#we kinda have similar noses???? or Maybe I'm blind

[le010n11]

My man my man my man!!! Literally the love of my life, i can't explain it but I love him so much :⁠'⁠( Leo Messi changed my life fr.

The man who is making us suffer by staying at psg (special mention ney too).

These pics make me appreciate Leo's hair and go mad at his new haircut, why can't he bring this combo back, the long fluffy hair + beard (yes the beard is nice honestly)

Man looked like a dream 😭 and that falling hair strand in that pic is so aesthetically pleasing and pretty, i wanna play with it so bad.

Also LIONEL'S SIDE PROFILE??? HOT

I'm so in love with his side profile, i can make a whole ass blog about how beautiful & hot his side profile is.

[queenofapeacefuldawn]

SxF Crack Theory: The Identity Of [REDACTED]'s Father

Hear me out here.... but, maybe, Twilight's father could be Yuri's boss, aka, the SSS Lieutenant.

Now, this might be a crack/joke theory, but here is the evidence I have to back up my claim (yes, I'm presenting it because I'm just Like That):

(Warning: Manga spoilers ahead)

Exhibit A: Physical Characteristics

Here is a picture of Agent Twilight:

Here is a picture of Yuri's boss (who, from now in, will be referred to as YB, for my own convenience):

We can see that Twilight and YB have very similar facial characteristics: bluish-grey eyes, blond hair, and a similar face shape (nose, jaw).

We never see Twilight's father's full face: only the lower half, because he has presumably forgotten his face, along with his mother's (King of Emotional Repression™️), but we can see that his jawline and shape of his mouth are very similar to Adult Twilight.

Oh, and look at that- rather pronounced cheekbones, if I do say so myself. Where else did I see those? Hmmm

Exhibit B: Ambiguous Fate

During the War Arc, we're never told about [REDACTED]'s father's fate. We just know he never returns to his family: and the reason why he left for the very last time, was that, "Things have been heating up at the border. I need to take a little business trip." The fact that his, a (presumably) rather important man's, body was never recovered: nor were [REDACTED] or his mother informed of his death. Of course, his body could have been lost in the bombings, or the part of [REDACTED] finding out about his father's dead could have been omitted, but for most of the part, we're left to assume about his father's dead. And... this sounds familiar to another instance...

Like the instance of [REDACTED]'s friends. He (and we) assumed they'd died in the warehouse as children, but later we see that they're alive and in the army (only to die a second time, RIP), but this time, for their deaths to be confirmed: for [REDACTED] to only receive their dog tags after the failed campaign.

This may have been a setup: for Endo to reintroduce [REDACTED]'s father, later in the story, as YB.

Anyway, one thing I've learned after reading and watching so many books, comics, and TV shows: never assume a person's dead, not unless their body/proof of their death has been explicitly shown. This belief was only reinforced after [REDACTED]'s friends.

And, [REDACTED]'s father's last known place was around the Westalian-Ostanian border. He could have escaped in the crossfire, theoretically...

Exhibit C: Fatherly Nature (?)

We all love a good found-family dynamic in the workplace. It's there with WISE, it's there with Garden, and it's kinda there with the SSS.

My main argument about this stems from the chapter which focuses on Yuri's work.

We see YB continuously worry about Yuri's physical health, in panels like:

Obviously, this doesn't happen only in this chapter. Whenever Yuri's there, YB is also there, yelling at him to a) go to sleep, or b) STOP GETTING HIT BY BUSSES OH MY FUCKING GOD IT CAN'T HAPPEN SO MANY TIMES TO ONE PERSON-

And, of course, there's the Yuri Sick Fic chapter:

Not gonna lie, this point is extremely weak, if I brought this up in court I'd be laughed out of there-

Anyway, I just wanted to put this in.

If it does turn out that YB is [REDACTED]'s father then. Bestie. Buddy. How are you managing to be a better father-figure to some insolent kid who gets hit by busses than you were to your actual son, like 20 years ago. Maybe he learned along the way.

Exhibit D: Symbolism (???)

Oh, look, another point I'm pulling out of my ass! But whatever, you're reading it <3

During the War Arc, we see Twilight sustain two major injuries:

One, as a child, when his home is bombed:

And two, as an adult, in the army:

and these injuries are both to his left eye.

Of course, this has given rise to theories of him not being able to see his left eye, it being his blind spot, and Yor guarding his blind spot on missions, etc., etc., which I love bc ✨Twiyor✨

Getting back on point, if we look at YB, we see that he has injuries too... or rather, remnants of them, what with the scars he has...

which, are also on his left eye. Huh! Interesting... this might just be me, but could this be parallels to how similar he and his father were? Are? His father also wanted peace between Ostania and Westalis: but he taught his child that in a very harsh manner (by slapping him), but Twilight wants to teach Anya that in a kind manner. Whenever we see him teaching her, he never loses his cool with her (of course, he loses a lot of hope, but this man's a pessimist, what can we do).

Also shows how much kinder Twilight is, compared to his father.

---

Of course, these points are very weak, and it might just be that Endo reused some character designs for efficiency, but let me be, ok!! This is a crack theory!!! Let me be a clown!!!! AKDFJSJF

If I'm being honest, this post was inspired by a convo I'd had with my friend, around the time Chapter 86 was released. She was theorizing that [REDACTED]'s dad is the Shopkeeper, and I was theorizing it was this dude. Of course, our theorizing was sidetracked by Chapter 86, and a certain panel within it, but... WHATEVER.

So, what are your thoughts? Obviously, my own theory is very weak (for example, why would the SSS accept a Westalian citizen into their ranks? Why would he even join the SSS? Could he have defected? Abandoned his wife and kid?), but this was fun to think about, lol. What are your theories? I think the Shopkeeper-is-the-dad theory and the YB-is-his-dad theory are both cool, so, what do you think?

(Also, yeah, I know, his dad could very well be dead. I just refuse to believe it, bc I'm just Like That <3)

[ash-whimsicalfanfic]

I was wondering if you can please write fanfic. Where the reader is a mother of young twins who is fiercely protective of them because one of them is completely colorblind and the other one is going deaf and nobody on the team knows of their existence.

So one day her babysitter can’t work or something do whatever you like at this part, but basically, the NCIS team finds out about the twins and her fierceness protectiveness and Leroy Jethro is like ok I’m kinda in love with you to you’re officially Mrs. Gibbs five and have fun with it.

Do whatever you like with this and I hope you enjoy writing it. I hope you have a wonderful year a wonderful month in your writing is amazing and I appreciate you.

Fierce Love

Leroy Jethro Gibbs X Fem OC/Reader

Word Count: 4.5K

Warnings: Flashbacks, Mentions of SA, Kidnapping, Mild Language, Violence, Guns, Blood, Suggestive, Angst, Fluff, etc.

Prompt: You are a mother of young twins, one who is colorblind and the other who is going deaf. The team doesn’t know of their existence until something happens to the babysitter who so happens to be your goddaughter. The team finds that you are fiercely protective and fiercely in love with your kids. But, this stands out more to Gibbs because he’s been trying to figure out for

Sidenotes: I used a scene from “The Rookie”, not to the exact measures, but similar.

You look down at the twins you held, your eyes instantly teary as you looked at the two bundles that saved you. They were perfect with their ten fingers, their ten toes, their tiny noses, their tiny lips and their healthy selves.

Adeline Iridessa Y/L/N, you sweet baby girl who was younger by a few minutes. Then her older brother by only minutes, Alexander Archer Y/L/N.

"Mommy will always protect you." You whisper softly.

"Ms. Y/L/N, I'm afraid to tell you that Adeline is colorblind. Alexander is rapidly losing hearing and we fear he may be deaf." Dr. Bryant explains.

You were silent for a moment, trying to soak in this information. You look at the twins for a moment before turning back to him.

"Is there anything we can do to try and preserve and maybe even salvage what hearing Alex has?" You ask.

"We could try some tubes, however I fear that his case is too severe. Here are some pamphlets. This will help Alexander if he needs to learn sign language. It's always good starting them off at a young age anyway. They tend to retain the language better and he will be better. You may want to also have Adeline learn the language for her brother as well." He explains.

You nod, looking at the twins who were wide awake, looking around curiously. Your heart aches knowing that Adeline will never get to see such beautiful colors because she has achromatopsia color blindness and then Alexander will eventually lose his hearing altogether.

4 YEARS LATER

You were sitting at your bullpen, trying to figure out how to make their 5th birthday party the best birthday ever for them. You know you probably spoiled them too much, but they were your babies and you'd be damned if you ever let something happen to them.

The thought of sending them to school was agonizing. Knowing that they were getting older was scary. These were your babies and the thought of anything happening to them sent you into a protective mode instantly.

"Alright, what do we have?" Gibbs asks, coming back from getting coffee.

Tony, Ziva and Tim immediately are up and fighting to tell their finds. However, Gibbs was focused on you who seem distracted on something.

Gibbs was able to read everyone. However, after four years of working for him, he still was trying to figure you out. Almost everything about your file was confidential. He was so brutal on you when you first came here, however he has gotten better over time.

The elevator doors open and everyone turns back. You stand slowly as you see your twins exit the elevator hand in hand with your neighbor following behind them.

"Mommy!" Adeline squeals, running to you and hugging you.

You squat down, hugging her and Alexander. You gently push them back and look to Alexander, signing, "What's wrong baby boy?" 

He looked pale and like he wasn't feeling the greatest. Which was strange because before you left this morning, you made sure to make sure both were tucked in and weren't running fevers.

He sighs, signing, "Just worried and tired." You frown, gently guiding them both behind your desk, lifting them both into your chair before your neighbor walks to you.

"Y/N/N, Lexi answered the door this morning and their was a man there who was claiming to be the twins' father. The twins followed your "game" as Adeline put it if a stranger shows up. Lexi was taken by that man. And I came over here as fast I could." She explains.

You let a slow breath out as your heart rate picks up. Lexi was a good girl. She was your older sisters daughter. Lexi made you realize how much you wanted kids of your own. Lexi was like a daughter to you. You look at the twins, knowing that Lexi would do anything for them—just like you—which is probably how she ended up in this situation to begin with.

"Thank you, Bebe. You did the right thing." You say.

"Do you want me to take the twins so that you can work and get Lexi back?" She asks.

"No, no, it's alright. I think I'd feel better knowing they are with me. Thank you, Bebe. I'd say yes if I felt safe about it, but their father is...a very unpredictable man. I don't want to put you or the twins in danger." You explain.

It made you feel guilty, like you didn't trust Bebe, but thankfully she understood where you were coming from. She gave you a big hug, promising that everything would be okay and that Lexi was a tough girl. You knew Lexi was tough. You also knew Lexi would have left clues for you. She leaves and you turn to your team who was watching.

"You have kids?" Tony asks surprised.

"Yes." You say a bit more defensively than you expected, moving in front of the twins.

"Hey, easy there mama bear. I'm just surprised. You have no pictures and you've never mentioned them." He says, putting his hands up in surrender.

You clench your jaw, choosing to keep silent. These were your babies. You know your team wouldn't do anything to them. You knew that they'd protect them just as fiercely as you. However, your protective side was running wild knowing their father was after them and knowing he had Lexi.

Gibbs was staring at you, a small smirk on his lips. He could finally read you and put every piece to the puzzle together about you. It was like you were an open book right now.

I'm so in love with her, he thinks to himself.

"That's a pretty dress you have on sweetie. Is pink your favorite color?" Ziva asks and your heart clenches.

"Adeline can't see colors. She has achromatopsia color blindness. Alexander is deaf...he lost all of his hearing by the time he was one. He knows sign language though. So does Adeline. He can also read lips very well. Both of them can. Even though Adeline can talk, sign language and reading lips is a second nature to her." You explain.

You didn't realize you were nervously rambling, but the team did and smiled softly. They understood the normal moms fierce love for their child, however yours was far fiercer and far more protective. And it wasn't because you were an NCIS agent. It was because both of your babies were special.

"Mommy says pink is my color. And I trust mommy." Adeline says, smiling at Ziva who grins.

"Well, your mommy is very much right. Pink is definitely your color." She says.

"Alex, Addy...this is mommy's friends. That's Ziva, this is Tim and that's Tony. That's mommy's boss, Gibbs." You say, pointing to each of them.

Adeline was in a full conversation with Tony, Tim and Ziva. Alexander was looking at Gibbs who crouches down to his height and signs, "Are you okay?"

Alexander smiles and you look down, a light blush on your cheeks. You always had what Abby liked to call a "school-girl crush" on Gibbs. The elevator doors open and you look over to see Abby skipping towards you.

"Oh my goodness! They are so cute!" She exclaims.

"Mommy, who is that?" Adeline asks while looking at you.

"Mommy?" Abby asks, looking at you with wide eyes.

"Y/N is a mom, Abby. She's just been trying to keep them safe from their father." Gibbs explains before going back to signing with Alexander.

"What? You didn't trust us?" Abby asks.

"Abs, that isn't the case...their father is a terrible man. I thought he was still in prison. But, he isn't and he has my goddaughter who babysits for me...and because he is out, he was trying to get the twins. I just was scared that mostly you would get attached and what if I had to up and leave one day with the twins? I knew staying in one place meant he'd find me. I just..." You trail off and sit down as you bury your head in your hands.

"You have made a family. It explains why you were so distant. How did you and the father meet?" Tim asks.

"I was kidnapped by him when I was undercover. I'm sure you can put the pieces together." You mumble.

"Y/N/N." Abby whispers with watery eyes.

"It's fine. I don't dwell on the past. Not to mention, I've got these two who saved me." You murmur, lifting your head to look at your twins.

The team shared pitiful smiles, never realizing what you have gone through. You let a shaky breath out, moving your hands to your knees.

"They know sign language?" Abby asks while looking at Alexander.

"Alexander is deaf. He can read lips and sign, and Adeline can too. I made her learn too for him. Adeline has achromatopsia color blindness." You explain.

"Okay. Y/N, would you be okay with Abby taking them so that we can get your goddaughter back? And so I can personally speak with the bastard?" Gibbs asks.

"Y-Yeah, of course. Abby...I...I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I...I probably—." You start until she covers your mouth.

"Don't apologize. I understand and I'm not mad. However, I'm making them call me Aunt Abby." She says and you laugh.

"Alright. I mean I've talked about all of you guys to them and that's kind of how I've labeled you. Personally, I think you should be their godmother but if you want to be Aunt Abby, well I guess I'll have to find a different godmother." You say casually as you shrug with a smile and she gasps before squealing and hugging you.

"I want to be the godmother!" She exclaims.

You chuckle and stand before you tap your foot three times pretty hard on the ground. Alexander turns to you, feeling the vibrations on the ground.

"Come here." You sign and he walks over to you.

You kneel and gently grasp Adeline's elbow and she looks at you before moving to stand by Alexander.

"I want you guys to meet someone else. This is your godmother and one of mommy's other friends." You say and sign.

"Okay mommy, who is it?" Adeline asks.

You point to Abby and they both turn. Abby kneels and starts to sign to them which you couldn't help, but smile at Alexander's excitement. He really struggled because it wasn't like everyone knew sign language.

You turn and see a hand outstretched in front of you. It was Gibbs. You take it and he helps you up. You turn to look at the twins who seemed to be in awe. You focus on Abby's hands and notice she is telling them about her lab. You laugh quietly. Both of your twins were in love with anything to do with science so you knew they'd be just fine with Abby.

Abby looks at you and grins before she takes their hands and goes to lead them to the elevator. You find yourself having an internal battle, wanting to go with them, but you managed to keep yourself rooted to where you stood. You feel a hand on your hip and turn to see Gibbs.

"They are with Abby. They are safe." He mumbles.

You nod, knowing he was right and he pats your hip twice as Tony excitedly announces since it's your case, your lead.

"We should start at my house. Lexi is a smart girl and she would've left clues. I know her. And knowing that man, he probably searched the house for the twins. But, Lexi told them to play that game when a stranger comes over. It's basically a game to them, but it's something I've done in case someone tries to get to the twins. They have a hiding spot. Lexi and I are the only ones aware of that spot." You explain.

"It's good you had that in place." Ziva says as you all head to the elevator.

"I know I probably seem like an overbearing mom and that I'm really overprotective, it's just...I worry. And Alexander can't hear what's going on and I know Adeline will talk to anyone and everyone because she doesn't understand the dangers of talking to strangers. She thinks I'm mean for saying we can't talk to people we don't know." You explain.

"Y/N, we aren't judging you. Your an amazing mother. You have no need to worry." Gibbs says softly.

You look at him for a moment and nod. You go with Gibbs to the car as the other three go to the van. You felt extremely stressed and nervous so when traffic hit, it was even more stressful.

"They arrived at the house. I'd try to get us out but we are blocked in." Gibbs says.

You sigh, running a shaky hand through your hair. He studies you for a moment before putting a hand on your thigh. You look at him and he smiles slightly.

"We will get her back." He says.

It was silent, his hand on your thigh and your brain was now running about your "school-girl crush" on him.

"Gibbs, I need to tell you something." You admit.

"I know." He says softly, grinning.

"You know?" You ask confused.

"I know." He says, the both of you looking at each other.

"Then what was I going to say?" You ask.

"That you like me." He says and your cheeks flush.

"Was it really that obvious?" You ask quietly and he chuckles.

"Trust me, I only know because I was looking for the same signs." He says, looking ahead.

"Wait, you like me too?" You ask.

"Mhm. After we wrap up this case and the other one we are working on, I'd like to have you over for dinner." He says.

"I'd like that a lot." You say softly, your cheeks flushing red.

"Alright, we got prints but that's all." Tony says once you arrive.

You walk into the house and look at the end table and grab the notepad.

"License plate." You say and Tony grabs it, looking at it confused.

"She etched it in?" He asks.

"You do what you have to do. Plus he would've saw it and I'm sure we would have found her already, just not the way we wanted." You say, doing your own investigation.

"Name." Gibbs says, grabbing a candy wrapped off the ground.

"She probably didn't think Bebe would've witnessed it all." You murmur as you knew who it was.

"What's this?" Tim asks.

You walk into the living room again and see the TV was glitching and you laugh. Soon Lexi's face was on the TV.

"Oh thank god. I knew you'd be there." She says.

"We are coming for you Lex." You say.

"The twins, are they alright?" She asks.

"Yes, they are. Are you okay?" You ask.

"A little roughed up, but you should see him." She says with a grin and you smile slightly.

"Just be careful. If he loses his temper, it will be bad. Don't antagonize. Just comply with whatever he says. I'm hurrying. Do you know where your at?" You ask.

"I kind of stole his phone and I'm using it to somehow hack into your router so that I can display this. I'm in the back of a truck. It's a semi-truck. It's been moving ever since he left. I don't know where he is taking me." She says.

"Did he say anything to you?" You ask.

"He's rambling. It's like he's having some psychosis episode." She says.

"He might've mentioned where he's bringing you though, Lexi. Think." Gibbs says.

"He said something about a desert and a cabin. He also said he was going to tattoo my date of death on me. That's what that tattoo on your thigh is, isn't it?" She asks.

"Yeah. He's taking you back to where everything happened with me. Okay. Listen to me. If I don't get there before he does the tattoo and the barrel, don't panic. Slow breaths. It will give us more time to find you." You say seriously.

"Barrel? What the hell did he do to you? And is he actually the twins' father? Were you guys dating or something?" She asks.

"He's a sociopath, Lexi. I was really hoping he'd do some ransom thing but clearly he is still just as delusional as he use to be." You say.

"Oh shit. I've got to go." She says and the video cuts out.

"I think we need to review your case." Gibbs says.

"He kidnapped me. He proceeded to SA me. Lexi is safe there. He happens to like (your hair color). She's (her hair color). However he doesn't like (her hair color). That was who we were finding in the barrels. Well, then he tattooed the day he thought I was going to die, but little did he know I had a whole team ready to bring me home. So, I wasn't in the barrel long. A few hours, but that's it." You explain.

Gibbs and you run in from the front, Tony and Ziva going in through the back with Tim following not long behind him.

"Zayn, where is she?" You ask, your gun on him.

"I want my kids. Give me my kids." He snaps.

"They aren't your kids. You'll never be a father to them. They are my kids and I'd be damned if you ever try to get near them again because if you try, I'll shoot you." You say lowly, further pressing the gun against his temple to get the point across.

"And they say I'm crazy." He laughs.

"She isn't crazy. She's a mother and a mothers love for their children is such a crazy thing because a mother would do anything for their child. She's fiercely in love with those kids and she will fiercely protect them, no matter what." Gibbs says, hooking his arm around your waist and pulling you back.

Tony arrests him and you step out of Gibbs' hold and head outside. You knew he wouldn't have put her close to the cabin. He would have gone a bit further out. But, it would be close enough to his property so he could see it. You get to the edge of the hill and look over it before something sparkles in the sun. You start hurrying down the hill as Gibbs yells for you to wait.

You kneel and grab it. It was her ring. You shove it in your pocket before digging around, pushing the sand away when you see the top of the barrel. You start to lift the lid and toss it to the side.

"Y-Y/N?" She whispers.

"Oh baby. It's okay. I'm here. I promised I would be here." You murmur as your team joins you.

Tony helps get her out of the barrel and you sit next to her. She leans her head against your chest before breaking into tears. You shush her softly, petting her hair.

"He told me what he did to you. He told me everything. Why did you lie to us? You went through all of that alone and had no help. And we were so hard on you because we thought you should've worked it out. We didn't know he did those things." She sobs.

"Lexi, shhh...I didn't say anything because I didn't want to be treated any different. Your okay and I'm okay. I didn't take anything you guys said to heart because I knew you guys didn't know." You explain softly.

"What do you think of my tattoo?" She says, trying to smile and you look at her leg.

"I think you've got one hell of a story to tell. Don't look at it and think of this. Think of it as surviving. Because you did survive something horrific." You said.

"I don't even feel scared. I never felt scared once because I knew you'd find me. I did what you said to. Slow breaths. Because I knew you'd find me. I don't even care about that tattoo. This should bother me more than it is, but it isn't." She says.

"You could be in shock." Tim says.

"No. Not in shock. Right, look at my pupils." She says.

"She's right. She isn't in shock. She use to be a nurse." You explain.

"Your a strong girl. And you know your aunt well. You knew she'd find you. You are very brave after today." Gibbs says.

"Can you walk?" You ask.

"I'm not going to lie, I think I sprained my ankle." She says.

"How did you do that?" You ask confused.

"I full on round house kicked him, but then I screwed up my footing. I sooooo could've got away if I didn't screw that up. It so reminded me of this movie. I felt like a total badass too. Then I ruined it." She says and you couldn't help, but laugh.

"Well come on. I'll carry you up." You say.

"What? You can't do that." She says.

"Piggy back ride? I think I can." You say.

After getting situated, you start up the hill with your team. You had Tony and Gibbs on either side of you, in case you lose your footing. Lexi was babbling on with Tim about some game.

You move off of Gibbs, laying your head on his bare chest as you move the sheets up to cover your bare body.

There was a comfortable silence between the two of you. It has been a little of six months since it had became official between you both. He stayed over at your house almost every day. You had been over to his house a few times, but you didn't like being away from the twins for long.

He noticed that and quickly made sure to make it your house that you guys went to most of the time. He found himself thinking about how you use to be so eager to get home and frustrated when you couldn't leave yet because of a case and yet, now he knew why you were so eager to get home. You had two wonderful kids that you adored fiercely and he found himself loving them just as you do.

"Okay, I've realized something." He murmurs.

"And what is that?" You ask softly, tracing random patterns on his chest.

"I'm so in love with you and I think it's time you become Mrs. Gibbs number five. Okay, you may end up Mrs. Gibbs number five, however I want you to be the last Mrs. Gibbs." He says.

"Wait...are you...purposing?" You ask, sitting up on your elbow to look at him.

"Not yet...I want to purpose the way you deserve it. But, what do you think?" He asks.

"I...I've honestly been wondering when your going to ask the damn question." You admit as you laugh softly and he joins you.

"Soon." He promises.

"I know you ain't crazy about the whole idea of getting married in front of people unless it's a judge, but if this is gonna be the only time I get married, I want the whole experience." You say and he chuckles.

"Then we better give you the experience because this is the only time you'll be getting married." He says and you laugh.

"Mrs. Y/N Gibbs...I like the sound of that." You murmur.

"Hm...me too. What about Adeline Gibbs and Alexander Gibbs?" He suggests and you cover your mouth as your eyes water.

"Y-You'd really want that?" You ask softly.

"Of course. I love them like they are my own. They are my kids." He says, his own eyes watering and you grin.

"I'd love that. And what about Luna Shannon Gibbs and Leroy Jethro-Arlo Gibbs?" You ask and he shoots up, looking down at you confused.

"Why are you trying to change the twins' names?" He asks.

"Well...actually. I'm not." You say softly.

It was quiet as he looked down at you with a confused look. You waited, smiling softly as you knew he was about to figure it out.

"Your pregnant...with twins?" He asks.

"Mhm." You hum.

"Wow...this is...amazing. For Luna...can we do Luna-Kate Shannon Gibbs?" He asks.

"Of course. I love that. Kate would be honored." You murmur.

"I miss her still. It's been almost what three or four years and I still miss her." He admits.

"I miss her too, Jethro. She was a good women, but she died doing what she loved most. She'll forever be remembered." You murmur, sitting up with the blankets wrapped tightly around your front.

He smiles, nodding in agreement.

"Mommy! Mommy! It's time to get up! It's our first day of school!" Adeline exclaims.

"Can we just keep them home forever?" You ask and he chuckles as he gets up to get dressed.

"No, we can't. Come on. You go shower real quick and I'll start breakfast. Then we will switch so that you finish it and I shower. Hopefully, we can all eat together and then we will take them to school and we will go work." He says.

You nod, sighing as you stand. You left the blankets on the bed and you look over at him to see his eyes on the tattoo from the unsub. You frown, covering it with your hand as you hurry to the bathroom and close the door. You heard him sigh and curse, but you needed a moment.

You were kind of sad that it was the twins' first day. You made sure to get plenty of pictures and now it was silent between Jethro and you on your guys' way to work.

"Baby?" He says.

"Hm?" You hum.

You were a little surprised he called you that. He typically only does when he's deep in thought or scared shitless. So, you clue it that he was deep in thought.

"I didn't mean to make you upset this morning." He admits.

"I wasn't upset." You say.

"You covered it and ran off to the bathroom like a dog with its tail between its legs." He deadpans.

"I wasn't upset though. I just...I wouldn't even say self-conscious. However, I know when you look at it, your putting every piece of what happened to me, together. You know what that date means. Anyone else will look at it and assume it's for someone or it's some joke. But, it's the day I was supposed to die. Plus, it kind of springs up memories on me. I need to get it removed, but I don't for the time for it and I don't want to be asked about it either." You admit.

"Baby, when I look at that...it just makes me realize what you've been through and how strong you are. You are a fighter and I love how strong and how brave and how fierce you are." He say and you smile slightly.

"I love you." You murmur.

"I love you too, hon." He says, grabbing your hand.

[fantomette22]

Brain fluid, Great ones, Blood and parasites.

I am replaying Bloodborne and I'm noticing a few new things.

I finally get to the research hall and read the brain fluids description again (in French & English)

Greyish amoeba-shaped brain fluid. Wobbles and bounces.

Extracted from a patient whose head expanded until that was all that they were.

In the early days of the Healing Church, the Great Ones were linked to the ocean, and so the cerebral patients would imbibe water, and listen for the howl of the sea. Brain fluid writhed inside the head, the initial makings of internal eyes. (…)

So… was i supposed to found out myself they actually have parasite inside ??

So one thing you need to know is that "brain fluid" or cerebrospinal fluid (liquide céphalo-rachidien/cérébrospinal en VF) is a transparent liquid where you have your brain and inside your spine for your nerves. It doesn't quite fit what we have in game right ?

But they did add water in it, right ? It also said (but it's more clear in French that it have an amoeba (amibe) shape.

What's an amoeba ? from wikipedia : "(...) is a type of cell or unicellular organism with the ability to alter its shape (...) Amoeboid cells occur not only among the protozoa, but also in fungi, algae, and animals. Microbiologists often use the terms "amoeboid" and "amoeba" interchangeably for any organism that exhibits amoeboid movement."

It's an eucaryote (membrane, cytoplasm and nucleus like our cells) and unicellular organism that can lived without and host in the earth or water for example (unlike our cells who need to be a part of a pluricellulaires organism).

But, there's some type of amoeba who act as parasite and actually can "eat" a brain💀 (actually it attacked the nervous system & cells from the cavity between the nose and brain ) do you see where I'm trying to get ?

The water they put inside the patients head... probably had microorganism inside it. If it's not the Kos parasites then others things really similar.

It will take too long to develop everything, maybe another day so really short : we know about the Kos parasite right ? And that Kos probably had parasites who infected and transformed the inhabitants of the Hamlet.

For the blood we literally have vermin, the loran silver beasts (+ the maggots), the bloodletting beast with the giant worms and the blood dregs. (the eyes that turned blind some parasite do that in real life too)

I thought at first that what caused the beast plague was "infected cells' like cancerous cells that created more organic materials, mutated their host and boom. And not just some bacteria or viruses (that is possible too XD but also vermin are those arthropods like parasites so I was a bit confused.

But now ! If we need to have a more scientifically and realistically approach about what happened in Bloodborne (and not just boom great ones dream magic) I think it can be caused by unicellular beings who composed the great ones and mess with everyone 👍

I mean diseases and organism disfunction (of the neural system for ex) are caused on a cellular if not molecular level after all (how molecules and drugs act in the neurons and synapses of the brain is really fascinating ! But it’s not easy to learn)

Also why are great ones so close to the first protozoan cells organism for some reason ?! There's multicellular organism I guess but exist on different planes of existence (if they're not aliens or smt) but bc of the parasites blood and all (odeon is kinda blood/ what we have in the blood) so they're probably really really old forms of life you (like unicellular organisms).I guess we could say that great ones are parasites of the mind !👈 👈 (ok enough of today)

Little bonus : the first unicellular appear between 3,5 and 3,8 billion years. The multicellular appeared 2 billions years ago, our Earth have 4,5 billions years, our solar system just a bit more and the universe is 13,8 billions years old. Homo sapiens sapiens (us) is like 200 000 years old 💀 but don't worry the homininae line appeared 10 million years ago!

Hey you know we're closer to the dinosaurs who lived at the end of the cretaceous (64Ma) than between the Dino of the cretaceous and the beginning to the triassic (first Dino : 230/250 Ma)? CRAZY HMMM ??????

Anyway I do believe Bloodborne universe is actually as fantastic as dark souls or Elden Ring and not super ultra realistic like our own world. Some things just doesn't make sense realistically and maybe don't have a possible realistic and scientific explanation (the dreams, great ones etc) but it's cool to try to used sciences to explain things in the universe ! That make its own world more coherent in its own logic I believe ! (it's like you know sci fi movies, Frankenstein and all. it's not possible in real life but based on true sciences stuff).

[kaaytea]

Kuroo Tetsurou x reader

Summary: You've been avoiding him all week, and now he's starting to question what exactly you're doing when you pull Yaku into rooms with you.

Warnings: angst, cheating?, Lil fluff at the end as a treat

A/n: ITS KUROOS BIRTHDAY!!!! Kuroo is the captain of my favorite team and was one of my first favorite characters! I hope I did him justice with this lil fic also I apologize for the angst 😔

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

Why were you avoiding him?! And on his birthday never the less!!

The whole day whenever you spotted him you'd skitter off without a second look behind you.

It was kind of annoying actually.

You hadn't said a word to him today besides your good morning text. For the first time in a long time, Kuroo was feeling kinda lonely. The past few weeks you had been slowly spending less and less time with him; this week had been the worse so far, he's only talked to you face to face about three times.

Kuroo stepped into the classroom, eyes scanning the groups of faces for you. Maybe you'd want to talk a bit before you had to go to your class like usual? He spotted you by the front of the room pointing at paper that was spread out on Kai's desk, Yaku and Kai listening intently to what you were saying.

Unfortunately, Kai noticed him walking over to the small group and nudged your arm. You looked up from the paper and froze when your eyes met with his. In a split second, you hurriedly snatched the paper from the desk shoving it into your bag then grabbed Yaku's hand and dragged him out of the classroom.

Kuroo sighed inwardly.

You sure had been spending a lot of time with Yaku these past few weeks; you seemed to almost always be around him, grabbing onto his hand, pulling him into different rooms...Whispering to him....in the halls......

Wait a minute

You couldn't actually be...

The two of you weren't.....You'd never.....Yaku wouldn't... Right?

Then why was there this awful feeling twisting in his chest, a feeling that only got heavier as he thought back on how weird you had been acting the past few weeks, like you were hiding something from him.

Kuroo felt like he was gonna throw up. Has he really been that blind? Were you actually cheating on him right under his nose, and with one of his teammates?

He sat down at his desk completely ignoring Kai's gentle greetings.

He felt numb. He also felt completely and utterly stupid.

Did Kai know? He was the one to tip you off that he was in the room. Now that he thought about it Fukunaga did something similar earlier in the week.

Did everyone know but him?

The rest of the day went by slowly. It felt like he was trapped in a pool of molasses, slowly and painfully trudging through, only to be pulled back in by his sticky thoughts and doubts.

By the time practice came around he was exhausted, emotionally and physically.

He was so out of it, he almost didn't hear Coach Nekomata wish him happy birthday with a cheery smile and a soft pat on the back.

"You're acting weird"

Kuroo glanced up at Kenma from his spot on the bench.

"What do you mean by that?"

Kenma sighed and shuffled over to sit next to him, "You keep spacing out," he mumbled softly, "you're playing stiffly and you've been avoiding Yaku like the plague."

He really can't fool Kenma, huh? I guess growing up together played a part in that.

Kuroo sighed, he unconsciously started to ring the towel in his hands. He didn't want to admit it out loud, his body started to burn from the build-up of thoughts and emotions throughout the day.

"I think (y/n)'s cheating on me," Kuroo's stomach twisted sickly at saying that sentence out loud.

"Why's that?"

"They've been avoiding me all week, they've also started being very friendly with Yaku."

Kenma almost burst out laughing at the absurdity of the situation, quickly masking it with a cough.

"I don't think they'd ever cheat on you, they probably have an explanation for their behavior," Kenma said, he silently pulled out his Switch already booting up a game.

Kuroo frowned at the gym floor. He hated feeling like this.... He felt lost and hurt, a dull ache pierced his heart when his thoughts drifted to you.

Just as he was about to go help clean up the gym, Nekomata called out to him.

"Go deliver these papers to the principal for me, the directors wanted a copy of the tournament schedule."

Kuroo only nodded and made his way out of the building, at least he got out of cleaning up the gym today.

When he arrived back at the gym all of the lights were off.

That's odd....usually, there are a few people who hang back and work on solo drills.

He stepped into the dark building, searching blindly for the light switch. At this point by he just wanted to go home and sleep, it hadn't been that great of a birthday anyway.

He flipped on the lights only to be startled by the sound of a confetti popper.

Kuroo turned around, the entire team was stood in the middle of the gym with you in the front holding a cake with a bright smile.

What?

"Happy birthday Tetsurou!!"

You handed the cake to Kai, who went off with Fukunaga to cut it, and launched yourself at him trapping him in a tight hug.

"Surprised?"

He looked down at you, his brain was still catching up with the fact that you were actually interacting with him, "...yes?"

"Ah! I’m so glad I don't have to keep a secret anymore! That was so long!" Lev shrieked.

You turned to Lev with a baffled look, "What do you mean long! I literally just told you what we were doing yesterday."

You started bantering with Lev but your conversation blurred out as something clicked in Kuroo's brain.

Yesterday?

"How long have you been planning this?"

You turned away from Lev and looked up at him, "A few weeks, Kai and Yaku helped a bunch though!"

Oh.....well that explains a lot.

Kuroo let out a sigh of relief and pulled you into his chest, you looked at him with a worried expression, "Are you ok Tetsu?"

He chuckled slightly. Could he consider himself ok if he spent the entire day thinking you had been cheating on him only to find out you were just planning a surprise party?

He got his answer as he looked into your eyes, they sparkled with love whenever you were near him and the genuine concern on your face made his heart clench.

"I'm great, (y/n)" he smiled at you then proceeded to press kisses all over your face causing you to giggle at his actions.

There was a gagging noise heard behind you causing the both of you to look in the direction of the sound.

The gagging came from Yaku with a slightly disgusted Kenma standing next to him, their faces scrunched up at your display of affection.

"We get it you're both sickeningly cute but please for our sake save the sappy stuff for later"

"You think I'm cute Yakkun?"

"Don't push your luck!"

<< ---------------------------------------------------- >>

Kuroo enjoyed the small party with the team but he was even happier now that he got to spend alone time with you. The second the both of you got back to his house he was pulling you to his room so he could cuddle you to death. After the absolute rollercoaster of emotions he went through today he needs to just hold you close to further convince himself that you wouldn't ever leave.

"Tetsurou?" you piped up from your position lying against his chest, your hand continued to twist and twirl locks of his messy hair.

"Hmm?"

"Are you sure you're ok? Nothing happened today right?"

Ah

He didn't have the heart to lie to you, so he came clean. He told you about this morning where he made the silly assumption that you were cheating on him and how your behavior fit in with everything.

"Oh Tetsu, I'm so sorry! I didn't even realize what everything could have looked like from your perspective," you pulled yourself closer to him, tucking your face into his chest, "I'd never cheat on you, ok? And I don't plan on leaving you any time soon.... you're too important to me."

What you said was barely above a whisper but those words rang loudly in Kuroo's heart.

His eyes burned slightly with unshed tears as he pressed his face to the top of your head.

"I wouldn't dream of leaving you either, (y/n)."

[eat-worms]

Hi So, I know the Fandom has probably milked every ounce of foreshadowing from this show already,,, but,,, i still have a sneaking suspicion that there are still secrets to uncover that are right under our noses.

The pictures in Moving On parts 1 & 2 have always intrigued me. They seem like the perfect place to hide Easter eggs and foreshadowing, but its hard to pay complete attention to them while you are watching, and they seem to just be pictures from thomas' past.... I thought this way... until I saw this:

I saw this and was like "woah thats Remus! Wait, this is before even Janus first appeared!!" And i kinda shelved it. But then I was watching This episode again and I saw this:

Janus??!? OK. This cannot be a coincidence. The same episode. Minutes Apart. The same place.

So if Janus and Remus were foreshadowed here.... then Orange had to have been too, right??

Here's a screen shot of every picture where Thomas wore a notable item of clothing/costume (along the lines of Janus' hat and Remus' mustache. Not just a t-shirt or something.) (oh also, these are in no particular order)

1:

This one seems promising because he's actually wearing orange. I'm not entirely sure what this outfit consists of though. I think it's a black jacket and black patterned tie, orange sleeves coming from somewhere, and a grey beanie. The tie could also be a scarf. It seems a bit too cluttered to be a nod to the specific costume piece of a side, but they may have had to reach a bit since they took these from old photos of Thomas.

2:

There's a few of these where Thomas is wearing suspenders. It seems specific enough to be a costume piece, but there were also a few pictures like this so I doubt this is it.

3:

These are just sunglasses, but i figured I should add them because of the "See no evil" theory for orange. Some have theorized he will be blind because of this, so the sunglasses could symbolize that. (pstt,, that theory is also backed up by the picture fram in Moving On, heres the screen shot: )

4:

this one is a little wacky... but it was the only other one with notable items of clothing. We got a bowtie, scarf again, sunglasses again, and a flower? Its green, so it would be a bit weird to have this represent Orange and not Remus.... Maybe this is evidence for the "The Orange Side is a Clown" theory... but I personally dont want to entertain that idea too much lol.

And that's all I got! There was one more with Thomas with glasses, but it was when he said Falsehood with Logan not there and im pretty sure it was a nod to that.

I'll try to remember this post for when the Orange Side shows up to see if im right.

Thanks for reading!🧡

TL;DR:

The Orange Side could show up wearing a scarf, bowtie, sunglasses, a beanie, suspenders, or a black jacket shown in some of the picture frame pictures in Moving On part 2 because there are similar pictures for Janus and Remus.

[backburnerdio]

Fictober – Day 27

Original Fiction: Time Borrowed Prompt #09: There's No Right Side to This Word Count: 961 Words Warnings: Language, Violence

Detective Khan stepped out from the interrogation room, closing the door behind him with a sigh. “For the last time, Ives, no,” he grumbled, starting down the hall. Ives followed, Beau scrambling to get off the floor to join them.

“Detective, I only have a few questions. It’s been weeks since we took in members of GodHead and they have yet to give any reasoning for their actions.”

“Are you discrediting my department, Ives?”

“No sir, not at all. I just wonder if maybe we could have the chance to speak to one of them—”

“You could do a better job?” Khan stopped, turning to glare up at him. “That what you think?”

“I mean, we could always do worse and invite Garnet,” Beau suggested, earning a blind swat from Ives.

“I’d like to try, sir.”

Detective Khan stared at Ives for the longest time, eventually turning his dark eyes to Beau as if he were having to confirm their identities. Beau wondered if the man could see straight into his HUD with how hard he stared. For a moment, he wondered if Ives really could do a better job than a man with a look like that.

“You know what? I’ve been running for 36 hours straight, I’m about to go get my ninth cup of coffee. You’ve got until I get down to the breakroom and back. Not a second longer.” He warned Ives with a wagging finger. “And if you put a hand on the suspect, I’m taking you off for parts.”

“Absolutely,” Ives nodded.

“Johnson’s in the room watching. I’ll let him know you’re going in. I'm not supposed to do this. Do not fuck this up, Ives.” Another nod, he and Beau frozen stiff as Khan retreated down the hall.

“Is it just me, or are you getting better at socializing?” Beau smiled.

“He’s severely sleep-deprived, I merely took advantage.” Ives pivoted on a heel, starting back for the interrogation room. “Go in with me.”

“Me? I don’t think Khan okayed for me to go in too.”

“It’s an intimidation tactic. Outnumbering the suspect with two people they’ve never seen before. Just follow my lead, keep your comms open.” Beau followed him into the fairly small room, every wall frosted glass, floors white tile with the black table in the center. At it sat a teenage girl, brow and lip piercings similar to Valetta. She lifted her head, huffing neon-colored hair from her face looking just as exhausted as officer Khan had. Tired, squinting eyes followed Ives around the table, glancing over to Beau who waited by the door.

| Ives, she's just a kid. Only sixteen.|

“Let me guess,” she slouched in her seat as Ives sat down across from her. “You’re the good cop and he’s the bad cop?”

“Nope,” Ives scooted his chair in close, resting clasped hands on the table. She continued to look at him, nose wrinkling as her squinting nearly closed her eyes.

“Oh, hey, you’re one of those test tubes, aren’t you?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Yeah, you are. They say if you look hard enough you can see the plate seams on your face. Didn’t know you had to look that hard though.” Ives gave her a moment to continue staring, tilting in her seat checking one side and the other. “That’s wicked.”

“Wicked?”

“Yeah, like crazy. At first glance, you don’t even notice.” She returned to her slouched position in her seat. “What’s it like being a test tube?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“A test tube, you know,” she made a vague motion at him, up and down, “you’re propagating culture in there. Uh, a space fungus. Thingy.”

“Thingy?” Ives attempted to clarify, head tilting, “I’m not familiar with what you mean.”

“Are you trying to trick me?” She squinted again, jutting her head forwards with a crooked smile. “Is this some kinda trick to lead into trying to rat me out? No? C’mon, you have to know. That hydraulic fluid you run on? The purple stuff? It’s got space fungus in it.”

“I think you may be mistaken,” Ives chuckled.

“Ok, Mr. World-Wide-Web, believe what you want. But that’s the whole point of all this. It’s fucked up. You’ve got space mold running around in you and your CEO is playing God with it.” Her playful nature went suddenly serious, “nothing personal, you know. Like I know it’s not your fault, there’s no right side to this for you, but your CEO is a piece of shit.”

Ives stared at her, reading her heart rate and cerebral function. If she were lying, she didn’t know it. To her, it was the truth.

“What did Captain Ryker have to do with GodHead’s attack, then? Why was he targeted?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I wasn’t in on that. A bunch of us lived in that building. I’m more of a paste-together poster board into a shitty sign and yell at people kinda girl. I told the last guy this. He doesn’t believe me, apparently.”

| She’s not lying, Ives. At least, not that I can pick up. |

| That’s what’s troubling me. |

“So, then, if you’re a part of GodHead because SoulLink’s CEO has… implemented single-cell organisms into A.I.s, where did you hear this information?”

She sputtered, sitting up with a weary laugh. “Hear about it? Sir, I saw it.” Her eyes darted to one of the frosted glass walls just as someone knocked on the door. Leaning closer she guarded one side of her face, dropping her voice to a nearly inaudible volume, even for him. “Out in old Pinnacle Industrial Park, under the outdated rail tracks, check the old sewers. You’ll find it.”

“Times up, Ives.” Khan let himself in, “Let’s go.”

[silverinia]

I came for Baranski, I stayed for Baranski - a quick Christmas On The Square review someone* actually asked for

(* thank you, anon)

Disclaimer: I am in no way a professional of any sorts when it comes to film and I'm not a journalist either. The last movie review I've written was probably for a school assignment in eighth grade. I didn't do research for this and I've watched the movie exactly one time, so this is just for fun.

It was a Sunday, Sunday the 22nd of November, nearing the end of the train wreck of a year that is 2020. I woke up on an air mattress around seven am, my head aching, my throat itching with pyrosis and light nausea, it was still dark outside behind the closed blinds in front of the windows, when I slowly realised where I was, one of my best girlfriends sleeping next to me in her bed. I had crashed at her place after a warm, fuzzy evening of mulled wine, tacky Christmas movies I would never watch alone (Christmas Chronicles and Holiday Calendar, which I quite honestly didn't enjoy at all, but the company made it fun anyway), doing our nails, wearing the fun kind of face masks for a change and smoking too many cigarettes, as the soft pain in my head informed me right now. She woke up an hour later and the morning went by with coffee and reheated pizza for breakfast, when we decided to watch another movie and I realised that it was THE Sunday I'd been waiting for through Zoom interviews and Dolly Parton twitter memes and the infamous wig gate that will be briefly discussed in the following, and so we clicked on the small icon in the Netflix menu that said "Christmas On The Square".

And oh boy, was it a ride.

To start off, I should mention that I have a hard time watching most modern day American Christmas movies, as I noticed quite vividly again when I watched the two aforementioned Netflix productions last night. The character development is always foreseeable to say the least, the plot lines are plain clichés hunting each other like they're the kids in The Hunger Games, and the writing is generally so bad that you can join the actors in reciting the entire scripts on your first watch. I watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas once a year while I'm gift wrapping and pause every fifteen minutes to shamelessly stare at forties Christine Baranski (I think we should all turn away from the birth of Jesus and instead count our years based on Christine Baranski's date of birth) in flamboyant nightgowns and short Christmas themed dresses, looking so fabulous that every interpreter of Santa Baby ever could only dream of it, I watch Love Actually at least five times a year to lust over Hugh Grant, cry with Emma Thompson and miss Alan Rickman, I enjoy Bridget Jones, which I would definitely consider a Christmas movie, and that's it. That's my yearly Christmas time entertainment routine and I can barely tolerate anything beyond, because I'm still traumatised from the time when I was around five years old and on a holiday family visit where had to sit through National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, the dumbest movie I have ever seen (my apologies if you like it but also, who hurt you?), with my cousins. I hated it. I hated every minute of it. And it scarred me for life.

But this was a Christine Baranski movie, I knew she was going to play the lead and so I was pretty much as excited about this as I could. And the fact that Dolly Parton wrote the whole thing didn't hurt either. As I said earlier to my friend I was watching it with, I have the pop cultural taste of a fifty year old gay man, a quality I am most proud of, and this simply ticked off all my boxes.

I expected something similar to a Mamma Mia experience that wouldn't cause me to crave packing my bags, give Covid the finger and run off to Greece. Light-hearted entertainment, easy to stomach, uplifting music and so little plot that the simplicity feels like a creative choice. That's what my pained, hungover brain knew it could cope with and that's not what I got.

The movie started and I was immediately in the zone. I saw Christine Baranski's name in the front credits (an experience that never fails to make me scream "Yass Queen" at the screen, regardless of where I am and who I'm with, as if I'm the sobering result that pops out of the package when you order Jonathan Van Ness on Wish), the setting was wonderfully corny (I grew up watching Gilmore Girls once a week, so give me warm fairy lights and a gazebo and I'm perfectly happy) and as my friend wondered whether Dolly Parton, in her exaggerated homeless attire that didn't make her look shabby at all, was green-screened into the setting because she stood out so much (which she was because the background dancers were dancing in slow motion, but to be fair, we were probably still a little too drunk to notice that from the start) and I told her I thought that it was just the natural glow someone who's Dolly Parton simply carries with them everywhere they go, I was happy. This was the movie I was prepared for. A movie in which the most problematic thing would be stereotypical characters and the wig they hid Christine's real, flawlessly handmade by God herself hair under.

And then, around five minutes in, Christine Baranski's childhood love interest was revealed as she pressed her perfect pointy nose against the window of his shop and sang about her unrequited love.

And suddenly, things started taking turns at a pace I was still way too sleep-deprived for.

Suddenly, in the middle of my general amazement at seeing Christine Baranski do literally anything and laughing loud at her impeccable comedic delivery, there were unresolved daddy issues, hanging prominently at the wall in her marvellously designed house (she literally says "Daddy" at one point and I couldn't help but think that only someone with her vocal skills could keep from making it sound cringe-worthily kinky). One moment, I was clutching my chest above my heart while she was bonding with little bartender Violet and munching on pretzels while downing some whiskey in that elegant way only Christine Baranski can bond with ten year olds who had it rough, eat pretzels and down whiskey, and the next she felt responsible for said girl's mother's death (which she kinda was too, but I'm not the boss of her). I was still busy making fun of how the very annoyingly, but when you're snacking on pizza with extra cheese at nine in the morning also highly funny, slow talking pastor's name was Christian, and suddenly there was a cancer scare.

It was a lot, a hasty sprint from major issue to major issue with a hint of comedic relief every now and then, and it didn't get any less until the very, rather poorly resolved, end.

The entire, constant up and down was followed by the movie's peak of suspense, the near death of precious Violet, something I couldn't even get too invested in because I was still so busy worrying about Christine's MRT results (I was truly fucking worried), not to mention that I hadn't even started to really process the sudden revelation of the love child and how it had affected her character's actions until this point. Was her constant tendency of pushing people away, as we've seen most clearly with her angel in training assistant who's name I cannot recall right now, the result of her broken trust in her father who practically ripped her son away from her after she had just given birth to him? Was it a result of her never getting the closure she needed with plaid flannel wearing Carl she was clearly still in love with? Maybe both? And what of the many issues was it that made her so incredibly shaken up when Violet blamed herself for her mother's death? Was it 'just' due to the fact that the closed pharmacy was on her, or was there more to it? Was it because she had grown up without a mother herself? Or did I miss a major piece of information because I was momentarily distracted, dumbfoundedly staring at Christine's very blue eyes? No time to ponder on that, little Silverinia, because here comes unconscious Violet in an ambulance, WEE WOO WEE WOO WEE WOO!

I'm not going to go in depth about what plot lines I thought were especially carelessly handled and why, real standouts were the sudden forgiveness towards her father who had still acted like a shitty asshole even though he might have had his reasons, because giving the baby up for adoption just wasn't his choice to make, and the fact that I kind of didn't buy how quickly Regina managed to forgive herself, especially for Violet's mother's passing, considering how deeply her tall, slim, dare I say angelic and entrancing figure was buried beneath the weight of all her issues. It felt rushed and incomplete, but that's as detailed as it gets because my major point is something else.

I think this movie made the great mistake of trying to be more than your average, flat, happy ending Christmas movie. I think no one involved thought it was possible to make it a big hit if the only real plot would've been great Dolly Parton music, fun ensemble dance choreographies, Christine Baranski's outstanding acting skills, fun settings and costumes and a redemption arch with as little plot as it could possibly take to make Christine likable to those who aren't already lost forever in the rabbit hole of being obsessed with her (poor fuckers, can't relate). They didn't notice that with the legends that were involved, they could've easily gone the Mamma Mia way. And I think that's why they tried to include heavier plot lines than most creators would've chosen, experiencing loss at an early age, struggling to find closure, dealing with sickness, teenage pregnancy, parents forcing their choices on their children when they affect their childrens' lives first, adoption, and the fear of losing your kid.

It was a lot and I don't want to say that it didn't work because my friend was crying, like, pretty hard and I questioned my entire existence all through the movie in not the worst way, and I did enjoy it a lot while watching. The "grief is love with nowhere to go" line was a real standout, for example, where the attempt of complexity DID work. It positively gave me fleabag season two, "I don't know what to do with it now, with all the love I have for her." - "I'll take it. It sounds lovely. You have to give it to me." feels, and that's about the biggest praise I can come up with. BUT (and this is written in capital letters because it's the big but) I'm also totally convinced that I wouldn't have enjoyed it if they hadn't cast Christine Baranski for the lead role. In my humble opinion, the hasty, not really at all resolved plot of this movie only worked because Christine Baranski is just a fantastic actress. She quirks a mocking eyebrow and you laugh. She parts her perfectly painted red lips and you immediately hang on them because you don't want to miss a single breath she, a literal goddess, graces us mere peasants of people with. She smiles and you're happy. She laughs and even while she's still laughing, you can't wait to hear her do it again. Her eyes fill with tears and you feel goosebumps on your arms, her voice slightly trembles, a breath hitches in her throat and you feel your heart shattering to pieces. As Chuck Lorre once said, this woman could read you the phone book and you would end up laughing tears because she just gets the job done. She knows what she's doing, she's an absolute pro in her game, and it doesn't matter, not even a little bit, what she's working with, because the work she eventually delivers with it is always at a minimum of 200%. I forced my friend to watch this movie with me because I adore this woman, and I felt for this movie because I felt for her. It wasn't the plot that sadly brutally overestimated itself, it wasn't the songs that I obviously enjoyed, nor the comedic elements that truly made me laugh a lot, it was all her. I came for Baranski, and I stayed for Baranski. This woman can do anything. She can even look graceful in a terrible wig job.

(side note / unpopular opinion: I actually didn't think the wig was all too bad. It wasn't good, actually far from good, but for me, nothing can match the awful wig game of Mamma Mia 2. I loathed that wig, I absolutely cannot stand it. So this didn't feel all that terrible. It definitely wasn't the most problematic part about the movie.)

I enjoyed watching this. It was a nice distraction from all the bullshit in the world. Watching it today was the first thing this year that actually brought me something close to excitement about the holiday season, even though everything will be very different and probably not quite as jolly this year. But it just gave me good vibes and as someone who did not watch this as a film reviewer, that's the biggest part of what leads me to enjoy a movie.

Will I watch this again? For sure. Will I enjoy it when I'm not hungover, having freshly done nails and munching delicious pizza for breakfast? Probably not as much, but it'll still have Christine Baranski in it. Would I recommend watching this? If you share my obsession with Queen B, one hundo. If you don't, probably not.

[vi-sability]

Rebel of Dimensions Chapter 1

Perched on the rooftop, I watched the throng of people almost breathe as they pushed around each other. The top level of Khido was an open space, and it bothered me. It’s so easy to get caught up here. It's not like the air is clean; far from it, actually, but the lower levels let you hide easier. With my hair, hiding well is essential. I've been told to never travel further up. My family say that the city above ours, Drin, is the worst place to be, but never why. Khido is full of dark walls and streets, which kinda sucks for me. My hair's bubblegum pink, thanks to my mom. I can duck and dive into the shadows, but I stick out like a sore thumb. Maybe Drin is worse? Maybe there's light in every place there isn't here? 

"What are you doing up there, boy?!" I sneered at a policeman and stood up, turning and jumping across the rooftops. Nobody can catch me. Gripping a loose pipe, I swung around and slid to the floor, the metal soles of my boots creating sparks on the brick wall. Somebody yelled after me, and I ducked into an elevator pod, yanking the lever and keeping an eye on the dark streets below as I descended. Khido has like, five different levels of homes and markets, the people getting nastier the further you go down. Me and my family live on the fourth level, so we're kinda in the middle. All I'm doing is trying to get by. 

I still haven't spotted my mark. My uncle said that he needed something specific from them, and they didn't give it up easily. Shaking my mother's goggles over my face gave me enhanced vision, letting me track the data sample in my glove. There. As the elevator pod rocked to a halt, I broke off into a run, using the jagged cliff edges to jump from and keep my speed. Nobody sees me coming unless they know what to look for. As I got above the mark, I held onto a spike with one hand, pushing my goggles back onto my forehead before jumping down and stopping my mark in his tracks.  

"What's up?" I grinned, folding my arms like I've seen my uncle do. It makes me look so cool. "I'm gonna need that Deusum crystal from you."  

"I-I've been told to not let this go!" I shrugged and rolled my shoulder.  

"Well, I've been told to not come back without it." I'm lying, but it makes everything much more dramatic. I did feel kinda bad, because he was wearing rags and tattered shoes, but it's every person for themselves. He hugged the briefcase to his chest, and ran past me, bumping my shoulder. It's not surprising that people run from me, though. I am wearing roughed-up jeans, metal boots, and a set of chest belts instead of a shirt. I look like a thug. Grinning, I ran after him, vaulting up onto a low wall, and then up onto a rooftop.  

The runner wasn't used to this. He kept bumping into people and stumbling over his own feet. I picked up a couple of cuts on my un-gloved hand as I vaulted over low walls and jumped to different rooftops, rolling on impact so I didn't break a leg. He ducked into an elevator pod and slammed the door shut, looking up at me and grinning smugly as I skidded to a halt. Oh, he thinks I'm beaten. How cute. Turning, I looked up to the thick cables that the pod was suspended on. Well, there's a first time for everything.  

Running again, I dug the toes of my boots into the wall, gripping the lower cable with my gloved hand. As I started to slide down to the pod, the runner's expression turned horrified. A few people yelled up to me, but this is a normal day for what I do. As my feet hit the metal pod, I winced at the pain in my ankles. I'm still a teenager, though. It's nothing.  

"Are you gonna give up the crystal?" I asked, gripping the window edge of the pod to lean in. I think the last time I did this, I held onto the cable for about fourty seconds.  

"Get away from me!" He tried to hit my fingers with the case, but I'm a lot faster than him. Gripping the edge again, I swung down, both hands on the window ledge. The runner tried to hit my hands away a couple of times, but I'm still way too fast for him. I pulled myself up, the strain in my muscles starting to burn. As I got at the right height to pull myself in, the pod stopped, and I was thrown forward, onto my face.  

He laughed as he ran again, still thinking that he had me beaten. I got up, brushed my messy hair back into place, and ran after him, using an abandoned cart as a springboard up to a rooftop. We're on the sixth level now. I'd be surprised if somebody didn't grab him. I dropped myself down to slide through a hole in the wall, throwing myself to my feet. The runner started to jog down what was the only staircase in the huge city, which made me stop. I'm not really used to stairs.  

"Kid! Use that pipe!" I looked down to the huge, fat guy, and where the pointed to a huge metal pole.  

"Thanks!" I called back, running towards it. I jumped, gripped it with my gloved hand, and started to slide down the rough surface, my boots creating sparks. There he is! I hit the base of the pipe, pushing myself away from it and catching up with the runner. When he saw me, he shouted in surprise and tripped over himself, falling down the small hill and into the poisonous sewer river that ran the length of the Khido's bottom level.  

"Help me!" He yelled, barely staying afloat. I can't just leave him in there. Digging my fingertips into the gravel and dirt, I edged my feet down the hill, reaching my gloved hand out for him. He gripped my wrist, and I started to pull him up, slowly losing my grip. He did have a damn good grip on the case. When his torso was on land, I pulled myself back up, sitting on the edge of the road and rubbing my sore shoulder. "Th-thank you..." He huffed, trying to catch his breath.  

"Don't mention it." I grinned, reaching over and grabbing the briefcase. "No hard feelings, but I have a job to do."  

"You're not the only one." He sighed. "Looks like I can't go back to the Blood Pack Mob on the second floor."  

"They're the ones who gave you this job?" He nodded. "Damn, you're gonna have to stay away from the top floors now."  

"Who sent you to take that crystal, anyway?" He asked, coping how I was sat. "You seem like a professional, kid." Now that I could look at him more clearly, he was obviously struggling. Underweight, cracked skin full of dirt, clothes that are full of holes, stuff like that. He was balding, and his eyes are dull, like there was no life in him at all.  

"I've been doing this for four years, since I was 12." His face dropped even more, and he rubbed his face in his hands. "Look, if you need help, you could join the Generations team."  

"The rebels?" He asked. I nodded. "That's not exactly a safe place to go, kid. Freedom fighting is deadly."  

"Don't I know it." I grinned. "I'm close with 'em, though. My Aunt founded it." When I looked back, he had an expression of shock. Setting the case down, I brushed my hair back to the right side of my head, showing the thick pink stubble and the 'V' shaved into the side of my head. "But do you have any other choice?"  

"No..." He mumbled, looking at his feet.  

"Exactly." I got up, gripping the case in my bare hand. "Good luck." I said, patting his shoulder before running off. As luck had it, somebody was getting into an elevator pod for the exact level I needed. A lady gasped in surprise as I ducked inside just before the doors closed.  

"The name's Vincent, nice to meetcha." I grinned, holding a hand out for her and the guy she was with.  

"Oh, uhm, I'm Olivia." She shook my hand.  

"Aaron." He shook my hand, too. They're both brunette, with the same chiselled faces and narrow eyes. I'm guessing that they're brother and sister. "We're not going to get in trouble from being around you, are we?"  

"Nah, I'm just heading home now." I lifted the case into my open palm and peeked inside. Deusum crystals are kinda pretty. They look like steel, but the magic inside flows like ink in water. All that my uncle told me was that he needed these, but not what for. "Here's my stop." I clipped the case shut again and jumped onto the edge of the open window. "See ya." They both shouted in panic as I jumped, catching a well-placed wire with my gloved hand, and sliding down until my feet hit the wall of my home.  

Where I live isn't much to look at, but that's how it's supposed to be. There are people out there that would sell my family out in a second. It's made of the same dark stone as any other home, set into the cliffs that loomed over either side of the city. Dusting the gravel and metal shavings off of my pants, I pushed the door open, hearing something fall over as soon as I stepped inside.  

"Yasi, you idiot!" My little brother, Jayson yelled. I poked my head into the room where it came from. Jayson looks nothing like me. Scruffy black curls, wide eyes, and a bright smile. We both have blue eyes, but that’s where the similarities end. "Vinny!" He ran over when he saw me, and I knelt down to give him a hug.  

"What's up, little bro?" I grinned, putting the case down and hugging him back. He and Yasi were only 6. Yasi ran over for a hug, too. They were both dressed mostly the same, in button-up shirts and jeans. Yasi had a darker tone to his skin and deep red hair, thanks to his mother. It was longer than hers, braided so it didn't get messy. But just like his dad, my uncle, his eyes were glow-in-the-dark green.  

"Did you bring us back something?" Yasi asked, leaning away.  

"Not this time, sorry." I grinned. "Didn't have chance."  

"What fell over in here?" My uncle's wife, Alva Bronze, walked down the hall. I'd be blind if I said she wasn't pretty. Dark skin, soft features, covered in tattoos.  

"The small table!" Jayson said, running over to it. Alva shrugged to me as I stood up. I'm not that tall, but she's tiny. She only comes up to my shoulder.  

"Vincent, what have you been doing?" Alva then asked, stepping back and covering her nose. "You smell like sewage!"  

"Well, I did pull a guy out of the poison river down on the seventh level." Her brow creased, and she turned away. "It's probably only my glove that stinks. Oh, and the case."  

"Vinny is stinky!" Yasi laughed, grabbing my bare hand.  

"Take it somewhere else before my sense of smell decides to mutiny." Alva walked into the room, Yasi following her. Smiling and shaking my head, I picked the case back up and jogged to the last room in the hallway. I opened the door slowly, just in case there was any experiments going on. I have a scar on the back of my head from when I was seven as a reminder.  

"Uncle Cable?" I sighed in relief when I saw him.  

"I see you got your job done, Vincent." My uncle is a weird kinda guy. His blonde hair was shaved on both sides, leaving two mechanical inputs open on each side of his head. He and Alva barely had any bare skin left, due to how many tattoos they got together. I always thought it was funny how Alva barely came up to my shoulder, and I was eye-level with Cable's shoulder. I know that they loved each other, though.  

Cable, my mom, and my aunt all escaped from one of the experimental camps that the higher-ups let happen. It's how my mom got her pink hair, and passed it on to me. Cable has sockets on his head, inner elbows, and on the backs of his hands. He uses them to plug himself into the computer systems across the city. He's sat in a chair with an extending monitor wrapped around the front, inputs plugged into his head and hands.  

"I did." I kicked the door shut and put the case down on a clear part of the workbench. "The guy fell into the poison river, though. Had to pull him out." Cable laughed and waved the screen away. The holograms flickered off, and the frame detached, sinking back into the headrest of the chair. I winched as he unplugged himself, but it's just routine. "Found anything in the systems?"  

"The leader of the Two Mark Mob has had a daughter." I laughed as he stuck his tongue out. "Good thing you got this Deusum, though. Otherwise, we'd have had a terrible week." Cable opened the case and smiled at the amount of crystals in it.  

"What do you need them for, anyway?" His green eyes met mine, and he stepped back, motioning to a cybernetic arm that was drenched in blood. "Again?"  

"It's getting worse." He sighed. That's my mom's fake arm. She told me that her real one was blown off in an accident before I lost my memory. To make the arm work, she had to push a lot of tech into her skin. Makes me shudder to even think about.  

"Is she okay?" Cable nodded.  

"Spring made her lie down an hour ago. You better go check on her." Of course. My Aunt is caring like that. Nodding, I pulled my glove off, put it on the bench, and walked out of the workshop, smiling to Alva when she saw me. Now she had her older boy, Nate hiding behind her. He looked more like Cable with his blonde hair and sassy resting expression. Just like Yasi, his skin was a mix of Cable's pale and Alva's dark, but he took after my uncle more in that respect. Even though he's ten years old now, he's still wary of me.  

I was careful pushing the door to my left open. This place was small, but we made it work. My mom and Aunt shared a room, of course Cable and Alva did, I was bunked with Nate, Yasi, and Jayson, the room nearest the door was the kitchen, and the last room went to my younger sister Caylee and Spring's daughter, Tabs. I think that my family is the perfect size. We're all a bit weird because of what happened to my mom, aunt, and uncle, but it's perfect.  

"No, I'm sure that I heard Vincent come back." I walked into the room, grinning to Tabs when she looked up at me. "I was right!" The side effect that my aunt Spring got from the experimentation was discoloured patches on her skin. It used to freak me out because they move. I don't care anymore, but it did pass down to Tabs, even if hers didn't move anywhere. They were both blonde with blue eyes, with Tabs being Spring's spitting image. The only difference is that Spring's hair was longer, going down to her stomach when she flicked it over her shoulder.  

"I saw him before you did." Caylee smiled. Just like any family, we were close. Spring was sat on the end seat of the couch, my mom's head in her lap. I winced when I saw the blood-soaked gauze wrapped around the stump of her shoulder. Caylee and Tabs were sat on the floor against the couch, Tabs turning to smile at me when I walked in. My sister's completely blind, but still sees everything through what she calls her 'mind's eye'. It's kinda freaky. I still don't understand why Caylee or Jayson don’t look anything like me or mom. Caylee's hair was brown, the same length as mine –cut just above the ears- but not shaved on one side.  

"Frost? You still awake?" Spring asked, taking the wet cloth off of her face.  

"Yeah, I'm alive." Caylee and Tabs shifted over so I could sit next to them, and right next to my mom's chest.  

"How's my big boy?" Mom tilted her head to look at me, the cloth falling off her face. She put her arm around my shoulders and pulled me in to kiss my cheek. "Why do you smell so terrible?"  

"Poison river." I grinned. Spring groaned, and mom rolled her eyes. My mom was the most scarred out of all of us. Spring still had the same connections as Cable in her head, but my mom told me that she'd pulled hers out not long before I was born. The left side of her body was scarred by fire, from her ankle to just underneath her eye. She doesn't like talking about it. Her hair was cut to her shoulders in an incredibly messy way, sticking out and a few angles. "I got the Deusum, though."  

"That's good news." Caylee reached over Tabs to pat my arm.  

"You're not gonna talk to 'em, are you, Cay?" Spring asked. Caylee is definitely the weirdest out of all of us. She's obviously a mage, seeing everything with her mind, and she says that she can talk to the magic inside the crystals I bring home.  

"No. It's depressing knowing that they're going to be crushed." Cay and Tabs were best friends, which didn't bother me. They are the only two girls aside from the adults.  

"We should go and get your shoulder fixed before you lose any more blood, Frost." Spring said, patting my mom's cheek.  

"Yeah, you are looking really pale." Tabs said, a wince in her voice.  

"I've survived worse." Mom laughed, letting go of me to push herself up.  

"I've got ya." I grunted as I got up, my ankles still sore from the risky jumps I did earlier.  

"Your bones are grinding together too much, Vin." Caylee said, scaring me.  

"What have you been doing?" Spring asked. I grabbed my mom's hand and helped her to her feet.  

"I need to do my free running to catch people." I said, grinning to mom when she raised an eyebrow at me. "I'm fine, though."  

"A teenager shouldn't have the bones of somebody who's eighty." Caylee said again, turning to look at me with her white eyes. Creepy.  

"We can argue about this later." Spring said. "We have to stop Frost from bleeding out, first." The metal in her shoulder never agrees with her, so we use Deusum crystals to fuse flesh and metal. They never last long enough, though. I hate seeing my mom in pain.  

"If I pass out, don't be surprised." She grinned, walking out of the room with Spring following close behind.  

"Yeah, yeah, just move." Spring shoved her, which made her laugh. Sighting, I sat back down against the couch. My mom and Spring share a bed, which confuses me. Wouldn't they prefer separate beds?  

"How come you're allowed to do whatever you want?" Tabs asked. I looked at her, eyebrow raised. "I want to take the fight to corruption, but mom, Frost, and Cable won't let me."  

"Because I'm the oldest." I grinned, brushing my hair back into place and making sure that the 'V' was still in the side of my head. "You're still twelve, Tabs."  

"Yeah, but you're not even doing anything!" Here we go again. "You could be fighting those idiots that are killing people, but you're just stealing crystals from people!"  

"It's not that simple." Caylee said. "Spring has a small army of people that hang on her every word. Vincent is just one teenager. If he tried to take the fight to them by himself, it would not end well."  

"Did you see that in your future vision?" I huffed, resting my face on my hand.  

"No, it's common sense." Tabs snorted and coughed into her hands. "What you're doing is the best you can do."  

"No, it's not." Tabs huffed.  

"Hey, I got the Deusum, didn't I?" I tried not to imagine the pain that my mom was in as Cable fixed the problem. "I'm doing stuff to help us all."  

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