#would also help in why she was so adamant in not talking about bruno- it was an act!

[matt0044]

So... “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” is a bop, right?

It’s firmly supplanted “Let It Go” as Disney’s latest ear-worm until the next one comes along but it’s more than just a catchy ballard. It spells out how the Family Madrigal view him as a blight on their family name, especially when they’ve been a pillar of their community.

It also describes how rather than dealing with his problem and maybe helping him through it, they opted to just let him retreat into his room never to be seen again. Better to sweep it under the rug. However, this also proves to be a root in while the house is coming undone.

The message is clear: a family can’t stay as one so long as they can’t talk about their problems with each other. It’s why Mirabel doesn’t get a gift so she can be the outsider looking in.

Where is this going? Well... somebody just finished Voltron: Legendary Defender... and enjoyed it.

Here me out before you scroll away.

I had finished up to Season 7 along with Teen Titans three days before Season 8 dropped. I knew that fandom discourse would be a bear and opted to let the season simmer before I viewed it for myself a few Watch Lists down the road.

What I couldn’t have known was this overwhelming hate for Season 8. I was on Twitter where handles were being altered to include #FuckVoltron and the like. I glimpsed spoilers of what happened in the finale without getting into the dirty details.

Thus I decided to put it off until the heat died down. A whole half decade at that. With Fandom Drama down to near non-existent, I decided to return and engage with Voltron on its own terms from the start. No shipping drama, no expectations for how it should go, no accusations of problematic behavior and no Purple Lion conspiracies.

And... I liked it. I highly encourage those scared off by the drama or felt Season 8 did it dirty to give it a(nother) shot. It deserves a full on renaissance the way Twilight got.

Why? (spoilers ahead).

I was sold on Allura and Lance’s relationship. I loved how he went from being a flirt to genuinely admiring Allura as a leader and Paladin, encouraging her in the season 4 finale without trying to get anything out of it.

I liked the tonal shift around Season 7 where the ultimate Golion homage is made with the Space Explorers coming home to a war ravaged Earth.

I liked how human Lotor and Honerva were as villains coming after Zarkon. I can see why there’s a whole ass conspiracy framed around him actually being in Season 8. Also them taking that “Your mother was an Altean bitch” like and running with it for Hagger was brilliant.

Keith becoming the Black Paladin after Kuron’s reveal was well done and felt weirdly natural in retrospect. He feels like he can’t measure up to Shiro and learns more discipline from

Allura sacrificing herself to restore all realities felt a lot better with the knowledge of spoilers. It helps that the ending went with a more noble feel than angsty, showing how the Paladins strove make sure that her actions set an example for years to come.

I love that they got creative with the multiple alien species and kept the Alteans from being just humans in space like in the original. It really took inspiration from Vehicle Voltron with more aliens in the mix.

Shiro the Hero, as Crazy Coran put it. What can I say except that he’s the kind of character you call a Mary Sue if he wasn’t a guy. Always calm, always perservering, putting the mission first and being a pillar the team can lean on. He even creates his own Voltron out of the Atlas

Honestly, the whole Adam thing isn’t something I fully blame the writers given the producers pushing back. Mind you, I feel like Keith would’ve made a good endgame pairing with him if they had even out their ages when they first meet, both as teenage proteges.

Studio Mir was amazing, especially with the space battles. Honestly, if Robotech managed to make a comeback, I could totally see them being tapped to match the classic Anime style.

So... yeah. Voltron good actually.

[bruno-madrigal-writings]

Hello! I found your blog and got so excited because I've been looking for someone who writes for Encanto!! Can you please do something with Bruno and a tomboyish mechanic reader?

So like, even though Luisa is the strong one, she still doesn't know how to fix a busted pipe or car breaks, so this metalsmith and mechanic moves to Encanto and starts working there. And he meets her because she's like working under a car but when she slides out from underneath it he sees her face and just gets so flustered!!!

Like personally I'm very short (4' 11") but I also really like physical labor and I both make jewelry and do mechanics, so I'd love to see something like that. Thanks so much!! I hope you're doing well hun.

I’m not sure Encanto would have cars per say, but! I don’t see why they wouldn’t have some tractors!

The Mechanic -

Pairing: Bruno x fem!reader

1.1k words

Read on AO3

-

There was a new mechanic in town. 

Bruno had heard about it from members of the family, talking about how useful it was to have someone who knew what they were doing with mechanics and technology and the lot. They could actually use the tractors they had now that they had someone who knew how to fix them and keep them working. It was as exciting as town news got in Encanto, which meant everyone was talking about it.

It was on the third or fourth day after they moved into town that Alma decided it was about time to pay their new resident a visit. 

“Bruno, why don’t you come with me?”

His head snapped up from where he had been staring at his breakfast plate, eyes big.

“Real-really? Why? I mean, why me exactly? You could take Mirabel or Isabella or …”

“It’ll do you some good, Brunito, spending some time outside the house and meeting new people.”

And she said it with such finality, leaving no room for argument. He just winced and nodded. She was right, afterall. He needed to get out of his comfort zone. 

So, they walked in town together that day, arm and arm. His hands itched with the need to pull his hood up, the townspeople's eyes on him. Even after his ten year absence, they still held some … less than desirable beliefs about him and his gift. Mirabel had been very adamant about correcting them, convincing everyone else in the family to do the same. At least, she convinced the grandkids. Julieta and Pepa didn’t need convincing. 

He smiled, recalling when Pepa nearly struck that rude man with lightning when she heard what he had been saying about Bruno. Julieta was more than willing to sit back and watch, not doing a thing to prevent it. Bruno himself had to step in to calm them down.

The thought helped. He managed to get through town without pulling his hood up.

They came up to the mechanics shop. It had to be specially built after the new resident arrived, allowing a large doorway to fit whatever vehicle through so they can work on it properly. As they approached, Bruno could hear a radio playing, the grainy music filling the streat. It looked like they were already working on a tractor in the garage. All Bruno could see when they reached the large doorway was a pair of legs, the rest of the person managed to somehow fit under the vehicle. 

Alma cleared her throat and the figure froze before shouting.

“One sec, just let me finish … this … one thing …”

There was the sound of metal on metal, then shuffling as they finally pull themself out from underneath the machinery.

Bruno’s breath caught in his throat and he knew he was staring but he couldn’t look away.

She had to be the most beautiful woman he had even seen. Even if she was a bit dirty, oil smudges on the gray sleeveless shirt, well defined arms glistening with sweat. Her hair had so many flyaways, some strands sticking to her skin. Her eyes were the most beautiful he had ever seen, almost glowing with warmth, and her smile alone nearly knocked him off his feet.

Alma was saying something, but he wasn’t really processing what. Because he was staring, and he really shouldn’t be. He should look away. He should stare at something else, something that wouldn’t consider him rude for doing so.

With so much difficulty, more difficult than it should have been, he managed to tear his eyes away from her, glancing around the shop, at the different tools and parts and sheets of metal. He pretended they were the most interesting thing he had ever seen.

“Gracias! I’ve loved my time here so far, even if it has only been a few days.” He heard her saying. Even her voice was the most beautiful he had ever heard. “I feel so welcomed! I’m sure it won’t be long before it feels like home.”

“Fantástica! I’m so glad you found your way to us. We were in desperate need for a mechanic of your skill.” Bruno nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt someone grabbing at his elbow, looking over to his mother who was smiling politely. “And this is my only son, Bruno.” She presented him to the other woman.

He shuffled his feet nervously, forced to look down at the beautiful woman, her stunning smile now being given in his direction. 

“Uh, hi.”

“Hola! I’m Y/N. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She offered her hand, hesitantly, he took it, shocked by the strength of her handshake. 

“Um …”

He wasn’t sure what to say. What was he supposed to say to someone so effortlessly stunning? He raked his brain for something, anything, so he wasn’t just standing there like an idiot. 

“I like your necklace.” He finally landed on. It was true. She had a very beautiful necklace on, small plates of metal intricately carved with a swirling design and butterflies, each connected by a delicate chain, just big enough to hold it close around her neck.

She seemed flattered by the comment, the corner of her eyes crinkling, a hand going up to run a finger over it.

“Gracias, Bruno! I made it myself.”

“Really?” His mama said, stepping forward to stand by his side and get a good look for herself. “It’s quite beautiful. Do you sell them?”

“Ah,” She looked a bit nervous from the question. “No, I’ve never sold any of the jewelry I've made before. It’s … more of a hobby, really. Sometimes I’ll give pieces as gifts, but that’s about it.”

Alma hummed and nodded her head in acknowledgment, but looked unconvinced.

“You should consider it! I’m sure you would do well.”

She shrugged, looking like that was one of the last things she wanted to do.

“Perhaps. Some day.”

“I’m sure you’ll do well enough with mechanics, though.” Bruno offered with an encouraging smile. “You wouldn’t need to do jewelry if you didn’t want to.”

She looked a bit relieved to have the out from his mother’s pressure. She nodded, her perfect smile on him. He could feel his face heat up, the butterflies eating him from the inside out. He had to look away or he felt like he would burst, so he stared over at the tractor instead. Yes, what a very interesting tractor. Very fascinating.

He missed the glance the two women shared or the smirk on Y/N’s face. 

“I suppose we should be going.” Alma said. “I’m delighted to hear you’re settling in well. I hope we see each other again soon.”

“Gracias, Señora! Buenos dias!” 

Bruno didn’t really want to leave, even if the woman left him a flustered mess with just a smile. But, he dutifully followed his mother.

On the way out, he could hear her shout something that made his face heat up again.

“Bye, Bruno! See you again soon!”

He really hoped so.

[queen-scribbles]

The Long Burning Torch ch 3

Oh, look, another chapter for the 20s AU I started for the @shepherds-of-haven Summer Event, which has taken on a life of its own. In this chapter: A couple new (but familiar!) faces, and the plot thickens.

----

Five minutes into Ashtown proper, Xaeryn was exceedingly grateful for the directions Mr. Syndran had provided. He hadn’t been wrong comparing the place to a warren.

“You look lost, doll.”

Her head snapped up from the paper in her hand to meet the gaze of a lanky man lounging against a wall, a soft cap slouched down over his forehead. His--very familiar--green eyes were much more vivid in person than they had been in her scry.

Xaeryn arched a brow coolly. “And what led you to that conclusion?”

He smirked and pushed away from the wall. “The way you keep checking that paper for one, Sunshine.” His hands slid in his pockets. “Also, we don’t get dames that look like you here all that often. Anything I can help you find?”

“You’re awfully helpful,” Xaeryn said, resisting the urge to run a hand down her outfit.

He doffed his cap and sketched an exaggerated bow, giving her a wink when he righted. “Consider me the Ashtown welcoming committee.”

“And what a charming first impression you make.” Xaeryn regarded him for a moment or two more, then decided to see how things would play out. “I’m trying to find Chase Trinaeste.”

The man’s eyes twinkled, bright as the scarf tossed ‘round his neck. “I think I can help with that. Right this was, Sunshine,” he said blithely, as if he wasn’t the aforementioned Trinaeste himself.

A large part of Mr. Syndran’s adamant belief Thieves guild had been involved in the theft rode on Trinaeste’s presence in her scryed vision. “He trusts his lieutenants with the vast majority of their... jobs,” Mr. Syndran had explained, nose wrinkling slightly in distaste.  “His being there shows it was a heist of high importance to their gang, fitting the theft of an artefact.” 

Xaeryn had no reason to doubt his logic. But she’d be a fool to show all the cards she held at the outset.

“My name is not ‘sunshine’,” she said briskly instead.

“Well, then, doll, what am I calling ya?” Trinaeste asked, unruffled by her tone.

“Miss Shrike will do for now, I think. And what do I call you?”

“Who says you need to call me anything?” he returned as he led her down several new streets in quick succession.

“It might come in handy if I want to commend your hospitality to Mr. Trinaeste,” she countered, trying her best to memorize their route. Left, left, right...

“I’ll get by, Miss Shrike,” Trinaeste said with a light laugh.

He was very good at dodging, she did have to give him that. “For politeness’ sake, then. Perhaps I’d feel better about following you into the depths of Ashtown if I at least knew your name.”

He laughed again, pausing by a wall decorated with a... creative interpretation of a cat’s head. “Well, then. I have a confession to make, in that case.”

“Oh?” Xaeryn marked the two brunos nearby--one down an alley, the other lounging by a door--despite their affected nonchalance. “And what would that be?”

“Chase Trinaeste at your service.” He skipped the exaggerated bow this time, instead shoving his hands in his pockets, elbows akimbo, and grinning at her cheekily. “Now that you’ve found me, what do you plan to do with me?”

“First thing that comes to mind is ask why we couldn’t have the introductions back where we first spoke?”

“Let’s say I feel safer on home turf, doll. Just in case your reason for wanting me is less fun than I’m hoping.”

She glanced significantly at one of the toughs. “And if this arrangement doesn’t thrill me?”

“You can leave,” Trinaeste said with a shrug. “We ain’t going to stop you.” His grin widened, cat-like. “But you seem the type who doesn’t like leaving empty-handed, Miss Shrike.” He gestured toward the door next to one member of their small audience. “Whatever it is you’re after, I think we’ll be more comfortable in my office, don’t you?”

She doubted he cared between the two locations as strongly as she doubted it was an actual office, but Xaeryn did have to admit some privacy for this conversation would be a good thing. “Do I strike you as the type to just follow strange men into unfamiliar buildings, Mr. Trinaeste?”

He laughed. “A dangerous question, doll. You strike strike me as the type who enjoys a good mystery.”

(Or even a bad one, Xaeryn finished wryly to herself.)

Trinaeste raised his hands in a gesture of innocence. “On my honor as head of the guild, I promise you will leave in the same condition and carrying the same things as when you got here, so long as you don’t threaten me or mine.”

“A fair deal,” she said in assent, and nodded toward the door. “After you.”

Red would have a heart attack if he knew what she was doing. She swallowed a laugh at the thought; less than a week reconnected and his reaction was one of the first things to cross her mind. Her gut said it would be a worthwhile risk. While Trinaeste was indisputably a dangerous man, there was a clear sense of ‘only when necessary’ to his skill that gave her confidence she would be fine.

“One more condition,” Trinaeste said as he led the way into the building. “Call me Chase. No idea who ‘Mr. Trinaeste’ is, but he sounds too high-class to be me.”

He’d kowtowed to her chosen address easily enough, and she did want him amenable to talking. She could grin and bear the informality for one conversation. “Very well.”

They didn’t go far from the outer door before Chase swung to the side through another doorway. Xaeryn almost tripped over the abruptness as she followed. There was no desk, or any other typical office furniture save chairs. There were five of those; loosely grouped on one side of the room. Opposite them a stack of shipping crates were shoved against a tapestry-hung wall. It was eclectic and flamboyant and (she’d just bet) full of secrets. A perfect match for the man now flopped in one of the fairly-comfortable looking chairs and grinning at her again.

“So, Miss Shrike, what did you want from me?”

(From the way his eyes twinkled, that phrasing was very much on purpose.)

Xaeryn chose her seat and her reply with equal care; the former so she could see both her host and the door, the latter to convey intent without accusing. Yet. “I’m investigating a theft and have reason to believe you may have seen something helpful.”

Chase laughed. “You think I did it.”

“You do helm the Thieves guild, Chase,” she said lightly, crossing her legs and flicking dust off her hem. So much for trying to be subtle.

“Fair point,” he conceded with another laugh, before leaning forward to brace his elbows on his knees and his chin on his palms with still-twinkling eyes. “So, what is it you think we stole?”

“An artefact.”

She was interrupted before giving a description as Chase’s grin went cat-like gain and the twinkle in his eyes shifted to a hard glitter. “Syndran set you on us, didn’t he? What did he lose?”

“Mr. Syndran didn’t lose anything. Transit is a possibility for when a piece was stolen,” Xaeryn said primly. “And while, yes, he may have pointed me in your direction as an avenue of investigation, I wouldn’t be much of a detective if I followed accusations that lacked supporting evidence.”

“Ah, you’re a private dick,” Chase smirked, eyes once again twinkling in amusement. “Tell you what, Miss Shrike, since you bein’ here is bountiful evidence Riel’s people not only dropped the ball, but bad enough he doesn’t want to involve the cops, I’ll tell you whatever you need to help. That being the best news I’ve had this week and all.”

She arched a brow. “Whatever I need?”

He spread his hands. “I’m an open book, doll.”

“Chase!” a new voice scolded. The owner, a slender brunette, paused in the doorway to scowl along with her critique. “You know better than to offer open season on guild secrets like that!”

“Calm down, Ari.” Chase slouched back, waving one hand in Xaeryn’s direction. “Our guest seems a smart enough dame to not ask for more than she needs.” That glimpse of danger was back under the last word.

“I’m not after your secrets,” Xaeryn promised. “Just trying to find a missing artefact.”

“And what artefact would that be?” Ari asked, still wary, and still poised in the doorway. Xaeryn noted but didn’t comment on the jangling stack of bracelets that sheathed a good three inches of the other woman’s wrist.

“A pendent, this big.” she indicated the size. “Black stone and bronze.”

“Wasn’t us,” Chase said easily.

“You were witnessed along the transport caravan’ route.”

“Oh, we were casing it,” he acknowledged with a wink.

“Chase!”

He just grinned at Ari’s beratement. “We didn’t steal anything, though. Couldn’t get a good shot at what we were supposed to nick.”

“Supposed to?” Xaeryn interjected. “So this is something you were contracted to steal rather than...” She waffled a moment over word choice, “...personal?”

“Yeah. Like I said, though, we didn’t get anything.” Chase shrugged. “Just as well; our butter and egg man never showed his face after.”

“Hm.” Xaeryn made a mental note to look into how popular a target the caravan had become. “Did you notice anyone else who seemed to be casing it? Aside from your people?”

“N-” Chase’s brow furrowed and he stopped mid-negative reply. “There was that one mug Kato saw right before the trucks made the museum lot. Don’t have anything more than ‘foreign-looking’ and green hair, and he didn’t see where he went, just was a little too casual in his loitering, gave Kato an odd impression.”

It wasn’t a lead solid enough for her to really follow, but it did seem confirmation multiple parties were interested in the caravan. “I see. And what was your... client after?”

“That’s not something you need to know,” Ari said firmly.

“Knowing what else was and might yet be targeted will help my investigation, so I would have to disagree,” Xaeryn said just as firmly. “I’m not going to rat you out, in fact I plan to tell Mr. Syndran you were not responsible. But this information could be useful. Please.”

“A necklace. Gold, rubies, opals; sounded worth a pretty lyss,” Chase said, turning to flash a grin at Ari. “She did say please.”

Ari sighed but didn’t protest.

“Alright I’ll be getting out of your hair, then.” Xaeryn stood, smoothing her skirt. “I appreciate your talking to me, It was enlightening.”

She held out a hand to shake, and Chase kissed the back of it instead, shooting her a wink as she rolled her eyes. “Not a problem, Miss Shrike. Good luck catching your bad guys.”

Xaeryn couldn’t help a small chuckle at the comment as she withdrew her hand and headed for the door. She half-expected to be blocked from exiting, but that proved unfounded. She retraced the route to the edge of the Ashtown district, then headed for her office to call Mr. Syndran just as it started to rain.

---

Her call to update Mr. Syndran went about as well as it could; he was disappointed Thieves guild hadn’t panned out as a lead--Xaeryn detected some personal disappointment as well as professional they weren’t responsible. “Do you have anything beyond their word they didn’t do it?”

“No,” Xaeryn said, leaning forward over her desk to skim her notes as they talked. “Well... their word and a gut feeling they were being level.” Which is all I really have that you aren’t responsible. She was polite--and wise--enough to not make the comparison. “They were hardly going to let me search their warehouse.”

“So what’s your next step? There’s not long until the exhibit opens, and I dislike the number of dead ends you’ve encountered.”

“Oh, I’m not happy about them, either, believe me.” Xaeryn pursed her lips and fought to keep a sharp note out of her voice at his implied censure. “Next is talking to the curator at the Hall. They may have seen this green-haired foreigner Thieves guild mentioned, or something else suspicious that didn’t show when I scryed. Either way, I can get more information about the exhibit and the pendent’s owner.”

Mr. Syndran sighed. “I highly doubt this convenient and vague ‘foreigner’ exists as anything other than a red herring to lead you away from the Thieves guild, but your other goals are sound. Let me know what you learn, if anything.”

“Of course.” They exchanged farewells and hung up. Rain still pattered against the window, and a quiet growl from her stomach reminded Xaeryn she was overdue for lunch, so she bumped back calling the Hall in favor of a quick bite to eat.

And it was quick; she loved mysteries but hated being stymied at every turn like this case had done. She wanted a workable lead. While she agreed with Mr. Syndran the ‘foreigner’ was too vague to pursue on his own, green hair was far from common in Haven, even in the Mage community. If someone else made mention or he was spotted later, it wouldn’t be hard to connect the sightings. For now, she’d call the museum, speak to the curator. Hopefully that would get her somewhere.

The secretary who answered her call sounded both bored and frazzled, which Xaeryn found impressive. “Haven Hall of History and Culture, how may I help you?”

“My name’s Xaeryn Shrike, I wanted to speak to the curator about-”

“Ms. Acquell is very busy,” the receptionist cut her off. “We have an exhibit opening in just over a week, she doesn’t have time for meetings with random curiosity seekers or history aficionados right now.”

Xaeryn let a bit of edge color her voice. “I’m a private detective Mr. Syndran hired in regard to the artefact caravan.”

A long pause, the line crackling with silence, then, “Can you be here in half an hour? I’m sure she can clear some space in her schedule, though there may be  bit of a wait.”

I thought you might say that. “I can. Thank you.”

“Very well.” The secretary hung up.

Xaeryn arched a brow at the receiver before she placed it back in the cradle.  “See you shortly,” she muttered. Wonderful attitude for someone in such a socially involved position. She glanced out the window and was gratified to find the rain slacking off. She’d still drive, of course, but it would be less of a headache.

Xaeryn cleaned up from her lunch, gave her outfit a quick check to ensure it was still presentable after her visit to Ashtown and the Merchants Guild garage, and tucked her notepad back in her handbag before tugging on a hat and heading out the door. 

The drive to the museum was uneventful aside from a couple pot holes and a pedestrian chasing his umbrella into the street with nary a regard for traffic. Still, Xaeryn did arrive in one piece. A determined breeze tugged at her as she made her way up the steps, and she almost dropped her handbag in her instinctive grab to hold her hat on.

It’s pinned, you silly goose, she chided herself ruefully, and brushed drizzle off her clothes as she stepped inside. She exchanged a brief conversation--light on pleasantries--with the receptionist,and was waved toward one of the long cultural wings to wait for when Curator Acquell found a moment to speak with her. She perched on a bench that sat between a statue of the first High Augar and a glass case displaying a map of the known world at the time. At this hour and with this weather, there weren’t many other people, and the gallery was mostly quiet.

Ample opportunity for Xaeryn to ruminate on the irony her chosen seat appeared to be smack in the middle of an exhibit on the Castigation, or one of the uprisings that followed. At least, if the painting across from her was anything to go by; a group of determined Norms gripping pistols as they surrounded a cluster of bloodied but unyielding Hunters whose hands glowed with grace as they clung to their weapons...

Xaeryn shook her head and very deliberately focused on reading her notes.

---

It took half an hour--closer to three-quarters--and Xaeryn had switched to roaming the gallery to take in the sights before a short, bespectacled blonde approached.

She hesitated briefly but noticeably before clearing her throat. “Are you... Miss Shrike?”

Xaeryn nodded and held out a hand to shake. “And you would be the curator?”

The blonde bobbed her head as she shook her hand. “Shery Acquell. I’m so very sorry about the wait.” She smoothed a hand down her rumpled brown and pink dress. “We’re terribly busy trying to get the new exhibit together.” She bit her lip. “Or, as together as we can get it, at least.”

“That’s actually what I’m here to talk to you about,” Xaeryn said. “But I think it’s something better discussed away from potential prying eyes and ears.”

“Oh, right, of course.” Miss Acquell briefly clasped her hands in front of her and bit her lip. “This way.” She gestured to a door. “We can speak in the Cultures of Blest wing if you don’t mind dodging crates and museum staff?”

“Not at all,” Xaeryn said as she followed the other woman through the indicated door. Getting to see behind the scenes of a museum exhibit was the opposite of an inconvenience, to her mind.

“It’s not terribly exciting, I’m afraid; lots of boxes and dust and swapping things around until you find the right arrangement. But I think we can find somewhere to talk. My office is a mess right now, or we could just go there.”

“It’s fine,” Xaeryn assured her. “A little dust won’t kill me. I dress practical for that very reason; no telling where an investigation will take me.”

“OH, that’s... smart.” Miss Acquell fiddled with her glasses and inclined her head toward an empty display pedestal. “That’s where the pendent will go, assuming it’s back before the exhibit opens.” Her face went red and she winced apologetically. “N-Not that I doubt your skill as a detective, Miss Shrike, it just seems to have vanished into thin air, and, well....” She half shrugged and let the words trail off.

“I’ve definitely hit enough dead ends for the comparison to be apt,” Xaeryn said, swallowing the spike of defensiveness to keep her tone level as she peeked at the other artefacts in the case. A belt with a snake-head buckle, a silver circlet set with a single moonstone, an ornately carved hair comb, a silver ring that resembled a basilisk eating its own tail. At least one item hummed quietly with magic of some kind, but enchantment and binding weren’t her forte, so Xaeryn couldn’t tell which. “So, to confirm, how long did the shipment sit before you and your staff started opening crates?”

“Oh, an hour?” Miss Acquell bit her lip. “Maybe two, at most? There was a... small kerfuffle in the art wing; some unruly children, and we didn’t get to the crates until that was settled. But there was a watchman outside and one in the museum, neither of them reported seeing anyone.” She played with her necklace. “As well as a Whitestone Couriers representative. Pink-haired young lady, very irate by the time I spoke to her, though that is understandable, with how long we kept her waiting.”

“Did you not have enough staff for someone to take care of the artefacts while others handled the... disturbance?”

“Normally we would have.” Miss Acquell stepped into a small alcove to move their conversation out of the way for the six or so staffers busily yet carefully removing things from crates to arrange in various displays. “But it was a lightly staffed day--Thursdays are usually slow--and I had a couple people who didn’t come in. We weren’t able to find anyone who could cover their shifts, so we were running a bit short.”

With Ms. Aerin keeping an eye on the artefacts once they reached the museum, it was no wonder Mr. Syndran was so convinced a potential theft would have occurred during transit. “What do you know about the pendent, Solimer’s torch? I’ve learn some things of its history, but what of more recent years? The last century or so?”

“A little,” Miss Acquell said, flicking a nervous glance to the side as a pair of workers fumbled the statue they were shifting. “The last century is a bit... muddy for that pendent. It’s changed hands several times, several people have made claims, few have been able to back them up. The current owner, Ms. Aescar, has the strongest claim. She can trace ancestry to the last known owner of the pendent.”

“Prior to the cheiftain of debated identity with whom it was rediscovered?”

She nodded. “Yes. The others who have tried to stake ownership claim ties to the debated chieftain, or the original tribe, or the first to conquer them, but none have ever clearly proven a connection like Ms. Aescar. And if they could, it turns into a debate predicated largely on the intricacies of right of conquest for who has the strongest claim.” She hesitated, wrung her hands. “There are some in the historical community--niche as this piece may be--who... feel it would almost be better if no further claims are validated. I-If someone can contest Ms. Aescar’s ownership, the pendent has to go in a vault until true provenance can be determined. Which means no one can display it....”

“And that process can take a very long time,” Xaeryn finished for her. It was an issue she’d run into a couple times during her years at Solhadur; an artefact she was researching was hard to get clear information about because three people had equally strong claims and it was tied up in the arbitration.

“Yes, it can.” Miss Acquell pursed her lips and looked back at the intended display. “For now, though, Ms. Aescar has a very open policy for lending it out. Far fewer requested protective measures than most. It’s as if...” she paused, brow furrowing for a moment, “as if she doesn’t really care what happens to it.”

Interesting. “Do you have her contact information? I’d like to speak with her if I could,”

“I do.” Miss Acquell nodded vigorously. “It’s in my office, so I’ll need a minute to dig it out.”

“No hurry,” Xaeryn said. “Are those watchmen here today by any chance? Accommodating as your staff has been with my other earlier inquiries, I haven’t gotten to talk to them yet.”

The curator, who had started for a nearby hall, paused and bit her lip again as she thought. “Theo is,” she finally said. “He was watching the outside lot that day. Today I think he’s in the exhibit on Norm innovation? But I can’t remember for sure. The schedule’s also in my office, I can check while I’m getting Ms. Aescar’s information.”

“Alright, I can wait.”

“Feel free to look around.” Miss Acquell waved a hand toward the progressing displays. “Just don’t touch anything? Some things would survive, but others are too fragile.”

“I generally avoid disturbing museum exhibits,” Xaeryn assured her. “I’ll keep my hands to myself.” 

With a final nod and small nervous smile, Miss Acquell scurried off down the hall. From the way she’d talked about her office, Xaeryn gathered this might take more than a few minutes. She wandered through the half-assembled exhibits and display cases, careful to keep enough distance she didn’t disturb the staff or risk damaging anything.

A small smile curved her lips when she caught sight of a necklace--complete with matching cuff bracelets and a diadem--that fit the description of what Chase claimed his guild had been hired to steal. That backed his story up, at least. There was a placard declaring they had belonged to a Queen-Consort from Karzai once upon a time.

Xaeryn was engrossed in reading a Kettish tablet when Miss Acquell returned, and it took a moment to register her presence. In fact, it wasn’t until the curator cleared her throat timidly that Xaeryn’s focus was broken and she swung around.

“Sorry. This sort of thing is a passion of mine,” she explained. “Very easy to slip off to my own little world when I get a chance to indulge.”

“I understand,” Miss Acquell said with a faint smile. “I can be the same, when I get lost in my work. Here’s Ms. Aescar’s information” --she held out a small piece of note paper--”though I should warn you it’s for her estate out near the Jalis desert and she’s apparently not home much? Bit of an adventuress, away for weeks at a time without word of how long she’ll be gone. I’m honestly not sure if we’ve managed to contact her yet to tell her the pendent’s missing.”

“Thanks for the warning, both of them.” Xaeryn slipped the paper in her handbag after checking the legibility. “I’ll keep them in mind.”

“Theo is up in the innovations exhibit, if you want to speak with him.”

“Oh, I very much do. And if something comes up and I need to talk to you again, do you have daily office hours?”

Miss Acquell nodded, then blushed. “Oh, except... except Sunday,” she amended. “I-I have church.”

“Won’t be a problem, so do I.” Normally not a detail Xaeryn shared with strangers, but the woman seemed braced for blowback to the statement.

Her face lit up with the revelation, so it was apparently a good call. “Oh, really? Where do you go?”

“The Whitestone Cathedral,” Xaeryn said. She liked the crowds, the ability to simply sit in the back, worship, and slip out before too many people even noticed she was there and tried to be chummy.

“Oh, that one’s too big for me,” Miss Acquell blurted with a bashful laugh. “I go to the chapel over by the docks.”

“I know it,” Xaeryn said with a nod. She’d had a couple cases over that way.  “Thank you very much for all your help, Miss Acquell. This visit has been very informative.”

“I’m glad to have been of help, and you can just call me Shery.” She held out a hand to shake farewell.

“Goodbye, then, Shery. And good luck setting up your exhibit.” Xaeryn shook her hand then headed off following signage toward the exhibit where this guard Theo was posted. She had some rather burning questions to ask him.

---

Her conversation with Theo held mixed success. His memory was fuzzy, which Xaeryn had expected after the time that had passed. He did remember some loiterers, but they were all far enough away from the lot he couldn’t discern features. One or two may have come across as “too casual” with hindsight, but he hadn’t clocked them as suspicious and thus hadn’t paid much mind in the moment. No accounting for street hooligans and how they spent their time, right? One might have had green hair, but they were wearing hats, and “like I said, I wasn’t payin’ much heed, Miss Lady Detective,” so he couldn’t swear by it.

With that tenuous connection possibly made slightly less tenuous, and a much-increased desire to speak with the elusive Ms. Aescar, Xaeryn wandered the museum a bit--might as well; she was here and it would help her think--before heading back out to her car.

“Ladies first,” a dark haired gentleman said, holding the front door open for her and allowing her to precede him down the steps.

Xaeryn nodded and flashed a brief smile of courteous thanks for his chivalry, noting he headed for a gleaming, high-end motorcar, black with red accents, that made hers look dingy.  Bet it’s a nightmare to keep that fancy, she thought, paying the man no further mind. She started her car and flicked on the headlights to counter the settling dim of evening as she pulled away.

With her thoughts split between the road and mulling over the case, it took a few turns for her to notice a pair of headlights that appeared to be following the same route she was. That wasn’t terribly unusual, but the fact they were deliberately keeping back was. Tricky as surreptitious glances in a motorcar could be, Xaeryn managed one the next time she had to stop for traffic. Just as her... friend passed under a streetlight.

Black car, with red accents.

Gooseflesh prickled up her arms, and she shifted her planned route home to one with sparse enough traffic covert pursuit would be impossible. Two turns into the new path, her tail must have picked up on her plan and lammed off down a side street. Xaeryn wondered if he thought he was being subtle, and kept a careful eye out the rest of the way back. Despite not seeing any further tails, she remained on guard until she turned the key in her office door, slipped in, and locked it behind her.

“Intriguing development,” she murmured to the empty room as she unpinned her hat. And an interesting end to a very full day. Xaeryn sat wearily at her desk and kicked off her shoes. Even choosing comfort over style, her feet were sore from all the walking. Merchants’ Guild, Ashtown, the Hall... and barely a chance to sit all day. She returned her notepad to the desk drawer and locked it again, but left the stiletto blade in her handbag. She’d likely need it tomorrow anyway. Particularly if it was anywhere near as busy as today.

Busy enough to have missed any telephone calls that came while I was gadding about. Normally while already on a case, that would bother her less, but Red had said he’d call if he learned anything new. She’d hate to be missing information that could help the case, she mused, flicking a glance from the telephone to the clock on her wall. Hopefully this wasn’t too late for her to call him. She dug her notepad back out and flipped through the pages until she reached the section in Red’s sprawling shorthand. There, on the back of a previous page, tucked in the corner like a random doodle, was his office telephone number. Xaeryn smiled at the close resemblance of his eights and zeroes, but knew her own ones and sevens weren’t much better.

After only a brief moment of further hesitation, she pulled the telephone closer and started dialing. It wasn’t that late.

It was answered on the third ring, a slightly breathless, “Hello?”

“Liefred?”

“Xaeryn.” There was a note of surprise in his voice.

“Got it in one, smart man.” But I knew that.

He laughed. “Not that hard; you’re just about the only one who insists on calling me that, even if you don’t need to.” There was a small creak that conjured mental images of him leaning against the desk or slouched in his chair.  “Everything alright? Did you need something?”

“Other way ‘round, actually.” Xaeryn fiddled with her notepad. “I’ve had a busy day and it occurred I wasn’t here much if you’d called, so I thought I’d check.”

“There are these people called secretaries, Xaeryn,” Red teased. “You might look into hiring one of them.”

“I know, I know.” She snorted softly. “Especially since most people don’t have your genial reaction to me missing their calls...”

“Most people haven’t known you since you were a gangly fourteen year old trying to cram yourself in the library loft to read in peace, either,” he said warmly. “I know how focused you get. And nothing new, I’m afraid. I got stuck lecturing first-years all day.”

“And you survived,” Xaeryn laughed, curling her toes in and out when they started to cramp.  

“Barely,” Red said with a rueful laugh(she’d bet he was running a hand through his hair). “And that despite their best efforts.”

“See, this is why I didn’t want to stick around,” she said, only half-joking.

“Smart woman,” he deadpanned. “But I knew that already.”

Flatterer. It sounded coy and thus stayed in her head, replaced with an equally joking, “I won’t guest lecture, before you ask.”

“Damn,” he said lightly, “At any rate, I’m sorry I don’t have more yet-”

“Don’t apologize,” she cut him off. “I wasn’t expecting anything. Only checking. Just in case. Your responsibilities come first and they kept you busy today. I had plenty of other leads to chase today.”

“Where did they take you?” Red asked. “You mentioned being busy...”

“Merchants’ Guild to start. Then Ashtown-”

“Xaeryn.” His voice was already bristling worry.

“--to talk to Thieves’ guild.”

“Alone?! Ryn-” Red huffed a sigh of exasperated, retroactive concern and she bit back a laugh at how well she’d pegged his reaction. “Do you... take risks like that often?”

“Only when I need to,” she said carefully. Wouldn’t be mentioning the tail on her way home, then. “I know how to handle myself, Liefred. I was polite, we talked, I left. It was fine.”

A long moment of silence. “If you say so.” He didn’t sound completely convinced. (She decided not to tell him her office-apartment sat right by the boundary between Astown and Smoketown) “What else?”

“Just the Hall of History and Culture to speak with the curator.” She shifted in her chair. “That one took a while, but I got some good information to follow up tomorrow.”

“Best of luck with that, and... be careful?”

Xaeryn smiled fondly, unsure whether or not to hope it carried into her voice. “As I can be.” A beat, then she added lightly, “I’d hate to wind up a cautionary tale in one of your lectures, Headmaster.”

“Xaeryn.” She could practically see him trying to glower at her(and failing; Red couldn’t be that mean) through the telephone. “I’m serious.”

“I know.” And I appreciate it. She sobered her tone to match his. “But my line of work comes with risks sometimes.The best I can do is promise not to exacerbate them.”

“I’ll take it,” Red said softly, then was quiet a long moment. “I should let you go; it sounds like you have another busy day tomorrow?”

“I do.” She’d still stay up til midnight talking to him in a heartbeat, but, “and you probably need to recover from this one.”

“Mm. I get to do it again tomorrow, too,” he said glibly.

Xaeryn laughed. “I’ll keep you in my thoughts,” she said with mock solemnity  “Good luck to you, as well, in that case.”

“Thank you, I’ll need it,” Red chuckled softly. “Goodnight, Xaeryn.”

“Goodnight, Liefred.”

She stared at the telephone a long moment after hanging up, smile curling her lips, before pushing out of the chair. After a day like this, she needed dinner, a hot bath, and a good night’s sleep. In that order.

She still double checked the door was locked before turning in.

----

(what you don’t see, bc I stuck with Ryn POV, is Pan was in Red’s office with him when she called. :3 Cue Pan promptly batting his eyelashes, making exaggerated lovestruck faces, and generally being a little shit bc He Knows, while Red’s gesturing for Pan to GET OUT of his office. and trying to get him to listen without actually talking so Ryn doesn’t know someone’s there(he doesn’t know why he doesn’t want her knowing that, he just doesn’t). Pan finally relents but hangs in the hallway til they’re done and comes back in with the biggest shit-eating grin “You’re still stuck on her, aren’t you?” Red, groaning and burying his face in his hands: “Pan, close your head, PLEASE. yes”)

[ddarker-dreams]

How do all the other stands feel ab sr? I’m sure they all somewhat get along, right?

i’ve been wanting to give a longer, traditional hc style post about this!! since you’ve asked it’s the perfect opportunity to express my thoughts on it. it’s more of a combination of SR with the user and their stand, i hope that’s okay hjrktme

Bruno Bucciarati;

Sticky Fingers is the first Stand from Bucciarati’s group that you got to see! So there’s a special place in your heart for it. By extension, Bruno was the first person to see Scarlet Ribbons. SR was very inquisitive during their initial meeting, since it’s the first time she ever saw a Stand other than herself. She was looking around a lot, and lowkey wondering where are this things bows at?? 

Though Stand powers wildly vary from one another, Bruno was able to give you a general explanation of what to expect from SR. He didn’t want to go too overboard with advice because he feels a natural fighting style stemming from your own abilities/instinct is best, especially since your Stand is created from your soul. He basically just told you to go with your gut, which at the time felt a bit frustrating... it turned out to be good advice though! 

Sticky Fingers and SR have almost opposite abilities in a way? SR can close up gaps whereas Sticky Fingers opens them up. It’s not uncommon that when you and Bruno are chatting, that your respective Stands are just kinda messing around in the distance. Sticky Fingers likes making zippers in walls, and SR tries to see if she can close them with ribbons... it doesn’t work like that, but it’s kinda endearing to see them interact with one another lmao.

Giorno Giovanna;

It’s gonna be super cute okay. Giorno in general might give the impression of knowing what he’s doing when it comes to romance, but he really is just winging it and kinda going ??? the entire time. Meanwhile, Gold Experience is going ham with SR, pulling all the stops to impress her (and you, by extension). His Stand makes flowers of a striking red color, trying to match the shade of SR’s ribbons!! Mostly poppies, tulips, and occasionally roses. 

Giorno is kinda curious how SR seems to be out a lot of the time, he’s thinking should I do the same thing with GE...? You’ll be doing exercises, and SR is there bringing a water bottle over to you. Or when you’re cooking, SR is hovering over your shoulder wanting to help out as well. She’s just almost always around, even if only in the background to explore her surroundings. It makes Giorno let GE out more often, subconsciously. 

He does ask you about it once, and you just kinda shrug and say SR likes the freedom to do as she pleases. Since she isn’t rambunctious like Pistols, you don’t see the harm in letting her roam around.  

Gold Experience wants to try making ribbons, but the best it can do is creating ribbon eels. It’s not quite the same, but it’s a solid effort. Giorno just has to stop GE from putting the ribbon eel on his head in the same way SR has a ribbon on hers. Mista was around to witness this historical event, and no, he does not intend on letting Giorno live it down. Giorno’s grateful he stopped it from actually happening though. 

Guido Mista;

Let’s just say your Stands together can be pretty chaotic. The first time you met Mista, and he realized you were a Stand user like himself, he had a very pressing question. When you showed him SR, he looked at it for a moment, as if in deep thought. 

“D-does... yours talk too?” 

Mista passed Polpo’s test only to be gifted talented, albeit troublesome little gremlins. Before he realized giving Pistols food is a reliable method of calming them down, it was a war zone. One of the mornings where the two of you had to do some standard protection fee collection, he looked like a borderline zombie. Lamenting that the Pistols refused to let him sleep, and asked if you’d please use SR to cover their mouths lmao. They were protesting the entire time, trying to convince you not to do it.

When Number Five starts crying, SR makes a little ribbon to put on his head!! It’s super cute and Mista’s heart is just leaping in his chest. Then, of course, all the other Pistols want one bc equal attention!! When the two of you aren’t paying solid attention to your Stands, you’ll sometimes spot SR testing how many accessories she can fit on the tiny Pistols. It isn’t a lot but they’re insistent on trying. 

Pistols are always trying to get SR to do crazy stunts for their entertainment. Eventually, you had to lock your refrigerator with her ribbons to prevent the Pistols from stealing your food. But when you’re busy, the Pistols keep trying to convince SR to undo them so they can snack. She actually felt bad for them once, released the restriction, and the Pistols went to town on your leftovers. : (

Mista felt pity for you though and offered to take you out to get more food!! So it all worked out for his benefit in the end. The Pistols do not take issue in reminding him of this as well, saying that they’re the reason he got to go on a date with you. :’ )

Pannacotta Fugo;

He remained fiercely adamant on keeping Purple Haze from you for the longest time. Fugo hates how his Stand practically comes out of its own autonomy whenever you’re in the vicinity, wanting to get a closer look at you. There have been a lot of close calls when you first got to know when another, leading to Fugo abruptly leaving in conversations. 

Your Stands get along well once Fugo feels comfortable enough to let Purple Haze out around you. Since SR is a long ranged Stand, she can do her cute ribbon tricks from a distance outside of the virus’ range!! Though she has a habit of trying to get closer, just out of curiosity. Fugo gets freaked out when this happens though, so she waits until he’s distracted with talking to you (a little genius)! 

Purple Haze makes the biggest puppy dog eyes at SR, which humiliates Fugo to no end. He gives his Stand intense talks when you’re not around, telling him to keep it cool, he doesn’t want you thinking he’s an idiot. But as soon as he even mentions SR, Purple Haze gets all thrilled and is like !!! So it’s ultimately counterproductive. Fugo just hopes you don’t put two and two together, over why his soul likes yours so much. It’s his daily prayer...

Fugo has an embarrassing habit of doodling ribbons on stuff he’s working on, when he starts zoning out. When he realizes what it is he’s doing he gets flustered about it, cursing underneath his breath and hoping that you don’t happen to come by and notice. Unfortunately for him, as SR likes to see what everyone is up to, she came over and saw what he was doing. After putting two and two together, she gave him a nod and a thumbs up on his doodles. Didn’t snitch to you though, so the two of them have a mutual understanding. :’)

Narancia Ghirga;

He wants so badly to impress you with Aerosmith. Narancia will whip his Stand out in your presence at any given opportunity, having it do a few flips and tricks more than necessary. Then he stares over to see what you and SR think about it... she once clapped in Aerosmith’s honor. It was all Narancia could think about for the rest of the day. 

The two Stands typically just play around with one another. Aerosmith likes to make little ribbon shaped clouds, and SR attempts making a plane shape out of her ribbons. It’s not quite the same, but she’s trying!! Narancia finds it adorable, and tries to make requests of shapes and stuff for her to make. SR does her best to fulfill the requests, concentrating hard on the task!!

Since SR enjoys making hair accessories, she’s tried to make a bandanna similar to Narancia’s for you. Though she ultimately scrapped the idea, giving you a disapproving look and fastening it back into the normal bow it normally is lmao. When you mentioned this behavior to Narancia he was like wait, what?? Lemme see! But if SR doesn’t find something fashionable, she doesn’t have any intention on doing it again. So he’s outta luck...

It doesn’t stop him from asking about it. He just can’t believe that your Stand thought about him when he wasn’t around!! It touched him in a way he never knew possible. It’s also a bit of a relief since you’re often the subject of his thoughts. 

Leone Abbacchio;

Similar in a sense to Fugo, where he didn’t want Moody Blues around you that much at first. He takes a much more serious approach to his Stand than others, since it’s deeply rooted in his past trauma. It’d actually be one of the few moments he might snap at you, should you ask to see his Stand one too many times. Not out of malicious intent, he’s just... very disillusioned with Moody Blues at first.

You two had a job which required some investigative work, the client having seemingly disappeared with some goods that belonged to Passione. Figuring out what happened with the merchandise was essentially child’s play for Moody Blues, a replay showing the full extent of the events. Abbacchio wasn’t keen on showing you his Stand, but it couldn’t be helped any longer.

Unlike the others who tended to pester him on the extent of Moody Blues’ abilities, you just complimented him. Saying that it’s similar in utility to your Stand. You willingly comparing yourself to him, and in a positive light nonetheless, kinda had him at a loss for words. 

He didn’t really offer a strong rebuttal like he normally would, so you assumed he didn’t think much of your comment. Which, of course, couldn’t be further from the truth. If you could see good in him of all people, then well... there was a lot for him to think about that night.

After this incident, he’s noticeably just a tad kinder to you in general. What you said meant a lot to him. Obviously not enough to make all his self deprecation go away overnight, but it just gave a small glimmer of hope. That maybe he can someday be better.

Trish Una;

Another person that I picture SR being especially adorable with!! After the events of Bruno betraying the boss, you and SR would be feeling hurt on Trish’s behalf. You instantly draw the parallels of living a carefree life, only for Passione/gangsters to come in and essentially ruin everything.

While dealing with the pain of rejection from her father figure, Trish also wonders if you consider her less important. Since your original job was to protect her, due to being the boss’ daughter, wouldn’t it make sense you don’t care about her now that it’s no longer your job to?

SR covers the spot where her hand was severed with a bow, even after Giorno properly heals it. Trish just looks at you confused, and you explain it’s your Stand’s way of wanting to help her feel better. That where her father had inflicted pain, Trish has the support and strength from you and herself to overcome it. 

Needless to say, Trish thinks highly over you, the feeling extending over to Spice Girl. During your meetups after everything is over, Spice Girl and Scarlet Ribbons come out and embrace one another!! Well, it’s more like SR goes for the hug, and Spice Girl is just :’) woah affection. Trish finds it a little embarrassing at first, but secretly loves and it and looks forward to it. Though she does wish Spice Girl was a tad more discreet. 

During Trish’s travels for her singing career, if there’s anything that even vaguely reminds her/Spice Girl of you, she snaps a photo to text to you. It’s mostly red hair accessories and clothing, which she of course purchases. Spice Girl misses SR a lot, so expect to receive a lot of texts asking how you and your Stand are doing. 

When Scarlet Ribbon spots Trish’s name popping up on your phone, she immediately brings it over. The Stand impatiently shoves your phone in your face, as if to say respond now!! It’s Trish, it’s important!! Scarlet Ribbons loves her a lot 🥺 especially since Trish sends her accessories...

[cafedanslanuit]

♡   f l u f f v e m b e r   2 0 2 0   ♡ 

♡  week one  —  kageyama tobio   |   long-distance relationship

♡  summary  —   getting into a relationship with kageyama was close to impossible, that you knew. nevertheless, that didn’t stop you from developing feelings for him and eventually becoming more than friends. he was constantly training and didn’t have a lot of time to spend by your side, but once kageyama found himself remembering your laugh on his way home, he decided to do whatever it took to make the relationship work.

♡  playlist

the moon song   -   beabadoobee & oscar lang home   -   bruno major blueberry eyes   -   max & suga

♡  masterlist  ♡

Every morning, Kageyama wakes up at the same hour. He puts on his running shoes, grabs his phone, keys and earphones and hits the streets. It’s been his routine since he started playing volleyball. While he ran, Kageyama preferred to keep his mind focused in his steps, the weight he was putting on his heels and toes, his heart rhythm and his mind replaying the sets he had done the day before. He didn’t see running as something he did before he trained, but as part of the training itself. Kageyama was very adamant against listening to music or a podcast during his morning runs. 

Everything changed after he met you.

Kageyama puts on his earphones and goes through his mail inbox. Like most days, he sees your name on his most recent unopened email. He downloads the audio attachment and presses play before shoving his phone back to his pocket.

“Good morning Tobio!”

His lip twitches upward.

“So, you must be sleeping right now. Which sucks! Because I just got home from work. Yes, I got safe, don’t worry. Mika and her boyfriend dropped me at my place right now. Remember Mika, my coworker? Yeah. Hey boyfriend always picks her up when we have shifts until one in the morning and they drive me home. I’m kind of tired right now.”

Kageyama hears a long yawn on your side, followed by a thud that he imagines it’s you laying on your bed.

“Let me put on some music,” you say, and a few seconds later he listens to a tune he thinks he’s heard before. “Today’s classes were just okay. I got a grade back but it wasn’t what I expected.”

“But, what can you do?” Kageyama mouths along with your voice.

“Work was also okay. Mika and I spent most of the night talking, she had had a small fight with her boyfriend and asked me for advice. It wasn’t really a big thing, you see…”

The next few minutes, Kageyama listens to you ramble about your friend and her boyfriend, but he has to admit he is paying more attention to your voice than what you were saying. He imagines himself watching you talk and the expressions he had seen you make the first time he had seen you. The tip of your tongue sticking out between your teeth after you laughed at something you shouldn’t have laughed about, the slight pout on your lips as you talked about something you didn’t like or the attentive way your eyes fixated on him while he talked about volleyball.

“Anyway, I know you don’t really care about this,” you say. “But it’s really nice to imagine you listening to me talk during your morning runs. Is it already cold there? I hope you put something on if it is. Not trying to tell you what to do. I know you, more than anyone, take your health very seriously, but I guess I can’t help but worry,” you chuckle. You stay quiet for a moment, and Kageyama basks in the comfort your silence provides.

His mind goes back to those Sunday nights when he’s watching past games on his laptop while he’s face timing with you. You are usually taking a cup of coffee, trying to forget you’ve only slept five hours after getting home from your shift at the bar. You know he has to get to bed in a couple of hours so he can get enough rest for this Monday practice, so you treasure those small moments when the time difference and both your busy schedules let you share a moment. Kageyama’s eyes are fixated on his laptop and you take the opportunity to revise some of your lessons, most of the time finding out there was a paper due next week you had forgotten about.

Every once in a while you take a look at your phone and see Kageyama’s dark eyes glued to his laptop. You bury your nose on the Schweiden Adlers hoodie he sent you last month and even if your boyfriend’s smell has almost completely worn off, you still find comfort in wearing his clothes.

When Kageyama comes back to his house to get ready for training, your voice is no longer in his ears. You always made sure not to surpass the usual time he spends running. He takes a look at the dual clock on his phone and realizes you must be still in class, so he refrains from sending a text and hops on the shower.

The fourteen hour difference between the both of you had seemed like a wall impossible to climb. Not only that but his intense training schedule plus your uni classes and your part time job also took most of your energy and it was a rare occurrence that you could sit in front of a computer at the same time.

But the connection was something he had never experienced before. He had been invited to a foreign university overseas for a tournament. The day before it started, the team had gone to the campus to get to know the facilities, and after they were done, Kageyama had left them to buy something to drink from a vending machine. Not being able to find any, he asked for directions and took the elevator to the cafeteria, not noticing someone carrying a couple of books under their arms standing next to him.

Now it seemed almost fate to remember how the elevator malfunctioned and he had to spend the next two hours with you. After pressing the Emergency button and being told it would be a while, you introduced yourself with a smile. He wasn’t really enthusiastic about getting to know each other but it all changed after he mentioned he was there because of a volleyball tournament. Kageyama can still remember your eyes widening and the questions that followed, all centered about his true passion. A few minutes later, you were sitting on the floor of the elevator, while he explained in broken English every position in volleyball and what they were supposed to do. Even though you hadn’t played any sports seriously outside of school, the fact this guy was talented enough to get invited overseas to play had spiked your attention, and you asked question after question so you could understand more about volleyball.

“So the setter is basically the key player, right?” you had asked, while he scribbled on the notebook you had lent him so he could explain.

Kageyama tried not to smile. He really did.

After you asked him about the tournament schedule and wrote down the name of his team, you promised you would do your best to make it to the game. Kageyama had never really cared about people coming to his games to watch but, once he had won the first game as was leaving the court, his eyes unexpectedly met yours and he saw you waving at him for the bleachers with a smile. He nodded at you and as he disappeared through the gym door he thought maybe someone going to see his games wasn’t so bad.

One week later, Kageyama’s team had won the tournament, and since you had asked for his number while waiting inside the elevator, you offered to buy him something from the cafeteria after the final match. This time, he took the time to listen to you ramble about your career, and how enthusiastic you were about it. He didn’t understand most of the things you talked about, most of your words sounding foreign and new to him. But the one detail he did recognize at first glance was the way your pupils dilated while you spoke. Your hands moved faster than usual as you tried to explain, and you even used the salt shaker on the table as a prop to help you out. The glimmer in your eyes was the same nature as the burn he used to feel in his chest whenever he talked about volleyball. You promised to stay in contact and gave him a small but tight hug when it was his time to leave. He hoped you didn’t notice the pink tint on his cheeks before you went away.

Your love confession came two months after he was back in Japan, followed by the longest and hardest conversation the two of you had ever had. He explained his strict training schedule and you talked about your university increasing the hardness of the classes you took and how little time you had left. A long silence filled the room, and you realized maybe you should have kept the confession to yourself. It was never going to work. There were too many impediments so maybe it would have been better to push down whatever you felt. In the end, you two weren’t supposed to meet and--

“I’d like to try it.”

You can still remember the blush on his cheeks and furrowed eyebrows after blurting out those words. You smiled brightly at him and nodded, enthusiastically.

“I’d like to try too.”

It had been one year and six months since then. To find someone who not only understood his crazy schedule but was passionate about their own work felt surreal to Kageyama. Your plan was to finish your career in your home country and then move to Japan. You had been auditing the Japanese classes at your uni and taking a part time job to be able to support yourself as you settled in a new country. All of those changes meant less time to be able to talk with Kageyama as much as you did before. He assured you he understood, even if he would never admit out loud he missed you as well.

The situation prompted you to find other ways to feel close to him, hence why Kageyama woke up almost every day with a new audio file from you. You went from talking about your day to making him listen to music and even took the chance to practice your japanese. His English listening skills had also gotten better in the past year, all thanks to talking with you and how you would slow down your pace and repeat yourself if he ever needed to. While you recorded your audios after work, he usually recorded his after practice while he walked home from practice. Even if he was always a little worried about the length, you always made sure to send him messages about how happy you were to hear his voice while you ate your lunch or walked to your job after your classes.

Kageyama finishes his shower and comes back to his room. He gets ready in less than ten minutes in silence, knowing he doesn’t have any time to spare if he wants to get to the practice in time. Winter break is a month away, and he wants to give his best before he’s forced to step away for a couple of weeks. He has never liked holidays stepping in his routine, but he knows there was nothing he could do but endure and wait for his training to resume.

Before he leaves, Kageyama checks his phone again and opens the newest email.

Congratulations! Your flight booking is confirmed.

Okay, maybe he is looking forward to winter break after all.

[yuueee]

song: bruno mars & b.o.b. - nothin’ on you slowed

word count: 2,456

request: Hello, if you're talking requests for atla. May I request a sokka x reader in which she works under Piandao and during Sokka's Master episode they meet and become close? Maybe they meet again during the finale or the Gaang asks her to accompany them on the rest of their journey?

author’s note: I am so sorry for taking forever to post something! I rewrote this and like 2 other fics almost 3 different times because I didn’t like how they were turning out so I hope this was okay🥺. thank u for requesting and I hope y’all enjoy!

“You want me to do what now?” you asked the boy in front of you incredulously, attempting to wiggle your shoulders out of his hands’ grip. He straight up lied to your face and expected you to just get over that? It had nothing to do with his water tribe heritage of course - being that you hated the fire nation’s outlook on the other countries and this pointless war as much as Piandao did. You just didn’t understand why he felt the need to lie to you about it!

During the meager amount of time you had to spend with him, you two had an immediate - albeit odd connection. He was able to get you out of your shell of composure in a way that Piandao and Fat were never successful in. On the contrary you aided him heavily in training and kept him motivated - although it often sounded more like insults.

“I know you’re upset but I promise I can explain everything later. But I really think you should join us in defeating the fire lord!” he reassured, his blue eyes seemingly sparkling in excitement. Shrugging out of his grasp and turning towards Piandao, you hoped that he would add in some useful input.

“But what use will I be if Master Piandao hasn’t even finished training me yet?” you asked, balling your fists in frustration. Your master simply shook his head and gave you a smile.

“{First-Name},” he spoke gently as to not further anger you, and leaned down to your height. “You are beyond my training at this point. Your destiny now lies in helping the avatar defeat the fire lord and besides - it’s what he would have wanted.” you couldn’t argue with that. Having trained you since around the age of twelve, he hadn’t heard you talk this much in all of the three years he had known you. Even after only knowing Sokka for about two days - he trusted you with him. He could see the positive effect you had on eacho other just from observing your interactions.

He’d be lying if he said that he hadn’t been worried about you ever since your father and his closest friends’ passing. You had went from a bubbly and joyous child to emotionally repressed and largely untalkative. Although he had still not seen you smile since before your fathers death - the outwardly expressed anger and frustration at Sokka’s idiocy was atleast something.

“I trust that you’ll be in good hands.” he said sternly, giving Sokka a pointed look.

“It’s settled then! You’re joining team avatar!”

While you weren’t quite sure why Sokka was so adamant on you joining him and his friends, you were somewhat happy to be leaving Shu Jing - which was new. Other than the weather being insufferably humid the majority of the year, your home in Piandao’s castle was bearable. In the past you hadn’t minded the repetitive nature of your days - but things were different now. You felt that you owed it to your father to join the fight against the country that took his life. And if this was the route you were forced to take, then so be it.

Surprisingly, as annoying as he was Sokka was the one you remained closest with in the group - but Toph was a close second. Though you didn’t talk with him that often, Aang was always kind and making sure that you felt included in the group - which wasn’t exactly necessary but appreciated none the less. Katara on the other hand was having some difficulty warming up to you - which you understood, so you didn’t speak to her unless necessary, which wasn’t often.

Although you had indeed become slightly more emotive and open, it was normally limited to sarcastic quips when Sokka said something stupid or asking Katara if she needed any help with groceries or cooking dinner - which she actually appreciated. Overall though, you still spent the majority of your time with Sokka. While he was still annoying and enjoyed teasing flirting with you every chance he could get, you’d be lying to yourself if you said you weren’t somewhat enjoying it - you’d never admit to that though.

One of the first times you got to be alone together was when you both were trying to escape Toph and Katara’s arguing.

“I’m going to head back out to the market,” he said, getting up off of the ground. “I’ll see you guys later.”

“Wait, can I go with you?” you questioned somewhat awkwardly, getting out of your seat and sprinting some to catch up with him.

“Of course!” he grinned in return, slowing down some so you could walk at the same pace. His smile made your chest feel warm, slightly catching you off guard.

“So, is Piandao your dad or something?” he asked gently, trying not to press too much. Though it was a sensitive topic, you felt oddly comfortable with Sokka - even though you had only known him for several weeks. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.” he responded to your silence, ceasing walking and looking at you sincerely. You shook your head in return and kept walking.

“No, it’s fine.” he nodded and followed apprehensively. “Piandao is kind of like my uncle I guess? He and my Dad were friends when they were both in the fire nation army. And you know how Piandao eventually deserted the army?”

“Yeah, I recall him saying that.” he gave you a concerned glance, but you kept your gaze trained on the ground in front of you. While your expression was obviously pained, it still seemed restrained in a way as if you had practiced holding back your feelings for years. It was at this point he realized he’d never seen you smile, not even when when you were making fun of him.

“Well, my Dad also attempted to leave - but he wasn’t as skilled as Piandao was.” there was a beat of silence before you felt his hand envelope your own, rubbing the back of it with his thumb. Normally if someone did this you would’ve snatched your hand away - but you didn’t want to. His hand felt nice, warm and comforting.

“I’m really sorry about your Dad, and it was really brave of him to try and leave the army.” he gave you a look of concern and understanding, leading you to remember him mentioning

“Um, thanks.”

The rest of your afternoon at the market was spent making conversation about your childhoods and the messenger hawk he had just bought. The entire time he never let go of your hand. You assumed he was just doing it out of friendly comfort - but then again who platonically holds hands? You only stopped when you both returned to the small campsite and greeted the others.

You didn’t mean to snatch your hand away, but at the same time you thought your heart was going to jump out of your chest if you didn’t let go. But it didn’t seem to bother Sokka though, not at all. So maybe it was just platonic? But this wasn’t the only situation in where he left you utterly flustered and confused.

When the five of you were seated around the campfire listening to Katara’s story, you could see Sokka inching towards you out of the corner of your eye. Everyone else seemed rather uncomfortable, and while it was a quite unnerving story if you were scared you weren’t showing it. As the story went on, he would jump closer which each detail - until he was eventually leaning on your shoulder with his arms wrapped around your waist, shaking in fear like a small child.

When she finished her story, Katara and Aang just stared in awe as you didn’t shove him off. You just rolled your eyes and mumbled something about him being an idiot. They noticed a change between you both after that day. You almost seemed closer in a sort of way? You still scolded him for saying and doing stupid things - but you no longer pushed him away. He was quite touchy and handsy with you, never in a disrespectful way though. It’s just when he got excited he’d sometimes pick up you up for a few seconds before placing you back on the ground. Whilst you didn’t really return his affections, you weren’t rejecting him either. But the two of you were forced to confront this rising attraction all to soon, the day of the invasion.

You had a moment alone before you had to go your separate ways. After staring down at your feet for what seemed like a few minutes, you gained the courage to speak.

“Don’t, uh die.” you finally said aloud, meeting his gaze. Before you could say anything else he doubled over in laughter, clutching his stomach to get a hold of himself. “Sokka I’m being serious!” you said in frustration, seconds away from turning around and getting back into the submarine. Once he calmed down, he placed both of his hands on your shoulders and gained a serious expression.

“I’m sorry for laughing. But we’re gonna get out of this alive. Okay?” he finished his sentence with a smirk, tilting his head to the side. You nodded, feeling somewhat disappointed for some reason. But what were you expecting? You were just friends, and you didn’t like him like that anyway... right? Your thoughts cut off when you felt a pair of lips peck your cheek and his hands leave your shoulder to interlock with one of your own. “Come back to me okay?” he said sincerely, his eyes filled with worry.

“I promise.”

After the failure at the fire nation capitol, the few weeks before the arrival of Sozin’s comet blurred by far too quickly for your liking. The anxiety concerning Aang’s final battle with the fire lord was a top concern on everyone’s mind, including your own. Things were a bit stagnant between you and Sokka. You couldn’t ignore your feelings but at the same time you were fighting a war - there wasn’t any time to put energy into a relationship.

However after you, Toph and Sokka took down the airships, you were forced to confront these feelings yet again.

After riding with Appa over Ba Sing Se to look at the fireworks, you two were aimlessly roaming around the upper ring - watching the festivities of those celebrating the end of the hundred year war.

“So,” he asked suddenly, looking at you with a smile and nudging your arm jokingly. Normally you would have shoved him back, but all you could do was look down at your fidgeting hands and hope he couldn’t hear how fast your heart was beating. “What do you plan on doing now?”

“Um, I’m honestly not sure.” you responded, looking up at him. “I guess I’ll go back to the fire nation? I still want to help, I just don’t really know where I guess.”

“I get what you mean. I mean you could always stay with me...”

“With you?” Sokka began sputtering and waving his hands around after realizing what he just insinuated.

“I mean not with me per say.” he rephrased, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck. You actually felt a tinge of disappointment at his words. “I mean with team avatar, we aren’t exactly finished saving the world - and you’re a vital member of our team.” Instead of calling him an idiot like you would have in the past, you gave him a small smile - catching him completely off guard and causing him to blush.

“I’d like that.” He intertwined you’re fingers and ran his thumb over the back of your hand. Before you could speak again you were interrupted by the rest of your friends running towards you.

“We were wondering where the two of you ran off to!” Katara said slightly out of breath, leaning over.

“We were having a moment and you ruined it!” Sokka shouted at his sister, causing her to start complaining about how he shouldn’t have broken off from the group without telling them if he didn’t want to be followed. As they continued to bicker, you felt Toph shove your shoulder.

“It’s about time you two got together.”

“Shut up Toph.”

Several years into the future, you continued to aid team avatar in helping the the different nations recover from the wars aftermath. Surprisingly, you and Sokka’s relationship still had no title and stayed undefined. To everyone else’s was clear you were together - but you still hadn’t kissed or showed in public displays of affection as of late. To on onlooker it just looked like you both could’ve been close friends. But that would finally change when you and Toph went to visit Katara and Sokka in the southern water tribe.

After greeting Katara, you were almost knocked off of your feet by the force of Sokka hugging you and eventually picking you up so you were about a foot off the ground.

“I missed you so much!” he borderline squealed, rocking you back and forth a bit.

“I missed you too, but can you set me down for a minute? I have something to give you.”

“You do?” he asked, his eyes sparkling in excitement. Reaching behind you, you handed him a sword with slightly shaky hands. “Is this, for me?”

“Yes.” you replied quietly, looking down at your fidgeting hands - still not rid of the habit even at 17. “I felt really bad after you lost your space sword and I couldn’t find another meteor but I wanted to make you a new one to replace it anyways...” you continued to ramble on before you heard the sword drop onto the snow covered ground with a quiet *crunch*. “Hey! I get that it’s not your old one but that doesn’t mean I didn’t spend a lot of timmmph!” you were cut off when you felt his lips cover your own, his arms wrapping around your waist.

You didn’t kiss back at first out of shock, but eventually did so and cupped his cheeks with your gloved hands. Once you broke apart, he leaned his forehead on yours. “I love it.”

Later on that evening when everyone had turned in for the night, you found yourself tucked into Sokka’s chest as he snored softly - his head resting on top of yours and his arms protectively encircled around your waist. Though the journey had been long and exhausting, you were greatful for it. Maybe joining team avatar hadn’t been such a bad idea after all?

𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 - @practicallylivesonline

[daretosnoop]

If Henry Bolet continued to work with Nancy after CRY: A Series (can be taken as both platonic and romantic)

MID - last one guys, thanks for reading

- so because Nancy’s case goes from Germany to Salem, I’m going to say that Henry was with Nancy in Germany

- when Nancy asks him to join her to Germany, Henry starts sobbing uncontrollably and speaking incomprehensible words

Henry (sobbing): NANCE! NANCY DREW! You’re ALIVE?!?! Where have you been!??!? Everyone’s been looking for you for 4 years now! You just disappeared! No one could find anything (sobs)! We all thought (sobs)! I thought I lost another p-(sobs harder) Your father —. Whenever we asked for an investigation we just got summaries of all the previous cases you’ve been on, like what the hell is that!?!?

Nancy: so, about Germany....

- it isn’t until the plane ride to Germany that Henry realizes: “Nance? What happened to your voice?”

- when Nancy gets the book stolen by Jason: Henry chases after him cause military boy, Nancy does not yell “stop” cause that’s freaking dumb. And then Jason puffs off, Henry:

- when Henry meets Teegan and Deirdre:

Nancy : why are they swaying so much?

Henry: they’ve been possessed

- when Henry meets Mei:

Like they’re going to hit it off cause Henry just gets that “stick it to the man” energy, but initially it’s just a stare down

- when Nancy sees Mei’s room and comments how she shouldn’t go in:

Henry: right, need me to distract Mei while so you can snoop?

Nancy: no, that would be wrong.

Henry:

- when Nacy goes to town and meets Olivia, Henry has a full own rant to express how much he hates the capitalist construct of Halloween and turning moments of tragic history into a ghost tour. Like Henry seems the kind of guys who values the history more than the “spooky legends”. Probably bonds on Teegan with this and is able to get more clues out from her than Nancy.

- When Henry meets Judge Danforth:

Henry: how is it possible to lock yourself into a room??

Also,

Henry: these are the type of people who make you wait for endlessly while on hold

- neutral on Alicia

- loves the graveyard area. It’s small but beautiful and cozy at night. Will definitely light a candle and put it on the grave.

- loves the path of Hawthorn house. Freaks out with the jump scare. His scream alerts Lauren, not Nancy suddenly fading out

- instantly reminded of Renee, little weary but also a little sad cause he’s reminded of home and the mess that ensued. Gets a little homesick. Romantic potential here to have Nancy pick on how Lauren’s herbal work might bring bad memories to Henry and console him as they walk back to the Parry house.

- excited to see the Hardy boys. First time he’d be seeing them, they hit off right away. Probably closer to Joe cause Joe would accept him right away while Frank would be a little awkward at first

- makes the pancakes. I have a persona headcanon that he’s great at cooking seeing as he went to boarding and military school, he learned to take care of himself. So much early morning fluff potential here with Nancy if romantic

- is not into making herbal remedies, leaves that to Nancy as he snoops around

- kinda let down by the Hawthorn house, it’s not as cool as he thought it would be.

- cries when he sees the museum and library cause this is all they have? This? The Salem witch trials have sparked so much studies and this is all they have to show for it? Bruno Bolet had more stuff in his library that these guys! Takes out his frustration on carving pumpkins, then goes and gets the research material for Nancy

-when calling Teegan’s boyfriend:

Henry: they’re dating?!? Like even Henry knows somethings odd

Also, on the topic of phone calls

- if this was romantic, I don’t think Ned would call it Nancy would mind so much if she heard *that woman*

- if this was platonic this can go two ways:

1. Henry overhears and tells Nancy to focus on the case to distract her mind, meanwhile he’s aggressively texting Ned to explain himself and call Nancy back

2. If Henry has a crush on Nancy, oh this has so much angst potential where he wants to console her and ask Ned what’s up but he also wants Nancy to dump Ned and be with him...

Also, I have a personal headcanon that the woman in the phone was Summer, cause he and Ned went to the same college, and Summer knew Henry from college so there’s like some interesting potential to explore there. Maybe Henry panics and tells Ned about Summers true personality!?!?

- that moment with Deirdre in the car with the music that sounds similar to Daft Punk Get Lucky:

Henry: awkward third wheel in the back

When Mei happens to be playing this song and Nancy tried to be buddy buddy with her:

He just pushes her aside and takes over. Knows Mei is hidding something but can’t for the life of him understand why

- doesn’t like how secretive everyone is being and how they are all being careful and soft around Mei. Almost wants to gather everyone and yell at them for keeping grudges and secrets

- So MID gave Deirdre the best turn around, he gets along with all her sass. Laughs when she insults Jason.

- does not like Jason

- opinion on Alica changes with the home cooked meal metaphor. Cause GROSS woman! Also, Ifnthus was romantic, Nancy would have to change her metaphor cause Henry, sweet as he is, is not a home cooked guys unless you’re part of the Adam’s family.

- i get the feeling that Henry knows a lot of random knowledge, especially on dark or morbid topics. So I feel he would know quiet a bit on the Salem Witch trials and brings up things like mugwort poisoning, sexual assault, land grabbing, etc. There are a lot of theories behind the Salem trials, you guys should check it out.

- if Henry goes with the Hardy boys there’s potential for bro bonding in a cemetery to occur. Or idk, maybe Henry had a crush on one of the brothers and thinks investigating ghosts in the cemetery is a great place to get closer.

- if romantic with Nancy, he goes back to the Parry house and they bond over discussing the case.... or Neds behaviour

- the whole ergot poisoning can also have some hurt/fluff potential. Person A gets sick Person B panics and heals them. Person B gets mad at whoever poisoned Person A

- when he learns about the whole trio friendship and the fire and how the town blamed Mei cause she’s a “bad kid” he gets really pisses off

Ranting to Nancy: how is this legally possible?!? How is it possible to plan a crime ON A MINOR who wasn’t even involved. She was just there at the time. Hello!? Who did the freaking investigation?!? What’s their number? I just have some questions!

- really doesn’t understand how Salem is able to get away with these things. Like ya ya he gets the connection to the witch trials but bitch this is the 21st century! We have laws to prevent witch trials!!

- doesn’t understand why Lauren’s guardian didn’t just give Lauren the stupid deed for the burnt up house

- when investigating Olivia’s store: mutters about how this is ruining the true Halloween aesthetic! Also concerned with how she’s earning money cause if I remember correctly, she doesn’t charge for her tours and gives iPads away without making sure people return them?!?

-feels that Nancy spends way too much time talking and less time snooping

- doesn’t understand how the Judge can’t figure out who broke into the court house

- when he finds out that Mei has been covering for Jason.... is just like... dude, you do know you can get a record for aiding a criminal??

- when he learns Jason’s reason for stealing the book and helping Alicia: 😒

Henry: can’t stand rich people

Nancy: you’re rich

Henry: but you don’t see me commiting crime

Nancy: what about selling Bruno’s property before it was yours to sell? What was it you told me? I was naughty....

Henry: do not make me remember 😳

- when he learns that Alicia was the one who set the house on fire and caused everyone to get ergot poisoning, and her reason for doing so: okay he can go along with this, it seems in line for a ND villain

- but when he learns about TEEGAN MOTHAFUCKIN PERRY and what she did:

Nancy has to hold him back from unleashing his anger

- really worried for Mei here. Half tempted to offer her a place to stay at his manor:

Henry: listen the downside is that there’s a cemetery attached. The pros is that none of the people buried have any intentions of framing you

Also tells Deirdre that she’s quite sane compared to her extended family

- with the whole underground tunnels Henry’s like:

- given Henry’s propensity for ghosts and gothic, there could be this cool second story where he can communicate with the dead women and they help him help Nancy solve the case and they are the ones who help Henry lead the group out of the tunnels

- the end game “party” is cool for like 5 min. Then Henry’s slipping out ���️

There’s so much romantic potential with this end because it could be him and Nancy or one of the Hardy boys walking off together, there could be a romantic confession/angst scenario

And that’s it for Henry guys.

[bebepac]

The Pink Lady

I am participating in @wackydrabbles prompt# 42 “Let’s be honest with ourselves, we knew this was going to happen” will appear in bold

Liam, Riley, Hana, and Maxwell all belong to Pixelberry.  All other characters are my own creation to support our story.  

This is the 7th Chapter of Fast Forward To catch up on Liam and Riley’s future Life please click 

Fast Forward

I wasn’t kidding when I said this story keeps taking turns on me, and it did yet another one.  I really can’t control this one.  There are some mentions of some things if you are not following  the Life of Riley  or  some of my wacky drabbles or one shots.  Mentioned in this fic:  Riley’s horrible driving, The Pink Lady Guitar, and Riley’s Accident.  To get more back ground on them check out Ride with Me (my very first fic i posted)  and Ghost Girl from the life of Riley, and January 18th  Links are :  

Ride With Me

Ghost Girl

January 18th

Song inspiration for this chapter:  When I Was your Man by Bruno Mars.  

https://youtu.be/ekzHIouo8Q4

I don’t own rights to any of the music or lyrics displayed.  

Summary:  Von stays at the palace per Riley’s request.   Riley spends the day at the private beach with friends with Von.  Von attends his first courtly event, as Riley’s guest and gives her a very special gift from her past.

Warnings:  Profanity, depression, sadness, domestic violence,  Angry Liam.... becomes Evil Liam.  This just went dark.  Sorry guys not my intent.

Word count: 2733

Tagging:  @queenjilian @dcbbw @burnsoslow @loveellamae @lovemychoices @bbrandy2002 @nomadics-stuff @kimmiedoo5 @cordonianroyalty @cordonia-gothqueen @lodberg @aestheticartwriting @glaimtruelovealways @custaroonie @texaskitten30 @janezillow @atha68 @my0123456789universe @kaitycole @indiacater @losingbraincellseveryday @yukinagato2012 @furiousherringoperatortoad @marietrinmimi @hopefulmoonobject @sevenfuckslefttogive @ac27dj @queen-arabella-of-cordonia @mrsdrakewalkerblog @islandcrow @xpandabeardontcarex  @axwalker @sanchita012 @queenwalton @flutistbyday2020 @gabesmommie1130  @mom2000aggie @queenaaliyah @jared2612​

"Maybe you can fool her with that you are on vacation bullshit. Cut the crap. I saw your little interview. What do you really think you can accomplish by coming here now Donovan?"

"I think the real question is, why are you so insecure with your relationship, that you are coming at me like this bro?"

"Because I feel something from you; the only reason you have come here is to try to take My Queen back with you. You do realize we have a family together right? Riley loves me and our children, and I love my wife."

"Then why is she not your equal?  The way you overrule her and talk over her.  I have seen you do it millions of times in press conferences.  You even did it to her today.  I asked Riley was she pregnant. I didn't ask you.  You answered for her, like she was incapable of answering for herself.  No wonder I've been hearing from her so much lately.  I feel like all you want is a pretty faced, pretty shaped Queen to give you heirs. Riley is more than that. She is not a trophy. You treat her like she's property. Probably the only reason you want another baby is to show someone that she's yours."

"SHE IS MINE! You are sadly mistaken if you think you are gonna swoop in and …."

"Look who's up?" Riley walked back into the room holding Jaiden bouncing him on her hip. He rubbed his eyes. Liam gave him a kiss on the forehead. "My baby boy."  Ellie and Adam followed behind her, looking inquisitively at the stranger standing before them. 

Von gave them a tiny wave. Adam waved. Ellie looked right at her father. Von could have sworn he saw Liam slightly shake his head "No." Ellie did not wave back. 

"Von, I'd like you to meet our children. Ellie, and Adam say hello."

Both children holding close to Riley's hips peer around her but only Adam said hello. 

"Ellie where are your manners? Say hello to Mommy's friend."

Ellie said nothing but ran across the room to Liam. 

He picked her up holding her in his arms. 

"I'm sorry Von, she's usually not shy. I don't know what's gotten into her."

"No it's okay."  He looked at Ellie. Of course he was training her to be just like him. She was the crown princess.  They both had the same look in their eyes, staring at Von, anger. 

"And this is Jaiden."  

Von remembered everything Riley had ever told him about  Jaiden. When Riley's memories came back she had told him about what happened with him that day during the accident.

"He would be so happy you named one of your sons after him."

"I think so too." Von softly touched Jaiden's cheek and  he giggled.  He grabbed Von's fingers holding them. 

These two were definitely Riley's children, that Riley had the primary influence over them.  Not Crown Princess A-hole that was looking down at him sneering just like her father. 

"Von do you have a place to stay? We have plenty of room you could stay with us. We could get…"

Liam cut her off  yet again. "I'm sure Donovan has made his own arrangements Riley, we shouldn't interfere.  He said he is in fact on vacation, he probably has a plan."

Riley laughed out loud. 

"Actually Liam not really. Riley, you know me so well. One of the things that is my fatal flaw that Riley loathed was my lack of planning. However, bucket list item #13 stay in a palace, so there you go!"

"We can get someone to bring in your stuff. I assume you rented a vehicle?" 

"I did, my stuff is in the car. 

"We can do something fun but low-key tomorrow because I'll have the kids. You don't mind that do you Von?"

"No not at all, it will be nice to get to know your kids."

"We will have a great time, I could even drive."

"NO!" Both Liam and Von screamed in unison. 

"So she's never been able to drive, these are not recent events from just not driving much?"

"LIAM!!!!"

"And I was there when she took driver's ed….three times."

Liam laughed, shaking his head at Riley.  "You're lucky, you're beautiful and charming."

"VON!!!! You gonna tell my business out on the street like that?"

"Mommy says snitches get stitches," Adam chimed in loudly.

"That's right, baby and Mommy's always right."

Von laughed out loud, "The New Yorker is strong in this one."

Von knew right then, if Riley ever left Liam, and he got another chance with Riley, he wouldn't have a problem loving adorable Jaiden and Adam as if they were his own kids. Liam would never let Riley take Ellie. She was too important to him. She was him.

Servants helped bring his items in but one box he wouldn't let out of his sight.  He held it carefully.  "It's a surprise," he said.

"Tomorrow we are having a small get together here in the ballroom.  Please say you will attend as my guest."

He nodded to Riley.  

The next morning after breakfast Riley security team took them to the beach. He noticed right away the way Riley's guard Nico was staring at her in her bathing suit. That's why Liam wanted another child. He's staking his claim on Riley. Liam was so transparent, at least in Von's eyes. 

But how did Riley truly feel? he wondered.

“Oh my God, I’m so glad you recommended this.  I’ve never been so relaxed in my life.   Who knew the thing I was missing from my life was a private beach.”  

Riley laughed.  “I feel the same way when I come here.   I think about all the times we went to the Island to go to the beach.  Do you remember?!? Shoulder to shoulder with people.”  

Inviting her friends also built in babysitters so that he could talk to Riley.  He had already noticed some things he was worried about.

He decided to just jump into it.

“Riley, is something bothering you?”

“I’m just fine.”  She said smiling.  A smile he saw didn’t reach Riley’s eyes.  He saw sadness.  He’d seen that type of sadness in her eyes before.  Riley. Was. Not. Fine.

He watched Riley when she didn’t think she was being watched.   She took a sip of her water and put it down.  He noticed her hands were shaking.  

Riley looked deep in thought.  

**** 10 months ago *** “We’ve tried multiple times to turn the baby, but it’s just not working.  The baby is still breech. Being so close to your due date Your Majesty. I think a C-section would be best.  

“Both Ellie and Adam I had naturally.  “Will there be scars?”  

“We’ll do our best to make them as minimal as possible.”

“And there’s no chance the baby will turn so Riley can deliver naturally?”

“There’s always a chance King Liam, but it looks highly unlikely at this point.  A C-section is the safest option for both mom and baby.”

Liam gently rubbed Riley’s large rounded stomach.  “Yes, we want them both to be safe.  Is there anything else Dr. Ramirez?”  

“That’s all I can think of, we’ll have you back next week, as we’re going to start weekly visits from here on out.”  

“I just had one more thing, Go ahead Liam  I’ll be out in one second.”

He walked out the door. Riley waited until he closed it behind him.  

She chuckled at Riley, “You would think it’s your first baby how nervous you look.”  

“Well,” Riley tried to make her voice sound as nonchalant as possible,”  Since we’re doing a c-section would it be possible to perform a tubal ligation while i’m open already?”

“Queen Riley, you have plenty of child bearing years left, if we do the procedure and you change your mind, we might not be able to reverse it.”

“I won’t be changing my mind, I want the procedure.”

“King Liam hasn’t mentioned anything of the sort.”

“It’s not King Liam’s body, It’s mine.”

Dr. Ramirez gave her a knowing look.  “Is it though?  I don’t feel comfortable performing such a procedure on the Queen of Cordonia without the King’s consent or knowledge. Is there anything else?”

“No, That about covers it,” Riley commented with a stiff smile, walking out the door.  

He watched Riley looking down at herself.  Her hand still shaking touched her stomach for  a moment.  

There were sad tears in Riley’s eyes.   He remembered yesterday when he asked Riley was she pregnant and the mortified look that crossed her face for a second, that Liam didn’t even notice.

Realization hit Von like a ton of bricks.

“Riley. Two things.. First…. Why haven’t you told Liam you’re pregnant, and Second, why aren’t you happy about it?  

"It wasn't always like this. I really think somewhere he loves me. He is a good father Von, but not so great a husband. Sometimes he's sweet, but Sometimes I feel like he forgets we're supposed to be ruling together and makes decisions for all of us like I don't matter. Ellie matters more to him than I do. He wanted more children, so I've given him more children. ��I've done and given him everything he asks of me, and at the end of the day, he doesn't take me seriously. I'm not enough. He's the ruling monarch with royal blood. No matter how much I give him it's never enough Von."

"You're enough for the right person Riley. You're enough for me."

Von took her hand in his. She quickly pulled away.

"Please stop. I can't take any more complications than I have right now."

On the way back they stopped with Maxwell to get Von a nice suit. Von saw immediately that Riley was his best friend by the way they talked. He liked Maxwell right away too. He reminded him a little of Daniel.

He sat at the dinner with Maxwell and Hana, they both were her best friends . They talked and laughed with him like they were old friends. He noticed Riley watching them from her dais as she sat next to Liam in their matching thrones.

She made her way over to him "Are you guys having fun?"

"Lots of fun Little Blossom, can we keep him?"

Von chuckled, "Maxwell you're hilarious. And how many stories does this guy have about peacocks?"

Riley let out a deep belly laugh, "He has millions. I've yet to hear the same peacock story twice."

"So Liam wanted me to ask you something, would you be willing to do a song for us, to open up the social part of the evening? I know you're on vacation."

Was this dude really this stupid? He was about to light a fire in this place, and in Riley.

"I'll do it for you, but I need to get something first."

He came back shortly with the same box he had been so protective over. He whispered something to Hana and she nodded.  Riley introduced him when he was ready.

He stood up. "Thank you for that lovely welcome Queen Riley. We grew up together in New York.  And she doesn't know that I spent the last 3 years looking for this, and just found it two weeks ago. This was part of the reason I'm here is to return it to its rightful owner. He opened the box revealing Riley's pink lady guitar. He walked closer so she could see it.

She jumped up out of her throne, gasping. Liam grabbed her arm. She slowly sat back down into her throne.

"I know what you're thinking. When I went to my fans to help me find it, I left one detail about The Pink Lady off the information.  After a few false alarms, Someone messaged me about this one. I just asked them one simple question, was there anything unique about it? They told me yes, on the back there initials engraved in the wood RB and DJ."  

Liam looked at the tears in her eyes in confusion.

"My Dad bought me that guitar. You know I lost almost everything I owned after the accident.  I could never find it, I looked for it, every chance I got."

When he handed it over to her she quickly checked the back.  She remembered her and Von engraving their initials after she played her first song she had ever written for him. She closed her eyes, also remembering walking around the store with her Dad, finding it for the first time.  She opened her eyes again looking at Von.

He smiled. "You'll never guess where it was.  In California. Thirty minutes from where I live."

"Hana if you would."

Hana sat at the piano playing for him. When he started the second verse, of the song,  Von's eyes met Riley's, and they never left hers.

My pride, my ego, my needs, and my selfish ways Caused a good strong woman like you to walk out my life Now I never, never get to clean up the mess I made, oh And it haunts me every time I close my eyes

It all just sounds like ooh, ooh ooh ooh ooh Mm, too young, too dumb to realize That I should have bought you flowers And held your hand Should have gave you all my hours When I had the chance Take you to every party 'cause all you wanted to do was dance

Now my baby's dancing But she's dancing with another man

Although it hurts I'll be the first to say that I was wrong Oh, I know I'm probably much too late To try and apologize for my mistakes But I just want you to know

I hope he buys you flowers I hope he holds your hand Give you all his hours When he has the chance Take you to every party 'Cause I remember how much you loved to dance Do all the things I should have done When I was your man Do all the things I should have done When I was your man

The crowd roared in applause.  

"Riley, play something for your people."

"That won't be necessary," Liam interjected.

Riley ignored him and had gotten up putting the strap over her shoulder.  

"I'm a little rusty, so hopefully it will sound okay.  This has always been my favorite song since the first time I heard it."

When Riley played the first few chords,  Von knew what she was playing.  She was playing their song. Playing it for him.

Liam recognized it right away too.  She could feel Liam's anger  radiating off him.

When the song was over everyone was cheering for Riley.  Liam excused them. Von saw how he gripped Riley's arm as they walked out the ballroom, and he didn't like it.  He followed them. As he got closer to the door. He heard Liam's voice full of anger. "HOW DARE YOU EMBARRASS ME LIKE THAT!"

Then he heard an unmistakable sound. He slapped  Riley.

Von pushed the door open seeing Riley in tears holding her face.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING MAN?!? DID YOU JUST HIT HER?!?!?"

"Von please go," Riley pleaded. "You'll  just make it worse."

"Riley you don't have to take this from him. Is this how you treat the mother of your children?!?!?"

"I will treat her however I please."

He yanked the guitar from Riley grip, holding it in the air.

"Please don't Liam. Please, I'm sorry Liam. PLEASE DON'T!!!!"

Liam ignored her. He slammed it hard to the ground, shattering it.

Riley fell to her knees bursting into tears. "This wasn't about him Liam, My father gave me this, and YOU RUINED IT!!!!!!! WHY?????"

"Maybe now you will think twice about sharing looks of lust for another man so blatantly in front of your King and His People."

He stood  towering over them. Von's grip tightened around Riley as to protect her.

"Let's be honest with ourselves, we knew this was going to happen."

He stared down at Riley on the floor crying, shaking. Von held her in his arms, her back against his chest. Von was staring at Liam in pure disgust.

"I'm sure you know you're not welcome in the royal chambers tonight, unless you're ready to do whatever your King desires you to do for you to be forgiven. Otherwise, find alternate sleeping arrangements."

Liam walked out the room, the door slamming behind him.

“

[sohin-ace]

Mista - Laundry

This is cross-posted from Wattpad and available on AO3.

Enjoy~

You had taken it upon yourself ever since you joined Passione that you'd take care of chores as much as you could since the gang, children as they were, could be quite messy.

You didn't want someone like Bruno to take responsibility of something as trivial as chores when he was already so busy.

He, as well as the boys were grateful of your helpfulness, and even though nobody asked you, you still whole heartedly put yourself at work for everyone. You really loved the gang like your own family so it was only natural for you.

You really were like the mom friend of the group, which was well appreciated by your Capo, who could only understand your position.

"Oh my God Y/N! What did you do to my shirt?! It smells so good!" Narancia squealed one day when he found you in one of the hallways.

"Oh, nothing special," You chuckled. "I guess it's just the detergent." You stated humbly while playing with the straps on his top. "How do you like it?"

"It's soooo soft and way more comfy than before!" He felt the fabric on his chest as if to emphasize his words. "Thank you so muuuch, I love you!"

"Huh? Giorno what happened?" You grabbed the blonde's arm and lifted it to inspect the material of his shirt that was tearing up at the seams. "Your sleeve is all torn up."

He glanced at it and widened his eyes in surprise. Aw, too bad, he really liked that shirt and now it was ruined.

"Hm? Oh.. I guess it was a particularly rough fight. Damn it..."

You could hear the defeated undertone in his voice and you gently smiled at him. "It's okay, give it to me, I'll sew it up for you."

"Really?" He blinked at you before sighing lightly. "Thank you, Y/N. Pardon me for the trouble..."

"Don't be sorry Giogio, it's fine! We wouldn't want to have such pretty clothes in bad conditions, now, would we?"

Thankful towards you, he gently grabbed your hand and kissed the back of it before walking away to change clothes.

Those were the kind of occurences that happened ever since you joined. Your addition to the team made their daily life easier and much more pleasant.

It also didn't help that you were so selfless and kind to all of them that even Abbachio quickly warmed up to you, seeing how similar you were to Bucciarati.

As much as the boys were nagged here and there to actually help out and not let the same person do chores everyday, you were fine with volunteering when you weren't on a mission and had free time.

You were happy to help your boys out and never really had any problems with that. Not until one particular day.

You were finally putting away the laundry that had been drying in the sun all day. You hummed a little song as you lifted the basket and walked inside, starting to sort each member's clothes out and fold every piece carefully, as you always did.

Over time, you learnt to recognize each member's more or less iconic clothes and knew them by heart, whether it was Abbachio's black everything, Narancia's precious collection of Band T-shirts or Giorno's silken and golden ensembles.

As Mista was passing by the living room to get food for the Sex Pistols, he saw you picking out a familiar pair of briefs. He gasped, blushing instantly and ran towards you, snatching the piece away from your hands.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING Y/N?!" You jumped and almost screeched in fright at his sudden booming voice.

"OH MY GOD!!" You put a hand over your nearly exploding heart. "Mista you scared the living shit out of me!"

"What do you think you're doing with my underwear ??!!!" He yelled at you in a mix of anger and embarassment, a furious blush dusting his face and ears.

"I-I'm... What do you mean? I'm doing the laundry...?" You squeaked, still shaken by his sudden outburst.

"No no no no no!!! NO! NO! You don't understand! You can't do that! You can't just- I don't want you fiddling with my stuff like that!!" He pursued, scolding you almost, like you were guilty of some crime.

"Huh? Why not?" You asked in confusion. "It's fine, It's just me. I'm not gonna judge you- Look, I'm doing everyone's laundry, it's nothi-"

You were about to lift a random piece of underwear to prove your point, which happened to be Bucciarati's lace bralette, but he cut you off, scoffing as you didn't seem to understand the problem.

"No no no, Y/N my girl." He started making adamant and frustrated hand gestures. "It's EMBARASSING! Would you like it if I was handling your panties?!"

"I-I mean..." You stuttered a bit, flustered by the whole ordeal and not knowing what to tell the poor guy. "If I didn't want you seeing my panties, I'd do my own laundry..."

He froze for a second and he swore he heard the Pistols snicker somewhere. Oh shit, you had a point. He paused, having nothing to come back at you.

"B-but... If you want... I can tell Bruno, or anyone, to do your laundry... If it's what's bothering you, I'll just stop touching your stuff..."

Mista then calmed down and watched your defeated expression. He realized he was a bit too harsh on you over nothing and must have hurt you.

"W-wait Y/N, uh..."

"No, no, I understand." You dismissed him. "You're a man, I'm a woman, I should keep my boundaries. You're right."

You lifted the small pile of his underwear that you neatly folded beforehand and shoved it surprisingly gently to his chest.

He grabbed it while still looking at your dejected self. He started to regret going ham on you. You were only trying to help, after all.

"Wait, no- that's not it..."

It's just that he didn't want the girl he was crushing on witnessing some things. He wanted to impress you, and for you to see him at his best shot.

And you knowing that he owned underwear with 'Lucky you' or 'This gun has perfect aim' printed in bold fonts right over the crotch was definetely not the best way to proceed.

"It's okay, Mista... I'm sorry if I invaded your privacy."

"No, Y/N! Listen-"

"What's going on here? Oh Guido, you finally decided to help." Bucciaratti came in and saw you both.

"Actually Bruno, Mista doesn't feel comfortable when I sort out his underwear, so... Could you maybe-"

"Huh?" Bruno raised an annoyed eyebrow at his gunman. "Then wash your damn clothes yourself, stop bothering Y/N. She's as busy as you are. Be grateful that she's nice enough to take the time to clean and cook for us when none of you do."

Bruno walked to you and helped you up. "I'll take care of this, Y/N. Go take a break."

You obliged and thanked your capo as you left, leaving Mista to groan out in frustration and feeling like shit next to his leader who was going to lecture him all day.

"Oohh, it's laundry day? Can I help you?" Narancia said a bit too giddily for his own good as he found you all by yourself and you smiled at him.

"Sure! Can you take care of the sheets? It's the basket over there, I'll help you hang them."

"Okay! Hey wait a minute..."

Narancia furrowed his eyebrows and stared at the basket in your arms before he started searching through it.

He then took out some clothes, inspected them, and put them back in front of your very confused eyes. He did this a few times, but before you could even ask him what he was looking for, he said.

"Didn't Mista put any clothes for washing? All week?!" The boy exclaimed, absolutely baffled by his friend's filthiness.

"Um, he didn't want me to do his laundry anymore."

"What? Why?"

"I think he got shy from me seeing his underwear." You sheepishly told him and he snorted at such a stupid reason.

"Pfftt! Pussy."

"That's ridiculous." Abbachio added as he took the heavy basket from your arms. "Does he have dirty secrets or something? Would he rather have stinky-ass underwear? This boy doesn't make any fucking sense I swear."

"It's fine. I mean, I do have myself some embarassing pieces of undies, so I can't really say anything."

"He's such a drama queen." Abbachio commented as he walked off to hang the clothes outside, leaving you to barely have any work to do.

As you were done with the task at hand, you grabbed the men's attention before they could slip away and thanked them for helping you.

"Thank you Nara, thank you Abbachio. I'll make it up to you two with a special meal~"

"Ooh yeaahh!!" Narancia pumped his fist in the air in victory and Abbachio rolled his eyes.

"Don't mention it. I was bored."

They both went on their own way and you followed suit, but before you could even pass through the living room, none other than Mista came in and blocked your way.

You looked up at him and smiled, but your smile soon fell when he suddenly grabbed your upper arms and pushed you backwards.

"M-Mista..?!"

He guided you across the room until you reached the small closet that was rearranged to be the laundry room. He pushed you inside and entered with you, closing the door behind him.

"It-it's uh... A very tight space." You managed to utter between hitched breaths as you looked down towards his hips, his gun poking you from how close you were.

There was barely enough space for you two and his body practically trapped you against the washing machine behind you. What the hell was he thinking?

"It's the only place where I know we'll have absolute privacy."

Your heart skipped a beat at his words and your eyes widened. "Wh-what do you need privacy for...?"

He realized what he said and how you must have misinterpreted and it was his turn to panick. He turned red and choked on his own words.

"W-wait... Don't get me wrong! It's not like tha- I mean-...I'm not gonna do anything. I just want to talk!" He stuttered and rubbed his head in frustration. Gosh he was so nervous around you.

"I'm listening, Mista."

"Okay." He took a deep breath and tried not to concentrate on your cute form right beneath him. "I wanted to say... I'm sorry for what I told you last week. It was so stupid and I got mad at you when you were being helpful. You're so nice to be a mom to the gang... And I hurt you."

Your eyes softened on the boy and how sincere he sounded. You reached out to gently cup his face in your hand.

"Oh, Mista." You breathed, endeared. "I already forgave you. I'd never want to make you uncomfortable, caro."

His heart pounded in his chest and he felt hot as he started to sweat bullets, your soft gestures putting him on edge and turning his legs to jello.

"I-I actually... Jeez... Oh man..." He stammered, completely unnerved by you.

Why did you have to be so sweet? Now he could barely form a proper sentence. His glance shifted from your eyes to the walls around him and he cleared his throat.

"I have a reason why... Like... Why I was so y'know... Embarassed... And stuff..." He trailed off mumbling.

"What is it?" You encouraged with honey voice, letting your hand slide down from his cheek to his chest, making him bite his lip.

"Oh god... Actually Y/N... I...I'm..." He tried, between heavy breaths, squeezing his eyes shut and balling his fists. "I fell in love with you. Shit damn, I said it."

He felt so relieved to finally have confessed to you after so long, but he almost regretted it right afterwards.

As he was about to take your silence as rejection, he felt your warmth hitting his neck, feeling your soft lips reaching his jawline in a sweet kiss and your hands run up and down his biceps, groping at them occasionally in a comforting manner.

He shuddered at the pleasurable sensations and relaxed visibly. It took all his self-control to prevent himself from letting out any weird noises. He was already crazy for you before, but if you kept touching him like that, he might just die on the spot.

"You're so cute Mista." You chuckled at the boy who was now a blushing, flustered mess who could barely keep his eyes opened. "But I knew already."

His froze and his eyes widened like saucers as he pushed you away to get a better look at you. "Y....You knew?! But how?!"

"The Pistols told me."

"The Pisto-... What the actual fuck?! These bunch of assholes!" He grumbled, wanting only to call them out and scold them for betraying him.

You leaned in and wrapped your arms around his torso, resting your head against his warm chest as you squeezed him against you.

His whole body stiffened at the intense proximity and how your body felt against him. Oh god. Was it wrong to feel like you fitted perfectly against him, like two puzzle pieces? Because that was his exact thoughts.

"I was just dying to hear it from you directly. I'm happy."

He let his hands shyly find their way on your back and locked you in his arms. He sighed in delight and relished in your softness resting his head on top of yours, smiling like a little boy. He couldn't be happier.

You suddenly slid your hand between the two of you and right towards his front which made the sensitive boy gasp and almost scream at what you could possibly be doing now. But to his surprise you only stole his gun and slid it out of his pants, tucking it inside your own pocket.

"That thing was a bit uncomfortable." He huffed a heavy but relieved breath at your words.

"Oh god, you drive me nuts sometimes..."

Oh man, do I love Mista, such a sweet bean.

[theteaisaddictive]

For the domesticity asks: 2,8, 23, 29, and 42 for Ella and Belle, and 3, 11, 26, 32, and 43 for Adam and Kit, please? Canon or modern setting, whichever you prefer :)

aaaaaaah thank you!!! (proooobably canon setting for most of these :D)

ella and belle

2. who flirts more?

i feel like they’re both pretty flirty with each other after some time has passed, but the initial flirtation was definitely started by belle

8. do they have pets?

well, let’s see *counts on fingers* phillipe and major of course, although i suppose technically they’re working animals; bruno for sure; belle threw chicken feed and ella collected eggs so i guess they’ll have a coop afterwards (i’ve been reliably informed by those who raise chickens that they are very satisfying to keep); i find it hard to believe that ella would leave behind the geese and lizards, although belle might have something to say about the mice

so, uh. yeah. mini-zoo of pets XD

23. who steals the blankets?

belle! she gets cold easily at night!

29. what do their cupboards or shelves look like?

they’re actually fairly neat and tidy -- one of ella’s many mottos is a place for everything and everything in its place -- but belle’s tinkering corner is subject to a special kind of chaos wherein belle knows where everything is until ella tries to tidy it up. it took a while for them to come to a compromise on that area

42. what are little gestures they do for each other?

belle brushes ella’s hair out every night until it shines; while working under lady tremaine she didn’t have time to keep it to the same standards as she did when a child and although it feels frivolous, ella can’t help liking the way her hair feels afterwards

ella makes cups of tea, leaves them just out of belle’s reach, and nudges her shoulder when she’s deep in her tinkering headspace. (staying! hydrated! is! a! love! language!)

adam and kit

3. how did the relationship start?

adam: so, mssr. merchant, you’ve returned with your dau-

kit, in full princely attire: hi. heard a friend of mine was having a bit of a problem with a . . . well, she didn’t actually say what. i . . . see why.

adam: *internally* oh shit he’s hot

adam: *externally* i . . . have you . . . come to take her place . . . ?

kit: uh, no?? i have a kingdom to run?? speaking of, where the fuck did this castle come from??

adam: well i can’t argue with that logic, i guess i’ll tell you everything (except how to break this curse because papa raised an asshole but he didn’t raise a fool)

kit: sweet, ho-OLY SHIT IS THAT A TALKING CANDLE

and the rest is history

11. sleeping habits?

whoever is done for the day first sits up in bed reading waiting for the other to join him. (this is usually adam, because for a variety of reasons which basically boils down to ‘i am not good at small talk with strangers and have little patience for it’, his day finishes significantly before kit’s, who resembles my mother in that he can and will strike up a conversation with everybody he walks past) kit also tends to wake up with adam clung around him, because the boy is a clingy limpet when he falls asleep and Will Always Cuddle

26. who cooks normally?

(modern setting) they take turns during day-to-day, but when it’s time to bust out the Good Shit (say, christmas/birthdays/other celebrations) adam takes command of the kitchen despite being chaotic at any other time

32. do they have nicknames or pet names for each other?

kit calls him some variation on my dear/dearest

adam just calls him kit, but after an entire courtship of being called prince christopher it feels just as intimate

43. do they know how the other takes their coffee/tea?

they both take their coffee black, although adam only has it first thing in the morning to wake him up whereas kit drinks it throughout the day. 

adam takes his tea with milk and one sugar (cut down from two over the course of a year because tastebuds are weird and tea doesn’t taste the same when you’re fourteen as it does when you’re twenty-four)

kit takes his black with lemon, although he will also take it with milk if it’s less bother than asking for it the way he likes it (adam always makes it black with lemon for him because staying! hydrated! is! a! love! language!)

[latchingontoallofyou]

DWTS Premier- day after live blog

Since I didn’t watch last night, I promised to give my “Live blog” as I watched today. If you care to read what I thought, feel free. 

Opening number:

Starting with an interview, this is odd. Really, let’s play the Hannah is single from the get go. I love Kel so much! Whoa, that mirrorball opening this was trippy. I love when the pros open the dancing. Oh, Tom and Erin, I’ve missed you! I really hate this lets not say who they are dancing with and make everyone come in by themselves. They should never do that again. This is quite the process to get started. I think I like the set. It’s very shiny.

This judges twist: I’m guessing they get to save a dancer. Que the eye roll.

Hannah: This is the most of the Bachelor/ Bachelorette I’ve ever seen. That was the most unenthusiastic hello ever. Gosh I love Alan so much! She smiles a lot. I don’t like her costume. She was off timing with her arms a few times. Her movements just seem slow and small. The moves she knows, she hits sharply though. Not bad for the first dance. I think they could go on to do well. Let’s not play the showmance and I’ll be good with them staying for a while.

7,7,6

Kel: I freakin love Kel! Always have. Bringing good burger, love it! I love the reaction. I’m also glad she has someone I like again. Sliding down his tongue. I kinda love their costumes. Opps, missed hands twice in a row. So serious faced. Is he chewing gum? That wasn’t great but I still enjoyed it. I’m looking forward to more from them. Stay around long Witney and Kel! He is really listening to the judges. I like that. And man, those gems on Witney’s lips have to be uncomfortable.

6,5,5

HEY BOBBY! Love that man’s smile!

Kate: I never watched the office…. Pasha, a new cutie. Nice dimples on him. That was the shortest segment. Weird opening to the dance. She almost forgot to take off her costume. She struggled at the beginning. She seems to be almost slipping around on the floor. She’s did well in some spot, struggled through others. I think she’ll do well as the weeks go on. I love that the judges complimented Pasha too. One thing about costumes, why is she in blue and he’s in red? They just don’t really go…

5,5,5

I just love how everyone keeps mentioning that it’s been a year. Maybe they’ll learn and not do that again.

Lamar: I heard this one was bad… Don’t know him. Nice slow clap Peta. She shoots, she scores! He makes her look so tiny and she’s really not that tiny. Oh boy. I like his costume. Oh, so slow! He arms aren’t bad. Those kicks lol. He’s leg don’t need to be flexible for basketball. I mean, it really wasn’t great but knowing what the scores were, I didn’t think it was that bad. Poor guy looks horrified. Carrie Ann, good for you for being kind and really complimenting him. He did the best with what he could.

5,3,3 (Way too harsh!)

Bobby Bones! (If only I could write it like it say it) I’ve missed him on my TV.

Lauren: She’s so sweet and I love her already. I don’t even like country music. But like, why Gleb! Anyone but Gleb! He’s my least favorite male pro. Maybe she’ll take him though. Wow, go girl! She hung right in there with the ladies. She’s acting the part and doing the steps so well too! Weird song for her but it works. That was so short! She did great though! I can’t wait to see more of her. Very well choreographed Gleb.

7,6,6

I saw Kym and MumI!

Christy/ Sailor: Poor Christy! So sad for her but so happy her daughter could replace her. Such a sweet simple meeting. Ah, her excitement over the song. So cute! Aw, Val! He’s so distraught. So amazing that Sailor took over. She’s so beautiful nit like in a normal looking person type way. They are so sweet to each other.  Oh she looks so gorgeopis! Three days and she dances like this! Wow. She’s going to thrive as the season goes on. She’s really jolding her own. And she looks like she is having the time of her life! I love it! I think I’m the most excited for them so far. I loved that she went to her Mom at the beginning of the dance and then the kiss and cry after. Amazing job. Lol, she looks taller than Val. Could just be the hair.

Wow, the worst break the doctor had ever seen. Poor girl! She should have a sling on to hold it elevated!

6,6,6 (I would have liked a 7 or two. I thought it was better than Hannah)

Karamo: Never watched this show either but I think I want to… just need some time… He just looks like so much fun! I am so glad he got Jenna! They are going to be so fun to watch together, like Jenna and Adam. That was the shortest video again. Kill it you two. Haha, there is the camera mess up. So embarrassing for whoever that was. They are killing this, and they just look so good. He’s having a blast! That was so fun! He did really well too. They could do really well too. Can’t wait to see more of them, without the camera mess up.

6,5,6

And I already want to tell Len to shut up! Remember, they are just learning to dance. How can you expect them to have every piece perfect already! You trained for years so you don’t know how hard this is for them so shut up and stop being so grumpy. Yes, idealistically, the dancers need to be able to do all things but why be so angry week one when the can’t? Ok, end of rant, for now at least. Back to the show.

Ray: He’s handsome and he just looks like a good man. He looks so happy to see Cheryl. It’s so sweet.  I always have mixed feelings when she comes back but I’m glad she did. Um. Nice little solo there. Those facials were creepy. He danced better on his own but he’s hanging in there. Stand up a little more Ray. Ok, yea, that was kind of creepy but that may have been thanks to the song… Not my favorite but not horrible. He seemed to be having so much fun. Good for him.

5,5,5

Mary: She’s beautiful! 75  and a half… I love it! What a personality. She is so sassy and she’s gonna be so fun! I love how he said, “you got some good rhythm” and she just goes “I’m black” lol. Brandon, love you too. We get to see so much of personality in the video. He’s leading her so well and she looks so elegant. She’s moving well. He arms could be a bit sharper bit She did well. They are so fun. Carrie Ann is being so sweet, and Len can’t stand it. Lol, Len saying they are the same age and she asks him if he’s 75 and a half and he’s just speechless!

6,5,6 (I love how excited she is about her scores. You can tell she is loving every part of being here)

Ally: She’s so tiny. There was no doubt she’d get Sasha (eye roll) Love her brutal honesty about not being flexible. Where was the package. Nice solo to start but that was girl group dance moves. She has a lot of energy, but Sasha brings that out in all of his partners. I’m not even sure what this dance is supposed to be. Oh, she missed timing and spacing towards the end there. Sasha’s fighting Len already. Len, I actually agree with you for once tonight. More like a Beyoncé dance, not ballroom. No real connect to them at all for me. Sasha has a pink snakeskin jacket, lol

5,5,6

Oh, I just saw Andrew East, but I didn’t see Shawn. I knew they were both there thanks to Instagram.

Sean: I have no feeling about him other than I wish he would have got someone else besides Lindsay because I just love her so much and I don’t want her to go out early like I expect him to. Not sure who I would want him to have otherwise. Maybe Cheryl (sorry Cheryl). Having trump say to vote for you probably isn’t going to help him… pre preschool level dancer lol, oh Linds. That shirt is just awful! He really is bad! He put effort in. This is kind of scary! I still love you anyway Lindsay. At least he seems like he had fun. Bruno couldn’t even talk about the dance. He was stuck on the bongo playing. I really don’t need him to go on past next week. Best comment from Carrie Ann “You were off beat most of the dance” love it!

4,4,4 (how did that get 4s and Lamar got two 3s?)

I love that no one has to go up those awful steps after their dance for interviews. So much better. And maybe we’ll get cool videos from the pros and stars from there.

James: Yes for brunette Emma! I hope she keeps her hair brunette. It breaks up all the blonde. I have no clue who he is either but he’s handsome. Oh my gosh, his kids are so adorable! All those blonde curls. Emma’s reaction is priceless. They are going to be a fun partnership too. Um, best solo part of the night. She looks gorgeous! Strong frame James. Sharna said that he reminds her of her James, and I agree. She just looks almost like a natural. Wow! That was just awesome. He’s definitely a front runner.

7,7,7

Overall, it was a good premiere. I still miss Sharna and Artem. I miss seeing their beautiful faces. I’m happy the good band is back. One of the band members has Sharna’s hair…I like the new ballroom layout. They are going to be a fun cast. I think Sean might go home at the end of next week but maybe Lamar. I’m ok with either.

I missed live blogging with you all last night, but I will be back to it next Monday, Lord willing. In the meantime, here to actually getting pictures and videos throughout the week.

[justgotham]

Gotham will premiere their fifth and final season in 2019. The show has been a journey for the creators and actors, as they humbly and thrillingly brought their fans along on the ride, through destiny and rebirth.

This year at the New York Comic Con, Dark Knight News was invited to interview cast members (Sean Pertwee, Camren Bicondova, Chris Chalk, Cory Michael Smith, and Robin Lord Taylor) and the executive producer of the Emmy-Award winning show, John Stephens.

Sean Pertwee/Alfred Pennyworth

Q: So this season, Alfred goes through some major emotional stuff?

A: Well yeah, less than prior seasons actually.

Q: Oh, yeah?

A: Yeah, because the things that we actually find out ourselves with young master Bruce and Alfred, it’s actually sort of developed into the relationship that people always expected it to be. They were horrified at my original iteration when I was sort of brusk with him. The fans went “Hey, that’s not Alfred!” But now they understand, I was right.

It’s a sort of combination of the prior seasons where their relationship is the one we know and love, which is Alfred is there for him. We did a scene very similar to that the other day where he doesn’t baulk and says “I’m here if you need me,” and master Bruce is horrified. I think he rather misses it, I think he’s a slight sadistic. So, there you go. It’s not as emotionally driven in that way, there’s much more coming together.

Q: Will we get to see Alfred kick some more (butt) in this season?

A: Well, I think it’s out there. I get my ass handed to me on a plate, but I give a good account of myself. You see some, but not as much. I mean, I’ve been fairly physical. I’ve ended up in the hospital quite a few times as well. I might be visiting it again. I’m not quite sure.

See, that’s something I’ve really enjoyed. The fact that you never really get to see an Alfred be physical. And also, who taught him how to fight, and cook, and dance, and throw knives? Basically, what I’m trying to say is Alfred is Batman.

Q: The OG Batman?

A: Yes, the OG.

Q: Does Alfred/do you believe in true altruism? And do you think the city of Gotham, with so much evil in there, can it have altruism?

A: I think every city… I think the enduring legacy of Batman is exactly that. Everything is applicable to society, even now. That’s why there’s a need for the Bat because he stands up for the little guy. He goes “Enough is enough.”  So there is light and shade in everyone. That’s the thing throughout out journey in the past five years. Everyone has been good and bad, has a capacity to love, the capacity to be evil, to do things wrong. It’s the path that you choose. It’s been interesting watching, just like any city, yeah. It just needs guidance… it needs a bat.

Q: How does it feel to know you’re going to be such a big part of the Batman lore. Even a hundred years from now, people are going to refer back to Gotham.

A: Very good point. I mean, I really do appreciate that. It’s really just dawning on me now. The thing is, enduring legacy of Batman is that he’s been relevant to every generation for years, and every 10 years there’s been a relevant character. I used to watch Adam West, and everyone used to laugh at the time. When I was a kid, that was super cool!

You know, I think this what we’ve realized now is that people’s interest and the way they look at these characters has been peaked, and people now see that fallibility. You don’t just wake up with an evil hat on. Like how Penguin became Penguin. You know, he was pushed into a certain point. He was bullied into being that person. So, yeah, that’s the story we’re telling. So, what we’ve discovered is that we are right. We are right in what we’ve done.

Jeremy Irons is a remarkable actor and in the movies he’s SAS (Special Air Service), and that was a conversation I had with John Stephens and Bruno Heller. Because I trained in the SAS, was conscripted as a marine, but I liked the idea of him being able to do anything with a Swiss army knife. Of course that’s why Batman is Batman, because he can do it. So yeah, our stamp is there now.

I think people will reference it. People will use it at as reference point now. Or question elements, like why did these people become who they are? You know, we’re very proud of that.

Q: Were there any of the elements of the character that you wish you could have explored more on the show? For example, his love life?

A: Yup. Exactly. Thank you very much for noticing. I sort of met a girl I liked, she died about 3 pages later. That was really… I thought we were going to go down that path with the beautiful Leslie Thompkins and that didn’t work out, because… I don’t know. There was a bizarre moment, but it wasn’t really scripted, with Fish Moonie. There was this kind of threesome between the three of us, and even Jada went “What was that about? I think that could be interesting.” Something to explore. He [Alfred] didn’t do well on that front. Tinder.

Camren Bicondova/Selina Kyle

Q: How are you feeling about rapping up your romance with Bruce? Are going to see an end to that maybe with just in the finale with the flash-forward or is this something that you want to leave hanging?

A: I’m not sure we’ll see an end to it. Actually, it will leave off with a question. It will leave off with a kind of open-ended sentence. I like that. I would like to leave that topic with a cliff-hanger, only because their relationship, once the legacy moves forward, it’s so unpredictable I wouldn’t want there to be a definitive end of them at this point, in this show because it wouldn’t be them, you know? I don’t think it would give them justice if that would happen.

Q: What can we expect from your character in this very last season?

A: A lot of trauma. A lot of self-work. A lot of really working through things or attempting to. To really go through, you know we’ve really seen Selina fight these inner demons with herself in the past, but we’ve never seen them. This season you get to actually see them, and it’s been incredible going to work. It has been super draining after the days are done, but it’s completely worth it because we get to see Selina in this raw state that we’ve never seen her in before.

Q: How do you prepare before each episode of Gotham? Do you have acting methods that are different than from when you started?

A: Yeah. My method now is I don’t know what I’m doing and, I don’t look at my sides and I don’t look at the scenes until I am walking to rehearsal. Which actually, releases any pressure for me and just forces me to go with whatever comes naturally. So pretty much during my rehearsals are the cold reads and it just forces me to live in the moment. Do what she (Selina) would do first, while before I would prepare two-days in advance, and if I didn’t know my lines before I went to bed, I would get really bad anxiety, where just now it’s just “I don’t know my lines, I’ll figure it out!”

Q: Is there a lot of room to improvise organically?

A: I mean, not verbally, but given what Selina goes through after the way Bruce helps her after the first episode is a catalyst to the rest of what she goes through this season. Through that I was able to improvise a lot more physically with Selina, because I’ve been able to kind of foreshadow what she is to become.

Q: Did you have to receive any fight-moves training this season?

A: Training? No, I mean production has never really pressured me to do any of that anyways. They’ve only told me like Danny just told me: “Don’t stop dancing. Just don’t stop dancing. That is a gift you are blessed with, just don’t stop dancing.” Other than that, they’ve never really pressed me about my body image, or my physicality. They’ve just always really trusted me in what I bring to the table talent-wise. Which has been a super-huge blessing because as a young woman, I face certain insecurities just like everybody and they haven’t said a word to me, you know? And they’ve just been like “Listen, you do you. You do you, boo.”

Q: That’s fantastic! The fighting sequences though, they didn’t make you pose practice in any way for that?

A: We definitely have rehearsals for those. This season has been a lot different for me, give that, you know [gestures to her leg in a brace] my boot. I injured myself over hiatus and the doctor told me it was something way less major than what it actually was, so I’ve been in this boot all season. So I’ve been really able to focus on the emotionality of Selina, and allowed my stunt-double to actually do her job which has been really great! Because I get to see her kick-ass and I just kind of sit on the sidelines, so “You go, girl!”

Q: In the comics, Selina is bisexual. Is the something you’d like to see more brought out or done in the show?

A: I never thought of them (Gotham) bringing it up. I’ve loved that they touched based on it in the comic books, and I would love to see them tackle that. We don’t see that this season. I think it would be great to see on television or film, I would love to see that incorporated into Selina’s character.

As far as if I would have loved to see it in this show? I would say based on what we’ve seen Selina go through I feel like, I’m actually glad we focused on the different things we focused on before the second sexuality, because she has been so focused on surviving and so focused on herself that she’s not in a place to really question her sexuality, and really experience and experiment with certain things. I think even her being involved with Bruce is too much. So I think, even though I would love to see it, I think she’s dealing with too much. I’m glad that we’ve touched base on the things we’ve touched based on. Especially in season 5, we touch base on more of her mental health. She’s suicidal at the beginning of the season. I think I’m proud we talk about that because I think that’s an important topic.

Chris Chalk/Lucius Fox

What’s up? What do y’all want to talk about? I’ll tell you everything. All the secrets! Even in the promo, they pretty much told all the secrets. That was crazy!

Q: What’s a typical day of filming like?

A: It’s very organized. Actually, I’ve been in a lot of TV shows in my day, and the fastest, of course, was Law and Order because they’ve been on the air forever. Gotham was pretty efficient. We still have a lot of creative say. We come in, you eat breakfast, you get your make-up on, do your hair and make-up. You go rehearse, you change things around if necessary and then we film. And then we laugh probably too much, we would probably have more efficient days if we stopped acting like children. But for some reason, me and Cory, and me and Ben (McKenzie), man! We can’t keep a straight face to save our life!

Even though Ben is professional, I bring the goofy out of him. So like, I hope they show you the bloopers. It might just be me and him. Nonsense! A day working with me, is going to be awesome. Efficient, but you’re going to laugh a lot.

Q: Is that what you’ll miss the most, the camaraderie?

A: Yeah, the thing that will be most missed, easily, is the mandatory friendships that come with TV shows. You have to see the person, so you have to like them. We’ll see what everybody thinks when it’s over, ha. But like, these people have been such an integral part this last four years.

With my father passing, with different traumas in each of our lives. We’ve been each other’s support system, and that’s just nobody’s job. Nobody has to do that, nobody brings their problems in, but people who genuinely care. Our cast genuinely cares about each other and so it is a family. And that’s not every show. It’s not every show. I’ve been on some shows where it’s been like “I wanna go home,” I hate these people, I love the work but hate the work. It’s nice to come to a work where it’s like “Leave the computer in the bag.” Instead of pretending to type so I wouldn’t have to talk to people.

Q:  Have you worked with anyone you despise?

A: I haven’t worked with anyone I despised. I’ve worked with people I don’t like at all, ha ha. We’re not there in service of my own ego, I’m there in service of the words provided and trying to add everything I can do the process. I don’t take people’s nonsense personally. It’s just when I’m home hanging out with my wife, I say “Let me tell you what this guy did today! UGH!”

Q: As we’ve seen over the course of the series, we see Lucius as the voice of reason. Does he get to cut loose at all during this season?

A: This season Lucius cuts loose for him… He unbuttons his top button. […]

But no, he [actually] doesn’t. But he gets to meet the love of his life!

Q: Is that part what’s most exciting for your character or is there another moment you think is more exciting for you?

A: Oh! You know what my favourite moment is? Oh, no, but I can’t tell you.

Q: Do it anyways!

A: We talk about it during the panel. It’s working with one of the actors we were working with and he’s so super-talented, so you know it’s a HE. He’s just so super talented and creative that we just had so much fun. He kind of re-created what we had written, which was nice because in season 5 people are still bringing their A-game to honor the script we would have been given.

Q: How are you doing to make this season very memorable for the fans?

A: Well I’m going to show up to work and do my job, but what the writers have done is taking everyone’s expectations, being “I don’t care about some of them because we have to create what we have to create,” but honoring some of the favorites. Giving each appreciator of canon, a morsel to leave with. In this “No Man’s Land” arc, you’re going to see so many villains that we won’t get to play with specifically because we’re only 12 episodes.

But it’s so nice to go “Ah! There’s that person.” “Wait, is that person going to become that person?” So when we go down in a sense, there’s some intrigue left. It won’t be a bow on the top, it’ll be “Aww, man, there’s no more??” I like that about the show.

Cory Michael Smith/Edward Nygma

Q: There is kind of a love Pentagon, between Riddler, Penguin, Jim, Sam, Lee, what is that dynamic like?

A: Aha! I’ve never thought of it quite like that. I loved that you called it that. It is an interesting season where we all crossed paths again, and at this point 5 years in, there’s a lot of history, there’s a lot of broken hearts, a lot of resentment. So there are wafts of it. It’s interesting that it does happen that all of us are all in the same space, at the same time, and it creates a tense environment. Ed is NOT looking for love this season. I think they’re all a little over it. They’re pretty cynical people at this point.

Q: Is much going to be made about how you are resurrected after the season 4 finale, or are we just kind of skipping past a lot of that? New powers?

A: At the top of season 5, the conflict I am stuck with is that everyone has their territory, and are arriving in their own way. I am blacking out, waking up in strange places, not knowing what I’m doing, who I’ve been with. I’m causing problems for other people, and I’m hiding out in my library, just like losing my mind trying to figure out what’s going on, finding a pattern.

Is this Ed Nygma as an alter-ego to the Riddler doing this, doing something, or am I messing with myself? Am I self-destructive, is something else controlling me? I have no recollection of what happened, and so I don’t know what’s going on. Eventually, I go on a quest to figure it out,  traversing through the city and you know, my surroundings, I start crossing with other people. I spend a lot of time with Gordon and Penguin, A little with of Barbara, Stabby Babs. As I become aware of what is actually going on, it’s pretty alarming. There are some events that really rock Gotham, and it’s quite shocking when we realize who’s responsible, and who’s controlling things. It starts playing into this bigger conflict of man vs. state. Citizens vs. Government.

Q: Mental health is such an important topic in Gotham, do you think if Riddler got any help that he needed, he could have redemption.

A: I think if he lived in a more civil society, where you could potentially have a peaceful life, perhaps? I just don’t think Gotham is that place, you know? It breeds crazy and it requires crazy to survive. But I do think he has the capacity, I think one thing that is riveting about him is that he does have the capacity or had it, at least to lead a normal life, and to be a good guy/ To be on the right side of things. I’ve always tried to keep that relevant to the character.

Robin Lord Taylor/Penguin

Q: You recreated the Penguin pretty much. Everybody is always talking about the Joker, but you’ve really brought the Penguin back to life. What do you think?

A: Thank you. Well, I share credit with our amazing showrunner, our executive runners: John Stephens, Danny Cannon, Bruno Heller… the vision started with them, and I just, I am the vessel. I just showed up.

You know, when I auditioned, I didn’t know really know what I was auditioning for. They wrote a big scene. So everything I brought to that scene just instinctively happened to match their vision where they wanted to take the Penguin in this story. Again, sometimes lightning strikes, and sometimes you get the job, and sometimes it leads to amazing experiences like Gotham. It’s just incredible.

Q: It seems that every season, the Penguin transitions into something else. What can we expect from this final season?

A: The story that I feel Gotham is telling is how this city, Gotham city, corrupts and destroys love. When we start the show in Oswald, there is this shred of humanity. He’s still trying, he is Fish Moonie’s umbrella boy. He’s failing, he’s figuring it out. There’s something, I don’t know if identifiable is the word? Something sympathetic there. Like we know what he’s trying for and why he’s making these decisions.

By the end, I think that humanity, that gentleness, that if deep down underneath if everything had gone right for him, he would have been a good person I believe. But by the end of this story, they were telling me “I want all of that humanity squashed out, he is a monster. He is a monster, he is a super-villain.” Gotham city has taken this person and the people who love him, and they’ve beaten out every shred of humanity. So in the end, we see the super-villain we all grew up knowing. You see someone who could really challenge The Batman, and that’s where we’re going to be at the very end.

Q: Following on from that, throughout the season the Penguin had a specific person or group of people that he’s considered a targeting for revenge. After he got the revenge on the death of his mother, who’s going to be the target for the final season? Where is he going to go?

A: It’s actually really great, I think when that happened at the end of season four when he avenged his mother’s death, I feel that released him. Like that was really the last piece of vengeance that had not been spoken for, that last bit of revenge he hadn’t gotten yet. And then he got it! And in season 5, he’s taken over City Hall, he’s absolutely the most powerful he’s ever been, and he wants to rebuild the city, especially the crime syndicate in his image. In his design. He’s there to remake Gotham in his image, and so yeah, I think there will be revenge. I don’t know where he’s going exactly, I haven’t read the final episode yet, so I don’t know. But the way these alliances are changing so fast, we’ll have to see if Gordon is the friend he always thought he was. If Riddler was the ally he thought he could be… we have yet to see. So revenge could be coming for any one of them. I don’t know who it is.

Q: Is there any chance of a spin-off for you, after Gotham?

A: I mean, I haven’t heard anything. You know, if there is a talk about it, they should really let me know because when we wrap the final scene, I’m walking upstairs and shaving my head. I’m going back to blond! They better get what they need to get because this [gestures to his Penguin-like hair] is going away immediately. I tell people it’s an amazing time for television and entertainment in general because look at it! The fans, Comic Con, is such as phenomenon. The fans, through social media have a voice. They can choose to keep characters coming. You know, if there is a desire for it, this has been the most gratifying character I’ve ever played in my life, and I owe everything to this character and this job, so if they wanted me or needed me, or if the fans were into it. I would be there in a heartbeat.

Q: Speaking of fans, how do you think they’ll react to the finale?

A: I mean, I think they’re going to stoked! Absolutely thrilled! Because I’m thrilled because I get to show the traditional Penguin from the comics. And really having seen the designs, and taking in visually the character, I think it is one of the most closest, film version of the classic comic book Penguin that’s reached media. They’re all classic in their own way but this I feel is just so close to the original source material, that I’m so excited to play it. You know, it just gives that little bit of legitimacy, like being the actual older Penguin that’s overweight. Who, you know, is a monster. You know who, all of this stuff that’s happened to him, has lead up to that, and I think everyone is going to be really thrilled. I’m thrilled!

Thank you guys, bless you. Thank you guys for supporting our show, for writing about our show and reporting on it! It means so much to all of us! Thank you. Cheers!

John Stephens/Executive Producer

Q: So what and how much of you goes into these seasons, particularly season 5?

A: What goes into it? My son was looking at an old picture of me from season 1, and he said: “Dad, you had great hair then.” And I said “Uh…yeah.” It was a real before and after shot.

You know, a lot of people and ideas go into it. Ideas and people who devoted years of their work and lives into it. It’s not all mine, but it is a lot of work. Certainly feels that way. And I think also at the same time, people who become deeply invested are all the actors you see, in their characters and in their world. When I talk to them about what they’re doing, it’s always clear that they’ve been thinking about it a lot. They’ve been thinking about who their character is, what they going to to be doing.

Q: The theme of identity is just so important in GOTHAM. What inspired to make such a focus on it?

A: To me, it all springs from the books themselves. I mean, I think the idea of identity and duality is so integral to the Batman myth. It goes with Bruce being both Batman and Bruce Wayne to the point where you are saying is he Batman pretending to be Bruce Wayne or Bruce Wayne pretending to be Batman? Whether it’s Two-Face? The issue with the Jekyll/Hyde duality I feel is something we try to hold true to the centre of the show. The idea that you can actually create the person who you are going to become, and I guess the decision to tell the growing up story of Bruce Wayne, rather than skipping over than like how it has traditionally been done. If you see someone actually make the decisions of who they’re going to be when they grow up, he is making the decision from being a kid to being a superhero.

Q: Is there any chance we see baby Batgirl in this season?

A: No comment, ha ha.

Q: What is all that talk of not being able to officially name the Joker, where does that come from?

A: You know, I think a lot of it is frankly continuity. Because of the fact that Batman has to be present at the creation of Joker, and Batman doesn’t appear in our the show until the very, very, very end. Everybody called the Joker before that, or even for us to say he’s going to be the Joker I think would disrupt that continuity in a way, I also feel like we could say there are certain things like one day they want to do in the movies, which I want to protect. But I also believe in a case where there is a mystery around who that character is. What his real name is. You know, and I think saying that his name is, or knowing his as well as we might know him as well before his generation maybe is not something I want to do.

Q: This season is shortened. The shortest one so far. Did you struggle with that or was it relatively easy to wrap everything up in less time?

A: Definitely struggled with it. You know, there’s that old saying to a friend that goes something like “Apologies for the long letter, I didn’t have the time to write a short letter.” And I think that’s actually really true. To actually take a lot of material and condense it down is more difficult than just kind of telling the whole thing without a lot of room to breathe.

So it was really hard to get in everything we wanted to get in those last episodes. It was really stepping back for all the characters, and knowing which ones we wanted to hit and saying “these are what we absolutely need,” and building a story around that. But that took some time.

Q: And did you wrap everything up, or is there a lot left up to the imagination?

A: We’re leaving it to the imagination.

Q: How was it like working with two youths on the set, for something that was dark, and still is dark?

A: It was great. Sometimes you worry about having them, you know, stabbing or killing somebody… but they’re naturals at it!

Q: Is there anything you wished you did that you hadn’t?

A: That’s a really good question, but no. I believe we left no stones un-turned.

[darkzorua100]

10 Theories/Wishes for the Upcoming War between the humans and the Ignises.

I’ve seen people posting their theories/wishes as of late for what they think is going to happen in the upcoming war between humanity vs the Ignises in Vrains. At the time of writing this, we still don’t know what’s to come after the Playmaker vs Bohman duel so I feel like this is the perfect time to give out my list of what I think we are going to be see coming up as well as some personal wishes of mine that I hope will come to forwishen. Just as a side note, none of these are in chronological order unless stated otherwise nor in a top 10 order from least to greatest (they are seriously just randomized).

1. Bohman joining Yusaku/Playmaker’s side/gets deleted.

Considering this is going to be their third duel of the season, I feel like this has to be the point where we finally learn what the deal is up with Bohman, and maybe Haru, and after Bohman loses, because there is no way in hell he’s going to win with Playmaker getting his Synchro more then likely in this duel, I think Lightning might just finally deem him a failure and just throws him away which in turn will allow him to join Playmaker’s side, since Yusaku would be the one to free him from Lightning’s control, or Lightning will just terminate him all together if he really is just an A.I. he created to serve him. 

2. Spectre vs Takeru/Soulburner.

If episode 70 wasn’t hinting at a potential Spectre vs Soulburner in the future, I’ll be very surprised. Considering they are both Lost Children as well, this duel will be very interesting from that standpoint. It appears that Yusaku told Takeru about the Knights but we still don’t have confirmation if Takeru knows that Spectre is also a Lost Child and if he doesn’t know that detail, Spectre will inform him soon enough. And when Takeru does find out/already knows, how he will duel knowing that detail is what I’m mostly intrigued about. Like will he try to talk Spectre into siding with their cause of co-exist with the Ignises since he is also a Lost Child or just simply see him as an enemy he has to defeat in order to protect Flame?

3. Dr. Kogami making his return.

I’ve seen some people talking about this, of how Lightning might actually bring Kogami back from the dead and honestly, I can see it happening. Not like actually bringing Dr. Kogami back from the dead but creating an artificial copy of him with his memories (cause Lightning and his memory powers and all) to serve him. And if this is the case, oh boy hello “we are going to traumatize the hell out of Ryoken” with this plot line. After all the crap Windy said to Revolver during their duel, you know that is what Lightning is going to have his copy of Kogami due to his “son” in what I’m going to guess a future Revolver vs Dr. Kogami duel. I’m hoping that if we do get this duel, this will also be the point where Ryoken will finally get redeemed and finally stop being his father’s weapon and start thinking for himself and what he wants, not what his father wants. Just so much good character development for Ryoken all around if Kogami actually does make a return, which again I can see happening at least since he is such an important character in all of this. 

4. Ryoken/Revolver vs Takeru/Soulburner.

Look, you all know I want this duel. I never shut up about it so I’ll make this quick. They have a very high likelihood of dueling with Takeru being in possession of Flame and considering that Ryoken was the one to save Takeru from the Hanoi Project, if Yusaku told Takeru that or not remains to be seen, I want to see Takeru’s reaction to that info. Mostly I just want to see the albinos kill each other and to see Yusaku try and stop this duel and fail miserably.

5. Takeru/Soulburner getting Brainwashed by Lightning.

Look, the best friend character of the main protagonist of a Yu-Gi-Oh series always has something bad happen to them so they end up turning evil and in turn face off against the protagonist in a heartwrenching battle. Jonouchi got mind controlled, Johan got possessed, Bruno was an android, Vector was Vector, and Sora was a mole. Takeru is not in a ideal position right now, especially considering that Lightning can rewrite memories and rewrite Flame’s code to make him loyal to his kin. I see us getting a Soulburner vs Lightning duel in the future with Lightning just out right destroying him and once he wins, he will rewrite Flame’s code and through him, or just messing with Takeru’s memories, turn Soulburner into one of their solders for their war just like how Lightning did with Jin (from the looks of things anyway. Jin definitely doesn’t look like he’s doing this of his own free will). If that’s the guess, I’ve talked about this before, but this should in turn lead into a Playmaker vs Soulburner duel with what I’m hoping to be Soulburner kicking Playmaker’s ass, Yusaku getting brainwashed, Revolver comes in to beat Playmaker to unbrainwash him, and then Playmaker can go back free Soulburner from Lightning’s control. I don’t think that would actually happen but case and point, Takeru is kinda f*cked at the moment if the past has taught us anything.

6. Kusanagi’s betrayal.

Yeah...after that Jin reveal, it is only a matter of time before Kusanagi just out right snaps and leaves Yusaku. Maybe it is because he blames him or it is because Lightning is a manipulative bastard and will use Jin to drive a wedge between them, who knows at the current moment. Regardless of what causes it, I am interested to know what will happen when the split happens. If Takeru gets brainwashed and Ai gets captured as well, Yusaku will be left completely alone again like he was before he teamed up with Kusanagi and who knows what will happen to his psyche because of it. Yeah okay there is Ryoken but I doubt Yusaku will join the Knights if everyone leaves him for Lightning or maybe he will (that be a plot twist right there). Either way, I’m ready for the snap and to see what comes from it.

7. Meeting Windy/Aqua’s Lost Children and Aqua.

I’m still very adamant that Windy’s kid isn’t dead and I’ve seen some people suggest that Go’s secret mission by Akira is to find the last two Lost Children. I think that would be such a good use of his character at the moment and give him some good development as well, since he was the one that was throwing a tantrum and comparing his upbringing to what the Lost Children had to go through during the Hanoi Project. It would definitely be a eye opener for him if he got to see first hand the effects of what the Hanoi Project did to these last two children, especially Windy’s kid who god knows what condition he’s in now after what Windy did to him. As for Aqua, I feel like this would be the perfect opportunity to get Aoi and Emma involved in the plot again if Akira sent them to find her, similar to how Go would be trying to find the final children. If Aqua is actually with her human, that would be even better. Have Go get some development through Windy’s kid and have Aoi through Aqua’s kid, if you know, Aoi isn’t actually Aqua’s kid (cause I’m still waiting for the writers to throw that plot twist at us). 

8. Earth and Spectre meeting up.

Since it is all but confirmed at this point that Spectre and Earth are partners, those two should be meeting up soon which is going to be really interesting, especially if Earth decides he wants to side with the humans and actually goes to Spectre, asking for his help in trying to co-exist with humans. I’ve talked about this before but this would be such good character development for Spectre if he actually decides to go against his own group’s goal and tries to protect Earth (and only just Earth. He doesn’t care about the other Ignises, its just that no one is allowed to hurt his). It would also be interesting from the other side of the conflict as well, if Earth decides to side with Lightning which could lead to a Spectre vs Earth duel. Regardless of who wins that duel, since I can see it going either way at the moment, I don’t think the victor will end up killing, in Spectre’ case, or enslaving, in Earth’s case, the other. I still see them teaming up to bring this war to an end since they each might have learned something from the other during that duel. 

9. Yusaku/Playmaker and Ryoken/Revolver teaming up.

Regardless if you like Datastormshipping or not, Ryoken is still Yusaku’s main rival of the series and like many Yu-Gi-Oh series before them, they are going to team up against a common enemy, that being Lightning in this case (I would love Takeru to also be apart of this duel as well but I really think it might just be Playmaker and Revolver teaming up to beat Lightning/Jin if he is still under Lightning’s control during this duel). We have yet to get a tag duel for Vrains and just think of how epic this team up would be. I would love to see some kind of fusion (an actual Fusion Monster or just a combination of the two in Link form) of Firewall Dragon and Borreload Dragon. Don’t think that would actually happen knowing Firewall’s history and all but still, this team up would probably bring us one of/if not the best duel of in all of Vrains.

10. Emma and Kengo’s backstory.

Not completely related to the war but come on, what the hell is their backstory together? If Go can get some development through Windy’s kid and Aoi through Aqua’s, Emma needs some development as well through Kengo and considering we still don’t know what happened to Ghost Girl at the end of 63, I’m hoping that when we do find out what happened to her, it is when we get the full backstory of these two. Like instead of shooting her, Blood Shepherd says something to her, like call Ghost Girl “Emma” again, and she calls him out on it, making him finally explain to her their past together. Maybe that’s why we haven’t seen Emma for a while? She’s so shaken up about what BS told her that she hasn’t been able to work and such. Kinda a long shot on that one but seriously, I just want all of the original cast of characters from season 1, the really important ones anyway, to get some kind of development through the new characters that haven’t already as I’ve talked about above.

[dondake]

[feh] the trip back always feels shorter

rating: t summary: Zacharias returns to Askr after years of being away.

[=]

They stop in Askr, between Muspell and Embla. Veronica is suppressing yawns but hiding them behind her hands, blinking her eyes to stay awake. She is still not comfortable traveling with the Askr troops, but while she is still battling her curse, she was saved by the Askr royal siblings so she doesn’t offer any resistance when they arrive at a stronghold on the outskirts of the city in the dead of night. After all, while she may be just a child and newly reunited with her brother who has the cure to their blood affliction, she did recently oversee a reign of terror and consented to the slaughter of Askr citizens. Her hand clenches for a moment too long on Bruno’s traveling robes when they arrive at her room, guarded by two, stern Askr soldiers, but she yawns again and allows them to lock the door in exchange for protection from enemies and a soft bed for the night. 

When Bruno returns to the courtyard, Alfonse and Sharena are standing around Fjorm as Anna debriefs the commander of the base on their recent victories. Fjorm’s coughs are becoming deeper, rattling in her throat. Bruno knows the futile ebb of life energy when he sees it, and her sacrifice is something even the strongest magic cannot reverse. Sharena notices him first, blinking before giving him a cautious smile. “Did your sister go to bed okay?”

“I will check in with her later; with what she’s gone through, I’m sure she’ll feel more comfortable with someone around for the night.” Fjorm looks up at him from her seat. Unlike the members of the Askr Kingdom, she only associates him with good, the one who had given them direction and appeared at the eleventh hour to keep the troops organized in the rear. Her eyes are clear and grateful to find a comrade. “You ought to see a cleric,” he suggests quietly. “That cough sounds uncomfortable.”

“I would like something for my throat,” Fjorm agrees. Alfonse, ever the responsible one, steps forward, but Sharena holds a hand up and wraps an arm around Fjorm’s back.

“I’ll take her to see our best doctor. Stay and talk to Zacharias; I’m sure you have a lot to catch up on!” Sharena wants to talk to him too, Bruno knows; he can tell by the inquisitive shine in her eyes behind the instinctual apprehension after his long absence. Supporting Fjorm on her feet, she touches his arm. “We won’t have long in Askr before we need to set out again, so you two should get some sleep also.”

“Of course,” Alfonse says, sounding put-off that his younger sister is chiding him, but she only laughs and guides Fjorm further inside the base. Alfonse shifts the weight on his feet, glancing up. The moon is reflected in Alfonse’s eyes. “Do you...still need to wear that?” He gestures at the mask over Bruno’s eyes.

Bruno brings his hand up to his face but lets it drop again. It doesn’t feel right to unmask himself; he isn’t hiding from anyone anymore, but he still has work to do and it feels premature to stand as Alfonse’s equal. “It’s been so long since I’ve taken it off that it’s strange to remove it, I must confess.”

Alfonse looks away. It’s been years since Zacharias left, right when they were both in the peak of their adolescence. His mother tells him that he still hasn’t lost some of his baby fat in his cheeks, but he’s outgrown several sets of royal robes and has had his royal diadem remeasured for official ceremonies. He’s laid in bed with his joints aching and thought about how Zacharias might have changed; wide eyes settling with wrinkles in the corners, hands gripping a lance with knuckles a little more prominent. Bruno is taller than him, taller than Zacharias had been before he’d left, and Alfonse can see his adam’s apple from behind his collar. 

He turns, walking to the edge of the courtyard to look at the nearby village to distract himself. When Bruno appeared in Muspell, to scoop Veronica out of harm’s way, Alfonse felt a medley of questions he wanted to ask, but it was not the right time. Now, they stick in his throat like thick syrup, not rising to his mouth yet unable to swallow them back into silence. He wants to know, where has Zacharias been? Why had he not asked their help, when they had trained and played and grown up together for years? What had he done to remove the curse from his body? How had Zacharias, Bruno thought about him in the years they had been apart? And yet, he also wants to lay his hands on him, to feel something alive in his fingertips without speaking. He wants to feel Bruno’s heartbeat against his chest, he wants to feel Bruno’s breath against his palm, against his lips. He wants to pull Bruno close, or be drawn into Bruno’s arms - the order doesn’t matter. For years, Alfonse buried the regret and longing to focus on being a good prince on the way to becoming a good king but for the moment, he wants to be what he is - a lovesick boy who wants to make sure what’s in front of his eyes won’t disappear again like smoke. 

The sound of footsteps comes up next to him, and with a rustle of robes, Bruno draws up alongside and peers out into the night. Feeling Alfonse’s eyes on him, he turns. “You look like you want to say something, my prince.”

The words bring a heat to Alfonse’s stomach, waking memories of Zacharias teasing him for being a goodhearted - too good - princeling who could barely wave a sword. “I want to touch you,” Alfonse says, swallowing and feeling his knees tremble, “but I don’t know how.” 

The mask is convenient, for Bruno looks away again but Alfonse sees the pink in his ears. “Alfonse...I, too, would like to touch you but I’m afraid. I’ve hurt you before and I don’t trust myself not to hurt you again.” His hands are safely at his sides, gloved so all the callouses and broken nails from clawing out of his curse’s grasp are carefully hidden. 

Alfonse reaches over and takes Bruno’s hand, holding tightly at first as he rightly predicts that the Emblian prince might try and jerk away. He keeps his gaze down at their hands, embarrassed to observe Bruno’s reaction to his boldness, releasing some of his tension when Bruno presses some weight back into his hand. Bruno’s hand is not significantly larger than this, but it is warm in his. Alfonse still has so many things he wants to say, but for now, this is enough. Bruno squeezes back. 

[briamichellewrites]

92

Bruno was back tolerating his brother. Brad and Jayde were off interviewing her friends, leaving them at home. Bear was in his bed, as he was in his. He had fallen asleep while playing with his favorite teddy bear. The humans would be back eventually. They didn’t know why they had left. All they knew was that they had been able to use the bathroom, so they were both content for the moment. Bruno was enjoying the quiet. He yawned before deciding to join his brother in taking a nap.

Brad was learning a lot about Jayde! Jason was visiting Rob, so he was able to talk to him. She was right. He was something else. In a good way, of course. He was quirky, quiet, and the kind of person you had to talk to. His personality was as magnetic as hers. He could see why she loved him so much. During his interview, he talked about how he met her and their friendship.

She was one of the first people he came out to. He talked about how scared he was but she helped him see that his sexuality didn’t matter. She was also one of his biggest supporters, both in his personal and professional life. It was because of her, that he met his boyfriend, Rob. How long have they been together? It was almost three years. He congratulated them. Thank you. When discussing her addiction, he mentioned how he had witnessed her overdose at a party.

He was sober, while just about everyone else was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. So, he called 911. He then left after being told that the ambulance was on its way. Why did he leave? He didn’t want to be arrested. It was a decision he made without thinking about it. His mind told him that she would be okay. That was his justification, but he regretted it until he got confirmation she was okay.

He was invited over to her place after she was discharged, where she was upset about fighting with her boyfriend. They talked for a while. He then watched her shoot heroin into her foot. It made him want to throw up because he was so upset. He knew that she was killing herself and he felt helpless to stop it. It was his first experience with addiction. He did throw up later when she was going through the comedown. It was about a few hours later.

Why did he stay? Because it would have killed him if something happened to her. He also interviewed Richie, who talked about his struggles with addiction and his relationship with Jayde. Richie told him how he came to learn she was his daughter. He had been a jerk to her beforehand. When she was eighteen, he found out about her relationship with Jon and he commented to him about sharing her.

It was deeply inappropriate and he never should have said it. It was only after that, that he found out she was his daughter after his mother contacted his team. He was finally sober after struggling with alcoholism and prescription drugs. During his addiction, he had been arrested for DUI three times. He blamed himself for her addiction because he felt it wouldn’t have happened if he had been a father to her. It took him over twenty years to realize that.

Adam. He had met Jayde at Leo’s Fourth of July yacht party back in 2006 if he remembered correctly. His first impression was that she was beautiful. They ended up spending the entire party together. He hesitated about making her his girlfriend because of his commitment issues but she kicked him in the ass. Their relationship was great. What happened? They got engaged and he was having cold feet.

He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her but he couldn’t get himself to commit to that. They were together for two years before they broke up. During her addiction, he admitted to being a dick about it. He couldn’t see that she was hurting. All he saw was how much she was hurting their daughter. Right after they broke up, he started dating her friend, Chester. Right after? The day after they broke up. He took responsibility for that.

He loved her as the mother of their daughter. Ava had been asked if she felt comfortable talking about her experiences with her mother’s addiction. Yeah, she was. Both Jayde and Adam let her know that she could say whatever she wanted. Even if it was difficult to hear, she would not be in any trouble for telling the truth. She nodded and said okay.

Brad conducted her interview with compassion and kindness because she was still a child. She told Brad how her birth parents were addicted to drugs and alcohol. They got divorced in 2007 when she was ten years old. She moved in with Jayde and her boyfriend, who was now her dad. They gave her love and attention. Because of her parents’ addictions, she had been living on and off with her grandparents before she moved in with Jayde.

She didn’t understand what was going on when she left her. That’s what it felt like. After her parents broke up, she moved with her dad. She lived with him, his boyfriend, and his three kids until they broke up. When they broke up, she thought she would go back and forth but then, her mom disappeared. Her dad never told her what was going on, but she heard him making mean comments.

It was very hard because she was scared. She didn’t know where she was or anything. Nobody knew where she was. She had to go through everything herself because she didn’t know who to trust. Her dad put her in therapy because she was having panic attacks. Did that help? Yeah, she was diagnosed with anxiety and OCD, though just a mild form. When she came back, she was very angry and she screamed at her. The thing she wanted the most was her mom back.

That crushed Brad. Jayde’s addiction had destroyed her daughter. He asked if he could hug her. She nodded, so they both got up and he wrapped his arms around her. I’m so sorry. She started crying. Thank you. He told her how proud he was that she agreed to talk to him, as were her parents. She was proud of herself.

Brad sat down and started crying once he was alone with Jayde. She came over concerned and rubbed his back. What’s wrong? He wiped his tears. I have to be honest with you. He confessed that he was having trouble with alcohol. When she wasn’t there, he was drinking until he passed out. He then went to work hungover. It started with his divorce. Seeing Jennifer again made him want to get drunk but he couldn’t do that to her. He remembered the pain and he wanted to escape it.

Doing the movie was supposed to distract him but he kept being pushed back into drinking. You need help. He nodded.

“Yeah, baby. I do.”

“I’m bringing you to the hospital because that’s the only thing I can think of right now.”

After he was admitted, he gave her a hug and thanked her. I love you. After letting go, he was led back to start his treatment.

In her car, she texted George about the situation. He replied thanking her for getting him help. His drinking was something he had been concerned about for awhile. Even with his healthy relationship, it was only a bandaid. He needed professional help and he was relieved she was able to get him to go. If she needed anything, she was welcome to call. She replied thanking him. I will do that.

@zoeykaytesmom @feelingsofaithless @jovichic-bonjovi4ever @borhap-au @beneathashadytree @duffs-shot-glass @geo-winchester @lokolokong-manunulat

[scrapyardboyfriends]

19 June 2017

***Sorry this sucks. It’s hard to write Plotdale for good episodes. But I wanted to try for the Ross/Theory stuff and the Rebecca scene. It’s basically Theorydale and #SchemingHusbands. 

[The Cafe with Robert, Aaron, Adam, Ross and Finn]

FINN: Hey are we still on for tonight’s illegal activities that are totally going to get ruined by this #RobronRevenge scheme?

ROSS: Totally! See ya later.

ADAM: Bacon Butties are totally going to kill me one of these days…Also, I’m loving the fact that I finally get to hang out with you two. BroT3 for life!

ROSS: Hi! I wanted just wanted to apologize.

ROBERT: That sounds fake...but okay.

ROSS: Yeah, it totally is. Anyway I’m going to mock you for “expecting” and be really smug about you being a father to make the Tinfoil Hat Fandom really excited about the fact that I’m still involved in this Plot. #LetTheTheoryLive

AARON: I really hope you regret all of this smugness in a few months. #LetTheTheoryLive

ROSS: Gonna ignore that. Hey, Robert! Are you excited about having a little mini me running around? #WayTooSmug #LetTheTheoryLive (Me: It would be a matching jeans and floral print shirt combo anyway)

ROBERT: You done?

ROSS: Hardly. I’ll think of more later. Robert Sugden! The gift that keeps on giving. (Fandom: Yes?)

*Scheming Husbands Activate*

[Dale View with Robert, Aaron and Finn]

AARON: Hi Finn, I’m here to distract you while Robert screws you and Ross over. I’ll just count this as part of my revenge for calling the police on me when I hit Kasim because I know a bunch of the fans were really upset that nothing ever happened after that...apart from the whole me going to prison thing so that my husband could cheat on me and this whole Plot could begin.

FINN: Great! Let’s all go outside!

ROBERT: *Makes lame excuse*

FINN: Sure! This is not suspicious at all!

*Aaron and Finn leave*

ROBERT: *Steals taxi keys* (Me: Come on Robert! Steal back the #ThemeParkBear! Do it for me!)

[The Woolpack with Rebecca, Victoria and Ross]

REBECCA: Hey Vic, you know what really sucks? Finally having pregnancy symptoms only when you’ve reached your second trimester.

VICTORIA: Oh my god! I know! Except I don’t, because I’ve totally never been pregnant, which is why I’ve latched onto you like a leech! It just means I don’t think that’s weird at all and won’t question you. Also...men should experience morning sickness too.

*Enter a man*

REBECCA: Just couldn’t help yourself yesterday, getting involved in this Plot again! It’s almost like there’s a reason for it! #LetTheTheoryLive

ROSS: Oh, so this is all my fault? #LetTheTheoryLive

REBECCA: Oh grow up! - and by that I might mean, step up because you’re gonna be a daddy...again - #LetTheTheoryLive

[The Woolpack with Ross, Finn and Emma]

EMMA: I’m back from my Holy Holiday! How are our money troubles?

ROSS: Yeah great! All taken care of by illegal activity!

EMMA: Wonderful, I’m going to go drink now! I can even get extra drunk now that we can afford it.

ROSS: This is working out so well.

FINN: No it’s not. Our taxi has been stolen. Robert and Aaron even came by nicely to warn us about it.

ROSS: No! Not Robert!

EMMA: What about Robert?

ROSS: Nothing mum. I’m barely a part of that Plot anymore. I swear...I hope… #LetTheTheoryLive

[The Scrapyard with Robert, Aaron and Ross]

*#SchemingHusbands are awesome and super smug about it*

*Ross remains trapped in this Plot* #LetTheTheoryLive

[Dale View with Ross and Finn]

ROSS: I’m going to kill them slowly.

FINN: Or we could call the police like normal people. I love calling the police on Aaron.

ROSS: Well, see we can’t because I got dragged into this Plot with Robert and Rebecca and I may have accidentally blackmailed him to serve the Plot so now we can’t call the Police. Also...this means I’m still in this Plot and still trying to figure out the reason why. #LetTheTheoryLive

[Outside with the Porsche with Robert, Aaron, Lydia!!! And Ross]

*#SchemingHusbands are ready to celebrate* (Fandom: Probably with lots of sex. Also...are they really going to drink all of that?)

LYDIA: *Appears* Hey Len and Bruno! (Fandom: Lydia!!!! In a scene with Robron!!! Our dreams are coming true!!!)

AARON: Is she talking to us?

LYDIA: I hear you two love to dance?

ROBERT: *Have you met my husband Aaron ‘Technically This Is Just Standing’ Dingle Face*

AARON: *Oh no I only stand thanks Face*

ROSS: *Steals the Porsche*

ROBERT: Nooooooooooooooo! (Fandom: We love shouty Robert!)

[The Scrapyard with Robert, Aaron, Ross and Adam]

ROSS: Hey Bertie! I stole your car and you have crap taste in music #Continuity

ROBERT: I do not have crap taste in music!

AARON: Don’t! Remember, I think it’s sweet.

ROBERT: I love that car almost as much as I love my husband. You better give it back!

ROSS: Not until you give me lots of money. - Isn’t that how we got here in the first place? - This must be a nice distraction from that whole pregnancy Plot that I’m still totally a part of. #LetTheTheoryLive

ROBERT: Don’t talk about that! (Tinfoil Hat Fandom: No, let him!) This isn’t over.

ROSS: Oh, I know...unfortunately. *Waits for all of this to backfire* *Leaves feeling smug anyway*

ADAM: Hey bros! Still loving being a part of this whole thing. Here’s Ross’s phone. See what you can do with that. The fans are having way too much fun with this for you to stop now!

[The Cafe with Emma, Harriet and Cain]

EMMA: My Holy Holiday was great. I feel so close to God. The fact that I totally killed my husband is hardly weighing me down at all anymore. - is that ever going to come out? - By the way, I’m really concerned about my son Ross getting involved in this Plot with Robert and Rebecca. After what happened with Debbie...you know...people dying in that helicopter crash and all that other horrible fallout. I’m really concerned. #LetTheTheoryLive

CAIN: Don’t talk about Debbie! Oh, hi Harriet. Just reminding people that we still have a little Plot going on ourselves.

HARRIET: Get lost Cain.

EMMA: Anyway, can you get involved in this whole Ross, Robert and Rebecca Plot? Someone needs to get stabbed tomorrow and I’d rather it not be me.

[Wylie’s Farm with Robert, Aaron, Ross and Finn] (Fandom: Look how far they’ve come. From covering up accidental manslaughter because Robert couldn’t handle their relationship to being scheming, spying husbands! *swoon*)

*#SchemingHusbands still being awesome*

*Ross and Finn arrive*

*#SchemingHusbands climbing over walls* (Fandom: Nooo! Ryan watch out for your knee!)

*#SchemingHusbands peeking out from behind walls* (Fandom: This is the greatest thing to ever happen)

*Ross and Finn leave*

ROBERT: *Breaks open door*

AARON: *I’ve never been more turned on in my life Face*

*See cannabis farm*

AARON: Well these aren’t normal plants. You thinking what I’m thinking?

ROBERT: Definitely! Ross Barton, the gift that keeps on giving and giving and giving. (Fandom: You don’t say…) #LetTheTheoryLive