#yolanda waltz

[thebiggerbear]

So Close

Summary: You meet Colter and Russell at the morgue to help them gain access. Had you known how this was really going to go, you might have pushed Colter's call to voicemail.

Pairing: Russell Shaw x Female!Reader; Russell Shaw x FBI!Female!Reader

A/N: I have zero idea what this is. My muse demanded I type this out after watching the morgue sneak peek scene and at this point, I'm giving her whatever she wants. I have never seen this show, know nothing about the characters and any relationships they may have or their background stories, only vaguely know what the premise is, and I'm waiting to see the episode like everyone else. And yet, the muse still put me to work. She can be so brutal sometimes.

I wouldn't call this speculation for 1x12 because I have no idea what's happened before it yet. Unbeta'd so all mistakes are mine. Full text in italics is dialogue from the morgue scene.

Warnings: mention of dead body; angst

Word Count: 2096

Sequel | Series (please let me know if you would like to be tagged in the series or any future Russell or Tracker works)

Taglist: @avada-kedavra-bitch-187; @rieleatiel

Jensen Taglist: @samanddeaninatrenchcoat

You can also read on AO3

You met Colter and Russell Shaw at the morgue, telling them that you were only doing this one small favor and that was it and only for Colter. Colter, as always, understood. Russell, not so much.

The older man turned to look at his younger brother. “I thought you said she’d be a big help to us on this one.”

Before Colter could answer, you narrowed your eyes in Russell’s direction. “I’m putting my job at risk helping you,” you snapped.

And still just as infuriating as ever, he gave you a smile, that teasing gleam in his eye. “It’s good to see you again, Y/N. You are looking…” He worked his fingers into the all-too familiar gesture of approval, giving you a glance over. 

“Go to hell, Shaw.” You spun on your heel and started marching towards the building. “Let’s go,” you barked. “We’re on a timeclock.” 

You never looked back to see if they were following you but you heard Colter mutter not too far behind you, “You mind not pissing her off until after we get to see the body?” 

“Yeah,” Russell quietly agreed, sounding far more serious than he had a moment ago. As a matter of fact, he sounded a little down, which made you wonder what was really going on. You already knew of the strain between the brothers so them working together was odd in itself but Colter hadn’t given you details when he called you and you hadn’t asked for them. You hoped this case they were working had nothing to do with anyone who Russell might… You forced away the thought and renewed your focus on the task at hand. You weren’t here for anything pertaining to that. You needed to keep your mind clear, and your eyes and ears open. 

Once you were all inside, you noticed an older woman sitting at the reception desk. You were about to walk in and pull your badge, ready to lie your ass off and give your official spiel when Russell held a hand up. “I got this,” he assured you both, before waltzing right in. You and Colter exchanged a look before following him.

The woman glanced up briefly and saw you all approaching before going back to her computer. “What can I help you with?”

“Hi, um…” Russell glanced down at her nametag as Colter moved to stand next to his brother, sporting a small smile. “Yolanda. Well, that is—that’s a beautiful name.” You slowly shook your head and crossed your arms. He was seriously going to try to charm his way in? Well, this ought to be fun to watch.

You weren’t surprised when she barely spared him a glance before going back to typing.

And of course, that didn’t deter him one bit. “Sadly, we, uh, we heard about Len Claimans. Recently deceased and, uh, we just need to see the body.”

That caught the woman’s attention as you expected it would. She immediately turned to face him and slipped her eye glasses onto her head. “What for?”

“How do you like working here?” You nearly smirked at the increased pitch in Russell’s voice, betraying his attempt at bullshitting and also a small case of nerves. It was almost as if he’d never lied before. Funny that. 

From Colter’s expression as he watched this trainwreck up close, he had to be thinking along the same lines as you, but more so wondering why this was even being attempted with you standing right there.

“Huh?” Russell continued. “I get a good vibe from you, you know. Kind eyes — helpful eyes, I like that.” You bit your lip to keep from saying something you shouldn’t. Russell had never been what you would call a good flirt, but he certainly was dialing up the charm to try to compensate. 

Too bad the charm didn’t seem to be working. Yolanda’s eyes immediately transferred to Colter. “What’s he talking about?”

Colter shook his head and turned to look at her. “The body might be connected to the disappearance of another man,” he explained. You noticed Russell glancing back at you out of the corner of his eye and you arched an inquisitive brow in his direction which made him immediately focus on Yolanda again, nodding along as his brother talked.

“Oh.” Yolanda looked regretful for a moment before going back to her computer. “I’m sorry, but unless you’re family, I can’t let you back there.”

Knowing this was the point Colter needed your intercession, you began to step forward but immediately froze when Russell snapped his fingers and spoke up. “I didn’t mention.” He gestured between him and Colter, giving Yolanda a smug grin, almost as if he had finally found the ruse that would work. “Cousins.” 

If you could have facepalmed right there without anyone seeing you, you would have. Wow. How was he so bad at this? And why didn’t he just let you do the talking? Or his brother for that matter?

Yolanda huffed out a breath of impatience. She was clearly done with this conversation and quite frankly, so were you.

Russell suddenly leaned forward. “We just-we just need a minute. Or two, you know? I promise we won’t disrupt a thing and then afterwards, maybe, uh, go grab a drink or, uh, somethin’ somethin’.” This time, you did briefly cover your face with your hand. This was just beyond embarrassing. Why did you agree to help these two again?

You could not believe what you were hearing and neither could Colter. You watched as he stared at his older brother before he decided to give it one last ditch effort and played along, turning a strained smile onto the woman.

And as expected, Yolanda finally reached her limit. “No. Sorry.” She got up from her chair and walked away.

Russell let out a disappointed breath. “That was so close.”

“No,” Colter rightfully disagreed.

You’d now reached your limit as well. Stepping forward, you loudly cleared your throat and came to a stop next to Russell. Yolanda turned to look at you, wondering what was coming next from the circus act that had apparently decided to roll into her office this afternoon. You gave her your best professional smile. “Hi there. I’m Special Agent Y/L/N with the FBI.” You slipped out your badge and held it up for her to see before putting it back into your pocket. “My associates here are correct. We’re currently investigating a missing persons case that may be connected to Mr. Claimans’ death. I’m going to need to take a look at the body as well as the autopsy report.”

Yolanda, clearly not believing anything you were selling today, stared over at you, unimpressed. “Do you have a warrant?”

“I can have one sent over to you in the next hour,” you lied. “But right now, we’re on a bit of a timeclock as I’m sure you can imagine.”

She glanced between you three, thinking it over. Russell and Colter looked back and forth between you two.

“Let me see that badge again.”

You grabbed it and handed it to her as she walked over. She studied it and then gave it back to you after a moment. “Ten minutes,” she decided. Both of you ignored Russell’s little smack to the counter and triumphant grin mixed with a quiet “I knew I liked you” in Yolanda’s direction. 

She looked bored. “That’s all I can give you.”

You gave her a nod of gratitude. “That’ll be plenty. Thank you.” 

She nodded and passed next to you to lead the way. You glanced in Colter’s direction and he nodded his thanks. Russell turned to you, his grin all but gone now, the serious tone from before back. “Thank you,” he murmured.

“Sure.” He gave you the beginnings of a grateful smile, his gaze never leaving yours. You could feel yourself being sucked in, almost as if there was a strong magnetic force trying to pull you back in. There was so much going on behind those eyes that looked almost as if they were pleading with you for something — something that you weren’t entirely sure you were ready to give. You were still putting yourself back together, trying to repair the damage that his chaotic whirlwind had caused.

Colter quietly cleared his throat and it shattered the moment, and for that you were grateful. Especially when you noticed Russell had been discreetly moving closer to you. You moved away a bit, making Russell’s jaw tighten and his eyes harden, and started after Yolanda. “We should go,” you told Colter, happy to look upon him once again while you regained your bearings. “We’ve only got ten minutes and I really don’t need an ass chewing from my supervisor because your brother has no game.” 

Colter smirked and followed after you. Russell’s jaw dropped and he appeared alongside you once more, keeping pace with you. “I have game!”

“No, you don’t,” you snorted, keeping your eyes straight ahead, unwilling to look at him.

“Yes, I do. It worked on you once upon a time, didn’t it?”

You leveled a menacing glare on him before turning to look at Colter on your other side. “Why did you ask me to help you again?”

Colter pressed his lips together and decided to keep quiet, focusing on waiting for Yolanda to open the door to the morgue. “I appreciate everything you’re doing.”

Russell leaned closer and murmured to you, “I do, too. And Y/N, after we get out of here, why don’t we go grab that drink I talked about? Just you and me? We can talk and catch up.” You turned your wide eyes onto him. Was he serious? He shot you a charming grin but you could also see the tiny gleam of hope in his gaze.

You ignored the familiar scent of his cologne as it wafted over you and you tamped down the painful memories it induced.

Colter looked like he would rather be anywhere else right then. You wished you were anywhere else right then. You turned your eyes forward, refusing to look at him anymore, not wanting to see any part of his reaction to what you were about to say. “You’re both on a timeclock, remember?” You asked quietly. “After we get what we need, you should go to the spot that's next on your list or immediately chase down any leads. As for me, I have to get back to work.”  You then surged ahead, standing right behind Yolanda and stepping into the room when she opened the door.

After a moment, you heard the brothers enter behind you and Colter muttered to Russell, “You good?”

“Yeah.” You nearly closed your eyes hearing that tone that you were starting to hate once more. “So close.” This time, when he echoed the words from before, there was no false bravado attached to them, no playfulness or humor, only what you detected as regret. 

This time, Colter didn’t say anything in response. Both brothers joined you and you all watched as Yolanda selected a drawer and slid it out. Feeling Russell next to you, you swore to yourself that this would be the last time you would take a call from Colter for a long time. While you liked the younger Shaw, it was the older Shaw you didn’t want to chance running into ever again. 

You stared ahead as Yolanda unzipped the body bag, tensing as you felt the sleeve of Russell’s jacket unintentionally brush against you. So close? Too close.

Out of the corner of your eye, you caught Russell watching you intently, his expression serious and that regretful look in his eyes once more. You forced your gaze back to the woman reminding you of your ten minute window, refusing to allow any sympathy for the older man on your left. You hadn’t been the one to ruin things between you; you’d only been left to pick up the pieces. You were done feeling sorry for Russell Shaw. 

You took the report Yolanda offered to you before she left and began flipping through it, skimming the text, as Colter took a closer look at the body. From your peripherals, Russell stared at you a moment longer and then moved to stand next to his brother, their backs to you. Sadly, a familiar sight of the man you’d once loved. You blinked away rapidly forming tears and went back to reading.

As much as you hated to admit it, Russell had been right. So close indeed.

dividers by @firefly-graphics

[lifenconcepts]

SONGS I LIKE

because I have banger tunes in my head always. In no order at all!

Living in a Dream - Pseudo Echo

Waiting For the Ghost Train - Madness

People are strange - The Doors

Awake - Electric Guest

Chauffeur - Duran Duran

Elegant Aliens - Blood Culture

Opium Eaters - Madness

Cheek to Cheek - Taco

Enjoy The Silence - Depeche Mode

Destination Unknown - Pseudo Echo

Forever - Angels & Agony

Sound of Silence - Simon & Garfunkel

Struck By Lightning - Toto

Listening - Pseudo Echo

Rock You like a Hurricane - Scorpions

When dawn arrives - Madness

Grey Day - Madness

Come Back Down - Trevor Something

Avtomobili - Vesyoliye Rebyata

Mime’s song - VITAS

Romantica Megapolisa - Bioconstructor

Spam - Daiitye Tank

Zero - Kofe

Moi Adress sovetskii soyuz

Stranger In Me - Pseudo Echo

Voice - Ultravox

Daydream - Narvent

Eleanor Rigby - The Beatles (both of and strings only version)

First Woe - Ofdream

Devil’s Train - The Lab Rats

How Soon Is Now

King of lullaby - Eiffel 65

Come along now - Cosmo Sheldrake

Blue Monday - New Order

Orby - Cosmo Sheldrake

Oxygen - OSVISS

Stranger in town - Toto

Sub-Culture - New Order

Svet Ogneii - KODIZC

The Son of Flynn - Daft punk - Ki Theory

19 2000 - GORILLAZ

Dare - GORILLAZ

2000 miil’ - Chernobyl

Castor - Daft Punk

Acid Rain - Lorn

Counting Sheep - SAFIA

Crow - Forest Swords

Devil - Moon Walker

Lose Yourself - Eminem

My Ordinary Life

Love and Pain - Creeper

Donaukinder - Rammstein

HEAVEN SAYS - chart

Kletka - Molchat DomA

Krisha - bishkek

Vsyo Slozhno - Egorbez

Natural - Imagine dragons

Warriors - Imagine Dragons

People Eater - sodikken

Vladimirsky Central Prison - Chernikovskaya hata

London Goodbye - Car-man

Bez konkretiki - Byespokoinik

Chabged The Way You Kiss Me - Example

Freed from desire - GALA

Timezone - Sander van Doorn

Destination Calabria - Alex Gaudino

Everybody wants to rule the world - Tears for Fears

Be My Lover - La Bouche

Livin la Vida Loca - Ricky Martin

Mr Vain - Culture Beats

Sunny - Boney M

Moves like Jagger - Maroon 5

We No Speak Americano - Yolanda Be Cool DCUP

Blind Spots - C418

Dry Hands - C418

Far - C418

Moog City - C418

Droopy likes your face - C418

Taswell - C418

Dombummel- spongebob music

stadium rave - spongebob

Waltzing flutes - same as above

Aloha oe -same

Chill out -same

Faraway - Eiffel 65

Happy Nation - Ace of Base

I’m OK - Little Big

High Hopes - Pink Floyd

The Other Side of Paradise - Glass Animals

Who is She - I monster

I ran so far away - a flock of seagulls

Alarm call - The Correspondents

Around the world - ATC

Stayin alive - Bee Gees

Don’t fear the reaper - Blue Oyster Cult

Body Company - And One

Come as you are - Nirvana

Brother - Stuck in the Sound

Get Lucky - Daft Punk

Centuries - Fall Out Boy

Dont stop me now - Queen

I DJ with the fire - Eiffel 65

My Generation - GORKY PARK

American Interior - Gruff Rhys

Hall of fame - the script

Chlorine - 21 pilots

I wanna rock - Twisted Sister

Radioactive - Imagine Dragons

bulletproof - La Roux

Lenningradskiy Blues

Animals - Martin Garrix

Meet Me in the Woods - Lord Huron

Little Dark Age - MGMT

Counting Stars - OneRepublic

People of Tomorrow - Eiffel 65

Control - House of Harm

Ally or Enemy - T.P. And the Indians

Angel of Snow - PLAZMA

Brass Goggles - Steam powered giraffes

California Dreamin- The mamas and the papas

Cigarettes out the window - TV girl

Fish in a birdcage

Glasshouse - Germinator

Lovers rock - TV girl

We re not gonna take it - Twisted sister

Stressed out - 21 pilots

Keep your eyes peeled - ULTRA SUNN

Young Foxes - ULTRA SUNN

Tonight - The Correspondents

Tardigrade - Cosmo Sheldrake

Stupid MF - Mindless self indulgence

Sugar Pills - I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME

Sadness is rebellion - Lebanon Hanover

Lonely - PLAZMA

Piece of your heart - MEDUZA, goodboys

Pink Elephants on parade

Wplf in sheep’s clothing - ft. William Beckett

White Room - Cream

Sol Seppy - Move

SNAP! - Rythm is a dancer

Bangarang - Skrillex

Shut me up - MSI

Test & Recognise - Seekae

Big Hoops - RVZZER, JANFRY

Rubber ring - The Smiths

Prescription - MSI

Pork Soda - Glass Animals

Embryo - Pink Floyd

achilles come down - gang of youth

Blue Canary

Strawberry fields forever - The Beatles

Shoplifters of the world unite - The Smiths

Show me the meaning of being lonely - Backstreet boys

West end girls - backstreet boys

Green Machine - Lightnin Harry Dee

Le silence - Hante

Heart of glass - Blondie

Cadillac - Buster Band

Crying just a little - Billy DeCole & Derriere

Errol - Australian Crawl

Dont go - Pseudo Echo

Heart of stone - David Lewis

Shadows of love - Jeff Hurd and the differents

The Miracle - Queen

Sneg - Aigel

AND THERES MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM!

[theivorybilledwoodpecker]

What really disturbs me in the Charlie Bone universe is the shitty parenting.

Bartholomew just gave up his son. Like he called and was told Ezekiel and Grizelda were raising Harold and Harold enjoyed this arrangement? Well, Barty, your job as a father is to go home and get your kid back, not go exploring some more.

Your son is on Venetia's side, Arthur? Well, your duty is to get him out anyway because he's friggin six! You don't just give up on him.

The Red King just waltzes off into the forest, leaving his grieving, half-orphaned children at home.

James gets a pass because he tried but Yolanda was just too powerful.

But Jesus fucking Christ! When your kid says, "I want to live with an evil person," you take them away anyway because you're the parent and it's your job to make decisions on the kid's behalf if the kid wants to make a horrible decision.

[imnotsillly]

What sort of music would your OCs listen to/do they represent ?

I actually have playlists for almost all of my ocs! You can find those here :] Spotify

The easy answers would be

Isabelle loves Metal music, anything from the 2000s has a soft spot in her heart and reminds her of her youth. She's also a huge fan of Mexican Huasteco, mainly because she's a dancer, but also enjoys Yolanda Del Rio when it comes to Mariachi <3 I associate the song La Hija De Nadie the most with her!

Lola loves orchestra and Piano, she's very fond of ballet pieces like the Nutcracker and Swan Lake because she grew up dancing Ballet. I do however heavily associate her with Kate Bush, and credit The Wedding List as her song!

Dalia loves alt rock and things of that nature. I've always imagined her being a big fan of The Smashing Pumpkins and Siouxsie and the Banshees! Her entire character was inspired by a song by Fever the Ghost :3

Kylie loves trashy 2000s Pop and is a VERY dedicated Kesha fan, she loves anything loud, fun, and danceable!

Viv is a fan of electronic alt, she really loves Tikkle Me and Grimes, she was heavily inspired by the song Blow My Brains out!

Florist love love LOVES New wave and 80s rock music. It makes her feel comfortable and nostalgic, and is strangely one of the few things she can remember. She's a huuuuge Talking Heads fan!!!

Miss Guijarro finds enjoyment in 80s rock and old New Wave like Japan, DEVO, and Oingo Boingo. She likes the slower paced songs and listens to music to calm her down from panic attacks :3

Elodia of course, loves V-Kei and goth music! She's super into Malice Mizer, Versailles, and Unlucky Morpheus! I'd imagine that she's also pretty fond of classical music as well :3

Belladonna LOOVES Latin Jazz and performs with her very own band all the time! She's also obsessed with old swing music, stuff from the 1940s and jazz from the 20s. Donna loves Bachata and Merengue as well, as any latina should!!

Feliz is a fan of rap music, such as SPM or ICP, but has a soft spot for Latin rock like Malo, and Tejano like Selena!

Leo is a classical music enjoyer all the way, and he owns tons of vinyl records with Waltzes on em. He also has a soft spot for Tom Lehrer, and loooves Mark Bernes, a Russian singer from the 1940s. Such old music reminds him of the music his parents would play, and he looks back fondly on him and Lola listening to the songs as kids.

Isaiah goes crazy for Mexican 90s Ska, as well as Boleros. He also has a bit of a soft spot for Mariachi, as he used to play as one. I think that the song "Pachuco" by Maldita fits him very well! :3

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Hey Steph!! do you know any post that analyze the music in sherlock (ACD or BBC)?? thanks♥

Hey Nonny!

Ah, yeah, back in the day there was a whole blog dedicated to it... yes, it was @holmesianscholar, but all the links I have to their music meta lists are broken 'cause I think they "privated" their blog (there's a setting on Tumblr that turns you off from being found on search engines, and that's what I think happened) so sadly I can't give you those links.

Browsed through my "music in sherlock" and "sherlock music" tags, as well as my filed meta, and here are the interesting ones.

MY POSTS

Stag Night Music

Did Sherlock Think All the Songs Were About him and John?

Dónde Estás Yolanda is Sherlock’s POV

No Charges and Running Away: A Story Told Through Music

Article: The Music of S3

There’s a Missing S4 Track…

Music Meta

Do You Have a Fave Track in Sherlock?

Gay Pilot Rooftop Music

Rooftop Sherlock Music (DOWNLOADABLE MP3)

Why has no one on the crew talked [about TFP]?

I was just wondering who you think the "what a lady" song in TSOT is about.

T6T: “Running Away” vs “No Charges”

T6T and TLD Complementary Soundtracks?

OTHERS' POSTS

Who is the Sinnerman?

“The Coventry Carol“ Audio Sample

(use of music in Sherlock)

Had some thoughts on the wedding waltz from SOT

We’ve not seen the (full) love story: missing scene(s) from The Lying Detective

Sherlock Four

The Music Tells The True Story.

Same Track in Two Different Movies

How do I figure out which tracks on the season 4 soundtrack correlate to which scenes? (Season 4)

Any similarities between any of the TFP songs and "Redbeard" from HLV?

I beg all of you to go listen to ‘Redbeard’ followed by 'I Had No One’

A Study in Soundtrack: S4 fuckyness™

A Study in Soundtrack, Part II: Addendum in Johnlock

Cheating (Sherlock S4 - John and Sherlock were Texting in T6T)

porn music from the pilot

There’s a tonne more in the second tag, Nonny, I just got bored of scrolling, LOL. These should please you for now, I hope!!

Enjoy!

[mega-delicatelysuperbcollector]

"Thursday Waltz"/Yolanda and her creative scream

Poesi: Torsdagsvals.

[thewolfruns]

"¡menos mal!" leti breathed out the words in a barely audible whisper as the gun found it's focus on the floor rather than her face. she wiped the back of her hand across her forehead even though she wasn't really sweating. maybe subconsciously erasing whatever target the other woman had imagined there.

in a half-hearted wave of both hands, palms forward, she let out a nervous laugh. "i have no interest in making you do anything." she answered honestly. it was so hard to tell who was safe and who was a monster anymore. a precarious dance between shows of self-defense and the flash of a heart worn on a sleeve. she's seen the waltz before, from a distance, but never had to do it herself. and, too often, it ended pretty bad.

"oh, uh--" how long had it been? she really didn't bother keeping a real count anymore. it felt too much like passing a life sentence in a movie--crossing hashmarks in a prison cell. "--i think three or four days. that's usually all i stay anywhere."

leti wasn't a survival mastermind by any means. sure, she'd survived some drive-bys in her neighborhood, but they'd never caught her house. it was always a few blocks away. she'd survived an insane childhood with yolanda, but that was different. a different kind of dance. more complicated and where the rules were always changing without you knowing first. survival now had meant always staying on the move and avoiding both the dead and the living in equal measure.

her tears were starting to dry, but without the gun on her, she took the opportunity to wipe her face with a bandana. "yeah, let's go." she didn't know if it was right to go to the second floor, but that was horror movie rules and she barely understood those anyway if not for her cousins scaring the shit out of her as a kid. "are you alone, too?"

alone, then. it makes the girl's tense shoulders drop, just a tiny bit. it was clear the woman, leti, was terrified and if it was an act, it was fucking oscar worthy, so despite herself, jordan finds herself slowly lowering the gun, pointing it at the floor.

"i'm not going to shoot you. as long as you don't make me." it's added like an afterthought, but her brief kindness could not be mistaken for weakness. jordan still could and would shoot the other woman if she had to. it would be better for this next interaction if that was made perfectly clear.

"how long have you been here?" jordan had been gone about a week and a half on her last run, but she'd left some supplies in this temporary base and she wasn't sure she believed that leti had not gotten into them. not that jordan could fault her if she had. it was every man for himself and the redhead should have locked the place down better, but she hadn't imagined anyone else would want to hunker down so close to the overrun city.

"we should go upstairs." she glances nervously behind her before her eyes quickly dart back to leti. "i don't like being on the ground floor. it's too exposed."

[thenickelportrust]

Sketch Sunday

Here she is! The prompt this time was "1920s mobster" for a costume-calendar shoot, and "Yolanda" won the character poll! So here she is!!

[wywrds]

Y O L A N D A  W A L T Z 

Yolanda is known to be suave and cool-headed, and has a rather gleaming reputation in Nickelport’s mass media as the businesswoman responsible for Chat Blanc’s recent success.

@thenickelportrust

[sosthemortalcoil]

I heard from the grape vine that there may be something brewing between you and Nickelport's own Yolanda. Any comment on that?

“And grape vines have always proven reliable, have they?” Zaria shakes her head. “Idle tongues should be carefully watched, wouldn’t you agree? My personal life is not to be in the purview of the common domain. Take that as you will.”

[canary-warrior]

Worth Staying For

I hope you all enjoy this Shivnite fic, which takes place in episode 12 of season 2!

While waiting for their search to complete, Beth decided to check on Jennie and found herself in the Whitmore-Dugan’s kitchen, waiting for the kettle to finish brewing so she could bring her another cup of tea. She also decided to fix a platter of snacks to leave at Jennie’s bedside in case she was still asleep, so she could have them when she woke up. Charles was in another room with Barbara, talking about the Shade and the shadowlands. Beth felt giddy, despite their current situation- she finally met her predecessor, and he approved of her taking over the Dr. Mid-Nite mantle. Nothing could ruin her mood.

“Hey, Mid-Nite junior,” none other than Cindy Burman waltzed into the kitchen. How she maintained perfect hair and smooth clothes after spending all this time in the shadowlands, Beth will never know. That being said, she refused to let the former head cheerleader damper her mood.

“What do you want, Cindy?” Beth asked, annoyed, grabbing a light blue plate from the cabinet. A quick glance at the charred wall reminded her that her priority right now was making sure Jennie was okay, not dealing with whatever Cindy Burman had up her sleeve. 

Cindy shrugged and leaned against the counter, watching as Beth put some crackers on the plate. “Can’t I say hi to my new teammate?”

Beth’s eyes shot up at the taller girl. “We are not teammates, Cindy.”

Cindy let out a chuckle. “We are working together to take down Eclipso, so I think that makes us teammates, to an extent.”

“And after that? You’ll, what, stab us in the back?” Beth turned away, not wanting to focus on the evil girl who tried to kill them a week ago. 

“I wouldn’t stab you in the back, Beth,” Cindy sounded almost bored, “you’re the smartest person on this team, you would see it coming anyway. Where’s the fun in that?”

Beth didn’t need any compliments from anyone, especially not from Cindy, but it did feel nice to be called the smartest member of the JSA. At this point, Beth didn’t even know what was happening with the JSA- Yolanda had quit, Rick was in jail, Jennie was on their side but she did leave to find her brother, Mike was off tracking down the Thunderbolt who was probably with a stranger… and here she was, conversing with Cindy in a broken kitchen, who complimented her intelligence. It was something Beth did not expect at all.

“What will you do,” Beth started, “when we beat Eclipso?”

“Leave this awful town and never look back,” Cindy answered automatically, but there was something in her voice. Something, wistful, almost. “You won’t have to worry about me coming after you.”

“I find that hard to believe. You could’ve disappeared after we defeated the ISA, but you came back to Blue Valley,” Beth pointed out. 

“Well, I wanted revenge against you and your loser friends. Now, I just want revenge against that purple demon,” her voice hardened at the mention of Eclipso. 

“And after you get your revenge on him?” Beth asked, her voice softer now.

Cindy’s eyes matched Beth’s tone. “I’ll leave, but there will always be something good in this wretched town that’s worth coming back for.”

Beth felt like Cindy was looking straight at her soul. Her goggles were working overtime, and showed how Cindy’s voice, breathing, and heart rate changed. Beth didn’t need to be a genius to do the math.

Was Cindy willing to stay in the town she hates for Beth?

[elvesofnoldor]

all these youtube videos admitting that the last of us can be frustrating to play sometimes and can be a challenging to complete make me feel um...really validated lol cause when i died 13 times in an area i just thought i fucking suck. 

[poc-movie-supremacy]

Blackbird: Baby, even far away you give me butterflies P2

Beth comes home and Rick asks her to marry him. I hope you guys like it. Comments, likes, and reblogs are appreciated. Enjoy!

@silverstreaks

----

Rick looked at himself in the mirror, making sure he looks absolutely perfect. He picked out some clothes to wear to pick up Beth. It was a dark blue blazer, white button up, black slacks and some new shiny brown shoes. Only the best for Beth Chapel. A big smile adorned his face as he made sure the entire room was perfect. The ring was in a special box hidden in a little cranny in a drawer, his hair was coiffed and the end table was pushed aside for a big dinner on the living room floor. 

Hootie hooted at him approvingly. Rick petted him before getting his keys and driving over. Courtney was already there waiting for Yolanda. Rick stood beside her, scanning the crowd of soldiers and medics for Beth. 

“Are you ready, Rick?” Courtney asked him. 

“As ready as I’ll ever be. Do you see them?” Rick asked.

“You’re nervous, it’ll be okay. She’ll say yes. I can’t wait to see them, it’s not... fun with them gone.” Courtney admitted to him. 

“Missed them like hell.” Rick told her. They stood in silence, together, waiting for Beth and Yolanda. Courtney tapped him on the shoulder excitedly and pointed. Rick looked in that direction and saw Beth and Yolanda walking towards them. He pushed off the car he was leaning against to run up to her. A tired but happy smile graced Beth’s face as she ran towards him.  

Hearing her giggle, and seeing her smile gave him enough endorphins to last him a whole year. He picked her up and twirled her around. Beth cried happy tears as she clung to him. She missed him so much. It was nice, a godsend, to have Yolanda with her, but she wasn’t Rick. Now Beth could do what she couldn’t do for those months. She ran her hands through his hair, over his chest and arms, and cupped his face. 

She’s never seen him smile so wide before. Carefully, she used the pads of her thumbs to wipe away his tears. “I missed you.” Beth whispered to him. 

Rick chuckled and pulled her close again. “You have no idea how much I missed you.” He gave her a kiss on the forehead then a long one on the lips. “I got a surprise for us at home. I’ll show you, after I saw hi to Yolanda.” Beth nodded and they headed towards Courtney and Yolanda. Yolanda made a happy noise and ran up to hug the life out of him. He chuckled and hugged her back just as hard. By the time Beth got to Courtney to hug her, she was full on bawling, making Beth cry. They sort of fell into each other and sobbed out gratitudes that the other is okay. 

As Courtney and Beth pulled away, Rick and Yolanda joined them. Courtney caught Rick’s eye then gave a very odd, very sly smile to Beth. Rick glared at her while Yolanda and Beth looked at them confused. “Well I don’t want to keep you guys here, pretty special day and all. Meet at the diner tomorrow?”

“Um sure? Rick that’s that sounds good right?”

“Of course. We’ll see you tomorrow, at noon.” Rick told Courtney with a little more roughness than usual. She just pouted at him teasingly before guiding a very confused Yolanda to the car. 

“What’s up with her? Is it part of my surprise?” Beth asked her boyfriend excitedly. 

Rick gave her a smile and guided her to the car as well. “Something like that yeah.”

He held her hand the entire drive home, listening to her ramble about her time overseas. She made friends with some of the doctors there, Mary Hamilton and Alex Danvers, and some of the soldiers in Yolanda’s platoon like Cynthia Reynolds, Kara Zor-el, and Barry West-Allen. Rick remembers him as the dude that liked to listen to Beth’s rambles. Apparently she reminded him of when his wife would ramble excitedly about a new story. Beth told him that they invited them to a party at the Hamilton’s soon. Rick told her that he’d be happy to meet her  friends. 

Going into the house, Rick made Beth cover her eyes. When she opened them she cooed happily at the picnic he laid out for them on the floor. “Hey that’s not the only trick up my sleeve, I got a lot of surprises for you tonight, darling.”

“Ooh that sounds fun, Ricky. I can’t wait. Let me get out of this uniform and take a shower.” Rick wrapped his arms around her middle and held her close. 

“I could join you.” He whispered into her ear, making her chuckle.

“As much as I would love that, baby. We would get too distracted and I’m starving. What they gave us overseas is nothing compared to a fresh cooked meal.” Beth kissed him on the cheek before heading to the bathroom. He watched her walk away happily, loving being back in her presence. Nervously he checked over the food and the ring in the drawer while he waited for her to be done.

She came of the the bathroom with the steam billowing around her. He looked her over head to toe commiting her to memory. The muscles on her upper arms were slightly more defined now and her afro is shorter than she usually had it. “Why you staring at me, baby?” 

‘You look gorgeous.” He told her happily.

“Let me go get dressed.” was all she told him. Enter the room, exit the room and almost kill Rick Tyler by her sheer beauty. She wore a bright yellow crop top with a long matching skirt. She had light makeup on, and it enhanced all her natural beauty. Beth smirked at him, but went to go pet Hootie. He flapped his wings and hooted at her happily. “I miss you too, sweetie.”

He waited patiently for her to turn around and join him on the blanket. Beth sat in the V of his legs as they ate diner. It went by too quickly, or too slowly, Rick wasn’t incredibly sure. They had finished eating and now was time for the proposal. 

“Hey Bethy, I need to go get something.” Beth moved off his lap, and he got the ring. Rick wiped his hand off on a napkin and remembered his speech.  Returning to the kitchen, he turned on the record machine. 

“Is this one of the surprises?”

“Uhuh. Would you like to dance with me Beth Chapel?” 

“Of course.” Here comes the sun, by the Beatles started playing. Rick softly sang it to her as they danced in their kitchen. He had one hand on her lower back and the other clasped in his hand. They were pulled close together as they waltzed to the music. Beth was stunned. She never knew he could sing, but damn could he. When she caught him looking at her, she gave him a very encouraging smile. 

When the song ended, Rick took a deep breath. “Beth, you have no idea how much happiness you have brought into my life. I thought, my world ended when my parents died, but you brought it back to life. If these past few months have taught me anything, it’s that a life without Beth Chapel is a very horrible life that I would not like.” Now he sunk to onto one knee and pulled out the ring. Beth felt everything dull around her and Rick come into sharp focus. She was struck dumb by the surprise of this proposal. “So Beth Chapel, will you marry me?” 

Beth nods at first, too overwhelmed for words. Then she repeats yes over and over as Rick puts the ring on her finger and twirls her around. “You never cease to make me happy Beth Chapel. I hope I can make you feel the same for the rest of our lives,” Rick declared. 

“I know you will.” Beth told him firmly. They shared one long loving kisses, happy with the knowledge that they were together, forever. 

[slytherin-puffskein]

67: When One Stops The Kiss To Whisper “I’m Sorry, Are You Sure You-” And They Answer By Kissing Them More

@cervo-live-in-arts Here it is ! I decided to create an AU for this prompt, in which blood supremacy is... really popular with Purebloods. All characters also live in a small village.

* * *

When it was heard that a pureblood family was hosting a masked Ball, Lau just knew he had to get involved somehow. After all, pureblooded people didn’t mix with muggleborn wizards. If Lau manages to sneak inside without anyone knowing they are hanging with a disgusting mudblood, he might as well die right afterwards, because nothing else in life could be possibly greater. As soon as he saw the declaration on the city’s announcement board, he immediately snatched the poster and ran to Tulip Karasu’s place, his dearest friend.

They came up with a plan fairly easily and quickly. A few illusion charms, and no one shall ever know Lau is possibly a muggleborn... and he’ll get to have the time of his life. Tulip decided to join in, mostly because parties meant free snacks... and opportunities to find new targets for her pranks. They spent the following week practising spells and making their outfits, and as the day of the Ball came, they were both ready for it. Tulip took out her wand, and showed Lau a nice mask that represented a fox, with long red ears and deep black eyes. She gently tapped her wand against the mask, and it seemed to change... not physically, but... another level that Lau couldn’t really describe.

Magic. How do you describe it anyway ? Tulip handed him the mask, a smile on her lips.

“It’s a masked Ball, after all. With this mask I just enchanted, no one will recognize you, may it be because of your voice or your general attitude. Aren’t I a genius ? My parents underestimate me, truly”

Lau couldn’t help but smile, and he admired the mask. Where did Tulip get it anyway ? It was a perfect match for the outfit he was wearing. A nice black cloak with a black suit, and an orange tie to break all of this darkness. Tulip, on the other hand, leaned more towards colours, as she was wearing a stunningly beautiful blue dress that could easily be compared with a night sky. Her mask was equally gorgeous: all black, covered in small shiny stones and with a nice feather on the side to top it off.

“You really went all out with this outfit, huh ?” he suddenly says.

“Of course. I need to look as pompous as a Pureblood. Come on now, let’s go the Ball”

She grabbed the old poster, reading the address and putting her mask on with her free hand. Lau decided to do the same.

“The Lee Mansion. God, I bet they will have House Elves”

That left a bad taste in Lau’s mouth. House Elves... Purebloods had the tendency to treat them horribly.

* * *

There were, indeed, House Elves scurrying around the Mansion, making sure that everything was in order as guests were chatting, dancing and eating snacks from the large buffet. At the sight of all this food, Lau’s stomach involuntary growled. He wasn’t the richest guy around, and sometimes he had huge struggles with making ends meet. And now that winter was approaching, he was getting more and more worried.

He almost considered stealing food from this party, but people would definitely notice him. He had an enchanted mask, not enchanted hands. Maybe he can try magical gloves next time... huh, he’ll mention it to Tulip later. His friend was currently by herself, sipping on some alcohol... but Lau never truly liked that sort of drink. With a rather specific objective in mind, he slipped out of the main hall, and sneaked past a door to find himself into a large hallway, with the walls covered with large painted portraits. Under each, a named was carved in what seemed like pure gold. Yolanda Lee, Anastasia Lee, Rodolf Lee... they all looked absurdly strict, and boringly dull. He finally stopped at the final portrait, showing a young boy around his age. This guy wasn’t strict or dull, that Lau perfectly knew.

Barnaby Lee.

His heart fluttered for a moment... and he dared to remove his mask. Soon enough, footsteps echoed through the hallway, and Barnaby finally joined Laurent, a smile on his lips. His mask is reminiscent of a snake, but he quickly removed it to show himself to his crush.

“I thought you wouldn’t have been able to make it... I had to beg my parents to throw this Ball. They feel like being alone lately, but I managed to convince them !”

And he shot Lau a huge, bright smile, that instantly made the redhead melt.

“It took me a lot of work” Lau said, “Enchanted masks, making sure to not rise suspicions... but it’s all worth it in the end, because I get to see you”

To see Barnaby Lee, his forbidden friend. Once again, pureblood and muggleborn don’t usually mix... but Lau and Barnaby deliberately ignored that unwritten rule to hang out. He felt bad for having lied to Tulip... but he feared that she would have judged him for trying to get to a fancy party only to see a friend he wasn’t even supposed to have in the first place.

From where they are, they can both hear music from the main hall... and quickly enough, a low, waltz music starts playing. A smile forms itself on Barnaby’s lips as he offers his hand to his friend.

“May I have this dance ?”

Lau can’t help but giggle, and grabs Barnaby’s hand.

“You may, good sir”

And Barnaby wrapped his arm around Lau’s waist, still holding his hand with the other, and both of their hearts skipped a beat as they noticed how much closer they were now. Lau could see every single of his friend’s features: from the most visible like his cheekbones to the most subtle ones, like his dark eyelashes.

Handsome. This single word immediately comes to Lau’s mind, surfacing as if it had been resting deep under water for a while... and a blush immediately shows up on Lau’s face as they start dancing. It’s smooth, it’s slow, it’s... natural. As if Barnaby and Lau were made to be dancing with each other. Although they are both usually pretty clumsy, no one steps on the other’s foot or accidentally trips. Everything seems go along smoothly, and in the end they’re staring at each other, their lips sightly parted.

Barnaby’s eyes seem to sparkle.

Lau’s too.

He can still remember when they both met, in the public market. He had been so nice to him... without thinking much, right here in this deserted hallway, Laurent pressed his lips against Barnaby’s... and they both press their bodies together as Barnaby kisses back without a second thought. He can taste the chocolate cupcakes he knew his grandmother would bring, and he giggled.

“Decided to visit the buffet ?” he whispered against his lips.

“You know me, Barnaby Lee”

He slid his fingers into his hair, and they both sunk themselves into that kiss... until Barnaby pulled away, looking suddenly worried. The soft music was still playing, but Lau could barely hear it as he kept focus on Barnaby.

“A-Are you... sure about this, Lau ? I-I mean, our statuses are different, a-and, you know the saying. Purebloods and Muggleborns don’t m-mix... what if you get in trouble ? I-I couldn’t possibly live with myself if something happened to you”

But as a simple answer, Lau kissed him again. And again, and again. They kissed for what seemed like an eternity, and Lau never wanted it to end... he did force himself to pull away, though, but only briefly. Their lips could still brush against each other.

“I don’t care, Barnaby Lee. I don’t care about any of this... the only thing that matters is us”

He gently cupped his face, and kissed him again. Barnaby was quick to kiss back... and they spent the rest of the Ball in Barnaby’s room, away from prying glances, only talking and cuddling with each other, hoping for a good future.

[oberlinconservatory]

In the practice room with Phoebe Durand McDonnell ’19

This Oberlin Conservatory harpist is accustomed to travel. When Phoebe’s harp goals outgrew her small hometown of Bar Harbor, Maine, she began making a six-hour commute to Boston for weekly lessons. Now at the end of her undergraduate studies, with a new-found passion for historic harp that she discovered in Oberlin, Phoebe is ready to take her studies even farther from home as a Fulbright Fellow in Geneva, Switzerland, in the fall.

How do you plan to spend your Fulbright year overseas?  I will be participating in a Masters degree program at the Haute école de musique de Genève studying historic harp performance. My focus is Baroque harp, which was used generally from the 1500s-1700s. It’s a crazy instrument! The modern harp that I play now has pedals to change keys, but the Baroque harp has three parallel rows of strings—the outer two rows are tuned diatonically and the inner row is tuned to the half-steps and slightly offset, so for sharps and flats you reach into the inner row.  I’ll be learning how to play the instrument and studying Baroque music.

What motivated you to apply for a Fulbright in the first place? What inspired this particular project?    During my second year at Oberlin I found a replica of a Baroque harp in a locked practice room on the third floor of Robertson Hall. Nobody actually knows where it came from or why it’s at Oberlin, but I was completely fascinated and started playing around with it.  During my junior year, I took an Intro to Historic Performance class with Professor David Breitman, and he and my harp teacher Yolanda Kondonassis worked together to bring historic harpist Dr. Maria Cleary to Oberlin when she was playing in Cleveland. I had a couple of lessons with her and discovered it was possible to play historic harp professionally—I was completely hooked! I started looking into a Fulbright because historic harp isn’t taught in the U.S. I had the chance to study with Maria again at a festival in the Czech Republic last summer and quickly realized I love her teaching style and musicality. Soon after, I wrote my Fulbright application to study in with her in Geneva.

It seems the sky is the limit when it comes to collaborative performance opportunities here in Oberlin! What have been some of your most memorable collaborative experiences on campus? I’ve worked one-on-one with composers, played a contemporary harp duet, and hauled my harp across campus to play at a contra dance.  (The sky is the limit, for sure, but maybe a more realistic limit when there is no elevator available is the third floor of J House for a “waltz night”!) In the past month alone, I have played in the film score project of a composer friend, performed with the orchestra in a section of four harps, and presented a piece with a friend on my senior recital that we’ve been planning to play together since we were 16.  Every collaboration is equally unforgettable and close-to-my-heart!

Let's talk about your work with Oberlin’s Indonesian Gong Ensemble! Before the Salvation Army Learning Zone project, had you had many teaching/community outreach experiences like that? Bang on a Gong is fabulous! I’ve always loved working with kids and feel very strongly that access to music is incredibly important. I drove six hours one way for lessons throughout high school, and was able to do that since I was homeschooled and my parents were incredibly supportive.  But I’m from rural Maine, and I know first hand that not everybody can make that work. Since I first started performing, I’ve given a “this is how the harp works!” spiel before my concerts and always let people of every age try the harp if they want to.  I became involved in “Gamelan and Community Engagement” at its inception two years ago, and have worked with Professor Jennifer Fraser through every change, experiment, and success! Go to their concerts. Get involved. It’s a fantastic program.  

“We should all do what we love and do it well.”

As a fourth year, ready to graduate, what are some of the ways that Oberlin has helped you to grow?

I think every student here says this, but Oberlin is such a unique place. In a conservatory environment it’s easy to feel pressured to do your best, always, no matter what the physical/mental consequences. But, at Oberlin, we’re forced to get out of the practice rooms and interact with our peers who are not doing music. I’m an odd conservatory student in that I came to Oberlin because I also loved the school as a whole, not just the conservatory. I think my time with the college students (I’m co-chair of the contra dance, I’ve taken more college classes than my degree requires, and I love ExCos) has inspired me in my music.  When I see friends doing what they love and excelling in fields I never could, it makes me realize that every career path is important. We should all do what we love and do it well.

[thenickelportrust]

At the end of Yolanda's romantic scene, whether you decide to ask about a more serious relationship, decide on something more casual, or fish for more information, will what you choose have any bearing on how easy/hard it will be to pursue a (serious) relationship with her later on?

Not inherently-- it'll just change the way a serious relationship with her ends up coming about.

(Putting rest under read more for those who wish to avoid spoilers, since this talks more in-depth about this aspect of Yolanda's relationship)

The basic plan right now is:

If you start a casual relationship with her that will unlock more scenes similar to this one. When she actually starts feeling things for the MC the response to that will be kind of like an "oh, I'm confusing my physical feelings for emotional ones", and go through that kind of "break up" between the two as she tries to work out her feelings.

If you ask about a more serious relationship now and she turns you down, then it'll change that crisis later into one of "wait, I turned them down, and we're not even in a relationship."

(If you haven't said you're ace / if you'd be willing later on, she may even come to you and ask again if you'd like to have a one night stand, thinking that if the two of you DO have a romantic night together, those will make her odd new feelings go away.)

If you fish for information instead then you'll still be able to start a casual relationship later on or ask about a serious one and get turned down, and go through either main path in her relationship! It changes how it happens a bit since you'll be starting your relationship with her later / have already spent a night with her (which would change that "oh maybe its because we haven't even been together" thought process of Yolanda's) but will still allow you either path.

So! Neither is "harder" or "easier" then the other and both involve a kind of "break up" / "turn down" scene as Yolanda's never really held romantic feelings for anyone before, and is gonna have to learn both how to manage and register what she's feeling!