Lloyd’s the kind of person to be completely silent while everyone is horribly singing Bohemian Rhapsody only to belt out the line “I sometimes wish I’d never been born at all” in perfect pitch and then fall dead silent again as he went back to like, reading a book or something. send post

(different Anon here) I too enjoy reading your ramblings on ML. I have a question about the last one: "Along the same lines, the love square should never be canon unless Marinette gives up Guardianship because Adrien is a liability to the safety of the miraculouses even if he didn't wield on himself. " I don't think I really understand this, can you give an example what you meant or what consequences you thought about this?

Sure! Adrien is basically a sleeper agent. All the senti kids are.

Let's say that Adrien retires while Marinette stays Ladybug. Someone then gets their hands on Adrien's amok and says, "Wait until your wife is home, then murder her and take her miraculous."

As Ephemeral showed us, Adrien WILL do that. His love is not enough to overpower his amok even what it means the end of the world. You could also ask him to tell you all of the secrets of the miraculous and he'd sing like a canary! You don't even need to say please! Therefore, he cannot stay with Marinette because Marinette is the kind of person who will have enemies that want to kill her in order to get her miraculous or the miracle box. The only way to get around those issues is for Marinette to give up her guardianship and her miraculous, turning her back into an ordinary civilian.

I cannot overstate how massive a liability Adrien is to the safety of the world. He is the perfect way to get to Marinette and all of the other miraculouses. If the love square stays together, then Adrien will have access to Marinette at her most vulnerable, meaning that villains don't have to come up with some sort of clever plan to get to her or him or their children. They just have to steal one of his amoks and tell Adrien to do the dirty work for them.

Wearing the amoks doesn't keep them safe, Felix has shown us that. Locking them away doesn't keep them safe because that still means that someone could steal them. Can't destroy them, then Adrien dies. You could post guards on them and pay those guards well, but you'd still have to trust that they wouldn't betray you. You could possibly lock the amoks in a box and throw them into the ocean and pray that no one finds them, but that's still got risks.

Basically, Adrien's free will will never be truly his because his free will is reliant on something external to him, which is horrifying. He will never truly have the undeniable basic freedom to say "no" that we enjoy as humans. He cannot ever say "death first" to protect his wife and children. He will always obey the amok.

Obviously the miraculouses are physical objects too and so they also carry the risks of being stolen, but it's a different kind of risk, imo. If someone gets the black cat, then Marinette and Adrien can team up to try to get it back and you can't hide the fact that it's been taken. Plagg disappearing will be immediately obvious. If someone steals one of the amoks, then you'll only know whenever you try to give Adrien a command and he doesn't obey. Are they going to do a nightly command check to make sure that the amoks are real? Like this is just a very dark setup and I am baffled that they didn't have Gabriel use the wish to undo it.

If you've ever seen Fruit Basket, just think of how Kyo's bracelet is treated and how much that messed with his mother's mental health. I picture Marinette developing similar habits for very understandable reasons.

I try not to overthink stuff in kids shows, but I don't think this counts? Like this was all really obvious to me as soon as I heard the basic concept of the senti theory. A character being able to be mind controlled leading to him being controlled to do horrible things seems really like a natural expectation in a superhero show.

this is a lukerosa headcanon that I've had for a while: during movie nights luke was really into high school musical. If either of them start singing even one line it acts like a sleeper agent and now we have to finish singing the rest of the song part of the reason he likes singing hsm in particular is totally NOT because then he could duet with mc. he does not think about having the Disney duet Moment™️ with her no sir. Luke on the day he leaves for National Central University: I'll miss you :') MC: I'll miss you too :) Luke: omg wait wait we're literally Troy and Gabriella in hsm 2 and then they sing Gotta Go My Own Way while mc is laughing at how stupid he is (affectionate) the 1st birthday card where lukerosa and their high school classmates go to karaoke? I firmly believe that before luke and mc left they were goaded into dueting one song and they chose Start of Something New and it totally wasn't because they like each other nope no way but why is this song hitting so close to home right now why are we locking eyes IMAGINE being one of those classmates in that karaoke room that shipped them from day 1 and having to experience that. witness that.

jhvjhKJVKSJHDFVS PLEASE OMG this is such a perfect mix of dorky and endearing, it is PERFECT for luke ;w;

i support him and his HSM fixation, and HSM songs are so perfect for karaoke (source: ive picked HSM songs for karaoke several times and it always rocks)

luke and rosa: //perfectly dueting Start of Something New in the bday1 SSR without even looking at the lyrics flashing on the KTV screen

the former classmates just sitting there: do u guys want ur own room, do u guys want us to like leave or something

maybe thats another reason why those former classmates were so passive aggressive about luke's detective occupation in that card, both because they were being dumb and also because some of them felt the need to knock luke down a peg because come on man, making the rest of us feel single :/ KJHVKJSHFVKJSDHVGS

btw Get'cha Head In The Game is now also DEFINITELY in luke's workout playlist

luke, softly mumble-singing to himself while doing crunches: get'cha, get'cha, get'cha, get'cha head in the game

aaron whos there i guess for the purposes of this joke: were you even BORN when that movie came out?

(sidenote: ....oh wait, luke actually WAS born when it came out, like, THE EXACT SAME YEAR. luke is the same age as HSM 1 omg. this hc was written in the stars, it was destiny)

(sidenote 2: the lyrics of Bet On It

How will I know if there's a path worth taking? Should I question every move I make? With all I've lost, my heart is breakin' I don't wanna make the same mistake

are unironically a great image of luke's NSB days and his internal conflict of whether or not he should reunite with mc. this hc really WAS written in the stars omfg)

fantastic headcanon all around, thank u for my life

Every New Beginning Comes From Some Other Beginning’s End

.....

A/N: I was going through my scrap folder to remember how to write (fellow writers, you get me?) and came across this! It’s supposed to carry on from Gather Up Your Jackets and Move It to the Exits but you won’t be lost without that; all you need to know is that this takes place after the shawarma scene but before the “farewell” (quotation marks will make sense as you read on...)

.....

Early the next morning, as pale sunshine broke through the heavy city smog to paint the outlines of battered buildings, Director Nick Fury let himself into Stark Tower.

He didn’t have to hack Jarvis to gain access this time as the Tower sported plenty of convenient gaping holes leftover from the chaos of the day before. He simply landed his small aircraft on the helipad covered in dust and debris, slung a nondescript duffel bag over his shoulder, and strode directly into the spacious living room presently serving as a communal dumping ground for comatose superheroes.

To accomplish his set task, he would need them awake, so he didn’t take any care to tiptoe—he couldn’t have even if he had wanted to: unavoidable glass and other little chunks of building material crunched beneath his boots with nearly every step he took.

He came and stood in front of the cluster of couches, only to find no one was stirring, not even Barton and Romanov: the World’s Lightest Sleepers.

With a tiny huff of annoyance, Fury pushed his shoulders back and filled his lungs in preparation for his patented “Rise and Shine!” wake up call that had taught many a rookie agent to adhere to the strict 0600 wake up time. But, before he so ruthlessly broke the quiet, he paused for a second, turning his head slowly to equally cast his hindered gaze over the unexpectedly familial scene before him.

He knew these were the Earth’s mightiest heroes; the day before left no doubt. But, right now, with more bruises than skin between them, they looked like a bunch of kids who had banded together to take on a pack of bullies and won but only just. Even though they didn’t exactly huddle together, there was something tender about the way they shared the space as they slept.

Fury may or may not have smiled a little.

With a slight change of heart, he approached the Captain who lay on his side but with his torso strangely twisted. With a nudge to his shoulder, he awoke instantly.

Blue eyes flew open and lines creased his brow as he looked up at the older man. “Director Fury?” Recognizing his superior, he immediately made to sit up but a strangled groan interrupted the action and his arms instinctively wrapped around his middle.

Ah. That explained the twisted position.

“At ease, soldier,” Fury replied and patted his shoulder. “The world’s not on fire; I’ve just come by to give a little instruction and ask a favour.”

With more cautious movements, Steve managed to put his feet on the floor and sit up with his back straight. “Are you sure it can’t wait, sir?” he asked, his voice mindfully lowered as he glanced around at the others. “They could really use the sleep; they’ve been through a lot.”

Fury gave a ghost of a smile. “I know. But we have some unfinished business to take care of.”

The soldier nodded and leaned over the arm of the couch to shake Barton’s shoulder—the archer slept soundlessly in a slouched position with his arms crossed and his head tipped back, as if he had just dozed off while watching TV. He made no sound as his head snapped around like a bird’s the instant Steve touched him and his sharp eyes systematically swept the vicinity. He saw Fury and sat at attention.

Natasha, curled up like a cat on the cushion beside Clint, sensed the activity and woke herself up.

Bruce, the only one snoring (and heartily making up for the others’ lack of snoring), was deep asleep and didn’t respond to Fury poking his shoulder. Fury dared to shake his shoulder, but the scientist mindlessly batted him away like he was nothing more than an annoying fly and happily settled back down, injured orca snoring resumed.

Fury glanced to the others, looking stumped.

“I’ve got this,” Natasha said and stretched out her leg to nudge Tony with her toes.

The inventor, sleeping on the opposite couch, jolted awake with a gasp and wild eyes but quickly calmed down as he recognized where he was and who his company was.

Natasha nodded to Bruce and Tony somehow understood. Fury watched with growing amusement as the man got up and stumbled over to the armchair where the other slept, snoring away happily. He had not one ounce of fear (or, rather, not one ounce of self-preservation) as he shook the other man awake, calling his name with an overly theatrical sing-song tone, and eventually resorting to flicking his ear when he tried to curl up tighter.

“A’right, a’right; ‘m awake,” Bruce grumbled, nearly splitting his face in two as he yawned.

Steve nodded to Fury. “Now that you have our attention...”

The director gave a curt nod. “I would like to start by thanking you all for your extraordinary efforts in preserving this planet’s welfare. A lot of people, including me, put great faith in you, and you did not disappoint us when we needed you most.”

“Aw, anytime, Nicky, anytime,” Tony said, still trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes.

“However, there are some official matters that have to addressed,” Fury continued, ignoring Stark. “The Avengers Initiative was—and still is—scrapped. Technically, it doesn’t exist. Should you remain in direct contact with one another and continue to operate, you would be doing so against the law as an illegitimate entity with no ties to any government or military organization. You have no backing, no clearance, and no assistance. Essentially, you are to be viewed as a group of vigilantes.”

“Hey, wait just a minute!” Tony said, all traces of drowsiness vanishing as his voice grew hot with indignation. “We stop an alien invasion, and you come here just to tell us we’re actually criminals because of that? Where do you get off -?”

“Hold on,” Steve interjected, holding up a hand to shut Stark up. He turned back to Fury. “What’s your point here, sir?”

“The World Security Counsel sees you as a bunch of ticking time-bombs and wants you on separate continents,” the director summarized. “I, on the other hand, don’t agree. There are more threats brewing on the horizon and yesterday just goes to prove you are the ones who can withstand them.”

“So... you want us to stay together, but if we stay together, we’re gonna get thrown in prison?” Clint said. “How exactly is this supposed to work?”

“Glad you asked.” Fury swung the duffel bag off his shoulder and dumped it unceremoniously on the coffee table. “I’ll be handling the red tape matters and while I do that, you lot need to stay together, but, for now, we’re going to convince the WSC that you have no intentions of hanging around.”

“What’s in the bag?” Bruce asked.

Fury gave a little hand gesture and Clint reached over to unzip the duffel. “Clothes. Soap. Razors. Breakfast bars. Instant coffee. And Romanov’s disguise kit,” he said. “Everything you lot will need to get yourselves looking presentable.”

There were, indeed, five neatly folded bundles of clothing in the bag, each sporting a little name tag. Clint took them out, one by one, and started passing them around.

Tony acknowledged the bundle Steve held out to him with a glance but his arms remained tightly crossed and he just shook his head.

Fury didn’t so much as blink, just gave a shrug that seemed to say “Suit yourself” as he watched the others collect their packages.

“So we clean up, get dressed, and then what?” Natasha inquired.

“You will gather in Central Park, say your goodbyes, and (ostensibly) part ways.”

Interview Log 026-01

Interview with ████ █████, former principal at SCP-026.

Agent ██████: Thank you for your time, Mr. █████.

█████: Not at all. If there's one thing I have plenty of these days, it's time.

Agent ██████: So, let's get down to business. You were principal of [REDACTED] back in [REDACTED], is that correct?

█████: Yes, that's right.

Agent ██████: What can you tell us about that?

█████: Well, you've heard the stories, I'm sure. Folks say it was haunted. I don't know about that, but things did seem strange towards the end.

Agent ██████: Tell me about them.

█████: Let's see, there were the stairs, of course. You've heard about that, right? People would count fifteen coming up and sixteen coming back down. I'm sure there was a trick to it, like an optical illusion, but I never could figure it out. And we had a history book that turned up completely blank. [Pauses] I suppose these seem rather tame. But you know how it is. Little things add up. People tell stories.

Agent ██████: Tell me about the dreams.

█████: The dreams? Oh, yes. People were complaining about nightmares. Mostly students, but a few of the staff as well. It was always about school never ending. We joked about it at first, but more people talked about it. I didn't put much credence into it, but, well, when we found the blueprints didn't match up with the school, it seemed easier just to move to a new building. The schoolhouse was old, anyway, and we wanted a fresh start. And, just like that, things seemed to settle back to normal.

Agent ██████: I see. Is there anything else you'd like to add?

█████: Hmm. [Pauses] It's not really much, but maybe it will make a nice footnote in that book you're writing. I still sometimes have dreams about being in my office, back at the old schoolhouse. Sometimes I'm doing paperwork, sometimes I'm talking to someone, but it's always back behind the desk, just like old times. But gradually, I notice something's a bit off. The bell's ringing, but I don't hear anyone in the hallway. No students hurrying in or out of the classroom, no chatter, no footsteps, nothing but the bell. And it doesn't stop. The crazy thing is that I never notice it's a dream until then. I've been retired for ten years, but until I notice the bell, I think everything's normal. Crazy, isn't it?

Agent ██████: I think it's very interesting. Thank you very much. If you think of anything else, don't hesitate to give me a call.

█████: Any time.

Item #: SCP-026

Object Class: Euclid

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-026 is to remain securely locked and boarded up at all times when there is no research ongoing. Alarms are set to alert the Foundation in case of entry by civilians or other agencies.

Description: SCP-026 is a three (3) story public school building built in ████. It has two (2) wings connected to a central foyer. It was declared condemned in ████ after it was found the floor plan didn't match up to the building's blueprints (see Interview Log 026-01). It came to the Foundation's attention after several disappearances in the area were linked to visits to the abandoned building.

The building demonstrates spatial anomalies. Its internal space is much greater than the external surface of the building would allow. Hallways display variable length, while stairways have differing numbers of steps going up or down. The number of rooms off the hallways changes each time they are counted. Attempts to reach the far ends of the hallways have met with failure thus far. Entrance through the fire escapes located at the ends of the hallways leads to doors approximately midway down the length of the halls.

EDIT: See Note 026-A

There is considerable graffiti on the interior walls of the school. Most appears typical, including gang signs, names, and street art. However, the graffiti fades and reappears, changing location. Writing on chalkboards and bulletin boards changes in a similar fashion. Subjects typically found range from standard school subjects (mathematics, literature, biology), to more esoteric subjects, such as quantum entanglement, ████████, and eugenics. One researcher reported one board detailing information about SCP-████, but photographic evidence showed only a blank slate. The contents of notepads, books, and pieces of paper have been observed to disappear, only to reappear on surfaces within SCP-026. New writings have appeared, mostly drawn from graffiti or text-books. Note: caution should be exercised in bringing documents onto the grounds of SCP-026. The phrase "The children used to sing" has appeared multiple times in various places throughout the building, but there is currently no explanation for its significance.

A number of unconscious subjects have been found in the building, mostly of high school age, ranging from twelve to eighteen. They are dressed in accordance to the school's dress code, circa ████. Several have been identified as former students or faculty of the school who disappeared after the school shut down (in at least one case, more than ten years after the closure). It is currently unknown how they were transported back into SCP-026. (See Note 026-B)

All attempts to wake the subjects while inside the building have failed. On being removed from the grounds of SCP-026, the subjects wake abruptly. They experience a period of confusion, before dying from extremely rapid dehydration, followed by advanced decomposition. No useful intelligence has been recovered from the subjects to date.

The inability to wake subjects extends to those who fall asleep on the grounds of SCP-026, though the rapid dehydration only seems to affect those who have been found on the grounds of the school. See Incident Report 026-12.

Incident Report 026-12 During a routine security check of SCP-026, Agent Malek was found unconscious by his partner, Agent Jones, in the main foyer. Initial attempts at rousing Agent Malek were ineffective, so he was moved for transportation to Site ██. Upon leaving the grounds of SCP-026, he woke abruptly in a state of agitation. When questioned, he revealed that he had been dreaming of a classroom setting. This dream has been consistent throughout all subjects who have fallen asleep within the grounds of SCP-026.

Note 026-A: Robotic exploration and video feeds have shown that the apparent spatial anomalies are caused by changes in the perceptions of observers, rather than actual spatial phenomena. For this reason, SCP-026 does not require the expertise of Mobile Task Force Rho-8 "Roadside Picnickers" at this time.

UPDATE: Further exploration has shown that some spatial phenomena do occur. See the Exploration Logs for more details.

Exploration Log 026-4 Exploration conducted by Agent ███████

"All right, I'm walking into the lobby. Walls are mostly bare concrete, a little paint here and there. Graffiti everywhere. A few beer bottles, some other trash. Looks like just another abandoned building.

"Okay, I'm making my way up the stairs. More graffiti on the walls. Okay, I'm going into the hallway. The peeling paint is kind of creepy. Looks like some sort of sheet fungus. Reminds me of [REDACTED]. The doors are kind of weird. Some are really close, others are far. Really irregular spacing. Doesn't match up with the blueprint you showed me. Okay, here's a classroom. Pretty empty. Some old desks. Real old, like they had in the thirties. The chalkboard's got a few math problems on it. Looks like trig. Okay, I'm going to check out another room.

"Back in the hallway. Heading to the next room. Desks look more modern in this room. Made from particle board. More posters here. Look to be from the eighties, I'd say. I recognize some of them from when I was a kid. Looks like Latin on the chalkboard. Yes, I'm taking pictures.

"Okay, back in the hallway. Heading to the next room.

[Several minutes of silence]

"There's something really screwy with this place. I could swear the room was just a few feet away, but it feels like I've been walking for hours. Anyway, I'm here.

"We've got sleepers. Three of them, two girls and a boy. They look to be around fourteen, fifteen. They're all wearing the same uniform. Yeah, just like you showed me. Hang on a minute while I take some pictures. At least we can figure out who they are.

"The furniture's pretty old looking, what's left of it. Lot of broken chairs and desks. Nothing on the walls. Chalkboard's… The hell?

"You're not going to believe this, ████. It's got Agent █████████'s notes up there. In her handwriting, even. We're going to have to be really careful what we bring in here.

"Yeah, I've got pictures, don't worry. Okay, I'm going to check one more room, and then I'm out.

"Back in the hallway now. Heading for the next room.

"Another anomaly. I've been going the same direction this entire time, but I'm back at the stairs. Yeah, I'm just going to head down. I've had enough of this place for one day. I'll meet you at the door."

The developed photos revealed [REDACTED]

----

Exploration Log 026-12 Carried out remotely using a robotic drone via video feed. Exploring the first floor hallway.

The hallway appeared in poor condition, with graffiti on the walls. Comparison with previous videos shows the graffiti has changed. Many of the same signs were present, but in different positions. Some seemed new.

Doors were uniformly spaced on the wall. Some were intact, while others were cracked or missing entirely.

First room in the hallway was the girl's bathroom. More graffiti on the walls. Several broken mirrors. A toilet had been removed from the wall entirely and placed in the center of the room. There was a great deal of porcelain and glass on the floor.

The next room over was the boy's bathroom. This was skipped in favor of exploring the classrooms.

The first classroom had no furniture. The chalkboard was broken in two. On one side of the board, there was a set of lines reading "I will not pass notes during cla (sic)." The other side had fragments of a lesson on [REDACTED]. There was one poster on the wall, depicting Helen Keller.

The second classroom was well furnished, with the largest number of intact desks to date, mostly made from wood and steel in a style used in the 1950's. There were two sleepers found that had not been reported in previous sweeps of the building. The first was a male teenager in a student's desk. Comparison with File 026-04 revealed him to be ██████ ███, a former student of the school. He was reported missing ten years after the school closed down, at age twenty-eight. The other was a woman in her mid-thirties sitting behind the teacher's desk. Her identity is still unknown. The chalkboard had a timeline of World War 2, overlaid with an intricate piece of graffiti.

The third classroom had fifteen particle-board desks in various states of disrepair. A map on the back wall was consistent with the sociopolitical conditions of 1974. A bookshelf had collapsed, and spilled a set of encyclopedias onto the floor.

The robot was then guided to the end of the hallway and back to the entrance. There was no sign of spatial anomalies at this time.

----

Exploration Log 026-15 Exploration conducted by Agent █████, accompanied by a robotic drone.

"Okay, I'm in. Lobby looks like it always does. Probably some graffiti drift. Here comes the robot."

The lobby was compared to previous videos. Some differences in the graffiti were noted. Otherwise, no significant changes.

"I'm heading upstairs now. Goddamn, the robot's heavy. How much crap did you load on it? You could've warned me. Gonna rest a second on the second landing. Video coming in all right? Cool, cool."

First set of stairs was navigated without trouble. The second floor hallway appeared similar to the first floor hallway, though with less debris.

"I've caught my breath. Heading up to the third floor. Wish there was a guard rail… Next time, it might be easier to carry the robot and the gear separately, and load it in once it's up. The gear's pretty idiot proof. I think I could probably figure it out. Damn thing must weigh over a hundred pounds. There, on the third floor now. I count… twelve doors. Weird spacing. That last door's got to be at least a hundred yards down. This place is pretty messed up."

Rangefinder showed the hallway was approximately forty-five meters long. Five doors on each side, evenly spaced, with one more door at the end of the hall. Eleven total.

"I'm heading in. There's not as much graffiti up here. A bit of debris. I'm opening one of the doors. Janitor's closet, and, hey, we've got a janitor. He's sleeping standing up. That's new. Male, seems to be in his mid-fifties. Nametag says ‘███████.’ A couple old broomsticks, what's left of a mop… Looks like rats have been nesting in here. They've shredded one of his pantlegs, but looks like they didn't touch the sleeper himself. What? You want samples? Eh, sure. Wouldn't be the weirdest thing I've picked up for this job. Okay, I think that's it."

Comparison with File 026-4 revealed the sleeper to be ████ ████████, former janitor in SCP-026. Later analysis of the rat feces revealed [REDACTED]. Recommended future exploration teams wear biohazard gear.

"Here's a classroom. No, no sleepers. Couple of desks intact, the rest looks pretty bad. Looks like someone took a sledgehammer to the place. No, wait, I stand corrected. Baseball bat. It's leaning against the corner. There's about half a case of beer here, full cans. Looks like they left in a hurry. Hey, get the robot to face the board. There's something I want you to see. Looks like Latin to me. Could be significant. Get someone to translate it, it might be a clue to what's gone down here."

The Latin was found to be a series of sentences showing different conjugations of the verb vendo, to sell. All were found in ███████'s Latin Primer, a textbook formerly used by the school. The baseball bat was aluminum, and analysis of the fingerprints was inconclusive.

"Okay, next classroom. Desks look fairly modern. Eighties, I'd guess. Chalkboard's got a quote from Nicholas Nickleby on it. Yes, I'm sure. It says right there on the board. 'The sun does not shine upon this fair earth to meet frowning eyes, depend upon it.' Nicholas Nickleby, by Charles Dickens. There's an apple on the desk. Looks fresh. I'm tossing it into the drone. Okay, I'm looking out the window. Hey, are you guys still out there? Because I see kids in the schoolyard. I don't see the van, or any of you. Yeah, second classroom on the right. You see me? Weird."

The apple appeared fresh on the video feed. However, when removed from the samples bin, it was in an advanced state of decomposition. The drone's feed through the window showed the Foundation van on the ground, and the research team looking up at the window. No children were seen in the schoolyard.

"Okay, you want me to head down the hallway? All right. Let's see if I actually make it this time. Not holding out any hopes. Walking forward. It looks ten feet to the next door, which would actually put it in the last room, but who's counting?

"I'm still here. It's just farther than it looks. Feels like I've been walking at least a couple of hours. I'm almost there. I'm just going to take a breather. I—Okay, this is wrong. I've stopped moving, but now I'm going backwards. The hallway's moving past me. Shit, I just saw the door move past me. I'm moving forward again. That's better.

"Okay, I'm almost there. One last dash and I should make it. And I'm back with the robot. I knew it wasn't going to work. There's no way to get there, I'm telling you."

The video feed showed the next door was thirty feet away. The total elapsed time from one door to the next was five minutes, in which time Agent █████ meandered toward the end of the hallway. No anomalous activity was observed while he was standing still. When he neared the end of the hallway, Agent █████ turned around and quickly returned to the beginning of the hallway.

"Okay, I hear you. I've got my eyes closed. I'm walking forward. Left, got it. Going straight. Correcting left again. Correcting right now. Okay, this is going a lot faster. Okay, correcting right. Yes, right, I heard you. Goddamnit, I am going right! Okay, left. No it is not the same direction! Look, if you think it's that easy, just send the robot in."

The robot was able to reach the end of the hallway with no problems. Agent █████ attempted to follow, but was unable to keep a straight line to the end of the hallway.

"Just go ahead and send the bot in. I'm not going to try again until we have a better idea what's in there. Something's keeping me out of there. We should figure out what it is before anything else. Look, if you want to know that badly, go yourself or request some Class Ds. I'm not going in. Deal with it."

At this point the robot opened the door and crossed the threshold into another hallway, running perpendicular to the first, thirty meters in length. No doors were visible. A single window was observed but was situated too high for the view outside to be visible. The walls were free of graffiti. The left was a dead-end, while the right terminated in a left-hand turn. The robot turned right into the new hallway. After ten meters, the unit's GPS showed it to be outside the building, though the video feed still showed the hallway. It continued to the end of the hallway, and turned left. Agent █████ was just ahead, at the beginning of the original hallway. Turning the camera behind the robot showed only the stairwell, with no sign of the second hallway. The unit's GPS showed it by Agent █████'s position at this time.

"I see another classroom. I don't see the robot, though. I lost track after it went through the door. What do you mean it's outside? Did it go out through the window? Look, maybe the GPS is screwy. Calm down. What do you mean turn around? What the hell am I—Oh, fuck! Okay, that's enough. I'm calling it off for the day. We can come back after we get some Class Ds in here."

Note 026-B: Several class D personnel exposed to SCP-026 have disappeared from Foundation control, only to reappear inside the anomalous building. The subjects in question had previously complained of dreams identical to those experienced by Agent Malek.

UPDATE: See Interview Log 026-08.

Interview Log 026-08

Dr. █████: "Please have a seat."

Agent Walker: "Thank you."

Dr. █████: "Let's get down to business. I understand you're requesting a transfer out of fieldwork. Would you like to talk about that?"

Agent Walker: "I'd rather not."

Dr. █████: "It's your choice. However, I can't approve a transfer without reason."

Agent Walker: "Look, I…" The agent paused here. "You've seen my record. You know I worked on twenty-six, right?"

Dr. █████: "I've read the report."

Agent Walker: "I was there the first time we took one of the sleepers out. A lot of them were adults when they disappeared, but they're kids again when we find them. So, I see this sixteen-year-old boy just kind of shrivel away. I had nightmares that night."

Dr. █████: "You're supposed to report any unusual dreams after contacting a potentially mind-altering phenomenon."

Agent Walker: "It hadn't been declared a mindscrew yet. We just thought it was a weird space thing. We were just watching it until the Picnickers got there. And it was a shock, you know? We weren't expecting anything like that. Anyway, I got over it quick enough. I'd seen worse. I once had a guy melt while I was holding onto him."

Dr. █████: "I see. What happened next?"

Agent Walker: "Nothing, for a while. I went in a couple of times, but didn't see anything too weird. But… Look, I know I should have reported it. But one of my buddies had just been disappeared after getting touched by some weird scip, and I didn't want it to happen to me."

Dr. █████: "You've been affected by an SCP?"

Agent Walker: "I… Yeah. It was a week later. I was dozing in the back of the van, and I started dreaming."

Dr. █████: "Can you describe this dream?"

Agent Walker: "Just like the others. You've read the reports, right?"

Dr. █████: "Pretend that I haven't. For the record, Agent Walker."

Agent Walker: "All right. I'm in a classroom. It's just like one of the ones in 026, but new. Not falling apart. I knew the teacher's name. I knew who was sitting by me, even though I'd never seen most of them before. The bell started ringing, but no one moved. I raised my hand, but the teacher didn't notice. Finally, I tried to leave, but the door wouldn't open. Then I noticed something strange with my hand. It had color. Everything else was black and white. But I felt like I was the one who was… wrong? Out of place? That's when I woke up. The van was leaving. No one else noticed I'd been asleep."

Dr. █████: "And you didn't think to report this?"

Agent Walker: "Like I said, I was scared. And this was before they found Malek. I figured it was just another nightmare. Nothing weird. And after Malek had his dream, well, they didn't do anything with him, so I figured it wasn't a big deal."

Dr. █████: "He was put on observation. You should have been as well, for your own safety and for the safety of others."

Agent Walker: "You paper-pushers think it's all so easy, don't you? Sitting behind a desk all day, you don't know what it's like. Well, things aren't so clear out there. Not when you're the one hunting talking cats in a sewer, or waiting to see if you're the one who's not going to come back this time."

Agent Walker was visibly distressed. It was several minutes before she calmed down enough to continue the interview.

Agent Walker: "Anyway, it wasn't until later that we connected the dreams with the sleepers. Not until they found those Class Ds on the second floor. Still, I thought I might be okay. I wasn't actually inside of twenty-six when I dreamed. I wasn't sure until the dreams started."

Dr. █████: "You're having reoccurances?"

Agent Walker: "Yeah. They started six months ago. It's the same dream. But each time, it takes me a little longer to notice it isn't real. And when I look at my hands, they're a little more gray."

End interview 026-08

Note: Agent Walker has since been given a Class A Amnestic and returned to field work.

====

[The voice of Agent ███████ (Interview Log 026-01) was provided by @phantomancer.] [The voice of Mr. ██████ (Interview Log 026-01) was provided by Breck Wilhite.] [The voice of Agent ███████ (Exploration Log 026-4) was provided by Spera Crinis.] [The voice of Agent █████ (Exploration Log 026-15) was provided by @navox-the-weary.] [The voice of Dr. █████ (Interview Log 026-08) was provided by Brittany Carlton.] [The voice of Agent Walker was provided by @mezzoprime.]

Die Another Day (2002)

Today Drew is forced to watch and recap 2002’s Die Another Day, the twentieth James Bond adventure. Bond is captured and tortured by some bad guys, and now 007 is out for revenge! Can Bond handle going rogue, or will MI6 shut down his quest for vengeance before it can even begin? Will Bond find those responsible for his imprisonment? Why is it so sunny in here?

Keep reading to find out…

Eli, I loved your last two recaps so much! I know there was a stretch of less-than-stellar episodes for you to wade through, but I’m so glad you enjoyed these last two romps! I still can’t believe how close you are to the end of the show, but, speaking of, I’m close to the end of an era myself. This is the final Bond film before the big reboot, and it’s crazy to think of how far we’ve come over the course of this blog! I can’t stand it anymore, the anticipation has me way too excited to lay out any other preamble!

Buttocks tight!

Screenplay by Neal Purvis & Robert Wade, film directed by Lee Tamahori

We start with a shockingly three-dimensional gun barrel sequence, and then we jump to the coast of Pukch’ŏng County, North Korea. Bond, alongside two of his fellow MI6 agents, surf into North Korea and attract the attention of a helicopter, which they quickly commandeer. This helicopter was bound for the headquarters of Colonel Tan-Sun Moon (Will Yun Lee), located in the Korean demilitarized zone, and Bond soon arrives after placing some explosives in a suitcase full of diamonds that the helicopter’s original passenger was transporting. Just to give you an idea of how comically evil a villain Moon is going to be, the first time we see him he’s beating up his anger management therapist for lecturing him. Bond is greeted at Moon’s HQ by the surly Zao, who surreptitiously snaps a pic of 007 when he arrives. Bond and Moon meet, and it’s really driven home that Moon is a rude, crude dude with a bad attitude when it’s revealed he’s trading weapons for African blood diamonds. Moon shows off the weapons Bond’s supposed to get for the blood diamonds, but turns out Zao wasn’t taking Bond’s picture just so he could add it to his scrapbook. He’s done a background check on 007, and since Bond is the worst secret agent in the world it doesn’t take any time at all for Zao to inform Moon of Bond’s true identity. Moon blows up Bond’s helicopter, but he’s distracted by a call from his daddy, General Moon (Kenneth Tsang). He leaves the killing of Bond to Zao while he scrambles to hide all the illegal weapons he’s got in the demilitarized zone before his dad finds them and he gets grounded. Thinking, “Why the hell not?” Bond triggers the explosive in the suitcase full of diamonds, causing and explosion that allows him to escape and results in Zao getting a high-velocity diamond facial. Bond escapes on one of Moon’s hovercrafts (why not) and blows up most of his headquarters before chasing after Moon as he races across the mine-laced demilitarized zone. There’s a lot of shooting, some mines get blown up and Moon fires off a flamethrower for no good reason before Bond and Moon end up on the same hovercraft and Bond kills Moon by driving the hovercraft off a waterfall. Moon’s zaddy arrives, and he’s none too pleased about his dumb kid getting killed.

General Moon has Bond waterboarded while we finally head to the opening credits. This credits sequence is… troubling. Madonna sings out the mediocre techno ballad “Die Another Day” while we’re treated to scenes of Bond being brutally tortured interspersed with CGI ladies comprised of ice, fire and electricity dance around and some scorpions just kind of crawl around and mind their own business. Also diamonds. It’s a mess, and honestly the dime-store techno bassline makes it a little hard for me to get too invested in the vignettes of Bond being beaten and sodomoized with a hot poker by a sexy Korean woman in jackboots.

After what feels like a lifetime this bit is finally over, and a bearded, bedraggled Bond is brought before General Moon. Bond has managed not to break in all the time he’s been held here, and Moon lets him know it’s time for him to go. Bond is taken to a bridge where it seems he’s going to be shot, but then Moon’s goons lower their weapons and we find out this is all actually a prisoner exchange. Bond is being traded for the bedazzled Zao, and the two share pleasantries while they make their way back to their respective governments. On the British side, Bond is greeted by Damian Falco (Michael Madsen) from the NSA and…oh, my stars and garters, could it really be? Dare I dream?

That’s right, folks, Charles Robinson is back, babey!!! And not a moment too soon! I have no doubt he singlehandedly wrestled Zao into custody after Bond was done bonering everything up. Charles Robinson didn’t become the most valuable man in MI6 by being reckless, and he leaves nothing to chance. He has Bond sedated so that he can be checked for any kind of biological weapons. M, no doubt having met with Charles Robinson to mine his formidable intellect, goes to meet with Bond through a sheet of glass. M doesn’t mince words and lets Bond know that if she’d had her druthers he’d still be getting dicked by scorpions back in North Korea. She thinks they paid too high a price for Bond’s freedom by letting Zao go, but Bond didn’t ask to be traded and couldn’t kill himself because he… I don’t know, cut out? ripped out? his cyanide capsule years ago.

M explains that an American prisoner was killed in Bond’s prison a week ago, and they think Bond broke under torture and was mined for intel by the North Koreans. M gives him a vote of confidence by entering his glass prison to let him know she doesn’t think he’ll kill her, but she tells him he’s going for an evaluation and won’t be sent into the field any time soon. Bond… Okay, listen, Bond, like, meditates or something and lowers his heartrate to the point that the monitors he’s hooked up to think he’s dead. Some medical staff rush in to save them, he jolts them with an EKG machine and makes a break for it. Just go with me here.

Bond, now officially gone rogue, heads to a hotel he’s known at and gets a shave, haircut and new suit. The hotel manager, Mr. Chang (Ho Yi), sends up a masseuse to entertain 007, but Bond knows she’s packin’ heat and Chang, who’s actually with Chinese Intelligence (maybe he and Wai Lin have worked together?), is filming him from behind a half-silvered mirror. Bond tells Chang he won’t hold a grudge over all this if Chang can get him into North Korea so he can get his hands on Zao. Chang finds out Zao isn’t in North Korea anymore, though, he’s in Havana. Bond heads to Cuba and meets up with a British sleeper agent/cigar factory owner, Raoul (Emilio Echevarría). Raoul lets Bond know he can find Zao on an island which sports and unusual gene therapy clinic. Bond heads to a hotel which sports a view of the strange island, and there he catches sight of Giacinta “Jinx” Johnson (Halle Berry), who emerges from the ocean like the second coming of Honey Ryder.

Bond and Johnson seem to really hit it off, by which I mean they immediately hit the sheets, but the next morning Bond is left alone as Johnson sets sail for the clinic on Isla Los Organos. Bond knocks out another hotel guest and uses his ticket to get a ride to the island as well. He loads his new unconscious friend into a wheelchair and brings him along to the island, where he causes a distraction by hurling the man and his chair into a wall. He then finds a secret, mirror-lined passage and slinks his way through. Johnson, meanwhile, is apparently getting a consultation for gene therapy. Just kidding, though, she immediately kills the doctor, burns the evidence of her being there and lets us know she’s definitely a spy.

Bond finds Zao in the middle of a procedure that’s meant to rewrite his DNA to make him look like a white dude right as Johnson finds Zao’s file an stops the procedure right in the middle of things and leaves Zao looking like a naked mole rat of a man. Zao wakes up and he and Bond fight, but Zao gets away while Johnson sets off a bomb to shut down the whole facility. Bond and Johnson both chase after Zao, but he gets away in a helicopter. Johnson is almost killed by some guards, who don’t seem to notice Bond, but she avoids death by disrobing and then cliff diving down to an awaiting speedboat. Bond examines a bullet which Zao was wearing as a fun, festive necklace until Bond yoinked it off during their fight. Inside the bullet are some diamonds, which Bond has Raoul examine. The diamonds are being sold by Gustav Graves, who alleges to have found them in Iceland a year ago despite Raoul being able to definitively identify them (somehow) as African blood diamonds. Hey, that sounds familiar!

Who cares about all of that, though, because the most important man in MI6, Charles Robinson, arrives at work just in time to catch Miss Moneypenny spying on a conversation between M and Falco from the NSA. Falco thinks M played a part in Bond’s escape, and Charles Robinson sagely watches on as M shoulders the weight of Falco’s threats to make things right at MI6. Bond, meanwhile looks some stuff on Gustav Graves (Toby Stephens), who makes an interest by parachuting down to meet up with his publicist Miranda Frost (Rosamund Pike) in front of a bunch of reporters (and Bond). Bond tracks Graves and Frost to a fencing… club? academy? class? I don’t know. It’s hosted by Verity (Madonna in the cameo no one asked for), who introduces Bond to Graves. Bond, despite being on the run from MI6 and, like, a secret agent, uses his real name because why not.

Bond and Graves immediately get into a cock measuring contest via proxy in the form of a fencing match, during which Bond lets Graves know he’s figured out that Graves is selling blood diamonds. Graves challenges Bond to up the stakes and the two start fighting with real swords and completely wrecking Verity’s swordfight clubhouse. Frost eventually breaks up the fight and Graves invites Bonds to a science demonstration. A bellboy gives Bond a mysterious envelope with a key in it, and he goes to an abandoned subway station to meet up with M. M’s not here to capture Bond, though, she just wants to compare notes on Graves. M warns Bond about Graves’ political connections and agrees to give him some unsanctioned help.

Bond arrives at MI6, only to find Moneypenny dead from a gunshot to the head. He takes out several attackers and is joined by Charles Robinson himself, so you just know everything’s going to be alright. But then the unthinkable, the impossible, the inconceivable happens and Charles Robinson, the unshakable foundation upon which the stability of the British government rests, is gunned down. No, I can’t accept it! I won’t! And I don’t have to, because this is all a training session taking place in the VR Zone. C’mon, you know a Q-Branch simulation is the only place a facsimile of Charles Robinson could ever be bested! Q (née R) brings Bond safely out of the VR Zone and takes him to his workshop in the subway, where Bond proceeds to touch everything like a five-year-old at a toy store. Bond is outfitted with a sonic ring that can smash unbreakable glass and, get ready for this, a car that turn invisible.

We’re due for a twist, so we get to sit in on a meeting with M and Frost, who, it turns out, is an MI6 agent spying on Graves. Frost things Graves will blow her cover, but M says that in all her time spying on Graves Frost has turned up dick all and M wants Bond to go in and shake some shit up a bit. Bond heads to Graves’ ice palace in Iceland where he’s greeted by the imaginatively named Mr. Kil (Lawrence Makoare) before Graves scoots up in his super speedy sled car thing. We get another mention of Graves never sleeping, which is a thing that just keeps getting brought up. The famous Jinx Johnson arrives while Bond heads to the bar before his DTs can get too out of hand. Bond and Johnson meet up while Zao arrives at the ice palace. He pulls Graves out of a crazy dream machine which he has to use to stay sane due to his permanent insomnia, and it turns out Graves is actually Moon post-gene alteration.

The shindig finally gets underway and Graves unveils Icarus, a satellite which can reflect Sol’s light toward Earth and function as a second sun. Bond hides out in his magical invisible car so he can snoop around in Graves’ private business, but immediately gets caught because he’s just no good at stealth. Frost saves Bond from being discovered by Mr. Kil by making out with him while Johnson Mission Impossibles her way into Graves’ inner sanctum. While Frost and Bond are busy getting busy, Johnson is doing some actual work. Unfortunately she finds Zao waiting in Graves’ dream machine instead of Graves himself, who sneaks up behind her and electrocutes her with a souped-up Power Glove.

Zao and Mr. Kil interrogate Johnson, but she ain’t a canary and she ain’t in the mood to sing, so Zao leaves Mr. Kil to slice her up with a mining laser (paging Dr. Goldfinger). Bond finally arrives at Graves’ greenhouse lair in time to save Johnson, but first he has to deal with Mr. Kil. Bond gets his ass handed to him, but the still-restrained Johnson manages to kill Mr. Kil with the mining laser. Bond sends Johnson off to find Frost and get in touch with MI6 while Bond confronts Graves and reveal he finally knows the dude is actually Moon. Frost arrives, only to turn her gun on Bond. Turns out Frost set Bond up in North Korea and she’s been a double agent the whole time. Frost is about to execute Bond, but luckily he’s got his glass-shattering ring which allows him to… well, shatter some glass. Specifically the glass floor of the green house. You get it.

Bond escapes in Graves’ super sled, but Graves brings in some North Korean generals so he can demonstrate the destructive capability of Icarus to them. Icarus hyper-focuses the sun’s like way beyond what could be useful for a farmer trying to get that sweet wheat all year ‘round, and Bond barely out maneuvers the solar death beam by driving the sled off the side of an ice shelf and using the sled’s anchor (?) to keep himself from falling into the frigid sea. Graves solves this problem by just carving off the whole chunk of ice and making a prophetically topical joke about global warming. Bond survives, though, by jumping into a Nintendo 64 surfing game and shredding away to safety.

Johnson is discovered by Frost and Zao, who inform her she’s going to die… eventually. Bond steals a Ski-Doo and makes it back to the ice palace where he retrieves his inviso-mobile, which is useful for about a minute until another Ski-Doo crashes into it. Zao uses the thermal vision of his own car to spot Bond, and the two set off on a merry chase while the now-abandoned ice castle begins to rumble around Johnson. Graves fires up Icarus and begins to melt the ice palace, but not before Bond crashes into it (the car chase is still going on, BTW). Bond tricks Zao into driving into a pool formed out of melted ice and then shoots a chandelier down onto him instead of just shooting him in the head.

Bond retrieves the almost-drowned Johnson and gets her into the warmth of the greenhouse in time to save her. The two head to a US bunker on the South Korean side of the demilitarized zone where they’re greeted by the one, the only, the legend, the icon, Charles Robinson. With a mind to rival Watson, Charles Robinson lays down the skinny in no time flat. Graves and Frost are in North Korea, and neither the American nor the British governments can go get him before Icarus is used to destroy any of North Korea’s enemies (i.e. everypony). M’s sending in Bond anyway, and Falco decides he needs a reason to be in this movie so he sends Johnson in too. The two are airdropped in, and Charles Robinson, with the sage, cautious wisdom of an old barn owl, worries that they’ll be detected. Falco’s dumbass has the nerve, the gal, the audacity to tell Charles Robinson to “relax”, so you know that sonofabitch has some comeuppance headed his way.

The missiles Falco has sent to destroy Icarus are instantly destroyed by the mirror’s solar laser, because of course they are you dumb stupid idiot. Bond and Johnson, meanwhile, have landed and stowaway on Graves’ plane. Graves calls for his zaddy to be brought down, where he reveals himself in his new white face and shows off a plastic mech suit that allows him to control Icarus via a computer mouse trackball installed in his Power Glove. He fires up Icarus to show off and make his papa proud, but General Moon tells him the other countries will nuke the hell out of North Korea to shut this shit down. Graves doesn’t take paternal rejection well and 86es his dear old dad. Bond tries to shoot Graves but his shot is deflected, resulting in a window getting blown out and the plane violently depressurizing.

Johnson manages to stop the plane from crashing, but then Frost is there to hold her at swordpoint and of course she’s wearing an ornate bra and elbow-length gloves for no damn reason. Who even cares at this point. Icarus’ death beam is still going, by the by, and Charles Robinson, with the time-keeping prowess of the White Rabbit, lets everyone know it’s headed right their way. Johnson flies the plane right into the beam’s path, giving her time to get the better of Frost. Johnson and Frost fight with blades while Bond and Graves just ineffectually punch each other. Johnson eventually gets the better of Frost and kills her (with a very saucy, “Bitch!” thrown in for good measure) while Graves gets the better of Bond and prepares to escape the falling plane. Bond prematurely triggers Graves’ parachute, which results in Graves being sucked into the plane’s engines and most definitely dying.

Bond and Johnson find a helicopter hidden in the plane, Inception style, and manage to ride it out of the exploding plane in time to avoid death by ground. Bond makes what I think has to be a weird 69 joke before the two fly off into the sky with a crate of diamonds in the back of the helicopter.

Moneypenny uses Q’s VR shades to live out a fantasy involving Bond banging her at MI6, because that’s all this movie has to say about her character, but Q interrupts her before she can rub one out. Glad everyone thought this scene definitely needed to be in this already-over-two-hours movie.

Bond and Johnson have sex on top of the stolen diamonds (imagine how uncomfortable that would be) and we’re finally done here.

The End

~~~~~

Woof! I know way back in my introductory post I mentioned that I’d seen this movie (or at least parts of it) at some point in my checkered past, but, lemme tell ya, there was a whole lot that I’d forgotten/suppressed about Die Another Day. Just to start out with some positives, I actually really liked the design of Zao’s diamond-encrusted face, and I really liked seeing Halle Berry here. She didn’t get anything worthy of her talents to work with, but still. Then there were things that started out neat, but didn’t work in the end. I liked Frost a lot when she was introduced, but then she got reduced to a sword-wielding lunatic in a bra for the final conflict with Jinx. Icarus seemed fun, but then I remembered that this is not the first, not the second but the third Brosnan Bond film with a satellite at the heart of its narrative. We had GoldenEye, then Carver’s dumb satellite news network and now Icarus. That’s three out of four Brosnan films with satellites as key players. I love space as much as the next gay, but, I mean, get a new shtick already! Then there’s stuff that was just silly. Bond stopping his heartbeat? The Power Glove? The ice palace? The invisible car? That Madonna song? C’mon. I know you have to suspend disbelief for any of these movies, but jeez louise. And while I know I don’t normally dwell on the technical side of things during my recaps, but the special effects in this movie were very bad. If we weren’t getting some unnecessary slow-mo, we were having shots like the one of Jinx cliff diving or the truly horrendous kiteboarding scene that legitimately made me gasp when it first started. While there were definitely some fun moments and some little touches I liked, on the whole this flick is a mess and a far, far fall from the glory days of GoldenEye.

I feel I can only give Die Another Day QQ on the Five Q Scale.

We’ll see you again in a hot minute as Eli serves up a couple of fresh recaps of the next two episodes of The Golden Palace, “Say Goodbye, Rose” and “You’ve Lost That Livin’ Feeling”, and after that it’ll be time for me to move onto a brand new Bond as I tackle the next James Bond adventure, Casino Royale (and maybe you can look forward to a few special treats before then, who can say?).

Until then, as always, thank you for reading, thank you for analyzing this (Sigmund Freud) and thank you for being One of Us!

Thoughts While Watching Timeless 203

Despite seeing all the spoilers I am still not ready for this.

*clicks play*

How is this recap giving me feels!?

Aww this sleeper agent is only a baby- well 18? I'm guessing but still... He's a baby.

Nicholas is not brilliant Mr. Rittenhouse dad dude

Jfc Jiya! Someone help her

Mama Christopher is here to once more save the day

Rufus you just threw your girlfriend under the bus.

Also, Rufus is gonna kill a guy?

Why can't Jiya show me a vision of lyatt still being cannon by episode 10.

Heya Flynn. How's life?

Flynn said that sentence too easily. And his biology knowledge is creepily accurate.

No, it seems they don't have an ability to do this whole time travel on their own. They literally just followed you all of season 1 you know?

Is it just me or does the time machine look a little grubby.

That red hat tho. 10/10 for fashion Lucy.

Flynn needs to work on his art skills.

The 40's style is really suiting the team

Lucy stating the obvious but points for trying.

Well that's some great acting Lucy 👌

"Well I should've- I was robbed" jfc dead. Rufus you are feeling this.

Wyatt looks alarmed at being called a white folk. Wyatt have you not noticed the colour of your skin previous to this. It's white.

Look at Wyatt's little hat tip

Wyatt was very quick to reach for his gun

I already love Hedy.

Yeah, Wyatt, why would they steal it?????

Lucy and Rufus outrage that Wyatt hasn't seen Citizen Kane is me when people haven't watched Timeless.

Does Wyatt carry a mini armoury with him? How does he just have that knife on standby?

So, do many sleeper agents actually wanna stay where they are?

Mama Christopher is still hella pissed at Mason

Oh god Jiya, can I just hug you

Someone HUG HER

Well hello Lyatt and Rufus.

Love Rufus calling out people and racism

Poor Lucy getting ignored by her favs.

Did Rufus just do Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

He did

I'm dying

Did she just call Bel-Air awful?

Oh come on, how long has it been and their cover is already blown?

Lyatt looking like a power couple with linked arms.

Wyatt you're lying is impeccable until Lucy gives you that look

They all exchanged the look and you know shit is going down

Wyatt you can keep ur hand on Lucy's waist and she keeps hers on your arm

"You can do it."

"You have to do it with me. We're a duo" I'm going to remember this line when Jessica happens.

They already argue like husband and wife

Lucy looks like she'd rather someone kill her than sing. The only dying rn is me because Lyatt is in full swing.

SHE'S SINGING

THIS MOMENT ONWARDS WILL LEAVE MY HEART DESTROYED

Wyatt being a proud husband

New drinking game: Take a shot every time Lyatt exchange that smile

Well I think Wyatt figured out who Lucy is singing too

Yes! Having smart female characters who show their intelligence

This dress is stunning on Abby

Oh shit oh shit oh shit. Mason why are you only saying this now!?

So when Rufus doesn't call out Wyatt and Lucy, Hedy will. That makes me happy.

Lyatt flirting

"I wasn't talking about Hedy"

Wyatt get your foot out of your mouth

This is the #1 Lyatt scene and they haven't kissed yet

You can just see them falling in love while they talk and my HEART

IT'S HAPPENING

THIS MUSIC

NO DON'T FADE TO BLACK

Can every episode have lyatt walking up together

Their smiles *chucks entire bottle of whisky*

She can't stop touching him

Gah

Hi Rufus

I'm laughing way too hard

Stop cutting away when Lyatt are naked and kissing

Is Jiya fine fine? Or just fine?

Rufus has the exact expression we all have

His ship just cannoned Wyatt cut him some slack

Wyatt looks too good in that green jumper

Her little "be careful"

Wyatt don't you dare get yourself killed

Are we breaking Flynn out?

Hell yes we are

Hell yes Rufus.

Lyatt are being so soft

RUFUS DO U ALWAYS HAVE TO COCKBLOCK!

This is the best jail break I've ever seen

What are Lyatt doing at that table?

Even from a distance they are so in love

Look at Riya's little forehead kiss

That is so Wyatt's shirt

Yes you do have each other. Jessica can just not

Listen ti their laughter

And from here it's a downward spiral

Wyatt no!

My heart is breaking in a bad way now

No

No

No

No

This isn't lyatt

That's Jessica

No

Soon You’ll Come Home Chapter 18

Summary: Blaine and Kurt are married with two kids and at the point of their lives they would never imagine having another child. But then Blaine meets a young girl in the most unlikely way and after he learns about the abuse she suffered he can’t help but want to give her the family that loves and care’s for her like she needs.

Warning: mentioned child abuse, and Bullying, and self harm (nothing graphic), depression

Notes: I do not claim to know about the actual laws that deal with situations like this. It is merely used as fiction and to create a situation for the story. It’s not fact. It’s fiction. The symptoms of depression and anxiety relate to my own experiences. 

Summary: Blaine and Kurt are married with two kids and at the point of their lives they would never imagine having another child. But then Blaine meets a young girl in the most unlikely way and after he learns about the abuse she suffered he can’t help but want to give her the family that loves and care’s for her like she needs.Warning: mentioned child abuse, and Bullying, and self harm (nothing graphic)

Fanfiction.net

AO3

Other Chapters on Tumblr

The school agrees to let Oliver finish the rest of year at home, without penalty. It's mostly to avoid the threat of Kurt going to the press about what happened in addition to a lawsuit. They haven't told Oliver yet about Riley missing, though he probably knows something is wrong because Blaine is shattered by the news. He barely gets dressed and pretty much sits watching the news all day with his phone in his hand, waiting for it to ring.

Kurt forces himself to be the strong one out of the group and keep everything together. He forces the reassuring smiles on his face when they're needed and makes sure to handle everything with the lawyer. It lasts about two weeks, and then he decides Blaine needs to start living again. It's late, Oliver is already asleep, and Blaine is still sitting there with the television on when Kurt hands him his therapist's card.

"Your son and family need you," is all he says. His voice isn't harsh like Blaine probably deserves, but more understanding. Blaine blinks and nods once. "I'm going to sleep," Kurt says with a kiss to Blaine's temple before heading to their room. Blaine debates if he should call the emergency line listed on the card or wait until tomorrow morning to make an appointment. He puts both the card and phone on the coffee table and heads into the bathroom to splash some water on his face. He pauses when he looks in the mirror. He hasn't shaved since they got the news, and his hair looks grayer than he remembers it being. His eyes are dark from his lack sleep, and it reminds him how tired Riley looked when he first met her. He pushes the thought out of his head and washes up before getting ready for bed. He tries to sleep, but his mind won't settle down enough for him to fall asleep. Soon his tossing and turning wake Kurt, so he vacates the bed to allow him to get more sleep, especially since he is the only one functioning out of the group.

Blaine is mindlessly flipping through the channels when he comes across one of Coopers television movies, he pauses thinking, and that's when he gets the idea. He jumps up with new energy and begins to clean himself up. He shaves, gels his hair back, and grabs a shirt from the wash to dress from the waist up. He tries to settle down his anxiety as he enters his and Kurt's dark bedroom, where Kurt is sound asleep. He bites his lip nervously and almost debates waking Kurt.

"Kurt," he says softly shaking his shoulder lightly. He repeats it twice before Kurt stirs. "Blaine?" Kurt says, eyes barely open, and voice full of sleep. "I need you to get up and film me," Blaine answers not waiting for Kurt to wake up. Kurt grumbles and looks at the clock on his nightstand, "It's two thirty in the morning." "It won't take long," Blaine insists, bouncing from foot to foot. "Can't it wait till a decent hour?" Kurt begs, pulling the covers over his head in an attempt to ignore Blaine. "No, I need you do it now." Blaine knows he sounds like a child. Kurt lets out a loud aggravated sigh and gets out of bed following Blaine into his office. "Okay," Kurt says yawning, "What am I filming?" "I want to play a song," Blaine says looking for his sheet music, reading over it one last time, making some last-minute edits. "The one no one, including me, has heard before?" Kurt asks a little more awake. "Yeah, it needs to be heard," Blaine answers getting ready at his piano. Kurt waits for Blaine's signal before recording. It feels good to play again, to let this emotion out of him. He knows he hasn't played in a while, but it still feels like he's always done it. It's comforting. When he finishes singing, he and Kurt both need a tissue to wipes their tears. "You shaved," Kurt says after he dries his eyes. "uh yeah," Blaine says, mostly concentrating on sending the video to his agent before posting it on social media. "Blaine," Kurt says trying to get his full attention. "What are you doing?" "I'm working on finding and getting Riley back," Blaine answers. Kurt just watches him with an expression that Blaine can't entirely read. "Are you sure about this?" Kurt asks. Blaine first instinct is to accuse Kurt he doesn't want Riley, but he knows it's not true that Kurt is only looking out for him. "It's time for you to take a break," Blaine says slowly. "Being a stay at home dad is not a break," Kurt corrects. "It's the only way I thought of getting her back. I release an album or at least a few songs, and then I put an alert out, and everyone will be looking for her. I can get Cooper to do the same, and he probably knows some people who will also help," Blaine explains, knowing he probably sounds crazy. "I'm not sure if this is the best reason to go back into the music world, but if it's what you want then I will support you," Kurt says taking both Blaine's hands in his own and giving them a light kiss. "I just want her back home, with her family, where she belongs," Blaine answers, not listening to Kurt fully. "Okay, well let's try to get some sleep so we can try to function tomorrow," Kurt says, realizing trying to reason with Blaine will be a wasted effort. "I want to stay and work on my music for a little bit," Blaine says turning back to his folders of sheet music. "No, no, no I will not let you go into that spiral without sleep and food," Kurt orders, pulling Blaine out of his office and making him try to sleep. "Kurt," Blaine tries to argue, but shushes him again and forces him to lay down. Kurt then settles in and cuddles close to him, hugging him tightly and placing his head on Blaine's chest. "What are you doing?" Blaine asks amusedly. "Cuddling you, so you fall asleep and don't get back up," Kurt explains. "Now, stop talking." "Kurt this isn't," Blaine starts but is interrupted by Kurt's shushing again. "I'm sleeping," Kurt whines.

Blaine doesn't say anything, knowing there is no room for argument, so he just lays there with Kurt, stroking Kurt's hair. It takes no time for Kurt to fall back to sleep, but Blaine's brain won't settle enough for him to sleep. Blaine debates on trying to get back up but he knows Kurt is a light sleeper, and waking him up a second time will not end well for him. So, he stays put and lets his mind wander to places it shouldn't, like where Riley might be, like Oliver almost hurting himself, like Kurt leaving him and taking Oliver if he can't pull himself together. He feels Kurt pull at his shirt and kick him swiftly in the shins as if he is somehow able to read his thoughts. He gives Kurt an annoyed look until he hears him whispering no, then he just gives him a gentle kiss on the temple and holds him tightly, sighing as their closeness puts him at ease.

He knows restarting his music career to get attention and find Riley isn't the best decision he has made, but he knows it will help and he needs to be proactive and stop waiting. He reasons with himself that Kurt has wanted him to go back and that he does miss his music, and they could use the extra money if they are going to send Oliver to a private school.

Blaine sleeps for maybe three hours, but he is up in an instant when he hears his cell phone ringing. He accidentally wakes Kurt in his haste to get it and quickly apologizes as he hears his better half grumble angrily at being tossed aside. "Hello," he says breathlessly, not even checking whose number had shown up on the caller ID. "Dude!" Sam yells excitedly into the phone. "Oh, hey Sam," Blaine greets, not hiding his disappointment. "Dude," Sam repeats, this time offended. "Sorry, I was just hoping it was someone else," Blaine apologizes. "We'll talk about that in a second," Sam dismisses, wanting to cover his topic first, "Did you know you are trending?!" Blaine gets a sense of deja vu from when he first started his career.  "I mean I hoped, eventually, I would be, but I didn't expect it to happen in a matter of hours." "You didn't even explain anything … you just put it out there," Sam says. "I don't know anything, I haven't even talked to my agent, I just needed it out there" Blaine tries explaining without sharing too much information behind his thinking. "Not that I don't appreciate the phone call, but it is still early, and Oliver and Kurt are still asleep … so," Blaine hints trying to get Sam off the phone before he can ask more questions. "Oh right, sorry. We'll just meet up later for me to get details," Sam says in a whisper like if he's quiet, Kurt and Oliver won't hear him." "I promise to give you more details when I get them," Blaine assures before saying his goodbyes and hanging up.

He quickly then checks his social media accounts, and sure enough, his video is everywhere. It makes him feel guilty that it was so easy to get back out there. He thought it would take a lot more effort and pushing. He fears that Kurt's jealousy is going to come out again after he's been turned away and told everything is wrong with him for every part he tries. That's when he gets his next idea. He rushes back into the bedroom to wake Kurt and tell him about his plan. He forgets how early it still is, that Kurt has only slept a little longer than Blaine, and that Kurt is never in a good mood when he gets anything less than eight hours of sleep.

"No, no, no, no" Kurt cries, burying his head under the pillow when Blaine tries to wake him up again. "Come on, honey, I need you to hear my idea," Blaine pouts. "I'm sleeping, Blaine," Kurt mumbles, thoroughly annoyed with him now. "You can sleep later, we need to talk about it before my agent calls," Blaine explains, diving under the covers to look for Kurt. Kurt groans loudly and Blaine knows pushing further will only result in a death wish, so he lets Kurt sleep and little longer and heads into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee.

Blaine hasn't even measured out the coffee beans when an angry, sleep deprived, Kurt appears in the doorway.   Blaine looks at him with an expression of surprise and questioning but doesn't say anything. "I can't sleep," Kurt groans. "You have me curious and you know I can't stand, not knowing something." "Kurt, I will do anything to make this up you," Blaine says rushing over to where Kurt is standing and holding his hands gently. "Anything?" Kurt asks slowly, raising an eyebrow and sly smile. "Anything," Blaine confirms his voice is becoming breathy when Kurt leans in to kiss behind his ear and nibbling his lobe lightly. "Clean the bathrooms and kitchen for six weeks of my choosing," Kurt whisper hotly in the ear. Blaine jerks back giving him a betrayed look, but he can tell Kurt isn't going to negotiate the deal. "fine," he pouts turning back to his coffee. "Now," Kurt says seriously, sitting at their small kitchen table and crossing one leg over the other, folding his hands together over his knee. "What is so important that you needed to wake me up to discuss with me?" Blaine sighs a little; he knows getting Kurt on board with the idea is going to be hard. "You, remember the video I posted last night?" Kurt nods, keep his face expressionless. "Well it's trending," Blaine says nervously, not sure how Kurt will react. Kurt's eyes widen comically before jumping up and hugging Blaine tightly, "That's wonderful!" "Wait," Kurt says pulling away enough to give him a confused look, "what does this have to do with me?" "I want to make a duet album with you," Blaine says sincerely, his eyes full of love for Kurt and how amazing he is. "Blaine," Kurt says with a sigh, taking a couple of steps backward. "You know we don't work well together." "We used to sing all the time together," Blaine quickly points out. "We can also include a few solo tracks from each of us." Kurt sits and looks thoughtfully at Blaine. He doesn't say anything, so he continues. "I'm not saying become singing partners or form a band. Just one album and then maybe do a few appearances with me if need be," Blaine further explains. "I'll think about it and give you my answer after you get some real sleep, see your therapist, and talk to your agent," Kurt suggests, "deal?" Blaine's first instinct is to apologize to Kurt for going into a downward spiral, but they agreed after they got married they wouldn't apologize for things like this, only fights with each other. They each understand by now sometimes it's uncontrollable. "Yeah, yeah, I'll set up a meeting today," Blaine promises, turning back to his coffee. "Blaine, I'm just worried about you," Kurt says sincerely. "You're rushing into things before we deal with everything else and I don't want that to be the reason you go back to work because once you officially begin, it's going to be a lot harder to get out of." Blaine knows Kurt's right, but he also wants this for them. He wants something good and optimistic in their lives. "I'll make the coffee and breakfast. You go call your therapist and get an appointment." Kurt decides, moving over to the cabinet to pull out a mixing bowl. "I'll get you when it's ready."

Blaine's therapist makes room for Blaine to come in later that afternoon for a two-hour session. She seems to think he will need the extra time with her. Blaine takes his time getting ready to go, and rather than organize topics he wants to cover in his session he gets in contact with his agent, who loves the idea of making an album with Kurt. She immediately works out a timeline for Blaine to follow and produce the album as well as work on setting up appearances and interviews.

On his way to his therapist's office, Blaine stops at an office supply store and picks out a couple of different notebooks, a plain leather one for himself, one with a modern design for Kurt, and one bound in a purple cover for them to share. He also grabs some more blank sheet music, a sketchbook for Kurt, knowing Kurt hasn't sketched in a while. The girl at the check-out counter is young. Her eyes go wide as he approaches and she giggles slightly, for no reason, but she's professional and rings up his items quickly. Blaine doesn't like to assume she has seen the video, he never wants to think it's because someone recognizes him that they act like that, but he decides he is allowed to be hopeful about it if only it will give himself better chances of finding Riley.

His therapy session goes as well as he expected it to, she asks him some simple questions on how he is feeling, rating on a scale of one to ten on his feelings, and then they move onto to the more personal and difficult questions in the second hour. Blaine knows it takes time for progress to be made. He wishes he at least felt a little better after the session, but all he feels now is tired. "I want to see you every two weeks, for the next couple months, and we will go from there." She says opening her scheduling book to pick a few dates for their appointments. "I also want you to take home these pamphlets and read over them," she says after they made the next three appointments. Blaine scrunches his face, confused. There on the cover reads "finding the right prescription." They have never talked about medication before. "Medication?" he asks confused. "It's just an option to read about and look into, not something we have to do, but I want you to know about it before you decide you don't want it," She explains calmly.

The whole way home Blaine feels like he is somehow removed, the idea of taking medication echoing in his head. It means he has an illness, which he never thought of his depression as. It was always manageable, at least most of the time. When he gets home he toes off his shoes and leaves the bag of notebooks next to them, he leaves his coat and keys in appropriate spots and ignores Kurt's question of how it went in favor of locking himself in his office. "Blaine?" Kurt asks through the door, knocking softly. Blaine knows he's worried, but he feels nervous and unsure of telling Kurt about the possibility of needing medication. "Blaine, whatever it is we'll get through this," Kurt reassures. "I love you, and will always love you." Blaine still doesn't say anything or move towards the door. "I think you would know that after I popped that pimple on your ass," Kurt tries to joke, but only sighs when he knows he didn't work. "Okay, well I'll be waiting here for you when you're ready," Kurt decides. Blaine hears a small thump that makes him think Kurt is now leaning on the door. It quiet for a moment and then he hears Kurt begin the opening lines of Adele's "Hello." Blaine assumes it's Kurt's way to lighten the mood, and he's almost mad that it works. He slowly opens the door, careful that Kurt is leaning on it. Kurt smiles reassuringly and instantly pulls him into a tight hug, "You don't have to talk about it. I just needed you to know I wasn't going to let you go that easily." "She gave me these to read," Blaine confesses handing Kurt the pamphlets. Kurt looks at them thoughtfully but doesn't say anything. "She didn't say I needed it, just that it was an option to look into," Blaine explains slowly, sitting down on the piano bench. "Okay," Kurt says slowly, "Okay." "Okay, what?" Blaine asks, patience thinning. "We take everything one step at a time. The house, Oliver's new school, the duet album, and this," Kurt explains. "We move and step forward as It comes to us. It's too much to do everything at once, but little by little we can do this Blaine." "You think so?" Blaine asks unsurely. "Maybe it's all too much." "We've handled a lot of stress before," Kurt reasons. "We just need to be careful and not rush things or do something before we're ready." "Like my album idea," Blaine mentions lowly. "It isn't a bad idea Blaine, and maybe the reason for doing it shouldn't be to get fame and find Riley, but if you think it will make you happy I am willing to try it. I'm just worried because in the past we have tried working together and it hasn't ended well," Kurt reasons, wincing at the memory. "That was a show last time, this, this is a music and music is a big part of us, our relationship, and our history," Blaine explains. "It's more than finding Riley. It's something that would mean a lot to me, even if we don't publish it." "Alright so we need to just get organized and make a plan," Kurt said looking around for paper and pen his eyes lighting up slightly, probably at the idea of color coding. "Hey," Blaine said grabbing Kurt's hand. "What?" Kurt started to say but was cut off with a kiss. "I love you," Blaine answers after he pulls away. Kurt just hums in response, giving Blaine a quick kiss before turning back to looking for a pad and pen.

Chapter 19

retirement-home

e realm of astokahn with blood in the distance You can see a dark figure standing on top of it watching you to consume you, tall grass growing at an alarming speed nearing on which to swallow you delaying the night, warding off the dark In the darkness you can hear something like a heart, beating rapidly and a soft panting signs and orange cones littering the area If you follow woodgrain stickers and arrows, it will lead to astorl's compound blocking the entryway, demanding some viable ids before allowing entrance, or exit blindfolding the eyes that allow light in, band-aids the leave sticky residue on swollen wounds, in a language no one understands int he retirement village showing astorl's flawless fines, astorl comes on the loud speaker mentioning when to eat or drink tubes linked together stopping the spread of disease, creating an atmosphere to non-live in Cp vending machines spitting out cigarettes and alcohol rounding everyone up to sterilization or vaccinate them creating a false drug to repress the population rooms swarmed by delinquents drowning their sorrows away Wall-to-wall windows allow pure natural light through the building with sports-car paint jobs, driving at dangerous speeds inside the retirement village -mounted knights, rushing forward on horses demanding vids from you waiting in the trading post, his bionic implants a must-have performing dopebusts like he has forever in exchange for nothing Skirmishers gambling with fine coins in a nice office guarded by heavily-armed and armored juggernauts stand ready to strike down any who oppose in his chair, preparing do some crowd control Lector giving a sermon to praise astorl anounncing damascus' newest creation on the streets as dissidents and heretics start up a war at the retirement village Bullets chewing through skin This must be the place! face and his terminal you see mercenary captains attempting to persuade and force new recruits to join their army as part of his retirement package Clerics thanking astorl for blessing food and providing clothes with a gas-grenade to quell riots You distract the attention of the automated turrets , as always-watching cameras spotlight you of riflebolts spray around you, and you tumble behind cover to avoid them giving medical exams right now there's a line circling around the building Nurse accepting verbal criticisms grumbling as he wields a rolling-pin with societies ills as he's forced to listen or look at each and every citizen the shadows, wearing white to stand out against colored-clothes prisoners as they are thrown in and out or his armored car Sergeant nearing retirement drinking himself into a stupor every day people using his sleek, new metro medic computer There used to be another agent here, but they refused to play astorl's game any longer his beard while watching eight screens of tv mounted into a composite frame astorl as a hero, superbly painting fake scenes to indoctrinate his citizens Silvershield firing buckshot into car doorsteps the Emperor's wrath upon unsuccessful applicants, so they can repent for their failures people to seperate the criminals from the law-abiding Druglord selling enormous water-pipes to clouds of steamwhippers to avoid jihadi control and bribing the medical inspection officer watching his progress teeth to make the people's smiles more radiant for astorl Sending an agent swishing into the cloakroom, without interrupting your own surveillance is worsening day-by-day for the integrated agent; looking for pretense, he goes from house to house Is this really a surveillance state? agents sweeping trash off the sidewalk and moving on without awaiting their payment of silvershields---patrolling, defending joint interests in the steam-century of tubes overhead individuals ascending into the terminal building, but not friends with local law enforcement citizens traveling the plains actively navigate through defenses, for purpose of civilian safety in blue mingling amongst themselves in a sea of black marble ceremony for an art-deco colonial revival never finished; facing a building-material store are filling the silvery steam-clouds above their city; they look like silverfish in a bowl of milk herself in the sunlight , she smiles to her tiny minions and waves at the buildings -on-sticks excersizing around the kiosks, she loudly says the univeral indication of friendship hall: maroon sofa, wooden table, candlelight---and ever-after understanding they just say what everyone's thinking; what're we going to do? contest juust ended in the underground cafeteria, and three hospitalities workers were disqualified No cameras focused at an average citizen's two-parent, cashier closing the bars by the train depo emponymous a tumbledown frat house fallen into disrepair: mob-dominated pool hall, peeling the paint off their walls at the kiosk buying an iced caffe latte Baking scents wafting through the terminal, as cooks prepare desserts for dinner in hammocks at nightfall: creepy crawlies tentatively crawl the wooden pier buzzing at night; the whirring sound recedes as the lights turn out Grease sticks to fingers in the tunnelman's lunch pail listens over the loudspeaker, breathing in godly instructions Greydancers break-dancing on tape: they watch for a moment, judgmental with strawberry nuts, soggy-soft enough to eat all 15 pages in one bite on scrapbook paper out over three tables; too large for one day He remembers his dreams but you don't; overworked at the plants her infant girlchild, as she fantasizes living in the distant past Rumor holding an outdated truncheon while hiding behind rumormongering -teeth jealous of your immigrant status, but holds respect for law-enforcement lean over; their painted lines maybe haven't been maintained for years Sunlight shining through clear-plastic curtains, oblique onto the grandfather's face to the hangout is too a crowded daycare Spoiled scoundrel, throwing tiny blocks at a foosball opponent congregating in the ratty footstool; nobody yells at lazybones Kindly ferrel cats couple up on a bolt hinge, one squealing desperately sewing-baskets setting up a chair factory in the basement Servers flirt briefly with you before their children call them away from you for the ulcers, served during your three-hour dinner period frantically feeding drinks to patients incapable of swallowing Phosphorescence buried, half-buried under aging coloring books onto your textbook during your lunchbreak; usually you read glossy magazines in the skyrocketing price of nails since the union lost their benefits blowing upwards through the door from afar; somebody hold onto your hat Occasional stranger hugging themselves against hall drafts this time of year drugs for people laughing with it Foodstuffs stirring under a waterproof tarp during afternoon showers drying out in their suture packets on the metal garage shelves Late-sleeper washcloth worn down to a nub in the public restroom faced-players jumping all the way down to pick up a dropped quarter leading into his lounge from the cafeteria's walk-in freezer Streetcleaners sweeping cigarettebutts to prevent slips and falls of trust between employees stealing lunches from each other Let sleeping dogs lie; you don't want to agitate the baggageman leading a gospel sing with deadengine sound effects travelling through the airshafts stacked outside for the next trashday; out for the roaches A book thrown with a thud against the door hitting in a spiral pattern stapler stapled to a post as proof of claimed land Liturgical-candles burning briefly in protest on city hall's doorstep -fallout buzzing loudly under a crack in the floor Kneeling on feathers tickling your ears while tiding up the bedclothes pie-maker pumping out pans of crustless shells Rotating wallhanging scattering pictures with tornadoes preacher prays for apocalypse to wash humanity away Sconces flashing in the factory owner's dorm pan inexorably sweeping its load into the trash-disposal unit This isn't even the tip of the iceberg! advertising in the license-plate factory MTBE with lead-based paint from childhood, drinking contests in nightclubs -overdoses at the local hospital appreciating your service to country railing against a vote-fraud investigation Trifocals fitting lenses into Marxist economic theory earwax blocking your auditory canals with wax diamonds Expatriate hipsters barfing in the airport terminal dripping thimblefuls into plastic coolers outside the fallout shelter squinting in the hazy smog with your biiiiiig eye And pummelling atheists with bibles under the hot mid-day sun Tusk unaccountably sharpened to a fine point, look out your naive comrades! in the battery-optimiser with overburdened charge capacity Infernal-Globe crushing your enemies, seeing angels in the explosion orating the Truth with a bullhorn on the corner of State and Main condensing in the humidifier and smashing it open for the bounty thundering inside crop circles and your Pastor's bad breath Machinery raining down from the bridge during a liquidation of gov't property the chief-of-police's prize Husky, and feed it the human bodies -boy, you're going tooooo marching into battle with their chariots Steins mass-produced for the festival-goers with built-in coin-slot for easy carrying flashing through garbage-dumpsters with glitz and grime Snowblower limping to safety across virgin white-land with bloody limp And more! warding off the unclean spirits that follow your 17 syllable Singularity badges peddled by the handful as cult-souvineers poured unmeasurable drops averting the apocalypse Cobwebs weaved with caustic chemicals catching the overheated owners By you! oozing into a sticky situation, fortunately too slow for you Bartender's special clearing out the town with alcohol and fisticuffs stirring up a worldwide 'incident' by reporting the news ADHD prescribing Ritalin to guzzle and grumble thy sleeping beast dancing the dance of diplomacy New-Meat bulldozing over the dying town with grace and big guns hefting and hurling their favorite projectiles Whistle-Pigs direction-reading for incoming metal freezing the battlefield to take out the opposing team Survivors wallowing and hiding away from the overwhelming odds framed by an exceptionally tanned chest-piece with hero-worshipping admiration Lifesavers protecting the subverted armored vehicles by conversion terrorists bankrolling the local talent, with fat purses of loot Land-mines whizzing towards you at immense speeds eating away at the enemy from the inside out Laxatives mixing with drinking water to wreak havoc leaders, and taggers spraying multicolored blister-causing graffiti Sculptors subjecting victims to a slow demise with living stone Criminals battling their criminal insanity but killing their enemies instead messing up the muscle-memory of aberrant limbs rioting and pillaging their once peaceful towns Witches brewing potions to instill fear and dread Engineers experimenting with explosives and volatile compounds -lovers making mountains out of molehills Fire-insurance scaring the living daylights out of complacent homeowners leaping towards lanterns with suicidal intentions Academia schooling the youth in how avoid the clutches of death filtering out corruption causing poison Bricklayers building the nice wall against bad people paying fence-sitting paupers to pave the way Files sorting bad people into the proper slots Research uncovering brutal facts of reality hidden in plain sight pointing out the suspicious behavior Standup warming up crowds with familiar favorites and festival favorites knocking people out cold with a healthy dose Gunslingers winging it with overflowing bullets waiting around the corner to sting you viciously Fetishes kinkying it up all night long providing thirst-quenching ammunition to shoot at people Expeditions braving uncharted territory to take the enemies supplies -divers searching the trash for consumable goods Northings participating in the bloodsport of sadism and violence threatening death and mayhem for loot and personal gain Exhilerating! Retinues following the whims of royalty OU have such whims? -buggies riding up and down the dunes, avoiding gunfire shielding yourself from death's embrace Tees modeled after the funniest/darkest/weirdest messageboard tirades keeping the grime and grim off of that lovely teal uniform Skirmishers skirmishing the fools who get in your way charging into battle without care Olive-Drab provided you protection! Stereotypes matching before God, the Emperor, and everyone you were assigned to kill guzzling down grain alcohol and throwing the empties at your enemies What? It's free, clean, and sanitary! reading up on the behavior of certain animal groups extinct elsewhere skewered and grilled six different ways OU want the entire lizard mounted on a pole, or just the tail? revealing the inner-workings of your enemies for all to see Tenaciously tracking down those that would try to evade justice expressing your genotype for all to see It's science! Snipers shooting those that refuse to re-enlist Musketeers shooting everybody using DNA splicing to create the most vicious chimerals yet Dendrisers creating a giant creature inhabiting all of the strange lands or the land will sent out tremors of unhappiness What other objects or material can you come up with? or you face splashing down on the surface of Dendrin's moon and drowning in its oceans, despite being an air-breather too Everyone will spontaneously combust if you enter the atmosphere too fast or steeply again as you wait for another Meteortric cycle when you might again be stricken is pretty simple actually just don't enter the atmosphere to slow or fast or too shallow and you will have a safe landing Tips: shells to surround the egg so it does'nt break on impact You will also need to provide protection from any side to side motion that might occur; so a cushion The container will need to be rigid to make sure that the walls do not flex or the egg could bang on the walls as you descend, Once again cracking and even breaking your prize possession You will also need to find a way to keep the egg steady within the container The main problem with all of this is that space is a vacuum so if it cracks then there is nothing to hold the atmosphere in and it will instantly be rendered You decide to go big because you have nothing left to lose and put your entire self into this one task With the newly added protection of the endless chambers and halls your weight has increased by at least 40% so you make your way back to the warm waters of the As you slowly break the surface of the water you can see air above you beyond the water that your parts are submerged in

Pencil Neck Goes Down. They all do.

Pencil Neck Goes Down. They all do.

Getting this one down for a few reasons. The first is that Schiff is the personification of a lying wooden puppet. The second is to show how these creatures are like rats in a corner. In my last post, I addressed the idea that the reaper is here, scared most of you witless. That's fine too. You fear is as useful as your selfishness is. Neither will protect you from what is coming. You will never see any of this in the main stream media, yet Paul Serran did a 70 point thread on this one tiny piece of a much larger puzzle. It is obvious now to all that Schiff is not a "public representative"in any standard definition of those words. Remember this swamp creature represents Burbank, California and the demonrats. At all three levels they are in deep dodooh. We (Q readers) have had much of the information below for the last two years. Schiff was never considered their go to guy. He is a total slimy loser, but "when needs, must"they''ll use him. A secondary issue is that so much stuff is tied to the Ukraine, so they were panicked into it.  Pelosi's son, Kerry's son, Biden's son, Crowdstrike, Soros, Ukraine itself and all that is tied to it. They're all in on Ukraine. How dare Trump investigate that.

Look at in 3D chess terms. Schiff is a piece to be used. While they cobble together another assassination attempt in the background, Schiff's position and supporting pieces like Pelosi, Schumer plus the lapdog media means he can be burned as a stopgap.  They're using him as a fire door. Aside: When you see a chess board, view positions of power: military (knight), church (bishop), breeding (queen), knowledge, property (castle), executive (king) and pawns (obvious, but not quite ... a pawn can become a Cain),  the board itself (rules), then the players move those pieces around. We're interested in the players, but the game is where the focus is kept, we don't see the hidden hands. Worth your while looking into many of the allegations below. It will give some idea as to why this grease-ball has been so insistent, duplicitous, and frankly ridiculous, in "impeachment" thus far.  Note also that they've taken almost the entire demonrat party down with them on this magical mystery tour.

Paul Serran‏ @paul_serran Here is the Twitter Thread -  https://twitter.com/paul_serran/status/1195830961033895936 Here is the full thread - https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1195830961033895936.html Below are the bullet points ... QAnon thread: Pencil Neck Goes Down. Paul Serran‏ @paul_serran Nov 16 (1) Listen to this POTUS mention: "Liddle' Pencil Neck Adam Schiff". Apart from being the usual trolling he does so well, there's a deeper, darker meaning for that nickname. (2) The Trump campaign immediately launched the very successful Pencil Neck T-shirt. (3) Although classified by POTUS as a "non-long-ball-hitter", the California Congressman Adam Schiff, Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence is now the D's tip of the spear. (4) Schiff is the man chosen to weaponize the control D's have over the House in a desperate, last-ditch attempt to unseat POTUS before the day of reckoning is upon them. (5) In December 2017, Q made one of the most direct and unambiguous statements: Adam Schiff is a traitor to America. This has two aspects: he is a leaker, involved in other breaches of National Security, and he is EVIL, involved in the darkest practices. (6) Back in February 2018, POTUS is making no secret of his low opinion of lying, leaking Schiff. (7) Disturbing Q drop 669: Valerie Jarret and Schiff were recorded and listened to by two witnesses in a long call. Q mentions the Article 3, Section 3 of the US Constitution. (8) It deals with TREASON. And it states the need for the testimony of TWO witnesses. (9) So Pencil Neck has the shadow of a Treason Trial in his future? That would explain his otherwise unbelievable, unexplainable behavior. (10) UP IS DOWN, LEFT IS RIGHT. (11) With the arrest of Allison Mack in the NXIVM cult scandal, Q drop 1203 lets us know that she was singing like a bird. Politics, Hollywood, The Standard Hotel, Mexican Border, the Port of Long Beach. (12) To begin with, now we understand much better the role of the Mexican border in the MASSIVE Human Trafficking going on, and the vital importance of the wall. (13) The Chinese ownership of a terminal in the Port of Long Beach was another issue mentioned back there by Q, and now solved by POTUS. This was another 'pipeline' of Human Trafficking that's shut. (14) And then there is The Standard Hotel, a chain of 'boutique hotels' that cater to a very specific group of people. They do not make much of an effort to disguise which. (15) All those mentions in Q drops put AS in a VERY bad light. While none of that has been proved in court, just follow the story, and a disturbing pattern can be seen emerging. (16) There's so many disturbing aspects in this Facebook post that I don't even know where to begin. Haiti! (17) The Standard Hotel of WeHo is located in Schiff's district. And Q has insisted to connect him to this shady place. (18) In The Standard, the cool people are partying in the rooftop pool, and if someone *falls and dies* - Hey, that's just how they roll! "Because there's no criminal investigation involved it has been deemed a suicide." Cover-up much? (19) In this case, many people in the Q scene see a "Breaking-Bad" scenario of dissolving bodies. Be as it may, a Federal Agent offer a completely bogus explanation, involving the leftover chemicals from the "previous pool-cleaning system". (21) Q drop 1203 mentions the Helicopter crash that killed two employees of The Standard Hotel as a 187 to tie loose ends. (22) Also tied to AS in his district, Q drop 1208 mentions the Airplane crash that killed a WeHo starlet. (23) This Tweet by Jack Posobiec puts stuff into perspective. Who represents all these predators? Liddle' Pencil Neck Adam Schiff. (24) Schiff is intent in harassing POTUS non-stop. He even tried to obtain compromising material from Russian pranksters. (25) Yes, you read it right. Russian pranksters pretended to negotiate naked pictures of POTUS with Schiff. He is not a long ball hitter. (26) Schiff was part of the SCIF meeting where supposedly Rod Rosenstein was asked to wear a wire near POTUS. (27) AS is always parroting the narrative talking points of his masters, like "Red Line". He is hell-bent is keeping POTUS from releasing classified material that proves his crimes and those of his masters and colleagues. (28) On February, Q is fact-checking lying Schiff that still insists in denying the dangers of the southern bother. We know why. (29) Q floated to Anons the departure of DNI Dan Coats, and his status as a sleeper enemy. Well, when AS defends him, that pretty much proves the point! (30) Schiff is repeatedly said, by both Q and POTUS' tweets, to be lying and leaking. (31) (32) After 2 years of Russia Hoax, POTUS is fed up and wants to tend to the running of the country. (33) The new AG Bill Barr swiftly acts to end the sad charade by the Special Council. (34) And the Mueller probe ended with a sad display of the SC in Congress, where he let us know he had not even written his own report. No collusion, no cover-up. Game over? (35) Meanwhile things were about to become very dangerous for Schiff, thanks to the criminal proclivities of his long-time associate and D donor, Ed Buck. (36) Buck was FINALLY arrested, after several young black male gay prostitutes were drugged, abused and even died in his home. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-09-28/gemmel-moore-died-25-months-ago-why-did-it-take-so-long-to-charge-ed-buck-with-a-crime … (37) Look at Ed Buck, jonesing on meth in a suicide smock, awaiting bail, looking like a fiend. He is not a man. He is all the D society, their view of the world, their structure of power, in jail. This is their deepest fear. (38) "You better fix this, Schiff!" (39) So, IN come the fake whistleblowers, a.k.a. CIA plants in the administration. They invent a fake outrage about a normal call between POTUS and the Ukrainian president. (40) Schiff now has to go ALL IN. But, as we know, he is NOT a long ball hitter. (41) Not only do White Hats know about the fake whistleblower plants, but even Q has told us as much. (42) These deep-state attacks try to capitalize on the good image associated with whistleblowers, but it's patent that as real sources they are worth nothing. (43) AS is so confused that immediately after demanding that the WB testify, he went on and made sure that this never happens. (44) In another lowest point in his dark career, Pencil Neck lies in national TV and fabricates lies as he reads what he said would be a transcription of the call between POTUS and the Ukrainian president. (45) Schiff said it was "a parody". We know there is no ridiculous and debasing position he will not subject himself to. And he is losing at every step. He has no condition to be in Congress anymore. (46) I refuse to remember the names of the not-witnesses, people with opinions and third-hand intel. POTUS makes the case for not watching this circus. "They are using Television lawyers. Schiff can't even do his own questions." (47) Q drop 3590 reminds us that this Ukrainian investigation stems from a letter from Senator Grassley from July of 2017. It also reinforces: they knew of the spy insertion.https://www.grassley.senate.gov/sites/default/files/constituents/2017-07-20%20CEG%20to%20DOJ%20%28Ukraine%20DNC%20FARA%29.pdf … (48) "What do these people have in common? Pelosi's son Kerry's son Romney's son Biden's son Hint: Geo location: Ukraine Hint: Energy Coincidence?" (49) When calls, D's always answer. (50) Here we have a March 2019 drop explaining in detail the massive infiltration of the government by the clowns. (51) When he is finally forced to take his sham impeachment proceedings to the light of a public proceeding, AS wants to forbid talk of Biden, of course, and even the mention of the name of the spy plant, even though HIS OFFICE has published it. (52) "I heard it through the grapevine…" D's star witnesses have not witnessed a thing. But Shifty presses on. (53) Things are actually so dire, that AS is starting to hedge the seemingly inevitable defeat of his fool's errand of a probe. (54) On his HIGH POWERED rallies, POTUS continues to make trolling references to Pencil Neck. But there is a serious and dark reality behind this. (56) And you know what POTUS thinks about that? Here is the Twitter Thread -  https://twitter.com/paul_serran/status/1195830961033895936 Here is the full thread - https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1195830961033895936.html

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✤ for vic/liam !

send a ship!

who said i love you first?      Honestly, this is probably 100% Liam. He’s definitely not very careful with showing      how he feels outside of work, whoops. Still, it probably went unspoken for a bit.     Morons.

who laughs when the other trips?     Hands down this is probably both of them, but Liam basically would always laugh      so long as no actual harm came to pass.

who pays the bills?      I feel like they’d both pay bills, really. Even if some were ever combined, it’s hard     to imagine they wouldn’t switch off!

which one makes a bigger deal around the holidays?     Liam. Liam loves holidays, okay? They’re his jam. He definitely has decorations     for every holiday even when he’s living out of hotel rooms. And yes, he dresses     his dog Picasso for the occasion sometimes - usually with festive bow-ties!

who’s more clumsy?     God help a clumsy MI6 agent, honestly.

who checks their daily horoscope?     If Liam checks, it’s only to laugh about it and purposefully do whatever he     shouldn’t be doing. I can’t see Victor putting real stock into his own, but maybe     he’d check sometimes just for the fun of it?

who sings louder in the car?     Liam. Liam will bother Victor about this to no end, though! The louder the better.     Do keep in mind he doesn’t sing well, however! :P

who leaves the cap off the toothpaste?     I’m not sure either of them really would, unless they were in a rush!

who is more up to date in pop culture?     Mm, I’d say Victor. Liam doesn’t really keep up with pop culture unless it’s      necessary. They could be equal on this front, though! Oh, artists.

who insists on going to see the newest movies?     Victor, probably. Maybe it’s because he enjoys the writing in them, and Liam loves     a good date night, really. So yes, really nice restaurants will follow the movie     adventure!

who cries when the abused animal commercials come on?     …I could see Victor crying about this, but probably when he thinks he’s alone     or if Liam’s in the other room. Liam frowns through them and always ends up     donating.

who’s the lighter sleeper?     I’d say both of them, if only because of what’s happened in their line of work.

who believes in ghosts?     Mmm, this is tough. I don’t think Liam actively believes or disbelieves. I wouldn’t     be surprised if Victor believed in them, perhaps at least in a spiritual sense?

who does the grocery shopping?     Both! Okay, cue the cute grocery shopping thread where Liam tries tossing salad     greens down aisles for Victor to catch.

who updates their facebook status more often?     Facebook who????? c;

Angel Thoughts - (S4 E9-E11)

AKA ugh, oh my god I am so bored and all I want to do is watch episodes of Buffy but I can’t because I’m still behind.

(Other BtVS & AtS Thoughts located here @ my master post)

Episode 9 (Long Day's Journey)

AKA the episode where the gang fails to protect the newest best character and LA gets swallowed into darkness

So let me start off by saying there were two things about this episode that I liked. The problem is that those two things were the return of Electro-girl and the badass normal who got slaughtered far, far too soon.

And yeah... if the best parts of an episode are the guest characters, you’ve got a problem with your main cast. Just once again everyone is sad and depressed and even though everyone was sad and depressed during Buffy S6, I was able to handle Buffy because the whole color palette of the show was at least bright still, and there was a general levity, like...

Once More With Feeling - actually a hard hitting episode about Buffy’s depression with a bonus suicide attempt but it’s balanced by everyone singing

Tabula Rasa - Tara’s ready to breakup with Willow, and Giles is about to go back to England, and Buffy’s in denial about her kiss with Spike and-- HEY LOOK! MEMORY LOSS HIJINKS

Gone - a social worker threatens to take Dawn away + more Buffy depression that’s balanced out by hilarious and memorable invisible!Buffy

Dead Things - okay, this one was fucking depressing, but that’s fine because it was immediately followed by...

Older and Far Away - DAWN IS DEPRESSED! VENGEANCE DEMON SHENANIGANS! EVERYONE GETS TRAPPED INSIDE A HOUSE! CLEM IS A GUEST! EVERYONE IS INTERACTING AND PLAYING CARDS TOGETHER! TARA IS A BRO!

no really, she’s a bro

the best bro

So yeah.

Basically I am getting run down on angst and AtS is not letting up and the guest stars are my one bright spot right now and they either get murdered or skedaddle by the start of the next episode.

Episode 10 (Awakening)

AKA the one I was actually starting to really enjoy despite the rushed pace and the anti-climatic dismissal of the “let’s summon angelus” plot because omg there was teamwork and cheesy Indiana Jones-type quests and characters resolving their fucking issues and-- oh wait, nevermind. it was just a dream

Which, okay, I’ll take it being a dream because the pacing was something that did slightly bug me and L.A. being cast in darkness and potentially summoning Angelus were ideas I thought should be explored more than what the show had me believing, so yeah.

BUT IT WAS FUN. And reminding me how fun the show used to be before shoving me straight back into un-fun-land is not a cool thing to do.

Like, yes, angst is deep and there’s character growth or something that comes out of it, but it’s like... with the exception of Wesley, I’m not even recognizing them as the same characters anymore. Cordelia’s by far gotten the worst of it; I get it she’s sort of half pseudo-traumatized, half-enlightened from the other plain of existence like Buffy was coming back from the dead, but she says her lines and it’s like I’m listening to a deflated loaf of bread and her personality’s just completely gone and it’s like...

She doesn’t have to be vapid to be Cordelia, but she does have to be bossy. She has to get excited about the little things in life because it’s the little things in life that bring it all together. She has to be inquisitive to a fault, getting her nose in business that’s not even entirely her own. She has to get that mom look in her eye, that judging stare when she disapproves of what another character is doing...

And I could handle one character trait suddenly going away, or fracturing as a result of her ascension, but all of them? At the same time? Leaving her this... shell that murmurs and vacantly stares and frowns and is NOT CORDELIA.

Yeah.

I didn’t realize how many pent up feelings I had about the treatment of Cordelia this season until I began to type this.

And if all of my complaints above were intentional decisions made by the writers... well...

Episode 11 (Soulless)

AKA the episode where halfway through, when Gunn and Wesley started fighting, it was so predictable that I thought it was all a ruse like in BtVS S3E17 (Enemies) but then it wasn’t because everyone’s teamwork is just that shitty this season

The highlight of this episode was Angelus himself because David Boreanaz kills it as Angelus like always.

Second highlight of this episode was Wesley being a boss and being super damn prepared.

Third highlight was...

...yeah...

I don’t have a third highlight.

Everyone is awful. The end.

Oh, one thing I can talk about is the “mysterious betrayer.” I’m assuming it’s someone getting mind controlled or something because if one of the gang intentionally let cool ra-tet dude get murdered and stashed Angel’s soul, well... I’m calling shenanigans. Since I’m not leaning strong in any one direction, lets go through the suspects

Cordy - we still don’t know how she came back from the higher plane and how her apocalypse visions might’ve affected her; if it’s her there will be much angst, could possibly lead into an evil!Cordy arc that will end with her death; I don’t know how fond I’d be of that direction, but I’d accept it

Connor - he’s been whining for the last several episodes about how everyone thinks he’s connected with the beast but he’s not; if he’s the sleeper agent I’m marking it down as “lazy foreshadowing” rather than “dramatic irony” and I will be even more bored than I am right now because I just do not care about Connor

Gunn - he’s going down a darker arc this season; perhaps something happened when he killed Fred’s professor that opened up his heart to the power of darkness; if it’s him, I’m predicting a refocusing of the group to save him; Fred and Wesley might grow closer together as they support one another, causing more love triangle tension when Gunn is finally released from evil’s hold; overall, I’m kind of hoping it’s him but also kind of doubting it’s him; IDK, if it is him, I will pleasantly surprised

Fred - I don’t know why it’d be Fred... I’m not seeing how it would link into her character arc in any sort of meaningful way... okay, maybe it would cause Gunn and Wesley to put aside their animosity to save her but that’s personally veering too close into Damsel in Distress territory for my tastes; if it’s her, it would definitely be the most shocking of the group, but not necessary in a good way

Wesley - it would be a waste if it was Wesley, the entire gang is just finally accepting him back into the group and moving past the whole “stealing Connor” thing; if he’s the sleeper agent, it’s a retread of last season and I will throw something across my room if it’s him

Lorne - he also got a vision of the demon and then had that vision knowledge sucked out of his head, so yeah, that couldn’t have been good for his brain re: possible sleeper status; on the other hand, he is comic relief and if the writers take away my one remaining bright spot in this show, well... I won’t cry, but I’ll definitely struggle even harder through the remaining episodes

Lilah and/or some other peeping Wolfram & Hart employee - they could’ve bugged the hotel or put nano-microphones into someone’s clothes (into Wesley’s clothes? IDK); they’re making the gang think it’s one of them when really Wolfram & Hart is just going behind their backs; personally think it’s unlikely, but I am just covering all my bases here

zombie!Daniel Dae Kim - because we as viewers should never underestimate the powers of Daniel Dae Kim 

So... yeah? Which suspect will it be? If it’s Cordy, Gunn, or Fred, will my subsequent predictions come true? I have no idea but I will hopefully find out later tonight when I put on the next episode as I’m watching dishes (because I don’t have the energy to watch AtS anymore unless I’m bundling it with chores). (Please become fun again, AtS... I miss the fun...)

(But before that, I’m going to put the last finishing touches onto my first piece of BtVS fanfic because, yay, I still love this whole universe so much and I’m excited to be finally giving back to the fandom! It’s Dawn & Spike centric which should surprise ABSOLUTELY NO ONE who’s been reading all these review/meta/thoughts/reaction/whatever things.)

okay I’m going to do this meme again. it probably hasn’t been that long but I love it and it helps me work on things when I have...too many things to work on and can’t focus properly on any one of them.

Here are my WIPs! Send me a number and I’ll add 150 words to that story or edit for 15 minutes, depending on how complete it is. If I get the same number multiple times, I have to write more for that fic!

Eleven WIPs eligible for this meme under the cut - you can find some explanations of what these are here.

1. “Wherever you’re staying,” Steve said, “does it have a bed? Can you get something hot to eat?” Lukas said nothing, and Steve shook his head. Why haven’t you gone to a shelter, he wanted to ask, but he figured he could guess the answer. Dumb pride. Or just shame. Especially given the air Lukas gave off that suggested he’d come down a long way in the world.

“Right,” Steve said, more to himself than anything. “Course not.” He took a deep breath and let it out. “I have a couch. And a kitchen. Come over. Eat some dinner, get a night’s sleep. Then you can do whatever you want.”

Lukas studied him out of the corner of his eye. “You would invite a near stranger to your home?”

Steve smiled crookedly. “Hey, we’ve met four times now. You’re not a stranger anymore.” (keep your heart close to the ground)

2. “Careful,” Loki said, his eyes mocking. “You’ll break something.” He let go of Steve’s throat, but only to grab the back of his neck and drag him in, mouth fixing to Steve’s jaw and sucking hard enough to bruise. Steve heard himself make a low sound and went rigid, the knowledge of the dark purple mark that would stay on his skin making his blood hot. Making him hard.

Loki knew it, too. He released Steve’s wrist, too, both hands dropping to his hips and pulling Steve flush against him. He gasped, hips driving forward against Loki’s leg.

Loki laughed and moved his mouth an inch down, biting down. Another bruise.

“This isn’t enough, is it,” he murmured into Steve’s skin. “It never is.”

“Shut up,” Steve said. Loki’s hand slithered between them and thrust down his pants, thumbnail grazing Steve’s cock just enough to make his body sing.

“Make me,” Loki said, a laugh in the words. (that spark of black that I seem to love)

3. Steve stared at him. “We can’t just - take off,” he protested. “People will get worried.”

Loki’s lips quirked. “We’ll leave a note.”

“A note?” Steve shook his head, incredulous. “What if something comes up?”

“Do you think that all your friends together are not able enough? T’Challa alone has the force of his nation behind him.”

It was...a fair point. Steve could feel himself wavering. “Where would we even go?” He asked. “We’re fugitives, remember? It’s not like we can just go wandering around Paris-”

Loki’s faint smile widened. “Who said we were going to stay on this planet?” (you could see planets and stars)

4. The memory shredded and Loki was again lying on stone, his chest heaving. Amora watched him, chin on hands, smiling.

“Good dreams?” She murmured.

“You’ve made a mistake,” Loki snarled. “I have lived these memories once. I can live them again and laugh knowing that I survived. That I am stronger for it.”

“You think that now,” Amora murmured. Her expression shifted into one of mock sympathy. “Would you like to talk about it?”

“I almost hope I live to see Thanos rip you apart,” Loki snarled.

“I look forward to seeing what he does with you when I deliver you weeping and broken to his feet.” (Underground)

5. “Yeah,” Bucky said. “Thanks.” He took a deep breath. “Wilson thinks I’m a sleeper agent. That they’ve still got their hooks in me.”

Steve stiffened. “I don’t believe it,” he said quickly. “Sam’s just being cautious.”

Bucky shrugged. “It’s a possibility.” Steve’s throat closed. When he could breathe again, he swallowed hard. Bucky looked at him, head cocked slightly to the side. “I wouldn’t necessarily know,” he said evenly. “My memory’s...not always clear. About a lot of things. Or maybe my memories aren’t real. It’s good, that Wilson’s suspicious. You should be too.”

“No,” Steve said, shaking his head. “I’m not going to doubt you. I trusted you on the helicarrier-”

Bucky hissed. “I almost killed you on the helicarrier. Remember?” (Steve Rogers’ Halfway House for Notorious Supervillains)

6. Captain America. The man pulled out of his own time and dropped into the present. A soldier, Barton had said, but a decidedly peculiar one. He had worked with SHIELD for a time, it seemed, alongside – ah, there she was – the Widow. At least, he had until SHIELD had apparently been revealed as a group of frauds and vipers, and then Rogers had summarily destroyed them.

That was somewhat interesting, but Loki only lingered on it for a moment. What held his attention somewhat more was what Rogers did with the rest of his time, which was…a great deal.

Volunteering at a dizzying array of places, the names of which were meaningless to Loki. Visiting the sick – though as he was not a healer, Loki hadn’t the faintest idea what he was doing there. Taken all together it made Loki think of nothing so much as a man who was looking for distractions. (post-Svartalfheim au)

7. “Is this where you disappeared to, when you would take off without a word?” Thor asked. Loki hadn’t calmed, still pacing. It was making Steve tense. “You were coming here?”

“Sometimes,” Loki said. Steve stayed quiet. At least for the moment, getting in the middle seemed like a bad idea.

“Why?” Thor asked, sounding almost insultingly surprised. Loki shrugged.

“Why not? It was forbidden. It was a strange Realm. I was curious and Asgard bored me.” Steve gave him a quick look, but didn’t call him on what probably wasn’t a complete lie. Loki paused, and after a moment added, “and then I…found people here. Whose company I enjoyed.” His tone turned stubborn, almost defiant. “And who enjoyed my company.”

Thor frowned. “You say that as though there were none such at home.” (Thunderstorms)

8. Loki’s breathing seemed maybe a little easier, but by the way he opened his eyes with a sharp intake of breath he wasn’t exactly sleeping deeply, and when he looked at her his gaze was confused, disoriented. She pressed her hand gently down on his shoulder.

“It’s me,” she said, keeping her voice soft and soothing. “Natasha.”

Clarity came slowly, but he didn’t lash out. He stared at her, eyes a little too wide, and Natasha found herself remembering the disaster with the drug. She didn’t want to be another torturer.

“Focus on where you are,” she said levelly. “The way the couch feels.” She left her hand where it was, figuring the contact without pain, as long as he hadn’t lashed out yet, was probably good. “That’s it.”

He blinked slowly and licked his lips. “Natasha,” he said, still a little unsteady. She summoned as much of a smile as she could manage.

“Yep. You’re still here.”

“I didn’t say anything,” Loki said, eyes still wide. “I didn’t betray you. Amora asked but I wouldn’t…”

Well, Natasha thought dryly, at least he’d had that much sense. “You told me,” she said, trying to keep her voice gentle. “I believe you.”

He relaxed. Natasha pulled her hand away slowly. “I’m going to get you something to drink.” (Privation)

9. Bucky moved back and sat down with his back against the wall, distinctly dissatisfied. He’d never met Loki, only knew of him vaguely as the name associated with the attack on New York. And apparently he didn’t know anything about Bucky. So this had been pointless. He’d risked exposure and dragged someone into his safe house for no good reason.

So kill him. Cut his throat and dump him. Bucky shifted, unable to come up with a good counterargument for that suggestion except the possibility that even a wounded alien was stronger than he was and the fact that it was a suggestion from that part of his brain. He should’ve tied him up. It would’ve made dealing with him now easier.

“What now?” Loki asked, and Bucky twitched and stared at him, still lying on the floor with his eyes closed.

“Good question,” Bucky said. (forgive the children we once were)

10. When Loki did not return after a fairly substantial period of time, Clint followed him out. He wasn’t standing out front – that was a relief, given how much he would stand out – but when Clint circled around the back he didn’t see him either. Just as his heart was starting to pound the air seemed to waver and Loki appeared, cradling the scepter in his lap and ashen faced. He swayed, and Clint hurried over, dropping to his knees and reaching out to steady him. The moment he made contact, Loki’s hand was around his throat.

Clint went quickly limp. “Boss,” he said. “It’s me.” He could still talk, which was good. Loki could’ve snapped his neck in a second if he wanted to. Loki blinked, eyes focusing on him slowly, but even after recognition dawned it took him a moment longer to release Clint’s neck. He looked down immediately, eyes on the pavement.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t’ve touched you. That was out of line.”

Loki shook his head slowly. One of his hands had a white-knuckle grip around the scepter, and Clint glanced at it, and Loki’s mouth. Some fresh blood trickled from the punctures above and below his lips, and Clint felt a surge of anger again. (Seams and Scars)

11. Fall out of one cage and into another.

Loki could not decide which was worse.

He contemplated the glass in his hand, the nearly clear liquor within. He knew how it would taste - cloying and sweet with a bitter aftertaste. The Sakaarans seemed to like it, but Loki could not fathom why. As poor taste in drink as they had in...nearly everything else.

“Pay attention, pet,” his companion said. “And don’t look so sullen. Or do you need some dragonfire to perk you up?”

Loki plastered a smile on his face. “No,” he said quickly. “Pardon. My mind wandered a moment.”

The Grandmaster smiled at him, the expression painfully indulgent. “Of course. So long as it does not wander too far.” (our battles choose us)