#otp: death and the maiden

[captainsavre]

And I'll be turning on my wife so that her cervix opens up. Maya and Carina || Station 19 (5.16 Death and the Maiden)

#happy thanksgiving everyone 😏 #carina deluca #station 19 #station19edit #station19 #carinadelucaedit #marina #maya and carina #maya x carina #stefania spampinato #5x16 #death and the maiden #mine #tv: cd #tv: s19 #wlw #lgbtqia #lgbt #girls like girls #otp: you’re my home

[juodojimirtis]

Valak: I'm the incarnation of darkness and ancient evil, my heart is made of steel, I cannot feel-

Irene: hi

Valak: I'm in love with you

#the nun #the conjuring universe #conjurverse #valak #sister irene #valak x sister irene #valak/sister irene #otp #death and the maiden #horror fandom #the conjuring fandom #the nun incorrect quotes #the conjuring universe incorrect quotes #incorrect conjurverse #only she can make him blabber like that #the conjuring crack

[crown-ov-horns]

We all know Valak sabotaged Irene's hotel reservation, so he could offer her his place to stay.

#the nun #the nun 2 #the conjuring universe #sister irene #valak #otp #valak x sister irene #death and the maiden #the conjurverse #the nun crack #the conjuring crack #horror fandom #the conjuring fandom #the nun fandom #diary pages #he conveniently suddenly had a place nearby

[onewomancitadel]

I often take for granted what Jaune/Cinder is in tone because I'm focussed on the redemptive fairytale element, but fundamentally it is dark at heart. Lost maidens and old sad knights and a cursed dragon. It's too late, past millennia when this problem might have been fixed, already well past moral transgression, and pain, and suffering, and death. I mean, Cinder marks the death of innocence in the story. The Fall Maiden got her name through hunting and killing and the Rusted Knight through living out the worst fairytale possible, condemned and alone, and the two of them are the dark side of the Ozlem cycle. They're enemies. And it's so sad. And where were you twenty years ago? Ten years ago? Where were you when I was new? When I was one of those innocent young maidens you always come to? But like. That's the point. If the story can be recontextualised (if he can see that she's a maiden he can help and he's a Huntsman who won't fail her), if they can save each other, then what else is possible? If in every single way, whatever Ozma has tried to do to stop Salem has failed, what is left? And I like to believe that really, after all, it's a love story. (:

#knightfall #the myths about dragons that at the last moment are transformed into princesses #otp: the rusted knight and the fall maiden #the poison and the love potion are the same potion #and she said to Tristan you have drunk your death #and Tristan said if by my death you mean this agony of love #then that is my life #and if by my death you mean the punishment we are to suffer if discovered which is namely execution #I accept that #and if by my death you mean eternal punishment in the fires of hell #then I accept that too.

[pitchannawarmsourblackhearts]

@deadlyflames // Six of Crows, Leigh Barduga // "The Unquiet Dead", Doctor Who // Rebecca, Daphne de Maurier // The Phantom of the Opera (2001) // "Love Like You", Rebecca Sugar // Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) // "Epic III", Hadestown // Le Cid, Pierre Corneille (tr. A.S. Kline) // Snow White: A Tale of Terror (1997) // Mark of Athena, Rick Riordan // On the Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, Ocean Buong // The Phantom of the Opera (1990) // His Girl Friday (1940) // Dominion, Brian A. McBride // The History of Love, Nicole Krauss // “Death and the Maiden”, George Clark // “Don’t Fear the Reaper”, Blue Oyster Cult 

#pitchanna #web weave #anna #pitch black #mine #a post maybe 5 people will get or appreciate #rise of the brave tangled frozen dragons #frozen #rise of the guardians #aesthetic #parallels #otp: i have loved the stars too fondly #villain x heroine #ships #beast and beauty #death and the maiden

[askthelovenest]

Number 9 with Gabriel -eyes emoji- for the kiss meme >:)

9. Bloody kiss

How do you get to someone with no soul?

You take away their heart.

(Sorry this took so long! Thanks for the ask anon!)

#ask the love nest #selfship #selfinsert x canon #selfinsert #overwatch #overwatch reaper #overwatch gabriel reyes #gabriel reyes #death and the maiden (ship) #otps #my art #ask #ask game

[i-did-not-mean-to]

YOTP - February

For V-day, I'll give you the YOTP fic for February.

A reluctant OTP, but an OTP nevertheless...Please, have some Merestor x Glorfindel (with art from @sauroff)

Lots and lots, heaps and heaps, of love for y'all!

Pairing: Glorfindel x Erestor

Prompt: Valentine's Day, Pollen/Fear Gas/Truth Serum, Established Relationship/Long Distance, different, mermaid, "If I kiss you, will you shut up?"

Words: 2 500

Warning: Sacrifice, implied monsterfucking, Merestor is a savage, nudity

(very sexy art and not very sexy fic under the cut!)

“We are sorry,” the councilman whispered as he stood, outlined by ominous darkness on Glorfindel’s threshold. “You have been chosen. We are hoping—”

“I understand,” Glorfindel replied before the old man could rattle off the perfidious reasons for their cruel decision to send one of their most valued warriors to his death. It made sense, he thought, the threat with which the town had been dealing for quite some time now was not one he or anyone else could fight with swords and arrows.

Thus, he had become superfluous—dead weight, really, and he recognised that much without fail.

“Today is a good day to die,” he added, deep sadness making his voice sound as hollow as if it was already coming from the grave. “I cannot bear the festivities anyway.”

“You must find it heartless—”

“Not at all,” Glorfindel interrupted again. “It’s strangely poetic, don’t you think? Give me an hour to put everything in order, tell the neighbours, and distribute what few riches are left to me, and then I shall be all yours.”

“Very well. I am sorry, please believe me,” the man who had known the condemned for many long years breathed softly.

“I know,” Glorfindel said soothingly. “I appreciate the sentiment, but I am not loath to die. Especially not today!”

As he went through his meagre possessions, the golden-haired hero of another time smiled wistfully to himself.

Outside, maidens and young men were giggling breathlessly as they sang songs of love and hope and waved their elaborate bouquets through the fragrant night air—this was their day, the day of lovers, and Glorfindel felt ashamed of his visceral, asphyxiating resentment of their happiness.

Once upon a time, he had been much like them. Returning from a faraway war covered in glory and illustrious distinctions, he had managed to capture the heart and hand of a beautiful, smart, enchanting young man.

For a few blessed years, he and Erestor—for that had been his beloved’s name—had lived in peace and plenty. Every year, they’d light candles on this hallowed night and sit on the porch of their little dwelling to watch the procession of giddy youths, dancing through the street with elation.

Then, one day, Erestor had disappeared. Glorfindel had waited, searched, and despaired, but no trace of his darling had been found.

Looking back now, he realised that the “deep”—an ominous threat that had transformed the previously merry village into a ghost town of whispered conversations and furtive steps—had first made itself known around the same time.

Nobody knew exactly what it was and what it wanted, but it was generally understood that Erestor—Glorfindel’s very own husband—had been its first victim.

From that fateful spring on, cattle, people, and treasures vanished from the riverbanks and the edges of the underground lake that had always been a highly favoured bathing spot for the villagers. Fear fell like a shadow over the hamlet, stifling all life and laughter.

Soon, people avoided all running water, coming up with complex rituals of superstition and idiocy, but Glorfindel was too heartbroken still to even fear for his life; he wanted to know what had happened to his sweetheart.

At first, the elders had refused that he or anyone else should leave the safety of the village to seek out the mysterious creature that had been glimpsed by a few but never fully seen, and Glorfindel had reluctantly bowed to the pressure of public outrage.

Then, the sacrifices had started. Miscreants and rebels, bound and gagged, were left in the cave to feed and soothe the “deep”—and, to everybody’s horror and delight—they were gone by the time the guards came back in to check on them. As the mouth of the cavern was under perpetual surveillance, it was undeniable that it had to be the sea monster that had taken them.

A part of Glorfindel had always known that, sooner or later, he would be picked to be delivered to the pernicious pestilence haunting their home. His adamant refusal to wear the protective amulets or steer clear of the river had branded him an insurgent and a sceptic, and a community ruled by fear could and would not abide such disruptive, potentially dangerous faithlessness.

Thus, on the night of lovers, he was called upon to do what was necessary to keep a society from which he had almost entirely withdrawn safe. This would be his last act of heroism.

Glorfindel felt relieved and almost happy as he walked, flanked by the mayor and the councilman, down to the cave. Maybe, he thought, he’d be able to find out something about his lost lover; either way, he’d be freed of the torturous half-life he had been leading.

As he entered the cave, he was surprised and more than just a little touched to find countless candles burning in every nook and cranny.

The villagers had carved well-wishes into the melting wax or written down their prayers on little scraps of paper that were now buried under the slow-moving tide of pristine white, dripping off every wall.

“We have to…” the mayor looked up at Glorfindel with undisguised misery as he lifted the length of rope he had been kneading in his sweaty hands. “You can keep the clothes to prevent chafing.”

Chuckling wryly, Glorfindel shook his head slowly. He had promised his last possessions—the garments on his back and the bells in his hair—to the two brave men who stood by him as he set out for his last expedition.

“I hope that you’ll at least get a tankard of ale each for these,” he said as he laid the adornments he had cherished through many a hard year into their unworthy palms. “Now tie me up and leave. For all I’ve done for this village and for you, I think that I deserve the dignity of meeting my fate without having to worry about an audience.”

They complied readily, desperate to get away from the dark water lapping rhythmically against the sloping ground of the cave.

In their furious haste, they were less gentle with this season’s sacrifice than he’d have deserved, but Glorfindel was unfazed by the nails scraping heedlessly across his bare skin and the sharp bite of the rope into his tense flesh.

“Where…”

The councilman pointed at a few worn, discoloured pillows at the far end of the cavern, just a stone’s throw away from the frightening, liquid threat of the purling underground lake.

“Tasteful,” Glorfindel commented as he was heaved, pushed, and dragged to the designated spot. In his mind, images of his first successful attempts at seduction danced as if to taunt him.

He was no stranger to promiscuous poses and elaborate bondage, and—on this lonely night of lost love—he could truly appreciate the irony.

“I am ready,” he declared. “Withdraw and save your lives. Think of me fondly, and don’t let this ruin your evening. Go light a candle in my honour. Maybe, look the other way if you come across a particularly adventurous couple, I don’t know…”

He huffed—it annoyed him that he was still the one trying to comfort and calm the men who had condemned him to an undoubtedly horrid demise, but he couldn’t bear their sad, mournful gazes.

“I am not dead yet,” Glorfindel grunted when nobody moved. “Remember me like this—beautiful, alluring, and very much alive!”

Tensing and squirming against the irregular, badly tied knots, he averted his face which finally convinced his two hangmen to scamper away like the vermin they were.

“Let’s hope this monstrosity makes haste at the very least,” Glorfindel mumbled and leaned back against the smelly cushions as much as he could without cutting off his circulation.

Thankfully for the integrity and safety of his limbs, Glorfindel did not have to wait long until minute ripples on the hitherto perfectly placid surface of the lake heralded the imminent arrival of whatever lethal foe was lurking in the murky depths.

“Ah, a new one,” a voice resounded. To the intended victim’s utter astonishment, it sounded tired and impatient rather than gleefully wicked. “Why do they keep pawning their unwanted villagers off on me?”

Spellbound, Glorfindel twisted as much as his bonds allowed to see a shimmering, mesmerising creature cleave through the water.

“Eh, same as ever,” the aquatic being muttered and launched itself out of its watery habitat, twirling like a falling star and filling the stale, damp air with a fine powder that tasted sweet and cloying on Glorfindel’s tongue as he drew a deep breath. “What is it that you truly desire? Do not even try to lie to me—the spores you’ve just inhaled force you to tell the truth.”

“I want to know what happened to my love,” Glorfindel replied immediately, not even trying to struggle against the sudden heaviness pervading his limbs and befuddling his racing mind. “All I want is to find out where Erestor went.”

With a muted splash, the creature fell back into the arms of the inky lake until only a pair of brightly flashing eyes—as eerily familiar and yet entirely foreign as the accents of that enchanting voice—were visible.

Taking the monster’s silence as an invitation and unable to stem the tide of words that had been unleashed by the potent dust he had ingested, Glorfindel kept babbling about the one he had loved and lost, detailing Erestor’s indescribable beauty and admirable wit and sighing longingly.

“I know that you’ve taken him, and I’d beg you to reunite us!” he finally pleaded.

“You think that I have killed your lover,” the creature mused, its words setting off a flurry of bubbles, dancing over the glassy surface of the water. “And you’d be willing to meet that same fate?”

“Yes. Life itself is worth nothing if it’s to be devoid of all joy and love!”

“You have ever been such a soppy fool! I should have known that my sacrifice would come to nought due to your reckless stubbornness!”

Heaving itself from its fluid realm once more, the creature drew inexorably closer.

“Who made those knots? What a mess! Just look at your beautiful skin!” Razor-sharp claws sliced through the rope without hesitation, and Glorfindel sat up, rubbing the sore spots his writhing had left behind.

“Erestor?” he cried as he now fully faced the well-known and desperately missed frame of the one he had sought for endless months.

There was no doubt about it, that visage—gleaming like mother of pearl and gold in the flickering light of the white candles—was the very one he saw in those terrible nightmares that haunted his every moment of respite.

“How? Why? What has happened? How have you come hither? Have you been enslaved against your will? What can I do? I have missed you so much, you can’t imagine! Oh Erestor, my love! Or…did you leave me of your own accord? Was I not a good husband to you? You should have told me that you were unhappy—I would have done anything to alleviate your dissatisfaction—”

“If I kiss you, will you shut up?” Erestor interrupted, and—not waiting for an answer—pressed his cool, wet lips against Glorfindel’s burning mouth in a gentle caress that grew frantic and heated almost instantly.

“Why?” Glorfindel whispered against the fragrant skin for which he had yearned with every fibre of his being.

“Old enemies came for you—you were out, at the market if I recall correctly—and they spoke terrible threats…” Erestor explained sheepishly. “You were always too rash to heed the warning signs of the deeper, darker secrets of the world.”

“But—”

“I’ve offered myself. What else could I do? The town needed you more than they did me!”

“I needed you! To hell with the accursed village—they’ve left me here, bound and naked, to be eaten by some fearsome monstrosity!” Glorfindel cried passionately.

“So they did,” Erestor agreed, anger and regret turning his eyes into splintered onyx. “It seems that I’ve been mistaken in my assessment, a rarity as you well know. I did not expect you to waste your time bemoaning my loss.”

“How dare you?” Glorfindel roared. Not minding the sharp protrusions on Erestor’s fingers or the dangerously pointy teeth flashing in the semi-darkness, he grabbed his lost husband by the shoulders and shook him vehemently. “I have never stopped looking and waiting for you—loving you—and if that ass of a mayor had not been so laughably terrified, I would have found out the truth much sooner!”

“Do they really think I’ve killed all these people?” Erestor inquired, leaning against the comforting, dry warmth of Glorfindel’s chest.

When the golden-haired sacrificial offering of beauty and valour nodded, he tossed back his head and laughed heartily.

“Believe you me, I did no such thing. It is in my power to grant one wish to those who seek me out in exchange for something they treasure—and what idiotic things they were—and so, I’ve helped every single person you’ve thrown down here escape the prison of paranoia and worry into which you’ve seemingly turned our once peaceful village.”

Glorfindel stared until his eyes overflowed with hot tears, leaving warm streaks of salt and salvation on his sculptural, freckled cheeks.

“I am so happy to see you—have you been well?” he asked breathlessly. “You should not have offered yourself that without consulting me! Of all the things to lose, I’d rather lose a limb than you!”

“I can see that now,” Erestor admitted. “I am sorry for doubting your love and your strength—they were very persuasive, and they tapped into my secret insecurity that someone like me—cerebral, somewhat scrawny, and undeniably mean—could never keep the love of one so glorious, handsome, and popular as you. It was all so new, and they made me believe that you’d soon grow tired of me anyway…This sacrifice was meant to be my parting gift.”

“And you dare call me a fool?” Glorfindel rasped as he bundled his merman husband—long, iridescent tail and webbed hands—onto his bare lap fitfully. As soon as that smooth, cool skin collided with his own heated flesh, he felt his body and all its dormant desires and impulses flare back to life.

“My love,” Erestor said warningly as he felt the testament of Glorfindel’s enduring, evidently unconditional ardour press against his scaly rear, “this is hardly the moment. I still have one wish to grant you—choose wisely!”

“Do you enjoy this life?” Glorfindel asked seriously, cupping Erestor’s soft cheek and searching his petulant gaze for any signs of dishonesty.

“Yes,” Erestor admitted after a moment’s reflexion. “It is strange, certainly, but I like it well! You’d…you couldn’t understand…”

“Then my wish is to join you!” Glorfindel exclaimed. “It is my turn to offer my life for your happiness. Make me what you are!”

So, that was my contribution to the YOTP for February!

I hope you've enjoyed this! Lots of love!

-> Masterlist

#og post #Fanfiction #writing #IDNMT writes #jrrt #Tolkien fanfiction #YOTP #yotp 2023 prompts #Glorestor #Glorfindel #Erestor #February #Truth Serum #Long Distance #Established Relationship #Different #Mermaid #Vday #If I kiss you...

[typingtess]

NCIS: Los Angeles Season 14 Rewatch: “Game of Drones”

The basics: A bombing at a drone facility kills one, injures another and sets off the search for some terrorists in Los Angeles.

Written by: R. Scott Gemmill wrote/cowrote “The Only Easy Day”, “Brimstone”, “Breach”, “LD50”, “Found”, “Borderline”, “Absolution”, “Archangel”, “Tin Soldiers”, “Impostors”, “Cyberthreat”, “Honor”, “The Watchers” and both sides of the NCIS Los: Angeles/Hawaii Five-0 “Touch of Death” episodes, “Recruit”, “Free Ride”, “Wanted”, “Ravens and The Swans”, “Impact”, “War Cries”, both ends of the “Deep Trouble” season five finale/season six premiere, “Inelegant Heart”, “Praesidium”, “Traitor”, “Active Measures” (season seven premiere), “Blame It On Rio”, “Internal Affairs”, “Matryoshka” part one, "Talion" (season seven finale), “High Value Target”/”Belly of the Beast” (season eight premieres), “The Queen’s Gambit”, “Under Siege”, “Unleashed” (season eight finale), “Party Crashers” (season nine’s premiere), “This Is What We Do” (episode 200), “Các Tù Nhân”, “Goodbye Vietnam”, “Ninguna Salida” (the season nine finale), “Hit List”, “Asesinos”, “Till Death Do Us Part”, “Choke Point”, “The Guardian”, “Hail Mary”, “Kill Beale Vol. 1”, “Alsiyadun”, “Fortune Favors the Brave”, “The Bear” (season 12 premiere), “Angry Karen”, “Love Kills”, “Russia, Russia, Russia”, “The Noble Maidens”, “A Tale of Two Igors” (season 12 finale), "Subject 17" (season 13 premiere), "All The Little Things", “MWD” and “Work and Family”.

Directed by: Kevin Berlandi. Berlandi is new to NCIS: Los Angeles. He has directed episodes of Criminal Minds, Bull and Partner Track.

Guest stars of note: Kavi Ramachandran Ladnier returns as NCIS Reserve Agent Shyla Dahr from “Work and Family”. Both Natalia Del Riego as Rosa Reyes and Richard Gant as Raymond Hanna are back from “Come Together”. Jennifer Marshall as Navy Commander Neal, Jamil Zraikat as Cyrus Karimian, Jenapher Zheng as Janice Ng, Anna Rajo as Maria Estevez, Turhan Troy Caylak as Darius “Bunny” Vale and Ramona Dubarry as Monica Tavares

Our heroes: Are back at it for season 14.

What important things did we learn about:

Callen: Asks to bring Hetty’s remains home from Syria if she was the one who perished. Sam: Bringing his father to an activity center so he can swim, play pool and poker. Kensi: Sniper. Deeks: Would have been killed without Sniper Wife. Fatima: Doling out assignments. Rountree: Starts an interview with an engineer and ends up defending what he does. Kilbride: Commandeering helicopters.

What not so important things did we learn about:

Callen: Self-titled world’s coolest uncle. Sam: Not thrilled his father broke away from the activity center. Kensi: First day school drop off. Deeks: Not built for first day school drop off or public restrooms. Fatima: Old show went into syndication so Fatima has cool new wheels. Rountree: Calculus is better than is algebra. Kilbride: Betting his non-existent grandchildren.

Where in the world is Henrietta Lange? Not in a schoolhouse/safe house in Syria although some of her alias IDs were.

Who's down with OTP: Kensi and Deeks get to be anxious parents dropping Rosa off for her first day at school. They have a long and serious conversation bracketed between some Deeks jokes about how brutal their jobs can be, how awful the world is and that letting Rosa into the world to be her best self is an act of faith that the world will be kind.

Who's down with BrOTP: Not a lot of BrOTP situations. Callen works with Fatima, Rountree is mostly solo and Sam is only around at the end.

Fashion review: Callen is wearing a red, white and blue plaid button-down. Long sleeve black tee-shirt for Sam. Kensi wears a blood-red tee-shirt. Deeks starts the episode in a pale purple tee-shirt before wearing an LAFD fire inspector/marshal’s uniform undercover. White turtleneck for Fatima with a buttery looking black leather jacket (spectacular!). Rountree is wearing a blue, white and grey jacket over a pale blue tee. Dark blue three-piece suit, white dress shirt and blue and white tie for the Admiral.

Music: Not today.

Any notable cut scene: See music.

Quote: Kensi: “You know, all this is making me feel like I want to call Rosa and check in on her.” Deeks: “Okay, pull up on that stick there, helicopter mom, because she's fine. You just need to give her some space and time to find herself and-and to grow. Put the phone down.” Kensi: “Yeah, I know, but how many parents dropped their kids off at school only to never see them again because of another school shooting” Deeks: “Okay, you can't, you can't think like that.” Kensi: “How can you not think like that?” Deeks: “I mean, all right, you can consider the possibility, you can do the drills, but at some point, you just have to give in and believe in a greater good. I just feel like that's getting harder and harder to do. Yeah, well, that's why they call it faith.”

Anything else: A security guard is making his way through an engineering firm. The firm builds drones. The guard’s route is very deliberate, logging in and out of areas as he makes his way through building. As he gets near the exit, he sees a janitor’s cart just off the entrance.

Exiting the building, the guard locks up and logs out. There is a massive explosion. The guard is thrown ten feet from the door and fiery debris lands all around him.

Cue the new credits – a little red in the logo.

A really overprotective Kensi and Deeks are dropping Rosa off at school. Deeks is worried about bullying which makes Rosa nervous about bullying. Kensi and Deeks will pick her up after school but will text if there is a delay. There is a back-up plan with “Naomi’s mom”. After reviewing the alarm code for the house and the panic code, Rosa is finally on her way. Kensi and Deeks rethink their plan with home schooling a possibility. Deeks announces “I’m not built for this.”

As Sam is ready to take his father to an adult activity center, Raymond is walking around in his pajamas and slippers. Raymond is has no interest in “adult day-care”. Sam sells the place which has a gym, pool and library. Raymond is fine with Sam leaving him at a gym, a pool or a library. Sam notes this place has all three. The two bicker before Sam asks Raymond to just try the place. Since they have billiards and poker, Raymond is a little more interested but disappointed that the poker games aren’t for money. “The only fun is when you’re winning real money.” Mrs. Williams, Raymond’s caretaker, will be picking him up at the end of the day. Raymond complains about her driving. He’s also not keen on the idea of making new friends at the activity center since as soon as you get to know someone, they die. The only new things there are hips and pacemakers. Sam is patient with his father as he makes old age jokes.

Arriving through the side door, Fatima sees Callen looking at party venues. She offers some help – she’s good at planning things. Callen was looking for wedding venues. Fatima asks what does Anna want. Anna is torn between a trip to City Hall and Arkady’s dream of recreating “Doctor Zhivago”, complete with horses and snow. Fatima asks if Callen has a theme – traditional, fantasy, cosplay. Callen asks about “fantasy” and Fatima goes on including Sam as a troll, Deeks as a pixie, Kilbride as a wizard. Shaking his head, Callen tells Fatima he’s going to run these roles by them to see what they think. Fatima says no. “It doesn’t hurt to ask,” Callen replies. Fatima knows he’s kidding and asks that he not. Shyla interrupts, Kilbride needs to see Callen.

Walking to Kilbride’s office, Callen asks Shyla what’s up. She isn’t sure but there has been a communique from Syria. In his office, Kilbride tells Shyla to hold his calls and patch the Commander through to the plasma in his office. Commander Neal pops up on the screen. With the help of the Syrian Democratic Forces, Neal and her team were doing some recon work. At an abandoned school, known to be a safehouse, there was an ambush. Human remains were found, burned beyond recognition. One body had documents identifying them as Trudy Chambers, an American female. Callen looks stunned. Asking if the remains of Chambers were that of a small woman, Neal confirms they were. Dental records and DNA is still be checked. She will contact them when they have an ID. Trudy Chambers is one of Hetty’s aliases.

In Ops, Fatima arrives and asks Shyla what’s the new case. There is television coverage of the explosion and fire at Havlock/Haines Aerospace the prior night. Havlock/Haines builds remote piloted vehicles for the Navy. A janitor was killed, the security guard was badly injured. ATF said the bomb was nitroamine high explosive. The dead janitor was Luis Estevez, the guard Morgan Reynolds. Neither fits the profile of a bomber – more wrong place, wrong time. Fatima will go to the crime scene with Callen, Kensi and Deeks will look into the janitor while Rountree looks into the security guard. Shyla seems a little surprised that Fatima is doling out assignments – that is usually the job of a more senior agent. Since Shyla does not see a more senior agent in Ops, “go get ‘em girl,” is her advice.

Asking if the remains will be flown back to the US, Kilbride tells Callen they will be if they are positively identified. Callen wants to accompany them. Kilbride agrees. Callen then brings up Harris Keane, who was travelling with Hetty. Once the forensic team completes their work, the Admiral thinks they’ll know more. Knowing if she was ambushed at a safe house – even if it wasn’t Hetty – Callen believes she’s in danger. Kilbride disagrees – Hetty was in danger the minute she went back to Syria. And there are no safe houses in Syria right now. But since this is Hetty, she has more lives than a barn cat and is just as mean. Callen nods his head in agreement.

In the boatshed’s main room, Kensi and Deeks are speaking to Maria Estevez, daughter of janitor Luis Estevez. After offering condolences, they asks Maria about her father. He liked working as the night janitor – the money was good and it left him time during the day for other projects. As a skilled carpenter and mason, Estevez worked construction jobs when they came up. Kensi asks when did he sleep. Maria has an immediate answer – Sundays. During family dinners in the fall, he’d doze off watching football. Deeks asks why did Estevez work two jobs. Maria explains that years ago, her immigrant father worked two jobs to make ends meet. In recent years, especially after the death of his wife/Maria’s mother from COVID two years ago, it was to keep busy. Estevez did not work with explosives but loved fireworks. The Estevez family loved to put on a display. Asking if there were any financial issues, drugs, enemies, Maria states her father was a gentle and caring man who did anything to help others. Since Maria was told Estevez died in a factory accident, she wants to know what’s going on. Kensi and Deeks would like to see Estevez’s home.

A sullen Callen is a bit surprised by Fatima’s new Porsche. She explains her old TV show was just sold into syndication. When Callen notes the vehicle isn’t subtle, Fatima replies that in LA, subtle stands out. Callen is still distracted so Fatima asks if he is OK. He updates her about the body found in Syria. Fatima offers condolences and asks if they can do anything. They can’t so they should work the case.

Calling in to Ops from outside the hospital, Rountree has no luck with the security guard. He’s lawyered up but even if he didn’t, his doctor said he was in no condition to be questioned. Shyla notes he was healthy enough to find a lawyer. The Admiral wants the hospital staff and the lawyer to be put on notice, “as soon as he can eat his Jell-O, he better start talking.” Shyla is going to get a warrant to search Reynolds’s residence while the Admiral wants to question the staff at Havlock/Haines about Reynolds.

At the crime scene, Callen and Fatima are in the bombed out facility. The sleek, modern place is now a mass of burnt walls, cables and wires hanging from the ceiling, rubble all over. Speaking to executive Monica Tavares, she explains that the explosion is a financial hit to the company. Not only do they have to rebuild but they are not going to meet certain orders from contracts. Callen asks if she knows who would do something like this. Tavares has a list – anarchists, right-wing extremists, anti-war activists. Fatima asks about industry rivals or disgruntled employees. There are some – a few staffers left after they started working for the government – conscientious objections to making “weapons of war”. When Fatima asks for contact info, Taveras agrees to cooperate but makes it clear, none of them would blow up the building.

Callen asks if there were any other issues in recent weeks and months. Nothing as obvious as blowing up the facility but Havlock/Haines has been subject to a “relentless” series of cyber-attacks. The company is working on where they are coming from but no luck finding who is behind them. Callen gets a call from Shyla who has the terribly burned corpse of Luis Estevez on the big screen (ick, show, ick). Estevez was already dead for several hours when the explosion occurred.

Later speaking to Fatima, if Estevez was dead before the explosion, they likely used him to get into the building. Fatima agrees – the bombers killed Estevez, used his ID to get into the building, probably put his body and the bomb into something like a cleaning cart. That would be Fatima’s plan. Callen finds it scary but thinks it would be a good way to dispose of the body. Fatima agrees – it would make it look like Estevez died in the explosion.

Walking around the immaculate home of Luis Estevez, Kensi is on the phone with Callen. Thinking unless he was Jekyll and Hyde, Kensi believes Estevez was Mr. Rogers only more neat. Callen wants Kensi to check if Maria has power of attorney so they can access his phone and financials. Fatima asks about home security but Estevez barely locked is doors. Fatima wants to check the neighbors’ security systems to see if anyone was following Estevez. Kensi will ask. They also want Kensi to ask about Estevez’s daily routine. Meanwhile, Estevez’s Jeep is going to NCIS’s carport – they will check to see if he had GPS.

Moving to the kitchen, Maria is packing up the food in her father’s home. She talks about her father’s truck. Deeks assures her the truck will be released to the family when NCIS is done with it. Maria seems less worried about that, more thinking about how much her father loved the truck. It was his first ever new vehicle. Kensi asks about power-of-attorney. Maria got it after her mother passed away, her father got all his paperwork in order. Kensi tells Maria that they can take info from her father’s phone and financial records and maybe find who killed him. Maria is weeping. Deeks looks so uncomfortable. Kensi, seeing Maria’s distress, asks if she would be able to come up with her father’s daily routine, “Can you do that?” Maria says she can try.

Outside of the house, Kensi and Deeks are wrecked about the pain of the day. Deeks makes a joke about the pain being as bad as kidney stones, annoying Kensi. He extends to the joke to childbirth, leading Kensi to calling him an idiot. When Deeks says he’s joking, Kensi wants to know why. “Because if I don’t joke, this job is too sad for me to keep doing it.” Kensi understands but thinks he’s an idiot – a loveable one. All the sadness has Kensi wanting to call Rosa and see if she’s OK. Deeks stops her – this is Rosa’s time to “find herself and to grow.” Kensi brings up school shootings, something Deeks does not want to think about. It is what Kensi thinks about. Deeks tells her they can do the drills and prepare Rosa the best they can but at some point “you just have to give in and believe in a greater good.” Kensi finds that hard to do but Deeks tells her that’s what faith is. “I mean George Michael even wrote a song about it.” Deeks makes some George jokes.

Arriving at Ops, the Admiral wants a sit-rep. Shyla fills him in on the team’s status. She is also working with NCIS CYBER to find who is behind the cyber-attacks against Havlock/Haines. The Admiral figures that whoever did this was willing to kill an innocent man and used high end explosives – they are not militia “idiots”. Shyla suggests industrial espionage – a rival company that wants some of the hundreds of millions of dollars available in military contracts. The Admiral is rooting for that because the alternative is state sponsored terrorism.

As Kilbride walks back to his office, Callen calls up from the bullpen, looking for news about the remains and Trudy Chambers. Kilbride assures Callen he would have updated him if there was any news from Syria. The Admiral’s more pressing concern is whoever blew up Havlock/Haines since they like aren’t done. He wants Callen focused on the task at hand and not Hetty. “Now go catch these bastards before they strike again.”

In the carport, Fatima is working on Estevez’s truck. She tells Callen that the vehicle was wiped clean – she can still smell the bleach. Callen gets a call from Alex asking if she wants to hang out with Jake. Fatima wishes she had a niece or nephew – it seems like fun. Callen agrees it is while they are young. When they get a little older, less time for the world’s coolest uncle and more time for teenage girls. Fatima asks if Callen gave himself the designation of world’s coolest uncle. Callen wants to know who is cooler than he is? After Fatima laughs, she announces he’s cool, “like supercool.” “Let’s not oversell it.”

In the boatshed, Rountree and Shyla on the plasma are chatting. He is meeting with Janice Ng who left Havlock/Haines when they started working for the DoD. Shyla gets an alert from CYBER – the source of the attack is coming from Beirut, Lebanon.

With Fatima and Callen back in Ops with Shyla, they are discussing Lebanon being an US ally but Hezbollah, a militant group with a political arm, is not. Callen brings up two Hezbollah operatives who were arrested in the US for planning acts of terrorism. Those arrests were for fundraising and weapon buys but things may have gotten more aggressive since the US’s relationship with Iran gets worse. Iran funds a lot of Hezbollah’s actions. Asking about Estevez’s truck, Callen tells Shyla that the truck was wiped clean as was his GPS. Callen wants a list from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence of any known Hezbollah members in the US, especially anyone on the West Coast.

In the boat shed, Janice Ng explains she joined Havlock/Haines to be part of the team that put the first person on Mars. She did not sign up to build weapons of mass destruction. Rountree tells her the drones aren’t weapons of mass destruction. Ng disagrees – they could be armed with a nuclear weapon. Rountree points out they aren’t but Ng thinks he’s being naïve. But she thinks it is Rountree’s job to cover up the military’s crimes against humanity. Explaining that it isn’t his job to cover up anything, Rountree is there to find the truth about who set the bomb at Havlock/Haines. Ng is annoyed – since she quit for not wanting to be “a warmonger”, she’s being treated as a suspect. She’s waiting for Rountree to beat a confession out of her.

Deeks arrives at the boat shed with Kensi right behind him. Rountree explains that he isn’t there to beat a confession out of Ng. Pointing to his wife, Deeks tells Ng that what Kensi is there to do as he walks into the restroom. Kensi tells Ng Deeks is just kidding. Rountree updates Kensi on his questioning and Ng lawyers up. Rountree tells her she doesn’t need a lawyer. After she warns them against railroading her, Rountree just cuts Ng loose.

Sighing that it is just “one of those days”, Rountree tells Kensi he’s gotten nothing from the former Havlock/Haines staffers. Kensi explains that they got some security footage and were going to Ops when “somebody needed a potty break.” Deeks returns from the restroom where they’re out of towels so he airdries his hands all over Kensi and Rountree. He explains that he would rather use their restroom than some public restroom. Rountree is more concerned that some of Deeks’s air-drying got into his mouth.

Contacting Ops, Kensi pulls out the thumb drive with the security camera footage and sends it to Shyla. Shyla has camera footage from other places as she tries to stitch together Estevez’s day. Kensi and Deeks are on their way to Ops to help Shyla. Deeks signals to Rountree that he probably shouldn’t use the restroom.

In the bullpen, Callen is reviewing some street camera footage with Fatima. With the coroner estimating Estevez’s time of death around 4PM, Callen sees white van for Bunny Vale Laundry and Dry Cleaning outside of his house at 11AM. The branded van is still there two-hours later. While it could be a long lunch or a day off, it is just as likely a stakeout. In Ops, Shyla has info on Bunny Vale Laundry, a chain in LA. Tracing the specific van, for the last few days, it was always near Estevez, either at his home or following him around.

Bunny Vale Laundry is owned by Darius “Bunny” Vale and his wife Sara. They are first-generation Persian-Americans, born in America. No links to Hezbollah but Fatima wonders if Vale is using his business as a front. There is a laundering money suggestion from Shyla – she really does fit right in. Callen and Fatima are going to speak to Vale.

In interrogation, Darius “Bunny” Vale is on the wrong side of the table. Callen shows him a photo of the laundry truck outside of Estevez’s home. Vale claims to have over a dozen vans like it. Callen tells Vale the van was used in a crime. Vale was worried something like that would happen – the van was stolen. Callen mentions there was no police report but Vale says the truck was gone for a while and then returned. He never knew it was missing until one of his employees found it. Since there was no damage to the van, he didn’t report it, figuring it was some teenage joyriders. The van was found near one of Vale’s locations by an employee who was with Vale for years. “Anything else?”

Pulling out his phone, Callen shows Vale Estevez’s dead body. Vale expresses his disgust in Farsi. Callen explains that Estevez was a father and a grandfather who was likely murdered in Vale’s van. When the forensic team goes through the “stolen” van, if they find any evidence Vale will be connected to Estevez’s murder and the attack on Havlock/Haines. Fatima asks how long as Vale supported Hezbollah. Vale is stunned – he’s never supported Hezbollah. Callen threatens a trip to Guantanamo Bay but Vale claims he had nothing to do with what happened.

When Callen says “last chance” to Vale, he explains he can’t help, “they’ll hurt my family.” Fatima offers protection but Vale is speaking about his family in Tehran. While NCIS has agents all over the world, they are not in Iran. Fatima tells him the threat is to his family in the US as well as Iran. If he helps them, they can stop threat.

Vale explains that two men demanded a van, was told if he didn’t cooperate his family in Iran would pay the price. He was told to not ask any questions and to not tell anyone. Vale gave them the van and then the van was returned. Vale doesn’t have much information – he didn’t know the men, he didn’t know where they were staying. In Farsi, Fatima tells Vale he needs to help them. He is in danger if he doesn’t cooperate. Vale mentions a friend named Ava who was threatened as well. She had to provide a place where the men could work. Callen wants Sam called in – this is a full team operation.

Joining Callen, Fatima and Rountree at an office park, Sam and the team are all wearing their kevlar with the big guns out. He thinks this assignment is easier than getting his father to behave. When Fatima asks how Raymond is doing, Sam replies he’s doing everything possible to make him crazy. The Admiral has had enough chit-chat – and Deeks isn’t even involved. Fatima and Rountree take one entrance, Sam and Callen take another. Shyla tells the team the building is owned by Ava Safari with only a 26% occupancy rate due to COVID. The terrorists are set-up on a vacant office floor. The Admiral considers them armed and they are dangerous since they have access to high end explosives. He warns them of booby traps. That doesn’t sit well with Deeks, who is dress as a fire marshal/inspector. “I’m not the bomb disposal guy.”

Deeks walks through one of the offices. It is empty though there is a cot and a lantern flashlight in an open area. He is approached by a man asking why Deeks is there. After saying he’s happy the place is rented again, Deeks claims to be LAFD there for the building’s monthly inspection. The man wants Deeks to leave and return the following day. Deeks explains he can’t do that. Deeks is walking ahead of the man, through the office. He is rambling about the inspecting the Nakatomi Plaza – nice “Die Hard” shoutout – and puts on soundproof headphones because he’s about to set off the building’s alarms. The man behind Deeks pulls out his gun. Kensi says “weapon” and takes out the man from an office building a healthy distance away. “Tango down.” Deeks seems surprised.

Callen and Sam join Deeks – “Nice shot honey,” Deeks calls to Kensi. He starts talking about having a BB right under his scalp from being shot by Darrel Dinkins. Sam mentioned the BB migrating to Deeks’s brain. An arriving Fatima and Rountree enjoy the show. Deeks tells Sam he missed him. “I bet you did.”

While Fatima sends the dead man’s prints to Ops, Callen has the dead man’s burner phone and wants to Shyla to check the contacts and any GPS info. Sam finds a Canadian passport for the dead man issued to Cyrus Karimain from Fort Erie, Ontario. It is likely a fake. Sam has four other passports for four other men. There may be an entire cell in Los Angeles.

Deeks find a trash pail full of shredded documents. One looks like a map but he could only figure it out if he was the Amazing Kreskin. Fatima doesn’t know who the Amazing Kreskin is. “That was before Google,” Sam tells her. Callen finds something and shows it to Sam. It is a symbol of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’s staff college. The men in the office aren’t Hezbollah, they are Iranian special operatives who usually train proxies to fight, not do the fighting themselves. The Admiral knew this was state sponsored and is willing to bet his grandchildren that the drones that took out Soleimani was manufactured by Havlock/Haines. Shyla notes the Admiral doesn’t have grandchildren. “This team America, is payback.”

Tracing the location of the cellphone numbers in the dead man’s phone, they are all traveling on the PCH, just passing Malibu. While Deeks thinks they are surfers, Sam realizes they’re going to Point Magu. Point Magu is the home of the Triton drone project. The Admiral wants the team in helicopters on their way to the base in two minutes. When Shyla asks how, the Admiral doesn’t care – Coast Guard, National Guard, borrow a TV traffic helicopter.

At Point Magu’s entrance, a Bunny Vale Landry Van shoots its way past a guard station. The sole guard tries to fire on the men but is overwhelmed by four men with military weapons. Driving the van into the base, there are two barrel in the back with explosives. The men all exit the van before it plows into a trailer with a satellite on top. Since this is NCIS: Los Angeles, there is a massive explosion.

One of the men tries to enter a structure next to the structure that just was blown up. He has a keycard to get in but the door does not open. Callen comes out from the side of the structure and tells the man “nobody’s home.” The men are surrounded by Callen and Sam on the right, Kensi, Fatima and Rountree on their left and Deeks from the top of the structure. Behind the on the ground team is more armed Navy sailors. It was set-up as a kill box. Fatima starts ordering the men to surrender in Farsi. The men surrender. Deeks wonders how he is getting off the building – he asks Rountree to catch him.

Stepping away, Sam has a call from Mrs. Williams, his father’s caretaker. Raymond left the activity center without the caretaker. He instead left with a woman named Victoria. Callen is impressed – one day at the activity center and Raymond has a girlfriend. Callen thinks Sam could learn a little something from his father.

In the armory, Kensi, Deeks, Fatima and Rountree are dropping off their gear. Fatima thinks they should go out for drinks and Rountree should pay. This surprises Rountree until Fatima says she’s buying. Deeks offers to take everyone out to dinner if Rosa could join them. Kensi steps in – not on a school night. Deeks asks how is Rountree’s calculus. It is better than his algebra but it is not very good.

Pouring two glasses of scotch, the Admiral offers an arriving Callen a glass. Callen asks if he is going to need it. The Admiral thinks the longer Callen stays in their business, he will but he won’t need it today for Hetty “Not now anyway,” he tells Callen. The remains were of a female child, not Hetty. Callen asks why were Hetty’s IDs found on a dead child. The Admiral thinks Hetty planted them. Without the forensics the US military has, anyone who saw the remains and the ID thinks Hetty is dead. Thinking Hetty is in trouble – and the Admiral saying she was in the trouble the minute she went to Syria, Callen asks for permission to look for her. That’s a no from the Admiral. If they had actionable intel, they would go. Until then, Hetty is on her own.

Saying he has a lot of personal time, Callen is thinking of going anyway. The Admiral makes it clear LA just had foreign terrorists attack a building and a Naval Station so there will be no going halfway around the world “searching for your surrogate mommy.” Telling the Admiral to enjoy his scotch, Callen storms out. The Admiral drinks his own scotch and then Callen’s untouched glass, saying he intends to.

Not enjoying his scotch is Sam, sitting with a glass at his dining room table. Raymond sneaks in almost like a teenager caught by his parents. Sam asks where his father was. Raymond said he took Sam’s advice and made some friends. Sam thinks Raymond should have called. Raymond is sure he sent a text but he didn’t. This is every parent-child discussion about being out late with friends, just with the roles reversed. When Raymond says he’s not a child, Sam tells him he's acting like one. Yep, parent-child in reverse. Sam is angry that Raymond “hooked up with a woman on your first damn day. An angry Raymond talks about Victoria, who is married to Cliff, a bedridden veteran. After his time at the activity center, Raymond went to see Cliff, providing him such much needed company. Sam is instantly remorseful until Raymond makes it clear that he also provided Victoria some much needed company. Sam isn’t sure his father is joking as Raymond says good night.

They changed the fonts on the credits too.

What head canon can be formed from here: Sort of an update to the season 13 finale – Callen is looking at wedding venues, Sam is dealing with his father, Kensi and Deeks are taking Rosa to her first day of school. Family continues to play a big part.

Shyla is great with the team. She has a different relationship with Kilbride – more casual and fun than any of the team members.

Visiting the bombed out drone place had to be pretty brutal to Callen, who less than an hour earlier learned his “surrogate mommy” may have met her end in a similar action.

The Kensi and Deeks conversation about doing their jobs in the world we live in has been going on now since season eight. This was another variation of it with Kensi sounding a little more done this time.

The program used real events – the arrest of two Hezbollah terrorists, the bombing of Soleimani- to make the story go.

Episode number: Season 14 (a healthy run for any program), episode one. Episode 303 overall. These recaps will go up every Friday (save one in mid-March) until season 14 wraps.

#NCIS: Los Angeles Rewatch #NCIS: Los Angeles #NCIS Los Angeles #NCIS: LA #ncis la

[dangermousie]

OK, so they dropped all nine (!!!) remaining episodes in a heap AND this week is insanely busy for me, so I am going to savor what's left slowly since who even knows if/when second season will air. This said, I did peek at a couple of scenes and am in heaven.

Because here is XY, coming to find Jing once she's back to life, before she even went to find cousin and he's basically like sleeping beauty/snow white, in a magic coma after he basically attempted to die so as not to live without her, and his servants have actually just pronounced him dead enough to get ready for his funeral. MMMM

Their explanation is the best - the most fairytale maiden thing ever! He's literally dying of a broken heart aaaaa!

Her reaction to this is epic because I think it's her last barrier about him crumbling; she is so paranoid/desperate not to be ever left and to be the most important person and so she seeks proof that she's chosen over and over and she gets it over and over but this is basically the ultimate proof - he doesn't just choose her in life, he chooses her in death.

She is a black hole of neediness due to her severe trauma but luckily he's a black hole of wanting to dissolve himself in her due to his own severe trauma and - I dunno, I am just a huge sucker for the trope of two people whose damage fits together.

YESSSSSS

She is going to feed her blood to revive the man who is dying because of not wanting to live without her and aaaaaaa your otp could never! (Probably because they are mentally healthier but still...:P)

#cdrama #lost you forever #deng wei #yang zi

[princesssarisa]

Character ask game: The Enchantress from Beauty and the Beast

(Note: These answers are for the original film and state musical only. They don't apply to Agathe in the 2017 live-action remake.)

Favorite thing about them: Her magical power and her status as the story's godlike moral authority, despite the fact that she never appears onscreen. When she sees a selfish prince with no love or care for other people, she does what we all probably wish we could do to abusers of power, and not only punishes him in a fitting way – turning him into an ugly outcast after he scorned her for being an ugly outcast – but gives him a chance to redeem himself too. A chance that he might never have had without the spell.

I also love the fact that she requires two conditions for the spell to be broken: the Beast has to learn to love another and be loved in return. Most traditional versions of the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale only require that a maiden fall in love with and/or agree to marry the Beast, without needing him to love her too, per se. In some of those versions, we might question whether the Beast really loves Beauty for herself or just as a potential spell-breaker. I like that this Enchantress expressly requires a mutual love to break her spell.

Least favorite thing about them: That she cursed the servants as well as the Prince. The stage musical and live-action remake try to justify it by explaining that they helped to make the Prince so hard-hearted and selfish, either by spoiling him (stage show) or by doing nothing as his father abused him (remake). But does that justify enchanting even a small child like Chip, and even the dog?

Three things I have in common with them:

*I'm female.

*I don't like rich people who refuse to help the poor.

*I like roses.

Three things I don't have in common with them:

*I don't have magical powers.

*If I were to cast a spell on a prince, I would probably spare his servants.

*I'm not blonde.

Favorite line: N/A.

brOTP: None.

OTP: None.

nOTP: The Beast/Prince.

Random headcanon: The "incongruity" of her offering the Prince a rose on a winter's night in her old beggar woman disguise was really an intentional part of her test. The Prince failed the test not only because he shut out a person in need, but because he was so fixated on her ugliness that he overlooked the obvious magic in her hand – a rose in winter, being offered by a woman too poor to have bought it from a greenhouse. At that point, the Enchantress could have quoted another Alan Menken musical, his version of A Christmas Carol – "You aren't just a sinner, you're an outright fool!"

Unpopular opinion: I'm all in favor of assuming that the Prince was only eleven years old when she cursed him. I don't understand why the fandom ties itself into knots trying to explain that, no, he was already an adult, and Lumiere's "Ten years we've been rusting" really means this or that. In the first place, we already know that the Enchantress doesn't spare children: look at Chip, who's only about six years old and never even did anything wrong. Secondly, the Prince was no ordinary eleven-year-old. He already had an immense amount of power, and his parents had probably already died, leaving him as the master of the castle with no adult authority figures, only servants. When he turned her away in her old beggar woman disguise, presumably leaving her to freeze to death just because she was poor and ugly, she realized that he was shaping up to become a truly dangerous adult. So she took drastic action not only to punish him and try to redeem him, but to save the kingdom from the tyrannical ruler he could have become.

Song I associate with them:

The instrumental music of the Prologue. Here it is without the narration:

Favorite picture of them:

#character ask #beauty and the beast #disney #the enchantress #ask game #fictional characters

[captainsavre]

Whoa, whoa! The genetic testing app just alerted me. It says I have a brother. Station 19 || 5.16 - Death and Maiden

#marina #maya and carina #maya x carina #station 19 #station19 #station19edit #carina deluca #maya bishop #death and the maiden #5x16 #danielle savre #stefania spampinato #dailystation19 #mine #tv: s19 #otp: you’re my home

[juodojimirtis]

Valak: 👿🤬💀💥🔪⚡🗡🔥

Irene: *walks in*

Valak: 😳❤😈

#the nun #the conjuring universe #the conjuring fandom #otp #valak #sister irene #valak x sister irene #valak/sister irene #death and the maiden #conjuriverse #the conjuring crack

[crown-ov-horns]

A storm raged among the mountains, the Moon blinded completely underneath wooly black clouds. Yet, to Irene, the howling wind, and the clawing of rain against stained glass, had become familiar. As icy-cold hands caressed her flushed back, she found herself kissing the man underneath her more fiercely. Man... Devil?

She let out a muffled sigh. In spite of his frosty touch, his body was hotter than fire. She ran her fingers through his tar-black hair. His embrace grew tighter around her delicate form, and she could only savor the sensation of muscles through his scarred skin.

In the end, she was forced to withdraw from him. Gasping for air, she sat up straight, though remained to straddle his hips. His inky lips crooked into a sly smirk as he looked up at her. Irene met his half-lidded eyes, and stroked his jaw with the tips of her fingers.

The lazy glow of candles laced her in a warm amber sheen, making his heart swell in adoration. Valak reached to stroke her cheek. Naked in his arms, her silken hair tousled ever so slightly, Irene might as well have been Venus herself.

"We can't hide forever..." she murmured, leaning into his touch.

"We aren't hiding."

She grasped him by the wrist, and pressed a kiss to his palm.

"Aren't we? Lucifer..."

"Knows where we are" Valak raised himself on his elbow.

Irene simply shook her head. He stole a glance at her breasts, prompting her to roll her eyes.

"You are beautiful" he whispered.

She ran her thumb over his bottom lip. He grasped it between his teeth, a playful glint appearing in his gaze. She chuckled, and kissed the top of his head. Valak sezed his moment, nuzzling his mouth to her neck.

"Snake!.." she yelped.

The grazing of his beard against her sensitive skin had made her stomach flutter. He pulled away, not at all bothered to hide his self-satisfaction.

"All yours" he agreed with a grin, and wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her close.

He must be right, she thought. Lucifer will seek them out, should he need them. Until then, nothing but their love mattered. She had forsaken Heaven for it, after all. Not that Heaven could ever compare.

#the nun #the conjuring universe #the conjurverse #sister irene #writing journal #my writing #storybook with pictures #the conjuring #horror fandom #the nun fandom #the conjuring fandom #otp #valak #valak x sister irene #death and the maiden #the nun fanfiction #the conjuring fanfiction #snippet #the conjuring snippet #the nun snippet #fluff #otp fluff #the nun fluff #slasher fluff #the conjuring fluff #romance #demon romance #fanfiction writing #another fluffy snippet of my otps #irene is the false prophet

[rebelliouswhirlpool]

Waking Up

So, I saw this post by @cosmokyrin comparing Ruby and Penny to Salem and Ozma, and then started really thinking about it, and now this fic exists

(I'm @im-the-king-of-the-ocean btw, I've just migrated here to my main blog)

(also, after 2 years of not really writing anything for this otp, I RISE!)

.

Penny exhales when she feels the maiden powers depart. She doesn’t need to, but she wants to. It feels oddly nice to be free of their burden, though she is sorry that Winter must bear their weight now. Hopefully, she’ll be a better maiden than Penny was.

Looking around at the expanse of endless light around her, Penny concludes the afterlife is definitely not what she thought it would be. She had some inkling, given since becoming a maiden, she’s felt Fria’s and all the others before her’s presence in her. Penny honestly assumed, upon her death, that she would take such a role for Winter, reside in her head maybe.

It hadn’t been such a bad thought, in those last few moments, when everything hurt in ways she’d never experienced before. Penny had certainly faced damage numerous times before Cinder’s final strike. She just…human pain was a lot more physical. Her body screaming at her, except she can do nothing for it. No emergency diagnostics to run. No power to divert to or from the problem areas. Nothing. Even in the arena at the Vytal Tournament, she’d known that, as long as she retreated into her core, there was a chance she’d eventually be alright. This time, she had no core.

Human death, Penny decided, was very scary. The idea of being with Winter made it a little less scary.

Except, she doesn’t feel Winter. Like she’s in her presence. Or Fria or any of their other predecessors, for that matter. Penny is alone. There’s nothing. Well, nothing but light.

Penny looks down, wondering how she can be standing with nothing to stand on. Upon seeing her bare toes, she wiggles them. She giggles. She would have liked to have had human toes for longer. They seem very fun.

“You,” a voice speaks from somewhere, calm but quizzical, “are not supposed to be here.”

Penny jerks her head up. “Hello? Is someone there?”

There’s a sound, like echoing water droplets. The light gets bright, brighter. Penny squeezes her eyelids shut, but she can still feel its intensity. After a minute, it lessens and she dares open one eye.

Before her, stands a figure that seems masculine. The figure is tall and smooth, golden, but blurry around the edges, like she’s looking at them through the heat of a desert. Elegant antlers rise from their head. A Faunus? Is Penny’s first thought.

“You are…” the figure pause contemplatively “…unusual.”

“So are you,” Penny retorts, before she can help it. Both her hands fly to cover her mouth. “Sorry,” she mumbles. The figure seems like they belongs here more than she does. Even if their comment was slightly annoying, best not to insult them.

The figure chuckles, then falls silent. “What to do with you? There is no purpose in sending you back. You haven’t gone forward on your own. I could send you on, but…” they pause again, their nondescript face somehow displaying deep thought. “Where would you like to go?”

An answer immediately appears in Penny’s mind. She shakes it loose. It’s impossible. Ruby’s gone.

“I see,” the figure states as if her thoughts were spoken out loud. “Interesting. You are not the first whose wish is to be with the one they loved.” Another pause. This time, the figure’s gaze seems to be intensely studying her. “She is not the same as you remember. Do you still wish to go?”

“Yes,” Penny doesn’t hesitate in answering. She knows she should fulfill her duty as a maiden and go to Winter, but, if this is to be her afterlife, how selfish could it truly be to spend it how she wants? With who she wants to see again, even one last time, more than anything.

“Yes, I do.”

There’s a bright flash again.

Then, nothing.

.

It takes Penny quite some time to recognize herself as existing again, which is a very odd way of putting it, but she doesn’t know how else to put it. She simply wasn’t. Then, she was. Here, she is. Except, she also isn’t. She doesn’t feel ‘operational’ nor does she feel ‘alive’. She’s just cognizant of the fact she exists as an entity, and that entity has to be existing somewhere, because nothing can exist nowhere.

It takes a lot of time to figure out how to digest that thought and, only when she does, can Penny start trying to sort out the specifics of her new situation. Penny has no body, no limbs mechanical or organic. She doesn’t really have any senses—wait!

An image flashes before her. Something small. Glinting green. Familiar. Instinctively, she reaches for it.

A lot happens then, but it’s like Penny’s a potato being shook around in a sack while it’s happening so she doesn’t quite come to understand any of it.

When things settle, Penny sees again. A reflective surface. Deep green. One of her swords? Not Floating Array, but one of the ones she created with the maiden powers. How can it exist if she—

A tidal wave of grief that’s not her own drowns out Penny’s thoughts. It crashes against her. She struggles to keep her head above its surface until it, on its own, slowly subsides. The weight of it remains, sinking into her, threatening to pull her down. Penny doesn’t let it, refuses to let it.

She knows where she is now. She doesn’t know how, but she feels it. When the emotion slammed her, Penny recognized who it belongs to.

Ruby’s all-encompassing pain eclipses Penny’s relief that her friend is somehow, miraculously, still alive. It hurts. Penny wants to reach out, to vanquish the storm of anguish, but she has no idea where to even start.

She’s never had to communicate with someone from inside their own head before.

#rwby #nuts and dolts #penny polendina #the god of light #that moment you rise after at least 2 years of slumbering to return writing fic for an otp

[littlemissmanga]

I've been thinking about this all day ...

The hyper masculine energy of the Bad Batch meets the hyper feminine energy of the Sailor Scouts. And the pairings are just *chef's kiss*

Let's start with the obvious ...

Tech x Ami/Sailor Mercury. Ok, yes, they're both smart. But they really do complement one another. Tech finds confidence in his intelligence, where Ami is a bit self-conscious of it. She likes using it to help her friends, but her intellect and more nerdy pursuits often isolated her from her peers when she was young. To meet someone who finds her intellect attractive? Oh, that would do things for her. Also to see Tech isn't just smart, but as capable as his brothers in action? That would inspire her in her own position among the Scouts.

As for Tech, can you imagine the first time Ami corrects him? Like, he'll be going on, talking about the dense technical aspects of his upgrade to the Marauder when Ami - politely and gently - interrupts with a correction or more useful modification. He's used to being interrupted - his brothers cut him off to shut him up all the time.

But now? He's being corrected by this gorgeous, sweet girl not to shut him up but to help him? And she's right (of course she is). Tech's brain goes into 404 Error, Page Not Found so fast. And he's smart enough to realize Ami would never be the one to make the first move, meaning he'll have to. He'll have to mature emotionally to be with her, and he finds himself actually wanting to.

Wrecker x Makoto/Sailor Jupiter. Both are precious bbys that deserve love. All the love. This is my crack OTP.

Mako is super conscious of her position as "the strong one". She hates that she's not small and dainty and feminine. That's part of the reason she picks up hobbies that are traditionally feminine - cooking and botany. She wants to be a cute housewife, but she's also incapable of standing by when others need help, and she's got the physical power to do so. But with Wrecker, she would feel dainty and small. And Wrecker isn't shy with the compliments, calling her "meshla" and "little one" all the time, casually. Which she deserves after her shitty senpai.

Wrecker would be so floored (read: turned on to the max) by a girl who can put him on his ass. And Mako could. But she'd be so joyful while sparring, keeping up with Wrecker's own humor. AND THEN SHE'D FEED HIM? With homemade treats!? Fandom already headcannons that Wrecker finds a woman cooking for him the sexiest thing he's ever seen. That woman also being pretty and strong? Oh, he's done for.

Echo x Rei/Sailor Mars. Sass. Wit. Verbal sparring. Neither of these two has thin skin, and oh shit would they be the snarkiest couple ever. The quips. The one-liners. I cannot.

They're also both sticklers for the way things are supposed to be. Echo literally memorized the regs. Rei's adherence to tradition and her position as a shrine maiden are core to her identity. They appreciate boundaries and rules and are both the mature ones of their groups.

But more than that, Rei is always been able to see beyond what's right in front of her. She would see Echo for who he is, all of him. More than just a number, and definitely more than the sum of his parts.

And Echo? We all headcannon he'd be a serious and devoted partner, the kind to worship his love. I can see Rei pulling him out of his shell with her wit and maturity and he wouldn't even realize his defenses fell until his feelings hit him like a truck. And he'd spend every second making Rei feel as accepted and loved as she makes him feel. He'd put her on a pedestal and worship her. Considering her abandonment issues, that worship-like adoration would hit her right at her core, giving her validation she long believed she no longer needed.

Hunter x Minako/Sailor Venus. The leaders. At first, it may seem their personalities don't mesh. Minako is after all very childish at points, something that could annoy Hunter.

But she's also incredibly selfless. She faked her own death to let her true love find happiness with her mentor figure. She is literally forged by her sacrifices because she refuses to let others suffer when she can take that on herself. She's childish to combat the darkness she knows will always linger in the corners of existence. She's determined to be the light that washes it away. For her, a true partner, one who will stand silently by her side while she does, supporting her, is all she really wants.

And I think Hunter would see that. As the leader, he understands that altruism - he's shown it himself many times. He doesn't understand how she can smile so brightly when she's been through so much, hurt so much, most of it carried on her own. It impresses him in a way he can't really understand. And how in the world can he ignore how his heart races to see Minako hyping Omega up, inspiring her to rise to any challenge ... even if the challenges were created by their own hijinks.

Sidenote: I 100% see Omega being drawn to the hyper feminine Minako, sitting at her knee learning all the girlie secrets we failed at as preteens. They'd have a whole at-home spa day, complete with like Tiger Beat magazines and chick-flicks like 13 Going on 30. And then Omega mentions off hand how cool it would be if Minako was with Hunter, because then they could have those girls nights all the time and she sees Minako's blush and she starts thinking of plans to help her awkward older brother and the Scout of love and beauty get over their mutual self-sacrificing tendencies to just kiss already.

#rant #sailor moon #sailor scouts #tbb #the bad batch #hunter tbb #tech bad batch #echo bad batch #wrecker bad batch #I'm sorry #rambling #but this is really cute tho

[kitkatopinions]

You know I gotta ask for Pyrrha lol

Yeah, Pyrrha for the ask game, let's go.

1: sexuality headcanon

I like to headcanon Pyrrha as a biromantic demisexual.

2: otp

Gonna have to say Pyrrha x Weiss for this one, but Pyrrha x Blake is a close second! Pyrrha and Weiss just have great potential as romantic partners, and their first season clips together so easily read as Weiss having a crush on Pyrrha and Pyrrha being like "Oh pretty disaster girl, I can fix you." XD

3: brotp

Pyrrha and Nora! I already talked about them recently, but they could be such close friends!

4: notp

Can I say 'anything involving a Jaune harem?' I don't mind Pyrrha x Jaune on its own if it's done well (in a way that doesn't treat Pyrrha as the prize to be won or Jaune's cheerleader,) but every time I see some Jaune x Pyrrha, Weiss, Blake, Ruby, Neo, Glynda, Willow, Cinder all at the same time any of that... Ugh. That's so embarrassing.

5: first headcanon that pops into my head

I saw a fanart once of Pyrrha and Neptune as kids together living in Argus, and now I love the headcanon that they went to combat school together and actually know each other pretty well. (Of course, in my headcanons, Neptune isn't nearly as sucky. XD) Oh wait, no, I want to talk about Pyrrha's parents! Because the whole monument to Pyrrha seems like something Pyrrha really wouldn't want, I've started headcanoning that her parents were the ones who fought to get that statue made but that they both never really listened to Pyrrha and had kind of pushed her all the time growing up, and were sort of similar to pageant parents. So even though Pyrrha loved them, she also had very complicated feelings towards them, and felt like they didn't know her well, which made her very eager to establish a found family at Beacon (and to latch onto possible mentor/parental figures.)

6: favorite line from this character

"I'll do it. If you believe this will help humanity, then I will become your fall maiden." This line is so good at further establishing what we already know about Pyrrha. She's trusting, she's a follower, she's kind, she's good, she wants to do the right thing because it's the right thing, she doesn't even ask for an explanation because when someone tells her that people need help and this will help, she jumps in with both feet before even thinking through the implications. It's both a sign of some flaws (it's pretty naive to trust people just because they're your teachers and some guy, it's pretty reckless to let people do experiments on you without even asking very many questions,) and proof of her deep goodness and her good intentions. Also I like to think that Pyrrha looked at Amber and felt a connection to her, something drawing her to Amber, and felt like she understood Amber in that moment even though they'd never met, and then her being so willing to take on that power and that responsibility was also for Amber and for her legacy. (Side note, the concept of Amber is slept on both in the show and in the fandom.)

7: one way in which I relate to this character

We both seem to be attracted to disaster people? Lol. But in all seriousness, I feel like I do share some minor similarities to her like her tendency to be protective (I will break his legs) and her over-polite awkwardness and slight passive aggressive tendencies. XD

8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character

The romance with Jaune. As I said before, I don't mind Arkos in theory. But the way it's done in canon? Gross tbh. They more or less invented Pyrrha for Jaune, made the majority of her story revolve around him, didn't give her real connections with other characters, used her death to prop up his character in a very fridgey way without letting anyone else grieve, and in volume six they gave her a tribute she wouldn't have wanted to remind everyone of how sad Jaune is... And Pyrrha never got any song that wasn't about her feelings for Jaune. Yikes!

9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave?

One of the only cinnamon rolls left in this show! Pyrrha may have her minor flaws, but by and large, she's a good person who tries to treat everyone well (except for Cardin the bigoted asshole bully which is a good thing) and she spent her life trying to help everyone. Rip that Pyrrha never got to connect with Penny because they would've been the ultimate cinnamon roll redhead duo.

#some minor #rwde #canoncrit Jaune Arc