#that’s actually a rant i’ve wanted to do for a while about how kyle is obviously not the most mature one lol | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

thequiver · 4 years ago

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So, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how one of my biggest issues with Batman comics, aside from the fact that Bruce Wayne triggers my fight or flight response is that.... civilians never seem to have a reasonable response to Bruce Wayne based on the information they should reasonably have about him? Like- it doesn’t add up.

Not even taking into account his public persona or his family- the man owns a major corporation and has a notoriously corrupt police force essentially in his pocket since he funds the police. No one man should have all that power. Sorry, not sorry, the fact that WE has so many subsidiaries and that Bruce effectively employs so much of Gotham should terrify people. Especially in a city like Gotham that has so many glaring systemic issues. What’s he doing for systematic change? Does he realize that his position in Gotham and his family history have negatively impacted the people of Gotham and contribute to their issues today? That these issues contribute to the crime rate in the city? Does he have any grasp on basic sociological concepts? Not to be a leftist on main- but does he actually understand that the fact that he’s a billionaire is part of the problem? Iirc there’s absolutely no canon instance of Bruce Wayne speaking out in favor of systemic change that would negatively impact his business while favorably impacting the people of Gotham. Bruce stealing shipments of medicine and stuff on occasion to give them to hospitals doesn’t actually change anything about the systemic problems in Gotham, and we only ever see Bruce handing out life changing jobs on a case by case basis, which doesn’t actually do much to fix the actual issue in Gotham which is organized crime, and crime driven by extreme poverty and wealth inequality.

And also like��….you’d think that a man whose life was negatively impacted by a negligent and corrupt police force would….. do more to fix the issue? And I mean, what he’s really doing to honor his parent’s memory? His mom wanted to fix the Arkham Asylum and provide adequate and affordable mental health services to the people of Gotham and yet…… well, we all know that situation (side note I have SO MANY THOUGHTS about Bruce and Arkham and I am ready to rant to whoever will listen). It’s essentially real life Monopoly Jail. His mom championed social causes such as orphanages and foster care, and yet the state of Gotham’s social services is….. disgusting, which Bruce should know considering he pulled Dick out of it and he grabbed Jason off the street- and yet... it’s still like that. Then we come to Wayne Foundation. The person that Bruce put in charge of it? Got arrested for larceny. And while it started with a great idea, it did turn into what’s primarily a science recruitment foundation, rather than a functioning charity.

Going into his family dynamics- I have no issue with the image Bruce has portrayed of himself as being a slut- he’s fashioned his public appearance into that of a playboy billionaire. But I do think that it’s unreasonable for him to not get criticism for bringing in orphans or children who come from unstable homes- and then presenting them with what? An off-again-on-again relationship with Selina Kyle and a string of supermodel girlfriends who never stay? That can’t be healthy. Like purely from the public perspective- this looks bad. This isn’t even going into the kids themselves. Look me in the eyes and tell me that a public figure who is taking in children with tragic backstories wouldn’t be *hardcore* judged for his life choices after becoming a parent, especially when he’s as young as he is when he takes in Dick, and especially as a young single man. Not saying that I think that young single men can’t be good parents, hello my favorite character is Roy Harper- but you do have to realize that Bruce would be under intense scrutiny for his life choices with kids in the manor. And yet we... don’t see it.

Furthermore, Dick Grayson is canonically Romani, and has a very public past, and then is essentially thrust into Gotham high society and all of its whiteness and expectations which can’t be healthy either- but on top of that, we see people sexualizing Dick almost as soon as he hits puberty- as a woman and a CSA survivor Bruce’s non-response to this really really annoys me. Even just one panel where he pulls someone aside and says that that behavior won’t be tolerated at a gala would at least establish that an effort was made on some level but it’s not there.

Then there’s Jason Todd, and while those of us who know the background where Jason is Robin and that he’s sneaking off and not telling anyone about his bio-mom him dying is a different story, but to the civilians it looks something like this: “ Wayne brings Todd with him on a humanitarian mission to Ethiopia, which alright, but then Todd dies in a warehouse explosion that Wayne is not present for. Why would Wayne bring Todd to another country and then leave his recently adopted son alone around strangers? Hello? And then Todd’s body is never found? And nobody finds that odd? And then it’s revealed that one of the women who died in the explosion is Todd’s biological mother- and nobody bats an eye? And then Wayne is like “well I was taking him to meet his biological mother” - cool, so why did you tell everyone that you were taking him on a humanitarian mission? Why would you leave him alone with a woman he hasn’t met before in a warehouse in another country? Also- knowing Todd’s history, why wouldn’t you want to be there to make sure that he’s safe throughout the process? You’d think if the man actually cared about his kid that he’d at least be present for such a pivotal moment that could (and for thousands of children has) negatively impact their mental health.” Like, guys. This shit looks bad. His fucking kid died, the child he adopted, died, and like from what we can tell there wasn’t really an investigation into Bruce over it.

And lest we forget- Tim Drake was 17 when he took over WE, and he dropped out of high school. And that is SO fucked up on so many levels. Let him be a kid? Like to anyone who doesn’t know that he’s Red Robin, what does this look like? It looks fucked up is what it looks like- and yes, I know that Bruce was dead/”dead” when Tim took over, but still the fact that the person he wanted to take over his company in the event of his untimely death was a seventeen year old is bad, this is bad. Look me in the eyes and tell me he wouldn’t be happier with kids his own age at a skatepark instead of sitting in an office all day dealing with investors. THAT’S A LITERAL CHILD. At 17 he’s in a crucial state of development and in position where the opinions of strangers mean everything. He’s under so much stress. Holy fuck. This is bad. Yes, this was later retconned to make him be 21 at the time of the takeover- but still, he was originally meant to be 17, and the retcon merely makes him a more accepted age, but still an inappropriate one to be running such a large company.

Damian always look unhappy, I mean always, whether he’s getting attention from his father or not, like from the public perspective what we know is that his mom just like told Bruce that Damian was his problem now? And then Bruce places his older siblings on a pedestal? Bitch, I’d be grumpy all the time too! And given that Damian is not white, was not raised in a majority Christian culture, and that his dad is Bruce Wayne, he is under an incredible amount of pressure to conform to certain expectations, and given Bruce’s track record, it wouldn’t take long for the public to place a significant amount of pressure on Bruce to help his son.

Cassandra is the only girl, which means that not only is she held to a higher standard than her brothers by Gotham high society due to misogyny but also she seems very uncomfortable in the lime light and that’s also gonna be a sticking point for the people of Gotham and the public in general. I’m not sure to what extent the public would know of Cassandra’s backstory, but if we’ve learned anything from this past election cycle, it’s that the public would likely have a field day with Cass’s speech patterns, and tbh, I don’t have enough faith in Bruce to believe that he’d publicly defend her.

And here’s the thing that really gets me. Let’s look at the Wayne family from the perspective of the public in the DCEU: Why is Bruce Wayne adopting random kids who all match a similar description off the street? He has the cops in his pocket, and his son’s death didn’t trigger any alarms? I’ll let y’all google preferential offender yourselves. I mean GUYS. For one second pretend you don’t know that Bruce Wayne is Batman. Does this or does this not look like a Law and Order SVU Episode?

Another thing that I don’t see mentioned very often, even in fan works, is that makeup can only cover so much. The kids will always seem to have bruises. Which makes sense for younger kids who tend to do more rough-housing than say teenagers, but once they’re older it gets harder to explain away. I grew up in an abusive household, I know this first hand. No matter how good you are at applying it, no matter how much practice you have, and especially if you’re under spot lights and flash photography and are getting stalked by paparazzi- makeup can only cover so much. Especially if you’re applying it yourself, you will not always get full coverage, you will miss spots, when you’re really bruised up you will move like you’re in pain, you will be swollen in odd places. It is noticeable. And while we the readers know that Bruce canonically beats the shit out of his kids on several occasions, and also that they’re vigilantes, the public wouldn’t know that, and would have to assume that the bruises are a direct result of Bruce being abusive.

There is absolutely no reason the public wouldn’t notice something off about the Waynes. At the very least there would be people concerned about it, at the worst Bruce would be picketed, and there would be a facebook page of DCEU moms who are convinced he’s a pedophile and want to save his kids- because without the systematic change that Bruce isn’t fighting for, you can’t actually touch someone as rich as him with the law.

#anti-Bruce rhetoric #anti bruce rhetoric #batman #bruce wayne #tim drake #dick grayson #jason todd #damian wayne #cassandra cain #nighwing #red hood #robin #red robin #orphan #batgirl #black bat

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dreadpoetssociety · 5 years ago

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I’m Many Things

TW: Mention of sexual harassment

Note: I’ve never really posted these before, so please be lax if it’s bad lol. I don’t see a lot of sibling fics (understandably lol) but I feel weird writing like romantic relationshipy reader insert fics with characters that are significantly older than me. Anywayyy, here goes. This is going to be short for now.

Note pt 2: Idk if this really is any good. Looking at it now it seems a little off or I can’t really tell if I got Spencer right, but I tried!! It’s kinda rushed, I’ll admit. Also hopefully I used a gif right lol. This is kinda cringey and I promise I’m better than this fic, but I just really wanted to break the ice and start posting them, so enjoy!! (if you have any prompts/ideas please send me some ! I wanna write some more :))

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Summary: Your brother, Spencer Reid, has to have a meeting with your principal.

Spencer Reid x Sister!reader

(or should I say reider hahahah I’ll shut up.)

By now, Spencer was pretty familiar with the hallways of your high school, given how many times he’d been called in for meetings with various different staff members, or even from the parent-teacher conferences alone. Thankfully, the office was at the front entrance of the building, blocked off from the rest of the hallway with floor to ceiling windows, with one door.

Reid had been informed in a very interesting phone call with the principal himself of what you had done. He was used to the petty things from you, talking back to teachers, skipping a class, vandalizing something, but the one thing you had never done, at least until now, was get into a physical altercation with another student during school. Let alone punch the principal’s son. Even so, despite the disappointment, Spencer still sensed that something was wrong in the sense that he understood you wouldn’t just do something like that out of nowhere.

He was greeted by the women at the desk as he walked in.

“Hello, Dr. Reid. Nice to see you again.” she smiled.

“You too, if only it were under different circumstances.” Reid replied with a polite smile.

“She’s in front of the office, as usual.” the woman gestured to Reid’s right. The office had many rooms in it on its own, its own hallway and all that. Spencer walked behind the front desk and turned, seeing you sitting in a plastic chair near the end of the hall.

You turned when you heard footsteps coming down the hall.

“I know how this looks, but I promise it’s not like that.” you began explaining.

“You say that every time Y/N. This is the third time this semester I’ve had to leave work because you’ve gotten into some kind of trouble.” Spencer replied, obviously disappointed.

“This is different! Mr. Beck is being so stupid just because it’s his own son. You don’t understand, that kid is awful.” you said.

“Y/N did he hit you?” Spencer asked.

“Well, I mean, no but-”

“That’s exactly what I mean. I understand that you’ve had it rough, but really Y/N getting violent?” Typically, Spencer would always hear you out. He was understanding, and genuinely listened, but the team was just about to leave on a case that was already stressful, and now it’s being delayed, “Y/N there’s a serial killer out west killing people every few hours, peoples’ lives are on the line and this is where I am.”

He’d never spoken to you that way. It was really unlike him, and he never put the job before you most of the time, and this hit you where it hurts.

It was then that you both were called into the principal’s private office.

“Dr. Reid, I apologize for pulling you from your busy schedule.” the man known as Mr. Beck greeted as he stood up and offered his hand, which Spencer shook.

“It’s no problem, sir, it’s not your fault.” Spencer then saw the other boy sitting in the chair on the far side of the room with a very swollen eye that would definitely be very purple later, a day or two to be more specific he thought. For teens, it takes about that long for the hemoglobin to change the red color to a more blue or purple he explained to himself in his own head, because that’s just how his mind automatically works. Either way, it was worse than he thought it’d be.

“Now, we’ve already talked about the issue over the phone, and as far as consequences go, we’ve been very lenient with Y/N for so long.” Mr. Beck began, “If I’m being completely honest, after what happened today, expulsion is being very highly considered.”

“You’re going to expel me? You didn’t even listen to my side of the story, I’ve been sitting on that goddamn chair this entire time! You’re just taking your son’s word over mine you biased a-”

“Y/N!” Spencer interrupted, “Mr. Beck, I understand completely why you’re upset and I’m appreciative of you patience, but expulsion seems a bit extreme. I promise I’ll talk to her and she’ll get the consequences she deserves and this won’t happen again. Suspension I can understand.”

Great. you thought, Serial killer and now he has to save me from expulsion. Way to go again, disappointment.

“What? You didn’t even hear what happened! Your son was-”

“Y/N that is quite enough!” Mr. Beck nearly yelled, “We’ve given you so many chances and today, my son tells me that you’ve been making fun of him and violently hurt him without reason! It is unacceptable!”

You genuinely laughed at that point, “I’m sorry what? Your son told you that I made fun of HIM? Have you ever looked at your precious son’s phone?”

“Y/N shut up. You know what you’ve done.” Mr. Beck’s son snapped. Spencer found the phrasing quite odd. His demeanor was off putting, and he didn’t seem nervous at all. Granted, he could be in shock. Spencer recognized him, though, from pictures you’d shown him when complaining about pretty much every student in school, “You know you came up to me randomly. You know you harass me literally all of the time, and for what?”

Spencer noticed that this kid didn’t look anyone in the eye when he spoke, but slightly behind them.

“Mr. Beck, did Y/N ever say why she hit your son?”

“What does it matter what she says? She cannot be trusted and this behavior is not new. My son would not lie about this.” Mr. Beck sounded offended.

“As a staff member, though, you shouldn’t let your biases get in the way.”

“She still physically harmed another student. Regardless of why, she must face consequences.”

“Mr. Beck, it is only respectful to at least hear what she has to say.” Spencer argued. The young boy in the far seat’s face changed. He was nervous now. Mr. Beck sighed, and nodded towards you.

“Mr. Beck, this my come as a surprise to you, but I was NOT harassing your son. He was harassing another girl between classes. She had sent nudes to him, and then I don’t know if they had a falling out or something, but she was trying to like, I don’t know, break up with him I guess and he was following her around and pushed her up against a locker and tried to like, kiss her even though she said no. So I punched him, and then he threatened to send those pictures of her to everyone.” you stated, “Mr. Beck honestly, I’m many things, but a bully isn’t one of them. And no offense, but the last person I’m interested in even looking at is freaking Kyle Beck of all people.” you ranted. Spencer realized then that you were being genuine. You were a good liar to the naked eye, but always gave off the basic tells that Spencer could pick up on when you weren’t being truthful.

It was then that Spencer’s disappointment actually changed to pride. Although he didn’t condone the violence, he understood that you were a loner of sorts, and appreciated that you’d stand up for someone like that.

“Dad, she’s so full of crap! I would never do that, you know me!” he yelled. Reid noticed the small tremor in his voice, and quick change of behavior.

“Y/N, I know I raised my son differently.”

“Check his phone.” you said.

“I know what he does.” Mr. Beck snapped.

“Sir, I believe she’s telling the truth. I say this as unbiased as I can, but I can tell when she’s lying. I am a profiler, you know.” Reid backed you up. He didn’t usually pull out the profiler card, but reading the room, now seemed like a good time. Mr. Beck was taken back for a moment before sighing, and his son’s face completely drained of color when asked to unlock the device.

It wasn’t long after that that the truth came to the surface. Your sentence went from expulsion to a month’s worth of detention.

Walking to the car, Spencer said, “You know Y/N, I don’t condone the violence, and don’t exactly agree with the way you handled that, but I am proud of you for sticking up for that girl.”

“Yeah.” you replied. He noticed that you didn’t seem happy, but more so upset.

“Y/N, what’s bothering you?”

“Nothing.”

“I’m profiler, Y/N. You know I don’t believe that.” he said. You sighed.

“I don’t mean to disappoint you all the time,” you started as Reid’s heart sank, “I know you should be out there saving people rather than staying here and dealing with me. I’m not worth the time. I don’t know why I’m this way, I’m really sorry.”

“Y/N...” Spencer realized his mistake, “I was just stressed when I said that. You’re not a disappointment and shouldn’t apologize for just being who you are. Don’t undermine your importance, either. You mean more to me than the job.”

You smiled, “So does this mean I can come with you and look at crime scenes?”

“Absolutely not.” Reid chuckled.

“Aw, but it would be so cool! I’ll be good I promise!”

“Y/N, crime scenes aren’t cool, and you would cause trouble before we even got there.” he said, jokingly, “I bet you would even try to fly the jet.”

“Oh my god, I never even thought about doing that. That’s such a good idea.”

“And that’s why you’re not allowed to come.” Reid smiled, as they both got in the car and drove towards home. Spencer appreciated the ten minute ride while he could, knowing he would be leaving soon after.

#criminal minds #spencer reid #reid #sister reader #spencer reid x reader #reid x reader #spencer reid x sister reader #criminal minds x reader #sorry if these tags are wrong #spencer #matthew gray gubler

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female-overlord-3 · 3 years ago

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whenever i think about the morning after scene of the 3some and how michael said it made him feel loved i get so sad. bc this boy really thinks sex = love. he grew up in foster care probably so starved for love and then he had sex and it was a conncetion with another person and him not knowing what love is thought that was it and still thinks that today and i---🥺 someone tell him what love actualy is pls. (yes this is just my thoughts and assumptions)

😭😭😭 you're right and I'm glad you asked this!!! You're so brave for watching any of that!!! I probably won't ever see that episode or any of those scenes fully aside from the minor gifs I've glimpsed or going down a YouTube rabbit hole. (Oh boy I went on a long rant 😳)

IT REALLY DOES MAKE ME SO SAD THAT MICHAEL IS ONLY NOW STARTING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT LOVE IS FOR HIM AND IT WAS THIS 17 YEAR OLD BOY WHO GAVE HIM MUSIC AND A WARM PLACE WITHOUT EXPECTING ANYTHING.

Isobel and Max had each other AND parents there for them. Liz had Rosa and (best dad ever) Arturo! M*ria had her mom! Kyle had both his parents! Even Alex had some minor idea with his mom before she left him with that Monster. BUT WHO THE FUCK DID MICHAEL HAVE TO SHOW HIM SOME FORM OF LOVE!?!?!?! Isobel and Max don't count because they're both siblings and were also dumb privileged teenagers.

So who shows Michael what Love really is? That's not some alien obligatory/sibling love? WHO HAS SOMETIMES TOO MUCH LOVE AND TRUST??? ALEX MANES OF COURSE. THEIR LOVE STARTED WITH CARE FIRST. BUT THEN WHAT HAPPENED THEIR FIRST TIME!!?! THEY GOT HATE CRIMED AND I SWEAR THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED DAMMIT LIKE JUST BECAUSE THAT MONSTERS DEAD DOESN'T MEAN THAT PAIN AND TRAUMA IS!?!??! (Tearing down the shed was only the tip of the iceberg 🙄)

Anyway it's so sad and kinda terrible because in my opinion while Michael says "love" I think it's more about being "chosen/cared for" even though it was all masterminded by M*ria who instigated the whole damn thing to well... make him choose her instead of Alex. This is a man whose never been chosen before besides Alex and he thinks by having M*ria and Alex there they both chose him! BUT SHE JUST CHOSE HERSELF AND WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU DO THAT- I am breathing and calm and FiNe, not going on that rant.

Now Michael had time to do some healing and learning and he's caught up to some of the growth Alex has had (after having to deal with the cosmic love of his live be with his best friend and his dad and brother and being used as bait when he was kidnapped and- oops rambling) and sure we all wanted them to build that friendship again but I really do believe they didn't need that much to start again.

So ya I think he's finally starting to or does realize what love actually is and thank god because we and everyone's uncle fucking knew that what Malex has is love.

(My very long + messy thoughts and assumptions) thank you anon 💖

#lovely asks #anon ask #alex manes #michael guerin #malex #roswell nm #anti maria #mentions of 2x06 rnm #lots of thoughts and feelings #about this dumb cw alien show #thank god for malex and vlamburn chemistry #I SAID WHAT I SAID

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wendytestabrat · 1 year ago

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ok i swear this is the LAST kyman rant i’m doing for a while

this moment has always stood out to me bc i love the way kyle is like “why do you need me?” and then when cartman made that jew comment he continued to walk away to tattle on cartman LOL. it seemed like kyle was actually flattered at first when cartman was telling him how they really need him, so that’s why he stopped to see what cartman was gonna say and WHY he thinks their company needs kyle. i’m pretty sure i’ve talked abt this already but i feel like in the beginning of this episode kyle was just butthurt and jealous AF that cartman was doing something without him and hanging out with butters, craig, & clyde so that’s the REAL reason why he was being a nosy bitch and wanted to find out what cartman was up to and stop him from what he was doing. bc the fact that kyle was quick to change his mind and JOIN cartman and SUPPORT cartman when there was something in it for him was sus af LOL. what that tells me is he never rlly cared that much about helping crack babies in the first place & he just wanted an excuse to get into beef with cartman and stop him as usual. so yeah i LOVE the way kyle was gonna tattle on cartman but then once cartman told him how their company actually needs him kyle stopped for a second to find out what cartman meant by that bc he was thinking “wow he’s gonna actually INCLUDE me in this and wants me to be apart of this??” that’s why he’s all like “why do you need ME?”. how i interpret that is kyle is wondering WHY cartman actually wants him of all people to be apart of what they’re doing, bc in his mind he doesn’t feel like he’s good enough to be with cartman or do shit with him bc kyle has like 0 awareness that cartman likes him and thinks when cartman is mean to him that’s bc he just genuinely hates him. bc i mean if kyle didn’t actually care abt cartman and didn’t wanna do something with him, & cared more about helping crack babies, he wouldn’t have STOPPED himself from tattling on cartman once cartman said that shit. if he RLLY didn’t care about cartman he would’ve ignored him and not fallen for that manipulation tactic and proceeded to tattle. so ofc the only thing that encouraged kyle to continue tattling on cartman was cartman making that jew comment LOL. bc i feel like that disappointed him A LOT, he prob thought for a moment cartman was gonna say something nice to him and show him appreciation, but then when cartman just ended up stereotyping jews as usual he was like fuck this shit i’m out bc that confirmed his beliefs that cartman DOESN’T love him and is just an asshole and doesn’t actually want kyle to be apart of shit he does.

#kyman #KYMANRANTGARBAGE

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smokeybrandreviews · 4 years ago

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NBA Rant: Back to Business

It’s been a clean minute since I've written one of these, mostly because it’s been a few years since the NBA has even had a semblance of normalcy. The pandemic f*cked a lot of sh*t up and, while my LAkers took the title in the bubble and Giannis got the first one post-Bubble, i can’t help but be emotionally divorced from the last two years of hoop. They were aberrations, asterisk years, due to the reverberating consequences of poor federal leadership during a whole ass global plague. I love hoop and i enjoyed what we got these last two years, but if you’re telling me that these two seasons are legit, you’re crazy. Now that the vaccine is out in the wild and sh*t is opening back up, we can get back to the business of basketball. We can get back to an actual schedule that doesn’t favor the young and hungry so heavily. Injuries last season were absurd and i knew they would be considering the turnaround. This off-season is the beginning of real NBA basketball and i got some sh*t to say about.

Fear the Deer

Off the top, congratulations to the f*cking Milwaukee Bucks! Fifty years without an NBA title. The last won they cashed in was by the hand of a man named Lou Alcindor. It was beautiful to see and i loved watching it happen. History was made on several fronts but that one was the most gratifying. Giannis got his ring, the second Antetokounmpo brother to do it, but I'm so happy or kid. This was his coming out party. With this title and Finals MVP, Giannis has solidified himself as a legend of the NBA and patron saint of Milwaukee. Kid got the shine and now it just remains to be seen how many times he can catch that lightning in his career.

Book is Coming

The Suns were surprisingly close to winning a title. Like, one turnover away from hoisting that trophy. If you watched that series, you know what turnover I'm talking about. CP3 literally dropped he ball and it cost them a shot to be the lat team standing. Still, he balled for his life and i respect it. Moreso, i love what his veteran leadership did to that locker room. He got Ayton believing in himself and, more importantly, Devin Booker looking like a mini Mamba. Watching him seethe quietly as that confetti dropped and just utter the word, “Damn” was a lot. Kid got a taste and he’s about to play the best hoop of his life. The League should be terrified. I would not be surprised of Book takes that leap and challenges for “Best in the World” over the course of next season.

Mamba Mentality

Kobe Bryant was all over these Playoffs and i loved seeing it. It’s been a year since we lost Kobe and Gigi but that hurt has softened. Rest in Power, always, but the torch you lit under these kids has turned into a blaze. From Ice Trey to Giannis to D. Book, to Luka, to even Kawhi; Kobe’s legacy is strong in the current NBA. It’s weird to say but these young kids see the Mamba like we old heads see Jordan and rightfully so. Kobe is a legend and it does my heart good to see that legend continue into the next generation of NBA superstars.

Solving Simmons

Ben Simmons was exposed during these playoffs. It was f*cking hard to watch, bud. Like, excruciating. Never mind that he’s a professional, NBA level, small forward that can’t shoot, the dude can’t even make f*cking free throws! Like, Giannis has a problem taking too long to shoot them shots but he still makes them at a reasonable clip. Been Simmons shot the worst free throw percentage in NBA history; A history that includes f*cking Shaquille O’Neal! Bro, how?? It’s obvious that trusting The Process was a mistake and you might even lose Embiid over it. Doc wants to keep Ben but no. No, trade his ass to some team for a young buck who can spread the floor and give Embiid room to work closer to the cup. That dude was playing MVP level ball for the majority of last season, only to see his efforts squandered in the Playoffs where it counts. Also, Philly probably shouldn’t have hired Doc Rivers. That dude got lucky once, close to lucky a second time, and has failed consistently, spectacularly, ever sense. He literally has blown the most 3-1 leads in NBA history.

Fakers

I don’t think the Nets are as good as everyone thinks they are. Like, i get it; Overpowered and front loaded with all of that talent but that’s it. I’ve heard that a lot of the other pieces are unhappy with all the Superstar treatment their big three are getting. It’s chaffing the actually nuts and bolts that you need to drive those championship aspirations. So much so that Spencer Dinwiddle is looking to jump ship and sign with my LAkers, who i will get to in a minute. Spencer Dinwiddie. This would be a staggering loss for the Nets mostly because do was their dirty work guy. He’s the enforcer, Rodman with a jumper. Losing him would be like losing a position while you’re racing in Daytona. But they just might and that sh*t will steer this entire team straight into the wall. On paper. Who knows? Durant has been known to asspull sh*t when the game counts.

Clowns

Everyone owes Paul George a goddamn apology. Playoff P has always bee a thing, he just needs room to work. Free of Kawhi and his near identical game George showed us what his game really looks like, and it’s near pre-leg break form. Paul George can ball and i still hate that he’s playing in the wrong LA jersey. Now, that aside, The Clippers area joke. They think they were sized up for a championship by signing Kawhi off a title run in Toronto and prying PG away from a devastated OKC but in realty, they were just measuring for their f*cking clown suit. This Clippers team has been absolutely f*cking awful. Even after banishing arguably the worst head coach in the league to Philadelphia, they still sh*t the bed. This is bad tam with no rudder. hey have no leader and are plagued with ego. Win/lost records were unreliable last season because it’s goofy nature but this team definitely didn’t play like they deserved their seed, not when GS and the LAkers had to play just to get into the show. The Clippers have been consistently bad and trading either Kawhi or George away for solid assets complimentary to the remainders game would probably be in their best interest.

Move On

And now, the whole reason i wanted to write this thing, let’s get into my LAkers! This team was so much better than their record but, considering they were one of two teams who had the least amount of recovers, and the oldest among the pair, it stands to reason they would be exhausted going into this rushed season. I absolutely believe that, if this was a proper season with enough rest over the summer, my LAkers would have made it to at least the Western Conference Finals. They had all of the talent to do so but injuries. I’d say run it back but there are things that have come to light over this last season, things that need to be addressed. Okay, Schroeder is a diva who wants too much money for what little production he gave us and Kuz is too inconsistent to be a proper Sixth option. Where do we go from here?

Go Big

I think we trade Kuz for a three-and-D guy. Send his to Sac for Buddy Hield or someone like that. I love Kuz but he just don’t got it. I get his role is in flux but come on? That shouldn’t effect your percentages. You might score less with less touches, but those numbers shouldn’t fall off a cliff, man. Schroeder should be a contract dump or given away in a sign-and-trade for, say, Kyle Lowry. Dude is a vet who can run an offense like a machine. DeMar DeRozen wants to come home to LA and i would welcome that. I love his game and i think it can fit well into the LA system, especially with Bron taking away more jumpers lately. I love Montrezl Harrell and i think he can slide into that space Kuz couldn’t fit perfectly so re-singing him should be a priority, but only if that doesn’t interfere with securing Spencer Dinwidde. That dude shores up everything the LAkers need, outside of play-making. I would love the LAkers to make all these moves, and it can happen with certain financial acrobatics, but if not, definitely try to sign Dinwiddle and Lowry. Those cats will have an immediate effect on the LAkers title chances.

#NBA Rant #NBA

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realhousewives-fan · 4 years ago

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The Breaking Point of Thomasina

Can we just take a moment and appreciate how good this episode actually was?

This reminded me of the good old glory days of RHOBH!

It cracked me up that Harry Hamlin was the domestic one.

Lisa Rinna invited the women to her home and Harry was the one doing all the work.

When Kyle Richards and Dorit Kemsley asked if Lisa had decorated the table, Harry answered “she did nothing”.

She invited them to celebrate Garcelle Beauvais’ birthday, so she’s trying to repair the damages after the gang up against Denise Richards last season.

I’ve to say that Erika Girardi’s energy seems more lighter after she filed for divorce, which makes me wonder.

Maybe she isn’t divorcing him as a ploy to secure their assets as the allegations are saying?

Her conversations with Sutton Stracke, Crystal Kung Minkoff and Kathy Hilton seems authentic to me.

Am I being a sucker?

Kathy was stirring the pot when she called Sutton “Thomasina” again.

They had been to Lake Tahoe together, she must have known that Sutton is a little sensitive.

Sutton said in her confessional that she’s on a breaking point about “violate”, “Peeping Tom” and “Thomasina”.

Kathy and Crystal does appear to be a little mean girls right now.

They had just had a conversation where Crystal refused to back down on the word “violate”.

So why would she want to sit there with Crystal and faking that everything was okay?

But bless Sutton’s heart, she’s an overdramatic housewife.

She started crying, blaming allergies and ranted on about how Jesus should throw her a bone while she poured herself a shot.

And Garcelle brought Crystal into the conversation in hope of making them end the feud between them, but it only got from bad to worse.

Crystal accused her of being jealous and Sutton who has had enough of the name calling now stormed off and yelled out:

“Jealous of what?! Your ugly leather pants?!”

Is Sutton overdramatic? Hell yeah, but that’s also what we want to see on Real Housewives.

And Crystal was being mean to her. Both her and Kathy.

#Real Housewives of Beverly Hills #RHOBH #Lisa Rinna #Kyle Richards #Dorit Kemsley #Garcelle Beauvais #Denise Richards #Erika Girardi #Sutton Stracke #Crystal Kung Minkoff #Kathy Hilton

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staytheb · 4 years ago

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Black Daytime

Genre: college!au, slice of life, slight fluff Word Count: 3,304 Summary: It’s now the Black Day Festival and Jasmine, Katherine, Melanie, and Serena find themselves performing for the Love Stage event here as well.

Day Festival masterlist.

Warning: semi-proofread

oh hello. just a little something, something. this will have a part two. hence this one being called Black Daytime while the other will be called Black Nighttime whenever it gets shared. i know there isn’t much development in terms of story plot and the love lines, but this is more for me to enjoy writing what i’ve been working on and not being able to coherently shared it further as a chaptered story. so hopefully y’all can just bear with this and see it as its own standalone story of sorts. but yeah, happy reading and kthxbai, Admin Lia~

"Whenever was there a performance stage part of the Black Day Festival?" Serena asked once she and the other three were inside the Student Council room to change into their performing outfits.

"I honestly don't remember having one last year or the year before that."

"They actually added it this year." Katherine answered while putting on her black glittering wings. "Said it didn't feel right that the others had one, but none for Black Day."

Serena sighed.

"And how did I let y'all get me involved with this stuff again?"

"Free food." The other three chorused with a giggle following afterwards.

Serena scoffed although she knew it was the truth, but still complained.

"Why is everything so early though."

Melanie rolled her eyes.

"Everything is too early for you."

Serena nodded already agreeing with her sister's words.

"I'm pretty sure it was on the fence for a while though."

Jasmine mentioned as she put on her long black wig and adjusted it to her liking.

"Like they've been getting a lot of feedback about wanting a performance stage since both the Red Day Festival and White Day Festival got it over the years. Before it wasn't such an issue since the Black Day Festival is a whole day event whereas the other two were just until three or something. Anwyays, the Student Council decided to finally have one this year for the Black Day Festival."

"That makes sense." Melanie said with a nod while applying black lipstick to her lips. "I remember Gina talking about it this school year, but not really sure if she wanted to do it or not since they still had to get the approval from the administration."

"Well, yeah, whatever. Still here we are like always."

Serena sighed as she situated the black eye mask with green accents to her satisfaction.

"It's not a bad thing, but aren't there like other better singers and performers that could do this?"

"There are some better people to do this." Gina answered with a gleeful tone as she entered the room.

"So why not ask them?"

Serena scowled.

"I get a deal with Jasmine and Katherine who actually like doing this and get two more that'll always tag along to help."

"Haha, guilty." The twins answered. "We do."

Melanie laughed before looking at Gina.

"So what's our name this time around and what songs are we doing?"

The Black Day Festival had two parts which were for the day, Black Daytime and the night, Black Nighttime. Daytime events differed just a little bit from Nighttime. There was a jjajangmyeon eating contest that settled in the semi-final round at night. If not eating then you could make your own jjajangmyeon. The Student Council also had a booth selling solo merchandises at discounted prices created by the students and those in the artistic club, but then it was discounted even more later that night. There was also a salon-like area where you can get your nails and make-up done, once again by students studying cosmetology.

Another area where you can design shirts and a photo-booth where you can take pictures with various props. This year the Student Council announced two new segments to the festival which were much anticipated. They were the Solo Karaoke which was right after the Black Love Stage event the quartet had been roped in to doing as well like the other events before. The only difference was that at night they held a speed-dating event, a solo dining, and a designated lounge to chill or rant compare to the morning which didn't offer the three at all.

"Hello everyone!" Demian, a student council member that was in charge of the Black Day Festival event, announced excitedly.

Those in the quad that was present for the stage section cheered loudly as the others were about the campus participating in the other events.

"This year we're introducing the Solo Karaoke for the first time as well as the awesome Black Love Stage!" Demian announced with excitement.

"Before we allow the rest of you to sing to your heart's desire, we actually have our special guest coming out to perform for you guys."

Demian motioned to the other end of the makeshift stage where Serena, Melanie, Katherine, and Jasmine appeared in their get-up to stand alongside the male.

"This time around please give a warm welcome to Fallen Angels who will perform for us to acknowledged this new segment to the Black Day Festival." Demian said as he began clapping to lead the others to do the same before talking.

"Once these wonderful ladies are done then do we began the actual karaoke. So, please anticipate Fallen Angels' performance!"

Demian walked off while wishing the four good luck as Jasmine started the ment like always.

"Hello everyone. One, two..." She started while looking at the other three.

"We're Fallen Angels!"

They finished as a group with a bow before righting themselves as they introduced themselves with new stage names starting with Melanie, then Katherine, next by Serena, and ending with Jasmine.

"I'm Lady Gluttony."

"I'm Lady Sloth."

"I'm Lady Wrath."

"And I'm Lady Vanity."

There were some cheered before Jasmine continuing to speak.

"It's an absolute honored to be up here to acknowledged this new segment of the Black Love Stage to the Black Day Festival. So we hope you enjoy our performances and please watch over us kindly."

The crowd cheered and Jasmine waited until they quieted down before introducing the first song.

"So first off, the first song we'll be singing for you is It Hurts. This is dedicated to those that are still suffering from being hurt recently or in the past."

The group stood in their place as they waited for the song to start as Kyle cued them in with Katherine's voice starting off the song. Once that song came to an end did Serena introduce the next song after they took a few moments to catch their breaths and drink some water.

"This next song is One By One." Serena introduced. "And it's dedicated to those that wished for a love one to comeback to them or return to a time when love felt right."

The quatet rotated positions whenever another person sang their new line as Serena started singing first. One By One ended and Melanie spoke next after taking a break.

"The next song, What Do You Know, is dedicated to those that had broken up with their significant other without understanding why they ended up like that."

Jasmine started the song with the talking part before Melanie actually sang the first verse. They once again kept the lyrics the way they were as the song was sung by both female and male. When the song came to an end the quartet took another moment to catch their breaths and drink some water. After doing that did Katherine speak next.

"Alright, now we're actually gonna dance and sing for y'all." Katherine announced with a laugh. "This goes out to those that were placed second and wished to continued be by their special someone's side and can't leave. This is Black Tinkerbell."

The girls got into their poses before Serena sang first then started moving afterwards. Once the song ended, the quartet took a breather, drank some water, and Serena introduced the fourth song. For some reason they were using more energy than the last two festivals.

"The next song is for those that backed off from a relationship that wasn't going anywhere despite loving the person sincerely."

Melanie spoke.

"I hope you enjoy our performance of I'll Back Off So You Can Live Better."

When the song began it was Melanie who started the song and even though the twins loved doing this, the other pair of sisters didn't mind and were enjoying it just as much. The quartet momentarily forgot their worries and other things in life as they performed for others in their disguise. Anyways, when the song came to an end the four took another break before Katherine did the next talking ment.

"Hope all of you are enjoying everything so far for Black Daytime. The next song is I (Knew It). This goes out to those that don't want to deal with love again so that there's no pain. Enjoy!"

Fallen Angels got into formation and perform a new arrangement to fit their group of four compare to the original. The song came to an end and the girls once again took a moment for drinks and a breather. Jasmine spoke to announce their final stage.

"I hope you all have enjoyed our stages so far and the event itself if you got around to it. Unfortunately this will be our last performance before Solo Karaoke officially begins."

The crowd booed at the fact as Fallen Angels chuckled. Jasmine continued speaking.

"Anyways, thank you Haru for always making us look presentable, Kyle for timing us right, Demian for hosting Black Daytime by himself, and everyone else that made the first part of Black Day Festival a success."

The quartet clapped in appreciation as the crowd cheered. Jasmine spoke again when it calmed down.

"So yeah, this last song is us going back to a slow mood and this song is dedicated to those that wished it never ended or that it could've been different. So please enjoy, Goodnight Like Yesterday!"

The quartet once again got into formation as they enjoyed their last performance although they had to change the pitch to accommodate their vocal range compare to the original. When it ended the girls lined up to bow and bid the crowd goodbye as their final moment as Fallen Angels.

"One, two..." Jasmine began as they finished as a group, "This was Fallen Angels. Thank you!"

Demian came back on stage while clapping and speaking at the same time.

"Thank you so much, Fallen Angels! Please give these lovely ladies a warm round of applause!"

The crowd did just that as Demian took center stage while motioning towards the quartet.

"Thank you once again, Fallen Angels, for your wonderful performances! Please enjoy the rest of the festival."

Demian motioned to the side to indicate for them that they were free to go. The girls bowed to him in thanks before rushing off the makeshift stage as Demian began explaining how the Solo Karaoke was going to work for the remainder of the event. The pair of sisters returned to the student council room to change out of their outfits and back to their usual wear.

"So, what are we doing for Daytime?" Katherine asked the others as they wandered around the campus of Seoul University not really sure which of the events to participate in.

"Wait, don't we have to decorate the gymnasium later at four for the Nighttime part?" Serena inquired a moment later.

"Mmhmm." The trio hummed as Serena sighed deeply.

"Let's grab some jjajangmyeon. I'm hungry." Melanie suggested. "I heard that Lulu and Cheska are running the booth so they can hook us up."

"I'm down. We can even make shirts, too." Jasmine agreed. "Yeji promised me a shirt this year."

"She promised me one, too." Katherine mentioned with a slight chuckle. "She said she'll get a baggy purple shirt ready for me this year."

"Well, at least she knows you like your shirts baggy." Jasmine mused as Katherine chuckled in agreement.

"I wondered what kinda of items they're selling this year though." Melanie said. "I hope they have more designs this year."

"Not sure, but Gina said that the designs are a lot better this year as Dia and Yumi over saw the designs compare to last year's designers who came up with them last minute." Katherine answered.

"I would hope so. Last year's design was very basic and didn't sell that well that they had to marked them down." Serena said with a frown. "I remember one of them were trying to sell it for a lot more than it should've been."

"Okay. So what are we doing first or are we splitting up instead?" Jasmine asked once they quieted down from their chatter.

"This is too salty for me." Serena admitted and handed her small portioned cup to her sister.

The pair were walking around the campus after having split up from the twins. Melanie eyed her sister while taking Serena's cup.

"Then why did you lie to the girls?"

"I didn't want to hurt their feelings."

Melanie rolled her eyes, but continued to eat the dark noodles.

"Anyways, I need something to dri-"

Serena was interrupted when she and Melanie heard their name being shouted from behind them.

"Yo! Serena! Melanie! Over here."

"Oh, it's Mark. Let's go."

Melanie urged Serena to head towards their friend.

"Watermelon slush?"

Mark offered the pair each a cool and refreshing drink of said item.

"Of course you would have the watermelon flavor." Serena commented with a laugh as Mark chuckled.

"Yeah, well, Sungchan, YangYang, Shotaro, and I made it. So it's not just me."

Each one took the offered drinks.

"Wow, that's good." Serena complimented.

"And thankfully helpful."

"Thank you!"

Mark beamed happily.

"Thank you!"

He handed each of them a small package of a cake pie.

"What's this? Serena inquired while staring at it.

"Just some extra snacks. I can take it back if you don't want it."

"No. It's mine now. Thanks."

"Welcome."

"Anyways, I didn't know you guys were allowed to have a booth. I thought it was only just Student Council members." Melanie commented after drinking.

"Me either. Hansol and Taeyong just told us that we would be setting up a booth since yesterday."

"So it's just you four running it?" Serena asked with Mark shaking his head.

"No. Besides the four of us there's also Jaehyun, Hendery, Taeil, and Haechan."

Just then Jaehyun came by with two more drinks.

"Hello, ladies." He greeted them with a charming smile as he stood next to Mark.

Serena swore she saw Melanie swoon inside, but didn't comment.

"Y'all wanna try a peach and mango slush?" Jaehyun offered a moment later. "Had some extra left over."

"Sure!" Melanie happily responded as she took one of the darkish orange drink.

"Thanks."

Serena took the other. Both sisters were impressed by the taste.

"Wow, that's actually pretty good."

Melanie shot the two males an impressive look.

"This booth will definitely be a hit."

"Oh, we've made more than what we initially thought."

"Nice." Serena commented also impressed. "What are you guys raising the money for?"

"Besides giving half to the Student Council's funding, NCT's gonna use it for our end of the school year's event."

"And what is that?" Melanie inquired.

"Secret for now."

Mark grinned before directing the conversation.

"Anyways, will you guys be participating in Nighttime, too?"

"No."

Both replied at the same time.

"But we'll be helping in decorating for it though."

Melanie informed more.

"All that's too bad."

Mark shot them a slight frown.

"We're gonna be a part of it."

"Why?" Serena questioned. "What for?"

Before Mark could answer the sisters were ushered away by the twins who both happened to at the same booth, but on the other side to head on over to the gymnasium to decorate early. Something about last minute changes that Gina had contacted the twins about since the other pair didn't answered their phones.

"Ah, well, gotta go. See ya when I see ya." Serena and Melanie bid the two goodbyes before walking off with the twins.

"Thank you girls for always helping us out." Christine, the Vice President of the Student Council, thanked the quartet.

"Especially for earlier today and now for the night event of it."

"You're welcome." The quartet chimed with smiles.

"I mean, it's nothing new." Jasmine commented with a laugh. "We're used to it."

"True. Well, everyone in Student Council knows, too, so thank you." Christine thanked them once more before giving them a playful look.

"Luckily it was just for this morning." Serena said with a relieved tone.

"Or so you think." Christine muttered with a secretive smile.

"What was that?"

"I wished I could've seen it."

Christine covered it up with something else with a sweet look.

"I'm sure Gina has a video of it like always." Katherine stated with Jasmine agreeing. "She always does and so you should be able to watch it."

"Oh, I will."

"Christine!"

Someone called out for the Vice President and the quintet turned their attention to see a male coming up to them.

"Oh, Seoljun. Hey. What's up?"

"Simon and Mint need help with the jjajangmyeon for the semi-finalists since it was labeled incorrectly when they moved it over. We don't know where Chunglim is. Selin and Daniel forgot what the final prices for the rest of the discounted merchandises were supposed to be."

"Alright. Thank you. Just make sure to hand these four their envelopes."

Christine handed Seoljun four black envelopes.

"Will do."

"Wait, what envelopes?" Serena asked suspiciously.

Christine chuckled with a indifferent shrug before walking off and waving goodbye. The quartet turned their attention onto Seoljun who cast them a reassuring smile.

"If anything is incorrect, then please let me know and I can let Liyin or Sorin fix it before the Nighttime event takes place."

He handed each one a small black envelope.

"What's this for?" Melanie asked while taking the envelope.

"Please don't tell me that Gina signed us up for something tonight, too? Please let it not be for real." Serena pleaded hopefully as she opened to see the contents.

"I'm just the messenger." Seoljun answered with a sheepish laugh. "So, does it all look right?"

The four read the content and realized they were participants in the speed dating event later tonight. Seoljun saw their expressions and held up his hands in defense.

"I'm just the messenger and I'm only in charge of the arts and crafts with Seolhwa."

"Do you know anything about the speed-dating event then?" Jasmine asked as Seoljun nodded.

"Okay, so who's in charge of it?" Katherine asked next.

"Sorin and Liyin."

"What can you tell us about it?" Melanie inquired as Seoljun relaxed.

"Well, the girls are the ones who's seated this year and the boys are the ones rotating."

"But I thought only those that didn't get any gifts from the Red and White festivals were able to participate." Serena reasoned. "Right? And those that actually wanted to sign up and join, yeah?"

"Yes, that's right, but those who are also single still can pariticpate for this." Seoljun explained. "So it fits the criteria or requirement."

"Of course it fits." Serena muttered loudly, but reluctantly accepting it. "Mine's all good."

"Mine, too." The other three informed with bigger smiles than Serena's.

"Do you need it back?" Jasmine asked as she was about to hand hers over.

"No. You guys keep it. It's supposed to be your name placard when the event starts or something like that. Sorin and Liyin will let you guys know for sure when it begins."

Seoljun informed them with a smile while looking at the other three.

"Other than that, is everything else good?"

"For now." Serena commented as the others chuckled.

"Yeah, we're good. We just need to finish setting up here first before heading on over to Liyin and Sorin for further inquires." Melanie answered.

"Okay, cool. I'll let those two know and thanks for helping us out."

"No problem."

"Oh wait." Seoljun said as he remembered something while turning to face the quartet. "One more thing."

The four looked at him unexpectedly as he handed them a piece of white paper before reminding them that he was just the messenger and quickly walked away. Serena groaned upon learning that they were also going to perform for the Nighttime's new segment, Dark Love Stage.

#staytheb #nct scenarios #nct u #nct 127 #nct dream #nct 2018 #wayv #nct 2020 #superm

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thedreammweaver · 5 years ago

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“Excuse me, um, I love you” (Gotham (TV) Ed x Returns Oswald, mild Ed x Max Shreck too cause 🤷🏽🤷🏽🤷🏽)

(A/N: stream R.E.M. by Ariana Grande, it’s all I listened to while writing this and it’s honestly a vibe.)

Warnings: Mild blood tw, talk about job/financial insecurity

Ed startled at the commotion, he’d only been half listening to the conversation going on to his right between Josh and the Penguin.

“Not a lot of reflective surfaces down in the sewer, huh?”

There was a long pause of over exaggerated laughter.

“Still, could be worse, my nose could be gushing blood.”

And then...

Ed hadn’t seen what happened but by the blood coming from Josh’s nose as Jen led him over to a desk and the same blood dripping from the penguin’s mouth it didn’t take him long to deduce. Ed bit back a smile despite himself, Josh had been an asshole to him many times, it was good to see him face some consequences finally. “Alright, everybody, back to work!” Max instructed as everyone the room awkwardly dispersed. “Let’s. Make. A mayor!” He finished before going over to the water cooler with the penguin. Ed couldn’t help but stare at the shorter man, he wished he could say it was just for his grotesque appearance but there was something else entirely that drew Ed in.

Ed looked up from his work when he noticed the figure standing in front of his desk. It was Max. “Yes, sir?” Ed asked, nervously flipping his pencil in his fingers under his boss’ gaze. “Eddie, could you be a dear and take some tea or something up to Mr. Cobblepot? Make him feel welcome, you know. Thanks.” He didn’t wait for Ed to respond before he walked away. Ed chewed his lip and watched his boss for a moment before getting to his assigned task.

Ed was nervous as he ascended the stairs with a tray of tea and snacks. He tried to stop his hands from shaking as it was making the teapot he was carrying rattle. As he entered the loft above the rented campaign building through the support beams Ed could see the penguin at his desk quill in hand writing away. Ed forced himself towards the desk “Mr. Shreck, asked me to bring you this.” He said trying desperately not to fumble his words, as he set the tray down on an empty spot. Before he could withdraw his hands penguin grabbed one of them, Ed froze completely. Penguin put down his quill and used the flipper that wasn’t gripping Ed’s hand to caress it. “You have such gorgeous hands.” He practically purred. Ed’s face went bright red “.....T-T-Thank you, sir.” Penguin released Ed’s hand from his grip and resumed his writing as if nothing happened. Ed tried to keep his cool as he awkwardly headed towards the stairs but he was interrupted by the penguin’s gruff voice

“What’s your name?”

Ed tensed up “Oh, I- I’m just an intern, sir-“

“I asked for your name not your employment status.”

Ed’s face went red again and he idly adjusted his glasses “It’s Edward..Nygma.”

“Edward with the pretty hands...got it.” Penguin chuckled. There was a pause between the two men “You can go now.” Penguin clarified. Ed nodded awkwardly and left the room.

Ed tossed and turned in his bed. He couldn’t stop thinking about his earlier encounter with the penguin, he should’ve been grossed out but the man’s flippers were surprisingly warm, calloused but soft at the same time. He replayed the feeling of them around his hand over and over in his mind despite himself. Ed began dozing off to the thought of how warm the rest of the penguin must be, how soft and secure it must be in his arms and how badly he wanted to be cradled in the short man’s chest...Ed’s eyes snapped open and he sat up in bed. It’d been hard enough coming to terms with the crush he had on his boss but this?? Daydreaming about being held by a mysterious bird man? Afraid of what he might dream about if he did sleep, Ed pushed off his weighted blanket and got out of bed, determined to distract himself from any and all thoughts of the penguin.

He regretted not sleeping the moment Max told him he’d be at the campaign building doing overtime that night though he didn’t say what for. For now Ed was stuck listening to Max and Bruce Wayne drone on about power surpluses and other things. Though he was tired Ed was elated to be filling in for Selina Kyle as Max’s executive assistant, something in him always hoped something would happen to her so he could take over and be around Max all the time. He coveted Miss Kyle’s position but luckily she hadn’t been to work for a few days. Ed leaned against the wall trying not to doze as he half listened to the conversation going on in front of him.

“Yeah, well, I’m gonna fight you on this, Max. See, I’ve already spoken to the mayor and we see eye-to-eye so-“

“Mayors come and go. Blue bloods tire easy. You think you could go fifteen rounds with Mohammed Shreck?”

“Well, I guess we’re gonna find out. Of course, I don’t have a crime boss like Cobblepot in my corner so it might-“

Ed perked up at the mention of Oswald, So did Max.

“Crime boss?!?” He stood up and began circling the large meeting table over to Bruce “Shows what you know, Mister.”

Bruce stood up as well as Max continued his rant. “Oswald is Gotham’s new golden boy. If his parents hadn’t 86’d him you two might have been bunkies at prep school.”

Bruce rolled his eyes. “Oswald controls the red triangle gang. I can’t prove it but we both know-“

“Wayne, I will not stand for mudslinging in this office.” The door opened behind him revealing Selina, he was too caught up in his rant to notice. “If my usual assistant was here she would have already escorted you out to-“

“Anywhere he wants,” Selina interrupted strutting in. Ed glared at her before exiting, sensing he was no longer needed.

Ed was still fuming when he caught up with Selina in the hallway later “Where have you been??”

“None of your business.” She mumbled, walking away from him, Ed followed.

“Actually it is, as an employee of Mr. Shreck I find it concerning when a fellow employee drops off the face of the earth and suddenly swoops back in like she owns the place-“

Selina stopped. “Look, Ed, no need to exact your jealous rage on me I’m...quitting soon, then you’ll have Maxie all to yourself.”

“I don’t appreciate what you’re implying, Miss Kyle.”

Selina scoffed “You imply it enough yourself.” Ed took a moment to actually look at her, she was much more disheveled than how he usually saw her. “What happened, why are you all..different?” Selina sighed “Now that’s really none of your business, riddle boy.”

Ed gripped the banister of the spiral staircase that lead up to the loft where the penguin resided. Max had told him that Penguin wanted to see him for something, that was the only information he’d been given. Now he stood there, too nervous to ascend, nervous because he wanted to see Oswald, desperately. Ed steeled himself and forced himself up the stairs.

Penguin was writing again though he was in much better clothes than the dirty union suit Ed had seen him in previously and a second chair had been moved by the side of his desk. Ed stepped only a few feet away from the stairs “Mr. Shreck said y-you wanted to see me, sir?”

“Yes..and call me Oswald, I insist. All I want from you is your company, it gets terribly quiet up here.” Ed was a bit taken aback, most people told him to shut up but here was Oswald wanting him to speak. Oswald gestured the empty chair “Come over here, would ya, I don’t bite.”

A nervous huff of laughter escaped Ed “Josh’s nose would disagree.” Oswald sighed “Ah, yes. Poor choice of words. I promise not to bite you then.” There was a soft tone to Oswald’s voice that made Ed want to leap into his arms and stay there. Ed awkwardly shuffled over to the chair and sat down. There were a few moments where the only sound was of Oswald’s quill against the paper as Ed struggled for something to say. “Did...uh-did you know that male emperor penguins keep their eggs warm by balancing them on their feet?” Ed kicked himself after the fact fell out of his mouth, Oswald was raised by penguins of course he knew that. “Yes, I did.” There was a note in Oswald’s voice that indicated he was impressed which made Ed struggle not to beam. “Some of them can swim at over ten miles per hour, and dive down over eight-hundred feet with that beautiful plumage that camouflages them from above and below the...water.” Oswald stopped himself, a slight blush spreading across his face “Forgive me, they’re truly amazing creatures..” There was a hint of vulnerability in his voice which made Ed jump to reassure the man. “It’s okay! Usually I’m the one rambling.” He chuckled, oddly feeling at ease with Oswald. “There was another thing about penguins I heard-“ Ed was cut off by a shiver that ran up his spine, he wrapped his arms around himself. “Jeez, it’s...cold in here.”

“Hold on.” Oswald put down his quill and got up, at first Ed assumed he was going to go turn the AC down but instead he waddled over to wrap Ed in a hug. Ed froze once again as Oswald once again invaded his personal space. Oswald felt even better than Ed had pictured, sublimely soft and warm. This must be what being in the womb felt like, Ed thought, so secure and cozy. It had only been a few seconds but Ed felt like screaming when Oswald pulled away and returned to his seat, he’d wanted the hug to last forever.

“That better?”

Ed adjusted his glasses and hoped he wasn’t blushing as much as he thought he was “Y-Yes, thank you.”

“So you were saying?” Oswald asked as he resumed writing. Ed was distracted by the bat signal going up outside the window before he could compose himself enough to answer. He accidentally let a disgruntled huff at the light let slip. “What is it?” Oswald asked not looking up. “Oh- just...Batman being called for something I guess..while Gordon sits on his ass doing nothing.” Ed mumbled.

“You sound upset.” Curiosity was apparent in Oswald’s voice. Ed shrunk into himself a bit “..I...I’m not supposed to talk about it. It’s not very ‘proud Gotham citizen’ of me.”

“Oh, please, do tell. You’ve piqued my interest.” Ed couldn’t help but oblige as it sounded like Oswald would actually listen. He got up and went over to the window. “I work at the GCPD when I’m not doing stuff for Max, or at least I think I work there.”

“Oh?”

“They let Batman handle most of the cases now, all the aspects of them...even the forensics.. They barely call me in anymore. Thankfully Mr. Shreck started paying me when I got laid off but...uh, all I see when I look at that symbol in the sky is another month of back rent..” Ed finished grimly. “If something happened to Miss Kyle then of course Max would probably make me executive assistant,” Ed sighed a bit too wistfully “and I could quit the GCPD but that’s not happening I suppose, not for a while anyways.”

“Even on the off chance I don’t become mayor, I’d hire you, you wouldn’t have to worry about any of that shit anymore.”

Ed spun back around to the desk “Really??...Why?”

“I can tell you’re smart, you’re nice to talk to, you’d be a delight to just have around.” Ed blushed at being called a delight, he went back to his chair to sit. “Thank you, sir, that would be-......wait, I have to ask..are you a..crime boss?” Oswald scoffed “Now where did you hear that from?”

“Bruce Wayne.”

Oswald rolled his eyes “Of course...what if I was?” It didn’t take Ed long to answer, he felt strangely like he could be candid with the shorter man. “If you were...I might be more inclined to accept a job offering, I’m starting to think the criminals in this city have the right idea...”

“Good to know..” Oswald said smugly. Max had been Ed’s end goal for so long but now he was already thinking of him as just a stepping stone to the real prize. Ed held back a devilish grin as he shivered, this time on purpose. Oswald looked up “Cold again? What am I going to do with you?” he chuckled. ‘Anything you want, Mr. Cobblepot,’ Ed thought ‘Anything you want.’

#oswald cobblepot #edward nygma #nygmobblepot #riddlebird #the penguin #the riddle #batman returns au

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chickensarentcheap · 5 years ago

Text

Sanctuary -Chapter 50

Warnings: none really

Tags: @alievans007, @c-a-v-a-l-r-y, @thunderintheshadows, @innerpaperexpertcloud, @valkyrie-of-the-light

Face Claim for Esme’s brother Kyle: Taylor Kinney

“You know,” Kyle says, as he parks his truck in front of their mother's home. Nik's already arrived; standing at the side of the Lincoln Navigator, flanked by her two security specialists while speaking to Michelle. Sunglasses still covering her eyes, a hand on her cocked hip. “You don't have to stay here. You could always just come and hang out at my place until Tyler gets back.”

“You live in a one bedroom apartment,” Esme reminds him. “There's going to be four kids, Ovi and his girlfriend, Nik and her people....”

“So I take you back to your place and stay there with you,” he suggests. “Keep an eye on things. Spend time with the kids when they get back. Help you out. I've got some vacation time owed to me and I know I could pull some strings and get some immediate time off.”

“K, as tough and as bad ass as you are, these people that are after Tyler aren't the kind you want to be messing with. Trust me. So as much as I appreciate you wanting to help out and wanting me to be comfortable, this is unfortunately the best of a bad situation.”

He smirks. “When mom is the best of a bad situation, that's when you know the situation is FUBAR'D.”

She gives a snort. “Definitely FUBAR'D.”

“Try not to let her get to you. I know it's hard. Trust me, I know. She's going to be losing her shit as soon as you walk into that house. She's going to drag Tyler through the mud and you know it. She's been just raging him about him since you said you were coming home. And like I said, she's already got names and numbers of divorce lawyers.

Esme shakes her head. “Why does she have to be like this? Why can't she just give him a break? Why can't she just see him the way I see him? The way you see him, even. You don't hate him.”

“Never did. I was a little pissed that my little sister ran off with some strange guy and decided to stay half way around the world. But you're an adult and you can do whatever the hell you want. No matter how stupid I think you are. I wasn't going to hold it against him because you made the choices you did. It's not his fault you think your p...”

She slugs him in the shoulder. Hard. “Don't you even finish that sentence!”

“Heart. I was going to say heart.”

“Like hell you were. And maybe at first I did think with my...well you know...” she nods down at her lap. “...but that's not all it was, okay?”

“Well obviously. Or you wouldn't have married the guy and had four kids. Or is it four and a half now? Four and a quarter?”

“You can be a real shit head.”

“But I'm a lovable shit head. And the best big brother.”

“Considering the other ones are all assholes, you don't have much competition,” she teases.

“That's harsh, Esme. Way harsh. Look, I'm glad things worked out with you and Tyler. That the guy actually survived what he did and you two ended up together and I ended up having all those kids I get to spoil the shit out of. I've never hated him. And I don't hate him now that I know who he really is.”

“He's still Tyler, K. He's still the Tyler you know. Being a mercenary doesn't change that. There's job Tyler and there's Tyler. And I need you to realize that and accept it. Because I love you, but I love him more. And if you can't accept him now that you know, then....” she shrugs. “....I don't know. Maybe it means you don't come around anymore. Maybe you become nothing more than another person to send Christmas cards to.”

“You can't get rid of me that easily, kid,” he playfully tousles her hair. “I'm freaked out by what you told me,” he admits. “It's not every day you learn your brother in law is a soldier for hire. But, I know how much he loves you. How good he's been for you. And I know how much he loves those kids. So if you're cool with it and you can accept this whole job Tyler and normal Tyler thing, than so can I. Okay?” he taps the end of his index finger against the tip of her nose. “Are you sure you want to do this? I could find room at my place for everyone.”

“As much as I appreciate the offer, your bachelor pad slash den of inequity is not the place I want my children spending too much time in. I'll be okay. And if she really gets on my nerves, I can always punch her in the throat.”

He grins. “Remember that time you kneed the older kid in the face on the playground because he was picking on one of your friends? What were you? Like eight?”

She nods. “And he was in grade six. Tommy Chambers. That ignorant little fucker.”

“You busted up his nose real good. Embarrassed the shit out of him., too. Remember how his mom came to the house after school? Totally freaking out when dad answered the door. Ranting and raving about his kid fucking up hers and just going on and on and on. You should have seen her face when dad told her that it was his eight year old did it. And not just any eight year old. His eight year old daughter. Lady about nearly shit her pants. I know you got in deep shit over that, but I'd honestly never seen dad so proud of you as he did at that moment.”

She smiles at the memory. “I miss him. Even now.”

“Yeah, so do I. It's been a long time.”

She nods.

“You've done good, kid. With your life. Regardless of what mom says. Dad would be proud of you. I'm not so sure how he'd handle the whole 'my son in law is a mercenary thing', but he'd like Tyler. I know he would. He would have given him a chance. Probably would have called him Crocodile Dundee.”

Esme laughs at that.

“Remember how much he loved that movie? Tyler would have gotten so sick of that and wanted to punch him in the face.”

“He would have put up with it, though. He's been called a lot worse, believe me.”

“Yeah, you've got quite the gutter mouth on you when you get going. Guy's got a foot and almost a hundred pounds on you and you just light into him and he takes it.”

“I wasn't talking about me, you asshole!” she uses her thumb and index finger to flick him in the earlobe.

“See? That's what I mean. You're feisty. You don't take shit. From anyone. That's why you guys work so well together. He can handle you. Not like that first prick you married,” he looks up the windshield at where a clearly agitated and unamused Nik is still listening to their mother rant and rave. “Can't believe someone that looks like her would be with someone like Mark. Guy's a troll. First my sister and now her? What the hell is that about?”

“You should get out there and rescue her from the Wicked Witch of the Mid-West. I know how you can't resist flexing your muscles and playing the firefighter card for damsels in distress.”

“Something tells me she is far from being a damsel in distress. Something tells me she could totally kick my ass.”

“Oh, she definitely could. But I know you and I know that makes you even more interested.”

He grins. “You're not wrong.”

“Seriously, go,” she jabs her elbow into his ribs, pushing his towards his door. “Go and rescue her from such torment and torture. No one deserves what mom can unleash. Get out there and go and give her that smile of yours and let her see those pretty blue eyes. No woman can resists those eyes. Not even Nik.”

“She's a hard sell?”

Esme nods. “Just a bit.”

“Perfect,” his grin broadens. “You know I love a good challenge.”

“Then do it!” she encourages her brother. “Get out there and introduce yourself and impress her with your boyish charm and all your muscles. Go! Or I will drag you over there and throw you at her feet.”

“Like some kind of sexual offering to a goddess,” he muses.

“Would you go, you fuck head!” Esme laughs. “Go out there and get mom away from her. You're a great catch. Even Nik will see that. And think of it this way, if you can manage to land Nik, that's a total kick in the nuts to Mark. And I know how much you love Mark.”

“It would be nice to get one last shot in at the guy. I didn't get nearly enough shots in when I beat him up in front of that hooker.”

“Then go! Go and charm her, Romeo. You can do it. I have faith in you. She needs a good guy. A normal guy. And you're as close to normal as anyone I know of, so...”

“What about your bags? I need to...”

“You can get them afterwards. There's no rush. Would you just do it? She's worth it, K. Way worth it. And I've heard she's quite the wild one in the sack. She could give you a run for your money.”

“Yeah? Think so?”

“Go!” she orders. “Before I call her over here and totally embarrass you in front of her. I'm not going in yet, anyway. I have to call Tyler first.”

“No phone sex in my truck!” he orders, as he tosses open the driver's side door.

“He wanted me to call when I got here so he knows I'm safe. Get your mind out of the gutter. You can put it back in there when you get Nik alone.”

“I won't be putting my mind in the gutter if that happens. I'll be putting something else in there.”

“You're a pig! Don't make me regret suggesting this! Get out there. Make me proud.”

“You're my favourite sister, just so you know,” he says, giving her a wink before climbing out of the truck and shutting the door behind him.

The shrill ring of his personal cell phone tears Tyler from his sleep. He's still fully clothed, including boots, in the middle of the bed; flat on his stomach, a forearm tucked under the pillow his face rests again. At first he's startled; disoriented even. The room is dark aside from the moonlight that streams through the patio doors, and his brain doesn't immediately register...or remember, for that matter...why the bed is empty beside him. It causes a brief moment of panic; head snapping up, furtively glancing around the dark room, about to call out to her when all of his senses return and it occurs to him that he's alone. That she's thousands of miles away. And it's all his fault.

His cell rests on her pillow and he blindly reaches for it, using his free hand to wipe sleep out of his eyes as he answers the call on the fourth ring.

“Yeah?”

“Hey,” her voice is tired, but there's a enough cheerfulness to it that eases some of the guilt he's been feeling.

“Hey,” he presses the heel of his palm into one of his eyes, anxious to rid of himself of that last little bit of lingering fogginess.

“Did I wake you up?”

“I must have dozed off.”

“Are you alone?”

“Why wouldn't I be?”

“Thought maybe you'd had a wild night at a peeler bar and brought back a stripper,” she teases. “Or you only do things like that when you're in Russia?”

He grins. “It was actually Serbia. But Yaz doesn't understand geography. And no. There's no stripper here. I already sent her home.”

She laughs at that. And it's music to his ears. “You're lucky I know you're being a smart ass. And you're also lucky I love you as much as I do.”

“Yeah,” he smiles. “I am.”

“What time is it there?”

He glances towards the digital clock on the nightstand. “Midnight.”

“I didn't mean to wake you up,” her voice is apologetic.

“It's okay,” he assures her, and rolls over onto his back. The agony isn't as intense as it usually is; he's been religiously taken the pain meds -as prescribed- and it's managed to keep things dull and bearable. And the Valium for his PTSD has kept the anxiety and most of the hyper-vigilance under control; mellowing him without making him feel like a zombie. “It was a long night. I didn't get in until ten thirty. Must have just lied down, planning to just close my eyes, and fell asleep.”

“Where were you?” she inquires, and he knows what she's asking.

“We gave McMann to the IRA tonight. It was time to hand him over. Whatever happens to him now, it's in their hands. And no, I didn't actually go into the storage place. I waited outside. I would have stayed away entirely, but they wouldn't take him unless I was the one to give him to them, so...”

“I understand,” she says, and it's genuine. “Are you okay?”

“I'm better.”

“Good. I was worried about you.”

“When don't you worry about me? I'm okay. I miss you. But I'm okay.”

“I miss you, too. I didn't think I'd miss you this much, this fast.”

Tyler grins. “I guess I should be flattered.”

“Yeah,” she laughs. “You should. I don't get all weepy over just any man, you know.”

“But, I'm not just any man.”

“No,” she agrees. “You're not. You never have been. You make the quite impression, Tyler Rake. In more ways that one. You're not just a pretty face.”

He chuckles at that. “How's things going there?”

“I haven't actually gone inside yet. I'm still sitting in the truck. Trying to prepare myself for my mother's bullshit. Apparently she's already googled divorce lawyers and has all the numbers written out.”

“Well, as long as you're not planning on using any of them...”

“We are far from that stage,” she assures him. “We are, right? Far from that stage?”

“I already told you, you're stuck with me. Right until the bitter end. You're not getting rid of me and I'm not getting rid of you. You're not getting rid of me, are you?”

“Never,” she declares.

“Tell her to fuck off. Or better yet, I'll call her and tell her to fuck off. I thought maybe things were better between us, after our little talk, but I guess not. She knows how to hold a grudge, that's for sure. Now I know where you get it from.”

“She isn't holding a grudge. She's being a bitch. She has no reason to hold a grudge against you. You haven't done anything wrong.”

“I seduced her precious, innocent daughter. Knocked her up. When we weren't even married yet.”

“I guess I shouldn't tell her that I let you choke me and pull my hair while you were seducing me.”

“Not unless you want to have her totally lose her last shred of sanity. Not that that would be a bad thing. We could lock her away somewhere. Completely ignore her. Never have to worry or think about her ever again.”

“Or we could just move back to Australia. That way she wouldn't be able to just show up on our doorstep.”

“Where'd that come from? Talking about moving back there?”

“I've been thinking about it,” she admits. “A lot. That things were so much simpler when we lived there. It's more laid back and the people are friendly and it's a better place to raise kids. We were happier there. You were happier there.”

“I'm happy in Colorado. I'm happy wherever you are. Wherever the kids are. You know that. And it was my idea to move to Colorado in the first place, remember? It's not like you forced me to move there. I'm the one that brought it up and practically forced you into it. So...”

“You're happy here, but you're nowhere near as happy as you were in Australia. It's your home, Tyler.”

“And Colorado is your home,” he points out.

“It stopped being my home a long ago. I didn't even want to come here in the first place. But we needed a change of pace and a change of scenery and I've tried my best to like it here. I really have. But I don't want to be here. I want to go back. To Australia.”

“Babe, going back there won't make things like they were five and a half years ago. Just because we go back doesn't mean things will go back the way they were. It doesn't work like that.”

“But we'll be happier,” she says. “Away from my family. Both of us were so much happier when we were thousands of miles away from their shit We had our own life and we didn't worry about all the crap that goes on here. IT was just and me and Millie and it was perfect.”

“It's not just you and me and Millie anymore,” Tyler reminds her.

“The kids would thrive here. You know they would. There's good schools here and we could live in a small town. Close to the beach. That's your happy place.”

“You're my happy place.”

“You can't deny that things were better when we lived there. That we were both so much happier. We were more relaxed, we had less stress, we didn't worry about the shit we worry about here. It's a different way of live down there. And that's the way of life I want back. That I want for my kids. And for you. I just want you to be happy, Tyler.”

“I am happy. With you and my kids. You know that.”

“But you'd be even happier if we moved back. You know you would. I don't want you thinking I'm just saying this for you. We need this. Our marriage needs this. We need to go back to where we were the happiest. Where things seemed so much easier. And it will be better for the kids. We'll be happier, less stressed, there will be less tension in the house. They feel all of that. And I'd rather they didn't. You can't tell me that you wouldn't go back. I know you would. I know you miss it, Tyler. It's your home. You spent thirty six years there. And then you gave that up because you thought being here would make me happy. And it has. But not as happy as I was when we were in Australia.”

“Esme, if that's really what you want...”

“You need to want it too. This isn't just about me. You need to want to go back. Do you want? Want to go back?”

“Yeah,” he admits. “I do.”

“Then let's just do it. Let's just go. We can put the house here on the market. Or maybe even Kyle could take it over. Let's go pack up and go back.”

'Babe, it's not that easy. We have four kids. One on the way. We can't just pack up and leave. We have to plan things. We need a place to live before we move back there. I'm not doing the hotel thing again. Not with four kids and one on the way. When I get home, we'll look at places online. And we'll make plans. We can't just pack shit up and go. Maybe if it was just us. Or if we just had Millie. But things have changed since then. A lot of things have changed.”

“And money,” she sighs. “It's not like we have a lot.”

“Actually, we don't have to worry about that any more. Money.”

“What do you mean? What...?”

“The IRA paid me. And they paid me big. For getting McMann and handing him over.”

“Big as in?”

“Five million dollars.”

“Jesus Christ!” she shrieks. “What? Tyler, are you serious?”

“I am dead serious.”

“But why? Why so much? Why?”

“Flynn just handed me a check. Told me to retire and take care of my wife and my kids. I didn't even look at until I got back to the hotel. All he said was that they appreciated me busting my ass to get McMann and be so willing to hand him over. That they take care of the people who do them a solid. That's all he said.”

“But that much? Five million dollars?!

“I guess that's what a guy like McMann is worth. So money isn't a problem. That's the last thing you need to worry about now. The last thing we need to worry about. I can walk away for good and know that I can take care of my family. I don't even need to take that other job Nik offered. I can just get out of this entirely and we can leave and never look back. If that's what you want.”

“It's what I want,” she says.

“When I get home, we'll start planning everything. Tomorrow I'm going to the bank and I'm going to put the money into our account. I thought I should tell you before you went to take money out and saw the balance.”

“I would have fainted!” she laughs. “Oh my God, Tyler. This is...I don't know...this is...”

“Huge,” he finishes for her.

“Yeah,” she agrees. “I don't even known what to say. This is insane. That they'd give you that much. I wasn't even expecting them to give you anything, to be honest. So this is very pleasant surprise.”

“A five million dollar surprise. I get to walk away, baby. For good. I don't have to ever think about this job ever again. You don't ever again have to worry about me walking out the door and not coming back. This is it. All I have to do now is find those kids, get them out of there, and come home.”

“You make it sound so easy.”

“I've done hundreds of extractions. You know that.”

“Not against the Buckmans, you haven't. Please tell me you're not going in there alone, Tyler. Not when you have to get two people and yourself out of there.”

“That Nathan kid is going to come in with me. Zak and Mark are going to watch the outside. Not so sure I trust Mark that much, but I don't have much of a choice. I think he'd sooner see someone put a bullet in my head than actually help me out. Probably so he could run back to you and do the whole 'comfort the grieving widow' bullshit.”

“Try not to let him get to you. He just wants to get under your skin and rile you up. Speaking of getting under Mark's skin and riling him up, I think I found a way to really get him where it hurts.”

“Yeah? Kick him in the nuts?”

“Figuratively, maybe. My brother is in the process of trying to pick up Nik. I'm going to send you a picture. They're looking very cozy.”

He waits as she puts the call on hold, and within seconds there's a notification as she sends the photo to him. A picture of Nik and Kyle, shoulders touching as they both lean back against an SUV, smiles on their faces. It's a smile he's never seen on Nik before; her features much softer, eyes sparkling.

“Did you get it?” Esme asks.

“Yeah. I got it. I should send this to Mark. Just to be a prick.”

“Nik will get pissed for sure. You know she'll freak out on us. Especially me for sneaking a pic. Just hold onto it. In case you need it.”

“Blackmail,” he grins. “Nice.”

“They'd make a cute couple, don't you think? Kyle and Nik?”

“Well he's better than Mark, that's for sure. I don't know if he'd be able to handle Nik.”

“You were able to handle Nik,” she points out.

“There was nothing to handle. There wasn't a me and Nik. It was just sex. We fucked, she left. End of story. So don't start. And speaking of fucking...”

“And you tell me not to start,” she teases.

“That's what I wish I was doing right now. Fucking. You.”

“Well, as much as I'd like to indulge from thousands of miles away, I told my brother I would not partake in phone sex with you in his truck. But if you call me when you get up in the morning....”

“It'll be night time in Colorado,” he reminds her.

“Exactly. So I can get away from the wicked witch of the Midwest by saying I'm tired and then I can actually be talking to you and...”

“You have a filthy mind.”

“Listen, you dragged me down into the gutter with you five and a half years ago and I've stayed down there. And your voice does crazy things to my insides, so...”

He grins. “What kind of crazy things?”

“Phone me later and I'll tell you. As much as I want to right now and as much as my hormones are out of control, now is not a good time. And you need to get him some sleep.”

“I'd sleep better if I could fuck you first. That always helps me sleep better.”

“Well then go and 'study' by yourself,” she suggests.

“Not the same thing and you know it.”

“Then you're going to have to be patient. Get some sleep, Tyler. I'm sorry I woke you up.”

“Don't be. I wanted you to call. So I know you got there safe and sound. I love you. Both of you.”

“I'm sure Kyle loves you too.”

“I meant you and the baby, smart ass.”

She giggles. “I know. And we love you too. Make sure you call me later. I have an itch that really needs scratched and you can help. Even if it is from thousands of miles away.”

“You expect me to sleep when that's all I'm going to be thinking about now?”

“If I have to suffer until later, so do you. Call me.”

“I will,” he promises.

“And be safe, okay? Be safe and be smart.”

“You know I will. And try not to kill your mother. I'm a little far away to come and bail you out of jail. Although if the cops know your mother, they'd let you of on reasons of justifiable homicide. Talk soon, yeah?”

“Very soon,” she confirms, and then disconnects the call.

****

Her mother barely acknowledges her arrival; never mind a warm embrace or even a reassuring smile. Not looking up from the meal she's preparing at the stove, vigorously stirring the contents of a simmering sauce pot as others boil and bubble around it.

“You cooking for an army?” Kyle asks, as he lays a comforting and supportive hand on the small of Esme's back and escorts her into the kitchen, making sure she's settled herself into a chair at the table before moving to the stove and pressing a chaste kiss to their mother's cheek. “That's a lot of food.”

“Well, I've got all these extra people to feed. Nicole and her...whatever the hell they are...”

“Her name isn't Nicole,” Esme speaks up. “It's Nik.”

Her mother fixes her with a steely gaze. “Was I speaking to you? You're the last one that should be opening their mouth. Considering I had to take you in at the last minute. All because you're life finally blew up in your face like I told you it would right from the bloody beginning. I knew you'd end up back here,” she huffs. “When he decided he didn't want you anymore.”

“That's not what happened,” Kyle says. “That is far from what happened. So maybe not freak out on her until you know the whole truth.”

“What is there to know that I already don't know? That he's a lying, cheating bastard that isn't good enough for my daughter?”

“When did this conversation become about Mark?” Esme pipes up, and Kyle smirks.

“Don't get smart with me, young lady!” her mother hisses. “I told you five and a half years ago that this was going to happen. When you all showed up in the middle of the night, looking for a place to stay. You and him and that kid and the baby. I wanted to turn you all away. I didn't want that mess here. I didn't want him here.”

“He was a fucking name,” Esme snaps. “Call him by his goddamn name. I hate when you do that! He has a name and you need to call him by it. It's not 'he' or 'him' or 'that boy' or 'trouble maker'. Enough with that shit. His name is Tyler.”

“I won't say his name in my house. I can think of many other things to call him and not one of them are very nice. You sitting there, still defending him. Always defending him. No matter what he does wrong.”

“What has he done wrong? Absolutely nothing. He's done nothing to me or the kids in the past five and a half years. All he's done is work his ass off to make sure we have a roof over our heads, food on the table, clothes on our backs, that the bills are paid.”

“She's right,” Kyle says. “Tyler hasn't done anything wrong. Not by her, not by the kids.”

Michelle glares at him. “And now you're defending him?”

“Someone fucking has to. I'm not just going to sit back while you have a go at Esme about him. He's not a bad guy, mom.”

“Yes. Yes he is. He's a very bad guy and he shouldn't be around my daughter or my grandchildren. Do you know what he does? Do you know how he makes the money to pay everything?”

“Esme told me. On the way here.”

“And you're okay with that?”

“Well, I'm not over the goddamn moon about it but it is what it is. It doesn't change the fact that he's a good guy and that he's always treated her right and he's always treated his kids right. Just because you have a war to wage against him, doesn't mean we all do. You need to get over it. It was five and a half years ago. And Esme's a grown woman and she can do what she wants. She chose to stay in Australia with him. She chose to get married, have kids, the whole nine.”

“And now look,” their mother huffs. “Now look at the mess she's in. Four kids and no husband because he turned out to be just bad as I said he was.”

“You're jumping the gun, mom. Esme and Tyler are still together. He's still her husband. So maybe you need to chill the hell out and listen to what she has to say.”

“Excuse me?” she stomps across the room, pointing a wooden spoon in her daughter's face. “You're still with him? Did I just hear your brother right? You're still with him?”

“Of course I am. Why would you think I'm not?”

“After everything he's put you through in the past five and a half years? After every lie he's told you, every promise he's broken, after leaving you while you were having problems while pregnant with the twins? After all that you're still with him. Why?”

“Because I love him, mother. Because he's not the terrible person you're making him up to be. Yes, we've had our issues.”

She snorts as she stomps back to the stove. “That's putting it lightly. Look at the mess you're in right now. The mess we are in all. Because of his job. Fine upstanding citizen that he is.”

“Okay, that's enough,” Kyle gently orders. “Regardless of what Tyler does for a living, he's kept your daughter and your grandkids save for five and a half years. He's done nothing but love them and take care of them. So maybe give the guy a chance for once. Cut him some slack.”

“Never. He will get nothing from me. Ever. Maybe this time, this will be the job that finishes him off. Maybe he will die this time. That'll be the best that could happen for her and those kids.”

“How the fuck could you say that?!” Esme rages, and storms over to her mother. “That is my husband! How dare you fucking say that about him?!”

“You get out of my face, young lady, or...”

“Or what? What are you going to do? How can you be such a horrible person? How could you even say something that. About my husband. About the father of my children! That you wish he would die! How fucking dare you?!”

“Okay...okay...” Kyle steps between them, laying his hands on her shoulders. “...you need to calm down, kid. Take it easy. You don't want anything going wrong. You won't want anything happening to the baby.”

“Baby?” Michelle shoves her son out of the way. “Now there's a baby? What is wrong with you? Why would you do something like this? What are you? Nothing more than a whore to him?”

“You mean like the whore you were while we were growing up?” Esme retorts, and receives a slap across the face in response. Her eyes narrow, her brow furrows. “You did not just put your hands on me.”

“First thing tomorrow, you're calling the doctor and you're getting something done about that,” her mother nods in the direction of her stomach. “The last thing you need to be doing is bringing a baby into this mess.”

“You're sick, mom. There is something seriously wrong with you! First you wish death on my husband, now you want me to get rid of his baby? Your grandchild?”

“That is no grandchild of mine,” she hisses.

“So then none of the other four are, either. Is that what you're saying? Because Tyler's their father? You want nothing to do with any of them because whose DNA they share? Are you serious right now?”

“As long as you're still with him, you're not welcome in this house. That's just the way it is. As long as you're still with him, you're dead to me. All of you are.”

“That's a little fucking harsh,” Kyle speaks up. “She's your daughter. Those are your grandchildren. Just because you have a hard on for hating Tyler doesn't mean you say shit like you're saying. Wishing him dead? Wishing an unborn baby dead? What the hell is wrong with you?”

“I should have known you'd be on her side,” Michelle snarls. “On his side.”

“Of course I am! He hasn't done anything wrong! Jesus Christ. You hate on Tyler for bullshit reasons but Mark actually beat the shit out of her...on multiple occasions...and you love him. What is wrong with you? “What....?” he stops mid sentence when he fells his sister's hand tightly grip his jacket, and when he glances over, her eyes are closed. “...what's wrong? Are you okay?”

“Just dizzy. I'll be fine. I just need to sit down. I'm just so dizzy.”

“Here,” he curls an arm around her waist, attempting to escort her to a chair before he feels her go totally limp against him.

#tyler rake #tyler rake fan fiction #tyler rake fan fic #extraction #chris hemsworth character #sanctuary

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czec-hoslo-vak-ians · 4 years ago

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This episode is definitely in my top 7 of the season

Michael and Maria💜

Scene goes👽

When it shows just a bus like that or one vehicle it means that the people inside are up to no good. Isabel upset destroying a race of people buyt where they really people though? Max knows something else is bothering Isabel show the bus again not a good sign. Hey we haven't seen Valenti in a few episodes. It's nice to see him just hanging out with his son we haven't had a father-son moments in a while. Valenti wanted to eat it he was looking forward to it Kyle turning to mush and sent it back into the water. That's right Liz is back to working at Cafe now. Well you can clearly tell that that glow stick does not belong on that billboard it looks out of place however since it glows it kind of looks like it belongs. That's kind of creepy when your mom vanishes like that in front of you however it's a great way to get out of talking about something you don't want to talk about. I would be freaked out to if I hit a carriage like that and there was no baby inside and saw a lawn mower going off by yourself with no one riding it( Maria hitting the baby carriage reminds me of the scene in speed where Sandra Bullock hits the baby carriage because she couldn't stop and it was just filled with cans). Totally knew that bus has some shady people on it. They are definitely the reason why all humans are gone.

Of course the sheriff would definitely know that the green stick didn't belong in the billboard. Kyle's dad definitely know that Kyle's changing sometimes the mumbo jumbo he does need to lay off a little bit his father has a point. Courtney really say their lives and copper Summit? I mean all she did was just destroyed the other husk. It seems like Michael and Courtney are getting a little bit too close for comfort.

I wonder why the skin Maria held up didn't disintegrate but anytime anybody else held up the skin it disintegrated really quickly. I really like how Isabel went to try to console ways and of course Maria standing next to Michael side. I do not like the fact that Max grabbed Tess away from Courtney like that however I do not blame test for being upset at Courtney she does seem a little shady that again Tess seems a little shady too so. Did you see how fast Michael jumped to Courtney's defense saying that she's on our side now. There is no freaking way all of them fit into that tiny bathroom. I do guys say test probably has the coolest power that she could make them think what they need to think. That is gross Nicholas eating someone else's bitten in food and drinking out there cup. I think Nicholas knows that something is not right with that mirror. Max consoling Tess rubbing her back like that not a fan of it. You can totally see that Liz saw Max rubbing her back I think that's why Liz left.

Max gift guilty and wants to consolas however the flashbacks keep running in his face her and Kyle together. You can tell that Max is debating if he should help Courtney or not. I love how Isabelle pushes Michael and max out of the bathroom door cause they are Just watching them strip Courtney's clothes off. I don't play Maria for having all those those because she's right she was dating Michael Guerin. However last episode she referred Michael as her boyfriend this episode it's past tense. Why is Michael so worried for Courtney this is unlike him to be worried about somebody.

I don't blame Tess for being suspicious of Courtney, after all she is somewhat the enemy. I've never seen Liz so worried about her parents before this is the first time she's actually seem like he cares for them and she says our friends most of her friends are in that room is that bathroom the only friend that really is missing is Alex so why is she really so upset?. Thank goodness Valenti to the rescue, if it wasn't for him Liz would have been a goner. Wow the Skins can fight pretty good it seems like they don't die easily.

Well now we know how to kill them, Max is so bitter towards Kyle and Kyle is the innocent person in this whole situation. You can tell that Isabel feels guilty about what is happening she wants to tell Max everything but she can't. I totally knew that she was going to give Max the slip oh, and of course Max is going to go after her and look for her. Nicholas totally knows that Isabel is there.

Michael seems really worried and upset that Courtney is dying it's frustrating he doesn't behave this way towards Maria. Finding the isn't a bad idea turning it off excellent idea. You can tell Valenti going to disappear next because he's trying to say goodbye to without saying goodbye. I feel bad for Maria because Michael is too busy with Courtney when Maria needs Consulting right now I bet she feels all alone. I'm so glad that Tess was there to help Maria she's being attacked by some skin. I totally would ship Maria's and Tess friendship from this point on if I didn't have such a distaste for Tess. Kyle's dad disappearing in front of him really sucks. I understand Kyle's frustration however I understand Max wanting everybody to stick together. Max's eyes said he wanted to tell Kyle something completely different but he looked at Liz and decided to go against it👽 of course it's Courtney would be missing.

The way Nicholas says valandra makes me want to vomit but however I love the name. It makes no sense that this little punk kid is in charge of all the skins. How did the mom know what she watching through the window.

I love it when Maria is freaking out because she Rants and her rants are funny. Three humans down to two poor Liz just vanished. Kyle is the only one he's not freaking out. I really like that Kyle got to do some butt kicking right before he disappeared. Poor Maria she's all alone to do this and she's the one who's freaking out the most.

Nicholas is such a punk I can't take him anymore. Courtney is definitely dying the husk isn't working. I'm so glad Courtney killed herself before Nicholas got the information on where the granilith is, that would have been disastrous if he got that information.

Wouldn't you think seeing Isabel knocked out like that that something is off smell trap Maybe. They are so outnumbered right now. Cat is out of bag now about valandra being Isabel. Someone needs to shut Nicholas mouth right now. I do agree with Nicholas Michael does have nice hair. Me cheering for Maria YOU CAN DO TTHIS GIRL! That's my girl Maria SHE DID IT. I'm not crazy that it was Tess that killed all the skins I think it would have been better story line if it was Isabel to show the skins that she will never choose their side. Or to have Michael Kill Them All to show that he is a good commander and 2nd. But the has Tess do it because Max is getting hurt just seems like the weaker route to take( it's just my opinion) but I guess to move the story of Tess and Max getting closer Tess would have to be the one to Kill Them All so Max can console her.

It's nice to see all the humans back, Alex looks so confused that Valenti is talking to him the way that he is. Isabel hugging her mother is a touching moment because Isabel really needs a mother right now and this is the closest one she's going to get. Kyle looks really awkward standing there while the girls were hugging he's like hey I'm back to. I totally think that Tess captain into that Source on purpose I think she knew what she was doing. Was that kid on the scooter supposed to make us think that that is Nicholas?

Well you guys that's the end of the episode I had fun I hope you had fun I'll see you on the other side.

💜 Michael does not like saying goodbye so I'll see you soon does just as good I'm so glad that he hugged her she really needed that.

Quote of the episode "oh please don't let me die like Elvis"

Coming up next: meet the Dupes pt1

Pic NOT mine

#roswell #michael #maria #wipe out #season 2

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facelessfrey · 5 years ago

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Roswell New Mexico Season 2, Episode 6

- Okay...so I have now actually watched it...well mostly. There were some parts of my stream where the sound wasn’t synched. Unfortunately not that scene. Haha.

- Let’s start with the positives...

- I actually think that overall it was kind of a fun episode. I liked the Isobel and Kyle stuff and I actually liked the Echo stuff even though I was less than thrilled about Max coming back and the Alex/Maria/Boot guy stuff wasn’t too terrible. And there was some good sibling scenes. So like...not bad.

- I did think the whole beginning with Max and Isobel and Michael was super weird and was over WAAAY too quickly but hey I guess they had to get to a threesome there and so they had to cut corners on something....That said, angry, dark I’ve got death energy to expel Max is really not my favorite Max, so I guess it’s fine it was over quick but still...strange to build that up and then have it be over and done with in the first like three minutes. But okay...moving on.

- The Max/Liz strand of the episode was actually super cute and actually made me ship them again so that was nice. My sound was messed up during the whole milkshake speech so that was sad but it was working again by the morning love confession, so cool. Max’s super stiff leather, looked like it had never been worn, jacket though...not a fan. That was horrible and I was happy every time he took it off.

- The Isobel/Kyle stuff was fun. They do look good with sparkles, I agree. I mean it was pretty random and doesn’t totally make sense but I’m not mad at it. Who knows if it will lead anywhere. I do like the chemistry between Isobel and Kyle though, friend chemistry or otherwise. Kyle has chemistry with everyone though.

- Except maybe Steph who is still so boring to me but...and my stream was off again, was that her on the operating table in that montage at the end?

- The main thing I took from the Alex/Maria story was that it gave us confirmation that Alex does in fact know the full story about Rosa so...uh...thanks for finally putting that in there. Might have been nice to have a clue before that.

- Also...I rolled my eyes sooo hard at the Vampire Diaries joke but also it made me really nostalgic for TVD, because while also trash, it was better trash. Just saying. Also...it would have been a Gilbert ring, Alex and would have prevented him from dying if killed by something supernatural. Get your references right! Haha.

- I do think the whole boot maker lead was super random and didn’t really lead to much and I still think these stories need more urgency and stakes.

- Also weird that the Cam story was once again on the back burner not that I don’t sort of get it because they have too much going on.

- AND I was sad that Rosa was not in this episode. I want to see her exploding lightbulbs as she has feelings.

- Oh and baby Max at the end...ummm...okay? I guess I want to know more about that. Mostly, I want to understand the all white fashion trend.

- Now...getting into the ranting part...

- I do have to say that it is important to actually watch stuff because how things are said matters. Because I read some of the dialogue earlier and I was like “What?!?!?!” and then it wasn’t that at all. So that made it all slightly better. Mostly the conversation Maria and Alex had in the car.

- The threesome thing was still SUPER weird and really unnecessary?!?!? I just don’t really get the point of it. I guess the narrative purpose was to push Alex toward Forrest and cement Michael and Maria but like...was that needed? No. I’m pretty sure Alex could have actually left when they kissed and it would have served exactly the same purpose. And would have been way less horrific.

- I mean, this is the kind of thing I can usually just roll my eyes at and move on if I’m less invested. And I’m not as invested as I have been in other things so like...I’m fine. And trust me, I’ve been there before, so I get it for people who feel devastated and done with everything. I really do.

- But I am invested enough that I’m just kind of baffled that this was a choice that the show/Carina made. Because it really does just undermine all three characters. And to be honest, this whole love triangle had been undermining all three characters from the start. So I guess it’s par for the course but this just made it worse. I agree with Evil Twin Jon Gilbert that “I hate love triangles” but especially this one.

- I mean, Maria has been a weird spare part on this show from the start. It’s always been a problem. In relation to the original show character, they gave her friendship with Liz to Kyle/Rosa. They gave her alien mystery solving side to Kyle. And they largely gave her romance with Michael to Alex. And you could say she has a story of her own with her mother, but that’s really kind of Mimi’s story. Maria is just sort of facilitating it. It just feels very unfortunate because OG Maria was great. And this Maria could have been great too but they just took so much away from her. And so much of what she does get happens off screen. And so they tried to give some of it back. They stuck her in this dumb love triangle, which up until now has always just seemed like a roadblock for Malex and probably still is although it’s more complicated now I guess. And if she’s just a roadblock for Malex then that’s just shitty for her character and she should have something that’s hers and not just ultimately be in the way of another ship. And also every turn of it just kind of makes her look selfish and terrible. I mean, I don’t understand her motivations for the threesome at all. Other than that I’ve heard that it was some kind of weird manipulation of the situation to force Michael to choose which is...gross. She just doesn’t come out of it well and that’s sad.

- And for Michael, it’s absolutely perpetuating bad bisexual stereotypes. As frustrating as the love triangle was, he was technically always broken up with Alex and for valid emotional reasons. So as annoying as it was and as lazy as it was, it was fine. But this is literally like “Okay here’s both of them at the same time cause you can’t choose”. It just doesn’t look good. Especially if it was supposed to be some kind of test.

- And for Alex...to have him say earlier that being with a woman was him trying to disappear and then have him take part in this is just bizarre. I mean yes, they also had him say that kissing Maria was the first time he enjoyed touching someone which...um...okay...weird. Also feels like they shoved that in just to facilitate this later which is also kind of gross. It’s also just weird to have a very vocally self proclaimed gay man, sleep with a woman for whatever reason. Like...why?

- And why do Malex need to break up in every episode? Everyone gets it. Couldn’t they at some point just be like “wow we really need to take some time apart and see other people and experience other relationships and work on just getting to know each other as friends and if we end up together then it was meant to be” and then they just go date Maria and Forrest and those can be legit relationships and then they can come back together later after suitable build up.

- Of course that’s fine for Forrest because he’s a random side character but then it feels insulting to Maria because it’s clear she’s just an obstacle, which is why I hate that she’s a part of this dumb love triangle in the first place.

- I also just hate the love triangle period with Malex because it just wasn’t needed. There’s so much potential there and so many layers of angst without adding in a main character as a third party. They could still both date other people and come back together without dragging Maria into it all. I feel like Carina just wanted to do this new thing with Malex because she didn’t want her Michael and Maria to have to compete with the OG M&M and then was like “oh no wait I can still do it but in this different super awesome way because epic love triangles are awesome and on all my favorite teen shows of the past” Except that this isn’t a teen show and that should be part of the point.

- I just don’t get any of it and think it was mostly a bad idea. Well, the threesome definitely was.

- I mean...it’s not enough to make me stop watching the show but I definitely am further disconnecting with that set of characters until they sort this nonsense out and decide where they’re going with it because right now they’re just making me not care because it doesn’t feel like they care about their own characters.

#roswell new mexico #roswell reviews #roswell nm #rnm #this is long

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