#i hope gabe is there throughout i love my piece of shit

[cowsaresushi-coral]

got his ass. (P-1, not P-2. Again, spoiler embargo (for the recent update) until Thursday/Friday) 👍

Got to P-rank 4-2 (sweats), 5-3 (sweats less), Gabe2 (<3). One per layer!

I had a harder time with FP, though that’s more of skill issue, and not knowing how he works in the first place. Pinos I already knew how to beat (still beat my ass plenty. The majority of those restarts are him. Haha P-ranking, you’re funny. ...Someday~) because of speedruns. More or less.

[ineffable0husbands]

How the Mighty Have Fallen: Chapter Six

Warnings: Implied torture, crying, abandonment, kissing, Evil!Lucifer, and self-doubt

Ship(s): Ineffable Husbands and platonic Gabriel and Matthew + Platonic Matthew and Raphael

tag list:  @adoratato @iamdevilantlysatan @bri-cas @that-gender-bender@scum-of-the-earth @pieces-of-annedrew @scampycatty4999 @elrilsf @my-emo-child @always-reading2 @larrklopp @l-garnxtt @halbarryislife@ninjacatinsanitycrazy @impossiblynervouscycle @audder17@theratatethekingsclothes @boredafsposts @i-really-dig-the-purple@mycrappylife01 @lostwolf-fandomlover @hamiltrashphannerd@she-who-must-not-be-named @sundry-whovengerslocked @deceitfullyanxiousprince e @booklover223@twdlover03 @drunkinfandomstuff @nimsy1920 @catsarebestest @sonic-spade @reprehensibleghost

Crowley’s dreams that night were filled with haunted memories. Wisps of days gone by and troubling times returned to haunt him with a vengeance. It was odd; he was an onlooker. Not looking through his own eyes, but watching off to the sidelines. The darkness that usually invaded his vision and kept all dreams away faded into soft, white light, with stars decorating the area above and two figures melting into view until Crowley could clearly make out Gabriel and Matthew looking at the stars together. 

“What do you think?” Matthew’s voice was clipped, short, but tinged with excitement as he looked at Gabriel, hands clasped behind his back. Gabriel hummed softly as he looked up at the Nebula that Matthew had carefully placed, his eyes twinkling almost as brightly as the stars themselves. He pretended to pat his chin in thought. 

“Well, it could be better. The stars are a little crooked, and that bundle of stars over there is too close together,” Gabriel commented. Matthew frowned at the other angel in disdain until Gabriel burst out laughing and slung an arm around his shoulders. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding! It’s absolutely gorgeous, Matthew!” Gabriel said with delight, beaming at his younger brother. “It’s as if God herself crafted this nebula! And the colors...goodness me, Raphael and I taught you well! I’m so proud of you!” Matthew looked up in surprise, ceasing to struggle out of Gabriel’s grip. 

“Do you mean that?” Matthew asked doubtfully. Gabriel raised an eyebrow at him. 

“Uh, yeah? Of course, I do, I’m an angel. I can’t lie,” he said, patting Matthew on the back. “Besides, I would tell you if it sucked. You are my brother.” Matthew rolled his eyes but smiled fondly at the archangel. He looked back up at the stars and for a moment a conflicted expression crossed his face that Gabriel missed, but Crowley would have recognized anywhere. 

“Well, that’s good, because there’s something about it I need to tell you. And I need some advice,” Matthew said slowly. Gabriel perked up with interest and turned more towards Matthew, folding his arms across his chest in an ‘I’m listening’ type of way. Matthew closed his eyes and took a shaky breath. “You see...I actually made this for somebody. As in, I dedicated the creation of this Nebula to...somebody...I like…” Matthew trailed off and his face flushed with embarrassment. Gabriel’s eyebrows arched so high that they disappeared into his hair. 

“You’re in love with someone? Who?” Gabriel demanded, eyes lit up with curiosity. Matthew blushed even darker and opened his mouth to protest when Gabriel cut him off suddenly. “Oh my God, it’s Aziraphale, isn’t it? That angel you’ve been hanging around?” When Matthew nodded, Gabriel gasped. Matthew hid his face in his hands in embarrassment. “Matthew, he loves you too! This is awesome! I’ll get him for you!”

“What?! Gabe, no-!” Matthew tried to protest, but it was already too late. A second after his well-meaning mistake, Gabriel summoned a very surprised Aziraphale. The angel’s cheeks were red with surprise as he held some sort of small blade in his hand, a white cream smeared on the side of his face. His curly hair stuck out wildly. He looked as if he’d just woken up. Aziraphale quickly hid the blade behind his back and smiled widely at the other two. 

“Matthew, Gabriel! To what do I owe this pleasure?” Aziraphale said cheerfully. Matthew’s face was impossibly red by now and Gabriel simply chuckled. Crowley’s mouth twitched into a smile as he watched. He and Aziraphale were just as clueless then as they were now, it seemed. 

“Well, I need to get going but, you two should chat!” Gabriel said breezily, clapping Matthew on the shoulder and winking at him before disappearing. Aziraphale blinked and Matthew smiled sheepishly. 

“I’m sorry about that…That wasn’t supposed to happen,” Matthew muttered. Aziraphale miracled away the cream and blade, a soft frown on his lips. 

“So...you don’t want to talk to me?” Aziraphale asked softly, wringing his hands. The sadness in his deep, blue eyes made Matthew panic and he scrambled to save himself. 

“Yes, yes I want to talk to you! I just- I wasn’t expecting it to be now, Gabriel summoned you when I just wanted to ask for advice and-”

“Why do you need advice on talking to me?” Aziraphale questioned, an eyebrow cocked in amusement. “We’ve been friends since nearly the day you were created. I thought you would be used to talking to me by now. Or are you as socially inept as a rock?” Aziraphale chortled, smirking. Matthew was blushing again. 

“It’s nothing like that,” Matthew sighed. He turned away from Aziraphale and looked up at the stars before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. It was now or never. He took Aziraphale by the hand and pointed upwards towards the nebula above them. “I made this in your honor. I wanted to create something that would remind the rest of the world and myself of your beauty. Of course, even the brightest star could never outshine you, but...I couldn’t think of anything more to do. I hope you like it,” Matthew murmured. Aziraphale’s eyes widened as he looked up at the nebula, watching the weaving colors and the bright stars decorating the previously empty sky and he gasped, his hand holding Matthew’s tightly. Swirls of pink, purple, blue, green, and a number of other brilliant shades that had not yet been named danced around them and illuminated the black expanse of space.

“This is for me? Really?” Aziraphale asked breathlessly, glancing at Matthew. The other angel nodded, and suddenly Aziraphale’s eyes were filled with tears. Alarmed, Matthew cupped Aziraphale’s cheek and brushed the tears away. 

“Don’t cry, please...I’m sorry, is it too much? It’s probably too much, I’m so sorry. I really didn’t mean to-” Matthew was cut off as Aziraphale grabbed him by the front of his robes and kissed him, deep and breathtaking. Matthew inhaled sharply and was too shocked to do anything. Aziraphale pulled away, eyes fluttering softly as he looked up at Matthew with heavily lidded eyes. Both Matthew and Crowley looked at him in awe. He was absolutely stunning. 

“You talk too much, Matthew,” Aziraphel whispered, leaning towards him and pressing a kiss to his jaw. “It wasn’t too much, it was perfect. I just...I hadn’t realized what I meant to you until now. I suppose I should have guessed...you spend almost as much time with me as you do Raphael and Gabriel.” Matthew swallowed thickly and met Aziraphale’s love-soaked gaze. The two angels stared at each other, one in admiration and the other in wonder. Matthew’s hand trembled slightly as he brought it up to cup Aziraphale’s cheek again. The other angel leaned into the touch and hummed softly in satisfaction. Matthew hesitantly leaned forward towards Aziraphale’s ear. 

“May I kiss you again?” he whispered, gently running a thumb over the other’s cheek. Aziraphale’s gaze softened. 

“My dear, you don’t need to ask.” Their lips met once more, in a chaste but sweet kiss. Aziraphale pressed his hands against Matthew’s chest as the taller man wrapped an arm around his waist and kept his hand on his cheek, both closing their eyes and relishing in each other. Crowley watched on, a rare, soft smile on his lips as the scene melted away and faded to black. Time had passed. Matthew was alone. It was dark, dim, but Crowley could see that it was still heaven. Matthew sat at a long dining table (apparently heaven had dining halls), picking at a bowl of mush. Crowley’s gaze flickered with unease as he saw Matthew approached by an all too familiar figure. 

“Matthew!” Lucifer drawled, plopping down next to the younger angel with a charming smile on his face. “Matthew, my dearest friend, how are you?” Lucifer’s tone dripped with false sympathy and kindness, and Crowley wanted to shout out in warning to his younger self, to run and hide and never look at the Angel of the Morning ever again, but what had passed had passed, and he recognized the loneliness in Matthew’s gaze as he looked up at the other angel. It was a feeling he’d experienced numerous times throughout the centuries. 

“I feel like shit,” Matthew said bluntly, his voice monotone and flat as he looked blankly at Lucifer. The angel blinked but quickly regained his composure, placing a hand on Matthew’s shoulder comfortingly. 

“Tell me what happened,” Lucifer said gently. Crowley didn’t miss the glint in his eyes, but Matthew did, and the poor young man looked so broken and upset that Crowley was honestly surprised he hadn’t spilled his guts out sooner. But Crowley didn’t hear what Matthew said. He remembered it. Fighting. Yelling. Aziraphale’s angry glare tearing into him. The sound of shattering glass and a pained cry. Aziraphale’s shocked face as an injured Matthew ran far, far away from him, the golden blood of angels dripping from the cut that ran ragged down the left side of his face. Crowley blinked as a sinking feeling grew in the pit of his stomach. Matthew was sobbing into Lucifer’s shoulder as the blasted, evil being soothed him, rubbing his back in circles. 

“Oh, darling, that’s simply terrible. For someone you love so deeply to hurt you that way...is that what this is from?” Lucifer said smoothly, pulling away, to run a finger over the scar on Matthew’s face. The young angel flinched away violently and Lucifer looked at him in sympathy. He held Matthew’s face in place and murmured something with half closed eyes. Crowley watched, stone-faced as the wound on Matthew’s face healed completely, while Matthew only looked in wonder, his tears slowing until they stopped. 

“I...thank you,” Matthew said, bowing his head in a gesture of thanks. Lucifer smirked but quickly turned it into a smile as he lifted Matthew’s chin, gently encouraging the younger angel to look up at him. 

“Come with me, Matthew, away from this place. I can bring you to my friends. They will treat you better than Gabriel or Aziraphale ever could. They are your real friends, your true friends, who care for you. Come,” Lucifer tempted. Matthew drew in a sharp breath, conflicted before he remembered the healing and relaxed. 

“Alright.” The next change was rapid, cutting right from Lucifer and Matthew to the courtrooms of heaven. Crowley watched as Matthew was dragged into the room, face bloody and body coated with grime and dirt as he was bound in chains. The guards threw Matthew to the floor and he groaned, staying on his hands and knees for a moment, delirious with pain. He looked up at Phanuel, the angel of judgment, and his already terrified eyes filled with fear as they fell upon the fiery pit that lay between them, where he would be cast down to hell. 

“Phanuel! Phanuel, please, I didn’t mean for any of this to happen! I swear my loyalty to heaven. I will fight at your side and the side of the rest of our comrades in the Great War. My allegiance is to heaven, not to Lucifer!” Matthew shouted, his voice filled with desperation. Phanuel kept a neutral, emotionless expression and snapped his fingers. One of the angelic guards opened the doors to the courtroom and Gabriel came through, Raphael and Uriel escorting him on either side. Matthew’s heart swelled with hope but Crowley’s only filled with dread. He could not remember this, but he sensed what was about to come. 

“As is the custom in heaven, each angel in danger of falling is given the chance for redemption through a heavenly advocate. Matthew, your brother Gabriel was chosen as your advocate,” Phanuel said, their voice booming through the expansive courtroom. Phanuel nodded in Gabriel’s direction. “Archangel Gabriel, do you have any reason to believe that your brother, the angel Matthew, should remain in heaven?” Crowley stepped back, his stomach churning. Matthew’s eyes filled with unshed tears and hope as he smiled at Gabriel. Gabriel’s eyes flickered from Matthew to Phanuel before he cleared his throat. 

“There is only one thing that I wish to say,” Gabriel began, before pausing. Phanuel nodded for him to continue. Gabriel’s face suddenly filled with rage as he whipped around to face Matthew, eyes ablaze with anger as he pointed a finger at his brother. “That traitorous filth is no brother of mine!” He snarled, his hands shaking from the pure rage that coursed through his veins. Matthew’s smile immediately wiped away and all of the color drained from his face. 

“No...No, Gabriel, please,” he begged, falling to his knees and clasping his hands together as the tears in his eyes began to fall. “Please, I didn’t mean to fall, you have to believe me!” Matthew sobbed. Gabriel looked at the blubbering angel in disgust and turned away, leaving from whence he came. Matthew broke down into tears as Raphael and Uriel grabbed him by the arms wordlessly and began dragging him towards the fiery pit in the center of the room. Matthew screamed and kicked and struggled to no avail, tears streaming down his face endlessly. Only Raphael seemed affected by his cries, his jaw clenched as tears of his own threated to fall while he dragged his apprentice and friend towards him. 

“Goodbye, Matthew,” Raphael whispered to him as they neared the edge, a singular tear falling down his cheek. Matthew trembled and looked up at him with pleading eyes, but the healing angel had to do what he was told by the orders of Heaven. With the help of Uriel, Raphael forced Matthew into the fiery pit, face paling as Matthew caught aflame and plummeted down towards hell.

Matthew flew through the air as he burned, his tortured screams piercing through the depths of hell and the endless expanse of heaven. He plummeted downward, his wings aflame, about to crash to the ground, and then-

And then, Crowley woke.

[pandawritesthings210]

Branded

My name is Michael Dunn. I’m 23 years old. I’m about 6’2” tall, and I have blond hair and blue eyes. I, like many people, still haven’t met my soulmate yet. My necklace is still firmly in place between my collar bones. When I touch my soulmate’s skin, my necklace will fall off, and a brand of my soulmate’s name will take its place. I’ve heard from my parents that the process of their name branding your skin doesn’t hurt- it’s just a warm tingly sensation in your chest. 

You’re supposed to meet your soulmate at 25, and my 24th birthday is next month. I’m almost worried that I won’t find mine- or if I manage to find them, they’ll reject me. It’s rare- rejection from one’s soulmate- but it has happened.

I’m sitting in my university’s library and attempting to work on my project for computer sciences while I keep zoning out about the whole soulmate thing. So many people are really particular about their soulmate. ‘I want mine to be a guy.’ ‘I want mine to be a girl.’ ‘They better like Harry Potter.’ ‘If they don’t like Doctor Who, I’m rejecting them.’ are some of the phrases I’ve heard. I don’t care if they’re a guy or girl. I don’t care if they like Harry Potter or Doctor Who. I just want them to accept me, and I’ll accept them.

I finally focus long enough to get a few slides done and then notice the time- 6:49PM  is displayed at the bottom of the screen. Shit. I’m late. I was supposed to be at Gabe’s by 6:30. I think to myself. I look at my phone and see a bunch of texts and missed calls from him. I log out of the computer quickly, and I head to Gabe’s dorm. I try to text him as I walk, and that’s when I bump into a shorter girl with red hair and kind grey eyes. She bumps off of my chest and falls to the floor with a dull thud. Her stuff falls out of her hands.

I look up quickly with wide eyes and begin to apologize.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m so clumsy that I run into everything- everyone apparently.” she giggles.

I kneel down and help her pick up her fallen items- noticing as I do so that her necklace is still in place. She’s super pretty. I think as I gather up her things. I place her things on the table next to me and stand up. I then reach my hand out to help her up.

“Here. I’ll help you up. It’s the least I can do since I kind of knocked you down.” I chuckle at the last part.

“Alright. My name’s Amelia, by the way.” she says with a smile as I pull her up.

“Michael.” I respond, smiling.

I notice a warm tingly sensation radiating from my chest, but dismiss it as butterflies from touching this incredibly beautiful girl. I gasp as I watch her necklace fall off, and I feel mine do the same.

“Holy shit.” we both whisper at the same time. I look at the space between her collar bones, and there stands the word Michael. I cautiously reach out to brush by fingers across the brand of my name, and she does the same. We both shiver involuntarily at the contact.

“I can’t believe that I found you.” she breathes.

“I can’t either. I would absolutely love to stay and talk with you for hours, but I’m already super late to meet my friend. Can I give you my number and -I don’t know- pick you up at 7:00 tomorrow night?” I ask her.

“Yeah, that sounds great.” she says excitedly.

I take out a pen and write down my number on a piece of paper in her stuff, kiss her on the cheek with a quick ‘bye, text me later’, and go to Gabe’s dorm. The walk there was short, and I knock on the door once I get there.

“Dude! Where the hell have you been?” he demands. His hands are placed on his hips, now I’ve never met his mom, but I’d bet $100 he’s the spitting image of her right now.

“Okay, so you’ll never believe what just happened.” I say, laughing as he raises one eyebrow.

“Okay, I’ll bite. What happened?” he says skeptically. His green eyes alight with uncertainty.

“So, I was working on my computer sciences project when I realized I was late to meet you. I got up and was trying to text you when I ran into this girl, so I helped her pick up her stuff and helped her off the ground; a warm tingly sensation went throughout my chest after I touched her. Look at my chest- no necklace. I met my soulmate and literally knocked her off of her feet.” I laugh at the last bit.

“Well, I suppose that’s a valid excuse for being late for video game night. You know I’m gonna have to meet her at some point, right?” he responds.

“Well, obviously. You’re my best friend, Gabe. I’m obviously going to introduce you two at some point.” I tell him.

“Okay, good.” he says as we finally go inside to play video games for a little while.

As I make it back to my dorm after a few hours of video games and pizza, I look at my phone and notice a text from an unknown number.

‘Hey, it’s Amelia. What do I need to wear tomorrow?’

‘Well, I was thinking we could go to dinner and then a movie, so whatever you feel cute and comfy in.’

‘Okay. Goodnight, Michael. I can’t wait until tomorrow night. :)’

‘Goodnight, Amelia. I can’t wait either :)’

I fall asleep with a smile on my face and butterflies in my stomach.

I wake up in the morning with a wide smile already plastered on my face. I’m ridiculously excited for tonight already. I get dressed and heat up a quick breakfast before quickly going to class. I sit in my programming class a bit more distracted than usual, and apparently it shows, because after class my professor holds me back.

“Michael, is everything okay? You’re usually one of my most attentive students, but today you were hardly paying attention.” he says.  

“Yeah, I’m just really anxious. I finally met my soulmate yesterday, and we have a date tonight. I’m so excited and nervous at the same time. I just- I’ve always been scared of rejection. I know it’s rare, but it has happened.”  I tell him.

“Michael, you’re a great kid. I’m sure that they won’t reject you.” he responds reassuringly.

“I really hope not. She’s so pretty, and she seems super nice.” I say  with a small smile.

“What’s her name, if you don’t mind my asking.” he asks.

“Amelia. What’s your soulmate’s name?” I smile.

“Steven.” he replies, his voice full of love.

“You really love him, don’t you?” I ask, already sure of the answer.

“I do. We’ve been together since we were 16.” he responds, fiddling with his wedding ring.

“Well, anyway. Good luck Michael.” he says.

“Thank you, Professor Spencer.” I say, smiling as I walk out of the classroom.

I get home after going to the rest of my classes, and it’s 4:30PM I take a shower, and then I call Gabe before changing into some sweats and a t-shirt.

Gabe comes over after my panicked phone call begging him to help me figure out what to wear and how to do my hair. He fixes my hair in a way that looks really good and intentionally messy.

I wear a blue, long-sleeved button-down that make my eyes stand out, and my nicest pair of blue jeans. I just wear my black and white converse for shoes. I bring my blue zip-up hoodie as well just in case I need it. I notice that it’s about 6:30PM and decide to go ahead and leave, so I won’t be late. I thank Gabe for helping me as I leave, and he makes me promise to text him later about how it goes.

I find Amelia’s little off-campus apartment quite easily, and make my way up the steps to her door with a rose in my hand. I’m so nervous and excited. I knock lightly on the door.

“Just a second!” she calls from behind the door. When her smiling face opens the door, my breath is taken away for a second. She looks so beautiful. I think. She has on a grey and black striped shirt tucked into a high-waisted skirt, tights, and some ankle length boots. I hand her the rose with a shaky hand.

“This- this is for y-you.” I say with a deep blush staining my cheeks.

“Aww, Michael! It’s beautiful! I’m going to go put this in water really quick. You can come inside if you’d like.” she smiles.

“Okay.” I say while stepping inside her apartment and shutting the door with my foot. There’s a fluffy corgi on the small couch in the living room that watches me with curiosity. I go over and pet the space between his ears on the top of his head lightly.

“Oh, I see you’ve found Twinkie. He seems to like you.” she says as she fills a vase with water.

“Oh my gosh. His name is amazing. I love it.” I laugh.

‘He looked like a tiny Twinkie when I got him so… yeah. You ready to go?” she asks.

“Yeah!” I smile. Having been around her for even a short amount of time has calmed me down a bit.

We walk out to the car, and I open her door for her to get inside then shut it. I walk back around to my side and get in.

“So I never got to actually ask you this, but is Italian food okay?” I ask her.

“Yeah, that sounds great.” she says happily.

We talk on and off as we drive to a cute little Italian restaurant that I love in town. We pull up to the restaurant, and I get out, go around to her side, and open her door.

“And they say chivalry is dead.” she smiles.

“It’s not dead, but it sure as hell is dying.” I smile in return.

“Yeah, you’re not wrong there, Michael.” she says as we walk inside. I place a gentle hand protectively on her lower back, feeling the soft material of her shirt under my fingertips.

We sit down, and our waitress takes our drink orders soon after. We talk about ourselves and get to know one another as we eat, and I can definitely see how she’s my soulmate. She loves Star Wars, Star Trek, Harry Potter, and Doctor Who, she plays video games, and she loves animals. She’s exactly like me, and I absolutely love it. I love her. I realize all at once. She’s laughing at something I said, and the realization hits me like a freight train.

After dinner is over, I pay quickly, and we walk out to my car. I still open and close her door for her. I get inside and buckled up, and then I look at her curiously.

“So… there’s a showing of episode VIII in about an hour. Do you wanna go?” I ask hopefully.

“Oh my gosh, yes! I haven’t been able to see it yet, and I really want to.” She squeals in excitement.

*tiny timeskip to after movie*

“So was it as good as you thought it would be?” I ask her as we walk back to my car, our fingers intertwined between us and swinging as we walk.

“Yes! Oh my gosh, it was so good! I want my own Porg now!” she squeals happily.

“Yeah, they were really cute.” I agree.

“I know~ their little eyes! My heart like exploded.” she gushes.

“Aww don’t let it explode. I can’t steal it if it’s exploded.” I say with a smirk.

“Michael, you already have it. I am yours just as you are mine.” she pulls the collar of her shirt down to reveal the brand of my name as she stops and turns to face me.

“And this proves it.” she smiles.

I run my fingers lightly over the brand, and her eyes flutter shut at my touch. I move my hand from my side to her waist, and I move my other hand from her collar bones to cup her cheek in my palm. I lightly pull her into my body and look down at her face. Her grey eyes are wide as they look into my blue ones, and her painted-red lips are slightly parted in a gasp of surprise.

“Amelia?” I ask, not a hair above a whisper.

“Yes, Michael?” she replies in the same tone.

“May I- May I kiss you?” I ask hopefully and still in a whisper.

She nods with a smile and -using her arms wrapped around my neck for support- goes up on her tiptoes to connect our lips. My heart rate speeds up, my hands grip her tighter, and we kiss each other as if this kiss is the only thing we have been waiting for in life- and it kind of is. She tastes like cinnamon and lemon- an unusual combination that I’m sure I’ll never become tired of. Our lips move perfectly in sync, and an overwhelming feeling of home envelopes me.

When we break apart and look at each other, I find that her eyes are wide, her breathing is heavy, and her lipstick is completely smudged all around her mouth. I feel a smug satisfaction set in as I realize that I am the one who did that.

She starts giggling, and then she doubles over in laughter.

“What?” I ask with a smile.

“My lipstick is all around your mouth!” she manages to say through all of the giggles.

“I don’t really care. It’s just proof that I got to make out with a really pretty girl, and that pretty girl just happens to be my soulmate.” I say before leaning down and pecking her lips softly once more.

“You are amazing. You’re so kind, and you have such a big heart. I know we’ve only just met, but… I love you, Michael.” she says, smiling into the kiss.

“I love you, too, Amelia. I’ll forever be yours… if you’ll have me.” I breathe between kisses. She breaks away after my last sentence, and I make a small noise of protest.

“Michael, what do you mean by if I’ll have you? Of course I’ll have you, Michael. Why would you ever think otherwise?” she asks with wide and skeptical grey eyes.

“I- I’ve always been afraid of rejection- always. I just never thought that anyone would actually be willing to stay with me for the rest of our lives. I’ve just never thought I was good enough. I mean come on- my hair is a disaster, I have scars all over my-” I don’t get to continue my self-loathing rant as I’m pulled down by the collar of my shirt and a pair of warm, soft lips crash into mine. I kiss back immediately, reveling in the feel of her lips against mine and her hands in my hair.

“Michael James Dunn! I never want to hear you talk about yourself that way ever again, okay? I love you. I completely accept you as my soulmate, and I will gladly stay with you for the rest of our lives.” she says comfortingly, but with an undertone of fierce determination.

I crash my lips into hers once more, and she lets out a small squeak of surprise.

“Thank you. I really, really needed to hear you say that.” I say sincerely after we break away.

After this we get into the car, and I start the engine. I then hear Amelia pipe up.

“Would… Would it be possible for you to stay at mine tonight? Just- after that, I really feel the need to be close to you.” she says nervously.

“That’s the best idea I’ve heard in a very long time. I feel the same way, honestly.” I smile and start driving back to her apartment.

“Then let’s go to mine, and we can wipe all this makeup off, yeah?” she says.

“Gosh yes, it’s so sticky. How do you willingly put this on?” I ask her.

“It’s not that bad when it’s where it’s supposed to be.” she giggles.

“Yeah, I guess that’d help, wouldn’t it?” I chuckle lightly.

We get to her apartment fairly quickly, and then we get inside and lock the door. Twinkie is staring at us from his spot on the couch. Amelia turns on the light and guides me to the bathroom.

“Let me see your face.” she requests then gently cups my chin in one of her hands while wiping some sort of wet cloth across my mouth and chin.

“There. All of the the lipstick is gone.” she declares. I smile and thank her quietly. I watch as she removes the makeup from her face and smile when it’s all off.

“You’re beautiful with and without makeup, My love.” I say, lifting her up and placing her on the counter, standing between her legs in an attempt to get closer. I kiss her softly, cupping her face in both of my hands.

“We’ve both had a long day. How about we get changed then go to bed, yeah?” she asks.

“Sounds great. Are you okay with me sleeping in just my boxers?” I respond.

“Yeah, that’s fine. I’m just gonna sleep in a t-shirt and my underwear if that’s alright.” she says.

“Yeah, that’s fine. I’ll stay here and get changed. Then I’m gonna go pet Twinkie some more. Let me know when I can come to bed.” I tell her.

“Okay, Micha.” she says before pecking my lips quickly and hopping down from the counter. I quickly strip down to just my boxers then go out in the living room to pet Twinkie. He wags his tail excitedly when I walk in the room. I sit on the couch and pet him for a few minutes until a soft,“Micha, you can come to bed now.” moves me from my spot.

I walk in her room and slide under the covers on the side of that she’s not on. She’s on her side facing the wall, and I wrap my arms around her waist. I bury my face in her neck and inhale the scent that can only be described as home and Amelia. We fall asleep soon after hushed ‘goodnight’s are exchanged, and it’s the best night’s sleep I’ve ever gotten.

[archetypal-conte-blog]

Let there be light – The Broadway Musical “Next to Normal”

 This first Broadway musical reaction post is dedicated to the man who started it all, the one who ignited the sparks of my current ardent love to Broadway musicals ever since I’ve watched his performance on the movie version of Les Miserable. The man who portrayed Enjorlas on ‘Les Mis’ amazingly, the man whose voice has been known to sound like thousands of tiny little angels, and the man who has put the most mouth-dropping and tear-jerking performance of Gabe, alongside the entire original cast of Next to Normal, Aaron Tveit.

The American rock musical written by Brian Yorkey and musically arranged by Tom Kitt’s Next to Normal portrayed a seemed-to-be perfect family; wife Diana Goodman, husband Dan Goodman, daughter Natalie Goodman, and son Gabe “Gabriel” Goodman. This Pulitzer winning musical was opened by the anxious mother waiting for her son who seemed to be having the rebellious teenage phase, whilst imagining possible ways of how the son could be killed. “Just Another Day” was their opening number, in which I believe, showed how each member defined “family” on their own point of view. This song struck a very raw and relatable image, one believed that the family was perfect, one thought it was a whack and tried so hard to hang on, one struggled to hold it together, and one was just in his own zone conquering the world and all.

“We’re the perfect loving family so adoring,

and I love them everyday of every week,

so my son’s a little shit, my husband’s boring

and my daughter’s though a genius, is a freak.”

– Just Another Day (Diana, Dan, Natalie and Gabe - Act 1)

           It seemed quite normal, just another family with teenage children, until the unfathomably painful truth was revealed. Diana had suffered from bipolar disorder for the loss of her son when he was still two years old, Gabe; the same Gabe she anxiously waited in the opening number and the same Gabe who she believed to be having his rebellious teenage phase. Throughout the musical, the character of Gabe, was lurking, messing around and pining into all members of the family’s brain. His character was merely a ghost of memory but a concrete spirit who could uplift and comfort, but also burden and somehow tear the family apart. Diana perceived him as her comfort; he was her light. Dan perceived him as a constant reminder of failure; Gabe was his burden. Natalie perceived him as the unreachable standard of perfect; he casted her an impossible shadow. All of them felt that their feeling was not understood and all of them were hurt and struggling.

           “I am flame and I am fire

           I am destruction, decay, and desire

           I’ll hurt you, I’ll heal you.”

– I’m Alive (Gabe – Act 1)

           You will not find a big dance choreography just like in most musicals, fancy costumes, a happy ending, nor will you find a huge number of casts. Throughout the musical, it would revolve around the four family members and the mother’s psychopharmacologists, around their house during the morning routines, family dinner, and some therapy sessions. It was casual, vivid, relatable, and raw. It pushed me to feel a rapid rush of different emotions even from the very beginning and it has successfully struck just simply every relatable cords about the complexity of a family and I could not help myself but felt immensely obsessed with this musical after the first listen. I was completely awestruck by every part of this musical because though it carried a very powerful and quite depressing theme, but it was not void of occasional humor – though dark and satirical, but effectively lightens the loads. One of my favorite was the parodical piece from “The Sound of Music” to describe the number of medicines Diana needed to take to help with her depression. There were a lot of “in between” feelings, in between the desire to laugh and to cry.

           “Zoloft and Paxil and Buspar and Xanax...

Depakote, Klonopin, Ambien, Prozac...

Ativan calms me when I see the bills—

These are a few of my favorite pills.”

– Who’s crazy, Psychopharmacologist and I (Diana, Dan, Natalie, Gabe, Psychopharmacologist – Act 1)

           Most often than not, we could pinpoint the bad guy of a story, the one to blame and the one to hate. In this musical, however, it was hard to point a finger because the four membered family were all trying to cope. In fact, they were hanging in a thin thread on a high tightrope, in which most of the time, they failed and fell. It might be easier to blame the ghost son though, but then again, he did not exist in the first place. All characters tried to cope in a different way and sometimes, they destroyed themselves. Diana coped with creating an image of a perfect son, who would take her side and danced with her when she was sad; and sometimes she coped with self-inflicted pain with the help of a knife. Dan hung onto the image of the image of his 20 year old passionate wife, desperately reassured himself that there would be time when “It’s Gotta Be Good”. Natalie, the worst of all, resorted to drugs.

           The constant battle of letting go and hanging on and remembering and forgetting was exhausting. It’s a very effective emotion drainage. However, the musical was amazingly closed with a piece of song “Light” in which though it was not the epitome definition of perfect wishful situation; it shredded a piece of light that is just enough to let us know that we’d survive in even the worst situation possible. It has taught me to hang on and kept finding the light of possibilities during the bad days. It has proved, yet again, that musicals, with all its magical wonders have always made me feel uplifted and hopeful.

           “We need some light.

First of all, we need some light.

You can't sit here in the dark.

And all alone, it's a sorry sight.

It's just you and me.

We'll live, you'll see.”

-          Light (Diana, Dan, Natalie, and Gabe, Act 2)      

[revwinchester]

Pride Parade

Summary: Officer Sam Winchester volunteered to work at his city’s Pride Parade.  Along the route he meets a bunch of men dressed in angel costumes and sparks fly with one of the attractive angels.

Pairing/Characters: Sam x Gabriel; Castiel, Balthazar, minor Lucifer, minor Michael, minor Dean

Word Count: 2606

Warnings: A little bit of language, mention of anti-gay protesters, mostly naked men, Sabriel fluff

A/N: This was based off of an idea I got from @nanika67 who was an amazing co-conspirator and beta throughout the writing of this piece.  It’s also my entry for the @gabriel-monthly-challenge this month and the dialogue prompt is in bold in the fic!  Enjoy some Sabriel fluff!

GMC Peeps: @archangel-with-a-shotgun @ashiewesker @lacqueluster

Read Pride Parade on AO3 here!

Pride Parade -

The morning was already hot.  The sun was beating down and a bead of sweat was dripping down Sam’s forehead.  Sam removed his cap to wipe the sweat away, regretting volunteering for this particular shift.  He had wanted to attend the parade, sure, but the weather forecast had called for some cloud cover and temperatures in the low 80s.  Here he was, though, walking the parade route in his full uniform on a 96 degree morning without a cloud in the sky.  At least he had remembered to put on sunscreen, he mused.  

Sam loved being a cop.  He had never entertained the thought of it when he was a kid - his dad was a cop and he hadn’t wanted to end up like his father, hard and harsh - but he had wanted to help people and the police academy was cheaper than law school and, now that he was in the life, he couldn’t imagine doing anything else.  Even on days like today, where the uniform was more a physical burden than anything else, Sam wore it with pride.  

A group in the crowd was passing out water to the marchers and offered a cup to Sam, which he gratefully accepted.  He was slowly walking the parade route, making sure that none of the spectators were taking their revelry too far and laughing off the cat calls he was getting from a number of the parade’s marchers.  Sam knew he was attractive - he had to keep in great shape for his job - but he was here to work, not fraternize with the sometimes half naked participants, no matter how hot some of them were.

As group after group of marchers passed him, Sam would occasionally change his pace for a few moments to engage in a quick conversation, reminding the people to stay hydrated or pointing out a kid along the route who might appreciate a piece of the candy the marchers were tossing into the crowd.  Once he had to escort one of the parade’s participants from his group to the Pride Festival’s first aid tent before he returned to his place walking alongside the marchers.  

Another group of marchers was walking past Sam and another round of catcalls began.  He turned to wink at the group and paused, really taking them in.  They had one of the nicer floats he had seen in the parade; they’d obviously spent a lot of time working on it.  There were a number of men on the float, all of whom were wearing angel wings.  One was in a full on angel get-up, another was dressed in drag, completing his look with fishnet stockings, heels, and a headband with sparkling devil’s horns.  The devil was clearly antagonizing the angel and Sam had to laugh at that.  He turned back to the crowd for a moment but his attention was drawn to the parade once more when he felt hands on his shoulders.  One of the angels hopped up onto Sam’s back.

“Hey there, Officer Sexy,” the angel exclaimed.

Sam shook him off of his back, trying not to let the man fall too hard.  “Sir, you can’t do that,” Sam commanded, his voice stern.  When he turned to face the man, his voice softened, “I’m actually a cop,” Sam explained.  It wasn’t the first time that day a marcher had mistaken him for someone in a costume though none of the others had been quite as bold - or as attractive - as this man.  

“Oh, I know, Officer,” the man replied.  “That uniform covers way too much to be anything but standard issue.  I’m Gabriel, by the way.”

Gabriel was at least 6 inches shorter than Sam, if not a little more, with dark blonde hair and whisky colored eyes.  He wearing angel’s wings like his companions but, aside from that, he was mostly bare.  A rainbow patterned thong covered Gabriel’s groin but nothing else was left to the imagination.  

Sam chuckled at the man.  “Gabriel,” he tried the name out, “the name suits you, angel.” 

The comment made Gabriel smile up at Sam and the officer thought the man was gorgeous.  Sam couldn’t help but smile back at Gabriel.  

Gabriel snuck behind Sam and tried climbing up on his back again but Sam shook him off for a second time.

“Seriously, Gabriel, I can’t have you on my back while I’m working,” Sam scolded him.

Gabriel pouted up at Sam, hoping to garner sympathy points with the officer.  “But my feet hurt,” he tried.

“Well, you should have thought of that before you decided to march without shoes on,” Sam laughed and Gabriel just pouted harder.  He ran off to talk to one of his friends - this one had messy dark hair, beautiful blue eyes, and a gay pride flag tied around his neck like a cape that fluttered out over his wings - and Sam thought thought that the beautiful angel had tired of him but soon enough, Gabriel was back and attempting to climb Sam again.

“Gabriel, you can’t…” Sam began but the honey eyed man cut him off.

“I’m not going to be on your back, I swear!  You’ll have your hands free for whatever police stuff you need to get done,” Gabriel assured Sam, “and think about how many more people I can reach if I throw candy from way up here!”  Gabriel had basically scaled Sam’s body and was situating himself on the tall man’s shoulders.  

Sam shook his head, laughing to himself as he realized that he had lost this battle.  As long as he wasn’t creating trouble, the easiest thing to do was to give Gabriel the ride that he apparently so desperately desired.  Except sitting on Sam’s shoulders didn’t seem to be enough for the man.

“Officer Sexy is a good look but if you’re going to walk alongside my friends and I, you need to be a little more… festive,” Gabriel told Sam.

Sam wasn’t sure what he meant by that but he wasn’t all that worried about it.  What could Gabriel do from all the way up there, Sam figured.  One of Gabriel’s friends caught Sam’s attention when he shouted in his direction.

“Gabriel, no!” the blue eyed man cried out and Sam whipped his head over to him as he felt Gabriel steal his hat just as something began raining down on him. 

A few of the other angels looked over as well and snickered at their friend’s antics.  “We’re not bailing you out, little bro,” the one in fishnets and devil’s horns called over.  “Even if it means you end up missing the after party at The Elysian tonight.”

Sam turned his face upwards to see what Gabriel was doing that had his friends either amused or horrified.  Instead of seeing Gabriel, Sam was met with a face full of glitter as the man emptied a second small bag all over him.  “What the hell?” Sam asked, shaking his head to get the stuff out of his nose and off of his eyelids.  

“I told you, you needed to be more festive!” Gabriel’s response was simple enough and when Sam turned his face to look at the man again, he was wearing Sam’s hat.

“You did not just dump glitter on me, Gabriel,” Sam growled, gripping the man’s calves tightly as he fought against the smile that threatened to break out on his face.  The truth was, Sam hadn’t had this much fun in a long time.  Sure, he was going to catch shit from the rest of the guys back at the station for being covered in glitter when he got back but right now, Sam didn’t care about that.  The officers stationed along the parade route were encouraged to interact with the crowd and participants.  It was part of why he enjoyed working the event; he would be here anyway and this way, he got paid for it and got to see more than he would have if he were marching with the off-duty officers who were farther back in the lineup.  

One of Gabriel’s friends walked beside Sam.  “I’m so sorry, Officer,” the blue eyed man began.  “Gabriel can be a little, uh, feisty, especially at things like this.”

Gabriel was grinning from ear to ear from his perch atop Sam and the officer could do nothing but laugh at the smaller man’s antics.  He meant no harm, no one would be hurt by any of his actions, and, though he didn’t really know the man, Sam was sure that Gabriel would get down if Sam’s job ended up requiring him to intervene in something.  Besides, the angel’s smile was infectious and Sam found himself grinning, too, and laughing as he turned to Gabe’s friend.  “It’s alright.  As long as there’s not any disturbances along the rest of the route, he’s not hurting anyone by being up there,” Sam assured him.

“I’m Castiel,” the man told him, extending a hand to shake.

“Sa…”

“OFFICER SEXY!” Gabriel shouted down, interrupting Sam’s introduction.  “His name is Officer Sexy and I will not hear otherwise!”  

Castiel squinted up at the man on the officer’s shoulders.  “Gabriel, this man has a name and it would be respectful to use it.”  

Something, presumably something Gabriel did, had Castiel rolling his eyes at the man on Sam’s shoulders.  “Right now, Cas,” Gabriel called down, “all I know is one of us is right and the other one is you.  Oh! And I know that Officer Sexy has officially been touched by an angel.”  Gabriel wiggled his ass on Sam’s shoulders to emphasize his point.

Sam laughed again, turning back to Castiel.  “I’m Officer Sexy, apparently,” he told the man, before mouthing “My name is Sam.”

Castiel laughed too, giving in to Gabriel’s antics, and sauntered back over to the angel he had been walking with earlier.  The blond Cas was walking with gave Sam a deep, mock bow in greeting.  “Do us a favor and arrest him for something,” the blonde requested.  The man’s accent was beautiful and his words were dripping with sarcasm.  “He’ll be like putty in your hands if you promise to use your handcuffs.”  

“Balthazar...” Castiel admonished but the man, Balthazar apparently, waved him off.

“You’re always so serious, Cassie,” Sam heard Balthazar say.  “I’m just having a laugh and if the man can take Gabriel climbing onto his shoulders, dropping bags of glitter over his head, and spouting off terrible puns - all while being referred to as Officer Sexy - I’m positive he can handle my joke.”

Sam took in everything going on around him and he could feel the size of his grin in his facial muscles; he wasn’t sure when the last time he had smiled like this was.  Sam had known that today would probably be a fun shift but he had never imagined it turning out quite like this.  A bright flash of light caught his attention and Sam noticed a photographer in the crowd had taken a picture of him and Gabriel and he looked up toward the man on his shoulders fondly.  

They reached the parade’s designated ending point and Sam told Gabriel that he needed to climb down.  Sam’s shift wasn’t over until the parade was completely done so he needed to turn around and walk back down the route and make sure that everyone was being safe.  He dropped to one knee so Gabriel could climb down and, as he did, Gabe made sure to rub every inch of himself against Sam’s muscular back.   

Gabriel smacked Sam’s ass and darted around the man before he could get back to his feet.  “Thanks for the ride, Officer Sexy,” he smirked as he grasped Sam’s collar.  Gabriel bent down, leaning in for a kiss but something behind him caught Sam’s attention and he sprang up and radioed for backup as he ran towards the fight that had broken out between some of the revelers and a group of protestors.  He watched Sam work until other officers arrived on the scene.  Some jumped into the fray, separating the two groups, while others encouraged the people who had gathered to continue moving along.  Gabriel, still wearing Sam’s uniform hat, was swept up in the crowd and, though he looked for him throughout the afternoon, he didn’t see Officer Sexy again.

---

Sam finished his shift angry at the protestors for ruining what had been a nearly perfect morning.  He was grumpy when he arrived back at the station but when his brother called him over to his desk, Sam had to smile at the photo Dean had pulled up on his computer.  It was the picture of him and Gabriel that someone - apparently a photo journalist - had taken and it was part of a slideshow of photos from the event.  Sam was covered in glitter but he and Gabriel both looked joyful and excited as the angel rode Sam’s shoulders and wore his hat.  The photo was amazing and it would definitely be some good publicity for the police force.  Sam began the paperwork that accompanied the altercation he broke up with a sappy grin on his face, dealing with the occasional ribbing about the glitter that was still covering his head and shoulders and wishing that he hadn’t been pulled away from the honey eyed angel so abruptly.

---

Sam wasn’t sure what he was doing here.  The club scene had never really been his thing but he had overheard Gabriel and his friends talking about their plans to go to The Elysian tonight.  

Sam had gotten home after the parade and managed to wash most of the glitter off of himself and out of his hair but he had a feeling he’d be finding the metallic flecks for days, if not weeks.  After his shower, Sam had put on one of his favorite shirts, a navy blue v-neck with a particularly deep neckline.  It clung to him in all the right places, showed off his chest, and hinted at the tattoo he had over his heart; Sam knew he looked good when he wore this shirt.  He had paired it with his favorite pair of jeans and, apart from the nagging voice in the back of his head telling him this was a really dumb idea, he was feeling pretty confident.

He made his way through the crowd of people in the bar and ordered himself a drink.  Before Sam could turn around and scan the room, he felt the now familiar sensation of hands on his shoulders and someone scrambling up onto his back.  

“Officer Sexy! What are you doing here?” Gabriel spoke right into Sam’s ear from his perch on the taller man’s back.  

Sam spun so that he could deposit Gabriel onto a bar stool.  He turned to face him and stood between Gabriel’s legs, bending down so he could talk to the shorter man.  The music in the club was loud and he had to get close to Gabriel’s ear to be heard.  “I’m not on the clock, Sam is fine.  I might have heard one of your friends mention you would be here tonight,” Sam admitted, “and I wasn’t content with how we left things this morning.”  One of Sam’s hands landed on Gabriel’s thigh as he spoke and he could hear the stutter in the man’s breath when his thumb started rubbing circles into his leg.

“I had hoped you’d heard that; I’m glad you tracked me down, Sam,” Gabriel replied with a sexy smirk as he threaded his fingers through Sam’s hair and pulled the man in for the kiss they had been denied.

ALL THE TAGS! (forevers): @deathtonormalcy56 @supernaturalyobsessed @roxy-davenport @sumara62 @ginamsmith @gallifreyansass

Sabriel Tags from @mrswhozeewhatsis list: @mrswhozeewhatsis @theficlibrarium @sinceriouslyamellpadalecki @ferferelli @chrisatplay @faith-in-dean @mamaimpala @winchesters-princess @impossible-box @dr-dean @jelly-beans-and-gstrings @saving-things-hunting-family @lucibae-is-dancing-in-hell @justanothersaltandburn @mysaintsasinner @brothersonahotelbed @klaineaholic @hexparker

[disco-vampire-thing]

Gothoughts - 3.15, How the Riddler Got His Name

SO!

I’ve decided to do a bit of a review for the newest episode of Gotham, along the lines of my comics and movie reviews.  Spoilers, unsolicited opinions, and undignified squeeing behind the cut. :)

As far as I’m concerned, Gotham’s return with “How the Riddler Got His Name” is a home run.  I know some fans were worried, looking at the earlier promos, that Oswald would be too quickly forgotten or we wouldn’t see the emotional fallout from his murder.  Instead, what we get really surpassed my expectations, with some fantastic interplay between Ed and his hallucination of Oswald, as Ed struggles both to come to terms with what Oswald really meant to him, and to take the next step into truly embodying the Riddler.

Speaking of which, I love the fact that Ed knows who he is, but is struggling to become that.  I love that, for him as it was for Oswald, the birth of the legend as we come to know him is not easy.  I think that’s one of Gotham’s real strengths.  While most supervillains do get their own origin stories in comics, I’ve found that a lot of versions then skip straight from the origin story to the villain as a fully-fledged threat, as if the decision to become a criminal meant you got a welcome basket with a pre-tailored costume and a starter pack of henchmen.  I know that it’s often done to make the villains seem more mysterious and, therefore, more threatening, but I think there are a lot more storytelling opportunities in letting us see, not only Batman’s training and struggles and failures, but those of his rogues’ gallery, too.

Something that’s interesting about Ed’s origin story in particular:  Okay, so Gotham always kind of rides this line between gritty deconstruction and comic book show, and sometimes teeters a little too far in one direction or the other. When I first heard Ed describe what he’s doing in this episode as “becoming a villain”, it made me wince.  “Villain”, in this sense, is basically a metafictional concept, and it’s not one that people would generally apply to themselves.  You know the saying, “Everyone is the hero of their own story”?  When you make yourself a villain, you’re essentially making yourself an obstacle in someone else’s story, and in real life, people don’t tend to do that.  

And Gotham is usually fairly realistic in this respect.  I’m pretty sure this is the first time anyone in this show has called themselves “a villain” unironically.  Mobsters like Carmine Falcone or Fish Mooney wouldn’t think of themselves that way – they’re powerful, ambitious businesspeople. Even someone unhinged like Jerome or Barbara would probably only say it in an ironic echo of how they think the world sees them.  I don’t think Oswald, in real life, would have said it about himself.  His path hasn’t been driven by the urge to become a villain, it’s been driven by the urge to rule Gotham. Even his becoming “the Penguin” was kind of unintentional.  He claimed that persona, but he didn’t set out to construct it.  (And hallucination!Oswald even unpicks this onscreen: he didn’t teach Ed to be a villain, he taught him to be Edward Nygma, “a man who could run the underworld and hide in plain sight”.)

But I have to say, this episode won me over in this respect.  I came to realise that out of all the rogues in Gotham, Ed is the one for whom this explicit “becoming a villain” shtick actually works.  I can see Ed deciding, “I recognise myself as a villain/recognise the villain in myself, and I will set out to embody him.”  It’s a reflection of how Ed tends to approach life and interactions with people in general:  it’s this attempt to apply high symbolism and abstract systems of rules to the real world. Which, incidentally, is also a pretty good description of how riddles work.

As for the way this episode explores Ed’s relationship with Oswald, I basically have nothing to offer but delighted shrieking. :)  I was expecting Oswald’s “ghost” to be tormenting Ed, the way Kristen’s has in the past; the fact that Ed takes such genuine pleasure in seeing him (even to the point of thanking Oswald for being there, as if he’s real) and is even taking drugs to be able to see him – a pretty big departure for someone who’s as invested as Ed is in control – came as a pleasant shock.  The moment where he finally says goodbye to Oswald, and admits how much he cares about and misses him, is genuinely heartwrenching.  And hallucination!Oswald is a delight throughout, from his eating popcorn to his exasperation with Ed selecting Jim as his archnemesis. :)  He’s wonderfully salty (as with his line about how he’s “not really a fan” of the view from the docks), but he also knows exactly where and how to slide the knife in under Ed’s defences.  Robin Lord Taylor is a tour de force in this episode – his performance as hallucination!Oswald is an exaggerated version of Oswald (because this is Ed’s mental reconstruction), but still nuanced, and he’s just fantastic to watch.  And holy shit, but that serenade makes me happy.  Ed actually hallucinates Oswald, dressed in gorgeous clothes, singing him a sexy ballad under a red spotlight.  I’m not only really pleased that the creators took it that far (making it pretty undeniable that Ed at least has some attraction towards his friend), I’m also impressed that they pulled it off. That scene could have so easily tipped over into being silly, but it’s executed with a deft hand and grounded in two really strong performances, making it erotic and eerie instead.

(Also it seems somehow cosmically unfair that anyone is as good looking as RLT, just saying.)

I’ll admit, I was underwhelmed by how the reveal of Oswald’s survival was handled. Granted, I don’t think anyone was actually going to be shocked, but I was hoping for something a bit more dramatic than him waking up in bed in an admittedly charming chintzy sweater.  What, no surge upwards out of the water of Gotham bay, mirroring the first episode?  Not even a scene of Oswald being discovered washed up on shore?  Just, oh, hey, you’re awake, isn’t it handy that gunshot wound and the accompanying near-drowning weren’t fatal?  I realise the episode packs a lot in and the creators probably didn’t want to spend too much time on the mechanics of how Oswald survived, but it still felt like a bit of a letdown. (However, pretty much the only letdown in a stellar episode, so I’m not too fussed.)

Speaking of Oswald’s survival:  Ivy was also absolutely nowhere on my list of prospective rescuers.  I assumed, as I think a lot of fans did, that the most logical person to pulls Oswald out of the harbour would be Fish.  She believes in his potential, so she might well think he could be useful to her long-term; she may also feel like she owes him for sparing her; she’s got access to Hugo Strange’s revival technology; and it would open up some pretty heady symbolism (Fish fishing – hee – Oswald out of the water after he pushed her in, the maternal imagery of her bringing him back into the world). Jim was also a possibility, as was Gabe, or the Court of Owls (who’ve shown an interest in Oswald before), or even Selina. I never would have thought of Ivy, though, and it seems somewhat out of character for a woman (a girl, really) who’s never really shown much of an altruistic streak.  (This wasn’t just a spontaneous moment of kindness, either – she’s apparently nursed him and hidden him for weeks!) However, I’ll admit that I’m intrigued.  Oswald and Ivy make an odd pair, but one with a lot of potential.  Both shunned as children for being different, both grown ruthless largely out of necessity, and both (as we’ve now learned about Ivy) with the capacity to be selfless, even self-sacrificing.  I can see them as a team.

So, that takes care of the Nygmobblepot elements (the Nygmobbleplot, if you will) – what about the rest of “How the Riddler Got His Name”?

I think one of the standout elements, for me, is the rivalry that’s shaping up between Ed and Lucius Fox.  We’ve seen them square off a few times before, providing a foundation for their evolution into archnemeses here, and I’m really glad that the show went in the direction of making Lucius Ed’s foil, rather than Gordon.  It helps break up the recurring theme of “Jim Gordon is the central figure in everyone’s life”, which made some sense in the first season, when Jim was the only honest cop in the city (and therefore naturally the most likely to be complicating the life of your average Gotham rogue), but has started feeling increasingly forced.  More than that, Lucius fits the role perfectly.  He’s a lot more willing to pursue Ed through all the labyrinthine twists of his games than Harvey or even Jim would be.  He’s as frighteningly brilliant as Ed, and (as Chris Chalk confirmed on Twitter), Lucius recognises a similarity in the way both their minds work.  (Hell, they’ve also both scientists who’ve been on the receiving end of what Lucius has called the GCPD’s “fascistic meathead culture”, so I suspect Lucius may understand all too well some of the forces that shaped Ed.)  And Lucius hasn’t given up on Ed, which I think is fascinating – especially as Ed seems shaken, at least temporarily, by Lucius’s sympathy.  I’m so looking forward to seeing how this plays out.

Their confrontation on the stairs, playing mind games for Harvey’s life, is just brilliant.  It’s a shining moment for Lucius – not just for the way he solves Ed’s puzzles, or even because he manages to best him at the riddles game by coming up with an answer Ed hadn’t thought of.  It’s the fact that Lucius actually pieces everything else together just from the few, tortured fragments that Ed lets slip.  And ohhhh, that moment where Lucius picks up that something’s wrong, that Oswald’s gone and Ed is coming unglued without him, that something happened.  So good.  

I also like how the riddles tie into the wider themes of the episode.  Ed’s answers are all solitary, in keeping with his mindset (loneliness, an individual, a reflection), whereas Lucius’s are more upbeat.  But Ed’s insistence that, “You have to come up with my answer,” mirrors what he’s been doing for the entire episode.  He knows, deep down, that he killed a part of himself when he killed Oswald, he knows he can’t really replace him, but he’s still pushing to get an answer he likes better, to get his answer.  (And of course, the answer to the third riddle being “a reflection” is fitting, as it’s normally a bit of poetic licence to say that your reflection “knows your every thought” because it mimics your expression, but for Ed, his reflection really does know – and is a manifestation of – his thoughts.  And then the “reflection” imagery becomes terrifyingly literal in the next scene when Bruce spots his clone in the mirror.  I love it.)

Incidentally, you could also call this episode “How Harvey Bullock Flirted Shamelessly with Lucius Fox for the Entire Length of an Investigation”, and it is glorious.  I’m not saying I don’t love Jim Gordon, but I’m starting to wonder if we really need him back in Gotham, at least right away.  I would watch the shit out of a show that was nothing but Lucius being a jaw-droppingly brilliant investigator and conducting Interrogation Via Weirding People Out, and Harvey, as his partner, showering him with fond looks and ten-dollar words (“Did you see how I used that word, ‘allocate’?”), fishing for compliments on his suits, and generally failing at pretending he doesn’t fancy Lucius rotten and also getting tied up occasionally because hello kink I didn’t realise I had.

I can’t wait to see where all this goes next week.

Random points:

I do have legitimate questions about why all scientists in Gotham work in big glass cages, but that’s by the by.

Robin Lord Taylor isn’t the only one showing off his acting chops here by playing with different versions of a character.  David Mazouz is amazing at getting across the subtle distinctions between Bruce, clone!Bruce, and clone!Bruce pretending to be Bruce.

You have to wonder if Harvey ever just flops down at his desk and contemplates what his life has come to, that he’s now in charge of frantically dredging the river for the guy he once arranged to have shot and dumped in the river.

Speaking of which, I would have loved to be a fly on the wall when Harvey (presumably) first interviewed Ed after Oswald disappeared.  Neither of them is all that keen to find him, but they’re both forced to pretend that they’re desperate to – and on top of that, they both loathe each other. That would have made for some interesting viewing.

There is no limit to my love for Ed’s fruit messenger. (Why IS he a bunch of grapes?  Who knows?  It’s brilliant.)

It’s probably a testament to how many gimmicky serial killers Gotham has that not one of the people who used to work closely with Nygma, know him as the riddle/puzzle guy, and know he’s murdered people connected him with this rash of puzzle-related murders.

It is pretty comical how much shabbier Harvey’s nicest suit is than anyone else’s suit.  It’s also a little bit heartwarming.  Remember when Harvey had a few Italian suits that had just wandered into his closet after they were confiscated during a bust?  Now, his nicest suit is clearly something he bought on his un-supplemented, honest cop’s salary, and takes good care of.  It’s this bit of meta sweetness.

This is such a weird thought, but – how did the Court duplicate Bruce’s clothes?  Do they have an entire wardrobe based on his wardrobe (how?), and when he left the house some surveillance van called in to say, “It’s the black turtleneck and the three-quarter-length black coat today”?  Or did someone run out and try and buy those clothes based on a photo, and dress clone!Bruce in them, all in about half an hour?  How do you go out shopping in a city the size of Gotham for ten minutes and manage to exactly match clothes that could have been bought a year ago?  Am I overthinking this?  (The answer is yes.)

Is it just a thing in Gotham that when you want to test someone’s loyalty and maybe kill them, you take them to a cabin in the woods?  At least Jim’s uncle isn’t trying to hold his hand romantically over the breakfast table.