#miss my grumpy police investigator

[except4bunnies]

24 x 500 (Die schönste Zeit des Jahres – Tatort Hamburg Christmas Collection)

Summary:

Julia Grosz und Thorsten Falke et al. machen erneut Sachen. In 24 mal 500 Worten. Drumherum schneit es, der Glühwein fließt, die Englein singen, es wird besinnlich. Vielleicht. Denn da gibt es noch diesen Toten im Schnee …

It never gets old: Tatort Hamburg-Vermissung mal wieder. Ich folge lose dieser Prompt-Liste. Und hoffe auf eine Punktlandung an Weihnachten.

Kenntnisse über Hamburg und seine diversen Weihnachtsmärkte: Vorhanden. Wissen über Polizeiarbeit: Still missing.

Wer noch ein bisschen mehr Vorweihnachtszeit mit Falke und Grosz verbringen möchte: Es gab da mal einen Adventskalender … Advent, Advent

Macht's euch schön, wo immer ihr mitlest und selbst schreibt!

[voraciousvore]

In the Belly of the Giant (11/39)

Chapter 11

Joey managed to get some sleep, and first thing in the morning he hurried over to the police station. He was grasping at straws, hoping for any sort of lead to help him track down his missing girlfriend. His throat tightened up every time he thought about her, and how scared she must be. He forced back his tears and clenched his jaw with determination. He would find her. 

When he arrived at the police station, the first thing he did was check with the officers coming off of night shift to see if there was any new information. Nothing. Soon after, the secretary showed up to look at more mugshots. She looked tired and upset, with her auburn hair unkempt. She was good friends with Eren, and the human’s disappearance had disturbed her greatly. She felt terribly guilty for leaving Eren at the clinic alone with that perfidious, disreputable giant. Perhaps, if she had been there, she could have prevented the abduction. 

Ray showed up to work with a truckload of cinnamon rolls to share and lots of coffee. He gave Joey a sympathetic pat on the shoulder with a cup of fresh coffee and guided him to the morning briefing. Joey, normally so punctual and sedulous regarding his work, was so distraught that he wasn’t paying attention to the time or any of his usual responsibilities. He couldn’t focus on anything that wasn’t related to his girlfriend’s predicament. 

After the meeting, Joey checked back with the secretary. He ran into her in the hallway on his way there. “Joey!” the giantess exclaimed excitedly. “We found out who he is!” 

Joey perked up. His blood started to flow. “Really?”  

“Yes!” They rushed over to the photographs and she pointed to a seedy, slovenly man who matched the police sketch to an uncanny degree. “That giant there.” Joey regarded the mugshot with a scowl. The giant’s name was listed underneath his photo: Jake “the Snake” Stiles. Joey quickly obtained a copy of the photograph and the criminal’s file detailing his long list of sordid crimes, which included multiple instances of burglary, auto theft, violent assault, and drug dealing. He reviewed the file, scouring it for any pertinent information. His blood was boiling. He wanted to find this man and slaughter him. 

He took the file straight to the police chief. The chief was a big, rotund, bald giant with ruddy cheeks who was perpetually sweating and grumpy. He was sitting inside his office, reviewing some paperwork, when Joey presented him with the updated news. 

“I have a suspicion that Eren’s abduction is linked to the other missing humans from the boarding school,” Joey explained. “If we find this man, hopefully we can find the others. Please, sir. Put me on the case.” 

The police chief regarded him with a skeptical eye. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’m not assigning you this case. We’ll get someone else to handle it.” 

Joey balked. “What?! Why?! I’m heavily invested in this case! I know I can solve it! I need to find Eren!” He couldn’t keep the hysterical edge out of his words as he raised his voice with passion. 

“Exactly. That’s the problem. You can’t be objective when you’re this emotional. I can’t have you making reckless decisions and jeopardizing the investigation,” the police chief lectured sternly. 

“But… but, sir,” Joey protested, “she’s my girlfriend…” He balled up his fists so hard that his nails dug into his palms. “I need to have some involvement at least.” 

The police chief huffed, and leaned back in his chair in contemplation. He massaged his forehead with his chubby fingers. “Fine. Whatever. You can work with the officers whom I give the case. However!” He pointed his fat sausage of a finger belligerently for emphasis. “You’re not in charge, and you’re on a very short leash. You don’t make any moves without express approval first. And you’ll still have to work any other jobs you’re given. Do I make myself clear?” 

“Yes sir.” Joey straightened up and gave a terse nod. 

“Now go out on patrol with your partner, and do your investigating on your down time while you’re out. Remember, any calls you get on your radio, you answer.” 

Joey nodded again to acknowledge he understood and stiffly walked out. He was fuming, but at least he was still involved with the case, if not directly. He begrudgingly admitted, to a limited extent, that the police chief had a point. He would be more prone to riskier, perhaps even illegal and unethical, actions with how desperate he was to get Eren back. He certainly would be willing to break police protocols to protect her. If he found Jake the Snake, he wasn’t sure he could stop himself from murdering him in a fit of rage. 

Ray was waiting for Joey in the police cruiser. Joey sat down brusquely and slammed the door closed, a bit harder than he intended. 

“Everything alright?” Ray asked, pausing midway to sipping his coffee. 

“Besides my girlfriend getting kidnapped? No, not really,” Joey griped. “I wanted to focus on saving her, but the police chief claimed I was too emotionally involved and put someone else in charge of the case.” He gritted his teeth. “He said we could still investigate, as long as we didn’t take any rash action and didn’t have any other calls to attend to.” 

“Well, what are we waiting for then? Let’s go!” Ray responded. Joey was grateful to have a good, supportive partner like Ray. “We can patrol the rougher side of town and see if we can find anything. You never know, we might get lucky.” 

“Alright.” Joey pondered his next course of action. “I should probably call Eren’s father and update him on what’s going on.” 

Mr. Henderson didn’t bother to go to work that day. Work was irrelevant compared to the fate of his daughter. In fact, he didn’t even bother to get out of bed. He was miserable. He felt like a steaming pile of hot garbage. He had collapsed in bed the previous evening, hungry and depressed, hoping that he was just dreaming and he would soon wake up from the living nightmare he found himself inexplicably trapped in. The night came and went, and he was still here. He had slept a bit, maybe collectively a couple hours through the long night. He had no energy or motivation to move. His empty belly was cramping up with hunger but he refused to eat anything. His gigantic body needed food to function but he didn’t have the willpower to overcome his paralyzing inertia. 

He stared at the ceiling, watching phantasmagorical horrors parade through his mind’s eye as he imagined what Eren might be going through. He was terrified for his daughter, and felt weak and powerless in the face of the overwhelming obstacles before him. He had no ability to help her or overcome his own depravity. He just wanted to lay in bed and shrivel up and die, like a withering plant without sunlight or soil. Eren was the sunshine in his life: Without her, he couldn’t escape the darkness smothering him. 

He was brought out of his languid stupor by the sound of his phone ringing. He fumbled for the phone on his nightstand and checked the caller ID. Joey! He prayed for good news and tapped the call button. “What’s going on Joey?” he croaked frailly, his voice hoarse. 

“We found out the identity of the giant who stole Eren,” Joey replied. He sounded irritable and tired. “He’s known as Jake the Snake on the street. Now we just have to locate and arrest him, and hopefully discover where Eren disappeared to.” 

“That’s good,” Mr. Henderson responded feebly. He was hoping for better news, but he supposed any progress was a step in the right direction. He didn’t know anyone by that name, but he doubted he knew any human traffickers either. “Keep me posted.” 

“Alright. I gotta go. The sooner I get to work, the sooner we’ll find Eren,” Joey said, and hung up. Mr. Henderson let the phone slip from his hand onto the bedspread and sighed. He could feel another migraine coming on, so he gulped down some pills with a glass of water, straining not to envisage anything grotesque or throw up in the process. His stomach growled pugnaciously and he cringed. With his body fighting against him with such truculence, it was going to be a very long day. 

In the meantime, Joey and Ray piloted their police cruiser in the places where they were most likely to run into criminal activity. Joey didn’t like going to the more dilapidated areas of town, since they were dangerous hotspots for gangs and crime, and he definitely wouldn’t take Eren anywhere near them. They drove past run-down buildings and small shops with faded signs and iron bars on the windows. Scribbles of ugly, offensive graffiti were spray painted on walls and street signs. The bushes and trees were dead and scraggly, with gnarled branches devoid of green foliage. Stone and cement crumbled into unrecognizable, abstract shapes, like the devastated ruins of an ancient civilization. 

They wandered through this ravaged landscape, searching for breadcrumbs. The summer heat radiated off the cracked pavement in distorted ripples. Within the dreary wastes of brown and gray stalked Stygian shadows of people. Joey scrutinized these daytime ghouls as the police cruiser passed them, and the somber ghouls glared back with simmering resentment. None of them resembled the giant he was hunting. 

The relatively flat urban sprawl gave way to grimy apartment buildings made of moldy bricks that appeared mostly empty, with several busted windows. Weeds and dead grass sprouted in the alleyways and poked through cracks in the sidewalk. The cop car next entered a squalid industrial park that looked like it hadn’t seen any activity in decades. As they drove through a row of abandoned warehouses, Joey spied some cars obscured behind a building in a gravel lot nearby. The gleaming cars were conspicuous in that they were oddly well-maintained and expensive for the area. They lacked scratches, dents, broken glass, stolen parts, or damage of any kind, which was unusual for this part of town. Joey grew suspicious. 

“Hey, Ray, don’t you think those cars over there seem kinda suspect? Maybe we should-” Before he could finish, he was interrupted by the police scanner. The two cops listened pensively. 

“We’d better respond to that call,” Ray said. 

“Unfortunately, yeah,” Joey agreed. “The police chief ordered us to answer any calls. My inclusion in Eren’s case was contingent upon it.” Ray drove off, and Joey kept his eyes peeled for Jake the Snake. As the day wore on, and the officers continued about their business and scoured the town for the culprit, he soon forgot about the warehouses and the cars. 

Chapter 12

Chapter 1

[toad-games]

@agentnatesewell you have enabled me. Brace yourself for some serious rambling.

Park ranger AU speed run

-Olive is a park ranger working for the national forest that surrounds Wayhaven. I have yet to come up with a clever name for this forest.

- The rangers are helping the police department in the search for a missing woman Janet Greenland who was last seen entering the woods with no evidence of any kind of hiking or camping gear

- Olive was supposed to wait for a police officer (Douglas maybe) so they can look together but after waiting twenty minutes for him she’s fed up and leaves on her own.

- She is also going to check on a trail cam the park service installed because there have been an increased amount of mauled animal carcasses that are getting worryingly close to town

- While she’s checking on the trail cam footage, she sees something… strange on the video. Before she can look closer she is knocked to the ground by something that she can’t see. She thinks she sees shapes in the trees, but whatever they are they’re gone before she can get a better look.

- Thoroughly spooked she runs for a defunct ranger station she knows is nearby and while she’s running trips over something

- Congratulations Olive you found Janet Greenland!

- She radios down to the station that she found the body, and she’s trying to give her position when she’s knocked to the ground again, she feels something at the back of her neck claws or teeth or something but the weight is gone in a moment, all she can see is two people rolling on the dirt fighting tooth and nail

- She decides that is wayyy above her pay grade and bolts for the Ranger station and locks herself inside. She’s eventually rescued by Captain sung. She asks him if he needs to take her statement about the body. He looks real grumpy and says that because the murder happened on national forest land this is no longer under his jurisdiction. She asks if she’s going to have to talk to the FBI. No, worse. You’re going to have to talk to your mom

- In my mind “The Agency” is almost like… a consultant for the FBI? If things get too freaky they pass them onto The Agency. This isn’t super important to the AU but it just makes some kinda sense to me

- UB is still charged with protecting olive cuz she still has the very special blood that Murphy craves so much, but instead of UB coming to assist Detective Olive, Ranger Olive is tasked with helping UB to search the forest, and be the main point of contact between the parks service as well as the local police force. Why? Because Captain sung has a soft spot for her despite her troublemaker teenage years, because I can’t stop thinking about how Sung was like Rook’s Tina and how that would affect his relationship with Olive. Is this how real investigations work? Who knows we’re here for a good time

More random details under the cut cuz this is already too long and I don’t have a firm grasp on a plot!

- First of all I wanna really lean into the more horrific side of the supernatural stuff. I need to take the spooky dial and crank it until it snaps off.

- Starting with Wayhaven itself. A thing that always bothered me about Wayhaven is the town is supposed to be a central part of the story, but it feels so unmoored because of its lack of concrete details. In a way that’s nice you can picture whatever you want but Wayhaven doesn’t feel real to me. And not in a fun spooky liminal space way, but in a kind of lazy storytelling way (pls don’t come for me). Which I can understand, researching is a lot when all we’re here to do is smooch vampires, buuuuuut what if Wayhaven wasn’t in a sense real? Like, what if no one outside of the town has ever heard of Wayhaven before?

- When Olive left for college she could never explain to her friends where Wayhaven was. She would try and the details would just kind of slip away. It’s very difficult to get to, people get turned around a lot and sometimes it just seems impossible. If Wayhaven doesn’t want to be found it won’t be. But at the same time Olive can’t seem to stay away no matter how hard she tries. 

- So even before Olive became a sort of supernatural magnet/beacon Wayhaven was just that, a haven for supernatural people because it was so easy to hide there.

- Olive went to university and double majored in biology and natural resource management. Verda was one of her professors, and she ends up as his TA and they become very close, mentor/mentee kind of relationship. Even after she isn’t his TA anymore Eric still insists she come over for dinner every other Sunday, and the girls adore her, so she ends up kind of adopted by them.

- in fact that when Olive can’t seem to get a job at any of the national or state parks she applies to (which doesn’t make sense she’s perfectly qualified and Verda gives her a glowing recommendation) and she can only land a job as a ranger in the park surrounding Wayhaven, Verda decides to follow her and moves there as well. He wants somewhere quieter to raise his family and even though Olive had a Not Great childhood there she knows it isn’t because Wayhaven is a bad place to live. I think Verda would still work for the police department in forensics, but Olive steers clear of the station she wants nothing to do with that place.

- Tina is Olive’s childhood friend, really the only one she had, and she is a firefighter :)

- Instead of settling into a warehouse, UB move into the old Ranger station/cabin olive hide from them in. Not quite as big as the warehouse, but big enough that no one has to share rooms at least. Nate has still made it very cozy. The library actually takes up most of the first floor, they knocked down a few walls to make it open and bright but there’s still a good social  area, pool table, and a much nicer kitchen than what the ranger station had before. The yard is transformed as well. It’s hemmed in by the forest, but there’s a good training area and a fire pit. The outside still looks shabby, until you cross some magic boundary thing. Most of the bedrooms are on the second floor, but Mason’s is actually in the attic, there’s a dormer window that you can get out onto the roof.  

- Olive drives a forest green 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee that used to belong to Rook. Its name is Hank. It is old. it is not particularly reliable. Olive loves it more than life itself and refuses to get another car.

- I’m not sure why Bobby is in Wayhaven, I haven’t quite figured out the extent of their relationship. Eternally on again off again situationship ever since college?? Serious enough that they were living together and then moved to Wayhaven together? I stay pondering

I have a billion WIPs (mostly Baldur’s Gate related sorry) but I am once again thinking of a Park Ranger AU for Wayhaven…. The possibilities….

[foodieforthoughts]

Show Me the Light - Part 2

Summary: Myra King, recently moved to Minneapolis and is a newly appointed sports teacher at Southern Cross High School, wanting to live life away from the big city of New York. On the first week of her arrival she (almost) crashes into Detective Walter Marshall which leads to his and her life being intertwined there on. It is not your regular meet-cute story but rather a tug of war between two people from opposite spectrum of life.

Pairing: Walter Marshall x OFC

Word count: 2030

Warnings: Mention of suicide, triggered panic attack, mention of choking

A/N: I have finally gotten back to this fic and it has gotten DARK! After writing the first part, I had no idea how I wanted to proceed. But I have figured it out now and I am so excited for this one. Bringing back our sexy, grumpy Detective back! (No beta, so please don’t mind the mistakes)

| Part 1 |

Title: Show Me the Light - Part 2

Myra tapped her feet while looking around the police station. The two officers who had brought her there had already taken her statement. She was done with work on her side and since she didn’t actually hit anyone, the only charges she had against her was of driving above the speed limit. Myra should have been allowed to go, but grumpy detective Walter had asked for her to be held until he arrived.

Myra sighed angrily and looked at her watch. This is fucking ridiculous! I’m late on my second day at work.

One of the officers from earlier, Officer Grant, walked by her with a folder in his hand. She stood up quickly and stopped him in his tracks.

“I need to go. I need to get to work.” She hissed, not caring that she was talking to a person from the law.

“Miss, Detective Marshall has asked you to wait. So, you need to wait.” He bluntly replied and walked away.

Myra huffed and sat down in her seat. She rubbed a hand over her neck, the zipper mark hurt when she spoke. The person who had caused her the pain was nowhere to be seen. She had no idea what he wanted from her. Maybe an apology? Her mind also drifted towards the thoughts about her bike. She worried about the extent of the damage and if it was even left repairable.

If only grumpy detective could get here already.

The door to the station opened, bringing in a rush of cold air inside. Myra pulled her jacket close around her body and watched as the man himself walked in through the door. Walter had a frown on his face as he ruffled his head of dark curls to dust the snow off his hair. Myra noted yet again how the sweater stretched over his huge frame and still managed to look warm and snug. His arms looked big and strong with the sleeves rolled up to his elbow which made Myra think about how easily he had lifted her off the ground.

A very deep, primal instinct inside her urged her to think about how it would feel if he lifted her for completely different reasons, possibly even ending with them in the bedroom.

What the hell? She shook her head. She was confused how her thoughts had drifted to dirty shenanigans in the bedroom when she was actually angry at the hunky man.

“Come with me,” Walter instructed her, walking towards the section of the station that housed the offices.

Myra followed behind him, crossing her arms over her chest. “I have not killed anyone. I don’t know why I need to speak to a detective.”

She only heard Walter grunt as she stared at the vast expanse of his back. It was only now that she was noticing how tiny she looked in front of him. She was at least a foot and a half shorter than him, maybe even more if only he would stand up straighter. She frowned looking at his hunched shoulder, almost advising him to correct his posture.

Inside his office, Walter walked to sit behind his desk. “You may sit.” He said, his whiskers moving with his lips.

Myra was taken aback by his English accent and wondered how she had not noticed it before. Probably I was too caught up in admiring his body. She rolled her eyes at herself and pulled the chair to take a seat. She crossed her arms and her legs, annoyed at him and herself.

“You could have hurt someone today.”

“But I didn’t.” Myra shot back. “I don’t understand. I have already been slapped a fine for over speeding and I’m going to pay it without fail. So why am I still here?”

She watched as Walter’s upper lip twitched to form a scowl. His eyebrows knit together as he let out a slow breath through his nose.

“I wanted to apologize. I’m sorry for being…rough. I shouldn’t have acted the way I did.” He spoke calmly, choosing his words before speaking them.

Myra wasn’t expecting Walter to acknowledge his actions, much less an apology for it. She felt the red marks on her neck prickle, reminding her how easily he had held her in place. She blinked a couple of times and tried to disregard the slight feeling of arousal itching near her core.

“Apology accepted. Is that all? Can I go now?” She almost stood up, only to be stopped by Walter again.

“Are you hurt? You skidded along the asphalt. I don’t know if you got any medical assistance.” He looked even more apologetic now. Myra actually had no idea if she had suffered any injury. No blood was oozing out from any part of her body, so she was alright in that department.

Hopefully no internal injuries either.

“That’s okay. I am fine. What happened to my bike though?”

Walter fished out his phone from his pocket and scrolled through it. Myra remarked that the scowl and the knit eyebrows were Walter’s only facial expressions. He looked up and showed her his phone with the display showing her bike on a trailer car.

“They took it to the pound. You can pick it up from there.”

Myra nodded and zipped her jacket close. She saw from the corner of her eyes that Walter was staring at her. “Is Faye your daughter?”

“Yes.”

Myra smiled at him as his face brightened with the mention of his child. “She’s really good at soccer. A little more practice and I’m hoping she’ll make the team.”

The smile that appeared on Walter’s face, nearly took Myra by surprise. For some reason she assumed he didn’t smile a lot, owing to his line of work. But it wasn’t an expression that didn’t compliment his scruffy face.

She gulped, feeling her cheeks warm with admiration for the man. “See you around, detective.” She muttered before swiftly walking out his door.

***

Walter observed silently as Myra walked herself out the door. Her black hair cascaded down her leather clad back and swayed as she sauntered out of his sight.

He had not anticipated to lose his control when he had stormed out of his car. But his little baby, his daughter, had come inches from getting hurt. He absolutely couldn’t keep his cool when it came to Faye.

But when he saw that the person whom he had pulled up by the collar was a woman, he had instantly regretted giving in to his rage. He had watched her cough on the ground as she tried to regain her breath. His hands had tingled with the feel of clutching her by the neck so easily.

Walter looked down at his calloused hands as he thought back on Myra struggling to breathe in his grasp. In absolute horror, he realized he had actually enjoyed it.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Walter wondered if chasing behind criminals was turning him into one. He shouldn’t be getting pleasure from someone’s suffering, but it somehow fed his excitement and pushed him to hate himself more than he already did.

A knock pulled him out of his contemplation. He found Officer Grant with a stack of folders in his hand. “You asked for them?”

Walter nodded, clearing his throat and indicated the officer to place the folders on the desk. “Is Harper here?”

The man placed the stack on the table. “Not yet.” He informed before striding back out the door.

Walter pulled the folders towards himself and opened them one by one. He had been summoned for hearing on a suicide case. The woman who had killed herself by hanging, had been a rape victim. Walter had been the case officer for it. For months they had tried to find the accused behind the heinous crime, but the clues had always led to a dead end.

After his wife’s suicide, the husband had in turn filed a complaint against Walter and his investigating team regarding ‘negligence’ for which Walter had to appear in front of the court tomorrow. The husband of the deceased believed it was the lack of support from the police and their inability to provide his wife justice that had pushed his wife to take such a drastic step.

Walter opened the file and saw the pictures of the crime scene which showed the women hanging from the end of a rope. He stared at it, noting the limp body and it’s unmoving limbs. He thought about how he had failed the woman. She could have had a long, happy life with her husband. But it was his inability to do his job that had taken a soul away.

Walter quickly put it aside feeling dread beginning to seep inside his heart. He felt worthless and inadequate for having not solved the case. Like a tic set on alarm, his hands began to tremble. Walter felt his heart begin to race as his breaths started coming in short. He felt his chest tighten and an unnatural chill take over his body.

Leaning over his desk and clutching at his chest, Walter tried to even his breathing. He closed his eyes as the images of all the blood and gore that he had seen throughout his career flashed before his eyes. He could feel his heart getting crushed as the muscles constricted around it. Just like his therapist had advised, Walter took in deep breaths through his nose.

He had been told to think about happy memories when an attack came over him. So, he thought about Faye. He thought back on the feeling of intense happiness he had felt when he had looked at her tiny, newborn face. He smiled through his ordeal as Faye’s laughter ringed in his ears. He could feel the attack subsiding as he thought more about memories from Faye’s childhood.

Somehow, Walter’s mind pictured Myra’s face. The smile she had thrown his way before she left, warmed his heart. He thought about the frown on her face as she had sat in front of him and how it actually made her look cute. He wondered how she could be feisty yet look adorable as she demanded answers from him.

Walter let out a long, shuddered breath as his trembling stopped. He let go of his chest, heaving a lung full of air as his muscles relaxed. He sat back in his chair, gulping as his throat had gone dry.

The panic attacks had become more frequent since the whole case with Simon and his brother. He had feared so deeply for his daughter’s life and had come so close to dying himself, that the trauma from the case had stuck around. With the horror filled nightmares disrupting his sleep and his days sometimes interrupted with a sudden panic attack, Walter felt drained. He was seeking help, but medicines could only provide temporary relief.

He stood up from his chair and downed a glass of water before making his way out towards Commissioner Harper’s office. Without paying much attention to his surroundings, he bumped into Rachael as he turned the corner towards the main area.

Walter watched as Rachael stumbled back from the impact. She looked up at him, her cheeks went pink as she averted her gaze. With her eyes on the floor, Rachael walked away without looking back at him.

Their attempt at giving the relationship a try had gone down like a shit-show. With his instability and his liking towards certain kinks in between the sheets, had pushed Rachael away from him. Walter hated that he had possibly lost a friend, but the lost chance at forging a romantic relationship did not faze him. When he had reflected on their relationship, it appeared he had only been seeking her out as a companion, a comrade.

Despite all the interpretations in front of him, he still felt terrible about wasting her time. With a sigh, Walter looked away from Rachael’s retreating figure and headed towards Harper’s office instead. He already had his hands full with the case, he did not have time to mull over broken relationships.

Or establishing new ones.

[expectingtofly]

Angel in A Hoodie

~1.5k

also posted on ao3

@misha-moose-dean-burger-lover said the world needs more cas in oversized hoodie fics and i wholeheartedly agree, so enjoy some fluff, pining, and comfy!cas :)

“We really need to buy you an umbrella,” Dean said as he and Cas walked into Goodwill. He glanced at Cas, whose hair was still wet and plastered to his forehead from getting caught in the rain. His trenchcoat looked dark beige now, it was so soaked through, and water dripped onto the floor with his every step.

“I didn’t realize it was going to storm,” Cas said, his tone defensive. His shoes squeaked as he quickened his steps to walk next to Dean. “I wouldn’t have gone out to the woods if I knew.”

They had driven that morning to investigate a werewolf sighting in a town a few hours away. While Dean talked to the police chief, Cas went into the woods where the supposed werewolf had been spotted. It’d begun to pour rain, Dean had learned the werewolf was nothing more than a rabid wolf, and Cas got drenched for nothing.

Cas was leaving behind a trail of muddy footsteps, and Dean caught one of the employees giving them a dirty look. He smiled at her apologetically and she stalked away, probably to grab a mop. “All the dark clouds in the sky didn’t give you a hint?”

Cas shot him his own dirty look and Dean raised his hands. “Sorry, sorry.” He couldn’t help grin, though, at how bedraggled and grumpy Cas looked. Almost adorable—not that he would ever think Cas was adorable.

He hesitated for a moment, then lifted his hand to wipe a drop of rainwater from Cas’ face with his sleeve. Cas leaned into his touch and Dean tried to ignore the way that simple shift caused his heartbeat to quicken. “Maybe we should’ve bought you a towel first,” he said, dropping his hand.

Under normal circumstances, he might’ve argued in favor of Cas sucking it up and wearing the wet clothes—and that was not at all influenced by the way Cas’ white shirt was now see-through and sticking to his chest. He didn’t notice that at all, thank you very much. But they had a two hour drive ahead of them and sitting in wet clothes wouldn’t be very enjoyable. Seeing as neither of them had extra clothes packed, and Cas’ grace was too depleted to waste it drying himself off, Goodwill it was.

“Okay, pants are that way,” Dean said, pointing to a rack of clothes. He headed down another row where a sign read, Men’s Shirts. “I’ll grab you a shirt.”

The selection was sparse, and Dean scanned the rack before grabbing a t-shirt at random. A drawing of a man holding a fishing rod; the words, Mine is So Big I Have To Use Both Hands, emblazoned underneath.

Nope, nope, nope, Dean thought, shoving the shirt back on the rack. They were not that desperate. He didn’t want to have to explain that one to Cas. He selected instead a plain, light blue t-shirt, belatedly realizing he was choosing one to match Cas’ eyes.

At the squeak of shoes, he turned to see Cas walking over with a pair of jeans and what looked to be a grey hoodie, holding them away from his body so they didn’t get wet.

“This good?” Dean asked, holding up the shirt.

Cas nodded and reached out to touch it. “I like the color.”

Dean reddened. “Yeah, uh, great.” He took the jeans and hoodie from Cas. “Come on, let’s buy this stuff and get on the road.”

After paying, Cas went into a changing room to get out of his wet clothes. Dean was texting Sam to let him know they would be heading back soon, when he heard the sound of the changing room door open. “All good?” he asked, without looking up.

“I don’t think I picked the right size.”

Dean looked up from his phone to see Cas standing in the doorway wearing a massive grey hoodie. The sleeves hung down past his hands and the hem nearly reached his knees. Cas stared down at himself in disbelief and Dean stifled a laugh. “Yeah, I’ll say so."

“It looked so much smaller on the hanger.” Cas lifted his arms out to the sides—the fabric dwarfing his body—then dropped them with a frustrated huff.

“Well, at least you’ll be warm.” Stepping forward, Dean motioned to Cas, and Cas extended his arm, watched him roll the sleeve up to his wrist. “And everyone will think you’re part of a softball league, so there’s that.”

Cas frowned. “What? Why?”

Dean pointed to the purple text across the front of the hoodie which read, Wissahickon Softball League, along with a cartoon depiction of some sort of rodent in a baseball cap.

Cas sighed. “I liked the chipmunk.” He scowled at Dean. “Don’t laugh.” Dean bit back a smile and Cas let him roll up his other sleeve. “It is very comfortable, though. I like this store. I think it’s very considerate of humans to share their clothes.”

“Guess so. Though ideally you would wash them before you put them on.”

His hands now free from the confines of the hoodie sleeves, Cas put his wet clothes in a plastic Goodwill bag. “Who do you think wore these clothes before?”

“The hoodie? I’m going to assume a softball player.”

They walked to the doors leading outside and Cas pulled at the fabric of the hoodie to look at the design. “I wonder why they got rid of it.”

“Maybe they died.”

“That’s very dark, Dean.”

Pushing open the door to outside, Dean shrugged. “Alright, maybe they decided softball wasn’t their passion and quit, and are still very much alive. Speaking of which, we should go to a baseball game. You would like it.” He could picture it now: Cas's serious questions as he tried to understand the human pastime, his excitement as he completely missed the point and found some meandering way to connect it to a deeper, philosophical meaning.

Cas nodded thoughtfully. “That does sound interesting. I would enjoy that.”

They crossed the wet and shining parking lot to Baby. The rain had slowed to an icy drizzle and Dean hitched his shoulders to stop it from running down his neck. Cas blinked against the raindrops and Dean gestured to him. “Use your hood.”

"Oh." Cas pulled the hood up over his head, then slipped his hands into the wide pocket along the front of the hoodie. He smiled up at Dean, his eyes shaded. “These are very nice features.”

God, what a dork, Dean thought, though he couldn’t stop a smile. He almost put an arm around Cas, then quickly looked away, not sure where that instinct came from. He hurried his steps to Baby before the rain started pouring again and soaked through to his skin.

“Are you cold?” Cas asked as they got in the Impala.

“What? No. I’m good.” Dean turned on the ignition and rubbed his hands together.

Cas reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder and Dean froze, felt a warmth radiate from Cas’ palm down his arm, then spread across his whole body. He didn’t know how much of the warmth was from Cas’ grace or from the simple reason Cas was touching him.

The warmth suddenly faded and Cas sighed. “I’m sorry,” he apologized, pulling his hand away. “I wish I could do more.”

“It’s alright.” He felt the loss when Cas let go of his shoulder, felt now the cold radiating from the windows, creeping under his skin.

Cas frowned at his hands, palms up, and Dean hated the way he seemed so frustrated with himself, with his weakening abilities, so he tried to joke. “You know, I think it was your trenchcoat that gave you your super powers. This hoodie’s probably a cursed object that’s sapping them away. I should’ve tested for EMF.”

It was stupid, but a smile tugged at Cas’ mouth anyway. He met Dean’s eyes and, as always, Dean felt himself sinking into his gaze. The searching, intent look made every moment between them feel so weighty, like at any moment one of them might say something that would change everything between them forever. It was terrifying. Even more terrifying, the way the urge so often rose up in him to be the one to change it all. To say… he wasn’t even sure. He wasn’t even sure what he felt.

Clearing his throat, Dean tore his eyes away. Rain smattered against Baby and obscured the road as he pulled out of the parking lot. He glanced at Cas, who now stared out the passenger window, his hands tucked back into the hoodie pocket, the hood still pulled up over his head. He looked so warm. Dean allowed himself the fantasy of pulling over onto the side of the road, sliding over on the bench seat to press himself up next to Cas, both of them sitting silently as rain drummed on Baby’s roof, maybe Cas sliding a hand around him, running his fingers through his hair…

Blinking, he reached over and turned on the radio, turned it up too loud to distract himself from those thoughts. Cas glanced over and Dean motioned to him.

“I like this look,” he said. “You look very comfy.” His face heated giving the compliment, but Cas didn’t seem to notice, only smiled and ducked his head. Was Cas... blushing?

No, Dean decided, it was only an illusion from the orange glow of the lampposts outside. Returning his eyes to the road, he gripped the steering wheel and continued driving into the rainy night.

Tag List:

@becky-srs @xojo @marvelnaturalock @cas-you-assbutt-dean-needs-you @aelysianmuse @prayedtoyou @letsjustdieeveryone @spookyskeletonsandallthezombies @good-things-do-happen-dean

Let me know (message, ask, comment) if you’d like to be tagged in my other random destiel fics or removed from the list :)

[ultravioletqueen]

Quise publicar estos dibujos hace mucho, pero no tuve la oportunidad de hacerlo o el valor, ahora quiero compartirlos.

Me gusta mucho el au de @starcre8tor de lewis detective y quise dibujar a mis oc's principales versión de este au,ahora un poco más de información sobre los personajes:

Gabe jenkins

En este au nace siendo hombre(ya que por la época no habría gente trans).

Es parte de la mafia de Reverb por necesidad financiera y para que su familia tenga cierto grado de inmunidad.

Usa una máscara mágica que le dio Reverb como un "regalo de poder", cuando la usa su personalidad cambia haciéndolo más confiado, valiente, jugueton y astuto.

Antes de formar parte de la mafia era un dueño de un bar que tocaba música jazz y swing, sin embargo llegaron a tener una bancarrota debido a que ya nadie iba ahí.

Para su trabajo con Reverb básicamente roba varios objetos de museos, exhibiciónes y otros lugares, siendo básicamente una carmen sandiego pero en verde y con el alias de green fury.sin embargo también puede ser obligado a asesinar gente por Reverb.

Gracias al dinero ganado trabajando con Reverb pudo ser capaz de mejorar el bar y convertirlo en uno de los mejores clubes de la ciudad.

Tiene un pequeño flechazo por vivi pero sabe que no es correspondido(soy shipper de lewvi no puedes pararme).

Tiene una gran rivalidad con lewis, Lewis nunca logra atraparlo y eso le divierte a green fury(son casi enemigos).

Esta deprimido y aterrado de lo que le llegaria a hacer Reverb.

Vigilante de su barrio.

Juliete jenkins

Es cantante en el mejor club de la ciudad gracias a gabe.

Ama la música en general.

Literalmente una jazz baby.

No tiene idea del verdadero "trabajo" de gabe.

Tiene un crush en arthur.

Aprecia mucho a su hermano y lo que hace por su familia(piensa que a lo mejor se ha vuelto militar o policía ya que gabe dice que su trabajo es similar al de lewis).

Alta y glamurosa.

Es una gran testigo o informante en algunos casos de lewis.

De vez en cuando ayuda a su hermano con el bar.

Frigg aesir

Investigadora paranormal de alto nivel casi retirada.

Sigue siendo una van helsing moderna.

Gruñona 24/7

En el pasado estuvo involucrada en la mafia pero lo dejó cuando su hermano y su esposa murieron en un accidente automovilistico.

Tampoco tiene idea del verdadero trabajo de gabe pero lo sospecha.

ODIA a lewis.

Detective en la comisaría y la encargada de tomar las fotos y las evidencias.

Tiene un gran conocimiento de lo paranormal.

Miss umbra

Una perra super alta.

Una bruja(literalmente).

Una mafiosa de alto nivel e influencia.

Sigue siendo una retorcida sádica.

Es una aliada leal de Reverb en todos sus trabajos.

Su cicatriz fue causada en una guerra de bandas por un miembro de la mafia sakura.

Reverb

El jefe de gabe y el causante de su dolor y depresión.

Sigue siendo un hijo de perra.

Aliado de miss umbra.

Tiene muchos contactos y mucho poder e influencia en el mundo de la mafia.

Un mafioso muy poderoso y temido.

Le da inmunidad a la familia de gabe porque según el:"solo el los puede lastimar si llega a hacer algo mal".

Fumador compulsivo.

I really like @starcre8tor au from detective lewis and I wanted to draw my main oc's version of this au, now a little more information about the characters:

Gabe jenkins

In this au he is born a man (since at the time there would be no trans people).

He is part of the Reverb mob out of financial necessity and to give his family some degree of immunity.

He wears a magic mask given to him by Reverb as a "gift of power", when he wears it his personality changes making him more confident, brave, playful and cunning.

Before joining the mafia, he owned a bar that played jazz and swing music, however they went bankrupt because no one was going there anymore.

For his work with Reverb he basically steals various objects from museums, exhibitions and other places, basically being a carmen sandiego but in green and with the alias of green fury, however he can also be forced to murder people by Reverb.

Thanks to the money he earned working with Reverb he was able to improve the bar and make it one of the best clubs in town.

He has a small crush on Vivi but he knows that it is not reciprocated (I am a Lewvi shipper, you cannot stop me).

He has a great rivalry with Lewis, Lewis never manages to catch him and that amuses to green fury (they are almost enemies).

He's depressed and terrified of what Reverb would do to him.

Watchdog of his neighborhood.

Juliete jenkins

She is a singer in the best club in town thanks to gabe.

Loves music in general.

Literally a jazz baby.

You have no idea what gabe's real "job" is.

Has a crush on arthur.

He appreciates his brother very much and what he does for his family (he thinks that maybe he has become a military man or a policeman since gabe says his job is similar to Lewis's).

Tall and glamorous.

She is a great witness or informant in some Lewis cases.

From time to time he helps his brother with the bar.

Frigg aesir

Almost retired senior paranormal investigator.

It is still a modern van helsing.

Grumpy 24/7

In the past, she was involved in the mob but left when her brother and wife died in a car accident.

He also has no idea of ​​Gabe's real work but suspects it.

HATES lewis.

Detective at the police station and the person in charge of taking the photos and evidence.

He has a great knowledge of the paranormal.

Miss umbra

Super sized bitch

A Witch(literally)

A high-level and influential mobster.

She is still a twisted sadist.

She is a loyal ally of Reverb in all its work.

His scar was caused in a gang war by a member of the Sakura mob.

Reverb

Gabe's boss and the cause of his pain and depression.

He's still a motherfucker.

Ally of miss umbra.

He has many contacts and a lot of power and influence in the world of the mafia.

It gives immunity to Gabe's family because according to him: "only he can hurt them if he does something wrong."

Compulsive smoker

[bansept]

Protector

Part 3

It was long to come out, but it’s here! A few more moments between our love birds, but defintely more important things about what happened in this part.

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

For the next few days, life had been unsurprisingly blissful for both the officer and his protégée : Orihime Inoue spent her nights working on her computer, carefully being silent while Ichigo let sleep hit him hard as a brick, his documents all over him while his mouth was opened to let silent snores escape. Then, morning came, and a curious routine started to take place, with Ichigo doing his morning exercises in the room given to him, Orihime taking yet another sweet drink before heading to bed.

As if they had been friends since forever, they tended to their lives and watched over the other, stealing a few glances here and there. Orihime, once awake, would give more information on the bakery, the times she went there, the people she used to know. Ichigo, listening carefully, would note it down and try to think on it, before getting dragged outside by the arm.

That was something new too. Physical touch.

Ichigo, being the nice and respectful man he was supposed to be, had decided to absolutely not let his physical attraction to the young woman take over. Nothing would happen, because he was controlling his body and mind, and that was it. But that was forgetting how convincing gardening, sharing dishes or simply talking with her was complicated. She had touched his arm once, to ask a simple question, and it was an electric shock running through his body, from head to toe. The auburn haired woman had stared at him with a tiny blush before scooting away, apologizing immediately. Little by little, more touches, more arm grasping to prevent a fall, shoulder taping because, apparently, Ichigo was funnier with the woman then he ever had been with his friends and family.

So it didn’t surprise him when Orihime had asked him to help her change the light, since he was basically here to help. But… Well…

“You what?”

Eyes wide opened, mouth hanging, blush creeping on his cheeks, he looked like the perfect idiot.

“Could you please hold my waist while I change the light, please?”

It was ridiculous. For many reasons, as in, he could change it for her, or he didn’t need to hold her waist for that. But the most ridiculous thing of all was thinking about refusing her proposal. Ichigo wasn’t stupid enough to understand a basic flirting method.

“I… Yeah.. I can do that.” He muttered, letting the satisfied and overwhelmingly smiling woman take her time to climb on top of the chair. “Just… Be careful not to hurt your hands.”

If he could hit himself, Ichigo would, but it was impossible now, his hands very, very carefully placing themselves on the woman’s hips. They didn’t dare to do more than hover, digits sweating and face incandescent.

In such a situation, it was easy, and evident, for both the young people to hope for more : faking a fall and land in Ichigo’s arms, for example. But they were rapidly brought back to reality, the policeman’s phone buzzing loudly in the silence of the intimate scene.

“Ah… Sorry.”

Ichigo apologized, taking one hand off to dig in his pocket.

“Yes?... Hello. Yes, I am with Miss Inoue.”

The hand still lingering over her jeans was very much a reminder of it. She smiled at him, mouthing a ‘thank you’ before getting back on the ground.

His hand didn’t move much.

“Everything is going alright, there are no signs of any threats against her. Yes… Hm, I see. I will. Thank you.”

Orihime stared at the man on her side, watching him hang up and sigh before turning his face in her direction.

“Is everything alright? Was it the police station?”

“Oh, yeah. Everything is good, they have more intel on how the explosion occurred. They were suggesting me to go there to catch up on anything that might be interesting.”

He answered, shrugging, and placed his phone back where it belonged. Now it felt like things would really work : after days, 6 to be more precise, of knowing nothing and suggesting to the public it was but a mere dysfunctioning oven that had caught fire and exploded, the investigation could finally take a good turn. The culprit would hopefully be found soon.

Orihime had not answered, and Ichigo looked back at her to see her eyes darting to her hips where his hand had remained.

A beat.

“I’m sorry!” He yelped, pulling his hand away fast, the feeling of being burned coursing through his veins.

Orihime laughed openly, the blush on her face as evident as her timid smile.

.

.

.

What was left of the bakery was surrounded by tape to prevent any curious eyes, a few police officers gathered around a table to drink a coffee and discuss matters. The tallest of the team, a dude with brown hair and glasses, watched as Ichigo arrived with Orihime.

The light-haired man was dressed as a civilian once again, jeans with a blue shirt, and the other officers couldn’t help but notice he seemed… less grumpy then usual.

“Kurosaki Ichigo. I am here with Miss Inoue Orihime to ask a few questions.”

Ichigo told his partner, voice deep in concentration, while Orihime bowed shortly, looking around. This place, the memories she used to have… It was strange, and definitely painful to return.

After the fire was extinguished, nothing made much sense. What had been the place to expose the delicious friandises and cakes was gone, blown away by the wind of the explosion, the home made decoration all over the place, drawn and painted by the proud owners’ grandchildren had vanished. All the happiness had disappeared, only ashes and bodies left behind.

And the owners… A part of Orihime had wanted not to know the state they were in. whether or not they could be recognized. But the other part wanted to know everything. Because she knew she could have suffered the same fate.

“Miss Inoue?”

A gentle voice brought her back to reality, grey eyes blinking a few times before focusing on the brown ones she had come to get used to.

“Yes… Sorry, I zoned out for a bit.”

“It’s alright.” Ichigo gave a kind smile, one that made her heart and stomach roll together. “If you want to, you can go see inside. Just tell me whenever it is too much for you.”

Orihime nodded once again, turning around to slowly walk to the ruined building. She could feel a pair of eyes on her at every step, and it was reassuring to know that at any problem, any moment, Ichigo would come to help her.

.

.

.

“Is this a graduation picture?”

They returned to her house shortly after visiting the site, Ichigo with more info on the states of the other victims and if they had any memories, and Orihime with a new found resolution to help.

Five people had died. Numerous others had been injured. She was part of the very few with no physical injuries. Whoever did this needed to pay for it.

“Yes. When I used to sleep at night.”

She joked, face brighter than her thoughts when a smile grew on it, sitting down on the sofa next to Ichigo, crossing her legs under her.

Ichigo rolled his eyes playfully, shaking his head as he gazed at the picture, obviously focusing more on her than any other students.

“True, but the smile from the “now” you is better.”

“Ah, don’t tell me about it. If you think school is stressful and selective, then the NAOJ of Mikata is Hell. I was so stressed every living second, because I wanted the job so bad.”

“Competitive much?”

“I heard some students were taking drugs to not need sleep or food so they could study more. So yes. A lot.”

Ichigo raised his eyebrows at that, shooting up his eyes to stare at the woman.

“And I heard of people taking drugs to avoid studying…” He joked, and was so fucking proud to see her laugh at this. Damn if he loved it.

Focusing his eyes back on the picture, the man watched all those young and tired faces, none of them smiling, and placed his finger on the picture frame.

“This girl seemed to not like you much…”

A foreign blond woman, her hair cut at shoulder’s length, glared daggers at the younger Orihime, irritably holding the glasses in her hands while obviously mumbling something under her breath.

Next to him, Ichigo heard Orihime sigh.

“Ah, yes… All of us were aiming for the moon, a good job with a good salary. It was the same for her. At first, we were all friends, trying to help each other. But the competition got the best of us. And a good job wasn’t enough anymore. I wanted to be an astrophysicist to make my brother proud. She didn’t have any goal but to be better than anyone. But her methods were despicable, and she was rejected by the academy. While I had no business in this, she hated me in particular for that.”

Orihime sighed once again, rubbing her hands on her jeans.

“I hope she’s doing well… I can only assume how hard it must have been for her…”

Ichigo wanted to agree, but the frown on his face had returned.

Whoever this girl was, she didn’t have the same heart as Inoue, that was obvious. And he would investigate this.

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

What will happen next, oh as the writer of this, I wonder hehehehe

[except4bunnies]

[gaillol-13]

ITTHIGSS AU

Cartoon encounter

The Thrilling Adventures Of Captoon Underpants. By George Beard and Harold Hutchins

Despite it's old appearance, it was made in 2021 by cartoonists George Beard(20 and 0/5 yrs) and Harold Hutchins(21).

They said that they made the cartoon in memory of their boss, Benjamin Krupp, who was tragically killed in a car accident(?). And despite his grumpy, strict, and sarcastic nature, they did miss him (in the interview they joked that black and white cartoons were played at his high school, despite that he was in his 40s, and technology didn't work like that back in the day). And it was also based off the comic books they made when they were young.

The Cartoon itself was about George and harold (as kids) and a chubby half-naked goofy superhero called Captoon Underpants. The trio go on wacky action packed adventures, stop alot of evil baddies, or just have a bunch of fun. It has a decent amount of potty humour, well-balanced in the adult jokes department, and was a hit for kids (and even some adults) everywhere.

The only unhappy customer was Theodore Murdsly, a rich businessman with a huge company (called Ted corp), and a ego to match. The main reason he found the cartoon unacceptable was that he was a major antagonist and Captoon's rival. And it potrayed him as a selfish, cocky, greedy, perverted (yes, I went there), and lying pig (what pissed him off even more was that George and harold dont regret it one bit, even enjoyed that he was annoyed). When he stated this problem, Harold simply said "Look if you dont like that we made your character so accurate, you don't have to watch it at all."

The viewers laughed their heads off, and no one seemed to cared about Theodore's complaint.

On December 4th, seven criminals who worked for Ted kidnapped George and Harold and took them to the abandoned Jerome Horwitz school (which was also where the two cartoonists got their education) to "end the production".

When people asked how George and harold got out alive, they didn't answer and looked at each other with worry. So the police (along with class S scientist Melvin sneedly, who also went to school there) went to the school to investigate, all the evidence they found was a room with 5 dead bodies (no doubt the criminals) and a small TV.

From what Melvin described, 1 body had their neck twisted off and skinned to the bone, 2 had been hung from handmade nooses (that were, strangely, just a bunch of briefs tied together), another one had the top half of their torso missing (with teeth marks,human teeth marks), and 1 looked like it was crushed by a heavy object. There was no trace of the other 2 criminals. Here's what he said in the interview.

"Do you think George and harold are responsible for these murders?"

"Of course not! Sure, those rusty water pipes are very clever, but they wouldn't kill a human, not even if its self defense!"

"You said one was crushed, can you define exactly how?"

"Actually, it seems that the killer crushed him using...some sort of weapon. *pulls out a small broken piece of the weapon out of his pocket and shows it to the camera* I got a sample of it right here"

"The weapon was made from...grey wood?"

"That's the thing! It has the texture of wood, right?! But-but it feels... *drags finger on sample* wet, like ink, just a little. But it's also static-like!"

"Static-like?"

"Y-yeah, and its definitely solid, but it feels like you can bend it too, sorta like rubber!"

"So...its moist rubber wood that feels like...static?"

"I know I know, it sounds crazy. But thats just how it feels, we ran some tests on it, all the computers (after some errors) could say was that it was "hammer wood". So we can confirm this person used a hammer."

"But you said it was rubbery, so how could this person smash them with it?"

"They must have swung it hard, and judging from this picture... *pulls out a picture of the completly smashed corpse* ...it must have been a pretty big hammer. *chuckles a bit*"

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing. Just imagining this guy smashing someone with a hammer probably bigger than his body, while its obviously barbaric and gruesome...it kinda reminds me of the captoon cartoons George and harold make..."

"It does?"

"*Nods* mm hm. *pulls out the picture of 2 criminals hanging* And they also made a noose out of underwear! There was actually a Captoon episode where Captoon kinda did that."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, *crosses his legs and smiling* Theodore said to some people something about him winning a contest and gloated that he was gonna win Edith (like that's ever gonna happen), and-"

"Do you know who Edith is in the cartoon?"

"Of course! She's Captoon's love interest, her first appearance was in "Captoon's train troubles", and just like George, Harold, Theodore, and me (yeah, I'm in there too), she's an actual person in real life. And she didn't seem to mind the role those two gave her *leans foward* if you know what I mean. *winks and leans back to his original spot*"

"*chuckles*"

"So anyway. Theodore says that, but what he didn't know was that Captoon heard and saw the whole thing through the window, and boy, did he look pissed! So Captoon tapped the window to get Theodore's attention, then pulls out a bunch of underwear from his utility waistband (one of his powers in unlimited underwear), then ties them into a noose, points at him, then at the noose, and then does the "slit-throut" gesture, all while making direct eye contact with Theodore!"

"Woah...that's kinda dark for a family-friendly cartoon."

"I know!! Captoon didn't even say a word in that moment, but that was CLEARLY a death-threat!!! He had full intentions to KILL that smug rich douchebag!!! I mean, they ARE aware kids are watching these, right?!?! Anyway, my point is whoever killed these criminals are obviously a fan of the cartoon, that would definitely explain why he let George and Harold live. *takes a sip of tea*"

"Heh, your one to talk."

"*spits out tea* NONONONOITSNOTLIKEILIKEITORANYTHING I-*ahem* Its just those two keep bugging me to watch it with them, they really love how their work turns out in the end, and I respect that, a-and I seem to remember what happens in the episodes, heh. *nervous laughter* I think we're getting a bit off track. Back to the murders."

"Right, there were seven criminals who took George and harold, but you found five. What happened to the other two?"

"Oh that's...a great question, we couldn't find them, but... *freezes for a moment* remember that there was also a small TV in the same room as the bodies were?"

"Yes."

"W-well, when I was alone in there, it was on one side of the room, and there was a door to the storage room on the other, it was a big room. I noticed there was blood, coming...o-out of...the TV screen...

"W-was there anything showing on the TV?"

"*shakes head* The TV showed nothing but static on it, but bloods was oozing out of the corners...and...when I got closer...I could hear someone...humming..."

"What?"

"*shivers* The-they were humming the Captoon theme song...I could hear it...and...hands..."

"Wha?"

"I could feel...hands...reaching out toward me...from behind...I could hear the storage room door opening...the breathing...footsteps that repeatedly stopped to tap to the rhythm of the song he was humming...that was the moment I realized the man who killed the criminals was right behind me..."

"Jeez."

"His breathing seemed like it was coming from a radio, scratchy...static-like...but that wasn't the unsettling part..."

"What was?"

"I couldn't believe what I was hearing, I KNEW one person who breathed like that, it was too familiar...but...It just...couldn't be...he's been deseased for over a year now..."

"Who?"

"... *shakes head* never mind, I think it's time for us to end the interview anyway."

To be continued.......

[might-be-a-zygon]

Flat 40b

Chapter Four

What Choice to Make?

“Jenny.”

The Doctor stood stock still, just watching as the all-too familiar figure leaned easily against his doorway, as though she hadn’t been dead for centuries. He just about registered the other blonde he’d been talking to making a beeline for the door, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to care, because that was Jenny, and she was here, and she was alive. He wasn’t entirely sure how it’d happened, but frankly, he didn’t care.

Maybe, just this once, the Universe had decided to be kind?

“Hi dad.” She gave him a knowing smile as she repeated the first words she’d ever said to him.

“How-“

“I don’t know.” She admitted. “I woke back up. Guess I’m a bit more like you than we thought. I’ve been trying to find you but you’re not exactly easy to track down. I kept missing you.”

The Doctor’s grin turned sheepish for a minute, before returning to something between shock and awe. “I don’t like to stop running for too long.”

“I hadn’t noticed.” She replied, her voice full of mock-earnestness.

“Oh and you got cheeky!” Despite his words, the Doctor wasn’t a bit annoyed about that fact- he looked positively delighted. “Does that make you a teenager now?”

“Well, I was born as an adult and I’m not sure how aging works for Time Lords but-“

“Oh you’re definitely a teenager! What have you been doing all this time?”

“Looking for you, mostly. I went into the family business.” That one earned her a confused look from the Doctor, who made a vague gesture for her to sit down in the empty seat near his desk, though he didn’t sit down himself. How was he supposed to sit down when he was still fizzing with excitement? “And the family business is…?” “Running around. Saving people. Fighting the bad guys- all the stuff you’re best at. You know I-” The Doctor cut her off before she could finish that thought. “I should have waited.” He cut in quickly, needing to get the apology out there. He’d never been great with apologies (though judging by the notecards he’d found in his drawers he’d been trying to improve at some point), but this one felt too important to let slip past. He’d left her for dead and she’d been looking for him ever since. How was he supposed to ignore that and just pretend to have a normal conversation knowing how long she’d spent looking? “You didn’t know.” Jenny managed a smile, though there was enough of him in her that he could recognise the façade. “I knew you were like me. I knew how long it takes for a Time Lord to properly die. I should have stayed with you, made sure that they didn’t try to…” He cut himself off before he could get into anything too horrifying. Being buried prematurely was something Time Lord’s always had to consider when they weren’t with their own kind- it was something he’d narrowly avoided himself, when he’d worn his seventh face. In an attempt to lighten the mood, he smiled again, leaning against the edge of the desk. “So- how did you find me in the end?” “Well,” Jenny looked him over, “You attract attention. A mad professor who hasn’t aged in seventy years? it seemed like it was worth a shot.” “Mad professor?” He looked a little offended, but the expression was so comical it just made her laugh. “You’re not exactly teaching a standard curriculum in there are you?” “Curriculums are boring.” The Doctor dismissed. “I’ve gotta admit though- it’s not the face I was expecting. I was a little worried you wouldn’t recognise me yet, what with Martha not-“ The Doctor’s face suddenly fell, and he found himself leaning forwards across the desk slightly. “Martha?” “Yeah? She doesn’t know me yet, so I kind of assumed that this must have been where you met her, since-“ “She didn’t go here.” The Doctor cut her off again, too in his own head to worry about politeness. “The timing is off anyway, she’s been out of University for years! She- by now she’s married, they have a son. She definitely wouldn’t be here.” He turned to look at her, his expression grave. “You’re sure it’s her?” “I spent my first day alive trying to save her, remember?” Jenny raised an eyebrow. “It’s definitely her. She’s one of my flatmates. I don’t understand-” “And you live with Bill? Two of my friends and my daughter wind up in the same flat, and-“ He glanced at the photograph of River Song on his desk. “My wife is here to.” That girl from before had said that River Song had turned up at the flat to help her daughter move in. Her daughter. “How did you meet River?” He asked, not quite sure whether he wanted to hear the answer. As soon as she’d given it, he wished he hadn’t asked. “Who?” “Well that was-“ “Yeah.” Thea murmured, glancing back towards the office. Her and Bill had left pretty much as soon as Jenny had started talking, both unwilling to get stuck in the middle of the family reunion. There was a moment’s silence before the both of them burst out laughing. It wasn’t exactly what they’d been expecting to happen- though at the very least neither of the parties involved seemed particularly horrified by the fallout, so she supposed some solace could be taken in that. “So, plans for the rest of the day?” Bill asked once they’d both calmed down a bit. Thea just shrugged. “Might just go for a walk. I keep dreaming I’m walkin’ around campus so that’s probably my subconscious telling me to learn my way ‘round. She laughed a little at the concept, shaking her head. “How ‘bout you?” “Dunno, really. I was

supposed to have a meeting with the Doctor but it looks like that’s not happening now. Might just head back to the flat and-“ She paused mid-conversation, looking off behind Thea at someone she couldn’t see. “I wouldn’t go up there if I were you!” She called. Turning around, Thea nodded a bald man in a bright orange coat heading for the stairs up towards the faculty offices. “Why not? Is he being grumpy again?” The man began heading towards them when he spotted Bill. “Well-“ Bill laughed. “Yeah, when isn’t he?” “Fair point- Oh!” He seemed to have spotted Thea. “Who’s this?” “Oh! Nardole this is my flatmate Thea, Thea- Nardole he’s-“ “I babysit-“ he began cheerfully, before she cut him off again. “He works with the Doctor.” “Oh, uh. Nice to meet you?” Thea looked between the pair of them a little perplexed. They seemed pretty unlikely friends, but the man seemed friendly enough- she wasn’t about to be rude just because he’d come a little out of the blue. “Likewise.” He inclined his head slightly in her direction, drawing out his response just slightly longer than most people would have done. At that point he turned back to Bill. “How come I can’t go up there again?” “His daughter came to visit.” Thea explained, trying not to do so in too dramatic a fashion. From the look of surprise on Nardole’s face, that didn’t seem to have helped. “You didn’t know he had kids either, then?” Bill asked. “I knew he did but- I thought they were all-“ He glanced at Thea again, “I mean, I knew his wife but-“ “He had a wife?” Bill looked even more invested now. “He never mentioned he had a wife.” A noise which might have been a scoff left Nardole’s mouth. “Well he wouldn’t have, would he?” “Well you can’t just leave it at that!” “Well I can’t just tell you about his private business, you know I do value my life.” Sensing that things were about to devolve into a personal conversation, Thea began to back away, leaving the two of them to their bickering. “I’ll see you at the flat later!” She called to Bill, waving as she began to back away, walking a vaguely familiar path which cut across a grass bank and led her off in between two buildings. She must have picked up more of the geography of campus than she thought. She came up to a dead end, flanked by a rusty old door, some rubbish bags, and some discarded pallets. Maybe not. “Jack?” Yaz had dialled the number about as quickly as she could after shutting herself up in her room, any question of getting lunch long since forgotten. She needed to know what a young Jack Harkness was doing here- and whether it had something to do with whatever had been tracking them before they landed here. “Yasmin Khan! Well if it isn’t my favourite police officer.” She distinctly heard someone shout “Oi!” on the other side of the line, followed by the middled thump of a cushion hitting the phone, and laughing from Jack. “Okay- okay. Second favourite officer!” He said, his voice slightly distorted as he turned his head away from the phone, before coming back in clearer a moment or so later. “Sorry- she got there first. So. To what do I owe the pleasure?” “I just ran into you.” “You’re in Cardiff? Is the Doctor refuelling?” Jack asked, suddenly sounding a little more interested. “We’re in Bristol.” Yaz clarified, taking a seat at her desk, and grabbing the notepad she’d been using to scribble down all the unusual things that had been happening. With the Doctor out of action for the time being it was her job to investigate whatever had been chasing them. “I’m not in Bristol.” “Well I know you’re not now. I ran into a younger version.” That certainly seemed to peak Jack’s interest. “How much younger?” “I couldn’t tell, really.” Yaz shrugged, before trying to explain herself, not wanting to come off as apathetic. “The Doctor said you age slower so it’s not exactly easy to work out.” “I don’t remember ever going to Bristol- at least not in this time zone.” He admitted. “What was I doing there? Did you talk to me or just walk past me?” “You were looking for one of my flatmates-

temporary flatmates.” Yaz corrected herself, quickly. She didn’t plan on staying here without her Doctor for any longer than she needed to. “It’s a long story,” “Isn’t it always?” She could practically hear the smile in his tone. “Who’s your flat mate?” “Rose-“ She didn’t even get a chance to finish saying the name- something about it seemed to have flipped a switch for Jack, pushing the joking note right out of his voice, and leaving him sounding serious, and a little sad. “Rose Tyler?” He asked quickly. She could hear worried tones coming from whoever was in the room with him, but couldn’t quite make out what they were saying. “Yeah?” “Man, okay. You ran into a real young version of me.” There was a slight pause, before he asked, “Did the Doctor see Rose?” “Well.” Not really. Thea Smith had seen Rose- but was that the same, on some level? The Doctor had said that Thea was her, even though they weren’t exactly the same person- Thea was the human version of the Doctor, so did that count? “…Sort of?” She eventually settled on, sounding wholeheartedly confused about the whole thing. “Is she okay?” He asked, sounding surprisingly earnest. Yaz was reminded briefly of walking with him, talking about the Doctor. She realised, again, that deep down, Jack really did love the Doctor. Then again, she didn’t really see how anyone could meet the Doctor and not come away with half of their heart forever stuck in the bottomless pockets of that stupid coat. “Why wouldn’t she be okay?” Now it was Jack’s time to sound baffled. “Well. Rose? I mean, she lost her a really long time ago but-“ “She lost her?” Yaz glanced behind her, as though she could see straight through the wood and across into Rose Tyler’s room. “They used to be close. Did the Doctor not mention that when you saw her?” “She’s- Not really herself right now.” Yaz glanced out of the window, pushing her fingers through her hair. She should braid it to keep it out of her face, if she was going to be dealing with stress like this. “What do you mean?” He sounded worried, and she suddenly felt a little guilty for trying to be cryptic. It wasn’t as though she was the only one who cared about the Doctor. “She- Something was tracking her- she used a-“ Yaz tried to think of the name of the thing the Doctor had used, but she wasn’t sure she’d ever given it a real name. “A machine thing, in the TARDIS to make herself seem human. I’ve just gotta look after her and lie low until whoever was looking gives up. She said if they’re looking for an alien man, we’re pretty safe.” “She used the chameleon arch?” Something about the tone of Jack’s voice showed that that was serious. “Where in Bristol are you?” “St Luke’s University. The TARDIS set her up as a PHD student- she’s going to love that when she wakes up properly.” She laughed, more of a nervous tick than anything. The seriousness that he was treating the chameleon arch with made it all feel a lot more real to her. “Oh! I do remember that. We sent Rose in undercover because of the UFO and stuff- I guess that was probably you guys?” He asked. Laughing, Yaz nodded as though he could see her, before actually speaking. “Yeah, I think it probably was. The Doctor was out cold and I don’t exactly know how to land the TARDIS properly.” “Nice to finally have an answer on that one. I think the Doctor just gave up in the end. Unless…” He trailed off, calling out to the person on the other end of the line. Yaz heard a couple of muffled voices respond, but she still couldn’t understand the conversation. A minute or so later, he came back to the phone. “What year are you in?” “Uh-“ Yaz actually had to glance over at the university calendar she’d pinned up on her wall to check. Going back such a short jump was disconcerting to say the least- it wasn’t like jumping into the far past. She was living through the same time twice. “2017.” “ Oh, great- not a big jump. I don’t exactly have access to reliable time travel right now but…” He paused, clearly thinking. “I know a guy who can probably help me out. I’ll be there in the

morning.” Thea glanced at the dead end she’d steered herself into with a sigh. She’d been so sure there was something down here. Glancing at the door, she frowned slightly. There was something off about the heavy-looking ring of the handle. It was faintly worn, and much too clean, as though it saw a lot of use, but the patina on the door suggested it was rarely opened. What could even be behind it in a building like this? She was no architect but with the number of offices inside it couldn’t be much more than a cupboard. Impulsively, she reached forwards, mostly just intending to pick the ring pull up and let it fall again, though when she did so it proved oddly stiff, and she wound up pulling the whole thing forwards rather than lifting it. It clicked into place with an odd mechanical thunk, and then the whole door began to open without her needing to touch it. It was a pretty odd design for an automatic door- almost like someone had wanted to hide whatever was inside. Then again, if they were hiding it why wouldn’t there be a lock? She stepped inside cautiously, moving down the stairs and towards an odd blue glow at the end of the corridor. There had to be something down here, else the place wouldn’t be lit up- but it wasn’t on any of the maps. Maybe she was just trespassing in somebody’s office but- Well, Thea had always been a little too curious for her own good. “Hello?” She called. There was no response. The door at the end of the corridor was odd to say the least. Well, it was more doors than a door- two huge silvery things covered in a pattern that looked a little like a series of clocks. “Bit ornate for a Uni basement…” She muttered, pushing lightly on one. It didn’t budge- however when she touched one of the odd glowing panels at the side of it, a little hatch did spring open, asking for a password. She stared at it for a moment, somehow doubting that ‘Password123’ would work here. She didn’t know the password. There was no way she could know the password, and yet something was nagging at her to try it anyway. No harm in trying, right? Reaching out a hand, Thea began to press buttons mostly at random, the thirty-two digits which popped into her head first. The string didn’t mean much to her, but the door began to open with a satisfying whirring noise. Pulling her hand back as though she’d been burned, Thea watched as the double doors peeled back, revealing the room behind them. “Are you guys coming to the- what is it tonight?” Rose glanced up from her cooking to look back at the other two women still in the kitchen. “It’s the comedy club thing, right?” Amy was already eating, so it was Martha she got a response from first. “Yeah, not really my scene, sorry.” Rose looked a little dejected, picking at the purple band tied around her wrist. She was already beginning to regret buying it. “Amy?” “Hmm?” She glanced up from her lunch, “Oh, not tonight, sorry. My-“ She hesitated for a beat, before continuing, “My boyfriend is coming round.” “You’ve got a boyfriend?” Rose asked, suddenly a little distracted from the congealed pasta in her pot, and the thought that she might wind up walking to the campus chippy. “What? Oh, yeah. Rory. He’s a nurse.” Amy picked her plate up, moving to scrape what was left on it into the bin before dumping it into the sink to be a problem for later. “What about you? Got anyone back home?” Rose played with the wristband guiltily. Should she mention Mickey? Were they even really still together? She still cared about him, but it’d been months since she’d seen him, and after she’d disappeared for so long- well he had to have started moving on, right? And then there was the Doctor… “Sort of.” She eventually settled on, though that somehow earned her an eyebrow raise from the Scot that let her know she was about to be pressed for further information. She decided to volunteer it before she could be asked, “I’ve got a boyfriend back home, but we’re- I think we’re sort of on a break? I don’t think the long distance thing is gonna work for us.” Amy had hopped up to

sit on the side by the time she emerged from the kitchen with her unappetising pasta-blob, leaving the whole table free. She swung her legs slightly, her boots clicking against the dodgy cupboard door. “And it doesn’t have anything to do with the handsome fella who was round here looking for you earlier?” She asked, a teasing note at the end of each word. Rose scoffed, “What? Jack? No. He’s just a mate- good mate, but no.” “But there is someone else.” Martha hadn’t spoken in a minute or so, but now her voice held enough of a knowing tone that Rose couldn’t exactly argue. It wasn’t as though there wasn’t someone else she cared about- even if it couldn’t actually go anywhere. “There’s- a guy I’ve got a bit of a thing for,” She started off, before quickly adding, “but we haven’t done anything. It’s not like anything’s ever gonna happen- don’t think it could.” “Why not?” “He’s just not that sort of bloke.” Rose pulled a face. It was hard to imagine the Doctor ever settling down- not that she’d need him to, really. She’d have liked to have a real relationship with him but- well. He was more than worth settling for. “Is he gay?” Amy asked. “What? No. Well, I don’t think so.” She thought briefly to how he behaved with Jack, “Bi, maybe, But- he likes to run around showing off for girls, I just don’t think he’s the dating sort.” “I’m starting to think I’m the only single one in the flat.” Martha remarked, looking as though she’d rather be off the topic of unattainable lovers. “Nah- I think Bill’s single. Jenny, too. At least I haven’t heard her mention anyone. ” Amy remarked. “Ash mentioned having a girlfriend- not that I’ve spoken to her much.” “Yeah, I don’t think she stays here much.” Rose glanced towards the door to the main hallway, making sure nobody was listening. She didn’t want Ash to think they’d been gossiping about her. “I’ve never seen her in the kitchen or anything.” “What about the other two?” Martha asked. “Thea and Yaz? I don’t think they’re together,” she broke into a smile, leaning across the table towards Martha, “But I give it a month.” “A month?” Amy cut in. “No way. Two weeks, tops.” Rose gave her a challenging look, “You want to bet on that?” “Oh you know I do. Twenty quid says they’re together within two weeks.” “You’re on.” Martha looked between them, “Isn’t it a bit weird to bet on our flatmates?” She asked, earning herself two sets of raised eyebrows in return. “…I say three weeks.” Of all the things Thea had thought could hide behind doors like those, this wasn’t one of them. A woman sitting alone at a piano, in Edwardian dress, giving her the most disdainful look she could manage. “He’s sending his pets to look after me now? As if this couldn’t get any worse.” Thea blinked, glancing at the woman, and then the doors behind her, clearly apprehensive about stepping any closer. Somehow, this all felt very, very wrong. “Sorry? Is this your office or something? Nobody sent me here I just-“ “Nobody sent you?” The woman cut her off. Thea nodded, and that grim look on her face suddenly transformed into a wicked smirk. “Oh now that is interesting. How did you get through the doors?” “There- Are you stuck down here? Should I call someone?” Thea looked genuinely concerned, but the woman just laughed. “Oh no, poppet. It’s not like that.” She looked at Thea expectantly, and when she didn’t get an answer she spoke up again, clearly a little exasperated. “Well are you going to answer my question?” “There was a code. I just- guessed.” Thea knew it probably sounded suspicious, but- well, nobody could accuse her of lying. She wasn’t sure how she’d known the code, it was just a very (very, very, very) unlikely guess. Well, that or there was something wrong with the system. “You guessed the code?” The woman gave her a disbelieving look. “You’re not one of his pets he’s sent down here to test me?” “One of his- who’s he?” Thea gave her another blank look. Who on earth was this woman and what was she doing in this mostly barren room? “Oh- Doesn’t matter. Since you got down here all by

yourself, why don’t you and me sit and have a wee chat?” The woman gave her a smile that showed far too many teeth to be comforting. Thea resisted the urge to back away. “I don’t bite- much.” As much as she wanted to just leave- to come up with an excuse and go back home as though none of this had happened, Thea had always been a sucker for a mystery. What could be more mysterious than a sinister woman in a hidden vault under the University? She felt rather like she’d stepped into a ghost story. Moving with some caution, she took one of the two seats near the little platform the woman’s piano stood on, getting ready to ask a question, which the stranger beat her to. “Call me Missy- what’s your name? Can’t promise I’ll remember it, but I’m told it’s polite to ask.” There was a moment’s pause, before Thea spoke again. “Thea. Thea Smith.” Missy faltered for a moment or so. “Thea.” She said, her fingers tapping a strangely familiar beat out on the lid of the piano. “Pretty name. I had a friend with a name like that, a very long time ago.” “You’re going to have to spend the night there sometime, you know.” Clara half-heartedly chastised, setting a cup down in front of Me, who was once again using one of the diner tables to go through what they’d gathered. The sky outside the windows was already dark, and yet Me seemed to be in no hurry to return to the flat- honestly she didn’t know why they’d bothered basing her there. She could have just as easily claimed to be an off-campus student and snuck in during the day to examine the odd readings. “No I don’t.” She replied quickly, waiting for Clara to slide into the booth opposite, before pushing a little pamphlet across the table towards her. “I’ve worked it out.” “What?” “All the funny readings. I know what they’re coming from.” Clara seemed to perk up almost immediately, leaning across the table with both hands wrapping around her mug as though she was cold- not that she could ever really be cold anymore. “It’s a handbook for new students- it has a full faculty list in the back, and-“ Me flicked through a few pages of the book, before pointing to one face in particular. “The Doctor. Doctor.” Clara read, smiling a little at the description. Where every other facilty member had ‘Doctor of’ with whatever they studied following their name, and in most cases, a department, he’d somehow gotten them to forgo that. “Wonder how he managed that- probably just refused to give a real answer til they stopped asking, actually.” “The readings are consistent with repetitive TARDIS landings.” Me tried to explain, but Clara shook her head. “It’s way too much, though. He’d have to be taking off and landing it six times a day.” “We’re probably skewing the readings a bit.” “Not that much.” Clara took the pamphlet from her, smiling just a little at the black and white picture of the Doctor. It was clear from the look in her eyes just how much she missed him. Me leant across the table slightly, taking one of her hands with an uncharacteristic gentleness. “We can just go if seeing him is going to hurt too much?” Clara shook her head quickly. “No- I want to figure out what’s going on here. Maybe he’s in trouble or something.” “He can-“ Me began, but Clara gave her a look that quieted her. They so rarely agreed where the Doctor was concerned. As much as she’d gotten past it, Me had a mix of guilt and resentment and some degree of affection for the man Clara so adored, and it was one of the few things they’d never really be able to reconcile on. Deciding, for once, to concede, she nodded, “We’ll work it out.” Clara flicked through the pages of the book idly, before stopping at a particular one. “What’s wrong?” “I-“ She traced a finger over the page. “I know her.” “Well, this was pretty much your time, before Trap Street.” Me reasoned, “You could have known her from anywhere.” Clara paused, looking at the picture a little closer. “No but-“ She was trying to think. Everything about what had happened that day was hazy- something about being scattered across the Doctor’s

time stream had ravaged her memories. “I met her. She was-“ Me glanced over her shoulder at the picture. “She’s just a professor. Archaeology, I think she said. Her daughter’s in my flat.” “She’s his wife!” Clara eventually said, startling Me to the point she very nearly spilled her drink. “She’s the Doctor’s wife- I met her once.” “I’d heard stories about him being married- I didn’t really believe them. Still, I don’t see the big deal- he brought his wife with him when he came to teach. That seems normal enough.” “She’s dead. He told me she was dead. She died years ago.” Clara tore the page out of the booklet, adding it to the file she’d been using to map their progress. “In fairness-“ Me gave Clara a look, gesturing between the two of them, “I don’t think either of us can talk about staying dead.” “She has to have something to do with all this.” Clara insisted. “I- We have to talk to her.” She picked up one of the red whiteboard markers which should have been for writing out specials. “What was the name again?” “River Song.” Me read off the sheet, still sounding less-than-convinced, though the revelation that the Doctor was indeed married had gotten her a little more invested. Clara wrote it down. “She came in with her daughter to help her unpack. Do you think that means-“ “That the Doctor has a daughter?” Clara gave her a startled look. “I know he had children once. A long time ago.” One thing was for sure. They really had to meet this woman.

[fics-of-culture]

4 Ways To Show Someone You Love Them 2/5 *Complete*

Summary:  Gabriel, Lucifer, Balthazar, and Cas all consider themselves fairly adept when it comes to the art of romance. They all have their own unique approach when it comes to wooing someone. And, unfortunately for you, all four of your beloved angels seem to have their sights set on you.

Words: 849

A/N: I am reposting all of my old fics because my old account accidentally got deleted.

Part 2: Lucifer

Step 2: Do something your love enjoys, even if you’re not a fan

You wouldn’t really say that you enjoyed hunting very much, per say. But at the end of the day, it’s the only job for you. Hence why you find yourself trudging through the forest in the middle of the night investigating the disappearance of several locals. The only thing you could not explain about the situation however, was the grumpy looking archangel following you around.

“I think it’s very clear that the people you’re looking for are dead. Can we go now? I’m bored.” You sighed at Lucifer’s incessant complaining. This hadn’t been the first time Lucifer voiced his displeasure in the hour and half you’d spent searching the forest. You turned to meet Luci’s petulant stare as you debate what to do with your whiny angel.

“You can leave any time you want, Luci. I didn’t ask you to come with me.” It’s true. You had intended to go on this hunt on your own due to the boys being occupied with some other world ending situation. You wanted to be there with them, but the truth is, someone still needed to be around to take care of the little things like this. That was the plan at least, until Lucifer appeared halfway through the car ride to South Dakota. He’d insisted rather adamantly that he join you on the trip. He then spent the entire car ride going on and on about how “inefficient” cars were (apparently flying is much more convenient) and critiquing everything from your driving to your choice in music. You were halfway to throwing his divine ass out of the car when you finally got to your destination. Similarly, he’d continued to bitch all throughout the interview process (sometimes being downright derogatory towards your interviewees) and through the past hour and a half you’d spent in this forest. Which leads you to now.

“And leave you alone without my magnificent presence,” Lucifer gestured you himself and gave a wry smile. “I think not.” You sigh in annoyance for what must have been the twentieth time since this all started. You keep walking, refusing to give Lucifer the pleasure of seeing your frustration towards his antics. You jolt back in fright when Lucifer pops himself in front of you, forcing you to meet his cool gaze. His too blue eyes staring you down causes you to snap.

“Why are you even here if you’re just going to make my job difficult? ” You’d barely been able to pay attention to the case with Lucifer constantly lobbing complaints at you. You stare him down and to your surprise he looks away. For the first time since he had unceremoniously popped into your car this morning, he seemed to be at a loss for words. If you didn’t know any better you’d say the devil looked a bit... embarrassed. He quickly regained his composure and started to speak.

“Well I couldn’t exactly leave you to do a hunt like this by yourself.” You huff at Lucifer’s lack of faith and stomp past him. “Besides,” Lucifer continues, falling into step with you. “It is my understanding tha-“

“Wait!” You stop suddenly and Lucifer just sighs at being interrupted. But whatever he was saying would have to wait as you step towards a mangled corpse, half hidden by leaves. You crouch down and brush the leaves from the face to better identify it. It was Kyle Isaccs. One of the first victims to go missing. He was practically shed to pieces.

“I think I know what we’re dealing with here.” Lucifer is silent. Waiting for you to continue. “A Wendigo. I don’t know how I didn’t realize it before. The police had even reported hearing voices and what more-“ You turn around to realize that Lucifer was gone. A wave of disappointment runs though you as you realize Lucifer had probably taken your advice and left. It’s not like an all powerful archangel would be interested in a simple Wendigo case. You rise from your crouched position, determined to finish the case without the help of your angel. But before you can take two steps in any direction, Lucifer again appears before you, dead Wendigo in hand.

“Case closed.” Lucifer drops the body at your feet looking quite proud of himself. “Can we go home now?” You stare in shocked silence, unable to think of a response. Lucifer doesn’t seem particularly interested in your reaction as he begins to make his way back to the direction of your car. You jog to catch up with him as he leisurely strolls through the forest. Looking much more at ease than he had for the entire hunt.

“If you could’ve done that this entire time, why didn’t you.” Luci rolls his eyes as he looks down at you walking next to him.

“It’s not like I knew what we were dealing with. Besides,” Luci stuffs his hands into his pockets and throws you a lopsided grin. “That would defeat the purpose.”

“And what purpose was that?” You look up at him expectantly.

“To spend quality time with my favorite human.”

[snkpolls]

SnK Episode 72 Poll Results (for Manga Readers)

The poll closed with 158 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Please note that these are the results for the Manga Readers’ poll. If you wish to see the results for the Anime Only Watchers’ poll, click here.

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RATE THE EPISODE 155 responses

94.2% of respondents gave the episode either a 4 or a 5, with the definitive majority being 5s. In addition, there was only a single grade (2) below a 3. Very nice!

Probably the best episode post marley

HYPE

One of the best non-action episodes so far, with perfect adaptation of given scenes. Really looking forward to next episode.

Very emotional and exciting. Pacing was great.

Much better than the last

Must watch episode. 

Loved it

WHICH MOMENT AT LEVI AND ZEKE’S LOCATION WAS YOUR FAVORITE? 155 responses

Levi and Zeke had more than a few moments in this episode, so we asked you which one of those was your favorite. The definitive majority (60.6%) stated that they clearly preferred the scene of Levi lamenting the deaths of his comparades in pursuit of saving Eren over the years. A noted minority (21.9%) also seemed to enjoy the scene of Zeke telling Levi that he must not be popular or the scene wherein the truth about Ragako is revealed (8.4%). Levi accusing Zeke of being guiltless or learning about Eren’s escape from prison garnered less praise.

WHICH MOMENT INVOLVING FALCO, GABI, THE BLOUSE FAMILY AND NICOLO WAS YOUR FAVORITE? 155 responses

That being said (previous question), the majority (plurality?) of the episode was taken up by the second part of Gabi’s Bizarre Adventure. As such, we also decided to ask you which of those moments was your favorite. The plurality (44.5%) gave their preference to seeing Mr. Blouse deescalate the situation. In second place (16.8%) we had Nicolo revealing the truth about the wine. Closely behind, 16.1% stated that they most appreciated seeing Gabi and Falco find Nicolo in the restaurant cellar. Finally, 12.9% enjoyed seeing Nicolo and Gabi argue. The rest of the options (Kaya suspecting a romantic relationship, the Blouse Family enjoying Nicolo’s food and the Blouse kids calling Gabi a bumpkin) didn’t garner as much fanfare. 

Mr. Blouse's line about the children in the forest is one my favorite lines in the whole story, and this is such a major turning point for Gabi—I'd been looking forward to this episode, and it did not disappoint!

Papa Blouse is wisest man in this universe, prove me if I’m wrong!

WHICH MOMENT INVOLVING THE SURVEY CORPS WAS YOUR FAVORITE? 154 responses

A fair bit of the episode was also taken up by the Survey Corps doing their own investigating. We also asked what your favorite moment from those segments was your favorite. 45.5%, a plurality, stated that it was Eren showing up and telling AM that he wanted to talk. Another relatively popular option with almost 17% was Hange & Co. learning about Floch’s involvement with the wine. Almost 15% chose the scene with Mikasa saving Gabi from Kaya’s attack as the one they preferred the most and 11% said that the scene with Nicolo saving Jean and Connie from drinking the tainted wine was their favorite. Other scenes, like Armin and Mikasa talking with Gabi and the rest of the major SC members learning about the wine were less popular.

ZEKE ACCUSES LEVI OF BEING UNPOPULAR. LEVI DENIES THIS. WHAT DO YOU THINK? 155 responses

Zeke’s accusation is one of the funnier interactions he has with Levi (in the opinion of the person writing these small paragraphs), so it’s no surprise that 40.6% thought that it was rather funny how defensive Levi got over it, even if they weren’t sure how popular the man himself was. 32.9% seemed to believe that Levi was actually rather popular, owing to his title of “Humanity’s Strongest”. 12.3% thought that although his image might be popular, but that it was most likely restricted among members of the Survey Corps. Finally, a minority was, in fact, convinced that Levi wasn’t popular at all, really. 

Man slut Levi tapping dem beeyatches playing dem hoes

If Zeke knew how much pussy Levi got from the fangirls he’d hide every woman he knows from Levi

I mean he's definitely popular among those who idolize him, but he's an awkward grumpy gay so I bet a lot of people are put off by his personality when they meet him lol. But he's best boi and I love him

BrO he knows hes hella popular, he’s just humble like that 😌

i think he's popular but probably hasn't taken advantage of it bc he's awkward LMAO

Actually in Season 1, random villagers were calling out to him by name. On Paradis he's got clout with that killstreak

It could be one of those self aware manga moments? Like breaking 4th wall but much more subtle? 

He is definitely popular. But anyway what I noticed here is that it's a little different in anime and manga. In anime, he was kind of defensive which is funny and cute. In manga, he looked more like he was lamenting that he used to be popular back when killing titans was the only thing important. Anyway, regardless, I like both versions.

Levi as a story (humanity's strongest!! He took out a million titans on his own) is popular among the survey corps/army. Levi the actual man is awkward as fuck. He's one of those heroes who you don't want to meet cause it turns out he's short and grouchy and ill-mannered in actuality.

he's popular with hanji hehehe

He's gotta be pretty popular just because 1) he was always next to erwin and 2) he survived this long

He's totally popular... in the fandom.

I mean, it's pretty obvious that he's admired for being humanity's strongest, so yeah, he's popular.

PAPA BLOUSE SAYS THAT IT IS UP TO THE ADULTS TO SHOULDER THE SINS OF THE PAST, AND TO “KEEP THE CHILDREN OUT OF THE FOREST.” WHAT DO YOU THINK? 154 responses

Mr. Blouse’s speech seemed to resonate with the majority of the fandom (64.9%), who thought his sentiment ringed true and that it was something one should strive for. 25.3% of respondents noted that although the sentiment wasn’t wrong per say, it was too idealistic for how the “real world” functioned. Finally, a small minority wasn’t having it and seemed to think that children were no different from adults in this cruel world™️ (Thanks, Mikasa and Bertholdt.) 

It's expected that children will inherit some of the sins of the past, but it's the responsibility of adults to teach kids to do and be better.

Generational wounds require generational healing

Children are inevitably gonna have to bear the sins of the past until the world as we know it is destroyed and rebuilt into a better world

Normally I would agree excoet those are Gabi's own actions we're talking about...

In a perfect world, children wouldn't have to inherit the sins of the previous generation, but the AoT world is far from perfect. But, sheesh, what these kids are having to deal with is just unfathomable.

Weak, pathetic coward and I lost all respect for him as a man

Blouse Parents MVP's this ep. 

I agree that you shouldn't pass on the hate onto new generations, but I don't think that shouldering all the sins is EVERY adult's responsibility either.

WHAT DO YOU THINK, DID MAPPA DO THE DRAMATIC RESTAURANT SCENE JUSTICE? 152 responses

The restaurant scene was rather dramatic, all things considering, so it was no wonder that getting its atmosphere through was of key importance. The overwhelming majority was very happy with what was shown on screen, with 67.1% thinking MAPPA went above and beyond and 27% simply thanking the animation studio for the accurate adaptation. A few people, in contrast, thought that the manga conveyed the tone more effectively than the anime did. 

I just wanted to see Sasha eating pizza :( 

It was freaking amazing, absolute perfection 

Mixed feelings! I really loved the tension, emotion and voice acting! But I'm a bit sad they didn't include the sasha flashback bits that could've added to the emotions.

A COUPLE MEMORIES OF SASHA EATING NICOLO’S FOOD AND LEARNING TO HUNT WITH HER FATHER WEREN’T ANIMATED. DO YOU MISS THESE SCENES? 154 responses

The flashbacks with Sasha eating pizza were cherished by a small part of the fandom, so it is no surprise that at least a certain part of the fandom was disappointed in not seeing these panels animated. That segment, as mentioned, was rather small, as only 10.4% stated that it was a near deal breaker for them. In contrast, 58.4% were willing to accept the cut, even if there was a small part of them that wished that it was animated. Some stated that they never cared about those panels at all and 22.7% simply never noticed the cut. 

No, I like it that we can focus on Sasha's parents' faces during the speech

I miss those scenes, but including them wouldn't flow nicely with this medium

I really wanted to see her eating pizza but I knew it wouldn't make it in. It wouldn't make sense with the tone of the main scene.

NOW THAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE WHOLE WINE PLOT, DO YOU THINK THE MAIN CAST WAS EXEMPT FROM CONSUMING THE WINE BECAUSE OF EREN? 148 responses

Many have argued that Eren was pretty reckless with allowing the wine plot to happen. Though 40.5% are certain that the plan truly was only to have higher ups drink the wine (and perhaps Eren assumed there would be no risk to his friends). 18.9% believe that neither Yelena nor Zeke cared about who would drink the wine, but that Eren negotiated terms with them. 18.2% on the other hand believe that Yelena/Zeke actively avoided getting his friends involved, knowing that he wouldn’t approve of it. 9.5% can’t say for certain, and only 8.1% believe that Eren didn’t care if his friends drank the wine at all, and that Nicolo is the one who actively spared them. 

It’s paths Yams don’t gotta explain shit

Priority probably went to the military police and garrison- Levi’s team in the forest makes a big deal about getting the wine. 

They thought they might still need the scouts after a scream so it was made sure they wouldn't drink any.

I think Eren maybe saw enough about what was gonna happen that he didn't have to vocalize or care too much about who drank the wine. Although, poor Pyxis and the rest. Eren has had contempt for "lazy" military higher ups before, but he also saw people like Hannes change. Idk, maybe he felt their lives were worth sacrificing.

Plot convenience. At least Hange is in my opinion a high up if Nile and Pixis are too.

I think eren had something to do with the wine not being distributed to the survey corps, whether it was him directly or if it was zeke and yelena knowing that it would've pissed eren off, but obviously eren didn't do anything to specifically prevent it because if niccolo hadn't stopped them, main cast would've drank it 

I think it didn't matter if only the higher-ups got to drink the wine, but since Niccolo had kind-of relations to Jean and co., he didn't want them to drink it.

DO YOU THINK MAPPA EFFECTIVELY FORESHADOWED AND BUILT UP THE WINE PLOT? 148 responses

The wine plot was built up meticulously over the course of months in the manga, which allowed for a whole bunch of theories to prop up. The anime goes by quicker, naturally. So we asked if you felt that the build up for said plot was done well in the adaption. The overwhelming majority thought so, with 48% stating that they felt MAPPA did an even better job than the source, in contrast to the 35.8% who stated their belief in Isayama’s superiority. On the other hand, a fair few also stated that they didn’t enjoy MAPPA’s portrayal of this subplot and preferred the original. We’ve also gotten a fair few write-ins, mostly stating that it’s hard to compare the two. 

I think it's hard to compare because in the manga we had months in between the first foreshadowing and the reveal that there was something up with the wine. We had time to simmer and theorize, the anime didn't have much time to delve deeper into that particular moment especially with everything else going on in the series at the same time. They did a good job!

no real opinion either way

Yes, they did it accurately.

Idk man

It was good, even with the manga.

Hard to say bc in the manga, I felt completely blindsided and surprised. And, of course, I knew what was happening in the anime. Both were well done, I think.

I think it was way on the nose. It was better and subtler in manga.

I have no opinion

It has been so long, I forgot how it went down exactly in the manga. MAPPA's version was good though.

I don't particularly prefer one over the other. I think MAPPA did a really good job building up this plot. 

They did good, though it was a little more obvious here. Then again, I knew it was coming already, so eh.

THE SCENE WHERE LEVI FINDS OUT THE MILITARY PLANS TO HAVE SOMEONE EAT EREN IS IN BETWEEN THE RESTAURANT SCENES. DO YOU THINK THIS WAS A GOOD REARRANGEMENT? 150 responses

As seen in the season prior, MAPPA has rearranged certain scenes with the narrative. This time it’s the Levi/Zeke forest scene, juxtaposed with the restaurant scenes. A plurality (42.7%) thought the change worked in its favour. 18.7% didn’t mind it too much, but did prefer Isayama’s version of events and a few thought the change was simply bad outright. 33.3% thought the change didn’t really make a difference one way or the other. There was also a write-in. 

The complaint O have its that these scene occurs at night and the restaurant one was in briad daylight, so it felt odd because Im assuming its the same say.

THE VISUALS OF LEVI REMEMBERING THE DEATHS OF HIS COMRADES WHEN RESCUING EREN ARE DIFFERENT IN THE ANIME THAN THE MANGA. WHO DID IT BETTER? 154 responses

There was somewhat of a contrast between the flashbacks experienced by Levi in the manga and anime. We asked which version you preferred. Though most (57.8%) noted that both versions were nice, 31.8% said that they preferred the animated version, in contrast to the 10.4% who liked Isayama’s art better.

We’ve also gotten a very passionate write-in for this one. 

I'M SO UPSET THEY DIDN'T ANIMATE THE PANEL OF EREN'S FACE NEXT TO LEVI'S FROM WHEN HE SAVED HIM THE FIRST TIME IN TROST. Like I get it that they wanted to focus on all of the people Levi has lost, but in comparison with the manga it makes it seem like Levi doesn't even care about Eren anymore. If they had a shot where Levi is thinking about Eren specifically before focusing on his comrades, then it would've made more sense why he basically rejected the plan to have Eren be eaten. It would've shown that Levi still cares about Eren and doesn't want him to be killed unless there's nothing else they can do. It just feels like the anime (both WIT and Mappa) is constantly undermining Eren and Levi's relationship (and don't even get me started on how much worse it is in the dubbed version). Although, to be fair, the anime seems to do that to all of Eren's relationships that aren't with Mikasa. Like not even from a shipping perspective; even his relationship with Armin got parts ignored in favor of replacing them with moments with Mikasa. But whatever. Levi still cares about Eren, and I just wish the anime did a better job at showing that.

LEVI IS CUT OFF BEFORE HE GETS A CHANCE TO TELL THE SOLDIERS THEY SHOULD HAVE ZEKE EATEN INSTEAD, AND THAT THEY CAN ATTACK MARLEY AGAIN IF NEED BE. DO YOU THINK WE WILL GET THIS PART OF THE CONVERSATION NEXT EPISODE BEFORE HE TRIES TO MAKE A MOVE ON DEBILITATING ZEKE? 148 responses

Levi’s lines focused on explaining himself were cut a bit short in this episode, so we were wondering if we were going to hear them next episode. As it turns out, 49.3% believe so, stating that they’re important for the story and its context. In contrast, 20.9% believed that these lines were not actually necessary and weren’t going to be shown. 29% can’t say for sure, one way or another. 

Maybe it will be shown next chapter? MAPPA does that often.

A lot of missing dialogue from Levi that look important for the final chapter

IN THE FINAL SCENE, DO YOU THINK EREN APPEARS MORE SOMBER THAN MENACING IN COMPARISON TO THE MANGA? 151 responses

The vast majority of the fandom feels that MAPPA really brought out the somber expression Eren wore as he prepares to break the hearts of his friends, feeling that it signifies how regretful Eren is of what he’s about to say. 11.9% felt it was hard to read his expression properly due to the scene being cut off. 7.9% feel the opposite of the majority. While they agree he appears more somber, they aren’t buying it as genuine for a minute. Only a small handful felt that he still looked as menacing as in the manga. 

My boi is looking positively dead inside

More depressed, less menacing.

Yes, and I didn't like it. Manga version is better.

Yes, he seems more somber than menacing but Idk why. Even after the latest chapter, I still dk if he is/was acting or really explaining how he felt in a sense. Still not sure if he's like, "fuck it, I'm burning the whole world" or "I don't want to but I have to do this."

I like it in manga way more

He looks regretful in both manga and anime to me?

IT WOULD APPEAR THAT EPISODE 14 WILL ADAPT THE REST OF CHAPTER 112, ALONG WITH THE ENTIRETY OF CHAPTER 113. GIVEN THAT ACTION GENERALLY IS MUCH QUICKER TO ADAPT THAN NON-ACTION, DO YOU THINK EPISODE 14 WILL FEATURE ANY SCENES BEYOND THOSE TWO CHAPTERS? 147 responses

As we’re coming to season’s end, one can’t help but wonder how the rest of the episodes’ content will be spread out, knowing that it ends on 116. We asked if you believed Episode 14 will feature content from post-Chapter 113. The majority (55.1%) didn’t seem sure. But some (19.7%) thought that we were going to see elements from 114. As for the rest, a few thought that it was going to simply end on 113, some believed we might get anime-only content, a few thought we were going to see 115 scenes and some just didn’t care. 

Nah. I think it’ll end exactly where 113 ends

Tbh I'm too lazy to see what the next few chapters cover but they've been rearranging a lot of scenes in the past few episodes, so probably.

IN LINE WITH THE PREVIOUS QUESTION, DO YOU THINK WE’LL GET ANY MORE STORY REARRANGEMENT IN THIS SEASON? 148 responses

MAPPA has taken some creative liberties when adapting this season, including the rearrangement of certain scenes between episodes. The question posed was whether MAPPA will do it again. A slight plurality (49.3%) believed that it was going to happen again, in contrast to the 41.2% who weren’t sure. A select either didn’t think it’s going to occur or just didn’t care.

WHICH SCENE FROM THE PREVIEW ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO? 154 responses

The majority (55.2%) seems to be most enthralled with seeing the EMA Table Talk on screen, followed by a notable amount (37.7%) of folks who were most looking forward to seeing another battle between Levi and Zeke. A select few (7.1%) were instead most interested in seeing the scene with Hange, Floch and Shadis. 

Mmgh

How dare you make us chose between these three scenes, this was so hard, I'm looking forward all three !

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE EPISODE?

M O N K E  J U I C E

I hate Floch more than ever, and that cliffhanger at the end was a cruel spot to leave us at for a whole week.

SHHHH

That iconic Eren holding his bloody hand scene was spot-on!

Why no Mikasa hugging Gabi????? 

it’s a real 3 ring shitshow- survey corps made into clowns, children screaming, monkey business, unamused adults, and the ringmaster just waltzed on into the middle of it.

I was disappointed at first when I saw the screenshots and spoilers, but man, when I watched the entirety, that was some great acting and pacing. Way better than the previous 2 episodes. Thank you MAPPA! Really hoping they do well again next episode. Could be the as great episode 6/7! And thank you as always, SNK poll team!

Thankfully this first part is almost over. The manga is legendary and that season is barely good. I'm so disappointed. And I really liked Eren's expression better in the manga. I don't understand why they changed it.

I miss the rotoscoping from the first Mappa episodes. Everything looks a bit stiff.

I cried more in this episode than I have at any other this season so far smh. 

When Mikasa stops Kaya from stabbing Gabi. In the manga it seems that Mikasa was protecting Gabi and bringing her head close to her chest, but in the manga she looked somewhat uncomfortable. And it wasn't appreciated enough. I also did not like that they excluded Hange moments because it helped the way of seeing her as a leader and the scene of Levi thinking about his dead comrades looked very simple to me. I prefer manga. but the voice actors were amazing! I liked the episode but it is not one of my favorites.

i didnt think i could hate floch any more than i already did but the way mappa animated him made me want to punch my laptop omg

Gabi deserves what she got. Shame I lost all respect for Mikasa for stopping Kaya from killing Gabi.

Mikasa is dead to me. So is Sasha's dad. WHY would they just let Gabi walk away scott free?

As a Gabi hater, this is where fandom hypocrisy gets me in regards to Mr. Braus and Mikasa sparing Gabi. Mr. Braus becomes widely regarded as some virtuous and compassionate saint while Mikasa is bad for stopping Kaya. They BOTH suck for betraying Sasha's memory. Poor Sasha deserved so much better.

sorry my only thoughts are PUNCH PUNCH PUNCH PUNCH. 

That scene with Jean + Wine Bottle hit real different after recent events.. 

ALL HAIL SUPREME GOD EMPEROR OF ELDIA FLOCH FORSTER!

The voice acting in the restaurant scene had me crying. Had to pause it

The shading and animation in the forest look awesome which could really make the Levi vs. Zeke fight outshine the Manga.

Mr. Braid's speech was just as cringe in the anime as it was in the manga. Shame on him for not avenging his daughter.

I think the manga did better in the scene where Kaya was about to kill Gabi in how sudden it was. In the anime, we got to follow Kaya's whole trajectory up until she was stopped by Mikasa, so Mikasa saving Gabi didn't feel as monumental. They did great on Kaya's murderous rage and breakdown though.

As long as I live I will never understand why Mr. Braus could be so pathetic as to forgive his daughter's killer. Especially knowing what happens later in, no true parent would just let their childs killer into their family. It's disgraceful.

Gabi sucks

WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 142 responses

Thanks again to everyone for participating!

If you haven’t yet, please take a moment to send in your vote for up to 5 favorite characters for our 2021 character popularity poll!

[skepwith]

The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty: A Primer

Aren’t you missing a “the”?

Depends on which promo material you look at. The Chinese title is The Fourteenth Year of Chenghua (Chenghua = the current Emperor’s reign), which is also the name of the BL novel the show is based on.

It’s based on a BL novel, you say? Is it Gay?

Yes and no. This is a Chinese production, so as with The Untamed they have to have plausible deniability of gayness for the censors. That said, the two main characters quickly end up living together, they risk their lives for each other, and at one point they run towards each other in slow motion while a highlights reel of their relationship plays. There’s kabedon, a bath-time encounter, and domesticity up the wazoo. From interviews it sounds like the actors fully expected their characters to be shipped together and were happy to encourage that.

Will this fill the aching void in my heart left by The Untamed?

Possibly? It doesn’t have the operatic levels of emotional intensity of The Untamed—there’s less soul-searching and more mystery-solving. The tone is often humorous, and while there are definitely moments of angst, you probably won’t be weeping into your popcorn. On the other hand, the production design is gorgeous (except that the city apparently only has one street—but it looks great!) and the cast is good-looking and have great chemistry, so it might just scratch that itch.

What makes this show special?

In short, food and found family. There are many loving close-ups of food being prepared, cooked, and eaten. And there are people who come together and make a family and then they all eat happily around a big table and it’s just ... sniff. Throw in some characters you’ll want to hug and protect, and you’ve got yourself a new obsession show.

Who are these characters?

Tang Fan is a foodie, a brilliant scholar, and a human disaster. His job is investigating court cases as a local magistrate, and he supplements his meagre salary by writing erotic novels on the sly. He whines about literally everything, but he also has a big heart and a sunny smile.

Sui Zhou is the taciturn ex-soldier to Tang Fan’s effusive string bean. His time in the army gave him impressive martial-arts skills and also PTSD. Now he’s part of the Emperor’s police force (the Embroidered Uniform Guards, who are not nearly as colourful as that sounds), so naturally he and Tang Fan end up investigating cases together. For all his grumpy eye-rolling, at heart Sui Zhou is a big softie who wants to make sure everyone is well fed.

Wang Zhi is the youngest palace eunuch ever to rise to his position (he’s supposed to be 17(!), but clearly the actor is in his 20s) as the Emperor’s right-hand man. He’s morally flexible (to put it nicely) in his pursuit of the Emperor’s interests, and at first you’ll think he’s sketchy AF. But before too long he’ll have schemed his way into your heart somehow.

Dong-er is my perfect child a cheeky preteen servant who basically gets adopted by Tang Fan and Sui Zhou (though it might be more accurate to say she adopts them). She has a genius brain, a bottomless stomach, and a fearless streak that sometimes gets her into dangerous situations. This is Not Okay, because Dong-er must be protected at all costs. Fortunately, Sui Zhou and Tang Fan seem to understand this.

Duo Erla is a hard-riding Oirat plainswoman who’s come to the city with her liegeman-translator-bodyguard Wuyun and a sizeable chunk of the show’s horse budget. For a tiny woman, she packs a lot of menace. But even her annoyance and Wuyun’s scorn prove to be no match for the power of Tang Fan’s puppy eyes.

Pei Huai is a local doctor who’s a fan of illegal dissection and New World vegetables. As a friend of Tang Fan’s, he often gets called in to determine the victim’s cause of death. He and Tang Fan bicker like a pair of friends who’ve known each other longer than they can remember.

Ding Rong is Wang Zhi’s underling and a one-man Ming Dynasty CSI. To be honest I barely noticed him at first, but then in one ep he turned up in a black ninja outfit and beat up some baddies, and I thought, “Ding Rong, you interest me strangely.”

Mama Cui is the madam of the well-appointed Huanyi (“Joyous”) Brothel, in which Wang Zhi happens to own shares. This photo, of course, is not her. This is Tang Fan pretending to be Mama Cui for a case. It’s not very convincing—he’s so much prettier than she is.

There are lots of other great characters, but I’ve only got so much space here.

Okay, I’m sold. Where can I watch this?

The first 30 or so eps are currently on YouTube, or you can watch the whole series on Viki. Then you can join me in raving about it here.

[rpmemestorehouse]

Llamas with Hats Sentence Starters, Part Two: Eps. 5 thru 8

Change wording as needed

Episode 5

“[Naaame]!....I know you’ve done SOMETHING.”

“You mistake me for some sort of scoundrel.”

“[Naaaame], what is THAT?!”

“Well, from here, it looks like a weather balloon.”

“I may have created a crack in space-time…”

“What do you mean ‘huh’?”

“I...think I was expecting worse.”

“Come on! Look at this! How did I even do this?”

“I don’t understand how or why you do anything.”

“Do you what it feels like to be [own Name] right now? It hurts.”

“Well, y’know, whitey’s gotta pay.”

Episode 6

“...Aren’t you gonna say it?”

“It’s the meat conveyor, isn’t it? You never were a fan of modern home design.”

“It’s a LOT of things, [Name].”

“Let me explain. Efficiency! Industry! Never before has this many dead bodies been so manageable.”

“I'm the Henry Ford of human meat.”

“I’ve already packed. I’m not coming back, [Name].”

“Come on, we haven’t even gotten to the big surprise yet.”

“I’m sure it’s very upsetting.”

“Man, you are being a huge b-hole right now.”

“You know what’s gross? Your attitude.”

“...*sigh* It’s horrifying, [Name].”

Episode 7

“Oh, the hand chair. I’ve recently taken up carpentry.”

“Now how would YOU feel if I called YOUR work a monstrosity?”

“Of course I had to use faces. Anything else would be disrespecting the art.”

“I think their bodies are still in my blood canal.”

“...What are you doing?”

“You’re SITTING. You NEVER sit.”

“You don’t even CARE, do you? About MY feelings.”

“Will you PLEASE just stand up, [Name]?!”

“No you cannot take off the mask.”

“It has to look right when I throw you in the blood canal.”

Episode 8

“[Name], are you home?”

“Ding-dong!”

“*doing various fake voices* Landlord!...Pizza delivery!...Fire department!...Bank manager, you have an appointment!”

“*through a door* What you want, [Name]?!”

“I want to be treated like a friend, [Name].”

“Didn’t you get my apology piano?”

“Why can’t you go horrify someone else, [Name]?”

“I miss your grumpy face!”

“You made a MASK of my FACE?”

“You might wanna avoid being seen by federal investigators. To some, you are now known as Nicolai Sponagoff, brutal leader of the Russian opium cartel.”

“Go home, [Name], I’m calling the police!”

“You know there isn’t a prison I can’t nibble my way out of.”

“I’ve got nowhere to go! I burned my house down once I had enough swans inside, and I used up the rest of my savings buying the swans.”

“[Name], please. I really gave you every chance I could. I just, I can’t do it anymore!”

“I’m putting on some music, [Name], I’m not listening anymore.”

“And after everything we’ve been through! It’s scandalous, I say.”

[whumpywhumper]

New York--Part 2

Tagging: @castielamigos-whump-side-blog @rosesareviolentlyread @oceanthesarcasamfox @insanitywishes @imagination1reality0 @voidwhump @captivity-whump @walkingchemicalfire 

As always, @0idril0 was indispensable to this series and the fact she’s allowed me to use Clint makes me so grateful, go check out her Nico Series

Please see the: Masterpost and New York--Part 1

TW: Mentions of possible character death. This is some angsty, schmoopy, worldbuilding. 

V***V

Clint growled, head spiraling after looking at the evidentiary photographs for hours. An itch had started under his skin about an hour ago, making him antsy and grumpy. 

He flicked the photograph of one of the “cattle cells”, one of the female Elder’s, onto the table with a disgusted snarl. “What the fuck have you pulled me into, Holland?” 

The older man groaned, throwing a photo onto the table himself before pinching the bridge of his nose. “I was hoping that you could tell me that, Clint. We know it’s a nest, but only Christ knows what else they’re doing. How big they actually are. They’re organized, they’re doing something else.” He sighed, leaning back in his chair.  “Caught wind of them about six months ago, about the time I heard you were in Chicago, but we didn’t get a solid lead until recently.” Their eyes met across the table, and Clint saw the fountain of wisdom in them that had made him trust him for years. “I’ve got a gut feeling, it’s why I wanted you here.” 

He tugged at a fist full of hair, trying to stretch out his back. The conference room was quiet other than the footsteps of the nurses back and forth to their station. Kincaid had fallen asleep on the table, one hand still holding a pen as he’d taken copious notes in everything in the photos. 

Ben was laying on the ground, feet propped up in his chair, a sheaf of papers on his chest. His glasses were askew and an occasional grunting snore filling the air. Delta, Justin, and Daniel had all left a few hours previous; Delta parting with one last glare that had made the remaining cops snicker. 

He shook his head, looking at all of the photos they’d gone through. “I need more info,” he sighed, “hands on info. This isn’t working for me. I want to talk to some of the people inside. Anyone stand out as being someone who would talk?“ 

“Not right off the bat, no. Definitely not the vamps themselves. The humans on the inside, the ‘neolates’ as they call them, are pretty dedicated, and quite a few scattered to the wind when we raided. Most of the vics were out of the loop, either drugged or magicked to hell.”  

“Most?” 

“There were a few that were kept pretty strong so that the fledglings and juveniles could practice their-“ he wiggled his fingers, “-mind stuff.” 

Clint smirked, “they call it glamour.” 

“Whatever-” Holland waved away the correction, “-there were others that were kept for the vamps to have fun with. Point is, there’s a few that could tell us what was going on, and there’s a few that we’re still waiting on to get back in their right mind or waking up. If they’re going to wake up.” He sighed, exhausted. “I’m not sure any of them will be of any help, really.” 

“How many do you have here?” 

“All of the vics were originally stationed here, but the majority have been cleared to go home, or to some of the shelters and long term care facilities for rehab. We just don’t have the resources to keep them.” He started counting on his fingers, looking pensive. “I have the statements that we got from them before we released them—there was a veritable shitstorm of uniforms and detectives up here interviewing—and I have contact information for all of them if you want to interview ‘em.” He shook his head, pursing his lips. “I don’t think that that would be the best use of your time, there’s too many of them, and they don’t know much.” 

Holland stretched, pulling a file toward himself and looking at a list.  “I think there’s about thirty that are here in their longer stay wards, a few of those are being weaned off of some heavy narcotics so their testimony isn’t as reliable as I want right now, and we have one under ICU care, but he’s being kept on the same floor for ease of access and security—it’s actually this floor. He’s why Blue Nightmare out there is being such a bitch, she wants him up on the other floor.” Rolling his eyes, he smirked, a fond edge to his lips. “I’ve tried to tell her that it’s for his protection, we have units stashed all over, but she’s still worried. It also irritates her to no end that we’ve messed up her nurses rotations and shifts, but Olivia is a good egg. One of the best.”  He tossed the file to Clint, but it was a gibberish list of names, initials, and medical stats. “There’s a couple of bodies down in the morgue here, and a few at the coroner’s office, if you want to take a look at them. There was an incinerator on site, we think that’s where the majority of their bodies went.” 

Sighing, Clint closed the file and rubbed at his eyes. “Were there any nest members that were injured in the raid?” 

“A few, I’ve already interviewed them, they’re not going to give much I don’t think. They were their front line. You might have more luck—especially if I’m not there.” Clint smiled to himself, Holland wasn’t ever one to stand on police procedure when it came to sups, but he was never unfair about it. “Uhh, there’s one that might be more helpful, I didn’t even think about him since he’s practically on death’s door anyway.” He pulled another file out of a stack, almost toppling it onto Kincaid. “His name is Joseph, he was apparently getting some kind of cure for working for the vamps, but now the docs say he’s got two weeks, at best. Pancreatic cancer.” 

Clint hummed as he took the proffered file, flipping it open to look at the picture. A young African-American man looked up at him from a mug shot, dark eyes pained and hollow. He couldn’t have been more than twenty three, already dying, faced with an impossible decision. Fuck. How many other nest mates were in the same position?

“You’ve got a lot of pictures here of the nesting areas and containment cells. Where was the nest located?” 

“It’s a renovated factory at the edge of the city, they’d expanded it and turned it into a compound. Rumor had it that there was a small clinic that was run out of it for supernaturals of all types. We’re not sure how their greater operation was evading scrutiny, but this nest runs deep. I think it’s one of their main strongholds though, and Justin can take you tomorrow.” 

Sighing, Clint looked back over the mounds of photographs. “Holland. . . This is a big operation, it’s gonna to take a lot of time.” He shook his head, biting at his lip. “I wanna help, and I can give you a few days, but I have something I’m already in the middle of investigating. It’s important.” 

“I heard through the grape vine, a friend of yours went missing in Massachusetts a few months back?” Holland interlaced his fingers, deliberately putting his elbows on the table and looking at him with a compassion that Clint wanted to reject. He knew what he thought, and he wasn’t ready to accept it. “You still haven’t found him?” 

He grunted a negative, avoiding the other man’s eyes. “Leads went cold, was actually hoping some of my connections here might have heard something.” 

“How long has he been gone?” 

“Five months.” 

“Clint,” Holland paused, a gusty sigh through his nose before his hand rasped against his gray stubble, “Massachusetts is four hours from here, and they’re both densely populated. There’s little likelihood that anyone would have heard something, or remember something from five months ago, no matter how small the supernatural community is.” They both paused, a sinking, palpable tension filling the room. “Clint, son, look at me,” he said softly. 

His eyes burned, and he knew when he met Holland’s steadfast gaze that they were red with unshed tears. “I don’t wanna hear it, Holland,” he whispered, a hot coal in his throat. 

The other man nodded at him, a small frown on his face as he climbed to his feet stiffly, closing the distance between them. Clint didn’t move from his seated position, looking up at his friend as he put a strong hand on his shoulder. Gripping him tightly. 

Holland held his gaze, words unstoppable. “I know you don’t wanna hear it, son, but it’s not gonna change anything to sugar coat it. To avoid the reality. You’ve been doing this for long enough, you know the statistics.” He squeezed Clint’s shoulder, bracing him. “You know what I’m going to say, and I don’t have to spell it out for you. I’m not going to bullshit you like I would some civvy; you wouldn’t appreciate it, and I’ve never been very good at it.” 

He sighed heavily, giving Clint time to scramble madly for control of himself. “You need to accept that your friend is probably gone, Clint,” he said softly, “and probably has been for a while.” 

Clint shuddered, biting his tongue as his wolf howled inside of him, wanting to join in with that disconsolate sound. A few rogue tears spilled onto his cheeks. “Fuck,” he hissed between his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut as he bowed his head. He knew that. He knew it, he just didn’t want to accept it. 

Holland’s thick hand rubbed at his back, short rough strokes, before he continued. “The supernatural community is dangerous, Clint, and you all live on the fringe of death every day—you know that even better than I do. It’s why I need your help.” 

He gestured to Ben and Kincaid, encompassing the make shift command station, the ambiguous motion somehow including their futility. “As much as this is our livelihood, we’re still just laymen when it comes to the supernatural community, to the intricacies of how magic works and how you operate.” He sighed, showing every inch of his sympathy in the gaze he locked onto Clint. 

“Please, son, help me stop this from happening to other people, while we still can.” 

Swallowing thickly, Clint coughed on a sob, rubbing at the back of his neck. “I hate when you’re right,” he choked out, sniffling. 

“I hate when I’m right too,” Holland answered sadly, leaving is hand on Clint’s shoulder in support. 

It took several long minutes for Clint to get ahold of himself, and he felt exhausted as he raised his head. The heels of his hands dug into this eyes, trying to clear away the tears. Holland backed off, returning to his chair at the head of the table. 

He sighed, looking around at the other officers, trying to push his hair back. “I’m exhausted, you’re exhausted, and these two are definitely exhausted. When was the last time they slept in a bed?” 

Holland huffed, exasperated. “I couldn’t get them to leave after the raid for longer than it took to shower and grab more clothes. That was about 72 hours ago, I don’t know that they’ve left this room unless they told each other to shower and eat. Kincaid is taking this personally, and Ben is always along for the ride.” 

Clint raised an eyebrow, staring at him sideways. “They together?” 

“Going on eight years, partners before that, and don’t you look at me like that either,” he said, pointing a finger at him. “They’re the best damn tactical team I’ve come across, I’d be downright stupid to try and split them up. 

Raising his hands in surrender, Clint let the subject go. Supernatural squads didn’t always follow the book, but they couldn’t if they wanted results. “Do the nurses have a rack room they’d consider letting us use?” 

“Yeah, the Chief of the hospital already pulled some of the bunks they have for their on call people into an empty room. It’s cramped, but it’ll do. Help me get ‘em up.” 

Grinning, Clint kicked the chair out from under Ben’s feet and laughed at his snorted yelp as the other man shot up, sheets of paper falling to the floor. 

Holland chuckled, shaking Kincaid awake, “c’mon, Sleeping Beauty, we’ll pick this up after you get a few hours of shut eye.” Kincaid tried to argue, a mumbled complaint that was incomprehensible as he raised his head, bleary eyes blinking owlishly. “Ah-ah! I’ll listen to your objections when you can enunciate.” 

Helping Ben to his feet, his glasses still askew, they followed Holland. The large hospital afforded them a lot of distance between the conference room and the patient rooms, but Holland led them back to toward the nurses station, the empty room apparently near the patients.  

The nurse from before, Olivia, was glaring at a computer like it had personally offended her mother. She looked up at them as they passed, and Clint could smell the worry and stress on her, tell-tale lines marring her makeup. He nodded at her, and saw her face soften a fraction as she looked over Ben and Kincaid. “Get some actual sleep, all of you,” she ordered, “I don’t want to be your nurse; you don’t want me to be your nurse.” The threat was clear, and they all saluted her as they made their way into their designated room. 

One of the doors to a patient’s room opened, and Clint sneezed, making sure to cover his mouth and nose as the scent of sickness, stress, and hurt invaded his nostrils. “Fucking hell,” he groaned, “I hate hospitals.” 

Kincaid shrugged out of the police issued hoodie he was wearing, tossing it at his head. “Here, Copper, take a whiff of that.” 

Clint rolled his eyes at the movie reference. “I’m getting real tired of the bloodhound jokes,” he grumbled, throwing the hoodie over his shoulder. His eyes widened though as the scent of rosemary and magic hit his overstimulated nostrils. Shoving the hoodie against his nose, he took a deep breath and snapped his head over to raise his eyebrows at Kincaid. “Well, that woulda been nice to know!” Clint growled, a little of his shock bleeding over into the words. It wasn’t often a witch took him by surprise. 

Said witch laughed as he turned into a door way after Holland and Ben, who were also chuckling, climbing onto the closest top bunk. “I’m surprised you didn’t get a bead on me earlier, I heard werewolves have super sniffers.” He shrugged sheepishly, “I’m really not strong enough to do anything with the magic, never delved into it, but maybe it’ll help with the hospital smell.” He smiled at his partner from his height as the slightly older man took his glasses off and set them carefully on a counter. “C’mon, slow poke.”

“You’re an over grown child,” Ben grumped, pointing at him in mock outrage. 

“The problem with hospitals,” Clint explained, “is that I can’t smell a whole lot over everything that’s going on. Too many hormones, bodily fluids, and cleaning supplies.” Clint climbed onto the empty bottom bunk, opposite to Holland as the Captain let them bicker, the older man sitting on the already rumpled bunk below Kincaid and kicking off his shoes.

Ben shut off the light before he crawled up next to Kincaid. “Shut up, you two,” he grumbled, thwumping down, pulling the blanket over Kincaid’s face. 

Holland kicked the bottom of their bunk as the furniture gave a slightly ominous creak. “I swear to god, if you two fall on me, you’re both fired.” 

“Sir, yes sir!” They both replied. 

Shaking his head, Clint made himself comfortable under the thin hospital issue sheets, putting Kincaid’s hoodie over the pillow. He felt slightly silly, using the other man’s clothes basically as a gas mask, but anything was better than the thick aroma of bleach on the pillow case. 

Even with the lights off, the busy streetlight peeked through the blinds, illuminating the two men on the top bunk. He sighed, wanting Nico, to hold him close and make sure his Mate was safe. Even if the bond wasn’t formed yet, he wanted him. He wanted to make sure all of his pack was safe, the raw wound that Holland had dealt making an itch to check on Illyn, the other folks down in Louisiana. Gotta ask to borrow a phone tomorrow. 

Sniffing, he held the pillow close, analyzing the undertow of scents. Rosemary. Lime. Garlic. Gunpowder. The tickling scent of magic mixed with them, a memory of a memory wafting across his brain. He could swear that he smelled Markus, not Kincaid, but he sighed, pushing the thought away. 

His talk with Holland was too close, that’s all. Still, he held on to the scent as he fell asleep, a vague comfort against the ache. 

[mwolf0epsilon]

Maybe. A story where Sammy and Norman get out of the studio right before hell brakes? They need a good ending ;-:

Summary: Sammy's sudden decline in health saves both him and Norman from something much more sinister than they could ever imagine.

---

     In another world, Norman Polk makes the mistake of ignoring the glaring signs that something is terribly wrong with Joey Drew Studios. In this one... He gets luckier. The butterfly effect could be attributed to this somewhat fortunate turn of events, as the split second decision to look for something he misplaced is what leads him to witness Sammy throwing up just outside of the men's bathroom nearest to the music department. Had he let it be for another night, he'd be none the wiser to the severity of Sammy's condition. Norman wasn't sure then how the cranky music director ingested the ink. Assumed, even, that it had been another near death experience that involved burst pipes and flooding. So he'd acted purely on instinct and taken the poor kid to the hospital.   "He's lucky to be alive. The amount of ink in his system would have been enough to kill at least three men." The doctor told him, equal parts fascinated and horrified with the case he'd been presented with. "I'm not sure how none of his organs have shut down from the toxicity levels, but I've got to say Mr. Lawrence is a resilient man."   "A pain in ta neck too... Had he called for help he likely wouldn't be in this state..." Norman had assumed it was Sammy's pride that kept him from calling out from what he was sure was just another ink flood in his department. How wrong he was. "I is gonna have ta call my brother ta see if his poor sister is at his. Can't imagine she ain't worried sick 'bout what's takin' him so long ta get home."   "You may use the reception phone to call his family, yes. I'll have a nurse get you if he wakes up." Sammy didn't wake up. Not that night at least... That would only happen the next night, and by then Norman would be busy with something else that would definitely boggle his mind.

-

  "Yous is sure Drew ain't said a hush o' a whisper 'bout what's goin' on?" Norman frowned as he talked on the phone with Wally. He'd gotten up that morning barely having slept after returning home from the hospital, only to discover the studio was closed down and under police investigation.   "Nothin'! Whatever happened he's keeping it real quiet... But get this: Several people in the studio up and vanished!" Wally exclaimed. "Into thin air, like it was a magic show!"   "Vanished...?" Norman frowned, sounding incredulous at the vague statement. "What does that mean exactly Wally?"   "What ya think it means pal. Gone. No clue how or why, just the when." The janitor sighed. "Bunch a good folks too... Miss Campbell, Shawn, Grant, that Piedmont fellow and Mrs. Benton..." Wally paused for a second, as if to figure out who else had apparently gone from under everyone's nose.   "Oh! Couple a' band members gone... Jack and Mel too, which Joey sounded real sad 'bout cuzz ya know... Mel gives the Butcher Gang that real voice magic o' his..." Wally dragged on before coming to stop at the two people Norman most dreaded hearing about. "Buddy and Dot, and like half 'a the art department..."   "That's 36 people gone. How in the hell did a group o' folks just up an' go without none seein'?!"   "I don't know Norman!" Wally sounded honestly freaked out. "I'm pissing my briefs just thinking something awful's gone and happened to them! But Joey insists everything is gonna be ok and... I donno, that just don't sit well with me..."   "Sure don't... Sounds mighty awful suspicious that he'd be so calm considerin' a ton of his employees went and pulled a Houdini act..." Norman hissed into the phone as he looked out the window. Something about this situation was getting him real paranoid all of a sudden.   "Eh... Wait, didn't that there Houdini fellow die during his own act...?"   "As a matter o' fact, yes. He did." Norman swore he saw someone retreating down his street. Something fishy was going on. And Joey Drew obviously knew more than he let on.   "Gosh... I think it's finally time t'a really get outta the studio."   "I'd say so kid." He pulled the curtains closed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He had to think. "I'll call ya later Wally. I'm gonna go and check on Sammy at the hospital. You gimme the low down if ya find out anymore o' this scam."   "Got it Norms. Good luck with Sammy, he's probably gonna be real grumpy 'bout nearly dying again!"

-

     Grumpy did not described the state of mania Sammy seemed to wake up in. Later that night the blond music director had suddenly jolted up and awake and the absolute nonsense he was spouting was worrying to say the least. If Norman wasn't already so bamboozled by what was going on with the studio, he might look mortified at the scene the other was making. In fact, Norman was too busy shielding Sammy's sister from the absolutely insane tirade he was going on to really care...   "YOU DONT UNDERSTAND! HE NEEDS ME! I NEED TO GO BACK! LET ME GO BACK!" Sammy Lawrence was a tall man, but he wasn't particularly strong. A beanpole that was sharp bony angles and unconventionally handsome looks. The man currently fighting off three doctors trying to jab him with syringes full of sedatives was not even flinching when he was shoved. Norman had never seen such insanity in one person's eyes, and frankly he could barely recognize his coworker as he was. The way his curly long hair framed his face almost made his eyes look darker than they should be. Like inky pools. He could only guess what Abigail must be feeling, even as he tried his best to keep her from witnessing what was likely her brother having some sort of long overdue psychotic break.   "WOULD SOMEONE SEDATE HIM ALREADY BEFORE HE GOES AN' HURTS SOMEONE?!" The projectionist hollered over the screams, just surprising Sammy enough that one needle could find its mark. A minute or so later, the blond flopped back down into the bed he'd been laying on. Quiet as a sleeping mouse. Norman held the poor weeping Abigail Lawrence even as they were pushed out of the room.

-

     15 years later, Norman Polk found himself reviewing the last couple of years of his life. He'd abandoned a previous career path to help fix whatever horrors Drew's brand of ink had done to Sammy. The blond had been treated for all sorts of things, none of the treatments seeming to work whatsoever in his time playing the role of a sickly lab rat. Only time seemed to have some kind of positive effect, and even still the damage was noticeable. Abby had gone to live with Norman's brother and his niece and nephew, with the ex-projectionist himself popping in every so often to help where he could. His brother was short on money so he did odd-jobs here and there to help. Norman's own kids were well off as it were so he didn't need to worry too much about how much he spent looking after the others. In the time that the investigation had come and gone, Joey Drew Studios had closed for good. None of the missing folk ever returning. In fact, Norman knew for sure more people were going missing...      As of today things were... Quiet. Too quiet really, considering how turbulent it had been. Sammy was out under his younger sister's custody, labelled some sort of invalid because his head wasn't working too good (a lie, as Norman caught him in his more lucid moments and knew how frustrated and trapped the once-music director felt about his situation that he couldn't even explain). He wasn't nearly as outspoken and ornery as he used to be. All sense of pride vanishing and being replaced with this deep dark shame over something out of his control. Less wordy and more tired looks and vague gestures. His eloquence and motor skills had also suffered greatly from having consumed a toxic liquid that inexplicably caused enough damage to ruin his independence, but not enough to damage many major organs or bodily functions. Norman visited and played chess of all things, to keep him company. The blond seemed to appreciate it, but his interest was on what Norman did nowadays. He was a private investigator. His main case? Joey Drew Studios. And tomorrow he was getting answers from none other than Joey Drew himself, as the man had reached out to him in quite the compelling letter... It was about the right time to go back to the old studio and find out what had happened the night he and Sammy left.