#for love any bylines

[frozenoj]

Published Reylo Fics Master List

Everyone knows reylos stay winning, and I have no doubt we'll be one of the most published fandoms of all time. List originally posted on twitter (and actually stolen from an anti lmao) but ported over considering... all that.

(Note: I'm mostly just C&P'ing right now, if you know an author has a tumblr and they aren't tagged please lmk thanks! And ofc lmk if I've missed any or as new things get published.)

Ali Hazelwood Cinematic Universe

Three novels, three novellas, and she's just getting started.

Go Hex Yourself by Jessica Clare

When Reggie Johnson answers a job ad, she’s astonished to find that she’s not applying to work at her favorite card game, Spellcraft: The Magicking. Instead, she’s applying to be an actual familiar for an actual witch.

We'd Know By Then by Kirsten Bohling

Meeting your soulmate triggers "the glimpse"—walking out of Dorothy's house in Kansas and into the colorful world of Oz. The problem is, Brighton has ALWAYS seen in color.

For Love and Bylines by Merrin Taylor

When Ava Thompson is offered an undercover investigative role, she jumps at the chance. But posing as a high school senior proves to be more than Ava signed up for when she meets brooding English teacher, Nico Adams.

Almost Perfect by Charlie Mitchell

Recovering from a brain tumour, Ben has lost confidence in sex & relationships. So he gets in touch with Rey, a specialised sex worker, to help him get over his fears.

Soul Searching by E. A. Blevins

Finding your soulmate is like winning the lottery. They're rare and precious and lead to riding off into the sunset. They're not supposed to be your high school English teacher or carry baggage that can tear you both apart.

The Hurricane Wars by @theaguanzon

A land ravaged by storms and conquerors… A refuge across the sea that comes at a price… A volatile alliance between two bitter enemies… A growing attraction as dangerous as it is irresistible…

Crossroads by Chaney Banett

Ester lives a simple enough life as a waitress at a truck stop diner, plopped in middle-of-nowhere Minnesota. Her days aren’t boring necessarily. It’s just that they’re one all the same.

She doesn't question life very often. She doesn't question anything at all, actually.

…Until the mysterious regular at booth sixteen starts asking.

Hanukkah at the Great Greenwich Ice Creamery by Sharon Ibbotson

Grumpy Cohen orders a coffee when he goes to deliver a present from his mother at the ice creamery. While there he's immediately drawn to River, the Deaf woman who makes the ice cream flavors.

My Roommate is a Vampire by @jeenonamit

Cassie Greenberg's desperate when she finds a too-good-to-be-true apartment in a beautiful Chicago neighborhood. She knows there has to be a catch—only someone with a secret to hide would rent out a room for that price.

Cassie’s sexy new roommate is a vampire. And he has a proposition for her.

The Rockstar’s Omega by Hannah Haze

Layla won a backstage pass to meet her idol, Ash Canon. What will they do when his scent sends her into heat?

(Does anyone know if Hannah's other works also used to be reylo? LMK!)

The Alpha Nextdoor by Dani Doll

It doesn’t matter how hot the alpha next door is. She’s a beta, and that means it’ll never work between them. Right?

The Exception to the Rule by Christina D. Ambrose

Violet Dawson is spirited, independent, and definitely not your typical Omega. She's determined not to be drawn to the gorgeous Theodore Chamberlin, senior editor and company Alpha asshole.

They are thrust together to plan an event, and all seems to go well until Violet's workspace floods, and they have to share an office.

What will become of them when their close proximity causes Violet to go into heat?

The Most Titillating Tale of Miss Hall & Dr Black by Jenny Michelle

Miss Charlotte Hall, bored & neglected by her Grandfather, has a shameful problem. Desperate, she turns to his physician for help. But she hadn't expected the help to be quite so…manly.

Antique Magic by Kait Disney-Leugers

Brie St. James is in need of a part-time job. She finds it at Spirit Antiques, owned by the handsome and aloof Ezra. But there's more to the shop than meets the eye. Under the layers of patina and dust, a gateway to the magical world and the shop is the crossroads of goods for the magical residents.

To Have & to Hold by Avery Crow

When Clara’s work visa is denied, she figures that’s the end of the road for her. Until her boss offers to marry her.

The idea of going back to cold, gloomy London and the dark past that haunts her is only slightly worse than having to somehow convince her friends and coworkers that her new marriage is authentic, and that there is any sort of love between them.

But Andrew Morrow is full of surprises, and Clara soon finds herself in over her head and pining for a man who is, after all, only doing her a favor.

Kirsten S. Blacketer

Kirsten has a ton of books, like omg a ton! Looks like at least 7 different series/collections? I don't know how many of them were reylo originally (could be all, could be just a few) but check them out.

#reylo fanfic to published books pipeline #the love hypothesis #love on the brain #love theoretically #steminist #under one roof #stuck with you #below zero #go hex yourself #we'd know by then #for love any bylines #almost perfect #soul searching #the hurricane wars #crossroads #Hanukkah at the Great Greenwich Ice Creamery #my roommate is a vampire #the rockstar's omega #the alpha next door #the exception to the rule #The Most Titillating Tale of Miss Hall & Dr Black #antique magic #to have and to hold #kirsten s blacketer #ali hazelwood #book rec list #reylo #long post

[songforeddiemunson]

Mistaken Identities

I normally don't write RPF (no shame to those who do!) but this funny little drabble popped into my noggin today watching everyone melting down over a picture of Joe speaking with a female. If you like, please reblog and tag with feedback!

Joe Quinn x Reader

Summary: Joe spots something ridiculous in the daily tabloid.

Warnings: established relationship. vanilla, funny, no smut, bit of cussing, mild fluff, weed mention, adultery mention, Joe is pouty, reader is amused

Word count: 687 (just a wee thing)

~~~~

You’re just getting ready to take the first sip of your morning coffee when the freshly-printed tabloid of the day slaps down on the table in front of you with a light whup, making the wispy hairs around your face flutter.

You gingerly pick it up as you turn your head up to look at your husband, who is standing above you wearing an expression of total exasperation.

“Look at that shite,” Joe sighs, gesturing vaguely at the tabloid he just dumped in front of you.

You turn your head back to the paper in your hands and see, in the middle of the page in large bold letters, “Y/N SPOTTED SMOOCHING STRANGER, CHEATS ON HUSBAND!”

The photo below the headline was a grainy, too-zoomed photo of you standing at the top step of your rented flat, leaning down to plant a kiss on the lips of a tall, slim man standing a couple of steps down. His face is mostly obscured by long dark curls that cascade past his shoulders, but he’s wearing a white baseball tee with black sleeves, tight black jeans with torn knees, white high tops, and a silver wallet chain dangling from the back to front jeans pockets. His lean forearms are extended forward, dotted with tattoos, and his hands grip the railing of the steps you are standing upon. His head is tilted up to yours, the ghost of a smile on his lips barely visible beneath the long tresses. Overlaid in the upper corner of the photo is a round bubble featuring Joe’s face, pulling an overdramatic pout. You burst out laughing.

“This is so not funny,” Joe scowls in reply to your peals of laughter, looking a bit like his bubble photo. He huffs down in the seat perpendicular to yours at the table. He scrubs his hand across his face in frustration, but you can see that he’s fighting back a tired smile.

You flick your eyes back to the page, and begin reading the byline.

“Is there trouble in paradise with it-couple Joseph Quinn and Y/N?” you begin, and Joe audibly groans. You ignore him. “While hubby is away shooting for the hit Netflix smash Stranger Things, the naughty wife will play!” You hear your husband snort to your left. “Are they shitting me with this,” you squeal, half laughing, half in disbelief.

“It gets worse,” Joe says, burying his face in his hands.

You read on. “The proof is in the pudding with this pap snap, showing Y/N planting a salacious smooch on this mysterious headbanger. Will cuckold Joe give wifey another chance?” You bark out shocked laughter.

“I’ve been called a cuckold today and I’ve not even had my coffee yet,” Joe says flatly, making you laugh harder. “You know,” he says, narrowing his eyes at you. “This wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t make me visit you during lunch every day in costume.”

You hold your hands up in mock surrender, letting the paper fall to the table. “Hey, don’t blame me,” you say, giggling. “You look hot as hell in that outfit.”

Joe slouches down in his chair, crossing his arms like a petulant child. “No more nooners with Eddie, love. Now my wife is cheating on me…with me. Fabulous.”

“You can’t withhold Eddie,” you say, eyes wide in hyperbolic panic. “This isn’t his fault!” Your husband finally laughs at that one.

“I’ll make some calls and sort it out," you say with a conciliatory tone. "Don’t worry, everyone will think this is hilarious. I’ll post some pictures of us while you’re in costume and you can actually see your face.”

“If Netflix will let you. I’m fully expecting to be shot by a sniper at any moment,” Joe replies, smiling.

“You should relax more my love,” you tell him, picking up your cellphone to call your publicist and standing up. You plant a kiss to his forehead. “Get Eddie to sell you some weed,” you say, before heading out of the room and down the hall.

“Oh fuck off,” Joe calls to your departing back. “I have my own weed.”

MASTERLIST

#joseph quinn x reader #joseph quinn rpf #joe quinn drabble #my writing

[profoundbondfanfic]

We've heard it's Mermay and decided to make our contribution with some of our favorite destiel fics involving Merpeople because who never imagined our boys as Ariel or Prince Eric? (No? Just us? okay then.)

A Fish Called Castiel by orphan_account [Explicit, 37k words]

Dean Winchester plans on proposing to his summer fling, Lisa Braeden. He buys a ring, against the advice of best friend Charlie Bradbury, and books a table at an expensive restaurant. Before he can propose however, Lisa breaks up with him. His pride wounded, Dean drives out to the coast, gets liquored up and throws the engagement ring into the ocean. When he goes in to retrieve it, he heads too deep and that should be the end of the story. He shouldn’t end up back on the shore, coughing up seawater with a beautiful young man tending to him. Dean doesn’t know where this man came from or who he is but he gives him the engagement ring as a thank you for saving his life. He never expects to see the guy again, but two days later he gets a call from the local Sheriff about a strange man she's picked up wondering naked in town with Dean's wallet and ring on him. The guy’s name is Castiel and, much to Dean’s surprise, he’s a mermaid.

A Fish Out of Water by MalMuses [Explicit, 64k words]

To tie up the loose ends of a hunt, Dean is forced to go undercover and visit Brock Pleasure Ranch, a horrifying establishment that markets its inhabitants to people with ‘monstrous’ tastes. It should have been a simple thing, to persuade a mer to give him a few scales for a spell. All part of the usual Winchester byline: saving people, hunting things. But Castiel is far less of a ‘thing’ than Dean expected. He might not be human, but he’s definitely a person. And that means he needs saving, too.

A Merman's Tail by remivel [Explicit, 14k words]

Castiel was a merman who was born with the tail of a Great White Shark. Treated as an abomination by his own kind, Castiel found solace in observing humans and following their ships. He was content with watching them from afar, until he saved Dean, a human prince, from being killed by a shark. Soon, watching Dean from afar was not enough, and he wished to leave his life under the sea for a chance at being part of Dean's world.

Beneath the Surface by riseofthefallenone [Explicit, 252k words]

An alternate universe of my beloved Out of the Deep that takes place entirely in the world of the Fin-kin. Castiel is still the bright-fin we know and love from OotD. But Dean? He’s a fang-fin; a violent breed of fin-kin who want nothing more than to bring war to Castiel's colony - or so he's been led to believe.

Bitten on Both Wings by squirrelofcelestialintent [Explicit, 31k words]

You may have seen The Little Mermaid, but you have no idea how the real story goes. Castiel is cursed. He comes from a long line of cursed Mer, not that he’s ever met any of them, or been told anything about the burden that he inherited. When he saves a human man from drowning, he finds himself suddenly on land and wearing two legs. It feels like an adventure. And when that man turns out to be someone he might love, there’s no risk he wouldn’t take to be able to stay with Dean. But Castiel doesn’t know what it is that he’s risking.

Breathing Into You by casblackfeathers [Explicit, 110k words]

‘Beware the deep sea, that’s where the monsters come from.’ Dean had heard these words since birth, his father’s warnings shaping him into the man he is today. That’s not the root of Dean’s hatred for merpeople, though. Twenty years after the day tragedy had touched the Winchesters’ lives forever as well as the end of the Great War between humans and mer, Dean is still haunted by that moment. But loving the sea is just as much a part of him as the dread for the merfolk, so when he isn’t working at the local bar, he is there, underwater, immersed in the vast blue his mother used to speak of in her bedtime stories. Dean knows, however, that the sea can be as ruthless as it is soothing. When he is caught in the middle of a storm and faces the anger of the waves, the mysterious appearance of a stranger with blue eyes as clear as the waters Dean loves losing himself in forces Dean to question the truth behind his father’s old mantra.

Here We May Be Free by FriendofCarlotta [Explicit, 39k words]

When Dean was eleven, he saw something in the ocean: a boy with blue eyes and iridescent scales. Almost twenty years later, a spontaneous detour after a hunt brings Dean and Sam back to the town where that encounter took place. And Dean can’t shake the feeling that Castiel, the owner of the local Mermaid Museum, looks familiar…

Hold Your Breath by camwelgrace [Explicit, 151k words]

The summer after Dean Winchester's high school graduation doesn't seem like it's going to be a very exciting one. Dean's life consists of working for Bobby at the salvage yard, taking care of Sammy, and helping his dad run the motel. That is, until a violent storm washes up a dark-haired, blue-eyed merman into The Beach Bunker's pool. With Castiel on land and sporting a brand new - albeit transient - pair of legs, the two of them discover that there's a lot for them to learn from one another. Not only about themselves and their present, but also about the past. Or, The one where Dean Winchester can't believe he's falling for the hot merman who got washed up in his pool. Since when was his life so friggin' weird?

Song of the Sea by Faster_Than_the_Speed_of_Sound [Mature, 37k words]

In a world where the merpeople of the ocean are known by humanity, but sirens are thought to be extinct, Dean Winchester is in trouble. On a routine hunt with his brother, he manages to get himself captured by a group of fishermen who sell him to scientists for experimentation. Dean finds himself locked in a tank hundreds of miles away from his home, with no allies and no conceivable way to get back to the ocean. Just when Dean thinks he has no chance of escaping alive, he finds a friend in the kind, blue-eyed doctor named Castiel. As Dean tries to survive in the facility, he finds salvation, safety, and maybe a little more in his new ally. In the frantic rush to break Dean out and get him back to the ocean, is there any chance for the budding attraction between the siren and the doctor to thrive? Or will it be doomed to a watery grave?

Out of the Deep by riseofthefallenone [Explicit, 488k words]

Stay away from the light-beds. Stay in the deep. It is the first thing hatchlings are taught the moment their fans unfurl and they can swim without their parents to buoy them along. It is the first rule, the first law. It is the beginning of every boogey-monster bedtime story told when they settle against the cliffs to sleep. Castiel should have listened better.

Wish I Could Be by EllenOfOz [Mature, 51k words]

Once upon a time, far beneath the ocean waves, King Triton ruled over the merfolk. All was peaceful, but the youngest prince, Castiel, dreamed of more. For he’d seen them—the humans on their fishing boat, including one particular green-eyed sailor whose face he couldn’t get out of his mind. Just how far would he go to be part of that world? A retelling of The Little Mermaid written for SPN Media Big Bang, featuring art by girlinthemirrorbluenight.

#destiel #group rec #merpeople #mermay #creature!dean #creature!castiel

[loveroftoomanyfandoms]

Cooking Up Love, Chapter 13

Pairing: Chef!Matt Murdock x F!Journalist!Reader

Rating: T

Story Summary: Here

Warnings/Tags: Hallmark levels of fluffy, cheesy goodness (and speed that their relationship develops, lol), no use of Y/N, Matt is not a vigilante, idiots in love, misunderstandings, minor Foggy/OFC

Word Count: ~3200

A/N: We're almost to the end! Thank you to everyone who has read, liked, and commented on my little self-indulgent Chef AU -- y'all keep me writing!

As always, thanks to @theradioactivespidergwen for the line break -- it's being put to good use!

Tag List: @yarrystyleeza @hailey-murdock @mattkinsella @bellaxgiornata @danzer8705 @chezagnes @shouldbestudying41 @thepunisherfrankcastle @mattmurdocks6thscaleapartment @roseslovedreams

"Wait, Matt actually accused you of screwing him over and using him just to make a name for yourself?" Skyler asked as you sat in your kitchen together after work later that evening. "I don't remember anything in your article worth him getting upset over when I read it yesterday."

You shook your head. "That's because there wasn't anything! I absolutely raved about both his culinary skills and his food, I talked about how much care and consideration he puts into perfecting his recipes, and I even mentioned his volunteer activities at Clinton Church."

Skyler shook her head. "Walk me through the conversation again."

"I emailed him my article then decided to call him a little later to let him know that I had sent it over. He seemed a bit put off but I wasn't sure if he was still upset with me over running out on him the other night or if something else was bothering him, so I asked him if he had read it. Suddenly he just went off on me, saying how all journalists were exactly alike and how we're always looking for the next big scoop no matter who we screw over in the process, then he said that he thought I actually cared about him and that I was no longer welcome at Daredevil." 

Your voice broke, the hurt and anger in Matt's voice upsetting you all over again. "The worst part of it is that I do care about him, Sky, I -- I think I might have been falling for him."

Skyler reached out and gave your hand a gentle squeeze. "Oh, honey, I'm so sorry."

You shook your head with a sniffle. "I hate to admit it, but maybe Kelsie was right and Matt was just stringing me along but got tired of waiting until my article was actually published to stop speaking to me, so he just made an excuse."

Skyler made a face. "Ugh. First off, don't ever use the phrase 'Kelsie was right' in my presence ever again. Secondly, didn't you say that he opened up to you about some personal stuff but asked you to keep it off the record?"

You nodded. "Yeah, and I did. I didn't mention anything to do with that in the article."

You pulled up your work email on your phone, opening the attachment you had sent Matt so you could read over it once again. "I didn't even -- wait, what is this?"

You scrolled through the document, your blood turning to ice in your veins. "Oh shit. Oh no, no , no, no, no, no. "

A look of alarm crossed Skyler's face. "What's wrong?"

"This isn't my article."

"What? What do you mean, that isn't your article?"

I mean , the article I sent Matt is not the article I wrote, Sky." You handed your phone to Skyler. "It's got my name on the byline, but I didn't write this. It's no wonder Matt was so pissed at me though -- this article is a smear campaign."

Skyler's eyebrows raised as she read through it. "Someone had to have switched the documents. Did you leave your computer unlocked and unattended at any point today?"

You shook your head. "No, of course not, I--"

You sighed. "Wait, yes. I was getting ready to send my article to Matt when Kelsie told me I had a package downstairs that I had to go personally sign for."

Skyler raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess, there was no package."

You nodded. "Exactly."

Skyler tapped at your phone screen. "Um, did you also send it to Max and Carrie and tell them Ellison approved your article and said to go ahead and send it to them?"

You shook your head. "No, why?"

"Because it looks like you did."

"What?" You grabbed your phone, scowling as you saw that the same attachment had been sent to the people who handled the layout for the physical paper as well as the digital edition. "Oh, but hell no. It's a good thing you caught that."

Skyler shook her head in disbelief. "That absolute bitch. I'm going to destroy her."

You sighed. "I don't know how I'm going to prove Kelsie is the one who wrote it and planted it on my PC though."

Skyler grinned. "Oh, I do. You didn't know that you can see who the original author of a document is and look at a document's editing history, did you?"

You shook your head.

"I bet Kelsie didn't either. I need your laptop."

You retrieved your laptop and pulled the document up on it before letting Skyler take over. 

After a few clicks, Skyler nodded. "Sure enough. Not only is she listed as the original author of the document, but her digital signature is all over it."

You shook your head. "We need to go talk to Ellison."

You sent him a text message. Are you still at the office? I need to talk to you about something important.

A few seconds later, he replied. Yeah, still here trying to get this editorial column done. What's up?

I'll be there in 10 minutes. Don't go anywhere.

You saved the file to a flash drive, grabbed your keys, then you and Skyler practically ran to the Bulletin.

As soon as you got there, you booted up your computer and printed a copy of Kelsie's fake article. "Okay, let's go talk to Ellison."

You picked up the printout of Kelsie's fake article from the printer before you and Skyler headed to Ellison's office.

He looked up at the two of you tiredly. "Whatcha got for me?"

"Sabotage," Skyler replied. "As well as sneaky, underhanded, unethical so-called journalism."

Ellison's brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"I have reason to believe that Kelsie swapped my Restaurant Week article out with a fake one in an attempt to discredit me," you explained. 

You set the copy of the fake article down on Ellison's desk. "I wound up sending this to Chef Murdock, who was understandably upset by it and is how I caught it. And not only that, but Kelsie sent it to Max and Carrie while I was away from my computer."

Ellison's eyebrows raised as he read the fake article. "What makes you so sure it was Kelsie?"

Skyler scoffed. "Isn't it obvious? She's an evil, backstabbing bitch."

You shook your head. "Kelsie's had a personal vendetta against me ever since I got promoted to Features and has been going around all week accusing me of 'stealing' the Restaurant Week feature out from underneath her."

"And she's been saying all sorts of horrible things about Chef Murdock," Skyler added before pointedly looking at you. "Things that probably aren't even true."

Ellison sighed. "I knew she wasn't very happy with me for passing the Restaurant Week feature to you, but I wouldn't have suspected that she'd actually resort to sabotage."

He set the article down. "However, you both know that simply providing me with a copy of an allegedly-written article isn't enough. I need solid proof."

Skyler set the flash drive down on Ellison's desk. "Here's your proof. You'll notice that Kelsie is the original owner of the document and has edited it multiple times, and I bet if you look on her computer you'd find it there as well." 

"Plus if you review the security footage from around 1:30 today you'll probably see her poking around at my desk." You set copies of the time-stamped emails sent to Max and Carrie. "She sent me on a wild goose chase trying to find some package I needed to personally sign for while she sent the fake article to Max and Carrie for publication."

"I wouldn't be surprised if she was behind the email server conveniently going down on Wednesday afternoon so you couldn't email your article to Mitch then," Skyler added. "It's a good thing you decided to print it and turn it in anyway."

Ellison sighed. "Do you still have your original file?"

You nodded. "She deleted it off of my computer here at work but I keep a copy of all of my articles on an external hard drive at home."

"Good. As soon as you get home, resend it to Max and Carrie marked urgent and CC me so I'll also have it digitally. In the meantime, I'll get Phil to pull the security footage from today."

"Okay." You bit your lip. "Um, is it okay if I take Monday off? After the week I've had I need a mental health day."

Ellison looked at you sympathetically and nodded. "Yeah, sure. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry for all this."

You shrugged. "Not your fault. What I don't get though is why Kelsie also chose to go after Chef Murdock so hard."

"I think I can answer that," Skyler said, handing you her phone. "Take a look at Kelsie's Facebook."

You looked at her latest post, which was a picture of her cozying up to a handsome, dark-haired, blue-eyed man. Romantic weekend away with my love, the photo was captioned. "So?"

Skyler shook her head and pulled up Kelsie's boyfriend's profile. "See who she's dating?"

Your eyebrows raised as you read his bio. "Huh, yeah, I guess that makes sense now." 

Skyler showed it to Ellison. "Did you know this?"

Ellison shook his head. "No, I had no idea. It does explain why she was pushing so hard about getting the feature switched back though."

You nodded. "That way she could control the narrative."

Ellison sighed. "Let me go ahead and call Phil. Don't forget to CC me on that correction to Max and Carrie so it's documented."

You nodded. "Okay."

"I'll send out a staff-wide memo on Monday after everything is said and done, but in the meantime, don't say anything to anyone else on staff about this. I don't want it getting back to Kelsie so she can try to cover her tracks."

You and Skyler both nodded. "Yes, sir."

As you left the office and were headed back down the elevator, Skyler asked, "So what are you going to do about Matt? Still want me to kick his ass for you?"

You let out a light laugh. "No, that's okay. I'll just… move on, I guess? I mean, I'm going to send my actual article to him but he made it pretty clear that he didn't want anything else to do with me so I doubt he'll even open my email."

"Then it's his loss."

You stepped out of the elevator as the doors opened. "Thanks, Sky."

Skyler bit her lip. "What about Foggy? You think I should cancel my date with him tomorrow?"

You shook your head. "No way. Just because it didn't work out with me and Matt doesn't mean you shouldn't at least give Foggy a chance."

You gave her a wink. "Besides, just because I'm not welcome at Daredevil doesn't mean that you can't bring me some takeout from there, especially if you're dating the other owner."

Skyler laughed and gave you a hug. "Thanks, bestie."

"Let me know how it goes, ok?"

Skyler nodded. "I will."

You headed home and grabbed your laptop so you could send the correct article to Max and Carrie, CCing Ellison on the email with the explanation "Sorry, wrong attachment sent. Please use this attached copy in the print and online editions on Monday." .

You opened a new email and attached the correct file.

To: [email protected]

Subject: Explanation About Bulletin Article

Attachment: Restaurant Week Feature V1.doc

You took a deep breath.

Dear Matt,

You probably won't even open this email, but I wanted to let you know that the article I sent you earlier today was not the article I had written about you, nor is it the article that will be appearing in Monday's edition of the Bulletin. Long story short, someone else on staff replaced the file for my article (which I had given a hardcopy of to my editor for approval on Wednesday) with the one I erroneously sent you earlier today.

I promise I never meant to hurt you and I swear I would never use you (or anyone else, for that matter) just to get a lead on a story or try to pad my portfolio. This past week was one of the best of my life and it was genuinely a pleasure spending time with you and getting to know you… both inside the kitchen and out. 

You bit your lip, trying to decide if you should tell Matt exactly how much he had begun to mean to you. Ultimately you decided against it, instead closing with ' Wishing you all the best in your future endeavors'.

You added your work signature, then sent the email. 

You sat back and sighed. While it hurt knowing that you would never get to find out if the spark you had felt with Matt could've ignited into something real, you also knew that you would treasure the time you had spent with him forever.

"Matt, there's a gentleman on the phone asking for you," Karen said as Matt and Foggy prepped for brunch service on Sunday. "Says he's from the Bulletin."

Matt nodded and wiped his hands. He had called the editor on Friday evening and had left a voicemail disputing the information contained in your article and asking for a resolution. "I'll take it in the office. Thanks, Karen."

He could feel both her and Foggy watching him as he exited the kitchen and headed to the office.

He picked up the phone and transferred the call. "Matthew Murdock speaking."

"Chef Murdock," the man replied. "This is Mitchell Ellison. I'm the editor over at the New York Bulletin. "

Matt was hit with a pang. You had emailed him again on Friday afternoon but with his hurt over your article being so fresh and so raw Matt had been letting your email sit unopened in his inbox until he was ready to hear what kind of (undoubtedly poor) excuse you'd had for using him. 

He cleared his throat. "Mmhmm."

"I just wanted to call and personally apologize for the feature article you received in your email on Friday. That was not the article I had approved for publication and I wanted to let you know that after a brief internal investigation, the person responsible for it is being terminated first thing tomorrow morning. I assure you, we do not stand for such unethical behavior at the Bulletin ."

Matt winced. While he was extremely hurt and angry with you, he hadn't actually set out to get you fired. "Thank you for letting me know."

"I'm sending over the feature that I actually had approved for tomorrow's edition of the paper and I must say, it's some of the best, most honest writing I've ever read. I think you'll be much more pleased with it."

Matt heard his inbox chime with a new email. "I think it just came in."

"Great. Apologies again for the mistake."

"Mmhmm. Thanks for returning my call."

"Of course. Have a good day, Chef."

"You too. Goodbye."

Matt hung up and sighed, then popped in his earbuds and pulled up Ellison's email.

From: [email protected]

Subject: NYC RESTAURANT WEEK FEATURE

Attachments: Restaurant Week Feature V1.doc

Chef Murdock, 

Attached is the article that has been approved for this year's New York Restaurant Week feature. If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Mitchell Ellison

Editor-in-Chief, New York Bulletin

Matt opened the attachment and tapped the keyboard command to begin his text-to-speech program, surprised to hear your name on the byline. He would have thought that whoever had been reassigned the article would get credited, especially since the editor-in-chief had said that your employment at the Bulletin was to be terminated.

Either way, Mr. Ellison had been right -- the rewritten article was immensely more positive than the previous one had been and actually included information that Matt had revealed to you during your recorded interviews… as well as information that hadn't been recorded and therefore only you would be able to include.

Matt's brow furrowed. Something's not adding up.

He closed out of the article, then navigated to your email.

He took a deep breath and opened it.

"Dear Matt," his text-to-speech program dictated,

"You probably won't even open this email, but I wanted to let you know that the article I sent you earlier today was not the article I had written about you, nor is it the article that will be appearing in Monday's edition of the Bulletin. Long story short, someone else on staff replaced the file for my article (which I had given a hardcopy of to my editor for approval on Wednesday) with the one I erroneously sent you earlier today. "

Matt tapped the spacebar on his keyboard to pause his program, filled with an odd mix of confusion and relief. So if you hadn't actually written the first article you had sent him… who had and why?

He tapped the spacebar again to continue.

"I promise I never meant to hurt you," your email continued, "and I swear I would never use you (or anyone else, for that matter) just to get a lead on a story or try to pad my portfolio. This past week was one of the best of my life and it was genuinely a pleasure spending time with you and getting to know you… both inside the kitchen and out. 

Wishing you all the best in your future endeavors, sincerely yours…"

Matt navigated to the attachment, sucking in a breath as he realized that the article that the Bulletin 's editor-in-chief had sent him a few minutes before had been your article -- your real article, apparently.

Matt groaned and covered his face with his hands. He had been so caught up in his worry about getting hurt again that he had never even considered the possibility that you hadn't written the other article.

"Everything okay?"

Matt shook his head as Foggy entered the office. "I messed up."

"What do you mean?"

Matt sighed and said your name. "I was wrong about her, Fog, I was completely wrong. She didn't write that article."

"She didn't? How did she wind up sending it to you then?"

"Apparently one of her coworkers had replaced the file for her real article with the one she sent me -- I'm assuming as some form of sabotage or something. The editor at the Bulletin told me that the person responsible is being terminated first thing tomorrow morning."

"So did you get to read the real article?"

Matt nodded. "Yeah, it's right here."

Foggy moved to his side and leaned over his shoulder so he could read it.

After a few minutes, he straightened. "Damn, Matt, that was beautiful."

Matt nodded. "I know."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Apologize profusely and hope like hell that she'll forgive me."

Matt sighed. If you didn't forgive him, at least he had the memories he had made with you over the past week.

But if you did … Well, he wouldn't screw up a third time.

#lotmf writes #Cooking Up Love Masterlist #Chef!Matt Murdock x Reader #matt murdock x reader #matt murdock x fem!reader #matt murdock x female reader #matt murdock x you

[the-empress-7]

Wait, did she really put this out there? That she 'won' over a dead woman?

Does anyone have the Sunday Times cover with a byline that I paraphrased earlier? I think Roya might have written the story. Something about Game of Thrones and Camilla winning.

ETA found it

What. the. giant. f.

I thought the 80's/90's were raucous, with Fergie doing her shit all the time (the toe-sucking just being one small piece of her antics), the mistressing - just all the crap that went on. And we only had People Magazine to stay on top of it all. :/ But this shit is waaaayyyy over the top.

How the giant f can ANYONE think Camilla won ANYTHING? She is competing against a dead woman! Does anyone really believe that if Diana had lived we'd all be talking about any of this? No! Not a chance in the world.

Oh, btdubs Cam, Diana dead is still almost TWICE as popular as you are alive, pulling all your shit in a desperate attempt to be....what was it? ..... oh yea, DIANA.

This is beyond the pale. Game of Thrones? You mean where the mistress is responsible for the death of the Princess and then goes on to occupy the throne and attempt to become King, shit like that?

I don't get astonished much, having seen it all over the years. But this astonishes me. I won't read the article bc I won't give it the click, but o m g. This is what you do for a living, eh Roya? No wonder Catherine is sick. I don't know HOW she and William live with this shit all day every day.

I thought everyone saw the cover, I don't remember if I posted it or not. It was gross then and it's gross now.

Camilla and her PR were out of control in the lead up to the coronation. The saccharine sweet PR about C&C's love story as the greatest love story of all time, almost gave me diabetes. Both her son and her sister were running their mouths non-stop on top of it all.

God those few months in the lead up to their second wedding or should I say third (once to other people and twice to each other) were insufferable.

Remember all the pressure they put on William to praise Camilla in his speech and William didn't even acknowledge her ass. Which is why I fucking love William.

[threewaywithdelusion]

spinning (for you)

There’s something magical about the open road at night. 

They’re in the middle of nowhere, driving down a deserted highway in Steve’s Bimmer. It’s just them and the darkness and the endless Indiana summer air. Sometimes they drive under a street lamp and in the sudden puddle of light, Steve will be able to see Eddie's features. His big dark eyes and soft smile and the dimples in his cheeks. Steve is glad the road is empty and there are fields on either side because he can barely pay attention to the road when Eddie looks like this.

He can’t look away. Especially not when it feels like every glimpse could be his last. 

He’s mourning a relationship that isn’t yet over, but Steve’s been here before. He knows what it looks like when someone is falling out of love. He knows the feeling of kisses that only he initiates. The taste of bitter blood in the back of his mouth. 

He doesn’t think Eddie has realized it yet, that they’re racing towards the end. And Steve is nothing if not stubborn. He will hang onto this relationship by his fingertips until he’s bloody and bruised and he won’t let go until Eddie asks him to. 

It took Nancy almost a year to give up on Steve. Steve wonders if Eddie will be able to last longer. 

Probably not. They’re both too big for him, these beautiful, passionate people. Nancy with her sweet smile and her steady hands and her dreams of seeing her name in bylines in newspapers far, far away from Hawkins. Eddie, with his boundless energy and his quick fingers and his dreams of playing on stage for masses of adoring fans. 

Steve was never going to be enough for either of them. He should just be happy to have gotten a bit of their time. 

But he’s an inherently greedy thing. He wants forever and never more so than when he knows it’s out of reach. 

There’s nothing certain in this life but death and taxes and Robin, and Steve loves her more than anything else but she’s part of him. She’s his Self, like his blood and his guts and his brain. 

Steve can be lonely even with Robin there. Not lonely like a big, empty house. Lonely like the static of a record spinning after the music has already ended. 

She didn’t choose him. They’re trauma-bonded soulmates and she can’t separate Steve from herself any more than he can separate her from himself. 

Steve wants someone to want him, not just need him. 

He’d thought, for a moment, that Eddie could be that person. He’d fallen hard and fast, the way he always does, and miraculously Eddie had felt the same. They’ve had months of lazy kisses and rough sex. Of Eddie reading books aloud with Steve’s head resting in his lap. Of Steve cooking breakfast and the two of them sharing it, bite by bite. Of slow-dancing in Steve’s living room and head-banging in Eddie’s trailer. Of holding each other close after nightmares and mouthing over sun-warmed skin in grassy fields. 

Now, the late season heat feels heavier every day, one last gasp of summer before autumn sweeps it away, and Steve knows that when the cold comes it will find them already dead. 

Steve’s memory hasn’t been the same since the series of concussions, but he’s trying so hard to pay attention to all these little moments, like if he presses them hard enough into his synapses he might be able to keep them. 

Like right now, Eddie rolling the window down as they speed down the darkened roads. The wind lifts up Eddie’s curls, swirling them around so that Eddie is all flyaway hair and flashes of pale skin. He’s grinning, sticking a hand out the window to feel the air fly by, singing along to a new metal song that came out last week. 

He already knows all the words. 

“Ain’t it funny how it is? You never miss it ‘til it’s gone away,” Eddie sings. 

That’s not true, Steve thinks. I miss you and you aren’t even gone yet. 

Eddie launches into the chorus, which even Steve has heard enough times to know the words to. The hazards of dating a metalhead. 

“Come on, Stevie!” Eddie says. “I know you know it!”

He grabs one of Steve’s hands off the wheel and starts moving it back and forth in a silly little dance. Steve knows better than to attempt headbanging while driving (and Eddie laughs at his headbanging anyway, says Steve is too careful not to mess up his hair) so he shimmies side to side in a way that doesn’t fit the metal music at all. 

Eddie whoops like he doesn’t care. 

As the second verse comes on, Eddie sings at the top of his lungs and Steve rolls all the windows down. The wind whips through the car and it feels like they’re sitting in the middle of a storm. It’s electric. 

“Too much time on my hands! I got you on my mind!” Eddie sings. He’s lit up, completely in his element. Eddie feels larger than life sometimes and here, grinning as he sings into the abyss of the night sky, Steve could almost mistake him for a figment of his imagination. A pipe dream; too good to be true. 

The chorus explodes from the speakers and Steve joins in on the singing. 

“So-o-o, understand, don’t waste your time always searching for those wasted years!”

Eddie’s fingers are tight around Steve’s, rings digging into his skin, and Steve hopes they’ll leave a mark, something he can look at later. A little piece of proof that this was real, that Eddie Munson chose to hold his hand. 

“Face up! Make your stand! And realize you’re living in the golden years!”

They’re dancing so hard the car is bouncing, Eddie’s hair flying everywhere, the wind whistling through the windows and the music roaring through the speakers. Steve’s blood is thrumming and in this moment, he feels so, so alive. 

He isn’t sure sometimes, that all of this is real. Isn’t convinced that he wasn’t eaten by a demodog in a junkyard. That he didn’t die deep in a Russian base. 

And even when he thinks he’s alive, he isn’t sure he’s real. Who the hell is Steve Harrington? A boy with a silver spoon in his mouth and parents he occasionally forgets exist? A guy who will practice keg stands in secret until he makes himself sick, all so he can volunteer to drink at a party and have everyone’s eyes on him? A devoted boyfriend who leaves notes in his girlfriend’s locker and kisses her in hallways, like he’s performing love for the masses, and doesn’t ever notice that she doesn’t love him back? An infallible hero, who can take hit after hit and always get back up?

Who is Steve when nobody is watching? Does he even exist?

In this moment, he feels like he does. He can feel Eddie’s skin and his own heartbeat and he thinks he likes whatever creature is sitting in the driver's seat, even if he’s not sure it’s Steve Harrington. 

So understand

Don’t waste your time always searching for those wasted years

Face up, make your stand

And realize you’re living in the golden years

As the song ends, Eddie whoops, loud and long. Steve laughs, enamored, and Eddie presses a kiss to the back of Steve’s hand. 

The next song to come on the station is Mötley Crüe and Eddie groans at the glam metal. 

Steve takes advantage of Eddie’s disdain to flip the station. This is how they pass control back and forth, each getting to stay on their preferred station until a song they don’t like comes on. Then the other person gets to take control of the music. 

Steve doesn’t particularly care what genre of music he listens to, so he usually gets more songs in a row. But metal songs last way longer than any other genre, so Steve and Eddie get about even time on each of their stations. 

A few months ago, Steve had thought that was a sign from the universe that they fit together. That they were in balance. 

A few months ago, Eddie tried to pretend to like glam metal so he could stay on his station and Steve didn’t know him well enough to call him on it. It was only once they’d been on Eddie’s station for two hours that Steve even thought to question it. In his defense, he was too busy watching Eddie headbang and sing and smile to pay attention to anything else. 

Last week, Steve lied about liking a song because he wanted to stay on his station for longer and Eddie rolled his eyes, not like he thought Steve was being cute, but like he was genuinely annoyed. 

Steve is always endearing until he isn’t, but he can never figure out why. He doesn’t think he changes his behavior — people just get bored or annoyed after a while. 

There’s something in him that’s unlovable. He’s not sure if it’s so deep within him that it takes people a while to find it or if it’s something obvious and superficial that grows tiring after a while, grating from overexposure. 

But Steve can feel the sands of time running low. 

“Alright!” says the DJ on the radio. “Next up, we have a request. This is for Jimmy, from Angela. This is Thank You For The Music by ABBA.”

Eddie lets out a loud groan and dramatically curls up in the passenger seat, hiding his face in his hands. 

Steve grins. For all that Eddie disdains pop radio, he has a fondness for ABBA. Steve has caught him many times bobbing his head along to the beat. Once, he even caught him singing Gimme Gimme Gimme, though Eddie maintains that when he does it, it’s out of gay rebellion and not appreciation for ABBA. 

“Nope!” Steve says cheerily. “I’m not letting you get away with this!”

He pulls the car onto the shoulder of the road and gets out, leaving his door open as he rounds the car to Eddie’s side. Eddie feigns reluctance but he lets Steve drag him out of the passenger seat and to the front of the car. They’re standing in the beam of the headlights, the only spot of light in the empty road, and Steve pulls Eddie into his arms. Properly. Like they’re slow-dancing, the way they do in Steve’s living room the nights they’re soft with each other. 

Those nights have been getting fewer and farther between and Steve wants one last dance. Here, outside the Hawkins town limits, in a place that’s both nowhere and anywhere. No expectations or history or promises to way them down. Nothing but the cicadas and the music filling the air. 

Thank you for the music, the songs I’m singing

Thanks for all the joy they’re bringing

The song is a bit too upbeat for a slow dance, but Steve doesn’t let that deter him. He marches them back and forth, Eddie laughing as his feet get stepped on, and Steve feels a thrill at making him laugh. 

He keeps them going through the verse, but he can see Eddie beginning to look around. Maybe it’s the woods or the darkness or the bad memories creeping in. It’s normal. It’s fine. 

Except that Eddie is always getting distracted of late. Always looking away. 

Steve feels like a performer, desperately trying to be the star of the show. Like a child, asking his parents to be proud. 

Who can live without it? I ask in all honesty

What would life be

Steve spins out dramatically, throwing his arms wide, then twirls back into Eddie’s arms. Eddie fumbles to catch him, their feet getting tangled up, and when Eddie tips over, off-balance, Steve turns the motion into a dip. 

They’re clumsy and unpracticed and he’s sure the dip looks terrible. But Eddie’s yelp of fear cuts off into a surprised bark and when he meets Steve’s eyes, he’s impressed. 

Steve pulls Eddie upright again and they’re close together, breathing the same air, Eddie’s eyes huge, pupils tiny in the glow of the headlights. 

“You’ve got moves, Harrington,” he says. 

Steve smiles. Doesn’t say that a month ago Eddie would have called him Stevie. 

“Only when I have someone worth using them on,” he says instead, and it’s the kind of flirty, glib comment that belongs at the beginning of a relationship. Not at the end of one. 

It makes Eddie’s face fall a bit and Steve doesn’t know what he’s done wrong. He was only trying to get Eddie to smile. 

He’s a disco ball; he’s a record. Spinning endlessly. Anything, anything as long as it will keep you looking. 

He wishes he knew what Eddie wants so he could become it. But he thinks it’s already too late. 

The bridge slows down and Eddie starts to take a step back, like the song is over. But Steve wants his perfect last dance. 

He pulls Eddie in close. His arms wrapped all the way around Eddie’s torso, Eddie’s folded over his shoulder. He tucks his face against Eddie’s neck, against all that soft, dark hair. Eddie smells like cigarettes and motor oil and the 2-in-1 shampoo Steve scoffs at but secretly loves the smell of. 

Eddie pulls him closer and they sway, side to side, way too slowly to match the music. 

Without a song or a dance, what are we? 

So I say thank you for the music

For giving it to me

As the last notes of the song ring out, Steve pulls Eddie into a kiss. It’s achingly slow, sweet but hungry. A desperate, tragic goodbye. 

Eddie steps away first, giving Steve a strange look. He starts for the passenger side door and Steve can’t bear to see this end, so he blurts out “Let’s lie on the hood. We can stargaze.”

Eddie stops and turns and for a moment Steve hopes. But then he says, “Maybe another night, baby. I’m tired and it’s late. We should get going.”

You’re always going. I’m always watching you leave. 

“Yeah,” Steve says. Swallows down the thickness is his voice. “Okay. Let’s go.”

He gets back into the car. Lets Eddie turns the radio down as he down a wide U-turn and points them back towards Hawkins. 

He glances over at Eddie, who is staring out the window. Watching the scenery go by, maybe. Or lost in thought. Somewhere Steve can’t reach him. 

Steve blinks furiously as he refocuses on the road, his throat tight. He wishes they were more than this. He wishes he were enough. 

He would be a firework show if it would make Eddie smile. He would be Eddie’s favorite lover; his stalwart best friend; the world’s best actor. He would be Eddie’s favorite song. 

But he can’t do any of that. All he can do is blink back the tears, put on a performance of a smile, and drive Eddie home. 

~~~

I'm still editing this, so feel free to give feedback. It's meant to give mirrorball vibes, is that coming through?

#stranger things #stranger things fanfiction #steddie #steddie ficlet

[rwrbficrecs]

Hello, any post-canon Alex becomes a politician recs? I didn't see one on the list, and it's not easy to search

Thank you for your hard work ❤️

Hi! We’ve had a few requests that are variations of this, so these aren’t necessarily “post-canon” but just recs themed around Alex & Politics in some way (this is for the 3 anons as well! 😂) 

A Lesson in Fate by @historicallysam Aged Like a Fine Wine by @three-drink-amy kids, huh? bet we could make some by @three-drink-amy (series) Little Moments by @historicallysam The Byline by @rosetintednerdglasses The Edge of Glory by @historicallysam this is the worthwhile fight by dearhappy We’ll Invite Something In by @smc-27 Write or Wrong by @historicallysam Huge thanks to my lovely team of volunteers for helping collect these recs ❤️ If you’d like to help out too, check out the Volunteers Page 🥰

#politics #rwrb fic recs #rec request

[punk-in-docs]

‼️TAINTED LOVE ‼️

Detective (Killer) Quinn x Reader ‼️ Dark Drabble ‼️

Inspired entirely by this post which I glimpsed via @ravensfromvalhalla from @ceriseheaven hope this is ok that I rolled with this gif/idea.

I have no freakin’ clue what warped part of my brain is responsible for this fuckery but alas, here we are- pure filthy darkness within. Read at your own caution. Come scream at my inbox about this if you so desire.

Los Angeles - 1987

You’re where you usually are. Stalking the fringes at a blood soaked crime scene.

Brutal. Vicious. Sad creamy walls spattered in blood. Two dead they say. No word details leaked yet. You scraped yourself out of bed and got here before the sun was even warm.

Desperate to talk to anyone to make your deadline and get this in the morning papers tomorrow. Maybe you’d get print. Maybe this fucking time you’ll beat Cooper to the bylines. Maybe maybe-

You exist on maybes these days. You eat breathe sleep and cram them. You put on your sensible cloud grey skirt and black heels and you hunt for the news for your shitty paper. For the job that barely keeps you in food and scooping together enough for rent.

Your next story is here. Tucked away where you’re stood, locked deep in the slanted set of the Hollywood hills. Astral Drive.

Strips of yellow crime scene tape holds back your lot. The inquisitive reporters with pads and pen in hand. Avid eyes. Wolves. Snatching any information you could from the cops. Hungry fingers. Pens poised.

Your head snaps to the drive up to this sleepy cul-de-sac with the assaulting shriek that comes forth.

Tainted Love comes blasting rude from the windows of a maraschino red Porsche. Red like a heartthrob. It drowns out the din of camera crews and stoic cops not giving a fucking damn inch.

Come on. I’ve got a deadline. Can’t you give me anything?

Back behind the yellow tape ma’am.

Just trying to do my job here, Officer. Same as. You. You hurl back. Glaring through your glasses lenses.

The car comes crashing into view. Parks screeching and sloppily next to the pale cop cruisers. Rabid red and the driver is a maniac.

Door flying open and huge black stomping boots are the first things to spill out.

That’s the first time you see him. Not notice. See.

He can’t be missed. Not in that car. Not with that swaggering walk - those clothes. He dresses like he’s right out that Schumacher movie. The Kiefer Sutherland one about Vampires.

All this vicious LA sunshine, and he’s in a black PVC leather trench coat. All shiny shimmers. Unyielding on the eyes. Slicked back curls worn like oil slick on his head. A white tee and a silver chain or two clamped around his neck. Slamming around a pale neck as he strolls.

Chewing red gum and black shades on. He frowns at the house in the terrible bright sun. Like he’s angry at being here. Angry at daylight. Truly vampish. Nails bitten a little - painted a gummy shade of black.

He’s wild and crazy. Unhinged like that Blondie song. You go out at night and eat up bars where the people meet.

He adjusts his shades on his nose. Slams the car door like he’s putting on a freakin’ show. Probably reeks of stuffy Paco Rabanne. Pour Homme. Something that comes out a black and gold sleek bottle. The cologne that buffets as he walks past. Lingering on where he doesn’t.

“Freshly waxed. Don’t dare fucking touch her, pigs. Understand?” He flicks at the chest of a tubby cop as he walks by. Talking about his beloved baby. His bloody car.

Disdain thrown to his leather back as he swirls past them. Coat tails lap at his black pressed slacks. His boots are black crocodile skin. Tacky as fuck.

You can’t deny he is stunning, though.

Chocolate curls and puddle melting eyes, all brown. A face that’s entirely too youthful and sweetly handsome for this job.

He’s stunning the way a tiger is. All stunning rippling display and sinew designed to bite, lick his long canines and show off.

Sharp deep eyes that hide a lot of carnality. He’s seen things. Hell. He’s done those awful things. He’s trod places no sane men would dare. He’s finishing a cigarette and letting it cloud over the taste of his crappy gritty morning coffee.

The crowds around him part like they’re negatively charged. He looks like an extra late to a film set. Not a detective. There’s just no way.

He yanks the tape up and is ducking under it like it’s nothing. No one stops him. Stomping across the path in those knocking heavy soled boots as he flicks a used cigarette back at the curb. It fizzled dead.

Yes way. The badge is hooked right there on his belt. Golden and true. Not even prominent. All ego and no cares, is this guy.

You and your fellow reporters clamour for details. Straining the crime scene tape to snap.

He turns his head at the push of microphones and tape recorders shoved forwards. Twists right around and time slows to treacle when he lowers his shades - to see you.

Sensible heels. Cute skirt. All babe. Pretty neck.

His eyes swim the length of you. Head to toe. There’s that tiger on the loose again.

He steps back and his coat laps swaying behind him. You gulp as he comes close like a gathering leather storm.

He tilts his head at you. “Paper?” He asks like it’s interesting to him.

“Chronicle.” You eek out. Unable to believe you might get something here. Might scrape some words together and make a meaty mighty piece out of this.

“Detective?” You ask. Your voice is a songbird he wants caged all for himself.

“Quinn.” He smooths. Smile like silk. Zipping another cigarette to his lips.

“I’m hoping for a lead here. You know. A girl’s gotta make rent somehow. Gimme something.” You’re not below begging.

“You’re on the wrong side of the tape. Leave us do the investigating.”

Can I get some details of who was involved? The type of attack? Is this the work of a serial killer? Should our public be worried. What, Another Night Stalker?” You rattle off.

You chirp too much, little bird.

He snatches the voice recorder out your hand.

“Two people. Brutal knife attack. No and yes.” Comes his answers.

That last answer chills you. “People should be worried.” You state.

He doesn’t respond.

He sticks his eyes right into yours. Looks through you. Like your skin was wet paper. Lights his cigarette in no rush and licks his plump lips.

“Trust me birdy, you just got a hell of a lot more than what you bargained for.“ He promises. Drawling.

Dropping his eyes up and down at you. Sheer flirt. Chucking the voice recorder back to you, that you barely catch.

“You got my number, yeah?” He checks as he sways away.

“Yeah 9-1-1.” You reply acidly.

He laughs in the crime scene doorway. Cackling away.

“Nah. It’s 666 honey.” He corrects. Shooting you a wink.

He absentmindedly hopes he managed to pick all the blood out from under his nails from last night. The guys inside made one bitch of a mess-

-

You frown a little later on. Listening back. When you wonder how he knows a knife was used and he hadn’t even entered the crime scene yet.

-

Next part? C’mon. I dare you❤️‍🩹‼️🔪

Tagging some beloved JQ/Munsonites 🔪 (I’ve no idea what this drabble even is I’m so sorry) @indouloureux @stiegasaw @munsonquinns @fujiihime @youaremyfamiliar @captain-tch @ghosttownwherenoonegoes @svenyves @sammararaven @feralgoblinbabe @groupie-love-71 @andromeda-andromeda @starbxcks @morganamoonstone @ramona-thorns

#joseph quinn stranger things #joseph quinn characters #eddie munson #punkwrites #joseph quinn gif #joseph quinn #dark drabble #serial killer #murder #dark fic #dark #dark but sexy #i would die for this man

[pityroad]

May a transsexual hear a bird?

by HARRY JOSEPHINE GILES

May a transsexual hear a bird? When I, a transsexual, hear a bird, I am a transsexual hearing a bird, when you hear a bird you are a person hearing a bird, that is, I am specific, you are general. When a bird sounds in a poem it is a symbol of hearing a bird, a symbol of a person being in relation to nature. Only a person may hear this. Only a person may hear a bird and write a poem about hearing a bird and in so doing praise the gentle dissolution of personhood or elsewhere strive towards the clear and questionless presence of an unworded bird, being. Were I to attempt such a poem again, I would be a transsexual writing a poem on hearing a bird—I note now that "transsexual" is the legal adjective for a person with the protected characteristic of "gender reassignment" under the Equality Act (2010), Section 7, which applies to any person at any stage of changing any aspect of sex, and so to make a claim of work discrimination I must both have the socioeconomic capital to bring such a claim and also be a transsexual—and so be unable to dissolve without first addressing my transsexuality to the bird. Even if I were to fail to sound out my transsexuality, it would remain in the title and byline, unsilent, a framing device, regardless, and so once again you would be hearing a transsexual hearing a bird. But now I am too preoccupied with how to source testosterone— a Class C Controlled Substance under the Misuse of Drugs Act (1971) carrying, for supply, a maximum penalty of 14 years imprisonment, and/or a heavy fine—to give to my friend, and how to publish a zine detailing how to negotiate and circumvent the Gender Identity Clinic system, given that waiting lists for first appointments now range from 3 to 6 years, without attracting the critical social media attention that would shut down any explicit alternative routes, and whether the fact that I have not heard from my trans sister in over a month means she is in severe mental health crisis or merely working, and whether I have the strength and love to call her, to remember to hear a bird. If I cannot remember to hear a bird I cannot write a poem. How can I not have the strength and love to call her? Because I have not heard enough birds. Because I am scared of what it will mean if she does not answer. Because I am scared of what it will mean if she does. Because I have been working in too many political meetings scolding Parliamentarians to call or hear a bird. In the morning I open the window before the sun rises so I, a transsexual, may hear the birds singing. If I may hear the birds singing the sound may lift me from myself and my working conditions. Then the sun, the conditions, and the working day.

#trans poetry #harry josephine giles #transsexual #trans art #trans poet #poem #may a transsexual hear a bird #mine #ie i am not harry josephine giles but i typed the thing out and the tag is for my reference #one of my current favourite poems

[anyalovesu]

tolerate it.

xi. drawing hearts in the byline.

—“i had to watch him sleep. i was afraid if i woke up i would have to endure the life long pain of losing the person i loved the most just days before i learned how to accept it. i couldn’t do it. i was so mad at him for letting himself be in that kind of situation.”

Two days passed by slowly and painfully. Though her brother and Leon called regularly, it did not come close to suffice the emptiness that she felt. It did not even come remotely close to the feeling of just having them around.

The office was unusually quiet without Santi and Yves arguing about something, so the past two days just felt odd. There was a pit in her stomach and a chilling feeling that was bothering her. Eli was half sure Ynes could feel it too by the way they kept on glancing at each other. The both of them were anticipating something to go awry but could not pinpoint exactly what it was.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

Eli and Ynes rushed to pick up the telephone by their office door, but Eli manages to beat her to it, receiving the call herself.

Ynes witnessed how her bestfriend’s face fell, the more the story progressed. Judging by the way she just started sobbing quietly was enough for her  to confirm that something DID go awry, and it’s not good.

“Babes, anong nangyari?” Ynes was beginning to panic as well when Eli fell to her knees as soon as she drops the call. “Elijah Yang, magsalita ka naman! Sino ang tumawag? Bakit ka umiiyak?”

“It’s Kuya Yves,” Ynes could feel her heart drop to her stomach at the sound of her brother’s name falling out of her best friend’s lips. “Nasaksak raw si Kuya Santi at Leon,” she choked out, voice shaky as Ynes held her tight.

Elijah’s head was once again malfunctioning, unable to form any coherent thoughts as soon as she was contacted by Soren Yang that their flight is already fixed and they’re headed to Cebu in 3 hours. But 3 hours is still too long. The thought that the lives of the two of her most prized people are at stake and she is 500 miles away from them made her mind go haywire. 

What if Yves Hwang lied and none of them are actually okay? What if Kuya Santi is fighting for his life right now and Leon is in critical condition?

Eli’s foot tapped on the van’s floor as they were on their way to the airport. This time, not even Ynes or Cielo could manage to calm her down. 

It was all just so unfair. Just when she thought she was slowly adjusting and becoming alright, life will find a way to scare her out of it. It would be so much easier to just watch Leon walk away again, but his life being at risk this time—him being at a real risk that she will never get to see her again terrifies the living shit out of her. And the mere fact that her brother, her first and number 1 source of support, is also in the same situation makes things even worse.

“I swear to God, if something bad happens to Santiago, I will break Alejandro Sim’s neck in two,” Soren Yang was fuming in anger, his protective side jumping out as soon as Yves Hwang confirms to them that the culprits have admitted that they were working for Alejandro Sim, the patriarch of the Sim Clan.

The same family that had accepted her for the past years… has done this to her brother and Leon?

“How the hell is Alejandro Sim involved in this?” Elijah spats, feeling the same anger rushing through her father run through her as well. “Dad? Pa? Anong hindi n’yo pa sinasabi sa akin?”

“Not now, Eli, andito si Cielo–”

“For fuck’s sake Dad! Hindi lang naman si Cielo at si Kuya ang anak n’yo! Anak n’yo rin ako!”

“You want to know what happened, ha? Ruby Elijah?” Soren’s voice filled the van that even Genevieve Hwang was rendered unable to speak. But Eli, being the clone of Soren Yang in almost every aspect they could think of, did not back down. If it’s going to hurt her to know the truth, then be it.

“Tell me,” she bravely replies, standing her ground, tired of the bullshit she has been putting up since the entire engagement was announced. She didn’t understand why so much was being kept away from things that she should know. And so this might be the only chance she’ll get to hear the truth, unfiltered from her own parents.

“Alejandro Sim has been playing puppets with you since Leon made his mistake four years ago. Noong nalaman n’ya na nagkakamabutihan na kayo ng apo n’ya ay nagsimula na s’yang mag obsess over the fact that they could be the ones merging with our family instead of the Parks. He’s been forcing Isaac to stay with you for the money. We figured you would know what to do when you find out on your own, pero parang wala kang plano na malaman kung ano ba talaga ang pakay ng pamilya ni Sim sa’yo.” Soren Yang did not hold back, though he refused to look at Elijah out of fear that his heart would break at the face of Eli finding out the whole truth. He hasn’t been the best father to her, he was well aware of that, but the sight of his only daughter’s heart breaking would’ve been too much. He had a son whose life is at stake right now, it wasn’t the right time for him to falter. 

“Yes, we caused the drift sa mga relasyon n’yo ni Leon before the engagement, but just so you know, it did not take a lot for your boyfriend to crack under pressure. As soon as he heard na alam namin na he has been sleeping with his co-intern sa hospital ay bumigay at pumayag na s’ya. He knows we could ruin his medical career kapag nalaman mo na niloloko ka na n’ya, which he has been for so long mula pa noong naging sunod-sunuran s’ya sa lolo n’ya. We could take him off the program and blacklist him practically everywhere even outside the country and his family could do nothing about it dahil pagmamay-ari ng mga Yoon ang hospital at ang medical school na pinasukan n’ya. That kid has no shame really. He had the nerve to cheat on my daughter inside the same institution that my grandparents built. I can ruin his life if I wanted to, Elijah. But I did not want to break your heart even more than I already did dahil alam ko kung gaano mo kamahal ang tarantado na ‘yon.”

Soren Yang has always been calculated. His every move, every word was always planned and he knows how it is going to affect other people. He knew he did what he did to minimize his daughters pain and he will never be regretful of that.

Elijah could only sit there in silence. Isaac. What she thought was her saving grace was toying her all along.

Isaac.

Her Isa.

“Now that you already know what really is happening, I’m leaving the last word to you, Ruby. Sabihin mo lang and I will do whatever your heart pleases.”

Elijah should know better than to make decisions when she’s at the height of her emotions but feeling that much anger and resentment towards a person was all to foreign to her. She had given all her heart and soul to Isaac for the past four years and that’s how it has been? Even going as far as cheating on her and making up things about how he had to let her go?

Elijah wanted nothing more than to make him suffer for the rest of his life, show him just how much he’s fucked up. He’s damn lucky there’s better things for Eli to worry about.

“Making Alejandro Sim go to hell is something I never wanted to do until now,” Eli replied to Soren, surprisingly in a calm manner. But the cold calm sound of her voice was enough to send chills to both of her parents’ spine. 

Eli has always been the soft Yang, as most would tell. Ang Yang na hindi marunong lumaban. Even Ynes can testify to that. More than many times, Elijah allowed people to push her over. She came from a long line of businessmen and people in the construction industry, who grew to be cunning and sharp—many believed Elijah was not like that. Admittedly Soren Yang thought so too, after he watched her daughter let her get played by the Sims.

Not until now.

No one is completely certain how far Elijah will take this, not even her own parents. Getting cheated on, getting played, now with Leon and Santi getting stabbed under their word? The woman could only take so much. 

—

“Bobo ka talaga, Kuya!” That was the first thing that came out of Ynes’ mouth as soon as they reached the hospital before reaching for Yves’ hand, examining how bad his injuries were. “Tanga tanga! Nasan sila Kuya Santi?”

“Nagpapahinga. Natutulog yata sila ngayon, sinasalinan ng dugo si Leon,” He explained. “Nakapagdonate naman agad si Tobi, so okay na. Nagpapahinga nalang.”

It was as if Elijah felt her blood drained out of her at that very moment that she heard what Yves had said. The way Bianca reacted wasn’t any different, clinging to Elijah’s arm while Cielo clung on the other. 

“Sabi ko kasi magingat kayo!” Elijah snaps at them as soon as they find them awake, even finding the nerve to laugh at something when she enters the room. “Ano? Sabi ko mag-ingat tapos magpapasaksak kayong dalawa? Ikaw mambubugbog pa?”

It was a surprise that Tobias wasn’t harmed as much as the other three considering his own history of basag ulo during their highschool days. But he then explained that unlike Yves and her own brother, his first instinct was to rush to aid his injured brothers, which honestly would’ve been the safer option unlike how her brother handled it.

“Galit na galit, oo,” Santi shrugged, carefully opening his arms to reach for his little sister. “Malayo naman sa bituka.”

“Sa may atay ka ngang nasaksak na tanga ka, ha!” she retorts at him, playfully hitting the top of his head just for the sake of telling him how upset she was because of his impulsive decision.

“That’s your best friend they messed with, Ellie,” he sighed, shaking his head as he glanced towards Leon’s figure on the next bed, talking to his little sister and Cielo. “Hindi naman ako papayag na ganoon na lang ‘yon.”

“Oh tapos nasaksak ka rin,” Elijah rolled his eyes at him, knowing too well that he meant well. The Yangs really did have a knack for acting on impulse, the two of them were living proof of that.

“What is going to happen with Isaac now?” he asked, the question seemed to gain everyone’s attention. He sighed, looking ever so guilty for bringing it up.

“He would be a fool to think he’ll get away with cheating on a Yang, kuya,” Eli hummed at her older brother. “Messing with two Yangs is a bold move. Him and his grandfather will get the message, Papa and I will make sure of that. Alright? Don’t worry about it.”

“You’re not going to go crazy again—”

“You went after an armed man, kuya. You’re not in a good position to tell me not to do stupid shit. And it’s not stupid if it means na malalaman nila kung sino ang akala nilang binibilog nila.”

“Ellie.”

“Papa has my back, kuya,” she smiled at him, squeezing his hand to assure her older brother that everything will be alright before she moved to the other bed where Leon was.

“Hi stupid,” Elijah sighed at him, trying to make the situation lighter than it really was. Leon looked tired as his eyes trailed on the tear stains on Elijah’s puffy face from all the crying she’s done the entire trip to Cebu out of anxiety on how they were doing.

Leon’s hand carefully reaches up to her face and wipes the remaining tears that were there. “Hi baby,” he chuckled. “Kiss?”

Elijah could not help but flick his forehead at his response. “Talaga ba? May tahi ka na nga sa tagiliran, kiss pa rin ang gusto mo ha? Nakakagalit ka Leon Abel ha!”

“You have no idea half the shit I went through thinking kung buhay ka pa ba tapos that’s all? Kiss lang, Leon? Gusto mo bang dagdagan ko ang saksak mo sa tagiliran ha?”

“Kiss lang eh,” he pouted. “Nasaksak na nga wala pang kiss!”

It baffled Elijah that after all that, he’s just asking for a kiss like it would fix everything—like it was going to make her back out from sending Sim Inc. into bankruptcy and exposing Isaac for his infidelity. Before Elijah knew it, tears were already falling down her face again before she leans down and kisses his forehead before pressing another one on his lips. 

“Tangina mo, akala ko mamamatay ka na!” She cried, leaning against his shoulder as soon as she pulled away. “Tangina mo talaga. I thought I was going to lose you again, Leon. Akala ko mawawala na kayo ni Kuya sa akin. I swear to God.”

“I’m sorry, baby,” he sighed heavily, placing a light hand on the top of her head, carefully running his fingers through her hair. “Dapat nag-ingat kami ni Kuya Santi.”

“Paano kung wala si Kuya Tobi ha? Paano kung walang magdo-donate sa’yo ng dugo agad?” She kept on babbling worst case scenarios, which broke his heart to hear. 

It was that bad for her to think of. Leon thought to himself. 

“We’re okay, baby,” he mumbled against her hair, kissing the side of her head repeatedly. “Tahan na po. I’m sorry hindi kami nagingat ni kuya.”

“Don’t leave me again, Leon,” Eli sobbed on his shoulder like a child, recalling how she heard the news from Yves earlier that day and how she’s here now, assured that she’s not losing anyone.

“They’re gonna have to do better than that to kill me, Ellie,” he joked. “Which we’re not going to allow to happen again, right? Tahan ka na. Okay na kami ni Kuya. Okay na.”

Eli did not sleep that night. She managed to watch Leon sleep all night, making sure that he was breathing, afraid that he would stop if she slept even for a minute. Her heart raced at the thought of losing him, so as much as she wanted to rest, her brain would not let her, pestering her with thoughts that Leon would not wake up if she slept. So she kept both eyes open all night.

All that concerned Leon. Her medication normally made her sleepy, knowing that she was able to fight off the drowsiness means that something big really was bothering her and not to sound cocky but he knew he was the one she was thinking about. It made him guilty actually that Eli was losing sleep because of him.

“Hey, it’s okay, baby, you can sleep,” Leon cooed as he pulled her head closer to his shoulder. “It’s alright. Gigisingin kita kapag malapit na tayo, okay?”

Eli looked at him, still refusing to give in to his false belief but Leon was persistent, “sige na, wag ka na munang matigas ang ulo, Eli.”

“Later na,” she mumbled, but still moved to rest her head on his shoulder, careful not to make him move him too much. “Pag nasa hotel na ako tutulog. Malapit na rin naman.”

Aside from the fact that Soren Yang came from the founders of one of the most successful and world renowned medical institutions, he also came from a long line of successful hoteliers in the world and is now sitting in position as the CEO of Yoon Hotels Corp. So it didn’t take a lot of negotiation for them to find a hotel that will safeguard their family for the time being that the three are at risk for flying back to Manila.

Realizing that made Leon sit there in awe at really how much pressure Eli has been carrying from the moment she was born after seeing how successful all her family members have been. It’s a blur at how much their families wanted to make sure they married before the construction of that damn hotel was started, when they all know that the Yoons’ and the Yangs’ money could damn well build that hotel from the ground up without so much as help from the Parks. Both of the Yoon siblings are either waiting on the retirement of their parents or are now in position as the rightful owners, with Soren Yang, the oldest, being the CEO of Yoon Hotels Corp and Philomena Yoon waiting on the retirement of her mother before she steps into place for Valiente Medical. Elizalde Yang, on the other hand, is just waiting for his father to retire and he will be stepping into position as the Yang Group Co.’s CEO and well, Santiago Yang will be stepping in for the position that he will be leaving. 

Unlike him, his grandparents have built their company from scratch and are fairly new if compared to the legacy that both sides of Elijah’s family have left. Eli has always been required to be great. Always has to be good and present herself as someone fully capable of rising to her family’s greatness. Half of his struggles of being trained to step in for his father was probably not even half of the shit that Eli has to go through, and all that without that assurance that she will even inherit any of the companies that her parents are running. It really must’ve been cruel to wonder what she had done wrong to always be replaced after all the hard work she has done to present herself so perfectly all the time.

Leon managed to get Eli to sleep once they got to the hotel after making a promise that he wouldn’t die while she was asleep.

It was as peaceful as Leon remembers, Eli sleeping while he held her. The past three nights were as miserable as he remembers, he couldn’t even find himself in a comfortable position even if he tried. This was the first time his chest felt at ease as he listened to her soft breathing while she snuggled closer to him.

click here to continue (eli and leon's conversation)

click here to continue (eli and soren yang's conversation)

“Are you okay baby?” Leon asked as they sat on the dining table in the hotel room, noticing the gloom in Eli’s face as she set her phone down. Her eyes were glossed over as she looks up at him which make his chest tighten at the sight. “Bakit umiiyak?”

Eli knows she should probably tell him. Everything—that is. He deserves to know just how much love she has for him and how all of a sudden he was all that mattered to her. 

Silence was overrated after all, but silence with Leon was beyond priceless. It was calm and comforting—assuring even without so many words just his presence alone. And somehow, somewhere deep inside her, it makes her think that it has always been this way with Leon. Maybe it’s because Leon’s the only friend that she’s known for that long or the fact that it felt like Leon loved her just as much—but the silence— the one that she hated so much yesterday and all the other days without Leon, didn’t feel that way anymore now that he is here.

And he should know that right?

Eli didn’t know what to say, just shrugged and kept eating. She has never been more sure than before if she loved Leon. All of a sudden, now that he’s back, she never wants to go back to the time where there wasn’t a Leon in her life. 

Because no one in this world can love Ruby Elijah Yang the same way Leon Abel Park will.

Nothing in this world will feel just quite like Leon Abel and that’s scary because she can’t explain why and she is afraid of losing it again.

“Ellie?” Leon calls again, breaking her out of her trance. He had his arm stretched out in front of her, bringing the tissue close to her face to wipe her tears away.  “Aalat na yang pagkain mo, iniyakan mo na ng iniyakan.”

“Tarantado,” she curses before taking the tissue from his hand and slapping it away.

“Uninom ka ba ng gamot kagabi?” He asked, seeing how somber her facial expressions were since he first saw her again.

Eli shook her head no. “I forgot.”

“Bakit hindi? Gising ka pa naman ng 8PM kagabi ah?”

“Bakit alam mo ang schedule ng gamot ko?”

“What kind of fiance am I if I didn't know?” he looked at her feigning offense before laughing and admitting, “I asked Kuya Santi for your schedule. Noong isang buwan pa, para alam ko kung hindi ka umiinom ng gamot. Pero nakela Ynes ka naman every dinner so I assume you have them para ipaalala na uminom ka ng gamot.”

“You were shivering in your sleep noong umidlip kagabi. Nakalimutan ko nang uminom.”

“Nilamig lang ako!” he chuckled, munching on the chicken on his plate. “Ito naman.”

Eli did not reply, just shrugging off his joke. But in reality, it almost gave her a heart attack when he began shivering in his sleep, clutching her hand and tugging on the blanket he was given.

“I love you too much to leave you like that.”

Eli’s head snaps up to look at him, shocked at what had just slipped out of his mouth. “Ha?”

“Halaman.”

“Fuck you, Leon.”

“Please?”

“Oh my god! Seryoso kasi!”

“You want me to say it again?”

There was a fat pause after that as if she was contemplating on what her answer would be even if it was loud and clear of what it is,

Of course. I want to hear you say it again. Eli thought to herself.

“I love you, Ellie,” he repeats to her, unprovoked, smiling like the happiest little puppy that the world has ever seen. The complacent look on his face really just adds up to it, like he was smug and most definitely proud that he did not have any trouble admitting that.

After all, what is there to be afraid of?

Eli was and always will be his favorite song. Maybe that was why it didn’t take a lot for him to love her over again, because it’s not hard to sing the words to your old favorite song that you know by heart. 

Also because everyone else was right, he did have so much love for her, he was just terrified of admitting it—because for once in his life, the stakes are higher if he loses her. And he doesn’t want to lose Eli in a more painful way that there will be—so he blew the fire out when it started to get so big that someone noticed it.

But it’s different now. He knows better now. 

And better was being wherever Elijah Yang was. 

Better was being close to Elijah Yang.

Better was finally following where the magnetic force pulled him, and all the charges lead him back to Elijah Yang.

Accepting that he was in fact, in love with Elijah Yang, was something he didn’t think would take a stab wound on his side and seeing her crying in fear that she was going to lose him for him to realize. 

But he knows better now.

Leon loves Elijah Yang. 

And soon, she’ll be taking his last name with hers.

extras: (philomena yoon and elijah yang's conversation)

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ characters ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ previous ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ next ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

#enha angst #sunghoon angst #angst #sunghoon #jake #jay #heeseung #ni-ki #sunoo #jungwon #forced marriage #forced proximity #filo!enha #enhypen angst #enhypen #park sunghoon #sim jaeyun #park jongseong #lee heeseung #nishimura riki #kim sunoo #yang jungwon

[bullet-prooflove]

Past Mistakes - Part Twenty One: All The Way - Mike Duarte x Reader

Tagging: @crazy4chickennuggets @kmc1989 @withakindheartx @mysoulisasunflower @resonmalvo @littleone65 @thesandbeneathmytoes @mydarkestsecretlol @evee87 @wooshwastaken @hearthockey@justreblogginfics @im-just-a-mississippi-girl @rosaliedepp @thatesqcrush @storiesofsvu @whateversomethingbruh @burningpeachpuppy @legit9thlunaticwarrior @kiwiithecrazybird @spooky-pomegranate @telepathay @weiwei0210 @spaghettificationandpretzels @plaidbooks

Past Mistakes Series:

Part One: Try - Mike turns back up in your life after three years apart.

Part Two: Hope (NSFW) - Mike and you get reaquainted.

Part Three: California - Mike and you discuss the past.

Part Four: Favours - Mike asks Liv for a favour.

Part Five: Choices - Mike comes face to face with someone from his past.

Part Six: Truth Hurts - Mike begs you to tell him the truth about what happened three years ago.

Part Seven: Sharing - Mike and Joe have a conversation.

Part Eight: Buried - Mike discovers that McGrath’s misdeeds go far futher than he thought.

Part Nine: Complicated - Mike discusses moving forward.

Part 10: Feral - Mike returns to the apartment to find you’ve disappeared.

Part Eleven: Torture - You wake up in the basement.

Part Twelve: Fire - You and Joe discuss moving forward.

Part Thirteen: Lost Time - You and Mike get real on his porch.

Part Fourteen: Plan B - Mike always has a plan B.

Part Fifteen: Proud - Mike tells you how proud he is of what you’re doing.

Part Sixteen: Mattituck (NSFW) - You show Mike how much you love him.

Part Seventeen: Seven - Joe makes a discovery.

Part Eighteen: Patterns - Benson and Murphy discover the reality of McGrath’s misdeeds.

Part Nineteen: Mike & Nora - Joe learns the story of your relationship.

Part Twenty: Bad News - Joe calls Mike with bad news.

It’s over.

It’s been four days since Joe called with news of McGrath’s suicide and you still aren’t sure you believe it. The man who’s haunted your nightmares for the past three years is gone and you’re still trying to wrap your head around it.

You’re sitting on the veranda overlooking the beach, a mug of tea clasped to your chest as you watch the waves overlap the shore. The morning paper sits on the table in front of you, the pages flicking in the breeze.

McGrath’s face stares up at you from underneath the byline. They’ve used a picture of him in his dress blues, something from one of his previous press conferences.  Your fingers trace over the headline and you find yourself smiling.

Chief’s Corruption Scandal…

McGrath’s worst nightmare come to life.

You don’t know who leaked the story, but you have a suspicion.

Joe and Mike had been on the phone for over an hour last night, locked away in the bedroom while you watched TV in the lounge. You knew he was furious about the way McGrath’s suicide was being spun out in the press. Since the indictment hadn’t gone through the NYPD had hoped to avoid a scandal by releasing a statement allocating the blame to issues in his personal life. You had been so fucking upset when you’d seen it, it had literally made you physically ill.

Seeing the truth printed in the paper this morning made everything feel a little lighter. For the first time in a long time, you can breathe again.

It’s all there in print. The sexual assaults, the misappropriation of evidence, use of his position for personal gain. Your name isn’t mentioned, and neither are the names of any of the other women who McGrath assaulted but the evidence, Cass’s story it’s written in the pages.  

“He must have heard the indictment was coming down.” Murphy had told you over Zoom the day after it happened. “Carisi thinks he knew there was no way he could plea it down, so he took the only option left to him.”

You hear Mike’s footsteps on the decking behind you. His hand comes to rest on your shoulder, squeezing it lightly as his lips brush over the back of your head.

“Did you sleep at all?” He asks you, pulling up his chair close to yours. He’s clad in flannel pyjama bottoms and a black t-shirt, his hair swept back away from his face.

“Better than I have in a long time.” You admit as you push the newspaper towards him so that he can read the headline. “I’m guessing you and Joe had something to do with this.”

Mike studies it for a moment before flipping it over.

“It was making you ill.” Mike says quietly, his fingertips tapping upon the surface of the table. “They had to know the truth about who he was, what he did. He can’t get away with it just because he’s dead.”

You reach for his hand, clasping it tightly in yours before you say.

“Thank you.”

“I don’t want your thanks.” Mike tells you, his fingers entwining with yours. “I just want you to be happy and safe.”

You nod silently. There’s a well of emotion building in your chest because what you have to say next, it’s hard. It’s something you’ve been hiding from Mike since you’d come to the realisation in therapy.

“I can’t go back.” You say softly. “To the city, to that job. I just can’t.”

“I know. I can’t either…” Mike says before jabbing his finger at the newspaper. “…not after this. They were going to cover it up, let it die with him.”

He purses his lips together as if there’s a sour taste in his mouth.

“That life, it’s not for me anymore.”

Mike’s eyes lift to meet yours; he wants you to see the honesty in them when he tells you this next part, he needs you to know he means what he’s about to say.

“I’ve got over twenty years, I think it’s time to cash that in. We can look for a place in Mattituck or take that that road trip up to California, the one we always talked about. We lost so much time…”

He trails off, shaking his head to dispel the memories. He can’t keep looking back, he has to move forward the same way you are.

“The one thing I do know is that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Whatever you want to do, wherever you want to go, I’m with you all the way.”

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#mike duarte #mike duarte x reader #mike duarte x you #captain mike duarte #law and order svu #svu #law and order special victims unit #maurice compte

[firenati0n]

6, 32, 46!

eeeeeeeep thank you Kelly!!!!! :) :)

6. What do you use to keep your place when you’re reading a book?

a bookmark bc i am CIVILIZED!!!!!!!!!! the real answer is a receipt or a post-it note when i don't have a bookmark ajfsldkjfklasf i will never dog ear a page though

32. If you could dye your hair any color, regardless of how you think it would look, what color would you choose?

I used to dye my hair red a few years ago (i dyed it immediately after rewatching the pilot episode of the tv show Alias as an adult bc i wanted to look like Sydney Bristow. please do not judge me LMAOOOOOO). i would go back to red in a heartbeat...it was burgundy / wine red for a while and that was super pretty. I was my best self with red hair tbh i gotta go back.

46. What’s the last thing a friend recommended to you that you looked into and actually liked?

@dumbpeachjuice rec'd this fic called The Byline to me (i know a lot of y'all have read it but i am behind on my reading) and it is so fucking good like. i have been spacing out my reading bc I'm loving it so much i don't want it to be over. which is INSANE bc i am a BINGE READER. but it's so good. the dialogue is so fucking ZIPPYYYYYY and the dynamic is so YUMMYYYYYYY and it's a rwrb x west wing au and it HITSSSSSSSSSSSS 10/10 would recommend. fantastic work.

thank you so much!!!! <3 <3 <3

[ask me a question to distract me from Existential Horrors]

#asks #answered #piratefalls #ask game

[shrinkthisviolet]

5+ headcanons: role swap au, for The Flash. Any characters! (I think I've probably asked you about Flash role swap aus before lol but I love them)

To my knowledge, you haven’t, at least not in an ask 😂 and I’m happy to do it! For this, I’m gonna do a Barry and Iris roleswap:

Iris is the one in love with Barry since they were 10, while Barry is the oblivious one. In Iris’s defense, she did plan to tell him, but there was always a reason to wait—fear of things changing being the main one. And then things did change—Barry’s mom died, and he came to live with her and her dad—they were still close, but Barry’s life had been changed in such an awful way. And then…well, then Iris definitely couldn’t tell him. She couldn’t put that on him. Maybe…maybe years from now

Skip ahead to the night of the accelerator explosion: Iris is psyching herself up to finally tell Barry. They’re adults, they’ve been living their own lives for years, Barry in particular moved out of the house a couple years ago…the timing is perfect. Except, Barry’s not getting it, and then her laptop gets stolen…and a few crazy events later, Barry gets struck by lightning and sent into a coma

Iris doesn’t date Eddie—at least, not seriously. They go on a couple dates, but they both realize it’s not clicking for them. Eddie is very sweet and understanding…and during the course of s1, he sorta tries to play matchmaker for them, with mixed results 😂 Barry, for his part, doesn’t seriously date anyone either—not because of being hung up, but because of his whole Flash thing. He dates Felicity and Linda for a little while, but it doesn’t last. And, crucially, he’s not dating anyone when the tidal waves hits

Why is this important, you ask? Well…waterfront kiss, that’s why! No cheating means we gets to keep it 🥰 and it takes on an extra layer here: Iris’s confession takes Barry aback, but he realizes he loves her too, and they kiss (the words are pretty much identical to canon). And then Barry time travels. And suddenly…oh no, he’s the only one who remembers. He tries to ask Iris about it, but ofc she doesn’t remember doing it and laughs him off nervously. But Barry knows she has a crush on him now (and suddenly, her flirting with the Flash takes on a whole new meaning that makes him blush)

Not totally sure what the impetus for her finally confessing would be—maybe Cisco vibes her by accident and sees the kiss and tells her about it? Maybe Barry himself earnestly tells her about the kiss and gently explains that her feelings are reciprocated? Maybe, perhaps, he loops her in, dropping the discussion of romantic feelings, and them both seeing the name on the byline gets Iris to confess. Idk. Something

I’m glad the show didn’t go this route tbh, if only because I’m sure Iris would’ve gotten way more hate than she already has (she’s very clearly the romantic initiator here, and that would put people off, and at least the way canon does it, Iris is framed as the desirable it girl, which I prefer). And yet…I find this so, so compelling 👀

send me an au and i’ll share 5+ headcanons about it!

#au headcanon ask game #westallen #iris west #iris west allen #barry allen #the flash #sorry if you were asking for a powers roleswap lol #i do have headcanons for a flash!iris +not-the-flash!barry fic #but most of those have already been written wonderfully by other people (and i’ve reblogged them on here…somewhere 😅)

[thethistlegirlwrites]

For Love

Josefina Quintero slips the framed photo from the front hall into the battered brown duffle bag and zips it closed. She pushes the curtains back from the window before opening the door. No cars moving on their street, and the old brown dog is still sleeping on the corner. That loco animal chases anything that moves, even though he has three good legs and two teeth left. 

They’re safe. For now. 

She presses her fingers to the medal around her neck and prays the car starts and doesn’t blow her to hell.

Nothing and no one can be trusted right now. 

She can’t let any more of the Quinteros be headlines. It’s bad enough her mother’s name moved from the bylines of articles condemning a local businessman for mistreating his factory employees, to the headline of a brutal murder.

Everyone knows who’s to blame. Marco Reyes may not have been the one to put a gun to Sofia Quintero’s head himself (and he’s probably too much of a coward to do so), but he wanted her silenced. 

No one is to say he won’t go after the rest of her family to make his point. 

The car starts, coughing and sputtering, but at least not exploding into a fireball in the alley. Josefina leaves it running and steps out, knocking on the door. Mauricio and Olivia are looking up at her wide-eyed when she opens it, clutching their school backpacks, stuffed until the zippers are straining with clothes, books, and Olivia’s seizure pills. 

“tenemos que ir de verdad?” Mauri asks, eyes wide, the turtle shell of his backpack held against his chest like it’s armor that can protect him from the outside world. 

“Si.” She can’t be sure how much they understand of what happened to Mami. 

Her only job now is to make sure they don’t end up like her. 

…

Joey adjusts the braided bracelet around her wrist, that covers the faint pink and white scars, and counts out the money onto the top of the wire spool.

“You can pick them, Lonnie.”

“When you been watching fights all your life, you just know who’s gonna win.” Lonnie mumbles around the blunt pinched in his cracked lips, then picks up his winnings. He steps out of the makeshift room, and another man takes his place. A loser this time, who hands over his cash with a scowl.

They’re all gamblers here.

Somehow, she’s had pretty good luck playing the odds so far.

Her father gambled, before he left them. Mauri and Via probably don’t even remember him, but Joey does. She’d sat beside him at the breakfast table, with his coffee and his paper and the little notebook of numbers and figures.

If he ever actually won the fortune he’d dreamed about, she’d never known.

She’s not making a fortune either, but it’s enough. 

She’d tried to do things the right way, the legal way, and it had fallen apart. The first lawyer she’d found had scammed them, and the second had only agreed to take Mauri and Via’s cases. No legal adults.

Joey tried on her own, but the only visa that made sense was one that had work requirements attached, and Via’s hospital visits and doctor’s appointments made holding down a steady job nothing better than a dream.

After the third dismissal in as many months for being ‘unreliable’, Joey had given up.

The right way wasn’t working.

So she’d found her way here.

At the last place she’d worked, a grimy little bodega where she stocked shelves at night, one of the guys was always betting. On everything. He’d been going to a new underground fight club sort of thing happening near the docks, and right before she was fired .

Joey had decided to try her luck. As it turned out, luck had favored her a little more than she’d expected. The bookie who normally worked the fights had failed to show (she’d found out later he’d been arrested and is currently serving a five year sentence), and Joey had known enough of the right words to take his place.

Turns out, a lot of people tend to hand over their money a little faster when there’s a pretty face taking it. She’s at least making enough to get Via the medicines she needs to actually get better, not just survive.

When the smell of sweat suddenly gets a lot thicker, she knows the fighters are showing up for their cut. Winners get a share of the take on their fights. Her own personal strategy, and while it means she doesn’t take home as much as her predecessor, it also means she has the goodwill and protection of a lot of very dangerous men. 

If she ever does get challenged for the right to take bets on the fights, she’s got plenty of people who will stick up for her.

It’s the long game that matters.

Of course, there’s a downside too. 

“Hey, sweetheart, what say we forget the money and you make it up to me some other way?” 

She’s none too fond of Aidan. Never has been. He’s too forward, too aggressive, even in a circle of men who beat each other half senseless for the fun of it. 

“Hey.” A hand slams down on Aidan’s shoulder. The man behind it is a good head taller, in a different weight class entirely.

Shane Barrett.

He’s one of the regulars, and he’s good. Fights like there’s something feral inside him that wants to get out. It’s rare he doesn’t get a nice handful of cash from her at the end of a night. 

She’s not sure if it’s the money or just a genuine kindness that makes him defend her, but she’s inclined to believe it’s the latter. 

“How many fights did you win tonight?” Shane asks. His voice is quiet, but dangerous.

“Two.” Of the four everyone usually participates in unless they get too severely injured or choose not to join.

“I’m about to win five, if you don’t take your money and get out of here right now.” To drive the point home, Shane’s hand squeezes at the curve of the man’s shoulder and neck. 

Aidan flinches, grabs his take off the table, and bolts.

Joey counts off Shane’s money and hands it to him with a small smile. “Thanks for the help.”

“He fights dirty.” Shane shrugs. “And clearly he’s worse outside the ring.”

Joey just nods.

She collects the money left over and tucks it into the inside pocket of her jacket, then walks three and a half blocks out of her way and spends half an hour in an all-night bodega making sure no one from the fight is following her.

She won’t let the one way she can take care of her family be the thing that gets them killed.

Because everyone is nice until they find your weak point.

And if anyone finds out Joey has anyone she calls family, they’ll know exactly what hers is.

…

Joey is all too familiar with hunger.

It’s been a constant part of her life for the past seven years.

She knows how it clouds her mind, how it slows her steps.

How it makes her want to take back the food she’s placed in her brother and sister’s hands so badly she has to clench her fists until her fingernails bite into her palm, because there’s not enough. Not for three.

How eventually, if she can ignore it long enough, how it fades into an echo in the back of her mind, in the pit of her stomach.

This isn’t hunger.

This is something else entirely.

This is something that has crept into her veins, wound itself around her heart like barbed wire, and turned her mind into the ruthless cunning of a predator.

This is why she snapped to awareness standing over the feebly-thrashing body of a jogger, the woman’s pale blonde hair stained crimson, a wound in her neck dripping more onto the concrete, seeping toward a fallen, faded photograph of four people on a sun-drenched veranda. A photo that must have fluttered out of the dirt-streaked jacket Joey was buried in, when she lunged at the jogger like some kind of starving wolf.

This is why the moment she realized what she’d done, what she’d become, she found the sturdiest building in this graveyard, a massive stone crypt owned by a long-dead family (she’d counted the years on the wall niches to distract herself at first, and the last burial in this place was in 1935, unlocked the door long enough to slip in, with a key that some careless caretaker had left half-visible under a fake potted flower, and let the latch slam shut behind her with a sound that seemed as final as death ought to be.

She thanks a God whose name she can no longer speak aloud that whoever owned this crypt was rich enough (and wanted to flaunt it enough) to have the door handles and hinges plated in real silver. She can feel it whenever she comes close.

Her newfound strength wouldn’t even be enough to force it open. She can feel herself weakening the closer she gets to the bright metal.

She huddles into a corner, clutching the photo with blood-stained edges she snatched from the ground to remind her why she’s doing this in shaking hands, repeating the words she wishes there was some way to get to her family.

I’m so, so sorry. I didn’t want to leave like this but I don’t have a choice. The one thing I’ve always tried to do is protect you. From the monsters in this world. And now that means protecting you from me.

Tía Patricia will take good care of you.

Because now, I never can again. 

(You can read this story and more from this universe on my WorldAnvil here!)

@catwingsathena @nade2308 @the-one-and-only-valkyrie @telltaleclerk @ettawritesnstudies  @writeouswriter @the-lovely-wren

#febuwhump #febuwhump2024 #febuwhumpday24 #I'm doing this because I care about you #lady whump #josefina quintero #vampire whump

[superman86to99]

Action Comics #700 (June 1994)

"THE BATTLE FALL OF METROPOLIS"! Metropolis falls, quite literally! But, on the bright side, so does Lex Luthor, because Lois Lane finally busts his ass after 700 issues (give or take).

This super-sized anniversary issue starts with Lois recapping all the dirt she's dug up on "Lex Luthor Jr." during the past several months, including the fact that he's actually the original, supposedly dead Lex Luthor in a clone body. Lex tried to have Lois discredited by planting wacky headlines with her byline at the Daily Planet's computers and framing her for financial crimes (on top of blowing up her apartment), but now she finally has hard evidence of his crimes thanks to her informant at LexCorp, only known as "Deep Quote." (Is this the first reference to Linda Lovelace's oeuvre in a Superman story? Comics and/or porno historians, sound off in the comments.)

Despite having been fired from the Planet (see: "wacky headlines" above), Lois manages to present her evidence in front of Commissioner Henderson, Perry White, and Planet owner Franklin Stern... who still thinks this cloning business sounds like "science fiction." That's a weird thing to say when you live in the DC Universe. Hell, there's a whole government agency devoted to cloning just outside Metropolis! Or maybe I should say there was, because, right when Stern is about to apologize to Lois, everyone hears a massive explosion coming from Project Cadmus' direction -- as seen last issue, some of Lex's armored henchmen just dropped a goddamn mountain on Cadmus while fighting Superman and Superboy.

Superboy, who was all laughs last issue but seems to be taking his friends' apparent deaths much harder now, wants to look for survivors, but Superman again tells him there's no point, because "there's no one alive in Cadmus that needs our help anymore." Instead, they go look for the Lex-Men who caused this whole mess so they can bring them to justice. They're soon joined by Supergirl, who takes every opportunity she can get to destroy LexCorp property since breaking up with Lex himself in her recent miniseries (and that was before she found out he's actually a creepy old guy in a young body).

Meanwhile, Lex (whose clone body is rapidly deteriorating) is hiding in his yacht with his most faithful cronies, his scientific aide Dr. Sydney Happersen and his long-time physician Dr. Gretchen Kelley, the same woman who pretended to be his "mother" for the Lex Jr. ruse. Since Lex is gonna be here for a while, Dr. Kelley volunteers to go to the city and pick up some meds for him. Lex thinks that's a great idea... until he sees Kelley on TV, spilling the beans on his whole operation to Lois. That's right, Kelley was "Deep Quote" all along! Which was pretty obvious if you've been paying attention, but then again Lex has a long history of rejecting the obvious.

Kelley also spilled the beans on Lex's location to Superman, who suddenly bursts into the yacht to nab him once and for all. But Lex has an ace that he's been hiding up his sleeve for a long-ass time: a slew of "sonic torpedoes" reverse engineered from tech left behind by the alien invaders from DC's 1988 Invasion! crossover, which he hid somewhere under Metropolis in case he ever felt like pulverizing the city. Lex, who thinks he'll die any moment, seems perfectly willing to take millions with him -- until Superman asks him if he really wants the people of Metropolis, "his" city, to remember him as the guy who blew the whole place up. The "American Hitler," as Superman puts it.

Lex, who got into this whole mess in the first place because he wanted people to love him more than Superman, breaks down and agrees not to launch the torpedoes.

And then, for the first time in his life... Dr. Happersen disobeys Lex Luthor's wishes. Too bad those wishes were "let's not destroy a city."

After years of quietly taking abuse from Lex, Happersen finally snaps and launches those torpedoes. Lex tries to stop him by shooting at him with the death laser in his iron lung (of course Lex Luthor has a death laser in his iron lung), but it's too late. The torpedoes are activated, meaning that the city is as cooked as Happersen himself, who dies in Superman's arms seconds later.

Superman asks Luthor where the torpedoes are buried, but Lex, who looks genuinely distraught, honestly doesn't know. He always let Happersen handle little details like that.

Before Superman can even reach Metropolis, one of the torpedoes has already hit the WGBS building. He gets there right in time to race against the torpedo headed for the Daily Planet... but, as you might have guessed from this issue's cover, the torpedo wins the race.

If the city hadn't been evacuated a few issues ago due to the Underworlders' terrorist attacks, everyone in the Planet's staff would be dead now (thanks, ugly sewer mutant terrorists!). Superman does manage to prevent Lois, Ron Troupe, and, unfortunately, Jimmy Olsen from getting rolled over by the Planet's iconic globe after the building collapses, but only by destroying what's left of it. Perry White is following the action from the Planet's temp offices outside the city, and he looks about as emotionally devastated as he did in the issue when his son died.

Meanwhile, the other underground torpedoes are doing their best to turn Metropolis' skyline into a flat line. The only major building spared is the one belonging to Clark Kent's old employer, Newstime Magazine, but only because its owner happens to be a demonic entity with torpedo-deflecting powers, Lord Satanus. To his credit, Satanus does plant an idea in Superman's mind for how to stop the rest of the torpedoes: digging a big ditch all across Metropolis to intercept them (thanks, demonic entity posing as media magnate!).

As Superman, Superboy, and Supergirl stop most of the torpedoes, Satanus helps them out by redirecting the remaining ones to a more deserving target: LexCorp's giant L-shaped building, which is now shaped like a bunch of rubble.

With the torpedo problem solved, Luthor is finally arrested and exposed to the citizens of Metropolis as a no-goodnik, as Superman begins the long task of rebuilding the city by putting the Daily Planet globe back together. Yes, Metropolis is in pretty bad shape, and even Superman himself seems discouraged for a moment, but as Lois correctly points out: hey, at least it ain't Coast City!

Creator-Watch:

This issue marks the end of Roger Stern's distinguished run as Action Comics writer, which began exactly 100 issues ago... sort of, since he started writing Action when it was a weekly series and Superman only got two pages per issue. When John Byrne suddenly left the Superman books some months after that, in late 1988, Stern was an obvious choice to replace him, given his closeness to Byrne, his ample talents, and, well, the fact that he was already there.

Since then, Stern became one of the main architects of the over-arching storyline that made this era in Superman comics so special. His role as the Super-Squad's resident "continuity cop" enriched these comics tremendously. For instance, according to Dan Jurgens, it was Stern's idea to bring back an obscure character called Hank Henshaw as the Cyborg Superman instead of creating a new baddie for "Reign of the Supermen," which is the sort of thing that makes digging through hundreds of backissues worth it. Stern also wrote the bulk of the years-long Eradicator saga, Supergirl's evolution from lump of goo to proper hero, and, of course, Lex Luthor's long, strange journey leading to this issue (more on that later).

It's hard to imagine our beloved '86-'99 period without Roger Stern. Good thing he'll be back before too long, albeit in a reduced capacity...

Character-Watch:

With this issue, we a bid adieu to doctors Sydney Happersen and Gretchen Kelley, two of the most memorable characters ever to serve as Luthor's lackeys. Both were introduced in Byrne's Superman #2 (1987), and it's interesting that both were instantly portrayed as somewhat sympathetic: Happersen doesn't want to remove the kryptonite from Metallo's chest because he thinks it'd kill him (and looks shocked when Luthor pulls it out anyway), and Kelley is the one that warns Lex about Lana Lang's bizarre allergy to truth serum.

(Probably didn't help that they had a serious mold problem in that room.)

It's also interesting that Kelley was the only lackey on a first-name basis with Lex, hinting at the backstory that was revealed in Action #660: she was a small-town doctor until a young Lex swept her off her feet and turned her into his lover, only to ditch her for someone with larger boobs. Kelley became an alcoholic and ended up in jail, ruining her medical career, until Lex came to "reclaim" her and gave her a permanent job. I'm guessing the "old lovers" bit was added mainly to make the Lex Jr. story seem plausible, but it also helps explain why someone like her would stick with Lex for so long. She was clearly still in love with him, and the Lex Jr. ruse allowed her to imagine an alternate life where they were more than just employer and employee. I always like this bit from Action #676, before readers found out Lex Jr. was Lex Sr.:

In the Lex Jr. storyline, Kelley wasn't just lying to the world; she was lying to herself. Until she just couldn't lie anymore, I guess.

As for Happersen, he never had a backstory, but he didn't really need one. He was the prototypical meek henchman who'd do anything for his boss despite being treated like trash, which is why I found his breakdown at the end both logical and satisfying. Kelley and Happersen will each get a couple of flashback appearances after this issue, but they've been completely ignored by every revamp and reboot since. As much as I like them, I'm completely okay with that because their stories are over, and that's such a rare thing in comics.

Plotline-Watch:

The big subplot in this issue is Lana Lang's wedding to Pete Ross, which she said she wanted to hold "as soon as possible" after encountering Bizarro (and confirming that she's absolutely over Clark) in Action #697. Lois, Clark, and Supergirl are a bit busy to attend, but Ma and Pa Kent are there and even lend Lana their farmhouse for the ceremony. Other than Pa watching the chaos in Metropolis on TV, these scenes are completely disconnected from the rest of the issue, and I suspect they're only here for two reasons: 1) to tease readers with "Someone's getting married!" in the preview blurbs (remember that Lois and Clark had been engaged for a few years by now), and 2) to give Superman legends Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson some work. That last part makes the scenes worth it, in my opinion, especially since we even get a peek at how Swan would draw the Super-Mullet when Lana is thinking back on everything she's gone through with Clark.

The "we've had buildings dropped on us" scene Lana remembers is from Action #644, and the one who dropped the building was actually Supergirl/Matrix when she was suffering from Eradicator-triggered insanity. The "I've been kidnapped" issue, meanwhile, is Byrne's classic Superman #2, which leads us to...

Intentionally or not, there's a good numbers of parallels between this issue and the aforementioned Superman #2: Lana's most tragic moment and Lana's happiest moment; Happersen and Kelley's introduction and their exit; Superman angrily bursting into Lex's office and triumphantly bursting into his yacht; Lex getting away with it and Lex getting arrested. But the most significant connection is the fact that Superman #2 was the first time Lex put on his kryptonite ring, which is what sets off the long chain of events leading to this issue: him getting cancer (Action #600), faking his own death (Action #660), moving his brain to a younger body (revealed in Action #678), being infected with a clone-only disease (circa Man of Steel #31), and ending up as a sick, raving lunatic in an iron lung outfitted with death lasers.

What's definitely intentional, knowing Stern, is the fact that Lex's last stand happens in the Sea Queen, the same luxury yacht where he first met Superman (The Man of Steel #4). Both issues end with Lex getting arrested, but presumably he'll be behind bars for longer than two hours this time -- or maybe not, since the last time we see Luthor, he's thinking that "there are cards I've yet to play!" We'll find out what he means in Action #701.

While Lois is presenting her evidence against Lex, we learn that she first came into contact with Dr. Kelley/"Deep Quote" at the end of the "Bizarro's World" storyline, right after she learned of Lex Jr.'s sickness/shocking baldness (Superman #88). Unsurprisingly, Lex didn't like Lois seeing him like that and ordered Happersen to capture her, but Kelley helped her escape and they hit it off.

When exactly did Kelley decide to turn on Lex? A flashback suggests that it happened during the Supergirl miniseries, where she has an uncharacteristic outburst towards Lex for the way he "uses" Supergirl even though she loves him. We didn't even comment on that scene at the time, but now it seems pretty obvious that, even though Kelley does care for Supergirl, she was actually talking about herself.

Deep cut: at one point, Superman tries to find Lex by taking a Lex-Man's helmet to Professor Hamilton, who says that he recognizes this technology from the armor Lex once trapped poor Jose "Gangbuster" Delgado in, forcing him to act as a remote-controlled bodyguard (Adventures #451). Hamilton's efforts go nowhere, but I appreciate being reminded of Jose's most delightfully bizarre misadventure ever. Miss that dude and his horrible luck.

I also appreciate the shout out to Invasion!, and I wonder if Stern was planning Lex's sonic torpedo gambit from way back in Superman #28, which includes a scene in which Pentagon officials give Lex access to the alien weapons recovered in Australia. I also wonder if Lex thought to himself, "Hmmm, Australia... seems like a nice place to pretend to be from if I ever clone myself a new body."

Something that doesn't pay off is the implication that Colin Thornton/Lord Satanus would become a major villain now that Luthor is (temporarily) out of the picture. He'll pop up here and there, but something tells me that if Stern had stayed on Action, he would have made sure Satanus factored more heavily in big storylines going forward (or even just one big storyline).

Patreon-Watch:

This post ended up being double-sized like the issue itself, so this time we owe double-thanks to our patrons Aaron, Chris “Ace” Hendrix, britneyspearsatemyshorts, Patrick D. Ryall, Bheki Latha, Mark Syp, Ryan Bush, Raphael Fischer, Kit, Sam, Bol, and Gaetano Barreca, for helping us take the time to write it. Double-thanks! Join them at https://www.patreon.com/superman86to99

And believe it or not, we have even more to say about this issue, so don't miss Don Sparrow's section after the jump...

Art-Watch (by @donsparrow):

We begin with the cover, and it’s something of a strange one for such a huge numbered issue.  Jackson Guice rightly recognizes that the destruction of the Daily Planet is the most arresting image within the story, so that’s what he highlights, Raiders of the Lost Ark-style, but it’s a bit hard to know what to focus on here.  It’s not the best figure drawing of Lois Lane, with her hands in a claw like shape, but she’s still front and centre.  The other possible area of focus is on the Daily Planet globe itself, which then boasts an uncomfortably spread-eagle Superman trying to stop its roll.  But, I give points to Guice for going with a moment from within the story, and not just a generic “this is an anniversary issue” type cover, like we often see. Plus the cross streets of Jurgens/Grummett/Bog/Kitson on the street sign is a fun find.

Inside, we’re greeted immediately with a full splash of a satisfied Lois.  Guice’s Lois has always looked photo-referenced to me, for better or worse.  In this case, I think Guice is a little let down by the colourist, who extends the pinkness of Lois’ bottom lip all the way to the corner of her mouth which turns her smile into more of a smirk than I think the inks on their own intend.

On page 6 we get another version of Guice’s rubble pits—not a strength for him as much as someone like Tom Grummett, who was born to draw rubble (And everything else!) as the edges of the pit always look a little sharp to me.   

Superboy’s rage at the destruction of Cadmus is well-observed—and Superboy looks very much like the youth he is—he can sometimes be drawn like a small adult, instead of having softer, teenaged features, but Guice does a good job on this page. Supergirl’s coy expression as she lets the libidinous Superboy down gently on page 14 is a funny drawing, and a great character moment in all the action, to boot.

It may just be novelty, or nostalgia, but the quieter moments back in Smallville, as Lana Lang prepares for her wedding ceremony, are my favorite pages.  Curt Swan’s gentle, naturalistic lines are a nice counterpoint to the hectic pace of the fall of Metropolis.   

The entire page of Lois revealing Lex Junior’s crimes to a live television audience is all well drawn—there’s an urgency in Lois’ posture to the camera that feels very real as you read it.  This, followed up shortly by Lex’s horror at Dr. Kelley’s betrayal is another great piece of drawing.  Then, on the very next page, Superman Kool-Aid-Man-ing his way through Lex’s hideaway is maybe the best single image of Superman in the book. 

There’s a cute tribute to former Super-teamster, Jerry Ordway, as Peggy (who shares her first name with Jerry Ordway’s real life wife) plays De Koven and Scott’s “Oh Promise Me” not on a Steinway piano, as she might have on our Earth, but rather a “Jordway” piano.  If the lyrics we see sound familiar, it could be because this same wedding song appeared in numerous film and TV weddings, including All in the Family, Mama’s Family and, for you Canadian readers, the Sullivan-produced Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel, during Diana’s wedding.  I do wonder if Revered Brewster was supposed to look like Ordway—his hairstyle is similar, though Brewster is a little heavier set than Ordway.

Back to the “action” of Action #700, pages 33-35 all make great use of a diagonal panel layout, to maximize the space as Superman gives chase to the missiles, which unfortunately find their target, the Daily Planet.  Perry White’s shattered expression as he watches the place he loves fall apart is particularly haunting. 

The effect of Collin Thornton’s demonic helmet overlaid his human form is a great visual.  Lastly, for those of us old enough to remember the attacks of 9-11, there’s an eerie prescience to these images of tangled debris and smoking skylines.

On the whole, the events here—Luthor going full villain, Metropolis being reduced to rubble—seem fitting in scale for a nice big round issue number like 700.  But, given how relatively quickly these changes are undone in the issues to come, it also feels symbolic of the post-Death-and-Return era of comics—just trying status-quo changing “events” and trying to recapture the buzz they stumbled into with the death storyline.          

SPEEDING BULLETS:

There’s a funny in-joke during Lois’ phone call with Superman, as editor Mike Carlin slips in a warning to Tom Grummett about an issue being late.  Though Grummett is not normally known for lateness, at this time he is drawing both Superboy and Robin comics monthly, so he can be forgiven for the odd slip.

Jonathan Kent railing at the television in response to Lex’s seeming impunity feels completely modern to me, reading it in 2024.  Honestly, couldn’t you see certain political factions of today defending Lex’s actions, had they been perpetrated by the de facto leader of their party?

How do we feel about Lex not being quite villainous enough to blow up Metropolis?  Does it feel like a cop-out, or would it have put Lex into a level of villainy the writers didn’t want to go to?  Story-wise, I have to admit, it feels strange that the disasters seen on the cover and throughout bear the fingerprints of Sidney Happersen, and not Lex Luthor, the greatest criminal mind of our age. [Max: I like it! Lex is evil, but he does seem to love Metropolis in his way, and he wouldn't spend so much time on philanthropic ventures if he didn't need people's adoration on some level. I think this is an interesting conundrum Stern put him in, and having Happersen do what Lex couldn't is a clever way to make sure the issue didn't end in a big anti-climax.]

GODWATCH: As with many a Roger Stern script, religious references abound in this issue, particularly during the wedding scenes, where the newlywedded Lana and Pete certainly seem devout. The unabashed love the Kents show for Lana is very moving throughout. [Max: There's also Lex saying "God forgive me" when he admits he doesn't know how to stop the torpedoes, which is a scene that's always stuck with me. THAT'S his real punishment: not jail, but actually experiencing guilt for a moment.]

As this entire issue is a study in contrasts, we jump from a country church wedding to a demonic character named LORD SATANUS giving Superman the firebreak idea that saves the city!  There’s something very funny about that.

Does Collin Thornton know that Clark Kent is Superman?  It doesn't seem like he does, but with his array of observational powers, you’d think he’d have figured it out. [Max: I'm sure there's something somewhere that contradicts it, but I like the idea of Thornton offering Clark that editor job years ago because he knew his conscience had been compromised by the Eradicator and he wanted a superpowered pawn to use against Blaze.]

Do you agree with Supergirl, that Dr. Kelley is someone to be admired, or given mercy?  Sure, she helped bring down Lex in his latest evil, but she went along with so much, for so long, she’s hardly heroic, is she? [Max: I assume that by "I hope the courts are merciful," Supergirl means "I hope they give her prison library access and not the electric chair." I do feel sorry for Kelley, but she definitely deserves to go to jail for a long time for all those other horrible crimes she didn't prevent, starting with Lana's torture.]

#superman #roger stern #jackson guice #denis rodier #bizarro #franklin stern #bill henderson #gretchen kelley #sydney happersen #superboy #supergirl #emil hamilton #lana lang #pete ross #colin thornton #ma kent #pa kent #ron troupe #fall of metropolis #curt swan #murphy anderson #deep quote = jack handey? #don't wanna be an american hitler

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

Katie Nicholl wrote another royal book, The New Royals. I read it so you don’t have to and here is my recommendation:

Don’t.

It’s not worth it. It’s about framing The Queen’s legacy through heirs (Charles and William), spares (Andrew and Harry), and the problems the spares have created that will probably affect King Charles’s reign. There’s no juicy gossip or any confirmation of popular rumors/theories. I can tell she wrote it in the springtime and it was meant to capitalize on royal fever that came with the Platinum Jubilee. It doesn’t cover The Queen’s illness in the late summer nor her death/mourning, so I suspect the text was locked in by the editors before August 2022. (It was published November 2022.) There wasn’t even an epilogue.

Honestly, the book read as a royal reporter’s interpretation of the monarchy’s succession plan for King Charles once The Queen was gone and it was her attempt to be the first journalist/commentator to speak on those plans to earn the credit and the byline when the succession plan became reality. It’s clear that Katie and her sources thought The Queen would live much longer, that Charles won’t have too long of a reign, and that planning for William’s ascension has already begun as of the Platinum Jubilee. Katie also seems to suggest that that William’s launching of Earthshot marked the beginning of his transition to inherit Prince of Wales from Charles and his remarks after the 2022 Caribbean tour is the first indication as to what kind of king William will be.

Katie also remains fervently pro-Sussex and continues to be a Harry apologist.

Notable tidbits:

1. Katie has no problem taking credit for her royal exclusives; however she continues to ignore that she is responsible for the “Waity Katie” moniker, writing that it was “tabloid media” instead. Katie continues to make digs at Catherine - she specifically writes that Catherine once told her she prefers to be called Catherine, not Kate...so then why not call her Catherine in the book?

2. Katie draws another interesting parallel between the Sussexes and David/Wallis -- that both couples are praised and adored in the US while Britain abhors them. She implies that Americans are so blinded by the “true love” fairy tale that both couples espouse that they can’t see the reality that is their problematic behavior (with David/Wallis’s problem being Nazi sympathizers, Harry’s being a spare).

3. Katie also implies that Diana’s mental wellness/health was far worse than the public thinks and gives specific examples. Now I have never heard those bits before, which leaves me feeling squicky - someone’s struggles with mental health should not be fodder for a reporter to make money on. However, now knowing that of Diana, it’s also easy to see how and why the BRF is behaving the way they are towards the Sussexes, Harry in particular.

#katie nicholl #brf