letting go of him soon, as she still had her face buried in his side.

“Hmph, better.” He said to himself. That annoyed face of his slowly slipped away as a smile took its place.

Though the smile quickly disappeared when he heard stifled snorting not too far from him. He turned to see who it was. Jesse Croft, a fellow surviving XCOM operative and fellow bomb maker. She was just entering the workshop, a few food trays were in her hands. 

“How long have you been there?” Zhang asked. Almost as if he was mildly embarrassed he was caught showing his softer side.

“Just coming in.” She smiled. “Brought you a late-night snack.” Once she made it to him, she set down one tray on the table. It had a sandwich, rice, some fruit, and a drink.

“Mhm, thanks.” He nodded. Something to eat later.

“So, Shaojie, how long have these little squirts been here?” She headed to there otherwise of the table, pausing for a moment to readjust Idris’ fallen blanket. 

“About an hour.” He shook his head. “Tried to get them to leave.” And it still annoyed him he failed at that.

She had to stifle another laughing hearing the annoyance in his voice. Especially seeing that brow of his twitch. “See she’s stubborn as ever I see.”

“You don’t know the half of it.”

Jesse found her spot and got herself settled. She started chowing down on her sandwich as she watched Zhang somehow work and continue to comfort Mia at the same time. So the old man did have a heart. She had to keep herself from laughing, didn’t want to choke on her food.

“She’s stuck on ya like glue, I see.”

“Mhm.” And he wished she wasn’t.

“Don’t think she’ll be leaving ya alone after this. Finally got a hug of sorts out of ya.” She snickered. That only made him glare at her. She only snickered more.

“Oh, stop being such a grump.” The glare didn’t deter her. “You’ve got a heart under all that coldness of yours. Though you’ll never admit it.” She grinned.

A sigh slipped from his lips as he closed his eyes. She was right. There was a part of him that had a soft spot for children. Especially those who had lost everything and the exploited. Still… he wasn’t a fan of children.

“I’m still not a kid person.” And felt he’d never be one.

“Noticed that ages ago.” She said. When they had decided to start taking in refugees, he had made himself pretty clear he wanted nothing to do with caring for kids that were brought in. He’d help with other things, but not the children… unless no one else could for the time. 

“But!” She raised a finger. “I think you’re doing a fine job right now.” 

“Seriously?” He felt like he was doing the bare minimum. And even barely that.

“Yep.” She nodded. “It’s the baby steps that matter.”

”And I think your attempts to kick them out were halfhearted.” She pointed at the two kids that were very much still there. Especially his greatest annoyance currently under his arm. “When you want people gone, you get them out in a jiffy.” And she was a witness to those moments. And not all of them required him raising his voice. Just a cold, death glare with a hint of those psionics trailing from his eyes. Made most shut up and scurry out of the workshop with little resistance.

He thought about her words for a bit before shaking his head. A chuckled slipped out. She was right. When he first noticed them, it wouldn’t have taken much for him to kick them out and do so repeatedly if they came back. But when he saw their faces, he didn’t have the heart to do so. 

“I still don’t know how to deal with children…” He felt like that part of him would never change.

“I think I can help you with that.”

“Seriously?” How?

“Well…” She paused, scarfing down the rest of her sandwich, and then washed it down with some water. “Being the third oldest of like eight siblings, besides doing a lot of babysitting to boot,” she mumbled that bit under her breath with a heavy grumble, “I think I can spare a lot of advice. Lots and lots of advice.”

“Eight siblings… wow.” He knew she had a few siblings from a few stories she had told, but didn’t know the exact number. He couldn’t imagine how her childhood was. Must have been hectic.

“Wasn’t too bad, though the yougins loved testing the older siblings.” Something natural to most sibling relationships.  

“Huh.”

 Curious to what advice she could share, he set down his tools. The bomb could wait. And working with just one hand was becoming tedious. 

“So, what advice can you give me?”

“Well, for starters you should smile more.” She knew he could smile, but most of the time he wore a serious face. And ever since his knee injury, that face usually was a harsh scowl. Did a great job at keeping most people from bothering him when he was walking about. Especially the kids, minus Mia of course.

A smile? Really? How could that possibly change anything? Then a devious thought crossed his mind. “Like this?” He put on the most unnatural, unnerving wide smile he could manage. Which looked more like a mad grin. That just made her raise a brow.

“Not like that you, nut.” Would a fine way to scare more kids off.

He laughed, eventually relaxing his face. 

“What else?”

“If a kid just wants to blabber, just listen. Actually listen.” She knew it was easy to tune out to a kid telling a story, but sometimes listening and answering them did wonders for their spirits. “Sometimes they just wanna talk and share even, if it don’t mean much to ya. Just sit and listen.”

“Sit and listen? Hm…” That felt like a tall order for him. A test for his tolerance. But how many adults did he annoy in his youth doing the same? Maybe he could sit and listen just a few times a day. “I’ll try… but can’t guarantee anything.”

“Trying is better than doing than nothing.”

He nodded. He could agree with that.

Jesse gave him a few more tips and pointers over the next few hours while shifting into work mode. Eventually, few of their fellow operatives swung around for their daily jobs. They were surprised by the sight, but a glare from Zhang kept them from making too many comments. But they gave him a hand, as it was about time to get the kids back to the safe areas of the complex. So one picked up a still sleeping Idris and another picked up Mia. Which took a bit of work, as she still had a pretty tight grip on him. Though all the movement caused the child to stir.

Crap. Just when he thought he would finally be free, she was walking up. She’d probably just latch right back onto him.

As she came to, Mia looked around, quite groggy and out of it. She noticed Zhang and the others, but she just wrapped her arms around the neck of the person holding her. Like she knew it was time to go. But she looked back at Zhang and waved. “Bye… Mr. Zhang.” She said with a very groggy voice.

Good. He held in a sigh of relief. Didn’t want to chance things. But he smiled. “Bye, Mia.” He waved back.

The two left with the kids.

“Someone pinch me because I must be dreaming.” Syd practically gawked at what he witnessed. Zhang cracking smile towards a child that had been annoying him forever? Impossible.

“Don’t ruin the moment, Syd!” Jesse threw a loose bolt at him.

“Hey!” He flinched, raising his hands if anymore came his way. “I’m just saying that’s a weird sigh— HEY!” And a few more bolts came flying.

Zhang quietly laughed, shaking his head at the two. Really, all of them were a dysfunctional family of sorts, with the squabbles and pranks that could happen. He intervened, using his psionics to block the last volley of bolts.

“I’m just trying… to be nicer to the kids. To her.”

“So I’m not dreaming… Huh… She is a little parasi— OW!” One last bolt nailed him right in the middle of his head.

“Come on now, Jesse.” 

“He deserves it!”

With the last bolt thrown, and the rest retrieved, the three got to work. Those explosives wouldn’t build themselves. 

[tartagliaxx]

hi. i only got to play in inazuma today so here's me live reacting to the archon quest. it's a lil out of context tho so have fun trying to figure out which parts im talking abt. also, this is the only time i'm going to be talking abt spoilers for at least one week so... 🤷‍♀️

swordfish ii? cute.

Jesus Christ. and here i thought it was my lowest settings that made his hair grey… this poor kid. teppei i admire your determination but no… just no...

SCARAMOUCHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

IF EVIL WHY SO HOT

you know.... scaramouche could stand still and the air would get electrified. and yknow,,, that's p... that's p attractive

ugh im disgusting myself. and here i thought i still had an inch of sanity left in me.

of all people it had to be this little jerk

scaramouche is so fucking evil. i’d like ten of him, please.

man,, they expect me to dodge this shit? that’s the biggest l i’ve heard today. none of that shit. i’m bringing out my zhong and my sweet madames skrrt

sayu is adorable… i remember when i had hopes of growing up too… alas, it has come to this.

OH MY GOD AYATO CRUMBS. I AM LICKING THAT SHIT UP. PLEASE— HE HAS A SECRET UNIT. THATS SO HOT WTF. AYATO MY DEAR, PLEASE DONT BE A REGULAR ICKY NPC BUT WHITE HAIRED…

SNEAKY SNEAK. SNEAKY SNEAK.

THOMA OH MY GOD MY MALEWIFE. HOW HAVE YOU BEEN? also, sayu’s sleeping again. this girl’s got talent. is her circadian rhythm okay?

pains me to be the bearer of all bad news and no good news…

WAIT THOMA IS LEAVING NO DONT LEAVE YET I WANT TO LOOK AT YOU MORE

oh nvm he’s still in the background.

EYY WHATS UP AYAKA. YOU’RE AS FINE AS EVER.

i… i don’t like where this is going… i refuse to be the bait. i’m too hot for that. so spicy they’ll spit me right out

DONT VOLUNTEER YOURSELF LUMINE— GIVE ME AN OPTION OR AT LEAST AN ‘OH SHIT HERE WE GO AGAIN’ LINE

YES FIREWORKS THAT WOULD WORK RIGHT? PLEASE TELL ME THAT WOULD WORK-

oh thank god… wait... they… they wouldn’t ask me to be the one to set off the fireworks right?

UNFORTUNATELY NO. AFTER YOU BECOME A FREE MAN, YOU’RE IMMEDIATELY MARRYING ME THOMA ANJKFHAIGHLANGKLAHOFJLKAB

oh crap… i’m… i’m in deep.

HE’S BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING US AGAIN EVERY DAY SINCE HE GOT THERE ANFLaglvbajlfblabvljabefva;bfalLJBLJDABVBAALSNADL tumblr user @tartagliaxx is broken. she is now irreparable. she has no regrets. goodbye.

ehem… what if… you and i… and hotsprings… together?? JUST KIDDING. PG-13 OVER HERE. NOTHING INDECENT WHATSOEVER MOVE ALONG NOW

poor thoma,,,

oh come on ayaka… cut us some slack… i just watched lumine wheeze bc of evil purple mist only to be dragged into 2 timeskips and an entire training arc. dont let her be yet another traumatized shounen manga protagonist… altho, it might be uh… too late for that…

oh dear… is thoma going to get another round of diarrhea?

OF COURSE. OF COURSE IT’S ME DOING ALL THE WORK. OF COURSE IT’S ME WHO’S RISKING MY LIFE ALL OVER AGAIN. GOD! GIVE LUMINE A BREAK. BEING A TRAVELER DOES NOT MEAN IT’S FREE REAL ESTATE.

hello yoimiya… still looking as bomb as ever i see……… mhm… gonna see myself out rn…

HELP MY SHITTY GRAPHICS COMPLETELY ERADICATED HER BROWS

oh god… are we dying because of fireworks? forget getting caught by the patrol… we’re about to light up an untested firework that was made to be a billion times more explosive….

NO. SHE SAID IT. SHE SAID THE CURSED SENTENCE. WHATS THE WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN? IDK YOU TELL ME. YOU JUST SENTENCED US TO DEATH YOIMIYA GREAT GOING still love you tho.

man… these patrol guards aint shit… i literally walked an inch behind their backs and they did nothing… its a surprise the rebellion still hasn’t won when they place guards like this in their ranks………. ok that was kinda mean i’ll apologize in a bit.

SAYU OMG… DONT WORRY I’LL SNEAK YOU OUT AND RISK MY LIFE willingly JUST TO RESCUE YOU. ILYSM HONEY YOU’RE DOING SO WELL

no, paimon. it’s not but we’re doing it anyway 🤡

NO ONE TOLD ME WE’RE GOING TO RUN. I WENT COMPLETELY OFF COURSE. first try tho 😏

HELLO THOMA. HELLO AYAKA.

HELLO SAYU. HOW DID IT GO? IM GUESSING IT WENT WELL BC YOU’RE STILL ALIVE?

oh no….. she’s worn herself out…. man,,, this is why you dont make convicts out of kids….

WE ASKED SAYU FOR AN INCH AND SHE GAVE AS TEN THOUSAND MILES. SAYU MY CHILD YOU EXCEED EXPECTATIONS

god, don’t remind me. as hot as the shogun trying to kill us w her blade was, i don’t appreciate almost getting murdered on screen (even if we most certainly have plot armor)

awwww is thoma worried about me uwu owo? dw i have like… a lumine w 6% crit rate by my side

sigh… i dont want to leave yet… cant i just stay by thoma’s side and not go to war for a change?

it was at this moment that tumblr user lei saw the wonders of being a housewife.

oh sara… my stars… i’m so sorry. i feel so bad for you but at the same time… this oddly makes me want to write a song for you ABJFJKABJABCABVABVKA I KNOW JACK SHIT ABT SONGWRITING WHY AM I THINKING LIKE THIS

well… there she goes…

oh…. oh….. yae is stealing my heart. WHAT DO I DO WHAT DO I DO (i have an alt for a reason heehee)

DEAR LORD. PLEASE STEP ON MY NECK SARA.

these guys got guts to say ‘i’m sorry ma’am’ to THE kujou sara.

oh old man… you’re dead. you’re so dead.

man… this old man is a simp? sheesh.

YES. GO TELL EM PAIMON. PREACH THAT SHIT LOUD AND CLEAR.

oh my god… is that dude dead? i probably should’ve uh apologized b4 he flopped down to the ground ig…

MAN,, SARA’S DOWN FOR THE COUNT?? tbf i didnt expect much but…. also, AYE SIGNORA’S SO ICY.

she’s calling me out for being a simp ;-; heart been broke so many times or smth

OH SHIT LUMINE SPOKE. MAN,, WHY IS SHE SO COOL.

oh… i love this part of the vow… im suddenly inspired to write… how about a wedding au? an angsty wedding au?

goddamn… it’s been nice knowing you all…. i dont think i’ll come out of this alive if signora went out like that…

WHATS HAPPENING? ARE YOU SAYING KAZUHA WENT THROUGH THIS BS? IS LUMINE OKAY-

DID THEY REALLY JUST STORM THE ENTIRE FUCKING CAPITAL?? THEY HAVE SOME NERVE.

FUCK OMG KAZUHA AHHAHFHAFHAHGKJABKASBGA IM TEARING UP WTF WHY AM I GETTING EMOTIONAL- HONEY BUN THATS SO HOT OF YOU TO DO

oh… oh it’s time for round two? haha… time to… say my goodbyes….

yo… there are actual tears in my eyes… like… idk why… but that cutscene? shit man… that hit me…

hm… i feel bad for the shogun… ultimately, there is reason behind every act no matter how horrid. no matter how unreasonable, the reason one thinks of is always justified on their end. whatever everyone else thinks pay little effect on whether the act is fulfilled or not. also, her little laugh? i’m extra deceased.

the animation's fire as always wtf

oh but my kokoro... oof... my kokoro... ugh...

I’M SO FUCKING DONE AJKFHAKJBVAK- WE BEAT A HARBINGER AND FOR WHAT? she should’ve just tossed that gnosis into the ocean or smth...

HAH OMG SCARAMOUCHE. WHAT A MAN. I’M- I WAS RIGHT OMG. I HAD A LIL THEORY AND ITS JUST SMTH I HAD IN THE BACK OF MY MIND. I NEVER THOUGHT IT’LL ACTUALLY COME TRUE DEAR LORD. so now ig i have to admit i think abt him a lot and he has a soft spot in my heart 🥺 he’s evil you see and you know what my type is? evil men or at the very least, men with the potential to be evil. ugh so annoying.

scaramouche banner when

bc i sold everything worthy of money in me (read as my organs) for albedo, i'll sell my soul for him how about that?

EYE- makoto huh… well… fuck…

it’s day 400 of being ayato less even if he’s like… teased a million of times (jk it’s like… a grand total of seven but thats still p high)

im so… sigh…

i wonder if i’m still alive by the time sumeru releases… at the very least, i know my brain wouldn’t be.

....we were literally a captain for like... one second. that is so sad.

[myonechicagoworld]

CHICAGO FIRE – WARM AND DEAD (S01E13)

                                          [elevator dings]

Renee Royce: Oh [laughs] Oh….

                         No. No, no, no, no, no, no.

Kelly Severide: Come on.

Renee Royce: No! [chuckles]

                         Wow.

Renee Royce: Do you mind taking our picture?

Man 1: Sure.

                                       [camera clicks]

Renee Royce: [laughs]

Kelly Severide: Apartment fire. Ten car pile up. Hand caught in a

                          machine.

Renee Royce: Okay, all right. In Madrid, it is going to be, um, tapas,

                         tapas, dance club, and, um, Catholic Church.

Kelly Severide: You think I can dance?

Renee Royce: Well, I can dance and you can just watch.

Kelly Severide: That I can do.

                           I’ve never done that before.

Renee Royce: Oh, yeah?

Kelly Severide: Yeah.

Renee Royce: Wow. Well then, I guess this is gonna be the first of

                         many new things then, huh?

Kelly Severide: Yeah.

Renee Royce: Yeah.

                                          [kissing sound]

Kelly Severide: What is it?

Renee Royce: I met this doctor.

Kelly Severide: A doctor?

Renee Royce: Not like that. I just, um… Well I put out some feelers

                         to my medical contacts and, um, it turns out that

                         the Chief of Orthopedics over at River Forest

                         Hospital is… pioneering some kind of experimental

                         spinal surgery, and he wants to meet you.

Kelly Severide: Really?

Renee Royce: Yeah. 

                         You know what? Maybe this will help you get to

                          Madrid even sooner. Hm.

                                           [kissing sound]

                                               cutscene

                                            [phone rings]

Chief Boden: Chief Boden. 

Ernie: Do you remember me?

Chief Boden: Ernie.

Ernie: Yeah.

Chief Boden: What’s going on? You okay?

Ernie: No.

Chief Boden: [sighs] Talk to me. Where are you?

                       Ernie.

                       Ernie.

                                           [hangs up]

Chief Boden: Ernie.

                              [car door opens & shuts]

                                     [engine revs off]

                                    [dramatic music]

                                       [siren blares]

                                      [horn blasting]

                                    [truck door shuts]

Christopher Herrmann: Hardware store. Not good.

Matt Casey: Cruz, Mills, vent the roof.

Joe Cruz: Hardware store’s got propane tanks, accelerants.

                                        [explosion]

Matt Casey: Go, go, go!

                                       [siren blares]

Chief Boden: (into radio) Dispatch be advised, Battalion 25’s on

                        scene.

Dispatcher: (over radio) Copy that, 25.

Matt Casey: Got one down.

                                       [metal clangs]

Matt Casey: Herrmann, take his legs.

                                  [overlapping chatter]

Gabby Dawson: No pulse. 

Leslie Shay: Not breathing.

Engine Fireman: Fire’s out, Chief. Looks like another dumpster fire.

                                                - title - 

Gabby Dawson: What’s up?

Otis Zvonecek: The door’s jammed. 

Christopher Herrmann: I told Chief we needed to grease this

                                        puppy before the weather turned.

Mouch: And what, he ignored you?

Christopher Herrmann: No, he told me to do it, but I forgot. 

                                        I’ve been preoccupied. 

Mouch: Weren’t you and Cindy using protection?

Christopher Herrmann: We’ve got four kids, Mouch. I was counting

                                         on my sperm being too tired to make the

                                         swim.

Leslie Shay: Well, I’m gonna head inside and check the levels on

                      the hot chocolate.

Gabby Dawson: Yeah, I’m gonna provide back-up.

Otis Zvonecek: You know, my grandmother had this garage door

                           that was always stuck 2 feet off the ground. So one

                           time I tell my brother Nick, I say, “go inside and

                           grab some butter.”

Peter Mills: What?

Christopher Herrmann: We got a rule. You tell a story that we’ve all

                                         heard a million times, we raise our hand,

                                         you gotta shut up, no questions asked.

Otis Zvonecek: That’s actually impolite and insulting.

Christopher Herrmann: Like that’s on us [laughs]

Peter Mills: I haven’t heard the story.

Joe Cruz: Mills, let’s go.

Otis Zvonecek: Where are you guys going?

Peter Mills: Oh, I asked Cruz to give me driving lessons.

Otis Zvonecek: I-I’m actually next in line to drive 81. You know

                          that. 

                           Lieutenant?

Matt Casey: Not now, Otis.

Otis Zvonecek: [sighs]

Kid 1 (Roman): Hey, I… I got this dog here, if anyone wants it.

Mouch: Don’t even think about it. Had a dog over at 80 when I was

              there. Still have the teeth marks in my ankle to prove it.

Kid 1 (Roman): My dad says he’s gonna throw it in the river if I don’t

                           get rid of it. 

Peter Mills: I’ll take it, or at least I can find a home for it or

                    something.

                                               [dog whimpers]

Kid 1 (Roman): He likes bacon.

Mouch: Well, there’s that.

Peter Mills: Does he have a name?

Gabby Dawson: Aw, dad, can we keep it? Huh, can we? Can we?

                            Can we?

Chief Boden: Keep what?

Leslie Shay: The dog.

Matt Casey: [chuckles softly]

                                               [dog yipping]

Peter Mills: The kid’s dad was gonna drown it if we didn’t take it.

Chief Boden: He can’t stay.

                       I got a call at 67 over at Morningside. They need relief

                       for the next two shifts.

Otis Zvonecek: I’ll do it.

Joe Cruz: What? That’s the slowest house in the city.

Otis Zvonecek: I’ll do it.

Hadley: Oh, what the hell? You’ve got a medical furlough, Severide.

              That means you’re medically required to be out drinking.

Kelly Severide: Yeah, well… this may be more than just a furlough.

                           I’m moving to Spain with Renee.

Chief Boden: Between your history with us and your father’s

                       distinguished career, I can get you arson

                       investigation. Or the academy. Your choice.

Kelly Severide: I appreciate it, Chief, I do. But I’m leaving.

Chief Boden: Kelly… just sleep on it.

Kelly Severide: I have.

Chief Boden: [sighs]

Kelly Severide: Hey. You okay?

Chief Boden: You were right about Ernie. He called, said he was in

                        trouble, and then he hung up. Right before we

                        responded to another dumpster fire. 

                        I don’t know where to find him.

Kelly Severide: You tried to help him, Chief.

Chief Boden: Did I?

Kelly Severide: You reached out to him. You invited him in.

Chief Boden: Kelly, I saw him with this man… everything about it

                       felt wrong.

Kelly Severide: And you handed it over to the police.

Chief Boden: And what have they done, huh? Nothing.

Leslie Shay: Hey, uh, I must have misheard Capp, because he said

                      something about you going to Spain.

Kelly Severide: Yeah. I was gonna tell you this morning, but, uh… I

                           missed you. 

Leslie Shay: How long have you known this?

Kelly Severide: A day. Maybe two.

                                       [alarm buzzes & blares]

(Over PA): Truck 81, Ambulance 61. 425 Lake Street.

                   Infant shooting.

                                             [engine starts]

                                              [siren blares]

Lady 1: My baby. My baby’s been shot. 

                                           [dramatic music]

                                              [door slams]

                                              [gun cocks]

Lady 1: Baby!

Man 2 (Baby): You called the cops?

Lady 1: You’ve been shot, baby.

              Put down that… [yells] Aah!

Leslie Shay: Whoa, take it easy.

Man 2 (Baby): Shut up and stay away from me!

                         I’m not going back to jail.

Gabby Dawson: We’re not the cops.

Man 2 (Baby): This was self defense.

Gabby Dawson: Of course it was.

Man 2 (Baby): You stay where you are.

Leslie Shay: Are you gonna shoot me for helping your mom?

                                      [pounding at door]

Matt Casey: Fire department!

                                   [pounding continues]

Man 2 (Baby): Tell ‘em to stop bangin’!

                         Tell ‘em to stop, or I’m gonna blow a hole right

                         through that door!

                                       [taser buzzes]

Man 2 (Baby): [groans]

                                            [thuds]

Matt Casey: Dawson? Shay?

Gabby Dawson: You can’t carry a taser.

Leslie Shay: Yeah, well [breathing heavily] tell that to Baby.

                                       [door breaking]

Gabby Dawson: Baby here, uh, cold-cocked his mom and then

                            tripped and bumped his head.

Matt Casey: Baby?

Leslie Shay: Where in the code of conduct book does it say you

                      can’t carry a taser?

Gabby Dawson: [sighs] Page one.

Leslie Shay: Oh, I should totally read that someday.

                                          cutscene

Otis Zvonecek: [exhales]

Mouch: Hey, Otis, remember to bring some reading materials with

              you to Morningside.

Otis Zvonecek: [sighs]

Christopher Herrmann: 10 bucks you sell more Morningside

                                         T-shirts to tourists than you get calls.

Otis Zvonecek: Wager denied.

Mouch & Herrmann: [laughs]

Peter Mills: Yo, Dawson, hold up.

                     Hey.

                     Yo, I’m sorry about before. It’s just that on shift, it’s…

Gabby Dawson: Oh, stop it. It’s all right.

Peter Mills: It’s just… you know that it drives me crazy.

Gabby Dawson: We’ll figure it out. 

                            Text me after you get some rest.

Peter Mills: Sounds good.

                                           [dog yips]

                                       [kissing sound]

Peter Mills: Mm.

                                         [horn honks]

Matt Casey: You wanna get breakfast?

Gabby Dawson: Yeah, sure, absolutely. 

                                       [car door shuts]

Leslie Shay: Wow, look at you. You look like you’re about to pop.

Clarice: Yeah, a few more weeks.

Leslie Shay: Thank you. I heard if you eat eggplant, the baby comes

                      right out.

Clarice: I moved out.

Leslie Shay: What? 

Clarice: I told Daniel it wasn’t gonna work… ever.

              And I, uh… I moved back in with my parents.

Leslie Shay: Wow.

Clarice: Yeah, I know. [chuckles] I mean, it’s exactly where I

               imagined my life at 30, back with Barb and Gene in

               my room…

Leslie Shay: [chuckles]

Clarice: ... with the No Doubt poster.

Leslie Shay: Right. 

Clarice: Yeah.

Leslie Shay: And don’t forget pregnant.

Clarice: Well, I know what you’re thinking.

Leslie Shay: What’s that?

Clarice: That the way I live my life finally caught up with me.

Leslie Shay: That’s not what I’m thinking.

Clarice: And you would be right.

              Anyway, um… I just came back ‘cause I wanted to say

              thank you again. And you were a friend to me when I did

              not deserve one.

Leslie Shay: Forget Gene and Barb. Stay with me.

Clarice: No… that’s not why I came back.

Leslie Shay: No, end of discussion.

                                            cutscene

Gabby Dawson: And you don’t wanna get of the wrong side of my

                            abuela. Trust me. She’s got this look that she’ll

                            throw you when she’s aggravated.

                                    [Matt & Gabby laughs]

Gabby Dawson: That means tread lightly.

Matt Casey: Yeah, I can see that.

                      I’m gonna speak up for my mom at the hearing today.

Gabby Dawson: And how does your sister feel?

Matt Casey: Like I’m a traitor.

                     She’s spoken against my mom’s release every year,

                     which is all the board needs to hear to deny parole.

Gabby Dawson: Ugh. That’s a tough one.

Matt Casey: Yeah.

Gabby Dawson: You want me to come with you today?

Matt Casey: Ah, you never know how long these things are gonna

                      go. It could be a few hours before we even get inside.

Gabby Dawson: I’m coming.

                                              [mug clanks]

                                                 cutscene

Receptionist: Chief, you have a call. It sounds urgent.

                        Okay, stand by. Here he is.

Chief Boden: This is Chief Boden. 

Ernie: I’m in trouble.

Chief Boden: Ernie, where are you? 

Ernie: Uncle Ray makes me do it.

Chief Boden: I know. Just tell me where you are. 

Ernie: He’d kill me if he knew I called you.

Chief Boden: I will not let that happen. 

                       Ernie, please let me help you.

                       Ernie. Just tell me where you are.

Ernie: In-in front of some store on South Halsted and Marquette.

Chief Boden: Okay. Don’t move. I am on my way.

                                    [car door shuts]

Chief Boden: Ernie?

                       Ernie!

                                         cutscene

Orthopedic Doctor (Dr. Doriot): We take parts of bone and

                                                      cartilage from one vertebra and

                                                      fuse it onto the next. And then

                                                      we inject your own platelets

                                                      into the area, which increases

                                                      healing. Recovery time could

                                                      be four weeks instead of one

                                                      year.

Kelly Severide: How come I didn’t hear about this from my other

                           surgeon?

Orthopedic Doctor (Dr. Doriot): This isn’t covered by an HMO.

                                                      It’s experimental. I’m not gonna lie

                                                      to you. There are real risks here,

                                                      including partial paralysis.

Kelly Severide: Partial paralysis?

Renee Royce: I am so sorry. I, um… I guess I didn’t realise how

                         risky it was.

Kelly Severide: Hey. 

                           If I’m gonna risk anything, I’ll risk it on you and me

                           in Madrid.

                                        [kissing sound]

                                             cutscene

Parole Board Member: Is there anyone present who would like to

                                        speak either on behalf of or in opposition

                                        to Nancy Annalyn Casey’s request for

                                        parole?

Matt Casey: Yes. My name is Matthew Casey. I’m Nancy’s son.

                      I’d like to speak, please.

Parole Board Member: In four years, you’ve never spoken before,

                                        Mr. Casey. Why now? What’s changed?

Matt Casey: Well, uh, when I was seven, I, uh, I stole a baseball mitt

                      from a sporting goods store. I got caught, and the

                      owner wanted to call the cops, teach me a lesson.

                      But my mom came down there and, uh, got him to

                      agree to let me work off the cost of the mitt by

                      sweeping his floor. And when my sister crashed the

                      family car, my dad wanted to kick her out of the house.

                      But my mom talked to him, worked it out where

                      Christie could work off the repairs by cleaning dad’s

                      office. What I’m-I’m trying to say is that my mom

                      understood punishment, but she also understood

                      forgiveness. She did a horrible thing that she regrets

                      terribly, and she’s paid the price with 15 years of her

                      life. But now it’s time for forgiveness, from all of us.

                      We lost both our father and our mother that day.

                      So, uh… so what’s changed? Well, I have.

                      I forgive her now.

Parole Board Member: Okay. Thank you, Mr. Casey.

Matt Casey: Thank you.

Parole Board Member: Would anyone else like to speak, either for

                                        or in opposition to Ms. Casey’s possible

                                        parole?

                                        All right, then, Ms. Casey. 

                                        We’ll start with a simple question.

                                        Do you feel remorse for your crime?

Nancy Casey: Yes. Yes. Yes, I do… every day.

                                              cutscene

Otis Zvonecek: [exhales] Hey there, fellas. I’m, uh, Brian Zvonecek. 

                           I’m relieving here for the next couple shifts.

                                               cutscene

                                             [door shuts]

                                             [keys clank]

Kelly Severide: Hey.

                          I said hey.

                          I know what you’re doing.

Leslie Shay: Oh, yeah? What am I doing?

Kelly Severide: You’re not pissed at me because I didn’t tell you

                          first. You’re pissed off because you don’t want

                          me to go.

Leslie Shay: Clarice is moving in. She’s gonna need your key.

                                                 cutscene

Otis Zvonecek: [chuckles] This guy, he has a heart attack coming

                           down the stairs. 

                                                 [laughter]

Otis Zvonecek: I mean, his heart stops and everything.

Man 3: I think I heard about that.

Otis Zvonecek: Yeah, yeah. And we had to put the paddles on him

                           and… [clicks mouth] he pops right back up, like,

                           no big deal, you know? I mean, he completed

                           training. I think he’s over at 94. 

Man 3: [laughs]

Otis Zvonecek: Gave him the nickname “Dead Frank.”

                                                [laughter]

Man 3: I know where I heard that story before. You’re the guy with

             the podcast.

Man 4 (Redhead): We love that podcast.

Otis Zvonecek: Herrmann, right? 

                           He put you up to this.

Man 5 (Grey hair): No, nobody did.

Otis Zvonecek: [chuckles]

                                   [alarm chimes and blares]

(Over PA): Truck 67, assist the invalid. 32… [continues indistinctly]

Man 5 (Grey hair): Hey Brian.

Otis Zvonecek: Yeah?

Man 5 (Grey hair): Why don’t you drive?

Otis Zvonecek: Seriously?

Man 5 (Grey hair): Yeah, I’m getting tired of it. Been looking for

                                someone to take over.

                                          [truck door shuts]

                                             [engine starts]

                                                 cutscene

Christopher Herrmann: It’s weird without Otis here. Who am I

                                        suppose to jag?

Joe Cruz: Don’t look at me.

Christopher Herrmann: And Severide’s gone too. I mean, he’s as

                                        cocky as they come, but if you were lying

                                        in the street, he’d give you the shirt off

                                        his back.

Mouch: If you’re lying in the street, why do you need his shirt?

Christopher Herrmann: You know what I mean.

Matt Casey: How many times I gotta tell you to stay out of the first

                      watch crate, Mouch?

Mouch: They tempt me with these marshmallows, Lieutenant.

              What am I supposed to do?

Matt Casey: Give me one.

                      Hey.

Gabby Dawson: Hey. You hear anything?

Matt Casey: Not yet. It could be a couple days.

Gabby Dawson: Fingers crossed.

Matt Casey: Thanks.

Christopher Herrmann: Chief, maybe we should rethink the dog,

                                          eh? Time 51 got one. Plus, it would

                                          really piss off Mouch.

Mouch: No way.

Christopher Herrmann: Peter Mills, where is that dog?

Peter Mills: Um, I found a home for it.

Christopher Herrmann: You did?

Mouch: Thank God.

                                  [alarm buzzes & chimes]

(Over PA): Truck 81, Ambo 61, Engine 51. 78 Racine, Apartment fire.

Chief Boden: That’s Ernie’s house.

                                        [sirens wailing]

                                        [horn honking]

Chief Boden: Ernie?

                       Ernie?

                       I’m going up. 

Matt Casey: Okay. 

                      Spread out!

Chief Boden: Ernie!

                       Ernie, call out!

                       Ernie!

                                    [ceiling collapsing]

Chief Boden: [grunts]

                       Ernie!

                       Ernie, call out.

                       Ernie.

                       Ernie!

                       Ernie!

                       [half gasp half wail]

                       Ernie? Can you hear me?

                       I’ll get you out of here. Come on. Stay with me.

                       [grunts]

                       I’m gonna get you out of here, Ernie.

                       [grunting]

                       Okay, stay with me. Stay with me.

                       Shay.

                       Ernie. Ernie.

                                      [somber music]

                                           cutscene

Christopher Herrmann: [sighs]

Mouch: [grunts] 

                                    [dog whimpering]

Mouch: What is that?

                            [dog continues whimpering]

Peter Mills: I lied. Uh, I… I-I couldn’t find anyone to take her. And 

                    I couldn’t bring her to my place. 

                    Sorry, guys. 

Joe Cruz: Oh! Come here [murmuring to dog]

                                     [dog yipping]

Leslie Shay: [murmuring to puppy]

                                  [kissing sounds]

Joe Cruz: [whispers] Hey. Do you wanna say hi to Chief?

                                 [dog whimpering]

                                [cell phone ringing]

Matt Casey: Hello?

                      Yeah.

                      [whispers] The parole board.

Joe Cruz: I-I know you like my nose but you can’t…[murmuring]

                 [whispers] Look at that. What’s that? Who’s that?

Mouch: [laughs] Ahh, jeez.

              Fine. What are we gonna call this mutt?

Christopher Herrmann: Pouch.

Mouch: Huh?

Christopher Herrmann: Half pooch, half couch.

                                          [laughter]

Mouch: Peter Mills, we’re gonna need some bacon.

Peter Mills: Right. 

Matt Casey: Thank you.

Gabby Dawson: And?

Matt Casey: They granted her parole.

Gabby Dawson: Hey, congratulations.

Matt Casey: Yeah.

Gabby Dawson: What?

Matt Casey: Well, there is one condition. She has to move into a

                      stable household. Meaning with me.

Gabby Dawson: Oh.

                                         cutscene

                                      [door breaks]

                              [door opens and closes]

                                      [siren blares]

                                   [tires screeching]

                                     [horns honking]

                                       [siren blaring]

                                     [tires screeching]

                                        [car crashes]

                                [Boden & Ray grunting]

Chief Boden: Come on! Come on!

Man 6 (Raymond Martin): [grunts & groans]

                                     [tire iron clatters]

                                  [sirens approaching]

Chief Boden: A little boy? A little boy?

Police Officer: Step back! We got it.

                                          cutscene

                                     [truck beeping]

Otis Zvonecek: [exhales]

Man 5 (Grey hair): Nice work 

Otis Zvonecek: [chuckles]

Man 5 (Grey hair): These, uh, these older houses are a tight

                                squeeze.

Otis Zvonecek: Thanks.

                           You know, I come from a family of doctors. But the

                            first time I saw a firefighter jump into a truck and

                             roar off, man, I knew I wasn’t going to medical

                             school. I wanted to drive a fire truck [chuckles]

Man 5 (Grey hair): [chuckles] Your parents okay with that?

Otis Zvonecek: Nope, but I am.

Man 5 (Grey hair): [laughs] Good for you.

                               Hey, you know, this, uh, spot in our house is

                               gonna be permanent. You should put in for a

                               transfer.

Otis Zvonecek: What, are you serious?

Man 5 (Grey hair): Hell, yeah. I’ve laughed harder this week than the

                               last two years.

                                                [both chuckles]

Man 5 (Grey hair): You should see this place in the summertime.

                                Girls everywhere, all wanting a picture with

                                Chicago’s finest [chuckling] It’s the best house

                                in the city.

                                                    cutscene

Man 7 (District Chief Arend): Public defender is saying battery,

                                                  citing you personally and the

                                                  department at large.

Chief Boden: If they wanna have that discussion…

Man 7 (District Chief Arend): You’re having it now.

Chief Boden: I apprehended a suspect in an arson and murder

                       case, a suspect with an APB out on him who the

                       CPD did not have enough manpower

                       [overlapping] to stop him from killing a little boy.

Man 7 (District Chief Arend): Do you wanna go back and take the

                                                 cop’s test? Because it’s not too late.

Man 8 (District Chief Steve Walker): Ah, come on now, Wallace.

Chief Boden: No, no, no, no. These are my bugles. I’m going on

                       furlough. When I get back, you can tell me if I should

                       put ‘em back on again.

                                               [bugles clattering]

Otis Zvonecek: Chief, I just wanna let you…

Chief Boden: Not now.

                                                      cutscene

                                                 [car door closes]

Kelly Severide: I’m a stupid ass. I know.

Leslie Shay: Yup.

Kelly Severide: And I’m sorry. I should’ve… I should’ve camped

                          outside your room to tell you first. 

                          You’re my best friend, Shay.

Leslie Shay: Next time…

Kelly Severide: Hey... 

Leslie & Kelly: [laughs] 

Kelly Severide: No next time, I swear.

Leslie Shay: I’m glad you’re getting yourself healthy, even if it

                     means I have to let you go.

Kelly Severide: No one’s letting go.

Leslie Shay: Come on, let’s go in. I’m cold.

Kelly Severide: All right, yeah.

Leslie Shay: [chuckles] Hey, you know, tasers are totally against the

                     rules.

Kelly Severide: I know that. It’s page one.

                                                [door opens]

Leslie Shay: All you [chuckles]

All: Surprise!

                                        [cheers and applause]

Kelly Severide: You…

                           Hey. 

Renee Royce: Hi.

                                              [kissing sound]

Capp: I’m not sure what we’re gonna do without you.

Kelly Severide: [exhales] Cheers.

                                  [background chatter & laughter]

Clarice: Hey. Look, I…I promise you that I understand, you know,

               this is just an opportunity for us to be roommates.

               Nothing more…

                                            [kissing sounds]

Clarice: What was that?

Leslie Shay: I love you. I’ve always loved you.

Clarice: I love you too.

                                            [kissing sounds]

Gabby Dawson: Mm. You sure you wanna do this, Peter Mills?

Peter Mills: I’ve been waiting all day, baby.

Gabby Dawson: Wanna sneak out of here?

Peter Mills: Your place, ten minutes?

Gabby Dawson: You’re on. 

Peter Mills: Mm…

                                               [laughter]

Firefighters: Kick flips?

                      No, you.

                      No, you.

                                                [laughter]

Otis Zvonecek: I’m telling you, guys, it wasn’t that bad.

                                       [audio muffled, fading]

Renee Royce: Sorry, have… have you seen Kelly?

Matt Casey: Yeah, he’s over there.  

                      Or, was…

Renee Royce: Oh.

                                             [engine turns off]

                                             [distant laughter]

Man 9 (Benny Severide): So it’s 15 degrees, and there was this

                                           homeless guy that used to hang

                                           around in the alley behind the house.

                                           And we find him, and he is frozen

                                           solid. I mean, he’s a block of ice. So

                                           I call the morgue and I say, “Listen.

                                           We got a frozen dead guy, and you

                                           gotta come and pick him up.” And

                                           they say, “Well, he can’t just be

                                           dead. He’s gotta be warm and dead

                                           before we’ll come and get him.” So

                                           we dragged the homeless guy

                                           across the apparatus floor, and we

                                           wait for him to thaw out, for about

                                           ten hours. Anyway, eventually he

                                           got warm enough and dead  

                                           enough to actually be dead, so they  

                                           came and got him.

                                                 [chuckles]

Kelly Severide: You still telling that one?

Man 9 (Benny Severide): Well, I’ll be damned. 

Kelly Severide: Guys. Hey.

Man 10: How you doing?

Kelly Severide: Dad.

Man 9 (Benny Severide): You want something to eat? 

Kelly Severide: Oh, nah. I’m good, thanks.

                           Uh… [deep breath] I’m leaving the CFD.

Man 9 (Benny Severide): What happens when you and this Renee

                                          get tired of each other, and you find

                                          yourself in some godforsaken country

                                          with nothing to show for it but a

                                          pension? 

Kelly Severide: I don’t know. This doesn’t look so bad.

Man 9 (Benny Severide): Trust me. You’re worried about partial

                                           paralysis? How about full paralysis?

                                           ‘Cause that’s what this is [exhales]

                                           There’s no replacing Rescue Squad… but

                                            you already know that. That’s why you

                                            came out here, so I could talk you out of 

                                            going.

                                            Look, I know I wasn’t there for you like I

                                             could’ve been or should’ve been, and

                                             I’m… three wives removed from your

                                             mother and I-I-I’m in no position to give

                                             you advice. But you’re scared, Kelly.

                                             And you know why you’re scared?

                                             ‘Cause you’re not ready for this. Man 10: Benny, you ready?

Kelly Severide: She’s counting on me. I promised her.

Man 9 (Benny Severide): She’ll get over it.

                                           Disappoint anyone. Hell, disappoint

                                           everyone, but don’t ever disappoint

                                           yourself. 

                                           It’s good to see you.

Kelly Severide: You too, pop.

                           [exhales]

                                             [background chatter]

                                                  [distant siren]

                                                      cutscene

Kelly Severide: Hey. 

Renee Royce: What’s going on?

                                                [car door closes]

Kelly Severide: I’m uh… I’m gonna get the surgery. 

Renee Royce: Oh, Kelly, come on. It’s… it’s just not worth the risk.

                         I mean, we’ll do it right. You’ll come with me. You’ll

                         recuperate in Mad…

                         You wanna stay.

                         I should’ve known [chuckles]

                         I was that close to not even telling you. And you

                         would’ve come with me to Madrid. And… the sky

                         would’ve been the limit for us.

Kelly Severide: Hey, hey. What you did might be the most important

                          thing anyone’s ever done for me. 

                          Thank you.

Renee Royce: Well, uh… I guess now we’re even.

Kelly Severide: Yeah. We’re even. 

                                             [kissing sounds]

                                             [car door shuts]

                                                   cutscene

                                              [knocks at door]

Chief Boden: Shonda.

Lady 2 (Shonda): Wallace.

Chief Boden: Can I please see Jimmy?

Lady 2 (Shonda): No. He’s not your son.

Chief Boden: The hell he ain’t. I raised him from the time he was

                        three. Never used the word stepson. Not once.

                        I need to see him.

                                                  [dog barks]

Chief Boden: Hey Ralphie. How are you? I miss you, boy.

Kid 2 (Jimmy): Dad.

                         [murmurs emotionally]

                                                   cutscene

                                               [taps on glass]

Doctor: You ready?

Kelly Severide: Yeah. I’m ready.

                                                    - end -

Definitions:

Orthopedics = Is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system – the bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, and muscles.

Propane = Propane is a form of LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas). Propane is a gas but can be liquefied and stored in a propane gas tank. It is commonly used as a fuel in domestic and industrial applications and in low-emissions public transportation.

Abuela = “Grandmother” in Spanish.

HMO = A Health Maintenance Organisation (HMO) gives access to certain doctors and hospitals within its network. A network is made up of providers that have agreed to lower their rates for plan members and also meet quality standards. Care under a HMO plan is covered only if you see a provider within that HMO’s networks.

APB = All-points bulletin (APB) is a general bulletin broadcast to alert law-enforcement officers over a wide area that someone (e.g. a suspect) or something (e.g. a vehicle) is being actively sought in connection with a crime.

Bugles = Orders are given to the troops by officers, through the use of a large brass device that resembles a megaphone. These were very ornate brass horns. They were commonly called “bugles”.

[lokihzra]

My Heart’s On Fire For Your Love

Chapter 3

Thor falls to his knees in front of his brother, his heartbeat picking up with every sharp inhale Loki takes. “Loki hey look at me” Thor demands through the lump in his throat as he gently lifts Loki’s face to look at him “you’re okay, we’re in New York” he says as soft as he can, keeping his touch gentle and pleading, hoping Loki can see the worry and pain in his eyes.

“no I-I” Loki stops and gulps to try and ease the lump in his throat attempting to suffocate him “I don’t know what’s happening” he mumbles and tries to look back down at the floor.

Thor pulls his head back up and Loki couldn’t tell if he wanted to pull away or lean into Thor’s touch “breathe Loki, keep your eyes on me”

“I can’t-“ he breaks off into sharp gasps and leans forward until his head hits Thor’s shoulder “make it stop” the gasps burned his lungs but his head hurt more.

worthless, useless, nothing, a monster. Who can love a monster?

Especially a fallen jotun runt.

“Loki please breathe” Thor begs, tears welling up in his own eyes. Helpless, the weight in his heart screams at him to do something but he can’t. Thor isn’t skilled with a Seidr so no matter how bad he wanted to, he couldn’t help his brother.

“Please make it stop” Loki sobs and his stomach drops as he remembers the darkness, the endless silence “Thor please” he begs, pressing his face farther into thor’s shoulder, his hands gripping Thors sweater so hard that Loki swears he feels one of his nails crack.

Thor starts softly shushing him and Loki feels his hand rubbing his back gently, his other hand playing with his hair and he only notices that it calms him down near ten minutes later when his lungs stopped burning and that dull throbbing started pounding at the back of his eyes.

“what do you need?” Thor asks quietly, not moving to pull away.

Loki gulps, trying to ignore the embarrassment as he pulls back “I don’t know why that-“

“you want to rest? you look like you need it” Thor smiles softly making Loki’s nose sting.

“okay”

“Sir, Mr. Rhodes was already on his way here”

Tony sighs but it just gets caught in his throat “wher-where is he?” he says quickly.

“he’s just parked”

“he has a damn suit-oh god” Tony falls back on his ass and brings his knees up to his chin.

“he’s in the elevator”

Tony nods to himself as he grips the table and pulls himself up to his feet. He stumbles and hits his hip against the table so hard he knows there will be a bruise but he doesn’t care because he hears the door slide open.

He turns around to see Rhodey rushing over to him and Tony stumbles over to him, Rhodey catching him before he could trip over his own foot. “Hey man what happened?” Rhodey asks softly as he lowers them to the ground.

“Loki-I-” Tony buries his face in Rhodeys shoulder, his hands holding onto Rhodeys jacket like his life depended on it “me and Loki-“

“You and Loki what? fought?” he asks quietly as he rubs Tony’s back, drawing patterns and words into it.

“no-we-opposite”

“you guys hooked up?” Rhodey nearly yells.

“no-he’s my-“

“okay Tony calm down just breathe, copy my breathing” Rhodey demands and he doesn’t breathe louder on purpose, It helped Tony a lot more when he had to strain to focus, when he blocked everything out to focus on one thing.

And it worked. The pounding in his head got quieter as he strained to listen to Rhodeys even breaths and mimic them. Tony loved Rhodey with all his damn heart, if it wasn’t for Rhodey, Tony probably would have died by 22 and Tony never ever expresses how much Rhodey means to him and he hates it because he got it from Howard.

“you okay now?” Rhodey breaks him from his thoughts, the hand on his back slowing to a halt.

“I love you, you know that?”

“shut up”

“No i really do Rhodes, I would die for you man”

“you’ll die for anyone Tony”

“not true”

“well if you love me so much tell me what happened”

“um” Tony pauses to try and think of how the hell he tells his best friend that soulmates are real and he knows because his soulmate is upstairs right now and it just so happens to be the man who attacked the very city they’re in at the moment “maybe another time buddy”

Tony starts to get up but Rhodey pulls him back down to the floor “I’m your best friend douche bag, tell me”

“do you believe in soulmates?”

“sometimes” Rhodey says with a shrug but continues when Tony raises a brow “I thought you and Pepper were soulmates”

“yeah well she’s not and my soulmate is a guy”

Rhodeys face falls but he quickly breaks off into a quiet laugh “you’re telling me soulmates are real?”

“the city was attacked by aliens five days ago and this, you don’t believe?”

“okay fine keep talking” Rhodey demands as he focuses his attention on Tony.

“nevermind I shouldn’t-“

“Tony tony I’m listening so tell me please” Rhodey nearly begs.

Tony rambles to hopefully avoid the subject but Rhodey knows him. Rhodey knows that this is what he does.“apparently soulmates are rare. Like extinct rare and I don’t really know the purpose but-“

Rhodey interrupts him “Tony”

Tony stops with a huff and as he opened his mouth to say the words, he suddenly couldn’t. “Tony?” he sighs before lifting his sleeve and revealing the L on his wrist, the black marking standing out against his tan skin like an emo at Disney land.

Tony watches as Rhodey frowns at it before his face drops “am I being punk’d?”

“fuck” Tony says harshly as he pulls his sleeve back down “see?” he quickly gets up and walks over to his desk “this is why I don’t want to tell anybody”

“do you love him?” Rhodey asks and Tony stops abruptly.

“no” he says without missing a beat and he turns around to face Rhodey in case the latter doesn’t believe him.

“well then you’ll be okay” Rhodey says reassuringly.

It doesn’t work thought because Rhodey can’t hide his concern from Tony, not after 12 years of being bestfriends. “Thor said something about a bond becoming complete-the fuck does that mean Rhodey?” Tony asks quickly, his heart beating faster than his tongue moves.

“Call Loki down here”

“what? no-“

“I can’t answer your questions only he can”

“Sir it seems that Mr. Odinson is not functional enough to come down here”

He groans before mumbling “and why not?” secretly hoping that JARVIS never heard.

“he’s suffering from a migraine ” JARVIS informs him and Tony sighs in relief before something catches his attention.

“Aliens can get headaches?”

“technically sir he is Asgardian, A god, not an alien, they have the same physiology but they’re only denser so yes Asgardians can get headaches”

“diseases?”

“no sir, their density makes it near impossible for diseases to survive off of their body, it would take nearly a million years for any disease to affect them”

“hm” Tony shrugs “won’t have to use a condom.

“Tony!” Rhodey scolds as he watches Tony walk to the door.

“i’m kidding sourpatch”

May 9th, 2012

“we ordered supper, it’s on the counter” Natasha nods towards the several takeout plates on the counter.

“didn’t know what you guys wanted so I just ordered almost everything” Tony says through a mouthful of food.

Loki frowns down at the meat and vegetables mixed together, with rice or noodles, a bowl of soup and small balls covered in a red sauce. “what is this?”

“Chinese food” Clint says through his mouthful of food

“Why are you here and why are you all dirty?”

“While you guys were destroying the training room we were out cleaning your mess” Steve states

Loki frowns and it disappears before anyone could even notice it. His eyebrows are furrowed and his fists clenched together as he walks over to the giant windows. Thor and Tony silently watching as Loki scans the wreck of the city below him.

Suddenly Tony’s throat closes up, his eyes filling with tears and the weight in his heart makes him literally stop breathing for a moment. He freezes before harshly putting his plate down and watching as Loki is staring down at the city.

Loki's fists are clenched so tight that his arms tremble along with his tense jaw, shaking, trying to form words as he scans the debris littering the streets and buildings. Broken windows and signs, craters from explosions and some buildings had holes in them that was at least 4 stories big.

He blinks quickly to make the tears go away before he holds his palms out, parallel to the window in front of him and his guilt doesn’t fade as the warmth travels through his veins. The warm green light of his magic absorbing the mess; garbage, debris, glass and metal all disappearing from the streets and buildings. He couldn’t fix the buildings or signs, not until he got more of his strength back but this was enough for now.

He couldn't fix broken families and give children their parents back.

He’ll do better.

He’ll make up for it, somehow.

“how many people?” he asks quietly, staying in his spot “how many people did I kill?”

“one hundred and ninety three” Steve states and Loki couldn’t hold in his shaky exhale.

He was about to say something but Clints cold tone made his brain short circuit “cleaning up the mess won’t do anything”

Lokis guilt completely fades morphing into anger as he scans the avengers in the living room. “I accept you all for who you are even when you can’t find even a shred of humanity to accept me. Natasha’s ledger is worse than mine, Thor waged war on Jötunheim out of anger, he wasn’t mind controlled, tortured and forced like I was ” Loki snarls but he continues before Thor can ask questions “Clint you had a secret family, Bruce killed his abusive alcoholic father” Loki stops quickly, his gaze softening as he looks at the tense scientist “I’m not judging you for that I would have done the same thing. Tony is an alcoholic who made weapons and Steve claims to be a self-sacrificing hero yet he has 90 years to prove that”

The room is silent as every word sinks into their bones. Every word was true and none of them could deny that not even to themselves, Tony never ever denied who he was but that doesn’t stop the anger from boiling his blood and organs.

“I’m not the only one with mistakes or a past, I’m not the only one who lies about who I am and I know that, so degrade me all you want but don’t throw it in my face” Loki deadpans “because I promise you Barton, I will win at that game every time” he says lowly.

“shut the fuck up”

“pardon?” Loki glares and Tony feels another wave of that hot red rage setting in his bones.

“shut the fuck up, you’re pissing me off”

Loki scoffs, folding his arms and barking out a laugh “I’m pissing you-“ he stops abruptly, his face dropping as he suddenly marches into the elevator, leaving everyone shocked.

Except for Tony, as fast as the anger came it transformed into fear as soon as-

As soon as Loki wasn't angry anymore.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 6.8

218 – Battle of Antioch: With the support of the Syrian legions, Elagabalus defeats the forces of emperor Macrinus. 452 – Attila leads a Hun army in the invasion of Italy, devastating the northern provinces as he heads for Rome. 793 – Vikings raid the abbey at Lindisfarne in Northumbria, commonly accepted as the beginning of Norse activity in the British Isles. 1042 – Edward the Confessor becomes King of England - the country's penultimate Anglo-Saxon king. 1191 – Richard I arrives in Acre, beginning his crusade. 1663 – Portuguese victory at the Battle of Ameixial ensures Portugal's independence from Spain. 1776 – American Revolutionary War: American attackers are driven back at the Battle of Trois-Rivières. 1783 – Laki, a volcano in Iceland, begins an eight-month eruption which kills over 9,000 people and starts a seven-year famine. 1789 – James Madison introduces twelve proposed amendments to the United States Constitution in Congress. 1794 – Robespierre inaugurates the French Revolution's new state religion, the Cult of the Supreme Being, with large organized festivals all across France. 1856 – A group of 194 Pitcairn Islanders, descendants of the mutineers of HMS Bounty, arrives at Norfolk Island, commencing the Third Settlement of the Island. 1861 – American Civil War: Tennessee secedes from the Union. 1862 – American Civil War: Battle of Cross Keys: Confederate forces under General Stonewall Jackson save the Army of Northern Virginia from a Union assault on the James Peninsula led by General George B. McClellan. 1867 – Coronation of Franz Joseph as King of Hungary following the Austro-Hungarian compromise (Ausgleich). 1887 – Herman Hollerith applies for US patent #395,781 for the 'Art of Compiling Statistics', which was his punched card calculator. 1906 – Theodore Roosevelt signs the Antiquities Act into law, authorizing the President to restrict the use of certain parcels of public land with historical or conservation value. 1912 – Carl Laemmle incorporates Universal Pictures. 1918 – A solar eclipse is observed at Baker City, Oregon by scientists and an artist hired by the United States Navy. 1928 – Second Northern Expedition: The National Revolutionary Army captures Peking, whose name is changed to Beijing ("Northern Capital"). 1929 – Margaret Bondfield is appointed Minister of Labour. She is the first woman appointed to the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. 1940 – World War II: The completion of Operation Alphabet, the evacuation of Allied forces from Narvik at the end of the Norwegian Campaign. 1941 – World War II: The Allies commence the Syria–Lebanon Campaign against the possessions of Vichy France in the Levant. 1942 – World War II: The Japanese imperial submarines I-21 and I-24 shell the Australian cities of Sydney and Newcastle. 1949 – Helen Keller, Dorothy Parker, Danny Kaye, Fredric March, John Garfield, Paul Muni and Edward G. Robinson are named in an FBI report as Communist Party members. 1949 – George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four is published. 1953 – An F5 tornado hits Beecher, Michigan, killing 116, injuring 844, and destroying 340 homes. 1953 – The United States Supreme Court rules in District of Columbia v. John R. Thompson Co. that restaurants in Washington, D.C., cannot refuse to serve black patrons. 1959 – USS Barbero and the United States Postal Service attempt the delivery of mail via Missile Mail. 1966 – An F-104 Starfighter collides with XB-70 Valkyrie prototype no. 2, destroying both aircraft during a photo shoot near Edwards Air Force Base. Joseph A. Walker, a NASA test pilot, and Carl Cross, a United States Air Force test pilot, are both killed. 1966 – Topeka, Kansas, is devastated by a tornado that registers as an "F5" on the Fujita scale: The first to exceed US$100 million in damages. Sixteen people are killed, hundreds more injured, and thousands of homes damaged or destroyed. 1966 – The National Football League and American Football League announced a merger effective in 1970. 1967 – Six-Day War: The USS Liberty incident occurs, killing 34 and wounding 171. 1968 – James Earl Ray, the man who assassinated Martin Luther King Jr. is arrested at a London airport. 1972 – Vietnam War: Nine-year-old Phan Thị Kim Phúc is burned by napalm, an event captured by Associated Press photographer Nick Ut moments later while the young girl is seen running down a road, in what would become an iconic, Pulitzer Prize-winning photo. 1982 – Bluff Cove Air Attacks during the Falklands War: Fifty-six British servicemen are killed by an Argentine air attack on two landing ships, RFA Sir Galahad and RFA Sir Tristram. 1982 – VASP Flight 168 crashes in Pacatuba, Ceará, Brazil, killing 128 people. 1984 – Homosexuality is declared legal in the Australian state of New South Wales. 1987 – New Zealand's Labour government establishes a national nuclear-free zone under the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act 1987. 1992 – The first World Oceans Day is celebrated, coinciding with the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 1995 – Downed U.S. Air Force pilot Captain Scott O'Grady is rescued by U.S. Marines in Bosnia. 2001 – Mamoru Takuma kills eight and injures 15 in a mass stabbing at an elementary school in the Osaka Prefecture of Japan. 2004 – The first Venus Transit in well over a century takes place, the previous one being in 1882. 2007 – Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, is hit by the State's worst storms and flooding in 30 years resulting in the death of nine people and the grounding of a trade ship, the MV Pasha Bulker. 2008 – At least 37 miners go missing after an explosion in a Ukrainian coal mine causes it to collapse. 2008 – At least seven people are killed and ten injured in a stabbing spree in Tokyo, Japan. 2009 – Two American journalists are found guilty of illegally entering North Korea and sentenced to 12 years of penal labour. 2014 – At least 28 people are killed in an attack at Jinnah International Airport, Karachi, Pakistan.

[thebulletproofbangtanboys]

Red Rose (Seokjin x Reader)

Summary: It’s Jin and Reader’s three year anniversary, and Jin wants to show Reader that she is his and his alone.

Word count: 3k

Genre: Fluff, smut

Warnings: Dom!Jin, daddy kink, orgasm denial, overstimulation, cum play, spanking, oral (female receiving), fingering, unprotected sex, some degrading names

One would think that being the girlfriend of K-Pop idol and “World Wide Handsome” Kim Seokjin would be a dream come true. You had what millions of other girls and some boys wanted. Those perfectly chiseled abs. The beautiful face. The flexibility that man had. And it was a dream come true. You also got what all the fans didn’t really get to see: the extremely sweet and caring side of him. Sure, the fans got to see him on Bon Voyage and Vlive, but it was different when he wasn’t on camera. There was another side of him that the fans never got to see, and that was Jin’s dominant side. He was overly protective and possessive, but not on the psychotic level. You still had plenty of freedom, just not when it came to other guys. Perfect example would be the night of your three year anniversary.

Jin had taken you to a very fancy restaurant. The moment you walked in, your hand resting on Jin’s folded arm, you felt slightly overwhelmed at how nice the place actually was. An elegant crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling as soon as you walked through the doors, casting a a prism of rainbow colors around the area. The soft chatter of patrons in sleek, designer dresses and suits and the clinking of wine glasses and silverware filled the otherwise quiet atmosphere. You gazed around at the lavishness and the expensive decor, only to be interrupted by a man in a nice suit and tie.

“Mr. Kim,” the man said, giving a slight gesture for you two to follow him.

The man led you and Jin through the restaurant, heavenly smells wafting your way as you walked further towards the back. The man stopped in front of a curtain and pulled it back to reveal a small, private dining table. He held out a hand for the two of you to enter.

“Your waiter will be with you shortly.” The man bowed in respect before walking off to seat other incoming patrons.

Jin pulled out one of the seat so you could sit down. You gave him a loving smile. He returned the smile before sitting down across from you. A little vase with roses cut a little too tall blocked your view of your boyfriend of now three years. They were beautiful, but Jin’s nickname was given to him for a reason. You delicately moved the vase to the side all while Jin watched you lovingly and carefully.

As you were turning back to face Jin, a young man pulled back the curtain and walked into the small space.

“Hello. I’m Daehyun. I’ll be your waiter for tonight. Can I get you two anything to drink? Maybe one of our specialty wines?” Daehyun flashed a large smile, his teeth making the pristine white curtain almost seem like a pale yellow.

Jin gazed over the wine list that had been on the table when you two first came in. His eyes then landed on one he thought you would like.

“The 1998 Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame,” Jin stated, looked at you with a light smile.

You smirked back at him as Daehyun took the wine list from Jin. “Excellent choice, sir. I will be right back.”

“He seems nice,” you said after Daehyun walked back through the curtain to fetch the surely expensive wine.

“Hm,” was the only response from Jin as he picked up his menu.

You brushed it off and did the same. You perused the menu and picked your desired dish right as Daehyun walked back through. In one hand, there was a platter with the wine glasses and some water filled glasses. In the other, there was an ice tub with the bottle of wine sitting snugly inside. He set the platter down and placed the glasses on the table.

“For the gorgeous lady,” he said as he set your glass in front of you, flashing his blinding smile once again.

“Thank you so much.”

Daehyun then gave Jin his glass with a much less vibrant smile. Jin muttered his thanks before Daehyun gave the two of you the ice bucket. Daehyun tucked the platter under his arm and took your orders before scurrying away again, but not before he gave you another smile.

You blushed lightly at the affection shown from a practical stranger. You watched him walk out before you turned back to face Jin. He was scowling towards the curtain, clenching his jaw. You reached out and grabbed his hand which seemed to break him out of his trance. He looked at you with slightly wide eyes before they softened. You gave him a light smile which he carefully returned. He then released his hand from yours before placing it in his lap. He smiled at you just a moment longer before looking down and grabbing something out of his pocket. He kept it out of view, but you knew it was his cell phone by the way the blue, artificial glow hit his face.

You felt slightly agitated that he was more concerned with his cell phone than you, but you knew that was part of the price you had to pay for dating an idol. You opened the cold bottle of wine and filled both yours and Jin’s glasses. He looked only slightly and gave an almost inaudible “thank you.” It wasn’t until you had filled up your own glass and placed the bottle back in the ice bucket that he looked up. He smiled at you and held up his glass.

“To three wonderful years,” he said.

“And to many more to come,” you said, raising your own glass and putting it to his, making a clinking noise.

You both smiled at each other before taking sips of your wine. The taste was crisp and was an explosion in your mouth. Your smile widened, having found a new favorite flavor.

“I did well?” Jin asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Very,” you responded, taking another sip.

You then heard the buzz of Jin’s phone, which he immediately looked at and started typing in once again. You sighed internally. However, your disappointment was soon alleviated by the arrival of Daehyun with your food. You wouldn’t say you were an emotional eater, but eating always did help you feel just a little better.

Daehyun placed Jin’s plate down first. Jin, of course, didn’t even acknowledge the fact that Daehyun had even walked into the space. You smiled up in thanks to Daehyun as he placed your plate in front of you.

“Is there anything else I can get for you two, especially you, beautiful?” Daehyun asked, obviously flirting.

You glanced over at Jin, who still had his head in his phone. You smirked to yourself and decided to have fun with this whole situation. “You could keep your good looks around, handsome,” you said, batting your lashes.

You noticed a blush form across Daehyun’s cheeks at your comment. You glanced back over at Jin for a split second, and as expected, Jin was looking through his lashes at you.

Daehyun laughed nervously, not expecting that sort of response from you. You smiled at Daehyun, and he gave a nervous smirk in return. He himself looked over at Jin, and he knew what you were trying to do. He then understood that you had no further intentions than making your boyfriend jealous. You raised your eyebrow at Daehyun, non-verbally asking him if he would play along even more. He gave a slight nod, and you smiled deviously.

“That’s a pretty necklace you have there,” Daehyun said, any evidence of nervousness completely gone from his voice.

You quickly looked down to remind yourself exactly which necklace you were wearing. Your dress was red with a semi-plunging neckline, and your necklace fell snuggly between your breasts. “Why thank you,” you responded seductively, leaning forward to show off your breasts and necklace even more.

By this time, Jin was now fully aware of the situation. His eyebrows were furrowed, and the tips of his ears were red with anger. He stood up abruptly. “(Y/N), I think it is time we went home,” he said.

“But, Jin,” you whined, “we haven’t even touched this delicious looking meal that Daehyun has brought us.”

“I have an early practice tomorrow morning.” The tone of his voice was not one to argue with.

You nodded, “Of course, darling.” You stood up as well, and Jin practically barged out of the space, the curtain fluttering behind him. You slowly followed, only after slipping Daehyun 22,000₩ for his troubles.  You eventually caught up to Jin as you got to the car. Jin just gave you a look of disappointment before slipping behind the wheel. You slid into the passenger seat, and Jin started to drive.

The air was thick, and the ride was completely silent except for the sound of the almost quiet engine. About fifteen minutes later, he pulled up to your apartment. The two of you got out. You were extremely anxious, scared that he would scold you for your actions back at the restaurant. You lead the way to the door of your apartment and opened it.

What you saw was not what you were expecting to see…at all. About ten feet away, a trail of rose petals began. The apartment was dark except for the soft glow the faux candles gave off. You turned to Jin, your mouth slightly agape.

“H-how?” you asked him.

“I had Jimin and Taehyung come by and set the place up. I gave them my key. But seeing how you were acting in the restaurant, I’m not so sure that you deserve any of this,” Jin said, a glint of mischievousness in his eyes.

You scrunched your eyebrows a little in slight confusion. “But, Jin,” you practically whined. Jin gave you a look, and you hung your head. “Sorry, daddy."

Jin smirked. "Good, girl. Now, how should I punish you for your awful behavior earlier?”

Jin walked closer to you, that seductive look in his eyes only growing stronger. You felt yourself get a little weak in the knees at the anticipation of things to come.  You looked away, avoiding eye contact as he came up to you. Jin lightly took your chin between his fingers, but you kept your eyes averted.

“Look at me,” Jin said, his voice authoritative.

You looked up at him, breathing in shakily. The man had barely even touched you, but the way the tone of his voice was and his body language was enough to send you reeling. You looked deep into his eyes as he gazed back into yours. You exhaled heavily before the two of you were practically devouring each other’s lips. You both quickly kicked off your shoes.

Before you knew it, your legs were wrapped around Jin’s waist as his hands gripped your thighs, right below your ass. Your lips never left Jin’s for more than half a second as he carried you to your bedroom and practically threw you down on the bed.

You squealed happily as you felt yourself bounce a little. Jin sat on his knees near the end of the bed before he leaned himself forward, taking the hem of your dress and moving it up your legs. You lifted your hips a little as he lifted the dress up over them. Jin then snaked his hands around your hips, keeping them elevated.

“I’m going to treat you like the slut you are. Flirting and teasing that waiter at the restaurant. So naughty,” he said with a slight shake of his head.

You felt yourself quiver under his words and his touch.

Jin leaned down, him moving between your legs and his hip bones pressing against yours. His lips were right next to your ear, and he whispered, “How should I punish the little slut?” he hissed. He then spanked you, hard. You yelped in surprise.

“I don’t know,” you breathed out.

Another smack to your ass. “What was that?” Jin asked.

“I don’t know, Daddy,” you said louder, and Jin returned his hand to your waist.

Jin then leaned back, his beautiful shoulders slightly straining against his crisp, white button down shirt. A smirk laced his lips like the wetness in your panties. Your ass cheeks stung from the contact Jin’s hand made with it. He bit his lip as he was in thought of your punishment. His smirk then returned a moment later. He gave a small scoff-like sound before dipping down once more, but this time, he was much closer to your core rather than your face.

“Want to know your punishment, baby?” he asked, looking up at you. You gave a slight nod even though your mind and eyes said differently. “You’re not allowed to cum until I say so. Is that understood?”

You nodded, but before he could spank you again, you spoke up. “Yes, sir, Daddy."

Jin gave an approving smile before lowering himself once more. His hands moved from your waist to the band of your sexy, lace underwear. He then tugged them down harshly, and you were slightly worried that he may have torn them. Your worry quickly dissipated as your thoughts were soon occupied with Jin’s voice.

"Already so wet for me, huh, slut? God, you look so gorgeous and delicious. I think I’ll have myself a little snack before I truly get started.” Before you could respond, you felt Jin’s tongue swipe up your center, licking up any juices that had already escaped your body.

A quiet, breathy moan left passed your lips as his tongue made its way to your clit. You felt your eyes roll and close out of pleasure, and your hands clasped the sheets tightly. It was a light, tickling sensation, and you knew that he was doing that on purpose. It was that feeling that always sent you over the hardest.

“Fuck, Daddy,” you moaned audibly as your back arched a little. You could feel Jin switching between licking and sucking. You felt the fire beginning in your feet, and because of this, you knew that you were going to cum soon. The knot in your lower stomach was growing tighter with every flick of Jin’s tongue.  “Daddy, I-I’m goi-”

At the sound of your words, Jin’s lips detached from your core, and he almost glared at you. “You know you’re punishment. Now, take it like a big girl.”

You nodded as Jin took your thighs in his hands and spread them apart, revealing yourself more to him. Within seconds, Jin was attacking your clit once more, and you instantly wanted to close your legs, but he had a strong hold on you. This time, not only was Jin’s tongue at work, but so were his fingers as he slipped two inside. They easily slid in as your body built up and released its natural lubricant. As Jin worked more of his magic on you, your legs began to tremble at the slightest bit under your boyfriend’s touch. Jin looked up at you with that mischievous look again, but your eyes begged for release. You were coming closer and closer to needing to let all of that tension go, and Jin could feel it under him.

You almost let out a sigh of relief when he said, “Cum,” but a loud moan came instead. Your legs shook uncontrollably and you felt your core contract repeatedly, grasping at an absent cock.

Jin took great pleasure in watching you come undone underneath him. He smiled, glad that he was the one to make you feel this way and not some other person. Jin swiped up the juices that were coming from you and swirled them around your core before stuffing some of it back in you. You rode out your orgasm, and your ass hit the bed out of exhaustion, but you were far from being done with the night, and according to the tent in Jin’s pants, he was far from it as well.

Jin caught your gaze at his pants. “Like what you see, baby girl?” he asked, seduction filling his voice.

“It would be much better if I could actually see it, Daddy,” you replied.

“Well, since you took your punishment like a good little girl, I guess I can give you something.” Jin winked at you as he unbuckled his belt. Within seconds, both his pants and boxers were on the floor, and his dick was now free from its confinements. The tip was the same color as Jin’s lips and was leaking pre-cum. Jin ran his thumb over the tip and spread the pre-cum, pumping himself a few times. Jin then climbed back up on the bed and lined his hips with yours.

“You ready, darling?”

You nodded, and Jin entered you, slowly at first then quickly as he felt pleasure wash over him. He moaned as his nerves became stimulated at a shocking speed. As Jin’s cock filled you, you let a moan of your own out. You were still highly sensitive from earlier actions. The thrusts were slow at first as usual, but then Jin began to speed up. He buried his face in your neck as he did so, and every so often, he would suck on your neck, leaving his marks on you. Between the marks and the fact that Jin was hitting your G-spot perfectly with each thrust, you felt your second orgasm coming on quite quickly.

“Jin, Daddy, I’m going to cum,” you breathed as you felt sweat trickle lightly down the back of your neck.

“Me, too, baby. Let’s cum together, okay?” Jin asked, propping himself up on his elbows so he could look you in the eyes as the orgasm washed over you again.

A few thrusts later, you came and a moment later, so did Jin. You felt as Jin’s cum painted your walls a creamy white. A few moments later, you could feel Jin’s dick softening in you, and he pulled out. He collapsed against you, and you both breathed in pants. Once Jin was finally able to breath and talk at the same time, he looked at you and quietly said, “You’re mine and only mine."

[pilot-boi]

By Any Other Name: Chapter Six

Daffodils

Sunny disposition and bright petals to hide the strong will and yet fragile nature within.

AO3 LINK

With ten people living in the household, flowers were a constant in the Arc house. A veritable rainbow of color surrounded them, so Jaune’s contributions of Green, Red, and Pink were barely noticed. At least, not by the rest of his family.

Jaune noticed them. 

When the legacy of his family grew to be too much, a light green lily would be there to calm his nerves. When he’d come home from school with middling to low grades and his parents wouldn’t say anything, but he could tell they were disappointed, the bright pink petals were there to cheer him up. 

And on his darkest days of doubt, when he wondered if he’d ever be able to amount to anything, one of the rare red chrysanthemums would help draw him out and remind him that there were people out there that needed him.

He sometimes wondered whether he irritated his soulmates with the amount of flowers they must get from him. Jaune certainly never got that many from them, and by the time he reached his early teens, he was getting next to no flowers at all. On the rare occasion that he would be graced with the small petals of a lily or one of the mandevillas he would feel like he was walking on air for the next couple of days.

Red hadn’t gotten any serious injuries since he was ten. When Green or Pink got injured he couldn’t help but be reminded of his suspiciously absent soulmate. Jaune hoped that they were okay, but with every passing day it became less likely.

Jaune hit his growth spurt, and his already not too coordinated limbs became even harder to deal with. He was certain that he’d earned his soulmates more than few flowers just from hitting his forehead on door frames that he was used to passing safely over his head. No matter how much taller than her he grew, Saphron insisted on calling him her baby brother. 

She’d found her soulmate last week, finally answering where the soft blue lobelias were coming from. Saphron wasted no time moving in with Terra, and Jaune realized that he had to get out of this house.

In the dead of night he made his mother promise to hold his sisters at bay for a couple of hours, promising to do well at Beacon. She agreed reluctantly, and his father couldn’t hide the look of pride that his son had gotten into Beacon Academy. The best of the best. 

Jaune could swear he could feel the forged transcripts burning a hole straight through his pants pockets.

He was so distracted on his ride to the shipyard that he nearly crashed his bicycle into a tree. Well, he said nearly. He did crash, but he saved himself from a head on collision by bailing out at the last second. Scrapes all the way up his arms. Thank goodness for the sturdiness of jeans, or that could’ve been much worse.

The airship ride was a nightmare, just like he knew it would be. Stupid motion sickness. His vision was blurring, and he could barely focus enough on not tripping to make it to the trash can just outside the bay doors. The armor on his shoulders sat awkwardly, making him wonder if he was wearing it wrong. Maybe he’d tightened the straps wrong or…?

An explosion, an honest to goodness explosion, shook him out of his melancholic wondering and led him to meeting a girl who seemed much too young to be here. But who was he to talk, he’d lied his way in after all. They bonded over their shared awkwardness, both failing miserably at holding up a normal conversation. 

They got to the entrance hall, the girl, Ruby, ran off to join her sister, and the headmaster gave a welcoming speech. It wasn’t that welcoming, to be honest, and Jaune’s heart sank right down to his toes at the “wasted energy” line. 

One girl, Weiss freaking Schnee, pointed him out, and he nearly tripped over his feet on his way over to her. She was talking to Ruby, and someone who he assumed was Ruby’s sister but who looked nothing like her. Jaune’s flirting went off without a hitch. Ten out of ten, nailed it, knocked it out of the park.

He was trying not to think about initiation the next day. He was especially trying not to think about how unprepared he was for initiation the next day. 

Jaune was so much more woefully unprepared than he ever could’ve guessed.

Some girl with flaming orange hair woke him up way before he would’ve liked, and then she nearly knocked him over in her rush into the dining hall. He couldn’t find which locker he put his armor in. Then he failed so abysmally at interacting with Weiss and that other girl, Pyrrha, that even he couldn’t find a spot in the conversation where he succeeded. 

Pyrrha also apparently some kind of champion in a bunch of tournaments that he’d never heard. Not to mention that she was apparently the mascot for Pumpkin Pete’s?! How cool was that!

They all lined up on the edge of a cliff, even though Jaune was pretty sure initiation was supposed to be in the forest several hundred feet below them. How the heck they were supposed to get from up here to down there was- 

-wait landing strategies?! Trying to sound less worried than he was, Jaune asked the headmaster what the actual hell he was talking about. He of course didn’t say it like that, but that’s how he should’ve said it. He could barely get a word in edgewise before he was launched into the air.

This was it! This was how he died! Jaune was screaming his lungs out as he tumbled head over heels through the air, passing by his classmates who all seemed to be handling this much better than he was. 

There was an explosion in the distance, and just as he passed through the treeline something caught the hood of his hoodie and jerked him backward. Jaune’s back impacted with the trunk of a tree so hard all the air was knocked from his lungs, and after a moment of stunned disbelief where he was convinced he was still falling he looked up. 

A red and bronze spear was impaled straight through his hood and had him pinned to the trunk of the tree. “Thank you!!” he yelled out gratefully, his voice scratchy from all the screaming in fear of his life. He recognized the spear from when it’d pinned him to the lockers only about half an hour before. Jaune hoped beyond hope that Pyrrha had pinned him here on purpose and was going to come get him down.

Because although he wasn’t falling anymore, he was still trapped about twenty feet off the ground.

“I’m sorry!” he heard Pyrrha call from the distance. What the heck was she sorry for? She’d saved him from an impact with the ground at about a million miles per hour, and the inevitable death that would’ve followed that.

He tried to tug the spear from the tree and waved lamely at Weiss Schnee when she wandered into his clearing. Then she turned around and walked away, and he was just beginning lamenting his predicament when Pyrrha arrived.

They made eye contact, and hey! Guess that made them partners. She got him down, pulling her spear back to her with some kind of wizardy powers, and they began to trek through the forest. Occasionally Jaune would hear explosions in the distance, and the increasingly apparent knowledge of how outmatched he was by all his classmates was not helping his nerves.

More explosions echoed through the trees and Jaune jumped. “Did you hear that?” he asked his partner, eyes wide and scanning the forest for any movement. Or really anything, he didn’t know what he was looking for. 

Pyrrha pushed a bush out of their way and held it there while they walked past. “Gunfire,” she responded, barely glancing over her shoulder, “It seems some of our comrades have encountered the enemy.” 

Comrades? The enemy? What kind of language was that? It was like she’d never spoken to another human being before. He was still keeping his gaze on the forest in the direction of the noise. Pyrrha held her shield up and bent a low hanging branch out of the way.

Unfortunately Jaune only realized this in time to turn back around and have it clothesline him in the face hard enough to knock him straight to the ground.

Hearing his cry of distress, Pyrrha turned. “Jaune!” she said when she saw him on the ground. Her emerald eyes narrowed slightly at how he was clutching his head, but then widened again when they traced a path up to the offending branch. “I’m sorry,” Pyrrha apologized reflexively as she crossed the clearing over to him.

“Heh, it’s okay,” he reassured her as he clambered to his feet and lowered his arms back to his sides. She was examining the cut on his face, and yeah it stung but not too badly. “It’s just...just a scratch?” His eyes narrowed. What the heck was going on with her face? 

“What’s wrong?” she asked, glancing behind her. “Did you see something?” In turning, she saw them. The daffodils. Small soft yellow petals waving in the slight breeze. Yellow had gotten hurt again.

“No I didn’t see anything over there,” Jaune said, craning his head around to look at the flowers growing in a short thin line just under her right eye. “You got some...ya know.”

“Hm? Oh yes, Yellow,” she responded absently, turning back to face him and plucking the flowers from her cheek. “They’re always getting themselves hurt. Just a few days ago they must’ve gotten scrapes-”

“-Scrapes all up and down their arms?” he completed as he arrived at a conclusion with dawning awe and a touch of horror. Was Pyrrha…?

“I… yes. How could you possibly…?” She’d realized it too. He could see it in the way one of her hands came back up to lightly touch the few flowers on her cheek, and in the way her bright green eyes fell on the shallow stinging cut on his cheek. 

A cut in exactly the same place as the daffodils were growing.

[panzerkampfwagen7]

Before I begin, who here has ever had a social interaction within physical close contact with a human?

Hm, not many. Perhaps it would help for a preface.

Humans, you see, are an incredibly diverse species. While many other beings are little more than clones of each other, human bodies are extremely adaptable to their hostile and so their physical appearances depend on their home environment. Because of this, no two humans are alike in physical and social identity - and this is why their ships are so effective.

This, here, is one of their combat ships. What do you first observe visually?

Yes, you are correct. This human ship is very reminiscent of a planetary atmospheric fighter craft. And that’s because it is.

This is the ship of the human “ace” Avenger. This ship is based on a five hundred-year-old design called the Warthog. Though slow, it is armored to withstand even ramming attacks and its weapons can tear apart entire battleships. And yet, you’ll notice - it’s barely bigger than our ship-launched interceptors.

This is the concept of human identity. Each individual is their own person, and each ship is their own individual fighter. No two human ships are the same in design. Only rarely will you see a human battlecruiser as large as our own - if you even see a human at all.

You may ask - what about humans? Why do they feel the need to confine themselves to small, seemingly fragile ships no bigger than some planetary land tanks?

You see, humans evolved in the relatively isolated Sol system with nothing else but themselves. And it’s because of their found identities that they came into conflict into each other almost constantly. There were three global wars with deaths in the millions - sometimes tens of millions - on their native planet before they came into galactic influence. Thousands of years of fighting between their own species has honed their ability to wage battle with ruthless efficiency and extreme prejudice. Even still, humans confine themselves to the few systems surrounding the Sol system, trading and slowly expanding.

Humans build to survive. Their ships carry extensive life support systems and can support completely independent operation for weeks, even months. They are modular in design, able to be adapted to any mission regardless of ship design, and still bristle with defensive and offensive systems. Many humans build their own ships with minimal external help.

I once was stationed on an Elysian blockade runner, trying to outrun a Slotonian fleet. We were heavily damaged and sending out distress call after distress call, but no one was in the area - or so we thought. Turns out, our scopes had been calibrated to see ships only bigger than Elysian corvettes which easily dominate human ships in size, but not tenacity. I watched a single silver speck tear through an entire Slotonian dreadnought and burst out the other side completely unscathed, only to turn and rip open its accompanying destroyers with nothing but conventional explosives and fast-firing kinetic weapons. The entire fleet was gone within minutes. I will remember the pilot’s words to the end of my days: “They don’t call the F-104 the Starfighter for nothin’.”

Remember this. Each human ship is the entirety of their race, and each “bullet” they fire is the wrath of thousands of years of war. One ship is an entire army. And should that human hail from a place called “Florida”, “Australia”, or “Russia”, run. And don’t stop.

Turns out, when a species reaches the stars, their ships resemble the characteristics of that species’ origins. Most other species have ultra fast, hard hitting spaceships, and a few are slow behemoths. But everyone is scared of the relentless, unstoppable humans.

[newstfionline]

Sunday, June 27, 2021

People in advanced economies say their society is more divided than before pandemic (Pew Research Center) A median of 34% of adults across 17 advanced economies feel their society is more united than before the pandemic, but about six-in-ten report that national divisions have worsened since the outbreak began. In 12 of 13 countries surveyed in both 2020 and 2021, feelings of division have increased significantly, in some cases by more than 30 percentage points. Some of these divisions reflect how people view the social limitations they have faced, such as stay-at-home orders or mask mandates while in public.

Historic heat wave blasts Northwest as wildfire risks soar (AP) The Pacific Northwest sweltered Friday and braced for even hotter weather through the weekend as a historic heat wave hit Washington and Oregon, with temperatures in many areas expected to top out up to 30 degrees above normal. The extreme and dangerous heat was expected to break all-time records in cities and towns from eastern Washington state to Portland to southern Oregon as concerns mounted about wildfire risk in a region that is already experiencing a crippling and extended drought. Seattle was expected to edge above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) over the weekend and in Portland, Oregon, weather forecasters said the thermometer could soar to 108 F (42 C) by Sunday, breaking an all-time record of 107 F (42 C) set in 1981. Unusually hot weather was expected to extend into next week for much of the region.

Why police have been quitting in droves (NYT) When the media adopts a storyline, sometimes stories that fit into the narrative are retained while those that don’t quite fit are discarded. While there’s been a wholly justifiable focus on police brutality, there hasn’t been much attention paid to a group of people caught in the media crossfire: good cops who do a good job but are still treated like the bad guys. Those cops are quitting in high numbers. Consider the experience of Officer Lindsay C. Rose in Asheville, N.C.: “Various friends and relatives had stopped speaking to her because she was a cop. During a protest in June around Police Headquarters, a demonstrator lobbed an explosive charge that set her pants on fire and scorched her legs. She said she was spit on. She was belittled. Members of the city’s gay community, an inclusive clan that had welcomed her in when she first settled in Asheville, stood near her at one event and chanted, ‘All gay cops are traitors,’ she said. By September, still deeply demoralized despite taking several months off to recuperate, Officer Rose decided that she was done.” Rose wasn’t alone. At police departments across the country, “retirements were up 45 percent and resignations rose by 18 percent in the year from April 2020 to April 2021.” About a third of the Asheville police force has left the job. Their chief explains: “They said that we have become the bad guys, and we did not get into this to become the bad guys.”

Disappearances rise on Mexico’s ‘highway of death’ to border (AP) As many as 50 people are missing after setting out on three-hour car trips this year between Mexico’s industrial hub of Monterrey and the border city of Nuevo Laredo on a well-traveled stretch of road local media have dubbed “the highway of death.” Relatives say family members simply vanished. The disappearances, and last week’s shooting of 15 apparently innocent bystanders in Reynosa, suggest Mexico is returning to the dark days of the 2006-2012 drug war when cartel gunmen often targeted the general public as well as one another. As many as half a dozen of those who disappeared on the highway are believed to be U.S. citizens or residents, though the U.S. Embassy could not confirm their status. One, José de Jesús Gómez from Irving, Texas, reportedly disappeared on the highway on June 3. Most of the victims are believed to have disappeared approaching or leaving the cartel-dominated city of Nuevo Laredo, across the border from Laredo, Texas. About a half-dozen men have reappeared alive, badly beaten, and all they will say is that armed men forced them to stop on the highway and took their vehicles.

Prominent Nicaraguan opposition leaders and journalists flee an escalating government crackdown (Washington Post) The stream of high-profile opposition leaders, journalists and members of civil society fleeing Nicaragua has surged, as the regime of President Daniel Ortega wages the most alarming political crackdown in the country’s recent history ahead of a November election. In the last week, several of the most influential critics of the Ortega regime sneaked out of the country—convinced they would be detained if they remained. Journalists for mainstream publications were stripped of their passports, but decided to leave anyway. Even some of Ortega’s former top Sandinista comrades are seeking refuge abroad. The consequences for remaining in the country could be dire: Over the past several months, at least 16 opposition figures have been jailed. Journalists have also come under threat in recent weeks. Veteran journalist Miguel Mendoza was detained on June 21, when police broke into his home. The day before that, police arrested Miguel Mora, the former director of 100% Noticias. Mora had stepped down from his role at the outlet to run for president. Julio López, another prominent journalist, was stripped of his passport last week. He decided at that point to seek refuge in Costa Rica.

Russia launches Mediterranean drills amid rift with Britain (AP) The Russian military on Friday launched sweeping maneuvers in the Mediterranean Sea featuring warplanes armed with state-of-the-art hypersonic missiles, a show of force amid a surge in tensions following an incident with a British destroyer in the Black Sea. Moscow said one of its warships fired warning shots and a warplane dropped bombs in the path of British destroyer Defender on Wednesday to force her out of an area near Crimea that Russia claims as its territorial waters. Britain denied that account, insisted its ship wasn’t fired upon and said she was sailing in Ukrainian waters. The Russian drills that began Friday in the eastern Mediterranean come as a British carrier strike group is in the area. Earlier this week, British and U.S. F-35 fighters from HMS Queen Elizabeth flew combat sorties against the Islamic State group.

Pakistan’s leader sparks protests by blaming women ‘wearing very few clothes’ for sexual assaults (Washington Post) Pakistan’s prime minister is facing protests and calls for a public apology after suggesting there would be fewer sexual assaults if women dressed more modestly. In an interview with Axios earlier this week, Imran Khan was asked about whether there was a “rape epidemic” in Pakistan, where advocates believe that a large number of assaults go unreported. “If a woman is wearing very few clothes, it will have an impact on the man unless they are robots. I mean, it’s common sense,” he responded. Women in Pakistan responded by sharing photographs of the “modest” clothing that they were wearing when they were sexually harassed, as well as anecdotes about inappropriate behavior they have encountered—such as unwanted touching—even when conservatively dressed in traditional headscarves and shalwar kameez. It’s the second time in recent months that Khan — who was one of Pakistan’s top cricket players and a national celebrity before he entered politics—has come under fire for his comments about rape.

Thirteen peacekeepers wounded, six soldiers killed in Mali militant attacks (Reuters) Thirteen U.N. peacekeepers, 12 Germans and one Belgian, were wounded in northern Mali on Friday by a car bomb, the U.N. mission said, while Mali’s army said six of its soldiers were killed in a separate attack in the centre of the country. The attack in the north targeted a temporary base set up by the peacekeepers near the village of Ichagara in the Gao region, where Islamist insurgents linked to Al Qaeda and Islamic State are active.

UN: Madagascar droughts push 400,000 toward starvation (AP) The U.N. World Food Program says southern Madagascar is in the throes of back-to-back droughts that are pushing 400,000 people toward starvation, and have already caused deaths from severe hunger. Lola Castro, WFP’s regional director in southern Africa, told a news conference Friday that she witnessed “a very dramatic and desperate situation” during her recent visit with WFP chief David Beasley to the Indian Ocean island nation of 26 million people. Hundreds of adults and children were “wasted,” and hundreds of kids were skin and bones and receiving nutritional support, she said. In 28 years working for WFP on four continents, Castro said she had “never seen anything this bad” except in 1998 in Bahr el-Gazal in what is now South Sudan.

As virus surges in Uganda, hospitals accused of profiteering (AP) As he struggled to breathe earlier this month, Dr. Nathan Tumubone was tormented by thoughts of hospitalization as a COVID-19 patient. Thinking of the costs involved, he knew he wanted to stay home. “The truth is I didn’t want to go to hospital,” said the general practitioner. “We’ve seen the costs are really high, and one wouldn’t want to get in there.” As virus cases surge in Uganda, making scarce hospital beds even more expensive, concern is growing over the alleged exploitation of patients by private hospitals accused of demanding payment up front and hiking fees. Although the practice of requiring deposits from patients has long been seen as acceptable in this East African country where few have health insurance, it is raising anger among some who cite attempts to profiteer from the pandemic. Some hospital bills shared by families of COVID-19 patients emerging from intensive care show sums of up to $15,000, a small fortune in a country where annual per capita income is less than $1,000.

Intel report is inconclusive about UFOs (AP) A long-awaited U.S. government report on UFOs released Friday makes at least one thing clear: The truth is still out there. Investigators did not find extraterrestrial links in reviewing 144 sightings of aircraft or other devices apparently flying at mysterious speeds or trajectories. But they drew few other conclusions and instead highlighted the need for better data collection about what’s increasingly seen by Democrats and Republicans as a national security concern. In all but one of the sightings investigated, there was too little information for investigators to even broadly characterize the nature of the incident. Long the domain of science fiction and so-called ufologists, the subject of UFOs has in recent years drawn serious study from the Pentagon and intelligence agencies. Congress last year required the creation of the report delivered Friday. While its lack of conclusions has already been made public, the report on what the government calls “unidentified aerial phenomena” still represents a milestone in the study of the issue.

[zombierunfiction]

Season 2 Mission 24: London Calling

During this time out on the streets of London Amir was avoiding a few zombies that had kept on his tail for the last few kilometers.  He ducked into an alcove by a building panting heavily as he listened as hard as he could.  He had been in London for months now and had made little to no progress on his mission for the Counsil.

“Oi! Oi!”  A voice called to him making Amir look over fast.  A man wrapped in layers of coats and scarves runs over to him with a smile. “Think I'm supposed to be meeting you.  I know we said St. Paul's, but - “  The man said rubbing the top of his head.  “This is London, innit?  Things change fast.  One of them blocks full of zombie bankers collapsed last night.  It's not safe here.”  The man sniffles taking off his glove holding out his hand.  “I'm Robbie, anyway.  You must be Runner Five from New Canton, here to help us out, learn what we know.”

Amir looked at his hand shaking it slowly.  “Yeah that's me.”  He wasn't about to give out his name to a complete stranger.

“Yeah, I know – no names, no pack-drill.  Robbie may not even be my real name.”  Robbie said with a grin and a wink.

“Right... anyway where to?”  Amir asked.

A crash suddenly made them turn fast.  “Got no time to be wandering days around the ruins of London, staring in awe at what used to be a mighty city, eerily empty and wrecked.”  Robbie said as he grabbed his arm pulling him.  “Look behind you!”

Amir looked over seeing the zombies that had been chasing him were back with a vengence.  “Lovely.”

“Don't know how you do it out in the sticks, but when we see a crowd of zombies here, mate, we run!”  Robbie said fast as they took off down the road away from the zombies.  After racing through several streets Robbie chuckled.  “I'll give it to you – you're a good runner.”

“You're not so bad yourself.”  Amir said as he looks around.  “Where do we go from here?”

“Down into St. Paul's tube station.  Underground's safer than above.  Well, mostly.  It's where our base of operations is, anyway.”  Robbie said as they ran down to the tube.  “Sleeping in sealed tube carriages, using station offices and equipment, whole thing lit by the emergency generators.  Down these stairs, hurry!”  He said as they ran down the stairs and lept over the ticket barriers heading down the tunnel.  They raced towards a gate where Robbie closed it fast locking it.  “That's it, gate closed.  Okay...”  He reached into his pocket as the zombies stumbled over the ticket barriers heading right for them.  Robbie lit something that looked like a wrapped package tossing it through the side of the gate into the group.  “Ten second fuse -  come on run!”  He said as Amir and him took off away from the gate as the zombies hit the gate reaching for them.  “Got to get behind that door at the end of the tunnel, run!”  He said as Amir raced inside with Robbie shutting the door behind them.

The explosion was muffled but it was still loud enough that he could still hear it.  “What in the world was that?  Bombs are not a good weapon for zoms.”  Amir said.

“I know what you're thinking, 'parts everywhere, infection risk!'  Nah, though.  We've worked it out.  Enclosed space, a little thing we call the zed shred.  Sort of bomb, innit?  Ots of bits of shrapnel wrapped around acid packets.  Just enough firepower to get through the skull and burn.  Takes eighty percent of them down first time.  Only works in tight space, mind.  Or the acid would just blow away and no like, sit around with the fumes slowly dissolving them.”

“Hm... I stand corrected.  That's not a half bad idea.”  Amir said slowly.

“Anyway, follow me!  Yeah, though here... then – Welcome to the Underground.”  Robbie said showing off a set of trains that had been opened up for people to live in them and out on the main tunnel area.  “Where the last surviving humans in London have made their home.  Yeah, well, I suppose it's not much to look at right here, but you should see what we've done with Oxford Circus!”

“Robbie, you alright?”  An older woman spoke up as she walked over from the otherside of the carriage.  “Is this that extra pair of hands they promised?”

“Yeah. Diana, meet New Canton's Runner Five.”  Robbie said gesturing towards Amir.

The woman scoffed for a moment before holding out her hand to him.  “Bit of a mouthful.”

“Says Diana Duncan-Pedley!”  Robbie said jokingly.

“Oy, you know I don't go by that anymore!”  Diana said jokingly then looked at Amir.  “New Canton Runner Five, I hearby christen you 'Canton'.”  

Amir shrugged.  “Canton it is.”

“Follow me then.”  Diana said turning down a tunnel.  “Nice jogging pace. No tiring yourself out, Canton.  We've got a job for you.”

“See up ahead?  Our team's drilling into the vault of Comansys Technologies.”  Robbie explained as Amir looked over seeing the group trying to drill through a solid vault door.

Diana rested her hand on the wall.  “That building was sealed tighter than a gnat's ass when the zoms first appeared, but we've got good intel that they're stuff in here that we need – that the human race needs.”

“Plus we need that baffler.”  Robbie said.

“What's a baffler?”  Amir questioned.

“Weird thing – makes some kind of ultrasonic noise, we think.  Keeps zoms away.  One hundred foot radius!”  Robbie explained with a grin.

Amir blinked looking at him.  “They have something that could keep zoms away... then I would say it's high time that thing gets used.”

“If only we could work out how they blooming did it, we'd make a million! Or kill a million zombies, eh?”  Diana said with a grin.  “Still, they know something about zoms at Comansys, and we want to find out what.”

Suddenly a shout came from the other side of the tunnel.  “Zombies in Stairway Four!”

Everyone turned looking down the tunnel fast.  “Bloody Norah!”  Robbie said quickly.  “Thought we had that one secrued.  Oi, Canton, do us a favor – take this zed shred grenade, lead them down that long side tunnel.” Robbie said handing Amir one of the devices. “There's a door at the end, go through the door, throw the bomb, close the door behind you.  All the zombies smashed to smithereens. Then come back here.  We're nearly into the vault, and that's where you'll come in handy.  Go on, go!”  Amir ran down the tunnel heading for the section Robbie spoke of.

The zombies were heading right for him as he rounded the corner head towards the door.  The zombies were starting to gain on him as he stopped just beyond the door activated the device then tossed it behind him.  He slammed the door shut holding it tight as the force of the explosion pushed against the door making him grunt holding it tight.  He listened for a moment as he heard body parts hitting the puddles of water in the tunnel.  He gave it a few more minutes before opening the door seeing no zom had survived.  He avoided the splatter and ran back towards the group who was still drilling.

“All done.”  Amir said as Robbie pats him on the back with a grin.

“Good job mate.  So how are we doing Diana?”  Robbie asked.

Diana leans over the man drilling. “Good.  Really good...”  The drill pushes through suddenly.  “There!  We're through on this side! Now, if we can just all push together.”  She said as the group all moved to the door taking up spots along it.  Amir took up the middle partas everyone started to push hard.

“Come on, everyone push!”  One of the guys said as they struggled pushing harder as the metal slowly gave way opening slowly.

“We're in!”  Diana cried happily before climbing in.

“Canton, you're with me.”  Robbie said as Amir climbed in with him. “Gas mask on, just in case.” Amir reached into his pack and put on his gas mask as Robbie pulled out a folded piece of paper opening it. “Ok... I have this man... we're heading for the fourth floor. That's where our intel says the stuff we're looking for is.  Diana?” He said looking at the woman who pulled out a flash light.

“You, me, and Canton into the belly of the beast.” Diana said as the other group went the other way.  The three of them ran down the hall quickly as Amir saw the place looked like a hospital almost.  “We've heard you're a bit of an expert at this type of situation.”  She said as Amir smirked.

“Somewhat.” He responded, he wasn't about to volunteer information to them unless it was necessary.

An automated voice started to speak suddenly.  “Unauthorized entrance detected.  Automatic building pad in ten minutes.”

“Better hurry up, then, innit?”  Robbie said with a chuckle as they ran faster down the hall.

The voice returned a few moments later.  “All personnel leave the building.”

“Should be somewhere over that side of the building.” Diana said looking around quickly.

“What are we looking for again?  Little black box?”  Robbie questioned.

“Yeah. Three little black linked boxes, to be precise.  Our intel tells us that's an early form of one of these bafflers we found  We should be able to make some ourselves after this.” Diana explains as Amir looked around the area making a mental map of the area.

Robbie runs up to one of the window smling.  “Look, there!  Behind the glass in that lab.  Name on the door -”  He looked at the door. “Hubner.”

“Amazing!” Diana said standing beside him.  “Our informant was right, here they are!”  She points to the three black boxes that were on the table.  “Here they bloody are!  After all this time!”

Robbie tried to open the door finding it locked.  “Locked!  Never mind – five finger discount, innit?”  He slammed his fist through the glass and grabbed the boxes.  “Here Canton, you take these.”  He hands Amir the boxes before reaching back in.  “If I can just reach through, there are some files behind that look like they might have-”

“Step away from the glass, Robbie.”  Diana said calmly making both men turn seeing Diana pointing a pistol at them looking incredibly serious.

“Diana, what the bloody hell do you think you're-” Robbie questioned turning to her.

“I don't want to have to tell you again.”  Diana said seriously.

Robbie looked at her confused.  “What the flipping hell is this about, Diana?  Stop pointing that blooming gun at me!”

“Yes, I suppose threats are a little ineffective without follow-through. Sorry, Robbie, I rather liked you.”  Diana said shooting Robbie sending him back against the wall with a gasp sliding down to the ground.  

Amir lept back looking at Robbie before looking at Diana in shock then apprehension.  “What do you want...”  He breathes slwoly.

“Automatic building pad in five minutes.”  The voice said again.  

“You only need to hand those over to me.”  Diana said pointing the gun at him.  

Amir held the boxes tight.  “Answer my question first.”

Diana tilted her head.  “You have been very helpful to us, Canton.  You all have – Robbie, and the rest.  We needed someone to brave zombie-infested London to get us back into our own building.  Some vital wquipment was left here.  A slight miscalculation.  Now... just give me the boxes then turn around-” Amir grabbed on of the glass lamps on the table inside the room and lobbed it at Diana making it shatter across her face making her shout out.  Amir took off with the boxes heading for the door they had passed coming in.  “Don't you bloody dare-!”  She shouted chasing after him just as he slammed the door shut locking it behind him.  “AHHHH!”  She shouted pounding on the door.

“Automatic building pad in ninety seconds.”  The voice said again as Amir took a few steps away from the door.

“You'll never escape, Canton.”  Diana said through the door.  “We're everywhere.  We're in everything.”

“You obviously don't know me well enough.”  Amir said taking off down the hall.  

Diana's voice is heard over the intercom of the building.  “How do you think we knew you were coming?  We've been following your movements from the start.”

“Automatic building pad in sixty seconds.  Sixty, fifty-nine, fifty-eight-” The voice continues to count down.

“Oh, shut up.”  Diana snapped before beeping is heard.

“Code accepted.  Automatic building pad suspended.”  The voice said.

“I can see you on our security cameras, New Canton Runner Five.  I see you're running.  Yes, you'd better run.  You'd better bloody run, Five, because we're coming for you.”  Diana said as Amir growled heading back out the vault door knowing that he had to avoid any and every person he ran into until he could get out of London and back to New Canton.

This mission just became ten times more difficult.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

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Season 1 Beginning

Season 2 Beginning