#leland bloom

[somerandomjewelleryonthefloor]

Chief, imma throw a stapler at your damn face. Get the fuck back into a wheelchair

[playchoicesconfessions]

Sent by anonymous

‘Given how little it was mentioned in book 3, I sometimes wonder if Caroline’s allergy to Leland was a last minute addition to the rewrites’

POST/CONFESSIONS DO NOT REFLECT THE MOD’S PERSONAL OPINIONS!

[headoverheelsforramsey]

Just got polls! 🥳

[coffeeheartaddict2]

Ok it is been awhile since I read book 3 and this passage with Suzette. Is it me or is Bloom creating his own fda???

I started my When Egos Collide series before book 3, and if you had not read yet, spoilers under the cut.

I had Dr Mendoza come over from Kenmore but he declined to be on the team and wanted to work solely in research but a counter offer was made and that is how I had Tobias come onto the team.

I did not think too much at the time, covid Lock downs with small children, pregnancy, child starting kindy and what not but this feels like something I thought up. Very different in some respects but still was his end game his own fda?

And below? Elsa’s husband comes in and says he is reporting for duty? What was PB’s end game with Tobias? I know Bloom likes to use competition to breed excellence but still. Such under utilised plot potential. We remember from the trial that he was never going to throw Ethan under the bus… PB really dropped the ball and now I am scared at how in some ways When Egos collide was similar before book 3 even dropped

[alj4890]

Processing and Developing

(Ethan x F!MC) (Tobias Carrick x F!MC) in a Choices Open Heart one shot.

Taken from Book 3, Ines's wedding reception.

This one's for you, @jerzwriter 😉 I haven't forgotten our need for more Tobias. It's not good, but I finally broke the writer's block, LOL!

Masterlist

A/N I finally wrote something! 🤣 This idea came about last night when replaying Book 3. I always opt to have my MC, Chris, take a photo of just her and Tobias at Ines's wedding reception. Originally, I hoped this scene would open up a romance option with Tobias. Sadly, PB didn't give it to me, LOL, so this is how I wish things had gone down canon wise.

"You look like you could use this."

Chris turned around at the familiar voice. Her eyes darted over how handsome the man before her looked dressed to the nines in his blue suit. Humor lurked in the hazel depths of his eyes as he in turn noticed her taking every inch of him in.

Tobias exaggerated clearing his throat. He held up the two fruity cocktails in his hands and playfully shook one.

Chris smiled in response while reaching for the glass that had cherries and a pineapple spear sitting on the rim.

Tobias lifted it out of her reach.

He clucked his tongue in mock disapproval. "Hold on. You know what you have to do to earn this."

Chris's smile dimmed. She wasn't certain if it was the fact they were guests at Ines's romantic Hawaiian wedding or that her hopeful imagination was getting the better of her again. Something though was different between Tobias and herself. The pair had always bantered back and forth and enjoyed the sharp wit of the other. Somehow along the way, the teasing took on a slight sexual edge.

She couldn't help but think he was attractive. Even when she first deemed him the enemy the year before, she found him incredibly sexy. Now that she was coming to know the type of man he truly was, she knew she was falling hard for Tobias.

She wasn't the only one feeling this way.

Tobias had been playing the long game with Chris. He'd thought her cute the first time he'd seen her at Leland Bloom's home. Going head to head with her and Ethan had been one of more enjoyable aspects of his job. Each time he saw her after that, though she glared at him, made him want to know her even more.

After the attack, her attitude changed towards him. He found himself the recipient of her warm smiles and good natured teasing. Even while fighting for her life, she never lost her sense of humor.

He admired her spirit, her mind, and to no one who knew him's surprise, her body.

The moment he joined Edenbrook's diagnostic team, he was finally able to see if his brief impressions of Chris were accurate. The more time he spent with her, the more he saw why there were a few at Edenbrook with feelings for her. She made it easy to fall head over heels.

Normally, he'd have already made his move. Given their close work relationship and the fact he suspected Ethan and Chris had an interesting past, he held back. When it came to Chris, he didn't want any competition, whether it be a literal person or one of secret pining for said person.

If things were to work out like he thought, he'd want Chris's heart and mind for himself. There would be no other way he could be with her.

It's odd, he thought to himself. Normally I'd be all for having her without any expectations or even caring if she wanted someone else.

But now...

"What do I have to do?" Chris interrupted his thoughts.

A slight blush graced her cheeks from the way he was looking at her.

Tobias pointed towards the photo booth.

One look at his suspicious smile made Chris double over with laughter.

"You found the box of props, didn't you?" She asked between giggles.

"You bet I did." He chuckled. "What do you say we drag Ethan and Harper in there and get a team photo."

"You really think you can get Ethan to don a wig and clown nose?" She asked.

"Nope." He grinned at her. "Even I'm not that persuasive."

"I don't know," she teased. "From my experience, you have quite a way about you."

Her smile grew the longer she looked at him.

"You've already got me agreeing to not only get in that photo booth, but also help you convince our more serious team members to join us."

"Then my charm is finally being used for good." He handed her a cocktail with a wink. "Let's take a dose of liquid courage and make our attack."

*************

"No." Ethan told them. "I prefer to keep my dignity intact."

"Dignity is overrated." Tobias teased.

Harper shook her head over that statement. "I'm all for a team photo, but I would like it to represent us in a more positive, respectful light."

Chris rolled her eyes. "Honestly, I think having such a picture would show our patients we're people too, ones with an excellent sense of humor."

"Our patients don't care about whether or not we have a sense of humor." Ethan argued. "They only want us to make them feel better. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Spoil sports." Tobias muttered. "Well Chris, it's up to me and you to show these two how to have fun."

Harper snorted in amusement. "I'll take my fun with getting another drink."

She waved goodbye on her way to the open bar.

Before he could engage the pair in a conversation, Ethan watched as Tobias grabbed Chris's hand and dragged her into the booth. His brow furrowed when he noticed they'd forgotten to grab props for their fun photo.

Curious about what they were doing behind the closed curtain, he went to watch the line of photos start to appear.

The first photo was of the two of them laughing. The second one had a more normal smile. The third one made him pause. The pair were looking at each other in a way he didn't want to contemplate. In fact, the image showed that Tobias was looking at the young lady beside him as if seeing her for the very first time.

Ethan's feelings for Chris had never died. If anything, they'd gotten stronger over time. He worked hard to keep things professional and continued to keep her at arm's length. It was difficult given how often they were together at work, but he knew it was for the best.

The fourth picture made his heart sink. The two in the booth were closer than before with heads tilted as if they were about to--

"Ethan?"

He spun away from his worst fears developing in the fifth picture. Harper eyed him for a few seconds before moving to see what held his attention.

Her eyes widened over the photograph of Tobias and Chris sharing a passionate kiss.

"Oh!" She exclaimed. "I had no idea they were together."

A muscle spasmed in Ethan's jaw.

"Excuse me." He bit out.

He left the reception with quick strides. The sound of the waves hitting the shore nor the warm breeze blowing did little to calm the emotions roiling within. He wished his curiosity had not gotten the better of him. Tonight could have ended with him simply dreaming about all the things he would have liked to have done with Chris if they'd been a couple.

Ethan briefly closed his eyes. He knew exactly how their night would have gone.

He would have been her date to the wedding. There would have been hints that one day they might like to have a destination wedding like Ines and Angie. They'd have spent the reception basking in the romantic atmosphere. Slow dances would have been shared. Flirting would have led to them slipping away shortly before the cake was cut.

Chris would have teased him that he better make it up to her for missing out on wedding cake. Ethan would have done so with a moon lit walk on the beach followed by retiring to their shared suite. He'd then have spent the entire night making love to her, proving that his heart was fully hers.

Ethan shook himself out of his pointless thoughts. He'd made his choice two years earlier. He could have had everything he wanted if he'd only considered that Chris was different from any other woman he'd known. Now he was left with longing for what might have been.

He eased into the shadows when he heard footsteps combined with Chris's laughter approaching.

"And just where are you taking me, Dr. Carrick?" Chris asked with a flirty lilt to her voice.

"Someplace where we can't be interrupted." Tobias paused to pull her back into his arms.

The two shared a deep kiss.

A moan, Ethan recalled all too well having once in his life caused, slipped out of Chris. That sound was embedded in his mind. He never imagined hearing another man cause it. It hurt worse than he could have imagined, knowing it wasn't because of his own lips touching hers.

"I think I know what's going to happen when we get behind a locked door." She said softly, all teasing gone. "But what happens when the sun rises?"

Ethan winced at the memory of Chris asking him that very question years ago. After a night proving how perfectly they fit together in every single fashion, he responded that they would go back to their lives as if nothing had happened between them.

He couldn't see his former best friend and roommate wanting anything more than a one night stand. Perhaps, Ethan could still hold on to what he longed for most in this world.

Tobias shocked him with his response.

"I will take you out for breakfast." He pressed a tender kiss to her lips. "That way we can talk about our new relationship."

Chris stilled.

"Relationship?" She asked hesitantly.

"I want more than tonight with you." Tobias held her close. "I want you to be mine, no one else's."

Ethan watched Chris's face fill with joy. With a slight gasp, she kissed Tobias with all the love she'd kept for the one who could give her what she wanted.

The new couple hurried into the hotel.

Ethan moved out of the shadows. He couldn't quite wrap his head around all that had occurred within the last hour.

Why didn't I ask Chris to dance earlier? Why didn't I agree to do the asinine picture? Would it have stopped her getting with Tobias?

He knew that Bryce had gone after Chris. Seeing them together hadn't hurt. Bryce was completely different from Ethan. Though they were both doctors, their studies didn't line up. He knew he'd never have Bryce's fun loving swagger. In his eyes, he knew it wasn't a competition between them for Chris's affection.

With Tobias, it was a huge blow to Ethan's ego. The two were too similar. Both were highly intelligent, loved the mystery diagnostics allowed them to pursue, and they had similar temperaments.

"Not anymore." Ethan muttered to himself.

Tobias had changed these last ten years. He still was driven with his love of a good mystery, but he no longer lost his temper as quickly as he once had. There was no need to one-up Ethan over every single thing.

Ethan realized that Tobias had become a man he would actually enjoy being close to again.

How could he now? The man was with the woman he desperately loved.

"There you are!" Harper jogged up the path.

"Looking for me?" Ethan asked.

"I was worried about you." She admitted.

"I'm fine." He replied.

"Ethan." She gently touched his cheek. "It's me. You know you can talk to me. I can see you're upset."

He blinked, stepping away from her.

"I'm not upset." He snapped.

Her eyes narrowed. "I saw you and I saw what happened in that photo booth."

Ethan stiffened after shoving his hands in his pockets. He tried to walk away from someone else confirming his heartache. Harper was having none of it.

She placed a hand on his chest and stepped directly into his path.

"I saw, Ethan." She repeated. "I've seen how you look at Chris. Does she know you're in love with her?"

Ethan averted his eyes. Shaking his head, he heaved a deep sigh.

Harper softened her tone. "Why didn't you tell her?"

"There were many reasons." He muttered. "Though, none of them seem important now."

"You could still tell her." Harper argued. "What we saw was probably nothing more than just two people giving in to the romance of the evening. Tomorrow you can--"

He shook his head, silencing her halfhearted attempt to cheer him up.

"It's too late." He swallowed. "I've uh, I've burned a lot of bridges between me and Chris."

He glanced up at the hotel, wondering which room she was in.

"Someone else came along and gave her what she wanted."

Harper wrapped her arms around him in a comforting hug.

He didn't return it. After a few seconds, he untangled himself from her embrace.

"Ethan? It will get easier."

"Perhaps." He conceded. "For right now, I need to be alone."

He began to walk inside of the hotel. He knew it would be a torturous night in his lonely suite. He anticipated having many miserable nights the next few months since he now possessed front row seats for Chris and Tobias's new relationship. He knew deep down that no matter how much time passed, his heart would never fully heal.

When it came to Chris, it would always hurt.

[connie-taylor]

i want to see ana as the final girl so bad. need to see her absolutely kick the shit out of johnny.

i know that they all die in canon as the game takes place prior to the movie, but i can dream.

pls forgive my writing, it's been a long time since i've really dabbled in writing anything and it's 3:30am so i know there is a ton of errors probably but i needed to get this out!

ur a real one if u peep the taylor swift lyric i included too lmao

"i've got you now, girl."

a moment ago, she was sure she was dead.

terrifingly strong hands had been wrapped around her throat, crushing her airway. she had panicked, her nails scratching desperately at her throat, drawing blood from her attacker. he had laughed loudly, taunting her as her feet kicked against the concrete wall, desperate to find footing. her vision had begun to swim before her eyes, the familiar sting of tears coating her lashes.

ana had let go of johnny's hands in her last moments of consciousness, grabbing blindly at the wall and window ledge behind her. the world had begun to fade to black, and a chill crept slowly across her body. her fingers had grazed something cold - it had stung as she clasped it tight in her hand, but the pain felt miles away. her eyes fluttering shut, she had swung the object as hard as she could in a last second attempt to live. a curse and hiss of pain slipped from johnny's lips, and she felt the brute force on her neck disappear.

ana fell to the floor hard, her knees buckling beneath her as she inhaled raggedly. gasping, the world around her spun, and dizziness threatened to send her fully to the ground. but the sound of johnny to her left sent adrenaline coursing through her. she rose on shaking feet, her vision clearing slowly.

johnny was on the ground in front of her, blood pooling from the side of his neck as his hands tried unsuccessfully to stop the bleeding. he was swearing and grunting in pain, trying to get to his feet when he saw her stand.

she was faster.

ana lunged at him, grabbing the knife he had terrorized her and her friends with for days from the ground beside him before he could properly sit up. she slammed into him, the knife sliding cleanly through his shoulder as he howled in pain. his hands flew from his neck onto her shoulders, trying to shove her back, but she ripped the knife free and swung again. the skin on his hand split open, a violent red crevice marred the calloused skin.

johnny's right hand grasped at the left, gasping in pain as the knife plunged into his forearm once, twice. ana rammed the blade back against his chest once more, the blow knocking the man backward, his head slamming down onto the cold floor of the slaughterhouse with a sickening crack. she didn't stop. her mind was clouded with the acts of cruelty she had seen him inflict on her friends.

the piercing shrieks from julie, bound at the wrists, hung from the basement rafters, as the group helplessly watched johnny circle her like prey, the blade of his knife dragging across her skin slowly.

the enraged curses from danny, spit and blood spewing from him lips as he swung, held up by thick rope tied around his hands as johnny slashed at his arms, his chest, his back.

the pleading whimpers from connie, arms and feet tied behind her back on the floor, as she begged him not to beat her anymore. the sickening thud of his boots meeting her back, her torso, the nauseating snap of her ribs fracturing.

the quiet cries of sonny who tried to keep his fear and pain hidden as he curled up in the corner of the room, arms wrapped tight as he tried to self sooth, blood oozing from a wound on his thigh.

the furious threats leland had spat at johnny the entire time, and the pained sobs as johnny beat him and drove his knife deep into his shoulder.

johnny had hurt her as well. her skin showed the signs of abuse - bruises bloomed across her skin, wounds scabbed over, some still trickling blood, and her entire body ached. despite this, her pain was the furthest thing from her mind. of course, she was angry at him for hurting her, but he had hurt her friends and her sister, and that was more than enough reason to want him dead.

ana straddled his torso and drove the knife downward as quickly as she could, in between his ribs. johnny moaned in pain, blood bubbling out of his mouth as he coughed, staring at the knife in surprise. she threw her arm back and brought the knife down again and again and again. he choked on his own blood. it coated his lips and teeth as he managed a sneer up at her. he looked almost impressed.

he spit to the side, thick red blood splattered onto the floor beside him as he turned his eyes back to her. a wet, raspy chuckle came from him as he watched her raise her blood-soaked arm again.

"sure you wanna go through with this? once you watch someone die, you ain't never the same after that," he mused, coughing again, a rattle of phlegm and blood spewing from his lips. ana's chest clenched tight as his words, a white hot burst of rage flashing before her eyes.

"like you said...family first, asshole!"

coated in dirt and bruises, her face and hair damp with blood (her own? her friends? johnnys?), she knew it had to be this way. her brown eyes were wild with hatred as she shrieked, plunging the knife down one final time. she forced it down into his chest with all the strength she could muster. she was small, but the grief and fury fueled her, and she twisted the knife, putting her entire weight onto the handle, as she raised herself up on her knees. johnny inhaled sharply once, his hands raised as if to pull the knife away before they collapsed at his side. his gutteral sounds stopped with a final, deep exhale. his head lulled to the side, and the life drained from his eyes.

ana watched, her chest rising and falling as she panted, exhausted by the exertion and the pain. she felt something well up deep inside of her when she realized he was gone. she cried out - wasn't this what she wanted, to take the life of the man who lured her sister to her demise, the man who tortured and hurt her friends? she knew that it was, yet her pain remained. her heart was broken, the despair so strong she felt it physically. she didn't know if anyone else was alive, they had been separated after the first few days, and she hadn't seen them since they broke out of the basement at the house - the last she had heard was her friends fighting with the monsters who had held them captive as johnny had chased her from the home.

her stomach lurched as she shakily stood, coughing up bile and stomach acid as she staggered away from johnny's body. she wiped her mouth with the back of her arm, only to feel warmth on her lips. she glanced down at her trembling hands, and her stomach rolled again. her arm was slick with dark blood, and she quickly used the bottom of her shirt to wipe her mouth clean. the nausea remained, but there was nothing left in her to expel. the family had kept them starving and dehydrated, had weakened them in the basement. ana swallowed the lump in her throat as she stepped out of the sliding metal door of the slaughterhouse, into the downpour outside. the rain fell straight down in a heavy torrent, drenching her in seconds. the tear streaks in the blood on her face slowly disappeared as the water washed over her.

numb, her vision blurred with rain and her tears as she stumbled down the concrete steps. as her feet touched the ground, she collapsed into the mud, a sob wrenched from her chest. the dirt around her became tinged red in seconds as the blood ran off of her body. she felt a hot burning deep within her chest, as if she held an inferno inside of her. the reality out here was far too cruel to handle on her own. she felt as though she were dying. her hand clutched at her chest as she sobbed, her head lowered, wet hair obscuring the horrific landscape around her. her lip quivered, and she suddenly felt so small and so alone - this had been all her fault.

it's all your fault, ana.

her mind betrayed her, and the guilt slammed into her as she knelt in the mud, curled up, small, like a wounded animal. maria had already been gone for so long. why hadn't she gone to look for her sooner? why had she held on to any hope of finding her alive, finding her safe, somehow tucked away with a friend she made while taking photos? how stupid she felt. how did she let any of this happen? all she wanted was to find maria, to bring her home and back to the people who loved her.

instead, selfishly, she had led her friends straight into the hands of the devil.

it was as if a dam broke inside her. everything she had held in - for her mother, for herself, for her friends - since maria disappeared was ripped out of her. the reality came crashing down as she struggled to inhale, only to be met almost painfully with gasping, suffocating sobs. it was all too much. she wasn't strong enough for this. she was barely eighteen, still felt like a child. her fingers grasped at her chest as if she were attempting to tear her misery out from inside. throat raw, her battered body shuddered with each violent wail, drowned out by the sheet of rain that fell around her.

lost in insurmountable grief, she barely heard the cry of relief or the soft, uneven footsteps that approached her. barely felt the gentle hand on her exposed shoulder. faintly, ana heard worried murmurs and pained, labored breathing. she felt a million miles away from herself, hidden away in a dark corner in the back of her mind. as if she were watching a film through her own eyes. she vaguely registered the feeling of strong, wide arms wrapping around her in a warm, reassuring embrace.

her initial panic at the contact dimmed as the blood rushing in her ears began to slow, her head lifting as she squinted through the rain. several figures surrounded her, some leaned on each other, some stood alone, and two kneeled down in front of her. she couldn't focus, couldn't make out what was being said to her. the words ran together into an unintelligible mumble, but the voice was familiar, gentle, comforting. ana tried to reply, her throat hoarse, her mouth far too dry to form words. she licked her cracked lips and tried to speak again. the voices told her to save her energy, asked if she could stand. the one on her left said they thought they could carry her. she knew those voices anywhere. she blinked away the rain and tears desperate to see them, and let out another sob, this time of relief and happiness, as their faces swam into view.

her friends were alive... but what was left of them?

[silver-rings-and-rabbits]

@rafasgirl23415

When Sparks Fly

Matthew was thinking about cake. Specifically a decadent chocolate cake that didn’t look like a cake but a miniature replica of Edenbrook Hospital, complete with Leland Bloom’s renovations. It had been the centrepiece at the reopening gala at the beginning of the year. It had taken Edenbrook by storm; Matthew still thought about it over six months later and Sienna had been researching illusion cakes to try at home. She had recently perfected a sponge cake disguised as a wheel of cheese.

She was going to attempt a purse tonight. Having been down since coming back from Ines’s wedding in Hawai’i two weeks ago, it was the sort of project she needed to focus on.

As Matthew left a patient room and strolled down the corridor, he checked his phone to see a text from her: ‘do you want anything from the store later?’ He replied with ‘can you grab me some cherry cola if they have it?’

He didn’t drink a huge amount of soda, but he felt like treating himself. For all the shiny new tech advances that helped a lot of the procedures, tensions between Bloom and Dr Ramsey had been getting worse, and Matthew was sure Ramsey was losing sight of patient care in his attempts to get one up on Bloom. Judging by Harper and Tobias’s expressions during their morning consult, they seemed to agree with him.

Matthew cheered himself up by remembering the deeply romantic night he’d shared with Rafael in Hawai’i: a moonlit walk on the beach before making love in their hotel room. Matthew had come very close to saying those three words…it would come soon, he knew it…

His attention was caught by a sharp smell that felt distinctly out of place in a hospital. He turned the corner to investigate and, to his horror, found the corridor fast-filling with smoke. He covered his nose and mouth with the collar of his coat as he stumbled to the source, which turned out to be a patient room – mercifully empty – but through his watery, stinging eyes he could see a sparking plug. And then a spark caught the edge of the curtain…

“Crap!” Matthew gasped as the smoke detectors started squealing. He had to get away and make sure the floor evacuated but he couldn’t seem to look away as he watched the flames devour the curtain…and for a second, he was looking down the nozzle of a black cannister…

He snapped, turning and sprinting away from the patient room, falling over his own feet as he did so.

“Fire! Evacuate the area!” he choked out as he scrambled up again. Hopefully the nurses would have started the evacuation process, and then the sprinklers activated, dousing him.

He felt relieved for a second until he heard a loud bang! And everything went black.

One floor below, on the peds ward, Rafael was checking in with a young boy who was on a rehabilitation program following a car accident.

“How are you feeling this afternoon, Mac?” he said. “Are you up for a walk?”

Last week, Raf (assisted by Matthew and Sienna) had put together an impromptu birthday party for Mac and his friends, which had hugely boosted the kid’s spirits. Raf suspected the day with his friends had done much more for Mac’s recovery than being poked with needles and shuffling across balance beams under the watchful eye of some older physical therapists.

He prepared a wheelchair to take Mac to the PT rooms, and as he pushed him along, he noticed Mac was humming to himself and tapping his fingers on the arm of the chair. He had energy today.

Once they got to the PT room, Raf led him through a warm-up, then stepped out into the corridor and indicated for Mac to follow.

“Do you think you can run to the end of the corridor and back?”

“Wait…run?”

“Sure. You’ve been doing great, especially since your birthday party, and you’ve got the energy. I know you can do it.”

Mac looked up at Raf in surprise, but he narrowed his eyes as he looked back down the corridor. Nothing was going to stop him. He took off.

Raf felt a glow of pride in his chest as he watched Mac run. The rehab process was Mac’s best chance but there was always a risk he wouldn’t regain his full mobility. The poor kid had been absolutely crushed, and Raf was determined to help as best he could. Every small success was celebrated, the setbacks were accepted and worked around, and each day Mac got a little stronger and more determined to overcome his injuries. Now the defeated boy Raf had met a few months ago was sprinting towards him with a huge grin.

“I did it!” Mac cried, flushed and out of breath, but happy.

“You sure did! I never had any doubt.” Raf gave Mac a high ten. “Buddy, I’m so proud of you.”

“Really?”

“Of course. You’ve been working so hard with everyone, it really shows—”

But Raf was cut off by the incessant bleep of the smoke detector and they both jumped.

“Is that…?”

“The fire alarm,” Raf confirmed. He knew the procedure: nearby wards evacuated, fire doors would close off the corridors to prevent the spread of flames and minimise disruption to the rest of the hospital. He wondered if Mr Bloom had thought to add any fancy new security measures.

“Don’t panic,” he said, calmly retrieving Mac’s wheelchair. “There’s a fire exit close by.”

Mac nodded nervously as he settled into the chair, but he trusted Rafael, who was kind and patient, and had never raised his voice when Mac struggled with the exercises.

Raf walked steadily to the fire exit where he steered the chair down the ramps to the ground. They were steep, and Mac leaned back in the chair, gripping the arm rests, only relaxing when they reached flat ground…only to be shocked at the scene in front of them.

Medical staff and patients were assembled in the parking lot, some patients were sitting or even lying on the ground. Nurses were already bringing out extra supplies where they could, talking with attendings about who might need to be transferred to another hospital ward. Above it all, smoke and flames poured from a third floor patient room.

“Raf!”

They turned to see Sienna Trinh rushing towards them, but she stopped when she saw Mac.

“Mac, are you alright?”

“Yeah, Raf and I were doing physical therapy when the fire alarm went off. What’s going on? Is the hospital going to burn down?”

“No, of course not,” the grown-ups both said, and Sienna explained how the hospital would block off the affected area until the fire was extinguished.

“We have to evacuate as a precaution, but the fire department is on it’s way. We’re going to be fine.”

“Do we know what caused it?” Raf asked, frowning as he looked up at the fire. The diagnostics office was on the seventh floor but the same side. People were still evacuating. He scanned their faces, searching for Matthew.

“We don’t know yet, but people reported an explosion.”

“Holy crap,” Raf muttered. “Is everyone safe? I mean…no one’s stuck somewhere or anything?”

“Rafael.” Sienna stepped straight in front of him, glaring up at him with surprising fierceness. “Don’t even think about going back in there. Everyone is following evacuation procedures, we’re getting patients out first, and you running back in there is just going to scare everyone!”

“I wasn’t going to!” Raf spluttered, and he wasn’t. Last year’s maitotoxin attack had been the wake-up call he had sorely needed, and he couldn’t bear the idea of putting his parents, grandmother and Matthew through that stress yet again. And yet, he ached with helplessness as he watched people leaving the hospital. He just had to trust that Sienna was right and everyone would be safe…

The Boston Fire Department arrived quickly – two fire engines – and a few people cheered as the firefighters raced inside. Meanwhile, Dr Banerji was outside, assessing the patients and reassigning their rooms. Raf was about to ask him what happened when his phone started ringing in his pocket: Vovó was calling.

“I have to take this,” he muttered to Sienna, stepping away from the madness of the crowd as he answered.

“Vovó, I’m OK,” he said, speaking Portuguese.

“Rafael! Are you alright? I’ve just heard of a fire at the hospital…” she sounded upset and he had to reassure her three more times that he was safe. Not that he could blame her after last year; he had been right not to go back into the hospital.

“What about Matthew and the rest of your friends?” Juliana asked, calming down now. “Are they alright?”

“I think so. The hospital wouldn’t evacuate those not affected,” Rafael said. “They’re fine. We’re all fine, please don’t worry.”

“Of course I worry!” Juliana warned, and Raf chuckled a little. He reassured her – again – that he was OK and he would update her later before saying goodbye and putting his phone back into his pocket. He turned back to look for Dr Banerji when he was distracted by a shriek that sounded too much like Sienna. She was near the doors, her hand over her mouth as she began to cry, bent over someone on a gurney. It was difficult to see who it was as there was a group of nurses rushing around and blocking Raf’s view…until one of them moved and revealed Matthew’s barely conscious face.

Raf froze for a split second, then shot like a dart to his side. He smelled strongly of smoke and there were some visible cuts as well as what looked like scalded skin on his wrist, and an oxygen mask was strapped to his face.

“Matthew?” he gasped. “Can you hear me?” He rested his shaking hand over Matthew’s fingers, hoping for a sign, as Dr Banerji joined them. He looked shocked for a second before smoothing his face over, ever the professional.

“What happened?” he asked the nurse. “What’s the situation?”

“We don’t know for sure, he was found unconscious in a smoke-filled hallway,” one of the nurses explained anxiously. “His breathing is short, but there wasn’t time to check all his vitals. We had to get him out.”

As they spoke, Matthew moaned faintly. His fingers brushed against Raf’s palm and his eyes fluttered open. His gaze seemed slightly unfocused, but he looked towards Raf.

“I’m right here,” Raf reassured him, stroking his hair. “I’m not leaving you, OK?”

“Admit him and get him checked out,” Naveen said. He looked between Raf and Matthew and spoke firmly. “Rafael, you can go with them if you want, but do exactly as the nurses say. If they want you waiting outside, you do that. Understand?”

“I understand,” Raf said gratefully, and he held onto Matthew’s hand, keeping pace with the gurney as Matthew drifted into unconsciousness again.

Later, Rafael and Sienna were sat outside the room where Matthew was being examined when Jackie and Aurora finally found them.

“We got your page but Bryce is in surgery and Elijah can’t leave the lab,” Jackie gasped. “What happened? Matthew was caught in the fire?”

“They’re investigating the cause now,” Sienna sighed. She wasn’t crying anymore but her eyes were still a little red. Aurora sat beside her.

“How did he look when you found him?” She asked carefully. Sienna swallowed.

“He’d been knocked unconscious, and he was all cut. Oh, but I saw him open his eyes a little.”

“Then that sounds promising,” Aurora reasoned. “Matthew’s a fighter.” She rubbed Sienna’s back reassuringly, and Sienna managed a smile.

Meanwhile, Jackie focused on Raf.

“You’re quiet. Are you alright?”

Raf blinked. He’d been a thousand miles away, barely aware of his surroundings since he’d been told to wait outside the room. Now that Jackie was asking, he didn’t know how to articulate the ache in his chest.

“Just…I think I’ve gone numb. I don’t know what to do.”

“There’s nothing you can do,” Jackie said, but her voice was gentle as she put a hand on Raf’s shoulder. “It’s out of your hands. Matthew’s being taken care of, the best thing we can do is wait.”

Raf took a deep breath.

“I know. I’m doing my best. I just…I wish I knew.”

“Yeah. Me too.”

Later still, when the sky was growing dark, Matthew slowly came around in a hospital bed. His head ached, his throat was sore and he felt slightly sick as he took in his surroundings, but he forgot about that when he spotted Raf slumped in a chair with his head in his hands.

“Raf?” he croaked. He coughed weakly and tried again. “Raf? Are you OK?”

Raf jumped and life came back into his eyes as he realised Matthew was awake. He rushed to his side instantly.

“I should be asking you that!” he groaned. “I was so worried about you. How are you feeling? Are you in pain?”

“A little sore,” Matthew sighed as Raf smoothed his hair back. “What happened? I assume I was knocked out at some point…and I think…I remember fire…”

“Yeah,” Raf sighed. He sat on the edge of the bed carefully as he told Matthew what he’d been told. “They discovered some of the wiring had been done badly in that wing of the hospital and it started tripping or something. It was heating up and starting to smoke, then sparks set off the smoke alarms which triggered the sprinklers. Except water is really bad for an electric fire and resulted in a small explosion.

“There was some debris that knocked you unconscious. You’ve got a few cuts and burns and they’re monitoring you for smoke inhalation,” Raf explained. “It might be a day or two before you can leave, but you’re going to be…”

His voice choked up before he could say the word ‘fine’. Because Matthew had come very close to not being fine at all and now Raf couldn’t stop picturing Matthew standing close to the source of the explosion and what might have happened if he had. Tears welled in his eyes.

“Hey.” Matthew carefully reached out and lay a hand on Raf’s arm. “Talk to me. What’s wrong?”

“Sorry,” Raf sniffled, wiping his eyes again. “It’s just…I was so worried when I saw you on the stretcher and you were unconscious…the whole time I was waiting for you to wake up, I kept thinking about what might have happened if things had gone a bit differently. I was terrified you wouldn’t wake up at all. And then I realised…that’s how you’ve been feeling for the last two years!”

He took Matthew’s hand, stroking his thumb along his knuckles. “It’s hell. It’s pure hell. And I’m so sorry I kept putting you through that.”

Matthew didn’t quite know what to say to that as Rafael pulled himself together.

“Raf…you haven’t thrown yourself into danger in at least a year.”

It was the first thing he thought to say, and he wasn’t sure if it was the most reassuring thing to offer, but it surprised a laugh out of Raf and his grip on Matthew’s hand relaxed.

“True. And I’m still sorry it took me so long to see that.” His eyes had that fond softness to them he sometimes got when they were being romantic. But then they grew thoughtful as his smile faded and he gazed at Matthew.

“Actually…there’s something else I wanted to say to you when we were on the beach in Hawai’i. I didn’t because…it’s pretty big and I was afraid of ruining what had so far been a perfect night. But…I could have lost you today and it’s completely unthinkable that you shouldn’t here this. I love you, Matthew.” He spoke with his whole heart and looked Matthew directly in the eyes. “I’ve never loved anyone like this before, and I want you to know that…no matter what.”

Matthew had a completely different reason to be speechless. His heart soared, he forgot all about his pain and his hand trembled ever so slightly as he reached up to cup Raf’s chin.

“I love you too, Raf,” he said, and Raf’s dazzling smile broke out again. In many ways he was the personification of the sun. “So much.”

He brought Rafael’s lips to his, and kissed him soft, sweet and joyous, again and again, until Raf’s arms were wrapped tightly around him. Raf moved his hand up Matthew’s back to cup the back of his head, but he caught the sore spot and Matthew winced.

“Sorry, sorry!” Raf gasped, breaking them apart. “We, uh, probably shouldn’t be doing this. You should be resting and all.”

Matthew didn’t mind either way this time, but he settled back against the pillows and traced his fingers along Raf’s arm invitingly.

“You know…there’s room on this bed for two…”

Raf grinned as he ever-so-gently eased into the small bed space and cuddled into Matthew’s side, wrapping his arms protectively around him. Matthew turned and gave him one more gentle kiss before resting his head on his shoulder and drifting into a peaceful sleep.

[differenteagletragedy]

A List of Ships Featuring OL Boys and Characters from Other Games with No Reason or Context Provided

Baxter x Damien from Dream Daddy

Baxter x Jumin from Mystic Messenger

Derek x Naked Toaster from Blooming Panic

Derek x Shane from Stardew Valley

Baxter x xyx from Blooming Panic

Cove x Robert from Dream Daddy

Cove x Emily from Stardew Valley

Cove x Hugo from Bunny Bond

Baxter x Casper from A Date with Death

Derek x Suki from Coral Island

Derek x Leland from Bunny Bond

[wardogxicarus]

AU Open Starter

Leland could feel the prickling of an involuntary shift creeping through his bones. The moon was at its peak fullness, casting the expanse of woodland in silvery light. It made everything soft and sleepy, all the way up until it met the agitated hues of a mature blaze. Embers danced through the air like heralds of the burning force, threatening to make it grow.

Of all the times for a fire- a serious fire- to bloom, it just HAD to be tonight! This was a scenario he had worried about when taking this job, and now here it was.

It was bad to resist a shift, he was acutely aware of that, but he had a job to do. One that could save or destroy lives- let alone get him fired if his post was abandoned. There was no choice in the matter- he had to force it down until the flames in his section were at least fifty percent contained.

"Winds are blowing from the northwest at about 10 miles per hour," Leland grunted over the radio, "Looks like there's a clear drop zone for the ground crew at Howler's Hollow. I recommend putting down there." One hand, nails already threatening to claw over, gripped at the edge of the table. As soon as Leland finished his communication, he released the radio button and growled quietly to himself.

...Then his attention went to his companion in the tower. "Don't look at me like that, I have a job to do. Moon or not."

[lifesver]

@meatriarch said: it was just the two of them, now. alone in the shack, johnny had stepped out to go over to the house — dinner with his mother, common occurrence a couple times a week. this dinner just so happened to land on leland's birthday. unfortunately — but they knew, understood, there was little to protest about. not without suspicions being raised. instead, in place of having a nicer dinner together, they went out earlier in the day — and maria had managed to convince johnny to find something he could have lee help out with, away from the shack, for a little while. give her enough time to bake a small treat for him later on, after dinner. so when johnny left them later in the evening, and maria and lee shared their small dinner together, maria took to cleaning around the little kitchen and table — insisted that lee go ahead and take it easy, go off and get comfortable for the night. and despite his protests to help, she continued to insist, pointing off in the direction of the curtain, until pout crossed his face in defeat. she waited a few minutes, finishing with the dishes and drying off hands, before opening one of the bottom cupboards and leaning down, pulling out carefully wrapped package — nothing colorful nor intricate, but wrapped with care, to ensure nothing made what laid inside dirty. maria straightens and walks across shack and past curtain, over to the mattresses they all had, some time ago, pushed side-by-side, where lee was busy undoing boots along its edge. she smiles cutely down at him when he glances up at her, turning and dropping herself down beside him, and holds the package out to him, " had to be a little sneaky about this, worked on it while johnny kept you busy all over the place. its something simple, you know, but, i hope you like it, lee— " beneath all the wrapping lies denim — new jacket, a lighter wash, that she's been slowly adding little embroidery to. along top of the back? blooms of marigolds, dancing along below collar. trailing along shoulders to front, with small bundles of the golden flower above both front pockets. and a smaller surprise along cuffs of the sleeves — of clovers snaking along its edges. she watches him as he opens it, nerves buzzing in her chest. it wasn't much, given everything. knows that compared to birthdays he's celebrated before, this year probably wasn't one of his favorites — she wanted to do something, though, for him. for everything he's done for her. for always protecting her, comforting her, over the past almost-year that they have been here, with johnny. she watches him hold it up once unwrapped, to look it over, and she adds, " — i know the old jackets' seen better days...saw this one while we were out a while back in town. thought you could use a new one. "

he doesn't mind the quiet, or that johnny was at his mother's for the night. he doesn't mind his birthday passing like any other day of the year. it's hardly like he paid attention, anymore — part of it didn't feel worth mentioning. didn't feel particularly important to the life he lived, now. but trust maria to still make something out of nothing, and make it special for him. not that he needed anything — and he’d promised her as much, with a smile and a wave on his way out that day. but it still meant a lot that she had.

leland shoots a half-accusing eyebrow raise up at her; ❝ … so you were up to something. ❞ no wonder johnny had made up a seemingly endless list of chores for the day. it was sort of funny to imagine maria convincing him to play along, but then again — if anyone could twist your arm, it'd definitely be maria.

she puts down a neatly wrapped package in front of him, and leland’s expression settles into one of gentle questioning. his hands hover uselessly — but he doesn't say anything. probably because there's something nearly painful welling in his chest, and he's certain if he tries to speak, he'll just cry. instead, his brows furrow softly, and he begins unwrapping the gift slowly, careful even with the packaging. maria had worked hard on it, after all.

his thoughts are an up-and-down carousel in his head. on his last birthday, they'd been back at school. julie had baked a cake, and connie made him a bracelet he still wore. it had been a good birthday. but maria hadn't been there. she’d sent a letter, though, and photographs of the marigolds she’d found. he missed their friends. he knows maria does too — even with the sting that came along with those memories.

he remembers the night he watched them all disappear down that dirt road in the dark — he'd had the thought that he wouldn't be getting any older than nineteen. but they would all grow up. maybe they would have lives, and families. he had thought about it watching the world tilt, and spin out in the setting sun, the gentle bend of the sunflowers around him, and his blood darkening the soil.

he'd had that thought a few times, since then. when things were really bad. when he'd gone so far as to hand off his mother's necklace, and connie’s bracelet, to maria, entrusting her when he thought he might not see her — or anyone, again. because it's hard not to think of where this all started, when he was still nineteen. he’d made it to his twentieth birthday, and it's still hard not to feel the loss of something — like a knife in the ribs.

leland removes the denim jacket from its packaging finally, and stares at it a little dumbly. it’s a little different from his old one, but he sees maria’s magic touch, immediately. hand-sewn embroidery. golden flowers blooming in bursts along shoulders, twisted in leaves curling along the breast of the jacket. down to the little clovers lovingly detailed in the seams of the sleeves. how long had this taken her?

❝ maria, i— ❞ he swallows thickly, and his fingers tremble slightly where they smooth over the denim. he holds it up, and the light glints across the raised embroidery lines. ❝ you really… did this for me? this is... how can you say it's simple? ❞ he gives a wobbly laugh, to cover his brimming eyes. it doesn't really work. ❝ it's... really beautiful, maria. it's amazing. when did you find the time — ❞ he swipes at his eyes, and a quiet sound shakes in his chest, in his shoulders. god. where the hell had that come from? he'd been fine a minute ago. he'd been okay all day. but maybe all this emotional outpour had just been waiting, for the right moment to slip through the cracks.

leland lays the fabric over his knee. he wants to try it on for her — he wants to make this moment a warm one — but he's stuck feeling like he can't breathe. this was his twentieth birthday, and he might have forgotten. this was his twentieth birthday — and he hadn’t thought this was the kind of thing either of them could have, anymore.

despite everything, they’re still here. no matter what anyone else thought. no matter what the newspapers said. they could still have something normal. as his eyes draw along the embroidery, he can’t help but think of his childhood bedroom, and his old dorm room. maria's apartment. all their old things gathering dust. it had been a long time — but they had started to find things to call their own, again. new clothing, little wooden figures on a window sill. a handmade quilt, a bracelet in blue. and his mother's gold chain around his neck, again.

❝ sorry — i, uh. i don’t — i don’t know why i’m crying. ❞ he gasps out a shaky laugh, palming at his eyes again. dragging a hand through his hair. maria’s seen him cry before. maria’s maybe seen him cry more than anyone, now. maria who's always good to him, always gentle. always reminding him he was still deserving of those things. and the tears start to darken the fabric in spots, when he pulls maria into a tight hug, chin parked atop her head — mumbles into her hair, softly;

❝ … i love it. thank you. ❞

[meatriarch]

crickets sung their nightly tune in the dark, under the glow of the moon overhead in cloudless sky. air was chilled as time crawled on by, as pen scribbled carefully along paper — small green clovers decorating along the corners, with vines of leaves along their edges. she picked out the letter paper special, just for lelands' birthday, to send through the mail. she spent time with him ahead of her trip, ahead of spring break. she hadn't intended on missing the actual day, but, she'd wanted to try and hunt down someplace where marigolds were in bloom. her manager at her work, the florists, had mentioned hearing that few people had driven through a town nearby — newt — and spotted some along the sides of backroads, along property lines.

the temptation to spot some, herself, was too enticing — snap some photographs of them, to send polaroids of the stunningly golden flowers back to austin for lee, for his birthday.

and earlier today? maria managed to do just that!

smile beaming as she wrote along paper, dated in top corner : march 10th, 1973. ' — i hadn't been having much luck finding them, the entire drive over? nothing. when i left where i had parked and camped that first night to continue driving on friday? still nothing . . . i was getting a little upset, i really, really wanted wanted to find some marigolds for you, lee, and i was starting to think with every one of the stops i had planned to make, and finding none of them, that i just was never going to. but yesterday, friday night, when i stopped at this bar for a bite to eat and rest from all the stops and the driving, i happened to meet someone, and we talked for a long while. and when he was asking why i was passing through town, i told him i was looking for different flowers to take photos. and that i was having trouble trying to find a certain one — the marigolds — and i described them to him, as detailed as i could, i mean you know how i get, i talked his ears off trying to tell him about how pretty they are, but guess what? lee, he knew what they were! what flower i was talking about! said he was certain he'd seen some around on his familys' property, was pretty positive of it! and guess what, too! he offered to let me go over and get some photos of them! oh, i nearly jumped up and hugged him right there! i was so excited! we agreed on a time and he made notes on my map where his family lived, said he'd meet me off the main road and help me look around for them. and, lee, he was right! there were marigolds! all along this dirt road that cuts through his familys' property, a whole bunch of them scattered all through the grass! they were so beautiful! and they smelled so sweet! i wish i could have collected a few of them to give you, but they never would have lasted through the rest of the trip, and i didn't want to ask him such a thing, not after already being so helpful already. i'm so excited for you to see them! they're so pretty! the ones growing out of those two metal bins is my favorite! he said that his family has a whole bunch of other flowers, wildflowers and their own private fields of some of them, that he offered to me again to come back tomorrow to take more photos of. i can't wait! he said they have alot of sunflowers, too! i can't wait! — '

maria pauses her writing, setting pen down and stretching her arms out in front of her, looking out from the open back of her car, across the darkened field surrounding her. catching shadowed glimpses of wildflowers in the dark, swaying slowly in the night breeze. the lantern hanging from hook on the opposite side of car bed lit up her field of view just enough to see what she was writing, and a the few feet radius around the outside of the car. she'd tucked herself among some trees and underbrush, hidden for the most part from view of the road.

there's a brief, oddly loud rustle of leaves and branches that catch her attention, and she turns her head, twisting herself to peer out from the open end of the car off into the dark of the trees behind her. eyes narrowed, strained and struggling to allow her eyes to adjust to the dark outside. listening, listening — but slowly settles back in place when she hears nothing else seemingly out of place, and looks away.

shiver runs down her spine, and maria huddles into herself more, picking up pen to continue writing — figuring the noise is nothing more than the wind,

' — i'm certain this will reach you by the time that thursday comes around next week! i'm so excited to hear about what you did for your birthday back home, and with the others! i hope its fun and i hope you sneak an extra slice of cake to eat, for me! i'm sorry i won't be back until breaks' over, but i wanted to let you know how happy i am to have met you, lee. you're such a sweetheart and i've loved getting to know you more as time has passed. you're so funny and kind and i hope to get to see many, many more of your birthdays in the future! thank you for being so lovely, and thank you for being my friend. i hope you love the marigolds as much as i loved taking photos of them for you! happy birthday, lee! - maria ♡ '

pen stops at the little heart, setting it in her satchel. she lets the ink finish drying a moment before carefully folding the letter papers and placing them into pre-set envelope, ready to mail them out first thing in the morning with the polaroids, to be certain that they do reach him by the time his birthday arrives this coming thursday, the fifteenth.

she reaches across the bed of the car, turning of the lantern — plunging her surroundings into darkness — and settles herself under mess of blankets in the back of the car, nestling and curling herself up to sleep for the night, facing out at the moonlit wildflowers. a smile on her face as she allows herself to slowly doze off for the night.

tomorrows another big day, after all — she needs to make sure to not sleep in and keep the man from the bar — johnny — waiting on her . . .

@lifesver : another little birthday-related treat for our favorite golden retriever jock ♡

[potionsprefect]

Lost in the Crowd

A Leland Bloom party gave the perfect opportunity for Ethan to take a photo of Victoria

This photo has been sat in my camera roll for ages so I thought I’d use it

Tagging in reblog

[luuurien]

Jonah Yano - Portrait of a Dog

(Jazz Pop, Neo-Soul, Singer/Songwriter)

Padded by BADBADNOTGOOD’s rich and warm jazz stylings, Portrait of a Dog captures multiple kinds of grief in one marvelous hour, Jonah Yano’s rush to immortalize family history and heal from heartbreak allowing for gentle folk meditations and heavier jazz pop jams to hold equal weight.

☆☆☆☆

Named after a painting his ex-partner made, Portrait of a Dog is in a constant rush to catalog as much of Jonah Yano’s memory as possible. It’s an album woven around two different kinds of grief that don’t always make their presence clear, heartbreak from both the lingering hurt of a past relationship and watching his grandparents’ memory fade the foundation of everything Yano creates, Portrait of a Dog’s rich neo-soul arrangements padding for the toughest topic matter he’s breached yet. Across its 12 songs and 50 minute runtime, Yano is able to expel all his emotions without letting the music drag behind him, Toronto jazz heavyweights BADBADNOTGOOD at the production helm to give Yano’s stories compositional strength and a slight dreaminess for his abstracted, cloudy songwriting to bounce off, Portrait of a Dog grounded by intense emotions Yano allows to drift about the air. For how harrowing his inspirations are, Yano and BBNG keep the compositions fluffy and warm, restrained when the focus is on Yano’s voice and blooming into the BBNG’s ecstatic soul jazz when all his thoughts have been laid out, bringing balance to the album Yano uses to keep himself stable while recounting the waves of emotion that came over him in the aftermath of visiting his grandparents and working through a breakup at once. Loss permeates all of Portrait of a Dog, but Yano is set on capturing those bruises at their most tender, unafraid to look his grandparents' health in the eye and hold onto his memories of them along the way, his reserved performances situating him near heartbreak without forcing him to sing of it outright. Portrait of a Dog shrouds its stinging core in heavenly neo-soul and inky songwriting, but every emotion is deeply felt through the beautiful arrangements and gentle pace. BADBADNOTGOOD’s production is Portrait of a Dog’s beating heart, but rather than the mystical chamber jazz of their 2021 release Talk Memory, they return closer to the sound of IV tracks like In Your Eyes and Cashmere and their dusty soul jazz, straightforward composition roadmaps where the verse-chorus-verse structure is accentuated with instrumentation that wanders around those boundaries. In the places where Yano’s voice drops away, the band are able to express spiraling grief in ways his words cannot: Leland Whitty’s rich tenor sax tone makes for a wonderfully melancholic lead voice in the ending section of Haven’t Haven’t, and closing track The Ordinary Is Ordinary Because It Ordinarily Repeats sounds like it could have been an outtake from Talk Memory as its stumbling percussion and glowing improvisational work from Whitty ends Portrait of a Dog without Yano’s voice at all, him and BBNG instead choosing to let the album drift away into tender soul jazz that doesn’t seek to act as a definitive end point for Yano’s story - he’s continuing to process the massive holes in his familial history and how much he’s able to preserve of it, and Portrait of a Dog is just one departure point into the next chapter of Yano’s life and artistry. It’s those imperfections and the album’s refusal to do everything in one go that the album uses as an emotional engine: early highlight Always presses on its 3/4 waltz feel with Yano’s sharp vocal delivery and regal string arrangements from Eliza Niemi for a song that’s both heavenly on the ears and tense on the heart; The Speed of Sound! cuts out much of the thick instrumentation to close out the A side of the album with trickling, abstracted neo-soul perfectly matched to the story Yano is telling. The music matches Yano's tangled emotions while simultaneously helping to bring clarity to him, and the resulting songs work perfectly to bring you close to his heart. Yano’s diaristic, often indirect songwriting fortifies the two separate losses he worked through while writing them, but his performances and specific lyrical moments still pierce right through the center of his soul. The title track is one of the few songs here solely focused on his breakup, the glowing painting that adorns the album cover one of the few memories he allows himself to keep of his last relationship  (“Well, there's your portrait of a dog / And the apartment is a mess / So why can't I remember you?”), Yano’s smoothly fingerpicked guitar and BBNG’s smooth backing instrumentation blooming a perfect slice of moody, introspective jazz pop. By knowing all the different dynamics he’s looking to parse through with Portrait of a Dog, Yano’s songwriting is able to sprawl without becoming emotionally distant: his cover of Vashti Bunyan’s Glow Worms is dark and brooding, Bunyan’s sentimental lyrics turned so slightly sour by the sorrow of the album’s core themes, the song clever situated between the heartbreak of watching his grandparents’ health decline he sings of in So Sweet (“We'll all sit down to eat / Remember where you sit this time / You're opposite of me”) and the Sea Oleena-assisted ethereality of Quietly, Entirely is absolutely brilliant, Oleena’s glistening ambient stylings melting beautifully into the jazzy inflections of BBNG’s arrangements and Yano’s gentle singing. Though Portrait of a Dog's lush soul compositions and Yano’s dreamy songwriting may paint the album as a plush, cloudy listen, it’s impossible to hear a song like Song About the Family House or Haven’t Haven’t and not feel Yano’s immediate desire to hold onto as much of his history as he can even as his family disappears right in front of him, his cryptic songwriting keeping his pain from flowing over and creating a measured but passionate listen. Portrait of a Dog's shaggy, extensive examination of all the pain Yano has recently crossed paths with is highly dynamic and valiant in its approach to heartbreak, delicate as it tries to both collect as many memories as it can without pushing Yano past his emotional limits. Through its rich soul jazz arrangements and fantastic group of performers, the album creates space for Yano to traverse the depths of his different relationships and what it’s like to both leave them and watch them start to disappear, Portrait of a Dog unafraid to mix multiple griefs into a singular thesis for Yano. As he archives his family history and attempts to recount romantic loss at the same time, Portrait of a Dog becomes an elegant and poignant exploration of how different kinds of pain subsume into each other; how part of healing from heartbreak is learning where each individual part of that sorrow lies and making an effort to understand and grow from all of them. Yano’s sentimental neo-soul couldn’t have been a more perfect place for him to do exactly that.

[coffeeheartaddict2]

Trick or Treat

Book: Open Heart (book 3 timeline)

Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x F!MC Casey Valentine

Word count:940

Category: Smut

Rating: Maure

Warnings: sexual content, language

Summary: Casey does a special and private trick or treat for Ethan.

Disclaimer: characters belong to Pixelberry.

Authors note: just some unadulterated smut for Halloween coz why the hell not.

💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀

It had been a hectic first quarter of Casey’s final year of residency. The changes at the hospital due to Leland Bloom’s research driven agenda, which included some staff acquisitions that she was not particularly keen for. Thankfully Landry had not tried to sabotage her patients again but the leering stares and comments laced with innuendo from Dr Mendoza were not appreciated.

Halloween was fast approaching, her and Ethan had a lovely dinner out for her birthday. Ethan did not do Halloween but Casey did but this year, she was going to celebrate privately. Ethan had an earlier finish to her on the day so she was going to surprise him at home. She had purchased a rather salacious black lace lingerie set. She knew it would be ruined but as far as she was concerned it was worth it.

She arrived at his apartment and she could see the light coming from the study. She could see he was busy so she made her way to the ensuite and had a quick shower and changed into her new lingerie set. She put on one of Ethan’s shirts over the top as well as a pair of black heels. She makes her way to the office and stands seductively at the door.

“Trick or treat” she demurs.

Ethan startles then his eyes start to roam her. Casey shudders in anticipation. She slowly makes her way to his desk. She sits down besides him and seductively crosses her leg.

“To what do I owe this pleasure, Dr Valentine?” Said Ethan with a smirk.

Casey seductively ran her heel along Ethan’s thigh.

“Am I not allowed to seduce my boyfriend?” Asked Casey, innocently.

“Of course not…”

Casey slowly unbuttons the shirt she is wearing. Ethan catches a glimpse of the black lace of Casey’s bra.

“Bloody hell rookie” he mutters under his breath as he stands up. He kissed her hungrily. Casey returns the kiss. Ethan stands Casey up and he slides his shirt off her. He runs his hands up her body to her breasts. Casey’s breath hitched as his hands ran over her hardened peaks. He slid a strap down, exposing a breast. He gently massaged whilst he whispered huskily in her ear. “The heels stay on whilst I fuck you.” Before he kisses her again. He unhooks her bra and then turns her around. He gets her to lean over his desk. Whilst Casey is positioning herself, he takes his clothes off. He leans over her, one hand interlocking with hers whilst the other makes its way to between her legs, to her now drenched core.

“This will definitely be a treat” he says while he runs circles around her clit, causing her to moan. He rips her underwear and lines himself up to her entrance.

He teases her entrance before thrusting into her hard, hitting the spot that he knows makes her scream from the get go.

“Oh god, Ethan” she moans loudly as he continues at a relentless pace. Ethan leans over and captures her mouth in a searing kiss, whilst holding her at the hips, tightly, Casey starts to feel light headed and sees stars at her peripheral vision. She knows it will be intense and she starts to clench Ethan’s length harder. Ethan let’s put a guttural moan, he knew she was getting close and so was he. He goes even harder and faster and moves his hand to her swollen nub. He deftly plays with it sending Casey hurtling towards a very hard climax. Casey comes hard, screaming, the final clench bringing about Ethan’s climax. He collapses on top of her, Casey finds it grounding as it was one hell of a high she was coming from. Once Ethan has regained his composure he sits back down on his chair and Casey sits on him.

“Did you enjoy your treat?” She asks.

“I did, although I think somewhere it turned into a treat for you.” He said with a chuckle.

“I think we can state it was a treat for both of us.” Says Casey before kissing him. The kiss gets heated and she can feel him starting to harden again. She slides off and kneels down in front of him. She runs his hand up and down his length slowly. “Well, let me truly give you a treat” she demurs before slowly swirling her tongue around his tip. Ethan hisses as she takes him inch by agonizing inch. She starts to move up and down, slowly at first and faster, taking his whole length each time. Ethan moans at the sensations and it does not seem to take long before he feels his muscles in his lower back tighten and his cock begin to throb.

When she starts to feel him throb she applies more suction and starts to massage his sac.

“Fuck” he says through gritted teeth. He can feel himself get closer and closer. He moves his hips to create more friction which causes Casey to moan, sending a pleasant sensation through him. Again he was again on the precipice of another climax and with a final suck and swirl of her tongue he came and coated the back of her throat. Casey took the load and slowly disengaged.

“You know,I think you have single handedly made me enjoy Halloween, rookie.”

“Well, a good thing there are plenty more of them to come.” She said as she got up and walked towards the door. Ethan followed and picked her up.

Casey wrapped her legs around his waist and he walked them to the bedroom to continue their private Halloween celebrations.

Authors note: happy Halloween to all my readers.

Tagging: @jerzwriter @genevievemd @jamespotterthefirst @cariantha @liaromancewriter @potionsprefect @tessa-liam @youlookappropriate @trappedinfanfiction @crazy-loca-blog @a-crepusculo @bex-la-get @socalwriterbee @schnitzelbutterfingers @binny1985 @lucy-268 @choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

[alj4890]

The Green-Eyed Monster

(Ethan Ramsey x OC* Sophie Triano) in a Choices Open Heart drabble

Thirty Kisses in Thirty Days Challenge: with the prompt: a kiss shared to make someone else jealous.

Rating: PG for some language and heated fluff

A/N thanks @hopelessromantic1352 for choosing the couple for this kiss prompt 😂 It let me delve more into exploring how these two would react when jealous.

@hopelessromantic1352 @twinkleallnight @tessa-liam @choicesficwriterscreations @choices-readerandlover @annfg8 @jerzwriter @trappedinfanfiction

Masterlist

The windows of Leland Bloom's mansion sparkled in the darkness. Lights all along the bottom floor glowed, beckoning one to join in on the festivities currently underway. Couples mingled outside as they slowly made their way into the stately home.

Sophie was more than looking forward to attending the event. It was the first time she was going as Ethan's date. She'd met some of the doctors he worked with at Donahue's, but tonight marked the point where she was being officially shown off as his significant other.

Ethan wasn't particularly looking forward to going, even with the pleasure of Sophie's company. He barely tolerated Leland Bloom and to be stuck for evening in the man's home was too much to contemplate.

Sophie squeezed his arm as they ascended the front steps.

He glanced down at her in question.

"I'm excited." She whispered.

"Over what?"

"Everything!" She smiled up at him. "Being with you, this party, seeing how billionaires spend their money."

Ethan snorted. "I don't know about the last two, but it is nice to spend an evening with you."

She beamed at him. "We've been working so many late nights lately." She rose up on her toes to kiss his cheek. "I've missed you."

Ethan slipped his arm around her, drawing her close. "I'm willing to take you back to my place and make up for all the absences."

Sophie's smile turned sultry. "I'm going to hold you to that."

Her eyes traveled down his body. "But first, I'm ready to see what an Edenbrook party is like."

Ethan rolled his eyes as he followed her inside. "Trust me. It isn't anything special."

"I'll be the judge of that." She teased.

Her eyes darted here and there, taking in everything.

"Should we go to the bar or the buffet first?" He asked.

Sophie snorted softly at the sound of resignation in his voice.

"The bar. Something tells me you're going to need something to help you get through the next few hours."

Ethan's lips curved.

"You know me so well."

Sophie tugged him into a quick kiss.

Ethan's hands lingered on her waist.

"Any chance you're willing to leave now and continue to do that?" He asked.

"At least give me a minute to check out his desserts. I'm curious to see who he got to cater this event." She looped her arms loosely around his neck. "Plus you deserve a drink or two."

"Three." Ethan groaned when he caught sight of their host.

"Ah, Dr. Ramsey." Leland greeted, while looking solely upon Sophie. "Glad you could make it."

"Leland." Ethan managed to keep his tone even.

"And who is this?"

"This is Sophie Triano." Ethan kept his arm around her waist, letting the man see she wasn't just some mere date.

She smiled warmly at the elderly man and held her hand out while complimenting his home.

Leland's own smile twinkled as he shook it. "I shouldn't be as delighted to meet you as I am after your refusal."

Sophie's eyebrow raised in question.

"My Caroline was hoping for your desserts to grace our tables, but your manager denied us such a pleasure, no matter how much money I offered."

"It's spring." Sophie explained. "The wedding season is starting earlier than usual. I couldn't drop those orders to cater your party at the last minute."

"If you'd been told the price I offered, you would have." Leland needled. "Think of the business you would have gained doing so."

Sophie shook her head with a smile. She was determined not to be intimidated.

"Mr. Bloom, as a business man, you know that the one way to lose money is by alienating your clients by breaking your word. I'm not about to anger the clientele I am cultivating for a quick cash grab nor ruin the reputation Veronica and I have in the pastry business. People know that when they order anything from us that they will not only get it on time but will also be given the best of what we can do."

Ethan couldn't have been more pleased with Sophie's ability to fluster the old man.

"You would have gained even more business tonight." Leland argued, waving about the room. "My guests are the type who wish to wow people at parties and your desserts would have been part of that."

Sophie shrugged. "Then that's a loss I'll have to deal with. For now though, I'm going to enjoy being one of the guests you intend to wow."

Leland reluctantly smiled at her. "Then I insist on you giving your opinion later about the pastry chef I had to settle on after your refusal."

He glanced at Ethan. "Enjoy yourselves. I see some other guests I must greet."

Sophie sagged against Ethan once Leland left them alone.

"I've never wished for Terry's intimidating presence more so than just then." She said of her bakery manager. "This is why I stay in the back room working on cakes."

Ethan tilted her chin up. The back of his fingers caressed her cheek. He was about to say how impressed he was with her standing up to Leland, only to be interrupted by someone else.

"Ethan!" Harper exclaimed. "I thought you weren't coming tonight."

Her eyes narrowed slightly on the couple before her.

"Sophie insisted." Ethan chuckled when she nudged him with her elbow.

"Really?" Harper's eyebrows raised. "I'm impressed. I don't know too many people who can change his mind."

"It wasn't easy." Sophie teased, smiling up at him.

"True, but you knew how to end my argument by walking out in that dress." He squeezed her waist.

Harper managed to keep smiling. "That was the only way I ever got him to go along with my plans."

Sophie stiffened somewhat. She was unaware of Ethan's past with this particular doctor.

"Remember our first year at the medical conference in Miami?" Harper's smile turned flirty. "You refused to go out until I wore that little red dress."

Ethan shook his head with a smile. "That wasn't why I went. It was either you or staying and listening to Fawkes go on and on about that new bladder procedure he'd heard about."

Harper winked at him. "I think we both know my red dress made that night better."

Sophie was livid as the two reminisced some more. No one would have known though by the pleasant expression on her face.

"I'm so glad you're here. There is someone I want you to meet that I think could use our help. I can't find Chris and Tobias, but I believe this woman's son needs to be seen by our team." Harper refocused on Sophie. "You don't mind my stealing Ethan away for a little while, do you?"

Sophie shook her head. She didn't trust her voice to give an answer.

Ethan promised to find her soon as Harper slipped her arm in the bend of his.

Determined not to stand there sulking, Sophie walked over to the buffet tables. Grabbing a plate, she dropped various treats upon it.

"Easy there." A familiar voice teased. "If anyone should know that presentation is part of enjoying what you eat, then it should be the top graduate of our class."

Sophie whirled around. "Blake!"

"Sophie!" He responded with a smile.

"You're the caterer for this party?"

"I am." He added a few more desserts to her plate for her to try. "If I'd have known you would be here I would have gone above and beyond with my menu."

She chuckled, relieved to see a friendly face. "Trust me, I know how excellent your skills are."

The two fell into a conversation about what they'd been doing the last few years.

"So how did you get invited to this?" Blake teased. "I thought our kind only worked these types of parties."

"I'm dating one of the doctors at Leland Bloom's hospital." Sophie pointed Ethan out.

A slight frown firmed on her lips to still see Harper's hand tucked within the bend of Ethan's arm.

"Speaking of dates," Blake nodded to the other side of the room, "Vince is here."

Sophie's head jerked around to see one of her exes.

"Of course he'd be here." She grumbled.

Her night couldn't get any worse.

"I have to get back to work." Blake patted her shoulder. "I'll see you when I'm released from the kitchens."

"Have fun." She called out when he hurried off.

********************

As Ethan listened to the various symptoms the woman noticed her teenage son having, his attention drifted over to Sophie. He'd seen her smile and talk with another chef. The two apparently knew one another well.

He'd also noticed she did not seem as happy as she'd been when they first arrived. He had a feeling he knew the reason why, but there was little he could do about it now.

He wasn't certain why Harper enjoyed bringing up their past as much as she did. He was used to Chris and Tobias's eye rolls whenever his ex brought up memories of their time together. Chris even pointed out one day when they were alone that she thought Harper might do this in an attempt to make him want to get back together with her.

He eased his arm out from Harper's hand as he realized that the lingering touch might give everyone the wrong idea.

There was only one woman he was here with and Harper wasn't her.

His attention drifted once more to check on Sophie. He felt his body stiffen at the sight of a ridiculously handsome man standing before her. The stranger took Sophie's plate out of her hand, set it down, and grasped her hand in his as he led her into another room.

Ethan had to lean somewhat away from the group he was standing with to see into the next room. A band had been set up there for couples to dance to. In the crowd, he noticed Chris and Tobias lost in each other and swaying to a slow song.

He frowned at the sight of them. If they hadn't decided to spend this party dancing, they could have been found by Harper and dealt with this while he was able to be with Sophie.

He then saw the strange man pull Sophie into his arms for a dance. Ethan could feel the sexual tension between them from here. His eyes narrowed upon the man's fingers moving along Sophie's back. The two were talking, with Sophie turning and pointing towards Ethan.

The two men locked eyes, each not bothering to hide their instant dislike of the other.

"What do you think?" Harper touched Ethan's arm again to get his attention.

"What?" Ethan snapped his eyes back towards her and the very concerned mother. "I think you should bring your son to our office first thing in the morning so we can do a full examination. We should be able to pinpoint what is causing these erratic symptoms."

He excused himself, telling Harper to make the plans. With his long legged strides, he made his way into the next room.

*****************

Sophie knew it was foolish to agree to anything Vince suggested. After all, she had been the one to end things with him. But seeing Ethan and Harper together made her want a little revenge of her own. She hadn't realized how deep her feelings towards the doctor ran until she saw him with what was clearly an ex girlfriend of his.

After Vince bragged on his robotics skills being the one to make the cute little robots at Edenbrook, he'd convinced her to dance with him.

"If the man you're with can't take the time to dance with you," he'd argued, "then he'll have to deal with the consequences of someone else taking his place."

She knew though that Ethan had not left her to simply be with other people. He was genuinely trying to help someone. She couldn't stay angry over that.

But I can over Harper, she reminded herself.

"You're really into this doctor, aren't you?" Vince pressed her closer.

"I am." Sophie replied, pulling back a respectable distance.

"Even though he has been standing over there with some other woman hanging not only on his every word, but also onto his arm?"

Sophie stiffened. "Yes."

"You're not the same woman I knew." Vince observed. "There is no way you'd have let me get away with that type of behavior."

Sophie rolled her eyes. "That's because you liked having other women hanging onto you and your every word."

"So this Evan--"

"Ethan." She corrected.

"Ethan isn't the same? There isn't a man here who doesn't like his ego stroked." Vince argued.

"Ethan doesn't need his ego stroked." She snapped. "He's a man who is confident in all he does. He doesn't need validation from anyone."

"Doesn't he?" Vince noticed the angry doctor storming into the room.

Ethan certainly looked like a man who needed his confidence in Sophie returned.

Finding the pair on the dance floor, Ethan made his way over to cut in.

He was having a difficult time squeezing through the couples.

Vince decided to try a little experiment. After all, Sophie couldn't have been dating him long if her jealous reaction was anything to go by. He wondered if Ethan felt just as strongly.

Before Sophie could react, he captured her lips in a tender kiss.

She shoved him away from her in angry shock.

"What the hell Vince?!" Her chest heaved in an attempt to calm down.

He held his hands up to both ward her off and in surrender.

"I couldn't let this moment pass us by, Soph." He admitted. "You know I want you back. I have for years now."

"I don't want you." She bit out.

Vince smiled sadly at her. "Then that's my cue to leave and plan for another chance."

"There isn't going to be another chance." She huffed, folding her arms and looking away from him.

"There's always a chance." Vince directed that towards the man standing directly behind her. "Just remember that."

He left, grinning over what he'd noticed.

Ethan Ramsey was beyond livid and also terrified.

*******************

Ethan prided himself on many things. One was that he was a man who rarely overreacted in relationships. Another was that he learned from his mistakes.

Given how much he went through with Chris Valentine, he learned to never waste a moment if he were to ever fall in love with someone else. It was why he'd been upfront and as transparent as he could be with Sophie.

Yet seeing her with this Vince had shaken him beyond what he believed he should have felt at this stage of their relationship. They'd only been together a few months and here he was, completely angry over the thought of someone stealing her away from him.

He'd already endured something similar in watching Chris fall in love with Tobias. He'd be damned if he was going to watch it happen with Sophie.

Ethan intended on cutting in on her dance with Vince. All his plans crashed around him the moment the man kissed her. He felt his world shift at the sight. He'd become immobile, unable to comprehend that this could possibly be the end of him and Sophie.

Then Sophie's almost violent reaction to Vince gave Ethan the flicker of hope he needed.

The moment Vince walked off, Sophie took a step back, intending to leave the dance floor and find a place to calm down.

She encountered a familiar hard surface.

She turned to find Ethan directly behind her.

With muscle spasming in his jaw, he grasped her hand and took her through a set of glass double doors that led outside.

The cool Boston air had a slight bite to it, helping them both deal quietly with their heated emotions.

Sophie's shivers caused Ethan to pull her within his arms.

She snuggled closer for both his warmth and to remind herself that he was hers.

"Ethan?" She said softly.

"Yes?"

"You and Harper were more than coworkers, weren't you?"

"We were." He closed his eyes, dropping his cheek against her head. "It was a long time ago."

"I see." Sophie mumbled.

"There's nothing there." He added. "No feelings at all other than respect and friendship."

"On your side, perhaps." Sophie grumbled.

Ethan tightened his arms around her. "That's all it will ever be between me and Harper."

His eyes narrowed when he caught another glimpse of Vince through the windows.

"You and Vince?"

"He's an ex of mine." Sophie explained. "We broke up years ago."

"And that kiss?" Ethan bit out.

Sophie raised her head to look up at him.

"Didn't mean anything to me." She responded.

Ethan slammed his mouth against hers. He was shocked with the need he had to prove that what she said was right. He also felt the need to make this kiss mean something to her.

Knowing he should ease up, he was unable to make his body do so. His lips and tongue were determined to draw moans from her and wouldn't stop until they did so.

Sophie wallowed in the passion of his response to seeing someone else want her. She threaded her fingers in his hair and gave back as good as she got. It both eased her heart and thrilled her that he reacted the same way she did when thinking about him with Harper.

"Ethan." She moaned as his mouth moved along her bare shoulder. "Let's get out of here."

His lips captured hers once more in a long, deep kiss.

"Please." She whispered, eyes meeting his in the soft light of a nearby sconce. "Take me home and make love to me."

He moaned her name with one more kiss. Ethan then kept his arm around her as they quickly made their exit.

[theam-cjsw]

The AM: June 19, 2023

It’s The AM’s Sled Island Spotlight. Every year, you can count on choruses of “I don’t recognize any of the bands,” and every year you can count on finding brilliance when you get around to digging into the lineup. Tune in for an hour of music from Sled artists, along with two hours of your typical AM electronics, ambient jazz, psychedelic soul, and other sounds suited to rainy days and early mornings.

Listen on Soundcloud

Stream from CJSW

Spotify playlist

Other links

(image: Sunset on the Baltic Sea – William Blair Bruce)

Hour One

Bloom Blue Lake • Sun Arcs

Everything Helps Julian Lage • The Layers

The surface and the light Colin Stetson • When we were that what wept for the sea

Learning to Say No Valiska • Wolf Moon EP

Homecoming Idlefon, featuring Kamyar Behbahani • Submarine

Home World 303 Khotin • Release Spirit

R.E.V.E.R.B. Gelbart • My favorite vacation

Solid States Cylindricon • Zettasecond

Persistence of Love Lo Five • Persistence of Love

Witchy Feel - Over the Counter Mix Maps • Counter Mixes

Hour Two

Changing Light The Ironsides • Changing Light

Dere Geliyor Altin Gün • Ask

Treasure Hypnotic Brass Ensemble • Single

Overhead Harrison • Birds, Bees, The Clouds & The Trees

Windows Leland Whitty • Anyhow

Honey Monster Rally • Beyond the Sea

Lava Flows Monster Rally • Beyond the Sea

Joyful Science Pearl & The Oysters • Coast 2 Coast

Ritual of Gods Whatitdo Archive Group • Palace Of A Thousand Sounds

Sour Times Portishead • Dummy

Agnus Dei Lalo Schifrin • Rock Requiem

Kotal Tynes • Tynes

Hour Three

Ghul wihtikow • ᒌᐸᕀ

Pronoia Michael Peter Olsen • Single

Space Jam Eve Parker Finley • Chrysalia

“Quotations” Water From Your Eyes • Structure

Tartamundo Helado Negro • Private Energy

God is a Reptile JayWood • Slingshot

Jreaming Ghost Woman • Ghost Woman

Gossamer Cola • Deep in View

Helena Sessa • Estrela Acesa

Lamento de un Galax Empanadas Ilegales • Creepy Mambo