#i mean i think the sixth season was a good place to end it

[le-chevalier-au-lion]

nearly, nearly, nearly: dovquez [t]

@dovquezdecember + near

“Dovi!” Marc says clumsily, flashes him a grin—sun-bright, shameless.

Andrea is thinking. He was nearly a champion this season. Nearly, nearly, nearly. But it wasn’t so close at the end, -37 points, and the entire ocean between Marc making a miraculous save and him screaming on the gravel trap.

His fingers spasm around his empty glass, just once. Andrea is acutely aware of the camera glares, of way, way, way too many people around. Too soon to get another one, and the one after that. The frizz of alcohol is heavy in his stomach, leaden.

Marc makes a noise—impossible to make sense of. Andrea blinks, remembers he should answer him any time now. His tongue is stuck on the roof of his mouth, but it isn’t Marc’s fault that everything had to go right today and nothing did.

He drops whatever he was planning on saying. Marc brandishes his own champagne flute, takes Andrea’s empty one for himself. It’s full—lukewarm prosecco, sure, but it’s full.

Andrea—against his own will, let it be said—laughs.

Marc’s eyes go round, shiny. His hand comes down to cling to the sleeve of his suit, where it falls half an inch too long. And he sways towards him, chest brushing against the side of his arm. Andrea cups the small of his back, raises his eyebrows.

“The drinks aren’t good enough for you to be drunk already.” He prods—harmlessly, his voice pitched low.

He could be drunk on everything else, though. His podium, his sixth championship in—God—eight years, Honda delirious over their golden boy.

Marc bats his lashes coyly, pretends to think. “It was a good dinner, don’t be mean.”

It was, is the thing. He stopped counting after the fourth course, the tenth FIM/Dorna exec with a polished smile that congratulated him on a clean, sportsmanlike dispute—probably having the time of their times that it didn’t end in death threats and a sports court.

Andrea snorts. “Drinks are still shit.”

For all that Marc says don’t be mean, the corners of his lips are trying to quirk up again. Just as cruel.

And when he catches Andrea looking, Marc ducks his head away. Tries to hide it.

He’s so—he’s a sharp, shameless little thing. Hurts to cradle him close, cuts his palms to gory ribbons. Andrea clings, anyway. The party has dulled to a trickle of I wish it was me that barely registers. He fancies he can spot the place where Marc kissed the tower on his mouth, his teeth—like Raphael’s blessing.

His stomach rolls with champagne, too little food he wasn’t feeling up for. Sizzles.

“It was a good season, too.” Marc speaks abruptly but quietly. The cut of his jaw turned bullish, stubborn.

He can feel the tension pressed on his side. It’s not even like gearing up for a risky overtake—Marc throws himself into those with wild joy, again and again and again. This is measured, strained. Marc’s spine grows rigid where he’s touching.

Andrea hums. “Are you going to say you’re sorry?”

Marc’s expression slackens, softens with confusion. “What?”

“You look like you might.”

“For winning?” Andrea nods, stares at him expectantly—wills his face to stay flat and unamused and is only mostly sure he succeeds. Marc purses his mouth, lets him catch a hint of teeth and the downturned curve of his lips. “No way.”

And listen—

Andrea shakes his head. He feels that gold-tinted lightness filling the insides of his chest. Maybe he’s drunk, four glasses catching up like outbreaking himself into a highside, but it’s easier now than it was a couple minutes ago, when the champagne tasted stolen, tasted like trackside dust and a mocking round of applause in his garage.

“You are horrible.”

He watches it happen in real time, how Marc pulls a face, how his eyes flutter to look at him and then away.

People call him brutish, impulsive—it’s not true. Just because he was born without a sense of self-preservation doesn’t mean he doesn’t think. Marc is a shrewd thing. Calculating. He wonders what he was trying to find with that look.

But he’s probably a little drunk himself too, or Andrea wouldn’t have caught that minute flinch in his expression. Marc is too opaque for acting mistakes these days.

It is the thing about Marc. Andrea doesn’t know if he’s bracing for a slap or it never coming despite how much he wants it to.

“I don’t think you mean that,” he says—petulantly, imperiously.

Very, very deliberately.

Andrea smiles, squeezes his back. “I do, I do!”

“No, you don’t.”

He does. But Marc is horrible like a tricky corner, or a bull charging in a bullfight. Predictable only in how it scares you shitless no matter how many times you try it. Horrible in that clammy fear you’re going to be swept along. Fucking fantastic when you conquer it—if you do.

It’s there anyway, of course, red-hot, that frustration—the shame in the gravel, in the garage. But Andrea tries to get angry only about things he can control.

Marc winning isn’t personal, is it.

He takes a breath, lets that awkward silence wash over him, over them, releasing that aimless frustration knot by knot. Marc fidgets against him, rehearsing taking a small step to the side, away from him. Andrea considers for a moment, half of one—doesn’t let go of his grip on him, on the fabric of the back of Marc’s suit.

There are cameras, still. Too many people. It’s none of their business—

This is, Andrea reasons, nothing worth hiding.

“It was a good season,” he says, gently—either an agreement or a concession.

Marc relaxes a fraction, does his best to tuck himself against him no matter that he’s a couple of centimeters taller. Finally, finally, he looks at Andrea straight on, with his usual hungry shamelessness, eyes huge and liquid on his face.

“You looked like you were having fun.”

“Here and there,” Andrea shrugs, isn’t even a bit surprised when he feels Marc’s fingers slip under his shirt to hold the jut of his wrist. “I had this pest bothering me.”

He is surprised at how hot those tiny points of pressure feel. His pulse drums against the thin skin of his wrist.

Marc bristles, indignant. “You ambushed me this whole year!”

Here and there, when he could, when he managed to make it work. In Austria, Japan. Andrea made himself steady as a metronome, harmless until he wasn’t—he wasn’t going to outcrazy Marc anyway, might as well try something unorthodox.

“You weren’t very angry about that from what I remember,” Andrea replies mildly. Mock-dry.

Marc nudges him with his shoulder, tries to scowl but melts into a loud, honking chuckle. It’s evidently, incredibly disarming. “Fuck off, I was! You always knew what I was going to try next. I thought you were going to drive me crazy.”

“Not even you can win them all.”

Marc grins—shiv-quick, self-satisfied. He looks like he’s winning this one, whatever this one is. “I can try.”

Andrea is thinking—it isn’t self-pity this time. Feels about just as dangerous. Marc’s touch is insistent, makes him fidgety all the way to the bone. He isn’t even the slightest bit innocent himself either—hand splayed on Marc’s back, the tip of his little finger reaching suspiciously lower than it was a moment ago.

He swallows. Marc tracks the jerky move of his throat, stares at him through his lashes. It is as shameless as it is—unfortunately—effective.

“Aren’t you going to ask if I enjoyed myself?” There’re nails biting into his forearm lightly. A smirk—broad, pink-lipped.

Cocky little bastard, isn’t he?

“You still are.”

Marc preens, forgets—for a slip of a second—to keep his cards close to his chest. Everything about him becomes bright enough to blind, to cast spots in his vision like he’s staring into the sun. He is horribly easy to like, to forgive.

Even through the stab of the annoyance, the tangle of thorns wrapped around his throat that Andrea has to name envy. Even when he wants to shake Marc by the shoulders—don’t you know? Don’t you see what you are? It never sticks. Marc is that dangerous in close proximity.

Looks eager to prove that he is, too. He shifts his head from one side to the other, gauges the crowd. There’s this focused frown on his forehead. Andrea knows him well enough to brace himself. Realizes—too late—that there’s no bracing for an inspired Marc.

“Do you want me to suck you off?” He pauses, bludgeons on when Andrea doesn’t immediately reply. “I want to.”

Christ.

Christ on the bloody cross.

He doesn’t know why he expected Marc to be subtle or careful, but still.

Andrea sputters out a cough, laughs. He can hear the strain in his voice—the complete fucking disbelief. “What? Here?”

It is a yes by any other name. Marc shrugs, chuckles—he’s an insolent thing, fingers straying playfully over his arm, looking so very sure of himself. Of getting what he wants, always.

Smug.

“Why not?” He asks, eyebrows wagging. It is ridiculous. So is the rush of fondness in his chest. The fishhook tug of Marc’s tongue flashing over his teeth.

Andrea isn’t—usually, he amends—so reckless.

“You’re insane.”

Marc stares at him, shark-eyed, unblinking. It slices through him cleanly like a hot knife, like Marc on a left-hander circuit. “You keep saying that.”

And yet goes unsaid.

He breathes in, a little funny, constricted. His fingers spasm on Marc’s back, cling to the smooth downiness of his pressed shirt. Want jolts through him like touching a live wire—he isn’t thinking. It’s the easiest thing in the world to move his hand, eyes on the party that feels like his burial.

Marc chokes on a noise when Andrea untucks his clothes to reach the skin of his back, when his thumb digs into one of his Venus dimples.

“Alright,” he mutters, soft.

The room melts to nothing around him, a kaleidoscopic blur of color and people he doesn’t care about. Marc’s head is bent, tucked close to his own—an inch closer, and they’ll be inside each other’s skin, breathing the same air. Andrea can only think about the pinkness of his mouth—how near it is.

[victoria-grimesss]

Call the Doctor, I'm in Love

masterlist

->Paring: Johnny ‘Soap’ MacTavish x Medic!Fem!Reader

->Words: 2.9k

->Warning: fluff & angst, mentions of injury/wounds

->Summary: Soap has a big ol crush on you, he’s not sneaky or quiet about it. Here are the many times he’s fantasized about you and the one time you answered his dreams.

->A/N: a little something because I love Foap!

Johnny ‘Soap’ Mactavish is a pretty guy, a hunk if you will and he knows it. He has no troubles with the ladies and is highly experienced but he always feels like he’s lacking something, someone. Until you came along, pretty new medic. You’re his favorite. He always goes to you for a patch up even waiting for medical help until you come back from break. Johnny is a saint, he is a patient and giving man. 

But he wants you, desperately. He’s got a big fat crush and he’s not quiet about it. The 141 is exhausted hearing about what you did today and that Soap thinks you looked dreamy today, stitching up his arm. He saw you look at him a little extra that means you want to be with him right? They can’t wait until you either reject the poor fool or take him on a bloody date. Here are the times poor Mactavish has swooned over you:

The 1st Time: Your Introduction

Soap has found himself head over heels for you. He first saw you in the medical tent after him and an enemy went headfirst over a steep rockwall, he was fine of course, seems like that guy can bounce back from anything, you had nursed him back to health and he was done for. Your caring words and gentle hands were all he wanted now. And imagine his surprise and excitement when you became the team's new task-force medic.

“Alright team I hope you read over the file, we got a new member to our team. She's going to be our medic but don’t worry she can hold our own on the field. She’s reliable and damn good at her job. We’ve had too many close calls lately and I don’t want anyone dying of something that could have been prevented.”

Price ends his introduction and you greet your way around the room, everyone is nice enough for tuff military men. You find yourself sitting next to John, or Soap, or sometimes Johnny depending on who you ask. He’s a good looking guy, as are the rest in the room but you have a job to do so you don’t plan on messing up your place on the team by intermingling with one of them.

“Aye lass, do you carry one of those stethoscope things around with ya?”

He’s leaning on one arm, checking out the equipment you had brought with you.

“I usually keep it in the office, why is something wrong?”

You’re looking him over for anything obvious but nothing sounds any alarm.

“Ah no, it’s just my heart… it’s acting funny, beats a little faster when you come around.”

He’s smiling and you laugh not expecting a bad pick-up line but seems like he’s that kind of guy.

“I see. Well might want to try working on your cardio then that’ll improve that heart rate of yours.”

He pauses, thinking of what to say next to lure you in.

“You like bars doctor?”

“Not particularly..”

“Would ya mind joining me, I hate drinking alone.”

You smile, amused.

“Why not one of the other boys, someone you’re more familiar with.”

You’re looking into your bag and he drops his head lower so you’ll look him in the eyes.

“I’d like to be more familiar with you bonnie.”

You stop and put your hands on your hips pretending to think.

“Well I’m not so interesting, just a doctor after all. I’m sure Gaz would love to join you, you two seem the best of friends.”

He seems a little discouraged when you don’t play into his game but he looks at the small smile that plays on your lips and knows he’s just gotta keep trying. You won’t shake him off that easily.

—

The 2nd Time: The Flu Incident

Flu season. Your favorite time of the year, your inner monologue drips with sarcasm as you scrub your hands raw for the sixth time today. It’s late afternoon and the sun dips over the horizon as the rooms are casted with a honey soaked orange glow. The murmurs from the outside hallway peak your interest and you dry your hands and exit to the hall.

“I told you MacTavish I can help you just as easily as any other nurse or doctor, just come into my office and we’ll get you fixed up.” 

An older more seasoned nurse has her hands on her hips, gaze pointed at Soap with a motherly disapproved look at her face. You step out of the room tossing the paper towel into the bin.

“Troubled patient?” 

Soap lifts his head at your voice and he smiles, voice nasally and strained.

“Ah there ya are bonnie, been waiting for you. Think you can fix me?” 

“You’d be in better hands with her you know? Unlike me she knows what she’s doing.” 

Your tone is playful and Johnny stands weakly, hand on the wall.

“Yea but you’re my favorite, can’t feel better unless it’s you.”

The other nurse is called away shooting you a good luck look with her eyes, no doubt happy to not have to deal with the sickly man.

“Alright Johnny whatever you say. Let’s get you to a bed.”

“You’re a real saint hen.”

You place a steady hand on his back leading him to the bed in your office, away from the overflow so he can hopefully get some rest.

“Alright Johnny go ahead and lay down I’ll get your temp and let’s see if we can break that fever alright?”

He groans as he lays down obviously dealing with joint pain from the flu, it’s a nasty one that’s hit the base this time.

You run a washcloth under cool water, grab your thermometer, and sit next to him making sure he’s comfortable. You take his temp and frown, 

“Give it to me straight doctor, am I going to make it?”

He grips your hand dramatically and you laugh while patting his hand.

“I think you’ll just scrape by, it’ll be close though.”

“Oh thank heavens. Guess you’ll just have to take extra close care of me right?”

He’s giving you those stupid puppy dog eyes again as you place the washcloth on his forehead and place the back of your hand on his cheek to feel the temp there as well.

“I guess since I’m part of your team now I’ll have to make sure you live, so yes. I will take extra good care of you.”

You smile at him softly, you don’t like seeing anyone sick but sick Soap reminds you of a kicked puppy.

You miss the way his eyes shine up at you as you chart his info. How the thoughts in his head are those of you and him on dates, what ring he will propose to you with, where you’ll honeymoon and various other daydreams he has swirling around. He would do anything for you to be his, he would capture the stars for you.

You get up from your chair to put his info into the computer and he looks at the sad flowers on the side table, shriveled and needing to be tossed.

“These flowers aren't lookin so good.”

You glance over and frown.

“Oh yeah, it’s been so busy lately I haven't had a chance to replace them yet.”

He hums and you walk back over to him and give him some painkillers and electrolyte drink mix.

“Take these and get some rest please, it’ll do you good.”

He sits up, eyes on you as he takes the pills, handing you the little cup back.

“I’ll get you some new flowers, take you out too.”

You’re facing away from him, a smile gracing your features.

“Johnny, I-”

“You don’t have to say yes now lass, just please, for the sake of my well-being think on it.”

You move over to him and dab the cloth onto his cheeks and cool down his pulse points, heart growing slightly as you reply.

“Sure Johnny, I’ll think about it. Now sleep, doctor's orders.”

He sleeps quietly next to you as you finish your charting. The sight of him so calm warms your heart and it scares you a little bit, you wouldn't want to throw off the balance of the team or make any weird power dynamics by falling for him but he makes it harder and harder. 

The next week fresh flowers are left on the side table.

—

The 3rd Time: Award Ceremony Ball

Dressed to the nines each of you are. A very successful mission rewarded the whole team with a variety of medals and everyone was looking very nice all cleaned up.

Your dress was a floor gown with a slip up the leg and your back was exposed, the dress felt so silky and it was nice to not be covered in blood for once. Although you did manage to spill some kind of fancy jam on it and you were frantically dabbing at it with water when you were interrupted with Soap meeting up with you.

“Well don’t you look nice.” 

He’s lively tonight, eyes bright with optimism after the job and sporting brand new chest candy to show off.

Your eyes drift up from the new stain on your dress to him and he, well he looks damn good. A new pink scar graces his jawline but it looks good on him, he can wear scars well.

“Thank you, you clean up well yourself too.”

“Ah bonnie don’t make me blush now.” 

The rest of the team is chatting at a nearby table, Price is nursing a short glass of something dark, Gaz is going to town on the amazing food, and Ghost is engaged in conversation with the two of them.

“You wanna head back to the table?”

You offer, he shakes his head and offers his hand.

“I ask the fine lady to a dance.”

You blush, never asked to dance before, the ballroom floor filled with experts, couples swirling to the melody in the air.

You stew on it for a moment, and put your hand in his.

“Ok but if I fall you fall with me okay?”

“Always.”

Your hands are intertwined, one of his is on your waist and yours is on his shoulder. You both try to copy what the others do and the messy dance combined with the flutes of champagne you both consumed makes for quite the site. The mess of bumping feet and unsteady movements.

“For a sergeant you’re rather uncoordinated MacTavish.” Your laugh is light.

“I didn’t go to fuckin dance school, certainly didn’t learn this in the marines that’s for sure. What, did they teach this in medical school?”

“Does it look like they did? I can stitch up a bullet wound but lord help me I can't dance for shit.”

You bump into him again and his grip tightens slightly.

“I got ya bonnie.”

He could be living in a dream right now, you in such a pretty dress adorned in your well deserved medals, him with his. You’re gripping his shoulder and he’s got you in his arms, he can smell your perfume and see the small hairs out of place as the two of you spin but he loves it all the same. He wants it all the same.

“Johnny. Can you hear me?”

He blinks harshly, really sinking back in. You’re not his right now, he can’t take you back to his place after this and kiss each part of you, unzip the dress and let his fingers graze over the skin that's revealed to him. Watch how you move under the moonlight as he touches you just as he imagined. Not yet.

“Yea?”

“I said I think Gaz just devoured his fourth bowl of that dip I wanted to try.”

“Must be good then, should we head over before he finishes it all?”

You laugh and agree.

“Thank you for the dance MacTavish, you made me feel less silly for not knowing what I’m doing.”

His eyes sparkle at your admiration.

“I’m always happy to help.”

—

The 4th Time: Yes

This mission could not have been more fucked up. Shrapnel flies and bullets whiz by. The air is cold but your body is so hot, on fire from the adrenaline. 

The coms are staticy and choppy but you can make out the team. 

An undercover mission with Soap had you outside a pretty nice villa at dusk. It was meant to pose as a couple on a retreat to gain intel from an organization nearby but all hell had broken loose. You're cornered and Soap had been down to three bullets and you at two until you were able to take down someone else and gain the upper hand.

Communication with the team was hard, they had sent for backup now you just had to wait.

And Soap is shot.

He has taken a bullet for you and you’re frantic. 

“Fuck Johnny, shit.”

He grimaces as you rip your bag off of your back to grab for first aid. It’s not enough though, you had to pack light and it’s not enough.

“Stupid ass job, told them to find a way to get more equipment.”

You’re more muttering to yourself, ripping things out of the small bag you were allotted to patch him up.

“You’re cute when you’re frustrated.”

Johnny laughs and it sends him into a coughing fit, the bullet is in his side. You pray it hasn't done permanent damage but the gravel in his cough scares the hell out of you.

“Hold on Johnny, I’m gonna get you fixed up alright, just stay still.”

A bullet nearly misses your head and he shoots back hitting the guy before clutching his side again.

“You think that’s all of them?”

“Fucking hope so, I need- I have to clean it.”

He’s strong, so strong and sweet and kind and nice and charming and you can’t lose him. 

Not when you know you want him now. That you need him now. 

“Gonna lift your shirt ok? Just watch your breathing.”

“Aye, not even going to take me to dinner first.”

Your eyes are blurry as tears slip down, first one the two.

He wipes them away, his blood smearing onto your face and you choke back a sob.

“C’mon bonnie, don't cry. I hate seeing you cry.”

His voice grows weaker the more he speaks and you beg him to stop, but he rambles. 

He talks about how each morning he wakes up to see if you’re up yet. He waits for you at the gym, always goes to you when he feels unwell, gushes to the rest of the team about you when you’re not around. 

He flirts openly with you and what a fool you’ve been to not reciprocate fully, to reel into him.

The needle breaks his skin and his eyes grow heavy, the blood is still flowing freely and you almost feel it rushing out of you as well.

“I’m so sorry Johnny.”

You stitch and wipe and repeat. It’s a gaping wound and it makes you sick seeing it on him. 

You’re so focused on stitching him you don’t notice when his eyes close. His breathing is shallower now. 

Your eyes race around his face, head now slumped to the side.

You wipe the wound, it’s not good but it should be ok. Heavy on should.

Your hand, coated in blood cups his cheek, shaking.

“Johnny?”

You move his head, it's heavy in your hands and your breathing hurts now.

You get closer, enough to press his forehead to yours and you inhale his smell. 

You hold cloth to his wound to try to stop the bleeding and you whisper promises to him if he will just pull through. 

Your lips are so close to his that when your tears roll down your face they roll off your nose onto his lips.

The hand that cups his cheek feels his pulse on his neck and it’s quiet and slow. It’s so silent here now.

“I’m so sorry Johnny. I love you. Fuck I love you so much I just didn’t want to mess anything up. Please don’t leave yet. 

You lips touch his softly, like if you pressed any harder he would shatter.

“Could have- could have told me all that before I was dying yea?”

He laughs weakly, his smile cracking the corner of his lips. You cup his face fully now, careful to remove your hand from the wound but you applied enough pressure by now the blood has coagulated some. 

“You mean all that?” His eyes are heavy but he still looks at you with that same shining he always did.

“Yes, god yes. I just didn't want to mess up the team dynamic but I don’t care anymore, you just have to pull through alright then let's go out.”

“I like the sound of that.”

Blades of the helicopter sound nearby cutting through the silence.

“Just hold on Johnny we’re gonna get you patched up. Then I want to see you in that suit again.”

“Anything for you bonnie.”

—

He recovered well with you by his side of course. You dressed his wound properly and gave him a kiss to make it heal faster he would say. Then two weeks later he showed up in a suit with flowers at your office door. The rest is history, but the team is much happier not listening to Soap’s rambling about you but they are happy nonetheless.

[blueiight]

ldpdl, ethnicity, and the false monolith of blackness

there's this false tendency to think amc louis being made black is pandering, or a means of removing louis from his oh-so-detailed /sarcasm/ background in the books. i also find that people tend to not even understand what show louis's ethnic background is, despite rolin jones the showrunner and even the fictional louis both coalescing around this multigenerational explanation of the gens de couleur in new orleans, and how jim crow disempowered them.

I came around to his ethnicity a sort of interesting way which is through Lestat. [ … ] I was like lets give him a legitimate a third attempt at figuring how to be with somebody for the rest of his life and how to not repeat your mistakes. [ … ] I started from there so it had to be someone with some money cause he had to be with his own folks and I thought he wanted someone who could fight back and who could be a challenge and would force him to restrain himself. And nobody at AMC was interested in 7 seasons of the regretful plantation owner, so we made Louis come from a lineage that did have a plantation and did own slaves.

rolin jones in the s1 post-finale episode of the podcast names how he came to this understanding of louis's character. lestat, after failing to make a bride of his mother, and a concubine of nicki, was seeking for someone of a similar background, or the most approximate equivalent. he would not have been interested in louis if louis was an anglophone baptist black man descended from upper-south arrivals into new orleans, nor would he have been interested in louis if louis was a poor black creole honestly s1 does not give a good reading of claudia's ethnic bg in new orleans, but since she cannot understand french, we can presume shes either a poor creole removed from her cultural background with her vampiric adoption narrative in mind, or was also of an anglophone baptist black background like claudia was. louis coming from this fallen sort of gentry, the free gens de couleur, similar to that of the tvl lestat who came from this barren aristocracy dating back to the crusades, was key to lestat's long-term goals with louis.

Capital accrued from plantations of sugar and the blood of men who looked like my great grandfather but did not have his standing. But then decades of Jim Crow and the electrified light of a new century had vanquished any idea of a free man of color. - AMC IWTV 1x01

louis was of the first generations of the gens de couleur to be born, raised into, and face the institutional and personal ramifications of being viewed as black in america. this fuels much of the character's rage as he moves through storyville, trying to continue the similar modality of exploitation to the contrary of pretty baby with brooke shields, majority of the brothel circuit was statistically black girls + women being sexually pawned off to white men but ultimately failing to do so bc of the anglophone white american class that now rules over him. [tom anderson, alderman fenwick, finn o’shea starting out as louis’s subordinate then ending w/ him entering whiteness by having a sporting house throwing torches at louis’s brothel in s1e3]

By 1850, the free population of color, beset by the hostility of white supremacy, was economically diminished and residentially segregated. The Americanization of Louisiana, and in particular New Orleans, was completed before the state became the sixth to secede from the Union in 1861 in the struggle over the perpetuation of slavery. [link] The Democratic redeemers who came to power in 1877 lost no time in redefining the Negro's "place" in Louisiana life. They immediately restored the color line in the New Orleans public schools and offered silent support to de facto segregation practices in places of public accommodation. With the assistance of two landmark decisions by the United States Supreme Court, the redeemers soon dismantled the egalitarian legal apparatus put together piece by piece under the Radicals. Finally in 1890 they began to write their "final solution" into Louisiana law with a series of "separate but equal" statutes. Soon New Orleans Negroes were again segregated in virtually every public pursuit. [link]

[macaiv]

Source: Sky Sports F1 Pre-Qualifying Show Las Vegas GP 2024

Esteban: Yeah it's definitely been awesome to just being able to have such a result after difficult season. Yeah it's been fantastic and also coming back here last year we had almost a podium, finished fourth. It was a very good race so there's a good momentum at the moment going on and obviously a big fight with the other teams until the end of the year. So it just brings more spice and more interesting things for us until the end of the year.

Transcript:

Rachel: So Esteban we're back in Vegas, it probably feels like a long time since Brazil but those memories must still be pretty good.

Rachel: What did it mean to the factory and to everyone who works in the team to have both of you up there because as you say it's been a really difficult year. Everyone's had to keep their heads down and keep working hard and try and get something out of this season.

Esteban: Yeah I mean there was a huge buzz inside the factory. It meant the whole world for the team. Everyone, everybody was working so hard you know to try and get a good car this year. Unfortunately we don't have the the car that we expected but it's a good reward for everyone and a very very nice one you for me and Pierre for sure to to be on the podium together. It's a special story for us and yeah definitely a moment that we will forever remember.

Rachel: Last three races with Alpine. How are you feeling? Is it weird?

Esteban: Yeah it's going to be emotional for sure especially the the last race but I've spent five years with this team. It's been a hell of a ride some good times some times a little bit more difficult but five years in formula one terms is a long time.

Rachel: You're making me feel really bad man.

Esteban: You've been here for a long time Rachel. But yeah no it's been nice obviously to get that last good results. I hope that we can get some good ones as well for for the rest of the year but it will be more tricky to be realistic to be honest. It won't rain for for the last three but yeah as I said it will be emotional but I'm looking forward to finish the story on the high.

Rachel: I mean this place is quite distracting, isn't it? This actual I mean the city itself have you been out what have you been doing and and I mean look at all this this is crazy.

Esteban: Yeah this is crazy and you know the sunset, the scenery and how it is you know the whole week. It's a standout race I would say compared to the rest of the year. It's a race that we've got really good surprises from last year. I think you know we were expecting something to be very different to actually how it is but it's a really good racing circuit. It can feel like it's warm because I'm wearing very thin jackets but I'm actually freezing for it.

Rachel: But I'm really warm that's the thing I'm really warm right now but I've got about 10 layers back in the office ready for it.

Esteban: Yes exactly just before you take them off and when we do the interview but no it's actually freezing so that brings opportunities because you know the tires the way they work you know it's not usual it's quite extreme so it should be interesting.

Rachel: All right, go well this weekend. Enjoy your last three races with Alpine. Thanks for talking to us.

Esteban: No problem. Thank you.

Bonus Part:

Simon: Well, it was a nice way, isn't it, to end his Alpine career. Great scenes up there. They're not always been the best of friends. We know that. Great rivals himself and Pierre Gasly. But I mean, what an enormous moment for the team, Jenson.

Jenson: Yeah, that was massive. That came from ninth in the championship to seventh. Right. Yeah, sixth. So they jumped three teams. That's massive. But this is a nice way to see out their championship. Well, they they're time together as teammates, as we know, they haven't seen eye to eye always. But to hug it out and stand on a podium together, it's pretty awesome.

Simon: Such similar careers that they've had as well.

Danica: I mean, it's a small world. You never know when you might run into each other or the or a team again or the team personnel within. So I think it's a really good thing to sort of be on this being this in this in this feeling at this point in the season as this comes to an end for Alpine with him. And, you know, he still has a chance to make some really great impression in their these last few races. Here last year, him and Pierre had a great race against each other. So, yeah, it's good to see good to see smiles.

Simon: Is he destined, though, do you think to be one of these drivers that last a long time in the sport, but perhaps doesn't get to one of the top drives, Esteban?

Martin: I think there's more potential in Esteban than he's showed. He fascinates me actually, because he is the nicest person you'd ever want to meet. And then when the helmet goes on, a little switch just behind you here that we've all got goes down and he turns into, with all due respect, a bit of a monster on the racetrack. And I think that energy is wasted in a way. I think there's more potential in him than he's delivered so far. But there's still time.

[vidavalor]

A theory about Aziraphale, Crowley, Mrs. Cheng, and high sensitivity

What's up with Aziraphale sensing love in Tadfield and thinking Maggie might be able to hear Heavenly trumpets and with Mrs. Cheng pausing weirdly at the bookshop door before entering The Ball?

What if bad spelling isn't demonic and sensing love isn't angelic? What if Aziraphale (an angel), Crowley (a demon), and Mrs. Cheng (a human) all actually just have the same ability? What if they are all HSPs-- highly sensitive people?

Aziraphale's ability to sense love is something that has spanned both seasons now and I know some people think this is an angelic thing but there's evidence, imo, that it's not. The show has been putting forth a message that angels, demons, and humans are really not that dissimilar. They have different life spans and abilities but they're all under the same kind of umbrella and none are superior or inferior to the other. They suggest this with the symbolism of labeling all of them all as insects (humans are ants, angels are bees, demons are hornets, flies are Beez's department) and as different kinds of waterfowl. Pat's example magic trick of The Professor's Nightmare-- the rope trick-- during The Blitz, Part 2 is also this as well. You have three different ropes that seem like they're different lengths: the big one (angels), the medium one (demons), and the small one (humans) but if you put them all together under the same light and you pull (like the force of gravity, that Gabriel and Crowley talk about in S2), you see them as all the same length.

The idea then is that angels and demons are just like humans, in terms of their needs and wants, and some don't recognize it because their supernatural abilities inhibit their ability to consider why they might also have human corporations in the first place. All of the angels and demons really need to eat and sleep and to not feel alone. Some of them, like some humans, might be interested in romantic love and/or sex, and some of them, like some humans, might not be. Things the show has coded as "demonic" at times-- like being terrible with language-- they also quietly illustrate as not being fully true. It can't be that all demons are terrible spellers who aren't great with words because Crowley is a demon and a literal poet while Gabriel was the Supreme Archangel of Heaven-- and he once suggested that keeping the status quo would keep things "static and, uh, quo-y." Who is better with words: Lord Beezlebub or Sandalphon? Beez, by a long mile, right? But Michael is also better with language than Hastur. The point is that it doesn't matter if you're an angel or a demon or a human-- some people are good with language and some are better with other things.

So, just some of the demons are bad spellers-- which doesn't actually mean anything. There are plenty of terrible spellers who are very intelligent and who are just better at different things-- which is something that is true of humans as well, right? What if we apply those same ideas to the sensitivity thing?

For one thing, if all angels-- or, even, just a lot of angels-- had a high sensitivity to love like Aziraphale does, the end group scene in S2 should have gone differently. The only angels experiencing or sensing love in the bookshop during the Ineffable Bureaucracy scene are Gabriel (who is the one feeling it) and Aziraphale. Being in the presence of love did nothing for Michael, Uriel, Saraqael or even our sweetheart Muriel (who, to be fair, wisely had their nose in a book in the back of the room the whole time but still probably should have been able to sense something if that's actually an angelic power.) The only angel actually overwhelmed by the love in the room is Aziraphale... which is, mathematically, kind of interesting. Aziraphale is one-sixth of the angels in the bookshop in that moment, which equates out to the roughly 17% percent of the human population estimated to be HSPs, or highly sensitive people, some of whom are also empaths.

If you go back to S1, when Aziraphale and Crowley enter Tadfield and Aziraphale starts experiencing love, he says to Crowley: "I'm astonished that you can't feel it." This comment alone might be suggested to say that the high sensitivity that Aziraphale has is something that isn't an angelic ability. By saying he's surprised that Crowley can't feel it, Aziraphale is saying that he knows that Crowley is sensitive in the same way that Aziraphale is. Crowley, too, is then what humans would probably call a HSP. Crowley balks at the suggestion in S1 but we can see in S2 that it's true when Crowley has his version of being overwhelmed sensing emotion and, in his case in that moment, it was waves of distress. Who else experiences it at the same time as Crowley does? A human. Mrs. Cheng.

Mrs. Cheng is the only other character who gets the heebie jeebies during the arrivals at The Ball. Both she and Crowley actually experience it before the demons come up Whickber Street, around the same time. Crowley attributes it to the demons and his own anxiety over Hell circling closer to the shop while Mrs. Cheng gets pulled into Aziraphale's magic and forgets what she felt at the door. Why did Mrs. Cheng feel something when others who came to the door did not? Because she's a highly-sensitive person.

Aziraphale is an angel, Crowley is a demon and Mrs. Cheng is a human. They are all highly-sensitive people. They all have the same high level of sensitivity.

Maggie shown to be a bad speller? Maybe she's just a human who can't spell, like many humans and demons (and angels) are. Why does Aziraphale think she could hear the Heavenly trumpets sounding the arrival of angels? It could just be because Maggie runs a music shop. Maggie is a musically-sensitive human. Aziraphale thought that might make it possible that, if anyone could hear the trumpets, it might be Maggie. He's not really sure how this all works. Aziraphale thinks that if he can feel love between humans then maybe humans that know music well might be able to hear Heavenly trumpets.

Back in S1, we see in a couple of scenes that Adam has what Crowley calls "an automatic defense thing-y" that keeps him from being found-- and seen, to an extent. A shield of sorts keeps Anathema from reading Adam's aura, showing that such a thing is in place and intact. Because Adam is the antichrist, his power overrides the other demons shy of Satan, so the presumption could be made that those of us who think that the reason why it's when they cross into Tadfield that Aziraphale begins to feel overwhelmed by love is because Adam's shield overrode Crowley's own "automatic defense thing-y" are correct because, let's be real, Crowley with his sunglasses and his Bentley has never met a defense thing-y he's never given a whirl. It fails when they cross the Tadfield line and Aziraphale is then feeling Crowley's love for him.

This is also why Aziraphale is overwhelmed by it again at Tadfield Manor. At the moment that he has to stop walking, Crowley is looking up at the place and, inevitably, remembering dropping the antichrist baby off there eleven years earlier and how he was supposed to be with Aziraphale that night instead. He's thinking about his own love for Aziraphale and Aziraphale senses it and has to stop walking for a moment, overwhelmed. Adam does love Tadfield but Aziraphale is not sensing his love for his hometown. Adam wouldn't remember being born in a religious hospital that has now become a corporate bonding retreat and wouldn't feel an overwhelming love for the place that he's probably never actually been inside since he left it as a baby. Aziraphale is sensing Crowley, who has probably had an automatic defense thing-y up for most of the time for millennia because, otherwise, Aziraphale would be in a constant state of near-faint.

Maggie may or may not be more than we think she is. She might wind up yet being some kind of supernatural being but she also might just be a human who is a bad speller and can't hear Heavenly trumpets. Mrs. Cheng may or may not be a mysterious figure with more going on than we think but she also might just be a highly-sensitive human who helps to illustrate a commonality between angels, demons and humans by having the same ability to deeply sense emotion that Crowley and Aziraphale do.

[sabrina-bee-art]

The Wizards are Sad Pieces of Toast, change my mind.

The Wizards are this seasons big bad villains. Or, the attempt at villains, ig. The way they are introduced, set against all the other villains the Winx have already beaten, it sets the expectation for the audience that the Wizards are even more evil, cruel and dangerous than all the villains that came before. And I guess on paper they are. Theoretically they are responsible for the genocide on the Terrestrial Fairies, which is pretty horrifying. Even Faragonda doesn’t dare speak of them out loud. And initially that’s intriguing. But when we meet them properly, they are just so boring and ineffective in comparison to Valtor or the Trix. Or even Darkar and he mostly hung out in his creepy cave castle.

I like the Wizards entrance, sort of. I like that they initially are after Bloom and want to steal her power (we’ll disregard for a moment the fact we learned in season 1 that a fairy’s power can’t be stolen) and when they realise, she isn’t the one they were looking for, they just yeet her to the side. That’s funny and unexpected. Every other villain before was after Bloom, and now for the first time, she isn’t the main centre of attention. She’ll make herself into that, later. But back to the Wizards.

We quickly realise that the Wizards are just…ridiculous, not menacing. Their actions don’t live up to the expectation set by their introduction and I think that is the main problem I have with them. How am I supposed to take them as a serious threat when the first two thirds of the season, the Wizards spend their time essentially playing pranks on the Winx? All they do in their brief moments of screen time, is to stand around and complain about the Winx. Then they try to ruin the Winx reputation and get so angry over the people of Gardenia liking these girlies. How very high school mean girl of them. It gets to a point where even the Winx are just annoyed when the Wizards show up and treat them more like an inconvenience than the evil final bosses that they end up being. Well, unless the plot demands otherwise.

It doesn’t help that, until the Winx get Believix at the end of the sixth episode, the Wizards could beat them at any point, since they canonically created a spell that renders Fairy Magic basically mute. But they don’t do anything with their advantage. Instead, they are absent for a good chunk of episodes and then only start messing with the Love & Pet shop, for no other reason than that they don’t like the Winx and find them annoying. After Episode 7, when the Winx insta-defeated them, they just sometimes attack randomly, but not with any sort of plan they want to achieve. Even though Roxy is not very protected, like the Winx don’t organise a watch for her or coordinate schedules so that someone is always with her, the Wizards only try to kidnap Roxy once. Unsuccessfully, because they conveniently forget to take her powers that particular time.

At the end, when they reveal themselves to be the Big Evils after all, I couldn’t take them seriously, with all the silly bullshit they pulled. They don’t even have any memorable personalities either. I can’t even recall all their names: there’s Ogron and Duman. Gantlos? And??? I'm sure there's a fourth one, but I couldn't remember his name if you'd held a gun to my head.

Ogron, or more like budget Valtor, in a sad attempt to be the next “charming” villain, monologues all over the place, throwing around threats and sassy lines. When Valtor did it, at least he made his threats reality thus giving his words weight. Ogron just talks shit and then gets jobbed by the Winx.

Another aspect to the detriment of the Wizards is that we don’t really get to spend much time with them. In season one and season three we spend a good chunk of most episodes with the Trix and Valtor and get to know them, their plans, and personalities. That’s why they are so memorable. The Wizards don’t get the same treatment. We barely cut away to see what they are up to, and when we do, they mostly complain about the popularity of the Winx. I’m serious. These are our villains!

We never learn their plans either. Why do they want the Terrestrial Fairies powers so badly? Just to have it? Because that’s an evil villain thing to do? Why did they start the genocide in the first place? What is their end goal now? Why do they want the White Circle? What are they planning? The audience not knowing the villains plan is a problem. That’s our frame of reference for the stakes of the season. Whenever the Winx and Wizards fight, we should clearly know what happens should the Winx lose. When we don’t understand the Wizards ulterior motives, their actions become meaningless and confusing. I would go so far to speculate that there never was a concrete plan for them, writing-wise. They are just a trope, a vessel, a hinderance for the Winx to fill this season with something. They aren’t real characters.

Let’s look at their plan, or lack there-of: At first, they want to steal Roxy’s power, then they leave her alone for a bit, messing with the Winx instead. Then they suddenly forget about Roxy and want the White Circle. Then they play more pranks and inconvenience the Winx some more. And in the end, they want to destroy Tir Na Nog…for some reason??? Because the show needs an evil final boss? With the other villains in previous season, the audience always clearly understood what their next steps would be. That adds suspense and urgency, like “Oh no! The Trix are about to steal a codex, can the Winx stop them in time???” Because we understood, that if Darkar gets all Codex pieces, he would be super powerful and destroy the Magical Dimension, the audience understood the gravity whenever the Trix managed to steal another piece. Now granted, that’s not a particularly original plan, but that’s not the point. The Wizards just randomly show up to fight, not really following any plan, or rather, whatever this episode’s plot requires. They don’t have an overarching plan. I’d argue because they don’t need one, because they will lose at the end regardless, but there not being any really just makes the Wizards seem like nothing more than a mild inconveniences to the Winx. Depending on the episode, of course, and whether we need to bring in artificial tension.

The fact that they don’t even have a proper villain’s lair speaks volumes. The Trix had Cloud Tower in season one. Darkar had his fancy underground castle. Valtor first had his cave on Andros, then Cloud Tower. What do the Wizards get? An unspecified industrial looking area and then…the sewer. They hide out in the sewer. Ewwwww. They don’t have a creepy castle, nothing. They could have had a sort of Tir Na Nog foil, a creepy old castle maybe, or even lived in the Ruins of Tir Na Nog. No. They hide in the sewers of this random Californian town.

I cannot stress enough how the majority of the season the Wizards are just sad pieces of toast and then at the last minute, they are revealed to be the big bad final boss. Their tactic of feigning their surrender could have been interesting, but by that point they already had lost all their intrigue. The Winx had already won against them every time they fought, so why should I feel any sort of threat or danger?

[callmebrycelee]

9-1-1 REACTION

Dearly beloved, we’re gathered here today to discuss the latest episode of 9-1-1. This reaction is for the season 7, sixth episode “There Goes the Groom” which originally aired May 2, 2024. The episode was written by Tim Minear and Nicole Barraza Kiem and directed by John J. Gray. Just a word of warning, this reaction will contain spoilers. You have been warned …

“He’s Tubbs, I’m Tubbs and this isn’t my puke, I don’t think.” – Eddie Diaz to Maddie Buckley

We start things off at a gorgeous venue where Maddie and Chimney’s wedding is to take place. We see Bobby and Athena looking restless and John and Anne Lee sitting with Jee-Yun. We then see Maddie freaking out because the boys (Chimney, Buck, and Eddie) are 30 minutes late. Phillip Buckley (played by Gregory Harrison) tries calling Buck’s phone but keeps getting his voicemail. Hen rushes in to tell Maddie that Buck’s car has arrived. When Maddie asks if Chimney is in his tux, Hen tells her she didn’t get a good look. Buck and Eddie arrive looking like they’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards. Eddie’s covered in someone else’s puke (gross!!!) and inexplicably missing his shirt. This season is all about giving us what we need and what we need is Ryan Guzman shirtless. Maddie asks them about Chimney. Buck tells her that it’s complicated. 

Cue title card.

We get a flashback to the bachelor party Buck organized for Chimney. It should be pointed out that Chimney doesn’t want a bachelor party, something he’s intimated to Buck numerous times. I must say, the venue Buck chose to host the festivities was really cool-looking. There were all these neon signs on the walls and twinkly lights galore. It reminded me of a space where you’d play laser tag. Buck and Eddie are dressed in matching pastel Miami Vice-esque suits and Buck is being very fussy about everything. Tommy (played by Lou Ferrigno Jr.) arrives dressed in a black T-shirt and jeans and Buck nags him about not sticking to the 80’s theme. I’m gonna assume that Tommy is in his late-30’s and therefore Buck should be lucky he even came in the first place because the thought of leaving my house on a weeknight to go to a bachelor party does not sound the least bit appealing. Eddie offers Tommy a drink and he tells him he’s on standby which for all you kiddies out there who don’t know how jobs work, standby means that you’re technically not scheduled for the shift, but you have to be ready in case you get called in to work.  

“You put that back, right now.” – Evan “Buck” Buckley to Ravi Panikkar

Tommy does give us a hint about Chimney’s nickname when he reminds Eddie that he knew Chimney before he was Chimney. I love the whole mythos surrounding the name and I hope by the end of the series we finally get an explanation. I also like how sassy Tommy is in this scene. Hen, Karen, and Ravi arrive but our guest of honor is missing. While Buck calls Chimney’s cell, everyone else looks bored out of their mind. Buck asks Hen to call Chimney since he’s more likely to answer her call, but she declines. She reminds Buck that Chimney told him he didn’t want a bachelor party, but Buck tells her he didn’t. We then get a small scene where Chimney doesn’t mince words when he tells Buck he does not want a bachelor party. It should be noted that Eddie is present for the exchange and yet he is the one to suggest to Buck that they dress as Crockett and Tubbs from Miami Vice. Now, this is my one pet peeve about Eddie. He always indulges Buck and then kind of absolves himself of responsibility when things go awry. 

Back in the not-so-distant future, people start to leave. Buck begs Hen and Karen to stay but they tell him they have to get home to Denny and Mara. Ravi is the next to leave followed by Tommy who gets a text to report to work. Buck is so disappointed to see him go, and I love how he tells Tommy to be safe before he leaves. Eddie is the only one left and when a group of young women wander into their party space, they decide to salvage the rest of the night by turning up with a bunch of strangers. Now, prior to the episode airing, Tim Minear announced that a previously advertised scene involving Buck and Eddie singing karaoke was cut due to the episode being too long. This led to more than a few irate fans, mostly Buddie shippers, sending a barrage of tweets and comments to the series co-creator voicing their frustration with the decision to remove the scene. Some even accused the writers of queer baiting which is really dumb when you consider that one of the characters is actually queer so what baiting is even involved. I get being upset because your favorite pairing on the show is not being featured as prominently as you would like but I find it absurd that someone would then go to Beyonce’s internet to harass the writers and the cast about said decision. I find it disgusting and I wish a certain ship would realize that certain writers would take them more seriously if they weren’t acting like a bunch of coked up baboons. But I digress.

Buck and Eddie wake up the next morning in a completely trashed hotel room. The place is wrecked. Seriously, who is going to pay for all the damages? I’m honestly surprised by both of their behavior. Especially Eddie’s. He’s usually the more level-headed of the two but it’s odd to see him exhibiting such frat boy behavior. Perhaps he needed to blow of some steam. Anywho, they go to check on Chimney but only find his tux. Oh dear!

Buck and Eddie wake up the morning in a completely trashed hotel room. Seriously, who is going to have to pay for all the damages? I’m extremely surprised by Eddie’s behavior. 

“I am 9-1-1.” – Maddie Buckley to Margaret Buckley

Back in the present, Maddie tries calling Chimney herself. When he doesn’t pick up, Hen asks if she has him on Find My Friend, a feature that will send current or last location to anyone you choose to share it with. She sees that Chimney is on Century Park East but wonders why he’s there.

We next see a guy named Jeff (played by Khorri Ellis) knocking on the driver’s side window of Chimney’s vehicle. Chimney is inside looking a little worse for wear. He’s sweaty and bleary-eyed. He looks like he has the flu. He also seems out of it. Chimney rolls down the window and Jeff asks him if he’s okay. He tells Jeff that he feels like he should be somewhere. Jeff asks him his name and Chimney says his name is Howard. Chimney says he needs to leave but Jeff, rightfully, tells him he is no condition to be driving. He offers to drive Chimney where he needs to go and when Chimney steps outside the vehicle, Jeff gets in, chucks Chimney’s cell out the window, and drives off leaving Chimney stranded. 

FOUR DAYS AGO

“I promise to never put her in a position where she feels she needs to stab me to death.” – Howard “Chimney” Han to John and Anne Lee

We see Chimney with John and Anne Lee (played by Kelvin Han Yee and Freda Foh Shen) practicing Jesa, a Korean ceremony in which one pays tribute to a loved one on the anniversary of their death. I love any time we get to see Chimney with the Lees because while he has been able to make amends with his father, John and Anne Lee are his real parents and Kevin Lee, their son, is his brother. Chimney and the Lees have dinner together and Anne asks Chimney if he is excited about the wedding. When Chimney goes to respond, his hand starts shaking and he drops his food. John jokingly asks if he’s nervous, but Chimney assures him that he doesn’t have the jitters. He is, however, feeling jittery and tells them he has a headache he can’t seem to shake. Anne offers him aspirin, but Chimney tells her that he will be fine after he says, “I do”. 

John asks him about what happened to him and Maddie’s plan to have a simple ceremony at their home. Chimney tells him that the plan has changed. Phillip and Maddie Buckley are flying out for the wedding and have offered to foot the bill for the venue since they were not at Maddie’s first wedding. Anne says they waited to attend the right wedding. Chimney makes a dark joke about Maddie having to kill her first husband Doug and the Lees laugh. Chimney says he looking forward to having a traditional wedding; however, there is one tradition he is not looking forward to and that’s having a bachelor party. 

Back in the present, Chimney sees his phone lying in the middle of a busy road. We see him walk into traffic to retrieve it and he almost gets hit by a bus. The driver opens the door and Chimney boards the bus. When she pulls off, the wheels of the bus crush Chimney’s phone. 

We head over to the wedding venue where everyone except for Chimney is gathered. It was so fun seeing all of the main and secondary cast in the same scene together in their formal wear. Athena gets a call from Officer Williams (played by Chris Wu) who has located Chimney’s phone but neither Chimney nor his car is with it. Athena asks him to put out a BOLO for Chimney and his car. Maddie asks Officer Williams if there are any traffic cameras nearby and he says there are a few. 

Maddie, Hen, and Josh go to the dispatch center. Maddie says she will check the Century Park East traffic cam footage to see if she can find Chimney and Josh will check the call logs to see if there have been any calls from that vicinity in the last 12 hours.  Sue sees them and asks if this is a runaway bride situation. Hen tells her they are looking for a runaway groom. 

Back on the bus, Chimney is clearly not in his right mind because he is hallucinating Doug Kendall (played by Brian Hallisay). Doug sits next to him, and Chimney asks if he knows him. Doug says that Chimney may forget everything else, but he could never forget him. Doug is wearing a Santa hat and has a gift he says is from the both of them to Maddie. He opens the bag and pulls out of knife which he uses to stab Chimney in the side. Even though I knew that Doug wasn’t real, that didn’t make this scene any less troubling to watch. Doug twists the blade and disappears leaving a confused Chimney alone on the bus. 

“Maybe I got too caught up in the dream wedding. I was so excited about marrying him.” – Maddie Buckley to Hen Wilson

Meanwhile, reviews the camera footage and sees Chimney walking into traffic. She sees him almost get hit by a bus and then board said bus. Josh says the bus is a metro bus and asks if there’s any way they can see the bus ID number. Maddie writes down the number and gives it to Sue who tells her she will call the MTA. We then see Chimney get dropped off in an unfamiliar part of town. We switch back to dispatch where Maddie and Hen are reviewing the footage from inside the bus. I love seeing these two work together because out of all of our characters, these two love Chimney the most. Maddie notices that Chimney’s talking to himself, and Hen thinks he may be hallucinating. Maddie wonders if this is some sort of delayed reaction to his brain injury from back in season one or if he’s having some sort of breakdown. Hen reminds Maddie that when Chimney gets stressed, he deflects. Maddie wonders if Chimney marrying her is the thing that’s stressing him out, but Hen quickly lets her know that marrying her is the one thing he wasn’t stressed about. She tells Maddie that the only thing she’s sure of at the moment is that Chimney can’t wait to marry her. 

Josh returns and tells them that he talked to the bus driver who says that Chimney seemed a little out of it but otherwise normal. The bus driver also said that Chimney kept talking about being late for work. Hen points out that the bus Chimney was on wouldn’t go anywhere near the firehouse and wonders where he could have been dropped off at. Speaking of Chimney, we see him standing out in front of a building. He talks to a man named Carl (played by Exie Booker) and asks him about Skinny Bob’s K-Town Karaoke. For those of you who recall the episode “Chimney Begins” that is the name of the bar where Chimney used to work prior to joining the 118. Carl tells Chimney the bar burned down which we saw in the very same episode. Chimney has flashes of the night the bar burned down but he can’t quite piece together the memory. The make matters worse, he starts to see Doug again only this time his future wife’s dead husband is covered in blood. Chimney freaks out and runs away.

“”We’re gonna find him, Maddie.” – Athena Grant to Maddie Buckley

Athena checks in with Maddie and Hen and tells them she talked to Carl who says that Chimney looked agitated and feverish. Carl also told Athena that Chimney thought that the bakery where Carl works was a karaoke bar. Athena tells them that she has some officers searching the area and she and Bobby plan to stick around just in case Chimney comes back. She assures Maddie that they will find Chimney. Josh reminds them that Chimney’s bachelor party was at a bachelor party; however, Maddie points out that the bachelor party was the night before. Sue asks if it is possible Chimney doesn’t know what day it is. Hen chimes in and says she’s not sure if he even knows what year it is. She pulls up an article from 2005 on her phone which shows that Chimney saved a lot of people by getting them out of the karaoke bar when it caught on fire. Maddie wonders if he’s forgotten 20 years of his life and Hen says he might not be the only one.

TWO WEEKS AGO

“You don’t have to worry about this. It’s all taken care of.” – Evan Buckley to Maddie Buckley

We get another flashback scene, this one involving the 118 responding to an emergency where Thom DeSalvo (played by Brandon Bales) is trapped inside an air duct. Buck broaches the topic of Chimney’s bachelor party and the latter volunteers himself to go into the air duct while the rest go inside the room directly beneath where Thom is trapped. Chimney locates Thom and checks his vitals. Thom tells him that his heart is racing, and he has chest pains. He then sneezes directly into Chimney’s face. Chimney tells Thom to relax but he says he cannot relax because he just saw his fiancée having sex with another man. I kind of felt bad for Thom because he is truly heartbroken although if I were his friend, I wouldn’t have advised that he go spy on them. Meanwhile, Bobby, Hen, Eddie, and Buck are able to knock out a portion of the ceiling and lower Thom down. As he is loaded into an ambulance, Hen talks to the woman Thom said was his fiancée and discovers that she is, in fact, not his fiancée. She says that Thom is her ex-husband and that they’ve been divorced for 17 months. 

Back in the present, Buck brings Maddie a change of clothes and Eddie brings food. Buck notices that Hen is on the phone, and he asks Maddie who she is speaking with. Maddie tells him that Hen is checking on the patient Thom from their emergency two weeks ago.  Eddie is surprised the guy is still in the hospital since he wasn’t even hurt. Maddie tells them that Hen thinks that Chimney is exhibiting the same behaviors as Thom. Hen announces that Thom had viral encephalitis that he picked up while in Central America. Buck points out that Chimney was in close quarters with Thom. Eddie suggests they all get checked to see if they have it. Hen points out that Chimney was the only one who had direct exposure to Thom. Josh asks her what the prognosis is and Hen says that if Chimney were in a hospital it would be good but every minute that passes without treatment, the swelling in his brain gets worse. If Chimney does not get medical attention ASAP, he is going to suffer permanent brain damage and most likely die. Maddie asks her about Thom Desalvo’s status and Hen tells her that he died earlier that morning.

“He may not remember who he is but he is who he is.” – Athena Grant to Bobby Nash, Evan “Buck” Buckley, and Eddie Diaz

We see Chimney wandering the streets of Koreatown in a state of delirium. He nearly gets hit by a car and the driver, who is either under the influence or experiencing a medical emergency, plows into a farmers’ market, hurting a lot of people in the process. The paramedic switch is flipped in Chimney, and he springs into action. He tells a woman to call 9-1-1 and tends to the driver who is having a seizure. It’s amazing that Chimney is able to stay focused to help everyone, even while in the midst of his own medical emergency. This scene reminds me of when Mateo on Lone Star jumped into action during the dust storm back in season two.

Athena, Bobby, Buck, and Eddie arrive on the scene of the accident and Bobby reports that a man fitting Chimney’s description was on the scene triaging the area. Eddie thinks this means that Chimney knows who he is but Bobby quickly adds that Chimney told one of the witnesses he works at a karaoke bar. Athena sees this as a good sign regardless because Chimney is tapping into something that is so natural to him which is helping others. Bobby says that Chimney was last seen 30 minutes ago so he suggests that they canvass the area to look for him. Athena says she will get the police involved in the search as well. 

Buck strikes off on his own to look for Chimney and he does end up at the spot where Chimney is at; unfortunately, Chimney is passed out, so he does not hear Buck calling for him. Chimney receives another visit from Doug who tries to convince him that Maddie left him. Chimney remembers the video Maddie left him before she left for Boston. Doug tells Chimney he is sick in the head and that he screwed around with a married woman. Chimney then sees himself lying on the ground after he got stabbed by Doug back in season two. Doug tells him to stop fighting and to go to sleep. Chimney eventually passes out and sees a white light.

“Howie, you got to get up, man.” – Kevin Lee to Howard “Chimney” Han

Now this is the part where I started to tear up in the episode. A man dressed in turnout gear steps out of the light and Chimney sees that it’s Kevin Lee (played by James Chen). It is in this moment I realized that we never saw Chimney grieve his fallen brother. Chimney starts to cry upon seeing Kevin. Kevin tells him to get up and Chimney says he is so tired and that his head is hurting. He wants to rest but Kevin says he cannot. He tells Chimney he is sick and needs medical attention. Chimney touches Kevin’s face and tells him he misses him and that he’s glad he’s okay. Kevin tells Chimney that he will be okay, but he needs to get up. He drags Chimney to his feet and tells him that Doug was never there. Chimney says that Kevin is there, and Kevin says that Chimney invited him. Kevin tells him all he needs to do is get home. 

“We always find our way back to each other somehow.” – Maddie Buckley to Howard “Chimney” Han

Chimney ends up at the Lees house asking for Kevin Lee. Anne tells him that Kevin is dead. Chimney starts crying again and finally collapses onto the floor. He wakes up in the hospital where Maddie is at his bedside. She asks him if he knows where he is at and he shakes his head. She asks him if he knows who he is and he apologizes for missing their wedding. Maddie starts crying and now I’m crying, too. Maddie is happy he remembers. Jee-Yun runs into the room with Phillip Buckley close on her heels. Chimney tells Maddie he was trying to get back to her and Jee-Yun the whole time. Chimney asks Maddie if she will marry him, and she says she will the minute they get out of the hospital. He asks her when that will be, and she says the doctors say it will be three weeks. Chimney tells her he doesn’t want to wait that long. He doesn’t want to wait another minute.

We next see Maddie back in her wedding dress. I must say, the viewers give Phillip and Margaret Buckley a hard time based on their previous relationships with Maddie and Buck, but I have to say it was so nice seeing the Buckley family together and on the same page. Back in Chimney’s room, John and Anne Lee are helping him into get into his tuxedo jacket. John tells Chimney that Kevin is smiling right now, and Chimney agrees. Okay, cue more tears. While Jennifer Love Hewitt sings a cover of “Islands in the Stream” which is the song Maddie and Chimney sang karaoke to, we see Maddie being walked down the hospital corridor by Phillip while flower girl Jee-Yun walks ahead of them. Phillip leads Maddie into Chimney’s room and Bobby officiates their wedding which feels so appropriate. They exchange vows and rings and finally kiss in front of their family and friends. I loved the moment when Bobby is talking about the significance of the rings, and he looks over at Athena. It’s just a reminder of how perfect the couples on this show are.

“Thanks, Tommy. It looks like you were … busy.” – Howard “Chimney” Han to Tommy Kinard

Buck gets a text and leaves the room while everyone is applauding Chimney and Maddie’s union. He makes it to the emergency room just in time to see Tommy walk through the sliding doors. Tommy is covered in soot and ash and immediately apologizes for being late. He tells Buck that the fire he just fought was a beast. Buck calls him a beast and kisses him. Now this kiss was an upgrade from the kiss two episodes ago which is already a great kiss. It was a great first kiss. With this kiss, the passion was turned all the way up to an 11. Seriously, these two have such amazing chemistry and I love how things are gradually escalating. I do love that Buck is the one who initiates the kiss because it shows that he is all in on their romance. 

Buck and Tommy head back to Chimney’s room aka the wedding and Tommy immediately apologizes for missing the wedding. He congratulates Chimney and Maddie and Chimney thanks him. There’s this amazing moment when Chimney puts two and two together and realizes that Buck and Tommy are together. He is immediately accepting as I knew he would be and Hen whispers to Karen that it’s about damn time and of course Hen already knew because Hen is very perceptive. We get other reactions as well. Eddie looks both proud and happy for his best friend and Margaret gives her husband Phillip a look that says, does that mean what I think it means and Phillip looks content. As I mentioned before, the Buckleys get a bad rep by the fans but I am choosing to see this as a good sign of things to come. 

We end the episode with Maddie and Chimney. She asks him how he is feeling, and he tells her he is feeling right at home. She jokes and asks if that’s because every significant moment of their lives happens in a hospital. He tells her that he feels at home because they are together. He looks around the room and says it’s not the most romantic place for their honeymoon. Maddie says there’s worst and at the same time they say upside down cruise ships. Ha! Maddie looks at her ring and says she can’t believe they are married. She says it’s the wedding of her dreams and Chimney says it’s a day he’ll never forget. Chimney asks Maddie if Buck and Tommy were a thing before his amnesia and she says yes. He says that means his memory is back. In the last moment of the episode. Chimney asks Maddie about the meaning behind his name and then it fades to black. I guess we will have to wait to find out how Chimney got his infamous nickname.

So, that’s our episode and what an amazing episode it was. Looking back at the promo for “There Goes the Groom”, Tim Minear and Company really had me convinced that we were getting an homage to The Hangover. I was not expecting this episode to be as heartbreaking and heartwarming as it was. Shout out to Kenneth Choi who deserves his flowers. He not only delivered some of the most powerful moments of the episode, looking back, Kenneth has been constantly delivering since season one. The scene where he talks to Kevin shattered my heart into pieces only to superglue it back. Chimney is usually the comic relief of the show and it’s often been said that comedians are some of the most unhappy people on the planet. Who knew he was holding onto so much grief. In many ways this episode reminds me of last season’s “In Another Life” where Buck learns just how valuable he is to those around him. Chimney has a similar journey in this episode and thankfully he’s walking away from this horrific ordeal knowing just how loved he is by his family, his friends, and most importantly his wife. 

The Madney wedding wasn’t what I was expecting but it was better than anything I could’ve ever imagined. One thing I think the writers did well with this wedding that I wished they did with TK and Carlos’ wedding over on Lone Star is the joy aspect. Everyone in that hospital room was filled with love and happiness despite everything that had transpired. I love how once a season we get these moments where the cast is all together, celebrating, and it’s the rare occasion we get to see the actors come through their characters. This is a cast that loves each other and it’s so apparent. It’s one of the many reasons I love this show. But, I digress. Maddie and Chimney’s wedding was absolutely beautiful and had we not gone through all the drama and tragedy, we would’ve missed out on Bobby being the officiant. It makes total sense that our fearless leader would be the one to marry Chimney and Maddie. I look forward to what happens next for Chimney and Maddie. These two have endured so much trauma and heartache and I pray the writers leave them alone for awhile. 

Lastly, I have to talk about the moment that has set both Twitter and Tumblr ablaze albeit for different reasons. Many have doubted and still doubt the legitimacy of Buck and Tommy’s burgeoning relationship, but I think this episode made it abundantly clear these two are here to stay at least for the rest of this season. I don’t know what plans Tim Minear has for these two characters but I love the slow burn of it all. Sometimes I’ll be sitting, doing nothing, and it’ll dawn on me that Evan “Buck” Buckley is bisexual, and he is dating a kind, patient, and extremely hot firefighter named Tommy Kinard. And maybe it’s my imagination but this is the happiest Buck has ever looked. The smile he gives after he comes back to Chimney’s room with Tommy is something I will rewatch this episode over and over again just to see again. Oliver and Lou’s chemistry is off the charts and that shouldn’t suggest that there’s anything wrong with Oliver and Ryan’s chemistry. I think Oliver has chemistry with everyone he appears on screen with. And, as the mostly one-sided war rages on between Buddie shippers and BuckTommy/Tevan/Kinley shippers, I think at the end of the day, the most important thing to remember is that Buck is bisexual, he is (mostly) out, and he is happy. We have seen this man endure emotional and physical turmoil since episode one. I’m happy that he gets to be happy and that’s what matters. I cannot wait to see what happens next. Until next time …

[dathomirdumpsterfire]

are you perhaps willing to give a tiny snippet of the desert husbands whip 🥺

a snippet! a snappet! a small snitch of s'maul??

as you wish!

-dilf season 2 ch 37-

Obi-Wan runs a hand back through his hair to neaten the strands a bit, some sixth sense telling him the humidity is playing havoc with it. "If you must know, I was there as a slave. The order had decided I was… best placed as part of the agricorps. Except I was kidnapped from my post, and put in chains. It took time, but I eventually staged a revolt."

Maul chokes on air. "You mean to tell me- the jedi order nearly sent-" he stops to cough a laugh, "-the greatest soresu master they had seen in an age, to be a farmer? A ploughman?"

"It's a… noble career. Feeding people is important," he tries, but it sounds unconvincing even to his own ears. He had been devastated to be relegated to agriculture instead of knighthood. Not that it wasn't a powerful calling… but it wasn't his.

Maul loses it, wheezing quietly with mirth, his force presence flaring obnoxiously.

Obi-Wan sighs, expansively. "It's not that funny."

"Farmer! They would have made you a farmer!" the man crows.

He glowers. "If you're quite done, we could maybe focus on the test…"

"Oh, cursed line of Aith'zin, that is truly the most hilarious thing I have ever heard. Obi-Wan Kenobi, expert in- in radishes and soil amendments." He hears a slap, like the sith had struck a palm to his metal thigh. "I am even more grateful the jedi did not come for me! Can you imagine what mundanity they would have subjected me to? School teacher, hmmm? Secretary? Potter?"

At this rate, Obi-Wan is sure he will run out of sighs before they reach the end of this place. A lifetime supply used up in an afternoon.

"Oh, no, I know!" The sith smacks him on the shoulder, "A mechanic! I could have spent my sad little life as a jedi puppet repairing watering drones right alongside you in the agricorps."

Obi-Wan thinks about that for only a minute, and immediately resolves never to think about it again.

Him, Maul, quiet days, and the steady growth of crops? If the worst he had ever done in life was to be mediocre at growing things and argue all the time with his mechanic…?

...it would have been so much better than the fruition of reality.

"You never know," he says without tone, "It could have been a fulfilling life."

The sith makes a noise like a dying space whale.

Obi-Wan glares. "You sound like a demented purgill, I hope you know… I- wait, how did you know where my shoulder was? It's pitch black in here. I'm surprised you didn't smack me in the head."

"Oh see, there is this thing called the living force," Maul begins, snide, "and through it all living things are connected."

"I hate you," he replies mildly.

"Good," the man purrs.

[asordinaryppl]

A3! Main Story: Part 4 - Act 15: PAINFUL RE:BAKE - Episode 13: Make Blossom

Host: The third season of “Make Blossom” has finally begun!

Host: Eight unique challengers, both pros and amateurs, will be taking on this survival challenge for a month!

Host: One participant will be eliminated each week, and the last three to remain will aim to become the best makeup artist.

Host: Whoever wins the Final Battle will win a prize in cash and the right to work at the forefront of the fashion industry!

-

Host: Last but not least, our youngest participant, a high school student… ZAMI!

Host: Despite his age, he is already an active member of a theater company. He’s a promising rookie in both the makeup and acting worlds!

Host: What kind of sense will he show us!?

Azami: …

Azami: (Filming for TV really is different from being on stage. This ain’t like me, but I’m nervous.)

Host: I will now announce the first task!

[DOON]

Host: The theme is… “vampires”!

Host: You will now be given a photo of the model you will work with and 30 minutes of thinking time.

Host: After you’re done thinking of the makeup, you will have 2 hours to apply it to the model themself.

Azami: …

Azami: (30 minutes thinking time is basically improvisation. I take my time when thinking about the makeup I’ll do for the plays… I’ve got to switch gears.)

Host: And now, Thinking Time Start!

Azami: …

Azami: (Vampires remind me of Nocturnality. I hadn’t joined the troupe then, but I’ve seen videos.)

Azami: (A pale blue base… An overall feel that’s porcelain and non-human…)

Azami: (I wanna show something high level here, rather than just a flashy concept.)

Host: Time’s up!

Challenger A: There’s not enough time…

Challenger B: It passed by in the blink of an eye.

Host: Next, we will take you to the makeup room, where the models are waiting for you!

-

Host: In any event, your fate will be decided in 2 hours! Who will be our first elimination!?

Host: Makeup Start!

Model: … 

Azami: (Their skin tone’s different than it was in the picture… I don’t think this bluish base will suit them…)

Azami: (Nah, I don’t have time to change my plan now. If I carefully prepare the base, it’ll work out somehow…)

-

Host: Time’s up!

Judge A: Oho~ Everyone was fully concentrated.

Judge B: I’m looking forward to seeing the fruit of their efforts.

Host: We can now begin the review period!

-

Host: We will now announce the ranking! In first place is… SAKI!

Judge A: You used the red and purple from the vampire motif impressively, and it caught my eye.

Judge B: The artistic way in which you expressed both aggression and alluring mystery play a big part in your high score.

Azami: (This is makeup that looks great on TV… The others have also made bold looks with good concepts)

Azami: (Compared to them, my makeup’s too plain…)

-

Host: We will now be announcing the sixth place!

Host: The two left for the end are candidates for elimination, so if you want to stay in this race, this is where you want your name to be called!

Host: In sixth place we have– Misaki.

Misaki: Let’s go!!

Host: Which means… That the first elimination for the third season of Make Blossom will be one of these two!

Host: Our youngest competitor, ZAMI, and the goddess of covering up flaws, Miri!

Miri: ——

Azami: …

Judge B: It seems ZAMI didn’t take full advantage of his model. The look he created was too meek and bland

Azami: …

Azami: (Can’t say anything back… That was totally my mistake.)

Host: We will now have you two compete in a makeup skills battle.

Host: We will see just how well you can apply eyeliner in under 5 minutes, and the loser will be eliminated! It’s a full-out battle with no room for cheating!

Azami: (So a one-on-one competition? This suits me just fine.)

Host: Now, both of you, on your marks…

Azami: (I’ve got experience in quick stuff like this. But I can’t let my guard down with the judges looking.)

Azami: (I’ve done this countless times before… I just gotta remember the feeling.)

Azami: (I had to rush the Spring Troupe’s makeup right before their performance, too.)

Azami: (There’s been countless times when I’ve had to apply everyone’s makeup just before the opening buzzer rings out.)

Azami: (I’ve made it this far with the intention of never letting anyone get on stage with sloppy makeup, even with time literally against me.)

Azami: (If I just think of this model in front of me as a member of MANKAI Company…)

Host: Are you ready? … Get set, GO!

-

Host: Now, we’ll have the judges raise their signs all at once!

Host: ZAMI, ZAMI, ZAMI… With a 3-to-0, ZAMI’s survival has been guaranteed!

Judge A: Watching Miri’s hand tremble from nerves made me nervous.

Judge A: On the other hand, our youngest ZAMI here managed to keep his cool through this short period and created something beautiful.

Judge B: I wonder if his experience with stage makeup helped here? This is an amazing feat for a teenager.

Azami: … Crunch time’s the norm where I come from

Host: That’s our rookie for ya! ZAMI, congratulations on keeping your place here!

Judge B: I’ll be waiting for you to break out of your shell with the next challenge, too.

Azami: (If I don’t get my shit together, I’ll definitely be eliminated next week…)

Azami: (I gotta go all out as if next time will be my last.)

-

Ibuki: …

Host: “Please look forward to the next Make Blossom!”

Ibuki: … Kinda peaked here. This is so going viral.

Ibuki: “supporting my classmate sooo hard rn! #MakeBlossom #PassedLast #CrunchTimesTheNorm"

-

Sakoda: AZAMIIIIII!!! WAAAHHHHH, I’M SO GLAD!!! CONGRATS ON PASSING, AZAMIIII!!!

Sakyo: Pipe down, already…

Banri: But you were clenchin’ that fist real tight, Sakyo-san.

Taichi: I was on the edge of my seat!

Sakuya: I’m glad he made it through!

Kazunari: And he’s trending! Look at all these “# Crunch time’s the norm”!

Kazunari: There’s an article titled, “Who’s ZAMI!? I looked into him a little”, and it mentions MANKAI Company!

Omi: He’s already making the rounds.

Juza: Azami’s awesome…

Yuki: He got attention ‘cause he’s the first high schooler to participate, and then he got more because he was on the verge of being eliminated from the first episode.

Kumon: But I wonder if he’s gonna be able to deal with all this attention…

Banri: This is Azami we’re talkin’ about,

Juza: … We gotta keep it up too.

Taichi: You’ve got a meeting tomorrow, right?

Tsumugi: Have they delivered a script?

Banri: Nah, not yet. I don’t even know if they’ll give it to us tomorrow.

Tasuku: Sounds like you’re about to go through something crazy again.

Banri: I’ve seriously got no idea what that leader guy’s thinkin’, man…

previous episode | masterpost | next episode

NOTES:

(1) not really a translation note, but i made ibuki's hashtags look like that mostly for the sake of readability

[abarbaricyalp]

Written for the @sambuckylibrary TFATWS Anniversary Event

3.3k words // CW: sports injury and discussion of recovery // AO3

(i mean baby) Do You Know The Game

The energy of a hard fought win was still thrumming in Bucky's veins as he collapsed into the press junket chair. His whole body hurt and he was irritated that it was a close game in the first place. They hadn't started strong and had only barely managed to claw their way back with a solid closer and a lucky series of errors to load up the bases before Steve got up to bat in the ninth.

This was going to be one of those days that the PR team regretted putting him in front of cameras. It was always a toss-up. He was either the most charming player the press could talk to or a walking storm cloud, complete with hail, lightning, and thunder. He was feeling particularly thunderous today.

Luckily, there was Barton to run interference. He was the kind of player the press loved because he could talk stats and numbers all day long. He was funny and a better actor than Bucky and he'd take the win at face value. No moping about a poor early performance.

Bucky half listened to Barton rattle off where Wilson's ERA was going to land after this game and how Steve's RBI numbers meant more than his base running and what kind of trades Fury would be looking for in the postseason. Bucky mumbled answers back about refocusing after the sixth and the momentum of a good inning and all the bullshit the papers always wanted to hear. And then...

"Is the feud between you and Wilson resolved?" a reporter for a magazine that was more lifestyle than sports asked.

Bucky's eyes narrowed warily. The feud everyone was so obsessed with was about as real as the conviction behind his answers this afternoon. Sure, it had been real at one point.  All the gossip rags were right: Sam was the hot new upshot. He'd joined the team while Bucky was out on medical suspension with the TBI and shattered shoulder. Bucky didn't get to play his first two seasons, only saw him at practice and team events. Sam was everything Bucky had been–fun and smart and confident and good. God, he was a good player. Knew the game like his own face. And that was all exactly the kind of thing Bucky didn't want to see in his replacement.

He wasn't sure how it got out to the press that there was some friction. He tried not to talk about anyone else in interviews but surely he'd been asked one too many times about the new guy and snapped out a mean answer once or twice. To be fair, Sam gave as good as he got. There was one interview where he said something to the effect of 'I won't talk about an injured teammate negatively, but ask me again later and I'll tell you he's probably past his prime.'

Which, thinking back on it, that sentence was probably what led to the beginning of the end of the feud, since it directly led to a really fantastic champagne-drunken night in a fancy hotel after the team formal that year. 

And once their relationship was on steadier ground and Bucky was in a better place mentally and physically and Sam was settled in with the team and the spotlight, it was fun to play with the rumors when he had the energy. Neither he nor Sam wanted to make the relationship public and they knew there was no real heat behind the occasional gentle ribbing in an interview. But Bucky didn't have any energy to spare right then. "All the good games he's had haven't ended it before. Why should this game change anything?"

"I wasn't referring to the game," she pressed. "Though you did seem to have a warm reaction when he got you guys out of the sixth. I was referring to the fact that you arrived today in his practice jersey."

Bucky looked down at his game jersey, as if it was the one he'd worn in for warmups. "I think you're mistaken," he said, even though there was a creeping dread that he probably had grabbed the wrong one while Sam was shoving him out of the door that morning. Bucky had done his laundry at Sam's and the jerseys all looked the same when he was in a rush.

The reporter turned her tablet around to show a very clear image of Bucky walking into the facility, head turned over his shoulder to show off his profile, with Sam's last name sprawled across his back just below his jaw. It was actually kind of an endearing photo. He liked how Sam's name looked on him.

"I guess it got confused with the team laundry after practice Monday," he said with a shrug. He could feel a traitorous blush climbing up his chest and neck and cheeks, all the way to his hairline. "I just grabbed the one nearest my bag. Don't you have something more interesting to write about?"

But judging by the way half the room's eyes were now lit up, he was assuming this was the most interesting thing to happen to them since the last season-ending injury they had to cover. 

"Does that happen often? Getting jerseys mixed up like that?"

Bucky glowered and crossed his arms in a pouty, telling-on-himself kind of way. "I was tired on Monday."

"Which does happen," Barton cut in. "Frankly, I think it's a little disappointing that you're making a scandalous story out of a TBI survivor's brain fog."

Now Bucky turned to glare at his teammate. He did not have brain fog. Usually. Bucky wasn't sure if Barton had become privy to his and Sam's relationship. All three of them were individually close and Barton was probably the most perceptive person in the room at any given time, but Bucky had never told him in so many words. And Barton was always up for messing with reporters. It could go either way. 

The reporter held up her hands with a placating smile. "Hoofbeats and horses-not-zebras," she suggested. "I just thought I'd ask."

The room chattered for a few seconds before someone else got them back on track with a question about the upcoming series and whether they thought their league standing would improve before their bye-week.

By the time Bucky got out of the junket, he felt like he needed ten aspirin. Three for his shoulder and seven for his head. Barton parted from him at the locker room door with a pat on his good shoulder and well wishes for the night. They got almost a full week break until the series started up next Friday and they said they didn't want to see each other until then.

Bucky waited for the door to shut behind Barton before he let himself into the locker room. He detoured to his locker, pulling off his game jersey as he went. He tossed it into his locker and dug out the practice jersey from the pile of sweaty clothes heaped in the bottom of it. Indeed, Sam's name greeted him. He ran his fingers over the screen printed letters and then brought the jersey up to his face to breathe in the remnants of the smell of Sam's detergent and apartment.

When the real thing surrounded him, along with arms around his waist and a strong body against his back, Bucky let the jersey fall away. He put his hands over Sam's forearm and leaned back into him.

"You could've mentioned I took the wrong one," he said.

He felt Sam shrug. "Too late now."

"You saw the interview?" Bucky surmised. As Sam shifted from his back, Bucky dropped his forehead against the locker in front of him. Sam sat on the bench beside him, shoulder resting against Bucky's hip.

"Don't worry about it, man. Shit happens. No one's gonna think twice about it. And if they do, Clint set you up a pretty solid excuse."

"No one is going to buy that." Mostly because it wasn't true. "And I'm not going to start some beef because you made me late."

"Oh, I made you late?" Sam asked with a teasing lilt to his voice. He shifted over in front of Bucky and dragged his eyes slowly down his body until they were level with Bucky's navel. His hands came up to Bucky's hips, strong and sure, tugged him forward just a little. "I remember you dragging me back into bed like this."

His nose brushed along Bucky's stomach and Bucky let himself enjoy it for a few seconds before he hooked a knuckle under Sam's jaw and lifted his face. "You kept me in the shower," he pointed out.

"You wash your hair wrong," Sam offered back with zero belief in his words. He rested his chin on Bucky’s belly and looked up at him with dark, glinting eyes. “Come on, lay down and let me rub out your shoulder so you can stop being so grumpy.”

“You could definitely rub something out, but I wouldn’t have picked my shoulder.”

Sam grinned and kissed just above Bucky’s belly button. “I bet I could. But we agreed: not in the locker room.”

“I remember the showers getting carved back out of that agreement.”

Sam pushed Bucky back from the lockers to the narrow bench that separated the two rows. “Lay down,” he ordered. “And relax.”

Continue on AO3

[narrans]

Everyone Needs A Little Hero | Calling All Heroes

It was a slow process, but Hero was finally starting to feel normal. He was slowly making his rounds to all of his human friends, albeit without being seen, and helping them in the ways he could. He managed to sharpen most of Watney’s pencils for sketching, he left a few encouraging notes for Maggie, and he even managed to get some of the things in Eliza’s apartment out from under the couch so she could find them later.

Overall, the teenage Borrower was feeling rather optimistic about everything in life once again. The only human he had really purposefully come out to talk to and let himself be seen by since the incident was Sam, and he couldn’t be happier with that decision.

Sam was there and always ready to talk about anything and everything at Hero’s pace. With the changing seasons, Sam had to stay home and go to more doctor’s visits recently, so Hero was able to come by and keep him company, playing games and goofing off. There was only one time when Hero was close to being seen by Sam’s mother, but Sam was able to quickly make a fort of blankets to cover up his four-inch friend.

It was a jarring experience, but Hero managed to keep himself composed and steady, even after when Sam’s mother left the room.

So, when Rey came to Hero with a proposition, Hero felt relatively good about it.

At least, in the beginning.

Rey, his fellow Borrower friend, evidently had been seen and was now in communication with a new human in the building named Theo. Theo was a good guy, according to Rey, and he seemed trustworthy with the secret of Borrower kind. In full transparency, Rey ended up telling Hero everything about how he and Theo met, which set Hero on edge.

“You mean his sister saw you too?” asked Hero, feeling his body shudder with a sudden chill that emanated from his bones. “Held you?”

“Well… yeah, but she thought I was a toy and hasn’t pried any further, according to Theo. But, listen, I really think that we can help Theo as part of the whole ‘Help Humans’ campaign,” emphasized Rey. “He is in a wheelchair, so you don’t have to worry about him getting too close to you. Sure, he’s an inventor, but he won’t hurt us. I’ve already run the test on whether or not he is friendly and safe. Plus! Our activity doesn’t require either of us to be seen. He’ll just assume it was me.”

Hero knew Rey wouldn’t lead him astray on a wild goose chase, but the thought of even accidentally being seen by someone new stopped him in his tracks. In a weird way, he suspected this was how he sounded to Rey when talking about helping humans who were already friends. Hero also knew Rey had a sixth sense about humans - one he wished he possessed with more accuracy - and he decided it would be worth helping Rey.

“Okay. What is this plan of yours again?” asked Hero.

“Okay, I’ll cut to the chase. Theo needs money to help him with his legs. I know we don’t have money, but other humans do,” said Rey. Hero immediately felt something inside him bristle.

“Rey, you’re not saying we borrow money from other people, are you? That’s not borrowing. That’s stealing!” said Hero, feeling like he was scolding his friend. Rey shook his head and waved his hands, as if waving away bad air.

“No! No, that’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying that coins get lost under the floor and under furniture all of the time. We even have some in our home. Paper bills get lost too. All of these things are ones that get lost. We’re just collecting them and giving them to someone else. If they’re lost and the humans aren’t looking for them, then they aren’t being missed. It makes them fair game. What do you think?” Rey pointed out.

Rey did have a point. A lot of borrowed things were things that weren’t missed, and that spare change would fall under that category. Plus, humans moved in and out of all of these apartments, meaning the people currently living in the apartment might not have been the ones to lose the money in the first place.

Given these circumstances, Hero felt like he could get behind Rey’s plan.

“Okay, so we are just going around to different apartments, collecting coins, and then bringing them to Theo? How will we know if it’s enough?” Hero asked. He knew how to count, but the whole concept of money was beyond him. Borrowers worked in trade, not money.

“I have no idea. We can ask Ashlynn, if you feel up to it, or we can just surprise him with it and hopefully it’ll be enough,” said Rey. “I assume the numbers on all of them mean something, so we could try and add them together, but I think just giving it to Theo would be best.”

To Hero, it seemed like a decent enough plan. It kept them safe and hidden while accomplishing another goal of helping someone. With a couple of nods and a few minutes of thought, he decided to agree.

“Alright. Just… being safe is what matters,” said Hero. At this, Rey gave him a thoughtful grin.

“Well said, and definitely a top priority. Now, let’s go exploring. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover,” said Rey.

The next day, Rey and Hero met up at Ashlynn’s apartment before setting out into the walls for spare change.

Admittedly, it was a bit more of a task than the boys thought it would be. First and foremost, coins were deceptively heavy, especially when you started collecting them. One after the next, they gained weight quickly and the boys had to make multiple trips to the outlet by Theo’s bedroom in order to drop off the coins they collected.

Second, the coins didn’t all look the same. They kept seeing the same four, sure, but there were others in the mix too. Some had odd scribbles and writing on them. Some of the writing looked like squares, others looked like squiggles, and some looked close to the four they saw, but were different sizes with different numbers on them.

“You don’t think…” puffed Hero as he helped stack another set of coins with Rey’s help. “That there are this many different kinds of coins, do you? I mean, the world is a big place, but there are so many different types.”

“There… is… no… way… there are… this… many,” heaved Rey as he hoisted another silver coin on top of another that was about as big as his torso. “I mean, why would they have so many different types? They all use it, right? Some of this… might be play money – stuff they don’t actually use except to play with.”

“I have no idea. Maybe you could ask Ashlynn about it?” Hero suggested. Rey consented to ask Ashlynn about different types of coins and money once they made it back for dinner.

They took a few breaks, especially after they found a dozen or so odd-looking papers that looked like paper bills. They crawled under floors, between beams, and even dared to venture into attic crawl spaces and found a few coins wedged among decorations for different holidays. After another long-ish break, the two Borrower boys decided they had enough to present to Theo. Though they weren’t sure how much was actually in their hordes of stacked coins, they knew it would definitely help.

It was only now, however, that Hero started feeling a little uneasy. He took a few deep breaths and stared at the back of the electrical cover in front of him.

Used to, he would be filled with exhilaration. He used to be so excited to go out and see who he was going to be helping. Now, however, he just felt a massive pit in his gut. Most of his body felt like he was in some kind of cold sweat, and his nerves felt jittery and aching all at the same time.

“Hero?” The young Borrower startled as Rey came up and set a comforting hand on his shoulder. Hero stared into the reassuring pale blue eyes of his friend and realized only now how hard his heart was pounding against his chest and that his breathing had increased tenfold.

“Y-yeah?” stammered Hero.

“You okay?” asked Rey. “You know you don’t have to do this next bit. I can manage on my own from here. You’ve seriously done so much already.” Rey’s smile seemed just as luminous as the light at his hip. Hero felt his heart slowing as he was pulled out of his mental spiral. He looked back at the electrical cover, the light coming from all sides around it, making it seem like some kind of magic door.

He wanted to go. He wanted to go and meet Theo. He wanted to see the look on Theo’s face when he spotted the coins.

Still, the apprehension and experience from the last time he spontaneously met someone, that girl named Lily, was fresh in his mind. He knew he could trust Rey, but the last thing he wanted was a repeat experience.

Still…

A hero needed to be brave and face their fears in order to live up to their name.

Hero wanted that.

Swallowing dryly, he nodded.

“I want to go.”

Rey’s smile broadened, as if he were beaming with pride at some unspoken personal growth.

“Good. Then let’s go. No time like the present.”

With that, the Borrower boys pried off the electrical cover and hoisted themselves over the edge of the wall that divided the world of the Borrowers and the humans.

Hero glanced out and saw they had emerged from under some kind of furniture piece that was probably a dresser. He glanced down after taking a few steps out and saw that there was carpet under his feet that was squishy and made him feel a little off balance.

Hero would have stepped a little further out from under the dresser, but something immediately caught his eye that made him freeze.

There was a human on the ground.

For a moment, Hero thought about retreating back into the walls, but he steeled himself and stayed fixed to his position on the ground.

The human boy’s face was slightly off to the side and his eyes were closed. His breathing was ragged, and he was shivering violently. Hero watched as Rey glanced toward the slightly opened door before darting out into the open toward the human.

Hero stayed planted to the spot.

He wanted to go over and help, but only now did he realize he was shaking a bit too. Seeing a human’s head three or so feet away practically looking under the cabinet was a bit alarming to see, and it was the last thing he expected based on Rey’s description of Theo.

“Theo! Theo!” Rey was shouting. Hero snapped out of his stupor and looked toward his friend, and the sight made a cold shiver shoot up his spine. Rey was pushing on Theo’s forehead, touching and slapping his face ever so slightly to try and awaken the human.

Theo groaned and stirred, which sent another round of convulsing shivers through his body.

“Theo! What happened? You’re burning up,” said Rey. Rey’s usual calm demeanor seemed rattled seeing his friend on the ground and in obvious discomfort. Hero couldn’t stay put. He needed to do something.

Taking a breath and still shaking in his shoes, he dared to take a few steps forward out from under the dresser to observe the rest of the room. There was a mechanical whirring sound coming from the towering desk on the opposite end of the room. A chair with massive wheels that were about as wide as Hero was broad was nearby, but it looked slightly shifted. Based on what Hero was seeing, it looked like Theo might have fallen directly out of the chair and onto the ground when this sickness started.

Hero glanced at the door again, hearing nothing at the moment in the rest of the apartment, before approaching the immense human on the ground.

“Theo!” Rey’s panicked shouts finally rousted the boy as he lazily blinked.

“R-rey?” mumbled Theo. “What ar-.” His voice failed as sleep tried to pull him back into oblivion.

“No! Theo, don’t go back to sleep. What’s wrong? Are you sick? How long have you been like this?” demanded Rey.

“I… f-f-feel s-sick,” muttered Theo. “I… ju-ssst need sl-sleeeeep.”

Hero listened as Theo continued to try and form words while Rey persistently questioned his friend. Hero, out of curiosity and wanting to stay slightly out of Theo’s direct field of view, dared to venture around Theo to see if there was something they were missing – and they were.

Right as Hero made it to Theo’s legs, he saw that his pant leg by his shin was dark. Hero was terrified out of his wits, but hearing Rey’s distress and knowing Theo obviously needed help helped him scrounge up enough courage to walk all the way down toward the end of Theo’s long pant leg. Using his hip lamp, he shown a light up slightly into the dark fabric tunnel and knew immediately this was serious.

There were dark red streaks and massive discolored patches of skin all over Theo’s legs. Near the dark patch, it looked like there was some kind of cloth bandage taped on the back. There was a bit of a weird smell coming from the bandage, and Hero didn’t need to be a human doctor to know this was very bad.

He ran back toward Theo’s head where Rey was still getting him to talk.

“Rey! Ask Theo what happened to his leg,” called Hero as he ran across the difficult carpet.

“Theo, what happened to your leg?” asked Rey. Theo’s face scrunched in discomfort as he replied.

“M-my da-ad got angry. He b-broke a bunch of bottles and was throwing them around. Got cut… I think…. I sent Bells to a fr-rie-nds house to sleeeep o-over for a f-fe-few nights. And o-on my b-birthday toooo…” mumbled Theo. Rey and Hero exchanged frantic looks.

Rey obviously looked like he was at a complete loss. This was beyond either of the Borrower boys’ knowledge of how to fix. This was bad – really bad.

“I… I don’t understand,” muttered Rey. “I saw him just the other day. He wasn’t bad. He was fine.”

Hero felt the tenseness in the air. It was tangible and making his chest feel tight. This kind of helplessness was akin to what he felt when he was taken.

He hated it.

Sadly, it looked like Rey was spiraling just as hard as he was.

Hero wanted to hide away, but that wasn’t what a true hero would do. A hero would be able to make the situation better and save the day.

Then, an idea occurred to him.

Doctors.

Sam told him about doctors and how they were able to help at places called hospitals. It was a long time ago, but Sam had explained that there were people who would come to you and fix the problem in an emergency.

This felt like an emergency.

Hero wasn’t sure how to do it, but he had to try. Sam explained it once before where you take your phone and dial a few numbers to send the doctors to you. The Borrower boys needed to find a phone.

A calm set over Hero’s mind and, like so many times before, he was able to take a breath and the way forward seemed straightforward. He clasped Rey’s shoulder in his hands and turned his friend to face him.

“Rey! Help me find Theo’s phone,” instructed Hero, snapping Rey out of his frozen state.

“Phone? Um… right… it’s… there!” Rey said as he looked around the room and spotted the phone up on top of the desk. Together, both boys ran toward the desk and scaled it, hand over fist, and ran across the smooth surface toward the technological device.

Both of them had a fundamental understanding of how to use the device, but neither had done something like this before.

“Okay, so now what?” asked Rey.

“We need to dial 9-1-1 and then hit the talk button,” said Hero.

“Wait, we’re going to have to talk to someone?” asked Rey. Hero looked around frantically, seeing no other alternative, before Rey nodded, resolve setting Rey’s features, before he crouched over the phone and tapped it. The screen glowed with life as Rey pressed the buttons, which were bigger than his hand.

Lit from the screen, Hero thought Rey looked a little spooky as they both acknowledged what they were about to do.

“We don’t have to be seen when they come in,” reminded Hero. “We just have to get them here.”

“Do we even know where ‘here’ is?” asked Rey as his hand hovered over the green phone button.

“Starlight Paradise apartments, and I think this is the seventh floor,” said Hero. Rey darted back across the table and shouted down to Theo.

“Theo! What is this apartment? Where are we?” shouted Rey.

“Eight thirteen,” mumbled Theo, who convulsed again as his eyes lulled. Rey said the number over and over again as he sprinted back to the phone and crouched by the device. The two Borrower boys exchanged one final look as they knew what they were about to do.

Hero could only hope it was the right thing.

Rey pressed the button.

It took less than ten seconds for a man’s voice to come over the line.

“9-1-1, what’s the location of your emergency?” stated the operator. Rey, swallowing dryly, cleared his throat before speaking as loudly and as clearly as he dared.

“Hello, yes. We’re in the Starlight Paradise apartments, room eight thirteen. My friend is on the floor and he’s shivering. I think there’s something wrong with his leg. He’s in a wheelchair, but he’s hurt. Please, can you get here fast?” said Rey, biting his lip as he listened to the sounds of clicking and typing on the other end of the line.

“Has your friend ingested anything harmful recently?” asked the operator. “Do you need an ambulance?”

“Um… no. No! He hasn’t ingested anything,” stated Rey. Hero felt his heart pounding out of his chest as he glanced over to the door, hoping no one else was in the apartment. “Look! He said his dad cut him with a broken bottle. He’s a jerk. Please! Just get here fast. He’s really sick!”

“Alright, just stay on the line and remain calm. An ambulance is on the way. What else can you tell me about his physical condition. Is he responsive at all? Or is he unconscious?” asked the operator.

“He’s… kind of responding? He keeps trying to sleep. I’m having a hard time keeping him awake, but he’s able to talk and stuff. When… when will they get here?” asked Rey, looking wide-eyed at Hero. Neither of them could believe what was going on.

They were talking to a human on the other end, and they couldn’t tell that they were. The operator didn’t know the two boys were Borrowers.

“The ambulance is almost there. Could you please open the door and be ready to show us where your friend is?” asked the operator. Both Borrower boys exchanged wary glances.

“Um… I… I… I don’t know,” sputtered Rey. “Look, he’s in the back bedroom. I can’t get the door unlocked. I don’t know where his dad is. Just… please! Help him!”

“Understood. The paramedics are almost there,” said the operator. “Please stay on the line.”

Both Rey and Hero exchanged wary glances, knowing they would need to hide away as fast as possible. Rey hated the feeling, but Hero’s reassuring nod told him it was the right thing to do. It was only five, maybe six, minutes later when there was a terrifying, crashing sound from the other room. Hero and Rey nearly jumped out of their skins when they heard the sound of a loud knock followed by shouts from the other side of a door.

The two knew they needed to run and hide, despite every instinct to make sure that Theo was alright.

Hero and Rey darted across the desk and managed to slip down to the ground to hide under a cabinet near the desk when another even louder crash happened. The sound of splintering wood followed by rapid footsteps flooded the apartment.

Helpless and hearts pounding, the two Borrower boys crouched low and watched as six or so humans rushed into the room and began working on Theo, lifting him up onto a board with wheels and rushing him out of the room.

“Well, here’s the phone, but who made the call? Anyone else here?” called one of the paramedics as he scanned all around the room. Hero and Rey barely had time to hide behind the legs of a nearby table when the paramedic checked under the bed for anyone who might be hiding.

They thankfully left the phone behind as they finished up and rushed Theo out of the apartment.

“We have to get that phone,” hissed Rey. “If something happens, we need to be able to answer the calls and stuff.”

“Are you crazy!?” demanded Hero. “We need to get back. We’ve pushed our luck as it is. No doubt someone else will be in here to sweep the room again.”

“We’ll be quick,” insisted Rey. “I’ll push it off of the table and we’ll scoot it under the dresser into the walls. I’ll come back and get it later. Please, Hero. The family watching his sister will probably try and call him.”

Hero didn’t like it, but he couldn’t deny Rey’s pleas. He needed to help, not hinder; and the sooner they did this, the sooner they could get back and let Ashlynn know what happened.

Never before had two Borrowers moved so fast as the boys ascended the desk once again, pushed the phone off of the desk, and maneuvered it into the walls. They left the coins behind for the time being as they shoved and lifted the phone through the walls all the way down to Ashlynn’s apartment.

It took a long time, and there were dozens of questions that followed from Ashlynn, Soren, and Dorian as to why Rey had brought the phone with him. Hero helped fill in a few of the details, daring to come out and see Ashlynn, which was the first time he had done so in a long time.

After a bit of hot chocolate, the friends decided that they had all done the right thing. Ashlynn decided that she would help man the phone and made a few calls to make sure she knew where Theo was taken, claiming she was a cousin who was concerned.

Hero didn’t like the minor deception, but seeing that Ashlynn was able to get a few updates about Theo was a good sign.

It was also a good sign to Hero that, after everything, he was still ready to help humans. He had gone out and helped Rey and Theo both today. He faced his fears and charged into the unknown, relying on his instincts and everything he learned from his human friends to save someone.

All in all, he felt good – heroic even.

And it wouldn’t be the last time….

~~~~~^*^*^*^*^~~~~~

Continue

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Beginning

Prompt

ASK ME ANYTHING

[purplerose244]

Watched the sixth episode of LEGO DreamZzz: LOVED IT!

So... LEGO released some drawing tutorials with Mateo and I just... they're so pure I wanna hug him 😭😭😭 They're super adorable, I love especially Z-Blob's since he spends the entire time talking about how great his slime buddy is and MOOD MAT MOOD 💚💚💚

We're beyond halfway, I'm kinda sad but I'll wait until the end, maybe we got luck for a season 2?

Here we go!

THE ANOMALY

NOTHING BETTER HAPPEN TO Z-BLOB DO NOT HARM THE BLOB 😡

Pff, what was the chicken story? 🤣

Zoey is still a bit distant, I can't tell if she wants to join in or she likes these people enough to just hang around. I mean, she wasn't there last episode...

Did Logan drop the "Mattie" nick? It felt very derogatory so him switching to Teo feels like a step forward

IS THIS A COOPER EPISODE?? OH YES PLEASE GIVE ME THE DEPTH! ❤️

I knew it, he is stressed! Poor boy got stuff to do and can't even have breakfast, Coop please take care of yourself and have some proteins first thing in the morning 😢

You'll have all the time you want to have breakdowns once you reach high school

It seems like Cooper is the reliable one, Mateo and Logan are constantly over him asking for stuff. I wonder if they also affected his stress as well...

Okay Logan is still mean 😅 He's better, but still mean, and he changed teams permanently? I don't know if this is a "we're not an actual team, only in the Dream World" or a "we'll always be a dream, even if we're not in the real world"... mm

Finally we see the Night Bureau! We saw it only once before... while Teo was almost turning into a night terror... ah such good untraumatic memories 🙂

Ah, so Z is an anomaly? Come to think of it, did he come across because of Lunia's hourglass? Was there another reason?

These objects are histerical 😂😂

CHICKEN MATEO NOOO 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Okay, I'm liking this consistent trend of having Zoey being the most useful character despite being on her own, she just waltzed in solving that riddle lol

Agent... Strick? Oh-oh

DO NOT EVEN TRY TO TAKE AWAY MY SLIME BABY Z-BLOB 😡😡😡

Oooohhhh, so this is confirmed to be Brooklyn? Cool, I didn't know it was an actual place! Again I'm too used to imaginary places like Ninjago or Chima 😂

This gal is intense, dude you locked Oz in a room, isn't that a bit much? Should we call the policr?

Zoey is just there for the drama, girl are you with us or not? 😂😂

Did... did that detect thing turn red when it was on Mateo? Was it only because Z-Blob was behind? Huh... huh

SHE FLIPPING TURNED INTO A BABY/WOMAN WHAT IS HAPPENING

Z-Blob floating has to be the cutest thing even, like, look at that little guy go! To infinity and beyond 💚

NO WAIT NOT BEYOND THE WINDOW

I see how it's going 😅😅

I'm so sorry I understimated Cooper, look at him! He's just a kid and he really wants to be up to expectations, and now we got a brother that sets the example? Dude I'm eating this, I'm a sucker for angst, LOOK AT THIS BOY HE NEEDS A BREAK 😭😭😭

Z-BLOB SHENANIGANS Z-BLOB SHENANIGANS Z-BLOB SHENANIGANS Z-BLOB SHENANIGANS 💚💚💚

You did not make a hotdog out of slime

YOU DID NOT MAKE A Z-BLOB BALOON WHAT IS THIS SLIME DOING???

Is he afraid of being captured? I've never seen him going this awol before, he's always besides Mateo no matter what! Is he only scared or is there a reason?

Dude Cooper was so stressed he forgot breakfast!!! EAT BABY EAT!!!

Okay baby Strick is kinda hilarious... and Oz is on the ceiling... and there is still junk everywhere... and where is Albert? WHAT IS HAPPENING PEOPLE?!

Cooper you left for half a day, and now everything is on fire 😅

LOOK AT HIM IGNORING HIS BROTHER TO CHECK ON HIS FRIEND 🥹🥹🥹

I👏LOVE👏TEO👏AS👏A👏NICK👏

Cooper skyrocketed on my appreciation list in this episode, his backstory got so much potential for analysis! He's such a good friend, he's just very stressed out but he's super capable!!! ❤️

MATEO IDEA TIME 💚💚💚

Was that the superman line? 🤣

Aaaand, we're back! Are we fixing everything now that Coop is here?

Oh wow we actually are! I adore mechanics, I was all over them in Ninjago (Jay and Nya and Zane and Pixal and Ronin and Cyrus... there are so many in Ninjago 🥰), so this is so cool to see!

Agent Strick approves Cooper! YAS!

Oohh, so Zoey was maybe interested in joining, but never could before? Is this why she was a bit snarky in this episode, maybe she wanted to join but could never physically? That's kinda adorable 😂😂

PARTY TIME EVERYONE💃💃💃

COOPER GOT A SMALL HAIRCUT CHANGE I'M SO PROUD OF YOU! ❤️

Alright this was another really REALLY good episode, but... now I'm stuck with the crazy theory that Mateo is the anomaly 🤣

I'm sure I'm wrong and I'm just blowing this out of proportion, but what if Strict examined that plant and found traces of Z AND Mateo? What if Lunia's hourglass was found by him for a reason?

She said that the anomaly appeared "the other night" so it was clearly Z Blob... but technically the other night was when the show started for me, so I might see this as Mateo appearing in this world for the first time. Could it be he fit in in one night, everyone's memories were changed to accept that, and no one questions this?

... I know this just me headcanoning left and right and it's clearly not gonna happen

... I'M STILL GONNA WRITE FICS ABOUT THIS OKAY 🤩🤩🤩 THIS EPISODE WAS SO GOOD I'M SO INSPIRED!!!!

[f1]

McLaren doing an Aston Martin is a good example for Mercedes Wolff | 2023 British Grand Prix

McLaren’s sudden emergence as the second-fastest team in Formula 1 this weekend gives Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff encouragement about the progress they can make. In the first race where both MCL60s are running the team’s major upgrade package, McLaren claimed second and third on the grid for today’s British Grand Prix, behind pole-winner Max Verstappen. Wolff likened the gains McLaren has made to Aston Martin’s leap forward following the end of last season. “I think it’s very encouraging to see that Aston Martin found massive chunks of lap time from last year to this year,” he said. “And in the same way you see that within the season McLaren are doing that. “That is something that you need to take your hat off to, if we see that consolidating, and certainly for us a good example of how you can turn around things.” While Red Bull have been undefeated so far this year, several different teams have been their closest rivals at different races. “It’s quite weird how that fluctuates,” Wolff admitted. “You would have said for a long time into the season that Aston Martin was the second force and probably our biggest competitor, obviously with Ferrari. “Then suddenly you have McLaren in the mix in Austria, clearly one car had the upgrade and he was very fast. Today both cars have the upgrade and they are second and third on the grid. So absolutely it seems like they have made a massive step in understanding and performance.” Formula 1 is in its third season since introducing a cap on teams’ spending and the Aerodynamic Testing Regulations which handicap the top performances in the championship by limiting their development time. Wolff said the close competition behind Red Bull shows these rules have worked. Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free “We have all been part and active in designing regulations which would allow, over time, smaller teams to catch up and level the playing field. If you look at Albon today on single-lap performance he is right there, and Aston coming back like we discussed before and McLaren. It’s what we wanted. “If you take Max out of the equation – having said that, I mean, he’s four-tenths quicker than the top eight teams on a 90-second lap, so that’s not a huge chunks anymore – but everybody else is within two-tenths. From P2 to [P7] is two-tenths and that shows us that the regulations work. “It’s damn tough and it’s going to continue to be like this, but we knew that.” George Russell and Lewis Hamilton qualified within six-hundredths of a second of each other for Mercedes in sixth and seventh places. That was several places higher than the team achieved during practice on Friday, where it introduced a new front wing for its W14, and Wolff believes they got the most out of their package as it stands. “I think everything performed as we expected. We had to find our reference points yesterday that’s why on the stopwatch maybe it didn’t look too great. But everything was solid and there was nothing we could say today didn’t perform as expected. Just not good enough.” Bringing the F1 news from the source RaceFans strives to bring its readers news directly from the key players in Formula 1. We are able to do this thanks in part to the generous backing of our RaceFans Supporters. By contributing £1 per month or £12 per year (or the equivalent in other currencies) you can help cover the costs involved in producing original journalism: Travelling, writing, creating, hosting, contacting and developing. We have been proudly supported by our readers for over 10 years. If you enjoy our independent coverage, please consider becoming a RaceFans Supporter today. As a bonus, all our Supporters can also browse the site ad-free. Sign up or find out more via the links below: Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free 2023 British Grand Prix Browse all 2023 British Grand Prix articles via RaceFans - Independent Motorsport Coverage https://www.racefans.net/

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Wednesday, January 4th

DAWN: Um, guys, hello, puberty? Sorta figured out the whole no Santa thing. ANYA: That's a myth. DAWN: Yeah. ANYA: No, I mean, it's a myth that it's a myth. There is a Santa Claus. Everyone looks surprised. XANDER: The advantage of having a thousand-year-old girlfriend. (turns to Anya) Inside scoop.

~~The Body~~

The Sunnydale Herald is looking for at least one new editor. Contributing to the Herald is a great way to get your Buffy on! Find out more here.

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Too Quiet by badly_knitted (Buffy, PG)

Buffy's Proud Mother by Apache Firecat (Joyce, Spike/Buffy, PG-13/T)

Love Me Like You Do by kerk-hiraeth (Tara/Faith, NC-17)

Earth Goddess by madimpossibledreamer (Buffy/Yakuza AU, Andrew, Xander, Teen)

Mother's Boy by Nope (Connor/Darla, M)

Minty Goodness by Gabriel_Is_My_Guardian_Angel89 (Angel/Spike, E)

Ficlet for the prompt "Adopting a pet together" by explosionshark (Buffy/Faith, not rated - worksafe)

A ficlet for the prompt "Brushing their teeth together" by explosionshark (Buffy/Faith, not rated - worksafe)

[Chaptered Fiction]

Water, put out this burning world, Ch. 3 by TuoshNell (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Mr. & Mrs. Normal, Ch. 2 by TuoshNell (Buffy/Spike, R)

The Time We Had, Ch. 28 by Dusty (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Learning To Be Love's Bitch, Ch. 25 by Desicat (Buffy/Spike, R)

A Road So Rough, Ch. 8 by cawthraven (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Hold My Hand Even Though I’m a Sinner! Ch. 15 by CheekyKitten (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Piercings, Ch. 5 by MelG_2005 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

The Odd Couple, Ch. 4 by honeygirl51885 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Break Even, Ch. 4 by violettathepiratequeen (Buffy/Spike, PG)

The 12 Days of Christmas, Ch. 4 by RavenLove12, Geliot99 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Written in the Dust, Ch. 2 by Indi_Shaw (Buffy/Spike, R)

In The Dark With You, Ch. 1-3 by Geliot99 (Buffy/Spike, R)

Spiderwebs, Ch. 1 by Willow25 (Buffy/Spike, R)

Psych-Out Wolves 1 ½: The Almost Sequel, Ch. 6 by calikocat (Psych crossover, Xander, Angel Investigations, FR18)

The Time We Had, Ch. 29 by Dusty (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

take me home, Ch. 6 by HappyWhenItRains (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

I Ragazzi Sono Tornati in Città (the boys are back in town), Ch. 1-2 (COMPLETE!) by Dynamite (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

The Other Side of the Door, Ch. 2 by myrabeth (Buffy/Spike, M)

[Images, Audio & Video]

Digital painting: Buffy by finchmarie (worksafe)

[Reviews & Recaps]

[Wow, the romantic plot lines in s2 are a wild ride] by aboonebeckerboone

The Body by alas-poor-cesario

The sixth episode of each season by fallingtowers

ReWatch: Buffy the Vampire Slayer - S5, E12 - 13 (Checkpoint and Blood Ties) by kimannebb

ReWatch: Buffy the Vampire Slayer - S5, E14 - 15 (Crush and I Was Made to Love You) by kimannebb

ReWatch: Buffy the Vampire Slayer - S5, E16 - 17 (The Body and Forever) by kimannebb

ReWatch: Buffy the Vampire Slayer - S5, E 18 - 19 (Intervention and Tough Love) by kimannebb

Buffy 5x17, Forever by oonerspisms

The Body by nowmostlyabuffyblog

Does anyone else think the music at the end of “when she was bad” feels out of place? by thendanisays

What are your top 5 "normal" episodes? by meh316

5.06 The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco | Angel on Top

Pop Culture Role Call: DiCaprioscity - Angel S03E21 - Benediction

[Recs & In Search Of]

TheaxSleepCat is looking for a specific Spuffy Fic (AU where Buffy meets Spike in a hospital)

[Fandom Discussions]

all the random people at buffys 19th birthday party by all-seeing-ifer

Favorite OTPs ft. Buffy/Angel and Willow/Tara; favorite female characters ft. Buffy and Willow by cuddlyreader

[For me Willow's addiction storyline made perfect sense] by girl4music

Faith Lehane is the MVP! by juanabaloo

Soulless!Spike wanting to try to align himself with Buffy’s code of ethics... was inherently retraumatizing to Buffy by over-the-misty-mountains

I wonder if part of Dawn's issues with being left behind... by over-the-misty-mountains

I would really like to see a very specific kind of comic reboot by takaraphoenix

Thoughts on BtVS (OP doesn't like Angel and Riley) by the-moons-kind-regards

Re: wish Bangel had had more happy times in S2 before Innocence by we-pay-for-everything

the things i love and wish were developed more in the btvs boys (ft. especially Xander, Riley, Giles, Angel) by clockwards

Tara headcanons by clockwards

I'm glad that neither Bangel nor Spuffy wound up being the "endgame" ship by deadthingu

Headcanon re: how Dawn grieves Spike: so much good punk/emo music came out in 2004 by disco-tea

buffy should have become an information service professional by nowmostlyabuffyblog

Re: do you hate angel? by scaryscarier

btvs fan fiction writing prompts by knives

What Are Your Overall Thoughts On Giles? hosted by Antwuan89

What bands would the Scoobies have been into? by LcSc0t

Anyone else love Dawn's character in season 7? by jdpm1991

Buffy’s Enneagram + MBTI by 7heChos3n0ne

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[troutfur]

ooh seems fun!

i bring you fenneckit, a tiny cream tom kitten with a white tail tip and a brown nose

The further Featherstorm works on their chart, the more taken aback they seem. As they fill out the spaces, they begin pacing around it in a circular motion, confirming they have not made any mistakes. Once the chart is done however, they take a look at it and give a nod of satisfaction.

"Of course," they say, beckoning to the parents. "A few omens are not in the place you'd want them," he explains as he traces over with a claw, "but this overall bodes well. If you see here..."

---

This one was a very interesting chart, take a look!

[Image ID: Under the header “What will Fenneckit’s life be like? (02/15/2023)” 16 rows of tally marks crossed out two by two until there is only 1 or 2 left uncrossed. To the left, a shield chart at the top with the following geomantic figures: Caput Draconis as the first mother, Tristitia as the second mother, Caput Draconis as the third mother, Cauda Draconis as the fourth mother, Tristitia as the first daughter, Puella as the second daughter, Puella as the third daughter, Cauda Draconis as the fourth daughter, Coniunctio as the first niece, Carcer as the second niece, Amissio as the third niece, Acquisitio as the fourth niece, Via as the right witness, Via as the left witness, Populus as the judge, and Caput Draconis as the sentence. Below the shield chart, an astrological house chart with the first twelve geomantic figures above mentioned assigned to houses 1 to 12 in the order mentioned above. /end ID]

Interpretation under the cut.

The court figures give both an obvious and unobvious narrative. As the judge we have Populus, representing stillness, passivity, and maturity, producing as the sentence Caput Draconis, endless potential. The right and left witnesses are both Via, change and dynamism. So change confronted with change creates stillness that has endless potential for growth. That may leave one scratching their head for a bit but I think it works in a way! Through adapting internally to external situations, Fenneckit will reach a stable place and just what is that? Whatever they want!

What will they want though? Now, that's a question! Let's inquire into the house chart to see.

On the first house we see the idea of Fenneckit having all options open to them reinforced. The figure here is also Caput Draconis, boding extremely well.

Moving away from good onto bad omens though, Tristitia in the second house. Sorrow in the house of material posessions. Seems like Fenneckit will go through some harsh seasons in SandClan. And looking a little ahead at the fourth house I have an inkling as to maybe why.

On the third house Caput Draconis as well. I suppose this means Fenneckit's littermates will share the core trait of having many options open to them and being suited for many things. In a way very similar to Martenclaw and his litter of ambitious go-getters. Just that this more than indicating ambition and competitiveness indicates a potential that may or may not be actualized.

On the fourth house Cauda Draconis, symbolizing endings and foregone conclusions. This can link in to Tristitia. Whatever harsh time he went through, it was a foregone conclusion a parental figure would not make it. I'm inclined to make it a mentor just because we don't have much in the way of close mentor-apprentice bonds.

And on the fifth house Tristitia again. Sorrow over legacy. Perhps that he can't have any for whatever reason, perhaps that the one he had was ripped from him. I'd like to decide a little further along but this chart is already much quicker to start which is a welcome change compared to others, hahahah.

On the sixth house is Puella, service to others' needs before one's own. This could bode well for a seer character, although I'm afraid maybe not Cactustail's treacherous apprentice as the narrative of the court does not quite fit, or could be about a self-sacrificial warrior who puts the wellbeing of others before their own.

On the seventh house also Puella. Another point in favor of seer apprentice, particularly if we read this to mean "eschews relationships in favor of service". Or could just also means they tend to put the bulk of emotional labor in their relationships.

On the eight house we have Cauda draconis, repeated from the fourth house. This makes me feel that it was indeed a death that was the foregone fate of the parental figure there. And once again I'm leaning mentor.

On the ninth house we have Coniunctio, connections and communication. Another character in our hands whose character journey will be about connecting with their community at large. It feels like a driving theme in SandClan as a whole. Maybe I should lean into it?

On the tenth house we have Carcer, bindings. I don't want to create too many high rank characters now so I don't want to interpret it in the light of the bindings of duty, rather I think I'll go with someone being a hardass on him. And if we're talking about someone self-sacrificial...

On the eleventh house we have Amissio, loss while on the twelfth house we have Acquisitio gain. These two go together here because it's kind of funny how much the opposite of what you'd like they are. Lose allies, gain enemies. This is a very odd note to end the chart on considering there is pretty much nothing that gives a clearer idea as to why.

But let's try piecing it together nonetheless!

Fenneckit was a bright young apprentice, born as part of a litter of similar prodigies. Growing up he picked up a bit of a self-sacrificial attitude, encouraged by his mentor of all people. Through a particularly harsh season in the deserts, this got the mentor killed, probably from picking up too much of the Clan's work, which reinforced this attitude in a "if I had done this more, it wouldn't have happened!" kind of way. This kind of attitude carried over into his relationships, culminating in his great regret of not being able to form a family due to how his self sacrificial attitude repels others. Being overly self-sacrificial this got him at odds with the leadership who don't want a perfectly good warrior to try to play hero all the time and potentially ruining everything. This antagonism with the leadership makes him enemies and makes would-be allies distance themselves from him. It is in the journey of putting away the self-sacrificial ideas that he forms connections within the Clan and, eventually, faces change with change, acquiring a new stillness in himself and giving him a new beginning.

EDIT: FORGOT THE WARRIOR NAME! Fennecshine maybe?

[itscarshub]

Union Berlin vs. Bayer Leverkusen - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Bundesliga clash between Union Berlin and Bayer Leverkusen, including predictions, team news and possible lineups. Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen will hope to continue winning ways in order to defend their Bundesliga crown when they travel to face Union Berlin at Stadion An der Alten Forsterei on Saturday in their 12th league game of 2024-25. The hosts are 10th with 16 points after 11 matches and were beaten 1-0 by Wolfsburg on November 23, while Leverkusen are only in fourth place with 20 points but did triumph 5-2 against Heidenheim last Saturday.

Match preview

© Imago Union Berlin created no big chances against Wolfsburg and were restricted to just 0.51 xG, though to their credit they at least limited the Wolves to one big chance. Boss Bo Svensson was scathing of his players following the defeat but suggested that they could have earned a point, saying: "We were too passive and lacked courage and good sequences of play in attack. It got better in the second half, partly due to the substitutions, and I think it was more of a draw in the end." Svensson's side have had contrasting fortunes at either end of the pitch given they have only conceded nine goals but have only scored nine times in the Bundesliga, records which make them the division's joint second best defensive and second worst offensive club. Die Eisernen are in poor form having lost three and drawn two of their five most recent fixtures, failing to find the back of the net in their last four. It should be noted that the hosts have still been difficult to beat at home, with the team so far unbeaten at Stadion An der Alten Forsterei in 2024-25, winning three and drawing two.

© Imago As for Leverkusen, while their nine-point deficit on leaders Bayern Munich is by no means unrecoverable, fans will no doubt be concerned that the club have already dropped points six times this season. In fact, the visitors only failed to win in the league on six occasions in the entirety of the 2023-24 campaign, and despite having 23 matchweeks left to play this term, Alonso's side are unable to equal their points tally of 90 from the previous season. However, Die Schwarzroten's victory against Heidenheim at least ended a streak of three consecutive Bundesliga draws, and saw them score as many goals in one game as they had in the prior four top-flight outings. Leverkusen also managed to beat RB Salzburg 5-0 on Tuesday in the Champions League, with the team now sixth in the Champions League table with 10 points after five fixtures. Alonso's team have emerged victorious in two of their last five games, drawing two of the other three, while scoring 11 times in their most recent three. Though Die Schwarzroten have struggled for consistency this term, they have at least been difficult to beat away from home given they have drawn four and lost just one of their past five matches on the road. Union Berlin Bundesliga form: Union Berlin form (all competitions): Bayer Leverkusen Bundesliga form: Bayer Leverkusen form (all competitions):

Team News

© Imago Union Berlin have three injury concerns heading into Saturday's clash, with striker Andrej Ilic, centre-back Diogo Leite and goalkeeper Yannic Stein all ruled out. Federik Ronnow is certain to start between the posts, while Danilho Doekhi, Kevin Vogt and Leopold Querfeld could be selected to play in a back three. Given Ilic's absence, Svensson may field a front three featuring Woo-Yeong Jeong, Jordan Siebatcheu and Benedict Hollerbach. Opponents Leverkusen will not be able to select attackers Amine Adli, Victor Boniface, Jonas Hofmann and Martin Terrier, and this could force Alonso to start just two forwards. Florian Wirtz and Patrik Schick can be expected to feature up front, while Granit Xhaka, Robert Andrich and Aleix Garcia may start in midfield. Defenders Jeanuel Belocian and Nordi Mukiele will also not appear in the starting XI, and this could mean that the visitors deploy a back three consisting of regulars Edmond Tapsoba, Jonathan Tah and Piero Hincapie. Union Berlin possible starting lineup: Ronnow; Doekhi, Vogt, Querfeld; Trimmel, Kemlein, Khedira, Rothe; Jeong, Siebatcheu, Hollerbach Bayer Leverkusen possible starting lineup: Hradecky; Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Xhaka, Andrich, Garcia, Grimaldo; Wirtz, Schick

We say: Union Berlin 1-2 Bayer Leverkusen

Following their resounding victory in the Champions League, Leverkusen will come into Saturday's match full of confidence. Though Union Berlin boast a strong home record, the visitors have also been resilient on the road and it would not be surprising if they claimed all three points. Source link Read the full article