#i held several at gunpoint to make this happen

[ryssbelle]

Asked the folks in trolls server what their characters race and class would be if they were in DnD and here are the results! I designed most of them except Navy who was designed by his creator!

I wonder what adventures they will go on?

Featured OC's and their owners in order from left to right:

Pete Moonshine @melonmass-art

Smiggles @navy-scribble @ivory-rose-art and me teehee

Sprinkle @creta291

Patty @felsicveins

Lief me!

Navy @navy-scribble

Cerulean @secret-citrus

Pigeon @folktroll

close ups of each character are under the cut!

Pete Moonshine, Weretouched humanoid Ranger, not a fan of the full moon

Smiggles the Tiefling Fighter, Chaotic is his only alignment

Sprinkle the Tiefling Sorcerer, hot pink bitch named BREAKFAST

Patty THE PAIN the Half Giant Barbarian who brings the PAIN

Lief the (half) Elf Cleric, just a little guy (or is he?)

Navy the humanoid shifter Rogue, human by day, part animal whenever (emo forever)

Cerulean the half-elf Monk, keeps a level head and knows when not to hold back

Pigeon the Kenku Ranger, all bird and all cowboy

[paradiseprincesss]

Imagine Jackson Rippner with an innocent gf with Stockholm syndrome that just absolutely adores and loves him and trusts him completely and is very affectionate

human - jackson rippner x reader

masterlist

notes: im working diligently on all my other requests guys i promise!!

summary: you develop stockholm syndrome after you were kidnapped five months ago, and you become hopelessly devoted to your captor.

word count: 1.7k

warnings: mdni 18+, [DUB-CON], smut, p in v, kidnapping, guns, knives, stockholm syndrome obviously

it had been nearly five months since you went missing. nobody knew where you had gone, and there had been a manhunt for you ever since you disappeared. your friends and family were grief stricken - everybody was. a young, promising, beautiful woman going missing after her morning jog; nobody saw it coming.

your city was a relatively safe place to live in, there was very little crime in that specific area. however, when jackson touched down in your city for a two day layover whilst he was heading home from a mission, you'd caught his eye. he didn't even think twice about it - he knew right then and there he wanted to keep you as his.

as soon as he got to his hotel, he grabbed a knife and shoved it into his pocket. he returned to the neighbourhood that he had passed on the way to his hotel; the same one he saw you jogging in. with high hopes that you were still there, he walked around the area with his eyes peeled. to his delight, he was correct - you were still going for your jog outside in the fresh, vibrant, morning sunlight.

it was a shame, though. the trail by your home that you were jogging in just happened to have a lot of greenery by it. trees, branches, tall bushes, you name it. luckily for jackson, this made what he was about to do a hell of a lot easier. you were oblivious - headphones in and jogging peacefully down the trail in broad sunlight. "what if someone were to ambush her?" he thought to himself, "she should really be more careful."

in just mere seconds, he pounced.

he grabbed your neck from behind, choking you with your back towards him. he slammed your neck onto his chest, fingers wrapped tightly around your throat, and he tore your phone and headphones away from you as he threw them into a nearby bush. steadily, he held his other hand up to your throat with the cold, metal blade of the knife pushing into the side of your neck - for good measure.

"don't fucking scream," he said lowly into your ear, "behave. if you don't, i'll slice your throat open right here, right now."

you could barely even whimper out a response, as the vice he had around your throat was strong enough to cut off your ventilation. you tried to respond, but you couldn't articulate any words due to the way he was choking you.

"scream and i'll kill you." he threatened once more, loosening his grip on your throat so that you could breathe again.

with heavy, gasping, heaving breaths, you slump your head against his shoulder as your vision became spotty and you started to experience severe vertigo. he chuckled lowly as he held you against his chest, the blade of the knife sitting right against your jugular vein. he could slice you open right now if he wanted to - and you'd have no choice but to lay there as you bled out and the blood supply to your atrium slowly stilled, leaving you lifeless and limp.

he thought about it, but he wasn't going to do that to you. how could he make you his little doll if you were dead? exactly.

he directed you to keep walking until you flagged down a cab together. he kept the knife out of sight, but you knew he wouldn't hesitate to stab you. he then brought you to his hotel, and you went up to his room with him where he proceeded to hold you at knifepoint and at gunpoint - just in case you got any ideas. this way, you knew even if he didn't have the knife in his hand, he could put a bullet in any one of your arteries at any given moment.

your fear silenced you as you boarded a plane back to his home state, and that is the story of how you ended up in his home in the suburbs. you learned all about what he did for a living from there on, and you couldn't believe that a highly trained assassin was just living in the suburbs amongst everybody else; blending in. i guess it's true what they say; that the average person walks past at least thirty-six murderers in their lifetime unknowingly - or whatever the statistic was.

he'd kept you in his house for months, never letting you step foot outside. sure, he let you open the windows for some fresh air after a few weeks of you sobbing and hyperventilating, but he kept a gun pointed at you the whole time. the first couple weeks were the worst - you were constantly having breakdowns, anxiety attacks, and you were suffering from major depression.

you missed your family, and jackson taunted you by showing you articles and news reports about your disappearance. you just sobbed for weeks after that, and you thought you might die from the anxiety and depression that was slowly eating away at you. then you hit the two month mark. things started to feel less real. you weren't sure if you were slowly dying or just losing touch with reality, perhaps both.

days went by quicker, and your mind was becoming numb. it stayed that way until around ten weeks ago. your behaviour did a 180, but jackson wasn't convinced at first. you started to become unhealthily attached to him, clinging to him every chance you got. you would breakdown if he left for even thirty minutes at a time, and you'd run into his arms every time he came back. you started to beg him to hold you at night and sleep in the same bed as you (of course he didn't say no to that).

he was still on the fence about the whole stockholm syndrome act until you started to beg him to fuck you. at that point, he knew you weren't faking. he wanted to ruin you for the last five months, but he couldn't do it because every time he tried to force himself onto you, you'd put up one hell of a fight. you would scratch him, bite him, hit him, thrash around - the list just goes on. as much as jackson wanted to tie you up and force you to take him as he fucked you senseless, he wasn't going to do that. you were too innocent for that...far too innocent. you deserved to be fucked properly.

so, when you started to beg him to, he jumped at the opportunity. he wanted to destroy you - and he did.

"i love you," you whimpered as jackson forced your head down into the pillows, "i love you so much."

"fuuuuck," he groaned as he pounded his cock deeper into your cunt as you were ass up face down in the bed for him, "such a tight pussy, mm, love you too."

it felt like you were suffocating in the pillows, but that was okay because as long as jackson was happy, you were happy. you don't know why you put up a fight for so long; he was clearly the one for you. you couldn't see it for a little while, but now you were seeing straight again. he fucked you good, fed you well, and treated you like a princess.

sure, at first he held you at gunpoint and threatened to stab you on multiple occasions, but that was your fault. you were the one who disobeyed him and wanted to leave him, so he had no choice. he was doing this all for you because he loved you. you understood that now, and you were determined to be the perfect girlfriend for him. jackson told you that you were his forever. he told you that you were his little angel and that he'd make you his wife soon.

"o-oh, mmph!" you moaned into the pillow as he plowed your soaking cunt.

"yeah, you like that baby?" he grunted as his cock brushed up against your cervix, "are you gonna cum?"

"y-yes, so close!" you whined as he continued to fuck your cunt at a deeper angle, rearranging your insides with every stroke.

you felt yourself leaking down your own thighs, and he groaned at the sight of your slick, glistening cunt as it sucked his cock in with ease. you felt yourself tip over the edge and he continued to pound that same spot inside you over and over. your legs trembled as the clear liquid poured onto the mattress, leaving you a shaking, moaning mess.

jackson continued to fuck you brutally, chasing his own release. "jesus, babygirl," he groaned, "did you just fucking squirt? fuck, that's so hot."

after a few more thrusts, he groaned lowly and you felt his cock pulsing inside of your aching core as he spilled his cum into you. after a moment, he pulled out, watching as his cum dripped out of your pussy.

"that's pretty, stay still for one second," he said softly, and you heard a click and saw a flash of bright light, "so hot, babygirl. you can lay down now."

you did as you were told, and you saw him holding up a camera in his hands. he did this more often then you'd liked, but you didn't complain. if he wanted to take pictures, you'd let him.

jackson did this so that if you ever got the idea to leave or escape, he would blackmail you into staying, but you didn't need to know that. you were too stupid and fucked out all the time to think too deeply about it.

and that's how he liked it. he would come home and fuck you good - so good that you would forget what you were thinking about, and he'd spoil you after he brutally pounded all your holes. he'd buy you expensive gifts and come home with dozens of roses because he loved you in his own twisted, fucked up way. he even started to take you travelling with him because at this point, he knew you were too far in. you were in way too deep, and you didn't want to leave him.

hell, he even threatened to leave you to see what you would do, but you threw a major fit and started to sob uncontrollably. he learned never to do that again because you'd cried for about forty-eight hours straight. jackson gave you everything you wanted, and in return, you gave him your mind, body, and soul.

sure, everyone thought you went missing from right outside your house and that you had most likely been murdered or that you were dead in a ditch somewhere. but you were happier than you ever were in your old life and jackson knew that. he was your home now - and there was no escaping it.

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@ellebelleshelby @wiseyouthinfluencer @minedofmoria @strangeobsessed

[curliiwurlii]

Amanda the Adventurer 3 theories!!

Okay, so this is just me guessing what's gonna happen in the third ATA game based on the stuff we got in ATA 2.

First off: where will the third game take place?

At the end of the true ending, Riley goes down a hatch which leads deeper into the library (idk why a library would need that). My prediction is that whatever place we find ourselves in, it's gonna be more focused on Hameln. I've seen theories that where we're going will lead to something related to Hameln's cult and the rituals and stuff like that. It might be an escape hatch, or it might lead to something else. I think that we might be going to where Kate and her group were talking about the tapes-maybe something like a detective-like area with a billboard with different photos and stuff like that.

Next theory: What will the tapes be about?

To get the true ending, you can't help Amanda and Wooly take down the possum and when that happens, they get REALLY pissed at you. Amanda even says "Why didn't you help us? I TRUSTED you!" which probably means that we've lost both of their trust. When we put in the tape we took with us in whatever TV we can find at where we'll be, Amanda and Wooly will definitely NOT be happy to see us- they'll probably be like "Oh, it's you." in hateful tone or something like that. They'll probably be WAY more impatient at us than before. I think that we'll probably have to try and gain their trust back, maybe by getting things for them, connecting with them in some sort of way, etc.

Next theory: Who on EARTH is Wooly?

This damn sheep has me in a chokehold with the very little amount of lore we get from him specifically. So far, we've gotten some flash frames from him when we type in "horror" in the story tape, and it seems to be a reference to the butcher- with all of the meat imagery. A lot of people think he's Sam, another kid we don't know, an Ai program, a literal sheep who gained sentience, etc. I, for one, think that he's a Hameln employee who was transported to the cartoon world in the same way Rebecca was to monitor her and keep her on track. Think about it. He tries to keep Amanda on track with the show, he tries to make the show seem like a normal kids cartoon and-the most notable- the tapes he's present is has the Hameln logo appear at the end. However, I will say that even though Wooly might most likely be a Hameln employee, he's still suffering like Amanda. For example, as I mentioned, when we type in "horror" in the story tape when Wooly asks us what our favorite kind of story is, we get several flashes of meat which might be flashes of Wooly's trauma and at the end, he starts hyperventilating. I feel like maybe he was a Hameln employee but messed up real bad at one point and as punishment, Hameln gave him the same treatment as Amanda-have him suffer in the tapes. Another thing worth noting is that there's a secret tape in ATA 1 in the files which features Wooly sitting in a room. We see this same room again in the announcement video for the second game, where it seems like he's being held captive, with a chicken holding him at gunpoint and him at the end begging for him to be let go to someone. I think that he's being used to monitor Amanda while also being tortured in some way- it might be like Hameln saying "This is your punishment, but you can still be useful to us" or smth like that. To sum it up, I think he's a Hameln employee who screwed up and as punishment, he got transported to the cartoon world to monitor Rebecca to be useful to Hameln while also suffering with his own problems.

That's it for my bigger theories! Now onto my smaller ones...

First off: the door symbolism. Whenever we see the door (which is probably the portal to the cartoon world like we see in the meat ending in the first game) in Amanda's POV, the entrance is a deep red which might symbolize her thinking of the cartoon world as hell. However, when we see the door from Wooly's POV, the entrance is white; maybe he sees it as heaven, or purgatory, or what it actually is- the portal to the cartoon world? It makes sense because Amanda has the mind of a child, so she wouldn't see the door as what it is, but something much worse and Wooly, who most likely has an older mind, would see it for what it is.

Well, that's it for my theories so far! I'll most likely make more of these posts.

[daifukumochiin]

Summary: Sasuke's orderly life at elite Sairiumu Academy is disrupted by the arrival of Hinata, a timid transfer student whose obvious crush on him, a young man dedicated to his craft and his current relationship, stirs unease. (Initial SasuSaku with SasuHina endgame, modern Norse myth AU, high school, angst, romance, photography, postmodern-ish fic). Rated T

Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. NKJV — Revelation 2:4

LIGHTS,

BOWS, and

MISTLETOES

an entry for SasuHina Month 2024, Day 27 : Forget and Remember

(for @peachy-hina, since December) @sasu-hina

ffnet: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14369143/1/Lights-Bows-and-Mistletoes

ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/57030778

Part 1: Lights go to Chapter List>

I heard a voice, that cried, "Balder the Beautiful Is dead, is dead!" And through the misty air Passed like the mournful cry Of sunward sailing cranes. 

—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Tegner’s Drapa

i

What does one make of stalkers? Female ones.

Sasuke stood close to five foot eleven, fairly active and athletic, with a lean, muscled build typical of a teenager who cared for his health and traveled frequently for photography. Not quite pugilist material, but capable of defending himself if necessary. With his quick wit and a taekwondo brown belt, he was well-prepared for self-defense—should, as previously mentioned, the situation call for it.

Sairiumu Academy lay reposed among lush, well-preserved forests at the base of a prominent mountain carved with the visages of heroes past. At one glance, it seemed a serene and fortified paradise for the children of the elite and sickeningly wealthy. But there loomed a sense of threat in its seemingly endless marbled corridors for Sasuke that particular busy noon when she came: the new transfer student, Hinata Hyuuga. The crown of her head couldn't even reach his neck; she showed no vile display of possession of arms or rambunctious attitude; she couldn't seem to stop twiddling her thumbs, and judging from her body language, didn't feel confident enough in herself to speak way out of a difficult situation. And yet, she dared strike him up with a greeting, asked him for general guidance about the photography club’s applications, and timidly signed her name on the form.

It didn't escape Sasuke how she stole glances at him. With only the reception table between them, she must've imagined he kept looking at her because he was checking her out. A sense of dread came over him, and he looked away. He had taken on the reception duties and sent the other photography club members on a lunch break. To Hinata Hyuuga, who has an apparent crush on him, it was the perfect opportunity to engage him in small talk and get familiar. But he would not let her have it.

As though held at gunpoint, he glanced to the right and then to the left, checking out the hallway while she continued filling out the form in small, neat handwriting. His heartbeat quickened, each thump echoing in his ears, a drumbeat of unease. At a corner several blocks away, the Japanese classic painting club was bustling and this brought Sasuke a sense of shallow relief. Should anything happen, they could be his neighborly witnesses.

“Orientation on the 7th,” he said, handing her an envelope with pamphlets and orientation details inside. His voice was kept monotonous like the hum of a fan, his face blank and stone cold, though he maintained eye contact because he wasn't one to cower in the face of intimidation.

With a deer caught in headlights impression, Hinata Hyuuga's eyes caught the light in an almost prismatic quality. They were like amethysts, clear with streaks of light jumping through a million tiny mirror surfaces, shooting back at him with the rush of a bullet train. It was uncanny and inhuman, sending jolts along his spine. She made the hairs on his forearms rise in goose flesh.

“O-okay…” she replied. And then not another word.

As she walked away, he noticed a faint scent of rain in the air, a memory of an evening on Hashirama’s bridge flashing briefly in his mind, her crazy eyes wide with recognition as she gripped his sleeve. This was not the first time he’d seen her. Her transfer to Sairiumu and even ending up in the same class as him—they weren't mere coincidences, Sasuke was certain. She had come after him.

She disappeared down the hallway after taking a turn, and a sense of foreboding still lingered. An unsettling heaviness whirred in the pit of his stomach that he couldn't quite shake. go to Chapter List>

[deltadex]

(Be prepared, this is a brain dump)

I can't stop thinking about the fact that the emotional turmoil is going to be through the roof next season, especially for Vi and Caitlyn. During their struggle to de-escalate the war they've found themselves in, the mini-battles taking place in the back of their minds will be just as alive.

It only hit me now how much Caitlyn has been through in such a short time. She survived two explosions, witnessed many of her work colleagues die (which I assume is the first time she has experienced death), was taken hostage twice (first by Ekko then Jinx), and had her life threatened several times (e.g. held at gunpoint). I imagine it's still to hit her too...

And then there's the chance her mother won't survive the attack on the council, which will leave her devastated, if not in denial. The fact that it's caused by Vi's sister only makes this more complex and difficult to accept. The same person Caitlyn let Vi go after on the bridge, the same person she didn't want to sell out to the council, and the same person she chose not to incapacitate at the tea party. I don't think Caitlyn is going to become driven by revenge and try to kill Jinx, but I can definitely see her lose her cool.

Meeting Vi and getting to see the Undercity somehow became both a blessing and a curse, and I think it's possible she'll act upon the frustration caused by the circumstances they find themselves in. Thinking about this now it doesn't seem so unrealistic that we will see a Caitvi interaction "we'll probably hate" (e.g. Caitlyn lashing out at Vi. Nevertheless, I think she'll realise pretty soon afterwards that Vi isn't to blame for the mess their in).

Next season is where Caitlyn's character arc is really going to gain traction and I'm excited (and frankly scared) to see "a different side of her".

Vi also has her own struggles leading into season 2. She'll still be reeling from seeing her sister choose to walk away from her. The hope of "getting Powder back", the only thing on her mind for the past seven years, was shattered in an instant. On top of all this there's the huge possibility of Warwick (AKA Vander) being thrown into the mix. Finding out Vander is alive will rock Vi to her core and add to the barrage of emotions she won't have the time to feel.

(Sidenote: There's so much chaos going on already with the war and now there's possibly gonna be a blood-thirsty werewolf-man on the loose too? What a curveball! )

Besides Caitlyn and Vi's individual struggles, there's also the unresolved tension between them after the "Oil and water" scene. They don't quite know where they stand with each other, and I'm really curious to see how soon they'll address it.

Then there's the fact that Caitlyn probably overheard everything at Jinx's tea party before she was wheeled in, and just thought: "You were right Vi. I don't know anything about you." Up to this point she knew very little about Vi's past, and she still doesn't have the full picture.

Caitlyn is inquisitive, sometimes to a fault (e.g. "How do you not know if your sister is alive or dead?" "What, you don't have parents?"), and I wouldn't be surprised if she wanted some answers after everything she just heard. And even if Vi would rather forget about the past and avoid talking about it, Warwick is going to arrive and open up those old wounds. When she recognizes him, she's going to be distressed and Caitlyn's going to want to know why. This could lead to some heated conversations, especially if Vi is reluctant to share and Caitlyn is insistent on asking questions.

At this point, everything is happening at such a fast pace that they won't have the opportunity to have the heart-to-hearts (and mental breakdowns) they so desperately need. In some ways, their internal struggles are just as difficult to address as their external ones, and once they're able to reinstill peace in their world, they'll have no choice but to face them (you could only hope Arcane will be kind to us and have them crying in each other's arms by the end of the season)

There's this simple, great quote from Helen LaKelly Hunt: "Conflict is growth trying to happen", which is a really positive way to see Caitlyn and Vi's situation. I'm optimistic that if they overcome these challenges, they will not only grow as individuals, but will end up with a relationship that's stronger than they ever imagined.

Anyway, thanks for reading my brain dump ❤

[obislittleone]

supporting palestine ≠ being antisemitic. israel has been occupying palestine for decades and palestine has a right to resist. educate yourself.

you don't want to go here. For the past six years, I have dedicated hundreds of hours of my time to researching and studying BOTH sides of this historical dilemma. You can even scroll back far enough on my blog to see that in earlier times, I stood with Palestine when I felt things were being done unfair.

I only now have a problem when Hamas, who is a terrorism group, is kidnapping and raping/murdering the people of Israel. These people were celebrating peace at the end of the Jewish holiday week of Sukkot.

One of my friends was at the peace concert, dedicated to celebrating and enjoying this occasion. She had to run for her life because of a surprise Hamas attack that ended with both her Parents and cousin being abducted and shoved into vehicles at gunpoint. Palestinians were not under attack by Israel when this was happening, and it was unprompted. My friend is in an unsafe location, less than 50 miles from Gaza, and has had to run away from her home several times due to missile alarms.

These attacks were brought on so suddenly, that even the Iron Dome was caught off guard. Now that Israel has responded to these vicious attacks, people claim they are murdering Palestinians, and going on an unwarranted attack themselves. They ignore the deaths and harm done to Israel because it fits their narrative of Palestine being the victim.

Ignoring the deaths of Jewish people and flipping the script that those who committed those murders were the innocent victims are by definition: Nazis.

I really hope that you take a moment to understand how insane it is to be closed-minded and then tell others to educate themselves. It really shows that you yourself haven't probably been widely educated, and are probably just on the bandwagon of support because it's trending. So please, oh brave anon, educate yourself, and as I stated in my last post, fuck you.

.

To anyone coming on my blog to spread hate against Jews, please know that I will not stand for it. I have so many people I know who are direct victims of antisemitic hate crimes, and it is sickening. I have seen literal evidence of Nazis still being in existence, and using different political issues to hide behind so that they don't get persecuted for it. My friend was held down in a parking lot last year and had a swastika carved into his shoulder by a group of men who had the symbol also painted onto their truck. This shit is REAL. there are still people who want to harm and murder Jews simply because they exist. Palestine, though given the right to peacefully coexist with Israelites for decades, has risen up a terrorist group to fight their battles.

In response with Anon's statement of 'Israel has been occupying palestine' I'd like everyone to remember that the very earliest historical records (excluding the bible/torah, because many deem it as a faulty source) show that the land was called Israel, and Palestine did not even exist. If you'd like to make the argument that anyone was forced out of their land, why don't you do a little research on the Israelites and the Ottoman Empire. I am a learned bitch, and I did my homework. I suggest everyone else do theirs before they make their opinions that can be easily swayed by media.

[whumpily-ever-after]

เพื่อนายแค่หนึ่งเดียว Never Let Me Go Whump List

Summary: Life for Neung, an heir to an incredibly wealthy family, changes drastically when his father is murdered right before his eyes. Power shifts in his family’s company make is necessary for his mother to hire him a bodyguard. With the help of his new bodyguard Palm, Neung must protect himself from those who wish to take his inheritance for themselves.

Country: Thailand

Year: 2023

Genre: BL, action, romance, youth

Watch it on: YouTube

Spoilers ahead...

Whumpee: “Nueng” Nuengdiao Kiattrakulmethee played by Phuwin Tangsakyuen

Episode 1: Father is shot in front of him, at gunpoint, his father dies in his arms, screaming

Episode 2: None

Episode 3: Punched in the stomach x2, falls to his knees, helped to stand, arm across his stomach, concern for Palm, hit in the stomach with the end of a baseball bat

Episode 4: Kicked in the chest, falls on his back, throws up, coughing, concern for him, saying he can’t breathe

Episode 5: Wakes up in the hospital, ears ringing, betrayed, yelling, says that nobody wants him, comforted, crying, ambushed, sees his mother shot, shot at, forced to run, yelling for his mother, shaking, begs to be taken home

Episodes 6-7: None

Episode 8: Pushed to the ground, at gunpoint

Episode 9: Told they were found, shot at, pushed over, scared, blames himself for Palm’s mother’s death, tries to isolate himself to protect others, crying

Episode 10: Crying; blames himself for everything that happened, crying

Episode 11: Held against a wall, a hand over his mouth, scolded; drugged (cloth over his mouth), dragged away; coughing, bound to a chair, hands tied with rope, threatened

Episode 12: Still bound to a chair, forced to watch as Palm is hit and shot, holding a severely wounded Palm in his arms, crying; crying out for Palm, blood on his hands, helped to sit, crying  

Whumpee: “Palm” Pannakorn Jannaloy played by Pond Naravit

Episode 1: None

Episode 2: Stops a mugging, choked, threatened with a knife, hit in the side, holding his side

Episode 3: Pushed, punched in the face, hit on his back, kneed in the stomach x2, punched in the stomach, arms momentarily held, hit over the back with a stool, falls to the floor, manhandled, wounds tended to

Episode 4: Punched, kneed in the stomach, bottle broken over his arm, punched in the face x2, falls on his hands and knees, back stomped on, arm stepped on, concern for him

Episode 5: Scolded for failing to take care of Nueng, arm in a cast, bruises on his face, slapped, grabbed by the collar, feels guilty, concern for Neung, slips and falls, takes his cast off, holds his arm as he runs (his arm is healed now I guess), ambushed, shot at, sees his father shot, runs

Episodes 6-7: None

Episode 8: Pushed to the ground, almost hit with a piece of wood, at gunpoint

Episode 9: Finds out his father was framed, told they were found, sees his mother shot, shot at, his mother dies, grieving, yelling, lashes out in his grief, gets his heart broken, pushed down, crying, drugged (with a sleeping pill), left behind

Episode 10: None

Episode 11: Surrounded, grabbed by the arms, kicked in the stomach, kneed in the stomach, punched, knocked to the ground, grabbed again, punched repeatedly, falls to the ground, beaten; forced to his knees, hands bound behind his back, told to kill Nueng and Nueng’s mother or his father will be killed in prison, kicked back, gun to his forehead

Episode 12: Willingly walks into a trap, gun to the back of his head, manhandled, hands bound in front of him (with rope), pistol whipped, blood on his face, kicked over, shot in the leg, shields Nueng, shot in the back; on a gurney, blood on his face, concern for him; wakes up in a hospital bed, IV in his hand, helped to sit, his right leg is temporarily paralyzed; says he doesn’t want to be a burden, helped to walk; told he doesn’t need to take care of Nueng anymore

Whumpee: Chopper played by Perth Tanapon Sukumpantanasan

Episode 7: Discovers his father ordered the attack on his aunt and cousin

Episode 9: Confronted about knowing what his father did, shoved

Episode 10: Accused of being his father’s accomplice; slapped, his dad vaguely threatens his friend

Episode 11: Concerned for his friend; pointing a gun toward his father, his father calls him a coward, his father tells him he doesn’t deserve to be his son

Episode 12: Pushed against a wall, accused of helping his father; shoots his father (in the leg), sees his father shot again, yelling, held back; feels guilty for his father’s actions, crying, told it wasn’t his fault  

Whumpee: Ben played by Chimon Wachirawit Ruangwiwat

Episode 7: Pushed, punched in the face, falls to the floor, kicked repeatedly, rescued, helped to stand

[sjsmith56]

The Capture, Chapter 19 - Eyes of the Father

Summary: Lacey and Tommy are kidnapped at gunpoint. The former Avengers reassemble to rescue her when they learn of her connection to Bucky and of her kidnapper.

Length: 4.8 K

Characters: Lacey, Tommy, Terry, Dan Jones, Bucky, Nick Fury, Sam, Clint.

Warnings: Contains graphic violent content resulting in death and critical injury.

Author notes: Everything from this chapter on is original content. This was written after FATWS but before Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

<<Chapter 18

🏫 🏍️

Philadelphia

It had been eight months since they moved into Terry's penthouse apartment and Lacey was somewhat surprised they slipped so easily back into urban living.  Every day she and Terry walked Tommy to school, waiting until the bell rang and making sure he went inside.  Then they walked back, picking up a coffee from the coffee shop nearby and returning to the apartment.  Terry would leave for his university coaching job while Lacey would clean up, do some laundry, get the mail, then write for several hours.  In the mid-afternoon she walked to the school, waited for Tommy to come out, then together they would walk home.  If he had homework she sat with him at the dining room table checking her emails, or reading her fan mail, while he did his school work.  Then she would start supper.  They would eat, usually without Terry as the team had practice running from the late afternoon to early evening.  Games were on the weekend.  It was quiet and routine, which Lacey wanted at this point.

On this particular Friday she waited with the other moms and a few dads for their kids to come out of the school.  She had started talking with some of the parents, chit chatting about school, sports and other things parents talk about.  Someone brought up the new Captain America and Lacey smiled, happy for Sam to take on the mantle.  She knew Bucky was with him during the New York battle with the Flag Smashers as someone in the media had mentioned him.  When Tommy came out he had his back pack on and fell into step beside Lacey, telling her about his day. 

Two blocks away from the school a car with tinted windows suddenly pulled onto the sidewalk in front of them and Lacey grabbed Tommy to run back to the school.  They were blocked on that side by another car, also with tinted windows.  Several masked men stepped out, approaching them with guns drawn.  Tommy assumed the fighting stance from Bucky's genetic memory that he was born with.  When the first man advanced on him he ran at him kicking him in the chest hard enough to knock him to the ground where he delivered a punch to the throat that incapacitated the gunman.  He was ready to take on the second man when he heard his mother scream and turned to see what was happening to her.

"Run, Tommy!" she screamed.  "Run!"

"Give up or I put a bullet in your mother's head," said the masked man who held a handgun to Lacey's head. 

Another vehicle pulled up and several men wearing FBI bulletproof vests came out pointing their firearms at the masked men.  The one in charge, who Tommy recognized as Agent Jones, an occasional visitor to the apartment, pulled the boy behind him as he advanced on the man holding Lacey.

"Let the woman go," ordered Jones.  "I have a sniper with a rifle trained on you.  He'll put a bullet in your brain well before you can pull that trigger."

"Your sniper has already been taken care of," replied the masked man, confidently.  "Contact him on your comms if you don't believe me."

Jones grimaced and called his sniper but there was no response.  He still held his gun on the masked man.  "Let her go," he said firmly.  "You're not getting her or the boy."

"Think again," replied the gunman.  "Boss?"

Jones heard the shots just before he felt the armour piercing bullet hit him in the chest.  He staggered back and fell, looking at his men as they fell to the sidewalk, also hit by armour piercing bullets.  He put his hand out to Tommy who was obviously in shock then Jones watched helplessly as the boy was swept up by one of the masked men.  As Jones struggled to get off the ground and shoot out the tires of the cars he heard another shot and was hit again, this time in the shoulder.  Before he lost consciousness he saw Lacey being put into one car and Tommy into the other.  Both cars leisurely pulled away leaving him and his four agents bleeding out on the ground.

When he woke up the following morning it was with a tube down his throat, an IV in his arm, and all sorts of sensors attached to his body.  He moaned and several familiar faces appeared in his view; Nick Fury, Clint Barton, and Bucky Barnes.  He looked past Bucky, recognizing the new Captain America, Sam Wilson, to Bucky's right. 

"Agent Jones, how many men?" asked Fury, appearing directly over him.  "How many vehicles?"

Jones thought for a moment and focussed his energy on his hands and fingers.  Slowly he held up eight fingers, then changed it to two.

"Masked?"

He nodded.  Using military sign language he signed that there were several snipers. 

"They used armour piercing bullets on you," said Fury.  "You lost three men, including your sniper.  I'm sorry.  You're the first to wake up." 

Reaching out with his hand Jones gripped Bucky's arm and stared at him, trying to show his regret at failing to protect Lacey and Tommy.

"You did your best," said Bucky, his face showing compassion.  "I don't blame you.  You were outgunned.  They made sure they got what they came for.  We'll take it from here."

Jones grimaced and nodded as Bucky patted him on the arm.  The four of them went out into the hallway.  Fury looked at the three others with determination. 

"Well, it looks like Sharon Carter decided to strike hard and fast.  SHIELD has been looking for her since just before the Blip ended.  They didn't know she was the Power Broker, as they thought she was still working for the CIA.  You two didn't know about her trying to take Lacey and Tommy at the farm during the Blip when she helped you with the Flag Smashers.  If you had we could have taken her then.  That's on me."

"We should have figured out she was the Power Broker," said Sam.  "Everything she did for us was just in time.  She even killed some of her own people so we would think she was on the level."

Bucky said nothing but stood brooding for some time.  "She needed Lacey to get Tommy," he stated.  "Once she has him she can keep him sedated and take his blood whenever she wants.  I'm going to hope she doesn't have a memory suppressing machine.  Considering he easily took down one of her men she may want to keep him and turn him into an enforcer."

"Or sell him to the highest bidder," added Clint.  "When I killed a lot of the criminal kingpins it left a void.  There's a lot of competition among those who reappeared to take over the gangs and cartels.  They could indoctrinate him with violence and drugs, like child soldiers, then turn him into their killer.  Sorry, Bucky."

"Don't be," said Bucky.  "It's a valid assessment."

"Has the CIA given you any information on her whereabouts?" Sam asked Fury.

"No.  They've disavowed her," he answered, "but I wouldn't be surprised if they had an idea where she is.  They weren't happy you got a conditional pardon, Barnes.  It messed up their plausible deniability defence at your hearings when your lawyer pulled out the decrypted HYDRA files proving they knew about your captivity all along.  Sam's activities on behalf of Isaiah Bradley made them even more culpable.  Just so you know, I didn't have that level of clearance when I was with the CIA.  I didn't know you were one of ours and I didn't know about him."

Bucky nodded in acknowledgement.  "Who else can we pull into a rescue team?" he asked.  "I'm assuming you want to be in on it, Clint."

"Damn right, I do," replied Clint.  "We can get Scott, his girlfriend Hope, Peter Parker ... he's Spider-Man.  Kate Bishop is ready for action.  I may be able to talk to Natasha's sister, Yelena.  Since she stopped trying to kill me she might be useful.  I think if you ask King T'Challa he might help.  Maybe send us some of his warriors.”

"That might be pushing it," replied Bucky.  "I kind of helped Zemo break out of prison for him to help us with the Flag Smashers.  Ayo told me to stay away from Wakanda for a while."

"That was you?" grinned Barton.  "I'm impressed.  I would still ask.  What about John Walker?"  Bucky and Sam both grimaced.  "Touchy subject?  I thought he did help with the Flag Smashers in New York."

"He did," agreed Sam.  "He's ... on the edge.  Let's put it that way.  He lets the end justify the means and he did go too far with the one Flag Smasher."

"I'll approach him," said Bucky.  "We may need him, as much I don't want to ask for his help."

"I'll talk to Colonel Rhodes," said Sam.  "I'm sure he will want to be in on this."

"We'll meet tomorrow at the compound," said Fury.  "We have one building usable that houses living quarters, meeting rooms and a canteen.  It's a start."

As they stepped out of the hospital Bucky saw Terry Williams waiting for him.  Sam and Clint came with him while Fury got into a black SUV that was waiting for him.

"They wouldn't let me in to see Dan," said Terry.  "Is he okay?"

"He's awake and was able to tell us a few things," said Clint.  "He'll be alright.  We're going to find them, Terry.  We're assembling a team and will start planning tomorrow."

"I received a phone message about an hour ago," said Terry.  "It's meant for you but they sent it to me, probably to make me talk you into not looking for them."

He brought up the phone message and handed it to Bucky who took in a sudden breath then handed it to the other two men.  It was a picture of Sharon with Lacey and Tommy.  She had a memory suppressing machine and Lacey was in it.  The text message was succinct.

>>I found my chemist.  I'm wiping Lacey's memory and selling her.  The boy is mine.<<

Bucky took the phone back and sent the picture to himself then handed the phone back to Terry.  Another thought occurred to the super soldier.

"Can they track where this picture came from?" he asked Clint. 

"It's possible," said Clint.  "We would need the phone for an IT specialist to analyze.  You think it will give a location of Carter?"

"That's my thinking," said Bucky.  "It will likely be in the same place where her lab is.  Terry, I want your phone."

"Then I have to come with you," said Terry.  "I want to help."

"It's not a good idea," said Clint, gently.  "We're assembling a team that will use deadly force if they have to.  No offence, but you're a civilian."

"She's my sister and he's my nephew and I've been responsible for them for over 5 years," he replied.  "I can't go back to my home and wait by the phone helplessly.  Please, even if it's just keeping your coffee cups filled, let me come with you."

"Okay," agreed Bucky.  "You do everything I tell you without arguing.  Understood?"

Terry nodded.  They went back to his apartment to use as a base and contact everyone they had discussed.   Before midnight they had a team and everyone agreed to meet at the compound the following day.  They were unable to get a location on John Walker and Bucky left, telling them he had an idea how to find the man.  He promised to meet the others at the compound if they would bring his go bag.  As he left the building he opened his cell phone and looked up a contact.  For some time he stared at it, wondering if he really wanted to call in the debt this person owed him.  Then he made the call to the man who had been an assassin for the mob.  Bucky prevented him from being shanked while they were both in lock up, receiving a marker for his efforts.

"Marco, it's Bucky," he said.  "You meant what you said about being in my debt?  I need to find someone, tonight if possible, tomorrow at the latest."  He listened to the man on the other end of the phone.  "No, I don't want him hurt or anything.  Just a location.  I need him for a job." The man on the other end said something else that made Bucky smile.  "No, not a bank job.  A rescue.  Someone took my son and his mother.  I want to get them back.  If I could I would ask for your help but I'm using legitimate players on this.  I just can't get hold of this guy and I need him."

Bucky hung up and began running to the train station.  Where ever John Walker was he needed to get to him as soon as possible.  By the time he reached the station Marco had a location for him and Bucky thanked him, saying the debt was paid.  Marco extended an invitation to work for the mob but Bucky declined, thanking him for the opportunity.  Then he bought a ticket to New York and began the 90 minute ride between the two cities.  While he sat in his seat he pulled up the picture of Lacey.  Enlarging the image of her he noticed the tell tale red mark above and below her left eye.  They had already put her through at least one round of the machine.  He swallowed the bile that rose in his throat and seriously considered breaking his vow of not killing anymore.  Then he enlarged the part of the picture that showed Tommy, cringing slightly at how scared he was.  He began looking at other parts of the picture to see if there was a clue of any kind.  There was a throwaway coffee cup that he enlarged enough to discern a logo on it.  With a sense of satisfaction he recognized it was from the coffee kiosk where he met Agent Jones in New York several months before.  The machine was somewhere in that vicinity and so were Lacey and Tommy.  He texted his deduction and the picture to Nick Fury, leaving it to him to try to find the exact location.

When he got off the train he looked at the address Marco gave him for John Walker.  Just on the address alone it was fancy digs for a guy who had been kicked out of the military with no benefits.  He obviously had a new employer if he could afford to live in the heart of Manhattan.  Bucky went to the front door of the building, noticing it had a night doorman.  He could take him out but that would mean hurting him and Dr. Raynor's insistence on the three rules still stuck with him.  No one who didn't deserve it would be hurt by him.  Instead, he went for a walk around the building.  Places this nice usually had a second entrance for staff, workers, and deliveries.  At the back he found the ramp into the parking garage and looked at the control panel, remembering he had bypassed ones just like it when he was the Soldier.  Pulling the panel off he located a couple of wires, disconnected them, and reconnected them together, raising the ramp door.  Quickly he went down the ramp, through the door then to a service elevator.  It didn't need a pass card and he pressed the button for the floor where John Walker and his wife lived.  When it arrived he made his way to the suite number and looked at the lock.  He could knock but Walker might not open it if he saw Bucky through the security peephole.  Normally he would use blunt force for it but he didn't want to alert anyone if he could avoid it.  He didn't have any lock picking tools so that was out.  As he paced up and down the hallway he noticed the fire alarm.  It would get everyone up and out of the building but he could get Walker on his own first.  Reaching out he pulled the lever and the klaxon sounded to evacuate the building.  Waiting as people came out of their apartments in their nightclothes he watched the Walker's door carefully from an alcove across the hall.  As soon as it opened he ran over and pushed both Walker and his wife back into the apartment.

"Bucky?" exclaimed Walker.  "What the hell, man!"

"It's a false alarm," said Bucky.  "I needed to talk to you but you aren't exactly listed in the phone book. The fire alarm was plan B."

"You know this guy?" asked his wife, angry at the intrusion.

"Yeah," replied Walker.  "Olivia, this is Bucky Barnes.  What the hell is so important that you had to set off a fire alarm in my building?"

"I need your help," said Bucky.  "Sharon Carter, who helped us with the Flag Smashers; turns out she's the Power Broker and she took my son, and his mother."

"You have a son?" asked Walker incredulously.  "Why does she want your son?"

"Because the super soldier abilities I have were passed on to him," said Bucky.  "She can make new serum using his blood.  She has a memory suppression machine as well and can use it to make super soldiers that obey her every command.  She's already used it on Lacey, my son's mother.  Then she plans to sell her off to someone."

He showed them the picture that he copied from Terry's phone.  They both looked at it without comment.

"Why should I help you?" demanded Walker.  "I have a contract with a private employer and it doesn't involve dealing with you."

Bucky sighed then looked at Olivia.  "Because she may come after your child sometime," he said.  "I'm pretty sure if you and your wife start having children they'll have the super soldier abilities as well.  If you came to me for help I wouldn't hesitate."

Olivia looked at her husband in a panic then instinctively touched her abdomen.  She was already pregnant.  Walker looked up in frustration then at his wife when she touched his arm.

"You have to help him," she said.  "He's just a kid.  You came up against traffickers in Afghanistan and said they were filthy animals.  You can't let them have Lacey either."

Walker let out a short angry breath.  "Okay, I'm in," he said curtly.  "What's the plan?"

"Meet at the Avengers compound upstate," replied Bucky.  "Today, as soon as you can get there after sunrise.  Bring your uniform and your weapons."

Walker nodded his assent then they all went to the door and joined the exodus of people evacuating down the stairs.  When they got to the bottom Bucky disappeared into the night and Walker put his arm protectively around Olivia.

"Val isn't going to like this," he said.

"She doesn't need to know," replied Olivia, then she looked up at her husband.  "This is the right thing to do, John."

Once Bucky was safely away from the building he ran to a self storage facility in Brooklyn.  Even though he mostly stayed in Delacroix with Sam and his family he had moved his possessions from his Brooklyn flat into a small storage unit, not wanting to move them until he was sure he was staying in one place.  Lifting up the steel door sounded disturbingly loud but he didn't stop until it was completely open.  Then he turned on the light and began looking for the tools of his trade.  In the weeks since they fought the Flag Smashers things had been quiet so he hadn't needed his weapons.  Now, he needed several and he brought the satchel out.  Pulling a canvas off of a hidden object revealed a motor bike, a Kawasaki Versys 650, which he picked up at a very reasonable price.  He barely rode it since buying it but he needed a way to get to the compound.  Grasping the handle bars he walked the motor bike out to the corridor.  Going back inside he found another bag with a leather jacket and motorcycle helmet, put them both on, and slung the weapons satchel cross wise over his body.  Finally he pulled down the steel door and locked it.  He walked the motor bike outside, mounted it, and turned the key, its motor springing to life right away.  As soon as he got it up to speed a grin spread across his face as its powerful but smooth roar reached his ears.  Checking for police or speed traps he let it out and got it up to 150 mph before bringing it back down to the speed limit.  It was definitely a motorcycle he would enjoy riding.  Just over an hour later he pulled up to the construction site that covered most of the Avengers compound.  An MP waved him over and Bucky pulled up then took his helmet off.

"Your name, sir?" asked the MP.

"Bucky Barnes," he replied, then added his rank.  "Sergeant.  There's supposed to be a John Walker on the list.  Can you confirm that?"

The MP looked at his clipboard.  "Yes, Sarge, he's on the list but hasn't checked in yet. Go straight and take the second turn right.  Your destination will be on the left.  You're the first one here, other than Director Fury."

"There is another man who might not be on the list," stated Bucky.  "Terry Williams.  He is the brother of the abducted woman and uncle to the boy.  I can vouch for him."

"He's on the list as well," said the MP.  "I believe Clint Barton called it in to include him on the briefings."

Bucky nodded, put his helmet back on and followed the directions.  The building looked new but it was still surrounded by the wreckage of Thano's attack.  Another MP guided him in to a parking stall.

"Sergeant Barnes," he verified.  "If you go through those doors another MP will assign you your quarters.  If you have weapons in your bag, there is a secure storage area inside for you to keep them."

Bucky thanked him and walked inside carrying his helmet in his arm.  The MP checked the contents of his bag and radioed for an escort to show him the weapons storage then his quarters.  An army private arrived to lead Bucky to the weapons storage area which was basically a locker that used an iris scan to open and close it.  Then he followed the private to his quarters, dropping his helmet and jacket onto the table.  The canteen wasn't open yet so Bucky laid on the bed and closed his eyes, hoping to catch some sleep before the others arrived.  A knock on his door awakened him a couple of hours later and he opened it to Sam carrying his go bag.

"How long have you been here?" asked Sam.

"Well before sunrise," replied Bucky.  "I found Walker.  He said he was in.  His wife is pregnant so I think he understands the necessity of keeping the kids safe.  His wife also brought up his experiences with human traffickers in Afghanistan."

"Good," said Sam.  "Canteen is open, if you're up for some breakfast.  Is that your motorcycle outside?"

"Yeah, first time out with it," replied Bucky.  "Took it up to 150 mph in no time."

"Nice," said Sam, smiling broadly.  "Oh, just so you know, we have three Dora Milaje here.  They volunteered.  Ayo is one of them."

"Nice," replied Bucky, also smiling.  "She's a good soldier."

He changed his shirt and walked with Sam to the canteen.  It was more like a mess hall as both of them came away with a full tray of food, coffee and orange juice.  As he turned to the seating area a hand went up and he saw Clint and Terry.  Also sitting with them were Peter Parker, who he hadn't seen since the airport in Leipzig, and surprisingly to him, Lt. Torres.

"What are you doing here?" he asked Torres.

"I heard about your girlfriend and son," he replied.  "I've been working on the Falcon suit and trying it out.  I thought I could help."

"Thanks," said Bucky.  "I appreciate it."  He turned to Peter and offered his hand.  "Thanks for coming out, Peter.  Having experienced how effective your webs are I'm sure you'll make a difference."

"Sure, Mr. Barnes," Peter replied, shaking Bucky's hand.

"Bucky, please," he interrupted, smiling.  "Mr. Barnes was my dad."

Peter nodded and went back to eating his breakfast.  As they continued eating more people entered and he couldn't help but feel moved by those who showed up.  When John Walker strode in Bucky made a point of standing up and calling to him, understanding that in many ways Walker needed to feel like he was part of something good.  He introduced him to everyone and gave him his chair to sit on while he pulled another over.  Sam watched him with a small half smile on his face, understanding exactly what Bucky was doing.   

A dark-haired woman entered the canteen area.  Clint identified her as Maria Hill, Fury's right hand person.  She announced the briefing was about to begin and asked everyone assembled to follow her to the full briefing room.  At the front stood Fury, Rhodes, Thaddeus Ross, and two sorcerers, one who Bucky recognized as Dr. Strange.  The other sorcerer was an Asian man but Bucky didn't know his name.  When Fury put his hand up the whole room went silent.

"It would appear that the rumours of the demise of the Avengers isn't true," he said.  "There was a feeling from people with a higher pay grade than myself that there was no need for our organization, at least not in the format it had been."  He gave some serious side-eye to Ross.  "With the rise of the Flag Smashers and now the kidnapping of Lacey Chapman and her son Tommy, nothing could be further from the truth.  Three FBI agents died trying to prevent the kidnapping.  Three seriously injured.  For those of you who don't know Tommy is the son of Bucky Barnes and he has inherited his father's abilities."  There were several murmurs from the crowd.  "One of our own, Sharon Carter, has turned to the dark side and is behind the kidnapping.  She is now known by her current alias, the Power Broker, a powerful criminal overlord in Madripoor."

"Didn't she just get reinstated by the CIA?" asked Torres.

"Yes," replied Fury.  "That's before we realized her criminal alias.  We had been looking for her but never made the connection.  She has been disavowed by the CIA now that they are aware of her true identity.  She was behind the serum used by the Flag Smashers to become super soldiers and we believe she has plans to use Tommy Chapman's blood to create more serum.  Gentlemen, and ladies, we need to stop Miss Carter, and rescue Lacey Chapman and her son.  Those are our missions."

He let the news percolate and looked at Thaddeus Ross who put his hand up for silence.

"I know my presence here doesn't fill you with confidence," he said.  "Mistakes were made.  Serious mistakes that blamed certain innocent people for things they didn't do.  It also caused other people who were doing what they thought was morally right to be arrested and imprisoned unjustly.  I'm here to tell you the Sokovia Accords have been revoked completely.  After Thanos it was recognized that an organization like the Avengers needs its autonomy to take up the fights that need fighting without waiting for approval by slow moving bureaucracies.  Cap, Barnes, and Walker proved with their work on the Flag Smashers that the rules of engagement can't always be followed especially when your opponent doesn't follow or respect those same rules.  That doesn't mean you sink to their level.  It means you use appropriate force to defeat your opponent.  It also means the kidnapping of two people is as important as a threat against many people.  Whatever you need to do to succeed in this mission will be provided to you.  Good luck."

Bucky looked at Sam.  It appeared they both had just received an apology for how they had been treated in the past.  Whatever they did now was their decision and under their control.  This fight had meaning not just for them but for everyone who had stepped up and they would make it count.

Chapter 20>>

Series Masterlist

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[thisbuildinghasfeelings]

Anne if you could write and direct an episode of 911ls, what would you put in it? Let's say for season 5

Ok, so it would have AT LEAST as much Tarlos content as 3x13, maybe more. Since this is my episode to write and direct, let’s go with more. It would be the culmination of an arc about Carlos solving his father’s murder. TK would have a hand in helping Carlos solve the case, but it would end up putting TK in danger somehow. (I’m not necessarily saying he’d be held at gunpoint, but I’m not not saying that!) Anyway, there would be danger that would either land TK in the hospital or would land Carlos in the hospital as he was in the process of protecting TK. (Of course, they would both be fine by the next episode.) Despite the danger, Carlos would figure out who murdered his father and feel that he helped bring them to justice. Carlos would of course still be grieving his father, but after everything, he would end up feeling more at peace about what had happened, better about his relationship with his father, and mostly incredibly grateful to have such a wonderful husband. TK would be a little frantic with worry over Carlos at times, but by the end of the episode, he too would feel overwhelmingly grateful to be married to his soulmate.

The episode would also include a 126 Tarloft hang, an appearance by Lou II, and a scene of TK getting advice from either Tommy or Judd…maybe both. There would be some kind of exciting call with both TK and Carlos on the scene that would end up tying in with Gabriel’s murderer in some way. TK and Carlos would work together in at least some small capacity on the call as well and maybe there would be some flirty banter when it was over? That’s kind of a lot of tonal shifts, but I think Ronen and Rafa could make it work.

The B story of the episode would be some kind of 126 firehouse shenanigans that would link up in some way with what happened during the Tarloft hang. This would be lighter in tone to help balance the heavier murder solving/danger causing Tarlos part of the episode.

Despite the heavier nature of the Tarlos storyline, the episode would start with TK and Carlos waking up in bed together and the scene would be ADORABLE. And the episode would end with a beautiful Tarlos scene to rival the soulmates scene that would be several minutes long.

[leothil]

Maybe this is just me being stupid and I'm sorry if I am but there's such a distinct difference on how they're talking about Buck/Tommy and Buddie.

With Buck/Tommy it's like they're making it abundantly clear that it's not a long term relationship every chance they get and now we have Oliver essentially saying he hopes that they stay friends and Tommy can help as sort of a gay fairy godmother whenever he needs advise or someone to confide in when he has a question or a problem cause Tommy has gone through this experience Buck has and it's just going to be a short term sweet, tender, relationship that ends amicably and mutually.

Probably honestly when Tommy suggests to Buck that he has feelings for Eddie or Buck realizes it himself. I'm looking at episode 8 because it's written by episode 4 writer and JCC as the episode that's gonna start bringing the Eddie of it all into the equation that Buck misunderstood in episode 8.

With Buddie....it's loud to put it bluntly. Like the way it's consistently being brought up in interviews, when it used to be you needed to be held at gunpoint to say something about Buddie. How both Ryan, Oliver, and shoot even Lou have said stuff about Buddie is also like really loud behavior. Ryan basically all but confirming it IMO when he said " I don't think they're*buck and eddie* ready for that*buddie* just yet they still gotta figure themselves out" and freaking Oliver in this interview it looked like he was gonna say something but he just said umm stuff so I'm like BRO he's classically trained in media PR but it's so clear he was not being as honest and not saying stuff he does know for obvious reasons, stuff that he could not reveal.

I'm still firmly on team something buddie is going to happen in the finale that's gonna confirm that's the direction they're going in, what it is I have no idea but it's coming. Sorry this got long.

Gay fairy godmother made me wheeze, thank you for that! I know this is a slightly unpopular opinion at the moment, but I'd love if Buck and Tommy kept it casual! To me, that makes sense for where Buck is right now as a character. And a definite yes to ending it amicably! That was what I wanted from his relationship with Natalia, and it kinda sucks that we never got to see that on screen!

And I did say the same to another anon just now, but yes, the show has been loud this season! Lou bringing up there being *handwave* something about Buck and Eddie really made me raise my eyebrows, because yes we see it, but apparently now it's fine to say everyone else should see it too? The press for the season so far has already given me several heart attacks so I'm a bit scared of what's yet to come! 😂

I hope you're right! Third party confession or loud and clear oh-moment for Buck, ooh that would be delicious!

[forensicated]

[Off the top of my head, this is the 7th time Smithy has been held at gunpoint in this year/series alone (and the year/series is not over yet as if I think I'm currently around October.) There's several Gun Runner at-gunpoints by various characters over the episodes, this one and Killer On The Run. If you include CO19 holding him at gunpoint and telling him to put his arms up after dropping the weapon etc in the final Gun Runner before Gina shouts he's a copper it's his 8th! 9th if you include the random gunshot at Carly's funeral but that's a stretch as it wasn't aimed at him (for once)]

Smiffina Episodes: An Honour To Serve - Part 2

This is the final Smiffina episode recap. There is a bonus mention that they met up for a drink down the line but that's it. As a massive aside there is a holby ep that Roberta guests in from 2014 whilst Alex is there as Fletch but they don't get any time onscreen together really 😞)

Part 1 finished with the camera focused on the officers outside whilst Smithy tried to free the hostages and arrest Quinn. The gun went off in a struggle and the last thing Gina heard was Quinn saying "You've got a man down".

Part 2 starts showing what happened inside when it all kicked off. I have issues with this because it's Really. Fucking. Stupid. Particularly for a sergeant and a former officer of CO19 with roughly 13/14 years policing experience at that time. (Who was a squaddie before that!)

Instead of securing Quinn after knocking him down, Smithy hurries round the room and urges the kids and teacher out. He doesn't pin Quinn to the floor and shout at them to go, he doesn't even secure the gun. Quinn struggles to his feet and punches Smithy, knocking him to the ground. He then aims the gun at his head to shoot him at point blank range. Thankfully Sophie hits Quinn with a mug which forces the trajectory of the gun up to the ceiling instead of into Smithy.

This scene just does not make sense because Smithy has the skills, knowledge, common sense, experience and intelligence to know you don't let a dangerous, damaged and mentally ill man with nothing to lose keep free use of his firearm. ESPECIALLY when you have open access to pin him down, get backup and scoot the gun away from him after wrestling him down to the ground in the first place. I am 100 percent biased towards Smithy and can generally forgive him anything (Andrea. Kerry. Kezia.) but this shit is fruit loops.

I know that wouldn't have made for a very long part 2 though but it makes a mockery of the man's training and experience (and is the final push for Gina to resign😪) I've slowed the gif right down to show how stupid it is. He had the opportunity to get on top of him, pin him down and call for backup or scoot the gun across the room and then pin him down at the very least! But no, he runs around and shouts for people to run when he could have done that sat on top of the Very Bad Man.

When Quinn staggers forward and grabs the radio to send the 'man down' message, Sophie pockets Smithy's phone. Gina's expression is devestating.

They play with a little with the sound after and have Heaton call Gina "Ma'am?" twice before he says her name. It's a way of having Gina hear what sounds like Smithy saying 'Ma'am' in a muffled way but given their closeness it would have worked even better if it'd been "Gina?" and made more sense for that to have been said by Heaton given he'd not call her Ma'am as he's her superior. Or as @everythingisdragons says - Callum would have been a much better substitute vocally and subordinate wise and it'd make sense! He asks her if she's ok, WTF mate? Of course she isn't, she thinks Smithy's been shot and potentially killed.

The attention is broken by the children running out of the door. Gina asks the teacher what happened to the policeman and she tells her she thinks he's been shot. Everyone other than Smithy, Polly and Sophie have gotten out. The relief are worried for their Sergeant, especially had noone knows for sure. Gina asks Sgt Hooper if he can go in to end it now and his advice is to wait until they get more idea of the action inside. Gina urges them to go in and take him by surprise so they can get to Smithy but Heaton says they don't have the element of surprise as he knows they're there.

Tony and Ben are sent to the nearby church hall where the children and teachers have been evacuated to see if anyone saw or heard anything of relevance and if not they can go home.

A poorly Rachel arrives having heard what was going and pours over the school blueprints with the other ranking officers and the headteacher. The nearest negotiators are 45 minutes away which is too long. Gina offers her services but Heaton doesn't think it's a good idea given her closeness to Smithy. "I can do my job sir." Heaton tells her he doesn't doubt it but he'd rather it be someone who's not as close to one of the hostages. Callum has done the course but hasn't any practical experience. He asks Gina to remain with him and she agrees. Smithy's radio is cut out of the transmission loop, Quinn's mobile is deactivated and the only people he can contact - and who can contact him - are the police. Rachel is tasked as the link between Heaton and the SO19 Sgt, Callum is going to negotiate with Gina as backup and Heaton is going to control everything from the yard.

Armed officers are placed on the roof opposite and a team of CO19 officers are placed on the staircase leading to the floor Smithy and the others are on. Rachel adds 2 officers to the CO19 team. Gina advises Callum to build a rapport with Quinn and to try and get him to release the girls and give them an update on Smithy, especially if they can get medical help in to him. Sally is set to make notes on the whiteboard of important facts as well as a timeline.

They fear Quinn has a history of dangerous behaviour and is a risk to himself as well as the two teenage girls [and Smithy!!!!!]. He has a history of harassing behaviour in Australia and has used the gun at least twice - once in Aus and once here. It's inferred to be the same gun (how did he get it to and from Australia - especially as he was deported (so you'd think more security when packing/leaving) and both were post 9/11?) Gina points out the only thing Quinn seems to want is Nicola and he won't stop until he gets her.

CO19 sweep the staircases looking for Quinn. They spot him pacing one of the classrooms, freaked by the amount of guns he can see in the yard. Ben reports back to Heaton that they're in position and that Quinn has been seen but Smithy hasn't. Heaton gives Gina and Callum the go ahead to contact Quinn.He refuses to answer at first and drops his phone onto the table giving the viewers the first sighting of a dazed but very alive Smithy! Quinn screams at the phone to shut up.

Finally Quinn answers the phone and Callum introduces himself. He asks to speak to Nicola and Callum says he will see what he can do but asks if they're all ok and if they need anything. He threatens to do 'the same to anyone who comes near as I did to the cop!' Callum asks if Smithy is ok and Quinn says he got what was coming. Callum asks what that means. "It means I shot him." he growls back. Gina instantly turns away from them and looks out the window.

Callum asks if they can send a paramedic in. He claims it's too late for that and to only ring when he can talk to Nicola. Gina blanches and weakly says she has to go speak to the Super, hurrying out the room looking very wobbly.

"He said he shot him." "And we have no reason to believe anything that Quinn says!" Heaton insists, gesturing to the pile of witness statements, telling her none of them mention Smithy getting shot. "It might have happened once they'd left the room so that is meaningless. If Smithy is alive and well why hasn't he got in touch?!" Heaton gives Callum permission to speak to Nicola to see if she's up to speaking to Jake but he has to be adamant that she is 100% prepared and knows what to say. He warns Gina to keep the husband out of the way and tells her to keep positive about Smithy.

Quinn rants to himself that all Nicola had to do was listen to him as Polly is having an asthma attack behind him. "Polly's not well!" Sophie tells him. Quinn doesn't care and answers the phone as Callum rings back, telling him they don't want food/drink or similar, he just wants to speak to Nicola. Smithy and Sophie lock eyes during this and he reassures her but presses his finger to his lips to remind her to keep quiet and not draw attention to him. She shows him that she has his phone when Quinn is distracted ranting down the phone. Smithy gives her a thumbs up and gestures to keep calm and wait and it'll be ok. All Quinn keeps saying is that he wants to talk to Nicola and he knows she's there. Rachel brings Nicola to speak to Gina and Callum. She tells them she'll do anything it takes and say whatever he wants to hear to get Sophie safe. Gina warns her that Quinn is unstable and if they make a mistake they'll never get another chance. Nicola insists she'll tell him any number of lies and promise him anything to get her daughter out.

Sophie asks him why he wants to talk to her mum and Quinn tells her it's because he wants to tell her he loves her and always has/always will. Sophie sobs that he doesn't even know her and Quinn snaps that he does and that he's sorry he hit her and that it's not her fault but it's too late now and Nicola will have the rest of her life to regret what she did to him.

Callum briefs Nicola to not promise him anything unless he okays it or tells her to and that she must do exactly as he says. She promises to and they ring Quinn back and Gina updates Heaton.

Sophie slides Smithy's phone to him when Quinn runs over to the other side of the room after spotting CO19 on the roof opposite. He crosses to another room with the girls and barricades the door, leaving Smithy in the classroom.

Nicola initially freezes on hearing Quinn's voice before asking him not to hurt Sophie and Polly. Callum writes things for her to ask - she asks if they need anything and he says he doesn't want to talk about them and that it's his time for answers. He asks why he rejected her and she says she didn't mean to. She asks him to give himself up. Quinn mocks this "If... when... they put me in prison, you'll be there waiting for me?" "Of course!" "For how long?" "As long as it takes. Let the girls out and we can be together." "Put the cop on...Why are you making her lie?" Callum starts to say that he wasn't making her lie but Quinn hangs up.

Gina receives a call and takes a shocked breath in, gripping Heaton's arm in her relief. "It's Smithy!"

Smithy tells her that Quinn was spooked by CO19 being on the roof opposite and that he's moved the girls into another classroom. He tells Heaton he's fine and Sophie's alright but Polly is struggling to breathe. Quinn is refusing to answer the phone and so Callum keeps ringing back. Heaton says they can't pass Smithy's info on to anyone in the negotiating room because if Nicola lets it slip it's obvious that it's Smithy who told them. Quinn believes he's in control and they have to let him keep believing that. Quinn answers the phone and threatens to kill Sophie if Nicola lies to him again. He asks again why she rejected him and she was afraid of how he made her feel because she's married. She understands that he now loves her more than her husband and that she now knows how it feels to be loved so much and that she'd forgotten what it feels like to truly care for someone else. Sophie runs across the room and removes the barricade, shouting "MUM!" Quinn drops the phone and drags her away, starting to rebuild the barricade which in turn enables Smithy to open the door and unfortunately come face to face with him.

"Long time now see!" He snaps, pointing the gun at Smithy.

When the next part starts, Smithy is being secured to a chair with an extension wire. He reassures Sophie that everything is going to be ok and to try keep Polly calm.

He tells Quinn to give himself up whilst he still can and Quinn points the gun in his face and orders him to shut up whilst he thinks. Smithy tries to reassure the girls as Quinn checks the windows. Quinn answers the phone again and tells Callum the girls are fine but Smithy's 'a bit tied up right now'. Callum asks for proof because an hour ago he'd told him he'd shot him. Quinn says he's tired of game playing and wants Nicola. He says face to face but they refuse it so he says "This might change your mind." And cocks his gun as he puts the phone to Smithy's ear. "Do whatever you need to do." Smithy tells Callum. Quinn is angry it's backfired on him and snatches the phone away, saying "That's enough! Are you satisfied? If I don't get her in here right now I will shoot him and then I'll shoot the lot of us."

Callum asks what to do. Heaton tells him to make contact with him 'Find out how serious he is'. HES JUST FUCKING TOLD YOU! Surely Heaton realises that will just anger him further and make him more likely to do it? The CO19 Sgt thinks going in now would be a risky move as they can't see him now he's moved and he could be anywhere or have chance to shoot them all by the time they get to him. He says if they go in now there'll definitely be casualties, possibly amongst CO19 and almost certainly amongst the casualties. "That's a risk we might have to take." Heaton sighs.

Gina stresses that they have to get paramedics in or Polly out to receive help. Quinn asks Nicola when she's coming in and without approval she says she'll come in as soon as he lets the paramedics in to see Polly. Quinn is surprised but agrees. She tells Callum she'll go in if she has to. Quinn tells Sophie that her mum is coming in to see her!

Rachel offers herself to go in in the place of a paramedic to get Polly so she can tell CO19 and the others where Smithy and the hostages are and the layout of everything. She's a fully trained first aider and Quinn hasn't seen her yet. Rachel changes and goes through, following the directions Quinn gave to allow them access. She and Smithy lock eyes but don't acknowledge each other with Quinn pointing the gun at them. She tries to check Smithy over but Quinn refuses to let her. The actual paramedic insists Polly can't remain in the room and will die if he doesn't let her leave. "Okay... take her."

Smithy squeezes Sophie a small reassuring smile as they wait for Quinn to make his next move. As an officer Smithy knows that Nicola can't/won't be allowed in and can only watch as Quinn rings back and asks for Nicola to arrive. Callum tells him it's not that easy and reassures him that he has to get permission from the borough commander and that he has to promise that he won't try and hurt her. "Hurt her? I love her. Why would I hurt her?"

He gives them 10 minutes and says he'll shoot Smithy if she doesn't appear and if they don't believe him he shot the last man who became him and the woman he loved - Mr Australia.

Rachel tells them that the gun looks like an old army revolver and that he's lost a lot of blood from his side. She tells them where the hostages are and that there's lots of furniture around whilst Callum tells Gina what Quinn said and that he has boasted about shooting a man before so he doesn't doubt he'd do it. Gina tells Heaton that Quinn has called their bluff and given them 10 minutes to bring him Nicola or he'll shoot the hostages and himself. She tells them that she fears he'll kill or die to feed his obsession.

Heaton realises the negotiations are over and asks Gina to tell Callum that CO19 are going in in 4 minutes. He wants Callum to ring Jake when given the signal so that CO19 get a few valuable seconds of distraction. They have to pray he will answer. Callum rings when given the signal and CO19 are given the standby order. Quinn is told that Nicola is on her way and that they rushed through the authorisation needed. Heaton gives the CO19 order to go and they move up as quietly as they can whilst Callum keeps Quinn talking. In the mean time Smithy has managed to untie his arms and leaps to his feet when the door lock is shot out and CO19 rush in, standing in front of Sophie and ordering Quinn to put the gun down. CO19 circle him and order him to put the gun down. He puts it to his head and faces off for a few seconds before complying and dropping the gun and doing as the officers order so he can be arrested.

At the station, Sophie gives her statement and Heaton arranges a briefing. Arun reckons his school was 'like that every day!'. Tony hated school - or -"maybe it was the other way round."

Smithy says he tried the direct approach... but it didn't get him very far. Gina tells him he did very well and sinks into her chair with a very heavy sigh. Smithy asks her if she's alright. She tunes back in as he moves directly into her eyeline and asks again with obvious concern in his tone. She promises him she's fine but there's something she's got to do and she'll meet him in the interview room.

She composes herself after he leaves, moves to her doorway and smartens her uniform before taking a deep breath and leaving her office. She knocks on Heaton's door and asks him for a minute. She tells him she doesn't think it's going to come as a surprise to him as it's been building for some time but she's made her decision and she's going. She doesn't want to wake up and realise she's stayed too long and she's too old for anything else as both have seen happen to others. Heaton doesn't believe she wants to go as she's the one person they'd have to drag out kicking and screaming. "This job is your life." "WAS..." she corrects. She tells him it's not just about the loss of Emma and how that affected the station but everything, reminding him of her reaction when Sally and Callum jumped into water without a second thought to save a woman whilst Gina panicked on the Dock. Something she never ever thought she'd do. "And today when I thought I'd lost Smithy... Honestly Sir, my nerves can't take it anymore." She's so proud of uniform everytime they go out but it gets more terrifying everytime something happens. He accepts. ".. If you're sure. " "Thanks. Thanks very much, John."

Callum tells Sophie that Polly will be in hospital for a few days but she should be proud of herself for getting her help. Gerard is furious when he hears that Quinn needs to be assessed by a psych. He's even less happy when he hears that Sophie and her mum are not going home but to her parents house for a few weeks whilst they come to terms with everything and make a start on a proper separation for the couple.

Heaton tells Gina he knows she's not one for long goodbyes but they still have her for a month... Gina points out she has almost 6 weeks of leave owing and wants to go today without anyone knowing and without a goodbye party. She tells him he's spoilt for choice with three great Sgt's. She doesn't think Smithy will want the job as he didn't enjoy being acting Inspector and she thinks Callum would rather be out on the front line if given a choice. Rachel is the only one left... [ugh!]

Tony overhears that Gina is leaving despite her asking John to keep it private and he goes straight over to Smithy to ask to talk to him after the debrief.

Heaton takes Rachel through to his office to offer her the job. He tells her he was impressed with how she came in when sick and handled the team. He tells her Gina is leaving and he offers her the job with immediate affect. He brought her to Sun Hill because he had heard nothing but good things about her and that he wants someone fresh with energy and vision to move forward. Bulllshiiiiiit. *cough*. She asks to sleep on it and they'll talk tomorrow. Tony tells Gina that she played a blinder today. She says he did too but he tells her it's only because he has the best boss. "Always a pleasure to serve with you." he smiles.

Smithy hurries through to Gina's office to find her packing. He looks utterly gutted. "So it's true then." "Lots of things are true, like I should be at home with my feet up and a stiff drink." Smithy asks her if it's because of what he said and that he knows things have been difficult with everything including 'the Stone thing'. Gina tells him he might not like it but Callum is a good officer. "Look. you know that I've always admired the way you've done the job and that you've always given 100% but you've been a really good friend to me and that's what I'm going to miss the most." "I'm leaving the job, not my friends." Tony has told everyone as it spreads like wildfire round the station. "Not a lot to show for 25 years is it?" she smiles, showing him the head girl badge." "There's plenty to show." Smithy replies, choked. He asks her why now and she said she's done her bit, the jobs changed and it's her time to go. She wants to walk the length of England and Scotland. "and stop at every pub?" Smithy smirks. She asks if they can talk another time, like a drink the next night because she's exhausted and she knows Smithy is "I don't know how you're still standing!" Smithy tells her that the relief are organising a whip-round for a last minute leaving do and she asks him to tell them that she's already gone because she doesn't like long goodbyes and she'll never escape and besides, she'll see them all again soon. "I'll just not be shouting orders, well not in uniform anyway." Smithy smiles sadly and leans in and kisses her cheek.

[captainfightingflower]

Why You Don’t Know Jack: Full Stream’s Escape the Simulations fall flat and is mediocre at best (and how they did the concept better in the same game).

You Don’t Know Jack: Full Stream, especially it’s special episode dubbed “Escape the Simulations” is a fan favorite, yet “favorite” does not mean “objectively good”, which ETS is not. 

It’s not bad to like ETS, and you’re allowed to like it, i’m not saying you shouldn’t, or that you’re stupid if you genuinely enjoy it. I’m here to explain to you why, by it’s execution and delivery, how it fails, and how a single voice line from the same game completely outdoes what ETS attempted to accomplish.

Spoilers for You Don’t Know Jack: Full Stream’s Escape the Simulations below Keep reading:

The episode having a random chance to show up hurts it’s impact and just causes players distress.

It was revealed in a Reddit AMA that it was decided that making Escape the Simulations a part of the same special episode pool as Fraiser Frenzy or Featuring Jimmy Fallon that has a chance to appear every 1/69 times You Don’t Know Jack: Full Stream is played was the better option over it happening if you played enough games of You Don’t Know Jack: Full Stream in succession because more players would get to experience it.

This was an awful decision, honestly. You Don’t Know Jack: Full Stream’s Escape the Simulations would have benefited FAR more if it was kept to something that only occurred if you played YDKJ: FS several times in a row, as the ending line claiming that you’re also stuck, along with Cookie, would have hit so much harder if you had to play it multiple times in a row without breaks. Making you realize that, in a way, Creepy Voice is right, instead of it coming off a cheesy villainy!

You could even improve it further by doing it Trivia Murder Party 2 Escape Room style, where once you trigger Escape the Simulations: it won’t trigger again unless you reinstall the game. Giving it an ominous feeling that you weren’t suppose to witness it at all and solving the issue of it stressing out players who experienced it previously.

Speaking of stressing out players: there has been several accounts of players who can’t play YDKJ: FS without tensing up, anxious that question 4 will be that question. If the game you’re playing is a game that is built to be played multiple times over has an event that causes players to get so stressed out that they can’t play your game anymore: then there’s a problem with the event!

Fun fact: YDKJ: FS was the first Jackbox Game game i’ve ever played (if you’re curious, the first question i got was the Polydactyly meme format one), so there’s a chance that ETS could’ve been my FIRST EVER experience with Jackbox Games as a whole! It’s no mystery that ETS is for the fans who like the lore, but Jackbox Games’ fanbase is largely casual players who don’t know it even has lore! 

Imagine how many families wanted to try out YDKJ: FS, only to be confused at why the host is in a cube and the lady is threatening him very ominously when all they wanted was to play trivia, turning them off from the game, or even the YDKJ franchise entirely, assuming that’s what the game was usually like.

It benefits no one and only lessens the impact of Escape the Simulations to have it just occasionally happen 1/69 games if another special episode isn’t picked.

The acting does not instigate any fear or urgency.

When trying to convince your audience that the character they care about is in danger: it’s crucial that the character SOUNDS like they are in danger. In Trivia Murder Party 2: Phil did an amazing job making Schmitty sound genuinely terrified and listening to the lines alone genuinely feels like someone is being held a gunpoint to read them.

You might say “Well maybe Tom just can’t act distressed as well as Phil can.”, and i raise you the time Schmitty decided to pull a prank on Cookie by tricking him into thinking Old Man killed himself right in front of him: Cookie sounded GENUENLY in distress during his little prank, which proves that Tom IS able to make Cookie sound like he’s distressed, meaning that this choice to make Cookie unnaturally calm when his life is threatened is ether bad voice directing, or intentional. 

binjpipe being “big evil corporation is bad” is the writers picking low-hanging fruit when they own a ladder.

Binjpipe being obviously bad and having the twist being that they are obviously bad does not make for a good twist, and the writers have the ability to make infinitely more creative twists!

Binjpipe would have been more interesting if instead of it being an obviously evil company, it spoofed brands that intentionally advertise themselves strangely. Because while generic adds come and go from your brain pretty easily, strange ads like Little Baby’s Ice Cream stick with you, resulting in much better advertisements!

If binjpipe’s whole shtick was to market themselves as being very clearly evil, when in reality they aren’t, would make for some genuinely effective in-universe advertising! And, if you want: you could even say that Escape the Simulations is just a massive marketing stunt to get more people talking about binjpipe (which if that’s the case, then it clearly worked and would explain Cookie just not being as freaked out as he should be). It’s already canonically implied that they are financially struggling and that they are REALLY bad at marketing themselves, so it wouldn’t be to crazy to assume they’d pull something like that, and it would make for a better, infinitely more creative twist overall if it were true! 

Why should we treat Truth Talk 23/7 as a credible source NOW?

Truth Talk 23/7 (despite it reducing Nate Shapiro into a conspiracy nut) is a radio-styled show that shows up occasionally after games of YDKJ: FS. Clearly a spoof on conspiracy radio shows, due to him asking callers if they are sheep or weasels (or a pair of cargo shorts) or him going through his neighbors mail & garbage (which you might say is just a reference to the Funky Trash question type, which it is, but Nate Shapiro never was in a game that DID the Funky Trash question type, so he’s just dumpster diving for the hell of it) which is highly illegal by the way to go through people’s mail.

So when Nate goes on spiels on how not to go by the dates dictated by Big Calendar or how he is the voice of reason in a world that no longer exists: we shouldn’t to take him seriously. But suddenly, when he’s talking about binjpipe: he’s credible???

You guys just suddenly believe this tinfoil hat wearing paranoid nutjob, who has been doing nothing but rattling off conspiracy theories, that binjpipe’s terms of service is written in blood or that he got sent ancient Sumerian scrolls that translate to “binjpipe: Consumer of worlds”?! That’s like...typical conspiracy nonsense! Like how Disney is run by the devil, or that Pepsi flipped reads out “is dead”.

“But Cookie was gone for several packs!” So what?

Schmitty was gone for several packs too, yet nobody asked where he was! Even when it was revealed he was kidnapped this whole time: some of y’all still believe that he was just acting and not actually in danger! “But didn’t Schmitty appear in Full Stream?” Yeah, and his program is streaming old YDKJ commercials: his voice lines could have been very easily pre-recorded before his kidnapping, as shows take a while to get greenlit IRL. 

Not to mention [REDACTED] is a freelance writer for binjpipe, could it be so hard to believe that he forced Schmitty to record those lines too? I mean the whole program by concept doesn't feel like something Schmitty would wanna do if you check his past characterization. But that's a hot take for another post.

But when Cookie was gone: everyone was all “Where’s Cookie? When’s Cookie coming back? Is Cookie okay?”, dude could have just taken a vacation! Wouldn’t be the first time he’s taken a vacation. Him being absent for a couple of packs means Jack! Not to mention Tom needs to take breaks too, he can’t just voice Cookie in every pack, that would kill his voice long-term.

“The binjpipe part was a joke” and the missed potential of Creepy Voice.

At the end of You Don’t Know Jack: Full Stream’s second trailer, when Creepy Voice states that The Jackbox Party Pack 5 is only on binjpipe, Cookie states that the binjpipe part is a joke, Creepy Voice questions this and Cookie reinstates that it is, which causes Creepy Voice to sound genuinely hurt by this as they question it again, resulting in Cookie yelling that it is.

This added dimension to Creepy Voice, if implemented in ETS, could’ve added a layer of tragedy to their character instead of just “spokesperson to evil corporation is just a mouthpiece for the evil corporation's evil”. If Creepy Voice was also trapped along with Cookie, or was living a giant lie, and reset right before they reset Cookie: then it would make their claim that we’re also trapped feel so much more saddening and make Creepy Voice so much more empathetic and humanized, as well as separate them from binjpipe the company and gave them a distinct character of their own.

Also, Creepy Voice should’ve been a co-host. “But isn’t Creepy Voice a co-host already?” Well no, Creepy Voice doesn’t alternate between Cookie through the game like other co-hosts do, and them hosting a question type doesn’t mean anything since side-characters like Milan or Old Man also have their own question types. They are a side character like Helen or Mavis, it’s just the fact that they are really the ONLY recurring side character in YDKJ: FS that makes them feel like they are a co-host.

If Creepy Voice did host alongside Cookie, not only would it mark them as the first female-presenting character to host in the YDKJ series: but it would also make people feel more attached to them if they bounced off each other more, or if Creepy Voice occasionally insulted you for getting questions wrong. Which would make ETS feel so much more like a betrayal and hence more impactful.

Lore heavy episodes aren’t Jackbox Games' strong suit, and never will be.

Jackbox Games, especially back during it’s Jellyvision days, always thrives on cumulative lore building, where individual voice lines add up and snap together into very detailed characters. That’s how the original 5 YDKJ hosts manage to feel like actual people instead of just fictional characters! This results in accessible lore that does not feel intrusive for the styles of game Jackbox Games creates, which are ether trivia or party games.

Due to the fact that these are party games: they do NOT lend themselves to lore heavy episodes, which includes You Don’t Know Jack: Full Stream. Every time they attempt to do a lore heavy episode: it just falls flat and does nothing but confuse casual players. It’s just pandering to the hardcore fans, pandering that fundamentally does not work for the styles of games they create. Remember: these are casual party games at their core: not detailed story-driven epics where you expect them to lore dump on you.

Yet, what if i told you that there IS a better handled version of Escape the Simulations, one styled just like their typical cumulative lore right in this very game?

The better “Escape the Simulations” present in You Don’t Know Jack: Full Stream.

One of the possible introductions Cookie Masterson can do when you start a game is one where he states that he has been trapped in the game for decades and that he misses his family. On it’s own it seems like another quirky intro in a sea of quirky intros, yet that’s where Jackbox’s signature cumulative lore kicks in.

In You Don’t Know Jack Vol.6: The Lost Gold, when first booting up the game: it’s established that The Captain, the game’s sign-in host, got trapped inside YDKJ: TLG while looking for Jack’s Gold, cursed to be the game’s sign-in host until someone raises the flag to free him, yet because players will want to keep playing: he gets recaptured after a run-in with a gorilla.

Now, decades means that at least 2 decades had passed, and since it has been shown that time between installments is the same in universe as it is IRL (unless stated otherwise), we can compair the game’s release dates.

The first game he appeared in was You Don’t Know Jack Vol.1, which came out in 1995, The Jackbox Party Pack 5 came out in 2018, that’s over 20 years apart, making it at least two decades.

Cookie was a sign-in host in that game.

This reveal, unlike Escape the Simulations, feels EARNED, like those 23 years built up to this single voice line. The writers knew what they were doing with this line, and the amount of horror it brings while making perfect sense with previously established lore cannot be understated.

It sucks that this brilliant voice line is overshadowed by the underwhelming Escape the Simulations, while ETS tries too hard to add unnecessary tension that doesn't work within the confines of a trivia game; this voice line doesn't overstay it's welcome, allowing it to be dismissed by casual players, but giving just enough information for diehards to take notice. Yet that's just how the cookie crumbles.

Now that is my long winded rant about You Don’t Know Jack: Full Stream’s Escape the Simulations and how it’s flawed, apparently it’s been retconned in The Jackbox Party Pack 9, and good riddance! It was an awful episode that inadvertently causes war flashbacks to people whenever the word "Content" is spoken in conversation.

But apparently, there was yet another binjpipe focused episode in there, if people spamming the fanart tag with "Binjpipe hungers" as soon as the patch (which Jackbox experimenting with the "release now, patch later" moto is ALSO another hot take for another post) released.

Honestly, Jackbox should take binjpipe out back and shot and only dangle it's corpse as a cheeky background reference instead of trying to be serious with a joke streaming service! I could go deeper, like how the ETS could have made for a killer ARG if tied in the game more with the website (yet with their attempt at the Weapons Drawn. "ARG" which was just a treasure hunt since they broke the first rule of an ARG which is "Don't say it's an ARG", i'm glad they didn't.), or how i would write Creepy Voice as a co-host, but this hot take is getting a bit too hot for the kitchen.

What are your opinions on You Don't Know Jack: Full Stream's Escape the Simulations? Do you disagree and think it's objectively a good special episode? If so, what makes it good objectively? Do you agree with my take, but not one of my reasons, or have another reason as to why it doesn't work? Or do you have your own ideas on how to improve Escape the Simulations? Or is it just conceptually a failure and cannot be saved? Let me know, i'd love to have a civil discussion about this! Anyways, thanks for listening to my Talking Points.

[takerfoxx]

Okay, Rebuild of Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0, Thrice Upon a Time! The final Rebuild film, the definitive grand finale of one of the most popular, influential, controversial, and utterly batshit anime series there is. The Eva swan song of Hideki Anno himself, who was both made and broken by this franchise several times over! It is finally done. We got our closure.

So what did I think?

...

I kinda loved it.

Yup, it's good! Kind of great in some ways. Perfect? Hell no. Problems? Things that bugged me? Things I would have done differently? Most certainly yes.

But that's kind of the authentic Evangelion experience, isn't it? A messy story with a troubled production that is equal engaging, inspired, flawed, brilliant, horrifying, heartbreaking, problematic, thought-provoking, exhilarating, and just about every other adjective you can think of, good or bad. It will draw you in. It will break you. And it will ultimately end on a bizarre note that leaves you unsatisfied in a manner that you just can't get out of your head.

But before all that, let's start off with me gushing. Mari in Paris slaying rogue Evas with the Effiel-freaking tower? Bad. Ass. I know Anno's built up this reputation for offering something unapologetically cool only to yank it away, but let's face it: the man does love his robots, and he does deliver when he feels like it.

And after that, we get what is probably my favorite extended sequence in any incarnation of Evangelion, ever. And that's the whole part taking place at the survivors' village.

I. Fucking. LOVED that whole bit. Following Rei Q as she slowly became part of that community, how they welcomed her and helped her learn how to be a person, to form connections and make decisions for herself. Her childlike curiosity and joy in learning how to do simple tasks was soul food that hit like only the best comfort sequence of a hurt/comfort story could. And seeing grown-up versions of Kensuke, Touji, and Hikari, now with jobs and families and all that? Yes, please.

Granted, there were parts that...weren't so heartwarming. I'm used to seeing Shinji going into comatose states, especially after Kaworu's inevitable death, but the bit where Asuka force-feeds him was...really uncomfortable! Kensuke. Dude. I know you mean well, but maybe sticking those two in the same house when he's in that state wasn't the brightest idea.

Still, I should have learned. Every time Rei starts to reach out and connect with others, she dies, and this was no different. Yeah, that hurt. I should have seen it coming. I've seen it play out before, should've anticipated it happening here. Damn.

And...fuck. Seeing all those decapitated Rei heads made me hate Gendo even more than I already did. Good job getting the crowd to cheer for the good guys, I suppose.

Though, hey. Does the big decapitated Rei head and those other flashbacks mean that End of Evangelion did actually happen more or less, just without Shinji's involvement? Did almost everyone get turned into tang, Asuka eaten by the mass-produced Evas, and then washed up on the shore to fortunately not get strangled?

Okay, skipping ahead to the finale. It was big, it was tense, it had me going, "C'mon! I just lost Rei! Don't take Asuka away too!" But she went down. Again. Yeah, that's when I made my always watching the red and blue girls die post.

I admit, I got really tense when the crew held Shinji and Misato and gunpoint. Not that I expected them to shoot Shinji, but I was worried that something might kill them. Like, we've only known them for a little bit, but I do like them, and c'mon, nobody wants to see Touji's little sister die. Fortunately that doesn't happen, but it did have me concerned.

Though Gendo's brain blow? Yeesh.

Finally, we get Shinji vs. Gendo! You know, there are two ways they could have played this. First, give us what we've been wanting for years with an actual robot fight, or they could instead go with the more Evangelion route with something more cerebral.

Fortunately, they are smart and gave us both. The robot fight was cool (erm, mostly, but I'll get to that later), but the real meat is when they stop fighting and start talking, giving us that long overdue heart-to-heart we've been waiting more than two decades for.

I'll admit, I hate Gendo. Not in that he's a bad character, but he is so thoroughly infuriating that I just wanted to see him lose. But when we finally let him explain himself and got to see what he was like growing up, I'll admit, I did start to feel for him. Like him, I also have trouble making connections and shun the company of other people. I could empathize. I mean, not in the part about falling in love, but the rest of it? I got it.

And yeah, when he finally admitted that he was wrong and hugged Shinji, that got to me a little. Like, the man is still a monster, but given this show's history, that moment meant a lot. Granted, it wasn't a redemption, as he had done way too much to really be redeemed. But it was a reformation of sorts. Personally, I don't think he deserved to be reunited with Yui, but I'll let that bit go.

Rei! Yeah, I was glad to see Rei Prime. Long hair looks good on her! Damn, was she just chilling with Yui all those years?

After that is just so much emotional catharsis. We get to say goodbye to all these characters, say goodbye to Evangelion in general (seriously, that scene with all of the liberated souls really hit me), and Shinji finally gets the happy ending he always wanted. He resets the world for good, erasing both Angels and Evas, letting everyone get a chance at life. We glimpse Asuka, Kaworu, and Rei alive and well in the train station, with a now grown-up Shinji and Mari playfully flirting, as happy as can be. It's done. They won. We won. We can finally say goodbye.

Okay, criticism time!

Firstly, let's briefly touch base with stuff I've brought up about the last few movies. First, even with the advancements in technology since the first movie, the CG was all over the place. Sometimes it looked fine, other times it was like a PS1 cutscene. The ice breaking was particularly bad, as was all those mannequin Rei's. The Shinji vs. Gendo fight was well-directed, but man, the animation quality just did not measure up, especially when it would cut to the traditionally animated characters. The freaky Rei face could go either way, since it was meant to be disturbing, but even still.

The soundtrack issue wasn't as bad as before, and most of the time it did work quite well, but it could still get distracting at times.

And finally, okay, let's talk about this one last time. Firstly, it does seem I got Anno mixed up a little with Miyazaki when it comes to not liking Otaku and their boob fascination. Anno's issue was how abusive people were to him for the original finale of Evangelion and for finding Rei cute rather than creepy (that last one was kind of his fault, though), and the guy is perfectly okay with boobs. Okay, fair enough. But did'ja have to have so many creepshots? Nudity itself is fine, as it showed how detached both Rei and Asuka were from humanity, but some of those camera angles, man. Like, dude.

Well, whatever. It's a problem with all anime. Moving on.

Okay, let's talk about Mari!

Now, I got introduced to her mainly through fanfics and doujins, and she's pretty much accepted as part of the gang now, so I had a pretty good grasp on her personality at least. And let's face it: it's cool to finally have someone with no baggage who just thinks that piloting an Eva is awesome!

Still, I was surprised by how little of her there was. Like, I expected her to be a bigger deal. I get that they didn't want to get complaints of her being the Poochie by overshadowing the classic characters, but if she was Shinji's endgame (which, I'll admit, is still probably the best option for him, or at least the one with the least amount of baggage), then couldn't they have interacted more before then? Like, built up an actual relationship? She had more romantic tension with Asuka, to be frank. And if you hadn't looked her up and learned of her backstory like I did, you would've been confused as fuck when she popped up in Gendo's flashback or what the hell was going on during her talk with Fuyutsuki.

I'm not saying she should just push Asuka off to the side or anything. Just...give us enough to justify her being there, that's all.

As for Asuka...eh, her new backstory doesn't really work for me. Like, we already have a clone with a cloning complex. Having another doesn't make much sense, to be honest. Like, it explained her motivations okay, but I just feel her original backstory was more potent.

And finally, let's talk about the ending! Is it a lovely ending that felt earned? Kind of! Was it kind of unsatisfying? A little. Is it the ending I would have gone with? Nope!

Look, you know me. I like for things to have consequences, and to be frank, a full reset to create a world where everyone is alive and happy feels a little too neat.

So what would I have done? Well, I would still have done the (almost) everyone lives thing. Like, Asuka gets reformed and ejected like we saw. Give us a scene where Rei is absorbing the souls or essences or whatever from all the other Rei's and have her be reborn into a new body THAT DOESN'T TURN INTO TANG! Have Shinji make his wish or whatever to erase Angels and Evas, but NOT reset the world.

Like, sure, have Mari come in and save him and Rei, and they all get out. Have Asuka's escape pod wash up on a beach and let her out, and she finds Shinji, Rei, and Mari lying not far off, maybe have her give Shinji a small smack as comedic payback for the strangling thing, then they all link arms and walk off toward the village. Then over the credits, we can see what almost looked like was going to happen. The AAA Wunder's crew returns to the village, Sakura and Touji get a big hug, Ritsuko tells Misato's son about his mother's sacrifice and comforts him. The rest of the pilots arrive and are greeted by everyone, with Mari hamming it up, Asuka looking annoyed, Shinji embarrassed, while Rei is looking around in confusion like she recognizes the place. Maybe have Hikari and her kid give her a big hug or something.

Then we get a montage of the LCL slowly dissolving all over the world, cities being purified, the oceans being cleaned, and those Ark pods from the AAA Wunder starting new life. We see the kids...well, maybe not get older (Eva curse and all that), but maturing and participating in rebuilding the world. Forests are planted, animals repopulate, things are healing. Then as an after-credit scene we can have Shinji and Mari flirting in the train station to show that everything turned out all right.

But that's what I would do, not what Anno would do. And Evangelion has very much been Anno's story in every possible way, and to him, it was important to create a world completely without Evangelions. So how could I be mad?

So, this wraps up Neon Genesis Evangelion! And on the whole, I'm pretty damned satisfied. It was a messy journey, and I'm glad of it. And you know what? I'd say these movies actually bumped Evangelion up several places in my favorite anime list. Like, top five, possibly.

Hideki Anno? You crazy bastard, you did it. You actually ended Evangelion. It took you three tries, but you finally pulled it off.

So, what else is there to say, except...

[zorkaya-moved]

53 .  a kiss against the wall  . BC I WAS HELD AT GUNPOINT. valtr vc wow ur so pretty when u shut the fuck up 🥰

@wonderloste

The Black Rabbit proves himself to be the true Queen of Nightmares by parrying her sarcastic remarks with his own. Not a moment where one is truly a winner or loser, but their pride can speak otherwise. It continues on every once in a while, her boredom causing the snow queen to poke Valtr more often than she does, akin to a cat wanting attention and, thus, biting the hand that pets her. As if she'd allow herself to be compared to a gesture like that, but Zarina did wish for more, and if he would show her an expression or two that did not hold that calm and laid-back smile on his face. They were both creatures of snark and smart words, never forgetting to use their vocabulary against each other to see how far one could be pushed. 

Death certainly did not make either of them nicer or sweeter; they were all too befitting of a phrase: what doesn't kill me—better run. In this case, the Queen of Hearts would better pack her things before the destined moment of revenge approaches when the clocks ring the hour of twelve when the Moon will shine brightly to expose the creatures lurking in the shadows. It's not what was happening right now, though. The tension has never left the two Alices, one original and one who fell down the Jabberwocky's nightmares.

Once nothing but a phantom, Valtr's presence now had its physical presence. As time went on, as their interactions continued, as their story was read by those who deemed this story interesting, they would continue to test each other's wits and patience while preparing a plan to overturn the land that took so much from them. It doesn't stop with the jabs done here and there, Zarina's sharp tongue sharpened through years of training in irritating others and in making them wish she would shut the fuck up. It seemed Valtr shared the same opinion: he wished for her to be quiet, and she wished that he'd give her a reason to act as he wanted. Since when did she obey his orders? Well, several times by now, brattiness and a wish to tease would never disappear from her. It was too tempting to push him over the edge, get the Black Rabbit to force her to be quieter, or fully seal away any word that could cause trouble. 

It is why there was a sick and twisted satisfaction when he would press her against the wall, lips sealing her own with a harsh kiss. Her eyelashes fluttered at the roughness of his touch, her hands pinned against the cold surface with his own to keep her unable from doing what she usually did when she'd receive a kiss like this. Valtr exudes control as the Queen of Nightmares, but he also feeds into Zarina's own little desires and games. His lips felt so lovely against her own despite the harshness, teeth biting down on her lower lip only to deepen the kiss. All to prevent her from saying anything else. No more taunts of how he did not give her enough attention or how she would use that mouth to speak such... shameless things. 

Valtr was the darkness of Wonderland, the reflection—he was its shadows and its nightmares. And she basked in the night's attention towards her, drinking this presence like no other. She always danced with the shadows, becoming the beast, the apex predator, and now she would happily give her most beastly self to the one who would capture her heart. How funny it was, but she did not mind. Golden eyes would remain half-lidded, but her eagerness to respond to his attempt to shut her up would not go smoothly. Zarina was irritating like that: never giving up a challenge, a way to push forward, and a way to regain control. Never, no, never. The harder Valtr would pushed, the more fun she was getting. This twisted pleasure would continue to keep her heart from freezing over; it made her happy how the time would allow them to touch. This kiss, too, was intoxicating. Better than any alcohol, better than any hard liquor, better than any whiskey brand she'd tried.

This closeness made her feel warm, delighted to feel that sensation after losing all of her accessories. This closeness, their bodies against each other, his ability to keep her caged between himself and the wall. Why not let a beast like her feel caged in this tempting manner? Zarina did not mind this, enjoying every second of it a bit too much. His kiss made her feel dizzy with delight, satisfaction bubbling in her chest as before they couldn't even hold each other's hand. A soft sound is muffled by the kiss, something between a moan and a whimper from the ice queen. Did he enjoy this small victory over her? He must be. He must. But does he?

But how short it felt when the Queen of Nightmares would distance himself away from her, getting a look of disappointment from her. 

Oh, how proud of himself he looked, noting how prettier she looked when she had nothing to say. What a bastard, she finally met her match in this delivery of smugness and snarkiness. Sokolova wanted to bring him down from his pedestal one day and watch him become speechless. It could be a fun dream and an impossible goal, but she could dream, couldn't she? But as of now, Valtr did indeed win as she'd pout at him, turning her face away from him and sighing. She guessed it was fine to leave him alone. Maybe. 

"How unlucky for you that I like the sound of my own voice," Sokolova parries, glancing at him while trying to free herself from his hold. She didn't try to do it seriously, only tugging her arms slightly but noting that he still did not let go; Zarina's golden gaze would drill into the Black Rabbit's handsome face. "What, one kiss wasn't enough for you? Must do better to keep myself quieter for another couple of minutes. But you know it, don't you?" Oh, she really was pushing it with full intention. Now, she'd smirk at him. She won't be too mad or upset if he stepped back and left her hanging. But if not? It would be so much fun. "Better teach me a better lesson, Your Majesty, or I'll be even more irritating."

[bisexualbumblebee-writes]

Hostage Signals- Will Graham x OC

Will Graham x Maya Moreno

Description: Maya is at the bank when two armed robbers walk in, beginning a hostage situation. She doesn’t want to play the hero, but she’s more than willing to.

Word Count: 2.6k

Maya knew that marrying an FBI agent had its risks, Will told her everything when they began dating. Even being associated with him put a target on her back. She didn’t care though, she loved Will more than life itself and would do anything to make him happy, even at the risk of her self preservation. But, she always assumed that if she was ever held at gunpoint, it would have something to do with Will. Today proved that wrong, immensely. 

She was at the bank waiting in line patiently for her turn. In just half an hour she was supposed to be going to lunch then she had some shopping to do. Her plans came to a screeching halt when the doors burst open, slamming against the wall beside them. Maya jumped in surprise and looked to the door, along with everyone else. Two men walked in wearing some sort of ski mask with a gun in each of their hands. Several screams were heard when one of them lifted his gun and fired a few shots into the air. 

“EVERYONE GET DOWN!” He shouted. “THIS IS A ROBBERY!” Immediately, everyone inside fell to the ground as the second guy barred the door closed. Maya crouched down, covering her head protectively. Oh god, this can’t be happening. 

“Hey!” Another voice yelled. “Freeze!” It was the security guard. He pulled out his gun, but no one had time to react before the first robber lifted his gun and shot him three times. 

“No!” Maya screamed, ready to run over to him until the second guy hadn’t kicked her to the ground. 

“Stay down and shut up,” he hissed threateningly. She nodded slowly then looked down as he and the other one walked over to the counter, demanding all the money from the vault. Everyone was stock still as the manager led the first one back to the vault. Before he followed, the second guy instructed the first one to stay put and watch over everyone. Maya kept her gaze down, praying that this would all be over with soon. That is, until she heard a whimper. Her head snapped up and she immediately noticed a pregnant woman sitting on the ground just a few feet from her, tears silently running down her face. She flinched when a voice came from outside, sounding like it was coming through a megaphone. 

“This is Baltimore P.D. and the FBI, we have the place surrounded. Come out with your hands up and there’ll be no trouble,” the man said. Was that Jack? The second one chuckled confidently as he turned away from Maya. 

“Like that’s ever gonna happen,” he responded, though he walked to the window to assess the situation. After that, the phone began ringing inside. The man demanded the bank teller to answer it, to which she did. It was Jacob wanting to talk to him. While he walked over to the phone, Maya took the chance to subtly crawl over to the pregnant woman. 

“Are you okay?” She whispered. The woman shook her head vigorously, resting her hand over her stomach. 

“My water just broke,” she whimpered. “I think I’m going into labor!” 

“SHUT UP!” The man yelled, shooting a singular bullet into the ceiling with his free hand. 

“Wait!” Maya yelled in a brief burst of bravery. “Wait, she’s going into labor,” she said urgently. “You have to at least let her out of here.” Her pleas made the man hesitate. He didn’t want to have to deal with this, so he finally nodded, telling Jacob what was about to happen. 

“You,” he said upon hanging up, pointing to Maya. “Help her up and get her out, but you’re staying in here.” The girl nodded obediently then shakily stood, taking the woman’s hand and using all her strength to help her up. She led the woman out with the robber behind them, holding the gun against her back. With their free hands, both Maya and the man unbarred the door enough to let the woman through, where paramedics were waiting for her. 

“Maya?” She heard Will question as the paramedics rushed to the woman’s aid, making her look around. Just a moment later her gaze landed on her husband, and her eyes widened. 

“Will!” She exclaimed. 

“That’s enough!” The robber shouted, grabbing the back of Maya’s neck and yanking her back inside with his gun to her. 

“No!” She just barely heard Will shout before the door was once again barred behind them. That’s what made Maya finally tear up. Her husband was almost at arm's length, and now she may never see him again. Of course she attempted to think positively, she couldn’t help but be realistic. The robber knows that she has some sort of relationship with someone in law enforcement, even worse, an FBI agent. She couldn’t begin to imagine the blackmail that they would use for her. Luckily, she didn’t have to ponder it for long as the phone began ringing once more. The man led her to the phone and put it on speaker. 

“What do you want?” He questioned. 

“Mason Peverell.” Will’s voice came through the receiver. “My name is Will Graham, federal agent in the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI.” 

“How do you know my name?” The man, Mason asked defensively, his grip on Maya tightening to the point of pain. A small whimper left her lips, which let Will know that she was nearby. 

“That’s what we do at the BAU,” he answered, forcing his voice to stay even. “We figure out what guys like you want and how far you’re willing to go for it. How far are you willing to go for it, Mason?” The man, Mason, didn’t have words to form a response, so he stayed silent. Will took that as his cue to continue. 

“Can I talk to my wife? She was the one to help that pregnant woman outside.” Mason hesitated, so Maya glanced at him with the most vulnerable look she could manage.

“Fine,” he conceded quickly, which gave Maya all the information she needed to know. 

“Will?” She called softly. 

“Hey, are you okay?” Her husband asked, sounding relieved. Maya knew she didn’t have a lot of time to talk to him, so she’d have to act fast. 

“I’m fine,” she responded. “The dogs missed you this morning.” 

Will instantly knew what she was talking about. When they started dating, she had insisted on coming up with a secret language to let the other know what type of situation it was. When she wanted to talk about the bad guys’ dynamics, she’d talk about the dogs. When she started talking about dinner, that meant she was talking about the situation itself. If the situation was okay, she’d say that she wanted to cook something that she was familiar with, if it could be better, she’d say she wanted to try something new and if it was bad she’d say that she hoped she didn’t burn it. Will thought that it was a bit overkill, but now he was happy that she had come up with it.

“Really?” He asked, trying to act like he was actually talking about their dogs. The girl nodded. 

“That one that got really close to me was really easy to train. The other one is a little more hard headed,” she explained. “It looked like he was trying to steal dinner. I wanted to try something new.” Will knew that she was referring to Mason and his accomplice, and he silently sighed in relief. The situation was okay enough. 

“Alright that’s enough,” Mason snapped, pushing her away from the phone. “What kind of trick is this?” 

“No trick,” Will said quickly. “We just adopted two new dogs and she wanted to tell me about them. They kinda remind me of you.” 

“Oh, really?” Mason questioned, almost amused. 

“Yep, two dogs who’re trying to get to their end goal. I’ll ask again Mason: how far are you willing to go for it?” 

“Far enough,” the man finally had a response. “Both of us are.” 

“Really? Even though Jacob is currently in the vault planning his scapegoat with you?” That took both him and Maya by surprise, and they found themselves looking in the direction of the vault. 

“No,” Mason shook his head. “You’re lying. We’re a team.” 

“Is that why he bosses you around all the time?” Will retorted. “Is that why he was the one to go to the vault?” Maya nodded in agreement. 

“That’s possibly the easiest part of the job, why would he make you stay here with everyone else, right in front of law enforcement’s line of sight?” She added. 

“Because he trusts me,” the man responded, attempting to assert dominance over the situation, but both Maya and Will knew that they had him. 

“Or maybe, it’s because he wants you to be a distraction so he can get away easily. Let me guess, he had you park by the back door but you came in through the front door?” It seemed as if realization suddenly struck Mason because he froze, his shoulders dropping. No one had the chance to do anything before the second robber, Jacob, walked back in. 

“Mace, what the hell are you doing? Get off the damn phone!” He yelled. Mason, surprised by his accomplices’ sudden appearance, quickly did as he was told. Jacob pointed his gun at Maya. 

“And you, get on the ground!” The girl nodded and fell to her knees, glancing at Mason with a pointed look that reminded him of Jacob’s ultimate plan.  

“You were gonna leave me here?” Mason questioned, looking at Jacob once more. The man looked shocked, though Maya couldn’t tell if it was shock at the accusation or the fact that he realized that he had been caught. 

“What? What’re you talking about/” He attempted to laugh it off before glancing at Maya. “Did she tell you that? You’re actually gonna believe her over me?” 

“It all makes sense,” Mason shook his head. “I was your scapegoat all along. You were gonna sell me out so you could get away without trouble. Let me tell you something,” he shook his head then pointed his gun at Jacob. “It ain’t gonna-” 

He was cut off by Jacob quickly lifting his gun and shooting an entire round into Mason’s torso. Maya cried out as he fell to the ground, dead. Her head snapped back to Jacob just before he hit the ground, flinching at the thudding noise it made.

“Guess I’ll just have to do this myself,” he muttered before glaring at Maya. “Look what you made me do to him.” He gestured to Mason’s body, but she refused to look at it. That made Jacob angry, and he stormed over to her, grabbing her jaw and forcing her to look at the lifeless corpse next to her. Tears ran down her cheeks as she looked into Mason’s now dull eyes. 

“He was a good kid,” Jacob continued, removing his hand after pushing her jaw away aggressively. “Now I had to kill him, because of you.” Maya shook her head quickly then looked away from him. 

“That’s not true,” she responded without hesitation. 

“Oh, it is,” Jacob smiled wickedly, crouching down beside her. She looked at him once more as his gun lifted to point at her chest. 

“And you’re next,” he continued with a smirk. Maya took a shaky breath before noticing something behind the man, and a small smile appeared on her face. 

“Think again,” she said, not moving her eyes. Jacob furrowed his brows then turned around, only to find nothing there. He didn’t have time to do anything as Maya grabbed his gun and shoved him to the ground. She stood and aimed the gun at him. 

“Everyone get out of here!” She yelled. No one needed to be told twice. They stood without a second thought and ran out the doors of the bank, which made her smile in relief. 

“You bitch,” Jacob snapped, sweeping her legs from underneath her. She gasped as she hit the ground, but couldn’t dwell on the pain in her shoulder as Jacob climbed on top of her, delivering a punch to her face before attempting to wrestle the gun out of her hands. A surprised scream left her lips when he accidentally fired the gun in the process. The bullet ricocheted just a few inches from her head and landed somewhere she couldn’t see. She shook her head and kicked him off of her, but he retaliated by tackling her when she attempted to get up once again. 

The weight of his body was removed just as quickly as it appeared, and it took Maya a minute to process that he had been tackled off to the side by someone else. She attempted to fight as someone grabbed her, but quickly calmed down when she heard a familiar voice. 

“Maya it’s me,” Beverly called, grasping her wrists tightly. The girl finally looked at her, and a sigh of relief left her as she pulled the woman into a hug. Once they pulled away, Beverly helped her to stand. 

“Oh my god Maya, your nose is bleeding,” she said worriedly, wiping some blood as it began trickling from her nose. 

“Yeah,” the girl attempted to downplay it. “The bastard’s got one hell of a punch.” That made her friend laugh as she pulled her into another hug.

“Jacob Carson, you’re under arrest,” she heard Will say from the other side of her. Her head whipped around and she watched as her husband pulled a pair of handcuffs out of his pocket and placed them on Jacob’s wrist, who laid on his stomach, attempting to fight against his restraints. Once that was done, Brian helped him up then began reading his Miranda Rights as he led them out of the building. Will, meanwhile, stood with Jack’s help then faced Maya. Their eyes met and she found herself walking towards him without a second thought. Will followed their lead and Maya let out a happy sob as they met each other halfway in an embrace. 

“Oh my god,” Will whimpered, holding her tighter against him. “You’re okay.” Maya giggled as tears began slipping down her cheeks once again, this time they were happy tears.

“I am,” she confirmed. “Just a sore nose.” She felt her husband grin against her shoulder before he pulled away to rest his forehead against hers. 

“Remind me to never doubt your code systems again,” he half joked, earning another laugh from his wife. 

“Damn right,” she responded, pressing a kiss to his lips. “Now, can we go home? Today was much more emotionally exhausting than I would have liked.” Will shook his head with a small smile. 

“Yeah, let’s go,” he responded, wrapping an arm around her shoulders before the couple noticed Jack walking over to him. 

“Just a warning,” he started slowly. “A lot of attention will be on you, Maya. You’re a hero in the eyes of the public and there are a lot of reporters out there. We’re trying to keep them at bay so you can get to your car, so just don’t try to interact with them and keep your head down, okay?” Maya sighed internally, but nodded. 

“You ready?” Will questioned softly, looking down at her. The girl glanced at him, a small smile gracing her face. 

“I just had a face off with an armed robber that I won, I’m on top of the world right now,” she responded simply. Will copied her playful smile and nodded before facing the door, both of them ready to deal with new monsters: the media.

[thinktosee]

Sydney and the Australian experience

On Nov. 11, 2024, I flew from Singapore to Sydney to visit my daughter, Sara and her husband, Hugh. It had been a year since I was in Sydney. For anyone who has a family member – daughter, son, mother, father, brother or sister living/schooling or working abroad, I appreciate the difficulties presented by this separation, although not unusual, in our globalizing world. Nevertheless, absence, as they say, makes the heart grow fonder. I am sure we all can agree to this. 

Immigration at Changi Airport had an unexpected, yet pleasant surprise as I quickly navigated through on Nov 11. It was passport-less. AI or facial recognition hardware had partially replaced the already efficient electronic passport and thumbing system. Singapore’s uncompromising pursuit of superlatives at any cost may hopefully lead us someday to a cabinet-less system, thus saving the tax paying public a pretty penny to boot, given the fact the Singaporean ministers are the highest paid in the world, for a city that is a fraction of the geographical size and population of NYC or Saigon. I am sure Elon Musk could help configure such an AI for Singapore and perhaps the world too. Now, that’s real progress! It’d be curiously ironic, especially since the ministers have over the years lectured the de-platformed masses about the necessity for upskilling. 

Sydney Airport was just as efficient when we landed. A pleasant experience throughout. Sara and Hugh were as loving and gracious as ever in meeting/fetching me from the airport to their wonderful home 30 minutes away in the suburbs. Australia or more precisely, Sydney is a beautiful city. If anything, the immortal worlds of Patricia Tarn remain with me throughout the years – “Australia has a work-life balance.” I’ll say! In my casual observation, formed after several visits over two decades, Australians have it nailed down pat. They work hard and diligently, and then at 5 pm, they knock off from work and head home or to the local pub, restaurant or to the gym to live the evening. I can’t imagine this ever happening in Singapore. It is just not feasible, as long as the mile-high cost of living relative to wages, and our dependence on large corporations to sustain employment persist. Some may argue that it is a cultural thing. That East Asians are naturally inclined to hard work. That may be true. However, there is hard work and then there is work to death. The latter is what we should avoid. There are better or smarter ways to make a living. Australia seems to recognize this issue, and the people have made great efforts to address it. Take for example the migrant worker in Singapore and Australia. In the former, the domestic helper is held not at gunpoint, but something close to it in the form of a financial penalty against the employer should the helper abruptly leave the place of employment or in the words of the employment agent - run away (now why would an employee run away? Only slaves do this, right?). In this respect, the employer, fearing the worst, is conditioned to assert undue control over the helper, 24/7. In the Australian experience, there are laws protecting the migrant worker against systemic or other forms of economic exploitation, whereas in Singapore the laws work to exploit them. Imagine this – a domestic helper in Singapore could not on her own volition, leave the place of her employment on any evening to visit a friend, dine at a food court, or go to the cinema. She has to obtain the express permission of her employer, which as a matter of course, is rarely given. The concept of 9 to 5 does not apply to her. Instead, it is 9 to 9 and it’s AM both ways, except for a couple of Sundays when she has her day off, after completing the chores first. A chattel she undoubtedly is. This is what we are facing in East Asia – labour exploitation forces us to look and experience work in a dehumanizing manner. The institutionally-depressed wages additionally ensure that folks work round the clock to pay for the high-cost of living. This formalized exploitation is regrettably accepted as natural! 

So what can Australia teach East Asia? Plenty I think. For a start though, we can learn how to live, from the good folks down under. But first, we will have to reform the laws and institutions that exploit us and get a head start on higher wages. And here we can also learn from our ministers. If they can pay themselves millions for doing a mayor's job, I guess so can we, right?