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shanie-the-toyaddict · 3 years

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1, 9, 15, 17, 21, 25, 26, 29, 33, 41, 46, 48, 54, 59, 68, 73, 81, 96, 98

😊

Oh my word! That's a lot!

Ok, here goes.

Behind cut for length

1. Name - I prefer Shanie but my parents call me “Mis”. Well, my mom calls me “Mis” my father calls me “Pooch” which I despise. Just stick with Shanie.

9. What did you study - I changed majors midway through college. I started out as an art major focusing on computer animation. That didn’t work out at ALL. Turns out I sucked ass at computer animation. Too much math involved. So I switched to a major in teaching with minors in history and popular culture. Unfortunately I failed at that too and, while I did graduate, it was with a degree in “Planned Program” which is a polite way of saying “General Ed”. I did earn my two minors though, so I guess that’s something!

15. Relationship Status - Single. Very Very Single. I haven’t had a single date in about 10 years. By the looks of it, I’m going to stay single.

17. Do you have a crush - Do celebrities count? If not then no. I don't even know anyone IRL to have crushes on. I legit have nobody in my IRL life outside of my parents and my case manager. Kind of hard to have a crush when you don't have any friends or even acquaintances.

21: How was your day - Well, today I got nothing accomplished. I did have a meeting with my case manager, so that was nice. It’s nice to have someone to talk to and infodump on (which she lets me). Outside of that I woke up, had breakfast, lunch, and dinner, had a nap, and went to Dairy Queen for ice cream on the way home. Unfortunately, DQ is on the far side of town and by the time I got home, it was melted. So it went in the fridge to eat later once it refreezes. Outside of that it was a pretty boring day.

25. Your fears - Whoo-ee. Ok. So coming in with the borderline I’d say my biggest fear is abandonment. That just comes with the territory. After that I have a huge fear of storms and waking up in a fire, both brought about by recurring nightmares. I also have a fear of flying (too much Air Crash Investigations) and I hate elevators. I’m not claustrophobic mind you, I just have a fear that they will fall on me. Anything over 3 stories and I’m having an anxiety attack. There are other, lesser fears but those are some of the big ones.

26. Your dreams - Well, in a literal sense, my dreams are wild, crazy adventures that I get most of my fanfics from. From a metaphorical standpoint I really don’t have any. I’ve given up on hoping for anything good in my life. I’m too busy trying to get from day to day to indulge in long term planning. I know it seems terrible, but it’s the truth.

29. Hobbies - Obviously action figures, that much is clear. I collect and customize them to display in my apartment. I also like making digital art (sometimes) and am starting to get into illustrations/artwork. However, I don’t have a tablet/pen for the computer so everything is done with the mouse and GIMP (which makes it difficult). I’m an avid collector of digital media. Some of my big ones are Doctor Who DVDs, Wrestling Entrance Themes, and Official Xena Photos (not the physical ones, jpeg scans). I used to be big into Wizard101 and, while I don’t really play anymore, I still like following the game on YT and on here.

33. Languages you speak – Only English, except it’s a very specific English. I usually speak what’s called the “Yinzer” dialect which is a dialect that is unique to the Pittsburgh region. That’s why you see me use the word “Yinz” a bunch. That’s our word for “You guys” or “Y’all”. However, while most of my speech is Yinzer, I have watched enough British TV in my lifetime to have picked up some Brit speech. It confuses the hell out of people when I use it because you’ll have me say things like “My apartment needs cleaned” and then follow it up thirty seconds later with, “I’m rubbish at cleaning.” My mother has picked up on this and sometimes calls me her “British Daughter” because of it.

41. Your Device Background – My phone’s lock screen is a picture of Shane in his Roman Centurion outfit from the one Royal Rumble photo shoot. My phone background is a checkered wallpaper with “SZ” on it for Sami Zayn. (That one might be getting changed if he stops being Sami.) And my computer background is just a night sky over the mountains. I rarely ever see my computer wallpaper so I don’t mind that it is a generic background.

46. The most dangerous thing you’ve done – You know how Lucy breathes fire on Xena? I taught myself how to do that. That wasn’t bright to begin with but it was made so much worse that I was underage and couldn’t buy Bacardi and was using lamp oil instead. I was young and dumb.

48. Some things you’ve tried in your life – Funny thing, I’m a sucker for strange foods. There was a list going around that said “How many of these weird foods have you eaten” and I think I had eaten all but six of them and that was only because I didn’t have access to them. I’m proud to say that, since then, I’ve knocked Quail Egg off the list! Turns out the local Japanese restaurant served it. So that knocked it down to five. Still need to get ahold of some gator meat and haggis. I’d love to try Foie Gras but it’s just so damn unethical that I don’t know if I could bring myself to eat it. Pheasant is another one that I’d love to try but I can’t convince my parents to buy me one (and I’m far too poor to afford it myself). But, yeah. I love strange foods. I’ll pretty much try any food once if I know it’s safe to eat.

54. Any tattoos or piercings – Unless you count partially pierced ears then no. And my ears are only partially pierced because after I had them done they got infected so I tried to let them heal shut. They ended up not closing fully and now, if I’m not adverse to a bit of pain, I can still wear earrings occasionally.

59. Song you wouldn’t normally admit you like – Judas is my guilty pleasure song. I know Jericho is a douchebag and I have tried to hate the song but I can’t. I end up singing along every time.

68. Favorite Movie/Series - Hmm... well, my all time favorite movie is definitely “The Towering Inferno”, hands down. I’ve lost count how many times I’ve seen that. I’m a sucker for disaster movies and, in my opinion, that one is the cream of the crop. I actually like it better than “The Poseidon Adventure” simply because I think the movie is inferior to the book. That said, I’ve also read both of the books that “The Towering Inferno” is based on and I like the combined movie better than them. Favorite series, however, I don’t think I have one definitive favorite series. I’ve had favoriteS like Xena, Buffy, Sherlock, Doctor Who, etc, but I’ve never had one all time favorite.

73: Favorite Greek God – Oh geez. Hmmm... You know, I’m going to have to go with Hermes here, primarily because I have this theory that he is the god of the internet. I know there was no internet in ancient Greece but, frankly, Hermes is the god of commerce, communication, travelers, and thieves. While it’s true that Hephaestus is the god of technology and would probably be the god of computers, I fully believe that Hermes would be the patron of the interwebs.

81 Favorite Books – In all honesty, going to college for 8 years burned me out for reading and now I can barely bring myself to read a comic book. For this reason, most of my favorite books come from childhood. My all time favorite book as a kid was “Flight #116 Is Down” by Caroline B Cooney. It was a disaster story about plane crash in a young woman’s back yard. Somehow, everyone didn’t die – a fact which was called out in the final pages when a fireman says that the crash was extremely odd because “usually they’re all dead.” That book might be another reason I’m terrified of flying. Other favorite books of mine was the “Fear Street Saga Trilogy” (Not the Fear Street Series, the trilogy that served as the origin story). I also like the Hitchhikers Guide saga but when I found out that Douglas Adams died before he could finish the saga, I stopped reading after book 4 so that the story had a happy ending. Novelizations in general are a big thing for me too, I’ve read some really good ones over the years and it’s fascinating to see how they differ from the movies they’re based on.

96. Hero or Villain – Well, if my dreams are anything to go by, I’m a villain at heart. I know, weird right? You all think I’m such a nice person but really, I have a huge dark side to me IRL and, if I was in a world where superheroes were real and I had superpowers I would almost certainly use them for evil. Or, at the very least I would use them to force social change ala Dr. Horrible.

98. Shapeshifting or Controlling Time – SHAPESHIFTING! Oh my goodness shapeshifting! I would love that so much! First of all, I wouldn’t be this huge anymore. I could be as heavy or a skinny as I want. Also, I wouldn’t have to worry about looking old or losing my hair! Plus, can you imagine the cosplay potential!? Forget dressing as the 13th Doctor, I AM THE 13th DOCTOR! That would just be the best!

PHEW! That was a lot! Thanks so much for the ask! This was fun. I love ask games.

#ask games

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animearchetypes · 4 years

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MLP: Pony Life - Is Fluttershy a Yandere?

I have never done an analysis revolving a character outside of anime before, but this tenth episode of MLP: pony Life is hard to not pay attention to.

To start off, yes I am a bit of a pegasister, aka a female brony and yes I enjoy Friendship Is Magic. The G4 series has a ton of references to the anime tropes out there; with Pinkie’s sister Maud Pie showing characteristics of a kuudere and Marble Pie showing characteristics of being both dandere and undere.

More information about the dere types here so I recommend non-anime fans to check it out: https://anime-archetypes.tumblr.com/post/621054439730577408/guide-to-all-dere-types-in-anime-renewed

This time it’s about Fluttershy, one of the main characters in My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, and the brand new series My Little Pony: Pony Life.

To clear the confusion, MLP: Pony Life is set in an alternate universe of Friendship Is Magic, the Fluttershy in Pony Life is not the same character as the Fluttershy back in MLP: Friendship Is Magic.

Unlike Fluttershy in MLP: Friendship is Magic who happens to be a Dandere, Fluttershy in Pony Life’s recent episode is in my opinion almost a Yandere, with Discord as her target of affection. Granted this is a kids show so there is obviously no homicide involved, but she did have her obsessive moments which is what I’m going to talk about here.

I did a short mention of the MLP: Friendship is Magic version of Fluttershy being a Dandere here: https://anime-archetypes.tumblr.com/post/616687492848140288/dandere-fluttershy

This blog contains “heavy spoilers” so I recommend you watch the episode ‘Discord’s Peak’ before you read this! Clear? Good!

At the start of the episode, Fluttershy organizes a trip to visit the magical volcano known as, Mt. Volcanope. She attempted to convince Discord to join her, even promising chaos and danger, but to no avail.

So the Mane Six were climbing up the volcano, with Fluttershy walking with them in melancholy and is already missing Discord, saying she wishes for Discord to tag along with them and join their Trail Trotter troop. Rainbow questions her and indirectly calls Discord a “walking disaster”, to which Fluttershy replies “but he’s my walking disaster.”

Already there were some signs of affection there. Now when most people show signs of having a crush on someone, they become lovestruck to the point that they even find their crush’s habits and quirks cute, in the picture above was Fluttershy’s awe towards Discord being a “walking disaster”. Fluttershy wanting Discord to tag along was her craving him; and Fluttershy’s love for chaos and recently danger were Discord’s characteristics rubbing off on her, with some of his traits becoming her traits.

What does this have to do with Fluttershy’s yandere signs you ask? I’ll get to that. We’re simply observing her lovey-dovey signs first, which is what dere from the Japanese word deredere roughly translates to. We can see here that she was in a partial lovestruck state, not showing any fear of heights (unlike her MLP: FiM counterpart) and her apparent attraction to danger, since danger is what Discord likes.

Anyone can do crazy things when they’re in love, that doesn’t automatically make them a yandere. A character has to become lovesick and do twisted things in order for their love interest to be with them, and killing is the most common way to eliminate anyone who tries (or even thinks about) to take their love away from them. But like I said, Pony Life is a kids show and I did mention in my other post that not all yanderes have to kill in order to be with their significant other.

Also, just because it’s a kids show doesn’t take away the yandere moments here and there, with some yandere moments from Berry in Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, the Kankers in Ed Edd n Eddy, and Pucca in Pucca Funny Love. And boy did Fluttershy cross the line after the mane six have reached the summit of the volcano!

“Just a little chaos...”

“Fluttershy?”

“Enough to get Discord to join in on the fun!”

And that my friends is what I meant about her borderline yan side showing, with Fluttershy’s inner crazy reaching its peak as she deliberately triggers an eruption, putting herself and her friends in danger (and eventually the town). She thought more about Discord joining them (when really she thought about herself) and never once thought about her friends’ safety, that is one of the examples of reaching yandere territory.

Her plan did work eventually and Discord came to their rescue as a result of Fluttershy being in danger (which was her own fault by the way), and he did so by using his magic to stop the pink lava from flowing (yes the lava’s pink don’t question it).

After he saved them, Fluttershy continued to use her psychological tactic the second time to get Discord to join them, in which we viewers know that she really wanted to be close with him. She mentioned how she always knew he was a “trail trotter” at heart. It’s highly likely that she knew he was going to disagree, to which he did and that helped her keep up with her psychological tricks.

She mentioned that he was right and called him a “Solo Scout” with her lovestruck eyes and pink hearts floating around them. Even while lovestruck, that doesn’t stop her from using her tactic, nor did it stop her from predicting Discord’s reactions.

She knew that he would like the sound of what she called him and that he would want her to explain more, and so sneaky Fluttershy explained, “Solo Scouts are a troop of one. They rely on nopony but themselves. But, oh, you chose not to join, so forget I said anything." That last sentence she used was probably to get Discord under her control; she knew his strengths, weaknesses, traits; and used them to her advantage. Thus her plan worked again, with Discord finally joining the Mane Six.

Well, at least she had some form of guilt, and she did express her guilt over trying to force Discord into doing something he does not want to do, so that was at least something, right? While it’s true she experienced guilt, but that only revolved around Discord and not her close friends she put at risk. I call this Selective Empathy. She only managed to put herself at Discord’s position, but not the position of the rest of the mane six.

That to me sounds like a similar situation with most other yandere characters in media. Yuno Gasai from Mirai Nikki only sympathized and empathized with Yukiteru, but she had no remorse for the people she murdered; the same goes for Satou Matsuzaka, who only managed to sympathize with her girlfriend Shio. Depending on the level of yandere, they mainly express guilt for someone who is their love interest. Of course Fluttershy in Pony Life expressed her empathy for her friends in other episodes, namely Cute-pocalypse Meow when some cat was being a jerk towards her friends.

Conclusion

Ranging from the first episode to this recent tenth episode, it’s safe to say that in my opinion, Fluttershy from Pony Life would be a mild yandere (but of course it's only one episode). But the question is, when Discord appears in future episodes, will we be seeing more of Fluttershy’s novice yandere moments? Will Discord notice Fluttershy’s obsessive love towards him? And how will he react?

We’ll just have to wait and see.

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papermoonloveslucy · 4 years

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HUMILIATED & UNHAPPY

July 16, 1960

TV Guide ~ July 16-22, 1960 (Vol.8, No.29 & Issue #381) Cover photo by Sherm Weisberg, Fashions by Sacks Fifth Avenue

This was Lucille Ball’s tenth (of 39) TV Guide covers.

“A VISIT WITH LUCILLE BALL” by Dan Jenkins

On January 19, 1953, Desi Arnaz rushed exultantly into the Hollywood Brown Derby, grinning that wide, idiotic grin common to new fathers for the past several eons. Striding down a side isle, he threw his arms excitedly in the air and shouted, "Now we got everythin'!" By "everythin'," Arnaz was encompassing quite a bit of territory - an eight-pound son born that morning, the birth of the Ricardo son on ‘I Love Lucy’ that same night and a gold-plated peak of popularity for a television series which, in all probability, will never again be approached. On May 4, 1960, just seven years later, Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball, quite possibly the most widely known couple in show-business history, were divorced. She had sued for divorce once before (she didn't complete the proceedings), but that was back in 1944 when Desi was a corporal in the Army, Lucy was a star at MGM and World War II was getting all the headlines. By 1960, the Lucy-Desi combine had made so many headlines that no one even bothered to look at the press-clipping scrapbooks any more, or the countless awards that had rolled in on them from all over the country. On an overcast spring afternoon, just 10 days after the divorce, Lucille Ball was sitting in her small but tastefully decorated dressing room on the Desilu lot. That morning, during a short drive over to the neighboring Paramount lot to confer with the producers of her upcoming picture with Bob Hope, she had stuck her head out the window of her chauffeur-driven car and shouted to a friend, "Hi! Remember me? I used to work at Desilu." The remark was not only typical of Lucy Ball but an unwitting reflection of her character and a classic off-the-cuff example of the laugh-clown-laugh tradition. Like most true clowns, Lucy is not a jovial, outgoing person. Her devastating sense of humor, often with a cutting edge, is reserved for her friends. In her dealings with the press she is precise, truthful - and sparing with words. A newsman asked her recently if she had plans to marry again. Lucy stared at him for a few seconds and said simply, "No." (1) The newsman felt that Lucy had missed her calling and should be rushed into the negotiations with Khrushchev forthwith. Relaxing (which is to say, at least sitting down for a few minutes) with an old friend in her dressing room that spring afternoon, Lucy alternated between abrupt sentences and spilled-over paragraphs. On the subject of her immediate plans, she talked almost as though by rote. "I start rehearsals this week for a picture with Bob Hope. It's called 'The Facts of Life.' [She did not wince at the title.] I liked it the minute I read the script and said I'd do it if Bob would. It's written and produced by Norman Panama and Melvin Frank. We have a 10-week shooting schedule. "Then I go to New York with the two children, my mother and two maids. We have a seven-room apartment on 69th Street at Lexington. I'll start rehearsals right away for a Broadway show, 'Wildcat.' It's a comedy with music, not a musical comedy, but the music is important. I play a girl wildcatter in the Southwestern oil fields around the turn of the century. It was written by N. Richard Nash, who wrote 'The Rainmaker.' He is co-producer with Michael Kidd, the director. We're still looking for a leading man. I want an unknown. He has to be big, husky, around 40. He has to be able to throw me around, and I'm a pretty big girl. He has to be able to sing, at least a little. (2) I have to sing, too. It's pretty bad. When I practice, I hold my hands over my ears. We open out of town - I don't know where - and come to New York in December. [Ed. Note: ‘Wildcat’ is now scheduled to make its debut in Philadelphia in November.] (3) "I'm terrified. I've never been on the stage before, except in 'Dream Girl' years ago. But we always filmed ‘I Love Lucy’ before a live audience. I knew a long time ago that I was eventually going to go to Broadway and that's one reason why we shot Lucy that way. But I'm still terrified. The contract for the play runs 18 months. Maybe it will last that long. Maybe longer. And maybe it will last three days." (4) The phone rang. A man's voice, the resonant kind which a telephone seems to make louder, wanted to know if Lucy would like to go out that night. Lucy's expression indicated that the whole idea was a bore but the man prattled on. He apparently had a commitment to attend a young night-club singer's act. "I've seen him twice already," Lucy said into the phone, "and his press agent is now saying I've been there eight times. If I go again the kid will be saying I'm in love with him. He's 2-feet-6 and nine years old. I don't want any part of it." The voice on the phone turned to a tone of urgent pleading. Lucy held the phone away from her at arms length and looked to the ceiling for advice and guidance. She finally hung up. "I go out because people ask me to," she said. "I have no love for night clubs, unless there's an act I especially want to see. And I don't especially want to see this kid's again." She lit another cigarette. "Nervous habit," she said. "I don't inhale, never did. Just nerves.” "I get tired too easily. The reaction is beginning to set in. I've had pneumonia twice in a year. That's not good." There was a long silence. Even for old friends, Lucy is not an easy person to talk to. "I filed for the divorce the day after I finished my last piece of film under the Westinghouse contract," she said suddenly. "I should have done it long ago." Would there ever be any more Lucy-Desi specials like those Westinghouse had sponsored? (5) She stared. "No," she said abruptly. She paused. "Even if everything were alright, we'd never work together again. We had six years of a pretty successful series and two years of specials. Why try to top it? That would be foolish. We always knew that when the time came to quit, we'd quit. We were lucky. We quit while we were still ahead." Was she happy?

Another stare. "Am I happy? No. Not yet. I will be. I've been humiliated. That's not easy for a woman." She started to talk about the recent years with Desi. She talked in a quiet, factual monotone, a voice that had been all through bitterness and was now beyond it. She talked with an implicit faith that what she was saying was off the record. It was. Some day, it was suggested to her, somebody was going to write the story. She stared. "Who would want to?" (6) She looked over at the framed picture of Desi that stood on a small table. "Look at him," she said. "That's the way he looked 10 years ago. He doesn't look like that now. He'll never look like that again." The door was opened and a spring breeze began drawing some of the heavy cigarette smoke out of the room. Lucy smiled a little and turned to her desk. "Try to write," she said finally, "more than I said but not as much as I said."

FOOTNOTES

(1) Lucille Ball did indeed marry again - to Gary Morton (born Morton Goldaper) on November 21, 1961. They remained married until her death.

(2) Gordon MacRae, Jock Mahoney, and Gene Barry were considered before Lucille selected Keith Andes to play the role of Joe Dynamite. He was indeed 40 years old at the time of casting. He committed suicide in 2005.

(3) 'Wildcat’s’ Philadelphia tryout opened on October 29, 1960. The Broadway opening had to be postponed when trucks hauling the sets and costumes to New York were stranded on the New Jersey Turnpike by a major blizzard. After two previews, the show opened on December 16th at Broadway’s Alvin (now Neil Simon) Theatre.

(4) ‘Wildcat’ ran for 171 regular performances. The show was on hiatus from February 5, 1961 through February 9, 1961 during Lucille Ball's illness. The production was to take a 9-week hiatus after June 3rd, 1961 and re-open August 7, 1961, to complete Ball’s contract, but the show closed and did not return due to Ball’s physical exhaustion.

(5) Jenkins is referring to the 13 “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hours” which were part of the “Westinghouse-Desilu Playhouse” which continued the adventures of the Ricardos and the Mertzes, including guest stars, musical numbers, and travel-themed episodes.

(6) Lucy and Desi’s tempestuous marriage has been the subject of several books, two television movies, an award-winning documentary, and at least one stage musical!

TV Guide columnist Dan Jenkins had his name used by “I Love Lucy” in “Redecorating” (ILL S2;E8) in 1952 for the used furniture salesman played by Hans Conried. His name was also mentioned in “Lucy and Ethel Buy The Same Dress” (S3;E3) as a possible emcee for their television show. His qualifications? He plays tissue paper and comb!

In 1953, when Lucille Ball was accused of being a Communist, the real Dan Jenkins stood up at a press conference and said “Well, I think we all owe Lucy a vote of thanks, and I think a lot of us owe her an apology.” Lucy and Desi walked over to where Jenkins was standing and gave him a huge hug. Jenkins later said, “From that time on, we were very good friends.” His last interview with Lucy was in 1986 during “Life with Lucy.”

OTHER ARTICLES

“Shari Lewis and her Puppets” - Lewis was a ventriloquist who’s main character was the sock puppet Lambchop. In 1960, after years of guest-starring on television, Lewis got her own show, which lasted three years on NBC.

“Ty Hardin’s Whirlwind Career” - Ty Hardin and his western show “Bronco” (1958-63) was ABC TV’s answer to Clint Walker’s “Cheyenne”.

“From the Mouth’s of Babes Comes Happy’s Gimmick” - “Happy” (1960-61) was the nickname of a baby, who’s thoughts could be heard by the viewers in this one-season sitcom. It was filmed at Desilu Studios.

“The Untouchables - Fact and Fiction: Part 2″ - “The Untouchables” (1959-63) was a series that began on “The Westinghouse-Desilu Playhouse” and turned into a hit weekly show by Desilu.

PHOTO FEATURES

“Linkletter’s Packing Tips” - Art Linkletter was one of television’s most popular hosts and presenters. Lucille Ball appeared on his show “House Party” in 1965 as well as a 1966 episode of “The Lucy Show” and a 1970 episode of “Here’s Lucy,” both times playing himself.

“Connie Stevens’ Calorie Counter” - Connie Stevens was a singer and actress then playing Cricket Blake on “Hawaiian Eye” (1959-63).

REVIEW

“Mystery Show” - was a mystery anthology series broadcast on NBC from May 1960 to September 1960 as a summer replacement for “The Dinah Shore Chevy Show” with Walter Slezak as host, except for the last three episodes, which had Vincent Price as host.

At the time Evelyn Bigsby was the Associate Managing Editor for Women’s Features at TV Guide’s Hollywood Bureau. Her name was given to the new mother (played by Mary Jane Croft) who sits next to Lucy on the plane in “Return Home From Europe” (ILL S5;E26) in 1956.

Depending on the time zone, “I Love Lucy” was re-run every morning at 10 or 11am. Here it competed with “The Price Is Right” which was broadcast in color! NBC (RCA) was the leader in color television and staked its claim far soon than CBS. “The Lucy Show” didn’t air in color until the fall of 1965.

In another market, “I Love Lucy” ran weekdays at 10am. This edition (same cover and feature articles, different listings) included “Lucy” episode descriptions, while others did not. Notice that an hour earlier the same channel re-ran Desilu’s series “December Bride”. On Monday, July 18, 1960, the re-run was “Second Honeymoon” (ILL S5;E14). From this we can logically assume that this week, in this particular TV market, channel 2 and 8 presented:

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 1960 - “Lucy Meets the Queen (ILL S5;E15)

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 1960 - “The Fox Hunt” (ILL S5;E16)

THURSDAY, JULY 21, 1960 - “Lucy Goes To Scotland” (ILL S5;E17)

FRIDAY, JULY 22, 1960 - “Paris at Last” (ILL S5;E18)

On Tuesday, July 19, 1960, at 8:30pm, CBS aired the unsold pilot for "Head of the Family". The pilot had Carl Reiner as TV writer Rob Petrie, Barbara Britton as Rob's wife Laura, Sylvia Miles as Sally Rogers, and Morty Gunty as Buddy Sorrell. In 1961, CBS would score a hit with a new name and a new cast of Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Rose Marie, and Morey Amsterdam, filmed at Desilu Studios.

For American TV viewers, this was the week between the Democratic National Convention (July 11-15) and the Republican National Convention (July 25-28). Both parties affirmed their November presidential candidates: John F. Kennedy (D) and Richard M. Nixon (R). Kennedy would prove the victor on Election Day.

Eight years earlier, in July 1952, an estimated 70 million voters watched the broadcasts, which ended with the nominations of Adlai Stevenson II and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Although the conventions were also televised in 1948, few Americans owned a TV set to watch them. There was a popular myth that Stevenson lost the election because of backlash from interrupting airings of “I Love Lucy” with hour-long campaign ads. Another story has Stevenson receiving a telegram from a Lucy fan that read: “I love Lucy, but I hate you.” The situation was paralleled on “I Love Lucy” in “The Club Election” (ILL S2;E19). By 1956, the conventions were less a novelty on television, and drew smaller ratings and less attention. In the summer of 1956, Lucy and Desi were preparing their sixth and final season of “I Love Lucy” and storylines had to revolve around big name guest stars (Orson Welles and Bob Hope) and the move to Connecticut.

Lucille Ball’s last appearance as Lucy Ricardo was on April 1, 1960, just four and a half months before this issue of TV Guide hit the stands. She wouldn’t return to series television until September 1962, by which time Lucille will be back on the cover of TV Guide once again. She remained a yearly fixture on the Guide cover until 1974 and then made only one more original appearance to mark her return with “Life With Lucy.”

After this article comes out, the next time TV viewers see Lucille Ball on their home screens is to promote her film with Bob Hope, The Facts of Life, on “The Garry Moore Show” on September 27, 1960. The film opened in November 1960.

For more about TV Guide and “I Love Lucy” click here!

#TV Guide #Lucille Ball #I Love Lucy #Dan Jenkins #1960 #Garry Moore Show #The Westinghouse-Desilu Playhouse #The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour #TV #Desilu #Eveyln Bigsby #Art Linkletter #Shari Lewis #Ty Hardin #Mary Jane Croft #Untouchables #Connie Stevens #Hans Conried #Wildcat

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noodlecupcakeswritings · 4 years

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Mad Love - Chapter 9 ( The final Gotham fic)

After Gotham was cut out off from the mainland, Emerald starts to learn that three’s a crowd and Jeremiah soon shows his true colours. Will she stick around like she did with Jerome or will she finally get some sense to leave and reunite with her true love.

The fourth and final instalment in my Gotham/Emerald series.

Please leave comments, kudos and reblogs if you like it. It really helps me out as a writer, lemme know if you wanna be on the taglist as well :)

Warnings: Language, Gun violence, Attempted kidnap, Edward Nygma is back baby

Chapter 9

Emerald’s P.O.V

1 month later

Ecco had moved to a bigger safe house, that way we could accommodate the rest of Jeremiah's cult. Never thought I’d actually stick around with a cult after my last encounter with crazy cults. Then again, this lot weren’t worshiping me like a queen every time I entered the room, but they still respected me as one of their leaders. It was good to have them around as well, they would protect Ecco and I if need be and having numbers would help for any future plans Ecco and I had. Ecco had been scheming like crazy, sometimes having violent outbursts at cult members. Yet her and I had grown somewhat closer, I suppose due to the circumstances we had no choice. She was willing to listen to me and accept my help when she needed it. She was out now with at least three quarters of them, scavenging for supplies. I was holding down the fort with the remain quarter.

I was in my makeshift bedroom, finally able to have a quiet moment to myself when there was the sound of gunshots from outside. Great, probably another stupid gang that wanted our territory. Its fine, Ecco and I had handled it before, we could do it again. I pulled out my own pistol and hid where the door would swing open. I waited, taking the safety off my pistol. There was silence before two sets of feet made their way over to the door. I prepared myself, my grip on the pistol getting tighter. The door swung open slowly, the intruders entering the room. I kicked the door closed and pointed the weapon at them. What the fuck were they doing here? There stood Oswald Cobblepot and Edward Nygma. They turned, both now facing me. Oswald looked bored already…no surprises there. Edward however looked like he was about to confess his undying love for me. I put my pistol down, knowing they couldn’t be here to kill me.

“I’d start talking, starting with giving me an explanation as to why you’re here,” I warned. “Ed and I are leaving Gotham, theres a spare seat if you’re interested,” Oswald explained as if that sentence enough would tell me everything. I frowned. Why the fuck would I leave Gotham with them? Why the fuck would I leave Jeremiah at a time like this? How the hell did they even have a way out of Gotham? Ed noticed my confusion and took a step towards me to explain. I pointed the pistol back at him, I didn’t want him near me. He backed off, putting his hands up to show he meant no harm. “I’m building a submarine, that’s the only way out of Gotham. I didn’t want to leave without you,” Ed explained.

I blinked at him. He couldn’t be serious? The last time we had contact was over a year ago and it wasn’t exactly the friendliest of meetings. And then he hasn't answered my calls when I’d needed him. He had no fucking right to just waltz in here and expect me to leave with him. Oswald glanced at me, smirking to himself. He also knew this wasn’t going to go the way Ed wanted. “I told you she wouldn’t be coming with us, what a waste of time,” Oswald sighed. “Just give us a minute,” Ed snapped. “Oswald’s right, I’m not going anywhere with you,” I spoke. Oswald smiled smugly at Ed, who seemed to grow more frustrated by the second.

“Emerald please just hear me out,” Ed tried. I rolled my eyes, fine. I folded my arms over my chest. He had a max of ten minutes to explain himself before Ecco and reinforcements showed up. “I know I haven’t always been good to you, I know that things have been difficult between us. But I can’t leave this city without the one person who matters most to me. There's nothing left for you here, for any of us,” he explained. “Your wrong about that Ed, Jeremiah is still alive, he still needs me. I’m not giving up and turning my back on him at a time he needs me most. Besides maybe if you’d answered your phone, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

It was Ed’s turn to look confused, “my phone?” “Don’t fucking pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about, when Jerome died, I tried to reach out to you, but you never answered your damn phone.” “Emerald if I’d gotten a call from you, I can assure you I would have answered it. I was trying to find you after Jerome died. I had to know you were okay.” I frowned, none of this made sense. Why wouldn’t he answer my calls but try and look for me? “But it was your voice on the answer machine, it was your number,” I protested. “What was the number?” From the amount of times I’d tried to call that number, it was one I easily remembered. I relayed it to him.

“That’s an old cell phone, back when I worked at the GCPD. I don’t know how you would have gotten that number, but I wouldn’t have been able to answer it,” Ed explained. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t want to believe Jeremiah was a liar, he couldn’t have known the numbers wouldn’t have worked, could he? I shook the doubts free, I didn’t have time to dwell on that now. “I want to make things right between us, I want to make up for everything I did. Please. Please let me do that,” Ed pleaded. “Why so you’ll be unburdened with the guilt?” I snapped, I was mere centimetres from him now, “you mean nothing to me anymore,” I said coldly. “Okay, I’m calling bullshit on that one. Will you two just fucking resolve this sexual tension and make out or something? It’s ridiculous,” Oswald sighed. I broke eye contact with Ed who was looking pretty defeated at this point. It was Oswald’s turn now. I looked down at him slightly with a soft smirk.

“And you never meant a thing to me. You were just a rung on a ladder. And who the fuck are you to talk to me about love, especially with him? You’ve got no right Oswald,” I hissed, I turned my attention back to Ed, “your wing mans doing a pretty shit job, then again Penguins never were the superior bird.” Ed’s expression had hardened. Oh this next part should be good then. “I was never asking you to come with me,” Ed spoke. I frowned, not quite realizing what his words meant until it was too late. Ed grabbed hold of me, fighting against my struggle. Oswald cuffed my wrists together and then my ankles before Ed hoisted me over his shoulder. “Put me down now!” I screeched, still trying to struggle. “You always were so stubborn. One of your less likable qualities,” Ed sighed.

I made a sound of disgust. He wanted to talk about unlikable qualities and here he was literally kidnaping me. “You’ll come to your senses when your away from that psychopath,” he continued. “Don’t talk about Jeremiah like that.” “Why not? It's not like he’s around to hear it. Besides you know you were happier when you were around me.” “I think you’ve been skipping your meds again.” Ed and Oswald headed for the door, Oswald leading the way. I couldn’t really see what was going on ahead of them as I was facing behind them. “The second you put me down, you know I’ll run. I’m not going anywhere with you,” I snapped. Before Ed could respond he stopped dead in his tracks. “Didn’t you hear the lady, she said she’s not going anywhere with you,” Ecco spoke in a sing song voice.

I breathed a sigh of relief. Never thought I’d be so relieved for Ecco to come back, never did I think she’d ever rescue me. It was likely she had back up and a lot of it. Meaning Oswald and Ed had a very slim chance of making it out here alive unless I said so. “Ed, you’ve got ten seconds to put me down and get out of here with your life,” I explained. He hesitated for a moment before giving in and gently placing me back down on the floor. Ecco had indeed brought back up. Ed and Oswald were severely outnumbered. “Ten seconds, tick tock,” Ecco reminded. Oswald took off limping as quick as he could to the nearest exit not wanting to be used for target practice. Ed hesitated for a few moments, his gaze heavy as if looking into my soul. “I would have answered if you called me Emerald, you know that,” He spoke. With that he took off, quickly vanishing out of sight. I swallowed hard, watching him leave. He’d stuck around for a few precious seconds even at the risk of dying.

I didn’t have time to process those thoughts right now, not with Ecco watching me. She’d been counting down in her head, sending the cult after them as she finished her countdown. “No need to kill them, just scare them off,” she ordered. I relaxed a little at that. If Jeremiah had been here, I’m sure he would have had them killed. Now Ecco and I were alone. She met my gaze and smiled. “I won’t tell him if you won’t,” she smirked. She was referring to Jeremiah. She’d keep that from him? Why? Any other time she would have loved the idea of getting me into trouble. Perhaps without him here she was also starting to see things differently. I returned the smile, playing along. Ecco went and found some cutters to get me free from the cuffs.

An hour or so later I was finally free to move my limbs again. Once the excitement of today's events had died down, I returned to my room once more. I felt tension from my shoulders dissipate. Yet I felt exhausted, there was so much to unpack from such a quick encounter. He hasn't said he loved me, but I’m sure he’d meant it with some of the things he’d said and then the way he’d looked at me. I felt angry, how dare he come here and think he can just take me. He must be stupid if he thought he could just put things right with me after everything. Yet he’d planted doubt within me and that was a dangerous thing. Especially now that Jeremiah wasn’t here to back up his side of the story. Not that there was one. Ed would probably just have said anything to get me to come with him. Jeremiah wouldn’t lie to me, he wouldn’t give me numbers that no longer worked, he’d have no reason to do that. He wanted to help me then, he even offered to get me back in touch with Ed.

I suppose it was just easier for Ed to pin the blame on Jeremiah. He’d never liked Jerome for acceptable reasons, but Jeremiah had done nothing to give him the wrong impression. He was not his brother. He was not Jerome. I swallowed hard at the realization, no he wasn’t Jerome. I wasn’t having fun anymore. With Jerome things had at least been fun. I shouldn’t be thinking about all this. Yet I couldn’t get the way Ed had looked at me out of my head. He risked staying longer, risked his life for a few more seconds with me. If he didn’t feel something towards me, he wouldn’t have done that, nobody would do that. Fuck him. Fuck him for making me feel like this again. It seems every time I thought he was out of my life he just had a way of popping back in to remind me of the feelings I’d once had for him. The feelings I still had for him.

Taglist: @sweetfictionalworld, @belathora, @elizbetholsen

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janelevy · 5 years

Text

in sickness (and in health)

requested by @homeschooledbookfanatic

summary: this is kind of a combo between two ideas, but both have the same premise - in the first part, connor worries about a sick ava, and in the second part, ava cares for a sick connor.

warnings: none, just general flu/cold illness

also: i’m surprised but also super happy to see an influx of new followers recently! whether you followed me for the dumb shit i reblog, my writing, or the upcoming secret santa exchange, i extend my gratitude to you! don’t be afraid to send me a message or ask to say hi <3

i. Connor was a doctor, and had been one for close to seven years now (not counting all the time spent tirelessly studying before that), so he thought he could tell pretty easily when a patient was sick. There were countless symptoms to scroll through for a whole host of different diseases. He had a keen eye for basic to intermediate illnesses, since the most severe problems were usually internal ones he would then operate on. So, yeah, Connor was a doctor, and he knew how to read a patient’s appearance and mannerisms to determine if they were under the weather.

Somehow, Ava completely slipped past his radar.

She acted like her usual self when they got up that morning. Everything was fine. And okay, maybe he was a little bit distracted considering he had three major surgeries to look forward to today. But just as she always was since they moved in together, Ava was alongside him in the morning, getting up and getting dressed and making coffee and drinking it. She even drove them into work and appeared alert, albeit sniffly. Connor asked about it then, and he should’ve known something was the matter when she used that dismissive tone.

“I’m fine, Connor. Just a little cold.”

Just a little cold. Clearly it wasn’t, because by the end of the day she looked like a train had hit her, turned back around, and hit her again. Of course Connor didn’t vocalize that, because he wanted to live past thirty-two, but he did make sure to inform her that if she felt off by even half a margin, she should tell him and they would call in sick together the next day so he could care for her. Again, she brushed him off, but she didn’t reject the hot tea he made for her when they got home.

Then it was the next morning, and something most definitely wasn’t right. Connor sat up in bed and looked over; Ava was asleep but restless, and heat was pouring off her body in waves. Without hesitation he placed his hand on her forehead, winced, and gently shook her awake.

His girlfriend groaned and gradually opened her eyes. “Mmm... what do you want?” Her eyes slid over to the bedside clock and she sighed. “It’s too early, baby, we don’t have to be awake until...” She trailed off at the look on his face. “What?”

Connor shook his head at her in awe. “Avey, do you not feel how ill you are? You’re running a high fever, your forehead is hot enough to fry an egg on.” He reached forward and prodded gently around her neck. “And your lymph nodes are all swollen.” Her hazel eyes were propped open lazily at half-mast, and her eyelids looked as heavy as he was sure they felt. Connor met her gaze seriously, reaching to hold one of her hands. He wanted to make sure she knew he wasn’t just viewing her as any old patient right now, but as the woman he would travel around the globe for.

“Tell me, did you sleep well last night? Have you had any other issues like fatigue? Chills? Sore throat? Muscle aches?” His eyes rolled to the ceiling as he recalled yesterday. “It seemed like you had a little bit of a cough yesterday.” He sighed, dropping his shoulders in defeat. He felt like he had utterly failed her. “Dammit, dammit. I should’ve noticed sooner.”

Ava rested the palm of her free hand on her forehead and groaned. “Whoa, whoa. Slow down. First of all, you... shouldn’t blame yourself.” Her words came out at a tired, leisurely pace. “And second, it’s not a big deal.” She laughed grimly, if it could even be called a laugh. “I’m just pissed because I did get my flu shot this year. But... it is what it is.”

Connor brushed some hair behind her ear and frowned. “There’s still always that tiny chance a certain strain of the virus will get you,” he said, although she knew that already. He slid off the bed for a moment and ran to the bathroom cabinet to retrieve a thermometer. Within seconds he returned and urged her to slip the proper end of the device under her tongue. After a few moments, it beeped and he read the result, then did a double take.

“Okay, this actually is kind of a big deal, hon. Your body temp is 104 degrees.” At her reluctant moan, Connor grimaced and stroked her arm. “Looks like we will have to go into work today, but not to actually work.”

Ava sighed into her pillow. “You don’t have any operations scheduled today?”

“No,” Connor said. He decided not to mention that he originally had one non-emergency procedure today, but pushed it back just in case this happened. “No, I don’t. All I’m focusing on today is you.”

“You should try doing that every day,” came the biting reply.

“Ha, ha.” Connor peeled the sheets back as she started to sit up. “Okay. Let’s get you to the hospital. You’ll be feeling better soon, I promise.”

In response, she only nodded mutely, probably figuring it was better to let him lead her out of the room than argue. And for that, Connor was glad.

ii. The last time Ava had been super sick, all she’d wanted to do was sleep the day (or couple of days) away. Therefore, she couldn’t fathom why Connor wanted to be awake, let alone standing and doing things.

“If this is some big act you’re putting on just to prove your cold isn’t that bad, you’re not fooling anyone, least of all me.” Ava crossed her arms and leaned on the kitchen counter, watching as Connor rummaged clumsily through the fridge. “Besides, you won’t get a chance to fake it for anyone else, because I’m not letting you out of the house today.”

“Yeah, right.” Connor slammed the fridge door and set down the container of almond milk heavily. He grabbed a bowl from the cabinet and dragged them over to where she was at the counter, standing across from her as he poured corn flakes then his icky almond milk into the bowl. “Just because it’s my day off doesn’t mean I don’t have to leave the house. I have way too many errands to do. And I have to be ready on standby just in case the hospital pages me--”

“That won’t happen, because I called and told them how sick you are.” Ava handed him a spoon and rolled her eyes at his muttered thanks. “Dr. ‘I’m Ignoring the Symptoms of a Common but Severe Cold,’ you are not about to show up there and spread your grouchy germs through the entire ED and CT floors.”

Connor scowled and poked at his already mushy cereal. “Whatever,” he growled. “But I still have the errands.”

“Errands which I will be doing,” Ava corrected, “because I called in sick today.”

He shook his head, but she could spot the ghost of a smirk behind his currently dour expression. “Why’d you do that? The only place you’re sick is in the head.” Connor held a hand up to his red, raw nose, making the hilariously unflattering I’m about to sneeze face, and Ava shoved some tissues at him.

“Oh, very funny,” she said. “The actual reason I called in sick is because of... oh, I don’t know, do you remember all that stuff we said during our vows?” She tilted her head, honey blonde waves slipping off her shoulder. “You know, the whole ‘care for each other in sickness and in health’ thing?” Connor’s only response to that was a monstrous sneeze, and she nodded in amusement. “Yeah. That’s what I’m planning to do today.”

Connor blinked at his wife, forlorn, bloodshot eyes peeking out from in between a scrunched-up tissue and a mop of unwashed dark hair. “Fine,” he grumbled. Then, as a sincere afterthought: “Thanks.”

Ava coaxed him onto the sofa where he lay there like a grumpy old dog for the rest of the day, watching an assortment of shows on the Food Network and HGTV. He was dangerously nearing lame middle-aged dad territory, Ava noted with mirth. That was good, though. The title was just as fitting for him as “Doctor.”

And so she wandered in and out throughout the day, bringing him chicken noodle soup and saltine crackers, tall glasses of ice with cool blue Gatorade (it was his favorite flavor, though all the flavors tasted the same to her), and ice cream. Ava loved caring for him, because he would and had done the same for her - and times like today were when she really felt like the best doctor.

#chicago med #connor rhodes #ava bekker #rhekker #fanfic

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aaaaamorphous-entity · 4 years

Text

Alright so my siblings and I started discussing the possibility of a Fullmetal Alchemist/Fate (Fate Metal Alchemist?) crossover in which the 7 sins are summoned as Servants, and these are the thoughts so far:

(It’s long so under the cut.)

Wrath and Olivier

- In the words of my older sibling, “We need at least one Master-Servant pair that’s pants-shittingly terrifying”.

- Most likely team to win a one-on-one match against the other War participants, except MAYBE Pride and Scar.

- If not the ones to win the Holy Grail, certainly one of the three final contending teams.

- Least likely to form alliances. One of the few chinks in their armor.

- If you think going after the Master will be easier than dealing with the Servant, then you are hilariously incorrect.

- Wrath is most likely to be a Saber, but if the slot were already taken, he’d naturally be shuffled into a Berserker class.

~ * ~

Pride and Scar

- Tension

- So much tension

- They don’t like each other one bit, but they don’t hate each other depending on how you mash the canon of the two series.

- Scar can and will yeet Pride at the enemy as a distraction for his own quick escape if he has to.

- Okay maybe Pride hates Scar a little.

- Another Master you Just Don’t Tangle With if you can help it.

- Not as tactically strong as Wrath and Olivier, but in terms of sheer power, they’re pretty damn dangerous.

- Even less likely to form alliances than the last pair.

- Despite this, their sheer power individually and combined are likely to make them one of the last three teams standing.

- Pride could easily wind up being shuffled into Lancer, Caster, or Archer classes, and all three are equally devastating.

~ * ~

Greed and Ling

- Let’s be honest, this one was obvious.

- They butt heads a lot to begin with but they’ll bond with a little time, whether they like it or not.

- They’ll get sidetracked a lot between Ling wanting meals and Greed being...Greed.

- Going after the Master is still a pretty bad idea if you aren’t a Servant.

- Lan Fan and Fu work as Ling’s support. Maybe Lan Fan helps supply mana?

- Fairly likely to form alliances, depending on who the other party is.

- Strong, stealthy and moderately strategic between the two of them (and the bodyguards), they are likely to be one of the three final teams. Unlikely to win without alliance support, though.

- If Greed got shuffled into Rider class for lack of anything better being available, he’d be Pissed. Refuses to lift a finger until a proper mode of transport is procured. (Alchemy-mobile? Alchemy-mobile.)

- If not Rider, he’d be a fairly solid (if not super stealthy) Assassin.

~ * ~

Sloth and Mei-Chang

- A fun unlikely pairing with some entertaining/cute dynamics.

- Mei will indulge some degree of Sloth’s laziness and let him sleep when she doesn’t need him or after he’s done some heavy lifting. But once it’s go time there’ll be shouting and stomping feet and ineffective pushing/pulling in an entertainingly useless attempt at getting him up.

- Illya + Berserker themed team because yes.

- Mei can and will ride on Sloth’s shoulder sometimes.

- In terms of strategic planning, they’re fairly weak. In direct combat they compliment each other nicely, with Sloth providing a very in-your-face distraction while Mei attacks from a distance.

- Going after the Master is much easier in comparison to the previous three, but still challenging and dangerous if you let your guard down. If Sloth gets called, then whoever’s going after Mei better hope their Servant is on hand to provide support.

- They’ll probably last an intermediate amount of time, until they run up against a more strategic or highly damaging team like Scar and Pride.

- Heaven help the rest of the War if they team up with Scar.

- Fair chance Mei would temporarily put aside her differences with Ling for the sake of defeating a greater threat. Just as likely, if not more so, for her to side with the Elric Brothers.

- Sloth is a Berserker.

~ * ~

Lust and Mustang

(Yes I’m aware of the irony of using that right pic.)

- Another unlikely pair who seem like they could have interesting dynamics.

- They get along decently. Not friends necessarily, but fairly compatible rather than combatible.

- Lust occasionally flirts with Mustang just to get a rise out of him. He’ll typically brush her off, complain, or remind her that they’re in the middle of a war. Occasionally she manages to fluster him, though.

- Riza provides support, similarly to how Maya was Kiritsugu’s. Quite possibly also supplies extra mana to bolster Lust.

- In terms of strategic thinking, they’re one of - if not THE - strongest teams. That being said, they’re severely lacking in actual strength compared to teams like Wrath and Olivier.

- Highly likely to form alliances to advance themselves, just as likely to double-cross depending on who they join forces with.

- We’re back into “laughable to even try” Masters to attack if you aren’t a Servant territory.

- Depending on who they allied with, if they did, they might make it to the later/last stages of the War. Independently, they’d likely only get to late-intermediate stages at most, given Lust’s weaker combat abilities in comparison to most of their competition.

- Lust would most likely be a Lancer, but Assassin would be a decent second choice for her.

~ * ~

Envy and the Elric Brothers

- Ed is the main Master and Al works as the co-master, similar to Archibald and Sola-Ui from /Zero.

- Ed does not get along with Envy At All and it’s hilarious.

- Al isn’t super fond of Envy either, but he at least tries to be a mediator and act as the level-headed one of the group.

- People always mistake Al for the Master.

- Envy and Ed are constantly sniping at each other and getting into arguments. They fight with each other as much as they do anyone else in this damn War.

- You can bet Ed’s misused at least one command spell out of frustration-fueled stupidity. Al went up one side of him and down the other for it.

- They’re very likely to ally with other teams, though Ed and Envy are both highly suspicious and wary of betrayals. Teams Mustang, Mei, and Izumi are their best bets.

- If they team up with Izumi, she’ll kick Ed and Envy’s asses and whip them into shape.

- Still not likely to last that long in the War independently, though. At best, medium-intermittent stages before they get crushed by a more powerful and competent team.

- Envy would be a terrifying Assassin primarily, but I could see them getting slotted into the Rider class more smoothly than, say, poor Greed.

~ * ~

Izumi and Gluttony

- Izumi terrifies poor Gluttony and commands his absolute obedience.

- Despite this, she does keep him decently fed where she can.

- Gluttony’s one of the weakest, if not the very weakest Servant in this War. The only reason they last any amount of time is Izumi’s prowess as a Master.

- If you even look at that Izumi, she’ll trample you to death with her hooves.

- They’ll ally with others, if Izumi finds the other party acceptable. (Mei-Chang, the brothers, possibly even Ling and Greed. As well as Izumi and Olivier got along in their own canon, I don’t know how well their relationship would fare in this AU.)

- Even allied, Gluttony isn’t likely to last long. Probably the first Servant to die in the early stages of the War. Despite this, Izumi would stay involved, likely to help the brothers or Mei. (Backstory for this crossover will determine who.)

- Gluttony would be shoehorned into a Caster class (the False Doorway in his stomach just barely fits).

- He’s not very suited to most classes, the best fit probably being Berserker, given that tantrum he threw the night before the Promised Day.

~ * ~

Final Thoughts/Notes

- Hohenheim would be a terrifying Master or Caster, either way you cut it.

- The Father is the scariest Caster available in this AU’s roster.

- Most wishes are fairly obvious. The brothers want their bodies back. Izumi wants a child. Mei-Chang and Ling wish to save their clans. Mustang wants to rule the country. Scar wants justice for his people, or to ensure their safety and place in the world, depending on what stage his character development is at. The only one I’m not solid on is Olivier.

- Is The Truth the Grail??? I have no idea, but (incoming F/Zero spoilers) they kind of remind me of corrupted Irisviel, after she was merged with the Grail.

- Greed’s death is tragic and heart-touching, just as it was in his original canon.

- Envy could have been a devastating Assassin...if Ed were even remotely suited to being a Master for one. As it stands, most of their potential would be squandered thanks to Ed’s morals, ideals, and dislike of them. (Yes they/them pronouns for Envy imo.)

- Feel free to add your own thoughts. The hashtag #Fate/Metal Alchemist is just barely existent and it could really use some lovin’.

#Fullmetal Alchemist #Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood #Fate series #Fate #Fate/Metal Alchemist #Fate Metal Alchemist #long post #Fullmetal alchemist spoilers #fmab spoilers #fate zero spoilers

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theabominableblogger · 5 years

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My Reaction to “Gotham” S5E2

In Which Harvey Continues to be the Best Goddamn Thing in This Show

I was a lucky son of a duck and managed to get this reaction while the episode was airing live on FOX last night. For episodes 3-12, I will be waiting for Hulu to receive them because of an upcoming spring semester at college. So for episodes 3-12, I will be in the dark until Friday or Saturday (so no spoilers from y’all).

Also, on TV, there are so many GOD. DAMN. COMMERCIALS.

AN: I managed to record my reactions to this episode and hopefully I can transcribe what I said into this post.

*Recaps shows the chopper* OK, so who freakin’ shot down the chopper?

Oh, Tabitha...

*We see a whole bunch of injuries on Will’s back* What the...

“They call themselves the Soothsayers.” The Sooth- what?

“They’re digging some sort of tunnel.” *gasps and reels back* It’s Jeremiah! ‘Cause he has a tunnel! Oh my God!

What’s the tunnel for?

OK, never mind then, I don’t think Jeremiah’s in charge of the Soothsayers

“The second you [Jim] step outside that door, someone’s gonna take a shot at you, and if it’s not you that’s getting hit, it’s the schmoe standing next to you.” *laughs*

*Jim hangs up on the radio* Who’s on the other end?

“Four shells each. Half a mag each.” Wow.

“Will says the Soothsayers are here, which means we have to pass through Sirens territory.” Ooh.

“She’s [Barbara] gonna be thrilled to see you [Jim] after what happened with Tabitha.” Ooooff...

Wait, so is the Dark Zone like around Gotham? At the docks or...

What?

So this is Robinson Park, OK... so this is where Ivy is.

Oh, these sets look nice. Getting some serious Arkham Knight flashbacks.

Swore I just saw someone move in the background...

*Bruce catches a guy trying to sneak up on him* Yeah.

“They came for help too!” What district are they from? Why are they British?

*jams along with opening theme*

*silently headbangs to heavy metal cover of "Ring of Fire” by Social Distortion playing in Barbara’s club*

*Everyone stops dancing when Jim arrives* Oooohhhh... ooohh hoo hoo hoooo...

“It’s a police matter.” “You know, they should really write that on your tombstone.” *laughs*

“Drive right into this nightmare you’ve created.” Actually it’s Jeremiah... kay...

“HAVE AT HIM! RIP HIM TO SHREDS!” Ooof.

*Panning shot of an absolute dark Gotham* Oh my God.

*laughs* There’s just this one random burst fire hydrant!

So is this whole episode gonna be them [Jim and Harvey] fighting their way out of the Dark Zone?

*jaw drops when someone shoots an arrow at Harvey*

“It’s a freaking arrow, Jim! IT’S A FREAKING ARROW!” *scoffs in shock*

Whooooo I remember her [the Day of the Dead lady] from the trailers!

Yeah, that’s the same... freaking tunnel

“The smoke... you [Gabriel] should take it.” No.

“It’ll give you energy-” Oh my God, is that Viper? Is that Viper from S1?

“-see the future.” What?

Or does Jeremiah shanghai this whole tunnel later this season?

“Once this tunnel is complete, we will have exclusive access to the mainlands.” Oh my God, they are going to the mainland!

God, that guy [Sykes] just spit everywhere!

Sykes? Isn’t that the bad guy from Oliver and Company?

“In Penguin’s grace, we will remain.” Ohh, that’s a good line.

“What are the cattle prods for?” “Fun.” *scoffs in hilarity*

“If he [Sykes] moves, kill him.” Oh ho! Jim’s not messin’ around!

Yeah, that’s that same tunnel that Jeremiah [and Ecco] are in in some of those pictures.

AN: Take a shot every time I mention the damn tunnel.

So is Gabriel Will’s older brother?

“Why would anyone be a cop in a world like this?” “Well, the Halloween shop was all out of gas masks so it was either this or Sexy Nurse.” *reels back in chair from laughter*

“Let take ‘im, boys.” CHEESE IT, BOYS!

*Sykes and his men try to take the kids* Oh no.

*Jim comes to the rescue* Yay.

*One of the car tires get shot* Ooohhh...

*Commercials start* OK... OK... so... what?

Wait, so is Jeremiah gonna leave for the mainland? Like “Syke, I’m gonna get out of here!”

Noo... because his mission is Bruce so I don’t think he even wants to leave Gotham. It’s the whole “I don’t wanna kill you! What would I do without you?” mantra going on.

Whaaaaaatt...

What is she [Ivy] wearing?

“You have to believe me.” “Forgive me if I find it hard to do so.” COLD.

“It wasn’t me. It was the park.” *in unison with Bruce* The park?

“The plants are my protection.” ...OK.

“Maybe we can help each other.” Bruce...

TELL HER IT’S SELINA!

“There’s a seed. It’s growing under the oaks. It’s said to have magical qualities. When digested, it goes to the damaged tissue and bone.” A seed?

Wwwhhhhaaaattt?

Ed? Hello? How are you? Where are you? Are you in the library again? Why are sleeping with your glasses on?

What is going on?

That [library] looks like Oswald’s old house [the van Dahl mansion]

Oh my God, are we gonna see Ed peeing?

EEUUGGHHH we don’t need to be seeing this...

Oh my God, there’s someone in the frickin’ [bathtub]...

“There’s nothing there.” *laughs*

Waaaaiit... what’s going on?

[Ed] You’re gonna attack him [the Street Demon] with a toilet plunger! *cackles*

“Did I uh...” *chuckles*

“We’re gonna have to do all this again? Guess so...” *scoffs*

What is that place?

“It’s not safe out there.” No dip, Jim.

“Maybe there’s still good people left in Gotham.” Mmmmmm....

Yeah, you’re [Jim and Harvey] gonna leave three kids there [in the lobby]. All alone. In a strange building. Great.

Harvey, you’re a blessing.

Yeah, you’re gonna leave the three kids there. Right. Great idea. Great idea.

These sets are fabulous.

“Hello?” Blaaggghh! Jump scare!

“GCPD.” Take a shot!

Was that a crow [in the background]?

There’s just a bunch of random folded clothes everywhere.

*Harvey finds the dinner table full of body parts* Oh my God...

Are those teeth?

*Harvey finds a plate of bloody fingers* :0

Oh my God, freaking- they’re freaking cannibals?!?

*gasps when Mother attacks Harvey*

*has to leap out of seat to cool off when commercials start*

Oh wow, I love Sweeney Todd.

*ends up coughing up a lung*

So far, again, this feels like a foundational episode. It’s just like “OK, we gotta work on this, we gotta make sure this is safe,” and yeah.

I wonder if the Jaime Murray character is gonna show up at the end of the episode or something.

AN: You may think that... but no.

I also wanna know what kind of crack these writers were on for this final season. Tze Chun had the good shit; I dunno about the others.

*gasps in disgust when Ed hits the Street Demon in the mouth with a wrench.”

“[Ed] You wanted to know where the Street Demons base was.” Why?

“Aaand you wanted to make sure the boss would be there.” Why?

“OK, how did I [Ed] seem? Was I... confident? Flamboyant? Charisma for days?” *giggles*

“Or was I conserved, kinda repressed, a little nerdy?” *laughs*

Soo... did Hugo combine the two personalities? ‘Cause the pushing up the glasses is a new thing.

*gasps when Ivy kills the men who were holding her.”

“[Bruce] You are so utterly naive.” Oh my God.

“[Selina] She is paralyzed and has lost the will to live.” “Good.” What?!?

“That bitch destroyed the last of the Lazarus Water.” ExCUSe me?!?

“Let her suffer.” Noooo...

You can tell that Peyton List [Ivy] is just wearing a whole bunch of face powder on.

“I am feeding the earth these wretched creatures. It consumes them.” She has lost her freakin’ mind.

*Ivy starts caressing Bruce’s neck* Do not prick his neck.

“Those men you killed were right. You are a witch. A murderous, callous witch.” WHOOOOOOO- oh my God...

Hoo!

“What’s your name?” “I- I can’t remember.” What?

“She found me?” “Who?” “The ghost!” The ghost?

“She makes me call her.. Mother.” *reels back and puts hands in the air* It is Mother and Orphan!

Wait, is that the kid?

*The kid stays behind* It is the kid! That’s Orphan!

Oh my God...

“The lights will make you dizzy. And then you’ll go to sleep.” Oh this is cool..

“Jim, I don’t feel so good.” Wow, I love Infinity War.

Actually no, I hated it. I was sick the first time I saw it.

*gasps when Mother sneaks up behind Jim*

They really do need to put a flashing lights warning on this.

*gasps when Mother fights off Jim and Harvey*

*Harvey tries to leave* There’s an open window! You broke a window! Go through the window!

*looking through the Gotham tag on Tumblr during commercials* Wow, someone wrote some fanfiction quick.

Oh wow, I love Ghost Adventures!

*gasps when Ed and the Street Demon find the Street Demon leader wiped out.”

[Penguin Was HERE] Really?!?

*imitates the guitar riff going off*

*Ivy leads Bruce to the seed* Oh my gosh, that’s so pretty

*Ivy gives Bruce the seed* I ain’t eatin’ that...

“One thing’s for certain... the seed will alter her [Selina] forever.” Great.

“Some say, the darker angels of our mind-” Great.

Also, yay for natural lighting finally in this show. I love it when they use natural lighting in the show. It looks so nice.

“What’s the matter, Bruce? Don’t know if you can trust me?” I don’t trust you.

“I don’t.” “Good. then you’re finally becoming a man.” Ivy, you’re like his age. shut up.

*Ivy sits in one of the low sitting trees* OK, so if the tree branches just grab her and just sink down into the ground, this will be the greatest thing.

“Detective Gordon, your hand’s bleeding.” Uhhh...

*Sykes and his men arrive* Oh my God... monster truck!

“Wait just a minute! Please...” Whoaaa... who are you?

I don’t know who that is. She [the Day of the Dead looking lady] looks cool though.

*commercials start* Who is this? Who are you?

Five bucks: Barbara comes in and saves the day even though she still hates Jim. She hates everybody. She comes in like “I’m just here for the kids, not you.”

Oh noo...

“Did you [Bruce] find the witch?” “It was Ivy.” Great! Alfred’s like “Oh bloody brilliant!”

“What choice do I have?” Bruuuce...

“I want to help Selina as much as you do but Ivy’s a maniacal, cold-hearted killer.” You met her like twice, Alfred!

But true, she is.

“So if Ivy wants to kill me, she can have at it.” Oh my God...

Who wrote this episode? I’m gonna have words.

*Bruce gives Selina the seed* Yeah, you’re gonna shove that down your throat. Great.

Is she gonna chew it?

*Selina starts chewing the seed like a gummie vitamin* OK then...

It’s the Spiderman bite except in fruit form.

*freezes when Selina starts seizing*

“God, what have I [Bruce] done?” *extremely sad face*

“I’ll tell you what! I’ll [Sykes] take his head! And you can have the rest of him!” *scoffs in shock*

*gasps when Jim shoots the Day of the Dead lady*

Is that a monster truck?!?

My sister: Is that a tank?!?

That’s a monster truck!

*both immediately at loss of words when Barbara hops down*

Wow, I love Hot Wheels!

*jaw drops when Jim uses his last bullet to kill Sykes and defend Barbara*

Wow... that just... came out of nowhere!

“Wow. Wasted your last bullet for me. Must be love.” No it is not. Barbara, how dare you say that?

*Barbara tells Jim she wants to kill Penguin.” Great. Great plan.

Wait, you’re gonna invite Barbara to the Green Zone? Yeah, great plan, Jim. Great plan!

*Jim and Co. arrive at the Green Zone* Whoa!

He [Lucius] looks fab!

Wait a minute, is this [the Green Zone] that apartment complex that got blown up in the trailer?!? Are you freaking kidding me?

They’re gonna freaking blow this place up later in the season. God dang it. Who did it and why? Who does it and why?

We stan one future police commissioner.

“See you around, killer. We have some unfinished business, you and I.” Nooo you don’t. Cool off!

Oh crap, is she [Selina] gonna be gone in the morning?!?

Oh my God, Bruce hasn’t slept in like 48 hours?!? Great.

*gasps* She’s [Selina] not there! Did she go out the window?

Did she pull a “Dark Knight Rises” and back flip out the window?

“Bruce...” Oh no.

She [Selina] looks like Michelle Pfeiffer.

“[Selina] How do you feel?” “Different.” Why are her eyes closed? Open yo eyes!

“I’m better. Even better than before in fact.” Mmmmm no!

*Bruce hugs Selina* Yay hug! We like hugs! We like some hugs! Yay!

Oh my God, she’s gonna go on a murdering spree and kill some people, isn’t she?

*Selina’s eyes* WHAAATT the frick?!? Wha-

WhaAAAAttt?!?

*gasps when Ecco pops up in the promo for next episode*

*ejects out of chair to cool off*

AN: Ecco, your man better treat you right or I’m gonna fight him AND the writers.

We’re getting WhaAAAtt??? WHaaaAAT??

Oh my God...

16 notes · View notes

emjenenla · 6 years

Text

I was younger then, take me back to when I found my heart and broke it here [A Six of Crows Fanfic]

It wasn’t until she stepped off the boat onto the docks of Ketterdam that Nina Zenik realized she hadn’t really expected to ever come back. Or Nina returns to Ketterdam and goes on a life-changing field trip with Kaz.

Warnings: PTSD, some reanimated corpses because its Nina

I don't own Six of Crows. Title comes from "Castle on the Hill" by Ed Sheeran.

I actually started this last spring, but then put it on the back burner because I thought it was too much like everything else I was publishing at the time (though looking back, I'm not sure why I thought that). I'm hoping to write some more Six of Crows stuff, because the number of fics I've written for this duology is a poor reflection how much I love it, but I've never been good at finishing things (and I've got an eighteen page document full of one-to-two sentence descriptions of fanfics) so we'll see.

Also, the summary is a bit of an exaggeration, but did you get the reference?

It wasn’t until she stepped off the boat onto the docks of Ketterdam that Nina Zenik realized she hadn’t really expected to ever come back. She had been dodging Jesper, Wylan and Inej’s requests to come back because they missed her by saying she needed more time to figure everything out. It wasn’t until her boots hit the sea-softened boards of Fourth Harbor that she realized those had just been excuses to get them off her back. She had never meant to come back to the city that had taken Matthias from her and didn’t quite understand why she’d come back now.

She stood on the dock lost in this new understanding as the other passengers of the cargo boat she’d ridden from Ravka pushed by her. Why was she here? Why would she willingly have returned to the place that Matthias had died after all this time? It wasn’t like she expected it to be any less vile now than it had been when she was seventeen. She had half a mind to hop the next boat leaving and get out, but common sense stopped her. She was here now and she wasn’t a bad enough friend to just leave without at least saying hi.

She also found that she didn’t want to go straight to the Van Eck mansion. If she saw Jesper and Wylan now while she wasn’t sure why she had come here in the first place she might forget that she didn’t want to be here. Before she faced them she needed to be reminded exactly what kind of place Ketterdam was and why she’d left, and she knew the perfect place for that.

The Slat had not changed in the years she’d been gone. Nina wasn’t sure why she’d expected Kaz to actually fix the place up after getting his hands on four million kruge, because now that she thought about she couldn’t think of a good reason why he would have. After a moment of simply looking up at the building, she shoved aside a hearty dose of déjà vu and let herself in.

The atmosphere of the Dregs’ hideout had not changed. There were still people lounging around, drinking and talking and flirting and playing cards. It was still a disreputable cesspit just like it had been when Nina had hung out here, but there was now not a single familiar face. The realization was so startling Nina stopped in her tracks. She hadn’t come to Slat for warm fuzzy feelings, but she had expected to see Pim and Keeg and Anika and all the other girls and boys she had laughed and plotted and flirted with as a teenager. The sea of unfamiliar faces that turned to look at her made her unexpectedly sad.

After a moment a blonde boy in his late teens detached himself from a cluster of people and stalked towards her. He puffed his chest out in a way that was vaguely ridiculous. “This is Dregs territory,” he said, “What do you want?”

“I’m here to see Kaz Brekker,” Nina said. “Tell him that Nina Zenik is here.” She almost added that Kaz would definitely want to see her, but stopped herself. She hadn’t actually spoken to Kaz, even in letters, since she’d left Ketterdam. The only reason she knew that someone hadn’t managed to kill him was because Inej, Jesper and Wylan talked about him in their letters.

The boy snorted in a way that he probably thought was intimidating. “Yeah, no dice. We don’t let just anyone see the boss.”

“I’m a member of the Dregs,” Nina said. “I’ve been away for a couple years, but now I need to see Kaz.”

“I don’t believe you,” the boy said.

Nina heaved a sigh and pushed up her sleeve to bare the Dregs crow and cup on her forearm. She’d thought about finding a Corporalnik who still had their regular powers to remove it for years, but it had never felt right, now she was glad she hadn’t. “Here,” she grumbled. “Believe me now?”

“No,” the boy said sounding pleased that he got to be so contrary. “You either had someone tattoo that on you in preparation for this or you’re a traitor. Either way you’re going to be dead.”

Nina tensed, preparing for a fight. She’d come here wanting a reminder of why she didn’t want to stay in Ketterdam, and it appeared she was going to get more of one than she’d anticipated. “Listen, you little-”

“Espen!” a familiar voice called out. “What’s going on?”

Nina and the boy both turned to see a blonde woman standing in the entrance to the office that had once been Per Haskell’s. It took Nina a moment to recognize Anika, who had somehow always remained a teenager in her mind. Anika had shaved both sides of her head and pulled the remaining hair on the top of her head back in a ponytail. She glared at them both. It was the look of someone who was used to being obeyed.

“This woman is trying to see the boss,” the boy said. “She has a Dregs tattoo so she’s either an impostor a traitor. I say we kill her.”

Anika’s gaze turned to Nina and her pale eyebrows rose. “Nina Zenik?” she asked.

Nina grinned. “The very same.”

“I was starting to think you were dead,” Anika said without any intonation to suggest how she felt about being proved wrong. “Where have you been?”

Nina didn’t see the point in lying about it. “Ravka and Fjerda,” she said. “I’ve been taking care of some stuff.”

“And now you’re here,” Anika said, still tonelessly.

“I am,” Nina said. “Can I see Kaz?”

Anika thought about it for a moment, then nodded. “He’s not working on anything major right now. Get over here.”

The boy spluttered. “What? She just admitted to abandoning the gang! She’s a traitor! She deserves to die!”

Anika fixed him with a glare. “Espen, which one of us is the top lieutenant of this gang?”

The boy looked like he was going to keep arguing for a while, then his shoulders slumped. “You are,” he grumbled.

“Good, and I say she can see Kaz,” Anika said. “Come on, Nina.”

Nina crossed the room, ignoring the weight of the Dregs’ eyes on her back. Anika rapped her knuckles on the door, then opened it and started inside. “Boss? You’ll never believe what the tides brought in.”

Nina stepped into the room after Anika. “Hey, Kaz.”

Nina had only been in Per Haskell’s office a handful of times, but she remembered that it hadn’t looked this much like an office when the old man had used it. The shelves were lined with books and papers. The windows were closed with heavy black shades and several oil lamps lit the room. The large desk was covered with papers and ledgers and a few scattered weapons and lockpicks.

Kaz Brekker sat in the large chair behind the desk. He too had aged in a way that Nina hadn’t expected. She had never found him attractive--even if you ignored his many scars he was decidedly average-looking--but now he looked even more macabre than he had at seventeen. He’d lost baby fat Nina hadn’t even realized he had, his face going even more hollow and sharp and pale. His eyes were still and sharp and shark-like as ever, though, and Nina’s sudden reappearance in his life only got a raised eyebrow.

“Nina,” He said looking her up and down in a firm, appraising way. “It appears reforming drüskelle suits you.”

“Kaz,” she mimicked. “It appears being a Barrel Boss doesn’t suit you. You look like a ghoul. Do you eat?”

Kaz grinned, it was a thin, knife-like flash of teeth. “Occasionally.”

“Espen was advocating for killing her as a traitor,” Anika said to Kaz. “I had to pull rank on him again. We need to do something about that kid.”

“I know,” Kaz said. “I’m working on it.”

“We should strip him of his rank,” Anika said. “A couple weeks cleaning the gambling houses might be just the attitude adjustment he needs.”

“I’d do that,” Kaz replied a little tightly, “if I didn’t know that all it would do was drive him to another gang. He’s a far better spider than either Roeder and Minna are; if he were to start running with the Razorgulls or something we’d have a real problem.”

“We can’t just do nothing,” Anika said. “He barely listens to me anymore, how long do we have before he stops listening to you too?”

“I said I was working on it,” Kaz growled. “Now I’d like to have a conversation with Nina. Go get Gustaaf’s report. He should have just gotten back from the docks.”

“Fine,” Anika nodded. “I’ll be back.”

Nina waited until the door closed behind the other woman before she spoke, “Who’s Gustaaf?”

“Member of the Dregs.” Kaz said. “Why do you care?”

“Aside from Anika and you, I haven’t seen anyone I know,” Nina said. “What happened to everyone?”

“Roeder’s probably sleeping; he was working last night,” Kaz said. “Pim oversees all our gambling dens now. He’ll be in to report in another hour or so.”

Nina waited for a minute to see if he was going to go on, but he didn’t. “Well?” she asked. “What about Keeg? Dirix? Rotty? Specht?”

“Specht works for Inej,” Kaz said. “The rest are dead.”

“What?” Nina gaped. “All of them?”

Kaz nodded sharply.

“Don’t you ever let anyone retire?” Nina asked, shock making her voice quieter than she would have liked.

“No one retires in the Barrel, Nina dear,” Kaz said. “We don’t live long enough.”

There was a long pause, then Nina forced herself to change the subject before she thought about that to much. “So I see you’ve taken over Per Haskell’s office,” she said lightly. “Does that mean you’re living in his rooms too?” She gestured at the closed door to what had once been Per Haskell’s private apartments.

“Those are storage,” Kaz said. “The mere thought of sleeping in that man’s bed is enough to give you some kind of raging disease or parasite.”

“He wasn’t that dirty,” Nina said, but she couldn’t keep from smiling.

Kaz shrugged. “So why are you here, Nina? Last I heard you were in Overüt.”

That had been the last place Nina had been and Kaz said it so casually that it took her a minute to remember that he wasn’t supposed to know that. She never told Inej, Jesper and Wylan where she was, so there was definitely no way that Kaz Brekker could--

“Wait, have you been keeping tabs on me?” she asked.

“Only a little,” Kaz said with another shrug. He didn’t even pretend to be ashamed. “Inej, Jesper and Wylan have been worried about you.”

“And have you?” she ventured after a moment.

Kaz gave her a flat look that clearly said, “Would you expect me to admit it if I have?” After a moment he looked away and said breezily, “How long have you been here, anyway? It’s funny, I would have thought the first thing Jesper and Wylan would have done after you showed up at their door was send a messenger to me.”

“Actually, my ship just landed,” Nina admitted. “I haven’t seen them yet.”

“So you came to see me before anyone else?” Kaz raised an eyebrow. “Please tell me this isn’t the part where you confess your undying love to me.”

“Do you want me to?”

Kaz snorted. “Ghezen, no.”

Nina cracked a smile. “Good, because I’m just here so you can be a colossal bastard and remind me why I’m not staying.”

Kaz gave her a look, all humor gone. He didn’t look offended, just calculating. “Any particular reason that you’re here hoping I’ll convince you not to stay?”

“The others will want me to stay,” Nina said. “They’ve been begging me to come back for years and now that I’m here I don’t think they’ll let me leave again. But I can’t. There’s too many ghosts here.”

She wasn’t sure why she was being so honest with Kaz Brekker of all people, but he just nodded. “You’re not wrong about the ghosts,” he said slowly, pointedly not looking at her. “What do I need to do to convince you that you don’t want to stay?”

“To be honest your toadie out there was more convincing than I was expecting,” Nina admitted.

“Espen?” Kaz asked. “He has that effect on people. He makes me want to arrange an unfortunate accident for him in a dark alley on the best of days.”

“Then don’t you do that?” she asked. “It can’t be because of morals, because we both know you don’t have any.”

“Two reasons,” Kaz said. “One: he is my best spider. The three I’ve got now only barely do the job as well as Inej did. Espen’s the best of the three, and I rely on my reputation for knowing everything that goes on in this city. Two: If I kill him and people figure out it was me, it’ll look like I was scared of him and that would be bad. Of course,” he shrugged, “he’s well on his way to doing something that I’d be required to kill him for by the unofficial code of the Barrel, so perhaps I should start looking for more spiders.”

Nina looked at him for a minute until he asked, “What?”

“You’re thinking out loud,” she said. “You never used to do that.”

“Don’t worry, I still don’t share my plans.”

“Saints forbid your minions actually know what’s going on.”

Kaz smiled but didn’t comment. “Now that we’ve established that Espen is better at convincing people they don’t want to stay in Ketterdam than I am,” he said instead. “I’ll walk you to Jesper and Wylan’s.”

Nina raised an eyebrow at him. “You don’t have to pretend to be a gentleman, Kaz. You’re not fooling anyone.”

“I haven’t been outside yet today,” Kaz said. “And I’d like to take a look at the Crow Club and couple other things. Pim is good at his job, but he only notices about half of what he should.”

He braced his palms on the desktop and levered himself to his feet. It was a stiff, creaky, painful-looking motion that would have been at home on an old man.

Nina looked away before he could see her worry and sympathy, and slid her hands into her pockets. They were both empty. She patted her clothes looking for her wallet, but it was gone.

“What’s wrong?” Kaz asked. He was fully upright now, leaning surreptitiously on his cane.

“I lost my wallet,” she said. “That’s weird. I had it when I left the ship.”

Kaz snorted. “You probably got pick-pocketed. How much did you lose and what way did you walk to get here?”

When she finished explaining, he crossed to the big safe in the wall and opened it. He counted out a number of kruge and held them out to her. “What’s this for?” She asked

“The borders of Dregs territory have expanded since last time you were here,” Kaz said. “You were in our territory practically the whole way here. That means that the person who pick-pocketed you probably works for me. Consider this getting your money returned.”

“Oh,” Nina took the stack of kruge. “Thanks.”

“And don’t expect this kind of generosity again,” Kaz said closing the safe. “Remember how to hold on to your wallet.”

Nina folded the money and stuck it into the wraps over her breasts. She’d like to see someone try to steal it from there. Then she looked up at Kaz. It was more of a look up than it had once been.

“Wait a minute,” she said. “You’re taller. Have you grown?”

Kaz gave her a look. “Teenagers tend to.”

“You mean to tell me,” Nina said slowly, “that you led us on the biggest heist of the century then figured out how to take down two of the most corrupt men in Ketterdam and you were still growing?”

Kaz gave her a long-suffering look. “Come on, Nina. Let’s get going.”

~~~~

The rest of the Barrel had changed drastically, but also remained exactly the same as always. Drunk and stupid pigeons stumbled around even in broad daylight getting conned out of all their worldly possessions. The members of the gangs strutted around in their Barrel flash trying to look impressive. Everyone, no matter how drunk, got out of Kaz’s way when they saw him coming.

They didn’t talk, but it wasn’t necessarily an awkward silence. Kaz was obviously deep in thought and not actively trying to be rude, so Nina just surveyed her old haunting grounds, noticing how all Pekka Rollins’s gambling dens had been taken over by the Dregs and the way that even the building that had once housed the Menagerie didn’t exist anymore.

“You’ve really made some changes to the place,” she said when she couldn’t take the silence anymore.

Kaz jerked back into awareness of her without a hint that he had been thinking of anything else. “Yes,” he said. “All in all, things are going-” Then something caught his attention, and he trailed off, gaze focused on something off to his right.

Nina followed his gaze but only saw people going about their normal days. “Kaz?” she asked.

“You remember where the Van Eck mansion is don’t you, Nina?” Kaz asked in a hyper-focused tone of voice. “I’ll meet you there; I have something I need to look into first.”

“I can help,” Nina said. “What did you see?”

Kaz looked at her for a moment, his eyes dark and calculating. “It might be good to have a face he doesn’t know,” he said. “Come on.” He pulled his hat down over his and hiked up his cane so the the head was in his armpit and mostly hidden from view. Then he set off down a side street, his limp more pronounced without the aid of the cane.

Kaz moved fast, but cautiously, leaving Nina to half walk half jog after him. The street was still pretty busy, so Nina couldn’t tell exactly who they were following. They’d gone quite a ways when Kaz suddenly grabbed the back of her coat and hauled her into an alley. He shoved her aside then peaked around the corner again.

“You could have just told me where to go,” Nina grumbled, but he was ignoring her, watching something happening the street intently.

After a minute Kaz turned back to her. “Okay,” he said. “The person we’ve been following is called Barend Meijer. He’s doing some dirty business that I’m trying to gather information about. He’s about to go into the inn down the street. You should be able to just walk in and figure out who he’s meeting with.”

“Alright,” Nina said, peaking around the corner. “Which one is he?”

“The one in the green coat,” Kaz pointed out a man with greasy hair and rat-like mustache who was just ducking into the inn, carrying a package wrapped in oilcloth. The cut of his clothes was Kerch, but not quite what someone from Ketterdam would wear. He wasn’t from the city.

“I want that package if we can get it,” Kaz said.

“Alright,” Nina said. “Do you want me to just steal it?”

“No,” Kaz said. “We don’t want him to know I’m onto him. I just need a couple minutes to look through it.”

“Do we need a plan?” Nina asked.

“Go in after him,” Kaz said. “I’ll create a distraction, then it’s your job to, make sure he leaves that package.”

“Alright,” she said and headed into the street.

This part of Ketterdam was disreputable even by Barrel standards. The cobblestones looked like they hadn’t been replaced ever and vanished periodically into mud puddles. One of the buildings Nina passed was so unstable that the whole thing creaked and swayed ominously whenever someone climbed to the second floor. The sides of the street were inhabited by beggars and drunks. It took Nina a few minutes to realize that there were a not inconsiderable number of bodies lying against the buildings as well. She made a mental note to ask Kaz whose territory this was; she was willing to bet that it wasn’t the Dregs.

Nina was also aware that she was gathering a lot of attention. She wasn’t wearing a kefta--that would have been ridiculously stupid--but her clothes were distinctly Ravkan. People were sizing her up and seeing nothing more than a naive foreigner who had lost her way. Some of the men in practical had what they were thinking printed clearly across their faces. Nina reached to her waist and uncorked one of the bottles she kept for just this purpose. Any man who dared to touch her would get a face full of bone shards.

Perhaps she was telegraphing her intentions somehow, because she reached the door to the inn without incident. The inside of the inn was even more disgusting than the street. People were congregating around listing and mismatched tables eating and drinking from plates and mugs that looked like they’d never been washed. The whole place smelled like someone had dumped ale and urine all over the floor and let it fester.

She crossed the room and sat down at the bar so she could study the room without looking like a lost foreigner. She flipped a coin to the bartender and got an ale in a mug so dirty her fingers came away smudged with grime when she touched it. She bit back a look of disgust. Yeah, she wasn’t drinking that.

It only took her a couple seconds to find Meijer. He was sitting in a booth with a large, ill-kept man that Nina actually knew. It was Markus Visser. He was an intermediary who found slaves for pleasure houses, including the House of the White Rose where Nina had once worked as the resident Grisha. She was disappointed; she’d been hoping someone would have killed him by now. Fortunately, while she knew Visser, he didn’t know here so she didn’t need to worry about him recognizing her.

She watched the two men for a few minutes. They were talking quietly with the package on the table between them, it looked like they weren’t planning to go anywhere for awhile. Nina got up off her stool and ambled towards them, acting like she was lost in thought. She wasn’t sure how long it would take Kaz to create his distraction and she wanted to be near the target when it happened.

Suddenly there was a huge commotion coming from the kitchen. Someone dressed in dark clothes darted into the room and yelled, “Help! Come quick! There’s a fire in the kitchen!”

Visser scrambled to his feet and was out the door in an instant. Saving his own skin, probably. Meijer looked around wildly for a moment, fingers tightening on the package, and Nina saw her opening. She lunged over and grabbed his arm, not caring that she dropped the disgusting mug on the floor. “Sir,” she said in her most simpering tone. “Please go help up out the fire! I don’t want this place to burn down!”

The man shook her off violently, but headed for the kitchen.

Nina snatched the package but before she could move, a pair of black gloved hands took it from her. She looked up to see Kaz. “Where did you come from?” she asked.

He smiled but didn’t say anything as he opened the package and began paging through the loose sheets of paper inside. Each was printed with what looked like some kind of order form. Kaz looked at each one for only a second or two before moving onto the next.

“Are you even reading any of that?” Nina asked.

“Make sure no one comes back,” Kaz said paging without pause. “I don’t know how long it will take them to put that fire out.”

“You really set the kitchen on fire?” Nina asked.

“Yes,” Kaz said. He was halfway through the stack of papers by now. “Keep your eyes on the-”

Before he could say anything else, an arm shoved Nina out of the way and onto a table. Meijer was back. Before Nina could do anything, the man had turned on Kaz, knocking the papers out of his hands. “Who do you think you are?” he growled, confirming what Nina had suspected. Meijer was new to Ketterdam; that was the only explanation for someone involved in something illegal in this city not recognizing Kaz Brekker.

“I was just curious,” Kaz said in a confused, higher-pitched voice that didn’t sound anything like his own. “What is this stuff?”

Meijer struck Kaz across the face, then wrapped a bare hand around his throat and shoved him against a wall. Kaz twitched visibly and his hands opened and closed spasmodically.

Nina scrambled off the table and stepped towards Meijer, raising her hands to summon her bone chips. Then hands grabbed her from behind, and she was trapped in a violent hug. The reek of unwashed male and cheap ale enveloped her.

“Let the man do his business, little lady,” her captor slurred in her ear.

Nina struggled against him and tried to keep an eye on Kaz and Meijer. Meijer still had Kaz pinned against the wall and Kaz didn’t seem to be fighting back. Nina couldn’t figure out why, but she didn’t have time to contemplate it. Fortunately, the drunk who had captured her hadn’t realized she was raising her hands because she was Grisha so he hadn’t tried to pin her hands. She twitched her wrists, only now she wasn’t controlling the bone shards, her focus was on what she’d seen in the street outside.

Half a dozen animated corpses burst into the inn. They glommed around Nina and the drunk, ripping her free. The drunk screamed and fled. Nina sent a corpse after him just to further beat in the lesson about assaulting women, then directed the rest of the corpses towards Kaz and Meijer.

The corpses obeyed, ripping the two men apart with their cold, dead hands. Kaz stumbled and fell, curling into a ball with his arms wrapped around his head. Nina couldn’t tell if he was hurt or not, and there wasn’t time to find out. Smoke was now pouring steadily out of the door to the kitchen. Evidently, no one had managed to put the fire out.

She twisted her hands, and one of the corpses turned away from beating up Meijer with the others and heaved Kaz over its shoulder. Nina made another motion and the corpse followed her as she darted out of the inn by the back door into the alley leaving Meijer behind. He’d probably survive, because she would get to far from the corpses to control them long before the entire inn burned down, but at least this way he couldn’t follow them.

Nina ran for a couple blocks until the shouting about fire had died down and she was sure no one was following. Then she stopped and had the corpse set Kaz down. She carefully guided the corpse to the side of the alley and had it lie down as reverently as possible. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “Rest in peace,” and she let the corpse go still.

Behind her she heard retching. She turned to see Kaz on his hands and knees, vomiting onto the dirty cobblestones. His gloved fingers were digging into the cracks between the stone and his entire body was shaking violently.

“Kaz?” Nina asked. “Are you alright?” She hurried over, reaching for his shoulder.

Before she could touch him, Kaz pulled out a knife and lunged at her. She stumbled backwards, fell and landed on her butt against one of the alley walls. Kaz pressed the tip of the knife against her throat, but didn’t touch her beyond that. His eyes were wild and Nina could feel him trembling through the knife.

“If you ever let one of those things touch me again,” Kaz said in a trembly, rasping snarl. “I will cut you into so many pieces no one will be able to identify you. Do you understand?”

“Kaz,” Nina said, trying to ignore the way the knife pressed into her throat as she spoke. “I don’t understand why you’re so upset. I just wanted to get us out of there. Are you sick?” She reached for the handle of the knife, but he jerked back out of her reach taking the knife with him.

“Don’t touch me!” he shrieked. His hands were shaking so badly that he almost dropped the knife.

“Alright,” Nina said holding up her hands. “I won’t touch you, but can you tell me if you’re okay?”

“I’m fine,” Kaz snarled, struggling to his feet. “We should to go.” He tried to walk, but stumbled and almost fell, catching himself against the opposite wall. She him breathing; the gasps were loud, fast and frantic.

“Kaz,” she said quietly. “Maybe you should sit down.”

“Didn’t you hear me?” Kaz shouted. “I’m fine! Let’s move!”

“You’re hyperventilating,” Nina said. “You’re going to pass out. You need to calm down.” She hated her inability to help. Before the parem she would have been able to lower his heart rate and ease his breathing herself, now she could do nothing but watch him struggle for breath.

“Kaz,” she repeated. “Please sit down.”

Much to her surprise, he actually listened, sliding down the wall to sit on the damp cobblestones with his knees drawn up and his forehead pressed against them. Nine stayed against the other wall, watching him until his breathing quieted and his muscles began to relax.

“Are you okay now?” she asked, making her voice level and quiet so as not to set him off again.

“I’m fine,” Kaz said, uncurling but not looking at her. “That was nothing.”

They both knew he was lying.

Kaz had hidden his cane before going into the inn so they had to double back to retrieve it and avoid the commotion around the now burned-out husk of the inn. Once they were done with that, they continued on to the Van Eck mansion. They didn’t speak, and though Kaz was twitchier than usual, he had himself surprisingly well in hand.

The Van Eck mansion was yet another thing that hadn’t substantially changed since the last time Nina had seen it. She was a little surprised Jesper hadn’t convinced Wylan to paint the whole exterior lime green. Kaz marched right up to the front door and knocked. They were admitted by a servant girl who obviously knew who Kaz was and was extremely uncomfortable with it.

The servant lead them upstairs to an office where Jesper and Wylan were seated at the desk looking at paperwork. They both looked up when Kaz and Nina came in,

“Look who turned up at the Slat,” Kaz said, monotone, gesturing at her.

Their faces lit up. “Nina!” Jesper cried and within moments both men had crossed the room and thrown their arms around her. Nina was surprised to feel her eyes filling up with tears. She hadn’t realized she missed them so much.

“When did you get back?” Wylan asked when they pulled apart.

“This afternoon,” Nina said. “I wasn’t sure where to find the rest of you so I went to Slat.” That wasn’t really true, but she didn’t want to admit to wanting to be reminded why she wasn’t staying.

“Hear that, Kaz?” Jesper asked. “You’re predictable.”

Kaz had floated over to the desk and was paging through the papers sitting there. He flinched when Jesper addressed, a small but visible tightening of muscles. “I’ll do my utmost to remedy that,” he said stiffly.

Jesper’s lips pressed together in concern, he and Wylan exchanged a significant look. “Have you two had supper yet?” Wylan asked after a moment.

“No,” Nina’s stomach growled.

“Good, we haven’t eaten yet either,” Wylan said. “You can have supper with us.”

“Actually,” Kaz began. “I need to-”

“Nope,” Jesper interrupted. “You’re staying, no arguments.”

Kaz stared at them for a moment then looked away and heaved a sigh. “Fine, but I’ll need some paper and a pen; I need to write a letter.”

“Done,” Jesper said. “Good to have you here, Kaz.”

“I’ll go tell the cook there will be two more for dinner,” Wylan said and left the room.

Jesper, Nina and Kaz relocated to the downstairs parlor. Jesper procured paper and a pen and Kaz retired to a corner and began writing at lighting speed in what appeared to be an extremely complicated code.

Jesper leaned in close to Nina and jerked his head at Kaz. “Is he okay?” he breathed.

“I think he’s fine now,” Nina murmured. “He...wasn’t before.”

“What happened?”

“I used my powers on some corpses,” Nina said. “I had one carry him, and I think that’s what set him off.”

Jesper nodded. “That’ll do it.”

“Do you know why he reacted like that?” Nina asked.

Jesper rocked a hand back and forth. “Inej told us some things so we could keep an eye on him while she’s gone. Not all of it, a lot of its really private, but some.”

“Does he know you know?” Nina asked.

“He’s Kaz Brekker, of course he knows,” Jesper grinned crookedly, then sobered. “But we’ve never been able to get him to have a conversation about it with us.”

“But he’s okay, though?” Nina said. “Just to make sure.”

Jesper made a face.

“What?” she asked.

“Wy and I aren’t convinced his health is very good,” Jesper said. “I mean his health’s never been great because he doesn’t sleep or give himself breaks, but last winter he had a really bad chest infection, and we don’t think he ever completely recovered from it. We’re worried about him.”

“Are you two going to just sit over there whispering like schoolgirls?” Kaz asked without looking up. It was impossible to tell if he’d been able to hear anything they were saying, but writing the letter seemed to have calmed him down.

“What are we supposed to do?” Jesper asked. “You’re engrossed in writing a long, coded missive to our beloved Wraith.”

“You’re writing Inej?” Nina asked, getting up and crossing the room to look at the paper. The code really was incomprehensible. “I take it she’s out hunting slavers?” She hadn’t really thought that Inej was here since no one had mentioned telling her of Nina’s arrival, but she’d hoped.

“She might be back in a few weeks,” Kaz said. “Though it’s hard to say; things sometimes come up.”

“So what is this letter about?” Jesper asked, throwing an arm around Wylan’s shoulders as the other man came into the room and kissing him on the temple. “Though, since the things are all in code, you could tell us they were about anything when in reality you’re just raving about how beautiful her hair is.”

Kaz shot Jesper a withering glare. “This is a summary of some information Nina and I found before we came here,” he said.

“Wait, those papers?” Nina said. “But you barely looked at them. You can’t really remember what they said.”

“I remember what they said,” Kaz said flatly. "But I do need to get this down while it’s still fresh; my memory for words is not as flawless as my memory for numbers.”

“What is this information about?” Wylan asked from his place in Jesper’s arms.

“Barend Meijer is part of an organization that specializes in providing slaves that fit parameters requested by buyers,” Kaz explained. “For example, one of the documents Nina and I were looking at is a request for a young Ravkan woman who resembles Alina Starkov. Inej has been trying to track the leadership of this organization for almost a year with little success.”

“And you’re helping her?” Nina asked. “How are you making any money off that?”

“He’s not,” Jesper crowed. “Helping the Wraith in her endeavours to end slavery is his sappy romantic side project.”

“I am not above cutting out your tongue and feeding it to the nearest pack of dogs, Jes,” Kaz said.

Both Jesper and Wylan laughed. “Don’t worry, Kaz, your secret soft side is safe with us,” Jesper teased.

A maid appeared in the doorway. This one was older and looked much less uncomfortable at the idea of the Bastard of the Barrel being in the parlor. “Supper is ready,” she said. “Should I inform Mistress Van Eck, Master Wylan?”

“Yes, thank you, Annemie” Wylan said. He disentangled himself from Jesper and slid his arm through Nina’s. “You’ll get to meet my mother! I’m pretty sure you never have.”

“That will be wonderful,” Nina said, letting Wylan lead her towards the dining room.

“You coming, Kaz?” Jesper asked. “Will that information stick in that genius brain of yours for a little longer?”

“Oh, fine,” Kaz grumbled and Nina looked over her shoulder in time to see him folding the letter up carefully and sticking it into his coat. He levered himself painfully to his feet and reached for his cane before he said, “And Nina?”

“What?” she asked as she and Wylan paused.

“You really should stay until Inej gets back,” he said. “I know she really wants to see you again.”

“But-” Nina stammered. “You were supposed to be the one who-” She cut herself off before she said something she’d regret and gave him a look.

Kaz just grinned and brushed by her and Wylan on his way to the dining room.

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justgotham · 6 years

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This year’s New York Comic Con panel for Gotham was more emotional than most. With one shortened season left, you can tell the actors feel like they’re leaving something special behind. Camren Bicondova especially spoke of how the cast has become like her family. She and David Mazouz have grown up on this show, and the adult actors have been a part of their lives. Even to the point where Chris Chalk helped Bicondova set up her health insurance. (Though Chalk protested that Bicondova made him sound like the oldest man in that sentence.) Gotham has come to mean a lot to this cast over the last five years, and they’re going to miss it just as much as we are.

But we’re here to get a glimpse of what the final season will look like. The answer: Very different from anything Gotham’s shown us before. The fifth season, premiering sometime in early 2019, contains multiple time jumps. As an adaptation of both the “No Man’s Land” and “Year Zero” arcs from the Batman comics, the finale will pick up more than a year after the events of Season Four. After establishing what Gotham becomes, it’ll jump back to a few months later to show how we got there. They’re really packing a lot into this 10-episode season of TV.

When we come into Season Five, the government has disavowed Gotham and left it to its own devices. Jim Gordon is maintaining a safe zone around the GCPD, and the major villains at play have divided the rest of the city into their own territories. Penguin is in full war profiteer form, controlling the munition supply in Gotham, selling to all sides. Barbara has used the Sirens to create a completely man-free zone in Gotham. Showrunner John Stephens said we’ll see her go through one more transformation before the series is over, and promised it would be fitting for the character. “Erin (Richards) is going to crush it. It’s uplifting and bloody,” he said.

The Riddler was one of the victims/culprits in a mutual stabbing between himself and Lee when we last left them. At the beginning of the season, Cory Michael Smith said, Ed Nygma is unsure of everything around him. That’s not an acceptable position to be in for him, so we’ll find him desperately searching for some kind of patter to explain how his world got the way it is. He eventually takes over his own territory, which Smith describes as “chillin’ in the library.” Stephens assured the audience it’s much more exciting than that.

The biggest question on everyone’s minds though is what happened to Selina. She met a tragic Killing Joke-inspired fate last season, and had to be rushed to a hospital outside of town while Bruce stayed behind. Bicondova says that sends her to a dark and suicidal place. “We find her in a place we’ve never seen her before. The Selina we’ve all known for the last four seasons goes completely out the window,” she said. “No longer is she this really tough strong person, but she’s this lonely, depressed young woman. Throughout the season, we see her struggle with that.” Bruce’s actions, it sounds like, won’t help much either. Mazouz said Bruce will have to decide what he’s willing to give up to get the old Selina back. And not everyone will like what he chooses.

Even with all that going on, the show will still find time to introduce new villains. That includes what Stephens referred to as their worst-kept secret: There is an episode titled “I Am Bane.” Warner Bros. is finally letting Gotham use one of Batman’s most iconic villains. By name, even. “We find if you ask and plead and beg enough, and they find out your show isn’t going on anymore, they let you do it,” Stephens said. Bane will have a different origin story on Gotham than fans have read in the comics, but it still leads to the same place. The cast also teased a confrontation with Alfred. Bane is going to break Alfred’s damn back.

He’s not even the only villain. Though Stephens repeatedly debunked the rumor that this season would introduce King Snake (that apparently was never in the plans), he teased another villain joining the fray. Jeremiah is getting a girlfriend. Assuming you know which Villain Jeremiah is, the identity of his girlfriend should be obvious, though they never came out and said the name. “He has a somewhat deranged girlfriend who dresses in a multicolored fashion. They don’t have a healthy relationship, but there’s a meeting of the minds. She hits people and she likes rollerskates,” Stephens said. It doesn’t get more obvious than that, puddin’.

With all these villains running around, it might sound like there’s no way Gotham City can be saved. That’s kind of the point. It can’t be, and it’s not going to be in these 10 episodes. That’s always been the nature of this show. Gotham tracks the downward spiral of the city, Mazouz said. It’s always been about how the city gets to a point where someone like Batman is needed. To that end, this season will also see Bruce meet his first bat and Stephens promised that it will end with another time jump. “The series finale takes place 10 years in the future, so we can have one character arrive,” Stephens said. “Someone with pointy ears… who’s not a villain.”

We spoke with the cast and crew after the panel, and Stephens told us exactly what it was like to wrap up this big violent story in only 10 episodes. “A lot of these [villains], when you only have 10 episodes, there are a lot of characters we wanted to bring in. We really wanted to do a Ventriloquist episode, but it just got squeezed out. We didn’t have time to get everything in.” he said. That’s a shame because I bet Gotham would have done a truly horrific take on the Ventriloquist. “We just got rid of a lot of stuff. Rather than trying to cram in everything we wanted. I kinda thought we’d get 16 (episodes). So I just kind of jetisonned a bunch of episodes… and really focused on what the core story was we were going to tell. So I don’t think it feels rushed right now.”

Stephens said they always knew the show would end with Bruce Wayne putting on the cowl. But the idea to adapt No Man’s Land for the final season came about in Season Three, though at that time they didn’t know which season would be the last. “When it looked like we might be on the bubble at the end of Season Four, I said, ‘well, let’s go ahead and blow the bridges at the end of Season Four to make it more of a cliffhanger so Fox might want to pick us up for another season,'” he said. Well, it worked.

One thing the cast spoke of a lot was how much they enjoyed shooting in New York City. While it’s true they live in Los Angeles, shooting Gotham in New York just felt right. Gotham, after all, is New York City. Donal Logue doesn’t even know what they would have done if they had shot in LA. “We shot in so many incredible locations, good and bad,” Logue said. “What’s amazing about New York is it’s not always thumbs up incredible, sometimes it’s tough and that’s Gotham. We shot in some very difficult places. We shot at a hospital in Staten Island for Arkham, and it’s still an active psychiatric hospital. I remember one night at about three in the morning, it was freezing. We were shooting outside and I looked up to the fifth story, and I saw a window and I saw this silhouette of a person watching us. It was just so stunning and heartbreaking. We shot in some heavy duty places. If I tell you the stories, they’re pretty dark.” It makes sense, since Gotham is a dark show on its own. It sounds like a lot of that had to do with the locations the scenes were shot in, and what was going on around the actors at the time.

One character who goes very dark this season is the Penguin. Earlier, it was teased that this season we’ll see the Penguin start to look more like the character we know from the comics, top hat, monocle and everything. Robin Lord Taylor told us a bit about the transformation. “It’s not like I haven’t been playing the legitimate Penguin, but there’s something about seeing him the way he’s been drawn in the comics… is so validating. It’s a stamp of approval and it’s an amazing responsibility we’re so excited to have,” he said.

Taylor teased that the costume isn’t the only way the Penguin of the show starts acting like the Penguin of the comics. “The story we’re telling is about how Gotham City corrupts these people and it destroys love. It literally destroys love. So when we go 10 years into the future, I want people to see the monster. I want them to see the supervillain. I want all the sympathy that people had to be erased, and I want him to be the supervillain we all know from the comic books. If you’ve read any of the more recent stories, he does some of the most vicious, awful things. You almost could not imagine this Penguin that I’m playing in Gotham to ever even conceive of some of the things he does in the comic books. But by the time we end, he will be that monster,” Taylor promised. His Penguin has done some pretty terrible things, but up to this point, he’s somehow remained scrappy and endearing. It’s going to be hard to watch that go away.

The final season of Gotham is going to be bittersweet for the cast and fans alike. We get to see everything we’ve been waiting for since Season One, but it’s hard to say goodbye to characters we’ve come to love and love to hate so much. At least it sounds like they’re going out with one hell of a party. The cast teased no end of surprising alliances as the citizens of Gotham try to survive after the government disavows the city. People who hate each other with a deadly passion will be forced to work together, and really that has always made for some of the show’s best moments. And yes, Cory Michael Smith confirmed that Penguin and the Riddler’s paths will cross again. Their relationship was by far my favorite part of the last season, so you know I’ll be glued to the couch.

#the riddler #Edward Nygma #Cory Michael Smith #Oswald Cobblepot #Robin Lord Taylor #Harvey Bullock #Donal Logue #Camren Bicondova #Selina Kyle #Bruce Wayne #David Mazouz #Alfred Pennyworth #Sean Pertwee #Lucius Fox #Chris Chalk

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sextonsharpwinhalstead · 6 years

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Chicago Med Review 4x03 Heavy Is the Head

It looks like Chicago Med is back to following it’s every other episode pattern. Last episode was the crossover, and, in my opinion, it was weaker than the premiere. This episode did NOT disappoint.

On One Chicago Day Brian Tee hinted that this was his favorite episode for Ethan to date and honestly, I can understand why. I wasn’t sure how they were going to play out the gun/dad hostage situation and truthfully, I was worried Med was entering bootleg John Q territory but the climax to that resolution was shocking! Like Med WENT there. They showed that guy blowing his brains out to save his son’s life, because profits matter more than patients (I’ll get back to that a minute). Every step, every decision, Ethan made he had to wonder if he was making the right call, handling things the only way he knows how. And he wasn’t without his critics.

April did not want him to immediately call the police and I can understand why. But he did, and the situation unfolded in a way he didn’t count on. To add insult to injury for whatever reason the writers have decided to make Emily mentally challenged cause some how she has no idea how to work a microwave and burned something which cause Ethan to fly-off the handle and yell at her. A move April caught and judged him on too. (Real quick are these two together? On a break? Or broken up?) I’m confused and so is Ethan. He snapped on her and to be honest, it was a valid assessment of the situation. April clams up when she is angry and frustrated instead of voicing her feelings about why she feels the way she does. But to be fair; that’s the writers’ fault. April has lacked agency since this show began. We don’t really know who she is. We know she’s stubborn, soft hearted, naturally nurturing, and bends over backwards for others but that’s not personality. Not really, it robs her of intellect, so we never get a rebuttal to Choi and we won’t; because they have no idea why April does what April does. Their inconsistencies don’t lend her to be a woman with nuanced thought who understands that every situation does not require the same response. That could be an answer to Choi. But like I said; it won’t.

In the end we got the same tired ass dynamics of her comforting him and us not knowing her motives or feelings about ALSO witnessing someone blow his brains out in front of them. Med do better by your women!

Let’s talk about the women in this episode because this was a heavily feminized episode if you didn’t notice. (Not necessarily executed in respect but women outnumbered the men 2:1).

First let’s start with Sharon and Gwen.

Did anyone else wonder when Stohl’s contract was up? He was gone two episodes later and in a sad new way that Med’s been doing lately his departure wasn’t even announced. In steps Dr. Lanik and out steps all protocol and common decency. I get the Lanik is Gwen’s “man” but when the hell does the COO start making the decisions she was making? The whole situation reeked and in my opinion a hospital would start asking why they needed Sharon’s position at all when nothing was put through her. Gwen is shaping up to be the Robert Haywood shaped hole in my canonical villain life. Cause she’s going to bounce out of this tragedy like it’s any other day and keep her on agenda. Watch. Lanik…I don’t know. He was shook. And to be honest he doesn’t come across nearly villainous enough to continue fostering the current climate in the ED.

Natalie, Elsa, and Daniel.

First things first. I was raised Christian for the first twenty years of my life. I don’t practice the faith anymore but when I did I never met any Christians as disillusioned as the ones Med writes. To be honest it’s ridiculous. There are few modern women, who are trying to have babies, who aren’t privy to what an ectopic pregnancy is. They are always fatal to the baby and almost always fatal to the mother if left untreated. There is no new way to be re-planted into the uterus and thus the pregnancy is not viable. I know Catholics who know and honor this too. So why they felt the need to go all the way there was lazy and took away from what could’ve been an even more impactful and frankly frightening story. Did Elsa misuse the machine, so she could fudge the test results and save the mother’s life? I’m leaning towards probably. Does Daniel have a fucking leg to stand when it comes to being manipulative when trying to control the outcome of situation? Y’all already know the answer to that question. The fact is that she didn’t bow down to the sage knowledge of Daniel Charles when he approached her in the dining hall. He assessed she was an intelligent woman who really didn’t care about patient medicine and already had her future mapped out. What Med still won’t do is allow her to be truly aloof about it. Elsa wouldn’t care if the patient decided to basically die instead of getting the surgery, she would’ve pulled an Okafor, shrugged her shoulders and walked out to find the next case. Natalie was there to play up the narrative of why what Elsa was doing and HOW she was doing it was wrong but, in all honesty, when the fuck has anyone on this show gave the patients the respect of their autonomy? Especially Natalie, but maybe she’s learned from past? If she had than they should have had her mention it (like with the orthorexic mom).

But this isn’t about that; this is about making sure that no woman on Med dares to be the smartest one in the room and it will punish any of them that attempts to own it too. The men on the show play God all the time and aside from Will none of them have gotten the jilting or stern wake-up call to cool it like the women have. Too many of the women’s arcs on this show prove they are either frauds, or indecisive. I don’t think Elsa is either, and it’ll be hard for Dr. Charles to find mistakes she’s made because her personality type is A, and those types don’t make mistakes.

The last woman I’m going to mention is Ava. Oh, how the mighty have been dragged to the ground. Did anyone else catch the way her eyes slightly watered with rage when she talked about advocating for Connor for the hybrid surgery room. Yeah…I’m calling it, she fucked his dad. All so he could kick her out of the OR. This is not what I wanted out of this character and it’s a disservice if they want her to be a fully-fleshed out lead (which they don’t). Ava is a prop for Connor and it’s an unfair and sexist storyline I’m frankly tired of. Also, how is going from an OR scrub nurse to a Charge nurse a demotion? I did appreciate the little Maggie tidbit of history. Maybe that’s how she and Sharon became close. Anyway, this story was secondary only to the growing size of Connor’s ego. Boy I miss season one Connor. This douchebag is the worst.

Finally, was the Halsteads story. I enjoyed it for several reasons; mainly leaving the hospital. I loved all the little Irish bits of history and culture weaved into the memorial. That saying “May you be in heaven a half-hour before the devil knows your dead” still runs a chill down by my spine. But they brought a light-heartedness to it that I appreciated. I personally do not see Will giving up the venue for the wedding and it’ll end up being some messy crossover event that’ll split the Halstead brothers further…only time will tell.

I will say this; the episode was good but I’m not sure who is wearing the crown that holds the weight.

#chicago med #chicago med review #4x03 #heavy is the head

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babybatcatandco · 6 years

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Gotham Season 4B Trailer Breakdown

So I was going through the trailer frame by frame, as you do, and I have some thoughts/theories:

So Bruce is breaking the suit out again. I think it’s going to take place post-vision where he sees his Darkness™ personified. I’m really hoping he gets over this angsty stage and spends like three months apologizing to Alfred.

Further evidence of some kind of mind-whammy changing Bruce’s perspective. The speaking over this is Bruce explaining to Jim that he thinks he’s seen who he really is. I’ve been saying for a bit now that S4 is really laying the groundwork for who Bruce and Co. become later on, and I think this is a big moment. Also, it looks like they’ve got David in the same outfit as the earlier screenshot, so I’m willing to bet that this all takes place post-Bruce’s vision.

We’ve got Jim and Barbara in what I think is her club. There are some people dancing in the right of the next frame. The decor here looks similar to what I can remember the Artemis as looking, but I think we’ve seen enough of Barbara’s penchant for old-timey, almost art-deco furniture and fashion to assume that this is her club. Her outfit has a very similar vibe, very 1920′s flapper aesthetic. I’m willing to bet Jim is asking for her help with something he can’t get on his own, whether he’s outfoxed or he just needs her to do something illegal for him.

Jim and who looks to be Harper are at a crime scene here. We can’t tell much about the victim, but Jim’s holding an evidence bag and their face looks pretty torn up. I don’t want to go out on a limb and say Jerome yet, because from what I can tell he’s still in Arkham. I’m thinking this is the mystery Jim goes to Barbara about.

Jim’s threatening Sofia, and I have a feeling a good portion of 4b is going to be him trying to get her off his back. I see no immediate change in Sofia’s goals at the moment; I think she’ll be trying to consolidate her power in Gotham, which is what makes Jim going to Barbara so curious. I wonder if they’ll have a moment where he plays on her pride and asks if she’ll let someone lord over her or something in that vein.

We’ve got an enraged Lee on our hands here. The ‘Heavy Hitters’ poster on the wall, as well as just the set in general and the fact that Sofia’s walking into a room while Lee waits, tells me we’re in Lee’s territory in the Narrows. Sofia’s also got her gloating face on, and Lee’s very visibly upset and threatening her. I think the bad blood here is tied to Sofia gaining complete control over Gotham. I don’t know if she’s refusing to have other gangs around acting as viziers like we’ve seen before, so she wants Lee gone, or if Lee’s people love her too much, or Lee’s just being stubborn about something, but I think Sofia’s done something horrible. Knowing Lee and her weaknesses, Sofia’s probably done something cruel to the poor people in the Narrows and now Lee’s being a protective mama bear.

Jim and Lucius are exiting a store, you can’t quite tell here but it has a clown and the name KRANK on the window, so I’m thinking something Jerome-related. Jim’s obviously distressed though, as he’s reaching for his gun.

My baby girl is peering into a window here. The stairs look a little wooden to be a fire escape, but you tell by the window frame and that the curtain is closer to the camera that she’s on the outside. Very similar lighting/colour palette to the apartment we see her and Ivy in later, but then Gotham does love its shadowy grays.

A burning mask. Looks practically identical to Bruce’s but it’s white. I don’t know why but it’s giving me some Court of Owls vibes, but I doubt the two are related at all. White tends to be coded as the colour of innocence and purity, so it might be tied to Bruce’s vision/representative of him embracing his darkness.

The second screenshot is from a bit earlier, but they have very similar gold set design/GCPD officers running around, which you see a lot in this trailer. Some catastrophe is happening, no clue if it’s Ivy or Jerome related or someone else wreaking havoc. Bruce has a very ‘oh shit’ expression (props again to David Mazouz, he and Camren Bicondova are so talented at such a young age), so I wonder if he’s going to break out some vigilante justice and we’ll get to see proto-Batman and Jim interact.

THE KIDS ARE BACK TOGETHER AND MY HEART IS FILLED WITH JOY. Ahem, so, Selina’s asking Bruce for his help, and he’s looking pretty receptive. I really think whatever vision he goes through takes place very early in the season, if not the first episode. If he was still in Billionaire-Brat mode I don’t think he’d be as willing to hear Selina out (plus the tail end of 4A wasn’t very focused on him and his development, so I think to make up for it we’re going to get a lot from him right out of the gate. @the Gotham writers please have Selina be like ‘what the actual fuck’ when Bruce tells her Alfred’s gone.) Their posture is halfway between open and closed off; they’ve got their arms extended between them with ‘let’s make a deal’ fists, but they’re both leaning forward towards each other. Also, it sounds like they’re making up?

So this scene literally reduced me to incoherency (please tell me the first two shots are them giving each other the side-eye like ‘we’re gonna fuck shit up?’, ‘yeah we’re gonna fuck shit up’, boom, action scene) and I had to go back and rewatch it like a million times over, but the children are officially back to kicking ass and taking names together. I’m willing to bet this is what Selina needs help with, and the set makes me think that this is a fence, what with all the antiquated knick-knacks kicking around. Maybe Selina lost an important item, or someone stole from her, or this is related to an overarching plot we can’t see yet? Either way, my soul is healed. And if that ‘cup your jaw, hand dragging down your chest as I walk away’ move wasn’t the most BATCAT thing I have yet to see on this show. AND THEY’RE SMILING. Well Selina definitely is, Bruce looks a little more wistful, or kind of like ‘oh shit she’s getting under my skin again’.

We’re getting our first good look at Jerome and Oswald! It looks like Jerome’s built up his own little gang at Arkham, and he’s demanding Oswald make him laugh. The lighting/set looks pretty different in the last two screenshots, so I think it’s at a later date, but I could be wrong. Jerome’s costume is a bit altered though, his shirt is on and buttoned before. It looks like Jerome has got some kind of gladiatorial ring on the go here, and during their fight he’s got a hammer while Oswald is fighting bare-fisted. It looks as though Oswald wins, and the set-up makes me think it’s some kind of fight for respect or power. I’m excited to see what Jerome’s got going on this season, as he’s being played to perfection by Cameron Monaghan as per usual.

And we get to see Ivy! They’ve recast Maggie Geha, and I will miss her until the day I die. (Peyton List is a great actress though.) She’s looking pretty badass, the sweater seems like a callback to Clare Foley’s Ivy. It looks like she’s got her full-on powers nowadays, and the man it looks like she was feeding off of is wearing what seems to me like a GCPD uniform, might explain why Jim’s got an APB (basically a modern wanted poster) out for her. That bottle on the shelf to her left shows up later in the trailer, interestingly enough.

The decor of the apartment she’s breaking into gives me Barbara vibes, and it seems to have similar lighting as the earlier shot of Selina looking through that window, as well as when we see her and Ivy talk later. I have a feeling she’s looking for Selina/wants Selina to leave Tabby and Barbara to join her. And Ivy’s cracked at this point, the trailer description says she’s looking to make Gotham her green paradise, so I think Selina will have a ‘wtf no’ moment.

And here we find Selina’s ‘wtf no’ moment. I think she’ll go along with Ivy in the beginning out of fondness/nostalgia, but I think Ivy’s going to be on the kind of crazy kick Selina can’t condone. I think we’re really going to start seeing Selina’s moral greyness, and possibly the more altruistic, ‘good guy’ side of her. Knowing Ivy this is a part of her ‘kill all people who harm the ecosystem’ schtick.

Ed! He still looks decidedly un-Riddlerish. He’s delivering one of the funnier lines, “oh that is so Gotham.” I think that this is about whatever crime he came to Babs about, and now he’s there to talk to either Ed or Lee. Either that or he’s looking for their help to boot Sofia out of the criminal underworld.

Ivy and the girls at what looks like the nightclub. Babs is still wearing the same dress as when she was talking to Jim. These are two very differently placed shots though, the first isn’t a reaction, Selina’s standing in different places. Same dress, however, so the same night/thread of scenes. Ivy’s probably there either to ask for their help with her grand plan, or to retrieve Selina.

Bruce is again, sadly, wearing a turtleneck and a blazer. Tragic. He looks like he’s giving a press conference or something though, and this shot flashes as Ivy says “you have no idea what’s really going on at your company, do you?” So there’s some business intrigue going on with Wayne Enterprises, and this is probably Bruce making a ballsy move or trying to assess what’s on the go.

Speaking of, here’s that discussion. I think whatever hidden motive Ivy’s got going on is tied to whatever what’s on the go with Wayne Enterprises. I also think that Ivy’s got some kind of weird superpower going on, and this is where Bruce gets mind-whammied with his vision. I can’t see another reason for her to kiss him, (which I lowkey feel kind of weird about as a sixteen-year-old? Like art is art, and I’m sure everyone consented and jazz, but I don’t know it gives me the creepy crawlies) unless she’s compelling him to do something for her/give her something/tell her information.

So these look pretty different from the other shots of Bruce’s vision, and I think they might be separate. I think at least one of them is Ivy-related, and I’d put my money on this one. We see Ra’s with his dagger, dressed pretty strangely. I think the second shot is Bruce being tugged into the vision, and Ra’s is doing the tugging because you can see that he’s wearing the same pair of black leather gloves in both shots, and they have a similar red, wispy outline. I think Bruce’s vision is going to have him confront killing Ra’s, and openly face his darker parts. I think Jim and Selina are going to play a big role there, as they’re two very morally gray characters and Jim reminds Bruce in the beginning of the trailer that he isn’t alone.

So Bruce’s vision is kind of divided into three, the first one with Ra’s, now this part where he’s standing in an alley and is pounced upon by the same dark, masked figure we see later. The lighting is similar enough between the second and last portions of the vision that I can see them being the same scene, with the transition probably happening as we see the figure jump on Bruce.

So here we have the bulk of Bruce’s vision, with the dark figure informing him that he is “the one you cannot escape, the one you cannot kill.” I don’t know if this is related to Ra’s (snide ‘you can’t kill me’ remark) or if it’s the metaphysical embodiment of the darker side of Bruce, or if it’s similar to the creepy old monk guy (whose name I headcanon as Dante, bc A) that’s just a cool name for a monk, and B) the actor plays President Dante on The 100) where Bruce is getting his mind manipulated again. Time will tell.

We’ve got Ivy and Lucius! She’s got a bottle of some green, glowy thing. Might’ve compelled Lucius to make it for her, might be stealing it, who knows. It looks very similar to a bottle back in her apartment:

They’re not entirely the same, the shape is a little different and the second one has naturally green glass, but I can’t see it being a throwaway detail. Maybe she’s run out of whatever the bottle contains so she needs Lucius to make her more.

It starts to devolve into a montage here, so we’ve got Oswald in a suit and top hat in what looks to be a party setting, and the wavey effect could either be for the montage or to show that it’s a hallucination, and I’m betting on the latter. I think Arkham is going to push him to the limits of his ‘sanity’ all over again. Arkham has always been Oswald’s lowest point, his ‘rock-bottom’.

We’ve got Ed here in his Riddler gear, and the decor/henchman in the back makes me think that this is Sofia’s place. Probably later on in the season, and it looks as though he’s been tortured maybe, what with the blood? It being all over his mouth like that makes me think of Jerome, so it might be connected to him and Oswald somehow.

Jim’s flat on his back in what looks to be a hospital or kitchen setting. Could be a chase, but the intensity/length of the shot makes me feel like he’s in a dire situation. The lighting and set look very similar to this shot of Sofia, as she says “you!” all menacingly. She could be talking to either Jim or someone else who’s attacking them both.

I think this is Lee either in a fight at her place, or just beating the shit out of someone there. The stairs/rest of the set tell us this is her club/fight ring, and she looks pissed as hell. I think it’s related to the earlier situation with Sofia, I can’t see her flying off the handle unless it’s a situation like that.

Harvey’s got his gun back, so I think he returns to the GCPD at some point in 4B. Can’t see it happening off the bat, but it looks like he’s infiltrating Arkham. I think it’ll be either midway through or at the finale of 4B when things with Jerome and Oswald start coming to a head.

So Barbara is spotting Ra’s in the crowd at her club. (Also this is how you can tell Gotham reuses extras bc that girl in the silver, sparkly dress walked in front of Babs and crew earlier in the trailer, but she’s dressed entirely differently so it has to be a new thread of scenes, despite Barbara’s penchant for dramatic costume changes.) Since Ra’s is very, very dead this has to be a hallucination, and I think it’s because Ra’s passed whatever he had been attempting to pass on to Bruce, on to Barbara at Blackgate. I don’t know how Gotham is going to play the Heir to the Demon’s Head thing here, but I’m excited to see what they come up with.

Oswald is out of Arkham, wearing a very warm coat that looks a little frosted over, and pointing a gun. Could have had a run-in with Victor, but you can tell this isn’t a hallucination because he’s wearing his prisoner uniform underneath the coat. Probably later on in 4B.

Ed is looking very unstable, and this is probably the moment where he transitions from Ed back to the Riddler. I’m thinking it’ll be somewhere around mid-way through 4B.

Ivy’s telling Selina here, “let’s make Gotham our bitch,” and the set/lighting looks very similar to when Ivy kicked that door in. I think this is where Selina lives with Tabitha/Barbara, and this is where Ivy tries to rope Selina in on her scheme, and Selina eventually watches her kill that man.

We’ve got Jim talking to who looks like Alfred, right as an explosion occurs. There are too many subplots being thrown around to pinpoint which one might have caused the explosion, but I’m more interested in Alfred and Jim’s conversation. Nine times out of ten if they’re communicating it’s about Bruce, so I think it might be about whatever shady shit is going down at Wayne Enterprises.

Jerome and Oswald again. I’d like to point out while we’re here that Jerome has really started taking on the physical aspects of the Joker, the smile, the gloves, the shoes. He’s asking Oswald to help him find the “crème de la crazy”, and it looks like it’s after their fight since they’re both a little bloodied up.

I really wish the lighting wasn’t like this?? Who is Ivy feeding on? The hair kind of looks like Alfred’s ngl, and I swear if she hurts my son I will pop through the screen and fight her. I’m really curious as to how they’re framing Ivy’s powers here though, it looks like she has full control over plants.

So that was my ridiculously long analysis of the 4B trailer, it’s looking really great and I can’t wait to see where they take it all. I’ll probably elaborate on specific points in the future, especially when the season starts to pick up, or if I have any sudden epiphanies.

#wrote this when i should have been studying for my bio midterm tomorrow morning at 9 am #it's currently midnight and i have no regrets #but i had to do it up twice #bc the page timed out #i was so pissed #this is shaping up to be such a great season #just going through the frames the cinematography was mindblowing #this show just continually impresses me #i lowkey hope the lee/ed thing doesn't go anywhere?#i just want lee to have an arc that doesn't involve her having a love interest #and she can just be a freaking badass who dismantles sofia's throne through sheer spite and determination alone #but i still want sofia to be an amazing gangster queen???#i have too many badass female faves on this show that keep butting heads #it needs to stop #when babs and tabby were fighting i was so sad #anyway that's why i didn't mention lee/ed #also the nygmobblepot fandom would have crucified me #y'all are some scary ass people #i stay the hell in my lane there #same thing with the people who really hardcore stan jerome #i'll just be over here with baby batcat #sobbing #wishing alfred pennyworth was my cool uncle #cursing bruce out for treating him like shit #i was so ready to throw hands with bruce at the end of 4a you have no idea #i'm like five foot with the strength of a newborn kitten but i would have whooped him out of sheer 'fuck you'#gotham #gotham fox #gotham season 4 #gotham season 4b

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etherealrj · 7 years

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same game - reddie

pairing : reddie

words : 2K

warnings : none

MASTERLIST

request here

five times richie flirted with eddie and the one time he didn't

A/N I've never written one of these before so I hope its okay anon! it's four am rn but i was so determined to finish this but then tumblr wiped it and i almost cried. i wasn't gonna post it now but my last request did super well so i'll treat ya'll.

i legit googled how to flirt with someone bc i have never. So I legit googled how did people flirt in the 90's and then this happened :') I'm so sorry in advance, I got so carried away with this my god. Imagine if Pennywise never happened and Ben, Bev and Mike were losers from the beginning.

Eddie had always known Richie to a big flirt. He was his best friend so it was granted that Richie was to flirt with Eddie, so Eddie just put up with it. It started at the young of ten when the boys were sat side by side in their respected seats. That’s why in the middle of English class when Richie leant over to doodle a love heart on the corner of Eddie’s book with their initials ‘RT + EK = Forever,’ written within, he thought nothing of it. Everywhere you went throughout the school, Richie would have marked his territory by writing some obscure devotion of love for Eddie. Whether it was their initials in a heart, ‘Richie ♡ ‘s Eddie’ or Eddie Tozier, there were signs written everywhere. From classrooms, to bathroom stalls, to random wooden chairs that lingered around the school’s perimeter. Eddie knew Richie had a book covered in variations of their names etched upon every single piece of paper, he also knew the Richie’s parents weren’t too fond about it. But Eddie never understood why.

They were at the school disco, at the age of twelve, all the losers rocked up in hopes of having a nice time. In other words, they were forced by their parents. But Mike did end up tagging along so they were all happy about that. It wasn’t any surprise that the seven misfits sat in the back of the gym, all sitting around a circular table in their own conversations completely oblivious to the rest of their peers. Eddie sat with Richie to his right, Stan to his left. He was in a deep conversation about the new Captain America comic book when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He glanced at Richie’s out stretched hand to see a small red bottle of Panda Pop sitting in his palm. Richie had a wide grin permanently stuck to his face. Eddie glanced at the drink before looking back up to Richie. He looked around the circular table at the lack of drinks in any of the other loser’s hands. “Richie.” Eddie said, gazing locking with the taller boys. “You forgot about everyone else!” He exclaimed. “This is just like you.” Eddie shook his head, standing and brushing shoulders with Richie as he headed in the direction of the rectangular table filled with beverages. All the other losers glanced up at Richie, with amusement behind their eyes. Richie sent them a glare and fell back into his chair.

III

When the boys reached the age of fourteen, Richie’s charade continued and Eddie saw no end to the plague of Richie Tozier. After a long, exhausted filled day of school Eddie just wanted to leave the prison that they were supposed to call a haven. Ducking around the back of the school to meet the loser at the bike racks, hopefully avoiding Henry Bowers and his goonies at the same time. Heavy footsteps echoed his ears and a slow cringe made its way onto Eddie’s face. He froze in his place, bracing himself for the first round of physical abuse he was about to endure. But nothing ever came.

“Hey Ed’s!” Eddie felt an arm wrap around his shoulder, which caused the poor boy to let out a sigh, his body coming down from the fright. He really wasn’t in the mood to get beat up right now.

“Don’t call me that.” Eddie mumbled under his breath and began walking again. Richie hummed in response, tightening his grip around Eddie’s neck.

“Do you have a band-aid- “

“You know I do Richie why.” Eddie’s patience was running low with the boy. There was only so long you could handle being around Richie ‘trashmouth’ Tozier.

“Because I just scraped my knee falling for you. “Eddie rolled his eyes before shrugging off Richie’s arm and began to walk away from the boy in a huff.

“Eddie my boy, don’t be like that!” Richie said in one of his completely ridiculous accents that Eddie could only describe as the, ‘shitty British John Cleese.’ Richie jogged lightly to catch up with the shorter boy. “You know I love you! Almost as much as your fat Mom!”

At the age of fifteen was when Richie had really began listening to music. His home life was rough, that Eddie knew and the only way Richie seemed to deal with it was listening to his music. Eddie never seemed to see the appeal. That’s way when Richie Tozier snuck into his bedroom window at two am with a mixtape, Richie’s chicken scratch hand writing over the top, reading the words ‘Eddie Spaghetti’ a messy love heart was added after his name and a doodle of roses sat beside it. Eddie didn’t know what to think.

Richie hadn’t even stayed long enough to make sure Eddie would listen to it, but he did and Richie knew he would. Eddie opened the plastic container, a folded piece of film fell out from on top of the cassette tape and landed within his lap. Picking the white film up he unfolded the picture and was greeted with his own laughing face starring back at him. He was sat on top of Richie’s shoulders, the photo he remembers being taken only a week earlier after school.

He remembers the day clearly, he had fought Richie and told him to leave him alone because there was no way in hell, he was willingly getting on top of the 5”7 boys shoulders without a fight. But there he sat, legs hanging over Richie’s shoulders Richie’s hands holding tightly on Eddie’s own. As both boys smiled happily, hand in hand.

Eddie admired the wide smile on Richie’s face, the pure joy that seemed to radiate from the photo brought a small smile to his own. Brushing his finger lightly over Richie’s face, just appreciating the loud boy. With a sigh, Eddie flipped over the film to read the small words written on the back, “love is like syphilis, it makes you crazy, eventually leading to death.” [X] Eddie rolls his eyes at Richie poor attempt of humour but he was humoured at the very least.

Leaning over to the stereo on his shelf, he turned the volume to the minimum as to not wake his mother, the first song started to play. The tune of the song made his eyes roll before the words even started to play. He laid back onto his bed, arm behind his head, the words filled his ears, a small smile on his face.

“Oh, I can't fight this feeling any longer,

And yet I'm still afraid to let it flow

What started out this friendship has grown stronger

I only wish I had the strength to let it show,” [X]

A year later the losers were standing at the counter of the Aladdin. Richie’s arm in its forever permanent spot around Eddie’s back. The smaller boy subconsciously leant into his side. Eddie wonder if Richie ever regrets how much he flirts with the younger boy, Eddie thought he surely would be stopping any girls from getting to Richie. But Richie didn’t seem to care. “Hey Babe?” Richie questioned.

Eddie hummed in response, too use to the pet names that Richie’s given him over the years for it to matter. Richie had grown a whole lot in a year, he had to be nearing 6” foot by now. Eddie was not at all jealous over the fact he was still barely reaching 5”5, still the shortest of all the Loser’s, Bev included. Eddie felt Richie shift behind him, head resting on top of his own, arms around Eddie’s waist. “Did you want any popcorn?” Richie could be extremely clinging when he wasn’t in your face obnoxiously joking about sleeping with his mom. Richie didn’t seem like he was in the happiest moods today, all the Loser’s would agree, so Eddie went with the flow and gave him the attention he thought the older boy needed.

“Don’t worry about it Rich, I’ll pay for the popcorn. You got us the tickets.” Eddie said with a light tap of his hands-on Richie’s own.

“It was my idea to come see the movie Ed’s, I’ll get the popcorn. “ Richie said, stepping away from the teenage boy. Eddie turned around to catch him before he left.

“Hey Richie?” Eddie questioned. Richie turned with hum in response. “Why do you never buy any of the others popcorn?” Richie eyes lifted slightly in surprise, a small smile playing on his face, he flicked his tongue out to swipe itself across his bottom lip. He stared over to where the rest of the loser’s stood, laughing loudly at something Stan had said. Richie’s face deadpanned.

“I’m trying to impress your Mom, Ed’s. “

+ I

All the Loser’s sat around a circle, it was March the seventh which means it was Richie’s seventeenth birthday. Buddy Holly [X] was playing lowly in the background. And Eddie was feeling nervous. The past few days Richie had seemed to distance himself from the boy and Eddie had wondered if it was something he did. Neither Bill or Bev had any idea on the matter which Eddie feel even worse about the situation. Eddie bit his lip as he passed the bottle half filled with amber coloured liquid around the circle. Richie seemed perfectly happy but Eddie felt out of place. Without the touches or the kind words or jokes about his Mom. Richie wasn’t Richie.

Moments later, the bottle was done and the group had dissipated. Eddie grabbed Richie’s hand and pulled him away from the main floor. “Ed’s?” Richie questioned. “Is everything okay?”

Richie eye’s squinted to look into Eddie’s own. “I-Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” Richie turned his head to the side seemingly confused. Eddie opened his mouth before closing it. “I-Yo-We-Bu-,” Eddie stared at Richie in exasperation.

“Damn Bill, calm down a bit would ya?.” Eddie stare turned quickly into a disappointed glare. Richie held his hands up in defence.

Eddie crossed his arms over his chest, looking up at the taller boy through his dark brown curls. Eddie let out a huff, “Why don’t you treat me like you use to.” Eddie looked at the ground, suddenly more interested in his stark white converse than the conversation.

Richie cracked smile. “Finally.” He muttered. “I was waiting to see how long it would take for you to miss me.”

Eddie tilted his head in utter disbelief as he watched Richie face etched with a cheeky smile. Eddie shook his head and in one quick moment his small moisturized hands were upon Richie’s cheeks, he stood on his tippy toes and placed his soft pink lips against Richie’s chapped ones with an impatient desire. Eddie felt Richie gasped in surprise as he lips moved against Richie’s own. Eddie was yet to pull away when he felt Richie began applying the same amount of force or maybe even more back. Eddie noted that Richie tasted like tobacco and cheap whiskey, but the boy couldn’t get enough. Richie’s hands trailed down to Eddie’s hips, gripping the edge of the small boys lightly coloured shirt.

As he pulled away, the feeling of Richie’s lips lingered against his own, Eddie brought a hand to his lips touching them with his fingertips as a smile spread across his face. He rested back on the balls of his feet before looking up to meet Richie’s gaze.

Richie’s mouth laid ajar, eyes widen in feign surprise. “Was that you trying to flirt with me Eddie Kaspbrak?”

A/N this did not turn out what I was hoping but eh, still cute ish

if you wanna be in the reddie tag list lemme know!

taglist : @colinmorgay @its-ya-girl-mercy @tastes-like-cherry-coke @netzoflix @bitch-its-youknowwho @prkrptr @ladycataztrophe @whoisjjacob @eddies-inhaler @stenbroughh @eddierichietozier @scienceyyy @randvmfandoms

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notsugarandspice · 6 years

Link

Crash and Burn, Chapter 19: October 31st, 1999

Rating: Explicit

A fully edited version is on ao3.

Eddie was amazingly proud of his Halloween outfit this year. One of his favorite movies of all time came out - Matrix, and he couldn't get the damn Neo out of his head. So he did the next best thing - dressed up as exactly him for the party hosted by the director of "Cats".

The show's season has come to a wrap, and it was very bitter-sweet - he was excited about the next step of his career and having a bit more freedom in his life, but he also didn't have a stable job anymore which meant cutting back on expenses. But all that is something to worry about later. He got to keep his black and white costume for the memories, and the producers promised him to put in a good word if he ever thought of auditioning again. But now was the time to slick back his hair and put on a long black leather coat he found at the thrift shop.

Eddie was pleasantly surprised to see that black fitted him perfectly well and hugged every inch of his toned dancer body. The dark pants lost themselves in the clasped black boots, and the gun straps on his thighs squeezed just right. He was now working on his hair and getting his unruly curls to lay back down was a much bigger struggle than he anticipated. He thought of asking Bev to help, but she was too busy clipping extensions into her own hair, too scared to wear wigs after Eddie told her about the statistics of fleas in rented pieces.

I should've bought the fancy gel on the top shelf, dammit. His hair didn't want to cooperate, and he was getting ridiculously frustrated, rubbing it back with enough force to get bald at that point. He was just about to break the mirror from irritation when he heard the knock on the front door and quickly rinsed his hands in the sink, rushing to open it. He heard Bev scream 'DOOR!' from her room and he sprinted past it, yanking the metal hold back to reveal the intruder.

A wave of conflicting emotions hit him all at once. One of the first ones was somewhere along the lines of what the actual fuck, followed immediately by a tugging sensation in his chest. He didn't quite know which impression to cling to, so he just decided to stick with overwhelmed. His head felt a little light from the sight before him: a tall man, thick black hair sticking in absolutely every direction and looking like it hasn't been brushed in weeks, eyebrows gone under the very light foundation, a rain of scars plastered all over the face, revealing a smile framed with a dark purple lipstick. A white button-down had infinite rips in it and hung loosely under the black holding straps that were clasped to the waistband of grey dress pants that looked like they were a size too big. The entourage was, of course, complete with the gloves that carried randomized blades on them.

Eddie sighed heavily, unaware of how to react to the oddity in front of him. "Did you knock on the door with one of the blades, dumbass?" He pushed the dark green door further into the apartment to look for scratches.

Richie made a puppy-eyed expression, putting both hands in front of him, making Eddie bend back to make sure that the (fake?) blades don't strike him in the face. "I thought this was shishkabob." He pointed at the door.

Eddie snickered and nodded to the apartment. "Come in, Edward." He closed the door and looked at Richie all over again, taking in the marvelous dork standing in the middle of his living room.

"Eds, you look amazing," said Richie, his expression now belonging to him and not the ridiculous character, a dopey smile on his face.

Eddie felt himself instantly flush. "T-thanks. I can't get the stupid hair to behave though. It's a fucking pain in the ass." He brushed through the hard surface of his brown curls, a couple of his fingers getting stuck on the way.

"Come on, I'll help you out," said Richie and started to walk towards the bathroom. He screamed 'HI, BEVVIE' as he passed Beverly's bedroom door, but she was shielded from view by her large closet and just screamed 'HEY RICHIE RICH' in response.

"Not with those, you won't," said Eddie, pointing towards Richie's gloves covered in blades.

Richie was already standing in front of the sink. "Imma baaarber, haven't ya heard?" He shifted his hands in front of his face sporadically, and they made a terrifying metal sound, and Eddie once again found himself questioning whether they're real.

"You're such a fucking idiot, I swear," said Eddie nudging the other with his hip to take his spot in front of the mirror. He grabbed the mousse from the counter and started warming it up in his hands again.

"You have to let it all go, Neo. Free your mind."

"Is there a pill for whatever condition you have?"

"You take the blue pill - the story ends-"

"Oh Goood, shut the fuck up," said Eddie laughing, letting his fingers run through the hair that resembled something like greasy noodle soup and nothing like the character's hair in the movie. Eddie even got a haircut for this, and it was really starting to irritate him.

"Oh, boy, Eds. C'mere," said Richie, quickly taking the gloves off and putting them on a closed lid of the toilet.

Eddie's arms dropped to both sides, and he sighed in defeat. "Can't get any worse, I guess."

"I'm quite offended with thy lack of belief, ol' chap!" Eddie rolled his eyes to the next dimension from the odd combination of the accent and Richie's costume.

Richie grabbed the aerosol mousse and squeezed some out into his hand, pushing on it with another to spread evenly between the two. Eddie was staring at him with nothing short of awe and fascination, still a little shaken that Richie chose one of his most favorite characters to dress up for Halloween. Wait, does that make me Kim?

Eddie would never say it out loud, not for a million bucks, but he thought Richie did a great job. His hair was already similar to Edward's but he put in some effort to make it match. His undereye had just the right amount of purple on it, and the scars looked so realistic that Eddie wanted to reach out and touch them.

They didn't go in a couple's costume because they weren't... whatever they were. Nothing happened between them ever since the talk, and Eddie was getting more anxious by the day. Neither of them knew how to approach this new territory, terrified of what the change will bring into their already messy lives. Richie was staying in the band for the next run of the show, and they weren't going to see each other every day. They will have separate schedules, and Eddie honestly didn't even know what Richie's plans for the future were but-

"Cutie, you're gonna have to look down at your feet if you want this to work. You're not that short," said Richie staring down at him warmly. Eddie loved his glasses but having nothing covering Richie's dark browns was very nice. Cutie.

Eddie blushed feverishly and put his head down, biting the inside of his cheek to prevent a shy grin spreading across his face. He felt Richie brush the very last strands on the nape of his neck and he knew they were done. He lifted his head and looked in the mirror. Of course, it looks perfect.

"Told ya," said Richie winking and leaning his hand on the counter in front of them.

"Rich." Eddie was so surprised at the warmth in his voice that he almost did a double take.

"Mm?"

"I..." Love you? Be mine? Suck my dick? Do you even want this?

"Eddie-Spaghetti, fess the fuck up," said Richie, stepping closer. As soon as Eddie felt his (minty?) breath on his face, his entire body felt like it was thrown into a campfire. Every single cell of his body was responding to the other's proximity. He felt like the other end of the magnet, struggling to keep steady but inevitably crashing into its respective side. Eddie could distinctly smell a cigarette that he smoked before he knocked on the door, a lingering smell of chocolate milk that he drank before he left his apartment, and the smell that screamed Richie. His favorite. His addiction.

Richie was standing closer now, and Eddie noticed that there was close to no distance between them now, and Eddie's foot was conveniently positioned between Richie's. He was looking all over the other's face, waiting for permission or some courage from himself to make the first move. His ears felt stuffed, and his head was unbearably heavy - that's how crammed the small space of that bathroom felt with the tension between them. Eddie knew that something is bound to happen between them at some point, and it's not like they haven't tried taking it slow - they really, really did. But Eddie's balls were blue from all the movie nights, and occasional brushing of fingers, and Richie's husky voice over the phone. He couldn't take it.

He leaned on his tiptoes, grabbing Richie's hand on the counter and kissed him, instantly trying to part the other's lips. Eddie's leather coat felt too tight, and so did his pants. With so much waiting, even the lack of tongue turned him on. In fact, everything about Richie turned him on. The other's lips finally parted properly and their tongues touched, swirling around each other in a passionate embrace. Richie's mouth was nothing short of familiar, but there is so much they haven't yet done, so much more to look forward to.

Eddie gripped the waistband of Richie's pants, unable to control himself, unable to have any hold on his emotions anymore. I want you, I want you, I want you. Richie was breathing heavily into his mouth, his lips sweet and bitter, soft and firm, and it was driving Eddie insane.

He instantly realized that it was the first time he's kissed Richie Tozier sober. And boy, did he like it so much more. There was no fear of being discovered or rejected anymore, it was just the two of them, lips connected, the complete opposite tastes of their mouths merged into one. Eddie could feel Richie everywhere: the pushing of that large bony hand on his lower back, the fingers that were now pushing against the column of his throat, making it a little hard to breathe, but somehow amplified the tightness in his pants.

Richie suddenly turned them a bit, and they weren't sideways to the counter anymore - Eddie's ass was pressed against the sink, hurting a little but oh so worth it. Because of the change of their position, he could feel Richie's hard-on pressing against his stomach relentlessly, and he wished for the nth time in his life that he was just a bit taller so he could feel them brush against each other. Eddie's hand clutched to one of Richie's biceps, massaging and pushing it in slow encouragement. Don't stop.

Eddie felt his lower abdomen tighten more and more with every minute and he wanted to scream how much he wanted Richie to just hoist him up and drop him on his white cotton sheets. Eddie rolled his tongue mercilessly and moaned, imagining Richie pinning him to his mattress, the sheets so messy from their bodies that they were halfway on the floor. He never wanted anyone more.

He realized with a pang of a thrill so sudden it stopped his lips from moving that they could really do it. Go to his bedroom right that second, lose all of those extra layers and make each other scream relentlessly. Eddie almost gave in to the fantasy, and the temptation was too good to pass up, but Beverly's door was open, they worked hard on their costumes, and he had a wrap party to go to. So he pushed Richie forward gently, unashamed of the half-cry that escaped his mouth from the loss of touch.

"We... um... h-have-"

"T-the party-"

"Right," breathed out Eddie, laughing a little at their collective inability to breathe probably. Shit, we're worse now than we were at 18.

Richie leaned his forehead against Eddie's, and the other felt wetness and stickiness there, feeling the face paint clinging to his own skin. He couldn't find it within his heart to care but made a mental note to patch up Richie's makeup afterward. Both of the other's hands were on either side of a panting Eddie, and they took a beat to compose themselves before speaking again.

"We're not done here, I hope you understand that, Kaspbrak." Richie's voice was still deep and heavy from their little shindig, and Eddie couldn't help but grin, a thrilling excitement shooting through him in anticipation of later.

"I hope you know the implications of that, Tozier. Can't chicken out now," said Eddie with an obvious snark in his voice, smirking at the taller man with a dirty glint in his eyes.

"Mmm. You'll be the death of me." I fucking hope so.

The party was in full swing, and everyone seemed to be having a good time. Everyone except Bev that is. Eddie noticed that something was off with her as soon as she walked out of the room, looking like the most perfect version of Vivian Ward that anyone would have a pleasure of seeing in real life. He told her so. Her hair was a little longer now, but she still had to get herself some clip-in extensions to make up for the difference. Her gorgeous pale freckled skin stood out against the short white and blue dress, completed with thigh high black boots and Richie's large sweatshirt closed around her hips. She was, indeed, a pretty woman, the most gorgeous woman Eddie has ever seen, if he could so much as judge Bev as a work of art.

She didn't want to talk about why she was upset, just said that she had an unpleasant phone call and she wanted to forget about it. Eddie and Richie didn't press, leaving her to mingle with the makeup artist of the show that she took a particular liking to. ...Baby One More Time was blaring through the expensive speakers of the director's penthouse, and Eddie couldn't help but feel ridiculously excited to celebrate the end of this era, and the start of a new chapter for all the amazing people he got to know through that show.

Everyone complimented his and Richie's outfits, shooting them smirky glances. The two walked around the apartment, laughing at the bad art and making fun of the dance moves that one of the retired choreographers were trying to perform. They ended up hanging around the kitchen most of all, thrilled to find some yogurts in the fridge. Neither was a fan of sushi which was the only food served at the event (upon director's attempt at making a pun of them all being kitties) and even danced a little to the most ridiculous pop hits of the 90s, including Shoop (which both were secretly obsessed with). They haven't had one drink. But then Richie ran away to the bathroom, and Eddie was left alone, observing Beverly's form smoking on the large terrace. He decided that she might not mind his company that much after all, and took off to speak to her.

She was leaning on the metal railing, small pots of flowers standing right underneath, getting coated in the silver waves that seemed to cling to that specific spot despite the wind. It was already cold outside, the end of October was usually rather chilly in New York, but Bev was only wearing that tiny dress, with Richie's hoodie loosely hanging off her because of its strikingly large size. Eddie and Beverly were basically the same size, and Beverly wasn't the girliest, so they interchanged clothes frequently. Eddie remembers wearing this same hoodie on Bill's balcony once, thinking about all the wrongs and rights of being a gay teenager in a small town. All that seemed to be infinitely far away now.

"Hey," said Eddie softly, sliding his elbows on the railing with a little distance from Bev. She liked space.

She didn't seem phased by his approach, almost as if she was expecting him. Her smile was small enough that if Eddie wasn't searching all over her face, he might have missed it.

"Ben called again," said Bev, her voice breaking at the man's name.

"Again?"

"Oh. Yeah. He called me drunk a couple of weeks ago. It kept happening. Fuck, I was so stuck in my head that I almost thought I told you," said Bev, putting her head in one of her hands.

"Hey, it's okay. Want to talk about it?" asked Eddie, unsure of what those phone calls really implied.

"He keeps calling drunk. So drunk. I can barely make out the words. He misses me. Fuck, I fall asleep every night picturing his face, you know? I want to say that I'm gay or whatever, but shit, no girl has ever made me feel what I feel to him."

There was a long stretch of silence where she finished her cigarette and lit a new one.

"I forget that I can't be with a man around him. I haven't seen him in so long..." her voice trailed off along with the silver smoke wafting through the air. "Sometimes I feel like since it's been so long, my body won't react. I might... you know. Be able to stand it."

Eddie didn't know what to answer to that, so he just stood there, keeping her company, watching her rosy cheeks pull in and out from inhaling. She never cried but somehow talking about Ben always made her tear up.

"I know this might sound crazy but maybe you could... I don't know, send him the poems you wrote?" asked Eddie cautiously, waiting for her response as if an explosion was about to go off.

She took her time thinking it over, lighting a second cigarette. Eddie kept staring off into the distance, wondering if he had a problem like Bev's, would he have been a little bitch about Richie ghosting him? Probably not.

"I'll think about it, okay?" she asked as if she half-expected Eddie to send them without her permission. He would never do that. Bev was everything he had, like a mother and a sister, a best friend that he couldn't ask for in his wildest dreams.

"Of course," smiled Eddie looking behind his shoulder to see Richie sitting on the metal bench right next to the glass doors. Bev smiled back, and he took it as a cue to let her be.

He stood up right in front of Richie, making the tall man look up, the face paint creasing where a smile small formed. He had similar cracks in the corners of his eyes because when he smiled, the fucker smiled with his whole face. Fuck, I love you so much, it hurts.

"She okay?" asked Richie, reaching out to play with Eddie's fingers.

"She will be. You know her, she's a tough cookie." Eddie smiled earnestly when he felt Richie press a thumb to the inside of his palm. He felt it deep in his stomach too, like a dull match that was ready to erupt again.

"More like a whole cake. Like one of those crumbly ones." Richie's eyes were dark and warm at the same time. It made Eddie's skin itch with desire.

"That would mean she falls apart. Bev doesn't fall apart," said Eddie, trailing his fingers along Richie's hand without looking, feeling the peeking veins, the sharp bone of his thumb. It resonated in his groin, even the smallest of contact. God, I've wanted you for so long, it's killing me.

"Everyone falls apart eventually, Eds. You crash, then you burn, but you recover. Like a phoenix, you know? It's that simple," said Richie as if it was that simple. Maybe there was only one way to find out.

"Take me home," said Eddie so suddenly and with so much confidence as if it almost came from someone standing right behind him, speaking through his body.

Richie seemed to be taken aback by the bluntness, but his pupils widened, the darkness in the gaze amplified by the light foundation and the dark purple circles around it.

"Your wish is my command, Captain Spaghetti," said Richie smirking, a dirty, sinful glint in his eyes. And not even the nicknames were going to stop them now.

#reddie #reddie fic #eddie kaspbrak #richie tozier #beverly marsh #benverly #it 2017 #it stephen king

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snickerl · 7 years

Text

Blutendes Herz V

XF fanfiction

Blutendes Herz (Bleeding Heart) is not really a consecutive story but the chapters build upon one another somehow.

Part I can be read here, part II here. Here you will get to part III, and part IV can be found here.

Author's Note: This installment begins exactly like part IV but features an alternative ending which is supposed to soothe the heartache shippers might have suffered from reading the other one. Closure B takes off at the point where Mark asks Scully what her friendship to Mulder really consists of. You can either re-read the first part or jump right into the flow below the cut.

You're sitting on the couch together with your favorite human being. She's pouring you a third cup of tea.

"Thanks for bringing me my favorite tea, Mulder, but you don't have to find excuses every time you come here. Next time, just give me a call when you're in the area and drop by without any of these stupid pretenses."

You scratch the Mexican blanket, the Casablanca DVD, and the funny little porcelain fox she once bought at a garage sale off your mental list. "I hate coming with empty hands, Scully," you reply, not telling her that deep down you're afraid that just you alone is not enough to make your visit worthwhile. That's why you always bring her something she'd left at the house when she moved out.

Just when you started to relax a little, you hear a distinct knock at the door. Your pulse instantly accelerates because of the foreboding sound, whereas she seems to be a picture of calm. "Sounds like Mark. What does he want? When has it become out of style for a man to give a woman a chance to dress properly and freshen up her makeup before he shows up at her doorstep?" she whines, tying her robe tighter. She combs through her hair and rubs her cheeks. You want to tell her that she looks perfect the way she is, that she doesn't need makeup or perfectly styled hair to be beautiful, but you only give her a short, apologetic shrug and sink deeper into the couch cushions, wondering what excuse he might have to drop by at her place just like that.

"Sorry for coming unannounced, my love, but I missed you so much and a man can only wait so long. Impossibly another whole day."

Alright, no pretenses from his side. He's painfully frank about why he's here and his open infatuation is like a cold fist squeezing your heart.

Before Scully is able to reply something, he licks the words off her tongue with a juicy kiss. He shoves her backward into the living-room, his lips glued to hers, maneuvering her to the couch you're sitting on. He obviously plans to engage her in a veritable makeout session, maybe even more, because he clearly wants to plant her flat out on the comfortable piece of furniture. Unfortunately, your long legs are in the way. You try to pull your feet back, but there's not enough space, so you can't prevent him from stumbling over them.

"What the..." he hisses. It takes him a moment to assess what has just happened, but then his facial features morph from utter surprise into boundless fury in a matter of nanoseconds. "You? What the hell are you doing here?" he bellows at you, clearly not pleased at all to see you.

As there is no real justification for you to be here other than that you, like him, simply wanted to see her, and you doubt he would be amused by this one, all you can come up with is the same excuse you gave her earlier.

"I brought Scully a box of tea she forgot at our house." If this feeble attempt to explain your being here wasn't so damn embarrassing, you might have burst into laughter at how ridiculous you sound. But you don't feel like laughing, and neither does he.

"What? You brought her tea? A year after she left you? Are you kidding me?" His voice has become louder with every word. In the end, he's yelling at you.

"Mark," the receiver of the tea intervenes, "would you calm down, please. There's no need to shout like this."

"Who knows how many times I've seen him here? Four, five? And how often has he been here without me even knowing? Huh, Dana?"

"You're not seriously expecting me to give you an account of who I meet with when you're not around, are you?" Her eyes indicate quite clearly that his boring questions are pissing her off. You've never seen her eyebrows melt into her hairline like this, and you've been at the receiving end of her indignation countless times. You're an expert, actually, on what she looks like when she's mad.

Mark is unwavering tough in his current state of anger. "You're entertaining other men in your pajamas when I'm not here, Dana, and it's supposed to leave me cold? Really?"

Your breath is halted. Of course, he doesn't know that Scully in a robe was so common to you even before you became romantically involved that it really is no big deal. Actually, you haven't really noticed she was in her pajamas when you got here until she said she would go change quickly and you told her not to be silly. You saw each other in hospital gowns, nightwear, undergarments, naked more than any other working duo on the planet, so seeing your former spouse in a pair of flannel PJs underneath a thick white terry cloth robe isn't inappropriate one bit. For you, that is. His attitude varies slightly from yours.

"What are you implying here, Mark?" Scully asks tight-lipped, although it's pretty obvious. Regardless that he is miles off target with his suspicions, you feel a pleasant twitch in your groin. An unexpected, yet very pleasant one.

"He's more to you than just a friend, right?"

There, he speaks it out. His voice is weirdly distorted when he draws imaginable quotation marks into the air pronouncing the word 'friend'.

CLOSURE B - Shippers: Everything's Yar

The innuendo is hovering above you like a heavy rain cloud imminent to empty itself upon you. Scully feels it too, and she decides to let the drops fall and soak you.

"You're right, Mark, Mulder is more to me than a friend."

"I knew it," he hisses through clenched teeth.

"It's not what you think, though."

"Ugh, come on, Dana, don't give me this shit. You simply never stopped loving him, that's it, and I was a welcome stopgap to help you cope with your separation, some stupid jerk who boosted your self-esteem adoring you and putting himself at your feet. What an idiot I've been."

"Wow," she mutters, "this is how you think of me? That I would use you like this? I thought you knew me better."

"Well, do we ever really know a person? Know all their motivations and thoughts, every hidden corner of their soul?"

You'd like to tell him that you do. You know Scully's soul better than your own. You can draw a map of every wound that soul has suffered from. You can tell exactly how high the wall is she's built around herself at any given moment and why it's there in the first place. You're able to follow her lines of thought without her having to utter a single word. If he knew how he's wronging her just now, he would keep his fucking mouth shut.

You can't help but back her up. "Would you take it down a notch, Mark? Why don't you just listen to what she's saying?"

"Don't you tell me what to do!" he bellows at you, angry beads of spit splashing out of his contorted mouth. You can't blame him. You remember how you reacted to the Ed Jerse incident all those years ago, and you hadn't even been a couple back then. Jealousy can do peculiar things to a once self-assured man.

"Mark, please sit down and listen to me," Scully says, "I never used you, neither did I ever lie to you. There are certain things I haven't told you, that's true, things about Mulder and myself, but not to betray you but because they are-"

Mark's hands shoot up to silence her. "Wait, let me say it, Dana," he demands, his voice sharp as a knife, "because they are cla-ssi-fied. What a perfect excuse for everything!"

"Well, they are, I can't help it," she replies steadfastly, "I'm not keeping them from you to hide any secrets you obviously think I have but to spare you the ugliness of what I've seen. Believe me, you don't want to know what Mulder and I dealt with. I understand that it's not easy for you and that I'm demanding a lot, but this is the only way it's going to work between us. If you cannot trust me on this, if you can't give me credit here, I don't see how we are going to continue our relationship."

"That's rich, Dana, really! Now I have to be thankful that you're protecting me from the world's villainy? Great! Like a boy who doesn't get told that his hamster died while he was in school."

She stares at him, bewilderment and disbelief written all over her face. "I can't believe we're having this conversation, Mark. I thought we had an understanding that my work with the FBI was part of my past I wanted to leave behind me."

"Can you at least tell me what you meant when you said he's more to you than a friend? I'm sorry that I'm so pathetically territorial here but I need to know there's nothing going on between you, otherwise I'm going to get crazy."

He seems to have forgotten that you're still here, or he doesn't care. You wished she had let you go a few minutes ago. You feel out of place and not entitled to listen to this conversation but you also know that your being here gives her strength. The two of you have got nothing indecent to hide from him, as much as you'd like there was.

"Please, baby, tell me what's so special about him that you can't let go of him," Mark implores, sounding so pleading and vulnerable all of a sudden, you can't but sincerely pity him.

Scully looks at her boyfriend. You notice compassion for him in her eyes, how seeing him falling apart in front of her touches her deeply. She will tell him, you realize, and your stomach feels as if you've just swallowed a pile of glass shards. You try to shield yourself from what you're going to hear because it will be as painful for you as it will be for her.

After another moment of silence she needs to muster up the strength to articulate the words, you hear her say, "he's the father to my son. Mulder and I have a child together."

Boom! The bomb has exploded.

You feel dizzy as the aftershocks ripple in waves through your body. Mark has turned into a pillar of salt. You're actually not sure he's still breathing. He stares at Scully with eyes wide and his mouth gaping. "I'm sorry, what?" he finally manages to utter.

"His name is William. He's thirteen."

"You have a son?"

"Yes."

After a moment he needs to process the information, Mark jumps up from his chair. The loud bang of the backrest making contact with the floor tears the silence apart that has been thickening the atmosphere in the room up to a point you feel you're suffocating.

"I can't believe this! For the six months we've been together you didn't deem me worthy to let me know this of you? That you are a mother?"

"I'm not a mother. Not anymore."

You feel like throwing up. You inhale deeply to fight the nausea. What you want to prevent from happening under all circumstances is that they turn their attention to you because you're emptying the contents of your stomach into the kitchen sink. This is not about you, although you play an important role in this. This is about Scully and Mark.

"What do you mean not anymore? Is he dead?"

Scully gasps. Tears flood her eyes and you see how hard she struggles not to lose her composure and break out in crying. You have to help her out.

"We don't know for sure, but we can assume that he is alive," you tell him, and to her you say, "we have every reason to believe he's safe and happy, Scully."

That's all you're going to say. What's more to explain needs to come from her. Mark won't understand anything with the cryptic way the two of you have been beating around the bush so far. How can he?

As if on cue he croaks, "what's that supposed to mean?"

"I gave him up for adoption a few weeks before he turned one. I insisted on a closed adoption, so we have no information whatsoever about him." Her voice is calm and firm. She has once again managed to detach herself from the painful emotions, talking as if she was giving facts on a case.

"You gave your child up for adoption? I can't quite believe this, Dana. It doesn't sound the least like you. You're far too caring and giving for me to be able to picture this. You love kids. You work up to exhaustion to cure the children in your hospital, and I've seen you together with your nephews and niece and together with my kids. I can't imagine a reason why you should be giving away your own son."

You hate to admit it, but he impresses you. He's not judgemental or self-righteous, he's not blaming or condemning her like so many other people who have learned this about her, including her own brother. He is quite the contrary. "What happened, sweetheart?" he asks in a gentle voice full of empathy and reaches out to her but she pulls her hands away. 'Come on, Scully,' you want to call out to her, 'let your guard down. Open up to him.' But her eyes are glued to her entwined fingers, the knuckles white from kneading them fiercely. She bites her lower lip so hard you're afraid she'll draw blood. The tension wafting off of her is palpable, the inner turmoil readable.

She looks at you, questioning you what to do in the wordless communication you have perfected between you over the years. You give a nod that has to be almost invisible to Mark but is to Scully as if you were gesticulating wildly with both arms. She gets it. She clears her throat, wiping her palms on her thighs in what is an irrational replacement activity. You know that her hands get cold when she's tensed-up, not sweaty. You want to take them in yours, warm them up with your body heat because you actually are on fire, but you're aware that this is her battle to fight. You've talked to your therapist more than once about William, you're not sure she's ever talked to anyone about him, really talked about him. So you catch your breath with relief when she starts to speak.

"I longed for this child. I wanted to be a mother so badly, I had even tried IVF at a time I was single."

"IVF? With a sperm donation?" Mark asks.

"Uhm, yes," she answers shyly. You can see how hard she tries not to look at you. She most certainly doesn't want to give him a clue about the donor's identity.

"But it didn't take it," he concludes correctly.

"No. No, it didn't. I was told I couldn't conceive naturally, so this had been my only chance. A very slim chance, but I was so hopeful and therefore devastated when it failed and I had to accept that I was never going to have a child. About two years later, something that can only be called a miracle happened and I became pregnant the...uhm...the old-fashioned way."

Now she does look at you and Mark takes his eyes off of her to look at you too. He arches an eyebrow, you literally see the movie running in front of his mind's eye and you do everything you can to keep the sweet smile off your face that is tugging at the corners of your mouth. What a magical night that was!

Mark refocuses on Scully. "You call it a miracle, so I take it you were happy when you found out you were pregnant."

"Indescribably. The pregnancy and childbirth weren't without complications, though."

You almost laugh at the ridiculous understatement. A presumably dead father, the everpresent fear that her pregnancy was engineered, that her baby wasn't normal, plus a childbirth witnessed by supersoldiers were actually poisonous to the experience, not *complicating* it. She was finally in a state she had yearned for so long and then she wasn't allowed to enjoy it like any expectant mother should. The injustice of it all still makes you curse everything and everyone: fate, God...the Cigarette Smoking Man and his cronies.

"But when William was finally born and I was holding my healthy baby in my arms, I was so happy. I thought that a wonderful life was waiting for me together with my beautiful son and his father."

So did you. The kiss you shared with her in her apartment was so promising. You finally had the feeling you had found your home, somewhere you could settle down and someone you belonged to. Your bliss lasted exactly for 48 hours - the most wonderful 48 hours of your entire life - before you had to leave the woman you had eventually allowed yourself to love and the baby boy who had taken possession of your heart the moment you first held him in your arms.

"How naïve I was. How stupid," Scully whispers more to herself than Mark, completely sunken in her painful memories.

"Where the hell were you, Mulder?" Mark obviously has problems making sense of what he's been hearing so far.

"I, uh-" you start without even knowing what to say when Scully leapfrogs you. "Mulder's life was at stake. He had to go into hiding."

"I see. He saved his sorry ass and left you and the baby alone."

"I told him to get himself out of harm's way."

"Of course you're defending him but seriously, what kind of man leaves a woman who's just given birth all to herself with a newborn?"

You can't but agree. What kind of man did that to her?

"Our lives would've also been threatened if he had stayed."

"Sure, he did you a favor heaving all the responsibility onto you." Sarcasm is dripping off of every word.

"You weren't there, Mark. Don't judge Mulder for what he did if you don't have any idea what it was like back then."

You can't stand her speaking on behalf of you. You don't deserve it. "He's right, Scully. I shouldn't have left. My place was at your side. Yours and William's."

"Don't be ridiculous, Mulder! You know that had you stayed, they would've gotten you. What would've been the purpose of you staying?"

"The purpose, Scully? The purpose would've been not to walk away from the only two people in the world that were important to me."

You gaze at each other, both briefly oblivious of the third person in the room until said person coughs uncomfortably and brings you back into the here and now. You both turn your heads and look away from each other, startled by the unexpected intensity of the moment.

Scully clears her throat. "Well, Mulder, dead you wouldn't have been of any help either."

No, of course not, but you would've had more than just two days with your family. You would've gotten to know your son better than what was possible in only 48 hours. How many more time would you have had before they shot a bullet through your head? A week? A month? A year? You might have been able to see William sit upright, eat his first solid food, crawl or babble his first words. Mommy, most probably, and maybe even daddy. You could've watched Scully as a mother. You were struck by the radiance of her smile when she was nursing him, you would've loved to see more of her parental bliss. Every single day more with your son and his mother would've been worth your inevitable violent decease.

But you chose to listen to Scully and Skinner in their efforts to convince you to go underground, They told you it would be better for the three of you. When you were lying all alone in a bed in some shaggy motel room in the middle of nowhere, thinking of Scully and William until your heart bled, you weren't so sure anymore that it had been the right decision. When you finally reunited with her in a dark, cold prison cell months later, a broken woman was kneeling in front of you, begging you for forgiveness although you had no right to blame her for anything.

"Honestly, Dana," Mark and his full voice pull you out of your painful reminiscences, "I can imagine that as FBI agents you had to deal with the scum of society and that you put your life on the line every once in a while, but that agents have to go underground to protect themselves and their families from getting killed is new to me. Is that a regular professional hazard you accept when you sign your contract?"

"We were Special Agents. We worked for a unit called the X-Files. Our cases were very much out of the ordinary," she explains without really revealing what kind of individuals you were dealing with. Some hadn't even been human.

"And because of an extraordinary case, Mulder had to hide?" Mark tries to understand.

"We had messed up with some very powerful forces during the course of our work. Almighty forces. Forces that moved people around like pawns on a chess board."

"Such as?"

Scully avoids Mark's eyes. Failing an answer, she hangs her head, presses her lips together and simply shrugs. He knows what to make of her reaction. "Classified," he notes dryly and gets an affirmative nod. "Okay, so you sent Mulder away two days after your son was born. He wasn't there to help you with the baby. I got this. But that can't possibly the reason why you gave...uh, what was his name again?"

"William," the two of you croak in unison and Scully heaves a sad sigh.

"Look, Mark," you rise to speak, "this is all quite painful for Scully. For the both of us. Allow me to cut this a little short. Not only Scully and I were pawns, but so was William. Due to the nature of our work the circumstances are-"

Mark raises a hand to stop you. "Ah, Mulder, let me say it once again: classified." He lets the word roll off of his tongue with relish, as if it were a sip of well-aged single malt, only that he isn't enjoying the taste.

"Right, but let me tell you this much: Scully acted out of pure love for her son. With giving him up, she took him out of the game. You have to understand, on their chess board he wasn't a simple pawn like us, he was the king, the most valuable token they had. Only far away from us in an adoptive family was he able to lead a normal life, a life out of reach of the forces that meant us harm. Scully made the biggest of sacrifices for a mother to make."

"It was our sacrifice as parents. I'm so sorry that I couldn't protect him, Mulder," you hear her whisper. While your look rests on Scully's slouched figure, out of the corner of your eye you notice how her boyfriend picks up the chair he's knocked over earlier and slumps down on it.

Her guilt pangs make you feel awful. All these years, you haven't managed to dissipate her worries that you held her accountable for the loss of William. "Don't you dare apologize to me, Scully. None of this is your fault. All this shit you've been through centers around me, I'm the one to blame here."

"Mulder, you know I chose this life at your side many years ago and never regretted it."

"That doesn't keep me from believing that you would've been better off without me. You deserved far more than what you've got."

"Nonsense. How often do I have to tell you that I would do it all over again?"

You have nothing to say to this. She's told you this many times, that she never regretted having chosen this life although it cost her so much, and as much as you wished for her to have this other, carefree life full of joy and light, you thank the gods above that against all odds she'd chosen to be with you, you selfish sonofabitch.

"Wow."

The man who's set this conversation in motion earlier in a pang of jealousy brings himself back into focus. You have almost forgotten he's still there, listening to what Scully and you had to say to each other. Poor guy, this can't be something you want your girlfriend and her ex to be talking about while you're in the room. Actually, this can't be something you want your girlfriend and her ex to be talking about at all.

"Your relationship really is one of a kind." Mark is shaken by a bitter chuckle. "Listen to you! You're so fucking tender with each other it makes me question my position in this threesome."

You can't believe the word he's chosen. "Threesome?" you make sure you heard him right.

"Yes, threesome." He pauses for a moment until he stares hostilely right at you. "Let me ask you this, Mulder...has it bothered you even for a second that there was someone else when you decided to sneak back into her life? Huh? I mean, honestly, haven't you heard that trying to steal a guy's girlfriend behind his back is no way to behave among men?"

"Mark, please! Would you stop being so possessive!" Scully implores. "I don't like it. Plus, there's no need for you to make such a scene."

"You keep saying that, Dana. You allayed my suspicions more than once, assuring me of your affection for me and that he and you are just friends," he snarls.

"We are just friends," she shouts back at him.

He chuckles again. It's a mocking, sore chuckle. "You really believe what you're saying? What I've just seen here weren't two friends but two people showing me so much syrupy devotion to one another, it makes me gag."

His harsh words bring tears to her eyes, and you hate him for it. He doesn't understand anything, or maybe, actually, he understands it all.

"It's so damn obvious that I'm the fifth wheel here, I think I better go."

He jumps off the chair which threatens to tip over once again. He grabs his jacket and strides toward the door, but Scully blocks his way. "No, please, don't go!"

"Why? Why do you want me to stay?"

"Because...because I really enjoy being with you."

"You know what, Dana? This I actually do believe. You enjoy being with me. You like me. Maybe even a lot. But not even once did I hear from you that you loved me. I don't blame you, don't get me wrong. I know that in a relationship, there's always one party more deeply in love than the other and I guess in our relationship that party is supposed to be me. It's not a very pleasant position to be in, I have to tell you. I've been there already with my marriage to Jessica, and I'm not going there again. I'm sorry. I'm really madly in love with you, Dana, but if you can't love me back the way I love you, and I've just been shown that you can't, I have to get the hell out of here to save my neck."

"What is it you're saying, Mark?" she whispers in a trembling voice although she knows. You do too.

Mark cups Scully's face, tilting it up to make her look at him. His voice is gentle now, his features calm and peaceful. "I'm saying..." He sighs, clenches his jaw so hard you see his muscles throb, inhales deeply through his nose, then continues in an even softer voice, "I'm saying that you are a stunning woman. You're breathtakingly beautiful, you're sensitive, warm, giving. You were a wonderful mother, of that I'm sure. I fell for you the moment you stepped into my office. The man who gets to be loved by you is one lucky guy. Unfortunately, I'm not that man. I wished I was, but I'm not and never will be. Someone else in this room is. I've been enjoying my time with you, Dana, a lot, but I have to protect my heart from being broken, and it will be broken if I stay."

"Mark," Scully starts feebly but is silenced by his lips on hers. It's a chaste kiss, their mouths lingering on each other in a tender touch.

"Take care, sweet Dana," he says while swiping the remains of the kiss off her lips with his thumb. "And you, asshole," he starts talking to you without taking his eyes off of her, "you better get your shit together and make her happy."

He moves toward the door. His hand is already reaching for the knob when he turns around to look at you both. "Go find this son of yours. Build the family you both so achingly long for. You were both FBI agents, for Christ's sake, you know how to get information about someone, don't you? Classified or not."

He opens the door and walks through it but stops in the hallway once again. Without looking back he says one more thing. "Send me a Christmas card of the three of you." Then he's gone.

Scully is rooted to the ground. She stares after him, frozen, not even blinking an eye. You close the door softly and lean your back against it. You're downright flabbergasted by the ultimate course of events. You really have to give him credit. You'd bow to him if he was still here. That was some kind of a dignified exit off the stage. You're beginning to understand why she'd gotten involved with him. The man has class.

"I'm sorry, Scully," you mumble, "that's not what I came here for, today."

"I don't know what to say," she whispers, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I'm an awful person."

"No, you're not."

"I treated him badly, took advantage of him."

"Did you listen at all? He said you were stunning and that he treasures the time with you. No man praises a woman like that if he feels taken advantage of."

"I should've never gotten involved with him. It was not fair to let him believe that I could ever...after what we had...I mean...argh."

She pushes you aside and takes angry strides back into the living-room. Your heart breaks seeing her in so much despair. All you wanted when you came here was to share her company for a while. You didn't mean to chase her boyfriend away, although, if you're being honest, for your own selfish reasons, you're glad he's gone.

Some of what he'd said to her is still ringing in your ear.

"Is he right, Scully?"

"Right with what?"

"That I...uhm, that the other man in this room was in the lucky position to be loved by you?"

Mark Finlay isn't the first man to make such a remark. Many years ago, Philipp Padgett, the writer who lived next door to you, told you that Scully couldn't fall in love like he'd written in one of his stories because she already was in love. He meant in love with you but you were too slow-witted to be able to put two and two together at the time.

"Mulder, you know that the reason for me to leave you was not that I had fallen out of love with you."

She can't hide that she doesn't really want to talk about it right now, but you have to know so you insist. "That's not what he was trying to say, I guess."

"No, maybe not."

"And?"

She looks at you with her beautiful blue eyes that are now red and puffy from crying. "Mulder, let me process the relationship that has just ended before contemplating another one, okay?"

"Sure."

You clear your throat. You're a bit embarrassed. What did you expect? That she would fall into your arms right away and kiss you as if she only waited for Mark to disappear? She had been serious about this man, she had really wanted to give this relationship a try. You just realize how close you'd been to losing her. If it wasn't for the bond you share through William, the time you'd become estranged from one another during the height of your depression could have been fatal to your relationship. The son who left your life as an infant keeps holding the two of you together, how ironic is that?

Scully is standing at the window with her back turned to you, her body posture rigid. She's folded her arms around herself and you see her shoulders rise and fall with every breath she takes. She's upset and confused. You'd like to envelop her in a comforting embrace, stroke her back while she buries her face in your chest and place a kiss into her hair - strictly platonic, without any ulterior motives - but you're not sure it'd be much appreciated. Scully hates to be vulnerable. You can count on the fingers of one hand how often she allowed you to see her in a moment of weakness, the moment she told you that she'd given up William being one of them.

"Scully?" you break the deafening silence.

"Hmm?"

"Do you think he's right about...this, uh, other thing?"

You hold your breath.

"What other thing?"

Her eyes are still locked on something outside.

"William. That we should track him down."

You think you're able to see how the last bit of strength leaves her body. For a moment, you fear she's going to collapse like a marionette whose strings have been cut off, but then she recomposes herself. She straightens her shoulders and her voice is quiet but firm when she starts to speak.

"I sometimes imagine what he looks like. I picture him tall and lanky as you, with brown, thick hair. He hadn't grown enough of it when I handed him over to the social worker to be able to tell what color it would eventually be. His eyes had my color, but most babies are born with blue eyes, especially fair-skinned ones like him. They have very little melanin in their eyes, the pigment that gives color to the eyes, skin, and hair. The eyes sometimes don't produce much melanin, if any, while the baby is in the womb. After birth, light stimulates the production of it, which is why the eye color may darken or change over time. His eyes were still blue when I last looked into them, so maybe they still are."

You haven't seen Science Scully for a while, but there she is, rational and detached as ever, letting facts capture the space where emotions are too painful.

"I wonder what he's like as a schoolboy. Does he like science like I do or is he more gifted in the fine arts and attends a theater or writing class? If he has inherited your height, which I hope he has, he plays basketball probably or he is a good swimmer, maybe, like you. I bet he loves pizza like all teenagers his age, and computer games. Maybe he has a dog. It's nice for kids to grow up with a dog. I've always been a dog person. If he was living with us, we would have a dog, for sure. An Irish Terrier maybe, or a Jack Russell. Those are funny."

She's in another world, a dream world, where she keeps William around. You ask yourself whether this really is a healthy way to cope with the loss. You're not sure and you make a mental note to ask your therapist. You see the same broken woman you saw all those years ago in your prison cell, bereft of everything good in her life, and you realize you're the only person who's able to keep the fragments of her together, which is why Mark never stood a real chance against you. Only you have the ability to glue the pieces of her shattered existence together and make her a whole person. It's your advantage over all men that think they could hit on her, but it's also an obligation. You've seen what happens to her when you're not fulfilling your duty. She gets lost and disoriented with all the choices she'd made being proven wrong after all. You are her lifeline, the x-axis to the y-axis in her coordinate system. It's your damn responsibility to be the man she needs you to be after all the sadness you've brought into her life.

You approach her cautiously, for she's so buried in her contemplations that you're afraid to startle her. 'Take her by the hand and guide her,' you hear your inner voice tell you, so that's what you do. Your fingertips graze the back of her hand which is now dangling lifelessly at the end of an equally lifeless arm, which belongs to a lifeless woman. She doesn't react, is not taking the hand you're offering her. Her walls are up, you realize. Two rows of solid bricks, erected to shut everyone out, to retreat and deal with the pain all by herself. But you won't let her. Not this time. The two of you made that mistake once, each dealing alone with the loss of William, you won't let it happen again. This time, you're going to hold on to her and you're going to help her heal.

"I'm here, Scully," you whisper into her ear.

EPILOGUE

"Mr. Finlay, there's a private letter for you in the mail today. It's on your desk," the agency's intern who is responsible for distributing the incoming mail tells him.

"Thank you, Chad," Mark replies, but the boy is already gone.

He puts his briefcase on his desk and switches the desk lamp on. It's still dark in the morning at this time of year. He pushes the button on his phone to listen to the messages on his voicebox and takes a sip of the coffee he's brought along. He lets himself fall into his chair and sighs. Two more weeks until Christmas, then he will have two weeks off. He will spend Christmas Eve with his ex-wife and the kids this year. He's resolved all his issues with Jessica and they are able to converse on a friendly basis again, which is good for their two children, Benjamin, 12, and Louise, 15. He leans back in his chair and contemplates his agenda for the day when his eyes fall on the envelope on his desk with the note 'confidential'.

He reaches out and takes it in his hand. The paper is thick and there's a commemorative stamp with a Christmas ball on it. Season greetings, obviously. How many has he already received of these? All his clients, and he's got lots of them, send him season greetings, and the house owners, who want him to find tenants for their properties. This particular letter is also from a client, a very special one. He recognizes her handwriting instantly and has to smile.

He doesn't want to rip the envelope, so he opens the top drawer of his desk and takes a letter opener out. He positions the point at one corner and slides the sharp blade through the paper. He puts the opener back into the drawer and closes it slowly. He takes another sip of coffee before he pulls the card out.

The front only says Season Greetings, but when he unfolds it, he looks at some familiar faces. Two out of three are familiar at least, the third person is unknown to him but is so much a combination of the other two that he has to laugh. It's a teenage boy with the same thick dark hair as his father and the blue eyes of his mother.

He takes a closer look at the woman's face and is taken aback by the sheer elation etched on her face. Her eyes are sparkling and her toothy grin almost reaches her ears. He's never seen her that happy, which hurts him a little because he'd always thought that she had been happy with him also. Maybe she was, but not as happy as she could be, as happy as she is with this other man. Below the picture, he finds a personal note from her.

Mark, hope you are well. Thanks for everything. Dana.

His eyes fall on the man. With his long arms put around the other two, he looks like a proud family man determined to do everything in his power to care for and to protect his loved ones. "Well done, asshole," Mark mumbles, "looks like you've really gotten your shit together."

He takes his iPhone out, opens the messenger app and touches the profile picture of one of his favorite contacts. Hey Jess, he types, looking forward to spending Xmas with you and the kids this year. XOXO, Mark. He hesitates for a moment, then presses send. He watches for the indication that the message is being delivered and smiles when the little blue check tells him that's it's been received. The green dot next to his ex-wife's name indicates that she's online right now.

A few seconds later, her reply gets in. Me too, and a smiling emoji.

END

#xf fanfiction #msr #i love happy endings #dana scully #fox mulder #mark finlay #enjoy sailing shippers

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