#Clark: ‘so how’s gun control in your city

[rpmemesbyarat]

RP Memes from a “Stupidest Thing You’ve Ever Heard” Reddit Thread

“Can you email me back the PDF I emailed you? It’s my only copy.”

“It says carbonated because they removed the carbs" “How can Hawaii and Alaska have such different temperatures when they are right next to each other on the map?”

"If earth is spinning then why my front door is always facing east?"

"Blueberry muffins you buy premade don't have any blueberries in them. Blueberries cost too much. They dye bees blue because they have the same texture and use them." "I don't know how you can stand to fly when there's a 50 percent chance the plane will crash. You know, because either it crashes or it doesn't. 50/50." "I don't have an e-mail, I have a gmail" “How do we know it wasn’t just ostriches on the radar that triggered Pearl Harbor?” "Fish aren't animals, they're mammals." “Once had someone try to sell me the theory that the moon is a hologram made by the government to trick people.” "Women have 6 ovaries" “Got into an argument with a guy that thought limes were unripe lemons.” "A guide dogs job is to drive the car for the blind person".

“Back during the mosque shooting in New Zealand and the government there were trying to ban guns, my coworker said that they can't do that since it violates the (American) second amendment.” “I thought Lewis and Clark lived in the 1970s.” “I once had a coworker who believed with all sincerity that twins could only be conceived through anal sex.” "Women can control their periods." "You have to understand, I'm not a vibrational match for car accidents, so we'll be safer if I drive."

“A professor in college refused to give back our tests because "you should know what you did wrong" “My best friends sister once spent an hour trying to convince me that marshmallows grew on trees.” “Women pee out of the same hole babies come out of.”

“Water has memory” “Old roommate said that when the weather app says 50% rain then that meant half of all the rain in the sky is going to fall. Same for all percentages. 80%, meant 80% of all the rain possible would fall, 100% rain? Yup, every single last drop of rain is coming down today.” “"Of course a pound of feathers is lighter than a pound of quarters, duh" “They wished they could go back to the 1800’s to see what it was like in black & white” “Root canals cause breast cancer.” "If we evolved from monkeys, why is it when we see a sonogram, we see a person and not a monkey?"

“Is there anything we can do to increase the speed of light?”

"I thought Greece was a myth like Hercules" “The real reason you can drown by falling asleep in a kiddie pool is because you soak up too much water.”

"I didn't know peanut butter was made from peanuts."

"Australia doesn't exist" "Has no one ever taught you? The woman's brain tells her body if it wants to have a baby or not." “If I don’t finish all my eggs within two weeks I throw them out. I don’t want the light in the fridge to make them hatch.”

“Ok, let’s all just get this straight: north does not equal up.” "I hate croutons. They taste like dried bread."

“If you as a guy wear gold ,you will turn gay.” “Some broad I know, fully and truly believed, that Mt Rushmore was a natural formation.” “I have street smarts because I’m good at remembering street names.”

“I have a friend that believed women didn't poop.” "See women don't poop because it helps them attract a mate. They are more attractive to men if they don't poop." "If you're having trouble learning Spanish, just hire a Chinese guy to teach you."

“My computer keeps telling me it can’t see the printer even after I put it in front of the monitor.” “Africa isn't a city, it's a country.” “Do Jewish people celebrate Thanksgiving?” “Migrating butterflies are a problem because they create hurricanes with the movement of their wings” “When the sun turns around it turns into the moon” ““Do women close their vaginas when they are in the ocean? Water is drawn into the body and you can explode.” “Touching your own period blood is just asking to get HIV.”

“Someone I knew once asked me if cats laid eggs.” "I just love pitbulls sooo much! My dream is to get a blue nose pit and a red nose pit to have babies! They'd have purple noses!!" “You can’t put two dryer sheets in the dryer at the same time because they’ll cancel each other out” "What the difference between a mocha and an iced mocha?" “Clockwise and counterclockwise change depending on where the clock is.” "You only get an STI if you don't wash your dick after sex"

"The moon isn't real." “Birth Control pills can be taken rectally too”

“Dictionary isn’t an accurate source for finding definitions.”

“Japan is the capital of Australia” "Science is just some supposed experts' opinions and like why do their opinions matter more than mine? That's why I refuse to accept Science as facts"

"Norweigan" is a word I made up to trick her, because there's no country called Norwegia.” “I started taking my birth control every other day to save money”

"what's beef? Oh what? Thats cow? That's not a different type of meat?"

“Panama? That’s in Europe right?”

“Panda Express is where they save Pandas”

“Lemonade is made from limes” “Are chapped lips contagious?” “Did your grandfather have any kids?” "I have 17 bottles of perfume, some people don't even have that many toes"

"Cooking destroys the gluten." "If the moon was really originally a part of the earth, then when it broke off, it would have decapitated all the dinosaurs."

"Don't keep the window open because you'll let the WiFi out"

#rp meme #rp memes #rp starters #roleplay meme #roleplay memes #roleplay starters #reddit

[justinewt]

The Two-Horned Beast - THE 100 REWRITE Chapter Twenty-Five

[THE 100 MASTERLIST]

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter (03/01/2024)

Summary: Raven was saved but the group wasn't out of the woods just yet. They still had to find a way to really put an end to Alie. Thanks to a book written by the hand of the woman that made the AI, they found a new lead, a Grounder named Luna, who might be the key to all this.

Words: 4.8k

Warnings: The 100 season 3 spoilers (episode 12 "Demons"), fluff, some romance, guns, knives, blood, stabbing, attempted & actual murder

The sun had risen in the sky as they drove full speed across a field. They drove all night really, with Bellamy at the wheels. Clarke was at the front with him, and Michelle was sitting at the back with the others as they all began to plan out their next moves to stop Alie and her army of zombies. They had saved Raven from her grip, but the latter was far from being the only one that was being mind controlled. Michelle looked through the windshield, listening to the conversation with one ear, leaning forward on her lap. She was wondering about the situation in Polis. Her father was there, and she hoped he was safe. For the time being, they were headed for Arkadia. It was probably fine to return since Alie and her minions were trying to find them and they were far from the trading post already. 

“Becca’s journal is amazing.” Raven exclaimed, carefully flipping the pages of the old notebook. “At 26, she found a pathway to access a human mind. That same year, she had to lock up Alie, because her answer for what was wrong with the world was “too many people”. She was 27 when it launched the bombs.”

“What did she write about the Flame?” Clarke twisted on her seat, turning towards them.

“Alie 2.0. She saw it as a way to atone for her sins. She designed it to not just access a human mind, but to merge with one. It could never wipe us out, because it would be one of us. She put it in herself first. Altered her genes so her body wouldn’t reject the implant.”

“Bekka Pramheda, the first Commander.” Michelle glanced at Clarke. She nodded to herself before looking at the others, crossing the gaze of her best friend before she focused back on Raven. “The gene therapy made her blood black, didn’t it?”

“Yeah.” She said quietly, surprised that she knew this detail without having read the diary. She wasn’t the only one that was surprised.

“How did you know that?” Octavia enquired.

“Nightblood. That’s where it came from. Somehow it became hereditary. Luna has it. That’s why we have to find her. If she can access Alie-2…”

“She can tell us how to stop Alie-1.” Octavia said, concluding Clarke’s statement.

“Get back to the mind pathway.” Monty spoke, taking a closer look at the Flame. “If Alie uses it to upload our minds to the City of Light, then there’s a chance my mo’s still alive.”

“That depends on your definition of “alive”.” Raven’s words must have shattered his hopes, but he shot his mother. The woman’s body wasn’t alive anymore and whatever was left of her in the City of Light, wasn’t her. Seeing him like this made Michelle quite sad and it made her think how if her father happened to take the chip, she wasn’t sure she would have the guts to shoot if he put someone in danger. She hoped she would never have to kill him to save someone else because if her father, her only remaining parent, died by her own hand, she would never survivre it. Losing her mother broke her and she didn’t even see her pass away, so it would be the last straw. She would never recover from it.

“Eyes sharp. Weapons hot. We’re almost home.” Bellamy spoke up as they approached Arkadia’s grounds. He called for Harper and Miller over the radio, telling them they were a couple minutes away from camp, but no one replied. It wasn’t a good sign. Michelle straightened up, stretching her, craning forward to look through the windshield. She couldn’t see Arkadia just yet. They were still too far but once they saw it in the distance, and noticed the gates were wide open and there was no one in sight, they stopped the vehicle. Some of them got out with their weapons, walking alongside the car, Jasper standing up at the back, sticking out through the roof opening and Bellamy had left the wheel to Michelle. She wouldn't have minded coming outside with him, Clarke, Octavia, and Sinclair; she was a pretty good shot, but he had insisted that she stay inside the Rover. Her assumption turned out to be correct though, Alie and her minions had deserted the place, probably since last night. From inside the car, she couldn’t really hear what the others were saying but she heard Jasper note that no one was there to fix the gate. It was like a ghost town as they slowly progressed inside the camp.

“Maybe they saw the open gate and went in for Lincoln’s book.” Jasper added, talking about Miller and Harper. Bellamy was still trying to get a hold of them, but no one was responding. When she looked in the mirrors and saw her peers stopping in their tracks, she slowed the car and turned her head to Raven, sitting in the front seat next to her. She met her gaze and she understood they had stopped by the pool of blood that must have soaked the grounds ever since Lincoln was shot by Pike. She gulped and they continued on their way to get the grounder’s book. It was supposed to guide them to other Grounders that could help them to stop Alie, with all that nightblood stuff. As they approached the hangar, the doors opened and she drove in, opening the window and popping her head through, to hear what Bellamy was saying. He looked at her after telling Jasper to close the roof.

“Turn the Rover around. We may need to get outta here quickly.” She nodded and sat back into the driver’s seat, waiting for the others to get out from around the vehicle to turn the car around. The doors of the hangar closed shut behind them with a thud. As the group looked around the large room, she did as Bellamy asked and then jumped out of the car. Climbing up the small flight of stairs, she, Raven, and Monty joined the others around the table where a bunch of stuff was scattered, decks of cards, half-empty plates and drinks, as if people just got up and walked away, leaving everything behind to rot, without a second thought. “We’re in and out. Pack as much gear as you can into the Rover.”

“I’ll get the map.” Octavia left almost as quickly as she spoke. Jasper went along with her. As she watched them walk away, Michelle was reminded of the fact that her precious jacket was still lying somewhere in Bellamy’s room, and she wanted to get it back before they left camp again. She was about to mention it to Bellamy, parting her lips, turned towards him, when Raven came from behind her and spoke up.

“What’s the rush? They won’t be coming back.”

“How do you know?” Clarke asked.

“Alie’s mission is to chip everyone. It wouldn’t make sense to return to a place she already took.”

“It might make sense if there was someone in that place, you, who could tell us stuff like that.” Raven agreed with Sinclair’s point, and they all went in different directions. Only Michelle went after Bellamy and he looked over his shoulder, hearing her footsteps. She still wanted her jacket, even if she was wearing her father’s ever since the group parted ways with him, Pike, and the Grounders. He nodded at her request, and they walked through the door towards the inside of the Ring, heading for Bellamy’s room. The two of them walked inside the room and Michelle kind of looked around while Bellamy opened a wardrobe next to his bed. He let his gun hang to his side as he took the jacket from a hanger. She took off the large, black guards’ jacket that her father gave her so she wouldn’t be cold and put it down on the desk while he handed her vest to her.

“Thank you.” She said as she took and put it on, one sleeve after the other. Then, she picked up her father’s and put it back on. She noticed Bellamy watching her as she got dressed and she looked at him with a chuckle, the corner of her lip stretching into a smirk. “What?”

“Nothing.” He shook his head, looking away, and she took a step towards him, taking his hand, intertwining their fingers as they locked eyes. His eyes went down to her mouth for half a second and he cupped her face in his free hand, pressing his lips against hers. Their kiss grew more passionate as time went on and he let go of her hand to slip his fingers in her hair, at the back of her head. Her whole body felt like it was lit on fire when they broke their embrace, resting his forehead against her cheekbone. She was catching her breath, as if she had forgotten how to breathe properly and she heard Bellamy chuckle. She smiled, telling him not to laugh, playfully pushing him away, shaking her head and he caught her arms, pulling her back towards him into a hug and she wrapped her arms around him, warm under his jacket. She could feel him breathing in her hair while she rested her chin on his shoulder, closing her eyes. It was the first, real intimate moment that they had shared in many months and damn, how she had missed it. The words I love you, would take a little longer to be spoken out loud though.

“All right let’s go look around. We don’t know know how much time we have right now.” She broke the embrace and he nodded. They left together, exiting the Ring through the front door. She didn’t have a gun, so she remained behind Bellamy as he kicked open the door to the armory, holding his gun up in case he came face-to-face with someone. It was empty. She stepped in after him as he opened a mesh cupboard inside which they could see a bunch of automatic shotguns lined up. He checked the content of the boxes stored underneath. They were filled to the brim with bullets. He grabbed the radio at his belt and contacted the rest of the group still inside the hangar. 

“Everyone finish what you’re doing and meet us at the armory.”

“Why? What’s going on?” Clarke was the one to respond.

“You’ll see when you get there. We just got lucky.” While she told them they were on their way, Bellamy picked up a gun, filled a charger with bullets and gave it to Michelle. The latter started walking back and forth outside the door, looking around the camp, alert, and turned to Bellamy while they waited for the others to join them. Her mind was really making her do comparisons between what she now had with Bellamy and what she once had with Murphy. She didn’t want to keep thinking about both the relationships she had ever had but her conclusion was that the two were diametrically opposed. Maybe it was because she had grown since they first landed on the ground, and because Bellamy was a few years older, but their relationship had a much more mature feeling to it. The nature of their feelings for each other was very different from when she was with Murphy. When he left, she realized, even if he did love and care for her, she most likely loved him more than he did. She mentally shrugged, thinking it would have ended at some point but the fact that he just got up and left, with Jaha, it still bothered her. She shook the thought away when Clarke’s voice reached their ears. She was calling out their names weakly, panting and Bellamy caught her before she fell, giving her support so she could stand. “What is it? What’s going on?”

“Emerson.” It was just one word, well a name really, but the three of them were very much aware of what it meant. The guy from Mount Weather, who they thought they had gotten rid of already, was back, harder to kill than a cockroach. The trio then walked into the ring, with Bellamy and Michelle walking in front of Clarke, their heads tilted, eyes glued to the viewfinder lens, guns up, flashlights on.

“Where’s Monty?” Bellamy enquired.

“Emerson took him. Why?” She frowned, trying to understand what Emerson’s motivation was. He grabbed his radio and tried to make contact with his sister, stopping in their tracks.

“Octavia, can you hear me? Come in.”

“Jasper was with her.”

“Jasper, are you there? Say something.” The only answer they got was a static sound crackling on the other end.

“Maybe Emerson got them too.” Michelle said quietly. Clarke looked down, frowning, shaking her head.

“Miller, Harper, Bryan… This is all my fault. I let Emerson live.”

“What are you talking about?” Bellamy looked at Clarke, blinking in confusion before exchanging a glance with Michelle. She had no idea what she was talking about either, but their friend seemed preoccupied. Her eyes went from one to the other.

“In Polis. I had a chance to kill him, but I let him go.”

“Bellamy, what’s wrong?” Raven’s voice came over the radio, interrupting their conversation.

“Raven, are you okay? Where are you?” He immidietaly asked.

“Still in engineering. We’re fine.”

“Raven, listen to me. Emerson is here. Are the others with you?” Clarke spoke up, taking the radio after Bellamy handed it to her. Raven replied in the negative. She was alone with Sinclair. Clarke then gave them instructions to lock down the hangar bay and to not let anybody in but the three of them. They had yet to find their other friends, who were probably held somewhere by Emerson. They ran there but when they came at the door, shouting out the mechanic’s name, banging on the door, no one answered, and the hangar was plunged in the dark. They left, running around the ring to get to the other door. When they reached the large door from the outside, it was just opened slightly, leaving a thin thread of light penetrate inside. Slipping through the opening one after the other, the two childhoos best friends kneeled next to the lifeless body of Sinclair, lying on the ground, a large stain of blood on his t-shirt, and blood running down his mouth. His dead eyes stared right back at them, frozen, and empty. Clarke still went to check his pulse, but it was obviously too late. He was already gone. She closed his eyes. Michelle sighed and got up, her hands on the gun hanging across her shoulders, glancing around the hangar. Raven was nowhere to be seen.

“He took Raven.”

“We’re too late.” Bellamy added, but Clarke somehow disagreed. She turned her head to them.

“He didn’t kill Monty or Raven. He would’ve left their bodies. Michelle is right, he took them somewhere.”

“If you’re right, Octavia and the others are there, too. Where would he be taking them? They could be anywhere. How does he even know his way around?”

“He was here. You were in Mount Weather.” As she talked, Clarke was already thinking, and she came to the conclusion that the man that had them running around the compound looking for their friends, had taken them to the very airlock in which he had been detained before. It only made sense that he would lock them up in there. She snatched the radio from Bellamy’s belt. “Emerson. I know you’re listening. We need to talk.”

“I don’t need to do anything.” They heard grunts in the background, confirming that he did have their friends with him. Clarke had their back to them, facing the hangar’s door and Michelle and Bellamy looked at each other. “You should have killed me when you had the chance.”

“And now you’re here to kill me, is that it?”

“Something like that.”

“Then let my friends go.” She tried to bargain with him, offering to give herself over if he did what she asked. Of course, neither Michelle nor Bellamy wanted this to happen. She turned to them. “I know what I’m doing.” Michelle gave her a firm nod, trusting her, though this whole ordeal worried her.

“Come to the airlock. No weapons. Right now.”

“What the hell are you doing?” Bellamy stopped her as she walked away with a determined step. She was set on saving their friends and they didn’t disagree with this but neither of them wanted her to sacrifice herself.

“Look, when it’s over, take this to Luna. Promise me.” She took the Flame out of her pocket and handed it over to him. Her eyes went to Michelle who didn’t like the way she was talking about all this, as if she was going to die going to the airlock and there was nothing to do about it. She didn’t the decisiveness of this moment. Bellamy slightly squinted his eyes, shaking his head.

“No. You’re outta your mind your mind if you think we’re letting you do this alone.” Though she stayed quiet, used to go along with the flow of whatever Clarke wanted to do, Bellamy didn’t even think about it and included her in his statement, knowing that she was as much against this as he was. And in other circumstances, she would have sketched a smile, because he was right. Clarke glanced at Michelle before putting her gaze back on him.

“This is my fault. I’m not letting anyone else die for my mistake, okay? So take it!” She didn’t raise her voice, but her tone and gesture were strong and direct, urging him to take the flame from her hand.

“Are you through? I don’t know what happened between you and Emerson in Polis. But I do know that letting him kill you here today is a stupid plan.”

“You got a better one?” He pinched his lips and shrugged; his smirk tinged with sadness.

“You distract him, we shoot him.” Clarke let go of her original plan to just surrender herself to the mountain man and nodded to Bellamy’s proposition. She looked down at the flame while Bellamy stepped away. Now, they had to put the plan into motion, and hope it would go smoothly but what Emerson would do, and his reactions were out of their control. Clarke walked a few feet ahead of them, with Bellamy and Michelle with their guns right behind. They stood behind the corner, hidden in the shadows while she held up her hands and approached the airlock.

“I held up my part of the deal. Your turn. Let my friends go.”

“Tell Bellamy to show themselves first.” He must have seen Bellamy’s shadow, or he simply knew the girl would never actually come alone but they were both reminded that even though Michelle knew the man’s name and who he was, he probably didn’t even remember her, other than being that one Asian girl who was Clarke’s friend. She wasn’t even sure he remembered that she was one of those who basically got her thigh drilled into and almost died, if it weren’t for Clarke opened all exits of Mount Weather. The two gunsmen glanced at each other.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about...” She tried to lie, and he knew it. He grunted and Octavia let out a scream, prompting Bellamy to come out of hiding, telling Michelle to stay back with his eyes. She gave him a nod, standing her back to the wall to conceal herself better. He kept his gun ready to fire as he stepped into the hallway.

“Good. Now, take out the clip, throw it down the hall, put the gun down and get inside.”

“Please, you wanted me.” She tried to talk with him, but he wasn’t here to listen to her pleading. Surrending herself in exchange for her friends’ lives being spared, but something was off. He really wanted Bellamy to come into the airlock. The latter gave in, telling him to stop. Michelle didn’t know what Emerson was doing but she guessed that he must have been holding Octavia at gunpoint or something like that, for the young man to be this nervous. He did as order, took out the clip and kneeled, putting down his gun, along with the rest of his weapons, which included the two knives he had. He threw them away, making them slide down the hall and their course stopped right in front of Michelle. If it came down to it and using her gun was too dangerous, she would pick up one of the blades and use it against Emerson. It was clear that Bellamy took advantage of the fact the man was clueless about a third person being there. He then put his hands up in the air and walked towards the airlock, disappearing from Michelle's sight. She heard Emerson’s voice addressing Bellamy followed by Octavia grunting. Michelle was practically glued to the wall, taking deep, quiet breath, ready to step in. She clenched her jaw, hating the fact that she was blind to what was now happening, right around the corner. She listened to Emerson giving orders to Clarke, telling her to get down on her knees and put her hand behind her head. There were footsteps, certainly Emerson, followed by a beeping sound and the airlock door closing.

“No- You can do anything you want with me. Okay? Just let them go.” Hearing him grunt, Michelle peeked. Emerson was his back to her, holding Clarke the collar of her coat and pushing her towards the closed space. He put his arm around her neck, his handgun against her head, pressing her against the glass. Michelle then thought, using her gun would put Clarke’s life at risk, while using a much sneakier weapon such as Bellamy’s knives, would give her a bigger chance of neutralizing Emerson. She let go of her shotgun, letting it hang to her side and picked up both blades to her feet, holding the handles tightly. And she waited for the right opportunity to come out. Not knowing if he had his finger on the trigger didn’t help her determine when to act either and she couldn’t risk Emerson seeing her, it would fuck the whole plan up as well.

“You murdered 381 people. You took the lives of my children, my brother, my friends. Did you really think that I would be happy with just one life in return?” When she heard him step back, dragging Clarke with him, she took another look. The gun was now aimed towards the ceiling. He put his arm back around Clarke, right across her chest and used his free hand to uncover a glowing red button. She came out of hiding as he pressed it. A voice over PA announced that the airlock was being emptied of its oxygen. He looked to asphyxiate their friends. She took advantage of the loud, dull noise covering her steps and she rushed towards him, driving the blades of the daggers right into his skull with a grunt. A gunshot went off as he collapsed, dragging Clarke with him. She broke free from his grip and rushed to the airlock control panel to open the door. Michelle just then processed what she did and though she didn’t feel bad about it, she couldn’t help but stare at Emerson’s face, his empty eyes staring back at her. She realized her fingers were trembling, so she closed her hands into fists. The two knives looking like horns that had grown on the sides of his head. Clarke got up, stretching out her arms to reopen the airlock. Their friends inside weren’t exactly passed out but a little lightheaded from the lack of oxygen, breathing heavily, while the two were getting rid of Emerson. Michelle stepped over the man’s body, helped Clarke up. As she freed one of them, they helped free each other. Michelle went to untie Bellamy from the wall and frowned in frustration since her hands were still a bit shaky. She felt his gaze upon her.

“Are you okay?” He asked quietly.

“You’re the one that’s restrained. I’m fine.” He grabbed her hand and glanced over his shoulder at Emerson. She huffed, following his eyes, and stared at the dead body. The knives sticking out of his heads, a pool of blood all over the floor and trickles having flowed across his face. His eyeballs were hidden, covered with a red layer. It wasn’t the first she had had a deadly weapon in her hands, but it was the very first time that she stabbed someone this violently, in the head, and not just with one knife, but two at that. She didn’t have such a hard time shooting at people with a gun but using bladed weapons did shake her up a little. She didn’t even think, she just did it to save Clarke. Seeing that she was staring at Emerson, he stepped aside, blocking her view, making her look at him.

“You did it to save Clarke.”

“Yes, I know why I did it.” She pinched her lips, not reacting the way she would have wanted to. She answered abruptly when he was only trying to help her. But he understood and only looked at her with concern for her on his face. She locked eyes with Clarke and Octavia, who noticed them holding hands and the latter were surprised to say the least. They obviously didn’t expect to see their siblings together. The group then eventually walked outside, dragging Emerson’s body away. At nightfall, while they were putting things away, they saw Bellamy walk through the gate, carrying a large body wrapped in a body bag, in his arms.  Because of the weight of the body, his gait was a bit slowed down, and his steps were heavy, sinking into the mud. He put it on the ground and took a step back while Octavia fell to her knees. She raised her hand to uncover the head and hesitated for a moment before finally doing so. It was Lincoln.

Octavia's sobbing turned into hearbreaking wailing. The rest of them were all silently standing there. Michelle felt her pain, though it was not over the death of the same type of love, she had cried just as hard over her mother. It made her want to cry and she felt a tear had run down her cheek. She swiftly wiped it away. They built a pyre and put both Sinclair and Lincoln’s bodies on it. Raven went forth, saying her goodbyes to her former mentor and stepped back while Octavia lit the pyre, pronouncing words in trigedasleng. Your fight is over. They all repeated those words in unison. While Michelle said it for their two peers, her eyes rose to the starry night sky and her thoughts went to her mother and she stared at the fire, losing her gaze in the dance of flames until Octavia's voice rises above the loud crackling.

“It’s time to go. I’ll get the map.” Bellamy watched her walk away, swallowing harshly. As he turned back towards the fire, he felt a hand hold his and his eyes went down to his hand and then up to Michelle’s face before they both observed the fire for a moment. After a while, they all went to the hangar to put their things into the rover and get ready to leave. Clarke was putting the flame back in its box and Bellamy was carrying boxes of weapons into the back of the car. Michelle was next to her childhood friend. The three exchanged a nod as he walked past them.

“Hey, we’re leaving. Why aren’t you ready?” Bellamy asked Raven and Monty as the two approached.

“We’re not going with you.” She then said, being helped down by Monty. “I can barely walk, and my shoulder is killing me. But my brain’s all kinds of awesome.”

“She remembered that Alie downloaded herself into the Ark mainframe. If the code is still there, we might be able to find a back door.” Monty added.

“I’m guessing once you connect Alie-2 to Luna, we’ll need to access Alie-1 to take her down.”

“Miller.” Bellamy called to the young man in the background, with his boyfriend and Harper. He motioned towards the other two.

“I’ll keep ‘em safe.”

“I’ll keep them safe.” Harper said, repeating his words with a smile.

“How about you? It’s gonna be dangerous.” Bellamy turned his head to Jasper.

“You know me well. I’m in.” On his words, Bellamy walked off while Clarke and Michelle said goodbye to their friends. Octavia went directly inside the car. Clarke went to the front with Bellamy and Michelle joined Octavia, followed by Jasper. The humming noise of the engine starting sounded in the hangar as Raven shut the backdoor and they drove away. Next step was finding this Luna and find a way to get rid of Alie once and for all.

[To be continued…]  

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter (03/01/2024)

Published (02/24/2023) by Andrea

Taglist: @cathrin2405​ @kika64 @mirellef2001

#the 100 #the 100 fanfiction #the 100 clarke griffin #the 100 oc #the 100 original character #oc #original character #clarke griffin #bellamy blake #the 100 spoilers #the 100 grounders #the 100 series #the 100 tv series #the 100 season 3 spoilers #the 100 season 3 episode 12 #the 100 callie cartwig #callie cartwig daughter #raven reyes #the 100 raven reyes #the 100 sinclair #the 100 monty green #the 100 monty #the 100 bellamy blake #clarke griffin's best friend #the 100 clarke #the 100 octavia blake #the 100 series fanfiction #the 100 series rewrite #fanfic rewrite #series rewrite

[thetistaboveall]

Batman: The Psychology Of The Dark Knight

The moon lights up a other wise dim alley way in the systemic unraveling of what was Gotham city.

Some unknown lower level thugs race in to a alley way breathing heavy guns in hand and backs to the wall.

The Batman is hot on the trial of two thieves who are the keys to unlocking a mystery in Gotham.

“He is coming, he’s coming”

“Calm down, he can’t take us”

“Can’t I?”

“It’s the Bat shoot”

“What a rookie mistake Dark Knight walking in to a trap.”

“Who are you?”

Batman turns to face the hidden face in the dark as he steps back and his attention falls to the goons.

The race at him causing his distraction as he fought then only to feel a needle inject in to his skin.

The serum takes effect quickly sending him in to dizzy spinning fit and he falls in to his arms.

“Hurry bois! Pick him up”

“Bring him to the lab and set him up”

“Sure thing boss”

The body is off the ground in minutes he is loading on to a elevator going to the sub basement.

Bruce’s eyes groggy as ever still under the Serbian influence can only check out his surroundings.

His eyes pick up a young man on a throne with Superman at his feet kissing his hand.

Bruce is lock inside of glass pod strap to the seat under him that is until the programming began.

The white noise enters the pod along side a orderless gas permeating his mind Bruce makes his best.

Batman fails to escape the man with a tens of millions of back up plans finally fails.

I am the young man I proudly speak in to the microphone and the command the pod to begin.

The glass is covering up in a steel case, the gas overtakes the pod, and Batman falls.

The mind confirm binary sounds attach to the low pitch sounds melt his mind breaking him.

A screen rolls down to meet his face turning on I appear on the screen.

“You are probably wondering who I am and why I am doing this?”

That same night Dick Grayson Aka Hero of Bludhaven Nightwing arrived at his old stopping ground.

“Alright show yours, who dares to call me here.”

“I dared.”

“What why? Who are you?”

“No you can’t be “

“Dad? You are dead”

“You can have him if you join me”

“Who are you?”

“I have many names, I am the ring Master for now.”

Dick can’t move a muscle standing mindless at attention feeling feel fear and excitement

The man jumps off the truck he is on in the distance landing on the ground he walks to Dick.

“What do you want from me you fiend”

“Fiend? Watch your mouth”

“Here take this bar soap”

“What bar? Stop these games”

“This one here you go”

“Nnnmmmmmmppppfff”

“Mwahahahahaha “

“You should know it would be in you best interest to join us.”

“Who’s us? Fuck you!”

“Them barf bag”

Dick is stunned to see his father figure Bruce and his idol Clark kneeling in total submission.

The Ring Master meets Dicks eyes as they glow bright blue and change Dicks eye color as well.

Dicks head is out of sorts seeing flying objects in the air and he can’t get a sense of anything anymore.

“What’s going? Why do I feel so weak?”

“You are giving in, you are embracing and you are growing.“

“No! I can’t, I won’t “

“Uuuuuuugggggghhhh”

“Take him in with you guys and prep him”

So happy with my victory I did not expect any interruptions and yet the alarm goes off.

“God damn it! Who’s that?”

“For fucks safe”

“Oh it’s the new boy wonder”

“Yuck! Uuuuggggghhh”

“I suppose better late then never”

“Speaker on”

“Speaker on”

“Hello Boy Wonder”

“Jason Todd is it?”

“How do you know my name?”

“Bruce told me”

“He would never”

“Oh yeah! He is on my team now”

“So is Nightwing”

“Liar”

“Say that to my face”

“I’m coming for you freak”

Robin uses his grabble hook shooting up

to the roof and speeding up.

On the roof top a familiar face waits in red, yellow and blow costume.

“Superman huh?”

“I could use your help “

“Oh I will help you”

“Wait! Those eyes are like his”

“He assume control over you too”

“Smart ass I see, not as dumb as you look”

“No…..let me go”

“Mwahahahahaha “

“Let’s go flying”

“Master here is “

“Pop him in the pod”

“Sir Yes Sir”

“My collection in Gotham is complete”

The end

#Hypno Zeros

[ear-worthy]

The Art Career Podcast: Painting To Help With PTSD & Domestic Violence

When The Burning Bed movie with Farah Fawcett was shown on TV in 1984, American culture had finally awakened to the sad realization that domestic violence was a well-established and pervasive secret of a male-dominated society. 

Nearly 40 years later, things are better. Domestic violence shelters, support programs and greater awareness has made some inroads into this centuries-long issue. 

But it still occurs more than we like to think. Witness the latest episode of The Art Career podcast with Emily McElwreath. 

This latest episode is actually a rerun from last season, but with an interesting twist. In the beginning, we hear from the guest / victim, Meg Lionel Murphy, about how she's coping today, as she informs listeners that she has a storefront art studio in rural Wisconsin and has a burgeoning art career. 

 Meg Lionel Murphy received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota—Twin Cities, with three majors: Art, Art History, and English Literature. Additionally, Meg studied classical oil painting in Florence, Italy. After graduation, she worked as a children’s illustrator, co-founded the literary and art magazine, Paper Darts, and co-directed the arts and social justice non-profit, Pollen Midwest.

All that disintegrated because of her mentally and physically abusive husband.

Before we hear the Redux interview, Ms. Murphy tells listeners that she's coping by "living in her work."

 That's why I like The Art Career podcast with Emily McElwreath so much. The podcast celebrates the arts, the people involved, and the value the arts add to the vibrancy of our culture. Most importantly to me, the podcast illustrates that the arts can be a solution, a coping mechanism, and a way forward when dealing with chronic societal problems like domestic violence.

The host, Emily McElwreath, asserts, "With each episode, our mission is to empower you, expanding your journey through the arts." 

To be clear, McElwreath doesn't just have guests who are artists in the sense of painting. To her, "artist" is an expansive term, so she has writers, fashion experts, poets, educators, and even a critic.

The Art Career podcast is in the middle of its fourth season, which began in mid-October with an episode named, Matthew Tully Dugan: Caviar, Vampires, and Warhol.

In the interview, Ms. Murphy narrates her gradual descent from marriage partner to assault victim, and being controlled by her husband.

After finally getting free and pursuing divorce, her abuser husband tells her that he has just bought a gun, insinuating that if she signed the divorce papers, he would use it -- on her.

Listen to this episode that plunges us into Murphy's hellscape, and then transfixes us as we learn about her strength and courage as she rebuilds her life through the lens of pain.

A diagnosis of severe PTSD from domestic violence led Murphy to leave her career in publishing to focus on painting and healing. She moved back to her childhood home in rural Wisconsin, where she started painting in her father’s junkyard, in a studio shack that was converted from an industrial cooler. As her art took off, she moved her studio to an old storefront—that was built as a church in the 1880s.

Recent solo shows include “Traumatica Dramatica'' at The Untitled Space Gallery (New York), “Interior Violence” at CoExhibitions Gallery (Minneapolis), and solo booths with SPRING/BREAK Art Show (New York and Los Angeles). Recent group shows include “10 @ 10” at The Wisconsin Museum of Art, “Pleasure Garden'' at Laurie Shapiro Gallery (Los Angeles), and “In Her World” at Voltz Clarke (New York). 

Check out this episode, how one woman suffered from domestic violence and the resulting PTSD, but refused to be a passive victim. Listen how she has rebuilt her life, even with the vestige of pain, trauma, and damage. 

#podcast #podcasting #domestic violent relationships #ptsd #art style

[jasontoddsguns]

With the amount of Gothamites that (I assume) have a conceal and carry permit, I’m shocked the joker made it this long.

#dc #batfam #batman #joker #only in gotham #gothamites are crazy about their gun rights- mostly because they’ll die if they don’t have one #Clark: ‘so how’s gun control in your city?’ #Bruce: ‘I don’t wanna talk about it’

[invisibleanonymousmonsters]

This Game of Yours

Father of Mine – Part 1 and Part 2

Jason was beautiful.

And somehow that scar that went from the right corner of his mouth up to his temple only made him that much more beautiful to Y/N.

Those blue eyes were the same color of water on a stormy day in the Irish sea. And somehow Y/N knew they held the same tempestuousness.

The white streak weaved with his jet black hair so naturally that Y/N would’ve believed he was born with it.

His shoulders were so broad, making his 6’3 height feel even more imposing. He had a presence. People noticed every time he walked into a room. It made Y/N wonder how he was ever able to sneak up on people as Red Hood.

He was wearing a black hoodie underneath his black moto jacket.

Y/N knew Jason didn’t give a shit about fashion. Yet he was well-dressed without any effort – more so than most of the models Y/N had shot throughout her career.

Not being able to control herself any longer, Y/N raised her camera and took a photo.

Jason stopped surveying their surroundings and his gaze snapped to her.

“What do you think you’re doing?” 

But his growl didn’t scare her in the slightest.

“Anyone who’s by me when I have a camera is at risk of getting their picture taken. No one is safe. Not even you,” she answered his question unapologetically.

Y/N was working on a personal passion project for her next show. Her collection would be about the poverty and crime of Gotham. Half of the photos would show the heaviest crime areas of the city. And the other half would expose the lifestyles of the wealthiest people in Gotham.

Why did so many suffer from the same system that helped the rich get even richer?

When Bruce found out Y/N was going to Crime Alley and the Bowery by herself, he was visibly upset.

But he realized that Y/N would do as she pleased, so his plan b was to give her protective detail.

However, Y/N didn’t know that Jason had volunteered, almost immediately.

Instead, all she heard was Jason grimly telling her, “You’re lucky you haven’t been fucking murdered yet.”

She had only responded with a roll of her eyes.

“I’m not your escort so you can take my picture. I’m here so you don’t get raped or murdered.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you have a way with words?”

His only response was a glare.

Jason loved playing this game. The game of pretending to be irritated with her when actually he was absolutely infatuated with Y/F/N Y/L/N.

“The easiest way to stop getting your picture taken is to always be the one holding the camera,” Y/N added with a smirk and wink.

Jason didn’t answer, only thinking what a shame it was that no one got to photograph her.

Suddenly, the sunlight hit the top of his head perfectly, creating a halo around that thick and messy hair of his.

Y/N snapped another photo.

“Will you stop?” He warned.

It only succeeded in making her laugh.

And that just excited his heart even more.

“Jason, you were born to get your photo taken.” 

There was no joke underneath her words, only sincerity.

“Whatever,” he mumbled.

Jason had a hard time believing that. His skin was riddled with scars. And he was convinced that she’d be singing a different song if she saw his chest, with its thick autopsy scar amongst the so many others. The absolute last word he’d use to describe himself was beautiful. Strong and imposing? Yes. But never beautiful – or any other positive adjective, for that matter.

“I’m not kidding. If you ever want to stop the whole vigilante thing, you can easily become a model.”

Y/N had noticed it as soon as Jason took of his helmet that night. His domino mask had done nothing to prevent her from noting the obvious.

It didn’t take long for Y/N to realize Jason wasn’t like his “brothers.”

“Brothers.” What a strange word.

Should she consider all of them as hers?

Only Damian was actually related to her – and technically he was only her half-brother.

Y/N had watched Jason get on his motorcycle and leave the cave that night she’d almost died.

She’d agreed to stay for dinner and get to know everyone. And a part of her brain was excited to get a better read on the masked man that sat by her bedside as she’d recovered.

“He’s not staying?” Y/N had asked Bruce as he guided her to the stairs that led back up to the manor.

He only shook his head, but she noticed the disappointed expression.

Soon she found out that Jason was the black sheep of this strange family that had taken her in.

Dick was the one who told her about Jason’s dark past. All of it seemed unbelievable: murdered by Joker and brought back to life from a mysterious pit. Only to return to the family who appeared to have replaced him and never sought vengeance on Jason’s behalf. 

But it was true; Y/N had seen no lie in Dick’s eyes when he filled her in.

Suddenly there was yelling coming from around the corner.

Without hesitation, Jason shoved Y/N behind him.

He reached for one of his guns and then realized that he didn’t have any.

Y/N was rather vocal about hating them, claiming they made her extremely uncomfortable.

Her expression alone as she said it was enough for Jason to swallow his stubbornness and leave the things at home.

Bruce was rather taken aback by the gesture. Nothing he’d ever said was enough to get Jason to do that.

A gang of young men came marching around the corner like they owned the place…because they did. This was their territory.

Jason immediately recognized them as some of the Russian mob.

Despite pulling Y/N behind him, they still caught sight of her and looked her up and down without an ounce of shame.

“Hey, beautiful. How you doing?”

“Продолжай идти, придурки,” Jason growled at them.

He was outnumbered. But there must’ve been something about his body language that made the gang realize they shouldn’t pick a fight with him. Maybe it was the muscles or his height or that he looked like he wouldn’t even blink before murdering them.

So they just…walked away. Some of them mumbled threats or insults at him. But they realized they shouldn’t even so much as look at Y/N.

A split second before they were gone, Y/N took a picture of Jason.

“Really?” He asked.

She shrugged. “You look like a different person when you’re protective.”

Y/N was beautiful.

Jason watched as she passionately explained her work to a potential buyer.

He recognized the man as a local politician – luckily, one of the few that hadn’t been corrupted from this shitty city.

Y/N had the intimidating energy of her father, but the kind eyes of her mother. At least, that was what Bruce had told everyone, and they all took his word for it.

She wore a stylish white jumpsuit that made her look like a 1980s villain and black stiletto heels. 

Jason watched as men cowered in her presence, hating the fact that she proudly stood taller than them. She was just one less woman they could intimidate or manipulate – and they couldn’t stand it.

But Jason loved watching the emasculation in real time.

The bastards didn’t deserve her anyway.

Dick was one of the very few men Jason knew who didn’t blink at a woman towering over him. In fact, his older brother had a track record of preferring it.

“Surprised to see you here,” Bruce said beside him, catching Jason watching Y/N.

“Well, I was her personal bodyguard through all this. Figured I should see if it was worth me wasting my time or not.” Then he tossed back his champagne and slammed it on the tray of a waiter passing by. “Plus, free alcohol.”

Bruce just quirked an eyebrow, silently telling Jason that he knew he was lying.

“Are you buying something?” Jason asked, trying to change the subject.

“I have been strictly forbidden,” Bruce sighed.

Jason chuckled.

He knew if Bruce had his way, he’d buy every single on of Y/N’s pieces.

“I have to know,” Bruce began. “What exactly is holding you back?”

Jason finally ripped his gaze away from Y/N to give Bruce a questioning look.

“What are you talking about?”

“Y/N. You care about her.”

“All of us do,” Jason brushed off. “Even the demon spawn.”

Bruce knew there wasn’t a chance Jason would admit his feelings – especially to him.

“Not that I think you care…but you have my approval.”

Little did Bruce know, Jason did care.

Jason had convinced himself that their rocky relationship and past fights meant that Bruce would die before he let Jason be anywhere near his daughter.

And Jason could hardly blame him.

He didn’t deserve to be loved. He lost that right after he died and came back a monster. And that was the story Jason told himself over and over again.

So he would love Y/N from afar. And hope she would pick someone who was worthy of her love.

“She’s basically my sister,” Jason groaned in fake disgust.

It was quite the performance.

Bruce narrowed his eyes. “We both know that isn’t what’s stopping you. And you’ve made it clear you don’t consider us your family.”

“Whatever, Bruce.”

Jason walked away, having enough of the subject.

“What was that about?” Clark asked as he joined Bruce’s side.

“Jason refusing to let himself be happy,” Bruce sighed.

Clark already knew what Bruce was talking about. He’d seen Y/N and Jason dancing around each other for months now. He’d never really seen Y/N take an interest in anyone before, so it was all new for Clark.

“Don’t worry. Y/N won’t let him get away with it for much longer,” Clark said through a smirk. “She gets what she wants.”

And Bruce believed him.

“It doesn’t bother you – the two of them together?” Clark asked with genuine curiosity.

“Jason reminds me every day that I’m not his father. And I’m hardly Y/N’s.” A soft smile formed on Bruce’s lips. “He’ll look after her. And she…I think she’d be good for him. I just want them to be happy. Both of them.”

——

Jason headed home rather early.

He’d never actually went to say congratulations or even hello to Y/N.

Every time he was about to go over, someone else stole her attention. He didn’t want to get in the way of her talking to potential buyers or even just friends.

Jason was just about to make himself something to eat when there was a knock at his door.

He froze.

Very few people knew where his apartment was.

Jason grabbed a gun and tiptoed to his front door.

With a peak through the peephole, he let out a irritated sigh.

Jason whipped the door open, “You’re lucky I didn’t shoot your head off.”

“Maybe don’t own guns and you wouldn’t have to worry about shit like that,” Y/N snapped back.

“What are you doing here?”

“You come to my gallery opening and don’t even say hi?” Y/N accused as she stepped around him and into the apartment, not waiting for an invitation.

Jason eyed the paper bag that was in one of her hands.

“By all means, come on in,” he called sarcastically as he slammed the door behind her.

Y/N started searching through his cabinets. “Where are your glasses?”

“The one to your right. What are you doing here?”

Y/N had the brightest and almost mischievous smile as she pulled a bottle of champagne from the paper bag.

“I brought this as my thanks for you making sure I don’t – and I quote – ‘get raped and murdered.’”

Jason glared at her.

Here was the game again.

Y/N being charming and hilariously provoking..and Jason pretending like he hadn’t fallen for her.

She poured them both a glass. They weren’t flutes or coupes, but she couldn’t care less.

“We’re chugging these, by the way,” Y/N informed Jason as she handed him a glass.

He sighed, but obediently clinked his glass with hers and tossed it back.

Barely giving them a second, Y/N immediately refilled them.

“So, why didn’t you come over and say hi?” She repeated.

“Didn’t want to bother you,” Jason mumbled with a shrug.

She narrowed her eyes at his answer. “You’ve never bothered me before, Jason.”

Now he felt guilty.

Jason bowed his head. “I should’ve come and talked to you,” he agreed. “Your work…it looked – it’s amazing, Y/N. Congratulations.”

Apparently Y/N hadn’t expected such a sincere compliment from him, and she was stunned to silence.

“Thank you,” she managed to whisper once she’d recovered.

She cleared her throat, trying to maintain her edge. “And really…thank you for being my own little security detail.”

If Jason was healthy about expressing is thoughts and feelings, he would’ve told her that it was the highlight of his weeks. That he looked forward to her calls or texts, telling him that she was going to photograph another shady area. “Be there or don’t. I’m going no matter what,” she’d text him with her usual snark.

But Jason didn’t express his thoughts and feelings.

He kept them bottled up – with the same energy he used to keep Y/N at a distance.

So instead, Jason said, “If it wasn’t me, one of the others would’ve done it.”

Y/N winced slightly at that.

‘You’re such a fucking asshole,’ Jason told himself.

“You know…we can see each other even you’re not my bodyguard.”

Jason was impressed by her boldness. But she didn’t know what she was doing. She didn’t understand that he wasn’t good. He couldn’t play the loving boyfriend role. She belonged with someone like Dick or Clark – or literally anyone but him. And Jason was willing to be an asshole to make sure she understood that.

Y/N took a step closer to him, invading his personal space.

Without breaking eye contact, she threw back her second glass of champagne and then placed it on the nearest counter space.

She stepped even closer.

This was simultaneously Jason’s worst nightmare and most desired dream.

Her eyes moved from his eyes to his lips.

But before she could make her final push, Jason took a step back and cleared his throat.

He looked down at the ground as he said, “You should go.”

When he looked up, he expected to find Y/N heartbroken or embarrassed.

But she was neither.

No. She looked irritated.

Not because she wasn’t getting what she wanted, but because she was sick of his games.

Y/N sighed and stepped back. “Fine.”

Jason rubbed his face in frustration as she grabbed her purse and started for the door she had walked through only minutes ago.

She opened it and paused.

“You know what? No. Fuck that,” Y/N snapped before slamming the door closed.

She whipped around and strutted back to him with purpose.

Jason was suspended with both fervor and awe.

Y/N grabbed his face and pulled him down to her lips.

All self control went out the window. Jason couldn’t continue his game. It was all over for him.

He kissed her back almost immediately. How could he not?

Y/N bit his lip slightly, making him hiss in surprise. It was his punishment for making her wait all this time.

Eventually they needed a moment to breathe.

But Y/N didn’t let go of his face when their lips finally parted.

“Choose your next words very carefully,” she breathed.

He swallowed nervously. “You’re kind of fucking terrifying. You know that?”

Her smile was pure evil.

Apparently this was the right response.

“Are you done being an idiot?” She asked.

He nodded quickly.

Her hands moved down and then lingered on his neck, tracing the bottom lines of his jaw.

She smiled again and then looked him up and down.

“What?” He questioned.

“Nothing,” she laughed. “I’m just…I’m not used to being shorter than men.”

“Is that the only reason you like me? Huh? My height?” Jason goaded.

“Of course not,” Y/N scoffed. “It was the whole ‘I look like I could murder everyone and I can, but deep down I’m a big softie’ that did it for me.”

Jason’s grip tightened on her waist. “Oh, yeah? You’re one to talk…”

“Me?!” She yelped. “I couldn’t kill anyone, even if my life depended on it.”

“Maybe. But your terrifying in basically every other way.”

Y/N laughed at that.

Jason couldn’t stop himself from smiling at the sound

“So…still want me to leave?” She asked.

And this time, she would if that’s really what he wanted.

“Fuck no,” Jason answered, almost threateningly.

Then, for good measure, he picked her up by the back of her thighs and carried her to the couch, before he started to kiss her once again.

Y/N knew things weren’t always going to be this simple.

Jason had his demons. 

And honestly, so did she. They were nothing like his. And maybe they were silly in comparison. But she wouldn’t be the perfect partner. Just like he wouldn’t be. 

They’d drive each other crazy. But it would be the good kind of crazy.

------------------------------

+ Childhood

#father of mine bonus content #father of mine #bruce wayne x daughter #bruce wayne x daughter!reader #batman x daughter #batman x daughter!reader #bruce wayne's daughter #batman's daughter #jason todd x reader #red hood x reader #jason todd reader insert #red hood reader insert #clark kent x platonic!reader #superman x platonic!reader

[dennou-translations]

Violet Evergarden Ever After: Chapter 3

Please feel free to message me about possible corrections. If you can, consider supporting the creators by purchasing the official releases. In case anyone is feeling generous: Ko-fi | PayPal. ( ╹◡╹)っ’･*

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No one would imagine that a single drop could be the start of something so big. However, it would earn itself great meaning after a while passed. Should it continue pouring, it could also summon boundless blessings and curses.

Love was almost like rain.

   The Journey and the Auto-Memories Doll

   That one was a rain of betrayal.

It started with a calm morning, the sky unfolding without any hints of being enshrouded in dark clouds. Regardless, it did not take too long for the capricious rain brought by the heavens to turn into a downpour rarely seen in recent years.

There was no longer any sign of the rain that had started to fall like gentle kisses from paradise on the black hats of gentlemen walking around town, over the backs of cats dozing under the sun or onto the cheeks of children who opened their mouths and burst into laughter. The current season was the end of summer, and it was raining for the first in a long while in Leidenschaftlich, where the skies were constantly clear in summer, but had the god that controlled weather gone crazy? With time, as if a bucket had turned over, the city was hit by a flood.

This story is about an uneventful day, which did nothing but pass, in the lives of people who worked at a certain postal company.

   The rain and wind struck the entire building as if attacking it. The doorbell rang loudly because of this, a man standing in place and staring at it with unease.

Creak-creak, the door moved. Ring-ring, the bell resounded. Since it was ringing despite there being no customers, he had become concerned and found himself coming down from his residence in the top floor.

In the previous year, the building had been shot with rocket artillery, and not only had it earned an enormous hole but a fire had also occurred – however, thanks to the quick skills of workmen, the hole was now closed and the walls had been neatly rebuilt.

The man was a stylish redhead. He was the president of this company, which he had named after himself.

Claudia Hodgins had been left all alone in the empty postal office. Still, it was normal for him to be there, as it was both his home and workplace. However, since he was by himself at a time that would usually still be within business hours, no matter what, he looked like he had been abandoned.

The postal office had been in great turmoil because of the storm. Surely, so had its peers. With the deliveries stagnated, complaints were coming from the clients. Nevertheless, the transportation was not carried out by machines devoid of feelings. It was something done by humans, who had been given birth to by someone and who had families waiting for them when they returned home. In lieu of the unpreceded disaster, as the president, he had notified all employees that business would be closed for today.

To begin with, the customers had stopped coming in the middle of the day. If he had to say so himself, this might be the expected. Deliberately going outside amidst such strong wind and torrential rain was an act of sheer madness.

Curious about what was going on outside, Hodgins had approached the entrance from the side. He felt like attempting to open the large doors just a little. He wanted to see how inundated the ground was. Just when he slow and carefully reached a hand towards it, the door opened with force despite him not doing anything.

“Ow...!”

“Oh, my bad. More importantly, we’re screwed; it’s just impossible, Old Man!”

Hodgins was teary-eyed as his precious nose took a hit. He was lightheaded for an instant due to the pain, but soon regained consciousness. After all, one of his employees had come back dripping-wet. Hodgins pulled him – whole body wrapped in rain gear – by the arm, bringing him inside and closing the door. Although it was only open for a few seconds, the entrance was already drenched.

The visitor took off the hood over his head, allowing his face to be seen. He was a splendidly handsome and fine man of sky-blue eyes and sandy-blond hair.

“Benedict...!”

Benedict Blue. One of the postal company’s postmen, who had been working in it ever since its founding.

“It’s impossible – actually, it’s absurd! Working under this rain is absurd! I look like I’m in the bath already. I wouldn’t have come here if I weren’t soaked... Making the staff pull out was the right choice,” Benedict said as if angry-yelling, shaking his head in the same way that a dog or cat would and splattering water splashes at Hodgins.

This wetted most of Hodgins’s shirt and face, but he was unable to reprimand his employee, who had been doing strenuous effort. He accepted it in resignation, wiping Benedict’s face with the sleeve of his shirt. “Okay, stay put.”

“Uoh, what’s with you? Stop.”

“Welcome home. I was worried. Good thing you’re all right.”

“O-Oh. What, hum... I’m back... You were worried about me?”

“Of course,” Hodgins said, to which Benedict turned away with an obviously embarrassed attitude after a moment of bewilderment.

Outside, vases and planters that may have been at the eaves of people’s houses, as well as shop signs, had been turning into weapons for a while now, dancing around the city along with the wind. Managing to come back unharmed and safely amidst this weather, where one could not know what would come flying their way, was something to be happy about.

“I’m just fine. This job’s easier than running around shooting guns. Anyway, I was left with the letters and packages of a guy who fell from his motorcycle and came back by myself. Was best to do that, right?”

“Aah, so someone got hurt?”

“That newbie, Clark. But he only scrapped his knees. He fell lots of times when he was learning how to ride, but for real, it’s surprisingly depressing when you fall off other than during practice. He was crying, y’see.”

“Aah~.”

Knowing who the person in question was, Hodgins pitied him. He was the youngest postman to join the company as of late. It was difficult to find human resources for postmen as they were quick to quit.

“He’s young, after all...”

“You call him young but... he’s already a grown man. I wonder if he ain’t lying to us about his age... I thought he was a baby or something.”

“You can’t compare him to a city boy fresh from the battlefield like yourself. I’m gonna get you a towel and a change of clothes now, so don’t move from there.”

“Why?”

“You’d wet the floor. Don’t tell me to go around cleaning up where you walked.”

“Clean it up,” he said while laughing, to which Hodgins’s shoulders slumped. He was a reliable companion, but also a young man who knew not how to show respect for his elders.

——Well, guess I’m a so-called doting parent for thinking that’s cute – no, doting boss.

Anyhow, they needed towels, Hodgins thought as he went back to his room. He grabbed a few large towels and held a pair of trousers and shirt that Benedict would apparently fit into under his arm. Then returned to the ground floor. By the time he did so, the number of people had increased.

“Uwah... Amazing, it’s like squeezing a rag.”

There were three more other than Benedict. If they were to be separated by types, one of them had evacuated after receiving a report of work, one had evacuated after finishing work, and one had been ordered to clock out, but all had come back halfway through, as their bodies were about to be blown off by the overwhelming storm.

“Please stop.” There was Violet Evergarden, whose golden hair was in Benedict’s grasp.

“Why? You said your hair was wet.”

“You just want to touch Violet’s hair, Benedict. Isn’t that right?” Lux Sibyl, who had given up on wiping her glasses and was glaring at the empty space.

“That’s not it. Don’t say weird stuff, Lux.”

“You knooow, my hair’s just as long as Violet’s.” And Cattleya Baudelaire, who scowled at Benedict with her arms crossed.

The members who had been there ever since the founding were Violet, Cattleya and Benedict, but Lux, having joined midway, was now a skillful secretary who covered up the schedule of the employees and president and moved them around like chess pieces. As the four people whose ages were close to each other’s came together, the conversation naturally livened up.

“You—You’re that kinda thing. If I touch you in a place like this, it’d be that kinda thing. This is our workplace, so there’s all that kinda thing. Morally speaking, it’s that kinda thing.”

“What do you mean ‘morally speaking’?!”

“I wish you wouldn’t say those things even if you think about them. Right, Violet?”

“‘Public morals’...? Benedict, what am I from your point of view?”

“V, you’re like a little sister to me... Aah, Old Man, gimme another towel.”

It was a terribly joyful thing that the company’s young aces had returned to it safe and sound.

“Everyone, don’t move from that spot no matter what. Hey, Cattleya! Don’t move!”

However, wiping all the water off the bodies of those four turned out to be a bone-breaking work.

   Out of kindness, Hodgins invited the four people who had gathered up at the postal company to his residence in the top floor.

The whole floor was his apartment, thus it was quite large. A family of five could live comfortably in it. The furnishings were arranged in wooden items and serene shades of dark brown and green. It was a relaxed, adult atmosphere, where was nothing particularly funny. It had a faint scent of the perfume that Hodgins always wore.

The invited four let out sighs of relief. The biggest reason for it, although there was also the fact that this was Hodgins’s apartment, was that they were able to escape the horrible situation outdoors. With the exception of Lux, three of them were tough enough to take part in the act of physically crushing other postal companies, but human beings could not win against natural disasters.

“Hey, what do we do? We can’t go home anymore, can we?”

“There’s nothing we can do. We got no choice but stay in Old Man’s place.”

“First time something like this happens, huh. But we’re all together, so... might be imprudent of me to say this, but... it’s a bit fun. Violet, are you worried about your home?”

“Yes, about the flowerbeds.”

“You should say ‘about the people back home’, V.”

“The two went on a trip, so they are away. I promised that I would take care of the flowers in their absence, which is why... I am worried about the flowerbeds. Besides, if that house were to be destroyed by this storm, this place would meet its end much sooner... We have little time left to live.”

“Don’t go from talking about your family to destroying the company, Little Violet. Hey, hey, everyone, you’ll catch a cold so get changed first. Put the towels in the laundry basket. Benedict, don’t throw the towels wherever!”

As told by Hodgins, the employees firstly decided to change their clothes.

Violet and Cattleya had just returned from a work trip of two days and one night, thus they had a change of nightclothes in their bags, but Benedict and Lux did not. Although there was a height difference between them, Hodgins had no issues with lending clothes to Benedict, who was also a man, but there was a need for careful selection when it came to Lux.

“Shirt... shirt, shirt; all I have is shirts.”

“Hum, President, I’m fine with anything.”

“Eeh... that okay?”

As a result, the boy and girl came into the scene wearing baggy clothes. Benedict looked almost the same as when he and Hodgins first met. When he was left to chance completely naked in a desert, he had borrowed a shirt and trousers just as he was doing now. He seemed pleased with it, however...

“Feels kinda naughty...”

...the problem was Lux.

“Benedict’s fine, but maybe it won’t do for Little Lux? Is this okay?” Hodgins asked everyone with a meek face.

They all had at last settled down, each seated in a place of their preference while sipping tea. The employees were relaxing as if they were in their own homes. Contrary to the peaceful state of the situation inside, there was still a sound of rain hitting the windows and a troubled noise of something colliding against the building outside.

“What is ‘okay’ supposed to mean?” Sitting on the sofa, Violet tilted her head. Being comfortably dressed in a dusty-pink nightwear gave her usually disciplined self a slightly soft and gentle air.

“Little Violet.”

“Yes.”

“Your nightgown is cute, huh.”

“The people from the household bought it for me. Well, what is ‘okay’ supposed to mean? Was there any problem?”

“Little Lux’s clothes.”

For whatever reason, they had the person in question standing in the center of the room. With everyone’s eyes on her, she seemed uneasy.

“Hum... why do I have to stand in the middle?”

“Little Lux, stay like that and don’t move.”

“All right.”

“What is wrong with Lux’s look? You mean to say it lacks adornment?”

“Why would that be the case, Little Violet?”

“You are the one who chooses attires for us Dolls and you have particularities regarding the clothing and accessories, so I concluded that you might deem the plain shirt as not enough.”

“No, no.” Hodgins flailed both hands. The things he was saying had a moral value to them, out of fear that her outfit was perhaps vulgar.

Benedict had dealt with it by securing her trousers with a belt, but as Lux had too thin a waist, the outcome was the belt falling off. In short, she was not wearing pants. Inevitably, she was dressed in nothing but a shirt. However, her short stature fortunately made it look like a shirt-dress.

As Hodgins explained his concern, everyone said, “I see.”

Showered with their stares more and more, Lux began to blush.

“It gives off a dangerous feeling when you think she ain’t wearing any, but on second thought, isn’t that the same for skirts? There’s actually an open hole in them, but it’s not visible, so they’re classified as clothes. No big deal, is it?” Benedict had been standing with his back against the wall just a moment ago, yet had suddenly drawn close to her and started examining her fixatedly.

“Don’t say ‘not wearing any’!”

“Well, I mean, you really ain’t wearing any... but that’s okay. No biggie. You’re probably not an option for Old Man, so no worries. Right?”

“That’s rude!”

“I’m saying you don’t need to worry about that kinda thing... Should I take mine off, then? I see; I’m fine with it. I’ll be the same as you. That all right? I’m gonna take it off.”

“Stop, stop, stop!” As Benedict put a hand to his belt while laughing, Lux repeatedly hit his chest with her fists to stop him. Lux was red up to her ears. “I can’t take this anymore! Violet! Take Benedict to over there!”

“Understood.”

“Owowowow, V, ouch, that’s not it; it was the Old Man who said weird stuff first. We’re friends, so I was showing that she doesn’t have to get hung up over something like...”

Caught in Violet’s arms, Benedict obediently sat on the sofa. Perhaps in order not to allow him to escape, she gripped his hands and sat next to him.

Cattleya cut through the silence, “The tea is delicious.” She was scattered over the bed. She must have been tired from returning from the Doll business trip. Her eyes were downcast. She might be sleepy.

“Cattleya, do you not have any comments to make? I want to hear lots of opinions.”

“Eeeh, me?” Cattleya joined the needless debate as if it were a bother. “Hmmm... if someone were making her wear this because it’s their taste, it’d be gross indeed, but there’s no other clothes for her... It’d also be horrible to leave her with just a towel wrap, so I think it’s valid. Speaking of which, President...”

“Hm?”

“You’re saying that even though you pick open-chested clothes for my Doll outfits? And the times you were choosing Doll attires for me, y’knooow, you were never so considerate to say ‘not this, not this either’ when discussing it with the people from the made-to-order store...”

Her manner of speech was somewhat thorny, but Hodgins did not make much out of it. “That’s because they look good on you.” Rather, he said decisively, with an earnest gaze and excessive confidence, “Because they look good on you. Is my judgement wrong?”

“E-Eh?” Being replied to so unapologetically, Cattleya’s reasoning jumbled up, to the point she found herself wondering if she was the one in the wrong.

The Doll outfit that Cattleya usually wore was composed mainly of a crimson dress-coat, so there was no mistaking that one could not wear it unless the person was remarkably stylish. In addition, there was also no doubt that it was lascivious. Whoever looked at her would find their line of sight momentarily going to her chest. Still, whoever looked at her would remember the woman named Cattleya Baudelaire at once.

“No... it’s not like your choices are wrong... but I only forgive you because you’re the boss. I was shocked when you first showed me that outfit! I didn’t use to wear something like that before.”

“Well, but y’see, an hourglass-shaped person looks more slender when the area around their collarbone is exposed, and it’s pretty.”

An evident question mark floated above Violet’s head at the unfamiliar word. Benedict pointed a finger at the tea set arranged on the nearby table. An hourglass used to measure the time it took to steam the tealeaves was lying there. Perhaps finding the similarity between it and a plump chest and dainty hips, Violet nodded as if convinced.

“You’ve got an hourglass-shaped figure with that slim waist, so I gave you a coat-dress that puts this on display. You can adjust it with the ribbon, so it’s not a pain, right? It has a wonderful line in mathematical terms, y’know? Plus, you also have a cheerful character, so it doesn’t look vulgar. That’s important. It means that outfit takes into consideration even the personality of the one wearing it. And the owner of that made-to-order store is famous not just in this country but abroad. The outfits of our Dolls are on a whole different level in comparison to other companies, aren’t they?”

“Y-Yeah.”

“I don’t want to bring this up, but they’re very expensive.”

“Eh, I’m sorry. S-Should I pay you back? Either that or you can dock my salary...”

“No, you’re my Doll, after all. Nobody waters a flower to get money off it, right? It’s fine, Cattleya. Just stay pretty. It’s exactly because I have obsessions over clothes that I don’t want to make a girl look vulgar. And it’s exactly because I like girls that I want to have them shine wonderfully. That’s also why I have a few complaints about Little Lux’s usual plain clothes, though...”

“I don’t know why you decided to run a mail service, President, but I accept that passion of yours. I’ll wear those clothes with care. But, President, I’m doing my best, so I want a new outfit. A cute one.”

Listening to the conversation of the two in silence, perhaps tired of going along with her superior, Lux looked at Violet and Benedict’s direction with a gaze that quietly asked for help. There was a gap on the sofa that seemed enough for one person to sit. Having locked eyes with her, Violet told Benedict to scoot over after a brief moment and patted the open spot. Lux sat next to them, looking happy.

“Violet, what’re you drinking?” Lux peeked at the teacup that Violet was holding.

“I wonder. I took the tealeaves that were in the kitchen. I do not know what type of tea it is.”

“Darjeeling.”

“Benedict, how did you know?”

“‘Cause that guy likes Darjeeling. All the tea cans he has are nothing but that.”

“Guess I’m gonna drink that too; my body got cold from the long time under the rain.”

“Heeey, the three of you who ended the talk before we noticed! Listen to what I have to say.” Hodgins put his hands on his hips, pretending to be angry.

“We were deviating from the main subject. We deemed that it was not a necessary conversation and took action prioritizing Lux’s rest,” Violet expressed with a clear voice tone.

“Besides, this talk’s about bedroom wear, ain’t it?” Benedict added a two-fold retort. The blond, blue-eyed duo that looked like siblings stared at Hodgins with questioning eyes.

“Ugh, I comply with you two no matter what you say when you both look at me at the same time, so cut it out. But I’m not giving up. I think she needs one more article of clothing.”

“Hum... President, I’m okay with this. I’m already thankful that I could borrow your clothes. Besides, when you make such a big fuss about it, things that weren’t lewd in the first place start to seem lewd, so to say,” Lux said, wanting to end this topic as fast as possible.

“The solution has come to me. Wouldn’t it be best if I took the shirt and trousers and had Lux wear this nightgown?”

However, Violet wound up rewinding it.

——Violet!

Lux hit Violet repeatedly in her mind.

“Ah~, that’s right. If that’s the case, I can do it too. But maybe my nightgown is too big? It’s a negligee just like Violet’s. The shoulder length might be the problem for this one...”

“Old Man, you gonna die if you don’t obsess over the stuff we wear? You ain’t. Give up.”

“No way. Days like this one don’t come by. All five of us are trapped in the company and we can’t get out. You’ve got no choice but stay here in my house, right? We’re having the best of parties, a pajama party. I want it to be a good one. But I can’t enjoy it when I’m worrying over Little Lux’s clothes.”

Benedict contemplated a reply to Hodgins’s words for a few seconds, but soon stopped. He was probably tired. He looked Violet’s way and asked, “Hey, you not hungry? I’m gonna take a look at the kitchen.

“Hey, don’t ignore me.” As Benedict stood up, Hodgins chased after him.

“Benedict’s gonna make something? Yay! You guys probably don’t know this, but he’s good at cooking.” Cattleya lined up behind them.

“I didn’t say I was gonna make anything, though... Well, if you’re hungry, I can do it.”

“I shall assist you.” Violet raised her arms, rolling up her sleeves. Her prosthetics made a creaking noise.

“V, you can cook?”

“To some extent. In the military, I used to make preparations for the cooking. Mrs. Evergarden... Lady Tiffany also trained me on it.

“M-Me too... I can peel the potatoes, and stuff.” Lux hastily went after everyone. In a trail, a big move to the kitchen began to take place.

“Lux. You don’t usually cook, do you? I can already tell by just that statement. I’ll teach you.”

“Most things get solved just by peeling the potatoes... Benedict, you’re making fun of me, aren’t you?”

“Am not, Potato Demigod.”

“Violet, Benedict insulted me!”

“Benedict.”

“Owowow! V—! Don’t poke my sides! A hit from those crazy-ass prosthetics of yours ain’t no cutesy way to poke anyone! It just hurts like it normally would!”

In the end, Hodgins was able to find a light feather-print sweater in his closet and gave it to Lux. As she put it on, with her short stature, its length became the same as that of a long cardigan, which Hodgins was awfully pleased with for how adorable it was.

   The madder-red sky was not visible at dusk, the outside morphing into evening with no changes in the rainy weather.

Benedict made a soup at random with the vegetables available in Hodgins’s kitchen, which had seasonings in abundance, while Violet and Cattleya supplied it with cookies that they had brought back as souvenirs from their ghostwriting business trip. Lux brought over small candy marbles that she kept stored in her desk at the company, and Benedict, instructed by Hodgins, reluctantly took an expensive bottle hidden on the liquor shelf of the latter’s room.

“Hey, let’s rummage through the desks of everyone in the company. There are probably gonna be other ingredients in them.”

“If it’s Mr. Anthony’s desk, I think there’s definitely something in it. Mr. Anthony always gives me sweets... We’re in a state of emergency so I’m sure he’ll forgive us for it.”

“There were sweets in the reception guys’ desks. Would they get mad if we took them?”

“Definitely seem like they would. But this sweet... is one of the tasty ones... I wanna eat it.”

Lux, who was still growing, and Benedict, who had missed lunch and did not have enough with just the vegetable soup, procured more food. The sweets that the hungry thieves sneaked from the company employees’ desks turned out as what could be considered a big catch, and so, the five people trapped inside during a day of usual rain commenced a night party.

The five of different ages, genders and positions were already at a state where they could be deemed as a single family through the many incidents they had overcome and the time they had spent together. They laughed a lot, talked a lot.

“You remember when Violet brought Lux over? She went to negotiate it directly with Old Man with so much might, like, ‘I have picked up a puppy. Please give me permission to raise it here. Now, hurry’. They were holding hands and she wouldn’t let go of Lux, explaining the situation all at length as if to say she wasn’t gonna move until he gave the permission. The way Old Man acted so suspicious back then was a real blast.”

“I remember~! He was like, ‘Eh, “demigod”? Eh, “abduction and confinement”? Have you told the military police about that?’... President was so troubled, walking in circles around the two. It was the funniest thing of that year.”

“Hum... I’m sorry.”

“No, no, don’t apologize, Little Lux. You’re our main player now, so you did what you could to get where you are. You really exerted yourself in this unfamiliar land. Work for us forever, ‘kay? Rather, for me. Little Violet does some unbelievable stuff sometimes, but she generally doesn’t do anything wrong, so back then, her first-time deed shook up even someone like me, with plenty of life experience. Saying no didn’t even cross my mind.”

“I knew that President Hodgins would give you a generous treatment. If I had not concluded so, I would not have done such a thing. Thank you very much for that time, President.”

“Little Violet... Little Violet’s all grown up too, huh; you’ve become a wonderful lady...”

“Well, she’s got you as her example of guardian figure, after all.”

“I was raised by both Benedict and President Hodgins. You are my examples.”

“Eh, so I’m Old Man’s son...? Gimme the whole company.”

“No way! Actually, you’re taking a part of the company in the future, so that much should be fine, right?”

“You were serious about that? If you split the company...”

“Yeah, I’ll be the vice-president. V, call me Vice-President Benedict.”

“Benedict will be... the vice-president?”

“Violet, you haven’t been to the company too often because of work, right? I’ll stay as President Hodgins’s secretary, but some of the employees will go to Benedict’s side. That’s gonna be pretty lonely... Still, the company will be built inside the country, so it’ll be close in terms of distance. But it won’t be the same building anymore.”

“Other people... will also be gone.”

“Did I tell you that my role’s gonna change too?”

“I have not heard about that.”

“I’ll be transferred to training the newcomers. Violet, you’ll stay as you are. Well, between you and me, if we were to debate on which one should be the instructor, it’d have to be me. I’m good at looking after others.”

“Cattleya will be... an instructor...”

“I’ll be here like always. The Doll department that Little Violet and the others are in will stay in the main office and you’re largely in charge of the numbers in our Doll department, so your role won’t change.”

“Sounds like I don’t make money when you put it like that.”

“No, it’s not like that... I’ve been keeping the right people in the right places since long ago, right? I asked you to do this because I thought you could be everyone’s big sis. Besides, wasn’t it you, Cattleya, who immediately replied that you’d to it when I said your pay would increase if you became an instructor?”

“Well, that’s because I don’t know how long I could keep on being a Doll. It’s a job you can do even when you get older, but walking up mountains has been hard lately. Probably because of my high heels.”

They truly laughed a lot and talked a lot.

In their feel-at-home looks, they played card games, discussed memories of their trips and laughed holding their stomachs at silly stories. The night went on and on and the heavy rain outside gradually subsided, but no one said, “Let’s go home, then”. Days like these were a rarity. They all knew this much.

“I’m having lots of fun today. It’d be great if it were always like this.” The words that Cattleya muttered with a big smile spoke for everyone’s feelings.

Whenever a fun feast reached its climax, the loneliness towards the fact that it was going to end would cross the corners of people’s heads. That applied not only to this day that God had granted them but also to matters in the long run.

Perhaps the company named CH Postal Company itself could also be considered a feast to the people gathered in it. “May this dream, this fun time go on forever,” they wished.

The dream had begun with Claudia Hodgins. He then picked up Cattleya Baudelaire, Benedict Blue and Violet Evergarden.

“Make sure to just lick it. So, how’s that?”

They had built the company office building in Leidenschaftlich and started it together. As the postal business was a privatized one and the competitors were many, nobody could predict at first for how long this company would continue to exist.

“This stings.”

A local customer then came, earning them a large-scale contract in the delivery business.

“Eh~, you okay, Violet? You’re better off as someone who can’t drink...”

Their Auto-Memories Doll activities began to stand out.

“But everyone is changing.”

“Doesn’t that have nothing to do with drinking alcohol? I drink ‘cause I like it. If you don’t, then stop.”

“That’s right, Violet.”

“No... Major has a taste for drinking during meals, so I had been thinking of learning to do it one day as well. You are all changing one after another whenever I blink. I have started eating with other people quite often at work as well. I, too, shall adapt...”

Along the way, a girl who would later become a brilliant secretary joined them.

“I see... Then I want to try drinking too. I’m a secretary, after all. I have to eat out with other people. What kind of taste is it, if you had to compare?”

Despite the major changes in the personal life of each, all of them had contributed to the development of the company, to the point that they spent every single day being busy.

“Close to that of a perfume. In that it is hard to swallow.”

There would surely be many, many more changes.

“Hey, I can’t approve that opinion. Big Sis here will introduce you to delicious drinks. Rather than being taught by a man, you should learn from me. Lux, you can’t yet.”

Surely, their fates would twist further.

“Eh~?!”

“Benedict, bring another one. And something to crack it open with.”

For people to gather up, an encounter had to have happened. That was what it meant.

“Aight, aight...” Benedict stood up from the sofa. He had been dragged into Cattleya’s scheme, in which she had planned the conspiracy of attempting to make Violet Evergarden consume alcohol, because he himself had complied with it.

“O-Owah. Old Man. You were here?”

“‘Were here,’ you ask... this is my house.”

As they came across each other in the kitchen, Benedict had let out a brash voice without thinking. The reason might be that he perhaps was seen grinning as he walked in. Despite his nihilistic attitude, he was happy to spend time with his friends.

“I-I know. I was thinking you were taking too long in the toilet...”

“Cigar.”

With the kitchen’s small window open, Hodgins was smoking a cigar. All of the women despised the smell, so he rarely ever let them see him smoking. Just when Benedict was thinking about how he had suddenly stood up and disappeared, there he was, smoking in secret.

——He only smokes when he can’t calm down, though.

There was no better day to relax with their companions, and yet.

“Hey, take a look outside. It’s so quiet after the storm... like the wind. Even though it was so loud before.” Perhaps due to him being a little drunk, Hodgins’s face was red.

“True... Hey, need more booze. Ain’t there anything easier to drink?”

“Eh, why? You can’t give it to Little Lux.”

“Cattleya wants to make V drink some. Well, ain’t it okay? I think it’s about time she learns the ropes. Dunno when we’ll get to drink with her again... and it’s better to have people you get along with teaching you this kinda thing, right?”

“Eeh... it’s still too soon. If you insist, isn’t it enough to drip a drop of rum into her tea?”

“Can you even call that a drink? Make it a degree higher.”

Hodgins gave a strained smile. “Hey, hey, her big brother figure shouldn’t be saying this...”

“I say it because I’m her big brother figure. I mean, we’re getting more rookies. She’s the highlight of our Doll department. Eating with people is part of having a big job. Before she gets involved with someone who wants to make her drink...”

“Does this have anything to do with me telling you to be the branch manager?”

Hearing a slightly icy voice coming from the president, Benedict blinked. “No... sorta.”

“She’s still a child, and I’ll definitely always be with her in those kinds of places, so it’s okay. It’s still early to teach her how to drink. Nope, nope.”

“A ‘child’, you say... well, she’s got a childish side, but she ain’t one anymore.”

“She is – you, Cattleya and Little Lux, too, are all kids to me. Because you’re quick to do this kind of thing if I don’t keep an eye on you... My, my,” Hodgins said, blowing out the tobacco smoke. Mismatched as it was for someone with such a mature appearance, Benedict could get a glimpse of childishness in him.

“You’ll keep trying to do that from now on too? That’s impossible; face the reality,” Benedict bit out incidentally.

Silence.

Benedict’s words were not wrong. The CH Postal Company was growing rapidly as a business. The fact that the postal company led by Salvatore Rinaudo had withdrawn from the postal industry in the previous year had a major influence in this. They now reigned at a pivotal position in Leidenschaftlich’s postal service. The CH Postal Company would soon account for nearly all of the commissions from the people living in Leidenschaftlich. Other than being busy with work affairs, there were even discussions about relocating the head office because of problems with waiting areas and break rooms due to securing new employees.

“Like, you and I are gonna get damn busy. The Auto-Memories Doll department is gonna be the main organ of the head office and my place will be ordinary mail, right? We’ll be teaching people how things go, and I’ll be doing deliveries too. You’re the one with the busiest role. Anything and everything’s gonna be relayed to you. Getting to be close to your employees like until now while doing all that is just...”

It was natural for a company that had become bigger to do a corporative split-off and for one of their employees to manage the branch office. Benedict was still young but had the power to bring people together. The task would not be an impossible one if they put a veteran of the head office in charge of taking over it. They could do this, Hodgins had decided, thus he came up with the proposal.

“The regular meetings and other stuff that I take part in happen in the head office... It’s not like we won’t get to see each other.”

“Everyone will have a different post and position. We won’t get to see each other. Same for you, Old Man.”

“If it’s work, I can adjust it. I’ll do my best to administrate everyone so that the employees can get a time every now and then to relax like this...”

“Old Man, even if you do your best, V’s dating that nasty-ass military officer, so won’t they get married someday? Dunno ‘bout it, but... that’s why it’s impossible to always watch over us in the first place...”

Silence.

“Hey, don’t clam up.”

What was being thrust at Hodgins now was something that he did not want to look straight at, despite thinking about and readying himself for it. That was what he was being told.

“Hodgins – hey, Old Man.”

It was something that Benedict Blue had the right to say, exactly because they had been doing everything together from the start.

“Hey, don’t take it in a weird way. I ain’t saying this to be malicious. You left the Auto-Memories Doll department in the head office ‘cause your wish to watch over V is a big deal, right? I get it. She’s special to you.”

“That’s not it; I—”

“But she won’t be a kid forever. She’s different from back when she started working, with you teaching her everything. She’s someone who’s gonna let go of your hand one day. She ain’t your real daughter or your girlfriend. Then, if you had to say what she is, at the end of the day, she’s your employee. You’ll part ways one day. If you don’t get ready for that now, will you manage to get over it if she marries into that bastard’s family and he makes her leave the company?”

“Will you manage to get over it?” The question ruminated in Hodgins’s heart.

Benedict had shot him where it hurt without mercy. He was a gun expert. His aim was precise and the bleeding made Hodgins want to hold his own chest down.

——Will I recover if I ever have to be separated from Violet Evergarden? Hodgins pondered earnestly over the question. ——I don’t know.

He truly did not know.

Bonds were things that could not easily break off once they had connected, yet reality, time and busyness unpityingly caused the existence of “friends” to grow far apart.

——To the point that I don’t know, I...

Surely, a day like this would not happen five years from now. Their place to return to amidst the rain would be somewhere else.

——It’s not just her, but also you and everyone else.

To begin with, they might not even be working in the company itself anymore until then. More of them would fall for someone, nurture their love and move their places to be in life to their “homes”.

Twenty, thirty years from now, it might be hard for them to even work. Or they would not be alive – there was also that possibility.

The one who was more aware of this than anybody else was Hodgins, the oldest of them all.

——I’m the one who’s farthest apart in age.

That was exactly why he did not know.

“I have no idea.”

He did not want to see it. Did not want to think about it.

“I have too many things that matter to me, so I can’t make a move anymore. Y’know, you... you might aught at this, but... rather than when you’re young, getting hurt becomes scarier when you grow older. You start losing the energy to do your best and heal. It’s tiring. Still...”

Hodgins had thought that the youth in front of him, who referred to him as “Old Man” on a daily basis, was probably going to laugh, yet Benedict was expressionless.

“Still...”

He did nothing but listen. His posture of properly listening at times like these somewhat...

——...looks like Little Violet.

“Still, I know I’m the one who has to get moving the most. I’m getting everyone involved in the things I wanna do. That’s why I do what I have to. I also counted on you, because I trust you. I left it in your care. But... that and my feelings for her and you guys...”

“I get it.”

“...are different things, right? Y’know, you’re... mean. I’m like a foster parent to you, and yet... Even if you understand my loneliness...”

While Hodgins spoke as if bursting out, Benedict put a hand to his mouth as though to stop him. “I get it.”

Time halted completely.

Was he supporting the flustered figure of the one who was like a parent to him?

“My bad.”

Before he had noticed, he was carrying a load of things he must protect. Was he doing this due to realizing that he had left Hodgins to chance, thinking, “That’s because it’s him”?

“My bad. That just now was on me.”

Silence.

“I didn’t have to pick today to say this. Isn’t that right?”

“You think I’m being lame right now, don’t you?”

“Nah, you ain’t all that cool in the first place.”

“That’s a lie; I’m a generally-acknowledged beautiful young man... no, beautiful middle-aged man.”

“You might not be cool, but well, that’s what’s good about you. Right?”

Silence.

“The cool thing about my Claudia Hodgins is his uncool side.”

Since Benedict was speaking as if to comfort a child, Hodgins told him to “shut up”, slightly annoyed, yet burst into laughter nevertheless.

   The rain caused all sorts of things to pour. The way that people were drowned by the drops trickling down from the sky inevitably made them think about something.

As dawn broke, Claudia Hodgins sat up, body heavy from not getting much sleep. When he peeked at his room’s bed, Violet and Cattleya were sleeping wrapped in the same blanket. On the sofa, Benedict was scattered about, snoring in a way that made him want to laugh.

Hodgins looked for where Lux Sibyl might be. He went down from the third to the second floor, and then from the second to the first floor. She was nowhere to be found.

While thinking it could not be possible, Hodgins opened the front door, and sure enough, he could see the figure of a girl walking down the street towards him.

The clothes she had put to dry yesterday were surely half-wet. What was it that she wanted to do outside so badly to the point of going this far? He understood when he saw what she had in her arms.

“Ah, President.”

Lux was holding a paper bag with a lot of bread in it. The amount was enough that the small girl’s face could not be seen.

“Little Lux... could it be you went to buy us breakfast?”

Thinking back, this young woman was the kind of person who was always quick to act when she was trying to do something for someone. That was all it took to be a considerate person, but without kindness in their heart, they would not turn out this way. The reason why Hodgins had nominated her his secretary was not just that she could do any sort of work.

“That’s so nice.”

“Yes, the bakery owner is very nice. I woke up a bit too early, and when I went on a walk to see how things were outside, the bakery was just about to open and they were getting ready... I went to take a look ‘cause it seemed so delicious and they told me to come in.”

“Ah, hm...”

“I was so touched when they said they baked bread for people who were hungry early in the morning, so I told them many thanks for selling them and bought lots of it. It’s the bakery from that street around the corner.”

“As expected of my secretary. Did you properly get the receipt?”

At those words, Lux showed him a smile that resembled a blooming flower. “Huhu, of course.”

For Hodgins, who had spent the night deep in thought about all sorts of things, that smile was a soothing one. It was like the water of a lake for someone who was feeling thirsty.

Hodgins wordlessly took the bag from Lux. “Little Lux, I’m seriously glad you came to us.”

“Only in this kind of situation, right?”

“All the time. Always. Little Lux, you’re still young, will probably keep working with us... and you’re such a good secretary... I’m the happiest CEO in Leidenschaftlich.”

“Are you going to hire me for life?”

“Eh?”

“Is that a no?”

“No, I could. But that’d mean working with me for life, y’know?”

“Is that bad? I have nowhere else to go.”

When asked with such an innocent look, Hodgins faltered.

“I won’t say the stuff Benedict does, like wanting the company for me.”

“Well, I might... end up giving it to you if you say that, so don’t ever. Hahah... Of course, keep working for us forever and always at my place. Huh, this is kinda like a marriage vow... Wanna take this opportunity and marry me in the future? Just kidding...” Upon thinking that the jest that came out incidentally was an unsavory one right after saying it, Hodgins looked at Lux’s reaction, only to find her staring back at him blankly. He had made himself into a caricature of an old man bothering a girl. “No, it was a prank! But hey. Little Lux, you might be the only one who can go along with me, so having this kind of small talk is... I-I’m not looking at you with dirty eyes, really! We’re too far apart in age, after all! We’re c-close enough that we can crack this kind of joke to each other, right?”

Lux pretended to think for just a few seconds. “Huhu, I can tell. That it’s a joke, at least. But not happening. We’re not getting married.”

And then, she flat-out rejected him.

“Ah, yes.” Although Hodgins would have been at loss if she had accepted it, his shoulders dropped somewhat.

“But President, I’m prepared to nurse you if you ever become unable to work.”

“Don’t... suddenly thrust such a cruel reality at me.”

“Eh, is it? From my point of view... this is quite a deep form of love. President, you’re the first decent adult who accepted me. I’ll devote my whole life to you.”

“Little Lux, you sure like me a lot. Gonna marry me after all?”

This time, Lux actually grinned and replied, “I’ll take that one home and consider it.”

“Amazing; that answer’s like the business talk at the company.”

“Because you’re teasing me... even though you’re well-aware that I don’t even know love yet.”

“Don’t know love yet”. The destructive power of those words caused Hodgins to regret his lighthearted proposal a little.

“Then, I’ll ask again in about five years. I should be at a nice middle age by then.”

“You say that, President, but you’re going on a trip with some hottie next week. I know it.”

The duo, who somehow seemed like they would or other be hanging together for a long time, returned to the office with bouncing chatter.

   In order to make breakfast for everyone together, Hodgins and Lux stood in the kitchen by themselves.

Besides the already-baked bread, they would need drinks and vegetables. Those were merely simple preliminary preparations, but Hodgins felt that just this was somehow enjoyable, unlike doing the work on his own.

“President, you have yours with one sugar cube and a slice of lemon, right?”

“And for Little Lux, it’s two sugar cubes with milk, yeah? I know it.”

While arranging the bread on a plate, they also poured water over the tealeaves and left them to steam. Perhaps due to the scenery that could be seen from the kitchen’s small window being a blue sky with not a single cloud in it, it was awfully dazzling.

“Good morning.”

The next person who appeared amidst the morning sunlight was Violet. Her soft golden hair was just a bit disheveled. Hodgins’s hand naturally reached out to it.

“Morning... You’ve got a bedhead, Little Violet.”

“Excuse me...” Violet looked back at Hodgins as he caressed her head, seeming a little embarrassed. Her eyes were just slightly red. She might have not been able to sleep very well.

“Morning, Violet. Are Cattleya and Benedict also up?”

“Benedict was awake until a while ago, but when I got up from the bed, he began sleeping again by Cattleya’s side.”

“Morally speaking, it’s that kinda thing. I’ll go give him a warning.”

Hodgins laughed a little, seeing Lux off as she walked away while rotating her tiny shoulders. He then turned his gaze back to Violet. Her bedhead, which he had supposedly fixed with the caressing, had returned. For some reason, both of them being alone like this in a kitchen bathed in morning sunlight struck him as extremely peculiar.

Just the two of them, having such a tender time. How many more opportunities would they have for that?

They were already at it. He should talk about something. That was what Hodgins thought, but the words did not come out of him. Not because he had no topic to discuss. He could come up with as many things to talk about as he wanted, such wanting flowers to decorate the table or that they would surely have many customers today who were unable to come yesterday.

But he did not want to spoil this morning. He felt that it might crumble if he spoke even one sentence.

Violet was there. She had her blue eyes directed his way, looking at him. It was no longer awkward for the two of them to stay silent. That was their relationship.

Perhaps still sleepy, she was in a haze. He wanted to watch her standing amidst this gentle time for a little longer.

As she would usually always seem wide-awake, Hodgins believed that she was laidback to this extent due to being in the presence of people with whom she could be at ease from the bottom of her heart. That he had played a part in this feeling of security of hers.

——Will you forget one day?

One day, the position that Claudia Hodgins occupied in the life of Violet Evergarden would become smaller.

——She only gets bigger on my end, though.

Going to the hospital numerous times. Pushing her wheelchair. Giving her a notebook and teaching her how to write.

——I for sure can’t forget. These moments, days, everything like this with you.

The fact that he had not stopped her from fighting in the war. That he had thought they could use her.

——I can’t forget.

Delivering to Violet an outfit that could hide her prosthetic arms, yet that would also make her look her most beautiful.

——I’m sure I won’t forget about this morning either.

About that quiet morning, which was much like the one from before everyone was caught in the great storm and barged in.

Hodgins touched Violet’s hair again. Although she had told Benedict not to touch it, with Hodgins, she all but slightly left a strand in his hand’s care and let him take it, almost like how a cat would do.

——Aah, I want to hug you.

He was not in love with her. That would never be the case.

However, if she were his real daughter, on days like these, mornings like these, he would have easily said, “Good morning, precious” and embraced her.

“I had a dream, President Hodgins,” Violet whispered out of the blue with a freshly awake, faintly hoarse voice.

“Dream...?”

The stunning young woman, who was no longer a girl, talked about her dream like a child, “Yes; in the dream... you owned a clothing store.”

“Huhu, that so?”

“I cannot make clothes. You told me that you did not need me, President Hodgins, if I could not make clothes...”

“That’s horrible of me, huh.”

“Even when I said I could polish the shoes, clean up or do anything, you did not listen...”

Unlike the real one, the dream version of Hodgins had apparently chosen to part ways with Violet.

“Little Violet, what did you do about that?”

“I asked countless times. However, you rejected it countless times. I thought about standing in front of the shop until you allowed me in, but it started raining like yesterday.”

“Hm. And then?”

“Major Gilbert came to pick me up and told me to come home with him, but...”

“Hm.”

“I waited for President to come out of the store even as the lights went out.”

“Hm.”

“Despite waiting and waiting, President Hodgins did not come out, and at some point, a passerby told me, ‘This shop has moved’.”

“Even though it was open until just a moment ago?”

“It was a dream, after all... And then – and then, I asked where it was and went after it. Benedict and Cattleya also appeared in-between, but they seemed to have other things to do, saying they would come after me later... As for Lux, she was the only one who had been hired by you from the very beginning, so she also asked you to hire me again, but in the end, you said no could do.”

“Hm...” Suddenly, Hodgins felt so pained about everything that it was hard to breathe. “And then, Little Violet, what did you do...?” His hand reached out to Violet.

“I kept looking at the interior of the store beyond the shop window from outside.”

Not towards her head, but towards her eyes, where her golden lashes fluttered like the wings of a fairy.

“Inside it, many people – people that I know and do not know – came and left... showing how lively the shop was.”

A sea had silently formed in them, which dissolved and disappeared once Hodgins’s index finger touched it.

“Major came to pick me up for the nth time and said you had told him that my standing there was causing him problems. But, for whatever reason, I at the very least knew that if I stepped away from there even for a moment, you would never let me in... therefore, I could not comply. But I did not want to trouble you, President, so I was unable to make a decision... I attempted to ask Major for instructions, but he was also gone before I realized.”

The sea – the teardrop – turned into a pearl and slipped down her cheek.

“I... I... ended up crying.” Violet stared at the sky, the look in her eyes seeming almost as if the scene from her dream was there at this very moment. “To think I would cry like that...”

“Hm.”

“That was why President Hodgins would not hire me, I thought... And also why Major had grown tired and left.”

“Hm.”

“Then, without my notice, you came outside. You looked the same as that post-war day when you went to visit me at the hospital. You were very surprised with my appearance, as I was soaked with mud and rain. And so, you said this: ‘Guess we’ll start with how to hold a needle’. You told me that you had not invited me for the new job because it would surely be difficult with these hands of mine, so I was extremely relieved... Then, then...” Violet’s words cut off at once.

Unable to hold himself back, Hodgins pulled her into an embrace as if shoving her little head into his chest.

While being embraced, Violet said with eyes that looked as though she was still dreaming, “...with some effort, I could still be helpful. I was able to confirm this, after all.”

Hearing her let out a relieved sigh in his arms, Hodgins forgot about both his and Violet’s positions, clasping her to his chest very, very firmly. “You sure are helpful... Was there anything about me that made you feel uncertain?” Upon realizing that his voice sounded tearful, Hodgins allowed the tears to overflow at the truth.

——Aah, I’m such an idiot. Got caught up in it and ended up crying too.

As the girl whom he thought of as his own daughter, despite her being an actual adult, had shed tears, he found himself crying along with her. Almost like a child. Even though he was supposed to conduct himself as an elder in this situation.

“I do not know.”

“But, has anything like that ever happened until now...? You had that dream because you were uneasy.”

“‘Uneasy’... That might have been the case. Yesterday night, I came to know that many things were progressing while I was away, so I have the feeling that I was quite agitated.”

“Sorry; we were doing things on our own accord. Even though we’ve been together since the founding.”

“No, I am often absent, and it is only natural for some things to be decided in the meantime. I am an employee. I feel that your judgement is correct. Employees must correspond to the changes of a company. My surroundings are about to change significantly. I am grateful to you, President, for letting me be here like always. However...”

“‘However’...?”

“However, I do not know if I can cope with it. With the matters regarding Major, the ones regarding the company... with the fact that Benedict will be going to a different office building. When I think about these things...”

“It’s okay.”

“When I think about them, I realize that the number of things I should prioritize has increased too much.”

“Little Violet.”

“The order of priorities...”

“It’s all right.”

“I have to deal with situations of every kind as I live, and yet...”

——Surely, Violet Evergarden wouldn’t be alive if she didn’t do that.

Always, at all times.

She had been living through corresponding to her surroundings despite being at loss regarding its circumstances, putting everything she could do to use while looking for a place to belong and an adult who would take care of her. She was not allowed to waver. For beasts, hesitation was death.

Violet did not know unconditional love. She now had at last earned herself this warm place through her efforts, but it was about to suffer a rapid change with the course of time.

After running, running and running, Violet – previously one such beast – was watching the nest she had finally found crumble down. Even when people knew they had to prepare to start running again, there would come a time when they would be short of breath and unable to move.

Violet had gone from wild animal to person.

Her human parts and animal parts co-existed, occasionally revealing themselves. When she was the animal, she simply did not mind how much a place changed as long as she could live in it. However, it was difficult to live while holding something better, more important.

Now that she had become a person through the increasing of her emotions...

“I shall fight. I can always be of use. President Hodgins, please forget this aspect of me that I just showed you.”

...she had turned into just a girl who was a little bit scared of the future.

“Please... forget about it.”

Who had made her this way? Gilbert was likely the first, but the ones who had done the finishing touches were definitely all the people in this place.

“No way, I’m not forgetting.”

At Hodgins’s words, Violet lowered her eyebrows, looking troubled.

“Don’t make a face like that; I’m not teasing. I meant to say that you don’t need to worry about it. You indeed might’ve gotten weak. But is that a bad thing? You had nothing when you met me for the first time. Not even your brooch, right...? But now you have lots of things. You went on a journey for a long time and got more stuff to shoulder while you were at it, so it’s no wonder that you’d end up in a dilemma.” Albeit knowing that Cattleya, Benedict and Lux were looking at them in shock from the shadows at the doorway, Hodgins went on, “You know... life is a journey. Little Violet, you’ll go on this journey, won’t you?”

He had already forgotten about his anxiety. The feeling of frustration at such things and the overwhelming wish to cling to someone were now gone.

“You started your journey with a little less luggage than other people, so you’re staring at your bag now that it’s gotten a bit heavy, wondering what happened to it. You don’t know what to throw away anymore.”

He was able to think, from the depths of his heart, that he had returned to his usual self. While embracing her, who was indeed still young and confused in the middle of her journey, he was finally able to think so.

“You need clothes and money, of course, and good shoes are vital. Right, and an umbrella too. When you look into your bag and realize that you actually have nothing that you can get rid of, it’s indeed a problem. Even though it’s a hassle because it’s so heavy. What do you think you should do?”

He could still be useful.

“Train... my physical strength... No, calibrate my prosthetics...”

He was still needed.

“You’re such a fool... Either leave it in someone’s care and continue the journey or have someone take half of it.”

Even if it were only for a short while.

“Gilbert will probably take half of the luggage. I can take care of the rest that you can’t carry over here. I’ll be in Leidenschaftlich forever, after all. Little Violet, no matter where you go, I’ll stay here and wait for you to come back, and no matter when you come over, I’ll welcome you. I’ll take care of the contents of your bag with pleasure.”

——Even if you only remember me a few times a year someday...

“Listen up: whenever you’re troubled, remember that I’m here. And then you’ll be able to go on a journey again anytime.”

——...I’ll ready myself to welcome you at any time of the year.

“Am I really supposed to leave my luggage here?”

——I’m the kind of man who can do that, and you need it for sure.

“Hm-hm, that’s not it. Y’see, this is about memories. All you have to do is to know. That I’m here. This is the way to make your luggage lighter. Whenever you’re having problems, bam, remember me. If you do that, the worries you have now will definitely decrease a little. Y’know, at the end of the day... people’s place to come home to aren’t places, they’re ‘somebody’. You should know that much. You’d have gone to any battlefield if Gilbert was there, right? Someday, yes, you might quit being an Auto-Memories Doll. You might not come back to Leidenschaftlich.”

——It’ll be great if this “someday” never comes, though.

“But your current memories are with me. I’ll be a representation of them. So that you, my dear... will be able to open your memories anytime. When this moment right now becomes nostalgic to you, come see me. I’ll always be here. Waiting for you. You’re feeling ‘lonely’ right now. But... Little Violet. You have me. You’re not alone.”

——I want you to remember.

“I do not understand very well... However...”

——I’m always protecting you.

“...you have always guided me.”

——Waiting for your return.

“I never doubt your word.”

——I’ll be waiting here.

“But, President Hodgins, I have only one wish.”

——I want you to show up when your journey ends.

Deciding to deal with the sobbing coming from behind the door later, Hodgins opted for staying like this for just a bit longer. Her lover might get angry if he saw it, but he had the right to do it, at least to some extent. After all, she was Claudia Hodgins’s dear employee.

Hodgins asked with a particularly gentle tone, “What would it be, Little Violet?”

Violet blinked and looked up at Hodgins. The last drop spilled from her eyes.

“If, only if... there comes a time when you will quit the postal company and start doing something else...”

“Hm.”

“...please call me. No matter where you are, I will rush to you.”

“Hm.”

“I will definitely be of help... Even if not, should your luggage become too much, please call me when you need someone to carry it for you. I shall hasten to visit you.”

“For real?”

“Yes. I, too, will carry President’s luggage. You should know it. I am strong.”

“Huhu, yep, definitely. One day, you’ll understand what I mean by ‘luggage’. Hey...”

No one would imagine that a single drop could be the start of something so big. However, it would earn itself great meaning after a while passed. Should it continue pouring, it could also summon boundless blessings and curses.

   “Hiya, I’m Hodgins. What’s your name?”

Silence.

“This kid’s such a taciturn.”

“She... doesn’t have a name yet. She’s an orphan with no education. Can’t talk either.”

“That’s so terrible of you. She’s such a beauty. Just give a name worthy of her.”

   “Little Violet, thanks for meeting me.”

Love was almost like rain.

#violet evergarden #fyeahvioletevergarden #veedit #kyoani #kyoto animation #violet evergarden ever after #claudia hodgins #benedict blue #cattleya baudelaire #lux sibyl #akatsuki kana #takase akiko #my translation #novel

[davidmann95]

I know that you have given many thoughts about what your ideal Superman would be

But I am interested in seeing this in one concise essay

Mind giving us a essay on how you would write your ideal Superman if given the creative freedom to do so?

Why not? No reveals of what I'd do story-wise or big original concepts, but if I could decide the background and setup of Superman entirely to my specifications (though please note I've mellowed out over the years on the necessity of several of these for maintaining a functional status quo for the character):

* Ideally he debuted as Superman and was the worlds' first public superbeing. If my control doesn't extend to the rest of the DCU and the Justice Society was still a thing, he debuted publicly as Superboy as no more or less than Smallville's hometown hero ("Aw, the superhero kid is calling himself Superboy, that's adorable!"), and the journey of how he went from that to The Greatest Of All Time would be a big event in-universe unto itself and coincides with him becoming Superman.

* No interactive Jor-El and Lara holograms at the Fortress, which is a tesseract ala the early 2000s and DC One Million.

* Pa is definitely dead, if Ma's alive she no longer lives in Smallville because unless you're really delving into it ala Superman & Lois it shouldn't be a big part of his life anymore.

* Clark looks roughly like Oscar Isaac, indisputably in the 'classic' mold for the character visually (square jaw, old school Hollywood handsome, pretty much the same hair) but not white.

* Lois while not Iron Man has some kind of ray gun or forcefield or assorted tech to get her plausibly by modern standards into and out of phenomenally dangerous situations in her capacity as a reporter so you don't have to jump through hoops to include her in the A-plot.

* Jon is still a kid. I've infinitely preferred the stories featuring him as a teenager but I'll need to see a lot more play out before deciding "Clark's public with his identity and also leads the Authority, Jon's the new main Superman" would be my new ideal ongoing setup forever, and Jon as a kid has more potential all things being equal than him as a teenager if the latter's without those additional layers. Related note, Jon goes by Superkid.

* Kara and Conner are around as Superwoman and (Superboy? Superguy? Supernova?) doing their own things. Bizarro is an accepted family friend who sometimes visits from Htrae and, due to his inherited super-intellect, actually capable of speaking 'forwards' if he strains himself.

* Lex used to be the corporate guy, now is the mad scientist.

* Future and multiversal counterparts aren't part of the regular cast but embedded as standard parts of his world to the same extent as, say, Kandor.

* Also Kandor is very significantly altered in ways I'd just as soon keep to myself because you never know, but suffice it to say it isn't a literal bunch of tiny Kryptonians hanging around in the Fortress anymore.

* Metropolis is fully an abstract comic book city ala Gotham or Opal or Millennium, not New York.

* His powers narratively scale infinitely upwards to whatever's 'just enough'. He'll strain if he's gotta pull a planet on a chain if that's what's dramatic, he can pull off abstract feats like lifting a book of infinite pages too when that's cool. He'll have to huff it to catch a bullet if he's starting from really far away but also can fly a billion gazillion times faster than light in space. Justify it however you like.

* He has a costume progression (since him having distinct phases of his career marked visually is a plus) that's roughly 'his mom made the original suit using the baby blanket as a cape and modeled off the roughest early images he got of Krypton' < 'he got some kind of Kryptonian uniform/armor except it didn't look completely stupid' < 'he mastered Kryptonian tech enough that he could update Ma's suit with those benefits and go back to it'.

* His assorted identities are all kinda real and all kinda fake, though aside from who he is when alone with Lois Superman is the realest.

#Superman #fanfic #Opinion

[queensupremes]

Elaboration, because I was asked —

TW: domestic violence, gun/knife mentions, overall T R A U M A.

I met a man who, at first sight, was what I thought was a good man. He made me feel special, like I mattered. He made me feel appreciated and important, he wanted to spend every minute of every day with me, and he seemingly wanted a life with me. I, unfortunately, took the bait.

Things were good for awhile. I was happy. I was excited, because for the first time, I thought I’d finally found someone who was good for me. My friends liked him, he meshed well with us, and I was head over heels.

Eventually, he became more and more erratic. We’d argue more than anything else and one night, in an argument in my kitchen, he said, “I’m just gonna leave.” Me, not being one to try to beg a man to stay with me, said, “if that’s really what you want to do, I’m not going to stop you.” To that, his response was to hold me against the door to my pantry with his butterfly knife. He said, “don’t ever try to leave me.” He said he and his “homies” knew where I lived, where I worked, and would “torch” me to the ground. So I retracted. This would go on for months.

I didn’t tell a soul. I was terrified, alone, and didn’t have anywhere to turn. Eventually, my friends began to catch on. They’d question why I never had my car, why I was always late to work, how I had a full time job and no money. I’d make excuses because I felt like I had to defend him and blame myself. He didn’t come home for 4 weeks at one point. Excuses, excuses, excuses. He had my car the entire time. I had to get a rental to get to work and honestly, I felt he would never come back. So I went to a shady used car dealership and town and got a new car. My best friend moved into my apartment with me, and things were seemingly back to normal.

He came back without my car. It had been impounded by border patrol and he was unable to get it out. I told him that he couldn’t use my new car because it wasn’t registered yet, to which he chose violence once more. At that point, I’d had the car for just three weeks. When I finally gathered the courage to tell him that I was done and the relationship was over, in my own vehicle after he’d picked me up from work, he went ballistic. He snatched my phone out of my hands and put it in his pocket and revealed a gun that was between the seat and center console. He waved it in my face. He pointed it in my direction and said, “no baby, we’re going home.” What is usually a 20 minute drive home turned into 2 hours. For two hours, he positioned his gun to me as he drove with what seemed like no direction.

When we finally got to my apartment, he said he would gather his things and leave. I told him I would get his things for him if he would just wait outside and give me the keys so I could get in because my roommate was asleep. He gave me back my phone, but he said he didn’t trust me. He held his gun to my back as he tried to open the door from behind me. He kept it there while he gathered his belongings. He berated me the entire time, threatening my life, my roommates life, my dogs life. Name calling and wild accusations. I tried to tell him I would drop him off at a motel or one of his friends houses, to which he responded by putting his gun to my temple. “You’re not going anywhere with me.” And he left.

I woke up my roommate and we called the police. When he found out that police had gone to his friends house looking for him, he sent me a slew of threatening messages, to which I couldn’t respond to due to the restraining order I had requested. The lack of response only made him more angry.

He was arrested in Corona, CA, his hometown, five days later. He had stolen plates on my car. It was impounded, and they told me I had to go there to pick it up. It took me over a week to find a way to get there. I had no money, just my own belongings and the paperwork from the dealership to show proof of sale in my name. Thankfully, a friend of mine was heading to California anyway, and Corona was on the way there so she offered to take me. By the time we got there, I was told by the Corona PD that it would be free to have the car released. The impound yard, however, had their own fees. Upwards of $2000 that I, nor my friend had. I left California without my car. It was repossessed, and even with the bank offering to give it back if I paid $13,000, I couldn’t get it back.

Since then, I have struggled to get back on my feet. I have since moved far from my old apartment, but I struggle to make ends meet. What’s worse, I was recently let go from my job due to circumstances out of my control. I have applied for multiple jobs, but back and forth ubers to and from interviews have dwindled my savings to negatives, and employers are looking for candidates with a reliable means of transportation. I’ve figured out my living situation and everything else in my life except a car. I’ve reached my breaking point. I am not the type to beg for help, hence why my friend started the gofundme campaign instead of me. I was angry when she first told me, but now I realize I don’t really have any other options. I wouldn’t be asking for help if I hadn’t already exhausted all other options.

If anyone can help, whether by sharing or donating even a dollar, it would be much appreciated. I’m at my wits end. But I also know that should the goal be reached, I will pay it forward. $1000 of the goal money will go towards SafeNest, which is a non-profit organization in Las Vegas that is dedicated to stopping the epidemic of domestic violence in the Clark County (Las Vegas and surrounding cities) area.

Please help if you can. It’d mean the world to me.

#gofundme #signal boost #crowd funding #mutual aid #Las Vegas #charity #this is literally so embarrassing #pay it forward #SafeNest #cash app #Venmo #PayPal #send help #financial help #idk what else to tag #donation #aapi community #donation post

[brattywriters-anonymous]

Shoot Your Shot

I found this meme and it screamed Cray Cray Erik so I chose to try my hand at this lol

Erik Stevens x Kesia (pronounced Kee-sa) Mannor (OC)

“Baaabe you know I gotta find a new outfit for my promotion party! I must’ve looked in my closet a million times and I couldn’t find anything!” Kesia was on facetime with her boyfriend of six months, Erik Stevens. When they first got together, she didn’t know much about him, except for he was in the Navy for six years before getting out and whilst enlisted he got his bachelors and master  degrees in Engineering. He kept information about himself simple with Kesia.

“Girl, you look amazing in whatever you wear! Why you gotta go up to that mall? You know that’s where all them thirsty ass niggas be at.” Erik protests. Kesia rolls her eyes, “Aye! What I tell you about rolling your eyes at me?!” Erik’s face goes stoic. It sends a chill down Kesia’s spine as she immediately responds, “Don’t do it.” He nods, “Exactly.” “I’ll only be gone for an hour, I’ll be back at my house and you can see me try it on!” “You got 59 minutes, babygirl. Make em count!”

--

Kesia puts the finishing touches on her makeup as Erik admires her from her bed, “Damn baby, you sure we can’t just celebrate in the crib tonight? I’d make it worth skipping your party...” He saunters over to her and attempts wraps himself around her from the back, she slivers out of his grasp, walking to the kitchen, “Mmm mm! I worked my ass off for this gig, I’m celebrating with my people, and my baaaabyy.. We can do all of that when we’re drunk and back here!” Erik curses under his breath and accepts defeat. Just as he was about to sit back down on Kesia’s bed, her phone rings. It’s an unknown Oakland number. Erik knows everything about Kesia so he knows she doesn’t leave numbers unsaved. He yells towards the kitchen, “Keeee! Who’s calling you from this unknown number?!” 

Kesia freezes in her tracks, “Uhhh.. idk baby. Maybe a telemarketer.” Erik twists his lip, “Hmph.” His “spidey senses” as Kesia loved to put it, were tingling. He always knew when something wasn’t right.. She blames it on his deployments and overall lack of trust in people. He accepts the incoming call.

“Yeee, ay wassup shorty! This Dontay, dude from the mall earlier! Sorry it took me a few to call you, I had a few errands to run. But you free tonight?” Kesia scurries into her room once she hears the stranger’s voice. Erik shakes his head at her and hangs up the phone. “I told you about them thirsty ass niggas at the mall!”

DING! DING!

Her phone lights up as an incoming text pops up from the unsaved contact, Kesia reaches toward Erik for her phone, he raises it above his head and out of her reach, “Nah. You need not worry about this phone tonight. Finish getting dressed.” She pouts as she sits down to put her heels on.

--

Kesia has been entertaining all of her loved ones since she arrived at her promotion party Erik put together for her at a new Reggae club in downtown Oakland called New Karibbean City. Erik has purposefully been apart from her the entire time, yet he has her phone on lock. It doesn’t help that his face unlocks it as well. Kesia has seen enough of him typing away on her phone so she sneaks away from the party as she sees him heading to the restrooms.

“E!” He turns around, “Ke?” He responds in the same tone as her, “Can I have my phone back?” He looks up in the air as if he’s thinking about it, then he hands it to her from his pants pocket. She unlocks it and doesn’t see a trace of the unknown number. Not in the call history or text messages. She raises her eyebrow, “Erik Stevens.. What did you do?” he shrugs, “I didn’t do anything” He embraces his girlfriend as he congratulates her, “I’m proud of you Ke. You really did work hard for the promotion. I’ll see you when you get to the house. The key still under that plant on the porch?” Kesia looks confused, “Uh.. yeah. Where are you going?” Erik lets out a deep, yet scary laugh, “The less you know..” He gives her a long, deep kiss on her red stained lips, then leaves out the back door.

--

Kesia gets out of her Uber, stumbling to her door. She struggles to unlock her door and get in her dark house, thinking her boyfriend is already sleeping. “Good, I don’t gotta get yelled at tonight. I was NOT tryna hear--” “Hear what, princess?” Erik’s brassy voice comes from the far corner of her living room, Kesia jumps, “SHIT ERIK! Why you standing over there in the damn dark?” Erik ignores Kesia’s inquiry, takes a seat on the couch, whilst grabbing the remote control. “Come, sit.” Kesia does as she’s told.

Erik turns on the television then changes the channel to 2.

“Good evening Oakland! This is Noah Clark for your 10PM News on DWOL Channel 2. BREAKING NEWS from the Eastmont Hills area. Covering the story is our reporter, Rebecca Moore, Rebecca? What do ya have?”

There’s a pregnant pause as the reporter listens in for the host’s question, “Yes, I am here on the corner of 79th Avenue and Hillside Street where this home that you see behind me, has been riddled with bullets around 8:45 this evening. Police that arrived on the scene believes that two to three suspects drove past this residence and unloaded shots from tactical T-91 assault rifles. Our Oakland PD SWAT doesn’t even have these in their possession. A witness who seems to live in this home, tells us what happened.” The program transitions to an interview that was recorded slightly earlier to a familiar face, “Yeah, so.. I was waiting on this girl I just met to pull up on me. I was on the porch. Next thing I know, my dog started barking from the back yard. As soon as I turned to see what she was barking at, I hear shots. I duck down for cover! I don’t know who could’ve done this. I don’t got no enemies.” The sound fades out as Rebecca’s voice forms in the background, “Twenty nine year old Dontay Phillips lives in this southeast Oakland home with his bedridden grandmother who was stirred awake by the 57 shots let off by these military grade weapons. Luckily no one was shot in the melee of gunfire, but it sure did shake Phillips up.” Dontay’s voice pans back in, “I’m grateful to the lord above me and my granny still here.”

Kesia watches the tv in awe. She cannot believe that Erik shot up Dontay’s grandmother’s house, She looks up at her conniving boyfriend, “How did yo--” He slips his hand in between her thighs where her phone rested and holds it up, “I told you.. the less you know..” Kesia slaps his arm, “You could’ve killed them!” “Ke, you know if I wanted Dontay dead, he would’ve been dead. I ain’t know he lived in his grandma house. He flexed to m---to you that he lived alone.” “Waiit.. He did what now?” Erik explains that while you were keeping your friends and family company, he was texting Dontay telling him that you were free for the night, plans got canceled. He sent you--Erik his address and told you--him.. that he lives alone. “He’s lucky I just wanted to scare his bitch ass. If I wanted to kill him, him and his granny would’ve been gone..” Erik cuts the TV off then stares at you.. awaiting for a response. “Why are they saying there were multiple assault rifles? You got somebody to do this crazy shit with you?” Erik flashes his bottom fangs as he cheeses at her odd question, “I got three of those bad bitches! I call em Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup.” Kesia rolls her eyes at his names for his guns that could’ve killed some guy you had no intentions of even getting to know. “I just switched em out every 20 or so rounds.. each one got a different serial number on the shells.. all of em are impossible to track.”

Kesia stares at him for a spell, then she bursts out laughing. “Okay so you CRAZY CRAZY? Got it!” Erik protests, “Uhh uh. I told you about them thirsty ass niggas. You had the audacity to give that sucka ass nigga yo number.. I had to regulate. Oh, and I blocked his number after I deleted the text thread and his call.” With that, Erik gets up and snatches his shirt off. That makes Kesia gasp with a hint of a moan. Erik’s ears perk up after hearing it, “So you coming to bed baby? Let’s finish celebrating that promotion.” Kesia grabs his hand and leads him to her bedroom while shaking her head at her crazy boyfriend, “Let’s.”

--

Hope you all like it! I know I’m rusty as shit but hopefully requests will roll in and I can get back in the swing of things. 

@chaneajoyyy​ What my favorite librarian think about it?!

#bp fanfic #bp fanfiction #bp au #Erik Stevens #Erik Stevens x oc #erik stevens fanfic #crazy!erik #Erik Killmonger #erik killmonger x oc #erik killmonger fanfiction #erik killmonger fandom

[blodreina-noumou]

What's your favorite underrated Murphy moment?

I can only pick one? Impossible! I’ll give you my top 3. In no particular order, because this man is underrated in countless ways!

1 - “Your plan was better, let’s go.”

In 4x01, Emori is scavenging and preparing to flee Polis in the aftermath of the City of Light fiasco. Murphy manages to convince her that they’ll be safe with Skaikru, which is a sweet scene on its own. But my favorite moment of his comes when we see him next. 

Polis is tense, on the verge of breaking out into battle, and Skaikru is planning how they’ll keep the peace long enough for Roan to wake up and retake control. Murphy walks up to Bellamy, who’s standing with Indra and Kane. Murphy only needs to hear about thirty seconds of their plan - which includes Bellamy risking his life and offering Azgeda guns, to keep Echo occupied long enough for Abby to save Roan - before he realizes that his assumptions of safety among his people were wrong. Still he plays along for a few moments more, quietly accepts Bellamy’s gun, and goes to pretend to stand post. But in reality, he finds Emori again, and says: 

“Remember what I said about being safe with my people? Yeah, your plan was better, let’s go.”

It’s a small moment, but it shows so much about what makes Murphy amazing. He’s a survivor, not because he’s “a cockroach,” but because he’s adaptable, charming, and resourceful. This scene shows that subtly but very clearly. He hears new information, gets his hands on a weapon, and changes his plans in the span of a single scene, without doing much more than staying quiet and assessing the situation - something most other characters in this show really struggle to do.

2 - “Do I get a gun now?”

In 2x03, Bellamy and Finn are leading a team in the woods to find Clarke - a team which includes Murphy, who is pretty fresh off his Total Douchebag phase of s1. Bellamy and Finn are including him in the search party out of a lack of options more than anything else, and Murphy himself is tagging along to avoid the scrutiny of Team Adult, who have recently touched down on Earth. Nobody trusts each other, and Bellamy is still treating Murphy as expendable.

Bellamy barks out orders to his squad, leaving Murphy without an assignment until the very end. Monroe asks what Murphy will do, causing him to quip: “Yeah, do I get a gun now?” 

Bellamy snarks, “Something like that.”

The next we see of Murphy, he’s crouched at the base of a tree, tapping two stones together, looking anxious but determined. He manages to lead the Grounder they’ve targeted to a secluded spot, where Bellamy can knock him out.

At this point, although we’ve had the humanizing moment of Murphy telling Raven his story, as they both lay dying on the floor of the dropship, Murphy is still a not-yet-reformed antagonist. He hasn’t taken part in trying to save the girl on the cliff, yet, and we haven’t seen him in contrast to Finn’s later unhinged violence. He’s got a long way to go from “guy who peed on someone who asked for water” to “dashing hero who got the girl and also became a godking.” 

Because of that, there are so many wonderful little moments that help transform him in s2, but this scene is one of my favorites. It’s one of the first times we get to see Murphy used as straight-up comic relief, which is something the show will go on to fully embrace about him in the later seasons.

But it’s also one of the first times the characters get to see that Murphy actually can be a team player, and that he will put himself on the line, given the proper circumstances. Murphy has the most reason out of any of them to be afraid of the Grounders, to want nothing to do with them, to protect himself above all else - he was tortured by them, brutally, then used as a biological weapon against his people by them, and then tortured again. 

It would’ve been 100% his right to say, “No, go float yourself, I’m not facing these monsters without a gun.” But he’s brave, and far more heroic than he ever gets credit for, especially early on. This aspect of his personality only continues to develop and blossom over the next five seasons, and it’s beautiful to watch.

3 - “Tell me about Harper.”

4x13 is actually one of my all-time favorite episodes. I think it’s one of the few times this show has managed to expertly blend meaningful character moments with a compelling, exciting plot. We get to see so many sides of everyone, and the exchanges between Murphy and Monty are some of the best.

Monty (somewhat rightfully) distrusts and dislikes Murphy at this point, as the only real experience he’s had with him was when Murphy threatened to kill Jasper in early s1. Monty is freshly grieving Jasper, and it’s clear he resents Murphy’s presence. But Monty and Murphy must work together, if any of them stand a chance of surviving - including the two women they each love above anyone else, Harper and Emori, respectively.

The men are struggling to carry back a machine vital to their survival on The Ring. Monty has injured himself by removing his gloves in an effort to recover the machine, causing serious radiation burns on his hands, and he’s in a lot of pain. Despite Monty’s less-than-warm attitude towards him, Murphy does everything he can to support Monty and to distract him from his pain. 

The entire exchange is worth rereading, if it’s been a moment for y’all (it had been, for me):

(After forcing his gloves back over his radiation-burned hands, Monty reaches to lift the machine.)

Murphy: Hey, no no no no no, not with your hands, okay? I’ll do it.

Monty: It’s too heavy to carry all the way by yourself. On three. One, two, three!

(They lift the machine together, and Monty screams in agony.)

Murphy: Who knew you were a secret badass?

(Murphy and Monty start carrying the machine together, over the uneven terrain, through the pouring black rain.

Monty screams in pain again. It’s clear each step is excruciating.)

Murphy: Hey hey hey, watch your step. It’s probably a bad idea to drop the thing that’s gonna save our lives, huh?

(Monty is starting to flag, his exhaustion apparent in his face. He keeps grunting and crying out in pain.)

Murphy: Okay, okay - focus on me. Tell me about Harper.

(Monty stares up at Murphy incredulously, swaying on the spot.)

Murphy: You guys seem pretty serious, you uh, tell her you love her yet? If not, I mean, today might be the day.

Monty: I’ve told her.

Murphy (smiles): It’s crazy how it changes you, isn’t it?

Monty then proceeds to pass out. Murphy begs him to stay conscious, but after a few moments, it’s clear that he’s on his own, and that Monty is in serious danger. Murphy has to make a choice, and he makes the right one - he lifts the incredibly heavy, lifesaving machine all on his own, and staggers back to the lab, leaving Monty behind. Fortunately, they’re able to save Monty later, and he says one of my favorite Monty lines: 

“You chose the machine!? I may not hate you anymore.”

Monty and Murphy bonded here, over their love for the incredible women in their lives, and over the unfortunate and harsh reality that some things are worth dying for, worth being in pain for, worth sacrificing other people for. This scene shows so much - Murphy’s pragmatism, but also his romantic nature, his reliance on humor as a defense mechanism, and his willingness to do difficult things to survive. It’s peak John Murphy, way back in s4. 

My love for him, which had been growing strong since s2, was fully sealed with this scene.

He has many more memorable moments, but this is long enough. Thanks so much for the question! It really helps me write meta when people ask specific things. And I’ve never had the chance to really talk about Murphy!

#asks #doortotomorrow #john murphy #the 100 meta #the 100 #memori #stephspeaks

[oh-for-fic-sake]

I Just Move Things

Whilst looking through luthors drives the league find a new metahuman who is to powerfull for her own good.

Masterlist

Warnings: swearing

A/n:So this is a new series of imagines with Justice league/ teen reader obviously no smut but fluff angst and everything in between i know that the pic is starlight but that’s there more for the eyes.

(not my gif/pic)

I Just Move Things

"Seriously this girl, shes incredible, Lex didn’t have much on her he only just got the footage a day or so before the whole supes vs bat thing but we are soo lucky she wasn't involved, if she uses her head she could probably wipe all of us out, we need to get here to join" Barry was giddy as he started gushing over the new mysterious metahuman who was a prime candidate for the justice league. Arthur sighed crossing his arms

"Oh really? I'm sorry but I don't see how that tiny thing could do much damage wheres her weapon?" He said unconvinced Bruce and Clark agreed somewhat looking at the photo victor had pulled up on the screen a girl who looked around sixteen sitting at a table outside a Starbucks reading a book, she looked like a typical teenager, no muscle definition to her small form, so obviously had no combat training she looked like a regular man could snap her in two, easy to over power. Victor sighed at them.

"Looks can be deceiving every thing you see in that photo is her weapon, the ground, the air, the glass in the window behind her even the chair she's sitting on she could use all of these to impale you if she wanted to ,its quite incredible watch her here look at this video." The clip was grainy showing the inside of a corner shop, she was standing by the counter blowing bubbles in her gum paying for a small bag of groceries when a man came in holding a gun screaming at the girl at the register who quickly turned around to the cash register fumbling trying to open the cash draw as he shouted pointing the gun at her making her scream and struggle even more. The teen in question moved only to be ordered to put both her hands on the counter, she did so but as soon as she did looked over her shoulder to the door blowing yet another bubble letting it pop she was very calm for a young girl who had a gun in her face she huffed took a deep breath you could see her eyes light up a little and the metal frame above the door caved in enough to hold it closed trapping them inside, neither of the others noticed to preoccupied quickly she slid a tin can into her hand and looked at the gun tilted her head to the side eyes flickering once again and the barrel caved in on itself looking like someone had pinched the end closing the hole completely making it useless, no bullets would be firing from the weapon the man when to scream confused but was struck in the temple by the can of beans dropping to the floor in a crumpled heap she kicked the gun away in case he got up. The cashier looked around crying in relief as she saw the thief had been knocked unconscious and with a quick look the metal frame quickly snapped back to its original state. She exchanged a few words with the girl who was now on the phone to the police nodding towards the security camera  the surprised she looked up you could see her curse as she looked into the lenses a grim expression eyes flashing and the video cut off, she had broke it trying to cover herself. Silence washed over the group as they came to terms with what they saw. Clark was the first to break it

"That was, different she helped tho that is a good thing she wants to do good. To protect people" Bruce spoke up next

"She didn't take chances, but that ability, what she can do its not something to take lightly, we don't know the extent of it can she do other things?" The question was directed at victor who had been scouring the cities surveillance for her.

"I've caught her a few times on cctv doing things, she practices at night around Gotham docks. And its amazing to watch, so far from what I can tell its molecular based, solids liquids and gases. I've seen her change the shape of containers, fix broken glass, she can't fly but seems she has just started to make invisible platforms to stand on and climb and when she fell she managed to make the ground sort of turn sand like to make her fall softer and she doesn't even seem to do it consciously it just sort of happens once she got up it settled like water becoming regular concrete again. Where ever she got the gift it hasn't been long, she is still trying to control them, small things are easier, like the gun and the door, but the first time she made the invisible stairs she got a nosebleed and passed out I lost her for a few weeks but when I found her again she did it again, must have practiced somewhere else as she only got a little nose bleed and didn't pass out just got dizzy" Diana sat there contemplating

"So basically this incredible power is wrapped up in a hormonal teenager  who doesn't know how to use it yet, she is still trying to figure out what she can and cant do? And no doubt soon will start testing her limits? Bruce we need to pull her in now we can't waste any time she could hurt herself or someone else" Barry nodded they all shared a look agreeing. Time to bring her in.

"Where is she?"

"She will be at the docks again tonight around nine o'clock, she has a pattern its like clock work, docks ,chemical factory and just recently started down under the main bridge towards Metropolis playing around with water". They nodded she seemed shy Clark showing up could scare her same with Diana, Barry wouldn't be a good idea he tended to fumble his words and Arthur was well Arthur. In the end it was decided Bruce would go do the talking, after all Gotham was his turf.

Well shit gonna be hard to explain this one.... you looked down sighing it was very typical tho well for you any way. You see you had a problem, or should you say gift, you could move things not just the whole abracadabra Matilda floating thing, you could move things on a molecular level..... like clay everything is clay. After practicing you now know that you can break down solids into teeny tiny grains like sand using it as sinking sand or putting it back together in a new shape and recently discovered you could pull all the teeny tiny molecules in the air together really tight it becomes an invisible force field type thingy like an instant piece of bullet proof glass, or like a platform to stand on . It was cool but difficult to control some things more then others, for instance solids where the molecules are pack tighter are easier to manipulate then water where they are all moving then air that was tricky they were fast and hard to control. And there was limitations you couldn't change anything living or growing, no plants, no animals and consequently no people. You cant heal people which you learned the hard way after cutting yourself for the sole purpose of sewing it back up nope didn't work and you wished you'd don't a shallower cut knowing it was going to leave a scar. Which sucks, but you can control the air in their lungs technically it wasn't apart of them. Loopholes, there is always a loophole. But you can fix things, like a crack phone screens burst pipes you just had to stretch things a bit or zip them up. Which brings us to this little mishap. How the fuck can you explain this, you had been trying to feel the air. You felt with your powers you liked to think of it as ripples you know like when you wave one hand under water you can feel the ripples hit the other? It was like that except you felt what the ripple hit. Kind of strange but that was the best you could come up with. So hear you was scratching your head looking at a half sunk boat, now you may be thinking boats sink all the time whats the problem?.... well normally boats sink in water not solid concrete, you had been trying to feel your ripples and pull the air below a small boat making it 'levitate' but lost your cool dropped the fucking thing panicked tried catching it and wham bam thank you ma'am boat is now half sticking out of the dock floor with a broken window. You looked up into the sky.

"Really? As if my life wasn't already a joke you gotta throw bad luck in the mix to?" You quickly closed your eyes willing the glass to reform feeling each the large pieces lift joining them selves back together slowly setting them back into the frame concentrating in 'zipping up' the seams at such a microscopic level no one would know any better. Once finished you opened your eyes, boat was still in the ground but the window was back in place. 'Yay go me' You smiled, you may not have achieved your goal of safely moving the boat but you did fix the window you broke. You sighed trying to pull the thing up again but stopped when you heard a large ominous crunching sound coming from the hull. You jumped growling pulling at you hair near your scalp.

"No no no no no this is not meant to happen just fucking move! Move up damn it!"

"Need some help?" You screamed jumping  turning around as the ground flicked up around your feet creating a small knee high spikes pointing between you and Batman?. You took a step back quickly stomping the small barrier away

"Err no no I err just out for a nice stroll haha." He hummed unconvinced looking at the boat sticking out of the ground you followed his gaze chuckling nervously scratching at your chin

".....that was like that when I got here....... I mean you see some weird shit in Gotham huh?" He looked back at you.

"I already know about your gift, you can't control it yet?" You gasped taking another step back

"Gift? What gift nope no sir-y no gifts round here."

"So I didn't just watch you drop a boat into concrete and fix the window on it?" You blinked slowly at him then heaved a heavy sigh stuffing your hand in your pockets.

"Y-you saw that? Shit I didn't mean to, I promise its just hard and i just want to stop doing things on accident....then other accidents happen a vicious cycle really" You said waving over the little accident. He nodded

"I believe you, but you were panicking, concentrate try making it sand again then harden from the bottom push up like layers like your filling in a hole go from the bottom up" you looked at him a little shocked but nodded looking at the boat feeling around beneath it with your 'ripples' making the concrete go lax hearing the hiss of it as it became loose grains before pushing up hardening thin layers from the bottom finally bringing it to the surface. You smiled happy at fixing your problem. He smirked seeing you giddy from your achievement.

"Wow thank you that helped a lot I would have been here all night before figuring that out." He nodded

"Your welcome, I'm glad I found you, we have been watching you for a while, we would like to talk to you"

"We?" You asked not really understanding

"The Justice league, you have a strong ability that we think would be useful and we wanted to see if we can help you control it we can give you training in combat weapons and hand to hand which ever you prefer." You looked at him jaw hanging open

"Your joking? You've gotta be, I just move things not really worthy of being up there with you guys,but I don't want to be used then thrown away but thanks for the help" you said turning to walk away he frowned

"We wont please you can trust us" he said reaching out quickly holding an arm dragging you back a little making you gasp and jump he then winced hissing as a thin spike quickly pierced the side of his hand that held you, you panicked.

"OH MY GOD! I'm sorry I didn't mean to! it just happens when I get scared or startled!" You quickly pushed the spike down grabbing his hand and twisting it with trembling hands hope he didn't beat the shit out of you, you'd basically just attacked him.

"Erm please stay still there are a few bits in there" you said before pulling at the little pieces of debris from the small puncture hole, when you react on instinct it doesn't end up as put together as when you actively control things hence little bits falling off and such.

"Your powers are strong I don't think your fully aware of what your capable of crushing a gun with a look is just the start, just give us a chance trust us"You let go of him hugging yourself taking a step back you felt bad you didn't mean you stood looking down waiting to see if he was angry, he seemed more sympathetic.

"Its not that I don't trust you, fuck how can I not I'm just....scared, you don't know the things I've done.....I could accidentally kill one of you then what? Be hunted down by you guys? I'm not indestructible I'm human and I haven't got control of it.... I don't even know what it is.....but its probably about time I found out I suppose I just simplify it so I don't you know....loose my nerve, bad things happen when that happens , its always frightened me... if-if I did come with you what do you guys get out of helping me? There’s always a price" he regarded you carefully he could see the fear the uncertainty in your voice it made you seem younger ,smaller lost he could tell you wanted to find somewhere to go, to find a home base and people who understood a bit like Barry in that sense he sighed smiling softly before speaking.

"Hopefully a team mate, one day someone will come and pick another fight and when they do we need to be ready, to have people we can call on to help, your strong a lot stronger then you realize this gift it-its probably made you one of the strongest metahumans on the planet,even superman was a little concerned of  encountering you that's why I'm here he chickened out." You giggled a little and he smiled relaxing, you were a good kid he could tell just scared and lost the league would be good for you give you direction.

"Really? I'm pretty sure I've got more reason to be wary of him" he smiled a little "The point is your strong and will only get stronger ,your still just learning about it we want help you, give you a safe place to learn how to control it, test your limits. Your a good kid I can see you want to help and we will give you the opportunities to do that." You nodded it did sound good, the chance to practice using this gift away from people, in a safe and controlled environment the only people around would be able to dodge and escape if things did go wrong you looked at your hands for a moment.

"...You'd really help me?"he nodded

"Not just you but we will also help protect those closest to you" you looked away

"Don’t have anyone." He stopped at that

"What? Your alone?" You shrugged nodding throwing your bag on your shoulder

"You mean family right? Don’t have one I told you bad things happen when I loose my control, I just have foster homes well had I left,better off on my own" you held his gaze you were testing him, letting him know exactly what you'd done with out saying the words guard up and waiting to see if he'd try to over power you or change his mind. He didn't know what to say to that, he could hear the others through the comms warning him to back off asking if he wanted back up, he ignored them you had killed them accidentally that much was clear. You had no one he couldn't imagine just what you had been through, but he also knew this was a test he had done it himself when he was younger, you were waiting to see if he would judge you or leave you here alone, the others wont understand that’s why they were panicking telling him to leave if he did  you'd never trust them again something none of them could risk, but it was also your way of trying to push them away. He shook his head coming closer slowing when your eyes began to glow and the floor rippled beneath his feet he raised his hands slowly the others were shouting down the line at him but you was getting defensive not readying for an attack.

"That’s why we want to help you, so nothing like that happens again I cant imagine what you've been through or what it was like but you don't have to be alone anymore or be scared" you believed him, something told you he understood pulling back from the concrete, he had plenty of time to attack you but didn't.

"And you wont be mad if I break something?" He shook his head releasing a breath he wasn't aware he was holding

"If you break something you can keep practicing until you fix it" you contemplated for a second.

"Okay then but just to see if I can fit in, don't let them make me jump.....I don't wanna shank them....you got off lightly it was aiming to go straight threw to your face... I sort of caught it a little" Bruce tensed but quickly controlled himself, the last thing you needed was to see he was slightly afraid of your gift it could feed your own fear.

"They already know, they've been watching in case they needed to help if things went bad its up to you" you gulped and nodded a little as he began walking away you hesitated looking the opposite way you could run, forget this whole meeting and leave, you sighed watching his back you had no doubt he was giving you the chance to leave you took a deep breath they could help and if it does become a con you would find a way to leave and disappear nodding you quickly jogged up behind him following him to the bat mobile he opened the back revealing two seats.

"This thing has extra seats?" He smirked down at you

"Well this one does some of the others don't." You tilted your head

"How many of them do you have?" He chuckled as you slid into the seat

"Quite a few buckle up and hold on" he said nodding the the strategically placed grab rails the shut the door a few seconds later you were moving. You shivered a little nervous you didn't think it was a bad thing to go and train somewhere more secure but one mistake and you could easily become an enemy and contrary to what they may believe you couldn't take any of them on you was still a human you still bled. You sighed leaning back a little resting your head on the seat behind you as he drove you god knows where.

#dc imagine #dc x reader #dc x you #dc x y/n #justice league #justice league x reader

[potionsprefect]

Locked In (Ethan x F!MC)

Pairings: Ethan Ramsey x Victoria Clarke, Danny Cardinal x Sienna Trinh

Summary: Two young children are brought to Edenbrook suffering from a deadly disease. Can the team control it before time runs out?

Word count: 4.3k

Warnings: mentions of disease/illness, angst

A/N: Back at it again with a fic from A03. This one was inspired by ER episode season 8 episode 22 and season 9 episode 1. Also, imagine a world where the senator attack happened but Danny survived. I think we could all do with some more Danny x Sienna content.

Chapter 1- Fight to Survive

“Where’s my patient from exam one?” Jackie Varma said at large to the staff around her.

“Discharged herself. Had to get home to pick her kids up from school.” Danny Cardinal said not looking up from the computer.

“Damnit.” Jackie sighed taking a seat.

“Tough case?” Victoria Clarke said standing next to her.

“Something like that.”

“Wanna talk about it?” Victoria asked.

“No it’s ok. I’ll move on.” Jackie smiled.

“Doctors why are we sitting around, I think we have patients to see.” Zaid Mirani said handing out charts.

No one argued with the senior doctor. He was right but he’d never sat down once. It was a surprise to everyone that his legs hadn’t clotted up in the years he’d been working.

“Doctor Trinh, lab test back on the kid in exam three.” Danny handed Sienna a sheet of paper.

“Thanks Danny.” Sienna smiled and headed off to see the said patient. Danny’s gaze lingered on her as she walked off and when he turned away he was met with the amused faces of Jackie and Victoria.

“What?” Danny said turning a bright shade of red.

“Are you ever gonna act on your instinct?” Jackie chuckled.

“What do you mean?”

“She likes you. And we all agree you’d make a cute couple. So hurry up and do it already.” Jackie grinned.

“Plus we’ve got a bet on with Aurora and Elijah who think she’ll act first.” Victoria smiled.

“I have a patient that needs an IV.” Danny said hiding his red face and embarrassment as he walked away.

“Nurse Cardinal is busy doctors why aren’t you?” Doctor Ethan Ramsey said walking up to the two ladies.

“You call it busy, I call it ‘making an excuse to avoid answering a relationship question’ Doctor Ramsey.” Victoria said.

“He doesn’t let it affect his work. Who’s the lucky lady?” Doctor Ramsey asked with a small smirk.

Victoria pointed to Danny who was chatting to Sienna. She was laughing at something he said.

“Called it from the beginning.” Ethan said.

“Since when are you aware of hospital relationships?” Jackie asked.

Ethan didn’t answer instead he shot Victoria a quick glance before excusing himself to check on a patient.

“Him as well? I thought Ramsey was married to the job.” Jackie huffed.

Victoria didn’t answer, she was busy watching Ethan walk away. “He’s clearly aware of hospital gossip.”

Jackie wasn’t listening at this point. She had her head in another chart when Bryce’s voice suddenly broke the silence.

“Alright what’s the big emergency I’m here?” Bryce winked.

“Possible gallstones in exam four scalpel jockey.” Jackie shoved a chart in his hands before wandering off to the vending machine.

“Damn what’s got her so twisted?” Bryce said sitting down.

“A patient discharging herself without her approval.” Victoria replied.

“Happens all the time. People get sick of staring out at Massachusetts. They’d rather be exploring it.”

“Doctor Clarke rescue 7’s coming in with two children, suspected chicken pox, eta 2 minutes.” Marlene turned to Victoria.

“Their parents called 911 on chicken pox?” Victoria asked.

“Apparently they’ve got a high temperature. Plus their parents say it looks more like pus boils rather than red marks.” Marlene replied.

“Okay page Dr Ramsey.” Victoria said.

“Right away Dr Clarke.”

Victoria headed out to the ambulance bay and waited for Ethan. The cold November air ripped through her and she folded her arms, trying to keep as warm as possible.

“What have we got?” Ethan asked.

“Two children suspected chicken pox.” Victoria said. When Ethan looked at her bewildered she continued “yeah I know but Marlene said the parents think it looks worse than it probably is.”

“Give them some cream and be done with it. There could’ve been a sick patient out there who didn’t get the ambulance they needed. Now we’ll have to deal with the body that rolls into Edenbrook when the patient was delayed necessary medical treatment.” Ethan rolled his eyes just as the ambulance parked up. Rafael Aveiro jumped out the drivers seat, a concerned look on his face.

“You took the chicken pox case?” Victoria asked.

“Two children, Nathan aged eight, Rosie aged six. Bad spots, high temperature. We don’t think it’s chicken pox.” Rafael said.

“What do you think it is?” Ethan asked.

“See for yourself.” Rafael said a grave look on his face as he opened the ambulance doors. Victoria and Ethan’s jaws dropped at what they saw.

Two children were bundled up in what looked like duvet covers. They had big white spots on their face, arms and legs. Rafael’s colleague Tamara also had a grave look on her face.

“Oh my god.” Victoria breathed.

“Is it what we think it is?” Tamara said.

“Yes, park up the ambulance and find an empty room even if it’s a trauma room. Victoria go grab those tubes from the lounge and bring them to exam five. And tell admin the protocol.” Ethan said picking the girl up.

Victoria ran back into the building trying to squeeze past as many people as possible. She burst through the doors of the lounge and searched for the white tubes that the hospital were sent every month. When she found what she was looking for she hurried out the room.

“What’s happening? Why was Ramsey rushing through here with Rafael and Tamara?” Jackie asked as all the other doctors and nurses looked at her for an answer.

“Lock the doors, don’t let anybody leave, move all stable patients out, close us to trauma and call the contacts in the emergency response book. And page Ines and Zaid.” Victoria said holding the tubes.

“Why what’s going on?” Bryce said.

“We’ve got two suspected cases of smallpox.”

— — — — — — — — — —

Donned in the necessary protection equipment, Victoria entered exam five where the two young children were sat with their parents. Both children were pale and wheezing, breathing in and out slowly.

“When did you first notice the spots?” Ethan was asking the parents. Victoria put oxygen masks on the young children.

“How are you both doing?” Victoria asked them.

“I feel really tired. And these spots are itchy.” The young girl spoke.

“Don’t worry we’re going to help you. I need you to keep these masks on ok?” Victoria said stroking her hair.

“Is this because we played outside with the other children?” Rosie asked.

“What do you mean?”

“We played football with the other kids in Kenya. They said they weren’t feeling well. Have we got what they got?”

“That’s what we’re going to try and find out. Ethan.” Victoria motioned Ethan away from the prying ears of the parents and the children.

“Four days ago the spots came up. Four days! And they waited until now to call 911. They should’ve brought them in themselves.” Ethan complained in hushed tones.

“Ethan they were in Africa. Kenya to be precise. They played outside with other kids who had symptoms. They’ve caught it off them.” Victoria said.

Ethan was silent. He looked at the children who were being comforted by their parents then ran a hand through his hair.

“Oh god ok uh, go and tell Rafael and Tamara. Get hold of their supervisor and tell them the rig needs to be scrubbed down. Are public health on their way?” Ethan said.

“Hopefully. I’ve paged Ines and Zaid. What about Naveen?” Victoria said.

“No. He’s not coming near here. Get someone to get ahold of him and tell him not to come in.”

Victoria entered trauma one where Rafael and Tamara were sitting on a gurney. “You guys are stuck here. It is suspected smallpox. Get your supervisor to decontaminate the rig.”

“It’s gonna be stuck there. We obviously can’t move it.” Rafael said.

“We’ve closed to trauma. Nobody’s coming in or out.” Victoria said putting protocol wristbands on Rafael and Tamara. “Did they say why they were in Africa?”

“Dad works for a wildlife conservation programme. It was either go with him or the children don’t see their dad for ten months.” Tamara sighed.

“Their breathing is shallow. There’s still a chance though.” Victoria said.

“This feels like…. like last time.” Rafael sighed.

“No Raf. Don’t think like that. We’ll fight it just like last time.” Victoria reassured him. She knew what he was thinking and she’d be lying if she said it didn’t cross her mind.

“Are they gonna be ok?” Tamara said.

“I hope so.” Victoria said. She walked out the trauma room and headed back to admin where everyone was sorting everything out.

“We’re closed to trauma. That was a fun conversation with Mass Kenmore.” Ines said.

“All the elevators are closed off. Doors are surrounded by the police department. No one gets in, no one gets out.” Elijah said.

“Look I don’t care where your administrator is we’ve got suspected smallpox cases here now get your asses down here otherwise we risk exposure to the city!” Zaid slammed the phone down on its hook.

“Public Health are on their way. They say to lock it down.” Ines said.

“The entire hospital?” Sienna said.

“The ER.”

“Are we 100% sure? Smallpox has been eradicated. There’s a vaccine for it. We haven’t had a case here since the 1940s. Are we not jumping the gun?” Zaid said staring at Victoria.

“Go and look at them in exam five. All the suspected signs and symptoms. This thing killed half of Europe. We can’t risk exposure to the city.” Victoria said.

“Looks like my gallstones operation will have to be put on hold.” Bryce said.

“Who’s gonna explain to them that they can’t leave?” Jackie nodded by the door.

Outside the police were standing blocking anyone from leaving or entering. Police strips were being put in place and people were anxiously looking between the door and the doctors.

“Where’s the tannoy? We had it here before.” Ines said looking between the shelves.

“Try the lounge.” Zaid replied.

“What are their symptoms?” Sienna said to Victoria.

“Fever, high temperature and white spots all over their arms, legs and face. It’s all there in black and white.”

“She’s right.” Danny replied obviously googling the said symptoms on the computer.

“Right well you’re gonna need our help. Bryce, Elijah you help Ines reassure the patients what’s going on and inform public health when they get here, find the other doctors and nurses on this floor and see if there’s any extra security to guard the entrance doors. Sienna, Jackie, Danny, Marlene they’re gonna need all the help they can get. We’ve got Rafael and Tamara to look after as well.” Zaid instructed.

“Where are the extra masks?” Sienna said.

“Try curtain one.” Zaid replied.

Everyone went into action but Victoria’s eyes were glued to the entrance doors. She could see people asking the officers what was going on, the crowd being pushed back further.

“Hey, we’ll solve it. We’re gonna be ok.” Bryce put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“It, it just feels like last time.”

“I know it does. But you got through it and you’ll get through this.” Bryce said.

Despite her fears, Victoria knew he was right. There were two sick children counting on her to help them. The entire ER was preparing for a situation like no other. They were all in it together and no one was being left behind this time.

— — — — — — — — — —

Victoria watched the breathing of Nathan and Rosie. It was shallow but they were still alive, that was the main thing.

“We need a list of anyone you’ve come into contact with. Have they been to school or seen any friends since you got back?” Ethan asked the parents.

“They went to school a couple of days after we got back but they were off from last Wednesday with a cold. Then the spots appeared on Thursday. We thought it was chicken pox.” The dad answered.

“Any other family members or friends?” Ethan asked, Victoria could hear the agitation in his voice.

“Ross’s family came to visit the weekend we were back.” The mum answered.

“Do they live nearby?”

“No they flew in from Ohio.”

Victoria and Ethan shared a startled look. “You need to contact them and tell them to isolate as quickly as possible. Get them to contact the airline and tell them the flight number they flew on and also get in touch with anyone they might’ve come into contact with. Get them to tell people what’s going on and so on. ” Ethan said.

In the other room, Rafael and Tamara were having their temperatures taken and their blood pressure checked.

“Both BPs are fine your temperature’s a little high.” Danny said.

“Ok monitor them and check again in the next hour.” Sienna nodded.

“It’s become national. Family travelled in to visit from Ohio.” Victoria said opening the door from the next room.

“You’re kidding.” Rafael gasped.

“Go tell Ines.” Victoria said. Jackie nodded and hurried back to the admin desk. “How are you doing in here?”

“As good as can be. High temperature but normal BP.” Danny said. “What about the kids?”

“Shallow breathing at the most.” Victoria replied.

“I wonder how long we’ll be stuck in here.” Tamara wondered.

“We’ll all be together at least. Can’t die from boredom.” Rafael nudged her which made her laugh a little.

The sound of commotion from outside the room caused them all to turn their heads. They could see people arguing as Zaid and Ines tried to calm them down whilst explaining the situation. Ines reached for the tannoy and her voice rang out.

“You may have noticed we have security at all entrances and exits. There is a potential public health concern which is why for your own safety we are asking that no one enter or leave the building. We apologise for the inconvenience and we are working to try and get this solved as quickly as possible. But we need you to work with us. If we work together, we can get through this otherwise we could be stuck here for a long time.”

Ines’ words did not help calm down the crowd. The minute she finished speaking they started protesting and arguing. Victoria teared her gaze away from the window shaking her head. “I don’t blame their frustration. Little information doesn’t help.”

“We’re on the news.” Jackie said entering the room, wearing her protective equipment. “CNN are outside the hospital. Aurora is outside as well as Naveen. They’re talking to Harper who’s by the emergency door on the OR floor. He doesn’t have a clue what’s going on.”

“I thought someone called him and told him not to come in.” Victoria replied.

“We did but you know what Naveen’s like. This is his ER. He doesn’t want to be left in the dark.” Jackie said sighing.

“Victoria Nathan’s sats are dropping.” Ethan said from the other room. Victoria rushed in followed by Marlene and Jackie. “Take Rosie to trauma two, we need to work on him.” He instructed Marlene.

“Pulse ox is 82.” Jackie said looking at the machine.

“Go grab a paeds intubation kit.” Ethan said, Jackie hurried out the room.

“What’s happening?” The parents asked.

“Nathan’s not getting enough oxygen so we need to intubate him to help him breathe.” Ethan calmly explained.

“He has to be put on a machine?” Ross asked.

“If we don’t intubate him right now he’s going to die.” Ethan said. Victoria and Jackie looked at each other unsure if Ethan handled that well.

“Oh my god.” Imogen, the children’s parents gasped and headed to the door on instinct. Victoria understood why she wanted to get out there as soon as possible.

“Don’t leave the room! You’ve been exposed to a deadly airborne disease.” Victoria stopped her from walking out the door.

The three doctors worked on the young boy trying to get him stable before the lack of oxygen caused much further consequences. Jackie hung IV’s whilst Ethan slipped the tube down his throat. Once the tube was attached Victoria squeezed the bag trying to get as much oxygen back into Nathan as possible. A few seconds later, the beeping of the machine slowed down.

“Pulse ox is up to 95.” Jackie smiled.

“Nice work ladies.” Ethan smiled at the two younger doctors, his gaze lingering on Victoria. He moved out the way so Nathan’s parents could be closer to his bedside.

“I’ll go check on Rosie.” Jackie said leaving the room.

“Let’s check on the paramedics.” Victoria turned to Ethan.

Rafael and Tamara were lying on two separate beds, Sienna and Danny were sat on the floor.

“What is going on out there?” Ethan asked as he heard the commotion.

“People want to leave but they can’t. Tempers are flaring.” Sienna replied.

“They’re hungry too by the sounds of it. You know we’re on the news.” Rafael said.

“Of course we are.” Ethan sighed running his hands through his hair. These kids belong in the P.I.C.U., they’re both critically ill.”

“Doing that would mean exposing the rest of the hospital. Are you willing to take that risk?” Victoria looked up at him.

“Doctor Ramsey you know you can’t. There’s sick patients all around the hospital.” Tamara sat up.

“Go ask Naveen, he’ll know what to do.” Victoria reassured him. Looking as if he could kiss her, Ethan withheld himself and hurried out the room to call Naveen. Just as he left, June and Baz entered the room, covered in protection.

“Where do you need us?” June said.

“How did you get here? I thought you were upstairs.” Victoria asked.

“Word of advice. Never piss off an angry Brit.” Baz grinned looking at June.

“Yeah well we are a force to be reckoned with. Still, my words forced them to let us here otherwise I’d send information out to every British newsroom and explain how the US government withheld a potential health concern from the public.” June shrugged with a smirk.

“Nice one.” Victoria smiled. “The younger one’s in there. Her name’s Rosie and she’s six. Older brother had to be intubated after his oxygen levels dropped. Both are critical.”

“It is what everyone’s been saying isn’t it?” Baz asked.

“We think so. It doesn’t look like anything else.”

The two doctors nodded and headed into the next trauma room to see Rosie. Victoria looked out the window where Ethan was on the phone. He made eye contact with her and shook his head. This can’t be good. Victoria thought. She left the room and was met with ambush.

People began crowding round her but she was quickly pulled from the crowd by Ethan who had the megaphone. The surrounding doctors tried to calm down the people so Ethan wouldn’t have to use the megaphone but the people weren’t cooperating. Ethan’s voice suddenly ripped through the megaphone.

“Listen! We have two critically ill children with what looks like smallpox. Now most of you will probably have heard of it but have never seen it live and that’s because there hasn’t been any cases of smallpox in the United States since the 1940s-“ the rest of Ethan’s words were drowned out by the complaints from the crowd, most of them losing their temper at the fact that they allowed a deadly disease inside the hospital. Before Ethan could attempt to drown them out and finish what he was saying June had strolled out of the trauma room and taken the tannoy out of Ethan’s hands.

“The American’s tried to tell you now the Brit is going too. And this time you’re going to listen.” June glared at the crowd. The doctors and nurses around her looked shocked but impressed

“Who cares about the Brits?! There’s a reason we won the independence war!” Someone from the crowd cried.

“That was 300 years ago it’s the 21st century! There’s two young children who are very sick at the moment. We know you’re frustrated but spare a thought for the parents who don’t know if their children are going to survive. We’re not denying you your rights, this is about helping you. Now if you work with us, trust me, this will be over a lot quicker. Let’s work together so we can get through this.” June said.

The atmosphere had changed. People were mulling over June’s words. They didn’t know the ill patients were children. Suddenly it made things much more realistic. People retreated to their beds or the chairs in the waiting area much quieter than before.

“Damn June that was badass, remind me to never piss you off.” Elijah grinned.

“Where’d that come from anyway?” Bryce grinned.

“Never piss off the British. We are lethal.” June smirked as she retreated back to the trauma room to look after Rosie.

“How’s everything out here?” Ethan turned to his fellow colleagues.

“The crowd outside are getting restless. We’ve got critical patients outside as well who never got the call to say we were closed to trauma.” Zaid said.

“Why is Naveen outside? I thought he was told to stay at home.” Ethan said.

“You know what he’s like, he doesn’t want to be far from the action. He’s tried to come in several times but the officers have held him back.” Ines said looking at the crowd outside.

“Good. He’s vulnerable if he’s exposed to this.”

“Sam Palmieri from Public Health, we’ll take over from here.” A man in a white coat walked up to the doctors with a clipboard in his hand. “Where are the patients?”

“Exam five and trauma two, both critical.” Ethan said. The man then walked off in the direction of Nathan and Rosie. The phone then rang making everybody jump.

“ER? Dr Emery? Yes I know but we’re struggling down here too. We’ve got two- yes we were asked to do that take it up with public health if you don’t like it!” Ines put the phone down and put her head in her hands.

“What did Harper say?” Ethan asked.

“She wants to know why it’s 100 degrees up in recovery. Public health asked us to turn the air conditioning off so we don’t blow the germs around.”

“Well that explains why we’re all sweating.” Victoria sighed.

“Doctor Ramsey! Nathan’s siezing!” Sienna cried from down the hall. Victoria and Ethan sprinted back towards exam five, barely registering the sound of glass smashing as they hurried to Nathan’s side.

“What happened?” Ethan asked as he and Victoria put on the necessary protective equipment before rushing into the room.

“His sats have dropped and he started seizing.” Sienna explained.

“Give him two of Ativan quickly.” But the seizing was the least of their worries. The sound of the monitor averted their eyes.

“Lost a pulse.” Victoria said.

Sienna started on CPR as Ethan hurried to try and get as much oxygen into Nathan as possible. In the corner of the room. Imogen and Ross huddled together, their eyes rimmed red.

“Have you got the crash cart?” Ethan looked up at Sienna.

“It’s in trauma two.” Sienna looked at Victoria. Victoria nodded and hurried to the room to grab the necessary equipment. The seriousness of the situation was now escalating fast.

“Woah crash cart?” Baz said as Victoria wheeled the equipment.

“Yeah we’ve lost his pulse.” Victoria said trying not to let her voice betray her feelings.

“We’re in v-fib.” Ethan said. He charged the panels and they shocked the young boy.

“Nothing.” Sienna said, squeezing the oxygen bag.

Ethan did this multiple times before finally after what felt like hours, the monitor beeped at a regular pace. Victoria, Ethan and Sienna breathed a sigh of relief.

“We’ll have to watch him very closely now. Go be with the others, I’ll watch him.” Ethan smiled at the two younger doctors.

Victoria and Sienna retreated to trauma one where the others were. Everyone looked exhausted, still trying to come to terms with what was happening.

“They’ve broken the vending machines outside. Everyone’s hungry.” Danny said.

“Did you manage to get him back?” Rafael asked.

“Yeah but he could have brain damage. Seizure and a loss of pulse is never a good sign.” Sienna replied.

“You did what you had to do.” Rafael smiled. Before anyone could speak Ines dialled the phone outside the room and pressed a button that allowed her to talk to those inside the trauma room. Bryce, Elijah and Zaid were all with her, they all had grave faces.

“We have to evacuate. Public health have said this has gotten too out of hand, with it now being spread as far as Ohio, not to mention everyone here being exposed to it.” Ines said.

“Just the ER?” Victoria asked.

“The entire hospital.” Ines sighed.

Nobody spoke for a few minutes. This was now a drastic situation. What would happen to all the patients in other parts of the hospital?

“The children are going to be moved up to the P.I.C.U. we’ll evacuate everyone up there and then they’ll be taken up. Public health are prepared to take them so you can stay down here.” Zaid spoke this time.

“How long for?” Jackie asked. Everyone was avoiding asking how long they’d be stuck for even though they had a rough idea.

“Two weeks minimum.” Ines said.

“No, no no no no no. Minimum? What about maximum?” Victoria said.

“At least a month, it depends on when we can get the vaccine.” Zaid said.

The reality was beginning to sink in. Two young children, both critically ill with smallpox enter the ER, now the entire hospital has to be evacuated. It’s still unsure whether the kids are going to survive or not. Those who had treated the kids were now going to have to be quarantined. Which means they were all stuck downstairs. Two weeks wasn’t guaranteed.

How the hell were they going to get through this?

A/N: Hope you enjoyed chapter 1!

#open heart #ethan ramsey #ethan ramsey x mc #danny x sienna #fanfic #play choices

[turning-dreams-into-chaos]

Banished (Part 43)

~Banished Master~

Paring: Bellamy Blake x Reader

Word Count: 10K (Okay, WTF Ria?)

~Master~

~The 100 Master~

*Based off episode 3x14 of The 100, Red Sky at Morning*

In the cell in Polis, Murphy, Pike, Indra, and the other grounders stayed put. Indra used her wall hook to try and break the wall around the hook of the woman next to her. “Indra, you don’t have to free me, the Skaikru plan is good.”

Indra didn’t look at her, only grunting as she spoke. “Running is not a plan.”

“It’s not running.” Murphy told her, shifting on the ground to look at her. “It’s surviving.” Indra sent him glare.

“For how long? This threat will find us eventually.”

“The boy is right. We regroup and come back later.” Pike groaned from across the room as Indra worked harder, digging her tool into the concrete. “It’s a legitimate battle strategy.”

Indra turned her head to snap at him. “I have a better one. Kill their leader. Jaha.” Murphy chuckled under his breath, falling back onto the ground with a smile.

“Now that is a plan I can support.” He joked. Pike sighed, shaking his head at the boy. “There’s just problem. Jaha isn’t their leader. He’s being controlled just like them by that-“ Murphy cut himself off, a scoff of realization crossing his mind.

“What?” Pike asked him, only to receive a slight head turn from the delinquent. Murphy shook off his question, choosing to keep the information to himself. “John, this isn’t the time for-“ Pike as well was cut off as the sound of a guard approaching the cell. Immediately, Indra stopped trying to free the woman and shoved her hook back into the wall. The keys of the cell jingled as they were shoved into the key slot and the cell doors opened. The cell fell silent as two burly guards walked in, scanning about the room.

“Who’s ready to take the key?” One of them asked but the already tense cell stayed quiet.

Pike took a deep breath, staring down the grounder man. “None of us is ever going to take that key.” The Grounder raised a brow at Pike, everyone stilling as the man walked the room toward him. He took in Pike’s appearance, ALIE standing right next to him as they looked at the cut littering his body.

“We didn’t do this to him.” ALIE informed him, her eyes widening. “Someone is unchained. Find them.” The second guard that walked in aimed his gun at everyone, the search for the unchained grounder commencing. Indra held onto her metal weapon, waiting for the grounder to reach her before removing it from the wall, stabbing it into his head. The man screamed at the impact, beginning to fall backwards. Indra swiped his knife off of him, throwing it into the chest of the other man, lodging it into his heart. ALIE disappeared as both men fell to the ground dead.

Murphy jumped to his feet, pulling his chains up with him. “Grab the keys.” He told Indra. “She’s going to send for reinforcements.” Indra didn’t listen to Murphy’s commands, instead grabbing another knife off the man and heading to Murphy.

She grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him to face her. “You said Jaha was controlled. Tell me what you know.”

“The smart play here is going for the tunnel while we sill can!” He tried to convince her, but Indra would not be deterred. The woman Indra was trying to free earlier had taken the key off the now deceased grounder went around and unlocked everyone as Indra continued to press Murphy.

“We don’t have time for this.” She said before pressing the knife to Murphy’s throat, getting him to lift his chin in fear. “Talk.”

Murphy took a minute as he looked at her, realizing she wouldn’t relent. “Jaha’s backpack.” He blurted out. “It runs the AI. If we can destroy it, I’m pretty sure we can destroy her.” Indra removed the knife pressed into Murphy’s neck.

“I know where it is. I saw them move it into the temple before I was captured.” She told the room as Pike helped unlocked people, stopping to look up at Murphy and the woman.

“They’ll expect us to run. We can use that. The AI will follow those who do, and we can get the backpack.” His plan made Indra question him, begging for an explanation of the word we. “I can’t do this alone. Do you want to save your people or not?” Indra contemplated her opinions, telling her people to leave. They all rushed out, the only people left in the cell being Indra, Pike, and Murphy. Pike raised his brow at Murphy. “Why are you still here?”

Murphy smirked, a chuckle in his words. “Well the bad guys are going after them. Might as well take my chances with you two.”

“Your father would be proud.” Pike meant the words as a compliment but Murphy’s face fell none the less at the mention of his dead father.

“So how do we do it?” Indra asked them.

Murphy sighed, turning his neck to look at her. “Carefully.”

Jaha and ALIE walk the streets in the City of Light, people all around them living mundane lives. The mind of the Grounder Indra killed in the cell approached them, a frown on his face. “I’m sorry.” He told them as he came to a stop in front of them, Jaha’s brows pulling together slightly. “We didn’t anticipate what they had planned.”

ALIE gave him a smile and clasped her hands together in front of her. “It’s alright, you served well. You’re home now.”

Her smile remained on her face as Jaha spoke to the man. “We’re already rounding them up. The first of the prisoners are already on the cross.” Jaha’s eyes moved over the deceased grounders shoulder to where the woman from the cell stood, her face content as they passed the man, moving on towards her. “That didn’t take long.”

The chipped woman just let a smile take over her face as she looked at ALIE and Jaha. “I understand now.” Jaha watched her leave as ALIE had access to her mind, now well aware of the plan in play.

“They’re going for the backpack.”

Jaha turned to her, seeing the worry in her AI eyes. “Then we delay the migration.”

ALIE just shook her head, telling him it’s unnecessary as it was almost complete. “We’ll use Emori again.” No sooner had she said the words to Jaha did Emori enter the City of Light, coming to stand in front of them with inhaling sharply.

“Emori,” Jaha said as the girl looked to them, “You know you can correct your defects here.” He gestured down to Emori’s hand; her birth defect shown proudly as she held up the limb with a smirk.

“I would, if I had any.” She told him as he chuckled, honoring her self-esteem. Emori turned to ALIE, ready to get down to business. “How can I help?”

“Your friend John Murphy is headed to the temple to do harm. Stop him.” Emori nodded at her before leaving to stop her unchipped boyfriend.

Luna’s Rig was something else. You had never seen a place so far out of loop with what was happening before. Luna had brought you into one of the buildings they had and left you there, leaving to go god knows where. The room was dark, fish netting hanging across every wall and it was full of people having normal conversations, like they didn’t know there was a war going on.

The 5 of you sat around a fire listening to a woman across the room tell a story about a shark attack. It was more like Jasper was listening, the story to you becoming more background noise as a focused on the fire in front of you, unaware of the scowl on your face before Bellamy nudged you. You turned your head catching sight of the frown on his face as well. “We’ll figure it out.” He promised you.

Your face hadn’t change as you nodded, looking back to the fire. You weren’t worried that Luna wouldn’t help you, in fact you knew she most likely wouldn’t, but you knew if they kept peace this long, they weren’t about to ruin that. That’s what you were most worried about really, no matter where you and your friends go, misery always seems to follow.

The doors to the room clanked open, Luna walking in with her men as Bellamy past you, standing up and putting a hand on your shoulder. “She’s back. Maybe she changed her mind.” Clarke stood up as well, Bellamy looking down at you. You exhaled and nodded towards the door.

“You two go ahead, get her to listen.” You offered him a supportive smile, but it fell as soon as he walked away. You stared at his back until a scoffed from Octavia pulled you to her. “What’s wrong?” You knotted your brows together, moving closer to her before she stiffened next to you. You paused, moving slightly away to give her space. Her face was pursed as she ignored you, her jaw clenching. “O, what’s wrong?”

“How could you forgive him so easily?” She spat out, her brown eyes not glaring at you as her words shocked you. You blinked a few times, willing yourself to speak to your best friend regarding her hatred for her brother, but you could barely form any thoughts.

“O, I- He- I didn’t-“

“Lincoln was your family. You thought of him like a brother Y/N, don’t tell me you didn’t.” You shook your head, knowing for a fact Lincoln was your brother. There was no doubt in your mind from the moment he saved you. “Lincoln would still be alive if it wasn’t for him.”

“Your brother didn’t kill Lincoln, Octavia. Okay? It was Pike’s execution. It was Pike who pulled the trigger. It was Bellamy who tried to save him.” Octavia let out another scoff, looking away from you and towards Jasper, or the fire, just anywhere that wasn’t you. You couldn’t take her attitude right now, not when you needed to be convincing Luna to join you. “If you need to blame someone for Lincoln’s death, then blame me. I was the one who should’ve killed Pike that day instead trying to just get him out of Arkadia. Stop blaming Bellamy for Lincoln’s death and just blame me.”

Because I already blame myself.

You knew if you spent any longer with her, you’d only madder. So instead of sitting here and arguing with her, you stood up and left without saying another word, knowing you just needed to take a breather.

Bellamy didn’t see you leave as he and Clarke approached Luna. “The boats return at nightfall, then you leave forever.” She told them. So much for good news. Clarke tried to get Luna to listen, but she refused beginning to walk away before Bellamy pushed himself in front of her, stopping her step as her man grabbed him, preventing him from contact with her.

“You need to hear this. There’s something out there that will destroy us all.”

Luna remained stoic, his words unaffecting her. “Whatever it is, it can’t touch us here.” No other word was said as she pushed past Bellamy and Clarke, coming to sit where you had been next to Octavia. It was only then did Bellamy realize you weren’t there. He started looking around for you but he couldn’t find you.

“What’s wrong?” Clarke asked him, putting a hand on his shoulder to stop him. He didn’t realize it was there but stopped at Clarke’s words.

“Y/N’s gone.” He muttered.

Clarke looked to where you last were, seeing Jasper get up and listening to woman telling a story and leaving Luna and Octavia to talk, but Bellamy was right. “I’m sure she’s around here somewhere. It’s not like there’s anywhere to go.” He nodded but none the less was unnerved when you weren’t around.

Luna gave Octavia Lincoln’s journal that her men had taken off her. Octavia’s mood shifting when she looked down at the worn-out leather, her fingers drifting across the cover as she gripped it tight. “And my sword?” Octavia asked her.

Luna nodded. “It will be on the boat along with the rest of your weapons.”

“So much for Luna, savior of those in need.” Octavia scoffed.

“You don’t want saving. You want someone to fight with you.”

“Damn right!” Octavia stopped her, slamming the book in her lap. “We’re at war. You can’t just ignore that. Lincoln would’ve wanted you to help.”

“By becoming Commander? Lincoln knew the rules. We take in people who are done fighting, who are done with the killing. But look at you. Fighting is all you know. Death is all any of you know.” Octavia couldn’t look at Luna as the woman leant closer to her. “Lincoln would’ve never brought that here.”

There was an applause that made its way around the room, Luna looking up to see people smiling and clapping at the woman she knew as Shay bowed at the end of her story. She turned back to Octavia who thanked her before standing up and leaving Octavia holding the book tight and glaring at the fire.

Monty and Raven have been working nonstop since you left, trying to find a way to take down ALIE. Raven was currently going through ALIE’s code, her jaw dropped, letting out an impressed gasp. “I can't believe how many people ALIE has now. You see this cluster?” She pointed onto the screen as Monty looked up. “That's a building. But all this. These are minds. It's full of them, thousands. She's taken Polis, too. ALIE's army is growing, the longer we wait to go in the stronger she gets.”

Monty furrowed his brows and stopped Raven before she could get farther. “Go in?” He clarified. “Raven, our mission-“

“Is to wait for Clarke? We can do this ourselves. We have Becca’s backdoor password. We have me.”

“You said the moment we use the password ALIE would know.” Raven nodded, not sparing Monty a glance.

“She would.” She paused. “I think.”

Monty threw his hands in the air in an attempt to get Raven to understand. “That means we have one shot at this. Is there a kill code in that book you didn't tell me about?” Raven sighed and shook her head no. “Then we stick to the plan. Clarke gives the flame to Luna. The A.I. in the Flame gives Luna the kill code. We enter it here, taking our one shot, and Bob's your uncle.” He clapped his hands together. Raven scrunched her face as he looked at him.

“I hate that expression.”

Monty snickered at her. “Good.” He joked. “Let’s keep mapping. What do you see?”

They started back on the lines of code in front of them before Harper walked up. Her cheeks slightly red as she bounced on her feet, having trouble staying still. “Perimeter’s clear. Bryan and Miller have watch.” Monty spared her a smile to which she reciprocated, her cheeks lighting red more. “How is it going in here?” When both of the people in front of her remained silent and let their demeanor shift, Harper exhaled. “Well, take a break? I could use some help securing the south airlock.”

Monty wanted to accept the offer and help Harper but he looked to Raven, unsure if he could leave her alone. Raven groaned at him, ushering him away. “Go! Take the book if you don’t trust me.”

Monty reached for the book before pausing. “You memorized ALIE’s password.”

“Guess you’ll have to trust me.”

Raven sent him a teasing and Monty glared at her before Harper put her hand on Monty’s shoulder. She led him away, slowly making their way to the south airlock. “Im just worried about her.” He began, glancing over to Harper every few seconds and seeing her eyes looking at him, squinted in a smile. “She hasn’t stopped in 2 days.”

“Neither have you.”

“Yeah, but I’m just trying to keep up.” Harper let out a flurry of giggles as Monty’s smile made its way on his face. “I’m serious! I look at ALIE’s code and all I see are subroutines and collision meshes. But to Raven? She sees the city of light, it’s not just a code to her, it’s real.” As Harper listener to Monty’s concerns for their friend, she slowed down, coming to a stop as Monty did the same. “Aren’t we going to the airlock?” He confusingly asked her, pointing with the gun in the direction of the airlock.

Harper just smirked at him. “Already sealed.” Her sudden change in attitude had Monty worried, narrowing his eyes at her. “I was just thinking, it’s been 2 days with no one trying to kill us.”

“It won’t last.”

Harper nodded at Monty interjection. “I know. But are we just supposed to spend the time between attacks dreading the next one?”

“It’s not like we have a choice.”

“Maybe we do.” Harper had come closer and closer, only a foot away as she reached up her fingers, running them delicately across Monty’s face before slowly pressing her lips to his.

Monty was frozen at the feeling of Harper’s soft lips against his, his eyes closing until she pulled away. He had to take a breath, looking into the face of a smiling girl. “You’re still you, right? No AI in your brain telling you what to do?”

Harper laughed the boy’s question, shaking her head and putting her hands on his shoulder. The position brought her face up to his as she but her lip. “I’m still me.”

Monty let out a passionate sigh, glad that Harper hadn’t taken the chip and that this was all her. “Thank god.” He captured her lips with his this time as Harper giggled, pulling him away to the closest room.

Shay walked about the Rig, a pitcher in her hand as she filled up cups around the room. Her eyes landed on Jasper with a small smile, coming to his side and taking his cup. Jasper returned the smile, taking the cup from her. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” She started walking away before Jasper called out to her.

“Hey, did that shark attack really happen?” He asked her. She let out a quiet chuckle, coming to sit down next to him.

“Some of it. Gets better every time I tell it.” She joked both of them laughing. Jasper didn’t know how much the feeling of laughing with someone, not just in a spiteful way, but in a carefree way. “Are you really from the sky?” Jasper hesitated but nodded and took a sip of his drink. Shay just sighed. “I’ve never been off this rig.” She admitted and shook her head sheepishly.

“It’s not as great as it seems.” He told her truthfully, but she just smiled at him, getting him to laugh and smile. “I’m Jasper.” He stuck his hand out to her which she happily took.

“Shay. Nice to meet you.”

Bellamy hadn’t seen you since he and Clarke spoke to Luna and he was beginning to get worried. His leg bounced as he sat next to his sister and Clarke, constantly looking around the room in hopes you’d show up. He caught sight of Jasper and Shay as he raised a brow. “Jasper’s actually smiling.” He commented, turning to Clarke. She didn’t spare a glance, instead turning to look at Luna and her man resting against each other. He sighed. “Clarke. Let it go.”

“We can’t just leave.” She argued as Octavia turned to focus on her.

“We don’t have much of a choice.”

“Maybe we do.” Octavia narrowed her eyes at Clarke’s counter.

Bellamy was confused as well, his voice lowering as he spoke. “What are you talking about?” She pulled out the flame’s container, holding it out for the siblings to see.

“I’m talking about putting this into her head without asking.” Immediately Octavia was opposed, telling Clarke that Luna wasn’t like Emerson. Forcing Luna to take the chip wasn’t going to work. Bellamy agreed, telling her that they could still go back to Arkadia and fight ALIE but Clarke scoffed. “Fight who? Our own people? I don’t like the idea anymore than you do, but if the code to stop ALIE is on this thing, then give me a better idea.”

Bellamy knew Clarke was right, they needed Luna to take the chip and that was the only way. Running a hand over his face he stood up, looking down at the two girls. “Fine. O, you stay here, Clarke goes. It’s the only way they’ll let her alone with Luna.” Before they could say anything, he stepped over his seat, heading to the door outside before Clarke stopped him.

“Where are you going?” She called out to him. He groaned, stopping with his back to them. His shoulder sagged as he turned around, throwing his hands out to the side.

“To find Y/N. Wherever the hell she is.” He left before Clarke could stop him again.

After you had left Octavia, you went outside needing air. The cold air from the sea hit your face the instant you stepped foot outside, washing over your stress. You could hear shouts of children running about, one of them running right into you as you stood there, catching her against your legs.  Her giggles stopped as she looked up and saw you, a person she didn’t recognize. Quickly she took a step back, her eyes widening before a much older girl came around the corner.

“There you are!” She chuckled at the girl before looking to you. She didn’t cower like the younger one. “Sorry Sky Girl.” She spoke in her language. You offered her a smile, telling her it was alright and surprising her by your use of Trigedasleng. She ushered the younger girl away, leaving you alone. You didn’t know where you were going, the rig obviously wasn’t a place you ever found yourself on before, but everything intrigued you from the numerous shipping containers to the netting covering 75% of the rig. Everyone looked happy, something barely experienced back on land. Something you’ve always longed for.

You hadn’t realized how shaky your breath was as you turned to the edge of the platform, metal bars keeping you from falling over. The chipped rusted metal cooled your hand as you grabbed onto it, pulling yourself against it. At this angle you couldn’t see any of rig, the only thing in your sights being the water. Waves crashing against themselves as you let your eyes closed, the smell of the sea filling your senses.

You’d never experienced something like this, so immersed in the sea. You’ve had your far share of rivers and lakes, but this was new. You could feel the water and cool ocean air calm you, almost like a reset button. Almost like you could stay here. You knew Luna’s rules, bringing in people who were tired of the fighting and the killing. And that was you, wasn’t it?

You bit the inside of your cheek, looking out into the vast dark blue sea and trying to find something wrong with that plan. You wouldn’t have to worry about dying, or fighting to survive, killing people. You wouldn’t have to worry about ALIE out here. You’d be safe. As much as the positive sides sound so appealing, you knew there were negatives.

Bellamy, for one. Would he stay with you? Or would he leave to save his people. Your people. The same people you’d be leaving to fight against ALIE for the rest of their lives. And Kane. You didn’t know if Polis was safe and that’s where Kane was heading with Pike. You couldn’t leave him, especially if he wasn’t safe.

You heard the sounds of footsteps behind you, but you paid them no mind, to focused on your thoughts and assuming they would just go away. Only when they didn’t, moving to stand next to you did you finally glance at the owner, catching sight of his curly dark hair. You smiled as he peaked at you out of the corner of his eye, his own lips upturning.

“What are you doing out here?” He asked you as you shrugged, letting out a loud sigh.

“I don’t know.” You answered honestly. You calmed down a while ago, now you were just… here. “It’s nice here. Like I can hear my thoughts.” Bellamy nodded, knowing what you meant. Inside it was stressful with Clarke glaring at Luna and Octavia hating him, but here he finally allowed himself to breathe. Maybe that was just with you though, he didn’t know.

Despite the cool air surrounding you, you could feel the warmth coming from Bellamy’s side. A warmth that was so inviting, making you want to steal it. Instead you cleared your throat, turning your back to the water as you crossed your arms. “What did Luna say?”

Bellamy felt his face fall. “She’s not going to do it. We’re leaving when the boat returns.” You laughed, throwing your head back.

“Great.” You muttered. Bellamy chuckled at you, making your head fall to the side to look at him. “What?”

“Nothing.” His smile was back as he refused to look at you, looking out at the water. You nudged him with your shoulder, getting him to smile bigger but still not look at you.

“Bell. Tell me.”

He licked his lips, shaking his head. How was he supposed to tell you he liked hearing your laugh, as forced and fake as that one was. You nudged him once more, but when you knew he wasn’t going to tell you, you narrowed your eyes at him, your lips still tugged up into a smile. You moved back to look out at the water, unknowingly getting closer to Bellamy. Bellamy didn’t say anything when your arm brushed against his, neither of you pulling away because frankly it felt comfortable being that close.

“I suppose Clarke has a plan.”

“She’s going to put the flame in Luna.”

“But Luna won’t let her.” Bellamy didn’t say anything as you furrowed your brows, trying to figure out what he was getting at. Clarke was determined to get Luna to take the Flame, but Luna didn’t want to. “She’s gonna force Luna to take it.”

“It’s the only choice we have.” He tried to explain but you didn’t say anything. Clarke was going to force Luna into something she didn’t want. Luna, who took in people for safety. Bellamy watched you for any reaction but only seeing you remain unfazed. “Y/N.”

You didn’t know what to say. You didn’t really want to say anything. “I’m sorry. Can I just-“ you stopped yourself, not knowing what you wanted as you watch waves crash against the rig. “Can I be alone for a little while?” Your voice was quiet, but it hurt Bellamy none the less. He knew you understood the dilemma and based on your reaction he knew you were trying not to let the situation get to you. He turned to walk away, making you lose his body heat before he stopped and looked back at you.

“Boats come back at nightfall. If Clarke’s plan doesn’t work, Luna wants gone by then.” You nodded your head slightly and listened to his footsteps retreat. You were left alone with your thoughts once again and luckily for you, this place was perfect for thinking.

A panting came from the room Monty and Harper were in. Inside both delinquents were cuddled on a bed naked, sweat covering them like a sheet as their smiles lit up their faces. “I should get back.” Monty mumbled as Harper groaned, burying herself into his side.

“No, stay. Reality can wait.” Monty looked down at her, her hooded eyes staring up at him as her eyelashes fluttered. He nodded his head yes without much thought as he felt Harper relax in his arms. “I haven’t felt this way in a long time. Happy and safe.” She smiled and rested her palm against Monty’s chest. “It’s nice.”

Monty was about to agree before Raven opened the door, looking for the boy. “Finally. Come on. I have to show something.” The closed with a slam as Monty and Harper exchanges wide eyed looks, jumping out of bed to redress themselves. Monty rushed back into the control room only to see Raven sat in her stool again, blue code filling the screens. Her eyes moved to Monty when he entered, sending him a smirk as Monty’s cheeks flared up, hoping the girl hadn’t seen it. “Come look at this. It’s layers of security. It’s more than anything in the ALIE code.”

“A firewall?”

She shook her head. “More Like a fortress. It’s called the citadel. It over looks the entire city. There’s a most separating it from the rest of the city.” Monty stopped her, asking her to slow down and explain it. She paused before focusing on him. “Im saying she’s hiding something.” Immediately Monty knew what she was thinking, denying her request before she even got to say it. “Monty, with Becca’s password, I can edit the code. I’m sure if it.”

Monty still refused the fact it was the best plan they had. He thought it best to wait for Clarke and you all to get back. But Raven still wasn’t satisfied with the idea of waiting when she could be in and out and ALIE might not even notice. But it was always the might part that seemed to catch you all. “I’m gonna keep mapping, looking for any other vulnerabilities.”

Monty gave her a thankful smile, sitting in the seat of his own. “Then we'll do it together. I promise I won't slow you down. I'll just keep you company.”

The two of them got back to work, leaving the Citadel for when they had more answers. Or a supercomputer.

In addition to providing people with protection, Luna taught the younger Flokru members how to survive by fishing and how to take care of themselves in the process. “Careful not to catch yourselves. We don’t fish for children.” The kids laughed at Luna’s joke, smiles spreading on all their faces as Luna continued to work the net in front of her. Derrick, Luna’s boyfriend, walked up to the group, ushering Clarke to stop before whispering in Luna’s ear.

“The Sky Girl would like a word.” He said. Luna sighed, looking past Derrick. The children were curious, following Luna’s eyes before seeing Clarke.

“She’s persistent. I’ll give her that.” Derrick meekly smiled at her before she addressed the children, telling them they were done for the day and sent them off to help Derrick with Lamprey traps. The kids all followed the smiling man but one of them, the oldest and who happened to meet you earlier, gave Luna a hug before she left. Luna welcomed the action immediately, hugging the girl back just as tight before sending her on her way. As soon as Luna was alone, Clarke stepped forward.

“Were they born here?” She asked, trying to make small talk.

Luna didn’t turn around as she answered but continued to cut the net. “A few. Most were orphaned from war or ran from one they didn’t believe in.”

“Like you from the conclave.” Clarke pointed out, getting Luna to pause in her work.

“What did Titus tell you about me?” She questioned the blonde. Clarke told her the truth. How Titus claimed her to be a coward and how she was a traitor to the blood. “That sounds like Titus. Lexa’s death must have been hard for him. Lexa was always his favorite.” She turned around, seeing Clarke distraught face. “You cared for her.”

It wasn’t a question, but Clarke answered anyways. “Yes. Lexa was special. She was working for peace. Blood must not have blood.” Luna cocked her head as Clarke held up the flame between them. “You can finish what she started.”

“I have peace right here.”

“Luna. The flame is your birthright. You’re the only one who can save us.”

Luna looked between the blue flame in Clarkes hand and the girl herself. “How many people have to die to pay for those who I save?”

“Some causes are worth killing for.”

“Not to me.”

Clarke had hoped Luna would’ve accepted, but since she didn’t Clarke didn’t have much of a choice. “Ascende Superius.” The flame was activated, the tendrils coming out as Luna stared amazed at the piece of tech. Clarke used the opportunity to try and insert the flame, bringing it to the back of Luna’s neck.

Luna stopped her, grabbing the girl’s arms and throwing her to the ground. The hand holding the flame was in the air as Luna stood over her. “I didn’t flee the conclave because I thought I’d lose. I fled because I knew I’d win.” She yanked Clarke up, causing Clarke to groan as she stumbled to her feet. “You should be grateful Clarke.” She told her when Clarke steadied herself, looking into Luna’s eyes. “After I was forced to kill my brother in the first round, I was matched with Lexa in the second.” Clarke held back as gasp as Luna smirked. “Isn’t fate funny?” She pulled the flame out of Clarke’s hand, holding it up as she walked away. “You’ll get this back when you leave.” Clarke knew she messed up.

In the temple at Polis, ALIE Emori and a few other guards stood await, their guns trained at the door for any entrance being made. ALIE reminded them not to kill, having a need for them and with that need comes their lives. Emori who weapon less stood in the back with ALIE, waiting in the silence before looking to the red dressed AI. “Why did your creator leave you?” Emori asked.

“I don’t know.” ALIE said as she looked at Becca’s story on the wall. But when I see her again, I’ll ask her.”

Murphy snuck Pike and Indra into the temple, a secret passage going unprotected being their entrance. Murphy immediately saw Emori standing there, staring off in space. The sound of gunfire raining down made him jump as Pike shot the guards dead, turning to Emori before Murphy stopped him. “No no no. Not her. Not her.” He begged before Pike put the gun down, cheering for anymore guards. “They know we’re here. Bar the door.” He ordered the older man, coming into the room to Emori. He stood in place, staring at his girlfriend before turning to the backpack. “Jaha’s powering the pod.” He told them when he saw the backpack hooked up to the escaped pod.

Pike was grabbing the guns off the men. “What about the secret passage? ALIE knows about that now. I’ll look it up.”

Murphy looked into Emori’s eyes, not seeing the girl he loved in them as he scoffed. “Don’t. She didn’t see us come in.” Emori glared at him and narrowed her eyes. “Besides we’ll need that to escape.” He walked back over to the escape pod, grabbing the pole that was meant to keep the door open and ripping it out. The door closed as Murphy smirked, adjusting the grip in his hand. He held the pole in the air, ready to stab the back pack.

“That’s a nuclear fuel cell John!” Emori called out, getting Murphy’s attention. “Do it and you’ll irradiate the entire city.”

Murphy slowly put the pole down knowing that killing the entire city is the exact opposite of what they are trying to accomplish.

“So how do we destroy it?” Indra asked from the doorway.

Pike looked between Murphy and the backpack with a slight nod of his head. “Carefully.”

When nightfall came, Bellamy, Clarke, and Octavia were led back to the shipping container you all arrived in. Tensions were high as Luna walked ahead, Clarke staring at her from the back of the group. “Where’s Jasper?” Bellamy asked as he glanced back, not seeing the boy.

“Saying goodbye to his new friend.” Octavia told him. “Y/N?”

“She’s coming.” He wasn’t sure if he was telling her or himself. You had to be coming, you weren’t going to leave him, right?

They approached the container as the door opened 3 Flokru men stepping out. Luna apologized to them, asking for a return trip for your group. She tossed the gear you all brought inside, telling the three who were there that they’d get their weapons when they arrived. They were ushered inside. Bellamy didn’t want to go inside without knowing where you were, but he didn’t have a choice as the man next to him pushed him inside. Clarke held out her hand to Luna.

“The flame?” Luna pulled the flame out of her pocket, almost putting it in Clarke’s hand before pulling it away. Had she known ALIE had found her way onto the rig, she might’ve been more inclined to give the Flame to Clarke and get it out of there.

“There it is.” ALIE pointed the flame out to the boating captain as Luna and Clarke got in their final words. The flame was ripped from Luna’s hands as she was struck over the head and Clarke was shoved into the container, falling on the ground just in time to see Derrick and Luna over powered by there own men before they closed the doors.

Bellamy helped her off the ground as Octavia ran to the door, pounding upon it. “They took the flame. They’re locking us in.” She pounded on the door more as Clarke yelled.

“Hey! What is this?!” Clarke pounded as well before Bellamy stopped her.

“Luna’s own people were attacking her.” He started to piece it together in his mind. “ALIE’s here.”

And you had no idea.

Shay and Jasper walked through the buildings side by side, sorrowful smiles on their faces as their paces slowed. “You could come back, you know.” Shay offered.

Jasper chuckled deeply. “It’s not that simple. It’s nice here. I’d just mess it up.” HE looked around one last time before his eyes landed on Shay. A door slammed off in the distance as Jasper and Shay stopped, looking up to see Derrick being restrained by his own people and Luna thrown over one of their shoulders.

“Shay! Run before-“ The man behind Derrick knocked him down, sending him to the floor as Jasper’s eyes widened.

“She’s here.” He mumbled as ALIE warned her newest puppets of Jasper realization. “Go.” He said grabbing onto Shay’s shoulders. “Tell your people not to take the chip!” Shay hesitated, looking back at Derrick before Jasper yelled at her to run again.

This time she listened, almost running out the door before an arrow was shot in her back. She let out a scream as she fell to the ground. Jasper watched with his heart broken as her head fell to the side. He tried to the attack the man who shot Shay, punching him in the face but the man was unmoved, bringing his fist up to punch Jasper. The boy was sent to the floor after one punch as the captain lifted Jasper off the ground, adding him to their list of captives.

When the darkness had taken over the sky, you knew you should’ve been leaving. Bellamy and the others were probably waiting for you at the boat. The moon had risen across the horizon, its light shining against the water as you sighed and pushed against the bar to walk away. The rig felt different at night, while in the daytime kids ran about having the time of their lives, the nighttime was almost silent, the low sound of machine hums filling the air as you tried to find your way back. You regretted staying for so long as you didn’t know your way back. But Bellamy would wait for you, you knew he would.

You walked about without a clue, heading in a building that looked somewhat familiar but once you were inside, it hadn’t. You were about to turn around and head back before a low almost painlike groan caught your attention. You quickly perked up, ducking behind a few barrels as you listened for the sound again. When it came, you hurried over to the source, gasping at the sight of the storytelling woman on the ground with an arrow in her back.

Your knees hit the ground next to her as you checked her pulse. “What happened?” You asked her hurriedly when you felt a pulse, the arrow causing blood to leave her body.

“Jasper.” She gasped as your heart sank. Jasper did this? No way. “T-they took him. Luna and Derrick too” She was struggling to find her breath and you felt bad for pressing, but you needed to know what was happening.

“Who did this to you? Who shot you? Did Jasper shoot you?” You didn’t know how to help her. If you take the arrow out, she could die. If you left in… she could still die. You pulled your jacket off and pressed it against the wound and around her body. You winced as she cried out in pain. “I’m sorry.”

“My people. My people did this.” You weren’t sure if you heard her correctly the first time, but when she repeated herself you had a suspicion of what happened. If that suspicion is right, then ALIE’s here. “G-Go.” She muttered, pushing you away. “Machine Room. Level P.” Her hand pushed your knee once more, her touch weak as you took off, leaving the dying girl there. You felt awful for leaving her there, but she was dying. There was nothing much you could do for her.

You thanked anyone who was listening that you passed the machine room earlier and new where it was. You also thanked the fact you saw there was a back door.

You opened the door quickly, trying not to make a sound as you slipped inside. Screams came from inside, a man you assumed to be Derrick yelling for someone to stop and what sounded like Luna grunting and coughing. You kept moving, staying as low as you could to avoid being seen. When you finally got in a position that was good, your mind froze.

There, in front of you, Luna was being waterboarded and Derrick was still screaming for her life to be spared. Three muscular men surrounded them; Jasper tied off to the side with his hands in the air. Another bucket of water was poured over the towel on Luna’s face as she sputtered it out and you pressed your back against the boxes next to you, remaining unseen.

“Shit.”

Bellamy had it with the storage container, throwing himself against the walls in hope something would happen. Octavia was doing it as well, trying to kick the wall before throwing her hands in the air. “How did ALIE even find this place?!” She yelled out, her voice echoing in the small space.

Bellamy sighed. “There was a drone at Niylah’s.” He remembered shooting it down when Monty and him pulled the battery from the rover. “She must have followed us for the flame.” He slammed his fist on the wall, letting out a groan as pain shot through his hand.

“It’s not going to work.” Clarke told him, resting her head against the wall. Bellamy ignored her, hitting the wall again as she looked at him. “Bellamy.”

“Just stop Clarke!” He yelled out, tired of her trying to get him to calm down.

“The doors are locked. We’re not getting out unless they let us out.”

“Y/N’s out there, I’m not letting ALIE get to her.” HE pounded on the wall again as Clarke’s face softened.

“She’s strong Bellamy. She can protect herself.” He felt himself pause. That was what he was afraid of. He knew you could protect yourself, but he also knew you’d try to protect everyone else. He didn’t know if you had that in you. “We have to think.”

Bellamy stopped hitting the wall, looking down at the girl. “She’s gonna put the AI in Luna.”

“She would have to be chipped first. IF Luna is chipped before she gets the AI, ALIE would know everything. We’ll never be able to stop her.” Despite her convincing Bellamy to stop his pounding, she stood up herself, going to the door and doing her own banging.

You didn’t know how much longer you could take listening to Luna being tortured but you couldn’t just go in there and expect things to go your way. There were three men, Jasper and Derrick was tied up, and Luna was being tortured. Even if you did manage to get Luna free, the other two men would try to stop you. It wasn’t that you hadn’t taken on 3 men at once before, but you didn’t have any weapons this time and they couldn’t feel pain. Things weren’t looking your way.

It got even worse when, to save his love, Derrick took the chip himself. 4 guys, Jasper tied up, Luna being tortured. You could do this.

 The door to the temple was being pounded on, ALIE’s people trying to get the backpack as the four inside, minus Emori, all try to destroy the backpack. “Hurry, this door won’t last much longer.” Indra told Murphy and Pike, who scoffed.

“Then you’re going to have to pick up a gun.” He told her as she hesitated, turning to the door.

Throughout the struggle, John listener to his girlfriends words, gulping from his nerves. “You’re all going to die John.”

In the Citadel, Jaha and ALIE stood looking out at all the minds she’s taken. “Hurry Thelonious. The migration is not yet complete.”

“We’re still searching the tunnel entrances. I’ll be there when the door is opened.”

“John Murphy was with Clarke Griffin when they removed the second A.I. from the last Commander. If she won't help us insert it into Luna, then we'll need him alive.”

Luckily for Raven, both Jaha and ALIE remained unaware of her hacking into ALIE’s code while Monty slept next to her.

“What will you do with Clarke?” Jaha asked curiously.

“I will give her the same choice as the rest. Join us or...” she paused. Jaha turned to her, raising a brow and waiting for an explanation. Raven’s luck ran out. “Someone is accessing my codes with an administrative login. The intrusion is coming from Arkadia.” She informed him. Jaha shook his head, telling her if it’s coming from Arkadia then it could either be Sinclair or Monty but ALIE denied this, informing him of Sinclair’s death, leaving only Monty. “The login is coded by my creator, I can’t log them out.”

“Disconnect from Arkadia.” Jaha offered.

“That would be unwise. Without Arkadia's mainframe, the mobile unit would be my sole power source. If they destroy it... I will be terminated.” Raven pressed the enter key on her keyboard, ALIE gasping. “They're inside the Citadel.”

Jaha stepped forward. “If It’s Monty, I can stop him.”

ALIE cocked her head at him, her brows drawn together. “How?”

Monty woke up from his nap, rubbing his face before seeing the codes on the screen. His eyes widened as he pushed Raven after from the keyboard. “Are you crazy?!”

“No stop! I’m in her Citadel.” Monty let go of her, watching her begin her hacking once again. “So many doors are locked. But I can delete locks.” She started talking, more to herself but Monty was listening. “I was right. She’s hiding something. I just have to get past...” she stopped herself, watching the coding on the screen change. “Someone’s in the way.”

“Someone?” Monty wasn’t sure he heard her correctly.

“Monty?” Monty and Raven both froze, the sound of Monty’s mothers voice making her way through the screen. “Monty can you hear me?”

“Mom?” He whispered in disbelief, not looking away from the screen.

“Monty. I wish I could see you. Maybe I will someday.”

He shook his head, feeling a familiar prickling of tears in his eyes. “She sounds so real.”

“ALIE processed it. But it’s her mind, it’s her.”

“Can she hear me?”

Raven shook her head, pushing the keyboard over to him. “You have to type.” Hannah spoke again calling out to her son. “ALIE wants us to stop. That’s why she’s here, ALIE doesn’t want us to see what’s behind the door.”

Monty typed to his mother, having a conversation while Hannah distracted them, giving her more time. Monty’s fingers stopped above the keys, keeping him from his next key strokes. “What happens if we delete her code?” He asks Raven. The girl didn’t answer, only looking at the side of Monty’s face. “What happens?”

“She’ll be gone. Forever.” He listened to Hannah tell him she loved him, one last time before asking Raven to do it. She took the keyboard back, typing the code out before stopping. “You hit enter.”

“Monty?”

Monty stared at the screen with his mother’s voice, no longer holding back his tears. “I love you.” He told her, wishing he could say it to her face. With one push of a button, Monty deleted Hannah from the City of Light, killing her for the second time.

Jaha told ALIE to get out of the ark but ALIE couldn’t or else the only power source she has would be the backpack Murphy was trying to destroy.

Monty stepped away from the desk telling Raven to shut ALIE down. Raven was trying, getting through the last door, seeing the kill switch, she was so close.

Then the screen turned black.

“No no no no no!” She cried out, trying to get the codes back.

“What happened?!” Monty yelled out from behind Raven.

Raven was defeated. “She pulled herself from the mainframe before I could hit the kill switch.”

“So this was all for nothing?” He killed his mother again, for nothing? Raven shook her head, standing up with tears and reminding him they know there’s a kill switch now. “A kill switch we can’t even use because the code is gone! This is your fault. We were supposed to wait for the others.” You want to take the chip again? Is that it? You want to go back in there?” He went to the desk, grabbing the chip sitting on top and held it out for her. “Here. Take it.”

Raven just let out a sob, licking her lip to keep from crying more. “I’m sorry.” She whispered. Monty didn’t want to hear it, turning and walking out of the room as she whispered again. “I’m sorry.”

There was only a minute left before ALIE was finished and the door to the temple was almost open, grounders banging like their lives depended on it. Murphy just wanted to destroy the thing as Pike was trying to figure out how not to kill everyone. He asked Indra to pick up a gun and she did, despite her reluctance. Emori, at ALIE’s demand, try to get John not to destroy it. She told him to forget ALIE, that her mind and everyone’s in the City of Light was on that server. If he destroyed it, he’d be killing her.

In the last ten seconds, ALIE’s plan worked because Murphy couldn’t do it. He couldn’t kill Emori. “I can’t.” He told Pike who nodded. Murphy’s eyes were watery as Pike picked up a weapon on the ground, thrusting it into the backpack and destroying it. Murphy couldn’t watch, ducking his head into his arm as he turned away.

“Did it work?”

Murphy jumped in front of Emori, holding her face in his hands and looking into her eyes. “Are you okay?”

She just smiled at him. “You’re too late.”

Murphy’s face fell, the sound of the door cracking filling the room as Pike grabbed his shoulder.

“Let’s go.” He told him as Murphy stood up, grabbing a sack off the floor.

“Can’t let her see the tunnel.” He threw the sack over her head, knowing there was nothing he could do for her right now as they left in the tunnels.

When ALIE’s men and Jaha finally broke into the room, they were greeted with the sight of a tied up Emori and broken backpack. No other people to be seen. “They used a tunnel. Find it.” The men ran off looking for them. The backpack was broken as Jaha held up parts from it. “They could’ve destroyed everything today and they will try again.”

“It's all right, Thelonious. The migration was a success. The transmission from the escape pod is complete. They can't get to us here.” ALIE did however have access to many more places. Including the Go-Sci ring in space.

Bellamy, Clarke, and Bellamy gave up. They couldn’t get out until someone let them. “This place was safe before we got here.” Octavia pointed out.

There was no denying she was right. When Bellamy was with you today, it seemed so peaceful, the war hadn’t touched here, and you all spend 1 day and ALIE had taken over. He wished he’d stayed with you then, at least then he’d know if you were alive. The outside of the door clanked opened as he was pulled from his thoughts, looking at each other before jumping to their feet. They didn’t know who awaited at the other side, but they weren’t expecting a dying Shay.

“Oh my god.” Clarke rushed out, checking her over more than you had. Bellamy and Octavia checked the surroundings, making sure it wasn’t a trap.

“Machine Room. Level P.” Shay repeated for the second time that night. Bellamy finally looked down at the girl, his eyes focusing on the torn and bloodied clothing wrapped around her body. Your jacket. His mind reeled as he realized you were with her, she probably told you where to go. You were with ALIE’s people. Shay didn’t make it, dying as Clarke pressed her fingers against her neck for a pulse and shaking her head.

“Let’s go.” She told them before the three of them took off running to the machine room where you were still hiding.

It was now Derrick dunking Luna in a vat of water, you could hear her screams as you peaked around your hiding spot. It was only then did you realize 1 of the men were gone, leaving 3 chipped men and 2 prisoners. You glanced over to Jasper, seeing him trying to pull his hands down before groaning, glancing straight forward to you. His eyes went wide as you held a finger to your lips, signaling him to keep quiet. None of the men noticed his changed, too focused on drowning Luna. You took a step forward, ready to jump out and attack before the door bursts open, the last man walking inside with the girl you recognized earlier.

Luna was spitting water out of her mouth as her head was twisted to look. “No. No please.” She plead, seeing the young girl struggle in the man’s arms. Your heart started racing, seeing the way the girl’s arms were gripped tight, keeping her from moving. You fell back against the floor again, trying to keep your heart from pounding out of your chest as the memories being brought up, just at the sight of the young girl and the man holding her. Your eyes closed, calm breaths trying to come through but as much as your hands shook, your head was spinning.

“Take the chip or the girl dies.” Derrick spoke and that was all it took for you to react. You jumped over the pallet of boxes, coming in front of the girl and Flokru man. He was taken back by your sudden appearance and you used the distraction to knock his knife out of his hand. It clattered on the floor as you dove for it, picking it up and sending it into his head. The girl scream as the now dead man’s hold dropped, letting her run away and hide. Luna, using your entrance as her own distraction, bit Derrick’s arm, making him stagger backwards and let go of her. The remaining two men split up, one going after you and the other after Luna. He took a swing at you as you were barely to your feet, only making you fall on the ground again. He could overpower you with his knife, but you refused to let him have the upper hand, kicking him in the knee. He groaned as he fell to one knee, giving you the opportunity to kick his ribs. Your foot hit his side as his knife stuck out with his hand. You scurried over to the man you just killed, who wasn’t far from you, pulling his knife out and turning against the man. He tried to swing at you as you blocked him, before you finally lodged the knife in his heart. He fell to the floor as you panted, putting your hands on your knees and looking to Luna.

She had killed one of the men, only leaving her and Derrick. She put a hand out in front of her. “Derrick, this isn’t you. Derrick, please!” She cried out, hoping that her boyfriend would return to normal. You stood up, tightening your hold on the knife in your hand as Derrick and Luna started going at it. Before you knew it, Luna shoved a knife into the heart that was once hers, killing Derrick. You had to look away, hearing Luna’s cries was enough.

This place was supposed to be a sanctuary. Now look at what you had done.

The door to the room swung open, Bellamy Clarke and Octavia coming through as you let the knife in your hand fall to the ground. You could hear whimpers coming behind you as you turned to the girl, her tears staining her cheeks as you kneeled down. “You’re okay. I promise, you’re alright.” Octavia released Jasper and Clarke ran to Luna’s side as Bellamy ran to yours, his eyes finding yours, but you couldn’t look at him. You didn’t want him to see the look in your eye at killing the man. You didn’t want him to know you liked killing him, the man who was about to kill a kid. A kid who couldn’t be much older than you were when you first had a knife to your throat.

“T-thank you.” The girl whispered to you as you helped her up, feeling her tremble in your arms. You nodded, wiping away the tears on her face before she threw her arms around you in a hug. You weren’t expecting the action, especially when you were covered in someone else’s blood. Her arms didn’t loosen as you looked to Bellamy, seeing him glance around the room to the dead bodies before onto you. Neither of you said anything as the girl let go of you.

Jasper asked about Shay and Octavia told him the truth. Luna was still crying in the corner holding Derrick. His death was another to add to your long list. If you hadn’t waited so long, if you would have attacked before he took the damn chip… You couldn’t watch anymore, feeling your eyes close before Bellamy’s hand was on your back. It’s what you needed, that comfort, and before you knew it you were melting into Bellamy’s chest, feeling his arms wrapped around you as you hugged him back. He sighed as he felt you pressed against him, glad you were okay, relieved you were still alive, and heartened in the fact you allowed him to comfort you. He loved this feeling. He loved you.

Flokru had a funeral that night for their deceased people. You knew it was the right thing to do to be there, but things were still off. “Any one of them could be chipped and we wouldn’t know.”

You nodded at Bellamy’s words, your eyes stuck on Luna walking across the room. “They’ll make a move on the Flame before it’s in Luna’s head, if they are.” Clarke reminded you all before Luna and another girl approached you, bringing cups of some drink.

“The ceremony is about to begin.” She said miserably as you all took a cup, secretly wishing it was some time of alcohol. Luna started to walk away before Clarke called out.

“Luna wait!” Luna turned around, glaring at the girl. “I’m sorry, but now you see what we’re facing. An enemy who will stop at nothing to get what she wants.”

Luna pulled out the flame, everyone looking between it and her. “People I loved died today. Needlessly, at my hand.” Her eyes flickered up to you standing in the back, seeing you drop your head and bite your lip. “I can’t let that happen again.” She looked out to her people, raising her hand to get their attention. “As we prepare to give our brothers and sister to the sea, we honor their lives.”

Everyone raised their cups in the air, you all following suit. “Kom woda 'so gyon op, gon woda 'so kom daun.” Luna spoke out. Bellamy looked at you as you translated.

“From water we are born, to water we return.” Jasper and Clarke both listened in on you, hearing Flokru repeat Luna’s words. Everyone took a sip of the drink in their hands and you finished yours off, thankful for the fact there was alcohol in it. You immediately regretted it as once the drink was gone you tried to listen to Clarke and Luna talk, but their words became muffled, the room spinning as you dropped your cup, hearing it clatter on the floor as you started falling over. Bellamy grabbed onto your waist, keeping you upright as everyone looked at you passed out in his arms. Octavia fell next, followed by Jasper then Bellamy who took you down with him. Clarke looked down at you and Bellamy, his arm thrown over your waist before she looked into her cup. It shattered on the floor and Clarke watched as Luna walked away, letting Clarke fall to the floor as well.

You woke up with a start, the sky above you a muted blue as you blinked your eyes into focus. Glancing around, you saw Bellamy not far from as you leaned over, shaking his shoulder. He gasped as he woke up, you hand leaving his shoulder briefly before you put it back. He didn’t say anything and covered your hand with his own. You pushed yourself up, Bellamy following suit before he grabbed his gun, you were bow, as the others started to wake up. You helped along, giving them gentle taps with your feet until you were looking out over the water.

It wasn’t the same feeling you received on the rig, staring out at the water. Bellamy came to stand next to you, the others joining as well as Bellamy grabbed your hand. “What now?” He asked out loud. You weren’t sure if anyone had an answer, but you all looked to Clarke, hoping by some miracle, she knew what to do.

A/N: I’ve tried to post this all afternoon and then I finally had to delete it and post it through my computer I didn’t have on me at the time. IF YOU HAVEN’T FOLLOWED ME, DROP A FOLLOW AND GET ME UP TO 2K! I’M JUST A FEW PEOPLE AWAY!

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[goddess-aelin]

This Road is Unforgiving

A Void!Bellamy fic loosely based off of the FourTris scene in divergent where she brings him back. 

A/N: This is my first fanfic! I’m both excited and nervous to show it to you guys but I had such a strong idea in my head that I needed to write it. I usually create drawings but I decided to branch out a little. Hope you enjoy! :)  

  Clarke’s senses came back to her all at once. Blinding white lights. The smell of disinfectant. The silence disrupted every few moments by mechanical beeping. Her head was pounding and opening her eyes only made it worse .Where was she? How did she get here? As she became more aware, she noticed smaller things. Voices talking in the distance. Weights on her wrists. The long spike that was inches from her forehead.  

     Bardo. She remembered the soldiers appearing out of nowhere. She tried her best to fight but it was hard to fight something she couldn’t see. She remembered her friends falling, one by one. And then blackness.

     A man in a rigid white uniform was standing a few feet from where she was laying, fiddling with some sort of technology. Clarke couldn’t see what he was doing but she could hear familiar voices. Voices that unlocked distant memories from ages ago. 

     “Oh good, you’re awake. I have some questions for you,” spoke an icy voice. Clarke took a closer look at the man in white. He was wearing pristine white robes, cleaner than anything she had ever seen. His face gave nothing away and his eyes held no emotion. 

   Trying to keep her fear under control, Clarke remained silent. She was used to this. She always had to turn her fear into determination and harden her resolve. She didn’t know who this man was but she knew that anyone who strapped her down and put a giant spike above her head couldn’t be trusted. 

   “Clarke, it’ll be easier for you if you just cooperate with me. Your friends already gave me most of the information I need.”  At that, Clarke’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. It didn’t go unnoticed by the man. But still, she did not speak. “Yes, Miss Griffin, we have your friends too. Most of them were very cooperative. A few needed a little...extra help to jog their memories.” Clarke suppressed a shiver. 

    “Clarke, I’ll be blunt with you. I need more information about the City of Light. It’s very important to the work that we do here and who knows that place better than you? I would like to make this easy for you but you have to tell me what I want to know. If not, I will take what I need by any means necessary. Unfortunately, that usually isn’t the most comfortable option.”  At the mention of the City of Light, Clarke pursed her lips and felt a small tug in the back of her mind.  On the screen in front of her appeared ALIE, looking at her from inside the city of light. Clarke took a slight breath in. Mind reading. So that was their game. 

   Careful not to divulge any more information, Clarke turned her thoughts elsewhere. She thought about her father, about Wells. That was safe information, right? There was no way they could hurt them or take any information from them. They both died too young. Before they could see what she had become. Emotion swept through her as she heard her father’s voice emerge from the speakers. A few tears escaped from the corners of her eyes at the memories that flashed by. She could tell the man was agitated that she bypassed her memories away from the City of Light. A defiant hope bubbled inside her. She was Clarke Griffin. She could do this.   

    “So that’s how we are going to play this, Clarke?” Her eyes flicked to the man in white. “I can make this hurt. But let’s try something else first.” Anger and a slight smugness crossed his features. As he turned away, he raised a speaker to his mouth and called for backup. “Bring him in.”

    Clarke took deep breaths and continued to focus on memories of her father, willing away the fear and grief that threatened to rise up. She had survived this long, she could survive again. 

   Suddenly, the white door opened and three guards shuffled through, wearing the same armor that the people who attacked her were wearing. Clarke tried to keep her breathing calm but could feel her heartbeat increasing with each passing second. She had no plan, no visible way out. There was no way for her to overpower four people, especially since she couldn’t even get out of the restraints. 

    One more person followed the soldiers through the door and her breath left her all at once. She knew those inky curls and freckles that reminded her of the constellations. 

    “Bellamy?” Her voice was nothing but a whisper. She couldn’t believe that he was actually here. What was he doing here? He smiled and she tried not to cry. If only she could reach out and touch him. 

   “Hey, Clarke. I know this is scary but you have to help these people. Just tell them what they want to know,” he said sweetly. At those words, Clarke’s heart skipped a few beats. Something wasn’t right. She turned to take a closer look at her best friend. He had shaved his beard, looking more like the Bellamy she used to know. Her co-leader, her confidant. Even the way he stood now reminded her of the confidence and arrogance he held before they truly understood each other. As she continued her scan of him, locking on his eyes, she knew. Her Bellamy had eyes that were so warm, so understanding. As she stared back at the man standing in front of her, she saw no emotion. There was a coldness and hardness that she had never noticed before. She wiped all emotion from her face as she turned to face the man in white. 

“What have you done to him?” Clarke could hear the grit in her voice, could feel the anger starting to bubble beneath her calm facade. 

    A sly grin crossed the man in white’s features. “You’re such an observant woman, Clarke.  But you’re also extremely obvious.  From Bellamy’s memories alone, we knew that we could use him to break you. You two are so far gone for each other, it’s actually somewhat ridiculous.” Clarke could feel pieces of her heart chipping away with each word the man spoke. “Bellamy resisted the mind probe. This is what happens when you try to be strong. We took his memories to help us and in return, we gave him an enlightenment he could never experience anywhere else. An even trade. Bellamy is a disciple now.” 

   A few tears escaped from the corners of her eyes. After everything she’s been through, all the people she’s lost, this by far was the worst. Her co-leader, her confidant, her best friend. The man she loved, though she hadn’t admitted that to anyone, was gone. At least in every way that mattered. The cycle of losing him and finding him was finally coming to an end. She felt numb. What was she even fighting for anymore? Every conflict in the past had cost her someone she loved.  And now, the only person who really understood her had been taken from her too. 

   “Did you change your mind, Clarke? Are you ready to tell us what we want to know?” She grit her teeth and exhaled through her nose, determined to stand strong. There was no way she would give them what they wanted, now.  If Bellamy was gone because this information was so important to them, then she would lock it away as retribution for a life they took from her. 

   If she could have moved, she would have spit and kicked and screamed. But the impulse was crushed the moment she looked back to Bellamy. More tears started to leak from her eyes. After everything, this was how it ended? Alone, with the ghost of a man she once knew. A man she loved.  

     “So we have our answer then. Let’s begin.” the man in white commanded. “Oh and Clarke? Just know that even in his final moments, he thought of you.”  Bellamy moved toward her and began to lower the spike closer to her head. She could feel the pain begin as she resisted their attempts at gaining information. A headache even worse than the one she had moments ago. “Dial it up again.” More pain. At this point she could feel the sweat start to run down her back, making her shiver. Her head felt as though it was about to burst. 

     Again, she looked to her left at Bellamy. Her resolve to resist was slowly waning with each second that passed. “Bellamy,” she choked out. Her heart lurched when his hardened eyes locked on hers. More tears fell. “If you need forgiveness, I’ll give that to you.” Clarke mustered a small, sad smile as she remembered that day by the tree after their fight with Dax. She had so much love and appreciation for this man. She closed her eyes and started to remember, listening to her memories as they came in flashes on the screen.  Co-leaders at the dropship. Teaching her how to shoot a gun. Closing the dropship door. Hugs, reunions, together. Making that stupid list. Watching the rocket taking off. Radioing him every day. Hearing his voice urging her to fight as he breathed life into her.  If you need forgiveness, I’ll give that to you. If you need forgiveness, I’ll give that to you. She focused on that one memory. The memory that brought her hope and relief in a world that was so unforgiving. 

    Clarke opened her eyes to look at Bellamy one last time. “Dial it up again.” Nothing happened. Bellamy was frozen in place, a look of confusion cemented on his features. His eyes were wide and his breathing came in short spurts. Clarke’s brows furrowed as they locked gazes. The pain was continuing to increase with each passing moment but through the fog, she could’ve sworn that she noticed a warmth in Bellamy’s eyes that wasn’t there before. Before she could make sense of anything, three loud shots rang out, reverberating off the smooth metallic walls. Through her haze of pain, she could see a head of curls by the screen in front of her, rapidly pressing buttons and tampering with the equipment. She could feel the pain in her head suddenly subside, though the haze in her mind remained. Weights were lifted from her wrists and she could feel the pin prick on her forehead release. 

     She felt arms wrap around her tightly and with them came clarity. Clarke took a deep breath in. She felt safe, peace. She felt at home. Clarke pulled back slightly only to realize that her face was sticky with sweat and tears. She felt Bellamy’s thumbs come up to wipe under her eyes and raised her gaze to look at him. 

   “Clarke. I’m so sorry,” he choked out. She could feel him shaking as his hands ran from her face to her shoulders to her waist. Her grip on his arms tightened. They both sobbed, grateful that they were here in this moment, together. He slowly brought their foreheads together and they each let out a sigh of relief. She could just make his freckles out through her glossy vision, a thought that made her pulse slow.   

  “Bellamy….you’re here?” She could taste the salt as the tears continued to roll down her cheeks to her lips. She felt every emotion all at once. Relief, anger, a happiness she hadn’t felt in a while. Hope. 

   “I heard you. Maybe they thought they took my memories but it’s more like I was locked inside my head. Hearing your voice calling from under the tree during our trip to the bunker jogged something. It was like a switch flipped inside me and my memories came rushing back. You forgave me like you always do. It’s kinda our thing so it’s fitting that it would bring me back to my senses.” He let out a chuckle. She smiled as a giddy giggle threatened to erupt. A brilliant smile crossed his face. She pulled him back toward her, hugging as tightly as she could, and buried her face into his neck. Her feelings started to bubble to the surface, threatening to spill out. She held them back. There would be time for that later, she would make sure of it. Even though they weren’t safe yet and they still had a long way to go, they were still breathing. And they would face whatever came their way together. 

#bellarke fanfiction #bellarke #the 100 #the 100 fanfiction #bellarke fanfic #my fic #hope you guys liked it :) #i so wanted to write an I love you in here but i also wanted to keep it canon compliant

[hutchhitched]

My thoughts on The Devil All the Time under the cut…

 The last movie I saw in theaters before the world shut down in March was The Last Full Measure. I’d already seen it twice, but I went with a friend, and we were the only two in the theater. It’s fitting, then, that the first movie I saw during the slow reopening is another one with Sebastian Stan. Honestly, I doubt I would have gone if it wasn’t one of his. Somehow, Alamo Drafthouse and one other independent theater got it to show in Houston. The earliest screening was 3:30, but I was a guest on a podcast at the time, so I settled for the 7:15 show. Alamo has buffer seats established, so two seats are saved on either side of a purchased recliner. I was in the back row by myself. There were maybe eight or ten other people (besides waiters) in a theater that can normally seat around 100, and no one came within six feet of me the entire time I was there (other than delivering food and beverage). All in all, a fairly pleasant movie experience for the second week of open theaters in the city.

 Back in the before times in January, I checked out a copy of the book and read it during the first week of the year. The work is gritty, discomfiting, and (for lack of a better word) depraved. It’s not a feel-good story in any way, but it’s also really intriguing and has a lot to say about human character, poverty, and rural America. I read it knowing who was cast in a few roles, and that made Lee Bodecker much more interesting than he probably would have been otherwise.

 The movie is remarkably true to the book. It’s an ensemble cast for a book with numerous characters who dance around each other in an inexplicable way until the moment it all clicks and the bigger picture settles. Unfortunately, a few characters/storylines are simplified and/or removed, but that’s to be expected in a movie. There was only one omission that surprised me, and its absence didn’t hurt the overarching narrative at all.

 The tone of the movie is dark, very Southern gothic. Whoever location scouted did a great job finding places that felt like poverty-stricken Appalachia. The Ohio and travel scenes created some visual diversity that worked well.

 I saw a tweet that summed up the movie in a few words with which I whole-heartedly agree. It’s a story about toxic masculinity and religious hypocrisy. Add a little police corruption and murder in there, and that’s about right. Like I said, this isn’t a fun movie. As a religious historian and regular church attendee, the religious overtones were fascinating. I wondered several times what happened to the book’s author that turned him off evangelical Christianity so hard because there is almost nothing redeeming (pun intended) in The Devil All the Time. God doesn’t answer and can’t save you, and his emissaries (preachers) aren’t going to help either. In fact, they’re likely to make your life much, much worse instead. Run away. Literally.

 Toxic masculinity is alive and well in the movie. Vulnerability is unacceptable, and loving something or someone leads to heartbreak at best and total destruction at worst. Trying to do good ends up as bad, and guns are both the way to get something done and how to end a lot of lives. One gun, in particular, is presented and then buried at either end of the film, and I took that as a metaphor for how the character fought to change his life by letting go of his past. Fingers crossed for him because he’s got a tough road to get there.

 The cast is remarkable. Tom Holland played anger, vulnerability, fear, and despair all equally well, and Jason Clarke was smarmy as hell. The women actors were excellent in their limited roles. Riley Keough, in particular, was truly incredible. Depraved, but excellent. Robert Pattinson’s voice and accent blew me away. He looked the same as in any other role, but he sounded completely different. Whoever the voice coach was for the actors needs a raise.

 Sebastian Stan is fantastic in his role, which I expected from the trailer. It doesn’t hurt that his character’s introduced to the audience while getting a hand job in a police car while in full uniform at a lookout point surrounded by multiple other cars. He’s charming and ambitious in his early scene, which makes his fall from grace in the second half of the movie worse. He’s corrupt and immoral and conniving. His connection to Sandy, one half of the Bonnie and Clyde-esque serial killer duo, is the tipping point for the film and Bodecker himself. Seb’s physical transformation over the twenty-year time span is done well. His jawline sags as he ages, and so does his morality. His final scene is a show stealer, and I wish he’d shown more of that fire throughout. Maybe that’s intentional—as he sees his future collapsing, he loses control and rages on the screen. I might have done a little fist pump in celebration.

 When the release date got pushed back to September with awards chatter associated, I was bummed like many of y’all, but I can see why now. It’s not a fun movie. It’s not going to break box office records or be something people watch repeatedly and quote for fun, but it’s really, really well-done. The narrator slips in and out and nudges the audience to think about what’s happening and why. There aren’t a lot of sympathetic characters, but there are a ton of excellently acted roles. I’m looking forward to watching it again on the 16th, so I can see what I missed the first time. I’m very sure I’ll be repeating the Lee Bodecker scenes, as well.

#sebastian stan #the devil all the time #tom holland #robert pattinson #riley keough #jason clarke