#also look at anthonys face my bb

[hopepaigeturner]

An Offer from an Avid Reader: Benedict S4: From chillin' to conflictin'

I've finally done it. This is my main ideas for Benedict;s character arc this season. A summary of previous points, then an episode by episode look at how this arc plays out...alongside some BB GIFS ofcourse...

Shall we go?

Summary of my previous points:

Benedict Bridgerton is an emotionally astute caretaker for his family. This could stem from Benedict having to step up as emotional support for his siblings after his father’s death. Consequently, Benedict prioritises others before himself, and has not had the space to work out who he is outside of his family. (full post here)

Benedict enjoys and is not intimidated by strong-willed woman, whether in conversation or in his bed.

Benedict’s previous relationships show that he does not tie ones worth to their class, but treats women as equals. (full post here)

However, while Benedict has all these wonderful personality traits, he has one slightly problematic one—his passivity. He does not actively seek out new things, they happen to him, whether that be relationships or new ideas—like the idea of lavender marriages in S1. In the words of Daphne Bridgerton during Pall Mall...

Benedict is a solid shot but avoids conflict.

(Above GIF a perfect example)

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While Benedict makes plenty of jokes at his siblings’ expense, they are never cruel and always accompanied by a jovial tone.

Even his constant jokes through a stressful situation, (like his moo at the Danbury Ball in S2) reflect how Benedict wishes to set everyone at ease.

Benedict enjoys women speaking their mind, like Eloise or Kate, but only supports and listens—not necessarily encouraging them.

And Benedict does challenge Anthony, but ultimately Anthony steam-rolls Benedict who then relents.

The fencing scene, the poetry scene—especially this scene. Benedict literally lets Anthony take his poem for his own purposes after explicitly telling Anthony that poetry is not deceitful.

As seen through the art academy arc in S2, Benedict is nervous and constantly seeking the approval of others. AKA he is trying to appease expectations rather than challenge them.

So…Benedict is a solid shot but avoids conflict, therefore he must overcome this to gain his happy ending.  We have been shown that he has the interest and the capacity, he just needs the catalyst.

Enter Sophie Beckett, stage Left.

Asking Sophie to become his mistress is easy—he does not even need to let anyone know she is his mistress, not the ton nor his family. Marrying Sophie would be in direct conflict with his family and the ton.

There a couple of other mini-arcs that Benedict ill need to go on, but all that link with this main one.

Drinking to painting. I think we can all see thar the writers seem to be using alcohol to sho Benedict's deterioration—a coping mechanism. In season 4, ith the arrival of Spohie we need to see this behaviour gradually cease (correlated with his love for Sophie), and his art replacing it as a coping mechanism. (see my little delineation of scenes below).

We also have a secondary storyline concerning Benedict—not necessarily a character arc. AKA his family becoming aware of his emotional support role.

His friendship with Will Mondrich.

I want these guys to be besties. You can see more ideas here.

Now, I am going to go sequentially through the series to show the broad trajectory of Benedict’s arc. Below each episode will also be a list of key scenes that are primarily about Benedict and not necc. overlapping with other storylines. (the episode titles are jokes apart from ep6).

Episode 1:

First scene: Masquerade ball from Benophie's perspective.

Second scene: Benedict waking up in a bed from that dream, alone and murmuring “I do not belong here.”

Here we see Benedict lost. Maybe he is waking up after a party, maybe he is just in his bachelor lodgings, but we see a lack of co-ordination, a lack of care in his motions. We see Benedict throughout the episode putting on a face for his family, insisting he’s ‘fine’ and that ‘second sons don’t have problems’ when the viewer sees how much he yearns for family and love. (Inc. a scene with cute domestic Kanthony family).

Violet Bridgerton, bless her heart, is trying the only way she knows how—match-making. It gets to the point that Benedict feels suffocated and decides to take a break from the city and go back to the country at the first opportunity—Cavendar’s party.

Once more we see that hedonism is not fulfilling Benedict and as in the book he wishes to leave and stumbles into Sophie et co. (See written scene here.).

Then we have him on the road home with Sophie. And after laughing (in relief) at escaping Cavendar, Sophie breaks down into tears—a miutre of frustration, relief and terror at that night and the last two years of her life. Benedict pauses—propriety dictates that she shouldn’t embrace her, but his heart says he should. He breaks propriety and embraces her—a little glimpse of what is to come.

Episode 2: My, my, my Cottage…

Read up on my posts about My cottage for more details about specifics. Jus picture Benedict looking at Sophie like above... (Part 1, 2, 3)

Essentially Sophie and Benedict acting unselfconsciously around each other. Benedict finally being able to be himself and not Bridgerton no.2.

Episode 3: The Bridgerton Logic is present—back in London.

We have the lake scene (written here), which leaves Benedict frustrated and confused. At this point, (using the ever-reliable Bridgerton logic) he doesn’t know whether this thing with Sophie is more than a mistress…but ofcourse there is the Lady in Silver. He goes to Grandma Alexandra to talk, and she gives him wise words of wisdom.

Flashback during this: Viewer understands that Benedict never fights/gets into conflict because he spent his time ensuring the peace within family post-Edmund’s death. This scene includes how Grandma Alexandra was the only one who saw his turmoil and helped him cope through art. (This shows that Art—not alcohol—should be his coping mechanism. It reinforces that art is intrinsically part of him—not just a talent).

After this, instead of asking Sophie to be his mistress, he persuades her to return to London and Aubrey Hall—if he can’t have her then he will atleast keep her safe.  Travel back to London where Benedict tries to ease an anxiety-ridden Sophie but everything is wrong, slightly off-kilter with the couple leaving him frustrated.

Primary Scenes:

Scene: Lake.

Scene: Grandma Alexandra tete-a-tete->establish their obvious closeness

Scene: Flashback into Benedict’s role post-Edmund’s death.

Carriage scene: Benophie on their way back to London, tries to comfort a ‘panicky’/anxious ridden Sophie. (inc. “plotting your demise” dialogue). Drops off Sophie at Madame Delacroix’s for the night—which does not help his case. Introduces him to his mother etc. (as in book).

Episode 4: Toeing the line.

Benedict shifts from previous wooing experiences, to start solely caring about Sophie’s wellbeing. And he does numerous things to aid this.

Family sees a shift in Benedict’s mental health—he is not drinking that much (if at all), he is back to joking/teasing and smiling more easily. Most attribute this to country air. Well, almost everyone—mothers are far more perceptive after all.

 (Concurrently we have Sophie being isolated by maids, insights into Sophie’s backstory and Sophie& Eloise relationship)

Primary Scenes:

Scene: 1st tea with Bridgertons-> heavy Sophie flirting.

 Scene: Lounging on servant’s stairs scene-> Sophie gives him a wakeup call

Scene: Asking Mrs Wilson about how Sophie is doing.

Scene: Poetry competition…continues.

Episode 5: Pushed over the line.

First half sees Benedict taking care of Sophie in little moments and in a scene where we see him wishing to ease her emotional burden. We also have little visual clues that he is painting again—although no one realises.

Second half is Grandma Alexandra’s death, which pushes Benedict back into his role as emotional support, forced to shun his own grief to support his siblings. (More on that in Grandma Alexandra’s post). But this time, Sophie helps him—in two key scenes. At My Cottage we had Benedict caring for Sophie (physically and emotionally) when she became injured. Now it is the reverse; Sophie shares his burden, allows him to grieve and comforts him. And after the second scene of Sophie aiding Benedict, as he watches her walk away he whispers.

“I love you.”

This is Benedict’s turning point. Benedict has shifted from wishing/delighting in Sophie to yearning for her. He understands he loves her, and he now knows that he wants and needs her in his life.

Furthermore, this episode highlights to Violet and Anthony about the toils Benedict has truly been under, something that continues in episode 6 (and in another post).

Primary Scenes:

Montage (of all different storylines)-> various little moments of poetry exchange.

Scene: Rewritten Garden scene-> becomes the ‘swing scene’ with Benedict supporting Sophie rather than riling her up. Inc. “your secrets are eating you alive”

Scene: Benedict being the emotional support animal of the Bridgertons to the MA, while squashing his own feelings.

Scene: Sophie comforting Benedict, allowing him to grieve: inc. ‘you have the soul of an artist’ & potentially the ‘you’re different from your family’ speech.

Scene: Lovingly watching Sophie tell stories to his sisters-> filling a role he usually did back when Edmund died. His secret love declaration.

Episode 6: An Offer From A Gentleman (Official title)

This is the height of Benedict’s internal conflict. This is where we get yearning looks, frustration, the jealousy etc.

And this is where various scenes, and various encounters inspire/encourage him to take that step into conflict—by proposing to marry Sophie after their lovemaking. Not for convenience, not for honour, but because he loves her. (I do have this scene semi written already if people want it).

But ofcourse…it takes two to tango and Sophie still refuses due to a combination of not feeling worthy/deserving of a happily ever after, and not wishing to estrange Benedict from his family (knowing all too well how lucky he is to have such a family).

Benedict is left heartbroken, regressing back into alcohol as Sophie regresses and bottles up her feelings.

Primary scenes:

Scene: Jealousy over Francesca and John that leads to Anthony and Benedict on the swings where yearning hearts are revealed (almost).

Scene: Wise advice from Mary Sharma

Scene: Realisation that Sophie is Lady in Silver (leaves him in shock, not anger)

Scene: Confrontation with Genevieve Delacroix.

Scene: Will and Benedict reach revelations. (scene here)

Scene: Benedict starts to paint… (mini snapshot scene)

Scene: Benedict helping Sophie from Araminta (as in book). Sofa Scene & its fallout. Heartbroken Benedict.

Episode 7: Guns blazing.

Most of Benedict’s arc is over now. The last hurdle is learning that one step into conflict is good, but sometimes you have to continue, you have to push yourself forward. And with a little inspiration from Eloise, he does so.

Benedict is isolating himself from his family. However, we see that instead of drinking he is using art to console himself/coping mechanism. Also, his family is more concerned for they have learnt that Benedict’s typical isolation is not actually a need for refuge but because he is spiralling.

Inspired by Eloise, Benedict decides to write a love letter, something that means he can continue trying to persuade her but respecting her boundaries by giving her the choice to read the letter or not. Unbeknownst to him, Sophie is also writing a letter…a resignation letter.

And then the next day, (after a ball) his sisters + Kate come to visit to check up on him. Eventually they talk about teh ball last night and how they got into a confrontation with Lady Penwood. Due to the Penwood servant scandal published recently, Lady Pewnood had been trying to save face. But the Bridgerton girlies clashed when defending a former maid (Nadia, a maid who went to work for Penwoods but returned to the Bridgertons worse for wear). And in that altercation they mention Sophie.

Benedict's tea cup shatters on the ground.

His sisters get increasingly concerned as Benedict seems unaturally agitated, drilling them about how much they revealed and when Daphne explains that they merely revealed Sophie's name and affiliation with the Bridgertons—she has not finished her sentence before Benedict is hastily making the way to the door, his face pale, barely able to explain himself when his sisters press him.

And now we see Benedict Bridgerton striding into Bridgerton house demanding to know where Sophie is. He does not care that his utter terror, his utter desperation, is conveying how in love he is with Sophie. He does not care about revealing that he proposed to her—he just needs Sophie to be safe. Calm, easy-going Benedict is now crying out at his family in unchecked emotion, (no longer hiding his emotions as before). Benedict Bridgerton is shouting at his sisters, his mother, all for the woman he loves. Even though the viewer is seeing, in tandem, scenes of Sophie’s arrest and imprisonment.

Too little too late?

END EPISODE

Primary Scenes:

Scene: From partying to painting

Scene: Eloise confrontation and discussion (in a studio—not on swings)

Scene: Benedicy's sisters come over for tea and reveal that Araminta knows Sophie's location.

Scene: Benedict Bridgerton unleashing his love and feelings

Episode 8: Benedict Bridgerton don’t give two—

In this episode, Benedict is no longer hiding his affection nor intentions about Sophie, especially while he spends two/three days scouring the city for her.

Of course we see real confrontational Benedict when he gets to the jail—lets have the scene of him punching the warden because he made a comment about Sophie. Let’s have Benedict reuniting with Sophie—oh and standing up to Araminta and professing how deeply in love with her he is.

Then Jail scene. This can stay the same—let’s turn comedy gold into comedy platinum. Posy, Benedict proposing, Violet being a badass with-a-capital-M Mama.

After this we have the rest of the episode being happy Benophie, with Benedict not caring for stupid ton rules or whispers as shown at the final ball of the season. As soon as Araminta legitimises Sophie to the King, he stays by her side, dances with her then makes a formal down-on-one knee proposal on the terrace—a mirror to the one two years previously.

The final scene of the entire season is Benedict waking up in bed, heart hammering, terrified—his hand runs over his wife’s hip, and he looks down on a sleeping Sophie next to him. He smiles, settles and whispers against her curls;

This is where I belong.

Primary Scenes:

Scene: getting aid from Ginny an Anthony-> both of them (closest person to Benedict, closest person to Sophie) coming to see how in love the pair are.

Scene: Punch the man! Or the warden.

Scene: Jail scene, jail scene.

Scene: Return to Bridgerton House and sneaking into the bathroom. Bathroom scene—a proper reunification and romanticising. (Yes they do not get into seggsy times at the bathroom, but I'll get into that in another post).

Scene: Bridgerton family dinner. A scene that establishes how natural Benophie are as well as how in love they are with one another. Also shows how Sophie slips into family.

Scene: Ball legitimising Sophie. Dancing and proposing to Sophie (properly).

Montage scenes: Wrapping up of loose ends for all storylines. Benedict courting Sophie. Sitting close to one another at F&J’s wedding.  

Final scene/epilogue: Wedding & wedding night intimate scene. Final shot.

Summary

So there you have it. Throughout the season Benedict is constantly pushed due to his feelings for Sophie to disrupt not only his own beliefs, his family and the ton. But after all is that not what his heart desires?

“What is it to admire a woman? To look at her and feel inspiration. To delight in her beauty. So much so that all your defenses crumble that you would willingly take on any pain, any burden for her. To honor her being with your deeds and words. That is what the true poet describes.” Benedict Bridgerton S2E2

*~*~*~*

What do you think?

I have written a couple of these scenes (or at least done them in greater detail), message me and I’ll see if I can post/edit them up.

Or check out the list here, for more of my ideas.

Or check out the general arcs of my prospective S4 here.

#an offer from an avid reader #an offer from a gentleman #bridgerton #benedict bridgerton #benophie #s4 speculation #character analysis #getting into conflilct for love? #mhmm that's the good stuff #sorry it took me so long

[fashournalist]

Before October leaves, I just want to look back at how wonderful and eventful my birth month has been, whether it was in my work life, family, friendships, and spiritual life.

Thank You Lord Jesus for authoring these memories, and for the people I spent this month with. I am surrounded with so much love, and just like the song I kept on playing when I turned 21, “I could not ask for more.”

I just turned 29, and it feels like it’s all coming full circle. A part of me is still in 2015, a part of me is forever 21, because of how memorable that year has been, and I can honestly say that it seems 2023 is at par with that year. Just as I had a great start to my twenties, I am ready to close this chapter and make this the best year yet, before I face my thirties.

This was how I spent my 29th October

Oct 12 - I met my Bumble* Friends big sister in person for the first time, ate Ma-an Noriega. We were supposed to watch films at the Spanish Film Festival but we ended up speaking for five hours. It was not enough, but she had to go home for work already. We will meet again this week to watch the Eras together : )

Oct 14-15 - To say this weekend was amazing is an understatement. Spent the night with Anthony Rosaldo United and Anthony himself for the 5th anniversary of the fans club.

Oct 17-present - I started training Jenina, JR, and Sophie and it’s always a fun session with them! Love how they learn fast, just like when Dom and Lor learned fast when Ate Marc and I trained them before.

Oct 20-21 - Advance birthday celebration with Dad at The Theatre at Solaire! It’s a dream come to watch Hamilton in the flesh! Can’t get over That Would Be Enough and Dear Theodosia. Then, spent the night with Karl and Dad at Solaire Casino (only bet 100, we were just there for the unlimited drinks hahaha)

Oct 22 - Happy birthday at work! So happy I spent the day with my AM family. I’m the only AM on Sundays but for today, Kryzl Mendez, Dominic Emanuel Apolona, Lorhenz Lacsa, and Adonijah Trixie Banico rendered RDOT to help with the billable hours, and I enjoyed my special day with them. Spent the day with my favorite teammates at my favorite fastfood, McDo <3 Isay gave me an Eras shirt, and Dominic gave me a powerbank plus letter because I asked for a letter haha.

Oct 23 - My closest friend Karl Jude Emmanuel Ocampo made me feel special in many ways! He took me to Wildflour, bought an entire cake that I can share with the team, and gave me gifts I never imagined I’d be receiving from a friend: a new cell phone, memory card, and the first laminated letter I received in my life. Thank you bb for spoiling me. What did I do to deserve you?

Oct 24 - Our very generous OM, Ronaldo Lacson, gave pizza for the team in celebration of my birthday, plus I got another cake, which I brought home to share with my Dad.

Oct 27 - Belated birthday celebration with Dad at Mama Lou’s - Endless Pasta! We had a collective total of 11 plates.

Oct 28 - Spent quality time with my siblings from Isentia, Angelique Daclan hosted a Halloween 2014 Tumblr theme party. This is my kind of party, intimate and only spent with five fellow introverts hahah, much better than parties with lots of people (although that can be fun, too, as long it’s rare). So happy I saw AJ, Morris Manalaysay, and Laborem Joey Bobiles again. Also met Eli and Ellie, AJ’s friends at her new work. Grateful I have this circle where I can join drinking sessions without the pressure to drink <3

Oct 29 - Went straight to work after the party, and Lorhenz surprised me by treating me at McDo as his birthday gift! After work, I volunteered to man the booth of Parish Renewal Experience at our church.

Today is October 31, and I’m just amazed at how remarkable this October has been. I’m also astonished at how my INFP-T social battery is being pushed to the limit, because I’m that person who needs a month up to a quarter of hibernation (my term for alone time) for every date and social gathering I have (ask my closest friends Karl and Gee Ann Barro – they know HAHA) But ever since I started working onsite again, I’ve been starting to become more flexible with my social life haha. Slowly, I increased my capacity to agree to invites, and initiate them, too, when I have the energy. I just need to maximize my alone time to recharge and be ready to make new memories again with the people I love.

Thank You, Lord, for being the writer of my life story. I surrender to You this new chapter. Thank you for the love you surround me with and the people you put in my life. I pray to give back that love to the world. May I be a better daughter, a better friend, a better colleague, a better person. May I be the person You want me to be. And someday, may I be the right person for the person I’ve been waiting for since 1994, wherever he is right now.

*I tried Bumble because my work friends have been encouraging me to start dating already, since I never tried at my age, but I was not ready yet so I invested time in Bumble BFF instead haha. But, just like I told my teammate AT, now that I’m 29, if ever someone will ask me out, then I’ll give the person a chance. Let’s see how this year will unfold haha!

PS. My mind’s my age, but my heart will always beat like I’m only 7, 15, and 21. As for my soul though, it’s around 150 to 200 years old already haha.

[spdersilk]

oh, i can’t wait to s e e y o u a g a i n

                                                                  it’s only a matter of t i m e

#i miss them :( #idk i saw some pippa soo vids and it reminded me of 2015/2016 and i just had to make this so #also look at anthonys face my bb #hamilton #hamiltonedit #pippa soo #pippasooedit #jasmine cephas jones #jasminecephasjonesedit #anthony ramos #anthonyramosedit #lin manuel miranda #lmm #linmanuelmirandaedit #theatreedit #lmmedit #alexander hamilton #eliza hamilton #peggy schuyler #john laurens #adherent edits #broadwayedit

[wiypt-writes]

Consciousness Of Guilt

Chapter 14

Summary: Andy takes you out on a date as the pair of you celebrate some good news, which is a welcome break amidst all the stress and angst of recent months.

Warnings: Language, adult themes, angst. SMUT (NWSF, 18+)

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar the reader and any other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

W/C: 7.5k

Consciousness Of Guilt Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Chapter 13

The rest of the summer bled into the start of September and the leaves in Colorado began to change. Bold hues of autumn covered the trees and hillsides. The stress of your situation had begun taking its toll on you but Andy never let you live in the grey area for long. The two of you seemed more connected than ever before and he made sure you ended each night with a soft smile and warm heart. Your nightmares continued but weren't nightly, affording you both nights of rest and as the days moved on, he kept nothing from you. No secrets, no going back to the past.

You hadn’t heard further from the Drysdales. Andy was hopeful that now their main witness was dead, they’d back off. But he wasn’t leaving anything to chance; Blanc was, therefore, still digging for leverage just in case. As of yet, the PI hadn’t turned anything up, and Andy assured you that as soon as he knew anything he would let you know. And you trusted him to do so. In fact, things had been so quiet on that front, and with an air of ease that Andy had deemed tonight, this Friday night, to be date night. Work had kept him late a fair amount over the past few weeks, and you had also been buy with a special project Eva had. This meant the two of you were falling into bed tired and over worked. But not tonight. Andy had told Ron he was unavailable from three in the afternoon specifically so he could leave on time. He told you to enjoy a hot bath, get dressed up and be ready for a romantic dinner and night dedicated purely to you. It felt a little strange, to even be considering something so ‘normal’ after what had happened over the last few weeks but Andy was adamant your lives were not to be put on hold because of something that may or may not happen. So you humoured him. You left work on time, pouring yourself a glass of wine and giving yourself time to enjoy a hot bath. After, wrapped in your silk robe, you sorted through your closet for something to wear.

Andy barrelled through the door just as you were putting on your make up. You heard him taking the stairs two at a time, but instead of cursing and looking angry when he appeared in your bedroom at being later than he wanted to be, he was bursting with excitement. “They’re making me partner.” He blurted out before you had chance to ask him what was going on.

“What?!” “That’s why I’m so late.” He ran his hand through his hair, “Ron pulled me into a meeting with him and Anthony Thorn, and they said that it had to go to a final vote with the rest of the board but asked me if I was interested and…” he trailed off, “I can’t quite believe it!” "Oh my God, Andy!" You leapt into his arms. "I'm so proud of you!" Andy's arms wrapped tightly around you as his face was buried into your neck, "I... I've never been a partner." He mumbled against your skin. "And you made it quickly!" You beamed. "Now we definitely have something to celebrate tonight!" “I mean, I know I couldn’t ever have been a partner in the DAs office, not how it works but… fuck, Angel, my names is gonna be on the limited legal partnership.” "I know, BB!" You grinned with exuberance before you pressed your lips to his. “So are they gonna change the company’s name?” “It will still trade overall as King Thorne, but it will be King, Thorne and Barber LLP on the tag line for all the documentation!” “So your name is still gonna be on the logo?!” “Yup.” He popped the P, giving you a goofy grin. “And it means I get a big, fat pay rise. Not that that matters but, I won’t sniff at the extra ten thou on my yearly account.” "Oh Andy," you grinned tearfully. "I'm so, so proud of you." “Is it big headed to say I’m a little proud of myself?” He grinned. “Absolutely not.” “In that case, I'm a little proud of myself!” He licked his lips, before he stepped back and looked you up and down. “And I’m also very late so let me grab a shower and I’ll be ready in ten.” "I'll be dressed when you're done." You winked and helped him undo his tie. “Or we could show up really late instead of just fashionably.” His hands found your hips and you laughed. "We could," you giggled, "but I am kinda hungry." Andy groaned, “me too. I haven’t had a thing since breakfast.” "Same." You shrugged. With a hearty chuckle and peck to your lips, Andy winked, "ten minutes." As he slipped away, you looked at the simple, deep blue dress you plucked from your closet on the bed. Maybe the night called for something special too. You pulled a sweetly romantic nude underwear set from your drawer and slipped the bra and panties on before pulling your dress up over your hips and slipping your arms through the shoulders. Giving yourself a once over in the full body mirror you smiled approvingly as the material sat over your frame. It was soft and flowy, hugging the appropriate areas and added a little body to the draped skirt. The door to your bathroom opened among the steam pouring out and Andy stepped out, his hips covered by a white towel. His skin was damp and flushed from the hot water, his hair messy and waiting to be styled. His tattoos glistened with flecks of water, and that medallion sat perfectly among his built chest. “You look beautiful.” He smiled as he crossed towards you, pressing a kiss to your cheek. “Get off, you’ll ruin my make up!” You jokingly protested as his wet beard rubbed against your skin. "You won't be saying that later," he teased. “It won’t matter later.” You shot back "Five minutes, Angel," he winked, slinking back into the bathroom for access to the closet. You followed, pulling your nude heels from your half of the closet and fingers in the heels, you carried them out of the humid bathroom. In no time, as promised, Andy was dressed in a fresh pair of slacks and a button down hanging loosely over his white tee. "No tie tonight, please," you commented, slipping into your shoes before heading downstairs. “No tie, you got it.” Andy grinned. True to his word, four minutes and ten seconds later, Andy bounded down the stairs and strolled into the living room, tie absent. He moved right to the coat closet by the back door and the garage, only to return with his wool coat and your own. “Thank you.” You smiled as he held it open for you to slip into.  The Uber ride passed almost totally in silence, comfortable, but both of you happily glowing as the news of Andy's promotion settled in over you. The driver took you about twenty minutes away from town and stopped at one of the local, nicer lodges near the base of the mountains. Andy stepped out and opened your door, taking your hand in his. Together, the two of you headed up the stairs and inside, making your way towards the restaurant. The pair of you were offered seats at the bar whilst you perused menus waiting for your table. "You know, technically you are my boss now. So... Does that mean we have to break up?" You joked. “Actually I’m your boss’ boss’ boss.” You flicked your eyebrows and smirked against the rim of your glass. "So, is that a yes or a no?" "That's a hell no," Andy replied swiftly. "You can't get rid of me that easily." You laughed. “But seriously, isn’t it a huge conflict of interest?” "No. Because we were already together before I made partner and, since we have Ron's blessing so to speak, it's a moot point. Besides, Angel, you're stuck with me. No matter what." Andy leaned across the space between you two and gave you a sultry kiss. As he pulled away you bit your lip, a smile crossing your face. “I love you.” "I love you, too." "Mr and Mrs Barber, your table is ready," the host said when he approached you. “Oh, we’re not-“ you began but Andy cut you off. “Thanks.” He smiled as he rose from his seat, offering you his hand. "Mrs Barber...." "Stop it," you hushed him and rolled your eyes. “That bad an idea?” He teased. You stopped for a second, "well..." you stammered, "no." You bit your lip as Andy pulled your chair out for you. “Good to know,” he kissed your cheek as you sat down. He sat across from you, a childlike hint of mischief and humor to his face. It was a beautiful sight to see considering all the frowning and tired eyes the two of you had shared recently. “Don’t worry I’m not gonna whip a ring outta my pocket.” You winked at him, not sure what to say but the idea of Mrs Barber was now inked into your mind as a thought. You sighed and opened your menu, glancing again to make the final decision on your meal as you heard Andy order a bottle of champagne, 'to celebrate' he said. “Celebrate you making partner, right? Not our seeming marriage?” "Yes, Angel, me making partner, and you being one of the best things to ever happen in my life," Andy smiled, extending his hand across the table for yours. You smiled as you placed your hand in his and his thumb gently stroked your knuckles. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened in mine, no contest.” A warm smile spread over his face, "I love you." "I love you too," you replied. "I haven't been this... Happy and fulfilled in a long fahking time," Andy said, his accent appearing. "Hopefully we keep it that way," you shrugged. "I know it's not been ideal lately and I know for a fact we can't always have our best days every day, it's stupid to think that and not to mention selfish. But I look forward to each day as we get it. I never used to. Not when...." "Angel," his tone was a soft warning. “I know, I’m sorry.” "Don't be, we just have to keep going. It's going to be alright." You nodded just as your waiter returned, Andy's hand slipping from yours to cheer your good fortune and the two of you placed your orders for dinner. Mid-way through your meal and down an entire bottle of champagne, you couldn't help yourself and asked Andy, "have you heard from anyone in Boston?" “No.” He shook his head. “I’d have told you if I had, I promise.” "Just curios is all." “When I do you’ll be the first to know, now stahp. No more.” "Okay," you bent your head and eyed your plate, embarrassed to have even asked and maybe lessen the mood a bit. "You up for dessert, Angel?" “I could eat tiramisu.” You smiled.  Andy ordered your desired treat and an after dinner cognac for himself. “Andy?” You placed your spoon down and looked at him. "Hmmm?" “Do you think we could get a bottle of champagne to take home?” A glimmer of something crossed his eyes and he smirked, "absolutely, baby." The bottle ordered to go and the bill paid, the valet hailed your Uber down and as the sedan whisked you and Andy home, his hand held yours once again, the bottled necked in his other fist. Once you were home you kicked off your shoes and Andy set the bottle on the side in the kitchen before he took your coat to hang up again. You padded to the glass cupboard looking for two flutes for the still chilled champagne. You expertly popped the cork and poured two helpings, settling yourself at the breakfast bar area. Your neatly manicured nails tapped on the granite bar as Andy took his flute and again toasted to you, the love of his new life.  "No, no, I'm afraid this is your night, Mr Baber, partner at King, Thorne and Barber LLP." You smirked, with a wink, emphasizing the 'and'. A boyish grin spread across his face as he took a sip and let out a sigh. “You know, before I joined the DAs office, this was all I ever wanted.” “So what made you go into prosecution then?” You asked curiously. “Honestly? Laurie.” He shrugged, “I took the bar exam and then I had a few years where I had a couple of positions in and around firms, gaining experience but I couldn’t quite muscle my way in. It was so competitive. In the end, prosecution was a stable alternative. And with a family to support, I took it.” You nod in understanding. "Life circumstances pushes us to sometimes leave dreams behind for the easier, more convenient road." “What about you? Was it always journalism?” You wrinkled your nose, “I actually wanted to be a writer. But…” your finger traced round the edge of your glass, “kinda like you, didn’t pay the bills or my student loan fees.” "So why PR? Angel, you can do whatever you want, you don't have to work, you've got the front to be stable and publish your own dime." Andy's words came out passionately for you to follow your dream. "Well, because it's not really my money. It's why I work. I used what I wanted to set up my life here and the rest, sits, collecting interest, really only touched if I feel the need. But.... to be honest that money absolutely disgusts me."

Andy took a deep breath, “well use it for something, stick the finger up at the bastard whilst he’s six foot under.” “Well, I was…” you bit your lip, “actually forget it, it doesn’t matter.” "Tell me," he whispered, plucking your glass from your hand and taking both of yours in his. “I thought about giving it away. To a foundation or a trust, for victims of domestic or sexual violence.” "I think that’s a brilliant idea." He supported you, even the glint of pride in his eyes told you so. “Maybe, but then I had an idea about going one further and starting my own place. Like a refuge type thing, where people can go if they need a safe place to stay. There’s not many around, and the ones that there are, often get so crowded or are in shitty areas, and there’s really so few that can take kids as well, you know, if there’s more than just the adult involved.” “So do it.” Andy looked at you, “there’s nothing stopping you.” You shrugged, "I just don't want the questions of why, you know? Why are you doing it? What made you want to do it? Nothing in my background publicly resembles any need to support that.” “Why do you need a reason why, other than the fact you’re a decent human being?” Andy asked. “I just know people would ask questions.” “Well, there’s always cases at work that you could tell people has influenced you.” “And then there's my parents, my sister. They don't know anything remotely close to what you know, Andy. It would crush my dad." "Look at me," Andy ceased your rambling. "When this is all over, we're going to do just that. Wherever you want. Here, Boston... Wherever. We'll do it." You bit your lip and Andy shrugged, “I got enough in my background to answer any questions. My mom turned to one of those places when Billy was arrested. We ended up with nothing. Took her six months before she was on her feet.”

You blinked. “I never knew that.” “Not many people do.” He took a deep breath. "She must have been an incredible woman. Strong, resilient." “She was. You remind me of her, in that respect. Which is why, if you’re serious, I think we should go for it. I got plenty of contacts, and we can partner with the firm too, local authorities…” "One thing at a time, huh," you spoke quietly. "Settle you in as partner, my work load is going to be huge now come Monday. All the changes," you rolled your eyes, smiling a little as you did so. "Then maybe after we finish this fisaco I've put us both in, we talk about it." Andy sighed, as you untangled your right hand from his and took a sip of your champagne, “you haven’t put us in any fiasco. And as for the rest of it, it’ll work out. Stop worrying about what might go wrong and concentrate on what could go right.” "Your faith in me is astounding," you chortle. "I have nothing but..." Andy smiled softly, the bristles of his beard twitching at the corners of his lips. "I want you to have everything you want," then he rolled his eyes a little, "within natural reason." He chuckled softly. "Well, Counselor," you slipped your left hand from his and wrapped both yours around his neck, your nails scratching at his hairline. "I want the same for you, and after tonight's good news, you're right on track. So," you pecked him softly as his hands held your waist, "what's next?" “Do you want a verbal explanation or should I skip straight to the demonstration?” "I'm a visual type of person," you said with a flick of your brows. “That so?” "Mmhmm, tonight, I am." “Well,” Andy leaned forward, one foot resting on the bar of the stool, the other leg stretching out to the side, “how’s this for a visual? First I’m gonna take your dress off, then I’m gonna work you up so badly you’re gonna be begging me not to stop, and then I’m gonna have you crying my name so loudly the neighbours will be knocking on the door asking if you’re okay.” Your chest hitched with the ragged breath you took, "o...okay." Andy frowned a little at your tone and then shook his head. “Or, not… I mean…” “No, I mean yes…I-“ "Tell me, Angel." "I want you to.” “You sure?” Your eyes stared into his, a bit of confidence and flare to them, "yes." Andy seemed to consider you for a moment, before his hands reached up and pried both of yours free from his neck. He rose to his feet, gently tugging you to yours. Two large palms cupped your face as those beautiful blue eyes you loved so much searched your own, seemingly for any shred of doubt you were hiding. When he found none, his lips were on yours, the small of your back hitting the edge of the breakfast bar as he kissed you, pressing you into the granite. Your fingers were at his belt, undoing it with a light clink and pulling his dress shirt from the waist of his slacks. His tongue swiped dominantly, yet carefully against your own, the sweet yet crisp notes of the champagne still present in his mouth, mingling with the taste of him. It was a heady mix, enough to make your head swim with desire and lust and you let out a soft groan of delight as his hands moved to locate the back of your dress. Smirky bastard he was, his lips twitched against yours as he found the zip and pulled it down, loosening your dress while your own fingers searched for his own button and zip to his slacks. “Ah ah,” he shook his head, “I said I was getting you out of your dress. I don’t remember saying anything about losing my pants, Angel.” You whimpered at the authority in his tone and dropped your hands from his flies. His hands reached up and long fingers slid along the neckline of your dress, pushing the sleeves down your arms. He exposed that lace nude bra you'd slipped on while he was in the shower, the blue material of your dress catching at your hips. His eyes lingered on the lace trim around the cups before they looked back at your own, his brow quirked a little. “New?” "Yeah," you nodded quickly. He beamed and you knew why. Thanks to Ransom, buying underwear had become a monumental task for you, constantly still evaluating everything in your head. But this, this purchase and subtle display for your boyfriend was growth at its finest and Andy seemed proud of you to take that step. His lips found yours again as his hands pushed your dress over your hips. Your fingers curled over his shoulders as you stepped out of the blue material, gently toeing it to one side. Those same hands gently curled into your flesh, fingers lightly digging into the back of your waist as he made to lift you gently. Understanding what he wanted, you gave a light jump and he settled you on the bar in front of him. His hands smoothed down the outside of your thighs before he gently parted your knees and stepped into the space between them. You realised in an instant what he had done. He’d given you the height. From your vantage point you were now a few inches above him and it meant that you also had the upper hand if you needed to push him away. He wasn’t caging you in, he wasn’t trying to overwhelm you or overpower you, and fuck, you loved him for it. With a flick of his eyebrow, his mouth pressed to yours again before he stepped back. "Andy... What...." Your question was answered when he dropped to his knees, and you gasped as his teeth nipped at that soft flesh of your inner thigh right where the seam of your panties covered your mound.His nose ran along your covered core, pressing into your clit from there and your hand instinctively went to the top of his head, your fingers rubbing through the soft wax he used to style it. Your nails dug into his scalp, and you automatically tugged on his hair a little without thinking. A low chuckle emerged from his mouth which vibrated against your core and you shivered with delight. Fingers curled around the sides of your panties as Andy pulled the piece of clothing down and away, tossing it to the floor. But instead of setting to you, he stood up and reached for his glass of champagne. You watched him curiously as he tossed the liquid into his mouth, before he knelt back down. And when his mouth covered your entrance you realised exactly what he was up to. The cold bubbles fizzed against your clit, popping, almost burning, and you cried out as Andy’s warm tongue lapped away. You could feel some of the cool liquid gently trickling down the inside of your thighs, all adding to the sensation of it and the pleasure which was coursing through your entire body.

Andy hummed against your slit as you cried out, swallowing the champagne which was still in his mouth, pulling at your sweet clit at the same time. "Oh God," you shook as your head dipped back. Your legs hung over shoulders, heels digging into the space just at the back of his neck as your palms scrabbled for traction on the granite. Eventually you gave in, slipping back to your elbows as Andy’s hands held your thighs open. His mouth was slow, almost torturously so as he brought you to the edge. The bristles of his beard against the soft skin of your inner thigh and wet outer folds meant you were already raw from friction but Jesus, was it glorious. You writhed and moaned, your head completely lost as you surrendered to the pleasure he was giving you, but just as you felt yourself going, he stopped and rose to his feet. “What? Why are you stopping?” You looked at him, your cheeks hot as he placed his palms flat on the counter, either side of your thighs. “Because I’m not done yet.” He remarked simply, leaning over to kiss you. “Asshole.” You grumbled and he chuckled, his hands moving to the clasp of your bra. You sat up fully, your fingers undoing the buttons on his shirt and he pulled back to look at you. “Angel…” “You said I couldn’t take your pants off, you never said anything about your shirt.” His fist curled around the collar of his tee and dress shirt, pulling both garments off and tossing them in a ball to the floor. “Happy?” He quipped as his hand returned to your bra. “Yup.” You smirked as he snapped the clasp open with his finger and thumb. He slipped the straps down, pressing a kiss to each shoulder as he did so, before he stepped back a little. You steeled yourself as his gaze again was on yours, a darkened tinge to his orbs that made you shiver. His right hand stretched for the bottle of champagne but you beat him to it. Your eyes not leaving his you raised it to your lips and took a huge gulp. “Fuck, Angel, you got no idea how fucking sexy that was.” You smirked and quirked a brow. In a movement of sheer brass bravery, suddenly unlocked from deep within, you tipped the bottle up slightly, sending a trickle down the valley between your breasts. “Jesus fucking Christ.” Andy mumbled, before his head dropped. His tongue was warm and flat as he licked a stripe up from your belly button to the hollow of your throat. His beard was wet against your skin, your juices and the champagne coating him and you alike. You giggled, taking another swig from the bottle before Andy snatched it, taking a large gulp himself. Once more, he didn’t swallow, his full mouth instead covering your right nipple. “Holy shit!” You hissed, arching further into him as the fizz hit your sensitive skin, his tongue laving away.

His left hand dug his fingers into the small of your back as his right toyed with your left breast, kneading your flesh and flicking his thumb over your free nipple. As the bubbles faded and Andy swallowed, your nipple was pulled deeper between his lips and as he switched sides, your left now gently pulled between his teeth, you felt your body shift as your legs began to shake and your toes curled. “Andy, I’m… oh fuck, I’m gonna…” His right hand dipped inside you and you were gone, your walls squeezing around the two, thick fingers. A downright filthy noise escaped your mouth as your back arched, trembles shaking your entire body. Andy watched your face which was contorted in pleasure, your jaw slack and he smirked to himself as he leaned forward, teeth nipping at your jaw before he kissed you. "Just like that, Angel," he gruffly coaxed. As you worked through cumming, his two fingers were deep, pulling you further into it, a "come here" curled motion against your G-spot. Your chest heaved as you took in a ragged breath of air, your eyes opening to meet his. Your hands reached out, fingers sliding into his beard, nails scratching his skin and he groaned out loud. "Fuck me, Counselor." Your lips hovered over his, voice husky with desire and you felt him shudder a little. He stood up straight, hastily undoing the buttons of his pants, pushing them down over his hips with his boxers, just enough to allow his rock hard, his cock to spring free against his belly He grabbed your hips, pulling you towards the edge of the counter, one hand wrapping around his cock to line himself up. In he slid, your depths tight and soaked for him. “Fuck, Angel…” he panted as he gave a deep thrust, before pulling back and driving into you again. "Oh, God, yes, Andy," you panted as the clink of his belt jingled with his pants around his thighs. “Fill me up.” An animalistic growl ripped from his throat, and one large hand splayed between your breasts as he pushed you back against the counter, sending the small wooden bowl of keys and random bits of spare change and other shit crashing to the floor of the kitchen. With a sharp tug he pulled you even further towards him, your ass now hanging off the edge of the counter as he powered into you with fast, strong snaps of his hips. He was right, he had you screaming his name. A repetitive mantra as he continued his ruts into you, your palms slapped against the cool of the granite. The champagne flutes were long gone, smashed into god knows how many pieces thanks to your downright filthy escapades, but you didn’t give a fuck. You could feel the heavy throb against your shaking walls, he was holding back until he could make you cum again and the strain in his muscles was tightly coiling your arousal.

"Andy, fuck, I'm..... Oh shit," you cried out as your coil snapped, cumming so hard your hearing dulled and your eyes saw flashes of light glittering across your eyes. His own grunts became louder, until he stilled, your name tearing from his throat as he himself blew. The room fell silent, bar the sound of deep breathing from the pair of you. His lips found yours, the kiss gentle, a total contrast from the avaricious force of the, frankly, mind blowing sex you’d just had. “I hope you didn’t like those glasses.” Andy chuckled, his nose bumping yours. "Don't care," you replied. He laughed, his forehead pressing to yours as you let out a contented sigh. “You okay?” "Definitely," you whispered. Satisfied with your answer, he pulled back a little and smirked. “Well, the rest of the bottle survived.” “You know, it’s not all that late considering.” You shrugged, your arms round his neck. “We could always drink the rest in bed?” “Film?” “Absolutely.” "Okay, let me clean up the glass first, don't move," he told you. "Don't think I could, yet.” You smirked, pecking him. "That was so..." “Yeah, it was.” Andy stepped back and rearranged his pants, tucking himself back in, leaving the button of his flies undone. Then, he bent down and handed you his shirt. You slipped it on as he quickly cleared away the broken glass before he lifted you off the counter. "Where we going?" You giggled as he was reluctant to set you down. “I’m just making sure you don’t cut your feet.” He replied, “I still got my shoes on. You don’t.” “I don’t have anything on bar your shirt.” “Which is my second favourite way to see you.” He gave you a soft kiss as he set you down in the hall. “Go on,” he gave your ass a light tap, “I’ll be up in a moment.” With a bite of your lip in glee, you turned back to him and winked, before heading up to your room. Your skin was sticky from the champagne and sex, so you took a quick shower. When you emerged, Andy was already in your room, stripped down, the bottle of champagne on his night stand along with two none-smashed flutes. As he pulled his pajama bottoms over his legs and went to grab his sleep tee, you stopped him. “Nope. No tee, I wanna snuggle properly.” A deep chuckle moved through his chest and you smirked, taking it from him. You quickly towelled yourself off, slipping his top over your head before you pulled on a clean pair of panties and crawled into bed besides him. He handed you a glass, before he raised his arm and you snuggled up beside him, as he sat, propped up against the headboard. “What you wanna watch?” He asked, remote in his hand, “and don’t say Jurassic Park.” "Buzz kill," you laughed. "I don't care. Your pick.” “Look we both know full well you’ll be asleep before half an hour has passed.” “Will not.” You pouted. With a quirk of his eyebrow, Andy scrolled through the movie list before he chuckled and selected The Hangover. True to form, fifteen minutes in, he had to take the glass from your hand when he saw it slipping as your head dropped further against his chest. With a fond smile, he set it on the night stand by his own, kissed your head and settled you both down, you sleeping soundly against him as he watched the rest of the film. ***** Andy held your hand as the two of you headed back to the Jeep, your ritual Saturday morning hike complete. It had been a little chilly as you’d set off, the bit of fall definitely in the air, but his soul was warm as you’d spent the hour chatting about what to do for your anniversary. The pair of you had definitely decided on Hawaii. The decision now was which island and what to do once you'd gotten there. Andy was quite happy to lay on a sun-lounger, and do absolutely nothing bar eat, drink and fuck you into oblivion but your eyes had lit up when you’d asked about jet skiing and whatever other life- threatening water sports they might have. And the sucker he was, couldn't tell you no. “Jet ski, okay. But I’m drawing the line at parasailing.” He said firmly, unlocking the car. "Fine!" You rolled your eyes with a giggle as you both climbed in. You stayed silent until he had turned the key in the ignition before you spoke again. "Bannana boat?" “Angel!” He groaned exasperatedly, his hand giving your knee a squeeze as he pulled the car out of the space. “Oh come on, it’ll be fun!” A shrill of his phone connected to your Bluetooth made you jump and he let go of your leg for a second to answer it on the wheel. “Hello?” "Andy... Benoit Blanc here." Andy froze as he felt you reach for his hand. He stole a glance at you, giving your fingers a squeeze as he saw your eyes widen and you swallowed, thickly. "Hey, just so you know, Y/N's here with me." "Good, is this a bad time or..." “No, it’s fine. Did you find something?” “I did. A lot more than I was looking for as it happens.” “What do you mean?” “I can’t really explain over the phone,” Blanc drawled, “but it’s errr, well, our good doctor is up to a little more than taking bungs from undesirables. I’ve booked a flight to Denver for the morning. If it suits you, we can meet and go through it then.” Andy looked at you and you gave a little nod. “Sure, I’ll text you the address unless you need me to pick you up?” “No, address is fine. I should be with you around midday.” "See you then." And when the call dropped, Andy turned to you, his eyes softening as his glance caught you paling, your lip quivering. He pulled the Jeep over on the highway back towards home and put it in park, cracking the windows to allow cool, autumn air to fill the cab. "Y/N," he hoped his voice came off calmer than he sounded to himself. He watched as you held a hand up to silence him. "Just... I need a second." Allowing you your moment, Andy concentrated on the traffic as it zipped past you, his mind working ten to the dozen, wondering what else it was that Blanc had found. After a few deep breaths he saw your right hand grip the door handle and pull it towards you, popping the door open. You stepped out and he sighed as it shut. His eyes glanced in the side mirror and then over his shoulder making sure the road was clear before he got out and quickly joined you on the passenger's side. You were standing with your hands above your head, clasped together atop your crown. “Honey?” "Yeah?" You swallowed. “This is good.” "I know. I just....I haven't seen him since..." "Oh, shit, I'm sorry, Angel I didn’t think." Andy sighed, “look, if you want I can meet him elsewhere, alone.” "No," you were quick to silence his thoughts. "I want to see him. I have things I have to say. I want to say." “You do?” That surprised him "I do." You got back in the Jeep and Andy turned on his heel to do the same. When he settled in, you continued. "I lied to him. I told him things that were not true and had I done anything differently maybe.... I... I don't know." “Angel, it wasn’t your fault. “ "Andy, I know. You said I had no choice and more and more I see that, or at least I'm starting to. And after last night, I truly want nothing more than to put this behind me, behind us, because I want to move on with our lives. I want us to go on our trip with clean slates and everything just gone." He sighed as you did. "What do you mean after last night?" "Just... These feelings over something so stupid and small and frankly weird that make me feel safe and secure and like.....me again." “Honey, I’m not following. Why do you mean?” "It's really dumb," you shook your head. “Try me.” "I just, while we were walking this morning, I kept thinking about last night and dinner and after." You shyly dipped your head. "The way I felt when the host called me...” You trailed off and Andy waited patiently, knowing now wasn’t the time to make quips about you being mistaken for his wife. There was something else to all this, something more and he wanted to know. “I just, well, there was this sense of stillness, a feeling like a pure love I had in my heart when he said it, and I never had that before.” You shook your head, “And then when we were together last night, I just got this overwhelming sense of all is right and a hint of a power I hadn't felt within myself in so long.” “And you feel that telling Blanc the truth is, what? Another step towards taking control back fully?” “Yeah, maybe, I’m not sure. I lied to a lot of people, and yes, I get that I had no choice. I can’t tell my parents, but I can tell Blanc. And all I know is that it feels like the right thing to do.” “Okay.” Andy nodded, “I think I understand.” “Glad you do, because I don’t understand it myself.” "When he comes tomorrow, we'll hear what he has to say and go from there. But I keep promising you, no matter what, you're safe. You're with me and you're safe." Andy smiled at you as you nodded. "Now, what do you say we go to Patty's then figure out what our plans for tonight are?" "I could use some pancakes and coffee." “You got it, Angel.” ***** After breakfast at Patty's, Andy drove home and the two of you set about cleaning house, a statement he wasn't about to argue that you felt the need to busy yourself in cleaning for your guest. By mid-afternoon he cornered you for a nap and when he woke, he found himself alone. With a stretch, he rose from the bed and into the bathroom, addressing the fact he needed to pee, before he wandered onto the landing. He took a peek out of the window and spotted the dark sedan parked further up the street. With a roll of his eyes, and a tick in his jaw he headed downstairs following the soft sounds of music accompanied by your voice. His irritation melted away and he sighed contently as his nose picked up the smell of baking cookies. He smirked as his bare feet hit those two creaky steps at the bottom. His lounge pants were slung low on his hips as he scratched at his naked torso, rounding the corner into the living room and seeing you at the counter, in his dress shirt and little else. “Stop perving on me.” You quipped, not turning to look at him and Andy laughed. He stepped up behind you, his lips gently pressing into your neck behind your ear. "I see our dog is back," you said, shying away from his ticklish beard. “What?” his lips followed your neck. "The sedan, down the street. I saw him," you sighed, finally turning in his arms. He hummed in annoyance, "oh, yeah. Well, hopefully after tomorrow we won’t have to put up with him for much longer.” "Hopefully," you sighed, tossing the dish towel aside. "So, hungry?" As if on cue, Andy's stomach garbled and he rubbed his abs. "A little. What shall I make us?" “Nothing, I already made it. There’s a lasagne in the oven, just need to pop the garlic bread in and do the side salad.” "Honey.... Did you even rest?" Andy rolled his eyes. "No, but what matters is you did." You patted his chest. "So, do me a favor and pop that new red you brought home from Ron and I'll finish the salad while the bread bakes." He huffed, a heavy breath leaving his chest as he shuffled over to the little wine bar area he had set up for the both of you. The pair of you shared a liking for a decent bottle with your meals on the weekends and as such, when you’d seen the idea in a magazine, Andy had instantly agreed. It basically consisted of a wine fridge for your whites, roses and fizz, and a hand crafted bottle rack for your reds which you had ordered bespoke from a little boutique in town. Reaching up, he pulled the red you requested from the bottom of the three rows. He then grabbed the opener and two wide bowl glasses from the cabinet and poured your drinks after the bottle breathed for a moment. Andy set the table for you both and pulled the garlic bread from the oven as the lasagne sat to cool and set before serving. He watched as you expertly sliced the tomatoes and cucumbers for the side salad, tossing it together and plating it for you both. “Ranch or french?” You asked, waving two bottles of dressing at him "Honey," he said with a hint of 'duh' to his tone. "Ranch," you smirked. There was something to be said about the way he sat with you at dinner, not a care in the world as you ate lasagne in his shirt and he sat at the dining table shirtless. The two of you drinking wine and laughing, the sense of real domestic bliss between you both. A bliss that was threatened when you dropped lasagne down the front of his shirt. “Well, you need to take that off now, and toss it into the machine.” Andy gave a playful sigh. "Mr Barber you just want me naked at dinner," you laughed, unbuttoning the two buttons you had done. “And?” With a roll of your eyes you left his sight and all he could hear was you in the washroom before coming back to him. He let out a groan as he realised you were now dressed in one of his hoodies and you flashed him a smug grin. "I see your game, Angel," he smirked back. "Finish up, I made cookies." You winked. “And besides, it’s not hygienic to be naked on surfaces we eat from.” “Didn’t bother you last night.” "No, I suppose it didn't." With a chuckle, Andy took the last few bits of his food, making a satisfied noise as he then rose to clear the dishes. He washed up as you left him to sort the laundry and when through, he sat in his spot on the couch after he started a fire and soft music played in the background. He patted his lap as you padded from the hall that opened up into the kitchen, dining room and living room. Calling you to him in a way. Your glasses of wine sat on the coffee table as he sat spread out on the chaise. You snuggled onto his lap, his chest now covered by a navy Henley, and gave a contented sigh as he kissed your head. "I love you," he whispered into your hair. “I love you too.” You replied, curling into him even more as his arms circled round you. And in that moment, Andy Barber was struggling to find another point, certainly in his recent life, where he had ever felt so content. He could only hope it wasn’t the calm before a monumental shit storm.

**** Chapter 15

#consciousness of guilt #andy barber #andy barber x reader #andy barber x you #andy barber fanfiction #defending jacob #chris evans #chris evans characters #reader insert

[eternallyungrateful]

So yall already know how much I love Anthony LaRusso (he's my bb) so I'ma talk about the new picture of him and Daniel

Okay, so it's pretty obvious that they are having a serious conversation, given by Daniel's face and Anthony not having that "Whatever" face. And as you can see on the couch arm there is a yellow "No Mercy" hoodie.

So my guess is that something happened with Cobra Kai and Anthony. Either he has a friend that's in Cobra Kai (maybe that kid he spent the night with on the last episode of season 3) and they let Anthony barrow the hoodie or Krees or Silver (maybe both) had found Anthony and maybe put in his head that he should join Cobra Kai.

And I think that's what they are talking about. Maybe Anthony got cought trying to sneak out or got cought with the hoodie. Either way it HAS TO have something to do between Anthony and Cobra Kai and I am here for it. My bb better get the recognition he deserves 😤

Side not: Anthony looks like a fucking teenager! Isn't he supposed to be 12 now? I mean I get that the actor who plays him is I think 16? But damn! He looks older then Sam 💀

Anyways, in conclusion; I love Anthony and I want to see him more.

Also this is rushed because I'm in the school office and I am trying to hide my phone :)

#cobra kai #cobra kai season 4 #cobra kai s4 #daniel larusso #anthony larusso #Anthony LaRusso is amazing #daniel larusso is okay ig #samantha larusso #mentioned

[newtonsheffield]

I can't wait for the next update in Royals although the angst breaks my heart . In compensation could we see Kate finding out and telling Anthony that she is pregnant with little bb Edmund ( I'm obsessed with this child of theirs)?🥰🥰

Hello!

I hope you enjoyed Today's update! If you've read it! Maybe you haven't, maybe you've given up! Either way is also fine!

I'm afraid I'm unable to compensate you in the manner requested!

Because I'm saving this for the Edwina/Goose spinoff but I will compensate you in an adjacent manner!

"I can't believe how beautiful he is, Kate I love you, so so much."

Kate's heart thundered as she watched her husband staring down at the tiny baby in his arms, cradled close to his face. Anthony let out a gasp as the baby reached for his glasses, he looked back at her, pure joy written all over his face.

"I really really love you. He's amazing, I'm a papa now!"

Tears stung at Kate's eyes, as she rested her chin on his shoulder, staring at their son. "Well, I hope you remember the last time I loved you because you're never touching me again."

Anthony grinned down at her, one of his fingers tapping her nose with a boop. She rolled her eyes.

"That isn't really what I meant."

"It's fine, I'll have all of your topless pictures as a series of visual aids, our great nation's true treasures. I'm sure I'll muddle through." Anthony hummed.

"You're disgusting." Kate scoffed, biting her lip to hold back her smile.

"Hey, you had a baby with me. Don't question your poor judgement now, your majesty. It's too late." The smile on his face was blinding, as though he couldn't believe his own dumb luck.

"Christ do you ever think about the fact that this tiny baby is going to be the king one day?" It had fallen from her lips unbidden, and still Anthony smiled.

"Edmund Thomas Sheffield Sharma, Prince of Genovia. I think it has a very nice ring to it." He looked so very proud, practically overflowing with it, but still Kate worried.

"Does it... bother you?" Anthony's head cocked curiously to the side as though he didn't understand. "That he doesn't have your last name." She clarified.

She'd worried about this for such a long time, she knew it would bother some men. Would bother some men that their wife was the queen while he was stuck organising luncheons for the partners of diplomats. That aspect of his role had never bothered Anthony, he'd stood behind her the entire way, her staunchest supporter, and she'd wondered if this would finally be too far.

Anthony cleared his throat, his voice shaking a little as he spoke, but his eyes serious. "Kate, this is our son. I don't give a damn what his last name is, the fact that we had this child because we love one another is more than enough for me. You and our little family are always enough for me."

Kate cleared her throat, tears slipping down her cheeks. "I really love you too, you know that?"

Anthony grinned, his lips brushing hers, "God, can you imagine if I was actually stupid enough to ruin this?" He half whispered. "I never would have had him, or you."

And despite how sweet it was, Kate couldn't help herself, "Well, you'd definitely had me."

#princess diaries au #royals #kathony #anthony x kate #anthony bridgerton #kate sheffield #kate sharma #edmund bridgerton ii #molly's asks and answers

[ultrahpfan5blog]

Rewatching TDK Trilogy

Easily my favorite superhero trilogy and arguably one of my favorite trilogies of all time. I think in terms of superhero trilogies, Captain America is the one that comes closest because I love all three movies, but they aren’t a trilogy in the normal sense in that Civil War is essentially Avengers 2.5 and neither Civil War nor Winter Soldier can be understood without having watched Avengers and Age of Ultron. But even putting that aside, I adore TDK trilogy and it still ranks as my favorite superhero movies. The trilogy, obviously starting with Batman Begins, is what put introduced me to Nolan. I hadn’t seen Memento and Insomnia till then so Batman Begins was literally my first introduction to him.

I was always a big Batman fan as a huge follower of the DCAU cartoons with Kevin Conroy voicing a really badass Batman throughout the 90′s and into the early 2000′s. While I enjoyed the first 4 Batman movies as a kid, yes even B&R, I always wanted to see the more somber version from the cartoons. Batman Begins hit me at the perfect time where I started to have longer attention spans and wasn’t just looking for the next action scene. Rewatching the movie, it amazes me that Batman doesn’t show up for half the movie. I think that was a really brave call given pretty much all previous Batman movies introduced Batman almost immediately. I genuinely love all the prelude to Bruce becoming Batman. I liked that we got to see his training extensively and we are introduced to the city and see the dynamics of the rich and the poor, the police, the mob, the lawyers etc... It really gives Gotham a very grounded personality. I think Nolan really killed it at the casting level. By getting Caine as Alfred, Freeman as Fox, and Oldman as Gordon, he created a superbly acted support structure around Bruce/Batman, so we aren’t just always waiting for Bruce to show up. On top of that, they had Liam Neeson as Ra’s, who is effortlessly compelling, as well as other strong supporting actors like Cillian Murphy as a scene stealing Scarecrow, Tom Wilkinson as Falcone, Rutger Hauer as Earle etc... All giving personality to a difference facet of the city and Bruce’s life. But this truly is Bale’s movie. I didn’t know him at all prior to this film, but I have been a fan ever since. He carries the movie on his shoulders and he delivers the ferociousness of Batman and the humanity of Bruce Wayne effortlessly. If there is someone who doesn’t make a big impression, its Katie Holmes. I didn’t find her terrible, but rather the character isn’t exactly well written which bleeds into the next movie with Maggie Gyllenhall as well. My favorite Batman performance. Rewatching, what surprised me the most is the amount of humor in the movie. This is actually reflective of the entire trilogy. The movies deal with darkness and death, but there is actually plenty of humor sprinkled throughout these movies which prevent it from being dour. There have been a lot of superhero origin stories, but this still remains the gold standard of superhero origin stories. A 9/10 for me.

There is nothing I can say about The Dark Knight that hasn’t been said a 100 times over. It quite literally is the best comic book movie of all time. But it basically is at heart a drama about Gotham. Whereas BB acts as a character centric piece, this film is about all the characters living in Gotham. Arguable, the character that has the biggest arc in the film is Harvey Dent. Again, the casting department knocked it out of the park with the casting of Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent. Unfortunately, Eckhart never really capitalized on his performance here because he really was terrific in the film, both as Harvey and as Two-Face, to the point where you wished you had more of Two-Face. Gary Oldman gave his best work in the trilogy in this movie. The desperation as the situation spins out of control is fabulous. Freeman also has a very meaty role in the movie and continues to add a lot of weight to the scenes as well as plenty of humor, as does Michael Caine. Christian Bale continued to be terrific. There were some complaints about his voice, which I feel have been overexaggerated over the years. I definitely think his Begins voice is better, but barring one or two scenes, I never really had an issue with Bale’s voice in this film. He delivers a very nuanced performance. Maggie Gyllenhaal took over from Katie Holmes in TDK and while I think she is a far better actress than Katie Holmes, I think the character itself is not very well written. In both movies, Rachel comes off as very judgmental. Whereas in BB I can understand her reason in being so, given Bruce was ready to commit murder and later was out being a playboy in front of her for the sake of appearances, in this movie she is judgmental towards Bruce even though she knows what he has been doing to help the city. Also, she did come off a bit flaky in the whole Bruce/Rachel/Harvey triangle. And then there is Heath Ledger. There are very few performances that I consider perfect. This is one of them. I think every choice Ledger makes in this movie, be it intentional or unintentional, works amazingly well. Like him licking his lips to keep the make up on. It just adds a creepy quality to his character, even if it is completely unintentional. There are so many ticks and quirks in Ledger’s performance that make this a phenomenal performance. I don’t see any villain performance having matches that since 2008. I think the closest I have seen prior to that is Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lector in Silence of the Lambs. It really is a performance that adds such a big extra edge to the movie. I love that Nolan sticks to certain details such as Bruce never actually drinking alcohol and throwing it away at the part and then Joker showing up and taking a glass and him spilling almost all of it. It gives a lot of personality to the characters. If I have any complaint about the movie, it is that Bruce does at times feel like a stationary character as he does not have as big of an arc as a Harvey Dent. And if you want, you can pick apart the holes in the series of events that happen that cause the chaos. But the drama of the film is just so intense that you forget all of that behind. I give it a 9.5/10

The Dark Knight Rises to me is the film that gets often maligned just because it isn’t TDK. And that is a crazy yardstick to compare it to. But as a movie on its own, its pretty damn awesome. TDKR is where the film truly steps away from being a version of the comics to being an Elseworld story with Batman having been absent for 8 years and then Bruce retiring and leaving Gotham at the end of the movie. But I don’t think there was any way for Nolan to close out his trilogy without it becoming an Elseworld story and it really didn’t matter because I always figured that as long as Bruce is out there, if Gotham needed him, he would come back. Its not as if there aren’t existing comic book stories of Bruce having retired or left being Batman behind. Again, there is some superb new casting. JGL ends up being surprising integral and he is terrific. Tom Hardy is awesome as Bane. He manages to provide a terrifying presence. I actually loved his voice. I love that a terrifying brute of a man has a polite, gentlemanly sounding voice. It gave him a unique personality. Marion Cotillard is pretty good as Talia/Miranda. She has an awkwardly filmed death scene but she’s good throughout the rest of the film, particularly during the reveal scene. But the casting of the movie for me was Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle. I knew Anne Hathaway mostly from the Princess Bride movies till then even though she had gotten an academy award nomination by then. But I really didn’t envisage her as Selina Kyle but she blew me out of the water with her performance. She was seductive, yet very likable. I love the clever costume design of her goggles looking like cat ears when she puts them up. I also love Nolan’s version of the Lazarus Pit. Certainly Bruce’s climb out of the pit is one of the most compelling scenes of the movie. You truly feel the emotion. The film also has one of the best acted scenes I have scene between Michael Caine and Christian Bale in the hallway. Its the scene I remember first whenever I think about TDKR. Oscar quality acting by both in that scene. The returning cast is all terrific but Michael Caine has a few gut wrenching scenes, including this one and the scene at the funeral at the end. Oldman and Freeman continue to be stalwarts throughout the movie, I really admire that Nolan did not waste these actors and given them very substantial roles in all the movies and all these actors really respected the material to not sleep walk through the roles. I think Bale’s performance here rivals his performance in Begins. Particularly in the scenes in the Pit. You get to see a full range of emotions, from pain, to despair, to anger, to hope. Its a superb performance. The film isn’t flawless. Its just a tad too long and there is some clunky editing at times. None of the three films can be said to contain very memorable action sequences because Nolan is not known to have great action sequences in his film until more recently, but the drama in the action negates that. Like, the Bane vs Batman fight where Bane breaks Batman, isn’t the greatest action scene in terms of fight choreography, but there is a lot weight to these characters which is what makes it incredibly compelling. Same is true to an extent for the climax at the end. When Batman beats Bane, I felt a sense of satisfaction after what I had witnessed in the previous fight. Overall, I genuinely feel that I love the last act of TDKR the most out of all three films. The Batplane, Batpod, and Tumbler chase scene was thrilling and it was cool to watch all three Bat vehicles in operation. The ending montage also ends the movie on a real uplifting note for all characters, which is very satisfying. I really love the movie. A 9/10.

It has to be said that Zimmer’s score across all three films contributes enormously to these movies. All in all, these set of movies are still my favorite superhero movies and my favorite Nolan movies till date.

#batman #batman begins #the dark knight #the dark knight rises #christopher nolan #christian bale #michael caine #heath ledger #morgan freeman #gary oldman #anne hathaway #tom hardy #joseph gordon levitt #liam neeson #cillian murphy #hans zimmer #katie holmes #maggie gyllenhaal #aaron eckhart

[vanosslirious]

BBS FIC: Boredom

[PROMPT] Vanoss: You’re the leader. Delirious: There’s four left. BigjigglyPanda: I got two kills. Terroriser: You stole it with one bullet, asshole.

FANDOM: Banana Bus Squad.

CH: Vanoss/Evan. H2ODelirious. BigJigglyPanda. Moo. The Gaming Terroriser. Mention of SMii7y, BasicallyIDoWrk, I AM WILDCAT/Tyler.

WC: 618.

DISCLAIMER: Assassin/Mercenary AU. Non-graphic violence. Mild blood. Friendship. Swearing. Murder. OOC. Not edited. 

. . .

“You’re the leader?” Evan inquired of the only other man who was standing amongst his men that were sitting on the cement. The cold air swept against Evan’s face as he eyed the man up and down before letting out a sigh. “Come on, answer the question.”

The man with his slick brown hair quaked in his black boots stained with blood. He wasn’t able to stop looking at the footprints he had made, and Evan had clearly wanted him not to walk into it, but for some reason this guy doesn’t know how to properly listen to others when he was frightened.

“There’s four left,” Delirious said as he walked over to Evan and Brock. He held a rifle against his shoulder, and was frowning at them while disregarding the men shivering on the ground.

In each of their comms, they could hear Anthony celebrating by himself. “I got two kills.”

“Then we’re down to two,” Brock said, wincing as he took out his earpiece.

“You stole it with one bullet, asshole,” Brian said to Anthony.

Anthony scoffed. “Not my fault you took the stairs.”

Evan sighed. “Your men are falling down like swatted flies,” he said to the leader who was now kneeling down to sit alongside his men. “Do you have anything to say about that or are you going to continue groveling?”

The man shook his head, staring hard at the concrete then at Evan. His men shivered, unable to look at any of them without wanting to die a swift death.

Delirious leaned close and said, “Maybe we should kill them.”

“No. We haven’t gotten word from SMii7y’s group,” Evan said. He took out his cellphone and frowned at the lack of messages from SMii7y and Basically. He hoped they would have at least sent something to him, but it seemed they were still busy on their end.

“What do we do with them for the time being?” Brock asked.

Evan bit his lower lip, trying to think of a suitable answer than ending their lives on the pavement. “Find a truck, we’ll store them away like cargo until Tyler gets back.”

Delirious scoffed. “We both know he’ll just kill them.”

“Well, we can also wait until SMii7y and Basically show up,” said Evan, waving at Brock to hurry up, “or we can shoot them right now. I don’t exactly want a mess...not like what you did twenty minutes ago.”

Delirious glanced back, grinning at the pile of bodies lying in the shadows, the stink of their dead flesh and blood coated the air. “It’s not that bad, Vanoss, you can’t expect it to be, not the way we operate.”

“We’re assassin’s, not meaningless killers.”

Delirious sighed, then took out a ten dollar bill. “Fine. If it makes you happy, I’ll pay you to shoot one of them. Will that ease your annoyance, or are we going to let these men grovel like whimpering dogs until the others finally pick up their phones?”

Evan glared, taking the bill, at the same time, pulling out his gun from his holster and shot the leader in the head. The blood splattered hard onto his men who shrieked at the body now lying between them.

“I guess it helps…”

Delirious chuckled, nudging Evan in the arm with his elbow as they ignored the whimpering men. “You’re always so easy to read, Evan, no need to hide your blood lust from me.”

Evan sighed deeply. “Watch the street while I get this handled.”

Delirious walked off, laughing to himself as Evan stared at the blood, at the body, at the other men, then he tucked the bill into his pocket and smiled at their frightened faces.

#my work #my writing #banana bus squad #bbs #vanossgaming #h2odelirious #moo #bigjigglypanda #the gaming terroriser #flash fic #fic writer #fanfiction #fanfic writer #text #words #mine

[jeawrites]

BBS Derby AU: Important Others

The final bits of fun facts and some info for this AU! I might start writing an actual story here in a bit too, so look out for that!

Anthony-

Nicknamed by the team Jiggly Panda. 

He’s the coach, not even that strict of one but he is very committed. 

He owns the skate park the team practices at! He was also the one to pitch the idea of starting a derby team to his most regular skater (and really good friend) Tyler.

The team loves him, they will fight for him. And, he will fight for them (even though he’d rather not).

He’s the one who convinced Evan to join. 

“It’s just like hockey- except no ice, no sticks or pucks, and you go in a circle the whole time!”

Used to play when he was younger (that’s how he met Brock).

Very competitive when it comes to important bouts. Don’t question him.

The team got him and Brock customized varsity jackets with their respective names on the back and the team’s logo on the front. He nearly cried when he got it.

His laugh is just as noticeable as Jon’s, but his rage is a lot more iconic when its seen. He has broken clip boards. 

He wears a panda hat to every bout, it’s his own symbol for the team. They all love it a lot more than they say they do.

Brock- 

Moo Snuckle, he had the name back when he played for his old team (he thought it was funny then but now its just a little embarrassing). Everyone just calls him Moo.

He’s the bench coach! He helps sort out everyone on who’s going out onto the track and whatnot. If it’s not a bout, he’s usually just the assistant coach. 

Was brought onto the team by Anthony- he got a facebook message late one night.

‘Wanna help coach a bunch of dumbasses with my dumbass?’

He’s really patient with them all. Helps calm down people if they start to get frustrated. Most infamously, he calmed Tyler down after he threw his helmet off and broke it. It took him five minutes and a shit ton of crappy puns.

Brings in extra water for everyone during bouts, makes sure everyone eats before they practice (messages them an hour and a half before hand so they can snack on something healthy).

There's a joke running through the team about him and getting angry. It’s mostly just comparing him to a werewolf. 

On that note, it takes a lot to make Brock angry, so the moment he snaps it’s usually pretty unsettling and you know you’ve screwed up then.

He only got that way once when it was really noticeable, and it was during a bout when the refs weren’t making any correct calls (Joe and Mark excluded because they couldn’t make it that night- Joe was sick and Mark was making sure he was okay).

He actually sobbed for ten minutes after getting his jacket. He wears it to every bout.

Everytime they move up a rank in the charts Brock takes the team to dinner. He insists he can cover the pay, but everyone usually tips in anyways.

Brings extra face paint, duct tape, wheels, and other needs to bouts as a just in case.

Jaren-

Smitty!

He’s the local EMT. Goes to every bout to cover the injuries. 

Was the first one to make fun of Jon for fracturing his wrist.

Nobody actually knows where he learned to be a medical professional, but nobody really questions it either. 

He supports the team a lot, has actually come to a few practices to just watch and hang out with them all. He’s also gone to away bouts whenever he can.

Like’s to heckle the team jokingly, though he has gotten smacked a few times by Marcel and Ryan (not hard of course).

He’s actually really fun to have around too, makes a lot of good jokes and he is scarily good at timing shit. He’s helped them all at practices with that talent. He’s also pranked the entire team at least once with it.

Him and Evan both sort of bonded over being Canadian. Jiggly introduced them to each other as “fellow penguins”.

“My name’s Jaren, how aboot you, eh?”

“Evan, nice to meet you, eh.”

They both shared a few pieces about their old homes and then just sort of became friends. They both act like children sometimes though if kept in the same place together too long.

Him and Jon actually get along really well! Both of them like making weird jokes and acting out dramatic scenes. 

“And with this last breath, I die!” 

“Pfft- Del, oh my god, okay- Nooo!! My one true love, died to an evil oposer--- I curse you Evan for knocking my love out of play!”

The team either finds it really entertaining or really weird. Jaren was kicked out of a practice one time due to one of his and Jon’s acts, if that says anything.

Mark-

Gorillaphent!

He grew up with Luke and Jon, so of course they dragged him out to watch the sport once.

He really liked it, but he didn’t want to play it. But, the reffing seemed fun and with some encouragement he became the Banana Quads first ref! 

On Halloween they have a scrimmage where he wears this ugly purple elephant trunk that he got from somewhere. Nobody wants to question it because people know thats what he wants.

Eventually Ohm gives in and questions it and he gets called on a cut he never made later that game and forced into the penalty box. It happens five more times and then Ohm is paranoid the rest of the night.

“Gorilla, please!! I did nothing wrong--”

“Are you talking back to a ref, Ohm?”

He’s kinda evil, in short.

Not really, he’s actually pretty chill, he just thought that whole ordeal would be funny (and it kind of was).

He’s unbelievably good at making calls. He’s rumoured to have eyes in the back of his head, but he’s actually just pretty observant. 

He’s also pretty smart on top of that, so he can sort of tell when he’s going to need to make a specific call before it happens thanks to careful observing and knowledge. 

He has a purple helmet with only two stickers, one being an elephant, the other being a sticker of his name made like a logo.

Him and Joe bully each other on a regular basis, do not interfere or you will get dragged in and become part of whatever war they may or may not be in. Its all fun and games until the two are dumping baby powder on your head.

Joe-

Dead Squirrel (he used to play for, like, a year, but that was his name for it).

He met Mark, Jon, Luke, and Ryan a year before the derby stuff started.

Was dragged onto the team by Gorilla, but he found it really fun to meet new people and the traveling wasn’t half bad! Plus, he really enjoys chasing after the Jammers, especially if his in the lead. 

He wears makeup to bouts- it looks like his head’s missing a peace and a cartoonish brain is coming out (cartoonish meaning there’s not too much effort in it- not that its actually cartoonish).

Also oddly good at making calls when he’s supposed too. He catches some others might not.

He doesn’t ever get really mad, maybe over excited for the bouts. He’s never yelling out of anger though.

Luke and Gorilla are pretty protective over him. Joe’s a little more oblivious to when people are being flirty or a little too polite (he doesn’t want to be rude sometimes and tell them he’s uncomfortable, especially if he might be misreading things) that’s why his two tough derby buddies come in and save the day. 

It doesn’t happen often, just once or twice a year.

He’s loyal to the team, but holds no bias when it comes to making calls. If that’s questioned the team will prove it. (Joe has been offered a few bribes once or twice but his opinion on it remains unmoved and he remains as unbiased as possible). 

“Alright, I’m sayin’ it again. I am not, not going to call you out for back blocks, Marcel, quit trying to convince me and just try to not get back blocks.”

He’s the one who dumps the baby powder on people’s heads. He carries it around with him because its helps keep his bag smelling good, and it makes his skin soft. 

He and Brian are the only two who care if their equipment stinks. He usually supplies Brian with his own little thing of baby powder whenever its needed. 

John-

Mostly their as either an NSO or a fan. If its a home bout he’s usually an NSO. 

He works the score board when he’s an NSO. When he’s a fan, he’s cheering on the team excitedly or hanging out with Jaren on the side. 

He’s really laid back until he’s yelling at the team in excitement. 

“Yeah! Kick their asses ohm, you’re doing great!”

Ryan tried to get him on the team, along with Scotty and Tyler, but they were all denied. 

He does go skating with them on open skate nights though. He just prefers to keep it more casual than competitive. 

The team all chipped in to get him some custom ring with the team's name carved into it and a new vape. It was a present to him for being their number one fan.

He really liked the gift, wouldn’t stop smiling the rest of that day. 

Got an honorary jersey with the name Kryoz (he got to pick it). He wears it to every bout he’s a fan at.

He’s the one who suggests they throw an end of season party to celebrate everything they did that year. He’s also the one who gets stuck planning it out sense he made the idea, but he does convince Ryan, Tyler, Marcel, and Anthony to help out.

#bigjigglypanda #Big Jiggly Panda #moo snuckel #smii7y #gorillaphent #dead squirrel #KryozGaming #kryoz #vanossgaming #I AM WILDCAT #fourzer0seven #407 #basically i do wrk #terroriser #the gaming terroriser #banana bus squad #bbs au #bbs #roller derby au?

[enabledarmy]

I'm kinda new to tumblr but since being here I've noticed a lot of love for British TV shows, especially BBC drama

The main ones I've seen mentioned are Sherlock, Merlin and Doctor Who and although those are great shows I wondered if there might be some others that non-natives (idk if that's the right phrase I'm tired) might not have heard about or had the opportunity to discover so here you go

List will be staggered because there's too much for one post so here's part 1

Dancing on the Edge (BBC, 2013)

I'd recommend for Merlin fans, because Angel Coulby and Anthony Head, and from what I remember Tom Hughes as Julian was quite Merlin-like or at least in a similar vein

It did have a crime/mystery element to it too so if you liked that about Sherlock give this a go

Anyway he was adorable

I watched it when it first came out because Angel Coulby and was disappointed with how much she is actually in it (forewarning- not much at all) but I enjoyed the story and the characters and the sets/costumes were great and now that I think about it I'm still kinda attatched to Julian what how did this happen it's been 7 years send help-

Chiwetel Ejiofor is very cool of course as Louis and his performance is generally great, as much as I love the more side characters like Julian, Carla and Stanley he really is what centres everything and makes it work I think

Also Carla bb you are amazing please stop doubting yourself ok someone hug her (and while you're at it give Wunmi Mosaku more roles why are you sleeping on her)

I remember the music being good too and there was one bit where they played in a bar (it's about Jazz btw) and it was really cool, can't remember why but will need to rewatch soon I think

I completely forgot Jenna Coleman was in this but I'm sure she was good so yeah there's that

Bonus: Matthew Goode (probably your new crush if you have a thing for British drama guys who look vaguely like Tom Hiddleston as quite a few people here seem to)

Atlantis (BBC, 2013)

Another 2013 drama but this one less of an intelligent serious historical drama vibe and more a magic, sword fighting and running around the woods in ineffective armour from weird CGI creatures vibe.

If that sounds like Merlin to you, well it did to us too when it first came out so everyone was kinda salty especially since it was the first 'big' drama to fill Merlin's primetime family spot which basically signalled it as a Merlin replacement trying to appeal to the same audience by doing a very similar thing but not as well

Like when the adverts came out people were like how dare you try to fill the Merlin-shaped hole in the schedule and also in my heart with this

Bring back Colin and Bradley you cowards

That said it wasn't a bad series at all, not amazing but mostly good, just not on the same level character and story wise as Merlin, in my opinion anyway

I mean I still watched every episode and was upset when it ended but c'mon it was just getting good

There are a couple of episodes I rewatch sort of regularly because they were pretty cool

If you liked Merlin I would recommend giving it a go, it has a kind of similar feel, magic, fun costumes and of course a lot of bromance. You don't have to think a lot when watching it (at least not until near the end I'm pretty sure) which can be nice when you just want to switch off and watch people run around in totally inappropriate sandals

Honestly it was good but I would have loved more focus on other characters, I didn't like Jason as much as I did Medusa or Medea (spinoff series please BBC they both deserved better)

Highlights:

Pythagoras. Just him. Doing Pythagoras stuff. Also won't spoil but his (slightly rushed) eventual romance was sweet and quite unusual at the time on a show like that (on BBC one at prime family viewing time) and I need to know more about that because we spent too much on Jason angst and not enough time on this small boi getting the love he deserves so if we could get some new fans in to do fanart or something that would be great I need closure

Ariadne's costumes, sass and eyebrows:

The force is strong with this one

I'm sure she was a great character but looking back I mainly remember her blue dresses and strong brows they just owned the scenes ok they should have been credited in the cast list

For real tho I hadn't seen Aiysha Hart in anything before but she was a strong lead

Amy Manson's Medea:

Seriously when she joined in season 2 things really kicked up a notch, hard to describe it but you'll see

I would watch a whole series about her

She's amazing

I only want good things for Medea

And Amy Manson

Medusa (played by Jemima Rooper) was also amazing and lovely and I found it quite a touching and different take on her story (to past me anyway). Again, I would have liked more focus and development on that instead of Jason's eughhh it's so hard to be a protagonist wait lemme punch a Minotaur in the face real quick but we can't have everything

Ok that was Pt.1

Will do a Pt.2 if anyone cares and also if I remember 😂

#bbc #bbc america #bbc merlin #bbc doctor who #merlin bbc #bbc uther #bbc drama #sherlock #doctor who #thirteenth doctor #twelfth doctor #eleventh doctor #the master #jodie whittaker #british drama #angel coulby #sherlock holmes #benedict cumberbatch #atlantis #atlantis bbc #dancing on the edge #historical drama #period drama #medusa #hercules #greek mythology #amy manson #once upon a time #chiwetel ejiofor #matthew goode

[longsightmyth]

Oh look, bb Cecily and one of her elder (legitimate) half brothers.

Also much discussion of the legalities of royal inheritance because that's just who I am as a person.

(I'll insert a read more later, apologies for mobile app ineptness)

“But if King Henry were to die,” Cecily said with all the conviction of a nine year-old, “Edward would be king.”

“No, Pet,” her brother George said, lounging in his chair. “Our father would be, and me after him.”

Cecily knew she shouldn’t gainsay George. Even if he labored under the incorrect assumption that his performative affection was returned with the real thing because he called her a pet name, he was nothing like Anthony. Still, she couldn’t seem to help herself.

“If the king had died when my mother lived,” she explained, even as Margaret-who-was-not-her-stepmother shook her head a fraction from across the room, “she would have been queen. That means that Edward would be king after her.”

George sat up, and Cecily ducked her head back to the shirt seam she should be working on.

“If your mother had been queen,” he said too patiently, “then Father would be king, and I am the eldest.”

“Anthony is the eldest.”

Silence fell, and Cecily realized she shouldn’t have said that either.

“Anthony,” George said, biting off the syllables, “is a bastard.”

Across the room, Margaret’s head lowered.

“Anthony,” George continued, “has no legal standing here except that which Father chooses to give him, and what I choose to give him after that.”

It was a mistake, but Cecily looked up anyway to glare at George. “Anthony-”

“Anthony,” George said, “doesn’t matter.”

Cecily wasn’t sure what to say. It might not matter if she thought of it: she wasn’t sure she could force words past the furious tears in her eyes or the tightness of her throat, and Margaret shrank further, unable to defend herself or her son in the face of fact.

George stood to leave, but he paused at the door. “I suppose that’s why the two of you get along,” he said, tone thoughtful. “You have so much in common.”

#myth writes #original stuff #a fiery crown

[cards-onthetable]

An Elusive Computer Post

Y’all, 99.999% of the time, I exist on my phone and tablet. It’s very rare that I do any Fandom Stuff or social media on my laptop. But tonight, after This Episode, I had to break out the big guns. I need to be able to type as fast as my brain screams words. tl;dr: EVERYTHING IS THE WORST AND I HATE IT. Hey I’ll do a fun little page break so you don’t have to scroll past this whole thing if you don’t want to. How nice of me. 

Erin

OPENING SCENE AND ERIN’S ALREADY YELLING AT PEOPLE. COOL. 

JUST DON’T with this foster parent (allegedly) killing a foster child thing. Foster parents have enough of a negative perception as it is... a foster parent who “cracked” and killed a child in her care certainly won’t help. And I know this won’t turn into a well-done, thoughtful Discourse on the lack of support and resources for foster parents who are caring for children with complex needs. So I hate it. 

I’m so, so, so sad for this child.

Sidenote re: Sam saying “I’ve already got a mom” (explaining why he didn’t call his foster parent “mom”) - okay, BB, one actual sensitive portrayal here, thumbs up. 

Welp Erin’s boss is an asshole but so’s everyone else on this show. What else is new? 

And now Sam is locked out of his new foster home. Another nice tally in the Negative Portrayal column. This is disgusting. His appreciation for his previous foster parent is obvious (this kid’s a ten times better actor than fucking Will “Dead Face” Estes at this point) and I hate this entire concept. At least the show’s portrayal of the child in foster care himself is positive. 

Now Sam’s at Anthony’s house and this is off topic, but for half a second can we appreciate that Sam is also a bajillion times better at apologies than Jamie Reagan? Nice. 

If Anthony becomes Sam’s foster parent I will be SO ANNOYED. One, because I’m sure the show won’t even hint at an accurate process - it’ll be insta-parent, Anthony walks into some caseworker’s office and walks out with physical custody of a child (fun fact: it takes three months or longer to get licensed as a foster parent). Two, because it’s kind of another blow to the reputation of foster parents that this episode is painting - like the only suitable foster parent in a whole city of veteran, trained, experienced FPs is this newbie? This does not taste good. 

This is a cute scene. Rather than Anthony being Sam’s foster parent, how about he becomes his mentor? 

OH. NICE. EXACTLY WHAT I DIDN’T WANT. “I’m going to sign the papers later today. I’m going to foster Sam myself.” Can we please get some follow-up on this, BB? Let’s please see Anthony trying to navigate the waters of parenting a teenager who likely has attachment-related diagnoses and other challenges. Is Anthony going to get trauma-informed care training? Or is he just going to wing it and hope that it’s all magical and swell? Does he have a sensitive, non-snarky bone in his body? I’m on the edge of my seat. (LOL @ Erin being the voice of reason here.)

OH. WHOA WHOA WHOA. “It’s not like I always wanted a son, but one came knocking and I answered the door.” Remember that line above where Sam reminded us that he has a mom? Do you understand why this line made me gag? There’s a fine line you walk as a foster parent, where you’re performing all the duties of parenting this child as if they’re your own - but you have to remember and be sensitive to the fact that they’re not. Kids in foster care are a package deal, yo, they come with a whole other family too. For teenagers this is an especially important Issue. 

This entire storyline was terrible. 0/10. 

Fat Shaming (Frank and co)

Poor Witten, you guys. That is awful and terrible and dangerous that her partner can’t even make it up 4 flights of stairs. “I’m here and you’re fine” - but what if she wasn’t? 

Did Sid Gormley just use the word “fat shaming” and argue that physical fitness does not affect a cop’s ability to do their job? 

Cops who are on the beat should be able to pass a fairly high standard for physical fitness. The end, basically.

Family dinner (tossed in here due to the topic of conversation): Seriously? Henry’s going to talk about it being discrimination to require cops to meet a physical fitness standard that is a pretty basic aspect of their ability to do their job? Nice. 

Oh, magical, Frank has come up with a Compromise that Makes Everybody Happy. Raise your hand if you’re surprised. 

Danny

TBH I hardly noticed this storyline at all. I’m much too busy angrily scribbling all of the examples of Dismissive Jamie on my whiteboard. Oh well, win some lose some. 

Jamko

The way Jamie brushes Eddie off during this whole New Partner Discussion is gross. Refer to yesterday’s Two Pronged Complaint for the details. 

The Biggest Issues: Jamie minimizing Eddie’s experience on the job, and being too protective of her/failing to be an objective boss. Et cetera. 

“wHaT eLsE dOn’T I kNoW?” suck a dick, Jamie Reagan.  

Peep those obviously empty coffee cups that probably have a piece of dry ice at the bottom to make the “steam.” A+. 

I’m going to keep track of how many times “female empowerment” is said in this episode. I’ll keep you updated. 

So this “fraternal organization” that we’ve all been so stressed about Eddie joining is...basically a women’s intramural sports league? LOLOL so I’m super excited to watch Jamie sputter about how Joe died playing softball* and therefore Eddie shouldn’t join. 

LOOK AT EDDIE. She is legitimately excited about the idea of playing softball, dude. That smile is as much personality as we’ve gotten out of her all season. CAN’T WAIT TO WATCH JAMIE “WET BLANKET” REAGAN SNUFF THAT RIGHT OUT. 

This ~date night~ situation is hilarious in a Young Childless Couple way. 

OH, so NOW Jamie’s interested in a legitimate conversation with Eddie, engaged and responding... with questions in a demanding, rude tone? I’m so annoyed at his whole handling of the Eddie’s-new-partner thing.

GOD why is everything a Female Empowerment Thing? Can’t women just... enjoy playing sports? 

OH HERE’S WHERE IT GETS FUN HOLD ONTO YOUR BUTTS 

BAD IDEA

YOU’RE ABOUT TO BECOME A REAGAN

THAT’S A NO-GO

NOW YOU’RE JUST BEING STUBBORN

“No, I’m being astonished that my fiancé is trying to tell me what I can and cannot do” SAME, EDDIE 

I’m so angry that the scene cuts off there. Did they just go about their stupid dinner date with this Tension floating palpably in the air between them? Did Eddie pull out an “I think I’ll sleep at my place tonight” and stalk away in that red? satin? dress? ? I hope she poured his stupid ON TAP IPA (objectively the worst type of beer, btw) down his shirt and walked out. 

I AM SO SAD watching this scene of Eddie backing out of softball. 

“I’m not much of a joiner” is a DUMB RIDICULOUS LINE and Eddie says it TWICE, folks. 

Witten doesn’t bring up Jamie at all - I therefore assume she doesn’t know Eddie’s a Future Reagan (which is a whole other issue, but anyway.) . Witten thinks Eddie’s backing out so as to avoid associating with Witten. So I assume Witten’s intentions with the softball invite were totally pure. IMAGINE THAT! A woman who wants to be friends with another woman, one who she works with and respects and wants to get to know better! With no ulterior motive! Someone please hit Jamie Reagan in the nostril with a dart. 

I like Witten more and more. Can we replace all the Reagan storylines with Witten, Sam, and Old Eddie in dark jeans and a studded jacket?

A LAUNDROMAT? ONE: Shouldn’t Jamie, as A Reagan, have laundry in his building?* TWO: It he didn’t, why wouldn’t they do laundry for free at Frank’s house every week?*

I CAN SMELL THE TENSION and I am legitimately curious how they’ve coexisted between the date and now. How’s that working out, hmm - that “keeping work and home separate” thing? 

“I DIDN’T TELL YOU TO, I ASKED” says Jamie. Shall we go back a few bullet points to when he told her it’s a “no-go”? 

I NEED TO KNOW WHAT ELSE I NEED TO KNOW - Same, Eddie. Do I really need to reiterate how ridiculous this whole thing is - that they’re engaged without dating, and now finding out that maybe there’s a reason people date first, even if they’re best friends, because this is the kind of stuff you work out before you start shopping for your dress.

“Are we talking, or are we just talking smack?” SOME ACCUSATION from the dumbass who said ALL THE THINGS IN THOSE BULLETS UP ABOVE. 

Finally, for once, Eddie is voicing some real and legitimate concerns. Are we going to get any sort of resolution or mature adult discussion of these things? NOPE! 

Did he seriously just tell her to cut it out? I hate him so much. I hope somebody duct tapes him to the front of those washer/dryers and pulls out each individual eyebrow hair with tweezers. 

This laundromat scene just exemplifies so many of the issues I’ve been rage blogging about all damn season. Jamie ultimately brushing off Eddie’s concerns without ever giving her real answers. Not having the respect for her to even take her thoughts into account. Barking orders like he knows it all, and Eddie isn’t capable of making her own decisions. At least this time that’s the actual point of the scene rather than the nasty subtext. 

EDDIE AND DANNY SCENE: I’m actually surprised that this is the first time Joe has been mentioned. Watching the sneak peek I figured Jamie’s main argument against Eddie joining an organization would be that it’s what got his brother killed (being vague, obviously, since Eddie clearly didn’t know the details). Not that it’s improper As A Reagan. I hoped the context of the episode would make me feel a little better about this scene but it just feels even more out of place and poorly/choppily written. I like Eddie and Danny together - I’d like them to interact more. But this didn’t do it for me. Gotta meet that Joe Mention Quota* on the season, I guess. 

FINAL SCENE: in summary, FUCK THIS. 

Sidenote: When is someone going to get suspicious @ how often Eddie gets pulled into Sarge’s office? 

For the record, I anticipated an eye-rolly “Ohhkay, maybe I overreacted...” speech. 

WHAT WE GOT FELL BELOW EVEN THAT VERY LOW BAR. 

Jamie explains himself. Fine, he has a right to do that, and it’s constructive in helping Eddie understand the man she’s about to marry (god don’t even remind me). BUT HE DOES NOT ADMIT ANY WRONGDOING. 

THERE IS NO APOLOGY

THERE IS NO ADMISSION THAT HE MADE MISTAKES in how he spoke to her, ordered her around, and didn’t even stop for eight seconds to listen to what she had to say

THERE IS NOT EVEN THE VERY MINIMAL “I overreacted” type of acknowledgment. 

“So maybe if I forget sometimes, you can remind me” THIS IS GROSS TOO because it essentially puts the burden on Eddie to teach/remind Jamie how to HAVE AN ADULT CONVERSATION AND NOT BE AN ASS. He could AT LEAST take responsibility for his own improvement in the Future. 

Eddie said literally two words in this entire scene. There was no mutual understanding, no real agreement, no genuine Development in their relationship. 

THIS IS NOT A SATISFACTORY RESOLUTION TO THIS CONFLICT. 

This episode is called Rectify but NOTHING HAS BEEN RECTIFIED. 

ALSO, this seems like an awfully Personal conversation to be having in uniform, Sarge. Are they even trying anymore? 

HE JUST THREW A SOFTBALL GLOVE AT HER. Is that supposed to be... sweet? Touching? An admission of guilt/mistake/wrongdoing? TRY AGAIN, BB. NONE OF THE ABOVE. 

WELL. If you’ve made it this far, I hope you’re as disgruntled as I am. Seems like plenty of y’all were quite unhappy with this episode as well. I’m enjoying your tweets and sadness. I’ve been the queen of this club for almost a year now. Welcome, make yourselves comfortable, there’s plenty of ice cream in the freezer. Just don’t sit on the far end of the couch. That’s my dog’s favorite spot. 

*These four hilarious lines were taken from two important Outside Sources. Thanks for your contribution, Outside Sources. 

#sandy hates it all #blue bloods #9 x 18 Rectify

[dayna-scully]

ncis s4 lb

season 3  |  season 5  |  season 6  |  season 7  |  season 8  |  season 9  |  season 10  |  etc

4x01

you can’t ever convince me ziva and tony weren’t sleeping together between s3 and 4

worried boyfriend tony

I was hoping maybe save me

she needs her dad kill me

we love you too 😭

she got dad to come home

he’s supposed to be dead/apparently he’s gotten better

they were 10000% fucking lets 👏 be 👏 real 👏

“when I need to be” quick question: what the fuck

skinny summer mcgoo

they use the same safe house over and over again

why wasn’t I with ziva?

she’s scared, not that she’ll ever admit that

4x02

I wonder how different the show would have been if they’d always written tony and Abby as being mature and serious the majority of the time - the childishness gets really really annoying, and there’s such a change in quality when they are more mature

dad’s home!!!

4x03

uuuuuUUUUGH I forgot how early Tony’s undercover stuff started

now that gibbs is back there’s so much tension between z/t

perhaps because z is jealous of the “mystery girlfriend”

tfw you’ve already got a girlfriend but you’re still checking out your totally platonic professional work partner’s ass

ziva is definitely a daddy’s girl in a way that Abby isn’t, Abby’s sugar sweet and spoiled, but ziva is the one that really needs the emotional support

I wonder if ziva ever actually thought about having kids with tony before tali

I wonder if tony thought about it too

has anyone ever told you you’re attractive/my brother 😂

you’re a geek, not mentally deranged

crime!!

4x04

Timothy Jimothy McGee

4x05

uhoh Tony’s worst nightmare

personally I prefer a good shag 👀

I think it’s good to keep in mind throughout all episodes that tony and ziva have already seen each other entirely buck-ass naked

I’m not blowing on you again

again: what the fuck

totally normal

👀

now is not Paris

why do you wanna look at a dead guy’s junk Anthony

4x06

I don’t totally understand ziva’s derision of Halloween, they do have Purim in Israel (and in Jewish communities in general) it might not be as dark and spooky as American Halloween but still

maybe it’s different in the states but amber alerts are only when they know the kid’s been abducted

I mean now they do know she was abducted but that was AFTER

according to someone called Scuttle Butt

so tony and ziva are watching movies together outside of work 🤔

4x07

UGH jeanne

zeevah! Zeevah!!

this has to be the stupidest thing anyone’s ever done/then why are you following me/I don’t fricking know (it’s cause you love her you doof)

i can see down your shirt right now/I don’t think your new girlfriend would like that/what are you talking about i don’t know what you’re talking about/I’m talking about you and the fact that you no longer stare at every woman when they pass you by

so 1) tony is not as good at hiding this undercover assignment as he thinks he is, 2) ziva observes him enough to notice that his behaviour has changed and 3) ziva is the only one he is STILL checking out

not worth dying over

I’ll remember that

my son, tony (!!!!!!!!)

gibbs was unfortunate(?) enough to be stuck with the most loyal set of ducklings

4x08

the only thing I DO like about the jeanne/la grenouille plot is jealous ziva

this cannot be admissible in court even with proper chain of evidence

totally platonic to be touching the entire side of your work partner’s body with your own tony would definitely sit that close to McGee by choice right it’s not just ziva

lee looks like a ballerina

sometimes they really go hard with the imperialistic propaganda

4x09

nepotism: both Sean and Troian getting jobs on ncis

MySpace im….okay

Jenny’s only here for the hot goss

see I don’t think Jenny realizes he’s talking about jeanne, I almost wonder if she thinks he’s talking about ziva

4x10

McGee thinks ziva’s in love with me (she is)

dad and grandpa are fighting and the kiddies don’t like it

pimmy jalmer

🎶sexually frustrated “platonic” partners🎶

you two done playing grab ass

you described everything in my bedroom (why weren’t they endgame?)

I do feel bad for tony. He was definitely put in a bad situation where he was taken advantage of (by NCIS/the director) without anyone to confide in, and of course it ended really, really badly

how can ziva even tell but anyways of course she’s jealous

the usual/the usual what - oof. That expression hurts. Poor ziva

you got that moustache in a box, don’t you

4x11

sexual harassment training

LICKING YOUR COWORKER’S FACE IS TOTALLY APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR ZIVA DAVID

why are you touching dead naked people?

I suppose at this point the viewers didn’t know that jeanne had anything to do with the undercover stuff tony was doing

ziva is concerned about her boooyfrieeend-seriously though

what part of inappropriate touching don’t you understand

romantic or not, ziva seriously gives several shits about tony and his well-being

dadman to the rescue

did Jenny…also not know????

ziva is so, so concerned ugh bb

4x12

I don’t know what my moas would be

unreservedly romantic tony

ahh, you two got married and didn’t tell me

I think it’s scary!

oh ziva.

why does ziva being so concerned make gibbs so uncomfortable 🤔👀

your other phone is never on silent

IT LITERALLY DID NOT OCCUR TO ZIVA DAVID, INTERNATIONAL INTELLIGENCE AGENT, THAT TONY COULD HAVE A GIRLFRIEND

LOOK AT THAT FACE

HOMEGIRL’S WORLD JUST GOT FLIPPED UPSIDE DOWN

oh z

so the pictures that mossad had at the beginning of the season of z/t - could those have been from the agents watching tony and jeanne now?

4x13

when your wife and your girlfriend are in the same room

sounds like you have something up your wazoo

when your boyfriend has two super intense daughters who could both kill your painfully and without evidence

ooh petulant ziva

I’m certain that they used the same hall for jeanne and Tim’s apartments

“it’s important to appreciate the competition” EXCUSE ME TONY the competition for WHO??? Ziva??????

what the FUCK tony

those two are unusually motivated to find sharif 👀

4x14

what’s a little state sanctioned kidnapping between friends, eh?

mark harmon was on st elsewhere, wasn’t he?

maybe now gibbs gets why ziva’s so concerned

z is so pretty in this episode

4x15

so Tony’s so in love with jeanne that he doesn’t notice ziva dancing provocatively in front of him, but not so in love with jeanne that he’ll get in between ziva and someone who’s attracted to her

he’s also a ziva-to-English translator

oh tony

Dead Man Walking

oh dear poor z

you didn’t make her promise not to destroy it, mcgee

brain training to figure out how ziva knows the dude

aquasmurf

meetcute

so does my spleen

we finish each other’s-sandwiches

her technique 👀

falling in love with a dying man is a fantastic idea z

(Professional follow-up)

oh z

red light behaviour!!!!!

the look on your face says you are

what’s that look on your face

gee tony if you’re so in love with jeanne why are you also so in love with ziva

are you okay?

good guy tony

4x17

I’m pretty sure that mausoleum exploded in Bones too

so. over. abby.

why do they just shit on ziva all the time on this stupid show, everyone she loves dies

when you break up with your girlfriend but she’s still jealous of your wifee 😬

4x18

she’s wearing Roy’s hat 😖

oof, boy’s got a face like a brick house

I don’t want to see you naked, either tony

cold elbow

or maybe you said something when you should have said something

I’m so not interested in this melodrama 🙄

not good?

4x19

oh tony

4x20

ziva is totally unimpressed by these shenanigans

uncomfortably reflecting upon McGee’s book and ziva looks like she’s about to cry 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

campfire!

4x21

all these investigators and none of them can figure out that it’s kort

4x22

jeanne, on a fishing expedition and tony, regretting his response

ziva, studiously avoiding tony’s face while tony processes his regrets

bad news from the, um, dentist? / something like that OOPS TONY OOPS

😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

she looks so hurt, ouuuch

like

she must realise how much in love she is with tony, even after roy

A GIRL LINGERS

long enough

tony/zeevah

that was...astonishingly cruel

like I can’t even comprehend

“it’s because you’re a good person” YOU DON’T DESERVE HER DINOZZO

you fuck

he’s right/he is?/i am?

4x23

noooooooooo

yeeeeeeeeees

buying a house is a loooooot

“Tony’s never vulnerable” maybe not around you, jeanne 👀

ha! I’m a normal man! I hate my wife!

I don’t know if I’m getting this ziva outfit mixed up with the one in bury your dead or if Something actually happens in this episode

something happens in this episode

so you’ll help me?

rip my little bi heart, she loves him

love you too, jeanne

poor z

4x24

I think sometimes she pretends not to know movies just to hear tony talk about them

OH NO THE BAR

to dry eyed mice

i have seen this episode an unhealthy number of times

I have a funny feeling, doctor

straight to voicemail, just like always when he’s with her

oooh z

tony?/what?!

why do you monitor tony?/i don’t monitor tony/oh yes you do, like a mother with a toddler

or a woman with a wayward lover

so if he’s profiling you, z, that means...there’s some truth to it?

tony is with his girlfriend, and you are worried about him

he is my partner, and my partner said he would be here and...and I have this not so good feeling

cut tooooooo a gun

aaaaand now to bury your dead.......

#tiva #ncis #liveblog #show: ncis #ship: tiva

[javis-beretta]

Running Lines

someone requested theatre kid race x stage manager reader, so this is that combined with #61 from this prompt list, and also some projection of my nerdy desire for a cute boy to hit on me using lines from shakespeare. enjoy! <3

“Hey,” Race poked Henry in the shoulder, “who is that?”

He nodded his head towards you, sitting on the other end of the stage.

Henry shrugged.

“I think that’s Y/N, the new stage manager.”

Race nodded, filing the information away for later. You weren’t a part of the regular crowd that took part in college productions, in fact, Race wasn’t even sure that you took drama as an elective. You were the only person in the room that he didn’t already know. At first, that’s all you were to him: a new face in a familiar crowd.

—

The winter play had always been Race’s favourite. The drama department was active all year ‘round, but the winter production was always the biggest and the most exciting event. Most of the drama majors favoured the fall musical but, if Race was being honest, he always had been a fan of Shakespeare, and Hamlet was one of his favourite plays to date.

It didn’t hurt that he was the lead, of course. The role would stress most other actors out: it was well-known, full of complicated soliloquys and longer than it needed to be, but he was a sucker for a challenge.

And, the endless soliloquys did come with one upside: Race got to run lines with you. The director had suggested it at one of the first few rehearsals, so that Race wasn’t sitting idly while they blocked the difficult ensemble scenes. Now, he spent the hours before rehearsal looking forward to spending time alone with you.

It was strictly professional, he reminded himself. You made it easy to remember, always all business and no nonsense. He liked that about you. He liked that you weren’t as easy to impress as everyone else. It made him feel like he’d accomplished something when you laughed at one of his jokes or sought him out at the beginning of rehearsals. When you were around, he was his most charismatic self, and it would have been exhausting if your smile wasn’t so damn rewarding.

­—

“I’ll never get it,” Race whined, draping himself across the seat next to you at the back of the theatre. You reached over and patted his knee.

“I know you’re a drama major, but you don’t have to be so melodramatic. You’re a great actor, Higgins, and probably the only one at college here who could play Hamlet well.”

He opened one eye to look up at you.

“You really think so?”

“Yeah, I don’t think anyone else can pull off being extra as well as you.”

He groaned again in response.

“This monologue is just… the worst.”

You rolled your eyes and jumped to your feet.

“We’re gonna keep running it until you get it, Race, and I know that this time you’ll kill it.” You reached your hands out to him. “C’mon, get up.”

He pulled himself up quickly and held onto your hands for a moment too long, before clearing his throat and bounding to the stage, on his endless legs. He stood at the edge of the stage and shook his head a little, as though he was clearing it, like an etch-a-sketch, to step into character. He took a few deep breaths, slipped into a sad frown and began to speak.

You spent the first couple of lines concentrating on his projection and intonation, making sure that he moved across the stage when he had to and that he moved slowly, purposelessly wandering. You made mental notes about when he should drop his voice, or where he should raise, and, then at “Soft you now, the fair Ophelia”, his blue eyes met yours, and your mind went blank.

You got caught in his gaze, and every note that you had made was gone. You let yourself focus on the last few words and the palpable pain in his voice. You wondered idly how someone could do that, just slip into another persona. Race was hard on himself, but you found it easy to get lost in his characters. You’d seen him before, playing a heroic Mark Anthony, and a suave Danny Zuko, but you were certain that this was the best he’d been.

You were so lost in those last few words, that you almost didn’t noticed when he finished, head bowed. You stood up and clapped, miming a standing ovation.

“Yeah,” he said, eyes wide and nervous. “Was that alright?”

“Was it alright?” you looked at him incredulously. This had been his best run through yet. “That was amazing, Higgins. Kenneth Branagh, who?”

He beamed at you, and stepped off the stage, pulling his phone out and checking the time. It was well past six, when the rehearsal was supposed to have ended.

“You know,” he said, concerned, “you didn’t have to stay this late to go through this stupid monologue with me.”

You moved towards him and nudged him your shoulder.

“Nah, it’s Wednesday evening, not like I had anything on. Besides, it’s my job to help the actors out.”

“No, it’s your job to help with cues and props. You didn’t have to do this.”

You shrugged.

“Well, I wanted to.”

That evening, as he lay in his uncomfortable dorm room bed, he thought of your words. He shook his head lightly and let himself smile at the ceiling.

You wanted to.

—

“Hey, Y/N, what do I have to do to get you to call me your sweet prince?” Race winked.

“Die,” you deadpanned.

—

Race put his books down on the table, and sat down across from you, giving you a light wave. You pulled out an earphone and greeted him.

“Hey,” he replied, easily. “I missed you at rehearsal yesterday.”

Your heart beat a little harder.

“Yeah, sorry,” you said, “I talked to Bunsen, but I forgot to text you. I had a physics prac.”

“Don’t apologise to me,” he waved a hand dismissively. “How’d the prac go?”

If it was anyone else, you would have assumed that they were asking out of politeness, but Race didn’t even attempt to mask the earnestness in his voice.

“It went well, but I think I would have preferred to see you and Albert work on that fight scene,” you grinned at him.

“Oh, boy,” he answered, “that was a mission.”

You let yourself focus on the way his eyes twinkled while he told the story, throwing in an occasional noise of agreement or chuckle. You hadn’t really wanted to see him and Albert poking one another’s eyes out with prop swords, but you didn’t get to see Race much outside of rehearsals, and Wednesday afternoons were quickly becoming the highlight of your week.

—

“Hey, Y/N, you ever seen a beast with two backs?”

You rolled your eyes and didn’t answer.

“You wanna help me make one?” Race grinned.

“I’d rather be pursued by a bear.”

—

“Do you ever get jealous of our dope costumes?” Finch asked you, as you took his measurements for a tunic.

“Definitely not. I get to dress like a member of My Chemical Romance every night, and I get a headset.”

Race was watching you from the corner of the room, trying not to feel jealous of his friend’s proximity to you. Finch caught his eye and grinned, waggling his eyebrows. You were on his side now, wrapping the tape measure around his waist. Race’s eyes were still on you, and he grimaced a little at Finch’s smug face.

Most of the cast knew he had a thing for you. Hell, at this point he figured NASA was laughing at him from space. You were still painfully oblivious, and when you pushed Finch away and waved Race over, he immediately straightened up. He bounced over to you and tried his best to keep his heart in check as you stood near enough for him to get a breath of your perfume. His hand tapped tunelessly on his thigh, and, without thinking, you reached out to still it. Your hands touched for just a moment, but Race could barely hear over the blood roaring in his ears, so he looked around desperately. Romeo looked at him from across the room and smirked.

—

“Y/N!” you heard a voice call from somewhere behind you. You turned and spotted Romeo, waving as he made his way to you. You weren’t exactly best friends, but you chatted sometimes during rehearsals and you liked him.

You gave him a pleasant smile as he fell into step next to you.

“So,” he said, “are you coming to rehearsal tomorrow?”

“Yep,” you answered, “but I’ve gotta catch my history prof during her office hours, so I’ll probably be a little late.”

Romeo’s eyes twinkled with something that you couldn’t pin down.

“Aw, Race’ll miss you!”

Oh, that was it. He was making fun of you. You gave a purposefully casual shrug.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Rome.”

He rolled his eyes.

“Oh, come on, you’re seriously going to tell me that there isn’t something going on between you two?”

“He isn’t, I mean, we’re not like that, at all. We’re colleagues, friends. Not anything else.”

He gave you a mischievous grin.

“The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”

—

Opening night came by quicker than any of you had expected. Between classes and midterms, the time had slipped away from you, and, soon, you were standing backstage, checking through registers an hour before you had to call places for the first scene. You jumped a little when someone tapped you on the shoulder.

You turned to see Race, looking every bit like Danish royalty and giving you a princely smile. Your face broke out into a grin.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hi,” you replied. “You look good.”

You weren’t kidding. You had seen him in costume before, of course, but tonight he was glowing with anticipation, handsome even before he’d put on his stage makeup.

“Thanks,” he replied, smirking, “I was channelling my inner you.”

“Shut up,” you swatted at him with your clipboard.

“Hey, is not the truth, the truth?” he retorted.

“Don’t quote Henry IV at me for brownie points,” you poked him in the chest, “I can tell that you need something.”

“What, I can’t talk Shakespeare to my favourite stage manager, now?”

“I’m your only stage manager, Race.”

“Okay, fine. I usually do my makeup myself, but, uh, my hands are a little shaky tonight. Could you help me out?”

He looked adorably nervous, as if you’d actually be able to say no to him.

“Of course, Higgins.”

You borrowed some BB cream and an eyeliner pencil from one of the other boys and made your way to a unisex bathroom. Race leant against the counter, and you stood in front of him, trying your best to ignore the proximity of your faces. You heard his breath hitch a little when you dabbed some of the cream onto his cheek, and you hoped that it was because of your skin touching his. You ignored his eyes running over your face as you blended it in. For once, he was completely still.

He began to wriggle a little when you moved on to eyeliner, flinching away from you, until you had to cradle his face to keep him from moving away. When you were finished, you admired your work. You were no Jeffree Star, but it’d do.

“Uh, to be honest, I lied earlier,” Race said, quietly. “My hands weren’t shaking, I just wanted to get you alone.”

You swallowed drily.

“Well, you’ve got me, Higgins, what are you going to do now?”

“I just wanted to say thanks, I guess. You’ve helped me so much, through this whole process. I know I’m the one who’s gonna be up there on stage, but, you’re the real star of the show.”

You smiled, gently.

“It’s my job, Race, and I’m more than happy to do it. But, did you really have to lie to me just to say thanks?”

He gulped.

“That’s, uh, not all.”

You looked at him questioningly, but, before you could say anything, his hands were on your hips, pulling you nearer to him.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey,” you echoed.

“Y/N, am I imagining the, uh, something between us? Just, tell me now if I’ve read anything wrong. But, even if I am kidding myself, I just feel like I should say this. I’m playing the main part in one of the most important plays ever, in less than an hour and the thing that I’m most nervous about is still what you’ll think of me after.”

You sighed, deeply.

“You aren’t imagining anything, Race. I feel, uh, something too.”

He beamed at you, and leaned down, pulling you impossibly nearer, when the door swung open. JoJo’s eyes grew to the size of dinner plates, and he hurriedly apologised, before he was gone as quickly as he had come. When you turned back to Race, the moment had been broken. You moved away from him and didn’t notice the way he deflated at the distance.

“C’mon, your Majesty,” you said, reaching for his hand. “I have to go make sure that everyone is where they’re supposed to be.”

—

The last show came as quickly as the first had, surprising all of you. The cast had entered into a rhythm, now, and you barely had to call places anymore. Still, it gave you an excuse to stop by Race’s dressing room while you waited for the first scene to end. You knocked, lightly, and pushed the door open to him sitting in front of the mirror, examining a beautiful bouquet of roses.

“Wow,” you said, “someone’s got admirers.”

He turned to you with a familiar smirk.

“Aw, Y/N, there’s no need to be jealous. They’re just from Jack.”

You began to argue, but decided against it, moving over to where he was sitting, instead, and picking up a single rose, and holding it up to the light.

“That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet.”

He looked surprised.

“What? You’re not the only one who can quote Shakespeare, you know.”

“Oh, I know. I’m just surprised that you’re quoting Juliet, is all. You’re an Ophelia if I ever met one.”

You clutched a hand to your chest.

“So, I’m weak-willed and manic?”

“No, not even a little. But, you are my major love interest.”

He winked, but there was something certain in his eyes.

“You’re breaking Sarah’s heart.”

He stood up and moved to hold your hand.

“Y/N. You know all that stuff I joke about? Like, us being together and stuff?”

You nodded, once.

“Well, I haven’t been joking. This show is almost over, and I don’t see you much outside of it, so I figured that I should tell you that. That I’m not joking.”

He palm was sweaty against yours, and, barely even thinking, you put a hand on his shoulder and kissed him. You and Race were not star-crossed lovers, but you felt that it was better that way. Most Shakespeare plays were tragedies, and, this time, you wanted a happy ending.

­—

The next winter, you were sitting across from him at the breakfast table, running lines again. Halfway through a phrase, Race cut himself off, smiling at something in his head.

“What’s so funny about Macbeth?” you asked.

“Nothing,” he answered, turning his smile on you. “I was just thinking.”

“About?”

“I can’t get over how a year ago, I wanted to learn your name and now you’re having breakfast with me in my sweater in our apartment.”

You beamed at him, getting up to peck him on the lips. He stood and deepened the kiss, smiling into it.

“I do love nothing in the world so well as you,” he murmured against your lips. “Is not that strange?”

TAGLIST: @pinecovewoods @racescoronas @broadwayandbookblog @ilovejoshburrage @crazymecjc @bencookisagod 

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#newsies x reader #race higgins x reader #race higgins #newsies: the musical #newsies fanfiction

[relaxandlaughatyourself]

Recap of Dem and Ika’s IG Live, May 10, 2019

They did two lives, totaling about an hour and twenty minutes. They were incredibly happy and touchy. Constant laughter and playfulness.

Dem is going to take a shower, but Ika wants him to stay and talk to us as well.

Ika says her hair is growing back and feels thick, she has Dem feel it. Ika: “How’s it feel?” Dem: “Thick. Luscious. This is all you, this isn’t a wig? Oh my…”

She thinks she looks older with the wig. When seeing herself on the jury segment, she hated her makeup and thought she looked so old. She thinks she looked crazy. Mentions how people think she looked pregnant, and is offended people think she looks pregnant. “I know I gained some weight, but y’all are wrong for that.” Dem named her wig Shelia. She wishes she wore her own hair and did her own makeup. She facetimed Dem right after the makeup was done and “I said, babe, I look crazy. And he said I looked beautiful so I went on tv looking like a drag queen.” Dem hasn’t seen the segment yet. She thinks makeup makes her look old, and for tv they pile on the makeup, “so they’re piling on the oldness”.

She’s ranting about people calling her pregnant and Dem is texting, “babe, I’m going through a lot, what are you doing?” “I just can’t stop eating at night. You look good, you workout, you look fine.”

Dem: “The next rumors are going to be that you’re crazy.” Ika: “But those aren’t rumors, those are true.”

Dem’s trying to take a nap, “we’ll get him, I promise. If you fall asleep, things will happen to you.” Dem: “Don’t act up for the people.”

Thoughts on Adam and Sam. She loves them, huge Sam stan. Dem: “He’s lovestruck.”

Thoughts on Anthony. She doesn’t hate Anthony, off camera he’s super funny and super nice, but on camera… she’s silent lol. He makes people feel insignificant, that’s how she felt the jury felt above him. He played a great game though.

So much happened at the roundtable that didn’t make the cut. She was filming for three hours. The jury was very pro Dane at that point. She was most shocked at Cory, she was very bitter, acting like Anthony and her were married and he was having an affair and she found out in jury. At one point she did say that she was angry at him and he was treating her like everyone else, she thought she was special. She was not a fan of Mark while on the show, but she appreciated him so much at the roundtable because he was one of the only people besides Cory who gave her so much, he was taking her jabs and laughing; it changed her opinion on him.

Este and Kiki. She’s silent, and Dem is giving her looks off camera. Este is sweet, and knows that she didn’t play a good game. She has respect for Este for that.

Dane. Thinks he is an amazing winner, the best winner bbcan has ever had. Dem gives a thumbs up. He’s well rounded. Dem thinks he was the best social player and the best comp player, and Ika agrees. Dem says Anthony played well but didn’t win a damn thing. Ka: “Are you coming for my edges? Winning comps isn’t everything, Demetres.”

Ika doesn’t agree with people who say that her and Anthony played similar games. “It’s hard to not touch the block, but it’s hard to sit on the block with your ride or die and escape together. Twice.” Ika notes that she and Dem were the biggest threats in the house, Anthony wasn’t seen as that. Anthony is great, but they played similar but different games. Anthony controlled people in a wicked way, Ika didn’t control people that way, she had to work. Anthony played an incredible game, just wasn’t likeable.

Kyra. They survived, and was never really the target. They had a mentally hard time because they were pawns and their allies kept leaving. She mentions that they are nice. Also notes how she messes up on the pronouns sometimes and Kyra understands it’s a learning process, and appreciates the effort. Ika reminds everyone to correct people, but in a way that doesn’t make them feel bad, because almost always the person doesn’t mean it negatively or out of disrespect, it’s learning, “so you don’t have to give Demetres angry faces.” Ika notes that she doesn’t know what it would have been like going through the house alone, “I don’t know what I would have done without you, and having someone to laugh with, laugh at people with, drag with, make fun of people with. We did a lot of making fun of people in that house, we were so petty. It’s an easy way of passing time. And we wonder why no one likes us.” Dem: “Turns out they recorded all that.”

Damien. He’s a great guy, was Elijah’s fav player. Elijah says that he doesn’t say anything and that makes him smart because he has nothing to back it up. Dem: “Wisdom coming from the kid, eh.” Elijah also says his expressions are funny. “When people say he’s too nice for BB, what’s that say about us? He’s a nice guy… [Dem]. I’m a nice girl. […] I think my boyfriend is a really nice person.” Dem: “You’re nice too. You’re a nice person. It’s hard for a lot of people to see that but she is.” Ika starts yelling at him in a funny way asking why people think that, “I think it’s stuff like this” he laughs. Dem: “You’re actually the nicest person I’ve ever met. I’m not just saying that.” Ika says she’s nicer than Dem and Dem agrees. Ika says Dem is nicer in that he gives people more chances, Ika is kinder, more giving, more compassionate. Dem says he’s more ruthless; Ika says because he’s business, he’s not afraid of having hard convos. Dem has compassionate moments.

Ika says she wants to tell one of their jokes. She says he’s making a really big investment – “yay!” – (and they high five), and it’s going to take up a lot of money, “so I told him to stick both hands up cause I didn’t want any fingers crossed, and I told him to stick his toes up, I asked are you doing this big investment that will eat up a lot of money because you can say that we can put off getting married because the money is going into the business, into the investment. Instead of putting that money into a ring or a wedding. He says that never crossed his mind, he’s thinking of putting the money in our future, in that, it’s going to grow and do this and make more money.” Dem: “These opportunities, when they come up, you have to pull the trigger.” Ika: “But him and his trickeries. But this is why we work, I have these thoughts and I don’t keep them inside. Either way, you’re buying a ring.”

Dem says there’s a diamond mine in Kansas, and for $10 a day, you can go fish for your own diamonds. He said it’ll take him like a month, so that plus accommodations won’t be that bad. Ika: “We were talking – we were probably drinking because Demetres hates talking marriage, he gets red. We were talking about what kind of ring. Since we both love the number five, it’s special to us, I was thinking a 5 carat ring is only logical.” Dem: “So I said .5, move the decimal.” Ika said then that she thinks it would be nice for him to dig for the diamond so there’s a story, he didn’t just go to a store. So Dem googled it and came up with this $10 a day thing. Dem says Ika wants him to go to Africa and dig up a big rock. Ika: “Don’t say Oh I love you, I’ll do anything, but you won’t go!” Dem: “I’ll go to Kansas!” Ika: “Don’t come for me.” Dem: “Just kidding, we’re going to Vegas, I’m just gonna buy her one.”

Dem then asks how does the ring help their future life out. “What’s it good for? It goes down the sink.” Dem: “It’s about the sentimental value, it’s not about the price. It’s about the symbol of our love. What if I spend $3k, save the half a million, invest it in some real estate and we make some money instead.” Dem then googles how much a 5 carat ring is. Ika: “We’re not getting married, we’re just having conversations, this is what we do.” Dem says there is $50k one, but it’s probably crap quality, and Ika wants good quality. Dem says they can negotiate, maybe 1.5 carats.

Ika notes that they went to Wendy’s before they went home. Dem: “The marketing has worked on us.”

Ika says he’s a true Greek, all he cares about is money. They laugh. Dem: “I care about you too.” Ika: “He does. He does care about me.” Dem: “More than money?” Ika: “Hmph, I don’t know!” Dem: “I do. I’m not going into details… I care about you more than money.” Ika: “Really?” Dem: “Yeah.” Ika: “How do I know?” Dem smiles and nods a bit. Ika: “Because you moved here?” Dem: “No… uh, moving on!” Ika: “Why?! How do I know?” Dem: “Because, baby. Tell them how you ruined my nap earlier.” They laugh about him changing the subject.

They go back to the $10 ring, Dem: “These guys go to the mall. The mall! They went for a burger, left with a ring! I went to Kansas for a diamond. For you.” Ika says he only chose Kansas cause it was the first thing that came up. Dem: “So you want me to go to Siberia? There’s probably one on Mount Everest too, but I would die less often going to Kansas.”

Ika reads a comment if they’re done with youtube. Dem: “Yes! No.” He laughs while Ika scolds him for being mean. Dem says youtube is so time consuming, and Dem is putting more time into real estate. She says she’s blaming him, he’s fine with it, but it was actually Ika who wanted the break. Dem was a little mad at first because you have to be consistent but he agrees. They say it’s fun, but with their busy schedules, it wasn’t sustainable. They say they made some money, but Dem doesn’t think they’re youtube star material. Ika says she’s a star and shakes her boobs, Dem: “You are a star, especially if you do that.”  

They say they will make videos again. Dem jokes it will be a month long vlog of him looking for diamonds and then finding the one in Kansas.

Ika says she thinks Sam and Adam will be the first bbcan couple to get married. Dem: “You have no faith in me, do you?” Ika says no, absolutely not, but because her and Dem took their relationship slower and had a lot of hurdles, including long distance and moving, and Adam and Sam are already near each other.

Ika says that they talked about how they would get married and not tell anyone for a year or so. Dem says they’re not the type of people to flash their wedding photos everywhere, Ika agrees but says to not say that in case they do. Dem: “Someone 10 years from now will send us that clip from this live.” Ika: “10 years?!” Dem: “5 years…” Ika: “5 years?!” Dem: “2 years…” She pushes him and they laugh hysterically, she tickles him. Dem: “These diamonds are hard to find, I’ll have to make a couple trips.” Ika says they wouldn’t tell anyone then have people over for a bbq and say they’re there to celebrate their one year anniversary.

Dem mentions that the wig is named Shelia, and she says it’s her fav wig, which Dem questions since she just throws it down. She goes to put the wig on Dem, “I am not a pretty long haired person.”

Someone asks how Jamaica was and they say they vlogged it for us a bit. They may post it at some point.

They said Jamaica was really nice, Ika’s family showed Dem all of her baby pictures, and he kind of wants to do a video like they did with his. They laugh about the pictures, she had weird hair and teeth, and Dem says really big knees. Dem says she smiled really weird too, like tilted her head down, glared with her eyes and smiled. He impersonates it.

Dem went to Ika’s church while they were there, and he loved it. He kept saying it was a celebration, it was lit, he understands why they like going to church – he’d go every week if it was like that. “I thought those churches were only in the movies!” He said the guy would be telling stories, throwing hands and singing and then randomly should “hallelujah”. It was amazing. Ika says that a couple weeks before Jamaica he took her to a Greek church, Dem: “It felt like a funeral.” Ika: “Glad you said it and not me.” Dem said he was also singled out at the Jamaican church, “meet our new friend Demetres.” And they asked him to stand. Ika says they welcomed her too, but Dem says she didn’t stand cause she wasn’t really new.

After church he met people who knew Ika when she was little, who knew her grandma.

She mentions that everyone in Jamaica has a nickname, Ika says he can tell us, but he says to keep it to themselves.

Her aunt has a big backyard and she likes crab, so they caught some to make for them. But the crabs escaped from the bucket and Ika freaked out, was screaming, “it was the rat video all over again.” Dem did get a video of it. Ika says her brother’s friend also brought music to the dinner. Dem loved the crab. He then says Miss Pinky’s crab was the best; Ika says she made crabs when she was little, and they all still knew her.

They talk about how there was a bible school they went to, but it was hot and they didn’t love it.

His aunt would talk to Dem and be like, “when’s the wedding? I can’t wait until my teeth fall out for the pictures.”

Dem and Ika made their own souvenir, they bought rum, brought it to the beach, drank it, had a heart to heart, and then took the sand that was between them and put it in the bottle. Dem: “Just fyi, they’ll give you hell at the airport because they’ll think there’s alcohol.” Dem says the bottle of sand is sacred, it’s heart to heart sand. Ika mentions that they had another heart to heart, but this one was better, “we had a lot of heart to hearts in Jamaica.” Dem: “We did.”

They went to a party in Jamaica too.

Ika says she needs to get new boobs again, they’re getting deflated. She asks if Dem thinks her boobs are okay.

They’re going out to the wrap party, but Dem still has to shower; they’re not getting there until later. EFS is where the alumni are going, but they’re going to the actual wrap party. They may go to EFS after but they’re not sure.

Ika: “Dem’s not mad, he’s a little honey bunches.”

Dem notes that his dad mentioned that his mom refused to take photos, so he thinks it’s hereditary why he doesn’t like people taking his pics for IG. Ika: “That was like the stone ages though, your dad is 70, so that was a long time ago.” Dem says she thought it would take her soul.

They like Adam and Sam but they don’t like Sadam.

Dem says that he’s only met Dane. Ika says that the periscope was short today because she interviewed him right before and that will be aired at some point.

They note that they don’t watch tv, they stream BB, survivor, the challenge and sports.

Someone comments Dem’s hair looks like, he gets happy. Ika: “My little Demetres!”

Ika says that lives are more fun with Dem, there’s more to talk about.

They say bye, Dem throws his shirt on the couch to finally shower.

#ig live #sorry it's so long #it was soo good tho

[writingwithadragon]

Two Dead Men Walking

This story was inspired by this post by @fzzzzzzzz

Smitty and Kryoz are both living two lives. One with the BBS while the other is with the Misfitz (or the joke name Gay Bay Gang). The two gangs have had many problems in the past resulting in multiple turf wars. If either of the gangs found out those two are also in the other gang. Their bodies will never be found again. 

Prologue 

Prologue - Where It All Begins

A man walked down the lifeless sidewalk, night had made its way to the sky. The man had a place to be, though he constantly heard fighting coming from the alley. It would all start with one phrase, “Hey you got the money?”, it always seemed to hiss its way from the alleys around this time at night. He was used to it, as he often has to say it to others. He actually just finished a drug deal, and it ended with someone dead. It was only around nine at night, the autumn wind ruffled his white hair. It got colder as the man progressed his way to work. He pushed up his weird blue and red glasses as he walked. His head hung low as his fingers twitched from the cold. His white jacket was sprayed in blood, but you could only tell from up close. A stash of money hid in a jacket pocket. The sight of his glasses made others hightail it out of there. One woman even called him the ‘Devil's child’, he didn't care, she had no idea what he went through. Spotting the nightclub Smitty walked at a quicker pace. Ducking into the alleyway that leads to the back of the building. He started to run, all he wanted to do was get back to his room, change, finish work, and sleep. Reaching the end of the alley Smitty relaxed a bit.

There was a black metal door with a blue light shining on it. He rushed for it, but stopped in front of it, he let out a breath of air and continued. He pushed the metal door opening his way into the back of the nightclub. When he looked up from pushing the door he saw that everyone was there, except for Tyler who went to go grab a new shirt. He took a seat at the bar and stared at his hands. A sudden hand on his shoulder made him jump, he turned to see a nice familiar face. It was just Anthony with a smile that can calm a rampaging Tyler.

“You alright there buddy?” he asked with a chuckle, his hand lightly squeezed my shoulder in concern.

He was a big man, short compared to Tyler and David. He might not look like it with his scruffy clothes and his spending money, but he and Luke were in charge of our finances. Of course, it was their money, they can spend it on what they like. He wore a black and white jacket and old blue jeans. But if you just looked at him in the city, you would probably mistake him for a homeless man.

“Some crazy ass dude. Tried to kill him, I put a bullet into that dumbass's head,” Tyler's sudden appearance from the stairs seemed to freak out everyone except for, and of course, Evan and Brock.

Tyler, Brock, and Evan were the ones to start this gang. Brock doesn't even look like he could so much hurt a fly. But you never want to get on his bad side. Last time that happened their screams were echoing in our minds for months. Evan is a laid back kind of dude, he creates mission plans with Lui and Scott. Who both know the city's ins and outs like the back of their hands. Tyler is the one who could intimidate anyone just by playing a video game. He gets loud and violent, making for a good combat and gun trainer. He often does deals but will always get his hands dirty.

“Are you okay to work tonight?” Brock asked he runs this nightclub, although we all call it a bar, and he doesn't drink if he can help it.

He wore his normal sunset tank top and his blue jeans. His tattoos visible, he had about six big tattoos and a few small ones. But the one he never covers is his neck tattoo, unless in public, of white wings. Evan and Tyler say he wasn't really into tattoos when they first met him, but he already had that one. And about his past, no one knows, he isn't even registered as a citizen in the city.

“Yeah I think so, and the bar opens in like what, thirty minutes, I'm not making you bartend tonight,” Smitty weakly smiled as he started to walk upstairs. “And I'll put the money in the vault upstairs for you guys.”

Tyler huffed and looked at Evan and Brock for agreement. They nodded and Tyler let Smitty pass him. He walked up the stairs to Brock's office, he passed his room and two others. The one closest to his room was a bathroom, while the other one was Brock's room. Smitty has never seen Brock’s room before, and he doesn't want to. When he did make it to Brock's office and stopped and stared at the door. The door was always unlocked but the fear of Brock's anger keeps everyone out, even Tyler and Evan. Smitty let out a breath and shook a bit. Even given the permission by Brock himself, Smitty was still terrified to go into the office. He opened the door with a shaky hand, he smelled the air. It smelled like flowers and fruit. And everything was clean and tidy. The papers on Brock's deck were stacked neatly and held in a basket. Walking around the desk Smitty pushed the worn out chair to the side and kneeled in front of the small vault. Smitty knew the code by heart and Brock liked talking to him, he doesn't understand why, and wanted him to remember it in case he forgot it.

Smitty turned the dial to four numbers, and with a satisfying click, he opened the door. Inside were stacks of hundreds, taking the money out from his coat he counted it and put it all into the vault. Normally Smitty was allowed to take three or four hundred bucks for each deal. He was sure Brock wouldn't notice, if he did, Smitty didn't want to think of the possible outcomes. He closed and locked the vault and headed into his room. He replaced his jacket and Tyler’s plain black shirt with a pink dress shirt, a blue-grey vest, and a fancy red and purple tie. His ripped up jeans were replaced with blue-grey dress pants. His shoes were replaced by a pair of black dress shoes... that was shined… he never shined shoes before… he'll ask Brock later.

Smitty turned to the sound of knocking, their stood Brock. He wore a white dress shirt, a light grey vest, and a bright blue tie. His hands were in his grey dress pants’ pockets. Harsh eyes looking into Smitty's soft and fearful eyes.

“Office, now,” Brock growled, did he notice, or did he find out.

Smitty followed the man into his office. A seat was set up for the young man already. He took his seat while Brock took his. Brock intertwined his fingers and rested them on his desk. His eyes never left Smitty's. Smitty clearly knew why Brock was the interrogator.

“Smitty? Do you know why you're in my office?” Brock's voice was low and his words seem to drop from his mouth like venom.

Smitty shook his head, “No, I-I don't know what I did wro-”

A quick hand to Smitty's throat shut him up quickly, “Don't continue that, I know you left or share in the vault. And I know what you really did in that alleyway. Did you really think Tyler wouldn't tell me?” Brock's tone was like a shot to the heart. “And I want to know why you fucking snapped!”

Smitty was shaking violently at this point, especially because Brock never let go of his throat. And the fact Brock swore was terrifying in itself.

“I don't know, he said some stuff and I lost it! It was all a blur. But he was insulting everyone, and I remembered who he was. And I just refused the fact that he was still alive, I-I snapped. I don't regret it either, that piece of horse shit deserves what I did to him. Everything and I still think he deserved more pain and suffering,” Smitty was growling by the end, he never notices Brock's hand tightening.

“Shut it, you're going to tell me what the hell happened later. Right now you need to calm down,” Brock’s smile snapped Smitty out of it, the smile reminded him of when Brock kills. It was always plastered to his face. Then Brock's grasp caught up to him. “We have work to do in ten minutes, and John will be here tonight. So just relax, and sorry about choking you. You started snapping again.

“It's fine, I'll just go and set up the bar,” Smitty answered with a sad sigh. Brock is so going to cut him from the gang later, he knew it too.

“It's fine? You're obviously not, tomorrow morning you are joining me for the day. Everyone is worried about you. You're young and most of us still know almost nothing about you,” Brock's creepy smile was replaced by his usual one, his eyes softened.

“So you're not gonna kill me?” Smitty asked getting a chuckle in return.

“I'm not going to kill you unless you wear those glasses to work again. You hear me?” Brock laughed gliding his hand through his styled hair.

“Don't worry I learned my lesson last time. I got no sleep and a head-splitting migraine,” Smitty said with a guilty tone, rubbed the back of his neck.

“Oh and don't worry about a bruise, I know my limits. But here is some ice, if you want it,” Brock said as he got up from his chair and handed Smitty a bag of ice. Smitty thought for a moment “Brock could be such a teddy bear”, as Jon puts it was all that popped into his head.

“Thanks, see ya in a bit,” Smitty smiled putting the bag of ice on his neck. It felt so good.

Smitty soon realized Brock left him in his office. In a slight panic he ‘raced’ to his room, but made sure he closed the door. It was only two rooms over, and why Brock let Smitty live with him was still a mystery. When he got to his room he looked at the clock in the corner of his room. Three minutes until the club opens, Smitty panicked as he put his bag of ice in his mini freezer. And rushed downstairs past Brock and Anthony. He jumped/slid over the bar counter and quickly checked were everything was, and cleaned off the bar table. With only a minute to spare.

“Hey flash, nice work!” Anthony laughed as he said goodbye to Brock and Smitty.

“Cool your jets, tonight will be slow,” Brock laughed unlocking the front doors.

Some people have been waiting outside for hours to get in, the bouncers seemed to say they're the same people every time. Smitty never knows because they go straight for the dance floor. The next group of people coming are his regulars. Most are alcoholics or junkies just hanging out. Smitty didn't mind them, but around eleven most people start to pack the bar. Some just to get a quick drink, others sit and chat. But tonight the bar top was almost empty. Smitty was washing out a cup when a familiar voice asked for his usual. Taking out a small object from his pocket and handed it to the man. Getting a laugh in response.

“Thanks, Smitty,” John grinned, Smitty turned to face him only to get a face full of smoke, getting another chuckle from Brock who was just passing by.

“Hey John,” Smitty laughed as he grabbed the good scotch and poured some in a glass and put down in front of John.

“How did you know I liked the cotton candy flavoring?” John asked, after taking a draw from his vape.

“I know you like the back of my hand John, nothing gets past me. Any news from the Misfitz?” Smitty asked after checking Brock wasn't around.

“Fitz wants to speak with you tomorrow night since you have the night off. Smitty? Are you okay,” John asked as Smitty went pale, what was he going to say.

“Fuck me,” Smitty said Brock's pissed off face flashed in his head. “I’m so gonna end up dead.”

“Wait! What?” John asked with a worried face. “What happened? I don't see Brock anywhere. Why did you freeze? Smitty talk to me! Please!”

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Prologue

#two dead men walking au #my au #based off a picture/art #prologue #bbs #misfitz #smi77y #kryozgaming #moo snuckel #i am wildcat #vanossgaming #bigjigglypanda #cartoonz