#i know gunshots don’t work like that but i wanted it to look cool :(

[scientistyaoi]

oh no !

[mythmash]

Bouncer!Sukuna AU Pt. 3 - Yuji

Bouncer!Sukuna x Stripper/Dancer!Reader. Warnings: MDNI 18+, bullet point fic, uncle!sukuna, guns, gunshot wound, reader and yuji's relationship, yuji learning about his "estranged" uncle, sukuna getting off to a prison murder A/N: this is a collaborative work made with the amazing @pastelbunnelby, @pastelpixies & @chaoskrakenuwu Series Masterlist || Previous | Next

It takes months and months of effort and meeting at parks and playgrounds but you convince Jin to let Sukuna over for dinner again

It’s mostly so you can see Yuji, and because Jin feels like he can eventually save you from Sukuna

Another dinner comes around a year or so later, and things go well until Jin’s freaky wife asks what you do and how you met Sukuna

You tell them the (child-safe) truth: you’re a dancer and you met Sukuna at work when he saved you from an angry customer

Yuji is in awe

He's the only one

The rest of dinner is tense, the snide remarks now aimed at Sukuna and you and Sukuna getting angrier by the second, gripping his steak knife tighter and tighter

Jin asks how you got into dancing and if your parents approve of what you do and you smile and tell him that you’re classically trained

Sukuna is confused and surprised because how did he not know that about you?

You’ve been dancing since you could walk, getting into some of the best dance schools in the country

Your parents know what you do, even if they don’t understand, they love and support you and trust you to make your own choices

You throw in a little “Ballet and….certain services…have gone hand in hand since it’s conception, I’m not going to be ashamed in what I do. If anything, it’s a way to respect the history of the art.”

Yuji immediately takes over asking you can teach him to dance on his tip toes

For the first time, Sukuna sees Jin and Wasuke stunned into silence

He starts looking at rings as soon as you get home

You spend a lot of time with Yuji after that because Jin's uncanny wife likes you a lot and so does Yuji and no one is going to tell them no

And Yuji is obsessed with Sukuna, always wanting to hang out with him and asking to hear stories from when "Sukuna went to live on a farm"

Sukuna doesn't interact with him much outside of playful bullying, and Yuji ends up with you more often

Which is fine, because you two have the best time together

He helps you decorate Sukuna's mugshot with stickers

You paint Sukuna's tattoos on him and get him an orange jumpsuit for Halloween

No else thinks it's funny

You do teach Yuji some basic ballet, and he loves it so much

He loves you so much

And you love him too

There's something about this little child being so enamored with his big, scary uncle who disappeared under mysterious circumstances and thinking he's so cool that tugs at your heart

It's the childlike innocence that he sees the world with and you hope he holds onto it for as long as possible

But Yuji has to grow up some time, and grow up he does

He starts getting older realizes “oh. oh. oh.” as he understands exactly what happened and what kind of person Sukuna is

He distances himself from Sukuna which hurts because he still adores you to pieces

It ends up as the kind of relationship where Yuji doesn’t come around or talk to Sukuna all that much, but if there’s ever an emergency or he needs advice he can’t ask his parents about he immediately comes to you

You guys have lunch or something together and catch up and he always subtly makes sure you’re doing okay

It scares him a little because he knows what his uncle did was wrong and he’d never be like that

But there’s a little part of Yuji that wouldn't hesitate to kill Sukuna if he ever hurt you

Yuji comes close when he's around 16-17

You're out having lunch, having a good time, but as you’re leaving some guy comes up and asks if you know Sukuna?

You barely finish saying “I’m his—” before the shot goes off and suddenly Yuji is standing there, people are screaming, the stranger is running, and you’re bleeding on the ground

Yuji calls Sukuna first then his parents before getting you to the hospital

He meets his parents there and you’re taken for (minor) surgery so the family is stuck waiting and Yuji is freaking the fuck out

He’s pacing, nearly crying, and on the verge of a meltdown when the cops question him

When they’re allowed to see you, you’re awake and your arm is in a cast for a bit, but the scarring will be minimal and you’ll be fine

Sukuna shows up not long after and makes everyone leave so he can talk to you alone

Sukuna walks out about ten minutes later, casual as can be, telling everyone not to worry and Yuji is furious

He’s never felt this kind of anger before because you could have died! And this asshole is texting?!

Sukuna notices Yuji glaring and is just like “What’s your problem?”

Yuji goes. the. fuck. off.

He’s almost screaming, yelling at Sukuna about being late to the hospital, getting you hurt, not caring about you

He accuses Sukuna of using you as just some hole and makes a not-so-vague accusation that Sukuna could've just left if he wanted to break up with you instead of hiring someone to do it for him

When he’s done, Sukuna is just staring at him

Not even blinking

He doesn't break eye contact with Yuji, and is very, unsettlingly calm when he says, “Jin, get your son before he says something he'll regret.”

And Yuji has a small moment of clarity that oh yeah, he's not yelling at his estranged uncle

This dude murders people.

Jin and his creepy wife take Yuji home and work with Sukuna to make sure Yuji doesn’t visit you at the same time he does

He catches Sukuna leaving your room once and quietly apologizes

Sukuna shrugs it off and Yuji sheepishly asks if he’s going to “take care” of everything

Sukuna shrugs like “the cops can handle it” and leaves

And Yuji is ??? That’s suspicious??? That’s weird???

It’s about a month later

Your attacker is found and arrested, you’re out of the hospital, Sukuna is mother-henning you so much that it makes Yuji feel suffocated, and Jin invites you over for dinner

You’re in Sukuna’s lap where else would you be and talking to Jin’s weird wife when you mention how your attacker went to the same prison Sukuna did

Isn’t that so weird babe? Hahaha, what a weird coincidence! What a small world!

But the big news is the police called you and informed you your attacker was killed in prison

They didn’t give you details, but the officer sounded shook up about it so you assume it was bad

The conversation changes and Yuji looks over at Sukuna who’s got his chin resting on your shoulder watching you while you talk

Yuji gets a strange feeling, an odd urge of fight or flight as he wonders what could’ve happened to the guy…

It couldn’t have been…

Sukuna kisses your neck once

glances over at Yuji

and smirks

Plus a little extra about Sukuna's prison connections

Sukuna absolutely would orchestrate a prison murder for you

He has connections in and out of prison

There’s a 97% chance he knew more about your attacker before the police ever did and lead them to the guy

A nice anonymous tip

The only time he works with the police isn't ever for their sake

Oh no

It's just so he can make this as convenient as possible for himself so he can spend his time doing something way more important

Which is taking care of you

That doesn't make what happened to your attacker any less brutal though

They can't get out of it that easily

Plus, he doesn't want there to be any kind of connection back to you

They can be suspicious of him all they want but there's no way in hell he's gonna let anyone accuse you of anything

He probably had one of his connects call and tell him all the gory details of how they killed the guy and got off to it while you were recovering

Because he a good boyfriend and doesn't want to stress you out :)

[fanfics4all]

Not Used to Freedom

Request: Yes / No Thank you @badthingshappenbingo​ for my card! 

Don’t be shy, request things! <3 Have a nice day/night

Glenn Rhee x Fem!Reader 

Word count: 1342

Warnings: Slavery, mentions of sex slave (But not in detail) 

Y/N: Your Name 

Prompt(s):

PLEASE DO NOT STEAL MY WORK, I WORK HARD ON MY FICS AND IT’S NOT COOL TO STEAL SOMEONE ELSE’S WORK! 

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(Not my photo, credit to whoever made it!)

Even in the apocalypse, people sucked. My parents traded me to some asshole for supplies. They got a lot for me, but now I was stuck to a man who treated me as if I wasn’t a human. He made it clear I was his property now, nothing more than an object to him. He was the leader of his little group and made sure they all knew I was his as well. No one was allowed to talk to me and I wasn’t allowed to speak without permission from ‘Master’. At least he let me wear clothes when he dragged me around on a leash. This has been my life since I was a child. Great parents, right? 

Now that I was a woman ‘Master’ would touch me. He loved touching my body and did it every chance he could. I hardly even flinched when he took my virginity. This was all I’ve ever known. I was nothing more than ‘Master’s’ servant, who came when called. It was the only life I really knew anymore and I hated it. The only thing I can remember from my past is my name. Y/N. I repeated it to myself every night so I’d never forget. Because even though I knew it was more than likely never going to happen, I still had hope I’d escape or be saved. 

Today I was locked in the small room I had come to know as my bedroom, if you can even call it that. All I had was a bed, ‘Master’ kept all my clothes in his room. He had to pick all of them out each day. I was stuck waiting for ‘Master’ to let me out. Y/N. Y/N. Y/N. It was the only thought going through my head when I was alone anymore. I didn’t want to forget my name no matter how hard ‘Master’ tried to make me. A loud gunshot broke my thought and my head snapped to the door. What was happening? More gunshots joined the fight and I heard screaming. My eyes widened and I pushed myself against the wall. I covered my ears to try and drown out the sounds, and shut my eyes tightly. 

Y/N. Y/N. Y/N, Just focus on your name. That’s the only thing you need to know right now. 

After a bit it was quiet. I didn’t remove my hands from my ears or open my eyes. My heart was beating a mile a minute. I was so scared. What if I got blamed for this somehow? ‘Master’ loved to punish me when he was angry, even if I didn’t do anything. I heard a few footsteps coming closer to my door and whimpered quietly. 

“You check that one, I’ll check this one.” Someone with a gruff voice said. That wasn’t anyone I’d heard before. Someone tried my door handle, but it was locked, like always. 

“It’s locked.” A softer voice said. 

“I got it.” The gruff voice said. There was pounding on the door and I whimpered. I shrunk into myself as much as I could. I did not want to get punished. I heard the door break down and started crying, quietly. 

“Wait hold on.” The softer voice said. I heard footsteps come closer and suddenly my hands were being gently pulled away from my head. 

“Hey, you’re okay.” The voice said and I shook my head, keeping my eyes closed tightly. 

“Can you look at me, please?” He asked. I slowly opened my eyes and saw a kind man looking at me with worried eyes. 

“My name is Glenn, this is Daryl.” He said, motioning to the man behind him. I glanced at him and he looked mad. I shrunk into the wall a bit more, but the man, Glenn, gently moved my face to look at him again. 

“What’s your name?” He asked and I blinked a few times. 

“Y-Y/N…” I whispered and he smiled at me. 

“Y/N, can you tell me why you were locked up in here?” He asked and I gulped. 

“It’s okay, you’re safe.” He reassured me. 

“Master didn’t let me out yet…” I whispered and his eyes widened. He looked back at the other man, Daryl, whose eyes were also wide. 

“Was it that asshole that ran this place?” Daryl asked and I nodded slowly. 

“Well, the fucker is dead.” He said and my eyes widened. 

“R-Really?” I asked and he nodded. 

“Yes. They’re all dead.” He said and I just blinked a few times. I let the news settle in and relaxed a little. 

“You can come with us, we have a safe place.” Glenn said and I stiffened a bit. 

“Oh no, you’d be free, Y/N. You can live your own life.” He clarified and I looked at him confused. 

“F-Free?” I asked. Glenn nodded and offered me his hand. I bit my lip and shakily took his hand. He helped me up and smiled at me. 

“I promise you’ll be safe and free, Y/N.” He said and I gave him a small smile. 

The two men led me through the halls that were once my hell. I clung to Glenn’s hand, but he didn’t seem to mind. We walked into the main room and there for a few other people standing around. They turned to look at us and pointed their guns at me. 

“Who’s that?” A woman in an army uniform asked. 

“Hey, relax! She’s not a threat.” Glenn said. Daryl nodded and they lowered their guns. 

“This is Y/N, we found her locked in a room. She was… was forced to work for Noel,” Glenn said and they all looked at the collar on my neck. I blushed and looked away. I felt Glenn gently squeeze my hand. I heard someone walk up to me and saw brown boots standing in front of me. 

“Y/N?” A man with a southern accent asked. I looked up and saw a man in a sheriff’s uniform. 

“How long have you been here?” He asked. 

“M-My parents traded me f-for supplies when I-I was seven…” I quietly answered. Everyone looked at me with wide eyes and a few people even gasped. 

“You’ve been wearing that since you were seven?” A young boy asked and I nodded. 

“M-Master has kept me for himself.” I said and I saw their faces change to anger. I shrunk back, but Glenn gently pulled me a little closer to him. 

“They’re not mad at you, Y/N. They’re mad at what Noel has done to you.” He said and I looked at him confused. 

“Sick bastard.” A ginger man said. 

“He’s gone for good now, Y/N. You don’t need to worry about him anymore.” The man in the sheriff’s uniform said. 

“Come on, let’s get her back.” A woman with a southern accent said. 

“Agreed.” Glenn said and smiled at me. 

“Alright, let’s head out.” The man in the sheriff’s uniform said. Everyone headed for the front door, but Glenn stopped me. 

“Here.” He said and reached for my neck. My eyes widened and I flinched, but he gave me a reassuring smile. He pulled out a knife and very gently cut the collar off my neck. He pulled it off and I looked down at it in his hand. 

“You won’t need that anymore.” He said and tossed it to the side. I looked at it lying on the floor broken and let out a sob. 

“T-Thank y-you.” I said through tears. Glenn gently wrapped an arm around me and pulled me in for a hug. The first genuine hug I’ve felt in years. 

“You’re gonna be alright, Y/N. We’ll all help you.” He whispered and I nodded. He pulled back and still smiled at me. He offered me his hand and I took it a bit more confidently this time. He turned and led me towards the rest of the group. Was I finally free now, or was this all just an act?

Tag list: @les-bio-lie @tashy-bear @ashwarren32 @hollie-blogs-blog1 @lover-of-books-and-teas @nerdygaloresposts @teenwolfbitches28 @kmc1989 @drw0301bieber @lady-of-lies @ravenmoore14 @ravenempress101 @cillianchamp @rowanthomasknapp @rachelxwayne @ready-4-fanfiction

[dreamwritersworld]

What if…? (Sully family x reader)

As you know I made ‘the chore’ and ‘once innocent’ series, which I suggest you read first! This is story however is What if…? Y/n never made it out alive. What would Tuk do? How would Neytiri and Jake feel if they knew their daughter was gone for good?…ENJOY! 💞

My name is y/n, like goddess of the moon! I was 14 years old when I was murdered…..on a day only meant for spotting.

As I watched my father not hesitate to leave me, regardless of loak's words telling him I was hit as well….I could feel my own body start to give up on me too.

I tried so hard to push through, the burning in my heart hurt. The longer I stayed here the more I'm in risk of being hit. As I was getting up, I was hit with a gunshot right through my arm and somewhere else but I couldn’t even tell…I was losing blood quick. It gave me the push to jump on my ikran…..adrenaline was fully taking over. It could only last for so long, I'm not going to see Tuk anymore if I don't make it to Tsahik.

I was so tired, my body felt so heavy, I was losing control of my ikran... tried getting closer to the ground before I took a drop.

My body was numb...I couldn't feel anything below my chest. However I couldn't ignore the fact that an old piece of a broken plane was piercing through my stomach. I began screaming out for help…hoping someone would listen to me for once…no one can hear me.

Coughing out blood.

Last breath coming out.

Burning in my lungs.

Internally bleeding.

“h-Help! Please! N-no..”

I tried shaking away the tiredness but my eyes were getting heavier…

I was bleeding out and I died in a puddle of my own blood.

*

I know dad was upset at Lo'ak and Neteyam for not following rules but Y/n was nowhere to be found... where was Y/n?

After dad stopped yelling at my brothers I rushed in to ask him about Y/n.

"She's fine Tuk. She'll come soon." He gave me a reassuring smile and pat making me fully satisfied in his words. Maybe y/n was just cooling off ?

Eclipse came in and Y/n still wasn't home. When I had mentioned it to father he only said “She has extra duties tonight. Y/n needs to put her part in Tuk.” I sigh and walked away…something’s wrong.

When I woke up and no one was there…my heart dropped. Where’s Y/n?

I rushed around the village looking for Kiri.

“Kiri! Kiri! Something is wrong! Y/n is gone! She hasn’t returned since the war. Please come with me sister just to check around!”

Kiri looked at her grandmother with slight concern as her grandmother’s eyes showed complete worry.

“I will be back grandmother.”

Kiri left with Tuk and they had been searching for three hours.

“Ok…maybe Y/n just needed some time to herself Tuk?” It was clearly evident that Kiri was growing impatient.

“No! She would never leave without taking me or telling me.”

I turned away thinking of something to do next to find Y/n until I heard her words.

‘I want you to meet a couple of good warriors. Remember my friend Rey’akana? Well the people I’m going to have you meet are warriors he worked with that are just as strong!…if I’m not there for you when something is happening you go to them immediately Tuk.’

“…I know someone who can help, follow me!”

I rushed Kiri to come with me to the group of warriors that were relaxing after returning from war, I started speaking to Rey’akana’s old partner…explaining what was going on.

“…i don’t know but something happened! It’s not like Y/n to leave without me or not tell me. Please help me search for her.”

The group of warriors didn’t protest and followed Tuk’s order.

Kiri was pulled in another direction by Tuk as they searched for Y/n…following Evung (Rey’akana’s old partner)

Tension was high, I still had a sick feeling in my stomach. Maybe i was hungry..? Y/n wasn’t here to make any breakfast …I could sure go for her small lunch meals she makes for late work right now. My mind was stopped when I had spotted something from a far.

“I think I got something! Follow me!”

Both of them followed me as I rushed in turning the corner stopping when I saw a navi…dead from afar. There was so much blood I couldn’t unsee it.

I begin tearing up before Evung puts me to a stop.

“Close your eyes. Both of you.”

However I couldn’t turn away…no amount of training could’ve prepared Evung to not show any emotion staring at the navi. He seemed so torn about it…I couldn’t take enough of this so I pulled onto the hand Kiri was holding to rush to the navi…scared it’d confirm my fears.

“No! No- not Y/n!” Kiri dropped to her knees right next to screaming Tuk. The healer had to watch the young girl scream the most painful cries she’s ever heard. Kiri couldn’t even process it, her sister was laying before her with her entire lower half of her body practically shredded.

With the way Tuk cried…she was taking an angel by her wings and begging for everything. “y/n please no! Stay one more day please….I heard you..call for help I-I heard your S.O.S…I sent out an army to find you, just like you said Y/n. I’m so sorry.”

I looked down to me being covered in my own sisters blood…there was no way to describe the damage done to her body, I bet she was so numb she didn’t even feel how much she truly went through. Just had to sit in pain, like always. She had a gash on her side and arm…bullet wound on her arm, she had old pieces of some plane buried deep into her….her head was bleeding from the inside out, and then there was a gun shot piercing through her…chest.

“I-I’ll keep my promise Y/n! I’ll live, that’s my job now.”

Evung couldn’t believe what he was seeing Y/n was truly raised by Rey’akana. She spoke his words and it broke him even more that Y/n’s story was repeating. He called for the search party to be over and all warriors rushed to where they were told Y/n was , all showing horrific faces when they saw the accident. Some shed tears, and some couldn’t even wrap their head around it.

They pulled her from the pieces that cut deep wounds in her and had a warrior get a cover up, if y/n was going to die like this she at least deserved to have her death private just like Rey’akana’s…

I still had tears in my eyes the whole walk through…In a way Y/n prepared me for her death. Anger was fully taking over, my own father didn’t care about where Y/n was. No one cared to even check. I wanted to bring justice to Y/n, someone or something failed her…she was a strong warrior, this would not happen by coincidence. I asked the warriors to place her body in our home. Y/n never felt at home here but it’s where our memories laid.

Surprisingly everyone was home they were confused when Evung placed Y/n down on the floor paid their respects and left while Kiri was crying. Realization hit mother when she finally stopped looking back and forth and slowly to Y/n taking off her cover up. While dad just went numb seeing Y/n’s destroyed body. My brother just cried and cried beside Kiri. I was so mad, so mad at everyone for failing to realize her absence.

“Bury her, mourn your losses…someone did this and I will not stop until I find out who failed her.” Lo’ak and Neteyam’s eyes go wide as father just looks up with full guilt written all over his face in that spilt second…I knew.

“…what did you do! I know you did something! You killed her didn’t you! Why did you do that?! I needed her!” Father quickly puts his hands up, shaking his head. “Tuk this is not the time-“

“You did it! I know you did! You will not speak at her burial! None of you will! You didn’t even know her.” Neytiri was fully enraged how could Tuk lash out in a moment like this. “Stop it Tuk!”

I was quick to turn to her, hissing. “You will not stop me, I will keep fighting for my sister. None of you even knew she was gone.” Everyone had shock display on their faces…but how could they blame me? I just lost the one person who took care of me…every step of the way. That night I took Y/n’s bed and wrapped clothes, jewelry, hair pieces anything that was her’s in a secured bag, to capture her sweet home scent. I was ready for my speech and I watched how my father turned in bed, guilt was swallowing him.

Jake didn’t cry when Y/n was hurt but now that’s she’s dead it hurt. This time he’s got to know where did Y/n go? She was the daughter he barley got to know but had some strong feeling toward, so strong that he was so frustrated she pulled him in every time he saw her. He wasn’t entirely there…he knew Y/n was hurt but not that badly, he wasn’t able to see with the flames and smoke. He realizes he still shouldn’t have left her. Half of him disappeared with her…he didn’t even know his own daughter, just knew words passing members of the clan would say about you…all good words.

Neytiri mourned her daughter…the daughter that took care of Tuk. Y/n truly was like no other and she was only able to view Y/n from afar. Neytiri’s mother told her about the death Y/n had seen when she was a little girl….even scolded Neytiri for not know where Y/n was or what she was thinking. Neytiri saw how damaged her relationship with her own daughter was, how could she ever go up to Y/n and make it up to her…she just silently watched Y/n from afar, jealous of how certain people knew more about her whereabouts then her own mother. Neytiri did have small memories of young Y/n…y/n never realized how much she saved Neytiri. The little girl brought joy during her younger days when Neytiri was going back to a saddened state about her fathers death. While y/n saved her, Neytiri failed her…she couldn’t stand up for Y/n the way she did for everyone else

… ‘Now you know there was a girl named Y/n Sully. And that she saved me. In every way that a person can be saved….I don’t even have a picture of her. She exists now…only in my memory.’ …

There was something Y/n had that left a mark on everyone…maybe it was the way she expressed her emotions silently, or maybe it was the way she calculated everything…

We had sent Y/n with Eywa. Everyone in the clan mourned her. They knew her as the little joyful girl who ran around teaching and learning. Y/n was so patient she never got frustrated showing people new skills and techniques…she loved sharing things she’s observed. Everyone knew more about Y/n but her own family…everyone in the family except me of course. It was now time to tell everyone stories about Y/n…

“My sister…” I tried to push back tears struggling to talk until the crowd began applauding me, showing signs of comfort.

“Y/n Sully is a strong and gentle soul. She was always thinking about others and always wanted to keep the clan safe. She always kissed me goodnight and good morning…she’d never forget it. I remember one night she left to do extra work around the village but I was in deep sleep, and when I saw her in the morning I was sad and asked her “…no kiss goodnight or good morning’ she only replied with her precious smile and said ‘Sunshine I did kiss you but both times you were asleep and I didn’t want to wake you up!’ … Y/n was working constantly but she always made time to take care of me.

She loved to bead, and she loved putting a smile on everyone’s face. I know that Y/n was very private about our life, but she had a sweet grace about her. Her smile was like a ray of sunshine…. It took up her entire face. Her touch was motherly…” I take a sigh being looking up at the blurry crowd in tears

“Her laugh was infectious, from my understanding everyone in the crowd before me had once been able to hear her pure and genuine laughter…she loved teaching and observing others. Y/n taught me everything. I know that her death wasn’t her fault, I saw how far she got, if she was given enough time she would have made it back home. Y/n knew how to do everything just by watching and observing…that’s how she knew exactly what war felt. Y/n was in war her entire life….Y/n was in tune with her feelings and she wanted the best for me. She always told me how she was excited to finally get promoted to fight along warriors. Y/n was always herself she was a teacher, leader and knew what she wanted.” I wiped my tears watch how the crowds eyes lit up from hearing the stories I had to tell.

“Y/n’s love was beautiful, when she hugged you or said sweet words…you could feel her love, she would pull you in. I miss her sweet kisses, her smart mind, and her beautiful smile and laugh. I miss looking at her beautiful face. She was the most loving sister, and perfect daughter…even if some couldn’t see how perfect she really was.”

I looked up at my parents and turned back, I didn’t care…even if the crowd didn’t notice my wording, my parents for sure did.

“We will not be able to see Y/n finally be a full warrior like she wanted to. She didn’t get the chance to finish teaching me her lessons….I won’t be able to tell her how gorgeous she looks when she finally finds peace, something she was searching for, her whole life. I’ll never get to celebrate her being mated before Eywa, having a final sister dance with her as celebration. Y/n dreamed of having her own family, and she made sure i knew I was considered her first baby. Y/n would have been an amazing mother.”

I begin crying more, telling everyone Y/n’s dream.

“Im so proud of Y/n she made a difference in everyone’s heart. She was so full of life and had so much more to offer this clan. Y/n made it clear to prepare me for anything…it may seem sad but she even prepared me for her death. She had a wise warrior once tell her ‘A guardian who has not prepared their ‘child’ for their own death has failed as a guardian.’ Y/n never failed at anything. I miss you Y/n…all of you. I love you Y/n.” I looked up while everyone had tears in there eyes, I begin parting my ways and dismissed them. Y/n prepared me yes…but I was going to allow myself to mourn fully.

My entire family was defeated. We were under the three of souls…everyone had small old memories of Y/n but I had beautiful memories of every part of Y/n’s life.

*Tuk’s Memory*

I begin tearing up at the idea of seeing Y/n’s sweet face again.

“Y/n!”

There she was turned around surprised and worry showing at the sight of tears that were falling from my eyes.

“Tuk? What happened my love, are you ok sunshine? Who got you upset?”

“I just-I really miss you Y/n…”

Y/n gave me a wide smile with her eyebrows furrowed.

“What do you mean sunshine? I’m fine. I am always here, I’m right with you.”

Her voice was so assuring…so calm.

“I want more time with you Y/n please have Eywa bring you back to me.”

“Tuk, You know I’ll see you again.”

“…what happened that night Y/n? Please tell me”

Y/n face had a horrific expression

“n-no no no you cant ask that y-yet.”

then the lights went out.

!💛!

….are you guys ok? …any thoughts? 💔 there will be a part 2

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[whirlwindimagines]

Hello! I hope You’re doing well

I was just wondering if i could request for a Wolfwood x gnreader who carries around a scythe and is called the reaper just like how Nicolas carries around a cross and goes by the name punisher?

I think that’d be cool :)) you don’t have to write it if you don’t want! I hope you are well and hydrated!! And that you take your time<33

Aww thanks for the kind words! I had no idea where this story was going, I just get an idea and run with it lol hope you enjoy! Also I’m like this will be short :) 1300 words later lol Also first time writing for Wolfwood so apologies

‘Fate’

Nicholas D. Wolfwood x Reader

You’ve decided three was becoming your favorite number because that’s how many times it took to intertwine your fate with the punisher. You’ve always gone through life with a sense of survival, it’s how you ended up here. Bounty hunting, only taking in targets dead, they call you ‘Reaper’ nothing but an angel of death in their eyes.

It was cruel work, but if someone wanted someone dead, or found dead you’d do it for the right price. It’s how you survived in this harsh world and you are fine with the routine of it. Until your routine was tossed to the side.

The first time had been quick, an annoyance more than anything else. You’ve been tracking your target for days, and you had finally cornered them outside of some backwater town. Scythe in hand ready to strike, the target was begging they always begged you hated this part. The nighttime air filled with the sound of crying until a gunshot rang out.

You dodged to the side unsure where the bullet had come from or where it would land. The night went still, you glanced at your target hoping they wouldn’t take this as a chance to run only to discover where the bullet ended up. Right through your target's head. 

You whipped around raising your weapon, only to come face to face with a man. He was holding a giant gun in the shape of a cross. Your blood ran cold, but you held your ground. 

“You asshole! He was mine.” 

“Relax you can have the bounty I just need proof.” He stepped closer, lighting a cigarette at the same time, his tone was casual. You stepped to the side letting him pass, you knew who he was. This wasn’t a fight you could win, so you would let him do what he needed and you’d collect the bounty.

“You’re not a ghost then, Punisher.” You don’t know why you felt the need to say it, your eyes glanced over him. He must have finished, whatever he did you didn’t want to know. He stood facing you and took a long drag of the cigarette “You’re not one either then, Reaper.”  

The two of you left it at that, you turned in the bounty, got the money, and didn’t think about it again. It was an odd night; one you’d just want to forget. 

The second time was confusing but somewhat enjoyable. You had a long day, you wanted nothing more than to just drink the night away. You found the closest bar to you and planned to hunker down for the night. People always gave space the moment they saw your weapon, and you don’t fuck with me attitude you were set.

What you didn’t expect was for someone to sit down right beside you at the bar. Annoyed you turned to the stranger, he was already looking at you with a smirk and a cigarette between his lips.

“Reaper”

“Punisher” 

You didn’t like being sought out like this; you were very unsure what he wanted from you. He orders a drink and then orders you one. “First rounds on me.” He said clinking his drink to yours. You downed the drink, “What do you want?” You figured you’d just get straight to the point nobody just sought you out for a drink. 

“What can’t drink with a friend?” You frowned at the tone, casual and that sly look on his face. You huffed looking down at your empty glass, “We’re not friends.” 

“Ah but we could be, I think we could help each other out.” There it was, people always wanted something from you. You knew not to get involved with this man; he was dangerous you were to hit you weren’t suicidal.  “No thanks.” You stood grabbing your weapon and preparing to leave until he grabbed your wrist, you glared at him. His hold was loose you could pull away if you really wanted to but you were in a trance at his dark gaze. 

“Hear me out first Reaper, I’m just looking for information if you can help me there, I’ll be out of your hair.” You sat back down, he let go of your hand and smirked. How annoying, he began to ask you a series of questions, he must be hunting someone you didn’t care to know the details of.  You answered honestly and he bought you another drink, you figured that was the end. It wasn’t. 

“It’s Nicholas D. Wolfwood by the way.” He lit another smoke; you watched eyes focused on his face. “Y/n l/n” you responded no one called you by your name anymore.  

You two spent the rest of the night talking, it was fun in the sense there were no expectations. He asked if he could hold your scythe you agreed, picking it up with one hand and passing it to him. You laughed when Wolfwood nearly dropped it, surprised at its weight.

“It’s heavy.” He said with a huff placing it back against the bar. 

“It’s supposed to be, isn’t it?” You said with a knowing look as you leaned your cheek on your hand to look at him. Taking lives came with a heavy toll, and you all had your crosses to bear, some heavier than most. Your heart raced when he met your gaze, you knew what could happen next so you needed to leave. 

Any sort of Attachment or comfort you didn’t deserve nor want to get into, you’d leave the Punisher here. Maybe next time you could be impulsive but not tonight. Well, a little impulse was okay, you leaned in by taking the cigarette from his lips and placing it between your own lips to take a drag. You stubbed it out on the bar top, leaning in once more to leave a kiss on his cheek. “See ya around.” 

You left him there and headed out into the dawn. 

The third was less than ideal, you were dying. Or you were going to die if you didn’t get up right now. It had been an ambush; you fell right for it and now you were going to bleed out on the desert floor.

You knew it would end like this eventually, staring up at the stars you felt some comfort. This was okay, it would be okay. You closed your eyes and accepted your fate. You didn’t know how long you were out; you were still alive but someone was shaking you and yelling. You couldn’t make out the words. You should’ve opened your eyes, but you were just so tired. You could hear the words ‘reaper’ over and over. 

Then another shout and more shaking, then the sound of your name, no one should know your name anymore. Forcing your eyes open, you came face to face with Wolfwood. He found you, how you didn’t know or care. Funny enough you felt safe, he was yelling at you again but you were too tired and closed your eyes again.

You awoke with a start in some dingy hotel room, you moved to stand up but your body protested the movements. Your wound was bandaged, how? What had even happened? Looking around the room you spotted your weapon right beside a familiar large cross.

“You lived.” Wolfwood stood at the doorway, arms crossed. “Guess I owe you my life then.” Your tone was light, but you were grateful just unsure to have to express it. “Thanks.” You whispered out he shrugged moving to the window to light a smoke. 

“Maybe you should stick around, it looks like your good at getting into trouble.” You rolled your eyes and laughed, “I think you just enjoy my company.”

“Maybe.” He answered, you laughed again laying down. Maybe surviving on your own was becoming too much, maybe with Wolfwood at your side you two could start living instead of surviving.

[hswriting]

Hard to Love - Part 3

[Image Alt ID: a three picture collage with a blue background. The first picture is of the shadow of an iv bag. The second picture is of an x ray with broken ribs. The final picture is of someone’s hand resting at their side in a hospital bed. The hand has an iv placed in it. End Alt ID]

- - -

Masterlist Series Part 2 Part 4

- - -

3.0k words

- - -

Something bad happens to April and Harry feels guilty. Guilty enough that he takes her care into his own hands.

Cw: mentions of abuse, guns, police, recovering. (Also just a note: I am not really sure how recovery for a gunshot wound works so I am doing my best to find out, but some information may be wrong)

Harry: why are you being so stubborn? If you don’t like that it’s me trying to help, I’ll have someone else ask. You know I will.

I have told Harry for several days now it’s not safe to take his offer. He could get hurt. But every evening after Robbie goes to bed, I check my phone to see Harry’s offer still on the table.

Me: Harry you know that’s not why. I can’t put anyone else at risk.

Harry: Maybe I don’t care about the risk. Fuck him. I told you I could take you to the women’s shelter for DV. They could keep you safe from him.

Me: He would search for me. The first place he would come terrorize is the restaurant. That wouldn’t be good Harry. Now quit arguing with me. I’ll be okay for now. I do appreciate your offer still. I guess you’re not always a dick.

Harry: No, I’m still a dick I’m sure. Just not about this. I feel awful for making fun of you.

Me: I would say it’s fine, but that was awful and I’m glad you are sorry.

Harry: I really am. But I’m still a dick in other areas of my life. Such as leaving the silverware rolling for you.

Me: I actually like the silverware rolling. I don’t mind.

Harry: Well, you can do it all of the time then. I’m going to get some rest. I have the morning shift tomorrow. Have a good night April.

Me: I’ll try. You too Harry.

I put my phone down and roll over to sleep. It doesn’t take long for me to drift off. My days may not always be great, but at least they end decently. Harry isn’t so mean to me right now. I don’t know how long this nice streak is going to last, but I’m going to take what little joy I can from it, and store it for days like tomorrow.

Tomorrow is going to be the fun day. I have the day off. No work. No place to go to get away. Tomorrow is going to be walking on eggshells to please him. Tomorrow is going to suck.

I eventually fall asleep.

When I wake up, Robbie is already awake and out of bed. I get dressed into day clothes. I put on a plain black t shirt and some blue jeans. I brush my hair out and look in the mirror. I would love to wear makeup, but Robbie doesn’t let me buy any. He thinks other men will look at me. He doesn’t trust that I won’t go to somebody else. I want to go to someone else, but even if I could, I don’t like anyone that way. I probably would be too hard to handle in a relationship anyways. Too much trauma and baggage. I’m better off alone. If I could ever be alone.

I walk out to the kitchen and see Robbie in his usual place. He is on the couch. I begin getting out the stuff to make breakfast. I grab the eggs and bacon and turn the stove on. I cook his food the best that I can and serve it to him. He eats it and I begin the chores of the house that don’t really get done when I’m not home. I start our laundry.

I walk around to each room and pick the clothes up off of the floor when I walk into the living room again. I see Robbie standing up, waiting for me. I look closer and see my phone in his hand.

“Are you fucking serious?” He says to me. I feel myself begin to shake. “You’re not only texting another guy, but you told someone?”

“What are you talking about?” I ask him. I know what he is talking about, but maybe I can play it cool.

“Who the fuck is Harry? Why the fuck is he telling you that he can take you to a shelter.”

“Robbie-“

“Shut up! Shut the fuck up!” He yells at me. He throws my phone across the room and shatters it. He runs towards me. “I fucking told you what would happen if you told someone. You’re a dead bitch!” He yells at me. I run to the front door. It’s locked. I try to undo the locks as fast as I can, put he catches me. He grabs me by my waist and lifts me into the air. He slams me on the ground, my back exploding in pain. The wind is knocked out of me and I gasp for air.

Through the pain, I try to scramble again to the door, another attempt at the locks. If I can just get one step out of the door.

Crack. Another explosion of pain, this time in my ribs. He brings his hand back and punches me again. I fall to the floor and hold my side. He kicks me over and over again. My arms block most of it, but I’m sure they look as awful as they feel. I can’t move from this spot on the floor. There is no chance of me getting back to the locks on the door.

He drags me to the bedroom and throws me on the bed. He opens a drawer and pulls out a gun.

“Got you something. I knew this day was going to come. Stupid whore like you can’t help yourself. He loads the gun and points it at me. It takes everything in me to move. Right as he presses the trigger, I move out of the way. He presses it again and it hits my left leg. Blood starts pouring out of me when I hear a loud crash in the living room. Robbie goes out and sees what it is. I hear shouting, but can’t make out what is being said. I press my hands to my leg to try and stop the bleeding.

I’m starting to see spots in my vision. I can’t pass out yet. I have to hold my leg. I hear footsteps and close my eyes. There’s nothing I can do. I can’t fight him. I can’t walk. I have to accept what it is. He is going to kill me.

“I need an ambulance to my current location. ” I hear a voice say. “Ma’am I’m with the police department. You’re safe now.”

How are the police here? Does it matter how? The officer grabs something off of her uniform. She wraps it around my leg. Another officer comes in the room.

“Tourniquet applied at 8:47am” she told the other officer. He wrote it down on his notepad. “Did you take him? Did you arrest him?” I ask through the haze.

“We have officers working on it. He ran outside and the officers are on his trail. Don’t worry. You’re safe now.”

“Who… called?” I struggle to say. The spots are begging to take over.

“Your new neighbors. They just moved it. They heard him yelling some things-“ is what I hear before I am consumed by the darkness.

I wake up to bright lights. I look around and I have a hefty bandage on my leg. It hurts to breathe. I see that I am in a hospital room. I don’t remember coming here. I press the call button on my beside remote and a doctor comes in. She is very tall, beautiful dark skin and brown eyes that almost glow.

“Glad to see you’re awake. You gave us a scare there Miss April. I’m Doctor Macy.”

“Did they catch him?”

“No they didn’t. But you don’t have to worry. You’re safe here. We have your room on limited contact, which means only who you say is allowed back can see you. There are two police officers outside of your door in case Robbie comes by.”

“Oh okay. Thank you.” I tell her. “I don’t think anyone would be coming to see me anyways. So I don’t think that’s something we have to worry about.”

“Alright then. Since you’re awake, I wanted to tell you about your injuries if you are up for it.”

“Okay.”

“You have the obvious gunshot wound on your leg. We were able to get the bullet out safely and fix you up. You made need physical therapy to help you walk after you get healed up. That will depend on your progress here. You also have two broken ribs. Those will take about 6 weeks to heal. I don’t want you working after your discharge, but it’s not quite time for that yet. I know I just dumped a lot of information on you. Do you have any questions?” She asks me.

“How long will I be here?”

“We are most worried about your leg. That is going to take time to recover. We are thinking maybe a week to see how you are able to walk and such. If you are still struggling with that, it may be longer.”

“Okay.”

“Anything else?”

“Is it possible I could get something for the pain? It hurts so bad.”

“Of course.” She says. She administers pain medication to me.

“Thank you.” I tell her as I wait for it to kick in.

“It’s no problem. Just one more question. Do you have anyone you would like us to call? Any family or friends?”

“I- I don’t have anyone I can call.”

“Okay dear. Just press the button if you need anything.” She says. She walks out of the room and closes the door.

The next few hours consist of doctors coming in to help me with breathing exercises for my broken rib treatment. It’s very boring in between the doctors coming in. I don’t have my phone. I don’t have a book. I don’t have a tv. It’s just sitting and staring at the ceiling, trying not to focus on the pain.

I can’t help but think about how it’s over. It’s all over. Robbie is in the wind. I hope he gets caught soon. I worry he may come back after I get out of here, but for right now I can’t help but feel something I haven’t felt in ages. A little ray of hope. A little bit of joy.

He is finally out of my life. I don’t know what I am going to do next. I don’t know where I can go. The house was his, but I now have the freedom to choose. I can go wherever I want. I can talk to people again. I can have a life outside of work and home. The possibilities are endless.

At the same time, I’m so scared. All of that possibility, all of the freedom. What am I supposed to do with it? I like my job. I liked my house. There is the offer of Harry’s help, but I’m still hesitant. I wouldn’t say we hate each other anymore, but we aren’t friends. He is simply just offering to help me. There isn’t really a risk of Robbie anymore, unless they don’t catch him, but surely they will. They have to.

Knock knock knock

A nurse pops her head into the door.

“A man is out in the waiting room for you. He says his name is Harry Styles. Would you like to let him in?” She says. I am a bit shocked. He has offered me help, but I really didn’t expect him to visit me here.

“Yes. Let him in.” I tell her. She leaves the room for a few minutes. Harry comes back with her. He has a black rain coat on. Small droplets are still sitting on the shoulders of the coat. His hair still sits in curls on his head. He has an upset look on his face.

The nurse leaves us alone and there is a minute of silence as he looks at me. I decide to break the silence.

“Must not hate me too much if you’re willing to visit me in the hospital.”

“Even if I did hate you, everyone needs someone. You said you don’t have anyone, so I can be your person. Even if I didn’t want to, I feel like the universe would make me as karma for making fun of you.”

“Awe how sweet.” I mock.

“How are you feeling?” He asks me in a slightly annoyed voice, but mostly sad.

“I’m in a bit of pain, but the medicine they have been giving me helps quite a bit.”

“What happened? Why didn’t you call me?” He asks, his tone shifting to upset.

“Robbie, he shattered my phone or I would have. I didn’t know your number to give to the nurse.” I say. He looks like he has so many questions, but he can’t sort them out enough to say them.

“What did he do?” Harry asks. I’m hesitant to answer. It’s my fault this started. I forgot to delete my texts with Harry. I don’t want Harry to think it’s his fault for texting me, so I stick to the injuries.

“He got really upset with me. I tried to run out of the house, but I couldn’t undo the locks fast enough. He slammed me to the floor. I got up and tried for the door again. He punched me and I fell. He kicked me over and over again. Then when he was done, he dragged me to our bedroom. He pulled a gun on me Harry. I didn’t even know he had one. I thought for sure I was dead. I was able to move enough to avoid him hitting my chest, but he got my leg instead.”

“Holy shit April. I’m so sorry.” He says to me.

“I’m sorry too.”

“Why in the world would you be sorry?”

“I feel bad that you’re here. I know you always were extending an offer to help. I didn’t take it. It’s my fault.”

“None of what that poor excuse of a person has done is your fault. Nobody deserves this.” He says. He finally sits down on the chair beside my bed. He sheds his coat. Another moment of silence, followed by a question.

“So, not to be annoying, but what are you going to do after this?”

“What do you mean?”

“Are you able to go back to your home?”

“The home was never mine. I have stuff there that I need to get, but the house is his. I don’t have a place to go.”

“Well, just going to offer one more time. I have a spare room.” He says again, except this time, I think I might take it. Just until I can support myself on my own. It won’t take long.

“I think i just might have to take you up on that this time.” I tell him shyly.

“Good. Just don’t be a dick and eat all of my cereal.” I laugh, wincing at the pain.

“I won’t eat your cereal Harry.”

“Or touch my video games. You think I’m mean now, try touching my games. I’ll be a raging asshole from then on.” He says. We both laugh.

“It’s amazing how you can be sweet but choose to be a dick sometimes, but I see you Harry. You’re mean. You suck most of the time, and maybe the guilt of making fun of me all that time is what brought you here, but that doesn’t change that you’re here anyways. I think you’re a big softie, but you choose to put on such a harsh exterior. But you’re here, being kind of nice to me.” I tell him, getting sentimental.

“Must be some pretty good drugs. They must have given you too much to make your brain loopy. You’re looking too deep into this.”

“No. You’re just mad that I’m right.”

“Whatever you say, loopy.”

“So I’ve got a new nickname then?”

“For now.” He replies.

“At this rate, we should make a besties handshake.” I state. He looks at me puzzled.

“Really?”

“No.” I laugh again, my ribs getting more sore. Harry sees me wince in pain.

“Maybe you should take it easy on being a comedian right now. What is your recovery looking like?” He asks. I explain to him what the doctor told me earlier about a week in the hospital at least plus physical therapy. I also told him about the 6 weeks off of work.

“Damn. That sucks. Maybe you’ll be like a superhero or something and heal super quickly.”

“Maybe.” I tell him. “That would be great. I hate hospitals. I feel too needy in a place like this.”

“You’re too needy for being injured and requiring care? That’s about the stupidest thing I’ve heard.”

“Well-“

“That’s ridiculous.”

“And now you’re back to being mean.” I fake pout.

“I told you. Still a dick.” He tells me, a small smile on his face. He tries to hide it but it’s there.

“Now who’s ridiculous?” I say and he chuckles.

The day passes by a bit quicker since Harry arrived. Doctors are in and out adjusting medicines, giving treatment, and seeing if I need anything. Harry kept me pretty well taken care of as far as water, ice, and snacks go. He even went as far as sleeping in the chair beside my bed last night.

I think he really does feel guilty. He used to go on and on about my long sleeve shirts all day. He would pick on me all day about needing control over small things at my job. But now, he’s here when I have no one else. I’m free of Robbie. Harry isn’t exactly the person I thought would help me out of my situation, but he is. He puts on such a harsh exterior, but I think he genuinely cares and has such a big heart. He’s just afraid to show it for whatever reason. Maybe he’s right. Maybe I am thinking too much into this, but I bet I’m not. I know I’m right. And I plan to get to know Harry inside of his mean exterior. Im going to give him a second chance.

- - -

Masterlist Series Part 2 Part 4

[hannahssimblr]

Clóda is waiting on the couch when I come back with fingers drumming on her knees, “There’s orange juice on the floor,” she points out. “Did someone spill it?”

“Oh, sh- yeah, Ivy did. I haven’t had a chance to clean it yet.”

“Do you need help?”

“God, no, it’s fine, I’ll just-” I dip into the bathroom and yank some toilet paper off the roll and then start layering it over the spill. God, this is embarrassing. Why did I invite her into this mess? She shouldn't be seeing any of this. The house was supposed to be clean and fragrant with some cool music playing and maybe even one of my mother’s less fancy and less noticeable candles lit on the shelf, but no, here I am on my knees beside Clóda, mopping up orange juice with toilet paper that is rapidly disintegrating and turning to mush in my hands.

To add insult to injury she says, “how’s the whole babysitting thing going?”

“Yeah amazingly. So good.”

She looks around her again and I fear that she will spot something else that’s gone wrong, but she just says, “This beach house is pretty nice.”

“Yeah we’re lucky.”

“Do your parents, um, do they have good jobs?”

“Yeah, you could say that I suppose, my dad’s a dentist and my mom is an actuary.”

“What is that?”

I shrug, “Basically she works in insurance, it’s very boring.”

“I actually used to always wonder who owned this house. I’d see it every time I was walking to the end of the beach, but like, it’s shut up all winter so I never really knew anything except for that some wealthy family from Dublin owns it.”

“We’re not that wealthy,” I gather the soaking tissue in my hands and go and dump it into a waste paper basket. “Probably about the same as you, huh? Didn’t you say that your dad owns the boat club?”

“It’s in the family, yeah, but that’s the only business we own now since we had to sell the restaurant in town.”

“Oh now you have just one business?” I slump down next to her and make sure that our elbows are touching, “I didn’t know you were lowly peasants. God, how do you survive off that?”

“Shut up,” she smirks at me, “It’s not all great, with the recession and all..”

“Yeah the recession,” I roll my eyes, “It’s always the recession this and the recession that these days, isn’t it?”

“Yeah it’s so boring, I don’t care about economics or anything like that.”

“Same. I never pay attention in business class.” I spring forward and grab the TV remote from the table, trying to be very cool and play off the fact that it is now sticky after Ivy mauled it with her child-hands. “You want to watch a movie?”

“Okay.”

“What kind?”

“Do you have the movie channels?”

“Yeah all of them.”

“All of them?”

“Yeah.”

“At your holiday house?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re wealthier than I am then.”

I laugh, “Come on, let’s pick a movie. What’s on? Oh look, Ocean’s Thirteen is there, or… Bruce Almighty.”

“What about P.S I love you?”

I flick it on without hesitation, “Yeah sure.”

She laughs in disbelief, “Really?”

“Why not?” We’re not looking for Oscar winners here, just some background noise, and anyway, sometimes I secretly don’t mind chick flicks that much, at least it offers some ambient background noise instead of the gunshots and helicopters that are always in the films I watch with the guys. Obviously I love those kinds of movies, but girls aren't often as enthusiastic.

I sit back and drape my arm over the back of the couch. Not touching her, not yet, but enough to break any awkward tension and dissipate any confusion she may have about why I invited her over. See, I’m slick like that.

“Does your dad know you’re here?” I murmur as the opening credits roll. 

“As if. He thinks I’m at Rachel’s house. You know he actually asked me about you earlier when you came by the boat club.”

“Was he wondering if I work out?” 

She laughs, “No, he was all like ‘who was that young fella hovering around the door?’ and all, he says you look rough.”

“‘Rough’?”

“I think it’s the shaved head, makes you look like a skanger.” 

I pretend to be shocked, “A skanger? I’m no skanger.”

“Well I know that, but you look like one when you don’t have any hair.”

I run a hand over my head. There’s nothing I can do about it now. “And Rachel? Does she know that you’re supposed to be with her?”

Clóda shifts guiltily, “Um, no. She’s mad at me actually, so I haven’t talked to her in a few days.”

I shift in close to face her. I shouldn’t be addicted to teen girl drama but it’s fascinating. The things they say and do to one another are always crazy, it’s true psychological warfare. “Oh yeah? What happened?”

“Oh, just, you know.”

“You’re going to have to give me more than that.”

“She’s annoyed because she called first dibs.”

“On?”

She blushes bright pink and looks away, and I understand that this is about me. They should probably be more relaxed about this kind of thing, because Shane fancied Clóda too but I got there first. There’s no hard feelings, it’s just how it works, and I think girls might have an easier time if they got on board and accepted things like this.

“Did you tell her that I said I don’t fancy her?”

“No, do you think I should? I’ll tell her that you think she’s annoying or something.”

“Um, no, don't tell her that.”

“She is annoying though.”

“I don’t know about that.”

Clóda scoffs, “She is, she, like, copies everything I do. If I curl my hair, she curls her hair, if my nails are purple then her nails are purple, she has no originality. It just annoys me so much.”

“Yeah that sounds tough, I guess, but if you wanna tell her as much then you have to say that it’s you that thinks it, not me. I don’t want to get involved.”

“Do boys have this type of drama?”

“No.”

“Right… I’m sorry for bringing it up, you probably think it sounds really stupid.”

“I don’t, it’s okay, you can chat to me about it if you want.”

“Well, okay then,” she says, and launches immediately into a ten minute tirade about Rachel and how annoying she is, and how this relates to and ties in with some other girls at their school in some friend group they’re in, and I try my best to stay engaged but it’s frankly confusing. I can’t keep track of who’s who, and sometimes it’s Clóda herself, the main focus of all of these stories, who seems to be in the wrong. She keeps saying things like “Do you know what I’m saying?” and I don’t, but I suppose it’s okay and I can just nod along because what’s important is that she’s here and the things about her that are nice make any doubts I may have about her dissipate and float away for now. Like her eyes, hazel, the beauty spot on her chin and that view of the side of her neck when she tucks her hair behind her ear. When I picture myself putting my mouth there her words don't really matter. 

The next time she looks up at me through long, black lashes she trails off, her sentence dies on her lips because she knows I have stopped listening. She knows I am going to kiss her, and I am, because I’ve already subscribed to the idea that kissing her would be so nice. 

She watches my hand as I move to push a piece of her hair away from her face and then locks her eyes on me as I lean in and press my lips to hers, and while the idea is nice, so nice, the reality is different. It is wet and messy and she’s still not very good at this. I don't know why I half expected her to have improved in the last week, but it’s alright because I’m two things, I’m patient and I’m a good teacher.

“Like this,” I murmur, drawing back with her face in my hands and dotting kisses to her mouth. 

Her breath hitches, “Am I bad?”

“No, I'm just trying to show you how I like it.”

My phone begins to buzz in my pocket and I ignore it. I don’t know why she is so eager to unhinge her jaw and shove her entire tongue in my mouth, but I’m not letting her. Every time she tries I pull back and start again as the phone stops ringing. Then it begins again. 

Clóda sounds dazed, “Is someone ringing you?”

“Never mind it.” We kiss more as it vibrates furiously against my thigh.

“It’s kind of distracting.”

“Really?” 

“Mm.”

I grumble to myself and pull it out of my pocket to see Joe calling, and I pull a face. This guy should not be calling me. Preferably he wouldn’t even have this kind of access to me past six PM, or actually, my number at all, but I answer it anyway. 

“Yeah?”

“Hey man.”

I pause for several incredulous seconds, “Yeah, hey. What’s up?”

“Nothin’ much man, how are you?”

“Why are you ringing me?”

“Oh! I think Jen wants you to come and get her.”

“Jen?” I sit up straight letting Clóda’s hands and legs drop away from me. “What’s wrong?”

“We dunno, man. She’s just crying and shit. She just says that she wants you to come over.”

“Where are you?” 

“My brother’s house.”

I pinch the skin between my eyebrows, “Did you- did she-” I’m hyper aware of Clóda listening to my every word, “Is she, um, intoxicated?”

“Yeah man, she took a couple yokes and then started freaking out, I dunno. She’s outside crying and asking for you.”

“You left her outside?”

“That’s just where she was.”

“Can you put her on the phone?”

“Um, she can’t really talk, she’s kinda hypo- hyp- she’s gasping really hard.”

“Okay, I’m coming,”

 I stand up as Clóda watches me. “Where?” She says as I finish up the phone call. 

I move through the room frantically grabbing keys, money, “I’m sorry, I’m really sorry but I have to go and get Jen. She’s at a party tonight and she’s not feeling well,” I instinctively reach to paw at the front of my hair though it isn’t there anymore. “This is terrible, I know, I wish-”

“You want me to stay here?” She glances around awkwardly. 

“Well… yeah, you know, I can’t leave my sister in the house on her own, and Jen needs to be brought home, I promise that I won’t be long, the house she’s at is just down in the village, like ten minutes each way, and-”

“Yeah I suppose, I-”

“As a huge favour?” I interject desperately, “Can you just stay? I’ll owe you one, and you don’t have to do anything, just sit here for like, twenty minutes, half an hour max and I’ll be back.”

“I have to be home by eleven.”

“I’ll be back before then.”

“Um. Okay.”

“Yeah, great, finish the movie, um… thank you so much, seriously. I’ll be right back.” I rush up the stairs and out the front door. This is bad. This is genuinely terrible, but there’s nothing that I can do about it, so I push all thoughts about what is happening to the back of my mind and climb onto my bicycle. 

Beginning // Prev // Next

[decks-writing-blog]

Whatever the Fuck Benrey is: Chapter Eleven: Don't be Weird

Chapter One

Previous Chapter

[A/N] I've finished writing this fic, yay! It's 23 chapters and an epilogue. I have no idea how it ended up being that long but I had fun with it. Also, heads up, I got even more lost in the angst sauce towards the end. How bad it gets, I'm not a great person to ask because my perspective on such things is skewed (I read and write super heavy stuff fairly often and it's pretty light compared to some of that but certainly heavier than where this fic is now). If I remember, I'll put a proper content warning at the top of chapter that has the worst of it. Despite that, this fic remains, technically the funniest fic I've ever written solely because it contains the most funny moments (the rest of my funny stuff is short drabbles and one shots) so that's cool.

~

Behind every door was a dead end. Sometimes just cold concrete, other times the walls were made of rotting flesh. It twitched and burbled as something started to rise out of it. Gordon slammed the door and continued on. Overhead the light before him flickered on while the light behind went out with a small pop as the bulb shattered.

Gordon’s friends… traveling companions had gone on ahead while he’d slept. He was weak like that so they’d left him. Surely he would catch up soon. They’d be behind one of the doors or further down the hall. Keep going and he’d find them.

The next door hid behind it a blank room with a health station at the far end. A flickering light shined down on it from an unseen ceiling. He walked towards it, the door closing behind him with a bang. It was locked, leaving him no choice but to continue forward.

A few steps away from the health station, the unseen light bulb burst with a flash and a loud pop, sending shards of glass raining down around him. Darkness rushed in, engulfing him in its thick oily presence. Hands came with it, grasping him, beating him, pulling him down to floor. Whatever they belonged to was dead and rotting; the stench of it filled his nose and mouth, choking him, suffocating him.

Struggle was futile. He tried anyway as he was pulled down and down until until he was partially submerged into the cold concrete floor itself. A hand, its flesh partially sloughing off its bones, grabbed his wrist, yanking it out. He screamed and struggled harder. No one cared. Why would they? He didn’t even have the HEV suit this time, making it all the easier for the saw to…

“Wakey-wakey.” One of the hands was on his shoulder, slightly shaking him. “Time to rise and shine.”

Gordon jerked away, snapping his gun hand up. The instant before he squeezed his ‘hand’ to fire though he stopped. Even in the darkness without his glasses, the sharp yellow of Benrey’s new eyes marked the figure looking down at Gordon as him.

“Yo, you said to wake you if you looked like you was having a bad dream so… I did.”

Gordon’s heart hammered in his chest as he panted for breath. His arm was still tense, moments away from firing the gun. He needed to calm down and relax. Gunshots in the middle of the night would call attention they really didn’t need on them right now. Trying to take a deep breath didn’t work though. The air was still thick and heavy and oh gosh, he was gonna…

Benrey sang a familiar pretty tone, snapping Gordon’s eyes back onto him. Soft blue light rode the sound. Aimed directly at Gordon’s face, he breathed it in, flooding his mouth with the sweet taste of blue raspberry, erasing any lingering trace of rot from his dream. His whole body shuddered a little as the tension was forced out of it, leaving him able to catch his breath finally.

“Thanks,” he said, rolling more onto his back as the sound ended. “How does uh… how does your sweet voice work exactly? If that’s okay to ask.”

“I don’t know. They gave it to me as an experiment, never really bothered to explain anything ‘bout it and I don’t really care.”

Gordon could ask for more information, wanted to but… he didn’t want to bring up a potentially painful subject. Instead he sat up and looked towards the clock. … It was too blurry for him to read. “What time is it?”

Benrey turned his head to look too. “Uh… 3:36am.”

Damn, way too early. He’d barely slept at all. Maybe he’d have more luck if he waited until sunrise to try for another nap. In the meantime… “Well, I tried sleeping so uh… wanna play something?”

“Nah, bro, you need sleep. Coomer says you’re supposed to sleep uh…” Benrey paused as he pulled out his phone, presumably to check his texts, “seven to eight hours and it’s not even been half that so… not enough.”

“So you went to Dr. Coomer for info, huh?” Since when had Benrey cared enough to even think about such things, let alone go to the trouble of learning more?

“Yeah. Apparently you can die if you don’t sleep enough. And uh… for you, you said that’d be permanent which would be a bummer.”

“Ah, okay, I get it. You can’t have me die until after I buy you that Play Station 3 I promised, right?” And he seemed to largely be a social gamer so he liked having Gordon around to play with since they seemed to be into a lot of the same types of games. So it was most likely more a matter of Benrey being concerned about possibly losing entertainment opportunities than actually caring much about Gordon’s health or well-being.

The look Benrey gave him was utterly unreadable without his glasses and the only light in the room coming through the crack leading to the hall, but it was certainly some kind of look. “Just uh… go back to sleep, bro.”

Gordon scoffed as he slid over to grab his glasses and put them on before standing. “Nah, can’t after that. I’m too uh… wound up. But don’t worry ‘bout me dying of sleep deprivation, ‘kay? That takes a lot of not sleeping… though I guess accidents related to sleep deprivation are fairly common. I’ll be careful and won’t drive or whatever tomorrow until I’ve had another nap or something.”

Benrey was silent, his gaze heavy on Gordon as he stretched and paced a little, trying to work out the last of the post nightmare jitters. The blue sweet voice had helped a lot, it was amazing. It didn’t erase the memory of the dream though and did nothing to ease the bone-deep exhaustion that seemed more and more like it might become just a normal part of Gordon’s life now.

He wasn’t alone though. Benrey wasn’t just a voice on the phone this time but physically here with him, making his presence all the better. Their friendship could work like this. Gordon used him to calm down after nightmares and for company and Benrey used him for entertainment and video games. Maybe not the fairest exchange in the world but when one didn’t have many friends, one should take what they could get. Bubby had betrayed him, Dr. Coomer had tried to kill him once too, and heck, even Tommy hadn’t exactly tried to help him after he’d been jumped. So Gordon was no stranger to being desperate for companionship to the point of being willing to overlook things others would likely end friendships over.

The darkness, not being conducive to one contemplating staying up the rest of the night until sunrise, Gordon made his way over to the light switch. Before he hit it though…

“What if… what if I help you fall back asleep?”

Gordon turned to face Benrey, still standing next to the bed. With his glasses on now it was obvious that his eyes were glowing ever so slightly. Some kind of night vision thing or something he was doing because he thought it cool or whatever? But more curious than that was his offer. “What do you mean?”

Benrey didn’t reply, just kept looking at him.

“You got a sweet voice that can put people sleep? Or maybe just more of the blue might help but…” Even if being too keyed up to relax was the main thing making sleep feel far away despite his exhaustion, the fear of descending right back into that dream made him reluctant to try.

“Nah, in the Black Mesa facility, the uh… the first night you spent back there when I was there too, when I went to your room I was just gonna lie next to you for a bit. But you were all tense and mumbling and stuff, having a nightmare. I was gonna wake you but then you just kinda… grabbed me and hugged me. You’re warm, it was nice and you relaxed so… I stayed. Didn’t seem to have a bad dream after that so maybe uh… we could try that.”

Oh. Gordon vaguely remembered having woken with the vague sense of having had a nightmare but it was so gone form his mind by now that’s all he recalled. Not at all like the vivid dreams he’d been having. Perhaps nightmares that centered or at least heavily featured being alone were a bit harder to have when holding someone and being held. “You’re offering to cuddle me back to sleep?”

“Mm-hmm. It was nice and it’s kinda cold. Just don’t be weird about it.”

Gordon almost laughed. Normally it was Benrey making things weird. But well, he was tired and he’d had the thought of cuddling before going to bed before dismissing it as stupid. It was kind of cold in here though so if Benrey wanted to do it to warm up in addition to helping make sure his ticket to getting a PS3 didn’t die of a sleep deprivation related accident before fulfilling that promise, who was he to say ‘no’? So… “Uh… I guess it’s maybe worth a try. Just… don’t make it weird or tell anyone. Tommy probably wouldn’t care but we’d never hear the end of it from Bubby and Dr. Coomer would probably have a thing or two to say about it too.”

“Got it. It’ll be our little secret.”

“Yeah, our little secret. Go uh… get ready for bed, I guess, like put on pajamas and… whatever else it is you need to do.”

Benrey turned and headed for the closet to pull out the sleep wear Gordon had bought him under the assumption he slept like a normal person. He didn’t take it to the bathroom but started undressing right there. Gordon turned away; Benrey might not care about privacy but he did. He returned to the bed and took off his glasses again, placing them back on the nightstand. Getting himself to settle down and lie on the bed again took a bit of hyping himself up but he got there eventually.

By the time he did, Benrey was ready to join him. This already being awkward enough, he did so without either of them saying anything. Unsure how to proceed, Gordon let Benrey initiate the cuddling. Which he did hesitantly at first before pressing into Gordon’s chest, seemingly losing all his shyness over it the moment they made made physical contact.

He wasn’t just not warm but actually a little cold. It was slightly unpleasant but as they settled into each other, he was also soft. Both of them wearing thinner, looser clothing meant a bit more skin contact too. He seemed to have that ‘surface of slime’ feel to all of him, perhaps attributable to his shape shifting. Maybe his true form was a slime monster? Would that be cool or gross? … A little of both. Mostly the former though because slime monsters could be pretty neat sometimes and if that’s what Benrey was, he certainly counted as pretty neat. That being said though…

“This is kinda awkward.” Gordon didn’t entirely hate it though. If nothing else, it was a very good distraction from bad dreams and bad thoughts.

“Yeah, kinda.”

Silence resumed after that as they shifted and got more comfortable. Much like a pillow, Benrey lost his coldness over time, making him just soft in Gordon’s arms again. And then, not long after noticing that, Benrey started purring. Rather weakly but it was still unmistakable in the silence and with how close they were.

“Oh, okay.” After how he’d reacted to Gordon bringing it up, he hadn’t expected Benrey would let him hear him purr ever again. “You’re asleep or…” was he actually choosing to do it this time?

“I told you not to make it weird.” His purring stuttered a little but he kept doing it, his voice rumbling with it. “You said it was soothing… helped you fall back asleep or whatever.”

“Sorry. It… it’s nice, lovely even.” Comforting especially as it strengthened, becoming a deep pleasant rumble that Gordon could feel in Benrey’s chest. “Thanks.”

“Shut up and go to sleep.”

Gordon’s choice on that matter was rather quickly dwindling. Being a bit awkward didn’t make it not also nice. He was comfortable and comforted. How could he possibly have a bad dream, let alone a full blown nightmare, with Benrey soft in his arms and purring so wonderfully?

~

Next Chapter

[stedes-incredible-library]

Mod A fav list

The OFMD Trucker AU by Harley_Quinn09876 [E], 85k

Stede Bonnet is getting divorced, which is actually a very good thing, but quite honestly he has no idea what to do with himself, he doesn't know what he wants, or what he likes... So on a whim, he abandons his life and heads out on a directionless road trip that is partly an escape, and partly an attempt at self discovery. One stormy night, one car accident, and subsequent rescue by a dashing trucker later, Stede is starting to get an idea of what, or at least who, he really rather likes. Or, that OFMD Modern Trucker AU that no one asked for but that I COULD NOT get out of my head

Water Flowing Underground by @gaypiratebrainrot [E], 22k

Actors and long-time friends Stede Bonnet and Edward Teach shoot the second season of their television show about the historical Gentleman Pirate Rhys Darby and Taika "Blackbeard" Waititi. Things do not go as planned.

kissing is what lovers do (and we're not lovers) by @afterism [E]

A vaguely canon-compliant friends-with-benefits scenario where they've been having sex since episode five but still don't kiss until episode nine, because they're both idiots who don't talk it through as a crew.

An Extremely Fun, Memorable, Deeply Cool Adventure by @ofmd-alsaurus [E]

Edward might be the one with the experience, but Stede is the one with the imagination. OR Stede invents cocksucking. Ed is scandalized and intrigued.

your name like a boat by @mia-ugly and @soft-october-night [E], 39k canon setting plus soulmarks

Sailors call them watermarks. A gift from the sea, a name or symbol written on your chest, meant to guide you to your own true love. But Stede Bonnet's mark doesn't look like anything at all. Not really. And it certainly doesn't look like 'Edward' or 'Teach' or 'Blackbeard' or a black beard and that's fine. Completely fine. Ed's absolutely fine with it.

Transformative Work by @mia-ugly and @pinehutch [E], 41k

"I heard you’re a writer,” Blackbeard says. There’s a sudden rustling sound as Blackbeard kicks something across the floor. Frenchie bends down to retrieve it, and sees that it’s a notebook. Wide and empty, like that one Lucius used to carry around with him. “Write us a better ending then.” (Captain Blackbeard has heard about Frenchie’s ‘bit of fanfiction.’ He asks him to write a better ending for his and Stede’s story. Frenchie tries his best but soon other people want to tell the story the way it should have gone, including Fang, Lucius, Ivan, Jim, and ultimately Ed. In the act of surviving and telling stories together, relationships are considered, examined, and developed. Meanwhile, a ship trailing seagulls grows closer and closer on the horizon.)

weather the storm by @one-more-page [E], 10k timeloop

Ed wakes up on the day Stede comes back over and over and over again.

somewhere in time by @one-more-page [M], 16k canon vibes and AU vibes

Stede goes overboard during a storm and watches his life with Ed in a dozen different timelines.

#gentlebeard is trending! by regional_catastrophe [T], 41k

In which Stede accidentally convinces the pirating world that Gentlebeard (or Blackbonnet or Stedward; there's a poll) is canon, reunites his crew, and gets his boyfriend back.

i'm yours, you know by @andillwriteyouatragedy [T], 9k

stede saves his crew, draws a duel, and reunites with the love of his life, though he's certain he's going to die every step of the way.

our blood is thicker than storms and saltwater by @andillwriteyouatragedy [M], 11k

"No!” Ed screams instinctively. He doesn’t know what’s happened, but he knows he’s heard a gunshot, and he knows Stede’s hands are slipping out of his, and he knows, a second later, that Stede’s let go of the railing to fall into the sea below. Somebody grabs onto Ed’s shoulder, but he wrenches them off of him without a second thought. He wrestles his boots off, then his weapons, but he doesn’t care to tear off anything else— there isn’t time for it, not now, not when— “Captain, don’t!” Frenchie shouts behind him. Ed ignores him. The Revenge doesn’t have a captain if Stede Bonnet’s not on board.

Bones Adrift by Skrifores [E], 42k

The Revenge spots a drifting, seemingly abandoned ship. Is it haunted, overrun by demons, or full of vampire-mermaids? Probably none of the above, Ed and Stede think, though some of the crew have different ideas. There does seem to be something wrong about that ship though. It warrants some investigation. This is a ghost story/horror genre (not too scary) multi-chapter story set in the wonderful Co-Captains time before everything went to hell.

Changing Tides by annabagnell and songlin [E], 37k

Stede Bonnet proudly took credit for every pound his lover gained. He was more right than he knew.

Stede Bonnet's Guide to Sexual Failure (and How to Overcome It) by @thetardigrape [E], 6k

Ed and Stede haven't fucked, but not for lack of trying. aka 5 times Ed and Stede didn't manage to fuck, and 1 time they did.

In Favor with Their Stars by @mxmollusca [M], 62k

Ed is an engineer aboard the Revenge, an interplanetary research vessel on a multi-year mission to study Jupiter's moon Europa. An accident requires that Ed awaken from cryostasis over six months early, and finds his only companion to be Stede, the ship's onboard AI. They develop an unconventional friendship, but is it possible to have more? This is classic mutual pining with a sci-fi twist, inspired by all of my favorite stories about the nature of personhood.

one little room an everywhere by @stedebonntits [T], 18k

Instead of running off to sea, Stede runs off to become a lighthouse keeper. It's uneventful, repetitive, and strangely soothing. Until the storm. Until Stede finds the man shipwrecked on the rocks below. Maybe it's what they both needed.

Down Where It's Wetter and Darling It's Better (WAS (Wet Ass Squssy)) by @zombee and @ghostalservice [E], 24k

When Ed hears Izzy's caught something strange in his net, he expects maybe a two-headed swordfish or a weird duck. But what he's found seems a little too human for Ed's taste. A Free Willy/Shape of Water/Little Mermaid/Tentacle AU.

your name like a boat by @mia-ugly and @soft-october-night [E], 39k

Sailors call them watermarks. A gift from the sea, a name or symbol written on your chest, meant to guide you to your own true love. But Stede Bonnet's mark doesn't look like anything at all. Not really. And it certainly doesn't look like 'Edward' or 'Teach' or 'Blackbeard' or a black beard and that's fine. Completely fine. Ed's absolutely fine with it.

if you get the time, the number is still mine by @one-more-page [M], 25k

A series of phone calls as Stede and Ed go from childhood friends, to adults who can't connect, to something more.

[whatkeepsmeafloat]

All right, now that all the promotional material is out there (as far as we know), here are my season 2 timeline predictions/expectations. Putting it behind a cut because this is a long one - I just need to get my thoughts out.

Before we jump into my proposed timeline, a note on the character arcs: Stede is free of his past, but now has to wrestle with the present and his romantic expectations vs. the reality of the situation. I think he enters the season full of hope that the worst is behind him and now he’s going to reunite with his love and his crew and they’ll all sail off into the sunset together. Not so much. He is going to have to put in the work - a lot of it. As for Ed, he will go through a ton of emotional turmoil this season around the theme of acceptance and self-actualisation. I think he initially blames everything on Stede, but has some realisations of his own and finds a way to let go of Blackbeard and his own troubled past at last. This is necessary for him to arrive at any kind of forgiveness when it comes to Stede.

It’s only after Ed lets go of some of his baggage and Stede has proven himself that they truly reunite - on equal footing. They may meet up again early on, but no smooches until after some serious character development.

So what do I think the order of events is going to be?

Bearded Stede running down the beach in leather trousers at sunset is absolutely a dream sequence, and my money is on Stede. He's going to have this fantasy about being a dashing rogue swashbuckling his way back into Ed's heart - maybe in slow-motion set to a great song - only for it to cut to him and his crew sleeping on a floor somewhere like a group of miserable wet dogs. Classic gag - it’ll be great. If Blackbeard interrupting the wedding isn't the opening scene, it'll still be in the first episode of the season. Izzy hates how it's all going and tries to talk to Ed about it, but Ed throws a knife at his head and locks himself into the auxiliary closet with the cake figurines. The crew eats the wedding cake and talks about how things are Not Going Well. Stede stares at the wanted poster, Ed stares at the figurine (music plays, of course). Ed has given up - Stede has only become more determined. Somewhere around here is when Stede meets the Prince Ricky character. More on him later. Also, and I’m not sure if this will happen this early on, but after almost getting eaten by Buttons and Roach, the Swede leaves the crew and joins Spanish Jackie’s harem of husbands. She finds herself drawn to his awkward vibe and he likes getting bossed around by a strong woman - we already know that Jackie is the dominant partner in her relationships.

Stede and crew befriend what they think are a group of Chinese merchants, but end up being a band of pirates who have a bone to pick with Blackbeard and want to find him just as badly as Stede does.They’re using Stede to find Blackbeard’s ship, but somehow it all works out. Don’t ask me how. Meanwhile, Jim is bonding with the cool new lady pirate, but still looking for a way to escape and get back to Olu. Fang and Frenchie are concerned as Ed’s behaviour escalates and Izzy loses his leg - whether it's the severed toe or that rogue gunshot, I don't know. When Stede finally catches up with their ship, they use the crossbow to make a zip line between them - finally, the gang is reunited. Perhaps all of this takes place after the storm that we see Ed standing in. He is reckless and gets himself knocked out. Stede insists on bringing him onto their ship as well, even though everyone thinks Blackbeard is going to kill him. Ed wakes up, headbutts Stede, and things are Tense. Stede is his smiling cherub self and assumes they’ll just go back to the way things were. He says all the wrong things, and Ed is having none of it. He tells Stede that he never wants to see him again once they’re back on land. Stede sighs that he should have just told Ed how he felt instead of whatever came out of his mouth - we all cry. The Chinese pirates forget about whatever they wanted from Ed because he is clearly a broken man and there’s nothing to gain here. Maybe Stede’s crew grew on them, like when we see Buttons doing tai chi with them on deck.

Back on land, Ed tries to leave Stede behind, but Stede keeps following him around and popping up all over the place - like at Spanish Jackie’s place and Anne Bonny and Mary Read’s… antique shop? That look on Ed’s face in the trailer reads as “oh god, he’s back again” to me, not like a first meeting. Anne Bonny and Mary Read either gleefully enjoy the drama of it all or have something more nefarious in mind in revenge of Calico Jack. Izzy absolutely loses his leg because of Ed and is patched up by Stede's crew. Roach uses the ship’s unicorn to create a peg leg. It’s humiliating for Izzy, but he has no choice but to accept. He is vulnerable in a way he has never been before, and instead of casting him out the crew is supportive and tries to help him back onto his feet (well, foot and hoof). This makes him reevaluate not only himself but the group and piracy as a whole - think Long John Silver's arc on Black Sails. He will also have to relearn how to fight and handle himself with the peg leg, so I fully expect a Rocky-style training montage including that shirtless candle slicing scene. This newfound sense of community and purpose combined with the knowledge that Ed really was better with Stede drives Izzy to train Stede in the ways of being a pirate. They both grow to respect each other, the fans cry - give me the montage. There might be a storyline where Olu and Jim have to rediscover their relationship after their separation and Jim growing close to the new crew member. I don’t see them breaking up in any way though - just figuring out where they stand now and how they want to move forward. At the end of the episode someone appears on the ship in English navy clothes, and it turns out to be our boy Lucius. Roll credits.

We learn that Lucius was picked up by the English at the end of season one and has integrated himself into the navy, growing a beard and keeping his head down. He has heard some things and has been looking for a way to rejoin the crew and share this knowledge - maybe their new Prince Ricky fan was an undercover English officer this whole time or something. Black Pete is overjoyed and so are we. Meanwhile, Ed tries to find ways to move on and figure out who he is without a crew and without Stede. He finds himself in an isolated location - maybe after washing ashore after a storm, but this is the part that I can’t figure out - where he talks to a rabbit and starts seeing the ghost of Hornigold. Whether he is using drugs, seriously dehydrated, or just lonely and emotionally unstable, I don’t know. Maybe it’s all of the above. Regardless, he has to face his past and deal with his Blackbeard identity. This is his lowest point, and he ends up throwing himself off the cliff with the rock tied around his middle. Maybe he believes it is a way to pay for what he’s done, maybe he can’t imagine a future for himself without Blackbeard looming over him. Either way, he survives somehow and finds a way to work through the trauma and start over - an ocean baptism, if you will. At the end of all of this is when Ed is finally ready to forgive and move forward with Stede. Perhaps he’s just in time to jump into the fray as Stede is battling the English navy.

I don’t know who this Prince Ricky character is, but it seems like he initially meets Stede’s crew while down and out (or pretending to be), gets his nose cut off along the way (presumably by Jackie), and then leads the English in their battle against the pirates. I do know that there is a historical figure who was an English sailor turned pirate who had the nickname “Prince of Pirates” and used to sail with Hornigold and Blackbeard. However, his name was Samuel Bellamy a.k.a. Black Sam. They may play fast and loose with history though and move some things around. It was actually Hornigold who became a pirate hunter for the English in the end, but maybe they’re going to give that storyline to this guy. I’m really curious to see how it’s going to play out. Fighting back is where Lucius really comes in - he has insider information that the crew can use to form a plan.

The torture ship? Drag show? Earring? I have no clue.

Thank you for letting me vent. Place your bets now on how wrong I’ll end up being!

[ketho484]

Chapter seven of the Actor AU!

Warning: This chapter contains mentions of near death and actual death as well as gun use. Discretion is advised

Au belongs to @frillsand

🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀

Chapter 7: The Rescue

The cast of Welcome home all had a day off today. They went to their chatroom and decided to meet at the community center to figure out their next move to help Willow. They all met at the center, Wally arriving last as he was still seething after last night. When prompted by Barnaby about his anger, Wally told them everything he learned, showing them the contents of the briefcase as proof. Needless to say, they were convinced his theory might be right.

“No wonder you go to close to her so quickly�� Poppy stated as she and Howdy inspected the birth certificate

“No wonder she trusted you more than all of us combined” Howdy added

“And now that poor little kid is living with her kidnapper?” Sally asked, Wally nodding in affirmation

“And the murderer of your parents?” Frank added, earning another nod from Wally, who looked ready to kill someone

“Gee, Wally. That must’ve been really hard on you to learn this” Eddie said as he put a comforting hand on Wally’s shoulder

“…I’m going to that house tonight” Wally stated “We have the evidence we need right here. Id you guys can keep all this safe, I’ll get Willow somewhere safe and make sure the cops take him away”

“Wally, are you sure that’s a good idea?” Julie asked, worried for her friend “What if you get hurt?”

“Julie’s right” Barnaby spoke up “If you’re gonna do this, at least take someone as backup”

“Not to mention a potential witness if something goes wrong” Frank added

“Mmmm…You all make good points” Wally said as he took a breath “I-I just couldn’t sleep last night now that I know what I know”

“It’s okay, Wally” Poppy said as she wrapped a wing around his shoulders “Nobody’s judging you. We just want you to be careful”

Wally sighed and looked over at Eddie

“…Me?” Eddie pointed to himself

“You and Howdy both work jobs outside of our acting careers” Wally explained “You work at the post office in the early mornings, he works the night shift at a Whole Foods. Not only are you the most available, but thanks to your job, you’re cool under pressure and won’t freak out of something goes wrong”

“Wally has a point” Howdy said “You remember that fight that broke out in the store last time you were there. You immediately took charge and acted as a mediator to help break it up before security could do anything”

“If anything, behind that sweet attitude is a smart soldier” Frank added, making eddie blush

“Well…If you really think i’m capable, you don’t mind if I drive, do you?” Eddie asked shyly “My car is darker, so it’ll be less likely to be spotted”

“Deal” Wally smiled before turning to the others “The rest of you be on standby just in case something goes wrong in the worst possible way”

With an affirming nod, the group all went back to their homes, Eddie taking the briefcase just in case Eric tried looking through Wally’s house to get it back. Wally waited all day, practicing his painting while he did before Eddie pulled up in his simple, black Camaro. Wally got in, tablet in hand, and directed Eddie to the right house. The arguing was really bad tonight. Poor Willow was crying again as Wally pulled out his phone and called the cops.

“HCPD, how can I help you?” A lady on the other line spoke

“Hi, I’d like to report that I might’ve found the killer of the Darling couple” Wally said

“Wait, really!?” The lady spoke up “Where is he!?”

“Number 2059 West Maple Avenue”

“Damn, that’s in the suburbs. No wonder we couldn’t find this guy. Alright, a squad is-”

Before the lady could finish, a loud shot was heard inside the house, making both Eddie and Wally jump

“What was that?” The lady asked, having heard the gunshot

“…I think the guy shot a gun” Wally said worriedly

“Okay, don’t move. Help is coming” The woman said before hanging up

“We’ve gotta get Willow out of there!” Wally said as he dropped his phone and dashed for the house, Eddie following close behind

Willow screamed from inside, a scream that quickly got louder as she saw Wally and ran for him. Wally was going to pick her up, But Eric came from behind and headlocked her, picking her up and backing away as he held a gun to her temple. Behind them, Wally and Eddie could both see Jessica dead on the ground with a bullet hole in her skull. It made them sick, but also sad that the one person Willow saw as her mom, the only one in that house who tried to save her, had died to try and make that happen.

“Stay back!” Eric shouted, Willow crying out as she struggled in his hold, finding it somewhat hard to breathe, though not impossible “You bastards should’ve minded your own damn business!”

“It is our business!” Wally shouted, rage evident in his eyes “Especially since you took my sister away!”

“This brat is mine!” Eric screamed “This is how a puppet should treat it’s fucking master! And you made her disobey!”

“Please let her go” Eddie begged “She’s just a child”

“No! I’m making sure nobody will find this brat again!” Eric shouted as Willow got an idea “And you can’t stop me-AAAAAGH!!!”

At that moment, as the sirens were being heard coming closer, Willow bit down into Eric’s arm and ran towards Wally, not even thinking about catching her breath. Wally bent down and held her in his arms, but turned his body around when Eric pointed the gun and fired, Eddie, getting down to avoid the shot…

…Silence filled the air followed by a thump. Willow let out a scream as Eddie ran to place pressure on a fresh gunshot wound in Wally’s chest. The guy was struggling to breathe, his vision blurring and his hearing muffled as he heard sirens of the cops and an ambulance. The cops dragged a screaming Eric to their car while the paramedics took Wally straight to the hospital. Eddie had to stop Willow from running after him, holding her back so the medics could do their jobs. Once she stopped struggling, once the ambulance drove off, Eddie washed his hands in the house sink and took Willow to the car, driving her to his apartment. It was small, but quaint. Eddie set Willow on the couch and got her something small to eat, not wanting her tummy to be too upset after what she just went through. She didn’t eat anything. She just stared at her plate for forty-five minutes before the landline rang. Eddie picked it up.

“Hello? This is Eddie” He spoke to the other person on the line, though Willow couldn’t hear what the other person was saying “Uh-huh…Yeah, she’s safe. How’s Wally?…Yeah? Oh my gosh, thank you so much!…Yeah? Oh…Oh, I see…No, no, I’ll tell her…Yeah, I’ll deliver the news…He’s going to be okay, right?…Okay…Yeah, thank you” With that, Eddie hung up the phone and approached Willow slowly “Well…The good news is he’s stable”

“Will he be coming for me?” Willow asked, her voice quiet as she set the food tray aside

“…That’s the bad news. He’s in a coma right now, so he won’t be able to wake up for a little while” Eddie explained, pulling the little puppet into his arms “He’ll wake up, I’m sure of it, but he needs some time, okay?”

Willow hugged Eddie, fresh tears coming to her eyes as she nodded tiredly

"...Okay. I trust you..."

[kittywritesfic]

The report of the gunshot is lost in the shouting, the shooter lost in the shuffle of rushing bodies.

Meryl pushes to Vash’s side, blue eyes wide, hands tangled in the sleeve of his coat. Milly’s already on the phone by Wolfwood's side, her hand on his shoulder.

“Nico?” Vash pushes past Meryl, shoves someone else. “Nic?” Wolfwood is on his knees. There’s no reason for him to be on his knees. He’s in a suit for this. For Vash. It's… Because tonight was important, Vash worked so hard and- “What happened?” Vash falls to his knees opposite of Milly, takes Wolfwood’s face in his hands. “Nic, Nico, Wolfwood… L-Look at me.” Gray eyes struggle to focus, his breath is too fast, too thin. “What’s wrong? What? What’s wrong?”

“I… Don’t…Know.” Wolfwood wobbles as he looks down. “Vash, I don’t know.” He lifts his hand where it’s pressed to his ribs. "I…" And frowns in confusion. "Something-Something happened.”

“Oh God…” And now that Vash sees the blood, he can’t look away, can’t understand how much of it there is. “I-I don’t-I don’t know what to do.” He presses his hands over Wolfwood’s, presses trembling fingers against the steady stream pouring from Wolfwood’s stomach.  

“Vash-”

“You’re okay.

“What do I do?” Vash yells over his shoulder as Milly sobs into the phone. “Meryl! Meryl! What-What the fuck do I do?” 

“Am-Am I okay?” 

Vash turns back to Wolfwood as Meryl kneels beside him. She shoves his hands away and presses her jacket into Wolfwood’s side.  “We need to lie him down.”

“I need you to look at me,” Vash soothes his hand down Wolfwood’s cheek. “Gonna lay you back-” He eases Wolfwood back. 

Wolfwood jerks, grasps for Vash’s shoulders. “No! No! Don’t-Vash-”

“Okay,” Vash chokes, burying his face in Wolfwood’s neck. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry, Nic.” He apologizes against Nic thready pulse as he eases him back. “I’m so sorry.” He pulls Wolfwood’s hand to his lips, kisses his bloodied knuckles, “You’re okay.”

“I-” Wolfwood’s fingers flex and twist in Vash’s jacket, “I wanna go home.”

“Nic,” Vash bends over Wolfwood, presses their foreheads together. He feels so cool. Why’s he so cool? “I want to go home too.” He chokes the last word out on a sob, Wolfwood’s fist pressed to Vash’s cheek, smearing blood and tears and breaking his heart. 

“I don’t-” Wolfwood’s fingers slacken, they twist tighter just for a second,. “Wanna- Let’s go home…” The words fall away and his eyes go empty. 

Vash cups Wolfwood’s face, elbows Milly away from his side. “Look at me, Wolfwood! Nic!” He angles Wolfwood’s head, lifts his slack neck, “L-Look at me!” He shakes him. Milly gasps and Meryl curses. Vash shakes him again. “Look at me! In the fucking eyes, Nic!”

Wolfwood gasps as his eyes come back into focus, jerking up as Meryl presses harder. His breath is too fast, his lungs wheezing. “Vash! Vash! Fuck! Don’t-!”

Vash forces Nic to look away, to look up, “It’s not that bad. It’s not that bad, baby. It’s not. Okay?”

“It’s… not?” Wolfwood’s words come out slowly, the vowels drawn long. “It’s a lot of blood. It’s a lotta…” He coughs. “Lotta blood, blondie.” He coughs again.

“No,” Vash leans close and wipes the blood from Wolfwood’s lips with his thumbs, “No. No, no no. It’s not. It’s not a lot. Not. Okay?”

Wolfwood grins, blood settling like ink between his teeth. “Hey,” gives Vash’s hand a squeeze. “It’s okay.” There’s a distance returning to his eyes, a faraway horizon that Vash wants to keep him from. His hands go slack, his neck goes loose. 

And Vash’s stomach falls out. “No, no, no, no, no, no.”

“Gotta tell you somethin’,” Wolfwood rasps, “s-spikes.”

“No,” Vash sobs, “No. No, you don’t. Just-Just wait. Just wait. We’re… We’re gonna go home. Okay? Tell me at home. D-Don’t…”

“Loved you since…” The blood is a steady dark trickle from the corner of Wolfwood’s smiling lips, “that very…” His chest rises. “First smile.” His chest falls.

And it doesn’t rise again.

[odetoviscera]

Liveblogging Mission: Impossible 3, Lens Flare-ily

BACK. BACK AGAIN. THE MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE. THE ETHAN: HUNTED MAYBE I ASSUME??? THEMATIC COLOUR BASED ON THE PARAMOUNT+ BANNER: COOL BLUE.

i think these are just getting longer. liveblogging below.

this movie released in 2006, when i was sixteen and therefore very likely to have seen it. i have the vague impression that i did. i still don’t remember anything specific about it, but we’ll see if any Buried Memories resurface during this viewing lol

paramount logo now comes with Vaguely Sinister Sounds

oop, i hear ethan getting electrocuted

and oh BOY is he looking rough. my boy :( we’re in media res i guess lol. “we’ve put an explosive charge in your head.” i bet you’re wondering how i got into this mess--

is that philip seymour hoffman??? yes it is, as our villain for the piece, one assumes. you don’t waste philip seymour hoffman on your cold open only villain who never shows up again lol

“you’re gonna tell me where the rabbit’s foot is or she dies” so firstly: obviously The Villain has made an accurate assessment of Ethan Hunt’s Survival Instincts. secondly: whomst? whomst this? “jules” apparently.

ethan goes from “we can talk like gentlemen”-- shot of a goon with a broken nose that i assume ethan gave him here, btw, which: split second of levity, thank you movie-- to RATTLING THE CHAINS ON HIS CHAIR LIKE A DOG ON A CHOKE CHAIN between the villain counting from two to three. i am. FULL OF CONCERN. movie has done a genuinely good job setting a High Stress Threshold from the word go lol

OOF villain just shot hostage lady in i think the knee? it went pretty fast. either way he is Not Impressed with ethan’s attempts at negotiation.

you know i am genuinely not sure ethan actually knows what villain guy wants? he seems to be legitimately losing his mind about hostage lady, i’m not sure he’d still be prevaricating by this point. sometimes he surprises me though!

HMM. got to count of ten, and i’m not sure if that was a gunshot or the Mission Impossible Match Lighting for the opening! will be interested to see if we’re going back in time or if this was the Trauma Setup for the film

so who’s our director on this-- oh it’s JJ ABRAMS? where is this in his filmography… huh, i guess this was his directorial debut in film. he’d previously worked as a director in tv on alias and lost, though-- alias is presumably what got him this one. okay, so i should expect lens flare and, ugh, “mystery boxes” lol

and the credits end with I THINK hostage lady jules opening her fridge. kind of hard to tell without the duct tape lol. but i believe this means we’re in Flashback Territory

oh ethan is kissing on her. look at that smile! one must imagine ethan hunt happy

okay her family’s over. awww, ethan: “it’s going well right?” i wonder if this is the first time he’s meeting her whole family or? regardless he is seeking Validation. insecure ethan hunt. bless.

oh it’s their engagement party! but yes it seems like this is the first time they’re meeting him. whirlwind romance?

“ethan doesn’t have his parents anymore either”-- i guess his mom died between movies?

dfklha;ldkfha;slkh ethan boring everyone at the party with his “i work at the department of transportation” cover lol

dfl;kkhas;ldkfha;lskh okay the ladies are in the kitchen gossiping and i am PRETTY SURE ethan is reading their lips from across the room lol

jules is a nurse! and apparently they met while skydiving or something lol, which based on ethan’s Freeclimbing Hobby i guess does track as something he’d do in his freetime, but DOES also open the possibility that they met on a job. i’m undecided on whether she Knows™ lol

this is all very wholesome, even without the cold open i’d know it was doomed

phone call “is this mr. ethan hunt” and he doesn’t Get It immediately despite the Sinister Tone bc he’s in Happy Ethan Cover Mode.

aaaand the penny drops. “all-expenses paid trip to mexico”

ethan: chucks the ice out the back door

ethan: oh nooo we ran out of ice i’ll go get some

listen i don’t know enough about cars to tell you what kind this is, but it is a Dad Car. ethan hunt is engaging Dad Mode before he even gets married

omg they even have a DOG. does the dog die??? hang on i have to know this before i become emotionally attached-- okay per doesthedogdie.com NO. THE DOG IS SAFE.

anyway i can’t believe The Local 7/11 is where ethan has meetings with his handler lol. oh hm ethan is Training Operatives now instead of working, apparently. this seems like a positive career move! i’m sure it won’t last!

“agent farris” is missing-- that’s not nyah is it? …no, nyah is nordoff-hall. someone else ethan trained, presumably. (speaking of which, what happened with nyah?)

and of course ethan can’t resist at least Retrieving the mission brief hidden in the disposable camera lol. oh good lord, i figured it would just be on the film reel, no, this thing has an IRIS SCANNER, someone introduce me to imf’s q, who is the silly bastard inventing these

oh we got a name for villain guy now, “owen davian”-- has farris hostage, they aren’t disavowing her bc they want her intel, apparently.

new team!

declan gormley-- sorry about your name my guy-- is an “aviation machinist” (so probably our pilot) and a sysop engineer, so probably also our hacker

zhen lei is a “lan computer networker”-- …sure-- with “combat assault skills” which should come in handy even if ethan is now specced more for soldiering than he used to be

luther! love to see you but why haven’t you retired with your bajillion dollars yet. also why are there so many hackers on this team. anyway, he’s also got “artillery equipment specialist” listed in his credentials, which i assume is from that one time he fired a bazooka at a car chasing ethan last movie lol

“this message, let’s call it my excellent engagement gift to you--” dhf;lakhd;flkhas dude. no.

i will say the latest imf bigwig seems less infuriating than the last two, even if he is Dragging Ethan Out Of Retirement. it is an “if you choose to accept it”! i mean ethan will, inevitably, accept it, bc he’s Himself, but there’s at least a hypothetical out.

ethan’s having nightmares :( 

and yep, now he’s telling julia he’ll have to “go on a business trip”. although he tells her it’ll only be for a night, which is probably over-optimistic of him.

LUTHER!!!! he is exuding Competence and Confidence which is an interesting change of pace from him, lol, he’s often been a bit Anxious in the previous two movies. not about his skills, but about like. The Inherent Dangers Of The Job. i guess this is Older Wiser Luther lol

and it looks like we’re going STRAIGHT into the extraction, no setup, so uh. i’m not sure it’s gonna go well. also, first of the Really Noticeable Lens Flares lol

i will say, egregious lens flares notwithstanding lol, this is actually really well lit for a night scene. you remember when films used to LIGHT for dark scenes instead of just doing them IN the dark? those were the days

okay this is an interesting exchange between ethan and luther. luther says “you know i got your six.” and ethan’s response is just “hey, man. that’s your job.” which, objectively speaking, is TRUE-- but there’s a beat afterwards where they just look at each other before they move on. i’m not sure if this is some kind of unresolved tension from ethan having gotten out of field work for a while, if this is luther alluding to ethan’s tendency from the last movie to go into situations without the POSSIBILITY of backup, if luther is trying to remind ethan that he’s got a Full (and Fully Trained) team for possibly the first time since the first movie, if luther is trying to remind ethan that they’re FRIENDS and being kind of gently rebuffed bc this is a high-stakes field operation… unclear.

anyway luther has gotten Four Computer-Operated Guns that he can run from the safety of his little combat van setup, lol.

lkafd;lkfh;alsh okay listen. luther has heat-vision on the building. okay. i’ll buy it. luther locates a heat-signature that appears to be sitting in a slightly reclined position that looks uncomfortable and probably like restraint-- cool! that’s probably our hostage! but the computer then announcing “target match” with “VASCULAR ID CONFIRMED”-- that! is not! how that works!

okay so real quick: vascular pattern recognition is real, blood vessel patterns are about as unique as fingerprints and iris patterns, but significantly harder to counterfeit bc they’re Beneath The Skin. but you DO NOT identify vascular patterns by heat signature, they ARE NOT analyses of the entire vascular system of the body, they usually FUNCTION LIKE FINGERPRINT SCANNERS, bc they assess the blood vessel patterns beneath the skin of a fingertip. it’s a photographic comparison between the database pattern and the registered pattern, which is scanned with infrared leds and fancy cameras. it’s only more secure than a fingerprint bc of the Beneath The Skin part. don’t ask me why i know this, i write fanfiction, you just pick these things up. THIS IS NOT HOW IT WORKS!!!

look at some more lens flare. also i need you to know that the yellow lights on the left side are flickering in time with the fluttering cymbal in the score.

fh;alksdhf;lakkh luther, mid-op, “at some point we gotta go over this whole getting married thing.” luther is demanding to know if julia is good enough for his ethan lol i’m guessing he’s grumpy he wasn’t consulted

hmm, they’re drugging farris with something, “give her 10ccs more”-- oh hey, the one creepily petting her hair is the goon with the future broken nose, btw. deserved.

blow some charges and luther is lighting this place UP with his four guns lol. this seems like it might be SLIGHTLY risky with ethan and a hostage inside, but i assume they’re accounted for in the targeting ranges

ethan takes down one goon with a short burst, so he’s upgraded from hand guns to something more robust. he just gets Shootier and Shootier each movie lol

farris gets an adrenaline shot so that she can participate in her own rescue, i assume-- hopefully that doesn’t interact too badly with whatever she’s drugged with

i haven’t seen enough of the new teammates to really get a sense of them yet but zhen admittedly looks cool as hell moving through the facility towards her objective lol. i can’t get a decent screengrab of this bc the lights are flashing constantly, the cuts are too fast, and paramount+ won’t let me scroll frame by frame but just trust me that she is cool and we love a woman in military gear. also she VERY narrowly avoids getting blown up by a grenade by flinging herself out a window.

uh-oh, farris is telling ethan to turn off his transmitter so she can talk to him Privately. that’s ominous, especially Mid-Rescue while the building is full of holes

they were interrupted by a firefight, and farris’ adrenaline has definitely kicked in! looks like ethan trained her well

the intel (?) that zhen came for has been slightly blown up, hopefully still useful

fkha;ldkfh;lakshdf;lkah

lindsey: i’m out, how many rounds you got?

ethan, making The Most Concerned Unconcerned Face: …………Enough

also he makes like a thousand tiny flinching faces while he’s gearing up to take his One Shot, which Must Kill This Man bc “enough” means “one bullet”, which makes it extremely clear how much his blase “now i’m out :|”

after said shot does kill said man is a FUCKING MASK. ethan hunt knows half his reputation is cool one-liners after he does something absurd and that that’s the part people will remember, and he plays into that ON PURPOSE bc his previous job role was BEING THE FACE. i am begging everyone on earth to remember that this man’s SECOND career is soldier, and he came from THE THEATRE OF ESPIONAGE. he is a dramatic bitch INTENTIONALLY to ACCOMPLISH SOMETHING.

one INCREDIBLY hot extraction on the top of luther’s van later, and everybody’s getting on the helicopter without farris getting to have her solo talk with ethan-- aaaaand now she’s complaining of a sudden intense headache, which probably means her head is about to explode ala “we’ve put an explosive charge in your head” from the cold open

…uhoh, declan-- i was right, he is our pilot-- is hesitating to take off, and i hear another helicopter approaching-- yeah, that’s a gunship. and alas it does not get taken out by the van blowing up, so they’re being pursued-- through a field of wind turbines which is an interesting visual AND an interesting tactic by declan

oh my god so much lens flare though lol. the music is getting increasingly ominous

they've located the bomb in farris' head! according to ethan’s little magic scanner device, it contains at least nitroglycerin and magnesium, and it looks about the size of a pill, so… possibly her head does not explode as such, just. burn from the inside out.

declan doing some VERY tight maneuvering to dodge some missiles. luther is leaning out the side of the helicopter with a handgun apparently hoping he can use it to shoot down a gunship lol. MAYBE if he can get a shot through the windscreen???

….okay so ethan’s plan for dealing with the explosive is to shock farris with the defibrillator-- i’m kind of unclear on whether the plan is to use the defib on the chest as intended or like. on her HEAD. hopefully the former lol

second missile fired-- ah, okay, it looks like luther’s gun was actually a flare gun, he’s just fired it in an attempt to divert the missile ala firing chaff. which works! shears a turbine blade off into a field of very alarmed sheep lol

third missile lock, and declan just went BETWEEN THE BLADES of a wind turbine, which the following gunship really should not have attempted lol, it got crunched like tinfoil. we love to see that imf competence on display-- which their AGENTS typically do! their organization as a whole, less so

aaand the aed’s thirty-second charging window was just slightly too long and farris’ charge has detonated in her brain. relatively bloodless, although her eyes get kind of fucked up, which i will do you the favour of not screencapping

this is the face of ethan hunt about to go on the warpath, by the way

ethan hunt returning to his nice domestic life after a mission that ended in complete failure despite everyone technically doing a spectacular job

aaand putting the mask on for the almost-wife. there was a MOMENT where he wasn’t caught up and he still looked lost and devastated, and she caught it-- bc of course she did-- and he couldn’t tell her what it was about, so-- The Patented Ethan Hunt Grin comes on. this is almost extra tragic? bc like… clearly he doesn’t want his spy life to overlap with his wife life. understandable (hi cold open) and probably unavoidable, given she wouldn’t have clearance to know 99% of it anyway. but just the emotional distance between Party Ethan who seemed genuinely happy and excited and nervous in that Border Collie way-- meeting new people! being nice to them! getting his girlfriend’s brother a beer! “it’s going well, right?”-- and this ethan, who is papering over his hurt bc he can’t afford to show her what it’s about.

and you can see she doesn’t entirely buy it, either. if she survives this movie, that’s going to become an ongoing source of conflict.

oh i take it back, apparently laurence fishburne is the REAL IMF brass of this movie, and he sucks just as much as the rest of them lol. “i read your training brief on agent farris. the words you used were “beyond capable.” that still stand, mr hunt?” fuck you dude, like ya’ll don’t lose agents left and right around here

oof, yep, the intel did get fried by the grenade, which is not making the imf any happier. not, to be clear, that i want the imf to be happy. fuck the imf ethan, GO FREELANCE, these people have sucked in EVERY MOVIE

oof, farris was his First Ever recommendation for field duty. no wonder this is hitting him like a train

hmm, ethan just got a call at farris’ funeral asking for a “mr. kelvin” which must be one of his cover identities, since he answers to it. apparently farris-- or “farris”-- sent him a postcard from berlin. the postcard has no text-- it has a “microdot”, per luther’s examination, but there’s nothing on THAT either. Mysterious™

luther just asked if there was anything going on between ethan and farris-- honestly, fair question, given his track record with hooking up with the ladies he works with lol, although in at least one case that was a honeytrap working on him lol-- and ethan reports that she was “like his little sister”, which-- aww, and also :( 

fla;ksdhf;laskh;lkh ethan @ luther “remember when you were sweet? can you remember that far back?” ETHAN IT WAS AT MOST TWO MOVIES AGO. arguably last movie, no i am not over his little terrified teary voice when ethan is doing dumb shit lol

new character! benji, who i have gathered from @leupagus is part of the Ongoing Team-- currently he is apparently a desk tech at imf who is complaining that the hard drives they recovered are fried lol. ethan already knows him, which is interesting.

flkahdl;fkhasl he did recover something from the Fried Drives anyway lol, so i guess he just wanted to complain. specifically he’s uncovered that davian is going to be at the vatican, and also that he’s there to get The Rabbit’s Foot (of cold open fame)

benji is one of those “tell a rambling story to get around to the point” people lol

interesting, ethan is trying to get musgrave-- the guy i originally thought was the imf brass of the movie, not technically ethan’s handler since ethan technically isn’t doing field work lol, i think he called himself a branch manager or something at some point-- “deniability” on the operation he’s about to undertake based on benji’s find. meaning he’s trying to protect musgrave’s reputation after it took a ding from the failure to recover farris.

ethan letting julia know he’s going to be “away on business” again, this time for TWO days. he interrupted her at work to have this conversation on, apparently, the roof of the hospital she works at, which is an interesting choice lol. she is Not Happy About It and asking for explanations which i can’t imagine he’s going to give her.

alskdhf;laskhdf;lkash;lkh she asks for reassurance that their relationship is real and he’s like “you know what fuck it let’s get married Right Now in the hospital chapel”. they have to use some little plastic rings he got in the gift shop or something lol. adorable. i’m love them.

aaaaand time to break into the vatican! plan: kidnap davian (and also get his buyers, which i’m assuming means ethan will be pulling out a Davian Face Mask at some point)

this is their hilariously analogue solution to not being able to loop a static shot to a vatican cctv camera. hopefully ethan didn’t get a bird in the frame lol

also he’s now dressed up as a priest and i would love to know how uncomfortable it was to keep those robes wrapped up inside the worker jumpsuit he was wearing earlier

i’m guessing this is zhen who’s underwater breaking into a vent, and it looks like declan has had his own costume change into a tourist!

actually come to think of it, how does this whole team from the failed op have time to do ethan’s off-the-books operation? how frequently do imf agents get work? we know the imf keeps tabs on them, from that time they tracked ethan down during his freeclimbing vacation, so the imf surely Knows they’re all in the vatican, and that would be suspicious even without whatever equipment they requisitioned-- surely they don’t just own all of this shit themselves-- and especially with them all having been on a failed op together like. last week. so either the imf is spectacularly incompetent-- totally possible-- or they’re aware of this operation and tacitly approve bc it means they can just DOUBLE disavow everyone if it goes wrong

oh it was luther underwater! i assumed he was in the van. this begs the question of where zhen is-- ah, i hear her teasing declan lol-- they have her in a Very pretty car, although bright orange makes me suspect this is a decoy rather than a getaway vehicle lol

alksdhf;lkash;lkah luther and ethan just blew a hole in a wall of the vatican catacombs. way to destroy some irreplaceable art history boys lol

ma’am you didn’t have to slay me like this but thank you

ooooh are we going to get to see how they make the plastic face masks???

dflaksjdf;lkahs luther is trying to patch things up with ethan about him being snippy about ethan’s engagement. WAIT until he hears ethan is already married lol.

luther: a normal relationship isn’t possible for people like us ethan: i don’t agree with that luther: then i’m smarter than you

LUTHER YOU DON’T HAVE TO ROAST HIM LIKE THAT (pls continue it’s very entertaining)

The Facemaskification Process-- put a big plastic sheet over the dummy head, input a bunch of photos of the target face at various angles, i’m unclear if these are lasers or saws but Something cuts away the plastic to match

luther has ethan as a captive audience while they prep for him to pretend to be davian, so he’s continuing to harangue ethan about his relationship lol. “23 months” is his estimate for how long it’ll last, which is Suspiciously Specific, luther, you projecting a bit babe?

Continued Facemaskification: airbrushing the colours from the same photos. this raises some questions about lighting-- both in terms of the lighting the source photos are taken in-- does the mask hold up to the same scrutiny under different lighting conditions than the source photos?-- and things like subsurface scatter, which presumably wouldn’t work with a mask that’s built like this one seems to be. obviously you can paint a facsimile of subsurface scatter, but again, that won’t hold up under various lighting conditions. many questions remain.

lol luther is continuing to try to talk ethan out of this by telling him how much he’s going to screw up the girl, and ethan finally breaks in with “jules and i got married two days ago.”-- which is an interesting timeline note, by the way-- and luther after a beat is just “..........congratulations.”

zhen has just dumped red wine on davian to divert him to a bathroom lol

very creepy ethan lol

ah, and now we get a look at how the vocoder gets set up the first time-- he’s having davian read a phonetic passage to collect voice samples to clone. idk how accurate that was to 2006, but voice cloning ai is actually pretty achievable today-- unfortunately, for deepfake reasons.

ksdhf;lkashd;lflkah okay so post-kidnapping switcheroo the cover to get ethan/”davian” away from his bodyguards is to have zhen offer to “wash his shirt”/offer sexual favours and having “davian” take her up on it lol. which, i’ll grant you, he seems plausibly like that kind of creep and zhen looks. uh. listen we’d all follow her to a hotel room is what i’m saying.

fajhdlfas;lkh the center console in zhen’s car rolls back so they can all exfil into the sewers-- meaning the bodyguards can’t even follow her car. “what’s up”

and then they BLOW UP THE CAR, which is going to a) have vatican security Swarming, and b) davian’s bodyguards (and anyone else who knows him) will now think he’s dead!

lovely full team shot zipping away on a speedboat. ethan has “dad taking the kids on a joyride” energy lol

and we’re only halfway into the movie so can’t wait to see how this unqualified success goes spectacularly tits-up

fakhdl;fkhas;ldkh musgrave just claimed to be aware the operation was happening, presumably to give ETHAN cover from the brass for going off-book (well, also to get credit)-- you boys need to coordinate better on who is covering for who

davian Starts Off this interrogation with “do you have a wife, girlfriend? bc i’m going to hurt her” which like. accurate from the cold open. apparently he thinks his best strategy is to Antagonize his captor, which, well, it’s a choice lol

ethan responds, as you might expect, by threatening to dump davian out of a moving plane if he doesn’t get the information he wants. luther has to talk him down-- “this isn’t you”, which is interesting, bc i would have said that was true TWO movies ago, m:i ethan avoided conflict like the plague, but m:i 2 ethan MIGHT have pulled a stunt like this. and of course now in mi:3, ethan is Emotionally Compromised by losing his protege and having a Very New Wife to worry about. which might ultimately be the real reason that romantic relationships outside of the intelligence community are unwise.

luther ultimately does talk him down, but it’s a close thing. (and davian a) doesn’t talk, and b) heard ethan’s first name when luther was pleading with him not to lose his single strand of chill.)

davian gets picked up in an armoured vehicle into imf custody, but given we’re following its progress i doubt he’ll stay in it long enough to get to a detainment facility

on the drive luther has apparently gotten farris’ microdot file decrypted and sent back to him! let’s see what was so important-- OOOOOH, she traced a call to davian from laurence fishburne’s office at the imf. can’t trust any of these motherfuckers

and yep, the convoy’s going-- looks like they’re being attacked by missiles of some kind. (ah, there’s a fighter (? very small silhouette) in the air, that’s probably where the missiles came from, so air-to-surface rather than rocket-propelled) lots of civilian traffic also getting caught as collateral, and they’re on a bridge, so could very well be a collapse coming. 

jeez, and a HELICOPTER. they’ve certainly got air coverage locked down

(zhen and declan are both here and trying to help, but i mean. options are pretty slim.)

ethan shouts at all the civilians to get down as the heli squad starts firing indiscriminately onto the bridge-- at least once woman gets shot, luther goes out to try to get her into cover, and ethan takes off to try to get a good shot to do something Useful with his handgun Versus A Helicopter with multiple armed combatants onboard

oh interesting, he’s trying to get davian out of the truck-- presumably to hold him hostage so the helicopter will stop shooting at civilians. no dice, they just shot the driver, and they make those trucks hard to break into for, you know, the obvious reasons

fa;lkdhf;lah ethan’s got to crawl back into his Flipped Truck, which is one good shove away from falling through a hole in the bridge, to get a gun that can actually do shit to a helicopter

heli squad has dropped onto the bridge to extract davian, this foam presumably will either explode or eat through the side-- huh, looks like it sort of flash-froze, i assume so they can shatter the metal somehow

ah okay, the “fighter” is a drone being piloted from the helicopter

ethan nearly gets blown up and DOES get to bodyslam a car. this after the car crash from the initial missile impacts. this boy is coming out with broken ribs and a concussion minimum, he’s lucky his wife is a nurse

ethan gets his new gun put together and manages to take out the drone, which ALMOST but not quite dings one of the helicopters (which, i hadn’t realized there were two until now, scenes have been a little disjointed) on its way down

ethan makes a FLYING leap across the destroyed bridge-- gratuitous lens flare again lol-- unfortunately doesn’t quite make his jump, manages to hold on to some rubble so he doesn’t tumble into the water but it slows his pursuit of davian, who is now being hustled to a helicopter

ethan manages to fire a few rounds at the helicopter on its way by, but no dice, davian is in the wind (literally). ethan calls home right away bc i guess he assumes davian can have her kidnapped Instantaneously-- which apparently is true, bc julia isn’t home and her brother (apparently crashing at their house lol) asks ethan if “his friend” found him and that he told “some english guy” that julia might know where ethan was and to try her at the hospital. soooo great job rick, your sister’s maybe gonna die.

ethan has requisitioned the least-crashed car on the bridge, which seems fair under the circumstances, although i’m sure the owner-- if they aren’t shot-- will have other opinions

oh julia’s not kidnapped yet! she’s still at work, that’s why she’s not answering ethan’s calls

okay the receptionist at the hospital knowing ethan well enough to respond to his very abrupt “I Need To Talk To Julia” with “hey honey, i’ll transfer you” is adorable

…Some English guy just stuck a Mysterious Yellow Dot (which will make her pass out momentarily i’m sure) to julia’s arm and her reaction is just :)? what’s that? sweetheart… no… develop an aversion to people putting things on you without your permission…

oof, ethan literally passes right by Julia On A Gurney being taken out of the hospital, but of course Some English Guy has her under a sheet, so he doesn’t realize

and davian calls to give ethan a “julia’s life for the rabbit’s foot” 48 hour ultimatum. problematic given ethan still doesn’t know what the hell that is, although he does at least tell ethan that the location is in the case they got with davian.

aaand of course this is the moment the imf rolls up to take ethan into custody, so yet again he’s about to be at odds with his own organization. i’ll say it again, ethan: GO. FREELANCE.

this is really gonna cut into his 48 hour timeline also why the fuck have they MUZZLED HIM

laurence fishburne of course is saying Some Bullshit, musgrave of course is nodding along like “yes sir of course sir ethan hunt is a traitor sir”-- ACTUALLY, stray thought. farris didn’t hear laurence fishburne talk to davian, she just knows the call came from his office, which seems to be the same building musgrave works in. musgrave making calls from his boss’ office, perhaps?

hmm, musgrave is mouthing to ethan silently so ethan can read his lips without the rest of the office picking it up, and then slips him something to get out of his restraints. this does not make him less suspicious, if he’s working with davian he has a motive to want ethan out and hunting the rabbit’s foot.

captain america stole his elevator fight scene from ethan hunt. except ethan’s doing it while still half-tied to a gurney, so who really wins here?

escape into the elevator shaft, shockingly well-lit lol

fha;lkdhf;alskhdlk brassel (laurence fishburne, i’ve finally learned his name lol) hearing His Own Voice giving orders he hasn’t given over the radio. ethan works fast. why he has a voice strip with brassel’s voice encoded on its easily to hand i don’t know, but it’s better than last movie when he did a full outfit swap, vocoder, and face mask switcheroo with the villain’s not-boyfriend

oh huh looks like the imf facility is actually underneath the department of transportation, that’s where that cover story comes from lol. df;lkha;ldkfh;lak and ethan ditches his radio next to a boombox so the only thing on the imf security channel is sister sledge playing “we are family” lol

musgrave apparently directed the entire team to the same shanghai apartment he told ethan to go to on Rabbit’s Foot duty

the team settles in to debate their entrance strategies and ethan, Of Course, chooses the roof access lol. he’s gonna Jump from one building to the target building. well, swing, but still. and the basejump from the building to exfil lol

we are at 2 hours until the Julia Dies ultimatum

ethan looking very brooding and cool, and presumably doing math in his head about the velocity and angles he needs to hit if he doesn’t want to unceremoniously splatter on a roof. luther gives him a pep talk which is very matter-of-fact and does not allow for the plan to go sideways, which, like. it will, but we appreciate the solidarity. luther, yet again, for best boy.

awww, ethan thanks luther for coming and luther’s response is “that’s my job.” CALL BACK TO THE WEIRD MOMENT FROM THE FARRIS OP, whatever that weird tension was-- probably about julia, considering the rest of the movie-- it has been Resolved in the midst of this Crisis.

julia if you survive this movie you should have No Doubts about this man’s love for you ever again lol

oof, at the terminus of the swing he still has like a twenty foot drop ONTO A GLASS ROOF which he is now sliding directly down. ethan. babe. i know time is short and options are limited but pls.

catches himself on the gutter and literally says “...okay” in the most strangled voice lol. oh, more lens flare. honestly there’s been so much i can’t even call it out specifically lol

luther: he made it! he made it! ….i knew he’d make it I TOLD YOU HE WAS STILL SWEET ETHAN.

we aren’t even seeing ethan’s actual theft of the rabbit’s foot, we’re watching the team outside wait for him and count down the minutes, which is a fascinating choice that i actually really like. we’ve seen ethan do impressive spy shit, none of that’s new. watching the new team react to ethan’s radio silence, that IS new. luther is trying to maintain chill. declan is Fretting. zhen is apparently PRAYING under her breath. (apparently a prayer she’d say to bring home her Lost Cat as a kid, which-- love you zhen, pls stick around for next movie.) flkah;dlkfha;lkh aww, declan asks her to teach him the Lost Cat Prayer, presumably bc he needs Some Kind Of Distraction-- they get interrupted by ethan finally coming back on the line (things have, predictably, gone pear-shaped) but it’s a cute moment

so, ethan’s base jumping From The Roof was already going to be cutting it very close on the lower limits of height for that-- he instead jumps out a window like halfway down the building, which means if he hits the ground he will do it Hard-- so instead he crashes into the window of, i think, a different building, although it’s unclear how intentional that was given how much drag he was fighting

oop, his chute is about to drag him back out the window lol. having been dragged around campus by my own portfolio getting caught in a wind tunnel-- my sympathies, ethan, you belong to the north wind now

his chute catches on a streetlight, which does him the favour of not splattering him, although it does drop him into oncoming traffic-- that truck driver is a hero for not obliterating him or spinning out and slamming into every other vehicle on the road btw

team picks him up and they’re now in a highspeed car chase with building security while ethan tries to make the call to davian to tell him he’s got the rabbit’s foot

oh noooo zhen got hit. that better be a flesh wound ma’am we’ve had enough women dying this franchise thanks

apparently ethan decided the angles INSIDE the car weren’t good enough and he’s sick of being shot at. being the Best Spy, he of course manages to blow the pursuit vehicle's tires, so they're home free!

musgrave still so suspicious. “go secure” ethan says, “we are” musgrave says, sir. that’s your cellphone and you didn’t do literally anything, if that’s secure i’ll EAT your phone. anyway, ethan is calling to tell him that he’s tagged the rabbit’s foot so that the imf can retrieve it after ethan makes the exchange with davian. which, if anyone at the imf is both competent and not a traitor-- A BIG ASK, I AM AWARE-- means the cold open should have some cavalry coming, hypothetically

the team Reluctantly lets ethan go off to make his Solo Handoff/get captured

ethan at the drop point gets into a vehicle and on instructions from Some English Guy also Drinks A Mystery Vial, which i’m sure will go great for him

interestingly it appears to be making him hallucinate being intimate with julia, and then we wake up in the cold open!

so yeah, it seems like ethan legitimately thought he’d given the rabbit’s foot to davian and his confusion and prevariation here are bc he legitimately doesn’t know how to fix this

meanwhile the team has arrived home to uh. This on the landing strip

well. it WAS indeed a gunshot. and julia does now seem to be dead.

One Must Imagine Ethan Hunt Happy

and in comes musgrave i KNEW IT you little rat

oh ooof. “it’s complicated. you can’t just open the canister. we had to be sure you brought the real thing. now we know.” so LITERALLY he brought you what you wanted, and you killed julia For Show.

unfathomable that ethan hunt is not fully deranged by the end of this movie. i would be eating musgrave’s bone marrow by the end of the runtime.

…gross, but apparently that is some other RANDOM woman-- actually i think it’s davian’s other bodyguard, which, not great benefits there-- they just killed with a julia mask on? i guess that’s good for ethan but also What The Fuck???

ah, bc musgrave is using her as further leverage to find out What Farris Knew.

flkha;lfkhd;lkfahs;lhkds musgrave is complaining that brassel is an “affirmative action poster boy” DUDE YOUR MOTIVE IS JUST RACISM? RACISM AND JEALOUSY? YOU WHINY LITTLE PISSBABY SIT DOWN

“and when the sand settles, our country will do what it does best. cleanup. infrastructure. democracy wins.” god were people really buying that in 2006. i guess that was only five years after 9/11, nationalism was High and the bush admin was still in place. anyway, Yet More Racism from this twerp

ethan asks for a phone call to confirm that julia is alive. amusingly, the fact that julia can remember what the lake is called means it’s Much Less Likely to actually be her on the phone, given she couldn’t remember it during The Party

i see now why they muzzled him lol

huh, ethan called benji as his first point of contact once he’s knocked out musgrave and gotten out of his restraints

benji goes from “you’re on interpol’s most wanted! i’m hanging up!” to “i’m going to lose my citizenship over you” in the space of like thirty seconds and ethan doesn’t even say PLEASE lol

lol benji is being ethan’s on-call gps service. he is doing this At Work, by the way, at the organization that currently wants ethan’s head on a stick, so he keeps having to pause to make Pleasant Office Noises at his coworkers lol. also featuring: The Ethan Sprint

jkhfjkhskdfak a couple of little old chinese men took one look at ethan gasping and bleeding in the doorway and ratted out the villain’s location

aaand while looking around he promptly knocks a bunch of shit off a table. guess those concussions are finally catching up to you, babe. but we’ve found julia!

unfortunately at exactly THAT moment, davian remembers he put a bomb in ethan’s head

well, if he can win this fight with davian while his brain is about to fry, at least his wife is a nurse! she can probably shock him both to death and back to life! if there’s an aed around! which i haven’t seen one, but for plot reasons, probably is somewhere!

ethan has, as per tradition, engaged Emergency Fight Mode at the threat to a loved one! i don’t know why these villains keep threatening people he cares about, it goes SO MUCH WORSE than when they just threaten him

dfl;kha;ldkfha;l okay rolling davian on top of him and into the path of an oncoming vehicle is novel and definitely ends the fight quickly, which is good given ethan has a couple of minutes before his brain melts. also honestly refreshing after the like fifteen-minute fight with the main antagonist of the last movie

fha;lkdhfl;aksh;l ethan hands julia his gun, tells her it’s a very accurate close range weapon, and then immediately follows up with “don’t point it at me” lol

he’s a good teacher! giving julia instructions about how to use the gun that mirror things she’s done at home-- “shove the new mag in like the batteries in the flashlight in the kitchen”. also he is clearly setting up a diy electrocution, which, well, it’s not like he’s got a better option, apparently this don’t use defibrillators at whatever sketchy back alley clinic this is

and of course AS SOON as julia flips the switch to short out the bomb/shock him to death, someone starts shooting at her so she can’t immediately start resuscitation. so ethan is now lying dead on the floor (it’s! temporary!!!) and julia has been promoted to Action Girl!

aaaand since she’s a brain death time limit with ethan, she does NOT wait for the goon to come to her, she just figures out where he is, pops up, and empties an ENTIRE mag into him lol

oooh! and then turned around and did the same to musgrave! well done ma’am, marriage material indeed

now the Sad CPR

also ethan goes from Dead to Firing Position in the space of One Heartbeat

lol sees musgrave dead on the floor and his response is “you did that? …wow” in this very admiring tone lol while julia is still reeling from him not being dead

and yeah ethan kind of has to spill the beans to her at this point lol

apparently the white house is now asking for ethan directly and by name

hey, julia gets to meet the team!

and off they go on their honeymoon!

alright MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 3 COMPLETE. about as much lens flare as i expected, only “mystery box” that i detected was that no one ever fessed up about what the fuck “the rabbit’s foot” was supposed to be for, but for the purposes of this particular film it doesn’t really matter, it’s just a plot macguffin.

i did not, in fact, remember a single goddamn thing about this movie lol

ethan gets physically put through a wringer in this film, this might be the most cumulatively beaten up he’s been so far. i didn’t make a count or anything, but he’s got probably more than one concussion, multiple broken ribs, has to have sprained every joint in his body, wouldn’t be surprised if he’s fucked up his spine, and also he was dead for a few minutes after electrocuting himself with an unknown voltage.

on the other hand, this is the happiest we might have ever seen him! also the most despairing. dichotomy of ethan. i’m glad julia didn’t die! not just bc she’s good for ethan, she also seems cool in her own right, i’m hoping that unlike nyah she’ll stick around for further movies.

actually i would like to keep this whole team! declan and zhen were fun in the screentime they got. benji was fun and they could use somebody at the home office who isn’t a Complete Twit.

i still think they should all go freelance. luther’s done it before! and the imf keeps fucking ethan in particular over! and apparently their ranks are absolutely RIDDLED with traitors who want to work with black marketeers lol.

i’m not sure ethan’s Ethan Stunts here should contribute to the Does Ethan Have A Death Wish conversation, bc in this particular film most of them are motivated by Trying To Save Julia and he’s clearly at the end of his mental and emotional rope from the moment she’s taken. it is, admittedly, probably not healthy for him to hinge so much of his sense of security and comfort on one person, but it’s too late now.

8.5/10, the style was a little too frenetic to keep track of the action all the time and the lens flare was exactly as much too much as you’d expect, but the story was solid except for the rabbit’s foot contrivance being a little too meta-textually irrelevant for my tastes and there was a lot of good Pathos in ethan finally trying and failing to settle down, and good performances from everybody.

would watch zhen swan around in a red dress again.

[vanderwoodlings]

the worst person you’ll ever meet: a georgina sparks playlist (x)

Dedicated to those of you who’ve in any way caused or encouraged non-ironic Georgina feelings, because I refuse to deal with this alone. Text version of the tracklist and commentary under the cut:

1. “Bang Bang Bang Bang,” Sohodolls. So ‘Bang’ isn’t actually being used in this song as a euphemism for sex, but as onomatopoeia for a gunshot but… i think it works either way, especially with the portrait of the fucked up family painted at the beginning and then just totally jumping away from that for the rest

1. “Bang Bang Bang Bang,” Sohodolls. So ‘Bang’ isn’t actually being used in this song as a euphemism for sex, but as onomatopoeia for a gunshot but… i think it works either way, especially with the portrait of the fucked up family painted at the beginning and then just totally jumping away from that for the rest

2. “Mayhem,” Halestorm. A little mayhem never hurt anyone/When I'm gonna get some?/A little bedlam 'til I'm coming undone/Where I'm gonna get some?

3. “Crash And Burn Girl,” Robyn. You should have a sticker on you saying, "Warning Keep Out"/You're the kind of girl that'll mess you up for life

4. “Rich Kids Blues,” Lykke Li. And we hit the actual feelings again! Like, it has to come from somewhere, you know? And there’s such a nihilistic edge to her… I don’t think Georgina’s happy. I really don’t think that

5. “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” Cyndi Lauper. I mean the thing is that she does, you know? She has this absolute violence in the way she does it but she’s really just here to like. Enjoy herself. Hang out with who she likes. What are consequences?

6. “Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah),” Joan Jett & The Blackhearts.

7. “Take It Off,” Kesha. There's a place I know if you're lookin' for a show/Where they go hardcore and there's glitter on the floor/And they turn me on when they take it off

8. “Just Dance,” Lady Gaga. The party girl is unavoidable! And kind of fucked up. What's goin' on, on the floor?/I love this record, baby, but I can't see straight anymore/Keep it cool, what's the name of this club?/I can't remember, but it's alright, a-alright

9. “If You Seek Amy,” Britney Spears. I love this as a pre-series seregina song—that sense that our singer isn’t who everyone is looking for, just the way to get to her… yeah

10. “Every Breath You Take,” The Police. Did I just say pre-series seregina? Yeah, we’re getting into it. Oh, can't you see you belong to me?/How my poor heart aches with every step you take

11. “High Enough,” K.Flay. I used to like liquor to get me inspired/But you look so beautiful, my new supplier. I was thinking a lot about substance abuse and its place in Georgina’s narrative and, like, the way that (like with every other character) it’s never taken seriously that she’s struggling with it, and about that sense of obsession and loss of control, and this song plays it very straight but… there’s something there

12. “Jenny (I Wanna Ruin Our Friendship),” Studio Killers. Do I think Georgina even let herself know this much about her feelings? No. Is this song still here? Yes

13. “Blow Your Mind (Mwah),” Dua Lipa.

14. “Michelle,” Sir Chloe. And we pause, to switch povs to the outside for a moment. You know just how to be cruel/When you shake your hips that way/I don't care what you say/Michelle, Michelle/You are a monster from Hell

15. “How to Be a Heartbreaker,” MARINA. Wear your heart on your cheek/But never on your sleeve/Unless you want to taste defeat

16. “Choke,” I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME. If I could burn this town/I wouldn't hesitate/To smile while you suffocate and die

17. “killer queen,” Mad Tsai. Gunpowder, gelatine/Dynamite with a laser—no, not that one. She's a motherfucking killer queen/A psychopath at seventeen/A beauty in a blood-stained dress

18. “You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid,” The Offspring. With a thousand lies and a good disguise/Hit 'em right between the eyes, hit 'em right between the eyes. I mean, who on gg is more of a fan of lies and impersonations? (And if I have my reboot canon right… she did take it pretty far)

19. “good 4 u,” Olivia Rodrigo. You look happy and healthy, not me/If you ever cared to ask/Good for you/You're doin' great out there without me, baby. Post-s1 seregina, mostly. But a little dangina to it too

20. “Let’s Be Friends,” Emily Osment. Everyone knows I'm getting my way/It doesn't matter what you say

21. “Bad Romance,” Lady Gaga. You know that I want you/And you know that I need you/I want it bad, your bad romance/I want your love, and I want your revenge. Dangina!!!!

22. “Tongues & Teeth,” The Crane Wives. Oh, I will ruin you/It's a habit—I can't help it/I know that you mean so well/But I am not a vessel for your good intent

23. “Bust Your Kneecaps,” Pomplamoose. Georgina is a terrible and obsessive ex. Also the connections to organized crime, if you’re reading it the other way

24. “Bury Me Facedown,” grandson. I really am surprised I can’t remember a Blair one liner about how Georgina is like a bad penny

25. “Runs In The Family,” Amanda Palmer. I say it runs in the family/This family that carries me to such great lengths/To open my legs up to anyone who'll have me/It runs in the family, I come by it honestly

26. “Plump,” Hole. There are so many things we don’t really know about why Georgina kept Milo, or about how her parents influenced her taking her, or about what she was like as a parent, or about how she felt about becoming a parent and… yeah

27. “Hot Mess,” Cobra Starship. If you're dancing up on tables/You go, you go, you got it, girl/Say that you're unstable/You go coco, you got it, girl

28. “Versions of Violence,” Alanis Morissette. Okay look this is significantly just a list of signs of emotional abuse and like. What is more Georgina than headfuckery (and herself being equally screwed up)

29. “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody (All We Got,” Fergie, Q-Tip, GoonRock. A little party never killed nobody/So we gon' dance until we drop/A little party never killed nobody/Right here, right now's all we got

30. “Sin Wagon,” The Chicks. This was the first or second song on here—I was thinking of just throwing a mainstream worship song in here and then cutting back to party and mayhem, just for the dissonance, and then I remembered this and the ‘Jesus and I have redefined our relationship’ vibes were,,, perfect. Of course, the fiddles it starts with were dissonance enough on their own, and the overall work comes back to that same ‘I’m gonna burn it all down because fuck it, I deserve it’ so… here it is. Our conclusion

[mormorproposal]

I probably won't ever finish the shards of my aphasia au mormor fic, HOWEVER I still feel like posting it, soooo have at it under the cut, if you wanna read it :)

apha·​sia

(n.) loss or impairment of the power to use or comprehend words usually resulting from brain damage

Your teeth tear up my skin without a single hint of remorse. You simply latch onto me as is your given right. Hands dig into my hips, I relax against the fridge. It isn’t ideal but who am I to negate anything from you ever?

It’s going to bruise. Your palms etched onto my skin like ghosts. We’ve done worse to each other, I know – still, it’s the imprecision behind it all that keeps me up at night.

You used to map my body with delicate rivers plastered on me. Precise. Fine lines, sharp edges, the most complicated brush strokes. I was there to ride out your artistic urges. The new art style needs adjustment to. I’m not used to you being out of control, it sets me on edge slightly.

But it is still you after all, even after everything, so I relax and let you do your personal kind of therapy. Pain and blood is what we always communicated best in, anyways.

You set upon sucking my skin in between your teeth, keeping a rhythm of releasing my flesh and trapping it again. My eyes flutter shut, the hand that is on your back pressing you more tightly against me. Responsively, your nails are scratching at my skin through my shirt. It doesn’t hurt as much as it used to and something in me feels like breaking.

“Jim,” I croak. Your eyes wander upwards, meet my gaze, hold it. I want to pick you up, cradle you, keep you safe from harm, bash anyone’s head in who makes you feel small. There’s a quick jab in my upper torso. What?

I exhale a ragged breath I was unaware of ever holding and shake my head slightly. Your teeth sink deeper, drawing blood. I groan. Boss didn’t like that.

Still, you resume your work, searching for another place to bear pain. I do not think about the implications. Do not think about what it means. I certainly don’t think about your eyes. Haunting me, pleading me to take it all away. I stiffen; your left hand clumsily pushing against my side in discontent. I wince. Look up to the ceiling and blink. Do not cry, Moran!

***

The doctor eventually leaves us to it. One last look of sympathy and she’s out of the door. I hate her already.

“You look awful, sir” I say for lack of better words. It feels hollow. You hate small talk and here I am talking away. You simply grunt, disapproval encapsulated in it. I don’t blame you. It’s not every day that you wake up in a hospital room after blowing your brains out. I hate you for that, you know? The thought of what could’ve been if I hadn’t been quick enough gnaws at my insides; I have to watch your chest raising and lowering to keep my own breathing in check.

You could’ve died and that just wouldn’t do. Holmes is dead, after all – I saw him jump myself. I had orders to watch Watson, I know, I know, I know but then there was the gunshot ringing and how could I not look. Surely you know me better than that. You are always my first priority. Always have been, always will be.

“You won, in case no one told you yet.” How could they possibly have? Last time they saw you, you were still unconscious, staining the concrete. I swallow and you watch my Adam's apple bob, something like triumph glinting in your eyes. You open your mouth at that, exhale shakily, and knit your eyebrows together in confusion. Maybe the glint was just a trick of the light. Your mouth closes and opens again; fish on dry land.

I have crossed the room in an instance, press down on your shoulder lightly. “What’s wrong?” The metal of the hospital bed is cool against my triceps and I can’t shake the thought of Everything. “Great” You mutter eventually, nodding to yourself, before shaking your head a small fraction. “Great” You repeat again, facing me this time and smiling. It doesn’t reach your eyes and something in my heart goes terribly cold. Sure, you aren’t in the bestest of conditions but your looming win shouldn’t feel this gloomy. You should be ecstatic, if anything. Bordering on manic. I’ve planned it all out for us, honestly. The restaurant we’d celebrate at. The camera in our room, only waiting for us to shag, a sympathy card for the upcoming funeral.

This doesn’t feel like anything celebratory at all. Hasn’t felt that way when all the doctor had for me was a sympathetic look and a referral to another doc, and certainly doesn’t feel that way now with you actually staying in bed instead of yanking me to you, insisting you shall be out here at once!

“Phon” You manage to mumble near the direction of my hand on your shoulder, then again. “Phon, phon, phon!” It grows more frantic each time, stumbles out of your mouth, tickles the skin on my hand. You laugh. Bubbles out of you, bounces off the walls, rings in my ears. You choke on it, possibly as surprised by the sound as I am. My brows knit together in confusion. The next giggle has panic vibrating through it. “Ligert” You sigh when the shaking of your shoulders subsides.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Phon, in this context, is supposed to be the word "won" & Ligert is supposed to be the word "Tiger" - both of which faced a common symptom of fluent aphasia (namely: phonemic paraphasia during which incorrect phonemes are substituted or, as for the t in ligert, added)

[hinderr]

Listen, I've read the last chapter and I want to say so much… First of all, it's insanely emotional. I really read with bated breath. I have so many emotions and thoughts about the ending right now, it's not what I expected, but it's insanely logical for this job. Gideon, as people in my country say, "what he fought for, he ran into."

It is interesting to watch how Grogu releases his attachment to him over the years - and at the same time how much he looks like him in places, it's creepy. This manipulativeness and the ability to make a naive, unhappy look in order to get your own - this is not from Din and not from birth. I'm really interested now to wait for the Nurture someday to understand how all this will reflect even more time later. And I still find it valuable that in past charter everyone - Din and the others - accepted Grogu's right to LOVE Gideon. Regardless of whether would he continued to feel it all his life or not, it was extremely important at that moment and, I think, it is important now. Because Grogu can now understand that even if he is not on the "right" road and feels "strange" feelings, he is still loved. Whether the situation changes or not is a matter of less importance. This is very important knowledge regardless of the present point.

By the way, Gideon's reaction to the meeting is interesting. He throws mockery at the fact that Grogu still cares, but he too does not behave like a person who does not care. It would seem - you never loved this child, five years have passed, what difference does it make that he is happy with another person? But no, Gideon behaves like… painfully attached, when it seems like he doesn't really need it himself, but you can't give it to another either. It’s hard to explain, but I really didn’t get the impression that he didn’t give a damn about all this long history.

Also, I don't think that's what you meant, but at some point I had a thought… what if Gideon purposely ran into a gunshot? It is clear that at first he was angry and really perplexed, but at some point … I thought so because it must be extremely difficult for a person of this kind to live in a prison cell. He has no power, no purpose, no Empire, for which he fought, in general, quite sincerely, regardless of methods. He is nobody and nothing. And he's smart enough to be fully aware of it. What if at some point he saw that Grogu was sufficiently angry with him and he had a weapon with him - and decided to take advantage of the situation. But that's just my thoughts.

I do not know what to say. This is probably one of the first works not in my native language that so captivated me and that I read in the process, looking forward to each chapter. Because the languages we speak are different, but the theme is international. The whole work is very … reliable, and sometimes the emotions from reading were such that I morally departed from the new chapter couple of days. This is something unique and beautiful, although it tells about terrible and sad events. I love each of the characters. Wren is not a canon character, usually I don’t perceive OC at all, but with you he is so alive and real that he looks … native. He doesn't stand out from others in a bad way. His character, personality, motives and feelings are all so believable, he's beautifully written.

Thank you. It was cool)

This is so so undeniably sweet and so so thoughtful and god I am so, so happy you enjoyed the finale (I'll be honest, your reactions was one of those I was anticipating the most!) And I'm glad you were willing to look past the language barrier to read my silly story! It means the world to me, and I can't possibly express just how much I've appreciated your support - every ask and reply and interaction makes me so so happy!!

There's a bit of Gideon in Grogu, but there's a bit of Grogu in Gideon as well. You're absolutely right that Gideon got just a tiny bit attached, in the most messed up way possible. He hated the fact that his Asset saw another person as his father, and that 'he was a better buir than (he'll) ever be', even though he hated it when Grogu called him father too. What you said about not needing something but not letting anyone else have it is exactly on point, and I'm so so happy you got that

And I'm so happy you liked Wren Farvo too! He was a plot device at first, but I've grown to genuinely love and adore him. He means the world to me and I'm so happy you liked meeting him (I probably won't be able to resist slipping him into some of my other works as a side character. Just to carry him along as we go)

Again thank you so so much! I'm happy you've enjoyed it, and I'm happy to have made you happy <33