#new episode tonight let’s freaking go

[readyornct]

. . wish you were here! 🐝🪵🥩

[justjenah]

do you rly think latvia mike was replaced last ep?

Ha! Oh, I have no idea.

But, this is a season in which we have VHS Michael telling us that it's important to keep the iterative lineages straight and not let other iterations "pollute" them which really raises concerns for all the iterations.

Notably, unlike Mikey or Michael, in all 174 episodes the only times we've had two (or more) Latvia Mikes are situations where it was purely issuing a correction (Axe, Ride, and Panther). In fact this is stated explicitly in Axe when Mike clarifies "We’re on adjusted time. No new iterations tonight". Of all the iterations Latvia Mike has been most stable this entire show, so any sort of disruption there would be pretty alarming.

And then of course there was the cowboy accent. Until 174, Mike just can't do it, even when he tries. The closest Mike ever comes is in ramifications when Mikey is freaking out and says he can't handle what's happening, Mike tells him "you can and you will pilgrim" and even then, he doesn't do the accent so much as he lowers his voice a smidge.

Even at times when Mike is sort of channeling Michael and wearing the cowboy hat, such as in 82: Digging and 135: The Conundrum Of The Cowboy's Codex, he never does the accent.

Plus, the way the entire scene in 174 is set is incredibly disturbing.

Mike's use of the cowboy accent and giving MW the same Wilderness speech that Michael gave him could easily have been a really poignant moment, but it is not played that way and it seems very intentional.

The music is deliberately discordant, seeming intended to make the audience feel unbalanced and uncertain of what's about to happen. There was a moment there where I genuinely expected Mike to kill MW at the end of that speech.

Finally, him showing up and immediately referencing the boars head is concerning. The boars head (indeed dead boars in general) seem to have become sign posts for violence in WOE.BEGONE. From Michael using the boar's head as a distraction when killing compound Mikeys, to Mike and Michael nearly dying on a mission immediately after Michael brings the boars head into the apartment, to Boris gutting a boar in the kitchen while obliquely threatening Lieutenant. The boar's head being mentioned, to me, does not bode well. For whom? No idea.

So to answer your question, I have no idea what's going on with Mike. But in a season seemingly all about iterative lineage, I am concerned for him.

[yullalightk]

The new smg4 episode review!

Alright! this'll be a different one for tonight, and sorry for not posting again. But, anyhow you read the title so let's start with the Puzzles club house episode!

So, I just wanna say.. this episode was by far what I expected. I knew Mickey was going to make a deal with him! and I wasn't expecting the plot twist near the end!! But I also had fun watching this one.

1st, This scene made me think that this wasn't the first time Mickey asked Puzzles to make a deal with him. Nothing important but, thought it was nice.

2nd, when Mickey mentioned that the engine room was the most important I knew Puzzles was plotting something!! Poor Mickey didn't see it coming!😂 Plus this face is my new favorite now, don't ask me why. I just love sassy facial expressions!

And, Puzzles's sassyness was hilarious during the episode and I'm actually glad he wasn't dumb enough to join Mickey. At least not quickly, and I'm glad the creators didn't downgrade him!

3rd, I freakin' love these scenes!, and like WHAT THE HECK!!!!!!! Puzzles my guy!! WHO KNEW YOU HAD THAT IN YOU!!!!! ASGFHHGGYTNGSYGGLUDXHTJYUKGHHDRYETFVHHESY Sorry, for overreacting but you know! He killed Mickey and remade this carnival into his own! I can't be the only one who freaked out during this scene!! And he new faces holy crap! Those three new ones were just *Chefs kiss* perfecto!

Also, glad he's become intimidating again, I genuinely thought the creators didn't want to ruin the fanbases image of the guy. You know, the 'uwu cutesy Puzzles' I'm just glad they took the idea to give us a reason to be afraid of Puzzles.

Side note: I loved him when he said the line. Ya'll have no idea how many times I replayed this specific scene.

4th, More of Puzzles backstory!?! yes! I was excited to know more about him!

And I take back what I said when I thought Puzzles's father was a great person, like boy! was I wrong!!😂😂

Also, I saw a commenter on a community post on Youtube saying that the showgrounds was Puzzles's first attempt on making his dreams a reality, but he abandoned it. Which I find pretty saddening cause he had a dream to make people happy and entertain them with his carnival.

Side note again: Isn't this forshadowing him turning Meggy into Leggy forcefully?? you know, in the last part of the episode where he ordered his guards to crush Meggy into Leggy?!!

5th, Hearing him saying this was genuinely heartbreaking imo. All he ever wanted was to bring a smile to people's faces to entertain others, his father and (probably his classmates) got in the way of that. Although I won't forgive him for his actions, I certantly understand why he acted the way he did, and became a villain.

Side note I'm sorry there's so many!!: These scenes were funny as fuck. Don't change my mind.

6th I was wondering what he was doing in the engine room.

Oh, now I get it!! must've been painful to merge yourself with that thing though.. now I feel even more bad for him than before.

Overall this is the best episode by far!! I also love how the creators showed how Meggy is traumatized and angry at Mr Puzzles, (Rightfully so) and she didn't forget about it. I just don't know what to say, I know I'm late to the hype train but I'm just glad to see this masterpiece!!!!

[tommyactually]

okay so @downonyourbuck's post reminded me of an episode from the wonderful world of mickey mouse called "Just the Four of Us" where donald and daisy lie to get out of going on double dates with mickey and minnie, but they use the excuse of being sick (big mistake) and now m&m are coming over to take care of them.

the thing is the episode is framed as a thriller/horror so d&d try to hide while m&m basically hunt them down (with love... and medicine)

it's so funny to picture eddie and josh being unable to keep up with the lovebirds buck and tommy who are just so extroverted and out there, compared to eddie and josh who just wanna stay home

so they decide to lie and call up buck and tommy like

eddie: hey buck, sorry man, we can't make it tonight... why? *looks at josh who just shrugs* uhh, we're sick! anyway bye!

josh: what have you done??? why the fuck would you say we're sick! now they're gonna come over here and take care of us. you know how they are

and here they come, these two giant brickhouse men, trying to bust down their door because they know eddie and josh are terrible when under the weather. so of course buck and tommy take it upon themselves to bring some soup, maybe some tea, a whole pharmacy - ya know, the basics.

it's too late to pretend they're not home. eddie's car is in the driveway. thankfully christopher is over at a friend's house for the night, so he doesn't have to witness his dad and his dad's boyfriend try and fail (miserably) to hide from buck and tommy

and here is where you'd have to take some artistic liberties. somehow eddie and josh manage to escape the house. they're running from these two very fit, very athletic men - not to say eddie isn't fast but we've seen buck and his long ass legs, and josh doesn't strike me as much of a jogger. certainly not one up to par with those two olympians.

they've been cornered. josh is tired - he just wants to go back home and catch up on some trashy tv show that eddie pretends he isn't that invested in. it's raining, josh is pretty sure his shoes are ruined, and his pants are gonna be a Bitch to clean after having slipped on some mud further back.

josh: i'm done i've hit my limit. my shoes are fucked, my pants... i don't even want to think about the dry cleaning bill..

josh: listen, eddie, we had a good run. it's a shame we didn't get to fuck one last time, i really wanted to try something new, but this is the end. you just had to say we were sick, didn't you?

eddie: wh-... so you're pinning this on me?? it's not like you were coming up with anything

josh: well i wouldn't have said we were sick, i'll tell you that much...

something something they pass out, buck and tommy catch up and bring them to the hospital. blah blah blah they wake up

eddiejosh: at least now we can finally be alone. just the two of us

bucktommy: you mean the FOUR of us. being out in that storm got us sick too.. i managed to talk the nurses into getting a room for all of us so we could still hangout while we recover, isn't that great?

the end.

oh! in the episode there is a moment where goofy steps out of the bathroom (literally scaring the skin off of donald) and he's like "hey thanks for letting me use the shower. it's that time of year again." and donald goes "SHHH!! you didn't see me!!" *hides in the bathroom* then goofy freaks out "i didn't see him?.... i'm going crazy!!! i gotta get outta here!!"

i couldn't figure out who that'd be in the 911verse, but have at it.

[rapha-reads]

IWTV rewatch

Season 1 episode 7 [The Thing Lay Still] - part 2/3

- AAAAAAH IT'S THE DANCE SCENE EXCUSE ME I'M NOT READY AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.

[Louis] "So much would be written about that grim night in New Orleans, but not a single mention of our last hour at Latrobe's, as if the only crime unfit to print took place on that dance floor." - and what do we say to homophobia, both "period-typical" and current? FUCK OFF.

It's the way they cannot… Aaah, need to say it in French, sorry. Use your translation tool. Ils ne peuvent pas se quitter des yeux un seul moment, même pas quand leurs pas de danse les forcent à se tourner le dos, Louis fermant les yeux jusqu'à ce qu'il soit de nouveau face à Lestat, ou qu'ils doivent se tenir l'un à côté de l'autre, leurs regards irrémédiablement attirés l'un par l'autre, comme deux aimants, magnétiques et plus fort que tout.

[Louis] "It was my sole duty to distract Lestat, but in his mirrored eyes, the distraction reflected back onto me. And in the dead center of the whispering gallery, I lost the thread to my plotting and fell once more into the well with no bottom. I was his, and he was mine."

I haven't said a word about Jacob's voice acting yet. But the way Louis' voice is so soft and slow. As if Louis is lost in his memories and back there, feeling all the love and the frenzy of that night, but also the pain and grief of the long decades since.

- Oof, I'm barely midway through the episode. I'm pausing it so much to not miss a single line that my player is starting to complain.

- "'Claudia, born 1903, I drank the water in 1917. I'm 36 years old.' 'Louis de Pointe du Lac. Born in 1878.i drank of the water in 1910. I am 61 years old now.' 'Lestat de Lioncourt, born 1760. I drank the waters in 1794. 180 years old… this coming November.'"

Ooooh, canon divergence! Not Louis and Claudia, them, we know, but Lestat. Born 1760 but turned in 1780 at 20 years old in the book. Interesting! I wonder why that change. There's another element given in s2, when Armand's writing his little Lesmand fanfic, but otherwise I guess s3 will give us an answer to why that tiny time change.

Meanwhile Tom fucking Anderson continues to be a nuisance.

- FINALLY. BYE TOM.

Love the music. Love the blood. Love the violence. Love the magnificent entrance of the three, in white and red. Vampires are freaking cool and the werewolf crowd can bite my a… Ahem, sorry, werewolf buddies. I got carried away.

- Aaaand goddamn Antoinette about to make her entrance. Aaaargh. But also I am very bi and she is very hot so I can't entirely hate her.

- [Lestat]"'Quite drunk this one. Rosemary… And something else. What is it, my love?' [Louis] 'I… I think it's gin.' [Lestat] 'I wasn't talking to you.'"

Bitch how dare you call someone else your love right in front of Louis, I'm offended.

Oh, wait, actually I can perfectly hate Antoinette, GET YOUR HANDS OFF CLAUDIA.

- [Claudia] "'Lestat… You must think me an idiot. 'She was at the ball tonight.' Not just the ball. You shoulda let that train go, Uncle Les.' [Lestat] 'How? Who?' [Claudia] 'He who called you him… Always the petty lights with you, Uncle Les.'"

Ah, I knew I hated Tom Anderson for more than his slimy, racist, homophobic ways. Nice planning, Claudia!

- Ooh, oh, no, baby, not the cane sword, no no no no. I hate (not) when the foreshadowing comes full circle.

- [Lestat] "Louis! We are joined by a cord, by a cord that you cannot see, but it is real. It is real. I have loved you… with all myself. I'm happy it was you… here with me… à la fin."

*cries*

No but can you imagine Lestat's anguish, the pure suffering and desperation he must have felt? Yes, yes, I know he's done plenty of wrongs, he's hurt Louis and Claudia a lot, he made mistakes after mistakes, he was prone to anger and abuse and violence.

But à la fin he's still a little boy who was neglected by his mother, abused by his father, hated by his first love, kidnapped and raped by his maker, hurt and threatened by the first vampires he's met, and was so lonely, afraid and hurt he didn't know how to love honestly even though he was deeply in love.

"Are we the sum of our worst moments", can we not feel pity and sadness for the monster in the woods? Can we not show kindness to the monster even after he's slapped our hand away, isn't kindness what could make the monster accept the hand?

I wrote a thesis about kindness being the true core of the story of Beauty and the Beast last year, about how it's true kindness and not love that Beast relearns how to be human and builds the self-esteem and self-respect needed to truly fall in love with Belle and have her fall in love with him in turn (there's more to my thesis, it's a 100 pages long, but that's the main point I wanted to make), and I can't help but draw parallels with Lestat.

Beauty and the Beast is French and it was first written in 1740, then rewritten and condensed (from 125 pages to barely 30) in 1756. Lestat definitely must have heard the tale, by the 1770s, 1780s, it was quite popular both in noble salons as in lowlier classes.

Do you think he ever fancied himself the Beast, and saw Louis as his Beauty? Do you think he ever thought he was cursed - despite claiming he never saw his condition as a vampire as a curse - and saw Louis as his salvation? Do you think he felt the fairy tale shatter irreparably around him when he realised that this time he could not keep Louis with him? Do you think in 1945 at the trial he saw himself as the Beast freed from his curse finally, heard and avenged, only to then realise that the curse was still there and stronger than ever because he had deeply misunderstood it? Do you think he spent 77 years living off rats in a dilapidated shack in the city that held his heart because his story went from Beauty and the Beast to the Ice Queen, or Koschei the Deathless, heartless and waiting for the one person that could unfroze or unbury his heart?

Ooooh, Lestat versus folktales. I think I can write a whole other thesis with just that idea. Or maybe a series of fics. Too many thoughts.

- [Louis] "The blood poured out of him as it might never pour from a human being… all the blood he had filled himself with. He lay now on his back, his eyes staring wildly at the ceiling, the irises dancing from side to side."

[Louis] "His irises rolled to the top of his head, the white went dim. This horror that had been Lestat… I stared helplessly at it. The thing lay still. There was no point in lingering."

No comment, just… Can you hear in Louis' voice the anguish, still, after so many decades…

- Huh. Bye Antoinette for real I guess, fire doesn't forgive. So no Antoinette at the Court.

- [Louis] "It was as if we'd expected Lestat to disappear in a puff of smoke or get sucked back into hell." - no but see, that's what I'm saying, the fairy tale ended and now you're left facing the very real consequences of the plot you thought you were living. Lestat ain't no fairy tale monster, just a regular (albeit vampiric) one, flesh and blood at the end. This ain't Buffy. Vampires are flesh here, animated flesh and when you kill them by any other means than fire or the sun, you are still left with the painfully visible reminder of the man that was the monster.

[I really like this part because I hadn't thought of the whole Lestat/folktale before and now I'm having a million of ideas knocking around my head.]

ep1 | ep2 | ep3 | ep4 | ep5 | ep6 | part 1 | part 3

[6feathered6siren6]

Repeating

Notes: Part 3 of the time loop reader, have a happy holidays! I will be celebrating by sleeping after posting this.

Trigger warnings

Light trans speculating

Mentions of death and killing

Depressing episode's

Slight ooc of Vince(I am trying to any info about this man)

˚₊‧꒰ა❤︎໒꒱ ‧₊

『00:92』

 Nightmares only welcome you when you sleep, the murders you’ve done, seeing the ones you loved either dying in your arms or hands, or you dying. And it seems each gets worse than the last. It leaves bags under your eyes and the anxiety of anything that could happen. After just 2 months of joining the server, it leaves a mark on the server to the point of worrying everyone in it.

You were just supposed to take a simple shower, less than 5 minutes. You couldn’t stand looking at your body. The missing scars, the random flashes of blood, the injuries you gained but now missing, your hair, either changing in color or being cut. It all was freaking you out at the moment. The amount of times you broke your mirror couldn’t be counted on your fingers. You could barely see yourself in the mirror. You were so done with this time loop bullshit. 

You felt the anxiety, your breathing quicking, your eyes burned against your reflection. You couldn’t look away. A moment of black and your fist was bloody again. Your mirror was broken. 

“Fuck…” You let your breath go. It was the only thing you could do. Your vision blurred with tears threatening to fall.

A knock. A few of them, but someone was here. You slowly open a drawer and slip out the knife you placed. With how anxiety ridden you’ve been, you hid weapons everywhere. With Victim playing with you, you needed something. Something to protect you. You crept up to your bathroom, holding your knife with practice and ready to strike. Slowly opening the door, you dropped your knife. It was a familiar face.

“Woah, woah. Watch that pretty blade, sweet slayer.” It was Ronin, but what was this dumbass doing here? He sees your shorter messy hair, your bathroom, your face, then to your fist. You were covered in new clothing but with slight blood from your injured hand. His eyes soften, but you don’t recognize why. 

“Bad night, heh?” He had that fake smirk you can recognize quickly. He picked up the knife and placed it onto the bathroom counter, away from you and himself. His trace back to your hair and fist. 

“Yeah..” You hugged yourself, and shifted your gaze away from him. You couldn’t see that fake smile of his. But felt a hand on yours, it burned like hell to you. He had your injured hand, and slowly went to the sink. 

“Got any tweezers?” You pointed the drawers beside your sink. “You got yourself good there. Impressive damage. Could probably kill someone if you keep at it.” He gently shoved you onto your covered toilet. 

You stared at your fist, the glass was deeper than before. You could easily treat yourself, it wasn’t the first time it happened. Ronin was in front of you, grabbing your hand, and picking out the glass. It was quiet, but it was a nice quiet. Not like the loud noises before. 

“How… How are you here?” You spoke a bit above a whisper. You didn’t want to break the quiet, peaceful moment. 

“Angel begged me to check up with you. A few others as well. Everyone was worried. And since I was the closest near you, I showed up.” Now twisted words nor any confusing lies. He’s blunt. Rare.

“Thanks.”

“Darling, got some demons dancing in your mind? Tainting you?” You rolled your eyes, but you nodded. “Well, luckily, the devil can quiet them tonight. Now, what’s rotting your mind?” You could see the quick glance to the mirror and your face. 

“It's…” You paused. Can you really tell him? Would he call you crazy? You looked down. “Nevermind..”

He finished pulling the last one before putting the tweezers down. He looked up at your hair, he raised his hand about to graze his hand over it. He had this… look. Like it was familiar to him, but you still couldn’t put your finger on it. He took his hand away before even touching it. He sighed and stood up, grabbing the first aid. “Wash out your hand. I’ll bandage it.”

You nod and do what you are told, putting the water lukewarm and washing your hand. As he sorted through the first aid, he spoke again. “How long have you been like this, driving yourself mad.” 

You look at him before going back to the water. “Years. I guess…”

“Well, welcome to the fucking club, gender dysphoria does the worst to ya. Can be a massive bitch.” You stiled… Did he think… Did he think that you were having a meltdown about your gender? You mean, you did questioned it but with this whole fucked up situation, you couldn’t. There were more important things to worry about. But it was funny to you. You started laughing. 

The Butcher himself, looked at you confused. You can see him questioning if you were insane. 

“Sorry, just… sorry… this.. Wasn’t that.” You turned off the water and looked at the male. “I promise.” 

He looked at you before giving a small huff. “So what, you're into fighting mirrors and cutting your hair. Looks like you fought a raccoon and lost.”

You rolled your eyes as you sat back on the lid of your toilet. Giving your hand to him again, you smiled. “It’s a long story…. A bit… personal for you to know yet.” 

He took your hand and gave you the cocky smile, “Well, we have all the time in the world for me to get to know your demons.” 

Yeah, all the time in the world.

『00:93』

You were done mopping again, after the last loop of having that sweet moment with Ronin. You wanted this to end, you thought back to the past loops, the time you spent. It was December, 2 weeks from Christmas, you forgot you were in VC until Vince joined in. 

“Hello, (User), how are you?” The Sunset Slasher spoke up while you were deep in thought. You realized you never got to know him nor his wife. You instantly felt bad. Now thinking of it, you barely got to know some of the people from the server. Sure, you know Luca and Felicity were into each other, Luca likes surfing while Feli is in Uni. You barely knew them, dragging you into another mopping rabbit hole. 

“User?” Vince spoke again. Pulling you out before it gets worse.

“I’m here, I’m here. Sorry, got deep in thought!” You spoke quickly. You looked back at your screen. 

“Ah, well, how are you today? Hope the sunset was great.” 

“I wasn’t able to see it today, I got pulled into a call by Ronin and Angel.” You said, you saw the time. 3 hours after they left. You were always losing track of time, and it was getting worse by the loop.

“Well, hopefully, you take a photo to share tomorrow. I know movie night is in an hour, but do you want to talk beforehand?” He sounded interested in talking to you. Maybe… you can get to know him. 

“That sounds good. Hope I won’t bore you.”

“You won’t, you have been interesting since you joined. A cryptid killer with little to no call off. I want to know how you kill.” You paused. Have you killed anyone in this loop? Like you got the same bat before but… did you use it yet? You did start having gaps in your memory every once in a while. But you guess you could be honest, you have killed people before, hell, became a mass murder who wasn’t caught yet.

“Well, my main weapon would be a bat. Smashing their knees then their heads.” You said as you thought about what you did in the past. You also used a knife and a gun. But a bat? That's your weapon. Afterall, Victim has started to use them when you kill them. 

“A bat? Huh, I guess you and Ronin do have similarities.” Which perked you, you didn’t pursue him, but Angel. “Feli and Luca were right, she does have a certain type.”

Which makes you pause again, like… Ronin… Shit… are you… like them now? A killer? You shook your head. No, you are doing this to find whoever did this. “Well, how are you doing? I never got to ask.”

“I’m doing well, same for my family, my wife and I will be with our kids for the next few weeks, so I’m happy to be with them. Especially, two days from now.” He sounds happy, you wish you were able to be older and without worrying. 

“Well, that sounds exciting. I’m happy for you..” You were able to mask your voice, making him think you were happy. 

『00:95』

You were with V, somehow you reached into his bunker, earlier than other loops. He realized you weren’t a killer, at least, not in this loop again. 

You sat at his kitchen table with a cat on your lap. Listening to classical music playing from his computer. Surprisingly, they were calming to you. If you weren’t in this bullshit time loop… These sweet moments were soft and you always wanted more, or at least to stay in a loop. But your wish will always be denied. 

As you get deeper in your thoughts, the cat bites your finger, making you yelp as you pull away. “Ow, careful, pretty one.” 

V looks over to you, hearing you yelp. “Are you okay, Love?” 

You turn your head to look at him. “Yeah, she just nipped me, I’m good.” 

He paused, he just stared at you with such a thinking face. Deep in thought. “Were you… thinking of something not…” Pausing. “Reader… Have you been having depressive episodes lately?” 

“What do you mean?” You raised an eyebrow. He never really stumbled on his words before. And depressive episodes? You… you never got them. “No, why?”

“Well, that cat on your lap, her name is Mango. Her past owner passed and was kidnapped by the killer. Brought her here. But she is a service animal for mental episodes. She nips sometimes when someone is in an episode. Soo..” He gets up and sits across the table. “Are you sure that you are fine?”

You realized something there. This loop thing… it’s fucking with you.

『00:96』

You sat at the desk, just staring at your hands. You were fucked. This time loop thing was fucking with you. You saw murder was okay. Killing someone was normal, felt normal. You were fucked. You are a killer as well. Memories were flooding in, when you killed the four you liked. Your… partners? You didn’t know anymore. YOU DON’T KNOW. You were fucked. 

How could anyone decide from here? No one had this problem before. You looked everywhere for a solution, you tried to kill people to find the Victim. And who were they? And why did this curse affect you?

『--:--』

A person was on the roof of a building. Their hair was flowing in the wind as they looked down. Staring right at you. There was no sadistic smile, just a neutral one. Throwing an envelope down to you before walking off. 

“Just killing randomly won’t work. Nor doing what you were doing. Use your brain dumbass. - Victim”

『00:99』

Triple digits. 100… You stared at your drink. It was the next loop. Maybe you do need help.

[alivingtypo]

I take notes when i watch new episodes so may i introduce my completely sane and succinct thoughts while watching 7x09

911 7x09 ashes, ashes 

wheel of fortune is fun 

Starting ahhhh the medal ceremony

Buck sitting between Tommy and Eddie is insane

I’m so proud of them omg 

Bobby’s proud face

Bobby MEDAL OF VALOUR

oh no Bobby 

Oh no Bobby 

Chim and maddie are so sweet

RAVI MY BOY

Tommy and buck are cute tho 

Oh fuck 

Gerard 

Homophobic cunt 

I love when Maddie interacts with others

Bobby freaking out ahh

Oh no the mayor or whatever councilwoman 

Oh my god I’m going to lose it if she fucks with the Wilson family I’m gonna lose it 

Oh my god talk you out of something RESIGNATION FUCK I WAS RIGHT 

BOBBY RETIRING 

IM FREAKING OUT 

WHO IS GOING TO REPLACE HIM 

if they split up the 118 I’m gonna throw up 

For fucks sake Eddie

A rowboat with your dead wife’s doppelgänger

WHAT WHY YOU SEEM SO FAMILIAR

this is wild 

Eddie pull yourself together she is not your wife or your girlfriend (or your husband) 

She’s really digging right to the core of him 

Amir is back 

Athena stop breaking the law 

Athena and Amir friendship feels right 

Is Bobby gonna kill himself bc I can’t handle that 

Bobby I’m going to cry 

He’s looking at his family 

Why is the music making this so much worse

His last call with the team maybe 

Bobby calling her Mother hen then looking at buck and Eddie 

He’s dading Ravi I’m gonna cry 

He’s having a dad moment with everyone one last time 

“What are you making” Not me you” “you’re the chef tonight”

Buck being the new 118 chef I’m gonna throw up

Bobby stop it 

Buck loved Bobby’s approval 

I’m crying 

Buck is so cute god

Father son moment I’m gonna throw up 

“Here’s to seven more” 

DAD SON DATING TALK MOMENT 

IM GONNA THROW UP 

OH NO 

KIM BUCK IS SEEING KIM

BUCK WATCH OUT 

HES LIKE FUCK 

WHO DID YOU SAY YOU WERE

Would you mind giving these to him for me. Bucks gonna go to Eddie’s and it’s gonna end bad 

DIAZ HOUSE 

HES LIKE WHY IS BUCK HERE 

BACK DOOR LMAO

MIRRORING THE SHANNON AT THE FIREHOUSE SCENE FUCK

EDDIE PLS BE SO FUCKING FOR REAL

they’re gonna argue aren’t they

It’s not like we’re having an affair GURL BE REAL RN 

I’m worried about you SAME 

The Wilson’s and Hans are so sweet

I’m gonna cry I love them 

Oh no fucking councilwoman is meddling isn’t she

We’re halfway through and I’m shaking 

Kim is shocked at least he told her I guess 

But I’m not her (pls let this be the end of it) 

Ok at lease he’s apologising 

Pls tell her you have a girlfriend

I want Marisol to walk in 

Eddie pls go to therapy

I think she was (the love of my life) girl rose coloured glasses 

Unfinished business

Omg he’s gonna say everything to her for closure (and then Marisol can walk in) 

Amir at the grant Nash house

I’m sweating 

Amir and councilwoman team up would end the world

Amir getting very angry Bobby is gonna lose it 

Oh no Bobby and Athena fight 

Getting your affairs in order oh my god no 

Bobby therapy pls 

Bobby baby 

Bobby and Athena are so sweet together

Pls communicate losers

Councilwoman I’m gonna fight you 

If councilwoman swoops in and takes Mara I’m gonna throw up 

She’s gonna ruin everything I’m gonna throw up

This is so fucked up

I’m gonna throw up

This is so fucked 

I’m gonna fight the councilwoman

Eddie oh god is that Marisol 

WHAT THE FUCK 

SHES DRESSED UO AS SHANNON WHAT 

OK SO MAYBE FOR CLOSURE BUT THIS IS FUCKED 

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL DAMAGE

he’s going for it 

Ok this is fucked but also kinda sweet

If they end up in bed I’m suing 

Go to therapy 

This is fucked 

I want Marisol to walk in 

YESSS 

CHRIS NO 

Bobby’s fucking house 

Pls 

Why is his dad in the kitchen ok dream ok 

Bobby mental break 

NOT THE BOOK 

ALL THE PEIPLE YOU DIDNT SAVE

YOU WERE A CHILD 

do you smell that

Fuck the poor house 

Not the garden that’s where the family all get together 

Athena oh no

Oh no oh no 

It’s gonna end on this isn’t it 

Oh my god 

Why isn’t Athena waking up

Oh my god 

The poor house 

NOOO NOT A HEART ATTSCK

HIS HEART STOPPED FUCK OFF

NO IF THEY KILL BOBBY IM DEAD 

THATS A CRUEL ENDING 

TRAILER 

Athena waking up and no Bobby

On a ventilator 

THIS IS FUCKED

so yeah i obviously have a very very clear mind while watching my weewoo show

[stevenbasic]

Growing into the Job, Post 377: The Beginnings of Empire

“Do we have to watch the news?” Julia asked, pouring a half-refill into Josie’s red solo cup, which she’d balanced on her what-could-almost-be-called prodigious chest. Fed by each of Dr. J's little expulsions at Missy’s hand, it was becoming quite the nice cup holder. 

Josie Jensen liked these kind of nights. Even if it was a Tuesday, even if they needed to work the next day, even if they weren’t out partying. Being together, with the girls, just felt right. The group of them - Randi, Amelia and Julia, and her new friend Lakshmi - had been at the Tipsy Taco earlier this evening. The 'Missy' effect  or what some of the girls were calling the  'Blissy' effect or simply ‘the Bliss’, had come during their first round of drinks. Missy and Dr. J were obviously having fun together somewhere and it was making the buttons nearly pop on all their tops. Nice way to start the evening! Now completely full, they were vegged-out, gorged to the gills on hamburgers at Josie’s place. Lounging around, watching TV. Amelia was doing Lakshmi’s nails. Julia had made them some more margaritas. Josie felt bloated and chubby and somewhat regretting her little binge.

All of them sorta missed Melissa and - what the fuck, why could they feel it in their bones like this? - Dr. J. The dude was a nerd but nnnngh, maybe they’d get some more Bliss off him in a bit. Odds were good, since they could all still feel that Missy and J were still together. 

“There’s a new episode of ‘Stinkers!…we should watch that,” Julia suggested.

“Oooo our patient is in that, right?” called Lakshmi.

“Yah,” answered Randi, voice extra-smoky tonight. She’d been showing off her new skills of getting big shit into her mouth at the bar, freaking out some guys. Her hand, one of their hands. A pint glass. It was quite the trick.  “Adrienne’s like, taking over that house with those new tits of hers.” 

“She’s getting so pretty,” someone commented. 

“Dude, no, this is important,” Josie replied, raptly watching CNN over the rim of her margarita and trying not to let its plastic straw poke up into her right nostril.

Her mom had started back to work recently, at first a marketing consultant for a bunch of 'New Woman' campaigns, and now she was transitioning to more permanent positions on staff with a few of the recently-elected women headed to Washington. So, Josie had picked up the politics bug over the past few months; it was really fascinating. The world was changing so fast, and it got her excited.

 “I’m taping ‘Stinkers!’ anyway, we can watch that after this,” Josie allowed.

It was a cool reality show, but she really wanted to see what was happening in East Makata. 

“What’s the U.N.’s reaction to this going to be?” came the anchor’s question to their guest, a sweaty doof with a comb-over. 

It had just been reported earlier today. Some company had taken over a small country. Listening to the anchor-lady behind the news desk, and the guy she was interviewing tell it, it sounded like something between a coup d’etat and a purchase. It hadn’t really made big headlines, but Josie had seen it and there was something about the story that gripped her.  

“Where’s Makata anyways?” Julia, the shapely redhead among them asked. She emptied the last of her pitcher into Amelia’s empty cup.

“East Makata,” Josie corrected. 

“It is in Central Africa,” Lakshmi offered, nodding at the map on the big screen over her shoulder. 

“Kind of near Wakanda?” Julia posited.  

“Wakanda’s fake,” Amelia retorted, “East Makata’s not. You’d know that if you ever paid attention in Geography.”

“I never heard of it,” Julia shrugged, walking away back towards the kitchen ostensibly to make another pitcher.

Josie rolled her eyes. She guessed the similarities were there: tiny African nation, pretty isolated, landlocked. Removed from lots going on in the larger world. But, unlike Wakanda, East Makata was poor as fuck and beset by constant violence and the machinations of warlords. This big corporation, it was kind of ambiguous which one still, though this guy had his theories, had come in and bankrolled their way into power. How they were going to run it was still unclear.

“Isn’t the company this guy’s talking about the same one that we think kinda owns Evolution?” asked Randi. 

“The Russian thing?”

“I did not think the Collective was in the business of politics,” Lakshmi offered. 

“I guess they are now,” drawled Amelia. She was starting with a clear coat of polish on Kiki’s left hand. “All hail The Great Mother, right?”

Amelia’s comment made Josie tingle, and her hair wiggled on the sofa pillow beside her. If it was KOLECTV, and the Eastern European conglomerate was everything she’d heard, this was super-cool news, thrilling. East Makata, an actual nation, was now in the hands of women. Not just governed - that was happening everywhere, around the world - but owned. Women controlled it completely. They could do anything.

“They’re a small nation, yes, but I’ve been watching this unfold for a while now,” came the guy’s onscreen voice as he defended his positions, “and my investigations have shown that this ‘Collective’ and its network of subsidiaries has been purchasing up land in the surrounding countries as well. And doing similar things worldwide. The U.N., or someone, really has to step in.” The guy had begun to drone. “It’s the responsibility of the larger world to-“

The girls all watched, but attention had started to wane.

“This guy sounds like a tool.”

 “He’s definitely mansplaining.”

That should be a federal offense, Josie mused to herself, maybe it will be someday. She pulled the red solo cup from out of her top, took one long drag of a sip, and put it aside. 

 “Who is this reporter guy anyway?” asked Randi, “Some author?”

“I dunno,” Amelia said dryly, “I’m sure he’ll disappear soon.”

"Yeah.. "

“Hey, wanna put on ‘Stinkers!’?”

“Sure.”

…

…

“...I miss Dr. J,” someone said. 

“Me too,” Josie answered, pulling her phone from out her top. 

“Yeah I could really use some cock right now,” Randi chuckled, stretching her jaw and bringing giggles from others. 

Josie opened up her phone, raised it above herself to take a picture. 

“Let’s send him a kiss…”

===========================

big thanks to RiF for some above-and-beyond editing, and my usual team of ninja assassins for guidance

[nerdieforpedro]

Weekend Update 04/14/2024

Nerdie, you’re kinda late tonight.

Yeah, it was all taxes this weekend. 😭 Ugh. But it’s done. Let’s not talk about it anymore.

OK…So what’s new?

Back to work after time off. Adjusting and writing. I did watch the Ryan Gosling SNL episode. I laughed so hard.

I did get a manicure and pedicure - 💜 purple hehe!

I did read some fics this week:

1. Something Old by @fhatbhabie (Javi G x plus size female)

2. Sexting by @reallyrallyauthor (Steven Grant x Marc Spector x Jake Lockley x You)

3. Enchanted to Meet You by @beskarandblasters (Din Djarin x f reader)

4. Fires at Midnight by @inept-the-magnificent (Lucian Flores x f reader)

5. A Midnight Plea by @soft-persephone (Marc Spector x fem reader)

6. A Galaxy Far Far Away part 6: Halloween at Juniper Cottage - Pick your own pumpkin by @grogusmum (Din Djarin x earthling f reader)

7. I’ll Give You The Moon by @soft-persephone (Marc Spector x fem reader)

8. Mi Santa by @fhatbhabie (Frankie Morales x reader)

I did write some this week 👀 I’m sorry I’m advance. Things ended up dark. 😭 Those are marked with the red.

Back & Nose, Hair and Hat - (Only Parts of you Mr. Morales Series)

Her smile was worth it - for the iamasaddie writing challenge 2.0 (Pero Tovar modern AU DARK FIC)

Interlude Two - Tell me about her and Part Seven Merging the Star Clusters - (The Lake between us Series)

Scarlet Stains and their Echoes (DARK FIC) - Post Apocalyptic Fluff and Stuff

Chapter 3: Can we talk for a minute? - This is the Neighborhood Din Series.

This week there were a few things, like the writing challenge 2.0 @iamasaddie put together. We sent in asks, pick a color (I did it to myself, I asked for mob enforcer- where else was the fic to go but dark?) Despite being kinda freaked out at what I wrote (I’ll need to process that later) I like it. I usually don’t do dark fics but given recent themes in my writing it’s there. 👀 So I’ll write it if it pops up in the brain.

And this past weekend (I totally missed but sweethearts @perotovar and @honeyedmiller tagged me in) was the @swiftiscruff friendship exchange. From what I saw, people are writing fics for each other, making gif and moodboards and proving much needed friendship and fun. 😎

I’m sure there are other things. But I dunno what they are. 🤣 I hope everyone enjoys what they’re working on. And if you need to rest, drink some water, dance around, nap, all the things.

This week there will another chapter of Din’s neighborhood, I FINALLY have more Din fluff. Well in the neighborhood and Star Ocean Series. I should have another chapter of Benny and actual fluff post apocalypse. It escaped last week. So we’re bringing it back.

No more Ezra and his gumbo or tanktop 🥺 Part 8 will be up next Sunday. His prose will be no more for now. 🙃

My Frankie miniseries will be almost done. This Friday and the next Friday of my math is right. lol

Special thanks:

@mysterious-moonstruck-musings for finding an excellent pic of Frankie’s back and giving me notes on smut that I chose not to use for now

@connectioneverywhere for letting me talk their thumbs off and putting them to sleep. 🤣

@soft-persephone I see you 👀 Two words: Dem noses. 👃 You know. 😄

@megamindsecretlair You need to write about some curls! Telling me and Softie to write about them. You know which curls. 🤭

@soft-girl-musings Songbird, Cabbie and loud ass Marcello on drums. Why did I half expect him to be playing drums on SNL? 😂 He was wearing a very loud shirt so half credit.

@tinytinymenace it’s always fun seeing your namesake laying and just relaxing. 😎 With a dope poof.

@604to647 I really appreciated your ask and messages this week. 💜

Have a great week everyone! 🥰

Love Nerdie ❤️❤️❤️

[she-karev]

Quarantine (Andrew DeLuca x Alex Karev’s Sister Covid Imagine)

Previous Part Here

Age Rating: 12+

Chapters: Two of Three

Fandom: Grey’s Anatomy

Ship: Andrew DeLuca x Amber Karev (Alex Karev’s Sister)

Canon Episode: Season 17 Episode 4

Summary: Amber continues to quarantine in her hotel room and gets a surprise visit from Andrew outside the door who gives her a care package. She is bitter towards him at first but begins to soften when he tells her why he cares so much about her.

Words: 1880

April 15th, 2020

Amber Karev is in her hotel bed watching Netflix with the curtains open revealing the city life at night which to Amber is more entertaining than what she’s watching right now. She kept hearing about this Riverdale show and decided to give it a shot but she soon started to regret it. Despite how bad it is Amber can’t stop watching it while she blows her nose for the 20th time tonight.

In case you haven’t noticed, I’m weird. I’m a weirdo

Amber groans at that sulky line from the Disney kid, “More awful than covid.” She takes a big sip of her water bottle before she hears a knock in her door, “Finally my soup. I’m coming!”

Amber stands up feeling the body aches, but the call of room service is stronger as she pulls her white cardigan around herself and grabs her mask. She coughs on the way before reaching the door and looking through the peephole to see it’s not room service to her displeasure.

Andrew DeLuca is outside her door wearing his casual clothes and black mask. He is carrying a black backpack and a white takeout bag with a dragon symbol on it. Amber inhales as much as she can and exhales to keep her anger in check. She thought this morning would be the last time she would see him for the next two weeks but as usual she knows there’s a force out there that wants her to suffer more and sent her ex to help.

“What the hell do you want?” Amber asks annoyed in a nasal voice due to her stuffy nose, “I was already checked by a nurse an hour ago and another one is gonna take my blood tomorrow.”

“I saw this morning that you were lacking in things other than a TV, clothes and oral hygiene so I thought I would get you a care package for the next 11 days.”

Amber pinches the bridge of her nose over Andrew not taking a hint. No matter how many times she tells him she doesn’t want to be with him he still tries to crawl back into her life with sweet gestures that do nothing to mend the pain he caused her.

Not seeing her reaction he continues, “I got you a couple of Harry Potters a couple of new releases and some spicy chips. I figured you needed something to spark your taste buds for a few seconds. Also, I got you that chicken soup from that Chinese joint at Weller you love so much.”

“What part of ‘get what you need and leave me alone’ do you not understand?” Amber asks with venom in her tone that catches Andrew off guard, “I am sick and I am tired and I don’t need you coming in trying to butter me up when I’m lonely hoping I’ll get desperate and let you in this room on day 14.”

Andrew tries to set the record straight, “Amber that’s not what I’m-”

“Because it has been months since I have touched another human being, but I am not desperate enough that some soup is gonna make me forget all the pain and have one gross night with you. Despite how low you think of me I respect myself enough not to whore myself out to you.”

Andrew closes his eyes in frustration, “Look can you let me-”

Amber keeps going in anger overlapping with Andrew, “So this whole concerned ex act is not gonna work on me so just take your freaking soup leave me the hell alone. It’s like you said to me the night you kicked me out I don’t want you here and I don’t need you here!”

“Will you just let me talk?!” Andrew yells back from his side catching Amber by surprise. She inhales and stays silent letting Andrew say his piece expecting him to piss her off again. Instead, his next words take her by complete surprise.

Andrew inhales from behind his mask before starting, “My nonna and two of my uncles died over the past few weeks because of covid.”

Amber is caught off guard by that fact and guilt immediately replaces her anger. She has been so angry with him and so distant she never considered that he’s suffering in silence because his home country is a hot zone for the pandemic. She never considered that she wasn’t the only one worried about her family in this scary time.

Andrew sighs in grief but continues, “I said goodbye to them over Zoom but still I wish I could have gone there and taken care of them in person. It might not have done much but at least I could feel like I did something to help instead of crying over a damn webcam. And then there’s my father, I’m scared for him, I’m mad at him but that doesn’t mean I don’t care. You and I both know he is probably ignoring the rules and not caring about the consequences without me and Carina there to help.”

Andrew clears the lump in his throat outside Amber’s door not seeing her leaning against the door listening to him. She shakes her head at herself for giving him a hard time when he has so much on his plate as it is. And hearing him telling her about his turmoil makes her feel sympathy towards him. She almost wants to open the door and hug him but knows it’s not safe for either of them.

Andrew continues, “Look I’m not here for an agenda, I’m not here because I’m hoping there’s a reward for me at the end in your bed. I’m here because I can be, and I don’t want to waste it. If your gonna keep insulting me and letting me know what an ass I am then so be it because I can’t lose you. I can’t lose you; I won’t survive and nothing you say is gonna make me stop feeling that way.”

Amber closes her eyes at that statement hearing the Andrew she fell in love with instead of the manic man who brought her down. It’s hard to believe that those two are the same person but for now she’s glad to hear the one who makes her feel loved and seen.

Andrew assumes Amber is still dismissive from his side of the door, but he continues, “I know you don't want me around but I'm not gonna stop caring about you. I might not be able to touch you or hold you but I’m here for you. No matter what you need. So, I’m gonna leave the backpack and soup out here in your door, I’m gonna keep a safe distance so I can make sure you get it because I put a lot of thought into it, and I know whatever your watching is making you want to kill yourself.”

Amber rolls her eyes at her ex knowing her so well but hears shuffling and footsteps from the other side. She looks through the peephole and sees no one there telling her Andrew is down the hall. She puts her mask on, cautiously opens the door and sees the backpack and takeout bag on the floor right outside her door.

She looks to her left to see Andrew two doors down looking at her in worry. Amber sniffles before focusing on her gifts and grabs both of them before closing the door behind her. She puts the backpack on top of the dresser drawer and unzips it.

Andrew was telling the truth as she sees her favorite Harry Potter books, Prisoner of Azkaban and Order of The Phoenix inside. There are two books as well that she is not familiar with and knows Andrew probably grabbed them from the new releases section. After pulling out the books she sees a big bag of Takis inside that she hopes she can taste.

In the small pockets she pulls out the essential needs for her condition. There are cough drops, Nyquil severe cold and flu PM, packets of lemon tea bags, travel size aloe tissues, spare masks, and ibuprofen for her headaches. The sight makes her inner doctor nod with approval.

She opens the white takeout bag next and is silently thrilled at the sight of the sealed container inside. Amber takes the lid off confirming its chicken soup to her joy. She inhales the rich aroma deeply loving the special soup so much it might make her quarantine bearable. Amber moves back to her door that is the barrier between her and Andrew.

“Are you still here?” Amber asks nasally.

“Yeah I am.” Andrew confirms from his side.

“You do realize this backpack is gonna have to be burned after this right?”

Andrew chuckles lightly, “All for a good cause. Do you need anything else? I don’t mind being your own Postmates, it probably pays more than what we make.”

“I’m okay for now thanks…and I’m sorry for what happened.”

Andrew nods, “Yeah me too. Do you need me for anything? Are you feeling worse?”

“I feel like my body has turned on me but that’s not new from this morning.” Amber tells him in a numb tone, “I’m fine it’s nothing I can’t handle, you can go if you want.”

“Okay.”

Amber sips her soup container tasting the rich liquid for a few seconds until her loss of taste kicks in to her disappointment. She has to remember to cancel room service since their soup is subpar to the one in her hand. Amber stands by the door for a few silent moments and can still feel Andrew’s presence outside.

She moves closer till she’s near face against the dark wood, “Andrew?”

“I’m still here.”

“You can go if you want.” Amber repeats more requesting than demanding, “I’m gonna have a nurse come in the morning and I still feel better than most right now anyway.”

“I know I just…” Andrew sighs and confesses his fear through the door, “I am afraid that if I leave, and you fall asleep you’re not gonna wake up this time and this is gonna be the last time I’ll see you.”

Amber’s heart swells at this confession as she can tell he is sincere in his worries. She decides to comfort him and make it clear that she is not going anywhere.

“It won’t be.” Amber tells him from her side, “I’ll call you in the morning and let you know how I am. I promise. You should go and get some rest before you go to work, and I should enjoy this soup you got me.”

Andrew grins at that, “Okay, I’ll be back tomorrow night and check on you. Call me if you need anything I don’t care what time it is, I’ll come.”

“I know.” Amber says with a grin as she can see he’s making an effort to make these a tolerable two weeks, “Good night.”

“Good night.” Andrew says with a grin before walking away from the door to leave Amber to her quarantine hoping this is the start to them reconciling while Amber is in her room beginning to see Andrew in a way she never thought she could again.

Next Part Here

[sophie-hatter-jenkins]

Chapter Update - Into The Hinnyverse

A collection of Hinny-centric drabbles, microfics and one-shots written for the Ginny Lovers Discord server 5-Year Ginnversary Bingo game.

Chapter 6 - The Takeaway

Harry’s too tired to cook, but Ginny’s mind is elsewhere.

Rating - Gen

Read on AO3 from the beginning or continue below the cut for the latest chapter (1125 words)

“Are you sure you don’t mind?” Harry asked Hermione, as the two of them headed across the Atrium towards the Apparition point.

“Not at all!” Hermione reassured him. “You look exhausted. Tough day?”

Harry let his mind wander back through his shift. It began with a messy arrest in a particularly bleak Muggle industrial estate on the outskirts of Manchester, during which Harry not only sustained two cracked ribs and a broken thumb, but also got kicked in the nuts. Once he’d been cleared by the Auror office’s duty Healer, he’d then had to endure a three hour interrogation with the entirely uncooperative suspect, a mountain of dull-but-necessary paperwork that had to be completed in triplicate and finally, the frustratingly slow prisoner transfer process at the custody suite in the DMLE holding cells. All in all, it was the kind of painful (literally and figuratively) day that made him question his life choices.

“Yeah, you could say that,” he sighed. 

Hermione shot him a sympathetic look. “Well, if half of what I heard from Gawain is true, I’m not surprised you don’t fancy cooking. We could cancel entirely if you’d rather just collapse on the sofa?”

“No, I don’t want to do that,” said Harry, firmly. “It feels like ages since we’ve been able to have a proper catch up - there are always so many people at the Burrow, aren’t there? And besides, if we order a takeaway, I still get to collapse on the sofa. What do you fancy?”

“I usually find it’s easiest just to let Ron choose. Less whinging that way.”

“Funnily enough, I have the same policy with Ginny,” laughed Harry. “Anyone would think they were related or something.” 

Just a few minutes later, Harry pushed open the door of the flat he shared with his fiancee. 

“Ginny!” he called. “Ginny? I’m home! And I’ve got Hermione with me.”

She didn’t reply, so he followed the sound of voices down the hall and into the living room. Ron seemed to be fiddling with the wireless, while Ginny was sitting on the sofa, looking irritated. Her hair, freshly washed after a day at training, hung loose down her back, shining burnished copper in the artificial light, and her nose was wrinkled in annoyance in a way that Harry found particularly adorable - not that he’d ever told her that; generally speaking, Harry preferred to keep his bogeys bat-free

“Hi, Gin,” he greeted her, dropping a kiss on the top of her head. “Change of plans, we’re just going to get takeaway. What do you fancy?” When she still didn’t respond, he gently nudged her. “Ginny?”

“Hmm? Oh, hi, love,” she murmured, absently. “I don’t mind, whatever you want is fine with me. No, Ron! Turn it left! No, the other left! And twist the aerial!” 

“Okay, okay!” snapped Ron. “I still don’t get why I’m doing this. It’s your house, I’m the guest here, you know.”

Ginny’s eyes flashed. “Because you said you’d find the channel quicker than me. Merlin knows why I believed you. Come on! We’re going to miss it!”

“Is there a Quidditch match tonight?” asked Harry, casting an apologetic look at Hermione, knowing that a night listening to a Cannons match probably wasn’t what she’d had in mind. 

“No, Harry,” chided Ginny, before uttering the words he had never thought he would hear her say. “This is far more important than Quidditch!”

“There’s a new episode of The Magical and the Magnificent on tonight!” agreed Ron. “The last one ended on a massive cliffhanger.”

Ginny nodded enthusiastically. “Katarina Volynka was about to get married, but then she found out that the man she was about to marry already has a wife and three kids!

“Wait, is this the woman who was horribly injured in the freak accident at the Gobstones tournament?” asked Hermione. “With the kelpie stampede?”

“No, that’s Mirabelle Cornemuse,” corrected Ginny. “But it wasn’t kelpies, it was kappas. She only survived because Bernardo Gaita, the dashing and mysterious Italian healer, managed to reattach her face using only syrup of asphodel and a fish slice!”

“Yeah,” added Ron, earnestly. “Katerina Volynka is the heiress to a cutlery empire. That’s why Roderick Dudelsack wanted to marry her. I reckon he was planning to bump her off on the honeymoon.”

“But at the end of the last episode, the wife and kids turned up at the church!” chipped in Ginny. “So it’s clearly all going to kick off, and I do not want to miss it.”

Harry looked between the three of them, absolutely mystified. None of the words made any sense at all. It was as though they were speaking an entirely different language. “So, uh - we’ll just order pizza then?” he asked, weakly.

Ginny completely ignored him. “Shhh! It’s starting!”  

Harry and Hermione retreated to the kitchen. “What the hell was that all about?” he asked. Through the open door to the living room, he could see the Weasley siblings sitting side by side on the sofa, staring at the wireless in rapt attention. More important than Quidditch? Too vital to care about food? It was unfathomable.

Hermione rolled her eyes. “The Magical and the Magnificent. It’s a wizarding soap opera that’s been running forever. The plot lines are quite frankly ridiculous, but Molly’s been listening to it religiously for years. The whole bunch of them have been indoctrinated practically since birth. I bet the entire family is tuned in.”

Harry snorted, as he dug around in the kitchen drawer for a pizza menu. “Even Percy?”

Hermione smirked. “Especially Percy! He’s the biggest fan of the lot of them. He went to a convention in Hogsmeade last year and got photos taken with all the cast. Ron spent weeks trying to pretend he wasn’t jealous.” She gave Harry a curious look. “I’m honestly not sure how you’re only just finding out about this.”

Harry shrugged. “I didn’t have a clue.”

“Well, now that you know, are you absolutely sure you want to marry into this lunacy?” joked Hermione. She brandished her wedding ring at him. “I mean, it’s too late for me, but you could still save yourself.”

Harry gaze flicked towards his fiancee, perched on the edge of the sofa, leaning forward towards the wireless. Her eyes were wide and her cheeks flushed. Suddenly, something she heard made her gasp, clapping her hands across her mouth., and he smiled softly as he watched her. It amazed him that, after all this time, there was still more to learn about her, and every new thing that he learned just made her more fascinating, more beautiful. He hoped he’d never, ever stop learning more about her. 

He turned back to Hermione, still smiling. “Is pepperoni okay? It’s Ginny’s favourite.”

[destinygoldenstar]

Disventure Camp Character Impressions *Compilation* (Part 5)

<< Part 4

***

"What the hell was that bullshit in the elimination?!"

OMG THANK YOU

THANK YOU

GRETT CALLS IT OUT. OMG THANK YOU.

I FEEL VALIDATED.

"You mean the way we were exposed?"

...oh.

No I was talking about your choice on voting.

Nope. I'm not validated.

"Golden, that's the thing with us villains. We don't need your permission to slay. We do it anyway."

"What experience can a six year old have?!"

"Well let's see, my parents abandoned me in the woods. Clearly they hate me."

"...I know she's right, but it still hurts to hear."

Oh.

So she's just kinda accepted that she's awful.

"The adults in my life think I'm a demon with no redeeming qualities, so that must be true. Might as well live off that."

Does that imply that Fiore was an accidental pregnancy...?

I mean I'm not a mother, but I know that's something that can happen if you don't, you know, control yourself.

Oh not these two again.

YOU'VE BEEN FIGHTING THE PAST THREE EPISODES. GET OVER IT.

"Hey Tom, I know I said this a dozen times, but I really am sowwy. Can you forgive me?" (Jake)

"Jake I just learned I have cancer. And for some reason I'm gonna say that's your fault. Get out of my life." (Tom)

"You don't have to apologize."

"It's all me. It's always my fault. I'm the one who always has to take the blame for things like this."

"Maybe they're making up."

Up or out?

GOD I JUST SAID I WAS GLAD THEY WERE JUST FRIENDS, WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!

"For some reason, Golden is whispering in my hear and urging me to kiss the boy."

"Maybe I was wrong to think badly of these young-ins."

"Except Fiore. She's just as bad as I thought."

"What happened to the sky?"

"It's covered in grapes and strawberries, and idk why that is-also why is part of the forest blocked off? Why can't we get out?" (Fiore)

"Fiore I don't think you're supposed to be playing those games." (Alec)

I still headcanon Fiore is a Mortal Combat fangirl.

"Alright gang, grab every weapon in this place you can find and start SMASHING!!!"

"Fiore, I think I know what's happening."

"Don't freak out... but a bear is gonna pop out in a minute and force us to kill each other."

"It's the only explanation. Don't tell anyone."

"Uh, we are right here and in hearing range."

"Did you hear that?!"

"Sounded like gunshots!"

"Don't worry guys! It's just Tom killing a man! It's fine!" (Ellie)

"I KISSSED A SERIAL KILLER?!?!" (Jake)

XD

"I don't care if he's a serial killer! HE'S MY LOVE! WE'RE LETTING HIM IN. WHAT'S THE WORSE THAT COULD HAPPEN?!"

"What's going on?!"

"Ellie why do you have ketchup splashed all over your face?"

"They looked like people, but they're not!"

"I would never kill a man! I swear!!" (Tom)

"What if it was a woman?" (Ellie)

"...shit!!" (Tom)

"I think we... have to... cut off your arm."

NO I WAS JUST JOKING, YOU'RE ACTUALLY GONNA DO IT?!?!?!?!?

"GOLDEN IS OUR OVERLORD AND SHE TOLD ME TO SAVE YOU BY CUTTING OFF YOUR ARM!!!"

"Wow Miriam, how'd you learn to do that?"

"Back in my day, I was secretly a serial killer!"

"Tom! Are you okay?"

"No worries. I got a body count in the double digits now. Cool, huh?"

"You want to ask if I think they're alive? Well I got bad news."

"They're in Mexico right now."

NO GODDAMMIT

FIORE WHYYYYYYYY

“Hey guys! I got another trick I wanna show you. It’s called: ‘BURY YOUR GAYS’”

A six year old is celebrating among her victims.

"WHOO HOOO!!! I KILLED EVERYBODY!!!!"

WHY IS TOM IN THE FAMILY GUY POSE?!?!?!?!?

"See that's my secret Golden. My mask protects me from getting killed, so I'm just faking my death."

"...oh wait I'm not wearing my mask anymore. SHIT-"

"Oh my gosh, my arm! I have my arm!"

"Oh my gosh, I've been in a coma for a MONTH! Cause I died on the first day!"

"I'm just glad I have both my arms again."

Ellie's just done.

"Yeah TOM! Don't cut a woman's arm off! I'M VOTING YOU TONIGHT."

"You'll be distorted for a few more hours, adjusting back to our time, getting back to your body, all that kind of stuff."

"And you'll probably need YEARS of therapy."

(I did impressions A LOT this episode...)

Continued On Part 6 >>

[beatsboy]

8.17.24 / day 55 of being a delusional artist

day 3 of moon time

today (yesterday) was long, it was hot, i did not defend my time as an artist instead, i stretched outward, into the world, missed my apartment the entire time. the time i felt most comfortable, oddly, was during my 9am session with eugene, though that likely means that each event throughout the day merely chipped away at me, bit by bit, until i came home, exhausted, at about 6pm.

day 3 of my period, and everything that touches me feels like a needle, my emotions are like bottled live electricity and can be affected by everything and anything. on top of it all, i am in excruciating pain every so often, and it feels like every time i bounce back from a cramp attack, i am hit by another.

i used to snort coke off of toilet seats and now i am experience an intensely growing fear of plastics and toxic chemicals in everything from my food, to my clothes, my sheets, my towels, my dish ware, pretty much everything. everything is plastic, though, in this day + age, and i have to come to terms with the fact that even if this is a problem that exists and is valid in the world, i cannot afford to replace my entire wardrobe with natural cotton fibers and linens that are non-toxic and have no artificial dyes. i can’t replace every plastic thing in my home, i can’t even afford to buy all organic groceries. that doesn’t stop me from spiraling every time i go grocery shopping, though. it doesn’t stop me from panicking every time i want to eat something that i didn’t make myself (so i don’t, or i do and i immediately become afraid/anxious)

tonight i watched the first episode of the new season of the umbrella academy and in this season, victor (elliot page’s character <3) is a womanizing bar owner that has run through every woman in town (love) and klause (token mentally ill/addicted character) looks to have developed some form of OCD, especially in regards to germs and contamination. He is newly sober in this season, and has transformed into a clean freak, paranoid, control-seeking individual. Is this normal for recovering addicts? To pull a complete 180 and try to control everything in your environment? is it because we know how close we’ve been to death that we want to do anything and everything in our control to prevent it from being not on our terms?

part of me sees how i am living an unhealthy life, but the other part of me just thinks i’m right. it’s hard to tell yourself that you’re wrong when every day there’s a news story about some company/farm/manufacturer’s investigation findings being released on toxic chemicals present (above the legal limit, of course). it’s always the same; some company, whether it be kerrygold (my favorite butter), crocs (my favorite shoes), boar’s head (my favorite roast beef), raw rolling papers (supposedly natural, used them for years), simply made orange juice (literally almost bought the day before the lawsuit went public), or seltzer water (thankfully i hate that shit), it’s always the same. ok, boars head was lysteria, but the rest were all chemicals above the legal limit. arsenic, bpas, bpfs, bpss, lead, piss, whatever. poison in something i’ve consumed, worn, used.

i used to poison myself all the time, though, right? so why should it bother my this much? why does it bother me so much than it did before?

i used to think i was confident, i think i was just vacant, dissociating so much that i could be whatever people wanted me to be i never used to spend this much time thinking about my principles, how my actions, from what i buy, to what i support, to who i support, reflect myself as a person, and how they do and don’t align with who i am. i didn’t used to wince at the perfect drying rack someone sends me in an amazon link because i’m boycotting. i would have just bought it. “there’s no ethical consumption under capitalism” i would have said. sure, but some consumption is, let’s say, less unethical than others. and maybe i knew that when i was 20, in college, ordering everything for my freshman dorm from amazon because i didn’t have a car and it was easy. maybe i knew that it was unethical and wasn’t who i was as a person, and did it anyway, because it was easy. or maybe i wasn’t this person yet. maybe this person i am now, 7 years in the future, is simply the kind of person who does not do that. and maybe that’s because i got sober, and maybe that was just part of it. the tipping point, between freedom and intention. between chaos and direction. i find it hard to just let go now. the person i am now is holding on tight to rules that do not apply to the person i dream of being. the person i dream of being does not wish to control his world. the person i dream of being flows through the world, and hopes to leave it a little better than when he found it, though i suppose even that is hubris, to wish to change something else. for i know the only thing i have control over changing is myself.

[miss0atae]

The Jungle - 11th Episode Review

I almost miss the 11th episode because I forgot we were Monday today. I will have to go back at work soon and I think I’m just not ready. Anyway here is the review for the Jungle. I just noticed that even thought the show isn’t good, I’m still enjoying writing these reviews. They may not be groundbreaking but they give me a small happiness.

So this new episode starts with a flashback from 9 years ago. We get to see Pine and Hack at the beginning of the RV creation. We learn that is was an idea from Pine. He wants Hack to be his business partner. They were the OG friends of the Jungle. Hack had only one condition before joining and it was that they don't fight over a girl. Hunter was also there and he is also a business partner. Hunter is always coming from nowhere like a superhero lurking in the dark. I really want his backstory and I hope we’ll get it before the end of the series. His mysterious act is fun but I really want to know the man. Sometimes it feels like is a part of the Jungle and at other times it feels like he is just on the sideline. Back to the present with the revelation of Hack sleeping with Irin. The way he tells Pine about it, is so bad. Like yeah no biggies, He is freaking in love with her and jealous of Pine but he will never reveal that because he prefers to make it seems like it’s nothing because he doesn't want to show real emotions. F*** that! Hack thinks that Pine really wanted her? What... It doesn’t make any sense. It was shown more than once that he doesn't want her and Hack seemed to know it so why is he saying that? This is weird.

Anyways we leave those fools for 5 minute so my girl Florence can get her man tonight. Finally, Nathee accepted. Omg are we going to get some action?! She is so happy and it doesn’t last because there is always something coming between them. Naanfah it's not the right time! Let Hack and Pine have a fight so this couple can finally happen. On the roof again, Pine is defending the honor of Irin. They are fighting over her. Hack is calling Pine out and he even used August name which is a trigger. That's were they start really fighting with their fists. The other members of the Jungle arrive to separate them. At the end of it, Hack step out of the Jungle which shocked all the group. Later, Nanfah, Nathee, Nannam and Phethai are together. They went looking for the two idiots who fought but can't find them. The group is divided. Irin has been able to do what Pladao couldn't. Nathee is the most reasonable. He doesn’t want to take side because both are his friends. They need to sort it out by themselves. Pine is drinking again to forget. Nannam found him and tells him about the fact he was the one who bought baby sister to Hack tonight. I almost forgot! He really did it to separate Irin and Hack. What a dick move! Pine is angry because Naam didn't tell him about the relationship between Irin and Hack and punch him. He replies that the group is more important and they can't keep more secret because it has an impact on them. Why is the group so important for Naam? Is it because it's like a second family for him?

We also get a small scene with Nannam and Nithan talking about relationships and how it is complicated. He wants to solve the problem but she gives him a wise advice to just do nothing. Time and understanding are her solution to solve the problem. Naam is not really positive but she tries to help him see it differently and comfort him. They are kinda cute and it was nice to see them interacting again. I notice that when a couple finally happen we don’t get to see them again. We see a lot of the Jungle by themselves talking and everything but their girls become absent as soon as they are official. Elsewhere, Pine finds Irin drinking at his place. She wants to confess but Pine stops her and tells her Hack already spilled the beans. Irin corrects him by saying it was her idea because she wanted to forget him. She feels sorry that all the situation escalated and she lost everyone. Pine then kiss her and they go to the bed to have sex, I guess, but she is not into it anymore, neither is he. It is not like she imagines it would be and Pine tells her that maybe she has someone else in mind. The fantasy was better than the real thing. He is again very nice to her. He may not love her romantically but he indeed loves her as a friend.

Nathee finds Florence sleeping at the RV. She was waiting for him. He is feeling down so he wants her to go home. She doesn’t want that and decides to stay with him. He tries to keep her at arm's length but she is not someone you can dismiss. She has another card and she threatens him that she would sneak in when he is taking his shower. Our girl knows when to use her tricks. She is okay with not playing tonight but she will not be keep in the dark. Nathee comes after his shower looking sexy and everything but he is still adamant, she must go back home. She asks if she can see him tomorrow but he refuses. Florence doesn't care she thinks they will see each other again and she keeps being smiley. He doesn't understand why she wants him that much. Please! Don't be modest now man. You know you are the kind of person girls fawn over. Florence is so funny. She never shy away from anything. She is always very straightforward. She even confirm that it would three days to explain why she wants him. Wow she must have a lot to say. He can't stand it anymore. She is too much for him. He repeats that he can't sleep with woman he knows because he doesn’t care how they feel after they sleep with him. Basically he only wants a one night stand but that's also what Florence wants. She explains why and I freaking love her! She knows what she wants. She is perfect. Unfortunately, it doesn’t move Nathee and he threw her out of the room. He is the one who wants more at that point if you ask me.

Irin went to her baby sister school to explain herself about her relationship with Hack. Baby sister said that nothing happen between them because he didn't want it. Then we get to the part that I didn’t understand. I was litteraly not believing what I read (yeah because I don’t really know how to speak Thai so I’m just trusting the subs). Baby sister said that she loves Irin more than Hack. I mean yeah... It didn't show that much last episode. This series like to make every character a nice person even thought it's not how they acted previously. It's infuriating. We got the same thing with Bad Mom and Phethai. Ally/Ailee didn't care about her sister but now that everything is falling apart she gives her this fake ass explanation. Irin is moved and hugs her sister. Sorry I don't feel the love.

Back to Nathee's job where he finds Florence sleeping in the meeting room and prepares her a cup of coffee. Man, you're whipped for her. That's why you want to impose boundaries. She has a fever and he is worried about her. He tells her to go home (this guy always tells her to go home XD) and she doesn't listen because she has work to finish. He drives her at home but she didn’t want to have her father bringing her to the hospital because she fears those places. One thing about Florence is thet she is a sly fox not a flamingo. Even with high fever she never misses a chance to get close to Nathee. She asks him to bring her at his home. You go girl! Wow, he indeed brought her at his place and feeds her. Where is that talk about feelings now? It brings her memory of her dead mom. He gives her a hug because she asked for it. My god she never misses a freaking chance. All this talk about her mom to steal a kiss on his cheek. He avoided it but she really did her best. If he doesn't want her, I can marry Florence. I'm already in love with her. While she sleeps, he checks on her and put back the blankets on her. He also gets a flashback of her watching him when he won the Rubik cube competition at school. Who is not in love right now? Because he is so into her!

Baby sister tries to help Irin to meet Hack by sneaking her in her law class again. Hack is here but he annouces he will resign from the University. Irin runs after him but he avoids her and leave. She then comes to the RV but Hunter tells her that Hack will never come here again. She is shocked. Hack is acting like a loser and he is at his place kissing with another girl. That girl did a hand gesture that brought back memories of his own mom having an affair with someone. He saw the all scene. Now he doesn't really want to pursue with the girl. In in memories, his father realized his wife had an affair and he assaulted her while Hack was watching. Don't get me wrong, I admit that having an affair is not a good thing but it's never an excuse to be violent against someone. Both Hack's parents didn't set a good example for their son. The child has trauma and he still lives with it. Hunter didn’t have the time to do some therapy with him yet. Hack gets really violent and turns the house upside down. Irin found his place and decides to go there at night (which is a bad idea but why not). Hack is crying and can't seem to forget her. Irin hugs him and comfort him.

Florence is introduced to a new guy by her father. His name is Posh. Will this one be a decent human being? She is not particularly happy to meet him but she has to take him on a tour to the city. The all building is gossiping about the new guy and of course Nathee hears about it. He is getting annoyed. This guy with all his talkq about not having feelings but he is the worst. At Hack’s placen, Irin cleaned the house and cooked breakfast for him. He can't believe it. Hunter again gave away all the info. This guy is the therapist and the matchmaker of this group. He must be bashed by all their stupidity all the time as we are. Hack and his fears of relationship are back again but Irin tells him that he shouldn't be alone. In a futile effort, Hack tries to encourage her to go back to Pine but she admit that she doesn't love him anymore. She thinks she loves Hack now. She wants to give them a chance and it moves his heart. They kiss. Finally we can move on from this couple. It was not my favorite one so I’m happy about the conclusion of Hack and Irin.

Phethai/Petai (They are changing the spelling of their name of their names all the time! I can’t keep up. It was the same when I watched House of stars.) wants to know what Pine will really do with Hack. Phethai is not happy with Pine and according to him he is the one who pushes everyone away. Pine doesn't agree and tells him that he broke first their promise. I guess it was about having no girl or no love. Naam thinks everyone will come back. He advice Pine to believe in changes and maybe come back as the old him. Pine is stuck in his victim mode anyway. Hunter is always is always there watching at their nonsense. I just want to know how it was for Mix when he filmed this series? Where they making him come everyday for like 5 min to just stand there and look mysterious? I hope he got paid well for this role.

Nathee and Nanfah are following Florence and Posh. Nanfah wants to know why he is here and Nathee gives him the most funny answer: Petai doesn't talk to him, Nannam didn't answer his call, and Hack has a girlfriend. Nanfah replies that he also have a girlfriend. Ah yeah?! What about that?! Because it was not clear last time, so now Pladao is your girlfriend? Since when? Why didn't we see anything? I want to see it! So they watch the all scene and Nanfah just wants to remind Nathee that they are two kinds of men who secretly watch a woman going out on a date: those who have feelings for the woman and the noisy kinds. He is so right about calling Nathee out in his stalker behavior. Go talk to Florence and stop rejecting your feelings for her. Did she faked burping just right now? Posh doesn't care because he thinks it's a normal reaction to delicious food. Is he the nice guy she wasn't expecting from her father, because we all know that he has terrible taste in men. She tries every techniques to make herself look terrible but he always dismisses everything. He offers a date after the diner but she counters it with something bolder like taking a room. From the other side of the room, Nathee wonders if she likes him and asks Nanfah for his opinion but our sweet Naam is fed up with him. Posh wasn't expecting her to go this fast but already booked a room? What the heck?! Nathee can't stand it anymore and hit him. I laughed at Nanfah and his “cool down, cool down”. This guy became the comic relief of every episode since we discovered he wasn't evil. He is my second favorite character of this show. Florence presents Nathee as her boyfriend. You weren't expecting that Nathee... He looks positively lost. Florence never misses a chance. She is great! Nathee got even a bit more jealous when she praised Posh. Posh apparently didn't book the room to have sex with her but because he also has a secret significant other and since theirs parents still wants to arrange their wedding, they could help each other.

We got a small scene with Irin and Hack having a sexy moment together but also Gale (Long time no see!) with a worried Phethai and finally August appearance?! Where is Pladao now? Yes I know I'm always saying that but I'm still bitter about her not having a proper romance with Nanfah. Anyway this episode was good when we got Florence or Nanfah in it and boring the rest of the time, because frankly I couldn't stand anymore Hack and Irin's romance. I'm glad they are together now so we can move to something more interesting. In the next episode we should know more about Pine and August and I guess we’ll have also Nathee and Florence’s romance finally blooming… My reviews are getting longer and longer.

[lady-bess]

Just A Date - Agent Ortega

Part of the LadyBess Valentine's special! 8 Characters; 8 Dates 💜

Agent Ortega x GN!Reader Mature/18+ (Minors DNI Please✨) WC: 2.8k Notable Tags: Running Away, New Lives, SFW, Reader is a Whore, Sorry, Soft Ortega, Caring Ortega, Obscene Levels of Fluff, Forbidden Romance, Established Relationship, Implied Sexual Relationships, Reference to Drinking, References to Prostitution.

And last, but certainly not least, is our Pinkerton! Unlike Jack, Agent Ortega is a genuine cowboy (sorry, honey, but he’s a freaking Pinkerton!). And while his appearance in the Pedro Pascal Cinematic Universe was brief (i.e. a single pilot episode of The Sixth Gun), you best believe this author still managed to take a liking to him (and who is shocked?).

I’ve made it my own head canon that there is a link between Ortega and Jack before, but for now let’s go back to the basics! This one-shot will be based on the limited information we know, plus a bit of fan-canon!

Happy valentine’s, my lovelies, however it is you choose to spend it!

A/N: I was unsure about Ortega’s timeline and Valentine’s Day being something to mention, but I found in my research that by the 1850’s it was popular to send what we now know as Valentine’s cards! In 1856, the following was published to the New York Times;

"Our beaux and belles are satisfied with a few miserable lines, neatly written upon fine paper, or else they purchase a printed Valentine with verses ready-made, some of which are costly, and many of which are cheap and indecent.

"In any case, whether decent or indecent, they only please the silly and give the vicious an opportunity to develop their propensities, and place them, anonymously, before the comparatively virtuous. The custom with us has no useful feature, and the sooner it is abolished the better."

I just found it rather amusing, so thought I’d share with y’all!

Now, where were we? Ah, yes; off to Brimstone!

February 14th, 1889

Ortega opened the doors to The Silver Palace, Brimstone, hoping to find you here before it was too late. He didn’t approve of you working in a place like this, but times were tough out here in the West, and he could hardly fault you for doing what you had to in order to survive. That still didn’t mean he liked the thought of others having their way with you in exchange for a few measly cents. His job meant that he knew, intimately, the lives of the people in this town. And what he did know about the men and women who came your way was that they were often more of the unsavoury nature.

He wanted to protect you so badly, even though you were fiercely independent and insisted you didn’t need his help. That had always been your dynamic, though. He would pay you for your time, not your body, and somewhere along the way you’d gone and fallen in love. Your boss would forbid you from ever seeing Ortega again if they knew that the two of you were involved with each other beyond an exchange of services, so you kept things quiet.

But tonight, of all nights, he wanted to get to you first.

And, if this went to plan, you’d never have to work at The Silver Palace again.

He scanned the sea of faces that met him as he entered the establishment, eyes desperately searching for yours to meet his. A panic began to rise in his chest, a tightness, a despair, as for a moment he was met with nothing but vacant expressions from other patrons. People who were probably waiting around for someone like you to become available, so for ten minutes they could forget about their woeful existence and treat you like an object just so that they could feel like that had an ounce of power in this world.

But Ortega did have power. And tonight, he was using it.

“Fuck,” he hissed, sucking in his lip and biting down a little too hard as he searched for you, pushing past others who were drunk out of their own minds on moonshine, and other alcohol likely not made legally. Prohibition can get them later, he thought as he traversed through the crowd.

And then, cowering in the corner, there you sat. Surrounded by men and women, various hands trying to take off some of your clothing. One man pulled at the collar of your shirt while another undid your belt buckle. A woman sat on one of the men’s laps kept pouring you drinks, clearly hoping you’d sip enough that you’d lose all inhibitions and just let them have their way.

You looked terrified.

Ortega knew that it wouldn’t work simply asking you to go to a private room with him right now; he would have to either force these people off you or pull out the big guns to assert some form of authority. Fortunately, he came prepared.

“Excuse me?” he said, approaching the table entirely. Behind the fright in your eyes was a slight twinkle, like a glimmer of hope had found its way to the front of your mind, allowing you for a second to believe you were going to be okay.

“Yes, sir?” you spoke, timid as anything, even though you knew you were safe now with Ortega around.

“I hate to impose on such a…beautiful moment between y’all, but you, flower, owe me,” he said, voice dropping slightly so he appeared like a disgruntled customer. It was something the two of you had agreed he could do, especially if he ever found you in a situation that was difficult to get out of. There was nothing that would ruin the party quite like a patron who didn’t think they’d had their fill, and Ortega would use the act whenever he needed you out of a situation as quickly as possible.

“I-I’m so sorry sir, but as you can see I’m a little busy right now,” you said, playing your part as always.

“I thought you might say that,” Ortega began, before reaching into his jacket pocket. He pulled out a small brown leather bag, dropping it to the table. The sound of clattering metal could be heard from inside the bag, indicating it was clearly filled to the brim with money. The eyes of everyone at the table widened, your own included.

“Brought you a little something so you might…prioritise me?” he said, then turned to the men and women sat around you, “I’m sure y’all can understand?”.

The people surrounding you scoffed, shaking their heads before finally getting their hands off you. Ortega smiled at you, reaching his hand out for you to take. Grasping it softly, you allowed him to tug you out from the booth, maintaining the act he had to put on.

“Take your coins, whore, and let’s be having you,” he sneered, and you had to fight back a slight chuckle. Ortega was never anything other than a gentleman with you, and even though your relationship had become physical recently, it was oh so more special in that you actually cared for one another. You grabbed the brown bag with your free hand and nodded at him, then let him tug you along by the hand to one of the private rooms in the back of the building.

He shoved open the door with his hand and dragged you inside. Him letting go of your hand sent you spinning slightly, and as you stabilised yourself he closed the door behind him, bolting it shut. You both breathed out a sigh of relief once the door was closed, and now it was just the two of you together within these four walls.

“I’m sorry, flower, I really do hate doin’ that,” he said, dashing over to you and grabbing you by the waist. “But I hate others being on ya’ even more,” he whispered, before planting a tender kiss on your lips.

You kissed him back fiercely, your hands grasping at his jacket and bunching the material in your fists as your whole body relaxed into his arms. It had only been a couple of weeks since you’d last been able to see each other, but every moment without him by your side was agonisingly painful. There was nobody you wanted in this world except for him – your very own Pinkerton.

“I missed you,” you said softly against his lips, there barely being any space between the two of you to talk. The rim of his bowler hat brushed against your forehead, and you could feel every metal buckle and button that was on his clothing. But after being apart, you couldn’t get closer if you tried.

“I missed you too, my flower,” he said, kissing your cheek as he slipped his arms around you for a tight embrace. “But you don’t gotta miss me no more. I’m taking you out of here,” he said.

You pulled back slightly from your hug to look deep into his coffee coloured eyes. He had a look of sincerity that you’d never before seen, so stern and serious that it borderline scared you. You whispered his name, his real name, while caressing his cheek.

“What are you tryna say?” you asked, speaking quietly so not to alert others in nearby rooms of whatever he was about to say. He smiled at you lovingly, his face softening under the hold of your delicate hands.

“I’m bein’ transferred, flower. I’ll be outta here by morning. And I’m taking you with me,” he said. He slid his hand to cover yours, grasping your fingers softly, and moving to kiss the palm of your hand. His eyes never left yours as he did, wanting to gauge your reaction.

“I- I can’t just leave. Honey, they’ll kill me if they catch me sneaking off. You know they got me bound under that damn contract,” you said, that familiar feeling of being trapped rising. There was nothing more that you wanted to do than to run away and leave Brimstone behind, but you’d heard horrors of other men and women before you trying just that, and paying the price.

“I know, I know,” he sighed, resting his forehead against yours. “But we gotta try, doll. If we don’t then I-,” he sniffled, “then I’ll never see you again,”.

“Ortega…you’d be risking everything. And all for me? A prost-,” you began, but he cut you off.

“No, stop!” he said, eyes watery and pleading, “Don’t call yourself that. You’re so much more, flower. I don’t wanna ever hear you call yourself that again, you understand? I’m freeing you from this Hell,” he said.

You nodded slowly, allowing your lips to gently slip across his, planting a soft kiss there. You breathed the same air as him for a moment, just standing in silence.

“Alright. I won’t say it. But tell me this, love, how are we getting out of here?” you asked. Ortega smiled, a slight grin even, and that mischevious glint in his eye returned.

“I got Agent Mercer outside waiting with a wagon filled with everything we’ll ever need, sweet thing. I hope ya don’t mind, but I also had him pick the lock on your place earlier, and anything valuable he’s packed up for us,” he said. “Darlin’, he’s outside this building now. All we gotta do is slip outta this window and run like Hell.”

Ortega explained every plan like he had a handle on everything, but in a way that was comforting. Right now you wanted to feel like someone did know what they were doing, even if the plan was just to run for your fucking lives. But Ortega trusted Mercer, and if he’d got him on board with the plan then you at least hoped that enough preparations had been made to make this a clean getaway.

Without realising it, you were already nodding along with his plan. Ortega grinned and scooped you up into his arms, lifting you into a hug and spinning you round for a second. You laughed, clinging to his body, and then let him put you down.

“Okay, well, if Mercer already has my valuables then there ain’t nothing in that dump of an apartment I care an iota about. I just need a cloak, and we’re out of here,” you said, heading over to the closet of the room he’d chosen. Normally the two of you went upstairs to a room you often frequented with other patrons, and as such had more clothes of your own in there, but today he’d chosen a ground floor room. Now it made sense why…

“You find something, flower, and I’ll get this window cracked open!” he said, dashing over to the weakest looking frame. The windows weren’t huge, but if he could pop the glass out the frame then you’d both be well on your way.

While he worked away, fiddling with the wooden frame with a couple of tools he’d stashed in his jacket pocket, you opened up the closet. A man’s black woollen shawl was hung up; not yours, you noticed, but it would certainly do you well in the cold weather you’d be travelling in. Ortega hadn’t said where you were going, truthfully you didn’t care, so long as it wasn’t here. But you felt it better safe than sorry, and threw the shawl on for some extra warmth.

With the shawl on, you quickly went through the other drawers. You knew you were basically helping yourself to other people’s possessions, but as you had no plans to ever return, you figured one act of selfishness to get away from a life of selling yourself for next to nothing was the least you were owed. Grabbing a small satchel, you filled it with extra supplies; underwear, predominantly, but also a small handgun that was tucked away in the bottom drawer (something that was stashed in each of the private rooms – just in case).

“How’s that window coming on?” you asked, turning round to see Ortega skilfully just about to set down the glass panel inside the building so not to create noise.

“She’s come along a treat, flower,” he said, setting the glass down and then looking up at you, “Now come on! Grab that money, and let’s go!” he said.

You did as he asked, throwing the satchel over your body and stashing the brown bag of coins he’d given you on the belt of your clothing, securing it in place. You took Ortega’s hand and let him pull you through the window once he’d dropped outside, and then you made a break for it. It would surely not be long before your boss noticed your prolonged absence, given that Ortega didn’t pay them for use of that room all night like he usually did. So, you booked it.

Hand in hand, the two of you barrelled away from The Silver Palace, heading out towards the edge of town where Mercer would be waiting for you. The night was beginning to set in, and with not many gas lamps erected yet there was very limited light. A few homes gave a slight glow out onto the street, but aside from that you both ran together in the dark. Darkness that, eventually, gave way to a few lamps aside a carriage.

It felt like all your birthdays came at once as soon as your eyes lay upon the wagon, two horses at the head of it, readily strung up. Mercer was waiting next to it, fastening down the last of a white sheet which covered all the belongings he’d packed in for you both.

Blood rushed around your body as your heart struggled to keep up with the adrenaline that was coursing through your veins. Ortega kept on dragging you with him, not wanting to risk anything going wrong.

“Ortega! You made it!” Mercer said once you were finally packed up. He tipped his hat towards you as the two of you stood and collected your breath.

“Is it all ready to go?” Ortega asked, and Mercer nodded.

“Yes, sir. All packed up and ready to go. Here, take this,” he said, pulling out a sheet of paper from the inside pocket of his jacket, “It’s a map to where your new place is. Your new lives,” he said, smiling over at you.

“Mercer, we can’t ever thank you enough,” Ortega said, “I wish you well, my friend”.

“Take care of yourself, agent. You too,” Mercer said, tipping his hat towards you.

“Come on, flower, let’s go,” he said, hopping onto one of the horses before reaching down to give you a hand up onto the other. You took his hand and let him help pull you up, before swinging your leg over onto the saddle.

“Alright, you settled?” he asked, and you nodded as you grabbed the reigns.

“Yes, my love. Shall we?” you said.

“Yes,” Ortega grinned, then chuckled, “Oh, flower?” he asked.

“What is it, honey?”.

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” he said, and you couldn’t help but laugh as you and Ortega set off, carriage in tow, and rode into the night towards your new lives.

For more from this series, check out the Just A Date Masterlist! For more works from me, here's my main Masterlist! ❤

LadyBess xox

[thegeminisage]

tng update time!! we're back, baby. sunday we did "the masterpiece society" and "conundrum" and last night* we did "power play" and "ethics."

*by last night i mean earlier tonight, but i'm typing this at 1am and letting it post tomorrow

the masterpiece society: this one was okay. i was very endeared at first to this guy flirting RESPECFULLY with deanna after the ordeal of 3 rape scenes in one episode but then she shot him down and he kept flirting. WILL my misery never cease

that said, i like that picard was nice to her when she fessed up about fucking with him. i am so fond of saying "treat him really niceys" about data but perhaps we should also be treating DEANNA really niceys. instead of raping her repeatedly.

one hilarious detail i noticed about this episode was that they went out of their way to show us a lot of extras in this episode (sometimes we don't even get this many extras in ten forward scenes) and show us that the extras were. diverse. because if the society is "genetically engineered to perfection." and then you only show white people. THAT puts a whole new spin on things. i'm imagining some joker on the production team looking at a shot of mostly-white extras and frantically calling the casting director on the phone

i was EXTREMELY worried when they asked geordi to work with this woman but he was professional the whole time to my huge relief. actually, geordi had a little bit going on in this ep that i really enjoyed - when these "perfect" people kept implying he would have been aborted as a fetus in their society he gave as good as he got EVERY time and his blind ass DID in fact wind up saving all their lives and GOOD FOR HIM!

i dont really get what the big deal is about 23 people leaving = destroying their society. if you can't plann for people being out then it's your managerial skills that need work. also, they were kinda freaks, so maybe they needed to have their little cult broken up. sorry

conundrum: EPISODES FOR MEEEEE. this episode was just like tabula rasa, except this predates tabula rasa, so really tabula rasa is just like IT. anyway, amnesia. i was gleefully rubbing my hands together the entire time

hands down funniest bit was everyone just assuming worf is captain despite the fact that he's bloodthirsty and insane but the second funniest bit was data the bartender. "where's the android?" "serving drinks in ten forward." "[as data speed types] you must have been one hell of a bartender." 10/10 no notes

also his little chess game with deanna!! wah.

actually no the other funny bit was riker lowkey running around on deanna with ro. and i abslutely LOOOVED he and deanna being flirty with each other. it's ABOUT TIME we got some real food. it's been so sexless up til now that all she did was play with his hair a little and we both went bananas

and then the scene at the END? riker more flustered than we've EVER seen him and these two ladies ganging up on him...mwah. 10/10 perfect.

the villain this episode was good. when he first showed up cathy was like who tf is that and i was like idk some rando im sure he doesnt matter but then the computer named him first officer and it was like !!!!!!!!!!!! they tricked me !!! it's a VERY rare day when tng manages to trick me i was so pleased. i do kinda wish they hadn't theo teennwolfed him though (made everyone else a bit dumber to make him seem smart)

power play: deannna was so hot in this episode she should play male characters more often

i really REALLY wish i had been riker deanna and worf that had been possessed. data's not as much fun when he's someone else and not data. obrien could have come too if he wanted though i guess

PLEASE do not tell rosalind chao to shut her baby up. the last time someone told anyone to shut a baby up in a property she happened to be acting in. well. mash fans know. they know.

i genuinely believed those guys were ghosts until the last second. probably because prisoners makes no sense. also, i think prison for 500 years is too much. can we not just let them die

i love when possessed data tried to prove worf and worf was like lol no. he knows data is 10x stronger than him lmao

i wish guinan had been in this episode it's been ages and i miss her

after how tense and fun the beginning was the end and middle of this episode were kind of anticlimactic. still, it was fun and so it gets a pass. more people should get possessed on the enterprise

WHY DO I ONLY GET 4K CHARACTERS PER TEXT BLOCK staff i'll fucking kill you. anyway

ethics: RIKER/WORF/DEANNA IS REAL IT HAPPENED ON MY COMPUTER SCREEN!

ok, first of all, sorry i have to go ahead and get this out of the way before i get to the good stuff, picard advocating for assisted suicide is NNNOT his best look. in fact it's literally such a fucking bad look. actually. uhh tw for talk of suicide here on down

i understand what they were trying to do. they wanted to present both sides of the ethical dilemma here "equally." but there are some problems with this. firstly, in the real world, assisted suicide is for people with like. terminal illness. worf was fine. yes, he was paralyzed, but he was healthy and had the change to regain a great deal of his mobility. so picard already looks like an asshole because he's advocating for a disabled person killing themselves because they "can't" adjust to the loss.

SECONDLY, the use of "can't" was very poorly done here. if picard had said, worf is too stubborn to change his beliefs, he WON'T adjust to this because he will refuse to try, that would be a LOT BETTER than saying "worf CAN'T adjust to this, it's too many lifelong values to change."

and finally, if we really wanted to be "equal" about the debate, it wouldn't be about worf's ability or inability to adjust to being disabled, it would be about his BELIEFS. like his society and heritage, which he cherishes so deeply because he felt disconnected from it for so much of his life. instead picard was just like "worf is way too much of a pussy to do this just let him die lmao"

like he seriously tried to persuade will to KILL WORF. worse, to help worf kill himself!! JUST BECAUSE WORF WAS DISABLED. he even guilted riker about it: "he wouldn't have asked if he didn't know he could count on you." girl what the FUCK

ok anyway, speaking of will: his reaction here was so strong i wonder if he knew someone who'd killed themselves before. NOT that i'm complaining about a strong reaction. FINALLY we are getting some solid worf/riker Content. maybe asking your commanding officer to kill you is romance or whatever. i loved their argument to little bitty pieces. compare to: riker in tears next to deanna's sickbay bed. ooough i am eating. according to the wiki they actually cut a scene of nose-to-nose yelling and i'm mad about it. LET THEM PUT THEIR FACES TOGETHER. give me something to live for

deanna in this episode too. her kneeling by the fallen worf and murmuring "let me help you." her making him talk to his son. him BASICALLY asking her to be his kid's new adoptive parent should he kick it

oh speaking of alexander. he said some really troubling things this episode. such as, "my mom always said klingons had dumb ideas about honor" and "i don't care about being klingon." HIS MOTHER WAS RACIST..............if alexander decides the klingon ways aren't for him that's fine but that should be a choice HE GETS TO MAKE what an insane way to be raised. meanwhile people are out here calling worf a deadbeat and he put aside his suicide plan for alexander specifically

other shocking things about this episode: beverly was sooooo good actually. she was channeling bones energy in her fury and i mean that as the highest possible compliment. that other doctor quite literally KILLED A PATIENT because she's so sketchy and focused on her own glory "oh i need tokeep a professional detachment" YEAH SO YOU DON'T FEEL GUILTY ABOUT KILLING PEOPLE. bones would have torn her limb for limb and i'm very glad beverly did too. i just don't understand why she was allowed to like leave the ship and go back to practicing medicine. she should have her medical liscene revoked. was this too also in the name of "both sides" of the debate girl this isn't fox news she KILLED A PATIENT for her own personal gain just space her ass!

the fake-out with worf dying was expected but them faking us out for so LONG was a surprise. i was like how are they gonna get him out of this one and it's literally the klingon anatomy. double of eeeeeverrrything. wow that sure is something. funny that worf has ridges on sooo many places. love that it took until season 5 to see it

also, that surgery scene was GROSS. im not normally squeamish but that little worm thingy they put into him looked awful

devastated there was no worf/riker reunuion at the end but other than that and picard and that other dr lady not getting fired it was extremely good. one of my favs so far i think actually.

tonight: "the outcast" and "cause and effect." i've started spoiling myself w/ episode summaries in order not to get surprised by 3 rape scenes in a row again and ik what both of these are about and im soooo excited for it