#i used to write enzo 10+ years ago

[survivingpierce]

the denzo gifsets. gosh, i loved them / enzo.

[crimsonrevolt]

Congratulations Bree you’ve been accepted to Crimson Revolt as Septima Vector

↳ please refer to our character checklist

Welcome back, Bree! We are so excited to see your Septima back with us once again, she truly is a joy to have on the dash. You make her such a layered and compelling character with the perfect contrast between how she is ruled by logic but also deeply vulnerable underneath it all. It’s so clear that you love playing her and she has been so well developed that we cannot wait to see what you do with her from here on!

application beneath the cut 

OUT OF CHARACTER 

INTRODUCTION

It’s Bree! I’ve returned! 20, she/her, CST

ACTIVITY

6/10; I am taking 6 classes and doing hours in a school, but all my classes are evening so my days are free!

HOW DID YOU FIND US?

Simply checking back in and wanted to come back!!

WHAT HARRY POTTER CHARACTER DO YOU IDENTIFY WITH MOST?

I’ve kept this answer pretty consistent for… well, years. It would definitely be one of the Weasley girls, either Molly or Ginny. In more than just the sense of being the only girl in a family of boys, Molly is constantly acting as a mother to not just her own family, but her friends, which is a role that I frequently take. Ginny is strong and resilient which are two traits that I try to embody on the regular.

ANYTHING ELSE?

Not a thing <3

IN CHARACTER

DESIRED CHARACTER

Septima Genevieve Vector

FACE CLAIM

Adelaide Kane (or Lily Collins)

REASON FOR CHOSEN CHARACTER

WHY DO I WANT TO PLAY SEPTIMA? why wouldn’t I want to play my broken dear? I know that back when I applied for Septima like… forever ago, I had been interested in taking on a character that doesn’t seem to have much of a background outlined within the books. Septima is very much one of the background characters, but she still works her love of numbers and logic into helping the cause not once, but twice- in both wars.

So, as far as how I approach Septima, it is in a very closed off manner. Y’all might remember that, me being the worst like I am, wrote the future Professor Vector a real tearjerker of a background where her mother had passed when she was very young and her father had abandoned her, leaving her to be raised by her grandmother until she was 16 and all alone in the world. It caused the young woman to go from being only cautious with her heart to closing herself off completely- since feelings were irrational and she was a sane being. This unfortunately throws wrenches in all the friendships she had formed over the years, leaving the Ravenclaw to be torn between Aversio and the Order.

While the sincerity that she possesses in the depths of her being tell her that their has to be a better way of approaching the fight so no more individuals- innocent and pure individuals- die, the logical side takes precedent now as she rules that no one is innocent any longer and sacrifices are to ensue for a greater cause.

PREFERRED SHIPS // CHARACTER SEXUALITY // GENDER & PRONOUNS

So, I now imagine that Septima(she/her) is pansexual- because despite herself, she has found herself attracted to an individual based on their personality- their wit, really. Of course, relationships are completely illogical to her though so, when it comes to needing a quick pick-me-up, she tends to gravitate toward men more.

(this makes sense in my head, but i have no idea whether it makes sense written out like this…)

CREATE ONE (OR MORE!) OF THE FOLLOWING FOR YOUR CHARACTER:

-A MOODBOARD

https://sxptimavxctor.tumblr.com/post/162328560888/septima-vector-moodboards-1-septima

-AN AESTHETIC

https://sxptimavxctor.tumblr.com/post/159397507118/septima-vector-aesthetics-1-fool-me-once

https://sxptimavxctor.tumblr.com/post/166312112978/septima-vector-aesthetics-6-horrors-are

https://sxptimavxctor.tumblr.com/post/161957391178/septima-vector-aesthetics-4-how-can-part

https://sxptimavxctor.tumblr.com/post/159446175638/septima-vector-aesthetics-2-future-au

-A PLAYLIST

https://sxptimavxctor.tumblr.com/post/164992262123/listen-here-j-o-a-n-n-e

-A FEW HEADCANONS

https://sxptimavxctor.tumblr.com/post/160108406753/23-what-is-one-unique-thing-youre-afraid-of

https://sxptimavxctor.tumblr.com/post/159745650223/brighid-tell-us-about-your-relationship-with-your

Edith Atkinson, Septima’s grandmother on her mother’s side, had spent her entire life reporting on the pureblood lifestyles through her work, realizing long ago that she did not want her daughter, and subsequently her granddaughter, to grow up with such entitlement. Their lives remained quiet, reserved much like the personality that Septima grew into. Small cottage in Devon just for the pair with spacious fields as far as one’s eye could see. For years, the young brunette had no idea that there were individuals in the world who thought they were superior to others because of the make up of their blood; though that possibly had to do with the fact that she rarely thought about the make up of her own blood.

Upon abandoning Septima, her father- Enzo Vector- began associating with former Ballycastle Bats teammates who were strong supporters of “not tainting their pureblood.” He is currently working with the Death Eaters, though Septima does not know how heavily involved he happens to be since she’s had no contact with him since her mother passed.

-A FEW POTENTIAL PLOT POINTS

Death Eater connections who know Enzo, and maybe attempt to use him as leverage against Septima or something to that degree.

A connection who works as a contact for Septima with information on her father and his goings-on

Order connections who are suspicious, or know of her involvement in Aversio.

Order connections who are suspicious of her and accidentally end up following her meetings about her father with previously noted connection.

IN CHARACTER QUESTIONNAIRE

The following section should be looked at like a survey for your character. Answer them in character and feel free to use gifs. Or, if you’d rather, answer them in third person or OOC without gifs. Answers do not have to be extremely lengthy.

♔ If you were able to invent one spell, potion, or charm, what would it do, what would you use it for or how would you use it? Feel free to name it:

“I do believe it would be quite helpful if there was a spell or potions of sorts that could help with more hands, or cloning of sorts. It would make things immensely easier if I could be in multiple places at once. Though I suppose there would be a problem with the consciousness of the clones if that was the case… Perhaps we’re better without.”

♔ You have to venture deep into the Forbidden Forest one night. Pick one other character and one object (muggle or magical), besides your wand, that you’d want with you:

“Oh by far, I would want Aurora by my side. We would both be able to keep our heads about ourselves and not fuss over trivial encounters that may occur in the forest. And as far as the object… well, my grandmother had some spades that were quite heavy. I’d say they would do well to whack someone with, if it came to that…”

♔ What kinds of decisions are the most difficult for you to make?

“Most difficult? I really rarely have any trouble making decisions, truly. Blessing and a curse, as I’ve been told. I s’pose though, if there had to be an aspect where I fail a bit, it would be decisions that involve other individuals. It’s hard to make decisions that involve others when they all tend to think far more irrationally.”

♔ What is one thing you would never want said about you?

“That I’m incompetent, naturally. Though, I suppose that would mostly bother me if it happens to be said by someone who has little knowledge of competency. Ignorance is a very ugly trait that too many do possess.”

REACTION TO LAST EVENT DROP

I know that you had a Septima until just a few days ago, so I don’t know how i would like to approach this. But I had an idea that she may have dropped off the map a bit while trying to find out more information about her dad. The other aspect of this, as long as it is approved by you all, would be that she had been hiding out in Devon in the cottage where she had lived with her gran and left to her in the will when she passed. Her attempts to find out information about her father did not go unnoticed by the Death Eaters, or D.E. enthusiasts, and when they realized that she was involved in the Order, they attempted to attack her there. Surrounded and alone, she grabs as much as she can and apparates back to her flat, figuring that the home will be burned to the ground. I believe that she’d be so shaken up, she would start considering leaving Aversio as she learns about works of the Order to get people to their side.

WRITING SAMPLE

Perhaps it was the fact that her father could not handle the death of her mother, or maybe it was that he always felt the way he was now portraying. At six years old, would any child be able to notice the difference, even one of an advanced intelligence like Septima? All she knew was that within a matter of days, she had lost two parents- one to mortality and the other to immorality. It was hard to understand that neither was her fault, despite her grandmother’s reminding her each day.

It was odd though how different her aunt Honor seemed to be in comparison to the man who she once knew as her father. Letters soon began to be written quite frequently between the young brunette and her father’s sister, in spite of the great distance there was from England to Australia. Time went by though and letters became less frequent, various factors coming into play. With the passing of Edith, Septima’s grandmother, and her becoming more rigid in addition to the stress that came along with being an independent adult and witch in the tension-filled wizarding world, time to write became nonexistent.

That was until the realization that her father was working with the likes of Death Eaters became common knowledge to the Ravenclaw. Receiving word back from her aunt, her suspicions were unfortunately confirmed.

“My dear niece,

It is quite lovely to hear from you after all this time. I hope you are keeping safe- I have heard whisperings of increasing violence back home. To hear this about my brother, unfortunately, is not all that surprising. Growing up with Enzo was challenging once we found out that I was a squib. He began viewing me in a different, less-worthy light; he even accused me of doing something to jeopardize my magic that resulted in my inabilities. He only hung around with individuals of pureblood in school as well, causing me to question whether this sorting hat really knew what it was doing. For some reason, he clung to this mental concept that purity was a necessity in the magical world. Your mother, Vivienne, she was really the only individual that had the ability to return him to the kind, sweet man that I had known as a young girl. It was just so unfortunate how ill she became so soon into their marriage. And despite the fact that they had you, Vivienne was his whole world and losing her clearly broke him in an irreparable fashion. In some way though, I believe it was good that fate intervened as it did. Your grandmother did such a spectacular job of raising you into the fine young woman you are, Sep. Enzo never had time to taint your view of the world into the narrow one that he possesses. Hope to hear from you quite soon, dear.

Love Always, Honor Vector”

[paradiecircus]

1. The default font on Google docs because it’s easy to read for a rough draft; I would want a fancy gothic font for a final draft though. I change the colors for each of my stories and each of my characters because it helps me differentiate between them and the moods.

2. If I was going to write by hand it would take me longer because ten seconds of playing Mortal Kombat and my hands are ready for a nap 💤🤣 I’d have to use a pencil because I change my mind a lot.

3. I write until I can’t think straight and when I need a break and need to consume other media and live my life it’s so hard to pull myself away. And then half the time I’ll delete it because it’s trash only to find myself pining for it later because it wasn’t actually trash, I was just binge drunk.

4. Rats. Or Nuts. Never in my life have I heard anyone say that out of frustration or panic and I wanna choke everytime I read that a character uttered that.

5. If I take, I might stop altogether. So far I haven’t taken more than a day and I’m not risking it! Or that my mom will read it and ask what’s wrong with me.

6. That someone will read one of my darker stories and think I’m with that iffy shit. I’m not, it’s a story, I’m perfectly sane in real life 🤣

7. No greater joy then when readers enjoy it and I’m happy just to have an opportunity to write what’s in my head ☺️

8. No dialogue but I’d just describe the action. Sorry, I don’t have a story in mind atm!

9. I haven’t seen one, though I’m pretty sure something invisible has bullied all of kids when they were babies. Fucker.

10. This story called “The pool” I was looking for a Bonenzo story and it turned out to be a dark and murderous human AU fic where Enzo and some of the MFG were traumatized after they were forced to participate in the pool, where they had to fight to the death in some drained pool. Also The Raven and The Telltale Heart. For obvious reasons, I was probably too young. And a story I read in a school textbook in a post apocalyptic world where there were scorch marks outlining a child’s body… the more I think on it I’ll keep adding things so let’s just stop here lol 🛑

11. I’ve only one story published so far where I had to kill off darling and I only feel bad because it made the readers so sad! But going in I already knew so it wasn’t hard at all. I HAVE to!

12. I’d wish for a supernatural power for each wish, superspeed like the flash, the ability to render myself and whatever I want invisible at will, and the ability to control the weather.

13. Somewhere between infidelity and child abuse. Writing about the use of magic in action is easy for me simply because it’a what I have the most fun writing.

14. I don’t know anyone who’s a bookworm so I’m good but I still feel bad because I borrowed a book during one of the cold seasons of 2010 and I lost it during a move. I’m sowwy 😢

15. I would read in the bath if I had one, this standing shower isn’t as fun as I thought it would be. No judgement here 💞

16. A headband or a liga

17. 🤣🤣🤣 Honey, WHICH one????

18. - Gasping as she caught her breath, Bonnie watched Kai's eyes, cold and calculating as he spoke his next sentence in a low growl, stepping closer. “You. Are. Mine. ”

Nearly three years ago Bonnie had heard those exact same words from Kol but she wasn’t at as much of a disadvantage as she was now. With Kol it was never about possession, he meant for Bonnie to take her place as his mate. She wished with all her heart that she had been ready at the time, maybe things would have turned out differently and she wouldn’t have ended up in the prison world, at least not without Kol. She wouldn’t be here, about to have one of the most important experiences in a girl's life forced out of her by a sociopath who kept tormenting her. -

Ok so this the moment from Mine when Kai declares Bonnie his and it’s funny because at this time I wrote this, even after I published it, I wasn’t entirely sure of why she was separated from Kol or how she ended up in the prison world because I aimed to make it slightly different than the show. I just knew it was somehow the fault of Esther and Bonnie deciding it was they part ways but I hadn’t worked out the details yet. And I thought it was an ode to the title of the fic because both of these guys love her so intensely they feel that Bonnie belongs to them, and they both tell her that. The difference is when Kol says it to Bonnie in the chapter titled Mine Part 1, she feels for him too, whereas in Mine Part 2, where Kai says it, she’s disgusted by him. Same words, near identical intensity but it brings out two different reactions. So saying Bonnie is mine has a dual meaning depending on who it’s coming from. Also this moment reminds me of True Blood season 4 when Eric says that to Sookie and I was like… ehh, maybe I should change that. But I wanted it to remind her of Kol and only love those words from it. So I kept it ☺️

19. I started writing mine in April 2021 and published it in July that year. I really just wanted another Kennett story because I fell completely in love with the idea of Kennett and all my fave fics were waiting on updates so I just went for it. And it gave me the courage to start drafting an outline for a couple stories that have been playing in my head for years. Stories I plan on being movies or mini series one day. ♥️♥️♥️ I wish I’d started creative writing a decade ago like was recommended to me but I have a friend to thank who sent me a video and it eventually led me to a Bamon fic. That took me down the rabbit hole of Bonnie Bennett fanfic!

20. Writing is my true love, homey so we gonna finish dis!!!

21. If I stop then I won’t be able to make my movie and I REALLY want to make my movie, or else how will I get over my fear of horror films?

22. Google docs, color coordinate them by story, characters. That’s where it ends. There’s different sections for different parts but I have no idea when the first part will connect to the next part. I bounce around between ideas so for example on Mine, the part where Kai tells Bonnie she’s his, I wrote that before I even wrote my Kennett relationship, so I just figure out ways to cohesively tie it all together, writing from beginning, middle end until the dots connect. I have to do this because one part stop flowing so I focus on the next part. Sometimes it helps me go back to the earlier part which flow I’d lost.

23. I could be anywhere doing anything but I write a lot on my phone to draft, then finalize on my computer.

24. Depends on how much detail I need but I enjoy doing the research, I ask a lot of questions to the people and my life and Google. And take lots of notes.

25. In all my Bonnie Bennett fics, she is vegan.

26. It’s easier to get in Bonnie B’s head than it is to get into Kai’s head (that’s less fun and so cringe a lot of the time) because his is much more demented and I’m not demented. I have to look at it from both of their POV’s to begin with. Things she would hate for him to do to her and things he would love to do to her. And why, I have to try to find reasons for WHY he would do such a thing, no matter how awful it is so it can feel like it could potentially be relatable, even though it’s not. For example I wouldn’t kill her friends just to be near her but I feel like he thinks for whatever reasons I made up would justify that because his mind works differently. I also need to think of a good reaction from Bonnie and others, I feel like it adds balance to his crazy. I certainly don’t like getting in his head, sometimes I’ll think of the worst thing I can think of just to see how it looks on him, because im like we’re already here! Changing the music and the mood, or working on reactions to the demented mindset helps me come out of it. Or if I’m writing a really sad part, I’ll put sad music on and do things that make me sad. Like writing a funeral scene or channeling someone’s emotions about their dearly departed, I’ll put on One Sweet Day and weep my eyes away. Sometimes it’s a lot better coming out of a character than it is going in.

27. Kol from Savage Heart 🤣🤣🤣 I feel like he’s the one that makes a ton of effort but it goes under appreciated by everyone. Especially since the things he wants are very simple but getting them? It’s not as simple as just wanting.

28. Grams from Got Your Back. She’s a little old and confused, she sounds a little crazy sometimes but she’s down and so endearing. And maybe Rebekah from Savage Heart. She’s a real one and I love her for it!

29. Mostly music that fits the theme of the current section I’m working on. The Kennett fics I’ve read, I’ll go back and read my favorite parts that give me the feels and then I’ll start feeling like I could never so I’ll go work on my TB fics or one of my original ideas instead lol and then when I come back hours or a day later it’s because I miss Kennett and I’m ready to try again.

30. I’ve had two dreams that affected my fics lol one was when I was working on Savage Heart, I was planning for my main couple to finally become an official couple the next update. But I dreamed Kol was my baby daddy and he didn’t show up to the baby shower and I was pissed in my dream. It doesn’t make sense to have a baby with Kol because it’s a vampire but that’s what was going on in my dream. And since my baby daddy wasn’t shit, I pushed his hook up to the next chapter. Leave me alone wit yo baby! 😡🤬😡 and then I’m writing a story about Tara Thornton and Elijah Stormer and I had a dream that she had another lover who was actually a traitor. I was inspired to make that part of my story and I’m glad because it helped expand into a whole storyline that’s working for my fic!

31. You guys don’t know how much you mean to me! I don’t even know what you do on the regular, but I’m happy you could come into my world for a moment and get lost in my imagination with me, you guys are all my secret bffs and even if you ship the wrong couple in my fic, I still adore you because I love you that much ♥️♥️♥️ you breathe life into me and my writing and I can’t thank you enough! I’m filling this whole thing out as a little get to know me, in case one of you gets to see it 😊

32. The excerpt at the beginning of The Lovely Bones. - Inside the snow globe on my father’s desk, there was a penguin wearing a red and white striped scarf. When I was little my father would pull me into his lap and reach for the snow globe. He would turn it over, letting all the snow collect on the top, then quickly invert it. The two of us watched the snow fall gently around the penguin. The penguin was alone in there, I thought, and I worried for him. When I told my father this, he said, “Don’t worry, Susie; he has a nice life. He’s trapped in a perfect world.” - I read this in high school. Always makes me think of how short life is, but also how such bliss can be found in innocence, ignorance of the outside world. This book hit me hard because Susie Salmon was in high school with a little brother who loved her dearly and it made me think of my little brother who I almost lost. The feels 😢

33. Drawing, painting, graphic design, and fashion design is my first love. I used to make clothes for myself, my dolls and baby sis 💞 I also like building things.

34. Absolutely necessary for reader comprehension.

35. Don’t make a bullet list for your outline. I don’t always but when I do it matters not!

36. I know that when I start writing and discussing something, I also have to do a lot of research to make sure I can back up what I’m saying lol this is partly because I have a fish’s memory. And I know it takes a lot of practice and revising before it’s ready for the public. Hence why I’m rewriting Mine 🤦🏽‍♀️🤣🤣🤣

37. That I believe in love like it’s fire, it’s a feeling, it’s a touch, it’s a reason, it’s a light, it’s a healing…

38. I’ve already mentioned it so… I compare myself to others and sometimes I look at my work and I hate it because it’s not where it should be. Like favorite writers except they have years of experience. I do that with everything though, I don’t really watch tv or films anymore because I’m terrified I’ll see a great idea that I could never think of and it’ll discourage me. But in order to counter this I’ll make sure I watch something for inspo every once in a while. Like the Eternals movie ♥️♥️♥️ (Drukkari forever!) idk I think it’s weird that I feel like consuming new media will render me idea less even though consuming media is what gave me ideas in the first place. Weird. I feel like cats think we don’t worship them enough.

39. The worry that if I stop I’ll never start writing again keeps me writing almost daily. Only ever had like a two day break, I’m scared to go longer than that 😳

40. I haven’t wrote a poem in years and now I want to find my poetry! But this is from a beautiful soul I attended school with, Corina Rose

Fall in love

With you

Where you sit,

eyes unclosed

Love like a boundless well

Unshakable & Infinite

Ok so I answered all the questions! That took me so long lol I hope it entertains someone ☺️

Weird Questions for Writers (because writers are weird)

1. What font do you write in? Do you actually care or is that just the default setting?

2. If you had to give up your keyboard and write your stories exclusively by hand, could you do it? If you already write everything by hand, a) are you a wizard and b) pen or pencil?

3. What is your writing ritual and why is it cursed?

4. What’s a word that makes you go absolutely feral?

5. Do you have any writing superstitions? What are they and why are they 100% true?

6. What is your darkest fear about writing?

7. What is your deepest joy about writing?

8. If you had to write an entire story without either action or dialogue, which would you choose and how would it go?

9. Do you believe in ghosts? This isn’t about writing I just wanna know

10. Has a piece of writing ever “haunted” you? Has your own writing haunted you? What does that mean to you?

11. Do you believe in the old advice to “kill your darlings?” Are you a ruthless darling assassin? What happens to the darlings you murder? Do you have a darling graveyard? Do you grieve?

12. If a genie offered you three writing wishes, what would they be? Btw if you wish for more wishes the genie turns all your current WIPs into Lorem Ipsum, I don’t make the rules

13. What is a subject matter that is incredibly difficult for you write about? What is easy?

14. Do you lend your books to people? Are people scared to borrow books from you? Do you know exactly where all your “lost” books are and which specific friend from school you haven’t seen in twelve years still possesses them? Will you ever get them back?

15. Do you write in the margins of your books? Dog-ear your pages? Read in the bath? Why or why not? Do you judge people who do these things? Can we still be friends?

16. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever used as a bookmark?

17. Talk to me about the minutiae of your current WIP. Tell me about the lore, the history, the detail, the things that won’t make it in the text.

18. Choose a passage from your writing. Tell me about the backstory of this moment. How you came up with it, how it changed from start to end. Spicy addition: Questioner provides the passage.

19. Tell me a story about your writing journey. When did you start? Why did you start? Were there bumps along the way? Where are you now and where are you going?

20. If a witch offered you the choice between eternal happiness with your one true love and the ability to finally finish, perfect, and publish your dearest, darlingest, most precious WIP in exactly the way you’ve always imagined it — which would you choose? You can’t have both sorry, life’s a bitch

21. Could you ever quit writing? Do you ever wish you could? Why or why not?

22. How organized are you with your writing? Describe to me your organization method, if it exists. What tools do you use? Notebooks? Binders? Apps? The Cloud?

23. Describe the physical environment in which you write. Be as detailed as possible. Tell me what’s around you as you work. Paint me a picture.

24. How much prep work do you put into your stories? What does that look like for you? Do you enjoy this part or do you just want to get on with it?

25. What is a weird, hyper-specific detail you know about one of your characters that is completely irrelevant to the story?

26. How do you get into your character’s head? How do you get out? Do you ever regret going in there in the first place?

27. Who is the most stressful character you’ve ever written? Why?

28. Who is the most delightful character you’ve ever written? Why?

29. Where do you draw your inspiration? What do you do when the inspiration well runs dry?

30. Talk to me about the role dreams play in your writing life. Have you ever used material from your dreams in your writing? Have you ever written in a dream? Did you remember it when you woke up?

31. Write a short love letter to your readers.

32. What is a line from a poem/novel/fanfic etc that you return to from time and time again? How did you find it? What does it mean to you?

33. Do you practice any other art besides writing? Does that art ever tie into your writing, or is it entirely separate?

34. Thoughts on the Oxford comma, Go:

35. What’s your favorite writing rule to smash into smithereens?

36. They say to Write What You Know. Setting aside for a moment the fact that this is terrible advice…what do you Know?

37. If you were to be remembered only by the words you’ve put on the page, what would future historians think of you?

38. What is something about your writing process YOU think is Really Weird? If you are comfortable, please share. If you’re not comfortable, what do you think cats say about us?

39. What keeps you writing when you feel like giving up?

40. Please share a poem with me, I need it.

[thenerdyunhealthybrit]

Loneliness and Smoking: The Cost of desire to reconnect

Prompt: Met on the fire escape outside the apartment for smokes AU

A/N: Okay, quick little note, basically since last Summer I vowed to myself to get into FanFic writing. Little note, I did give it a go back in 2011 with Buffy/Angel and Charmed, but what happened was that I’d get hooked on a new show and lose motivation and the will to write more, this was on an old account which I’ve since forgotten the password and deleted the email account for it (But it’s DrBangelWho if anyone is curious about a 14 year old’s foray into FanFic). Anyway, I wrote a page of a FanFic I was writing when on holiday, but haven’t gotten back to it since on the holiday I got too busy (It was a Film Festival) and once again got distracted and Uni took over. So, this one is just for me to get into the swing of things. There is no planning, making it up on the spot and I took this prompt from the list of Prompts on the Klaroline FanFic directory. So wish me luck!

If you asked Caroline “where you’d see yourself in 10 years” when she was 15, she would have said “I would have graduated from Yale with a degree in journalism and anchoring the late-night news slot on CNN, gearing up for the prime-time slot when I’m thirty, and living with my future husband, Stefan”. Yeah, 15 year old Caroline was naïve, because here she is 25, single living in New York with Stefan, working as a hotel receptionist, her best friend and his latest “Epic Love” Ivy – Seriously he only met her two days ago and she’s already unofficially moved in. For all she knows, Ivy could be a psychopath ready to murder us in the night!

Currently, Caroline is stuck at the umpteenth weekly dinner, in attendance is her, Stefan who is fondling Ivy’s hands non-stop, Damon who is clearly trying to get off with Elena – Why Elena is married to him, Caroline doesn’t know and she does not understand why her friends and close to him, she tried to cut him out of her life but her friends just gain up on her – well, except Katherine, but she’s off endlessly travelling the globe. Bonnie use to but then Elena got to her, speaking of Bonnie she was here with my best friend from College and her boyfriend Enzo, but they had to leave because Bonnie’s daughter Emily was ill and their babysitter has school tomorrow. So basically Caroline is the third, well the fifth wheel in this disgusting orgy.

“I’m gonna barf” she muttered. She’s had enough, she needs a breather.

“I’m going to go out and grab some wine,” She told the group with a raised voice, they clearly didn’t notice, as Caroline opened the door “and drink it all myself.” She added, not bothering to be quiet about it. As she exited her apartment she shut the door and saw the fire escape and immediately climbed out the window and climbed up the top of the stairs near the roof.

“Hey,” Caroline said as she sat down.

“Sup” The sandy-haired man replied next to her. This has been happening for months, it started back in September when Caroline needed to escape from her mom visiting and Damon was doing his sleazy schmoozing with my mom and he was there, in her spot.

“Hey, move” Caroline snapped at him, she needed a cigarette and she needed one right now. He looked at me, smirk, chuckled and just sat there! “Buddy, listen I’m not in the mood, my mom is down in my flat, speaking to my roommate’s creep of a brother and asking me when I’m getting married and where my life is heading, so would you pretty pleased move your pretty ass elsewhere so I can have a cheeky little smoke before my mom tries to look for me.” She rambled.

He just sat there, Caroline could tell that he homed in on that “pretty ass” comment, she tried to not let her inner embarrassment show, he then stopped looking at me and started facing the skyline. “Asshole! Ugh!” Caroline muttered badly, and she walked out, she likes to smoke alone, that way she can hide the judgment and have alone time, she decided that she’d simply turn up later when he isn’t there.

This kept happening every other day, sometimes he would be there, other times she’d be there first, he refused to leave if Caroline was there first, and eventually, they developed a pattern. They’d just still by the fire escape at the top, and smoke, sometimes they shared if one of us ran out. No words were spoken, and they barely know anything about each other – Caroline only found out that he was British in December when they started communicating with one-worded syllables knowing nothing about each other.

“Give me that,” she said as she snatched the cigarette out of his hands. Okay, she’s in a very bad mood. She could tell that he was slightly annoyed by her tone, but Caroline tonight didn’t care. Her life is going nowhere, and she’s never felt so alone in her life.

“What has your boyfriend done this time?” He quipped to her, although there was an unexplained tone to it, something was up, she couldn’t tell what.

As Caroline breathed out the smoke, “What? Boyfriend?” This is new territory, where did this come from? What is he on about? “Stefan? Oh god no! I mean, when I met him at school, yeah I was attracted to him, but it literally died the next day when he started talking about his hero hair to me, I’ve learnt to never date a guy that would rather talk about his hair and other girls, than you.” She scoffed as she said it. “I mean, his hair isn’t even that great, you know?”

She could have sworn that she heard him say “Good”. “So, what has gotten yourself into a twist then?” He said hesitantly.

“I’m sorry, but what is going on?” She had to ask confusingly, they don’t do this. They smoke in silence and go their own way. This is how she likes it, no one can judge her. “I’m not going to unload myself to some stranger- ”

“I’m not a stranger” he cut her off.

“Or some guy whose name I don’t know.” She sharply responded.

“Klaus” he answered, just as Caroline finished her sentence.

“Caroline” She countered. “I’m not going to tell you.” He continued looking at her, he even started to rest his elbows on his knees and hands under his chin. Arrogant ass. He looks at her knowingly.

“Fine!” she shouted at him. Klaus started to smirk. “Wipe that smirk off, you ass!” He didn’t, or he did but he didn’t stop smiling. Caroline took her time, how is she going to explain this. “I hate my life okay. All my friends are in long-term relationships, know what they are doing or are Stefan. And my life sucks about, I have a degree in Journalism, I thought I’d be working at a news station by now, my roommate is inconsiderate and selfish, he dates all these women, proclaim them as the love of his life, they move in, I have to clean up the mess, then they break up and it’s just rinse and repeat. Then I just had it up to here with his brother, he is not just an ass, he is a fucking dickhead, who had consistently done beyond shitty things and my friends know that he has done this and what he has done to m- but don’t care. Meanwhile, my mom is complaining about my job as a receptionist, wanting me to move home, asking if I found someone – man or women, she says I can’t be choosy anymore – and I’m just at breaking point, I’m wondering why am I here, because there is nothing for me in New York, I have a degree which is useless, a job I hate and I’m not even sure if I want a career in journalism anymore!” Caroline ranted and rambled, it started off quiet but as she vented, her confidence grew. As she finished, however, her confidence suddenly shrank and now she was embarrassed, he probably thinks that it was petty and a spoilt brat and now he’d never want her company again. “I’m sorry,” she said nervously as she changed her tune. “I’ve gotta go” she handed him the cigarette quickly and raced back down to her flat completely embarrassed.

“Caroline” she heard him say, but right now she didn’t care.

It’s been 5 days since that incident, and she hasn’t gone back up there since, opting to smoke on her way home from work instead. Stefan has broken up with Ivy, who did not take it well – there were slaps and tears. Caroline would have laughed if one of those slaps weren’t directed at her as she accused her of turning Stefan against her. He’s now moved onto Valerie, she’s saner but more standoffish, cold, unapproachable, Caroline honestly doesn’t care about Stefan’s “loves” anymore. “Hey, blondie!” Damon snarked – Elena and him have temporarily moved in while their flat is getting fixed after it got flooded.

“Don’t call me that.” She snapped. It was only her and Damon.

“Aww, come on, Carebear, don’t be like that I thought we were friends.” He teasingly answered.

“Are you kidding me, in what world would I seriously be friends with you after what you did.” She shot back. Is he for real? She is not in the mood today and he was just making her mad, madder than she’s been in a long time.

“Okay, we had some fun in high school. You regretted it afterwards, caused some usual drama, I’m over it” He light-heartedly answered, trying to go in for a hug. Something in Caroline switched.

“Are you fucking kidding me! We did not have some ‘fun’ as you eloquently put it. You know what I did and I weren’t lying when I told Elena 7 years ago.”

“Hang on, you said yes!” Damon cut in as he sobered up.

“No. I may have said yes at first, but then you started verbally assaulting me, telling me I was weak and pathetic. I don’t tend to want to sleep with guys that speak to me like crap. I withdrew my consent, I said no, you wouldn’t accept it, you wouldn’t let me go. You…you…” She couldn’t say the words, she never could she knew what he did, but she couldn’t say it to him, by saying it, she goes back to being that 18 year old girl. “…And afterwards, you continued to verbally abuse me, until you got with Elena and I don’t know how, but you got everyone to forgive you, to think it’s alright. 'Oh, Caroline just needs to move on. Caroline just needs to toughen up. Well, she was all over Damon, she got what she wanted’ and you know what I did toughen up, I tried to deal with it because I weirdly wanted my friends’ happiness above myself. I’m done. Fuck you, Damon.” She then stormed out of the apartment.

“Wait why did I storm out, it’s my apartment.” She muttered to herself outside the door, well she can’t go back in, kind of negates her power moment there. She snuck out the fire escape and saw that it was empty. Perfect. She sat in her usual spot, it was weird, she didn’t realise how empty she felt, sitting by herself, as she lit her cigarette and as she took a smoke, “I should really quit” she spoke to herself.

“You’ve been avoiding me” Caroline stopped smoking, she heard a voice above her, not just any voice, a particular cocky, annoying voice. With a god damn sexy – very sexy – British accent. She looked up.

“Hey, the roof is banned remember!?” She shouted, trying to avoid the subject. This was not the plan.

“I’ve been here every day you know. I wanted to check if you were alright, but you never came.” Klaus confronted her, Caroline could detect a bit of a sad tone in his voice, she immediately felt guilty, she tried to explain. “No, don’t talk, I want to show you something.” He added and he reached for her hand, to help her up on the roof. As she turned around, she saw the most beautiful thing ever. There were fairy lights hung up everywhere, a tartan blanket on the floor, accompanied by a picnic basket. She never thought that a roof in a cheap apartment building could look so stunning. “I…er…know that you feel that your life sucks, and you might be going through a bit of a crisis. Honestly, I didn’t know what to do. I just wanted you to feel better, even if it’s more a moment.” He explained nervously, Caroline found it weird as his arrogant demeanour was gone and was replaced by a nervous schoolboy as he looked down, scratching his neck.“

"Thanks.” Caroline answered. Touched. She proceeded to sit on the blanket. “Well, aren’t you going to pour me a drink?” she quipped at him. Caroline couldn’t tell what he was thinking. Was he shocked? A smile formed, and he proceeded to sit down.

They talked for hours, they lost track of time, there was a lot of laughter, Caroline has not had this much fun in years, she forgot everything that was going on in her life. She checked her phone and saw it was 10pm, “It’s 10. We should probably…” She gently said to him, after a period of blissful silence.

“Right.” He answered. He started to pack everything away, Caroline decided to help, after they were done, they headed down the fire escape back into the apartment building. They realised that they didn’t want to leave each other’s company and took the long route back down. They just walked in silence, having never felt this much calm in years. They reached Klaus’s apartment first. “So…” he said as he broke the silence.

“So…” she was starting to feel awkward. Nervous and awkward, why does this feel like a first date?

“As he put the key into his door, "Umm…I had a lot of fun, do you want to do this again? But like properly?” He was nervous again. Caroline found it cute, but strangely was missing the cocky Klaus she has known for months.

“I had fun to do, umm…yeah okay,” Caroline answered. Caroline knew that she was starting to blush, but right now she didn’t care.

“Ok, cool.” He answered with a slight smile. They were in silence once again. Do they hug? Kiss? Why are they suddenly acting like they have never dated people before?

“I’m going to let you go.” Caroline answered, partly to fill in the silence, but also to end it, if one of them didn’t stop, she didn’t know how long they’d be standing in the hallway in silence. Klaus turns the keys in the keyhole and opened the door. Caroline could see the old Klaus return, he had a sense of renewed confidence, with one foot in the door, he turned around and immediately kissed a surprised Caroline on the lips. It was gentle and very charged, they kept being pulled into this their own personal bubble, this kiss wasn’t about lust or sex. It was about the beginning of something. Something special. Something great. Klaus stopped the kiss but Caroline didn’t want to. She kept her eyes closed a little longer, she could feel his smirk burning through her closed eyes, so Caroline opened them.

“Bye” Klaus grinned, the asshole. He’s back to his normal self, which infuriated Caroline. Not because he was being an ass. It was because she was still attracted to him. Just as Klaus was about to close the door, she heard a second voice from inside the flat.

“Oh good, you finally asked her out. It only took you four months!” a feminine, also British voice shouted through the flat. Klaus went red, he was mortified, Caroline started to laugh. Oh, how the tables have turned.

She continued laughing, until she remembered what she heard, “Wait a sec, 4 months!”

A/N: Okay, that’s it, folks. I know that I left some open bits. Basically, I wanted to leave it open for a potential sequel but from Klaus’s POV, one which would address Damon more and give that a conclusion. I just had to include it based on what happened in TVD, I couldn’t ignore it when I mentioned Damon, but at the same time, I didn’t want the whole one-shot to be about that. As I said, I wanted to leave a lot open for a potential sequel. I know a lot isn’t resolved and it was done purposely because as I wrote it, I realised that I wanted to explore that period of adulthood, between when you leave College and went you really hit adulthood and you are kind of lost.

Review, like do it all. Constructive criticism is appreciated, I wrote this on the spot, to try and get through a little stumbling block so I can write more, I haven’t written in years. So reviews would be greatly appreciated.

[willboland]

And here we are kids, another year done and dusted. Certainly hasn’t been the best year for me between college, health and personal reasons but we’ve all made it here, so here’s to 2018! Wishing you all the happiness and love and I really hope you all get the year you deserve. As is tradition on this site, here’s a shoutout to some of the most important people in my life.

@lucasdigrassis my amazing saltmate, who i honestly don’t know what i would do without. We’ve been friends for so long now and you’ve seen me at some of my worse times and still stuck by. I can’t say how much it means to me, but just know it’s a fucking lot. here’s to another year of BBC ;) 

@penske my lovely wife, and i still can’t believe at first i was scared to talk to you because you was just that cool but damn i’m so glad we did. now we get to cry over gavin together and be stressed out mothers. one day when we’re both awake at a reasonable damn time you can teach me how to destiny. i love you so much and make sure you give enzo a new years cuddle for me.

@johnsstones y’know writing this i was thinking, if we didn’t have the discourse about brexit and theresa and the conservatives, we might not have been friends so shout out to the pig fucking party for that! Anyway you know how much i love you and how important you are to me (even when you’re being a nasty as hoe) I love you bitch!

@estebaguette jacob you were one of the first people i became friends with on this trashy ass site and honestly i can’t even remember what we first talked about it feels that long ago??? you’re amazing and love the same games as me (which is perfect) and of course hate the same people (and teams) a match made in heaven???

@ben-woodburn  bitch i can’t wait for you to be my maid of honour when me and haz get married ;) i know we dont get to talk as much as we’d like (damn college girl!) but the times we do i wish you could see the stupid smile i have on my face. you’ve been there for me when i have my stupid meltdowns and need boy help bc i’m literally the worse with it??? so thank you for that. 

@dr3ambl0g my devil loving girl. even though you have bad taste in football teams, you have VERY good taste in f1 drivers so i’ll let you off. y’know i always think we’re long lost sisters because we love football??? and f1??? and sidemen??? like wow we are literally the same person. also odds on joe just floors jj with one hit in that fight ay

@danyandcarlos my hamilton loving wife, where do i start? you’ve got such a sweet and pure heart and even when im in a stupid mood or something more stupid you always cheer me up with the boys or dumb memes and i don’t show it as much as i should, but it honestly means the damn world. pray with me that 2018 gives us more gay husbands 

@panosretsos mitch we’ve barely been friends for half a year and fucking look at us ??? who’d of thought all we needed to bond over was the same taste in shit teams??? we always have amazing chats and say some of the dumbest shit (plus we basically have the same opinion on like everything so we can shit talk together) you also get 10 points for having such adorable kitties fdhfg. 

@rararaenbow rae you like to disappear on me and make me worry and then come back screaming at me over sebastidan and honestly what more do you need in a relationship? i’m also honoured i was good enough at convincing you to watch footie AND love my boys??? wait until the world cup babe you’re not gonna know what’s hit ya. fingers crossed daniel gets that championship he deserves in 2018! 

[notgoingtohappen]

Revenge, Interrupted (Part 10)

[Ch 1] [Ch 2] [Ch 3] [Ch 4] [Ch 5] [Ch 6] [Ch 7] [Ch 8] [Ch 9]

A/N: I actually rewrote this to add a particular scene (youll know which when you read it), something I promised to do if my exam results were great, which they were (98%!!) So I was smiling the whole time writing this. Also, I hope now that the angst and mixed signals have set in, it doesnt seem to confusing or directionless. The plot is going to pick up next chapter, I promise. Happy reading!

Stefan closed the door behind Caroline and glanced around his bedroom, trying not to stare at the wet dress clinging to her body as she took her jacket off, shivering as she rubbed her bare arms.

He was still drunk.

She turned around and looked at him. Unconsciously, he felt himself stepping towards her, thoughts impossibly disorganised. She moved closer too and her hand brushed against his. He started. “Your hands are freezing!”

She nodded absently. 

He took her hand between his, vaguely noticing once again how his engulfed hers, and rubbed, warming it up. “Don’t wanna catch a cold.” He said, as much to himself as he did to her.

When it was warm enough, she held up her other hand. “Couples help warm each other,” she said. “Being realistic.”

Stefan found himself smiling back as he rubbed her other hand. Soon enough, they were standing there, hands clasped in between them, staring at each other. 

The mood shifted.

His gaze instinctively dropped to her lips which parted a little and an image of them making out against the wardrobe popped into his mind. Her expression became more intense and both of their breathing became uneven.

The kiss in the park had been mind-blowing. He hadn’t felt like that in ages, that mixture of lust and feelings, and now standing in front of her in a dimly lit room it was all he could think about, and given the way she was staring at him, so was she.

Then her hands were on the back of his neck and she was kissing him, pushing him against the wall, and the hunger and chills he’d felt earlier were back. His hands were in her soft hair and he kissed her back, mind going blank as she pressed her body against his, all burning pleasure in the pit of his stomach.

She broke the kiss as Stefan pulled his soaked jacket off, tugging at the sleeves to help him, and as soon as it had hit the floor his hands were holding her face, and they gazed at each other for a split second, pupils dilated, before their lips crashed together again, passionate and urgent.

The voice in the back of his mind telling him this shouldn’t be happening was so faint it need not have existed.

He pushed her against the wardrobe, and as they slammed into it the soda bottle fell off the table next to them but neither of them cared. She grabbed his face and pulled him closer as his hand snaked up her back and was in her golden waves again, moving instinctively as they kissed headily, the air getting more and more charged. He felt her hand on his elbow, gripping it tight, and then he lifted her up, her back pressed against the wardrobe and legs wrapped around his waist.

He wasn’t sure what was more intoxicating, the alcohol or Caroline. It was happening too fast and felt too good and he didn’t want to stop or think, just give in to the pure lust that ran through his every nerve ending. She gripped his hair again as he carried her over to the bed and lowered them onto it, gripping the small of her back, firmly pulling her into him. Their hips were pressed together, and he felt another current of aching desire as he felt her leg slide up his.

Her hands were on his belt, the movements halting yet urgent, as he reached to pull his shirt over his head. Caroline’s hands stilled as she gazed at his torso, eyes darkening, and the look on her face made him reach down to kiss her again, slowly and softly this time, his hands gliding up her damp dress, against her silky smooth, burning skin, making her let out a little gasp.

The sound nearly drove him crazy, and he moved his lips to her delicate, pale neck, wanting to hear it again. He worked at it for a few seconds, her breathing growing more erratic, littered with sighs as her legs wrapped around his.

Suddenly, there was a sharp knock on the door.

“Caroline, have you changed yet? We’re waiting” came Bonnie’s voice.

They snapped back to reality. Stefan pulled away and scrambled off the bed as she sat up, both wide-eyed and struggling to think a coherent thought.

“Uh… could I borrow some clothes?” She mumbled.

“Yeah” he replied throatily. He busied himself with looking through a half-unpacked suitcase for clothes and handed her a hoodie and sweatpants. “Sorry, it might be too big…”

“That’s okay.” She looked a little discomposed and incredibly beautiful with her hair tangled up and cheeks flushed. He wondered what she was thinking, how she was processing this.

He moved away swiftly. “So yeah, tell me if you need different clothes.”

She nodded and went into the bathroom, and he sank down against the bed, clutching his head that felt way too light.

What the fuck had just happened?

He went to the living room, where Bonnie and Enzo stood at the front door, waiting for Caroline and Elena to drop them back to their hotels. Luckily, they were too busy talking to each other, but Enzo smirked slightly on seeing Stefan.

“Okay, never doing that again.” Bonnie said on seeing Stefan.

“Come on love, it wasn’t that bad.” Enzo said.

“That’s because you barely drank. And you lived in London. We aren’t used to freak showers!”

“Bonnie’s right. Rain is fun until you’re soaked and shivering and running to your building late at night.” Stefan said.

Elena joined them, eating a granola bar in hopes of avoiding a hangover. “Ugh. I don’t care about the moving schedule, I’m sleeping in tomorrow.”

“You have my permission” came Caroline’s voice from behind him. She stood in the doorway of his room, refusing to meet his gaze. Stefan liked the sight of her in his oversized hoodie way more than he should have and cleared his throat.

“I’m turning in for tonight,” Stefan said.

“See you, mate. Next time you’re the designated driver.” Enzo muttered.

“Goodnight.” Stefan said, before turning to Caroline and awkwardly mumbling “Bye babe”

Finally, she looked up at him, her expression guarded. “See you tomorrow.” She said.

He nodded and made his way to his room, grabbed a change of clothes and locked himself in the bathroom. He stood gripping the sink, staring into space. His clothes were still damp and cold but he didn’t move to take them off.

His inebriated mind tried sorting through the rollercoaster of emotions he’d felt since Caroline had walked back into his loft that night, actively trying to ignore what had just happened minutes ago.

They’d had fun in the day, exploring the city, and he’d been able to chalk his feelings off to friendship until they’d kissed in her loft. She was a really good kisser.

She was distant after that, so reluctant to go to the old park, that he thought she wasn’t comfortable with the plan anymore and wanted out, but she refused when he offered.

And then before he knew it they were drunk and lying under the stars with nature around them and music playing in the background and it was like everything else had stopped existing at it was just them in the entire universe. Him and Caroline and the stormy night sky and the overgrown greenery. It had felt magical, like they could have been at any point in history. It felt new but also a thousand years old.

Wow, he was wasted.

And then she was talking about making out and seemed to glow in the moonlight and her hand was behind his neck and his was on her waist and then they were kissing. It happened so fast, so naturally, he didn’t even question or fully process it. And they didn’t stop. And they weren’t going to, had it not started pouring. He realised that he didn’t want to. Just like back in his room. And he had a feeling she didn’t feel the same way, that it had just been the alcohol on her side.

He shook his head, suddenly unsettled and angry at himself, forced himself to change, and then collapsed on the bed, pulling the comforter over him. Immediately, he noticed something was different, but it took a few seconds for his vodka addled mind to put his finger on it.

The sheets smelled like Caroline. Also her perfume. And now he couldn’t stop thinking about her.

As sleep weighed down Stefan’s eyelids and he began drifting off, he hoped in vain he wouldn’t dream of Caroline Forbes. ~*~*~ Stefan awoke to a pounding headache and stumbled outside, running into a coffee-bearing Damon. “Hello, brother. Here, it’ll help with the hangover.”

Stefan groaned and took it, forcing himself to drink. Unsurprisingly, now that he was once again capable of rational thought, his thoughts jumped straight to Caroline.

They were, he was breaking the unspoken rules. Earlier in the evening, her reluctance had made it clear that she wasn’t okay with being so close all the time when Elena and Bonnie practically had to drag her outside. Whatever he felt or was starting to feel had to take a backseat. It was nothing more than a fake relationship, and he had to give her space. Something like that kiss couldn’t happen again.

Last night was intense and amazing and wrong. His feelings, knowing he was ruining the pact and being unfair to her, unnerved him. What he refused to admit scared him the most was the thought that maybe he was starting to feel something for her as a product of the fake relationship and she didn’t; that it was all the plan to her, a plan that seemed to be getting too much. It made his chest ache a bit.

He decided he wasn’t going to drink again as long as they were dating. It wasn’t worth the risk.

“So, how are things with Caroline?” Damon smirked.

“Good.” He answered tersely. “You and Elena?”

“Great. So, have you two sealed the deal yet?”

Stefan flashed his brother a look and Damon held his hands up in mock surrender. “Oh, my bad. Forgot it was you I was talking to. So, do you loooove her yet?”

Stefan’s head snapped up in surprise.

The question unsettled him. Seeing his clenched jaw, Damon mouthed “Okay then” and told him to call their mother who had been wondering why he wasn’t picking up his phone.

“We haven’t been to Mystic Falls in so long.” Stefan sighed.

“I miss the boarding house. And Sarah.”

Stefan nodded. “I’m glad she’s happy after the divorce.”

Damon smiled at his brother. “Just wish she’d moved there when we were kids. Who knows, we could have met the others ages ago.”

That was another thought that gave him a strange feeling. He changed the subject quickly. ”We wouldn’t have ever met Lexi. I miss her.”

“And Rose.” Damon added.

Stefan went to shower, and after eating the waffles his brother so obligingly made him, played some Xbox with Damon before he remembered the time. He quickly dialled Caroline’s number, ignoring his ridiculous sweaty palms and nervousness.

Was he twelve?

“Hi Stefan” she sounded completely normal, like nothing out of the ordinary had happened. He was taken aback and wished he could see her face, try and gauge what was going on from her expression.

“Hey. What time should I come to pick up the rest of your stuff?”

“Oh that’s okay, Enzo already dropped it to the loft a few hours ago.”

“Uh, okay.”

“So… what are you going to do today?”

“Read, wait to hear back and see if I got a job, skype Lexi I guess. You?”

Her voice perked up. “Girls’ day! I’m checking out right now, and we’re going shopping before we officially move into the loft.”

Right. She was moving to his floor. He swallowed. “Great.”

Caroline’s tone changed. “Stefan, about last night…”

So she did remember. “It was just the alcohol.” He added swiftly.

Silence. He wished once more that he could see her face right now. “Yeah, of course. The plan is still on, right?”

“Yes, we’re doing a pretty good job I think.”

Maybe too good a job. Now she seemed to want the plan? The mixed signals were confusing the hell out of him.

“Okay, see you later.” She hung up.

Stefan stared at his phone and then flopped back onto the couch. He picked up the laptop and saw Lexi online. He called her and seconds later, her familiar face popped up on the screen.

“Stefan!” she beamed.

“Hey Lex!”

“Oh my god, how are you? Why do you have dark circles?”

“Long story.”

“Do tell, I’m bored.”

Stefan looked around, and saw Damon’s door ajar, so he walked into his room and closed the door. “So.” He started. “Do you know what Damon and Bonnie and Elena pulled on me my first week in town?”

“Knowing your brother, a prank?” she ventured.

“Exactly. And not just on me, on their best friend too. Her name is Caroline and they set us up on a blind date.”

Lexi’s eyes widened. “Oooh, is she hot?”

Stefan realised for the first time he could just be honest about all of this. “Yeah.”

“So are you two dating, then?”

And then he was telling her about the whole plan, the words spilling out now that he could finally tell someone about it.

“And yesterday, we got drunk and made out twice.” He concluded.

Lexi pursed her lips.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“Uh. Okay. Stefan, it’s an interesting plan. God knows Damon has it coming, but be careful, because you could be way in over your head before you know it.”

Stefan scoffed. “I’m fine.”

She nodded. “I hope so.”

He looked away.

“What?” Lexi asked with narrowed, scrutinising eyes.

“I’m kind of confused.” He admitted mournfully. “I don’t know what’s real or not, from my side and hers, and yesterday neither of us stopped. And I didn’t want to.”

Lexi’s expression softened on seeing his face. “Cheer up. Maybe it was just the alcohol.”

“I don’t want to be that guy, put her on the spot and ruin our friendship by wanting more. Especially given how we’re fake dating, it’s completely unfair.”

It felt good to finally voice that.

She sighed. “How long until this ends?”

Stefan thought. “We’d decided on a month or two. It’s been like five days.”

Lexi was deep in thought and suddenly glanced at her watch. “Oh, time for work. Listen, don’t stress out or turn into dark broody Stefan. Maybe you’re overthinking. Wait to see how things are when you’re both sober, and hang in there. I’ll call you when I get back, okay.”

“Bye.” He smiled at his best friend.

Yeah, he thought as the screen turned black.

Hang in there. Maybe it was nothing.

[Ch 11]

[whitewolfofwinterfell]

Previously you said that you didn't think Nina delivered a very strong performances of Katherine/Elena, and since I've seen other people comment about that too, it would be interesting if you could dive deeper into that? I haven't watched the finale, except from the SE scene (who I personally think was just as good as all scenes between Paul and Nina / Stefan and Elena) and Stefan and Lexi's scene, so I can't really make a stand point on the matter

To be honest, it’s difficult to distinguish between the performance being poor and the writing being poor, because I do feel like Katherine and Elena didn’t have enough adequate screen time for us as viewers to be able to reconnect with them. Bringing them both back for just one final episode seemed so rushed and I think that partly plays into the reason why the performances felt so poor. I mean, I’m pretty sure Katherine only got three scenes and Elena a few more than that, but still barely any real screentime or dialogue. Her main scene was basically the final scene where we had her voice over as she wrote in her diary, but to be honest, after the direction the show headed in after Elena was gone it felt kinda wrong to have her finishing the show, even though she was the one that opened it and was always the main character.  But to delve deeper into this I’ll analyse Katherine and Elena separately, because it’s just easier that way. I also won’t really discuss how the writing affected it, because I’ve already explained that I do feel the poor writing contributed to it, but you asked specifically about Nina’s performance, so that’s what I’ll focus on. 

Katherine: Her portrayal of Katherine was so much worse than her portrayal of Elena. I’m assuming it’s because Katherine is more of a challenge to play because she’s so different than Nina, which Nina herself has even said in the past. It didn’t even remotely feel like the same Katherine to me. I have to admit, that the small details did affect my perception of her being Katherine and by that I mean her appearance. I understand that Nina is a real person off-screen that has changed and aged since she last played Katherine in season 5, but she just looked completely alien to me. Firstly, what was that hideous wig!? I’m still in shock at how bad it was. Her hair line was like 10 inches further forward than it was supposed to be and apparently there’s hairdressers in hell, cos her hair was a damn lot shorter than it was when she died. Even her make-up didn’t look right. I know Katherine’s signature look is the dark eyeliner and red lipstick, but it just looked so trashy. Then there’s the issue of Nina’s body language. The walk, the hand gestures, the posture, it was all wrong and none of it felt like Katherine. Katherine stands up right, when she walks she struts in an almost seductive and arrogant manner but there was none of that. The exaggerated facial expressions are one of the main things that have always separated Katherine from Elena. Usually I can tell just from seeing a gif whether it’s Elena or Katherine based on the way Nina is moving her lips when she speaks, because with Katherine it’s much more pronounced and dramatic. Nina did try and do that, but she didn’t go far enough. Her face looked stiff a lot of the time and the expressions were just lacking. Katherine has always been a character that communicated a lot physically, so through her expressions, her gestures etc. and all of that was stripped back completely. Then there’s the eyes and the smile. That vindictive and cunning smile Katherine had was no where to be seen and the glint in her eye to go along with it was also gone. Basically, Nina put on a deeper voice and did a more pouty face than she would as Elena and that was it. But everything that we know Katherine Pierce to be was gone in that finale and I wish they would’ve just left her alone instead of resurrecting her for absolutely no purpose. 

Elena: Again, the first issue I’m obviously going to mention is the same as Katherine - her appearance. The wig was atrocious and that alone was enough to make her look nothing like Elena to me. Nina’s strongest performance throughout the entire finale was by far the scene she had with Paul. There was real emotion in that scene that felt genuine. Other than that, I can’t really criticise her performance of Elena much more than that, because she didn’t particularly do anything wrong, it just didn’t really feel like Elena to me and I do put that down to the writing and time. 

I know I said I wouldn’t talk about the writing, but I can’t help myself haha. I understand the writers wanted to bring Nina back for the finale since she was a part of the show for so long and played two of the most important characters, but in a way it didn’t fit for Elena and Katherine to come back. In regards to Elena’s character, she was already up in the air anyway, because she’d been pretty poorly written since she became a vampire. It’s like the writers got confused between vampire and human Elena and she lost her personality and identity because of it. She was one person in season 4 when she first transitioned, another in season 5 and another in season 6, then in the last 2 episodes they made her human and did a complete 180 on her character by trying to make her the exact same Elena she was in season 1. Then she slipped into a coma and suddenly woke up in the finale, so we had all of 5 minutes to try and get to know who she was again and it just didn’t work. To be honest, Nina did ruin the show by leaving in season 6 and we all know it. The ending we would’ve gotten if she would’ve stuck around until the end would’ve been a million times better for certain. The writers have basically just winged it for these last two seasons to squeeze the final bit of money and life they could out of it before bringing it to an end. But Nina should’ve never left and this finale just proved why. 

As for Katherine, her character’s story ended a long time ago. They already unnecessarily dragged it out by making her a passenger in Elena’s body, which really served no purpose but to bring her back again for that pitiful finale was just wasteful and pointless. Katherine’s story had already had closure and although bringing her back could’ve been epic if it would’ve been done correctly, it really sucked. 

In the end, I basically think Nina’s return ruined the finale. I could write a million alternative endings I’d prefer to see, but this is just one of them: 

A villain (not Katherine) threatens Mystic Falls for who knows what reason (the writers always find some pathetic, small reason and turn it into a big one). Stefan, Damon, Caroline, Bonnie, Matt and Alaric all work together to defeat the evil. 

The person that dies is Elena. 

Right after they’ve defeated the villian everyone comes to the realisation that Elena is really gone and they’re all grieving for Elena 

We get a sweet Defan moment where they confess their love and cry over Elena being gone, but we can clearly see their relationship is finally on track and stronger than ever

At the same time we get a sweet Baroline moment where the girls grieve for Elena too 

After that, Stefan and Caroline come together and just sit together in front of the fireplace taking comfort in each other

In the meantime we cut to a Bamon scene, they’re maybe watching Steroline from a distance and Damon comments on how lucky they are to have each other. They basically chat about losing Enzo and Elena and their shared grief of simulatenously losing their partners and best friends. 

Some time after, maybe a week or two, we see Steroline go on honeymoon to distract themselves and just get a break 

Bamon decide they should go on a roadtrip to deal with their grief and just rediscover themselves. We see them driving off in Damon’s camaro. 

We jump forward 10 years or so and get a similar montage to what we got in the actual finale, of Matt being sheriff with Vicki and Tyler watching over him, Bonnie is with Ric and Caroline and they’ve set up a school for magical kids because of the girls and because Bonnie is inspired to use her magic for the purpose of teaching other witches. Damon arrives in his camaro with Stefan, who is dressed in a doctor/paramedic uniform. Damon goes right up to Bonnie, slips his hand around her waist and kisses her, whilst Stefan goes to Caroline and does the same. 

Like honestly, I would much rather have seen that than what we actually got. I just feel like despite all the constant Elena mentions, the show actually outgrew Elena in those two seasons that she was gone and the characters that stayed until the end deserved to be the ones that got the happy ending and were there to see it out. It kinda felt cheap that the characters that essentially carried the show for the last two seasons were completely cast aside and Elena who had been back for all of two seconds stole the show and took front and center stage. The show basically reinvented itself during seasons 7 and 8 and I do completely understand why the writers wanted to go back to the roots and try to recapture the essence of season 1. I thought I’d want to see that myself, but I can’t shake the feeling of how wrong and out of place it all felt. With how things developed and progressed, to go back to Elena at the end felt like taking a thousand steps back. Watching the finale really hammered home to me that it wasn’t about Elena like I first thought. It wasn’t even about Stefan either. It was about all of the characters that were left, the ones that had been on the show since the beginning and been on the complete journey. Elena wasn’t one of those people. 

And I’m aware that I’ve gone off on so much of a tangent, so I’m going to end it there. But my main point is that Nina’s performances were so terrible because the writing was terrible and the writing was terrible because there was just no room for Elena (or Katherine) in the finale and the writers forced it. How could Nina perform to the best of her ability when she hadn’t played those characters in years, the material she had to work with was so bizarre and OOC and when she was basically stepping into a completely different world of TVD than what it was when she was on it way back in season 6? 

[zalrb]

That is 45 minutes I will never get back {8x09 Review}

As those of you who read my reviews know, I do write in real time so whatever mistakes I made in the beginning of the post I may have rectified at the end. I am anti-Damon/anti-Delena/anti-Bamon/anti-Bonenzo/anti-Steroline and I will probably mention misogynoir, anti-black treatment and make references to other shows. If you do not like it, keep on scrolling. I also did this on my phone so bear with me. Alright. Let’s go. 1. It’s actually refreshing to see Stefan feed on a dude because it seems like we only ever see them feed on women lately. 2. Why aren’t cops interested in a string of murders happening throughout the States? They aren’t exactly keeping a low profile. Stefan massacred an entire hospital and Anger Management group. 3. TVD really fails the Bechdel test and I like how we don’t actually hear about Bonnie’s trip to Paris, just that she’s wearing a vial of Enzo’s blood. 4. “Is that it? We’re due at an event” Candice’s delivery was actually on point. 5. I’m confused now, so Sybil is on the “war path” because she wants a weapon that can destroy her and now Seline wants to kill her to make amends (did I miss something? Because I know Sybil didn’t forgive her but, like, did they declare war on each other?) I still don’t understand why Caroline would team up with Seline? Or why Caroline would care about what’s happening with the sirens? Why are they relevant now that Damon and Stefan are Cade’s servants? 6. So this year the carnival was before Miss Mystic when Miss Mystic was before the carnival in seasons 1 and 2? 7. Stefan and Caroline looking at each other did not move me at all, it’s not even like they “locked” eyes, like it’s so underwhelming. Makes me miss 3x03. Sybil and Damon actually look so much better together than Damon and Elena since Sybil looks age appropriate. 8. They are REALLY trying to romanticize 1x19, fam, it was a dance and not even a “it all makes sense” dance like SE’s 3x14 and 3x20,it’s a “wow Damon, I didn’t know you could dance like that” dance and a “suck it, Stefan!” dance. They really need to fucking chill. 9. It’s also transparent that Stefan doesn’t have a flashback to Elena even though it’s been repeated that SE was the foundation of the show. And not even that, Caroline, Bonnie and Matt do not have flashbacks of Elena and Jeremy isn’t even mentioned but oh yeah, season 1 feels. 10. “Sybil just “sirened” that girl.” Lol, compelled. 11. Bonnie and Enzo actually just look awkward, they’re very stiff and Enzo is SO monotonous. 12. “What did that woman do to you?” Caroline, my girl, it isn’t that serious. He doesn’t know why the necklace meant something to him and he’s a little upset. Maybe if Ian actually played tortured well I’d feel something but right now, I’m just like why DOES the necklace mean anything to you? You gave it to Elena because it was an SE symbol and you wanted her to have it because it reminded her of Stefan. Why would YOU have any attachment to it? And you giving it back to her in 2x08 is about the fact that you gave it back, not the necklace itself. LIKE? 13. LOL yeah Caroline’s “a love so deep and magical” speech really just sounds like she’s trying to convince herself about her relationship with Stefan because when did Caroline actually see anything of the Damon and Elena relationship? Like honestly. 14. “Take it from me, Elena Gilbert never really goes away.” Mmmmmmmmmmhmmmmmmm. 15. Oh this is why DErs are going to freak out because he broke the necklace and he said that he only gave it to Elena to protect her from Damon, lol, but this season is full of retcons anyway, so. 16. I find it strange that Caroline is more focused on saving Damon than Stefan. 17. Oh my GOD, we’re only 20 minutes in? 18. Bonnie and Enzo do not look good dancing, they look uncomfortable. 19. I’m actually getting really annoyed at seeing the same footage of Elena and Damon dancing because it’s aggravating! There’s nothing more to this episode THAN the dance. Are we forgetting that the moment it’s over, Elena is all about Stefan? SELECTIVE MEMORY. 20. Why are we acting like Damon’s humanity will crush him? He was fine with killing Lexi, turning Vicki, killing Jeremy, killing Aaron, kidnapping Jeremy, trying to kill Caroline, raping and abusing Caroline, etc. Like why wouldn’t he be fine with this? Elena won’t care. 21. Why do they keep saying Matt is stupid? How is Alaric any smarter? A fucking siren was his nanny for months. 22. The battle for Damon’s subconscious is really underwhelming because I don’t see the big deal? Why does Sybil even want Damon? And what exactly is so strenuous about what’s going on in his mind? The fact that he’s remembering someone he can’t have feelings for? 23. This entire fight is ridiculous to me because I don’t know what Stefan and Damon are fighting about? Damon is feeling and Stefan isn’t and it’s a problem? Like? This is so underwhelming. 24. Bonnie and Enzo are just … ehh sure, whatever. Fine. 25. LMAO Caroline doesn’t even seem sad about what’s happening to Stefan. But Damon got all this pity? WHAT are the writers doing? 26. LMAO Caroline leaving Stefan just reminds me of 3x07 when Stefan is like, “So you’re quitting” and Elena being like “Oh hell no, I’m just done for the day, fam.” Like Elena was IN it. And Stefan actually had the capacity to look ashamed and moved and the language was a lot more passionate, not this “we had a deal” business, are you two engaged or business partners? 27. I honestly don’t get the storyline with Damon and Sybil, like it just seems so small potatoes, like what is the POINT? 28. So Sybil giving Damon back his humanity is Tessa giving Stefan back his memory. This episode was a mess because absolutely nothing happened. Caroline left Stefan. OK? Damon got his humanity back. Sure. And Bonnie asks Enzo to be a human. Fine? WHO GIVES A SHIT? WHO CARES. WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? I also don’t get how Sybil made Damon’s life a living hell, because she forced him to kill people he didn’t want to but he did it anyway? That doesn’t seem to be the issue, the issue for Damon seems to be that he got a taste of his own medicine by being compelled, I’m sorry I mean “sirened” and that he couldn’t say no to Sybil even if he wanted to. And the fact that he feels nothing for Elena but still sees her and feels warmth because of a necklace is like … what, is it like you get one taste of happiness but then suddenly it disappears and you’re lost and alone and … WHAT? Like be LOTR, Frodo about it where Frodo doesn’t remember what water or food tastes like or the wind, have it be like Damon remembers ALL of these things when he holds the necklace but then Sybil manages to take that away from him and so he’s tortured with remembering happiness and he’s fighting to push out Elena’s memory because it hurts him too much to feel but she won’t budge. I feel like that’s what they’re trying to do but they’re doing it poorly. LIKE EVERYTHING DELENA. And Stefan. No one seems to care that Stefan is going off the deep end, like they just take him at his word that this is what he wants and this is what he was made to do and he’s his Best Self this way. He has no humanity! Why is Caroline just like, whatever, fine, sure but Damon is the one who needs saving? WHAT? And why is Caroline acting so superior as if she didn’t turn off her humanity two seasons ago and went around the country killing people? So it’s not OK for Damon to spiral, everyone needs to bend over backwards to stop Damon but if it’s Stefan, they just let him do the shit he wants? WHAT? This is how you know the show isn’t interested in story and only interested in their fave, which is Damon. Bonnie and Enzo just keep telling each other how much they love each other without us ever seeing why that would be. Old news. This was an excruciatingly bad episode.

[enzoendoplaylistchallengo]

Enzo Endo Playlist week 2: Episode 4: We hired a new writer and artist for a one off episode but has changed the plot so much that the show is now about baseball.  Sword fights on trains!  Will he make it to home plate?

We’re rolling with the second week in.  Nothing changed but the time of day, with the same plan as before a playlist of songs for you to listen too and some stuff to watch.  Tune in (Well to read.) for this weeks playlist.  We are not broadcasting from the Voodoo Doughnuts in Portland Oregon.  With a menu of some of the wildest doughnuts imaginable, doughnuts that look so good you would think it was made with black magic.  No this wasn’t a advertisement, I learned of this place years ago and always wanted to grab a box.  

Aside from the natural quest for culinary delicacy that drive all men to insanity lets chill out with a playlist, maybe someone order me up 9 or 10 boxes of doughnuts.

Crawling in the dark by Hoobastank

Breaking the habit by Linkin Park

White Sparrows by Billy Talent

How's it gonna be by Third Eye Blind

Mudshovel by Stained

Sober by Tool

Cumbersome by Seven Mary Three

Wish you were here by Incubus

Now for a commercial break from someone who’s not sponsoring me 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P83Jp4-mYEE

Love how Freiza does just casual murder during his dance numbers.

One thing I used to love about G4 was a show by the name of Code Monkeys.  Code Monkeys is set in the 1980′s with a group of game developers, designers, all owned by a crazy Texan who hardly knows or cares about video games in the first place.  The humor ranges from comedy of the 80′s, stoner humor, video game references, nerd culture, and more with a colorful array of characters as well.  The show has a border similar to old point and click adventures with a narrators bar that spews out one liners and parody titles of games which is one of the funniest part of the show.  All of this done in a pixelated style akin to the times.

If your more geared toward raunchier humor that revolves around stuff like fame and money then Empire Square may tickle your fancy.  The show is short lived that revolves around three occupants in a apartment; A dimwitted punk rocker with a short temper, a computer savvy tag-a-long, and the streetwise level headed girl trying to make a career around the two others.  Theirs lots of celebrity parodies in the show and during its inception some called the UK’s answer to South Park.  Once again another shown done in a pixelated style.

Keeping up with the somewhat video game theme, I recommend Summer Wars this week.  Some people who are familiar with Digimon may be interested to know some believe this is what the film should of been terms of size and impacts within the plot.  Now don’t let me say this film isn’t about digital chaos if anything the film has a very importance of family moral tied to it as well of that of our leans on technology.  The film follows a boy by the name of Kenji a student who is a part time moderator for OZ which is similar to second life if second life ran literally everything through it including utilities.   When invited by his love to her grandmothers 90th birthday things go for a turn for the worse within the world of OZ.  The film is quite beautiful especially the way the world of OZ is designed and with the design of the avatars.  If you want a family film I highly recommend it.

This week in our face off we have two giant grapplers going toe to toe.

SNK’s Big Van Vader inspired Raiden, going against the Andre the Giant inspired mountain potato man Hugo

Raiden vs Hugo

I hope everyone enjoyed this weeks post, stay safe, drive safe, avoid Moose, I look forward to writing for you all next week.

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[geektified]

New Post has been published on http://www.geektified.com/2017/06/20/the-raw-expose-wwe-presents-death-of-a-friendship-ii-starring-enzo-amore-and-big-cass-6-19-2017/

The Raw Exposé: WWE Presents - Death of a Friendship II Starring Enzo Amore and Big Cass (6-19-2017)

By: Keila Cash

Hello everyone and welcome to another installment of The Raw Exposé. Tonight’s episode of Monday Night Raw emanated from the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. After WWE threw in the towel last week due to Game 5 of the NBA Finals, this was the perfect opportunity for the company to get back on track as the infamous July PPV rapidly approaches. Samoa Joe proved that he’s not scared of Brock Lesnar by going toe-to-toe with The Beast and walking away unscathed. Did the Samoan Badass continue his streak of dominance or did someone decide to rain on his parade? The answer to that question can be found throughout this blog. Without further ado, let’s dissect tonight’s episode of Raw in no particular order.

  Raw kicked off with Roman Reigns’ announcement regarding his plans for Summerslam. Reigns wanted to face the winner of the Universal Championship match between Brock Lesnar and Samoa Joe. He declared himself the number one contender because the ring was his yard now.

  Samoa Joe came out and was offended that Reigns omitted his name from the title match. He was actually flattered because Reigns never beat him one-on-one. Reigns had a stinging line about how Samoa Joe didn’t live up his Samoan roots and called him “Just Joe” as an insult.

  Joe headbutted Reigns and proceeded to toss him into the barricade before rolling him back in the ring.

  He tried to lock in the Coquina Clutch but Reigns powered out of the hold and nailed Joe with a Superman Punch as the opening segment came to a close.

  This was a good way to start the show. The talking was kept to a minimum as Reigns and Joe traded barbs while coming off like total badasses at the same time. Reigns being a cocky asshole is a good look for him. It generates instant heat whether he’s catering to his fanbase or deliberately pissing off hardcore fans who despise his character. WWE has found the perfect formula when it comes to presenting Reigns as a star who is a lightning rod who generates buzz wherever he goes. Here’s hoping the company stays the course because there is money to be made if they play their cards right.

  Samoa Joe fending off claims that he is the black sheep of the Samoan Dynasty continues to fuel him in the best possible way. Joe is not only fighting for the Universal Title but his namesake as well. No one comes for his manhood and gets away with it. Brock Lesnar learned that lesson last week. Will Reigns suffer a similar fate? We shall find out later tonight.

  The Hardy Boyz defeated Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows when Jeff Hardy pinned Gallows with the Swanton Bomb in a gusty match. Jeff played the babyface in peril until he laid out Anderson with the Whisper in the Wind. Matt made the hot tag and had things under control until Gallows sucker punched him. This allowed Gallows and Anderson to hit the Boot of Doom for a near fall. Jeff eventually made the blind tag as Gallows was about to take out Matt. Jeff saved his brother which set up the Twist of Fate/Swanton Bomb finish. Nice effort from both teams as WWE teased an Anderson and Gallows win only for them to pick up another loss. Again…

  Random Observation: Bo Dallas has an amazing tan. And long luxurious hair. And a beard!

  Finn Bálor defeated Bo Dallas with the Coup De Grace in a surprisingly competitive match. Dallas attacked Bálor before the match got underway which gave him the advantage early on. However, Bálor got back on offense by nailing Dallas with a wicked kick to the face before throwing him into the barricade for good measure. He rolled Dallas back in the ring and hit his Slingblade/Running Dropkick/Coup De Grace trifecta for the win. This was a nice showcase for Bálor while Dallas looked good for a grand total of two minutes before eating the pin.

  Seth Rollins waxed poetically about being on the cover of WWE 2K18 while renouncing his greedy and egomaniacal ways from three years ago. Bray Wyatt didn’t buy Rollins’ nice guy act as he cut a promo from backstage. Wyatt hated the idea of Rollins being a corporate shill and vowed to make him pay for using his name in vain.

  Wyatt made his way to the ring and was about to sacrifice Rollins for the greater good when Rollins laid him out with a crossbody from the top rope onto the floor. Rollins walked away while Wyatt tried to save face by smiling manically as the segment came to an end.

  The promo exchange between Rollins and Wyatt was fine, but I am not emotionally invested in their feud because Wyatt has looked weak at every turn. He might gain the advantage every now and then, but he never wins the BIG ONE. Wyatt’s feud with Rollins will deliver similar results. It’s sad but true.

  Elias Samson sent quite the message to Finn Bálor when he attacked Bálor from behind during his backstage interview with Charly Caruso. Samson warned Bálor never to upstage him again as D-Von shooed The Drifter away. I think it’s safe to pencil in Bálor vs. Samson at the July PPV That Shall Remain Nameless Unless Absolutely Necessary.

  Akira Tozawa defeated TJP with a Senton from the top rope. The match was solid and Titus O’Neil added to Tozawa’s act by being his manager. If this is O’Neil’s career trajectory, why is he a heel?

  Based on O’Neil’s rebuttal to Neville after the Cruiserweight Champion vowed to annihilate Tozawa if he continued to stick his nose where it didn’t belong, we might have our answer. O’Neil & Apollo Crews will face Sheamus & Cesaro in a nontitle match. Two heel teams going at it doesn’t make sense unless the creative team decided to turn O’Neil and Crews babyface. We shall find out soon enough.

  Samoa Joe defeated Roman Reigns by putting him to sleep with the Coquina Clutch in a very good match. It was hard-hitting and physical throughout which made things even better. Joe had his best match to date since debuting on the main roster while Reigns continues to prove why he’s one of the best performers in WWE.

  The counters and near falls were on point as Joe countered Reigns’ Spear attempt with a knee to the face followed by a modified Atomic Drop and Senton. It was a great sequence that popped the crowd something fierce.

  Joe tried to finish Reigns off with The Coquina Clutch, but the Big Dog powered out and dropped Joe with a Spear. Joe put his foot on the rope for a near fall which heightened the drama even more.

  Joe rolled out of the ring and barely made it back in the ring before the count of ten. Reigns was in position to hit him with another Spear until a beeping sound stopped the match in its tracks.

  An ambulance was backing into the arena and lo and behold, BRAUN STROWMAN made his triumphant return to Raw. The distraction allowed Joe to lock in his submission hold for the win.

  After the match was over, Strowman made his way to the ring and reminded Reigns that he wasn’t finished with him yet. He laid him out with a Reverse Chokeslam and challenged the Big Dog to an Ambulance Match at the Fire of Great Balls PPV as the segment came to an end.

  The match between Samoa Joe and Roman Reigns was great while Strowman’s return pushed things over the top. Joe continues to look strong while the epic Strowman-Reigns feud will come to a head next month. All in all, this was a great piece of business that made me look for to the July PPV That Shall Remain Nameless Unless Absolutely Necessary.

  The Miz’s marriage might be on the rocks, but the night wasn’t a total loss as he recruited Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel to join his entourage. Dallas and Axel attacked Dean Ambrose from behind while they were disguised as a pair of bears.

  Miz picked the bones as he laid out Ambrose with the Skull Crushing Finale to wrap up the apology segment from hell.

  Sheamus and Cesaro defeated Apollo Crews and Titus O’Neil when Cesaro pinned Crews with an assisted White Noise. The match was fine, but the 10:30 Lull Period of Death started to set in as the crowd was muted for the most part.

  That Brock Lesnar-Samoa Joe video package was everything. Lesnar talking shit about his opponents never gets old. If only he did it for the live audience on a regular basis. Hmm…

  Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax ended via disqualification after Emma kicked Jax in the stomach after Alexa Bliss moved out of the way. Since Banks was DQ’d, she attacked Emma and Jax until Bliss intervened.

  From there, all hell broke loose as Mickie James, Dana Brooke, and Bayley made the save. The babyface crew stood tall while the heels retreated up the ramp.

  Bayley got a nice ovation which was refreshing to see. Based on the melee, expect a multi-woman match for Bliss’ Raw Women’s Title at the July PPV That Shall Remain Nameless Unless Absolutely Necessary.

  The whodunit mystery involving Enzo Amore and Big Cass finally came to a head when Big Cass was revealed to be the culprit.

  Kurt Angle interrogated The Big Show and The Revival but noted investigator Corey Graves provided visual proof that Big Cass was the man behind the backstage attacks.

  Security footage revealed that Big Cass staged the attack from last week as Enzo looked on in shock. Cass admitted that he was the man who attacked Enzo from behind because he was tired of carrying his dead weight.

  Cass took pity on Enzo because no one liked him. His big mouth was writing checks that his ass couldn’t cash. Cass ended their friendship and nailed Enzo with a big boot to the face. Raw went off the air with Cass standing tall on the main stage while Angle tended to Enzo in the ring.

  This was an interesting way to end the show. Big Cass held his own on the mic while Enzo Amore did a wonderful job letting his facial expressions do the talking for him. He even cried on command which is pretty damn remarkable.

  It sucks that the team is breaking up, but Enzo’s rebuttal should be a thing of beauty next week. If he’s able to convey his own thoughts, we might have a potential promo of the year contender on our hands. I still have trepidation about both men going solo because they complement each other so well on the mic and in the ring.

  However, Vince McMahon sees dollar signs in Big Cass and we shall see how his singles push plays out. As for Enzo, he’s a better talker than a wrestler. His long-term goal should be managing other stars. Enzo has the gift of gab which will serve him well in the future.

  On a more somber note, I think it’s safe to say that it’s been a rough year for friendships in WWE. L

  Overall, I thought tonight’s episode of Raw was solid. This was a nice bounce back show after last week’s ho-hum effort. The wrestling action ranged from decent to very good with Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe winning match of the night honors.

  Braun Strowman returned and went back to what he does best: Destroying Reigns to no end. Their Ambulance Match at Great Balls of Fire the July PPV should be a spectacle, to say the least.

  The third hour dragged a bit, but the closing segment ended things on a high note. Big Cass showed his true colors and it should be interesting to see how he fares as a solo star. Enzo’s big mouth will keep him employed for years to come. His in-ring work? Not so much.

  WWE is doing a good job building up the Balls of Great Fire PPV. However, the company is 0-4 when it comes to producing quality PPVs post-WrestleMania season. The booking decisions at Payback, Backlash, Extreme Rules and Money in the Bank have been atrocious. Here’s hoping they get their act together next month by booking a show that makes sense from a wrestling and storytelling standpoint. If not, the streak will extend to 0-5 which is a damn shame coming from the biggest wrestling promotion in the world.

  On that note, this wraps up another edition of The Raw Exposé. I hope you enjoyed it and I will be back tomorrow night with a brand new installment of The SmackDown Files. See you later, boys and girls!

[exfrenchdorsl4p0a1]

Saying Goodbye To 'The Vampire Diaries'

After eight successful seasons, CW’s “The Vampire Diaries” is closing the doors of the Salvatore mansion and saying farewell to Mystic Falls. 

The supernatural series, which starred Ian Somerhalder, Paul Wesley, Candice King, Kat Graham and Nina Dobrev, is wrapping up on March 10, leaving behind a legacy of wacky, witchy, blood-sucking, doppelgänging storylines. 

But how will it all come to an end? Below, “The Vampire Diaries” showrunner Julie Plec and stars Paul Wesley (Stefan Salvatore) and Candice King (Caroline Forbes) reflect on the show’s run with The Huffington Post, and hint at what’s to come in the series finale.

The episode is not without its share of heartbreak. Like Elena says, 'Sometimes you have to feel pain in order to know that you’re alive.' Those are some of her words from the finale and are certainly true of the finale itself. Julie Plec on death in the final episode

Bidding Farewell To The Characters  

Julie Plec: I told everybody at the read-through that we would be saying goodbye to every set, every person and every important prop along the way, up to and including, literally, the last shot of Damon’s Camaro. [Laughs] 

Candice King: I think the only time I kept getting choked up was at the mention of saying goodbye to Caroline. I’ve been lucky to play a character for so long that I kind of felt like I knew who she was. I didn’t really have to dive into it too much after eight years, and so whenever anyone asked me what it would feel like to say goodbye and put that character to rest, that’s when I started tearing up a little bit. This was my first show, it was my first significant job, and for the first couple of years I didn’t know if I was going to be lucky enough to keep my job because they killed a lot of characters off. So she just represents so much of who I became as an actor. I feel like playing Caroline prepared me for whatever happens next in my career, wherever that takes me. 

Paul Wesley: Saying goodbye to the character Stefan and the things that came along with being on the show [was hard]. Honestly, the show went on for so long that you sort of start saying goodbye by Season 6. It’s not a sudden jolt — you’re already starting to transition into a different phase in your life. So it wasn’t like I was splashed in the face with cold water and in complete shock. I’ve sort of been saying my slow goodbye to the character for about three years now, which I’m grateful for because it makes it easier to transition.

Last Day On Set 

CK: The last day on set was incredibly emotional. I knew that I needed to cry … a lot. And luckily Julie was directing and wrote the last episode and she’s a crier, so it made me feel comfortable to cry as much as I did. It felt like an important moment of closure. “The Vampire Diaries” represented the majority of my 20s. I booked the show when I was 21 and I’m about to turn 30 now, so it’s really defined a decade of my life — and a pretty significant one as far as growing up and who you become. It really did shape me, and a lot of that is because of the people I got to work with. It felt so significant to stand next to so many people that had seen me grow and change and who’ve I’ve seen grow and change. We’ve all been with each other through life and death and marriage and divorce, and to be able to all stand in the Salvatore House great room set and hold hands and put arms around each other and really say goodbye to the series was a powerful moment I’ll never forget. A lot of tears, and silly string. The silly string brought the laughs after the tears.

JP: In that last moment, we really wanted to get Paul and Ian [Somerhalder] at the same time and so I had Candice and Kat [Graham] work with the art department, props and the AD department so that they could ninja-style launch an attack with the silly string and all the poppers and the sparkling champagne and all that. So we ended up wrapping on a party note.

PW: Oh, it was really funny. It was a bit surreal. I finished my take in my final scene and literally they hadn’t even yelled cut yet and someone just sprayed silly string directly into my eye. [Laughs] I have grown up on the set of “Vampire Diaries,” and, in many ways, it’s a beautiful thing and, in many ways, I have a relatively myopic view of things because you’re on set eight months out of the year. I’m 34 and I certainly want to be able to honor some of the artistic feelings I have in terms of my taste level. “The Vampire Diaries” is a fantastic show and I am so grateful for it and I think that it’s been incredible, but it will be exciting for me to do a series or a film or a play, as an actor, that is definitely a little more focused on adult stories.

The Finale Script

JP: We wanted to accomplish both tying it in a bow and leaving it open-ended, and give a sense of the future for each character ― whether they lived or died, understand where they were heading in their lives and what they were feeling. So you get a real sense of what’s to come but also a real sense of feeling like, “OK, these people, in their own way, are each going to be fine.” And that was important, since the launch of the series for me personally, to give it “a happy ending” in the midst of heartbreak. And then being able to have Kevin [Williamson] there to shape the “the how,” “the who” and “the what,” and help make the choices with me, and say goodbye to these characters with someone else who’s loved them equally for eight years was a real pleasure. In the directing, the burden was on me not to mess anything up. I’d rather have that burden on me then put it in the hands of somebody else. [Laughs] So, I took it upon myself to make sure we got it done.

CK: I was so proud of the writers and what they accomplished in writing the finale — specifically Julie and Kevin, but the whole team, too. It really gives the fans of the series everything that they wanted. I read it and it felt so good as a fan of television knowing how much space they had to fill and all these doors they had to close. I felt like they did a really, really wonderful job.

JP: The first challenge was just figuring out the cleanest and most powerful way to wrap up Season 8. Then, we got into how we were going to wrap up the series. And when it all comes down to it, we were actually able to balance the two really nicely. The first half of the episode is the roller-coaster ride of resolution to Season 8 and the second half of the episode is the emotional roller-coaster of saying goodbye to all the characters.

Reuniting With Former Cast Members

CK: Season 3, we were still having goodbye parties for when people left, but by the time everyone started coming back as guest stars, that stopped. [Laughs] We’ve seen a lot of the characters come back and forth throughout the years, but it was so special to have everybody back for the wrap party. There are some more people making an appearance in the finale, so it was really fun. It was a walk down memory lane ... I don’t want to list people because I don’t want to get in trouble! But yeah, you’ll see a bunch of people in the finale.

JP: These are good people whom we’ve had good friendships with over the years and characters that we love and said goodbye to very early, so being able to bring them back into one spot and celebrate their existence as characters but also as actors who are a part of the family was really great.

It’s just amazing how you can take people eight years later, plop them in the exact same situation, and they’re completely different human beings. Paul Wesley on the original love triangle

Nina Dobrev’s Return

PW: It was wild. I kept having these kind of flashbacks of Season 1 on specific sets — I don’t want to give away the sets because I don’t know what I’m allowed to say — but I just remember we were like kids and our lives were completely different. Ian’s priorities and his sort of outlook, as well as mine and Nina’s, were all so radically different than what they are now. I had this surreal moment where I just looked at both of them and I just thought, “Oh, my goodness, we’re doing a very similar scene to what we did eight years ago yet the way our brains are wired and our priorities have completely shifted.” It’s just amazing how you can take people eight years later, plop them in the exact same situation, and they’re completely different human beings.

JP: They kind of slipped right back into their roles with each other and shooting scenes with the three of them was a nice nostalgia.

CK: We all knew from the beginning that Nina would be coming back, so it wasn’t a surprise for us. But yeah, it was great. It was nice to have everyone there for those final moments. We were all so young when the show started, so it was fun to be able to go back through old pictures from the pilot. Also, It was great to be a part of a show that encouraged female friendships as opposed to female backstabbing. This show actually celebrated women being friends and I think Nina, Kat and I were very proud of that.

Will True Love Win? 

CK: Stefan is still human and Caroline is a vampire — and with people coming back to Mystic Falls, we’ll see what kind of chaos they bring with them. All of your questions [concerning Stefan & Caroline, Damon & Elena and Bonnie & Enzo] will be answered, and not everyone always ends up with what they wanted, but that doesn’t mean they’re not happy with where they end up. 

PW: I’m not sure that because Elena has suddenly awoken Stefan is going to leave Caroline to jump into another woman’s arms. Stefan is very loyal. I’m not saying that it won’t be challenging, but there’s going to be a variety of different things that test their relationship. Look, I don’t want to give away too much but it’s definitely going to be emotional, that’s for sure.

JP: I think that “how” we wrapped up the love stories is a less answerable question than “we did.” I’m not sure how we managed to pull it off, but we did. Whatever form it comes in, everyone will have a sense of hope for what the rest of their existence will look like.

Death Is Upon Us

CK: “The Vampire Diaries” has never been scared of saying goodbye to characters. So as we’ll be saying hello to a lot of characters we haven’t seen in a while, we might be saying goodbye to some, as well.

PW: Look, there’s definitely a death coming, and potentially multiple. Someone is dying, I’ll tell you that right now. It is and it isn’t surprising. We’ve had people die and come back to life, but there’s no coming back [now]. This is the final episode, so whoever dies here is dead. I think that’s the difference.

JP: The episode is not without its share of heartbreak. Like Elena says, “Sometimes you have to feel pain in order to know that you’re alive.” Those are some of her words from the finale and are certainly true of the finale itself.

Spinoffs, Sequels, Revivals, Oh My! 

PW: No spinoffs. There’s no going back, which is a bigger deal in many ways.

CK: Oh man, I’m not going to mess with that answer. I have no idea. But as far as this season and this series and this version of “The Vampire Diaries,” it’s answered. You kind of see where everyone [ends up]. You’re finally not going to end the episode with a bunch of questions, you’re going to get your answers.

JP: I would never say no to continuing to explore the — somebody coined the phrase for me the other day, which I love — “TVDU,” “The Vampire Diaries Universe.” I have no desire to exploit it, but I also know that there are plenty of opportunities for stories left to be told. That being said, I don’t have that plan right now, it’s just something that’s always living in the back of my brain as a future opportunity.

The Cultural Significance Of “TVD”

JP: I remember my freshman year of college sitting in my TV room at the end of my dorm hallway with one other girl watching the premiere of “Beverly Hills, 90210.” And then, a year later, walking into a room packed with college students watching “90210,” and I thought, “I wonder what it must be like to be part of a phenomenon like that.” And when all is said and done, I think that if you look at the success of this show across all international platforms, and Netflix, and on streaming, and the run that’s it’s had on The CW, it’s been that and I’m so proud of that.

PW: I really worked pretty diligently to get onto a series that I thought was going to have an impact and I thought was going to last a long time. I really wanted it to have a pop cultural significance and I think we accomplished that. What I learned from playing Stefan is to really enjoy the process. I look back and I think about the times when I was worried about how something was going to turn out or a certain character choice when I should have been enjoying the ride a little bit. Stefan, in a synonymous sense, can be a little brooding and self-serious, and I think that is parallel to my life a little bit. So whatever I’m doing now and as I’m getting older, I learn to appreciate it and be in the moment and more present as opposed to always thinking about the future and the past.

So Long, Fake Fangs, Red Eyes and Prop Blood 

CK: I’m excited to see what happens next for me. I love television and I love working in TV, but I’m open to any medium that will have me. I might need to take a break from fake blood and prosthetics, and always being on the cusp of death or someone always being about to die. I just need to laugh instead of cry for a while. But I’m just so grateful that this has been a career that I’ve pursued and had some success in at this point, so I just want to keep working.

PW: I think saying goodbye to fake blood and fangs for a little while is kind of an understatement. [Laughs] It’s been a great chapter. I find genre can be an amazing metaphorical phase and can convey human stories on a very analogous level. But I know that unless it’s the absolute role of a lifetime, I don’t think I will ever be able to play a vampire again, that’s for sure. I mean, never say never. The original conceit of a vampire dating back to “Dracula” or “Nosferatu” or movies like “Shadow of a Vampire” with Willem Dafoe, they’re obviously great stories. So, I wouldn’t turn a blind eye to that, but I think in the near future I can’t imagine playing a vampire again.

JP: I want the fans to know that we loved this show over the years as much as they did and we wanted to honor these eight years by telling the best end to this story that we could. We have had a very emotional experience putting it together and are all collectively really proud of it, and so we hope that they can enjoy it along with us.

“The Vampire Diaries” series finale, “I Was Feeling Epic,” airs Friday at 9 p.m. ET on The CW.  

These interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity.  

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

from DIYS http://ift.tt/2mBaZ66

[thomasreedtn]

Loose Ends, New Year: Mercury Retrograde in January 2017

Happy 2017! I hope you’re all enjoying the shift from a “9” year of completions into a “1” year of new beginnings. It’s a little more fluid than that due to Mercury Retrograde still in effect until January 8th, and then with its decreasing shadow period for awhile afterwards. As with any external energy influence, you can align your attitude and tasks with the energies in order to create more ease and flow in your own experience. Traditional advice says, “Don’t make contracts or start anything new in a Mercury Retrograde period,” but it all depends on how you embrace or resist those influences. In my own life, I’ve continued tying up loose ends since December 19th, including “tying the Celtic Knot on Yule,” which David and I consciously chose for both the return to light aspect and for the sense of completion at this level of our spiral journey together.

Permaculture Design Certification

Some readers might also recall that I began my Permaculture Design Certification way back in 2015, shortly before the opportunity to rent the house next door appeared. That creative expansion added many exciting and busy months to my completion of Permaculture Education’s excellent online course, including another yard to begin designing and sheet mulching, but I fully planned to finish my coursework and final project by February 2016. I did finish all the coursework, but a commissioned portal painting, house guests, and the sudden and unexpected eight week whirlwind in Pennsylvania caring for my father in his last weeks and then moving my mom into her new life in a new home and getting their old house ready for sale meant another huge delay.

Those two months in Pennsylvania borrowed energy from the next five months, which also coincided with garden season and some much needed getaways with David. We had a lovely summer and fall! I wouldn’t change a thing, but I primarily needed to rest, recharge and renew. Tackling a major left and right brain final project while also gardening, processing bumper crops, and doing intense phone sessions just seemed like it would push me over the edge. I might have been able to complete the project then, but not to my own standards, and it would have felt like a burden rather than an accomplishment. As my June 2016 deadline neared, I requested more time.

Dr. Alan Enzo at http://permacultureeducation.com was kind enough to extend the usual year’s time for course completion due to the exceptional circumstances of my 2016, and I’m so glad I waited until I could again enjoy preparing the final project, as it was a lot of work. I used our yard and both houses as the permaculture project, and I took the opportunity to “stack functions” by beginning to learn the software program Scrivener while writing the text portion of my project. (I’ll do a separate post on Scrivener once I have a better handle on the software, but I found it invaluable for creating and organizing a complex and many-layered recap of all the moving parts and functions of our growing permaculture haven.) I promised myself I would complete this PDC final project in 2016, and I managed to submit both final text and design drawing on New Year’s Eve day:

The actual file is quite large and involved, with over twenty pages of text exploring and explaining the coded drawing, but this 11 x 14″ sketch gives you some idea of the project’s scope. I won’t receive my grade and actual certification for about two more weeks, as a group of people analyze the drawing and text, but along with helping my father peacefully pass into the next world and leveraging my mother into her thriving new life, I consider finishing this PDC course one of my biggest accomplishments of 2016. Right under the wire!

Kalamazoo New Year’s Eve Festival

Later that afternoon, David and I drove up to Kalamazoo, Michigan to for another mini-honeymoon at the downtown Radisson. We love Kalamazoo with its hugely creative populace, ample vegan and vegetarian food options, and the sense of community; however, we had no idea how amazing we’d find their 30th annual New Year’s Eve Festival. The Radisson included buttons to access all the downtown events: concerts across all sorts of venues, food, fun for kids of all ages, fireworks and a ball drop at midnight. Unsure of the weather, we had bought backup tickets to some concerts at Bell’s Eccentric Cafe (a concert venue for the famous Bell’s Brewery), but we were so blown away by the talent and whimsy of the downtown concerts that we only spent about a half hour at Bell’s.

We explored the historic Ladies Library Association, where all the volunteers dressed in Victorian garb amidst stained glass windows and old books. David snapped this shot of me reading a Maurice Sendak book I found on the shelf while awaiting Kalamazoo’s Mandolin and Guitar Orchestra. He’s been playing with filters, so my hair looks much redder than usual — even more than it does in bright sunshine — and my black onyx necklace looks white; however, this photo gives you a sense of the magical storybook feel of the place. My faery combat boots worked well with the Victorian theme!

We learned during the concert that the Kalamazoo Ladies Library Association is the oldest building in the United States continually owned and operated by women — a landmark since 1871. Also, the original Mandolin and Guitar Orchestra had played on that very same stage a hundred years ago, and the library maintains a photo of that event, which made Saturday night’s concert extra special and time warp-y.

Next, we made our way to the Baptist Church, which we had noticed over Thanksgiving weekend on a Kalamazoo trip with my mom. From the outside, the all white and blue building looks more like it belongs in Greece, so David and I were keen to get a look inside. What better opportunity than hearing traditional Irish music on New Year’s Eve? Below, you can see some of the Gothic sanctuary and organ, along with the band, “Whiskey Before Breakfast.” The music was fun, but we both agreed that the best part of the show was a three-year-old audience member jigging and rockin’ out on the balcony. That little guy loved the music even more than I did, and his pure exuberance delighted many:

Another unexpected highlight for us came right after the Irish music that also featured some lovely poetry by (Scottish) Robert Burns. We decided to stay for the next act, a NYC band called “The Founders,” which featured a Kalamazoo native on trumpet and piano, along with a violinist and bassist. They described themselves as eclectic and classically trained, so we had no idea what to expect. Oh. My. Goodness. Were we in for a treat!

We sat spellbound as this talented trio played Bach’s Agnes Dei “as though Bach grew up in New Orleans.” In other songs, the songwriter violinist sang while playing violin, and he also recited Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Bells” poem very fast, very dramatically to original background music — a Kalamazoo nod and wink to that famous Bell’s we would head to next. They created their own unique fusion covers of the Beatles, Radiohead and more. David and left the concert in silence, literally stunned by such unusual and delightful talent that brought old to new and back again.

We did head to Bell’s for awhile but towards midnight decided to make our way back to Bronson Park to check out the ball drop and fireworks. I have not been to a ball drop on New Year’s Eve since I went to NYC in 1994, so that was another cycle bringing old into new. Normally, fireworks bother me, but between earplugs, a cozy hat with ear flaps and pure joy, I did fine this time. They put on quite a show: we kept saying, “OK, this must be the finale.” But wait … there’s more! In total, the fireworks lasted a little over fifteen minutes, and they were truly spectacular. It was so great to watch such a diverse group of people of all ages having fun and celebrating together.

All those walks through the cold worked up an appetite, since we had finished our veggie sushi dinner over six hours ago. Where, oh where, would we find food we could eat at this hour?! Well, it turned out we found food about 10 feet away at the Gorilla Gourmet food truck, which offered curried carrot soup after midnight. Seriously? Back in my pre-brain-injury sales job days, I used to plan business trips around a chef friend’s curried carrot soup offering on Tuesdays. I’ve not had one that good since. Until this one. Holy yum! David also got a veggie quesadilla (not vegan, but with homemade slaw and total yum), so we settled into 2017 with big smiles, new takes on blasts from the past, and very happy bellies.

New Year’s Day on the Kal-Haven Trail

The next morning, we slept in, checked out, and headed over to The Crow’s Nest, one of our favorite vegan friendly restaurants in Kalamazoo, which just happened to be open on New Year’s Day. (OK, I did a literal happy dance when I found out they were open.) It turned out I was not the only happy dancing would-be eater. The line stretched all the way down the stairs, out the door, and halfway down the block. And that was just to turn in your name to get on the list. After awhile, we noticed people in line drinking coffee and eating bagels and pastries while they waited. As we traced the trail, we discovered a nearby bagel shop, where we got tea and bagels instead. Yum! Plus, we finished within fifteen minutes instead of the estimated hour and a half to two hours for The Crow’s Nest.

We had chosen Kalamazoo for New Year’s as part of our intending for 2017, and we wanted more nature than waiting. After bagels, we drove to the Kal-Haven Trail, covered in deep snow at this time of year, but an actual connection bike route between Kalamazoon and South Haven, right on Lake Michigan. We enjoyed the fresh air, crisp whiteness, as well as all the friendly dog walkers and doggies. David snapped some photos along the way:

Still Revising and Reclaiming in the Tail End of Mercury Retrograde

Yesterday brought several more very long cycles to completion, with the arrival of author Mike Clelland‘s completed draft of the chapter on me to be included in his follow-up book to “The Messengers,” which I reviewed here. This marked the end of a year and a half of story sharing, questions, answers, writing and revisions, and it involves owl synchronicities that go back to 2010, 2006, 2002, and 1998. More than that, Mike’s chapter explores events I have never publicly shared — events dating back to 1987, which completed in this past 29-year Saturn Return Cycle of the 2016 time I spent in Pennsylvania. Tremendous healing occurred through emailing and telling the stories to Mike, as well as in his reworking them into something suitable for a single chapter in a book that explores many other owl synchronicities, UFO’s and paranomal experiences.

Mike Clelland is a rare bird. Probably an owl, LOL, but seriously, if he’s put anywhere near the time, attention and compassionate truth seeking efforts into the other dozen chapters of this new book, it promises to be a quiet and potent tribute to the Mystery with a capital M, as well as a huge catharsis for many healers and experiencers. The back and forth correspondence included so many synchronicities that Mike needed to stop collecting new information and only work with a sliver of the old, but highlights occurred when each draft section arrived as I was either sitting with or on the phone with someone else involved in that part of the story.

Many behind the scenes conversations discussed details of my 2010 divorce, during which owl synchronicities ramped up very high … so I processed the surreal nature of my previous marriage and that magical and Divine intervention divorce time in a deeper, final closure kind of way, just as I was synchronously planning my Winter Solstice marriage to David. Some very cool sync winks that did not make it into the final draft included my friend Karen walking in nature as David and I were getting married and finishing right at my birthday time stamp, and Karen suddenly feeling a powerful sense of love and blessing flow from her and her animal friends to us. Then, she heard a great horned owl hoot at 5:55, which according to Doreen Virtue’s Angel Numbers 101, means “Huge changes are rumbling throughout your entire life!” Hundreds of miles away, David and I also noted the clock at 5:55, as we drove to dinner, expressing our sense of huge change and blessings.

Karen’s text about the owl came through the next morning, right after I sent her the marriage photo of us with my birthday time stamp. Later that afternoon, I got excited texts from my mom about finding beautiful, unusual feathers on her driveway on her way out for a walk. My mom felt certain these were owl feathers and took them as a huge sign of blessing on our marriage. Mike asked for a photo of the feathers so he could definitively identify those, but by the time my mom got back home, the feathers had blown away. She started to doubt herself, but we have both had so many owl synchronicities related to my birthday or to big changes in my life that we figured they “probably” were owl feathers.

The next morning I received a very excited text from my mom that she had been awakened by “unmistakable” and “oh, so comforting” owl hoots that morning. I researched the exact calls she described and found the cry followed by three hoots to be the sounds exchanged between mated male and female great horned owls. This mysterious synchronicity provided such a beautiful and happy ending to a long and winding 29-year journey. As we move through this final week of Mercury Retrograde and into the freshness of a universal “1” year, I feel so grateful, blessed and awed by all that has transpired. I feel my own Neverending Story pulsing through life, and I look forward to the next sequence, tale and characters.

Wishing all of you a magical and mysterious 2017!

      from Thomas Reed https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2017/01/04/loose-ends-new-year-mercury-retrograde-in-january-2017/

[crimsonrevolt]

Congratulations Bree you’ve been accepted to Crimson Revolt as Septima Vector!

↳ please refer to our character checklist

It’s always the best to find applications from old members in the inbox! Your Septima is amazing, as I’m sure I’ve told you often, and such a complex character that it always a joy to see her reaction to paras and events on the dash, because she’s entirely her own logical individual, and so often appears closed-off and untouchable when truly she’s very vulnerable on the inside. It’ll be wonderful to see that explored further, and to see where the war takes her on her journey. Welcome back!

application beneath the cut

OUT OF CHARACTER

INTRODUCTION

It’s Bree! I’ve returned! 20, she/her, CST

ACTIVITY

6/10; I am taking 6 classes and doing hours in a school, but all my classes are evening so my days are free!

TRIGGERS

*removed for privacy

HOW DID YOU FIND US?

Simply checking back in and wanted to come back!!

WHAT HARRY POTTER CHARACTER DO YOU IDENTIFY WITH MOST?

I’ve kept this answer pretty consistent for… well, years. It would definitely be one of the Weasley girls, either Molly or Ginny. In more than just the sense of being the only girl in a family of boys, Molly is constantly acting as a mother to not just her own family, but her friends, which is a role that I frequently take. Ginny is strong and resilient which are two traits that I try to embody on the regular.

ANYTHING ELSE?

Not a thing <3

IN CHARACTER

DESIRED CHARACTER

Septima Genevieve Vector

FACE CLAIM

Adelaide Kane (or Lily Collins)

REASON FOR CHOSEN CHARACTER

WHY DO I WANT TO PLAY SEPTIMA? why wouldn’t I want to play my broken dear? I know that back when I applied for Septima like… forever ago, I had been interested in taking on a character that doesn’t seem to have much of a background outlined within the books. Septima is very much one of the background characters, but she still works her love of numbers and logic into helping the cause not once, but twice- in both wars.

So, as far as how I approach Septima, it is in a very closed off manner. Y’all might remember that, me being the worst like I am, wrote the future Professor Vector a real tearjerker of a background where her mother had passed when she was very young and her father had abandoned her, leaving her to be raised by her grandmother until she was 16 and all alone in the world. It caused the young woman to go from being only cautious with her heart to closing herself off completely- since feelings were irrational and she was a sane being. This unfortunately throws wrenches in all the friendships she had formed over the years, leaving the Ravenclaw to be torn between Aversio and the Order.

While the sincerity that she possesses in the depths of her being tell her that their has to be a better way of approaching the fight so no more individuals- innocent and pure individuals- die, the logical side takes precedent now as she rules that no one is innocent any longer and sacrifices are to ensue for a greater cause.

PREFERRED SHIPS // CHARACTER SEXUALITY // GENDER & PRONOUNS

So, I now imagine that Septima(she/her) is pansexual- because despite herself, she has found herself attracted to an individual based on their personality- their wit, really. Of course, relationships are completely illogical to her though so, when it comes to needing a quick pick-me-up, she tends to gravitate toward men more.

(this makes sense in my head, but i have no idea whether it makes sense written out like this…)

CREATE ONE (OR MORE!) OF THE FOLLOWING FOR YOUR CHARACTER:

-A MOODBOARD

https://sxptimavxctor.tumblr.com/post/162328560888/septima-vector-moodboards-1-septima

-AN AESTHETIC

https://sxptimavxctor.tumblr.com/post/159397507118/septima-vector-aesthetics-1-fool-me-once

https://sxptimavxctor.tumblr.com/post/166312112978/septima-vector-aesthetics-6-horrors-are

https://sxptimavxctor.tumblr.com/post/161957391178/septima-vector-aesthetics-4-how-can-part

https://sxptimavxctor.tumblr.com/post/159446175638/septima-vector-aesthetics-2-future-au

-A PLAYLIST

https://sxptimavxctor.tumblr.com/post/164992262123/listen-here-j-o-a-n-n-e

-A FEW HEADCANONS

https://sxptimavxctor.tumblr.com/post/160108406753/23-what-is-one-unique-thing-youre-afraid-of

https://sxptimavxctor.tumblr.com/post/159745650223/brighid-tell-us-about-your-relationship-with-your

Edith Atkinson, Septima’s grandmother on her mother’s side, had spent her entire life reporting on the pureblood lifestyles through her work, realizing long ago that she did not want her daughter, and subsequently her granddaughter, to grow up with such entitlement. Their lives remained quiet, reserved much like the personality that Septima grew into. Small cottage in Devon just for the pair with spacious fields as far as one’s eye could see. For years, the young brunette had no idea that there were individuals in the world who thought they were superior to others because of the make up of their blood; though that possibly had to do with the fact that she rarely thought about the make up of her own blood.

Upon abandoning Septima, her father- Enzo Vector- began associating with former Ballycastle Bats teammates who were strong supporters of “not tainting their pureblood.” He is currently working with the Death Eaters, though Septima does not know how heavily involved he happens to be since she’s had no contact with him since her mother passed.

-A FEW POTENTIAL PLOT POINTS

Death Eater connections who know Enzo, and maybe attempt to use him as leverage against Septima or something to that degree.

A connection who works as a contact for Septima with information on her father and his goings-on

Order connections who are suspicious, or know of her involvement in Aversio.

Order connections who are suspicious of her and accidentally end up following her meetings about her father with previously noted connection.

IN CHARACTER QUESTIONNAIRE

♔ If you were able to invent one spell, potion, or charm, what would it do, what would you use it for or how would you use it? Feel free to name it:

“I do believe it would be quite helpful if there was a spell or potions of sorts that could help with more hands, or cloning of sorts. It would make things immensely easier if I could be in multiple places at once. Though I suppose there would be a problem with the consciousness of the clones if that was the case… Perhaps we’re better without.”

♔ You have to venture deep into the Forbidden Forest one night. Pick one other character and one object (muggle or magical), besides your wand, that you’d want with you:

“Oh by far, I would want Aurora by my side. We would both be able to keep our heads about ourselves and not fuss over trivial encounters that may occur in the forest. And as far as the object… well, my grandmother had some spades that were quite heavy. I’d say they would do well to whack someone with, if it came to that…”

♔ What kinds of decisions are the most difficult for you to make?

“Most difficult? I really rarely have any trouble making decisions, truly. Blessing and a curse, as I’ve been told. I s’pose though, if there had to be an aspect where I fail a bit, it would be decisions that involve other individuals. It’s hard to make decisions that involve others when they all tend to think far more irrationally.”

♔ What is one thing you would never want said about you?

“That I’m incompetent, naturally. Though, I suppose that would mostly bother me if it happens to be said by someone who has little knowledge of competency. Ignorance is a very ugly trait that too many do possess.”

REACTION TO LAST EVENT DROP

I know that you had a Septima until just a few days ago, so I don’t know how i would like to approach this. But I had an idea that she may have dropped off the map a bit while trying to find out more information about her dad. The other aspect of this, as long as it is approved by you all, would be that she had been hiding out in Devon in the cottage where she had lived with her gran and left to her in the will when she passed. Her attempts to find out information about her father did not go unnoticed by the Death Eaters, or D.E. enthusiasts, and when they realized that she was involved in the Order, they attempted to attack her there. Surrounded and alone, she grabs as much as she can and apparates back to her flat, figuring that the home will be burned to the ground. I believe that she’d be so shaken up, she would start considering leaving Aversio as she learns about works of the Order to get people to their side.

WRITING SAMPLE

Perhaps it was the fact that her father could not handle the death of her mother, or maybe it was that he always felt the way he was now portraying. At six years old, would any child be able to notice the difference, even one of an advanced intelligence like Septima? All she knew was that within a matter of days, she had lost two parents- one to mortality and the other to immorality. It was hard to understand that neither was her fault, despite her grandmother’s reminding her each day.

It was odd though how different her aunt Honor seemed to be in comparison to the man who she once knew as her father. Letters soon began to be written quite frequently between the young brunette and her father’s sister, in spite of the great distance there was from England to Australia. Time went by though and letters became less frequent, various factors coming into play.  With the passing of Edith, Septima’s grandmother, and her becoming more rigid in addition to the stress that came along with being an independent adult and witch in the tension-filled wizarding world, time to write became nonexistent.

That was until the realization that her father was working with the likes of Death Eaters became common knowledge to the Ravenclaw. Receiving word back from her aunt, her suspicions were unfortunately confirmed.

“My dear niece, It is quite lovely to hear from you after all this time. I hope you are keeping safe- I have heard whisperings of increasing violence back home. To hear this about my brother, unfortunately, is not all that surprising. Growing up with Enzo was challenging once we found out that I was a squib. He began viewing me in a different, less-worthy light; he even accused me of doing something to jeopardize my magic that resulted in my inabilities. He only hung around with individuals of pureblood in school as well, causing me to question whether this sorting hat really knew what it was doing. For some reason, he clung to this mental concept that purity was a necessity in the magical world. Your mother, Vivienne, she was really the only individual that had the ability to return him to the kind, sweet man that I had known as a young girl. It was just so unfortunate how ill she became so soon into their marriage. And despite the fact that they had you, Vivienne was his whole world and losing her clearly broke him in an irreparable fashion. In some way though, I believe it was good that fate intervened as it did. Your grandmother did such a spectacular job of raising you into the fine young woman you are, Sep. Enzo never had time to taint your view of the world into the narrow one that he possesses. Hope to hear from you quite soon, dear. Love Always, Honor Vector”