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[blogofsara]

My three favourite cops 👮‍♂️💙

I present to you the three most important policemen in my life 💙. David Jones (Criminal Case) Chase McCain (Lego City Undercover) My cousin Enzo

[shaarlslec]

me and the devil

words: 2769

part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5

warnings/notes: charles leclerc x reader, none for now; i've been gone but now i am back and i am trying to get back into writing, this is only an introduction to help me get back on track;

inspired by: Soap&Skin - Me And The Devil, The Neighborhood - Afraid, The Academic - Why Can’t We Be Friends?, lovelytheband - i like the way, The Wombats - Turn , Wallows - Pleaser

masterlist

You have been friends before being teammates, each developing what seemed to be crushes on the other during that time. Then, you helped him achieving what he had always craved the most by playing the good cop of the game – and now you were turning on him. 

Two championships in the bag since the 2024 season, Charles Leclerc was now fighting for the third one. Flued by the mistakes and wrongdoings of his team and his alone, Charles changed the game, and he was not planning to stop anytime soon. He had to win, he had to be the best that there ever was – and winning two championships represented the beginning of his legacy. 

Charles had realized three seasons ago that the good old ways of listening and submitting to his team’s orders was not working anymore for him and his goals. Trusting them with his whole heart that they have a plan for him somewhere soon in the future neither. 

First season since the attitude adjustment brought him the second place in the Championship miles away from third place, and the other two the winning title bringing the Italian team back on top, instituting dominance back on the grid. How that managed to happen, everybody wondered when the answer was rather smile – Charles Leclerc was done being nice, obedient, and sweet.

The Monegasque flicked a switch, decided not to follow Xavi’s words all the time over the radio and stopped the hope tap, instead Charles began staying up late every single evening after a race with the engineers and strategists to plan the best way to fetch the next win, not letting them move a finger without him knowing. The entirety of Charles’ life outside and inside the track was Formula 1, not even bothering to afford leisure time anymore, hours and hours of training, testing, and manhandling. 

Starving for the win every time when he passed Max or Lewis, never switching positions with his teammate if asked too and sarcastically apologizing for any accident he had provoked due to his now very risky driving – no matter the drivers who were involved. That is what Charles had to do to put his team back on top, and to stop the laughs coming from his haters. Failures can make a man turn bad, and it has turned Charles Leclerc for good. 

Ferrari minded at first, but after seeing how a good guy turned bad can win them races, can win them points, can cash for them, and put them back at top, the comments towards him from the team had stopped. No matter how harsh Charles replied to interviewers and no matter how much fuss he was making over the radio – they let him rule. 

You were bothered by that to an extend that those sleepless nights that Leclerc had in the garage were your own too – figuring a way to beat him at his own game as his teammate. Yes, the truth was that Charles Leclerc could have not done it without you, without his sweet lieutenant: the one who agreed on being Ferrari’s second driver and forever little helper for Charles Leclerc to shine. 

You took Ferrari’s seat two years ago, and the timing could have not been more unfortunate for you to take your shot at one of the bigger teams after rookie years of switching seats in between midfield ones. You were proud to be one of their drivers as everyone dreaming of racing could have been, and it was meaningless to say that part of the excitement of sharing spots with Charles was highly impacted by your undying little crush on him since you were just a junior. 

Those feelings of admiration, marvel and curiosity swiftly turned into resentment throughout the two years. Oh, what complications your feelings for Charles were. In the same fashion, what complications you joining the team was for Charles. He knew you, and no in the way the others knew you – but in the way of him being your mentor throughout the years. He had always been talented, and you caught his drift from earlier on watching him climb the ladder as you followed in his steps.

You followed him around when you could, being five years younger than him and not attending the same tracks and leagues as him made it complicated to do so – and yet, you managed. Charles saw something in you too, although you two were not exactly from the same generation – he took his time before F1 races to watch you drive in your F2 ones and watch closely if you were taking his advice. He liked to think about you as somewhat an investment, but what do you do when you start to find your investment as something so much more?

The little protégé turned into the protector, having Charles’ back anytime he needed, changing positions with him every single time when asked, putting him ahead of you all the time for the sake of the team for two whole years. Your mentor-mentee relationship changed since you two were now teammates, and when you were not faking it for the sake of PR and Ferrari’s imagine – you were playing catching mouse most of the time. You obeyed for the first two years, and yet you were the first one to be feed up about Charles Leclerc’s villainous attitude that got him winning championships in the first place. Therefore, you were becoming a threat now although people in the time were already talking about your shift – Charles Leclerc was the first one to feel it. 

“I am pretty sure I am faster than him.” You spoke quite calmly to your race engineer hitting the DTS zone while being 0.782 seconds behind P1 that Leclerc hardly managed to keep due to his tire degradation, “I am not waiting for your approval, I am passing him.” You declared, fingers almost crushing on the steering wheel. 

“No, no, Y/N. Do not pass him, I repeat – do not pass Charles.”

If you could have rolled your eyes at the engineer, you would have done it in the most annoyed ways he had ever seen a woman disgusted by his words ever in his life. Instead, you keep your calm and speeded. Leclerc was not the only driver that was not listening to his team, you were not either – he thought you that through his actions, right? Well, Charles taught you most things you know about how to race for Ferrari.

It was never easy to pass Leclerc, especially this season since Ferrari managed their best to produce a car according to his driving style (jokes were on him in that matter, since you have been mimicking his driving style since you were fourteen). And yet, through the ten races this season had so far you quite enjoyed every single battle on track with your teammate. Full concentration on, you battled Charles for almost one full lap teasing him enough for his tires to almost fail completely and for your entire body to ache at every single taking of a risky turn wheel to wheel with him. 

Fans were in awe; Fred and the whole team were at the edge of their seats with hands clasped praying you two will not crash like you did during the season’s last race (causing your car to be retracted), and as you passed Charles and maintained the ten last laps ahead of your teammate with a teensy half of a second gap or even less you knew that everyone was going to talk about how you stole P1 from Leclerc for the third time this season. Also, you knew how Leclerc’s reaction was going to look like in front of the others. Calm, restricted and with a congratulatory smile all over his pretty damn face. Fuck, it would have been easier for everyone (especially for you) if Charles were not to have such a pretty damn face. 

“You needed to be stubborn, weren’t you?” Charles spoke as soon as your helmets were off and you were waiting your turn to hop on the podium after Max claimed the third spot, making sure that you two were the only ones hearing his words. 

“You need to stop acting like a prick, don’t you?” You returned the comment making him room to pass you, “Go on now Leclerc, claim your second.” You dared to mock even further, blood boiling inside Charles’ insides as his dreadful glare pierced you with the additional shake of head and a corny smirk sprung on his face. 

That was usually how many of your conversations with Charles went lately, sarcastic comments and calling each other on your surnames, faking the coldness of what was a made-up reality in between the two of you. In that type of a reality – you two hated each other when, in fact – you were drowning until the pits of hell together not in heathered but in a form of lustful longing and yearning Dante wrote about.  

It was useless to say that your relationship was a twisted complicated one. You have been friends before being teammates, each developing what seemed to be crushes on the other during that time. Then, you helped him achieving what he had always craved the most by playing the good cop of the game – and now you were turning on him. Oh, more than acquaintances, less than friends and under many circumstances craving to be lovers. 

The evening after the race called for a huge party thrown into your honor and the 1-2 finish for the team, and the timing could not have been more perfect as that was the last race before the summer break. You needed this, you deserved the win – and you were going to celebrate with everyone who wanted to do so. All the drivers were invited, Charles Leclerc included. Most of you knew that he will not came. Charles had missed most of the parties in the past two years, even though most of them were thrown for him.  

“He is going too far with his World Champion vibe.” Norris spoke as the group you were with at the bar were talking about the bet that has been placed at the beginning of every party in the last year or so: will the champ come? 

You slightly sighed, your bid for tonight was “no” no matter how much you would have wanted him to truly celebrate with you your win. You took one of the shots that were placed across the bar and drowned it whole. That’s it Y/N, you have to abandon the idea that he still finds you likeable. 

Shaking your head due to the high percentage of alcohol you found burning your mouth, you turned to Norris and gave him frowned look, “You always choose the most grotesque shots to start the night with.” You added, napkin now glued to your lips. 

Norris’ eyebrows cockily twitched up, “Wait until you see the other that I have plan—” Norris begun to speak but shut his mouth tersely as his eyes went behind your shoulders fixing them on whatever he saw that made him grunt, “Oh fuck – losing all my money again just because of him.” Norris muttered, eyes rolling as well. 

Your heart sunk the moment Norris’ finished, Charles was right behind you. You could have caught that judging by what Norris just said, and yet what gave it away was the scent of that one Prada perfume you knew too well. Looking over your shoulder, your glare fixed Leclerc who was already looking right back at you. Besides sarcastic and bitter comments, excruciating long enduring stares was one of your things too. Perhaps they meant something more than just seeing who is winning at the game of asserting dominance, something in between the lines of “I want to touch you, and yet I am afraid I might get burned.” 

“Don’t give her too many shots – she gets drunk easy.” He commented, and of course the very first thing your teammate said in a mass of people was about you. 

“I don’t.” You childishly replied without breaking the eye-contact, knowing very well yourself that your alcohol tolerance was not something you could show off like you do with your driving skills. 

Leclerc let a short amused chuckled escape from between his lips, “Let’s agree to disagree.” He then added, taking a shot as well after quitting in fixing your glare with his – you won this time too.  

“That is all you two have been doing since the beginning of the season, aren’t you bored yet?” Russell interviewed with a swift move inside the party, patting your shoulder and gently taking you into a warm embrace, “Congrats darling, awesome drive today!” He then added, joining Leclerc for shots but not before he metaphorically turned the knife inside his friend, “I wish I could say the same about you too, Charles.” 

You mimicked an embarrassed smile watching Leclerc giving George a side-eye, “Thank you, George.” You added, not missing on the chance of mocking Charles together with him, “You did your best, don’t mind George.” You bittersweetly spoke, Leclerc placing the empty shot glass back on the bar and giving you one of his signatures shake of disapproval accompanied by a short silence before a scornful comment. 

“Since when does George Russell call you darling?” Leclerc then asked, watching George and Norris make their duty in finding homes for the remining shots made of the other drivers’ hands. 

Your shoulders shrugged, “I guess it is a British thing.” You shortly laughed, “And since when do you care how other drivers call me?” You wondered, catching yourself too comfortable to really laugh in presence of Leclerc without the laughs being results of sarcastic comments exchanged in between the two of you. 

Leclerc’s eyes widened for a short while as he found himself a contented position next to you, who were sitting on a high-bar chair making yourself stood a little taller to Charles’s side, with his elbow pressing the bar’s surface and his chin sustained in his palm, forearm fully into your sight now as well as his peering eyes on yours again. To add to this whole thing, Charles’ other hand wrapped its fingers on the edges of the chair you stood in.

Inches away from each other while the others were taking their seats at the woodened table at your left next to the bar waiting for the food, you two felt like you were alone in the whole entire restaurant – just as you feel when your cars are creeps away on the track.   

“I don’t.” Charles replied, fingers gripping on the chair even tighter – sign that Leclerc actually did care on whatever appellatives others used for you when you two only permitted surnames in between the two of you, “We need to talk about today.” He then voiced and you could feel your heart sinking right into your stomach. 

“We don’t.” You added, getting down from your seat with a hasty move that meant being trapped in between the chair and Leclerc for a brief second before he took two steps back, almost as if he was careful of your bodies not to accidentally collide, “I have nothing to say to you – I was faster and I passed.” You smiled right back at him, “Sucks to be the second driver at Ferrari for the day, right?” You spoke looking over your shoulder as you made your way to the table next to the others. 

You left Charles hanging in there with no chance to reply. He breathed slowly, and after selfishly taking another shot from the bar, your teammate followed your steps towards the table but made sure to sit across from you. 

Hours passed, food was served and finished, drinks were aligned and tasted. You enjoyed celebrating your win, and you would have wished for the one standing across the table from you peering with those beautiful damn eyes catching yours from time to time analyzing them back, to celebrate it with you too. Yet, that was unheard off – Charles Leclerc was not celebrating other drivers’ wins anymore. 

You liked sweet Charles better than villain Leclerc, and you caught yourself thinking about this while Charles was exchanging shots with Pierre at the bar that evening laughing about unknown whispers coming from the French driver right at Charles’ ears.

In all loudness, Charles’ laughs echoed the most in your head and you would have been able to give up all your wins for him only if that guaranteed you that Charles that you knew back into your mentorship years could come back – that is how complicated being teammates with Charles Leclerc was for the moment, and how much more complicated it will become now that you were turning into the devil you were so afraid of walking with. 

[jerzwriter]

Thank you, Nonny, for this three-word ask. As someone who grew up in New York City and cities in New Jersey, the moment I saw your Trystan x Carolina prompt, I knew exactly what I wanted to do! I hope you enjoy this!

Book: Crimes of Passion Pairing: Trystan Thorne (M) x Carolina Rose (F!MC) Rating: Teen Words: 602, plus 2 text messages Summary: There's a blackout in New York City, and Trystan runs into some issues attempting to get home to Carolina.

A/N: This was just what I was looking for when I asked for 3 word asks! Just some light fun! Thanks so much for this, Nonny! Participating in @julychallenge Pink: Playfulness, Love, Fun Black: Seduction, Attraction,

Carolina lay atop her bed in her darkened room, with sweat dripping down her neck. It was only four PM, but the shades were drawn to keep the sun out as much as she could. She did her best to remain motionless—anything to help with the brutal heat. Heatwaves were never fun, but in New York City during a power outage? They were hell. She had been in the office when the lights flickered out, and Mafalda picked up her phone.

“Yep! Con Ed confirmed it, it's a blackout!”

“Ah, fuck,” Carolina groaned, tossing her pen across the desk. “Just what we need!”

“Yeah, well, with the heat as bad as it’s been, it was bound to happen sooner or later. At least it's still light out. Why don’t you head home? We can’t do anything here, and I’d prefer you were off the streets before dark.”

Carolina quickly took her up on the offer; she knew the chaos backouts could bring to the city and would be happy to avoid it. She text Trystan to fill him in.

Nearly an hour had passed, and despite her discomfort, she couldn't wait for Trystan to arrive. Suffering in this heat was not fun, but somehow, suffering together didn’t seem as bad.

A commotion on the street below caught her attention, and she jumped out of bed to see what was taking place. She peered out the window to find children laughing and running around a fire hydrant they had opened, spraying water everywhere. She smiled as she remembered the summers from childhood that she spent the same way. Her father would open the hydrant and then tell the children:

¡No les digas a los bomberos que un policía hizo esto! (Don't tell the firefighters a cop did this!)

Her phone beeped again, pulling her from her memories.

Carolina couldn’t help but laugh,  imagining Trystan impeccably dressed, now drenched from head to toe. When he knocked at her door, she rushed over to let him in. There he stood, water dripping from his normally well-coiffed hair, his designer clothes clinging to his frame. Carolina bit her lip to stifle a giggle, but when Trystan broke out laughing, she happily joined in.

“Well, this isn't quite how I envisioned my arrival,” he said, stepping inside.

Carolina shook her head, a grin spreading across her face. “You look ridiculous.”

He took her hands, pulling her close to him despite his dampened state.

“Ridiculous or not, I’m here. And so glad to be with you.”

She leaned into him, relishing the coolness of his wet clothes against her burning skin.

“I missed you too.”

Trystan looked around the darkened room. “So, back to our original discussion... what can we do without power?"

“I have a few ideas," she winked. "But first, let’s get you out of those clothes.”

“Wonderful!” He smiled, batting his eyelashes. “It sounds like we have the same idea!”

“No air conditioning, remember!”

“Lina,” he begged, gently trailing his tongue over her lips. “You’re not going to let a little thing like that get in our way, are you?”

“Of course not,” she smirked, taking his hand and leading him to the bathroom. “That’s why God created showers!”

“Shower sex!” He exclaimed. “I like it! Can we have another power outage tomorrow?”

Carolina pushed his back against the tile wall, her lips overtaking his as she turned the water on them – clothes on and all.

“That can be arranged,” she cooed.

For the remainder of the afternoon, the heat outside was nothing compared to the heat in Carolina's apartment.

@choicesficwriterscreations

Tagging others separately.

[forestshadow-wolf]

Soap having trouble listening to authority especially if it unnecessarily put lives at risk

Except for ghost, who thinks soap is an excellent who never talks back and always follows orders. Ghost gets confused when another lieutenant says soap was hell to command bc he never listened. And then another time he sees soap back talking another captain, he's not sure what it's about but it's clear that soap is arguing.

Ghost is taken aback by this because never once has he seen soap be this rude and down right disrespectful. He supposes it's fair, soap's been in the military for over a decade and he's only known him for a fraction of that time. But still it's been years since he met soap, and he's never seen soap raise his voice against price, much less himself.

Soap himself does not have a problem with authority. He has a problem with poor authority that will cost people their lives. He's always had a strong sense of justice, even as a kid, and it only grew as he got older. He got in trouble with teachers and eventually cops a lot before he joined the military.

His first lieutenant when he just gout out of boot camp had no problems sending soldiers to dies, as long as the mission was completed. Soap was not a fan. And he didn't hide it. Infact he was very loud about it.

He got sent back to boot three (3) times before they just let him move up the ranks. They had no real grounds to discharge him, and he was a damned good soldier; always top of his class even in his first round of boot. He did eventually learn to pick some of his battles, like if it was a direct order from a general or higher, those couldn't be changed. But Sergents, lieutenants, and captains were fair game for him, even if it was a different squad.

On the topic of price and ghost, well he never had a problem with them, not really anyway. Price valued the life of his men over the success of the mission, and that earned more respect from him than a thousand success missions could have. And ghost, sure he's mission driven, but he doesn't devalue the life of his men.

And sure soap has given counter suggestions on mission planning, but it's always with the best interest in mind and never without backup to support. And sure there have been disagreements, but never out right arguing, or disrespect. Plus he figures price asked for him specifically, by name, even with his "anti-authority" reputation. So he figures if price wasn't open to listening to him he would have asked for him.

Gaz wasn't too surprised, if only because he'd met Soap in passing in the field once or twice. He'd heard how soap had gotten his callsign, being able to clear a room and take down multiple hostiles with quick efficiency. Be he does wonder if it was actually for trying to clean up a captain's act as a private, or maybe having to clean up his own act. All the times he'd met soap before the 141 he'd always known the man to be steamy and hot headed, often getting into fights with his SOs or hell even his fellow Sergents.

But it isn't soap's fault. Really! Trust! See, because every time his SOs or the other sergents made a bad call, and he had to follow orders. And he lost soldiers who didn't have to die? Then that was on him for not speaking up. Their blood was on his hands for not using his voice when he could. And trust him, he's got plenty of blood on his hands, some his fault, some his direct decisions, some because he wouldn't dump it on his privates like his superiors did to him.

Soap has had to lead too many bright eyed soldiers into danger, on a plan that was held together on hash threads and hope, and had to tell them that they'd all get their recognition knowing still that not all of them would make it. He used to go against direct orders, even as a private. It got so bad that he was threatened with dishonorable dischatge on account of going awol and a slew of other things. And had it not been for his family, he wouldn't have cared. Not that his honor didn't mean anything, just that it meant less than peoples' lives, but of course his family always came first before anything else, so he stopped.

Well stopped blatantly going against direct orders. Didn't stop the arguing, got smarter in how he disobeyed, left his position when he had even the barest hint of a valid excuse, started doing little things to make life just a little bit harder. Because he doesn't think that you should just be able to have an easy life of you can knowingly send people off to die without a second thought.

[luwritesomething]

hey!! i saw what you wrote about mickey, billy and stu taking care of the sick reader. so i was wondering if i could request something with billy and stu x the reader? basically, stu ends up catching the world’s WORST cold. we’re talking the poor love can barely get through a sentence because he keeps sneezing, shivering, and my god it is tissues galore up in this house.. SO, billy and the reader step up and insist on taking care of him! (sick stu would be so fucking adorable)

(also it’s up to you if you want to include billy or not!!) i don’t mind at all!)

ps: your work is absolutely AMAZING!! :)

Stu Macher Heacanons: Him catching a cold would include...

Warnings: Swearing lol, probably typos or bad constructed english, poly!ghostface (aka poly relationship between reader and billy/stu. not a warning in reality)

Edited?: Like always, no.

Reader's pronouns: Not stated, gender neautral (reader gets called 'angel' once)

Summary: Stu catching a terrible cold!!!!

Author's note: THANK YOU FOR REQUESTING FOR STU, I LOVE YOU. he gives me so much comfort <3 i made this in the form of headcanons, hope you don't mind. also, anon is referring to THESE headcanons, so you should go and check them out. also thank you so much for the compliment, you're lovely <3 here's my billy and stu playlist because why not.

criticism, comments and reblogs are always appreciated! requests are open, especially for scream! hit that anon button and tell me your ideas. in the scream fandom, i write for billy loomis, stu macher, randy meeks, tatum riley, sidney prescott, mickey altieri, kirby reid, chad meeks martin, mindy meeks martin, tara carpenter, anika kayoko and laura crane.

i feel like you wouldn't find out about him actually catching a very bad cold until billy appeared on your doorstep with the news.

it would literally go like this,,,

"billy?"

"we're going to stu's. he's sick."

"oh, hell."

it wasn't often that stu got sick, but you knew the eternal annoyance journey a sick stu would put you through.

you still love him, he's always so adorable, but oh sick stu...

the firsts days are the worse for him, because those are the days in which he really feels sick and he's shivering and coughing and covering himself up in blankets.

but once those days pass... he becomes a menace.

billy is the bad cop, you're the good one. neither of you had really realized the reality of that dynamic until a bedridden, fiverish stu called you out.

you two have learned to take advantage of that, though

"i said put the fucking thermometer!"

"NO!"

"stop yelling, you two! stu, please, put it on."

"...fine."

billy makes him soup, and during the few times you don't stay by stu's side, you help billy with whatever he's doing in the kitchen.

first time, stu accidentally poured the soup over himself because of his hands shaking so much and the three of you panicked.

constantly checking for fever, by putting either your hand or lips to his forehead.

billy can take a lot of things, but not snots. he gets really grossed out at the amount of tissues in stu's room, so if stu is too sick or tired to throw them out, you do it for him.

the amount of attention he receives from the two of you is worth the cold for stu.

"i'm sick of the soup."

"c'mon, stuwie. billy made it for you. have one more spoon?"

if billy loses his patience with stu, you're there to ease him and ground him.

and it works the other way around, because stu may call you angel, but everyone can lose their patience.

when billy starts getting tired of stu's sickness, he locks himself somewhere else and copies homework and the notes that stu has missed from school. it helps him stop being so cranky.

"you can't smoke when you're sick."

"...please?"

"... i can't say no to you. if billy finds out we're dead, so make it quick."

watching movies with him !!! even if he keeps sneezing !!!

y'all can't cuddle like you use to, but billy sits on the floor, you sit on a chair and stu sits on his bed as you all watch the movie on his bedroom's tv.

okay, listen !!

reading to him so he falls asleep. hell yeah,,,

billy would read him stephen king or some of his scary books, and you read him whatever he wants --- even if it's just comics.

he's just so happy about having you two taking acre of him.

[thelovelylolly]

Hi first of all i hope youre doing okay, wel best as you can be and i give you my condoleance 💗 please take care of yourself and don't feel obligated to anything.

Tw: school shooting

I was wondering (for when you maybe feel like writing again) You could write Frank Castle x teen reader where she's maybe like his daughter figure (like amy) and he's out doing vigilante shit while she's in school and gets a text from her saying just " i love you" but there is a school shooting and she's shot and just full on panic for context i was in a school shooting a year or two back and got shot luckly the police and ambulance came shortly after but i just wish i had someone like Frank to calm me down or come save me 😅💗

If you dont wanna write this or feel comfortable because of this request my apologies im so sorry just ignore it if that s the case.

I hope you have a great day and thanks for reading anyway.

I've Got You

Summary : During a vigilante job, Frank gets a text from you and he knows something's wrong. He soon finds out what happened and was there for you. Warnings : *please dont read this if any of this makes you uncomfortable, do whats best for you and your mental health!!* mentions of a shooting, injuries, and death. heavy angst, hurt/comfort, fem reader (daughter figure) Notes : thank you for your kind words love <3 im so sorry youve had to go through something like that, no one deserves to go through that, but im happy youre here :) thank you for your request and i hope i did your idea justice <3

'I love you.'

Frank never knew three words from a text could scare him so much. The three words he had said to you when he came to terms with you becoming a daughter to him. The three words you two rarely had to say to each other since you showed your love for each other in different ways.

The three words you said on a whim before going to school that morning, because it felt right and you had a gut feeling to say it.

But now, Frank was terrified. You usually sent texts with all lowercase letter, with little to no punctuation, with acronyms and sayings that he didn't get.

He was in the middle of a stake out when his phone pinged. He quickly ditched his job and hopped in his truck, speeding towards your school and trying to text you at the same time.

'What's going on?'

'Text me back'

'Call me'

'Do something to let me know you're okay'

His stopped texting after a minute and tuned his radio to the police's frequency, a trick he needed for his jobs.

"Shots fired at the high school, two squads already on the scene-"

Shots fired.

Those two words echoed through Frank's mind, drowning out whatever the dispatcher was saying. He had heard those words millions of times between his marine years and his vigilante time, but this time was different. You were in danger and Frank wasn't there with you, ready to put himself between you and whatever threatened you.

Frank was still blocks away when he heard the dispatcher say, "students are starting to be escorted out, threat is cornered in the gym."

Frank took a deep breath. You could be outside already, waiting for him. He could see you clinging to your friends, all of you relieved to be alive. He could see you talking to whatever authority figure would talk to you, asking them if everyone was okay and who was still inside. You were very compassionate, ready to put yourself in danger to help others.

Something you picked up from Frank.

Minutes later, Frank pulled up to your school. He saw ambulances and many cop cars parked in front and around the sides. He usually would stay away from the cops, but he didn't care. He needed to see you alive and safe.

He parked his truck and quickly got out, jogging over to the crowd of crying students, teachers and parents. He scanned the crowd for you, but he didn't spot you. What if you weren't out yet? Were you still stuck inside? Were you hurt and couldn't get out?

What if he was too late?

"Can I borrow your phone to call my dad? I just want him to know I'm okay."

He heard your voice and spun around, his eyes immediately locking onto you. You were sitting in the back of an ambulance, talking to the first responder inside with you. You were holding your side and your leg was bouncing up and down quickly, a nervous habit of yours.

Frank called out your name and started towards you. You looked over at him and quickly got out of the ambulance, wincing slightly when you hit the ground. You jogged over to Frank, letting yourself break the dam of tears you had been holding back.

The moment Frank's arms wrapped around you, holding you as close as possible, you let a sob rack your body. You were too tired to hug him back, letting yourself sob in his arms. He started to rub soothing circles on your back, pressing a soft kiss to the top of your head.

"Shh, it's okay, sweetheart. I've got you, I'm here."

His words made you cry more and wrap your arms around him, holding him tight to make sure he's real.

You were terrified and had no idea if you were going to see him again. You texted him 'I love you' to make sure he knew just in case, then you shut it off so it wouldn't light up or make noise. You then dropped your phone as you were running out of the building.

Frank pulled away from you, looking at you and wiping your tears away.

"I thought I lost you, kid. I-I thought you were still inside," he said, choking up a bit. He glanced down to your side, seeing the bandages wrapped around your stomach. "What happened?

You followed his gaze down, sniveling a bit as you took a deep breath. "I g-got hit, but th-they said it wasn't bad. I g-guess I got lucky."

Frank wrapped an arm around your shoulders, pulling you close to kiss your forehead.

"I love you," you murmured.

"I love you, too, kid," he replied, leading you to his truck.

[weekend-whip]

Ninjago Fic Rec Week (2024): Day 2

Prompts: Multichaps/Villains! (catching up slowly but surely~)

Multichaps:

Shark Bait: ALRIGHT CONFESSION I haven't actually *read* this one yet ONLY because I know it's going to soooooo good and it's going to change my brain chemistry so I'm waiting until I am Emotionally Prepared but UWAH just the premise alone should be enough to entice you: Movie!verse with completely secret identities, and Lloyd/Green Ninja trying to take matters into his own hands...only for irony to make them worse, as is the story of his life. This author is already a legend as it is so who needs a summary GO READ GO READ NOW!!

Ninjago: The Nya Perspective: SINCE this masterpiece favorite of mine just updated not too long ago, there's no better time than to recommend it once again! Have you always wanted more from Nya in the early seasons?! Have you always wanted more of HER side of story?! Have you wonder how Nya became the person she is today?! Well wonder no longer for this story has got those answers and more!!!!

Sharpen the Scythe, Before He Reaps: Another that I've started but never finished, it's a reworking of the Day of the Departed, so you know it's FULL of Ghost!Cole goodness, from the good to the angsty!! And what I've read so far is sooo soul-grabbing (pun somewhat intended) and makes me wish DotD was even half as introspective as this jhgfdgfd

Thank You For Giving Me Wings: Over a year later and this is still my only multi-chap ninjago fic (...that, uh, isn't Legacyverse nor OC-related, oop). Still, it's never a bad time to have a little introspective on Wu bonding with his students over the years, moreso as family than anything else <3

All I'm Asking For: Quite possibly one of my very favorite Ninjago fics ever, it is REQUIRED reading as far as I'm concerned! Cole's the anchor character, but it follows EVERYONE in a slightly-altered aftermath of March of the Oni, with everyone recuperating, figuring out what's next for them with their lives and relationships, and spiced up with a little Christmas flair <3

Mechanical Hearts: A story I've been keeping an eye on for a while, it's a college Jaya au with plenty of Jay+Cole dynamic spread on top, and the way the author (hi Finn!!) writes all the characters is so deep even in the lighter moments and makes all the senes in the world for the setting they're in, and I love all the little nods to canon or the cheeky changes made along the way–it's so enjoyable!

Villains:

for want (for nothing): Not technically a villain, but Kai's certainly an antagonist here ooooooooh (a different, heart-wrenching take on the Kai-Lloyd confrontation in S4)

Lord Garmadon Is Not Impressed With the Future: Another one I've recced before, but now it has an equally villainous SEQUEL so I've gotta get everyone on the train again! And this story's got villain!Garmadon and villain!Garmadon-but-having-a-personal-crisis upon realizing that his future is...not at all what he wanted. And he also discovers himself beating the life out of his own son–so yeah. We definitely can't have THAT. Good stuff, good stuff.

Bucket List: Might be a slight cop-out since this is moreso about Kai BUT it IS my favorite Morro-related fic, and he is a villain, thus it fits! (...Plus I gotta put at least three stories in this section, c'mon). Anyway, Kai allows Morro to possess him for less-than-ideal reasons and presents a fascinating dynamic between the two and what it means to truly live and take responsibility (the good, the bad, the ugly, and all). Be mindful of the tags and warnings, though!

Outgrown (from Spider Lily's Claws): I knew I almost forgot a Harumi one! DR-fic in which Harumi stumbles across the monastery looking for a place to recuperate, and a company-starved Lloyd welcomes her to stay. A fascinating look at a Harumi who's still got her "Evil" instincts but is still trying to act in her best interests, while Lloyd...is Lloyd hgfhgd. I love their back-and-forth bad-idea-good-idea dynamic here a LOOOOOT

[daughterofcain-67]

𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 (pt. 3)

(Beau Arlen x Female Reader)

(masterlist)

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: When Beau wraps up at least one end of his case, he finds that there’s more and he may be sinking into some sort of rabbit hole. It’s his job to get Helena Montana out of this mess and safe once more with Hoyt’s help. Meanwhile, you’re getting more friendly with Andre and you start to wonder if you should be setting your sites on someone who has the time for you. What will you do when one of the two men in your life actually asks you out?

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: mentions of some characters in season 1. Kidnapping case and discussions of human traffiking. Beginning of the love triangle. I think that’s it?

Beau and Jenny found Irene’s grandson, evidently named Sean, driving the green SUV down the road. They followed him and they were able to stop him at one of the many back roads of Helena Montana.

When the car was stopped, Beau and Jenny got out of Beau’s car and of course the two officers were cautious. They had their arms ready just in case.

“Sean? We need you to step out of the vehicle.” Beau said, a little wary of what might happen.

When the car door slowly opened up, a lanky looking red head with curly hair and freckles carefully stepped out of the vehicle with his hands up.

“I-I know why you’re here. And I’m so sorry…” This poor kid couldn’t have been older than nineteen. Fresh out of high school, could be a freshman in college.

“Come on, kiddo. Let’s get you down to the station. We just need to talk about a few things.” Jenny said.

Sean nodded and he stood still and put his arms behind his back.

“Oh, there’s no need for that. You aren’t under arrest.” The deputy promised and it took everything Beau had in him not to say the words ���not yet” afterward.

When they got Sean into the car, they made it to the station about thirty minutes later. They got Sean’s fingerprints before getting him into the interrogation room.

Jenny and Sean sat down across from one another while Beau was a little too antsy to have a seat. He just wanted to get those two women found before anything bad would happen to them.

“You said you knew what this was about, right? So, Sean, why don’t you tell us what happened, tell us your side.” Jenny said. Beau supposed she was trying to play good cop for once since this was practically a kid.

“Well… All of it was just so I could help my grandma pay her hospital bills. She just had both her hips replaced several months ago but for whatever reason her insurance and social security couldn’t cover all of it. The co-pay was a little too much for her to afford. She’s also really far behind on some of her other bills.” Sean began and he looked down at his hands.

“So you’re trying to be a good grandson. What did you do?” Beau asked, his arms crossed over his chest.

“I-I made a mistake… I met this guy at a bar. He didn’t give me his real name. All I knew him as was Ace. And Ace told me that I could help pay for my grandmother’s bills if I just… did some driving for him.” Sean said.

“Driving? To where? What were you transporting?” Beau’s brows narrowed.

“H-He is a part of some gang. I don’t know what gang or what they wanted, but I was supposed to take whatever ladies he had blindfolded and take them to this site. It was different every time. I-It was like they were selling people for whatever reasons.” Sean continued.

“The Syndicate? Was that who it was?” Jenny asked, remembering the case with the truck driver, Ronald Perlman, and the state trooper, Rick Legarski.

“No, I think it was someone else. Maybe someone who buys from the Syndicate or something. Maybe it’s something similar to whatever Syndicate you’re talking about? I-I don’t know for sure. I’m sorry…”

“How long does it take for the buyer to get to the site?” Beau questioned, voice growing more stern.

“It depends on how fast we can get them to answer, or rather when Ace can get them on the phone. He got them on the phone three days ago. The buyer is supposed to come by sometime early next week. I think in about two days if their on schedule.” Sean said.

“Do you remember where the site is? Can you take us there?”

Sean was a little hesitant. He seemed unsure about something and he was shaking his leg under the table. Things weren’t supposed to be this way. It was supposed to be simple. An easy payday so he could take care of his grandmother.

“I-If I show you, is there any way I can get protection from these guys? Or protection for my grandmother at least?” He asked.

Jenny looked up at Beau who’s brow was raised in the air, arms still firmly in place over his chest as if he hadn’t moved the whole time.

“We can get the FBI involved and let them know the Syndicate or someone similar is hitting up Helena again.” Beau said, “We’ll see what we can do about your grandmother at least. I don’t know what deal they’ll offer you since you were an accomplice.”

“I’ll take it! As long as she’s okay.”

“Great. Hoyt, grab some reinforcements and call some backup in case there’s any conflict. Time to hit the road.” Beau instructed and walked out of the interrogation room.

Beau had grabbed a bullet proof vest and proceeded to put it on before stepping outside to get into his vehicle. When he did, Beau realized that it was already dark outside by this time. If this case were simpler, he would be at your house watching that movie with you. there was nothing else he would rather be doing right now. He would have loved to be under some random throw blanket he had with you beside him.

But this was his job and this was his priority whether he liked it or not.

It was time to get Sidney Ferguson and Ember O’Riley back to their families. They’ve been under enough stress for this past week and it’s time to put an end to this. At least an end for their means.

Yet for some reason, Beau had this unsettling feeling that whatever group this was, they weren’t done with Helena just yet.

You were sitting on the couch with your sister and Andre. Sure enough, Cassie wasn’t able to make it and of course Beau had told you from that phone call that he and Jenny couldn’t make it tonight. So it was just the three of you watching The Shining and you had forgotten just how good of an actor Nicholson was in this role.

Somewhere in the middle of the movie, Cadence got up from her seat next to you on the couch.

“I’m grabbing a drink. Can I get either of you anything?”

“Sure, I’d like one if you don’t mind.” Andre said.

“I’m good.” You replied, then you watched your sister leave to go to the kitchen.

You looked at the tv again, but you weren’t exactly sure why your mind was suddenly drawing a blank. You knew you would be sitting here enjoying the movie with your sister and your guest, but you couldn’t help but think about the sheriff.

What kind of complications were there? Had he finally gotten a break in the case? Was he going to be able to find those girls? Would he come out of this okay?

“You’re thinking of your sheriff friend, huh?” Andre’s voice broke you from your thoughts. You looked at him for a moment and you have a half of a smile.

“That obvious? I’m sorry, you must think I’m really rude.” You apologized and looked down at your hands in embarrassment.

“No, that’s alright. I’m just curious… is he more than a friend to you?” He asked and you could feel his gaze on you.

You shook your head, “I don’t think he’ll ever be more than a friend. My sister is kind of an advocate for something to happen between me and him, but she has to face the reality that his work is his priority. I can’t stand in the way of that. What he does is important, and all I can really do is hope that he is at least safe with whatever case he’s on.”

“So… not more than a friend but you wish that wasn’t the case, hmm?” Andre asked and you looked over at him and grinned.

“You’re awfully nosey with me and him aren’t you? You and Cadence could bond over that.” You rolled your eyes, “But no, I don’t want him to be anything more than a friend. A person like him would make a much better friend than anything beyond that.”

You may have been lying through your teeth, but if you said the lie out loud maybe you could actually believe it one day. Beau would make a much better friend for you. You couldn’t get attached to him of all people, at least not romantically attached.

“I see.” Andre began but you watched him tuck his bottom lip between his teeth as his gaze went down to the space between the two of you. You could see the gears turning in his mind before he finally spoke again.

“So, hypothetically, if I were to ask you out on a date.. would you refuse?”

The question stunned you. Honestly you were speechless. You weren’t even sure if you were ready to hop back into dating but that was when your sister came into the room again.

“Of course she wouldn’t refuse! She hasn’t dated in forever and she really needs to get out more.” Cadence piped up and answered for you. You looked up at her wide eyed, wondering why the hell she was answering a question you weren’t even sure about.

“Really? How long has it been?” Andre asked and you looked back at him before you rubbed the back of your neck.

“Let’s just go with a little too long… so when do you want to go out on this date? And what do you have in mind?” You asked.

He smiled at you, apparently glad that you were willing to go along with this even if your sister practically volunteered you into this, “Why don’t we leave that as a mystery for let’s say… tomorrow morning? I’ll pick you up at nine.”

That soon? You didn’t know Andre was quite that ambitious but why not go for it? It’s not like anyone else was lining up to date you really. And it was just one time right? How bad could it be?

“Sure, nine sounds great.” You agreed as Cadence handed Andre his drink.

Then you could hear an unfamiliar ringtone and you saw Andre fish his phone from his pocket.

“Is everything alright?” You asked and you could hear him sigh seemingly out of aggravation, if that was the right word for it.

“Just when we were having a good time, I get a message from an associate. He says we need to have a meeting and it’s pretty urgent.” He said.

You smiled a little. Honestly you weren’t sure if you could complain. You weren’t sure what the jewelry business was like so you didn’t know if Andre would be as busy as Beau. Then again if he was and the two of you continued after tomorrows date goes well, you could understand that he was still starting to get established here in Montana. That would take some time.

Then again, that was all in the hypothetical and if everything would work out after tomorrow’s date.

“It’s getting pretty late anyways. We can always watch this another time or something. Go ahead for your meeting.” You said.

Andre smiled at you before he leaned in. You felt the warmth of his lips on your cheek, which sort of startled you because it was an unexpected gesture. When he pulled away, he grinned, “Thank you for understanding. I’ll be here by tomorrow morning.”

Then you watched him get up, causing you to stand as well so you could walk him out to the door. When the door was opened, you looked up at him, “Be safe on the way home, or to your meeting, or wherever the meeting is taking place whether its at home or not.”

“You’re rather adorable when you begin to ramble, aren’t you?” He chuckled, “But I’ll let you know when I get home. So don’t worry that pretty little head of yours.”

With that, you watched him leave and step into his truck before driving into the night.

You smiled to yourself. You weren’t quite sure where things would go between the two of you, but you hoped that maybe this could help you move on from the sheriff since that didn’t really seem to be going anywhere.

Somehow, though, it felt almost like you were cheating on Beau in a way. You didn’t think Beau knew you had feelings for him, but you wondered if this was right.

All you could do for the time being was wait and see what would happen next.

Beau, Jenny, and the other officers that were called to the site where Sean dropped the women off were successful on their mission.

Both Ember and Sidney were safe and sound, finally, and Jenny was talking with Sidney to see if there was any information on this Ace fellow that she could gather.

Ember was sitting on another ambulance with a blanket around her while a paramedic was checking on her. Both the girls would end up being taken to a hospital to check on their well being. As well as Ember’s baby. Beau knew that James would be elated to have his bride back. As for Sidney, you knew Lidia and their parents would be eager to see their family member again.

He was just glad that he was able to get these two women back safely. He just hoped that these girls could give them some kind of information.

Beau watched as the paramedics took the two girls away and Jenny walked towards him with her hands in the pockets of her jacket.

“What’d you find out?” Beau asked.

“Well, not a whole lot. Sean was wrong about this Ace fella buying from the Syndicate. I think it’s an entirely different operation. It’s still related to trafficking, but it’s a different organization. They were planning on letting Ember go anyway because apparently expecting mothers aren’t in the criteria. But they didn’t let her go because they figured she’d tell authorities.” Hoyt explained.

“I think we’re gonna have to figure out how to get in contact with Ace. Or at least locate him and we can figure out how to get them out of here before someone else gets taken.”

“That’s a great idea and all, but we’re gonna have to wait on some DNA results. We collected some cigarette buds and we think that any saliva collected could help us figure out if Ace is in the data base anywhere.”

“Well what are we supposed to do until then? Just sit around on our hands and hope for the best?”

Jenny sighed before she reached up and adjusted the jacket Beau was wearing, “We celebrate this victory. Ember and Sidney are safe and they’re going back to their families. And who knows, maybe this whole thing might be over when this Ace fella finds out that their operation was compromised and they may not come back to Helena.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s true.”

“So, a way you can celebrate, Arlen, is you can get your ass down to Y/N’s house and apologize to her about missing out tonight. Find a way to make it up to her. Because you know damned well that ladies like her don’t stay single forever.”

Beau thought about it for a moment and he thought about how you sounded disappointed in that phone call when he said he wouldn’t be able to make it that night. He knew you were the understanding sort, so would you actually hold it against him?

“Yeah.. I suppose I could go over. She’ll want to know that Ember and Sidney are safe now.” He nodded.

So that was exactly what he did.

When Beau made it to your house, he saw that the porch light was still on. He half expected it to be turned off considering it was getting close to midnight. We’re you alright?

He stepped out of his car and looked down when he realized the bulletproof vest was still on. He took it off and tossed it into the car and shut the door. When he made it to your porch, he lifted a hand and gently knocked on the door, hoping that you would answer.

After a few moments of waiting, the door finally opened up. He saw you there with a messy bun, an AC/DC shirt and some sleeping shorts. You looked like you were ready for bed even if you looked wide awake.

“Beau? What are you doing here? Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything’s alright… I just wanted to check on ya.”

“Check on me? What for?” He heard the slightest chuckle in your voice and he smiled a little before he shook his head.

“Never mind, Darlin… I did want to say that we did finally get those two girls back. They should be on their way home either tonight or tomorrow morning once their released from the hospital. They had one of those routine checkups done as far as I know.” He admitted and he saw a smile appear on your face.

“That’s good. I’m glad things were able to work out. But you know you could have told me that on the phone. So why are you really here?”

Beau couldn’t help but wonder why he felt so hesitant now. Why was he there? What was he doing on your porch close to midnight? All of this could have been done over the phone, but he just wanted to see you, he supposed.

“I um… I wanted to apologize for missin’ movie night.”

“You know I’ll never hold the job against you, Beau. You did well tonight and I’m glad you guys were able to make sure those girls got back to their families before something bad happened.” You promised.

“Right.. but uh… I was wondering if there was some way I could make it up to you?” He asked and he watched you tilt your head to the side a little.

“Oh yeah? What did you have in mind?”

“Well, I have the day off tomorrow. Maybe we can do something?” That was when he saw the expression in your face change.

“Um… tomorrow won’t exactly work for me. I’m supposed to be going on a uh.. friend date tomorrow.”

“A friend date?”

“Yeah, it’s with Andre. I’m just going to be showing him some of the fun spots in town. Nothing too fancy really.”

Beau felt this twinge of jealousy within him and he hated it. He didn’t like that you were going on a date with a guy you just met a couple of days ago. We’re you insane?! What if he was dangerous? What if he was just going to use you somehow?

All of these scenarios were playing in his mind and he wasn’t exactly sure what to say.

“Oh.. I see…”

“But if you still want to make things up to me…” He heard you trailing off for a moment, “This weekend, you and I should have a movie night at your place. Just the two of us. I’ll bring some marshmallows to roast and we can make s’mores.”

This was your request? You two have had plenty of movie nights together since Jenny or Cassie couldn’t make it once in a while if they were caught up with their own lives. But he couldn’t exactly recall the last time you said it should just be the two of you.

“I think that ought to be doable.” Beau smiled down at you.

“Good. So… I’ll see you at the coffee shop until then?” The hopefulness in your voice made that aching feeling in Beau’s stomach subside a little. He still didn’t trust Andre one bit. But at least he had something to look forward to he supposed. You did say it was just a friend date, whatever that means.

“I’ll be there.” He promised, “Now try and get some sleep. You shouldn’t be wide awake this late at night.” He grinned.

You rolled your eyes a little before you stood taller on your tipped toes. Suddenly he felt your soft lips on his scruffy cheek, taking him by surprise.

“You need your sleep too, Sheriff. You’ve had a long night and you deserve the rest.” He heard you say and he gazed down at you.

“I’ll do my best, Sweetheart… Goodnight.” He said with a softer tone.

“Goodnight, Beau.” You replied and he watched you slowly shut the door.

Beau sighed and he ran a hand through his hair before he turned around and went to his car.

While he was walking, though, he got a phone call, causing him to let out a grumble to himself. He pulled the phone out of his pocket and answered while he got into the vehicle. “Arlen. What’s happening?”

“We need you to get to Irene’s house. I was wrong. I don’t think this is over, Beau.”

Hey guys! Thank you for reading! I hope you guys are enjoying this series so far! There’s more to this case than meets the eye and one has to wonder just who this Ace is. We’ll see where this goes!

Tag List:

@roseblue373 @deans-spinster-witch @chriszgirl92 @fanfic-n-tabulous

[agoodfictitle-shadowban]

From Vormir, With Love - Part 2

Tags: strangers to lovers, love in space angst on earth, slavery mention, alien abduction, post Endgame, will add as we go on

Summary: As you're being chased you crash on Vormir. So far, so bad. But things take a turn when you come face to face with a marooned Black Widow.

[Part 1] [here] [Part 3]

Word count: 3.1k

A/n: after some nice vacations I'm back! Thanks for all your support, and I hope you'll like this chapter!

Taglist: tbd

You were right, June didn't like you bringing one more person along. An Avenger on top of it. Still, she simply gave one look to the newcomer, groaned, and went back to her repairs. You could work with that.

Now, you're hanging in the cockpit of your ship, looking at the star chart. In the five years you spent drifting into space, you never managed to find Earth again. Most Aliens don't care for humans, and don't know where they're from. As for star charts, they cost an arm and a half, so you have to work with the one you have - one which of course doesn't give the common names of planets in human language and no translator has cracked it.

"What are you doing?" The voice comes from behind you, covering the snores of the rest of the crew in the background. Sleep doesn't come as easy to you, even if you have the privilege to have your own bed. For tonight, you decided to give it up to Tim. He looked miserable after the fight with Natasha.

"Looking up at the stars," you answer simply, eyes still on the chart.

"What are you doing in space?" She asks after a moment of silence.

"What are you?" You retort, not even contemplating answering her question, and finally looking up at her. Now that you know who she is, bitterness is starting to build inside you, for her and all the so-called Mightiest Heroes of Earth. You take a deep breath, you don't want to lose focus. "I know for a fact Avengers don't travel that far out without a reason, and clearly something happened." You point at the Aliens who came back from the blip. "Cause those guys appeared out of nowhere three days ago. So, what's up with that?"

"So it worked…" she whispers at first, in a sort of wonder, and you understand she had something to do with all that. She looks at you, searches your face, and for a bit you think she won't answer you. And then she smirks. That surprises you. "You're a smart one, aren't you?" She puts her feet on the board and you glare at them as she keeps talking. "I was here to save everyone from the snap. It's good to see we succeeded." She seems genuinely happy about it, but also troubled.

You hum, and you wonder if that's truly for the best. Memories from the day of the Snap flood back to you.

-

You had never been that scared in your life before. You had no idea where you were, if you were even still on Earth - you guessed that you weren't, because those… people were clearly non-humans. You remembered going to the convenience store down your street, after a long shift at work. The night had already set for a few hours at the time, and as you were about to pay for your ramen pack and soda, those things came out of nowhere. You tried to hide, to fight, but it was no use. You remember thinking that maybe, just maybe, someone would come and help you. The cops, the military, anyone. Maybe SHIELD or the Avengers had detected that strange activity, somehow, and they were on their way. But no one came.

The aliens took all of you, all the ones that were in the store, and the next time you opened your eyes, you were in what looked like a ship.

You were kept in a cell with the clerk from the store - June, you learned, an engineering student who was working two jobs to pay for college - and food was coming from the ceiling in bags. You quickly realized it was sedated, and stopped eating until your stomach begged for something, anything. Some of the aliens were walking around, probably to keep an eye on the prisoners, and you quickly noticed that the only ones armed were those who had six eyes and a weird stone in the middle of their forehead. There were others, they looked like they were only doing maintenance or cleaning. They had a collar around their neck. This lasted maybe a week, and you kept praying that anytime, at any moment now, someone would come to save you. But once again, no one came.

And then one day… no one came again. No guards. The prison doors opened for apparently no reason, and you took a step outside. Was it a trap? Your naked feet walked alongside other prisoners. Besides June, you couldn't understand any of them - they were all aliens speaking different languages, and the other three humans were nowhere to be seen. You found weapons, and fought some of the aliens. You managed to outnumber most of them with the other prisoners. Soon enough, you were aboard a ship and on your way elsewhere. You remember looking at the star chart with so much hope. Home. It was right there.

-

Home is nowhere to be seen.

"I wish you could be as optimistic as you." You shake your head.

Now, those Aliens have more manpower than ever, and will certainly come after you again. You will need to lay low for some time before you can keep going on your quest for Earth.

"You're not happy," Natasha simply states. It feels like you're raining on her parade, so you decide to reassure her in order to keep the peace. There is also this weird feeling in your chest that makes you like her smirk, and the stupid spark in her eyes, so you might as well try to keep it there even just for some personal gratification.

"No, it's probably good. Means more people to help us get back to Earth. Which, you wouldn't happen to have a star chart on you?"

"No. But I might know someone who does." Here is the smirk again, thinning her full lips that you could kiss right now if she is telling the truth. You lunge towards her and put your hands on her upper arms, one on each side, squeezing her. She looks surprised, eyes wide, almost ready to fight but she keeps it in her.

"Wait? Are you for real?! This would be fantastic!"

"Why don't we calm down first, hm?"

You want to throw a party and dance of joy. "Calm down? It's been more than five years!" You whisper yell to not wake up your guests. "I can finally go home!"

She decides you're a lost cause when she sees you walk towards June's quarters and almost fall from dancing happily between the bodies sleeping on the ground. Somehow, seeing this after the past few days makes her smirk slightly, her heart lighter. You disappear around a corner just as the memory hits.

-

When she opened her eyes, it was to a dark sky and crimson surroundings. Her clothes were damp from the small pools of water under her. Not far was the sharp cliff she jumped from. She remembered the last thing she saw. Clint. She sat up. He was nowhere to be seen, and she wondered if her sacrifice didn't work, because right now, she was very much alive. No. She should still be dead. She should still be… free. She swallowed. She never wanted to die. But. But… she stood up, as tired as ever, and checked her equipment. Her Widow's bites were fried, as were her comms, but she still had her sidearm. Now, she had to find Clint.

He was nowhere to be seen, she realized once she came back up the cliff. No one was here anymore, not even Red Skull, she was all alone. Alone. She was used to it, it was fine.

She checked her comms again. Still nothing, not even statics.

She sat down on the same rocks as earlier. Was it earlier? She searched around her pockets, and found her phone. She was barely able to make it work, but soon enough she realized what her problem was. She was back to today's time, after she left for the past. Clint wasn't here, not because he abandoned her, because the last time he was had been years ago. It suddenly made sense. What didn't was why she was here. But for now, she had a much more pressing question: how was she going to go back to Earth?

Luckily, fate gave her a quick answer.

In the horizon, light caught her eye. Someone was crashing here, and she would only hope to get to you before you left again. With no time to lose, she started her walk.

-

"Are you sure she isn't brain dead? 'Cause she ain't answering." June's voice brings Natasha back to the present. She arches an eyebrow and tilts her head the slightest in her direction.

"See, not dead," you say in triomph.

"Why don't you stop talking about me like I'm not here." Her tone is harsh, and it shuts up both of you. You rub the back of your neck and look away, ashamed, while June just crosses her arms almost in defiance. It's still enough to get back to the main subject.

"Whatever," June starts, "do you really know people who could help us?"

The irreverence aside, there is some fear in her voice, and it quickly clicks in Natasha's head: she's scared to get her hopes up. It's a fear she understood all too well; hope is always the first step towards disappointment. Hope is dangerous. But sometimes it's all you have, and she isn't about to disappoint those lost women.

"Yes, we just need to find them."

"And who are they exactly?" asks a very guarded June. You elbow her, and she simply send you a glare, ignoring your suddenly very shiny personality. You'd never been one to be pessimistic, despite everything that happened, you just knew how to hide it, but right now you were almost beaming with joy.

"Carol Danvers, ideally, then Peter Quill, or Thor, one of the two if we don't have a choice." She shrugs like this will be easy. To be fair, they are very well known individuals. June looks at you to see if you know who she's talking about, since you're well informed usually. You are always the one going outside the ship to find the missions. It takes you a second to know exactly who she's talking about, and you nod.

"Carol is our best bet, anyone with authority has a way to contact her. We can just go to the federation probably, but the Nova Corps could be closer. I think they have an outpost a few jumps away…" You're already thinking, looking back at your star chart to find the closest place where you can contact Marvel, or whoever the other two were - well, Thor you know, but the name of Peter Quill sounds made up, even if it titillates your brain. "I'll check the radio as soon as we leave Vormir's atmosphere. Something is blocking the communications."

June nods, then looks at Natasha with distrustful eyes. "You better be telling the truth or you'll pray you did."

Somehow, the threat works on you too and you move on your seat in discomfort. June always was the more serious of the two of you, and held an even bigger grudge against the Avengers than you did. It reminds you that maybe you should distrust a spy a little bit more, as you eye the ship's console. Natasha is less impressed, but still takes things seriously.

"I am," she simply reaffirms in all seriousness. You observe her, and she seems genuine to you. It looks like it's enough for June too, because she simply goes back to her bed.

"Sorry for June," you say when she's out of earshot. "She's… we both went through a lot. Makes things hard." Hard to trust, hard to forgive. You're happy that she could help, but you also know tomorrow the bitterness will still be there. Of course, Natasha knows too well what you mean, the vulnerability that comes with the short explanation, and she offers a simple nod in understanding, her eyes expressing all of her empathy.

You're thankful for it.

A small silence establishes itself, during which you look each other in the eyes. It's easy to fall in hers, the infinite pool of water so inviting, so full of hurt to learn and comfort to find. You could read a full life, and something more, a spark no one else had. It lasts a few seconds, before you get back to the star chart, and she stands up to go get some water. When she comes back, she brings some to you, and you thank her in a whisper. She starts to clean her weapons and tinkers with her widow bites to try and repair them. While she does that, she notices you talking to yourself when you plan your next course and smiles slightly while looking down. Her lips crack from three days spent in what was virtually a desert.

Somehow, it makes her think of home.

-

Everything is ready for take off, and as your hand hovers over the handle ,you send a look to June. She gives you a thumbs up, but you know she isn't as sure as she looks, you know she probably thinks there is a small uncertain chance you will crash again and not survive this time. But with the help of Natasha - turns out she's a good mechanic at least - and some of the maintenance crew, you managed to repair the ship earlier than June told you the first time.

"Okay, up and away we go," you whisper to yourself as you push the thrusters. "Let's hope."

The ship shakes under the building pressure, but it holds. You push them some more as you gain elevation, the ground further and further away, and before you know it, you manage to leave Vormir's atmosphere.

You let out a breath of relief.

The ship stabilizes under you, and you send a thumbs up to June this time. As you go back to the console, your gaze crosses with Natasha's, and you exchange a small smile. You only had brief talks since she joined you, but she always was nice to everyone, if a bit short with Tim. The giant humanoid feline was still suspicious of her, the same way he was suspicious of almost everyone. You mainly tried to ignore the small brewing conflict, but it was getting harder. For now, you were simply happy to be back in space and not in pieces.

"We're green across the board," you announced, and everyone let the reassurance lift the weight off their shoulders. You then focus back on the ship. You still had to have the autopilot calibrated to the nearest jump point that would allow you to access the Nova Corps, then, if you were lucky, Earth.

It takes you little time to get the autopilot calibrated, and once you do you notice Natasha is still watching you, where the others simply went back to their activities. She's leaning against the hull, her arms crossed, a spark of curiosity in her eyes.

"How did you learn to pilot?"

"Observation. When we… commandeered this ship–"

"You stole it?" She raises an eyebrow.

"They were bad people." She nods, and you continue. "We had aliens with us. I just watched them pilot and learned via observation."

"Not everyone could have done that. What did you do back on Earth?" Her interest starts to make you the slightest uncomfortable, but you simply answer with a shrug.

"I worked some job that barely matters anymore."

"Never had a flying lesson?"

You shake your head no, and you notice admiration in her traits. It seems like you impressed her.

"I'm impressed," she confirms. "It takes some exceptional skills to pick up something like that."

Somehow, it makes you blush slightly and your chest rises with pride. You look away to hide it as you feel conflicted, and decide it's probably because the only other person you spent time with the past few years has been June, and she's not one to show admiration for others. Definitely nothing to do with Natasha herself being incredibly competent, and pretty. Very pretty.

Your eyes can't help but wander back to her when you notice the way the dim lights from the ship are highlighting her sharp jaw and her cheekbones, her long lashes projecting their shadows on her delicate skin. You realize you're staring, and that she's actually staring back. It makes you slightly uncomfortable, as you feel that after five years, there isn't much to look at, so you decide to break the brief silence.

"It's not… maybe a bit but– you know, you look tired. Maybe you should rest or something?" You fumble to change the subject. She has the audacity to smirk, and you want to cross your arms like a petulant child who's been caught in the cookie jar. But she's nice, and simply agrees.

"I should. You should too, commander." There is some teasing behind her voice, and you sputter a bit. She doesn't wait for an answer before she ducks back to the other side of the ship.

You stay there for a minute, trying to process the whole conversation. Was she…? Was that flirting? No. No way. You frown, trying to understand what just happened.

"Nope, no way. She's right I'm just tired," you finally settle on. You stand up and go back to the living side of the ship, asking Tim to keep an eye on the trajectory before you join your bunk. It was more a hole in the wall with a mattress stuck in it than anything else, but it was yours. There was another bunk on top of yours, where you kept some of your stuff before the arrival of everyone, but it had been cleared to give space to them. On the other side of the room, there is the same configuration, and on the top bunk you can make the silhouette of the spy. 

It's the last thing you see before you fall asleep, and you wonder how long the newfound safety you felt is going to last.

[usedtobethelegendcreator]

Alright. Alright. If I’m going to be hoodwinked into this fandom, I’m going to have some fun while I’m at it.

Alastor was a radio host in early 1900s New Orleans, Louisiana, and I’m gonna show you why.

1. He and Mimzy knew each other in life. I know we can’t really hear Alastor’s actual voice, but when the static clears up a little (happens maybe three times in the show so far), he does have a fancy accent. Mimzy, on the other hand, has a distinctive Southern drawl. And her reference to jazz—New Orleans was essentially the birthplace of jazz.

2. Look at Mimzy and Rosie. They both knew Alastor in life (it’s at least implied in Rosie’s case). They are both wearing clothes a fashionable New Orleans lady might conceivably wear in the 1900s. Mimzy is dressed for a club, and was either a dancer or a singer. Jazz might have been her dominant genre. And Rosie is dressed for a posh night on the town with friends.

3. Yes, those are Southern drawls. I grew up with that shit, I know what it sounds like.

4. His apparent love of jambalaya. I can not tell you how many times jambalaya has been served as a main dish at a Louisiana get-together. And I’ve never seen it anywhere else in the USA.

5. But, you may ask, what if Alastor isn’t American at all? Listen to him. Listen to him speak. That’s a New Orleans attitude right there.

6. New Orleans is literally known as SIN CITY. No WONDER he’s powerful.

7. He seems like the kind of guy who would love a Mardi Gras parade.

8. As for what he may have done…to this day, Louisiana doesn’t give a flying fuck if you’re a serial killer. Don’t get caught, and the cops will probably go back to their beignets. It’s the mothers and their guns you have to watch out for. And Alastor has the perfect voice for a tiny Louisiana kid to be completely fooled. Shit, I would’ve probably gone off with him without a second thought (if my mother wasn’t unusually paranoid).

9. His position in society would have likely protected him from any serious backlash. Louisiana has a very community-focused culture. In any given town, especially back then, everyone knew pretty much everyone. New Orleans included.

10. His deer motif. I don’t know if you know, but hunting is still a big thing in Louisiana. In the early 1900s, it would have been a perfectly acceptable pastime.

Source: Born and bred in Louisiana. 25% Cajun, 50% French. Alastor would fit right in and have the time of his life. Also…picture him eating a beignet.

[ausetkmt]

Ga. islanders vow to keep fighting change favoring rich buyers

DARIEN, Ga. - Descendants of enslaved people living on a Georgia island vowed to keep fighting after county commissioners voted to double the maximum size of homes allowed in their tiny enclave.

Residents fear the move will accelerate the decline of one of the South’s few surviving Gullah-Geechee communities.

An aspect of the ordinance that residents take issue with is the fact that it erases a clause about protecting the island’s indigenous history.

During public meetings leading up to the vote, the zoning board proposed changes to the ordinance of lowering the newly allowed home size and removing talk of golf courses being added to the island.

Black residents of the Hogg Hummock community on Sapelo Island and their supporters packed a meeting of McIntosh County’s elected commissioners to oppose zoning changes that residents say favor wealthy buyers and will lead to tax increases that could pressure them to sell their land.

ISLAND’S HERITAGE

Gullah-Geechee communities like Hogg Hummock are scattered along the Southeast coast from North Carolina to Florida, where they have endured since their enslaved ancestors were freed by the Civil War. Scholars say these people long separated from the mainland retained much of their African heritage, from their unique dialect to skills and crafts such as cast-net fishing and weaving baskets.

Regardless, commissioners voted 3-2 to weaken zoning restrictions the county adopted nearly three decades ago with the stated intent to help Hogg Hummock’s 30 to 50 residents hold on to their land.

Yolanda Grovner, 54, of Atlanta said she has long planned to retire on land her father, an island native, owns in Hogg Hummock. She left the county courthouse Tuesday night wondering if that will ever happen.

“It’s going to be very, very difficult,” Grovner said. She added: “I think this is their way of pushing residents off the island.”

Hogg Hummock is one of just a few surviving communities in the South of people known as Gullah, or Geechee, in Georgia, whose ancestors worked island slave plantations.

MORE | Mom in Grovetown calls cops on U.S. energy secretary’s staff

Fights with the local government are nothing new to residents and landowners. Dozens successfully appealed staggering property tax hikes in 2012, and residents spent years fighting the county in federal court for basic services such as firefighting equipment and trash collection before county officials settled last year.

“We’re still fighting all the time,” said Maurice Bailey, a Hogg Hummock native whose mother, Cornelia Bailey, was a celebrated storyteller and one of Sapelo Island’s most prominent voices before her death in 2017. “They’re not going to stop. The people moving in don’t respect us as people. They love our food, they love our culture. But they don’t love us.”

Merden Hall, who asked not to be on camera, has lived on Sapelo his whole life. He says he’s worried about the sizes of homes now allowed on the island.

“I’m not comfortable with this. They approved the 3,000 square feet, that’s the only thing I disapprove of, because that’s going to raise property taxes,” he said.

Hogg Hummock’s population has been shrinking in recent decades, and some families have sold their land to outsiders who built vacation homes. New construction has caused tension over how large those homes can be.

Commissioners on Tuesday raised the maximum size of a home in Hogg Hummock to 3,000 square feet of total enclosed space. The previous limit was 1,400 square feet of heated and air-conditioned space.

Commissioner Davis Poole, who supported loosening the size restriction, said it would allow “a modest home enabling a whole family to stay under one roof.”

“The commissioners are not out to destroy the Gullah-Geechee culture or erase the history of Sapelo,” Poole said. “We’re not out to make more money for the county.”

Commission Chairman David Stevens, who said he’s been visiting Sapelo Island since the 1980s, blamed Hogg Hummock’s changing landscape on native owners who sold their land.

“I don’t need anybody to lecture me on the culture of Sapelo Island,” Stevens said, adding: “If you don’t want these outsiders, if you don’t want these new homes being built ... don’t sell your land.”

County officials have argued that size restrictions based on heated and cooled spaced proved impossible to enforce. County attorney Adam Poppell said more than a dozen homes in Hogg Hummock appeared to violate the limits, and in some cases homeowners refused to open their doors to inspectors.

Hogg Hummock landowner Richard Banks equated that to the county letting lawbreakers make the rules.

“If everybody wants to exceed the speed limit, should we increase the speed limits for all the speeders?” Banks said.

Hogg Hummock residents said they were blindsided when the county unveiled its proposed zoning changes on Aug. 16. Commissioners in July had approved sweeping zoning changes throughout McIntosh County, but had left Hogg Hummock alone.

Commissioner Roger Lotson, the only Black member of the county commission, voted against the changes and warned his colleagues that he fears they will end up back in court for rushing them.

Two attorneys from the Southern Poverty Law Center sat in the front row. Attorney Anjana Joshi said they had “due process and equal protection concerns” about the way the zoning ordinance was amended.

“In our view, this was not done correctly,” said Joshi, who added: “We’re just getting started.”

Located about 60 miles south of Savannah, Sapelo Island remains separated from the mainland and reachable only by boat. Since 1976, the state of Georgia has owned most of its 30 square miles of largely unspoiled wilderness. Hogg Hummock, also known as Hog Hammock, sits on less than a square mile.

Hogg Hummock earned a place in 1996 on the National Register of Historic Places, the official list of the United States’ treasured historic sites. But for protections to preserve the community, residents depend on the local government in McIntosh County, where 65% of the 11,100 residents are white.

[otome-obsessions]

Fairytale Keeper Archives - Madam Beryl

Part 1

3. What is the most distinct memory you've made with Beryl?

William: Do you remember when the three of us went to the opera house? There was a brief moment where she closed her eyes and began to silently mouth the lyrics of the mezzo-soprano performance. Her expression was intensely wistful. Like a bird singing inside of a cramped cage… She seems to know a great deal of opera by heart, and yet she doesn’t even hum when I play her favorite melodies. I can’t help but anticipate the day she lets her voice be heard again. Harrison: We were having breakfast one morning when Beryl and Jude started arguing as always. When they finished she slapped him on the back and stuck a little note that said “Beware of Dog” on his jacket. She kept giggling about it behind her fan, and whenever Jude would ask what was funny we’d all pass it off as something else. She's got a surprisingly childish sense of humor. Liam: One night, Beryl invited me to dinner at one of her taverns. After we ate, she admitted that she only asked me out because she wanted to get more publicity for her business. That honestly didn’t bother me, but she said she wanted to make it up to me since she really liked our conversation. So we left and got some snacks around the city, just the two of us. It’s not an exciting story, but… The way she looked at me when she said sorry really stuck with me, you know? Elbert: We were on a mission together, and she personally condemned a man guilty of enslaving children. She flew into a rage and beat him to death herself. I was surprised by her strength. It was like something possessed her… I couldn’t look away. Alfons: There are very specific rules of engagement at Beryl’s common houses. I happened to be enjoying the company of a new friend one night when a different client broke said rules. Beryl happened to be overseeing operations at the time, and she personally – and publicly – corrected the man’s behavior. By the end of her lesson, the rabble rouser was attached to a leash in her hand and kissing the tip of her shoe. Though, I imagine he enjoyed that much more than his protests let on. Roger: Like I said before, we don’t see each other much… Ah, I’ve got it. I saw her out in the city once. It was only in passing, and I wouldn’t have recognized her if it wasn’t for her heartbeat. She’s usually dressed up in those fancy dresses, but she was wearing a shirt and trousers at the time. Seemed like she was out drinking with her assistants and bodyguard. By the sound of things, they were having a good time. Jude: And why the hell do ya need to know that? (Keeper's note: The purpose of this report as well as the previously agreed upon compensation were reiterated toMr. Jazza.) Tch, fine... I've got a good one. There was one case where a group of 'merchants' were moving in on the East End and selling drugs behind my back. The product made its way into the bird's whorehouses, so with Queenie's blessing we buddied up to weed 'em out. Managed to snatch one of their grunts off the street, and we got to work on 'im. Started off playin' good cop, bad cop, but the bell end was dumb enough to admit to offin’ one of Beryl's girls. Little Miss Prim started peelin' the skin off the poor sod and echoin' his screams back at him. Oh? That make you feel queasy, princess? Well, we both know Queenie likes her fairytales graphic, so don't leave out the good bits, yeah? Ellis: Jude and I met Beryl when she first came to London and started her business, and at the time it seemed like we would end up condemning her for her crimes. I really thought she was a bad person back then, but when I was shadowing her one day I saw her buy some food for the homeless children hanging around her tavern. No one else saw her do it, and I don’t think she knew I was there that day. I can’t really call her a good person, but I started to look at her differently after that.

Victor: Oh, our first lunch together was absolutely wonderful! We’d both finished our investigations into each other without bloodshed, so we finally started learning more about each other as people. Did you know she speaks Italian, Spanish, German, and French? Our Beryl is just so talented, isn’t she? Anyway, while we were speaking about language studies she demonstrated her ability for me by mimicking the voices of the Crown members. Have you ever heard Harry reciting a poem in German? Because I have!

━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━

[mysecretlittlelibrary]

Just Let Me Adore You Pt. 4

Pairing: Stucky x Reader

Word Count: 3.7k

Warnings: ah just men butting heads

Genre: fluff mostly I think

Summary: You’ve been dating your boyfriend, Bruce, for 3 absolutely blissful years. He’s a scientist and professor who is as smart as he is kind and if anyone asked, you were sure you’d spend the rest of your life with him. That is until two mysteriously charming men that Bruce swears are dangerous take an interest in you that threatens to turn your entire life upside down. I mean… what exactly are you supposed to do with two gorgeous men telling you something that suggests that basically everything you think you know is a lie? And why does part of you have enough doubt to wonder if they might be telling the truth?

Series Masterlist

***

By the time you enter your apartment you're so deep in your own thoughts you don't hear Bruce slam the door or call your name the first time.

"Maybe I should call my parents." You mutter to yourself.

"Y/n!" You snap your head to him when his voice finally registers.

"What? Why are you yelling?"

"Don't tell me you're actually considering what those lunatics had to say as factual!" Bruce says.

"Well I- I want to dismiss it but-"

"Then dismiss it. Because it's obviously baseless."

"I just don't see why they would lie."

"Werewolves aren't exactly known for their honesty y/n."

"Maybe not but it doesn't make sense Bruce."

"Let's not forget these guys have it out for me. They're obviously trying to drive a wedge between us. To ruin my life or something."

"Bruce, I don't think this is about you." You say quietly.

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, I've met these guys three times and it's only today that they even realized who you were. I don't think they said that with you in mind."

"You really think they only knew who I was today?"

"You think they lied about that too?"

"Why wouldn't they?"

"Why would they Bruce? Are you implying they've known we were together before they even met you? Keep in mind I did see them once before you did."

"I don't know! They're not only telling you you're a wolf but that I already know that, I mean what kind of accusations are those? They're absolutely insane."

"I don't like that you're just... calling them crazy Bruce." You frown.

"You believe them?" Bruce scoffs.

"I don't know. What Steve said... about the hearing and the strength. I mean, what if they're right? What if I am a werewolf?"

"The word of two strangers is going to make you question everything you've ever known about yourself?"

"Supernaturals can usually detect each other can't they?"

"They can also lie." Bruce says. He grabs you by the shoulders and stares at you intensely. "Y/n, these men, they don't know you. They don't know us. Don't let them make you question who you are."

"Maybe you're right." You mutter.

"I am. Trust me." Bruce tells you. You nod.

"This whole thing is so weird." You shake your head.

"I think we should get the police involved."

"And tell them what? Send them where? We don't know anything about them except their names and it seems like Steve and Bucky are exactly who you think they are which means the police won't stop them anyway. With our luck they'll hear about the call before cops can even be dispatched." You shrug.

"I just don't want you to feel in danger." Bruce wraps his arms around you tightly.

"I don't. I'm a little frustrated by how confusing this has become but I don't feel like I'm in danger." You say into his chest.

"If that changes-"

"I will let you know." You say. "I'm gonna call Wanda." You tell him.

"No problem, I'll grab you when dinner's sorted in a few hours." Bruce says and the two of you part for you to go to your room and dial your best friend.

"I saw Steve and Bucky today and they told me I'm a werewolf and that Bruce knows." You tell her as soon as she picks up.

"Well hello to you too." Wanda says.

"Sorry, hi. I just feel like my head is going to explode."

"Because Steve and Bucky think you're a werewolf?"

"Yes. I was gonna call my parents and ask but-"

"Hang on; why would- what do Bucky and Steve know about werewolves?"

"Well I'm pretty sure they are werewolves. At the very least they are supernaturals. They said so. Bruce thinks it doesn't make sense to question my life based on the word of two guys I don't even know. Which I get the sentiment of but I dunno I could clear up my confusion with a phone call very quickly."

"Do you think it had any merit?"

"I- I'm not sure. Steve mentioned my hearing and my strength being... better than average which- is ya know true. But wouldn't I know if I was a werewolf? Wouldn't my parents tell me?"

"Well, I can't answer that question. I think if it's something you really want an answer to you should call your parents. If you think Steve and Bucky are just a little off their rockers then ignore them. I mean how did that come up anyway?"

"We ran into them again and they realized Bruce studied supernaturals which riled them up and they told me people like Bruce are only looking to control or hurt me. Bruce thinks they're lying to drive us apart."

"Well, at least one of them does seem to have a thing for you. If they can plant enough doubt in your relationship that you break up then whichever one of them has a crush on you can swoop in and save the day. Making you question if you can trust him seems like a pretty easy way to drive a wedge between you." Wanda says and when she maps it out like that you think twice about believing Steve and Bucky about any of this.

"Holy shit- that is so underhanded!" You exclaim.

"Yeah, well, all is fair in love and war they say."

"Well they'll have to try a lot harder to destroy the foundation of our relationship." You huff out.

"So, you think they're lying about the wolf thing?"

"I think- that makes the most sense. They find out Bruce studies supernaturals and they, understandably have beef with him over that so they try to turn me against him." You shrug.

"Well, if you believe that, then that's what it is. No need to look into it further." Wanda tells you.

"Thank you. Bruce tried talking me through it but since I know he's in direct opposition to them it's hard to know if his views on the matter are clouded." You sigh.

"Must be stressful." She chuckles.

"Only every two weeks."

"What?"

"Well I realize you and me, we ran into Steve and Bucky the first time a month ago, and then two weeks later Bruce and I ran into them, and another two weeks later- today, we ran into them again. So I think- I'll see them again in two weeks if the strange pattern continues."

"Do you think it's intentional?"

"I dunno, I don't think it's possible. Every time I've seen them it's been in a different place- I mean, they'd have to be tracking me to be running into me intentionally. And why space it out every two weeks?"

"Good point. It's just an interesting coincidence."

"Yeah I'll say." You snort. "I will call you later, I think I'm gonna work on some projects." You tell her.

"Okay! Call if you start having another identity crisis." She jokes.

"Fuck off." You chuckle hanging up the phone. How lucky you are to have Wanda in your life. Not that Bruce is typically ineffective at calming you down it's just- with his personal connection in this situation it's hard to believe his point of view is impartial. Another point of view is exactly what you needed.

~*~*~

You pull down the box of books you're looking for from storage at work. With the box cutter, you tear open the tape and take the open box to the section you're restocking.

"Hey y/n!" You hear Peter before you see him.

"What's up Parker?" You ask, looking at him.

"Well I'm a little confused about how to apply this buy 5 discount. Like what do I do?"

"Oh well it should apply automatically once you scan the sixth book actually but if it doesn't there's a manual code you can enter. Here I'll walk you through it." You stand up and walk towards the register with Peter in tow.

"Hello, sorry to keep you waiting." You say cheerily to the woman standing at the counter with her books.

"Oh no problem!" She smiles.

"Okay so if you've finished scanning them and the discount didn't apply you can just go here and click this and input the code manually." You tell him, typing the code and showing him how to do it. "Your total is going to be $53.71." You say to the customer.

"Oh okay manual code got you. Thanks." Peter nods while finishing the transaction.

"Do you want me to write the code down for you?" You ask.

"Nah I think I got it. My memory is pretty good." He says.

"Alright well I'll go back to shelving things." You say patting him on the shoulder. You hear the bell at the front of the store ring as you walk away from Peter.

"Sunsh- y/n!" The voice stops you in your tracks and you turn around to see Bucky and Steve strolling towards you.

"Steve, Bucky, what are you doing here?" You frown.

"We were in the neighborhood and decided to stop by when we saw you." Steve says.

"You were in the neighborhood?" You narrow your eyes suspiciously.

"Yes, is that so hard to believe?" He chuckles.

"Well, no. But we don't really know each other so there's no reason for you to drop by my job. And honestly with the way you keep hitting on me your behaviour is starting to come off as stalkerish." You frown.

"We know we're intense but you deserve the world and that- hunter could never give it to you." Bucky says.

"Bruce is not a hunter and I'm happy with him. I don't appreciate you diminishing my relationship that way."

"You're happy because he's lying to you and you haven't figured it out." Steve tells you.

"I've known Bruce for years and you're just some guys who complimented me in a sandwich shop one day and haven't left me alone since so excuse me if I trust my boyfriend more than you." You roll your eyes. Bucky holds up a bag that you didn't realize he was holding. "Are you trying to buy my affections?" You ask.

"No, of course not. Who you choose to show affection to is your decision, always, and we would never try to get them disingenuously. We just saw this and thought of you." Steve explains.

"And you just happened to bring it with you on the day you happen to walk into my job?" You cross your arms.

"I was meeting a business associate when I saw you in here so I asked Steve to pick it up on his way to meet me hoping you'd still be in here when he got here. I honestly thought you were shopping in here not working." Bucky offers.

"The more questions I ask the more you guys seem like stalkers." You roll your eyes.

"We really aren't trying to make you uncomfortable but Banner is a risk to your safety." Steve says.

"Hm the two strangers who keep flirting with me and ignoring my relationship and finding me around the city are warning me about my safety. Do you see how that doesn't make sense?"

"You don't think we're going to hurt you." Bucky says.

"I have no idea if you are."

"It wasn't a question. If you thought you were in danger you wouldn't be talking to us like this." He tells you and you force yourself to keep a neutral expression.

"You considered it. Didn't you? That you're one of us. I could see it in your eyes last time we spoke." Steve says.

"No I didn't consider it because it makes no sense and you both need to leave. I've asked you before to quit talking to me, if you're so 'not a danger' to me respect my boundaries and leave me alone." You tell them walking off to finish restocking. You hear the bell over the door ding and a few moments later Peter comes back to where you are.

"Hey uh- those guys left this for you." Peter says holding out the gift bag to you. Reluctantly, you take it from him, your curiosity getting the better of you as you open the bag to find what is clearly jewelry. You open the velvet box to find a necklace, a thin chain holding a sun cutout pendant. It's a gorgeous necklace and yet another reference to their silly radiance compliment. "Do you- know them?" Peter asks.

"Not really. They complimented me once and now I keep running into them. I'm starting to think they're stalking me."

"Are you scared? Do you want to call the police?"

"Nah, police don't help people anyway. All those two have done is call me pretty and give me a gift. No crime has been committed so the police can't do anything even if I wanted to get them involved. Plus I- for some irrational reason don't think they're a danger to me." You shrug. "Can't let them know that though, they're actively trying to destroy my relationship." You hum and Peter can't help but laugh.

"So- you're okay?" Peter asks.

"Yeah I'm okay sweetie. Thanks for checking although, you are the kid in our relationship I'm supposed to be looking after you." You nudge him.

"We look out for each other now." He says with a smile.

"Yeah yeah, go back up to the register, so if someone comes in they know people work here." You chuckle and Peter walks off. When your shift ends and you go back to your apartment, Bruce isn't home yet which is probably best. You haven't figured out how to smoothly mention this run-in with Steve and Bucky. It's a few hours later when you hear the door open and shut.

"Babe! You home?" Bruce calls through the apartment and you pop out of your room to greet him.

"Hi Bruce! How was your day?" You ask kissing him on the cheek.

"Ah it was alright, I was just at the lab really." He shrugs. With the semester over for Bruce the professor, he spends most days working on his supernatural research at his lab.

"Oh hey are you done with that vampire you mentioned a while ago who eats animals? It's been over 3 months at this point, yeah?"

"Actually no, we're still running some experiments."

"Experiments? I thought you didn't experiment on supernaturals."

"Well, wait it's an observational experiment! We're not doing anything he can't consent to. Really we're just testing how dietary changes affect other things like his strength and speed and such. Nothing bad." He shrugs.

"Why would you call it an experiment if you're just observing things." You roll your eyes and he chuckles a bit.

"What's with all the questions? Second guessing my ethics?"

"No! Of course not. I know your research is important to you and I want you to know your interests matter to me." You say walking away. Bruce grabs your hand before you can get far and pulls you towards him again.

"Hey, I wasn't being serious. I just know how you feel about my research so I'm surprised you're asking so much." Bruce says kissing your forehead.

"It matters to you, so every once in a while I'll ask." You smile at him.

"Alright. I appreciate your interest. How was your day?"

"It was fine, work was work." You shrug subtly leading Bruce into the living room.

"Nothing interesting happened today?" Bruce asks.

"Well something happened but I'm going to ask that you sit down for this." You say.

"Why?" Bruce chuckles sitting in the armchair in your living room.

"I'm also going to stand over here, so you have space to pace when you inevitably get up after I tell you." You say walking to a side of the living room, leaning against a wall.

"What's going on babe? You're starting to worry me. Did you wipe a computer or something?" He asks.

"No actually I think you'd react better to that."

"Well that's enough build up. What happened?"

"Steve and Bucky came to my job today." You say.

"What?! They know where you work now?!" Bruce is on his feet immediately.

"It would appear so." You nod. "They said they were in the area and saw me when they walked by- since the front of the store is like- all glass."

"Okay now they must be fucking stalking you."

"I told them that actually."

"You told them you thought they were stalking you?"

"Yes and they insisted they were just in the area and saw me through the window."

"Oh and you believe them." Bruce scoffs.

"Hey don't catch an attitude with me I'm only the victim in this situation." You cross your arms.

"I'm sorry.  Look I really think it's time to get the police involved."

"For what Bruce? You keep saying that but they can't do anything. All Steve and Bucky have done is run into me in public. They compliment me and give me a gift which means what exactly? The police won't do anything until my life is probably in danger. Essentially they'd have to make an attempt on my life for cops to take me seriously."

"By the time that happens it'll be too late." Bruce sighs.

"I don't think that's going to happen."

"What?"

"I don't think they're going to harm me."

"Based on- what exactly?"

"I mean- think about it Bruce, it's been what? Two months since my first interaction with them? If they were going to kidnap me or kill me- what's stopping them from having done it already? You? No offense babe I love you but let's be realistic here they could fucking dog walk you. So it's not that you're a threat. And if they're these big wolfy crime lords with all the connections that come with that they're practically untouchable so it can't be legal repercussions they're worried about. Which leaves us with really just one possibility, the only reason they haven't is because I haven't chosen them. They aren't going to force me to do anything. They've said as much." You shrug.

"They said they wouldn't force you to do anything? And you don't find that specification incredibly manipulative?"

"No because it was in direct response to a question. I asked if they were trying to buy my affections with their silly gift and Steve said my affections aren't to be bought."

"I think it's a bit naive to believe them. Why on earth are you defending them?!"

"I'm not defending anybody. I've been thinking about it and there's nothing protecting me from them besides my own opposition. If they were going to act with force they could've done it a long time ago."

"Lulling you into a false sense of security is-"

"Not necessary for apex predators. They don't need to convince me they're safe for me to be around when they have pretty much nothing standing in their way really. They're stronger than me, and you, they're probably legally invincible, and I mean they found out where I worked pretty easily even if it was a coincidence."

"I just don't understand how you can trust that they aren't going to hurt you just because they said they won't force you to love them."

"I don't trust them and I don't have to! The only person I'm trusting is myself and I would appreciate it if you trusted me too!"

"Of course I trust you!"

"Do you? Because you don't listen to me! Ever since you found out this werewolf mafia might be after you, you've made yourself the end all be all authority on safety and security! Nothing I say about the matter seems to get through to you! I know you worry but why is it that my opinion on the situation is being completely dismissed?!"

"I'm not trying to dismiss you."

"Every time I leave you're more paranoid than me and it's me that they seem to care about! Yeah, they don't like you but at this point, all they've expressed is wanting to get me away from you."

"And that's something you're okay with?"

"No? Who cares if I'm okay with it? I can't control what they do. All I'm saying is to quit acting like I'm incapable of judging the danger of a situation. You keep calling me naive because I'm telling you to calm the fuck down. I've lived a lot more years without you than I have with you and I live every day with the knowledge that not being a man is inherently dangerous. You don't need to warn me that strange men might hurt me. I've known it my whole life." You say. Your words hang in the air for several moments before Bruce lets out a sigh and sits down.

"You're right. I'm sorry. I feel like I'm apologizing a lot. I don't mean to frustrate you so much I'm just- I can't help but stress over this whole thing. I have no control here and I don't know how I'd live with myself if something happened to you because of me." He says dropping his head into his hands. You sit in front of him on the coffee table and pull his hands from his face.

"Bruce, you can't prevent something you can't foresee. And worrying yourself into a tizzy over that which you can't control will only do you harm."

"You really think they won't hurt you?"

"Well I obviously can't say for sure, and I'm not stupid enough to trust near strangers but I just think it's unlikely because they've had plenty of opportunities already. Granted tons of serial killers start out being real nice to their victims." You frown. Bruce closes his eyes and sighs in that way he does when someone stresses him out and you can't help but giggle.

"Why would you do that? Why would you say that? You're trying to rationalize this for me and now I'm even more worried."

"Sorry it just occurred to me. Either they aren't gonna hurt me or they're serial killers." You shrug.

"You're terrible at this you know? And way too calm about the possibility that they could murder you."

"Well... I'll be dead if they do. Obviously, I'm not rooting for them to be serial killers and I won't go down without a fight but like- I don't really have to deal with the aftermath of them being serial killers. I have to actually deal with them if they turn out to just genuinely be trying to woo me. So- silver lining."

"Not for me." He chuckles.

"Okaaay silver lining for you; if they are serial killers we have plenty of time to plan for it and be several steps ahead of them!"

"You are ridiculous." He laughs louder now and you smile as the tension leaves him.

"Thank you!" You beam.

"Thank you." He says quietly once he's settled.

"Anytime baby." You wink and stand from the table. If they aren't serial killers you have to deal with the very real possibility that they're telling the truth about who you are, and about Bruce which could blow up your entire life. But you're sure telling Bruce you're even considering that would not be a good idea. So even though it weighs on your mind- for now you'll keep that to yourself.

***

Part 4/???

Tagged Users: @cjand10 @vicmc624

[serenabenson]

for the ask game: 17 & 19 !!!

hello, finally getting to these, i had a very offline weekend but i am now ready to be cantankerous for no reason on main <3. i am cracking my knuckles, i am channeling my best fran lebowitz, i am trying to be the brainrotted man's dollar store dorothy parker. let's go.

choose violence ask game

17. there should be more of this type of fic/art

warming up with a softball. i am not sure exactly what the current state of svu art is as i don't see it, so i'm going to answer this for fic. imo, a healthy fic ecosystem has a lot of variety— in genre, in skill level, ships, length, intention, canon season they’re working in, in creativity, and in subject matter— and ideally the authors would be collegiate with each other, or at the very least, civil, to allow for cross-pollination of ideas. having been an avid ao3 browser for the past several years, i think the toxicity of the current iteration of the svu fandom, the intership hostility, the burnout from the last three years, and the collective hyperfocus on idealized eo endgame actually works against this, and it is reflected in the current fic landscape (with plenty of notable exceptions, though). selfishly, for my own reading pleasure, i would love to see more character studies, especially characters and relationships that don't get as much attention. i would love to see more realistic examinations of olivia, and of eo. i would like to see more empathetic readings of kathy stabler and the stabler marriage. i would like to see less internalized misogyny in the fic and in the fandom period. i am perpetually on-record as saying that no one has done a groundhog day/time loop/russian doll fic for svu and i think that's such a missed opportunity. an olivia immortality au. more 1.0 era eo dynamics, or at least 2.0/3.0 fic that keeps that continuity. like what i'm really getting at is that i would love to see some more truly transformative work, the more strange and thorny and ambitious the better. and you know what, because i can, i'm actually going to rec a few here that i think illustrate what i'm talking about. this certainly isn't an exhaustive list, just what i could think of immediately, but i feel like it's a good representation: • ali @livbensonfinalgirl's western nights-- ostensibly an eo roadtrip au that then blooms into a challenging, rewarding arthouse film of a fic that takes the sylvia plath fig tree analogy in the bell jar from framing device to metaphor to actual supporting player in the fic itself's finale. deeply strange, deeply wonderful. • speaking of wonderful and strange, thecrowdedbox/poeelektra's soft flesh and a weapon at hand, which in a very slight 740 words doesn't so much have a plot as inverts plot itself, that manages to both be eo coming together while also getting at every single way they do and don't and maybe will. • and then, lastly, your own walkabout, which, for those that have not yet read, is a sprawling, ambitious, atmospheric noir au that remixes canon to illuminate it in a new light, taking the tropes of the detective genre to critique both svu as cop show and the cop show itself, while also delivering a wonderful examination of eo's estrangement and eo's bond, and featuring a very deep bench of supporting characters in creative ways.

19. you're mad/ashamed/horrified you actually kind of like...

this one is hard, because i don't think i really have an answer specifically about canon or about a character, or something similar. i don't really have a guilty pleasure here. honestly i'm mad/ashamed/horrified i am so neck deep in this show at all. yes i am deeply, embarrassingly attached to it, but i also yearn for freedom, and the peace pre-return of the prodigal son. i could have probably lived my entire life very happily not knowing anything else about svu except what i vaguely remembered from when i was a teenager. i think if i could go back in time to 2021, i would try and keep myself from watching whatever promo it was that tipped me off. rip.

[hooked-on-elvis]

ELVIS FELT BETTER SINGING DIRECTLY TO SOMEONE ON HIS MOVIES 🎬🎠

— BEHIND THE SCENES: 'HAVE A HAPPY' PRODUCTION NUMBER IN 'CHANGE OF HABIT' (1969)

The above 'Have A Happy' production number was filmed on the Universal back lot park (between March and April, 1969).

The scene was in fact shot three times. The first shoot used a small old merry-go-round, which looked out of place. The second shoot had technical problems with the sync and the camera, (The playback system had just been used on 'Sweet Charity', another 1969 movie with, among others, Sammy Davis Jr. on the cast, using quarter inch tape) then after a third attempt, some pick ups were still needed because Amanda (Autistic child character played by Lorena Kirk) wasn't smiling at the end of the number.

About that 'no smile' issue, Cynnie Troup (assistant trainee script supervisor) said:

To get that little girl to smile, oh my god! They had a day of re-takes, after the whole movie was over, after the wrap party, which Elvis was certainly involved. It was not a very good song, that scene was awful. It was tough to match, who sitting on what horse, it wasn't fun scene at all.

I highly disagree with 'the scene was awful' thing, but possibly Cynnie Troup is talking about the production work behind the cameras and not the final cut properly, but even if those are her thoughts on the final scene, it's a matter of opinion, really. Even though the scene is perceived as 'silly' mainly by adult audience, to me it looks joyful and carefree and personally I enjoy the song very much. The merry-go-round scene is cute, except one of the final moments when Mary Tyler Moore arches her back so slowly while she's silly smiling, looking kinda horny even, and it looks the character is on a acid trip (something common back in the 60s, so it's funny watching her look like that on the movie but it's a just a brief moment). The only thing I say as a viewer that slightly bothers me on the scene is that I get a little dizzy while watching it because of the obvious - the camera work and the actors walking around in that gyrating thing. I can't even imagine how Elvis must have felt filming this, since he is the only actor moving around that merry-go-round the entire time - and they filmed it 3 times fully!

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On the same scene, Director William A. Graham recalled:

We were shooting this musical number on a merry-go-round where he's taken this little girl to the park. He takes her on the merry-go-round and she's riding around and Elvis is singing to her. Well, she was a very young girl and she could only work for a few hours a day with us getting into all kinds of penalties and overtime. So when it came time to do Elvis' close up the little girl wasn't available to do the offstage. Also, you know, her attention span was not that great. So Elvis said to me, 'I always feel better when I'm singing a song if I can look at somebody and if I can sing to somebody'. He says, 'I wonder if you would mind standing beside the camera and let me sing to you when I do my close ups'. So I had Elvis Presley sing a song directly to me in a movie, and that was quite a thrill.

Source: This article comes from the website www.elvis.com.au.

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Taking the opportunity since we're mentioning 'Change of Habit', there's one brief interview from elvis.com.au with another actor on the cast of the movie, you can find it in HERE: Interview with Ed Asner (below), who played a cop in 'Change of Habit'.

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I shared this article because, watching all the Elvis movies, I often wondered if Elvis felt even slightly shy while having to sing directly at one person over and over again while filming his movies. Yes, he was used to sing to people, obviously, but singing in a movie set while there's more actors in the scene with him is one thing, while singing looking directly at one person (normally his love interests in the movies, all attractive females) is another, so I wondered if he ever felt uncomfortable singing directly at the ladies in his movies but it turns out he probably didn't. He liked it better this way. Haha, funny. ♥

[andavs]

Genuine Beer in 9-1-1

There’s been a lot of talk about the Genuine beer that Buck and Eddie keep drinking, so I thought I’d make a post about it! But if we're talking about Genuine beer, I think it's only fair that we look at all of the other beer they use in the show too.

Just a quick note before we start: I don't think their prop department makes any of these. There are vendors that specialize in making props like this, and at least five of these come from the same company.

9-1-1 has a lot of commonly recurring brands of prop beer. They tend to use multiple brands at a time for variety, peaking at six used throughout 3b. There's also a bunch of one-offs they've only used once or twice that I didn't bother including here, and there's some that they've only used in the backgrounds, but I couldn't really read the labels.

They didn't really use prop beer bottles until Hen Begins (2.09), halfway through season 2. Most of the characters are shown drinking wine until Buck, Actually (2.08), and aside from one scene at the end of 1.10, those who do drink beer use a glass.

So without further ado: the beers of 9-1-1.

Blind Fox Ale is used mostly in seasons 2 and 3. As of 6.15, it's tied with Genuine for most uses, with main characters drinking it nine times. It's shown on screen even more in the background, and pops up in 5a when Michael's drinking one.

Alexander’s Famous Ale was used in a two episodes during season 2: Chim drinks it twice in Chimney Begins (2.12) and Athena and Hen drink it in Ocean's 9-1-1 (2.15). Red was drinking it at the bar in The One that Got Away (3.16). It's frequently used in the background by extras.

Grand Ale first popped up in Kids Today (3.01) and stayed through season 3. Chim drank it twice, Michael had it at a Grant-Nash family dinner, and Buck also drank it in Fools (3.12).

Cerveza Extra was used mostly in season three. Chimney was drinking one at the party for Buck in Kids Today (3.01), Buck had one sitting in front of him at the end of The Searchers (3.03), Chimney was making his way through several in Seize the Day (3.11) and Buck has one in front of him during the party at Eddie's later that episode. Buck also served it to Connor in Peru in Buck Begins (4.05).

Mendoza Lager was added in season 5 and these are the three times we've seen it: Buck drinks it in Outside Looking In (5.11) while the team is at the bar, he drinks it again on the balcony with Maddie in Starting Over (5.18), and in Tomorrow (6.06), Hen was drinking it when she first met Karen.

Rio Negro has been used a few times, and so far, Eddie’s the only main character who drinks it. Lena had one with him at the junkyard fight in Rage (3.05), he had one or two at the bar in Seize the Day (3.11) (and extras were also holding it during the party at his house later that episode), and he also drank it in Texas with his family in Hero Complex (5.17). As far as I can tell, this is the only beer that's this character-specific.

Tux’s Red Ribbon was used once in season 1 at the very end of A Whole New You (1.10), when Chim was hosting a party. I didn't notice it again until In Another Life (6.11), where it was the only brand of beer anyone drank in Buck's coma dream. I'm wondering if they used it in the coma dream because they don't normally use it, to subtly emphasize that things are wrong, or if we're going to see it again sometime soon.

Which brings me to Genuine.

The first time I found Genuine being used is back in Hen Begins (2.09). It’s in the scene where she goes out with Athena, Bethanne (the female cop), and Casey (the gay firefighter). She’s the only one at their table drinking Genuine, though Casey also has a beer in a pint glass. That extra behind her looks like they might have it too.

Note: this isn't the only brand to be used once earlier and then resurrected later; Tux's was used once in season one, and then again in season 6.

After that the show used other brands and I didn’t see it again until Fear-a-Phobia (5.13) when Chim and Hen drink it during their reunion.

Buck and Eddie drink it in Let the Games Begin (6.01).

The guy who blew up his cheating neighbor in Crash & Learn (6.02) was drinking Genuine.

Buck gave one to Connor in Recovery (6.12). It wasn’t in his fridge a few scenes before when Maddie was stocking it for him (meaningful or continuity error?).

Eddie had it in his fridge later in Recovery and grabbed two for him and Buck, but drank both himself when Buck fell asleep.

Buck and Eddie were both drinking one while helping Chris with homework in Mixed Feelings (6.13).

And Eddie had it again at the poker game. (Many of the extras around them were also drinking Genuine.)

Eddie also had it in his fridge while on the phone with his mom in 6.15, and it's still there when he calls her again at the end.

It's shown in Maddie and Chimney's fridge at the end of 6.16.

All that kind of makes it seem like we're seeing it a lot more often lately, like maybe it's a sign of something building. Of the three beer brands we've seen the main characters drink in season 6, Genuine shows up the most by a wide margin. Mendoza Lager has only been in one scene, and Tux's in two (both in the coma dream).

So is it a sign of something being genuine? Uncovering something genuine? Their prop beer budget got cut and they can only afford one brand? Just the latest favorite in their rotation of prop beers and it doesn't mean anything at all? You be the judge!

(It seems like they try to cycle through brands for the core seven characters to drink every season or two. The ones that were most prevalent in seasons 2 and 3 still occasionally pop up in the background in later seasons, especially in bar scenes, or for characters like Michael and Red. And once you notice them, then you too might find yourself pointing excitedly when you spot a rogue Alexander's Famous Ale on a passing server's tray for the first time in two seasons.)

Bonus unrelated discovery from my search: Back in Hen Begins, Hen had the frog sponge holder first.