#we're almost through act one and one of these guns is in fact for act three

[regallibellbright]

Chapter Five should be ready to go sometime between tonight and the next few days, and I'm rereading things and just kicking my heels gleefully because I know what I'm foreshadowing and everyone else doesn't yet.

[phantomknight25]

How Do You Do It?

Beth- Hey Y/n can I ask you something?

Y/n- That depends, is this about the hamster infestation?

Beth- No, what hamster infestation? Also how did a hamster infestation happen?

Y/n- Not important, also it was mostly Ricks fault. What did you want to ask me?

Beth- Ok um, well I just wanted to know. How do you handle my dad?

Y/n- Well first I don't handle him, second I don't think anyone can handle him.

Beth- No I mean,the way he acts around you its so intense. He never lets you wonder far from him. Just yesterday he kept following you into the bathroom because he didn't want you to be alone.

Y/n- Beth Im going to tell you something that not even Rick knows I know and I need you to take this to the grave.

Beth- Yeah of course my lips are sealed.

Y/n- This Rick isn't my original Rick.

Beth- Well yeah I know that we went through the whole he's not our Rick last month.

Y/n- No Beth he's not my Rick nor was the Rick from this dimension.

Beth- I don't understand.

Y/n- My original Rick and I grew up together and another Rick killed him before he completed the portal gun. That Rick took his place and when I showed up he kinda lost his shit.

Beth- Why would he lose his shit over you? Arent you to like platonic soulmates bordering on romantic.

Y/n- Yes to the second question and as for the first. Y/n's are rare, we don't pop up very often and the ones that do don't always survive.

Beth- Oh

Y/n- Thats why Rick well this Rick is sooooo.

Beth- Obsessed with you.

Y/n- Well I wouldn't use that word in particular but yes.

Beth- So did his Y/n die then?

Y/n- No, they weren't compatible.

Beth- So what they broke up or something?

Y/n- Kinda, Rick doesn't talk about it unless he's absolutely trashed, but from what I've gathered his original Y/n was not ok with his whole science thing.

Y/n- Also when he met your mom that was the final straw that Y/n couldn't take apparently.

Beth- But your ok with his whole science thing and you encourage it. Also you've had no problems with my dad sleeping around before.

Y/n- I guess we're compatible. Look the reason I can handle Rick is cuz I grew up with him, we both went through very similar trauma and we both have far to many screws loose.

Y/n- The few of the me's that exist are almost completely different people. We look similar, sound similar, and have the same allergies, but thats were are similarities end.

Y/n- We're not always compatible with a Rick the fact that Im compatible with three of them is rare, but Im also a freak so its also not surprising.

Beth- Wow, that was alot more then I was expecting.

Y/n- Yup.

Beth- So whats this about a hamster infestation in my home?

Y/n- Oh wow is that the time I better get going. See ya later Beth.

Beth- Y/n Why are there hamsters in my home? Y/N!

Y/n- ASK RICK! HE BROUGHT THEM HERE!

[genshingorlsrevengeance]

can i request yukari and minako (seperate) reacting to their s/o finding their evoker laying around?

(Persona 3) Yukari and Minako's S/O finding their Evoker

Minako's part has a 3D render for her because I am heavily biased.

Yukari had gotten so used to having only the members of S.E.E.S enter her room, it didn't even occur to her that having an Evoker wasn't normal.

A fact she was quickly reminded when her S/O came through the door, and that was the first thing they noticed.

(S/O) "Yukari is that a gun?!"

Yukari's heart stopped for a brief moment before regaining her train of thought.

(Yukari) "Oh, jeez! Sorry, that's not actually real! It's for a club I'm part of!"

(S/O) "T-The Archery Club?"

Yukari tried her best not to act nervous, something she hoped S/O wouldn't pick up on.

(Yukari) "No, it's a different one. It's the one that you see me, Minato, and Junpei in."

(S/O) "That would explain why I see you with them all the time, but what even-"

(Yukari) "I-It's a prop basically. It looks pretty real and everything, but it's all just for show. You can't even fire bullets out of it."

It was clear from S/O's expression that they weren't buying it entirely, but upon closer inspection, they could tell that it couldn't be used.

At least, not in the way they were thinking.

(S/O) "Whew, next time warn me before you just have something like that lying around."

S/O eased up a little, chuckling as they decided not to press Yukari any further on the subject.

Something she was thankful for.

(Yukari) "Yeah, that's my bad...H-Hey, don't bring that up to anyone, alright? Last thing I need is for a rumor to go around that I'm carrying weapons."

(S/O) "Like the rumor of you and Minato going out?"

(Yukari) "Are people still going on about that?! They know we're a couple!"

Now her mind was wandering off, anger reigniting as she put her Evoker away and out of sight.

At least S/O didn't find her actual weapons hidden, including all the weird medicine, bombs, and elemental items she had stashed.

Minako was in the middle of preparing her gear for tonight's expedition into Tartarus.

She had put on the SEES uniform for a brief moment, making sure there weren't any holes in it.

The last time they went, she had been hit by a particularly nasty shadow, and she wasn't entirely confident if she had come out unscathed.

There was a knock on the door, and Minako didn't think anything of it.

(Minako) "It's unlocked!"

She replied in a peppy voice. Minako was expecting her teammates, not S/O.

(S/O) "Hey, sorry to pop in like this! I just wanted to-"

S/O stopped when they saw her evoker laying on the nearby desk.

(S/O) "W-What the- Is that a gun?!"

Minako quickly snatched up her Evoker and holstered it, quickly clearing her throat and trying to play it off.

She waves her hand dismissively in response.

(Minako) "That must've scared the heck out of you, sorry, I should have mentioned that sooner!"

S/O looked at her holster, then back at Minako.

(S/O) "Does your club make you wear that red armband?"

(Minako) "Red armba-?"

Minako clears her throat before responding.

(Minako) "It's kinda like a theatre club, but it's pretty exclusive. I was lucky enough to be invited! Mitsuru-senpai is the one who leads it."

(S/O) "A theatre club? But we don't-"

Minako cut them off before they could ask any further questions.

(Minako) "Anyways, I'm a bit busy, so what did you need?"

(S/O) "Well...T-To be honest, that gun kinda made me forget-"

(Minako) "Alright, I'll be out in a second, just close the door! I gotta change, don't make me throw the pillow at you!"

She almost forced S/O out by pushing them towards the door, quickly locking it behind her and sighing deeply to herself.

(Minako) Hopefully they bought that...Actually, who the heck let them in the dorm anyway?!

Much to her dismay, it was technically herself.

Minako had told her friends that S/O was allowed to visit her room, and that explained how they were able to come in basically unannounced.

She quickly regretted that decision. At least S/O wasn't active during the Dark Hour, thank god.

[mintyeve322]

for anyone concerned by my writing style on my posts that my fic(s) might have no capital letters, random capital letters, or some other issue, i just wanted to clarify i type posts and messages very different from stories.

in stories I'll use proper punctuation, capitalization, spelling, and grammar. (at least to the best of my ability) i just couldn't give two shits about that stuff while I'm rambling here.

just a warning or heads up, haha.

anyway, so that we're on topic, fiddlestan time below the cut.

I think their relationship is pretty quick to take off but slow to be official. i feel like Stan is so starved for affection that she's scared to acknowledge her feelings, especially since affection is sometimes just "platonic girl stuff". don't worry stan, overly affectionate heterosexual female friends drive me insane too.

on Fidd's part, i think she is hesitant to make things official because at first she's not sure if her feelings are genuine or if she's accidentally using Stan, but once she realized thats not it, she's still hesitant to say anything because she doesn't wanna make Stan uncomfortable if she's not right about her feelings.

Fidds is a people pleaser and unhinged as hell before she uses the memory gun, let alone afterwards, so she for sure has made or aquired some crazy shit as gifts for Stan. She for sure has made her at least one robot that malfunctioned and had to be decommissioned, she bought Stan a fish, I'll do some fish research to figure out what kind later but it has some sort of significance, to occupy the empty tank in the shack since Frilliam is lost at sea. She's probably helped Stan make exhibits and made a cryptid up that reminds her of Stan. I feel like she'd get gifts for Stan constantly, and Stan wouldn't know how to act about it because her instinct is to be skeptical of kindness but Fidds was her sister's friend and she hasn't asked Stan for anything in return and she doesn't know why.

Related to Stan's belief that affection is transactional, if Fidds ever gets nervous about the portal or if Stan keeps something from her, like why she got arrested last night or where she found a part and Fidds says she owes Fidds an explanation, Stan will shut down and probably cry in her room for an hour.

Stan is VERY worried that Fidds is gonna reveal one day that she's only there for some sort of payment or gain on her end, and if she even implies that Stan owes her something, Stan will spiral until Fidds is able to figure out the problem and apologize, even if she agrees that she does owe Fiddleford something for all she's done.

Related to this, there's probably a period of time where Fidds is working really hard, to the bone, for Stan. She hates not feeling useful and may have hit a road block she's trying to push through or something, and when Stan tells her to take a break, she interprets it as a sarcastic "just let me do it, idiot" comment and not the "please take a break im worried about you" way stan intended it, due to the fact Ford, with her one track mind, has been harsh to her in that way before.

Fidds is apologetic and swears she's almost got it she just needs more time and please don't maker her leave she promises she can do it, and Stan has to basically grab her, look her in the eyes, and tell her she just needs to take a break and come back later. Fidds says she just wants to be useful for Stan, and Stan tells her she doesn't care if she's useful, she just needs her there and burning herself out working on the project is not worth it. they have a long conversation about how even if fidds never worked on the project again Stan would still want her around and its sad and fluffy.

also a thing where stan gets frustrated and implies Fidds isnt useful and has to comfort her and insist that isn't what she meant because it genuinely wasn't what she meant agh i love miscommunication hurt/comfort

idk im rambling and i feel like we're all so busy unpacking Stan's trauma we forget that Fidds has very real trauma from her work with Ford that has plenty of hurt/comfort potential as well.

[carionto]

Steady as she goes, nature has finally caught up

War.

A seemingly inescapable aspect of any civilization. Perhaps even a prerequisite for it.

It was as sudden as it was inevitable. The United Federation utilized certain ideas introduced and executed by Humanity to their logical continuation. Their horrendous Battle Moon - an actual, small moon converted into a semi-moveable, heavily shielded, and maximally armed military installation, with a military-civilian population in the hundreds of thousands.

They used it as a torpedo.

Knowing that the Death Kebab was directly inspired by their own creation, itself a product of fear and need for control, the Federation strapped a few massive hyperdrives instead of the much easier to produce several hundred standard-sized ones to ease the computational synchronization, and using the Hyperbreak technique, they jumped into the middle of Death Kebab's main rail gun. An impressive feat of precision.

Almost as impressive as the ensuing destruction.

How do you even relay when the mass of an entire planetoid suddenly appears in the middle of three slightly larger moons strapped together? The grotesque expansion from within, quickly followed by massive cracks in the crust, an expulsion of the mantle and finally, the explosions.

One faulty first generation Human True Fusion Reactor from 700 years ago created a 200km massive hole in the Earth. Only one of the moons reached that in diameter.

These were hundreds of military grade reactors powering a gun that can obliterate small planets in one shot.

Seven failed to engage their failsafes in time.

There was nothing left.

Nothing, but a cloud of searing ash where four moons and hundreds of ships and thousands of crew used to be.

Humanity was thrust into war.

And they looked excited.

Of course, they mourned the dead, and were rightfully enraged, but there was a glint in the Grand Admiral's eye.

"The Federation really surprised us here. Fooled our intelligence operatives outright. We were not expecting them to act for at least another year, certainly not sacrifice their precious Battle Moon.

Now, we knew they'd target the Death Kebab sooner or later. Truth be told, that's partly why it was built. Sure, it was a fine strategic asset, far from our most important ones though, but as a symbolic one it was priceless. Biggest weapon in the known Galaxy! Who wouldn't be tempted by the glory of taking it down.

I say let them. They want to rule through fear and power, and Humanity, or "upstarts" as they call us behind closed doors, provided a perfect boogeyman to scare the masses into obedience. We have our own history with regimes like that. Personally, not a fan.

The Federation is large, powerful, foreign, and far from Earth, but, well, my ancestors were never stopped by such things. In fact, expansion at great risk is what we're great at.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a Retribution Fleet to assemble."

[kitkatopinions]

If yang is treated like an awful sister in volume 9 and her paying attention to blake and ignoring ruby is treated as a flaw and was called out for said flaw how you feel about that?

I think in general, I completely agree with the people calling Yang an awful sister in Volume 9. I've heard every defense imaginable for why she was acting the way she was acting in V9, but really, Ruby's growing breakdown and her suffering was obvious. Like Ruby quite literally fainted from her trauma, and went through almost the whole volume in uncharacteristic gloom while showing complete disinterest in trying to get back her once beloved weapon, only having small two second moments of happiness here and there that quickly got crushed, being self-deprecating, hunching in on herself, trying not to fall apart, and then she had a panic attack during the fight with Neo's Jabberwalkers at the Paper Pleaser's village, and.... Yang was doing what? Not noticing.

Giggling and flirting, and smarting off and rolling her eyes, and having a grand old time in her fights, and dismissing it when Ruby did start to talk about her regrets by saying it's like Ironwood. Yeah, Yang shows some minor concern sometimes before Ruby's breakdown, but to me it felt like less concern than one of my coworkers had shown one time that I was sick at work and they had to drive me home. It didn't feel like the care a good older sister would show to a traumatized and clearly struggling beloved younger sister, it felt like the passing obligatory sympathy a stranger would show to another stranger if they found them crying at a bar. Like 'Oh are you okay? Yeah? Okay, if you're sure. I'll get back to my friend group.' And then you just move on and try to have fun for the rest of the night. That's how Yang prior to Ruby's breakdown feels to me.

Then while Ruby's having her breakdown, what does Yang do?

Yang 1. treats Ruby like a threat to Blake and glares at her. 2. does absolutely nothing to console Ruby or protest her words in any way. 3. does absolutely nothing when Jaune starts yelling in her face victim blaming her for things outside of her control and essentially saying she's not allowed to feel bad things or express that she feels bad things while she's standing there crying. 4. Doesn't immediately run after her when she takes off alone in a dangerous chaos world after she just demonstrated that she might not be able to fight, is clearly emotionally compromised, and being actively targeted by Neo who just made it even more clear that she's gunning directly for Ruby. 5. Gets angry like "how could she be kinda mean to me? Why couldn't she talk to me even though I shot her down the one time she expressed negative feelings to me? Ugh she's so impossible, not being one hundred percent okay after the death of her friend and being upset that I'm treating this like a romantic fun getaway while she's spiraling into an obvious breakdown that I didn't notice at all."

And then when Ruby ascends, Yang is like beaming away hugging Jaune like five minutes later? And when she sees Ruby in the tree, she's at least somewhat affected - although still much less than I'd want her to be, like compare Yang seeing Ruby in the tree to when the Doctor in Doctor Who thought he lost Rose for the first time, or Jack Harkness when Rose "dies" in front of him (since they didn't even know each other that long,) or Martha the first time Jack "dies" in front of her despite the fact that it was the first time she'd seen him, or Rose the first time Jack "dies" in front of her, or Amy and the Doctor the first time Rory "dies" in front of them, or Amy and the Doctor the second time Rory "dies" in front of them- You get the point. Yang is supposed to be Ruby's sister, but her reactions go between limited and not nearly emotional enough to near non-existent, and we're supposed to buy it as the single most caring and loving older sister that raised Ruby on her own and just loves her oh so much? I don't buy it.

Especially because Yang then completely ignores all the suffering Ruby's been through and how Ruby explicitly said she didn't want to be treated like a perfect girl with all the answers and didn't want to be the leader anymore, and was like "oh yeah Ruby is our perfect leader who never doubts herself and never shows weakness and has never been confused a day in her life." How am I supposed to think of Yang as a caring older sister when she completely ignores Ruby and disregards what she says and what she needs, in order to over-rely on her? Volume 9 made Yang look like a terrible sister tbh.

I will clarify: The problem isn't 'Yang gives Blake attention,' it's that the writers can't seem to write both 'Yang gives Blake attention, cares about her, and loves her as a romantic partner' and 'Yang gives Ruby attention, cares about her, and loves her as a sister.' They tend to push Ruby and Yang's relationship to the back and focus on Blake and Yang's relationship when they could and should be focusing on both sets of dynamics. Because of how much Ruby's relationship with Yang is shoved to the side and Blake and Yang's is emphasized, it does make it feel like Yang cares much more about Blake than she does about Ruby - coupled with things like Yang protectively stepping in front of Blake when Ruby is upset or even earlier, her pulling Blake out of the house with apathy in V6 while Ruby was still in the building and Qrow was passed out drunk on the counter. But the problem isn't 'Yang is written to care about Blake' it's that it feels like the writers only write her to care about Blake and don't care about her other dynamics, which makes it feel like she doesn't really care about Ruby that much at all.

It's very sad, because one of the reasons I originally loved Yang was that I connected with her as an older sister. I love my younger sister very much, I would do anything for her, I want to protect her, but I also think of her as very strong and able to protect herself, similar to how Yang acted in the first five seasons. Yang was one of my absolute favorite characters in RWBY - if not my number one favorite - partially because of how good it felt to see a sibling relationship where they loved and cared about each other and prioritized each other. Now I'm really struggling to like Yang's character at all, and a big reason for that is that it no longer feels like she really cares that much about Ruby. So yeah. XD

TL;DR: I actually completely agree with the people saying Yang is being a bad sister, and her ignoring Ruby is totally a flaw that I'd call out.

[sl-newsie]

Behind Masks (Dr. Jonathon Crane x OC) Ch. 15: Intervention

General POV

Calico makes a quick exit before the two women can question her feelings any further. One might think they would let it be and turn to another discussion topic. That would be downright wrong.

“We're not gonna let this slide, are we?” Harley asks the redhead botanist.

“No. I’m going to make a phone call.”

Ivy walks to the payphone and dials. The receiver picks up after a few rings. “It’s me. Shut it, Nigma. This isn’t another environmental ‘scheme.’ It’s about Callie. And Crane.”

Harley leans in to hear more but the bar’s noisy chatter drowns out Ivy’s phone conversation.

“20 minutes. Make sure he’s here.” Ivy hangs up and points to the clown girl. “You play nice, okay?”

She gives a mock salute. “Right!”

Both women are thinking the same thing: Callie’s not one of them. Sure, a little unhinged and strange at times, but in Gotham who isn’t? The point of the matter is to settle this entire Crane dispute once and for all. No more playing, no more using her.

20 minutes later the bar is almost empty, partially on account of Harley’s intense persuasion of brandishing a pop gun at the patrons’ heads. As per usual Edward Nigma is punctual. A single knock on the door signals the clown girl to peer through the peephole.

“What’s the password?” she mocks.

“Open this door or there won’t be one.”

Harley grins. “Close enough!” 

She opens the door and in walks the Riddler, cane and all. He looks around trying to get a feel of the dreary establishment before snapping his fingers at the thugs waiting outside. They obey his order and push in Ivy’s request: Dr. Crane, with a sack over his head.

The green woman gives an annoyed sigh and pinches her temples. “Nigma, when I said bring him here I meant so that he can cooperate! Why must you boys always tie each other up?”

The man rolls his eyes. “Says the lady who ties policemen up in vines. He’s here, I’m here, let’s get to the point. Crane, listen up!”

Nigma shoves the grunting doctor into a chair and rips the sack off. The professor of fear’s rageful eyes scan the room, the rope bonds burning his fists as he clenches the wooden table.

“You’re asking for Hell, Ivy,” he growls. “What is this?”

“An intervention,” she replies cooly and the rest of the group sits down. “Stay away from Callie.”

Callie. The name alone prickles Crane’s memory. He can’t help it. How could you stop thinking about someone who’s saved your skin more than once? Sure, he was a little rough when he politely kicked her out of his lab. But he’s just setting boundaries.

“Whoa, whoa!” Harley waves her hands. “Too much.”

Nigma nods in agreement. “Turn it down a notch, Pam. Crane, you can be charmingly tolerable when you want to be. Just don’t break her heart.” He leans in and pokes the doctor’s nose. “Or I break you.”

Break her heart? How can he do that? She’s the one that keeps inconveniencing his experiments. Although she is quite a catch. Witty, one might say exceptionally attractive- But Dr. Crane banishes those thoughts and stubbornly huffs at Nigma’s threat.

“Bold of you to assume I’ve taken a liking to Dr. Prentiss.”

Ivy sighs. “Cut the act, Crane. Any lunatic can see you’re soft on her.”

The unfamiliar clown girl nods repeatedly between the two. “You two are like peanut butter and jelly!”

Who is this newcomer? But Crane ignores basic introductions and stays silent. They’re far from accurate. He harbors no feelings for anyone, especially for Dr. Calico Prentiss. She can do whatever she pleases as long as it does not involve him… Or another man, but he will never say that. In fact Crane isn’t even sure why he dislikes the concept of Dr. Prentiss seeking romance. 

Ivy has had enough. She can practically see the amorous desires brewing in his eyes. “You don’t own her, Crane.”

“If you want her to be only yours then take her on a date instead of quietly stewing on your jealousy,” Nigma inputs.

Crane scoffs. “But-”

“If you say you don’t love her one more time I will personally bash you on the head!” Harley threatens and holds up a giant mallet.

“She was the bait for my trap,” Nigma reminds him. “You obviously cared enough to save her.”

Obviously denial is not working here. No matter. Crane’s managed his way out of worse pickles. An ‘intervention’ involving false claims of attraction to Cal- Dr. Prentiss seems on the small scale of things.

“What do I have to do to leave with a pulse?” the doctor asks his captors.

The three villains exchange looks and Ivy is the one to speak. “Play nice.”

“Got that, Johnny boy?” The clown girl raises an eyebrow.

Very well. He can play this game. “Agreed.”

Ivy pulls out a knife made of thorns and cuts the ropes from Crane’s wrists, allowing him an exit. He doesn’t think twice. He swiftly strides out of the dark pub and into the misty streets before they can second-guess themselves.

What a fun game. Who’s to say what is nice? This is Gotham, after all. What sounds nice to him is finding someone to test his newest fear toxin on.

And that someone is Dr. Calico Prentiss.

Calico’s POV

Forget alcohol, forget narcotics. The best form of bliss is a hot shower. After all that’s happened this past week it feels like stepping into a new skin. First I’m kidnapped, then I have my first girls’ night. It went… okay? How does one judge character in a place like Gotham? But I’ve given up caring. Today was a prosperous day. A tad gory but not every kill will be perfect. Lord save my corrupted soul.

I turn the water off and wrap myself in a cozy towel, stepping out to smear the condensation off the mirror-

“Hello again.”

Crane. Dr. Jonathan Crane. Sitting on my bathroom chair.

“Jesus!” I screech and reach for my hand mirror, perhaps attempting to threaten him with- His reflection? Damn him and his piercing good looks! “How did you get in?”

He merely hums and nods to the door. “I picked the lock. You look… good.” There’s no hiding his crystal eyes scanning my hastily-covered figure. 

I grit my teeth. “You have some nerve coming in here, Crane!”

“Steady, Dr. Prentiss. I didn’t see anything.”

“If you didn’t want to see me shower, why did you break into my apartment?”

The last time he was here he left a note saying he wanted nothing to do with me. Now he’s here uninvited and watching me wearing nothing but a towel.

“Is it a crime to want a friendly chat now and then?” he asks innocently.

My eyes don’t soften. “There is hardly anything friendly when it concerns you. If it’s chatter you want then go somewhere else. I have had more than my fill of talking this week.”

I storm out and slam the door behind me. Gotta be quick! I rush to my dresser and snatch the first nightwear I find, hurriedly throwing it on and dashing for the living room. Grab the knife-!

“Cherries? Where did they come from?” I notice a bowl of red fruit on the coffee table.

Crane’s caught up and sees where I’m looking. “The fridge,” he states obviously.

I roll my eyes. “Fine. Where did they come from prior to the fridge? I didn’t buy them.”

“I did. Is it a crime to bring fruit to someone else’s apartment?”

“Again, nothing is friendly when it concerns you. What’s in them?” I grip my knife tighter.

But instead of answering Crane saunders over to the couch and eases into it as if this is his home.

“You’re much more wound up than earlier. Rumor is you nearly killed someone last tonight. I thought you’d be proud of that. Why so hysterical?”

“You are not the one questioning their entire life’s choices!” I hiss. “I’m trying to have the guts to kill people! You don’t have to worry about it, you’re already insane. I’m not quite at that point yet. But I’m getting there!”

The doctor huffs. “This is Gotham, dear. How bad could you have possibly begun to drop?”

My pulse spikes. He’s asking for it. “Do you really want to see? Here.” I storm over to the counter and point to my fresh victim. “This is my latest.”

He slowly gets up and walks over to get a closer look. A look at the fresh evening newspaper with the headline claiming Cynthia Bawler: Lost and Horrifically Found. She wasn’t as easy as Thompson. She put up more of a fight. Thus resulting in the bloody knife sitting in the sink. Attempted has escalated to accomplished.

“You’ve been busy,” Crane regards with a nod. Is he disturbed? Impressed? Bored?

My eyes latch themselves to the scarlet droplets glittering in the moonlight. “Just watch it drip…”

“You admire blood.”

“While water is seen as liquid life, blood can be seen as liquid death.” How far have I dropped in these past few days?

The doctor chuckles. “Psychopath.”

“Takes one to know one,” I smirk. “Besides, I consider myself a somewhat-sane functional sociopath.” I pivot and start back to my bedroom, still holding the knife. 

“Are you retiring for the night?” The doctor asks.

“Yes. You know the rules. Stick to the couch, hands to yourself-”

Suddenly I feel someone behind me and the knife is torn from my grasp. “Good, you’re not occupied. You’ll do perfectly.”

Crane yanks me around to face him and plows me into the counter, locking me in. Through the darkness I see a gleaming needle inching over my skin.

My eyes widen in shock. “What the Hell?! Wait what are you-? Ow!” The familiar jab of the needle pieces my arm and my senses begin to cloud. “W-Wha…?”

Lights out.

“Wake up, Dr. Prentiss.”

“Ah!”

A hiss escapes me when a blinding light startles me awake. Wait- I was asleep? When did- Dr. Crane. He did this. And now… I’m bound to my couch, facing up as if strapped to a makeshift examination chair. The sleeping drug is almost out of my system, sending my pulse jumping and my eyes frantically looking for a way out.

“This is an intervention. I must apologize for the lack of professional equipment,” the doctor explains softly, as if this is normal. “I for one did not feel like carrying your unconscious body back to my lab so I will make do with this.” In the corner of my eye I see him lean in closer, his wide eyes searching me for any sign of fear. “How does it feel? To wake up strapped down again?”

I take a breath, never taking my gaze away. “Familiar.”

The doctor senses it too. I’m surprised, but not afraid. “You aren’t scared?”

“I’m already broken, Dr. Crane. My damage is beyond repair.”

I’ve begun a killing pattern against those who commit wrong in society. However one might take it, it’s still murder. It’s still a sin. There’s no turning back now. But my easy acceptance doesn’t seem to fit well with Crane’s intended plan. Instead of celebrating my easy defeat he just seems more stern.

“I am administering my newest fear toxin,” he explains and gestures to the IV placed in my brachial vein, a black vial.

I don’t flinch. “Why?”

“To prove you are still a worthy lab rat.”

Something about the way he says that somehow comes off as if he’s saying ‘prove I don’t care.’ Did he get a dose of Harley’s teasing too?

I just sigh and lay my head back down to stare at the ceiling. “Prick.”

“As usual please inform me of any effects immediately.”

Ah, yes. What wonders will this toxin bring? Any thought of my parents leaves me snickering instead of screaming. What could possibly-? Wait. Wait a minute. Is that- It can’t be. No. Not again.

I’m back.

No. No!

But it is. Crane’s back. The other Dr. Crane. The one my twisted mind somehow conjured up before, and this fear toxin has resurrected his devilish figure once again. Those glowing eyes…

Hello, darling. He begins walking closer from his spot in the corner. How is his voice so- so… soft?

My body goes stiff and I try to inch away off the couch. “No- No!”

“What do you see now?” The real Dr. Crane asks from behind.

Meanwhile fake Crane is now standing right next to the couch. He leans down and those glowing eyes are all I can focus on, apart from his hands slowly ghosting up to my fingertips.

Let me kiss you…

“Stay back!” I screech.

Thump! Thump! Thump! How is this making me so scared? It’s not like I’ve never dealt with men, with relationships- But this deep? I mean, I’ve never said I’ve loved anyone before and no one has said so in return. How is a hallucination’s kindness making me this anxious?

“Is it your parents? I thought you’d conquered that.”

I shake my head at Crane’s guess, still staring at the demonic copy of him. “‘S… ‘S not my parents…”

Fake Crane gives me an unsettlingly soft smile, lifting his hand to smooth his thumb across my cheek.

I love you.

“No you don’t!” I hiss. “Stop lying. You aren’t real!”

I’m as real as you make me, sweetheart.

Thump! Thump! Thump! I’m backed against the couch and my heart’s about to break through my sternum. Jesus, Prentiss. Get a grip! You literally just murdered someone in cold blood just hours ago. Now you’re scared of some loving affection?

“Oh my, your heart rate is getting dangerously high.”

Who said that? Was it the real Dr. Crane, or the imaginary creep with his head nestled against my thigh? 

“My my, you are upset.” It’s the real one. “What do you see, Dr. Prentiss?”

I squeeze my eyes shut and shake my head. “If this is you trying to mock me then enough is enough! What do you want from me?! Ow!”

Another prick. God, what did he put in me now?

“Here’s the antidote. Your symptoms should subside within a few minutes.”

It must be the hallucinogen. Does Crane actually sound… guilty? But he’s right. Fake Crane has disappeared.

“Here, drink some water.” The doctor holds a glass up to my lips and pours some into my dry mouth. “I- I didn’t know it would be this strong. How do you feel?”

I try to answer but my vision is starting to blur. So tired… That drained so much from me. God I hope I don’t dream of him…

“Hello?”

Huh? My eyes snap open, still facing the ceiling. Still tied up.

“Callie? Ya home, hon?”

“H-Harley? Ivy?” I croak in a weak voice. Please let it be them!

“She’s on the couch, Red!” the familiar blonde pokes her head over the top and peers down at me. “Hiya! Whaddya doin' all tied up?”

“What?” Ivy panics and joins her. “Callie? Callie! What happened?”

She quickly cuts away my bonds and I slowly try to lift myself up, scanning my apartment. Everything looks normal. He didn’t steal anything- Oh. 

With a shaking finger I point to a new accessory added to my death ofrenda. A black vial with the Scarecrow symbol etched into it.

Harley picks it up for a closer look. “Crane?” 

The name sends another set of chills through me and my breath hitches. The blonde sling sher arm around me and helps me stand. “Alright, calm down. Let’s get you to bed.”

Ivy looks at the vial herself. “Crane did this? I’ll kill him.” She holds up a small cup. “Drink this. It’s my tonic, for the nerves.” 

I’m led into my bedroom and I make myself lay down before my legs give out. Still so tired…

“What did you see?” Harley asks softly.

Him. Wanting to love me. It’s not fair to be toyed with like this. To have these feelings and have no control. And I blame him. The real Dr. Crane. I don’t care if it made him feel guilty. He still drugged me! 

With what little strength I have left I lift my gaze to the two women. “Love is going to kill me…”

[glasskey]

Justice THT Style - Part 2 - Nick Blaine

Today we're looking at the enigmatic Nick Blaine and his road to true justice. Let's get started.

For 5 seasons Blaine has been wandering the streets of Gilead as an Eye and now a military Commander, his very job description determines that like it or not, he’s a source of Gilead justice. He might not say a Hell of a lot but if you live in Gilead, its definitely not a promising sign when he turns up at your door if you’ve misbehaved. He’s constantly quoting bible verses that have a very “fuck around and find out” quality to them, in fact dear old Fred got a mouth full of the whole “reap what you sow” business, just prior to his demise. In season 1 Nicks sense of justice seems more procedural rather than retributive but he’s green and yet to see what Gilead will do to the love of his life. “No ones above the law” he says in S1 but this is fanciful idealism, these commanders are rotten to the core and he’ll have to drown himself in blood to get them to behave like virtuous men. He’s a peaceful man, restrained and noticeably stoic, but watching the various ways that the Waterfords and Gilead tortured and crushed June, is more than he can stomach. When Nick joins June in those dark woods handing Fred over for the revenge she so desperately craves, he doesn’t take part in the Salvaging, it’s a ritual only performed by Handmaids and as such he knows it’s not his place. Instead he silently marches Fred through the woods, ignoring his pleas, to deliver him to June and leaves.

Historically when it comes to acts of justice and revenge Blaine acts as more of an intermediary, justice will be served, not directly by his hand, but he does make sure that everyone “gets to the church on time”. But lately we’ve seen the sands shifting, from season 4 we’ve witnessed instances Blaine will directly take a pound of flesh and I personally wish him well. In season 4 ep 10 he back hands a mouthy Fred, a call back to a slap Fred previously delivered to June, as Nick stood there horrified and helpless. With that one gesture he redresses the balance and takes back his power.

In Season 5 he shot Putnam for raping a handmaid, and while under the guise of Gilead justice, Blaine was more than happy to oblige for his own reasons. In Ep 10 he became enraged at an attempt on Junes life, ending with a bit of a throw down with Lawrence in front of the evil Commander McKenzie. This moment crystalized that Nick Blaine was becoming both increasingly dangerous and unpredictable. It also foreshadowed the Battle Royale we can expect between these three in season 6. With Blaine being such a purveyor of New Testament scripture that espouses forgiveness and love, he’s inclined to feel a great deal of guilt over any act of revenge. It suits him, a sense of guilt gives a character an aura of contemplation and depth, something that Blaine seems to swim in. Comparatively, a lack of appropriate guilt makes a character seem sociopathic and superficial. Blaine’s “tried to be nice about it” as they say, but unfortunately he lives in Gilead and well, Gilead’s gonna Gilead, so as Lawrence would say “enough of the carrot, time for the stick”.

It’s been interesting to note that scenes of Blaine at war were cut, participating in a war against a peaceful country sits poorly with a character who has such a balanced sense of justice. There is always a difference between referring to a character at war and actually SHOWING one picking up a gun and shooting it at an innocent. Showing these types of acts makes an effective redemption arc almost impossible to survive and lowers the chances of welcoming that character back into the fold at the end of the day. The fact that these scenes were cut significantly increases Blaine's chances of coming home.

Until season 4 we never saw Blaine engage in any acts of direct violence that weren’t as a result of self defence, when he did commit them, they could be traced back to his feelings of anger at witnessing June’s abuse. In Season 5 he became increasingly dark and lost hope, ala Godfather style, because he’d lost the one glimmer of light in his life: June.

It would have been unusual for writers NOT to show him descending into a place of darkness without her. She’s everything to him and now with Tuello holding out his hand he can just see her again standing on the distant horizon. God help whoever stands in his way.

Next up Serena and the Nick Blaine of Canada: Tuello.

[autistic-crypt1d]

Stargate SG-1 Live Blogging

Season 4

Wooo season 4! Almost at 5

Seasons: 1, 2, 3

Updates:

- Small Victories

- and another banger episode

- Daniel sprinting to the gateroom is so cute

- y'all, Teal'c and Jack being in this sub STRESSES ME OUTTT. It's such a small spaceeee

- like imagine being them right now. You're in a submarine with barely enough space to walk around, carrying guns and tactical gear, knowing that the sub you're in is literally infested with mechanical spiders who slaughtered the entire crew. Spiders you just witnessed take down an ASGARD SHIP.

- I fucking LOVE the replicator sounds y'all

- The Other Side

- Jack really pisses me off in this episode. I appreciate the fact that he eventually got his head out if his ass, but he only did that because the dude made a comment about Teal'c

- Upgrades

- bruh she is pushy af

- poor teal'c

- ahhh yes the sam/jack scene

- Crossroads

- I took a break from doing this for like, a few months, but here we go!

- ah man I really don't care for this episode but ok

- I'm gonna be saying that a lot until like, season 5 ngl. I've been watching this show since I was 7 and it was still coming out so the first few seasons have been watched a lot more than the rest

- honestly I'm skipping this I'm sorry

- Divide and Conquor

- ooooo good episode

- Freya/Anise is a lot better in this episode than in Upgrades

- * smooches jack * * watches him profess his love for Sam *

- Window of Opportunity

- A CLASSIC

- Jack seems really depressed like, immediately. The first loop he's acting like he's been through 20 already. He is especially like this when talking to Carter though, the last episodes confession seems to be lingering, ouchie

- "come on is this the face of a crazy man?!" Jack O'Neill

- "I ask you... what could possibly be in my eye that would explain this?" XD

- JOSEPH MALLOZZI P.H.D XD

- "IN THE MIDDLE OF MY BACKSWING?!?!" ICONIC

- they really learned allll of that just for the dude to shut it down

- Watergate

- I just watched this one earlier today (I have this show playing in the background like all the time as background noise)

- I love that the plane scene is one of the only times we ever see Teal'c nervous, it's so cute

- Daniel is so damn sassy in this episode and love it, "but it's Swiss" BRUH XD

- Jack is so child-like around Teal'c compared to the others. I think that because of how strong and responsible he is, he gives Jack the chance to relax more

- The First Ones

- LOVE this episode!!

- I just watched the second Chakka episode earlier today and it's so funny to see this one now. He's so spooky and intimidating for most of this and then the next time we see him he's like a kid at Christmas seeing Daniel and I love it

- * was just told to shut up * "we're communicating" XD

- toss the symbiote head XD I love the campfire scene so much

- "don't say Ka till you try it"

- let's go Chakka!!

- bro really pulled out the Bigfoot pose

- Scorched Earth

- honestly, pretty boring episode in my opinion, skio

- Beneath the Surface

- also another boring one, skip

- Point of No Return

- Martin!

- Jack's little smile at the lizard people thing XD

- everytime I see Martin I can't help but see the dude he plays on white collar, doesn't help that his name also starts with an m

- I love the running gag of Teal'c and fake weapons

- I love Teal'c unabashed love of sci-fi so much

- Martin seeing his homeworld again only for it to be completely destroyed is so sad, it makes me think of Ronon :(

- Tangent

- oh boy this one, it's really good but man everytime I watch it after it's been a while it makes me so sad and stresseddd

- Apoxic Jack is so sad 😭

- The Curse

- an ok episode, not super notable to me

- The Serpent's Venom

- maaaan another episode than makes me sad and stressedddd

- Teal'c 😭

- the why would I lie speech, AHHHHHH

- "how bad?" "Very very bad" "daaaaaad" XD

- Sam and Daniel are so cute when they're working together

- Chain Reaction

- ah yes the O'Neill Maybourne team up

- the song of lament bit XD

- ah yes, this fool

- "what do we do major?" Big tough guy until shit gets real huh

- god Kinsey's religion spewing makes me so mad

- Hammond is back in office, all is right with the world

- "one day I may ask you to, buy back my soul" AND HAMMOND NODS

- 2010

- not my favorite episode, but I do absolutely adore the Aschen as an enemy concept

- I hate the thick rimmed glasses they slap on Daniel in this

- I really love Teal'c outfit in this I gotta say

- seeing Sam in pain like this is so sad 😭

- Jack being isolated from the entire group breaks my heartttt

- Daniel's disguise XD

- Absolute Power

- is this the one I think it is?

- "I'm Daniel! Who's calling?" * He says, yelling at a sandstorm *

- ah it is, I don't care for this episode so I'm skipping it

- The Light

- ahhh this one, kinda boring but I'll watch it

- ow, the balcony scene 😭

- I still don't understand how the first teams missed the kid. Aren't they trained to explore the whole building and surrounding area??? They would've found his bedroom!

- Jack yanking Daniel off the bed and sprinting through the gate is so good, and the way he protects his head as he lays him down, AHHHH

- poor kid :(

- Prodigy

- ahhh Cadet Hailey episode!

- god I love when Jack gets all awkward XD

- this episode makes me think of the supersoldier episode and I'm so excited to get to thatttt

- this one is kinda meh though in my opinion. I like the next Hailey episode a lot more

- Sam fighting for Hailey's future is so wholesome

- just noticed a continuity error, Hailey was on her right side when they went in and when they came out she was on her left

- I still think it's really interesting that these energy creatures appear both here in the Milky Way AND in the Pegasus Galaxy! I wonder I'd the ancients brought them there or somehow they evolved identically in two separate galaxies

- bro hurryyyyyyy

- Entity

- I saw this once recently so I probably won't have many thoughts at the moment

- I will say that the very small amount we get to see of the planet the entity comes from is so neat and I so desperately wish we got to see more

- this episode could've been so cute. The way Jack is playing with it?? Imagine if it really was intended to be a passive probe and the damage was an accident, imagine if it was just trying to be friends 😭

- "just... give it a minute, yeah?" Owie

- love the "I am here" imagery on all the monitors, so neat

- him reaching for her haaaaand ahhhhhh

- Double Jeopardy

- it's cool because if you're paying attention to Daniel you can tell that this isn't the real SG-1, he had long hair when the android copies were made and now he has short hair. This version still has the long hair thus, not real Daniel, neat attention to detail

- Sam's hair too, but hers changes so much it's hard to notice sometimes 😅

- the Jack's fighting is so fucking funny

- "for our father's" 😭

- :(

- Exodus

- I love how smug jack is in this

- I really like the desert uniforms

- poor Jack stuck in the glider with Teal'c XD

- "mayday, mayday, we are SO going down!"

Season 5

[the-phantom-otaku]

What if Bayonetta was in Tav's place in BG3?

This thought has passed through my head once or twice, so why not?I can't talk about within the context of the whole game, of course, so I'll just hit points that I think are interesting or that I have thoughts on.

Just some groundwork: Witch Hunts and the War still happen and all that, just in the BG3 world. I think all of that would go down on a different plane of existence, tho, much like how the Gith reside on a different plane. Anyway, Bayo probably set up shop in Baldur's Gate. She still has guns, too, but guns are something exclusive to the Witches. Just another secret they kept hidden from everyone else. As a result, they're considered to be some of the rarest weapons one could possibly attain.

Anyhow, on with the show:

-Unlike Tav, she doesn't end up there bc she was captured. Enzo was snatched and she went after him. She managed to get him out of there but she basically took his place and got wormed instead. The ship escaped to the Hells before she could get off.

-Joined up with Lae'zel and saved Shadowheart like Tav did.

-Found Astarion on the beach after taking out some of those brain things. Tho she falls for his ruse initially, he's unable to pull her to the ground like he planned, and he found himself faced with the barrel of a gun. He weaseled his way out of it tho and she agreed to let him join them so long as he didn't pull anything like that again.

-Finds Gale on the beach too. Pulls him free with ease and allows him to join the party as well. I think bookworm Gale would recognize what she is immediately and begin asking her questions regarding Umbran magic and their history.

-They rescue Lae'zel from the Tieflings. I imagine Bayo managed to convince them, but she could've also just threatened them. I think they managed to get through this without actually killing the Tieflings.

-Speaking of Lae'zel, her and Bayo don't get along at all. They take pot shots at each other and insult one another. She isn't scared of Lae'zel at all either. They do have a begrudging respect for one another, tho, based on fighting prowess.

-Probably threatened to beat the shit out of Nettie after she tried to poison her and her companions. But ultimately, she agreed to clear out the Goblin camp to look for Halsin. Any complaints (from Astarion & Lae'zel) were met with the absolute fact that they needed Halsin anyway, and there was little chance of them sneaking him out.

-Idk if Astarion would actually try to bite her considering the fact that he's seen how strong she is, but since she's in Tav's place, we're gonna say he wanted a taste of witch blood. She'd once again threaten him but wouldn't throw him out of camp. If he acts up, she could kill him without much trouble and she makes sure he knows that. I don't think she'd let him have blood, but we're gonna say she agreed bc he was very pitiful and she did like the promise that he'd fight better if he had some.

-Speaking of that, I almost wonder if he'd fight even better or if he'd gain some residual magic from her bc it runs so thick in her blood.

-Everyone in the party would be shocked, to say the absolute least, the first time the angels come down to fight her. Gale's the only one who is sort of in the know about the Umbra, but even his knowledge of them is limited by quite a bit. I imagine she'd tell them to stay out of the fight, but with the angels gunning for them as well as her, they don't have a lot of choice. Anyhow, the angels are the first time they really see what all she can do bc up until that point, they haven't faced anything that's made her use her entire skillset.

I think that's about all I've got. I'll update if I end up with any ideas.

[lightthewaybackhome]

Duet (S2:E4)

Since this isn't one of my favorite episodes, I decided to watch it with the commentary. It did give me a greater appreciation for the acting that went into it, but it's ridiculously hard to emotionally connect to an episode with commentary.

Condemned (S2:E5)

(First episode I've ever watched on my TV instead of my phone, and it feels oddly weird.)

I love that Sheppard labels himself as a worrier on this his first mission with Ronon.

I love the Ronon is tall, and everyone boards the Jumper by running under his gun.

Sometimes Sheppard is doing all the grown-up talking about opening trade negotiations and on his best behavior, but his hair is back-lit in all its ridiculousness, making it almost impossible to take seriously. 🤣

Okay, seriously, I will never not adore the fact that they way to motivate McKay is to threaten the life of his friends. That's when he stops being weak and cowardly. But the best part is it's true for Sheppard too. If you want him to stop being cocky and snarky, you threaten his people. Suddenly, dangerous Sheppard is here. They're perfect mirrors of each other. It's the nerd and the jock meeting at the crossroads of "You threatened our family," and I love it.

This episode is when I fell in love with Lorne. He's just such a straight-shooting support character, meaning he is just so supportive. I love it.

Ronon just doubts Sheppard so much, challenging his authority, his calls, his lack of aggression but by the end his trust is earned because Sheppard is smart, knows his people, will fight to save them.

Like every episode, Sheppard and McKay bicker until the chips are down. As soon as Sheppard goes into laying-down-his-life-mode, Rodney switches to saving him through science. Every time. 🖤

S: We're not taking you home.

Home is where we're safe, so nope.

[khande11]

Millie Winchester- Season 1

Provenance- 2

"We got a problem. I can't find my wallet." Dean said, rushing in from the motel bathroom.

"How's that my problem?" Sam asked, packing his duffel, while Millie did the same.

"'Cause I think I dropped it in the warehouse last night." Dean explained.

Millie looked at him in shock. "You're kidding, right?"

"I mean, it's got my prints, my I.D.- well, my fake I.D., anyway, but we got to get it before somebody else finds it. Come on."

When the Winchesters made it back to the auction house, they began to quickly search around for Dean's wallet.

"How do you lose your wallet, Dean?" Sam asked, frustratedly.

"Hey, guys." Sarah called out with a smile, causing the Winchesters to spin around, trying to act natural.

"Sarah. Hey." Sam smiled back.

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh... we're- we're leaving town, and, you know, we came to say goodbye."

"What are you talking about, Sam? We're sticking around for at least another day or two." Millie chimed in, causing Sam to look at her with a confused face. "In fact, Dean said he would take me to that diner down the block. Right, Dean?"

"Oh, yeah. My treat." Dean said, holding out his wallet with a grin, while Millie smirked at her little brother, who was staring at his conniving siblings in disbelief. "Well, we'll leave you two crazy kids alone."

"Yeah, have fun." Millie smiled at Sarah, then winked at Sam as she and Dean made their way out.

***************

The siblings were sat in the Impala, discussing the fact that Sam had spotted the painting perfectly intact and back in the auction house.

"I don't understand. We burned that damn thing." Sam said.

"Yeah, thank you, Captain Obvious." Dean snarked.

"We just need to figure out another way to get rid of it." Millie said, trying to keep positive, despite feeling creeped out. "Any ideas?"

"Okay, all right. Well, um, in almost all the lore about haunted paintings, it's always the painting's subject that haunts them." Sam recalled.

"Yeah? All right. So we need to figure out everything there is to know about that creepy-ass family in that creepy-ass painting. What are their names again?"

***************

"You said the Isaiah Merchant family, right?" The proprietor of the book shop checked, as he placed down a large book on the table.

"Yeah, that's right." Sam confirmed, while Millie eyed the large, dusty books curiously and Dean approached them, flicking through a book of guns.

"I dug up every scrap of local history I could find. So, uh, are you three crime buffs?"

Dean looked up at the excited man. "Kind of. Why do you ask?"

"Well..." The man held up a newspaper and pointed to an article about a father in murder-suicide.

"Yes. Yeah, that sounds about right." Dean said, nodding at the article.

"The whole family was killed?" Millie asked.

"It seems this Isaiah, he slits his kids' throats, then his wife, then himself. Now, he was a barber by trade. Used a straight razor."

"Why'd he do it?" Sam asked.

"Well, let's look." The man said, opening up the newspaper. "Uh, 'People who knew him described Isaiah as having a stern and harsh temperament, and controlled his family with an iron fist.' Wife, two sons, adopted daughter- yeah, yeah. 'There were whispers that the wife was gonna take the kids and leave,' which, of course, you know, in that day and age... so instead, old man Isaiah, well, he gave them all a shave."

The man dragged his hand across his throat, making a slicing noise and laughing as Dean joined in, until he noticed the look on his brother and sister's faces.

"Does it say what happened to the bodies?" Dean asked.

"It says they were all cremated." The man said, causing the siblings to sigh.

"Anything else?" Millie asked.

"Yeah. Actually I found a picture of the family. It's right here somewhere. Right, here it is."

The man held up a photo of the painting. Sam stared at it, noticing a difference in the one in the book and the one at the house.

"Hey, can we get a copy of this, please?" Sam asked.

"Sure."

***************

"I'm telling you, guys. I'm sure of it." Sam said, as the siblings sat in the motel room, turning the photo so it was facing them. "The painting at the auction house, Dad is looking down. Painting here, Dad's looking out. The painting has changed."

Dean looked at the photo of the painting. "So you think that Daddy dearest is trapped in the painting, and he's handing out Columbian neckties like with his family?"

"Well, yeah, it seems like it."

"But if his bones are already dusted, then how are we gonna stop him?" Millie asked.

"All right, well, if Isaiah's position changed, then maybe some other things in the painting changed, as well. It could give us some clues." Dean suggested.

"Like a 'Da Vinci Code' deal?" Sam asked.

Dean gave his brother a blank look. "I don't know. I'm still waiting for the movie on that one. Anyway, we got to get back in and see that painting." Dean stood up, so he could lie down on his bed. "Which is a good thing, because you can get more time to crush on your girlfriend."

"Guys... enough already." Sam snapped.

"What?" Millie asked.

"'What?' Ever since we got here, you two have been trying to pimp me out to Sarah. Just back off, all right?"

"Well, you like her, don't you?" Dean shrugged, as Sam rolled his eyes. "All right, you like her. She likes you. You're both consenting adults."

"What's the point? We'll just leave. We always leave."

"We're not talking about marriage, Sam." Millie defended the idea. 

"I don't get it. What do you care if I hook up?" Sam snapped.

"Cause then maybe you wouldn't be so cranky all the time." Dean fired back, causing Sam to scoff and Millie to shoot him a look.

"Seriously, Sam, this isn't about just hooking up, okay? We think this Sarah girl could be good for you." Millie explained.

Dean decided to help out his sister, when he saw Sam was starting to listen. "And I don't mean any disrespect, but I'm sure this is about Jessica, right? Now, Millie and I don't know what it's like to lose somebody like that... but... I would think that she would want you to be happy. God forbid, have fun once in a while. Wouldn't she?"

"Yeah, I know she would." Sam let out a half smile, then sighed. "Yeah, you're right. Part of this is about Jessica. But not the main part."

"What's it about?" Millie asked. Sam refused to answer. "All right. Well, we still got to see that painting."

"Which means you still got to call Sarah, so..." Dean hinted. Sam reluctantly picked up his cell phone and dialled Sarah's number.

"Sarah, hey. It's Sam. Hey, hi. Good, good, yeah. What about you? Yeah, good. Good, really good." Sam stuttered.

"Smooth." Dean whispered, making Millie smirk.

"So, uh- so, listen. Me and my brother and sister were thinking that maybe we'd like to come back in and look at the painting again. I think maybe we are interested in buying it." Suddenly, Sam stood up, looking distressed. "What? Who'd you sell it to? Sarah, I need an address right now."

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #674

Top Ten Film Scenes in Lifts

It’s my wife’s birthday in a moderately-adjacent time period, so I sort of wanted to do something celebratory. And for some reason my brain turned to the mostly-forgotten 2001 romcom Kate & Leopold. This was one of the first big post-X-Men starring roles for Hugh Jackman, in an amiable enough time travel romance with genre stalwart Meg Ryan. I think it sprung unbidden because it was one of the nice little romcoms we used to go see together before, well, we had kids who stopped us from going to the cinema all the time. It was – just to digress for a moment – a weird era in romcoms; there were highs such as Notting Hill and lows such as The Wedding Planner (which has pretty much the worst scene I’ve ever experienced in a film, one which my wife and I still quote often to each other, mostly because it drives me mad). I’ve always enjoyed a good romcom, and I feel like maybe the early noughties didn't really give us many a good romcom. The Ugly Truth, anyone? No? Fair enough.

Anyway, one of the (weird) plot points of that film is that Jackman’s character is – bizarrely – the inventor of the elevator back in the nineteenth century, so his dalliance in the modern day has (somehow) made all the lifts go funny. And this got me thinking – we're getting there, I promise – about lifts in movies. Because, weirdly, lifts are kinda cinematic. Sure, they’re a closed box, but within that closed box you have the possibility of life and death; fate is hanging by a thread. Plus you’re trapped in there, maybe with someone, and all sorts of things can happen in close quarters.

There are quite a few staple “lift scenes”. A lot of action movies have a scene where the hero uses time in a lift to take stock or reload; maybe he’s stuck in there with a civilian who he impresses by escaping through the ceiling. Oftentimes a lift will get stuck and the characters will then spend the time discovering things about each other, maybe coming to some greater understanding of themselves. Maybe it’s a horror movie and they’re in there with a monster. Or maybe they just shag. There are lots of things to do in a lift.

(In fact, the whole “elevator rumpy-pumpy" thing is such a cliche, I’m almost surprised I couldn’t find at least one genuinely excellent example to include in the list)

So that’s it really – mostly avoiding all the stereotypical lift scenes, we’ve got ten properly great moments that happen to take place in (and around?!) elevators. Quite a few action scenes, to be fair, but what do you want from me? Kind words?

Going down…

Die Hard (1988): it feels like an elevator shaft accounts for about 27% of Die Hard; fitting, I guess, for a film that takes place in a tall building. And whilst John McClane dropping dynamite down a shaft is entertaining, the lift scene for the ages is surely when he sends Tony’s dead body down to the party as a warning. You know the scene: Tony in a Santa hat, now I have a machine gun, ho ho ho, “tell Karl his brother is dead.” And all the while McClane is on the roof of the lift, silently studying writing names and numbers on his arm, master tactician. It’s funny, it’s creepy, it’s dramatic, it’s clever, it’s Christmas. Yippee ki-yay.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014): before we get started, does anyone want to get out? A scene this good – of course not. As Hydra begins its takeover of SHIELD, poor old Cap is stuck in a lift with goons who want him gone. The slow tension as more and more heavyset bouncer-types get on the lift, crowding (and in some cases dwarfing) Cap; the way he knows what’s coming due to their haircuts, the sweat on their brow. And then he takes them out with fierce intensity, absorbing some blows, cutting the lift’s ropes, and finally leaping out the lift. I’m not gonna like, I watch this scene, like, once a month.

Speed (1994): Die Hard had “lift” running through it like DNA; Speed sticks all its elevator business into one act. There’s a booby trapped lift, full of passengers, and cocky agent Keanu with his hangdog partner Jeff not only have to rescue the punters but also figure out the culprit. Its ratcheting of tension, the empathy we feel for the passengers, and the awesomely cool heroics of Keanu, turn this into an action movie in miniature; indeed, it’s a microcosm of the whole bus business that makes up the bulk of the film. Expertly handled by Die Hard’s cinematographer – no wonder the DNA stuck.

The Shining (1980): am I splitting hairs; this scene doesn’t take place in a lift, does it? But if you’ve seen the film you’ve guessed the scene: in the starkly-shot corridors of the Overlook Hotel, with its oh-so-seventies geometrical patterns in their autumnal shades, the elevator doors slowly open to reveal a gushing torrent of blood. It’s horrific, it’s surreal, it’s uncanny, it’s all I his mind (or is it?). Gruesomely unnerving, as pretty much everything in The Shining is.

Mission: Impossible (1996): whilst the best scene in the film involving elevation is no doubt Tommy getting lowered into the computer room at Langley, this opening sequence featuring poor old Emilio Estevez is a killer. Literally. He’s sat on the roof of a lift, hacking away at computers, controlling this that and the other, but then – shock horror! – he realises he no longer has control; we know now that someone has spotted them, or it’s a setup, or something, but they’re all buggered. And then the lift shoots upwards to the top floor, poor Emilio can’t stop it, and… squish. Hasta lasagne, don’t get any on ya.

Elf (2003): a simple one, and a fun one, reflecting the childlike joy and naivete of Buddy. Entranced by the light-up buttons in the lift, he proceeds to press every one, sliding his hand across the raft of switches like he’s knocking down dominoes, lighting up every floor – much to the annoyance of the person sharing the lift with him. His happiness, of course, is juxtaposed with our realisation of just how irritating that would be in real life. Anyway, great performance from Farrell.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991): this is a really cool, efficient, and very tense action scene. Cameron absolutely nails the sense that the T-1000 is unstoppable, almost a supernatural force; here, the T-800, John, and Sarah are escaping the mental hospital in a lift, bedevilled by the evil terminator outside. He pries open the doors with his morphing arms, stabs through the ceiling; in tightly controlled low-angle shots, we sense the terror but also the characters’ bravery, Sarah pulling a gun from the T-800’s belt to fight back. It’s a masterclass in sustained stress.

Aliens (1986): sticking with Cameron, this is the best “tooling up in a lift” scene in cinema history. Ripley goes back into the fire (metaphorically) to rescue Newt from the Alien Queen, despite a ticking clock and impending boom. Sigourney Weaver’s sweaty determination, tiredness, fear, and resilience as she takes stock of her ammo, checks her weapons, discards her jacket, all whilst the lift descends, is exemplary.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988): ah, a nice funny one after all that tension. Eddie Valiant gets in a lift in Toontown; the lift operator is Droopy, intoning “going down, sir” in his usual depressive monotone. Poor Eddie is then subject to the vagaries of cartoon physics as the lift travels at ludicrous speeds; he’s cast against the ceiling and squashed into the floor. It’s a scene of intense, extreme slapstick, perfectly juxtaposed against Droopy’s sad, slow drawl.

True Lies (1994): the man Cam is back, as is old Arnold; I guess he told us he would be. This is, again, a comedy moment, and one that’s so perfectly judged and executed that I adore it; although I don’t quite hear people banging on about it nearly enough. Chasing terrorist Art Malick through the city, Arnie commandeers a police horse, and the two adversaries end up in opposing lifts, Arnie still on horseback. There’s a rich elderly couple in their with him, and the wife hisses at her husband, “say something!”, to which the poor bloke replies, “That’s a fine animal.” Much funnier than Bill Paxton’s tiny dick.

I nearly had Minority Report on here, with the bit where Tom is jumping from one futuristic car to another as they descend vertically down a magnetic road; but I reasoned that they’re not really elevators, they’re just how cars work in this future. Oh well.

[fizzingwizard]

An unfiltered reaction to Jigen Daisuke the live action movie, which I call Jigen Daisuke, A Very Nice Man Who Kills People And Cries A Lot

I didn't read any other reviews/reactions yet because I want this to be PURE. lol. Also only watched once and I often change my mind on some points when I rewatch

Not sure whether I like this movie. I enjoyed it! But did I enjoy it as a movie, or as a Lupin fan?

It's not a movie that can stand alone outside the Lupin fandom. Like, if this was some random gunslinger movie, I would not have watched it in the first place. That would mean it loses points, except this is Lupin III, everyone knows it is, and it's openly relying on that clout. In this case, it's probably silly to consider it as a "movie" rather than a "Lupin movie." So that doesn't bother me.

On the flip side... the movie has nothing to do with Lupin III, so it could be about some rando and nothing would have to change. At all. That bugs me because if you're gonna give Jigen his own live action and not include the rest of the gang in any way (except for a three second appearance of the Fiat and Lupin's red jacket through the windshield), then you've got to go to lengths to make me believe it is in fact Jigen. I don't mean I want a "Meet Jigen Daisuke" montage - we're working under the assumption that most everyone watching already knows his character bio. In the script and acting, I need something that means he couldn't be switched out with any other Cool Guy (TM) character and read exactly the same way.

Nice things:

I like Tamayama's Jigen. He's cool but subdued, although you do get hints that he's not always so mellow, which I really appreciated. Like when he almost shouts at Oto and then purposefully lowers his voice. "Oh, I'm not yelling at Lupin, this is an actual child," lol. One of my favorite scenes was when he reads Oto's tragic backstory in the notebook, and wants to hide that he's tearing up, so he desperately fumbles for a cigarette, only to be thwarted haha. That, and him telling spectators "Don't look," seemed really Jigen to me.

A fun cast of original characters. I enjoyed Chiharu a lot. I think it's rather funny that Tamayama is playing the Cool Guy Main Character, who spends almost all of his on screen time talking to an elderly woman lol. But she was tough and kind and honestly I'm just glad she wasn't a sexy young lady lol. The people in her town, the florist, the guy who was kicked out of the Go club for gambling - all a lot of fun too.

Special mention: Ruri! I adored her the minute she appeared and I really expected she'd have more of a role than she did. I was back and forth whether she'd be a help or a hindrance, especially after it turned out she was Shadow Guy's (forgot his name sorry) lover. Usually I don't like the Love Interest Who Appears For One Movie Then Never Again, but in this case I was actually cheering fo Jigen/Ruri. Of course, the one time I like a ship, the rug is immediately pulled out from under me hahaha.

Found family dynamic I mean what can I say, you hit my weak point. Grandma Chiharu (the gun forger), her nephew Jigen (the hired gun), and his daughter Oto (the tortured child). Checks out. Also Jigen's desperation to make Oto happy was adorable.

Really cool disabled villain?! Adele's opening scene was awesome. Honestly, when I saw she was in a wheel chair and had a fancy prosthetic leg, all I was expecting was that she'd open her knee cap and surprise! there'd be a gun inside. But not only did she get to pop some wheelies, she also took advantage of her lower vantage point to maneuver the gunmen into shooting each other. It was a strong opener and, personally, my favorite action sequence in the movie.

The lighting and atmosphere were pretty great throughout. I especially enjoyed Shadow Guy's uhh shadowy-ess. (Not so much his questionable CG faces.) The use of colored lighting, the showdown between Jigen and Shadow Guy that was all in blue etc, gave the film an artistic tone which kinda helped cover up stuff that was otherwise rather bland.

The concept of "drugs made from children" - at first I was just laughing, like what the heck? I thought they meant smuggling drugs inside the children's bodies or something. But I changed my mind. However sci-fi it is, I think it's kind of neat that they basically taught the audience the effect of constant stress on a young child's psyche, and how it keeps them in a constant state of fight or flight. Yeah, all the details were super iffy (why would drinking their blood send any of that to the recipient, and why would it result in eternal young? lol), but hey, it's Lupin *shrug* At the time, I was hoping there would be further messages about ways adults, even those who are well-meaning, overlook the impact our actions have on children, or ignore their feelings. Because Oto's feelings were very much ignored before Jigen. The movie seemed to be going out of its way to show us how much Jigen was trying to get Oto to speak for herself, even through writing, and have an opinion of her own. So I was intrigued, but it didn't really go anywhere. It's nice that Jigen's goal was Oto learning to laugh, but since Oto is pretty much just a victim after getting kidnapped again, we lose touch with her character and it doesn't hit the same for me. Which leads me to...

Meh things:

The first half of the movie is kinda low energy. While I wasn't exactly expecting typical Lupin shenanigans, so much of the first half is just Jigen talking to people without learning much. I like Chiharu, sure, but she's not like a scintillating conversationalist. (Although she is better than Jigen lol)

And while as expected the energy picked up with the action scenes in the second half, they were almost without speech - which is a point for realism, but minus a point for Entertaining Fizz *shrug* If only Lupin were there to provide a partner for some witty banter. I'm kinda joking, with Jigen alone the silence is fitting and supports the clean and speedy way he shoots. But it just went on so long. And you know there's not much very Lupin-y about this movie, except the ridiculous stunts and sheer number of people Jigen defeats all by his lonesome self... so that's a thing.

The whole "your gun talks to you" thing gets a big What from me. If was Goemon I'd understand, at least in the sense that it would be Goemon and I don't understand him anyway. :P Jigen's relationship with his gun is weirdly intimate true. And I really enjoyed Chiharu pointing out that considering how many parts he's had to replace over the years, no part of his magnum is actually the same one he started out with. When Jigen got a present of magnum bullets from the florist, I knew he'd get his revolver back soon (I mean we all would have known it anyway, it's Jigen), and the moment he ran out of bullets for his replacement gun, I was like, shit Chiharu's coming NOW?? And not only does she come, she careens into the hyper security building in a big ol' bus. Which... is a good choice I guess, good protection. But the timing, THE TIMING. There are some coincidences I can forgive and some I can't lol. All I'll say saves this scene is that Chiharu doesn't die in it.

Re: the talking gun: for this movie to impress me, it needed to tell me something about Jigen. It didn't need to earth-shattering news. I wasn't hoping for a bunch of flashbacks about his youth on the streets or anything. Just something about his heart, his values, his weaknesses... Anything. What we get is obvious: The first scene is Jigen shooting a man in a gun fight. A child is there, although they're taken away before it starts, so I guess the man is the kid's father. Then the movie itself is about protecting a child's happiness. I suppose there's a message there. Still I don't think, in the end, we learned anything about Jigen at all. He's cool. He's brusque. He likes to say he doesn't like things he does in fact like very much. He's sentimental. I guess we learned Jigen cries easily because he was like crying aaaaall the time. Okay okay, that's exaggerating. But still. The cigarette cry was a good cry. Loved the acting. But when he tears up around Chiharu later, it was too much for me. Like he's trying to convince her that she shouldn't rely on the police, she should rely on him instead, because he'll definitely be able to shoot straight through those tears. *shrug*

Another complaint about Jigen: is he a guy who's worked as a bodyguard, a merc, a hired gun? Because ya definitely don't see it in this movie! He's pretty much a superhero. Rescuing Oto, protecting Chiharu, fighting through his own injuries, defeating legions of enemies, and keeping the moral high ground. As much as I don't think a Jigen movie has any need to explain it's a Jigen movie, it's weird to me that he's so much a good guy in it - yeah, I know a lot of Lupin movies are like that, so this kind of a pointless complaint... But it still bugs me.

Back to the OCs. Adele, who was so awesome at first, is totally uninteresting the rest of the time. I expected some commentary on her using a mechanical voice while Oto tries to recover her real one. It's probably good they didn't do that, because it's pretty insensitive to real people with vocal problems. But because they still gave Adele that voice and made it part of her tragic backstory, your mind goes there anyway. The real bummer of Adele is that we never really know what she wants. She says it's power, and we're meant to understands that because she had so much of her power taken away as a child, this is how she gains it back as an adult. But she's soft and heartbroken at the end, pretty much telling us she wishes Jigen had been there for her the way he's there for Oto. That's not a new idea, but it sucks when the only build up to it is Adele saying it out loud and then, instead of using her amazing fighting prowess, she challenges him to a quick draw duel. You could argue that since they're both quick draws, this was an interesting fight... But what was memorable about Adele's fighting was how intricate and showy it was. Jigen did that took in his way, but what he's known for are those cowboy stand-offs. So this was Jigen's duel from the outset and from the audience's perspective Adele had already lost simply because of that. Yes she's happy Jigen's released her from her miserable life I guess. Who she is, what drives her, how she really feels about Oto and the other children, is all kinda just bits of information which come out piecemeal in the rather anticlimactic finale.

The movie is live action, and generally benefits from it. But with Adele, for some reason it went super anime IMO. I don't just mean her character design. It's definitely different, but not too far off from the rest of the characters. The way she cradles Oto, dressing her in the white gown, keeping her on her lap like a doll, made me think of gothic novels, and def shojo manga. The way Adele dramatically falls out the window with a smile in slow motion as well seemed right out of anime storyboard. Not a big deal in the scheme of things, but it stuck out to me like a sore thumb. Obvs Shadow Guy is a pretty anime-style henchman too, but not as extreme as Adele.

Shadow Guy and Ruri: Just didn't get enough development. I really wish Ruri and Jigen had met again in the end. I was half expecting her to show up and try to get revenge on Jigen, or kill herself... I mean I'm definitely glad she didn't, because we hardly needed more tragedy to balance out Oto's rescue. But I liked Ruri, I'm sorry her lover was killed even if it was his own doing, and they definitely seem to have been in tough strait themselves, so. And Ruri knows Chiharu. Everything seemed prime for her to have some role in the finale, but nope. Honestly, much as I like Chiharu, I might have enjoyed Ruri taking in Oto? Okay, Ruri's lifestyle isn't conducive to raising a kid at all :P But it would have tied her in, maybe, if she moved in with Chiharu so an old retired lady didn't have sole responsibility of a traumatized young girl. And Ruri could have learned watch-making, along with being a sex worker, hopefully encouraging her to be more choosy with her clients so she doesn't get hurt so much. Idk I just felt Ruri was left out to dry in the end, her romance existing just to make the movie sadder.

Last, Oto: Cute actress. Very good at behaving terrified. And adorable when she was finally allowed to smile. But like I mentioned earlier, I wish she had found more agency in the end. Of all the tropes they avoided, one I wish they'd kept was Oto finding her voice in the final battle scene. I know she says "I'm sorry." But I'm picturing like, Adele has Jigen at her mercy, and at the moment Adele begins to shoot Oto just shrieks with everything in her and it distracts Adele enough that Jigen finds an opening... Her getting miraculously cured in an instant would be overkill for sure, and I appreciate that she's doing some self-therapy through writing in the notebook as she recovers and heads towards speech one day. What I really just wanted was for Oto to have some say/something to do in her own rescue.

Speaking of which, it seems children have replaced women in the action movie "damsel in distress" role. In Lupin it's everywhere. I'm a bit tired of it. I miss scrappy, precocious kids.

Tl;dr: I enjoyed the movie as a Jigen fan. It's not bad! It's better than expected really. I have a couple :) issues, that's all. Lol

[chairteeth]

Random story revision commentary #2

Welp this time I got through more chapters, and a warning for... Uhhh fantasy violence? But with guns. I'm not sure what trigger that is.

“Jesdale! Come on, we need those missiles over here!”

The fact that this is the line chapter 2 opens with,

Every non-essential worker had been assigned to various wartime tasks,

COVID MOMENT.

overpopulation aside.

Yeah just offhandedly mention the overpopulation problem in the SRP as if it's not the dumbest shit ever (please there is space you are just refusing to use it the population of the Earth is literally less than 4 billion iirc).

Their leader was in fact passed out on a sofa next to Shane, not even breathing. Despite looking every bit like she was deceased,

I'm

“She of course denied my request and claims that if I go find her and her crew anyway, I won’t get a warm welcome. Wonderful. Let’s prepare some light backpacks for the journey.”

Gretchen: receives a very serious death threat Also Gretchen: ignores it

Shane was surprised, tail curling around his leg. “We’re going after all?” “Um, I’m a little scared of the literal death threat?” Rick said, raising his hand a little in protest.

THE RESPONSES FROM THE SANE PEOPLE, FOLKS.

After a few moments of silence, Shane peeked back into the room. “Did something happen?” “… Gretchen said she would abandon us on the side of the road if we end up being a burden to her.”

Yeah pretty much. She's just doing what she needs to do guys dw about it.

“But aren’t I the crown princess? I should be helping with the war, right?”

SHE SAYS IN CHAPTER 3 AFTER IN HER LAST APPEARANCE SHE BEGGED NOT TO BE SENT TO WAR.

“Why do they hate me?” asked Alice. “Please don’t tell me the birds are also connected to Catherine.”

Honey, when animals don't like you, it's because they Know <3

“Don’t be afraid, spirit animals are intelligent creatures.” “Yeah, it’s not that I’m scared, it’s that I have no idea how this thing acts and I despise uncertainty.”

Girlie… Even the lion doesn't like you.

“So warmongering. Because I know Vicky doesn’t have a navy. Wait, does she?” she looked down at her superior for an answer. “Does the SRP have a navy?” “It does. Their ships are made of metal, and those cannons are definitely not honorable. As with their firearms, their cowardice knows no bounds. They even ambushed us from below somehow, but Captain Nora has the ability to cut through the metal they use for their ships, and putting anything underwater while we have her deployed is equivalent to suicide on their part. Foolish mistakes are plenty with that incompetent excuse for an army.”

Absolutely wheezing. Yeah we're fighting modern warships and submarines with wooden ships and it's kinda tough sometimes but we can just send this one soldier and destroy them all lmao. Thanks Mel.

“Catherine, if you get this, please do something about the yokai,” she whispered to the air. She wasn’t sure how Catherine’s apparent omnipresence worked, but seeing as she had mentioned the wind and the earth, it was worth a shot.

She is so desperate it's almost sad.

“Welcome back. Alice, by Lady Catherine’s orders you are to be taken to the Mirror Cave for a private audience,” he informed. “I presume that includes me?” the satori yokai said. The man smiled. “Lady Catherine said she did not have time to wait for either of you, so if one or both of you are not in time, you’ll miss your chance.” “Wait, there’s a time limit!?” said Alice. “I can’t sprint!”

We love Catherine Cramoisi in this household.

he was shorter and so were his legs.

Alice I am begging you.

For the record, it did not work.

I AM GOING TO STRANGLE THE NARRATOR (the narrator is not me or Alice).

Alice suppressed a reflex to glare back at him, continuing to walk through the crystal tunnels. “Essentially, he’s telling me he’s useless and wants to follow me anyway. And he can’t even look pretty while he’s doing it. Wonderful.”

This woman's priorities, once again.

Before she realized, she couldn’t hear the yokai’s footsteps behind her. When she turned to tell him not to match his pace with hers because that was definitely stalker behavior, she found nothing.

I am more amused at the narration than I perhaps should be.

The voice was her own alternate self, meaning she didn’t trust it one bit, but it didn’t seem to want to harm her, bizarre though it was.

This is just so telling. Alice PLEASE.

“And now, to find Catherine.” “No need to look for me.” Alice jumped around, hands up and ready to fight. “WHY do you keep sneaking up on me?” Catherine tilted her head. “I did no such thing. Now then, you wanted to talk to me, yes?”

We love Catherine Cramoisi in this househol-

“Is it about our supervisor?” “Yup.” “You want him gone.” “Absolutely.” “It’s not that I don’t agree with you,” the consort unexpectedly told her. “But politics won’t allow us to do away with him until things are secure, meaning until the end of the war against the SRP, and probably not until after we’ve partitioned Victoria’s land with them.” “Ugh.” “Is that all?” “I guess. I was hoping someone would be able to do something about the creep. Everyone needs their privacy, you know?” “Privacy is a rare privilege for royalty.” Alice groaned. “With each passing day I see more and more downsides to being royalty.” There was a sudden silence. “Alice.” “Yeah?” “You know I can hurt you, right?”

Catherine my beloved… (AND BASICALLY EVERY BETA READER'S BELOVED TOO)

“You know how these things work, I assume.” Alice wound down slightly. “Yes. I’ll owe you a favor. And I better keep my word, or else.”

Haha. Not Rin thinking to herself that if Alice doesn't keep her word this might turn into a fun situation and that's dangerous because "it makes her mask crack" like. Vibrating.

Side note, for chapter 3.5, I've written drowning scenes twice in my lifetime and the second one is far better than this one.

“All according to plan. Fate will bring us back together. Okay, now you’ll be on Fate’s side? Which one is it, rebel against destiny or accept it? May those who accept their fate be granted happiness, and may those who defy their fate be granted glory. Teacher’s words, not mine. I also have no idea if she’s an enemy or an ally. A little bit of both. She wants me to defeat her. And I know I will, eventually. I just hope Lady Catherine manages to keep her attention for long enough. Our queen is a crucial part of the plan, after all. The real game has only just begun. Prepare yourself. That sounds way too fucking ominous. And be prepared to snipe Teacher’s swallows if we see any. Didn’t she say they weren’t hers? The ones with glass eyes aren’t. If you see one with black eyes, no sclera or iris to be seen, shoot to kill. The others are not part of her game.” Everything is part of the game.

Ominous ass. As for why the dialogue is formatted weird, this is how I decided to format two different people in the same body talking to each other (no it's not DID, it's a soul thing). There's another instance but it's two of the same person in the same body so that's also formatted differently.

In chapter 4 we once again get a mention of Gretchen's seeing light, and earlier in chapter 2 she read a letter in braille. Gretchen isn't blind but she can't afford to "see", so she keeps her eyes closed and covered by a blindfold. The seeing light is really just, basically sonar technology?

“If only I had my M82. Firearms and blueprints were literally the only useful things we took from the US, and I had to massacre so many survivors to get us out of that one. With this puny rifle, the shot probably won’t land where I want it to land.”

Gretchen really just insulted the US and lamented her lack of a better gun in one breath (well, thought).

“Zerzurans are like tea bags full of magic.” -Gretchen Rufner, 7043 AU

For context, that means it's the year 7043 "after (the) Unearthing" which is the apocalypse that kinda nearly wiped out humanity.

NOT GRETCHEN LAMENTING THAT SHE MISSED ONE OF HER SHOTS BECAUSE SHE DIDN'T HEAR A BUSTED KNEECAP FROM ONE OF THESE TEENAGERS. Gretchen is questionable at all times and she is especially bad during this part but in her defense the situation is pretty dire and they're kinda at war so.

“H-how could you? You made them believe you would spare them,” Rick managed to squeeze out. “They weren’t even soldiers!” “That’s war. Every child of Zerzura is a soldier. Had I not killed them, I assure you they would’ve screwed us over later or tried to kill us. I was very humane with these two, and if you think I wasn’t, you are both still innocent little children. The world Outside is not sunshine and rainbows, especially not during a war. Now, I wonder…”

She says after holding two civilians at gunpoint, shooting one in the head upon learning he's mute, and shooting his brother dead too after he answers her questions while trying not to sob too loud. After this she also proceeds to kill the goats that were pulling the merchants' cart.

And that is all for today! Man I cannot wait to be done with this so I can work on the fics.

[tatakaebomb]

Top dog

ꕥ Pairing : Dr*g lord Bakugo x Reader

ꕥ Synopsis : When your first, harsh undercover mission goes wrong - the real game comes from the repercussions.

ꕥ A/N : I don’t condemn drugs btw - send requests through we answer all :)

All characters are over 18!

ꕥ Word count : 2.8k

ꕥ TW : Deception, oral sex, cream pie, occupation of three holes, MENTIONS OF DRUGS, intoxicants, intoxication, drug usage, alcohol usage, sadism, masochism, non con, dub con, sexual preying, sexualising, anal fisting, mentions of ass play, vulgar language, sexual indications, oral fingering, doggie, submission, dom! bakugo, bakugo mean af, degradation, punishment, mentions of authority abuse, sensitive, death threats, rape, infliction, violence (?), blood, thigh biting, gun play, gun fucking, gun fingering, degrading, misogyny, orgasming, mutual release, dumbification, dacryphilia, cervix fucking, probs more just don’t do drugs or be a dumbass, 18+

'He's in here ma'am. Straight through.'

Walking your way in you take in the beads and decor of the underground palace. Palace was a slight bit of an over-exaggeration. This place was home to thousands of intoxicants, things that can kill you with just a small sniff. It's home to where millions of assistant deaths were given at the hand of greed.

That's what your job was. To investigate this place. Working as a private investigator for 5 years now you we're definitely familiar with situations like this. Being so close to hand with poison had you numb to things like this, but the fact your meeting THE owner of the infamous 'strip' club. The ones you've been getting tips and hints on for the last year or so, the one you've tried so hard to track down and finally you've succeeded.

You were almost there those would say. Your persona anonymous to all, for all they know you were just a pretty woman named JJ who wanted to talk with the chief for a little 'help'. It was impressive how sneaky you were, like a snake almost. You could slither yourself in and out of situations with such ease. That's what put you here, you were only 23 and yet so determined, such a fundamental key to your job.

Walking into the room you were greeted with the arouma of the familiar drug of cannabis and rough sex. Something you've also became immune too over your years. Music beating slightly around the room as you caught sight of the beads and posters hanging from the wall. Dead animal skin merely touching under the souls of your louboutins, a large round sofa circling around the room with a wide mirror hanging on top of the wall. Didn't look like anything you were particularly familiar with, definitely looked like something someone who would run a chain of illegal strip joints would design.

' JJ right?' You heard the faint voice call behind you, turning around you were met with the face of a topless man, smoke pouring from his mouth as he took a draw from his spliff. Toned body relaxed under the lighting as his sweats hung low on his body. Arms slumped over the back of the couch as he took you in. Quiet, unknown form.

'Yes. Hi. You must be ba-'

'What do you want?' He rudely cut you off, pinching his spliff out as he threw the remaining paper on the table infront of him. Cruel, squinted eyes so suspicious over you, he doesn't understand why a woman as beautiful as you would want to visit him.

Bakugo may be infamous but he's certainly not stupid. Anybody he knew him knew this, and from your research - You knew this. It was so hard to act normal around him, you felt your composure slipping, from the name you expected nothing but a sleazy old man, like ones that you've had before but he was a whole new persona. A young, attractive man. You don't really see many of those in your job sector.

'What?'

'You heard me. I don't usually get customers like...you...unless your here to get on your knees then you can leave.'

Abrupt words caught you off guard, what a dick?

You ignored it though. Something you learnt to do well whilst you've been in this area, ignore it until you get your result.

'Nice place you got here. Decorate it yourself?'

'Didn't you just hear me? Fuck ya' want.' Getting up he shrugged his arms off the couch. Body moving to greet yours as he peered you down. Dark diluted pupils staring into yours whilst his furrowed eyebrows indicated to you enough you needed to know. This guy was someone you needed to be wary around, no wonder he was so hard to trace, he was on the smarter side...

'I think it's clear why I'm here why else would I be here?' You replied, sass coming out of your tone.

Your tongue couldnt help but swipe at the bottom of your teeth as you once again observe the room. No pictures? No photographs. Nothing? Your finger reaching over the swipe at the dust on the table infront of him, you playfully pinched it, dragging your fingers against one another as you watch the particles float in the air. Small smile carving on your lips at the sight.

'Easily amused are ya? Sit down. Bimbo.'

Sighing, you trailed to the couch. Seeing how he shrugs his hand into the drawer and pulls out a small bag. A carrier contained with more than enough evidence, so close to your eyes. The music seemed to get slightly louder as the faint noises of moans and whines in the other rooms acquainted your ears. You had to ignore it though, what did you expect from a sex and strip club.

Your hands were placed neatly on your lap, eyelashes innocently batting up at him as he made his way over to you. Figure moving to sit next to you, slumped body still taking yours in. You felt uneasy at his staring.

'This what ya' want?' His fingers lazily clutched on the small pouch, swinging it in the air as your eyes attached on it. How can people possibly consume something as...drowsy as that.

'How much do I owe?'

'Needy bitch I see...'

His arm lazily hooked around your waist as he pulled you closer, your glasses almost falling off your nose at this point. Skirt hiking up your thigh and your shirt lowered enough for bakugo to catch sight of your cleavage. You knew you shouldn't have to subject yourself, but it makes it easier for disreputable men to trust you this way.

Bakugo didn't though, he knew you had ulterior intentions. How would a woman of your demeanour really go to someone like him? A drug lord you could say.

'Answer my fucking question and it's free of charge, okay?'

His breath lingered of liquor. Distasteful touch almost edible on your own tongue, your face so close to his that your heart race started beating. The pit of your stomach filled with nerves.

'Yeah...that's what I want.'

'You wanted a gram, right?'

'Yes...'

'Don't ever fucking lie to me again.'

The pitch in his tone lowered, teeth clenched and aggravated at this point, the grip on your waist tightening. You were shocked from his response, at this point the guy would be putty in your hands, your job should be pretty much done by now.

For the first time in a while you felt nervous. You felt trapped almost, you had never been put in a job so serious and for you to fuck it up so soon would be nothing that surprising to your company.

They thought of you as a good-for-nothing. A young, dumb girl, wanting nothing but a little male validation and praise for such hard work. Your grades clearly cheated for, you probably sucked off your teacher or paid people for it. The excuses you've heard through in through out. That's why when this mission came you were so keen on it being yours, you thought it would be a piece of cake. You underestimated it big time.

'What are you on about?!'

'I don't ever get customers like you. Do you know how hard I am to get hold off? Nobody fucking comes in here for a gram and is happy with it...'

His lips closed towards yours. Your body intrinsically leaning back, eyes widened and lips parting, throat slightly getting dry as you realised how bad you fucked up. You didn't even think that through...

'I- no I-'

'Nervous are we? What happened to the sass? Who do you work for. If you just tell me now I'll let you go, wouldn't wanna ruin the life of a woman so precious and perfect as you would I?'

His harmless flirting had you swooning slightly, eyes throwing daggers into his as you watched the way he got off to seeing your vulnerable form. His hand still pulling you towards his body, your breasts almost touching his chest. Palms sweaty and knees getting weaker at the feeling of him so close, you couldn't bear it.

Without thinking you patted your back pocket, only to your surprise it was empty. Gun holder left unarmed as your heart began to quickly pace.

A hearty laugh escaped the man infront of you whilst your eyes glanced over only to see the pleasure of the gun being cocked in his hands. His gaze observing the trigger and clutch. Fingers playing with it with ease, his other hand tapping at your waist.

'Aren't cops meant to be smart, blew your cover there a bit didn't you...y/n...'

A gasp left your throat subconsciously, he knew who you were all along. This could get you slaughtered, how did he know? Who told him?

'How the fuck do you know my name?!' You worry.

'Why's that the root of your problems? You just attempted to pull a gun on me. Your bravery is almost respectable I'll give you that...but for that..-

His lips quickly hovered over yours, gun placed to the side of your head. Your eyes swelling up with tears, heavy panting fanning his lips, smirk risen on his upturned mouth in despite.

'-you gotta redeem yourself.'

His lips latched onto yours in force, your body attempting to throw him off as he pushed you lower onto the couch, tears swiping your cheeks whilst the taste of his alcohol ingested tongue latched onto yours, saliva slipping past your lips down your throat whilst the gun at the side of your head was pushed harder into you. You didn't know what to focus on right now.

'Resist and your getting fucking murdered, got it.'

You remained still, body shocked in fright at what's going on. Chest heaving up and down in sheer fear.

'DO YOU FUCKING UNDERSTAND?!'

Frantic nodding to your head had you paranoid, eyes doing their hardest to connect to his.

A harsh slap to your exposed thigh made you gasp, his nails gripping into your skin as you winced at the feeling of blood drawing slightly from it.

'I like when my women use their words. Say it.'

'Yes-'

'Yes what?'

'Yes...daddy...'

His lips tucked up once again, teeth glancing out slightly for your eye to catch sight on his diamond tooth, the piercing on his tongue rimmed around the crown of his teeth in excitement for how submissive you looked.

The gun moved to prod at your underwear, rubbing up and down your clothed cunt, your back arching slightly unconsciously at the feeling of the glock, bakugo observing your every move.

'You like that hm? Wow. You really are filthy.' He chuckled at his comment, your scared eyes never once leaving his. The thrill of his sadist mentality really being at the root of his mind right now. He wanted to ruin you. Wanted to show you whose really boss. Wanted to prove to you to NEVER fuck with him.

Adjusting you he slipped your legs on the side of the couch, his body kneeling down. Teeth biting down gently at the skin on your thighs, nearing towards your root, a clenched hiss escaping your lips as you could do nothing but deal with it.

His fingers prodded between your legs, moving your underwear aside. Eyes catching on the way you already have slick coating up your fold. Menacing feeling running through his blood as you whimpered at the thought of what he's gonna do next.

'So excited to just ruin you...' was the last words you heard before you felt his tongue quickly delve inside you, hard metal ball ringing around your g spot as you moaned, hands moving to cup your mouth to try not scream at the sensation. Body submitting to him even though you know this is so wrong.

You could feel his grunting, the way he breathed you in even whilst being so deep inside you. He was enjoying this more than you, the wetness of your body slathering against his lips as he needlessly made out with your pussy. Taste so divine to him, your body thrusting slightly against his jaw.

'M- gonna cum-' you whined, glasses pushed off to the side of the couch as head rolled. Legs closing against his neck at the feeling of him.

Quickly, you felt his tongue being joined with something else, the gun accompanying him, pushing against Your clit at the same time as him. Motion harsh yet so tempting. Cold material sending shivers up your body as you once again felt your blood run ice. Fear pulsating through you but you chased the need to cum.

'Yeah? Fucking slut...' he snickered. His tongue lapping at you again as your moans began to get louder, the gun prepping at your fluffy spot whilst your eyes flashed white - being pushed to the back of their sockets as you finally released over his face. Juices gushing over him as he drank up every last drop.

You felt fucked out your mind, emotions rambling all over the place.

Bakugo stood up, your eyes latching onto the way his cock strained at the sight of your terror. Lazily, he swiped at the state you made on your own gun. Watching how your slick shined off his fingers whilst he played with it infront of your eyes.

'Put your mouth to good use hm?'

His fingers neared towards your lips, darting inside your mouth as you temptingly sucked on his fingers. Hand gripping onto his wrist whilst he pushed it so far back you felt the restrain. Gagging noises slipping from you, tears once again dripping from your face from the surprise.

He quickly ripped off your shirt,hiking up your skirt onto your waist whilst your heels were the only thing left on you properly. Your hair lazily draped over your face whilst your body was flipped over. Ass pushed towards katsukis crotch, hips banging you slightly, his hard on making your eyes widen at the sheer feeling of him.

Rapidly your hair was yanked, face pulled back to meet his as he got harder at the sight of your swelling eyes, mascara and lipstick ruined, breasts sat pretty covered in water. Bra discarded to the side somewhere whilst he took in your state. You were an attractive woman none the less, he really scored jackpot with an idiotic dish like you - no need for his gun to have all the fun.

'Mm- please...' you drag out your pleads. Katsukis digits wrapped around your throat, squeezing down on your box whilst his humping got faster, clothed cock slapping against your cheeks.

'Beg for it slut.' He commanded, pace increasing faster.

'Please daddy please please please- wan' you so bad-'

'And I'm meant to be punishing you right now...'

You felt a long rip tear inside of you, loud screaming poured from your throat as your cunt was filled, loud slapping and sloppy noises occupying the room. Your ass hitting against his hips, skin mesmerised to his eyes whilst he watched the way it jiggled up and down. You could feel him getting even harder inside you, the gaping of your ass cheeks so mesmerising to him as you were spread and fingers pushed deep inside. Quickly you felt all three of your holes occupied. His palm almost touching your tongue from how deep he was shot inside your mouth. You could do nothing but drool and cry at the feeling of being so full. Stomach easily showing the way his cock bruised your cervix. His fingers pushed harshly inside your ass as he neared closer and closer to his edge.

'Fuck- your so fucking tig- m gonna cum-'

He pounded faster, rate increasing. Your cheeks glowing pink and vision black. Orgasm almost achieved just a few more hits to your G spot would have you gushing once again.

'Mmm....' You moaned aimlessly around his digits

Quickly you felt him release inside you, his cock stil relentlessly pounding into you as the way you screamed over his fingers turned him on further. Head falling back to just fuck his orgasm out. Soon after you followed, shared juices from the two of you mixed together. Your body slumped forth from the removal of all his inserts. Weak and tired figure under bakugos eyes. Your makeup stained cheeks were perceived from even behind you, your hair a state and once clean, neat clothes now thrown somewhere you couldn't care less about.

'Fuck-' you coughed out. Body heaving quickly to try catch your breath and recollect what's going on.

Sperm leaking out of your hole, your ass hole still spread from the feeling of his fist recklessly pounding inside you. Your drool marking the couch under you. You truly were fucked silly.

'Don't give up on me now. I still got many ways for you to redeem yourself...'