#i just need dylan to make it out alive

[aleskie]

YOU DON'T NEED TO LIFT A FINGER | Jack Hughes x Fem!Reader

SUMMARY: When a guy just cannot get the hint, Jack makes sure to put him in his place. He's got your back. Always.

Warnings: none!! pure fluff and jack gets protective!! Full discloure, this is for realsies Fem!Reader!! Author's Note: This was supposed to come out a dayyyyys ago but Tumblr was NOT letting me post my drafts 😭😭 my poor therapist spent an hour watching me crash out about it najsjsshjjk

You were beautiful.

Of course you were.

In Jack’s eyes, you were the most beautiful creature to ever walk the earth.

Which is why he understands why you get hit on. He really does. Hell, once upon a time, he was hitting on you. And he still hits on you, even now, years into the relationship, because you’re worth it. Because you light up rooms without even trying. Because he’s always been a sucker for the way you roll your eyes and smile at his cheesy attempts to be smooth with you.

You’re beautiful and smart and funny, and you’re so effortlessly charming—of course people would want you for themselves. He gets it. He really does. And honestly, there’s a part of him that loves it. He loves that people notice those qualities about you, that they see in you what he sees every day. It feels like validation, like the universe itself is confirming that he’s the luckiest guy alive. He basks in the knowledge that no matter how many people give you those hungry looks and shitty pick-up lines, he’s the one you're coming home with, his hand resting possessively on your hip as he gives all those people a smirk, his claim laid without him even lifting a finger.

What he doesn’t love is when people don’t take the damn hint.

And you give a lot of hints.

Take this guy right here—Dave, or Doug, or whatever his name is—He’d somehow wiggled his way into the booth you guys shared with your friends for a night out and, while he seemed harmless at first, he was now solely focused on you. And your legs that were highlighted by the body shimmer Jack helped put on you earlier tonight (his fingers still slightly shimmering to prove it—a badge of honor, in his opinion).

You’d been giving him that polite, fake smile since he joined in—the one Jack knows so well and that always makes him chuckle, the one you use when you’re being patient but are clearly not enjoying yourself—and you’ve barely paid him any attention, save for a few fake laughs and an “Oh, that sounds cool” every so often as Darren, or Dino, continues to brag about himself, not even trying to ask about you (a grave mistake, Jack thinks, since you were the most interesting person he knew).

Jack wonders if this guy even realizes you’ve been leaning against Jack this entire time, your head on his shoulder and his hand resting on your upper thigh, or if he’s chosen to ignore that in favor of trying (and failing) to shoot his shot. Better yet, does he even recognize Jack is here, drink untouched and jaw tightening as he watches Danny (or was it Dylan) lean in just a little too close?

Jack glances at you. You’re still handling it with grace, of course you are. You always do. But he knows you. He sees the subtle tension in your shoulders, the way you lean further against him to put some distance between you and Dexter, the way your fingers tighten around your glass, and he knows you’d rather not have to deal with this.

He shifts slightly and stands, leaning forward to smile at the intruder, though it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Hey, Diego, right?” he says. His tone is casual, even pleasant, but there’s steel underneath it.

“It’s Dave, actua—”

Jack extends a hand, cutting through the guy’s attempt at small talk. “Right, yeah. Sorry to interrupt, but I think my girlfriend and I are gonna go dance now.”

He puts an emphasis on girlfriend, just to make sure this guy gets the point.

Jack gives you a soft look, the kind that makes your breath hitch just a little, and you immediately stand up, reaching for him. His arm wraps around you instinctively, his touch steady and familiar. You can already feel the tension in his body lessening now that he has you close, now that he’s leading you away from whatever-his-name-is and back into the safe, easy rhythm of you and him.

But before you can leave, the guy speaks again.

“Sorry, man, didn’t realize she was yours. You know how women are. With that dress and those legs, she was totally leading me on.”

Jack freezes.

For a second, the world seems to pause, almost like he couldn’t believe what was coming out of this guy’s mouth, like he didn’t want to believe anyone could be that stupid.

Slowly, he straightens, turning back toward the guy—Dave or Doug or whatever his name was—with a look so calm it’s almost serene. Too calm. And that’s how you know Jack is angry.

Not the playful kind of angry, where he pretends to pout when you steal the last fry or kiss him everywhere but his lips. Not the frustrated kind, like when he can’t find his keys for the third time that week or when he’s had a particularly bad game.

No, this is something deeper. Colder. Controlled.

His fingers graze your arm lightly, a small, grounding touch meant just for you. It’s subtle, but you know what it means. I’ve got this. You don’t need to lift a finger.

Jack tilts his head ever so slightly. “You wanna say that again?” His voice is so even it borders on soft, a quiet thing wrapped in steel.

Dave—or Dino or Darryl—seems to think Jack is inviting him to elaborate, which is perhaps the worst decision he’s made all night.

“I’m just saying, y’know,” Dave shrugs, his tone shifting to something almost conspiratorial, like he thinks Jack might actually agree with him if he just explains it better. “When women dress like that, you can’t blame a guy for—”

“Yeah, I’m gonna need you to shut up before I do something we both regret.”

Jack doesn’t raise his voice. He doesn’t have to. The weight of his words alone is enough to send a ripple of silence through the space between them.

Dave blinks, the beginning stages of intimidation creeping onto his face. He glances at you, as if expecting backup, but you’re already leaning back against the wall, arms crossed, one eyebrow raised as you watch Jack dismantle him.

There’s a small smirk on your lips. Because this? This was a sight you didn’t get to see in public too often.

Many times, people assumed your lovely boyfriend—so easygoing, so effortlessly charming—would lack the sharpness to cut someone down when needed, would stick to uhmms and ahhhs and crassness.

They mistook his laid-back nature for passivity, his warmth for softness. But you knew better. Your Jack could be quite a wonder with words when he wanted to be. He didn’t need to be loud to command attention. He didn’t need to throw a punch to land a hit.

So you hang back and let him handle this one, finding comfort in the thought of his arms around you later, his breath warm against your ear as you danced the rest of the night away.

“Listen, buddy,” Jack continues, stepping closer. His tone is light, almost conversational, but there’s no mistaking the edge beneath it. “You don’t talk to anyone like that. You definitely don’t get to talk to her like that. You hear me?”

“God, c’mon, man! No need to get all—”

“I already told you to shut up.” Jack’s scowl deepens. His words are slow, deliberate. “The fact that she was polite enough to give you the slightest bit of attention doesn’t mean she was hitting on you. Whatever you thought was going on tonight? Not an invitation.”

Dave—Dino? Derek?—opens his mouth, probably to dig himself into an even deeper hole, but stops when Jack leans in slightly, just enough to make his presence feel heavier. Like a storm cloud about to break.

“She’s kind,” Jack says, voice quieter now, deadlier. “So she tolerated you. But she doesn’t owe you a fucking thing.”

The last of Dave’s bravado starts to crumble. His shoulders inch inward, his gaze flickering around the booth, searching for an exit, for reinforcements—for anything that might save him from this moment.

Jack watches him for a second longer, then exhales sharply, like he’s already bored. “You think being desperate and cocky gets you the girl,” he says, shaking his head. “But I don’t need any of that to keep her by my side.” His fingers brush against yours, finding their place like they always do. “And we don’t need to waste any more time entertaining douchebags like you.”

Jack steps back, his hand sliding fully into yours as he finally tears his gaze from Daniel? Don?—who cares?—and looks at you instead. The shift is immediate, his features easing, the sharpness in his eyes softening into something familiar. Something yours.

“Let’s go, babe,” he says simply, his voice lighter now, more like himself.

And just like that, the moment is over.

As you stand, letting Jack guide you away from the booth, you hear Dave mutter something under his breath—something weak and defensive that doesn’t deserve acknowledgment. It’s the kind of parting shot people throw out when they know they’ve lost. Neither of you glance back.

The music swells around you, the bass thrumming beneath your feet, but Jack doesn’t lead you straight to the dance floor. Instead, he pulls you toward a quieter corner, away from the crowd, where the lights are dimmer, the world a little smaller.

He exhales, then wordlessly nestles his head in the crook of your shoulder.

You smile, running your fingers through his hair, your nails lightly grazing his scalp. He sighs at the touch, his arms slipping around your waist as he lets himself melt into you for just a moment. You press a soft kiss to his hair, breathing him in, grounding both of you in something steady, something real.

After a beat, he tilts his head up, a sheepish grin playing at his lips. “Did I go overboard?”

You roll your eyes fondly, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. “You were absolutely perfect,” you murmur, leaning in to press a kiss to his cheek.

His grin widens, boyish and bright, and just like that, the weight of the night lifts. He tugs you closer, his arm tightening around your waist as he starts to sway you to the music. You laugh as he spins you unexpectedly, sneaking in kisses between the DJ’s transitions, his lips catching your temple, your jaw, the curve of your shoulder.

The man who bothered you is forgotten. The tension, the sharp edges of the night—gone.

All that’s left is this. You and him and the music. The warmth of his hands on you, the sound of your laughter melting together, the rest of the world fading into nothing.

[bullet-prooflove]

Everything: Andrew 'Pope' Cody x Reader

Tagging: @kmc1989 @fadeinsol @akotafi @yousigned-upforthis @cowardlycandy

Companion piece to:

The Professional - Pope meets the love of his life when Smurf hires her to crack a safe.

Ethical Thieving - You introduce Pope to a new skill set.

Crazy (NSFW) - Pope's always been crazy but now he's also a man in love.

Tomorrow - Pope's family always fuck up the good in his life.

Do Over Day (NSFW) - Pope tries to make up for the day before.

Pope wakes up to the scent of freshly ground coffee, to light kisses brushing over each and every single one of the freckles on his face. The edges of his mouth tip up into a smile, his hand threading through your hair, his lips capturing yours.

You taste like dark chocolate and vanilla, components from the mocha you must have just sipped in the kitchen.

“I want to wake up like this every morning.” He whispers as your fingertips chase an unruly curl away from his features.

The light in your eyes dims just a little and he knows it’s because that isn’t going to happen anytime soon. The two of you are still saving to get the hell out of Oceanside, away from his family, away his mother. That woman would rather you dead than with her eldest son. You place a kiss on his forehead before drawing away, placing his phone in his hand.

“Smurf’s been calling.” You tell him.

His hand scrubs over his features as he studies the screen, his heart sinking. He’d promised he’d spend the day with you but now he’s got three missed calls, which is the equivalent of Smurf sending up the bat signal.

Shit, he thinks studying the time of the last one. She’s probably already started tracking him. He flicks to the Find My Friend App, he has installed on his phone and sees Baz is already en-route.

“I gotta go.” He says tearing back the sheets.

You drift out of the room as he starts pulling on his clothes, tugging on his shirt, scooping up his boots. You live close enough to the beach that he can say he paddling in the water, that he left his phone on the sand because he was trying to clear his head. His always parks his car half a mile away in the lot used for public access anyway, just in case of shit like this.

You already have a bamboo mug of coffee waiting for him when he steps out into the kitchen. He shakes his head, tucking his socks into his boot as he stands barefoot on the tiles.

“I can’t.” He tells you, gesturing towards the recyclable cup in your hands. “If I take that, he’ll ask where it comes from, whose making me coffee at buttfuck o’clock in the morning.”

“Yea, sorry. I didn’t think.” You say tiredly, setting it back down. He can sense the hurt in you, he understands how it must feel. Him turning up late at night to fuck you, leaving first thing in the morning. The worst part is he knows what it’s like to not be a priority, to feel like you’re giving a lot more than you’re getting back.

“Dylan.” He whispers, cradling your face between his hands. “This won’t be forever, we just need a little more cash and then we can go…”

“I know.” You say softly. “I’m just impatient.”

“I am too.” He says, his forehead coming to rest upon yours. “All I want is for the two of us to go away, somewhere where we can be safe, where we can be happy.”

He wants that more than anything, a life with you, a family with you.

“You are everything to me.” He tells you, his thumb chasing over the blush of your cheek. “You are my heart, my soul, my reason for being. Never doubt that ok? Never doubt the depth of my feelings for you. You were the only thing that kept me alive in Folsom, the thought of this life we’re building together got me through the worst of it and I will never give up on that dream. I won’t let anyone take that away from us.”

Your mouth ghosts over his, a tender kiss that he feels in the very depths of his soul. He wants to thread his hands through your hair, take you back to bed but Baz is five minutes away and he needs to get moving.

“Go.” You tell him, placing your palm on his chest and pushing him towards the back door that leads down to the beach. “But come back later alright? We really gotta talk.”

“I will.” He promises you with one foot over the threshold. “I’ll be here.”

“Good.” You say, thinking of the pregnancy test you took this morning when he was asleep, the one that came back positive. “Because I really need you to be here tonight.”

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Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

[ninthprime]

severance 2x01 thoughts (spoilers)

bit late but i’m just throwing a few things down just in case

three things about the new MDR employees that stuck out to me: 1. mark w. and gwendolyn used to work in the same office (but not dario!); 2. mark w. states his old team (presumably also gwendolyn’s) never made quota; and 3. every bizarre thing that dario says about how low-tech his old office was. i don’t know how important these characters are or which aspects of this are relevant but they all feel like pretty purposeful lore details.

i’m like 65% sure on the “helena pretending to be helly” theory- it’s the occam’s razor explanation- but i think if that’s the case, we’re going to know about it within a couple episodes. the tension will be us as viewers worrying about what helena will do with the innies and whether helly can be helped, not about whether it’s helly in the first place. the other 35% of me thinks that’s helly but something happened over the timeskip that we haven’t seen yet, most likely some sort of threat or manipulation of her by lumon (maybe something on the testing floor?). my absolute wildest theory would be that they’ve reintegrated her, but i feel like something that big wouldn’t happen offscreen…

i also think miss huang’s deal is going to be either way more simple or way more complicated than anybody is guessing. my kneejerk thought is that she went to the same school as cobel did, but there’s gotta be something to that “crossing guard” line. the other scene that stuck out to me was her and irving glaring at each other for an extended moment before they went into the break room- but i can’t tell if that’s foreshadowing a later reveal or setting up a future connection/rivalry?/etc. (it does kind of remind me of that “irving used to have milchick’s job” theory)

i think milchick’s being purposefully messed with or tested somehow. being given a child as his new subordinate/replacement, his computer not being updated, etc. he probably knows or is at least guessing at it, too. why the board is doing that, though, is beyond me. maybe they think he could’ve been collaborating with cobel?

i keep seeing people asking why the outies would go back to work after the s1 finale. i actually think the guys, at least, all have good reasons- mark needs to understand what “she’s alive” means, irving has his lumon investigation, and dylan has to support a family (which i’ve been guessing is the reason he took a severed job in the first place). helena’s the only one who may have been reluctant, but the decision may not have been hers alone depending on lumon internal politics. i suspect what actually happened is lumon didn’t want them all back due to risk of another rebellion and either fired or suspended dylan and irving- but they let mark come back because they need him for whatever they’re doing with gemma/ms. casey. that’s also why they let everyone come back when mark started causing trouble; they want mark there and working specifically.

the easiest way for the MDR team to figure out how long it’s actually been since the s1 finale would probably be to find and talk with burt’s old O&D co-workers, but i’m not sure they’re still on that floor? it looks like we might have multiple basement floors now? not sure about that but then where did mark w., gwendolyn and dario go. are they just fired/dead

at the end of this season i need to make a compilation of every absolutely batshit milchick line that tramell tillman delivers with 100% seriousness. give him an emmy. we’re underrating the bit after the “throuple” line where he just follows it up with “thankfully, she failed at this” while the camera stays on mark’s baffled face. peak comedy.

i would kill and die for irving

[musiclover61]

His Niece 2

When: this takes place during ‘now you see me 2’

Paring: Jack Wilder x reader

Warning: cussing

Notes: I think this one is longer than the other so hope this better! Also parts 3-5 are up if you want to read it! GIFs are not mine!

“Knock knock” Dylan said as he opened the door to my apartment. “Okay you ready?” He asked as he looked at me up and down.

I was wearing long boot heels the went just under my knees, I had on black leggings, a grey long sleeve shirt, and a long black coat. My hair was down and my makeup was done. Not to much, but not to little. “Okay, I’m ready” I sighed. I grabbed my bag and put it over my shoulder. “Are you sure they’re not going to be mad?” I asked looking at him.

“They’re going to love you” Dylan told me. He put his hand on my shoulder “I promise you” he smiled and gave me hug “you’ll do amazing” Dylan rubbed my back, then pulled back “let’s go!” He smiled as he turned and began to walked out.

“Wait!” I stopped him “they can’t know I’m your niece, if they know they’ll think you only choose me because I’m your niece and they won’t trust my ability” I explained.

Dylan smiled “I won’t kiddo” He smiled “I wasn’t planning on it either” He patted my back and pushed me forward “time to go” he said as he pushed me to walk.

As we got out of my apartment he stopped and turned to me “I actually need you to pay one of the guys a visit” Dylan said. Before I could speak he held up his hand to stop me “just so one of the guys can kinda understand your potential” Dylan said “I want it to be Atlas, he’ll be the hardest it impress” Dylan added.

I rolled my eyes “fine” I sighed “take me to his place, so I can get it over with” I sighed. Dylan smiled and began walking, I followed after him.

I sat on Atlas’s couch looking around. Dylan had told me to talk to Atlas and try some of my skills on him so that’s what I’m trying to do. I waited till heard footsteps before looking at the door. “Hey” I smiled as he walked in.

“Who are you and how did you get into my apartment?” He asked as he walked over to me.

“Uh funny thing about that is, I wanted to show you something” I smiled. I stood up and walked over to him grabbing his drink. I did a trick make it look like it had disappeared, then I pulled it back out of his bag. “Cool huh?” I asked nervously.

“Seriously how did you in here?” He asked as grabbed his drink, he put it down on the island then he grabbed my arms, going to tie me up as he did so I took his belt from him.

“I want to be apart of the eye, like you” I jumped right in “listen I know Jack is alive and I know henley left, so I think I can be good for the team” I shrugged as I took off the rope and handed it to him. He rolled his eyes and walked behind, as he did so I took his wallet out from his pocket. “I know Henley can be a sensitive subject for you but come on” I groaned as he tied me up.

“Listen I’m going to make a call” he began as he walked over to his sink, while his back was turned I got out of the rope and put his stuff on the counter, I quickly made my exit and walked outside, going to the spot Dylan told me to meet him.

Dylan and I were sitting and waiting for the horsemen to get there. I was trying to calm myself down, hoping I impressed Atlas with what I did earlier that day . I heard footsteps from outside the room, then walked in Merritt, Jack, and Atlas.

“That’s her” Atlas said then put his hand on his mouth. I swallowed then gave them a wave

“Hi” I murmured “sorry about earlier, I just wanted to show you what I have to offer” I laughed awkwardly. “Did you get your wallet and belt back?” I asked.

Atlas rolled his eyes. “What is she doing here?” Atlas asked

“She is the new horsemen!” Dylan said “ta-da!” He added nudging me softly. He was acting this way to try to make me feel better, that’s what he did he would make silly faces or do something silly to make me feel better.

They were all silent just staring at me. I shifted awkwardly. “I told you” I murmured “they don’t want me here, just let me leave” I whispered.

“Dylan, tell me what’s going on here.” Merritt said. He turned and walked down the stairs to the platform they were on. Jack and Atlas followed him.

“Well, Y/N here has some real talent and I think she is needed on stage” Dylan explained to the group as he gave me a pat on the back.

“No, are you serious, man?” Jack began as he got closer to Dylan, walking right past me. “After Henley left, you said I could get back in stage again.” Jack seemed upset which made me feel bad.

“So tell me more about how you broke into Atlas’s apartment” Merritt smirked as he walked up to me “because he is always talking about how no one can get the slick on him but here you are” Merritt added.

“I don’t really think that’s important” Atlas jumped in “also I want my ID back” Atlas said quietly. Merritt heard it though and began laughing. Atlas pushed him away and walked to the table that the rest of the team was standing at.

“Okay as much as I appreciate the addition of some femininity to the group, over and above what Atlas provides… I think the real issue is we’ve been in this-“ Merritt said was cut off by Atlas.

I zoned out after that. I felt bad for trying to take Henley’s spot, not that I was, but they think that which made me feel bad. “You guys remind me of my family” I laughed slightly. They all looked at me. I cleared my throat. “They would yell all the time, and fight kinda like this… it was kinda funny” I told them.

“We are not a family” Merritt spoke up “listen does this mean that we are going to do something?” He added.

“Yes” Dylan replied “you’ve all heard of Octa and their playboy CEO, Owen Case” Dylan began.

After we went over the plan Dylan looked around “okay, get rest we have work to do tomorrow” Dylan nodded. “I also need someone to let Y/N crash at their place” Dylan added.

I sighed. Of course he would tell us that. “I don’t care how you decide but do it” Dylan told us then went to walked out. I quickly followed after him.

“Dylan!” I said as I followed him. “What the hell!” I added “why can’t I just stay with you” I crossed my arms and looked at him.

He kept walking till we got outside. He turned around and looked at me “Listen this is a good opportunity for you to get to get to know one of them better” Dylan began “As long as you have one friend you will do great with them” Dylan smiled. “I have to go, I love you kiddo, good luck” he smiled and kissed the top of my head. He walked off before I could argue back.

I walked back into the room “okay boys, who am I rooming with?” I asked as I looked down at them from the platform.

“We decided to do a card drawl and Jack got the lowest number, so you are staying with him” Atlas told me.

“Wow, thanks guys, really feel like a person” I said sarcastically. “I’ll be outside when you need me boy wonder” I turned and walked out of the room. I stopped and turned back around “oh and by the way, here you go Atlas” I pulled his ID out of my packet, like a card I threw it down to him, Jack ended it up catching. I turned and walked out.

My heels clicked as I walked. I kept going till I got outside. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and just stood for a minute. I knew they were going to hate me, and now they are treating me like a dog. Pigs. Just like the frat guys. Pigs. Seems like all men are pigs.

“Hey,” I opened my eyes and seen Jack standing there “I- uh- I told them it was wrong for us to decide that way, I thought we should’ve let you choose” Jack told me.

“Sure” I sighed. Of course he would say that. “listen I have to get some stuff from my apartment, so if you give me your address then I’ll be able to come to your apartment and-“ Jack cut me off before I could finish.

“I’ll walk with you” Jack shrugged “it’s not a big deal” he added.

“I live pretty far away” I explained. I shifted my foot slightly not wanting to be in this conversation.

“I’ll call an Uber and we’ll be on our way” Jack smiled.

I gave him a strange look. Why the hell is he being so nice. “What the hell you play at?” I asked. “Why are you being so nice?”

“You’re a lady” Jack walked in front of me “and I would feel bad for leaving you behind” he added. “I already called the Uber, so let’s go” he began walking.

Finally we had gotten back to his apartment, I sat my bag down and looked at him. “Where should I sleep?” I asked him.

Jack shut the door and looked at me. “You can sleep in my bed, I’ll sleep out here” Jack told me.

“Are you sure?” I asked “I don’t want to get in the way” I added.

Jack jumped onto his couch and laid down “I’ll be fine” he shrugged. “Plus I don’t sleep till late” he added as he grabbed a deck of cards and began throwing them around. “You do any card stuff?” He asked.

“Nah, just things my uncle would teach me while my mom was at work” I smiled softly. “I think I remember this one trick, may I see the cards?” I asked holding my hand out.

He moved so he was now sitting up. He handed me cards and I sat down. I looked through the deck and grabbed out the queen of hearts. I showed him the card, I moved my hand to throw the card across the room like a boomerang, it came back to my hand and it was now the king of hearts. Jack smiled proudly and began clapping. “That’s impressive” he smiled.

“Thank you” I blushed slightly. I gave him the cards back and tucked my hair behind my ears. “My uncle would take hours teaching me that trick” I smiled remembering Dylan sitting there and teaching me how to make cards disappear and reappear.

“He seems like a cool guy” Jack smiled. I looked up at him to find him looking at me. “You seem cool too” Jack smiled.

I blushed slightly “thank you” I looked down at my hands “I thought it was cool on how well you faked your death” I nodded.

Jack looked proud when I said that. “Thank you, I came up with it myself” he smiled.

“We can share the bed” I blurted it out before I could even think about what I was saying. “I know it’s kinda weird but I would feel bad for leaving you out here”

He smirked. God damn that smirk. “That’s kind of you” he spoke “we can do that” He added. “I’m going to get ready for bed now” he said standing up “we’ve got a long day tomorrow.”

A/N: I don’t know how to end this one soooo here you go! Part three will be out tomorrow!

[illuminatedquill]

SPOILERS FOR 2x09!!!

-

-

-

So that’s it. The endgame is set.

Dylan G is gone. Miss Huang is gone. Irving is gone. Milchick snapped (a little) but hasn’t been completely radicalized.

Every other storyline has seemingly been wrapped up . . . except for the big one.

The Mark/Helly/Gemma dilemma.

Helly is the only one left fighting for her friends and the truth at Lumon now. Everyone else she has depended on to back her up has left. They’re gone.

The appearance of her father on the severed floor is catastrophically bad news. “You tricked me, my Helly”, bro what the fuck does that mean. Why did he call her that. It’s a level of familiarity that suggests something sinister and I realize there’s a whole new angle on that messed up relationship that we’re just being shown.

Helly is in big trouble. No doubt about it. Curious to see what punishment awaits her.

And Gemma, my GOD. Seeing her hunched in that chair, somehow even more beaten down and quiet than how she was in 2x07. But she’s still alive! I am taking this win, god damn it! Hang in there, Mark is coming (please for the love of God, LOCK IN MARK).

Mark, Devon, and Cobel should prove to be a match made in hell. Mark’s not wrong to be distrustful of her but Devon, as always, is right: they need to do as Cobel says because this is for Gemma. So glad she’s here to keep Mark in line and remind him who’s at stake.

So - innie Mark and outie Mark are finally going to talk. This conversation is going to be an intense one, I expect with both Marks going to bat about the agonizing decisions before them. Innie Mark is surely not going to be happy about the whole reintegration choice and Cobel, as I theorized before, probably has her own designs for Helly.

This will probably lead to a conflict for both Marks. Outie Mark is solely focused on getting Gemma out, whereas innie Mark does not want to do it at the expense of Helly’s life (at least that’s my theory).

(I suspect the fandom is going to be extremely normal about this conversation and be impartial.) But, from what I’ve heard, both Marks argue with great passion and there’s no clear winner - as it should be.

It’s my belief that Devon will be the deciding vote in whatever plan they come up with. Again, I’m so glad she’s there. Mark needs someone to watch his back and remind him that all of this is for Gemma. Innie Mark has every right to be pissed, though.

Decisions, decisions. Men plan; fate laughs.

All bets are off from here on out. I find it laughably hilarious that, yes, the show isn’t about shipping yet here we are: a man, caught between two great loves, forced to make a decision on which to save. Oh, we have to laugh otherwise we’d go mad.

At this point, I need the following to happen in the finale:

1. Gemma lives and escapes Lumon.

2. Dr. Mauer dies (preferably by Gemma’s hand).

3. Outie Mark and Gemma reunion scene. We need this. Has to happen. Non-negotiable.

4. Devon and Gemma reunion scene. Those women are sisters. They both deserve it.

So many more thoughts but I’m sure smarter people here will articulate it better on their own posts. I’m just gonna enjoy this break before the finale.

And don’t forget. First day of spring next week. Same day as the season finale. Take that as you will.

[mirroredmemoriez]

John Kramer and The Denlon's

Cracks everything in my body. It's time to yap. I keep going on in many posts about the fact John is just as flawed as those he tries to ''better'', so I want to go over one of my main comparisons in a tad more depth than I have before. John Kramer and Jeff Denlon honestly are very similar when it comes to their backstory and need for revenge due to grief. Even though John always states that he tests people so they become grateful for being alive- It's very obvious in some cases, he's doing it for his own type of gratification too. For example, Cecil Adams who caused Jill Tuck to miscarry and then Cecilia Pederson who scammed John. He didn't put these people in traps just because of his philosophy, but because they were also very ''close to home'' for him.

The loss of a child is very integral to both John and Jeff's character. Both of these men crave justice.... However, the way they want it and how they achieve it isn't exactly the most healthy thing. It leads both of them to neglect their partners, Jill and Lynn. (Just took a break to eat leftover spaghetti I am legit lost in the sauce- I don't plan out these little rants I do, so I just go where rambling takes me.) When it comes to the major differences between them, Jeff is more rage fuelled, at least in how he carries himself. His anger manifests more verbally and physically than John- Which is his downfall, alongside him not listening or acting when needed. This is a bit of a reach, but another thought nonetheless and nothing I say needs to be something I'm 100% on anyway. Danica Scott, the only other witness to Dylan's death didn't cause Jeff's son's demise, however her lack of action and fleeing the scene made her someone Jeff would want to take revenge upon anyway.

Amanda, although she had more involvement with Gideon's death, seeing as she was the one to convince Cecil to rob the clinic, didn't take physical action either. However, outside of her just being a drug addict- It is debated whether or not John always knew about her role in Jill Tuck's miscarriage, another reason for her to be tested.

We've also got basic comparisons such as the fact Jill and Lynn are both in the medical field and having mentioned Lynn again? Her demeanour is more like John than anybody else I have brought up in this post I'd say- I can't really word well why I think that, but it's there anyway. (Another thing to add is how in Saw 3, John in his delirious state starts getting confused and thinking Lynn is Jill.)

Might as well slip some others thoughts in here too whilst I'm fucking rambling this much- I don't have too many complex thoughts on Jeff Denlon I guess, I basically seem him as an example within the Saw universe about a person who cannot let go enough that it results in his trauma and vengeance taking over his life and ending it too. He's not a evil or terrible man, just very flawed. He had some of the physically easiest traps in the franchise to complete, but because he never made an effort to heal and instead remained stagnant within his grief... He takes too long to take action and morally flip flops all over the place when it comes to what decision he'll make- It's that or he doesn't assess the long term consequences of things such as never forgiving. I personally don't think he ever has to forgive someone like Timothy Young- However, I do believe he let's it impact his life and those around him too much. Corbett didn't deserve the neglect she faced and she herself is a child grieving her sibling. Grief and forgiveness are very hard topics to navigate, but I honestly as a viewer felt the most bad for Corbett more so than Jeff or even Lynn. Coming back to Lynn, I believe she ''learnt'' the most or at least came to terms with things faster within her trap than Jeff. She didn't have time to dwell or not be fast paced with her choices, because her life was connected to John's. She was doing her best not only to stay alive, but to get back to her family even if it was dysfunctional. (Me when I come back to this in my drafts weeks later, time to attempt to find the wave length I was on whilst doing this before.) It's an interesting though to picture different people in other traps. For example, if Lynn was going through Jeff's test. Would she have reacted faster than him and made clear cut decisions? Could she forgive? Jeff is no medical professional and his rage wouldn't let him care for John to the best of his ability so we know he'd fumble that, which is why I'm more so focused on Lynn in his test. Lynn's grief is more ''subtle'' compared to Jeff's and as an audience it's hard to pinpoint what her thoughts and opinions of those involved with her sons death would've been. She turned to antidepressants and her fractured marriage led her to having an affair, not to mention the child neglect. But when it comes down to it, we don't see as much as a drive for revenge and justice within Lynn as we do Jeff. This would mainly come down to screen time, setting and general context but it's an interesting thought of how she'd handle someone like Danica or Timothy if they were right in front of her.

This is why I say she learnt the most from her test compared to Jeff in his? After everything she went through with Amanda constantly up her ass and power drilling through a guys skull- All Lynn wanted was to reunite with her family. Like, the only time we see Lynn exert full physical violence is in a deleted scene where she attacks Amanda.... And even then that is because she wants the key for her collar more so than a drive to murder the other woman. On all accounts, she actually won that scuffle as well.

But then for example Jeff when he finally encounters John? He just can't help himself! Lynn literally is on the floor bleeding out, reaching for him not to leave and this man just can't NOT go and fulfil his need for vengeance. He'd literally just acted upon it before too by shooting Amanda, though that is more understandable giving the context of the fact she shot Lynn..... I think overall this is why so many people dislike Jeff but they just can't word it? Like he's been dubbed ''slow ass motherfucking Jeff''- But it's not really the speed of execution, it's either the lack of long term critical thinking and or the fact he's indecisive? Jeff doesn't have the weight of a contraption around his neck and or his life truly on the line like his wife.... However, somehow Lynn is still managing her test better than him with a freaky little lesbian on her ass and doing backhouse brain surgery on some random old dude with a fucking power drill. I'll also bring up the fact that like John and Jeff, Mark Hoffman has a pretty similar drive and motive to the both of these men. Just like how Jeff saw his sons death, Mark saw the aftermath of his sisters murder for example. All three of them feel justified in their actions against those who have wronged them and etc....

And as I always bring up in character studies like these, the perceptions from the audience are so interesting- Especially when you start comparing characters. It will come as no surprise when I say, I am a pretty active Tumblr user... Through this? The interactions with media and popularity of characters from Saw on this platform are decently clear. First I'll get it out the way that screen time plays a big role in making characters fan favourites. Although, Adam is a subversion to this as he's only in one movie (alive) and likely the most popular Saw character- Anyway! Using John, Jeff and Mark as examples here still... As previously stated, these three men can be considered quite alike in some aspects! But our perceptions of them are quite different due to how they're presented and what we know about them. John is an older sickly man, his life being cut short by the fact he has terminal cancer. His wife miscarries and later on then becomes ex-wife and then also somewhere down the line he gets scammed by a fake cancer treatment....All in all? Dude's kinda got fucked over. But what I haven't mentioned yet in this brief is the fact that whilst most of this is going on, peepaw is designing elaborate death traps and testing people in them slash indoctrinating some into his fuckass ideology! He as a character get's quite a neutral response and or a 50/50 split? He's Jigsaw, the face of the franchise.... There is a decent amount to discuss in regards to him. However, when it all comes down to it it I wouldn’t say he’s favoured as much as other characters.

Moving to Jeff, he witnessed his own son get killed in a hit and run and the grief and injustice of that basically made him spiral into neglecting himself but also his family. He cannot move forward from the loss of Dylan and this is why during his test he is so slow to act- I think one thing to mention here too, is this is something John likely accounted for. Jeff’s test is designed for him and the challenge isn’t that of " OH CUT YOU ARM” it’s for him to overcome his grief and to choose whether to forgive or let those involved with Dylan’s passing die. It’s easy for us as viewers behind the screen to think that he could’ve done almost everything faster. But we’re not Jeff. It’s shown time and time again mentally he just cannot move on and the only reason he is making progress though the test is due to its nature, average therapy? Jeff just wouldn’t go because he refuses to confront HIMSELF in regards to his own grief and would rather wallow in fantasies of revenge.

Mark Hoffman? Obviously the case I’ll bring up with him is that of his sister's murder. Angelina is his only close relative, with no other mention of Mark’s family in the franchise really. So, when she is killed in a case of domestic violence and he also sees her dead body? Yeah, that’s certainly the kind of thing to fuck someone up mentally. Which is why Mark then developed a drinking problem to cope and started to display more erratic behaviour such as shooting a man three times who’d actually surrendered beforehand…. By the time Seth Baxter his sister's killer is released from prison via a technicality- Mark has no quarrels with taking his revenge via abducting him and placing him in a Jigsaw like trap. However, as we all know, this trap is by no means escapable and is only being used by Mark as a scapegoat to get away with murdering Seth. This act then kickstarts his life as an apprentice for John when he himself is abducted.

(I legit forgot this was in my drafts- Months later. I’ll post this now even if it’s not really complete…)

[madychi]

OK i LOVE ur agony infected au, im curious & i got questions: -does oz ever have to cover up the bite mark with makeup? so his mom or dad doesnt worry, yknow? -does dylan end up getting a mask too? maybe reusing the freddy mask, unless that was what oz used for his, -what type of control/infection/etc is it? like is it more a corruption of oz's actions and thoughts that like, flows between stronger or lesser depending on the time or is it more like a total switch between the two where boz is basically a completely separate person? :3 -also semi-unrelated, hows jeff doin' in this au? like does this happen after the good or bad jeff ending, and if its the bad one is jeff alive and also agony infected or dead? -does oz/boz ever think or even end up going back to the ballpit in jeffs out of habit/instinct/etc? yeyeye thank uuuu!!! ramble as much as u want cuz i wanna hear about it !!!! also i think its funny ur aus like, keep ending up mitosis'ing (or i guess budding might be more accurate but still, u get what i mean :3) xD, i dunno how you keep track of em all LOL

Alright- imma try to answer these questions in order!

-Oswald doesn’t need to cover up the bite scar. His parents already know about it. The veiny black spreading isn’t visible to normal people. Just like how his mom didn’t see springtrap, his parents and most people don’t see anything aside from a scar.

-Yes he do get a mask! Or rather, he gets to make his own. Oswald used the old Bonnie head in the Mill’s trash to make his mask. And Dylan’s gotta make his a bunny mask. It’s part of the dress code lol.

-It’s like… hm how to put it- i had the original Vanessa/Vanny situation in mind for how it works. The type depicted in help wanteds Vanny mask+Glitchtrap plush convo. It’s a bit of corruption/coersion. Boz isn’t his own person or identity, more like an alter ego.

-Jeff is doing fine. This is after the two star good ending but don’t worry, Jeff is not dead. Pit trap didn’t get him. Jeff isn’t infected but he is aware of Oz/Boz. Doesn’t get paid enough to care. As long as he don’t kill him or scare away patrons he’s chill.

-Yup. He do be going to the ball pit. There’s not much to do there but it’s a good place to vibe. The animatronics aren’t on his case anymore due to his corruption. So that’s a plus.

-Bonus fact: Boz is just one of Oswald’s little nicknames. He can also be referred to as Rabbit Jr.!

Have a silly doodle!

[m1ndp4rty]

Irving

There's really no way to say what will happen with Irving.

Again I've seen some hand wringing on whether this is the end of Irving's character or role in the story. I'm of two minds. On one hand Irving's innie died. He makes a sacrifice and scores a hit against Lumon with revealing Helena. He plays foil to innie Marks position in the finale in that he does step out of the exit hallway in chase of who he loves in the outside world, fulfilling his initial desire to non-exist together with Burt. (Versus Dylan who chooses a more symbiotic coexistence and Mark choosing to go full innie)

I also kind of love that death has real stakes here. Some people may see this as Irving getting put on a bus but it speaks to the fact that there are real consequences to defying Lumon, and that fundamentally if Irving B "died" as an Innie he can't come back. He is lost to the MDR, and to his friends because he quite literally "died." It's just as traumatic and consequential as if his outtie were to die.

It would be quite different I think for the show to make the argument of the equivalency of severed and un-severed existence if they bring Irving B. back. it means there are less narrative stakes for the innies when they're being threatened.

Also like with Gemma I'm fundamentally rooting for the Innies to be free or to "escape" Lumon and the severed floor. Maybe that is disrespecting their autonomy but to me it's a poor argument that their existence as Lumon intends it and whatever agenda their work serves for Lumon is something we should be championing.

Like with Gemma freedom from Lumon and the ability to choose what comes next is a win for Irving. Like with Gemma it comes at the cost of his "love" but (for the last time) like with Gemma it may not be the end of Irving's story. As I wonder what or where they might take the character if they decide to bring him back I'm more hopeful for the possibilities than angry with the choices they made.

Irving was in some ways the best of them, his experience, his compassion for his fellow severed selves and his laser focus on the goal echoes a lot great qualities that we see emulated in the remaining members. Narratively he's the Obi-wan, you strike him down and he could become more powerful than ever before. He also as the old wise mentor figure needs to be removed so that Dylan, Mark, and Helly can make mistakes or decisions without his guidance and wisdom. He's the Gandalf and he is too much of a stabilizing voice of reason with the ability to suss out what the problems are to be left alive. His absence hurts because he's a great character that we do want to see come back which is why I'm glad he's gone. It meant something that he lived, and it means something that he's "dead."

Time will tell if like the mentor figures mentioned he can come back in glory in a time of great need. I could certainly see Devon, Gemma, and Harmony tracking him down to link up with whatever organization or individual he was plotting with to get the scoop on Lumon.

For now Irving gets my favorite track on the original score for season 2. A sendoff that hints at better things, and someone who is more whole for having lived a severed life. Someone who's ready now for whatever comes next.

*Pure speculation time:

Like with Burt there is room I think to make Irving antagonistic in the next season. For one the nuance of him wanting to wreck Burt's marriage and not fundamentally caring if Fields gets hurt puts him neatly alongside the rest of the crew in terms of chasing love for good or bad regardless of who they "hurt".

If Irving is trying to take down Lumon or get to the testing floor there is a good chance that the served floor as we know it will end or the people in it removed. That once again puts him at odds with the innies who desire to stay alive.

If I were to speculate at Irving's backstory two roads that I think would be interesting to go down would be to follow the millitary angle: the government's role and thoughts on Lumon and severance as a technology are nebulous. I think many of us can imagine some fairly nefarious use cases for a perfected or imperfect severed technology e.g. agents for black ops or spying as gimmies. Or to flip it there was an incident with a severed spy/agent that they're trying to track down and prove now.

Irving being some kind of terrorist cell or deep cover agent trying to investigate in service of a government? would be a fairly reasonable path. It would bring higher stakes but would move a little away from the work/life corpo angle by bringing in the military-industrial complex. That being said big pharma and big tech in bed with the gov/millitary is almost sci fi show 101. It feels almost redundant to say Lumon must have gov/military contracts already.

I feel like if anything it's more likely he serves as a private contractor type with his ex navy/military background and discipline on a long sting operation and he's one of many attempts to get a handle on Lumon by a rival corp. That would make him similar to Burt as a hatchet man or enforcer type.

Irving as a kind of deep plant of a company that we saw Lumon fencing with like in the Lexington Letter. It would give Irving less of a squeaky clean motivation and reveal that he like Burt may have a fair few skeletons in his closet.

What was his goal? It seems that it's tied to whatever floors lie below the severed floor. We've seen testing now and with the rate of turnover I suspect it's not a specific person like with Mark and Gemma that Irving was trying to find. He's certainly been with Lumon for too long for me to think that's the case.

The end product of the testing, and the Manchurian candidate Lexington Letter innie bots though, however those are shipped (be it the chip or the person) I could see being of interest. If I had to guess that's what I'd put money on.

[commiegoth]

Okay at this point I gotta be real: season 2 of Severance has not been nearly as strong as season 1 for me. But I feel like a lotta the criticism I've seen from outlets and stuff has been kinda missing the mark a little bit on why it hasn't been working (to me). Like a lot of the criticisms I've seen kinda go on abt how the show introduces more mysterious elements without resolving them and people on reddit or whatever have their theorizing threads to occupy them but the show is only stringing them along, which is true to a certain degree this season but here's the thing: resolving all the little mysterious elements wasn't really the point in season 1. It kinda didn't matter what the numbers did because the show was really about the characters, and their arcs in terms of "waking up" from the indoctrination innies go through and fighting back. The show is a big ol allegory for working in a corporate office that treats you like shit so it kinda doesn't matter if the numbers do anything because they fulfill the role of mindnumbing busywork and a lot of the other little details are just worldbuilding set dressing and don't need the show to put a lot of attention on them. And of course once the show progresses to a second season we want some of these mysteries to actually get addressed. Of course we're invested in why Mark's dead wife is really alive and of course we're curious about what top secret evil thing Lumon is making the innies participate in through their work. But fundamentally that shouldn't GET IN THE WAY of the focus being on the core cast of characters, their relationship to one another, and the arcs they go through. The thing that, y'know, the show is about.

So the season started out pretty strong. Characters have new motivations since the first season based on where they left off, we have some intrigue with Helena's involvement from the outside (and inside too maybe wink wink), and some new variables introduced with Milchick promoted to floor manager and the "more ethical" changes made to their work environment. Fertile ground for exploring the themes and relationships we loved so much in the first season, oh boy! But then we get to Woe's Hollow and. The characters are dropped into a contextless environment, so we are pulled out of the momentum the preceeding episodes built. And it ends with one of the characters getting fired, so he's cut out of the core dynamic and spends the rest of the season divorced from the primary action, reduced to a secondary character. Then the season chugs along. Then we get an episode entirely devoted to flashbacks and another character divorced from the core dynamic. Then that episode is immediately followed by another episode entirely devoted to a different character divorced from the core dynamic. And then the next episode we see all our main cast again but they're all up to stuff that is, again, divorced from one another and the dynamic that made the first season so interesting, and we, the audience, are reminded of just how little time we've spent with Dylan and Irving and innie Helly this season. Their plot arcs are given a bit of a wrap-up in the lead up to the finale, and we're left to wonder how much more satisfied we might feel if the season had given them adequate time to establish further character development too.

And all this is not to say I hate this season or anything, in fact it's because I LIKE this show so much that it's so disappointing to me when it doesn't reach its full potential. There's plenty of stuff I enjoyed about this season, Milchick's arc in particular, and I liked what we do see of Burt and Irving, the idea behind Dylan's arc, etc. but it feels like wasted potential when we have barely enough time spent on them before their storyline wraps up. And none of the bottle eps are "bad" necessarily as stand-alone episodes, but when you only have ten episodes to tell your story in, it really detracts from the pacing to have like a third of the season draw us away from the stuff that made the first season so interesting. It's the shift away from character arcs and how the main cast of characters influence and interact with one another, and towards addressing the "mysteries" established earlier and then establishing more "mysteries" to build hype for a third season that really hurts the writing and my investment in the show. Even the commentary on capitalism and corporate culture seems to fall to the wayside (again, great ideas but where did they go??), which in conjunction with all the fucking CROSSOVER ADVERTISING we've been seeing leaves a bad taste in my mouth. This show could be good. It could be so so good. Why were these choices made to make it less good. Jesus christ.

[moody-alcoholic]

Special Delivery Service

Chapter 11 - The Funeral

AN: I have whatever the opposite of writers block is. I can't stop writing. I'm going to ride this wave as long as it lasts...

Summary: Simon x Reader, 3.4k words. You're trying to move on after your brothers death, that includes trying to overcome some fears, and learning to cope with new ones. CW: +18 MDNI explicit content. smoking, alcohol, mentions of fictional terrorist attack, funeral, mourning, hurt/comfort, smut, oral (F receiving), panic attack during sex, stopping sex, mentions of abusive ex, mental health, trauma.

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Enjoy <3

It’s not really a funeral, there’s no body, no coffin to bury at the end. It had been a week since your brother had passed. Your mum was a broken mess. She won’t leave the house, sleeps in your brothers bed, barely speaks. At one point it was like she was wasting away.

You’ve had more time on your hands recently with Simon going back to active duty. He’s been spending so much time away from home you’re lucky if you see him more then a few days a week. He’s here now though, arm round your waist as you suck on your cigarette under the tree. 

The Met needed Dylan’s body. Needed it for evidence, as soon as the machine was turned off and the life left his body it felt like there were already police there to take it away. Your mother screamed at them, bone chilling howling as they took him. Then she stopped talking.

You thought planning a memorial service would give her some closure. It distracted her at least for a few hours when you would visit, you would make sure she ate, fed her cats and help her decide which flower arrangements she wanted. It kept her busy, kept you busy.

It was a small gathering, at the church your mother goes to. This place has been a God send, literally. They’ve been looking after her, rotating round to see her, make sure she’s safe. The vicar is amazing, Sharron, she’s been getting your mother out the house at least a few times a week, definitely on Sundays for church.

There are about 20 people in total all turning up and making their way into the church. Your mother was already inside being comforted by friends. You rub the stub of the cigarette out on the tree, looking up at Simon. He looks sad, tired, you almost want to tell him to just go home and rest but selfishly you need him to be here. 

You take his hand slipping your fingers between his and walk into the church. You walk all the way down the centre aisle to take a seat next to your mother. You rest your hand on her thigh keeping your other hand in Simon’s grip.

You watch as Sharron reads from the bible, tells stories you and your mother had told her about Dylan. You look round, there are more then 20 people here, some are young sitting sheepishly in the back with stoic faces. They must have been his uni friends. The ones who weren't with him on the train, weren't killed along side him.

You wonder if they feel guilty, you feel guilty. You never confirmed with Simon, or John if the people in France where the same people responsible for the attack. If they were maybe you could have stopped them, maybe if you hadn't hidden in the bathroom, maybe your brother would still be alive.

You squeeze Simon’s hand and he squeezes back. Simon said he was going to get them. He said he would get you closure. You wish you could get your mother closure. You don’t even know what that means anymore. You lean your head on your mother’s shoulder as a slideshow starts playing with pictures of Dylan, some of them have you in, some your mum and dad. Sharron is still talking, it’s happy stories. Happy stories for a sad occasion, that’s how you want to remember him though. Your happy younger brother. 

 ——————————  

2 Weeks later. 

Simon is away again. He sprinted out the flat in the middle of the night and you haven’t heard from him in 3 days. That’s the worst part. He won’t talk about work much but you just let yourself be there for him when he needs it.

When he comes home tired you make sure he has food to eat and someone to cuddle up to. You hadn’t been at work since they went back to active duty there hasn’t been time. John told you he would keep you on payroll, it should only take a month or so.

You said you could get another job but he wouldn't hear of it insisting it wasn’t a problem and that you should take the time off to grieve. You spent most of your days waiting for Simon, watching TV and visiting your mum. She had a good support system from people, her church getting involved with looking after her. 

There’s a knock at your door. You get up looking through the peep hole. It’s Johnny you open the door letting him in. You were hoping it was Simon even though you know he has a key, its the longest he's been away. 

“Hey lass, Simon’s stuck doing paperwork, he told me to bring you food, and let you know he’s okay.” He says holing up a bag filled with what smells Chinese food.

“Sorry the place is a mess.” You say. 

“Ah, looks like my place after a deployment.” Johnny says. 

“I’ve been missing work.” You say going into the kitchen as Johnny takes his boots off. “What do you want to drink?” 

“Got any beer? I could use it.” You open the fridge looking at the beer you have for Simon, even though he never drinks it. You grab one and a glass of wine bringing it over to the coffee table as Johnny sits on the floor, back up against the sofa opening the styrofoam food containers. You hand him a beer can and he cracks it open watching the news on the TV. It’s been 3 weeks since the attack but it’s still all over the news.

“Guess you haven’t caught the bad guys yet?” You say sitting on the sofa and shoving a prawn cracker in your mouth. 

“Not yet lass, that’s why I’m here and Si’s stuck doing paperwork, instead of making up for lost time.” He looks back at you winking. You had still not had sex with Simon. It’s been almost 3 months, you feel guilty. Maybe this was good maybe this was healing, distance makes the heart grow fonder. 

“Think he’ll be back tonight?” You ask picking up a portion of noodles. 

“Could be, ‘pends on how long Price keeps him for. Mind if I change the channel?” He asks reaching for the remote. You nod at him, he flicks through until he finds something that isn't the news. Johnny sits their eating his curry as he answers the questions on the panel show. 

“Where were you?” You ask him, now seems like a good enough time then ever to snoop about their work. 

“Here and there.” Johnny says popping a chicken ball in his mouth. 

“Are you getting closer to finding them?” You ask. 

“Maybe, I reckon another few weeks and we’ll be hot on their trail.” Johnny says. You look over at the game show playing on the TV, it was nice having someone here even if it wasn’t Simon. It’s been lonely while he’s been away. 

“How is Simon?” 

“He’s fine, he’s always fine, sick and tired of being in meetings I bet.” Johnny chuckles dipping his chicken balls in the sweet and sour sauce. 

“I always imagined you’re out there shooting at some terrorists in Iran or something.” You say, Johnny looks back at you tipping his head to the side. 

“You’ve been watching too many films.” Johnny says turning back to the TV. He’s not wrong it’s not like you’ve had much else to do. No work, no Simon, nothing to do but sit around waiting for him to come home. You worry about him, worry he’ll get hurt, the thought of him dying makes you feel ill. You finish your glass of wine to squash the feeling. Simon is safe.

—————————— 

The flat door opening wakes you, you don’t remember falling asleep. You look over seeing Simon walk in. Johnny gets up off the floor and you look at the containers of food. Your belly is full Simon is back safe and the half bottle of wine you’ve had is relaxing you. Johnny pats Simon on the shoulder he looks over winking at you as he pulls his shoes on. 

“We’ve got food.” You say pointing at the table.

“I think LT wants to skip straight to the desert love.” Johnny says throwing his jacket on. 

“Go home MacTavish.” Simon says tutting and rolling his eyes. He comes over to you you tip your head back letting him kiss you on the forehead. 

“I’ve missed you.” You say breathing him in, letting the smell of cigarettes and gunpowder fill your nose. His arms travel down your body as hugs you from behind his strong arms wrapping round you. It feels good, feeling him touching you again, his strong heavy presence. 

“I’m sorry, hopefully this is the last time I’ll be away for this long.” He says moving into the kitchen. You get up walking into the kitchen wrapping your arms round his waist as he gets a glass of water. You press your head up against his back, you hum enjoying feeling him again. 

“You okay?” Simon says turning round and wrapping his arms round you. You smile looking up at him. He smiles back bringing his lips down to kiss you. You let him moving your arms round his neck. You relax into him pushing your fingers through his hair, it feels good his hair is thick it’s getting longer. You can feel him smile as he play with your tongue. You break away looking in his eyes, this feels good. You want to do this, you want to try. 

“Can we go to the bedroom. I want to try.” You say, stroking his cheek. He looks round your face for a second leaning down to give you a quick kiss on the lips before nodding.

You lead him into the bedroom. Don’t over think it, don’t over think it. You pull him over to the bed trying not to shake, gulping down the dread letting it sit low in your stomach. His fingers drop to your waist, his thumb digs below your waist band.

You let him as you move back up to kiss him. It’s long and slow, it feels good, you hold onto the good feeling as one of his hands goes up your top. You’re used to this feeling, he's touched your breasts before, it’s a familiar feeling, his hand is warm. His thumb brushes over your nipple. You pull away from the kiss. 

“You okay?” he asks. 

“I’m okay.” You say, you believe it for a second, you believe it. You hold onto that feeling. His smile makes you happy as he kisses your forehead. 

“We don’t have to do this if you’re not ready.” He says pulling his hand out from down under your shirt. 

“I’m ready.” You breathe, nodding. Don’t overthink it. You let him drop your sweat pants. It’s the first time you’ve been this exposed in front of him. The sudden cold on your thighs makes you shiver. His hands stay on your waist as you step out your pants.

His hands are slow, soft, resting on you as he guides you to the bed. You sit down when you hit it, he looks down at you pulling his shirt over his head. Your hand reaches up to his stomach running your fingers over his rugged skin.

Your hand reaches up and lands between his pecs you feel his heart thumping. You look up at him. He wants this, you have to be brave for him. You let him take your shirt off raising your arms as he pulls it off slowly. You sit there as he looks down at you smiling. You’re topless in front of him watching the smile fill his face as his eyes soak you in. 

“Lay down, I’ll go slow.” He says his fingers brushing your arms. You nod pulling your body into bed, he walks round to the other side, the side he usually sleeps on. He slips in next to you while you’re still looking at the ceiling. You feel his hands down your stomach to the hem of your underwear.

You hold your breath as his hand slips under them, he does go slow his hand is warm as his finger presses just past your folds. He stops as he brushes your clit. You let out a breath, he doesn’t move his hand any further. 

“What do you want?” he asks, you look up at him. 

“I don’t know, I want you to touch me. It feels good.” You say. He smiles as he starts rubbing little circles, it does feel good. Don’t overthink it. His fingers are warm, large, rough but gentle. 

“I’m sorry I’m not…wet.” You say feeling heat rush to your cheeks. 

“I don’t care, you feel good. Relax.” He says kissing your cheek. You tip your head back feeling him slip another finger through your folds. Your heart is pounding in your chest but he keeps his fingers moving. Before you can stop you spread your legs, parting your knees. It feels good, his fingers sure and firm as he presses down.

Your breath hitches in your throat it’s the first time in years you’ve been touched with such affection. By someone who loves you and cares about your feelings more then his own. Now is the time to be selfish, Don’t overthink it. 

“I want you,” you say, he looks over at you not moving his hand from your pants. 

“I’m right here,” he bends down and kisses you. His lips are soft, gentle just like his fingers. This is safe, you’re safe, don’t overthink it. His hand makes it down to your entrance. He just rubs over it, coating the tips of fingers in what little slick is there. 

“It feels good,” you say hoping it will make him relax you can feel his shoulders tense against you. 

“Yeah? You just want my fingers or I can make you feel even better with my tongue.” You look up at him, you can see the glint in his eyes. 

“Is your tongue is as soft as your fingers?” You say, a horrible attempt at dirty talk. 

“Softer.” He smiles. He pulls his hand out your pants shifting his body down so his head is parallel with your waist. You let him crawl over you hooking the sides of your underwear pulling them down. You let him moving your legs together so he can slip them off easily. He crawls back up between your legs as you spread them for him. He kisses your thighs, making gentle moaning noises as he works his way up, the throbbing between your legs is unavoidable.

You can feel his hot breath on your skin, each brush of his lips sends vibrations up your legs. The feeling makes you throw your head back into the pillows. You try to relax letting his tongue press over your entrance, it’s warm and just like he said soft. He moans into you, it feels like he’s drinking you up. 

“You’re doing great.” He says his mouth leaving you taking the opportunity to move up to your clit. His lips lock around it, wetting it with his tongue, it feels amazing, it’s like fireworks shooting up your body. 

“Simon..” You moan. His lips press around your clit so he can suck your sensitive bud in his mouth. His hands grip your waist holding you in place as he licks around you. 

“You feel good.” You breathe enjoying his face between your legs, his tongue is warm, slow, soft, just like he said. Your heart is racing, your breathing picking up. You trust Simon, this is safe, this is good. Don’t overthink it. You melt into the overwhelming feeling of pleasure, its a feeling you haven’t felt in years.

You almost don’t believe it’s real your breathing stops but Simon’s mouth doesn't, each press of his hot tongue against your clit makes you moan. Maybe you could cum but you don’t want something doesn’t feel right. 

“Simon-” Your voice catches in your throat. This feels wrong, you don’t know why. It’s not Simon between your legs anymore it’s your ex. His moaning, his grip. It’s not Simon anymore it’s suffocating. 

“Stop!” The word leaves your lips, you don’t even register it, it’s like you’re floating above your body. There’s nothing, just the pit in your stomach and the pain in your chest as your lungs burn. 

“Breathe, Baby breathe!” It’s Simon’s voice, his face is next to yours, hands on your face. You can’t see him the room is dark. There is a throbbing between your legs. Did he stop? You breathe out. You can feel a cold breeze between over your thighs, over your soaking clit, it makes you shiver. 

“You’re okay, baby, breathe for me.” Your body snaps up in the bed, Simon holds you up as your hyperventilate in his arms. You gasp into his chest, eyes wide, what happened? He holds you tight his arms wrapped around you, you hear his heart beating in his chest.   

“You’re okay, you’re okay, deep breaths, in and out...” It’s Simon’s voice, it’s Simon next you. Tears run down your face as you suck in breaths of air following Simon’s instructions. It’s Simon you’re okay. You’re okay. You’re okay…

  —————————— 

You don’t remember falling asleep, your eyes flutter open. Simon is laid next to you his arm spread across your stomach. He’s sleeping peacefully. Guilt washes over you, you remember last night.

You made him stop, he tried and you made him stop. He’s snoring as you pull yourself from under his embrace. You tip-toe out the bed making sure you don’t wake him. You stand in the doorway as you watch him sleep.

You’re surprised he hasn’t woken up, then you remember how late he came home last night. You head into the kitchen filling the kettle. You open the fridge seeing the Chinese take away packed up in the fridge. He did that Simon did that, Simon took care of you. 

There are no bruises on you. There is nothing. You said stop and he stopped. You go back to the bedroom leaning in the doorway. You look at Simon sleeping, his arm stretched over the empty spot in the bed. It makes you smile. The kettle clicks and you watch as he stirs in the bed. He reaches out trying to feel for you, his eyes moving across the room as he lands on you. 

“Hey,” he says throwing the covers back and swinging his body out the bed walking round to you. 

“Hey, morning, I didn’t mean to wake you.” You say his hands wrapping round your waist. His lips press on your forehead.

“I’m sorry.” You say, he holds your shoulders watching your expression. 

“You have nothing to be sorry about.” His hands cup your face. 

“I’m so proud of you.” He says looking in your eyes. 

“You go away for so long, I don’t know if you’ll ever come back.” You say. He sighs pulling you into his arms. 

“I know, I’m sorry, It’ll be over soon I promise.” You wrap your arms round him. You want to believe him. He holds you like that and you close your arms enjoying the feeling of his body being pressed up against yours. His phone ringing breaks him away. You sigh as he walks over to the bedside table to pick it up. You leave him going out into the kitchen to make the cups of tea.

You know what his phone ringing means though he has to leave again, and you won’t know where or how long for. He’s barely been back in your flat for 12 hours and he’ll be going home to get ready to leave again. You hear him walk over to you he wraps his arms round your stomach kissing your neck. 

“When do you have to leave?” You ask stirring the tea. 

“We have to leave whenever you’re ready.” He says. You turn in his arms frowning at him. 

“We’re going to Manchester, I have a flat there you can stay at, I’ll be home every night.” He smiles kissing you on the nose. You smile back, that does sound nice, he’ll be working but you’ll get to see him.

“Why Manchester?” You ask, you don’t think he will tell you. Expecting him to go on a rant about confidentiality again. 

“That’s where their next target is.” He says as a matter of fact. The feeling of dread comes back the thought of him getting hurt rushes into your mind. He smiles rubbing your cheek. You turn picking up his cup of tea handing it to him.

Maybe you don’t want to go to Manchester, maybe you want to stay away, as far away as possible. The last thing you want to think about is Simon laying in a hospital bed like your brother was. You take your mug going to sit next to him at the table. You lean up against him and he puts his arm round you. 

“What to try again tonight?” You ask trying to lighten the mood. He kisses the top of your head. 

“Whatever you want, whatever you need.” It makes you smile as you slip your hand in his.  

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[nectardaddy]

'88 Ford | Kita Shinsuke

chapter eight | it didn't

masterlist

ignore timestamps

track eight . . . finally stop dreaming

cw/notes: allusion of the death of a family member, that moment when the feelings hit you like a train, breakdown, lots and lots of heavy emotions, kita's pov, ily dylan gossett, I stg this is the last angst chapter but it needed to happen, I put smau at the end for comedic relief

"Everything about you is important to me." "Everything about you is important to me too, Shin."

Kita Shinsuke was a man to hold strong to his schedule; never late, always early. He was a man to stay steadfast in his beliefs. Take care of yourself, cherish the small things in life, and hard work will always pay off. His grandmother hammering the beliefs in his head; never realizing how true they rang until he was a bit older, a bit wiser. He was also the man to be in tune with his emotions, keeping a level head amidst a sinking ship. So when he found himself amiss once he got home from work he panicked.

Nothing short of out of breath when he closed the door, not even bothering to engage the lock, and pressed his back against it. Screwing his eyes shut tightly, trying to feel the cool wood of the door on his arms rather than the heat of his desires. A coil in his stomach that felt like fire, a yearning that ate him alive - ripped him apart piece by piece. The longer the craving stayed, the larger it grew, soon he would be drawn limb from limb and pulled right by the seams.

Three days ago - without a word since.

He never imagined such a small amount of time would feel like an eternity, or have his heart thrown completely in the wringer. Nor did he believe the simple act of avoidance would leave him with an utter lack of control. Overworking himself to the point of exhaustion, spilling his guts in the middle of a field because, heaven forbid, he took a break. Taking a break meant thinking, and thinking meant losing himself. If he lost himself, he surely was a dead man walking.

Three days spent in blistering heat, dripping in sweat by the end of the day and woozy from exhaustion. Coming home every night only to crash immediately, dropping to his knees because it was all too much to even make dinner. Just keep busy. But busy was a minimization. Just don't look at her. A promise he couldn't keep to himself. Sharing glances made him falter, and faltering made the dreadful cycle continue.

His grandmother would scold him if she was still here. Give him a stern look and yank at his ear, no matter how old he was. Take care of yourself, take a break, and you'll get goodness in return.

The only goodness he found was in the eyes of a woman he couldn't bear to even look at. And where had that gotten him?

"Please forgive me," whispering to himself before taking a deep breath. "What should I do? I'm beggin', please tell me what to do." Asking the universe, possibly his grandmother, as he spoke to an all too empty house. Getting a silence in response, nothing but crickets from the night air just behind the door, he swallowed hard.

The sinking feeling of regret hitting him hard, and fast, swallowing him whole before taking him by the neck and forcing him down. Knees buckling under him, feeling the rough scrap of the door on his back as he went down, landing on the floor with a small thud. Reopening his eyes, they trained onto the hard wood floor, tracing the worn lines within each plank. He took a heavy breath as his eyes became blurry.

There was a suffocating feeling overtaking him, starting in his chest and coiling up. Reaching his throat as he gasped for air, his hands reaching for his face. Hanging his head and covering his eyes, letting a choked sob leave his lips as the feeling consumed him. Suddenly, his world became a lot smaller. Caving in on itself as he sat on the floor for what felt like ages - tears never stopping for a single second.

"I'm so damn stupid." Hissing a curse at himself through broken cries, all cares of being collected thrown to the wind. House eerily empty, a loneliness creeping in that sunk in his bones. The feeling swirling and mixing within the latter, stomach turning at the thought. Always coming and going like the waves of the ocean; he would usually endure it, allowing himself to be swept out to sea - a current would eventually spit him back out.

He let his hands drop down to his sides, revealing watery eyes as he rested his head against the door. Looking up at the blank ceiling before closing them, hoping that would contain his racing thoughts.

It didn't.

"Please," a plea to whatever, or whoever, beyond as he found himself drawing blanks at every corner. "You would tell me to do what's right and-" he sighed before continuing. "I d'know what's right. What should I do? I can't lose her." He pulled his legs up to his chest with a shaky breath, making himself smaller in hopes maybe the moment would pass.

It didn't.

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[nyxdreamweaver]

Chapter 14: A Dragon and Four Demigods fly into an N-Ice Hotel and Almost Freeze to Death

Leo's POV

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Word count: 5.2k

Warning: Minor swearing, slight spoilers of TLH, grammar issues

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Leo was totally buzzing.

The expression on everyone’s faces when he flew the dragon into camp? Priceless! He thought the Hephaestus kids were going to bust a lug nut. Festus had been awesome too. He hadn’t blowtorched a single cabin or eaten any satyrs, even if he did dribble a little oil from his ear. Okay, a lot of oil. Leo could work on that later.

So maybe Leo didn’t seize the chance to tell everybody about Bunker Inferno or the flying boat design or the strange journal from the owner of the boat design. He needed some time to think about all that. He could tell them when he came back.

‘If I come back,’ Part of him thought. Nah, he’d come back. He’d scored a sweet magic tool belt from the bunker, plus a lot of cool supplies now safely stowed in his backpack, even the journal from before. Besides, he had a fire-breathing, only slightly leaky dragon on his side. What could go wrong?

‘Well, the control disk could bust,’ the bad part of him suggested. ‘Festus could eat you.’ Okay, so the dragon wasn’t quite as fixed as Leo might’ve let on. He’d worked all night attaching those wings, but he hadn’t found an extra dragon brain anywhere in the bunker. Hey, they were under a time limit! Three days until the solstice. They had to get going. Besides, Leo had cleaned the disk pretty well. Most of the circuits were still good. It would just have to hold together. His bad side started to think, ‘Yeah, but what if—’

“Shut up, me,” Leo said aloud.

“What did ya say?” Mara asked.

“Nothing,” he said. “Long night. I think I’m hallucinating. It’s cool.” Sitting in front, Leo couldn’t see their faces, but he assumed from their silence that his friends were not pleased to have a sleepless, hallucinating dragon driver.

“Just joking.” Leo decided it might be good to change the subject. “So what's the plan, bro? You said something about catching wind, or breaking wind, or something?”

As they flew over New England, Jason laid out the game plan: “First, find some guy named Boreas and grill him for information—”

“His name is Boreas?” Leo had to ask. “What is he, the God of Boring?”

Mara grinned, shaking their head. “He’s the god of the Northern Winds so from what Jason is saying, he should have the information we need.”

“Second,” Jason continued, “they had to find those venti that had attacked them at the Grand Canyon—”

“Can we just call them storm spirits?” Leo asked. “Venti makes them sound like evil espresso drinks.”

“And third,” Jason finished, “they had to find out who the storm spirits worked for, so they could find Hera and free her.”

“So you want to look for Dylan, the nasty storm dude, on purpose,” Leo said. “The guy who threw me off the skywalk, tried to kidnap Piper and sucked Coach Hedge into the clouds.”

“That’s about it,” Jason said. “Well … there may be a wolf involved, too. But I think she’s friendly. She probably won’t eat us, unless we show weakness but I’m sure that won’t happen.”

Jason told them about his dream—the big nasty mother wolf and a burned-out house with stone spires growing out of the swimming pool.

“Uh-huh,” Leo said. “But you don’t know where this place is.”

“Nope,” Jason admitted.

“There’s also something about a crown,” Piper added. “The prophecy said the foe’s crown. Maybe the enemy is an old ruler who wants revenge for something Hera did to them?”

“That’s impossible,” Mara interjected. “Any sort of ancient ruler that lived during the prime of the Gods’ should be dead and it’s impossible for any of them to still be alive… unless someone with necromancy powers does something but still. Whoever has captured Hera has to be much more powerful.”

Jason glanced over towards where Mara was sitting, and asked, “Do you have any ideas who it could be?”

The Nyx kid hummed, their stout fingers drumming against Festus’s metal body. “No, I sadly don’t,” She said in a dejected tone. “I’m just as clueless as you are. It can’t be any of the Titans, especially after last summer. It could be a god but there’s too many that can’t do this without help or don’t care.”

Everyone was silent on the dragon ride, mulling over possible beings that’d want the downfall of Olympus. Leo enjoyed the quiet from time to time but without the background noise distracting him, Leo’s anxious and negative thoughts began to return.

‘What if they can’t do it?’ A part of him thought. ‘If they fail to make it in time, the whole world could be in danger.’ It was a lot of stress for two demigods that JUST learned who they were yesterday, an amnesic demigod, and a long time demigod going on her second quest. The binds on his cheat kept suffocating the boy, making it almost difficult to breathe freely.

Finally, after some time Piper spoke up. “What if it’s not a god or titan.. but a giant?”

Mara nearly jumped out of their seat in shock, whirling around into Piper’s face. “Are you sure! ‘Cause if you’re saying what I’m thinking.”

“It might be just a guess but it’s possible that a giant is holding Hera hostage.” The brunette trails off.

“On a scale of one to ten, how difficult are these giants?” Leo sheepishly asked, panic rising in his voice.

Mara quickly answered, “Like maybe… a seven point eight? Not as powerful as the Titans but very troublesome for us demigods.”

“Great,” Leo muttered. “Of course, and with our luck, it’s gonna be an army. So you know anything else about these giants? Hey Pipes, didn’t you do a bunch of myth research for that movie with your dad?”

“Your dad’s an actor?” Jason asked.

Leo laughed. “I keep forgetting about your amnesia. Heh. Forgetting about amnesia. That’s funny. But yeah, her dad’s Tristan McLean.”

“Who?” Jason and Mara asked in unison, looking at Piper.

“Yeah but–wait, you don’t know him?” Piper exclaimed, her finger pointed in Mara’s direction. “Like–you’ve never heard of him, ever?”

“Not really. The camp has a lack of electronics and that includes tv’s. Plus, I’ve never really cared about actors.”

“Uh—Sorry no,” Jason added. “What was he in?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Piper said, quickly composing herself. “The giants—well, there were lots of giants in Greek mythology. But if I’m thinking of the right ones, they were bad news. Huge, almost impossible to kill. They could throw mountains and stuff. I think they were related to the Titans. They rose from the earth after Kronos lost the war—I mean the first Titan war, thousands of years ago —and they tried to destroy Olympus. If we’re talking about the same giants —”

“Chiron said it was happening again,” Jason remembered. “The last chapter. That’s what he meant. No wonder he didn’t want us to know all the details.”

Leo whistled. “So … giants who can throw mountains. Friendly wolves that will eat us if we show weakness. Evil espresso drinks. Gotcha. Maybe this isn’t the time to bring up my psycho babysitter.”

“Is that another joke?” Piper asked.

Leo told them about Tía Callida, who was really Hera, and how she’d appeared to him at camp. He didn’t tell them about his fire abilities. That was still a touchy subject, especially after Nyssa had told him fire demigods tended to destroy cities and stuff. Besides, then Leo would have to get into how he’d caused his mom’s death, and … No. He wasn’t ready to go there. He did manage to tell about the night she died, not mentioning the fire, just saying the machine shop collapsed. It was easier without having to look at his friends, just keeping his eyes straight ahead as they flew. And he told them about the strange woman in dirt robes who seemed to know the future.

Leo estimated the whole state of Massachusetts passed below them before his friends spoke. “That’s … disturbing,” Piper said.

“Bout sums it up,” Leo agreed. “Thing is, everybody says don’t trust Hera. She hates demigods. And even if we rescue her, imagine what she’ll do to us afterwards. So I’m wondering … why are we doing this?”

“She chose us,” Jason said. “All four of us. We’re the first of the eight who have to gather for the Great Prophecy. This quest is the beginning of something much bigger.”

That didn’t make Leo feel any better, but he couldn’t argue with Jason’s point. It did feel like this was the start of something huge. He just wished that if there were four more demigods destined to help them, they’d show up quick. Leo didn’t want to hog all the terrifying life-threatening adventures.

“Besides,” Jason continued, “helping Hera is the only way I can get back my memory from Juno. And that dark spire in my dream seemed to be feeding on Hera’s energy. If that thing unleashes a giant by destroying Hera—”

“Not a good trade-off,” Piper agreed. “At least Hera is on our side— mostly. Losing her would throw the gods into chaos. She’s the main one who keeps peace in the family. And a war with the giants could be even more destructive than the Titan War.”

Mara nodded. “Chiron and Annie also spoke about worse forces stirring on the solstice, with it being a good time for dark magic, and all—something that could awaken if Hera were sacrificed on that day. And this mistress who’s controlling the storm spirits, the one who wants to kill all the demigods—”

“Might be that weird magic lady,” Leo finished. “Crazy Dirt Woman being there? Not something I want to see.”

“But who is she?” Jason asked. “And what does she have to do with giants?”

Good questions, but none of them had answers. They flew in silence while Leo wondered if he’d done the right thing, sharing so much. He’d never told anyone about that night at the warehouse. Even if he hadn’t given them the whole story, it still felt strange, like he’d opened up his chest and taken out all the gears that made him tick. His body was shaking, and not from the cold. He hoped Mara, sitting behind him, couldn’t tell.

From flame and fowl does break the cage. Wasn’t that the prophecy line? That meant Piper and he would have to figure out how to break into that magic rock prison, assuming they could find it. Then they’d unleash the mother’s rage, which might be Hera, causing a lot of death. Well, that sounded fun! Leo had seen Tía Callida in action; she liked knives, snakes, and putting babies in roaring fires. Yeah, definitely let’s unleash her rage. Great idea. Maybe he should’ve asked Mara to bring her tiger. Tia didn’t like cats back then so they could’ve used that fact against her if she tried anything.

Festus kept flying. The wind got colder, and below them snowy forests seemed to go on forever. Leo didn’t know exactly where Quebec was. He’d told Festus to take them to the palace of Boreas, and Festus kept going north. Hopefully, the dragon knew the way, and they wouldn’t end up at the North Pole.

“Why don’t you get some sleep?” Mara said in his ear. “You were up all night.”

Leo wanted to protest, but the word sleep sounded really good. “You won’t let me fall off?”

Mara patted his shoulder. “ I promise I won’t let this happen.”

“Right,” he muttered. He leaned forward against the warm bronze of the dragon’s neck, and closed his eyes.

─────·:*¨༺✧✮✧༻¨*:·─────

It seemed he slept only for a few seconds, but when Mara shook him awake, the daylight was fading. “We’re here,” she said.

Leo rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Below them, a city sat on a cliff overlooking a river. The plains around it were dusted with snow, but the city itself glowed warmly in the winter sunset. Buildings crowded together inside high walls like a medieval town, way older than any place Leo had seen before. In the center was an actual castle—at least Leo assumed it was a castle—with massive red brick walls and a square tower with a peaked, green gabled roof.

“Tell me that’s Quebec and not Santa’s workshop,” Leo said.

“Yeah, Quebec City,” Piper confirmed, stretching her arms. “One of the oldest cities in North America. Founded around sixteen hundred or so?”

Leo raised an eyebrow. “Your dad do a movie about that too?”

She made a face at him, which Leo was used to, but it didn’t quite work with her new glamorous makeup. “I read Valdez, okay? Clearly you’re the one losing your memories.”

“Feisty!” Leo said. “Since you know so much, what’s that castle?”

“A hotel, I think.”

Leo laughed. “No way.” But as they got closer, Leo saw she was right. The grand entrance was bustling with doormen, valets, and porters taking bags. Sleek black luxury cars idled in the drive. People in elegant suits and winter cloaks hurried to get out of the cold.

“The North Wind is staying in a hotel?” Leo said. “That can’t be—”

“Heads up, guys,” Jason interrupted. “We got company!” Leo looked below and saw what Jason meant. Rising from the top of the tower were two winged figures—angry angels, with nasty-looking swords. Festus didn’t like the angel guys. He swooped to a halt in midair, wings beating and talons bared, and made a rumbling sound in his throat that Leo recognized. He was getting ready to blow fire.

“Steady, boy,” Leo muttered. Something told him the angels would not take kindly to getting torched.

“I don’t like this,” Jason said. “They look like storm spirits.”

At first Leo thought he was right, but as the angels got closer, he could see they were much more solid than venti. They looked like regular teenagers except for their icy white hair and feathery purple wings. Their bronze swords were jagged, like icicles. Their faces looked similar enough that they might have been brothers, but they definitely weren’t twins. One was the size of an ox, with a bright red hockey jersey, baggy sweatpants, and black leather cleats.

The guy clearly had been in too many fights, because both his eyes were black, and when he bared his teeth, several of them were missing. The other guy looked like he’d just stepped off one of Leo’s mom’s 1980s rock album covers—Journey, maybe, or Hall & Oates, or something even lamer. His ice-white hair was long and feathered into a mullet. He wore pointy-toed leather shoes, designer pants that were way too tight, and a godawful silk shirt with the top three buttons open. Maybe he thought he looked like a groovy love god, but the guy couldn’t have weighed more than ninety pounds, and he had a bad case of acne.

The angels pulled up in front of the dragon and hovered there, swords at the ready. The hockey ox grunted. “No clearance.”

“’Scuse me?” Leo said.

“You have no flight plan on file,” explained the groovy love god. On top of his other problems, he had a French accent so bad Leo was sure it was fake. “This is restricted airspace.”

“Destroy them?” The ox showed off his gap-toothed grin. The dragon began to hiss steam, ready to defend them. Jason summoned his golden sword, but Leo cried, “Hold on! Let’s have some manners here, boys. Can I at least find out who has the honor of destroying me?”

“I am Cal!” the ox grunted. He looked very proud of himself, like he’d taken a long time to memorize that sentence.

“That’s short for Calais,” the love god said. “Sadly, my brother cannot say words with more than two syllables—”

“Pizza! Hockey! Destroy!” Cal offered.

“—which includes his own name,” the love god finished.

“I am Cal,” Cal repeated. “And this is Zethes! My brother!”

“Wow,” Leo said. “That was almost three sentences, man! Way to go.” Cal grunted, obviously pleased with himself.

“Stupid buffoon,” his brother grumbled. “They make fun of you. But no matter. I am Zethes, which is short for Zethes. And the lady there—” He winked at Piper, but the wink was more like a facial seizure. “She can call me anything she likes. Perhaps she would like to have dinner with a famous demigod before we must destroy you?”

Piper made a sound like gagging on a cough drop. “That’s … a truly horrifying offer.”

“It is no problem.” Zethes wiggled his eyebrows. “We are very romantic people, we Boreads.”

“Wait a minute.. “Mara cut in. “Are you the very same Boreads that are the sons of Boreas?” Her eyes lit up in intrigue and awe.

“Ah, so you’ve heard of us!” Zethes looked pleased. “We are our father’s gatekeepers. So you understand, we cannot have unauthorized people flying in his airspace on creaky dragons, scaring the silly mortal peoples.”

He pointed below, and Leo saw that the mortals were starting to take notice. Several were pointing up—not with alarm, yet—more with confusion and annoyance, like the dragon was a traffic helicopter flying too low. “Which is sadly why, unless this is an emergency landing,” Zethes said, brushing his hair out of his acne-covered face, “we will have to destroy you painfully.”

“Destroy!” Cal agreed, with a little more enthusiasm than Leo thought necessary.

“Wait!” Piper said. “This is an emergency landing.”

“Awww!” Cal looked so disappointed, Leo almost felt sorry for him. Zethes studied Piper, which of course he’d already been doing. “How does the pretty girl decide this is an emergency, then?”

“We have to see Boreas. It’s totally urgent! Please?” She forced a smile, which Leo figured must’ve been killing her; but she still had that blessing of Eros thing going on, and she looked great. Something about her voice, too. A pink sparkly mist poured out of her mouth and wrapped itself around her friends—Leo found himself believing every word. Jason was nodding, looking absolutely convinced. Mara also shook her head, confirming the emergency.

Zethes picked at his silk shirt, probably making sure it was still open wide enough. “Well … I hate to disappoint a lovely lady, but you see, my sister, she would have an avalanche if we allowed you—”

“And our dragon is malfunctioning!” Piper added. “It could crash any minute!” Festus shuddered helpfully, then turned his head and spilled gunk out of his ear, splattering a black Mercedes in the parking lot below.

“No destroy?” Cal whimpered.

Zethes pondered the problem. Then he gave Piper another spasmodic wink. “Well, you are pretty. I mean, you’re right. A malfunctioning dragon— this could be an emergency.”

“Destroy them later?” Cal offered, which was probably as close to friendly as he ever got.

“It will take some explaining,” Zethes decided. “Father has not been kind to visitors lately. But, yes. Come, faulty dragon people. Follow us.” The Boreads sheathed their swords and pulled smaller weapons from their belts—or at least Leo thought they were weapons. Then the Boreads switched them on, and Leo realized they were flashlights with orange cones, like the ones traffic controller guys use on a runway. Cal and Zethes turned and swooped toward the hotel’s tower.

Leo turned to his friends. “I love these guys. Follow them?”

Jason, Piper, and Mara didn’t look so eager.

“I guess,” Jason decided. “We’re here now. But I wonder why Boreas hasn’t been kind to many visitors.”

“Pfft, he just hasn’t met us.” Leo whistled. “Festus, after those flashlights!”

─────·:*¨༺✧✮✧༻¨*:·─────

As they got closer, Leo worried they’d crash into the tower. The Boreads made right for the green gables peak and didn’t slow down. Then a section of the slanted roof slid open, revealing an entrance easily wide enough for Festus. The top and bottom were lined with icicles like jagged teeth.

“This cannot be good,” Jason muttered, but Leo spurred the dragon downward, and they swooped in after the Boreads. They landed in what must have been the penthouse suite; but the place had been hit by a flash freeze. The entry hall had vaulted ceilings forty feet high, huge draped windows, and lush oriental carpets. A staircase at the back of the room led up to another equally massive hall, and more corridors branched off to the left and right. But the ice made the room’s beauty a little frightening. When Leo slid off the dragon, the carpet crunched under his feet.

A fine layer of frost covered the furniture. The curtains didn’t budge because they were frozen solid, and the ice-coated windows let in weird watery light from the sunset. Even the ceiling was furry with icicles. As for the stairs, Leo was sure he’d slip and break his neck if he tried to climb them.

“Guys,” Leo said, “fix the thermostat in here, and I would totally move in.”

“Not me.” Jason looked uneasily at the staircase. “Something feels wrong. Something up there …”

“Me either.” Mara hopped off the dragon, helping Piper down. “It’s cool and all, pun intended, but I can feel something off in the air..”

Festus shuddered and snorted flames. Frost started to form on his scales. “No, no, no.” Zethes marched over, though how he could walk in those pointy leather shoes, Leo had no idea. “The dragon must be deactivated. We can’t have fire in here. The heat ruins my hair.”

Festus growled and spun his drill-bit teeth. “’S’okay, boy.” Leo turned to Zethes. “The dragon’s a little touchy about the whole deactivation concept. But I’ve got a better solution.”

“Destroy?” Cal suggested.

“No, man. You gotta stop with the destroy talk. Just wait.”

“Leo,” Piper said nervously, “what are you—”

“Watch and learn, beauty queen. When I was repairing Festus last night, I found all kinds of buttons. Some, you do not want to know what they do. But others … Ah, here we go.”

Leo hooked his fingers behind the dragon’s left foreleg. He pulled a switch, and the dragon shuddered from head to toe. Everyone backed away as Festus folded like origami. His bronze plating stacked together. His neck and tail contracted into his body. His wings collapsed and his trunk compacted until he was a rectangular metal wedge the size of a suitcase. Leo tried to lift it, but the thing weighed about six billion pounds.

“Um … yeah. Hold on. I think—aha.” He pushed another button. A handle flipped up on the top, and wheels clicked out on the bottom.

“Ta-da!” he announced. “The world’s heaviest carry-on bag!”

“Oh my stars, that is so awesome!” Mara said, clapping her hands. “I didn’t know Festus could do that!”

“That’s impossible,” Jason said. “Something that big couldn’t—”

“Stop!” Zethes ordered. He and Cal both drew their swords and glared at Leo.

Leo raised his hands. “Okay … what’d I do? Stay calm, guys. If it bothers you that much, I don’t have to take the dragon as carry-on—”

“Who are you?” Zethes shoved the point of his sword against Leo’s chest. “A child of the South Wind, spying on us?”

“What? No!” Leo said. “Son of a Titan. Friendly engineer, no harm to anyone!”

Cal growled. He put his face up to Leo’s, and he definitely wasn’t any prettier at point-blank, with his bruised eyes and bashed-in mouth.

“Smell fire,” he said. “Fire is bad.”

“Oh.” Leo’s heart raced. “Yeah, well … my clothes are kind of singed, and I’ve been working with oil, and—”

“No!” Zethes pushed Leo back at sword point. “We can smell fire, demigod. We assumed it was from the creaky dragon, but now the dragon is a suitcase. And I still smell fire … on you.”

If it hadn’t been like three degrees in the penthouse, Leo would’ve started sweating. “Hey … look … I don’t know—” He glanced at his friends desperately. “Guys, a little help?”

Seeing the two winged guys threatening Leo, Mara stepped in between the Boreads and Leo, their arms covering Leo and Zethes' sword now poking her stomach. “Listen, I’m sure there’s a good reason for smelling fire. Maybe you have a cold or-"

“Silence!” Zethes shouted. “I know what I smell and the scent is not only coming from that boy but you too.” He pointed both at Leo and Mara with his sword. “Tell us the truth, are you spies?”

The group seemed even more shocked by this: even Mara too? Mara looked the most surprised from the sudden news.

“That’s impossible!” She exclaimed. “I’m the child of Nyx, the goddess of Night and I’ve never wielded any kind of fire in my life! Maybe I’ve used a lighter or two but I haven’t been able to conjure fire at all!”

Jason already had his gold coin in his hand. He stepped forward, his eyes on Zethes. “Look, there’s been a mistake. Neither of them are fire people. Tell them, Leo. Tell them you’re not also a fire guy.”

“Um …”

“Zethes?” Piper tried her dazzling smile again, though she looked a little too nervous and cold to pull it off. “We’re all friends here. Put down your swords and let’s talk.”

“The girl is pretty,” Zethes admitted, “and of course she cannot help being attracted to my amazingness; but sadly, I cannot romance her at this time.”

Cal then pointed his icy cold blades on the elf boy’s chest while Zethes held his sword closer to Mara’s stomach. The ox poked his sword point farther into Leo’s chest, and Leo could feel the frost spreading across his shirt, turning his skin numb. He wished he could reactivate Festus. He needed some backup. But it would’ve taken several minutes, even if he could reach the button, with two purple-winged crazy guys in his path.

“Destroy them now?” Cal asked his brother.

Zethes nodded. “Sadly, I think—”

“No,” Jason insisted. He sounded calm enough, but Leo figured he was about two seconds away from flipping that coin and going into full gladiator mode. “Leo’s just a son of Prometheus. He’s no threat. Neither is Mara. Piper here is a daughter of Eros. I’m the son of Jupiter. We’re on a peaceful …” Jason’s voice faltered, because both Boreads had suddenly turned on him.

“What did you say?” Zethes demanded. “You are the son of Jupiter?”

“Um … yeah,” Jason said. “That’s a good thing, right? My name is Jason.”

Cal looked so surprised, he almost dropped his sword. “Can’t be Jason,” he said. “Doesn’t look the same.”

Zethes stepped forward and squinted at Jason’s face. “No, he is not our Jason. Our Jason was more stylish. Not as much as me—but stylish. Besides, our Jason died millennia ago.”

“Wait,” Mara said. “Your Jason … you mean the original Jason? The Golden Fleece guy?”

“Of course,” Zethes said. “We were his crew mates aboard his ship, the Argo, in the old times, when we were mortal demigods. Then we accepted immortality to serve our father, so I could look this good for all time, and my silly brother could enjoy pizza and hockey.”

“Hockey!” Cal agreed.

“But Jason—our Jason—he died a mortal death,” Zethes said. “You can’t be him.”

“I’m not,” Jason agreed.

“So, destroy?” Cal asked. Clearly the conversation was giving his two brain cells a serious workout.

“No,” Zethes said regretfully. “If he is a son of Jupiter, he could be the one they’ve been watching for.”

“Watching for?” Leo asked. “You mean like in a good way: you’ll shower him with fabulous prizes? Or watching for like in a bad way: he’s in trouble?”

A girl’s voice said, “That depends on my father’s will.”

Leo looked up the staircase. His heart nearly stopped. At the top stood a girl in a white silk dress with an eggshell fur cloak. Her skin was unnaturally pale, the color of snow, but her hair was a lush mane of black, and her eyes were dark brown. She focused on Leo with no expression, no smile, no friendliness. But it didn’t matter. Leo was in love. She was one of the most dazzling girls he’d ever seen. Then she looked at Jason and Piper, and seemed to understand the situation immediately.

“Father will want to see the one called Jason,” the girl said.

“Then it is him?” Zethes asked excitedly.

“We’ll see,��� the girl said. “Zethes, bring our guests.” Leo grabbed the handle of his bronze dragon suitcase. He wasn’t sure how he’d lug it up the stairs, but he had to get next to that girl and ask her some important questions—like her e-mail address and phone number. Before he could take a step, she froze him with a look. Not literally frozen, but she might as well have.

“Not you, Emillio Valdez,” she said.

In the back of his mind, Leo wondered how she knew his name; but mostly he was just concentrating on how crushed he felt. “Why not?” He probably sounded like a whiny kindergartner, but he couldn’t help it.

“You cannot be in the presence of my father,” the girl said. “Fire and ice—it would not be wise. The same goes for you, Emara Muhammad.” She glanced over where Mara was, watching the demigodling’s arms being thrown up in defeat.

“Come on!” She said, “I swear in my life I can’t control fire. Just let me ask you questions, please!”

“You say that but the heat flowing your body says otherwise.” The dazzling, yet scary lady glared down at the teen. Her eyes flickered with annoyance. “Now come along-”

“We’re going together,” Jason insisted, putting his hand on Leo’s shoulder, “or not at all.”

The girl tilted her head, like she wasn’t used to people refusing her orders. “They will not be harmed, Jason Grace, unless you make trouble. Calais, keep Emillio Valdez and Emara Muhammad here. Guard them, but do not kill them.”

Cal pouted. “Just a little?”

“No,” the girl insisted. “And take care of the boy’s interesting suitcase, until Father passes judgment.”

Jason and Piper looked at Leo and Mara, their expressions asking him a silent question: How do you want to play this?

Leo felt a surge of gratitude. They were ready to fight for him. They wouldn’t leave him alone with the hockey ox. Even Mara seemed touched by the other’s action, a tiny grin appeared on her freckled face. Part of him wanted to go for it, bust out his new tool belt and see what he could do, maybe even summon a fireball or two and warm this place up. But the Boread guys scared him. And that gorgeous girl scared him more, even if he still wanted her number.

“It’s fine, guys,” he said. “No sense causing trouble if we don’t have to. You go ahead.”

Mara nodded, her face filled with a mixture of fear but serenity. “Yeah, don’t worry. We’ll be okay.”

“Listen to your friends,” the pale girl said. “Emillio Valdez and Emara Muhammad will be perfectly safe. I wish I could say the same for you, son of Jupiter. Now come, my father has been waiting for you.”

─────·:*¨༺✧✮✧༻¨*:·─────

Taglist: @punkeropercyjackson @dontspillthefrijoles43 @puriteenism @aurantiumred @yawnwhatyadoing @emmidemi @justhereforthememesnangst @padfoot-sirius @darwizzysblog @sarcasticallyperfectperson @its-teeem @novaclips3 @an-asexual-crow @hhhyperbole

[angelinthefire]

was this the best episode of severance yet? I think so. It kept hitting points that I thought were going to The Big Thing for the episode. And then something MORE happened.

Irving's moment with Felicia was so sweet. And he found out where the door was, and I thought that was going to be the big plot advancement. But it was like the smallest.

I was crying over Dylan's wife saying she loved him. That whole scene. What a mindfuck for Dylan. Ohmygod. He was so child-like the whole time.

He's actually kind of a fuckup? I'll be good. I'll make y'all proud of me.

I'm always proud of you. I love you.

And he can't say it back! Oh my God. it's heartbreaking is what it is.

BUT THEN MARK. OH MY GOD MARK. HIS FACE. When he was told Gemma's alive. I could feel that in my soul. Someone give Adam Scott an award for that oh my God. That fucking transcended the screen.

And then he agrees so fast to reintegrate! That's all it took!

Like there is so much media that starts with a guy with a dead wife, and I think this is the only one I've seen where it really truly feels for real like he loves her and that it's a real loss and not just a plot device. Part of it is that is the writing and that the way Mark grieves her is so messy and so real, but not gratuitous. But the acting needs to sell it and omg Adam Scott does.

And then reintegration is happening already! I would have pegged that for, like, an episode 7 development. But nope! They are keeping us on our toes and picking up the pace! My jaw was open for the whole last two scenes.

And on top of all that: More goat lore! They Hamilton-ified Kier Eagan.

And what the heck happened with Cobel? I hope I didn't miss anything.

But I'm starting believe the its-Helena-not-Helly theory. Like there's something they're holding back about her.

Just so good.

[justarandombrit]

Okay well as you may know from looking at my blog for five seconds, I saw the matinee for Starkid Innit. During the interval and after the show I wrote down some notes. I tried to get them in chronological order but my memory is dogshit and I definitely missed some stuff, I hope you appreciate it though.

Outside:

. EVERYONE SUNG GRANGER DANGER

. IT WAS SO GOOD (except for the high note lmao)

. EVERYONE SUNG DAYS OF SUMMER

. EVERYONE A SMALL GROUP OF PEOPLE SUNG GOIN' BACK TO HOGWARTS

Act 1:

. The Nightmare Time sting punched me in the face

. The shout-out to the confused parents

. BRIAN + MEREDITH IN TGWDLM IS EVERYTHING TO ME

. High School Is Killing Me, Literal Monster and Nerdy Prudes Must Die all got mashed together!

. Corey!Richie is my Roman Empire

. Jaime in NPMD….

. Jaime had a different line to PJ’s original in Literal Monster. I couldn't hear half of it but it was different

. JEFF!MAX

. THE AUDIENCE SINGING RICHIE'S PART!!!!!! I'M NOT A LOSERRRRRRR

. TOGETHER!!!!!

. OUR DOORS ARE OPEN

. Jaime singing Sami/Harry ABOUT HER DOG (Nori)

. The audience whipping out the phone cameras

. CLARK SINGING I WAS GAVE ME SUCH INTENSE CHILLS

. Joey finally giving the white, male side characters attention

. Joey changing “I know I'm not a star” to “I know I'm not Clark”

. He pointed the mic at the audience for the “DEFINITELY NOT!”

. Joey mistimed his jump 😔😔

. Genuinely his best performance of Sidekick yet

. Joey making fun of Brian for not getting a big solo

. Brian kept pretending to beat him up, it was brilliant

. Not Over Yet is definitely Brian's song, shut up

. Brian accidentally singing the same verse twice (How does he always mess this song up?!?!?)

. My mum took a photo during the “EVIL PLAAAAANSSSS” bit and it was right when Brian was choking Joey

. “So look alive and don't forget”

“FORGET WHAT?”

. FEAST OR FAMINE

. Rogues Are We still goes so hard

. Rogues Medley without Kick It Up A Notch is weird, but Kick It Up A Notch without Dylan would definitely be weirder

Intermission:

. Ice cream :D

Act 2:

. Starting with We Got Work To Do is so iconic

. THERE'S BEEN A CHANGE IN THE CLIMATE, SOMETHING'S IN THE AIR, WE FEEL THE HEAT, NO NEED TO DEFINE IT, WE DON'T REALLY CARE

. MEREDITH REQUESTED BACK ON TOP!!!!!!!! AND IT WAS SO GOOOOD!!!!!!!

. Joey shouted “Draco, get on the floor!” at Lauren

. ALL THE UNDERRATED SONGS

. I love how it was hyped up like it was going to be Boy Toy, and then just straight up wasn't lmaooo

. Brian finally got the slow, sexy Hideous Creatures (Take that, Nick Lang!)

. Okay I'm trying to remember the order of the underrated songs they did

. Hideous Creatures (Lauren)

. Pays To Be an Animal (Corey) (He didn't sit in the spotlight and someone yelled “TO THE LEFT, COREY”)

. Get In My Mouth (Jeff) (He fully sprawled out on the stage it was hilarious)

. Land of the Dicks (Jaime)

. Hermione Can't Draw (Meredith) (She sung it so well I briefly didn't recognise the song)

. THEY MANAGED TO WORK IN LUPIN / BRIAN CAN'T SING YESSSS

. I genuinely cannot remember what Brian sung

. Gotta Find His Dick (Joey, and eventually everyone)

. The entire “Oh you wanna know where I got my shirt?” bit

. Brian, Jaime and Joey got it from Primark, Meredith got it from “Primed-mrak”, Lauren’s was a family heirloom, Corey got it from Gucci and Jeff got it from America, from Pri-mart (He made the guy on the drums do a baddum tsh)

. COREY SINGING SHOW STOPPIN' NUMBER. OH MY GOD. (The entire crowd joined in, also, Jeff and Jaime as Steve and Stu)

. Everyone cheering so loud when Joey and Lauren came on stage, and them claiming we had no idea what they were going to sing, and it was actually a completely new song (it was Granger Danger obviously)

. And them continuing to claim it was new throughout the song

. As I expected, I almost cried during Not Alone. Also apparently Darren thought it was going to be a big hit??? And just begrudgingly let them use it for A Very Potter Musical

. Super Friends!

. So sad Jeff’s mic was so quiet for “I WANNA BE A MODERN DANCER”

. THEY SUNG WANNABE BY THE SPICE GIRLS

. The fakeout of everyone leaving stage, then the band coming back on and playing the start of Goin' Back To Hogwarts

. “Darren's not here”

“I'LL DO IT”

. THE AUDIENCE DID THE FIRST PART OF GOIN' BACK TO HOGWARTS ALL BY OURSELVES

. JEFF DID DYLAN'S PART (but he didn't do “All of you to [city name] :( )

. Jeff pointed at various parts of the audience for “Welcome hotties, nerds and tools!” and then whispered “I'm so sorry” immediately after

. Singing (/ shouting) Goin' Back To Hogwarts along with hundreds of other Starkid fans was so exhilarating, I loved it and I almost cried (also I'm gonna be so hoarse tomorrow)

[poorgirlinpoorworld]

I asked chat gpt how movie version boys from tmr would react to meeting book version of themselves :D

This is what came out:

Thomas

Movie Thomas: Confident but still a bit reserved, Dylan O’Brien’s Thomas would initially approach Book Thomas with cautious curiosity. “So… you’re me, huh? I don’t think I look that bad.”

Book Thomas: Much more prone to self-doubt and overthinking, he’d probably size up Movie Thomas and mutter, “You’re awfully sure of yourself. Didn’t you almost get everyone killed, like… multiple times?”

Dynamic: They’d bond over their shared sense of guilt and leadership struggles, but Book Thomas might accuse Movie Thomas of being “too Hollywood.” Meanwhile, Movie Thomas would roll his eyes, joking that Book Thomas needs to lighten up.

Newt

Movie Newt: With a softer, more compassionate demeanor, Movie Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) would greet his book counterpart warmly, offering a handshake. “Bloody hell, mate, didn’t think I’d be seeing myself today.”

Book Newt: A bit gruffer and more haunted, he’d smirk and say, “Well, you’ve got the charm, I’ll give you that. But don’t you think you’re a bit too polished?”

Dynamic: They’d likely find common ground quickly, both sharing their loyalty to the Gladers and their frustration with Thomas. However, Book Newt might tease Movie Newt for being too clean-cut and “soft.”

Minho

Movie Minho: Ki Hong Lee’s Minho would swagger up to his book counterpart, grin, and immediately challenge him to a race. “So, you’re me? Bet you can’t outrun this.”

Book Minho: Not one to back down, Book Minho would cross his arms and smirk. “I don’t need to prove anything. But you look like you need to prove everything.”

Dynamic: The two would have a competitive streak, constantly trying to outdo one another. They’d also bond over their shared no-nonsense attitudes and mutual annoyance with Thomas’s hero complex.

Gally

Movie Gally: Will Poulter’s Gally, more nuanced and misunderstood in the films, would approach his book counterpart with a wary glare. “So, I guess you’re the angry version of me?”

Book Gally: Full of fire and resentment, Book Gally would sneer. “And you’re the one who got a redemption arc. Lucky you.”

Dynamic: There’d be tension at first, but Movie Gally might soften Book Gally’s edges by explaining his motivations and eventual growth. Book Gally, however, might accuse Movie Gally of being too sympathetic and not enough of a realist.

Frypan

Movie Frypan: The jovial and slightly quirky Frypan from the films would immediately try to bond with his book counterpart. “Man, I bet you make a mean stew too, huh?”

Book Frypan: A bit more serious, Book Frypan would nod and say, “Yeah, but I don’t need to crack a joke every time I open my mouth.”

Dynamic: They’d connect over their shared love of cooking and loyalty to the Gladers, but Book Frypan might roll his eyes at Movie Frypan’s more lighthearted approach to danger.

Alby

Movie Alby: A natural leader with a calm yet commanding presence, Movie Alby would likely greet his book version with a firm handshake. “Nice to meet you, man. How’d you keep everyone alive?”

Book Alby: More volatile and blunt, Book Alby would shrug. “Barely. And with a lot less talking than you.”

Dynamic: They’d respect each other’s leadership styles, though Book Alby might see Movie Alby as overly dramatic. Movie Alby, in turn, might find Book Alby too harsh.

Chuck

Movie Chuck: The lovable and innocent Movie Chuck would be excited to meet his book counterpart. “Whoa, you’re me! Do you think they’d let us keep a pet pig here?”

Book Chuck: Slightly more grounded but just as endearing, Book Chuck would laugh and say, “Maybe if we don’t die first.”

Dynamic: The two Chucks would instantly become friends, sharing jokes and dreams about life outside the Glade. They’d also both tease Thomas mercilessly.

I know it may not be totally right but I still think it’s funny 🫶

[whoiskt]

Severance Episode 1 Thoughts

These are going to be scattered questions that I'm pondering.

Is Helly lying or telling the truth?

When she says she woke up in a "boring ass apartment" and found a night gardener, she is either telling the truth, meaning her memory has been altered, or she's lying, in which case leads to another question.

2. Has Helly been replaced with Helena?

Either innie Helly is lying because she doesn't want to reveal her status as an outie (she doesn't have much motive to do this, unless she's worried about the consequences telling the team might have) or she is not an innie anymore, and is just outie Helena coming down and "playing" Helly. This is supported by the photoshopped image of the team in a motorcade with outie Helena--this simply would not happen, there is no reason for an Eagan to sabotage their own company like that. If she really did flip to being anti-severance procedure, there's no way she'd ever return, but as we've already seen, outie Helena is extremely apathetic to innies so there's little chance she would have changed her mind on this. "Helly" pointed out there's no more cameras, and restating that there's no more microphones--they aren't needed anymore because she is a spy. She wants the others to speak openly so she can get their secrets herself.

3. Why did Irving come back?

To me it's perfectly understandable that Mark came back (although more on that later) because he'd want to seek out his dead wife, Ms. Casey. Although we don't know much about outie Dylan, it's understandable he'd come back because he might not even realize his own involvement in what happened. If anything, he would have been fired. But Irving, who spends all the first episode trying to leave, would be super aware of his involvement, and thus his innie's unhappiness. To me, this just confirms my season 1 theory that Irving's outie has purposefully become a severed employee to do his own investigation into Lumon. Although, the fact innie Irving doesn't recognize the testing floor is interesting, I thought outie Irving was meditating on that image because it's leaked through from innie Irving's subconscious, but instead it seems like outie Irving is trying to get innie Irv to remember it, so that he will investigate it down there.

4. Is outie Mark dead?

I suspected this when he went up the elevator and immediately came back down, but I thought that could be an editing/stylistic choice. However, the last time things faded to black. This is heavily implying that he's not going anywhere else. The next episode seems to be about outie Mark, which might imply that he's alive, but it also could be a flashback episode. He also might not be dead, but might not exactly be a free man either. Either way, it's super suspect, and I wouldn't put it above Lumon to kill outie Mark as a coverup, or even for Mark to kill himself, sadly.

5. How long has it REALLY been? Why now?

Even Mark is questioning the "5 months" number he was given, but there was probably a time skip of some length. This gives time for Lumon to spin the story both inside and outside. We have almost no information on the outside, but on the inside it's clear that they had to at least pretend to make some changes. If Helena is pretending to be her innie, she probably needed time practice that, but if she really did have 5 months, then how come she couldn't have come up with a better lie than running into a "night gardener"? If anything, I'm guessing it has been shorter than 5 months, rather than longer. I think they want to pretend there was a period of massive reforms, when there has not been any yet.

Furthermore, there's the idea that Lumon doesn't fully understand what occurred during the overtime contingency. Helly's stunt was very public, but it also was an event that seemed to be mostly attended by pro-severance people who aren't so worried about the morals and ethics of it all. Containing that situation seems well within the realm of possibility. So getting the four of them back as soon as possible would be beneficial to doing damage control in regards to what Mark and Irving did.

6. Why is there a child working at Lumon?

Mark W. mentions that his branch shut down. This coupled with Huang's employment could imply that Lumon is doing so poorly perception-wise, that no one wants to work for them anymore, leaving them to take who they can get--even if that means hiring a child. This, and a child could be more easily groomed into the cult that is Lumon. Perhaps Mr. Milchick started young too, which could explain his oddities. Only people born and raised in the Kier cult get to be in positions of power at Lumon.