#rebecca cross quotes

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Colorado. Pyramid-shaped Star Dune and the jagged Crestone Peaks above it are covered in snow, with pink sunset light illuminating the high points. Photo: Patrick Myers/National Park Service (2023) :: [Robert Scott Horton]

* * * *

Metaphors are not how we define territories; they are how we travel across thresholds between categories. They are bridges across difference. Through them, we connect the abstract and the concrete, the small and the large, the live and the inanimate, the human and the nonhuman. Sometimes the metaphors are built so deeply into language we hardly notice the bodily anatomy that gives mountains foothills, rivers headwaters and mouths (curiously, at opposite ends), needles eyes, vases necks, chairs arms, and tables legs. We think through our bodies, and that includes seeing bodies elsewhere, making bodies the terms of understanding how animate and inanimate, tiny and huge objects and systems work. Both needles and storms have eyes. Metaphor is the process of relating things that are alike in some fashion, to some degree, and the literal-minded object on the grounds of those differences while the metaphorically minded understand the limits of similarity. 

['Crossing Over' by Rebecca Solnit] Paris Review

#Great Sand Dunes National Park #Patrick Myers #metaphor #Rebecca Solnit #Paris Review #Crossing Over #quotes

[conquerthenight]

Because I can, here’s a list of some of my favorite lyrics from my English translation of Rebecca:

“She had tried her best/fought with all her might/but I rose to do what’s right” -Last Night I Dreamt of Manderley/Ich hab Geträumt von Manderley

“I wish I could find a way/to forever keep my memories/to have it close to me/where you were meant to be/and it would never fade” -Bottle Full of Memories/Zeit in Einer Flasche

“She’s set me free/she’s put her faith in me/Is she still holding on?/I’ll never know but I’ll be there so she won’t fall” -Naturally Enchanting/Zauberhaft Natürlich

“But we’ve learned/he’ll return/with the second Mrs. de Winter” -The Second Mrs. de Winter/Die Neue Mrs. de Winter

“She’s still here with me/where she’s meant to be/“She will never come back here”/That’s what they say to me/No, they cannot see/but I still fear her spirit with me/She’s watching, she’s listening” -She’s Still Here With Me/Sie Ergibt Sich Nicht

“No man in the world was ever there for her/She was proud and free/I stood right there by her side/No man could ever satisfy her love/In the end she never really died” -She’s Still Here With Me/Sie Ergibt Sich Nicht

“Help me face the night/Make me feel right/I’m afraid to be alone/lost in my world/Could I now have a future?/Lead me from this nightmare/to something true/Show me what love can do” -Help Me Face the Night/Hilf Mir Durch die Nacht

“He loves and hates without control/His enemy is his own soul” -Something is Wrong With Him/Was ist nur Los mit Ihm

“She’s gone/She’s gone now/She won’t come back/She’s down in the sea/long gone/and never to return” -She’s Gone/Sie’s Fort

“I was a fool/to hope I could be saved/that night forever haunts me, haunts me/please, my god/you know my fear/why have I come back here” -Please, My God/Gott, Warum

“With swing and Coca-Cola at the parties/I admire and desire what is big/Everything that I do is…American made” -I’m an American Woman

“I’ll finally show them/they can’t make me feel small/Tonight I will amaze them all” Tonight I Will Amaze Them All/Heut Nacht Verzauber Ich die Welt

“Rebecca, you’ve disappeared from sight/A thousand bright lights shine/You’re sorely missed tonight/Like a star. I will give you a sign” -Rebecca (Act 1 finale)/Rebecca (Finale Erste Akt)

“When you look into my eyes, do you still long for Rebecca?/When I walk through the halls of Manderley/they talk of none but Rebecca” -What if I’m not Enough/Und Das Und Das Und Das

“She hears what you say/and knows what you are thinking/Watching you even now/He is still her possession/You knew from the start/He never loved you/Just a toy for his affection” -Rebecca II

“With this news/someone’s in trouble/Destiny’s taking its course/Whoever did this is bound for the scaffold/Til then I’ll watch this play out” -The Shipwreck/Strandgut

“Why can I still that smile?/Her name inside my mind/The words she said have lost their hold/But even now she’s still in control” -Why Can I Still See That Smile/Kein Lächeln war je so Kalt

“I want to be at home here/not treated like I’m just a guest/I will live life as I please/She can’t control me now” -Mrs. de Winter is Me/Mrs. de Winter bin Ich

“The hull was pierced with holes/The boat would surely sink/It was no accident/whatever you may think/Unless something strange occurred/it’s suicide or murder” -The Inquest/Die Voruntersuchsung

“I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine/Don’t look like that/come off it/I’ll shut up/show me where to sign/You have your loot/Now I want mine/Yes, show me all my profit” -I’ll Scratch Your Back/Eine Hand Wäscht dir andere Hand

“Who is this man? This secret Dr. Baker/She was his patient/A gynecologist/What does he know of her?” -They Left at Eight/Sie füh’rn um Acht

“This was all just a game/she had thought she won/She tricked us all/She used another name that day/There was never a pregnancy” -The Revelation/Keiner hat sie Durchschaut

“Rebecca, I’ve always longed for you/There’s no point longing when you’ve disappeared from view/Even now, I stand waiting for you” -I Hear You Singing/Ich War Ihr Nah

“Conquer the night/Conquer the fear/Make the shadows disappear/Now we are free/We can bring in a future” -Conquer the Night/Jenseits der Nacht

“At last I feel the light of dawn surround us/The shades of night are gone forevermore” -Conquer the Night/Jenseits der Nacht

“The house I loved goes up in flames/The house that was my father’s pride and joy/is burning, lost for good/But with the house/burns all my memories/The past no longer haunts me, haunts me” -Manderley’s On Fire/Manderley In Flammen

“Only now and then/in our darkest days/something stirs the hurt inside/Yet we learn to live/mend and then forgive/and the past fades with the tide” -Last Night I Dreamt of Manderley (reprise)/Ich Hab Geträumt von Manderley (reprise)

“There are times in life/where we can forget/all the hurt that came before/We must take this time/search with all our might/and move on to make things right” -Last Night I Dreamt of Manderley (reprise)/Ich Hab Geträumt von Manderley (reprise)

#wow this got long #but i don’t care #english translation #kunze approved english demo #if you couldn’t tell #i’m really fond of danny’s songs #as well as the duets between ich and maxim #and the epilogue #my username was based off these lyrics #my writing partner and i wanted to put our demos of this on spotify #but ​now that the london production is happening i dont think the vbw will allow that #vbw answer my emails challenge #i’m sure charing cross will have better lyrics than mine #but i’m still proud of what i wrote #rebecca das musical #edit: added a quote from kein lächeln #because i forgot we heavily rewrote that song

[stacys-mom-has-got-it-goin-on]

"Transgress your body's borders, shed your skin, embrace your monstrous flesh. Freed of the shackles of the vulnerable female body, I will be reborn as a woman who devours."

#monstrous flesh: on women’s bodies in horror #quotes #rebecca harkness-cross

[luxthestrange]

Avatar Incorrect quotes#18 IM THE BABY

Another Day...Another New Episode Of Your ongoing Telenovela/Soap Opera that the Omatikaya Clan are all too eager to see...Jake was prompted to join, given that you need more actors in your game...not that you knew you had fans watching you

Jake*Holding a Stick sword*YOU KILLED MY FATHER!

Y/n*Cackles with a deep voice* No...I AM YOUR FATHER!

Jake:...WHAT!

Y/n:Wait..no uh-I'm pregnant and you're the father!*Crosses his arms with a villain smirk*

Jake*Confused for a minute*...WHAT!?＼(〇_ｏ)／

Y/n: I mean...You're pregnant and IM THE BABY!

Jake*Actually losing it with the new script*...WHAT!?

Omatikaya Clan*Hidding in the shadows*-

Sequel to:

#avatar #avatar 2009 #avatar na'vi #avatar x reader #avatar x y/n #avatar x human reader #na'vi x reader #na'vi x human #y/n sully #avatar jake sully #the sully siblings #omatikaya clan is SHOCKED #avatar incorrect quotes #avatar way of water #incorrect quotes

[jomiddlemarch]

20 questions for writers

Tagged by @asteraceae-blue who is Very Nice Indeed.

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 876

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

1,544,499

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Brace yourselves. Mercy Street, Shadow and Bone, Foyle's War, Poldark, The Last of Us, GLOW, A Discovery of Witches, Anne of Green Gables, Little Women, Shogun, Harry Potter, Downton Abbey, Frozen, Dune, Ted Lasso, Star Wars, The Hour, Sanditon, Leap, Brooklyn 99, Far From The Madding Crowd, Beauty and the Beast, Wonder Woman, Gilmore Girls, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Avengers, Parks and Rec, Betsy-Tacy, Wandavision, Rogue One, The Mandalorian, Bridgerton, Community, Solo, Iron Man, Call the Midwife, Lord Peter Wimsey, Fleabag, The Little Mermaid, Emma, The Guernsey Potato Peel Pie and Literary Society, Timeless, Rebecca, The Age of Innocence, Beecham House, World on Fire, And Then There Were None. A few more but I am tired now.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

what it is to be a thin, crescent moon

A Wife--at daybreak I shall be

Point and Click

Bear with the truths I would tell you now

The subtlest fold of the heart

5. Do you respond to comments?

I do try and answer everyone, even if I just say thanks. I will delete really rude comments, which have fortunately been rare.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I wrote "Because I could not stop for Death" for Mercy Street and killed basically every character at least once, making remaining characters miserable. Except for the last chapter, where I killed the guy we all loathed.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

This is tough because I mostly write happy endings. I think "But let thy silk twist down" counts as one, because Jed Foster is convinced that Mary is dying or has rejected him and then she surprises him by showing up and locking them into the sitting room. And in GLOW, "everything could yield him pleasure" allows Sam and Ruth to get back together over Christmas.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not very often. It's mostly been in big fandoms (Reylo, Shadow and Bone, I'm looking at you) but it hasn't been a big issue on AO3 or Tumblr. And I'm comfortable deleting and blocking.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes, when I feel it's called for. I write grown-up sex scenes, so there are no wacky positions (unless someone talks about how they're going to throw out their back) and sometimes a breastfeeding mother's milk lets down or a woman struggles to have an orgasm. It's pretty vanilla though and all cishet. In the cock v. dick debate, I lean cock. I don't use other euphemisms for male genitals unless someone is quoting a poem. (I'm not sure that has happened but it totally could with me.)

No one in any of my sex scenes has had any bodyscaping and a not insignificant number of times, someone has left their socks on.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

OMG, YES. I love a crossover. Probably my Mercy Street/Sesame Street crossover has to be up there for zaniness. I did put Shadow and Bone characters in AOGG Prince Edward Island and I have also crossed over All Creatures Great and Small vets (James and Tristan) into the Grishaverse.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I've been asked for permission but I don't think I gave it.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes. During the pandemic, there was the Mercy Street Murder Hotel round robin with @tortoisesshells @fericita-s @broadwaybaggins @sagiow @mercurygray and also the Cruise Ship with @sagiow and @fericita-s.

(Pro tip: it's easier if you agree on your murderer BEFORE you start writing but it was fun writing clues that were 50/50 going to be red herrings.)

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Given the number of fics I've written for them, I have to say Mary Phinney/Jed Foster but it really could be smart-woman-who-is-underestimated/quippy-guy-who-gets-he's-smart-but-not-as-smart-as-she-is-and-that's-the-turn-on

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

This may make people sad, but I have a hard time seeing my way clear to an ending on "what is it to be a thin crescent moon" largely because I'd have to do some more plotting to get where I'd want to go. It's never say never but the truth is, I originally intended to stop when they got to the Little Palace, so everything after that was basically improv.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I'm pretty good at capturing a character's voice and I've often been told my work is poetic, which I appreciate, as I am a poet.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Long-form plotting. I love to read it, but I get tired trying to create it and often resort to lily-padding (my own term for jumping from scene to scene.) I overuse the word just. I don't play chess well but I cannot resist writing about gambits.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I try to keep it minimal, since I'm only fluent in English.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Mercy Street.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

What is this, Sophie's Freaking Choice? I really like my GLOW zombie road-trip story "Music shall untune the sky" because I gave them a good ride and there was so much angst! "Hope is the thing with feathers" is a fic I wrote for myself, when I was despairing about Real Life and US politics and human rights, where I let Christopher Foyle offer the comfort I desperately wished for.

Tagging @tortoisesshells @fericita-s @sagiow @broadwaybaggins @oldshrewsburyian @orlissa @amarguerite @aloveforjaneausten and @aquitainequeen but anyone else is welcome to hold forth!

#about me #about my fic #it's all on AO3 #if you want to search #sorry no links

[pluviisopibus]

Fourth Wing Ask Meme (Part 3)

An assortment of quotes from Rebecca Yarros' novel "FOURTH WING." Some phrases have been altered for the sake of clarity for this purpose.

As of this moment, I'm taking over.

Relationships are incomprehensible.

Your arm is shot, [NAME].

I'm used to functioning in pain.

Oh, for fuck's sake.

[NAME] says if you harm me, he/she/they'll burn you.

Word for word.

I would rather die than harm you.

No one stays friends forever.

Eventually, those closest to us become our enemies in some ways.

Funny how people rename everything's that makes them feel uncomfortable.

It's been my honor.

Even when I'm not with you, there's only you.

We can live as cowards or die as riders.

I thought you said kissing me was a mistake.

Blades aren't the only way to disarm an opponent.

Tell me, [NAME], are you disarmed?

You will not fall. I will not allow it.

Stay the hell away from him/her/them.

Fuck, that stubborn, feisty look always makes me want to kiss you.

When did I ever give you the impression that I give a fuck what people think about me?

Stay close to him/her/them until I return.

The longer you wait on those steps, the greater your fear has a chance to grow.

Cross the parapet before the terror owns you.

Was everyone's dragon a curmudgeon? Or just mine?

If we let fear kill whatever this is between us, then we don't deserve it.

I appreciate the elevation to deity, but my name will do.

Thank you for being my friend.

It's because you have no faith in me.

You still think I won't make it.

I fucking hate you.

That doesn't make you special.

It should be against the rules to look that good and be so ruthless.

#rp meme #rp memes #ask meme #ask memes #inbox meme #inbox memes #rp starter #rp starters #sentence starter #sentence starters #fourth wing

[trust-is-the-most-important]

“This whole Carlando thing is being take it too far by idiot fans. Half of them have no idea about F1.” (sorry, I don’t know how to quote stuff.)

Yeah, some fans take it too far. But what they’re doing with the whole Carlos and Rebecca thing is worse. All the reporting the gossip and fan accounts are doing… it doesn’t happen with Lando.

To be honest (and I KNOW this is unpopular), Carlando being real is more likely than Carlos and Rebecca being a real couple (not PR/fling). They spend a lot of time together. They travel together and stay together. Lando has even hinted at a possible relationship… more than once. Rebecca could be an attempt to hide that… or not. It might be real. Who knows?

Yeah, they could just be very close friends. But Lando doesn’t act that way with Max (Verstappen), his best friend in F1 and a childhood friend.

Bottom line: we know very little about the private lives of the drivers and we should keep our speculating to a minimum (I have a lot of thoughts but rarely share them).

Have a great day!

Carlos and Lando are friends. They are like 2 brothers.This shows that they spend a lot of time together.

I don't want to deal with anyone's sexuality.

I think when Lando talked about their relationship being more than friendship, it was all a joke. Lando has an interesting sense of humor. We see this even after the race.

The reason that they didn't talk about Lando's relationship like that is because Luisinha didn't have such an early life as Rebecca, and Luisinha was not known by many people, she was at the beginning of her modeling career. Those who already know Rebecca don't even know her from her modeling career. (For example, I didn't even know who she was and I wish it had stayed that way)

But to see a fan video of them thinking about Carlando relationship. And it is stated as a fact that they are together. They think about it with every move they make, even if they just look at each other. And the comments below also cross a line and are disgusting. 🤮

The fact that he and his PR team are trying to put an end to these rumors with Rebecca is pretty weird, but these rumors came just from the fans

Pilots' private lives are their business. And you can only talk about it within certain limits, but many people don't know the limits.

#carlos sainz jr #Carlos sainz #F1 #Carlando #f1 gossip #formula one #formula 1 #Lando norris

[rebeccalouisaferguson]

One of the things I loved about Ilsa was that she basically felt like a secondary protagonist. She had her own story, conflicts, motivations, romance and she even got the last fight in RN to herself. AND she’s the one that got to fight lane at the end of fallout rather than the MC. I’m still curious to see where it’s gonna go for part 2 (fingers crossed that it’s a fakeout!), but I see what that last anon means about not being interested in future missions. Ilsa brought so much to the series and I don’t think mcq realizes that

Yes, I exactly! I completely agree with you - Ilsa was not a secondary character, she was basically co-protagonist, female Ethan Hunt. I found this old Rebecca's quote from 2015 press tour that I really like: "I think what made me happy was when I first met with Tom and Chris, they didn’t have a script. They described this new character, they didn’t call her a “strong woman” or “femme fatale,” words we’re used to hearing used describing female characters. They said “independent,” “strong,” “Ethan Hunt’s match.”

That's why it's kind of frustrting that in the last film they treated her like another girl in the franchise that is disposable. I think you hit the nail on the head with McQ not quite realising how much impact Ilsa Faust brought to the franchise and to the action movies in general. She was one of the very few female characters that was treated equal to the male protagonist. The franchise grew a seizable female fanbase who looked at Ilsa Faust and saw an action character that was not sexualised or treated like a "Bond girl" - she had her own huge fights, her own agenda, she is saving the protagonist multiple times, she is dressed in comfortable clothes that help her fight. That was refreshing and inspring.

#anonymous #ask

[abubblingcandle]

You saw these roses on a train as they whisked by-

🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

Because it's you love and this is a chapter idea that came from your spreadsheet ... here's a bit of The Richmond Job Ch5 (my version of the Gone Fishing Job) that just fell out of me now :)

“So this was your plan all along then?” Roy asked as Ted stood in front of him, arms crossed and smug. “I knew you two were more than capable of dealing with that gang of thugs. I had all the faith in you,” Ted grinned. “You planned for us to get kidnapped and be forced to work together to not die … as a team building exercise?” Roy stated, stepping closer to Ted. “Ted I would run,” Jamie stated where he was leaning against the counter while Rebecca stitched the cut on his forehead. “What?” Ted frowned, peering around Roy. “You didn’t hear the threats he was making towards, those idiots who handcuffed us together,” Jamie put the second bit in air quotes, “in the van on the way back. They were astoundingly creative.” “Oh,” Ted stepped back, looking to Beard for help. Roy was all harsh lines and barely constrained movement. “Yeah maybe we should let the lads rest,” Ted stammered out, wisely stepping out of headbutting range. “Roy if you break that finger splint punching someone then I’ll kill you,” Rebecca threatened, tying off the stitches on Jamie’s head. “I’ll take that risk,” Roy growled.

#candle writes #ted lasso fanfic #jamie tartt #roy kent #ted lasso #rebecca welton #leverage au #ask box is always open!

[greenconverses]

Recently read: Despite telling myself I don’t need to blow through books this year, here I am, blowing through books. In my defense, it’s January and it’s been snowing a lot. 

Self-help is usually not my genre of choice for non-fiction books, but I’ve heard rave reviews about Brené Brown, so I decided to give Daring Greatly a listen. I generally remember what this book was about (being vulnerable and avoiding shame!) but I could not quote a damn thing from it for any kind of life advice. Maybe I’d have retained it better if I’d read it instead? (★★★)

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center was delightful. This was my second or third time trying to read it, and it finally clicked for me. Another closed door romance, but I didn’t mind it so much because the characters were a lot of fun. (★★★★)

YA space scifi that doesn’t suck! Whoo! Crownchasers by Rebecca Coffindaffer has been on my shelf for a while. It was a lot of fun once I got past the first third... and over the fact that there was, indeed, going to be a character called Hell Monkey featured throughout the entire book. Ended on a clfifhanger, so I had to run out to the library to get the sequel, which I’ll probably read this weekend. (★★★★)

Does anyone write about fandom as cringy as Olive Dade does? If so, don’t point them in my direction because I. hate. it. Ship Wrecked is the third in her “what if Game of Thrones actors paid attention to fandom and I got to hash out all my issues with the show runners over 1,000 pages and then have a dolphin slap them in the face at the end” contemporary romance series and it’s probably my least favorite of the bunch. It started out promising, but then there were weird pacing issues — including a SIX YEAR TIME SKIP where most of the romantic and pining development happened off-page — and, of course, the obligatory stupid break-up at 80% that drained all my interest out of seeing these two idiots have a happy ending. 

My real issue with this series has always been the way all the actors on her GoT ripoff show pay more attention to fandom than some people in the fandom probably do, and then participate in weird, boundary-crossing ways. In Ship Wrecked, Alex, the hero from the second book, sends co-stars Peter and Maria weekly emails with explicit RPF recommendations about them (WHAT) and they read them (WHAT) and giggle about it/reference them after they have sex instead of, idk, reporting Alex to HR for sexual harassment. You are sending your co-workers PORN about THEMSELVES, sir. But I guess it doesn’t matter because FANDOM IS VALID, Y’ALL. OR SOMETHING. God, I hate it. I HATE IT. (★★)

#currently reading #books of 2023 #contemporary romance #ya fiction #olivia dade #ship wrecked was also the source of my inclusion dialogue rant because olivia dade cant do plus size rep without it!

[raypakorn]

Another month has came and went so here is some of the awesome sets/fanart that have crossed my dash. Will be setting up my queue to give all these sets some more love that they deserve. Thank you for continuing to share your gifts with the fandom!

911 Lone Star

ronen x rafa + chemistry & tk x carlos + a thousand times, yes by @roseapothecary

​tk strand in every episode by @gwynthmorgan

tk strand + doll collection by @diaaz

tk strand + no matter what by @lutavero

tk x carlos + never about finding someone perfect by @rafael-silva

Top 10 Episodes (x, x, x, x, x) by @maxbegone

Kinnporsche

kinn x porshce + ep 8 colorful waterfall by @liyazaki​

kinn x porsche + green/quotes by @jaehwany

vegas vs. kinn by @spicyvampire​

kinn + liking a male character by @porscheskinns

kinn x porsche + ep7 bathroom scene by @gusucloud

porsche + how to rock your new job by @longinglook

episode 7 + green  & kinn x porsche + i promise by @luna-lina

kinn x porsche + erase all the wrong things by @mrdumpling

kinn x porsche + ep 7 lines by @nanons

kinn x porsche + no walls but a bridge by @mariemarion

Heartstopper

elle argent + fav character by @rodrigolivias​

heartstopper + nick nelson’s diary by @birthdaysentiment​​

heartstopper + 2 more seasons & nick x charlie + yellow & blue by @fatoujallovv​​

tao x elle + new love languages & ep 1 + colors by @disaster-lineage

the paris squad by @dandilicn​

nick x charlie + episodes by @wylanvnneck

ep 1 - 3 title cards by @scinnlaece

nick nelson + bi colors by @steverobin

nick x charlie + joy by @brimay​

nick nelson + bisexual rugby lad by @obiewans​

scene color palattes by @amaya-jiiwe

nick x charlie + yellow & blue & charlie spring + honey & wildfire by @jakeyp

tara x darcy + golden hour by @nyttvera​

nick nelson + definitely bisexual by @tenderlyhands

nick x charlie + rainbow light by @buckhelped

nick x charlie + blue/yellow comic by @arthurpendragonns

tao x elle + hug by @saevity

Misc

new girl + fav sitcom & rebecca welton + mad woman by @michellesmalon

best tv couples by @torisvega

magnus x alec + quotes by @magnusedom

moonknight + episodes & yellow by @poe-dameron

toni x shelby + ur so pretty & leah rilke + i’m a girl by @jennaortegas

star wars + pink/orange/yellow & han x leia + yellow & pink  by @brutalgf

ted lasso + every friend group by @lenakluthors

the wilds + twilight of adam boys by @whitetrashjj

disney + pink & flowers by @lightkeykid

emily x sue + pink by @kosem-sultan

cloak & dagger by @disaster-lineage

maleficent by @diaaz

bad buddy + someone like you & bad buddy + seasons by @rose-nebulijia

jake peralta + mint green & jake x rosa + friendship by @jakeyp

stranger things + the spy by @lesbianrobin

steve x dustin + favorite brotp by @usereddiemunson

moonight + steven x marc connection by @idigyourcinema​

pope heyward + purple by @kiekiecarrera

yasmina x younes by @sanabakkoushd

the umbrella academy + adopted family & max mayfield + running up that hill by @yenvengerberg

peter x mj + was once mine by @sashafierce​

stranger things + colors by @hawkinslibrary

the schmitty bunch by @smblmn

sherlock holmes by @elennemigo

outer banks + top 10 highest rated episodes by @jjmaybanks

scream + red right hand by @aanathemaa

jordan x declan + intimacy by @embeddedinmybrain

#cc appreciation #queue the love 💛

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Leaf from a Beatus Manuscript: the Lamb at the Foot of the Cross, Flanked by Two Angels; The Calling of Saint John with the Enthroned Christ flanked by Angels and a Man Holding a Book (Spain, c 1180 CE). Illustrated Beatus manuscripts bring to life an extraordinary vision of the end of the world, as recorded by Saint John in the Apocalypse (Book of Revelation) and filtered through the lens of Beatus of Liébana, an eighth-century Asturian monk. These manuscripts are unique to medieval Spain and a testament to the artistry and intellectual milieu of monastic culture there. The leaf shown here comes from a manuscript that was disassembled in the 1870s. This frontispiece image depicts a lamb (an image commonly associated with Christ) tormented by the spear and sponge used against Christ during the Passion. The alpha and omega symbols hanging from the cross refer to a passage from the Apocalypse: "Ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ Ἄλφα καὶ τὸ Ὦ, λέγει κύριος, ὁ θεός, ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος, ὁ παντοκράτωρ." (that is: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, saith the Lord God, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty") (Apoc. 1:8)

[Robert Scott Horton]

* * * * *

“To hear is to let the sound wander all the way through the labyrinth of your ear; to listen is to travel the other way to meet it. It’s not passive but active, this listening. It’s as though you retell each story, translate it into the language particular to you, fit it into your cosmology so you can understand and respond, and thereby it becomes part of you. To empathize is to reach out to meet the data that comes through the labyrinths of the senses, to embrace it and incorporate it. To enter into, we say, as though another person’s life was also a place you could travel to.” 

― Rebecca Solnit, The Faraway Nearby

[via "alive on all channels"]

#Easter #the cross #Lamb #Beatus Manuscript #angels #apocalypse #eighth century #religious art #Rebecca Solnit #quotes #Alive on All Channels #The Faraway Nearby

[herrmannhalsteadproduction]

Reckless [With My Heart] (Chapter Four)

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

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

Rating: Teen Audiences and Up

Relationships: Christopher Herrmann & Original Female Character, Jay Halstead & Original Female Character, Will Halstead & Original Female Character, Jay Halstead & Will Halstead, Greg 'Mouse' Gerwitz & Original Female Character, Jay Halstead & Greg 'Mouse' Gerwitz

Warnings: Undercover job gone wrong, canon-typical violence, major character injury, hurt/comfort, angst with a happy ending.

A/N: I'll post the link to the ao3 page at the bottom. This story has not only an OC character, but some quirky elements which may or may not be everyone's jam. Just FYI. Updates will be slow coming as I pick away at them during breaks from work. I couldn't take a full break from this though - I'm too excited to write it so I made working on this series my reward for when I get stuff done, lol

Click here for Chapter One

Click here for Chapter Two

Click here for Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Bex

Adam and Kevin abandoned her immediately after they entered the back door of the precinct.

The cowards.

“You want to tell me what the heck you’re thinking, Mini-Chuckles?” Trudy stood directly in the path of Bex’s escape route with her arms crossed and the sternest of looks on her face.

“I can explain,” Bex began and Trudy shook her head.

“Oh, ‘explanations’ have been given,” Trudy said, air quotes and all. “And I had to leave my desk just so I could have you look me in the eye while you tell me why this is a good idea.”

“I mean…it’s not?” Bex shrugged helplessly. “But we don’t have a choice unless we want Jay’s cover to be blown. I’m going to be as safe as possible. It’ll be okay.”

“Keep telling yourself that,” Trudy sighed. “Make sure you go over everyone’s positions and always know where your closest help is. Remember where all of the exits are. And carry this.” She handed Bex a small keychain with a little cannister attached.

“Pepper spray,” Trudy explained. “It detaches if you yank on it and you press the button on the side to deploy it.” She looked over Bex’s outfit. “Not sure where you’re going to put it, but you’ll figure it out.”

“Thanks, Trudy,” Bex said, grateful for the added touch of protection. A sudden thought hit her and she grabbed Trudy’s arm before she could walk away. “Don’t tell Uncle Mouch about this? Please?”

“Do I look like an idiot?” She snorted and left to head back upstairs to her desk.

“Does that mean she is going to tell him or she isn’t?” Bex muttered to herself. Whatever. She shook her head. That was a problem for Future Bex. They were starting to pile up nicely.

Bex sighed and headed into next room so Mouse could get her mic’d up.

***

Mouse

He stood at his desk, getting everything prepped for the van when Ruzek and Atwater came in.

Alone.

“Where’s Bex?”

“Ah,” Atwater chuckled as he scratched the back of his neck and peeked over his shoulder. “She’s coming. Platt was waiting to chew her out so she should be along in a minute.”

“Oh.” Mouse widened his eyes in understanding. “Gotcha.”

“Man, I still can’t believe she didn’t tell us about this whole band thing,” Ruzek groused. He shot Mouse a look. “Did you know about it?”

Did he know about it? Of course he did.

He’d been there when she told Jay about the band. And he may have quietly checked into some of the places she’d played at. Only a few. To make sure they weren’t too questionable.

(If he’d had any idea she’d end up at a place like Leon’s, he would have kept it up.)

Never stayed for a show though. Bex was keeping it close to the vest for a reason and he wanted to respect that. So, he just said, “Nah, man. Surprised me as much as the rest of you.”

“Wait until you see her,” Ruzek said, eyebrows sky high. “She’s got rock star clothes. Rock star clothes!” he repeated at Atwater who was shaking his head and laughing at him. Ruzek poked him in the side and jerked his chin at the door. “Here she comes.”

Mouse turned to see Bex come into the room and froze. The constant refrain he kept up in his brain of ‘keep your distance, she’s Jay’s sister, they’re your only family, don’t screw things up, keep your distance’ screeched to a halt.

She stood in front of him wearing tight black jeans and some kind of black corset top contraption and her ‘ass-kicker’ boots as she called them. Fucking rock star clothes was right.

He stuffed his hands into his pockets—hands that wanted to touch—and mustered up what he hoped was a casual grin. “Hey, rock star.”

“Don’t you start too,” she rolled her eyes with a laugh. “Emery and Faith picked these out for me. They said they make my b—uh, ha, I mean they said I had to look the part for the nights I play with Patti’s band.”

He shook himself out of thoughts of burying his hands in her hair and kissing those red, red lips as her words sunk in. “Why does Patti’s band require, uh—” he gestured at her outfit. “Fancy duds?”

“Fancy duds?” she laughed. “I’m telling Emery and Faith you said that. Um, Patti’s band is just a little more full-on than ours? They’ve been working on their on music and really solidifying their sound. They’re cool.”

“What’s their name?” Ruzek asked, whipping out his phone.

“Taggert,” Bex said. “That’s her and her siblings’ last name. She’s in the band with her brother Beau, her sister Elle, and her boyfriend, well, fiancé now, Pete.”

“Hunh.” Ruzek flipped his phone around to show him and Atwater a promo photo of the band. The three siblings were easily identifiable with matching black hair and green eyes. The cheery looking blond guy had to be the fiancé.

“What are we looking at?” Burgess came into the room and tilted Ruzek’s phone to look at the screen. “Whoa. Is this the other band? That’s a—wow—”

“What?” Ruzek squinted at her and then peered at the phone.

“Nothing,” Burgess said, voice squeaking a bit. “Just a whole lot of attractive people in one band.”

“Right?” Bex laughed. “It’s kind of annoying.”

“How did you meet them anyway?” Atwater asked.

“We got double booked at a club one night and ended up sharing the stage time,” she said. “I actually had cookies for them in my bag, believe it or not.”

He could believe it.

“We all got along and have helped each other out with gigs from time to time,” Bex paused and sighed. “I hope everything goes okay tonight. I feel bad roping them into playing Leon’s.”

“It’s going to be fine, Bex,” he reassured her, managing to sound more confident than he felt. “We’re all going to be there for you, okay? Now let’s get you set up.” She nodded and smiled back at him. Mouse took a minute to look over her outfit again before frowning to himself.

“Where the hell am I going to put your camera?”

***

Bex

With assistance from Kim (thank goodness considering where her hands had to go—she would have imploded if Mouse had done it), they managed to get her mic and camera placed and ran through a few tests until the team was satisfied she had enough coverage.

Al, Antonio, and Hank showed up to go over everything with her one last time.

“How was Jay?” she asked Antonio quietly.

“Don’t worry about that—”

“Antonio.”

He grimaced with a little sigh. “He wasn’t too happy, okay? But we all knew he wouldn’t be,” Antonio said. “He knows why it’s going down like this and he knows we’ll be watching your back so just…try not to worry about him or any of that right now. Focus on your part.”

She couldn’t argue with that. Being focused and not messing everything up was the best thing she could do for Jay right now. She listened attentively as they went over the layout of the club and where everyone would be positioned. She memorized her exits. And she hooked Trudy’s pepper spray to the little side loop of her jeans.

“What about this Ramsay guy?” she asked them. “What does he look like? Should I keep an eye out for him? What should I do if I see him?”

“No!” and “Nothing!” was the resounding response.

“Jeez, okay.” She held up her hands. “I was just asking.”

“Problem is,” Al said. “No one knows what he looks like. We’ve got no images to work from and what few witness statements we have are conflicting. Standard stranger danger rules apply here, okay?”

“And you leave that side of things to us,” Hank said. “The only person we want you keeping an eye out for is yourself. Play your set and get out of there as fast as possible.”

“We’ll have your mic and camera on any time you’re away from the stage,” Mouse said. “Between that and everyone inside, we’ll always have eyes on you.”

“Okay,” she took a deep breath. “Okay, that all sounds—” Great wasn’t the word she was looking for. “Like a plan,” she said. “I’ve got to go meet up with Beau, Elle, and Pete to go over the set list and we’ll be at Leon’s by eight.”

“We’ll be there,” Hank nodded at her.

Adam dropped her off at Patti’s apartment, picking up his previous thread exactly where he left off at the start of the ride and barely stopping when she closed the car door. (“So, where have you played? Anywhere outside of Chicago? You could probably use extra hands for that, right? What about bouncers for around the stage? Do you have band t-shirts?”)

The band was waiting for her inside bursting with their own questions.

“I can’t believe you have a gig at Leon’s of all places,” Patti laughed, shaking her head. “I’m almost sorry to miss it?”

“Don’t lie, babe,” Pete kissed the top of her head and snuggled her. “You can’t wait to eat the rest of those cake samples in the tub.”

“You are correct, but I would also like some sort of live feed as this thing goes down.”

A giggle slipped out as Bex thought of the camera stuck securely in the centre of her corset. “So,” she cleared her throat. “Let’s talk about the set list. Beau, I was thinking you could take vocals tonight and do your normal set.”

“For the first half, sure,” he countered. “But I thought you’d be singing Patti’s set for the second half, like we usually do.”

She thought of everyone who’d be at Leon’s tonight. Listening. Watching. Playing guitar in front of them was one thing, but singing Patti’s songs—“Um, I’m fine just being back up tonight, you know,” she shrugged. “No worries. I’m good.”

The four of them stared at her.

“You’re being weird,” Elle declared and Pete nodded.

“You rock those songs,” Patti said, narrowing her eyes at her. “Not like you to get shy.”

And now she really wished she could tell them exactly what was going on tonight. “There’s going to be some people there tonight? Who haven’t heard me play yet? I guess I’m feeling more nervous than I thought I would about it.”

“If they’re not in your corner and ready to cheer you on, they’re not worth feeling nervous about,” Beau said as if it was as simple as that.

“Point them out to us and we’ll make sure they cheer,” Elle said with a wicked grin.

This wasn’t going to work. She had to be at least a little bit honest here. “I can’t point them out,” she said. “Because some of them are…friends of my brother’s.” “I’m guessing you don’t mean the doctor brother,” Beau said slowly.

“Is something going down at Leon’s tonight?” Patti asked, voice going sharp. “Are you guys going to be in danger?”

“I can’t tell you anything and I’m really sorry I didn’t say anything earlier, but I promise that we’re all going to be safe,” she said, hoping she wasn’t lying. “We go in and we sing and we leave. There will be people in place to keep an eye out. It’s just…complicated.”

Patti looked at the other three and sat back. “It’s up to you guys.”

“I trust you, Bexie girl,” Beau said, eyes sparkling as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “And I’m happy to risk some trouble if it’s with you.”

“I’m in too,” Elle said and Pete nodded. “But,” Elle held up a finger. “You have to sing.”

This was—yeah, this was going to be an interesting night.

***

Jay

Jay watched from behind the bar as Bex, his little sister who right now was looking like a full-on rock star, set up on the stage with a band made up of people he’d never seen before in his life.

Another secret he’d missed apparently.

The tall guy with black hair was flirting and laughing with her and she was flirting and laughing back.

He narrowed his eyes at the two of them.

Bex had a lot of questions coming her way.

After he gave her the talking to of a lifetime for even getting involved in any of this.

“Ryan.”

Jay looked over to see Cal looking at him impatiently, like he might have been calling his name a few times now. “Yeah?”

“Quit staring at the chicks and help those people at the end of the bar.”

“On it.”

“Fucking Vinnie’s been on my ass all night,” Cal grumbled at him. “Wants me doing ten things at once while he does dick all in the office.”

“He doesn’t usually work the bar though,” Jay said as he pulled beers.

“No, but it’s also been a while since he’s been so coked out of his mind that I had to babysit him on top of running the bar,” Cal said. “He’s annoying the shit out of me.”

“Need me to go check on him?” Worth a shot to get a chance to peek through the office.

“It’s fine,” Cal snapped out. “I’m handling it. There’s just—we’ve got a lot going on tonight, okay? Focus on doing your job out here.”

Jay made a mental note to watch Cal’s movements. He was more involved with Vinnie’s business than he thought and if something was going down, maybe he’d lead him to it.

Time flew by as he helped Cal and Jake, the other bartender, serve the crowd of people and soon enough, the band was ready to go. He spotted a few members of Intelligence stationed around the bar, blending in well, and breathed a small sigh of relief.

“Hi, there,” the dark-haired guy spoke into the microphone. “We’re Taggert with special guest star, Bex,” he pointed at Bex who gave a little wave. “And we’re here to play some music for you so sit back, drink up, and enjoy.”

The band dove right into their first song—a rock song with a bit of a dirty country edge—and Jay had a hard time keeping his eyes off of Bex. She was killing it on the guitar and looked like she was having the time of her life.

Made him realize how out of it he’d been that he was having a hard time remembering the last time he’d seen her smile like that.

The crowd was cheering them on and only one fight broke out which Jay took as a win. The band was wrapping up their first set when he heard Cal curse beside him.

“What the fuck is he doing?”

He looked over to see Vinnie emerging from the hallway that led to the washrooms and his office, making a beeline for the stage. Even from this distance, Jay could see how dilated his pupils were. And how fixed his gaze was on Bex.

Cal was already out from behind the bar and stepping into Vinnie’s path. Jay moved down to that end of the bar to try and catch their furious whispers.

“What are you doing, Vinnie,” Cal asked him. “You’ve got business in the back to attend to, right?”

“He’s fine on his own,” Vinnie tried to shrug him off. “I want to say hi to Miss Bex.”

“Why don’t you wait until after the show,” Cal said, gently starting to steer Vinnie back toward the hall. “You’ll have more time to say a proper hello then.”

Vinnie nodded rapidly. “Good point, good point. I’ll come back.”

Jay didn’t like the sound of that. He needed to figure out how to keep Bex out of Vinnie’s path. And to give the team a head’s up.

And figure out who else was in Vinnie’s office.

***

Bex

It was time for the second set and Bex stepped back on stage, Beau right beside her. She avoided making eye contact with anyone from Intelligence that she could spot in the audience.

Beau gave her a friendly smile and she nodded. Okay. This was happening.

“Hey,” Beau said into the mic. “Who’s ready to hear Bexie take a turn singing.”

A chorus of drunken cheers rose up.

He stepped back with a little bow. “Let it rip, babe,” he whispered to her.

She looked over her shoulder at Elle on the drums and gave a nod. Elle counted them off with her drumsticks and they dove right into the first song.

Bex let it rip.

***

Adam

“Ho—”

***

Kim

“—ly—”

***

Kevin

“—shit.”

***

Antonio

He had to fight to keep the goofy grin off his face and not get his phone out to film this for Gabi.

One thing was for sure—there was no way Bex was getting out of having an audience at future gigs.

***

Al

Damn. Kid was good.

He had a momentary pang of regret for not taking a seat in the van. He’d pay good money to see Mouse’s face right now.

But that would mean giving up his front row seat. Al settled in.

Not happening.

***

Mouse

…

…

…

Mouse was having a very serious meltdown.

…

…

…

And Voight was sitting right beside him.

…

…

…

Fuck.

***

Voight

They were on an OP. This was serious business.

But hell if he couldn’t give himself a bit of fun every once in a while.

“Pretty good, isn’t she?” he asked Mouse, watching as the kid struggled to maintain a neutral face while also being unable to take his eyes off the screen in front of them.

“Bex?” Mouse startled. “Yeah, uh…yeah…she’s…yeah…”

Voight smiled to himself and settled in to watch the show.

Both of them.

***

Jay

His baby sister. Was a rock star.

When the hell did this happen?

***

Bex

After the first few bars, she let herself get lost in the music and forget about the fact that all of Intelligence was watching. Forget about Vinnie and the OP.

She dug in and sang.

Playing with her own band was always the best, but there was something fun about playing with Patti’s band. She felt like she got to slip on a costume and live out her badass rock star dreams.

It wasn’t something she ever wanted to chase after, but damn, it was fun to dive into every once in awhile.

They finished up the set and the crowd kept cheering and shouting.

“I think they want an encore,” Beau shouted at her and she laughed. “You want one more?” he yelled into the mic and the noise level rose.

“Let’s do Alibi,” he yelled at her and the others. Before she could protest, he was back at the mic. “This is a favourite and I think you guys’ll like it too. It’s a song by Brandi Carlile called Alibi.”

Bex shot him a look that she hoped said he wasn’t as funny as he thought he was and they jumped into the song. The crowd, predictably, enjoyed it.

She was ready to wrap it up when a woman came drunkenly stumbling up to the stage. “Sing a love song,” she yelled and pulled on Beau’s pant leg. “I want to hear a love song!”

Beau laughed and looked over at Bex. “The lady wants to hear a love song,” he said into the mic. “What do you think, Bex? Should we give them some romance?” He winked at her and she rolled her eyes.

Someone in the crowd—and she was pretty sure it was Kim—shouted out “Yes! Romance!”

Beau played the first few chords of Shallow and Bex shook her head at him. “Okay,” she said. “Last one.”

***

Mouse

He glared at the screen as Bex and that guy swayed toward each other while sang. What the hell kind of name was Beau anyway?

***

Jay

He listened to Bex sing her friggin’ heart out and had to focus on not tearing up.

Okay.

Hugs first. Then lecture. Then questions. And then more hugs.

***

Bex

The song ended and they waved to the crowd. Finished for the night.

Wow.

She’d really done that.

Secret was fully out.

She felt…good. They’d killed it and had fun doing it.

“Thanks again, guys,” she said as they packed everything up. “I really appreciate you helping out tonight.”

“Anything for you, Bex,” Beau grinned at her.

They started clearing things out to the van and Bex headed back in so she could get their payment from Cal and to hit the washroom real quick before they headed out.

She was slightly afraid at what the state of a stall would be at a place like Leon’s (and also of trying to get her pants on and off), but the situation was growing dire.

The room was empty when she popped in which was good because she suddenly remembered her mic and camera situation. She faced the mirror. “Psst,” she whispered. “I have to pee so like…turn all of this off for a few minutes please.”

She gave it another few seconds and hoped to heck they’d heard her before ducking into a stall for sweet relief.

After the quickest pee of her life, she headed back out into the hallway only to have a hand grip her arm and pull her into another room. She stumbled and looked up to see Vinnie beside her, shutting the door behind them and locking it.

“Hey there, Bex.”

Click here for Chapter Five

Click here for Chapter Six

(Here is the link to read Reckless [With My Heart] on ao3.) [The end notes on ao3 also have the set list information.]

#chicago fire #chicago med #chicago pd #one chicago #christopher herrmann #jay halstead #will halstead #halstead brothers #oc character #rebecca 'bex' herrmann #halstead sister #angst #hurt/comfort #alternate universe #not canon #not beta read #my first fanfic series #A Herrmann/Halstead Production

[all-chickens-are-trans]

I would really like to see your outfit dissection because the purples and reds and Trent being so closely linked to Ted that he’s advertising the game Ted is in? After saying he roots for him? Makes me brush off my tinhat that I haven’t worn in years and go hmmmm

okay listen you have opened the gates of hell and therefore i will subject you to every thought that has crossed my mind when looking at this. it will not make sense and there is no logic behind it. you've been warned

trent literally has only five different outfits in the whole show so far. (trust me, I've catalogued them all and counted.) he wears the same exact thing almost every single appearance he has in s1 (except for the scene where he catches Jamie in the parking lot which is an outlier and i'm not sure it should be counted). he is basically a cartoon character, wearing the same exact thing over and over again -

until s2 where he suddenly gets more variation in his looks, probably to show that he's not so fixed in his role anymore and he's broadening his horizons to see what else fits

which is a way to say - his clothes matter. they matter like ted's hair matters, like nathan going grey matters, because this show is great at visual storytelling.

at first glance I thought the fifa promo look was a whole new different look, but no, we've actually seen all of these items before

the blue jacket is from 2.03, the press conference where ted calls trent "baby" in front of a room full of reporters 😶

the dark purple shirt appears in the same scene, and as well in the 2.01 press conference, that time combined with the dark red jacket that looks pretty much like the blue one. i'm especially obsessed with this one because it matches the color of rebecca's eggplant-colored suit from 1.09 so perfectly, and ted specifically calls attention to the color of that suit (i go bonkers over trent and rebecca parallels don't mind me)

the tie of course is the famous red tie that he wears throughout all of s1

the thing is. the whole look is so immediately a trent crimm look like you'd expect. it's his same old "uniform" from s1, just different colors, which is strange because he tries to leave that combo behind more in s2 when he starts wearing t-shirts instead of button-downs and ties more so honestly, i was assuming that timeline-wise, we're closer to s1 here, but that's definitely current James Lance hair so??? what does it mean???

i'm obsessed with all in-world and out-of-world explanations of this

in-world it's like. that's what was in his wardrobe when he was trying to look professional for the cameras, and it was in a more official setting than these press conferences where he wore t-shirts - of course he would wear a suit for this.

out-of-world it's like well, we need a quick trent crimm cameo, what have we got that'll make him immediately recognizable but not place him in any scene we've filmed so far? mix of s1+2 wardrobe stuff, perfect

BUT it's also kinda nuts??? if you're trying to timeline this and put it anywhere after the events of s2?? did they just casually ask a disgraced sports reporter who twice famously ripped Ted Lasso to pieces in a national newspaper to give a statement about Ted for their game?? why??

And why of all things did Trent show up and go "okay I only get one line, better make it a reference to my public love letter first article about Ted"??? adding that dramatic pause in there like??? WHAT

which leads me to my main thesis that Trent is aware of the fact that he is a character (the cartoon outfit in s1, trying to break out of it in s2), which makes him perfect for such a meta endeavor such at this fifa trailer. and his clothes and quote here are his way of telling us "look, i'm playing along, i'm playing the part of enamored sports reporter!"

which leads me to my hypothesis that trent will try and break out of the narrative in s3, find "something deeper", but alas his story's end is already written so he can never be free of the narrative, though he can break free of the role he has to play

okay i kinda lost the plot there for a bit BUT final thing

if you squint very, very hard, these colours make a bi pride flag

Fred over and out

#Trent Crimm #i've achieved nothing #i've explained nothing #anyway thank u anon i wanna hear your thoughts about the colors #ted lasso #my posts

[two-crabs]

 It was a bright Wednesday in March, and Amity had been sent home early from school. 

The guidance councilor had called her father, and he wordlessly retrieved her, drove her back downtown, and deposited her in his office. There she sat cross-legged in his big leather armchair and gnawed her nails, while trying to decipher the shorthand notes he’d written on his big desk calendar. 

Twenty minutes passed, then thirty. Amity spun the chair around and scanned her father’s bookshelf. Then she examined all the photos on the wall, and tried to remember where they were all taken. Then she opened all the drawers in the desk until she found a blank yellow legal pad and red pen, and she practiced writing her name in cursive over and over and over. She ripped the sheet off and folded it in half and hid it in the bookshelf, before putting the red pen back, pulling a blue one out of a different drawer, and writing ‘Dear Mrs. Davis,’ on the top of the next sheet. 

She stopped. 

Her sixth grade teacher was neither very kind nor very harsh, just sort of flighty and unobservant—except, of course, when you needed her to be. 

She put a thumbnail back in her mouth—

“Amity, stop chewing.” Her father’s voice startled her, and she reflexively sat on her hands, sending the pen falling to the floor. “Sorry that took so long.” 

“S’okay,” she mumbled, and then winced. Her knuckles still hurt. 

“So.” Her father sat across from her in one of the small, stiff chairs he made visitors use, and leaned forward so his elbows rested on his knees. His fingers were laced together, and his eyes were level with hers. “Explain.” 

Amity shrugged. 

“I’m serious. Just tell me what happened. This is a fair and impartial court. You will not be unduly punished.” Her father’s voice was calm and level, but he didn’t blink. 

Amity stared at the hair-thin scratches on the desk, then took her hands out from under her legs and laid them flat on top of it. “Marley was blocking my locker.”

“How inconsiderate. And how did you respond?”

“And then Dylan tried to put an apple core in my backpack.” 

“Disgusting behavior from your peers—”

“And then Rebecca called me short.”

“Well. That’s not—”

“—So I punched her in the face.” 

Her father scrubbed his hands over his face. “Right.”  He stood up, crossed back to the door and opened it just a crack. “Marcia. Would you get me an icepack, please? There should be one in the kitchen downstairs. Thanks.” 

Amity stared down at the bruises on the back of her hand. She had caught Rebecca square in the jaw and regretted it almost immediately. The nose would’ve been softer, and bled more. 

Her father stood in front of the desk and crossed his arms over his chest. “It is my prerogative, both professionally and ethically, never to blame the victim of a crime for what happened to them. And in this situation you were as much the victim as the assailant. While it would be a stretch to say that what you did was self-defense, it was a reaction to hostile conditions. The question remains, however…why were you being targeted?” 

Amity was familiar with this cadence. She had heard it a million times, whether it be aimed at her, or Elden, before. Or an unlucky door-to-door solicitor. He was in work mode, which meant he was very, very angry. 

“I dunno,” she said, and her eyes started to sting. 

Just then, Marcia arrived with an ice pack wrapped in a hand towel, and a bottle of water.  She placed both on the desk and gave Amity a commiserate smile before hurrying back out.  Amity held the icepack to her knuckles, and put both hands in her lap. 

“So you didn’t tell Rebecca, or Dylan, or Marley that they were, hmm…” Her father put a finger to his lips as if he were having difficulty remembering a word. “Stupid?” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. It was the floral stationary Mrs. Davis kept on her desk. “You didn’t announce to the class that you’d be the president one day, and that they’d all have to, quote, ‘do whatever you said or get thrown in the gulag’?” 

She had learned the word from the History channel over the weekend, after her father fell asleep with the TV on. 

“Mitty—look at me—” and she reluctantly met his eye. When she did, his shoulders fell, and he sunk back down into chair, crumpling up the paper in his hands.  “This is…crazy, kiddo. You’re lucky Rebecca’s parents aren’t suing—which they have every right to do, by the way. This is serious, do you get that? Very, very serious?”  

Amity’s stubborn resolved failed, and she started crying, and then she got mad at herself for it, which only made her cry harder. 

“Alright, alright.” Finally her father rounded the desk, picked her up, and sat back down in the chair with Amity in his lap. “Calm down, it’s alright.” He rubbed her back and offered her the water.  “You’ll still have to write those apology letters your guidance counselor mentioned.” Amity nodded, rubbing her snotty face into his shirt. “But. Maybe you wait to go back until Monday. I’ll see if we can get an appointment with Dr. Murphy between now and then. Might be good to see her again, right?” 

And Amity went back to her therapist, and she went back to her karate lessons, and she wrote her letters and she went back to school, and she agreed not to hit anyone who didn’t agree to it again, even when she knew she was right. 

#LET'S TRY THIS AGAIN #with all the text this time #jfc #amity #magichigans #handshake meme: feral middle schoolers of the world unite

[typingtess]

NCIS: Los Angeles Season 13 Rewatch:  “A Land of Wolves”  

The basics:  The team is looking for Kensi.

Written by:  Justin Kohlas & Adam George Key.  Kohlas is a longtime NCIS: Los Angeles staffer, working on the series since 2015.  This is his first episode as a writer.  He previous wrote several short films, including one starring Adam George Key.  Adam George Key co-wrote "Monster" with Frank Military and "Searching" with Kyle Harimoto.  Key also played LAPD Officer Harrison in four episodes in seasons 11 and 12.

Directed by:   Tawnia McKiernan, who directed “Exchange Rate", “High Value Target”, “Kulinda”, "Assets", “Joy Ride”, “The Frogman’s Daughter” and "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You".

Guest stars of note:  Briana Marin as NCIS Supervisory Special Agent Aliyah de León, Natalia Del Riego as Rosa, Alexandra Goyco as Marine Lance Corporal Benny Gomez, Jaime Paul Gomez as U.S. Border Patrol Agent Jay Rivera, Jolene Andersen as Ghost/Rebecca Gordon, Nathin Butler as Kodiak, Patrick Cox as Legion, Gloria Laino as Adriana and Oscar Peña as Fernando.

Our heroes:   Rescue Kensi as she rescues herself and an a teenage refugee.

What important things did we learn about:

Callen:   With his sister. Sam:   Handling Deeks. Kensi:    Saving herself and Rosa. Deeks:   Spiraling. Fatima:   Back in the field. Rountree:   With his sister. Kilbride:  Can run all the equipment in Ops

What not so important things did we learn about:

Callen:   Absent. Sam:   Working with the daughter of a good friend. Kensi:  Sending up a signal to help with her rescue. Deeks:  Marty Prefontaine Fatima:   Not a drinker. Rountree:  Absent. Kilbride:  Finds a good 16-year old single malt helpful after rough days.

Where in the world is Henrietta Lange?  Not along the border, that’s for sure.

Who's down with OTP:  Deeks didn’t throw a chair or pound Sabatino during this episode’s Kensi is missing moments.  Progress and personal growth!

Who's down with BrOTP:  Sam did a wonderful job keeping Deeks from spiraling.  Deeks did a wonderful job not bringing up that he was in the same position Sam was a few years ago and how did that turn out.

Fashion review:  Callen and Rountree are out today.  To start the day, exercising Deeks is back in the blue-grey tank top and darker grey joggers.  As the case goes along, Sam is in a black, long-sleeve tee.  Kensi wears a flannel shirt and a sometimes a baseball cap.    Deeks in also in a long-sleeve dark tee-shirt and a dark green baseball cap.  Fatima is wearing a pale purple cardigan over a red turtleneck sweater.  The Admiral is in one of his dark blue three-piece suit.  In bed, Kensi is wearing a red tank top (and a white bandage), Deeks has on a blue tee-shirt.

Music:  Not today.

Any notable cut scene:   Two.  The first one has Sam calling Fatima asking for satellite info.  Deeks find a fire that is still burning – Kensi was in the area very recently.  She also wrote “11 Militia” in the dirt.  Sam and Deeks are going to keep looking for Kensi while Fatima checks into the militia.  The Admiral and Aliyah arrive in Ops.  Fatima provides a sit-rep.  The Admiral will make some calls about a satellite link after asking about structures in the area where Kensi left her message.

Scene two:  The militia team goes back into the cabin to find Kensi and Rosa gone.  She wants them captured and killed.  The cubby militia guy really didn’t sign up for that – he was there to protect the border.  He doesn’t want to kill a federal.  The woman in charge makes it clear, Kensi is either a Fed or with the Cartels – either way they’re screwed if they don’t kill her.

Quote:  Kensi:  “You found me.” Deeks:  “We're always gonna find our way back to each other one way or the other.”

Anything else: A group of migrants are crossing into America.  There is an older man who is helped down a hilly area by a teenage girl.  The group hears some rustling in the woods.  The man leading the group tells them to be quiet and crouch down.  Before they can comply, a smoke grenade is thrown into the group.  There is gunfire.  One of the men near the front of the group is shot, as is the older man helped by the teen girl.  

Members of the group are sitting ducks, getting picked off by gunshots.  The teen girl is grabbed by one of the people moving the migrants through the woods.  Pulling her to safety is Kensi, who promises the girl she is safe with Kensi.

In the firing range, Sam is doing blind shooting.  The door opens and a young woman walks in to see “Senior Chief Hanna” and to hear his “seize the day” proverbs.  She reminisces about the one Sam use to tell that was a favorite of her father as well.  They share a big hug.  The woman is Aliyah DeLeon.  She is just getting her bearings.  

Sam asks about her father – if he was still upset she left the Navy for NCIS.  Admitting her father would have preferred she stay with the Navy and climb in ranks, she was in for something new.  She is a better fit for civilian life.  Sam tells her Master Chef DeLeon is the strongest man he knows, he’ll make it through.  Aliyah is a hero – she belongs at OSP.  Sam and Aliyah get a call from the Admiral to report to Ops.

In the boat shed, Deeks arrives with Fatima.  He’s talking about the Spanish Conquistadors and his new running shoes that look a lot like flipflops.  The fast Spanish Conquistadors ran in them.  Fatima is not impressed as Deeks goes on and on about modern running shoes having too much cushion and are an ACL tear waiting to happen.   Deeks wants to buy Fatima a pair.  She thanks “Marty Prefontaine” but she’s good with her Nikes.  Deeks moves and admits he has some blisters due to the new sneakers when his cellphone buzzes.  

Looking at his phone, Deeks is worried – Kensi is late.  Fatima is thrilled until Deeks tells her it is not that kind of late.  She missed her check-in.  The Admiral pops up on the plasma screen with a “good morning.”  “Why do I suddenly feel like there’s nothing good about it?” Deeks asks.  Sam and Aliyah arrive in Ops.  The Admiral asks about Callen, who is out on personal business.  The Admiral knows that, he gave him the personal time.  Sam mentions reconnecting with Alex, his sister “but that’s really none of our business, is it?”  Rountree is also out, also with his sister.

Deeks is “guessing that Callen and Rountree’s absence is not the reason you’re calling us this early.”  The Admiral says Border Patrol found a number of dead bodies on the US/Mexico border, all shot to death.  One of the bodies was Raul Fuentes, the cousin of Benny Gomez and the target of Kensi’s investigation.  Gomez is a Marine in Camp Pendleton who is suspected of working with his cousin Raul and the Campo Cartel as part of a human smuggling ring.  

When he asks if Kensi was there, Deeks is told it is possible, nobody knows.  He can’t believe they don’t know.  Sam asks if Deeks spoke to Kensi that morning.  He did not.  Nobody did.  And there is no way to track her.  Fatima asks if Kensi has a sat-phone.  She does not, according to Aliyah, far too dangerous for this assignment.  Deeks asks who Aliyah is  and the Admiral does the intro with Special Agent DeLeon being TAD (temporary additional duty) with the team.  

The only thing that matters to Deeks is Kensi.  The Admiral agrees, the safety of Agent Blye is everyone’s top concern, “but if you can’t remain calm, you’re going nowhere near this.”  Deeks says he’s calm, he wants the location of the crime scene.  The Admiral has a chopper waiting to take the team to the crime scene.  Deeks leaves to get dressed.

Fatima wants to know if she should go with Deeks.  Sam wants Fatima and Aliyah to see Benny Gomez and find out what he knows.  Fatima is worried about Ops.  The Admiral assures her he knows how to run the systems but he prefers some sort of chain of command and “seeing as how other members of this team take sabbaticals whenever they damn well please, I have no choice.”  Sam dismisses Aliyah to speak to the Admiral alone.  After Sam promises the Admiral that he “has” Deeks, the Admiral brings up the last time the OSP went to Mexico.  Sam is clear.

Kensi and the young woman are running along a road when Kensi needs to sit down.  She’s supporting her left arm with her right.  When they sit, Kensi passes the young woman her water bottle – Kensi wants her to stay hydrated – Kensi takes off her belt and wraps it around her left arm.  She’s been shot.  

The young woman, Rosa, knows Kensi is not a coyote.  If she was, Kensi would have left Rosa to die where they were attacked or left her on the road to die.  Kensi says she’s one of the good ones.  “No such thing,” Rosa replies.  Kensi explains she’s a federal agent.  Rosa asks if they were attacked because they found out Kensi was a fed.  Kensi doesn’t know and doesn’t plan on finding out.  A vehicle passes near them.  Kensi and Rosa hide until it passes and then take off again.

Fatima and Aliyah arrive at Benny Gomez’s place in Fatima’s red Porsche.  Aliyah says Fatima was quiet through the drive over – “was it my backseat driving?”  Fatima was working through some scenarios in her head.  Aliyah understands – OSP is family and one of them is missing.  She’s the new agent anyone barely knows going out in the field would be jarring too.  Fatima promises she trusts Aliyah.  And Aliyah knows Kensi has survived more than her fair share of tough spots but this is the life they all signed up for when joining NCIS.  Fatima quickly agrees.

On Fatima’s turf, Aliyah wants to know how to handle going into Gomez’s house.  Fatima takes the front door, Aliyah the back.  Fatima does the whole “federal agent” thing so Gomez runs out the back.  He spars with Aliyah before Fatima joins in on the fun.  Fatima knocks Gomez to the ground and Aliyah puts him in cuffs.  “Team work makes the dream work,” Fatima says.

At the border near the shooting, Sam can’t even tell if Kensi was with this group (she hasn’t checked in, obviously she’s with this group).  Deeks is worried that the Cartel or Kessler got Kensi.  Sam thinks Deeks is spiraling bringing up Kessler.  A Border Patrol Agent arrives.  He wants to know why NCIS is there.  Sam doesn’t answer, just wants some info on the crime scene.  The Border Patrol Agent talks about the victims – many shot in the back running away.  556 brass (used in semi-automatic rifles) and smoke cannisters, the Border Patrol has seen it before.  Deeks is stunned – how is an act like that considered ordinary.  

The area is a big part of the Cartel’s activity.  It isn’t just a migration corridor, it is a way to smuggle drugs into the US and not be picked up by Border Patrol’s check points.   “If it’s illegal, it’s here.”  Deeks can’t believe this is a garden-variety mass killing.  The Border Patrol Agent explains he has limited resources.  His agency is stretched thin over hundreds of miles of uninhabitable borderland.  There are remote parts of the border that may not see an Agent in a week.  If someone gets hurt or abandoned,  there’s a “slim” chance of survival. The Agent saw more dead bodies than he ever wants to remember.  

Trying to get things back on track, Sam wants to know what the Border Patrol Agent thinks happened at the crime scene – is this the Cartel.  The Agent has no other theory but the Cartels.  He wishes he had more specifics but in cases like this, they rarely do.  “If it’s not a turf war, it’s a shepherd playing God with his sheep.”  With the scene being processed, NCIS is free to look around but there isn’t much to see.

Realizing that if Kensi is out there, they’re already way behind, Sam finds some ATV tracks.   Border Patrol doesn’t use ATV’s.  They did try to follow the ATV’s but only found they went 20-yards.  Deeks finds some blood on a big stone just away from the crime scene.  He thinks it is Kensi’s, Sam isn’t sure.  Deeks is sure that she doesn’t have a lot of time in the conditions out there either way.  They’re back to the helicopter.  

In a cave, Rosa has a badly sprained ankle.  Kensi is tending to it but  Rosa is more worried Kensi arm.  Kensi says she’s fine.  Rosa is mourning the older man who was shot and killed.  He took care of her since “La Bestia” – the cargo trains used to smuggle Central American migrants to the border.  The old man said Rosa reminded him of his daughter, who lived in New York City and sent money home to get the him to the US.  

Kensi asks if Rosa was going to New York.  She’s going to Los Angeles.  Her late mother wanted to go to LA to work and send money so Rosa could leave.  Rosa is crying since it did not work out.  Rosa asks Kensi is she is a mother.  Kensi shakes her head no, “I want to be.  Just haven’t been that lucky”.  Kensi agrees, sometimes things don’t work out.  They are both hoping their luck changes.  Kensi is going to scout around.  She begs Rosa to stay put – if someone comes by, don’t make a sound.  Rosa nods her head as Kensi leaves, promising that she will return.  

In Ops, the Admiral gets a sit-rep from Fatima and Aliyah.  Seal Beach is sending over MPs to arrest Gomez.  He’s currently handcuffed to as swing in his backyard.  Fatima asks about Kensi.  The Cartels of course aren’t talking.  Fatima asks about David Kessler.  The Admiral calls Kessler “self-indulgent”.  If he was involved in what happened at the border, “we’d know.  He wouldn’t be able to help himself.”  Sam and Deeks are running an air-ground search.  Fatima tries to reassure the Admiral.  While the Admiral has all the faith in the world in Kensi’s abilities, finding her when they have no idea where she is “like finding a grain of salt in a sand box.”  

Fatima and Aliyah start hearing some loud banging.  There is a structure just off the backyard with a giant blue tarp covering it.  Aliyah asks Gomez what will they find inside.  He’s babbling on about his civil rights.  Unlocking the structure, with the Admiral on comms demanding to know what they are doing, Fatima and Aliyah find about a dozen migrants inside.

Aliyah brings Fatima some water and asks how she’s doing.  Fatima is OK and asks the same of Aliyah.  Aliyah admits to seeing worse.  Fatima wants to questions the migrants – if they arrived with Kensi, they may know what happened to her.  

In Spanish, Fatima apologizes for questioning the migrants, who all look worried.  Aliyah and Fatima start showing a photo of Kensi.  One woman reacts to Kensi’s photo.  Fatima assures the woman she won’t be in trouble for helping.  Kensi helped the woman cross to the US.  She wasn’t afraid of the trip or the Cartels, she was afraid of the American soldiers who hunt migrants.  These soldiers don’t deport you, they kill you.

Kensi is walking around – more stumbling - when two men in camo pull up on ATVs on the other side of a row of trees.  One pulls over near where Kensi tries to hide – he needs to relieve himself.  Kensi has her knife out in case he gets too close.  In the cave, Rosa moves a little and a human skull shows up in the dirt.  She screams loud enough to catch forest bathroom guy’s ear.  He calls it in to his non-peeing budding.  A woman’s voice comes over the radio and orders him to get to the location of the scream.  He takes off, leaving his cigarette behind.  

Fatima and Aliyah call into Ops.  The Admiral hasn’t heard from Sam and Deeks and Kensi still hasn’t checked in.  The “soldiers who hunt people” aren’t actually military.  While the DOD has some active duty military on the border helping with logistics, it isn’t heavily in California.  The US Military can’t be involved in local law enforcement so if there are soldiers shooting migrants, they aren’t US soldiers.  Fatima thinks they could be rogue actors in the military.  While the Admiral finds that unlikely, he does not find it impossible.  Fatima says Gomez had help from fellow Marines and the shootings at the border could be cleaning up all evidence of the smuggling.  These shooters could be bad actors from ICE or Border Patrol.  Citing exigent circumstances, the Admiral makes it clear that Fatima and Aliyah are to get everything out of Gomez.  “One of our own is on the line here.”

The Admiral updates Sam and Deeks about the shooters – they could be Cartel, militia or just a bunch of people out killing for fun.  Deeks hates all the options.  Once they hear from Gomez, the Admiral will update.  In the helicopter, Deeks wants “real talk” from Sam.  Is the Border Patrol Agent correct – Kensi would have a slim chance of survival.  Sam says the average person – yes.  But Kensi isn’t the average person.

In the cave, a woman in camo gear is kicking Rosa in her injured leg.  A heavy-set bald man with her – also in camo gear – isn’t happy about it.  Rosa is just a kid.  The woman disagrees – Rosa broke the law, is bringing in drugs that kill people.  The woman – called Ghost – orders the man – called Legion – to secure the perimeter.  Asking her question one last time, Ghost wants to know where is your smuggler.  Rosa doesn’t answer, causing Ghost to start pulling her up by her hair.  Rosa calls for Kensi, who arrives.  As Ghost threatens to shoot Kensi, Kensi tells her she’s a federal agent.  Legion comes up from behind and knocks Kensi with the butt of his gun.

In interrogation, Benny Gomez wants a lawyer – not a JAG lawyer, a real one.  Aliyah wonders how he is going to pay for that, “with your blood money?”  Fatima tells Gomez he’s looking at 10-years for the smuggling charges and a ton of time for aiding in the kidnapping of a federal agent.  Aliyah thinks Gomez is a Netflix death-row documentary in the making.  Gomez wants his lawyer.

Fatima and Aliyah explains the future to Gomez.  He’s going to jail for a long time.  He’s going to jail because he’s smuggled people for the Cartel and head of the cartel Pedro Silva is not going to be happy that his American connection is snitching to the Feds.  Silva usually skins people alive for being involved with law enforcement.  Gomez claims his brother asked him if he wanted to make some money under the table.  Now he wants a deal.  He’s not getting one with that terrible story – Fatima is done.  Let Gomez take his chances in prison.

Deciding to cooperate, Gomez explains all he had to do was find a few buddies on the base who would drive down to the border and “pick up some cargo”.  As military, they were never questioned by Border Patrol.   They’d store the “cargo” in the house until someone picked them up.  Gomez claims he didn’t know Kensi was a federal agent and he “sure as hell” doesn’t know where she is now.  They were supposed to meet that morning but the group never showed.  If the group doesn’t show, that means something really bad happened and Gomez was supposed to get out of there.  Then NCIS showed up at his home.

Fatima and Aliyah update Sam and Deeks.  Gomez doesn’t know where Kensi is but between the info she has and what Gomez admitted, they have a strong case against his smuggling partners at Camp Pendleton.  The soldiers in the border are obviously not Gomez’s partners.  The Admiral orders Castor to take Gomez into custody, tells Fatima and Aliyah to return to Ops.  

Deeks is really worried – Gomez was a dead end.  Sam tells Deeks they will find Kensi.  “Yeah, just because you keep saying that doesn’t make it true,” Deeks replies.  Patting Deeks on the chest, Sam says they are going to find Kensi again and Deeks has to keep his head on straight.  Looking out his window, Deeks sees smoke coming up from the trees.  Kensi used the discarded cigarette to start a small camp fire.  Sam orders the helicopter to land.

In the area near the smoldering fire, Deeks recognizes Kensi’s knife with the message “11 MILITIA” written in the dirt.  Sam calls that in to the Admiral.   He needs satellite info for the last 24-hours.  Deeks feels near the smoldering fire – it is still warm.  Kensi was there recently.    Sam wants everything on 11 Militia.

The 11 Militia tied up an unconscious Kensi and Rosa back to back in a cabin.  Legion is complaining – he signed up to protect the border, not to have women tied up in a cabin.  Ghosts says they aren’t just finding migrants and turning them over to the Border Patrol, they are protecting the American way of life.  This is a war and “all wars have causalities.”  The guy who needed to pee – called Kodiak – starts talking about sheep dogs and it is all nonsense.  

Legion pushes back – what if Kensi really is a federal agent.  Ghost thinks if Kensi is a federal agent then she’s helping move migrants into the country.  “I call that treason and the punishment for treason is death.”  Kensi is not unconscious.  She heard it all.  

After checking the area around the fire, Sam and Deeks come up empty.  Figuring that Kensi got caught in the crossfire but got away, Sam realizes Kensi is a loose end.  That doesn’t do much for Deeks.   Since the 11 Militia is traveling on ATV’s, they have to fuel up somewhere.  Deeks wants to go up in the helicopter but Sam is worried they’d be wasting time and fuel flying blind.  Deeks doesn’t think Kensi has the time.

The Admiral calls.  Sam wants to know what is taking so long.  The Admiral is “rattling as many cages as possible” but he’s called in a lot of favors over the years taking care of the team.  Fatima makes a link between the Sons of Our Fathers militia from earlier in the season and the 11 Militia.  After NCIS shut down the Sons of our Fathers, a smaller, more militant part of the group left Arizona for California.  The 11 in their name is from the 11 states of the Confederacy.   Deeks is freaking out, only hearing Sam’s end of the conversation.  

Fatima has some pictures of the 11 Militia and the Admiral’s assessment is not kind.  Ghost is Rebecca Gordon, the second in command at Sons of our Fathers with a “crazy long rap sheet”.  Lots of assaults with a deadly weapon charges – all involved with immigrants.  Gordon owns a cabin near where the helicopter landed.  Aliyah send the coordinates to Sam.  A REACT team has been activated but they are going to take a while to get to the cabin.  Sam and Deeks are on their own.

In the cabin, Kensi and Rosa struggle to stand while Ghost, Legion and Kodiak talk about what is going on outside.  Legion was there to protect the border, not hurt people.   Kensi and Rosa make it to a window where Kensi uses her head, literally, break some glass and using her mouth to pick up some shards.  The 11 Militia walk into the cabin to find Kensi and Rosa gone.  They are walking down the hill slowly.  Rosa’s ankle is bad and Kensi is getting weaker by the minute.  

Sam and Deeks enter the cabin but nobody is there.  They hear shots fired.  A fourth member of the 11 Militia found Kensi and Rosa.  Ghost, Legion and Kodiak join him.  Kensi warns them that if they kill a federal agent, there is no place on earth they can hide.  Legion doesn’t want Ghost to shoot Kensi and Rosa.  He’s got rope – if they are tied up for a few days, the animals will take care of Kensi and Rosa.  Kodiak shoots Legion.  Sam arrives, yells “federal agent” and while the people in the show haven’t seen the program, we all have.  Lots of shooting ensues.

Deeks tosses Kensi a pistol which she uses to take out Ghost.  Sam, Kensi and Deeks quickly have control of the situation.  Rosa asks if it is over.  It is.  She hugs Kensi.  Deeks sees Kensi and Rosa hugging.  Kensi is so happy he found her.  He tells her they will always find each other.  Then Deeks finds her “flesh wound”.  He wants to take her to a hospital.  Kensi makes some introductions.

While Fatima is working at her new desk – complete with a desk lamp – Sam arrives.  Aliyah is coming down the stairs.  Sam is so grateful for her help.   Aliyah thinks the team is terrific as does the arriving Admiral.  Aliyah impressed the Admiral, who wants to have a sitdown with her to see where she fits inside NCIS.

Aliyah offers to take Sam, Fatima and the Admiral out for drinks – on her.  Fatima eyes the Admiral and he suddenly has to leave.  Fatima starts to talk her way out but Aliyah has ideas to help in Ops.  Fatima would like to do that down the road.  

Sam take Aliyah to his locker.  He brought in a photo of her Dad when they were in BUDS – it is a gift to Aliyah.  She missed LA.

In a dark Ops, Fatima is crying at one of the work stations.  The Admiral walks in and asks Fatima if she wants to talk.  She doesn’t say anything so the Admiral says good night.  As he’s walking away, Fatima tries to explain she’s not a cop, a SEAL, her family isn’t military.  She doesn’t have the background the rest of the team has.  She can’t get shot or kidnapped and pretend everything is fine.  Telling her “a little secret”, the Admiral says nobody in the office is superhero.  Everyone is human, “even me,” the Admiral continues.  

The office was shorthanded in a time of great need.  “the thing is you stepped up to the plate.”  It is the things you don’t chose that makes you who you are.  And on nights like this, the Admiral finds a single malt, aged 16-years or so, “to do the trick.”  Fatima is smiling.  She doesn’t drink – it is her choice, a choice the Admiral finds idiotic but her choice.  He wishes her a good night.  

At home, Kensi is in bed with a big bandage on her left arm.  Deeks is trying to sneak into the bedroom – he thought Kensi was sleeping.  She’s not.  She is grateful he helped talk her doctor out of keeping her overnight.  Kensi asks about Rosa, who is being processed as a migrant seeking asylum.  They are looking for relatives in the US and if there are no realities, she would go to foster parents.  Kensi doesn’t want Rosa sent home – she has nobody there for her.  Deeks wants Kensi to go to sleep.  Getting into bed with Kensi, Deeks snuggles up.  Kensi asks if he knows how lucky they are.  He does, every morning when he wakes up with her.  Quoting “Spoils of War”, Deeks is very glad she’s not dead.

What head canon can be formed from here:  The introduction of Rosa is the new head canon move.  Otherwise, this was a very well done “team member in peril” episode.  Aliyah was a strong addition and I’m sorry she didn’t make past an episode or two.  No issue with Shyla Dhar but having someone with family ties to Sam is always a good thing.

There was really nice continuity with prior parts of the season.  The Sons of our Fathers from “Indentured” evolved to the 11 Militia here.  Fatima’s issues returning to the field are continued here but she powers through it.  

Just a guess, Callen was spending less time with Alex and Jake than he was with Leah.

Episode number:  Episode number 288, the 8th episode of season 13.

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