#scott has graced me with his presence

[glamdringwlv]

Unchain my heart: Part 2. So, you're a tough guy

Unchain my heart series. Logan Howlett x oc!fmale Summary: Mia Green has grown up in a lab, subjected to numerous experiments due to her status as a mutant. When she manages to escape, Charles Xavier takes her in at his mansion, giving her a new life and helping her regain her memories. However, the arrival of a new resident at the mansion threatens to destabilize everything she believed.

Warnings: Violence, foul language, a mix of various canons, X-Men movies, X-Men animated series, X-men comics.

a/n: Hi, thank you so much for the support. The truth is, I'm starting something like this and I don't have much idea of what I'm doing or who this app works, but thanks for showing it some love.

Prologue, Part 1. The man comes around

So you're a tough guy Like it really rough guy Just can't get enough guy Chest always so puffed guy I'm that bad type

The midday sun bathed the mansion’s hallways in warm light as Mia made her way to the Danger Room, trying to shake off the confusion and resentment that had plagued her since the previous day. Scott had stayed with her all night, doing his best to soothe the chaos in her mind.

He had mentioned that the arrival of the new mutant hadn't been a smooth process for anyone, but particularly for Charles, who had had quite a scene in his office. Even without probing his mind, it was clear that Scott was not pleased with the new presence in the mansion. His tone and choice of words spoke volumes about his displeasure.

"I saved his ass and brought him here, only for him to laugh at my name and then try to attack my girl."

Mia chuckled at the latter part. She bit her tongue to keep from confessing that he had been so agitated because he’d felt her attempts to invade his mind. She almost told him that she could handle herself, but instead let him continue complaining while his voice and presence lulled her into a deep sleep.

Despite being unconscious, she felt genuinely drained. Sessions like these left her mind feeling like mush. Still, Scott’s presence comforted her in a way she couldn’t explain, something he’d done since she’d arrived there, broken and alone.

As Mia entered the Danger Room, she took a deep breath, trying to focus on the defense class she was about to teach. This room had always been her refuge, a place where she could escape her thoughts and concentrate on what she did best: fight.

She waited patiently as the students filed in. Many greeted her with smiles, while others eyed her warily, afraid she might invade their privacy and expose their darkest secrets.

Just as the students were beginning to gather, the door slid open, revealing Ororo. She walked in with her usual grace, and, to Mia’s surprise, Logan was beside her. She was giving him a tour, and his presence made Mia’s heart skip a beat. The tension from the previous day was still fresh and seeing him in her space made her uneasy.

Her body tensed, and she instinctively crossed her arms as she felt Logan’s gaze scrutinizing her, a slow assessment from head to toe.

"Ah, Logan, let me introduce you to Mia," Storm said with a smile. "She’s in charge of defense classes here—she’s the best at what she does."

Logan looked at her with a mix of surprise and skepticism. Mia caught the irony in his smile. She raised an eyebrow, silently asking what was so amusing.

"Her?" Logan asked, addressing Ororo but keeping his gaze fixed on Mia. "I wouldn’t have guessed in a million years."

Mia felt a knot tighten in her stomach. Her confusion and resentment from Logan’s attack the previous day mixed with a rising frustration. His lack of apology left a sour taste, and his arrogant demeanor only made things worse. She remembered what Scott had said: it would be difficult to get him to follow the rules.

"It’s a pleasure to meet you without your claws around my neck, Logan," Mia replied, her voice sharp.

He raised an eyebrow, a smirk curling on his lips.

"I think you’d have liked it under different circumstances, don’t you, doll?"

Mia tensed further at the comment, her mind quickly calculating how best to handle the situation without letting her irritation take over. Charles had scolded her numerous times for losing control, for giving in to her more primal instincts. She noticed the students in the Danger Room fall silent, their eyes darting between Logan and her, expectant.

"We don’t deal in hypotheticals here," she said firmly, her voice controlled. "If you want to see what I can do, you only have to join the class."

The air crackled with tension, as if it were holding its breath, waiting for Logan’s response. He remained silent for a moment, assessing Mia with an intensity that sent a shiver down her spine. Finally, a crooked smile spread across his face.

"You win, doll," he said, his tone suggesting he accepted the challenge more for fun than out of respect. "Let’s see what you’re made of."

A primal urge surged through Mia’s thoughts. An uncontrollable desire to show him, to prove she could take him down if she wanted. Show him. The thought was insistent, like hearing her own voice but much wilder, laden with resentment. From deep within, a single idea emerged: dominate him.

Ororo exchanged a quick glance with Mia, then with Logan, as if weighing the situation. But she decided not to intervene. Mia heard Charles’s voice in her head, urging her to end the display. But Charles’s warning had less force than the hissing murmur of the beast within her. She knew this part of her came from the past, a memory of something horrible lost to time.

"Fine," Mia said, addressing the students, her voice regaining a professional tone. "Today, we’re focusing on basic defensive techniques, but with an emphasis on adaptability. You never know who you’re going to face, so you need to be prepared for anything."

As she spoke, her mind raced, devising a plan to manage Logan’s presence in the class without letting the situation spiral out of control. His presence meant that Charles had some intention for him, and Mia couldn’t afford to show weakness or lose authority in front of the students.

The two began to size each other up as they circled the space. She realized Logan was larger than she had anticipated and appeared to be strong. Her strategy had to focus on tiring him out and keeping her distance.

"What are you waiting for, sweetheart?" He gestured with his fingers for her to come closer, and she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing at the situation.

Logan took a defensive stance, a mocking grin on his lips as if this were nothing more than a game. Mia made the first move, a quick and precise strike aimed at his torso. When her hand made contact, she felt the bones in her hand break easily. She looked at the mutant in confusion and quickly pulled back, feeling her bones painfully knit together.

"What the hell are you made of?"

Logan adopted a defensive posture, still grinning as if this were a game to him.

"You wouldn’t believe it. You’ll have to do better than that," Logan muttered, his voice low but loud enough for Mia to hear.

She didn’t respond, instead changing her tactics, using her agility to move around him, looking for an angle to exploit. Logan turned with her, his movements controlled, almost lazy, as if he knew he had all the time in the world.

Finally, Mia saw her chance. She feigned an attack toward his right side, but at the last moment, changed direction and struck his left leg. It was a quick move, so unexpected that Logan hesitated for a second. But it was only a second. With an agility she hadn’t anticipated, Logan sidestepped, using her momentum against her. Before she could react, he had grabbed her, his arms firm around her, easily immobilizing her.

"Too predictable," he said softly, his hot breath against her ear. "But not bad for a beginner. If you relaxed a bit, we could really have some fun…"

Mia felt a surge of frustration, her body tensing against his. But she knew this was the perfect moment to show him what she was made of. With a quick move, she used her hips to leverage and freed herself from his hold, spinning on her heels and delivering a kick that made him stagger back. She gritted her teeth against the pain that spread through her body. Logan regained his balance quickly, his arrogant smile disappearing for a moment. Their eyes met, and for the first time, Mia saw a flicker of doubt in his gaze.

Unchain me. The voice in her mind was insistent, laden with promises. Mia felt her blood start to boil, her control slipping. She had only heard that part of herself when she was close to death, in extreme situations. She didn’t understand why it wanted to surface now. Nor did she understand why she was fighting someone she didn’t know. With three words, Logan had made her lose the composure she had worked so hard to maintain. She knew something in him awakened a part of her that had been dormant. Something deep in her mind was reacting, recognizing something in him. The beast roared, demanding to be freed. He’s like us. The words echoed in her mind. Free me.

She felt dizzy, the air clogging in her throat. What did the voice mean by saying he was like her?

There was no time to ponder as the mutant lunged at her. As a reflex, the energy around her began to ripple, creating an invisible force field that shielded her movements, protecting her from his blows. Every time he attacked, he was repelled by the invisible barrier. Realizing she was using her mutation, Logan stepped back, his claws sliding out from his knuckles.

"You’re not the only one with tricks, doll," Logan growled before charging at her with his claws gleaming.

The fight intensified. One of his strikes managed to get through a weak point in the shield. Mia tried to dodge it, but one of the blades sliced her cheek in a quick motion. He was about to stop the fight, feeling they had crossed a line from which there was no return, but Mia’s skin regenerated instantly. The bewilderment in Logan’s eyes was evident, giving her a chance to capitalize on his surprise. With a swift move, she brought him down, pinning him to the ground, her hands firmly on his shoulders, trying to subdue him.

The beast inside her roared, eager to break free, but Mia focused on burying that voice deep in her mind. The energy around her began to calm, and with effort, she managed to keep it in check, silencing the part of herself that demanded control.

As she felt that part quiet down, she turned her attention to Logan. His claws were still out, and although he was immobilized, he continued to squirm beneath her, trying to break free.

"This isn’t my first rodeo, Logan. You’re not getting out."

"I’m not saying I don’t enjoy having a woman on top of me, but this isn’t exactly my favourite scenario."

Mia looked at him with derision and used some of her energy to reinforce the pressure of her hands, pinning him harder to the ground.

"You should���ve apologized for the infirmary" Mia said, her voice low but firm.

Logan glared at her, his eyes burning with fury and defiance.

"Apologize?" he spat, his voice laced with sarcasm. "And what about you? You invaded my mind without an invite. Doesn’t that deserve an apology?"

Mia felt a pang of guilt but buried it quickly. She knew she had invaded his mind, but she had done it for a reason. However, Logan’s arrogance quickly dispelled that guilt.

"Maybe you wouldn’t mind if I did it again," Mia retorted, her tone suggesting something more. "Reveal your darkest secrets."

For a moment, Logan seemed to waver, his resistance loosening just perceptibly. But soon he tensed again, with a smirk that didn’t quite mask his irritation. He lifted his head to get closer to her.

"Go ahead, bub. I’ve got nothing to hide."

Mia closed her eyes and delved into his mind. As she did, Logan began to resist again, but this time not with physical strength, rather mentally, trying to keep her out. However, Mia’s pressure was relentless, and although Logan was strong, he couldn’t keep her at bay for long.

"If you’re staying, Logan, you’ll have to follow the rules," Mia whispered, her voice full of authority. "And this room is my domain. Here, I make the rules."

Logan’s resistance began to give way, not because he wanted to, but because the mental pressure Mia exerted was becoming unbearable. The annoyance in his mind grew, and although he tried to fight it, he eventually had to concede. He retracted his claws, his body relaxing beneath her, though the anger in his eyes remained.

Mia slowly released him, watching as he got up with a humiliated expression. There was something about her that infuriated him and deeply unsettled him. With a frustrated growl, Logan got up and left the room, angry with himself.

Mia watched him go, her own heart pounding uncontrollably. The beast within her had calmed, but the fear remained. She didn’t understand why she had almost lost control or why that dark part of her had decided to surface with a stranger. She felt uneasy, as if Logan had awakened something in her she didn’t even know existed.

She looked at the students, who were staring at the scene with wide eyes, unsure of what to say. Mia took a deep breath and made a decision.

"Class is cancelled for today," she announced, her voice firmer than she felt. "Take the rest of the time off."

The students, still stunned, began to exit the Danger Room, murmuring among themselves. Mia watched them leave, her mind swirling with thoughts. She needed answers, needed to understand what was happening inside her. And there was only one person who could help her.

"Well, that was quite the intense introduction," Storm approached her, still stunned by seeing her friend lose control like that.

"He's a jerk. Someone had to put him in his place."

"Quite the intense class," Ororo said, her hand on Mia’s shoulder, helping her relax.

Mia could only murmur a soft "yes," still shaken by her loss of control.

[wormsincoats]

Is (FNAF Movie) Mike Schmidt Henry's son?

We learn that instead of Mike being William Afton's son, Vanessa is his daughter, but that leaves many holes in regards to what exactly Mike and Abby's role is within the (planned) trilogy of movies. But, with the knowledge that there ARE, in fact, two more movies planned, following the events of FNAF 2 and 3 respectively, we can start to fill in the gaps with the original fnaf lore, in the way that makes sense with the movie canon, as well as the story's need to fit into a 1hr30 timeslot.

Here's why I think Mike and Abby are actually Henry's kids:

In the movie, "Garrett," Mike's brother, is kidnapped by William Afton. We are told that he dies, but never how, when, or where he ended up, and we are never told why. Clearly, as relevant to the plot as this kid was, we would have gotten something, but we didn't. So, we look to the source material, as messy as it is. Where have we seen something like this before?

Charlotte, Henry's daughter, is approached by William in a car, and she is killed outside of the pizzeria. Since the movie's scene takes place in the Nebraska woods, away from the pizzeria location, it would make sense for William to have to instead kidnap her with that car and take her away, but the resolution stands, while also fitting within the timeline of the movie.

It answers the 'why' that remains unanswered in regards to William's reasoning behind the kidnapping. This is answered by the book lore, lore which Scott himself deemed 'canon' (and came after when he actually figured out what he was doing with the lore, much like the movie), and it suggests that William was jealous of Henry's perfect family, the family which Mike described in the movie as the very same perfect picturesque type, that has dinner together every night and says grace. It also explains why William would be in the middle of the Nebraska woods in the first place, because why else would he be there other than to go camping with his business buddy and their families?

The next movie is supposed to reflect FNAF 2, where all of this would be revealed with the Puppet/Marionette's presence, where Charlotte's soul canonically resides, and where Garrett's may end up in the context of the movie.

It would give further explanation to William's reaction to Mike's last name, other than "oh that's the last name of the kid I kidnapped, ignoring how I know the kid's name in the first place"

Mike's parents' deaths are never actually explained in detail; He mentions that his mother died as a result of his brother disappearing, and that his father "just couldn't handle it," which could easily fit within Henry's known storyline in the real lore.

It would be the perfect opportunity to loop Henry into the story, who was left nearly wholly untouched in the movie (minus one background shot of (supposedly) him working on the animatronics, and the guy playing him happens to look a lot like Mike's father did).

This definitely could be a reach, but it makes sense within the context of the movie, and it makes sense from a writing perspective, especially considering how important Henry is as a character, and how Mike and Abby fit into the overall story. Big props to @painlessnostalgia for pointing this out because it pretty much filled all of the biggest plot holes for me

[blue-thief]

oh the wonders of realizing due dates are actually farther than i expected

@marcsnuffy this is all basically just based off how this guy is made up of twelve billion contradictions esp when we're considering gender expression.

i've gone over this before, but he's the type of guy who would read dazai, dostoevsky, kafka, etc in a male manipulator kind of way. this type of guy also goes in hand with the type of guy who watches fight club, american psycho, etc with zero self awareness (i'm not much of a film nerd so i can't really speak about his taste in films specifically).

his dad probably had a collection of old films he worked on, and kaiser watched them all on some old cd or cassette player in hopes of finding some with his mom. even though his mom showed up in more dramatic films rather than tougher serious ones, these ones hold a special place in his heart. he's not in denial about this, but he never brings it up to anyone. around the time he was a tween, he snuck into a movie theatre to watch one of his mom's films.

i believe it was mentioned that his parents started off in theater, and once kaiser became rich enough, he took time to see live productions at least once a month. his goal is to catch up on shakespeare since he never got a chance to learn about him at school (i had to check r/askeurope to see if shakespeare is taught there 😭😭).

as much as it's funny to imagine hamilton fan kaiser, i don't think he'd be drawn to musicals that much. he doesn't mind them, but they aren't usually on his radar. he's considered going to the opera though. for the sake of affirming to himself that he's now financially stable.

he canonically reads psychology textbooks, and i think he has read jordan peterson's books. (SCREAMING CRYING THROWING UP BECAUSE I HAVE PROBABLY WALKED ON THE SAME FLOOR AS JORDAN PETERSON ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS GET ME OUT OF HEERREEEEEE) i don't think he'd care or agree with jordan peterson but he definitely has read him, maybe even bought some of his works shudders he also read the dictator's handbook + the art of war and has used this in ways that are disastrous for everyone involved

beyond the dazai, dostoevsky, kafka, etc vibe, i don't think there's much fiction he'd be drawn to. at some point, he decided to check out f. scott key fitzgerald, saw jay gatsby, and went "he's just like me fr" (again, zero self awareness)

as for music, i think he would listen to three days grace in particular (i have listened to exactly ONE three days grace song and that is "i am machine" and all i could think was "he would listen to this /neg" then added it to my own liked songs playlist). he might have stumbled across panic! at the disco and he probably vibed pretty well with a fever you can't sweat out. he would not care for any other panic! at the disco album. he also wouldn't care for ryden so he wouldn't read throam. but i need this guy to somehow read throam because throam!ryan ross is literally him.

he probably heard primadonna girl by marina but didn't care at first. it wasn't until he accidentally stumbled across oh no that he was like "i need to listen to the rest of this". he only ended up caring for the family jewels and electra heart, and electra heart is more feminine than most things he would allow himself to listen to, but this is just his way of going "whoa look i'm a feminist i like women i'm listening to a woman and sings about woman stuff". relates to the persona of electra heart once again because AGAIN. THIS GUY HAS ZERO SELF AWARENESS 😭😭 HE NEVER REALIZES THE ART HE CONNECTS TO IS TELLING HIM THAT HE SHOULD NOT BE THE WAY THAT HE IS 😭😭😭

but yeah. electra heart is his limit to willingly admitting to feminine art but this guy is subconsciously drawn to taylor swift but more like in the sense that he's fascinated with her presence in the cultural zeitgeist. which is a strange form of being a swiftie, but his relationship with famous women is strange considering his relationship with his mother. if his mother got big enough that she worked with americans on american projects, there's a chance that she would talk about/be publicly acquainted with a lot of young famous women for the sake of white feminism yk. he consumes their art just through cultural osmosis but his understanding of their personal drama and stuff is weirdly detailed

also these are all totally definitely absolutely not examples of me projecting 😁😁 because i AM self aware and i am better than michael kaiser in every way possible 😁😁😁

[chambersandfogg]

June 24th, 1922

It was days ago now, but I’m only just recovered from my third annual summer solstice fête. As always, it was a rip roaring success, worth the morning head that followed. Despite the absurd temperance laws in place now, New York has continued to flourish as the place to have a good time and the life of a theater owner and producer has introduced me to all sorts of people.

Actors, writers, musicians, film stars, and, of course, New York’s wealthiest families—those are the people who filled my Long Island home. Even Houdini himself has become a regular attendee, something I delight in. I longed for so many years to be noticed by him for my work as a magician but, despite meeting him a few times, I know I never made any kind of impact. I know this because he can now come to my house and drink my liquor and talk to me of his work without any spark of recognition in his eyes. I am ten years his senior and yet now, for all intents and purposes, twenty years younger. He treats me as such—telling me of his shows and travels, reminiscing about the turn of the century as if I truly was just a boy when we entered the nineteen hundreds.

There is something thrilling in pulling the wool over a great illusionist and skeptic’s eyes. There were some in attendance who should have recognized me as Fogg, but they seem to accept my new name and history with no question. It is a jolly crowd, full of the brightest minds of a generation, but they still see what they want to see. In any case, I am enjoying playing the part of the newly rich Jack Sinclair, even if it means that none of my guests ever truly know who I am.

The one guest who does know me—and the one I was most surprised to see walk into the garden—is Charles Chambers. He has been invited each year and, until now, never graced us with his presence. I don’t know what changed that he decided to come this year, but given the last time we saw each other was at the opening of “Pick a Posy” in the fall, I was pleased he came. As he almost always does, he disappeared into the night after sharing a drink with me at the opening night party and, while we’ve written, he remains as distant and unknowable as ever.

So you can imagine my shock when he agreed to stay the week here on the estate. He’s out walking the grounds as I write and I don’t know what it is he seeks out there, but he’s spent hours outdoors every single day since he arrived. A few other guests lingered for a day or two and the staff is here of course, but as of this morning, the only two occupants of the house are Charles and myself.

I find that I’m oddly nervous in his presence now that he is the only one remaining. I would not have anticipated the urge to entertain the man but, then again, we’ve hardly spent more than a day together since we worked on our World’s Fair act all those decades ago. I have no idea what kind of host he expects me to be or even how long he plans on staying—he said a week but I haven’t heard any noise about his travel plans. I would be happy if he stayed out the month here, perhaps into the Independence Day festivities. But for a man who is so constant and stoic, he has a tendency to be unpredictable.

He appears well. His work debunking the worst charlatans of the world is clearly invigorating and fulfilling him in the way my producing work does for me. It is heartening, that both of us have found new vocations that inspire us. If we are truly to be this way for the rest of time, I have to think it is vitally important that we continue to find endeavors that keep us engaged and occupied. My years of laying about after the war gave me great insight into the sorrow an idle mind can bring.

The rummiest thing happened at the party in fact—Scott and Dorothy, who had never met before but got on like a house on fire, were stacking coupes to pour champagne into when the whole thing came toppling over with a great big crash. And for a moment, I could have sworn that I was back on the front. I clearly had had too much to drink already by that point in the evening, because the whole room around me went foggy and indistinct and the old pain in my leg flared as if I had just received the injury.

I’m grateful that Charles was there. Somehow he intuited that perhaps I’d gotten a tad too sozzled, and he was at my side in a moment, ushering me into the library with the rest of the party none the wiser. I’m not sure I would’ve been able to extricate myself, as in that moment I feared I would collapse. We didn’t speak much when he sat me down in my favorite armchair, but he poured us both a brandy and we sat in peaceful quiet for a while. It really was the strangest thing. I certainly flinch at loud noises here and there—nothing so extreme as shell shock I don’t think—but this was something else entirely. It’s burdened my mind these last few days.

I wonder if it would be worthwhile to speak to Charles about it. While not the most forthcoming man, he is a decently good listener and is, of course, the person on this earth who knows me the best. But there is a strange distance between us that I cannot seem to cross. We spoke a little at the party, and have dined every meal since, but outside of that it feels that he’s avoiding me. Which I cannot fathom, given that he’s chosen to stay.

While theater producing is certainly keeping me occupied for the time being, I suppose, when in doubt, I’ll always have the mystery of Charles Chambers to fall back on as an activity to fill my endless days.

[from the personal diary of J.S. Fogg]

[to read the pre-1917 entries, join Atypical Artists and get access to the archive of 24 entries (5,000+ words), as well as ad-free episodes of Atypical's whole catalogue. to receive future monthly missives straight to your inbox, sign up for free here]

[wqintraining]

NEW X-MEN: THE ANIMATED SERIES - SEASON 2, EPISODE 3

We open on the Xavier Institute in the middle of the night. Dressed in casual clothes, sipping a beer, and with a six-pack at his side, Cyclops is seated on the roof and looking up at the stars. We cannot see his eyes, but we do not need to to know the pain in them. 

"Room for one more?"

With the grace expected of a goddess, Storm floats up to the roof. 

Scott is unsure until Ororo warmly smiles at him. He can't help but smile back at her, and pull out another beer for her. Ororo takes it and sits down next to him. 

The two sip their drinks and stargaze together. 

SCOTT: "I miss her so much."

ORORO: "We all do. We can only hope that, wherever Jean is, whatever she's doing, she's happy."

Another moment of silence. 

SCOTT: "Thank you. For still talking to me."

ORORO: "You did an awful thing. But, unlike someone else, you know it was wrong. It was a mistake, one with grave, unforeseen consequences, but not a mistake I expect you to make again."

Scott's smile widens as he hangs his head and thanks her again. 

ORORO: "We'll get through these dark times the way we always have. As a team. When Jean eventually comes home, your wife and my sister returned to us, our family will be whole again. And then, we need not ever even speak the name, "Emma Frost" again. 

Scott chuckles. He hopes that day comes soon. 

Scott raises up his beer, and Storm clinks hers against it. 

We cut directly to a large home in Mississippi, where Rogue kisses her mother, Irene Adler on the cheek. 

The two are standing in the doorway. Rogue wouldn't look out of place on a runway, while Irene, a blind, frail old woman with gray hair in a bun, glasses to hide her eyes, and a sweet smile on her face, is dressed far more conservatively. 

Rogue says it's been nice spending time with her again, but she really does have to get back to Remy. Irene understands, a wife needs to be with her husband, but asks her to please never be a stranger again. 

ROGUE: "If you can avoid stayin out of any more trouble, that won't be a problem."

Rogue gives her mom one more kiss, before saying she loves her and flying off. 

Irene waves goodbye and shuts the door, only to immediately shift personas, a sneer overtaking her face as she cracks her wrinkly neck. 

Irene puts on her Destiny costume, grabs her sidearm, and dons her helmet, all the while growling about how much she hates Gambit, and how she, for the life of her, cannot understand what Anna-Marie sees in her. 

In the basement, Toad, Blob, Avalanche, and Pyro - the Brotherhood of Evil - are gathered. It's been a while since they were all together, and they're all catching up. Pyro just got out of jail after three years, and is positively itching to burn something again. Avalanche says he should count himself lucky. He was living on Genosha, and only wasn't there when everything went boom because he was getting drinks with Blob. Blob meanwhile has been in therapy. 

PYRO: "You're in therapy, mate?"

BLOB: "Mmhmm. You should consider it too, Pyro. For a Flatscan, Dr. Garrison is the best."

Toad laughs at this. 

TOAD: "Well, while you've been talking about your fee fees, I totally banged Husk!"

PYRO: "The X-Men girlie?"

AVALANCHE: "Isn't she a kid?"

TOAD: "She's 19!"

The other three exchange glances. 

AVALANCHE: "Oh. Well then I just don't believe you."

As Toad shouts back, he's quickly silenced as Destiny comes downstairs, the boys all terrified of her mere presence. 

Now that Rogue is gone, they can get down to business. Her wife has been in SHIELD custody for months now, and she refuses to tolerate that any longer. The four of them are to break into the prison she's being held in and bust her out. 

Blob wants Mystique free as much as they do, but he raises the obvious question: won't the X-Men come to stop them?

TOAD: "Eh, he's got a point, boss. You see who's on their team these days? I'm awesome, but I dunno if the rest of these guys are up to fighting them."

Pyro smacks Toad on the back of the head. 

DESTINY: "Yes, on your own, there is no future I see where you can succeed. This is why I've enlisted someone else to lead this mission."

AVALANCHE: "And who's…that?"

The Brotherhood all strike looks of disbelief as they glance up the staircase. 

The camera pans up a short, muscular, excessively hairy man in a white tank top and jeans, chomping a cigar. 

LOGAN: "Sup, bubs?"

Back at the school, Cessily and Roxy are hanging out in Bling!’s dorm room. The two are seated on Roxy’s bed, her side of the room decorated with band posters, with instruments all over the place. Cessily has headphones on and is listening to a hip-hop track. She’s clearly enjoying it, bobbing her head along with it. Roxy is happy to just watch her reactions until the song finishes. 

Cessily takes the headphones off and tells Roxy that the song was amazing! Roxy plays it casual and says it’s not perfect yet and her mom and dad are still working out the kinks. 

ROXY: “Aaaand, once they have, I may have talked them into letting you audition in front of them for a spot as a background dancer in the music video.” 

Cessily freaks out with excitement and anxiety. That’s so cool, but also does she really think she can do this? Sofia’s the dancer, not her. Roxy assures her she’s seen Cessily’s cheer routines, and she should be perfect. And if she isn’t, her parents already agreed to let her be an extra no matter what. 

Cessily practically squeals with joy. 

CESSILY: “Roxanne Washington, you are the coolest girl in the world.” 

ROXY: “Girl, I know that already.” 

She smooches Cessily. To her surprise, Cessily suddenly shrinks in her seat, partially literally, as her face falls. Roxy questions what’s wrong, with Cessily explaining that she’s so amazing, and this opportunity is incredible, but…

CESSILY: “What will people say? Won’t everyone hate that there’s a freak in the background? Dancers in music videos are supposed to be hot.” Cessily partially melts onto the floor. “Not sure how *anyone* could look at me and think that.” 

Roxy holds Cessily, not caring one bit that Cessily is mostly goop right now, and tells her that, first off, she’s been starring in her parents’ videos since she was little. Anyone who had a problem with Mutants checked out a long time ago, and they’re still riding high as hip-hop royalty. And as for Cess herself…

ROXY: “You’re stunning. One of a kind. The most beautiful metal in the world.” 

Cessily liqufies even further, but this time with a smile creeping across her face. 

CESSILY: “You mean that?” 

ROXY: “I never lie.” 

Roxy detaches a piece of diamond from herself and sticks it into Cessily, tickling her with it. 

Laughing hysterically uncontrollably, Cessily jovially tells her girlfriend to stop. Roxy only joins in the laughter. 

We cut from Roxy laughing to Roxy shouting, as Bling! and her squad run drills in the Danger Room. The rest of Roxy’s squad consists of Pixie, Match, Indra, Loa, and Network. They are not doing well, with Roxy unable to hit the target circling her with her diamond shards, Loa unable to catch the target she’s supposed to disintegrate through, Match running out of steam before he can finish melting his assigned beam, Indra’s armor form unable to withstand the drone attacks it faces, and Pixie just getting scared of the drones she’s supposed to be fighting and flying headfirst into a wall. 

PIXIE, rubbing her bike helmet on the floor: “Aww, thanks helmet. You’re always there for me.” 

The only member of the squad who’s performing well at all is Network, who’s using her ability to interface with technology to shut down the other tests one by one. 

Above the Danger Room, the kids aren’t the only ones who are frustrated. Scott is on his phone, shouting at the top of his lungs. 

SCOTT: “Your vacation is over, Sunspot! Get back here, now! Northstar says he wants your spot, and I WILL give it to him!” 

Scott hands up and takes a breath as he joins the rest of the teachers present, Hank, who’s squad this is, Iceman, who wanted to come see his oldest friend, and Emma, who was curious to see what Bling! had since she’s spending so much time with her squad now. 

Beast knows it’s not what she was hoping to hear, but, no, Bling! Is, fittingly, quite close to Mercury’s skill level currently, not the rest of her little prodigies. 

BEAST: “Of course, there’s no shame in one’s strength being in the lab.” 

ICEMAN, obnoxiously eating a banana: “Yeah, we wouldn’t be able to do anything without you science dorks.” Bobby swallows. “Good thing to be getting your seat nice and warmed up for her.” 

BEAST, unamused: “Mmhmm.” 

Suddenly, Network is blasted across the Danger Room and into the opposite wall, hitting her head and getting knocked unconscious. 

As everyone freaks out, Scott orders Beast to shut the Danger Room down and tell his kids to stay bacl. He questions what happened, but Beast isn’t sure. Before she ever set foot in the Danger Room, he’d made sure Network’s powers would never trigger any defensive response. 

Scott pinches his forehead. He’s gonna go make sure Sarah is okay, and help calm the others, who are still visibly freaked out downstairs, but he wants Beast to make figuring out what happened and fixing it his top priority. No more kids are getting hurt inside these walls, dammit. 

Beast understands, but Iceman wants to help. He may not understand any of this stuff, but there has to be someway an Omega can be useful. Besides, it’ll give them more of a chance to catch up. 

BEAST: “Oh, that’s really not necessary.” 

ICEMAN: “Come on, I don’t mind, it’s all chill.” 

The others all groan at that. 

EMMA, putting a hand on Scott’s shoulder: “Well, while you boys get to work, I have some new students to greet.” 

SCOTT, swatting Emma’s hand off of him: “New students? I haven’t received any reports about any. Who’s bringing them?” 

EMMA, clearly displeased with Scott’s attitude: “Oh, don’t worry about that. They have their own means of transportation.” 

At an airport, a private jet lands. With a driver and limo waiting for them, attendants seeing to their luggage, and a carpet rolled out, five identical blonde teenage girls, sporting sunglasses, exit their place and enter their car. The limo rolls out and drives across New York City, until arriving at the Xavier Institute. 

The girls get out and step through the school’s gates. As they remove their sunglasses and put them in their purses in unison, their eyes look like they’re all judging the school. 

ESME: “This seems…” 

SOPHIE: “...adequate.” 

As the five strut toward the school itself, the bombshells draw the attention of the students who are presently outside. For one student, however, simply looking at these mysterious new girls isn’t enough, as he rushes up to them. 

DJ, with a cocky shithead smirk on his face: “Hello, ladies! You must be new here. I’m Mark. I basically run this place. Want me to show you around?” 

The girls smile as their eyes glow a familiar shade of blue in unison. 

“Go jump in a well.” 

Mark’s eyes flash blue for just a second. 

DJ, with the dopiest dumbass grin on his face: “OK!” 

DJ runs off to go jump in a well. 

(AUTHOR’S NOTE: DJ was never seen again.) 

As the girls laugh among themselves, they’re greeted by Emma. 

EMMA: “The Stepford Cuckoos. A pleasure to meet you all.” 

Pointing at them one by one, she makes sure she knows who is who. In the center of their arrangement is Sophie, at her sides are Esme and Phoebe, and on the ends are Celeste and Irma. 

Emma notes that, with her now teaching Jean’s telepathy class, she’s gotten a chance to know an obnoxious, arrogant young man who thinks he’s the most powerful telepath of his generation. She hopes that her expectations for these five remarkable, well-bred young women are rightly placef, and they’ll be able to crush his dreams. 

THE CUCKOOS: “We settle for nothing but the best, Ms. Frost.” 

EMMA: “Girls after my own heart.” 

Emma volunteers to show them around and introduce them to her current prized students, but they tell her that won’t be necessary. They’ve already ripped the knowledge of the campus’ layout out of the other students’ heads, and they already have a very good idea of who they want to be friends with. 

Emma pays no mind as they all smile obviously evily. 

In the Danger Room, Beast is going around opening to panels to examine the system’s inner workings. He remarks to himself about how this room has always been such a scientific achievement, always updated to be on the cutting edge of progress. Professor Xavier truly is a genius like no other. He hopes he can live up his standards on its maintenance. 

While Beast says all this, Bobby stands behind him, clearly not paying attention and lost in his own little world. Hank notices. 

HANK: “Bobby, are you even paying attention, or am I speaking to the air?” 

BOBBY: “Sorry, sorry. Yeah, the professor was great…mostly. But come on! I wanna hear about what you’ve been up to, fuzz. Get it? Rhymes with cuz? And you’re fuzzy?” 

Hank pinches his nose and tells Bobby that between teaching and his research, he hasn’t had time to “be up” to anything. Not anything he’d understand at least. 

Bobby questions why it seems like Hank isn’t happy to have him around. Didn’t he miss him? As Hank starts to answer, he presses a series of buttons on a panel, which results in a trap door opening and the two men falling through it. 

In Scott’s office, he’s hard at work as ever when Emma slinks in. She tells him to cancel his non-existent plans for the night, because she got them seats for the grand opening of the hottest new restaurant in the city. Scott flatly tells her he isn’t interested as he continues to type. 

Emma questions if he really wants to do this whole dance AGAIN. She sees how he looks at her, she knows what he thinks about her, and she sure as Hell knows how she made him feel, so what’s the problem? 

Scott doesn’t even respond. 

EMMA: “Oh, is this about poor Jean? Still feeling sorry for how you betrayed her? Genosha’s destruction isn’t the only thing which would have happened without us. The second you rightfully obliterated Stryker, Jean’s fate was already sealed. Cassandra Nova had seen to that. She feels no guilt for what she’s done, not as we do. Unless you wish to tell me that you regret killing Stryker, and that it wasn’t the most freeing moment of your life, then you have nothing to brood over, and no reason to resist what you desire.” 

Scott stands, not changing his expression. 

SCOTT: “This isn’t you, Emma. I’ve gotten to see a different side of you, a side I care for, respect, and am grateful to have around…but this? Chasing after me when I’m not interested? That’s beneath you. So whatever game you’re playing, drop it.” 

Scott heads for his door, only to stop momentarily as Emma responds. 

EMMA: There’s no game. Not currently. I’m just looking for someone to play with.” 

After hesitating for a moment, Scott exits. 

Back in Bling!’s room, with class having gotten out early due to the accident with Network, she’s jamming out on one of her guitars. Across the room, her roommate, Pixie, has puffy, pink-furred, over-sized headphones on, is watching one of Sofia’s makeup tutorials and taking notes, her facorite stuffed animal, Mr. Dogbear, “watching” with her. Pixie’s side of the room is filled with flowers and many other stuffed animals. 

When Roxy takes a quick water break, there are multiple simultaneous knocks on their door. Roxy puts down her guitar and goes to see who it is, opening her door to reveal the Cuckoos all smiling at her. 

ROXY, confused: “Uh, can I help you?” 

SOPHIE: “You’re Roxanne Washington. Daughter of Roy and Angel Washington. I’m Sophie Cuckoo. These are my sisters Phoebe, Esme, Celeste, and Irma. We’re going to be best friends now.” 

ROXY, weirded out: “Riiiiight. Listen, it’s cool you guys are fans but you can’t just do…this. How about you come sit with my friends and I at lunch tomorrow? Sounds good? Good.” 

Roxy starts closing the door, but Esme keeps it open with her high-heel. 

PHOEBE: “We’re going to be famous Mutant pop stars one day. Like Dazzler. It only makes sense we get along.” 

Just as Roxy is started to get freaked out by these girls, Pixie notices what’s going on and flutters over to them, taking her headphones off. She tells the Cuckoos their outfits and hair are really pretty, only for the Cuckoos to flash their eyes blue, and making Pixie’s flash blue for a second. Pixie spins around and, from her perspective, all of her stuffed animals have been mangled and torn apart. 

Pixie screams hysterically as she flies over to them in tears. 

PIXIE: “Mr. Dogbear! Everyone!” 

As the Cuckoos giggle, Roxy questions what the Hell is wrong with them…only for her eyes to flash blue. An instant later, she’s pointing and laughing at Megan with her new best friends. 

ROXY: “This is hilarious.” 

IRMA: “We knew you’d think so.” 

At a SHEILD prison in Arizona, two uniformed agents are having coffee in the break room. One of the guys mentions that they need to go feed the inmates. The other guy groans. He really doesn’t want Mutie duty again. 

SHIELD AGENT #1: “Heh. Duty.” 

SHIELD AGENT #2: “Real mature, Dave.” 

The other agent doesn’t want to have to go near the Mutants either, so they play rock, paper, scissors for who gets to feed the human prisoners, and who has to feed the Mutant prisoners. 

Naturally, Dave loses. 

Mumbling and grumbling the whole time, Dave brings a food cart to the Mutant section of the prison. Along with season one villains such as Mastermind and Sabretooth, we get cameos from Lady Deathstrike, Black Tom Cassidy, Frenzy, and Nanny & Orphan Maker, all of whom are in SHIELD custody. 

Simultaneously afraid and disgusted by all of them, he eventually arrives at Mystique. Her, he takes an extra moment on. He doesn’t get her. She was one of the good ones, helping the government capture dangerous Mutants. Why would she throw away the good thing they had going by picking a fight with the X-Men? 

Mystique laughs as she seductively saunters over to the agent, a glass-quartz wall separating them. 

MYSTIQUE: “Well, David, it’s really quite simple. Capturing Mutants was business. Desiring the death of your entire race? That’s what I dream of.” 

The agent snorts. She should recheck the scoreboard. Mutants are the ones who look like they’re on the way out. 

MYSTIQUE: “Perhaps. But your numbers are dwindling too. For instance, you’re about to be crushed to death.” 

SHIELD AGENT #1: “Huh? What are you…?”

Blob crashes through the cieling and crushes Dave to death, leaving nothing behind but blood and gore underneath him. 

BLOB: “Ooph. That hurt my butt.” He dusts himself off and stands up. “Rescue team’s here, Mystique!” 

Mystique speaks as the rest of the Brotherhood drop down from their plane. 

MYSTIQUE: “Of course you are. Just as she said you would be.” 

 In the school cafeteria, Cessily, Sofia, Sooraya, Brian, and Laura are at their usual table. Sofia is frustrated. She’s been pumping out more content than she has since she got here since she’s no longer spending so much time with Julian, but that jerk is all people are commenting about. They just HAVE to know how the “Mutant Prom King and Prom Queen” are doing. 

SOFIA: “It wasn’t even a prom!” 

Before this can be dwelled on too much, Roxy enters the cafeteria alongside the Cuckoos. Cessily enthusiastically calls over to her girlfriend to introduce her to her new friends, while Laura questions who these new girls are. 

LAURA: “They’re cute…but they don’t smell right.” 

 Roxy and the Cuckoos turn their attention to the squad and laugh, before finding a different table. 

CESSILY, confused and hurt: “Huh?” 

BRIAN: “Hey, don’t panic. Maybe they just madea funny joke, and she wants some time alone with the girls.” 

SOORAYA: “You panicked at the dance. I don’t know romance, but I know you can’t become afraid of everything.” 

CESSILY: “Yeah. I guess. Maybe you’re –”

Before Cessily can finish that sentence, Sofia picks her up with her winds and flies the two of them over toward the Cuckoos and Bling!

SOFIA: “She does NOT get to do this too!” 

CESSILY: “Sofia, wait, I don’t want to…!” 

Cessily trails off as they land. 

CELESTE: “Oh, look, Roxy. It’s your girlfriend and…” 

SOPHIE: “Sofia Mantega. The most popular girl in this school. Of course, without your man, that won’t last.” 

SOFIA: “Who do you think you are?!” 

ESME: “Careful, Sophie. Get her too mad and she’ll try to kill us.” 

Bringing up the Shaw incident partially shuts Sofia down. 

ROXY: “They’re the Stepford Cuckoos. And I’m trading up.” 

CESSILY: “Wh…what do you mean?” 

Roxy laughs. 

ROXY: “Sofia gets it. It’s why she brought you over here. You two are a matching set.” She mockingly waves at Cessily. “Buh bye.” 

Cessily starts crying, as the Cuckoos cackle. 

ROXY: “Honestly, I was just curious what you’d be like in bed. There are no other freaks as freaky as you out there. One of a kind.” 

Cessily breaks down completely, sobbing and begging Roxy not to mean this, at which point Sofia utter a somber sigh and flies them both away, hugging her. 

SOFIA: “It is going to be, Cessily. I will get you through this. I know what you need.” 

In the school’s gymnasium, Scott is playing basketball with two members of his squad, Quill and Specter. The game of course is brought to a sudden end with Quill accidentally pops the ball on one of his spikes. While Specter gets mad at him cause that was HIS ball, Scott walks away to take a call. 

On the other end of the line, we see Maria Hill, acting commander of SHIELD, on the Helicarrier. She informs him that Mystique is presently being broken out of prison by the Brotherhood of Evil, and the agents they have stationed there won’t be able to hold them off for long. They require immediate assistance. 

Scott questions why they can’t handle this themselves. Maria answers that “The X-Men deal with Mutant problems” was the deal their predecessors made, and she intends for him to stick to it. 

MARIA: “Not to mention, there’s someone with them we can’t do anything about.” 

Scott raises an eyebrow. 

We hardcut to a new Blackbird being geared up for takeoff. The only ones on board are Cyclops and Storm, and Scott is livid. 

STORM: “You don’t wish to bring the others?”” 

CYCLOPS: “Kitty and Laura have enough on their plates. If Logan’s actually cracked, they don’t need to know. And we don’t need Bobby for this…or Emma. You shouldn’t have any problem dealing with the Brotherhood while Logan and I have a talk.” 

STORM, calmly: “You had me, “or Emma”.”

The Blackbird takes off, heading for Arizona. 

Iceman and Beast wake up suspended in mid-air in darkness, their arms and legs wrapped in metal cables. 

Bobby notices where they are and asks if it’s weird that was the best he’s slept in ages. Beast ignores him and notes he has no idea where they are. He’s looked over the Danger Room’s schematics a million times, and he’s never seen anything about a lower level to it. 

BOBBY: “According to Cyclops, the Professor hid a sister from us. Not too hard to assume he’d hide a scary basement or two.” 

BEAST: “Hmm. Touche.” 

Bobby says he’ll get them out in a flash and tries to freeze the cables, but no matter how hard he pushes, the ice melts. Hank tells him it’s no use. Between this and what happened to Network, he can only hypothesize a virus has caused the Danger Room to resist being examined or tinkered with, and with its ability to counter every X-Man’s powers, there’s nothing they can do. Not till someone comes looking for them, at least. 

BOBBY: “Soooo, we’re stuck here?” 

HANK: “That’s what I said, yes.”

BOBBY: “Right…so what fur brush have you been using? Cause I could definitely use it for my hair.” 

Hank groans in annoyance. 

At the Grindhouse, Cessily is crying her heart out to Sofia as they both have coffee. She just doesn’t understand why Roxy would do this. Sofia says she can’t understand herself, but maybe that Quentin kid has some points about people like her and Julian. 

Cessily takes a deep breath in. She questions if Sofia is going to fight Bling! for her, with Sofia laughing that, no, she isn’t Noriko. Surge fighting Hellion didn’t make her feel better. Doing what she loves with a friend, and remembering that’s what’s important, did. So, they’re going to put together an Xavier’s cheer routine to do together to post on her Instagram and TikTok. 

Cessily slightly smiles and says that’s a sweet idea, but she can’t. She’s a freak. She can’t put herself online. Sofia slams her hands down on the table. She insists that Cessily cannot listen to the cruel things Roxy said about her. She is beautiful, and she promises all of her Sofia Stans will say so as well. 

CESSILY: “I don’t know. Also, I thought you were calling your fans Wind Babies.” 

SOFIA: “People didn’t like it.” 

CESSILY: “I didn’t either. I don’t like tihs name either.” 

SOFIA: “Really? I am off my branding game.” 

Now working here as a waitress, Noriko approaches her friends. 

NORIKO: “Hey, Sooraya let me know what happened. Said she was telling me so I wouldn’t say anything insensitive or dumb. Anyway, you wanna know what I think you should do?” 

CESSILY: “Nori, I appreciate the thought, but I’m pretty sure whatever you’re about to say is going to make me feel infinitely worse.” 

NORIKO, slamming her hands down on the table: “YOU GO UP TO THIS NEW BITCHY BIMBO BRIGADE, YOU GIVE THEM A PIECE OF YOUR MIND, AND YOU DEMAND TO KNOW WHAT THEY DID TO YOUR GIRL! THEY’RE MUTANTS! THEY PROBABLY USED THEIR POWERS ON HER!” 

SOFIA, sighing: “Noriko, I’m helping her move on. Accepting the facts is the only way she will–”

CESSILY: “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but you’re right, Nori. Yeah. The Cuckoos? I’m gonna figure out what they did to Roxy and save her from them!” 

NORIKO: “Hell yeah!” 

The two high-five as Sofia embarassedly put her face in her hands. 

In the SHIELD prison, SHIELD agents fight a desperate, losing battle against the Brotherhood as they make their escape from the secure facility. The agency’s marksmen are useless as the Blob acts as a bulletproof wall to protect his team, while their martial artists are no match for the supernaturally agile Toad and Mystique, Avalanche and Pyro using their localized earthquakes and flamethrowers to ensure none of their enemies can even stay still. 

This isn’t a fight. It’s a massacre. 

All the while, Logan stands back and does nothing but seethe. 

TOAD, taking a pistol from an agent whose neck he just broke and mockingly bowing as he hands it to Mystique: “Madame.” 

Mystique takes it from him and, with a sadistic grin on her face, swiftly headshots the entire next round of agents to come for them. 

They’re almost out the front door, when, at last, they’re stopped in their tracks by the appearance of Cyclops and Storm. 

Blob and Avalanche shrink a little, nervous about taking them on, while Pyro and Toad appear excited to throw down. Logan is sneering right at Scott. 

MYSTIQUE: “Cyclops. I’m glad you’re here. I’ve been waiting for another chance to kill you. And, would you believe it: there’s someone who wants to kill you even more?” 

Logan steps forward and pulls out his claws. 

ORORO: “Logan, do not do this.” 

LOGAN: “Sorry, Stormy. This isn’t about you.” 

As the two teams stare each other down, Cyclops fires the first shot. 

In the school’s dance studio, the Cuckoos are performing a routine to the most soulless pop song imaginable, with Bling! cheering them on. 

As the song enters its final verse, however, their speakers are unplugged by a pissed off Mercury. 

The Cuckoos and Roxy all ground around and taunt Cessily, but she isn’t backing down. She doesn’t know who these girls are or what their powers are, but she knows Roxy would never act like she’s doing, and she would never, ever enjoy trashy music like she was just listening to. 

CELESTE: “Aww, can someone not accept they were just used and tossed aside?” 

PHOEBE: “Like a tin can?” 

The Cuckoos cackle. 

Cessily holds herself together, hard as it is for her, as she says she doesn’t care if they’re telepaths or just have mind control, but they’re going to undo it NOW. 

Roxy gets right in Cessily’s face. She tells her to face facts. She was never into her cause she’s a loser. Although the Cuckoos did get ONE thing wrong. 

ROXY: “We never slept together. Girl was a damn cheerleader, but she’s still a virgin. She’s as freaky on the inside as she is on the outside.” 

As the Cuckoos all start mocking Cessily, she  just utters, ”Please”, as she tenses up, grits her teeth, and clenches her fists. 

SOPHIE: “I don’t believe she’s gotten the message yet.” 

ESME: “Let’s teach her this time, Sophie.” 

As Cessily struggles not to let her rage get the best of her, her eyes flash blue. She roars and stretches out her entire body to attack the Cuckoos, only for the quintuplets to effortlessly blast her away and nearly knock her unconscious with a single psy-blast. 

Roxy hollers as the Cuckoos stand over the half-way melted Cessily. 

IRMA: “You can believe what you’d like.” 

CELESTE: “But we hope you get the message.” 

SOPHIE: “Never fuck with us.” 

Cessily cries as she further melts into the floor, as her tormentors strut away…only for her eyes to widen upon hearing what Roxy is shouting. 

ROXY: “Ms. Moonstar! Wherever you are, we’ve got a problem! One of your kids just tried to kill the new girls!” 

Cessily belts out a high-pitch screech of despair. 

Back at the SHEILD base, the X-Men and Brotherhood’s fight has begun. 

Storm is battling Mystique, Toad, Pyro, Avalanche, and Blob all at once. With what Storm can do limited by the confined space they’re in, Mystique and Toad’s taunts and difficult to hit natures, Pyro being able to manipulate his flames to move in any direction, Avalanche staying behind Blob, who’s durable enough to even tank Storm’s attacks, as he launches his seismic waves at her, they’re able to keep her busy, if nothing else. Still, Storm clearly has them all on defense, and it’s evident that they really do need all five of them to be a match for her. 

While the Brotherhood are able to successfully keep the big gun busy, the main event of Cyclops vs Logan takes place further down the hall. For all of Scott’s skill and precision, he struggles to land a hit on Logan with his beams, while Logan jumps around his attacks and picks key moments to move in and kick Scott around. 

Scott questions what the Hell Logan is doing, with Logan spitting back that he’d have loved to ask him the same thing before it was too late. 

SCOTT: “Wiat…is this about Jean?!” 

LOGAN: “What else would it be about?!” 

Logan manages to slash Cyclops across the chest and, while he’s stunned, kicks him to the floor. 

LOGAN: “She trusted you!” 

Scott can only cringe. He knows he cannot defend himself. 

In Dani’s classroom, Mercury continues to cry as she’s chewed out for attacking The Cuckoos, with no knowledge of how she was manipulated into doing so. Dani is starting to think therapy should be mandatory for every kid who went out to fight the sentinels, because she knows they’re good kids, but they just keep on acting out. 

DANI: “Two weeks detention, Cessily. I’m sorry.” 

CESSILY: “WHAT?!” 

DANI: “You didn’t nearly destroy the school like Noriko, so you’re getting off easy by comparison. But you can’t do this again. No matter how much you’re hurting.” 

Cessily sniffles.

CESSILY: “I’m sorry, Miss Moonstar. I don’t know what came over me. It’s like one second I was just angry, and the next, I felt like I HAD to hurt them.” 

DANI: “I know, but…” Dani trails off as she has a thought. “Cessily, you said Roxanne only started acting differently after The Cuckoos showed up, right?” 

Cessily nods and tells her that just this morning, Roxy was arranging with her parents for her to audition for their next music video, but she guesses that was a lie. 

Dani, without another word, proceeds to give a call to Roxy’s father. We only see Dani’s side of the conversation, but all she does is check to see if Roxy was lying or not. Of course, she was not. 

With Cessily still deeply confused as to what’s going on, Dani hangs up and hops onto her computer. Cessily questions what she’s doing. Dani pulls up The Cuckoos’ file and the audience gets to see two of Emma’s notes about them: 1) They’re among the most gifted telepaths she’s ever met, perhaps on the same level as Captain Britain, and 2) They have sociopathic tendencies. 

Dani smacks her desk. 

DANI: “God dammit.” 

CESSILY: “What’s going on?” 

Dani gets up and tells Cessily to follow her. She’s not the one getting detention today. 

Iceman and Beast are still stuck in the under-level of the Danger Room. Bobby asks Hank if he’s seen any good movies lately. Hank doesn’t answer. Bobby asks Hank if he’s built anything cool lately. Hank just sighs. Bobby, starting to get a little pissed at his old friend’s attitude, begins whistling obnoxiously. 

Hank tries to ignore it, but the longer Bobby goes, the louder he gets. And, eventually, Hank snaps. 

HANK: “Would you quit it with that infernal, brain-rattling whistling?!” 

BOBBY, instantly shooting back: “Only if you tell me what your problem is! You’ve had a stick up your butt ever since I got here. What, have you come so far as a scientist that I’m too low brow for you now? You’re too good for me, so you don’t want me around?” 

HANK: “No, I DON’T want you around, but it has nothing to do with me.” 

BOBBY: “Then why?!” 

Hank sighs. 

HANK: “When I got the call from Jean that the school would be re-opening and the X-Men would be re-forming, I was thrilled. I thought it would be just like the old days, but better. But…they aren’t. They’re so different, I’m not even sure I fully comprehend them. What I understand is that we’re moving in the wrong direction. And anyone who’s on this ship when it reaches its endpoint will be worse for it.” 

There’s a pause as the atmosphere becomes more somber. 

BOBBY: “Look, if this is about Scott and Emma–” 

HANK: “Not just them, but…yes. And please, do not try and defend their actions to me. As far as I’m concerned, the man who’d cheat on Jean and who’d murder a woman, even a monster like Cassandra Nova, in cold blood, is not the Cyclops we grew up with.” 

Another pause.

BOBBY: “So what are YOU still doing here then?” 

BEAST: “I’m seeing out the rest of the school-year for my students. I’ve already arranged for Forge to come and take my place come September.” 

BOBBY: “Damn. It’ll suck not having you around, but I’m not going anywhere.” Bobby chuckles. “And hey, when things do work out for the best, I’ll be able to laugh in your face that you were wrong about something for once.” 

Beast smiles remorsefully. 

BEAST: “I’ve never hoped for you to make stupid jokes at my expense more.” 

Storm continues to battle the Brotherhood, but the fight doesn’t last long. 

Toad hops on Storm’s back and sniffs her hair, poorly flirting with her as he asks what shampoo she uses, because it’s making his heart go crazy, only for her to blow him away with a fierce wind, sending him flying into Pyro, and launching them both down the extended hallway headfirst into a wall, knocking them both out. Without Pyro as backup and Toad’s distractions, Avalanche is defenseless as Storm takes him down with a single lightning blast. 

STORM: “Dammit.” 

Ororo realizes in the middle of the action, Mystique abandoned her team and made a run for it. She goes to fly after her, but Blob attacks. Storm proceeds to just lift him off the ground, leaving him to wiggle his legs, as he’s left helpless. 

BLOB: “Hey! You let me go, now! I’ll knock your head off!” 

STORM: “Fred, weren’t you in therapy?” 

BLOB: “I still am! Just here supporting my family.” 

STORM: “You may have meant well, but this destructive behavior under any circumstances will only ever set you back. You need to cease being a super-villain if you wish to make progress. Do you understand?” 

BLOB: “I…you…yeah. Sorry, Storm.” 

STORM: “It’s okay.” 

As Fred smiles, Ororo grabs his face and electrocutes him at point blank range until he’s unconscious.

With the boys all down, Storm calls out to Cyclops, who’s barely holding his own against Logan in hand-to-hand combat, that she’s pursuing Mystique, and flies off. 

As Logan and Scott continue to fight, their conversation continues. Scott tells Logan that he knows he messed up. No matter what he was feeling toward Emma at that moment, he shouldn’t have betrayed Jean. 

SCOTT: “And if you think I haven’t been beating myself up for what I did every second since it happened, then you don’t know me at all.” 

LOGAN: “Guilt doesn’t make things any better, Bub.” 

SCOTT: “No, it doesn’t…but isn’t there also a reason she chose me over you?” 

As Logan loses his cool completely at that and attacks more like an animal than the master martial artist he is, Scott is finally able to land a blast on him and put distance between them. 

Scott tells Logan that he knows he loved Jean just as much as he does, and that Jean loved him back, but while Scott may have hurt her worse, Logan hurt her first. 

SCOTT: “Or do you think she didn’t end things with you for good because she couldn’t stand your attitude? Your jealousy, your sense of “ownership”, and the way you’d run off on her for “business” on a dime. Face it, Logan. Neither of us was good enough for her. Neither of us was ever good enough for her.”

Veins practically pop out of Logan's head as he hears all this. Once Scott is done, however, Logan finally gets a hold of his temper. 

Both unsure of what to say, but their fight over, the two simply stand where they are. 

The Cuckoos are getting moved into their dorm room, with Bling! helping them decorate. They're all laughing about something when Dani appears in their doorway, Mercury nervously hiding behind her. 

Sophie asks if Cessily has received her punishment and has been brought here to offer an apology, but Dani tells her to cut the crap. She knows what they did. 

The Cuckoos play dumb, but Dani doesn't play around with this kind of thing and uses her powers on them. While we don't see what they see, Dani subjects them to their worst fears. As they cry and scream, Roxy threatens Dani, while Dani orders the Cuckoos to undo the brainwashing. 

The Cuckoos quickly relent in the face of a challenge, as bullies so often do, and free Roxy from their control. Dani turns her powers off, and the sisters collapse on their beds. 

CESSILY, sheepishly: "Roxy?"

Roxy groans as she rubs her aching head. For a moment, it seems like she doesn't remember anything, but her mind is just playing catch up.

Roxy runs into Cessily's arms as she apologizes profusely, but Cessily is just crying happy tears none of this was real and that she has her back. 

Roxy spins around, not letting go of Cess, and shouts at the Cuckoos that they're all fucking psychopaths. 

Roxy leads Cess out of there. 

CELESTE, holding herself: "Sociopaths, actually."

PHOEBE: "People always get those mixed up."

IRMA: "We're in trouble, aren't we?"

DANI: "Ooooh, big time."

Scott and Logan stand next to each other, backs against the wall of the SHIELD base hallway. 

It's silent at first, save for the occasional sniffle or cough, until Logan speaks. 

LOGAN: "So…seriously? Frost?"

Scott laughs. He knows it seems crazy, but he's gotten to know her better than anyone, and she understands parts of him he never even knew existed. Parts of him which were repressed for so long. 

Intending to insult himself, Scott says he might actually have more in common with her than he ever did with Jean. Still, that doesn't change anything. He isn't taking their relationship any further. 

Another brief silence. 

LOGAN: "Why the Hell not?"

Logan says there are few things he cares about less than the love life of Scott Summers if Jean isn't involved, but she clearly means something to him, and he did what he did for a reason. He acted on instinct, and instinct? That's who you are. 

More silence. 

SCOTT: "Are you just saying all of this so you have no competition when Jean comes home?"

LOGAN: "That depends. Do you agree?"

Before this subject can be further discussed, Storm returns. Mystique got away…again. 

She questions what Logan was doing here, and the succinct answer just makes her pinch her forehead over how stupid her boys are. He *really* helped break free one of their greatest enemies just so he could fight Scott. 

Logan makes a point that he didn't actually kill anyone here, he just didn't stop the Brotherhood from killing the cops who'd be rounding them all up if Charles hadn't made a convenient arrangement with them. Storm tells him Maria Hill is still going to want him locked up just for being here and helping Mystique escape, but Scott assures them both he won't let that happen. X-Men don't just turn over their own. 

Scott and Logan fist clasp. 

In the cafeteria, Cessily and Roxy are having dinner. Roxy feels so incredibly violated by what the Cuckoos did, but she's more concerned about if Cess is okay. She knows she didn't mean any of what she said, right?

There's no doubt in Cessily's mind. Now that she has her girlfriend back, everything is perfect. For her. She's going to do everything she can to make sure Roxy is okay too. She's heard a bunch of kids are going to see a guy named Dr. Garrison, a Mutant ally therapist, lately, so maybe they can give him a call. 

Roxy shakes her head, saying she doesn't want that.

ROXY: "But, seriously, if after all this you don't want to be in my rents' music video, it's chill. You gotta take care of yourself first."

Cessily giggles and, under her breath, remarks that "Nori actually brought it back." 

Picking her head up, Cessily says she's more confident than ever that she wants to be in the video. If it took literal brainwashing to make the coolest girl on Earth think she isn't hot, and girls like the Cuckoos are the only ones who disagree, then she has nothing to worry about. 

CESSILY: "Maybe being a Mutant isn't the worst thing in the world after all."

As the two hold hands, the Cuckoos enter the cafeteria. 

ROXY: "Yo barbies!" The sisters turn to look at her. "If you wanted to be my friend that badly, you could have just tried being nice."

The Cuckoos seem like they may have something apologetic to say, but they quickly turn back around and continue walking, sneers on their faces. 

Continuing to pan across the cafeteria, we find Sofia and Noriko. Sofia questions how Noriko knew all wasn't as it seemed with Roxy. Noriko sighs and tells her that, after her fight with Julian, she no longer thinks things are with him either. Sofia isn't sure what to say to that. 

In Emma's bedroom in the school, she's in her nightgown and brushing her hair before bed. There's a knock at her door. 

Emma gets up and opens the door to reveal Scott. Before Emma can even get out the first three words of a witty remark, Scott grabs her and plants a long kiss on her lips. The two walk over to and fall onto the bed as Emma shuts her door telekinetically. 

Scott, on top of her, pulls up to breathe, smiling as he sees the widest grin on Emma's face. 

EMMA: "What changed your mind?"

SCOTT: "Instinct is who you are. I'm done denying who I am just to make others happy." Pause. "Even if she hates me for it."

The two resume enthusiastically making out as they rip each other's clothes off. 

We cut directly to Mystique and Destiny, also making out in bed. 

MYSTIQUE: "I counted the days till we would be reunited."

DESTINY: "As did I, my immortal love."

MYSTIQUE, smiling innocently: "I only wish my prison stay could have been as lovely as time with our daughter." Pause. "Is everything still on track?"

DESTINY: "Yes. We are still moving toward the sacred timeline."

The two resume having sex, as we cut between them, Scott and Emma having sex, and Cessily and Roxy just resting their heads against one another as they listen to music together. 

In the Danger Room basement, Bobby and Hank are both passed out when Kurt BAMFS in, having been looking everywhere for them. With Beast's back aching and Bobby joking about not getting to do his skin care before falling asleep, Kurt teleports them out. 

Once back in the common area, Kurt asks what happened. Beast isn't positive on the details, but it shouldn't be anything serious. So long as no one uses the Danger Room, everything should be fine.

We close out in the Danger Room, sinister music playing as a feminine face forms in one of its walls.  

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

BONUS: 

Since several members were revealed this episode, I’ll mention that Scott’s squad consists of Quill, Specter, Armor, Greymalkin, Wolf Cub, and, formerly, DJ.

[denimbex1986]

Currently on Digital and coming to 4K Ultra HD from writer/director Andrew Haigh based on Taichi Yamada’s Strangers and Searchlight Pictures is ALL OF US STRANGERS.

Adam (Andrew Scott) is living a very secluded life in his high tower apartment in London. A screenwriter, he spends his time writing and being alone until one night he meets neighbor Harry (Paul Mescal). A bit drunk, Harry tries to entice Adam to spend the night. Trying to be polite, Adam makes it clear he isn’t interested. The next day, Adam is off to visit Mum (Claire Foy) and Dad (Jamie Bell) who are happy to see him.

Coming back home he sees Harry again but this time he invites him into the apartment. There begins their passionate relationship. They talk about their families as Harry tells Adam that there is a disconnect with his own parents. Spending a night out on the town, they drink and dance their troubles away. After a fitful night of dreams, Adam tells Harry about his own parents and wants them all to meet.

But reality slowly makes its way to Adam and he holds on to the things he loves.

Scott as Adam is stunning in the role of a writer who is dealing with so much emotion in his life. Relying on his parents for support, he is trying to come to terms with the events of his life. When a love enters into the picture, it is just another piece of his life that is blissful but filled with intensity. Scott moves in and out of the story like his feet are not touching the ground. He flows so smoothly and I am with him every frame through joy and heartbreak. This is a stunning performance by Scott.

Mescal as Harry is the larger-than-life person that seems to awaken something in Adam. He is light, funny, charming and has no judgements toward Adam. At first glance, his character gives off vibes that even had me backing away a bit and that says everything about what Mescal’s performance brings. This character draws you in slowly, is too charming to be ignored and it is all Mescal.

Foy as Mum is supporting of her son and shows him love and understanding. She listens to how Adam is feeling and is such a calming presence for him. That is what Foy brings to the story, with the grace she has come to be known for (watch THE CROWN for another stunning performance) and the eyes of an old soul. Bell as Dad has a history with Adam that is a bit strained as clearly there are things that need to be said between them. I enjoyed Bell’s performance as a man who has a difficult time sharing his feelings.

Searchlight Pictures is responsible for such films as SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, 12 YEARS A SLAVE, THE SHAPE OF WATER and THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING MISSOURI. They have an extensive film library as well as documentaries, scripted series, and limited series. For more information, please visit www.searchlightpictures.com.

Bonus Features include Featurettes Roots of the Story – Uncover how the director blended his own personal story into the making of this moving film. Hear the cast and crew and learn how the filmmakers approached recreating the look and feel of the ‘80s, from the sets to the hair and clothing and Building Adam’s World – Discover how Adam’s isolated existence was shaped through constructed sets. Visit the locations of exterior shots and learn about the director’s choice to have Adam’s world feel real, and yet not quite real.

ALL OF US STRANGERS has won awards from the Valladolid International Film Festival, Montclair Film Festival, British Independent Film Awards, National Board of Review, Los Angeles Film critics Association Awards, Kansas City Film Critics Circle, and London Film Critics’ Circle.

This film is an emotional roller coaster from beginning to end with Adam at the helm. It is a story of loneliness, love, want of love and family. It is a powerful look at the complexity of life through the eyes of this haunted man. Director Haigh gives us nothing to hide behind when we feel as if there is an intrusion into Adam’s life. It is right before us and the emotion falls over us wave after wave.

Filmed beautifully with an amazing score, ALL OF US STRANGERS is insightful, complex, tender, and gauntlet of emotion. Might I suggest a box of tissue and someone to cuddle with as this moving piece of filmmaking doesn’t mind the teardrops nor our own family emotions mixing with Adams. In fact, I think it wants exactly that.

In the end – the paths to love are many!'

[callmebrycelee]

9-1-1: LONE STAR REACTION (SEASON 1 REVISITED)

This reaction is for season 1, series premiere episode "Pilot" which originally aired January 19, 2020. The episode was written by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Tim Minnear and directed by Bradley Buecker. Spoilers ahead!

9-1-1: Lone Star is one of many shows I started watching during the pandemic. As a fan of Ryan Murphy, I'd known about 9-1-1 with American Horror Story alums Angela Bassett and Connie Britton as well Peter Krause from Six Feet Under but I never felt compelled to watch the show. When I heard news of its spinoff series, Lone Star, what initially drew me in was Rob Lowe, one of my fave television actors. I waited for the first season to air before I started the show and after watching episode one, I was hooked! I immediately fell in love with the story of an all-male 126 in Austin, TX being wiped out (mostly) and two city slickers coming down south to reboot the team. I also fell in love with the characters, especially the father/son duo of Captain Owen Strand (Rob Lowe) and TK Strand (Ronen Rubinstein). I also loved the settling of Austin which is something we rarely see in television and film. 

My mom and I often joke about how we don't like rewatching any of the season episodes because Michelle Blake (Liv Tyler) is such a buzzkill. I finally convinced her to restart the series from the very beginning (not season 2) and last night I fell in love with Lone Star all over again. I totally forgot how amazing this show was from moment one. I also forgot that like its predecessor, the first season of Lone Star is much darker in tone than its subsequent seasons. Another thing I failed to recall is just how complex and likable these characters are. In the first episode alone we are dealing with the grief of losing an entire fire department, an overdose, a cancer diagnosis, and a missing relative. Whew! That's a lot! But the show does an amazing job of taking all of these serious things and injecting some humor into them.

Since I'm revisiting Lone Star in its first season, I thought it would be fun to react to these episodes. Unlike my current reactions, these will not be a recap of the episode. My goal is to comment on what I believe are the five most notable parts of the episode. So, let's start at the very beginning because I've heard it's a very good place to start! Let's talk about - PILOT.

THE END OF THE 126 Our first scene of the episode is easily the saddest moment of the entire series thus far. We see the all-male 126, including Judd (Jim Parrack) responding to a fire at a warehouse. When they arrive on the scene. Judd instructs the crew on where to go. He receives a call from 9-1-1 dispatch Grace Ryder (Sierra McClain) who is also his wife alerting him to all of the fertilizer inside the warehouse. Before Judd has a chance to alert his buddies, the entire place explodes killing all of the 126 except for Judd.

Having Judd as the lone survivor of the explosion is a great way to jumpstart this series. We get to see his journey as he grapples with an immense amount of grief while also dealing with all of the new changes at the 126. I often joke that Lone Star, at times, feels like X-Men: First Class. If Owen Strand is Professor X, leader of the new 126, then Judd is a mixture of Scott Summers (Cyclops) , Professor Xavier's second-in-command, and Logan (Wolverine) who is resentful of Owen and his presence at the 126. Perhaps the most touching moment of the episode is when Judd sees the photos of his fallen 126 brothers. All along he thought that Owen was coming in changing the firehouse with little regard for the men who served there prior. Judd breaks down in the middle of the firehouse and Owen asks the others to leave so Judd can have time to grieve openly. Finally the last bit of Judd's resolve melts and he decides to rejoin the 126.

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON One of my favorite relationships on Lone Star is the relationship between Captain Owen Strand and his son, TK Strand. These two are very close and even work in the same firehouse. I love how TK's being gay is such a non-issue for both Owen and the show. TK is openly gay, he's in a serious relationship, and while Owen isn't exactly thrilled about him wanting to propose to his boyfriend, he supports his decision to do so. 

When TK learns his boyfriend is in love with someone else, it crushes him. It is then we learn that TK is a recovering addict and the rejection is enough for him to break his sobriety. Owen ends up finding TK before it's too late but it's all the encouragement the older Strand needs to leave New York City and start anew with TK at his side.

TK isn't the only Strand dealing with something big. Right before their big move to Austin, Owen is diagnosed with lung cancer, a result of his being at the Twin Towers on September 11th. I think it's interesting that Owen demands that TK be transparent at all times about his sobriety, or lack thereof, but Owen decides to keep his diagnosis a secret. 

126: NEXT CLASS Part of the agreement of relocating to Austin to restart the 126 is that Owen will diversify the team. One of the major complaints I have seen regarding Lone Star is that it's *too woke* and it's *diversity for diversity's sake*. I like that the show is self-aware enough to have Owen point this out. Ultimately when assembling a team of first responders you want the best of the best and you wouldn't want to hire someone based on their race or sexuality or gender identity when there are more qualified candidates. What the show does right is it gives viewers a valid reason for the inclusion of the new firefighters. Marjan Marwani (Natacha Karam), a proud Muslim woman) is a bit of a wild card but she is good at the job and doesn't mind inserting herself in dangerous situations. So is Paul Strickland (Brian Michael Smith) who is easily one of the smartest on the team. He just so happens to be a trans man. The only head-scratcher is Mateo Chavez (Julian Works) who has failed the firefighter's exam multiple times but his work ethic is unparalleled and Owen clearly sees untapped potential in the young firefighter. I do find it interesting that viewers of the show have poked fun at the *wokeness* of the show but I rarely if ever hear similar critiques about the OG series whose 118 boasts a black lesbian, an Asian immigrant, and a Latino. If the argument is that they don't make a big deal out of the diversity of the 118 then that's not true. Hen's sexuality and race plays a big part in the show. As does Chimney's being Asian and Eddie's being half-Mexican. Anywho, whether you love or hate them, the new hires are a breath of fresh air and along with Owen, TK, and Judd they make an incredible team. 

WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT IRIS So, I know I said I would be addressing the most notable parts of the episode and while Iris Blake (Liv Tyler) is not my favorite character on the show, I do think her inclusion on the show is important. Iris is the paramedic captain and her team consists of Tim Rosewater (Mark Elias) and Nancy Gillian (Briana Baker). As a fan of the OG series, the 118 is one big team. There's the firefighters and the paramedics. They ride in the same truck unless they need to have an ambulance at the scene. They're all super close. On Lone Star, Iris is the first to point out that the firefighters and paramedics are separate units. This easily added an interesting dynamic to the show. Instead of having one captain, there are two and I like that Owen wasn't an asshole about it. 

The reason Iris is such a meh character to me is there's zero joy about her. I get it though! Her sister is missing and she is justifiably upset and in agony over her disappearance. With that said, everytime Iris walks on screen it's like there's this dark cloud over her. She's the Eeyore of the 126 and it makes her unlikable. I do like that they fixed something that was an issue in the OG series' first season which is making sure all of our main characters are tethered to each other in some way. It appears her and Carlos Reyes (Rafael L. Silva) are friends so when he starts showing up places it doesn't seem random.

Overall, I like Liv Tyler. I think she is a competent actress. I just don't think she was a great addition to this show. As mentioned before, she is the reason I find it difficult to watch the first season which is a shame because season one is so good! One thing I will say about Iris that is positive is I like that she is a crusader for the less fortunate.

THE GENESIS OF TARLOS Perhaps the most notable part of the episode is we get to see the beginnings of one of the most iconic duos in all of cable TV. If you go on any 9-1-1: Lone Star Reddit post or scroll through your Tumblr feed long enough, eventually you're going to encounter Tarlos. Tarlos is Lone Star's equivalent of Buddie; only these characters are actually gay and it totally makes sense for them to be romantically-involved. Sorry, Buddie shippers! Alas, I'm getting ahead of myself. 

I totally forgot that Tarlos actually happens in the pilot episode. The first interaction we see of TK and Carlos is at the scene of an accident. Carlos makes a comment about Owen and TK tells him that's his dad. We then see them at the honkytonk at the end of the episode and Carlos asks TK to dance. The chemistry between these two are evident from the start and it blows my mind that they have pretty much been together since day one. 

All in all, this was a great way to introduce these new characters. I immediately liked everyone and everyone has a clear motivation. One character I didn't really get to speak about because she didn't really factor into any of the major storylines is Grace Ryder. Grace Ryder, hands down, is one of my favorite characters on the show and I can't wait to talk about her more in future reactions. I love her and Judd together. I love how level-headed she is and at times she seems like she's the only one who can get through to him. Like Tarlos, these two have been together since the very beginning and it's going to be fun seeing how we get to where we are currently with them. The same goes with all of our other characters. 

So, to all my passengers,  I ask that you buckle up because it's sure to be a bumpy ride. The real question is, will season one hold up to the memory I have of watching it the first go round or will I walk away loving it even more? Only time will tell! Only next time ...

[engagedtobefree]

Everything about this man is pure magic.

So yesterday I'm out in the waiting room, and I kept glancing at the door, I am so nervous, and suddenly I know, I just know he's coming up. I see an arm through the sliver of glass and Chris opens the door to call someone's name (James?). But he's not looking around, he looks at me immediately and I do the same with him. We lock eyes and smile. I can't break my eyes away from his and he doesn't look away either until he absolutely has to. I have waited 6 freaking months to see this man again. I feel a wave of calm wash over me and I feel seen, safe, serene. And his whole vibe is just...wow. I mean, same as every time before, just this light about him and such a goodness that I have never felt with any man before. So Chris takes "James" back and then some other "James" walks up to the receptionist and asks if the right "James" was taken back. Sure enough, Chris comes back out and calls "The other James". He smiles, full grin so you can see his teeth, and it's the first time I've seen him smile like that in person since he mostly always has his mask on 🥲 He is the most gorgeous man to ever grace this earth I stg. I'm looking right at his eyes again and he's facing the new "James" but I swear his eyes are locked onto mine again. His eyes get so squinty when he smiles it is so adorable.

Chris is running late but he's done with the guy before me pretty quickly. He goes into the receptionist room and I hear him say my name and that he has to bring me back next, and I'm pretty sure that all I think for the next few minutes until he comes out to get me is how he said my name. I've heard him say it before, when he's called me back with him, but hearing him say it informally just really does something to me. He takes me back and everything is just so nice. I didn't want to admit it before because I had (still have) no idea what is going on, but I am so incredibly happy to be in this man's presence again. I know, I know, I know. I don't know this man that well at all, but every time I look into his eyes I just feel such a sense of familiarity that it fills my chest with this warmth. I have never had this feeling before. I thought dozens of times over these past 6 months that maybe I'm crazy, maybe at my previous appointments - especially my last one - I imagined this feeling, but I didn't. (Still haven't fully written about that yet and I'm not going to unless something actually comes of this. I'd want to talk about it with Chris first.) I had the intention with going there that I was going to soak this up as much as possible, that I was going to just enjoy looking into his eyes as much as I could, but honestly it took me zero effort because once I looked it was so hard to even look away.

Chris is flirty again, and I am...failing miserably at that...again. Seriously, Idk what it wrong with me. I want this man so fucking bad. I want this man to know how incredibly special he is, but I am just unable to convey this to him for whatever goddamn reason. Okay, so I know, I know why. First, as calm as I feel in his presence, I'm also nervous af. I know that doesn't make sense. I feel like this deep inner calm, but my physical self is nervous. Idk if that makes sense now or still doesn't lol. And then second, I am terrified. I am absolutely terrified of giving to someone again and them being deceitful and just taking without intending to ever give back. I trust Chris. Deep down, I feel that I can trust him, but then I start analyzing everything because of my past trauma with Scott and then I just become so unsure. I fucking hate this. I hate this so fucking much.

Chris gave me not one, but two openings to just straight up ask him, and I didn't take them. The first was when he was working on my mouth and he was telling me about his plants. He specifically said he's just home alone, him and his plants. It was deliberate. I know it was. I was going to ask if he was single then, but I was so afraid of the answer. I was so fucking scared of hearing the one thing I didn't want to hear. Chris continued on talking and called his plants "kids", but because my mind was racing, I wasn't sure if he was actually talking about his plants or not. I asked if he had human kids and he said he didn't. I mean that's something I guess, though I honestly wouldn't care about that, I only care about if he's single or not.

The second opening was when I was rinsing my mouth out, he told me I should be Lydia for Halloween and asked if I knew who she was. Of course I knew, and then he said all I'd need is a Beetlejuice. I wanted to ask, I wanted to ask so badly if he wanted to be Beetlejuice, but I was frozen in fear. I was so fucking terrified I could feel myself physically shaking. Idk if Chris saw, it probably wasn't actually visible and only felt like it was. I was split in two by my desire to give this man a little something, to let him know I'm 100% interested and want him, and my fear of flirting with another woman's man again, of trusting a man who gives me nothing but deception. I am so fucking traumatized from the years I spent stuck in Scott's web, and I feel like it is ruining my chance with someone new, someone trustworthy, someone who I have felt nothing but good things about since the first day I met him. Scott fucked me up so bad. I realized after yesterday that it's actually a lot worse than I originally thought. I am fucking sobbing right now. I hate this so much. I don't normally like to say things like this, but fuck you Scott. Fuck you for lying. Fuck you for taking advantage of me. Fuck you for being a selfish dickhead who never considered anyone except yourself.

I used to feel bad for him. I used to feel sorry for him that his wife left him, but you know what, good for her. This man never thought about her when he was coming into work flirting with me, when he was leading me on making me think maybe he was separated or going through a divorce, when he was checking me out and giving me compliments. I hope she finds a man who actually values her and treats her well.

Scott just never cared, ever. He didn't care when we worked together and he still didn't care even after he was actually separated. He only ever made time to talk to me when it was on his schedule and convenient for him. He never complimented me, only ever called me hot or sexy, and usually that was when he wanted a sexy pic or after I stupidly sent him one. He never communicated with me about anything. The man knew me for 5 years and couldn't even get my birthday right, even when it couldn't have been easier with his being 1/15 and mine being 10/15, which I even explained to him several times. I am partially to blame for my own trauma because I just kept accepting what Scott was giving, and I naively kept trusting him when we worked together that he was being honest and not leading me on. Hell, even when he came back after he became separated, I ignored that little voice inside of me telling me it wasn't right, and I continued to ignore it for over a year until I finally had a literal breakdown. I never trusted Scott, and during that period of time after he came back, he gave me even more reasons to not trust him, which for the sake of not drawing this post out too much, I'm just not even going to bother with. He doesn't matter anymore. The only thing that does is me healing the wounds he left me with. Which I will do. I will not ever let the negative effects of some irrelevant man control my life. Now that I am fully aware of how much this is fucking me up, I am going to be putting in twice the effort to overcome it. 🖕🖕🖕Suck it, Scott.

In my current reality, however, I am still incredibly impacted by that trauma. So now there's Chris, who gave me his number and proceeded to never reach out to me, and is sometimes not great with responding back. He hasn't communicated what exactly he wants, like what his intentions are. And while he remembers some things, he definitely forgot other things, like my birthday, which just passed last month, and Weasley's name, which I actually was playful about at my appointment, asking him to guess. That stuff is bothering me a bit because I'm like, are these red flags, is this actually suspicious, or does it just seem that way when really there's nothing to worry about. And then on the other hand, he's under zero obligation to give me anything at all, he doesn't have to remember anything or even care. We haven't dated and he hasn't expressed any interest in dating.

I decided the best thing for me to do would be to take some action, so I asked Chris if he would be interested in going to this Krampus parade with me in a few weeks. He said he would love to go if he's not busy. At first I was thrilled, but then I was like, wait - if he was genuinely interested, couldn't he make time. Then I feel bad for thinking that because I know he's tired and overworked, between being the only full-time hygienist at his work and then playing hockey. And he did save the picture in our snap chat. My mind is a fucking see-saw except it's not fun because it's just me playing on it alone, running from one side to the other to keep it moving. I wish my mind came with an off button so I could just stop these stupid, ridiculous thoughts from even finishing. I can't keep expecting Chris to show interest when I haven't equally given him the same. Maybe that's what he's waiting for. Maybe he wants me to be the one to initiate something to see if I am genuinely interested. If he can't go to the parade in a few weeks, that would suck but I won't be upset or anything. I'll just have to try again and see if there's something else he'd be interested in doing. I absolutely refuse to wait another 6 months to spend time with him again. And I really want to be able to talk with him normally. It's difficult when he's working on my mouth because I can't always respond, and when there's a question I want to ask him about himself or his life, sometimes I forget because by the time my mouth is free again, Chris has brought the conversation somewhere else and I completely forgot about my previous question or comment.

I'm afraid to give again, but that is exactly what I need to be doing. I need to reach out, even if he isn't. I definitely need to work on my complimenting, which Chris is doing perfectly fine with. I also need to communicate, and if I expect him to to tell me what he wants and what his intentions are, then I need to be willing to do the same. I think I am doing fairly well in the memory department at least. Chris isn't Scott, he's a different person, and it isn't fair to him for me to just assume the worst when he hasn't given me a concrete reason to. I don't think he would've mentioned the being home alone thing or Beetlejuice thing if he wasn't single. Those just felt so incredibly deliberate, and it would really surprise me if he said both of those things how he did while in a relationship. He also out of nowhere just like threw 6 compliments at me at once. He told me all in the same sentence I have a nice smile, eyes, body...plus like 3 or 4 other things. He had it all just ready to go and I don't remember everything he said. All I could say was "you too", which I 100% meant because I really haven't seen anything about Chris I didn't like or wasn't attracted to. He even was giving me some little bits of his life philosophies and it was so cute😭I was telling him about last year when I went to see Kaleo and how I cried when they played Automobile (tbh I was borderline sobbing lol). He never heard of them or that song, and I told him he should listen and that I bet he'd cry too. He laughed and said I was funny, and just watching him in that moment, I wanted to never stop making him laugh. I just. This man does things to me.

At the end of my appointment, he showed me a pic of him dressed up as this one lady that works there with him, and then he showed me a pic of him in his dinosaur onesie. He looked so soft and snuggly but all I could say was that it was cute 🥲 I really just can't with myself. I have never had an issue with flirting to let someone know I'm interested, and I have never felt drawn to anyone in the same way I am with Chris, and here I am, just not flirting it up. Asdfghjkl. When he handed me my appointment card, I purposely brushed his finger when I took it, so I hope he at least knows I did that on purpose. He took his mask off before he took me back out, and as he stood there leaning against the doorframe telling me I make him so nervous, I wanted to just walk up and touch his arms and.... I had to stop myself from finishing the thought because I think I actually would've gone through with doing something. Towards the end of him working on my teeth, I looked over at him and felt such a strong urge to sit up, take off his mask, straddle him, let the chair slide us towards the wall, and just kiss him and do things to him that definitely should not be done at his work.

I felt like I had been there for hours talking with Chris, but my appointment was maybe half an hour. It was definitely my longest appointment with him yet, when my other ones had to be maybe 15-20 minutes, which is probably the standard time. It took me a few extra minutes to get home than usual, and I kept telling myself to wait to reach out to him, but I just couldn't. I texted him the Kaleo song, and then I realized a few minutes later he had messaged me too. He sent me a message in Snapchat of the melting face emojis. I responded with "heyyy 🥰" and he said "Ur eyes 🫠🫠" followed by "I get so nervous around you". All I could say back was "Me too🥲" because that just really sums up how I honestly felt. Chris told me towards the end of my appointment with him that my eyes are hypnotizing, and I am curious if my eyes have the same effect on him like his do with me. I have never felt so drawn in by anyone's eyes before.

If Chris can actually make it to the parade in a few weeks, I know that realistically, I'm not going to be fully healed and ready to go, but I know that some progress will have been made. I'm always moving forward, especially when I know specifically there's some big thing I need to be addressing. One thing I can say about myself is that even if my fears stall me for a bit, I never let them fully stop me; I always eventually move past them. I think too that being around Chris was actually helpful. It was super shitty how impacted I was yesterday, but I would have never known that my past with Scott was impacting me so much had I not been around Chris. I mean, he's the only guy I'm interested in, so no other man was gonna bring that up for me, and it hasn't come up during any of my alone time. So I guess maybe some good came out of that? I have also become aware that I cannot ask Chris what I want to ask him from a place of fear. Asking him if he's single from a place of being fearful and anxious and needing answers is not the route I want to take. I can only ask him from a place of being healed and balanced. Relying on him for that external validation is actually not going to help me. I need to find that place of being at peace within myself first. I need to have already done the work. The good thing is, is that when I have more motivation aside from myself, I tend to work faster, so who knows, maybe Chris will fuel me to find healing faster. Guess we shall see.

And just a bit more...while I need courage to ask Chris if he's single and what he wants, I am going to need strength to resist immediately tearing this man's clothes off when I'm alone with him. Chris has...already let me know that he is having dirty thoughts about me lol. He hasn't said anything beyond that, like no details or sexting or whatever. But I mean...the feeling is mutual. For as many nice, pleasant thoughts I have about this man, I have an equal amount of dirty ones. If he kisses me, I do not know how I will control myself. In public, sure, I'd have to, but privately, I don't think self-control would be possible. I don't like to do hook-ups, as I'm a relationship gal through-and-through, but my God I'd really have to put in the effort to not break my own heart with Chris because I just don't think I'd be capable of saying no. It would be a tough battle for sure. I wouldn't be surprised if I just dropped into an existential crisis at some point while being alone with him😅I mean, I'm not just physically attracted to him, I'm attracted to him in every way possible, but also just his energy alone and the way I feel when looking into his eyes is enough for me to abandon all reason and act on pure instinct alone. I spent so much of my day at work today feeling physically weak just thinking about this man, so much so that I banged my head against my desk twice, once from longing and the other time from being frustrated with myself about yesterday. I am already completed fucked 🥲

His office sent me an email not too long ago asking for a review, and in the spot where it was an open-ended question asking what they could do better, I put "nothing - best cleaning of my life". Whoops. Did not think that one through. Sorry, Chris, probably should not have put that. Do not pass go, head straight to jail, I cannot reach out to Chris until it's time to ask about the parade. Welp, time to go bang my head against something again.

Oh wait, forgot to mention I got a little dolled up yesterday 🥰 I tried not to overdo it but think I might have lol

[redbayards]

oh hi it’s scott

Oh shit its him!!!! Scott!!! My man!!!! What’s up my dude!?!?! 

[anonymouslosersworld]

♡ 𝓒𝓸𝓻𝓻𝓾𝓹𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷 ♡

♡ 𝓒𝓸𝓻𝓻𝓾𝓹𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷 ♡

Genre: Smut and Nsfw

Prompt: Bully!Nahoya has a crush on you but he gets what's coming to him.

Character: Nahoya

Being a college student is hard. The never-ending headaches, the lack of sleep, not wanting to get up in the morning for an early lecture class you can't miss, the deadlines that creep up on you when you least expect it, and not to mention the feeling of you slowly dying..mentally.

And you can't forget the stupid leech that doesn't help on a project that's worth 30% of your grade. You'd wring their little neck if you could get away with it Scott-free.

You sometimes had a dream where you would get hit by the college bus and get that money but alas some dreams don't come real.

But nightmares do become real sadly and yours was named Nahoya Kawata. Your walking talking nightmare was evil incarnate, you sometimes compare him to Regina George but he at least has some good points. But the truth is, to him you were his nightmare.

You often catch him sending you lustful looks when he thinks you aren't looking. From his reactions to your outfits anything that shows him more skin drives him crazy.

You remember that stupid thing your parents would tell you when you were younger when he decides to grace you with his presence.

"when boys are mean to you it means they like you."

What a sack a shit reason was that?

Sure Nahoya was pretty, like really pretty. He had the softest pink lips that were permanently placed into a smile for all to see. But everything would crumble away the moment he'd open his mouth.

You just couldn't understand how Souya and Nahoya were so different. Souya was the perfect soft boy, so drastically different from Nahoya. What you wouldn't give to see Nahoya become a pretty decor on your bed and make him a shadow of himself. You'd kill to see his face full of ecstasy and hear him begging for you.

You get smidges of him struggling to keep himself contained but all it took was some skin and there he was in your palm. But no matter how hot you thought he was or how much you lusted over him. You wouldn't let him inside you. well, at least not without him begging.

Nahoya was a bully, he'd often talk shit about you and to you. He'd bother you and constantly tried to humiliate you in front of his friends. He'd sometimes even try to knock your books out of your hands but he can't knock something you don't have. He'd start rumors of the both of you fucking where he fucked you stupid and made you look like some cock-trapped bitch some even included his baby brother but his brother quickly denied any notion of that.

That..that was your breaking point.

You could handle his wannabe 90's bully troupe but those rumors? Hell no.

You had your pride on the line and your rep. You weren't letting some pretty bitch boy ruin anything for you. Oh no. You're getting even.

You had trapped him in a classroom you both shared. The students and the professor were on their way out leaving the both of you alone. It was just you and him. You had locked the door as soon as the door hit the professor's ass.

You turn to his shocked face.

"I'm going to teach you what happens to little horny boys who make up lies about me and decide to be immature little bitches about their crushes."

---

"Your a thirsty little bitch aren't you Hoya?"

Your smirk was full of malicious intent. Nothing but the pure unadulterated rage was held. Your hand had a tight grip on his cute little curls. You knew that in any normal situation you wouldn't dare touch a single hair on his head knowing how hard it was to even brush it but right now you were teaching him a lesson.

"You just wanted some attention right bitch? You just wanted this pussy right?"

Your pussy is on full display to Nahoya as you sat on his face.

"eat it whore then maybe I'll think about giving you a handie."

Nahoya whimpered as tried to grab your hips to pull your hips down to him. Your hands quickly his away from your body.

"No hands, you don't deserve to touch me."

Nahoya's tongue eagerly tries to worm its way into you but you were still too far away. Nahoya whines as he continuously tries to reach you but you didn't even move an inch.

"What can't even eat pussy hoya? You're weaker than I thought."

You were torturing him, you were just inches away from him but he couldn't reach you. He was so close to having you yet so far. How cruel of you to tease him this way.

"mmph!!"

You laugh as Nahoya struggles to catch his breath. You decided to be a little nice before completely suffocating nahoya with your pussy. Nahoya's tongue quickly goes to work inside of you. He slobbers all over you early trying to find anything to make you feel just right. He's sloppy at best and you find him a little disappointing. Nahoya's eyes burned onto your face realized you aren't satisfied and he quickly becomes serious. His tongue feels around for your clit, within a few minutes his mouth is sucking onto your slit and his hands are gripping onto the table beneath him. The urge to finger you grew stronger and stronger but he was determined to make you cum with his mouth alone.

"There you go that's a good little bitch." you smile as you cum inside his mouth. "Swallow it like a good boy"

You take a good look at Nahoya and you knew...

you knew this little pretty boy had cummed from eating you out and cumming on his face.

"nasty little freak. You like it when I use you huh?"

Nahoya weakly nods and his cock was still twitching from cumming.

"I didn't tell you, you could come."

--

" Aaah 15!"

Nahoya's ass has a hand imprint burned into his ass. Each slap felt harsher from the last. Nahoya's ass was in the air as he was spanked by you.

"p-please!"

"hmm? you spoke I guess we have to start over."

"n-no, please! I'm sorry I won't do it again!"

"No, you won't."

" nnngggh! aah wa-wait! not there!"

Your fingers had plunged into Nahoya's ass and had begun to thrust deep inside of him. Nahoya tried to move but you quickly shoved his upper body down again.

"aah! t-there!'' Nahoya moaned as y our finger found the very squishy part of him he loved to be abused.

"wa-wait!" you mocked him "you're squelching around my fingers. You must really like me fucking you like this huh? You wanted me to treat you like the cock-gurgling whore you made ME out be."

"Please be gentle."

"Oh baby we're so far past gentle, you'll be lucky to even cum from this,"

[bigfan-fanfic]

To Diversify Your Portfolio (Male!Reader x Bobby Drake)

Requested by anonymous for  Can you possibly do a Bobby Drake x male reader where the reader has the ability to control the elements and their sub-elements fluff.

It's no secret that the attendees of Professor Xavier's School for the Gifted have... issues.

Bobby Drake, specifically, comes from an unaccepting family - not just of him being a mutant, but also of his sexuality.

It's not easy to have more than one thing it feels like the world hates you for, and Bobby can sometimes feel a little singled out because of it.

One saving grace is that his powers aren't too difficult to control, and don't pose as much of an inconvenience for him, which is more than can be said for Scott or Jean or Logan.

And just when he's starting to feel comfortable, even liked - you show up.

And you're... cool.

You're powerful, controlling all the platonic elements and their subsets, like lightning, ice, glass, and metal - you might be the most powerful new mutant since Storm - and you totally blow Bobby out of the water.

What's more, not only are you gay, like him, but you're instantly popular, making friends with an ease and grace that turns Bobby green with envy.

So, like a young insecure man is wont to do, he treats you very poorly. When Professor X puts you together to train, he answers your questions in grunts and sneers, scoffs at you when you try to get to know him, and shoots glares at you.

For a few months, he never acknowledges your presence except to glare at you - he's not going to let you just make him completely obsolete without a fight.

And then...

he comes across you and Scott talking in the hallway, and listens.

"I just... I don't know why he hates me! I've tried everything to get him to like me, and he just... glares."

Scott hums. "At this point, if he doesn't like you, he's an idiot, and an ass, and you'd be better served moving on. It's just a crush. You deserve better than someone who doesn't even like you."

"I know." you sigh. "I just... at this point, I just wanna know what I've DONE."

Bobby chooses this moment to approach. "Logan's like that with everyone, it's not just you."

When Scott and you stare at him in horror, he scoffs. "Chill out, I'm not gonna tell Logan you like him."

You tear up, and run off, using your fire powers to launch yourself straight up from the grounds to your room's balcony.

Scott glares at him. "You're such a dick."

"What? It's not like Logan doesn't already know he's gay."

"We're not talking about Logan, nimrod. Y/N likes you!"

Bobby freezes. "Oh.... crap."

Scott scoffs at the response, but Bobby is already running, trying to get to you.

"Y/N? I... god, I've been a total jerk. Completely. I'm so sorry." he says through your door, until you open it.

"Well, wh- what did I do to you? Why have you been so mean to me?" you sob at him, still crying.

"I was jealous!" Bobby nearly yells, desperate to confess, to get you to stop crying. "I was a baby. I thought - you were so cool, and I'm so lame, and you're everything I am and more and I thought nobody would even want to look at me anymore now that you were here because you're so beautiful, so I was angry and insecure."

"But... you're awesome! You were nice to everybody else, you have cool powers, you're really cute..." you say, and Bobby looks at you in awe... and you look at him the same way.

Both of you in shock that someone else can see you so differently to the way you see yourself.

Bobby kisses you.

He seems shocked at his own actions, but then smiles at you. "I'll do whatever it takes to make this up to you. I'm sorry for being a jealous asshole. If you'd like... can I, uh... date you?"

You look at him once more, still a little stunned, but then you kiss him again, and you're certain this marks a turning point for you and for Bobby.

[belle-keys]

parts of some classic lit that hit different for me

“Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault. Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope. They are the elect to whom beautiful things mean only Beauty. There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all.”

- the iconic piece on books and morality from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

You are part of my existence, part of myself. You have been in every line I have ever read, since I first came here, the rough common boy whose poor heart you wounded even then. You have been in every prospect I have ever seen since – on the river, on the sails of the ships, on the marshes, in the clouds, in the light, in the darkness, in the wind, in the woods, in the sea, in the streets. You have been the embodiment of every graceful fancy that my mind has ever become acquainted with. The stones of which the strongest London buildings are made, are not more real, or more impossible to displace with your hands, than your presence and influence have been to me, there and everywhere, and will be. Estella, to the last hour of my life, you cannot choose but remain part of my character, part of the little good in me, part of the evil. But, in this separation I associate you only with the good, and I will faithfully hold you to that always, for you must have done me far more good than harm, let me feel now what sharp distress I may. O God bless you, God forgive you!

- the “you are in every line I have ever read” tyrade in Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta. She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock. She was Lola in slacks. She was Dolly at school. She was Dolores on the dotted line. But in my arms she was always Lolita. Did she have a precursor? She did, indeed she did. In point of fact, there might have been no Lolita at all had I not loved, one summer, an initial girl-child. In a princedom by the sea. Oh when? About as many years before Lolita was born as my age was that summer. You can always count on a murderer for a fancy prose style. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, exhibit number one is what the seraphs, the misinformed, simple, noble-winged seraphs, envied. Look at this tangle of thorns.

- the whole opening of Lolita by Vladimir Nabakov

My great miseries in this world have been Heathcliff's miseries, and I watched and felt each from the beginning: my great thought in living is himself. If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger: I should not seem a part of it. My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods: time will change it, I'm well aware, as winter changes the trees. My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath: a source of little visible delight, but necessary. Nelly, I am Heathcliff! He's always, always in my mind: not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself, but as my own being.

- Catherine’s confession about Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

I have been a selfish being all my life, in practice, though not in principle. As a child I was taught what was right, but I was not taught to correct my temper. I was given good principles, but left to follow them in pride and conceit. Unfortunately an only son (for many years an only child), I was spoilt by my parents, who, though good themselves (my father, particularly, all that was benevolent and amiable), allowed, encouraged, almost taught me to be selfish and overbearing; to care for none beyond my own family circle; to think meanly of all the rest of the world; to wish at least to think meanly of their sense and worth compared with my own. Such I was, from eight to eight and twenty; and such I might still have been but for you, dearest, loveliest Elizabeth! What do I not owe you! You taught me a lesson, hard indeed at first, but most advantageous. By you, I was properly humbled. I came to you without a doubt of my reception. You showed me how insufficient were all my pretensions to please a woman worthy of being pleased.

- Darcy admitting the big truth to Lizzy in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

I see a beautiful city and a brilliant people rising from this abyss. I see the lives for which I lay down my life, peaceful, useful, prosperous and happy. I see that I hold a sanctuary in their hearts, and in the hearts of their descendants, generations hence. It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.

- Sydney Carton’s last words (*crying*) in A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

You cling so tightly to your purity, my lad! How terrified you are of sullying your hands. Well, go ahead then, stay pure! What good will it do, and why even bother coming here among us? Purity is a concept of fakirs and friars. But you, the intellectuals, the bourgeois anarchists, you invoke purity as your rationalization for doing nothing. Do nothing, don’t move, wrap your arms tight around your body, put on your gloves. As for myself, my hands are dirty. I have plunged my arms up to the elbows in excrement and blood. And what else should one do? Do you suppose that it is possible to govern innocently?

- Hoederer being a realistic bad bitch, that’s what, in Les Mains Sales by Jean-Paul Sartre

I couldn’t forgive him or like him, but I saw that what he had done was, to him, entirely justified. It was all very careless and confused. They were careless people, Tom and Daisy—they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.

The “they were careless people” realization in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

‘Hateful day when I received life!' I exclaimed in agony. 'Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust? God, in pity, made man beautiful and alluring, after his own image; but my form is a filthy type of yours, more horrid even from the very resemlance. Satan had his companions, fellow-devils, to admire and encourage him; but I am solitary and abhorred.'

Frankenstein’s monster’s teenage angst in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

[chaoticforever]

Falling For You | Yandere Scott Summers x Male! Reader

A/N: Requested. Hope you enjoy it!

"I'M BACK, IDIOTS!" 

Those were the first words to leave your mouth as you entered the X-Mansion. It has been quite some time since you've been here. About six months ago, you had decided on taking a vacation to find yourself and to take a break from the X-Men and everything with it for a while. 

Now, you were back and were excited to see everyone again. Bobby and Rogue were waiting for you to arrive since you told them they would be coming back today. And because they missed you. 

"Hey, Y/N!" Rogue greeted happily as she walked over to you, hugging you. 

Once she released you from the hug, Bobby gave you a firm handshake. The Iceman seemed to have grown a beard and he seemed to be taller than you. Damn, how long have you been gone?

"Hello to my two favorite idiots. Wow, Bobby. You're almost bigger than me." 

"Nah, you're just getting smaller." Bobby said as you rolled your eyes, playfully punching him in the shoulder. 

Just then, Scott walks down the stairs with Logan and Jean following behind, and a smile breaks out onto his face. 

"Look who's finally come back. Long time, no see." Scott smirked. 

"Yeah, I know everyone misses me, and now I'm here to grace you all with my presence," You grinned, "So, how's it been here without me?" 

"It's been amazing without you." 

"Ouch, Scott. You wound me." 

You both laughed as you looked at Jean and Logan, eyes narrowing on them. 

One thing you are is perceptive and you didn't miss the way Logan and Jean's hands brushed over each other. 

You eyed them suspiciously as Jean gave you a tight smile, Logan doing the same before you walked away with Scott. 

"Don't worry about your motorcycle, I made sure to fill it up," You said before he could scold you as you both walked through the mansion, "Hey, how are you and Jean? You guys are okay, right?" 

Scott nodded as he continued to walk with you, a smile on his features, "Yeah, were awesome! And I plan on taking her somewhere special tomorrow. Why do you ask?" 

"No reason." 

Maybe you were just reading too much into the way the red-haired telepath and the wolverine were looking at each other and the brushing of their hands. 

Everyone knew that Logan had a huge crush on Jean once upon a time, and most likely still does, which made you suspect that something was going on, but you knew that Jean wouldn't cheat. 

So, you just shrugged off this feeling and told Scott to have fun and make sure to use some condoms to which he rolled his eyes and blushed. 

And it turns out that you were right about that feeling of yours earlier. 

Because the next day, Scott came into your room, eyes red and swollen. 

"Scott, what are you doing here? I thought you were out with Jean." 

Scott had a broken expression on his face as his eyes shined with unshed tears. 

"She... she cheated on me with Logan. I gave her everything she wanted and she did this to me." Scott sobbed against your shoulder, burying his face into your neck. 

"I'm so sorry, Scott." You whispered in his ear, running your hand up and down his back in a comforting manner as he continued to sob. 

This was one thing that shouldn't have happened to Scott. He didn't deserve this. He loved the red-haired female with all his heart and would do anything for her. At this moment, you hated Logan and Jean for what they did to him. 

Being the good friend you are, you comforted Scott and let him sob into your shoulder. You also let him stay in your room for the entire night and he poured out all his feelings to you. 

The only thing you could do was hope that things would get better for him, but you had a feeling of doubt in the back of your mind. 

And, once again, that feeling proved to be correct because Scott hasn't left his room in two weeks. 

You and the other members of the X-Men except for Logan and Jean would stop by his room to see how he was feeling only to find out that he hasn't been doing anything, but staying in his room. 

You understood what he was going through, you really did, but enough is enough now. You would not watch as your friend self-destructs any longer, so you came up with this great way to help him out. 

You knocked on the door to his room and when he didn't come to the door, you did the next best thing. 

You picked the lock. 

It was a little skill you picked up during your teenage years, which really helped when you forgot your key a lot. 

The door pushed open and alcohol immediately invaded your sense of smell. 

You walked over to Scott and pulled the covers off of him as he let out a groan. 

"C'mon, Scott. Get up." 

"No, Y/N. I'm not getting out of this bed."

"Yes, you are." 

"No, I'm not." 

You let out a sigh of frustration when the brown-haired mutant put the covers back over his body. You lifted it off his body and opened up the curtains as he groaned again. 

"Groan all you want." You said and sat down at the foot of his bed, "Get ready because I'm taking you somewhere." 

"I don't want to go anywhere." He replied, sitting up and looking up at you. 

"Too bad. Get up and put some clothes on. There's no point in arguing with me, so get up and get ready." You stated in a firm tone, which worked because Scott grumbled under his breath before getting up and putting some clothes on.

Scott couldn't stop thinking about Jean. 

He couldn't stop thinking about what he did to cause her to cheat on him. Was it something he didn't do? Was he boring? What was it? 

Despite him not wanting to, he went out with you, which is how he found himself at a place with a bunch of cars. 

You stopped the motorcycle and took off your helmet as Scott gave you a questionable look, "Where are we?" 

"We are at a place I used to come to when I was a kid." You answered, "When things got tough for me when I was outed as a mutant, I would come here and bust these cars up." 

"Okay, well, why am I here?" 

"Because you're gonna bust up some cars yourself." You simply explained with a smirk as you walked to stand behind him. You were so close that he could smell your cologne and he blushed from how close you two are. 

"I don't want to. What if someone wants to use these cars one day?" He asked. 

You rolled your eyes, knowing that he was trying to get out of this, but he wasn't. You placed your hands on both sides of his face and turned his head in the direction of an old car. 

"No one ever uses these cars. Now, I want you to think about the fact that Jean cheated on you and broke your heart. Then breathe in..." 

Scott did as you instructed, thinking back to the night when Jean told him that he's been seeing Logan behind his back for months. He took a deep breath in as a sudden surge of anger rose inside him. 

"And breathe out..." He released his breath, taking a deep breath out. 

"Blast it now." 

Scott took off his glasses and fired an optic blast from his eyes, the blue car catching on fire and Scott put his glasses back on. 

Your lips curled upward into a smile as you started clapping. Scott looked over at you and a smile broke out onto his face. 

"How did that feel?" 

"That felt good, really good." 

"Hell, yeah. Let's bust these cars up." 

That's what you guys did for the rest of the day. Busting and smashing up cars. For the first time in weeks, Scott began to feel at peace only to awaken something else inside him. 

XXXXX XXXXX 

You were simply magnificent. 

That's one word that can be used to describe you. Many words could be used to describe you like bright, funny, and adorable. 

You were amazing and he was in love. 

Scott Summers was in love with you and it all started the day you took him out to smash some cars. He never knew that someone cared about his well-being so much the way you did. Of course, that was one of the greatest parts of your personality was the fact that you were so caring. 

Because of you, the brown-haired mutant doesn't even think about Jean anymore and doesn't even care about the fact that she cheated on him. 

Scott was heartbroken at first, but after a while, he pretended to be to spend more time with you. He grew attached to you and he only wanted you. 

Call him selfish, but he loved to spend time with you without anyone else around and wanted you all to himself. 

In his eyes, you were his and he plans on proving that to you and having you in his arms, so he took you somewhere and you both watched as the sun had yet to disappear over the horizon. 

Scott glanced over at you who was sitting behind him, fingers typing on your phone with that cute half-smile. Scott wanted to know who put that smile on your face. 

The brown-haired mutant nudged your shoulder, "Hey, who are you texting? You got someone on the side I don't know about?" 

A grin found its way onto your face, "Actually, I do. I should have told you sooner, but I've been dating a guy for a while now and he's amazing." 

Scott forced a smile to hide his anger and rage and told you that he was happy for you. On the inside, he was burning with rage and had no other choice than to get rid of whoever you're dating. 

And that's what he did. 

He followed you whenever he left the mansion, stalking you and finding out exactly where this man you were dating lived. 

Upon looking through the window and seeing you kiss this man sent rage shoots through him. So much rage, which caused him to bust down the door, both you and your boyfriend looking over at Scott in surprise. 

"What the hell are you doing here, Scott?"

"Getting rid of this man. He isn't worth throwing away what we have!" Scott shouted, knocking you out as darkness overtook you seconds later. 

XXXXX XXXXX 

You had awakened some time later, unsure how long you had been out for, but you immediately realized that your arms and legs were handcuffed to the bed. 

It was just then, you noticed Scott in the corner of the room and your boyfriend's body was right before him. 

"What did you do, Scott?!" You screamed in horror as Scott walked over to you. 

He caressed your face with the back of his hand, staring at you fondly, "I did the unthinkable to ensure that you and I  would be together now." 

"What? What the hell is wrong with you? Are you crazy? Wait, don't answer that. You are crazy." 

You couldn't believe that Scott would do something like this. This was something you never would have expected him to do. He's not the Scott you once knew. He's a monster. 

"I probably am crazy," Scott said and you let out a squeak when you felt him attack your neck. He sucked and bit down on one specific part of your neck as you gasped and he pulled back, grinning in satisfaction. 

Now everyone will know who you belong to and who owns you now, "But I'm crazy for you and I love it. I will do anything for us to be together, and now we will be together until the end." 

XXXXX XXXXX 

[scotianostra]

Happy 67th Birthday musician Alasdair Fraser.

Alasdair was born in Clackmannan on May 14th, 1955 and began taking classical violin lessons at the age of eight, enduring much teasing and leg-pulling from fellow school pupils at a time when carrying a fiddle case around was considered far from cool. Undeterred, he persevered and found a love of and natural aptitude for the violin which he applied to the Scottish music that he heard at home – his late father, Bob, and his brother, Iain, both being musicians.

In his teens Alasdair played with dance bands and began gathering the compositions of great fiddling forebears including Niel and Nathaniel Gow, William Marshall and James Scott Skinner into a repertoire that is now vast. Twice winner of the Scottish National Fiddle Championship, he also began to notice the connection between speech patterns and musical expression, especially among Gaels and the Doric speaking players in the north-east, and incorporated this into his fiddle style.

Inclined towards science as well as music at school, Alasdair went on to work as a petrophysicist with British Petroleum, a post that took him to California in 1981 and the realisation four years later, while writing out a fiddle tune during office hours, that he was in the wrong job. He decided to concentrate on music and passing on his passion and skills through programmes such as the Valley of the Moon fiddle camp, which he founded among the Californian Redwoods in 1984 and still directs, the fiddle course that he’s run on the Isle of Skye since 1987, and the more recently established Sierra Fiddle Camp, near his home in California.

As a fiddler equally capable of playing haunting Gaelic airs and rumbustious dance tunes and improvising endless variations on traditional themes, Alasdair has worked in a variety of successful partnerships, including his duos with pianist Paul Machlis and guitarist Tony McManus and his acclaimed band Skyedance. He has also guested with The Chieftains, The Waterboys, Itzhak Perlman and Los Angeles Master Chorale, appeared on innumerable broadcasts including A Prairie Home Companion and CBS TV’s Kennedy Center Honors and performed on film soundtracks including The Last of the Mohicans and Titanic. His compositions have featured in works by the Richmond (Virginia) Ballet and Shiftworks Dance Ensemble and his commissions include Fettercairn Suite.

Since 2003 Alasdair has featured in a duo with cellist Natalie Haas, restoring the wee fiddle and big fiddle partnership that flourished in eighteenth century Scotland to contemporary prominence at the cutting edge of tradition-rooted creativity. Their debut album, Fire and Grace, was voted Album of the Year at the Scots Trad Music Awards 2004, adding to Alasdair’s North American Independent Record Distributors award for his Dawn Dance album in 1996, and they continue to thrill audiences internationally with their virtuosic playing, their near-telepathic understanding and the joyful spontaneity and sheer physical presence of their music.

Alasdair posted on his Twitter a few days ago; 

“Unusual birthday celebration for me! Last of the Mohicans 30th Anniversary celebration concert in Morganton, NC Can’t wait!!”

I’ve chosen a beautiful tune by  Alasdair Fraser, he plays the fiddle and orates a poem by Sorley Maclean,  one of Gaeldom's great poets.  Finding The Other Side Of Sorrow is from the concluding line of one of MacLean’s poems, ‘An Cuilithion, The Cuillin’ It has been described as a celebration of the awful strength of those Skye mountains, and the affinity of the Gael with such places. Some of you will have read and listened to other work by The Rasaay poet, most notably Hallaig, with the late Martyn Bennett.

Beyond the lochs of the blood of the children of men, beyond the frailty of plain and the labour of the mountain, beyond hardship, wrong, tyranny, distress, beyond misery, despair, hatred, treachery, beyond guilt and defilement; watchful, heroic, the Cuillin is seen rising on the other side of sorrow.

[tsarisfanfiction]

Unspoken Fluff Starters

Giving them their coat: Scott & Penny

Clandestine

Fandom: Thunderbirds Rating: Teen Genre: Romance/Friendship Characters: Penelope, Scott

It wasn't that there would be a scandal if it got out, she just didn't want the world to know every detail of her relationships.

...Did I just write a romance fic? I think I did? That was unexpected, but it was where my muses jumped at this prompt, so here we are. I'm going to preface this by saying I am quite content with the canonical Pen&Ink ship, but I do find the idea of an earlier relationship with Scott (with an amicable end that has nothing to do with Gordon!) an interesting scenario to explore - people who have been following me a while may remember a teaser chapter I did earlier this year about Gordon finding out.

Ages in this fic are Penelope, 18, and Scott, 19. At this point, she's only met Scott and John out of the brothers. There is kissing but nothing more, although they are hormonal teenagers.

Unspoken Fluff Starters

Cashmere peacoat buttoned up tightly against the autumn chill, eighteen year old Lady Penelope accepted Parker’s assistance out of the car with all the elegance and grace expected of someone of her status. Her hair had been left loose, artfully styled to appear the smarter side of casual, yet also free enough to bounce back into position should anything ruffle it slightly during the evening.

The streets of Oxford were well-lit, yet simultaneously preserved the dark night skies above with their specially designed street lighting. It was something her good friend and course mate John Tracy approved of. Her heels – high stiletto because one did not mingle with certain Tracys without an extra couple of inches of height – clipped professionally against the worn street as she thanked Parker for his assistance and confidently made her way to her friend’s front door.

This was not an unusual occurrence, and the pale pink laptop tucked not quite fully into the handbag she was clutching would broadcast the same fact as always – after all, John was known to be the best in the year, and they had spent many evenings together going over material in his small flat since striking up a friendship. No casual observers would have any cause to consider this a different visit.

The doorbell was old, rather like the building John resided in, sounding out a sharp yet melodic trill for the duration she depressed it. A summons, one might call it, much like the servants’ bells hidden all through her estate. The sound was similar enough.

It worked just like one; seconds later the door was opened to reveal the Tracy she was there to visit.

Still, any observing masses must be appeased.

“Good evening,” she greeted, stepping across the threshold as though she owned the small flat, despite it being far below anything her social peers would ever consider possessing, “is your brother in?”

“He’s at the library, working on some assignment or other,” Scott told her, stepping out of her way seamlessly.

“Ah well,” she sighed, “I shall wait for him here, if that isn’t an inconvenience for you?” The way that blue eyes hadn’t looked away from her since the moment he opened the door told her that Scott was not at all inconvenienced by her presence.

Behind her, the door finally closed, the catch clicking into place and shutting out the outside world.

“Not at all,” Scott verbally assured her, holding out one hand. “May I take your coat, Lady Creighton-Ward?”

A childlike giggle bubbled up inside her at the formality, ruined only slightly by the way his gorgeous blue eyes glimmered in amusement, but she pushed it back down with all the experience that came with being one of the social elite heiresses.

“You may, Mr Tracy,” she responded, a little airily, as though talking to a servant – or at least a man below her standing, passing him her handbag to set down by the door before offering him her relaxed hand in greeting.

He needed no prompting to lightly grasp it and lift it to his lips, pressing a light ghost of a kiss to the back of it before stepping back so that she could strip her outermost layer. While tightly fastened, her peacoat was simple to unbutton and her deft fingers slipped the last one from its buttonhole before letting the material slip back off of her shoulders.

Scott caught it, standing a little too close behind her to be proper and brushing his hands down her arms entirely too improperly as he helped her shed it before hanging it on the coat stand that stood sentry by the door. The designer coat stood out starkly against the rugged navy denim on the hook next to it, and not just because of its pale pink colour.

The Tracy family might have money, but they rarely spent it on things such as clothes.

“May I escort you to the couch?” Scott offered her his arm, the sparkle in his eye extending to include a playful grin whispering at his mouth. He enjoyed the faux formality of their little arrangement, she knew – Penelope did, too, but she also hid it far better.

“Very well,” she said, slipping her hand daintily through the loop. “Escort me.”

Even with five inches of heels, he still towered over her as he guided her from the entryway to the sofa – barely any distance at all, and certainly not in something one could consider a separate room – before guiding her to take a seat.

On the television, a film was already poised to play. A timeless classic, an adaptation of Jane Austen at her finest literary peak, and one Penelope had seen many times before. Scott, she had learnt last week when they had planned this encounter, had never seen it.

A rectification was tonight’s plans, at least on the film front – provided Scott paid attention to it, rather than her.

He still hadn’t looked away from her since she’d arrived. Penelope was, of course, used to being the centre of attention, but there was something so very different about that attention when it came from her beau, rather than the rest of the world. There was no judgement in Scott’s gaze, no watchfulness as the eyes waited for her to commit a faux pas, and it was both refreshing and exhilarating.

Those watchful eyes possessed by the rest of the world would be full of glee should they ever learn that she was not quite as single as she pretended to be. Very few knew that she even knew John’s older brother, let alone that they often arranged dates behind closed doors.

John, her wonderful friend, understood her desire to keep tabloid suspicions away from her love life, and usually vacated his flat for the evening so that they could have somewhere private. Tonight, he had allowed them three hours before his return, which was plenty of time to watch the film and curl up scandalously close to Scott as it played. His warm, strong arm wrapped around her shoulders firmly as she let her body lightly brush against his, pulling her in close.

An equally strong hand delicately lifted her hand from where she had let it rest on her thigh, guiding it back up to his lips and leaving a firmer kiss to the skin.

“It’s good to see you again,” he murmured, not pulling back as he spoke and leaving little breaths of air to brush the back of her hand with every word. It took all of her self-control not to physically react to it.

After all, this was another of their little games – Scott liked to see if he could crack her Lady façade, and she took great pleasure in being on the receiving end of attempt after attempt.

“It is,” she agreed, leaving her hand where it lay in his grip. “We haven’t seen each other in too long.” That was the problem with living either side of the Atlantic, although she knew his visits to England had increased since their relationship had begun.

One day, she would have to make the journey out to Kansas, but for the time being there was no reason for her to be seen doing so.

“I missed you,” he whispered to her skin, the words caressing as they skipped over. His eyes were locked on hers, despite the way he was slightly bent over in order to reach her hand, and vibrant blue peeked up past dark eyelashes.

“One would hope so,” she replied, allowing the flicker of a smile to flash through her façade. A reward for his efforts. “I must admit company has been lacking in your absence.”

“Is that aristocracy speak for ‘I missed you, too’?” Scott asked, rather cheekily. His dimples sunk deep into his cheeks as the playful grin blossomed in full bloom. She resisted the urge to press the tip of a finger into the indent, at least for now.

They were too early into tonight’s performance for that level of intimacy just yet.

“That could be an interpretation,” she allowed, finally drawing her hand back to settle in her lap. “Now, are there refreshments to go along with the film?”

“Do I count?” came the immediate answer, complete with a flash of a grin that could only be described as flirtatious, before Scott continued with a more respectable response, gesturing with the arm not around her shoulders at the coffee table. It was piled high with snacks, ranging from cutely cut sandwiches in perfect triangles to bowls full of crisps. A selection of chocolates – casual, not the high-end she was used to being served – completed the feast. “Help yourself to whatever you want,” he told her.

“Thank you, I shall.” She selected a sandwich and took a dainty bite. It was soft and just the slightest bit chilled. Bought from a shop, or even specially ordered; certainly not made by the young man sat next to her, but she didn’t mind that at all. “Now, the film?”

“Whenever you’re ready,” Scott promised her, shifting down a little on the sofa until his head wasn’t much above hers.

“I’m ready now.” With a demure gesture, she set the film to play.

It was, of course, a magnificent film. One of Penelope’s long-time favourites, she would never tire of watching it, and the alluring romantic growth of a young female aristocrat and a tall, dark and handsome suitor had featured in her daydreams many a time as a younger girl.

Her own tall, dark and handsome suitor’s attention was clearly divided throughout the film. He made a valiant attempt to watch it, but fingers trailed circular patterns on her arm and almost every time she could pull her own eyes away from the screen, it was to find those vibrant blues watching her as though it would be a crime to look away.

A lesser man might have tired of their game and made a move before the film ended, but even as the story reached its climatic peak, the most Scott had done was to lightly rest his head against hers, drawing her a little further into his hold. She’d gone willingly, the candid contact still a relatively new and exhilarating experience for her despite it remaining entirely free of inappropriate connotations.

It was as the end credits rolled that Scott made the daring leap into something a little more suggestive.

“You’ve got chocolate on your face, your Ladyship,” he told her, raising a finger to the very corner of his mouth as an indication. “Right here.”

Penelope hadn’t got food on her face since she was a very young girl at the start of her etiquette lessons, and was well aware that she had made no such mess this time, either. Still, she was willing to humour him, and raised a hand lightly to the indicated spot.

“Oh, dear,” she said. “Well, that simply won’t do. Please excuse me for a moment; I need to visit the bathroom.”

“No ne-”

Scott’s protest was interrupted by both of their phones vibrating in tandem. If it was simply one phone, they would have ignored it and carried on their charade, but both meant it could only be one person, and as their date was occurring entirely at his discretion, ignoring John would not be wise.

It was Scott’s phone they checked, and while logically Penelope knew that the film would have eaten up most of their time, it was still a shock to see how late the hour had got when the time flashed up. John’s message was simply confirmation.

I’ll be back in ten minutes. Be on your best behaviour when I get in.

Scott sighed, outwardly disappointed, and Penelope felt the same way, despite both of them knowing in advance about the arrangement. Time simply went by too fast.

“Well,” she said, “I suppose that puts an end to tonight’s advances. We shall have to continue this at a later date.”

“On the contrary,” Scott said, setting the phone aside and turning his full body to face her, “that means we have nine minutes left to play with tonight.”

She’d known he would say something along those lines; the glitter that had been present all evening had just begun to darken slightly before John’s message.

“And what could we do in nine minutes?” she asked, feigning cluelessness even though he was leaning forwards slightly, broadcasting his intent with every muscle in his body.

“I haven’t kissed you yet tonight,” came the charming American bluntness, although he softened it with a following, “may I?”

In answer, she once again presented him with her hand, which he grasped lightly and kissed the back of, dark blue eyes peering past his lashes to look up at her with a hopeful expression.

“Is that a yes?” he asked, breath caressing her skin lightly for the third time that evening. This time, she didn’t hold back her reaction, closing her eyes for a brief moment at the sensation.

“You’ve got eight and a half minutes left,” she told him by way of answer, reopening her eyes in time to see the permission register on his face in a dawn of unconcealed delight before he advanced.

In Penelope’s opinion, Scott made fantastic use of every single moment of those eight and a half minutes.

[hislittleflower-throughconcrete]

If someone wanted to learn more about Catholicism and its basic beliefs, customs, etc. where should they start?

There is no right answer to this and everyone has their opinion, but because you came to me, I will give you mine!

First, don't be intimidated by how complicated some people may make it seem. Kids are sometimes better at understanding the faith (what *really* matters about the faith) than we adults are.

Secondly, I would stay away from learning from Catholics who "grew up Catholic" but no longer practice. We Catholics went through a period where people were not taught their faith properly. There were generations of misunderstandings lukewarm Catholics who cherry-pick what they want to believe, etc. Instead, I would turn to actual Church resources and people you know are serious about practicing and understanding their faith.

FOR AN OVERVIEW: Many would say the Catechism is the best place to start. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is literally the book that explains what it means to be Catholic, why we believe what we believe and do what we do. However, the Catechism can be wordy and difficult to understand for some. You can read the whole thing for free here. A slightly easier to digest version is the Catholic Catechism for Adults, which can be purchased here. Intimidated still? A non-intimidating GREAT book for an overview is called Waking Up Catholic: A Guide to Catholic Beliefs for Converts, Reverts, and Anyone Becoming Catholic by Chad Torgerson.

FOR ANSWERS TO SPECIFIC QUESTIONS: I am a reader, and books/websites are the first port of call when I want to learn about something about my faith. My favorite website for this is Catholic.com, also known as Catholic Answers. It has articles that answer a bunch of questions by trained apologists for the Catholic Church. In other words, they are professionals in knowing and explaining the Catholic faith. These apologists have a bookstore too that I HIGHLY recommend.

TO LEARN ABOUT CUSTOMS/TRADITIONS SPECIFICALLY: Wanna know why Catholics do the thing where they make a cross on themselves? Why we dip our fingers in water before entering a church? Why we do the stand-sit-kneel thing at church? Why we have a period called Lent where we tend to give up things? These are less important than learning about the faith itself, but you may still be curious about it. Some of my favorite books for this are Signs of Life by Scott Hahn, Catholicism for Dummies, Why is That in Tradition? by Patrick Madrid, and Why do Catholics Do That? by Kevin Johnson.

NOT A READER? WANT MORE?: There is an actual program that adults can go through to understand the Catholic faith and is available at pretty much any Catholic parish called RCIA. This is a class people take before becoming Catholic, HOWEVER you do not have to become Catholic at the end if you just want to take it to learn more. Another option to learn more is a video series called the Symbolon - it is incredible. The first part is learning about the faith, and the second part is about how Catholics practice their faith. I can give you a code to watch it on Formed (a streaming app for Catholic media) for free if you are interested. Another series that focuses on the beauty of Catholicism is to watch the Catholicism Series by Bishop Robert Barron.

CATHOLICISM IN A PARAGRAPH: God is Love, Truth, Beauty, and Goodness Himself. God is three persons - God the Father and God the Son love each other so intensely and perfectly that their Love is actually a third person, the Holy Spirit. Because God is Love, He wanted to create beings (who He calls His children) to receive His Love. Because true love is not forced, God allowed humanity the option to reject His love, which they did. This damaged humanity's relationship with God in a way that we humans could not fix ourselves, and made our world "fallen" - we have sickness, death, and a tendency to sin. God never wanted that for us, and knew that our sin was too great for us to heal ourselves. Instead, He sent His Son (who we call Jesus) to become a human man while still remaining God, who came to reconcile us with God. Humanity put Jesus to death on a cross, but God used this as the means with which He would save us. By Jesus dying, He defeated the finality of death and opened Heaven (eternal life after death, bliss with God) up for us by His sacrifice. He rose from the dead after 3 days in the tomb to show us that death was defeated and that our barrier to intimacy with God was broken. Jesus instituted a Church while He was still on earth, giving His apostles the presence and guidance of the Holy Spirit (that person who was created by the love between God the Father and Son) and authority to teach and guide His people after He returned to Heaven. He selected one specific apostle, Peter, to be the head of His church on earth, and to shepherd and guide His Church until He (Jesus) returns on judgment day. Each successor of the apostles is a priest, and each successor of Peter is called the pope. We access the God's Grace through what we call sacraments, . Through accessing the sacraments and engaging in prayer we are able to develop a personal, intimate, and life-giving relationship with all three members of the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). If we radically accept and trust in God's Mercy in accepting Christ's sacrifice for our salvation, we may live in eternal peace and joy and love with God in Heaven.