most of us have heard of the red car game. you’re on a road trip, you’re bored, you start looking for red cars to do something.
and then they’re everywhere. you notice them nearly every few minutes.
there aren’t suddenly more red cars now, of course. you were seeing them already, but you weren’t noticing. you weren’t looking.
I am noticing things.
there is a plant I notice everywhere now, a small bushy plant in suburbs, along streets, by shops on the highways. dwarf umbrella bush is what the internet tells me when I look for it’s name. I did this because I wanted to know why,
every time I ever saw it, every place,
it was always dying.
always the leaves turning yellow, the branches small and scraggly. inside out - nitrogen deficiency. their soil drained.
I am noticing how many of these landscaping plants are yellowing, how small and sickly they look in just a few years. I am noticing how often the grass outside the house is replaced when it once again turns brown and dry, how the type never changes and the cycle starts again. I am noticing how the unmowed, unkempt spaces on lakesides and roadsides look more alive than this. how the preserve I grew up next to was miles of “messy” unmanicured nature and the ground was covered in leaves instead of grass and there was life.
I am noticing the birds that come by the lake. there was a flash of blue wings and red chest - eastern bluebird, male, relatively common. I had never seen one before. there is a family of ducks that appear every spring; i cannot say if it’s successive generations or different ducks, but I can always look forward to ducklings. there are little brown birds with white heads whose names I do not know - are they some kind of piper? why don’t I already know?
why is it so hard to learn about my native plants (accurately, that is)? why are so many gardening sites littered with people who think a plants value is based on how pretty or useful it is to them, who think a tree shedding leaves is “messy”?
why is knowing about the world we live in so… odd? why is it a hobby and not vital knowledge? I learned about polar equations. I taught myself about mycorrhizal networks and species of insects.
(did you know there are shiny green bees? a special species of wasp pollinating figs? that white flowers bloom at night for moths? do you know? have you looked?)
I cannot look at a lawn and see life anymore. it is a wasteland, devoid of life, dying slowly itself. everywhere is grass, grass, doused in water that runs over into storm drains, soaked in fertilizer and pesticides and a hundred other poisons and sending one clear message:
this is a place of death. life is not welcome here.
I do not think I could live in a city. too loud, yes, too busy, yes, too many people, yes, but the plants would bother me. a tree allotted only a convenient square, surrounded by dead stone and metal.
a forest cleared for this, for burning asphalt streets and racing cars and shops whose bathrooms are “for paying customers only”.
this is a place of death. life is not welcome here.
and now I am noticing.
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part 16 - but I know where to start
“Feeling my way through the darkness, guided by a beating heart. I can’t tell where the journey will end, but I know where to start.” -Wake Me Up by Avicii
Regent Masterlist Part 15
Was it a cop-out to summon Jazz back to the Far Frozen? Yes. Did Danny particularly care? Nope!
Jason was comfortable, propped up with a book Ghostwriter who had popped by to personally deliver. How the ghost had known about Jason Phantom wasn’t going to question, but he suspected GW kept an eye on the bookworms that passed through the Realms- or at least those close to the “Royal family”. Phantom wasn’t much for reading, not unless it was space-related, but he enjoyed listening to the Liminal man reading out loud. He had a brash voice, accented with a cadence like those from Crime Alley, but it only underscored the passion he held for reading. Phantom didn’t interrupt him once, not even when the halfa pulled out his ecto-phone and texted Ellie.
(His little sister was in Kansas, spending time with another clone she’d literally run into.)
Almost another full day's cycle passed before Phantom realized Jason had fallen back asleep, a book resting open on his broad chest and soft snores coming from the man.
Yeah, he could see how he and Jazz fit together so well.
There was just something about the Once-Revenant, a part of what made him Jason, that resonated with the Phantom. It’s what made him talk to the man as Red Hood, feel comfortable enough to stay in his company for so long, trust him with his older sister- the person who raised him.
(Spent her birthday money to get him those cheap plastic glow-in-the-dark stars.)
(Taught him how to read.)
(Held him as the nightmares of his death shook him to his core.)
(Did not fear him.)
(Not as Phantom, Danny, or Dan.)
(Loves him.)
(Mourns him.)
(He would never tell her, but he understood how Dan could succumb to grief.)
(Jazz was his.)
(His first friend, his true mother, his rock.)
(She wouldn’t have claimed Regency without that tie.)
Remix & Original chat
Remix:
Lol
hows weenie
Original:
jasons x3 ur size pipsqeak
Remix:
ur point?
Original:
lol hes ok
frosty says he got hurt wth shrpnel
new healed core + shrapnel = bad time
Remix:
sucks 2 b him
Original:
so tru
Whre r u?
Remix:
omw 2 spain
barcelona
Original:
ooh send pics
if u need me call
Remix:
pics or nay
gotcha
txt u l8r
luv u
Original:
love u 2
Safely back in the living Realm and tucked away in Jason’s apartment, Jazz and Danny tried to investigate the bomb- unfortunately there was nothing for them to do but wait.
On the upside, the Justice League was about to hit the UN full force with all the subtlety of a tsunami and who had front row seats to the drama?
Yep, the Regent.
Jazz wasn’t exactly thrilled that her presence was requested, even though it was on the path to the desired outcome the Nightingale siblings had fought for, but both her soulmate boyfriend and little brother would be by her side as support.
The Birds and the Bats Group Chat
Zombie:
I lived bitch
Spoiler-Alert:
Jason!
Fly-Like-A-Dick:
Little Wing!
Blood_Heir:
Todd.
Zombie:
don’t sound too excited there demon brat.
Blood_Heir:
Never.
Sleep_When_Im_Dead:
Where have you been?
Zombie:
Stayed overnight at my Docs for observation.
Fly-Like-A-Dick:
For three days?
Blood_Heir:
Fail to find that humorous Todd.
Zombie:
wasn’t meant to be a joke brat.
I was actually at my Docs.
Zombie:
Got a shovel talk from my girlfriends little brother too.
Spoiler-Alert:
Whoa GIRLFRIEND!!!!
😱 Jason!
Why is this the first were hearing this???
Fly-Like-A-Dick:
Little Wing!!!!!!
Quiet_Dancer:
🤗
Zombie:
At least Cass and Dickiebird are happy for me
Spoiler-Alert:
Ecstatic!
But details!
Now.
Zombie:
No.
Fly-Like-A-Dick:
Is she a redhead???
Sleep_When_Im_Dead:
Jasmine Nightingale.
Zombie:
Babs.
Oracle_of_Gotham:
On it.
[member Sleep_When_Im_Dead has been blocked from the group.]
Spoiler-Alert:
too late!!!!!!
Cass
with me!
Quiet_Dancer:
🫡
Oracle_of_Gotham:
DENIED
Batdad:
Welcome back Jaylad.
Zombie: Old man
You and I need to have a talk
with words
Fly-Like-A-Dick:
battle stations everyone!!!
Council of Uncaged Birds
Queen_Regent:
Ellie, I want you to meet Jason.
Officially meet him.
WanderingPrincess:
eh???
temp said wasnt srs
Queen_Regent:
Danny No
InfiniteStarPrince:
Danny YES
Frosty said they are
soulmates!!!!!!
WanderingPrincess:
🤯😱
wha th fuck!!!1
Queen_Regent:
language!
WanderingPrincess:
ENGLISH
imma get a shovel gotta undead weenie 2 bury.
Template.
[user InfiniteStarPrince has left the chat]
WanderingPrincess:
coward
Queen_Regent:
I have many regrets.
WanderingPrincess:
u luv us
👻
Lady & Knight chat
Lady:
Jay remember when I told you I wanted you to meet Ellie?
Knight:
She’s bringing a shovel isn’t she.
Lady:
I love how brilliant you are.
Knight:
I aim to please.
Lady & Knight chat
Knight:
you patrolling tonight?
Lady:
wasnt planning on it
Knight:
wanna meet me?
Lady:
same time same place?
Knight:
you know it
The abolishment of the Anti-Ecto Acts officially happened at three pm on a dreary Gotham Tuesday. Jazz was cuddled with Jason on his couch, dozing off to his heartbeat as he read Pride and Prejudice for the thousandth time. The comfortable silence they had wrapped themselves in only occasionally broken by Jason turning a page was completely shattered when Jazz’s phone rang with the Ghostbusters theme song.
“Danny?” Jazz answered surprised, “School isn’t out yet, what’s wrong?” She was greeted by Danny’s heaving cries as he replied.
“Batman, he- he did it!” Danny sobbed, “He saved us.”
It clicked then. The Dark Knight had completed the task he was entrusted with by a Spirit of Protection, the Once and Future Star King, and unknowingly kept the promise a ghost made to a young Jasmine Fenton.
One day my son will stop this. All of this. You only need to be strong. Take care of yourself and your brother. I promise.
She had waited years for the promise to be fulfilled, the sworn promise of the dead to a living child. Jasmine was a patient soul, but she had still been a child that night in Gotham.
(The Drs. Fenton believing the stories about a ghostly vigilante patrolling the streets, a never aging child by their side.)
(Dragging their children with them. )
(Hungry and cold.)
(A dead man who swore his son would end their torment one day.)
(She should’ve known it wouldn’t come fast enough to save Danny.)
How was she to know the ghost was speaking of the Realms inhabitants, not the abused and neglected children of Ghost Hunters? How was she to know that the hope such a promise kindled wasn’t hers to keep?
Jason wrapped his arms around her, the book set aside and her phone gently taken from her grasp to be put on speaker so they could both talk to her little brother. Danny had dissolved from heaving sobs to muffled hiccups, seemingly now that he’d shared the news with his sister.
“He really did,” she muttered. “He really did it.”
(The furry fucker actually did it.)
(She’d known that he was going to try, but humans are stubborn creatures.)
A/N: Hi! Welcome to an update for the Regent. Just to be fully transparent with each of my readers - The Regent is still on Hiatus.
I have deleted so much of my writing because I don't like the flow/dialogue/pacing. Original ending thrown out and rewritten twice- still don't care for it. Who knew something other than Angst would be so difficult.
(Not me!)
Having said that, this entry is of course beta'd by the wonderful @meditating-cat who has put up with my random messages.
(You are amazing!)
(In all honesty, I wish I could just skip right to the ending because at least I know 100% I can get it just right....eventually.)
Thanks for reading and happy easter!
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Why is Nick such an asshole to Taylor and the film? He already toldAmazon he will nto be doing the sequel.
I don't like answering this type of questions so I'll make it as complete as I can, so people can get a life outside their own expectations. (I'm not defending Nick, I'm stating facts.)
First of all, let's not spread false rumors. Nick has not dropped the project. (I'm baffled on how this rumor could start in the first place)
Nick signed a contract for the sequel, he has responsibilities towards it, and consequences if he doesn't follow it. Regardless, it's not us who decide the terms. If he ever decides to leave the project, he'll make a choice and ponder the consequences.
"He could do more". Well, he also could do less. He's an actor and does his job however he feels like. (Do y'all care about every single aspect of your own jobs or studies? Bet you have priorities, right?)
In pop culture, there's this conception of the artist "owes his fans". While I'm inclined to love fanservice of all kind because it makes us, fans, feel appreciated, no one forces us to be a fan, meanwhile the artists are forced to do fanservice as long as they want or their contracts stipulates that.
Now let me go onto the specific part of Nicholas' life and personality.
Let's remind ourselves that we can be the biggest fans and yet know nothing about our favorite celebrities. They show us what they want us to know, it's our choice to decide what we want to follow, hear or understand.
As far as we know Nick, he's always been a quiet reserved person, who suffers from anxiety, doesn't like big social events and hardly uses social media (especially in the recent years)
He's somewhat a fearful person who decides to step outside his comfort zone. We can know that from his song Comfort.
Nick has talked about how one of his "great fears is being misunderstood." You can read about it in the article RWRB related from BritishGQ in which he compares his fear with Henry's experience.
Nick has been showing multiple times in multiple occasions how he loved Henry and loved playing him. He wouldn't have said "yes" to a sequel if he didn't want to. (I'd also say it's a big deal since Nick has always only played in project that didn't get a sequel, and he consciously decided to agree to it.)
In Nick's career, we can see how diverse and interesting his characters must be. He's drawn to peculiar characters and when he finds one, he puts everything he has to offer into it. This leads him to focus on other characters that aren't the same static one from a year or two ago. (He moves on to the next project, and I don't see anything bad about it.)
Working a lot means schedule conflicts and Nick has always had this problem. If he doesn't work on something new, he rests while doing his little hobbies. (Does he need to attend every social event if he doesn't want to? Do y'all ever rest? And if you don't, can other rest instead?)
I added my personal opinion in parenthesis so it doesn't get confused with the facts. Nick is a human with personal interests, ranked scale of values and personal life.
If you don't want to be a fan, don't be. If you want to be a hater, talk it to the wall instead of harming or annoy others. If you have expectations over other people, learn to manage what you can't control. If you think you're in control of someone else, you're not.
Now, excuse me I'll go back to watch RWRB with Henry played by Nicholas Galitzine, the actor who took his fragile character and held him in his hand, and protected him.
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