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hunterrrs · 4 months

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Evgeni Malkin said he's always felt slightly overlooked.

One of the premier centers of his generation, the 37-year-old has played his NHL career as the second center on the Pittsburgh Penguins behind longtime teammate Sidney Crosby. He was the No. 2 pick in the 2004 NHL Draft. Alex Ovechkin, possibly the only Russia-born player more statistically accomplished, went No. 1 to the Washington Capitals.

Malkin doesn't mind. Actually, it's just the way he likes it.

"I'm not the kind of guy that wants media around me. I like to be quiet a little bit," Malkin said. "I want to just play the game. Probably, people want, like, my private life a little bit more. But I'm, like, a little bit closed.

"Maybe my English is not good before, not talk too much with media. Again, this is kind of myself. I'm OK with that because I know I'm a good player."

Numbers do talk, though. In his 18th season, Malkin is third in Penguins history with 1,261 points, 485 goals and 776 assists, trailing Mario Lemieux (1,723 points; 690 goals, 1,033 assists) and Crosby (1,540 points; 571 goals, 969 assists).

Ovechkin reached out after Malkin eclipsed Fedorov.

"He's a star in the League," Ovechkin said. "I think he's a tremendous player. He knows how to win. He knows how to play. It's not a surprise he has so many points, so many goals and assists."

"People are talking about Ovi a lot. They talk about (Connor) McDavid. They talk about (Nathan) MacKinnon," Letang said. "You don't hear Geno's name a lot. What he's been able to do in this league for that long and at this age still, being the goal scorer that he is, it's just special.

"I think it's always been (that way), except maybe the year he won the Hart and everything. I think it's always been a little bit like that. He's not seen to his true color."

Without Malkin, Crosby said his NHL career would have been more difficult. That pair, along with Letang, has won the Stanley Cup three times (2009, 2016, 2017). They qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 16 consecutive seasons together before missing them last season.

"There are nights where you don't feel great or have your best," Crosby said. "You're watching Geno do his thing out there. That's happened a lot. I think we've pushed each other over the years, but he's a guy that has always stepped up when he needs to. I think that's just the competitive nature in him.

"I think the consistency is the biggest thing. You don't have that kind of consistency without being as competitive as he is. He's been amazing for a lot of years. The stats show it."

"I think the biggest thing for me that I admire about Geno is how competitive he is," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "Just his competitive spirit is off the charts. His will to win, his want to win, and his will and want to score and produce offense. I don't think anyone likes scoring goals more than 'G.' You can see it in his raw emotion when he scores.

"Sometimes, I don't think Geno gets the credit that he deserves in the hockey world for the body of work that he's put together in this league and how talented he is. He's without a doubt one of the greatest players of all-time."

love a good geno lovefest

#i’ll never get sick of the people who actually matter going: of course he’s the best #evgeni malkin #sidney crosby #kris letang #mike sullivan #alex ovechkin #pittsburgh penguins

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wowevenmoreloveonearth · 4 months

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You know what? I have become a gaylor sympathiser

This is going to be a long post, sorry! Please read the full post before even thinking about commenting.

Over the past few days I’ve seen a few posts on my dash about taylor swift and her fans that have left a bad taste in my mouth.

I know that a lot of people think that some fans of her are “trying to make her gay” and I just wanted to put the record straight and defend some people after actually looking at what’s going on. And I know I’m probably opening myself up for tumblr’s poor reading comprehension but before I start I’m going to say this:

I do not think taylor swift is a lesbian

Ok? Now let’s have a conversation.

First of all from what I’ve seen most of the fans who talk about Taylor swift and queerness do it from a point of literary analysis and learning queer history. This is a huge part of the community and lots of people have said that they never would have learnt so much about queer history without reading taylor swift’s works through a queer lens.

Adding on to that point, it seems a little hypocritical for the gay site which loves queer readings of books, tv shows, songs, musicals, films etc to be bullying a pretty small group of people who are mainly doing queer readings of lyrics. Especially when those people get near constant death threats. Instead of bullying these people (who don’t think or do what you think they think and do) why don’t you go outside and think “does this affect me? No. Do I agree with them? No. Am I going to cyber bully them because of this? No.”

Secondly, for the people who believe that any speculation on a real persons sexuality is 100% wrong. I used to think this too but I have changed my mind a bit about this recently after stopping and thinking about it properly. I’m not trying to change your mind at all I just want you to stop and think for a minute.

If you only get mad when speculation is queer in nature, then maybe think about that for a minute. Why is it totally wrong to think a person might be queer. We probably do it in our daily lives with people we know and they likely do it with us, back in the day that’s how queer people found each other-by speculating on sexuality. Would you be upset if you found out someone that you know thought you might be queer? I wouldn’t, maybe you would but if you would, why? Why is it terrible to think someone might be queer (this is NOT about hounding a person to admit to being queer like shawn mendes, this is just thinking in your head and on your small blog that the person will likely never see). Also this is literally the website where we talk about historical (real people) being gay even when they would have never said something to the equivalent.

An addition to this point before people start saying in the comments is that this is NOT the same situation as with kit connor. The issue there was people assuming that he was straight and taking that role away from a queer person. Speculating that he was queer was the opposite of what happened in that situation. So this is not an example of what happens when you speculate queerness.

Final things to say:

1) don’t believe every post you see with someone looking insane about taylor swift being gay, a lot of them are fake.

2) before anyone says “they should listen to real queer artists instead” most of them very much do. There’s a lot of fans of Hayley kiyoko, girl in red, Janelle monae, tegan and sara, zolita, kehlani etc.

3) there are some queer flags that are there. Sorry but there are. Hairpin drops, lavender, the ladder, flag colours, songs about women, friend of dorothy reference. Whether they are intentional is a different matter.

4) shipping real people is not what is happening for the majority of the people in the community. Also this comes back to queer vs straight again. Plenty of swifties ship taylor with men she’s been seen with and no one goes into their inboxes and sends death threats even when they are the ones making taylor swift all about the men she may or may not have dated.

5) taylor swift has never stated her sexuality. I know this may be hard to belive based off of how some people act, but it’s true. She has made vague statements which could have many meanings but she has never clearly stated anything. When gaylors get upset with taylor it is not because she said she is straight, it’s because they are getting death threats and doxxed and she seems to either be unaware of it (which is unlikely given how she seems to be a little terminally online) or she doesn’t care enough to tell her fans to stop.

6) if she does explicitly say she’s straight then there will probably be disappointment in her use of queer history and flags and her potential queer erasure (as we saw with lavender haze, with straight women describing their relationships as lavender) and centring herself in queer spaces (like the you need to calm down music video) but no one will be angry that she’s not gay. And a lot will probably be grateful that she actually explicitly stated for the record to absolve any confusion. The main issue would likely be other fans ramping up the death threats and bullying.

In conclusion: these people who do queer analysis of Taylor’s work are not trying to out her or make her gay etc. if you don’t understand it that’s fine it’s clearly not for you and you can go quite easily without seeing any of it. It’s not illegal to read works through a queer lens and if it means more people know about queer history then I think that’s a very good thing.

I changed my mind after looking at what a lot of people are actually saying rather than what people perceive them to be saying and maybe you will too?

Just be kinder to people online please and if you don’t like what people are saying block them and do not engage!

#taylor swift #long post #gaylor #gaylor swift #friend of dorothea #friends of dorothea #lgbtqia

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theresattrpgforthat · 9 months

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Hello! I’ve been following you for a bit now, and all of your recommendations have been super cool and interesting! If you don’t mind me asking, do you have any recommendations for really long indie ttrpgs? One that could match the length of dnd or CoD books, I mean. The specifics don’t matter as much, I just really like sinking my teeth into long game books like that.

THEME: Long Indie Games

Hello friend! Fear not, I have a multitude of long indie games to recommend for you!

Chuubo’s Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine, by Jenna Moran.

Length: 578 pages.

The Chuubo’s Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine RPG is the diceless RPG from Jenna Katerin Moran, author of the well-regarded Nobilis and an important contributor to Eos’ Weapons of the Gods and White Wolf’s Exalted RPG.

Chuubo’s is a special beast. I personally don’t know how one actually plays this game, but the book itself is fascinating to read. It has recognizable parts such as character skills, Health Levels, and XP, but I think I’d want to sit down with a physical copy to be able to properly read it and get a handle on how you play through a story. If you enjoy a challenge, or even just something enchanting and evocative, I’d recommend Chuubo’s.

Part-Time Gods, by Third Eye Games.

Length: 318 pages.

The gods of today are shadows of what the old gods possessed. Their power has been heavily diminished, and many choose to live a regular, mortal life, revealing themselves as gods only when absolutely necessary. The reason for this is twofold. First, fate doesn’t like it when the gods share their secrets with a mortal. Unless they are the god’s worshipper, terrible events and horrific accidents have a way of happening to the people closest to the god. Secondly, divine works attract creatures and monsters called Outsiders, created by the Source (after its capture) to destroy any god they encounter.

This is a game that’s on my TBR shelf - and it might stay there for a while, because this is another pretty lengthy book. I am very grateful for the index at the back of this book, because I think this would be pretty difficult to navigate. Part-Time Gods is set in the modern-day, but the premise behind your god-hood is very unique, so one of the first chapters is dedicated to telling you what exactly it means to be a part-time god, part-time taxpayer. The book also contains small pieces of prose set in the world, meant to give you a flavour of the genre and tone intended by the designer. I’m really interested in the concepts expressed in this game, and I hope I have enough brain space to read it in the future!

We Are All Mad Here, by Shanna Germain.

Length: 226 pages.

Jack climbing the beanstalk. The little mermaid finding her voice. Alice struggling with the madness of a place unruled by the laws of reality. The queen. The child. The woodsman. The knight. When you think about fairy tales, who do you become? Where does your imagination take you?

We Are All Mad Here is a tabletop game about fairytales and mental health, providing you with new options for the Cypher System while also creating a setting about visitors to a magical land called the Heartwood. In the fiction, only those who have had some kind of struggle that affects their mental health are able to travel to this magical land. Germain intends this to be a way to tell a narrative about mental health using allegory and metaphor. The Cypher system itself is pretty complex, and you probably won’t be able to play a game of We Are All Mad Here without the core rulebook, so it might be worth it to take a gander at the Cypher System Rulebook while you’re at it.

Coyote & Crow, by Connor Alexander.

Length: 484 pages.

More than 700 years ago, a massive disaster changed the course of history. The world was plunged into centuries of darkness, but the event also introduced the Adanadi — the Gift — a strange mark that appeared on all life. This mark would have an enduring impact on humanity. Centuries later, the Earth is healing. New, advanced nations have risen. Ancient legends stir.

Coyote & Crow is a pretty extensive and unique game, using pools of d12s pulled from your stats, as well as narrative beats such as character motivation, Gifts and Burdens to help give your character a personality. Because it introduces an alternate history and a drastically different future, the core book as a decent amount of lore to acquaint you with the city of Cahokia and the world that surrounds it.

This game has quite a bit of support out there, with adventures such as Stolen Heart, Laughter Lost & Found, and The Case of the Great Underwater Panther.

Impulse Drive, by Adrian Thoen.

Length: 242 pages.

Play a crew of misfits and scoundrels living a life of danger and adventure as they explore space and try to make their ship a home in a technicolor sea of stars. Fight dangerous organizations, investigate unnerving mysteries, and find trouble in a game that rewards you when your characters face their shortcomings. Grow your characters and ship with new gear and abilities as you discover and create the universe together, as a group.

For a PbtA game, Impulse Drive feels pretty substantial. It provides a quick primer on Powered by the Apocalypse games, and includes advice for the players as well as the GM. This might be because the game includes a lot of details about gear and vehicles, as this is a space game that cares what your party has on hand and what their ship can do. There’s also advice on changing the game, extra moves, and a roll table for mutations! If you’re looking to see how to play out a space adventure in a more narrative-focused system, you might want to check out this game!

The Shrike, by Alice the Candle.

Length: 162 pages.

The Shrike is a game about fantastical voyages aboard a skyship. It's inspired by Avery Alder's The Quiet Year, John Harper's Lady Blackbird, Italo Calvino, Ursula K. Le Guin, and utopian and dystopian fiction. It features four complete adventures (two multiplayer, two for solo play).

This indie game is on the short side of this list, but it’s definitely long by indie standards. The author has provided 4 different adventures that you can read through, which will likely spark your imagination along the way. Interestingly, the voyages are placed in the first half of the book, while the information about Solo, Co-operative. and Guided Play embody the second half of the book. I’m not sure how I feel about this layout choice, but if you’re mostly looking for a book that you can read, flipping through the voyages might be more interesting to you than the rules of play.

Games I’ve Recommended in the Past

Lancer, by Massif Press. 431 pages.

The Wildsea, by Felix Isaacs. 364 pages.

Exceptionals, by Sahoni. 253 pages.

Gubat Banwa, by makpatatag. 399 pages.

Monster Care Squad, by Sandy Pug Games. 176 pages.

#tabletop games #indie ttrpgs #dnd #asks #game recommendations #long games

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maristocratie · 1 year

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Some of my PJO/HOO + Magnus Chase headcanons

I apologize in advance for the spelling mistakes, English is not my mother tongue, I will try to do my best !

Enjoy the reading :)

Camp :

There is a winter version of the camp t-shirts for the kids who stay all year long which is an orange fleece, it is not possible that these kids are all year long in t-shirt + this fleece is a big oversized grandpa fleece

Percy :

Percy has a collection of ugly T-shirts from the gift shops of the small towns they passed through during all their quests

Annabeth :

Annabeth has a completely collapsible mug that she can slip into her bag when she goes to work for hours at the University Library in New Rome on her architectural projects. She has several of them in different colors for different drinks and she never puts tea in the coffee cup etc... because the cup takes on the taste and smell of a drink and when you drink another drink in that cup it tastes like the usual drink (it’s so specific sorry)

same when she makes a tea or coffee in their uni apartment she has a cup for each drink

Nico :

Nico has NO accent when he speaks English

Luke :

When Luke was younger he was certainly one of the oldest at camp and was like a big brother to many campers in addition to Annabeth

It happened very often that he read/tell stories to the little ones, put bandages during the trainings if the injuries did not require going to the infirmary and that he animated a lot of workshops as the one of the beads painting

He also animated the campfire in the evening and the singalongs but that was before he became a big jerk (to stay polite)

In Chiron's office there is still a box with the things Luke didn't take with him when he betrayed the camp that should have been returned to May but it was never done

Thalia :

Thalia has big feet I can’t explain why

She told Luke about Jason and he promised her that they would find him one day

She was extremely blonde when she was little

Jason :

Jason somehow knows how to play the piano.

He´s well versed in history and art history and knows a lot of random facts

At some point he has discovered contact lenses and wears them regularly when he’s doing physical activities

When he and his sister are side by side they look much more alike physically than one might think at first glance, they have the same facial expressions

Jason has small freckles on his face and shoulders that stand out in the summer even though you can see them in the winter when you are close to his face

Leo:

Leo can for sure play the drums

Frank :

Frank didn't become super thin or anything when he grew up, he stayed sturdy from the shoulders, which goes with his morphology

Will :

Will wears crocs or similar in the infirmary because he has to stand all day and can't afford to have sore feet + when he's not in the infirmary I think he wears Birkenstocks because they are more comfortable than the flip flops he wears in the books. Will = comfort shoes king

Very often during his night shift will wears the famous fleece because he’s rather cold and he wants to feel comfortable after a long day

He knows a lot about botany thanks to the medicinal plants but also because he has many plants in his bungalow and he has even placed some in a corner of the infirmary

He even has several books on plants that he reads during his breaks, big books that are a bit old and with lots of diagrams and illustrations

He has a helix piercing on his right ear and it's a gold ring

Piper :

Piper has a lot of ear piercings and she has a lot of cool jewelry. She is often asked where she found them. A big part of them are made partly by herself

Travis & Connor :

The stoll brothers are tall and skinny like not muscular just extra skinny legends. Connor is taller than Travis even though Travis is older

Connor has really curly hair while Travis' is more wavy

Magnus :

Magnus is so left-handed that he barely uses his right hand

It's canon that he's tall but I consider him taller than Jason and therefore Percy. He must be a good 6'1" minimum

He smells like head&shoulders and neutrogena intense hydration comfort balm Norwegian formula (very precise almost too precise)

not really an headcanon but I think we forget too quickly and too often that Magnus is extremely intelligent because of his looks and his natural embarrassment. And it infuriates me that he is taken for a fool.

Also, we often forget that he is an excellent pickpocket and that he and the Stoll brothers would literally be a molotov cocktail if they joined forces...

Hope you liked it !

#headcanon #percy jackson #annabeth chase #luke castellan #thalia grace #jason grace #leo valdez #piper mclean #magnus chase #travis stoll #connor stoll #will solace #nico di angelo #pjo headcanon #hoo headcanon #frank zhang

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5eraphim · 1 year

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Detroit Become Human Characters Ranked best to worst Huggers

1. Luther: Big, robust, and beefy man. Sure he wasn't exactly brought up to be so soft by nature, but now that he's free? Hugging is now second nature to him, and he wants to share as much comfort and love as possible. Think of this as his way of making up for the lost time.

2. Kara: Was, in fact, programmed for this. A mother bear to her core, one who is equally protective and fierce as she is tender and loving. She is absolutely the type to drop what she's currently doing and partake in a bit of snuggle time if she notices you're looking a little down or if you tell her something is the matter.

3. Chloe: Again, c'mon, you KNOW she is just the sweetest, and she's all for hugs! Surprisingly she's also pretty intuitive and, without asking, would be able to pick up on your body language and tell whether you needed something soft and quick or if you were in serious need of a little physical intimacy. Will probably give you a kiss on the cheek, to boot! (Consider the rest of the Chloes, too, for a cuddle pile.)

4. Simon: While it's true that Simon might come off as a little uneasy and quiet sometimes, to those close to him, it's less awkward and more calming. Gives the best hugs to those close to him. He's surprisingly warm and very comforting. Definitely, the one you'd want to go for if you were in the mood to just vibe out while in another's arms. ( He's a lot stronger than he looks.)

5. Markus: Simon and Markus are at about a tie regarding who is a better hugger, and it mostly comes down to personal preference. Markus is your guy if you're more in the mood for a strong, secure hug. But he's also probably not the type to initiate hugs or tell if you're in need of one.

6. Josh: He would be much higher ranked here. However, it's just that he's more the one who would much rather receive a hug, rather than give on. But still, that isn't to say he would ever deny you a hug if you were to ask! Very gentle and calming, if everyday life left you feeling overwhelmed, and you just needed a break for a minute, he's your guy! Just be prepared to return the favor later.

7. Connor: Again, he is pretty quiet and maybe a little socially awkward, but he has a bit of a hidden sweet spot for hugs! Connor may come off as stiff with the hug, but he's doing his best! Though all this in mind, he likely won't initiate any physical touch with you unless you either ask first or if he asks and you say yes.

8. Daniel: Oh boy, if you're not someone he knows very well or has a long history with, any physical contact likely wouldn't go over well with him, full stop. However, if you can manage to get past his defenses and convince him he's safe around you, there's a whole other side to Daniel to get to know! Like Connor, Daniel likely wouldn't touch you without permission first, and he might unintentionally have a considerably firm grip and a bit of a clinger. But he does all this in an endearing way. Like a child who doesn't know any better but to cling as tight as possible to the people they love the most. You can't fault Daniel for acting like this or even see any of this as a bad thing, to an extent.

9. Hank: He is 100% the kind of person who says they hate hugs but will offer one if you're someone close and look like you really need one. Also, this goes both ways as he is the kind of person who never asks for one but wouldn't hate it if one were to offer. (Well, at least not in public, of course.)

10. Gavin: Alright, so disregarding the fact that it's probably a mistake to go to this man for emotional support any day. Additionally, this guy really falls flat when it comes to understanding the emotional needs of other people unless they outright tell him. So if you were feeling bad and asked for a hug, maybe you could get a half-decent hug out of it, perhaps he'll even throw in a joke to try and cheer you up here, but that's about as good as it might get with this one.

11. Kamski: Kinda a unique case this one! While most of the other characters rated lower on the list are poor huggers because they simply aren't the touchy-feely type, this does not extend to Elijah. He can tend to clam up and get a little awkward when it comes to hugs because he has issues with physical touch, but if you were to go to him, genuinely emotionally vulnerable and in need of comfort, he might freeze up here. It's a situation well outside his comfort zone, and he might be awkward.

12. Nines: A bad hugger in the "I don't see the point of this, and I don't care" full-stop mentality. He has potential sure, but I wouldn't count on it.

13. Zlatko: literally, what did you expect?

#found a draft from 2019- so vintage!#dbh #shitpost #detroit become human #dbh kara #dbh connor #dbh markus #dbh chloe #dbh luther #dbh zlatko #dbh nines #dbh kamski #dbh gavin #dbh hank #dbh daniel #dbh simon #dbh josh #x reader

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pynkhues · 3 months

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Oh you know I need your dream cast for a Succession prequel, Sophie

(x)

Okay okay okay, SO first thing's first, my dream Succession prequel is set against the 80s clusterfuck expansion into parks because every little bit of canon we got about that era just cooks. You've got Logan meeting Frank (and probably Gerri), Logan's whirlwind romance then toxic marriage to Caroline, Logan starting to have the golden trio and reconnecting with Connor and dealing with the aftermath of what happened to, and with, Connor's mother! Plus Ewan may or may not be still involved in the company? (I choose to think he is!)

As a result, a lot of my casting is partially determined by the age the characters would be then, which means I've had to change some actual dream casting (Romola Garai as 40yo Gerri, my beloved), but it's also a pretty fun era to think about so that's fine.

Anyway, let David Tennant as Young(er) Ewan invite you in:

I really love the Snr. Roy's being from Scotland, and their backstory feels so entwined with Scottish WWII history, so I wanted to honour that a bit in the fancasting, but all the same, I think I probably would've cast David Tennant anyway. I think he can sell that simultaneous moral superiority and absolute hypocrisy in a way that Ewan needs, and honestly, I just love the idea of him reading Jesse Armstrong's dialogue, haha.

Was Karl working for Logan in the 80s? I choose to believe yes, because I love him. Jack Lowden's been one of those actors who's popped up in a few things I've watched lately - Fighting with My Family, Small Axe and Slow Horses in particular, and I've been consistently pretty impressed with him? I think he's got a good handle of comedic timing (important for anyone taking up the Karl mantle) but also is a compelling dramatic actor and I think he could kill it opposite...

David Rysdahl as Young Frank! I've always figured Frank would've been a bit younger than Logan, and I love that little glimpse we got in canon of Frank having been brought in to advise on the parks acquisition and then Logan basically making him an offer to stay. There's something extra crunchy there for me if Frank's a little wide-eyed at the time and Logan oozes that charm that we know that he can turn on when he wants to. I like the psychosexual drama, and I also like the idea of Frank having this weird sort of connection to Caroline and Kendall because he met them while he was still impressionable / in the midst of being swept up.

But yes, haha, David Rysdahl I think is a bit of an up-and-comer, which is kinda funny given he's been in a lot of stuff. I've liked him though in the newest season of Fargo, and lowkey think he looks a bit like a young Peter Friedman.

Honestly, I just loved her in Swallow a lot, and she played the smart, unhappy, unhinged, WASP-y wife there to such perfection that I think she'd be ideal for a young Gerri who's still better known as Baird's wife than as counsel. There's such an attitude and vulnerability to Haley too which I think would match J's quite well, plus they have a bit of a similar look too which works for me? I want to see her claw her way in! And I also want to see her toxic relationship with Caroline which leads to her being Shiv's godmother.

Speaking of...

Honestly, I went through a few people for Caroline and she was surprisingly hard to cast. A lot of actresses who felt like they might fit the bill - Michelle Dockery and Claire Foy were two that sprung to mind - didn't really work as I didn't think they could quite balance the acidity with the blunt charm and playfulness that Harriet Walter just does so well (and honestly is a testament to what an actress she is). But then! Jessie Buckley! I've loved Jessie in everything I've seen her in, from Women Talking to The Lost Daughter, but it was actually thinking about her turn in Misbehaviour which made me think of her for this, exactly because of how she can play, well playfulness.

Plus I think she'd be a lot of fun opposite...

I did say I''d go with a Scotsman! Ewan McGregor's been in a few mmm, less good things lately, which makes a turn in a role like Logan Roy could potentially be pretty great. He's always been a remarkable actor, and one who, I think, can find the heart in any role, which is arguably what any actor playing Logan needs. Plus I always tend to think Ewan has chemistry with everyone he acts opposite, and I think he could really sell Logan's naked charisma in this era in a way that would make sense given he's making some pretty questionable choices across the board in the 80s. Plus, y'know, to the point of the post that inspired this one, I think him playing Logan would do a lot of psychic damage to people who could only ever see Logan as perpetrator of abuse and never as product or victim.

#also i lowkey think alan ruck looks a bit like david tennant?#i think it's sort of around the eyes #which makes that casting fun too #i always wonder what ewan's wife / marian's mother must've been like #but yes #making this post has made me want to write this fic again haha </3 #hbo succession #recastings #kinda #welcome to my ama #logan roy #ewan roy

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callmemrskenway · 2 years

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* rises up from the death*

I A M A L I V E

Anyway, what would Ezio, Arno, Jacob and Altaïr be like as dads? How many spawns would they want?

Maybe Connor too since he's your favorite.

WAIT, YES, I LOVE DAD ASSASSIN'S CONTENT.

Ezio:

- Definetly would be considered one of the greatest dads on this list, like, family is so important to him and I can see him being a big family man.

- Would want 3 or 4 kids, if you're down for it. Hed just love have little versions of you and him just running around. Also any boys you have will be named after either his father or brothers🥺

- Definetly takes a page out of his father's book about raising his children. He's strict but not overly so, paitient with his children, and while be does have his flaws, wants to be a fair and just parent who can instill good morals and ideals into his children.

- Also would have to hide the fact he's an assassin but if he has important missions then he will go because it is his job and he absolutely hates leaving his kids so he comes back bearing gifts for you and your children. He hates leaving but it also motivates him to get the job done as soon and thoroughly as possible so he can be reunited with his family once again.

- As for the topic of your CHILDREN becoming assassin's, that is a tricky one. He'd like for them to carry on the tradition but he's fully aware that it's not the safest job out there and understands your concern so it will be something that you two kinda do kinda argue and go back and forth about but there is an agreement once they were old enough, they'd learn about their heritage and he'd give them the choice to or to not become assassin's.

Arno:

- A bit nervous compared to the others for a while, he questions whether if he's ready to be a father or not but then the moment he holds his child, all those worries wash away and he knows that he's gonna try his best to be the best damn father out there.

- Absolutely would want at least two kids at the max but one child would be fine with him as well.

- He also wishes for them to be well-educated as he was raised. He'd read to them from a very young age and they grow up with a love for books and knowledge which is absolutely his favorite thing about them. Though this does mean they most likely find out he's an assassin the older and older they grow up.

- NO BUT THEY'D BE JUST AS WITTY AS THEIR DAD. And that's be a nightmare to deal with because Arno was already really mouthy now imagine there are younger, even more unfiltered, versions of him. They've made grown men cry. They don't ever sass their dad as much though and if they try to, then he is not responsible for if they cry or not- (jk, he adored them but he will leave them speechless).

- Honestly I don't think he'd want them to be assassin's but like I said, he would raise children too smart for their own good and his so they'd definetly want to be assassins and who is he to deny them their birthright? He does feel proud when they don their robes the first time.

- Okay but when they're babies and they're babbling, he's one of those dad's who pretends to understand them because I genuinely think that'd be adorable.

Jacob:

- NO, HE'D ABSOLUTELY BE THE BEST DAD OUT OF EVERYONE ON THIS LIST, CHANGE MY MIND. When his child is born, he holds them Simba style over the Rooks in the pub and the Rooks are all cheering.

- Jacob doesn't doubt his abilities in fatherhood at the slightest, he didn't have the best relationship with his father and at this point, he mature enough to understand that it wasn't just his father's fault but his too so he hopes that he can prevent repeating history and instead of focusing on the past, just uses what he learned to raise his child and not fall into a cycle.

- HIS CHILD WOULD BE A GREMLIN I GARUNTEE IT. Jacob is a bit lax and doesn't put his foot down unless his child is doing something that's dangerous to him or other people but the small Frye would be dubbed as a menace and Jacob just says: "Oh, c'mon, its all in a little fun!" if it IS just harmless fun.

- Also would want 2 kids but also wouldn't mind just the one. He will convince his partner to give their child another sibling~ results in an eye roll and playful kiss from his partner but a gagging sound from his kid.

- This man would be so FUCKING SUPPORITVE. His child is training to be an assassin and they just get frustrated because they think they'll never be as good as their dad so Jacob comforts them and tells them that he KNOWS they'll be better.

- Jacob also would be of no help the moment his child learns a swear word. He's one of those people who find kids swearing funny so when they do it, he snorts and he apologizes to his partner but THEY'RE GONNA HAVE TO HANDLE IT BC HE'S TOO BUSY DYING OF LAUGHTER.

Altaïr:

- No but Altaïr is like a good dad but a disaster dad too if you get me? Like he is very devoted to his children and raising them but sometimes he just doesn't have a clue.

- A bit nervous to carry them because they cry instantly and he gets worried he's done something so his partner has him sit next to them and they just show him how to calm them down and when they are calm, he feels a bit better and relaxed with them in his arms.

- Would want them to be an assassin but he doesn't want them to be arrogant like him so yeah, he might push them a bit hard or be bit strict but he'd never go overboard. Plus, if his partner thinks he's being to strict then he will ease up by a lot. Tries his best to praise his child and encourages them not to give up afterwards though!

- At the end of the day, he doesn't just have his child to be born and raised as an assassin, he has a child because he's in love with his partner and now he has something to symbolize that love and joy he once thought was unattainable to him. I also don't think the amount of children matters to him that much at all.

- No but him when his kids are really little is so funny to me because he has no idea what he's doing and he'll carefully be observing them like its a mission and they're his target. His current objective is too catch his toddler who is currently running around the grounds naked because they don't want to take a bath and somehow slipped past Altaïr.

Connor:

- Okay but he is also visibly a big softy for his kids. Just the way he holds them for the first time, you can see his beautiful brown eyes fill up with nothing short of love and adoration for them.

- He'd probably want like 4-2 kids and all of them would inherit their tree climbing skills so when he calls them in, he hears giggling from the trees above him and he sighs upon realizing his kids are really about to make him come up there and catch them.

- He is very protective of them, like whenever they go play, he's always lurking somewhere nearby so if an animal or, heaven forbid, a person tries sneaking up on them with the intention to hurt them he just tackles them from the side and into the bushes and his kid just looks up and turns around but then shrugs it off.

- Would train his children to be assassin's but more importantly, HIM TEACHING THEM HOW TO STEER BOATS AND STUFF. Like just Connor holding one of his kids on his hip and telling them what everything does and his crew just casually taking orders from the Captain's kid because that's adorable-

- He doesn't like random people touching his children either though. Like he just gets very apprehensive. When his partner was pregnant, I can imagine people doing that thing where they touch their stomach without asking and Connor stops them by grabbing their wrist. But it doesn't go away as they grow older. Even if its a pat on the shoulder or ruffle of their hair, Connor will put them behind him and be all: "Please refrain from touching my child."

#Me: *nervously tries to necromance the ac fandom in hopes I get the characters right*#BUT THANK YOU FOR THIS REQUEST IT WAS A LOT OF FUN AND I LPVED IT!#Sorry if some parts are too ooc I am still getting used to them!#ezio auditore x reader #ezio auditore #Arno Dorian #Arno Dorian x reader #Jacob Frye #Jacob Frye x reader #altaïr ibn la'ahad #altaïr x reader #connor kenway x reader #connor kenway #assassin's creed x reader #assassin's creed

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shani579 · 1 year

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Guys, I think I may have cracked the code to the mysterious "Tomgreg Vibe Switch" of 04x01. The question is not IF tomgreg will go canon this season, but rather HOW canon will they continue to get?

Yes, I believe they are canon -- kinda. And furthermore,, it will never be addressed, ever. But it did happen. That's part of the beauty of Succession; it leaves it to the viewers to fill in the blanks to questions like "Why is it dangerous to bring up Logan's sister, Rose?" "What happened to Connor's mother?" and "What the hell's the deal with Tom and Greg?" It also makes the now-infamous "Disgusting Brothers" thing a million times funnier in this context than it already is.

Here's how I see it; buckle up, fuckleheads.

Tom & Greg are out on the town grabbing a drink together, when they spot a young woman across the bar and really like her vibe. Greg's role is indeed that of Tom's wingman (Shiv got it right), but it turns out the woman is very interested in a threesome. So they all go back to Tom's apartment where, for lack of a better term, the woman becomes the willing middle of a tomgreg panini (sorry), and the boys are NOT "taking turns", if you get my drift (Shiv got it slightly wrong). Now, the physics would dictate that Tom and Greg be very, very, close -- face-to-face -- during the "act". And at some point, they break the cardinal "2 guys, 1 girl" rule of absolutely, positively NO EYE CONTACT between the guys. Tomgreg reach "fruition" as they're looking right into each other's soul (and probably touching each other).

Afterwards, touch-starved Greg is bouncing off the walls, and who can blame him? It's the best sex he's had in like, ever. And naturally he's feeling very close towards his friend Tom and wants to continue to form this new intimate bond with him (it's not about the girl; as we've seen, it's never about the girl with Greg). I mean, technically they didn't rub their dicks together, but they kinda ... did. Tom's at first happy to engage Greg in happy talk about their joint "score", but soon after has an existential crisis over whether of not this means he and Greg actually fucked. Later, Greg is scrolling on a Deuxmoi-type site and sees the headline "The Disgusting Brothers", followed by a blind item that is obviously about them and their little three-way. This makes Greg even more stoked -- he's a star! This blind item is also how Shiv got wind of The Disgusting Brothers.

Fast-forward to Logan's party, which, judging from Greg's still not having touched the ground, is very soon after Tom & Greg's eventful night out. He brings a date whom he barely knows (that "I may have fallen for her" is b.s. that Kerry sees right through), and after a little (unsatisfying?) tryst, he's back practically glued to Tom's side. Greg is very comfortable talking about sex with Tom, not to mention repeatedly invading his personal space; every moment is an opportunity to be in some sort of physical contact with Tom. Greg's very giddy and clingy, as if it was Tom he had sex with (which, again, he practically did). Tom's still emotionally squicked by it, and Greg creepily whispering "The Disgusting Brothers!(TM)" in his ear only makes it worse. Tom needs to shut Greg up, bring him down to earth, and get him to behave in public. So he goes into emergency bully/dom mode, first disarming Greg with the CCTV lie (which Greg somehow believes -- or does he?), then forcing his underling to give him all the sordid details of his indiscretion with his rando date, before finally badgering him into confessing it all to Logan.

(I also believe they’re playing a kinky game, where Tom gets off on forcing Greg to tell him about every sexual moment he has, and Greg gets off on telling him -- all in public)

Anyway, that's what I think happened. And I will “watch the show incorrectly” with this plausible bit of tomgreg history as a backstory.

#tom and greg #tomgreg #tom x Greg #tom/greg #tom wambsgans #cousin greg #greg hirsch #gregory hirsch

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nothinggathers · 10 months

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DBH Fic Masterlist

One shots

Impatient - PWP - Human AU - Connor works at a tacky wings bar and hooks up with Hank in the alley

Dirty Laundry - PWP - Human AU - Hank has inappropriate feelings for the college student renting his spare room which he’s content to keep to himself, until he finds out the pictures of a guy that looks just like him don’t just look like him.

Warning: Drunk sex, post break-up revenge porn

The Mermaid of Fox Creek - Teen - Mermaid AU - Hank finds a broken down merdroid on the beach and takes him home, inadvertently teaching him to like soft things and How It’s Made before falling a little bit in love.

Night of the Soul - NC-17 - Canonverse - In the aftermath of the raid on Jericho Hank is spiraling, until Connor comes to ask for his help...

Warning: Rape by deception

Scandal - NC-17 - Modern Royalty AU - His Royal Highness, Henry Prince of Wales and his valet, Connor, share a few stolen minutes in the depths of a forbidden tryst that would ruin them both if it came to light.

Close To Me Always - G - Hank reflects on his relationship with Connor in the aftermath of his loss.

Warning: Major Character Death

Beautiful - Teen - Connor finds the imperfection and impermanence of Hank’s body beautiful, and Hank shows Connor that his body bears the marks of living too.

Ensoulment - G - Connor reads fairytales and ruminates on his own personhood

Ghosts in the Machines - Explicit - Reverse AU (Featuring art from @winterbaroness and @vladlen4i) - Detective Stern and his prototype android partner investigate murders and the disappearances of androids, and realise there is so much more to this than there seems....

Only Fools Rush In - Explicit - Post revolution Hank and Connor have been just friends, until Connor bids on Hank at a charity date auction.

Series

Two Smiles - Explicit - Modern Human AU set in real world London

Getting Home - Connor is gravely injured on a stakeout and Hank puts him up in his home while he recovers, but feelings they’ve both done their best not to acknowledge blossom under the unique circumstances.

Warnings: Graphic depiction of injury

Pendulum - Hank and Connor’s relationship develops over the following months, and Connor is faced with some difficult decisions about what direction he wants to go in the future.

Warnings: References to criminal cases involving rape, spousal abuse, child abuse, child death, alcoholism.

Also includes references to Hank’s recovering alcoholism

This Isn’t Meant To Last - Explicit - Human Prostitute AU set in a world where indentured servitude was never illegalised

One Night - Hank’s idiot friends drag him to a brothel on a drunken night out, and he finds himself alone with a doe eyed beauty that thinks Hank is the one that needs to be rescued.

Warnings: Prostitution

Yours - Hank returns even though he knows he shouldn’t, and he’s determined to help get Connor out of there, but he doesn’t know just how terrible Connor’s situation really is.

Warnings: Sibling incest, aftermath of violence, heaping amounts of angst, dubious consent, drug use, prostitution.

Icarus - Connor signs a deal that offers freedom for himself and Nines, but how much should he trust Elijah Kamski, and who will catch him when the wax melts? Ongoing.

Warnings: Prostitution, angst, dubious consent

Reverse Physiology - RP logs undertaken with @sevdrag set in a Reverse AU and then cleaned up for publishing

History - Detective Connor Stern thinks the HK800 Cyberlife assigned to the DPD for these deviancy cases might be more than just a machine, but the HK800 in question, Hank, disagrees. Until he doesn’t.

Reciprocity - Explicit - A year on, Hank the HK800 and Detective Stern are still working together, dancing around a mutual attraction as clumsily as they can. When Connor is injured at a crime scene Hank takes him home to take care of him, and things spill over.

Mutuality - Explicit - Connor plans to start the New Year as he means to go on: by finally telling Hank how he feels, and where they stand.

#writing #my writing #dbh fic #hankcon #masterlist #fic masterlist

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pluckyredhead · 14 days

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Editing The Lost Titans

I get asks about writing advice/craft/tips occasionally, and I always feel a little inadequate when I answer them. While I try to be very disciplined and methodical about my original writing, when it comes to fic, it's something I do for fun and for free, so my method is mainly slapping my hands on the keyboard like a seal until self-indulgence comes out. It's rare that I outline fic or make significant edits, so it's hard for me to point to specific examples.

However! While I was writing The Lost TItans, I did a bunch of major edits - throwing away entire scenes, revising large chunks, adding an entire chapter after the first draft was done. More importantly, all of those edits had really clear reasons they needed to be made, rather than me going "Eh...it's just not right," which means I can actually explain my thought process without just waving a hand vaguely in the direction of the vibes. So I thought I'd write about what edits I made and why, in case it's interesting or useful to anyone. (And if not, who doesn't like navel gazing?)

The original opening scene was entirely different. It served the same purpose - it was still a dream showing the Titans Red world - but instead of all the Titans fighting the HIVE, it was Jason having lunch on the Star City University campus with Toni and Grant. Then, just as in the finished fic, Jason wakes up at Roy's house and talks about the dream over breakfast.

Now don't get me wrong, I loved writing that original opening scene. I love Toni and Grant, I was already invested in this alternate timeline, so getting to play with these characters interacting was super fun for me.

But it wouldn't have been fun for anyone else. Most of my readers wouldn't know who Toni and Grant were, and literally no one would be invested in their relationships with Jason, because I was inventing those out of whole cloth. Also, because the other four members of the team weren't there, it was just tons of exposition of who these characters were, what their team history was, etc. etc. Rose's joke about Roy being like a cool camp counselor was originally from this scene, but because Rose isn't in the scene, it's a joke being exposited rather than told. There was nothing to engage a reader who wasn't me, and also a lot of what was being shown in the scene - that these characters attended the same college - wasn't necessary information (as you can tell by the fact that in the final fic, that isn't even true).

So I cut the scene entirely and replaced it with the opening fight scene. (And obviously made the necessary edits to the subsequent conversation with Roy.) It's much more high energy, and more importantly: it gets the whole team on the page, it shows that they are a team rather than just telling you, and hopefully the banter gets you invested in their dynamic. They're pals being goofy together! I sure hope these are real relationships and not Hank Hall's weird manipulative RPF!

2. The third scene, dinner at Ollie's, originally opened with Roy, Lian, and Jason arriving at Ollie's and all the different Arrowfamily members getting little bits of dialogue or whatever before it was supposed to cut to the flashback of Jason butting heads with Bruce in Gotham. I was actually in the middle of this scene and stalled out for a while before I realized I needed to a) scrap the opening scene like I mentioned above and b) scrap this one, too. Often when I find I'm just stuck and not going anywhere, it's for reasons like this - the scene I'm writing isn't the right one.

In this case, it was similar to the Grant and Toni scene above - I was having a great time writing the Arrowfam, but the scene wasn't actually contributing anything to the fic. The point of this entire sequence was to show Jason's fraught relationship with his own family, and hint that Connor was experiencing the same dreams as Jason. Random banter with Mia or whoever was just getting in the way of the crucial information. I cleared all of the Arrowfamily stuff out of the beginning of this sequence, jumped straight to Gotham, and then used the birthday cake scene to contrast Jason's relationship with the Bats to his relationship with the Arrows, as well as drop that Connor hint.

I want to be really clear here, because I feel like people get defensive about the idea of cutting scenes that "aren't doing anything" or "don't move the plot forward." I didn't cut these scenes because they were quiet or character-driven. Jason and Roy having breakfast is quiet and character-driven. The whole fic is character-driven. I cut the scenes that I cut because they literally served zero purpose except having various characters go "Hello, I exist and I have a relationship to Jason." I replaced them with scenes that did that, and also moved the plot forward, and also made you care about those relationships, and also were fun to read. Please don't feel bad for those scenes because they got cut; they are a collection of words and don't have feelings.

3. The scene where Rose rescues Jason and Connor from Sudden Death got I would say a medium level of revision, in that the beats are all the same but they weren't originally fighting Sudden Death. Initially I just had them dealing with two members from opposite sides of a gang war, and the scene was pretty terrible but it got me where I needed to be, so I left it and finished the first draft of the whole fic.

When I went back in revisions, I realized that in using the gang war hook, I was once again spending time on something - in this case, the intricacies of crime in Star City - that had nothing to do with the fic. This is an easy trap to fall into: I needed to introduce Rose in a fun, badass way, while Jason and Connor were already hanging out, so having her save them while they were on patrol was perfect. It didn't matter who they were fighting, so I put in some generic goons.

But then I had to justify why said goons required three superheroes (four, if you count Roy) to defeat them, and also set up why they were there in the first place, and it just became a long derailment from the story I was trying to tell, with nothing inherently entertaining about it to justify it.

Swapping the goons for Sudden Death meant I could significantly streamline the "why" of the scene: he's a supervillain doing supervillain shit, case closed (although there's still a nod to him working with Brick, a Star City crime lord, to explain why he's in town). His dumb surfer shtick is more entertaining to read than generic goon dialogue. And he's a Hawk and Dove villain, which meant the scene served three purposes now: giving Rose a grand entrance, humor, and foreshadowing. Boom.

4. The scene where Jason and Roy kiss got a pretty thorough second pass. This one is the least helpful one to talk about, I think, because it really was just honing the vibes. I wanted to increase the tension between them, that slow pull drawing them closer, so I put in more about their respective positioning in the room, the way the room looks and feels, little physical details of Roy. If I make the setting more palpable, I make the tension more palpable - or at least, that's the theory I'm working with here.

5. The climax got a MAJOR overhaul. Initially, Hank returned Roy and took him away again, Jason had the team attack him, and there was a whole thing with the team fruitlessly fighting against all these hypertime variants of Hank. Only then did Koryak suggest they stay in the Titans Red universe.

I'd written it that way because...well, it was a superhero fic, it felt like it needed some kind of physical confrontation at the end. But this version of Hank is so powerful that there wasn't actually anything the Titans could do, which made the fight not particularly engaging. It also didn't really make sense for him to be attacked by Koryak, Grant, and Eddie, who were kind of on his side, or Jason, who was torn.

Instead, I nixed the physical fight, and made the actual conflict between the team members, which is the conflict that really matters. I also made that fight much more painful. The argument was already there in the first draft, but the truly cruel lines - Koryak's comment about Rose's mom, what Grant says to Toni - came in the second pass. Because the stakes here aren't really whether they can beat Hank; it's their friendship, and the balance between what they give up by going home, and what they give up by staying in the dream. I needed that decision to hurt, and failing to punch Hank Hall in the face wouldn't accomplish that.

6. I essentially added an entire chapter in revisions. Originally the fic went: Eddie sacrifices himself -> quick paragraph sending everyone home -> Jason and Roy get together -> team reassembles to rescue Eddie. It felt rushed and completely unsatisfying. I had been focused on resolving the plot points directly involving Jason, because he's the POV character, but I'd spent so long on all of the various team relationships that I had to at least give each character a proper send-off.

So I added the scene at the JSA brownstone. I let Grant and Toni make up, gave Grant his happy ending, and hinted at Toni's. I gave Koryak and Rose exit lines, and hinted that Jason thinks of Connor as family and part of what "home" means. I added the Tim scene because I needed to balance the beginning of the fic, and because if Jason was making the choice to return to a world with a fraught family dynamic, I needed to show that dynamic on page. I was worried that it would feel like I was drawing out the end too long after the Big Bad was defeated, but I think all of those scenes feel necessary and (hopefully) healing.

Anyway, hopefully this was interesting and maybe helpful! I find craft super interesting but it can be hard to talk about in concrete ways, so I wanted to get all this down on (digital) paper as clear examples I could point to when people ask.

#i write things #the lost titans

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teatoptony · 1 year

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—

0 1

summary; the gods are real. like, the greek gods. and apparently, you're a demigod. were you skeptical? yes. no time to question much though.

pairing; no romantic ones (yet) // clarisse la rue, annabeth chase, luke castellan, travis and conner stoll (all platonic)

word count; 1.9k

warning(s); none

a/n; whoop, my first series! might add a romantic pairing later on, but i don't think it's going to be percy or jason or leo since you (the reader) are a couple years older than them, around the age of the stolls (who to my knowledge are 15 in the lightning thief.)

takes place 3 years before the percy jackson books, reader & travis & clarisse are 12, connor is 11, annabeth is 9, luke is 16.

—

μηδέν. mother of mine

"So, he finally told you?"

You opened your eyes to an unfamiliar sight and an ache in your back. Where were you? And where had that voice come from?

"Hello?" You called. Propping yourself up on your hands, you could see that you had been laid across a set of marble stairs as if someone had tossed you there like a sack of potatoes.

Your vision was slightly blurred, like a white veil was over your eyes. There was a cool tingling feeling on your skin, like someone had rubbed alcohol on it.

Looking around, you realized you were at the entrance of something straight out of your history book — an ancient Greek temple. A massive one, at that. Four sets of towering columns were placed in neat lines along the edge of a marble platform, and on top of them lay an ornate marble ceiling. Fluffy gray moss grew along the bases of the columns, while lighter gray vines of ivy wrapped up around them.

Strangely enough, some parts of the temple were bleached so white to the point they glowed, and other parts were more of a light, slightly transparent gray, similar to smoke but much more solid-looking. The ceiling in particular was clear enough to see the night sky through it, which held more stars than you'd seen in your entire life.

Through the columns were plains of tall grass that were devoid of color. It rippled almost like water as if harsh winds were blowing through, but you couldn’t feel the slightest breeze. The rustling of the plains was muffled, too, like you’d placed pillows on your ears. Overall, the place felt like a whole other world.

"Where am I?" Your voice — muffled, you realized, just like the grass — wavered, the initial awe starting to subside and panic slowly seeping in. The logical explanation for this situation was that you were dreaming, but the soreness in your back and the cold marble under your palms felt too real for it all to be fake...

Had you been kidnapped?

"What do you want from me?"

The voice from earlier chuckled, sending a chill down your spine. It wasn't coming from any particular direction. If anything, it sounded like it was echoing from your own head.

"My child, it is not what I want from you as much as what you need from me." It said.

From behind some of the columns, you saw the first bits of color you'd encountered since you'd woken up at this place: blue lights, bright as the stars above, floating leisurely like big fireflies. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw a faint, golden light.

Suddenly, a dense mist flooded in from between the columns furthest from the entrance. From between the two middle columns emerged a wispy figure of a woman holding an old-fashioned reed torch in either hand, dressed in what you guessed were golden Greek robes.

Wait, no.. she came from between the columns furthest to the left. No, the right. Three smoky images of the same woman moved in unison toward the center of the temple.

To your surprise, you didn’t feel the need to run as she — they? — stepped closer. If anything, you felt drawn to her, like a chunk of metal to a magnet. You hastily stood up, feeling a little dizzy but otherwise fine.

The mist eventually subsided. Once the three wispy images were only a few feet away, they merged into a much more solid form, and your sight seemed to clear. You could make out her features.

Her skin was beautiful but deathly pale; the vibrant, turmeric-yellow robes with ornate golden designs that hung gracefully off her figure were the only thing that brought her some liveliness. Her blond hair was pulled back with a golden pin in a braided bun. Her face was like a Greek statue — pale, beautiful, and ageless — but her eyes were slightly unsettling. Squinting your eyes, you saw that they were a true inky black, irises and all. Not one bit of light reflected off of them.

You couldn’t quite pinpoint it, but the woman felt almost familiar...

"You're Hecate," you gasped, the realization hitting you like a truck. "The Greek goddess of magic."

"There’s one more title I hold, dear." Hecate smiled serenely, though it didn’t reach her eyes. "If you’d recall what your father told you..?"

Oh. The talk.

When your dad pulled you aside for a ‘talk’ around early evening, you’d expected him to bring up the birds and the bees. Instead, he had told you that the Greek gods were real and that you were the daughter of one of them — the goddess of magic herself. You’d been worried your dad had gone crazy, or if he was on something, or even drunk, but he looked so serious you had to promise not to tell anybody. You didn’t believe him, though.

"You can’t be my mother." You stood firm in your nonbelief. This had to be a dream, something your subconscious created because of the sheer nonsense you’d heard earlier that day. "You’re not even real. All of this is in my head. Besides, I already have a mom."

You immediately knew you’d said something you shouldn’t have.

The air grew colder as Hecate’s smile dropped the slightest bit, tilting now into more of a smirk. A green glow surrounded her as you began to feel lightheaded.

A searing pain exploded behind your eyes, and you fell to your knees, crouched over and gripping your head with both your hands. You tried to scream, only to discover that your voice had vanished. Memories you didn’t know you had started appearing one by one, and soon they were all whirling around in one big, jumbled, incoherent storm.

You could make out flashes of images — a pale woman in a dark coat watching as a young you played on the swing set with your two best friends… The same woman at the very back of the gymnasium at your elementary school graduation... And yet again the same woman handing your dad a little bundle of silk blankets, from which you could see the small fist of a baby sticking out to grab hold of anything it came across.

The pain stopped just as it had started, and you were left on the ground, cold and confused, with your eyes still tightly shut. You tried desperately to make something of all this new information, putting every memory into a neat little timeline just to make it all make sense. But the more you tried, the more you realized most of these memories weren’t new at all but rather variants of certain memories that you had never been able to recall in full detail.

"I can assure you that I’m quite real, my child." She said. You reluctantly looked up at her, shivering slightly from the cold. She’d come a lot closer in the last few moments. "The only reason you don’t have any recollection of me is because I swore upon the river Styx not to reveal myself or anything of my world to you before your father explained it all to you first."

She looked you over. "Although I can see that he clearly hasn’t done the explaining very well. As for your ‘mom’ — Delilah, was it? — I’m afraid she has no idea of anything, poor dear." She tsked, a bored look on her face.

"If I’m really your daughter, prove it." You spat, your throat hurting from trying to scream too much. Your head was still pounding. "Prove to me that this isn’t all some crazy dream. One of my nightmares."

"Nightmares?" Well, that certainly piqued her interest. "Tell me about these nightmares."

"I don’t know; they’re nightmares. Everyone has them." You were becoming irritated. Whether or not this was a dream or reality, one thing was for certain: you did not like the goddess of magic one bit. "Sometimes I’d have them a couple nights in a row, and they’d all connect, but they’re still just nightmares."

"Ah, but you see, a demigod’s dreams are quite special." Hecate said, smiling widely once again. "They often convey messages or show what may happen in the future. Tell me, have any of your nightmares come true?"

Your heart skipped a beat. You remembered one time you dreamt of your parents getting in a car crash. They were hit by a drunk driver on the way home from work only two days later. You’d stayed over at your best friends’ house for over a week so that their mom could take care of you when your parents were at the hospital.

"This isn’t giving me proof, mom." You said instead, not wanting to tell Hecate much about anything. You didn’t trust her, and giving her more information on you when she’d clearly been keeping well up to date on your life without your knowledge wasn’t beneficial for you. "Saying things isn’t going to make me believe. I need something solid, something real."

You took a deep breath as one of her eyebrows arched up. With her void-looking eyes, you couldn’t tell if she was amused or annoyed at what you had just said.

Then her smile grew wider.

"As I’ve said, child, you need something from me — or rather, some things would be more accurate, I suppose. Being a demigod comes with a few chinks and perks, and you’ll need my help to control and survive them."

"Wait, wait, wait. What the hell do you mean, ‘survive’? Am I in danger?"

"Why, of course." Hecate seemed almost gleeful at the mention of danger.

‘Some mother she is’, you thought.

"Danger comes naturally with being a child of the gods. There are monsters and gods looking for someone to smite, and don't forget the quests—"

Monsters? Quests? What kind of life had your dad brought you into?

"—which is why you’ll need me." She finished. There was a tinge of pale pink on her cheeks, as though the mere thought of tossing you in a pit with all sorts of nasty creatures was just too exciting. "As for the proof you requested... I’m afraid we have run out of time."

"Wait, what?" You were beginning to feel very stupid at this point. All you had were questions and a ‘mother’ who seemed uninterested in giving you any straight answers.

You looked at her expectantly, and she stared back at you. She seemed to freeze for a moment, then looked around the temple before settling her gaze on one particular spot on the left. Then she turned toward you again, the pink tint on her cheeks more evident than before.

"Check under your pillow once you wake up. Look after those brothers you’re so fond of; you’ll need them where you’re going." She rushed out, a green glow starting to surround her.

"Wait—"

"I’ll see you sometime soon, child." Hecate was now split into three images again, each one shoving something small, flat, and square into your hand. "Don’t disappoint me."

Hecate then disappeared. The temple began to crumble in her absence, with cracks appearing out of nowhere on the pristine marble. They wound up the columns and spread throughout the ceiling, creating shapes that resembled lightning.

Then everything came pouring down on you.

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herrmannhalsteadproduction · 9 months

Text

500 Miles (Chapter Three)

Summary: This is Part Nineteen of my series A Herrmann/Halstead Production. It is an AU where Christopher Herrmann's mom had an affair with Pat Halstead resulting in a baby. The series follows this OC character (Rebecca "Bex" Herrmann) as she grows up and gets to know her brothers and the various Chicago teams. It is very much an AU, just to underscore that. It doesn't follow the same timeline and characters will follow different paths.

Click here for the Series Rundown where you can find the links to read all of the previous installments (which I highly recommend you do so that this one makes sense.)

Rating: Teen and Up

Relationships: Christopher Herrmann & Original Female Character, Jay Halstead & Original Female Character, Will Halstead & Original Female Character, Jay Halstead & Will Halstead, Greg 'Mouse' Gerwitz/Original Female Character, Will Halstead/Connor Rhodes, Assorted OC Couples

Warnings: Light Angst, Emotional Conversations, Dealing with Past Trauma, Minor Character Injury, Swearing, Implied Sexual Content, Kissing, An Unholy Amount of Fluff

A/N: To underscore my previous note, this is an alternate universe so things have unfolded differently. This will not follow the canon arcs exactly by any means. But I hope you'll still enjoy it!

Chapter One Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Mouse

Sunday afternoon, Mouse paced back and forth in front of the park entrance he and Bex had agreed to meet at. Their plan was solid. It made sense. He knew that.

But now—faced with actually following through on it? Mouse was freaking out a little.

Maybe a lot.

Bex pulled up in her wheezing heap of a vehicle; the subject of a number of Jay’s rants. According to him, the only reason the Tin Can 2.0 could even run was due to Bex’s completely unfounded belief that it would. (Possibly another Very Specific Superpower at play.)

Mouse couldn’t fault Jay’s logic. Bex had a habit in believing in all kinds of lost causes. He shook his head, practically feeling her rolling her eyes at him for that thought. A flurry of barks and a door slamming brought him back to the present and he looked up to see her flashing a grin at him as she wrangled Kol out of the backseat. The corner of his mouth ticked up automatically in response. A Bex reflex.

“Hey!” she called out, doing a little walk-jog over to him as Kol pulled on the leash. “Someone is very ready for a w-a-l-k so I hope you’re prepared to put some miles in.”

“Yeah,” Mouse said, hoping his face was doing something normal. “Absolutely.”

They started down the path; Kol keeping them moving at a good pace. “How’s it going?” Bex asked, knocking elbows with him.

“Uh, good, yeah,” he said, watching Kol nose along in the grass. Easier to watch him than to look at Bex at the moment. He tried to remember the pep talk from his group this morning. They’d all agreed that honesty was the best policy for the things he wanted to talk to her about, but where did he start? “How, uh, how are you?”

There. That was safe.

Cowardly, but safe.

“Pretty good so far.” Bex laughed. “Emery and I roped Connor into going to the farmers’ market with us and we got so much stuff. We went a little wild so I may have a few things in the car to rehome with you, sorry, not sorry.”

“Sounds good,” Mouse nodded absently.

Did he start with the messed-up childhood or the even worse teen years? Or his time with the army rangers…and everything that came after that? Which one of his red flags would have the infinitesimally better chance of not sending her running in the other direction?

Mouse could see Bex casting him curious looks out of the corner of his eye. His idea of letting her take the lead and do most of the talking was on shaky ground. He’d just gotten her back and he was already messing it up. He thought he’d have a bit more time. Be able to come up with some kind of plan—to what? Suddenly have a whole new history? Yeah fucking right.

Now it was too late. The moment had come. He was here, walking beside Bex on the first of their ‘working shit out’ walks and he couldn’t even make words work and now she was watching him with that determined ‘Bex’ look on her face and this was it, she was going to tell him it was a bad idea to begin with and—

“What do you call an angry carrot?” Bex blurted out.

His brain took a moment to process her words. “…what?”

“What do you call an angry carrot?” Bex repeated slowly, a smile slowly dancing around the edges of her lips.

“I…have…absolutely no idea.” He was completely confused, but he’d grown used to having that feeling around Bex so he was willing to see where this went.

She leaned in close, bumping her shoulder against his. “A steamed veggie,” she said, waggling her eyebrows.

A startled laugh burst out of him and Bex grinned, looking incredibly proud of herself.

God.

He was so fucked.

***

Bex

Mouse was being incredibly weird and twitchy and while that was mostly part of his charm—at least for Bex, it was—this was a different level of weird and twitchy.

This was Mouse freaking out.

She let him be for a bit, trying to give him space to settle into their walk, but it soon became clear that wasn’t going to work. He was spiralling.

Spiralling was the exact opposite of their goal here so she needed to figure out how to nip that in the bud somehow. Bex opened her mouth to say something calming or encouraging and instead—instead what popped out was—

“What do you call an angry carrot?”

Bex barely managed to avoid forehead slapping herself.

Mouse finally looked at her though. “…what?”

Well, she definitely had his attention and she may have put a pause on the spiral so whatever. She was rolling with it. “What do you call an angry carrot?” she repeated, kind of loving the perturbed little furrow that was growing between his eyebrows.

It was cute, okay?

“I…have…absolutely no idea,” Mouse said faintly.

Bex leaned in close, bumping her shoulder against his. “A steamed veggie,” she said, waggling her eyebrows for maximum effect.

The ridiculousness seemed to work on him though because he barked out a laugh and the thread of tension that had been growing between them snapped.

Maybe now they could get somewhere.

“Pretty good, eh?” Bex asked.

Mouse shook his head, laughing. “Uh, pretty terrible actually, but I liked it.”

“No stealing it,” she said, pointing a warning finger at him. “I gotta remember to tell that one to Sergeant Voight later.”

“I solemnly swear to never repeat that joke to anyone,” Mouse said, pressing a hand to his heart, eyes wide. “Ever.”

Bex huffed out a laugh. “Good.”

They walked along together for another minute, letting the quiet sit, but Bex was wary of letting it fester again. Not communicating had only proved to be disastrous for them so far.

Cutting to the chase it was then.

“These walks we’re taking,” Bex began and Mouse shot a quick look at her before focusing back on Kol. At least he was listening. She kept going. “I know you have stuff you want to tell me about,” Bex said. “Things that you think will scare me off, but—”

She reached out and grabbed Mouse’s hand in hers. He let her.

“We also agreed that there’s no set rules here,” she said. “There’s no forcing anything or putting pressure on ourselves. We’re spending time together.” Bex squeezed his hand, leaning gently into his side before swaying back. “Taking it slow and getting to know each other even better than we did before,” she continued. “You can tell me whatever you want whenever you ready, but right now? I’m happy just to be here with you.”

Mouse squeezed her hand back, taking a slow breath. “I don’t even know where to start,” he admitted quietly.

“How about with ‘what have you been up to this weekend?’” Bex ducked her head to catch his eye and he finally looked up at her again, chewing on his lip. His gaze cleared and he smiled at her softly.

“What have you been up to this weekend?”

“Well, you know how we went to the farmers’ market?” she asked and he nodded. “Kidnapping Connor to come with us was the best idea ever. Everyone was too busy flirting with him to haggle. We got so many deals!”

Bex told him all about the rest of their market adventures and the many things she and Emery were planning on making with their bounty. Mouse told her about his talk with Jay in turn and how things were going with them. She filled him in on some of the history of the Grudge Match and he told her about what was new with his group.

They made their way into the centre of the park where a large fountain stood. With the conversation still flowing, they sat down on the cement edge surrounding the water to take a little break from the sun.

That proved to be a mistake.

A few ducks were also enjoying the fountain around the other side. Bex and Mouse didn’t notice them at first, but Kol sure did.

The two of them had barely sat down when Kol let out a torrent of barks and leapt into the fountain, bounding toward the ducks.

At top speed.

While Bex was still holding onto the leash.

Before either of them could react, Bex was yanked backwards into the fountain. She had half a second to be think ‘at least I put my bag on the ground’ before she was fully immersed.

The power of Kol straining away made it a struggle to right herself at first, but after a few seconds she got herself into a seated position. Somehow, miraculously, still hanging onto the leash!

“Kol, stop!” she gargled and he paused his hunt long enough to return to her side, nudging her with his nose.

“Bex! Bex, are you okay?” Mouse’s voice made it through to her as the water began to drain out of her ears. A hand over her face helped wipe the water out of her eyes until she could make out Mouse crouching over her, an adorably concerned frown on his face.

“You came in too?” was all she managed to say.

Mouse blinked. “Yeah, I mean, uh, I couldn’t let you drown on our first da—walk, could I?” He helped her to her feet, one hand at her elbow, the other at the small of her back, holding her steady.

“I appreciate that.” Bex moved a little closer, trying to steal a bit of his warmth since he’d managed to only get soaked up to his knees.

Listen, if she had to suffer through the embarrassment of getting dunked by her dog, she could at least try to sneak a snuggle out of the whole thing.

Of course, it was then that Kol decided to try and go after the ducks from the other side.

He splashed past Bex and Mouse at top speed. She tried to keep a hold on him, calling out for him to stop, but got yanked off her feet again instead.

Taking Mouse down with her.

They both flailed for a minute before getting right side up. Bex had lost her grip on the leash, but the ducks had also been smart enough to fly away at this point so Kol was just jumping around in the water from one end of the fountain to the next.

She looked over at Mouse and he met her gaze dolefully. He was soaked, head to toe. Not that she was any better.

Kol barked, running by and hitting them with another wave of water.

***

Kol

play?

play play play play play play play play

***

Mouse

Bex burst into giggles. “I’m sorry,” she said, trying to muffle them. “Seriously, I’m—I’m so sorry. He’s a menace.”

He couldn’t even pretend to be put out when she was looking at him like that. Mouse shook his head, laughing with her. “Think we should try to catch him or let him tire himself out?”

Another lap from Kol sent another wave of water their way.

“Honestly?” Bex blew out a breath and attempted to push the wet hair out of her face. “I’m team let him tire himself out.”

He reached out to help tug an errant lock away from her cheek. “Fine by me,” he murmured as he tucked the strands behind her ear. This walk was turning out much better than he anticipated.

Bex smiled at him, raising her own hand to brush gently at the water dripping down his forehead. “We should get out of here though before we start to freeze.”

“Once we get him out, we can head back to my car,” Mouse said. “I’ve got an emergency blanket in the trunk. I can get you warmed up.”

“That’s quite the offer.” She raised an eyebrow at him, cheeks going pink, and he played back what he’d said in his head.

Crap.

“I mean—the blanket—uh, the blanket can—not me, directly—"

“Oh, my god,” Bex exclaimed when Kol’s next lap took him not only past them, but over them, nearly dunking them both all over again.

They sputtered their way over to the edge and Bex took one look at him before dissolving into helpless giggles once more. “We’re gonna need that blanket for sure,” she gasped.

Yeah. Mouse definitely had no problem spending his afternoon like this.

***

Will

The door to the apartment creaked open and he heard Kol’s hello barks answered by an “Oh, my god, what happened?” from Emery.

Sharing a concerned glance with Connor, he moved to pop his head out of the kitchen. Connor turned off the burner on the stove and followed closely behind.

Bex stood in the doorway, looking more than a little damp and bedraggled. What the—

Kol bounded over to slam into Will’s legs. He reached down to pet him only to discover that Kol was also disconcertingly damp.

“Did it rain?” he asked Bex, taking a quick look out the window. He was sure the forecast had been clear.

“Nope,” Bex said cheerfully. Her shoes squidged as she shucked them off by the door.

Will looked over at Emery who shrugged at him, eyes wide. He jerked his chin at her. Someone had to ask. She made a face at him and then turned back to Bex.

“How, um…how was your walk?”

Bex straightened up, a smile spreading across her face. “It was great, actually,” she said. “Really, really great.” She shouldered her bag and headed down the hallway toward her room, socks making little wet slaps along the floor.

The three of them watched her go.

“I want to know,” Will said. “But I also really don’t.”

Connor and Emery hummed in agreement.

He looked down at Kol. “Are you responsible for this?”

Kol barked, grinning up at him with that wide doggy smile before going into a deep stretch and shaking out his fur. Little droplets of water flew everywhere.

“Menace,” Will sighed, heading back into the kitchen for the doggy treats.

Click here to read Chapter Four. Click here to read Chapter Five. Click here to read Chapter Six. Click here to read Chapter Seven. Click here to read Chapter Eight. Click here to read Chapter Nine. Click here to read Chapter Ten. Click here to read Chapter Eleven. Click here to read Chapter Twelve. Click here to read Chapter Thirteen. Click here to read Chapter Fourteen. Click here to read Chapter Fifteen. Click here to read Chapter Sixteen.

Click here to read 500 Miles on ao3:

And here is the tag list (let me know if you wish to be added or removed):

@sorry-i-spaced, @thegirlwhowishedeveryonelived, @ivyalmighty, @thewannabewriter, @lexhalstead3, @multifandomgrl08, @sensitivemallysix, @thebewingedjewelcat, @emme-looou,

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racefortheironthrone · 11 months

Note

Do you have any recommendations on where to start reading X-Men comics? I've always found the idea and the characters interesting but the massive amount of content has felt intimidating to say the least.

Sure. Let me update my old recommendations:

First, it's really hard to go wrong with the Claremont run. Marvel Unlimited makes it pretty easy: start with Giant-Size X-Men #1 and then that goes straight into X-Men #94 and, after a few issues where a novice writer in his mid-20s is figuring out how it works, it's all hits for 180-odd issues. However, you don't have to read all 180 issues in one go, and I highly encourage you to treat the Claremont run as a series of interconnected stories that can be enjoyed on their own, a little bit like riding a scenic trolley with a daily fare that lets you hop on and hop off as you please. So what are the classic Claremont stories you should read?

The Phoenix Saga and the Dark Phoenix Saga (#94-138)- ignore the lousy movies, this is the original dyptich space opera triumph and tragedy of how one woman saves the universe with the transcendent power of love and Jewish mysticism, and then is destroyed by men's desire to harness godlike power for their selfish ends. If you're going to read anything of the classics, read this arc because it's brilliant and it'll give you the basics of what you need to know about the X-Men.

Days of Future Past (#141-142)- only two issues, but it's basically the inspiration for the original Terminator franchise - a desperate resistance from a dystopian future where robotic overlords oppress surviving humanity uses time travel to avert their own timeline from ever coming to pass. It's fantastic.

God Loves, Man Kills (Marvel Graphic Novel #5) - the basis for the best bits of X2, it's some of Chris Claremont's best work on the mutant metaphor and a prescient exploration of the power of evangelical religion. Some of the racial politics haven't aged the best since the early 80s, but the rest is straight fire.

The Brood Saga (#154-167) - Chris Claremont watched the Aliens movies and thought "but what if the X-Men fought the Xenomorphs?" and it was awesome. Interesting explorations of when it's right to kill even a lifeform one considers to be evil, the moral quandary of suicide, and space whales.

From the Ashes (#168-179)- meet the Morlocks, is Madelyne Pryor the resurrected Jean Grey, Wolverine goes to Japan - will he marry the head of the Yakuza?, and the intended retirement of Cyclops. Also, some of the best art in the history of the X-Men.

LifeDeath (#186) - Storm loses her powers and learns how to keep on living. Some of Claremont's best writing, and some great Barry Windsor-Smith art.

The Trial of Magneto (#200) - Magneto is put on trial for crimes against humanity. Xavier almost dies and makes Magneto his replacement.

The Mutant Massacre (#210-214) - the first major X-Men crossover and the beginning of the X-Men's time as outlaws on the run. Signals a shift towards darker and more adult themes.

Fall of the Mutants (#220-227) - the X-Men die for our sins and are reborn as Aussies.

Inferno (#239-243) - Madelyn Pryor enacts a Medean programme to revenge herself against a world that treated her as a "nothing person in a nowhere place."

Second, you can read Grant Morrison's run on New X-Men (#114-154), which was both revolutionary in its approach to mutantkind as a minority subculture and was intended by Morrison to be the very last X-Men story. Incredibly influential and powerful writing, even if I don't always agree with their characterizations.

Third, there is a reason why Connor Goldsmith of Cerebrocast calls it "the 2019 soft reboot House of X and Powers of X by writer Jonathan Hickman." HOXPOX requires a bare minimum of knowledge about the X-Men, and it entirely redirected the focus of the X-line and the mutant metaphor itself for the last five years - and, whatever happens in the upcoming Fall of X, will continue to be influential on the future direction of the X-Men for years to come through the X-slack writers' room, which created a collaborative spirit that hasn't existed in X-comics since Chris Claremont was palling around the Lower East Side with Anne Nocenti and Walt & Weezy Simonson.

#xmen #xmen meta #book recommendations #chris claremont #grant morrison #jonathan hickman #hoxpox #marvel

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bi-bard · 2 years

Text

Confrontations - Connor Rhodes Imagine (Chicago Med)

Title: Confrontations

Pairing: Connor Rhodes X Reader

Word Count: 1,600 words

Warning(s): drugging, attempted murder, mentions of murder

Summary: (Late Season 4) After a bit of tense interaction with a colleague, (Y/n) wakes in a hospital bed with all the time in the world to put the missing pieces together.

Author's Note: Y'all, this plotline was batshit. Obviously, I had to write something for it.

flashbacks marked by italics

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

I had never been more confused than I had when I woke up in a hospital bed.

I had no memory of really anything for the last several hours. It was bizarre.

I pinched the bridge of my nose as I woke up more. I felt like there was a weight sitting on my head.

When I moved my hand away, I made eye contact with April. She walked in immediately.

"Hey," she said. "How are you feeling?"

"Not great, but I'm not in any pain," I replied. "What happened?"

"Well, we aren't sure," she explained. "You were dosed with something, but none of us have been able to figure out how it got into your system."

"Am I okay?"

"We're getting it treated," she nodded. "I'll be right back. There are a lot of people worried about you."

I grinned, "Thank you."

"It's my job," she waved me off. "Relax. Please."

I nodded.

As she walked out, I turned my head to the side, looking at my monitors. I tried to think about the last day or so. What the hell had gotten me there?

The first thing I could remember was walking into the doctor's lounge in the E.D. I had just received some good news and I had been looking for someone.

Connor. I was looking for Connor.

"You look happy," Connor had noted as soon as he saw me.

"I am," I had replied. "Remember that patient I was having a hard time with? Been in the psych ward for ages?"

"Yeah?"

"We finally made some real progress, and he's getting discharged."

"No way," Connor had smiled at me. I nodded. He walked over and pulled me into a hug. "Congratulations."

"Thanks," I muttered, hugging him a little tighter.

I stepped back, about to ask about his day when the door opened. Ava stepped in, freezing for a moment when she saw us.

I had known the history between Connor and Ava. Connor and I had been friends for years, so I saw a lot of it firsthand. I felt bad for her. So much had happened so fast. But I still saw the pain that Connor had been dragged through. It broke my heart.

"Hey," I waved, wanting to keep a good work relationship with her. She was good at her job, she deserved respect for that.

"Hey," she mumbled, seeming tense at the mere sight of me. She looked at Connor. "I just needed a consult."

"Alright," Connor nodded before looking at me. "I'll see you later."

"Sounds good."

As he walked out, I expected Ava to immediately follow him. She didn't. She stepped toward me. I immediately noticed the dark look in her eye.

"You need to back off," she said quietly.

"I'm sorry," I asked, eyebrows furrowed.

"You heard me," she gave me a tense grin. "I see you and Connor. I need you to back off. Don't be another obstacle for me."

I could've asked a million questions in that moment. But I didn't. I just nodded at her. I tried to maintain her calm mood. If I upset her, I had no idea what the consequences would've been.

I furrowed my eyebrows just as Dr. Charles walked in.

"Hey," he said as he walked in. "How are you feeling?"

"Is every person going to ask me that," I chuckled. "I'm fine."

He nodded, "Good, I'm glad."

"Has anything happened while I was out," I asked. "Are my patients okay?"

"Oh, oh," he nodded. "Everyone's okay. You had one patient worried because you two were meant to meet today."

"Oh, no," I ran a hand over my face. "Poor girl. I gave her this assignment to help her cope. She must feel like I abandoned her."

"I took care of it."

"Thank you," I grinned. "Is she okay now?"

"I promised an update on your condition."

"So that's why you're here," I pointed at him.

He held his hands up for a moment before chuckling, "I should let you rest."

"Thank you, Dr. Charles."

He grinned and nodded before heading out.

I tried to relax into the pillow. My hand fidgeted with the blanket as I tried to put more thoughts together. Had I done anything truly out of the ordinary?

No. Nothing.

Well, no, that's not right. Something was different. Something that stuck out to me. What was it?

I had been sitting with my food at one of the tables in the hospital cafeteria. I was looking over a patient's file when there was a coffee cup placed in front of me.

I looked up from the cup to see Ava standing in front of me. I raised an eyebrow at her. She just threatened me a little while ago, what was she doing?

"I wanted to apologize," she said. "What I did earlier was not okay. You didn't deserve to be treated like that."

I grinned at her, "Oh, thank you."

She nodded, tucking her hands in her pockets, "Are we okay?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "We're okay."

"Thank you," she replied before turning and walking away from me.

It was the coffee.

It was something in the coffee.

That was the only thing that was different from my day-to-day activities.

I felt my breath speed up as I tried to even consider the chance. Ava seemed a bit obsessive, yes, but murderous? That just... There was no way.

April walked by my room.

"April," I said, getting her attention before she could get too far.

"Hey," she replied. "Connor said he's going to come down as soon as he can."

"Okay, okay," I waved the statement off. "I need... I need you to promise me something."

She seemed worried as soon as I spoke. Her eyebrows furrowed.

"What's going on," she asked.

"Do not let Ava in this room, please," I explained. "I... I need you to promise me."

"Why?"

"Please just promise me."

"Okay, okay," she grabbed my hand. "I promise."

"Thank you," I muttered, leaning back against the pillow. "Thank you."

April nodded again before leaving the room.

I spent the rest of the day on high alert. I gripped at the blanket and kept scanning the walkway just outside the door.

I saw people muttering more and more to each other. Drama moves fast in the hospital. I walked out to the desk, seeing Maggie at the computer.

"We were going to help you out-"

"What's going on," I asked, ignoring her.

She froze up.

"Maggie."

"It's Ava," she replied. I furrowed my eyebrows. "She... She slit her own throat."

"What?"

"In front of Connor."

"Holy shit," I whispered. "Is she okay? In surgery or anything?"

"She didn't make it."

"And Connor?"

"Shaken up but she didn't hurt him. He went home."

I nodded. Thank God.

"My papers are all filled out, can I-"

"I'd be angry if you tried to do anything else," Maggie cut me off. "You are not driving yourself."

"I've got them," Dr. Charles was walking out of the hospital. "I'm heading out for the day."

"I can't ask you-"

"Good thing you aren't asking," he said. "Come on. You need to get home."

Dr. Charles was quiet as he listened to me list off directions to my apartment building. He made sure I made it to my door before leaving, wishing me well.

I placed stuff on the couch and had been getting ready for bed when there was a knock on my door. I opened it to see Connor on the other side.

He looked tired. There were bags under his eyes, his hair was messy, and his shoulders were slouched forward. I stepped to the side and let him walk in. I closed the door behind him.

"Maggie called when you went-"

I stepped forward and hugged him tightly. He slowly hugged me back.

"They told me about Ava," I mumbled. "I'm so sorry."

"T-Thank you," he stepped back a bit. "She... she was the one that killed my dad."

"Oh God..."

"There's... There's something else," he sighed. "When I confronted her about my dad, before she... before she hurt herself, she confirmed that she was the one who dosed you."

I nodded, "I... I kinda figured that out. The coffee she offered me was the only super different part of my day."

"I'm sorry-"

"You didn't do anything wrong," I stopped him.

"I'm leaving the city."

"Oh? Forever?"

"It's looking that way," he replied.

He reached forward and grabbed one of my hands. I looked down as he ran his thumb over my knuckles.

"I almost lost you," he muttered.

"I'll try to not let it happen again," I tried to joke in the hopes of relieving some of the tension in the room.

He chuckled.

The room fell silent for a while. Not long, maybe half a minute. But it felt like an eternity.

"Come with me," he said at last.

"What," I asked.

"I want you to come with me," he pushed. "I want to be with you. I... I love you."

I felt my heart almost stop in its tracks.

Connor looked ready to backtrack. I wrapped my arms around his neck as I kissed him. His arms wrapped around me, pulling me closer as he kissed me back.

I slowly pulled away, smiling at him, "I love you too, Connor."

He smiled back and pulled me into another kiss.

I leaned back and rested our foreheads together.

"Where are we going," I asked.

"I... I don't know yet," he chuckled. "Somewhere nice."

I nudged his nose with mine as I agreed, "Somewhere nice."

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Masterlist (Includes links to All Writing Challenges)

What I Write For

Some Original Characters

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