#we see him prepared to die in Investigations | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

gayandfairycore · 9 days

Text

The albatross

Summary: when Wednesday pulls you from your slumber to investigate the gates mansion feelings emerge and injuries happen

A/n: I’ve spent so long finishing this fic i think I’m relatively happy with it! Enjoy.

Warnings: Tyler, jealousy, choking, stabbing wounds, hospitals, required unrequited love, dubious ending you decide if we live or die (probably more I’ve forgot)

༺𓆩❦𓆪༻

A violent shaking is what breaks you from your sleep, you’re currently swallowed by three separate blankets with various patterns that keep you tucked nicely into your twin sized mattress on your side of the dorm.

Wednesdays pale face looks down at you, a dead pan expression on her face. And thing sits on your pillow by your face whilst Enid is crouched on your other side watching eagerly, the blonde is the one violently shaking you.

“Y/n, get up it’s girls night!” It’s obvious now that Enid is excited shaking you over the fact that Wednesday pealed not only yourself. but Enid as well for a “girls night”

“Enid stop shaking me!” you bellow, Your body aches in protest against waking up even if it is to hangout with your favourite girls, between school, falling in love with Wednesday and monster hunting, you’ve been more tired than usual.

“Sorry” Enid rubs the back of her neck bashfully and it’s only then do you realise that both Wednesday and Enid are wearing their matching snoods and you close your eyes again fully prepared for the werewolf girl to throw your matching snood over your head and pull you along and out of the spiderweb window to the balcony. It was definitely past curfew.

And it doesn’t come as a surprise when Enid does pull out your bright purple snood and pulls it over your head “come on y/n!” Enid squeals her feet tapping against the wood flooring excited to celebrate Wednesdays birthday,

And the aforementioned girl Who has been quietly watching the scene by your bedside the gloomy girl with an out of place hand knitted snood and an hilarious grumpy look on her face but her brown eyes sworm with schemes and you’re fully aware this will not be a normal “girls night.” When was anything normal with Wednesday.

You’re proven right when you’re forced out your room in the dead of night to “take Enid to the lupin cages” so the adults think but really Wednesdays leading you out the nevermore gates to a beat up car that you unfortunately know to be Tyler’s.

He seems alright for a normie but the jealousy that stabs your heart whenever you see him and Wednesday together only serves to be a painful reminder that no matter if the boy gives you a free coffees you still can’t bare to be in his presence.

What’s worse? Is you can tell the boys got a raging crush on Wednesday.

But You’d follow Wednesday to the ends of the earth even if that meant coming face to face with the monster that just so happens to be terrorising Jericho.

Opening the door and sitting in the back seat Wednesday having long been sat in the passenger seat Enid takes her place by your side In your matching snoods. The excited look dusting her face drops at the inclusion of Tyler.

“He’s our Uber driver?” Enid sighs her eyes flickering to Wednesday

“Uber driver? I thought we were going on a date”Tyler says pointedly looking between the two of you in the back to Wednesday sitting nonchalant in the passenger seat

You feel a stab of hurt pass through you the girl was supposed to go on a date with him? but you remind yourself she blew him off for you and Enid.

It’s silly, you don’t have some claim over Wednesday she’s a free woman, and besides she’d definitely never allow anyone to have any claim over her in the first place.

And by the way she behaves with her parents she doesn’t seem to be all that into romance, unlike you and Enid who spend every Tuesday binging new romance movies.

In your thoughts you barely notice Enid frown beside you “I thought this was girls night out” the girl sulks looking at you for backup and you can’t stop the yawn that forces itself from your throat but you place your hand on Enid’s hand to reassure the girl, before you turn your attention to Wednesday for some answers, Enid and Tyler follow suit.

Wednesday gives you nothing more than “there’s been a change of plans” not even sparing a glance at you all, sighing you rest your back against the seat as Tyler asks the girl in the dim yellow light of the car

“What’s up with the matching hoodie scarf thing?”and before you can answer the boy Wednesday in the front seat murmurs

“Don’t ask just drive”

And just like that you, Enid, and Tyler have been yet again roped into Wednesdays plans but part of you doesn’t mind it. it means you’re close enough with the girl for her to want your company.

But Between the stuffy snood, and your romantic competition. It’s very difficult to be stuck in the same car as the guy who Wednesday kind of likes tolerates.

You clip your seatbelt in and sulk beside Enid in the back seat

So you watch as Enid sighs and clips in her seatbelt and Tyler rolls his eyes in the drivers seat a hint of annoyance but mostly fondness clouds his vision as he starts the car

“So where too?”

And with that Tyler takes the three of you to an abandoned house in the woods with a creepy gate and you can’t stop the thought that passes your mind that this is so Wednesday.

You may have been upset at the disturbance to your sleep schedule but you were doing it for Wednesday so it was less bad as long as her dark eyes watched you, you couldn’t care less about sleep, or trespassing.

The only thing important to you was making sure Wednesday didn’t get herself killed. (although she’d probably like that) you couldn’t stand to see her die.

“Okay this isn’t what I signed up for.” Tyler’s hands shake beside Enid and the smaller girl looks terrified by his side as she exclaims a tentative “ditto”

a thought passes over you Tyler would be a nice friend to have if he wasn’t in love with Wednesday. Even if he’s chickening out on exploring a house.

“I didn’t want to celebrate my birthday by a surprise party or dinner, I want to do this.” Wednesday explains like it’s obvious as her fingers make fast work at picking the locked gate.

“You should’ve just said so, you didn’t have to trick us” Tyler’s voice of softer now, kinder. and you know he’s like you. Bewitched by the girl and your hands twitch by your side screaming at him to just leave you alone with Wednesday. Just go! Your shadows reach out closer to Tyler in anger before blending back into the ground.

pushing against the metal gate of the gates mansion, your boots crunch against the ground and you’d shine your flashlight Wednesday brought for you and you’d walk shakily forward. Shadows curling around your feet for comfort

The darkness and abandoned house unnerving you, it was ironic to be able to control shadows and the dark still scared you. but you took a deep breath & sucked it up anyway you vaguely heard Tyler behind you ask Enid

“Does she do that often? You know… the shadow thing?” Tyler asked his voice lowering you could practically feel him point at you from behind and despite Enid’s growing fear the girl laughed

“Yes.”

༺𓆩❦𓆪༻

Minutes passed and now the four of you had gotten closer to the house with Enid and Tyler behind yourself and Wednesday “seriously you want to go in there?” Enid looks frantically between the three of you and you shrug your shoulders, Wednesdays made you do worse before.

But you sigh outwardly “if you still want to leave you can.” Your eyes look pointedly at Enid you know she’s softer than you, not that it’s a bad thing but she doesn’t usually like to explore abandoned houses.

“I’m gonna go check out the garage” Wednesday looks thourouhly pleased with herself as she hurry’s down the path quicker

You shake your flashlight and follow beside the girl the chilly night air slaps you in the face as you walk and you’re oddly thankful for your matching snood.

Your heart constricts as you walk past the entrance but you shake the nerves off when Wednesday comes to a boarded up door she can’t pull open, and you slide by the girl “let me try”

You say softly moving her cold fingers from the handle and her fingers twitch to your touch you breath a little shakier at the thought of holding her hand, Wednesday doesn’t look absolutely disgusted by the touch before she realises she’s still holding your hand and she tugs her hand away violently like you burned her.

coughing to cover your embarrassment your hands wrap around the handle and you pull with all your might. it doesn’t budge. Tyler comes up behind you a bashful expression on his face as he passes you his hands replace yours as his fingers wrap around the door and pull and you know it’s useless by the way he sulks away

Enid rolls her eyes before she tries the door and Lo and behold it opens with ease “warewolf strength” she smiles shrugging her shoulders

Tyler shares a look with Wednesday but the girl strides forward shining her torch into the abandoned garage Wednesday flicks the light switch and an old orange light flickers to life

“This is the car that hit the mayor” Wednesday mutters in the corner of your eye you see Enid’s face screw up into one of fear Tyler looks as nervous as you feel

“Well that’s grim” you observe the car through its windows there’s nothing incriminating in it, but regardless you control your shadows to slip inside the car, but still they come up with nothing.

“We need to call Tyler’s dad right now!” Enid cries her eyes welling with tears her pink snood around her head makes her look a bit silly and you fight the urge to pull her into a hug and tell her to go back to the car

“Why so he can take me back to nevermore and get me expelled? It’s not gonna happen.” Wednesday is firm with her words and despite the fearful looks on Tyler and Enid’s faces you can’t bring yourself to back out so you grip your torch tighter and stride forward.

The old house is devoid of any love the surfaces covered in a large layer of dust, the air feels stagnant, and the floor boards creak with every step you take. You find yourself following Wednesday closely behind.

Wednesday shines her torch down every hallway and when finally we get to a large set of stairs Wednesday is dead serious when she says “I think we should split up”

Fear glistens over Enid’s face and Tyler watches the room nervously as you swallow hard splitting up in never a good idea “how about we have another person with us so we aren’t all alone?” You attempt a reassuring smile at Enid before watching Wednesday roll her eyes

“If we must” impatience snapped from the girls tone and just as you cleared two stairs to partner with the girl, a smile growing on your face at the idea of being alone with Wednesday.

“I’ll go with Wednesday!” Enid exclaimed rocking back and forth on her feet and you’d swore you’d kill the girl sending her a sharp glare over your shoulder that said really, Enid? Way to read the room.

Before scoffing rolling your eyes and gripping your flashlight tightly you walked back down the steps in anger

“We should Meet back here if we find anything”Wednesday nodded turning to disappear out of your sight

Anger rolled off your body in waves your shadows darkening the room momentarily as you commanded Tyler to follow the warm glow of your flash light, as it illuminates the various empty rooms, first you were upset at the fact you weren’t with Wednesday and you were even more furious when you were left with Tyler.

In your anger you walked the halls stuck in your head not paying attention to your surroundings until a menacing growl sounded from behind you, you felt the hair on the back of your neck stand up and the air felt like static around you.

Pointing your flashlight in the direction of the growl slowly your faced with a hedious monster its eyes big and bug like bulging from its head, and it’s massive body stalking towards you. It made the first strike of fear ripple through you, had you been so upset with being stuck with Tyler you didnt hear him get attacked?

“Tyler!” You cried eyes still locked onto the monster when you heard no response your cold hands wrapped tightly around your flashlight and you took off running in the opposite direction.

The sound of growls and thundering footsteps only meters from you made your heart constrict and your lungs burn with effort ducking your head to dodge claws you sped through room after room corner after corner your legs burning from effort that would still not be enough

“Wednesday!” You shouted as loud as you could hoping that your voice terror filled and trembling would reach your friends upstairs and motivate them to save themselves.

Your feet still slammed against the floor of the house as you ran the sound of breaking glass and falling bookshelves sounded behind you from the Hyde.

Your shadows gripping the Hyde’s legs and holding its legs down to prevent it from catching up but they did nothing more than momentarily annoy it. The Hyde’s growl of anger echoes the house

I will not die today.

You repeat like a mantra over and over turning sharply into a bedroom, the room you had just stumbled into had no exits aside from the door you just came through that happened to be blocked by the Hyde’s body

Shit shit SHIT!

Backing up as far as possible to the back of the room there was so escaping this, this would be where you die.

Tears began to burn your waterline sliding down your cheeks you had no idea why the Hyde was watching you like you were foreign or why it was taking so long to just kill you when your legs hit a desk and your hands slipped to the top of it scrambling to find something to arm yourself with, whilst still keeping your eye on the Hyde. you found a small, sharp. letter opener. slipping it up your sleeve a new found determination filled you.

“Come and get me.” You sneered your eyes narrowing and shadows darkening the room menacingly. You were no longer stuck in the room with the Hyde. It was stuck in a room with you.

And as if on que the beast stormed forward its huge clawed hand had gripped your body in a tight hold and squeezed like you were nothing.

Screams of pain filled the room the Hyde’s grip was enough to put painful pressure on your bones enough to stifle your breathing gritting your teeth you willed the letter opener to fall from your sleeve your shadows trailing up the Hyde’s legs pulling its huge body downward again before more shadows climbed its body wrapped around its neck and squeezing like the Hyde was doing to you.

Your shadows embedded themselves like sharp claws wherever possible, before stretching to blind the hide and

When its grip slightly faulted you stabbed its clawed hand satisfied by the blood that dripped from its hand as it dropped you rearing back to scream in your face before its razor sharp claws cut through the flesh of your arm and chest.

Slumping to the floor your shadow dissipated as quickly as they came and a mixture of exhaustion from using your power and pain was all that filled your world and before everything went back you could only mutter one word.

“Wednesday.”

༺𓆩❦𓆪༻

There was no telling how long you’d been out for but by the amount blood sticking to your skin it must have been awhile. the overwhelming searing pain of the Hyde’s claws that left these deep jagged lines made you feel sick to your stomach.

The marks ranged from your chest to your shoulder and bicep deep enough to hurt and the leave you covered in metallic blood. But you’d live.

Shuddering your hands gripped the wall to haul yourself up your shoulder screaming in protest holding pressure to your wounds your breaths shaky as you walked through the empty house trying to mask yourself in your shadows but your control left much to be desired especially by the way your body left a trail of blood after you, you were more than happy to reach the garage door.

Shallow breaths filled the air as you walked into the comforting darkness of night god you were happy to be out of that house. Resting your head against a stone pillar out the front you looked at your wound in the silver moon light.

And you felt sick your skin sticky and covered in drying blood it might have been about ten minutes later of you just sitting in pain staring up at the moonlight that Tyler piled out of the garage door and wound on his chest less substantial than yours, but still painful.

You couldn’t help the pathetic sob that left you at the sight of seeing Tyler alive, the guilt of not noticing when he went missing made you feel incredibly bad but you felt so much better seeing the normie alive.

“Oh Tyler!” You cried limping forward to pull the boy into a half hug avoiding your wounds and his wound.

“Hey” the boy greeted shakily holding you tightly you may not have liked him but you were glad he was alive.

“Where’s Wednesday?” You asked as you pulled back looking for any reassurance from the boy

“I don’t know I let them know the monster was in the house but then it got me before I could run after them” the boy fidgeted with his fingers in his lap

“That’s okay I’m sure they’re fine, Wednesdays capable.” You nodded before sinking back down to your pillar you watched the sky the burning in your arm at any movement made you wince, atleast you’re stupid snood survived.

“Here let me” Tyler smiled shedding his shirt to use as a way to stop the bleeding his tan shirt pressed against your wound with a hiss the blood staining the colour darker you felt lightheaded like any moment you’d pass out

“Hey hey hey stay awake” Tyler clicked his fingers in your face putting more pressure on your wound

“What’s going on?” Wednesdays monotone voice said her posture perfectly straight as she watched Tyler get too close for comfort to you

“Y/n!” She sounded concerned by the way she watched your face

“I’m fine, nes just a scratch” you rasped attempting to send a reassuring smile to the girl but before you could suddenly Wednesday was taking you in her arms and commanding Tyler and Enid to hurry up

“We can- we can go to my house patch her up” Tyler said his car keys in his hands and very quickly or what you assumed was very quickly you were back at the car watching the moon from the window your head resting on Wednesdays lap in the back seat

“If you die, I’ll kill you.” Wednesdays voice shook as she held Tyler’s shirt to your wound tears in her eyes and half dazed your blood stained hands ghosted over Wednesdays face wiping a tear away

“I love you” your voice shook and your head swam Delirious from the aching pain of your wound that would surely scar your body. And before you could fight it yours eyes flickered shut your eyes staring into Wednesdays brown eyes with so much love, and so much sorrow she may struggle to feel feelings but by the panic in her eyes there was something deeper than just friendship.

“No no no keep your eyes open” Wednesday panicked barely contained fear dripped from her voice

“Tyler drive faster! Take us to the hospital!” To hell with the potential expulsion Wednesday would face she couldn’t care less. All she wanted to do was save you.

༺𓆩❦𓆪༻

#wednesday addams #wednesday addams x reader #wednesday x reader #wednesday netflix #wednesday x you #wednesday x fem!reader #jenna ortega #wlw

204 notes · View notes

hanniiisworld · 1 year

Text

POV: You were sent on a mission by Katheryne to investigate a strange cave and encountered Xiao… Little did you know, the scent of the cave was making Xiao lose control of himself over you.

BEFORE READING: Female reader, SMUT with plot.

In the world of Teyvat, there are many interesting tales. This story takes place in Liyue. A traveler from afar encountered a Yaksha…

“Traveler, traveler! You need to wake up. Today is another beautiful day!” Paimon yelled.

“Paimon- Can you let me sleep a little longer? I did so much work yesterday.” You said.

“No can do. We have commissions, exploring, and meetings to attend with Zhongli.”

You pulled yourself up with all the energy left in you and stretched.

“Thank you. You’re a very deep sleeper, so Paimon had to shake you up and yell at you.” Paimon complained.

“I must have been exhausted yesterday."

“Yeah, you were fighting monsters left and right and you almost died!” She yelled.

"And what did you do yesterday?" You asked.

"Well, uh…” She paused.

“I watched over you! To ensure you’re safe. Paimon was ready to call Xiao’s name at any moment.”

“You didn’t call him until you saw me almost die from that ruined guard?”

“Well– Xiao is scary. I didn’t want to bother him unless it was a real emergency.”

You sighed.

You opened the closet to change out of my pajamas to your regular clothes.

After you were done, you walked into the streets of Liyue and went to The Adventurer's Guild to receive my commissions for the day.

“Hey, Katheryne!” Paimon waved.

“Traveller, Paimon! You made it in time.”

“Don’t tell me we have to fight monsters again today.” You groaned.

“I apologize for your last commission. Fortunately, this time it does not require violence, I hope.”

“You hope?” Paimon questioned.

Katheryne pulls out a map and lays it on the table. She points to a certain location.

“Some adventurers have requested that you check out this cave. It has been rumored that those who dare enter the Cave Of Nevermore never come out the same.”

“Yikes! That sounds scary. You’re making us risk our lives?” Paimon asked.

“Well, yes. But there is a high reward, one million mora.”

Paimon gasped.

“One million?! Am I hearing that right? Traveler, we could buy anything we want with that!” She excitedly stated.

“Yes, high rewards come with high risks. What do you say, traveler?" Katheryne smiled.

Paimon urged you to say yes with her puppy eyes.

“I’ll take it,” you said hesitantly.

Paimon claps.

"Yippee!"

“Good choice, traveler. I hope to see you next time.”

Katheryne handed you the map.

You grabbed the map from her hand and thanked her.

AT THE CAVE

“I guess this is the location she marked.” You said.

“Gahh... This looks so scary. What if there are creatures in there and they attack Paimon?”

“Calm down, I’m always here to protect you.” You pulled out my blade, preparing to fend off any man or creature.

You slowly entered the cave and noticed a familiar presence.

Tattoos and short hair were all you could see.

It emitted a large amount of smoke and dark energy.

“Is that…” Paimon stared in shock.

“Xiao…?” You finished.

He turns around, surprised as well.

“Traveler...What are you doing here?” He asked.

“We received a commission to investigate this cave.” You replied.

You could tell by his expression and appearance he was in pain.

“Are you okay, Xiao?”

“I’m fine. I’m an Adeptus after all, I can handle more than a mortal can.”

“Xiao… Your wounds… “ You glanced at those deep cuts.

“I carry first aid with me. Allow me to help.”

“No—” He interrupted “You can’t come near me.”

“Xiao, please! You don’t need to act so tough all the time.”

You walked towards Xiao as he backed away into a corner. You weren’t willing to let him suffer from those wounds.

"Gosh! Xiao is stubborn. It won't kill him to get treated like a regular person instead of enduring it forever.” Paimon pouted.

As you got closer, you detected an unusual scent from Xiao. You crouched down in front of him and opened your first aid kit. He still struggled to get away.

“Xiao, please, I’m only here to help,” You said.

You grabbed my bottle of rubbing alcohol and let a tiny portion sit on a cotton pad. You leaned closer to his face until your faces were inches apart. You gently rubbed the cotton pad on his delicate face.

“Ngh…” He whimpered.

“Sorry, I know it’s hurting.” You comforted him.

You lifted the cotton pad from his face and turned around, still on your knees, to get a band-aid.

Suddenly, you felt his body press directly against yours from behind. A soft, slender hand trailed across your body, and you lifted my chin to face him.

“I warned you not to come near.” He lowered his mouth to your ear and whispered. His other hand traveled up your skirt and into your panty. Xiao circled your clit rapidly with his soft hands.

“Uh~ Xiao-” You moaned. Your body sweated intensely. Pre-cum was already all over your underwear as he stimulated your clit even more.

“Please forgive me for this.” Sounds of groans and whimpers escaped his lips when you came all over his fingers.

He brought his head down and bared his sharp fangs. His teeth hooked onto your underwear line and pulled it down smoothly. His breathing got heavier and heavier as he looked down at you with those love eyes. You wanted to move, but your body was frozen in place by shock. Soon, he unbuckled his belt and whipped out his already erect cock.

“My body has felt weird after coming into this cave. Please forgive me.” He mumbled.

You remember feeling strange between your legs when you first entered. The more you stayed, the stronger it became. Maybe it was the odd scent in the air that caused all of this.

“I need some relief too, so don’t hold back,” you said.

With those words, he slid his erect cock into your chamber. Your hole tightened around it instantly.

“It’s tight...” He sounded surprised, but he chuckled soon after. He thrusts it in once more.

“Ah~” You moaned as I struggled to keep my composure.

His pace quickened with time, and also getting rougher as he got closer to his high. After a few more rough thrusts, he finally released his seed inside of you. I came soon after. I was out of breath. You couldn’t stand it anymore. Your knees were sore from withstanding all of this pressure. Xiao noticed this too as you were heavily gasping for air. He put his two hands on your waist and flipped you over on your back, against the wall. He guided your legs to be on his shoulders.

“May I go further?” He asked, still heavily sweating.

“We’ve already crossed the line. Go ahead.” You ensured.

With that, he leaned in and pressed his lips against yours. He swirled his tongue in your mouth, almost wanting to dominate you completely. Your body relaxed at his touch and youI let my guard down fully for the first time since entering this cave.

As you two made out, his fingers proceeded to enter your wet pussy. The other one lifted up your shirt and cupped your breast. You gasped at the sudden entrance, but you let all your worries away. After all, you were in an Adeptus’s hands. He pulled his lips away from yours and smiled as his fingers continued to pound inside of you. Your mind was foggy as waves of pleasure washed over your entire body. You moan out his name, which only motivated him more. After countless thrusts from his fingers, he pulled it out only to reveal it frosted in cum.

He smirked. He brought the hand dripped with your cum to his mouth and licked it clean in front of you. You blushed at the gesture and giggled. Finally, the Adeptus propped you up and helped you put on your clothes. You looked around to scan your surroundings. Phew… Nothing and no one was there, not even Paimon. Wait, Paimon?! You thought to yourself and ran around, stopping at every corner of the cave to look for her. Xiao was frantically looking for Paimon as well.

“Traveler,” A high voice echoed through the walls. “I got some food!” Paimon laughed. Her arms were filled to the brim with bread, berries, and potatoes. You turned around, eyes filled with relief, and ran up to hug her. Your arms wrap around her tiny body so tight, it caused her to drop all the food to the ground.

“Was I gone that long?” She sighed, patting your head.

Xiao followed along and bent down to pick up the dropped belongings. He tried to avert his eyes somewhere else as he handed them to you. It seems like the effect inside the cave has worn off, for now. There was still a lot of awkward energy between the two of you after what had just happened.

“I think I figured out the mystery about this cave.” You chuckled, leaving Xiao a flustered mess.

“What?! Tell Paimon!” She exclaimed.

“There’s a certain scent in here vthat makes people act different. Some people endure it longer than others, while some only get the effect for a day or so.” You explained, giving a look to Xiao.

“And how’d you find that out?” Paimon looked at you suspiciously.

“I… Just did.” You laughed nervously.

Xiao disappeared at this point to not get any more embarrassed.

#anime and manga #xiao x reader #xiao x you #xiao smut #xiao genshin smut #xiao genshin impact #genshin xiao #genshin smut #genshin impact #genshin impact smut

478 notes · View notes

eatingfireflies · 2 months

Text

I want to talk about this thing

And I have a proposal:

The name of Dr Ratio's warp event is connected to this and, incidentally, Aventurine

Disclaimer: 1) I'm not normal or rational about Dr Ratio. 2) The conclusion is supported only by the English translation as far as I know. 3) Maybe the conclusion is a bit of a leap but I'm serious about everything else.

Let's go!

The conversation Aventurine and Acheron had towards the end is probably up there with End of Evangelion for me in terms of comforting. There's something comforting about Acheron's Nihility because there's still a drop of colour in there and she thinks it's enough. It's the kind of emptiness that accepts anything and don't we all need a little black hole to chuck all our worries into? 🥲

Before the 'grand finale', Aventurine says that sleep is a rehearsal of death. After his death, Acheron agrees and adds that we sleep in order to prepare for the real thing.

And then Aventurine asks her a question:

And Acheron's answer is: this isn't true and Aventurine knows this himself. We don't get born to die. There's no reason for being born, just like there is no meaning in life.

(There's only chance. In stories, things happen for a reason but life isn't story-shaped.)

So: there is no meaning in life. But the way we live our lives gives meaning to our deaths.

Then she tells him to look at his pocket because his friend has already given him the answer.

And I was like 'Finally !! I've been waiting for this reveal!' because what can be said at this moment that could help Aventurine?

There are 2 phases in his plan:

1) Prove that death is possible in the dreamland. Since all the visitors in Penacony are protected by Harmony, this is pretty hard to do but not impossible. We know other people have done it before. Aventurine uses Acheron the emanator of Nihility to cut through the Harmony protection and finish him off.

And Aventurine wins his wager! But the plan doesn’t end there.

2) Move forward to the Real Penacony somehow and investigate the truth about the Watchmaker. And then figure out how to come back. Which honestly sounds like a tall order, but what else can Aventurine do?

Well, he can stop at phase 1.

Acheron says that the conclusion of phase 1 is a win-win situation for the IPC, which is true. Aventurine's death will give the IPC a reason to investigate Penacony and the Family. We know Jade and the others aren't even allowed to go into the dreamscape, but with the death of the IPC envoy, they'll have the right to make some demands from the Family.

If Aventurine stops here, he still would have won.

We know from his conversation with his future self that he's tired and ready to stop. He wants to come home and be with his family.

Aventurine is pretty much a mess: he's a child blessed by Gaiathra Triclops, which gives him godly luck. This luck has prevented him from dying countless times before (even the times when he was actually fine with it). He wants to die but also he's terrified of... dying?

Truly embodying the 'Why is it so hard to die, so impossible to live?'* vibe.

(*From Tanith Lee's The Secret Books of Paradys 1, if you're interested)

Or maybe more accurately, he's terrified of losing everything just like he did in Sigonia. You can look at it in 2 ways: without Mama Fenge's blessing, Kakavasha would have died with the rest of the Avgin. Or Kakavasha's luck came at the expense of literally everything he holds dear.

With Acheron's help, he has finally achieved the death his own luck has been protecting him from. So why should he move forward?

Well, let's see what Acheron meant when she said Aventurine's friend has the answer.

And I... have no idea.

The underlying message here is easy enough to understand: Acheron has already answered Aventurine's question. He can move forward and keep living because that's what will give his eventual death more meaning. But hearing this from Acheron is a bit of a cold comfort: she accepts everything and also views everything impartially.

Ratio's note is a reminder to Aventurine that someone in the waking world is personally invested in Aventurine's well-being. Not because of what Aventurine can do for the IPC (as a consultant, I assume Ratio gets paid whether Aventurine succeeds or not, but also Aventurine has already succeeded with Phase 1).

And not because Ratio gets anything out of it... well, the Stellaron files maybe? But he already has that. Or whatever it is he went to Penacony for, because the two of them are being cagey about it.

Whatever it is, Ratio has already gotten what he wanted. This note is an extra then, something that he gave Aventurine because he wanted to.

I'll come back to what I think he meant, but I need to talk about the Jp translation (sorry I know I should check the original Cn instead but I don't know Cn at all 😭 it's hard enough for me to catch the nuance in Jp let alone a language I can't parse at all), because the word used is different and this is why I'm unsure.

Post by a Jp user about Ratio's note. I can't post a screencap because there's no more space 🥹 But here's the text:

「処方箋」

夢の中で不可能なのは「死」ぬことではなく、「熟睡」することだ。生きろ。幸運を祈る。

In this note, Ratio uses 熟睡 (jukusui), which means deep sleep. This is deep uninterrupted sleep, the kind that you wake up from feeling refreshed. Or the kind that you have when you take sleep meds. Or the kind that you have when you're contented with your life and not burdened with ambition or anxieties or curiosity.

I don't know.

We know that it's possible to sleep in the dreamscape because Ratio wakes Aventurine up in the beginning of the quest. At the very least, he seemed to be dreaming so I assume he was asleep? And they seem to be in the dreamscape because there's an origami bird tail behind him... except Dr Blues also appears in reality so maybe we can't rule anything out just yet.

I'm not 100% sure what Ratio means about 熟睡. But what about 'Dormancy'?

This is easier. The disclaimer here is I'm not a big fan of the English translation in general (especially the way Dr Ratio was translated in English) but I'll let myself have this.

Dormancy is (thank you wiki) a period in an organism's life cycle when growth, development, and (in animals) physical activity are temporarily stopped. It's also connected to 'deep sleep'. Hey, we're getting somewhere!

Basically, hibernation. Ratio seems to be confirming what we already know: the dream is falling apart because everything in the universe will succumb to Nihility in the end. Maybe the dream was created to preserve a memory (just like how the IPC was preserving Chadwick's memory in Penacony), but the dream is also starting to crumble.

Maybe this isn't the most comforting thing to tell Aventurine, but it does confirm what he probably already suspected (about the truth behind Penacony) and it also tells him that change is constant. Moving forward means he could potentially get out of a situation he doesn't like.

And he does move forward. He tells his past self that there will come a time in the future when he'll come home to his family, but not now. For now he can keep changing and making his own meaning.

Dr Ratio's warp banner is called Panta rhei. 'Everything flows', which says that things are always in a state of flux (change). For example, you can't step into the same river twice because the water is moving and is constantly getting replaced (thanks again, wiki). This is the same about humans: we are always changing both physically and mentally. We both are and are not (wiki again).

Doesn’t it sound like what he said in his doctor's prescription?

#honkai star rail #honkai star rail spoilers #dr ratio #hsr aventurine #penacony #d metas #cw death and nihilism

62 notes · View notes

thebeast-dennis-etcetera · 3 months

Text

An Unlikely Pair

Your knee bounced up and down in nervousness as you waited for news in the little lobby. A little trembling chihuahua was on the left of you and a 3 legged Dalmatian on your right. It seemed to be a busy day for sure at the clinic as even more clients started coming in.

“Y/N?” the vet tech called from the door. You stood up and followed her as she led you to another little room where the vet and the little kitten you found this morning waited.

“How is she?” you asked. When you had dropped her off, she was absolutely filthy, barely breathing and couldn’t open her eyes. Had you not decided to go for a run this morning, you never would’ve found her. You figured some horrible person must have abandoned her there. Now, she looked completely different. Her bright fluffy orange coat was clean and her green eyes were alert.

“She’s good now. Just needed a good bath, warmth and a little food. She’s got a couple scratches on her face but those will heal with time. You said you found her in a park?”

“Yeah. I took a morning run and heard meowing from the bushes. She was tucked all the way in the back, I honestly thought she wasn’t gonna make it.”

“Well cats are pretty resilient. Were you planning on keeping her?”

You thought about the question and knew the dilemma. Jethro was not a cat guy. He loves dogs, doesn’t mind plants, but definitely doesn’t like cats. But if you didn’t take her, she would just end up at the shelter.

“We do have an onsite shelt-

“No, I’ll keep her,” you impulsively blurted out.

Crap, Jethros gonna kill you.

————

You sat on the couch watching tv when you heard Jethro come home. Quickly, you threw the blanket over the kitten in your lap.

“Hey hun. Dinners in the oven, you just gotta heat it up.”

He came over and gave you a kiss before going into the kitchen and preparing his food. Upset that she was being smothered, she let out a small meow. You just turned up the volume slightly on the tv. You at least wanted Jethro to eat before you broke the news to him.

Once he heated everything up and sat at the table to eat, the kitten let out another meow.

“What was that?” he asked, looking around.

“The tv,” you lied smoothly.

Thankfully, the kitten decided not to make any more noise while Jethro finished eating and cleaned his plate.

“So you’ll never believe how my day has been going,” you started. “I was going for a morning run because I wanted to see if I could beat my personal best, which by the way, I’ve come to the conclusion that I could probably beat Torres in a foot pursuit. And as I passed by that park over on Downey St, I heard something crying.”

Jethro stood in front of you, drying his hands with the kitchen towel, attention now fully on you as he listened, making you nervous.

“Normally I wouldn’t investigate a weird noise at the park, especially because you could find a person sleeping in the bushes or some rabid raccoon, or-

“Sweetheart, you’re rambling. What did you find?” he pressed, wanting to speed the conversation up.

Instead of explaining, you just pulled the blanket back and showed him the little ball of fur. She looked around before seeing Jethro and pulled her ears back in displeasure before giving him a tiny hiss.

“No,” was all he said before walking off to the bedroom. You put the kitten down on the couch and followed him.

“Honey wait. I know you dont like cats but this one is so cute. And I rescued her. I couldn’t just leave her there to die. And I couldn’t give her away to the shelter. Who knows if she ever would’ve found a home.”

He stopped at the stairs and turned to you.

“She’s already up to date on vaccines, the litter box will be in the laundry room, and she’s so tiny you won’t even know she’s there. Please Jet,” you pleaded.

He sighed and you knew right then, you already won.

“If she scratches up anything, she’s out,” he threatened.

You beamed with joy and wrapped your arms around his neck in a hug.

“You’ll come to love her, you’ll see.”

————

It was a love/hate relationship between the little orange cat and Jethro. Mostly because every time Jethro tried to get close to her or you, she would give him a swat and hiss. She loved messing with him and knocking all of his stuff off the shelves when he accidentally left the basement door open. There has been multiple times that he’s had to pick up broken jars fulls of bolts and nuts off the floor. The only love part of the relationship is for you when he sees how happy she makes you.

The sound of Jethros heavy footsteps coming up the stairs woke you up from your sleep. Looking at your phone, the time read 2am. You didn’t move from your spot as he came in quietly and got changed.

“You’re gonna have to move your little gargoyle out of the way,” you heard him grumble after a minute. Smiling, you turned on your side and saw your kitten giving Jethro a glare that might equal his own.

“Just tell her to move hun.”

“She doesn’t listen. Something you two have in common.”

Rolling your eyes playfully, you picked up irritated kitten and brought her to the other side of the bed so Jethro could get in.

————

Pulling into your driveway, you parked right behind Jethro’s truck and made your way to the house. As you opened the door, you were greeted with a little bouquet of flowers and a little note that read Welcome Home. You smiled at his sloppy writing and figured he was down in the basement building that boat of his, so you dropped your bags by the couch and walked downstairs.

What you saw, you weren’t expecting at all. Jethro was busy vice gripping different parts of the boat while his furry nemesis laid lazily on top, watching him curiously.

“How was your mother’s?” he asked, grabbing a tool right next to your kitten who didn’t even make a move to swat or hiss at him.

“Uh, it was nice. Got to see Dad’s newest addition to his pocket watch collection.”

He chuckled as you walked over and gave him a long hug.

“When did you two become friends?” you inquired, pulling back and motioning towards the small feline.

“She climbed the living room curtains and got stuck. Ever since I helped her, she won’t leave me alone,” he explained.

“Awe, she connected with you. You’re her savior honey,” you teased, watching as Jethro reached out to pet her and she accepted it happily while purring.

“Yeah well next time she decides to use our curtains as a vine, I’m not saving her.”

You laughed and gave him a kiss. You knew sooner or later, he would warm up to her.

Note: I purposely didn’t give the cat a name because I wanted to leave that up to the reader but gave it a color because I just feel like Gibbs and orange tabbys have the same vibe. 😂

#gibbs x reader #leroy jethro gibbs #ncis #ncis fanfiction #agent gibbs #mark harmon #ncis request

82 notes · View notes

oblivious-idiot · 1 year

Text

The Only Exception

Summary: George was never the most touchy feely person, but when you get Ghost-touched, he can't help but come to terms with his feelings.

A/N: this was kinda fun, it was really nice to have a bit of motivation to write again! sorry for the wait, but i hope you all like it <3

Warnings: fluff, hurt/comfort, ghost-touch (book version - non-fatal), mentions of injury/burns, swearing

Pairings: George Karim x fem!Reader

Word count: 2k

Taglist: @waitingforthesunrise @neewtmas @givemea-dam-break @wellgoslowly @ikeasupremacy (if anyone wants to be added/removed let me know!)

George wasn’t exactly the most touchy feely person in the world, but he was most definitely the caregiver, the mum friend of 35 Portland Road if you will. He didn’t tend to mask his disappointment or grumpiness when he had to look after Lockwood or stress clean when he’d done something reckless. But when it was you, he did it without a second thought - almost subconsciously he would trail after you and make sure you had everything you needed.

"Alright, Lucy and y/n take the left side of the building, George and I will take the right side. We'll meet back here in half and hour, agreed?" Lockwood said as he adjusted his rapier belt as everyone assed the map of the abandoned shipping warehouse "Remember, we could be looking for two sources tonight," George added in "try not to let yourselves get distracted." "Yes boss" you say as you shoot him a salut and chuckle "We'll be as quick as poss, just try not to get lost - we all know what Lockwood's sense of direction is like." Lockwood's eyebrow shot up at the comment and Lucy couldn't help but laugh too "She's not wrong."

When you answered the call for the case yesterday morning, it just sounded like your usual 'abandoned warehouse by the thames that the owner is too afraid to go into because of all the loud and perilous noises they hear'. You wrote down the address and agreed to check out the premises as soon as you could before handing the note to George for further investigation.

"What did they say? Just disturbances?" George asked "Just disturbances." you nodded in confirmation "They mentioned about how sometimes they hear stuff in multiple parts of the building, so there could be a chance of more than one visitor or even a poltergeist?" "I'll head to the Archives and see what I can find out, thanks y/n" George said with a smile as he took the note, your fingers brushing with contact. Your breath hitched and he quickly stood to grab his orange coat and headed to the door.

George came back later that evening looking rather defeated by his research, explaining that there was very little about the warehouse other than a couple of workers had died due to a fire and getting trapped. "Hmm, sounds absolutely thrilling" Lucy said grimly as she sipped her tea at the kitchen table, but Lockwood had a devilish smile as always "Let's go and check it out tonight, what's the worse that could happen?" "Uh, that we'd be under prepared" "Or we could die" both you and George chipped in, but Lockwood merely swatted away the comments.

"George, how 'bout you knock up something for dinner, y/n can you head out and get some more supplies? And Luce and I will pack up the bags" Lockwood said as he rose from his chair "mm, sounds like a splendid idea" you reply with a sarcastic tone, one that made George chuckle.

The evening went as smoothly as it ever did before a spontaneous case. Lockwood was over confident, George was frustrated and underprepared, while both you and Lucy were just disappointed and exasperated. It was often like this when it came to cases, Lockwood was always overzealous and eager to get any case done as soon as possible, while George (and everyone else) always preferred to spend a little more time preparing, especially if they had more than one visitor to deal with.

You finished packing up the duffle bags with any new equipment and prepared to leave for the case. George continued looking over any last scraps of information on the location while you fiddled with the hem of your jacket sleeve. "We'll be fine, don't worry about it" Lockwood said as he entered the living room where the team were waiting "We have everything under control, we're fully prepared, everything will be fine!" he shot everyone a charming smile and pulled on his coat. "If you have to repeat how 'fine' we're going to be, usually it means we won't be" George grumbled as you all left the house.

When you and Lucy headed off through your side of the warehouse, you instantly felt the temperature drop around you as you got further into the building. "Hear anything?" you asked Lucy, your hand resting on your rapier hilt, the hairs on your arm beginning to stand up "Crackling, I think? And faint screaming" "Oh lovely. Tonight is going to be a joyous." you sigh, eyes constantly looking around for any clue to a source.

Before you knew it, you heard the soft *brrb brrb* sound of your electronic watch. Half an hour had gone by already, and the warehouse was still bitterly cold. There was hardly time to head back to find Lockwood and George before the two of you felt malaise creeping into your bones, the rapier feeling heavy on your belt. "Lockwood! George!" Lucy called in a sing-song voice as you finally willed yourself to move from your position, placing down your duffle bag to retrieve your iron chain.

Not even a minute had gone by before the boys were by your side, but it felt like an age. "It's definitely over here, you can see the flame patterns all over the walls" you point out to them as you pull out a pack of gum, the awful smell of smoke and metal that had accumulated was starting to get to you. "Any sign of a source yet?" Lockwood asked but you both shook your heads "Right, let's get searching then."

It didn't take long for the visitors to make themselves known, which explained the suddenly heavy presence of ghost-fog and icy temperature. Just like you and George had suspected, there was two of them, both covered in horrible burns and peeling flesh. "What are you getting Luce?" Lockwood asked "They're angry, that's for sure. Nothing specific, just a lot of pain." Before Lucy could get anything more, one of the Wraiths dived for them, only to stop just before the iron chain that laid on the ground. Suddenly you realised you and George had subconsciously taken ahold of each other when the wraith charged, only to quickly separate from each other.

After some time fighting the visitors, rapiers dancing in the air and chains cutting through Other-light, George had finally managed to secure a source, but as he did the other Wraith charged at him. Without even a second thought, you pushed George out of the way of the visitor before it made contact. "Y/n! What the hell!" George screamed at you before seeing the ectoplasm covering your shoulder. "Shit shit shit. Lockwood! Lucy!" George cussed as he rummaged for a syringe in the closest bag to him "George please tell me we have adrenaline still" you groaned as you held your arm "Here! Hold still y/n" George said as he brought the adrenaline syringe over to you, panic and worry clearly present in his voice. George injected the shot into your arm and suddenly everything went dark.

When you awoke, it took you a second to figure out where you were, before slowly realising you were home, in your bed, back at 35 Portland Row. You sat up, looking over to your bedside table to notice a glass of water, painkillers, and a note 'Take these when you awake, I'll bring you some food at 12. George x'. You tried to stretch over, suddenly realising your shoulder and upper arm were completely stiff.

You slowly traipsed downstairs to the kitchen only to find George busying himself with the stove. “Hey” you said, though it came out as more of a croak “Hey, why aren’t you in bed? I was gonna bring you some food” George replied, a look of worry still present on his face “it’s okay Georgie, I’m fine” “You’re clearly not fine, y/n. You got ghost-touched. You need to rest.” The comment from George confused you. You don’t remember getting ghost-touched? “I don’t quite follow?” you let out a confused laugh, to which George let out a sigh and walked over to you. He hesitated at first, but then gently pulled aside your shirt collar to show your icy blue shoulder.

George's fingers were blazing hot against the skin of your shoulder. "Bloody hell y/n, you're freezing. Hold on, let me find out the hot water bottle" he said hurriedly, quickly looking through almost every kitchen cupboard before finding it. It was only then you quite realised how cold you really were, quickly rubbing your arms together to prevent shivering. "Here, this should help" he said with a pained smile as he handed you the filled hot water bottle and a cup of your favourite tea "Thanks Georgie... don't forget about the stove though.." you nodded towards the oven "Oh bugger!"

"Alright, here's a blanket, a fresh hot water bottle, and a hot chocolate. Do you need anything else?" George asked as he placed a tray with biscuits down on your bed, your fever caused by the ghost-touch had gotten worse as the day went by "Sit with me?" you asked, though it came out more as a whisper as you gave George a soft smile. "I-, uh-, yeah sure" George's cheeks began to grow pink under his glasses as he scooted onto the bed next to you.

The rain softly pattered against the window, which you were grateful of as it soothed your pounded head "Lucy told me what happened on the case, that I pushed you out of the reach of that Wraith" "mm" "I would do it again, just-so-you-know" you told him softly, your words mumbling together as you rested your head on his shoulder. Initially, George tensed up at the sensation, being someone who wasn't very touchy feeling or quite aware of his feeling for you, but he quickly calmed and leaned into you "I hope you never have to, the less I have to look after you the better" "You say that but you love looking after me really" you poke him playfully and shoot him a devilish, slightly delirious smile.

George let out a gentle sigh "No, you're right. You're kinda cute when you're sick" he said as you fiddled with the bed sheets, slowly taking one of your hands in his. You looked up to meet his eyes, which had completely surrendered to you "Just promise me you won't do it again?" he asked, his eyes scanning your face "Oh Georgie, you know I can't do that." His hand slowly reached up and brushed the stray hairs out of your face "No, I guess you've always been a bit reckless." Before your feverish brain could process what was happening, George cupped the side of your face and gently pulled you into a soft, gentle kiss. Your breath hitched as your lips parted, cheeks burning red "I-, I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me-" George began to say but you cut him off "If you get ill now Karim, you can only blame yourself" you teased before you wrapped hands around his neck and pulled him down for another kiss. You couldn't help but smile into the kisses, his hands gingerly tracing over your bruised arms and hips, your fingers teasing as his curls, all of which was making your more dizzy than you already were. When the two of you finally broke apart, George looked almost as delirious as you felt, his lips puffy and hair slightly scruffier than usually, but with the softest smile he could've given you.

"For once, being ill might actually not be so bad" he chuckled.

#allie writes #george karim #george karim x fem!reader #george karim x reader #lockwood and co x reader #lockwood and co imagines #lockwood x reader #lockwood and co #anthony lockwood #lucy carlyle #lockwood & co #save lockwood and co #lockwood and co netflix #lockwood #35 portland row

276 notes · View notes

larsisfrommars · 4 months

Text

The Light Won't Die (Part 2)

Halsin x Tav

Rating: E for Everyone

Chapter: 2/??? (<- Prev Chapter • Next Chapter ->)

Word Count: 905

Genre: Adventure, Hurt/Comfort

Content: Halsin x Male!Tav, Fighter!Tav, how do Elves experience dream flashbacks if they don't sleep, heart to heart, one last night before entering Reithwin, fanon lore, canon typical horror.

"“Oak Father forgive me!” Halsin looked absolutely mortified, casting hand shaking, beads of sweat clinging to his scarred forehead, nearly pale as Astarion."

———————✨🌿✨———————

Elves needn’t sleep unless they are gravely wounded or if it is imposed upon them by external forces. They trance instead of “undisciplined” dreaming, they walk through their memories freely, observing rather than participating.

However this does not mean that true, bone deep exhaustion cannot blur the lines between sleep and trance. Or that one’s subconscious cannot lock the door behind them, once a memory has been entered.

This much was true for Halsin that night.

A wave of death emanating from tomb and tower, following his dwindling Circle no matter how fast they ran. Unfeeling toward the innocents they strived to take with them. A small, antlered boy vanishing into the gloom cries out for rescue. At every turn he is met by a suffocating silence bore from a darkness that held nothing and killed everything.

A familiar corpse contorts into a gnarled mass of thorny brambles, its eyes burning an unnatural blue. He is surrounded by dying Harpers and Druids, Wraiths and Blights arising in their steads. A hand reaches through the darkness, grabbing at his arm. He must defend himself, he turns.

“Halsin!”

Tav tumbled backwards, clutching at the numerous thorns protruding from his arms and chest. Tiny welts of blood bespeckling his now ruined shirt.

“Oak Father forgive me!” Halsin looked absolutely mortified, casting hand shaking, beads of sweat clinging to his scarred forehead, nearly pale as Astarion.

Though shame and fear still marred the Archdruid’s face, muscle memory bid his body give way to his instincts as a practiced healer. Tav, who was still more surprised than in pain, found himself being urged to lay back down when he tried to sit up on his elbows.

“Vis medicatrix!”

They stung falling out into the grass more than they had entering. Tav clambered into a sitting position as Halsin fretted over him. Despite knowing full well that all the damage he’d done had been just as quickly erased by his own ministering hands.

Apologies erupted and clashed together once the initial chaos had passed. They stood up together breathlessly as their words tangled.

“My deepest apologies Tav, truly, I did not- I lost control. I…”

“No, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have disturbed you. I didn’t know that Elves could have nightmares. Dreamed at all really. I thought something was attacking you!”

Tav recalls the muffled cries that had disturbed his rest and no other’s. The primal fear that had gripped him when he recognized who they belonged to. Had more Githyanki been sent after them by Lae’zel’s vengeful matriarch? Had they camped too close to the edge of the shadow cursed lands? It didn’t matter, he’d grabbed his mace and made toward Halsin’s tent like a man possessed.

“We… we do not. I was… remembering, looking for answers. Anything I may have overlooked. I wish for us to prepared, no matter how disquieting recalling it may be.”

Tav narrowed his eyes at the Druid, for all his virtues, perhaps this among them, that giant of an elf was a bad liar. Only half of the truth was revealed by his words. While the haunted look and the tension in his bearing gave away everything else.

“I see. Does remembering usually result in you making distressing sounds in the dead of night, and hurl nature’s wrath at those who come to investigate?” Tav’s question was blunt, but his tone was gentle. Partly to avoid waking the rest of the camp, partly to avoid shattering the delicate energy that bound them.

“…No. In truth, I am embarrassed to say that I may have ensnared myself in a trap of my own making. I do not relish in returning to this place, despite it being my greater purpose. It is… a vivid wound upon my memory, sometimes difficult to control.” He offered with as much plainness as was given.

“Still, an Archdruid should have more discipline.” Halsin’s tone grew distraught, “I should have known better. Now I have injured my allies, striking out at ghosts when our real opponent lies ahead of us. I had not meant to- I should never have harmed you…” Halsin trails off, turning away, pinching the bridge of his of nose, struggling to clear his thoughts.

He could not allow himself to be distracted from lifting the curse, pleasantly or unpleasantly. Halsin found himself unsuccessful, on both accounts. Extending his already long list of failures.

“Hey, hey, it’s alright.” Tav soothed, placing a hand on Halsin’s shoulder briefly. “There isn’t a soul in this camp whose past hasn’t made a habit of catching up to them. Wyll’s got Mizora, Astarion has Cazador, Lae’zel and her ex-Queen, we’ve all got our monsters. I don’t expect you to be an exception, no one should.”

Halsin looked back at Tav again, he couldn’t help but chuckle, if a bit bitterly. The man had such a comparatively short lifespan compared to his own and yet, there was a wisdom there that reflected a great many times his years. He might’ve said the same thing, had their positions been reversed. So why then, did he deem himself the exception?

“Your words have merit. Still, I cannot help but feel…”

Tav nods, “I know, still, you are always welcome to come and talk Halsin. This burden isn’t just yours, not anymore anyway.”

The Druid’s cheeks flushed, he shifted uncomfortably. For reasons perhaps he himself couldn’t fully discern.

“Of course, the offer is mutual, my friend.”

#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 tav #halsin #halsin silverbough #bg3 halsin #halsin x tav #halsin x male tav #halsin x reader #halsin x male reader #hurt/comfort #fanfiction #fanfic #bg3 fanfiction #bg3 fanfic

34 notes · View notes

mcflymemes · 11 months

Text

PROMPTS FROM HITMAN: WORLD OF ASSASSINATION * assorted dialogue from the video game, adjust as necessary

majestic, isn't it?

someone knows about us.

we received your message. loud and clear, might i add.

i dare say the possibilities are endless.

the situation... it's complicated.

this could be dangerous, and i thought you deserved to know. so... now you know.

in his own special way, he cares about you... and vice versa.

i didn't catch your name.

that's for you. keep it on you at all times.

i have seen the consequences. i have felt the cost. that's what defines me.

none of you are safe anymore.

someone's been meddling in our affairs.

that's why we're hiring you to take him down.

if it seems like a conspiracy, it probably isn't.

i hope you know what you just did.

does it matter? i was told there'd be no second chances.

anyone can kill.

get out of my sight.

they sent me here to spy on him.

don't believe everything you hear.

very well. it's your show.

look, i'm not an asshole. of course i'm concerned.

so what happens now?

you do catch on fast.

i want us to meet. your room.

all right. consider it done.

i think technology hates me.

you can't be trusted.

i have found that whoever wields the sword decides who holds the pen.

smile, [name]. your reputation is safe.

there are no second chances. not here.

maybe i'm not the only one being tested.

i read your case file. impressive work.

do you realize what kind of world you've been shaping?

i'm [name], i'll take you to your quarters.

someone likes to keep secrets.

they kept you alive because they needed you and now they don't.

that part is my job.

when we need you, we will contact you.

i don't care which of you does it. it's mandatory.

he did not, however, factor me into the equation.

you're not a superhero. they don't exist.

for sure. i'll keep an eye out.

you did well, [name], i'm proud of you.

i followed you from italy.

that... is your target.

powerful men have fallen by your hand. but by the same token, others have risen.

knowing your enemy is only half the victory.

secrets are our stock-in-trade.

shit. still no answer.

i think we could help each other.

i think i'm in. but i want to be clear on a few details.

from what i hear, you have a few of your own.

i'm not like you, in case you're wondering.

if they can bend the rules, then so can i.

that's not a name.

you know the expression "know your enemy?"

tell me. what did it feel like, taking lives?

is that why you came here? why you let us test you?

i should leave you to prepare.

are you sure about this?

i don't believe it. i took every precaution.

all agents have weak spots.

give me a chance, [name].

our team found no records of any kind. no name, nothing.

are you still determined?

may i inquire why?

at first glance, an impossible task. then again, i do know how you love a challenge.

we will be watching.

how is this our problem?

i wish i had been informed.

people die, [name]. it happens all the time, even to us.

there is no sign of forced entry. no alarms. nothing.

in the meantime, keep him under close watch.

perhaps i see possibility where others see limitation.

now you will do the same.

i play dirty. that's how you defeat a stronger opponent. you strike from behind.

well, this is just fabulous, isn't it?

good. i'll be upstairs.

this was no coincidence.

i should tell you, the trail went dead after romania.

you're making us look bad.

this is the universe's way of telling you to quit, to get out of the game while you still can.

can i offer you a drink?

i thought they were a myth.

someone's playing a game, [name]. the question is... against whom?

we can't allow ourselves to be manipulated.

so... what are we actually doing here?

i just pulled some strings.

i thought that was the point?

i will take full responsibility.

vary your strategy. improvise.

i can't believe we beat him at his own game.

his death will not be investigated.

i know you don't care about politics.

i guess when you're invisible, you stop looking over your shoulder.

139 notes · View notes

yoonrambles · 5 months

Text

Neverending Dreams

Lovebrush Chronicles AU story !

Summary:

Clarence pondered about the mystery behind Professor Heinrich's disappearance. Every time he came to a logical point, it seemed futile a while later – with no evidence left behind, the authorities closed the case. But, Clarence was stubborn; he was adamant to find out about the truth. That night, a strange dream brought him to a land surrounded by snow.

Word count: 1780 words !

Ao3 link: here !

Thank you KaiyoAzuma for collaborating ! <3

Chapter 1: Dream of a

Bygone Past.

Clarence sighed at the investigation report in front of him. Despite hoping for a definitive conclusion to what had happened in the cave with MC and Headmaster Heinrich, the investigation came up with nothing new.

Headmaster Heinrich was dead, MC was involved somehow (the investigators didn’t know that and his mind kept needling him with the consequences of “obstructing the law” and “withholding evidence”), Headmaster Heinrich had been dealing with some sort of astronomy-related contraption, and after all of this, Professor Anselm decided to take an “extended business trip” for “overseas research”.

All in all, it was a headache for the Student Council President.

Regardless, nothing could be done about it. The investigators called it a cold case, and a new Headmaster, named Liore, was being called in to replace Heinrich. Rumors ran rampant among the students, but without a definitive statement from the administration beyond “We are sorry for the unfortunate passing of our Headmaster…”, they remained just rumors. With any luck, they would die down and the students would chalk it up to some health complication and move on with their normal lives.

Clarence packed up the files and moved to turn off the lights in the Student Council room. It was late, going early morning, and once the room plunged into darkness, the moon and the stars shone brilliantly through the window. The work of the Student Council couldn’t be put off, but the classes of St. Shelter never stopped either. He needed to go to sleep now if he didn’t want to rely on caffeine to get through the next day.

The walk back to his dorm was quiet. The only sounds were the rustling of leaves in the wind and the click of Clarence’s shoes on the stone pavement. The wind brought a slight chill as it ruffled Clarence’s hair, but it wasn’t unbearable.

Soon enough, Clarence arrived back at his dorm. He went through the motions of preparing for bed - showering, brushing teeth, winding down - the fatigue of the day finally wearing down on him. He took off his glasses and set them down gently on the nightstand, settling in under the blankets. In the wake of everything that had happened over the past few days, sleep took him quickly.

***

The dream he had that night was rather peculiar. Clarence remembered dreaming of a snowy landscape; snowflakes drifting down as he stared into the horizon. He subconsciously moved forward, towards the small village between the mountains. The snow beneath his boots crunched with every footstep he took, the freezing wind made him shiver slightly. As he advanced towards the village, the residents greeted him cordially; both men and women, children and elders were delighted to see him. They began to gather around to see the magnificent man who had arrived at their village. Their bright smiles and sweet praises had taken him aback.

“I heard he saved a bunch of hunters stuck in a cave,” an excited boy from the crowd said with glee.

“Archmage Clayden is a wonderful man! He saved my husband and cured him with his magic,” a woman, presumably a hunter’s wife, commented.

Archmage Clayden… That must be who Clarence was dreaming of.

“What brings you here, Archmage Clayden?” A voice interrupted Clarence’s thoughts, he turned around to see a man smiling at him, extending a hand for him to shake.

Instinctively, Clarence refused the handshake and asked in an urgent tone, “Mayor, is there an Iris Village to the north of here? There's a farmer by the name of Oliver there.”

Clarence’s breathing became labored, giving away his nervousness.

“The Olivers? Everyone in Iris Village knows them. They've got a sprawling estate and huge tracts of farmland. They often come down here in autumn to sell grain,” a farmer lady politely replied. “Now that you mention it, you look a bit like their son… Are you a distant relative?”

“No, I'm visiting on behalf of a friend…” The Archmage replied, almost impulsively. Clarence could tell that he was lying. And without uttering anything further about the topic, the Archmage bid the villagers farewell and continued northward.

The next scene Clarence remembered was him standing on the edge, looking over at a village in the distance. The Archmage stood completely still for a moment, taking in the view. A villa stood in the middle of the snowy plains, with a distinct windmill and vast acres of fields surrounding the house. In the front yard of the villa, there sat an old woman in a wheelchair, and behind her was a young woman who whispered into her ear. Not far away, two men, one older and the other younger, stood in the doorway, looking out over their vast fields with contentment.

Clarence could tell they were related to the Archmage; the blue hair and eyes were undoubtedly similar – but, in an uncanny way, they were awfully similar to Clarence himself as well.

The Archmage stood on the hill, sighing softly. Clarence could understand that he felt conflicted. Any person would be excited to reunite with their family, but why wasn't he happy? Perhaps something disastrous happened between him and his family which created a rift in their relationship. Clarence didn't have much information in his hands, but in rural areas, and in such ancient times, it was common for impoverished families to sell off their children to earn money. After all, there was no despair greater than being betrayed by your own family.

The wind began to pick up, blowing from the north. Dark clouds appeared in the sky, and the freezing wind made the Archmage’s long, blue hair billow in the wind. The old woman and the young man went inside the house, and the Archmage turned around as well, leaving as he silently bid his family farewell.

Clarence, however, mumbled to himself and judged the Archmage’s decisions. He should've kept a proper plan with himself if he wished to visit his family, and he even left without a proper goodbye! The Archmage must be terrible at maintaining a proper timetable and etiquette.

Suddenly, the wizard stopped in his tracks, then he looked back – swarms of what seemed like butterflies were heading straight towards Iris Village. The butterflies had crystalline, almost transparent wings, they radiated a cold aura as they flapped their wings forward, advancing towards the villa at an impressive pace.

Without hesitation, the Archmage began to rush down the hill, over to the butterflies. Clarence noticed as the Archmage dispelled the butterflies with ease; a faint, blue-ish glow emitted from his gloved palm – and Clarence assumed it to be a heat spell, which eradicated the butterflies. The sorcerer was fast, but the butterflies were faster; within a few seconds, they made it to the villa, destroying it as they went on.

Clarence could hear screams reverberating through the air, piercing the deafening silence. Pleas of help echoed against the billowing wind as the residents rushed out into the cold. But, that didn't help; within a second, they were frozen and demolished by the glacial butterflies thereafter. Wherever the butterflies went, destruction followed – and they proceeded to destroy both the sorcerer’s family, and his emotional stability.

Clarence could only watch quietly – how the helpless people suffered the wrath of the unknown calamity, creating a vast expanse of cold blizzard, leaving nothing behind as they rampaged throughout the land.

The Archmage stood amidst the snow, still as stone; his knuckles clenched as his breathing labored once again. Fighting back tears, he knelt down on the snow, an immense pain coursing through his body.

The blizzard brought by those pests has engulfed everything; his memories, his love and hate, his resentment – and everything he had left. All was engulfed under a blanket of cold snow.

“I didn't expect it… to end like this,” Clarence heard the Archmage mutter to himself. “How many nights did I spend thinking of what I'd say to them? How I hate them? Blame them? Or would I forgive them? Would I be happy to see them?”

Clarence felt a sharp pain in his chest as he heard further, and it gradually increased with every word the mage said.

“But that doesn't matter now,” the Archmage continued. “Death is the end of everything.”

***

Clarence woke up, drenched in sweat. He panted heavily as he fumbled to grab his glasses on the nightstand. Clarence sighed, rubbing his eyes before putting on his glasses.

Clarence wasn't the type to overthink dreams, he had much more important tasks to handle. But this one seemed different; the blizzard, the screams of the innocent civilians, and most importantly: the Archmage. They seemed to be familiar. His appearance, behavior – everything seemed familiar. Did this have to do something with the case?

“Of course, not.” Clarence shook his head. “That was a simple nightmare.”

Clarence took his phone to check the time. 2:24 AM. He had plenty of time until the scheduled time when he usually started his day: 5 AM. He could've slept some more, but he didn't. He got up, folded the blanket, and put the pillow – which he had kicked while fighting the butterflies in his sleep – back to its place.

Clarence wondered what he'd do, and out of his workaholic nature, decided to sit down and work on some pending documents regarding the Student Council. But as he sat down to type, he found himself constantly getting distracted by the dream he had. He couldn’t help but feel that it had something to do with the case, with MC; he got reminded of the time when the painter girl asked for his blood before she swiftly jumped into a portal, onto a butterfly's back… wait – butterfly?

The soft sounds of typing came to a stop. Clarence stared blankly at the screen, his brows furrowed. He saw destructive butterflies in his dream, and a wizard losing his roots in the process of exterminating them. It sounds bizarre, but Clarence felt like it must be an important key.

That feeling only grew as, over the next few days, Clarence continued to dream of that desolate, snow-covered land. The mystery kept growing with every dream he had, reaching a point where sometimes he woke up disoriented and unable to tell whether or not his dreams were reality. He couldn’t continue working with his dreams infiltrating his every waking thought, so he opened a new document and began typing down his ideas: his dreams and what he had witnessed in them. And gradually, he seemed to notice a coherent plot and story flowing with every dream that he encountered. Then, one day, he came to a decision that he should publish the story.

Taglist: @lovebrushed @xcerizex @food-lover9000 @godheimm @xbalayage @nehamerchant123

Guys, wake up, fanfic writer Clarence just dropped !

#‎ ‎ ‎ ✎‎ ‎ ‎ | yoon's projects ♡ ₊ ⊹#lovebrush chronicles #clarence #clarence clayden #lbc clarence #godheim #godheim Clarence #for all time #lovebrush chronicles x reader #clarence fanfic writer au

45 notes · View notes

fractualized · 9 months

Text

I finally got around to reading through another classic batjokes story: Lovers & Madmen, which takes place in Batman Confidential #7-12. I highly recommend it, particularly if you are interested in stories about Jack-era Joker. Batman first meets Jack at the tail-end of his first year as Batman, and we get all the batjokes goods, including plenty that aren't evident from the isolated panels that go around. (Plus cameos from aspiring med student Harleen Quinzel and aspiring asylum administrator Jonathan Crane.)

This isn't a full recap, so I hope my rambling will spur you to check it out.

(Beware of gore and suicidal ideations.)

The key thing to know from issue #7 is that Bruce's mission has been going incredibly well. He has been operating for only 42 weeks, and he can feel the city quieting down. He's so proud! So content!

And we can't have that. Enter Jack, goon for hire. Bruce comes across one of his murders and becomes obsessed with how clean the scene is, how little a trail there is to follow. He investigates and investigates and investigates and comes up with nothing to his dismay.

Meanwhile Jack is also having a sad at a bar because there's no challenge or entertainment to his job anymore. :( Luckily a nice server gives him a little pep talk.

Jack does give things another go at a bank robbery, but it's still no fun. He trips the alarm on purpose, but a shootout with the guards is no fun for him either. He's literally in the middle of asking a guard to kill him, when Batman finally shows up.

"He's an idiot. I love him." Nothing like infatuation to restore your will to live. #8 opens with Jack being sure to leave Batman a thank you note before he escapes.

And Jack must see the Bat again, and of course the only way to ensnare him is to commit a series of awful but perfect crimes. And Bruce is infuriated! Here he is taking out his frustrations on a mugger— with Jack watching from afar.

Bruce is just so mad he's been unable to stop Jack, like, "All those books! All that preparation! But crime man keep criming?!"

Batman and Jack next meet at a charity gala planned by Bruce's love interest in this story, Lorna, and boy do things escalate. Jack picks Lorna as his hostage, threatening to shoot her so he can get away, and Bruce ends up grabbing another gun and shooting Jack's gun out of his hand. But then Jack just stabs her good, and while Bruce can't leave her to die, he doesn't just let Jack escape.

Jack isn't even the goddamn Joker yet and Bruce has intentionally given him a Glasgow smile as punishment. And even more insane, is that Jack appears to verbally respond to Bruce's inner monologue.

With Lorna slowly dying in the hospital, Bruce goes to a professional to try to figure out what it is about Jack that makes him seemingly unstoppable— and of course that professional is Jonathan Crane, and his professional opinion is basically, "dude that guy is clearly just insane and you're doomed to fail lol."

Oh yeah? Would an insane man be this untroubled about his face being cut open?

"He'll have to pay for that. Then again… it's nice to feel something." Just summing up Joker's cycling feelings about Batsy in the years to come. lol

And here's the plot point that sticks out to me most, after years of reading Bruce stalwartly refuse to kill Joker, including in other versions of their first meeting:

Bruce has been Batman for less than a year and he's already like, "Fuck it! I give up! This guy stabbed my new girlfriend and made me lose faith in books! He has to die!" In a short time, Jack has burrowed so deep under Bruce's skin that Bruce tosses away the one solid crime-fighting principle he has. It's oddly refreshing??

So Maletesta, who is a crime boss Jack stole from, takes some goons and captures Jack at the doctor's while he's unconscious from surgery. They then take Jack to a pharmaceutical plant, and Maletesta starts beating him while he's still out. Except Jack is actually awake and just kind of bored by the torture attempts and slipping back into ennui. This issue, #10, really goes into Jack's struggle between wanting to live but not feeling there's anything worth living for.

As you can see, Jack does eventually escape his bonds to fight back. As he and Maletesta fight, they end up in the bottom of the vat.

Meanwhile, Bruce is being quietly insane.

Bruce. Bruce, what the fuck are you talking about. I have to unspool this because like, Bruce knows Jack has killed lots of people. But what he's fretting about is the ways Jack's madness has metaphysically harmed the world, maybe, and thinking, "I know he's caused so much damage, but what about the damage to my moral integrity?!" and putting that above all the material harm. I know Bruce already does this all the time, but it feels so much more explicit here, and it gets worse, and just... Sir. Sir. You are not well.

So Bruce arrives at the plant too late to save Jack but just in time to see him get doused in chemicals.

Jack spends more time thinking on whether or not he wants to survive, but we know how this goes.

Jack ends up on the riverbank, and there's a wholesome edge to his psychotic break.

And so begins the criminal career of… the March Hare!

Kidding. The issue ends there, with Bruce lamenting that his change of heart came too late, that even if Jack is still alive, something awful has happened.

But then when issue #11 starts, Bruce finds he's not sure what he saw on the bank, if anyone. He gives chase but…

But if Jack is still alive, then Bruce's soul may be intact. He keeps searching well into the day, but finds nothing.

When he returns home, though, he learns that Lorna will survive after all. He immediately heads to the hospital, to "the only good news in the world."

Ah, Bruce is finally anchoring himself to the bedside of his ladylove. After he colluded to get someone murdered and seemingly succeeded. And it's the fear of what that says about him that sent him to Lorna. Almost like he's turning to her less because of his affection and more to hide from his moral failure. Romance!

Jack does soon appear in his new clown persona, and Bruce keeps his word and refuses to leave the hospital despite the multiple horrors Joker commits. Joker is not happy that Batman is MIA.

Some idiot Joker's captured feels it's necessary to inform him that Batman tried to have him killed, and of course Batman doesn't care. Joker scoffs, because Batman doesn't kill.

Faith restored!

Back at the hospital, Alfred verbally kicks Bruce in the ass, pointing out that committing himself to an unconscious Lorna isn't helping anyone.

Bruce finally suits up to respond to the bat signal, but it turns out Gordon isn't the one who lit it.

My Telltale-loving ass like:

In issue #12, their fight commences, and after some mutual stabbing, we get Joker's real plan.

It's like a dozen Lornas! Only this time Joker is telling Batman to come at him instead of trying to escape, and instead of taking action, Bruce suddenly feels overwhelmed.

Joker says something similar earlier about Gothamites. They're "poor sickies" who can't even see the bunny on the moon. They need the same "medicine" that Joker got to see the big picture, to find true joy. Of course he wants to do that for Batman too!

But once Batman shakes the poison off and starts rescuing the civilians, Joker is also pretty cool with killing him.

Bruce survives, as expected, and Joker isn't really upset about it.

And destined to do this forever, you might say!

Joker goes on to say that Batman gave him a purpose, a world of color to live for. Bruce reiterates that Joker is murdering people and asks why. Joker asks why Batman saves them.

(This panel goes right to left, btw.)

Joker's got a ways to fall, so Bruce has time to contemplate letting him die. "Let it happen… Let chaos prevail for the six more seconds it will take for madman to meet pavement… or the rest of my life will be spent picking up the pieces."

Bruce has already had a moral crisis about what it would mean for his soul if he let Joker die. In the end, he simply doesn't accept there's a meaningful difference between someone who takes a life for personal gain and himself taking a life to prevent the suffering of others. The vat is the same as his parents' graves. Letting Joker hit the ground is the same as pulling a trigger. Bruce chooses Joker over countless future victims. He choose Joker over Lorna, who he'll soon break up with at the hospital, weaponizing the carelessness of his socialite persona. Bruce decides that, amongst all options, taking responsibility for the monster he created means spending his life picking up the pieces.

And he immediately accepts that fact, what's to come. Gordon talks to Batman about the total dead, saying, "Would've been worse without you," and Bruce responds, "Don't be so sure." Don't be so sure today and for the decades to come, because Bruce believes that if that clown dies, then so does his own soul.

Joker sees that future too, and he is delighted!

Interesting detail, the Jack and King visible in the hat, side by side. Brings to mind how not too many years later, Snyder will have Joker crown his Bat King.

So there's Lovers & Madmen. Again, much more goes on in this story, particularly Jack's suicidal ideations and how he links the "enlightenment" Batman bestowed upon him to his contempt for regular people and his need to separate himself from them (and reconciling that with a good deed he does for a future henchgirl). The issues are collected into one book, and if you enjoyed this post, I encourage you to pick it up.

#lovers & madmen #batjokes #batman #joker #my jibber-jabber

135 notes · View notes

villadiodatis · 3 months

Text

Bad Kids level 12 breakdown!

Returned from the Vulture Dimension and on a roll academically, the Bad Kids have hit level 12. We've got some simple updates and some complex choices, so let's break it down. In case you missed my level 11 update, check it out here!

Adaine: Wizard 12. She's increased her intelligence by 2, taking it to 20 (the max it can get without magical objects) and making her modifier +5. This increases her spell save DC, spell attack bonus, and all INT-based skills (Arcana, History, Investigation, Nature, and Religion) by 1. She can now prepare 17 spells per day (previously 15), and learns two new spells, which can be 1st-6th level.

Fabian: Fighter 6/Bard 6 (was Bard 5). He learns a new bard spell, which can be 1st-3rd level, and gets a third 3rd-level spell slot. He also gets a feature called Countercharm, which allows him to use his action to give allies within 30 ft advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened. He would also get Extra Attack as a level 6 Swords bard, but he already has it from being a level 5+ fighter.

Fig: HOOOO BOY FIGUEROTH FAETH. Fig is now Bard 9/Paladin 2/Warlock 1. She's lost a warlock level and gained two paladin levels. With that, she loses whatever eldritch invocations she got last level, 1 1st-level warlock spell slot, and 1 known warlock spell. She gains Divine Sense 6 times per long rest (which we saw her use this episode, German Shepherd-style!), 10 points of Lay on Hands healing, Divine Smite, an unknown fighting style, and paladin spells. Multiclass spellcasting gets a little complicated, but the basics of it is she gets a second 5th-level spell slot and can prepare 6 spells from the paladin list per day, in addition to the bard and warlock spells she knows. She can cast any of her spells with any of her slots, and only the 1 warlock slot recharges on a short rest.

Gorgug: Barbarian 6/Artificer 6 (was Artificer 5). He learns two new artificer infusions, bringing him to 6 total, and can have 3 infused items at once. His tool checks now have expertise, so double his proficiency bonus. In addition (and this happened a few episodes ago, so I apologize for missing it!), he's changed his subclass from Alchemist to Battle Smith. He loses proficiency with alchemist's tools, subclass spells (Healing Word, Ray of Sickness, Flaming Sphere, Melf's Acid Arrow), elemental elixirs, and the damage bonus for spells that deal acid/fire/necrotic/poison damage. He gains proficiency with smith's tools, subclass spells (Heroism, Shield, Branding Smite, Warding Bond), can now use INT instead of STR/DEX for weapon attack and damage rolls (his strength is higher than his intelligence, so this may not come into play), Extra Attack (which he already has), and, biggest of all, Clobica, his Steel Defender.

Kristen: Cleric 12. Kristen has taken an unknown feat--we can rule out any that increase ability scores, but beyond that no clue. My baseless guess is War Caster, which grants advantage on maintaining concentration checks, and is a very solid choice for any caster, particularly clerics, who have a lot of concentration spells. She can also now prepare 17 spells per day (previously 16).

Riz: Rogue 12. Like Adaine, Riz increased his intelligence by 2, bringing it to 18, making his modifier +4. This increases his spell save DC, spell attack bonus, and all INT-based skills (Arcana, History, Investigation, Nature, and Religion) by 1.

And across the board, everyone's HP goes up and they get another hit die. Let's see how this unfolds, please let me know if I missed anything, and see you next level!

#fantasy high #d20 #dimension 20 #dimension20 #d20 spoilers #fhjy #fhjy spoilers #fantasy high spoilers #fantasy high junior year #adaine abernant #fabian seacaster #fig faeth #gorgug thistlespring #riz gukgak #kristen applebees #zoe does stuff

36 notes · View notes

andreal831 · 4 months

Text

The Depiction of the Werewolves in TO

Once again, I made a quick, I thought funny, tiktok, which has upset some people because of my, you could say, lack of sympathy for the wolves in TO. But don't blame me, blame the writers.

If you know anything about me, you know Hayley Marshall is a top favorite character for me. I love her growth and the journey she went on to find her family. Which is why, when she did find them (excluding the whole betraying Tyler thing), I was upset by how they treated her. You have Jackson telling her he was disappointed in their interaction, you have Oliver taking advantage of her hospitality and betraying her, and then the rest of her family doesn't even greet her/talk to her. She is supposed to be this "princess who is promised," and yet they can't even take a second to get to know her. I get, they have been cursed and are just trying to enjoy their human moments while they can, but it just didn't give me anything to bond with.

Except Eve. I loved Eve. She welcomed Hayley, not as some long lost royal, but as family. Eve is the first, and really only, werewolf/family that we, as the audience, get to see Hayley bond with. We see her helping Hayley prepare for her baby as well as teaching her about their culture. It's implied others are helping as well, but we never get to see it. It all happens off screen. I just know, if Eve had been alive, she would have been by Hayley's side after she "lost" Hope.

Which makes it so much worse when Oliver kills Eve. And all for power. This is where my dislike for the New Orleans werewolves comes in. Any other time we meet wolves, there is a strong sense of loyalty. You hear, Tyler and Jules and even Hayley talk about the packs they have been with and you see them working together to avoid/fight off Klaus. But then we get to the Crescent wolves and learn that they have been trying to kill each other for power. Not just in the past, we actively see Oliver get his own pack members killed and then kill Eve with zero consequences. Yes, Oliver does die, but not because of that. He is still given a proper burial, something we don't even get to see for Eve.

Now, an argument people use a lot with the wolves is that they are the oppressed. But this argument, to me, comes more from the historical portrayal of werewolves and less from the sources material we are discussing. Throughout much media, the wolves are meant to represent the oppressed -- the poor and downtrodden -- who have been taken advantage of by the blood-sucking aristocrats, the vampires. But in TO, Jackson tells us that the werewolves were at the top of the food chain until in-fighting got the better of them.

And we see this in flashbacks to 1919. Lana Lebonair is working with the Mikaelsons and they are able to create peace in the city with the witches. After the Mikaelsons flee, we don't know exactly what happened, but we know leading up to the 1990s there had been enough in-fighting that the Lebonairs and Kenners had set up an arranged marriage in hopes to quell the civil war that had broken out.

Unlike in other depictions of werewolves, the wolves were not inherently oppressed. The first werewolf we ever meet is Tyler Lockwood, who was by no means strapped for cash. In 1919, the Crescents were living in the Quarter, partying right alongside everyone else. It wasn't until their own members made power grabs did they have issues.

In hindsight, we are told these power grabs are due to the Hollow and someone implied that Marcel should have investigated the werewolves civil war before cursing all of them. First, I don't necessarily support Marcel in everything he does. To me, in Season 1, he was very much like Klaus and it was not my favorite version of him. Should he have cursed an entire pack for the actions of a handful, probably not. But the way Marcel talks about it, it was not just a handful, the entire pack was at war with itself. And the curse only applied to those who had triggered the curse or did trigger the curse, so no children. Again, was there a better solution, maybe, but was it up to Marcel to realize a ancient spirit had possessed one of their leaders when not even his wife had realized? That may be asking too much. Especially after he was watching them try to butcher a baby.

Due to this curse, the werewolves do end up isolated in the bayou. The curse lasts for about 20 years so many of the young members miss out on much of their early adulthood. This is something the show should have gone in on more. In my story, I try to explore this idea that, because of the curse, the werewolves are really disenfranchised. However, in the show, we don't get that. The only wolves we deal with are the leaders who are essentially using their pack as a power play. Aiden is the only leader who seems to be aware that these decisions are impacting the entire pack, and he gets reprimanded for speaking out. Aiden is so desperate to save his pack that he goes to his enemies (Elijah and Marcel) to protect the children from the decisions of his own pack members.

To me, the beauty of the werewolves comes from their loyalty, from how they work together and support each other. The depiction of the Crescent wolves flies in the face of everything I typically love about packs. The leaders abandon each other, have little respect for each other, and for some reason they have a monarchy. Hayley and Aiden are the only leaders we truly see fighting for the pack, and they are often disrespected by the very members they are trying to help.

In Season 1, Hayley is torn between the people who took her in and the pack that she always wanted to find. She ends up in the middle of the conflict and the pack (Oliver) often throws that in her face and uses her as a pawn to try and manipulate the Mikaelsons while also disrespecting her over and over again. But the thing is, they didn't need a pawn. They never tried to open discussions. Hayley marches into a faction meeting angry that the werewolves were not included in the discussion, but they had never asked to be included. As Elijah points out, the meeting was to divide up the Quarter and the wolves do not live in the Quarter. If you are familiar with New Orleans, you know the nearest bayou is about an hour drive away. But when Hayley asked (demanded) to be in the conversation, she was immediately included. She then signed a treaty saying the wolves would help create peace, only for her to go back to the bayou to discover Jackson and Oliver were both working behind her back to make a side deal with Klaus for more power. Instead of building peace, they were again lobbying for power. The very thing that got them cursed in the first place.

Someone argued, 'of course they are trying to get power, they don't want to be cursed again.' And sure, but even when they get their power from Hayley, it doesn't stop them from being cursed by Dahlia. But maybe if they had made friends with the witches, they would have been able to get help from Davina earlier than they did.

It's easy to look at each faction and point out how they've been wronged, but as Hayley points out, they've all harmed each other. If they all wanted reparations for that harm, it would never end. The wolves seem to get the short end of the stick a lot, because, as Jackson says, they were never unified. The witches were and the vampires were. It's not up to the other factions to cut them a break because they couldn't get it together. At the end of it all, they needed to move forward and worry about the future of their people. Which is what Hayley and Lana do leading up to Season 5, when New Orleans was able to actually achieve peace. Not surprising it took women being in charge before the pack found unity.

I would also like to point out that in my post I had also called out Klaus and Marcel. I am not solely blaming the werewolves for the war in New Orleans. But it is incorrect to say the werewolves were innocent bystanders in it. Their history is just as bloody as the other factions. The only faction that was innocent was the human faction who truly did not get a seat at the table. And of course, in any war, the people who ended up paying for these power moves were good people like Sophie and Eve.

#the crescent pack needed to unify #they were their own downfall #ill never forgive them for how they treated hayley #all she wanted was a family #and she got a manipulative pack who used her #hayley should have been alpha from day one #she earned it #or aiden #tvd/legacy wolves > TO wolves #tvdu #the originals #the vampire diaries #tvd #crescent wolves #hayley marshall #werewolves #tvdu metas #metas

25 notes · View notes

wrinkledparchment · 1 year

Text

the absence of everything (iii)

Summary: Based on 1x22 | 2x1 - After your trip to Vegas was rudely interrupted by a suspicious manila envelope being delivered to your hotel room, you and Spencer have to cut your vacation short to go back to Quantico. Although you and Spencer try to resume your professional relationship after sharing a bed, Spencer realizes just how much you mean to him, and can finally put a name on what he feels, once and for all.

Word Count: 6,030 words

Author’s Note: So... I’ve been gone for so long but this series is probably the main thing I still receive praise for in my notes. I’m currently focusing more on writing for HL but I’ve had this in my drafts forever and I decided to feed you guys!! I hope you like it... upon rereading it, some of my favorite fluffy lines I’ve ever written are in here. How did I manage that.

Content Warnings: Your general criminal minds ish, death, stuff like that. Some fluff content for you guys!!

Series Taglist: @liviasaugusta @l0ve-0f-my-life @imsuperawkward @nxstalgicnxbxdy @marciscaspar @april-14-blog @sweetreid @essenceproxima @sammypotato67 @idkanymore-05 @slep-slop @squirrellover1967 @irjuejjsaa @yomama-umbridge @holybatflapexpert @rosignoelle @ladyravenclaw @yours-truly-r @spenciepoo338 @masieofthevalley @throughparisallthroughrome @afuckingshituniverse @ladyravenclaw @irjuejjsaa @danandphilfan6 @yasminwashere @mayempress @kys-things

the abscence of everything: i | ii | . . .

“It is me. I am his madness. For years he’s been looking for something to put his madness into. And he found me.” – John Fowles, The Collector

. . .

The coffee table in your Vegas hotel room had cluttered manila envelopes, the key and note given to Spencer, and a piece of missing evidence from your father’s murder scene. Rage bubbled in your stomach, so as Spencer called Gideon on the hotel room phone, quickly putting it on speaker, you paced around, unable to stop seeing your dad’s case files and his dead, mutilated body over and over again.

“Gideon, [Name] and I both got a package, I got a key and a note reading ‘She will die unless you save her, Doctor Reid. Call Gideon. He knows.’ She got two binded pieces of paper from a book her father was binding and repairing when he died.”

Gideon finally let out a sigh, “Yeah, I got a Nellie Fox baseball card from 1963 and a head in a box. Everyone on the team got something, but Elle was hit hard. She was framed for murder in Montego Bay, Hotch and Morgan went down to get her released and bring her back to Quantico.”

You walked closer to the phone and stopped chewing on your nails, rage bubbling inside your chest. “Gideon, whoever the hell this was had access to missing evidence from my father’s murder investigation. Meaning, this son of a bitch is the guy who robbed and killed my father. This is personal.”

“Don’t worry, [Name]. We’re going to find him. Get on the closest flight back here and Garcia will tell you where we are, we’re going to get this guy as soon as we can.” Right after he finished, Gideon hung up, leaving you and Spencer to race to get to the airport in time.

You left your rental car at the airport kiosk, signing it out and rushing after Spencer to get on the flight back home. It was all a blur, blended together to create your perfect disaster. You were stressed, overworked, and ill-prepared. This was the case you’d joined for—to find your father’s murderer and lock the bastard up.

You’d searched and searched and searched, and the criminal found you. Just as you’d eased out of work mode, just as something besides work and murder and blood filled your mind, he stole you away. Because of course he did. Because he was looking.

Spencer was a mess, but not for the same reason. You were obviously under duress, but you were so scattered that he felt like he couldn’t do anything. He did his best, carrying your bags for you, getting you iced chai while waiting for boarding. When you did get on the plane, he immediately lifted the armrest between you back, and pulling out Dante’ Inferno, handing his leather-bound copy over to you.

Your fingers ran over the spine of the book, feeling the indents where the title was, the smooth texture everywhere else. Fine craftsmanship, it must’ve been from a passionate, talented individual bookstore owner with a knowledge of binding. It reminded you of yourself, the care and attention devoted in the craft.

“You’ve got a fine copy here, Spence,” you smiled, as much as you could. “My dad would’ve loved it.”

“Do you think you can still bind books well?” he asked, seemingly out of nowhere.

“I’ll never forget.”

He nodded, smiling something bittersweet, “We’ll find your dad’s old book. And you’re going to fix it.” You smiled again, a little more genuine, and flicked open Spencer’s copy of Dante’s Inferno.

“I’ve got supplies in a closet somewhere,” you recalled, voice soft and quiet in case it suddenly broke. You didn’t want to cry, and you shouldn’t, not here, but it was becoming harder to not be vulnerable with Spencer. “I dream about him every night.”

Reid nods, moving his hand to rest on your knee, moving his thumb gently, allowing you to continue. “I’ve been waiting for a lead, since before I was even in the FBI academy. I’ve been waiting for 8 years and now that I’ve finally got it… just when I was happy, too.” You pause for a minute, letting one tear roll down your face but holding the rest in. “I see his body everywhere I go, can’t stop remembering how the blood felt on my hands, how lifeless he looked. I miss him, even after all this time, and now that I’ve finally got a chance to figure out who did it, I don’t want to.”

Spencer pulled you closer, looking out the small window to see the bright blue sky and all the clouds. Your breathing was still erratic, your heart still broken. And he hated how in the moment you needed him most, he couldn’t figure out what to say. “I’m here,” he murmured, over and over again until he was sure you knew what he meant.

. . .

Even though Garcia’s explanation was rushed, you vaguely understood what was happening. She refused to look you in the eye, too, possibly because Gideon had told the team about what you’d found and how it was connected to you personally. It didn’t matter though, because you’d just pulled up to a possible unsub’s apartment.

The alleyway in which all the cars were parked was also crowded by other FBI members, all unguarded, meaning the unsub wasn’t there. The local police, and an extra car were also there, you assumed some sort of medical examiner, and there was probably a body.

You and Reid were authorized to enter after flashing your badges, and neither of you were asked to put on vests. Walking in, the both of you grabbed gloves, Spencer just holding them while you slid them on and followed him over to the crime scene.

It wasn’t overly graphic, compared to other things you’ve seen, but it was traditional to become emotionally numb in the job. No matter what, someone had died here, an ‘unrepentant bad man’ or not. The bed, and with it, the man named Frank Giles, was lying in the center of the room, a sword plunged into his chest and sticking upright.

Elle, Hotch, Morgan and Gideon all stood in the room, Hotch reading something written on the sword out loud to the rest of the team. “To learn of what should next be done, leave the blade til’ the hour be none.”

Spencer stepped closer, watching as Hotch asked Elle to step back. “The bed’s in the middle of the room,” Hotch began, Morgan interrupting for a second, “And maybe the light from here casts a shadow and points to something.”

Derek quickly began explaining his theory, “Well midnight is 00:00 hours in 24-hour time. Would that be none?” Hotch dismissed this quickly, stating that there would be no shadow at midnight, until Reid finally spoke up.

“3pm.” Everyone turned to him first, then you, then back to him. Obviously, Gideon did tell everyone that this was connected to your father’s death. And surprisingly, you looked very calm for someone about to embark on their quite literal personal case, the one you’d joined for. “Hey guys, Garcia told us where to find you.”

Hotch nodded at you, barely acknowledging how personal of a situation this was for you, but quickly dismissed it, listening to Spencer talk about medieval terms for hours of the day, then asking for lighting equipment so he could replicate the 3pm sun.

While people walked in and out with various standing lights, Gideon finally walked up to you. You turned to him, offering a quick nod and smile before quickly dropping it when he mentioned your dad. “You know you can’t let your past affect this case,” he states, and you nod. “It’s obviously personal, and I know this person is targeting you, but you can’t allow yourself to make mistakes because of your past with the unsub.”

Sighing, you agreed with Gideon, instead moving next to the shadow as Reid adjusted it, and you knocked on the wall until you heard a hollow sound, ripping away the wallpaper without need for Hotch’s command. Underneath all the wallpaper was a box, and you immediately grabbed it.

Reid stopped you, “Are we sure it’s safe?”

Hotch quickly dismissed him and allowed you to examine it. You played with the lock for only a few seconds before looking back up at Reid. “Give me the key.” Without hesitation, he handed it over and you shoved it in, and to nobody’s surprise, it fit perfectly. You lifted the lid, and familiar music had began to play, one that Reid had played for you during the classical music quiz.

“Forellenquintett,” you and Reid murmured in unison, the rest of the team looking up at each other before shrugging it off. Reid reached inside to grab the note from the music box, reading it out loud to the rest of the team.

Never would it be night, but always clear day to any man’s sight.

Elle scoffed, walking off, “Well, that was worth it.”

Gideon ignored her, speaking right afterwards. “The lid. Little tab right under the lock.”

You quickly fiddled with it, revealing a CD and a lock of hair that nearly perfectly matched yours. You hummed under your breath in disapproval and disgust, Derek and Elle working together to put the lock of hair in an evidence back and grab the CD for review.

After heading back to the table room, you and Reid sat next to each other, which was your usual spot. For some reason the team seemed to eye the both of you, suspicious about what had happened in Vegas and why you two were still together when you should’ve left before that.

You carefully watched the TV after someone slid in the CD. A dimly lit desk with cluttered items all around it, and a very large throne behind it. A man wobbled into frame, clearly injured by something, which the team noted.

“I assure you, you’ll all understand in the end why it must be this way. You might even thank me. You know now you’re on a quest; a young girl’s life depends on the successful completion of it. As you can see, she’s quite beautiful . . . and in distress.”

You clenched your fists when you saw the girl come into frame, screaming at the camera, begging for something. You wondered if everyone on the team recognized just how much, even from the little they all saw, how she looked like you.

“Now please listen closely for there is one rule, and this rule must be followed. The one rule is only the members of your team may participate in the quest.” He began to list your names, and displayed pictures of each of you in the video, you and Reid in the same frame taken during one of the previous cases. “A quest must be completed in a proper way, or it isn’t a quest, is it? That’s it. One rule. Simple.

“Now, you will be receiving an item soon that will hold the final clue you’ll need to finish the quest. You will find you also need a book which has inspired many an adventure like mine. Believe me when I tell you, I truly hope to see you all soon. It will mean a successful end to this adventure for all of us, but especially [Name].”

With that, the clip was over and all that was left was static. Reid had tensed after he’d mentioned you by name, and it didn’t fly over the heads of any of your coworkers either. The unsub knows you so well, doesn’t he? Pictures of you and Reid together, knowledge of just how to tick you off, and additionally, he knows what happened to your father the last night he was alive and is plunging that knife of knowledge right into your heart and twisting it. Involving all your coworkers in it, making it clear that all of this, it’s all for you.

You were the subject of madness, the main target of all of this. You were the ‘protagonist’, he was the villain, and everyone else—the dead, your coworkers, the girl he’d kidnapped—were all side characters in the story. But Reid, standing right next to you in the picture while everyone else was photographed individually, that said something to you. He knew about whatever was happening between the two of you, so much so that it was terrifying because he probably knew better than either of you.

Suddenly, the team was active. “This guy’s got pictures of us?” Elle exclaims.

Reid fiddled with the pen in his hand, “What do we do now?”

Hotch eyed you, noting how tense you seemed when only just minutes ago, even with a dead body in front of you, you were eerily calm. “The lock of hair’s being analyzed for DNA. There might be something on file.” JJ walked out, vowing to figure out who the girl is. Hotch nodded, “Let’s get the clues up on the board. Maybe we can make some sense of something.”

Elle immediately objected, “Wait, we’re going to play this guy’s game?”

Reid sighed, glancing at you for a few moments, “Do we have a choice?”

Everybody stayed silent, Spencer’s words lingering in the air while Gideon and Hotch went to a different room. You began quietly pinning the clues in the evidence bags to the board, not saying a single word to anybody else in the room. Elle found the soft crumple of the evidence bags relaxing, eyes closing softly until Hotch interrupted her nap and sent Anderson to take her home.

Soon enough, yet another piece of evidence, a list of number sets in a strict pattern, though it may not seem like it without a keen eye. Just as Spencer opened his mouth, you beat him to the punch. “Sets of numbers, page number, line number, word number. It’s a cipher based on a book which he expects us to know.”

Derek stares back at you, Spencer’s mouth opening and closing like a fish. Sure, you were quicker sometimes than he was, but you seemed so rigid, it was odd to them. “Yeah but what book?”

“Well, this ‘quest’ is clearly meant to be personal to you, [Name],” Derek proposed, “Meaning this is a book he expects you to know.” Spencer sighed, walking over to grab the ripped pages the unsub had sent you and examines them, reading the words hoping he’d remember reading this book at some point but he doesn’t.

“Dante’s Inferno?” Reid questioned, even though he obviously knew it wasn’t.

“Both of us would recognize it. Whatever book my dad was fixing that night, it was that book. Specifically, a first edition. Let’s see… that was eight years ago. Do you think memory recall would work?”

Elle and Derek simply stood off to the side while you and Reid debated each other, glancing at each other occasionally. Yet, the body language was the same as it always was, and maybe what had changed was the way Elle and Derek read the situation.

“When you got there, the book was gone; how would you know which one he was supposed to be working on?” Spencer rebutted.

“I was closing, I must’ve—” you stammered, “I must’ve known what book he was working on, I have to!” Soon, you were pacing around the room, muttering things underneath your breath and attempting to retrace your steps from 8 years ago that also occurred across the country.

Derek set his hands on your shoulders, holding you in place and stopping your pacing. “Okay, [Name], calm down, we can always try memory recall, and if not, the clues should be in the evidence—this guy is meticulous, I’m sure he’s accounted for this.”

Suddenly, Gideon walked back into the room, looking at the four of you. Spencer was still staring at the evidence board, Hotch leaning back in his chair, and Derek and you standing in the middle of the room. “[Name], you don’t have to relive that memory if it’s not necessary. How would we proceed if we didn’t have all these clues? What’s the first thing we’d look at?”

“Victimology,” you swallowed, both thankful and displeased that Gideon was looking out for your wellbeing. Everybody was watching you so closely, especially because this was a personal case to you, as if they expected you to break down at any moment.

“And we have a victim, Rebecca Bryant. Hotch and I will follow the mailman lead. Derek, take JJ and find out everything you can about Rebecca. Reid, [Name], stay here and find the book. If anybody can do it, it’s you two.”

Everyone else left the room, Reid and you staying. Sure, Gideon didn’t want you to relive the worst moments of your entire life, but you were so close. So you shut the door to the roundtable room and turned back to Reid. “I want to do memory recall.”

. . .

The chair you were sitting on was soft and sturdy, so you let yourself lean back, and you closed your eyes. You breathed, waiting for Reid to begin. You tried to calm yourself, enough to the point where your anger flooded away and all you could do was think. See your memories in a clear light.

“I’m going to try and calm down first, can you guide me?”

Spencer nodded, breathing along with you. “What is your favorite memory?”

You focused in on the word, smiling; favorite. You could hear Spencer’s giddy laugh echoing in your ears, bright city lights clouding your vision. The hood of your black rental car from Vegas reflected them, the smaller model of the Eiffel tower standing tall, neon signs and main strip casino windows. The cool, night breeze in your hair. You could still feel Reid’s lingering presence in the passenger’s seat, the way he looked at you with those doe-y, hazel eyes. His pupils were inflated, shrinking again when he turned away to change the stereo.

You could feel the pain in your toe when you stubbed it on the hotel bedframe, you could feel the newly replaced bedsheets of the hotel against your legs, and you could see Spencer standing over you, smiling so widely when you laughed. The way his warm skin felt against yours, how gentle he was with his arms around you.

You imagined the pool water as he splashed it back at you, the water droplets against his skin and the way he slicked back his wet hair. His laugh and shy smile after you told him he still looked like a rat when he was wet. The understanding look when he listened to your struggles with the BAU, your life story, the interest in your past and your hobbies.

After all the memories you’d made yesterday had flashed through your head in a matter of seconds, you registered what it meant. When you thought of happy, you thought of him. Some of your favorite moments in life were with him, being around him, watching him. Him, him, him. This feeling—it was consuming you, and it felt so delightful. You wanted it to devour you, and you let it.

“Yesterday,” you whispered after a minute of reliving the best day of your life. You didn’t open your eyes, but you could hear Reid shift in his chair and you smiled, assuming he was blushing. Profiler or not, he knew what that meant.

He sighed, “Are you ready to go back?” You nodded. “It was eight years ago. How old were you?”

“I was sixteen, and about to graduate high school.” You still remember how frustrated and overwhelmed you were. The night before you discovered your dad, you had the closing shift along with a massive pile of homework and colleges to apply to. You sat behind the wooden counter, combing through your homework as fast as you could, eager for your father to come and take an overnight shift in working with the books.

“What time was it?”

“It was five minutes until the clock struck 11,” you said, which was the beginning of your father’s shift at the bookstore. You were packing up your homework and college applications back into your bookbag, noting on a stray piece of paper all the leftover homework and applications you had to pour over in the morning. You were so tired, but you wanted to thank your father for taking the shift tonight and letting you rest.

“My father is coming in,” you tell Spencer, reliving the last moment you saw him alive. The door rang, signaling his entrance. His hair and shoulders were wet from the rain outside, something you didn’t remember about the scene until now. He smiled, asking you how your day went.

“Okay, sweetpea,” he had begun, “are you ready to go home?” You nodded to him, but not before helping him with his bags. He looked at you, smiling while you followed him down to the book storage, an icy cold basement.

You watched, setting out his materials for him while he brought out the book, which was partially bound but tattered still, especially the cover, and you had to take a double take, pausing and hearing Reid’s voice. You weren’t listening, but rather going through the evidence in your head.

JJ’s butterfly, Reid’s key, and a lock of hair all on top of a piece of bloodied parchment. You could see the dainty, cursive letters, shocked as to how you’d not remember the cover when you worked at a bookstore. You gasped, nearly crying as you remembered the last thing you’d seen your father doing alive.

You tried to shake it all out of your head, the unsub wanted to get to you. This quest was curated for you and him, a chess game, and you needed to have a level head to win. Sitting straight up, your eyes shot open and you and Reid shared a glance, him smiling proudly. You handled yourself so well.

“The Collector, by John Fawkes,” you stated, rushing over to the board where all the evidence was pinned. You took off the butterfly, the lock of hair, the key and the bloodied paper and set them in front of Reid.

“These are all on the first edition front cover, a bloodied piece of paper as a background, the key, the lock of hair and the butterfly all on top. Not only do they have a personal significance to us, but to the book. I should’ve known sooner,” you berated yourself, explaining quickly before walking off, ready to call the nearest library for their first edition copy of The Collector.

. . .

Reid, Garcia, and you had all stood around, them solving the cipher and writing the message on the board. Elle had been sent home earlier, so you were a team member short, but you were closer than you’d ever been on solving your dad’s murder. So close you could almost imagine him, smiling down at you and telling you that you were doing a good job. That’s all the encouragement you needed.

Hotch had berated Anderson for only dropping Elle off rather than staying at her house, stating that the unsub had all of your personal information. You begged Hotch to let you go to her house and stay, but he said he had needed you too much because of your connection to the case.

Instead, you watched as Reid and Garcia went over the cipher with the librarian. You walked away from the team when Hotch called you. “Yes sir?”

“Elle was shot at her house, I’m at the hospital now, I need you and Reid to keep working on those clues. I’ll update you when she’s out of surgery.”

Your stomach twisted, wondering why in all hell the unsub took Elle. This was your quest, the team were all there to aid you. Why would he hurt Elle instead of you? Instead of your family or someone you were close to? You nearly cried out as you broke into tears—this team, the BAU, is your family. And you’ve brought all of them into danger just by being here.

When you walked back into the room, you’d discovered that Reid had called his mom to be flown into Quantico by the federal agents there, and that you’d be meeting his mom for the first time. She was involved in this case now too, and you wondered if you should stick around after this. If all of this, if Elle’s shooting was your fault.

. . .

You leaned against Reid’s desk as he fiddled with the evidence bag that the poem was in. “Your mom’s safe,” you said, “agents just picked her up and she’s flying over here now. Garcia told me.”

Reid didn’t even dare to meet your gaze, staring at the poem still. “I forgot she always used to read me this poem,” he started. “And I realized that nobody knows things like the fact that JJ collects butterflies except for me. People tell me their secrets all the time, and I think it’s because they know I don’t have anyone to betray them to… except for my mother. I tell her pretty much everything in my letters. Did you know that I write her everyday?”

You smiled, leaning forward, “I did, Reid. And I know that you feel guilty about not seeing her two days ago. That you write all of those letters to make up for the fact that you think you don’t visit her enough.”

He looked up at you, a clear question in his eyes. How do you know?

“Reid, during my memory recall, when you asked what my favorite memory was… I’ve been alive for twenty-four years, and out of any memory—the ones with my best friend, the good days here, my childhood—I chose Las Vegas. Not because of the beautiful city lights, or the fancy car, but because you were there with me, just us.

“I told you about my father not because you don’t have anyone to betray me to, but because I want you to know. Because I trust you whole-heartedly, and if anybody in this world should know me best, it’s you.”

Spencer finally held his eye contact with you, swallowing hard. You let your words hang in the air before putting your hand on his shoulder and squeezing, allowing it to linger there for a few seconds before walking back to Garcia’s lair, wanting to soak up all the information she might have.

You heard the signature ‘beep’ of Garcia hanging up on someone, and shut her door gently before striding over to her desk. “What’s going on so far?”

She didn’t lift up her eyes to look at you, typing furiously on her computer, “I’m searching for Rebecca Bryant’s biological family, turns out she was adopted by the Bryant family and her real last name is Garner.”

Penelope filled you in further on the details, actively working to unseal her adoption papers and find out what happened to the original family; after all, the victimology is the first thing you look at.

Could you consider yourself a victim? He’d been taunting and tormenting you and your entire team, he was most likely the man who had killed your father, or at least knew what happened or was involved somehow. Your father had been murdered prior to Rebecca’s disappearance, and you considered why this man would have been involved with your father’s murder and Rebecca’s disappearance.

Were you actually a target?

You went to sit back at your desk, looking at your old piece of parchment paper with your favorite canto of Dante’s Inferno written in cursive, the fifth, the canto of Francesca. The most famous line written in bold and in the original Italian, “Amor, ch’a nullo amato amar perdona,” or “Love, that excempts no beloved from loving in return.”

The bullpen was a shuffle of people, other agents you didn’t interact with that much, that didn’t come with you on cases, and tons of other people rushing around, going through files, making phone calls. Spencer strided over from the small kitchenette to sit at his desk, which was connected to yours, sitting across from you with a small wall of transparent glass in between.

He smiled at you, a warm, small smile that frequently was exchanged between the two of you. Sometime in between your talk at his desk and the hour or so you went without seeing each other, there was a microscopic layer of tension between you, beginning right where your desks separated.

The shuffling of the bullpen dulled the ache of the tension, and so did your eyes slowly closing to rest for just a few minutes as Reid spent his time half-dozing off while reading a printed out version of The Collector. Reid finally broke this silence when your head began to tilt to the side as you fell into a tiny cat nap. He called for you, with no response, so he got out of his chair and poked you in the forearm.

You wiggled a bit in your sleep, shifting around trying to find some semblance of comfort in your uncomfortable office chair. He takes a moment to stare just for a bit at your face. Looking at your eyes gently closed, your face peaceful even in this painful position, his mind fogged with the soft midnight laughter you traded with each other in the Vegas hotel room. He imagined the weight of your head on his chest, your arm laid over his stomach, your face and warm breath against the crook of his neck.

He realized quickly the words that came along with the happy memories made along with you. The constricting yet freeing feeling stuck in his throat and squeezed around his heart, the sort of euphoria you associate with the warm feeling of sun on your skin and driving a convertible along the coast. That beautiful, powerful, devouring feeling of knowing that someone has you. You’re theirs, completely and utterly.

The feeling of pure joy when you stop daydreaming and start remembering memories instead. When the words to describe this feeling escape you because all you can think about is that one, special person who has altered the course of your life forever. When you can no longer write romance because none of the words you put onto a page can do this feeling--this love--justice.

He was in love with you. He felt it in everywhere he looked, everything he did, and every moment he lived.

Spencer took a quick look around the office, and gently prodded at your sleeping form again until you open your eyes just a little, squinting against the bright lights of the bullpen. He held out his hand, which you, in your sleepy, half-awake state, took with no hesitation as he guided you into the conference room and turned off most of the lights.

He showed you to the couch, sitting on the far end, leaving you room to lay down and take the rest of it while the two of you rested and waited for Spencer’s mother to arrive. The crown of your head was just barely touching the side of his thigh, and eventually, moving and wiggling around in your sleep made you lay your head straight in his lap.

He felt the sudden movement and then the weight, and stared down at your side profile, admiring the way the dim lights highlighted your face perfectly. He brushed hair out of your face and tucked it behind your ear, and he swear he saw a ghost of a smile on your face. He fell asleep, fingers still intertwined and resting in your hair.

Spencer dreamt of city lights and midnight laughter and Vegas hotel rooms. He dreamt of walking up behind you while you made pancakes in the morning and piling kisses all along the side of your neck and face, arms wrapped around your waist and the way your body would be decorated in stripes by the morning sun.

He was woken up by the distribution of weight changing, your head shifting to stare up at him, hair surrounding your face in a pile on his lap. The sleepy smile that graces your face twists his stomach into knots and melts his heart.

You seem to not mind the fact that your head had wound up in his lap, and instead, you muttered a small, sleepy, single word. “Coffee?”

He almost laughed, just stunned by how natural the domesticity and comfortability between you two felt. Like the wall that had built between you--separating your pinkies from intertwining, separating your fates from inexplicably linking--had suddenly vanished. There was a mutual understanding there--you make me feel safe, you make me happy, you are mine.

He slid out from underneath your head, turning around just before he reached the exit to look at you, splayed across the couch comfortably, the dim 5:00 am moonlight gleaming through the windows, and your eyes, shining even brighter back at him with a giant smile on your face.

In the small kitchenette, he tidies himself up as much as possible, fussing with his hair while coffee brewed, and just as he finished pouring the both of you a cup, a group of FBI agents gathered around the entrance with a blonde, tall and pale woman that was Spencer’s mother.

“That’s why you’re so skinny, you know,” Spencer’s mother, Diana Reid stated only a few seconds after walking into the bullpen. Spencer turned his head, setting down the pot of coffee. His mother’s eyes were sunken just a bit, dark circles underneath, worry lines accenting her face. “Too much coffee.”

Her frame was cramped up, shoulders tightened and her body looking even more frail by the minute. Her short pixie cut looked untamed, and Spencer wondered how stressed she had been. He knows that she hates planes, and the government, and basically anything else where somebody might be watching her.

Schizophrenia tends to do that to a person. Even the smartest people get unlucky, get ill in a time where there isn’t much help or refuse it themselves. Spencer lives every day wondering about his mother’s happiness and well-being, but knows she is taken care of in her facility. He writes her everyday, and thinks about his childhood memories, about his father and mother and how he wanted a relationship that was nearly the opposite of that.

They loved each other at one point. Enough to have him and raise him together for a few years, and all he can think about is how much he would love and cherish his wife, his children with her, and how no matter what got in the way, he couldn’t see himself ever letting go.

All these thoughts, worry for his mother, himself, his future, his children float through his head and pass by in a few seconds. The next few seconds consist of you, whether his mother would approve of you and just how much she might adore you for seeing you make her son so happy.

Finally coming back to reality, he nodded at the FBI agents who had brought her here. “Thanks a lot guys, I’ve got her.” Walking forward, he looks at the horrified look on his mother’s face, eyebrows raised and hand coming to cover her mouth, glancing around the FBI bullpen, clearly unnerved by where she was.

Once the FBI agents have disappeared around the corner of the hallway into the bullpen and Spencer takes a few more steps towards her, she lets her hand drop from her face. “You know I’m terrified of flying,” she states, shaking her head for emphasis.

Spencer gives a small, fake smile. “I know mom, I’m sorry.”

Spencer glances over his mom’s shoulder, seeing you come out of the roundtable room and begin walking over to where he and his mom were standing. Still obviously upset, his mom continues, “Well then why did you have those fascists arrest me?”

He can hear your footsteps echoing throughout the mostly quiet bullpen, and he tries to calm his mom down before you arrive here, to introduce yourself.

#spencer reid x reader #spencer reid #spencer reid slow burn best friends to lovers au 20k #spencer reid x you #spencer reid x y/n #spencer reid x gender neutral!reader #criminal minds #criminal minds fandom #criminal minds x reader #bau #bau x reader #matthew gray gubler x reader #mgg x reader

187 notes · View notes

bronx-bomber87 · 8 months

Text

Happy Tuesday evening all :) Another non Chenford ep BUT good separate SL’s once again. After this this won’t be an issue for a long while ha Good scenes with Harper training Lucy for UC. Which I LOVE basically female version of Tim and I love it. Good moments with Nolan and Tim. You read that right haha Nolan still mainly a putz but their scenes are good. Second to last ep of the season. Woo here we go.

3x13 Triple Duty

Tim and Nolan are paired together in this one. Their dynamic changes a little more each time they are paired. Last time was 2x12 when Lucy was with Harper. We start the episode off on lovely note. Tim asking how Henry is? Ugh love this man’s heart. Look at him asking Nolan of all people a personal question. AND he’s being genuine about it. Be still my heart Mr. Bradford.

Tim asks about his interest in T.O. once he’s graduated as well. Look at our boy creating conversation with John. I love it so much. I think it's partly to see his reason but mostly genuine. Nolan asks Tim if he has any advice he could share he would appreciate it. Tim saying ‘Sure’ is the best. Look how he’s grown. Being a fountain of info for Nolan. How times have changed.

Their convo is interrupted by hearing multiple gun shots. Assault rifles from the sounds of it. They pull up to cemetery and are shot at immediately. They follow the guy deep into the cemetery and find his body. Looks like he was shot to hell and couldn’t make it any farther. They investigate more and stumble upon a massacre. I love the look they share as they hear backup arriving. Pretty grim.

Looks like the war that was created last ep with La Fiera has begun. Crazy brutal way to start it but she is a VERY angry grieving mother. She is taking swift action and justice on the late Tomas’s business. His son clearly her target for what happened to Diego. A turf war has begun and doesn’t look like there are signs of it letting up.

Angela shows up on scene to confer with Grey, Tim and Nolan. La Fiera flew back to Guatemala to bury Diego. She has since returned to take care of unfinished business. She is camping out at a hotel downtown. Rented out the entire floor for her time in L.A. Grey tells Angela to go and see her. Cesar has gone to ground and Narcotics can’t find him. Tim says he could ask Mack he worked for his dad. Now that he’s in rehab will have a clearer head to help out. Look at the good that came from him helping Mack out. Full circle goodness already. Good job Tim.

We catch Lucy and Jackson fighting over who’s going to do paperwork. Jackson is winning until Grey calls her into his office. Leaving him with the dreaded paperwork haha When she enters his office Harper is there. Grey asks her if she heard about the mass casualties from this morning? Lucy tells him yes that they expected as much after what happened at the hospital.

Harper then steps in and says this has created an opportunity for them. Saying how when bosses are murdered/die it changes things. UC’s get upended from their covers due to it. She then says it lets them bring new UC’s into the field. We watch Lucy light up like a Christmas Tree. She could not be more excited about this news. Ready to jump in and do whatever Nyla wants to be apart of this.

If Tim could hear all this he would be having a coronary. LOL Lucy is so excited to have another crack at a UC OP. Saying she is so ready to do this again if they need it. Harper tells her not so fast. This won’t be a sting operation like last time. It's going to be be a long term placement instead. Much different than the one time OP she did back in 3x06. Her character remains the same the operation not so much.

Grey lets her know she would be on her own. No backup or surveillance like last time. That he’s told Harper to test her readiness today. That if she doesn’t sign off with confidence it’s not happening. You can tell Lucy is chomping at the bit to prove herself. I do love Grey telling her it’s ok if by end of day she isn’t prepared. No shame in the game. Harper tells Lucy to go get changed they’re throwing her in the deep end ASAP.

Tim gets the info he needs from Mack. Yay good job Mack ha Tim and Nolan roll up to Cesar’s hideout. Tim is confident and leading the charge in the convo. Quite sexy to watch. Telling Cesar if he just honors the deal his father made La Fiera might let him live. Otherwise she’s coming for him hard and won’t let up till he’s dead.

Cesar is pig headed and refuses to do this of course. Saying what belonged to the father will be inherited by the son. Ok but no LOL They warn him if his men believe the deal is legit they’ll bail on him. Leaving him exposed and alone by not cutting this off at the pass. Cesar continues his cocky act. No wonder she ends up offing you my man….Nolan asks Tim what they do from here? He tells him they can only hope Angela having better luck with La Fiera…

In their downtime Angela has assigned Tim the task of cop RSVPs and getting the number down. They haven’t replied so he has to track them down for numbers or if they have to reduce that number. He’s battling with someone with the amount they want to bring. Tim is so over being a MOH LOL Nolan motions for him to hand over the phone. John throws Tim under the bus. Saying he miscalculated the venue cap. That she can’t have a plus 4.

When he hands the phone back my lord. If looks could kill LMAO Asking if he’s proud of himself? Throwing a fellow officer under the bus? John’s reply is pretty solid(even if he's schmuck). Tim can’t even refute it since it got results haha Ballsy of him to do tbh. If you weren’t friends with Lucy... You'd be dead man John.

Angela calls Tim and her ringtone is the wedding march. I love this little detail so much. It's adorable. He asks how her meeting went? She tells the guys she can stop the war. Tim ask how? Angela lets them know through giving her the recording from hospital. She can take control after that. I adore Tim teaching Nolan something during this. Always in T.O. Mode I love it. Basically telling him live today fight tomorrow mentality with this. They keep citizens safe today go after her tomorrow.

We catch back up with Harper and Lucy. Lucy looks ready for her first test. Harper tells her she can’t cram 100 hours worth of training in one day. So all she can do is teach her what she needs to know in order to survive. Asking her the three things she needs to know to make it. Lucy tells her about being aware of the law, always stay in character and can’t remember the last one. Harper fills in the blank above.

Nyla emphasizes how much multi tasking she has to do just mentally. I couldn’t do it personally. She then asks Lucy if she’s worked on her backstory at all? Our wonderful dork says 4 notebooks. Harper laughs. Oh Lucy never change my friend never change. She gives Lucy 5 minutes to get into character before they go to this party. Gah love this dynamic so much. How far we’ve come from the dark days of the sewer.

Harper has invited her to a party with a test involved. Clearly someone tied to her UC life. Wants to see how she does. Lucy is slick af talking with this guy. Talking in double speak about ‘cooking’ and the big orders she can handle. Even calls him out for asking about where she learned to cook. She is crushing it until she see’s Tamara then you watch her demeanor change completely.

Channeling Lucy Chen in this moment and not Nova. Like she’s supposed to be doing. One of the cardinal rules of UC. This guy she is with is laying hands on her. Takes everything in her power not to kill this kid. Lucy plays it off as not liking how he’s treating her. That she can’t stand to see it. He says he can take care of that for her then. To watch the grill.

He walks over and shouts at the boy with Tamara. I love the silent communication between her and Tamara. She takes a step forward and Lucy stops her. He tells him to make his way over. Harper is asking wtf is going on? He tells her Nova didn’t like how the kid was treating that girl. Harper does some double speak of her own talking about how the girl needs some better focus.

The little snot is a cocky putz when he comes over. Lucy tells him he needs to treat her better. Shows him her gun when he tries to be a turd back. He cowers and says won’t happen again. Lucy telling him 'Good now piss off.' Amazing. UC Lucy is always a delight to watch. That confidence radiating off her when she's in character.

Tim and Nolan are waiting on Smitty for civilian clothes and a unmarked car. They need to follow Cesar but can’t in their shop and uniforms. He was supposed to pull clothes from their lockers. He ended up pulling them from lost and found LOL Tim holding up the ‘Hugs 4 life’ shirt is everything. Nolan complains they gave him their combinations for their clothes. Smitty says 'Yeah but he didn't do that' My god. Tim asks why they rely on him for anything? Haha

Their scene follows up with hilarious continuation of the guest list. It’s like Nolan wants to die. Tim has been incredibly chill and patient. More so than he's ever been with him. Maybe don’t test that boundary John. Smh. Always takes it too far. I do like him re-instilling fear in him a bit. He was a little too cocky last time he stood up to Tim about this guest list lol.

Also plain clothes Tim is my fav kind of Tim. Well until we get 'Metro Tim' but that is a long ways off. You think I’m thirsty for him now. Phew lord you all just wait... Tim’s death glare gets interrupted. They see Cesar take off and notify dispatch for backup as they pursue him. The way Tim says ‘Cesar’ hot damn. Take me now sir. *fans self* That inflection he does I can not get over it. Mmm.

We soon find out Harper planted Tamara there as a distraction. Lucy pretends she knew it was a test. Uh huh sure you did.... Protective mama Lucy comes out quickly after. Saying she should be in school. Tamara tells she Nyla wrote her a note. Lucy then asks about the guy. She just walks away from her without a word LOL Nyla's reaction is too cute. Lucy in none too pleased with that reply but doesn't have time to delve deeper.

We then meet the man from the BBQ. He’s another UC an expert in Narcotics. His Name is Shay and Nyla set her up there for a reason. He tells her what a good job she did with the kid. That it was a nice save. He is also an expert in making all kind of drugs while being UC. He tests her and she CRUSHES it. I love the proud face on Nyla. She knows the superstar she has ahold of. Couldn’t be prouder if she tried.

Shay tells her 'Good.' That they’re going to spend the afternoon cooking. Telling her it’s one thing to know what to do when everything is good. It’s another skill set to know what to do when it’s not. That’s what’s going to keep Lucy alive should shit hit the fan. (which it will) That skill will end up saving her life. We will see that in the next episode.

Tim and Nolan roll up and see he’s left his hideout for a booty call. To see his baby mama. No wonder his father has no faith in him. Man is putting this first during a drug war. After he leaves they go and knock on the door to talk to her. Saying they need to talk to her about Cesar and anything he's hiding here. Angela calls Tim saying she thinks La Fiera’s plan isn’t to kill him, but to kill his kid. For him to feel the same suffering she is feeling.

As she says this a car rolls up five shooters ready to go. Tim is sexy af as he talks Nolan through his plan. The plain clothes are adding to said sexiness. But yummy the way he says they’re about to find out how steep the price of admission is. Good god man you truly are sex on two legs walking. The way he exits the house confident as hell. Pass me the ice water. Confidence is an attractive thing on its own. It’s insanely so on Tim Bradford.

I do love the banter between John and Tim in this scene. Definitely found a little groove at this point. Also we got a shot of Tim’s ass in jeans. Wins all around. Talking about how much money they’d need to walk away. They make a joke about being Batman rich. Nolan takes an impressive shot at the main heavy. Yes I complimented Nolan. I must be high off of Tim in Plain clothes being authoritative. Probably won’t happen again.

I do enjoy how the scene unfolds in the house. How Tim and Nolan slowly take apart her crew. Each taking out a couple guys each. Watching Tim in the field being all competent always a delight to behold. The ending scene is pretty cute. Tim may not always like Nolan personally but he respects him as a cop. This is a good bonding moment for them. Tim’s proud of how he handled himself in his knife fight. It’s all over his face. Nolan actually impressed him. There's a first time for everything they say.

We see Lucy at the station waiting on word about the operation. Nyla comes over with exciting news. She got a glowing recommendation from Shay. Saying she is more knowledgeable than most of his own people. Nyla also approves and says Grey has officially given her the go of being in this operation. Nyla tells her to get personal life squared away before tomorrow. No telling how long she will be gone. That she can’t let her guard down ever but to go home for now. To rest up tomorrow the real work begins.

We rejoin the guys at the station. Filling out a mountain of paperwork. Nolan asks if Tim wants to order Thai food? Tim doesn’t answer his question but does say he’s a good cop he will give him that. John looks confused and is like so food? My god Nolan. LOL You’re about to get a serious lesson my good man. I love how passionate Tim is about teaching the next generation. It shows in his training and how he is about it with everyone. He has to make sure he really wants this.

Tim calling Nolan on his crap for being indecisive is AMAZING. He doesn’t want the next generation taught by someone apathetic. Or as Tim says views it as a consolation prize. He takes so much pride in being a T.O. He’s making sure Nolan is doing it for the best of reasons. So very Tim to feel it is his duty to vet anyone wanting to be a teacher. Put them through his paces see if they're worthy.

John has never had a Tim test before. You better believe he’s doing it now for him. To see how he’ll react to him goading him. Pushing his buttons about his intentions. Nolan passionately defends himself and why he wants to be one. You can see on Tim’s face he accepts John's answer. Then it’s the most guy way to end their convo. Tim answering his previous question about food. Nolan says 'Love it' and it’s over. No emotions just food. Men. LOL

Lucy is on her way home when she is kidnapped. I can only imagine the Caleb PTSD she is going through in this moment. Her being overpowered instantly. Her yelling ‘No no’ ugh my heart. She’s brought to a rooftop where Harper is also bound and gagged. She is bleeding profusely from her head.

Lucy holds her own from the jump though. Saying Coco was being tortured so of course she said that. The killer instinct holding up. The one Harper saw in her from day one. She doesn’t let the fact this guy is accusing her, Coco and Harper of all being cops. Then he douses Harper in gas and says he isn’t asking. He knows they are cops. All he wants to know is what the cops know about Salonga and his future plans. That whatever they know will affect future deals.

It’s intense af as he starts a lighter up. It’s then we really watch Lucy dig deep. Rely heavily on that killer instinct of hers. How she walks her way out of this with just her words. That if he sets that fire Salonga is good as dead. Recalling he is in debt to some bad people.

That she’s the only one that can relieve him of that debt. Cook him up a fortune. But if he kills Harper all that goes down the drain and she won't cook him a damn thing. Emphasizing he needs her more than she needs him. That he needs to pull his head out of his ass and let them go. Such a BAMF in this scene. Holds her own with a fiery performance.

We find out it was another test set up by Harper. Nyla having the most Tim-like reply when Shay sings her praises. Lucy is livid and calls him a full service asshat LOL He takes no offense and says she will thank him later for this. (I mean she will...) Lucy is vibrating with anger for the both of them. Like a cornered animal ready to strike at any provocation. She is insanely revved up finding this final test insane.

Lucy goes after Harper pretty hard regarding her PTSD about being abducted. Nyla is on point per usual and says that’s why she did it. I mean it’s a great way to see how she would react. To see if Lucy could push past the PTSD and still function. Stay in character and keep herself and Harper alive. She passed with flying colors. Even if Lucy is raging at the moment.

Harper tells her it’s the last test. Lucy is still full of spit and vinegar in her reply. Saying the last test was the last one. Nyla telling her that’s why she wasn’t expecting this one. Then gets really real with her. Asking if she wants an out? Still wants to do this Even after what she just experienced? Lucy brimming with an immense amount of adrenaline and says ‘Yeah. I do.’ The ep ends there. Hell of a day for our girl my god.

~~~~~~

Side notes-non chenford

Not a ton. It is nice to see Stanton get his come-up in’s after he’s reinstated. That’s about it for non chenford stuff really.

Holy crap we’re hitting the finale next. I swear I just started s3. Blinked and we’re at 3x14 now it’s a shortened season but still.

As always thank you thank you. To all who support these reviews with likes, comments (oh how I love comments don’t be shy ha), and reblogs. Makes all the work I put into them so very worth it. Shall see you all in 3x14 :)

44 notes · View notes