#ok i drew this before the season finale and that did NOT age well

[ozyras]

runaways

[the-rad-pineapple]

substance abuse

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Supernatural fanfiction: Set in season 8, Sam and Dean get into a big fight, so Dean turns to alcohol to solve his problems.

Words: first 2k words are here, the rest of the 13k word story can be found on

ao3

fanfiction

wattpad

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A/N: I had a crazy depressive episode in January this year, and the only thing that brought me serotonin was Destiel. So the result was me not leaving my room for three days and writing the majority of this story on the notes app on my phone. I have some ideas on how to finish this, but I haven't had inspiration to continue since March. Maybe I'll finish it someday, but I hope you enjoy what's there. Thanks for reading!

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Dean was finally in a good mood. The bar near their motel was surprisingly decent. It had good music, but it also helped that Dean had one too many drinks. So that meant everything was just a little funnier. He was well past the stage of being buzzed and dangerously tipsy. He and Sam had gotten into a little fight earlier, so he was solving it the only way he knew. Alcohol. He took another couple shots against his better judgment. Hey, the more alcohol he was drinking, the better his mood was getting, so why not?

He just finished setting his last shot glass down when someone sat down beside him. It was a guy around Dean's age with dark stubble and bleached blond hair beginning to darken at the roots. He had colorful tattoos swirling up his arms. They were pretty. The man turned to look at Dean, and the way he had to brush his hair from his eyes made Dean feel...something. He smiled playfully at Dean, and Dean felt his heart flutter.

You know what? Fuck it. He was having a good time, and this guy was hot. It had been a while since Dean had been with anyone, let alone another guy... Dean shoved that thought away and winked at the man sitting next to him.

The man raised a playful eyebrow as he took a sip of his drink, his eyes wandered down Dean's body. Dean felt his cheeks heat up, but he had enough alcohol in his system for the shyness to pass quickly in place of confidence.

"I'm Marco," the guy—Marco—introduced.

"I'm Dean."

"What are you doing here, Dean?" The way he drew out Dean's name made Dean shiver.

Dean shrugged casually. "Nothing much." He looked pointedly at Marco. "Looking for something fun to do."

Marco smirked. "Like what?"

Dean slowly looked down Marco's body. He was wearing a printed button-up shirt, with too many buttons undone, so Dean got a decent peek at his chest hair. He wanted to see more. Dean trailed his eyes back up to Marco's. "I'm looking at it."

Marco grinned. "Wanna drive back to my place for a bit?"

Oh fuck, was this really happening? He didn't picture his next time being with a stranger. With a guy, yes, but a guy with blue eyes and a trench coat.

"Yeah," Dean heard himself answer before he realized he had spoken. It was all happening so fast, and he could tell his grip on time wasn't exactly right. Maybe he was a bit drunk. But, did it matter? He was having fun and felt better than he had in a long time.

"I'll pay for your drink and we can go." Marco winked before grabbing the bar tender's attention and paying.

They were soon walking out the door. Dean didn't remember standing up, but they were suddenly halfway across the room. Dean also felt himself starting to stumble and grabbed onto Marco's arm without a second thought. Marco put his hand over Dean's as they stepped outside.

The cold air managed to make everything just a bit more clear. Dean's surroundings sharpened a little. Everything outside his direct line of sight wasn't just a haze now. It was just slightly out of focus instead. They stopped at an old truck. Dean tried to place the make and model, but the information was barely out of reach. It was fuzzy, and retrieving anything other than immediate thoughts felt like sifting through mud. But who cared anyway? He was about to get laid by some hot guy.

"Nice truck," Dean complemented. He did like it even if it was a bit plain.

"Oh, yeah?" Marco replied.

And before Dean really knew what was happening, his back was against the truck, Marco's hands on his hips. Hot breath hit his face before Marco's mouth was on his. Dean closed his eyes and let himself get carried away. The kiss was all tongue and desire. Dean grabbed Marco's hair, and he imagined he was kissing someone else. Someone with dark hair instead of blond.

Dean's head was spinning as someone's tongue was shoved down his throat and hands were underneath his shirt, touching every inch of his torso. He already had too much to drink, and now he was kissing some stranger outside. Or was it a stranger? He had envisioned kissing Cas, but that couldn't be right. Shit, shit, shit. Those last two shots were catching up. But now there was a leg between his thighs rubbing on him in all the right ways that took priority over everything else he was feeling.

"Dean."

It was Cas. And it was close. But it did not come from whoever he was kissing. He felt cold as he and—Dean glanced at who he was making out with, but the name escaped him—some guy broke away from each other. Dean looked in the direction of Cas' voice. The angel stood uncomfortably a few feet away. He glanced between Dean and whoever the other guy was. Dean was suddenly warmer as his embarrassment finally set in. He wished Cas hadn't caught him like this. With someone else when the only person Dean had been thinking about lately was Cas.

"I need your help," Cas said gruffly.

"Right now?" Dean asked, suddenly very aware that this guy's leg was still in between his, and his hands were under Dean's shirt.

"Yes, Dean," Cas answered, the annoyance in his voice was strong. "I wouldn't bother you otherwise."

Dean cleared his throat. Obviously. "Right." He glanced at the guy. "Sorry," he said sheepishly and pushed him away.

They disentangled themselves, and Dean made his way to Cas, trying to avoid eye contact from everyone. It wasn't too hard to stay embarrassed when Dean had to concentrate on walking in a straight line.

"What's up?" Dean asked Cas once he managed to find his footing. He ignored the sound of the truck's door closing, and its ignition. He was still disappointed even if it had been completely spontaneous.

"It's Sam."

Shit. Was Sam hurt somehow while Dean was out getting drunk? That was completely his fault. Dammit. "What's wrong? Is he ok?"

"Yes, he's fine," Cas said. "He just wanted me to tell you he left the motel."

Dean crossed his arms. Was that it? Seriously?

Cas went on, "He said you weren't answering your phone and asked me to see if you were ok. I called him when I found you."

"So, you're Sam's mediator now?"

"We were worried, Dean. You weren't answering Sam's calls." Cas' eyes bore into Dean's. There was a lot more anger in them than there should've been. Did something else happen? Did Dean do something? "I'm glad to see you're fine." Cas turned and took a couple steps away.

"Wait!" It was louder than Dean meant. He just had to get Cas' attention before it was too late, and time was moving fast while he was like this, so he wasn't exactly sure how much time had passed since Cas spoke.

Dean wanted to tell Cas that he and Sam had had a fight. And that was the reason why Dean had been so irresponsible. So stupid. So inconsiderate. But they were all excuses in the end, and trying to make thoughts into words seemed impossible at the moment.

Cas turned back. "Yes, Dean?" Cas tilted his head. Fuck. That was cute. "Cute?"

"Huh?"

"You said, 'that was cute'."

Oh my god, Dean had said that out loud. "Uh, yeah, I don't know." Dean laughed nervously.

He couldn't let Cas know he had...feelings...or whatever for him. That was something he buried deep down, but it was all threatening to come out. Shit. What was happening? Everything was still spinning, and things kept happening that took Dean too long to register.

"Are you okay?" Cas asked. The anger was gone, now replaced with concern.

"I'm fine," Dean quickly answered.

Cas' eyes narrowed in suspicion. That was also cute. Everything Cas did was kinda cute anyway, if Dean was being honest with himself.

"Walk over to me," Cas commanded.

Weird request, but ok. Dean frowned but walked in Cas' direction anyway. But walking was hard. Placing one foot in a steady position shouldn't be this much work. It felt more like tumbling from one step to the next, but Dean eventually made it to Cas. But he had struggled. A lot. Maybe Cas didn't notice.

"I noticed, Dean," Cas said.

Oh. He heard that, too. How much was Dean saying aloud? "I'm a little drunk," Dean admitted. Maybe this would absolve his behavior tonight, and they can go on like it never happened.

"You're more than a little drunk," Cas replied harshly.

"Are you mad?" The question was out of Dean's mouth before it was fully formed in his head.

Cas sighed heavily, but didn't look at Dean. "No, Dean, I'm not mad."

"Yeah! You are!" Oh, Dean totally had this. One of Cas' tells was avoiding eye contact. "You don't look at me when you're upset."

Cas looked at Dean wearily. "Let's go."

Cas started walking away. Quickly. Cas was somehow already by the sidewalk. Dean tried to catch up, but one moment he was following Cas, and the next he was on the ground. He didn't even remember falling. All he knew was he was now laying on the street looking up at the night sky.

"Dean!" Cas rushed to his side. Dean reached his arms up for Cas to help him up. Cas grabbed him.

"Sorry," Dean said and laughed. That probably looked funny.

"Are you hurt?" Cas frowned in worry.

Dean didn't feel anything, but he couldn't really tell. All he could focus on was Cas holding his arms. Cas was strong. "Oh, baby, don't worry. I feel great!" Dean said and grinned in reassurance. Wait... did he call Cas "baby"?

"Let's get back to the motel."

And then they were suddenly there. Dean laughed again and said, "I forgot you can fly."

Cas really was incredible. He was such a beautiful, strong angel. But also so cute at the same time. Dean saw his bed and tried to step towards it, but almost fell again. Cas' arm was around his waist. It felt really nice. Dean put both his arms around Cas. He was warm and smelled like rain. He was like a strong fortress. He was home. Dean wanted to stay like this forever.

"What are you doing?" Cas asked but didn't take his arm off Dean.

"Hugging you."

"You need to sleep."

"No!" Dean didn't want the hug to end, so he held on tighter. "You're warm." It was true. Cas was like the perfect bed. Soft and warm.

"I can hug you while you try to sleep."

Wait, really? "For real?" Dean made the mistake of looking at Cas while he still hugged him. They were close. Super, super close. Dean loved those blue eyes. "You're pretty." He didn't mean to say it. He thought it, then his mouth moved, and then he realized what happened.

Cas just moved him to one of the beds without saying anything. Dean tumbled onto it and stared at the ceiling. It looked like every other motel ceiling. He was sick of motels. Something tugged on his foot. He couldn't be bothered to look what it was. Cas was there after all, so everything was fine.

"Something is pulling me," Dean said.

"I'm taking your shoes off," Cas explained.

It was a simple gesture, but one of the kindest things anyone had ever done for Dean. Or one of the best that Dean could think of right now. Who else would do this? Cas always went out of his way for Dean.

"I love you," Dean said.

Cas finally pulled Dean's shoe off then started tugging on the other one.

"I love you, too." It was soft and so...genuine. Was this actually happening? And did Cas mean it? Or was he saying it to please the drunk?

But it didn't matter. Dean was in a good mood. He'd believe it for now. Everything else was tomorrow's problem—if he could even remember any of this. If any of this was real. His second shoe was taken off, and Dean held his arms up again for Cas. He felt the bed next to him dip before Cas put an arm around Dean. Dean held onto it like a lifeline.

"Goodnight, Cas."

"Goodnight, Dean."

[wolf-with-a-pen]

Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door Part 1

TW: Death, Unreality, Swearing, Main Character Death, Angst?

Masterpost, Next

Tell me if I have missed a trigger warning, ask if you would like me to tag this with anything, and I hope you enjoy.

If you don't like any of the triggers above, this is sort of a prequel so you can skip to Part 2, unless you don't like angst, then it is even worse.(Edit:Looking at part 2 its worse, and you don't lose many of the above so just dont read it I guess.)

Word Count: 3962

FOR EDWARD it was a normal day. Well as normal and as close to a day as you could get in heaven. Everything merged into one- nobody knew how long they had been there, and nobody could know unless they saw the passing of the days in the simulation they called "Earth". There were few who remembered, and even less you could approach or talk to without putting yourself in danger. Edward was not one of these. They were unable to see Earth- or even anything other than the blank canvas created for the angels to roam, a few small civilisations created by the guardians for those who were more homesick the only solid thing on the landscape. Nobody knew why it was that way. Nobody dared ask. Everyone ignored it, hoping that it would not hurt them. It didn't for the most part. But then you could say the same about the Guardian Angels.

Cruel and soulless were the most common words used to describe the Guardians, and they were right on one count- they had no soul. Most people didn't remember the personalities of the people before due to most of the Guardians being the originals. The few that weren't were the first few to arrive from the simulation, to what they deemed to be "heaven". And so, the simulation continued. Even after death. The few that did remember the Guardian's original selves were so withdrawn you could not find them if you tried. They were the only ones that knew what happened to turn all of the people like that. But they refused to answer, they knew something that was so dangerous, if they told someone they would die. So, they didn't. Everyone wondered. Nobody realised that they would find out. Nobody could have predicted it.

It was the 4th of May. For once Edward knew that. But then, every now and then they paid a visit to one of the old ones. Just to visit, check in on them. Most knew one or two and how to find them. Some became friends. Some of those searching disappeared. It was the way it was. No, the day was definitely the 4th. He remembered that vividly - who could forget with what happened that day. It started as per usual- with Ansel being an idiot as usual. After being abruptly woken up, they managed to shout a few swearwords to get him out of their room, and laid back down. Well, as well as you can when you and your bed is soaked. “Again?” they thought clambering out of bed and heading into the bathroom. “I guess it’s one of the downsides of siblings.” For Ansel was his younger brother- not by much mind you, but he still enjoyed pranking and annoying his sibling at any chance he got. Edward didn’t really mind. Not that much. Sure, he was a pain, but they loved him more than they would admit. Once they managed to dry themself off (for the third time that week) they got dressed, and ready. One of the downsides of heaven is every surface is blank and almost certainly not reflective- nobody knew what they looked like except from other’s perspectives or how they remember what they looked like on Earth. Edward died long enough ago they forgot what they looked like. They didn’t mind though. It doesn’t really matter when you’re trapped in a void.

“Idiot,” Edward reprimanded jokingly, ruffling Ansel’s short wavy hair.” If you weren’t my brother you would be dead by now.”

“Is that a threat?”

“So what if it is?”

"You know you won't win Mx Long Neck. "

"Don't be so sure Mr Witch Hazel. "

"Now you have done it!" Ansel smirked, running head first into Edward, knocking him to the ground with his force. Within minutes they were both laid on the floor in a pile on top of each other, exhausted and looking rather dishevelled - no serious wounds beyond some of Edward's pride (as predicted, he lost). It would heal pretty quickly. It always did. Well, usually.

"You win this time, but I will win eventually. That is a warning." Edward threatened, smiling.

"Maybe, but not any time soon."

"Don't be so sure." Edward replied." You ready to go? "

"Yeah, just need to put the gifts in the basket."

"OK, I'll help. "

They stood up, Ansel springing to his feet, Edward taking more time.

"Hurry up, the quicker we leave the quicker we can see Jojo"

"Excited are we?" Edward teased.

"Of course I am, we only see him once in a while."

"Come on then, we've got a Jojo to meet."

It was an hour later they arrived, gifts and food in tow. It always took too long in Ansel's opinion, but that was the way Joseph liked it- to live on the outskirts of society. His house was out of the way, and cosy looking, almost like a cottage. It was short and thatched - similar looking to a Victorian house but in cottage form. Outside there were plentiful flowers, almost always in bloom. Having no seasons did have its benefits. Gardening was always easy and possible. Plants always looked healthy. Jojo (as his friends called him) took this to his advantage. A quaint little chimney was always spilling out smoke, even when the fire was off. Edward always felt at home and loved the little place. It always reminded them of their childhood home. Joseph himself, was an older man- he had managed to live until his body gave up of old age. It showed on his face- it was slightly more weathered and worn than some of the others and he looked like he had seen a lot. Despite all this, when he entered heaven he was reverted back to closer to how he looked when he was most happy, therefore he had the appearance of a teenager, twinged with some of the feature of an older man. He wore a wide brimmed hat on his mop of dark brown hair, which framed his emerald eyes. Always, he would wear on a short sleeved shirt with long trouser shorts.

Quickly, they walked up to the front door, eager to see one of their few friends- most people couldn't handle their personalities. Knocking, they heard Danny, Jojo's grandfather's childhood best friend and Great Dane begin to bark: clearly he was as excited to see them as they were to see him. Before Joseph could even get to the door, Danny had managed to open the door- one of his many talents- and jumped up at the pair, resting his paws on their shoulders and giving them a thorough 'hello'. "Hello boy," Edward murmured, in the way all people do when talking to animals and children. "I've missed you too.

"Danny! Let our guests come in! I'm sure they don't want to stand in the doorway all day." A familiar voice rang out, Danny instantly obeying, running back inside and sitting by the sofa. "It’s good to see you again, although the gap was a little bit longer than last time. Anyway, come on in, we have a lot of time on our hands, and a lot to catch up on."

"Thank you Joseph, " Edward replied, always polite as possible.

"Thanks Jojo," replied Ansel who was not.

Both entered the house, bringing the gifts and placing them in the hallway, before entering the living room and sitting down. It was how they remembered it. The sofa was opposite a brick looking fireplace and against the wall of the old wooden stairs, which lead to the front door. In front of them was a rug, square and red on the wood floor, with an armchair at each end. To the left was door, leading directly to the dining room, and to the right was a window, with an immediate view of the garden and the void around them. The rest of the house was a mystery to them- they didn't need to go in there so they didn't. Ansel secretly wanted to but he was sensible enough to not try to sneak around and see what Jojo was hiding.

It was a few hours later when he had asked. “What day is it Jojo?” Ansel inquired, “I assume you know.”

“Of course I know,” Jojo replied, unfazed by his straight to the point nature,” but do you want to come and see for yourself this time?”

“Would I!”

“If you wouldn’t mind it Jojo, I think we would both like that,” Edward inputted

“Sure, I don’t mind. Come on let’s go, heel Danny.” Jojo commanded, standing up and heading for the door. Danny sprung up and followed, looking expectantly at the pair of brothers, both of whom were excited, once he had caught up to his master. He knew he wasn’t his original master, but knew he was as close as he would get, and adopted him as his own, obeying every command. Edward and Ansel followed close behind as they set out on their trip. Once they left the house, Jojo warned them not to touch anything over the other side and not to get too close or it would alert the Guardians to their presence. They both agreed not to. Only one would remember. Carrying just a small picnic they set off, covering large amounts of blank flat ground in just a short time- they went through areas they had never seen before, met some people in the other civilisations before finally arriving at the final outpost, an intimidating tower and wall separating heaven, hell and earth. It was one of the only textured buildings in the entire place and was a distinctive shade of mauve that instantly drew the eye. At the front it had a window not dissimilar to that of a drive-through.

“Brought your apprentices this time Joseph?” questioned the guard, an intimidating but polite woman from within the window. Behind her was a smaller person, attempting to hide behind its short bob length hair, wearing clothes most of the angels wouldn’t dare wear (although they are allowed to wear anything, most avoid black and darker colours due to guardians not liking them). It was wearing a black shirt with a lilac ascot and black jeans. Edward hadn’t seen anything like it around the area, and for some unknown to them reason, found that comforting. They ignored that thought.

“Yes, I have,” Jojo replied, turning to Edward and Ansel. “Edward, Ansel, meet Biff and behind her is Isi, the recordkeeper for all of the people who cross the border. Isi, Biff, meet Edward Longneck Smith and Ansel Caitlyn-Rose Smith."

"Pleasure to meet you," Edward stated.

"Hi!" Ansel exclaimed, "You look cool!"

"Thank you," Biff replied, "it's a pleasure to meet you too."

"Hi," Isi timidly replied. "It’s nice to meet you. We don't usually see new faces around here. I have marked you all down, you can go through now if you're ready."

Joseph thanked them, before moving to the door and turning around. "Come on you two."

Edward and Ansel followed quietly.

Across the border was nothing like they were expecting or had ever seen. A spherical plain room, bright white on one side (the side they came through) and black on the other opposite them. In between those two sides, were the realms the demons and angels watched over, one that was instantly recognisable to them as earth, and about 3 visible other realms that none of them could name. Ansel was left speechless by the wonders he saw- a rare occurrence- and both could barely believe what they saw in some of the other realms. But most of all they saw themselves. For the first time in what seemed to them forever, they could see their reflection in the sphere.

Both studied themselves, memorising their appearance, knowing they might not get this chance again. Edward had a medium brown mop of hair, slightly curly and quite long, especially in comparison to Ansel, whose hair was shorter and a light copper brown, though it was still wavy. Both had brown eyes – Edwards a startling bronze-amber colour, Ansel’s a more chocolate brown, but still had an amber undertone that couldn’t be ignored. One thing Edward had remembered is why they got their nickname- Longneck. Both had normal necks, but Edward’s was slightly (honestly, quite a bit) longer, and to them it was noticeable. Ansel’s face was rounded, but Edward noticed theirs was slightly more defined. Looking down, they saw their clothing: white jeans and a grey button up shirt, with a pair of fairly plain dark grey trainers, that looked pretty worn.

At this point, they looked back to where their brother’s reflection was, only to be met by the abyss. “Look Longboi, it’s Ash!” They heard from behind them. “And she’s visiting our graves!”

“Wait, really?” Edward blurted out, shocked that it would show them someone they knew, and that they actually remembered them. Quickly, they turned on their heels and sprinted over to where Ansel was now stood, staring intently through the sphere. “Wow, it really is her.”

“I know, didn’t she hate us at one point?

“Yeah, but once I died I watched her and they appeared to regret what she did.”

“That’s good, she finally understands her actions have consequences, and not everything is about them.”

“Yeah. Shame she didn’t learn it earlier, I wouldn’t have objected to being friends with them, her personality was nice when she wasn’t being an asshole.”

“I noticed that too.”

Down below Ash was crouched down, placing flowers on the two graves next to each other. Their eyes were a similar shade of brown to Ansel, but her hair was a much darker brown and straight, cut at shoulder length except for a centre parted fringe. Black was all they were wearing, I mean it is typical of people to wear black when in mourning or to pay respects, but it was a change – most people hadn’t seen her in anything other than bright colours, and the two had never seen her in anything so not revealing as what they were. Instead of her old show-all-the-skin-possible outfit, she was wearing a dress, still short but more concealing, and it was simpler than the outfits they remembered. “I am sorry. I hurt you, and why? Just because I was jealous. I apologise for all I did to you, and I promise in the two years you have been gone, I have changed.” Ash stated.

“Only two years?!” They exclaimed, surprised at the lack of time they had spent there.

“Yes, only two years.” Jojo answered.

“Wow.” Ansel murmured.

“I forgive you,” Edward stated, towards Ash despite knowing that she wouldn’t hear. They turned around and begun to study the other realms. “Can you tell me a bit more about these realms I haven’t seen Jojo?”

“Of course Edward, which do you want to start with?”

Ansel had zoned out at this point, drawn towards the portal to Earth. “It wouldn’t hurt if I go through it. Just for a second to tell Ash we forgive her, and then come back. They wouldn’t notice, I mean they are distracted.” Ansel thought. He made sure that nobody was watching, before tentatively stepping through the portal. Quickly he said “I forgive you” and left before Ash could notice he was there. When he got back, he saw Ash looking around her, before quickly leaving, spooked by his voice. He saw Edward looking and knew he was in trouble, but not how deep he was from that one small action. I mean, it was harmless, wasn’t it? He re-joined the group and acted as if he had been there the whole time.

When Edward has a chance to confront their brother, it was an hour or two later- Jojo had walked them through everything he knew about the 4 realms, or as much as he was able to in the time they had, and as such left them no time to talk to him. It was on the way home that the had a chance- Jojo led them to a park before heading home to get a picnic for them, as a reward for accompanying him. “Why did you disobey him? He said not to touch anything or go into the other realms.”

“I don’t know why, I just felt drawn to it in a weird way.”

“I believe you, you wouldn’t lie about something like this, but just be glad that nobody else saw, if you were found out, you would be in massive trouble, not just with Jojo, but with the border guards and also possibly the Guardians. Be more careful. I don’t want to lose you.” Edward lectured, but that sort of lecture you know is for your protection- the kind that you know is sensible and are likely to follow.

“I promise now, nothing like this will ever happen again.”

“Thank you.”

The rest of the “day” was pretty peaceful and happy- they ate the picnic, played a bit in the park, and traipsed home, dropping Jojo and Danny at their home, before starting back themselves, taking their time for once. That was one of the good things. And one of the few things Edward would remember. However, to Edward that walk felt like agony. They had a feeling that something very, very bad would happen. The kind that can’t be averted, only postponed.

Once they got home, they could already tell something was wrong- for one, the door to the house was unlocked and open despite being locked when they left. Second the note taped across the entire doorway was kind of a bad omen. Only one group of people communicated that way. If you received one, you were unlikely to return. Ever. Edward signalled for Ansel to stay where he was, before carefully walking towards the house, stopping just about where they could read the note. “Ansel Caitlyn-Rose Smith must come to the Guardian’s temple as soon as possible.” Edward instantly felt fear flood through his body, adrenaline joining it shortly after. “Ansel, they know!”

“Wait, what?!”

“They! Know! Ansel! They have summoned you!”

“No, they can’t. They can’t can they. So that means..?”

“I’m scared that the answer to that is yes.”

“No, I don’t want to. I don’t want to. I can’t. I just can’t. I don’t want to become like them.”

“I don’t want you to become like them. Not now, not ever. But if you don’t go it may be worse for you. You may end up gone with no hope of recovery. It is better you go and face the current consequences than disobey further and get punished worse. I am sorry, there is no way out- they can track you through all of the realms. I can’t promise you you’ll be safe, but I can promise I will find a way to fix this place, and save you, even if it kills me.”

“Alright. It makes sense. I still don’t like it. But it makes sense. Can we spend some time together before I go?”

“Yes, Ansel, want to go inside and watch some TV before you go?”

“Please.”

It was at this point they both trudged indoors, attempting to keep how fearful and emotional they were from each other, because both of them knew that Ansel would be lucky to make it out alive. That was the guardian’s way. Both knew this. The tension was thick enough you could cut it with a knife. If Ansel wasn’t so worried, he probably would have tried. But he didn’t.

“I am going with you,” Edward insisted.

“You sure?” Ansel tentatively asked.

“Nothing could dissuade me.”

“Thank you Longneck.”

“You’re welcome Witch Hazel.”

They set off, through the village. All of the people had seen, all of them knew one or both of them had been summoned. Most looked with pity. Or anger. Or disappointment. Or all of them. Or none of them. But they were all there. Watching as they traipsed into the distance. Wondering if anyone would come back. Wondering if they did come back – would they still be the same people.

It took a long time to reach the Guardian’s court. For the siblings, not long enough. Anything to drag out the experience, the walk up to the place they may not return from. It was a towering Parthenon-style building, built in glowing white and much larger than it needed to be. At the entrance stood 2 statues of what they presumed to be some of the different interpretations from the different realms they ruled of what an “angel” looked like. As they got closer they realised they were not statues as such; they moved and talked as if they were alive. Once they got to the door, they tried to enter the building, but failed. The angels stopped them. Pointing to Ansel, they boomed “Only he may pass.”

“I guess this is where we part.”

“I guess it is.”

“See you on the other side.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Ansel murmured, before crossing the blockade created.

“Ansel, I’ll miss you,” Edward spoke out loud, as they watched him disappear from view.

Normally, Edward would have stopped there and waited, but today they felt braver than usual. Probably because they knew their brother was at risk, but they decided to return the favour of doing something stupid and reckless. Guessing from the way the angels were made, they were unable to move, and so as long as they stayed out of range of them, they could sneak in through the side of the building. Making sure the angels believed they were walking off, back where they came from, they circled around to the side of the building, gaining a view of inside the building. All of the guardians were in a circle around Ansel, who was looking rather like a deer in the headlights. Most of the people Edward didn’t recognise, but one they recognised from visits and checks on the village. The one thing the guardians had in common- their eyes were pure white, no pupil or iris. Apart from that, they were anyone. All different ethnicities, ages and genders. All different. All to be feared. Edward watched on as they all linked hands, creating a barrier around all of them, one that they could see, but not touch or get anywhere close to. Glowing white tendrils surrounded all of them, snaking threateningly inwards- towards Ansel. Eventually they all linked together forming a bubble around him that gradually shrank around him, disappearing from view, before bursting back out again. Only this time, the bubble was filled with a glowing ball of light, that blinded anyone who could see it. It disappeared into the sky, leaving Ansel laying on the floor.

Intimidatingly, a creepy voice boomed “Now you have lost your soul, rise Guardian Ansel and join us.” The body on the floor, snapped open it’s eyes, revealing a lack of pupil and iris, with a chilling look, before calmly standing up and facing the voice, which Edward could not see the face of. Floating, the new Guardian made its way into the crowd, joining it in standing to attention. “Now then, go find more suitable candidates, we need to expand the army if we want to destroy earth and hell. Soon, all of the realms shall be ours, and nobody will be left to fight back.”

“Yes master,” replied all of the Guardians in union, instantly setting off to perform their wishes.

Edward couldn’t look anymore, and they knew if the guardians found them they’d be in trouble, so they turned and left. Alone and hurt. No family left.

[petalshields]

[ MINA EL HAMMANI, SHE/HER, DEMIGIRL ]  —  [ KAIA DEMIR-ZERHOUNI ]  is a child of  [ DEMETER ]  with the power of  [ FLORAL HEALING & PLANT COMMUNICATION ] .  they were born in  [ 1996 ]  and have been in nemean lion since  [ 2019 ] .  with the change, they  [ ARE TRAINING IN ]  the  [ MEDICAL ]  role which makes sense since they’re usually  [ NOT TALKING AND TENDING TO HER GARDEN IN HER ROOM  ] .  if you’d like to meet them try the  [ SUN ]  building . @nlupdates

hello friends! its ya girl garnet and this is my newest baby. like this and i will not only find u...i will plot WITH u (threat).

Kaia’s pinterest is here!

BIOGRAPHY!

( near drowning tw, death tw )

Mystery shrouds the exact circumstances of Kaia’s birth, but there was no denying that her father was Ilyass Zerhouni. His tryst with Demeter lasted through the winter: a season of mourning for the goddess of harvest. Their romance extinguished in March, timed with the thaw into spring, and Demeter left Ilyass without a trace of her presence in his life. Ilyass did some mourning of his own before, as he always had, continuing his life.

However, Ilyass saw Demeter one final time when she revealed she gave birth to his child. The child was born in November, and she urged him to protect her from supernatural forces, even gods themselves. Demeter knew the pain that came with losing a child.

Ilyass named the baby girl Kaia: Norwegian variant of Kaja, the diminutive form of Greek Katherine. Tracing this history, the name Kaia is intertwined with two meanings: ‘pure’ and ‘tortured.’

Born in sweltering Los Angeles, Kaia wasn’t shielded from her godly heritage. Ilyass called her his ‘miracle baby’ but he didn’t anticipate the degree. There were no parenting books on what to do when his child fell off her bike but flowers sticking out of her gashed knees. This led the man to be overly protective of her, to ensure that she did not draw attention to herself by harming herself or provoking others to harm her. He attempted to round all the sharp corners of Kaia’s life for her own protection, but for the most part, Kaia grew up happy.

Her affinity for plants stemmed from her ability to communicate with them. Their voices weren’t something she could ignore. Trees sang eerie songs as they swayed in the breeze, branches scratching against heaven, and a chorus of grass blades gossiped whenever they were stepped on ( blows kiss to the sky: for rowan ). It made it difficult for her to sleep sometimes, their voices were so constant, but Kaia learned how to tune out the plants and filter their thoughts from her own.

NEAR DROWNING TW: At age seven, Kaia contacted meningitis after being left unattended in the pool by a babysitter. Thankfully, she recovered quickly, but she suffered from moderate hearing loss. This incident only deepened Ilyass’s protectiveness. His later wife, Yaren Demir, was raising a demigod child of her own and shared the desire to shield their daughters. As a blended family, Yaren and Kaia’s new step-sister Sila acclimated to Kaia by learning American Sign Language. Though hearing aids lessen the severity of hearing loss, Kaia prefers ASL to verbal communication. ( note: she has difficulty holding a conversation one-on-one without them, and being in a crowd with them causes her a lot of anxiety. )

Adolescence was, for lack of a better word, an adjustment. Kaia prided herself on being mysterious, well-behaved, and reserved, but she began to push against the concrete boundaries set by her parents. Specifically, her competitive nature drew her to sports, which her parents staunchly disapproved of. The more Kaia wanted to expand, the more that her parents increased their restrictions. She took matters into her own hands when she was seventeen. Enticed by promises made by her then-boyfriend, Kaia ran away with him.

What could go wrong? Kaia’s not naïve; she knew that being bested by your emotions was never the correct move, but he was her first love and that love was the poison she’d inject into herself, over and over. There were red flags that the relationship wasn’t the healthiest, but, like any romantic, she ignored them all. Until it almost killed her 🤪

DEATH TW/CAR ACCIDENT TW: Almost is the key word. If she were mortal, she would have died. The boyfriend was drinking and driving, and he swerved off the road while Kaia tried to coax him into letting her drive. She doesn’t remember much of what followed. Blinding white, the sound of her voice shrill as she screamed for him to help her. The slam of the car door as he crawled out from the wreckage, a black figure bleeding into the night. The tree whispering, life, life, life, as flowers broke out of the gashes, blooming along the split skin. After fading in and out of consciousness, Kaia healed enough to gain strength to crawl out of the vehicle’s skeleton and stumbled through the surrounding woods.

Too ashamed to return home, Kaia found solace in an abandoned greenhouse. As a token from her mother, goddess of harvest after all, Kaia was fed throughout her time “missing,” surrounded by plentiful edible plants that yearned for her to eat them. She grew used to her own solitude, the simplicity of her life in the woods, but her own call out to reconnect with her sister caused her to punch her number into her phone. Soon enough, Sila found Kaia and convinced her to accompany her to a strange place she’s only heard about in passing: NEMEAN LION.

Kaia’s been on campus for two years, and the constant chatter and people and all else that comes with their godly heritage are thoroughly tolerated; she is still the prideful girl she once was, but her trauma caused her to have heightened suspicions of those around her, and she’s now more difficult to get close to. Beneath her new armor, there’s still a soft core, most evident when she’s volunteering at the infirmary or trailing behind her sister or smiling at a plant ( weird vibes but ok ). 

WANTED CONNECTIONS!

FRIENDS/A BEST FRIEND: PLEASE SOMEONE GET THIS BITCH SOME MILK!! Or rather the ability to build an attachment to someone that’s not her sister.

ENEMIES: Kaia may not express it all the time, but she does hold grudges and she’s very spiteful. I think this would be interesting because this is a bit of a shadow-self that she never got to explore in her youth, but she’s more willing to lean into it now because, in her mind, everyone sucks and should not be trusted. We can develop in the DMs!

PEOPLE WHO HELPED HER WHILE SHE LIVED IN THE GREENHOUSE: in my mind? while she was "missing” there was a little gaggle of people who brought her essentials in exchange for her helping them out somehow. Maybe she was their healer, or maybe she posed as a distraction for them to do some shady shit. either way, this relationship was mutually beneficial!

OPPOSITES ATTRACT: throw her your sunshine-y muses but she can be a little finicky so this may be a bit hit or miss SKJSKFJ. However I think that it’d be cool to have a muse who doesn’t flinch from her intensity sometimes, or bounces off of it. idk fam i just think it’d be Neat.

INJURED/HEALER: Someone who she always treats at the infirmary? I imagine that she’s gotten a hold of her powers enough that she’s able to heal others on command. She will always cluck her tongue and shake her head and, if they’re close enough, try to talk to this person. This takes a lot of ironing out because it really depends on where their relationship stands but we can make this work

DEMETER SIBLINGS: Kaia feels very much indebted to her mother for keeping her alive while she was in the greenhouse, so! She has a soft spot for all the Demeter siblings because she views them as being all a part of her, in some way, so throw her more family!

COMBAT BUDDIES: ( kaia 2 me: buddies is a strong wor- ) no but her having people to train with. Kaia isn’t about killing people ( unless you’re her ex boyfriend ahahaha that’s to unpack later ) but ! she is about learning to protect herself and wanting to do so with the utmost competency. Therefore she throws herself into combat training, and it’s a way for her to work out a lot of the pent up aggression that she has from not processing a lot of the things that have happened to her.

HOOKUPS: absolutely no strings. With the exception of Taylor, Kaia isn’t the relationship type I’m afraid and isn’t emotionally available, but she still has needs!

OTHER TREE HUGGERS: pretty explanatory, stole this from rowan. A friend of trees is a friend to Kaia.

ANYTHING! LET’S MF GO I’m really down for also filling yr plot needs! 

[emekaemy]

I used to look down on Mikasa Eren shippers, as I found the ship so cliche and sister brotherly. But strangely, it was this infamous chapter, 112 which made me rethink about their relationship. This chapter has showed that their supposedly sibling-like (?) relationship is more complicated than it seems.

The emotional density of Eren's speech in 112 made me doubt about him seeing Mikasa as a sister. Whether the feelings are positive or negative- I believe a person can not hold those strong feelings towards someone in his sister's position. During the talk, Eren seemed to experience too much tension to be platonic. This way of talk can be adressed to an ex- girlfriend when you know she has feelings for you but somehow she hurt you and you want her to be hurt as well. Because you know that she loves you and she will be hurt.

If Eren really thought that their relationship was only the Ackerbond, he wouldn't tell all these to break her heart. And Mikasa wouldn't be deeply hurt. He well knows that what Mikasa feels for him is more than a robotic tie and she is a young lady who has feelings for him. Eren sure knows this.

Especially one part of 112 drew my attention:

Mikasa: It was all because of you Eren. You saved my life and put this scarf around me-

Eren: I TOLD you to put your hands on the table!!

I think her sentence about the SCARF hit the very soft spot of Eren, her talk was getting too intense for him to handle the situation, he was scared of showing emotion and changed the talk about their memories by cutting her off harshly. I think the harshness of his reaction to Mikasa's sentence gives him away. (Please read ch 121, Eren's fragility while he's watching the scarf memory.)

His hate confrontation was quite passionate. To me, Eren had never looked like some rude opposite gender as he did in chapter 112. I thought I was not reading a seinen, it looked like a scene from a different genre of manga.

It's possible that after Mikasa's almost kiss&confession, Eren's puberty started (LOL) and it could be the very first moment he saw her in a newlight. But later on he was shocked and disappointed because of the Ackerman past. So, his intention was to break her heart as a revenge. (Some say he was just acting in order to break the Ackerman curse but nobody can act that well and Eren was overwhelmed with emotion, he was glaring!) Still, deep inside, he's aware that Mikasa loves him. There's no way Eren forgot what happened between him and Mikasa in ch 50, Dina Fritz scene.

During his absence, though his mind was busy, Eren still must have contemplated on Mikasa and the nature of his relationship with Mikasa.

We don't know if he will show his real motive and apologize, or he is just telling the truth. We know nothing yet. But the moment itself appeared to me that Eren has (or one time had) feelings for Mikasa. The dialogue didn't seem to me like two siblings' bickering. This chapter is the turning point (though it consists of insult and supposedly negative feelings) where I perceived Eren a male and Mikasa as female. (I know this may sound weird.)

They grew up together as play friends (age 9–10) and after the Colossus they bonded for 6 years. Although they had been bickering and bitter sweet there hadn't occured any big change in their relationship for many years. Except ch 50, It had been stable. (Their fans were frustrated because not much happened in 3 seasons yet, they were too young: 9–15 years old, two orphans, especially Eren with PTSD - too immature to feel that way) So I claim that there had to be a huge earthquake moment between them. (Sadly, not leading to a positive way, instead, to a seemingly negative direction for their shippers)

We can be sure that chapter 112 won't be their final interaction. Even if Eren's harshness may continue for a while, they need to face with each other more openly, before Eren dies. (Hopefully he doesn't)

Nobody who can feel wants such a terrible goodbye to the girl he cared.

If this notorious moment is explained and solved in a good way, I have a hunch that their relationship won't be the same. In other words, their bond may deepen into another aspect. Only something reversely positive and heavier can change this, that red scarf has to be rewrapped around her neck by the same person, if you know what I mean. But I'm really curious how Eren will react to the absence of the scarf when they come face to face, if they ever make up.

The- hate you - moment may lead to a change of their long time undefined relationship. They seem to have entered into a different path. In season 4 (and in the flashbacks where Mikasa learns she is royal and when in railway Eren is talking about whom to hand over his power) Eren really behaves like a young man and acts emotional about or around Mikasa. Especially the railway flashback: They stare at each other and blush! There is no need to mention what kind of emotions do cause blushing…

When season 4 is animated, adult Mikasa and Eren's chemistry will be even more distinguishable.

I like the chapter 107, when Historia laughs at Mikasa: Why did you show your wristband only to Eren? And Eren is almost sneering : So what? Eren must have felt that Historia is the embodiment of the audience shipping them. She may have looked like a giggling high school girl. He and Mikasa have given a big piece of gossip to her. Eren's amused expression continues even in the next panel.

Some people shipping Historia and Eren may think Eren is annoyed at Historia for pairing him with Mikasa. But I perceived it a funny moment where Eren was amused at the fact that because of a girly instinct, Historia knew there was something going on between him and Mikasa.

With the commotion in 112, the author has also created some material and reached to a path to make a drastic change in the relationship. I know he hates cliche romances, but with 112, their relationship is now far from being cliche. It has become rather complicated.

I'm almost glad to read 112. Though it was harsh, Eren and Mikasa had their moment. He is sure to have gained emotional depth. To feel something (love or hate) requires emotional depth. Between the ages of 9 - 15, Eren was neutral to all the girls in the series but only Mikasa, a caring, sibling-like figure, was different.

However, she is still different from other girls in his perspective: this time being the figure he supposedly hates, the figure whose heart he intentionally breaks. Gosh, these are very strong vibes, hinting to a reverse position in which his love could be very strong just the same.

In the 4th season when they are drawn side to side, one can feel the chemistry. Mikasa and Eren do not resemble to siblings anymore.

Their shippers must be devastated after 112. I, who despised the ship must admit that I'm now on the verge of shipping. I believe that we will be seeing the red scarf one more time. Its role hasn't finished yet. 

Besides, I can't imagine a situation in which Mikasa is in love with another guy and Eren is OK with this. He can not handle being the second important man in her life.

From the interviews, I get that the author respects Mikasa so much that he does not feel like setting her as the hero's girl. And this is one of the reasons he opened the way for her independence. But being independent doesn't necessarily mean abandoning your beloved ones.

Besides, If Mikasa was his love interest in the beginning, her character would be ruined. But the manga is coming to an end. So, if something gets real, it won't ruin Mikasa. Her character depth and her charisma have already been confirmed in many chapters.

They love each other very much. She is clearly shown to have romantic feelings for him. They are not siblings. So I believe, one day Eren will be more open to her and assuming he survives, they will be together.

From now on, we will have an independent young woman and a young man. He had already announced his independency, then she threw away her collar as a sign of her independency. Hopefully, we won't be seeing Mikasa protecting and sticking to him like a mother or an older sister.

I don't want to sound too optimistic. The title question is: does Eren have feelings for Mikasa? And my answer is yes, he does.

Unfortunately, they probably won't kiss or confess, contrary to how the shippers expect. I think it will only be implied to the reader that their feelings are more than platonic and it's all. This could be the best scenario. Still, one can not blame the shippers. It was the same author who created the characters, their bond and wrote their beautiful moments.

As a conclusion; the look on his face, especially his narrowed eyes in ch 121 show whatever Eren feels for Mikasa is rather strong.

Although the chapter showed his eyes generally large with wildness, in this image he is stuck between a sad smile and a cry.

Yes, he is overwhelmed with emotion, again. Whether he says he hates her or sees himself wrapping the scarf around her, he is overwhelmed. When our subject is Mikasa, he is just too overwhelmed with strong feelings.

Everybody says Eren went through so much character development and became very mature in the 4th season. Just the same, this Eren can feel deep love towards a young woman who has always been there when he needed. And her name probably starts with M.

[kiss-my-freckle]

3x9 Rewatch: ...And the Woman Clothed with the Sun

This episode is fun because Francis and Will are very much alike, so Hannibal is able to show him in a way that he couldn't before. Things start to get very real very fast. A lot of episode 1x4 ties into this. Hannibal has him walking into the Norman Chapel. Will tells him the truth about his letter, but keeps secret the fact that he kept it in his drawer until he read it. Hannibal didn't want him to come, but he's happy that he did. Better to see family than the occasional pencil-licking psychiatrist. Will doesn't want to get personal with him because he knows that if he does, he'll cave where he hollowed himself. Hannibal takes him in, wanting to smell the man he's been missing for three years. "I smell dogs... and pine and oil beneath that shaving lotion. It's something a child would select, isn't it? Is there a child in your life, Will? I gave you a child if you recall." He's referring to Abigail. Purposeful for him not to mention his unborn. Will continues to distance himself, not wanting to get personal. "You just came here to look at me. Came to get the old scent again. Why don't you just smell yourself?" No length of time is ever gonna bury it. This upsets Will as he tries to remain strong for as long as he can. "Whereas you are a new man." It would require he be a new man with different instincts. He's being honest. "Family values may have declined over the last century, but we still help our families when we can. You're family, Will." Time for Abigail flashbacks. "We have a basic affinity for our family. We can detect each other from smell alone. You recognize this?" He has her blindfolded, smelling a knife that her father made with bone. The entire point of Will smelling himself. He and Hannibal are family. 

Will visits with Alana. "I had the absurd feeling that he walked out with me." Foreshadowing Hannibal’s escape. She tells him she's still with Margot and gave birth to a Verger son. "So... what are you doing here?" She's playing it smart, making sure Hannibal can't fulfill his promise to kill her. "Hannibal's never been great with boundaries." Sounds like Jack. "He who sups with the Devil needs a long spoon." Again, sounds like Jack. He pulled Molly in at the dinner table. "I'm not letting him in, Alana. Don't worry about me." Will gets off the couch and turns his back to Alana, needing to hide his body language. He's worried about himself because he fears he's gonna cave. "I'm not just worried about you. Last time, it didn't end with you." No, it ended with Abigail. 

Hannibal's second mention to Francis being a shy boy. He and Will discuss the shards of mirror being placed on the eyes and mouth. "Could you see yourself in their eyes, Will? Killing them all?" This plays into the finale. "Save yourself, kill them all?" Because he's speaking to Hannibal, he's able to imagine both of them at the crime scene. Will was already connecting with him during his replay. "Like you, Will, he needs a family to escape what's inside him." Filling his home with light to escape the dark, especially when he doesn't want to think about Hannibal anymore. The glass shard falling from Will’s face is thrilling. Because he's a lot like Francis, Hannibal uses that to help him answer his own questions. "How did you choose yours? Ready-made wife and child to serve your needs. A stepson or daughter... a stepson absolves you of any biological blame. You know better than to breed. Can't pass on those terrible traits you fear the most." That's why he tried connecting with Abigail. Not his biological daughter, but she had him feeling paternal enough to buy her a gift, more purpose for her flashbacks. Will hates that Hannibal can read him this well. He stands on the opposite side of the table, still fighting to keep his distance, determination in his body language. I like the way his eyes change when Hannibal talks about Francis and his outdoor nudity. Hannibal gets him caught up in the moment. "Have you ever seen blood in the moonlight, Will? It appears quite black." Will imagines his naked body covered in blood that appears black, his arm stretched out to the moon. I'd say demonic sexuality piqued Will's interest. This scene ties into the finale. Freddie catches a few photos of him as he's leaving the mental hospital.

Hannibal is hilarious. "You've come to wag your finger? How is Margot?" She's talking to Hannibal when she should be talking to Jack. She struts across the room like the queen Hannibal drew. "You're a little bit like a cat that way." One of the big cats, best not to poke him. Cut to Abigail's flashback. "You deny your love for your father because of what it might mean about you." That's why Will wanted to kill Hannibal in season three. Afraid of becoming him. What loving Hannibal mean about Will. "Your father never wished for anything but your happiness." Alana has no idea what Hannibal wants for Will, she's assuming. "Are you suggesting I don't have Will's best interests in my mind?" Hobbs killed those girls to stop himself from killing her. He was fighting his own demon. "All that's left is honesty." Separating the father from the killer. "Blood rituals involve a symbolic death, and then a rebirth.” Will and Hannibal in the finale. Symbolic death of The Dragon - both of them bleeding all over the crime scene, followed by their baptismal drop into the Atlantic.

They cut to Francis at the dinner table. He's sitting at the far end, opposite his grandmother. Her attitude comes off a lot like Alana's, an almighty queen. She looks at young Francis as if he's the devil. It makes me question what happened to his parents, his mother specifically. This entire dinner scene reminds me of Will in episode 1x4 when he mentioned his mother. He spoke of her in present tense when he said she is difficult to reach, then spoke of her in past tense when he said he never knew her. A cut between scenes. Will watching the family on an ipad, celebrating the daughter's birthday.... to Francis watching the film he took of their deaths, his dragon tail draped on the floor. He and Will have two sides. Francis is bothered by the films, but feels he can't control his other self. It's like what Hannibal asked of Will. "Does the enemy inside you agree with the accusation?" For Francis, the enemy inside is The Dragon, and he’s constantly fighting it.

Cat in a shoe box. Kate is such a human name, unlike Cloud or Snowflake. It was strangled. Jimmy calls him a son of a bitch. This comes in later after Will visits Molly in the hospital. Might as well call him the child of a nightmare. "OK... Seems like you're more upset about the cat than you were about the children, but... " Like Will, caring more about the dogs. "I'm particularly fond of cats, I'm not particularly fond of children." The point. The dog was stabbed with an ice pick or an awl. Jimmy again, calls him a son of a bitch. I would consider the awl because of the clothing Francis' has in his house. A lot of his grandmother's things. Will is upset with the pet torture, but knows Francis must be watching the families if he's ridding them of their early warning prior to killing them. This takes him back to the house to see if he watched them from a short distance. Happy families, what he didn't seem to have. Will finds his seat. It reminds me of him and Gideon standing outside Alana's home in season one. More to Hannibal's promise of killing her, along with her happy little family. "I sat here, and I watched them." He catches sight of the tree marking, but doesn't take it to Hannibal until later. 

When he leaves, he runs into Freddie. "You didn't die enough.” He never liked her. Cordell with naked Hannibal, now Freddie with naked Will. "A big black box.” She called them murder husbands because they are. “You did run off to Europe together.” Again with her Takes One To Catch One. He asks if she’s referring to him or Hannibal. “I'll let my readers decide.” Her readers already know. 

They cut to Francis, he's meeting Reba for the first time. Like Hannibal when he met Will. She's waiting at the bus stop when he pulls up in his van. "I take the bus all the time; you don't need to worry about me." This ties in two more. Will, when he was talking to Alana. "I'm not letting him in, Alana. Don't worry about me." And Hannibal, when Will tells him he's heading home. "When life becomes maddeningly polite... ...think about me. Think about me, Will. Don't worry about me." She invites Francis in for a drink, like Will and Hannibal having their egg and sausage breakfast. "I understand you because you speak very well and because I listen." Making mention as Hannibal does. "Your speech is bent and pruned by disabilities, real and imagined, but your words are startling." He made mention of this to Will earlier. "Have you considered the possibility that he's disfigured? Or that he may believe he's disfigured?" He's self-conscious about it. When she reaches to touch his face, he grabs her by the wrist to stop her. Like Will being psychoanalyzed by Hannibal. "Can't pass on those terrible traits you fear the most."

Will calls Molly. They talk about the new dogs they adopted. "Criminal mind even at that age." Her comment bothers Will. "I don't have a criminal mind." This call leads to Will’s nightmare. As Hannibal said, "When life becomes maddeningly polite... ...think about me. Think about me, Will. Don't worry about me." Worry about Molly, it's the reason he’s having a nightmare. He sees her dead in their bed, shards of glass covering her eyes and mouth. Her chest lighting up like the strings did at the crime scene during his replay. Covered in blood, he screams himself awake, strips off his shirt and heads into the bathroom. He's connecting quicker than he thought he would, more shards falling from his face as he looks in the mirror. "Sometimes... at night I leave the lights on in my little house..." As the scene cuts just like it did with Francis, night turns to day, the lights turning off in the windows of the mental hospital. Darkness entering a house of light. That's why he walks across flat fields to feel safe. He's afraid of who he is and what he'll do if he's in the house, just as fearful of it as Francis is when he's trying to protect Reba.

Jack visits Hannibal. The way he walks in, he feels he’s in control. "Yes, I read your note before my office forwarded it to Will." There isn't a boundary Jack won't cross, and he likely used their past relationship as an excuse. "It would be more honest if you ate his brain right out of his skull." I love Hannibal's honesty here. As if Jack didn't get enough watching him saw into Will's head. He makes his third reference to Francis being a shy boy. "This shy boy has already seen Will. He already knows his name. Are you chumming the waters, Jack?" He knows Jack is baiting Will without his knowledge. "It takes one to catch one." Attack and admission, Jack gave Freddie intel for her article. It didn't do him any good, he gave Francis the open to choose who he reaches out to, Hannibal or Will. "I'll let my readers decide." Hannibal takes a nice bite, reminding him that it takes two, Jack and Will baiting him in season two. He’s an idiot if he honestly thinks Hannibal being inside Will's head will get the job done. It's the last place Jack should want him to be. He’s choosing to play because he thinks he can control the bait and the game. "I don't think I'll persuade you, Doctor. You'll either play, or you won't." As Will states later in the season, "You play, you pay." Chilton won't be the only one to get burned. 

Another flashback of Abigail. This one, when Will calls him. "They know." It was supposed to play out like Hobbs, Jack taking a knife to the throat instead of Abigail. Hannibal had every intention of creating a new life for them, this was his family. "We're waiting for Will." That's what he's doing in the mental hospital, he's waiting for Will. "They'll catch us if we stay." He had to surrender. It wasn’t about them catching him. It was about Will. He already made promise that he wouldn't look for him. Should Will get up the courage to run, he wouldn't be able to find Hannibal. That was the sacrifice he made, however long it took, whether Will changed his mind or he didn’t. His freedom for his family. Either he leaves and loses Will, or stays and prays Will comes for him. He gets his first phone call from Francis. As I made mention earlier, Jack made a mistake when he gave him the open to contact either one. "Wasn't surprising that I heard from the Great Red Dragon." Francis had no reason to contact Will. "I don't believe you would tell them who I am, even if you knew." 

[bakudomaster]

Pushing Daisies

Hello again everyone! It’s time for another in-depth analysis of a show that I’ve watched. This time I’ve picked a show that I have recently rediscovered - question: do you guys like pies and corpses...?

[The facts were these]

PREMISE

In the fall of 2007, a quirky little show known as Pushing Daisies premiered on ABC. Taking inspiration from all things kitsch and Wes Anderson, the story centered around Ned (no, not THAT Ned), a self taught baker specializing in pies who has the unique ability to touch dead beings and bring them back to life. As with many superheroes, his powers did not come without restriction: once touched, should Ned touch the “undeaded” once more, they would become dead permanently. Also, once Ned touches the dead, they exist consequence free for only 60 seconds before something living in close proximity has to die to balance out the cosmic scales.

A bundle of anxiety and intimacy issues on a good day, Ned uses his special skills to moonlight as a part time private investigator to help full time investigator Emerson Cod solve various murder cases and collect reward money. One day, it turns out that the case they have to solve is that of Ned’s childhood sweetheart, one Charlotte “Chuck” Charles. Ned takes a risk and resurrects her beyond the 60 second rule, meaning that someone else has to take her place in the great beyond.

Together with Ned’s waitress (and unrequited admirer), the quartet must solve mysteries, keep the secret of Chuck being alive again from her eccentric aunts and come face to face with all of their emotional issues.

Sadly, the show was cancelled before it ever took off, but more on that later on.

CAST & CHARACTERS

Lee Pace as Ned - the man with the magic touch, he owns a restaurant called “The Pie Hole”, where he makes... well, pies; what did you expect? Ned discovered his gift/curse at a young age when he resurrected his dog after being run over and his mother after she suffered a brain aneurysm. He also discovered that his powers did not come without consequence, as the cost of bringing his mother back to life was Chuck’s father dying. Abandoned at boarding school by his father, Ned grew up and opened his restaurant where he also helps Emerson Cod solve many murder mysteries for the rewards of justice and money. Due to his powers and abandonment issues, Ned has trouble opening up to anyone and carries around a great deal of anxiety. Lee Pace was previously unknown before the show, but he rightfully gained much recognition afterwards, going on to make a few bad movies before getting roles in the Hobbit and MCU franchises.

Anna Friel as Charlotte “Chuck” Charles - Ned’s childhood sweetheart and neighbor, Chuck grew up with her father, having believed that her mother died giving birth to her. Once the universe decided to claim her father as payment for Ned’s mother being brought back to life, she was raised by her shut-in aunts and never allowed herself to travel beyond the gates of her house for their sake. Deciding to break that rule, she was killed when she went on a cruise, after which she was revived the socially anxious Pie Maker Jesus. Chuck is a very optimistic and sincere girl who enthusiastically takes to solving cases. She carries around a bit of existential depression in her, what with being previously dead and all, but she cares for her family and friends very deeply. She can never touch her boyfriend again, but she’s very happy to just generally be around him. Anna Friel had a bit of a generic career before the show, but all that changed once it was cancelled. She was nominated for a Golden Globe for her work here.

Chi McBride as Emerson Cod - a jaded private investigator who believes in nothing but the almighty dollar, Emerson frequently contracts Ned’s skill to revive murder victims, ask them how they died and who killed them, solve their cases and collect easy reward money. He had a romance with one of his PI targets a few years before the series began, resulting in daughter who is now missing. He is the author of a children’s pop-up book, hoping to get it published so that his daughter will use it and come find him instead of the other way around. He does not like the complications that come with having Chuck around nor does he care for Ned’s frequent ethical dilemmas or Olive’s stubborn charms; but he does appreciate all of them in his own way. Chi McBride previously starred in Boston Public and went on to star in short lived shows such as Human Target and Golden Boy before getting a recurring role on the new Hawaii Five-O

Kristin Chenoweth as Olive Snook - a former jockey turned waitress, Olive works at the Pie Hole, lives next door to her boss and carries a very strong, yet unrequited love for our Ned. She does not take kindly to Chuck suddenly appearing and gaining the affection she had worked so hard without reward. She believes that Chuck faked her death and is locked out of the loop as to what is really going on. After some snooping around of her own, she makes firm friendships with Chuck’s aunts, Chuck herself (they even become roommates) and even Emerson. She also learns to accept that Ned will never see her the way he sees the dead girl and tries to move on. Kristin was a very well established Broadway actress before the show and won an Emmy for her role in the show’s second season. She went on to do more plays and more TV shows, with a few guest starring roles here and there.

Swoosie Kurtz as Lily Charles - a cynical and sarcastic agoraphobe, Lily was once part of a synchronized swimming duo called the Darling Mermaid Darlings with her sister Vivian. They toured all over the world before settling down to raise Chuck once her father died. She’s fond of martinis, guns and does not take kindly to strangers... or anyone for that matter. She also happens to be carrying a few secrets of her own as Olive find out and is devastated when she finds out Chuck dies at the beginning of the show. Ms Kurtz is a very acclaimed actress, having an Emmy and two Tonys to her name. She went on to star as Joyce Flynn on Mike & Molly after the show.

Ellen Greene as Vivian Charles - Chuck’s other agoraphobic aunt, Vivian was the other half of the Darling Mermaid Darlings. She’s much more compassionate and delicate than her older sister, but is lost and sad after her niece’s death. Wanting to explore the world in all senses of the phrase beyond her house, she finds herself frequently held back by Lily’s stubbornness... but is that all that’s keeping her back. She was also once engaged to Chuck’s father. Ms Greene is renowned for her role in Little Shop of Horrors (both musical and film versions).

STRUCTURE, DEVELOPMENT & WRITING

Described as a “forensic fairytale”, Pushing Daisies drew inspiration from all the 20′s right through to the 50′s. For those who haven’t seen the show, have you ever watched the Wes Anderson segment in the Family Guy episode Three Directors? You’d be surprised at how similar the setting is, even though it’s a parody. You could even say it has a very Tim Burton feel to it, and who doesn’t love Tim Burton?

Combining the murder mystery and fantasy show genres was not new at all. Medium started up 2 years before PD; whilst Missing & Tru Calling debuted the year before that. If PD was going to be different, it needed another element to make it a success, critically at least. It found that piece by embracing full on quirkiness and adding equal amounts of emotional gratification instead of the darker themes of the aforementioned predecessors, it could carve a niche for itself in the late 00′s television market. PD didn’t serve up thumping adrenaline in any of Ned’s pies, but it didn’t need to: there were other shows who could do that better. It aimed for something else entirely, making the crime element a portion of itself rather than the whole focus.

In this sense, the show followed through with the more intellectual sarcasm starting to appear more frequently at the time (thank you Tina Fey), but tempered it with sincerity. Characters were allowed to be jaded or anxious, but never at the expense of the lighthearted atmosphere. The show’s scripts were also tightly consistent with character development, often pairing very unlikely characters for humorous or heartwarming moments. Characters also took on very familiar tropes in a very unique way - instead of endlessly pining for the pie maker who could never be hers, Olive attempted many a times to get over him, finally accepting that friends instead of lovers was better than slicing Ned out of her life completely. Emerson was a hard-boiled private eye, who wanted his AWOL daughter to find him instead of the other way around.

As with many shows airing on ABC at the time, PD carried a family secret/scandal that affected almost every character, forcing them to go to great lengths to keep it buried once the truth had been discovered. It fit in well with the general theme as opposed to the other examples who used it for shock value or to prolong viewership.

Sadly, the pie maker and his friends weren’t destined to remain on TV for long. The show was one of the victims of the 2007/8 writers strike, forcing it’s first season to end after only 9 episodes. Production resumed afterwards, however the second season only premiered an entire 10 months after the first one did, with only a quarter of the viewership. ABC pulled the plug through the second season in 2008, leaving the final three episodes unaired in the US until May 2009. Pushing Daisies was... pushing daisies - eh? Eh? Ok, I’ll see myself out.

BULLSEYES & IMPROVEMENTS

What the show gets right:

The general offbeat, yet pleasant mood

Olive Snook - for a relative outsider (she’s not part of Emerson’s PI business nor does she truly know Ned’s secret), she worms her way into all mystery related plot lines, proving herself to be a badass sidekick along the way

Speaking of Olive, she is wonderfully unique. Though she sees herself as a rival to Chuck for Ned’s love, she bonds with the previously dead girl over taking care of Lily and Vivian, even rooming with her. She also doesn’t go down the tsundere route - she’s not afraid to discuss her feelings maturely with Ned and accept her defeat in amore.

Emerson and Olive frequently team up together, even though they’re as different as night and day. Olive proves herself so competent that Emerson offers her a position at his firm should she ever get tired of The Pie Hole

The sets and cinematography contribute to the fairy tale escapism mood. I wish more shows did this nowadays

Olive’s songs, especially her renditions of Eternal Flame and Hello (Lionel Richie’s version, though I’m sure Adele’s one would be equally perfect, if not more so)

Ned coming to terms with his abandonment and intimacy issues by slowly letting people in

Jim Dale as the eloquent narrator. Never have exposition and narration been so quaint

Vivian’s delicate melancholy when she realizes her boyfriend abandoned” her and now she has to take the rose colored glasses off

Digby - enough said

The show doesn’t get much wrong, but then again it couldn’t have considering the extremely short run. Had they received a full season at least once, I’m sure the tension in the various mysteries could have been a bit tiresome. Instead, here is a wishlist of sorts:

Who Dwight Dixon really was and why he was obsessed with the pocket watches

See Ned connect with his twin half brothers a bit more

What did Chuck’s father get up to after he took off

Explore Ned’s dad character, who he was and why he abandoned his two families

A slow burner of Emerson’s missing daughter plot

Emerson’s relationship with his mother (Debra Mooney is a hoot)

Delve into more of Vivian’s anger at her sister in the last episode

CULTURAL IMPACT

PD was a critically acclaimed gem right from it’s very first episode. That continued through the 22 episode run. Unlike its peers, it didn’t chop and change plot elements to see what worked and what didn’t. It chose a direction and it stuck with it.

Many fans have expressed their desire to see the show revived, claiming injustice at the fact that it was gone too soon. I think part of why it was cancelled, apart from the production troubles it faced, was that it was a bit ahead of its time. Considering it as a whole by today’s standards, it seems something better suited to Netflix rather than mainstream TV. It was a very specific show that needed a very specific mindset to watch. It didn’t have the commercial broadband appeal that Desperate Housewives or even Weeds had.

Could it be revived today? I think it’s in a very prime position to at least be considered. Creator Bryan Fuller is currently busy with Star Trek: Discovery, but I’m sure he could find time, at least in a consulting capacity. Streaming services offer a much more diverse set of original productions, something cable and network services are struggling to keep up with - it’s an environment that Pushing Daisies would thrive in. It comes down to the cast - Lee has a quietly booming movie career, but it would be nice to see him on TV again. Both Chi and Anna are busy with other TV shows, but I could see them working this in during their inter-season breaks. Kristin has just come off a cancelled TV show, so she’d probably say yes.

Let’s hold thumbs - after all, these guys are in the business of bringing the dead back to life

WHERE TO WATCH IT

The series is available on Amazon’s Prime Video service

If Amazon hasn’t licensed it in your region, you can find episodes from various channels on Dailymotion (just search for the titles)

[teegam]

This​ is​ a​ very​ short​ story​ inspired​ by​ a​ dream.​ It​ is​ mainly​ about​ what​ happens​ after​ the​ race​ with​ the​ turtle​ and​ the​ hare, and​ their​ discussion on​ life.​ Please​ tell​ me​ what​ you​ think!

After​ the​ Race

Turtle​ slowly​ approached the​ tree​ with​ the​ help​ of​ his​ cane.​ He​ struggled​ for​ breath​ as​ he​ climbed the​ stairs and​ rested​ for​ a​ minute​ before​ knocking​ in​ th​e​ wooden door.​ A​ young​ female​ rabbit greeted Turtle​ and​ introduce​d​ her​self​ as​ the​ daughter of​ Mr​ Hare.​ She​ let​ him​ in​ and​ Turtle​ stepped​ forward​ to​ admire the​ room.​ The​re​ were​ trophies and​ certificates decorating the​ shelves accompanied​ by​ little​ trinkets and​ souveneirs from​ the​ family's​ travels.​ The​ rabbit​ motion​ed​ to​ a​ chair​ for​ the​ elderly figure to​ sit​ on​ to​ wait​ for​ Mr​ Hare​ to​ come​ out.​ He​ did​ so​ and​ thought​ about​ what​ he​ was​ going​ to​ say.​ Nothing​ he​ came​ up​ with​ sound​ed​ appropriate and​ his​ hands​ fumbled around​ as​ the​ wait​ become​ longer​ and​ longer. Finally​ the​ door​ to​ Mr​ Hare's bedroom opened​ and​ a​ very​ old​ and​ fragile rabbit​ rolled out​ on​ a​ wheelchair.​ His​ eyes​ wander​ed​ for​ a​ few​ second​s​ before​ landing on​ the​ stray turtle​ in​ the​ living​ room.​ He​ gave​ a​ smile​ and​ motion​ed​ for​ his​ daughter​ to​ head​ back​ into​ her​ room.​ The​ wood​ creaked under​ the​ weight​ of​ the​ chair​ as​ he​ rolled towards​ his​ old​ friend​ and​ Turtle​ soon​ return​ed​ a​ smile.​ The​ wrinkles and​ creases​ dissappeared​ for​ a​ moment from their​ faces as​ they​ locked​ eyes.​ The​ rainy​ season had​ seperated them, and​ the​ spring has​ kept​ them​ apart,​ making​ sure​ they​ were​ busy​ with their​ own​ homes and​ families​ but​ neither​ of​ them​ seemed​ too bothered​ by​ it.​

"Are your​ legs​ ok​ Mr​ Hare?" Turtle​ asked.​

"Please, Hare​ is​ fine.​ It seems​ that​ Ive​ lost​ the​ strength​ to​ carry​ my​ own​ body." He​ let​ out​ a​ small​ sigh.​ "All​ the​ races and​ work​ of​ build​ing​ this​ home​ has​ costed me."

He​ looked​ around​ the​ room, taking​ in​ his​ accomplishments.​

"If​ only​ that​ moment​ of​ racing you​ could​ve​ lasted for​ just​ a​ little​ bit​ longer," He​ drifted on.​

Turtle​ simply​ nodded​ in​ agreement​ and​ sat​ there​ for​ a​ few​ moments​ before​ Hare​ grabbed​ up​ a​ medal​ from​ the​ shelf above​ him.​

"This​ is​ my​ only​ memory​ from​ that​ very​ special day." He​ handed it​ to​ Turtle.​ "I​ would​ like​ you​ to​ have​ it​ once​ I​ pass.​ It would​ do​ you​ more​ good​ for​ you than​ for​ me."

Turtle​ recieved​ the​ medal​ and​ examined it.​ It​ had​ such​ a​ modest and​ plain​ design​ carved out​ on a​ rotting piece​ of​ wood.​ With​ nothing​ interesting​ or​ special, it​ couldve​ easily​ overlooked by​ Turtle​ as​ he​ came​ in.​ Moss covered​ parts​ of​ it​ as​ it​ wasnt​ very​ well​ kept.​ However, without​ it​ there​ would​ soon​ be​ no​ proof that​ they​ had​ ever​ met.​ He​ insert​ed​ it into​ his​ bag​ and​ turned​ towards​ Hare.​ It​ seems​ that​ the​ old​ rabbit​ on​ the​ wheelchair​ had​ drifted​ off​ again.​

"What​ about​ we​ head​ outside​ for​ some​ fresh​ air?" 

Hare​'s​ head​ floated up​ slowly​ on​ his​ delicate neck​ and​ nodded.​ Turtle​ helped​ push​ his​ chair​ outside​ and​ closed​ the​ door​ behind​ him.​ They​ were​ greeted​ by​ a​ gentle and​ kind​ breeze.​ The​ forest​ was​ a​ soft​ shade of​ brown​ and​ yellow, as​ the​ fall​ had​ started​ to​ set​ in.​

"I​ used​ to​ run​ all​ around​ these​ woods, back​ and​ forth with​ the​ love​ of​ my​ life.​ Yet​ this​ wheelchair​ has​ bounded me​ to​ my​ own​ beautiful​ home, saving me​ so​ many​ opportunities​ and​ striving me​ of​ even more." Hare​ had​ straight​ened up​ and​ put​ on a​n​ odd​ look.​" Would​ it​ be​ so​ much​ to​ ask​ if​ you​ would​ help​ me​ down?"

He​ turned​ to​ Turtle​ as​ his​ feeble arms struggled​ to​ push himself up​ and​ Turtle​ rushed over​ to​ help​ him.​ A​ few​ grunts and​ aching​ pain​ up​ along​ his​ legs​ and​ back​ and​ Hare​ sat​ back​ down​ on​ the​ top​ step​ of​ the​ staircase.​ Already​ Hare​ looked​ drained​ and​ tired​ from​ merely​ standing​ up​ from​ his​ chair.​ Turtle​ wouldve​ never​ imagined​ him​ like​ this​ when​ they​ first​ met.​

"Had​ it​ really been​ so​ long?" Turtle​ asked.​

"It​ may​ not​ have​ been​ very​ long​ for​ you, merely​ a​ few​ pages​ of​ your​ life​ had​ passed.​ A​ small​ portion​ of​ it​ would​ be​ spent​ with​ me, so​ please​ do​ not​ think​ much​ of​ it." Hare​ replied.​ "For​ me​, though, Ive​ gone​ through​ all​ the​ things​ I​ would​ experience​ in​ life. I​ had​ fun​ with​ my​ friends, got​ in​ trouble, left​ my​ parents,​ married​ my​ wife, and​ built​ a​ home​ with​ her.​ I​ had​ been​ cocky, spontaneous, happy, heartbroken, and​ content.​ I​ had​ felt​ tired, proud, empty, troubled, and​ prosperous.​ I​ had​ seen​ all​ that​ life​ would​ offer​ me, an​d​ now​ Im​ about​ to​ witness​ its​ very​ last​ gift.​"

Turtle​ sat​ down​ with​ Hare​ and​ put​ aside​ his​ cane.​ He​ let​ out​ a​ sigh​ and​ composed his​ thoughts.​

"I​ may​ have​ missed​ many events​ of​ your​ life, and​ had​ not​ been​ there​ for​ your​ ups​ and​ downs.​ But​ now​ I have​ seen​ how​ much​ you​ve​ grown​ and​ matured, yet​ Ive​ remain​ed​ in​ the​ same​ place.​ Time​ has​ passed​ so​ slow​ for​ me, but​ I​ have​ yet​ to​ make​ the​ most​ of​ it​ like​ any​ other.​ Perhaps​ now​ I​ can​ spare​ a​ few​ moments​ to stay​ by​ your​ side​ for​ however​ much​ time​ you​ have​ left."

Hare​ merely​ smile​d​ and​ leaned his​ head​ on​ Turtle's shoulder.​ The​ forest​ rustled and​ chirped as​ Hare​ drew​ his​ last​ breath​ and began​ his​ long​ and​ peaceful​ sleep.​ It​ seemed​ as​ if​ everything​ was​ normal, the​ birds kept​ singing​ and​ the​ trees​ kept​ growing.​ Hare had​ finished​ his​ last​ race, and​ therefore​ his​ last​ adventure​ with​ Turtle.​ The​ aging animal​ breathe​d​ in, and​ closed​ his​ eyes.​ There​ would​ be​ many​ more​ to​ rest​ by​ his​ side​ before​ he​ would​ have​ to​ face​ his​ own​ eternal sleep.

[chocolate-milk-fanfics]

Brown Sugar and Honey

Chapter 1: The accidental meeting of a lifetime

Prologue

It was like any other day when you met him. A busy work day at the hospital and after that your shift of 3 busy hours at Arkham. The criminals there were unique but passionate. You didn't treat them any different though. And unknown to you that was refreshing for most them. Being able to see your smiling face and hear sarcastic jokes was a good change of scenery from the dry, condescending doctors, nurses and officers. 

You were walking through a dark alley; a short cut to your home. You knew someone has been following you but if they wanted to hurt you they should of done it already. Glancing over your shoulder you saw a male silhouette in the shadow. You didn't recognize them and let out a sigh in unexcitement already knowing what was going to happen before his hand was around your neck. 

“What's a pretty little thing like you doing out this late.. Don't you know there's dangerous people like me out at night?” he whispered into your neck as he forced your arms above your head.

“To be frank, I find more intimidation in a Chihuahua than you. And they're basically growling rat dogs.” 

“W-what did you just say bitch?”

“Are you deaf as well? I said I find more intimidation in a Chi-” 

You didn't get to finish your sentence because of a harsh slap to the cheek causing your head to snap to the side making you see stars.

“Little girls that talk too much get punished..” he growled into your ear. You wanted to protest and say that you're probably only a few years younger than him but the feeling of cold metal was against your neck. You stiffened immediately, trying to think of a way to get out of this.  You wanted to use your powers but at the same time you didn't want to rely on a gift for everything that goes on in your life. “Move and I'll slit your throat.”

“Ahh.. There's knife. Of course there's a knife.” You mumbled under your breath. Cursing your luck, you stayed still as the knife pressed deeper into your neck causing a small amount of blood to pool at the tip of the blade. 

The man smirked seeing that you were silent and dragged the knife down slowly cutting your shirt. “Not so tough now are you? Let's see what you look like under these clothes. This is your own fault. If you would just let it happen then I wouldn't need the knife. By the way the names Drew, I wanna hear you scream it while I’m working got it slut?”

By now your shirt was cut half way down exposing your black lace bra that held your brown breast. When he reached out to pin you down however you used it as a chance to stop messing around. Your hand found his wrist and you quickly moved to force it behind his back. You kicked the back of his leg causing him to fall to the ground as you kept a tight hold on him. His arm mad a sickening crack as your forced it up higher with a growl.

“I don't know who you think you are, Drew, but never call me a slut again got it?” But in a blink of an eye you were thrown off and a tall figure in all black stood protectively over you. 

“That's enough. Are you ok Miss?” the person said. Looking up you held back a gasp knowing who it was. 

“Batman?”

“Miss, are you ok? Did this man hurt you anywhere? I know you had it handled but it doesn't hurt to check.” he asked again not breaking eye contact with the scared man.

“No I'm fine thank you. He only cut my shirt. I’ve met dogs scarier than him to be honest.” You said with a smile as you stood up slowly so you didn't get whiplash.

“Good. Now if you don't mind I’ll be taking him with me to the station.”

“No its ok I forgive him.”

“What?” they both said in shock. Batman finally turning to look at you to check you over.

“Ma’am Are you sure you’re alright? Did you hit your head?” he walked around you checking for any injuries while making sure to keep an eye on the man. 

“Yeah I’m fine. Stuff like this happens all the time.” You said with a shrug. Your nonchalant attitude toward almost being raped was shocking and saddening to both men. “I’m just glad my family wasn't around or this guy would end up dead like all the others.”

….

“Wait what?” Drew said finally speaking up. 

“If you wanna take him though that’s up to you Batman.” you said with a shrug. With Batman focused on you Drew was able to creep away. Holding his dislocated shoulder he turned the corner and ran away  “Welp he’s gone now anyway, it doesn't matter.”

Bruce turned his head to see that man did in fact get away, and he was ready to pursue him but the hand on his cape brought him to a stop, but he didn't turn around this time. Instead, he kept an eye on the other end of the alley as you let go of him to speak. “Its almost midnight. I think it would best for you to go home instead of running after a low life, Bruce. You have a gala to go to tomorrow after all.”

“You’re ri- Wait.. what did you call me?” Bruce felt his blood run cold as he turned to look at you. Only to see you weren't there. No evidence of your existence left behind at all, only his memory.

 “Shit.”

--

Stretching out your neck, you dropped your bag at the foot of your bed and peeled off your soiled shirt. Teleportation is something you didn't like to do often from long distances but it did help when you needed to get out of awkward situations, like the one you just escaped from. You couldn't believe you let that slip, sure you knew for years now that he was Batman but that was a secret you had not meant to expose. It was hard at first but to be honest you knew that chin and jawline anywhere. It looked like it was sculpted by the gods and could cut diamonds after all, and it was on almost graffitied billboard in the narrows. At first you thought it was just a coincidence but then you saw his equipment and car in action a few times on the way home from work, and after some digging you found the net cost of it all after finding out what type of car it was from your sister. 

And first of all a custom built Mercedes-Benz Maybach Exelero is well over 8 million dollars, nobody in Gotham had that type of money expect the .5% and even more digging showed that that much would leave many of them bankrupt leaving behind an even smaller amount of people, and then the only way to find out was just who was willing to give the Bat that much money, Bruce Wayne was the only one to support the Bat. And the cost of everything can't just be given for free, especially not when what someone was doing is illegal. Or when you can’t buy a car like that in cash or wire that much money without the police getting involved. So it didn't leave much room for who else could be doing it.

You kept this to yourself, however. Something like this was pretty serious after all, and even though you didn't support the violence he used, it did keep bad people at bay. A sigh escaped your mouth as you were left in your underwear, taking off your bra, you put on a large shirt that reached past your thighs and peeked out your room. “Ma! I'm home! Are the twins here!?” a scream was heard from kitchen causing you to teleport straight there.  “Ma? Are you-”

You didn't get to finish you sentence due to the tray that hit you in the face. Holding your face as you bent over groaning your mother clutched her chest. “CHild wHat have I TOLD you about that shit!?” she cried out still clutching her chest, feeling like her heart would leap out at any moment. “You see!? That's what you get! I ain't gonna say sorry either!” the rest of her words were mumbled in anger at the surprise of your appearance.

“Oh god.. Mommy! WHY!? Seriously? The Tray!?” you groaned out as you held your sore nose, normally you didn't raise your voice at your mother but right now seemed like a pretty reasonable time.

“I’m not saying sorry. Do you see where we live? And you wan go an’ creep up behind people.” she said simply as she turned her back to face you, placing the tray on the counter as she wiped it down. “Since you here season the chicken. I don't wanna do it.”

Unable to argue with your mother and win, you swallowed down your pride and the pain in your face as you obeyed her, putting on the glove needed to season the meat. While you seasoned the chicken to be put in the oven she started the rice and beans. At least now you had lunch for a good 2 days from the leftovers that you'll have from this.

Silence surround the two of you in the kitchen as you both worked on your own assigned part of dinner. The silence isn't bad per se but given the current circumstances it was awkward. “How was work Y/n?” your mother finally said to break the silence.

“Work at the hospital was fine. Arkham was the same as usual, but I got assigned a new person to my rounds.” you explained softly as you placed the freshly seasoned chicken in the roaster pot and putting on the tray cover you were assaulted with on top. 

“A new person?”

“Yeah some new girl that actually used to be a doctor there. I'm not allowed to tell you anything more than that though” you explained, as you placed the pot in the already preheated oven. Said doctor was a woman about your age, she was a few years old though, and after giving the Joker therapy she changed and started working with and for him. She even fell in love with his abusive ways. She was kind though, and you felt so bad for her but you didn't show it. She didn't need pity, nor would she want it. 

Time passed by as the kitchen got hotter, one of the many results of cooking in an apartment. The two of you continued to talk as you helped make dinner, conversations never going dry as something new popped into both or your heads. By the time dinner was completely ready, rice beans, and veggies included, the kitchen felt like a sauna and the open window didn't feel like much.  Since the food was done your mother took a plateful of food and went to her room, most likely to watch one of her shows.  Looking at the time it was past midnight, 1 in the morning, and with your jobs, eating dinner this late was a family norm. Your siblings shouldn't be home for another hour, probably to scold you about not waiting for the car to pick you up from Arkham. They cared, that much you knew, but sometimes they cared too much when its not needed. A sigh escaped your lips as you got your own plate and sat alone at the table to eat, a normal occurrence for you. 

[adrienandmari]

Adrien is a Sentimonster (did I spell that right?) Theory!!!!

By: @adrienandmari

Hey guys- I know this isn’t the usual but I kinda fell down a wormhole today.

Ok so I’ve been reading/watching lots of theories that prove Adrien to be a sentimonster. It’s so hard not to believe it right??

But I was thinking about MLB today and was like hey why is Gabriel Hawkmoth?

Like what on earth is his motive??

Well we know for a fact that he is using the butterfly miraculous to get the ladybug and cat miraculouses. He wants to use them to make a wish.

We can infer that the wish has to do with his “missing” wife Emilie.

We think that she was the peacock before Nathalie, since he keeps the miraculous next to a picture of her.

We know that he and his wife went to Tibet together. We also know that Emilie is in fact not missing- she is rather in a coma in the Agreste’s basement (kinda creepy right?).

So it makes since that he is going to wish to revive Emilie.

We also know that Gabriel wishes he could let Adrien in on why he is doing all this. He knows that Adrien would understand because he knows Adrien loves his mom.

He even goes as far as to say that everything he does is just to make Adrien happy again...

I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT EVERYONE HAS HEARD THIS LINE BEFORE...

and that’s because we’ve all been upset and quick to judge saying that if Gabriel really cares about Adrien being happy he would start spending time with him. (Hopefully you remember know)

But then now we are left with a crazy new theory:

Emilie’s revival is not the motive.

But instead Adrien’s happiness is.

Gabriel wants to bring Emilie back, we assume, because he wants Adrien to be happy. He wants to be a family again.

So if Adrien was a sentimonster- would his happiness really be a super villains motive?

If Adrien is considered such baggage to Gabriel- why not just use Mayura to retrieve his amuck. We all know that this can be done after Feast, since Mayura was able to threaten the s-monster with retrieving its amuck, even though we didn’t create him.

So this makes me believe that Adrien is NOT a sentimonster. Sure some of these theories actually make a lot of sense- but when you look at the whole picture it just would make the plot line crash. There would be literally so MANY PLOTHOLES that no one could explain.

But then we are left to think about how Emilie went in to a coma:

My top three reasons are:

A. She created a very powerful sentimonster like the one in Feast

B. She created a bunch of little sentimonsters that slowly drained her

C. Just wearing the miraculous and interacting with the very bi-polar Duusuu caused her to take on the peacocks wounds.

Although there are many other reasons why she is in a coma I think it is very important that we first learn what on earth happened to the peacock miraculous because we know it was fine when Master Fu used it as a boy. We can rule out feast as being the reason why it is broken because then the miraculous ladybugs would have repaired it along with all the others. And we know that it was found in the same region as the butterfly- so why wasn’t the butterfly affected?

So to summarize that we basically need to understand who used the peacock in the past and what is has been used to do.

Ok ok sorry went really off topic there-

But back to the main idea now that we have gathered some evidence and reasonings:

I think that since Adrien is so publicized that it would be easy for people to notice that he always looks the same/ never ages. If he was really a sentimonster, his dad would not want him in the limelight where people would notice that something is very off.

Also the picture Adrien drew as a child- this signifies the fact that Adrien does have substantial memories and emotions related towards his childhood that would be impossible for a sentimonster to understand, even if Emilie tried to explain it to him. Even though it is strange that we never see any photos of Adrien as a child around the house-(he’s only a teen in all the photos) we can guess that he did in fact have a solid upbringing that he was present for.

So back to my original theory that Gabriel’s motive is to make Adrien happy again.

I think that Gabriel doesn’t want to just awaken Emilie, he would then have to explain everything he’s done- after all she knows he has the miraculous and has been listening to his annoying rants in the basement for over a year now. (That is if she is in a coma where she can still hear)

I think Gabriel wants to change the timeline to back before they went to Tibet and found the miraculouses. Then he would be able to convince Emilie that it would be unsafe to go. I have a feeling that their trip took place a year before the first season aired- meaning Adrien would be born and all would be normal and Emilie wouldn’t be in a coma/dead yet.

This way he wouldn’t be paying for it by risking someone’s life- instead the balance would mean that they would undo an important event in the future that would affect someone in the show greatly. And it would mean that Marinette and Adrien would never be chosen to be miraculous holders, since we can assume there would be no Hawkmoth.

A parallel in the series to this is the theme behind the snake miraculous in Desperada when Adrien keeps turning back time to before anything bad happens to Ladybug, so that they can change their strategies. Am I the only one thinking that this could be a major hint at the future finale for Miraculous?

Thanks for reading my rant behind the craziness of this new theory! If you liked it or thought it was something interesting-repost and share!

Remember give credit to this account if you repost/share on any platform!

If you think I should make a part two- comment and like!

[pigeontheoneandonly]

The Phylactery

Part 2 of my Dragon Age / Mass Effect crossover.  Part 1 here. (Part 3 here.)

Nathaly, Kaidan, and Garrus arrived in Crestwood only a half-day behind schedule. Kaidan barely slept those nights on the road, a death grip on the staff concealed beneath his cloak and convinced that the templars would arrive at any moment.  Once they left the highway, that fear eased, if only slightly, replaced by howls in the night and the sparks of campfires in the wilds.  The area surrounding Crestwood was formed of craggy hills, plenty of areas for bandits and worse to hide.  

They gave them a wide berth where they could.  Once, a group of four approached them, ill intentions obvious, but Nathaly put her hand to her sword and spoke quietly, words he couldn’t catch.  They backed off.  Then she took a step towards them, half-drawing her weapon, and they turned and ran.  Garrus laughed and said something about her reputation preceding her.  Kaidan didn’t know what to make of that, and wasn’t convinced he liked it.

Now he sat in the mouth of a cave, looking out over the stark and barren land as the sun fell below the mountains beyond.  Drinking it up with his eyes and trying not to feel swallowed whole.  For thirteen years, the curved walls of Kinloch Hold formed his horizon, close enough to touch, barring the occasional glance at the same tired views out the windows, or the even rarer trip beyond Lake Calenhad.  The last of those more than three years ago, a trip to Highever to fix… something. Couldn’t remember what.  Though far from the Circle’s favorite mage, his power and grasp of magic was undeniable, and they were happy to use him for heavy-lifting.  It rankled, having his only utility in life dictated by the same people who took him from his family and his home.

But without them, he had no idea whatsoever of his purpose now.  It wasn’t like he could use any of those skills anymore. Not without risking exposure.  He worried, increasingly, about becoming a burden on the small group that now comprised his only friends.

Garrus had headed into town.  Their other two friends, the ones supposed to retrieve his phylactery, were days late now, and he hoped to hear something.  Maybe meet someone who’d seen them traveling.  Kaidan wouldn’t know it, looking at Nathaly now, scrunched into a ball with her cloak as a pillow, fast asleep without a worry in the world.  He tried to remember if she slept like that as a child.  Their families were close; hers helped with the harvest at his parents’ orchard, his made themselves available for shearing season, and the kids got roped into customary tasks like watching the herds.  They spent days and nights out in the meadows.  She had a great big sheepdog she never liked much, but who loved Kaidan.

Even then, she never talked about growing up to be a shepherd.  The oldest child of a not particularly large family, it was expected, but she wasn’t the type to care.  She talked his ear off about all the places she wanted to visit, the life she wanted to lead, devouring every scrap of every story that ever crossed their tiny village square.  And it seemed she found a way.

The sight of two figures picking their way up the hillside woke him from his musing. His heart clenched as he reached for a staff that wasn’t there, left deeper in the cave where it was less conspicuous.  The smaller person walked shrouded head to toe in a cloak, but the other glinted with bright steel armor, a templar emblem proud upon the chest.

“Nathaly,” he hissed, afraid to raise his voice above a whisper.  He scurried back into the cave and found his staff. Considered casting an illusion over the entrance, but decided it would draw too much attention, the sudden change in scenery.  Instead, he shook her shoulder.  “Wake up.”

She peered at him, groggy.  “Whaisit.”

“There’s a templar.  Coming up the hill.”  Trying to project a calm he didn’t feel.  

“Shit.” She found her longsword and stumbled towards daylight.

He came up behind her.  She stood tall, shielding her eyes from the sun.  Then she relaxed.  “Hey!”

She waved. Kaidan’s stomach contracted in horror. He hauled at her arm.  “What are you doing?”

“It’s ok. I know them.”  Smiling even as she tried to reassure him.  

“That’s a templar!”

“She’s not, actually.  Well, not anymore.  Long story.” Her smile widened.  “If she likes you and you ask very nicely, she might even tell it.”

His trepidation didn’t ease as they approached the cave.  Two women, the one under the cloak an elf.  A Dalish elf, he noted with surprise, as she lowered her hood and revealed the tattoos tangling across her face, vivid on her dark skin. Her black hair was braided down her scalp in thick ridges, but her eyes were startling blue, wideset and huge in her face.  She embraced Nathaly.  “It’s good to see you.  We were delayed at the tower.”

Nathaly drew back, all concern.  “Delayed?”

“Don’t be so inscrutable, Liara,” said the ex-templar, who was already stripping off her armor, with just the barest trace of an Orlesian accent.  “Ugh, I hate this stuff.  Weighs a ton and bakes like an oven.”

Broad-shouldered and tan, she had long brown hair coiled in a knot, and brown eyes that sparkled with good humor despite her groaning.  Nathaly gestured towards her.  “Kaidan, this is Ash.  Ash, Kaidan.”

She sized him up.  “So this is him.  He’s cuter than I imagined.”

Heat crept into his face.  He glanced at Nathaly, who looked just as embarrassed.  “Why do people keep talking like they know all about me?”

Ash burst out laughing.  “Really? She never shuts her mouth about you. This mage kid from back home she swore on her grandmother’s grave to pry from the Chantry’s wicked grasp.”

His cheeks burned.  Even Liara hid a chuckle.  “I don’t know what to say.”

Ash folded her arms.  “Thank you might be appropriate.”  

He hadn’t processed enough of this to be grateful yet.  Nathaly put a bite in her voice, tiring of the teasing.  “Leave him alone.  He’s had a rough week.”

Instead, he cleared his throat.  “So, how did you…?”

“Oh, right.” Ash reached into a pouch and withdrew a small vial of magicked blood.  His blood, to be precise.  “You probably want this.”

He took it carefully.  Not because he was afraid of dropping it— in fact, he intended to destroy it at the earliest opportunity— but because he couldn’t believe he was actually holding it in his hands.  Liara read the shock on his face, and explained.  “I began as an apprentice in the Circle at Dairsmuid.  My clan’s Keeper died before she could pass on her knowledge, and the mages in Rivain have an excellent relationship with my people. For convenience, I split my education between my clan and the enchanters there.”

“Wait,” Kaidan said, completely lost.  “They just… let you come and go as you pleased?”  

She twisted her fingers together.  “The Rivaini Circle appears unlike any other.  I did not know this.  Otherwise, things may have turned out differently.”

Ash took up the thread.  “As a senior enchanter, the White Spire requested her consultation on a matter of magical theory.  And she didn’t know enough to say no.”

“I immediately found myself in trouble, when I thought I might see the sites in Val Royeaux, and attempted to leave.”  She shuddered.  “The Templars seized me.  Began to yell, and I barely spoke Orlesian then.  I spent several days in the Spire dungeons.  Then weeks, when I tried to sneak out a second time, to return home. Upon realizing my phylactery had been ‘lost’— we don’t use them in Rivain— they made another.”

Ash resumed loosening her templar armor.  “Liara was forced to remain at the Spire for several years before she found an opportunity to escape.”

“I acted contrite.  Obedient. Eventually, my earlier transgressions were forgotten, and I was given important responsibilities.  Including access to the phylactery chamber.”   And then she smiled, quietly, both self-satisfied and genuinely pleased.  “Which is how I knew the procedures to liberate yours.”

Nathaly folded her arms.  “They walked in and took it.  Pretending to be a traveling templar and her mage charge, resting up a few days at Kinloch Hold.  I take it that it seemed too suspicious to vanish after Kaidan and his phylactery walked out the door?”

“Exactly,” said Ash.  “Instead, Liara helped them search the phylactery chamber, since she’s such an expert on them, and I sat in while the templars debated how to conduct a traditional search.  I don’t think any of their strategies are likely to work.  Then, after a suitable wait, regretfully we had to continue our journey. The phylactery was on my person the whole time.”

Kaidan wrapped his fist around the vial.  Angry and thankful and sad, all at once.  He could still feel the prick in the crook of his elbow, where they pierced his skin with a knife and trickled the blood into this glass tube, knew if looked he’d still see the small scar.  

Liara touched his hand.  Looked up at him, earnest.  “I felt the same when I finally held mine, and the Spire had me far fewer years. Everything will be better now. You’ll see.”

Then she followed Ash back into the cave, in search of their provisions.  He looked at Nathaly.  “Why?”

She uncrossed her arms and shuffled away, busying herself with folding and retying her scarf, the long ends of it trailing down her back.  Most of her hair had flown free as she slept.  As far as he could tell, she mainly wore it to keep strands from falling in her eyes.  “Why what?”

“Yes, you made a promise.”  He bit his lip, turning the phylactery over in his palm.  “We were just children.”

“I don’t see how that makes it any less important.”

“You risked yourself and your friends to free me.”  He eyed her.  “I am grateful.  I think. But Nathaly, you gotta admit, that’s kind of a lot to put on somebody.”

She glanced away and let out a breath.  Then looked back at him directly, backlit by the fading light.  “You were my closest friend.  I never met anyone in thirteen years I liked better.  You meet someone like that, you hang on.”

He should set a boundary, after that sort of statement.  Establish some kind of distance.  Instead, he said, “I never forgot you, you know.  I didn’t think you’d actually come.  But it meant something that you wanted to.”

Her expression relaxed into relief.  Not the emotion he expected to see— she’d been nervous about this reunion, too, and that hadn’t stopped her, either.  She finished knotting the scarf.  “I don’t have any expectations.  You want to leave, I’ll take you anywhere you want to go and be on my way.  I didn’t do this for me.”  A brief pause.  She licked her lips.  “But… I am happy to see you.  More than I can say.”

Early in his time at the Tower, he let himself daydream about what he’d do if he ever got out.  Until it started to hurt too much.  None of those fantasies involved hiding in a cave, but the last thing he wanted to do was leave.  Having a true friend again felt… strange.  But also good.  

He hefted the phylactery, and raised his eyebrows.  “I’m going to get rid of this.  Want to watch?”

“Gladly.”

Kaidan grabbed his staff and headed out, into a small cove of pines standing tall near their makeshift quarters, nicely hidden from any watchful eyes.  He set the phylactery on a small boulder.  It rolled into a niche and settled, a glowing ruby in the last light of the sun.  Brooding there.

He contemplated it for a long moment, this tiny object which had ruled his life since he was nine years old.  Then without any preamble he raised his staff and crushed it with the end.  Blood splashed over the rock, a morbid scarlet bloom running between the shards.  Then he leveled the crystal at it, called out three words, and it erupted in white hot flames.

Nathaly watched in silence.  When it lit up, she didn’t flinch, as he expected, but instead let out a small satisfied whoosh of breath.  Like she, too, saw this as a great righting of the world.  

They stood there side-by-side until the last of the fire faded, and all that was left of Kaidan’s leash was a scorch mark on stone.  Even the glass had melted away.  Then, deliberately, he turned his back on it. “Think your friends managed to put together some dinner?”

“Are all mages constantly thinking with their stomachs?” she asked, catching his change in tone.

“Maybe?” If nothing else, Kinloch Hold never lacked for food.  For too many of his fellow apprentices, that was the first time in their lives they could expect three meals a day, as big a portion as they wanted.

“Well, it’s good we asked Garrus to lay in more supplies.”  She jerked her head towards the cave.  “Come on.  Ash is a better cook than she’ll admit.”

[hedgiwithapen]

Killervibe week day 1

Fake dating

Cisco frowned at his deskspace, reaching up to rub his eyes, trying to fight off what promised to be a monster headache. Something was off.  Not the pile of papers,  and it didn’t look like anyone had gotten into his redvines jar or disturbed any of the other tools and trinkets, but still.  Maybe he just needed more coffee--even if Caitlin and Iris both agreed that he Really Didn’t. He reached for the cup and blinked. “Caitlin?” “Mm?” Caitlin poked her head out of the medbay that adjoined the cortex. “What’s wrong?” “Can you tell me how long I’ve had this?” he held up the blue mug, with the TARDIS outlined in darker blue and white. The coffee in it was still warm. “You got the coffee ten minutes ago, Cisco, are you feeling ok? Wait, did you hit your head in that last fight? You  told me you were fine, and if we need to have another talk about lying to your doctor--” “Not the coffee, and no, I didn’t hit my head. I don’t think. The mug. Since when?” “Last month. The station gave it to you after you fixed their coffee machine again. What do you mean, ‘you don’t think,’ Cisco, it’s a yes-or-no question.” Cisco thunked his head down on the desk with a louder bang than he’d intended. The mug was wrong, he usually kept just a regular STAR labs mug, or  the Star Trek mug the Steins had gotten him for his birthday at the lab, and this one looked familiar, but...differrent.  So how--- looking up, the light that glimmered on the edge of the mug and the glass wall as Caitlin passed it shone blue, and Cisco thunked his head down again.

“I’m going to kill him.” “Be more specific,” Caitlin advised. “And look up, I need to see if you have a concussion.” “Where’s Barry?” Cisco asked by way of reply. “It’s not a concussion--” “You just slammed your head against your desk so I’ll be the judge of that. I’m not sure, probably with Iris. Or running down a lead for dealing with  our newest friend.” She jerked a thumb at the display screen with all the information on the latest supervillain threat. Cisco grumbled, but let Caitlin cup his cheek with one hand and shine a light at his face with the other, wincing a little at the brightness.  “Better question, when is Barry.” Caitlin’s eyebrows rose for a fraction of a second before furrowing. “What do you mean--wait--that’s what the mug’s about?”

Cisco nodded. “Used to be different. Not sure if the whole story changed or if I just… brought this one to STAR or something.. It could be something small…” “Frost says he better be now, and she’s--saying things I won’t be repeating she can say them to his face later.” Caitlin sighed. “He promised he’d stop messing with time, at least without warning us.” “I’m going to see if I can figure out what else he changed. God. Remind me to pester Ray for an update for Gideon so she can do this instead of me.” Caitlin nodded. “Want me to call Iris?” “Nah. Let’s make sure this wasn’t like the first time he time traveled. Or the… third? If it was an honest mistake that  happened because he was outrunning a, a--” “A tidal wave, or a magical explosion that vaporized the rest of us, yeah. Frost still wants a word with him.” “She can get in line.” Cisco leaned back, trying to concentrate, finding the threads of energy that wove through him and into  the larger picture; trying to trace those threads to the place the blue turned to gold.  Images flickered, a montage of clips, like evidence stacking up in a crime drama during a detective’s voice over, or Wally speedwatching an entire season of masterchef, but  nothing major seemed to be highlighted, nothing felt too off or wrong-- Something drew his internal gaze deeper. A crime scene, from a few months ago,  two images trying to compete for memory space. Blue versus full color, they were almost identical: the Flash standing on a rooftop, the costumed villain standing a few feet away, crackling with green fire. One thing was different. A blue-tinted body lay to one side of the two. That wasn’t right. The fight had just been a fight, no one had gotten seriously hurt (Barry’s broken arm had healed in half an hour, that didn’t count as serious.)

He drew back from the vibe. “ I… think I found it? The thing that changed. Someone died in that fight with Witchfyre.”

Caitlin shook her head “No, no one was up there, the nightguard--oh. Well, that’s… something. We can still be mad at him though.” “Oh absolutely. I mean, seriously, this is what we call in the legends for.” Cisco grumbled. “I’m going to have headaches the next two times we fight Witchfyre, I swear to God.”

“Two?” Caitlin asked. “We locked them up.” “Yeah they’re still alive, so statistically speaking--”

Caitlin muffled some laughter. “You sit those out then. Barry can deal with them himself.”

“That’s right.” Cisco took a redvine. “You know, he never bothers to figure out exactly what happened  in the time he changes, he just goes along with it. Be nice to pull a surprise on him. One that, you know, wasn’t shitty for us.” Caitlin nodded. “If we get Iris in on it we could swap McSnurtle for an alligator lizard or something.” Cisco frowned. “She’s really bad at lying, though… hmm… not enough time to paint the cortex…I’m not cutting my hair.what does that leave?”

“How far back did he go?” Caitlin asked, stealing a redvine. 

“Two months and three days,” Cisco said. “So that limits things a little....” “Gives us enough time for today to be our two month aniversary and he promised to be on watch at STAR while we went out to that new Italian place,” Caitlin offered after a moment. “He’s going to get that deer-in-headlights look,” Cisco agreed. “Oh man, that’s genius.” “Who’s going to what?” Barry asked, catching some of the papers that went flying as he skidded in. “Finally,”  Caitlin said, making a show of checking her watch. “I was about to call.  Did you hit your head in that last fight?” “...no? Why?” “So you just forgot Caitlin and I had our date tonight?” Cisco asked, hoping he could pass off his tripping over ‘date’ as mild indignance. “Your wha-- I mean,” Barry’s face matched the red of his suit and just as quickly went dead white. “ Um.. that was… today?” “Yes,” said Caitlin, grabbing her coat. “You know the drill, text if there’s an emergency, don’t blow anything up, set the alarm when you leave--” “--And don’t fuck with time,” Cisco said with her as they left.

The Dinner was nice. Caitlin hadn’t been out for Italian in ages, but it was a quiet enough place with good food.  Cisco held up his phone. “ Evidence selfie?” Caitlin laughed, and leaned her head against his. His hair was soft, and she took a moment before pulling away, after the picture was taken. Her phone beeped, and she glanced at it. “Uh oh.” “What’s wrong?” Cisco asked. “....we forgot something.” “What did we forget? Dessert?” he reached up absently, checking for his vibe goggles,but no, he’d stored them safely. “Iris just texted.” “....and she didn’t timeline hop. Right.” Cisco sighed, crestfallen. “Also we forgot to order dessert,” Caitlin continued. “Wanna split a Tiramisu?” “What about…” “I think we can get Iris in on this,” Caitlin said, sliding the phone away before Cisco could see the text in question. From Iris, 7:52 It’s about time! details!? Cisco grinned. “In that case, absolutely. How long do you think it’ll take Barry to realize?” Caitlin thought for a moment “Not until the holidays at least.” “There’s always something big then,” Cisco nodded. “ I say, next May.”

“Loser buys cake and ice cream for a week.”

In the end, Barry only figured it out when their one year anniversary was a few months off from when he was sure it was.

[welllpthisishappening]

The Period of the Long Change (1/15)

It’s quick. One second she’s standing there and everything is fine and then Emma looks up and it’s not. It’s awful. And the lights are too bright and there are too many rooms and too many opinions and her phone won’t stop ringing because everything seems to be changing all at once. She’s never been great at coping with change. But, maybe, if she can just figure it out and stay right where she is, with Killian Jones, captain of the New York Rangers, at her side, it’ll be alright.

It’s slow. One second he’s standing there and everything is fine and then Killian’s breath catches and it’s not. It’s terrifying. And the noises are too loud and there are too many questions and he can’t find the right answers to any of them, not sure how to cope with everything changing all at once. That’s never really been his forte. But, maybe, if he can just figure it out and stay right where he is, with Emma Swan, director of New York Rangers community relations, at his side, it’ll be alright.

It’s another season and another challenge and Emma and Killian are both struggling to get over the boards.

Rating: Mature. Word Count: 7.5′ish this chapter and just…a lot in this story AN: Hellllllooooo, internet. Approximately a million years ago, @optomisticgirl requested a story where Killian got hurt, but like…not too hurt, with some angst and some dramz and I…never wrote it. UNTIL! Over the course of, like, two and a half weeks this past summer, I churned out this entire, vaguely ridiculous thing. This story is about an injury, so if that is not your jam, I get it. But there is also a lot more than just Killian being an idiot here. There’s still kissing, is what i’m saying. As always, your enthusiasm for this hockey team and hockey family and how much I enjoy writing about them blows my mind. Updates coming every Tuesday and Friday, as per usual. I hope you guys enjoy it!!

Also on Ao3 and FF.net if that’s your jam.

“Theodore Roosevelt.” “You’re making that up.” “I’m not!” “Theodore Roosevelt never came to Nashville.” Emma narrowed her eyes, twisting her lips and hitching up the kid in her arms. The same kid who, it seemed, was far more interested in the ends of her hair than the very bright lights and decidedly loud noise that downtown Nashville provided.

“Why would I make that up?” she asked, and they’d stopped walking completely now, frozen in the middle of the sidewalk debating the merits of a fact she’d looked up on the plane earlier that morning.

She’d totally paid for wifi.

And Killian had fallen asleep. With a different kid draped over his side and a a knee digging into, Emma assumed, several different organs, and it was so goddamn adorable Emma knew she’d never be able to even close her eyes, let alone get anything resembling rest.

So she’d looked up fun facts about Nashville instead.

And let Peggy keep yanking on her hair.

“I really do not believe that,” Killian continued, Matt clinging to his back with his arms tightly around his neck and his legs wrapped around his middle and they must have looked absolutely insane.

It was, probably, because of all the team-branded merchandise they were collectively sporting.

Matt hadn’t taken his Jones jersey off once in the last week, not since he realized he got to go to Nashville too and Emma wasn’t entirely sure he completely understood what the All-Star game was, but Roland had done a pretty good job of trying to explain it and none of it really mattered when they both realized they were going on the ice for the skills competition.

So Matt refused to take the jersey off and practiced slaps for the past week, some kind of almost slap shot that was, according to both Will and Killian, closer to a wrist shot, but their kid was four and the specifics weren’t important when it was so consistently adorable.

Emma’s phone was going to run out of storage space for photos by the end of the weekend.

“Are you suggesting I’m making up my fact?”

“I’m not suggesting you’re making up your fact, Swan,” Killian said, shrugging to try and make sure he wasn’t inadvertently choked in the middle of downtown Nashville.

“Then what, exactly, are you suggesting?” “That you’ve been duped by the internet.”

“I refuse to believe the internet would lie to me.” Killian arched an eyebrow, but Emma didn’t waver, just widened her eyes in response and they were almost inexcusably far behind the rest of the team now. She could barely hear Will shouting – which was probably for the best, honestly, because Emma was fairly certain he’d been talking about some kind of mechanical bull before and Ruby kept wearing a cowboy hat and the whole thing was just kind of absurd.

And kind of adorable too, but that was neither here nor there when Emma had her internet reputation to worry about.

“Where did you learn this fact?” Killian pressed, taking a step closer to her until Emma was pretty sure they were breathing the same oxygen molecules and her heart stuttered when he made a face at Peggy. “It couldn’t have been a very reputable website.”

“Why are you refusing to believe this?” Emma asked. “I swear to God. Teddy Roosevelt.” “That’s not an answer, love.”

She stuck her tongue out, but he made a face at her instead – a twist of eyebrows and lips and whatever he did with the color of his eyes when he teased her, made them more blue or something equally absurd – and Emma was disappointed she’d lost so quickly.

“I honestly can’t remember,” she admitted. “But it wasn’t, you know, Encyclopedia Britannica.” Killian laughed, loud enough to draw a few curious stares from several tourists, most of them sporting NHL jerseys, and one of them was a Rangers sweater because that was just the kind of life they lived at this point.

The guy gasped when he realized who they were.

And Emma had to bury her face against the bundle in her arms to stop herself from dissolving into several different emotions and sounds, most of which might have just been generic happiness.

“Holy shit,” the guy breathed, eyes wide and mouth hanging open and Killian stopped laughing when he swung Matt back onto the ground. “Oh shit,” the guy repeated. “That’s…um…sorry, sorry, Cap. That’s…uh…hi.”

Emma lost the battle against those emotions too.

That was disappointing.

She didn’t stumble when Matt slammed into her side though, which was a bit of a victory, and even managed to offer to hold the phone for the Rangers fan when he mumbled the request, staring at his shoes and the sidewalk like he was their kid and had just been reprimanded for swearing – more than once.

It took a few more minutes before he left, more quiet questions and hopes for another Cup run and there might have been an autograph request, but the rest of the team had finally realized Emma and Killian weren’t with them, and the guy nearly fell off the sidewalk when he found himself face-to-face with Will and Robin as well.

“Holy shit,” he said again, and Killian actually clicked his tongue.

Emma was going to laugh for the rest of the night. That would make it difficult for her to do everything she had to do.

She’d made some lists on the plane too – in between facts and absurdly overpriced wifi. She was totally going to expense it.

“Was Cap going to ground that guy?” Robin asked as soon as the fan disappeared, jogging back towards friends wearing different jerseys and expectant looks and Emma hoped he didn’t drop his phone.

He kept shaking.

She nodded, scrunching her nose and resting her arm on Matt’s shoulder, ignoring the way he squirmed against her. “Two minutes for roughing.” “Does that make sense?” Ruby asked. She was still wearing the hat. It might have been a different hat. She probably brought multiple hats to Nashville.

She probably brought Emma a hat to Nashville.

Emma was absolutely not going to wear a cowboy hat.

She drew the line somewhere.

“Of course it does,” Emma said. “He got that pre-checking look.” Will snickered, more than prepared when Matt moved towards him and jumped up, swinging him over his shoulders with practiced ease. “That’s definitely true. He does that thing with his mouth. It’s like his lips disappear.” “Oh, right, right,” Ruby nodded. “Were you going to check that guy for swearing, Cap? Because i don’t know if I’d be able to spin that. Bad press.” “Isn’t any press good press?” Roland asked, sporting a recently-bought Locksley jersey and several recently-acquired inches from a growth spurt that wouldn’t seem to end and Emma would have bet several thousand dollars and, possibly, one ride on a mechanical bull that there was a hockey puck in his pocket.

Roland almost always, inexplicably, had a hockey puck in his pocket.

It delighted Matt.

Ruby looked offended at the question, mouth falling open as her eyes darted from Robin to Regina and back to the teenager in front of her – a moniker that was recently acquired too – and, at some point, Emma had drifted back towards Killian’s side.

He tapped his fingers on her hip, hooking his chin over her shoulder and there must have been hair in his face, but he didn’t seem to mind and she really wished they’d been able to keep flirting.

Maybe she wanted to ground the jersey-wearing fan too.

“What have you been teaching this kid?” Ruby balked, waving her hand through the air and nearly taking out a guy who Emma was ninety-two percent positive worked in the Predators’ front office.

“God, Lucas, relax,” Robin muttered, corralling her arms. “There have been no press-based instructions or media relations. No one is encroaching on your territory.”

“Ok, that’s not what I said, at all.” “Eh,” Will objected.

“You want to voice that a little louder there, Scarlet?” “No, I do not. But you were doing those crazy things with your hands and if Cap’s lips disappear when he’s getting ready to check people then your hands develop minds of their own when you’re getting ready to take someone down via press release.”

Emma couldn’t mask her laugh, a trend she wasn’t sure she entirely appreciated, and whatever noise Killian made against her neck seemed to roll down her spine and settle in the very center of her, leaving goosebumps in its wake.

Will grinned triumphantly.

“I am expressive,” Ruby said. “There is a difference. And I’d like the record to show, as it were, that I am the only one concerned about Rol’s potential for fines when he inevitably takes over the league from you ancient losers.” “Ancient losers,” Killian echoed, but the words got lost in Emma’s hair and her neck and hishands also appeared to have minds of their own, drifting dangerously close to the bottom of her shirt. With his number on the back.

Always.

Or indefinitely.

Or whatever.

Emma was totally going to ride a mechanical bull later.

And make sure they got back to that facts discussion.

“You heard me, Cap,” Ruby grinned. “Plus this is all your fault anyway because you were totally going to check that guy in traffic for possibly scaring mini-Jones with his brash language and now here we are, late for the plan and the fun.” “You didn’t even realize we were gone,” Emma pointed out. “Also, is there actually a plan?”

“Em,” Will groaned, but that might have been because of the fist dangerously close to his neck and he mumbled something that sounded like careful with the gloves, Dr. J under his breath. She didn’t realize Matt had moved at first. He was very quick. “It physically pains me that you do not remember the plan.” “I think that might be my kid’s fist.”

“Lucas and I worked hard on this. She bought a hat! I mean, look at how ridiculous that thing is.” “Hey,” Ruby snapped, but Killian was laughing again and possibly trailing kisses along the curve of Emma’s neck and she really couldn’t think when he did that.

“It is a little ridiculous, Lucas,” Robin reasoned, slinging an arm over Regina’s shoulders and she was smiling.

“She’s committed to the look,” she said. “It’s just…a very specific look for a very specific place.”

Ruby sighed, full of drama and feeling and, presumably, some kind of detailed plan that Emma hoped eventually included food because she was kind of starving and there were, already, at least thirty post-it notes stuck to the wall of their hotel room.

“The plan,” she said. “And Mattie if you don’t stop trying to strangle Uncle Will, we’re going to have a pretty serious discussion about ice time tomorrow.” Matt almost jumped back onto the ground, Roland letting out a low whistle when he rested a hand on the four-year-old’s jersey. “You’re not helping,” Emma muttered, but she was just met with a smile that was equal parts Robin and Killian and Roland Locksley was probably going to avoid any bad press in his career based on his charm alone.

Regina was very likely counting on that. It was probably factored into the metaphorical contract negotiations already.

“Sorry, Em,” he mumbled. Too charming. Way too charming. And she refused to accept responsibility when she sighed too, wrapping one of her arms around him and ignoring whatever teenage-noise he made when she tugged him against her chest and kissed the top of his hair.

“There is food involved,” Will promised, like that made up for everything. “And Lucas’ absurd hat makes a hell of a lot more sense when I tell you where we’re going.” “Oh God,” Killian muttered.

“Don’t do that, Cap. This is fun. We are having fun. We are experiencing things. Your kid is going to learn something.” “At a restaurant with a mechanical bull?”

“How do you know about that?” “Years of experience and how much you will not shut up about the goddamn mechanical bull.” “Wash that mouth out or I’ll ground you.” “You are not a father figure.” “Ok, first of all, that’s rude,” Will said, holding up one finger for emphasis. “And second of all, that is a blatant lie. Your kid wouldn’t be trying to strangle me otherwise. And–”

“–Oh my God, can we just go?” Emma grumbled, and the baby in her arms did not appreciate the influx of noise.

Will glared. “Third,” he said pointedly. “I know I can’t ride it, I am not an idiot. But Lucas can and so can Gina and so can Emma. And the Yelp reviews promised this place was good. Some kind of BBQ heaven where you can probably tell us things about Tennessee technique and how it differs from Kansas City.” “Is there a Tennessee BBQ technique?” Killian asked, flashing a smile Emma’s direction when Will sounded like an actual predator, growling low in the back of his throat.

“You’re antagonizing him on purpose,” Emma muttered. He nodded, tugging Peggy away from her side and making that face again, slightly stunned and a little overwhelmed and she was, at least, ninety-five percent positive he didn’t even realize he did it.

Every. Single. Time.

She fully expected her heart to explode at some point in the next three days.

Preferably after they got BBQ.

“Oh I’m absolutely doing it on purpose,” Killian said. “And It’s absolutely working. Always does. He’s way too easy.” Will inhaled sharply, twisting awkwardly so he could get both hands on Matt’s ears. “Don’t be an ass, Cap.” “Hey, c’mon.” “Ground me!” “Out of context, that’s really weird, isn’t it?” Ruby asked, laughter clinging to her voice and Roland’s whole body was shaking against Emma’s side. Regina had actually moved her hand over her mouth.

“And did Scarlet actually just say something about Yelp reviews?” Robin asked. “Why does Scarlet know what Yelp is?” “You know what?” Will snapped, rolling his whole head and Matt had moved to his side, clinging to him like some kind of koala in a Jones jersey. “You guys can find your own food for the rest of the weekend. I’m done with this. I hope Lucas gets mercilessly made fun of on the internet for her stupid hat.” Roland whistled again, Matt grinning because he definitely had no idea what was going on and Will was, at least, consistently entertaining. Ruby kicked him. “Stop insulting my hat,” she yelled. “It is on theme. And do not act like you also don’t have one.” “Aw, c’mon, Lucas!” “Wait, what?” Killian sputtered, eyes bright and mouth nearly on the sidewalk, and Robin wasn’t so much as standing next to Regina as she was completely supporting his weight now. “Do we all get hats?” Emma turned, staring at him skeptically. His eyes definitely got more blue. “Do you want a hat? And, Scarlet, for whatever it’s worth, the rest of the weekend is already all planned because that’s how All-Star weekend works and you have already agreed to several team events.” “Did I?” “Enthusiastically.” “I have no memory of that at all.” “That’s because you don’t listen,” Emma said. “Talk to your agent.” Will gaped, but Regina just moved her hand back to her side and shrugged. “You said yes. I’m not in charge of your life, Scarlet. How many events is it, Emma?” “And how many post-its have already been sacrificed to the cause?’ Ruby added knowingly.

“Enough,” Emma muttered, but Matt’s shout was louder and lots seemed to echo off the actual, flashing neon signs around them.

Ruby’s eyebrows moved – and reeked of judgment. “It’s fine,” Emma promised, but that was only kind of half true and she was only kind of running on fumes and a few hours of sleep and it was so much better than it was a few months before when Peggy seemed intent on setting several records for screaming and crying in consecutive nights.

This weekend was going to be good.

She was convinced.

This whole season was going to be good. Something about the talent and the years since the last Cup run and Emma was a little selfish because she kind of wanted their kids to see them win.

In the metaphorical and literal sense.

She’d read a lot of internet headlines in the last few weeks.

“Why don’t we head to the restaurant?” Regina asked, but there was a hint of something to her voice and Emma resolutely refused to meet her gaze. Or Killian’s, eyes boring into the side of her head at the same time his fingers traced absent-minded patterns on Peggy’s side.

“Yeah, ok,” Will said quickly. “We’re not that far anyway. Super good, super warranted Yelp reviews. You guys’ll see.”

“C’mon, mini-Jones,” Ruby said, holding her hand out expectantly for Matt. He took it without question.

Regina hummed, eyes still staring straight at Emma, and she licked her lips, letting Roland go so he could dissect Killian’s chances of winning the speed competition with Will and Robin. She didn’t move.

“So,” Killian said softly, as soon as the rest of them had moved halfway down the block. “Teddy Roosevelt, huh?”

Emma laughed, letting out the air she’d absolutely been holding and she didn’t want to be tense. She wanted to be as happy as she absolutely was, but there was still a lot to do and two kids at the All-Star game for the first time, and she should have slept on the plane.

“You don’t think it’s a real fact.“ “Eh, if you’re willing to believe it, then so am I.” “That’s absurdly romantic and possibly dangerous.” “I’m not sure where I see the danger is involved,” Killian countered. He rocked towards her, fingers brushing over the curve of her jaw and into her hair and that was probably where Peggy got it from. “Ok, tell me the fact again, even if you are taking my side of things.” Emma blinked. “How do you figure?”

“You’re always team-based facts, love. I’m here to provide information on the city and possibly the state of Tennessee–”

“–And Tennessee BBQ techniques.” “I’m really not sure if that’s a thing.”

“Better look it up,” Emma suggested, but the words got caught in her throat when Killian ducked his head.

She wasn’t really breathing when he kissed her, was more than willing to suffocate in the middle of the goddamn sidewalk if it meant he kept doing whatever he was doing with his tongue and his fingers dancing across her skin, just underneath her shirt, but Emma swore her lungs actually relaxed and she might have exhaled against him, like she wasn’t absurdly stressed out for the four fan events she had to run in the next forty-eight hours.

“That’s really not fair,” Emma mumbled, and she felt him smile against her, tugging her closer and trying to stay balanced with a baby in between them and there was a metaphor there that she wanted to ignore for several more minutes of uninterrupted makeouts.

She shivered.

Killian hummed, brushing his lips over hers again and Emma closed her eyes, trying to make sure her lungs continued to function and Matt shouted from the end of the sidewalk.

“You’re scaring your children for life,” Ruby yelled. Her hand was still wrapped up in Matt’s, the smile on her face obvious still.

“Absolutely worth it,” Killian muttered, and Emma bit her lip. It was absurd, really, all things considered, after actual years and two kids, but the flirting was still easy and constant and he was probably going to win the speed competition just so he could show off in front of her and their kids and Nashville might be her new favorite place in the world.

Emma kissed him that time. “Charmer.”

“That’s almost too easy too.”

“I’m sorry I took your fact job,”

“I promise that’s not something you ever have to apologize for, Swan. I am curious about Theodore Roosevelt though. Did he go hunt a bear after he drank this supposed coffee?” “Oh my God, that’s not true either. He wouldn’t kill the bear. That’s where we get teddy bears from, right?” “I have no idea.” “Some paragon of historic virtue you are,” Emma said, pointedly ignoring whatever laws of gravity his eyebrows were currently defying. “I’m going to tell Liam. And you’re never going to hear the end of it.”

“The fact, Swan.”

“Fine, fine, so Teddy Roosevelt is here in Nashville, which was founded on Christmas Eve in 1779, by the way, so you’re totally off and–” She rolled her eyes when he looked at her, something that was almost shy of patient with just a bit of expectation and, maybe how much he’d also still like to be making out in the middle of the sidewalk. Emma hoped there was no Page Six equivalent in Nashville. “Anyway,” she said. “Teddy is here and drinking coffee at the Maxwell House Hotel when he says it’s ‘good to the last drop,’ someone overhears him, thinks, ‘Wow, that’d make a really good catchphrase,’ and now, here we are.” Killian nodded seriously, smirk tugging at the ends of his mouth and Ruby sounded like she was actively plotting their pre-dinner murder a few feet away. “You know that’s exactly what they said?” he asked.

“Yes,” Emma nodded. “Without question.” “Of course.” “You got any Predators facts to back it up? If we’re just going to change things completely.” “The rules switch was your decision, love. I was just sleeping.”

“Sounds like a no.” Killian shook his head, another quick kiss and the smirk wasn’t so much a smirk as it was full-blown genuine happiness when Emma chased after him. “We’re going to be late,” he said. “And Lucas sounds very serious with those threats. But the Preds did play in Japan once.” “Wait, what?” “Swan, did you not know that?” “You didn’t know about Teddy Roosevelt.” “Because I’m still not convinced Teddy Roosevelt was an undercover slogan writer.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “When did they play in Japan?” “The start of the 2000-01 season. Against the Pens. Two games in Tokyo and both of them finished 3-1. They each one a game.” “Symmetrical.” He chuckled, an arm around her waist and fingers still dancing on her skin, but Emma fell into an easy rhythm next to him when they started walking. That was probably a metaphor too. “And,” Killian added. “Roosevelt was hardly the only present to hang out in Nashville. Andrew Jackson, Andrew Jackson, and James Polk too. They were all horrible people, well, maybe not James Polk because I have no idea what he ever did, but Jackson for sure.” Emma nodded, stopping just short of Ruby and Matt and she didn’t have to ask before taking Peggy away from Killian so their son could climb up his side.

“We ready to eat now?” Ruby asked.

“Yeah,” Killian answered, and Emma’s smile seemed to move across her face easily. She was going to have to buy more post-it notes. “Let’s get out of here before anyone else sees your hat and makes fun of it.”

No one did, in fact, make fun of Ruby’s hat – although things got rather close when they realized the bag she’d been carting around was filled with those hats Will had been talking about and Emma’s flew off when she barely lasted five seconds on the goddamn mechanical bull.

Regina made it twenty-six seconds.

It was, apparently, some kind of record.

And the BBQ was good, no matter what type of sauce it actually was, because there absolutely, positively was no such thing as a Tennessee way, it was Nashville technique and Memphis technique and tomato-sauce based – or so both David and Liam claimed when they were both, separately, FaceTime’d for argumentative backup.

“You going to actually sleep tonight, love?” Killian asked, several hours and two sleeping kids later.  He grinned when he saw her, tucked under a small mountain of blankets and a different t-shirt with his number on the back, and Emma tried to nod convincingly.

It didn’t work.

Open book or those years of experience and–”Did Mattie take off his jersey?” “Absolutely not,” Killian said, taking a step another step towards the bed and if it weren’t for all of those things that made it absolutely possible for him to read her, she probably wouldn’t have even noticed.

As it were, they operated on some kind of two-way street of relationship feelings and blatantly obvious flirting and knowing each other and Emma didn’t miss the way his step shook slightly, eyes just a bit unfocused and gaze a bit hazy and he shook his head once, like he was trying to get rid of several different types of cobwebs.

“Killian,” Emma said slowly, climbing across the bed. He flinched when her hand landed on his chest. “Hey, you ok?” He didn’t answer immediately, just blinked once, twice, three times, and he was breathing through his mouth, soft, but challenged and Emma tried not to hold onto his shirt too tightly.

That didn’t work either.

“Fine,” Killian said, voice clipped and Emma’s pulse stuttered when the word seemed to shake its way out of him.

“Maybe Ruby should be talking to you about good press and bad press. That wasn’t a very convincing quote, Cap.” “I don’t need to be convincing when it’s the truth, Swan.” “You want to try again, then?” “I’m fine, Emma,” he said, wrapping a hand around her wrist. He closed his eyes though, shoulders shifting slightly when he inhaled and Emma’s mind was racing, trying to figure out what the hell was going on and how many hours of sleep they could possibly get if she spent the next forty-five minutes, at least, interrogating him.

Killian seemed to realize his mistake as soon as her name was out of his mouth, eyes snapping open so quickly she was briefly concerned for the state of his eyelids, and his grip tightened a fraction of an inch, tongue darting out between his lips.

“Fine,” he repeated, but Emma got the strong, and vaguely terrifying, feeling that he was trying to convince himself as much as her.

“Yuh huh.”

“I promise.” “What happened?” “Nothing.” “Killian!” “Nothing, Swan,” he muttered, and that was an even worse quote than the first few combined, quiet and not quite articulate and her heart appeared to be trying to work its way out of her chest. “You need to get some sleep, love.” She groaned, falling back on her heels and rolling her whole head in response and he’d really gotten ridiculously good at making that face – God help their kids when they did actually start to get grounded. They wouldn’t know what hit ‘em.

“I can’t believe you’re trying to deflect on me.” “I’m not.” “If I yell again I’m going to wake up Mattie and then we’re really never going to get any sleep because he’s going to come in here and we’ll both end up rather bruised and battered in this surprisingly small king size bed.” “Can a king size bed be small?”

“I’m sure it can when it’s also filled with a four-year-old and his magical, flailing limbs.” “The magic part’s pretty impressive,” Killian said, lips quirking up and Emma huffed when his deflection almost worked. “No such luck, huh?” She shook her head. “A valiant effort on your part, though.” “Ah, at least there’s that.”

He didn’t shake or wobble or any other verbs that weren’t great for a professional hockey player making his sixth All-Star appearance, but Emma wasn’t entirely prepared for him to lean forward, nudging her onto her back until he was hovering over her. She smiled when she dragged her heel over the back of his calf, earning a quiet groan for her efforts and a few curse words he would have chastised their friends for.

“That mouth, Cap,” she whispered, pushing her fingers into his hair and maybe they were both to blame for Peggy’s habits.

That sounded better anyway.

“I can’t think when you do that.” “That’s absolutely the point.”

Killian hummed, hands moving and hips moving and Emma gasped when his lips found that one, particular spot behind her ear. He twisted, staring at the portable crib that had taken them far too long to construct that afternoon and the sleeping kid in it, seemingly convinced they hadn’t woken her up or scarred her for life.

“You’re going to have to be quieter than that, love,” he mumbled, and she barely heard him over the rushing in her ears and the feel of him everywhere and the king size bed was ridiculously comfortable.

“Then you need to not be such a tease,” Emma countered.

“That’s half the fun.” “Not when you’re working on borrowed time.” “Nah, it’ll be alright. He was exhausted. And more than happy to fall asleep after a detailed discussion of how the accuracy challenge works.” Emma laughed before she could consider what kind of absurd pillow-talk this was, but her pulse was still doing something stupid and she’d put half a dozen different internal organs through several emotional wringers in the last few hours and she was pretty positive her right thigh was bruised from her fall off the bull.

She gasped when Killian’s fingers brushed over the spot, and she’d never seen him move that quickly – head jerking up and eyes filled with concern and she didn’t even get her promise offine out, which, really, didn’t seem very fair.

He moved slowly, like he was suddenly terrified she’d evolved into glass, clicking his tongue when he saw the mark. “Why didn’t you say you got hurt?”

Emma rolled her eyes, well aware Killian couldn’t see her when he was staring intently at her thigh. “I don’t think that counts as hurt,” she argued. “Not really. I was just incredibly bad at staying balanced.” “That’s not true.” “Five seconds.” “Five and a half.” “Were you counting?”

He widened his eyes, smirk turning slightly lecherous and Emma absolutely swooned – possibly melting into the pillows and the blankets. “Watching,” Killian corrected. “Admittedly a little intently.”

“Only a little?” Emma shrugged when he glanced at her, and they were honestly so ridiculously good at flirting with each other, it was a miracle they managed to get anything else done. “A lot,” Killian muttered, dropping his head back to her leg and Emma wasn’t sure what noise, exactly, she made when his lips traced over her skin, but she felt his lips move and she had to bite the side of her tongue. He moved slowly, and maybe even a little reverently, brushing around the bruise that appeared to be a bit more purple than Emma was used to. It was like being on fire and doused in ice water, all at the same time, every kiss sparking under her skin and in the center of her soul, which, really, was just absurd, but she loved him an absolutely absurd amount and loved their life more and she was so goddamn exhausted she was probably delirious.

So, honestly, Emma couldn’t be held accountable for her own thoughts.

And, really, they should have expected it because whatever Killian was doing was probably illegal in several different countries and, possibly, in Tennessee and Emma had to let go of her tongue at some point and they both laughed when they heard the footsteps.

“Da….” Matt said, dragging out the word and leaving off the last letter, a tried and true technique when he didn’t want to sleep and, especially, didn’t want to sleep in his own bed.

Emma grinned at Killian. “Absolutely, totally exhausted and asleep, huh?” He shrugged, kissing her hip and rolling back to his side, and she couldn’t quite keep her anger in her, the sight of an enormous Jones jersey on their son doing something particular to all of her heartstrings.

“What’s the matter, kid?” Emma asked.

Matt wavered, rocking back and forth and looking anywhere except his parents. “It’s…dark and…”

“What? Noisy?”

Killian choked, squeezing his eyes closed, and Emma elbowed him sharply in the side. He wrapped an arm around her waist in retaliation, pulling her flush against his chest and they’d, finally, managed to wake up Peggy, cries echoing in the room and the darkness and Matt was still frozen in the doorway.

“Now, you’ve done it,” Emma growled, but Killian just burrowed against her neck and and her hair and they were absolutely destroying their kid’s collective psyche. “Is that what it was, Mattie? Too loud?” He shook his head slowly. “No,” he mumbled. “Not noise.”

Killian tensed. And Emma knew what it was.

It was too quiet.

Nashville was, after all, not New York and there weren’t as many sirens or cars outside the window or even voices, people walking by their usually calm block no matter what hour it was.

It wasn’t home.

Maybe Nashville wasn’t Emma’s favorite place in the entire world.

The bed creaked when Killian moved, propping his head up on his hand and keeping his arm around Emma. “C’mere, little man,” he said, waving Matt into the room before climbing back off the blankets to try and quiet Peggy. Matt didn’t need to be told again, flying across the few feet of hotel-provided space and Emma barely moved her arm out of the way in time. “Don’t flail around too much, ok?” Killian asked. “Mom’s already bruised enough as it is.”

Emma scowled at him, but that anger didn’t last long either – it never did when he started making faces at Peggy. “You want me to do that?” she asked, but he shook his head before she’d finished the question.

“Get some sleep, Swan. We’re good.” “Yeah, we are.”

It was the best she’d slept in weeks – eyes fluttering open for a few moments when Killian climbed back into bed, pressing a kiss to her temple and he couldn’t really get his arm back around her waist when Matt had claimed, at least, nine-tenths of the bed, but he made an effort.

And the first of the four fan events went off without a hitch, a very old phrase that Ruby made fun of Emma for as soon as the words were out of her mouth, but the crowd was happy and the chain restaurant wasn’t a jerk about the size of said crowd and all three New York Rangers All-Stars smiled in every single picture they took.

There were an absurd amount of pictures.

And Killian Jones, captain of the New York Rangers and captain of the Metro All-Stars again and father of her painfully adorable children, kissed Emma Swan, New York Rangers director of community relations, fan experiences and events while in uniform in the hallway outside the home locker room of the Bridgestone Arena.

“Skate fast,” Emma mumbled, tugging on the front of his jersey and ignoring Will’s commentary while he did his best not to dislocate one of his shoulders. Matt was, naturally, on his shoulders.

Killian grinned. “Always.”

Ruby, to her credit, didn’t make fun of the blatant and slightly public display of affection once they settled into the press box, refusing to give up Peggy even for a moment, but her eyes kept darting towards Regina and it only took one event for that to get incredibly annoying.

“Alright,” Emma said. “Let’s have it.” Ruby tilted her head. “Have what?”

“You going to reprimand me for my bad press or destroying my kid’s minds or whatever? Because I don’t think Peg will remember and Mattie absolutely does not care when there’s ice to worry about and–” “–Wait, what?” Emma blinked, brows furrowed and confusion settling between her shoulder blades. “What do you mean, what?” “What the hell are you talking about?” “This,” Emma said, waving an impatient hand through the air. Ruby’s mouth twitched. “Did you text Reese’s about it too? Should I expect several detailed messages later?” “Only if they’re about how much David wanted to come to Nashville, but couldn’t get time off.” “He tried to get time off?”

“I mean, not really,” Ruby shrugged. “Plus they’ve got Leo to, you know, obsess over anyway, so, there’s that.” “They are super obsessed with that kid,” Emma agreed. “Reese’s takes more pictures of him than I do.” “Which might be saying something,” Regina muttered. She smiled when Emma glared at her.

“Ok, seriously. If this isn’t about the makeouts, then what is it?” “You think we were having secret, silent conversations about you making out with your husband?” Ruby asked skeptically. “For real? Em, you do that all the time.” “Constantly,” Regina added.

“Like. Literally every home game. I’m pretty positive Scarlet and Locksley somehow bet on the total number of times they’d be almost disgusted by how stupid into each other you and Cap are.” “You know you haven’t gotten anymore eloquent over the years,” Emma said.

Ruby shrugged again. “That’s not a bad thing. My supposed lack of eloquence or how much time you do actually spend making out with Cap. But you guys make cute kids, so I can’t fault you that much.” “That sound a bit like you’re picking favorites, Rubes.” “If you tell Mary Margaret then I will do something ridiculous and drastic. And it’s not so much favorites as it is the fact that mini-Jones clearly likes me the most. You can tell Scarlet that.” “Is it weird that you guys argue about this?”

“I really don’t think so.”

Emma hummed noncommittally, eyes flitting towards the ice and the small crowd against the boards she knew her kid was in the center of. Roland had two sticks in his hand, resting the smaller one on his shoulder as he skated backward, and Matt had one hand in Killian’s glove and the other in Robin’s while Will filmed the whole thing.

Heart explosion, right on cue.

Matt did his best to keep his balance, wobbling despite the hands and the support and the rest of the All-Stars cleared a path in front of him – some unspoken command because Killian Jones was, absolutely, the face of the league even years removed from an improbable gold medal run.

“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen,” Ruby mumbled, but she had to shift Peggy to try and wipe her cheek on her shoulder, and Emma didn’t try to argue.

It was dumb and perfect and Scarlet was mic’ed up, someone in the box turning up the TV broadcast when the camera panned to the moment.

“Right, left, Dr. J,” he said. “You gotta pick up some speed before you can run.”

Matt nodded seriously, like he was getting ready for a penalty shot in a series-clincher, and Killian’s eyes darted towards Robin before they both pushed lightly. There was no more stumbling. There wasn’t even a hint of fear. Matt Jones, four years old and certain his dad was the greatest player to ever play any sport, moved on the ice like he was born there, which was kind of true.

Roland cheered, both arms thrown into the air and caught on camera and Ruby mumbleddumb no less than twenty-two times while discreetly crying and ignoring her phone when Mary Margaret, presumably, texted about it all.

“You ever going to tell me what you were Morse-coding about then?” Emma asked, reluctantly pulling her eyes away from the ice to stare at Ruby.

She sighed. “Your phone hasn’t rung yet?” “Should it?” “Em.” “I legitimately don’t understand the question.” “I really thought she would have called by now.” “She said she was going to,” Regina said, like any of this made sense and Emma wasn’t waving both her arms in the air in a pitiful impression of Ruby and an air traffic controller. “Maybe she got tied up with All-Star stuff.” “Who?” Emma asked. No one listened to her.

“I mean, that’s kind of a stupid excuse, don’t you think?” Ruby grumbled, and Regina made a noise that might have been an agreement. “She was really interested.” “She said that? Those exact words?” “Verbatim.” “Huh.” “Who the hell are you talking about?” Emma demanded, but she may have been shouting from the ice for all the good it did her and, really, she should have been paying more attention to the ice.

And Will was still mic’ed up.

“Cap,” he yelled. “Cap! Holy fu–”

The NBC broadcast barely cut him, staving off a very angry response from the FCC and several hundred families, but Emma didn’t care about any of that, eyes widening and breath catching and she was still moving her hands through the air when her gaze snapped towards the closest TV.

She thought it was Matt at first – was positive something must have happened, some wayward skate or an All-Star who didn’t get that memo about getting out of the way, and he’d never really learned to stop, and the boards weren’t very forgiving to a four-year-old – and Emma wasn’t sure how much more damage she could inflict on her lungs.

It wasn’t Matt.

And Emma was never entirely sure how she didn’t fall over.

It probably had something to do with Regina’s arm around her shoulders and Ruby’s quiet assurances that it was fine, it’s all going to be fine, Em, but she never really knew.

The whole thing seemed to happen impossibly fast.

One second Killian was standing there, skating behind Matt and the next he was on the bench and Emma could barely see him, a crowd around them and a face that she dimly remembered as the Hurricanes athletic trainer.

Emma didn’t blink. She knew she needed to blink, knew her eyes were going dry and her mouth was hanging open, but nothing seemed to work or respond and Ruby was still mumbling words in her ear.

Killian didn’t get off the bench.

Will had moved at some point, Matt clinging to him with his face buried in his neck and Roland a few feet away, his hand on the back of a jersey with Jones plastered across it. Emma’s phone rang. She didn’t move.

“Em,” Ruby said slowly, but she she just jerked her head in response, not quite a shake or a nod or anything except the absolute terror her whole body was flushed with.

“What happened?”

“I don’t–” “–Did you see what happened? Why isn’t he getting up? Is he still on the bench?”

Ruby had to use Regina as leverage, pushing up on her shoulder to stand on the balls of her feet, and she nodded without looking back at Emma. “Yeah,” she said, tone clipped and quiet and Emma couldn’t think about that without wanting to cry.

She still wasn’t sure she’d blinked yet.

“But what happened?” Emma pressed. “They were…everything was fine and ridiculously cute and…”

She cut herself off, clamping her jaw closed so tightly she was sure she’d done permanent damage to her teeth. Ruby turned around. “What?” she asked. “What’s the matter?”

Emma swallowed, closing her eyes and trying to will away images of the night before and slightly shaky steps and a hazy look that hadn’t seemed quite so troubling when it was forgotten in makeouts and bruises and they’d promised it was fine, just a few days before the Christmas break and a hit that kept Killian off the ice in the third period.

Nothing was wrong.

Nothing had happened.

Emma blinked – and felt the tears on her cheek.

“Hey, uh, guys.”

They all spun at the sound of Robin’s voice, standing in the doorway of the Predators’ press box in his socks and his jersey and he’d never been that out of breath, even after overtimes and playoff wins, and he couldn’t seem to look Emma in the eye.

“How did you get up here?” Ruby asked. “And where are you skates?” “Uh, in a stairwell.” “You took your skates off?”

“Yeah.” “What happened?” Regina asked sharply, voicing the question Emma could feel stuck in the back of her throat. Ruby was still holding Peggy. She wished she was holding Peggy. Her feet wouldn’t listen to her brain.

“Emma,” Robin continued, rushing over her name like he couldn’t waste time lingering on the letters. “You’ve got to come downstairs. Now.”

She blinked again. Which, honestly, just seemed unfair.

“Bad?” she asked, and it was the worst question she could have come up with, but she’d never had any media training and it was the only word her mind could come up with.

Robin nodded. “He passed out on the ice. I don’t…it was bad, Em. They were trying to figure out what happened and get him back up and I just…you’ve got to come back down with me.” “Back up?”

“Lost consciousness for a couple seconds.” Emma exhaled, body sagging forward and they’d drawn an audience, several dozen eyes widening when Robin walked into the box. He laced his fingers through Emma’s, a small smile on his face when she didn’t do anything except keep crying. “C’mon,” he said. “Scarlet’ll watch Mattie. Lucas, you’re…” “Yeah, yeah,” Ruby promised. “Go, Em, we’ll be down soon.” Emma didn’t say anything, didn’t trust herself to say words that weren’t tinged with something that felt a bit like despair, and Robin didn’t let go of her hand while they walked down fifteen flights of stairs.

He left his skates in the stairwell.

[forgemaster-defence-squad]

Isaac Theory Post

(The right and bottom pics are mine.)

Why Isaac will become the Isaac the OG fans are talking about

I am making this theorey post partly because it’s fun and because I love all of our Castlevania Isaacs. I did much research for it, and tried to include things that feel like Castlevania. I give credit to @solidfalcon for helping me write some of it, and sitting there listening to me babble on and on about him for HOURS, and credit to @lucien-lachance for MANY OF THE IMAGES. She has a huge collection of Isaac pictures from the games, I’m so pleased!! Thank you both!!!!

Now, onto Isaac: from games to screen, he would change, though only to tell a great story. Isaac is a complex character whose story needs to be told with care and delicacy. His story in season 2 of the show is only beginning. Being without luxurious crimson locks barely changes his story, it only begins it. And it can only grow from there. I’ve never truly seen him transform before, except in my own headcanon-filled brain, so I’m THRILLED to finally be seeing it on screen!

This is Castlevania, where the design of a character is laced with storytelling and meaning. If Isaac is meant to stay proper looking and professional, he wouldn’t be the same character. His appearance right now doesn’t take away from who he is, it adds to him, and I’m going to go into detail as to why.

Game spoilers below cut!

Animation Isaac vs Game Isaac

Game Isaac: Passion, Devotion To Dracula, ‘Evilness’, Knife Obsession, Vengeance, Wants to be the favourite, Uncomfortable to look at, Licks things.

Animation Isaac: Passion, Devotion To Dracula, ‘Evilness’, Knife Obsession, Vengeance.

I didn’t give animation Isaac the last 3 things that I put with game Isaac because we don’t know anything else. Season 2 isn’t even out yet. Therefore the rest of the post is where what we know about game Isaac becomes theory for animation Isaac. He’s an Isaac-shaped glass that is only a little filled, and it will continue to fill with more Isaac-ey goodness as the show progresses.

The Long Awaited Son

When some Christians hear the name ‘Isaac’ (with no last name) they think first, of Isaac:

(Credit to the creative photographer.)

Dracula’s story is sort of like an inverted Bible story, making it darker but also very clever if you know what you’re seeing. In Castlevania, although Dracula loved his first son, Alucard, he didn’t become the person he wanted him to be, a son who shared his views and would help him take revenge for Lisa. Now here we have Isaac who was taken in by Dracula as a child, the ‘son’ Dracula would have always wanted: Passionate about Dracula’s goal and willing do anything to make it happen. While Alucard cares for humanity, Isaac is passionate to destroy humanity, just like Dracula.

In the Bible, Abraham’s first born wasn’t what he wanted. His first born would become a person who was hostile, while his second son, Isaac would become everything he was promised, a great man who gave blessings.

Also: Isaac’s name means “laughter.” (Insert a gif of Isaac laughing here. I reached image limit in this post twt )

Child of Judas

Quote from Isaac’s page on the Castlevania wiki: “Isaac's name functions both as a hint that all isn't quite as it seems with him, and also as a reference to a particular bit of vampire lore. Biblically, Itzhak (Isaac) was the son of Abraham, who was almost sacrificed as a test of his father's faith. Unlike his namesake Forgemaster, however, Itzhak survived. The vampire folklore his name references appears in the short story "A Kiss of Judas" by Julian Osgood Field, writing under the pseudonym X.L. A principal character in this story is Isaac Lebedenko, who dies and, when reborn, becomes a type of vampire known as a Child of Judas in order to exact revenge on a deserving enemy. Interestingly enough, Children of Judas are said to have red hair.” Isaac’s name, as the quote says, is a hint that all is not quite what it seems, the same is true for his appearance.

Another quote from the same wiki page: “His clothing, too, is yet another hint as to his true nature. It appears as if Isaac is wearing only the remains of his former uniform. The Prelude to Revenge manga, packaged with the soundtrack sampler CD, uses Isaac's attire as a symbol of his mind unraveling. The madder he gets, the more tattered his clothing gets, until we see him in-game in purely ornamental armor bits and those strange pants. Thanks to Dracula's machinations, Isaac is only the broken pieces of the man he once was. Unfortunately, Isaac erroneously blames Hector for the destruction of his life.” ‘Only the broken pieces of the man he once was.’ What we are seeing right now IS the man he once was. We have yet to see him slowly unravel both outward and inward to become the person he’s fated to be. I’m looking forward to it!

My theory for why he could get his Castlevania appearance parallels both the Biblical Isaac and the vampire lore Isaac. Biblical Isaac was nearly sacrificed, then later became something great, while ‘A Kiss of Judas’ Isaac died and then returned to life as something terrible. Games Isaac was used as a vessel to become Dracula. Animated series Isaac is going to suffer, and go through a change, too, which may turn him into that same ‘vessel’ that he became in the games.

Isaac in games canon, after going insane from Dracula’s Curse, didn’t actually change physically, only his clothing melted away.

If in the animation he were to transform the same way as in the games, and physically as well, I think that would be stronger story storytelling. What changes physically is very easy to guess.

Blood Red Hair

Quotes from the Children of Judas page on vampires. com. (Which shows a picture of Isaac btw...) “This group of ruthless bloodsuckers were once found in Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania and you could recognize them due to their blood-red hair.” “These guys are known mainly by oral traditions.”

‘Mlem’

“Wicked vampires were said to have the power to drain their victim’s blood and life force with a single kiss or bite.”

Isaac isn’t a vampire in the game at this point in the above picture, but his kiss is still deadly~ (By that I mean he accompanies it with a knife stab). (Don’t worry, Trevor is ok, Isaac just wanted some Trevor blood.) Another thing that supports this theory is that the creators of the Castlevania series are very inclusive with their vampire lore. They want the show to be good, to be Castlevania, and also a great vampire story. So seeing as how we have yet to see the special ‘blood red hair’ of a ‘Child of Judas’ vampire, it’s safe to say Isaac may become one (in a sense). This is why game Isaac’s hair is redder and more beautiful than that of any other redhead we’ve seen in Castlevania.

Swoon~

The Dragon

As many know, Dracula’s name comes from Dracul which means ‘The Dragon’ or ‘The Devil.’ Dracula gets referred to as the Devil a lot in the animation, and in the games he also turns into a dragon when you fight him. Isaac is ‘a dragon’, and will become a vampire. This is true to games canon, as Isaac has, in fact become a vampire before, only, he became literally Dracula. The ‘Child of Judas’ similarities symbolized that the transformation would take place, as does his massive dragon tattoo that goes down his front, twists around his leg and slides up his back representing the Dragon. Animation Isaac does have tattoos, but none that we seen thus far are dragon-like. Not yet anyway~

(I drew the bottom right one for a closeup of the dragon face. The sketch to the left of it is official concept art.) When his clothing melts away and reveals the dragon tattoo, it symbolizes Isaac losing himself and becoming a dragon.

The Forgemaster crest displayed above shows two dragons. Both are Hector and Isaac. In the game, the Curse of Darkness attempts to transform the Forgemasters into Dracula. They both take on Dracula-like personality traits before Hector finally resists, and Isaac Is the one to lose himself.

In the games, all of this symbolism represented that he would be a mere pawn in Dracula’s scheme and become a vessel for Dracula. However, all of that symbolism is not yet present in animation Isaac, so this entire theory post is here to explain why it will become present.

The Biblical symbols of the Dragon and the Beast talk about the Dragon giving the Beast the power to return to life. The Beast that returned to life looked and spoke like a dragon. That would be neat if the writers parallel these symbols too! The Dragon being Dracula and the dragon-like Beast being Isaac.

Anguish

Dracula takes in both Isaac and Hector at a young age. Treated poorly by humanity, and taken in by Dracula, they probably saw him as their father figure. The Curse of Darkness that rips through the people during Castlevania 3, the same one that causes Isaac’s madness is probably going to be cast during season 2 of the animation. Right now we see him as a seemingly obedient, calm, collective but somewhat violent and angry individual. Someone led by his heart. When the curse is cast, bit by bit, much of that will begin to break away. When Dracula, his inspiration, his father figure, the one thing that gave him life and purpose, is defeated and taken away from him. And then, when Isaac is left for dead by Hector, the curse finally takes complete hold of him. Dracula's curse. Isaac transforms in appearance to reflect the change within. His hair has grown and become wild, his clothing has fallen apart and only ornamental pieces remain. He is only the broken pieces of what he once was. He is MAD.

So when I say he will become a vampire, I mean he will descend into madness and think that his desire for VENGEANCE AGAINST HECTOR will make it all better, but instead, he is just a vessel, a means to an end. He becomes Dracula, he becomes a vampire, a ‘Child of Judas’ in a symbolic sense. It is symbolic in that, he's not a vampire by any traditional sense, but simply because Dracula takes him over, and he becomes the vampire. The symbolism that the death and rebirth he faces before transformation is perhaps not his own death and rebirth, it is Dracula’s past death and rebirth through Isaac.

That would be super cool if he became a vampire himself, though, just a thought.

As you see, I fully expect to see our Isaac form before our eyes in ways I have only previously dreamed these past 8+ years of being a Curse of Darkness fan!

Fire Symbolism

I’ve read in other theory posts in other fandoms that fire in art and literature can symbolize many things. One of those things is death and rebirth. In Castlevania, this symbolism is definitely present, and EXTREMELY heavy-handed. Lisa dies, burned as a witch, from her dead remains ascends an explosion of flame. Who is in that flame? Dracula. So yes, they will use the plot point of Dracula dying and returning to life, and just like in the games, it will be through Isaac. I could go into more detail on fire symbolism as to why, but I think you get me by this point!

Red oni and Blue Oni

Another quote from the wiki: “Isaac and Hector together embody the "Red Oni and Blue Oni" trope. Isaac is denoted by red, and is emotional, temperamental and led by his heart. Hector, in blue, is the more logical and rational of the pair and is able to think things through, considers what he has been told, and in the end saves himself from an ill fate.” In the series, Hector is dressed in blue just as he is in the games, but Isaac has yet to show much red. To continue to fit this trope the way he’s meant to be, he HAS to go through his destined change. In the trailer, Isaac is seen in the past passionately crying with tears in his eyes as he’s about to take what I assume is revenge against someone.

(My poor boi q-q) He still very much embodies the trope with Hector, but not so much visually. He will transform most likely in the exact way I said he would. The series’ first four episodes did nothing but add to the series, not take away. Isaac is going to change, and when he does, he will finally truly mirror Hector, and he will fully become the ‘monster’ he was meant to be. By ‘monster’, what I really mean is: mistake-making, tragic sad boy who I want to cover in fifty blankies and pillows and give grilled cheese to.

TLDR: Isaac will slowly unravel to madness and become the heartbroken mess he was in the games. I’m super excited!!!

~End~ If we watch S2 and I end up wrong and got nothing right, then that’s okay cuz this whole thing was real fun to write. 10/10 recommended write up~

[mysterylover123]

My Top 10 Favorite Series of All Time

Mysterylover123, to my followers.

This list, of course, could change. At some point in the future, I could always discover a new series that topples the competition - but for the moment, here they are. My top 10 favorite series of all time - mostly comics or television, but also film, and a few novel series made the honorable mentions list.

Of course, these are all just my personal favorites - that’s the key word. While I did consider objective quality when making the call, I mostly went with my gut and listed series I love for whatever reason - maybe sentimental value, pushing my personal buttons, or just characters I adored. I also made myself list the things I don’t like about the series as well, just to avoid gushing too much and remember that all but one (my #1) series out there are at least, a little, flawed, but nonetheless still lovable. With that in mind, here they are:

#10. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000-2015)

Type: Live-Action TV show

Genre: Crime/Mystery; forensic drama, police procedural

Favorite character: Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger)

Favorite episode: “Grave Danger”, Parts 1 & 2 (Season 5 finale)

Favorite Season: 7

Favorite villain: The Miniature Killer/Natalie Davis

Bad points: Weak later seasons, forced romance subplot, copious amounts of filler

Why it’s here: CSI is nostalgic for me. I watched it during my early crime drama loving years, and found out that as much as I liked the premise, what made the show for me was the cast. That was the first time I realized how essential characters are to creating intriguing drama. CSI is still my favorite traditional crime/mystery show, since in seasons 1-8, it maintained a good balance of character drama and mystery-of-the-week. Season 7 is a high point,  balancing an ongoing story with lots of fun one-offs and an emotionally explosive payoff. Later seasons, however, wear down the show’s quality for me. Too many beloved characters left and the series becomes too reliant on filler, ending with a thud that is the series finale. But the best of CSI is still enough to land it here for me.

(Just to clarify, I mean Las Vegas)

#9. Futurama (1999-2003; 2008-2013)

Type: Animated TV Show + movies

Genre: Sci Fi Dramedy

Favorite character: Philip J Fry (Billy West)

Favorite episode: “Jurassic Bark”

Favorite season: 4

Favorite villain: Bender

Bad points: Sexism, weak later seasons, bad 2nd movie

Why it’s here: Futurama came to me during a phase of depression in my life, and the show’s combination of humor and cry-your-eyes out tragedy kept me going. I’ve seen it through five times, and it’s always a blast. To me, Futurama is better than The Simpsons. Simpsons is funnier, but only for seven years or so. Following those seven years are 21 of mediocrity, whereas Futurama thankfully cuts it short. While some of the later seasons are weaker than the early Fox years, they still have quality gems and the show’s unique flavor. The series speaks to me so much; it’s a mix of hilarious comedy, serious character drama, and high sci-fi concepts that all mesh together in a unique experience. This is a series that’s not afraid to try new things, to experiment and let the characters age and grow. My personal favorite part of the series is the friendship between the core trio, Fry, Bender and Leela. Any episode starring them is a-ok by me.

Favorite memories: Binge-watching the series during a period of unemployment.

#8. Death Note (2003-2004; 2006-2007)

Type of series: Manga/Anime

Genre: Supernatural Crime Thriller

Favorite Character: L Lawliet (Alessandro Juliani)

Favorite Episode: Episode 2, “Confrontation”

Favorite Arc: The first one

Favorite villain: Light Yagami (Brad Swaile)

Bad points: Weak second half, so-so character development

Why it’s here: Death Note is a dark, twisted, engrossing thriller, which under normal circumstances shouldn’t be re-watchable. But I keep coming back to it, regardless of how many times I’ve seen it before. It’s a digestible 37 episodes and 108 chapters, for one thing. It introduced me to two characters that endlessly fascinate and frustrate my analytical brain. The antagonists, Light and L, are two of the most brilliant characters I’ve come across in fiction, and their dynamic with each other is endlessly engaging. Well, it should have been through the whole series…if not for certain incidents. But no matter; we have what we have. Flawed, yes. Terrifying, certainly. Death Note scares me like no other story. But what frightens me in DN isn’t so much there gruesome deaths, but how effortlessly it portrays the banality of evil.

Favorite memories: Watching the show during the winter holidays while on vacation, and contemplating the series during the drive home.

#7. Spider-Man (1962-)

Type: Comic book; various mediums of adaptation

Genre: Superhero

Favorite character: Mary Jane Watson

Favorite Storyline: The Night Gwen Stacy Died, #121-122

Favorite villain: The Green Goblin

Bad points: Weak later issues, lots of filler, “One More Day”

Why it’s here: Spidey is still my favorite superhero. He was me in high school (I got into Spider-Man in high school, incidentally), the everyman, the representation of my nerdy outcast struggle and need to both escapism and greater responsibility. But what really drew me to the comic, and still does, was the vast and multifaceted supporting cast. In the great eras of Spidey (Ditko, Romita, Conway, and late 1980s), the supporting cast make the series. Whether it’s Peter’s various complex lady loves, the endless cavalcade of memorable villains, supporting dude-friends like Flash and Harry or my personal favorite, mainstay Mary Jane “you just hit the jackpot” Watson, the cast of Spidey was majorly influential with good reason. The series loses it’s skill in the 1990s, thanks to the Clone Saga and general 90s comic badness, and plummets into an irretrievable black hole in 2007, never to return. But fortunately, there’s still thirty years’ worthy of fascinating comics to draw from before that insanity begins. And those stories have in turn fed fantastic adaptations, whether it be the sentimental 90s animated show, a few of the films, or the superlative Spectacular cartoon.

Favorite memories: Reading Spider-Man comics after high school, while waiting to get picked up. Also, watching the 90s show as a little kid, even if those are kinda dim.

#6. Gravity Falls (2012-2016)

Type of series: Animated TV Show

Genre: Supernatural

Favorite character: Mabel Pines (Kirsten Schaal)

Favorite season: 2

Favorite episode: “Not What he Seems”

Favorite Villain: Bill Cipher

Bad points: A few filler episodes, some odd messages, so-so ending

Why it’s here: I love a good spooky story. Gravity Falls caught my attention around Halloween in 2016, 8 months after the series finale; I binged the whole series through in a weekend. The series remains one of the all-time best I’ve ever watched. With one or two exceptions, there are no outright bad episodes. Everything is either entertaining or incredibly entertaining. The characters feel real, the messages really hit home, and the creativity on display is astounding. Gravity Falls has something in every corner - great character development, compelling drama, laugh-out-loud comedy, and a truly engaging mystery that doesn’t disappoint. I wish the franchise ran a little longer, but I’ll give it props that unlike nearly every other show on this list, Gravity Falls doesn’t over-stay its welcome. Two seasons of brilliance, wrapping up with a strong, though not perfect, finale, before the series had a chance to go on too long or burn out the creators. It’s a welcome treat to watch again, and again, and again. It’s mostly low on this list, not because of the few weak points, but because I don’t have as much emotional attachment to the series as I do to my top 5 pics.

Favorite memories: Watching the show with my dad and brother on vacation. Both of them are very surly and nit-picky, so presenting them with a show this good meant no cause to complain.

#5. Frasier (1993-2004)

Type: Live Action TV series

Genre: Sitcom

Favorite character: Niles Crane (David Hyde-Pierce)

Favorite season: 4

Favorite episode: “Something Borrowed, Something Blue”

Bad points: Weaker later/early seasons, sometimes annoying

Why it’s here: Frasier has a record for the most Emmy awards won by a single show. And rightly so, in my opinion. This is one of those series with astonishingly top-notch writing all around. It’s a sitcom that banks it’s humor on taking down pretentious snobs and prejudiced jerks; the jokes stay funny because, like all good humor, they stay relevant. This series feels kind of timeless; despite coming out in the instantly dated 90s, the characters’ fashions, mindsets, and relationships feel like they could be written today or twenty-forty years earlier. My heart belongs to the series’ ongoing love story between uptight, snippy Niles and eccentric, lovable Daphne (Jane Leeves). I have yet to see a better executed TV romance, one that pulls out all the stops like this one does. If I were to compare Frasier to anything, it would be to a Jane Austen novel. It has the same social satire, the same sardonic humor, the same understanding of romance and human psychology. That, to me, is what makes a great comedy.

Favorite memories: Discovering Frasier out of Sideshow Bob on The Simpsons - and coming to realize which of the two is truly the better comedy. (Sorry to take another potshot at Simpsons; I do like the early seasons, I just think the show is overrated).

#4. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (2008-)

Series type: Live Action films and TV

Genre: Superhero

Favorite characters: Tie: Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston)

Favorite film: Captain America the Winter Soldier (2014)

Favorite phase: Phase 3 (so far)

Bad points: Occasional weak/so-so film, lack of representation

Why it’s here: I first watched only a handful of MCU films; after Avengers, I gave it up and focused on other things. I loved it the first time, but when I came back and screened every picture in the lineup till the present, that is when I fell in love with the franchise. I was missing out on some of the series’ best characters. And that’s what makes the MCU special to so many people: the characterization. The series is at it’s best when it’s giving it’s multi-layered cast focus and development. Marvel comics have always been a favorite of mine, so naturally their best known adaptation is one of my favorites in general. I’ve found something to enjoy in just about every film in the franchise. The biggest surprise hit for me was the Captain America films - a part of the franchise I never dreamed I’d love, but which won me over with the stellar writing in the 2011 film, the indelible Winter Soldier, and the stunning, heartbreaking Civil War. I’m almost afraid of what will come next, as the franchise is heading towards a finale.

Favorite memories: Watching the films over a long, bitter summer, as my only source of joy while working a thankless job and living in a place with bad internet reception.

#3. The Buffy-verse (1997-2004) Series Buffy the Vampire Slayer & Angel

Type of series: Live-Action TV shows

Genre: Supernatural

Favorite characters: Buffy, Cordelia, and Spike

Favorite season: Season 5 of Buffy, Season 2 of Angel

Favorite episodes: “Once More with Feeling” Buffy, “You’re Welcome” Angel

Bad points: Weak later seasons, Season 6, some bad filler

Why it’s here: If I was going on sentimental fandom value alone, the Buffy-verse would be number one. I still squee over this franchise years after I first discovered it; the characters have that special Joss Whedon flair that makes them stand out over the crowd, the series’ core relationships are so fascinating I’m tempted to write fanfic about them, and the philosophies and emotional moments in the series have shaped my life. I would never have known what existentialism was, for instance, if not for Whedon’s show. Angel’s line about “ all that matters is what we do” has helped motivate me ever since I heard it. But looking at the series’ quality (and diversity), I will admit that out of my top 3 favorites, it has the most problems. Both shows have one season I can cheerfully proclaim to be outright terrible, (Season 4 for Angel, Season 6 for Buffy), and very shaky first seasons that take a while to find their feet. There are some plot decisions I just can’t forgive, and some truly weak arc villains. But there is also so much that this franchise does so well, whether it be stellar standalones, bold plot moves, and of course, the character arcs.

Favorite memories: Rewatching the show on vacation in France.

#2. Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005-2008)

Type: Animated TV series

Genre: Fantasy Steampunk

Favorite characters: Zuko, Azula and Sokka

Favorite season: 2

Favorite episode: “The Guru”

Bad points: Forced romantic subplots, The Great Divide, odd conclusion

Why it’s here: You may have heard, if you’ve spent any time on the internet, what a fantastic series ATLA is. I try to avoid such phrases when attempting to sell the show to people, because describing a series that way is usually a bad move. But rest assured, it’s warranted. Avatar The Last Airbender is a stellar show in every possible way. Aside from the few bad points I mentioned above, ATLA does everything right. It has the best world building I’ve ever encountered. The animation, storytelling, emotions, messages (sometimes), plot points, philosophies, individual episodes, comedy, drama, action, epic sweep, surprise reveals…(several hours of listing things later) all of these things are pitch perfect. But as always, what makes this show is the cast. My lord, what a cast. These characters are so embedded in my mind, their arcs, personalities, development and entertainment value all stand out a cut above the rest. ATLA is a stunning masterpiece, one that no adaptation could capture, and that even it’s own creators have yet to follow up on, with either the sequel or the comics. But no matter. The original is there, it always will be, and more people discover it every day.

Favorite memories: Nothing quite compares to seeing ATLA for the first time. I saw it in 2014, one of the worst years of my life. Once again, my miserable experience was improved by a fantastic story.

Before #1: The Runners-up.

Game of Thrones: I used to adore GOT, but it started losing me after season 3; I lost respect for the show in season 5. still, those early seasons are still crucial parts of our culture and should be remembered.

Harry Potter: I grew up with these books and I still enjoy parts of them; overall, however, they strike me as being just a little less than they could have been.

Percy Jackson: I binged through the whole first book in a few hours, and loved these novels as a teen. As an adult, they don’t hold up as well, but I still appreciate the things they do right.

The Legend of Korra: The sequel to ATLA is spotty in many ways, but contains enough moments I absolutely love to make it at least a runner up.

South Park: Another series that got me through a bad time in my life and helped me deal with certain aspects of myself (especially episode 1507.) However, the early and late seasons are pretty bad, and the show doesn’t age very well.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: A bizarre little anime that nonetheless really stands out to me for how crazy it gets and how unique the story is.

Hannibal: A guilty pleasure - definitely a show that gets too far up it’s own butt in later episodes, but nonetehless appealing and interesting in the subjects it’s willing to tackle.

Parks and Recreation: My other favorite TV sitcom besides Fraser - it’s a strong runner up for the list but not quite sentimental enough.

Steven Universe: 3 great seasons, followed by a lot of recent mediocrity. Great when it’s great, bad when it’s not.

Code Geass: an immensely ambitious series, that doesn’t quite realize it’s goals but god damn if it isn’t a beautiful try.

Daria: Another show that really spoke to me in high school

Firefly: This was the biggest runner-up for the list. Firefly is 14 amazing episodes of television cut short too soon, giving us amazing characters and great world building in a short amount of time. The series has some bits that haven’t aged well, and those were enough to keep it off my top 10.

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for…

#1. Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood (manga: 2001-2010, anime 2009-2010)

Series type: Anime/Manga

Genre: Sci Fi (I think)

Favorite character: Edward Elric

Favorite episodes: “Flame of Vengeance”; “Backs in the Distance”

Bad points: None

Why it’s here: I’m gonna be brutally honest: FMAB is here because I can’t find anything wrong with it. It is, without question, the single most perfect piece of fiction I’ve ever come across. It almost frightened me when I first finished the series. Surely there must be some major, glaring flaw, some bad installment or weak character, that I could point to and say Look! Here’s the flaw! This was made by human hands after all! But nope. Many, many rereads through, and I still haven’t found one. FMAB stands supreme. This series has everything. The most fleshed out and real-feeling cast of characters I’ve ever come across (even minor background characters have spectacular arcs and feel like real people). The best pacing and plotting of an overall story arc. The best world building, aside from ATLA. The best exploration of social issues, the best feminism, the best use of mature storytelling. Everything comes back around. The themes, the mystery, the overall tone and story structure. I feel like an engineer gushing over the most perfectly calibrated car ever made each time I watch it. But Fullmetal is even more than just expertly made. It’s appealing. It’s popular. It’s the kind of story you can write essays on or write fanfic for. FMAB can be enjoyed in every capacity. I recommend taking the time to read the Manga first (that’s what I did), then watch Brotherhood. There really is nothing quite like FMAB. (oh, BTW, it has the best series finale of anything e ver. Period.)

Best memories: Watching Fullmetal while coping with death for the first time in my life. There is no better series when it comes to dealing with this subject.

[joysmercer]

Grey’s Anatomy 14x17 Final Thoughts

Oh my god guys. KV really wasn’t lying when she said to bring the tissues for this one. What an episode. 

There are 3 main storylines in this one, focused on Meredith, April, and Owen respectively. 

Meredith is doing her own Meredith thing when she comes across a transplant surgeon who looks like he’s in pain. After revealing that he has just gone through his own transplant, he collapses, leading to friendship/flirtation developing between these two. Seriously guys, it was absolutely adorable. They talked about their lives, their family, their kids (well, his adopted niece and her kids), and their plans if they were no longer doctors (canoeing or sharing a hammock on the beach <3 ). He’s developed a DVT, and right before he goes into surgery, he tells Meredith to make sure his niece goes to college and leads a good life. This kind of speech, especially when the patient is close to a doctor, usually ends tragically on this show. But not this time: Meredith saves his kidney, and Dr. Mars can go back to Minnesota healthy. 

I tried really hard not to like these two together, and it just became even harder as the episode went on. I’m really glad he lived. It’s been a while since I saw Mer smile like that. On the other hand, I’m so, so glad they didn’t actually become a thing. As she said, she is his doctor, and they have separate lives. But, it’s nice to see her opening up to someone again. This storyline was a feel-good, happy one that just made me smile. It’s been a while since Grey’s had one like this, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

You know who have separate lives but did try and become a thing? Owen and Teddy. Owen, I love you. I really do. But you are an IDIOT. All of their scenes made my blood boil. For one thing, we know Owen is not going to stay in Germany, and that Teddy is (probably) not going to come back to Seattle, which means whatever happens is going to be for this episode only -- so we knew going into the episode it probably won’t end well. I never liked Teddy and Owen together as a couple; I always saw them only as incredibly close best friends, However, I would take them a couple over what happened here.  

First of all, Owen getting on that plane in the first place was so out of character of him; secondly, the Owen I know would have slightly more common sense than Comet in that episode of Full House where he thought a truck was a Hot Dog and got lost in San Francisco. Apparently, though, Owen thought it would be a brilliant idea to bring up his ex’s name, and then mention they were sleeping together just the night before. This effectively ended any friendship between Teddy and Owen. She kicks him out of her apartment, and our last view of her is her crying behind the door. And frankly, I felt the same emotions. Guys, these two have been through so much together, both before and during the show, and they did not deserve this crappy ending. They were never a good fit as a couple, but this lifelong friendship is now destroyed. 

Meanwhile, April is treating an old patient of Dr. Bailey’s, who’s developed some bad complications to antibiotics. April blames Bailey for not choosing surgery, and her choice of words and sudden anger make it obvious she’s not just mad about her patient’s condition, but at the world, as she has been for too many episodes to count. Thankfully, as she cares for the Rabbi, he manages to “fix” some part of her, helping April realize that the world is not perfect and she should never expect it to be. I couldn’t help but warm up to the Rabbi, but unlike Dr. Mars, I just knew beforehand that this patient would not live. He needed to die for April to finally come to her senses. Sarah Drew’s acting was Phenomenal in this episode, as it has been for the past few ones as well. She is absolutely amazing, and so talented, and has been portraying April in such a raw, powerful way. Remind me again why she’s leaving the show? Anyway, April’s story was just really beautiful and touching. I think someone on Twitter said it too, but Sarah Drew deserves an Emmy for this.

I already said I disliked Owen’s story in this episode, but there are some other things I wanted to be addressed as well:

Where the hell is Arizona?? We only have, like, 10 more episodes with her (maybe), and her development this season is an actual piece of crap. Her best friend is spiraling out of control, but she’s too preoccupied with who-knows-what to do anything about it. I mean, seriously, this is just poor writing. Not only are they making Arizona act completely uncharacteristically, but they’re not even trying to give her scenes -- Carina hasn’t been around for a few episodes either, and we had maybe, 10? minutes of the two of them working on their project while Mer had like 3 episodes focused on hers. I actually love Arizona more than I do April. She deserves better. 

Amelia??? Her ex-husband just jetted across the world, and she apparently has no opinion. In fact, she’s not even around this entire episode. 

Jo and Alex. First of all, the promo is terrifying. I thought we got over the whole Alex-taking-his-anger-out-by-punching-people thing. I mean, it is for a good cause this time, but dude, Jo just proposed to you again. Grow up. Meanwhile, Jo is nowhere to be found, like, at all. No updates on her and Meredith’s research, no chief-resident drama, nothing. And, apparently, no wedding planning going on on-screen either :/ Hopefully there’s more of that next week. 

Maggie. Ok, Jaggie irritates me, but Maggie was so adorable last episode that I was looking forward to seeing more of her. Same with Jackson, but at least he was there for April (slightly). Although, I don’t want to see these two together. Please. 

Where are Zola, (Derek) Bailey, Ellis (Shephard), and Sofia? These doctors have children and we forget they exist 99% of the time. I want more kids, and not just Zola being way too smart for her age or Sofia missing her mom. 

On the whole, though, this episode was a really beautiful one, with a touch of drama but still some old-grey’s peeking through as well. And don’t think I missed that Cristina reference ;) Ah, the Twisted Sisters.

OH AND I ALMOST FORGOT. What do you think Meredith’s “flashback” look in the end was about? Is she getting a new love interest, and did he just walk through the door? I honestly couldn’t care less, as long as she’s happy :) But, I do want answers!

Anyway, until next time!