#how does it happen a second time after his previous record why is he even eligible to run after multiple felonies

[vimbry]

trump and everyone who voted for him should drop dead

[mphoenix-7]

Bitter Allies [Soap x Reader]

Chapter 8: The Cabin: Day 4 (pt.1)

Summary: You try to talk to Soap about yesterday. Key word is try.

Word Count: 4,515

Warnings: NSFW, 18+, swearing, angst, strong language, arguing, mentions of sex, hurtful language

A/N: Another two parter! Enjoy!! Don’t forget to like, comment, and reblog if you wish 🫶🏻 also, see the end of the chapter for Soap’s drawing

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Bitter Allies • Part 8

The next morning, the pain in your chest is still present. Your heart feels heavy, weighed down by confusion and a little regret. The dull ache between your legs is a lingering echo of Soap's rough touch that had split you in half. A constant reminder of last night. You feel raw, exposed, and the desire to talk to Soap about what happened is overwhelming now. As daunting as it seems, you know this conversation is unavoidable. It needs to happen sooner or later.

Pulling yourself upright in bed, you look to Soap’s side of the room and see that he’s gone. You hope for once that he’s around and hasn’t left for a morning run or anything. You don’t know if you can handle waiting for him to get back. Getting changed into the last fully clean pair of clothes you have, you go to look for the Scot.

As you walk into the kitchen, you’re naturally drawn to look out the window. Your heart leaps when you see him. He’d sitting by the same tree he had a couple days ago, looking out towards the water. Taking a deep breath, gathering up your courage, you exit the cabin. The morning air is cool against your skin, but it does little to soothe your nerves.

Each step you take towards him makes your heart beat faster, the anxiety building with every stride. You’re so nervous to talk to him, afraid of how this interaction might go. You had a pretty bad track record so far of turning civil conversations into heated arguments.

As you get closer, you come to realize he has one of his black books with him. It’s opened up, and it looks like he’s sketching something. His eyes dart from between the lake in front of him to his book, pausing between his strokes when he does.

He either doesn’t hear you or chooses not to acknowledge you until you’re about halfway to him. You can see him glance a little over his shoulder as you draw near, but he never fully turns his head to look at you. His gaze just goes back to his book. Even when you’re finally right next to him, he still doesn’t say anything or even look up at you.

“Can I sit with you for a bit?” You ask before you lose your courage and run back to the cabin.

Soap is silent for a couple seconds, and for a moment, you’re worried he’s not going to say anything to you. There’s a pang in your chest at that thought, but Soap finally answers after a moment.

“Sure.” He sighs, seeming to know exactly what you are here for. Then again, why else would you ever come to talk to him?

Slowly, you move to sit beside him. It’s peaceful outside, a stark contrast to how you’re feeling. Not really knowing how you want to start this conversation, you instead look at the sketch he’s currently working on.

“I didn’t know you liked to draw.” You say, watching as he carefully makes each line on the paper. He’s drawing the scene of the lake. Using one of his fingers, he smudges a line he’s just made, darkening his finger with the lead of his pencil.

“It helps pass the time. Takes my mind off stuff.” He shrugs, still offering his full attention to his drawing.

“It looks nice. You’re really good at drawing.”

And you’re being genuine. You’re surprised to say that Soap is really good at drawing. He’s about halfway through sketching the landscape, and it looks beautiful so far. Despite your compliment though, Soap sighs, taking his pencil off the drawing and finally looking at you.

“What do you want?” He asks, making you shy away slightly. You don’t want him thinking your compliment was just empty words.

“I was being serious. Your drawing is really nice. You’re really talented.”

Soap sighs again, glancing back down to his artwork, but not drawing anymore. “Thanks. But I know you’re not out here cause you want to watch me draw. So get to it.”

You’re silent for a long time, watching the side of his face. You were out here to talk to him about last night, but you were nervous. You wanted to ease into it, not just dive right in. Though with Soap outing you on your intentions, you don’t really have a choice now.

“I just wanted to talk to you about last night…” You say slowly.

“There’s nothing to talk about.” He answers quickly, making you frown. Of course there was something to talk about. How could he say that?

“Soap, we… we had sex. How is that not something to talk about?”

“Lots of people have sex, States.” He shrugs. You begin to nervously pick at your nails.

“So it didn’t mean anything?” You find yourself asking.

You don’t know what you want his answer to be. You should want him to say it didn’t mean anything. It was just sex and nothing more. But a part of you doesn’t want him to say that. Maybe if it meant something then you wouldn’t regret it so much? Or maybe you really just wanted it to have meant something.

“Don’t you fucking dare do that.”

“Do what?” You frown.

“Don’t you start telling me this meant something to you. That you think this fixes anything between us.”

“It… it didn’t, I don’t. I mean, I’m just sorting through it- I don’t know.” You say quickly, caught off guard by what he said.

“Fucking Christ…” Soap mutters, burying his face into his hands as you begin to feel flustered.

“Can you just-! Just answer my question! So what we did last night didn’t mean anything?”

Soap groans, hitting his head against the back of the tree slightly. “Nope. It was just sex. Something to get rid of all the tension for a bit. That’s it.”

His answer hurts you a lot more than you expect. The sting of his words leaves you momentarily speechless, your mind racing to process his easy dismissal. “Ok.. well, good.” You find yourself saying, looking out across the waters. It’s silent for a few moments before Soap breaks it.

“Hey, by the way, you’re not going to get pregnant, are you? You are on birth control right?” He looks over to you, and you’re staring straight ahead, a blank expression on your face. His voice snaps you out of your thoughts.

“Yeah, no we’re fine. I’ve got a birth control implant.”

You weren’t on birth control for the birth control part of it. It was mostly to help with a hormone imbalance to make your menstrual cycle more regular. But the birth control part of it was nice too for situations like when your teammate randomly decides to fuck you senseless.

Soap nods, his gaze shifting back to his sketchbook. He seems to visibly relax knowing there wasn’t a chance of you being pregnant. “Good. Don’t have to worry about that. Let’s just move on then, alright? What we did last night doesn’t change anything.”

You bite the insight of your lip. “How can you say it doesn’t change anything?” It could be meaningless sex, but to say it didn’t change anything? That was ridiculous.

Soap pauses, his pencil hovering above the page. He doesn't look up, but you can see the tension in his shoulders. "Because it doesn’t," he says, his voice tight. "We had sex. It’s over. We move on."

You shake your head, frustration boiling over. “How can you just brush it off like it’s nothing."

He finally sets his pencil down, meeting your gaze with a hard stare. "What do you want me to say, States? That it meant something? That it was special? It wasn’t. It was a mistake if anything.”

You hesitate, your emotions a tangled mess. "I don’t know… It just doesn’t feel like it was nothing."

He sighs heavily, closing his sketchbook. "Look, it was a mistake. A moment of weakness. We both needed an outlet, and it happened. But that’s all it was.”

You take a deep breath, trying to steady yourself. "I just… Can I ask you something else?” You ask softly. There was still so much you wanted to get answers to.

Soap gives you a hard stare, but he eventually caves. “Sure. Go ahead.” Soap sighs, turning his gaze to look out at the lake. He clearly doesn’t want to keep talking about this with you, but he lets you continue anyway.

“I need to understand. Why did you kiss me? Why now, after everything?”

Soap’s jaw clenches slightly, you make out the slight pulse in his jaw when he does. “Because I needed to blow off some steam. Because we were both there, and it was convenient. Does it matter?”

“Yes, it matters!” You snap, your voice rising. “It matters because I need to know if this was just some spur-of-the-moment decision for you or if there’s something more to it.”

Soap sighs heavily, running a hand over his face in annoyance. “States,” he says, his tone softer but still firm. You can he’s trying to keep his cool. “I don’t have a better answer for you. It was just sex. That’s all it was. It was just a way to release some tension. There’s no hidden meaning behind it. No deeper nothing. It’s better if we just forget it and move on.”

“So that’s it?” You manage to say, voice trembling slightly. “We just go back to hating each other?”

Soap’s eyes meet yours. There’s a flicker of something—regret, maybe?—but it’s gone too quickly to be sure. “Yes, we go back to the way things were, and we forget this ever happened. It’s better that way.”

“How can we just act like nothing happened?”

“We just go about our lives like we did before we fucked. It’s not that hard, States.”

You bite your lip, fighting back tears. “Maybe for you!”

“Oh, don’t give me that shite. You’re a soldier. You know how to compartmentalize. Do it.”

You shake your head, frustration boiling over. “That’s not fair, Soap. You can’t just ignore my feelings because it’s easier for you.”

“I’m not ignoring your feelings! I’m trying not to make things more complicated than they need to be!”

“It’s already complicated! My whole relationship with you is complicated. And now I don’t know what the hell to do! People who hate each other don’t fuck each other.”

“I don’t know what to fucking tell you! I was angry, things have been tense between us for a long time, I wanted to release that tension. So I did. It wasn’t anything. Just a build up of too much tension that needed to be released. And it helped. The sex was good, but that’s all it was. If you can’t wrap your head around that, then that’s your problem, not mine,” he says coldly. “I’ve said what I needed to say. If you can’t move on, that’s on you.”

He picks up his sketchbook up off the ground and stands up, effectively ending the conversation. You continue to sit there, feeling more lost and confused than ever. The weight of his words hung heavily on your heart. You just had to forget it… Move on and act like it hadn’t happened. You regretted it, you wished it hadn’t happened.

Then why couldn’t you let it go?

Soap was more than willing to act like it was nothing. To go back to your normal lives. Though maybe the problem was that you didn’t want to go back. You didn’t want to go back to the way things were. Where you fought constantly and were always at each other’s throats. Maybe you hoped that sex meant Soap didn’t hate you after all. It certainly felt like he despised you even more now though.

The more you thought about it, the more angry you got. He kissed you, he was the one who’d had sex with you, he started all of this. All with the intention of just making himself feel better. No regard for how it might affect you. He really hated you that much? And he wouldn’t even tell you why he felt the way that he did. If you had some explanation, some reason, maybe it’d make it better to accept it, but he gave you nothing.

Feeling a new fire ignite inside you, one that didn’t want to go back, or at least wanted answers as to why Soap resented you, you get up and march after him. He’d been dodging the question every time you asked, but not anymore. If things were going to go back to how they were, you were going to know why he felt the way he did.

By the time you’re up, Soap is already walking up the steps of the porch and heading inside. You follow after him, trying to get to him before he tries to leave again or before you lose the nerve to talk with him.

You push the door of the cabin open and step inside, scanning the small space for him. He’s in the bedroom, tucking his journal away as you walk up to the doorway. As soon as Soap realizes you’re back, a sour look crosses his face.

“Fucking hell, what do you want? We’re done talking about last night.” He says firmly, going back to doing whatever it was he came in here to do.

“No we’re not.” You say as firmly as you can. It comes out a little shaky though. “If last night changes nothing, and if it meant nothing, if we have to just go back hating each other-“

“There is no ‘going back’ to hating each other. We always have, nothing ever changed that.” Soap interrupts, just stabbing another knife into your chest.

“Don’t interrupt me! If you’re going to hate me, that’s fine. But I want to know why you do.”

Soap visibly gets uncomfortable, his shoulders tensing. “I already told you, I don’t need to explain myself.”

“You kind of do. You can't just keep pushing me away, Soap. If you really hate me that much, at least have the decency to tell me why."

“I’m not doing this with you.”

“Yes you are! I deserve to know why you hate me. After everything you did yesterday, I deserve some answers.”

He clenches his jaw, looking away for a moment before finally meeting your gaze again. "Fine. You want to know why? Because you're always so damn stubborn, always in my face, challenging me, questioning everything I do."

Your heart is pounding in your chest. “So, you hate me because I stand up to you? Because I won't just roll over and let you constantly talk shit to me?”

“Yep.” He answers shortly, and you know he’s lying. Or at least not telling you everything.

“Bullshit. I didn’t start doing any of that to you for a long time. You were awful to me since I stepped foot on base. From our first introduction to each other. Was there someone else you wanted instead of me on the Task Force? Do you not like a girl joining your little group? Are you afraid I’m going to out perform you? Is it because the guys like me, and you can’t stand that?”

“We didn’t need you on our team! We were fine before you came along and ruined the entire dynamic.”

“You are literally the only one who thinks that!”

“Yeah, well, it’s not the first time I’ve seen a whole fucking unit crumble because no one wanted to believe me! I will not let you come in and tear everything apart!”

“I’m not going to tear you guys apart! I want to be on this team! I want to be with Price and Gaz and Ghost, and even you!”

“Yeah that’s what Annette said too!”

“Who’s Annette?” You ask, and Soap instantly closes himself off. He’s said too much. Got too caught up in the heat of the moment, slipped up, and revealed something to you he didn’t want to.

“She’s no one.” He says harshly before quickly continuing. “Look, you want to know why I fucking hate everything about you, States?” Soap is slowly approaching you, cornering you against the doorframe. “Oh, where to even start. You’re stubborn. You can’t keep your nose out of other people’s business. You’re annoying as hell. You’re an absolute shite soldier, one I can’t trust to have my back on the field. You’re reckless, you’re a liability, and you have no clue what it means to be part of a team. And don’t get me started on your pathetic attempts to prove yourself. You’re just a suck up to Price and the others. It’s embarrassing. You think you’re tough? You’re a joke. Every time you open your mouth, I want to walk the other way. You’re nothing but a thorn in my side, and I wish you’d never been assigned to this team. You’re weak, you’re useless, and you’re a bloody nuisance. That’s why I hate you, States. Because you’re not worth the dirt on my boots.”

You’re almost in tears as he finishes up. Your jaw is clenched tight to keep it from trembling, and you’re gripping the wood on the door frame so tightly you’re afraid it’s going to rip off. Soap has been a jerk to you in the past, but he’s never been this raw with his words before. At least you finally had an answer. One that felt real. Genuine. And shit, did it hurt.

“We’ve got three more fucking days together, States. Don’t speak to me again during that time. Understand?”

He’s leaning over you, face far too close for comfort. All you can do is nod your head, afraid that opening your mouth is going to make you break down. Soap huffs, his warm breath against your cheek before he pulls away.

“Going out for bit. Gonna be hours. Just letting you know so you don’t worry.” He tells you mockingly before leaving you against the doorframe. You listen for the sound of the cabin door closing before you sink to the ground, sobbing into your knees as you hug them close to you.

***

As Soap leaves the cabin, he can hear you crying inside. Despite all the horrible things he just said, after expressing how much he hated you, his heart tightens in his chest. It wasn’t that he liked saying those things… hell, he wasn’t even sure he meant half of those things anymore. But he refused to let you in. He couldn’t. And you just won’t understand that.

It was all just a mess. Truth was, things had changed yesterday when he had sex with you. The more time he spent thinking about it, the more he realized Ghost was right. He really did just need to fuck you and get it out of his system. For the split second that all the tension was resolved, he truly felt an attraction towards you.

And that scared him.

He hadn’t been expecting that. He thought you’d simply fuck and then have a breather for a moment. He didn’t expect to be rushed with this sudden urge to actually want to be with you.

These next three days couldn’t go by faster. He wanted this hell to be over. This torment to just end. He yearned to go back to how things were before he came here with you. Even if it’d been complicated before, it was better than how complicated it was now.

He listens to your sobs a moment more before shaking his head and heading for the woods. If he stayed a second longer, he was afraid he’d run back to you and do something he was going to regret.

***

You sat on the floor and cried for what felt like hours. Your eyes burned from how many tears had been leaking from them. The skin your around eyes was sore from how often you’d wiped at them, and your last clean shirt was now soiled with tears and snot. It wasn’t pretty…

After a few hours, you really couldn’t cry anymore. You didn’t think it was possible, but you’re sure you’ve run out of tears. You feel disgusting. Soap’s words played on repeat over and over in your head, and you’re beginning to believe them.

Liability… untrustworthy… embarrassing… weak… useless…

You didn’t want to be those things. And you know Ghost, Price, or Gaz would be so fast to dismiss them and reassure you that you weren’t. But they weren’t here, and they couldn’t tell you those things. The only person you had was Soap.

At some point, you decide you’ve had enough of sitting on the hard wood floor. You were a soldier. You know how to pull yourself together and keep going. So that’s what you were going to do. The first thing you were going to do was take a bath. Wash away any remnants of Soap. Wash away the things he’s said to you, the grim, the pain. Take the opportunity to clean yourself now that you felt like you were in a million pieces before you put yourself back together again.

You slowly collect all the things you needed for bathing and head outside. It’s warm. Beautiful as always. You hope maybe the sun will help you grow after feeling like you’ve wilted. You can only hope.

As you step onto the deck, you notice your shit covered boots still waiting outside to be cleaned. You might as well clean those too while you’re at it. Why shouldn’t everything have a fresh start. So you pick those up and carrying them down with you to the waters edge, dropping them in the dirt while dropping your towel on a nice patch of grass.

You strip down, no longer really caring about who is going to see you. You’re far too upset to care at this point. The sun is warm of your skin, but the water is cold. It always is. It’s numbing though, and you’d really like to feel numb for a little bit.

You’re stepping deeper and deeper, feeling an odd moment of calm. The water really is soothing. It’s helping to take your mind off the past three days. You close your eyes, soaking up the sunlight on your face and letting the water hold you.

You’re so deep into your own mind, trying to self soothe, that you don’t hear the silent steps of someone joining you on the shoreline. You don’t hear your boots being knocked over, or see your clothes being stepped on. It’s only when the feet of your unwanted guest step into the water, creating ripples and a plunking sound, that you realize you’re not alone.

An uneasy feeling overwhelms you and you shrink down slightly. “Soap?” You ask hesitantly, your first thought being that he was close by. But when you glance over your shoulder, it’s not Soap. Instead of meeting his angry blue eyes, you instead meet the angry black eyes of a black bear.

You gasp, almost losing your footing as you try to back away quickly into the deeper water to get some distance. There was a fair amount of distance between you and the bear already, but your first instinct was to get away from it.

The bear is sniffling the air, looking right at you. It’s watching your every movement like it’s reading your body language. Trying to decide if you’d be worth going after. It makes a few grunting sounds, which sound so familiar. This must have been the bear that was chasing you yesterday. It must have followed you here.

“G-go away!” You shout at it, not sure if you’re suppose to play dead or not. Clearly this bear knows you aren’t dead, and you honestly aren’t sure if the play dead thing was a myth or not.

Maybe it wasn’t a myth though, cause as soon as you shout at it, it raises onto its back legs and bellows at you. The sounds makes your heart thud harder in your chest, a shiver of fear running all through you. Its teeth look so sharp, it’s claws so long. Panic is starting to overtake you no matter how hard you try to push it down and keep a clear mind.

“Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God… what the fuck do I do?” You mutter to yourself, yelping as it comes down on all fours again.

The bear starts to walk into the water, continuing to sniff the air and watch your every movement. It’s still grunting and growling at you as it slowly stalks towards you.

You’re frozen in fear, almost like you’re hoping it won’t see you if you stay super still, and it will go away. The creature takes a lunge at you, splashing up water before retreating a bit. Testing you. The sudden movement brings you back to the present, and you let out a scream, holding your arms up to shield you from the spray of water.

“Go away!” You shout louder this time and start to splash water towards it in hopes of scaring it off. It manages to make the animal jump and back away, but it recovers when it realizes the water didn’t hurt and starts to come in again.

It lunges again at you, letting out a long roar and getting closer. However, this time it doesn’t back away. Its mouth is hanging open and thick drool is dripping from its chops. It was like drooling at the very thought of having you for its next meal, a thought that makes you shiver.

“Get out of here! Go!” You shout some more. In a panic, you try to make more distance, swimming out a little further. The water was coming up to just under your chest now.

You avert your gaze for a split second to look around for a weapon, a stick or anything to defend yourself with, and the second you look away, the bear charges. You scream again, heart pounding and tears coming to your eyes. It was standing up again so it could touch the bottom of the lake, its arm taking a swipe at you. Luckily you’re still just out of reach.

“Go away! You fucking stupid animal! Go away!” You scream at it, backing up more.

To say you are terrified is an understatement. You’re naked and completely unprepared to fight off something like a bear. You can’t think, your mind still stressed and exhausted from the last few hours. You’re panicking and afraid that you’re going to die.

Then you hear, far off in the distance, a familiar voice. One you’ve never been more happy to hear in your entire life. As relieved and happy as you are to hear him, you hope it’s not going to be the last voice you ever hear.

“States?! States!!!”

***

[ssa-atlas-alvez]

What about something to do with reader previously fighting back against/killing an abusive parent and a case comes up with the bau which brings it all to life..?

Hiya, hope this is okay! I didn't go into too many sad emotions lol, but hopefully this is okay :)

Description: reader gets dragged back to his hometome, but reunites with his younger brother.

Warnings: child abuse, abuse, murder, alcohol mentions, assault, previous arrests, custody battles, death of a parent

“This week’s case my fine furry friends, you are all heading to Oregon. The homeland of the one and only (Y/N).” Penelope said, pointing the bippy at you. You give a small smile, not having the heart to tell her you were hoping to keep that particular cat in the bag. “So this unsub is targeting unsavory individuals, first, this man. Robert Davis, 42, father of three. Total slime ball, an abusive drunk who is particularly fond of driving under the influence.”

You all looked at the photos now on the board. “Now, up next, same thing. Derek Harris. Father, this time 53, abusive, drinks on occasion.”

“Okay, so he’s got a type.”

“How long between victims?”

“Only four days.”

“How long does he keep them alive?”

“Only a few hours, before he dumps them on the door of their house.”

“He dumps the bodies at their house?” You asked, frowning.

“Why?”

“It’s like a gift.” You theorised, “I know what he was doing so I took revenge for you.”

“Some gift.” Prentiss said, turning back to the file.

Not long after, you were all on the jet on your way to Oregon. The briefing didn’t take long, just a few rough ideas exchanged and Morgan asking if you were excited to go home, you were not. 

“Hotchner.” Hotch answered the phone before the end of the second ring. “You’re sure? Okay. We’ll make sure to send some agents there when we land. It’s alright, I’ll let him know. Thank you.” And with that, Hotch hung up again.

The air was a little tense, to say the least. “Another body turned up?” Rossi asked. Hotch just gave a nod.

“Already?” Reid’s eyebrows furrowed. You watched your boss closely for a few seconds.

“It’s him, isn’t it?” Is all you ask.

“Yes.” Is his response. “The ME just identified him.”

“Who found him?”

“(Y/N)…”

“Hotch, who found him?”

“Your brother.”

You sighed, looking away. “He okay?”

“He’s alright. Paramedics checked him over, he’s at the station waiting for us to land.”

You give a small nod. “He’s okay?”

“He’s okay.” Hotch said, voice a little more gentle now. The team watched you cautiously, all concerned.

“Who was the latest victim?” Reid asked, frowning slightly.

“Er, Lee (L/N).”

“(L/N)?” Morgan asked, turning to face you.

“My dad.” You gave a small nod. 

“Which means we’re going to have to dive into your life,” Hotch explained, his face was his usual stern expression, but you could see the understanding in his eyes.

“I know.” You gave a small sigh. “I was arrested for assault when I was eighteen - I just broke his nose. No charges were pressed or anything.”

“What happened?” JJ asked.

“Er, I saw him hit my brother.” You gave a small nod. “And he didn’t press charges on the condition I moved out. So, I moved out. I tried fighting for custody but with that arrest, the courts weren’t having it.”

“They wouldn’t let you have custody?”

“Nope, not even with our medical records.” You gave an awkward shrug, “I tried multiple times, Declan ended up in the hospital once or twice. I lived in a small town, and everyone just… turned a blind eye to it.”

“That’s horrible…” JJ said. “They turned a blind eye? Just like that?”

“Yep. And then after the second custody battle and I was doing a food shop and I saw my dad hit Declan again. That time, I landed my dad in hospital.”

You were silent for the rest of the ride, preferring to sit inside your own head than interact with the outside world.

As soon as the jet landed, you, Spencer, and Hotch headed to the police station, the others dividing themselves between the different crime scenes. You follow the secretary’s vague motion to a room at the back of the station. It takes you thirty seconds after to realise she was in your grade in school. You purposefully ignored that and gave the door a light knock before opening the door. 

“Declan…” You had prepared for the worst. You were expecting him to hate you, you had left the day you turned eighteen. Granted, it wasn’t exactly a voluntary leave, but you still left.

“(Y/N),” Declan looks up, smiling a little when he sees you. His eyes are bloodshot.

“Hey.” You said softly, "How are you feeling?"

Declan gives a small shrug and you give a quiet sigh, taking a seat next to him on the couch. "Come here," You said, opening your arms. He stares at you for a moment before letting himself lean against you.

You wait until you've both calmed down before speaking again. “We need to talk, kid…”

“I know.” Declan gave a small tight lipped smile. You sit down next to him, sighing slightly as you did. “They don’t think you’re involved, do they?”

“Nah, I’ve got an alibi I cleared with my boss.”

Declan nods, “Good. So I’m assuming your team know?”

“Yep.” You sighed, turning to face him. “Look, Declan-”

“You don’t need to apologise.”

“Yes, I do. I left.”

The teen rolled his eyes, “You’re actually thick. You didn’t leave, dad basically kicked you out.”

“I should have fought to stay.” You argued.

“Yeah, and he would have killed you.” He said. “Besides, I was fine.”

“Were you?”

“Yeah. Most of the time dad was too caught up in his drinking to care.” Declan gave a small shrug. “So… what’s going to happen to me?”

“Well, if you want, I’ve got a spare room that I could let you have. I suppose.” You said, a small smile tugging at your lips. 

“Yeah, I guess. If I had too.” Declan grinned slightly. 

“Sounds good.” You gave a nod, “We can sort everything else out later. And, if you want - since our house is sort of a crime scene, you can bunk in my hotel room.”

“Perfect, free hotel room.” Declan smirked.

“Yeah, yeah.” You rolled your eyes. “I gotta go talk to my team, you okay in here?”

“Yes, old man. I’m fine.” 

You placed a hand on your chest dramatically as you left. 

“Everything okay?” Hotch asked.

“Yeah. I think so.” You said, giving your boss a small smile. “As well as it can be right now, anyway.”

“He seems resilient.”

“He is.” You gave a small nod. “You don’t mind if I stay for a while after the case to sort everything up here out, do you?”

Hotch shook his head, “Not at all. Take all the time you need.”

[respectthepetty]

How does it feel to stay winning Petty? Also who would've guessed that baby Barcode would be the one of the BOC boys to collect kisses from all the homies!?

Anon, I appreciate you sending this because, right now, I feel like an elite status female rapper. Like CL from 2NE1 rapped in their 2011 hit, "I am the best", Be On Cloud owns me, and y'all can't tell me shit about this show.

I know I have some Wild Ass Theories and I'm always clownin' in these BL streets, but I love when my theories actually hit their target like . . .

When I knew Teacher Chadok was in a relationship with Teacher Dika since the first episode of The Eclipse.

When I knew Kanghan's house was going to be robbed and his dad would be shot since the third episode of Dangerous Romance, even though I thought Saifah would do it.

When I knew Pat was working with Joke to win over Zo since the first episode of Hidden Agenda.

I love making Wild Ass Theories no matter how crazy they are, like my belief that the twins' dad is involved in this whole murder and sex work plot in Playboyy. No matter what happened in this past episode, I still believe it and am eagerly awaiting the upcoming chaos to see how hard I clowned.

Which is why I LOVE Dead Friend Forever.

I want the record to state that no matter what happens after episode seven, that at this exact moment in time, I love this show. It makes me happy to be alive at the same time this is airing, and I'm not joking. I want to remember that at one point, this show was everything to me, and even if it goes down hill, it had all my attention in the first seven episodes. I want to appreciate it right now because regardless of what happens, it did everything right in the first half.

With the way some shows keep losing their footing in the end, sometimes we forget how good they were in the beginning, and the emo in me doesn't want to forget this feeling. Some of my favorite movies are Scream, Heathers, and Jawbreaker so this show has been giving me the explicitly queer version of kill your frenemies since the very first episode, and I love it.

My internal alarm went off the second Tee got upset that Phi was speaking to White in episode one, then the dark hand touched him making him enemy #1. I didn't like the way he told White he needed to obey him, and I feel like the dark hand wasn't too pleased with it either. It was a vibe.

And now Non has a hurt hand in the past from falling off the bike . . .

Then, Jin was the main character of the previous film, so he was either the killer or the biggest baddie.

But Phi was just so sus, that I clocked him as a killer.

Which meant Phi and Jin were the killers, but Tan has no backstory and people with no history are intentionally hiding it, so they can kill everyone and peace out.

So in my mind, Tan and Phi were regulated to the killers, Tee was the second to last to die, which I'm hoping it's by his boyfriend White who he thinks disobeys him, and the rest of the squad would die as needed. Which left Jin to be the baddie.

All of my theories could blow up at any second because we don't know if Jin actually sent that video or if his computer fizzled out before it finished uploading, so he could still be a killer avenging Non instead of a baddie who wronged Non (but he took the video and that is messed up regardless of what he planned to do with it).

But either way, I'm hoping it comes down to Phi and Jin in that forest because the show started with them.

And I don't think Jin realizes who Phi is to Non since Jin never got a good look at Phi's face in the past.

The Twitter folks spotted that Phi's dad was the police chief from the letters the boys got calling them in for interrogation in episode six.

And now the knife from episode two is showing up in the past in Non's backpack.

Up until this point, I feel the show has laid out a solid story with a good cast, and I think Be On Cloud relied on their KinnPorsche casting to throw people off in this show because who expected Us to be doomed in the first episode? That was like Drew Barrymore dying at the beginning of Scream.

People have felt off about JJ's character, but the show wouldn't really have JJ do anything bad to sweet Barcode, right?

And Barcode and Ta being paired together was a pipe dream for the Macau x Porchay shippers, so it could never happen here!

Especially because Ta and Copper won The Hidden Character, which meant they were going to be the main pair of this show, right?

WRONG!

Barcode is gonna be involved in some fucked up shit, and according to those MDL comments, people are realizing they messed up making any assumptions before this show started based on what the actors previously did.

I truly feel like BOC looked at its lineup and said "Baby Barcode was babygirled so hard for the past two years that the audience won't even think his character is capable of such things"

and I love that for us.

BOC gave these youngsters (19-23 in age) a script from Dr. Sammon and the Pit Babe writers and said "go HAM, bitches"

And the audience stays winning.

This isn't about my Wild Ass Theories coming true. This is an appreciation post for what this show has given to me up until this point - a good mystery.

Every week I have more questions and none of them feel like they will go unanswered. Is Non dead? Did Jin actually upload the video? Is Tan a killer? Why did Phi hook up with Jin? Will White finally snap, crackle, and pop like a bag of Rice Krispies treats for the mere fact that he simply wanted a nice weekend getaway with his boyfriend and now has to deal with all this bullshit?

But most importantly, when did Phi realize he was going to kill all of them after making them run around scared for their lives?

Because by time the show makes it back to the present day, I'm sure we're all going to want to watch these kids suffer in the worst ways possible.

Manipulate, Murder, Mayhem

[clalog]

Friendly Collaboration pt.11

Paring: hokeyplayer!sunghoon × onlyfan!reader

Genre: social media!au; academical rivals; smut

Worming: only fans use; smut (mdni please); swearing; probably grammar mistakes (not English speaker/dyslexic)

Synopsis: Sunghoon get obsessed with a only fan creator he casually find on a stressed day and he truly believes he is in love with her even if he never see her face. He doesn't know that behind the screen is his university rival and he doesn't know what kind of deal they'll make

Previous | Next

-I come as fast as I can- Sunghoon said all worried, as if something serious had happened. You find it funny, you never through he would be enthusiastic on the idea of meeting you.

You walk in your room without saying anything and he just follow you there, like a lost puppy. -Sit- You said pointing at the bed and he did, again no question, you are liking it, is a good feeling.

-Your face are not going to be showed- He noded. -I decide everything- He noded. -Want to ask something?- -No- Your mind stop for a couple of second. you have an idea of what to do but you are still not sure if you want this. Sunghoon in objectively beautiful, the way every components of his face is positioned in a perfect way as if he was drow on using a grill as a guideline. There would not be anything wrong on wanting that lips on you, nothing wrong.

You just go sit on him, your leg on each side. He was surprise by your sudden action, but he welcomed you positioning his arm around your waist, not holding you, more as if he was resting them there. You look at him, this close you notice a small mole on the side of his nose, the cutest things on his face on your opinion.

You kiss him, not slow, already passionate, already testing the way he decide to react, how he would use his tongue in respond of yours. He have some second of hesitation but he was fast as passionate as you were. His hand now actually holding you, trying to make you closer to him. An electric sensation go from the bottom of your back to your neck and then it extend on the rest of your body. Now was your time to try to get closer to him, as if you weren’t already.

Then you suddenly stop, brutally. That was too much, maybe because it was your first kiss with Sunghoon but it was enough. His lips was a little bit open, as if he was still waiting for yours to come back. -This could work.-

You get up positioning the camera on the floor. You still feel Sunghoon lips and hands on you but you try to keep it cool, is no problem since you would feel that again soon.

-I was think about a little pov. I do a video about masturbating about my tutor so we can play as if you were the tutor in question- You explained to him and the fact that you hear him laughing makes you a little angry. What does he have to complain? You are the expert here, is your only fans, is your channel so your idea, your business. When you look at him with an angry face he but his hand in the air. -Sorry, sorry, is just… “masturbating after a study section with the class nerd” is the fist video i saw for yours. Crazy how destiny work- -More like a causality- You put some book on the floor and point to him to sit there and he did. You prefer him like this, when he do everything you said without any comment or question.

-What do you want me to do?- He ask shyly looking at the camera that just started recording. -Nothing, just trust me, ok?- he noded fast making you laugh.

You start kissing him again, the same sensation of before was all around your body. You know the kiss was not visible in the camera but the closeness of the body would and you need to set him in the mood. That was the reason why your hand goes slowly in between his legs, you did not grap it just position yourself there, breaking the kiss for looking at Sunghoon. -Yes, please- after his confirmation then you start holding his dick on his pents first. He close his eyes let his head go back, leaning on the bad. You like the way he was already loosing himself, you like it that much that you have to change your position for close your legs and give yourself some friction know that you were getting wet. You start kissing his neck carefully not leaving any mark, you don’t want to hear his joke if you did it.

When your hand goes under his pents and boxer he made a loud noise. -Shh, it’s ok, can you let me play a little?- His Dick was hot at touch, you can feel it, long and thin. -Please- He said once again, that’s the only word you want him to said to you. You take his dick out pushing his pents and boxer a little bit down so it would be easier. You start kissing him and do an handjob at the same time so he can moan in your month.

-Take off everything- You make the order and he executed while you keep watching his haste on the act. He was not lying with the photo, his body look like porcelain, sculpted but not like a gym rat, more like selfcare exercise man cause he want to look good for female gaze, for your gaze.

Then he get his hands on you shirt too, making you take a step away, surprise. -What? You said take of everything, you didn’t specify on who so automatically, it’s both of us- His smirk was hot. You should have know that he would make fun of you a little, he always did. Slowly he comes closer to you all naked and needy, kiss you softly and whispering -Can I- While holding your shirt but one finger, only one, was gently caressed you under it, the chills started at that exact point and went to spread throughout your body. Automatically you noded without stop to look at his eyes who you just notice, never look this dark. You helped him getting you naked, wonder when the table turn; you were the one in charge, how dare him?

Once he finish, you kiss him, so he can’t see you start touching yourself, collecting all your wetness in your hand making purposely loud moan on his month. Your little revenge idea was making you even hornier so you where able to collect a lot of your precome.

After a while you stop both action and smirk at him before putting your hand on his tip making him feel you wetness transfer from your hand to his tip. After looking down you just notice he was holding his base, what a beautiful visual your viewers probably had of you two masturbating while kissing, this is really going to be the best video on your channel.

-What is this?- Seunghoon ask without breath. -It’s me, I can’t touch you bare I need a lubricant so I use myself, want some?- You show him your hand and after some moment of hesitation he lick it. -I think you get mixed up with me- He said know that your precome and his get together in your hand. You notice what he was trying to do and you would not make him get power over you again. -Let me taste- you goes take him in your month. The taste was weird on you tongue, you can clearly understand that there was two different flavors, one almost tasteless at first, but you can feel a bitter aftertaste; the other was too salty, you never know come can taste salty.

You keep doing your blowjob while Seunghoon keep cursing and moaning, you look at him cause the way he turn his eyes backward make you want to give him more, make him so addicted to you that when other girls would try to give him a blowjob he would not even get hard.

You don’t even want to know where this feeling of possessiveness come from, but he ask you to starting this friendly collaboration so there is nothing wrong on wanting obedience.

You where giving him small cat licks when something thin enter you. One finger uncontrollably makes you moan, you give the fault to the exiting of what you where doing and feeling. When the second finger enter you stop your mouth action but keep give him pleasure with your hand. He was so attentive on his finger entering you that he almost didn’t notice you where looking at him. He was red, but not red with embarrassment, red as if he was running a marathon.

-I’m close, can you come with me?- His eyes was open fully, begging you for doing this one favor to him and you would, cause he is the one asking you.

You change position, one in front of the other, he now have three fingers inside you and you were stroking him fast. He start kissing under you hear making you moan louder, hopefully he didn’t understood that is your weakest spot. Your body was so close that your nipples was rubbing on his chest and, as if he know that was the only missing things for making you reach your peak, he start circoling your clint with his thumb.

You stop your action while you where coming on Seunghoon’s hand not making any sound if not you full open month.

You basically fall exhausted on his shoulder so you look at him while his finger come out of your entrance and he use your come for touching himself coming only a couple of second after you.

Seunghoon help you lie down on the ground, breathless but with his arm under you head and his come all over you belly. You close you eyes; you did all of this with Seunghoon? Pain in the ass Seunghoon? And it was fucking good.

You where getting wat again just thinking of it. You want more, but not today, for today it was enough.

You heard him move, turning towerd you, feeling his breath on you face. -Do you want me to clean you up?- You shake your head. -No, I’m dying here, thanks you very much- You keep you eyes closed but the sound of his small laugh was cute, even without seeing his smile with it.

Then the memory of the camera hit you, not that it was a problem, you would edit the video later, cuting eventualy moment where your face was seen end modifying the voice a little, but you can’t have like a 4 hours of you just try to breath again.

-Can you stop the recording, please- he makes a sound of disapproval but his arm left the back of your head. You feel him moving in your room, then you get picked up bridal style, now was your time to make sound of disapproval. -You need to get cleaned up- He said walking out of your room.

There was only one bathroom on your apartment, but for today it was not a problem since none of the girl was there utile later on. You open your eyes when your butt check touch the cold surface of the side of the sink. He ask for a towel for himself first then another one for you later. You looks at him be complity delicate while cleaning you. His pale body was worthy the name prince of ice, full of moles, but you find yourself keep thinking that the nose one is your favorite.

That was the moment when you have a reminder of his previews action he need a smole punishment so you use your long nails and hold a peace of his sholder on two of them before hold tight. After some second he jumps in pain, touch where you left two half moons bleeding. -What was that for?-. -I tell you I was in charge and you agree- After understanding what you mean his shocked face become a grin. -I do everything you say- He justify, butting himself between you legs. -You change my word known exactly what I mean-

-You let me do it-

-Then you try to steal the dominance-

-Me? Never-

-I know what you where doing with the all taste thing-

-You misunderstand me-

-And you touch me- He position himself better, straight his back. -I was couch in the moment, I should have ask consent for that. I’m sorry- You was not talking about that you were just thinking about the way he was trying to steal you dominance with that action too, trying to making you needy for him and not the other way around. You hold his face with your hand. -If I didn’t want that, I would have not let you continue that. But want to makes clear one thing, I make the rules-

-As you wish- He said before kissing you, again you let him be, you like his kiss anyway.

When the kiss stop you start making the rest of the rules clear -Rule number one is like the fist commandment; you would never have another God other then me.- -So we are exclusive?- -If you want to date or have sex with other people, then we broke our friendly collaboration, as you like to call it. I don’t want to be involved in some drama cause of good sex- -Good sex already? We don’t even have sex today- You position your nails on the same spot of before and hurt him again, he fast remove your hand. -Ok, no joke, jesus- -Guess the second rule- -You are the boss?- -Exactly- -Other rules?- He ask showing you a smily face. -Not for now- You stop looking at him. He would challenging you like this all the time, he would fight for the dominance making you do what he want and you know that, even if he agree now he is faking it, and you can’t wait for it, you want this, the idea just exited you.

-Then we have a deal?-

-We have a deal star-

Serie Masterlist | ClaLog Masterlist

⚠️This is a work of fiction, every reference of character sexuality or personality are from the mind of the author for plot purposes and DO NOT describe the real life person

⚠️Everything on this fiction is from the mind of the author, the stolen of the story or parts of it is punishable by law

All banners made by @cafekitsune

Tag List Open

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[ragsy]

"20230823-EHA-TD-01" | ~1,800 words

I like writing fake official documents and I wanted to expand on Kenny's time immediately after re-appearing in the world. So I made them both happen in the same fic. ENJOY 👇

CONFIDENTIAL

PARANATURAL AND TRANSDIMENSIONAL INVESTIGATION ADMINISTRATION

ANOMALY 20230823-EHA-TD-01

ANOMALY INTERACTIONS VOICE TRANSCRIPTION: ROOM 145H

INTRODUCTION:

This is the transcription of the Anomaly Interactions Voice Recording from the Anomaly 20230823-EHA-TD-01 investigation. The automated system records continually while the assigned room (145H) is occupied by a registered anomaly. Periods of time where no audible speech was recorded have been omitted from this record.

20230823-EHA-TD-01 was admitted to Prairie Skies Hospital (Bridgeport) on Sunday, August 20, 2023 after appearing on a local's doorstep the previous morning. Medical staff reported disorientation, confusion, aphasia, and possible dissociation. Results of physical examination were within normal parameters for patient's apparent age (estimated 60-70 years old). Arthritis, hypertension, and poor vision without corrective lenses noted. Patient's identity was not able to be determined upon admission, and comparison to local missing persons databases remains inconclusive. Patient was reclassified as anomaly and transferred to PTIA facility on August 23, 2023 after blood panels revealed high levels of xenoparticulates, typical of TD-type anomalies.

Communicators in the text may be identified according to the following list.

A01 | Anomaly | "John Doe"

DG | Assigned Research Assistant | Deepa Ghosh

RH | Resident Nurse (Night shift) | Rebecca Horn

TA | Resident Nurse (Day shift) | Tomas Ares

A series of three dots (...) is used to designate portions of the recording that could not be transcribed. One dash (-) is used to indicate a speaker's pause or a self-interruption and subsequent completion of a thought. Two dashes (--) are used to indicate an interruption by another speaker or a point at which a recording was terminated abruptly.

TAPE 1

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT:

2023-08-23

23:36

RH: I just can't fucking believe--

DG: You should know that everything you say in here is recorded.

RH: Oh, shit. Sorry. I mean- (unintelligible) I don't mean to be--

DG: Ms. Horn.

RH: Okay. Sorry. I just- Why did the hospital sedate him? He wasn't combative. He was barely even lucid.

DG: If we ever want to discharge him, he can't know how to find out where we are again.

RH: (grunts) But how am I supposed to do his intake?

23:37

DG: Just take his vitals. The interview is my job anyway.

RH: Right. Okay. Um...

23:42

RH: 110 over 70. 97.7 degrees. Pulse and respiration are low, 60 and 12 respectively. That's-

DG: Sedative.

RH: Right. It'll be awhile before that wears off.

DG: You're on standby until it does.

23:43

RH: Sure, ever since I was a little girl, I always knew I wanted to watch strange old men sleep.

DG: Ms. Horn.

RH: Sorry. I'll page you when he wakes up, Dr. Ghosh.

DG: Thank you.

(door shuts)

23:48

RH: God damn.

2023-08-24

02:02

A01: (groan)

RH: Oh, shit-

02:04

RH: Oh, no, Mr. Doe, we don't need to be- Let's stay put, okay? That's it, okay, we can sit you up- There. See? It's okay. It's okay.

02:04

RH: No, no- Oh, you really want to be moving, huh? (laughing) Well, sorry, I'm not going to let you beef it onto the floor. There. Now stay. Please. For thirty seconds while I page Dr. Ghosh.

02:05

RH: Thank you.

02:07

A01: (coughing)

RH: Oh, let me get you some- Here, drink- That's it. Okay. No? That's it? We're going to have to reclassify you as a raisin if you don't have some damn water. Just keep- Yeah, sure, you can hang onto that. It's just a styrofoam cup.

02:08

A01: (unintelligible)

RH: Hm? What's that?

02:10

(knocking on door)

RH: Oh, that's- Come in.

(door opens)

A01: (startled yelp)

(door shuts)

RH: Hey, shh, settle. Let me take your cup-

A01: No-

(water splashing)

RH: Oh.

02:11

RH: That's fine, that spot needed to be mopped anyway.

(chair moving)

DG: Good morning, Mr. Doe. I'm sorry to have disturbed you.

RH: You could hardly say two A.M. is morning--

DG: I'm Dr. Ghosh. Can you answer some questions for me?

RH: He's only been awake for ten minutes!

DG: Can you understand me?

RH: Dr. Ghosh.

02:12

DG: Can you tell me your name?

A01: I-

02:13

DG: Can you tell me the current year?

02:14

DG: Can you tell me where you are?

A01: H-

RH: It's okay hon, you can take your time.

A01: Hospital-

DG: Excellent. That is technically not correct, but not the matter at hand. What's important is that you've also just answered my first question.

(paper rustling) (pencil scratching)

02:15

DG: Okay- Can you tell me where you live?

DG: Is there anyone who might be looking for you?

02:16

DG: Where have you been recently?

A01: My-

DG: Oh?

02:17

DG: Hm.

(pencil scratching) (paper rustling)

DG: We can complete there rest of the interview at a later date. Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Doe.

A01: Ah-

DG: I will see you again in the morning.

RH: The actual--

DG: The actual morning, yes.

(door opens)

A01: Wait-

DG: Oh?

A01: Don't-

02:17

RH: Shh. Hey. She'll be back. It's okay, hey, stay there.

DG: I'll be back, Mr. Doe.

(door closes)

RH: You did great, you did so good. We'll get you sorted out.

A01: My-

RH: What's that?

A01: Na--

PLAYBACK ERROR. PLEASE CONTACT ADMINISTRATOR.

\\\\

2023-09-15

14:24

(knocking on door)

A01: Yes.

(door opens)

DG: Good afternoon, Mr. Doe.

(door shuts)

DG: Is now a good time to continue our work?

A01: Yes.

DG: Excellent. You seem like you've been making great progress. Ms. Horn told me that you beat her in a game of cards last night. I'm glad to hear it.

A01: Thank you.

14:25

DG: Still not eating?

A01: No.

DG: Is there anything we can do to make you more comfortable?

A01: No.

DG: Hm. Okay. Well, that's hard to argue with.

A01: (coughing)

DG: Carrying on. I have some more difficult questions for you now.

(papers rustling)

DG: Do you remember anything from before you woke up in this room?

14:26

DG: Please, take your time.

A01: Hospital. Car.

(pencil scratching)

DG: Mm-hm.

A01: Sin--

DG: Oh?

A01: Cinnamon.

DG: Ah. Hm.

14:27

(pencil scratching)

A01: Fall.

DG: As in the season? Autumn?

A01: No.

DG: As in falling down?

A01: Yes.

DG: Can you tell me more about how you fell?

A01: I-

14:28

A01: Don't know.

DG: You remember falling, but not what caused you to fall?

A01: I don't- Yes.

DG: Do you remember where you fell from?

A01: No.

DG: Do you remember where you landed?

A01: Stairs. House.

DG: And you're sure you didn't just fall from the st- No. I'm sorry. That's a leading question. Is there anything else you remember?

14:29

A01: (unintelligible)

DG: Who? Can you elaborate on that?

A01: Where- I-

DG: Mr. Doe?

A01: I don't-

DG: Mr. Doe, please, who is Franklin?--

TAPE 1 END TRANSCRIPT

TAPE 2

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT:

FILE READ ERROR

TAPE 3

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT:

2023-09-17

04:01

A01: I don't- I don't know. I don't know. I can't. I don't. I don't know. I don't know.

PLAYBACK ERROR. PLEASE CONTACT ADMINISTRATOR.

\\

TAPE 4

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT:

2023-09-30

18:30

TA: Oh, Rebecca's here. I'll see you again during dayshift, okay? If you need me. They're putting you on as-needed care soon, I heard.

A01: Oh- Right, thank you.

TA: Anything else I can do before I go?

A01: Crack my brain open and figure out what's going on up here?

TA: I literally can't do that.

A01: Just thought I'd try.

TA: (laughing) You sound like Rebecca. She's rubbing off on you.

(door opens)

RH: I'm rubbing what?

TA: Anyway. See you tomorrow, Mr. Doe.

18:31

PLAYBACK ERROR. PLEASE CONTACT ADMINISTRATOR.

\\\\

2023-10-03

10:55

DG: You have a--

10:56

DG: I must admit, I'm speechless.

A01: Was it- Ah- Did I say something wrong?

DG: No, no- Not at all. That is extremely useful information.

(pencil scratching)

DG: And- Her name? Can you remember her name?

A01: It's-

10:57

A01: Her name- Her name is Emily.

(papers rustling) (chair moving)

DG: I must make some phone calls.

(door opens)

A01: Oh-

DG: As always, thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Doe.

(door closes)

11:01

A01: Oh, god.

11:02

A01: Oh my god. Oh my god.

A01: No, no, no, no- Emily--

PLAYBACK ERROR. PLEASE CONTACT ADMINISTRATOR.

\\\\\

2023-10-05

09:44

DG: Well?

09:45

(papers rustling)

A01: I suppose he might look a little like me.

DG: A bit? The physical resemblance is striking. He's the right age. He has a daughter with the same name as yours. He vanished without a trace. Of all the missing persons files I've looked through, this man is the closest anyone has gotten to finding a match.

A01: That's true, but--

DG: Once the DNA analysis results have arrived, we can know for certain whether or not he's you.

09:46

DG: Is something the matter?

A01: It's nothing, it's nothing.

DG: I thought you might be more excited.

A01: I'm-

09:47

DG: Maybe his photos can jog your memory.

A01: That's- (unintelligible)

DG: Pardon?

A01: Nothing. I'm sorry, can- Can we cut our work short today?

DG: Of course. But I'll let you know as soon as the DNA results are in.

A01: Sure. Thank- Thank you.

(chair moving) (papers rustling)

DG: No, no, keep the file with you. It's just a copy. I will be back tomorrow.

09:48

(door opens)

(door closes)

09:52

A01: (sobbing)

2023-10-05

11:51

A01: (unintelligible)

(sink running)

(water splashing)

A01: (unintelligible)

2023-10-06

09:00

(knocking on door)

A01: Come in.

(door opens)

(door closes)

DG: Good morning, Mr. Doe. How are you feeling?

09:01

A01: Could be better.

DG: Hm.

A01: I read- I looked at the file.

DG: And how do you feel about it?

A01: I- I still don't know.

DG: That's unfortunate. If it's any consolation, I have the DNA results.

09:02

A01: Oh.

DG: Shall I tell you the answer?

DG: Mr. Doe?

A01: Yes. Alright.

09:03

DG: It's a match.

(papers rustling)

DG: He's you.

09:04

DG: I'm sorry if it comes as a shock to you. But this is tremendous news, we- Do you understand? We know who you are now, we know where you're from, we can finally-

09:05

DG: Don't you want to piece together where you've been? Don't you want to finally understand what happened to you?

A01: I- I suppose.

DG: We can't waste any more time. I will put in the request to have you transferred out of containment- Your file will need to be updated, I need to request your records and history from surveillance--

09:06

A01: Stop.

DG: I--

A01: Please.

DG: I'm sorry. This is just very exciting. The real work on your case can finally begin.

09:07

DG: I can give you some time to process, if you would prefer.

A01: I would.

DG: Yes, of- Yes, of course.

A01: Thank you.

DG: We will speak again this afternoon.

(door opens)

DG: It will be wonderful to finally meet you, Mr. Song.

(door closes)

END TRANSCRIPT

COMMUNICATOR IDENTIFICATION: A01 | Anomaly | "John Doe" UPDATED TO: KS | Anomaly | "Kenneth Song"

[chronophobia-crossover]

POLICE INTERROGATION - TRANSCRIPT LOG OF RECORDED INTERROGATION

DATE: XXXX-XX-XX XX:XX:XX

DURATION: 16 minutes

LOCATION: █████████████ POLICE STATION

TRANSCRIPT LOG BEGINS

POLICE: This interview is being tape recorded for future documentation. I am █████████████████, and I am based at ██████████ ██████. I work with the investigative department of this region. What’s your name? F█: …Felix. POLICE: Your whole name sir. F█: You already have it in your documentation. POLICE: It’s for the record— for this recording specifically— so please, your whole name. F█: Fine. Felix ████ ███████. Not like that’s important. Let’s just cut to the chase now; you wanna convict me for murder because my animatronic just caved in my own kid’s brain. POLICE: Mr. ███████, please. We are not convicting you or anyone of murder. We are just— F█: I’m not fucking blind, Ms. I know when I’m being thrown under the bus when I see it. And I’m being thrown under right now!  POLICE: Sir, we are not trying to convict anyone of anything as of this moment. The details are still unknown and we are simply trying to find evidence if there was fool play or if it was simply a mechanical failure from poor maintenance. F█: …Evidence? The fucking evidence is right there on the material purchase lists I know that bastard has. I asked for good quality materials but what does he give me? Second-hand electronics and steel that’s been rotting in some fucking junkyard for twenty years! This was an accident waiting to happen! POLICE: You were the co-owner of the franchise. Was there no way to acquire the materials yourself? F█: Yeah, out of my own pocket that is. Not like I was the one fixing them. Otto only let me design new ones, leaving some shitty interns do maintenance instead. He didn’t even let me train them! Me, the guy who knows these things inside and out? All he gave them were my blueprints and let them fuck around on their own, like that was safe or something.  POLICE: Are you saying that Otto █████████ employed untrained staff to work on the machines? F█: Animatronics. Robots for entertainment purposes. And… well no, they had some kind of engineering background, but they weren’t me. They weren’t me and I wasn’t even able to teach them the ins and outs of those deathtraps. One of those idiots over-tuned the jaw on the damn thing, making it stronger then it should’ve been. I don’t remember making it capable of caving in a kid’s skull. POLICE: I see. Am I correct to believe that you and Mr. █████████ worked in collaboration in the creation of these …animatronics? F█: Sure. If you wanted to blow out of proportion how much he actually contributes. Maybe if he applied himself more, my son wouldn’t be dead. Maybe he just doesn’t give a shit. It’s not like his own kids are dead, right? Just some lousy coworker who got his last straw taken from him. Wasn’t like he was trying to live a life or anything, raising his kid that’s six feet under now.  POLICE: You are aware that Otis is still alive, yes? F█: No. I know what the doctors said. Honestly? He’s better of dead at this point.  POLICE: Then why— F█: Why I haven’t pulled the plug, then? Haha… Isn’t it obvious? I’m too much of a fucking coward to just let him go.

TRANSCRIPT LOG ENDS

Addendum: Five days after the inciting incident, victim expired in the hospital due to severe brain hemorrhaging. In accordance to this event, the sentence had been increased to 4 years of jail time for Involuntary Manslaughter with no parole. Additionally, as Felix was the primary suspect, he was incarcerated for the aforementioned amount of time due to a lack of evidence of foul play.

RESOLVED INCIDENT

ARCHIVAL COPY: SEE ARCHIVAL STAFF FOR PREVIOUS ITERATIONS

[kotonoba]

ISYT (Jushiro/F!Reader) Ch. 45

Renji & Rukia’s arrival to help Ichigo get Orihime back, Jushiro prepping to fight Aizen in Fake Karakura Town.

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After Jushiro confronted Ichigo’s group and told them that Orihime had been taken, you noticed some suspicious movements from Rukia and the Sixth Division Barracks. Still, Jushiro smiled and told you to keep quiet about it. But when the news of Renji and Rukia leaving for Hueco Mundo arrived for your husband, he acted surprised despite knowing what was happening. As the two of you headed home from a long day at work, a Hell Butterfly came in to inform you there would be a meeting in the morning regarding the “Fake Karakura Town” that the Twelfth Division had been working on.

You glanced at your husband, who seemed to know everything was happening. But he smiled, “don’t worry, I’ll tell you what the meeting is about once it’s over, okay, love?” You nodded, fingers entwined together as you two strolled back to the Ugendo.

“Speaking of which, ‘Shiro, why did you act surprised when the Messenger came to deliver news of Rukia-chan and Renji-kun’s departure to join Ichigo-kun’s rescue attempt in Hueco Mundo, even though you knew that they were planning so?” You glanced up at him as the night came around, and it was just the two of you along the path to the Ugendo. 

Jushiro hummed a little, thinking about it as he took his haori off to place around you instead of as the breeze blew by. “That way, there would be less suspicion. The messengers are under the command of the new Central 46, First Division, and Second Division since they also train them for a short period. If I did not act surprised, it would be reported to them, and they would do a tedious investigation. I'd rather not go through disputing that ordeal since I’ve gone through it twice already.” 

“Twice? When was the first and second time?” 

“Your memory fails you, love. The first time was when we first met. I wanted to give up my captain role to be with you, no matter how little you had left, but situational scenarios beat me to give up the role. They did a whole investigation but found nothing because the town and evidence were no more,” you nodded a little as you spotted sadness in your husband’s eyes. You offered his hand a little squeeze, and he squeezed your hand back gently to thank you. “The second time was when I went to offer my help to stop Rukia-chan’s execution,” he paused to see if you recall.

“Oh, was that why you were called into Central 46 the following day?” 

Jushiro nodded.

“It was tedious, but by the time I had been called into Central 46, they were in a huge mess because Aizen slaughtered the previous group. So I decided to help them sort the mess out, and they picked a whole new group that just dismissed my ‘wrongdoings–”

“I don’t think it’s wrong for you to stop the execution of Rukia-chan. She did nothing wrong, and it was a plot by Aizen,” Jushiro sighed as he led you into the Ugendo. You two worked pretty late, catching up on paperwork for the weekend to follow since Jushiro wanted to spend some quality time together with no hindrance of work in hindsight. 

“I agree with that, but destroying the Sokyoku is still an offense; sure, it didn’t take long for them to rebuild it, but it was still a lot of money,” Jushiro laughed; his clan was taxed heavily. You recall looking at its records as you helped them sort it out. 

“Hopefully, something like that doesn’t happen again.”

Jushiro nodded in response. You two spent the evening cooking together before eating and going to bed since he had a morning meeting to attend. Morning came around in the blink of an eye. As you were helping your husband dress, he proposed an idea.

“Why not, instead of my two third-seat officers accompanying me, you come with me and wait until the meeting ends. How does that sound?”

You hummed and nodded but decided to tease him, “You forgot to tell them last night, didn’t you?”

“M-maybe,” you laughed a bit; he followed along as you took an early leisure stroll towards the first division meeting room. You waited with the other lieutenants and stand-in lieutenants. There wasn’t much talk, but you didn’t jump in, even if there was. 

Maybe it was about an hour to two before Jushiro and the rest of the captains left the meeting room; you supported yourself, pushing yourself up from your former meditating position, “training with your Zanpakutou?” You glanced at your husband, smiled, and nodded, “Was it fruitful?” You nodded once more, “Achieved Bankai in that process?” He joked, holding his hand out to you; you took it happily. You grinned at your husband in response, “Oh, you did?” 

“Half of it, at least” was hard to explain; it was simply because your ability was divided into two halves, and doing half was good enough. 

“Want to show me?” He hummed, leading you to the training grounds behind the division barracks. You didn’t let go of his hand, almost as if you were shy. 

“Not particularly; I can’t control the power burst it carries. I don’t want to wound you somehow, ‘Shiro.”

“I can help you; I didn’t become a captain from pity points,” Jushiro teased. You know he’s strong, but you couldn’t shake off the thought when your Zanpakutou spirit repeatedly reiterated that you should only use it when you’re in danger. 

“I–” 

“I know, I won’t force you. There must be a reason why you’re reluctant to show me, and I’ll let you and your Zanpakutou deal with it; I believe in you, love,” Jushiro smiled, lightly kissing your forehead.

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This is so long overdue, so I did write this earlier this year, it's just that school has been tough. Did I pass all three of my classes? No, I failed 1 by 1 point, I'm upset, so I channeled that into writing fanfics. So, expect updates this month.

Cloudy's Ao3

[starlightrows]

10 — Gratitude

Hiding In Plain Sight

← Previous - Next →

Pairing: Commander Wolffe x reader

Word Count: 4.5k

Warnings: Feelings of shame and guilt, catching feelings, fluff, oral sex (f receiving)

Summary: The squad gets some shore leave on the heels of your traumatic experience. Wolffe expresses his feelings, the only way he knows how

After you’ve recounted your story a second time to General Plo for the recording to be used as evidence, you feel incredibly drained now that the adrenaline has left your body. General Plo advises that you not return to your office for the time being, and that you not go anywhere on the base alone until Admiral Sarkany can be located and detained. And then he goes. Leaving you and Wolffe in silence.

He stands by the door for a moment, unsure of what to do now. He sits next to you on the bed a little stiffly. Then he gingerly puts his arm around your shoulders and leans his head over to rest on yours. The way you like to when he’s had a hard day. You accept his invitation and lean back onto his chest and sigh deeply. You wish he wasn’t wearing plastoid armor right now so you could feel his heartbeat. But this is nice.

“Want some good news?” He asks

“I need some good news” You say with a half hearted laugh

“Our leave request from eight months ago got approved. We have a full three days on Coruscant starting tomorrow morning” he tells you “I was planning to come tell you when you came in earlier”

“Immaculate timing” you joke “That actually sounds amazing… I know we just got back from medical leave and all, but some time away from here… I think that will help”

He nods against your head “You’ll be safer” That is also true. Admiral Sarkany can’t jump you in a hallway or slam you with work as retribution if you're off base and off duty. All of this shit can be dealt with later.

“I’ll call Rigga before we leave tomorrow and get a room at Silver Star for us” you say “Unless you have plans to be somewhere else”

He nudges you gently as if to say Oh come on!

“Call her later. Why don’t you relax and get some sleep” he sits up a bit, giving you more room to move. That actually does sound nice. You’ve been perpetually exhausted the last few days, a nap sounds really good.

“Will you lay down with me?” You ask hopefully

He gives you a wry smile and nods his head towards the bed, telling you lay down while I change clothes again

You move away from him and lay down on “your” side of the bed, while he strips off his armor and boots and gets into bed with you in just his black fatigues. He lays against your back and slips an arm around your waist. You do that thing he loves, a little shimmy or jiggle to settle yourself in followed by a deep breath before you doze off.

Wolffe feels better now that you’re not crying and hyperventilating. That was honestly a little horrifying to him. He’s never seen you cry before, certainly not like this. He’s seen fear in you before, this is a war after all. But he’s never seen that kind of terror in your eyes. Genuine fear of what might happen. But it’s more than that. The nagging pit in his stomach won’t let up. How many days did you say that this had been happening before it got this bad? Three? Four? Five even? Had you mentioned this earlier and he wasn’t listening? Could he have prevented this in some way?

He realizes it’s guilt. No, you hadn’t said anything about what was going on, because he never gave you the opportunity to do so. He isn’t the chatty or talkative type, and yet he had somehow managed to talk right over all you had been going through the past couple days. He wonders if you were intentionally not telling him about the Admiral’s disrespectful behavior. He wonders if you thought that he wouldn’t believe you or take you seriously. He wonders if you didn’t trust him.

He cuts himself off mid thought. You are being selfish, you miserable bastard. He chastised himself in his mind. She's been through enough today. He forces himself to push those thoughts away, into the back of his mind. Instead he closes his eyes and vows to get some sleep and deal with these feelings of guilt and insecurity later.

In the morning you wake up feeling better rested than you have in weeks, and your leave hasn’t even started yet. Wolffe is already awake when you sit up in bed, he’s doing up his boots and reading from a datapad.

“Working already?” You ask with a yawn

“Just making sure the boys know they’re off on leave too” he assures you “I’m leaving the datapad here”

“Good. I should probably go back to my room and get a bag together, and make that reservation at the hotel” You say, stretching as you get up

“Let me walk you to your quarters. We don’t need any trouble before our leave starts” he says with genuine concern in his voice. Wolffe can see your face fall when he says it.

“Oh… yeah. I suppose you’re right” you hadn’t exactly forgotten about what happened yesterday, but you had always felt safe on this base. It hurts to feel like that’s been taken away.

“Come on” he says “The sooner we get moving the sooner we can start our shore leave”

That does perk you up a little, so you quickly get dressed and leave his quarters. He escorts you back to your room with no issue, until you reach the door to your quarters where Slush is literally pacing.

“Oh thank the maker” He sighs in relief when he sees you and Wolffe coming down the hallway “What the fuck Doc?”

“What do you mean ‘what the fuck’?” you ask, confused as to why he’s been pacing at your door for presumably a long time

“What the hell happened yesterday? I’ve been trying to com you all day yesterday and all morning. No one has seen you since breakfast yesterday!” he explains

Suddenly it dawns on you that you’d run away from him yesterday with absolutely zero information regarding what happened, and left your com device in your office when you fled the scene.

“I… um” you aren’t sure how to start this explanation

“Go pack” Wolffe says “I’ll tell him while we go back to your office and get your com device”

“Yeah okay” you nod, not really wanting to go back to your office yet anyway

“Do not leave your quarters” he says lowly “And don’t open the door unless it’s me or Slush”

You nod in agreement, and close the door. You’re immensely grateful he’s taking this seriously and thinking of the things that seem to be slipping your mind. You shake off some of the lingering feelings of fear and guilt that hang over you when you think about yesterday. You have three full days to relax and spend time with Wolffe. That is a luxury you are seldom given. So you get to it, packing a bag for the next couple days.

Meanwhile Slush follows Wolffe through the corridors and hallways down to your office where they find your space a mess. The chair is clearly broken, all of your work materials and belongings on your desk have been thrown to the ground and broken as well. There’s a blood smear on the door frame.

“Okay… with all due respect Commander, you need to tell me what’s going on” Slush says, with no trace of his usual carefree and jovial tone

“Yesterday she told Admiral Sarkany to back off of her campaign and he took that as an opportunity to try to extort her for favors” Wolffe says with a nasty edge creeping into his voice with the last word “She made a different choice”

“What the hell did she do to him?” Slush asks looking around the room

“Crushed his windpipe, beat him over the back with her desk chair and effectively ended his career by exposing his actions to the General” Wolffe says, feeling a touch of pride at how you’ve handled the situation thus far. But it’s still undercut by those feelings of immense guilt and insecurity that just won’t leave him alone.

“Fuck… I knew she was going through it this week, but I didn’t know it was this bad” Slush says scratching at his stubble

“At least you knew something was going on” Wolffe says a little bitterly

“She didn’t tell you how tough working with him has been?” Slush asks, a little surprised

“Well, I knew that. We all know that. But she didn’t tell me…” he pauses “I just wish she had said something before, about how badly he was treating her. The inappropriate comments and the leering. Maybe I could have done something to protect her” Wolffe admits

“You tell her that?” Slush says, picking up the broken chair and setting it in the corner of the room and moving to start picking up the items that had been on your desk

“No” Wolffe replies, joining his brother in picking up the papers and pens from the floor

“Maybe you should” Slush shrugs “Commander, I know about the two of you. Maybe you need to let her know how you feel about all this and you want her to be able to talk to you about these things”

“When did you find out?” Wolffe asks, honestly surprised that Slush knew

“When you got injured. Didn’t mean to find out, didn’t suspect a thing until she thought she was about to lose you” Slush says

“Hmmm” Wolffe grumbles, something else you didn’t tell him “Doesn’t she need me to be… steadfast for her right now. Shoulder to cry on, that kind of thing?” Wolffe asks, a little irritated that Slush doesn’t seem to understand that he’s trying to be considerate of your feelings.

“Yeah, I’m sure she does. But she’s also gonna want to know that you want to know when things like this are happening. That she can trust you, ya know” Slush says tossing some broken things into the trash bin

Wolffe grumbles in response, knowing Slush is probably right.

“Just love on her a little this weekend, it’ll go a long way” Slush says, picking up your com device that had managed to slide under your desk. He hands the com device to Wolffe, pats his shoulder and leaves your office.

Wolffe stays there for a minute, leaning against the edge of your desk staring at the com device in his hand. How many times had he kissed you in this office? How many times had you sat here, sending him messages while he was stuck in borning war meetings to cheer him up? How many times had he opened your door and just stood there because you took his breath away?

Love on her a little Slush had said… Wolffe had an idea brewing in the back of his mind. Something he’d been wanting to do for you for a while.

He makes his way back to your quarters and knocks on the door. Once he verifies that it’s him, you open the door and step out wearing your civilian clothing and holding a duffle bag. He had nearly forgotten how much he loves seeing you in regular clothing. Jeans that fit just right. A comfortable sweater to keep you warm against the chill of Coruscant in autumn. It turns the corners of his lips up in a small smile.

“Ready?” you ask, locking the door behind you. He nods and walks with you down the halls to the main entrance point to the base where lots and lots of soldiers are waiting to check out of the base and start their shore leave.

“I never called Rigga” you say shrugging your shoulders in frustration with yourself upon realizing your mistake “I’ll be right back”

He nods and watches you walk away from him and the line of people waiting to check out. Wolffe hopes that you are able to get a room at Silver Star, selfishly because he really liked staying there with you the last time. Realistically because it’s the only nice establishment that will serve clones. But also because he knows that you had your heart set on it, and you really enjoy being there too.

You come back with a smile on your face and a spring in your step. A good sign. “She says that we can drop off our stuff with her but we won’t be able to check in until later. But we can have the same room we had last time!”

“Sounds good” he nods “You have plans for us already?”

“Just a couple” you admit “I have a couple places I want to take you to eat, and there’s a street market I figured we could walk around”

“Lead on Captain” he smiles

The line to check out for shore leave moves relatively quickly, and in no time you’re off the base and riding in a speeder cab towards Silver Star. Rigga is happy to take your bag and enthusiastically greets Wolffe again.

“Love your new look Commander” she comments clearly noticing the eye “Dashing and dangerous darling! You’d better be careful with this one” She tells you with a laugh. If it were anyone else, he might be annoyed. But Rigga has grown on him, and he knows she means the compliment genuinely.

Now that you’re not on base and no one knows who either of you are, you enjoy getting to hold his hand as you stroll through the street market. He thoroughly enjoys the aromatic and flavorful caf drink you buy for him from one of their vendors. He stops with you at any stall that catches your eye, and looks at things that interest him too. Many things you can explain to him what their intended purpose is, but he enjoys getting to hear the vendors and craftsmen describe their work to him as well.

He enjoys letting you lead during excursions like this. He’s noticed over time when you’re in a place you’ve been to before or you know a lot about you get excited to show him, or really anyone you’re with, the best parts of it. He loves it, all he has to do is hold your hand and follow where you go.

You purchase a plate of street food that seems to be exceptionally flat bread with shredded meat and some kind of chopped raw vegetables sprinkled on top. You drizzle sauce on his portion and assure him you’re sure he’ll love it. The sauce burns, but you’re right he does love it.

“This. This is my favorite food you’ve shown me so far” He says pointing down at the plate

“Then you have excellent taste” you laugh “I’ll add hot sauce to the list of things Wolffe loves”

He chuckles at that. He vaguely wonders if you actually have a running list of things he loves. It’s not something he thinks about often. Flavors or smells or things he likes or doesn’t like. Well, he knows he likes hot sauce now.

Afternoon stretches into evening, eventually it starts getting chilly and the sun starts to set. You walk a little closer next to him, partially for warmth and also just to be safe. This may be one of the upper levels of Coruscant, but that doesn’t mean it’s safe at night. You lead him back to Silver Star and head up to the room that’s ready for you now.

When you open the door to the room the smell of clean linen hits his nose. It is the same room the two of you stayed in before. You drop your duffel beside the bed, and work on taking off your shoes. He shucks off his own boots, and his remaining armor pieces. He stands by the window in just his fatigues, and gazes out at the city. After you’ve gotten your shoes off, you join him standing just behind him. You wrap your arms around him and rest your head between his shoulder blades.

The quiet stillness in the room is comforting. Even in private spaces on the base like yours or his quarters, your office, any of the many supply closets and empty barracks; there’s always noise. People walking on other levels of the base, ships taking off and landing, the never ending mechanical sounds that seem to just be part of existence in the GAR. But not here. The glass panes in the windows are thick and insulate the room from the sounds of the city, being on the corner you only have to share a wall with one other room and right now it’s completely quiet.

His hand settles over yours where it rests on his chest. There is no need for words right now. You both needed this break from the constant noise that fills your lives. This quiet and private time to just be together. Especially after the last few weeks. But as his mind lulls that nagging guilty feeling twists in his gut again. He makes an effort to push it back to the edges of his mind, now is not the time.

Instead, he turns around to face you and places a hand on your neck and jaw, cradling your face as he presses his lips to yours. You respond in kind, kissing him back and gently holding his arm. His tongue darts out, swiping your bottom lip and coaxing you to open for him. You indulge and part your lips, allowing him to kiss you more fully. He tilts his head and deepens the moment, giving the back of your neck the gentlest squeeze. That earns him a low moan from deep in your throat. On a normal night, a sound like that might drive him wild. But tonight, he has no intention of falling into normal habits when it comes to sex. Tonight he has other plans.

His lips migrate from yours and leave a trail of kisses up your jawline, down your neck and across your shoulder. He drags his lips back towards the hollow at the base of your neck and places a lingering kiss there. He traces a line back up with his nose until he reaches your lips once more.

He’s never been like this before. He’s kissed you in all kinds of ways. Intense, bruising and passionate kisses; playful, explorative, eager kisses; grateful kisses full of craving for validation. This is entirely different. This is gentle, seductive, reverent.

He takes a couple steps forward into you, gently guiding your steps backwards towards the bed behind you. When you feel the mattress touch the back of your thighs you sink down to sit and feel him bend down with you, never letting his lips leave your skin. His hands slip underneath your shirt, and caress your sides. Up and down over the skin that covers your waist and ribs. It’s slow, easy strokes up and down, a little higher each time until his thumbs are massaging your nipples through the material of your bra. You hum in appreciation, thoroughly enjoying his softer touches and hungry kisses.

He helps you take off your sweater and leans back just a bit to watch you take off your bra. You can see on his face, he likes watching you take your clothes off, the pleased smirk that pulls at his lips. The way his eyes can not be torn from your body. You indulge him, standing again to unbutton your jeans and turning away from him so you can lean down when you pull them off.

Your little strip tease is working, he can feel himself becoming more aroused by the minute, but he’s determined to stay focused on the matter at hand. Tonight has nothing to do with him, this is for you.

When you turn back around to face him, he’s there waiting, he puts a hand on your shoulder, another at your hip and his lips by your ear. “Lay back for me”

You give him a slightly questioning look, but don’t comment. Instead you sit on the bed and ease yourself down onto your back. He leans back over you, taking care to position himself in such a way that prevents you from taking the brunt of his bodyweight, but still holding you close as he slants his lips over yours to kiss you breathless.

His hands roam, his fingers flex to squeeze the soft flesh over your hip bones and pull at your panties. He tugs at your bottom lip with gentle teeth, before releasing you. You are absolutely floored. You were expecting another night of fast, fun, cathartic sex; this feels like something else entirely. And you are unsure how to handle it. He kisses down your neck, across the expanse of your chest… lingering at your sternum while he massages your breasts, before traveling down to the waistband of your panties.

Your breath hitches when he presses a kiss to your core, through your panties. Your reaction is instant. You feel warm and flushed from head to toe. He hooks his fingers into the waistband and pulls them down over your thighs and off your body entirely.

You shiver in anticipation, watching him shift back down to your already aroused sex. His hands slide up the back of your thighs to cup your ass cheeks in both hands, and to your surprise, lift you up off the bed just a couple of inches to meet his slightly parted lips.

His tongue pushes between your folds and licks up towards your clit. Up and down, up and down. Devilishly slow and tactful with how he flicks his tongue at the top of each stroke.

He listens. To every breath, every sound you make. At the top of one of his strokes he stops. He mouths at your clit, circling your sensitive bud and listening to your needy whimpers change. He keeps his attention there, flicking his tongue back and forth over your clit, sucking on it while feeling his mouth and chin get wet with your slick.

He changes it up, let’s your ass drop back to the bed and uses his hands to push your legs open wider to continue. He pushes your pussy lips back and admires the slick that’s starting to dribble from your hole.

He stays focused. Using his tongue to rapidly flick your clit. He groans into you, and returns to the broader up and down strokes but keeping them short so he never strays far from your pretty little clit.

You are a moaning mess. His tongue works wonders and you would do pretty much anything to prevent him from stopping.

Encouraged by your enthusiastic and increasingly more desperate moans, he picks up the pace. His mouth devours your clit, suckling and slurping at it, making the most explicit sounds of wet pleasure. His fingers work to hold your folds open for his mouth to work at you. The tip of his finger teases your hole, pressing in just slightly, aided by your slick.

You whine feeling him push in a little. You want it. You want everything. You want to cum. You just need a little more.

He doesn’t let up. He knows you’re close and he has no intention of withholding that from you. He presses his finger in a little deeper, just to the first knuckle and moves his tongue over your clit fast enough it feels like it’s actually vibrating!

Your groan of pleasure and shaking legs are all the proof he needs. He slows up, and just licks your clit up and down, wanting you to finish fully without being overstimulated. That white hot feeling of pleasure burns through you and you feel an explosive release of tension throughout your whole body. Your face is frozen in slack jawed ecstasy and your heart hammers in your chest.

Wolffe pulls his face away from your now dripping sex and kisses your your inner thighs while you come back down a bit. He feels entirely confident he did that right and you are wholeheartedly satisfied.

As you lay there catching your breath, he takes a minute to wipe off his face with the sleeve of his shirt and eventually just takes the whole thing off along with his pants. He settles himself down on the bed beside you with a soft groan.

You turn your head to face him, unable to help the dopey smile on your face “Holy shit… That was amazing, what brought that on?” You ask with a bit of a tease

For a moment he’s ready. Ready to tell you the truth about the guilt that’s been eroding his heart the last couple days. Ready to tell you how he really feels. But, it just doesn’t feel like the right time.

“Had a craving” he smirks

“Feel free to indulge whenever you’d like” you chuckle, rubbing at your eyes with the back of your hand.

He’s relieved you bought it. Not an untrue statement anyway. He’d never done that for you before, never actually done it to anyone before. And it was something that had been on his mind lately.

He noticed you suppress a yawn behind your hand. He turns over into his side “Come on, you need to get some sleep” he says warmly

“What about you?” You ask trying to force down get another yawn

“We’ve got time, remember?” He reminds you

“Mmmm” you hum, settling in closer to him “Are you sure?”

He pulls you in close and closes his eyes “I’m sure”

His skin is warm against yours, his chest rumbles when he speaks. It’s very relaxing and you are hard pressed to fight him on it. You have three whole days to enjoy with him, plenty of time to return the favor. With that comforting thought, sleep washes over you like a gentle wave of the ocean.

Wolffe on the other hand. Can not sleep. He had hoped that taking his time, spelling out his love for you with his actions, worshiping your body the way you deserved… would release the guilt that plagues him. Instead, it’s all bubbling up in his chest. Seeing you so soft in sleep, relaxed and pliant after cumming on his tongue, being warm and safe beside him; it’s too much.

He adjusts his head to rest snuggly over yours, and rubs your back mindlessly. “I never meant to shut you out” he whispers into the darkness “I never want you to think I won’t take you seriously when something’s wrong. I would have done anything to protect you from that”

Your breathing remains deep and even, completely asleep and unaware of Wolffe’s confessions.

“I hate myself for feeling guilty. Nothing happened to me. You cried in my arms and told me your fear was being court martialed or transferred away. And I sat there feeling sorry for myself for not being a good enough partner for you” he swallows hard, saying it out aloud even though nobody can hear it is still a hard thing to do “You deserve everything. You deserve someone who listens when you’re scared or sad or whatever… I promise… I promise I will be better for you. I won’t ever let something like this happen again”

You let out a deep breath in your sleep and shift just a little. He feels remarkably better, like some of the weight has been lifted off his chest. But he knows it is a temporary fix. In the morning, he’ll man up and have actual conversation with you about everything. Because you deserve that. And he wants to be someone you deserve.

Tag List:

@maulslittlemeowmeow @lucyysthings @justanothersadperson93 @lackofhonor @paige6768 @thefact0rygirl @littedragonlady @sliceuhglyfe

[roseverdict]

How Can AvM Be Canon Within AvM? (Analysis/Headcanon)

Alright, so it's been, what, two, two and a half weeks since The King came out and downright imploded the fandom? There's so much going on during every second and every little detail counts. There've been revelations of Mango and Purple's narrative foiling, of what Mango's backstory means for the ages of the rest of the cast, and of what this means for the Beckerverse at large.

However, one odd little loose end continues to nag at a lot of us, it seems.

How is it possible for the original AvM video to exist within the continuity of the AvM "Shorts"?

I've seen a lot of speculation about whether in-universe Alan just has his screen recorder on all the time or not, and what this means for the apparent father figure to the very sticks in the video. Are the videos like vlogs in-universe? Do the sticks know they're being watched by millions of strangers?

I'd like to think I've figured it out. See, a post like this almost could have been made months ago, back when Green first saw Mango's explanation of the plan to Purple…except we didn't have one key factor then that we do now.

And that key factor…

…is Herobrine.

Lemme explain.

See, a lot of pieces of the puzzle fall into place once you work out Herobrine's whole deal. For context, in the original AvM video, he possesses Red and forces them to battle the rest of the Color Gang for seemingly no reason. When he next appears in Monster School, he's…

…a teacher?

Now, I'm not going to talk too much about the ins and outs of Monster School- that's not a canon I'm familiar with. What I am familiar with, though, is the previous Animation Vs. videos. Why on earth would a Minecraft cryptid who, by all appearances, should have a grudge against ROYGB…not have a grudge?

I mean, you've seen him in action.

If Red wasn't an unexpected-but-welcome visitor, we would have known. Instead, we got Herobrine making Red come to class. Almost like saying "Get in here- you might actually learn something."

And while he's pretty insistent that Red sticks around for class, as visibly Not A Mob as Red is, he's also a pretty chill teacher, all things considered.

At least, until his students are endangered.

Now, how does this characterization of Herobrine mesh with that from the original AvM, when the characterization for everybody else is so rock-solid that we're able to associate Minecraft proficiencies with stick figures who are visually indistinguishable save by color?

Simple: it doesn't.

Now, I'm not saying we've got two Herobrines running around, I'm saying that the Herobrine we meet in Monster School is, as it were, Beckerverse Herobrine's natural state.

The original AvM was an acting gig.

I'd even go so far as to suggest that almost all the "Animation Vs" videos that aren't AvM "Shorts" were planned out in-universe, and there's a simple way to tell which ones would have been planned and which ones weren't.

Does it happen on Alan's desktop (or an expansion of it)? It was most likely planned.

This goes for Vs. Youtube, Vs. Mario, Vs. Arcade Games, and Vs. Minecraft. An argument could even be made for AvM S1E1- The Rediscovery.

It does not go for Vs. League of Legends.

(Don't worry, I'll be coming back to Herobrine later. I'm not through with him yet.)

Now, Vs. League of Legends, while originally teased at the end of Vs. Minecraft, does not actually pick up from where Vs. Minecraft left off. It takes place sometime after season 1 of the AvM shorts, and it takes place within League itself.

It also features Purple.

I won't go into too much detail, but suffice it to say that the bit of character development we get here does seem to translate directly to the Parkour episode of AvM S3- in the previous AvM short with Purple in it, the rainbow squad leaves on less-than-friendly terms with Purple, what with Blue and Green being left to fall to their deaths and Purple being tossed in Minecraft jail, and all. In Vs. League, however, we get a good, old-fashioned stick fight between ROYGB and Purple, and it would be expected for the two sides to part as frustrated acquaintances at best…

…and then they go for another round, this time switching up who the 'villain' is and getting Purple to play with them.

Then, in Parkour, Purple uses this newfound trust to get them into the parkour trap. (And I could yell (hyperfixation) about Purple here, too, but I'm trying to focus purely on the meta right now so skdjskdjdk)

See, season 1 of AvM originally takes place on Alan's PC, but it does take a detour through the Nether and out through multiple different Minecraft worlds before the sticks finally get back.

Season 2, short as it is, takes place entirely on the desktop. (Or desktop-adjacent, in the case of the Lucky Blocks episode. Even in that trippy Lucky Block Dimension, the sticks can still influence the desktop directly.)

Season 3…well.

Season 3 takes us out of Alan's PC right from the get-go, and while there is a brief return or two before the end, it's still a direct continuation of what's been happening on the other side of the portal.

And what a happening it's been!

We've got the squad being split up multiple times, we've got a looming threat on the verge of deleting Minecraft, and we've even got a brief detour through somebody else's copy of the game.

But how does all this mesh together?

Well, like I said, if my theory is correct, the Animation Vs. videos (minus Vs. LoL) were all staged, at least to some degree. That means that, for all intents and purposes, Herobrine's original possession of Red was planned out beforehand and given the green light.

Maybe some of the other AvM videos were too, maybe they weren't. Unless we see them within the context of new AvM videos themselves, I don't think we'll ever know for sure.

But the videos that follow the sticks off the desktop are almost certainly videos that just don't exist in the Beckerverse. If in-universe Alan has a screen recorder trained on his desktop for funsies, he likely doesn't send his digicameras to follow the sticks around as they leave to do who-knows-what.

So what does this mean for the father figure to our favorite stick figures?

I propose that the Animation Vs. videos that could have been filmed using just Alan's screen recorder were, while videos that involve the sticks leaving to go who-knows-where weren't. The build battles, the first two music-related episodes, the first rollercoaster video, those were all done with at least the knowledge that what they were doing was being recorded. (I personally like to think in-universe Alan runs any "hey remember this? let's make it a video!" ideas past the sticks before uploading, but that's just me.)

Blue and Green leaving for the Nether the first time and ending up on Purple's Macbook, and everything that comes directly of it? That happens "off-camera" and probably isn't uploaded to in-universe Youtube.

The events of S3 as a whole, taking place almost entirely off of Alan's PC, wouldn't have been recorded, either.

Which brings us back to Herobrine. His first appearance, his acting gig, was definitely on Alan's desktop. In this context, it'd be like if you managed to successfully get Bigfoot to shoot a video with you- you shoot the video, you bid Bigfoot farewell, and you never expect to run into him again.

Except Red did.

When Herobrine sees Red in the halls, his first instinct is not to tell Red to get lost, the way it would be if he'd recognized Red and left ROYGB on bad terms. He squints at Red- and I would bet money that he does recognize them, because how many stick figures would a Minecraft Creepypasta brought to life even know?- and invites Red to class.

That's not something you do with somebody you dislike, especially when kids you care about, your students, are on the line and you've got the means to protect them.

Now, we know from Monster School and The King that Herobrine is perfectly capable of what we saw in the original AvM, but that he's also capable of so much more. The Doylist explanation is just that Alan and the crew came up with more abilities to show off after growing their skills for years on end.

The Watsonian explanation is that, well, in a scripted video, Herobrine didn't need to pull out all the stops. The original AvM was plenty entertaining as it was, and the sticks are durable enough to do things, like, say, brawl with each other in a website without end. If the first AvM was scripted, who's to say they were even really endangered?

(The AvA videos and the actually-short shorts…kinda hurt my brain to think about in this context. So I won't. At least, not yet.)

But they were definitely endangered in The King, and when Herobrine is in danger of getting pulled into the staff, nobody moves…

…except for Red.

Red was possessed in the seemingly-scripted original AvM video and, if they'd had a bad experience with being possessed for a video, they likely wouldn't have brought attention to themself right at this moment. If they hadn't, they might have beaten themself up over not doing so later, but their first thought in the moment wouldn't be to get closer.

But it was. They did.

And we all know what happened next.

We know that plot points from the original AvM are still true in-universe, scripted though the video may be.

Herobrine's abilities...

...the power of the Minecraft icon...

...that's all stuff that comes back later on.

Which brings us to the Mango man himself and the moment that's breaking all of our brains.

In-universe, if the only videos that exist are the ones that take place solely on or around one guy's desktop, who's to say stick figures in the interspace believe that anything that happens in them could be real? They don't go on that guy's PC. As evidenced by the Minecraft booth from Mango's backstory, they need a whole Star Trek holodeck-on-steroids setup to even get into Minecraft without using Minecraft mechanics directly, and this likely goes for other games as well.

Mango, however, was desperate enough to turn to Minecraft myths for his revenge plan. He's already considering things outside the box- who's to say he can't get the Minecraft icon from wherever the ROYGB sticks are?

So when he puts up his posters declaring that he wants to find the sticks who most people probably consider to be actors, who else would respond than the one stick we on the outside have seen before, the one stick who knows that the videos may be scripted but the abilities are certainly real?

When Purple sees Mango's Minecraft basement, they're looking around in awe, sure, but given that the use of Minecraft mechanics seems to be restricted outside of Minecraft, to the point that Mango needed to make a shady alleyway deal to get his hands on a command block…well, I'd be surprised too.

But they recognize the Nether portal for what it is, and they don't hesitate to follow Mango through.

There's probably a lot to be said regarding Purple's motivations at this point- given the assumption that Vs. LoL happened off-camera, for Purple to then turn around and lure the sticks into the parkour trap for Mango…there's something more going on there, there's gotta be. Something that might have been expanded on in a musical number, perhaps?

however this post took several hours of thinking to do and the better part of a day to make legible for tumblr, and i wound up passing out at one point, so i think i'm done for now wodjskdkd. i'd like to think i've at least clarified which videos would be available in-universe and why.

now if anybody needs me, i'm gonna go rewatch s3 and cry again :',D

[clovercalloway]

We Best Love: Episode 2, "Why are we here, just to suffer?"

ON THE PREVIOUS FIRST EPISODE:

Well, damn, now I have no idea what'll happen next. I usually expect something like this to happen near the end of any romance, but they just went and did it.

Will they reach the second base in this episode, then? Who knows.

They already kissed, now we just wait for that sweet tension.

I swear, the more I watch this intro the more gay it looks. Like, I can feel the tension in the air.

Meanwhile, Shi De is a hopeless romantic, he can't be more obvious with that monologue. Like, it's impossible.

He keeps saying things like "look at me" as if that isn't the gayest thing to ever say in any fictional show when you refer to another guy.

[EAW: Now I know what this reminded me of. Warning: kinda MHA spoilery but w/o context , @bossman ]

Idk which one is gayer, I'll be honest

Shi De, you're the one that kissed him underwater OUT OF NOWHERE. Are you really in the position of asking that?

"What's wrong with you? Why did you kiss me?" TELL HIM, SHU YI!

He says that Shu Yi wasn't coming up. Boy, that's the lamest excuse I've heard. Please just follow Bruno Mars advice and say this instead.

Now he's asking about Yu Xin, like he's tired of Shu Yi pining after her for so long (the jealousy, guys... Alexa, play Heather). But Shu Yi is all "you stalkin' me?".

I know he asked that as a joke.

THAT WAS A RETHORICAL QUESTION, BUT SHI DE SAID GO BIG OR GO HOME!

Is Shu Yi fucking serious?

"So you can defeat me". Sweetie, that's not-

Not the reaction I expected. Like, I used to watch Ladybug but this guy's too much. How is he somehow more oblivious than Adrien? Is barely episode two. Lord, please don't tell me it gets worse. I'll need ice cream if he starts acting more dense than he already is.

Anyways, Gao Shi De tries to comfort him but Shu Yi tells him to get lost and our boy obeys.

He went back into the water, istg...

I can only picture Linkin Park in the backhead of his mind playing very loudly. My son is in his sad arc.

He's being very dramatic and thinking "boy, I need to get over it".

Well, he actually says a lot more, trying to be deep and all that, but I was very distracted by his dramatic self.

Tho he's right that it's worse when the unrequited love is a friendship. Little does he know, for Gao Shi De the unrequited love is hitting hard.

Oh no

He seems into it

Well, idk what'll happen next, but whatever it is, please don't let this pretty lady be a rebound, what you need is to dwell in your own feelings, even if it doesn't feel right at the moment, because it's better to learn how to live with those emotions and then manage them, that way you will be mature enought to fall in love in a better- who am I kidding, his ass is not listening

Fang Zheng Wen tries to talk to him, but then Yu Xin appears and invites them for lunch, but Shu Yi says he "doesn't wanna be a third wheel".

I feel you, man. You don't have to force yourself to be in that uncomfortable situation.

HERE COMES THE BOY TO THE RESCUE

It's a green flag if someone notices what you're trying to say without saying it. He was uncomfortable and at least someone not only noticed but also did SOMETHING about it.

Like, no hate to Zheng Wen but it's obvious the atmosphere is not pleasant for your friend, you should say or do something.

Speaking of being proactive, Shi De went and showed him a recording of him at the pool, in a low moment as we know he got a taste of that unrequited love.

Shu Yi is again asking the right questions ("why do you follow me all the time", "what do you want") that would give him a clear answer if he wasn't so dense.

The nerve of this guy. He's blackmailing him with the video.

"You have to be on-call and obey me." Sounds fruity, LET'S GO!

Modern marriage proposal, they call it.

So the only way to break this deal off is for Shu Yi to beat him, anything counts. Shi De tells him that and Shu Yi looks excited.

"I'll beat you hard" This isn't getting less gayer by the second.

"Tomorrow in my house" I'll count those as dates.

Skip to the next morning and now they're arguing over going on a car or a MRT.

Bro is blackmailing him with the video again, so they end up being late and Shu Yi pretends to be mad about it.

You are not beating the stalker allegations.

"You have it so you can put pranks on me?" Why are we here, just to suffer?

While Shu Yi keeps being his oblivious self, Shi De invites him for breakfast.

Class is boring and Shu Yi falls asleep on his shoulders, so adorable.

Still, you'll have to lend him your notes, man.

Classmate over there is telling Shi De to wake him up and our boy refuses. Let him have this moment, dude.

"But he's not even from this departam-" "Shut up"

After class, Shu Yi suddendly wants to have lunch.

Oh

Well, Yu Xin is there and Gao Shi De can tell that his boy is not feeling good.

So now both of them are hiding, but

"How long do you have to hide from her?" He's not wrong

Obviously is gonna be awkward but is better to do it sooner rather than latter or it'll be worse and he'll end up losing his friends without wanting to.

And Shu Yi knows this, but he says it still hurts. And that's totally reasonable

But then "if she finds out, we can't be friends anymore"

No, man. If you can get pass that, you'll just have an even stronger friendship. If not, she at least will know it and will try to explain how you're still important to her, even if her love isn't the same as the love you say you feel. The only thing actually puting your friendship in danger is the dreaded miscommunication.

"Why do I tell you this" Cause he's your future husband

And, of course, because is nice to say things. Bottling up your feelings will only hurt you more on the long run, you need to face them head on.

Gao Shi De agrees with me, a total w

"You can't just put [love] back into the shelf"

Then he says Shi De wouldn't understand. Boy do I have news for you...

Shi De says he DOES know and Shu Yi is curious

This is too much. This is Wei Ying levels of oblivious.

Shu Yi, stop ruining my ship, you're part of it.

Shi De's classmate keeps looking at him like that meme of someone pointing with their eyebrow raised and a big rainbow at the side.

Wait, I had an idea

Sorry, I had to

Sharing a meal is fruity activity, says science (at this point it's just me thinking these are dates, because if they're not, I'm even more curious about how a REAL date between these two would be).

Well, now the classmate, the same one from before, keeps butting in and acting as if this couple's existence is a personal offense.

But his dislike seems more inclined towards Shu Yi. [EAW: is this guy 🌈 too?]

Now our main couple and their closed ones (even tho the guy with no name may only be a classmate) are all in the same table, and this dude keeps making passive aggressive comments, but Shu Yi bro defends him and says that Zhou Shu Yi doesn't lose, not against Shi De, and if he did, it was on purpose.

Thanks for exposing him, man.

And guess who comes in

Welp, a lot has happened in just one meal, right?

Of course, Shu Yi leaves immediatly. And Shi De follows.

At an arcade, Shu Yi's friend is asking him why are they so close now? Is it another prank for Shi De?

No, my man, but you should ask Gao Shi De, at least he knows more about his own feelings.

Suddendly, and idea.

Did you really never think of this? Were you so caught up in trying to rile him up that you didn't actually do any basic competition? You really are something else.

Playing montage!

This is even funnier because for Gao Shi De, I bet he shares my mind and totally thinks of this as a date

Meanwhile, Shu Yi

"Your days are numbered, you little-"

Shu Yi does his litle finger gun at Shi De and I'm like don't worry, you already shot him, just look at how his eyes are hearts when he's with you.

Welp, we have a flustered Shi De.

It's obvious who keeps winning again and again. But in case it wasn't clear with episode 1, it's Shi De.

Shu Yi leaves, ready to be "tortured" again tomorrow, and Shi De is totally smug because he got what he wanted, at least. A nice time with future bf.

Cute aggression, they call it. Typical of future life partners.

Perfect opportunity to commit theft, says Shu Yi, but he's caught instantly.

Both begin to wrestle for the phone and for being caught and then somehow this happens.

The way I had to pause (the video and myself) after this. Gods, my mind is not pure and I'm going to hell.

Also, I snorted hella hard.

Yu Xin is me fr

I know it's basically the same scene, but this is just too perfect for a meme

Yu Xin apologizes saying "I thought you and Gao Shi De were together". Give them a few months. If it depends on Shi De, it could be weeks. If it's on Shu Yi's hand, maybe we'll need like three years at minimum.

It's usually "from their limited perspective, it can be seen as fruity" but man, from my non limited perpsective as someone who witnessed those moments, this is still fruity as f.

Yu Xin has the right energy but not the right idea and keeps insiting that Shu Yi confesses. Shi De gets tired of watching this uncomfortable circus and leaves with Shu Yi.

"Are they really not dating?" You both are his friends and know him well enough, I do not. And even I think this is very very rainbowish.

Well, Yu Xin, they are on a date so does this answer your question?

"Why do you add spicy if you can't take it?" "Cause you like it" This is a gem.

"I just know you too well" It's nice to know that at least from Shi De's perspective this is a rivalry more than an enemies relationship.

Shu Yi thanks him for getting him out of there, and says that Yu Xin and Zheng Wen are really compatible and make a perfect couple.

"What would you do if the one you love loves another person" says Shu Yi, having dealt with something similar to rejection but accepting it.

After eating they go out but Shu Yi starts feeling bad and Shi De takes him to a doctor.

"Try to separate them and take adantage of it" says Shi De and Shu Yi gulps hard. Try to run but you won't get far, kid.

So that was episode 2! Aside from the doctor being a bummer and not letting me and Shu Yi live (or well, die), it was fun. They're not even in an official relationship yet, but sure feels like it!

"If you want to die keep eating spicy hotpot" Hey doc, I'll die but I'll die happy, ok?

Shu Yi, man, like, besides the obvious hints through the whole episode, he literally kissed you. Like, how dense can you be?

And to @bitacrytic, oml, thanks a lot! Tumblr was being a b*tch and didn't let me answer your comment. And yeah, so far I'm invested. But also busy. I hope to finish the post for episode 3 sooner.

The most probable case is that I'll be uploading these blind reactions weekly, but only if I'm less busy those weeks. [Jokes on me, adult life is hard.]

Anygays, hope you enjoyed this. (I surely did.)

[hoghtastic]

It’s because she knew mikal since they were teenagers. I’m pretty sure they were together for a really long time from a young age so of course it looks more real an natural, because it is. They probably had a lot more time to get to know each other and actually build a real relationship and a real connection. With Alex there isn’t really any of that. They are already planning on moving in together and they’ve only ‘officially’ been announced together as a couple since march? That’s extremely fast.

On another note, I wouldn’t want to follow my ex especially if they post their significant other a lot, so it’s understandable that mikal doesn’t. But why do you think red still does? It’s a bit odd to me. With the knowledge we have of the ‘unofficial’ timeline of Alex and red’s “relationship” we have assumed (at least I’ve read) that she may have been going after Alex while she was still with mikal. Do you think she regrets leaving mikal for Alex? On one hand she has benefited a lot from being with Alex, and (from my observation, my opinions) initially I think she was ‘starstruck” by Alex and by Alex being interested in her. She she romanticized her being with Alex and all the “fame” and status that comes with being with him. So I really don’t think there was any real interest past looks and shallow “we have this and this in common” type of vibes. They don’t have any real connection. But with mikal it was probably the exact opposite, they weren’t famous and they were working on plays together here and there, and from what they posted and how they interacted, I feel like it was genuine love and care for each other and now that she’s with Alex and doesn’t seem to have that. From her social media presence it seems like they are actually having problems already. I’ve noticed the energy change with Alex and red. I watched her 3rd podcast episode yesterday and I screen recorded the end of it. And when she was talking with the guest, she was all smiles and giggles and she had a more laid back demeanor, but when Alex started talking in the background, her whole face and demeanor changed. Have you guys every heard of “micro expressions” you notice a slight change of emotion in someone’s face or body language without them actually moving their face or stance too much. There was almost an immediate attitude or something, it was very strange and it happened almost immediately after Alex started speaking. I had to pause the video because it got tense for a few seconds, even the guest looked uncomfortable.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this. 😊

I can't really comment on the podcast, as I don't watch it. But personally, I found your observations very interesting. Maybe he's a very meticulous "director" and she just wanted to appear as professional as possible and not make any mistakes? 😅🤷‍♀️

About Johanne still following Mikal, it could be for various reasons. She could still be curious about what he's doing with his life, either for genuine reasons, or for some petty "he'll never get anyone better than me". Also, if she has indeed got a narcissistic personality, it's very common for narcissists to keep "tabs" on their previous partners, either to keep them as "backup" in case their current relationship doesn't work out or to still exert some sort of control over them. Either way, I truly believe it was the healthiest thing for Mikal to stop following her. And in regards to Johanne regretting leaving him for Alex, I don't think it's the case, at least not yet. She seems to still be enjoying all the benefits she got out of this relationship, so even if it's not always "unicorns and rainbows", the perks far outweigh the inconveniences, in my opinion.

[spinningbuster98]

Ratchet & Clank Part 7: In space no one can hear you scream bloody murder

(The first half of the video has no audio because my pc was being obnoxious, playing the audio from my perspective but not letting the program record it and I realized it too late. Sorry for that)

Oh boy here we reach Gemlik Base!

It’s long, it’s tough, it’s pretty damn unforgiving

Don’t take this as a negative though, I actually quite like this place, especially due to its atmosphere, what with it taking place mostly in space and that music

My only issue with it is that near the end it forces you to fight a huge room full of enemies. If you remember I said that this game’s weapons and controls are just not all that suited for direct engagement and this is one moment where I feel the game forgot about this. It feels like something straight out of Going Commando and beyond but without the key mechanics to make it not awkward to manage, especially with the camera not really focusing on the enemies

This is also where Ratchet completes his “character arc”....if you can call it that

Ok so it’s pretty obvious that the game wants to present Ratchet’s story as that of someone who initially only really cares about his own selfish interests, only to eventually be swayed into becoming a full blown hero thanks to Clank, who acts as a sort of moral compass to him. On paper this is good

In practice it’s very halfassed for a number of reasons

The first one being that, like Ratchet said in a previous video, we don’t know him. The game tells us absolutely nothing about him as a person or what he usually does on Planet Veldin, the most we know is that he’s a mechanic and he presumably wanted to explore the galaxy in search of cool stuff to see which is why he was trying to build a spaceship at the beginning. This helps to explain his initial behavior throughout the first act, where he’s essentially a pretty easy going dude who’s mostly just following Clank along for the ride, but is easily distracted by stuff like wanting to participate in hoverboard races or being made into an official hero by Captain Qwark

Then Clank almost has them both killed when he walks into Qwark’s trap and from then until now Ratchet pretty much switches to a completely different character. He’s super spiteful towards Clank, keeps saying the meanest shit to him and suddenly becomes obsessed with getting revenge against Captain Qwark to the point that he flat out states multiple times that he doesn’t care if Drek keeps destroying planets so long as he gets to Qwark. Not only is this a complete 180 from what he was at the beginning it’s also pretty damn unwarrented

I can get being initially pissy at Clank for his naivete, but Ratchet literally holds this grudge until the last act of the game, even though the game makes it pretty clear that Clank is just naive, mostly due to the fact that he was only recently built and doesn’t have much experience with the world. This doesn’t feel like Ratchet having a volatile attitude, this makes it look like he’s a childish prick who flies off the handle for the flimsiest of reasons

And while him being mad at Qwark for double crossing him makes sense the dude gets obsessed to such a forced degree! I almost expect him to bust out a giant sword while screaming his name to the clouds, you’d think he’d killed his parents with how mad Rathet is at him, while Qwark is just some guy who happens to be a famous superhero who turned out to be a conman.

And after all of this now Ratchet suddenly flips the switch again. After he sees Drek’s newest plan for destroying a planet he suddenly starts having second thoughts about this and after finally dealing with Qwark he goes “yeah I’ve been a jackass, let’s go save the galaxy!”, which makes no sense because EVERY planet in this game has been attacked by Drek in some way, yet Ratchet never cared, not even at the start before he got all pissy, yet only now does he switch into responsible hero mode, without it even being some kind of gradual slow change brought about by Clank’s positive influence, hell Clank at some points even says “This is not you Ratchet!” when he acts like a dick and even goes “This is the Ratchet I know!”, which is stupid because they’ve known each other for very little time by this point and even at the start of the game Ratchet wasn’t that heroic to begin with!

I know that many fans hate how Ratchet has had his attitude mostly stripped away from him in later games from what little I know, making him blander. That’s not good, but this goes too far into the opposite extreme and feels far too much like flat out sloppy story telling to me. I’m also sure that’s how the devs must’ve felt back then because, from what I know, Ratchet’s personality was one of the game’s most criticized aspects back when it released, so much so that for the sequel they largely rewrote his personality to be way friendlier and even gave him a new voice actor in order to further drive home the idea that this was a “new” Ratchet.

[atamascolily]

There's a famous story about the ancient Indian mathematician Sessa, who is said to have invented the game that would eventually be known as chess. As a reward for his services, his patron the King ordered he could have anything he wanted, and Sessa wished for a chessboard covered with rice, with one grain on the first square, two grains on the second square, four grains on the third square, eight grains on the fourth square, and doubling the number of grains each time until all sixty-four squares were covered.

The king, thinking this would be an easy task, agreed, only to discover he had promised more than he bargained for. You see, the total number of rice grains needed to fill the board was (2^64)−1 or 18,446,744,073,709,551,615 grains of rice. That's over 18 quintillion grains of rice, or 1.4 trillion metric tons, more than is produced annually in the world today, let alone in a single kingdom.

This story, which has a lot of variations and is popularly known as "the wheat and the chessboard problem" in mathematics, is about the power of exponential growth and how human beings are really, really bad at estimating its effects. I bring it up as an example here because I think that it vividly illustrates what Homura has inadvertently done to Madoka with her loops and why it has such a drastic effect.

Or to put it a different way, because of the way karmic destiny and causality work in this series (see the "Karmic Destiny, Magical Potential, and the Objectified Soul: What Happens When a Girl Contracts?" section of this essay by Imagak for one explanation), the impacts of Homura's loops are not linear, they are fundamentally exponential in nature, and thus are magnified far beyond what their actual number suggests.

So we're not talking about 14 here, we're actually talking about something like 2^14, or more than 16,000 times the impact of an "ordinary" human life. And given what kinds of miracles an "ordinary" human life is capable of, I think 14 loops would be more than sufficient to get the results we see at the end of the series. Even the original chessboard problem only went up to 2^64, and that was enough to overwhelm an entire planet--can you imagine what anything close to 2^100 would do???

[This is true regardless of how you choose to calculate the exact "weight" of karmic destiny; I'm just sticking with the base numbers for simplicity's sake. Likewise, you can debate exactly how the mechanics of karmic destiny work--maybe it doesn't follow this exact model--but the point remains that regardless of how you measure their effects, the timelines become more and more compounded over time because each one depends on a growing chain of causality involving all the previous timelines, which adds up considerably after only a few iterations, just like the chessboard problem.]

As for your other points, I'll note that Madoka Magica as a franchise has not been entirely consistent with its spinoffs and as a result, many of the examples you mention are either not considered canon to the main series, or cover some or all of the same timelines shown in the anime and Scene 0, so there's at least some amount of overlap (i.e., a storyline from one of the drama CDs about Amy the cat appears in Scene 0, for example). In general, however, Madoka Magica seems to content to continually re-visit the same material (lol) rather than invent new ones, at least in the sense of making them officially canonical, much to my disappointment.

Although it's playable in the Magia Record game (which is set in alternate universe that Madokami chose not to interfere with and thus remains isolated from the main series), Scene 0 itself does not reference any previous Magia Record characters or storylines and appears to be its own separate independent thing; its entire premise is that this is the "full" story that wasn't shown in the anime and everything I've seen of it has been fully canon-consistent thus far. Furthermore, Moemura is only present for the initial loops in Scene 0, transitioning rather quickly to the Coolmura we see later in the anime.

(I don't blame anyone for not following Scene 0, by the way--it is extremely long, and in my personal opinion, somewhat tedious and bloated, but there are English translations of the entire thing up on YouTube if anyone wants to check it out for themselves.)

As far as I know, the original Reddit post was removed because OP forgot to include spoiler tags, not because of its contents, but I agree that PMMM fans can be very aggressive in response to ideas they don't agree with. This is going to be very funny when Walpurgis no Kaiten comes out and blows everything up--if they do what I think they're going to do with that movie, it's going to make the backlash to Rebellion look like small potatoes, and a lot of people are going to be mad but for contradictory reasons. I think the long delay between installments had more to do with studio politics and behind the scenes drama than fan reaction, but there's no way to know for certain at this point.

Believe it or not, although I've written a lot about it just now, I'm actually agnostic on this particular subject. Mostly I just want to know why there are 14 Clara Dolls in Rebellion, and there being only 14 timelines is one of the most solid explanations I've come across thus far, with an actual mechanism to explain it, as opposed to "Inu Curry felt like it"--which may indeed be true, but feels unsatisfying in a movie where every other aesthetic choice is strongly grounded in the characters, themes and mechanics of the universe. You don't design that many individual characters without some kind of reason, and I desperately want to know what that is in this case.

That said, I honestly think the exact number of loops is one detail best left to the imagination (there's a reason why it was never mentioned in the anime, because it ultimately doesn't change the outcome there). Personally, I would have preferred it if Gen Urobuchi had left the number entirely up to fan interpretation instead of firing off an estimate that so many people take as definitive despite never appearing in the original source material! But the recent story developments in Scene 0 has made me wonder if SHAFT is moving towards a direct answer after all, and I'm keeping an eye out in case this ever appears again.

I saw an incredibly interesting theory on Reddit that has unfortunately been deleted by the mods, so I wanted to discuss it here because I've never seen it anywhere else. OP began by pointing out that there are 13 timelines in Scene 0 in Magia Record, and the ending implies that the main anime timeline is Homura's 14th loop overall.

This contradicts Urobuchi's oft-repeated statement from a con panel in 2013 that that the number of loops was "approaching 100", which a lot of fans take to be canon, but was never clearly defined in the original series. (For what it's worth, Urobuchi has also gone on the record saying he didn't think too much about the mechanics behind Homura's time travel, so I suspect this is one more example.)

If there are truly 14 timelines, then it would go along way towards explaining why there are 14 Clara Dolls: each one would thus be a metaphorical--and quite possibly literal--representation of one of Homura's time loops. You could also make a case for a possible 15th timeline after Madoka's wish resets the world to account for the "missing" 15th Clara Doll; I personally believe that "Ai" is the Homura we follow for most of Rebellion, so that isn't strictly necessary, but you do you.

As a bonus, it would also retroactively explain why there are 14 "strings of fate" binding Madoka and Homura in episode 11 - this might have originally been metaphorical, because the animators didn't want to draw so many strings (though I suppose they could have), but it would now be literal as well.

I know a lot of people are emotionally invested in the idea of 100+ loops, but this idea makes a lot of sense. Up until now, the exact number of loops has not been a major plot point (and only 5 are explicitly shown in the anime), but it will be interesting to see if this comes up in any capacity in Walpurgis no Kaiten.

[ichayalovesyou]

(Re)Discovering A Strange New Spock: “Dagger of The Mind” (1x09)

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Next: The Corbomite Maneuver

A meta anthology where I re-examine TOS, especially Spock, in light of the new information Discovery & Strange New Worlds has revealed about him to us.

Onto the Analysis!

Spock is A Massive Bigot Example 9000

Okay first things first I don’t want to EVER, and I mean EVER hear anything remotely resembling the words “Spock isn’t bigoted like McCoy” or “Vulcans are better than Humans” EVER AGAIN after the utter hypocritical nonsense Spock spews in the beginning of this episode!

“You earth people glorify organized violence for 40 centuries, but you imprison those who employ it privately.” First of all ‘YOU EARTH PEOPLE?!’ that’s really damn derogatory even for you Spock, son of Amanda Grayson the human from Earth.

Spock, my guy, my beloved bitchy lil’ blorbo. Vulcan tried to instigate at war with Andoria barely a century ago, you guys were On Sight with the Klingons for a long time before formal relations were established. Don’t act like Vulcans are above it all!

Also it’s bold of you to pretend that Vulcans are completely incapable of crime. Vulcans put their V’Tosh Ka’tur dissidents and violent offenders in “correctional facilities” different name, same concept.

Spock Has Every Reason to HATE Prisons

I find it incredibly interesting and wonderful that Spock strongly sides with McCoy on this mission. Kirk is in the wrong here and learns the truth by the end of the episode (I’ll get into why I think he believes what he does after I talk about Spock).

Let’s have a look at Spock’s experiences with penal colonies and their kin shall we?

Sybok, his brother, is a high security patient/prisoner for the ambigious crime of “was a revolutionary, who sought experience and knowledge that were forbidden by Vulcan beliefs.”

Michael, his sister, was supposed to spend the rest of her life in a penal colony. She proved to the Federation that not only could she be “rehabilitated/redeemed” given a second chance. But went on to save the Federation she’d once hurt, multiple times. She never would’ve been able to do that locked up and cut off from her family.

He himself was wrongfully imprisoned, falsely accused of murder and considered a violent offender. This was after institutionalizing himself in a place he thought he could trust and learned that he could not.

Sees his commanding officer Una taken and court martialed on the basis of her species. Will risk the Federation’s only death penalty helping a friend, and sees Kirk nearly get his career stripped from him over falsified computer evidence.

His ex-fiancé works at a Vulcan Correctional Facility (perhaps part of why they break up IS ideological differences regarding this topic, especially now that we know Sybok is imprisoned in the same facility where she works).

Spock knows how deeply flawed the Federation’s militaristic judiciary and prison system is. It’s no wonder Spock gives Kirk a “he has a point Captain” look when Bones orders Jim to look into the Tantalus situation. Speaking of Jim…

Why Kirk Believes In Crime & Punishment

I think part of his opinion is privilege and the other part is Tarsus (and maybe Klingon War?) trauma. Kirk is a well-respected Human officer with a squeaky clean record. In fact he was canonically a bit of a Boimler and got a friend demoted for breaking the rules (which is why Court Martial happens at all). He has never once been wrongly accused of anything, or had a lifetime of imprisonment on the horizon. He just doesn’t know.

That, and forgiveness has never, ever been Kirk’s strong suit, not with others, not with himself. I think we can blame Kodos the Executioner for that. Jim’s formative experience with unjust, criminal actions was at the hands of a genocidal egotist convinced he was doing the right thing.

No wonder he’s under the impression that criminal actions are the product of a sick mind and not also a result of lacking resources or help that led them to that action or trauma-born illness. Which we know even in the 21st century to be true.

I also think this informs his behavior towards the Klingons in Errand of Mercy, A Private Little War, & Star Trek VI. The first few times the war is still a fresh wound for Kirk, and Undiscovered Country takes place after a Klingon killed his only child and nearly killed Spock. His hatred and difficulty letting go is no surprise to me.

Spock’s First TOS Mind Meld (Oh Look He Lyin’ Again)

Look, we know Spock’s a liar, but on this occasion he doesn’t really have good reason to lie to Bones… or does he?

He says he’s never melded with a human before, which is just plain untrue. In this timeline, as far as we know, he’s at the very least Mind Melded with La’an Noonien-Singh. What happened? La’an almost found out about one, extremely classified thing, Michael Burnham, his sister. The fact she learned about the events of Zero Point notwithstanding.

My guess is that he melds much much more rarely in SNW than TOS because of this. After all, the only other meld we witness is the one with Pike (who already knows Burnham) in the Balance of Timeline.

Maybe he is fearful that there’s a danger of Dr. Van Gelder finding out about Michael like La’an nearly did. As we well know, Spock is not at all a fan of taking risks.

I would assume that he gets progressively better at shielding his memories of Michael from others during a meld. Considering the increasing frequency he does so over the course of TOS, not just with aliens and machines, but with the riskiest of melds, human Starfleet officers.

I do think it’s worth noting that Bones learns of the mind meld before Jim does. Which feels like foreshadowing to his becoming the holder of Spock’s Katra. Possibly as a result, being the only member of Spock’s new found family that may know about Spock’s vanished sister.

Spock’s Reaction To Dr. Noel Is Uh… Fascinating.

Spock’s reaction to Noel’s open interest in Jim in the transporter room is intriguing. I would say that it’s just Spock’s normal distaste of PDA but, there’s no PDA. Jim basically goes “I’m gonna kill Bones 🙄” and Spock does that classic little “I must not emote” lip purse.

Whether it be amusement, irritation or jealousy. Spock tends to react strongly whenever Jim is around people who’re interested in him and vice versa. Bonus points for the “come on, seriously?” when he starts making out with Noel much later in the episode 😂

Loneliness (Closing Banter)

A morsel of fuel for my running theory that Captain Kirk has very real Autophobia: how haunted he sounds by the prospect of loneliness.

But then, when he makes direct eye contact with Spock, it’s like that that fear, that feeling of being haunted by the prospect of loneliness vanishes. Like knowing Spock is there makes everything a little more okay. He shifts back into confident, command mode as they set out for their next adventure.

[coldresolve]

Moneymakers, pt. iv // the_attic_271020XX

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It doesn’t make sense.

Renee is talking again, pacing around him, and although Conrad can hear his voice, he doesn’t comprehend a single word. The camera lens is crystal clear; he can see how the light reflects in the glass, can make out the diaphragm behind it, fanning out like an iris. He can count seconds along with the blinking light of the record button. He can feel the soles of his feet on the floor. There’s a rush of blood in his ears, a numbness in his hands, a burning feeling in the back of his throat.

Physically, he is present; there’s no distance between him and the world. But all of a sudden, it just… doesn’t make any sense, whatsoever.

Renee is wearing a balaclava under the hoodie. Gloves, too. Apart from his eyes, not a sliver of him shows.

It’s in stark contrast to how naked Conrad feels. All he wants is to pull down his shirt, because there’s a camera right there, and the fact that part of his stomach is exposed makes him uncomfortable, in what he knows is a silly spark of modesty. This should be the least of his concerns right now, but for whatever reason, it’s not. He wants to pull his shirt down. Wants to. Can’t.

Stream. He said stream.

Silent, now, Renee walks behind him, out of his view. With some difficulty, Conrad manages to twist around enough to follow Renee’s figure, at least for a glance. His eyes catch the shiny reflections of metal, and he lets out a sound, head snapping back, eyes shut tight. The bright projecting lights penetrate his eyelids, makes his vision go red. He flexes his hands in the air.

He saw two tables propped up against the wall.

He saw… tools.

His mind draws a blank again, but this time, it goes deeper, as if the numbness in his arms has spread to his head. He can’t keep the image of what he saw, can’t hold a thought. Can’t react when he hears a faint schunk behind him, and knows Renee has made some choice. Can’t ground himself even when Renee’s form once again pops into his view. All he has is the steadily increasing rate of his own breathing, and terrible sense that the whole world is spinning out of control.

“Starting to catch on, are you?” Renee remarks. He steps back, dropping his arm. Lets a baseball bat in his hand slide down to bump the floor, nonchalantly keeping it balanced upright with the tips of his fingers. He cocks his head to the side, and although Conrad can’t see his expression, he thinks he can hear Renee’s smile in his voice. “Do you know what a red room is?”

It takes three tries for Conrad to swallow. He lets out a small sound, shutting his eyes. Shakes his head - not because he doesn’tknow, but because he does.

“This is me introducing you to my audience,” Renee says. “A taste test, I suppose, proof we’re not faking this shit. What happens after today is up to them - all depends on where they put their money. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Renee starts pacing around him, but he doesn’t pick up the bat. Instead he lets it drag behind him, wood against wood.

“You wanted to know why, didn’t you? Why, why, why?” A chuckle, and he pulls the bat up, adjusting his grip on it. “I’m gonna fuck you up and get paid for it. That’s why.”

Renee draws his arm back, and it’s all so sick, but Conrad can do nothing to stop it.

So the bat slams into his abdomen.

Conrad lets out a sharp grunt and automatically tries to hunch over, but he can’t. The sheer force of that first blow is enough to wind him, enough to make him see stars, but he doesn’t get a chance to

And then the bat connects with his hip, right across the bone, sending a wave of pain and shock radiating through the whole side of his body. He lets out a scream, and in a distant part of his mind, it’s so strange – hearing his own voice like this, not just screaming, but screaming in pain. Before he can even comprehend it, Renee reels back for another swing, backhanded. It strikes him under one shoulderblade, somewhat askew, and pushes him

The fourth blow comes to his ribcage. The fifth, his stomach once again.

Conrad lets out breath after choked breath, almost coughing, as Renee seems to pause.

“Oh, yeah, forgot to mention that,” Renee says jovially, pointing at Conrad’s face with the tip of the bat. “I busted his nose when I caught him, so…” He casts a glance at the camera. “If y’all are wondering what’s up with that...”

Conrad, panting through his teeth, looks down. There’s little red stains down the front of his shirt that weren’t there before. It must’ve started bleeding again.

“C’mon, lift your head up and show them. Let them see the blood.”

There’s few dots on the floor beneath him, too. God, he didn’t even notice, but now that he has, it makes him nauseous. A very subtle stickiness under one of his feet.

As Renee’s gloved hand reaches to grab his chin, all Conrad can think is, Get away from me. He lets out a disgusted grunt, jerking his head out of his grasp and kicking in the same motion. His foot catches Renee’s thigh, and while he doesn’t have enough leverage to make the impact harmful in any way, he still manages to push off, making Renee stagger a few quick steps back, but also sending Conrad swinging in the opposite direction. For a split second, his full weight is suspended in the cuffs, and he lets out a muffled cry at the pain in his hands before he touches the floor again. On tiptoes, he struggles to regain his balance before his momentum pendules him back towards Renee.

When he’s finally somewhat steady, he stares wide-eyed at his tormenter, a cold trickling down the nack of his neck.

Renee’s stance is wide, open, almost like a mocking display of dexterity. “A-ha,” he says, twirling the bat in a wide circle. “You know, for a hot minute there, I thought you were the kinda guy who just… accepts his fate, really. But hey, look at that. You’ve got a bit of nerve, after all.”

The next blow hits him square in the back. He screams, arching against the pain that shoots up his spine, but Renee doesn’t relent. The bat strikes again, lower this time, missing bones but instead driving into the soft flesh just under his ribcage. Then once again across his thigh, making him curl his leg up.

From the way Conrad spins a little in place every time the bat makes contact, from the way Renee slowly circles him as the assault goes on, Conrad gets a distinct sense that Renee is toying with him. He wants Conrad to lose his orientation, he wants him to have to twist and turn on his toes to keep him in sight - and every time Conrad sees a blow coming, Renee wants him to try to bend away from it. At least Conrad knows the last one, because it happens more than once, and every time, he hears Renee snicker behind the balaclava.

This is a game to him.

Blow after blow after blow, his back, his chest, his stomach, his thighs.

This is sick.

Again and again and again.

Finally, as Renee pauses to observe his prey, no doubt debating where to hit next, he gets a small window, a tiny break in which he tries to catch his breath. He wants to curl into a fetal position to protect his abdomen, but he can’t, he can’t, and his hands are screaming from the strain of trying. A sob racks through him, and he immediately regrets it; newly bruised flesh aches as the muscles contract. He tries to suppress the next one and ends up wailing instead, a high-pitched, wavering sound that cuts through his sore throat like a knife. Weak and pathetic.

Renee’s voice is low, and it’s close, somewhere to his right. Conrad can barely see through the tears blurring his vision. He’s already too exhausted to flinch away. The sound he makes comes in increments, quick, panting breaths, sometimes hitching in pain.

“Do you want me to stop?”

He manages to nod a little.

The black figure enters his field of view, and his throat closes. At first, he thinks it’s out of defiance, that he doesn’t want to give Renee the satisfaction of seeing him cry like this, but deep down, he knows it’s because he’s terrified. This is some deeper instinct he’s never encountered before, urging him to keep quiet and small, to hide, even when the predator is staring him right in the face. As if stillness could revoke Renee’s focus.

Renee leans down to catch Conrad’s gaze, two brown eyes behind a mask, brows furrowed in some twisted show of concern. He cocks his head to the side. “Why,” he says, “because it hurts?”

Another nod, and Renee chuckles softly.

“That’s the fucking point, jabroni.”

As he disappears out of view again, Conrad tries to steel himself for another hit. Flexes the aching muscles of his back and stomach as best he can, holds his breath, grits his teeth, second after painful second.

But the bat doesn’t connect again. Instead he hears a clunk behind him, vague fiddling, and Renee comes back, holding something new in his hand. It looks like a remote, maybe, or at least it’s got a similar size and shape to it.

“So after you’ve tenderized the meat,” he says to the camera, flipping the object in his hand. “Ladies and gentlemen, that’s when you fry the fuck out of it.” And he presses a button.

A piercing crackle fills the room, so loud it makes Conrad reel back, however little he can. He didn’t see the small arc of electricity jump from prong to prong, but that sound was unmistakable. It’s a stun gun.

There’s a new rush of fear, but it’s distant, muted behind layers and layers of preexisting exhaustion and pain. Conrad feels battered. Maybe he should try harder to beg than just shaking his head. Maybe he’s too worn out to really care if it gets worse, at this point.

He knows it’s going happen, long before Renee steps up close to him, long before he presses the stun gun into Conrad’s side and holds it there, his thumb hovering over the trigger. He knows it’s going to happen before Renee says to him, a dark glint in brown eyes, pupils dilated, that he’ll be nice about it by counting to three.

He knows it’s going to happen long before the man’s tongue slides across his teeth to form the only remaining syllable.

He knows, before the fire courses through him, before his aching body is forced by foreign input to convulse, that he will scream again. That these screams will probably be louder than the others. That they’ll tear at his vocal cords, that they’ll fray.

He doesn’t really think that the tired, wordless begging around the cloth between his teeth will do anything to stop it.

And he’s right.

The constant, loud rush of blood in his ears, only deafened by the cracking of electricity, his screams, and Renee, laughing, taunting him, mocking him. Insults he can barely recall the second after Renee has spit them out.

Again. Again. Again.

He doesn’t know how long it goes on for, only that he loses the strength to stand enough to keep his weight off the cuffs anymore, and then, at last, just hangs limp from the chain, head thrown back. Eventually, his screams morph into senseless cries, pleas he can’t put words to, even if he wanted to.

His last feeble efforts, sliding, draining.

At some point, he feels the initial spark of another stun, and then he passes out. Doesn’t even notice when it happens, yet he suddenly finds himself coming to, ragdolled from the chain, too weak to even move his head to reorient himself in the room.

So, he looks up at the ceiling. At the absurd, foreign sight of his own hands bound above him, where metal digs into slack flesh too deprived of blood to feel a thing. At the rafters those hands seem to reach for. His body still twitches intermittently. Aftershocks. Pain. Fog.

It happens again, this time without Renee doing anything to him. Or maybe he did, and Conrad is just too out of it remember.

He blinks open his eyes, and something is different. Not the bright lights, or the smell of sweat and blood, not the deep aching in his body, the hard, heavy beats of his heart – those are all the same. It’s atmospheric, and he can’t name it. Not until somewhere close to him, Renee sighs, and the sound isn’t muffled by fabric.

Conrad thinks it might be over, but doesn’t dare to hope.

A few slow footsteps. Fingers clutch his sweat-soaked hair, steering his head further back. Moaning weakly, Conrad struggles to focus on the blurry shape directly in front of his face, and it takes him several seconds to realize he is seeing Renee, upside down, maskless. His hair, too, falls in clusters over his forehead, and he’s slightly out of breath.

Straight, white teeth bare for a grin.

“Fucking brilliant, Conrad,” the predator says. “You’re a natural at this.”

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