#just. rotating miranda around and around and around in my mind

[rxttenfish]

ironically i don’t actually like miranda ships that have her with anyone who’s too passive or eager to please. that just feels like a recipe for disaster for me, because even though miranda very sincerely tries very hard to make people happy and to accommodate for them, she’s also... well, miranda. she has her own very specific ideas on what is wrong and what should be done to help, and anyone who will lay down and let miranda do whatever she wants without ever raising a fuss or calling her out will quickly discover how miranda can and will trample over boundaries that she wasnt told about.

its kind of weird to talk about i suppose, because its not a dynamic that comes up in ships all that often, but in experience from my own relationships, sometimes you need someone who won’t take your shit! sometimes you need someone who’s a little combative! and i don’t necessarily mean arguments or fights in the traditional sense either, but rather a kind of boldness and a lack of fear that comes with someone who isnt afraid of you or the possibility of having a fight.

and likewise there’s another extreme to this, where someone is too upfront and aggressive about confronting miranda about her issues, because she’s just... she’s in the kind of situation associated with a very particular headspace and a way of looking at the world, and all of which involve her being told that there are people who will disagree upon these things with her, and that she should immediately shut their arguments down and refuse to budge and dig her claws in deeper and deeper. trying to push someone who’s in that kind of high control group situation too hard often only ends up forcing them deeper in, confirming how hostile and terrifying the outside world is and that it can’t be trusted, that only the high control group can be trusted.

so there has to be a middle ground between total passivity and outright rejection, and it’s the very specific space of being challenged in a way that feels safe and even secure. someone who will not walk all over you, but will not let you walk all over them either, who will question things that should be questioned but will not shove an answer in.

it’s why i don’t really like shipping miranda with any of the PCs — their primary, defining character trait is a willingness to do whatever and say whatever it is to get the object of their affections, and while i certainly imagine miranda loves to have people fight over her and her affections, i can’t see it working out long term in the slightest. there are two people in every relationship, after all, and thus both of them have to be considered as their own independent entities with their own emotional and mental worlds and needs. all too often in ships people will either treat the PCs as non-entities or miranda as a non-entity, and it just doesn’t work out for me, imo. if i wanted to just focus on one or the other, i would just focus on one or the other

all of this being why miravi actually works so much better for me, although certainly there are other ships that reach the same end. aaravi’s definitely the kind of person to immediately show how displeased she is whenever something happens that she doesn’t want or when someone is trying to make her do something that she doesn’t want to do, and these dual traits of being combative and very vocal about it immediately mean that miranda can’t say that she wasn’t aware or that she missed some cue. 

likewise, aaravi makes her wants and needs very quickly known and won’t let someone else force her away from them, so there is an alternative path that becomes very clear, and forces miranda into a point of negotiation to figure out something that can work between the both of them. meanwhile, aaravi, in being more standoffish, has the greater attitude of other people can do whatever so long as it doesn’t get in her way, which helps prevent the issue i was talking about in forcibly taking miranda’s hand and leading her to something, and how this often has the opposite of the intended effect. aaravi, in being a bit more of a token “lone wolf” type who wants to demonstrate how much she doesn’t need other people (even despite evidence to the contrary), actually helps miranda in trusting her further and seeing her as an equal since aaravi is neither trying to gain her approval and love, thus treating her as a superior, nor trying to push her around to make the “correct” decisions and be the “correct” type of person, thus treating her as an inferior. 

she’s just... aaravi, and will quarrel and push back if miranda tries to overstep, but won’t expect anything from her in turn. even if this is ultimately because of some pessimistic view on aaravi’s side and an assumption that the world is solely out to get her, it does work out in miranda’s case, sort of leading me back to my whole point of mutually compatible damage. it’s easier for each of them to intuit what the other needs and what is too far after these initial boundaries have been set, because they have an easier time seeing where the other is coming from after they actually start talking. in a weird way, they’re both already familiar and aware of the tropes that the other is playing off of, as aaravi in playing a token video game protagonist role, is already aware of the trope of the princess with the evil family, and miranda in playing a fairytale princess role, is already familiar with the knight or hero who was pushed into this role and uncertain of their own humanity or goodness. its an extra little layer of understanding where each one is coming from, without necessarily needing to elevate or suppress the other’s position.

TL;DR: i don’t like a lot of miranda ships because elevating her and treating her as a superior is just as dehumanizing as debasing and treating her as an inferior, and the best miranda ships, in my mind, strike a balance between the two characters where they treat each other as equals

[the-insomniac-emporium]

Broken Things (Resident Lover)

Pairing: Very much platonic Mia and Miranda (I am rotating them and their dynamic in my head) Rating: G for General Audiences Warning: HEAVY SPOILERS for Miranda's route, mostly implied but this won't make much sense if you haven't finished it. I recommend also getting the cult ending for maximum clarity. Summary: For two people that hate each other, Mia and Miranda have more in common than either of them want to admit. The night before an important (but heartbreaking) ritual, they share a few moments together. Alternatively: do you think they ever talk about being the only two to really know the MC? I think it hangs over them, equal parts comforting blanket and burial shroud. Exploring their dynamic a lil bit. Also, this is probably the longest thing I've written in one sitting in ages, so... cool. Noice. Just over 1.2k words.

------ ------

If she had bothered to knock, there would have been no answer at best, and a flurry of feathered rage at worst. No point in entertaining that formality; not tonight, the eve of another undoing. Few things had any point tonight. But Mia had never been one to overthink things, never one to bother drawing up reasons for her behavior. That was what made her so charmingly irritating. Or just plain irritating, if you asked the headmistress whose office is now being invaded.

“I’m not in the mood for company,” Miranda warns from where she sits at her desk, the barest hints of exhaustion bleeding into her normally veiled expression. Even Goddesses get tired, it seems. Cruelties stir in the back of her throat, vile words and heavy hexes, but she doesn’t waste any energy on letting them spill out. Simply swallows, hard, and crosses one leg over the other. A stiffness occupies her bones this evening.

“I know,” Mia answers, without any snark, carefully setting down a couple glasses where there’s room. The bottle in her other hand has already been opened, the contents mixed with other things, and hastily sealed again. For once, Mia bothers to wipe the condensation off the bottom before setting it down. “Neither am I.”

This time, her lips curl up at the edges, but the downturn of her eyebrows betrays the bitterness she feels. Another thought dances on her mind, and her mouth makes it halfway open before she discards it, playing the movement off as an exaggerated sigh. Pushing Miranda’s buttons is easy… achieving anything else is Herculean. Part of Mia wonders how far she’s already pushing things, not because she cares about the consequences, simply because she can’t tell.

Leaning her weight against the desk (avoiding the side table like a single touch would kill her), Mia grabs the bottle again, popping the cap off with a flick of her thumb. Almost immediately the smell of strong whiskey drifts around the room. Miranda’s nostrils flare, briefly, the purse of her lips growing tighter. But she says nothing as Mia pours drinks for the both of them, eying them closely to make sure they’re filled evenly. A moment passes, then two, before Mia nudges one of the glasses closer to Miranda.

“I don’t know why I keep you around,” the headmistress says, bringing a little bite to her words to show dominance, her posturing a sad show of deflecting vulnerability. They both know exactly why Mia is still alive, why she’s here, in this town, in this day, in this life. Why she doesn’t slip out the door without a word and disappear forever. All the same reasons keep Miranda here, urging her hands to continue pulling strings, weaving and undoing and weaving and weaving and unmaking with the same heart that compelled Penelope to do the same.

Mia chooses not to point it out. Bites her tongue, nurses the mixed whiskey like it was her last. Lets the burn linger on her tastebuds. Breathes in deep, turning her gaze to the dark sky beyond the office window. A few tiny figures move across the campus grounds, returning from parties or maybe more clandestine affairs, utterly unaware that everything was going to be reset tonight. None of them have even an ounce of worth in her eyes, nor in Miranda’s.

“Nobody else has a clue, do they?” Mia muses, somewhere between a sneer and a giggle. Both halves sound forced. For a moment, she basks in the silence, only to remember she wasn’t one to find comfort in such things after all. A glance towards her companion reveals a raised eyebrow, Miranda not yet parsing her words. The details of the reset were a closely guarded secret, to prevent dissent, but most of her flock understood that something important lay past the dusk. What they didn’t understand is all the more fundamental, built into the very cause they pursued. “They all think they know what we’re missing.” More bitterness in her voice this time, acidity on a slow-drip to her veins, a scoff kicking out some of the weight from her chest.

Something clicks, then, an idea alongside Miranda’s tongue. Dimitrescu imagines her daughters. Beneviento’s grief haunts everything she makes, but the feelings fold into different shapes. Followers flood their senses with Mother’s goals, with her purpose, but they are driven by their devotion to her. Not to her. All the lives in the world, vast and uniquely faceted, and only the two in this room have a clue.

“You don’t love her the way I do,” Miranda whispers, nail guards finding places to pinch her own flesh. Slowly, she uncrosses her legs, and finally reaches for her glass. If there’s any fragility to the way she holds herself now, Mia is kind enough to ignore it, and uncaring enough to leave the pain without relief.

“Mmm, and you don’t love her the way I do,” she breathes. Neither of them are lying. Oddly enough, nor are they challenging each other. Just declaring their surviving differences in this moment of alikeness. “Salut,” Mia adds, ignoring the huff (of irritation or amusement, she cares not to differentiate) from Miranda, but cracks a smile when their glasses raise in sync. A toast to the heart of their shared world, to the central victim of the reset.

There’s no hiding the way Miranda recoils at the concoction, almost a snarl with glinting teeth, the strength of the cheap whiskey hardly diluted by whatever was added to it. Hardly her drink of choice. Yet she runs her finger around the rim of the glass, mirroring the way her tongue flickers across her teeth, savoring the misery of it all. Hauntingly familiar, the closest Mia had ever come to recreating a cursed relic from their past. At least it will get us drunk fast, she had once said, with this same grimace, the icon of their love cheering on the words. Teasing gently about her obsessions with efficiency.

By the time the memory moves beyond her eyelids, the glass in her hands is almost empty. Mia hums a halfhearted tune, pouring another round for Miranda, before pushing herself up from her perch. A few wrinkled papers get left behind, without anyone batting an eye. Everything was pointless tonight, remember? Beautiful nothingness, even stale blood gushing like ichor, almost all things rendered equal.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some poor decisions to make,” Mia suddenly chimes, face twisting up into a visage of mischief, brushing the last of the dust off of her mask. One hand snatches up the bottle, the other smoothes over her leather jacket, subtly ensuring she could still feel the presence of her switchblade in one of the pockets. WIth unabashed glee, she waltzes through the doorway, off to draw blood and make merry with the worst of what the university has to offer.

She only hesitates for a microsecond, as she goes to close the door behind her. Glances back to meet Miranda’s gaze, all-knowing and piercing as ever, the two of them exchanging silent assurances. Their beloved would be remade, eventually, no matter how long it takes. No matter how many times they have to start over. A determination only matched in each other, as universally true as it is unspoken.

[lady-z-writes]

Plaything (Heisenberg x fem!reader)

Chapter 5 (of 5)

Summary: Reader works for BSAA and is scoping out the village until you get captured by none other than Heisenberg who doesn’t take well to trespassers. Once he learns of your hatred for your job, he wants the information you have and he doesn’t have to try hard to get it. You find yourself drinking, fireside, with him and can’t help but let him touch you. Angie said he’d needed a plaything and, well, you’re it.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Final chapter below the cut:

The paranoia sets in after his ‘sister’ leaves. Heisenberg sends the Haulers to scope out the lower structures of the factory. Alcina is irksome, true enough, but her senses are pretty keen and he’s been up all night after you fell asleep – sans the chains. He’s not a monster.

The thought of a rat in his factory without him even knowing…it pushes him to a boiling point. Maybe that gargantuan with the sombrero is playing him as a fool, but he can’t take a chance.

He gets no work done, just paces back and forth in his makeshift office, focusing on all the bad that could potentially come his way with talk of your survival getting out.

She’ll kill you. He knows it; saw something similar happen with a villager Bela brought home. Apparently, Alcina’s the only one who’s allowed servants.

Who is he fooling? He knows the difference. The few survivors at House Dimitrescu are rotated through. And they’re for the sole purpose of eating. What Miranda saw in Bela’s beau was different – she could call it in an instant: attraction, temptation, hope. Hope for a different life; for something other than this village.

Anything that distracts from Miranda’s plan needs immediate attention. He’s sure she’ll be visiting within the day.

Heisenberg lets his anger out as he shoots a slew of knives at the wall.

And then he hears it.

The screeching from below.

They found something.

Heisenberg hasn’t hurried that quickly in ages – the winded feeling aching his lungs.

Sure enough, following the stream to the sub-basement, he hears the gunshots, spots the scene: a man taking out his Haulers, but more replacing them due to the noise.

Heisenberg shoves a metal pole in the man’s direction, knocking him down in one swoop. A snap of his fingers and the Haulers retreat.

“And who might you be?” he drones on as the man groans, trying to pull himself to his feet. “Not a talker, huh? That’s okay. I’ll put the pieces together for you: you’re part of the agents. You, somehow, survived and now you think you can just hide out here until your little helicopter picks you back up and takes you home to your comfy bed.” The man stands now, eyes glancing at the gun he’d dropped to his left. “Ah, ah. Bad choice.” They’re at a standstill. “Listen, I’m entertained, truly, it’s just getting dull so…” he shifts his hammer over his shoulder.

“You have her, don’t you?” the man speaks evenly.

Heisenberg narrows his eyes. “Have who?”

“[Y/N].” He dares to step closer. “I heard her in there. You have her.”

Heisenberg smirks. “Ah, you heard us, huh? Would it interest you to know just what those screams were really about?”

The man picks up on his innuendo. “You’re lying.”

“See for yourself.” Heisenberg purses his lips. “Friend of hers?” he’s met with silence. “Well, clearly a reunion is in order.” He swipes and forces metal to mold around the man’s hands, shackling him before he pushes him toward the staircase.

It takes a while, but he manages to shove the intruder all the way back to his quarters, where he knew you’d still be.

You’re still wearing his shirt, looking like a vision, when he forces the man into his quarters – flat on his face.

“Ohh, [Y/N]…” he speaks in a singsong voice.

You open your eyes, a slight smirk on your face before you stretch out under his bedsheets and look in his direction.

Within seconds, you’re bolting up in bed. The look you’re sending him is hard to read. The initial shock sets in and then there’s recognition…hurt?

“Chris?”

“Oh, fuck, [Y/N]…” he struggles to get up, but Heisenberg flicks his wrist and the cuffs tighten. Chris groans out.

“Touching. Truly touching. Now, I told ya you’d get to see her…” he points in her direction. “See?”

“You asshole,” Chris cusses.

“Time to die!” Heisenberg raises a gloved fist and calls all the metal items in the room.

“No, stop!” you’re rushing toward Heisenberg, his shirt billowing around your naked nether regions. You grip his wrist and put yourself between the two men. “Please, Karl, no.”

Heisenberg raises an eyebrow. “What does this whelp mean to you?”

“It’s…complicated.”

Heisenberg glances between the two of you, really takes in the expression on Chris’ face.

“Ah, so you two used to fuck then, is that it?” Heisenberg hums.

“[Y/N], get away from him,” Chris warns from on the floor, clearly irate at the current discussion. Heisenberg laughs.

“Chris, you don’t understand. He’s…” you sigh, unable to put it into words. “He’s not what you think. He’s not like you think.”

And it’s true. Though you’ve seen the bad parts of him, you’ve seen his humanity still. You’ve seen the hurt parts of him, the irreparable parts that Miranda damaged.

Heisenberg lowers his hand at this and the metals go clanging to the ground. His mouth is a hard line, but his eyes show so much emotion. You’re reminded of the soft moment he shared last night before treating you to several orgasms.

“You’ve got two minutes to convince me not to kill him.”

“He got out!” you yell, tears in your eyes. “He’s proof, Karl. He got out. BSAA. All of this…he’s proof that I can do it.”

The conversation from the other night comes to mind and Heisenberg hums.

“You could get her out of this?” Heisenberg’s voice is level now as he asks Chris.

“Y-yeah…yes?” Chris, clearly confused, struggles to stand with his hands cuffed in front of him. “Why, do you…?”

Heisenberg narrows his eyes, stares at the ground. When he exhales out of his nose, you glance his way.

“Well,” he lights a cigar, puffs on it a few times before speaking again. “Looks like you’ve got lots to discuss.”

And just like that, he’s snapped the cuffs off Chris and is sauntering out of the room. You follow after him, but he pushes you against the wall with one hand against your neck.

“Karl…” you practically sob.

He doesn’t look at you. “Look, you got an out, you take it.” He exhales again, speaks barely at a whisper, “If I’d had an out…” he lets that sentence trail off.

“But, Karl, what about-”

“Miranda’s already aware of your presence in my factory – guaranteed. We’ve got my fucked up family to thank for that. If I know Miranda – and I do… - she’ll come sniffing around soon…” his thumb rubs along your neck. You’ve never seen him look so serious when he says, “I can’t let her know about my plans, [Y/N].”

And he lets you go. When your feet plant back on the ground, you hear Chris stumble through the doorway as Heisenberg saunters down the hall. You know he’s made up his mind. And wasn’t it a pipedream anyway, staying here with him?

Tears prickle in your eyes.

Chris rushes to your side, watches the scene before him. You can tell he’s ready to go after Heisenberg, but you put a hand on his chest in hopes you’ll stop him. The defeated feeling is overwhelming.

“[Y/N], leave it to you to get wrapped up in all of this,” Chris mumbles.

Your fingers are busy playing with the hem of the shirt Karl gave you. “Yeah…leave it to me.”

“C’mon, let’s get you dressed.”

•••

You were never good at leaving, never good at goodbyes, and this is no different.

It’s not like you had things to pack, you’d been here for a total of a few days and as you think about it, you realize how crazy this seems: to get this head-over-heels in a matter of a few days.

But you’d like to think you understand each other.

And he trusted you, let you into his headspace for those few days.

You convince Chris to give you five minutes before you leave. It’s…awkward between you. There were several occasions in your history where you indulged in each other out of pure convenience. Late nights after work, early mornings before, missions if you could ever sneak away…neither of you could hold down a steady relationship with work so you just made the best of it.

Things got complicated between the two of you – things are always complicated with Chris – but you never expected him to be here. You hadn’t heard about the Hound Wolf Squad, but it sort of gave you hope that there could be a version of you that gets out of these missions, this life.

Heisenberg is in one of his many offices when you finally find him – there are three main ones and you never know where he’ll be. He’s tinkering with something, but you can see his mind is elsewhere. He doesn’t look up at you when you enter the room.

You close the door, take a few tentative steps toward him.

When you wrap your arms around him, you hear him sigh. Your cheek is pressed against his back, hands met around his middle, and you just hold onto him.

You’re tentative, never knowing what kind of mood he’s going to be in and what constitutes a step too far. But, apparently, right now this is okay.

“There’s no changing my mind, you know,” he speaks.

“I know,” you nod against him, shift your body so you’re between him and his workbench. “I just wanted to say thank you.”

His expression softens. Gloved fingers come to swipe your hair from your face. You hate the thought of his years of planning to fall apart just because of you.

“You’re welcome.”

The moment stills again.

“We could have been good,” you whisper out.

A nod. “If you stay here, you’ll get killed. Simple as that. I’m making a choice, buttercup.”

“I know…” you nod, try not to cry. “It’s crazy…” you sniffle, look away.

“What’s crazy?” he’s still got his hand cupping under your chin.

“This heat between us. I mean, you don’t know me.”

He gives you one of those devilish smirks. “But I could know you.”

And just like that, you’re pawing at him again – pulling him in to kiss you, letting your hands trail down to undo his pants. One last time.

The moment is slow as he pulls down your pants and takes you right on his workbench. You’re pretty sure you hear the door open and then close again – Chris had always been a stickler for time and your five minutes was surely up.

You lose sense of everything when he’s between your legs. It’s nice to just be in this moment with him, a final goodbye.

Gloved fingers against your clit, he urges another orgasm out of you, more powerful than the last.

You’re both wandering hands and needy kisses, soft moans as he slowly ruts into you; savoring every thrust.

The moment ends before you’d like it to; Heisenberg thrusting deep in you, his face buried in the crook of your neck as he gasps and moans your name. When he finally pulls back, you can tell he’s blissed after the orgasm, but when reality sets in you see the emotion on his face.

You have to leave.

You’ll be killed if you don’t – he said it himself – but a part of you thinks it’s worth risking. He doesn’t feel the same, you’re sure, considering his metal army would be discovered and the work he’d put in would be for naught.

Revenge is a little more important than a chick he just met a few days ago. You’re being unrealistic, you know that.

“I’ll miss you,” you say, hand cupping his cheek, thumb tracing over his scars.

“And I, you.”

“Hate to break this up, but there’s an extremely tall woman headed this way…” Chris enters the room.

“Fuck,” you jump down from the workbench, pull on your pants – the ripped-up ones from the day you met Heisenberg – they’ll have to do, you’d decided.

“Take the elevator all the way down. You’ll see a tunnel. Head through there.”

You kiss him once more, pulling him into you shamelessly in front of Chris, savoring every moment with him. There’s a spark between the two of you that Chris will never understand.

And you leave without turning back because one look at him and you know you’re staying put – won’t have the guts to walk away.

Unbeknownst to you, Chris lingers in the doorway, arms crossed, staring at Heisenberg.

“You really care for her,” Chris acknowledges.

“You should really leave if you want to make it out of here alive,” he ignores Chris’ comment.

Chris’ eyes narrow. Pointedly, he pulls a business card from his pocket, lifts it toward Heisenberg, slams it down on the table beside him, then follows you down the hallway.

Heisenberg’s eyes trace over the printed lettering and a smirk appears on his face.

•••

You fake dead. That’s how you get out of this. Chris and his team cover for you and in turn you help with the Hound Wolf Squad.

Neither of you talk about what happened in Heisenberg’s factory. Neither of you really talk about any of it, really. And some missions he knows you’re too close to so he leaves you out of it.

You aren’t really together, but Chris crashes at your apartment here and there – another convenience factor thing. And, yes, maybe a few nights you’ve gotten a little too drunk and fallen into each other’s arms. It’s partly pure convenience and partly because loneliness strikes again and you’re thinking of what could have been if you’d stayed behind in the village…

One drunken night, you’re lying in bed beside Chris as he flips through TV stations.

“Did he ever…-” he starts, looking at you out of the corner of his eye. “Never mind.”

You don’t push, but you’re sure he has questions about Heisenberg, sure he’s curious why you fell into your captor’s arms, sure he wonders if it was a Stockholm Syndrome deal after all.

You rarely let yourself think of him, don’t wonder what-if, don’t carry the weight of his story with you, try not to worry about his future…

Without a second thought, you change the subject to the movie he just put on, ignore the ache that settles in your chest.

•••

Months pass; holidays, birthdays. New works crops up and you’re so distracted. It’s a welcomed change. For once you’re enjoying working, not despising being sent out on mission after mission. You’re considering buying yourself a home.

You’re busy for once in a long while and keeping up on things has been trying, but your friends attempt to help keep you level by taking you out once in a while or having a movie night. You’re grateful for the turn your life has taken. Who knew that mission to the village would alter so many things?

You’re waiting on a call back from your colleague, hoping to get information so you can start up on your next project but also hoping to start your weekend soon – a night out with friends is long overdue since you started looking at houses to purchase.

Glancing out your window, you see a family passing on the street below your apartment, a baby in a stroller, a dog on a leash, bike riders and rollerbladers and joyful people completely unaware of any bioweapons in other places.

You shut your curtains, push those thoughts away, close your eyes, and try to steady your breathing.

When your phone rings, you mindlessly swipe to answer.

“Hello?”

The voice on the line stops you in your tracks.

“Hello, kitten.”

[mydisenchantedeulogy]

Hello Sorrow [Chapter Five] Tomorrow Never Knows [Karl Heisenberg]

Tag List: @unlikelyllamanerd​, @courtenbae​

Irina came to on the floor, stirring plumes of dust every time she took a heavy breath. Where was she? The factory, she was sure. But where? The room she woke up in was dim; the only source of light coming from the bay shop panel above her.

Why wasn't she dead? Heisenberg spared her for some unknown reason; Irina wasn't sure she wanted to know. Her hopes of surviving this nightmare had been taken away from her; he made sure of this.

So why? He promised to kill her. Could he not strike her down while she lay unconscious? At least then she'd never wake up, having to look that bastard in the eye again.

Irina blinked away tears. She never had any chance of escaping. There was no cheese at the end of this winding metal labyrinth.

Easing into a sitting position, she moaned in pain. Her side and arms burned immensely. A warm tightening feeling washed over her and for a moment, Irina feared that she may pass out again.

The silver lining was that the shackles had been cut at the chain; the cuff remained on her wrists, but at least her hands were free.

Irina eased out of her torn coat, groaning as metal slivers in her hands brushed against the fabric. Beneath her coat, she wore a white blouse with short sleeves; a rust-colored stain bloomed across one side, torn to ribbons where the auger made contact.

Peeling strips of cloth from her skin where the blood had dried, she examined the wound in disgust. It looked as though she had gone through a meat grinder; chunks of bloody flesh hung from her side.

She nervously laughed, despite wanting to cry. At least the green herb she picked up would not go to waste.

But where was her bag? Heisenberg must have taken it.

Irina searched for it, but she couldn't see well enough to locate it. Standing on her feet, she became unsteady. Her brain sloshed inside her head like a bowl of soup. She leaned against a table to steady herself.

This room he put her in was small; a fraction larger than a living room. A pair of spring frames sat against the far wall, but the mattresses were gone. There were some tables and shelves placed around the open space, but nothing of importance. The only thing that caught her eye was a barred window – she doubted that the door would open for her.

Irina sighed. She eased towards the window and peered out; she was in the heart of the factory. How unfortunate. At this point, she hoped for nothing.

Backing away, she sat down on the floor and waited. Her mind was too tired to think.

For what seemed like hours she sat there, listening to the low roar of the machines. She considered resting, but before she closed her eyes, the lock on the door clicked; the gears rotated against the other until the door came open.

Heisenberg sauntered in.

His eyes wandered over to Irina, taking in her heated expression and unkempt appearance. Grinning, he ignored her and grabbed a grease rag from one of the tables, cleaning his hands with it.

Once he was done, he tossed the rag onto the floor and drug over a chair, sitting on it in front of her.

“Let's have a heart-to-heart talk,” he ordered.

Irina curled up her nose but agreed with a nod. There were some questions of her own she wanted to ask.

“Why are you here? You must have known how dangerous it was coming here.”

Duke warned her, but she didn't expect there to be monsters in the factory. She also never expected Heisenberg to attempt to murder her.

“I already told you,” Irina declared. “I came for the treasure.”

Heisenberg snorted. “The only thing worth anything here is in an ossuary on floor 4.”

“I saw, but there was a piece missing; a ball or round object to navigate the labyrinth.”

He hummed. “That sounds about right. I suppose there's a mold down there somewhere to make it.”

“You don't know?”

Irina thought he was the one who crafted the labyrinth.

“I have no damn clue,” he explained. “That fucking thing has been here since way before I inherited the factory and surrounding land.”

He witnessed her scowl and shake her head as if she were having an internal battle in her thoughts.

“I don't know how you found out about it, but I assume you planned to sell it. Say you did. What did you plan to do with the money?”

Irina narrowed her eyes. It mattered not – he was going to kill her – but she reckoned it wouldn't hurt to tell him.

“Leave this place... I planned to start a new life.”

Heisenberg laughed. “That bitch Miranda would never let you leave this place. But hey, I get it. You want to be free.”

“I do,” she agreed.

She wondered why he addressed Mother Miranda in such a manner; as though he loathed her. Weren't the lords supposed to be loyal to her? She was the divinity of the village and the surrounding territories. No one ever spoke ill of her.

And what did he mean by Mother Miranda would never let her leave? Residents up and moved from the village all the time. Perhaps Irina just misinterpreted him.

“Then you understand why I came here,” she mentioned with confidence. “I want more; much more than this prison can give me.”

Heisenberg scowled. “And you know about prisons? Don't fucking insult me.”

She didn't understand what he was indicating. Maybe she wasn't chained to this place, but since her brother died, leaving her alone, it sure felt as if she was.

“And you thought by stealing from me, you'd be free?”

He raised his arm and the air thinned as a screwdriver flew across the room and into his hand. Grabbing Irina by the head, Heisenberg pressed the flathead against her neck; she cried out in fear and pain.

“Open your damn eyes. No one can be free from this fucking place; not me and sure as hell not you.”

Irina dug her nails into his arm. “Let me go. I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”

He released her, humming. The flathead shot from his hand and hit the wall somewhere in the room. “My apologies, darling. Thinking about her and this place boils my fucking blood. You’d do well not to get on my bad side.”

Noted, she thought bitterly, rubbing her neck.

Irina scooted away from him.

Heisenberg laughed. “Where were we? – he paused to snap his fingers – oh yes. I meant to ask, but just how in the hell did you get into my territory? That gate you passed through has a special lock on it.”

“I used a lock pick to open the lock – though it wasn’t easy,” she explained.

He whistled in awe. “Now that’s some skill you have there. Shame you’re wasting it.”

“Wasting it? How else would I use it? I hate that I chose to come here, not knowing that I’d be killed before putting it to use, but I know of no other way to use it.”

Heisenberg hummed. “I knew there was something about you that I liked. That mouth can only get you so far.”

Her face heated up.

“Run some errands for me,” he suggested.

What?

Irina puckered a brow. “Errands?”

“I have projects to finish and limited resources,” he explained. “You can sneak into anywhere and get them for me.”

She was no pack mule.

“And if I say go fuck yourself?”

Heisenberg stared at her a minute, yellow eyes gleaming, then stood up, knocking the chair onto the floor with a loud bang.

“Then I will smash your fucking head in and toss your worthless ass into the river. There is no other option, darling. It’s do and live or don’t and die.”

Irina shivered in fear. She had no choice. Perhaps if she said no, then her death would be instant, however she did not want to die.

Bobbing her head, she held back tears.

“Whatever you need,” she made clear.

He grinned, taking a deep and uneasy breath. “That’s the answer I wanted to hear – I’ll have to make a list.”

But not the answer she felt was best. Not that she could do anything about it at this point. Her only option was to do as he ordered and if she played her cards right, maybe she could find a way to escape him.

But first.

“I got hurt down there,” Irina mentioned weakly. She eased up her shirt and showed him the nasty gash on her side. “I need medical aide – and perhaps some rest – if you want me to do my best There’s an herb in my bag … please, I need it.”

Heisenberg sauntered over to a cabinet across from her and took out her bag, retrieving the herb from it before tossing the bag into the cabinet again. He broke the stem into pieces and urged her to open her mouth, shoving them inside once she did so.

“Eat up,” he said with a grin.

Irina choked. His fingers tasted horrible. Why did he not just give her the herb? She could have done this by herself.

Her face heated up.

“Get some rest. You start as soon as you heal,” he ordered, looming over her.

Taking out a key, Irina recognized it as the one Heisenberg tried to offer her earlier. Was this the room it went to? She swallowed the last of the herb.

“If I had taken that ––

“I would have cornered you in here and killed you,” he answered easily.

She scowled at him. Leaving her alone and locking the door behind him, Irina contemplated using her lock pick on the door. She’d do best not to piss him off though. No telling how far she’d get.

Using her torn coat, Irina rested on the icy floor and shut her eyes. She doubted that she’d be able to fall asleep, not with the roar of the machines in her ears, but she was determined to try.

She may not ever get the chance again. Tomorrow never knows.

[ramp-it-up]

Some Nights

Pairing: Lin-Manuel Miranda x Reader

Word Count: 4.2k

Warnings: Minors DNI, Explicit language, SMUT, explicit hetero sex, same sex explicit sex (f x f), oral sex (f giving/receiving), alcohol induced sex, feeble alcohol hitting, sex under false pretenses, drinking, cheating, lying. All the relationship revenge type angst.

A/N: This is supposed to be a sweet little “breakup to make up” smut prompt ask.  My mind took this waaayyyy left and... well here it is. This is a mess of broken hearts, rebounding, and revenge sex. Please do not read if this is triggering. This is not smut lite.

Also, I know the timeline is wonky, but in this AU In the Heights does not interfere with Lin and Chris touring with FLS.

I MUST thank @einfachniemand for the invaluable advice on the Billie love scene. Could not have done it without her. 🥰

------

8 months later, March 2012

You were with Lin on the rooftop, one of your favorite low key, low cost activities, and the late March air was cool.  The moon was full, and the music from your iPod was right.  Lin-Manuel was keeping you warm in his arms and a blanket that he’d brought.

It was so romantic.  All was right with the world. You thought.

“I’m going to miss you when you are on tour, but the month will fly by and before you know it, we’ll be back up here.” 

You smiled up at him as he held you, trying to keep a brave face because  Lin was leaving in the middle of the week for Barcelona.

“Yeah… about that…” He sat up, moved away from you and cleared his throat.  Then, he looked at you. 

“I think we need to take a break.”

You weren’t sure you’d heard him correctly when he said it.  The smile on your face was frozen in place.

“What?”

“Well, I was talking to Chris...and… Well, I’m not sure that I want to shut myself off from the possibilities in Spain…”

You took a second to process, then you got it. You couldn’t believe what you were hearing.  

“Chris told you to dump me so you can go be a hoe in Spain?”

Lin shook his head and frowned.  

“No, no… it wasn’t like that. Chris loves you.  He just asked me some very tough questions about us being apart for a month, and I- I don’t want to hurt you…”

You got up, and grabbed your bottle of wine.

“Might as well do it now, instead of later, hunh?” 

“I think it’s for the best. I’m sorry….”

You were numb. 

“I can’t believe I stuck by you through all the starving artist bullshit, rooftop dates instead of going out, streaming movies instead of seeing shows....”  

You stopped, because you were getting heated, and when you got heated you cried, and you refused to cry in front of Lin.

“To expect you to stick by me for four weeks while you’re in Spain is too much to ask. I guess..” 

You straightened your spine and held your head up.  

“I guess I know that this wasn’t what I thought it was.”

“Have a nice life Lin. When you leave, do not knock on my door. Just go straight to hell.”

-----

Fuck Lin Manuel Miranda

His damn hair, fucking long eyelashes, the little dimples he gets when he gets that little smirk on his fucking stupid beautiful face.

The view from beneath him. Those goddamn lips.

Mutherfukin Lin Manuel Miranda.

You’d let him charm his way into your heart and into your pants. And damn, what he had in his pants gave you so much joy. 

The fact that you were crying was not for Lin.  You were crying for being too trusting and too liberal with your heart.  

You weren’t going to let anyone have a chance to break it again. 

Yes, that was the reason. 

You didn’t miss Lin at all.

-----

Mayra gave you the long weekend to be pitiful, and then you had to get back on your grind, and moving on with your life without Lin.

Your best friend since middle school felt guilty because she’d introduced you to him, a friend of a friend, one night at a bowling alley.  

You and Lin had hit it off immediately. Very immediately, in fact, and were inseparable for a solid 8 months.

But despite feeling bad about it, Mayra wasn’t about to let you mope around and waste your life missing him. And she was right.

Lin left for Barcelona on a Wednesday, and by Saturday night, you were out with Mayra, mingling and meeting new people. 

Mayra’s scene wasn’t your scene, but everybody was nice, fun, and attractive.  You weren’t really with it, but you’d be damned if you were going to wither away in your room.

You had just finished dancing with Mayra and her friends and you needed to sit this one out. 

The 6-inch heels you were wearing and the blazer over lingerie top look was not a good combination for vigorous dancing.  

You were hot and your feet were killing you.

You nursed your drink and watched your bestie having fun, when someone approached you.

Gorgeous lips, caramel skin and stunning brown eyes sized you up. 

Why is it always the eyes? You felt something that you weren’t too sure about.

“I like the way you make that pink push up bra look intellectual.”

Curious and amused, you looked into the brown eyes and laughed.

“I’m Billie.”

She extended her hand and you shook it. You knew what kind of bar this was, but you weren’t expecting this. 

“Can I buy you a drink?”

“Oh.  I’m, I’m not…”

Billie flashed a gorgeous smile at you.

“Relax. You’re cute, but I can tell, you ain’t ready for this yet.  I just had to come say hi, though.  Drinks....As friends?”

You accepted and spent the night dying laughing at your new friend’s witticisms.

----

The next week, you were chilling with Billie at the crib, along with a bunch of other folks that Mayra had invited over.  

You were on the roof, telling her all about Lin, and you started to cry again.

“...And then he just, breaks up with me because he wants to go to Spain and fuck Spanish FLS groupies…..”

It was about the 10th time that you’d cried about it. You were tired of hearing yourself.  Billie just rubbed your back and listened. 

“I would never put up with that from a man. And you shouldn’t either.”

 When you started sobbing, she apologized. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

“It’s…... okay….”  you gasped, trying to calm down.

She hugged you, rubbing your back and pressing you close.  

You felt some kind of way and pulled back.

“Bill… I don’t want to lead you on.”

Billie just smiled that gorgeous smile. 

“It’s cool. No stress. I’m just here to listen. Let’s go back downstairs.”

You nodded and rejoined the party, feeling more comfortable with Billie than before, partly because she was giving you some space.  

You couldn’t help but sneak glances as she mingled with everyone at the party and when your eyes met. Whew.

Who knew?

----

The next week, you were in your apartment with Billie again, this time, alone.

You’d invited her over, because she was quickly becoming the person you most liked to talk to and you hadn’t really talked in person since the previous weekend.

You gave her a glass of wine and settled down onto the couch, comfortable in your tank top and sweatpants.  Not seductive at all.

Billie looked cute as always in button down blue silk shirt and jeans with her hair up. 

“I want to apologize for last week. I just vomited my emotions all over you and you were nothing but amazing about it.”

Billie laughed. She was so damn beautiful.

“I told you no worries!”

“Can I ask you a question? Why are you doing all this for me?”

Billie took a drink and set her glass down on the coffee table. She leaned back on the couch.

“Do you mean do I have any ulterior motives?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, no question that I think you are attractive, and that I would love…”  

She shook her head and straightened up.

“But, I’ve fallen for enough straight-but not so straight women to know that I should let you make the first move.”

She bit her lip and you put your wine down because it was making you warm.

You reached for and grabbed her hand. You shifted it to entwine your fingers with hers.

You kissed her palm and drew her closer to you, her hovering over you on the couch. She didn't move, forcing you to bring your neck up to kiss her lips tentatively and softly. 

You wrapped your arms around her waist and brought her body down to rest next to yours on the couch and looked into her eyes. You ran your hand down the side of her body, feeling all of her curves. And you moved to kiss her again. 

This time her soft lips opened to accept your tongue and you played hide and seek, exploring.

You pulled back to look at her again, giggling now, a smile plastered on her face. 

“I’ve been waiting for you to do that for two weeks,” Billie whispered in your ear before kissing your neck. 

Her fingers rubbed teasingly at the skin where your tank top had ridden up, and rotated around to your ass, fingers slipping into the back of your sweats. 

You moaned softly as she tugged your earlobe between her teeth and then kissed along your jawline.

You wanted to feel her, so you brougt your hand up her side to feel her breast over her shirt, and found it warm and soft to the touch, except for the hardening nipples that you gently played with.

Looking into her eyes, you saw the desire there and leaned over to kiss her again. She kissed you back harder, pushing her hands deeper into your sweats and cupped your ass with both hands, kneading your flesh tenderly.

You wanted her to touch you at your core, but her teasing fingers never seemed to get there. 

Next, she moved one hand from your butt to pull up your tank top, exposing your nipple to the cool air of the room.

She took your breast in her hand and squeezed it, thumb running lightly over your nipple. You moan and leaned back while putting your hands in her hair.

Billie moaned and ran her thumb over your nipple and teased them until they were achingly hard and sensitive. 

When she leaned down and kissed the top of your breast, making her way slowly, oh so slowly to your nipple, it caused your pussy to ache and throb while soaking your panties.

You groaned in frustration as she continued to tease you for a while before her mouth reached your nipple, moaning around it and sucking gently at first before picking up intensity. 

Her hand moved to the front of your pants, tracing your wet lips through your panties but applying no pressure. 

You were a moaning, quivering mess as you rocked against her fingers, trying to get what you needed.

Billie separated from you to take off her shirt, smiling at you as you shed your clothes. 

She looked over your body and brought her eyes up to yours, smiled into them, and took your face in her hands.

Next, those hands roamed down your body, circling slowly, grasping gently here and there, teasing you to a soaking wet mess on the couch cushions.

“Please!” you whispered, squirming in agony.

Billie chuckled and held your gaze as her hand finally rested in your core, lightly pinching your clit between her fingers. She just played with it as you moaned beneath her.

“I love watching you like this,” she whispered as she teased you some more. “Do you like it?”

She looked so cute as she asked, but all you can do is nod and bite your lip.

She smiled at you and lowered her head to your skin while you watched intently. She kissed and sucked at the skin on your stomach and thighs, looking up to establish eye contact again and again.

You whined and tried to keep still as she neared your core and gently opened your thighs. She looked at you for the longest time before her mouth met your pussy and finally licked through your folds.

You shuddered, already almost cuming as you waited for more.

She kept eye contact with you as she sucked your clit gently, humming while you quivered in her mouth. She then traced her tongue around your entire cunt, kissing and sucking those lips gently, but expertly.

Finally, she manipulated your clit with her tongue, and alternated that with inserting it far inside you as she could go.

When she sucked hard at it, you came, feeling like you never had before.

Somehow, you wound up on the floor in her arms. 

And the night had just begun.

 -----

May 2012

You walked home slowly from the subway, trying to think of a good reason not to get there. 

You felt like throwing up, knowing that Lin would be there on your rooftop with the rest of FLS. You did not want to face him.

It had been almost two months since you last saw him and you were having fun with Billie. She stopped you from wondering just who you were. The love you had for her was real.

But there was some reason, which you did not want to name, that caused you not to want to see Lin. 

You saw his face often enough when you awoke, in that space between dream and reality.  That was sufficient torture, aside from having to see him in person at an event that was supposed to be fun.

But Mayra had started to harass you two weeks ago.

"Come on! You've got to be there on my birthday. I’ll make sure Lin doesn't bother you, but UTK won’t come without him and I’m trying to get that D again.  I need it to survive. Don't you love me?” 

She pouted at you and when that didn’t seem to work, she resorted to outright threats. 

“I’ll never speak to you again if you don't come.”  

This continued every day until the party.

Being trapped on a rooftop with Lin for three hours wasn't your idea of fun. 

Anymore. 

And to top it off, Billie had to work tonight. This sucked big time. But you had decided to be there for your friend.

"She better know I love her, " you whispered to yourself as you stepped out on the roof.

You were greeted by Chris almost as soon as you arrived. He enveloped you in a bear hug. You stiffly hugged him back. You still felt some kinda way.

He held you away from him. 

"You look good, girl, long time no see!”

You nodded at him stiffly. “How have you been?"

"Oh, you know, promoting and stuff. The Spain trip was good."

You nodded again and looked around the roof.

“He told me he would stay away from you.”

You looked back at Chris. “Who?”

“You know who.”  You just smiled tightly and looked down.

“What’s up with you?” His voice was suspicious.

You looked up and stared him straight in the eye, not wanting to be intimidated.

“I don’t know Chris? Just maybe you told my boyfriend to break up with me so he could hoe around Europe with you guys. That was a little annoying.”

Chris raised his arms in self defense.

“Wait a minute, Missy.  I did not tell him that.  What I told him was that if he could not definitely, without a doubt, be true to you, that he needed to be straight with you. If he had any doubts at all. That you deserved better.”

You just look up at this big, sweet man and willed yourself not to cry.

“Oh.” That was all you could say.

“But maybe I shouldn’t have said anything because he fucked that whole conversation up and wound up sulking the entire trip. All of his freestyles were about you, you know.”

“I don’t care Chris, because you’re right.  He did fuck up. I’ve moved on.” You held your chin high.

Chris smiled at you. “Too bad for Lin. Your new man is a lucky guy.”

You smiled back. “My new woman is a lucky girl.”

“Oh.” That was all he could say. He recovered quickly however.  “Well, if you’re happy, I’m happy.”

“Thanks friend.” 

You smiled and gave him a hug, feeling better about a lot of things. Lin Manuel Miranda was a world class idiot.

You grabbed a red solo cup full of something and stood at the railing looking over the city.

"Heyyyy, what's crackin'?" 

You turned around to see Utkarsh  standing behind you. You smiled at him.

 "Hey UTK! What it do?"

"Well, give me a hug. I’ve missed you, too. Mayra won’t let me near you since we’ve been back, I don’t know why.”

You knew why. You hadn't really wanted to see any of the FLS guys since you and Lin broke up.

You hugged him. "She’s probably jealous of our love." You smiled at your friend.

“Right.” Utkarsh smiled at you. Then he frowned. 

“Wait, why would she be jealous?  She said she and I were just friends…” 

You laughed at his back as he went to find Mayra.  Well, you’d manage to wingman without even trying.  Your job should be done for the night. You turned around to leave, running right into Mayra.

"Happy birthday, Bitch!" You squealed and hugged her.

"Thank you, boo! I didn't think you would actually come! I'm so happy!"

"You mean I had a choice? I seem to remember some very specific and lethal threats if I didn't get my ass on this roof tonight."

"No, it's because you love me." Mayra made a face at you. 

"But seriously though. The roof is big enough that you don't have to be near Lin if you don't want to. Try to have a good time."

"Girl, I'm going to have a blast! As long as there is booze and music, I'm good to go." You lied to your bestie.

"Okay girl, do you want me to stay with you so no one will bother you?" 

You knew what she meant.

"No girl, I don't need a bodyguard. Have fun, mingle, be a good hostess. I'll be fine."

You pushed Mayra away from you.

You sighed and walked toward the bar. Before you made it there, you were enveloped in Shockwave and Jelly Donut. They both hugged you, making a sandwich.

"Guys, I can't breathe!" 

They released you, laughing. Shockwave got right to it.

“You know It killed Lin when you two broke up. He was a bitch in Spain."

Your heart clenched. 

"Listen, I don't want to talk about it. I'm just here to have a good time for Mayra. Can we just chill with all that?"

"Okay, okay. I had to try. I know he's an idiot, but..." Sully barreled on. Andrew started poking him in the side. 

"What???”  Andrew gave Sully a look and he was chastened.

“Sorry love. We'll let you go mingle.”

"Yes, thank you." 

You felt like getting good and drunk. You looked at your phone and saw that there were two and a half hours left of the party. Might as well start now. You downed your drink and went to get another.

You ran into Arthur. He winked at you as you apologized. 

"No worries, you better eat something if you are going to drink like that. You can't hang with the big boys like me."

You rolled your eyes and finished the second drink. 

“You’re skinnier than I am, tuh.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about when I say big boy.” 

You looked at him in shock, and then burst out laughing. You loved these guys. Too bad Lin got them in the break up.

You sighed and began working on your third drink.

--------

Lin spotted you when you first stepped on the roof. He moved out of your line of sight and watched as Chris talked to you.

Geez, you were fine as hell. The dress you were wearing was everything and the heels made your ass pop. Damn.

He went and got a drink, still watching you. He felt like a stalker. Chris came over.

"I tried to get her to talk to you, but she wasn't having it." 

They both watched you and UTK talking. 

"Man, you are an idiot. You're lucky you're my brother, or I would kick your ass for letting that go."

“Thanks, my guy.” Lin’s reply was dripping with sarcasm.

“Any time. Next time listen with your big boy brain before you do something that dumb.” 

Lin was ready to fight. Luckily, Chris left. Then UTK came up, talking shit.

"Lin, you douche! How could you be so dumb, man?” 

They watched the Jelly/Shockwave/You sandwich.

"Leave me the fuck alone." 

Lin moved to the other side of the roof where Sully came up to him.  Lin put his hands up.  

“Before you say it, I'm going to stay out of her way. I'm not trying to ruin Mayra’s party. Just about two hours to go."

“Good, because you have fucked this one up royally.” Sully shook his head as Lin stalked off.

----

After some drinks, you started to loosen up and have fun. You danced with Mayra and all of FLS minus one.

You thought you saw Lin a couple of times out of the corner of your eye, but when you looked, he was gone. Every time that happened, you went and got a drink.

By the end of the night, you were looking at the sky and trying to sober up.

"The sky is beautiful tonight."

You jumped. Lin was there, watching you. You just looked at him and started back downstairs.

"Don't leave, please. Let me talk to you."

He followed you down to your apartment.

"You said all there was to say. I'm done."

You put your arms around yourself. All of a sudden you were cold. You stared Lin down, but he didn’t budge.

"What do you want, Lin?"

He sighed. This isn't going to be easy, he thought. He looked into your beautiful eyes and decided to go for it. There was nothing left to lose.

"Honestly? I want you back." His heart was in his throat as he said it.

You closed your eyes. You couldn't go there. No matter what your heart was doing in your chest.

"No. No, you do what you did and you want me to come back? To trust you? You promised you wouldn't hurt me. I can't with you Lin, I just can't."

His heart actually hurt.

"I'm so sorry…. "

You didn't let him finish. 

"Please! Don't give me the same tired old clichés every dude gives their girl when they fuck up!"

You were far from cold now. 

"If I took you back, what's gonna happen the next time you go on tour? I am not a yo-yo Lin!"

Lin reached for you. "It's not going to happen again, I've learned...."

"Don't fucking touch me! You have some muthafuckin nerve!"

Lin kept moving toward you.

"Back the fuck up! Don't come near me! Get off of me!" 

You began hitting him when he took you in his arms.

"Tell me that you don't want me to hold you, that you don't want to be with me. Tell me you don't miss us, this. Tell me that you don't want me to and I'll leave you alone."

Lin pressed himself against you, and you stopped fighting. You melted on the inside. The alcohol had you loose. Suddenly you had a thought.

"Fuck it. You're right. I have missed you." 

You moaned as he put his lips on your neck. You wanted him so badly. 

"Let's go in here." You nodded toward your bedroom.

Lin's heart leapt and he gladly followed you.

You attacked him when you got inside. 

"Whoa, hold up...."

"No, let's do it. Don't say anything or I will change my mind." 

You turned around, pulled your dress up, got on the bed and bent over, ass in the air. 

"Fuck me, Lin. Please."

Lin was confused. One minute you were fighting him, next you were begging for it. But he wasn't going to argue. He wanted you too bad. He moved your panties to the side, took out his hard cock and quickly and roughly entered your warm, tight goodness.

The stretch hurt a little, but it was welcome. It had been a while since you had taken a cock and Lin’s was your favorite. 

You became wet rapidly, and although you wanted Lin to hurt you as a sort of penance, it felt amazing.

"Ohhh, you feel so good. Shit! I've missed this. So tight for me…” 

Lin moaned through his dick wanting to explode.  He hadn’t had anyone else since you, for about three months.

"I said don't talk!" 

You were trying to blank your mind of what you were doing.

Lin felt like right now he was in heaven, and heaven was you. Lin shut up and started giving it to you harder, just like he knew you liked. He smacked your ass, hard.

"Yes, yes, yes. Oh yes!" 

You quivered, especially when he smacked it. Forceful Lin was one of your favorite Lins. Damn. You savored the contact as Lin, all of his manhood, hit your spot. 

It felt so damn good after so much emotion and time.

To Lin, all that mattered was you right now. He fought not to come until he felt your body pounding with your orgasm.

Almost as soon as it was over, you turned around and looked at him. He looked up from buttoning up his pants and smiled. You could tell that he was thinking this was the beginning of your reunion. 

You leaned in and gave him a good, long kiss, preparing to give the greatest acting performance of your life.

"Goodbye, Lin. That was just what I needed. Have a good life."

His goddamn adorable face registered confusion.

"What? What do you mean?"

"This was closure. “

The way his face changed broke your heart.  But he’d broken yours.

Lin was stricken. "But,I love you. That's why I...."

You interrupted him. 

"It's not you, it's me. I needed that to get you out of my system. "

You looked at him coldly, a mess on the inside.

"That's not all we have. We love each other!” Lin was trying to make sense of the situation. 

“You're telling me that after this you don't want to get back together?" He couldn't believe what you were saying. 

"As far as getting back together, we're not. This didn't mean anything; I am drunk off my ass and I had a lapse in judgement. It's not going to go any further."

"But you love me, I know it." He reached for you.

You moved out of his reach and toward the door.

"I told you, I can't, I won't let my guard down again with anyone. I can't love anymore." 

Lin was looking at you with his mouth open.

You straightened your dress and left your room, ignoring the fact that Lin was calling your name. You were ready to be alone.

There, outside your door, was Billie.

-----

Tagging:  @theatrenerd86 @sebastianabucknettastan @imatyoursurrvicesurr @riiyy​ @ivycomet @sillyteecup  @ohsoverykeri  @theselilwonders  @lonelydance @jbrizzywrites @curtainremote @delaber @honeysucklechocolatedrippin​

[pagingevilspawn]

Would you please write a fic about alex behaviour with children like the way he comforts them or help them through?

heart of gold

hey there! i’m not gonna lie when i say that this prompt took me forever to figure out, but when i did i was super excited! 

this is mainly Alex centric with a bit of jolex added in (obviously). i hope you like it!

___

Of all people to notice Alex Karev’s strange ability to work well with children first, no one would’ve expected it to be Cristina Yang. 

It was fairly early in their intern year, and both she and Karev were on the pediatrics rotation with Dr. Keith, someone who they could both agree was an arrogant son of a bitch that thought way too highly of himself for his own good. 

They’d been trailing behind him like lost puppies all day, listening to him go on and on while he talked to the patient’s families, not even bothering to ask his interns any questions. He always thought that interns were a waste of time and space. He’s much rather have at least a third year resident on his service, but no such luck. They felt like crap and both wanted to kick the guy in the ass, but knew that the only thing that would do is get them knocked out of the program. 

Six hours into their shift, the two were about to head to the cafeteria for a much desired lunch break when their pagers rang out, loud groans escaping their mouths at the noise they had come to detest the last couple of weeks. 

All Alex really wanted was a slice of the hospital’s pizza. Granted, the crust tasted like cardboard, the cheese was old, and the sauce had no flavor, but he was craving it like crazy. He hadn’t gone out for groceries recently, so the only thing that was stocked in the shelves of his small apartment was cereal, some oatmeal, and off brand, nearly expired crackers that he had since he finished med school a couple of months ago. He had --for some unknown reason-- shoved them into a backpack that had made it with him as he traveled from Iowa to Washington, completely untouched. 

With a huff he turns on his heel and makes his way to the pit where he was being paged, purposefully avoiding eye contact with the nurse he disrespected on his first day, along with the ones he’d slept with and hadn’t called back. He had a pretty large list of nurses who didn’t like him, and he didn’t feel like making that list any longer. Not today, at least. 

Keith instructed him to go cast an arm for the seven year old in bed six, while Yang was told to go stitch up the cut on the little girl in bed two. 

When Alex was done he passed by Yang’s area, watching as she was trying to calm down the little girl who couldn’t be more than five. The girl had tears streaming down her face and was nuzzled into the mom’s chest. The mother was glaring at the female doctor, who was saying something Alex could make out as “it’s not even scary, it’s just a needle.” 

All he really wanted to do was get that damn pizza slice, and he had every intention of doing so, but seeing Yang be absolutely hopeless at getting anywhere with the little girl, he felt a bit of sympathy-- not for his fellow intern, but for the kid. 

With a sigh he strides over to the bed, watching as the raven head’s mouth opens to speak, cutting her off immediately. “Let me handle this.” he says, reaching to grab the needle from her head. 

Cristina glares at him, her expression turning into one of disgust. No way was she going to let Evil Spawn steal her patient, no matter how much she wished she’d be doing anything else. 

“Karev-”

“--Yang!” he cuts her off sharply, plucking the needle from her hand and bumping her out of the way. Not the nicest thing to do, but she was practically terrifying the little girl. There was no way she would trust the doctor now. 

His coworker scoffs, huffing a ‘fine’ before she goes to stand back and watch the scene, more than eager to watch the man fail. What good could he do? The girl was crying the second she had taken the disinfectant out. 

Alex pulls up a chair, grabbing the attention of the little girl, who looks up from her mother’s chest for a second, only to dive back in right after. 

“Hey kid, my name’s Doctor Karev. You mind telling me your’s?” he asks gently, slipping on a pair of gloves and flashing a signature crooked grin. 

The girl makes eye contact warily, slightly unlatching from her mom's tight hold at the sight of the man’s smile. The other doctor looked super serious, it was kind of scary. 

“Piper.” she answers, wiping the tears from under her eyes, the mom flashing him a grateful smile. 

“Hey Piper.” he grins. “I see you got hurt up there. What happened?” he wettens the pad with disinfectant, keeping his eyes on the little blonde, knowing it would mean less questions if she was focused on his face. 

“I was jumping on the couch and then I fell and hit the table.” she explains, Alex inspecting the cut to see if her story was reliable. He knew firsthand what it was like to come up with excuses for the bruises on your face, and wanted to make sure that she wasn’t just trying to cover up for something else that happened. 

Luckily, the combination of the authenticity of the bruise and the level of trust the daughter had in her mom let him know that she really did do what she said. He knew at some point he was gonna need to not assume the worst in every parent that came in with an injured kid, but the wound was still fresh for him, and it would take some time to heal-- a long time.

“Well then Piper, I’m gonna need to clean your cut, but it’s gonna sting a bit. Is that okay?” he asks her, her green eyes widening, but eventually nodding. The doctor seemed nice enough. 

He cleans the wound, turning back at the girl when he pulls out a needle, watching as her face begins to look panicked. “Hey, it’s okay.” he reassures her. His eyes dart around, noticing a backpack that sat in the corner, decorated with a multitude of princesses. 

“Who’s your favorite princess?” he asks her, drawing Piper’s attention away from the scary needle in his hands. 

“Belle.” she answers, a small smile making its way to her face. She loved talking about the princess’s and would chatter on about them anytime, any day, anywhere.  

Alex smirks, letting out a sigh of relief. He knew all about Belle, since it was Amber’s all time favorite Disney movie. He’d seen it more time than he’d like to admit, and practically had the whole film memorized since he was fourteen.

“I like Belle too. She’s super brave huh? Never afraid of the Beast or anything.” he gives her a smile, watching as Piper’s face lights up, a wide, toothless smile splayed on her lips. 

“Yeah! She’s so cool! She never lets the beast tell her what to do!” she exclaims, making Alex chuckle. She reminded Alex a lot of his little sister, with her dirty blonde hair, green eyes, and passion for princesses. 

“Okay, well, right now I’m gonna need you to be super brave like Belle alright? And sit really really still, like she does when she reads a book. Can you do that for me Piper?” he smirks mischievously. 

The little girl grins. She always wanted to be like her favorite princess, so she definitely wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to act like one. She already practiced around the house, so she was definitely going to practice in front of the nice doctor who looked like Prince Philip.  

Cristina stood frozenly in the background, mouth opened so wide it could catch flies. Who knew Karev was so good with kids? She sure as hell didn’t.  

She watches as he stitches up the cut, saying some reassuring words every time the girl flinches or squeezes her eyes shut. It was about twenty minutes later when he finished, Yang still standing there in shock. She sees him dress the wound, getting up from his chair and say, “All done. You did awesome Piper, but no more jumping on the couch, alright?” which earns him a nod. He flashes a friendly wink to the mom, who blushes as he walks away, forgetting entirely about Yang’s presence as he makes his way to the cafeteria to finally get his hands on the pizza slice he’s been drooling about for hours.

Maybe Evil Spawn wasn’t so evil after all. 

~*~

Miranda Bailey was exhausted. Between Tuck and trying to begin a pediatric fellowship, all she wanted to do was lie down and sleep for god knows long. Tucker being difficult about their shared custody schedule seemed to only add to her fatigue and she swore on her life that she could crash on the nearest gurney and not wake up for three days straight. 

It was with a heavy sigh she begrudgingly made her way back down to the NICU, remembering that she had left Karev there the day before after administering the kangaroo hold. She knew that by now he had probably dispersed, but she felt like checking on the little baby herself, just to make sure that the preemie was doing okay.

When she arrived at the NICU doors she could see a few faces that she recognized standing outside the window, talking in hushed conversations as they stared at the scene in front of them with imploring eyes, that is, until the one she knew as Reed rushed away-- a friend at her side, finishing their conversation quickly. 

Miranda shakes her head. Though she had softened over the years, everyone still feared the inner ‘Nazi’ that came out from time to time. When she finishes gowning herself she makes her way into the room, stopping in front of the shirtless, sleeping figure on a chair. Surprised was the only word she was able to come up with, though it seemed like an understatement of the century. Alex Karev was sitting there, with a sleeping baby curled contently against his chest, her tiny breaths in sync with the man who was holding her. 

She shakes her head, stopping a few feet from where the man sat. “Karev?” she says, making him open his groggy eyes, blinking as he does so to look around for the source of the noise, relaxing when he knows that no monitors are going off and the baby on his chest is still very much alive. 

“Did you stay here all night?” she asks softly, watching as he looks out the window to see that it was in fact daytime, not evening like it was before he’d fallen asleep.

He takes another look at the baby in his arms, “Um, yeah. I… I guess I did.” he trails off, his voice rough since he barely was awake.  

“Go home, get some rest. The nurse will take over for you.” Miranda scolds. These interns (who were now residents) were like her children, her babies, and as much as the sight warmed her heart, she needed her babies to be well rested. She couldn’t have them falling asleep in the middle of surgery. 

He unintentionally pulls the tiny bundle of pink a bit closer, “No. Uh, I- I’m okay. I’m… good here.” 

She lets out a small, barely there laugh, but not at him. She’d seen the soft side of Alex Karev, but it was few and far between. Everyone knew that the rough exterior he put up was just to stop himself from getting hurt, but this… this side was new. She had never seen him more vulnerable than he was right now, the baby sleeping so soundly on his chest that it seemed like no amount of noise could disturb her. 

“Well, you'd be good in Peds, you know that?” she flicks her gaze from him to the baby. “You get invested. You have good instincts. You stick to your instincts,” she continues, Alex looking down at the child, making some kind of face she wouldn’t know how to describe. 

“You’d be good in Peds, Karev.” she walks away, leaving Alex alone with his thoughts. 

Maybe, just maybe, kids would be the one thing that would allow Karev to show everyone who he really was. 

~*~         

Alex Karev had sort of snuck up on Arizona Robbins. When he said that he was interested in Peds, she truly thought that he was joking, just trying to say something to either get a laugh out of her or annoy her. 

She didn’t know much about Karev, all she really knew was what she had heard from the nurses gossiping loudly at their stations, and the occasional input from Callie here and there. All she really knew was that he had been married to Stevens, who had cancer, then they later got divorced, and before he was married he had earned himself quite a bit of a ‘man-whore’ reputation, nearly as bad as Mark’s. 

Arizona was weary about Karev, so imagine her surprise when she saw his face light up as a kid called him Doctor Alex for the first time. 

The first time she’d ever had the young man on her service she knew that he was cold, arrogant, and a bit too cocky for his own good. He was overall an asshole, and to say Robbins wasn’t happy to have him on her service was an understatement. Bailey had said something to her recently about Karev, but that didn’t lessen her lack of enjoyment about his upcoming arrival on her floor. 

When the man did arrive, he was seven minutes late for rounds, dumping an empty cup of hospital bought coffee in the nearest trash can. He flashed her a crooked grin, apologizing for his tardiness, but not explaining why.

Arizona sighed, rolling her eyes discreetly. She wasn’t normally a strict teacher, but one thing she didn’t like was when her residents were late. The lives of tiny humans were in their hands, no second could be wasted-- much less seven minutes.

“Welcome to peds Doctor Karev…” She starts off, telling him about how pediatrics wasn’t wiping kid’s noses and cuddly bunnies all day long. Peds was hardcore, only for the elite. 

She stops outside room 414, turning back to Karev and giving him as stern of a glare as she could muster. “Remember Karev, smile, engage. These are kids we’re talking about here.” 

Alex rolls his eyes. He knew he wasn’t the nicest guy. He was an ass, a douche, and definitely not the man most women would be proud to take home to their parents. But if there was one thing he did know, it was kids. He practically raised one for god’s sake.  

“Got it Robbins.” he huffs, fixing his posture as the two walk into the room, where a little boy sat on his bed, playing with his colorful toys that sat on his lap, anxious parents sitting in chairs beside him. 

Arizona flashes a grin to the family, directing her attention back to the boy. “Hi Nico, how are we doing today?” 

Nico shrugs, mustering a half-hearted smile. “I’m okay.” he answers, more focused on his toys than the doctors in the room.

“Well that’s good,” she jots something down on her chart. “This is Dr. Alex. He’s gonna be another one of your doctors, okay Nico?” 

“Doctor Alex?” the boy confirms, making Arizona look up from her chart and Alex look back at the boy. 

She saw it then. The way his eyes lit up at the name, how a crooked grin unconsciously made its way to his lips. He had it. The peds glow. 

“Hey dude.” Alex smirks, trying to hide is bubbling excitement. He liked that name, ‘Doctor Alex’. It was different from Karev. It was lighter, easier, it sounded right. Doctor Karev was too… but Doctor Alex? Doctor Alex sounded pretty great. 

Arizona bites her lip as she watches her resident and the patient interact, trying to keep her smile at bay. 

There it is. There’s the real Alex Karev. 

~*~ 

Jo Wilson sat in the intern’s locker room, knotting up the ties of her scrub pants as she listened to the chief resident rattle of names of who the intern’s were with that day. She was more than thankful for a new service, since Medusa was downright terrifying, but she was really hoping that she wouldn’t be assigned to-

“--Wilson you’re with Doctor Karev on Peds.”

Shit. 

She was sure Karev was a great doctor, I mean, he wouldn’t be here-- at one of the best hospitals in the world-- if he sucked. 

But she’d already heard enough about Karev to say that she didn’t like him, not one bit. So far she’d witnessed Leah crying into her locker about why he wouldn’t answer her calls, nurses complain to each other about why he hadn’t texted, and other interns chattering at bars about why he acted like he didn’t know them when they saw each other again.

In conclusion, he was a grade-A jackass who slept with any female that had two legs, and she was certainly not going to be the next one on his (extensive) list of conquests. No sir-ee. 

With a huff she ties her hair back, giving Stephanie a deadpan look after she whispers a “Good luck. Make sure not to sleep with him.” 

There was no way she would be sleeping with Karev, not in a million years. She had heard so much from others that she could already paint a picture-

Ew, no. That’s gross. 

Either way, there was nothing he could ever say to make her fall in bed with him. Nothing at all. 

…

She was exhausted. Karev was an ass. An ass who didn’t hate her, but was still an insufferable asshole. Jo stood at the nurses station, leaning over the counter as she filled out her charts, scribbling down her notes angrily. He made her angry. 

Though she had to admit, seeing him all freaked out over her (fake) crying was pretty hilarious. 

“--Wilson!” she hears her name being called by her asshole of a superior. She turns around, plastering such a faux smile on her face that she felt nauseated just knowing that it was there. 

She’s about to respond when Doctor Grey comes running up to him, shoving a toddler in his arms, taking him by surprise. 

“Alex. I need you to watch her.” the blonde pleads, making him scrunch his eyebrows. 

“Mer I-” 

“Please.” Meredith begs, Alex giving her a crooked grin as he takes ahold of his niece. If there was one thing that could make Alex Karev smile without even trying, it was Zola Grey Shepherd, a two and a half year old little fireball.  

A large grin comes across the little girl’s face as she looks at the man in front of her. “Unca Lex!” she exclaims, clasping her tiny hand on the side of his face. 

“Hi Ms. Zozo,” he smiles, Jo not even noticing how the corner’s of her mouth quirked up at the sight. This was not the Doctor Karev she’d been with these past few hours, this was someone completely new. This was… Alex? 

Meredith sighs. “I have on OB appointment, and normally we’d take her, but she’s just been so fussy lately, and when I tried to take her to daycare she threw a fit-”

Alex cuts her off, “Mer, it's fine. I got her.” he reassures her, pretending to bite the little girl’s finger as it came close to his face, causing her to let out a loud squeal. 

“Okay but-”

He rolls his eyes at the blonde, “Mer, go. She’ll be completely fine.” he smirks. “We all know that she likes me better than you and Shep combined so…” 

Meredith hits him on the shoulder before she turns and waddles down the hall, leaving Alex with a toddler in his arms that was giggling as he tickled her, and an intern who wasn’t quite sure what she was seeing in front of her. 

It was obvious that he had some skills with children, he was a pediatric surgeon for crying out loud. But nobody told her he was this good with kids.She watched as a large smile came across his face, a laugh escaping his mouth at Zola’s squeals and giggles. 

Maybe Alex Karev wasn’t as much of an asshole that she thought he was. 

~*~ 

Nothing was more perfect to him than the sight in front of him. 

Never in a million years did he ever think that he would get to where he was now. 

Alex sat next to his wife as they stared down at the little baby on her chest, her pink cheeks puffed up while her eyes were tightly squeezed closed as she tried to sleep. She was so perfect. So, so perfect.  

A daughter. 

He had a daughter. 

A little bundle of pink that weighed a whole six pounds, seven ounces. Yet somehow, she had managed to take his heart out of his chest and hold it in her tiny, tiny palm. 

Nothing could’ve prepared him for how much he already loved his little girl. He’d heard about it, read about it. He’d been in the room when parents met their child for the first time. But this? This was a whole new level of love, something he wasn’t prepared for in the slightest. 

He watched as Jo ran her thumb delicately over the baby girl’s cheeks, tears streaming down Jo’s face. It had been all of two minutes since they welcomed their daughter into the world and she hadn’t stopped crying since. 

Although he wasn’t crying, his throat was built up as he stared at his perfect little girl. A full head of wavy light brown hair sat on top of her head, her rosy lips pouted as she nestled closer to her mother’s chest. 

Perfect. 

That’s the only word that could describe the tiny figure that laid before him.

He rubs his pinky finger over her little fist, watching as it unfolds and grabs it with all of her strength. 

He can feel his heart physically clench, never before had something felt as right as feeling his little girl’s palm around his finger. 

Alex grins, placing a small kiss on the top of Jo’s head, a silent way of saying so many different things at once. 

Thank you. 

You did so well. 

You’re so strong. 

She’s so perfect. 

I love you.

Thank you for marrying me.

Thank you for loving me. 

Thank you for everything.  

Thank you.

Jo readjusts the baby on her chest, bringing her up higher for them to see. 

She lets out a watery smile, her bottom lips trembling as she stares at the tiny girl that she would do anything for. “Hi sweet girl.” she whispers, not even bothering to wipe the water droplets that cascaded down her cheeks. 

Alex lets out a crooked grin, a small laugh escaping his throat in disbelief. This perfect creation was his daughter. How was that even possible?  

“Welcome to the world Lorelei Karev.” he whispers, unable to focus on anything except the tiny girl that he would give up the sun, the moon, and the stars for. 

“We love you so much.” Jo speaks softly, looking up at her husband, the love of her life, her eyes saying more than her mouth ever could. 

Thank you. 

I love you. 

She’s so perfect. 

Thank you for her. 

Thank you for everything. 

Thank you for loving me. 

Thank you.  

They share a small kiss, reveling in the moment they knew they would remember for the rest of their lives. 

It was then he defied all odds. Overcame all of his fears. He wasn’t going to be like his dad, what everyone told him he was going to be. He was going to be an amazing dad, and he knew it.

As it turns out, kids truly were the one thing that could show everyone who the real Alex Karev was after all.

[440mxs-wife]

Something More - Part 2

Pairing: Leonard “Bones” McCoy x Lt. Maggie Parker (OFC). Other Characters: Cmdr Spock, Lt. Nyota Uhura, Lt. Ruthie Warner (OFC), Ensign Miranda Nelson (OFC)

Word Count: 4110+

Warnings: A bit of jealousy, some angst due to misunderstanding, character injury but all tied up at the end with fluff.

A/N: This is my first attempt at a fic outside of the Supernatural fandom. I have @spacedancer1701​ to thank for that little nudge. :) This particular offering got away from me a bit, so I split it in two. Enjoy, and happy reading!

Part 1 here  (picture courtesy of IMDb)

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

As the night wore on, the others departed one by one, until Maggie and Leonard were the only ones left at the table. At some point in their conversation, this was brought to their attention, at which they both burst into laughter.

"Oh my goodness, we've talked the whole night," Maggie observed. "I hope the others don't feel like I neglected them," she worried.

"I'm sure they're not offended, sweetheart. I think this is the most fun I've had in a very long time. You're easy to talk to, and you're kinda pretty, too," McCoy remarked, with a grin and a slight slurring of his words.

Maggie blushed at his compliment. "Come on, Leonard, you've been drinking. Let's not get carried away," she laughed nervously. "But thank you. Will you please walk me back to my quarters?" She asked.

"I'd be honored to, darlin', just lead the way," he said as he eased his way off of his barstool. He guided Maggie to the door with his hand on the small of her back. Once outside the rec area, he dropped his hand only to pick hers up and interlace their fingers.

The good doctor thought it might have been too bold a move and possibly a mistake after having just met that day. However, Maggie didn't remove her hand, and when she looked up at him and smiled, he couldn't help but return the gesture.

All too soon, they had arrived at the door to her quarters. "Well, this is my stop," Maggie chuckled.

"So it is," McCoy replied softly. He reached up with his left hand and cradled her cheek. "I'd really like to see you again, Maggie. Would you like to meet for breakfast tomorrow?" he asked.

"That sounds wonderful. Meet you in the mess hall, 0800 hrs?" Maggie suggested.

"I'll see you there, darlin'," McCoy responded. With his hand still on her cheek, he inched closer while gently guiding her towards him. She closed her eyes when his soft lips met her forehead. "Sweet dreams,  Maggie," he whispered as he pulled back.

"Good night, Leonard," she replied softly.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Maggie was in line for her breakfast when Lt. Uhura came up behind her. "You and Dr. McCoy looked pretty cozy last night," she teased. "You two must have talked all night."

"I am so sorry for neglecting everyone, I didn't mean to. I did have a wonderful time talking with Dr. McCoy," Maggie blushed.

"I believe in Georgia, where he comes from, they call that 'sparkin', my friend," Uhura giggled.

"Oh, shut up," Maggie playfully bumped Uhura's hip and they both burst into laughter.

Dr. McCoy had already   arrived at the table with his breakfast choices. He caught sight of Maggie and Uhura in line together, laughing about something. Her smile makes her even more lovely, if that's at all possible, he thought, smiling himself.

Maggie and Uhura finished making their breakfast selections and took their trays over to where Dr. McCoy was waiting. He stood when the ladies reached his table, then took Maggie's hand to guide her to the chair next to him. "Good morning, you two," he greeted them.

"Good morning, Dr. McCoy. Sleep well, I hope?" Maggie asked.

"Better than I have in quite a while, thank you. So, you have your first shift today in the Science Department, right Lieutenant?" McCoy inquired.

"Today's the day, and I'm so excited I can hardly sit still!" Maggie exclaimed. "I hope I do all right and don't make a mess of things," she remarked before taking a bite of her breakfast.

"I think you'll do just fine, darlin'," McCoy drawled.

Captain Kirk joined their table and the conversation by saying, "Relax, Lieutenant, everything will be fine. Just remember, though, whatever you break will be taken out of your paycheck," Kirk teased. "I'm kidding, I promise!" he held up his hands and broke into a grin.

Maggie initially froze at the captain's words, then relaxed when she realized he was joking. "Very funny, Captain," she sassed. She looked down at her watch and noted the time. "Welp, time for me to go, don't want to be late on my first shift. Have a great day, everyone!" she called over her shoulder.

"That woman is pure sunshine, isn't she?" Kirk commented as he slid his gaze over to McCoy.

"She sure is," McCoy replied, a smile gracing his face as he watched Maggie leave. "'Bout time for me to head out as well. Try not to do something dumb and get hurt, huh, Jim? See you later, Lieutenant," he said as he left.

Kirk turned to Lt. Uhura. "Well, well, well. Isn't this interesting," he mused as she nodded. "Have to keep an eye on those two," he remarked.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Maggie's first day as a science officer went well, and it wasn't long before she settled into a routine. Fortunately, her shifts rotated on the same schedule as Dr. McCoy's did, so they were able to spend time together.

They took turns hanging out in each others' quarters, sometimes to listen to music, other times to just talk. They generally took meals together as well, and were sometimes joined by the captain and other crew members. Dr. McCoy even got to cash in on Maggie's promise to play a few racks of 8-ball with him.

The more time they spent together, the more Maggie noticed her feelings for Dr. McCoy had changed. At first, it was an easy companionship, someone to share a meal with and unwind with at the end of a stressful day.

Then she started noticing the little things, like how his hand felt like it had always belonged in hers. Or how his Southern drawl would slip out when he was telling her a story, along with a lot of "sweetheart", "sugar" and "darlin'". She loved the rough stubble on his cheeks when he didn't have time to shave. Most of all, he made her feel as though she was the most important person in the room, at least to him.

For Leonard, it was a lot of the same. Maggie was his first thought in the morning and the last one at night. And she always seemed to know exactly what he needed when he needed it.

Once, after a particularly stressful day, his hands ached from the number of patients he'd seen that day. Maggie took hold of his hand and began to massage it, starting at the palm and working out to the tips of his fingers. Then, she took care of massaging his neck and shoulders. Afterwards, he could swear that he'd never felt so relaxed in his life.

Which is how their first kiss happened. When Maggie was done with the massage, she wrapped her arms around him and leaned her forehead against the back of his head. She took a deep breath, which felt warm on his neck. He turned to face Maggie, who had a shy smile on her face. McCoy grazed his knuckles on her cheek and leaned in to mesh his lips with hers in a soft, tender kiss.

"Been waitin' to do that for a while now, darlin'," McCoy revealed.

"Well, you certainly don't have to wait as long before doing it again," Maggie teased. Needing no further prompting, McCoy moved in again. This time, the kiss was a little more demanding, but no less passionate than the previous one.

It's no secret that his first marriage to Jocelyn was a bust, although he did get an amazing daughter, Joanna, out of it. After the divorce, Leonard had been on plenty of 'first dates', but nothing really progressed beyond that. At least, not until Maggie came along. Jim's right, he thought. This woman is pure sunshine, and she is shining it right at my heart, he grinned to himself.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

At about Maggie's 6-month anniversary aboard ship, the Enterprise played host to a visiting trio of doctors. One of them, a Dr. Fiona Richardson, was there to compare notes with Dr. McCoy on new field surgical techniques. Their tour aboard the Enterprise was scheduled to last about two weeks.

Dr. Richardson was tall, had long wavy red hair, sparkling green eyes and was incredibly attractive. To say that Maggie felt a bit intimidated by her was putting it mildly. She was also a bit concerned at the amount of time Dr. Richardson spent with Dr. McCoy compared to her.

Maggie tried to keep in mind that Leonard was interested in her, not Dr. Richardson. Convincing herself of that got a little more difficult when he'd had to back out of a few dates they'd planned together. Work always seemed to interfere, and she couldn't ignore that Dr. Richardson was becoming a factor. She hadn't wanted to push the issue with Leonard, but at the same time, it was starting to affect her mood.

"Just talk to him, Maggie. It doesn't do any good to bottle this up and make yourself miserable," Uhura reminded her.

"I know, it's just, how can I compete with someone like that? She's tall, gorgeous, and gets to spend more time with Leonard than I have lately," Maggie grumbled. Then she shook her head to clear her thoughts. "You know what? You're right, Nyota. I'll go down there with a cup of coffee or something for Leonard  as an afternoon pick-me-up," Maggie decided.

"Really? Is that what you're calling it," Uhura teased, waggling her eyebrows.

"Oh, stop it!" Maggie chuckled and hugged her friend. "Thank you, Nyota. I don't know what I'd do without you," she choked out.

"Go on, get out of here and go get your man! Crazy woman," Uhura grumbled good-naturedly.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Captain Kirk strolled into the MedBay to see how things were going with his CMO. He found McCoy sitting at his desk, absently staring at nothing on the wall. "Hey, Bones? Everything all right?" Kirk asked.

"Hmm?" McCoy broke out of his trance to notice his captain had entered the room. "Yeah, I was just thinking about Maggie. I haven't been able to spend much time with her lately, and I think she's starting to pull back from me," McCoy grumbled.

"Well, your schedule ought to ease up soon, after Dr. Richardson and her colleagues go back to Starbase 42," Kirk pointed out. "Then you'll be able to make things up to Maggie and you can get back to the way things were," he finished. "How is it working with Dr. Richardson, though?" he asked.

Maggie entered the MedBay with a cup of coffee for Leonard. She was about halfway to his office when she heard what sounded like the captain and doctor having a conversation.

"I mean, she's very knowledgeable, but she just doesn't know when to stop talking!" Leonard commented and shared a laugh with the captain.

"So....at the risk of being punched, how do you feel about her? I mean, you two have been seeing each other for a bit now. Well?" Kirk prompted.

Maggie was having a hard time making out their words, so she stepped a little closer to the door, careful not to spill the coffee in her hands. She knew she shouldn't be eavesdropping, but curiosity got the better of her.

"Maggie...." McCoy said softly. "Ah, she's wonderful. Smart, kind, always thinking of others first. Sexy, too," Maggie could hear the smile in Leonard's voice. "And I love her. I do, and you know I never thought I'd say those words again to another woman, not after Jocelyn. But in this short time of knowing her, spending all this time with her....it just feels right," McCoy declared.

All of a sudden there was a crashing noise outside of his office. The door flew open, and the men saw Maggie picking up the pieces of a smashed cup that had once held coffee.

"Sweetheart, what happened?" McCoy asked gently.

When Maggie tilted up her face to meet his eyes, his heart broke to see the tears streaming down her face. "I-I-I was bringing you something for....never mind, it's not important. I'll be right b-back to get something to clean this up," Maggie stammered. She slowly backed her way towards the door.

"Maggie, honey, wait a second. What's wrong? Why the tears, darlin'?" McCoy implored, trying to keep his tone neutral as he reached out for her.

Behind her, the door slid open and Maggie whispered, "I'm sorry, Leonard" before making a run for it.

"No! Maggie, wait! Please!" McCoy shouted as he ran after her.

Maggie continued running down the corridor until she came to one of the turbolifts. She punched the call button and prayed it would get here before Leonard caught up with her. It didn't matter the destination, as long as it took her away from here. Away from hearing Leonard declare his love for someone else.

McCoy saw Maggie turn the corner to where he knew there would be a turbolift. He had to get there before it did, otherwise he wouldn't know where to find her.

The doors opened and Maggie threw herself inside. She gave her destination as the "Observation Deck" and the doors started to close. The last thing she saw before they completely closed was the panic-stricken look on Leonard's face. She sank to the floor, put her head in her hands and cried as her heart shattered.

She took off her comm badge and placed it on a table on the Observation Deck. Although she was likely to face a lecture from the captain about doing that, she couldn't bring herself to care at the moment.

Maggie needed some time to figure out what to do next. This is just like Ryan, she thought. Kept me around until someone better came along. I'm only a placeholder. She got back in the turbolift and went to the only place she felt she could calm down, her lab. Science Lab #3.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

McCoy slowly made his way back to his office where Kirk was waiting. "What the hell just happened?" Kirk asked. Shortly after McCoy returned to the MedBay, Uhura and Spock came in asking the same thing.

"I have no idea. One minute Jim and I are talking about my feelings for Maggie. The next minute, she'd dropped the coffee mug and goes running out of here, crying," McCoy remarked, then a thought suddenly came to him. "Oh, god. Jim, I think she heard our conversation and thought....she thinks I'm in love with someone else," he whispered. "How could she think I'd want to be with anyone else but her?" he exclaimed.

"I think now might be a good time to tell you what she told me about Ryan," Uhura declared. All  three men looked at Uhura with expectant faces, silently urging her to continue. "Ryan was her ex, the one she had right before she came on board. They'd been a couple for a few months, then he started cancelling dates. She asked him about it, and he told her there was nothing to worry about. He'd always say that he was cancelling because of work, but that he still loved only her.

"Turns out, he was back together with his high school sweetheart the whole time. Maggie caught them together out to dinner one night. He didn't even try to hide it, made it seem like her fault that he cheated on her. Worst of all, the three of them worked together, which was extremely awkward for Maggie. She was lucky that a spot opened up on the Enterprise when it did," Uhura shook her head sadly.

McCoy sat on the edge of his chair, elbows resting on his knees and his hands covering the bottom half of his face. "Did you see her face when we came out of my office?" he whispered. "It looked like her heart was broken--no, not broken--shattered," McCoy added.

"Dr. McCoy, I'm not saying you're anything like her ex. I told you the story because she feels a little inferior to Dr. Richardson, and how much time she's spent with you. I know, I know, it was work time, but I hope you can see why Maggie might be a bit scared of it happening again," Lt. Uhura explained.

"I do understand, and I'm glad you told me. I have to find her. I need to tell her--" his reply was cut off by the sounds of alarms blaring. "What's going on?" he demanded.

"Dr. McCoy, you're needed urgently in the Science Labs, something about an accident," Nurse Chapel told him.

"Thank you, Christine, I'm on my way. Wait a minute, which Lab?" he asked.

"I believe they said Science Lab #3," she replied.

All of the color seemed to drain from McCoy's face. "That--that's Maggie's lab! Come on, we need to hurry!" he grabbed his medkit and started running down the hall to  the scene of the accident.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

One minute, Maggie was sitting at her desk in her lab, mindlessly going through paperwork. The next minute, she was knocked backwards out of her chair and had hit the wall with her head. She woke up laying on the floor with a splitting headache, dizziness and an aching left wrist. Her uniform was littered with pieces of glass, some of which were embedded in the exposed skin on her arms and neck.

The lab was quickly filling up with smoke, so she knew she had to find a way out and take as  many people with her as possible. "Is everyone okay? Who's hurt?" she called out before dissolving in a coughing fit.

Ensign Cooper answered back, saying he was okay, except for a minor burn on his arm. She told him that if he can walk, to find the exit and help anyone else along the way. Others in the lab sounded off, telling Maggie that everyone was mostly okay. She crawled around on the floor, trying to stay below the smoke level but not always finding clear air.

Maggie found Lieutenant Morris, who appeared to have the most injuries, since he was likely the closest to the explosion. He was unconscious at the moment, with burns to his forearms and torso. She tried to lift him, but with her left wrist either sprained or broken, she opted to try and drag him out. All along the way, she called out for help.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

By the time Dr. McCoy, Capt. Kirk, Spock and Uhura arrived, the lab was almost completely enveloped in smoke. Kirk pressed a button on the wall, which opened up the air ducts to try and vent the smoke.

Uhura found Maggie first, sitting on the floor next to Lt. Morris. "Dr. McCoy? Over here!" she called. "Just sit tight, honey, help is on the way. You've been busy this afternoon, haven't you? Crazy woman," she smiled, trying to keep Maggie calm.

"Maggie?!? Darlin', are you okay?!? Oh, you had me so worried, sweetheart!" McCoy remarked, unshed tears shining in his eyes. He laid a hand to her cheek and she leaned into his touch. "I'm going to take care of the lieutenant here, but I promise I'll come right back to you, okay?" he asked. Maggie nodded her head slowly as he began to examine Lt. Morris' injuries.

After he'd made his assessment of Lt. Morris and had him shipped off to the MedBay, he turned his attention to Maggie. She had slumped over on her side, and her eyes had drifted shut. "Oh, no you don't. Come on, darlin', you gotta wake up for me. Please," he begged.

Maggie's eyelids fluttered open again to reveal a very concerned CMO standing over her. She gave him a small smile and reached up with her right hand and caressed his cheek. "Leonard," she whispered. "I'm so sorry," she rasped as she began coughing. "I need you to know something, love," she began but McCoy cut her off.

"No, nope, not happenin'. You're not givin' me some goodbye speech, and do you know why? Because you're strong, darlin'. That's how I know you're gonna be all right," he told her as a stretcher was brought in to take her to the MedBay.

Leonard took hold of Maggie's hand, kissed the back of it and then held it to his chest. "I'll be there when you wake up, okay?" he affirmed. She nodded then was whisked away to where Dr. M'Benga was waiting in the MedBay.

McCoy knew he was more useful staying behind and tending to any other potential patients. His emotions over Maggie could get in the way, so he trusted Dr. M'Benga with her care. Then, he did the only thing he could do at the moment. He turned around and started assessing the lab crew until he had tended to everyone's injuries.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Her hand felt warm, and she was having a hard time moving her arm. When she looked down at her side, she smiled, because she could see the reason. There was a mop of dark brown hair resting on her arm, gently snoring away. Maggie didn't want to wake him, but figured she'd been out long enough that someone should know she was awake.

"Leonard," she tried. "Len, honey, wake up," she tried again, this time wiggling her arm. The motion of her arm was enough to finally jostle him awake. His head snapped up and his eyes immediately locked on to Maggie's face to see her smiling at him.

"Maggie....oh, darlin' it's so good to see you awake. I was starting to get a little worried after awhile, though. Do you remember anything about what happened in the lab?" he asked.

"I remember sitting at my desk, shuffling some papers, then being thrown against the wall. I woke up on the floor, dizzy, headache and my wrist hurt," Maggie replied. She held up her left wrist to see that it was wrapped in a brace. "I called out to see if everyone was okay, then I saw Lt. Morris, who looked to be the more seriously injured. I knew we had to get out of the smoke, so I started dragging him to the door, and that's when you  found us."

"When Lt. Uhura found you....I was just so happy to see that you were mostly okay. Maybe a little banged up, but I knew we could patch you up, good as new," he winked. "You were pretty upset earlier, though. Mind telling me what was going on in that pretty head of yours?" McCoy asked gently.

"I feel so stupid about it now, Len," Maggie said, dropping her gaze to her hands in her lap. "I heard you and Jim talking in your office. I guess I just assumed you were talking about me when you said 'she' was knowledgeable but talked  too much. Then you said after spending such a short time of knowing 'her' and spending all this time with 'her' that you love 'her'. I guess I thought you were talking about Dr. Richardson," Maggie explained.

"And why would you think that?" McCoy inquired.

Maggie rolled her eyes. "Come on, Leonard. Look at her, then look at me. She's clearly the more attractive of the two of us. You have more in common with her, both being in the medical field, you speak the same language. And I know it was work stuff, but I got....jealous of the time she got to spend with you that I didn't," her voice dropped on the last word.

McCoy moved to sit on the edge of the biobed, directly facing Maggie. "First of all, I'm not attracted to Dr. Richardson, academically or otherwise. She's the one who doesn't know when to stop talking. Second, I like that you and I have different jobs on this tin can of a ship. Makes our conversations interesting," he grinned.

"Can't argue with that," Maggie chuckled.

"And last but certainly not least, Dr. Richardson is not the woman I'm in love with. She's not the one who holds my heart," McCoy remarked softly, tucking a strand of hair behind Maggie's ear.

"Oh. I see. Well, whoever 'she' is, she's got the best of the best. She's certainly a lucky woman," Maggie whispered.

"Yes, darlin'. Yes, you are," McCoy replied.

A dawn of understanding slowly spread across Maggie's face. "Well, since I hold your heart, then I should tell you that you've had mine for awhile now," she mentioned.

"I'll be sure and take real good care of it, sugar. I love you," McCoy declared.

"I love you too, Len," Maggie replied, leaning forward until her lips met his to seal their love with a kiss.

Part 3 here!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

[fellowstrangetownappreciator]

Well, that was cold

I have mod that makes diseases actually dangerous. (actually several of them and they’re all listed here on Pleasant Sims’ modlist)

The first rotation? Everything’s fine. The only one who fell ill was John Burb and he, as a family Sim, was able to soup himself to health in no time.

The second rotation... Ajaj Loner got sick.

With cold.

I was like, “I know flu is pretty dangerous with this mod but cold should be fine, right? I mean, I used to have it four times a year. So glad it’s not flu!”

I thought I was lucky.

I wasn’t.

After Ajaj’s turn ended, he was free to wander around and spread the cold everywhere.

Because they have chemistry and she was on a prowl, I even had Nina Caliente seduce Ajaj. She got the cold but I was like whatever, she’s a strong quasi-alien, running nose for a few days won’t kill her!

How fatally wrong I was I realized during a vacation that Nina went on with her sister and Ajaj. She was just chilling, sleeping in her hotel room, when all of the sudden, Grim Reaper!

You sure, Dina?

Nina was dead. Dead from the cold. And she was pregnant, no less!

I reloaded because it was on a vacation and Nina was the only playable Sim, so I was quite worried what would become of the grave. I managed to get her home and moved Chloe Curious in, so that someone can eventually plead for her. She was lucky the second time around and survived. Chloe got infected but survived as well.

But we had an epidemic on our hands now. Ajaj and Nina have been quite successful generously sharing their cold all across the hood and I failed to keep track of who has it.

Still, I thought it wasn’t so bad. I didn’t understand the scale, I was still thinking that it was just Ajaj, Consort Capp and the Pleasants.

Again, I was wrong.

When I got in the rotation to the Capps (the Capps 1), everyone was infected. I was still optimistic, though, because we were talking about a household where 2/4 Sims are Family and one is a Family Secondary, they can bathe in the soup!

The teens ate their soup and survived.

Consort died that night. He was due to die at the end of their round anyway but because he didn’t do so of old age, his grandchildren received no bonus inheritance.

The only one who gained something from that was Olive Specter who was delighted to see Consort, her crush, perish, so she could finally raise him as a zombie.

Unfortunately I couldn’t find a screenshot of her actually raising him, so here’s at the very least Olive walking menacingly to work.

Anyway, moving onto the Capps again (the Capps 2, Goneril edition), things looked bleak. Goneril was pregnant and she and all the kids were infected. Albany was immediately called to action to generate enough soup but the house devolved into utter chaos. Everybody had their soup but just as they recovered, they got infected again!

Ok, I was thinking, Consort was quite old and fragile. Nina must’ve had the cold for a long time, given she was on a vacation. There’s no way the kids are gonna die on the first day they got infected. They had the soup, so I’ll send them to beds, so they can get a good-night sleep and enough rest.

Nope.

Ariel, a child, died in her sleep.

Nobody was able to get to her in time to plead for her.

While I was contemplating an in-character way of resurrection, Desdemona, a young teen, died in her sleep just about two hours after her sister.

Again, nobody was fast enough.

Luckily, Miranda was already in college and she was roommates with Ophelia Nigmos, who was in possession of a genie lamp she was safeguarding from Olive. Hearing about the tragedy that befell her friend’s family, moved by the death of a little girl and her not much older sister, Ophelia the Family Sim offered Miranda the lamp on the spot.

Miranda rushed home to drop off the lamp and then ran off so she doesn’t get infected. Well, she did anyway but since I haven’t played the college Sims yet, I don’t know of her fate.

Hal made a good use of the lamp. He rolled the wants to resurrect both his sisters and that’s exactly what he did.

He triumphantly finished making the wishes...

And dropped dead.

Another young soul succumbed to cold.

But! Since there was still a wish left and his sisters were back alive, Desdemona swiftly brought him back.

Ariel’s and Hal’s resurrections were perfect.

Desdemona’s was faulty, so her personality got reversed.

But as long as they’re alive and preferably not zombies, everything will do.

The Capps were all cured! Hooray!

Wait. Not all Capps. There was still Regan’s branch and, predictably, they were all infected. And this time, there was no Family Sim in sight.

The only non-infected Sim in the family was a little toddler. The poor, poor child was in for a life-long trauma.

Kent went quick and quiet the first night of their round. Regan fortunately recovered. Cornwall did too. They had a very lucky start of the round all together, I may add. Kent’s tragic death was followed by Regan’s demotion that lead to her subsequent want to quit her job (...and she was the only one who was making any significant money), then Cornwall set the house on fire while cooking breakfast, then he got fired.

Poor thing. First got house-fired, then job-fired.

Regan’s LTW was to reach the top of the Law career, so she got herself a new job there. On her first day, she got promoted!

And she brought home a friend! Sweet!

No... nooooo...

It was Ajaj F*ckin’ Loner.

Both Regan and Cornwall got infected before you could say “act your surname and social-distance, you jerk!”

Cornwall died almost immediately. Unfortunately, Regan was asleep and failed to get up and ambush the Grim Reaper in time.

On the bright side, she recovered!

So I watch her go to work, the nanny arrives to baby-sit the toddler, everything seems to finally have settled down.

But then I spot an unexpected movement in the house.

It’s Titania Summerdream. Who let her in? I have no idea.

It would be quite sweet of her to check on her friend Regan after she lost two family members and to help with her young daughter.

If... if she didn’t have the fricking cold!

Regan returned from work and I rushed to have her send Titania away.

Of damn course she didn’t go before giving the cold to Regan.

Now it was the third time Regan got infected and there were no other family members to take care of the toddler if she dies. It was very suspenseful. I decided to use extreme measures and I teleported Albany in, made him selectable and had him cook the soup.

Instead of that, he proceeded to bicker with Regan.

If he got re-infected, I swear...

Anyway, after a three tries or so, Regan got her soup and Albany was on his merry way away.

What a relief! I sent Regan to sleep, trusting the soup to do its magic. The next morning her needs all looked great! No notification yet but I was sure it’s gonna arrive any second. When suddenly...

Yeap, she died.

Regan Capp died the way she lived. Paying her family’s bills.

I used Simblender again to quickly move in Hal. He was there in time to plead for Regan!

And for the first time in the Capp household, he actually made it! He pleaded!

And... and... lost.

So I had him stay to take care of the toddler until their round was over. Then I moved them both back with Goneril’s branch.

At the very least young Ione, the genius toddler with maxed Logic skill, got something resembling a birthday party with her cousin and his boyfriend Alexander Goth.

Given that Montys had their losses as well, the cold has already taken out much of the adult population of Veronaville.

The only two adults left (not counting fresh elders Albany and Goneril) in Veronaville were in fact the Summerdreams who were extremely lucky and with an abundance of soup, they survived.

To be completely honest, I’m very happy with the mod. I tend to play large hoods and although it tends to be rather tragic, the occasional epidemic of cold trims the population down a bit without me killing anybody off and it gives the game an additional bit of challenge and randomness.

...or maybe I’m just a sh*tty person to my Sims.

Bonus screenshots of the Strangetown cold outbreak:

Vidcund Curious spent two nights sleeping in a chair in his children’s bedroom because he was afraid they’re going to die from the cold in their sleep and wanted to be there to plead for them. In the end it actually happened, he pleaded and managed to save his daughter.

The Smiths had to be unfortunately visited by the Therapist. PT9 died on the day he was supposed to die of old age but hours prior, he became yet another victim of the cold. And it was very unlucky, since it meant no inheritance and by the Watcher, Jenny and their 5 kids could definitely use it. They were completely broke.

But not everything was morbid and tragic!

Lazlo rolled quite the unexpected want to get married to his girlfriend, Cassandra Goth. They weren’t engaged, she wasn’t pregnant, he’s not a Family secondary, and the date they were on wasn’t even in the stage Sims usually roll engagement wants, he simply rolled it out of the blue. And of course I went with it! (Cassandra had recently divorced Don, rolling the wish to remarry almost immediately.)

The only family in the hood that could technically mass-produce medicine so that not everyone is dependent on the soup, the Beakers, of course didn’t. Why would they risk their hides, toying with the Mysterious Disease, when they didn’t have to? Instead, they social-distanced and spent the rotation raking in promotions and taking care of their army of children. (Loki kept rolling wants to get abducted and ARC wasn’t kind to them either. But with Loki being Family secondary and Circe leaving most of the parenting on him anyway, I don’t think they mind.)

Note the alien toddler, the second youngest child. He has 10 Nice points. That’s 4 points more than all 5 of his siblings and his parents combined. He’s gonna have a rough childhood, the poor thing.

Jill Smith managed to get nibbled on by the pack leader just in time, a few days before going to college. She’s thrilled by her new wolf-y powers! And regardless of what her mother says, she knows the fur goes with her school uniform just perfectly!

Rachel Pleasant, the youngest offspring of Daniel that he knows about (the second youngest overall), aged up into a child! And judging by the look on her face, she already knows how much of a mess her family is.

Not even being brought back from the dead made Desdemona Capp immune to the Summerdream charm. Bottom, the young Romance Sim, invited her girlfriend to hang out in their hot tub. It was an afternoon to remember for both of them.

Local ageing general married a successful young athlete, Kristen Loste. Unfortunately for everyone attending the wedding, the bride’s former roommate Chloe Curious decided that flirting with her literally the next interaction after Kristen said, “I do.” was a smart idea. No need to add that the wedding cake was left to rot forgotten, never cut. It was a sad wedding cake but even though it started to stink around two hours after the wedding, it still lasted longer than the marriage.

And far away in La Fiesta Tech, two estranged siblings were talking things out and healing their relationship.

Now I lost this hood (again) and started a new one, so the next gameplay post will probably feature the same characters in completely different circumstances and nothing is going to make sense but... what does anyway?

[elejahfanfic]

The Vampire Files/4

Fanficton

Part 4

AU story with tvd/to characters, but also with many others from different fandoms like Nick Amaro _Law&Order svu, that I am borrowing here. And Joel Goran from Saving Hope etc.

Main pairing_ Nick Amaro and Elena Gilbert

Nick and Elena are FBI Agents investigating supernatural activities and homocide caused vampires and demons.

Expect witches, demons, vampires. Inspired by X-files, Twin Peaks, and many other shows

tag_ @miguelsbrat​ thank you so much for your support and kind words.

thanks for reading xoxo ★(✿˘▿˘)

and _gifs are not  mine

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆

“Amaro...I’m hit...I...my apartment buil...” Elena chocked, feeling her eyelids drop.

She stood n the midst of a vast darkness. There was a dull spotlight shining down on her.She glanced at her hands and feet, find herself wearing a white shirt and pants, the outfit she wore on the first day she started work as an Agent. What was going on? Fear hit her like a falling tree in an ice storm. The hair on the back of her head stood up. Suddenly it was pitch black. Her eyes could not penetrate the darkness no matter which way she turned. It was a complete shutdown of light, except for the dull light around her. Darkness weighed heavily on her shoulders. The darkness felt as if it was brooding and rotating about her. Muffled voices spelled out from her left and from behind her. A ripple of mocking laughter streamed over to her from the distance. Waves of rejection and hatred swept through her like the heavy stream from a fireman’s hose. She tried to ran away, but  slammed into an invisible barrier.

The ambulance rushed Elena to the hospital. And Nick followed right behind. Seeing her down unconscious kicked him hard. This was not a random attack. The arrows were nothing he had ever seen. But now, his mind was just aimed at one thing- to hear if Elena was going to be all right. And so he ran inside the hospital as fast as he could explaining to the nurses who stopped him who he was, showing his badge.

And the nurses still wouldn't let him go beyond a certain point. He knew it, but something pulled him to go into the OR. She had known her just for a little while and yet for an unexplained reason she mattered to him greatly. He inhaled deeply and then sat down in the waiting area frustrated.He now dialled the Headquarters reporting on the accident.

Not long after Stefan and Valerie arrived. They were already investigating Jackson's murder and with Elena being attacked they found it to be correlated. Nick gave them the whole account of the day and the evening, especially the last couple of hours he and Elena spent before they parted.

"So, you have a clue as to who it might be? Whoever killed Kenner is after Gilbert!" Nick said straight faced.

"It could be, but might not" Stefan replied.

Nick knew that could very much be the truth, as he had read the report on the case Elena and Jackson were working on, which subsequently got him killed.

Would a shaman send strange hitmen using ancient arrows?!

Nick moved away from his fellow colleagues  to get himself some coffee as he knew that the surgery would take a while. He was a very patient man but this time he wished he knew how Elena was doing that very instant.

Stefan notified Caroline, who came storming in.

Rebekah, being the resident orthopedic surgeon of the hospital, talked to the nurses, who gave her the paramedics report.

"How bad is it?" Caroline wanted to know.

"Punctured lung," Rebekah said,"should not be that bad- Gia and Vincent are the best specialist for these types of wounds"

"Seriously- does shit never stop?!" Caroline moaned- as she moved restlessly to the waiting area noticing Elijah talking on the phone mentioning Elena.

"Ah, so this is Nick Amaro?!" she thought sizing him up and then went up to him as he finished his phone call.

"Caroline Forbes." the blonde attorney she said putting her hand out to the Agent.

Nick shook her hand and said ,"Assistant District Attorney Forbes?"

"Yes. But I am not here on official business. Elena is my friend. I am here in that capacity." Caroline explained.

"Right." Nick nodded a little and it seemed she was not going to get anything more. So, the name vulture, really suited him, Caroline thought. Dark, repulsive, but compelling. Elena was right. Something about him was not like she had seen before.

Soon Rebekah joined them, who was now also introduced to the Special Agent.

“Does Elena have any family?” Nick said.

“Yes. An aunt. She lives in New York.” Rebekah replied.”I will give her a call.”

“It is not necessary. I think that the Bureau has probably already notified her.” Nick said.

It was so. Jenna, who lived in New York, was notified by the Field Director, and was on her way. And by the time she had arrived, Elena was out of the OR. Gia, the chief of surgery gave Stefan and Nick the recap of how it all went. Elena would recover.

 Nick asked immediately if he could go and see her, which stunned all of them present.

Gia hesitated as he was not her next of kin.

"I am her partner!" Nick stressed, “I need to see her, please.”

Reluctantly, Gia gave him five minutes. As he left with the nurse, Caroline could not  help herself, "Wow. He like knows her for five minutes and he is already out there?!"

“It’s an FBI thing. Partners have magical bond - it didn’t take him long to bond with her.”

Stefan then had to step in the conversation, "Well, she did invite him for beer and a pool game."

"They definitely bonded." Caroline remarked.

*

Nick walked in the ICU, and seeing her laying in the bed like a sleeping beauty, he wished for a moment it was him instead of her. Where was this coming from? Shock. But he was always so cool and collected. Everyone else was only a fellow Agent. She was so much more. He didn't understand why, but so it was.

"Gilbert," he said and now took her hand, swallowing hard. How and in what moment did she get under his skin, he couldn’t put the finger on.

"Nick Amaro?" Jenna said.

"Yes" he turned around.

A nurse now came in as Jenna just got in without permission, and so to clarify the situation she said to both of them, "I am Jenna Saltzman, Elena's aunt. And as her only next of kin, I believe I have the right to come in!"

"Yes, but you still needed to clarify it with us before" the nurse said.

"I drove three and a half hours to get here, dropping everything - get me the attending” the way she looked at the nurse made the woman resigne trying to explain to her that she could not stay in the room and went to look for a doctor.

"They say she will pull through" Nick then filled her in with the info he got.

"Yes, she will. She is a tough one,"Jenna then said  walking over to Elena taking her by the hand gently, "I am here now."

Nick walked out giving them some privacy. Getting to know Elena's aunt made it clear where she got the feisty impatient part of her personality from. As Caroline said, yes, he and Elena bonded, that was true. He pictured her playing pool and nearly kicking his ass. Inside he said a little prayer for her, his heart wishing all the best.

*

In the ICU, a little while later, Jenna spoke to Vincent about the operation and as he went, allowing her to stay as long as she wanted, she made herself comfortable.

"Elena ,you should not have gone there," Jenna whispered worryingly,"they now know that you exist."

Flashback

Three months earlier, New Orleans

Elena walked in a bar looking for Luis Cyphre.

"Who wants to see him?" the woman behind the bar asked.

"Tell him Angel Heart." Elena said.

The heavily tattooed woman just swayed with her hand telling Elena to follow her.

*

The morning found Nick in the Bureau office. Caroline getting ready for work. Rebekah still sleeping. Stefan waited for his partner Valerie in the diner revising the Kenner-Gilbert case. Elena awake quiet looking at Jenna asleep on the chair. The Agent smiled a little, glad to see her there.

Flashback

Thirty years ago, after Miranda and Greyson's funeral.

"I will look after you and everything will be all right, I promise you that!"- Jenna said to the nine-year old child, who just nodded trying to cope with everything that had gone on-"New York is a magical, and you will really love it there. I so love it there."

And she had loved it there. But the demons didn't go away, nor the fact that she was the first born with the mark of the huntress. Jenna knew it. And she did all in her power to teach her all she had learned about her family and what they were since the beginning of time. At the age of sixteen Elena became a huntress with all the magic passed onto her the first hybrid moon after her birthday.

"Mmmhh" Jenna muffled a little bit as she moved opening her eyes rubbing her neck- smiling as she saw that Elena was awake now waving at her aunt a little.

"Oh, I fell asleep. How are you? Has it helped?" the woman referred to the potions she had given her earlier.

Elena nodded.

"Good. I couldn't give you more till they check you out. It would have been too suspicious." Jenna said.

"I know" Elena whispered.

"So, I met your new partner," Jenna then said, "he looks badass! You skipped a few points. He is so suave!"

Elena rolled her eyes a little. She was not surprised at Jenna's comment.

"He was really cut about you. So I don't really get why he is all wrong." Jenna referred to their conversation after she had returned from Mystic Falls telling her about Nick.

"He is not all wrong." Elena said.

"Oh, you changed your tune. Did something happen? Something I should know about?"

"Nothing happened. But he is right for the job." Elena replied.

"Right. Let me know when you are ready to tell me why he is suddenly all right for the job."

"He is one of them."

"What? When did you find that out?" Jenna couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"I saw the mark. He is Bloodborne."  Elena said.

"The Witcher?," Jenna said in amazement,"but they are extinct, or are they not? Aztec bloodline?”

"Yep." Elena muttered.

They wanted to speak some more, but the nurse came in followed by Gia, who could not believe how greatly Elena had improved. And then, Jenna had to do what she really didn't like much, she took a small crystal ball out of her bag compelling the surgeon and the nurse to let Elena go in a few days to home care.

As they left, Jenna now put her coat on, ready to leave herself.

“You rest and behave. And I will come and pick you up in a few hours.”

“Right. Get me ice-cream.” Elena said.

“You got it.” Jenna said and giving her niece a little wave, left the room, soon crossing Joel’s path carying a big bunch of balloons and an unicorn.

“Oh, please don’t tell me you and Elena made up?” Jenna shot a disappointed look at the surgeon.

“And what if we did?” Joel tilted his head narrowing his eyes at the Professor.

“Damn you if you hurt her again- that is all I’m going to say.” Jenna warned the man, her eyes blazing with serious intent.

Joel was smart enough not to go further into the conversation and now excused himself, walking away.

Jenna inhaled sharply, displeased. But for now she let it be and now went away.

***

A week later Elena  recovered completely. But she had to go on with the pretence of recovery, so she took another two weeks off of work after she had been released from work.

"I hate to do this. But I can't tell them." Elena said to Jenna.

"Maybe they will understand. Try them. I told Alaric, and look how great that worked out." Jenna said.

"I can't. I don't want to drag them into it. And when I am with them I just want to be me, Elena, to have some normality -"

“What is really going on with you and Joel?” Jenna now asked.

“Nothing.” Elena said.

“Really? So what was this whole thing with the balloons?”

“We just hooked up - the night before I got shot.” Elena replied dismissing it.

“So you are not going back there - he slept with that doctor not once , the damsell in distress - the one that nearly had him jailed.”

“Please, you don’t have to remind me. The hook up was just one-off”

“Ok - a bit of meaningless sex never hurt anyone”

"It leaves me so empty afterwards." Elena said sighing a little, thinking of Joel.

Jenna scooped the ice-cream into a bowl for both of them. Her phone rang and she went to another room to take the call.

Elena sat down at the computer, looking at the arrows the forensics have sent over to her. They were of akkadian origin. Jenna, who was a Professor of Demonology, found out that only a secret society would have those in their possession.

The door bell rang and she now went to answer it.

"Amaro?" Elena said as she opened at the door.

"You look really good- I mean- aren't you supposed to be resting?" he said as he walked in.

"I am on very special pain meds. Plus, who can be in bed all day. What's up?"

"You are definitely better."

"There's no time to waste. What have you found out about the Armory?" Elena asked.

"A society of supernatural artifact collectors. Founded by a Lorenzo St. John" Nick replied.

"Right." Elena said happy about the info.

"Stefan and Valerie went to visit them - they are denying any kind of connection." Nick continued.

"Coffee?" Elena offered.

"No, thank you" Nick refused politely.

Jenna appeared from the bedroom and with a small 'hi' adding, "Maybe ice-cream?"

 Nick greeted her back and said no to the ice-cream.

"Ok, guys, I have errands to run," Jenna said giving Elena one of those looks telling her that she had her own lead, "I will see you later. Oh, and Nick - make sure she goes to bed"

Elena looked wide-eyed and emberrassed about Jenna's comment, "Sorry about that. She overdoes her 'mother' role sometimes."

"Well, meds or no meds-she is right. You should be resting." Nick said smirking cutely.

"All right," Elena huffed slightly annoyed and sat down on the sofa,"there, I am resting. Seriously, I am not made of glass."

"No, but of flash and blood." He sat down on the armchair next to her, "why do you push everyone away? You should have seen your friends worried whether you will make it or not-"

Elena did appreciate the concern, but the defensive mechanism she had imposed on herself made her dismiss care she would be given. It was her way of surviving. "I just don't like the fuss. And there is so much to do. I've seen people dedicated to their work, but with you it's an entire new level. You can't hide when the Evil calls your name"

"What?"

"It's something I read. Anyway," she turned to the table with her meds, that actually were vitamins,"Can you pass me that bottle there. And it's time for my pills."

Nick stood up and passed her a glass of water and the medication that were on a chest of draws.

As he passed it to her, she thanked him and in the process took hold of his had,"I do appreciate you waiting in the hospital"-

"You are my partner," but the way he said it somehow meant more the way it sounded.

The door buzzed and Elena now asked Nick to go see who it was. Swinging the door open, Joel Goran stood there. “May I come in?”

“Please” Nick said and gestured to the surgeon to come in.

_to be continued

[the-insomniac-emporium]

RE8 Ladies + Love Languages

While this isn't terribly long per character, I am putting it under a read-more for the combined length. Some characters have more details than others, partially due to how much I've written for them (and therefore had time to think about how they show their affections). For once the contents are not in alphabetical order. Crazy, right? PS there's a very, very brief implication of NSFW in Daniela's section.

Features the entire Dimitrescu family, Mother Miranda, Donna Beneviento, and as a lil bonus Ava.

Cassandra Dimitrescu:

Primary Love Language: Physical touch

Secondary Love Language: Acts of Service

Examples: Constantly wants to be touching some part of her lover, even if she sometimes pretends otherwise, from hand holding to making them sit in her lap. So goddamn touch starved. Preferably sleeps with her lover sprawled out on top of her, weighing her down, soothed by the constant pressure. Seriously, this woman needs someone to hold her as close as possible, running their fingers through her hair, pressing soft little kisses along her neck + shoulder. And then repeat. Every single day. For life.

Treating her lover’s wounds, or bringing them tea to soothe their nightmares, or monitoring their health when they're sick (see: Bound Blood + We Don’t Talk About That). Cassandra hates feeling like she owes someone, and isn’t fond of others owing her (because when they pay her back, she might end up owing them “the difference”). When it comes to love, however, all debts feel paid as soon as they are incurred. She does things for her beloved because she cares for them, expecting nothing in return. Sure, she’ll complain about the effort, but it doesn’t really bother her, and she truly hopes her lover knows that.

Mother Miranda:

Primary Love Language: Acts of Service

Secondary Love Language: Gift Giving

Examples: Despite the decades she has spent as a Goddess, commanding the willing masses, Miranda doesn’t put much emphasis on words. Instead, she values actions above all else. She doesn't care if someone says that they are devoted to her, she wants to see the effects of that devotion. In turn, she much prefers to show her affection rather than voice it, even if it leaves her lover less sure of her feelings. One must keep in mind that she is the leader of an entire region, and the fact that she chooses to personally take care of something for you means a hell of a lot. Even if it’s just making you a cup of tea whenever she brews some for herself, or something as big as setting up a studio for you and your personal projects, or simply ensuring that your favorite meals are added to the rotation.

Similar, in some aspects, to her preference to showcase her love rather than announce it, Miranda takes pride in her ability to select gifts. She remembers just about everything you ever tell her, easily memorizing things you express interest in. Though she won’t make a big deal out of it, you’ll often find little gifts from her lying around, casual reminders of how much of her attention is devoted to you.

Daniela Dimitrescu:

Primary Love Language: Words of Affirmation

Secondary Love Language: Physical Touch

Examples: What can she say, she loves to be worshipped. Having someone look at her with eyes full of adoration, one hand cupping her cheek, as they list a thousand reasons why they love her? That’s all she wants. Or sitting with her lover’s head in her lap, listening to them recite poetry that reminds them of her, while she runs her fingers through their hair. Ooh, or hearing them cry out her name like something holy as she all but buries her head between their legs. But don’t worry, she’s just as eager to return the favor, singing soft praises dedicated to her beloved. Admittedly, her compliments are sometimes a tad roundabout (so to speak).

“Mmm,” she’ll hum, “I’m the luckiest woman in the world. Living in a castle, my every need catered to, endless life, and, of course, the most darling little pet I could ever ask for. What more could I want?” Then she’ll pull her lover close, a kiss against their pulse point to claim them as her own. It’s impossible for her to determine her favorite place to touch her lover. There are little spots that elicit sweet sounds from them, then there are places where their warmth is a tad fiercer than normal, pure bliss against her own freezing skin. Wherever she touches them, it’s a silent declaration of her love.

Bela Dimitrescu:

Primary Love Language: Quality Time

Secondary Love Language: Words of Affirmation

Examples: It doesn’t matter what she does with her lover, as long as they are together, in the same room if not actively pressed against each other. Any hobby of theirs is one that she’ll instantly take interest in. An academic at heart, she loves to learn, regardless of the subject, and takes endless delight in learning from those close to her. There’s something incredible about the feeling she gets when she gets a chance to show her lover how much she remembers, and she sees that spark of joy in their eyes.

Considering her fondness for classical literature, it’s no surprise that she adores using language to convey the depths of her affection. Whether she’s quoting Sappho or Shakespeare, she often relies on dead poets to express herself. In turn, she cannot even begin to describe the feeling she gets when her lover returns the gesture, especially if they go so far as to write something original for her. More than once she’s tried to craft her own poetry, but has found herself lacking (at least to her own standards). One thing she enjoys is memorizing poetry written by someone from her lover’s home country, assuming that they’re not from Romania.

Alcina Dimitrescu:

Primary Love Language: Gift Giving/Physical Touch

Secondary Love Language: Quality Time

Examples: Considering the era in which she was born, it’s not terribly surprising that Alcina’s affection often manifests in less obvious ways. A hand on her lover’s back, guiding them along, or letting her knee touch theirs when they sit next to each other, or gently reaching out to give one of their hands a soft pat during quiet conversations. On top of that, she gives out gifts almost constantly. Oh, her lover very briefly mentioned enjoying a local artist? Well, Alcina will be certain to purchase several (or most) of their recent work. Did her beloved muse out loud about not having much jewelry? That won’t do! She’ll get them a large assortment, including plenty that bear the crest of House Dimitrescu. Everyone will know who her lover is, if only for the way that they are adorned with her loveliest finery.

Much like her eldest daughter (who likely takes after her mother), Alcina also enjoys the barest of interactions with her darling. With the endless stretch that is her potential lifespan, she knows that she has all the time in the world to learn new skills, or experience all that the village has to offer. Nothing warms her heart quite like the idea of getting to enjoy those things with the people that matter most to her- namely her partner and her children.

Donna Beneviento:

Primary Love Language: Quality Time

Secondary Love Language: Gift Giving

Examples: An odd mix of shy and calculating, Donna Beneviento is not one to rely on words, nor does she often take grand actions where others may observe. Instead, she works (and weaves) within the shadows. When it comes to love, she prefers to let her priorities reveal her feelings. Day after day, she chooses to spend time with her partner, regardless of the activity. If they ask for her company, she gives it without hesitation. She invites them to join her in the garden, or give input on her latest creations, and ensures that they are readily involved in just about every aspect of her life.

Being as talented as she is with crafting (both the overall art of doll-making and the somewhat related ability to sew all sorts of clothing), ‘tis not surprising that she also turns to gifts to express herself. From knitting hats in winter to soft blankets when her partner is sick, she provides for them in the easiest way she knows how.

Avaskian Caldwell:

Primary Love Language: Physical Touch/Words of Affirmation

Secondary Love Language: Quality Time

Examples: Arguably the most touch-starved person ever to exist, xer only possible rival being Cassandra. Struggles to strike a balance between hating being touched unexpectedly and wanting constant physical attention. Will give affectionate shoulder/back pats, loves forehead kisses/bumps, literally cannot sleep without cuddling someone/something (such as a stuffed animal). At the same time, a lifetime of severe anxiety has made it so that xe often relies on verbal encouragement from others to feel good/motivate xerself. Xe craves compliments, and defaults to poetry as a way of expressing love for others. One might think that being selectively mute might put a damper on this. However, if anything, it just furthers the value of xer speech. You know that xe cares about you if xe not only writes you poetry, but reads it aloud for you.

In true introvert/anxiety-riddled-bean fashion, Ava is also more than content to just chill with loved ones. Xe grew up in an admittedly fucked up family, but some of xer happiest childhood memories are of xerself sitting with xer brother, watching while he played through videogame after videogame, or sitting together on the big couch and reading. Years later, xe has a strong instinct to want to recreate those moments with xer new (slightly less fucked up) family.

[thefederalistfreestyle]

One key scene helped cement ‘Hamilton’ as a Broadway legend. The team that crafted it explains how. (WaPo):

[. . .]  When it was suggested that the interview focus on one galvanizing interlude of “Hamilton,” and how each played their part in making it happen, the reaction was immediate and electric. It was an opportunity for them to reflect on the profound psychic-income aspect of their group achievement and the ineffable bond that feeds artistic success.

“This speaks to a sense of trust that I think is evident, as you watch all of us kind of lean forward in our seats, getting a chance to talk about this one particular thing,” Kail, 40, says. “The difference between a show that might have an opportunity to be its full expression — when ideas are allowed to flow and be identified — and when they’re squelched, because it’s not your job or you shouldn’t be saying this or you don’t feel the comfort of being able to say it.”

“I’ve worked on other shows where you propose a change because the moment isn’t working, and all of a sudden, you feel the grins tightening, you just see the arms lock. With this group, that has never happened,” adds Lacamoire, 43. “There’s always been a thing about, ‘You know, this isn’t quite landing,’ and then we all think about, how can we make it better?”

[. .  .]

The vignette-filled “Satisfied,” which comes smack-dab in the middle of Act 1, proves to be a wonderful springboard for discussion, because it embodies so many of the musical’s irresistible attributes: its restless, energetic resourcefulness; its ability to paint a historical mural and apply a modern varnish of commentary at the same time; its perspective shifts, its wit, its rigor. It’s no wonder the song drew on and conjured for Miranda and company all manner of cultural references, including “West Side Story,” “A Chorus Line,” “The Matrix” and “Ratatouille.”

It’s a song that was the breakthrough indicator of how much story their deeply researched musical, based largely on Ron Chernow’s best-selling biography, could pack into a conventional two-act structure. Because before “Satisfied,” Angelica Schuyler did not exist in the show. “The question of whether Eliza’s sister would be a character was up for debate,” Miranda recalls. “I mean, she is a confidante of her sister, she had these letters with Hamilton, and it’s, ‘Do I have time to get into that?’ ”

Devising ���Satisfied” for Angelica, a role originated in 2015 at off-Broadway’s Public Theater and on Broadway by Renee Elise Goldsberry, who would win a Tony for it, proved crucial to developing the emotional core of “Hamilton.” It took Miranda about a month to write it, and it sets in motion the show’s tragic element, how passion unfulfilled — in this case, Angelica’s for Alexander — eventually tears apart Hamilton and those around him. The song, which includes ingeniously rhymed rap to dramatize the dizzying sophistication of Angelica’s own intellect, begins as Angelica’s toast to the marriage of Hamilton to her sister, Eliza; Angelica has introduced her to Hamilton during the previous song, Eliza’s “Helpless.”

“I liked the idea of a wedding toast,” Miranda says. “I’ve been to enough wedding toasts where the wrong things tumble out.”

“To your union,” Angelica sings in the five-minute-plus number’s opening segment, “And the hope that you provide/May you always/Be satisfied.” What then follows is what the song identifies as a “rewind”: going back to the events of “Helpless,” but told now from Angelica’s anguished perspective, in a way that crystallizes a pivotal facet of her character. “I remember that night, I might regret that night for the rest of my days,” she sings, in the song’s defining line.

In returning to that moment, Kail says, “we realized that there was an opportunity for Lin to play with the timeline, and the way that we moved through time.” That concept would repeat itself at another climactic moment of “Hamilton,” in the freeze-frame rendering of the bullet that fatally strikes Hamilton in his duel with Aaron Burr. It was not an original idea, actually: The creative team was borrowing a cinematic technique, one of many they use in the show.

Kail says: “This is something I talk to the actors playing Angelica a lot — about ‘Ratatouille’ ” — the 2007 animated movie about the rat that becomes a Parisian chef.

“Totally ‘Ratatouille’ ” Blankenbuehler interjects. “We use it as a verb and an adjective.”

Kail explains that the freezing of time in “Hamilton” has its parallel in the moment in the film when the food critic, voiced by the late Peter O’Toole, has an epiphany as he savors a piece of food.

“When the critic takes the bite, and you go into the critic’s eye, that’s what we’re doing,” the director says. In other words, the instant in which the cartoon critic samples the food stops time; viewers are given a protracted, imagistic impression of what is happening in the critic’s mind. That same stopping of time occurs in “Satisfied.”

“I love that, sonically, it takes someplace we haven’t been to before,” adds Lacamoire, the music director and orchestrator. For Blankenbuehler, the choreographer, “Satisfied” was a feast of new possibility, too: “I think the first time I heard the song was at a reading,” he says. “And I just remember the right hand on the piano, and the tinkles, and I instantly saw women suspended, like on top of a cake, like on pointe, like how things rotate on a wedding cake.”

But perhaps the most complicated choreographic element of “Satisfied” is what happens in the interlude in which prerecorded voices take us into the “rewind” portion of the song. Because the dancing ensemble, assembled for the wedding, physically rewinds, too, to the movement of “Helpless.”

“All of ‘Helpless’ goes counterclockwise,” Blankenbuehler explains. “So when you rewind in ‘Satisfied,’ and for just a moment you go clockwise, you understand it. When they dance in ‘Helpless’ and ‘Satisfied,’ the same dance movement matches both lyrics.”

[. . .]

It feels as though these guys could talk about this one song all day. But they all have other places to be. So maybe Miranda captures the essence of collaboration best as he listens to his longtime colleagues talk about their approaches to “Satisfied,” and then says with a laugh:

“These are all the things I do not see when I write a song!”

[magratpudifoot]

Anti-Love Collection Track List

Below the cut is a list of every track on every disc of the Anti-Love Album. I thought pretty seriously about going through and linking to music videos and bandcamp and whatnot, but, yeah, that’s not happening tonight.

Disc One(Chaotic/Static Cling Enterprises)

1.  Could You Use Me?                            Harry Groener and Jodi Benson 2.  Hit the Road, Jack                           Ray Charles and the Raelettes 3.  Down with Love                                                Caxton Swing 4.  You're No Good                                              Linda Ronstadt 5.  It Ain't Me, Babe                                              The Turtles 6.  Already Gone                                                    The Eagles 7.  Paradise By the Dashboard Light                                   Meatloaf 8.  Don't Believe a Word                                           Andy Taylor 9.  I Will Survive                                               Gloria Gaynor 10. I've Done Everything for You                              Rick Springfield 11. Love Stinks                                              The J. Geils Band 12. Don't You Want Me                                         The Human League 13. Goodbye to You                                                     Scandal 14. Love's Been a Little Bit Hard on Me                           Juice Newton 15. I Could Be Happy                                            Altered Images 16. What Do All the People Know                                    The Monroes 17. Jukebox (Don't Put Another Dime)                                The Flirts 18. No More Words                                                       Berlin 19. She Don't Love Nobody                                            Nick Lowe 20. So In Love                               Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark 21. Let Your Love Go                                                     Bread

Disc Two(Chaotic/Static Cling Enterprises) 1.  Would I Lie to You                                              Eurythmics 2.  Keep Your Hands to Yourself                         The Georgia Satellites 3.  Twisting                                              They Might Be Giants 4.  I Don't Want Your Love                                         Duran Duran 5.  One More Minute                                          Weird Al Yankovic 6.  What Part of No                                             Cactus Country 7.  Itty Bitty Little Single Solitary Piece O' My Heart             Lari White 8.  That Was Yesterday                                            Wynonna Judd 9.  Jane                                                      Barenaked Ladies 10. Better Things to Do                                            Terri Clark 11. Bury the Shovel                                                Clay Walker 12. No News                                                           Lonestar 13. Spiderwebs                                                        No Doubt 14. She Won't Change Her Mind                           The Band with Rocks In 15. Me Neither                                                    Brad Paisley 16. Waste                                                          Smash Mouth 17. Goodbye Earl                                                  Dixie Chicks 18. Giving up on Love                                                   Ataris 19. Kiss This                                                     Aaron Tippin 20. Last Chance to Lose Your Keys                                    Brand New 21. It's Only Me (The Wizard of Magicland)                    Barenaked Ladies

Disc Three(Aberration, Inc.) 1.  Can't Hold Us Down                        Christina Aguilera feat. Lil Kim 2.  The Frug                                                        Rilo Kiley 3.  A Man/Me/Then Jim                                               Rilo Kiley 4.  Nothing Came Out                                        The Mouldy Peaches 5.  All That She Wants                                             Ace of Base 6.  You Oughta Know                                          Alanis Morissette 7.  The More You Ruv Someone                                          Avenue Q 8.  Roses                                                              Outkast 9.  Day Tripper                                                    Live 10. Sexx Laws                                                             Beck 11. Vienna                                                          Billy Joel 12. Sunday Girl                                                        Blondie 13. You Don't Own Me                                          The Blow Monkeys 14. You Give Love a Bad Name                                          Bon Jovi 15. Protons, Neutrons, Electrons                                    Cat Empire 16. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun                                     Cyndi Lauper 17. Mix Tape                                                          Avenue Q 18. 31st & M                                            The Daycare Stranglers 19. Fuck It (I Don't Want You Back)                                      Eamon 20. Inside Out                                                           Eve 6 21. Beep                                    The Pussycat Dolls feat. will.i.am

Disc Four(Aberration, Inc.) 1.  Just One of Those Things                                     Frank Sinatra 2.  Just Friends                                                  Gavin Degraw 3.  Defying Gravity                  ��      Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth 4.  Sugar                                                  Tick Tick Boom Cast 5.  Gold Digger                                    Kanye West feat. Jamie Foxx 6.  Bag of Money                                                  The Low Life 7.  Scotty Doesn't Know                                                 Lustra 8.  I'm So Alone                                               The Mad Caddies 9.  World at Large                                                Modest Mouse 10. Get Over It                                                          OK Go 11. People Got to Be Free                                          The Rascals 12. Tainted Love                                                     Soft Cell 13. Don't Do Me Like That                                            Tom Petty 14. What's Love Got to Do with It                                  Tina Turner 15. He Wasn't Man Enough                                          Toni Braxton 16. Undone (The Sweater Song)                                           Weezer 17. Funny Honey                                                Renee Zellweger 18. I'll Never Be Jealous Again                   Reta Shaw and Eddie Foy, Jr. 19. Everyone Else Has Had More Sex Than Me                       Ambient Irony 20. Dirty Little Secret                                   All American Rejects

Disc Five(Chaotic/Static Cling Enterprises) 1.  Will you Love Me Tomorrow                                    The Shirelles 2.  Desperate But Not Serious                                         Adam Ant 3.  Ready to Run                                                  Dixie Chicks 4.  I'm Gonna Miss Her                                            Brad Paisley 5.  Love Is Hell                                                    Ryan Adams 6.  It Ain't None of Your Business                             Missing Persons 7.  Stupid Boy                                                     Keith Urban 8.  Before He Cheats                                          Carrie Underwood 9.  You Don't Love Me Anymore                                Weird Al Yankovic 10. The Song That Goes Like This           Christopher Sieber and Sara Ramirez 11. (I'm Gonna) Run Away                         Joan Jett and the Blackhearts 12. I'm Not in Love                                              Talking Heads 13. You Keep Me Hangin' On                                           Kim Wilde 14. Don't Let's Start                                          Common Rotation 15. That's Enough of That                                           Mila Mason 16. Leave in Silence                                              Depeche Mode 17. Sign of the Times                                          The Belle Stars 18. Break Your Heart                                          Barenaked Ladies 19. Signs of Life                                                      Journey 20. Cell Block Tango             The Six Merry Murderesses of Cook County Jail

Disc Six(Aberration, Inc.) 1.  Designated Drinker                          Alan Jackson and George Strait 2.  Video Game Heart                                  All Girl Summer Fun Band 3.  Twisting                                              They Might Be Giants 4.  Fighter                                                 Christina Aguilera 5.  Found Out About You                                            Gin Blossom 6.  What Is This Feeling                    Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel 7.  Therapy                                      Amy Spranger and Raul Esparza 8.  Since U Been Gone                                           Kelly Clarkson 9.  Number One                                    John Legend feat. Kanye West 10. Material Girl                                                      Madonna 11. Build Me Up, Buttercup                                           The Goops 12. Schadenfreude                         Natalie Venetia Belcon and Rick Lyon 13. Happy Now                                                     Gwen Stefani 14. Why Don't You Get a Job                                          Offspring 15. Cry Me a River                                           Justin Timberlake 16. Ugly Ugly Mustache Girl                                      The Skakabobs 17. You Don't Know How It Feels                                      Tom Petty 18. Pink Triangle                                                       Weezer 19. Let Me Be Lonely                                                 Will Hoge 20. Buttons                                                 The Pussycat Dolls 21. My Love (The Christian Bale Experience)                 Sweet Tired Kitten

Disc Seven(Chaotic/Static Cling Enterprises) 1.  Let's Hear It For Love                                       Smoking Popes 2.  She Hates Me                                                Puddle of Mudd 3.  In and Out of My Life (In a Day)                              The Pandoras 4.  Cry of the Wild Goose                                        Frankie Laine 5.  Way Away                                                        Yellowcard 6.  Blue Monday                                                      New Order 7.  Kerosene                                                   Miranda Lambert 8.  Don't Shed a Tear                                             Paul Carrack 9.  Ghost of Love                                              The Proclaimers 10. I Write Sins Not Tragedies                              Panic at the Disco 11. Smile                                                           Lily Allen 12. Goodbye Says It All                                              BlackHawk 13. Careless Memories                                              Duran Duran 14. Nowhere Girl                                                       B-Movie 15. Hard to Be a Husband, Hard to Be a Wife      Chely Wright and Brad Paisley 16. Not About Love                                                 Fiona Apple 17. Take Out the Trash                                    They Might Be Giants 18. U + Ur Hand                                                           Pink 19. Good News                                               Neurotic Outsiders 20. Love You                                                       Jack Ingram 21. Time for Me to Fly                                          REO Speedwagon 22. What Is This Thing Called Love?                             John Barrowman

Disc Eight(Aberration, Inc.) 1.  Stripped, Part 2                                        Christina Aguilera 2.  Girls Lie, Too                                                 Terri Clark 3.  What Goes Around Comes Around                            Justin Timberlake 4.  Believe                                                               Cher 5.  Subtract One Love (Multiply the Heartaches)                           Cake 6.  Knock 'Em Out                                                   Lily Allen 7.  All That She Wants                                             Ace of Base 8.  You Don't Love Me                                                The Kooks 9.  You're So Damn Hot                                                   OK Go 10. Billie Jean                                                Michael Jackson 11. Losin' You                                                      Amy Millan 12. Oh, Goddamnit                                                 Hot Hot Heat 13. You Oughta Know                                          Alanis Morissette 14. You Don't Own Me                                          The Blow Monkeys 15. Girls                                                         Beastie Boys 16. Next Ex-Girlfriend                                        Bowling for Soup 17. Never There                                                           Cake 18. You Are Everything                                            The Low Life

Disc Nine(Chaotic/Static Cling Enterprises) 1.  Love Potion No. 9                                            The Searchers 2.  My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)                             En Vogue 3.  Liberty                                                        Duran Duran 4.  Da Da Da I Don't Love You You Don't Love Me Aha Aha Aha               Trio 5.  Hole in My Head                                               Dixie Chicks 6.  Your Woman                                                      White Town 7.  Murderess                                                    Power Station 8.  Good as Gone                                               Little Big Town 9.  One Night in Bangkok                                           Murray Head 10. Endicott                                         Kid Creole & the Coconuts 11. Kiss You Off                                               Scissor Sisters 12. I'll Take You Back                                            Brad Paisley 13. New Toy                                                        Lene Lovich 14. Every Word Means No                                           Let's Active 15. Broke in Two                                          They Might Be Giants 16. My Friends                            Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter 17. He Can't Quit Her                                               Gary Allan 18. When You're in Love                                        The Proclaimers 19. Don't Think You'll Be Missed            Aileen Stanley with the Virginians 20. Why Say Anything Nice?                                    Barenaked Ladies

Disc Ten(Aberration, Inc.) 1.  Don't Trust Me                                                       3OH!3 2.  Atari                                                 Lucky Boys Confusion 3.  Get Over It                                                          OK Go 4.  So What                                                               Pink 5.  Have I Been a Fool                                             Jack Penate 6.  Flavor of the Weak                                          American Hi-Fi 7.  There's a Fine, Fine Line                              Stephanie D'Abrazzo 8.  99 Problems                                                          Jay-Z 9.  Don't Want You Back                                        Backstreet Boys 10. You Turn the Screws                                                   Cake 11. Breakin' Up                                                     Rilo Kiley 12. More Boys I Meet                                          Carrie Underwood 13. They'll Need a Crane                                  They Might Be Giants 14. Should've Said No                                             Taylor Swift 15. Hound Dog                                                    Elvis Presley 16. Take Me or Leave Me                                                   Rent 17. Your Kisses are Wasted on Me                                  The Pipettes 18. Just a Girl                                                       No Doubt 19. Bust Your Windows                                         Jazmine Sullivan 20. Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)                           Beyonce Knowles 21. There You Go                                                          Pink

Disc Eleven(Chaotic/Static Cling Enterprises) 1.  I Hate Myself for Loving You                     Joan Jett 2.  Her Royal Majesty                                             James Darren 3.  What If I'm Right?                                              Sandi Thom 4.  I Hear You Knockin'                                            Fats Domino 5.  Go Your Own Way                                              Fleetwood Mac 6.  He'll Have to Stay                                            Jeanne Black 7.  Du Hast                                                          Rammstein 8.  Ampersand                                                    Amanda Palmer 9.  Another Girl                                                   The Beatles 10. Can't Do It Today                                               Gary Allan 11. No Scrubs                                                              TLC 12. Cold Cold Heart                                               Tony Bennett 13. Gunpowder and Lead                                         Miranda Lambert 14. True Romance                                             She Wants Revenge 15. Brand New Lover                                              Dead or Alive 16. Ex-Girlfriend                                                     No Doubt 17. Nothing Suits Me Like a Suit                    Neil Patrick Harris, et al 18. Don't Say You Love Me                                              Erasure 19. Red Rubber Ball                                                     Cyrkle 20. Strange                                                      Reba McEntire 21. Mr. Spock                                                      Nerf Herder 22. See You Later Alligator                          Bill Haley and His Comets

Disc Twelve(Aberration, Inc.) 1.  Right as Rain                                                        Adele 2.  She Ain't Got                                               LeToya Luckett 3.  Fly on the Wall                                                Miley Cyrus 4.  Telephone                                          Lady Gaga feat. Beyoncé 5.  Love Drunk                                                 Boys Like Girls 6.  Bye Bye                                                      JoDee Messina 7.  Analysis of a 1970s Divorce                                  David Dondero 8.  I'm Not Crying                                     Flight of the Conchords 9.  Every Breath You Take                                               Police 10. You Owe Me an IOU                                             Hot Hot Heat 11. It's Over                                     John Legend feat. Kanye West 12. Mood Ring                                                        Relient K 13. Picture to Burn                                               Taylor Swift 14. Gives You Hell                                        All American Rejects 15. Hit Em Up Style                                               Blu Cantrell 16. Beautiful Girls                                              Sean Kingston 17. It's Oh So Quiet                                                     Bjork 18. Pastures                                                      Lil' Justice

Disc Thirteen(Chaotic/Static Cling Enterprises) 1.  Fox on the Run                                             Sweet 2.  Angel in Your Arms                                          Hot 3.  Say It Right                                                 Nelly Furtado 4.  Gimme Three Steps                                           Lynyrd Skynyrd 5.  Heartbreaker                                                   Pat Benatar 6.  Don't Bet Money, Honey                                       Linda Scott 7.  Two Out of Three Ain't Bad                                        Meatloaf 8.  Too Many Fish in the Sea                                   The Marvelettes 9.  Pet Name                                              They Might Be Giants 10. Cold as Ice                                                 Foreigner 11. Jezebel                                                      Frankie Laine 12. Dark Lady                                                             Cher 13. (She's So) Selfish                                               The Knack 14. Evil Woman                              Electric Light Orchestra 15. Lipstick on Your Collar                                     Connie Francis 16. Stereo                                                         John Legend 17. Too Fast                                                    James Marsters 18. I Don't Wanna Go on with You Like That                          Elton John 19. It's My Life                                                     Talk Talk 20. Cold Hearted                                                   Paula Abdul

Disc Fourteen: Suck It, Marshall(Chaotic/Static Cling Enterprises) 1.  Told You So                                               Barenaked Ladies 2.  The Sign                                                       Ace of Base 3.  Bulletproof                                                        La Roux 4.  Victim of Love                                                     Erasure 5.  I'll Never Fall in Love Again             Kristin Chenoweth and Sean Hayes 6.  Are You Fucking Kidding Me?                             Kate Miller-Heidke 7.  Leeds United       Amanda Palmer and the Born Again Horny Men of Edinburgh 8.  Bringin' Me Down                                               Andy Taylor 9.  Alejandro                                                        Lady Gaga 10. Go Where You Wanna Go                              The Mamas and the Papas 11. Hate on Me                                                      Jill Scott 12. Shop Around                               Smokey Robinson and the Miracles 13. Anti-Love Song                                                Raven-Symoné 14. Don't Come Around Here No More                                   Tom Petty 15. King of Anything                                            Sara Bareilles 16. Endgame                                  Tommy Körberg and Barbara Dickson 17. I Am a Rock                                            Simon and Garfunkel 18. Don't Ask Me                                                         OK Go 19. Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now                       Patience and Prudence 20. I Quit                                                             Hepburn 21. The Mixed Tape                                            Jack's Mannequin                                                                

Disc Fourteen-and-a-Half: The Robot Falls in Love                             (Static Cling)                                                                                                                  1.  Rolling in the Deep                             Adele 2.  Rolling in the Deep                                             David Choi 3.  Rolling in the Deep                                            Jodie Aysha 4.  Rolling in the Deep                                           Kina Grannis 5.  Rolling in the Deep                                             David Cook 6.  Rolling in the Deep                                             Wonderland 7.  Rolling in the Deep                               PS22 Chorus feat. Denise 8.  Rolling in the Deep           Adele, Jay-Z, Biggie Smalls, and Voodoo Farm 9.  Rolling in the Deep                                             Tahj Mowry 10. Rolling in the Deep                                           Tim Halperin 11. Rolling in the Deep                                        Melissa Tojones 12. Rolling in the Deep                                            Mike Posner 13. Rolling in the Deep                                             Chris Ning 14. Rolling in the Deep                                         Haley Reinhart 15. Rolling in the Deep                                           Darius Dante 16. Rolling in the Deep                                            John Legend 17. Rolling in the Deep (live on Ellen)                                  Adele

Disc Fifteen(Aberration, Inc.)

1.  Just You Wait                                                 My Fair Lady 2.  You Can Make Him Like You                                  The Hold Steady 3.  Like a Boy                                                           Ciara 4.  Marionette                                                 The Marvelettes 5.  Through with You                                                  Maroon 5 6.  Bye Bye Baby                                                  Janis Joplin 7.  Let It Die                                                    Foo Fighters 8.  Blow It Out                                                       Ludacris 9.  Take It Easy (Love Nothing)                                    Bright Eyes 10. The Line                                                         Skakabobs 11. Fuck You                                                      Cee Lo Green 12. Grenade                                                         Bruno Mars 13. Jar of Hearts                                              Christina Perri 14. Love the Way You Lie                                  Eminem feat. Rihanna 15. Potential Break-Up song                                           Aly & AJ 16. Cooler Than Me                                                 Mike Posner 17. What the Hell                                                Avril Lavigne 18. Tired                                                                Adele 19. My Give a Damn's Busted                                      JoDee Messina 20. Ignorance                                                         Paramore 21. Hot and Cold                                                    Katy Perry

Disc Sixteen(Chaotic/Static Cling Enterprises) 1.  Almost Sorry                               Scissor Sisters 2.  Drama!                                                             Erasure 3.  Stop Draggin' My Heart Around                   Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty 4.  Runaway Baby                                                    Bruno Mars 5.  I Have Learned                                            Barenaked Ladies 6.  All Cried Out Redux                       Jill Scott (feat. Doug E. Fresh) 7.  If Only                               Grey Delisle and Neil Patrick Harris 8.  Nobody's Side                                 Elaine Paige and Murray Head 9.  Human                                                        Charlene Kaye 10. Maneater                                                      Hall & Oates 11. Mr. Big Stuff                                                  Jean Knight 12. Used to Love U                                                 John Legend 13. Bad Medicine                                                   Bon Jovi 14. Treat Me Right                                                 Pat Benatar 15. We'll Sing in the Sunshine                                    Gale Garnett 16. The Last Song                                                 Tim Halperin 17. Bills, Bills, Bills                          Darren Criss and the Warblers 18. Modern Girl                                                  Sheena Easton 19. Chain of Fools                                             Aretha Franklin 20. Dreams Be Dreams                                              Jack Johnson

Disc Seventeen(Chaotic/Static Cling Enterprises) 1.  Dead Memories                                                     Slipknot 2.  Poison                                                        Alice Cooper 3.  Paper Gangsta                                                    Lady Gaga 4.  Maneater                                                     Nelly Furtado 5.  These Boots Are Made for Walkin'                             Nancy Sinatra 6.  50 Ways to Leave Your Lover                                     Paul Simon 7.  Stutter                                                         Joe Walker 8.  Solitaire                                                   Laura Branigan 9.  Runaround Sue                                        Dion and the Beltones 10. Life Goes On                                                  Little Texas 11. Me Party                                       Amy Adams and Eric Jacobsen 12. Coin-Operated Boy                                        The Dresden Dolls 13. Smoochy Smoochy Pukey Pukey                          Harry and the Potters 14. I Know There's Something Going On                                    Frida 15. Evil Ways                                                          Santana 16. Your Cheating Heart                                             Joni James 17. Harden My Heart                                               Quarterflash 18. Rest in Peace                                               James Marsters 19. That'll Be the Day                                          Linda Ronstadt 20. (I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone                                  The Monkees 21. Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye                         Steam

Disc Seventeen-Plus(Static Cling) 1.  Ready to Go (excerpt)                    Nicholas Strauss and Brian Holden 2.  Please Don't Touch Me                                       Megan Mullally 3.  I Want You, But I Don't Need You                                     Momus 4.  The Longest Text Message                                  Childish Gambino 5.  Makin' Whoopie                                               Amanda Palmer 6.  Fuck You/Gonna Get Over You                                    Sara Bareilles 7.  Getting Rid of Britta     Eric Christian Olsen, Chevy Chase, and Tom Wolfe 8.  Geek in the Pink                                                Jason Mraz 9.  Look It Up                                                 Ashton Shepherd 10. Poison                                             Bel Biv DeVoe 11. Used to Love Her                                             Guns N' Roses 12. Irreplaceable                             Beyoncé (feat. Ghostface Killah) 13. How to Write a Love Song                                   Axis of Awesome 14. The Girl Next Door (To Everybody Else)                 George Watsky 15. I'm Tired                                                    Madeline Kahn 16. Jubilation Day                   Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers 17. Making Circles                                              Christian Kane 18. Tyrone                                                         Erykah Badu 19. The Rake's Song                                           The Decemberists 20. The Succubus                                   Isaac Hayes and Trey Parker 21. There Ain't Nothing Like a Dick           Nicholas Strauss and Devin Lytle

Disc Eighteen(Static Cling) 1.  She Runs                                                      Tim Halperin 2.  Boy Toy                                            Tanya and the Hot Girls 3.  Misery                                                            Maroon 5 4.  Grown Man Cry                  Amanda Palmer and the Grand Theft Orchestra 5.  Ooh La La                                                   Counting Crows 6.  The Truth About Love                                                  P!nk 7.  Bones                                                           Gary Allan 8.  Good Girl                                                 Carrie Underwood 9.  I Don't Think She's in Love Anymore                          Charlie Pride 10. I'm Not Your Toy                                                   La Roux 11. Kids                                                      Childish Gambino 12. Lesson in Leavin'                                           Jo Dee Messina 13. Mockingbird                                                     Rob Thomas 14. Say You're Sorry                                            Sara Bareilles 15. Can't Wait to Say No to You                                       TalkFine 16. You Lie                                                     The Band Perry 17. I'll Feel a Whole Let Better                                     The Byrds 18. Turn on the Radio                                            Reba McEntire 19. Bye Bye Baby                                                         OK Go 20. Leave the Pieces                                              The Wreckers

Disc Nineteen(Static Cling) 1.  Rumour Has It                                                        Adele 2.  Woman Up                                                     Charlene Kaye 3.  No Surprise                                                       Daughtry 4.  Nylons in a Rip                                                Nikka Costa 5.  How Am I Doin'?                                             Dierks Bentley 6.  Hermione                                               The Moaning Myrtles 7.  Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me                                      Mac Davis 8.  The Apartment Song                                               Tom Petty 9.  I'm Like a Bird                                              Nelly Furtado 10. At Seventeen                                                     Janis Ian 11. Le Disko                                                    Shiny Toy Guns 12. Strippers                                               Ghost of the Robot 13. You Don't Like Me                                     They Might Be Giants 14. Shame on You                                                   Jerry Minor 15. The More I Learn (The Less I Understand About Love)           Ronna Reeves 16. Bad Blood                                                  Natalie Lungley 17. To Be a Man                                 Brian Holden and Joseph Walker 18. Her Daddy Was a Dalek, Her Mummy Was a Non-Stick Frying Pan  Martin Gordon 19. Men                                                   The Forester Sisters 20. Rashida Jones                                   Prometheus Brown and Bambu 21. All You Really Need Is Love                                   Brad Paisley 22. Alone with You                                                   Jake Owen 23. Wind It Up                                                Barenaked Ladies

Disc Twenty(Static Cling) 1.  You Will See Me                                dan le sac Vs Scroobius Pip 2.  Pumpkin Soup                                                     Kate Nash 3.  Girls Ain't Nothing but Trouble         The Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff 4.  Sigh No More                              Catherine Tate and David Tennant 5.  Tough Goodbye                                                   Gary Allan 6.  Survivor                                                   Destiny's Child 7.  Trade Mistakes                                          Panic at the Disco 8.  I Don't Wanna Be in Love                                    Good Charlotte 9.  Poison Apple                                                 Charlene Kaye 10. Hey Robin, Jolly Robin                                     Paterson Joseph 11. Sitting, Waiting, Wishing                                     Jack Johnson 12. Blow Me (One Last Kiss)                                               P!nk 13. Better off with Him                                                      A 14. Let Her Rip                                                   Dixie Chicks 15. Don't Think Twice It's All Right                                 Bob Dylan 16. Shut Up                                                    Black Eyed Peas 17. I Hate Everything About You                              Three Day's Grace 18. Eden                                                        Sara Bareilles 19. Amsterdam                                                           Guster 20. Erase Me                                                    Ben Folds Five 21. Good Day                                                 The Dresden Dolls

Disc Twenty.Five: Keep Your Hands off Will You Damn Fancy Cannibal(Static Cling) 1.  Goldberg Variations: Aria                                      Glenn Gould 2.  Sympathy for the Devil                                  The Rolling Stones 3.  Fee Fi Fo                                                  The Cranberries 4.  Civilized Man                  ��                            James Marsters 5.  A Place Called Home                                             Kim Richey 6.  Gravity                                                  The Dresden Dolls 7.  For Reasons Unknown                                            The Killers 8.  A Formidable Marinade              Mikelangelo and the Black Sea Gentlemen 9.  Your Own Worst Enemy                                  They Might Be Giants 10. Temptation                                                            VAST 11. Exterminate, Regenerate                                  Chameleon Circuit 12. Thankless Job                                         Anthony Stewart Head 13. Demons                                                              Guster 14. Let's Kill Tonight                                      Panic at the Disco 15. Crime and Passion                                              Duran Duran 16. Polly                                                              Nirvana 17. Hello, My Treacherous Friends                                        OK Go 18. I Know Things Now                                         Danielle Ferland 19. Monster                                                          Lady Gaga 20. One Tiny Thing                                                        8in8 21. Stand By Me                                                           Mona 22. Vide Cor Meum                                              Patrick Cassidy 23. Hannibal (Censored)                                              oswinlost

Disc Twenty-One: The Oklahoma Legacy OR Musical Anachronism(Static Cling) 1.  Girl in a Country Song                                        Maddie & Tae 2.  Mister Nice Guy                                             Invisible Inc. 3.  You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told) The White Stripes 4.  What You Call Love                                                  Guster 5.  Because It's Not Love (But It's Still a Feeling)              The Pipettes 6.  Upside Down                                               Barenaked Ladies 7.  Lasso                                   Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds 8.  Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)                                 Nico Vega 9.  If Your Kisses Can't Hold the Man That You Love                  Rasputina 10. Epiphany                                                 Chrisette Michele 11. Wishing He Was Dead                                               The Like 12. Stunner                                        dan le sac Vs Scroobius Pip 13. Forgot to Laugh                                            Bridgit Mendler 14. Delayed Devotion                                                     Duffy 15. Switch                                                                 TLC 16. I Love It                                       Icona Pop feat. Charli XCX 17. Leaving You Behind                                            Amanda Blank 18. Love Don't Love You                                               En Vogue 19. Drowning                                                             Banks 20. Building a Wall                                         Brian d'Arcy James 21. Truce                                                    The Dresden Dolls

Disc Twenty-Two(Static Cling) 1.  Dickhead                                                         Kate Nash 2.  Love Is Like a Bottle of Gin                           The Magnetic Fields 3.  Same Old Love                                                 Selena Gomez 4.  Burn                                                          Phillipa Soo 5.  Turn Me Loose                                                     Loverboy 6.  So Long                                                             Guster 7.  Free Fallin'                                                     Tom Petty 8.  Love Sick                                                        Bob Dylan 9.  Look for the Woman                            dan le sac and Scroobius Pip 10. Opposite of Blue                                              Raining Jane 11. Leave                                                     Barenaked Ladies 12. L.A. Devotee                                            Panic at the Disco 13. How to Be a Heartbreaker                           Marina and the Diamonds 14. The Sad Truth                                               Shauna Carrick 15. Here                                                          Alessia Cara 16. Hungover Heart                                                  Gary Allan 17. Cupid's Got a Shotgun                                     Carrie Underwood 18. Ex's & Oh's                                                      Elle King 19. If This Is It                                      Huey Lewis and the News 20. You Rascal You                                             Hanni El Khatib 21. Merry Happy                                                      Kate Nash

Disc Twenty-Three(Static Cling) 1.  Casanova (Your Playing Days Are Over)                         Ruby Andrews 2.  You Finally Said Something Good (When You Said Goodbye)     Teddy Thompson 3.  Allez-vous En                                       Kate & Anna McGarrigle 4.  By the Sea                            Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp 5.  One Night Stand                                               The Pipettes 6.  You Can't Go By That                                              Ricochet 7.  Goodies                                            Ciara feat. Petey Pablo 8.  Neutron Dance                                              Pointer Sisters 9.  Trouble                                                             Avicii 10. Smoke Rings in the Dark                                         Gary Allan 11. So Gone                                                        John Legend 12. You're Easy on the Eyes                                        Terri Clark 13. Better to Leave                                               Jordan Brown 14. Second Chance                                                    Shinedown 15. Ballad of Mr. Steak                                            Kishi Bashi 16. Hunter's Kiss                                                    Rasputina 17. The Jeep Song                                            The Dresden Dolls 18. My First Stalker                                                    Watsky 19. Parasites                                                       San Fermin 20. End Love                                                             OK Go

Disc Twenty-Four(Static Cling) 1.  Doin' It By Myself                                                  Guster 2.  Me, Myself, and I                                  G-Eazy feat. Bebe Rexha 3.  Duct Tape Heart                                           Barenaked Ladies 4.  Instant Pleasure                                          Rufus Wainwright 5.  Please Don't Tell Her                                           Jason Mraz 6.  Mr. Know It All                                             Kelly Clarkson 7.  Set Me Free                                                    Leela James 8.  Turning Tables                                                       Adele 9.  Hard Hearted Hannah                                             Bea Arthur 10. Here I Go Again                                                 Whitesnake 11. 455 Rocket                                                     Kathy Matea 12. She Had the World                                      Panic! at the Disco 13. Heartbeat                                                 Childish Gambino 14. Your Love Is a Lie                                             Simple Plan 15. Flake                                                         Jack Johnson 16. Little Rock                                                  Reba McEntire 17. Four Little Diamonds                              Electric Light Orchestra 18. What Makes You Cry                                         The Proclaimers 19. The Fog                                                          Overcoats 20. Sorry                                                              Beyonce 21. Motherfucker Got Fucked Up                                        Folk Uke

Disc Twenty-Five(Static Cling) 1.  Welcome to Hell    Saoirse Ronan, Cecliy Strong, Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant 2.  A Kiss Is Not a Contract                            Flight of the Conchords 3.  Leave Me Alone                                                The Veronicas 4.  Simple Machine                                                       Guster 5.  I'm Moving On                                                Chyvonne Scott 6.  Daddy Lessons                                                       Beyonce 7.  As the Crow Flies                                                Gary Allan 8.  Five Minutes                                   dan le sac vs. Scroobius Pip 9.  Love Will Tear Us Apart                                        Joy Division 10. Now I Know                                                       Lari White 11. That's My Girl                                                Fifth Harmony 12. Bling Bling                                                     Junglepussy 13. Bye Bye Bye                                                          *NSync 14. It Was a Shit Show                                          Santino Fontana 15. Paper Mache (Single A.F.)                                        Miss Eaves 16. Daria                                                                  Cake 17. Sleeping Beauty                                            Helen Trevillion 18. Justice for Lavender                                         Shauna Carrick 19. Philosopher                                                      San Fermin 20. No Means No (But So Do Other Things, Too!)                  Grumpy Princess 21. Flirtin'                                                             El Pus 22. Pink Lemonade                                    Watsky with Invisible Inc. 23. Stake a Claim                                  dan le sac vs. Scroobius Pip

[jflashandclash]

The Fall of the Sun: Traitors of Olympus

Six: Alabaster

A Sunny Promenade Where Everyone Wants to Kill Me

             When Alabaster left Cabin Eleven, his cheeks felt like they were on fire. The jeering from the Hermes occupants shouldn’t have bothered him so much—they were children that likely didn’t know that allegations of cooties actually meant that one had a parasitic bug infestation. Something else must have been unsettling him, and, in this particular case, beyond the fact that he was in Camp Half-Blood and NOT destroying the son of Poseidon, he suspected it was his attachment to Kally.

           Everyone close to him warned him that he was reckless: his mother, Axel, Luke, and Claymore.

           But, suffering from a severe infatuation after two real encounters? And acting on that infatuation? Eros and Aphrodite might as well come out of hiding to bow for applause. He did not like being their puppet and letting them distract him from what he should have been focusing on.

           His heartbeat thudded inside his head, his lips tingled, and he could still smell Kally’s scent beneath the sweat and blood: a shampoo or soap with mint and eucalyptus undertones. He could perfectly visualize the hope and excitement on her face when she spoke of a third camp, one not Roman or Greek.

           Maybe it wasn’t just Aphrodite and Eros.

           He didn’t have time to think about that right now, or whether or not one could love without the influence of those gods. He and Axel had discussed it before. Both of them liked to think someone could still fall in love without godly meddling, but that could have been their stubbornness clinging to independence from the gods.

           Alabaster felt a little nauseous to think that Axel had probably been referencing his love for the praetor during those conversations. Had he really been interested in her for that long?

           Alabaster didn’t have time for this. He should have been focusing on his transit in enemy territory.

           Most campers didn’t pay him heed. They seemed to think he was a mysterious Roman unit. The daughter of Ares and Rodriguez had gained more control over the camp. The Greek chaos had become more organized.

           As Alabaster walked past the other cabins, readily identifying to which god they belonged, he heard the chatter of units scurrying by,            

           “—counselor meeting outside the boundary—“

           “—true about Percy? Is he really—”

           “—Jason can barely walk. Anyone hear what happened to h—”

           Another set of campers, this one equipped with medical kits, a stretcher, and stethoscopes—likely Kally’s siblings—raced past.

           “—five dead campers. Each from a different cabin.”

           “It’s like someone systematically—”

           “—ghosts did some serious damage to the Roman—”

           “—Chiron still not up—”

           He stopped outside the cabin with the eerie glow of green torches: Cabin Twenty. There were spells inscribed on each stone, although half of it was gibberish that Alabaster readily identified as Minoan, likely written by Lou Ellen. One of the stones read something like, They think I’ll turn people into a tree, but really I explode glitter. The black tome-like doors were enormous and took up most of the façade.

           Originally, Alabaster had planned to map this out, so he could return from the Big House and restock here.

           Staring at Hecate’s cabin, he felt himself tremble in rage.

           He couldn’t go inside.

           As part of the deal to pardon Hecate for her involvement in the Titan’s War, Alabaster had been banned from Camp Half-Blood and from “polluting” the minds of his siblings. If he went inside, he’d have to accept that it would only ever be once and only because the barrier was down. He’d have to accept what few siblings he had left had been tricked into worshipping the corruption of Olympus.

           Although he told himself it didn’t bother him, that he didn’t care how a group of Olympic-lovers would live, that he had no business seeing how his siblings thrived, Alabaster learned he wasn’t as indifferent as he had hoped. He didn’t want to see what he could never have again.[1]

           Alabaster shook his head, writing the weakness off as exhaustion. He reached into his pocket to withdraw a Reese’s Stick that he’d swiped from Pax. The wrapper crinkled as he tossed the candy into the torch fire. This was a measly sacrifice. He’d have rather given Percy’s head, but this would have to do.

           While the green flames wicked around the bars, crackling into sickly, black smoke, he prayed, Mother, Morpheus, please grant the Pax brothers peace and distraction in their slumber. You owe them that at least. And… Alabaster bit his lip. And, please grant this to Kalypso Kassand, the daughter of Apollo.

           The dark tendrils twisted into the face of a winking man before being dusted by the breeze. At least Alabaster knew Morpheus heard him.  

           “I think I modeled if off of your laboratory,” someone said beside him.

           Alabaster caught a girl’s hand in mid-reach towards his nose. Although she hadn’t started the incantation, Alabaster could feel the Mist build up for something like a limb removal.

           When he glared at her, that piercing headache returned.

           Lou Ellen mimicked his wince of pain. Those brilliant green eyes, the same shade as his, twinkled playfully and painfully as he shoved her hand away.

           Alarm sank Alabaster’s stomach when he couldn’t remember what she had just said. Something about this cabin’s construction? From the blank stare of her pale face, she had a similar absentmindedness. Or she was an idiot. But, their previous team up and Alabaster’s instinct told him that Lou Ellen was no one to underestimate.

           “I was hoping you could restock me once I get back from the Big House, so I can defend myself when other stray gods decide to attack me.” Which, he figured, would happen to him statistically more often than the average demigod-to-god conflict. “Before I approach the main building, what defenses should I be aware of or what traps might I trigger?”

           If nothing else, at least this trip would be excellent for collecting intel on Camp Half-Blood’s defenses.

           “Um, this is a camp for teenagers,” she said, like his question was unwarranted.

           “Yes, and Guantanamo Bay is a playground for adults.”

           Lou Ellen took a step towards the Big House and grabbed his arm, like he was escorting her down a street in Victorian England and she’d be helpless in the case she was attacked without her older brother. Something about Lou Ellen screamed that she would want some poor idiot to try attacking them in a situation like that.

           He was confused and annoyed by her escort until he saw why: a Roman soldier had met up with Clarisse on her way away from the cabins with several other—Alabaster assumed—counselors. They were talking and the Roman was pointing to him.

           Lou Ellen made him walk faster towards the Big House.

           “I’m not sure they finished building it, but Pax had jumpstarted a project with the Stoll brothers, Matthias, and Jake to make a rapid-rotate ramp that will activate when Chiron’s wheelchair hits it, so as to rocket him into the Big House with uncontrollable speed.”

           “The centaur has a wheel chair?” Alabaster asked skeptically. He vaguely remembered a rumor about this, but had chalked it up to Pax’s nonsense.

           When they approached the Big House, Alabaster was stunned by its lack of grandeur and its rustic simplicity. The four-story country house was painted blue with white accents. In the morning light, the wrap-around porch looked homey and quaint. Not the home to a God of Madness and the trainer of blind killers.

           He could almost see why everyone bought into this trash.

           “When he’s not a centaur. I mean, why would a centaur need a chair?” she asked as they walked past the dangling dryad wind chimes. “The stairs you’re looking for are past the parlor and down the hall. I might have overheard Chris and known the area to be a prime territory for casting spells to curse the Demeter Cabin.”

           She released his arm at the door, near an outside table set for a card game. Once again, he had to bat her hand away from removing his. Somehow, he knew she’d try limb removal every chance she got.

           “Thank you,” he said. Although he’d fought beside this Greek, she didn’t owe him anything. Even if they did somehow know each other from the past, he was still surprised that she treated him more like an equal and a friend than a former enemy.

           She laughed sadly. “I mean, you’re a stiff, but you’re still my brother. And there aren’t a lot of children of Hecate left.” She glanced at one of the dryad wind chimes as it rotated into something else. “I feel like there were once a lot more…”

           “There were.” Alabaster preferred not to think about how popular his mother was with mortals and other creatures. And he didn’t want to think about what happened to his other siblings.

           Lou Ellen shook her head, her black hair shuddering. Her smile brightened and Alabaster couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d be great friends with Pax. “I need to go check on Miranda again and mess with her while she’s out. We can’t have everyone acting too serious right now. But uh, make sure Axel is okay. I think…” She rubbed her forehead, grimacing. “I… I think I used to have a thing for him.”

           Alabaster snorted out a laugh. “You and every other girl or monster at Camp Othrys.”

           They laughed. A wave of nostalgic irritation hit Alabaster and he could distinctly remember removing a much younger Lou Ellen’s tongue so she’d stop gushing about his older friend, only to have her post Axel’s band pictures all over Alabaster’s laboratory.

           Pain shot through his temple.

           Both of them cried out.

           “We have got to clear this up with Mom,” he said.

           “Yea,” she agreed. “Well, until then. Don’t die in there!” She waved him off and stepped off the porch.

           “Don’t die out here,” he said, another wave of nostalgia hitting him.

           When Alabaster stepped inside, he found the interior similar to the exterior—charming and old-fashioned. There was a fireplace and another table set up. Grape vines ran along the walls, reminding Alabaster that Dionysus normally lived here.

           A sense of pervasive unwelcome screamed at him to leave.

           Alabaster would have liked to breeze through the room after a brief, defensive sweep, but he saw two people in the corner that made him pause.

           Well, a centaur and a person.

           The centaur lay on the ground. An empty glass sat upright beside him near a stain in the carpet. There was a Party Ponies blanket covering most of his horse-half and part of his button-down shirt. A pillow was shoved under his thinning, brown hair.

           Beside the centaur, crouched ready for an attack, was a curly-haired blond demigod with narrowed violet eyes. For an instant, Alabaster thought the demigod was Dionysus himself, but knew he was mistaken by the way the boy’s hands trembled around a xiphos sword.

           “Prometheus told me that you’d come,” said the demigod, “After he put the monster in the basement.”

           That monster. Axel must have still been wearing his Leonis Caput helm. Alabaster refused to believe this could be an ambush set up by Prometheus. There would be no point in saving the Pax brothers in the first place if he wanted to end the Triple A Chimera later.

           “He also wanted me to tell you that it would be unwise to attack us,” he finished.

           Us.

           Alabaster glanced down at the centaur. Killing Chiron would be easy right now, the trainer of Percy and a line of other Olympic henchmen.  As an ease on his consciousness, Alabaster wouldn’t even have to kill this demigod. Somewhere on him, he must have had a disarming rune left.

           That was why Prometheus left the message. The gods would just replace Chiron. Their tyranny would continue. And Alabaster would shatter what fragile peace allowing the Triple A Chimera and their friends at this camp and make everyone more vulnerable to Eris’ next attack.

           Alabaster sighed. “I’m not here to fight.”

           The demigod’s shoulders relaxed. Clearly, he wasn’t either. “We’re going to be taking shifts to watch over Chiron and Argus until they wake up,” he explained, as though to say don’t change your mind. That sword stayed posed for a defense. “You and that monster… you were at the Battle of the Labyrinth, weren’t you?”

           From the age of this demigod, this boy would have been old enough to be part of the battle. Alabaster nodded his head. “Yes. It was a disaster.”

           The demigod nodded down the hallway. “That monster, the one Prometheus brought in…” He swallowed. “He crushed my twin brother’s, Castor’s, head at that battle.”

           Alabaster stared. Everyone knew there were causalities on both sides. But, the emotion was still raw in this boy’s red-rimmed eyes. Alabaster had never spoken to an enemy soldier about it. There was no theology here and no argument over government or godly rule. Just a dead sibling, like the ones that Alabaster lost.

           “I’m sorry for your loss,” Alabaster said.

           They examined one another for a moment longer. Had this boy wanted to, he could have come down the hall and killed Axel to get revenge. From Pax’s description of the situation, Alabaster doubted that Axel would have defended himself, or at least not defended himself well.

           With a sense of unease, Alabaster. continued past the parlor, down the hall. He tried to ignore the feeling of that boy’s eyes. At the end, he found the stairs, and the door behind them, slightly ajar. “Axel? Claymore?” he called to alert them to his presence.

           The reek of smoke stung his nose when he pushed the door completely open. With the daylight and hallway light spilling down the stairs, Alabaster could see the reflective gleam of two golden eyes above the crimson glow of a cigarette. In the corner, amongst the silhouettes of crates, jars, and other storage containers, a pile of imperial armor glistened.

           Claymore stood on the last step, his arms folded, leaning against the banister.

           Each step creaked as Alabaster leveled with him. The air grew chilly.

           “Your friend isn’t exactly the chattiest of company,” Claymore said.

           “Thank you for checking on him.”

           “A lot of good it did,” Claymore said, sounding more pensive than annoyed. Before Alabaster could ask him to, Claymore stepped up the stairs. “I’ll give you two a moment. I’m sure I’ll find the young gentleman by the horse even more uplifting.”

           Once Claymore exited the stairwell, Alabaster sat on the bottom step. Now that his eyes had adjusted to the lack of lighting, he could better see Axel. The older boy sat on the concrete floor and leaned back against a crate labeled Strawberry Preserves—A Divine Delight! His knees were pulled up, so he could rest his elbows on them and dangle his hands between his legs. Everything but his boxers must have been in the corner of the room.[2]  

           All Axel’s injuries from the past twelve hours were on display with a few additions Alabaster didn’t remember. There was the new scar where they said Kouta shot him in the shoulder. Bruise marks covered his chest from Percy’s hosing. Claw marks decorated his arms that—from the angle—Alabaster would have guessed were self-inflicted. In the center of Axel’s chest, above his heart, was a raw gash, one he hadn’t cleaned yet. Alabaster wondered, though doubted, whether or not Pax had given him that in defense.

           Axel’s reflective eyes were distant, rimmed red, and had dark circles. His tufted ears sat in a neutral position. The cigarette pinched between his lips had an inch of untapped ash dangling limply from the end.  

           “Ajax is asleep,” Alabaster said. “I gave him some of my pills. Kally passed out beside him while she was healing his hand.”

           Alabaster continued to update Axel on what little he knew about Percy’s position as King of Saturnalia, the camp’s condition, and the potential counselor meeting.

           The unease Alabaster felt earlier clenched his stomach tightly. Alabaster hadn’t seen this strategist slouch during their time at Camp Othrys, let alone sit in the dark, mostly-naked, nonreactive to any information…

           Until then, Alabaster didn’t realize how emotive Axel was when formulating a plan. Alabaster wished Axel would narrow his golden eyes in thought, twitch his ears at bad news, or clench his jaw. Something.

           After Alabaster finished talking, the ash fell from Axel’s cigarette, feeding a pile between his knees.

           “Thank you,” Axel said softly, “for checking on Ajax.”

           As if there had been any other option for Alabaster.

           Alabaster frowned. “He tends to be hopeless on his own.”

           In all the replays of Alabaster’s nightmares, he hadn’t realistically considered how Axel would react after attacking—or being forced to attack—his little brother.

           For some reason, Alabaster always assumed Axel would be enraged.

           “Euna isn’t with you,” Alabaster said, wanting something to trigger inside Axel, instead of the nothingness in his eyes.

           Axel didn’t even shrug. “I assume she’s still going towards Tartarus with Jack.”

           The ash met the filter on Axel’s cigarette. His lips released, dropped it into the pile, still smoldering. Without looking, Axel reached behind him, to the side of the crate, where there was a box of cigarettes and a lighter. He tapped one out, lifted the thin cylinder to his lips, and reflexively cupped one hand around the end, like there was a breeze that might snuff out the flame. No breeze or movement came but the subtle flick of flame. The basement was still and cold.

           Alabaster had to wonder where he got those at this camp.

           When Axel was done, he set everything behind him and folded his legs pretzel style, ignoring how his calf crushed the still-glowing filter on the ground. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees again. “What was the point? Ajax and I gave three years of our lives, our childhoods, to fighting for Kronos. You gave even more. We watched good soldiers and friends die. Your family. I traded my consciousness to become a symbol of power and fear.”

           His golden eyes flicked to the discarded pile of armor in the corner.

           “Eris was right. Kronos’ army kept us safe from Santiago until we were old enough to confront him—as if we were enough to take him.” He grunted. “But… those gods… those tyrants we fought to dethrone are still there. Powerful enough that they could just… puppet me to brutalize one of the only things that matters in my life.”

           Slowly, Axel’s eyes met Alabaster’s. Again, he asked, with the dull, hopelessness of knowing he wouldn’t get a response, “What was the point?”

           This question had plagued Alabaster since the Battle of Manhattan. He’d sat in Dr. Cenotes’ office, staring at the hideous paintings on the therapist’s walls, wishing any answer would satisfy him. He’d screamed in his mother’s alter room, where she prayed to some mysterious, higher power, wanting an all-powerful deity to grace him with an acceptable answer, or at least verify that his feelings of helplessness and purposelessness were justified.

           At least Lamia’s attempts at his life had kept him busy. As had babysitting a manic, grieving Jack. As had his and Claymore’s research.

           But, confronted with Axel’s hollow gaze, the question extended to more than the war.

           “You’re alive,” Alabaster said. The words and sudden desperation in the pit of his stomach surprised him. “You, Ajax, and I—we’re all alive still. We may not feel like it, but we’re going to have to act like it for Ajax’s sake and our own.”

           He thought about Kally’s hopefulness and her suggestion to make a new camp.

           “We have to make a new home and build a new purpose,” he said, not sure he’d committed to the idea until the words came out.

           Axel gave an empty laugh. “No gods. No kings,” he quoted something the two of them had agreed upon a long time ago.[3] “How long do you think that will last?”

           “It doesn’t matter. There isn’t another option. Giving up isn’t an option. For people like you and I, it never has been and never will be. Breaking us is exactly what the gods want right now.”

           “Look who has become the riling lieutenant,” Axel teased weakly.

           Alabaster was relieved to see Axel’s eyes focus and crinkle with the tiniest hint of pride.

           “Shut up,” Alabaster said, rolling his eyes. He picked up the Leonis Caput helm and held it out to Axel. “Now come on. Let’s take something that symbolized power and fear and turn it into something else.”

           Axel’s bronze skin took on a sickly hue. “I will follow you up those stairs, but I am going to throw up if I try to put that on right now. And I do not want to be wearing a helmet with throw up in it.”

           For an awkward moment, Alabaster paused. He was so accustomed to Axel’s complete self-composure; he had forgotten the older boy would still be in shock. Quickly, he withdrew the helm and latched it onto his belt. He’d never noticed how much heavier the Leonis Caput was than his or Ajax’s helmets.

           After another moment, he gathered Axel’s Nemean Lion cloak. Axel swallowed and strapped back on his pteruges, his Mayan bracers, and his grieves. Alabaster helped him up and the two of them started up the stairs.

           “Where are we going?” Axel asked.

           Logic dictated that they should gather Pax and get into the Paxmobile before the Romans gained full awareness of exactly who they were. However, Alabaster was exhausted and knew there was no way they could get Pax out of here without a fight. Judging from the way Axel trembled as he walked up the stairs, Axel was even in worse shape, especially considering the onset of traumatic stress.

           They needed to do something very important before they could go to a demigod meeting, defend the camp, decide to help attack it, or strategize how to collect Percy’s head.             “We’re going to get you some clothing,” Alabaster said, “So Lou Ellen doesn’t squeal when she sees you with your shirt off.”

           “Excuse me?” Axel asked, clearly baffled as to why his lack of clothing would cause Alabaster’s annoying little sister alarm.

           “And then we’re going to find you somewhere safe to catnap. I didn’t sacrifice one of Pax’s Reese’s Sticks to Morpheus for a solid nap just to hear Pax whine about it being wasted later.”

           Despite their situation, Axel gave a near-genuine laugh. “You’re not letting me get out of that, are you?”

           “Do you want to hear your little brother whine?” Alabaster asked.

           Axel sighed sadly. “I’d be happy to.”            

 Thank you guys for the read! Some of my favorite chapters in this story are Alabaster chapters. What do you guys think? I hope you enjoyed this! Tune in next week for chapter seven: Maari:Diffusing the Aura of Strife and good luck to everyone heading back to school!

Footnotes:

[1] Mel’s Betacomment: “D: why do all your characters need such giant hug piles?”

Jack response: “Because the more I like a character, the worse things I do to them. It’s a societally acceptable version of masochism :D” (Also, she knows I’m WAY nicer to these characters than the ones in my others series XD)

[2] Mel’s Betacomment: “WHY YOU GOTTA MAKE AXEL SOUND HOT RIGHT NOW??? HE SHOULD BE SAD AND MOPEY AND UNATTRACTIVE LIKE PAX AND INSTEAD I'M GOING, WOW THAT'S HOT. WHAT EVEN!!! XDDD”

Jack’s response: I have none. I just needed to share this with the readers XD

[3] Name the reference! Either the philosophical one, or the video game.

[cucinacarmela-blog]

Our Favorite Breakfast Cereals | Serious Eats

New Post has been published on https://cucinacarmela.com/our-favorite-breakfast-cereals-serious-eats/

Our Favorite Breakfast Cereals | Serious Eats

amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "carmela-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "search"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_title = "Shop Related Products"; amzn_assoc_default_search_phrase = "cooking"; amzn_assoc_default_category = "Kitchen"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "51fe4d035c7af8dc5928e6f5e5b79c4e"; amzn_assoc_default_browse_node = "284507"; amzn_assoc_rows = "4"; amzn_assoc_design = "text_links";

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

More

Breakfast

Everything you need to make the most important meal of the day delicious.

There’s nothing inherently child-specific about a bowl of cold toasted grains soaked in milk, yet breakfast cereal seems to be inextricably associated with kids in the American imagination. Sure, it helps that most boxed cereals you’ll finding lining your supermarket aisles today come liberally infused with sugar (quite a turnabout for a food category that started with Seventh-Day Adventist health nuts, who would probably be pretty horrified if they could get a glimpse of the industry today), but there are other reasons.

You could begin, for instance, with the unchallenging flavors of corn and wheat combined with milk, making cereal an easy sell for the harried parents, usually moms, raising fussy eaters, who saw themselves reflected in generations of harried parents raising fussy eaters on TV. There’s the minimal preparation required, obviously, which made cereal the first meal many of us learned to fix for ourselves.

Add to that relentless marketing featuring every kind of kid bait you can think of—bright colors; unshakable jingles; talking animals (and cartoon chefs, and a leprechaun, and a captain of some never-seen navy); the promise of strength and coolness and superpowers; the insider-y nod to your membership in a special club that adults can’t infiltrate; and the lure of sugar sugar sugar—and it’s not hard to see how the cereals that accompanied us throughout our youth became a days-long conversation topic among the Serious Eats staff.

We’ve learned that few childhood cereals are cherished only on their own merits: The rituals that we created for eating them, the manic mascots that charmed us, and the cartoons that we ate them by on Saturdays were just as important. And we’ve learned that you can make nearly 50% of the SE staff happy by sitting them down in front of a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Here are the cereals that we still dream of forming our own secret kids’ club around, even as grown-ups.

Alpha-Bits Cereal

After an unfortunate incident wherein three-year-old Stella was left alone with Rainbow Brite cereal long enough to eat an entire box, my parents tried to steer me away from cereals with artificial coloring. That still left me with a number of excellent options—Pops, Honey Nut Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, et cetera—the best of which was Alpha-Bits Cereal. They taste about like Lucky Charms sans the Styrofoam marshmallow bits, which was fine by me, and I’d like to think my love for a frosted alphabet helped steer me toward the baker/writer life I lead now. A-B-C-Delicious! (This bonus commercial is before my time, but everyone deserves to hear MJ singing about Alpha-Bits, especially in a video that includes The Jackson 5 sitting down for cereal around a $14,000 Eero Saarinen dining room set. Yes, I did the math.) —Stella Parks, pastry wizard

Fruit & Fibre

I knew and loved many a cereal when I was a kid—the candy-sweet nonsense, like Cookie Crisp and Lucky Charms, that my grandmother plied us with when we came for visits, as well as the more quotidian and practical choices of my parents, like Kix and Life. (Thinking back on it, I’m not even sure they bought Life that often, which speaks to its outsize importance in my mind. Life gets soggy faster than almost anything else, and it’s still the best damn cereal on the planet.) I was even #blessed enough to be able to enjoy a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch fairly regularly in front of Muppet Babies.

But my most steadfast breakfast companion, probably starting when I was about eight and continuing into my teenage years, was Fruit & Fibre (now apparently styled “Fruit ‘n Fibre”). Yep, I latched on to a sensible mixture of wheat flakes, nuts, and dried fruit, named after a dietary necessity and marketed at retirees, and I suppose Mom and Dad were only too happy to oblige this particular whimsy.

Fruit & Fibre was known in the ’80s and ’90s for the tagline “Tastes so good, you forget the fiber!”—which, again, doesn’t scream “youthful image”—and a series of commercials that poked self-deprecating fun at the inexplicably British spelling, in which one character would insist that the correct pronunciation was “fruit and fee-bray.” I don’t specifically remember this one, starring Tim Conway, but it’s representative and charmingly laid-back. I have been a very old person on the inside for a very long time. —Miranda Kaplan, senior editor

Frosted Flakes

I grew up in a pretty healthy household, and that meant hell no to the sugary cereals. We had a lot of puffed-millet, cardboard-like stuff that tasted like nothing, though I do suppose it was a bit healthier (except when I put a lot of Splenda on it, which, now that I think about it, is totally gross). The only time we ever got sugary cereal was when my dad went grocery shopping, and his all-time favorite is Frosted Flakes. When that bright-blue Kellogg’s box made it onto our cereal shelf, I went totally crazy with it—it was a classic kid-who-never-has-sugar scenario.

Recently I had brunch at MiMi’s Diner in Prospect Heights, where, as a little amuse-bouche, they give you a blissful mixture of colorful sugary cereals in a little bowl—all those classics, like Cap’n Crunch and Fruit Loops. It is such a treat. I guess I can thank all that cardboard of my youth for helping me appreciate it. —Ariel Kanter, marketing director

Cookie Crisp

I still have cereal for breakfast (and sometimes dinner) every day. These days I’m more of a Cheerios or Grape-Nuts eater, but as a kid, I definitely got hooked on the more sugar-oriented cereals, and Cookie Crisp was among the many options I rotated through. A bowl full of tiny chocolate chip cookies. Did I need more of a reason to like it as an eight-year old? Though perhaps the pair of cartoon crooks (including a dog) that served as the brand’s mascot had something to do with it…that “CooooOOOOOkie Crisp” jingle is pretty solid. —Vicky Wasik, visual director

Grape-Nuts

The thing I remember most about my childhood trips to the grocery store is setting up camp in front of the wall of multicolored cereal boxes, wheedling and pleading with my parents as they shook their heads and jabbed their fingers at the panel of nutrition facts.

I mostly blame the ensuing tears on the astonishing effectiveness of cereal commercials—especially the kind that featured greedy adults with Peter Pan syndrome, trying to steal cereal from children who, in this gritty, high-stakes universe, went to great lengths to save their most treasured possession: brightly hued, sugar-saturated breakfast candy. Sweetened cereals, they proclaimed, were a child’s birthright, and if you weren’t getting your fill, it was almost certainly because some grown-up—like, say, your mom or dad—was an evil asshole.

Which is why my favorite breakfast cereal was virtually any breakfast cereal I wasn’t eating. For the most part, our pantry was limited to Cheerios or generic “health” flakes, with rare appearances from Raisin Bran and, on a good day, a box of Honey Nut Cheerios. Within the confines of those prison walls, I found myself with a particular affinity for Grape-Nuts, which would sink into a dense heap beneath my milk and form a gritty cement onto which I could project visions of overflowing bowls of Fruit Loops, Golden Grahams, and Cocoa Pebbles. Now that I’m a marginally health-conscious adult, I genuinely enjoy a bowl of Grape-Nuts. But back in ’93, they drew me in with their masochistic appeal: a meal that captured the true extent of my hardship, deprivation, and suffering. —Niki Achitoff-Gray, executive managing editor

Honey Nut Cheerios

I’ll happily eat Honey Nut Cheerios at any time of day or night, for any meal. They make an excellent appetizer, salad, entrée, or dessert; each little O possesses the perfect balance of sweet and savory (but mostly sweet). And, of course, as a kid growing up in a mostly sugar-free household in Berkeley, California, I could never eat them at home, which meant I searched frantically through cupboards and drawers whenever I was at a friend’s house, looking for that big red-and-yellow cardboard box. When I found it, I was in heaven. I still don’t buy them for my own pantry, but if I ever see that signature box tucked behind the grown-up food in a friend’s kitchen, I finish it off. —Elazar Sontag, intern

Corn Pops

Growing up in New Delhi, India, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, we couldn’t buy cereal, and there weren’t any cereal ads on TV. There was no joy in our house, and no pleasure in our home. I did pine after Corn Pops quite a bit, since I got a taste of some at my American friends’ houses, even though the Pops cut up the inside of my mouth. And, apropos of nothing at all, the guy who played Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad was in a Corn Pops commercial. —Sho Spaeth, features editor

Kashi Heart to Heart

I have a confession to make: I did not eat cereal until I was 15 years old. Not because I was above consuming cleverly marketed sugar bombs for breakfast (because I ate plenty of Eggos), but because I’m lactose-intolerant. This was a time before I could eat my cereal with almond milk, as I do now, so it just wasn’t an option for me. Then, during my sophomore year of high school, I had a very bright idea: dry cereal with raspberries and blackberries. The juiciness of 10 or 12 berries bursting in every two to three bites would surely mimic the milk-and-cookies effect of cereal with milk, right? So I picked out a box of Kashi Heart to Heart cereal in Honey and Oat flavor, and a container each of raspberries and blackberries, and crunched my way through that for the rest of high school. I remember the pieces sometimes being so rough and scratchy that I’d scrape the roof of my mouth on them, but the flavor was good enough, and it allowed me to finally eat my cereal. Now that I’m talking about it, I think I may actually be sparking a craving. But this time, I just might add a splash of almond milk—because I can. —Kristina Bornholtz, social media editor

Golden Grahams and Cinnamon Toast Crunch

Junk foods were rarely an option in my home, and that meant no sugary cereals either. I tasted Lucky Charms only a few times, and that was at a friend’s house after a sleepover. Golden Grahams and Cinnamon Toast Crunch were as sweet as my mom was willing to allow, and those two, to this day, are among my favorites, especially when combined in the same bowl. They go together so well, the nut-and-honey notes of Golden Grahams and the sugar-and-spice in Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and they both create, whether together or alone, some of the most delicious cereal milk in existence. I don’t think I can pick between them, nor should I have to—I was cereal-deprived enough as a kid as it was. (Also, shout-out to Quaker Cracklin’ Oat Bran, which was a decently sweet cereal on regular rotation at my home until health-conscious parents got worried about all the coconut oil in it. My, how times have changed.) —Daniel Gritzer, managing culinary director

…and More Cinnamon Toast Crunch

As a kid I’d spend all week daydreaming about Saturday, when I would wake up at the butt-crack of dawn to get my fill of cartoons and sugar. I was allowed to eat foods repped by colorful characters only on these early weekend mornings—likely because Pop-Tarts and Eggo waffles were the only things that gave my parents a day to sleep in. I wanted to maximize my sugar intake during these precious unsupervised moments, so my breakfast of choice was always Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I mean, it’s so overloaded with cinnamon sugar that the slogan was “The taste you can see.” I still don’t understand how this stuff passes as children’s breakfast food, but I’ll never forget those mornings spent doing lines of cinnamon sugar with Hey, Arnold! in the background. —Sohla El-Waylly, assistant culinary editor

Trix

“Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids!” will forever be ingrained in my brain. I loved that this cereal was so colorful. I’m pretty sure none of the flavors actually differed from one another, but I do remember that at one point the original balls were replaced by actual fruit-shaped pieces, to try to convince you that there was real lemon, grape, lime, raspberry, and blueberry flavor in there. —Vicky Wasik, visual director

Rice Krispies Treats Cereal

A cereal I remember being better in theory than in actuality. I’m assuming this commercial’s UFO references were crafted to piggyback on the paranormal-activity obsession that ran rampant throughout the late ’80s and ’90s, if kids’ television of the era is anything to go by. (See: Goosebumps, The Secret World of Alex Mack, Ghostwriter, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles…okay, that one might be a stretch.) The combo of sugary cereal plus thrills definitely hit the right note for me, and seeing a box of Rice Krispies Treats Cereal in the supermarket incited equal parts excitement and chills-creeping, sensation-laden terror, conjuring up late Saturday mornings glued to the tube over a bowl of (essentially) starchy candy that was “part of a complete breakfast.” Whoever said the ’50s and ’60s represented the golden age of advertising was clearly never a wide-eyed, impressionable child cruising the cereal aisle, visions of RKTC commercials dancing in their head. —Marissa Chen, office manager

Frosted Mini-Wheats

There were many long pit stops on my cereal journey growing up. Earlier on, there were the sweeter, more sugary stops, like Cap’n Crunch, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and Lucky Charms. At summer camp I would add extra sugar to my Frosted Flakes, purposefully stir the cereal so the extra sugar sank all the way down, and eat the sugary milk goop at the bottom of the bowl with the spoon. Later on I became ever-so-slightly healthier with Honey Nut Cheerios, a very long stint on Honey Bunches of Oats (still a favorite), and a brief and shameful period on Raisin Bran. My final destination—and probably my all-time favorite to this day—was Frosted Mini-Wheats. Every bite has exactly the same ratio of ingredients, which I appreciate: just the right amount of fibrous (healthy!) and sugary. The texture is perfect, assuming you have the know-how to let the cereal soak up just the right amount of milk so it’s not dry and crunchy, then eat it quickly before it gets soggy. A seasoned veteran such as I am may even split the bowl into two or three rounds of cereal addition, thus ensuring that no piece gets too saturated before your spoon reaches it. —Tim Aikens, front-end developer

Wheat Chex

I ate more than my fair share of cereal when I was a kid, usually while sprawled out on the living room floor watching reruns of Saved by the Bell or DuckTales. I reserved the more sugary cereals (Cookie Crisp, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cap’n Crunch, and probably some that start with other letters of the alphabet) to be eaten as a dry snack and primarily ate “healthier” cereals, like Wheat Chex, with milk. I was never a big fan of cereal milk, so as I emptied the bowl, I would repeatedly add more and more cereal, until most of the milk had been absorbed. —Paul Cline, developer

amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; amzn_assoc_search_bar_position = "bottom"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "carmela-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "search"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_title = "Shop Related Products"; amzn_assoc_default_search_phrase = "cookware"; amzn_assoc_default_category = "All"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "b45319dac495d29e17b5eff312392025"; Source link

[jmuo-blog]

New Post has been published on https://jmuo.com/our-favorite-breakfast-cereals-serious-eats/

Our Favorite Breakfast Cereals | Serious Eats

amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "fresh17-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "search"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_title = "Shop Related Products"; amzn_assoc_default_search_phrase = "cooking"; amzn_assoc_default_category = "Kitchen"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "51fe4d035c7af8dc5928e6f5e5b79c4e"; amzn_assoc_default_browse_node = "284507"; amzn_assoc_rows = "4"; amzn_assoc_design = "text_links";

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

More

Breakfast

Everything you need to make the most important meal of the day delicious.

There’s nothing inherently child-specific about a bowl of cold toasted grains soaked in milk, yet breakfast cereal seems to be inextricably associated with kids in the American imagination. Sure, it helps that most boxed cereals you’ll finding lining your supermarket aisles today come liberally infused with sugar (quite a turnabout for a food category that started with Seventh-Day Adventist health nuts, who would probably be pretty horrified if they could get a glimpse of the industry today), but there are other reasons.

You could begin, for instance, with the unchallenging flavors of corn and wheat combined with milk, making cereal an easy sell for the harried parents, usually moms, raising fussy eaters, who saw themselves reflected in generations of harried parents raising fussy eaters on TV. There’s the minimal preparation required, obviously, which made cereal the first meal many of us learned to fix for ourselves.

Add to that relentless marketing featuring every kind of kid bait you can think of—bright colors; unshakable jingles; talking animals (and cartoon chefs, and a leprechaun, and a captain of some never-seen navy); the promise of strength and coolness and superpowers; the insider-y nod to your membership in a special club that adults can’t infiltrate; and the lure of sugar sugar sugar—and it’s not hard to see how the cereals that accompanied us throughout our youth became a days-long conversation topic among the Serious Eats staff.

We’ve learned that few childhood cereals are cherished only on their own merits: The rituals that we created for eating them, the manic mascots that charmed us, and the cartoons that we ate them by on Saturdays were just as important. And we’ve learned that you can make nearly 50% of the SE staff happy by sitting them down in front of a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Here are the cereals that we still dream of forming our own secret kids’ club around, even as grown-ups.

Alpha-Bits Cereal

After an unfortunate incident wherein three-year-old Stella was left alone with Rainbow Brite cereal long enough to eat an entire box, my parents tried to steer me away from cereals with artificial coloring. That still left me with a number of excellent options—Pops, Honey Nut Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, et cetera—the best of which was Alpha-Bits Cereal. They taste about like Lucky Charms sans the Styrofoam marshmallow bits, which was fine by me, and I’d like to think my love for a frosted alphabet helped steer me toward the baker/writer life I lead now. A-B-C-Delicious! (This bonus commercial is before my time, but everyone deserves to hear MJ singing about Alpha-Bits, especially in a video that includes The Jackson 5 sitting down for cereal around a $14,000 Eero Saarinen dining room set. Yes, I did the math.) —Stella Parks, pastry wizard

Fruit & Fibre

I knew and loved many a cereal when I was a kid—the candy-sweet nonsense, like Cookie Crisp and Lucky Charms, that my grandmother plied us with when we came for visits, as well as the more quotidian and practical choices of my parents, like Kix and Life. (Thinking back on it, I’m not even sure they bought Life that often, which speaks to its outsize importance in my mind. Life gets soggy faster than almost anything else, and it’s still the best damn cereal on the planet.) I was even #blessed enough to be able to enjoy a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch fairly regularly in front of Muppet Babies.

But my most steadfast breakfast companion, probably starting when I was about eight and continuing into my teenage years, was Fruit & Fibre (now apparently styled “Fruit ‘n Fibre”). Yep, I latched on to a sensible mixture of wheat flakes, nuts, and dried fruit, named after a dietary necessity and marketed at retirees, and I suppose Mom and Dad were only too happy to oblige this particular whimsy.

Fruit & Fibre was known in the ’80s and ’90s for the tagline “Tastes so good, you forget the fiber!”—which, again, doesn’t scream “youthful image”—and a series of commercials that poked self-deprecating fun at the inexplicably British spelling, in which one character would insist that the correct pronunciation was “fruit and fee-bray.” I don’t specifically remember this one, starring Tim Conway, but it’s representative and charmingly laid-back. I have been a very old person on the inside for a very long time. —Miranda Kaplan, senior editor

Frosted Flakes

I grew up in a pretty healthy household, and that meant hell no to the sugary cereals. We had a lot of puffed-millet, cardboard-like stuff that tasted like nothing, though I do suppose it was a bit healthier (except when I put a lot of Splenda on it, which, now that I think about it, is totally gross). The only time we ever got sugary cereal was when my dad went grocery shopping, and his all-time favorite is Frosted Flakes. When that bright-blue Kellogg’s box made it onto our cereal shelf, I went totally crazy with it—it was a classic kid-who-never-has-sugar scenario.

Recently I had brunch at MiMi’s Diner in Prospect Heights, where, as a little amuse-bouche, they give you a blissful mixture of colorful sugary cereals in a little bowl—all those classics, like Cap’n Crunch and Fruit Loops. It is such a treat. I guess I can thank all that cardboard of my youth for helping me appreciate it. —Ariel Kanter, marketing director

Cookie Crisp

I still have cereal for breakfast (and sometimes dinner) every day. These days I’m more of a Cheerios or Grape-Nuts eater, but as a kid, I definitely got hooked on the more sugar-oriented cereals, and Cookie Crisp was among the many options I rotated through. A bowl full of tiny chocolate chip cookies. Did I need more of a reason to like it as an eight-year old? Though perhaps the pair of cartoon crooks (including a dog) that served as the brand’s mascot had something to do with it…that “CooooOOOOOkie Crisp” jingle is pretty solid. —Vicky Wasik, visual director

Grape-Nuts

The thing I remember most about my childhood trips to the grocery store is setting up camp in front of the wall of multicolored cereal boxes, wheedling and pleading with my parents as they shook their heads and jabbed their fingers at the panel of nutrition facts.

I mostly blame the ensuing tears on the astonishing effectiveness of cereal commercials—especially the kind that featured greedy adults with Peter Pan syndrome, trying to steal cereal from children who, in this gritty, high-stakes universe, went to great lengths to save their most treasured possession: brightly hued, sugar-saturated breakfast candy. Sweetened cereals, they proclaimed, were a child’s birthright, and if you weren’t getting your fill, it was almost certainly because some grown-up—like, say, your mom or dad—was an evil asshole.

Which is why my favorite breakfast cereal was virtually any breakfast cereal I wasn’t eating. For the most part, our pantry was limited to Cheerios or generic “health” flakes, with rare appearances from Raisin Bran and, on a good day, a box of Honey Nut Cheerios. Within the confines of those prison walls, I found myself with a particular affinity for Grape-Nuts, which would sink into a dense heap beneath my milk and form a gritty cement onto which I could project visions of overflowing bowls of Fruit Loops, Golden Grahams, and Cocoa Pebbles. Now that I’m a marginally health-conscious adult, I genuinely enjoy a bowl of Grape-Nuts. But back in ’93, they drew me in with their masochistic appeal: a meal that captured the true extent of my hardship, deprivation, and suffering. —Niki Achitoff-Gray, executive managing editor

Honey Nut Cheerios

I’ll happily eat Honey Nut Cheerios at any time of day or night, for any meal. They make an excellent appetizer, salad, entrée, or dessert; each little O possesses the perfect balance of sweet and savory (but mostly sweet). And, of course, as a kid growing up in a mostly sugar-free household in Berkeley, California, I could never eat them at home, which meant I searched frantically through cupboards and drawers whenever I was at a friend’s house, looking for that big red-and-yellow cardboard box. When I found it, I was in heaven. I still don’t buy them for my own pantry, but if I ever see that signature box tucked behind the grown-up food in a friend’s kitchen, I finish it off. —Elazar Sontag, intern

Corn Pops

Growing up in New Delhi, India, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, we couldn’t buy cereal, and there weren’t any cereal ads on TV. There was no joy in our house, and no pleasure in our home. I did pine after Corn Pops quite a bit, since I got a taste of some at my American friends’ houses, even though the Pops cut up the inside of my mouth. And, apropos of nothing at all, the guy who played Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad was in a Corn Pops commercial. —Sho Spaeth, features editor

Kashi Heart to Heart

I have a confession to make: I did not eat cereal until I was 15 years old. Not because I was above consuming cleverly marketed sugar bombs for breakfast (because I ate plenty of Eggos), but because I’m lactose-intolerant. This was a time before I could eat my cereal with almond milk, as I do now, so it just wasn’t an option for me. Then, during my sophomore year of high school, I had a very bright idea: dry cereal with raspberries and blackberries. The juiciness of 10 or 12 berries bursting in every two to three bites would surely mimic the milk-and-cookies effect of cereal with milk, right? So I picked out a box of Kashi Heart to Heart cereal in Honey and Oat flavor, and a container each of raspberries and blackberries, and crunched my way through that for the rest of high school. I remember the pieces sometimes being so rough and scratchy that I’d scrape the roof of my mouth on them, but the flavor was good enough, and it allowed me to finally eat my cereal. Now that I’m talking about it, I think I may actually be sparking a craving. But this time, I just might add a splash of almond milk—because I can. —Kristina Bornholtz, social media editor

Golden Grahams and Cinnamon Toast Crunch

Junk foods were rarely an option in my home, and that meant no sugary cereals either. I tasted Lucky Charms only a few times, and that was at a friend’s house after a sleepover. Golden Grahams and Cinnamon Toast Crunch were as sweet as my mom was willing to allow, and those two, to this day, are among my favorites, especially when combined in the same bowl. They go together so well, the nut-and-honey notes of Golden Grahams and the sugar-and-spice in Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and they both create, whether together or alone, some of the most delicious cereal milk in existence. I don’t think I can pick between them, nor should I have to—I was cereal-deprived enough as a kid as it was. (Also, shout-out to Quaker Cracklin’ Oat Bran, which was a decently sweet cereal on regular rotation at my home until health-conscious parents got worried about all the coconut oil in it. My, how times have changed.) —Daniel Gritzer, managing culinary director

…and More Cinnamon Toast Crunch

As a kid I’d spend all week daydreaming about Saturday, when I would wake up at the butt-crack of dawn to get my fill of cartoons and sugar. I was allowed to eat foods repped by colorful characters only on these early weekend mornings—likely because Pop-Tarts and Eggo waffles were the only things that gave my parents a day to sleep in. I wanted to maximize my sugar intake during these precious unsupervised moments, so my breakfast of choice was always Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I mean, it’s so overloaded with cinnamon sugar that the slogan was “The taste you can see.” I still don’t understand how this stuff passes as children’s breakfast food, but I’ll never forget those mornings spent doing lines of cinnamon sugar with Hey, Arnold! in the background. —Sohla El-Waylly, assistant culinary editor

Trix

“Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids!” will forever be ingrained in my brain. I loved that this cereal was so colorful. I’m pretty sure none of the flavors actually differed from one another, but I do remember that at one point the original balls were replaced by actual fruit-shaped pieces, to try to convince you that there was real lemon, grape, lime, raspberry, and blueberry flavor in there. —Vicky Wasik, visual director

Rice Krispies Treats Cereal

A cereal I remember being better in theory than in actuality. I’m assuming this commercial’s UFO references were crafted to piggyback on the paranormal-activity obsession that ran rampant throughout the late ’80s and ’90s, if kids’ television of the era is anything to go by. (See: Goosebumps, The Secret World of Alex Mack, Ghostwriter, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles…okay, that one might be a stretch.) The combo of sugary cereal plus thrills definitely hit the right note for me, and seeing a box of Rice Krispies Treats Cereal in the supermarket incited equal parts excitement and chills-creeping, sensation-laden terror, conjuring up late Saturday mornings glued to the tube over a bowl of (essentially) starchy candy that was “part of a complete breakfast.” Whoever said the ’50s and ’60s represented the golden age of advertising was clearly never a wide-eyed, impressionable child cruising the cereal aisle, visions of RKTC commercials dancing in their head. —Marissa Chen, office manager

Frosted Mini-Wheats

There were many long pit stops on my cereal journey growing up. Earlier on, there were the sweeter, more sugary stops, like Cap’n Crunch, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and Lucky Charms. At summer camp I would add extra sugar to my Frosted Flakes, purposefully stir the cereal so the extra sugar sank all the way down, and eat the sugary milk goop at the bottom of the bowl with the spoon. Later on I became ever-so-slightly healthier with Honey Nut Cheerios, a very long stint on Honey Bunches of Oats (still a favorite), and a brief and shameful period on Raisin Bran. My final destination—and probably my all-time favorite to this day—was Frosted Mini-Wheats. Every bite has exactly the same ratio of ingredients, which I appreciate: just the right amount of fibrous (healthy!) and sugary. The texture is perfect, assuming you have the know-how to let the cereal soak up just the right amount of milk so it’s not dry and crunchy, then eat it quickly before it gets soggy. A seasoned veteran such as I am may even split the bowl into two or three rounds of cereal addition, thus ensuring that no piece gets too saturated before your spoon reaches it. —Tim Aikens, front-end developer

Wheat Chex

I ate more than my fair share of cereal when I was a kid, usually while sprawled out on the living room floor watching reruns of Saved by the Bell or DuckTales. I reserved the more sugary cereals (Cookie Crisp, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cap’n Crunch, and probably some that start with other letters of the alphabet) to be eaten as a dry snack and primarily ate “healthier” cereals, like Wheat Chex, with milk. I was never a big fan of cereal milk, so as I emptied the bowl, I would repeatedly add more and more cereal, until most of the milk had been absorbed. —Paul Cline, developer

amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; amzn_assoc_search_bar_position = "bottom"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "fresh17-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "search"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_title = "Shop Related Products"; amzn_assoc_default_search_phrase = "cookware"; amzn_assoc_default_category = "All"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "b45319dac495d29e17b5eff312392025"; Source link

[aurimeanswind]

Autumn—Sunday Chats (10-1-17)

Fall has finally arrived, and boy do video games just not stop.

Podcast Train Stop

I’m curious if anyone else has tun into the issue where their podcast rotation just stops? I’ve basically stopped listening to all my podcasts except for My Brother, My Brother and Me. I am not sure why, but I’ve fallen off of all of the GiantBomb Podcasts, any other video game podcast, except for really The Easy Allies podcast. Of the group, that one that I’ve gotten into the most recently still sticks with me for whatever reason.

Maybe it’s the want to not listen to hours-long podcast recently? Which is odd because I usually binge many podcasts together back to back. I think the most likely answer is that I had fallen behind and then not been able to catch up. 

This is unfortunate though because podcasts are typically my main source of news and now I am getting a little aloof with the gaming news. But I still manage to keep up thanks to the show I help host!

Has this ever happened to any of you? What do you do, try and listen to all the episodes you missed or just jump right back in?

What’s on Tap

Danganronpa V3

This is the big one. Consuming most of my time like Danganronpa is ought to do. 

It’s very good y’all.

Danganronpa has a great talent of building off of its predecessors in completely unorthodox ways, essentially carrying forward concepts but in logical ways so it doesn’t seem like all of the characters are jumping to conclusions based on nothing. It just seems like this different group of people decided to take a wildly different approach. Chunsoft then ties that to the personalities and style of those same characters, and it’s a brilliant mix-mash of those intelligent designs.

These games always play with my expectations and take me by surprise, but boy... this one really is messing with me.

Not only that, they’re using loss in a way that is even more emotional and moving then it has been before, which for me has been a first in the series. I actually got choked up after the first chapter because of how this was done.

These games are so good, and Danganronpa V3 is not a disappointment by any stretch of the imagination.

Destiny 2

Finished the raid this past week, and hopefully soon will be finishing it with my original team.

We’ve run into plenty of trouble, but I know we have it in us to knock it out.

Metroid Samus Returns

Uh, y’all? It’s still so good.

Got to some of the new and added stuff to the game and it was absolutely phenomenal. 

Very tense, very cool, and very, very fun. I love it.

Questions

Remember to look for my tweet with the hashtag #SundayChats in it on Sunday afternoons and reply to it with your question! That’s the way to do it!

Normally I would have asked a question to you all this week, but I’m holding it off until next week.

So, real quick, as I was going through questions, I noticed a ton of SNES-classic related questions, which reminds me I’ve been playing that too! Let me insert that real quick...

SNES Classic

It’s so cute!

This is the one I wanted, I got it, I’m v happy.

So I jumped right into Zelda A Link to the Past and played through the opening, and it’s still wonderful.

It’s fun playing on an OG SNES controller, though I do really like the classic controller form the Wii Era. The original too, not the pro, because you get a little best of both worlds.

The big one I sank the most time into was actually Super Mario RPG. It’s been so long since I played that that it’s basically a whole new game for me. Plus, I was a kid, and had no clue what the hell was happening. It’s been super funny and super fun to really see that game with fresh eyes for the first time ever.

Okay, back to questions.

Yay! I didn’t know this!

I’d say I am at about an 8.5. I really like the Jackbox games, and they’re especially fun to get a new one before ExtraLife, when we have a ton of people watching a stream and also a ton of people in the room. With the streaming improvements from JBPP3, I think this one is gonna be pretty stellar. Curious to see what games are in there. Hopefully a Quiplash 3!

This is a very gross question Tyler, not because of the subject, but because you narrowly refer to a character as a “bubble butt baddie” which, at the end of the day, I don’t even know what that narrows it down to? Like, who qualifies for that?

I dunno, but the one answer that came to mind was Miranda from Mass Effect 2.

Oh man this is a pretty good question. I never really got into Costume Quest, which, I know, is sacrilegious to say, but it’s true. The text speed was too fast? I know, dumb complaint, but I’m a terrible reader, so I couldn’t keep up.

Anyway, I’d like to think I’d either turn into some kind of lame superhero, or just straight up Banjo and Kazooie. I don’t know why, but that’s the first thing that came to my head...

Here’s the deal, there is no correct way to play video games. Full stop. You can take your time and savor something, but you can also rush through something and savor it too. Like, I played Persona 5 at what I considered to be a slow pace, because folks like Nabeshin beat it before me, because I wanted to “savor it”. That being said, I still beat it in 2 and a half weeks, and 103 hours split into two and a half weeks is still a whole lotta hours per week. But neither of us played it “wrong”.

Like, folks that get qualified as “casual” are going to be seen as the ones that play it slower, but it’s likely because they have other things they need to do. Like sleep. And eat. I don’t do these things! At least not regularly! 

On the subject of Destiny 2 specifically, I think it does have minimal post-game content, mainly the Raid, the Nightfall, and Trials of the Nine. Which, like, still seems like more than the original, to be fair? There are hidden exotic quests too, and I have a feeling as we roll into Iron Banner this month, there will still be plenty for folks to do after they’ve finished the game. But ultimately the folks that charged through to 280 in the first weekend knew exactly what they were doing and got themselves into that situation. I just started up my third and final character on Destiny 2, so getting that guy up to 280 is going to be a fun trip for me still.

I dunno, there isn’t a right answer to this i think. But power through games or savor them however you like, because I think you’re the best judge of how fast or how slow you should play a game. Plus, you’ll probably put a different amount of time into a given game depending on how you feel about it, so I get it either way.

Weird. Uneasy. Aroused? Horrified. 

Also, it has taken me the full twenty minutes since I screen grabbed this to now when I am typing this answer to form the line “ready to smash” in my head, and I hate me, and you, and everything.

Pumpkin Spice is trash.

I said it.

I’ll say it again.

Take your trash and get out of here.

November is right around the corner. And you know what that means?

Motherfucking Gingerbread Latte.

Aww yay! Favorite month! A lot of folks love October too because they’re into that cool spooky fog feeling! Which is rad, I am not, personally, but I do like the silly Halloween aesthetic. I just don’t like actual scary stuff. Except the occasional scary video game. 

As for me, December is my favorite month, for similar reasons. It is the beginning of Winter, which is my favorite season (unpopular opinion, I know) and it’s also when Christmas and new years happens, and if we’re lucky, a bit of snowfall. Ideally, it just means I’m getting plenty of my hot cocoa on.

This a great question. and I think it comes down to what kind of game you want to play. Like, Earthbound is quirky, and with Undertale having just hit the PS4, maybe it’s time to get into that. Mario RPG is cool and timing based and funny, and it may be a great trip for folks who haven’t played it, or don’t remember it, like me! Final Fantasy 6 everyone keeps telling me is great but I haven’t been able to get into it. That said, it’s super traditional, so if that’s what you’re in the mood for, it’s calling. Secret of Mana has the edge because it’s an action RPG, so it’s different then all the rest. Knowing you like Tales, I’d start with that, since it may be the most fun! Also, goddamn is the music in that game great. But it is in all of these.

For me it was either Mario RPG so I could finally really truly play it, or Earthbound, which I was a bit too intimidated at the time commitment to jump into first. For you, Brendan? Try out Secret of Mana! And keep what I said about the rest in mind.

Baked Potato is the superior potato, IMHO. I really love just barely slicing open a baked potato, loading it up with cheese and butter, closing it back up, letting the cheese melt all in it, then cutting it open again, mashing it a bit, then eating it nice and chunky style. It’s a pure delight. 

Oh, and I don’t eat the outer skin, but I’ll like rip all the potato I can off the skin, and it’s amazing. I love it.

I just fucking love potatoes though. I’d eat mashed potatoes all day if I could, I just prefer baked potatoes.

Here we go, two lists, back to back. Now since you just said top 10 SNES games I will not limit myself to the SNES classic list, but damn that’s a good one to pull from. In NO PARTICULAR ORDER.

Zelda A Link to the Past

Super Mario World

Secret of Mana

Chrono Trigger

Super Metroid

Super Mario RPG

Mario All Stars Collection

Mega Man X

Final Fantasy 2 (Final Fantasy 4)

Kirby Super Star

I know I’ll get a lot of flack for choosing FF4 over 6, but Sunday Chats readers should know my current situation with FF6. Maybe someday...

Now I do want to say this tweet turned into an N64 hatefest, which I am not a fan of, I love the N64 and the PSone, that era holds something special for me. I understand its issues, and probably in the grand scheme of things, It’s the weakest of the console generations, but there are undeniably great games for those systems.

Now, this list will be tricky, but I’ll give it a shot:

IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER

Super Mario 64

Zelda Ocarina of Time

Zelda Majora’s Mask

Mario Kart 64

Star Fox 64

Pokémon Snap

Yoshi’s Story

Paper Mario 

Super Smash Bros

Bomberman 64

This was actually way easier than I thought it’d be. I even left out a few games that I’d have love to see on there and opted to keep the ones I really like there. I kept to the no Rare rule even for Diddy Kong Racing (better than Mario Kart 64) and DK64, even though those would definitely still make and N64 Classic. 

There are few more to shoutout too, but I’ll keep my list at my 10. Boy, looking at this I’d actually totally be down for one of these.

That’s all I got. I know I am bad at covering all my segments recently, but my life has been a bit of a mess as of late. So I apologize!

But thank you for the amazing questions, I adore you all, and I am gonna go let Danganronpa eat my whole soul now.

Thank you all. From the bottom of my heart. For your support. I’ve been terrible about making things lately and you all have not waned with your patience for me. It means the world. I won’t wast your time for much longer, and hopefully this patience will breed something.

Keep it real.