#in case this takes off and people start wondering why the hell he has sideburns: thats just how i like to draw him dw abt it. hes Scruffy

[suolainensilakka]

I've been in the fucking trenches all week running on abysmally small amounts of sleep on account of several 9 am classes back to back, HOWEVER, I also got mods working on my Terra alt and it's had a catastrophic effect on my brainspace as of late. Giggling and spinning the camera around him for several hours while my partner's screaming and crying and wailing at me in vc to PLEASE just unlock dungeons and continue the main story

[judylicious]

And When He Smiles I Swear I Can’t Breathe

Alan Rubin x fem!Reader

Word count: 1,548

Fandom: Blues Brothers

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Blues Brothers’ characters or movies. This refers to Alan Rubin as a character in the movie, not the real Alan (although he obvsly played himself but you know what I mean)

I’d like to add that I made everyone of the band a few years younger (so the age gap between the reader and Alan isn’t that big), so he’s approx. in his early 30s.

Sophia & Lisa are two OCs created by two lovely people within the fandom.

Warnings: swearing

Chapter 1

Charlotte took a look at her watch. Where the hell are they?! They better don’t stand me up. After all I got dressed up for their sake only. “What are you moping around already, eh?”, Sophia yelled from the driver’s seat of the car that had just pulled up in front of Charlotte. “You were supposed to pick me up 10 minutes ago!” “Calm down, how about thanking Lisa for that.”, she gave the girl in the passenger seat a nod. “Couldn’t decide what dress to wear on her third date.” “Right, would you mind setting off before someone sees us?”, Charlotte snarked as she climbed in the back of the Cadillac. “Wasn’t it clear from the outset that you’d pick a black dress?”, she rested her chin on the passenger’s seatback and smiled at Lisa. “Yeah but this one is new. It has this nice v-neckline.”, she said while looking down ate herself, slowly putting her red-brown hair to one side, brushing through it with her fingers. “Black does suit your hair colour well. I’m sure Lou’s gonna love it! … So, how long does their concert last?” “Probably about 90 minutes, plus encore of course.”, Sophia said and watched Charlotte in the rear-vision mirror dropping back into her seat. “Jeeez!” “Now that’s not fair! You’ve listened to them records and said you like ‘em!”, Sophia whined. “I do, I do! I’m just… If my parents find out I’m at some Rhythm & Blues concert they will kill me, slowly and very painfully.” “Relax girl, our little lie will work out just perfect. And besides Jake and Lou have invited us for drinks in that cozy, neighbouring bar afterwards.”

The the girls drove about another 20 minutes until they reached the “Kingston Mines”, an event location for live music on the city’s North Side. After parking the car, they went to the venue’s backdoor. “We’re with the band!”, Sophia told the security guy self-assuring, who looked down at the girls. “You don’t say, huh?.” The girl tried to push the man aside “Jake? .. Jakey? Would you give us a hand here…?” After a moment a man dressed in a black suit, black hat and dark sunglasses showed up. “Babe, what’s the problem? .. Oh yeah, it’s alright, they’re with me.”, he explained and let the girls in. “Hi handsome.” Sophia sniggered and gave her man a kiss. “Aah I’ve missed you hun, you look beautiful tonight!” And he pulled her into a deep kiss while holding her in his strong arms. When they both let off of one another to catch their breath, the dark haired girl carefully tugged at his glasses. “I wanna see your eyes.” “Later honey, when it’s just the two of-“ Charlotte cleared her throat. Both gave her an irritated look and raised one brow. Gosh, they’re so cute together. And Charlotte needed to force herself not to giggle. “I got you girls the best seats of the house.” He gave his girl a soft stroke through her hair. “I will see you later.” When the band got up on stage, taking their positions, Lisa couldn’t help it but waved at Lou excitedly and he gave her a flustered smile. Their show opener was ‘I Can’t Turn You Loose” with Jake and Elwood doing their grand entry. Charlotte had listened to a few of their records but never seen them performing live. Sure, she had met Jake and Lou before, picking up or dropping off her friends but she had never met the entire band. He let her gaze wonder from the left stage til the right, taking a good look at Steve and Murphy. Steve’s a real looker, if his hair wasn’t longer than mine. And Murph’s shirt is so tight around his muscular arms they must have sewed him into that shirt. And then the horn section caught her eye, a certain trumpet player to be precise. He had dark, slightly wavy hair, approximately her size, medium build, sideburns, he was wearing dark sunglasses like everyone else, a black leather vest and Damn those lights are way too gloomy to take a proper look at him. But his sound was brilliant. Clear and straight forward. The horn section was without any doubt the backbone of the band while making sure of that groovy sound.

Next songs coming up were “Hey Bartender” with an incredible solo on the harmonica by Elwood, “Messin With The Kid”, “I Don’t Know” and “Shot Gun Blues”. Especially Sophia liked the last two. And watching Jake perform Charlotte could really see why she did. By now it held no one. Everyone in the crowd was dancing, singing, jumping up and down and vibing along. Right after “Almost” Jake introduced the horn section to the crowd, with Tom Bones Malone on trombone, Blue Lou Marini on sax and Mr. Fabulous Alan Rubin on trumpet. Charlotte’s heart stopped for second when the spotlight panned over to him. He bowed slightly and greeted the audience with a smile. When he was playing he seemed so confident but his smile was humble and full of warmness. Of course her reaction didn’t stay unnoticed by her friends.

The rest of the concert went by real fast, much to the girl’s dislike. And Charlotte couldn’t remember the last time she had such a blasting time. After at least 3 or 4 encores the band disappeared from the stage and Sophia lead the girls to the backstage area. As soon as her eyes saw Lou, Lisa went over to him with big steps. “Hey Lou.”, she greeted him excitedly. His jaw dropped, when he looked up from his instrument case, taking in her appearance fully. His eyes lingered on her décolleté, causing him to swallow. “You look stunning tonight, darling” He grabbed his girl by the hips, pulling her close and gave her soft kiss. Her red lipstick let a stain on his lips, which she quickly swiped off using her thumb. He whispered something into her ear, causing her to giggle, before he left to help up picking up the band’s gear.

“There you are, did you enjoy the concert?”, Elwood asked, approaching the group of girls. “Of course we did! It was amazing, thanks again.”, Lisa and Sophia gave him a hug. “Oh by the way, this is our friend Charlotte.” “Hi, Elwood, nice to meet you.”, she gave him a quick wave. “Likewise, so have you met the rest of the band yet?” “Nope, didn’t got a chance so far.” “But she would love to!”, Sophia interrupted her and gave Lisa a cheeky grin. “She’s very keen on meeting Mr.Fabulous, you know.” Charlotte shot her a dirty look. “Sure, no problem.” Elwood assured. “Hey Alan, come on over, would ya?” It took the horn player a moment to realise who was calling for him but as soon as he did, he quickly walked towards the four. His gaze instantly landed on a young woman, he had never seen her before. She was about his size with curly, shoulder length, blonde hair. That’s all he was able to notice in that moment, his eyes trapped in her beautiful smile. “I’m sure you remember Jake’s and Lou’s girls… and this is their friend-” “Hi, my name’s Charlotte.” “It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Alan. Is this your first concert?” “Right, it is. These two enthused over you guys so much, I felt the need to experience you at first hand.” “And..?” “Oh it was great… really! I feel almost sorry for myself I didn’t catch any of your previous shows.” “I’m looking forward seeing you on the next concerts then , don’t disappoint me.”, he smiled. Oh that smile again. “Rubin! Stop flirting and give us a hand, would ya?”, Steve shouted. He politely excused himself and she watched him walking over to “The Colonel” and Willie, helping them to get all their equipment together. “I wasn’t flirting.”, he hissed at the guitar player, turning his head to the girls, making sure they wouldn’t be able to hear him. “Tsk, no of course not, You never are.” “What’s that supposed to mean?” “C’mon, Rubin, we all know how popular you are with the ladies.” “Speakin of ladies,”, Willie put in his two pennies worth, “You’re still seeing this Lari?” “Don’t think this is any of your business.”, the trumpet replied in an irritated tone.

Charlotte turned to her friends eventually. “Would you stop embarrassing me tonight?” “I think you’re pretty good at doing that by yourself, aren’t you?” Lisa and Sophia laughed. “It was great, REALLY!”, Sophia mimicked Charlotte. “You’re usually so well-spoken and witty.” “Look, I dunno what he’s doing to me. I can’t hear myself think!-“ She suddenly stopped when Jake, Elwood, Matt, Duck and Alan joined the group, still waiting for the other guys to get ready. “Are you girls gonna join us for a nightcap?”, Matt asked curiously. “We sure are.” Lisa declared when Lou hugged her from behind, planting a soft peck on her cheek. Charlotte desperately wanted to give Mr.Fabulous a closer look but she could feel his eyes on her and didn’t want to create any awkward eye contact, so she was happy when they finally started out for that bar.

[kurtty-drabbles]

All we need is love au

N/A: After exchanging a fanfiction and talking about, I decide to give the harem another go, however, in this case, Kitty is just a healer. Also, no more "religious institution is evil" Castlevania beat a dead horse to the point no necromancy can resurrect.

@djinmer4 @dannybagpipesarecalling

What Kitty was wearing

In the wood of Gasele, is possible to spot one of the most frequently used herbs to healing potions, useful in any day, especially if you are a healer like Kitty Pryde. It was supposed to be a quiet spot, however, loud voices belong to men(certainly not from here judging by the accent) gather her attention.

"It hurts like hell, can´t you do anything?" A man with sideburns asked wincing in pain to a blue man with white hair and beard.

"I could, but, I would have to rearrange your organs for that" the other man is visibly displeased by this action "chins up, you can´t die yet" the morbid attempt of humour did nothing to help the situation.

Kitty saw, hide in a large tree, the man still wincing in pain, as a healer she has a sacred duty to heal all those who are in need, so, leaving her spot(and having confidence that her uniform is enough to not make her a target) the woman purpose to heal the man, now named Logan.

Logan is sceptical at best.

"I´m Wolverine, I did cause problems in Meridith in the name of this big asshole" points to the man named Kurt "I don´t think I can trust in a stranger to heal me"

"I´m a Zaorva´s healer, our mission is to help those who need it" Kitty explained and Kurt and Logan are still sceptical, after all, this could be a plot to trick them or install them. Kitty merely rolls her eyes, and using a knife(perfect to herbs) did cut herself, then using her powers the cut is healed. That was enough for Logan, apparently.

Healing the wounds proves to be an easy task for Kitty, no matter how serious the wound itself appears, once the process is finished Logan could move his body without feeling pain(and is not above to throw some jabs at Kurt for not knowing healing spells)

Kitty observes Kurt for a moment, of course, she knows who the man is, no one is that naive to not reconize his face, however, Kitty never thought she would see him so closely and in such way.

"So, what you think?" Kurt asked a bit leery as Kitty is not hiding her stares at all.

"You are...old" Kitty replied and Logan laughs at this exchange. Kurt pouts at that, not the reaction he was hoping.

"Old?" Kurt takes offence to that, even though, the man is way older.

"Is the beard, white hair and beard, make you look ancient" Kitty replied gently putting her Zaorva´s badge to be in display, Kurt did get in conflict with Zaorva´s temple in the past and it gets in a bigger problem, making Kurt wanting to be neutral with the temple.

"I have to go, stay in Zaorva´s grace" Kitty replied not waiting for a reply. His golden eyes watched the healer return to her chores and the man is pondering about the situation. ____________________________________________ An infestation of Grindylow has appeared in the small city of Azule, a name fitting as the city produces sapphires, magical sapphires that man need for spells of a higher calibre, however, with the infestation of Grindylow no one dares to step a foot in this city.

A group of heroes were called to resolve the situation, a young man in his late teens, named Kid Gladiator, dives into the lake to fight off the creatures. Kitty was also sent as a healer factor and arrives just in time to see the hero Kid Gladiator dive in without anyone to stop him.

Kitty jump right into as thanks to the light provides from her staff, she saw the boy almost being killed by the creatures, their big eyes darted to Kitty and saw the badge, the Zaorva symbol, and leave. Kitty takes the boy and both appear on the surface.

Once the boy starts to grasp for air, Kitty applies more of her healing magic, as the boy slowly opens his eyes.

"What were you thinking?" Kitty chastised the blue boy "you never, ever, fight with a  Grindylow in water, NEVER"Kitty then instructed the boy to remain still, his body is taking time to adjust as he almost drowns himself.

"My team..." is all the boy replied and Kitty gaze at the group of heroes who remain far away from the boy.

"Don´t worry, they will be scowled too," Kitty look at them with disappointment in her doe eyes.

"Nevermind them, you can defeat the Grindylows," the boy asked slowly sitting now.

"No" Kitty simply said "those creatures are part of the family of the elder ones, however, they don´t dare to attack someone from Zaorva´s side, however, I have no power to stop them...they will attack again"

"Then...maybe, I should ask for his help" the boy replied a bit enigmatically, but, once he mentioned other people are hurt, Kitty leave that piece of information behind and ask for the boy to take her to where the injured people are.

Kitty remains in the shelter taking care of the injuries for 3 days, however, on the third day, the situation with  Grindylows was resolved as Kid Gladiator explained.

"It was father, sort like a gift present" the boy explained and Kitty wonders what this even means when the father´s boy appears.

"Ah, I should have known I would meet you here, they did mention a healer here" it was Kurt, oh, looking at the blue boy and at the father she can understand the situation.

"You defeated the  Grindylows?" Kitty tries to hide her astonishment and fails.

"You saved my son, Miss ..." Kitty introduces herself this time and the man waste no time in calling her nicknames "Katzchen then, thank you, for saving my son, not everyone would do that...I know that being my offspring has some downsides"

Kitty smiles at that and shakes her head "anyone is equal in her eyes, anyone is equal in my eyes, either way, I know you didn't save the city for them but thank you"

"You are a very interesting and cute person" then his smile is a bit malicious this time when he asked if she noticed any change on him, of course, she had, no longer the white bear or hair is visible.

"Uhm, now you look much better, I don´t think white is your colour" Kitty replied honestly. Then adds "But the robes still give the ancient vibe"

Kurt just laughs at this and shakes his head  "I have to do things now, I can trust you to make sure my son won´t do any foolish?"

"Of course" Kitty vows and Kid Gladiator take offence of that.

"Diving in to fight  Grindylows on your own, so immature" Kurt complain amused and in smoke of brimstone, he is gone. Kid Gladiator now speaks intrigued.

"Strange, usually, he hates when people don´t appreciate his fashion sense" the boy speak to himself, Kitty then notice that the group of heroes who watched the boy jump to his death is nowhere in sight. ________________________________________ One day, Kitty is called by the central station of the temple, Zaorva´s word is spread among all the seven kingdoms, but this is the central, the Matriz, Kitty arrives to see the leader Bucky Barnes and Natasha Romanoff talking in their own language until Kitty arrives.

"Hey, buckyroo?" Kitty jokes and Natasha laughs and look at him amused.

"It was a bad idea for a costume, anyway, we are not here to talk about bad costumes" Bucky clear his throat and then look at Kitty with a more serious gaze "do you know about the Demonic Necromancer´s court?"

"No?" Kitty shurgs is not something she wants to learn, what she wants is a new magical staff, she is eyeing good ones but they are all too expensive.

"In the last few days, one of the, oh god, let´s put factions, was killed off for treason reasons, and there´s an open spot now" Bucky now uses his metallic hand to scratch his head and Natasha rolls her eyes.

"He means, in a fit of stupidity, the temple offered one of us to the evil necromancer and he asked for you" Natasha was straight to the point. Kitty´s staff drops on the floor.

"Why?" is all she can ask.

"Because...I don´t know, the man seems fond of you, we could say no, but, Kitty, it would be too costly, the last time we went against him..."Bucky didn´t need to finish as everyone understand what is implied.

"Maybe" Natasha speaks trailing off a little "we could send a substitute? The man does not understand how the system works here, we can use that against him"

"No, thank you, Natasha, but if he picks me, then I´ll go to him," Kitty said holding her staff bravely "I won´t ask for anyone else to hold my burden"

"Maybe, he can return you after a week, the princess of Greenland was sent back after a few weeks, we can only hope he is just trying to sway more people to his side with a famous healer of Zaorva" Natasha commented, Bucky don´t agree with her optimistic view(no, the man seems very into in having Kitty)

"Either way, I accept and embrace the change" Kitty replied making a face"I´ll try to look at the bright side of this"

"There´s a bright side?"

"Now, we can work on our RH´s relationship" __________________________________ Being part of harem was a possibility Kitty never wanted for herself, and yet, here is she going to meet the evil necromancer...again.Zaorva wouldn´t give any task she couldn´t handle, and Kitty is sure she can deal with this. Stay low profile and soon enough the man will let her go.

Kurt was with the scarlet robes, it did suit him well, Kitty admits, it gives the aura of an evil wizard who tricks children in the wood.

"Hello, Kurt" Kitty replied not knowing the protocols(no one in the temple knew and no one from outside wanted to mangle, they may be beloved by everyone, but no one wishes to mess with the evil necromancer)and shakes his head like a good friend from a bar. Some women dressed elegantly laugh at the gesture. Kurt is amused by this.

"Hello, Katzchen" the man takes the hand would kiss but her expression tell it wouldn´t be a good idea, the man is patient after all, and gently let her hand go. "Make a safer trip?"

"Yes, I just spend a good portion wondering why you wanted me part of your harem" Kitty look into his golden eyes trying to see any clue, Kurt seems more amused by this.

"Honestly? You are interesting, a healer that craves more in this world but still wants to be a healer, helping my son even though many would let him drown, healing without care for who is the patient...I admire those traits even if you think I´m a cliche of a villain" Kurt replied in good humour and gestures to his own robes, Kitty gives a small smile as his robes those give the cliche vibe.

"And you cut your hair?" Kitty asked looking at his now short hair and smiles "ok, now you look young, white and long hair is not your thing"

"Glad to know I´m increasing in your good opinion" Kurt is about to guide Kitty when she replied.

"I know what you are aiming, and you won´t get it," Kitty has bravely spoken and Kurt looks at her offering his hand smiling in a way that shows all his teeth.

"In that case, you won´t be afraid" then he asked calmly "and what you want, Katzchen?"

"Since is not wise to lie to you, yes I heard the stories, I want to be more useful in the magic field, healing is amazing"Kitty´s eyes shine at that and Kurt chuckles at this, it was cute, he has to admit "but...only healing is not enough to help"

"A dedicated healer, maybe that´s why I´m not a healer"

[commanderquill]

Anything Can Be -- Part Four

<< PART THREE

<< PART ONE

Summary:  Barry doesn’t know much beyond the space station he calls home. After all, he doesn’t have to travel worlds to help innocent people as a Chief Inspector. But he’s put to the test when a Green Lantern, the stuff of myths and legends, shows up one night insisting he didn’t kill the woman bleeding out beside him. And as if that wasn’t hard enough, they have only a few weeks to solve the case – before the Guardians of the Universe come take Hal Jordan away.

Two hours later, a guard enters to escort Hal, and Barry leads them through the halls. They enter a circular room, just as sleek and grey as everything else, with a low ceiling that makes Hal feel that much more claustrophobic. There's a raised platform at the front, like a stage, and in front of it is a circular table surrounding one man in one chair.

The Chief has dark brown hair with thick sideburns lining his jaw and dense eyebrows to match, which make him look perpetually stern. The uniform he wears isn't dissimilar to Barry's, but is adorned with more circles and dashes for ornaments across his chest and is navy blue where Barry's is red. He’s probably human, but it’s hard to tell from this distance.

Hal didn't really notice it before, but he's starting to wonder why most of the staff on this space station seem to be of human descent, or at least something close to it.

In front of the stage is another identical table surrounding a much shorter plastic chair. Between the two tables, more plastic chairs make up the perimeter of a circle. It's creepily reminding him of an AA meeting and he’s tempted to comment that he isn’t an alcoholic.

The guard leads him to the the table and chair on ground floor, then goes to stand by the door. Barry stands to the left of the table, nearest the door and the guard, but doesn't take a seat in any of the many empty chairs. "Your Honor, I present to you Green Lantern Guy Gardner."

At first, Hal is startled to hear the name, and almost looks to the door to see if Guy just walked in -- he wouldn’t put it past him. But then he remembers where he is and what he did.

So, that’s going to be a thing now.

"Guy Gardner is accused of murder in the first degree. I've already stated the reasonable conviction I have in his innocence, and would like to formally request bail for the record."

Well, good to know that somewhere this whole thing is being recorded. He hopes it's just audio, because being stuck in a cage probably hasn't done his hair any favors.

"The reasons I have are of the following: 1) There are no DNA related samples or evidence linking Gardner to the scene of the crime. 2) There is no perceived motive. 3) The investigated timeline and events of the murder don't logically correspond with the suspect. 4) I retain reasonable belief that the suspect can be of use on the field to locate the actual culprit. 5) The suspect carries with him a good reputation and good background and deserves the benefit of the doubt."

The Chief listens respectfully until Barry finishes, nodding all the while, then says: "As previously stated in private and now restated for the record, I, Chief of Police James Gordon, grant permission for suspect Guy Gardner's temporary and supervised release. However, due to the unique circumstances of the power which Gardner wields, unconventional bail terms have been arranged. Guy Gardner, if you agree to these terms, you will be free to assist our Chief Inspector with your investigation, and also to do whatever you please within the boundaries of this station and under the direct supervision of an officer approved by our Chief Inspector. Chief Inspector Barry Allen, if Guy Gardner agrees to these terms, you will be held responsible for his actions. Is this understood by everyone present?"

"Clear as day,” Hal says, until he realizes that maybe that expression doesn't work in space.

"Understood," Barry says.

"To be allowed on bail, Guy Gardner must agree, among other base requirements, to surrender use of his Green Lantern power ring."

"Hell no," says Hal, almost before the Chief finishes speaking. "Absolutely not. Not in your dreams, not in your nightmares, not in your--"

"Then I believe this hearing is over," responds the Chief, cool and collected. The guard moves forward.

"Woah, wait," Hal protests immediately. He warily eyes the guard, and catches Barry off to the side rubbing at the bridge of his nose with his fingers. "Can't we talk about this?"

"These terms aren't for negotiation," the Chief declares. "I'm not certain you realize how bad your situation is, Lantern Gardner. Murder suspects aren't often allowed bail at all. You only are because of how valuable Inspector Allen's word is. You're in absolutely no position to bargain."

"Yeah, well--" he cuts himself off as the guard nudges him forwards the door. "Watch it," he snaps. He turns his attention back to the Chief, who hasn't made any move to get up. "A Lantern can't remove their ring. It’s one of the most powerful weapons in the universe, and I can't depend on some mediocre police department's evidence locker to keep it safe."

"You know just as well as I do that a Lantern's ring can't be wielded by anyone other than the Lantern," the Chief replies, and Hal doesn't know why he's surprised that he knows that.

He curses under his breath as he allows himself to be herded out the door. He doesn't glance behind him on his way back to the cage, but he can hear two sets of footsteps that say Barry isn't far behind. He doesn't look even when the cage door closes behind him.

"Good job," Barry says drily.

Hal whirls around. "You could have told me what the so-called 'questions' were," he snaps, but almost immediately regrets it. Barry does not look impressed by his temper. Hal has always been remarkably good at pissing people off but, for once, he can't afford to chase this person away.

"You didn't honestly expect it would be easy, did you?" Barry responds. "You're a Green Lantern suspected for murder. Any time bail is allowed, something must be given by the defendant for temporarily holding that is valuable enough to the defendant that they either won't run without it or can't run without it before their trial. Normally it's money, but considering we have no information on how valuable that is to you, requiring a monetary deposit doesn't guarantee that you won't still run. The only way to make sure you show up to your trial is to restrict how easy it is for you to run." Barry gestures to Hal's yellow mittens. "Hence this."

"I didn't say I don't know why you guys want it," he replies, his ire already dying down. No need to get angry about logic.

"Well, either you turn your ring over to us or you're going to be stuck sitting in this cage for the entire length of this investigation." Barry's expression is at first disappointed, but soon looks concerned. It's almost hard to pick up on, but whereas a line like he said would be mocking coming from anyone who wasn't genuine, it sounds sad coming from him. "And it doesn't get much better than this."

Barry has taken to leaning against the cage, apparently comfortable enough to do so, although not comfortable enough to have his back to Hal. He's staring intently at Hal, waiting to see what move he'll make.

He needs to stay calm. Being angry will only hurt his case. Which he doesn't really understand -- he feels like an innocent person should be allowed to get angrier over being wrongly accused than a guilty person, but the universe is fucked like that sometimes.

After a moment taken for himself, he looks straight into Barry's face. "Fine," he says. "Take it."

[goindanswingin]

Les Amis Webshows - Reviews!

So! There’s been a whole two new Amis webshows premiering this January! However, I’ve noticed not that many people are actually talking about them! New content, and we’re not yelling??

So, I’ve decided to give short reviews on their debut pilot episodes, as well as the first episodes of some other Les Amis webshows (I probably missed so many, feel free to add more if you know of them!) in order to maybe spread the word about some cool creators online as well as give y’all a lil more content to consume that isn’t just grim BBC Les Mis discourse atm

(I’ve reviewed them in the order they premiered)

1. Stories From Les Amies

This is a vlog story of the les amis with all the genders purposefully changed! Now this one has an awful lot of content to make up its plot, having premiered in 2013 and wrapped up with an HOUR LENGTH FILM at the end of 2014, so there’s a hell of a lot to digest here! The Enjolras behind this is actually also the author of TextingEnjolras/EnjolrasRising so the plot does bear some resemblance to that also! (Another piece of content I’d highly recommend if you’ve not read yet).

But, to keep it fair, I’m going to stick with just the pilot episode! It’s set up like a big group skype call with our amis introducing themselves, where we are first introduced to their personalities, mostly led by Enjolras although Combeferre acts a beautifully sarcastic arbiter. The video quality isn’t excellent, but surprisingly, the audio quality is pretty great (for every character except Marius), with almost no background noise or fuzz.

Enjolras: All of us make up a society that we call the Friends of the ABC

Enjolras: *awkwardly nods and grins*

Enjolras: Which is actually a pun, because... ABC pronounced together sounds like the word abaissés, which means “lowly” or “abased...

Enjolras: So... it’s... it’s a pun.

I know I’m only reviewing pilot episodes to keep it fair, but I will say yes, the quality of the series absolutely does improve over time, and I would highly recommend giving it a go if you’ve never seen it before! You can find the whole series here.

2. Official Les Amis Vlog

Premiering at almost exactly the same time as number 2 on this list, the Les Amis Vlog is similar in terms of quality but different in style. This is as it says - a vlog channel, with divided playlists for each character in the Amis. Every character uploaded vlogs between 2013 and 2015 introducing themselves, answering questions, and making content on certain themes. 

This one took me by surprise - I was very much underwhelmed by the camera quality and lack of plot, but once I started watching, I realised why the Les Amis vlog doesn’t have plot - it’s because instead of making up political issues and action, they actually discuss real politics - in the pilot episode, Enjolras actually talks about a real news article from Reuters and then goes on into an impassioned rant on public surveillance  - it’s kind of amazing.

Enjolras: I mean, you wanna hide your face for whatever reason? Well, congratulations! You’re now a potential t*rror*st for having stood in the way of the observational machine!

Obviously this one is much more about the characters than it is any sort of plot like we’ll see in some of our later series, but... these characters are by far some of the most convincing Les Amis I’ve seen! Particularly Enjolars - wow. So if that sounds like your kinda thing, check it out here!

3. Vines de l'ABC

A multimedia webseries that ran from 2016-2018, but mostly confined to Vines, this one in essence is similar to the Les Amis Vlog in that it is more character driven than plot driven - the different characters were all cast and then separately uploaded Vines (and occasionally YouTube videos) as well as answering questions to the main blog.

The first “episode” is, as common for these webseries, a video of our Enjolras introducing Les Amis and his character, then being interrupted by a phone call. The quality is webcam quality, the sound pretty fuzzy, but I do think Dorian here makes a great Enjolras... more on that shortly! Overall, the quality of this first episode isn’t super relevant to the rest of the series though, because as is obvious by the name, it’s mostly comprised of amusing little vines.

*Tik Tok by Ke$ha plays*

Enjolras: Hello? Did you change my ring tone again? ...Again? Well, I mean, I'm trying to do the video... No, I mean, I'm actually in the middle of doing the video right now, you're on camera... No, no I don't know how to edit it out... I mean, does he have a concussion, or..? *sighs* ...How did I know he had a concussion.

Obviously vine is dead, but everything is available here - if this sounds like your kind of thing, definitely go check it out! There is TONS of content for your consumption here.

4. Barricade Boys

Next up is a comedy/parody show from NyxRising, an already established group of YouTube cosplayers who’ve made lots of similar shows previously. This means, for a start, that the production quality here is some of the best you’ll see - great audio and video quality, basic but good set design, great costumes.

Now, let’s make it clear: if you’re looking for a brick accurate show, this is not the one for you. It’s a pretty ludicrous parody, with an unbelievably arsehole Enjolras with no notion of personal space, a Grantaire with weird sideburns and a crush so obvious it’s hilarious, a Marius so dumb he thinks he’s joining a “lonely hearts club” and a Courfeyrac so OOC that I don’t even know where to begin. 

But god damn, did this make me laugh out loud a good few times.

Enjolras: You do you, Grantaire. Nobody else will.

This one has a couple episodes out already, and I’d highly recommend if you want some laughs! You can find it here.

5. The Downtrodden

Aaaand... onto our January debuts! I’m super excited to give a review of the pilot episode of Shadow of the Tor’s “The Downtrodden”! 

One thing that stuck out to me immediately is that this might be the most diverse cast yet - we have multiple POC, and also a trans Enjolras - in both cases, there’s no self-congratulatory back-patting, but it’s made very clear and very casual, and it’s wonderful. Another point worth mentioning is that our Enjolras is the same Enjolras seen in Vines de l’ABC - and as I mentioned, I think Dorian is great at the role.

The Downtrodden seems to be going for an enjoyable line between plotty and humorous, and so far I’m super excited to see where they take it. The audio and video quality is outstanding, though the cafe background noises could do with being toned down just a tiny bit (as there are occasionally character lines in the background that are a little drowned out), but overall it’s by far the most professional looking alongside Barricade Boys (which had to contend with far less characters!). One comment I will make, though nitpicky, is that unlike Barricade Boys, which moves extremely swiftly through its jokes, The Downtrodden is edited just a pace too slow in one or two scenes, meaning the comic timing falls a little off and the jokes don’t quite get the reaction they really deserve.

Grantaire: You get free coffee refills here if you’re part of a student group. I gotta make that loan last.

Cosette: Do you consider yourself a politically motivated person?

R: I barely even consider myself a person.

C: Oh. Are you alright?

R: Is anyone?

Surprisingly, one of my favourite characters in the pilot episode was Marius! I often find he’s overplayed to death, but in this he appears a little dim but genuinely charming, and he got some of the best laughs out of me. I’d be interested to know how well all the jokes landed with someone who isn’t a Brit, however, since I’m super sold on all these characters being British uni students (student poverty aesthetic and Oxfam shopping bags, goddamn!), and also love Courfeyrac for the same reason - he seems like your typical friendly but laddish uni type, which works perfectly for his character. Also, I own that mug he has.

One of the strongest points, and a very common issue I have with Les Amis webshows (and the 2012 movie NOT GONNA LIE), is losing track of who is supposed to be who - I had no such problem with The Downtrodden - everyone is introduced naturally, gets at LEAST a line or two, and is beautifully acted - go check out the pilot here!

6. The Les Amis Webshow

The last one on our list - the Les Amis Webshow premiered on the last day of January!

First impressions of this webshow are: the most enticing hook yet straight from the beginning, and some of the worst sound quality.

After the introduction - structured as Marius speaking to us from the future - the pilot episode actually centers around a random film student coming up to Marius and asking if they can film him. Is this Cosette? Will we ever find out? Who knows, but for some reason Marius just takes it in his stride and lets this person follow him around, in what I can’t decide is a very weird move, or a very Marius move.

Jehan: Are you wearing your lanyard?

Marius: Yeah. Why? That’s what it’s for.

Jehan: (laughing) You simple little freshman!

Marius: *long pause*

Also Marius: We’re gonna get along great!

The editing is actually fun and a few shots seem to be going for something quite adventurous - I just wish the audio quality were better.

I like Enjolras so far - he seems very confident in himself and a little bit of a rich boy, and I’m really interested to see what they do with Marius, since this is the only webshow so far where Marius has been front and center instead of Enjolras - in that snippet at the start, he seems very anxious and weary - it’s very Empty Chairs at Empty Tables! Overall, this has the most “plot-y” vibe to its initial episode so far, and reminds me a lot of Stories from Les Amies, honestly. I’m very excited to see what they do with it, and am also euphoric at a REGULAR UPLOAD SCHEDULE unlike the other two which are currently running - Barricade Boys and The Downtrodden. Keep up with it every Thursday here!

Thank you so much to @starberry-cupcake for helping me compile this list!

highlight reel: @/SFLA who the fuck makes a feature length movie oh my god, the sheer levels of gay in BB, Marius’ super poshboy accent in TD (sorry if thats just how u speak Ethan), and best of all the German flag taking centre stage in tLAW - the european cynic in me is desperate to know why its there and hopes that you didn’t just mix up French and German flags lmao

[zestycheck]

what’s up y’all, i want validation, so i present to you most of the first chapter of this ridiculous stolen century/junoverse crossover i’m writing

i’m not as naturally snarky as juno is so if anyone has any idea to make his dialogue snarkier im all ears

headcanon: its fairly common on faerun to only have one name and that frustrates juno to no end

--

Juno Steel stared at the most eclectic group of seven people he’s ever seen in his life (and that's saying something), all crammed into his tiny office. They're all wearing red jackets and cloaks like they're the weirdest gang he's ever seen or they're on a family reunion vacation at Polaris Park. The big guy shifted awkwardly, and one of the lithe ones leaned down to the shortest, whispering something.

“Rita!” he called, “Why the hell did you let them in here?”

“They're desperate, boss,” she replied, poking her head in the door. With everyone else stuffed into his office, that's all the room she has. “And they've promised good money. And we both know it's been a bit of a slow time for cases, and the lights ain't gonna pay for themselves -”

“Alright, alright,” Juno acquiesced, waving her out the door. It was cramped enough as-is.

Somehow, the door managed to close, and the room felt even more claustrophobic. “Alright, so,” Juno starts, trying in vain to look all seven of them in the eye, “why are you here?”

“We lost something,” said the shortest, pulling himself onto the chair. The apparent leader of this ragtag bunch.

Juno pinched the bridge of his nose. “And you didn't bother the HCPD with this because…?”

“We tried, but they said they were too busy,” the big guy piped up. “The captain was very nice and sent us to you, saying you were the best there was.”

Kahn? If that was Kahn then there has to be a catch, and a huge one at that. “Alright, fine, where was it last seen?”

“Streaking through the sky about a week ago,” one of the twins said. They had to be twins, they looked too much alike to be anything else. The other continued, “Our calculations point to it landing somewhere around here, most likely in this city.”

“A week?” Juno sighed. “A week in the Martian desert and it's probably buried by now. And it's impossible that it could have landed inside Hyperion City, the shield deflects any solid objects -”

“It's not solid.” The interruption comes from a man in the back, unremarkable aside from a chubby belly and his bright blue jeans.

“I'm sorry?” Juno can feel a migraine coming on, just behind his one good eye.

“Well, it feels solid enough when you hold it, but unless you place it on some kind of magically reinforced stand, it will just eventually start slipping through whatever it's sitting on. That nearly caused Magnus a heart attack first time he placed it on a table and came back to find it missing.” Bluejeans patted the big guy on the shoulder. Big guy (Magnus?) just stared at the wall, flush creeping up his cheeks.

Great, a lost semi solid object, that couldn't take a hundred years to find… Wait. “Magic?”

“Yeah, you know, magic,” said one of the twins, snapping their fingers. And then snapping again, with a dawning look of horror on their face. “Not another cycle without a plane of magic, Lulu. I can't do this again!” The other twin simply pats them of their back, as the first begins sobbing into their shoulder. Lulu meets Juno's gaze and rolls her eyes good-naturedly.

Of course Khan would send seven nutjobs his way.

Juno lets a breath a breath out through his nose, slowly. “I'm very sorry, but I'm much too busy to take this, regardless of what my secretary said -”

He's abruptly cut off by the one in the chair plopping a large sack on his desk. “Perhaps this will persuade you?”

Curious despite his best instincts, Juno opens it. He stares up at them, dumbstruck. “Is this gold? Real, actual gold?”

The small one with a large beard speaks up for the first time. “Guess that's not the currency here, huh?”

It may not be the currency, but… There was enough gold here to make four, maybe five solid gold bars, and that was a lot of creds. Enough to keep the lights on for the next few months, at least. Juno plucks some of the coins out of the bag. There were many different designs stamped onto them, and all of them had writing systems that were unintelligible to him. Still, gold is gold. He just has to not think about how legally this was acquired.

Perhaps they could see the wonder on his face. “There's another sack waiting for you once you get us the Light,” the leader said, leaning back in his chair, crossing his arms, radiating confidence.

Juno sighed. He really was backed in a corner, too strapped for cash to refuse this. “Fine. Give me the details. First of all, I want your names.”

“Davenport,” the leader said.

Juno scratched the name onto a pad, then glanced back up. “Davenport, what? Just Davenport?”

Davenport returned his look with steely intensity. “You can call me Captain Davenport, if you'd like.”

Juno let out a breath halfway to a sigh and scribbled “Captain” before the name. At least a rank would help with tracking down information.

Turns out it was not the weirdest name of the group. Juno pointed at the twins next. “Taco,” replied one. “Loop,” said the other. Chubby McJeans was about to say something when Juno held up his hand to stop him.

“Hold on, hold on. 'Taco’? as in the traditional Earth food?” Juno asked, disbelief tinting his voice.

“Uh… no?” The twin gave him an incredulous look. “Taako. As in, the me. T-A-A-K-O. You know, from TV?” He snickered and the rest of the group rolled their eyes, in varying degrees of subtlety. Juno hasn't seen him on a stream before, but he should probably ask Rita. She might know.

Juno corrected the spelling and pointed to the other. “You. L-O-O-P?”

She just raised an eyebrow. “No. L-U-P. What, never heard of elven spelling before?”

Elven spelling? What the fuck does that mean? Taako tugged his twin closer and whispered something in her ear, and all Juno could pick up was the returned “Oh, shit.” Then both turned back to smile awkwardly at him.

Juno made a note of it but decided not to push for details right then. They were going to get increasingly off track if he addressed every single weird thing they did, and he was getting hungry.

He pointed to the next guy. “You there, name.”

Jeans was startled out of his apparent reverie. “Oh, uh, Barry J Bluejeans.”

Juno put down his pen in the middle of writing “Barry” and glared. “That's real funny. Bet the J stands for Jorts or somethin’, huh? Real name, please.”

“That… that is my real name. And yeah, actually.”

Juno finished writing the name, free hand holding his forehead like it was the only thing keeping it from hitting the desk. Maybe it was. Still, Juno wasn't really in a place to judge; he fell for a man carrying the name “Rex Glass”, after all.

Juno let out a sigh through his nose and addressed the next person he laid eyes on. “You there, quiet one. You gonna stop writing steamy romance novels and tell me your name?”

She still kept writing, until someone else in her group nudged her. She looked up, startled. “Oh, uh. Lucretia. My name’s Lucretia.”

Juno was really getting tired of their shit, if he was being honest. “Let me guess. Just Lucretia?” She nodded and shrugged a bit, sympathetic smile on her face. Juno just huffed and wrote it down.

The other two were relatively normal, Merle Hitower Highchurch, and Magnus Burnsides (of course held by the man with the bushiest sideburns Juno’s ever seen. Why would he assume otherwise with these chucklefucks?). Juno cleared his throat. “These are all your actual, legal names?” Maybe there was still hope this was all an elaborate prank.

They all nodded, even Lucretia looked up from her constant writing to acknowledge him. Well, there goes his afternoon.

[kristannafever]

Bikes and Badges

KP!!  I did the thing!  I could not help myslef, I just HAD to write this. -I hope it’s not too bike heavy (got kind of carried away lol).  This was so fun to write.  *I also set it in Boston.  I do hope I didn’t mess it up, or offend!  Persoanlly I’ve never been there, but my Hubs has, and I am going to be jealous about that until I get to visist myself!*

Rated: T?? (I don’t know... very minor swears, but nothing really bad, but I think we all know I have no idea how to rate stuff) WC: 2315

Kristoff flicked the switch for the ignition.  He would never get tired of hearing the distinct sound of a Harley Davidson come to life.  There was just no way to fully describe it.  It was raw and guttural and so unique.  There was no other bike on the planet that sounded like a Harley.  His own Chopper back home was much louder, but at least the Police Cruiser had more torque.  

He pulled on his helmet and slid on his Aviators, smiling as he swung his leg over the bike and settled himself in the familiar seat.  He pulled up the kickstand with his left foot and backed the bike out of the stall it was parked in, at the Police garage.  He popped the bike into gear and eased back on the throttle as he let go of the clutch, slowly cruising from the garage onto the streets of Boston.

As soon as he was out on the road, he opened it up.  The loud crack of the throttle and the vibration between his legs, filled his senses.   Ever since he had hopped on his first little Yamaha 50 dirt-bike, at 7 years old, he was hooked.  There was no way to describe the feeling of being on a bike, and Kristoff’s face broke out into a smile as began cruising and looking for people to pull over.

He loved his job.

It was a gorgeous July day, and Kristoff enjoyed the sun on his skin, even if he did start to get a little hot waiting at traffic lights.  As soon as he was able to move again, and the wind greeted him, all was right in the world.  He drove with the effortlessness that comes from years of handling a bike.

He was cruising past Fenway Park when he spotted his first traffic offender.  He hated having to pull people over for something as simple as not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign, but so far it was a slow day and he had a quota to make.

He flicked his thumb on the siren and pulled the Road King up behind the vehicle as it came to a slow stop.  Kristoff used the toe of his boot to pop the bike into natural and flicked down the kickstand.  He stood and easily lifted his leg over.  He approached the vehicle slowly, with his hand resting on his service pistol.

He looked down at the auburn-haired fellow with shitty sideburns, but before he could open his mouth the man’s green eyes flared with anger.  “What the hell are you pulling me over for?”

“You didn’t come to a complete stop at that stop sign back there.”

The man gaped at him. “Are you kidding me?  That is horseshit!”

“Licence and registration please.”

The man grumbled and swore under his breath as he fumbled out his things and handed them to Kristoff. He took them back to the bike and called in the plate and the licence number to make sure there were no outstanding warrants.   Everything was clean, so Kristoff wrote up the summons and walked slowly back to the car.

“Here you are.”  He handed back the mans things along with the fine.  “You have thirty days to-“

“Yeah, yeah, this isn’t my first ticket.”

“Have yourself a nice day.” Kristoff smiled at him, ignoring the sneer her got in return.   He heard the word Pig being uttered as the man drove away.

Kristoff got back on his bike with a sigh.  That was one part of the job he did not enjoy.  People always acted differently around him when he was in uniform.  He was either met with complete and utter distain, or people seemed to shy away, as if they were guilty of something.  He had been told many times that seeing a cop sometimes made people feel like they were doing something wrong, even when they weren’t.

It all boiled down to respect.  Either people respected what he did, or they didn’t, and the latter was so difficult to deal with sometimes.  He had been accused, on more than one occasion, of being a dirty cop by random civilians after he had pulled them over, for no other provocation than he had to give them a ticket for a law that they had broken.

He pulled back onto the road and kept his eyes open as he cruised back towards the piers.  He knew by the time he made his way over there, it would almost be lunch time, and he could head over to Pauli’s and grab one of their delicious Lobster Rolls.

He was cruising through the Theatre District on Stuart when an old Volkswagen Beetle caught his eye, and not for his appreciation of old cars, but because it had a broken tail light. Kristoff flicked on his sirens again and pulled behind the bug.  It pulled over slowly and he repeated the routine he had done a thousand times.  

When he got up to the window of the car he was surprised to see a pair of beautiful blue eyes staring at him.

“Know why I pulled you over miss?”

She shook her head slowly. “No.”  Her voice was level, and she did not seem intimidated at all.  It was a nice change.  Most women he pulled over already had the waterworks started, to try and get out of the ticket he was going to issue them.

“Your tail light is broken.”

“It is?”  She blinked at him.

He stood back and gestured with a sweep of his arm for her to come and take a look herself.  She obliged, opening her door and gliding to her feet.  She walked to the back to take a look, her face falling as she realized someone must have vandalized her car because the entire light was bashed in.

“At least the body is okay.” Kristoff offered upon seeing her frustrated frown.

“Do you know how hard it is to get authentic parts for these cars?”  She said more to herself than to him.  “And they’re wicked expensive too.”

“What year?”

“It’s a ‘77.”

“My Buddy owns a parts shop. I can give you his number and maybe he can get a line on one for you.”  Kristoff reached into his pocket and pulled out a card.  He always grabbed a couple before he left for his shift because there were a lot of cases like this, and he was able to throw Sven a lot of business.  He handed it to her.  “Here you go. I’ll let him know you’ll be calling, and I can get him to give you the price at cost.”

She brought her eyes to his slowly and took the card from his outstretched hand.  “Thank you.”  She said quietly.  

“Don’t mention it.” Kristoff smiled at her, trying to remain professional in her captive gaze.  It had been a long time since he had pulled over someone who was so pretty.

“How much is this going to cost me?”  She asked, tucking the card into the pocket of her jeans.  

“Huh?”  He wasn’t sure her meaning.  He was caught up in the spans of freckles across her cheeks.

“The ticket.  For the broken tail light?”

“Oh, I wasn’t going to give you one.  I’ll just let you off with a warning.”

“That’s sweet.”  She said in a curious manner.  

Kristoff smiled at her and tipped his head in a courteous gesture.  “Well you have a good day miss.  And please get it fixed as soon as you are able.  If another cop pulls you over, you might end up getting a ticket after all.”

He was just about get back on his bike when he heard her behind him.  

“Um Officer…”

He turned around. “Bjorgman.”  He offered, just as she was reading his nametag.  

“Look, Officer Bjorgman,”

“Kristoff.”

“Pardon?”

“Call me Kristoff. That’s my first name.”

“Oh.”  She blushed above her smile.  “Well, Officer Kristoff, I don’t suppose you would let me buy you lunch?  As a thank you?”

“No need, Miss…?”

“Anna.”

“No need Anna.  I’m just doing my job.”

“Still, I appreciate your kindness.  I’d like to repay you.”

There was something in her gaze that was breaking down all his defenses.  “Well… I was heading over to Pauli’s.”

Her eyes lit up.  “Oh perfect!  They have the best sandwiches!  Please just let me buy you one, as a thanks.”

He knew he shouldn’t, but she was suddenly impossible to resist.   “Alright, how about I meet you over there?”

She broke out into a smile that sent shivers down his back despite how hot it was getting.   “Great!  See you there.”

*****

Anna followed him, and parked behind him as he pulled up to the street.  She tried not to get too flustered, watching him stand and swing one of his long legs over the bike as he removed his helmet and ran his hand through his golden hair a few times.   He approached her and smiled.

She smiled back, ignoring her her reflection in his Aviators and they walked the half block down to the little sandwich place.

Kristoff pulled the door open and stood inside to let her enter.  She obliged and walked a few steps in before turning around.  He was tucking the arm of his sunglasses into the pocket on the front of his uniform and met her gaze.

She faltered at the warm brown of his eyes.  She wasn’t expecting them to be so gorgeous, and… soulful.

“What’s your usual?” He asked.

“Uh…”  She knew what he was wondering, but words were escaping her at the moment.  

He cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes with curios smile.

“Uh,” She giggled nervously. “The Mama Lucca actually.  How about you?”

“Oh, Lobster Roll all the way.”

“Yeah?  Never had one here.  Maybe I’ll have to give that a try too.”

They waited in line until it was their turn to place their order and Anna ordered two Lobster Rolls. Kristoff grabbed a handful of napkins and sauntered over to one of the few tables the place had to offer to wait for her.  She paid for their sandwiches and two cans of Coke and joined him with their order number.

He was strumming his fingers on the table nervously, clearly not knowing what to say, so Anna opened the line of dialogue.  She was always good at that.  “So, biker cop huh?  How do you like it?”

Anna had to smile at the way his face lit up.  “Oh, I love it.  It’s the best.  Just being out there on the bike, riding around the city… it’s fantastic.  I love to ride.”

“Yeah?  You have your own personal motorcycle then too?”

“Ahyuh, Custom-built Harley Chopper.”

“Let me guess, a Softail?”

His mouth gaped at her. “Uh yeah.”  He said slowly.

She laughed.  “My Dad was a motorcycle enthusiast.”

“He was, was he?” Kristoff said and rubbed his hand thoughtfully over his chin.  “You ride too?”

“Me, no.  Never really got interested, but I loved to listen to my Dad talk about it.  I could listen to him for hours, and believe me, he could talk for hours.”

Kristoff opened his mouth but their number was called, so he shut it slowly and got up to grab their food. They chatted idly as they ate, and Anna enjoyed every bite of her sandwich, knowing she now had a new usual when she went to Pauli’s.  

When they were done they talked a little more about Anna’s work as a Concierge at the Fairmont Copley Plaza hotel, before they walked back to their vehicles to go their separate ways.

Anna noticed that Kristoff was lingering a bit as she stood next to her car, and she desperately hoped that it was to ask her out.  She didn’t want to be so forward as to ask out a cop herself, who she was sure let her out of a ticket, while he was on duty… but she really wanted to keep talking to him.  

“Thanks again for lunch.” He smiled.  

Anna was glad his sunglasses were still resting from his pocket, so she could see his wonderful brown eyes in the sunlight.  “Well thank you, for not giving me a ticket.  And your friends number.”  She patted the pocket of her jeans.

“Don’t mention it. You have yourself a good day Anna.” He said and gave her a wink.

“You too.”  She said, trying not to let her disappointment come through in her voice as he turned to walk away.  

But he paused, and slowly turned back to her, perhaps hearing her dejection.  “Forgive me if this is a little forward, but would you… maybe like to grab dinner sometime?”

Anna didn’t hold back the excitement in her smile.  “Yes. Yes, I would.”

“Wonderful.”  He smiled back and dug in his pocket for his phone.  Anna did the same and they exchanged their numbers with promises to get back in touch with each other soon.  Anna slid into the seat of her car and watched as he put on his helmet and sunglasses and got on his bike.  She bit her lip at the little wave he gave her as he rode off.

She fished into her pocket and pulled out the card he had given her.  She knew if it was any other cop who pulled her over, things would not have gone the way they did.  She tucked the card into her purse so she wouldn’t forget about it and accidently wash it with her clothes, like she always seemed to do with all the things she collected in her pockets.

She pulled out onto the street and drove back home with a huge grin on her face, excited to go on a date with a cop who liked bikes.