#I really hope this makes sense because having two Blythes was a little weird to write

[merigreenleaf]

Short Story: “A Glimpse of the Past”

(This is the story I was talking about this week, where I wasn’t sure if I wanted to share it or not. This started as a flashback scene in an early draft of book 2 that I discarded in the next draft, so it’s no longer canon to the series, but I think it’s cute and sweet and romantic and I’m glad I edited it to turn it into a story. :) You can find the masterpost with links to read all of the short stories in this series here.)

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Blythe scrubbed at the soil caught under her nails until they were as clean and neat as she could get them in the poor light. She hadn’t intended to work in her window garden, but she needed the familiar comfort of cool dirt and growing life beneath her hands. Etri had left to do… something tonight, something he’d kept vague, and she was alternating between annoyance at being told just enough to make her fret and aggravation that if it was that important, he should have taken her with him. If Etri wasn’t telling her, it was because it was dangerous, and if it was dangerous, it was her job to watch his back. He’d done his horribly annoying vanishing thing where she looked away for five seconds to check her watch and when she turned back to ask him a question, he was out of sight. One of these days she was going to tie a length of string around his wrist and keep him near her like he was an ill-trained puppy. Try to see him slip away when he was connected to her! 

Gardening had calmed her as it always did, yet a strange feeling still fogged her mind. She could have sworn she’d been somewhere different a moment ago. At the same time it was so right to be repotting her aloe in the new yellow pot Sol had bought her to replace the cracked one he’d accidentally knocked over. As she reached for a towel to dry her hands, she glanced out the window above the sink. Lantern light glimmered off a thin layer of freshly-fallen snow. It was pretty and it probably brightened up the wagon considering she’d been too stupid to remember to light a lamp. 

Snow… that couldn’t be right. There hadn't been snow for months...

A knock on her door echoed loudly in the dark even though it was hardly louder than a tap. Everything always seemed so muffled and quiet in winter… or was it spring? She tried to ignore the lingering disorientation and walked over to see who needed her at this hour. Etri stood on her doorstep, his head bowed as he wrung his hands together. “I need your help, Blade. I have been poisoned.”

Blythe was about to chew him out for disappearing earlier when his words stopped her cold, half out of fear and half out of recognition. She’d heard this before. She could remember standing here with fear eating at her heart, she could remember taking him by the arm and tugging him inside out of weather, she could remember the way he looked at her with faith in his pale eyes when she began to heal him. She tried to take a few deep breaths to clear her mind and found her body wouldn’t listen. Instead she watched herself lead Etri into the wagon and hang his wet coat to dry by the stove, just as she knew she would. She knew she would because she already had.

She had no idea how it happened, but somehow she’d inadvertently managed to read her own memories. Wonderful. She knew from her training that she could only sit back and let this play out until she snapped out of it or the memory ran its course, so she hunkered down in her own head to watch. When she was back in her current time, she was going to give herself a stern talking to because this was not okay for a fully trained healer to do. This was an amateur mistake. She hadn’t screwed up telepathy and memory reading in years and never her own.

“What do you mean you've been poisoned?” past-Blythe asked, oblivious to her later self being carried along for the ride.

“I touched a trapped window while I was attempting to break into the home of a merchant. Normally I avoid such things, but this was a type I had not previously come across. It contained two kinds of needles instead of one. I caught sight of the other and disabled that which I recognized. Too late I realized it had a secondary mechanism. It was not the paralyzing type, which was the one I disabled. I believe that one was intended to incapacitate a thief long enough for the authorities to arrive, in which case the needle which pricked me would have allowed the thief to give away why they were there. I did not spring the first trap, so I was able to get in and then out again with the information I needed. The house did in fact belong to-”

Past-Blythe interrupted him mid-sentence. “I thought you didn't do that kind of thing anymore.”

Blythe, both past and present, could have immediately guessed something was wrong even without his reveal about triggering a rigged window. Etri never chattered, even to her. On occasion he would get talkative about books he'd recently read, but not about something that was supposed to be a secret, and never in a way that was an unceasing string of sentences spoken in one breath. Rambling was something Adair did. At the time they hadn’t known Adair, so past-Blythe didn’t make a comment about the two of them rubbing off on each other. Pity, because now-Etri would have calmed and smiled at the mention of his boyfriend.

If this memory was going where she thought it was going, though, Adair definitely hadn’t been in the picture. All the more a pity because he would have liked this.

As Etri spoke he strode back and forth across the floor, his long legs only managing to squeeze in four strides before he was forced to turn around again. This, at least, was familiar to both Blythes. He always paced when he was agitated and it was something she was sure he’d picked up from her, unless it was the other way around. “I usually do not, but I acquired information of a potential member of the syndicate living in this town. I wished to investigate so I could send word to Sapphire in order to alert her of merchants in this location who could pose a problem.”

“Uhh... great.” Past-Blythe’s only concern was Etri getting to the point so he would stop pacing and chattering. “Can you stand still for a minute so I can check about this poison?”

Etri did as he was instructed and stood still in front of her, but he continued to chatter. “It is a toxicant, not truly a poison… It is silly for me to say this, of course you would be able to determine that as you are a healer. Are you going to see if it remains inside me to determine the exact type? I know you can deduce this, because you are very good at healing. I did not wish to go to Wysta because I prefer you as a healer. I do not like other people touching me, but your touch I do not mind. I also did not wish to tell Wysta this information, so you were the better choice for that, as well.

“If this was supposed to be a secret, you do realize you’re still blathering all this to me.” Past-Blythe ignored the first part of his reason considering she had already unbuttoned Etri's shirt so she could slide her hand inside to place it on his chest. Obviously she was going to check him. Under the layer of soft hair, his chest was cold, as his body always was, but his heartbeat ran faster than usual. Past-Blythe found this worrisome while Blythe possessed hindsight and wondered if it truly was the toxicant causing it-- or if it was something else entirely. She would place her bet on the something else. 

“That is different. You are my best friend and I trust you. You do not cause me fear or discomfort. The opposite, perhaps. I enjoy being near you. You care for me. You may act gruff on occasion, but you are quite sweet.”

Etri was normally nothing like this and it was disconcerting to hear him voice every thought crossing his mind. It was making past-Blythe uncomfortable and Blythe wasn’t exactly put at ease by it, either.

To Blythe's relief, which was dumb because a memory could only play out one way, her past self did what she herself had done and distracted Etri with a question. “What's the syndicate you were talking about?”

As he began to blather, past-Blythe listened with half an ear. Most of her attention was spent on focusing her thoughts on Etri so she could determine how thoroughly he was affected by the toxicant and what kind of healing pattern would be needed to eliminate it. The real Blythe, however, realized Etri had said more than she previously remembered. Likely now it had more relevancy since she had met Sapphire and some of Etri's previous carnival troupe-slash-thieving crew. She also lacked the worry of her past self. She knew Etri was going to be fine, although she kind of wished she could move this body so she could smack him in the back of the head. It wouldn’t be a hard hit, just enough to make her feel better about the five months of stress he’d caused her before he finally made another move.

“You are aware that merchants are the people responsible for buying and selling art created by the artists, yes?” Past-Blythe rolled her eyes, which was good because Blythe wanted to do exactly the same thing. It wasn’t like she’d spent her life living under a rock. For Petra’s sake, she was the Concordian here, not Etri. He didn’t seem to notice her reaction and continued, “Under normal circumstances this works properly and the sentinels have a selection of merchants to whom they can sell in order to attain a reasonable price for their artists’ creations. A portion of the merchants have banded together to form a group under the leadership of a few corrupt individuals. The members of this group all offer the sentinels less than acceptable values and force them to sell only to this group or not at all. The corrupt merchants then turn around and sell this art to buyers, usually foreign, who pay their regular price for it. This means the artists earn less while the merchants are padding their own pockets with ill gained profits.”

This, though, Blythe hadn’t known-- or at least hadn’t remembered-- and she was interested in hearing more about it now that it was relevant to her current situation with Adair. Unfortunately her past self hadn’t cared and stayed true to her memory by speaking when Etri stopped to catch his breath. “There’s definitely a toxicant still inside you. I think I know what to do to nullify it, but I've never done this on my own before. You'd do better seeing Wysta.”

Blythe mentally winced, the only way of wincing she could do at the moment. Had she really been so unsure of herself? Removing a foreign substance was easy-peasy compared to when she’d removed harmful weaving from Adair’s mind. That had been difficult and even then she’d managed it.

Etri shook his head so rapidly that both Blythes hoped dizziness wasn’t a symptom of his poisoning. “I cannot tell her this! I have faith that you can help me. You have healed me many times before without complication.”

Past-Blythe fought to keep herself from pacing, which amused her later self. She and Etri really were pretty damn compatible. “Those were colds and stuff. This is poison!”

“As I have said, this is not poison in the true sense of the word since in my experience it is made simply to incapacitate and not leave long-lasting harm.”

“Tomayto, tomahto, this is a foreign chemical in your body, Etch! You need more help than an assistant healer.”

Blythe silently scoffed at herself as Etri took her hands and stared into her eyes. That shut her up, even if it was directed at a different version of her. His pupils were tiny, a result of what was coursing through his body, and in the lamplight his blue eyes seemed almost amber. Blythe felt a rush of affection her past self hadn’t experienced. Amber was Adair’s eye color. “And I know you can do this. Trust me that I trust you.”

Past-Blythe, who didn’t know Adair and certainly didn’t go soft at that intense yet tender look he and Etri had both perfected, simply nodded. Blythe could remember her mind racing as she’d struggled to remember the antidote. While she could feel this body moving and listen to it speak, she couldn't hear her own original thoughts, which was probably for the best. Her head was crowded enough with her own thoughts. 

After a few moments, her past self recalled what she needed to do to clear away something like poison. “Okay. Let me mix together a paste and I'll try.”

Etri smiled at her with a grin full of dimples that had once been few and far between. Now his smile was as familiar as those eyes and the cool touch of his hands in hers. He gave her hands a squeeze and let go so he could return to pacing across the narrow wagon. Blythe allowed herself a few moments of fond later memories about his touch while her past self began sorting through her herbs. 

Blythe brought her attention back to this moment when Etri began to speak again. “The corrupt merchants are running an illicit scheme where artists are no longer making a proper income off their creations. My previous troupe works to help the artists in such a situation. Often we will steal back the ill-gained art and clandestinely return it to the home of the original artist. Most of the time, however, we sneak into the homes and offices of the merchants to attempt to locate records of who is responsible. Once we have proof a merchant has joined the syndicate, we set it up so they are caught by the authorities. As a result they have put more effort into guarding their homes and offices. The troupe must avoid the sentinels to return their art, but generally their homes are not trapped in any way. The merchants, on the other hand, occasionally have hired guards and inevitably have traps, especially since they are beginning to suspect that someone is working against them and that it is no longer coincidence when they are caught.”

Past-Blythe still wasn’t paying much attention since art-related issues had nothing to do with her. Blythe wished she could shake her by the shoulders because this was important. Past-Blythe was going to end up in a relationship with an artist and this would have been something useful to know in advance. 

With no way to communicate with her former self, she could only watch as her hands finished mixing the paste she had no contribution in concocting. If she had, she would have added more tarragon. What was past her thinking? “I'm ready. I'll need you to lie down for this. There's another reason Wysta would have made more sense, you know. She’s got low cots in her wagon specifically for patients.”

“I am not an invalid. The bed is fine even though it is high.”

Etri was so tall he was able to hoist himself up into the loft without needing to use the rungs built into the cabinet below. Past-Blythe used the ladder and climbed up after him. Her bed was a kind of alcove built into the wall and she had to squeeze in to get past Etri. This was the one and only time she ever shared this space with someone else because later they’d moved to the floor. Adair’s fear of heights apparently included beds, but she loved him too much to complain that a loft really wasn’t that high off the ground.

Past-Blythe positioned herself with her back to the wall so she could place the bowl of healing paste she held on the shelf. Later it would be claimed by Adair’s cat who liked looking out the tiny window. For now it held only a book and the bowl. “Take off your shirt.

As she dipped her fingers into the bowl to stir the contents, Etri obeyed without comment. This was another sign that he was under the influence of something. Normally he delayed removing articles of clothing by complaining about the cold, although she knew it was also because his upbringing left him terribly self-conscious about showing skin. 

...which he wasn't this time. When past-Blythe looked over again, he was sprawled on his back with his arms behind his head, his dark hair in disarray against her pillow. In the lamplight his pale skin seemed to shine with a deceptive inner fire, as though he had gained his twin's lightweaving. The glow on his skin shifted into a new pattern every time the lamp's flame danced.

Blythe felt her past self's heart skip a beat as she stared at her friend laying in front of her. Past-Blythe quickly looked away and back at the bowl, much to the annoyance of the person reliving this who appreciated the view, thank you very much.

Past-Blythe brought her fingertips to Etri's chest and begun tracing a pattern onto his skin. She was only as far as the first vertical line when he reached up to touch her braid. It had fallen over her shoulder and Blythe remembered thinking at the time that he was going to push it back for her, but this wasn't his intention. Instead he tugged away the ribbon securing the bottom and started to unbraid it with his deft fingers. “You would look pretty with your hair down. I mean, your hair would look nice framing your face. You are already very pretty.”

Past-Blythe's breath hitched and only partly from the affectionate words he spoke. At the time he had no idea of the intimacy he was implying with that deceptively simple action. She caught his wrist before he could finish freeing her hair. Blythe wished she hadn’t been so keen to follow tradition because she loved when Etri played with her hair. Her past self was missing out. “Please stop. Protectorates don't go out in public with their hair loose. Only their muses and immediate family can see them with their hair unbraided.”

Etri slid his hand into hers and entwined their fingers so she was holding this instead of his wrist. “I would be your muse if you asked.”

“You're delirious, Etch. This is the toxicant talking.” Past-Blythe's voice came out little more than a whisper. This was something she’d half-wanted for a very long time, although in hindsight Blythe knew she’d always wanted it entirely. Being neck-deep in denial really hadn’t done her any favors.

With his free hand, Etri reached up to bury his fingers in her loosened hair before letting go to gently pull her down to him. Past-Blythe didn’t resist and when Etri lifted his shoulders off the bed, she met him halfway. His kiss was everything her past self had hoped for. Even her current self, who, along with the help of a certain artist, had given Etri a lot more practice, couldn’t find any fault with it. Etri was gentle yet passionate. Firm, then letting her lead, then pulling her closer as he deepened the kiss. It was as they were in their relationship and in their role as sentinels: equal, balanced, and ever in tune with each other. While his lips and mouth were cold, his chill was something she had long grown accustomed to even back then and experiencing it in this unfamiliar way had only made her crave more of it. Her current self certainly wanted more.

Except past-Blythe came to her senses and realized it wasn't something that was hers to take. As Etri nuzzled against her neck, she pulled away. “No, Etch. We can't. The toxicant-”

Etri’s face went even more ashen than its usual pale hue. “Please tell me I did not cause it to harm you. I do not wish to hurt you. I never wish to hurt you.”

His concern, even while under the influence of something other than himself, tugged at Blythe's heart both in the past and in the present. Creators, she loved him so much. “No, it’s not that. Something like this can usually only be transferred by injection into the blood and my body could probably nullify it anyway. Healer, remember? What I meant was we can't do this. It wouldn't be right. I'm not going to take advantage of you.”

Etri’s disappointment was all but tangible and Blythe wished she could assure him that things would work out fine. Better than fine. Still, he was her friend and even in this state knew she wanted to protect him. He nodded and brushed her cheek with his hand, then tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. When he spoke, it was with a small, kind smile that both past and present Blythe found comforting. “Do as you think is best. I trust you. I always will.”

Past-Blythe smiled with relief and went back to tracing the healing pattern on his chest. Blythe, meanwhile, was caught between affection and the returning urge to smack him with the book sitting under the bowl of paste. The toxicant driving his actions had left Etri with no memory of this day and he’d waited months to make any kind of move again. Blythe had been too embarrassed to do this herself and if it hadn’t been for Adair blundering his way into their lives, they’d likely still be ignoring the elephant in the room. Granted it would have been a rather small elephant because the wagon could barely hold three people and a cat, and it was possible she might have just given in and kissed Etri senseless one day regardless of said elephant, but all-in-all, Blythe was quite thankful for Adair’s inadvertent nudging of the situation.

Whenever she landed in her own time again, she was going to show him how thankful she was. Then she would probably hit Etri with a book. Five months. Sheesh.

————— 

I’m going to tag people who expressed interest in being tagged in stories. If you don’t want to be on this list, let me know. And if you do want to be on this list, also let me know and I’ll add you. It’s all good. :) @ageekyreader @lynnafred @the-gay-hufflepuff @firewritten @joshuaorrizonte @writtenhastily @writerlydays @ava-burton-writing @josephmxa @megan-cutler @dragonscanbeplantstoo @alittle-writer @elliot-orion @perringcentral @an-author-in-progress @aceduchessdragoness @madmooninc @thatwriternamedvolk

[marauderundercover]

Taking Chances Ch. 22: Petrichor and Bibliosmia (Library/books)

AO3

Prev

Marinette frowned at the rain outside of her window. She had wanted to go to the botanical gardens with Harley and Ivy today. But with the rain, both women decided it would be better to just reschedule. They didn’t want her to get sick. Which, to be fair, was sweet. But still upsetting because she really wanted to go to the gardens. She’d planned on using the plants as inspiration to make something for Ivy.

“Tikki, I’m bored.” She says, looking at her smallest friend. Tikki just looks at her.

“You’ve been stuck inside because of the weather before, Marinette. Why don’t you design?” Tikki suggests. Marinette huffs, flopping back down onto the cushioned window seat.

“But there’s nothing inspiring in my room, Tikki.” She mumbles, before shooting back up. “Do you think any of the boys are here?” She asks.

“Only one way to find out!” Tikki says with a smile, obviously relieved to have avoided any more whining from Marinette. She jumps up, throwing one of Dick’s old hoodies on over her t-shirt. She’d always gotten cold easily, and becoming the holder of the Ladybug Miraculous didn’t help. That, and the manor was cold on a good day- it would probably be freezing with how bad the weather was. She slides down the banister, knowing her Dad was at work and couldn’t yell at her.

“Miss Marinette, if you insist on behaving like your brothers, I will have to resort to treating you like your brothers.” Alfred says with raised eyebrows. But she can sense the smile wanting to break through. She just grins apologetically.

“Sorry, Alfred.” She says. “Speaking of my brothers, are any of them here right now?” She asks. If they’re not, she could probably convince Alfred to bake something with her. As long as she promises not to slide down the banister again.

“I believe Master Jason is in the library. Masters Dick and Damian are in the gym and Master Tim is at Wayne Enterprises with your father.” He says and she hums, thinking. She could go do some training with Dick and Damian, or she could go sit and sketch in the library with Jason.

“Thanks Alfred!” She says, giving him a wide smile before turning and walking down one of the many halls. She glances in open doors as she walks. Despite having lived here for nearly a month, she still got lost going anywhere other than her room, the dining room, the kitchen, and the Batcave. They were kind of the places she’d gone the most. She could also easily find her dad’s study and the main sitting room, most of the time. But the library wasn’t really a place she’d spent a lot of time in. And while she loved Dick and Damian, she also knew that they hadn’t gotten time to hang out just the two of them in a while. She’d talked to Dick before, about how when their dad was missing, he was basically Damian’s father. She knew that bonds like that didn’t just go away, knew that neither boy wanted it to. So she figured she’d just annoy Jay instead of barging in on the others’ bonding time.

Finally finding the library, she grins. Pushing the cracked door open a little more, she moves into the room, jaw dropping. The floor to ceiling bookshelves were packed. There were huge overstuffed couches, and the large windows had window seats attached- perfect little reading nooks. Quickly making a mental note to come to the library more, she starts to search for Jay. She knew he had to be in here. Alfred is never wrong. She grins when she spots him, sitting in what looked like an insanely uncomfortable position, but one she knew from experience was the best.

“Whatchya reading?” She asks, walking over and getting comfortable on the couch next to him.

“<i>Pride and Prejudice<i>.” He says, continuing reading for a moment before putting a little scrap of paper in the book and shutting it. “What’s up, Pixie Pop?” He asks, looking at her with a grin. Marinette sighs dramatically and moves so that she’s upside down on the couch.

“It’s raining. And I was supposed to go to the gardens with Ivy and Harley but they canceled because of my ‘health’ and they were ‘concerned’.” She says with a pout.

“And you decided the library was the best place to curb your boredom? No offense kid, but you don’t seem like the type to read.” He says and she huffs.

“I like books! It’s just-” She pauses, remembering the way Lila had teased her for it back in Paris. Her classmates hadn’t joined in, not really. They’d just agreed that she was a little odd.

“You okay, Pix?” Jason asks, his earlier grin replaced with a slightly concerned look. Marinette winces and nods.

“Yeah it’s- I can read. I swear I can. But when I’m looking at a book, or an article or anything with a lot of text, it gets hard to pick out the pieces. Things just kind of swirl together and then I can’t decode it and I get frustrated and just stop reading. It sucks, ‘cause I do like books. I listen to audiobooks while doing commissions.” She rambles, stopping and turning red. Though that may be from hanging upside down on the couch. Sighing, she sits up and shrugs. “Sorry I’m so weird.” She says. Jason’s face morphs into a scowl.

“Just ‘cause you learn differently doesn’t mean you’re weird, kid. Just means you’ve got your own style. Don’t let any of those little shits you go to school with tell you differently.” He says, reaching out and ruffling her hair. She smiles at him, a genuine happy smile. She was so relieved that he didn’t think she was weird. Or stupid. Lila had thrown that word around. That one hurt. Marinette prided herself on her quick thinking and cleverness. And her grades. They were some of the best in the class! So for Lila to call her stupid…

“Pixie.” Jason says, drawing the nickname out in a sing-song voice. She looks at him and raises an eyebrow. “You were zoned out, kid. So, was there something ya wanna do?” He asks. Marinette glances down at the book in his hand and frowns.

“I don’t wanna keep you from reading. I can just sit in here with you. I’ll probably end up grabbing my sketchbook.” She says. Jason waves in a ‘no big deal’ motion.

“I’ve read this book a million times.” He reassures her. She glances at the cover again, realizing it’s not one she’s really heard much about before.

“What’s it about?” She asks. “I’ve never read it.” Jay’s face morphs into a huge grin.

“You said you like listening to books, right?” He asks. She nods. “Well, then settle in because I’m going to read to you.” He says proudly with a grin.

“Oh, you really don’t-” She tries to say. She didn’t want to make him read to her. That was not-

“Oh but I want to.” He says, effectively cutting off her mental ramble before she can complete her meltdown. “Listen Pix, this is one of my favorite books. If you go listen to some dumb audio book, you won’t get my commentary. Trust me, this is the best way for you to read the book.” He says and she snorts, shaking her head lightly.

“Okay, Jay, let’s read a book.”

---

Finally arriving home after being stuck at the office, Bruce sets off to find his daughter. Since his apology a few days ago, he’d attempted to make an effort to check in on her and see how she was doing. He tried to also do the same with the boys, but they had all given him odd looks, so he didn’t continue. He checks her room, the Batcave, the sitting room- nothing. He finally decides to check the kitchen. If he had to guess, she’d be there baking with Alfred. He walks in and sees Alfred, but no Marinette.

“Good evening, Alfred. Have you seen Marinette?” Bruce asks, silently hoping she hadn’t left the planet again.

“I believe she’s in the library with Master Jason.” Alfred says and Bruce blinks in surprise. He’d never seen her read a book before, while Jason always had a book on him. He supposed it could be a hobby of hers that he just hasn’t noticed. Or, she could have just followed Jason. Which seems more likely. The two of them were all but attached at the hip ever since the Gala. It was surprising, but at the same time welcoming. Thanking Alfred quickly, he walks towards the library. He’d just say hi and leave. No need to make them stop reading if they were having fun. Gently pushing open the library door he walks in and pauses at the sight. Marinette had wrapped herself in a blanket and was almost sitting on the edge of the couch, leaning forward with an intense look of concentration on her face. Jason had his legs swung over the arm of the couch and was reading out loud. Immediately recognizing the book as Jason’s favorite, Bruce slowly leaves the library, careful not to let the door slam. He’d have the chance to talk to Marinette later, but for now, he’d let the two continue reading in peace.

Next

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[slytherinbarnes]

Sub Rosa [76]

v. the gospel of josephine

Pairing: Bellamy Blake x reader

Word Count: 6.1k

Warnings: angst, anxiety, language, angst, drugging.

Summary: Something’s rotten in the state of Sanctum, and you’re hopeful you’ll soon find out what.

a/n: i officially finished writing and editing sub rosa yesterday! i can’t believe we are nearing the end of this journey! the taglist for this series is open! I hope you enjoy, please let me know what you think!!!

previous chapter // season masterlist // series masterlist

You wake up with a strong feeling of unease.

It’s strong enough to pull you out of sleep, strong enough to leave you feeling on edge for most of the morning. You don't know why or where it came from, considering the incredible night you had the night before, but it lingers around you, making you anxious. It’s strong enough that Bellamy notices and questions you about it, looking worried because you seem worried, but you reassure him that everything is okay, despite feeling like the opposite. 

You eagerly head downstairs once you and Bellamy are ready, accounting for all of your friends and family, except for one. 

Clarke. 

That sends your nerves into overdrive, but Bellamy reminds you that she was having fun with Cillian the night before, and they left in a fury of passion, meaning she probably slept at his place. He convinces you to let it go and not worry just yet, before the two of you sit down at the bar with Murphy. He’s already drinking, despite it being pretty early in the day, and you follow suit, throwing back a shot of some awful alcohol as soon as you sit down beside him. He turns to you with an appreciative smirk. “Now that’s what I’m talking about. I like this version of you.”

You and Bellamy both answer, “Quiet, Murphy.”

He raises his hands in surrender, sliding the shot in his hand over to you, which you take with a nod of thanks and quickly throw back, the liquid burning as it moves down your throat. The boys both order something to sip on, and you sit between them, waiting for the alcohol to dull the sharp edges of your nerves. Eventually Jordan comes wandering into the bar, babbling something about Delilah being unlike herself, and when you all look at him in confusion, he takes a breath and says, “Something about Delilah seems off, so I brought her some daisies and gave them to her, reminding her that she told me daisies are her favorite flower. She took them without arguing, agreeing that those are her favorite.”

Bellamy shakes his head, still confused. You watch his curls bounce as they move, bringing you an odd sense of comfort. “So?”

“So, yesterday she told me her favorite flowers are Calla Lilies.”

Murphy smirks and looks over at you and Bellamy, “Calla Lilies are nice.”

Bellamy holds his gaze before they both start giggling, but you keep a straight face, listening to Jordan’s fears, wondering if it has something to do with your unease. “I'm serious, something happened in that reliquary. It's like she doesn't even know me. “

Bellamy advises, “Just play it cool, she'll come around.”

You snort, thinking of Bellamy’s version of playing it cool with you, which involved a lot of anger and insults, leaving the two of you at odds until you were in direct danger of dying. He looks at you with a small smile, “What?”

You hide your smile and answer, “Nothing.”

Murphy adds onto Bellamy’s advice with a shrug, “Yeah, that and, like, maybe don't get flowers for a one night stand.”

You hear the door to the tavern open and you spin around quickly, a rush of relief washing over you when you see Clarke standing at the door. You and Bellamy wave to her, and you start to relax, until you see the guard standing near the door, clearly keeping an eye on your twin. Your unease comes rushing back again, reminding you that something isn’t right, though you still don’t know what. 

You see Madi jump up from her seat when she sees Clarke, running over and hugging her, speaking to her quickly before she runs off with a smile, grabbing her pack. You slide out of your seat when you see Gaia abruptly stand and step in Clarke’s way, and you start to move over to them, Bellamy following you, both of you catching the tail end of Gaia’s lecture to Clarke in Trigedasleng. “Wof em teik em nila reya? O, em’laik, ge jok op kom fayaslais?”

What if she skins her knee? Or, I don't know, gets a paper cut? You gather enough to guess that they must be talking about Madi, and Clarke glances at you as you approach, looking conflicted. You come to a stop beside Gaia, looking between them before your eyes land on your twin. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, fine. Where are the others?”

Bellamy, up to date on everyone's whereabouts, answers first, “One of the Primes is showing Raven and Emori how to build a radiation shield.” 

“Ryker?”

Bellamy nods, “Yeah, I sent Echo and Miller to watch their backs.”

Clarke turns to look at you, “And our mother?”

You sigh, “Still in the library. Jackson said he found her sleeping with her head on a book.”

Clarke nods, and then turns to Madi, who’s lingering nearby. “Speaking of books, let's get you to school.”

You and Gaia immediately start to argue, and you step closer to your twin, whispering low enough that only she can hear. “Clarke, what the hell? You just said yesterday it was too dangerous for Madi.”

She steps back with a smile, waving off your concern. “Chill out, she'll be fine.”

You give her a look of complete bewilderment, shocked to hear the words come out of her mouth. Even weirder, the tone of her voice sounds different, slightly higher pitched than normal. You turn to look at Bellamy, wondering if he’s catching onto her weirdness, and his brows are pulled together in confusion, but he looks more amused than anything. You, however, are not amused. You turn your gaze back to Clarke, repeating her words back to her. “Chill out?”

She shakes her head, not understanding your confusion. “What?”

You stare at her open mouthed, trying to figure out what to say, but Bellamy puts his hand on your arm, stopping you. He just smiles at Clarke, clearly enjoying this new side of her. “Nothing. We both just think that happiness looks good on you. I take it you had fun with the doctor?”

“Cillian?” A look of amusement passes over her face. “Let's just say it'll be a while until he recovers.”

You give her another weird look, unused to hearing anything about Clarke’s sex life. The two of you are close, but that’s not something either of you have ever really discussed. Hearing about it now, even in joke form, is strange. She doesn't seem to notice, because she starts to walk away, but you reach out and grab her arm, stopping her. “Wait, what’s up with the guard?”

“Apparently, people with blood like mine are a target. The Primes insisted.”

Blood like mine? You’re about to interrogate her further, but she pulls herself free from your grip with a smile. “Gotta go, don't want Madi to be late!”

And then she turns and heads towards the door before you can even make a sound of protest. Madi waves goodbye to you before she slips out the door, and you just stand frozen in place, dumbfounded. You’re pulled out of your shock when Gaia starts to rush past you and Bellamy, her pack in hand. Bellamy holds out an arm to stop her. “Gaia, slow down. Madi will be fine.”

You and Gaia both turn to look at him like he’s lost it too, and Gaia instantly argues, “Fine? They gave Clarke a bodyguard for being a Nightblood, and she just sends Madi to school?”

You’re interrupted by Blythe Ann, Delilah’s mother, walking over to the three of you, a tray on her hand. “Can I get you guys anything else?”

You shake your head, ready to finish your conversation with Gaia and Bellamy, but Jordan interrupts from his place beside Murphy. “Ma’am, can I ask you something?”

“Only if you call me BA.”

“What happened to Delilah last night?”

She freezes a little, and you can see her fighting back a wave of emotion as she robotically answers, “Our little girl became one with the Primes. You were there, what's wrong?”

Bellamy tries to stop the conversation before it gets into dangerous territory and threatens your fragile peace. “Ah, nothing's wrong.”

But Jordan answers her anyways, too determined to learn the truth, no matter what it may cost him, or the rest of you. “She's acting like she doesn't even know me, that's what's wrong.”

“Oh child, I miss her too. Priya's return blesses us all.”

She chokes out the last sentence, a forced smile on her face, before she turns away from all of you. Jordan walks closer to your group, looking very confused. “Priya's return blesses us all? What does that even mean?”

Gaia snaps back, “It means that they believe in something. That faith should be respected.”

She turns and stalks off, presumably to keep an eye on Madi, which you’re thankful for. Right now, Bellamy can sense the growing tension, and he turns to Jordan with a look of sympathy. “Jordan, we're guests here, and we need their help. I'm sure whatever happened between you and Priya-”

Jordan cuts him off, looking annoyed. “Delilah. It happened between me and Delilah. I know you think you need to protect us all because you couldn't protect Octavia, but I can take care of myself.”

You see a look of hurt pass over Bellamy's face at the mention of Octavia, but he doesn't get a chance to say anything in return, because Jordan turns and stalks off, leaving the two of you in the tavern. You reach out and squeeze his hand in comfort, but then your unease washes over you, reminding you of its presence, and you shake your head, looking out the door of the tavern. “Clarke seems off.”

Bellamy gives you a doubtful look. “She seems fine. Happy, even.”

“She told me to chill out, Bellamy. When has Clarke ever said chill out? In fact, when has Clarke herself ever chilled out?”

“She probably just picked it up from the doctor.”

“After one night?” He shrugs, and you cross your arms over your chest, challenging him. “Okay, and what about what she said about the guard? ‘People with blood like mine’? Why wouldn't she say blood like ours? Or Nightblood?”

Bellamy just shakes his head. “She probably just misspoke. I know you’re on edge today, but everything is fine, la lune.”

You give him a surprised look and whisper, “You never call me la lune.”

“Is that okay? I’ve always felt like it was a family only thing, and I didn't wanna assume-”

You cut him off by reaching out and pulling him into a kiss, silencing all of his fears. You pull away enough to say, “Yu laik ai seingeda.”

You are my family. His face splits into a grin and he whispers back, “And you are mine.”

“Good.” You step back a little, looking up at him. “This better not be the end of blainen natshana though. I like that nickname too.”

“It won’t be, I just like to have options.” You laugh, shaking your head at him, your earlier unease temporarily forgotten. Bellamy takes advantage of the moment and nods towards the bar. “I got access to a map earlier today, you wanna look it over?”

“Sure.”

He walks over to the bar and grabs the map, rolled up and waiting, along with Murphy, dragging him over to a little table to join the two of you as Bellamy unrolls the map for all of you to look over. It’s pretty bleak, most of the map labeled as uncharted territory, which Bellamy mentions. “200 years, this is all they mapped.”

Murphy muses, “Why leave when you're safe, right?”

You turn to Murphy with a smirk, “Oh, come on, Murphy. Where's your sense of adventure? We're pioneers!”

“I don't want to be pioneers. Pioneers find the red zone and wind up dead, or get caught in randomly occurring, psychosis inducing eclipses. You really want to go through that again?” Bellamy absentmindedly grazes the stab wound on his thigh, and your fingers ghost over the bruises on your neck. Once he’s sure neither of you want to experience that again, Murphy adds, “I've been asking around. Apparently, this whole thing's built on top of cave systems. The bugs start to freak out, the party goes underground.”

Bellamy shrugs, “Right, so we find our own cave system, and Raven builds us a radiation shield. Murphy, we can't stay here forever. And even if we could, what about the other 400 of us?”

Murphy looks ready to argue Bellamy’s point when the intercom in Sanctum fires up, announcing the start of a funeral. You all pause and listen, and as it finishes, Blythe Ann calls out to the three of you, “Rose is being offered to the woods. All of you are welcome.”

“Thank you.”

Murphy glares at Bellamy. “Don't even think about asking me to go to that funeral. Seriously, take Jordan. It'll get his mind off of being dumped.”

You all look around the tavern, searching for him. “Where is Jordan anyway?”

Bellamy sighs, rolling up the map as he looks towards the door. “I think I know where he is, come on.”

You start to follow Bellamy when he steps away from the table, but Murphy stays firmly rooted in place. Bellamy glances back at him, reminding him of your earlier joke. “Hey, suit yourself. But if he gets us kicked out, you're a pioneer.”

Murphy rolls his eyes and stands, following you and Bellamy out of the tavern. You all watch as people file towards the stairs to head into the woods, and Bellamy waits until no one is looking your way before he leads you over to the palace, careful to weave between buildings and stay hidden. The three of you run up the hill to the palace, but instead of going up the stairs to the main building, you jog to the door on the bottom level, the one that leads to the reliquary. When you reach the door, the keypad is hanging off, the wires exposed. “Like father, like son.”

Bellamy pushes the door open slowly, hesitant, checking to make sure no one is waiting for all of you on the other side. Once he sees that it’s clear, he slips inside, motioning for the two of you to follow him. You step into a large room, mostly dark, save for the light that comes through a window in the center of the room, casting an eerie glow on the room full of...skeletons. You get a chill down your spine, bringing back your unease in full force as you look at the skeletons lined up in the center of the room and Murphy mutters, “You gotta be kidding me. Which part of ‘I hate dead people’ did you not understand?”

“Quiet, Murphy.” Murphy gives Bellamy a look but goes silent, but you shake your head, agreeing with Murphy. “Bellamy, I don’t like this.”

Bellamy gives you a reassuring look before he calls out into the room, “Jordan, we know you're in here.”

Jordan steps out of the shadows, looking at the three of you, and Bellamy shakes his head. “What the hell are you doing?”

“What you would've done, the you before Praimfaya anyway. That was my favorite Bellamy.”

The door behind you suddenly closes, and you look towards it in shock, eyes falling on Gaia. You nod, “You too?”

“They worship Nightbloods. I'd like to understand why that is.”

Murphy quips, “I'd like to leave. There's no way I'm getting thrown out of the one safe place on this moon because you got dumped.”

Gaia starts to wander over to the skeletons, looking at them closely, while Jordan disappears to the back wall, looking it over. You, Bellamy, and Murphy all linger near the door, not too eager to get closer to the skeletons, when the door slides open again and Clarke steps into view. Her tone is scolding as she looks you all over, “This is Sanctum's holiest place, you shouldn't be here.”

You give her a weird look, wondering why she gives a shit about Sanctum’s holiest place, and she must catch it because she gives you a sheepish look. “I'm sorry. I just, uh, I saw you on the steps.”

“Does that mean your bodyguard could too?”

She nods, “Good point, let's take this outside.”

But Gaia argues from her spot nearby, “Not yet.” You look over at her, watching her run a finger over the back of one of the skulls, her expression one of awe. “The mark of the Flame? They're all Commanders.”

You exchange a look with Bellamy before you walk over to the skeleton, seeing the infinity symbol imprinted on the back of the skull. You think of your first day in Sanctum, of the flag Emori pointed out to all of you. “That's why the symbol was on the flag.”

Bellamy starts to walk among the skeletons, coming to a stop in the center of the room, looking around at them. “The ones in the front row must be the original Eligius team, there's 12 of them. Oh, and they take kids.”

Clarke counters, “Familial love is a powerful motivator. People will do anything to ensure the survival of the ones they love. Now let's ensure our survival and get the hell out of here.”

You all start to step towards her, intending to leave, until you hear the scrape of a door opening. When you follow the sound, you see Jordan standing at an open door, and you all walk over to join him, flicking on a light inside the newly exposed room. You get another chill when your eyes land on an operating room, fresh Nightblood staining a pile of gauze near the operating table in the center of the room. Murphy eyes it with unease. “Operating room attached to a crypt. Really?”

Jordan spots something and rushes inside, grabbing a pile of pink fabric, neatly folded and placed on a table. He holds it up for the rest of you to see, “She was here. This was Delilah's, I'm sure of it! Still think I'm overreacting?”

You all step into the operating room, and Bellamy looks your way as he begins to think out loud. “Okay, let's think this through. Becca created the Flame after apocalypse one. She obviously provided the tech to Eligius III before that. That means that-”

Gaia cuts him off, voice full of realization. “They're not Commanders.”

You look at your boyfriend, fighting back your growing anxiety. “So what the hell are they?”

Jordan spots a computer on the other side of the room and makes a beeline for it, plopping into the chair and firing it up. “Let's find out.”

You all gather around him as he starts to type away on the keyboard, and Murphy jokes, “Monty taught him how to hack too. That's my kind of parenting.”

Jordan clarifies, “No hacking needed. The Eligius systems all use the same access code.”

He types in the access code, clicking on a few things until he pulls up a list of video files. You quickly scan the names of the files, pointing out one that sounds promising. “Eureka, try that.”

Jordan clicks on the file, and a bearded man appears on the screen in full view. Behind him is a second man, much older, and a young woman tied down to the operating table that stands behind you. You watch the man take a deep breath and begin, “Here we go again. Today's subject is Brooke, Earth embryo 47. Presents with black blood; 21 Earth years old, 22 doing time in the incubator.”

You and Bellamy exchange a look as the other man encourages, “You can do this, Gabriel. Twenty five years of work, the failures. This is the one.”

Gabriel continues, “If I'm right, the reason all previous metempsychosis trials have failed is because the host's neuroanatomy was not developed enough to support the file size of a mature human mind.”

File size of a mature human mind? You hate the sound of that, and you glance over at your twin, searching for the unease you’re sure she must feel. You’re surprised to find her expression passive, not yet concerned with the events on screen. You turn back to the screen as you hear the girl start to struggle, watching as Gabriel injects something into her arm, and she eventually grows still. You all watch in horror as Gabriel stands staring at the screens around the room, monitoring scans of the girl’s brain, muttering about different areas going dormant. Jordan’s voice is a quiet whisper when he chokes out, “Did they just kill that girl? Did we just watch someone die?”

None of you answer, too enthralled with what’s on the screen, because now the two men are holding up a small piece of hardware, reminding you so much of the Flame. “The body's ready.”

And just like the Flame, they insert it into the back of her neck, though they don't use any passphrases. They just cut the girls neck open and insert the tech inside before stitching her up again, and then they sit back and wait. Jordan skips through the video a little, the two men waiting for a while, playing it again as the young girl blinks awake slowly and the older man calls out, “Something's happening, she's waking up. Josephine, can you hear me?”

At the mention of the name, you go completely still, looking over at your twin, remembering what she told you yesterday. But still, her expression is impassive, seemingly unshocked to hear the name. When she senses you looking at her she meets your eyes, her expression turning to one of worry once you lock gazes. You mutter to the others, “Josephine was Russell’s daughter.”

You turn back to the screen as the girl lets out a blood curdling screen, and you turn back in time to watch her fall off the operating tables and scramble back into the corner. Gabriel drops in front of her, moving slowly, trying to soothe her, and he finally whispers, “I've spent the last 25 years trying to bring you back.”

The other man tries to get close to Josephine, but she presses herself into the glass at her back, trying to get away. Gabriel starts to soothe her, whispering, “It's okay, it's okay. It wasn't his fault, it was the red sun.”

“The eclipse, I was right.”

Gabriel nods, “Yes, you were. It turns out it affects more than just insects.”

Josephine seems to think for a minute, before a realization hits her. “Our memory drives. You reverse engineered them to upload our entire minds. That's brilliant!”

You look at Bellamy, both of you looking horrified as you start to put the pieces together. On screen, Josephine hugs both men, but you ignore it, too focused on looking at your twin, trying to gauge her reaction. But when you look her way, she just seems lost in her own head, a faraway look on her face. You reach out and take her hand, bringing her back to you as Gabriel concludes, “The key is a fully developed brain. Once the adult host's consciousness is gone, the mind stored in the drive uploads with ease. Now, we still have loads of tests to run, but so far, Josie's consciousness, herself, appears to be whole. In other words, eureka. More soon.”

And then the video ends, leaving all of you staring at the screen, stunned. Murphy is the first to break the silence. “They're immortal.”

Jordan counters, “They're murderers. They murdered Delilah.”

Clarke shakes her head, looking at all of you. “It's not murder if they go willingly.”

Jordan’s anger rises, his voice breaking as he yells, “Did that girl look willing to you?!”

Gaia adds, disgusted, “That's how they made it better, easier, by manipulating people into believing they were sacrificing themselves to some false gods. 'Becoming one with the primes' like Delilah's mother said.”

“Well, so much for respecting their faith.” You all look at Murphy in shock, and he adds, “I mean, no offense. You let a bunch of kids fight to the death to become your God.”

“Murphy, that's enough.” Bellamy turns to your twin, who has now dropped your hand and stepped away a little, silent. “Clarke, you're okay with this?”

“Well, I didn't say that. I just don't think they pose a threat to us, that's all.”

You turn to her incredulous, not understanding how she isn’t more bothered by this. “Clarke, they literally pose a threat to you because they know you're a Nightblood! And based on what we just saw, I'm thinking that's the only reason they let us stay!”

Gaia starts to step away, face pulled into horror as she moves to the door. “Madi.”

You feel a wave of nausea roll over you at the thought of your Nightblood niece away from all of you, potentially in harm's way. Gaia looks at you, “I have to get her before they find out what she is.”

You nod, letting her know you agree, and Clarke calls out, “I'll go with you.”

As she starts to walk past you, Bellamy says, “Bring her back to the tavern so we can decide what to do.”

Clarke nods, and you watch her leave, following Gaia, before the rest of you step back into the creepy skeleton room, now understanding that these are all the bodies from the previous hosts. Jordan stands in front of the one labeled Priya, looking absolutely devastated. “These are all her.”

Bellamy looks towards him, his voice low. “Jordan, I'm sorry I doubted you.”

Jordan nods, silently accepting his apology, before Bellamy adds, “Log out of the system, we need to cover our tracks.”

Jordan heads back into the lab to hide any evidence that you were even here, and the two of you turn to Murphy, who lets out a sigh. “I hate to say it, but I agree with Clarke. This isn't our fight.”

You give him a confused look. “You still want to stay?”

“I want to live, only these people know how to do that forever, as it turns out. That wouldn't suck either.”

Bellamy shakes his head, pretending he isn't hearing what he's hearing from Murphy. “Reattach the keypad outside the tunnel. We're right behind you.”

Murphy looks at him for a long second before he nods and steps out the door, leaving you and Bellamy alone in the center of the room. You look at each other, unease surrounding you both, your boyfriend appearing just as anxious as you are. “Right now, they only know Clarke is a Nightblood. We need to make sure they don't find out about you and Madi. It’ll be much easier to keep Clarke safe if she’s the only one we need to protect.”

You nod, tears welling up in your eyes as you think about the danger the three of you are in, now at risk of being body snatched by a group of people you could care less about. “I’m scared, Bellamy.”

He pulls you into his arms, holding you tight against him as he whispers into your hair, “I am too, but I’ll keep you safe.”

You both pull away when you hear Jordan come out of the lab, turning off the light and closing the door behind him. You give him a serious look, “Everything taken care of?”

“No one will ever know we were here.”

“Good.” You look at the skeletons, circled around you like a small army. “Then let’s get the hell out of here.”

The three of you slip out of the door and join Murphy outside, the suns of Sanctum now set, darkness now blanketing the village. You realize now all of you must have been in there for a while, and you hope no one noticed your absence while you were gone. You, Murphy, Bellamy, and Jordan all head back to the tavern, opening the doors to find everyone has returned from the funeral held for Rose. You grab one of the larger tables, plopping down into a chair while the boys grab drinks, setting them around the table before settling into their spots. Bellamy slides into the chair beside you, both of you pressed together, seeking each other’s comfort to keep your unease at bay. Gaia, Madi, and Clarke come into the tavern a few minutes later, joining you at your table. Clarke sits at the head and Madi sits across from you, while Murphy sits across from Bellamy and Jordan and Gaia sit at the other end. 

You fill Madi in on everything you’ve learned since seeing her last, letting her know how much danger all of you are truly in. Clarke sits silently through the whole thing, allowing you and Bellamy to catch her up, and at the end of the rundown, Madi turns to Clarke, noticing her silence. “Clarke, you realize staying says we're okay with what they're doing.”

“Yeah, and what's the alternative?” You all look over to Murphy, who takes a sip of his drink before continuing, “Go back to space? Sleep for another hundred years on our way to a planet even less likely to support life?”

“Build our own compound. Emori, Echo and Raven will be back in the morning. They'll know everything we need to build a radiation shield. After that, it's just hard work.” 

Murphy counters, “Over how many lifetimes? No, seriously, how many eclipses? How many swarms? How many terrorist attacks?”

Clarke nods, “I agree with John.”

You look at Clarke, brows pulling together. John? Never in the time since meeting Murphy have any of you called him John, other than Emori and your mom. But Clarke continues speaking like she didn't just say the weirdest thing you’ve ever heard. “I don't like who they are either, but we need them to survive.”

You glance at Bellamy, who is watching Clarke closely, and you spare a glance at Murphy, who also picked up on the weird name drop moment. You shake your head at her, looking at Clarke like you have no idea who she is. “What the hell is wrong with you? You’re way too calm about this, Clarke.”

She opens her mouth to answer, but Jordan, who has had his eyes locked on Priya across the room, speaks before Clarke can get the chance. “They're murderers, raising people to give up their bodies, brainwashing them into believing they're gods.”

“He's right. It's a perversion of everything Bekka Pramheda believed. The Flame was about passing wisdom on to the next line, not keeping it all to yourself.”

Murphy, ever critical of the Grounder religion, counters, “Yeah, well, no offense, but Becca wasn't a god either. She was a scientist who made herself a Nightblood in the lab the same way Abby did to Clarke.”

Out of the corner of your eye, you see Clarke freeze up a little, shocked by the words. You turn to her, about to ask what’s wrong, when Jordan suddenly bolts from the table, practically running over to Priya. You and Bellamy jump up after him as he snaps at the Prime, “I know what you did.”

You and Bellamy each grab one of Jordan's arms, holding him back and warning, “Hey, bad idea.”

Jae looks at Jordan with concern. “Is everything okay here?”

“How can you be okay? She was your child.”

Priya seems to understand what’s happening, because she turns to face Jordan head on. “I know you miss Delilah, hallowed be her name. But she's happy, Jordan. She wants you to know that.”

The words freeze Jordan up just enough for you and Bellamy to drag him back to the table and force him into his chair. As you reach the table, you see that one of the chairs is now empty, your group missing one person. 

Clarke. 

You look around the tavern, eyes falling on a blonde haired person slipping out of the building without another word. You turn to Bellamy, your voice low enough for just him to hear, and you whisper, “Something is wrong with Clarke, and she’s walking out of the tavern right now. We have to talk to her.”

He nods, backing you up, and the two of you jog to the exit of the building, stepping out into the cool night air, searching for Clarke. Bellamy spots her first, walking just ahead past a row of buildings, and the two of you walk quickly behind her, calling out, “Clarke!”

She turns around, stopping in place, looking at you with concern. “Everything okay?”

Something inside of you tells you to answer in Trig. You don't know why, but you listen to the voice, answering, “Flish em of. Osir gaf in chich yu op soulou. Kom nau.”

Get rid of her. We need to talk to you alone. Now. She looks at you for a long second, face blank, and you glance at Bellamy, finding that he is just as confused. Clarke was fluent in Trigedasleng long before the rest of you, thanks to her three months of isolation after Mount Weather, and it’s never taken her so long to translate before. But she finally does, turning to look at the guard that lingers nearby. “Give us a minute.”

The guard stands up straighter, indicating that she’s going nowhere, and Clarke sighs and motions to the building beside you. “Fine, we'll go in here.”

You and Bellamy follow her inside, turning on her as soon as she closes the door. “Where were you going?”

“To see our mother. What's wrong?”

You shake your head at her. “How are we on different sides of this?”

“I know how they survive seems harsh. But from what I've seen, these people are happy. Their world works, we destroyed ours.”

Bellamy gives her a hard look. “This isn't about us.”

“So we can judge them but not ourselves?”

“You know I judge myself every day.” Bellamy looks over at you, his eyes telling you he’s going to test a theory as he walks closer to her, answering in Trigedasleng. “You want to know the difference between us and them? Ai sin in feis-de kom keryon ai don rip klin ona flashpa, nou ona fleta.”

I see the faces of the people I've killed when I dream, not in the mirror. Clarke stares at him for a long second, and then she asks, “I'm sorry. Can you repeat that last phrase? It sounds like Flashpa means flashback. So was it a dream?”

You freeze in place, the sudden roar of blood rushing in your ears the only thing you hear. You look at your twin, the pieces suddenly falling into place. The uneasy feeling you’ve had all day, the weird language, strange behavior. Bellamy connects the dots too, because he grabs Clarke and slams her into the wall of the building, pinning her in place with his arm at her neck. “Who are you?”

She surprises you by stabbing him in the neck with something, and you watch Bellamy fall to the ground, your stomach sinking with dread. You run over to him, calling out, “Bellamy!”

You drop down to Bellamy’s side, eyes catching the rise and fall of his chest, your fingers reaching up to his neck to check his pulse. You sigh in relief as it thumps steadily beneath your fingers, and your brain registers the feeling of danger seconds before you feel a prick in your neck. Clarke drops something near your feet, and you get a glimpse of it as you start to fall, some sort of Sanctum tranq stick. You hit the ground beside Bellamy, panicking when you realize that you can't move, cant speak, can't scream. Your body is frozen for real this time, triggered by something in the sedative, and the only thing you have control over is your eyes. You see darkness creeping up at the edge of your vision, and your eyes are wide with fear as Clarke’s face drops into your line of sight, a smile on her face as she answers Bellamy’s earlier question. “Josephine Lightbourne, nice to meet you.”

You feel a rush of crushing anguish, and if you weren't temporarily paralyzed you're sure that you’d fall apart, letting out a scream that would break this entire moon in half. Tears immediately flood to your eyes instead, blurring your vision as the darkness rushes closer, your mind running over one thought over and over. Once the adult’s consciousness is gone. Josephine Lightbourne, nice to meet you. Once the adult’s consciousness is gone. Josephine Lightbourne, nice to meet you. Once the adult’s consciousness is gone. Josephine Lightbourne, nice to meet you. 

The last realization you have before you get sucked into the darkness is that Clarke Griffin, your sister, your twin, your shining star, 

is dead.

Gone forever. 

-

next chapter

[popculturebuffet]

The Loud House Reviews: The Boss Maybe/ Family Bonding

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Loud House weekly coverage continues as Leni is pushed into the deep end of responsiblity and taking over Lori’s old role of babysitter while her parents are gone and promptly drowns in a sea of comedy clubs, human body parts both on screen and in the fridge, old men in holes and indoor beach volley ball. 

First things first: Last week I forgot to mention Rusty’s mustache freezing off as god, wether it be the judeo-christian god, Odin, that prick Zeus, the flying spagehtti monster or one of many other gods out there. Perhaps all of them did it at once out of hatred for the little weiner. Maybe one of them finally answered my prayers which in that case, that was nice and all but there are far worse things going on i’d prefer you took care of. Also the “stuff I couldn’t fathom” turned out to be just more loudcest, because of course it did. Loudcest is like David Spade, you think it’s finally gone or isn’t doing as much but then it comes around and makes the wrong missy and you waste 90 minutes of your life thinking i’td be so bad it’s good when it’s really just boring and a waste of it’s main actress talent. I lost track of that metaphor, but Loudcest is like david spade in that people like it for reasons I can’t fathom and it hasn’t quietly faded into the background for reasons I can’t fathom, though at least david spade was funny once. So maybe Loudcest isn’t like david spade. or maybe i’ve been taking too long with this bit. 

But whlie last week was a bit wonky it also had a lot to setup.. but now it’s time to see what the show does with all the setup over, and a lot of new possiblities ahead. PItter Patter!

The Boss Maybe Ah now this is exactly what I was hoping for this season. New situations brought about by the year-up and all the changes it brought, with the same old heart and humor and character progression that drew me back into the show. This is the kind of episode i love and have talked about in the past and dosen’t fall into any of the shows usual pitfalls in the process. Just great. I could end it there but I haven’t shut up before why do it now.  So this episode focuses on Leni who I talked about a bit last week and easily had the best plot and in general tends to have good episodes, both before and after the show became an ensemble piece, and even in episodes without her tends to slide in just fine. She’s always a nice breath of fresh air when she shows up. 

I think that’s due to a number of things. For one it’s how sweet a person she is: She’s genuinely nice, kind and well meaning. While she is dumb as a box of rocks that resemble Pauly Shore, what I like is her stupidity isn’t malicious, or overused for misery. She causes comical injuries from time to time with it but she’s quick to apologize iff she realises it and usualyly has no ill will to anybody unless provoked or fighting Lori over a dress despite them wearing the same clothes all the time. I know standard animation thing but it’s always weird to me when shows with a stock outfit for a character have a fashionista, and prefer when shows have stylish characters actually change outfits like Kim Possible did with it’s title character, Xiaolin Showdown did with Kimiko and of all things LIttlest Petshop did with Blythe. Granted Blythe is a nothing of a character but still, credit where it’s due. But I do get this is also a nick show and they givet hem the budget of 50 cents and a network memo that says “BEG US FOR MORE MONEY” written in blood, so fair enough. 

That aside she’s just plesant to watch. The other factor is Liliana Mumy. If you haven’t heard of her , she’s a vetran voice actress whose been doing this on and off since she was a kid, voicing Panini on chowder as a child and later going on to voice Beth in bravest warriors among other roles. Why she only does work so ocasionaly I have no idea but when she does she’s great. She’s also the son of fellow child actor BIll Mumy, aka the guy who as a kid played Anthony Fremont from the Twilight Zone classic “It’s A Good Life”, which if you haven’t seen it is about a small child who has the power of a god and thus can banish people who are “bad”, i.e. disobey him and thus rules over a small town as a creepy and cruel despot. Oh and he can read minds so if you dare to have a thought he dosen’t like your getting banished, with no telling what that means or where anyone disappeared goes. It’s good stuff. Highly recommend it, Mumy is absolutley terrifing and a brilliant actor even at that age and I wish he’d done more as an adult. I also bring it up because Lily played his daughter when they did a sequel episode during the UPN version of the show, set decades later and showing just what the little terror was like grown up... as well as what happens when his DAUGHTER gets the power. It was also really good and worth a watch after the first one. Good stuff. 

TLDR: Leni is one of my faviorites, so’s her voice actress, i’ve rambled enough about unrelated stuff at this point. 

We open at the mall, where for Leni life begins after schol, that’s when we bend all the rules time to hang with all her friends in the place where she belongs!

I mean technically she’s 17 now, but she was 16 when she started this job and none of them were 16 by the time the show ended so nyeh. This started in season 3 when the show started giving the girls not just their own stories but their own supporting casts., storylines, love intrests etc. Luna and Luaan got their romance plots with Sam and Benny, Lori got her college plot towards the end of the season, Lynn’s friends started showing up in her plots more, Luna’s mortuariy club went from assorted background friends of hers to a full fleged supporting crew, and of course Lincoln’s friend group started to become a recurring part of his plots away from his sisters. 

For Leni, being one of the only three kids that could legally work at the time, another possible plot to dig into, and with Luna having way less incentive to get a 9-5 job with her music to work on and the fact we’ve seen her use said music to make money once in a blue moon, Leni was a good choice. It gave her something she was good at besides fashion, even if it’s fashion adjacent and gave us a new supporting cast for those stories: Her boss Mrs. Redinger, your standard “i’m tough by fair” type, and her new friends Fiona and Miguel, two fellow fashion savy teens played by actors i’d never heard of but who do a damn good job and play off her well, with both being a bit sarcastic but Fiona being a bit more mopey and deadpan and Miguel being a possibly but defintely gay teen. Both play off her well by being more down to earth and more wiling to be negative, but still enjoyable enough to be around you can buy them being friends with Leni and their a stellar addition to the cast. I wish, much like we’ve gotten with Liam lately, we could see more of them outside leni stories. Their a treat. 

But I really like Leni’s work there. Besides the cast it puts Leni in a role of responsiblity she excels at. My only real problem is her boyfriend, maybe I dunno, Chaz, one of the ONLY love intrests from l is for love to get mentioned again and one of the more intresting ones, never shows up despite also working at hte mall and the story potetial of them working for rival stores or the same store. I mean I can’t blame them for not throwing another love intrest on the pile when they had two ongoing romance plots, but now both Luna and Luann are on steady ground with their steadies, it’s time to pull that trigger, get off hte ground and eat that horse. Also let LIncoln have one again will ya? It dosen’t have to be stella but Girl Jordan is right there, i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again.. where is she. And if not her just make one you’ve proven to actually be really good at it. 

Where was I? Ah yes the mall. Leni is doing great at her job, suggesting some gloves to scoots, who ceases being skeptical when a hunky younger man of 30 something compliments her on them them chases off after him. If you don’t remember who scoots was that’s the old lady on a scooter who makes troulbe and appareltly can still get it. Good for her. Granted this is coming from someone who ships eda and stan pines still even though it’s now revealed she’s 30 but... frankly I don’t think age is a concern with her and stan can make this joke, so it evens out. 

I mean he would right? I”m getting off topic even more than usual, point is Leni is doing great and her boss takes her to the break room for cake room... it’s just the one cake but can you imagine a cake room? that’s the life. Just a fridgerated room full of cake. 

Turns out she’s EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH. And she didn’t have to chain squidward to an ancient battle ship to get it or anything. After some confusion, Fiona has to clarify it’s NOT her birthday because of course she does, Leni is proud. Full of cake and pride she tells her mom whose decided to reward her good job at work.. by dumping a bunch of respnosiblity on her.  I kid. Rita is being somewhat resonable here. She asks Leni to take over Lori’s old role of babysitting/making sure the other 10, now 9 kids don’t burn the house down... no really she actually specifies that when leaving in the next scene. Which.. fair enough.. you have 11 kids, all likely to plug in a lot of stuff especially Luna and Lisa, said Lisa is a mad scientest who ends up nearly being the one to do it this time, Lynn has no common sense, and the younger ones who aren’t mad scientst are still reckless and vain and combattive respectivley so the odds of a house fire nearly breaking out on any given night are 1:1. But Leni in a show of self doubt that’s rare for her is scared (Though her revealing that by answering a question of how she’d feel about about babysitting the kids with “Scared” was fucking gold. I swear Lily’s deliveries are always so great. ), and while Rita assures her she’s not sure. But as I said, she is being resonable: While Leni’s not the brightest she’s kind, she’s been shown even before her recent major award she’s responsible, she’s babysat for other people’s kids, and she’s kind. I mean they COULD put Luna or Luaan in charge but while when I first read the preview blurb for this episode I was cuirous why they didn’t think of that or thought they would, this episode does a good job presenting WHY they’d do it, while other episodes fill in the gaps: Luna is a bit reckless and Luaan can get caught up in her bidness and as we know once a week goes through the green door and comes out a gamma monster fuled by the sound of her own laughter, a horrible mixture of the joker and madman.. the leader’s insane brother. I’m a huge nerd, you all know this. Leni is the right choice.

Despite her nerves Leni has little choice but to take it on and Mr. Loud proudly sees her out with ye olde english as he and Rita, with lily in a cute little knight’s helmet in tow, are going to a renisance fair to cater, with Lynn Sr needing the backup. And while you may say “what about his staff”.. their either going with and he just needs an extra pair of hands since it’ll be nuts, or some of them are staying behind to man Lynn’s Table while he’s out on his catering gig. I mean the man has plenty of time for his kids, he’s not at the restraunt 24 hours a day. Someone else has to run it when he’s gone. I asked internally why they didn’t just take them along.. then reminded myself that taking all 11 kids to the faire at once, without anyone to watch them and likely having to call in favors when jsuta s likely, Lynn Sr and Rita can take them all another day with presumibly free passes as part of the catering job as that sounds like the kinda thing he’d do. Also Senior’s into scarf’s now thanks to Leni, which I love. Looks good on him. Hank should give her a call. Ascots may be out but I think he could rock a scarf. I’ve had ventures on the brain.  What follows is naturally Leni having several panic attacks as chaos naturally insues btu without Lori’s lifetime of experince dealing with it. IT’s a nice dynamic: Leni, as we’ve established, has always been sort of Lori’s sidekick, her best friend, her amigo. Sure they fight, siblings do that, but they’ll always be there for each other when it counts. SHe’s never really had to THINK without her or be without her, so throwing her into the deep end of taking care of the kids really leaves her shook. It’s a HARD job, it’s probably why the louds don’t bring in babysitters often: there are 11 kids to look after, 10 now and only 9 tonight but still a LOT of them and most of htem pretty high maintince. It was just easier with Lori because she grew up knowing each of them, knowing each of their weaknesses and putting the fear of her righteous wrath into them. They’ve spent their whole lives looking up to her, literally and figuratvely, as their big sister and respecting her as the biggest authority in the house that’s nto her parents, sometimes bigger. Those aren’t just big shoes to fill , their Galactus size and that combined with her big sister worship leaves Leni understandably scared, lost and frequently paralized with anxiety this episode.  No really multiple times she just freezes and one times she screams. As someone with Anxiety disorder I related to this.. sometimes you either just break down or you just FREEZE from the stress and everything hitting you at once and have no idea how to progress while people are still barking at you to do something. It’s a lot but it was a nice touch that really added to her sympathy.   And her anxiety is also understandable when she’s being hit with 80 problems at once, which i’ll tackle all at once here rather than in order as this episode has a really frentic and good pace: while it follows the formula of “Leni runs into a problem, Leni freezes, then Leni gets help from Lori twice hten mr.grouse, more on that in am inute”, the quick pace and great jokes help keep things from feeling too repetivie. 

Anyways the chaos: Just from the start Lucy puts a possibly human liver in the fridge, Lana eats all the cookies then gets skunked by her pet skun, and Lola and Lynn get into a fight over 5 bucks Lynn found, and since Leni can’t just let one kill the other as nature intended she has to fix all this.. mostly by removing the smell with tomato juice and scaring off the skunk and cutting the dolar bill in half. Money dosen’t work that way as both sisters point out but frankly it’s Lola and Lynn, I don’t care who they feel. 

Meanwhile two of my other faviorties get into a tiff over their room: Luaan turns it into a comedy club and kicks luna out, with Scoots and her new man returning. Again, get it girl, get it, and Leni, under Lori’s advice, pretneding to be a fire marshall.. only for Luna towarsd the end to turn it into her own rock club. Lisa creates a corossive super substance that burns a hole in the floor, Lana continues to grapple with the skunk and finally Lincoln and Clyde.. watch a scary movie despite Lucy’s warnings.. and Lucy does something else.. I think? It was a chaotic episode with a lot of set pieces so forgive me if I forgot one of them. Honestly she’s the most well behaved there.But yeah as per the cliche Lincoln and Clyde, after Leni gets the wifi fixed with Mr. Grouse’s help, they get super scared and freaked. Everyomne is freaking, the house is falling apart and Senior wants permission to wear a pinky ring via thought cloud.. which.. no man no. Scarves yes but no one looks good with a pinky ring. No one. And I say that as amporphous blob covered in hair, sweat and regrets. 

As for how Leni deals with all this she leans on Lori, calling her twice, but at inportune times: during a golf game and at the library where said phone gets taken. Granted, I don’t get why she didn’t have it on silent, as I would in those situations, but then we wouldn’t have an excuse to include her and it feels necessary to show WHY Lori can’t just help all night or reassure her sister and with Lori gone the panic only intensifies. As I said she gets paralized with fear and later just outright screams.. which attracts an irate Mr Grouse, the next door neighbor who I need to watch more of’s episodes. Including 12 louds of leapin.. I know i’m way overdue on that. This december. Promise. 

The old man who yells at Louds helps for a bit, helping get rid of a beach Lynn set up because she’s lynn, she has the consderation of a puppy, but eventually falls in a hole like most great heroes and most elderly people. I mean the ones up the street at the retierment home must fall in once a week. They get out of course because the assitant living mole lets them ride out as it digs into the walls. Or maybe that was just a hallucination.  Eventually though the start at her job comes back as she calls the only people she has left for help: Fiona and Miguel, who are at the mall in chairs because of courser they are, and both are confused why she’s so helpless: She’s fantastic at work, she’s kind, confident and smart.. about certain things, she can do this. Besides helping her confidence with this really sweet moment they also give her a good tool for how to use said confdience from work: just treat her siblings as customers. It’s also a nice call back to how we’ve seen Leni learn way back in season 1 during “Driving Miss Hazy” we’ve seen that she can have troulble grasping things, but when you put it in terms she understands, like fashion, or shopping, or in this case helping customers with their issues, she snaps into it. She learns at her own pace in her own way, it’s why I think sh’es neurotypical, and possibly ont he spectrum like yours truly: while her stupidity isn’t part of that the unqiue way she processes things has me supscious. either way it works. 

So with a new strategy Leni.. literally adresses them like shoppers, which is comedy gold. However it’s a valid strategy:  besides the visualation part by getting them to form a line, instead of trying to handle 2 or 3 problems at once she simply handles them one at a time: She scares the skunk off again, shuts down both competing clubs in the older kids room, uses water to take out lisa’s universal solvant, gives Lola and Lynn 5 bucks instead of just cutting a ten in half this time, and in the sweetest moment of the episode, reads Clyde and Lincoln a childrens book to clam them down. Sure it’s  a bit funny but their genuine relief and all threes adorable expressions really melt the heart. 

Leni finally wins, just as her parents get home and congradulate her, Rita’s faith not misplaced. While Rita probably knew it’d be an adjustment, and frankly should’ve prepped her sooner, she knows her daughter and knows waht sh’es caapable of. Also Senior brought home meet and gives leni a turkey leg who gives it to the old man who now lives in a hole inside their house. That’s his home now. Mr Grouse is just there now. Or I wish he was. But I guess you can’t always get what you want epsecially if it’s an old man living in a hole in the loud’s living room. Someday.  Final thoughts for The Boss Maybe: As you could easily tell I loved this one. Funny with a hell of an emotional core, and with great pacing espeially for a loud house episode, this was a joy to watch and easily one of the best episodes the show has done. Just a funny, breezy watch with a lot of subtext, intetional or not, regarding what we’ve seen of Leni and honestly i’m going to go with intetional. It felt really rooted in who Leni is, her relationship with lori, and her work without hitting you over the head with it. It just all flowed really well and made for a hard one to top for the season this early. I’m impressed and it gives me hope for the rest of the season. 

Family Bonding

This one was.. okay. As i’ve learned the hard way from doing Amphibia when an episodes just okay it’s best to breeze through it.. but I can give it this. While it’s mostly a standard loud house episode the ending.. wasn’t predictable. That’s for sure. I mean.. it left me with only one thought really...

But i’m getting ahead of myself. The episode’s plot is standard for the most part: Lincoln’s obessed with a new spy comic book about a james bond expy.. okay so that’s what Sterling Archer did besides physical therapy for the three months between his waking up and Season 11.  Anyways they soon get more exciting news from Lynn. New Neighbors! Before Rita can stop them, the rest of her family tramples over her and goes to make their aqunatince and of course be a bit overbaring with it before Rita rushes in with a spray bottle to spray them like a bad dog because frankly when your dealing with 11 people most of whom are really impuslive, sometimes dog training just works. You try raising eleven kids and see how long before your brain breaks.  Anyways after introductions and the mom turning down cherry pie, you monsters, lincoln sees strange flashing lights and a device and is convinced something is up and unable to convince his family and on a spy kick, recurits clyde. Now why he dosen’t call on Stella and Zach I dunno. And yes I said Zach and not my boy Liam. I have my reasons: Stella, besides being a faviorite of mine, is a tech whiz as shown in one of the comics and in the cookie episode, and Liam is already a paranoid conspiracy nut and as we’ve seen with Dale Gribble, they can be suprisingly useful. I mean Dale is not the best on common sense but he knows goverment bilaws in and out, is skilled with a gun or a bag of pocket sand, and has danny trejo’s octavio, whose basically danny but as hired muscle instead of a master actor, on speed dial. I mean we don’t know if Zach dosen’t have a danny trejo on speed dial or not. We never asked.  As for the other two while I love LIam, spying just dosen’t seem to be in his sizeable skill set and Rusty.. well rusty’s about as subtle as a man covered in screeching cats he glued to himself blowing an airhorn, while screaming the script to a micheal bay movie while doing the explosion noises himself.. which Rusty has probbbly done.  The real thing i’m getting at is I don’t get why, outside of Clyde and LIam, the writers think when LIncoln has an epiosde it either just needs ot be ClyncolnMcCloud or the ENTIRE group, when one or two would do the trick. YOu CAN seperate them out. People do hang out with diffrent friends at diffrent times. I know the show’s grasp on reality is tenous at best, we got to that last week with the whole one teacher for core classes thing with schooled and this week.. again we’ll get to it in a second, but friends DO hang out seperate. We saw each member of the Lincrew, minus stella because she didn’t exist yet, doing their own thing in Racing Hearts. It’s not that complicated. It’s hard to flesht hem out when their used as one solid unit and not unresonable to just use one or two. it’s a lesson I hope the show learns eventually and hope it’s sister show learns too. 

But yeah our dynamic duo spend the episode as youd’ expect; unraveling conspriacies and stalking the new family, though there are some funny bits. Besides Rita squirting her family like a cat or a dog, we have flip getting half his face shaved by a survelince drone and okay maybe just those two things. not bad bits, but the general concept of them roleplaying into mischief.. has been done before. The show’s done the detective bit before and the spy trappings really don’t change that. And you CAN do a good spy takeoff episode, this one just sin’t it and feels like your standard LIncoln and Clyde messaround with tuxedos. Which to be fair are pretty awesome but still. It’s pretty flat.  The climax though? I’ll give it this.. it’s pretty entertainngi if also 100% what exactly the fuck. So our heroes are naturally caught sneaking into the neighbors house and its eems they were wrong, etc etc, exactly what we expected the new kid will hang around.. at least we have a new character. Instead.. LIncoln accidently hits a knob and unveils a panel

So yeah... turns out the new family ARE spies, just for Peach Growers and plan to wipe out all cherries in royal woods. Yup.. look I know this universe is patently insane but even for loud house, even with all of lisa’s super science... even with the slapstick but this is just.. nuts. Like i’m fine with suspending my disbelif, this show is a goofy comedy, but this is a bit much. I LOVE it for being nuts but only in a “what on spagehtti monster’s green earth were you thinking”. I get swinging for the fences but Lincoln getting into a fight with a bunch of spies after playing spy, well beating them with slapsticks and stopping their plot to elmitie cherries..t his isn’t Kids Next Door. This just.. dosen’t work. Jeff Goldblum tell em why, my brains too broken to articulate this anymore

Yeah that. It’s just a weird climax and ends iwth LIncoln vetting the new neighbors.. which does it include girl jordon? Did they just write her out? If so why? Fans liked her, you can have more than one female character in Lincoln’s friend group. Zach is replacable. You can give me whatever the fuck this was, but not an intresting friend for him who has personality already. I get 50% chad but not your decision making. Gah. 

Final Thoughts for .. this. one This one really didn’t work. Besides the ending just not fitting the series specific brand of ludicrous, I mentioned KND for a reason as it made this sort of plot work fine by having it’s whole unvierse be really fucking weird and specific, it’s mostly just okay. We’ve seen this before.. well okay I haven’t watched many of the Lincoln and Clyde messarounds, but the formula’s about the same.  And that dosen’t work. For one you have a HUGE swath of new possiblities: A new school, Chandler coming back, new teachers and faculity, a new principal, and Lynn and LIncoln being in the same school, and you instead just.. retread the same crap. you have 4 of lincoln’s friends other than clyde to use but don’t let them in on the fun. And most agrivating to me you move new neighbors into the neighborhood while neglecting some of your old supporting cast and have them be villians of the week instead of adding someone NEW to the neighborhood. Give one of the other kids a new friend, or give lincoln a new friend to add to his group and replace liam, shake up the dynamic with him and clyde bya dding a third or, most obviously move one of his friends INTO the neighborhood, most obviously stella since you spent so much time building her up then have her addition affect Lincoln and Clyde. Sure we’ve had an episdoe of one of his friends getting in the way of them before, but this would be diffrent. This episode is just.. not great and was a waste of my time, espespcailly after following such a stellar episode. It’s probablyt he first genuinely bad episode i’ve covered on this blog. Now that probably won’t stand, i’ve seen genuiley worse but.. as a wise penguin once said. 

One last note. That Young Dylan graphic is really obnoxiou and obtrusive.  It’s the second most obnoxious thing i’ve seen on this network. 

I”m out for this week. If you want more check out my Amphibia reviews, as I just finished a new one today, my other loud house reviews in the newly minted nickelodeon tab or other stuff on my other tabs, send me an ask for reviews you’d like to see or pay me to review whatver you want for 5 bucks via direct message. And check this blog Monday for the return of weekly Ducktales coverage, and next weekend for the next episode of loud house, and throughotu the week for more reviews.  Until we meet again, GO TEAM VENTURE!. Play us out Mary Kate Wiles. If nothing else this episode let me use this song. 

[anneshirleycuffbert]

dystopian awae fic: Anne Shirley-Cuthbert shoots Gilbert Blythe

“I cannot believe you shot him!” exclaimed a horrified Marilla Cuthbert.

“But he called me ‘Carrots’!” Anne protested. “And it wasn’t even a real gun, it was one of those pellet ones we use for practice.”

“I don’t care what Gilbert Blythe called you. You shouldn’t have shot him,” Marilla said in an even voice, trying to calm down. The vein in her temple was showing which meant she was very aggravated. “Matthew, talk some sense into our daughter, will you?”

“Anne,” Matthew Cuthbert said gravely. “You can’t go around shooting people who call you names.”

“Why not? That Gilbert Blythe shot Billy Andrews, and he said it’s because Andrews called me a bad dog!”

Matthew’s eyes widened. “Gilbert... shot Billy?”

“Yes!”

“Well, now. I don’t quite mind that,” Matthew smiled a little before regaining a serious demeanor. “Here’s what we’ll do. We’ll let this go but you are not to shoot anyone again, unless it’s a direct order from your superiors.”

“Commander Philipps is an idiot, so I don’t think that’s a good idea,” muttered Anne. “But I’ll do it for you and Marilla.”

“Good. Well, it’s settled.”

“No more wasting bullets, understand? Pellets or not.”

Anne sighed. “I understand.”

After a few seconds, Matthew nudged Anne with his elbow. “Where’d you shoot him?” he whispered.

Anne grinned. “His face. From what I hear, he’s nursing a black eye.”

Marilla had pretended not to hear their conversation, but she smiled, proud of her redhead.

-

“Hey Carrots!” Gilbert Blythe called out from where he sat. “Carrots!”

Anne kept walking to her usual secluded spot in the canteen, ignoring the stares of the other students. She clenched her jaw and gripped her tray of food tightly to keep her from reaching for her gun and shooting Gilbert again.

She took a deep breath as she sat down, scanning the table beside her where Diana Barry sat with the girls.

Diana glanced at Anne and smiled slightly, before turning her gaze away to answer a question Ruby had whispered to her.

Anne’s eyes dropped to her food. She felt like crying. It wasn’t fair. She had tried so hard to make the girls like her, but every time she took one step forward, some stupid thing would happen and she’d have to take two steps back. Everything she did seemed to vex the girls.

Just then, a figure plopped down in the seat in front of her.

Her eyes flew up, hoping it was her bosom friend Diana Barry. It was Gilbert Blythe, and lo and behold, he had a very purplish green black eye.

“What do you want?” Anne seethed. “Leave me alone unless you want me to shoot you again.”

“I want to apologize.”

Anne blinked, caught off guard. “What?”

“I want to apologize,” Gilbert repeated. Anne’s eyes narrowed in suspicion, wondering if this was a trick. “I’m sorry. I was stupid and I shouldn’t have pulled your hair. I, I guess I was curious and wanted to know you more. And,” Gilbert paused, turning red.

Anne couldn’t deny to herself that she found Gilbert cute. It was not fair how he looked attractive even in the state his left eye was in. In fact, it added to his looks, made him look like a capable fighter. Anne cleared her throat. “And what?”

“I got frustrated because you wouldn’t pay attention to me.” Gilbert shrugged. “I guess I wasn’t used to not having a girl notice me first.”

Anne scoffed. “You’re a real piece of work, aren’t you?”

“So can we be friends now?”

Anne thought about it. If she were to befriend Gilbert Blythe, the girls would definitely shun her from their group. But hadn’t they already? She glanced at the table beside her again. Their eyes were already trained on her and Gilbert. The look on Josie Pye’s face was more than enough for Anne to decide.

“Yes,” Anne said slowly. Gilbert Blythe’s anxious smile turned into a full blown grin. “But you forgot to apologize for something else.”

Gilbert’s eyes furrowed. He watched as Anne waved one of her intricate braids in front of him.

“I already apologized for pulling your braid,” said Gilbert, confused.

“You called me ‘Carrots’,” Anne deadpanned.

“Did that seriously bother you more than me pulling your hair?” Gilbert laughed, stopping short when Anne’s face remained stoic. “Oh.” He sighed. “Anne Shirley-Cuthbert, I am excruciatingly sorry for calling you ‘Carrots’ and I promise I won’t do it again.”

“Thank y–“

“Unless provoked,” he added, grinning ear to ear.

Anne wasn’t used to this, this joking or whatever Gilbert was doing. Before the Cuthberts adopted her, she hadn’t had much experience with friends. Any experience, in fact. But this was a start.

Anne allowed herself a sly smile. “I’ll take that apple now.”

“What?” After two seconds, Gilbert looked down at his tray, remembering his offer to Anne the day before when she shot him with her pellet gun. He laughed. “Sure, take it. Here,” he placed the round fruit onto her tray.

Moody Spurgeon and Charlie Sloane joined Anne and Gilbert at their table.

“Why are you boys late?” Gilbert greeted them with a complex handshake before they sat down.

“Spurgeon wanted more target practice,” said Charlie. He looked at Anne curiously but didn’t say anything.

“Hey, Shirley,” greeted Moody, sitting down beside her.

“Spurgeon,” replied Anne. “So how many targets did you hit?”

Moody grinned. “Ten. Gil, Charlie, and I are going back after lunch. Do you want to come with us?”

Anne smiled genuinely for the first time since arriving at the Academy. She couldn’t help but think that shooting Gilbert Blythe was the best thing she’d done, which was ironic considering how horrified Marilla and Matthew had been at the news. In a weird way, it had earned her reputation and respect. She looked at her new friends who accepted her with ease.

“Yeah. Yeah, I do.”

—————————————————————

this was really fun to write, let me know if you’d like me to continue this shirbert au!!

[pluviophile-bookworm]

Thoughts/ reaction to AWAE 3x6

That opening scene of the preparations for the county fair makes me nostalgic for some reason. Also, I need this background music in my life. I love AWAE's cold opens.

And... we're off to a bad start. I have a terrible cold and so does Anne. I know exactly how that feels. And to have something important coming up as well... Poor Anne.

Matthew and his radish are the expected golden content of this episode and I'm all in for it.

If this episode consisted of nothing but the colourful everyday life at the Cuthbert household, I would still love it as much as any other episode. Maybe even more than some.

Gilbert is making me laugh. How is a white shirt key in making a good impression to anyone? If anything, I wouldn't seek the approval of people whose opinion of me depends on a white shirt. And what does he need Winifred's parents' approval for? Is he marrying her now? As far as I can remember, he wanted to marry Anne last week. Seriously, Blythe, make up your mind!

"Not thinking that far ahead", my butt! Last week, as far as I remember, you were thinking that far ahead. With Anne in mind.

And there goes our dashing young hero... Who can't figure out whom he likes. Seriously, I want to like Gilbert because I love Gilbert, but he's not making it very easy for me.

Anne is the classical Smitten Teenage Girl™ in this scene.

"Special occasion? - No, not really." Yeah, right, that's why you tried on every single one of your virtually identical white shirts a scene ago. But we wouldn't want Anne's family to think you're dressing up for another girl, would we now?

What is Anne sneaking out for? Since when does she need to sneak out to visit Diana? She's not Jerry.

Diana knows things about Gilbert's subconscious that he's hidden away so carefully that he doesn't even remember they're there: "Maybe it was an excuse... To see you."

Minnie May makes such a good Diana impression... Am I a bad person for thinking that maybe she could be the kind of daughter her mother wants, while Diana embraces her happiness with Jerry?

Look at Anne almost quoting the source material... and I think the comparison with Elizabeth and Darcy is quite accurate, at least on account of my reactions to both couples. I mean, you have two individuals who are very obviously made for each other but will go out of their way to convince everyone, including and especially themselves, that they’re not. Also, Anne reminds me so much of Elizabeth Bennet, AWAE Anne in particular. And of course, this line means that all the visual parallels were on purpose! Poetic cinema is coming full circle by acknowledging itself.

Ok, but Minnie May is such a typical little sister. I love her so much. But why won’t Diana tell Anne about Jerry?

Gilbert is dressing up for Winifred. Meanwhile, Matthew is dressing up for his radish. Spirit animal material much?

And all of a sudden Anne is the typical Smitten Teenage Girl with all the associated behaviours: awkwardness, embarrassment, noticing weird details about the object of her affections (the chin comment, anyone?), and now “he loves me, he loves me not”. Come on, girl, you’re different. You’re better than that. But, of course, the ways of love are mysterious. 

The baby horse is still the cutest thing in the world. Along with baby Delly, of course.

And now Anne even has her hair done in the very same style as all the other girls. At least that was different before. I mean, I love the look on her, she’s as beautiful as ever, but I’m getting the rather unpleasant idea that she’s losing her uniqueness and it’s all because of Gilbert; and based on what we saw of him in this episode so far, he’s not worth it.

On the other hand, the books had her become more... conventional, or at least conventional-presenting, by the time she turned 16, so that might count as source material accuracy.

The fortune teller cracks me up. Cigarette smoke in an orb? Really? Also, Anne totally said what I was thinking: “I think I learned more from the daisy”...

“Does my hair look more auburn?” That’s Book Anne right there.

The background music... you can tell by it that the Baynards just entered the scene... also, Derry. Derry! Oh my goodness gracious, DERRY!!!

I love the subtlety of their exchange about the book and the handkerchief. They’re doing this secret romance thing very well.

Ok, a second ago everything was so beautiful and hopeful, and then... first, Diana notices Gilbert before Anne does - and in quite an unpleasant position. And then Diana’s mother goes on about “extricating” themselves from the Baynards... poor Derry. Especially poor Diana. I just wish all this classist behaviour would go to... Hartford, Hereford and Hampshire (bonus points to all those of you who get the reference, and to me for referencing a work about classism in relation to classist behaviours).

Miss Stacy is the epitome of feminism in this scene - wearing trousers and giving all the men a run for their money at shooting. Go, Muriel!

As much as I dislike Rachel Lynde’s general behaviour, the relationship she has with her husband just has to be admired. Maybe she just wants Muriel to have what she has, and she’s failing to see that maybe not everybody needs or wants the same things.

And... Billy’s back. I remember saying back when I was watching 3x1 that if i never saw him again, it would still be too soon. I don’t mean to spread hate, but I’m sick and tired of his sexism and racism and homophobia and toxic masculinity. But well. To each their own.

I love that Prissy is back as well. She made the right decision about herself when we last saw her, and she doesn’t seem to have taken a single step back. In fact, she appears to have moved forward since we last saw her. Good on you, Prissy! But now Josie seems to be headed down a similar rather toxic road to the one that Prissy barely escaped - and with Prissy’s own brother, too. I hope it all works out well.

This is the moment I realise how unfortunate it is that Prissy and Josie aren’t very close. If they were Prissy might have warned her against some signs of toxic behaviour that she herself didn’t recognise back then...

Of course, Billy. Of course the game is “rigged”. But not for Jerry, it seems. In your face, Andrews!

I. Am. Dying! I just want to shout “Derry!” from the rooftops. 

The little dog matches her gloves, you guys! Also, every time Diana says “Merci, Jerry!”, I just melt into a big puddle of fangirl. 

The county fair is treating my boy Jerry really well, I must say.

Can we talk about Diana’s boldness, though? She’s really living life to the fullest, if only in secret. I hope my daring girl is free to pursue her happiness one day. And that day better be soon.

This conversation must be so uncomfortable for Gilbert. And he’s putting himself through it for a girl that isn’t even meant for him. He knows it, no matter what he tells himself or everyone else. 

I just pictured Matthew saying to Gilbert “What are your intentions towards my Anne?”, and now my heart is breaking at the thought that he might never get to say it.

I am totally with Anne on this one, but you have to admit that the fortune teller was right about one thing at least - “The universe works in mysterious ways.” As frustrating as this episode is Shirbert-wise, I stand by my ship and I hope they will both come to their senses soon enough. We wanted angst, didn’t we? We wanted pining and obstacles and a realistic development - well, there it is. Why are we frustrated about it? This stage is not final.

“That boy is not your fish.” No, but he is her lobster. Gosh, I’m full of references today. 

“Classmate and family friend.” Oh please. I can’t believe I’m saying it, but I like Winifred better than Gilbert in this scene: “Do you spell it with or without an E?” I really wish Gilbert wasn’t in the picture right now because if it weren’t for his role in each of their lives, Anne and Winifred might just be friends. 

This was awkward. Really awkward. Gilbert didn’t hesitate for a second when he introduced Anne as his classmate, but now he’s stumbling over what label he should put on his relationship with Winifred. If I were to put it for him, it would be “friend”, maybe even “mentor”, but who knows what he or Anne are thinking during that long pause. 

The tension, the suspense... is this MasterChef? Last I checked it was not.

Ok, but Anne in this episode is so much like Book Anne, at least as far as I can remember. It’s been a while since I last read the books. Gilbert is as far removed from his book counterpart as can be, though, and I don’t like it. 

Most unusual? What is that supposed to mean? Also, I agree with Anne about entering herself, but maybe not with the connotations of “unusual” she’s thinking about now. She’s all kinds of wonderfully extraordinary, I mean. I hope she never forgets that.

Oh, look, she came to that realisation. I love that; and Marilla is such a mood on the balloon. But seriously, I'm delighted to  see Anne coming back to her old self. 

Is that Gilbert dancing between Anne and Winifred? Poetic cinema.

Ruby and Moody? I ship it! They are both absolute cinnamon rolls and deserve each other so much!

“Pretty face”? Is that all she is to you? Whoa, things took a turn for the darker pretty quickly. 

“I want your pretty face”... and I want you locked up. At the very least. He had no right to do that to her!

Ok, I know we’re in the middle of one of the darkest moments this series has shown us so far, but we need to talk about Ruby being oh so excited about Moody writing a song for her and the prospect of becoming Ruby Spurgeon. Wow, she moves fast! She deserves all the happiness in the world and I’m so happy she’s finally being noticed by someone... someone who is really right for her and will make her happy. #Rudy #Mooby #Spurgillis ?? Somebody please come up with a good ship name for them.

Now Anne is considering Charlie? “Sloane? Sounds like “moan”, “tone”... I guess Gilbert deserved that with today’s behaviour, though.

Miss Stacy asking Matthew to dance just to “drive Rachel mad”... I love it.

Could that be Diana and Jerry holding hands in plain sight in the dance? Could it be? Am I dreaming? Pinch me. Or better don’t. I never want this to end.

Good thing news travels fast so Anne could hear about Josie. Otherwise no one might have ever found out. Victims rarely ever tell and that’s a big mistake. 

I so wished Anne would punch Billy in the face Hermione-style, though. The vibes she was giving off suggested she might do it, and yet she didn’t. 

The next day at school, Anne is just... completely savage in the best way of saying it. “Need to catch a train to Charlottetown?” She has no time to waste worrying about Gilbert now, she has an important cause. I love it. Too bad nobody is listening to her, though. This is too much like reality. When the activist talks about the real issues and tries to find a solution, people just change the subject and talk about insignificant petty problems instead. And the worst part is that this isn’t just in that time and place - it happens today, it happens everywhere. People still haven’t learned not to cover their eyes when a real problem arises. This has to change.

To sum up today’s episode: the county fair pulls people back into their everyday work while also sparking the fire of youthful courtship among them; Gilbert is not Gilbert; Anne is Book Anne; Shirbert takes a giant step backwards; Jerry takes  a cautious little step forward, Diana leaps into the unknown with open arms; Matthew’s radish and Anne’s person are most unusual in the best way possible; the Andrews family has some achievements and some issues; Miss Stacy is a feminist icon; Ruby and Moody are very much a thing; Anne is now an ignored activist.

[carrotsofavonlea]

A Pesky Business

"Cole!" Anne threw her arms around her friend's neck excitedly. He'd grown even more since the last time she'd seen him, if that were possible.

Anne had been on a mission to try and find her origins, and Charlottetown was a close stop to the orphanage. But to her dismay Marilla had been reluctant to let her go alone, that was until they saw none other than Gilbert Blythe at the train station. That was all that was needed for Marilla to march right up to him and ask him to keep Anne safe on the journey no matter how many times she insisted she doesn't need a chaperone. Gilbert had been going to Charlottetown to help his father's doctor who promised to give him an apprenticeship.

Ms Barry had invited them both to stay at her house, refusing to let them pay for lodgings elsewhere.

"Hello, Cole." Gilbert awkwardly stood behind Anne, stretching his hand out for Cole to politely shake.

"Gilbert." They weren't friends, not really. But Gilbert had helped Cole with his wrist and he was one of the few boys at the school that didn't make everyday a living hell for him.

"Is that Anne Shirley Cuthbert?" Ms Josephine Barry stood at the door, carefully climbing down the steps to greet Anne. "And is this the infamous Gilbert Blythe?"

"Pleasure to meet you, Ms Barry." Gilbert bowed his head, taking one of her hands.

"Let's get out of this cold. We can do pleasantries inside in the warm." Ms Barry took Gilbert's outstretched arm to help her up the stairs and Anne rolled her eyes. Of course he was trying to suck up to everyone she knew so they'd like him better than her. Typical Gilbert.

"Has he confessed his undying love for you yet?" Cole whispered to Anne.

"What? No! What are you talking about?" She folded her arms crossly. "We're just friends."

"I told you he has a crush on you." Cole smugly grinned, "And now he's here accompanying you to Charlottetown."

Anne shrugged, "He was heading here anyway to see his father's doctor, he's just doing some practice. And it wasn't my idea it was Marilla."

"Uh huh. Sure." Cole smirked and followed up the steps after Ms Barry and Gilbert.

"You're still wrong!" Anne shouted after him, but he wasn't listening.

////

Ms Barry led them to the ball room to show Gilbert around.

"So how long have you two been…" she looked between Anne and Gilbert.

"Been, what? Ms Barry?" Gilbert furrowed his brows confusedly, glancing at Anne.

"I don't know what you young ones call it these days. Courting?"

Anne's eyes grew wide with embarrassment. "What?! We're not! Us! Gilbert and me? That's preposterous. Utterly absurd and unfathomable we're-"

"Just friends, Ms Barry." Gilbert interrupted softly, his heart sinking a little at Anne's reaction. She didn't have to be so dramatic about it. But of course, she was Anne after all.

"I apologise. I must have misunderstood." Ms Barry held up her hands, but she saw Cole shake his head behind Anne. Clearly he didn't believe them either.

After an awkward moment, Gilbert spoke again. "Your house is lovely Ms Barry." He was in awe at the size of the place, the exquisite decoration of the ceiling.

She smiled, "Perhaps you should join us for the next soirée?"

"I'd be honoured."

Anne opened her mouth to protest but thought the better of it.

"Cole, would you mind showing our guest around?" Josephine nodded towards Gilbert and Cole understood exactly what she meant, intending to have words with Anne.

"I can show you the library? Anne's told me how you always have your nose in a book lately."

Gilbert looked at Anne, a smirk on his face. "She has, has she?"

Anne wanted the ground to swallow her up. Maybe she had mentioned Gilbert in her letters to Cole, but she only meant how annoying he was being lately with his studying and how she needed to catch up. She didn't mean it any other way. Ms Barry had already assumed they were courting but this made it sound like such a lie.

"It is a pesky business." Ms Barry sat down on a chair, sighing.

"What do mean?" Anne sat down on a chair near her, taking off her hat and coat.

"I may be old but I'm not blind...yet." she laughed to herself. "He's the boy you were agonizing over in your little house."

"I wasn't agonizing over him." Anne said defensively. "I was just angry with him because he wasn't listening to me. But it doesn't matter, we're friends now."

"It's complicated. Romance."

"There is nothing romantical happening between Gilbert and I."

"I've only just met the boy and I can see how he looks at you."

Anne shrugged, unable to say anything.

"Enough of this talk about boys." Ms Barry said suddenly, realising Anne needed a change of pace. "Tell me what's going on with you."

////

"You know Anne has a crush on you." Cole turned to Gilbert in the library.

"What? No she doesn't." Gilbert shook his head, "I've only just got her to admit we're somewhat friends."

"That's just Anne being Anne. She's stubborn sometimes."

Gilbert tilted his head, considering this. Somehow that made sense. "We're just friends." He emphasised to Cole, but also perhaps himself.

The last thing he needed was his brain getting his hopes up. Maybe he did kind of like Anne as more than a friend, but there was no way he'd admit that to Bash or even Cole. He could barely admit it to himself.

"You don't sound so convinced yourself."

"It doesn't matter how I feel. Anne has made it clear on multiple occasions she doesn't feel anything towards me further than friendship." Cole hadn't heard Gilbert sound so bitter before.

///

After dinner, Anne walked back to her room bidding Cole and Ms Barry goodnight. But as she made her way down the hall she quite literally bumped into Gilbert, almost falling over before he steadied her by placing both his hands on her arms.

"Sorry." He nervously laughed, dropping his hands from her.

They stood in the hall a moment, staring at each other but unsure what to say. Both were suddenly aware they were in their pyjamas, something Anne never thought she'd see.  

"I should-"

"That was weird earlier." Anne blurted out the same time as him. "About how Ms Barry thought we were...you know."

"Oh yeah, really weird." He scrunched up his face as if he were confused. "Just because we're here together?"

"Exactly. A girl and boy can be just friends."

"Like you and Cole." Gilbert offered and Anne nodded.

"See? Just friends."

They both laughed at how ridiculous it was.

"Cole wouldn't stop badgering me about it." Gilbert shoved his hands in his dressing gown pocket.

"Ms Barry kept questioning me too. As if I don't have more important things to discuss."

"I should get to sleep." Gilbert ran hand through his hair.

"Oh," Anne felt an odd sinking feeling in her chest, as if she were disappointed or something that he was leaving. Not that she did, Gilbert could do whatever he pleases, why should it bother her? It doesn't. "Well, goodnight then Gilbert."

"Goodnight Anne."

////

Anne couldn't sleep that night. Ms Barry had gotten into her head about kindred spirits and romance. For so long she'd tried to keep pushing that further and further down, reminding herself they were just friends and nothing more.

"I'm not thinking about him for one more second." She said to herself, but her brain wouldn't stop shoving Gilbert's face into her mind.

"Brain stop!" She pushed the pillow into her face but it was no use.

She couldn't take it anymore and stood up, trying to get fresh air. She wrapped her dressing gown around her and snuck out into the cold evening. Ms Barry's garden was just as fantastical as the inside of the house, even in winter. There weren't any flowers yet, but there were trees and stone benches and statues that looked like people frozen in time.

"What are you doing out here?"

Anne jumped, expecting to be told off for sneaking out. But instead it was Gilbert. She refused to acknowledge his slightly tousled hair or that fact that even moonlight couldn't hide his smug features. Not that she had paid attention to his face or anything.

"I couldn't sleep." She shrugged and he stepped forward to her.

"I thought I heard footsteps."

"Sorry I woke you."

He shook his head and she just knew he had an annoying smile on his face. "It doesn't matter."

She turned to look up at the moon, anything to keep herself from staring at him.

"It's the same no matter where you are."

"Huh?" Anne looked over at him as he stepped towards her.

"The moon." He pointed up at the sky. "There's something comforting in being hundreds of miles away from home but knowing the moon hasn't changed... that the people you care about are still looking up at the same moon."

She wrapped her dressing gown around her tighter, "That does sound nice."

"I'm sorry if you were uncomfortable today. About Ms Barry."

"Don't be. It's not your fault." Anne shrugged. It wasn't anyone's fault. "She just... doesn't understand."

"Doesn't understand what?"

She sighed, "I don't know, that I'm resigned to a life of never marrying? Especially since I'm so homely. It's funny she thought anyone would ever find me desirable, especially you."

Gilbert raised an eyebrow, "Why especially me?"

She rolled her eyes, "Surely you know almost every girl in Avonlea would jump at the chance to be "Mrs Gilbert Blythe"?"

"That's not true." He laughed nervously.

"You're all any of the girls will talk about. Trust me." She folded her arms, thinking especially of Ruby Gillis. "You could have anyone you wanted."

He raised an eyebrow at her but she didn't pick up on it. "Well, that all depends."

Her hands dropped to her sides slowly, "what do you mean?"

"It depends on her answer." Hesitantly he reached out to lightly touch one of her hands, and when she didn't recoil back in horror he firmly took it in his.

"I know you said we're just friends, but lately I've been thinking... maybe there's something more?"

"More?" She squeaked, but didn't let her hand go from his.

"Anne…" he smiled nervously, making him look years younger. "I'm in love with you."

"What?"

"You don't have to say it back, and I know I've ruined our friendship. But hearing Ms Barry today...I didn't want to lie to you."

"But I'm so homely and plain." She whispered. "And you're... you're Gilbert."

He shook his head, "You're not plain. You're the furthest thing from it." He gently traced a strand of her red hair.

"You don't really mean it." She looked away, but he cupped her cheek so she would look at him.

"I do. I'm in love with you Anne." He slowly closed the gap between them, and Anne had enough time to shove him away, or slap him, something. But she didn't.

She let Gilbert Blythe kiss her, and she kissed him back. Because maybe they were friends, and maybe this complicated that. Ms Barry was right, romance is a tricky business. But if it meant she could always feel like this then maybe she was willing to go through with it.

"Just friends, huh?" Cole watched from the window over looking the garden, seeing Anne and Gilbert smiling at each other with their hands locked.

He saw Gilbert press his forehead against Anne's, and how she tilted her head up to meet him. Finally Cole could rest easy knowing his best friend was happy. But it looks like their union of equals would be called off, for Anne had found her kindred spirit.

[mayapenelopeclutterbucket]

Thoughts I had while watching TGD 3x08 “Moonshot” aka this has been sitting in my notes forever everything just seems like too much effort I’m sorry 😭 please love me still

Ok so idk if anybody missed me but I did miss you all and im baaaack baby!!! So i was planning on just summarizing my thought after watching the ep because i wanted to eat while doing it lmao but i couldnt RESIST and already had so many things running thru my head. I’m sorry I’ve been so MIA everything these days just seemed like too much effort y’know, life and work and everything else but now i am forcing myself to starting this up again because I enjoy doing this and sharing my unimportant and mindless thoughts with you guys. THank you to everyone who asked about me sorry i haven’t replied (that depression kicked in) but I will go thru and respond, i love you guys!! Okay enough rambling (but would it really be me if i didn’t) and lets get onto the show

Sharly moment was going too cute and going too well why do i feel like by the end of this ep they’re going break up or something 😩

#buildupforabreakup with melendez god bless but i still don’t like neil fucking telling audrey she needs to take some of the blame 🙄🙄

So I already knew melendaire was going to work together and have a cute moment thanks to the lovely @gilbxrt-blythe but I DIDNT FREAKIN KNOW THAT IT WOULD JUST BE THE TWO OF THEM

And yay morgan finally gets her first lead surgery but I’ve seen the promo pics and she has glassman check her out so i swear to god if my bby has carpel tunnel or arthritis imma SUE

Side note still eating while i watch so we’ll see how well this goes lmao

Wow i feel like its been freaking forever since I’ve seen melendaire one on one with each other how beautiful 😭 and I don’t think I’ve ever seen them along together in the autopsy room

My food is geting cold but IDGAF with this blessed melendaire content I’m getting omg soooo cute talking about what they wanted to be when they were little I caaaant

Claire looked impressed by melendez’s idea 👀

And who would’ve thought you guys dating while she’s your boss would affect your judgement certainly not the hr lady or anyone else god help us

Is a l*mlendez breakup finally on the horizon

Uh oh is shaun going to breakup with carly because he considers her a “distraction”

I’m glad morgan finally has someone who believes in her and showers her with compliments

But i dont like that its asshole andrews ngl

Melendez not being confident is just weird he’s second guessing EVERYTHING

Who knew sharly working themselves up to sex would be cute

Why do i feel like once i go thru the tag I’m about to see a bunch of carly hate and people being like i told you so. I get where carly is coming from she just want shaun to be happy and comfortable and tries continuously to make sure that happens and make it work but like she said shaun gives up but i don’t like the mindset either that what she does is a chore and that she wouldn’t have to go thru this with someone who is neurotypical like her and i don’t like the pressuring of shaun having sex because yes he wants too but its not just a black and white situation and I’m tooooorn

Park being so worried shaun only lasted 8 seconds before he came is too fucking much 😂

Park being encouraging to shaun is pure but I still miss jared man plz bring him back

Lmaooo the place where l*mlendez is having their fight is where claire flirted with melendez

Keep up with the #buildupforabreakup PLEAAAASE they’re trying to hide their relationship but are publically fighting and raising their voices at each other SUBTLE

I really wish it was claire giving shaun these heart to hearts the lack of shaire content is desgustang

like the writers act like they ain’t even fucking friends

Of course why can nothing ever go well for anyone so I was right and morgan has arthritis 🙃

So one of y’all are really thinking of leaving to stay together PULEAAZE yall are not that serious so heres a wild idea BREAKUP

Wow what the fuck got my hopes up for a l*mlendez breakup and melendez tells her he loves her 🙄🙄 ON THE MELENDAIRE BALCONY NOW ITS TAINTED but she didnt say it back so 👀

She realizes she just told the president of the hospital she has arthritis right like what’d she think was going to happen

Wow negligence left and right at st. bonaventures

And now lim and melendez are having a moment ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

And that scene with the leukemia doctor hit a little too close to home for me

Yes yes yes it looks like lim is gonna break up with melendez god bless 🙌🏼🙌🏼

So on one hand lim said she loves him but on the other hand she said its not enough 🙏🏼🙏🏼

Ngl tho had the an inkling this would happen because I saw on twitter that christina chang replied to the tgd writers account when they posted a “💔 l*mlendez” and said there the ones who could change their fate so i have hope they will not get back together and if they do they won’t last because neither of them can be objective and oh yeah DON’T MAKE SENSE and have no chemistry

Yay sharly is still alive and kicking

And oh no morgan bby are you still in pain 😩

Oh my god carly and shaun are air holding hands again while lying in bed

Hmm wow okay I knew claire would still be having drama because I saw the promo pics but i did not really expect this, melendaire group chat speculated on that first guy she slept with being worried him being married would come back to bite her but i did not think she would make it a pattern and not care about the consequences of sleeping with someone who’s married. Yes it takes two to tango but we all know this isn’t normal for claire to act like this and self deestructive so is this finally going to be her wakeup call or will she keep spiraling and we’ll get a cliffhanger in the mid season finale involving her and her actions/choices ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ only time will tell

Okay guys thats it long af as usual but lemme know what you thought and what you think is going to happen to claire, melendaire and l*mlendez!!! 💕💕 I’m still hoping for a freakin melendaire heart to heart oh my goddddd why hasn’t it happened yet

After watching the new new promo I def feel the #buildupforabreakup coming on between l*mlendez and a melendaire heart to heart

And Katie brought up a good point I like how shaun has the potential to be fired after one complaint and yet coyle got to keep his after SEXUALLY HARASSING MORE THEN ONE PERSON wow #consistency

On this show

[hmspogue]

Anne With An E season 2 trailer shot by shot rundown

these are screenshot’s from Netflix’s trailer for Anne With An E season 2...i own nothing.

MY CHILD IS BACK AND GREEN GABLES IS AS BEAUTIFUL AS EVER.

for some reason, Anne’s blanket confuses me? i’m not sure why she has it or needs it, like maybe she stepped into the water? but she looks so cute i just wanna hug her.

i completely agree with Ophelia ( @lydias--stiles ), i also think that the sea is going to be important this season or hold a lot of symbolism.

“I love looking out at the horizon and imagining all the possibilities...”

i’m going to try and handle this next part as calmly as possible but-

1) THIS PARALLEL? THE LIGHTING EVEN MATCHES OKAY AND 

2) THE FACT THAT THEY CUT TO GILBERT AS SOON AS ANNE SAYS THAT LAST LINE AND THEN DO NOT CONTINUE SHOWING HIM AFTER THE CUT 100% TELLS ME THAT SHES ALLUDING TO THINKING OF THE POSSIBILITIES OF WHERE GILBERT IS OKAY NEXT-

ah yes i missed both you so much (it’s also so nice to see Matthew healthy and walking around without a cane even. what a man).

the bags on the back and the fact that she’s with Diana make me think that they may be going to that poetry concert they travel to with Miss. Barry in the books. i am all for this we love a girls trip.

thank you.

building the Diana x Rubyx Anne friendship? yes please, carry on. they’re so happy, i’m not crying, you are.

aw the hideout i love this whole set up with the story club.

okay, this scene actually concerned me a little...why does Anne look so frazzled i’m not going to suggest shirbert reunions for every one of these scenes i will not do it i hope she’s okay.

as concerning as Anne’s entrance was, Ruby and Diana’s faces make me even more !!! Diana’s especially. Ruby looks almost afraid and Diana looks extremely worried. it looks to me like they’ve been waiting for Anne in regards to some sort of news? because as seen in the last frame, it looks like they were there before she was.

my prediction is that this is one of the first scenes of episode 1. i recall a post Amybeth had on instagram of her on a beach that looks EXTREMELY similar to this with the caption “Cuthbert on a stroll”. this was towards the very very beginning of filming and from what i could see it looks like they filmed in chronological order. this goes along with the theory that everything is going to start and end with the sea. 

i’m also just going to continue pretending that i didn’t start sobbing at the Cuthberts having a beach picnic. 

Matthew and Anne’s relationship is so important and I’m so excited for this scene (which seems to be the same one from the very beginning of the trailer as you’ll notice).

so obviously the two girls in the front are Anne and Diana being so cute i really cannot breathe, and the one in the back in the pink hat is Ruby...so i would say the other girl is Jane perhaps? just going off of her hair?

“We’re going to get in so much trouble”

1. i love this dynamic so much and i really will never stop stressing that...

2. i think that this is where they were headed off to in the shot above? my theory is that it’s linked to the scene of them watching Mr. Philips in the play which comes later in the trailer (maybe they were not supposed to know about it). it would also make sense that Jane is tagging along since she is Prissy’s sister and heard about it from her.

“Don’t be late for school” 

oh we love a good mother.

“Understood” 

translation: Anne is most definitely going to be late to school at some point-

“And don’t burn down the house” 

translation: a huge disaster is guaranteed to take place-

and Matthew is fully aware of this fact.

“I want Green Gables still standing when i come back tomorrow”

why is she leaving? ANNE SHIRLEY-CUTHBERT YOU ARE THE SUN AND YOU DESERVE EVERYTHING.

i’m obviously curious as to what they’re laughing so hard at, but also as to why they are sitting on what appears to be the floor of the school house (also it’s important to note that i would die for both of them).

JERRY MY BOY I’M SO GLAD YOU LOOK HAPPY AND WELL AND YOU LOOK SO GROWN UP!!!

aaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

I LIVE FOR THIS SIBLING RELATIONSHIP OH MY GOD. though, Anne looks either like she is comforting Jerry or seeking comfort which is never a...reassuring thing...especially when the voice over quote is:

“I believe there’s always a bit of good in any situation”

ah yes, the man we have all been waiting for, here is Cole. i have heard a lot of people (including myself before Amybeth’s live a few months ago) very concerned about the role he will be playing in the grand scheme of things this season (such as the possibility of him being a love interest for Anne), and i think production knew that because they put in scenes like this to try and make people worried. 

however, my prediction is that this is certainly going to be a nice brotp and (as ophelia and i have mentioned numerous times) i don’t think Cole is straight (as Amybeth said he brings in a lot of discussions that Amybeth is “an advocate for”). this trailer further solidified my beliefs as you’ll see in a moment-

oh....you’re....still here....

this scene is one of the ways i see them hinting that Cole might possibly be gay. Diana’s face looks like Philips just said something characteristically horrible so i’ll just go ahead and prepare my hands for this disgusting teacher to cATCH THEM.

oh yOURE STILL HERE??????? (seemingly laughing at Cole being able to braid hair get out).

“I think it builds character”

it looks like she’s talking to someone at the kitchen table. also i love her.

LOOK AT MY GROWN AND MATURE SON OUT HAVING ADVENTURES IN SOME TROPICAL PLACE please come home soon

for those of you who don’t know, the man walking with him is named Sebastian and it’s been heavily speculated that he will fill a sort of father role for Gilbert in this coming season.

AGAIN WITH THE AFRAID AND CONCERNED LOOKS PLEASE STOP THAT.

i’m betting this has something to do with he thieves that came at the end of last season, which you’ll notice have not been mentioned at all this trailer. it’s also important to note that the voice over to this clip is Matthew saying:

“Whatever we’re facing...we’ll face it as a family”.

Ophelia pointed this out to me, but it looks like Marilla has a gash over her eye so i stg if one of the thieves hurt her you can catch me on a war path (-:

“The three of us”

...................ow.

she’s looking over to the boys side of the classroom (you can tell they’re at school because of Diana’s positioning next to her). and she is looking in the general vicinity of Gilbert’s seat so my guess is she is either smiling at Gilbert !!!!!!!!!or Cole who now sits in Gilbert’s empty seat.

THERE IS A BALL THIS IS NOT A MF DRILL THERE IS A BALL WITH BEAUTIFUL DRESSES AND LIGHTING AND DECORATION AND FLOWER CROWNS AND IF GILBERT BLYTHE IS NOT BACK IN TIME FOR IT I PROMISE, I PROMISE, NETFLIX AND MOIRA WILL BE HEARING FROM MY LAWYER.

not to read too much into things, but Cole dancing with Miss. Barry (who is gay in canon) is certianly interesting. i’m thinking a sort of conversation goes down where Miss. Barry helps him start to sort everything out that he has been confused about.

“There’s nothing wrong with being different”.

again with the supporting evidence that they’re dropping hints about Cole.

“You’re unique”.

The world does not deserve Anne Shirley. i’m assuming this is him confiding in her a little bit immediately after whatever went down in the classroom with the hair braiding and Mr. Philips and Billy.

“Unique means weird”.

MORE HINTS.

the whole class applauding Cole for something while Anne and Cole laugh. even Billy and his little friend seem amused and they’re present for whatever this event is. Josie looks pressed and bitter but what else is new.

shes so happy for him!!! 

this seems to be a little bow of gratitude i’m ready for this brotp.

Sebastian and a love interest that i am fully ready to ship. 

i also think that Sebastian being involved in a romantic relationship opens up the opportunity for him and Gilbert to talk about romance and feelings and a certain person back home that Gilbert has feelings for. they’ll get a chance to talk about things Gilbert never really got to learn about from his father go ahead and just leave me here to die.

this shot was quite jarring in the context of the whole mood of the trailer which is interesting.

Matthew appears to be kneeling over somebody on the ground? i’m assuming he was part of the group going out on horses. so perhaps they were searching for this person to begin with?

“There are more important things than beauty...” 

i can’t wait to see what this conversation relates to.

can we all just take a moment and acknowledge how they’re already transitioning Amybeth’s hair to more of an auburn color? 

“-we must try and remember what’s real and good”.

Anne continuing to learn about the real and good things that love and family brings as she become more and more a part of the Cuthbert family, rt if you cried.

my son looking so grown and mature and having fun. 

(im just going choose and ignore the fact that they immediately cut to Gilbert after that last quote and the fact that coincidentally two of the biggest reasons he’s so drawn to Anne is because she’s so real and so good.)

PLEASE TAKE CARE OF MY SON WHILE HE IS AWAY THANK YOU GOOD SIR.

could the scenery directors be more brilliant? like this is so beautiful.

i’m-

yeS CINEMATOGRAPHY YES. 

these last few shots of Anne with the ocean are feeding into the theory that the sea is going to be a big symbol this season. i think that this whole sequence is going to be the very last scene of the finale (i remember Amybeth posting a thing about the final adr she was doing where Anne breathes out and laughs but i could be reaching).

i think that the Cuthberts on the beach will be the first scene in episode 1 and this will be the last.....the ocean tying everything together, including Gilbert’s story line.

this...

...it is what he deserves.

peep my earlier theory of the girls sneaking into the show to watch Mr. Philips make a fool of himself. Diana doesn’t look too amused however. 

this whole expert Anne is reading (which ophelia has confirmed for me is from Jane Eyre) is not only beautiful-

- but i think it’s meant to be Anne subconsciously relating it to Gilbert and what he is doing (who is apparently on a boat!!!!)

“Now I remembered that the real world is wide, and that a varied field of hopes and fears, of sensations and excitements, awaited those who had the courage to go forth into its expanse, to seek real knowledge of life amidst its perils”

this is literally exactly what Gilbert’s whole arc is this season. he went out into the world amidst the peril of losing his last family member to seek out all these things, including himself. this, paired with the fact that it’s the voice over they are using for shots of Gilbert traveling, tells me its connected to the reason Anne is reading the excerpt to begin with.

if this cinematography don’t stOP.

i already stan this scene and i’ve seen .0000384792 seconds of it. 

also there is a dark haired boy present as well that could either be Jerry or Gilbert and i’m good with either because i would chop off my right arm for either to have further relational development with Diana.

i wrOTE A SLEEPOVER INTO MY LAST FIC DEAR GOD LET THE REST OF THE SCENE PLAY OUT LIKE I WROTE. i think this has to be the girls unloading after the poetry reading or whatever they were going on that trip for.

yes just be happy it is literally all i will ever ask of you.

yeah  so i stan Sebastian already, oops.

the way i read Anne’s face in this is almost like she WAS crying but then Diana made her laugh. OR she looks like she’s just been embarrassed by something. either way...?????

i would die for this friendship.

i’m not going to make outrageous assumptions about what Gilbert could be staring at with such awe and wonder. i will not do it.

this is the same scene as the opening one. and i’m guessing Anne is running towards Diana all smiley and adorable.

well at least knowing the exact date of my death is somewhat comforting.

guys this season looks so amazing and happy. i cannot wait to see what they do with it. 

[aisakalegacy]

Generation 2 - Chapter 9: University Life

Adora thought she was the first one arrived, so she was stupefied when she walked through the kitchen’s door and saw a woman with wings, wearing clothes made with flower petals and leaves.

“How... How can that be?? Are you an elf??”

“I’m a fairy, silly! she giggled. My name is Shannon. You’ve never seen a fairy before? Humans are so funny!

- No! I didn’t even think they existed! I have so many questions! Lamarck and Blyth were right, transmutation is--

- I’m so happy you’re here! But the other will be here soon too! You know what this calls for? A party! We need to prepare everything before they arrive! Oh, I’m so excited!! We need to get ready!”

And she left, flying around excitedly.

Shannon’s party was a good idea, actually. They lit a fire and it was a very convivial way to get to know each other. All rooms were shared, and it made the allocation easier. Her roommate was a Korean woman called Ye Gangnam. She was not married but she had a fiancé, she was in sophomore year of business major and she seemed nice at first. 

Together they shared a small but comfy room.

Little did she know: in reality, Ye was snob, grumpy, she woke very early because it took her a lot of time to get dress and she would lit every lights when she got up... and worst of all, she was an artist!!

And a very bad one...

Adora tried to tell her about her behavior and her art, but Ye yawned and said a girl so unsophisticated like her wouldn’t understand her art and her lifestyle. She couldn’t have picked a worst roommate, and she was going to spend three years with her...

Fortunately she got along with the other women! She found Shannon a little weird: she was nice, but Adora was annoyed because she would not even answer her questions about the transmutation of the fairy specie. The person she liked the most was Margaret Cade, an irresistible loser with a good sense of humour.

Margaret was funny indeed, she would often make her laugh by making silly faces and impersonations of teachers.

Soon they were the best of friends!

Adora was not the only woman in the science department anymore. With two women in freshman year, there were now three of them!

Adora studied hard, and she was stressed all the time. Her schedule was busier than ever and she had no time for fishing anymore. In order to relax, she would splash in puddles for a little fun.

Adora was better at tinkering, and she hadn’t forgotten the fire that lit one night in Malan Hall. She couldn’t help thinking she might not be so lucky next time, so she decided to upgrade all fireplaces to make them fireproof. She would spend all her extra free time tinkering. One day, she was upgrading the fireplace of the living room while her roommates were talking. Shannon was there, listening, and she was having fun as always.

Suddenly Adora heard Margaret say distinctly to Shannon:

“What are you, Shannon, anyway? You’re a freak that looks like a bug! Yuck, so gross!”

Shannon was very hurt by what Margaret had said. Adora couldn’t believe her ears. How could Margaret say such a mean thing? Being good, Adora could not stand here doing nothing while her roommate was being bullied.

“This was an ignorant and mean thing to say, Margaret. You should apologize to  her. It’s not because she’s from a different specie that you are entitled to treat her badly. She might not be human, but she’s sentient and she deserves respect.”

“What do you know, Mrs. Know-It-All? I do what I want. If I want to call a bug a bug, it’s my problem, not yours. Don’t get involve when it’s not about you.”

Adora couldn’t believe it. So that was how Margaret’s true face was! She went to Shannon, and asked if she was okay.

“Yeah... I’m used to being call a bug. Thank you for standing up. I hope you won’t get in trouble.

- It’s the normal thing to do. Hey, Shannon, I never see you with anyone. Don’t you have friends on campus?

- I don’t really have any friends, no. I guess I’m too... different.

- Well, I don’t have any friends anymore now. Want to be friends?”

Her face brightened and a smile lit her face up.

“Sure!”

And Shannon became her best friend, and she kept that title until they both graduated.

Three years had passed very fast. Adora brilliantly passed her final exams, and finally she graduated! With a science degree in hand, she was ready to go home and become the scientist she was meant to be.

[michin--yeoja]

SS is back :) I was about to ask you about your favorite authors to see if I could get back into reading but I saw another question you got mentioning them so job done hahah, I only know dan brown from the ones you mentioned but i'll definitely check out the other ones! Re: pixel art, I loooove that is really cheap and easy to get into, yes definitely detailed pieces take time hahah but even with really small canvas (5x5pxls) you can make something!! (fun fact: mario bros has a moustache because they needed a way to separate the nose from the rest of the face when creating the 8-bit character in the 80's)

I have friends living in Vancouver and from what I hear the weather is similar to mine a little bit up the equatorial line, so it's a place I want to check out if I go to Canada because I'm definitely not good in cold weathers lol

Yes computer science is essentially coding, software design and development, algorithms etc, sounds scary but it's really not hahah

I feel like I've talked too much about me and haven't asked you anything else to prepare for you present lol (although I kinda have an idea of what to do hahah) so let's ask different stuff: if you were an animal, which one would you be and why? would you rather have the power of stopping time or becoming invisible? if you could only eat one dish for one month which one would it be?

Hi hi!!

Haha... Well, I didn’t mention this, but I also love the Anne of Green Gables series. You said you liked romance... And while there is romance, it’s not the entire focus, but you might like them too! Gilbert Blythe is one of my first loves and Walter Blythe broke my heart T_T I can’t say I love Lucy Maud Montgomery as an author because she’s really, really verbose, but her stories are heartwarming.

That’s a very interesting fact! I’m not so familiar with video games, but I guess 8-bit characters only had 8 pixels?

What country specifically are you from? If the weather is similar to Vancouver, is it because it’s mountainous or being by the water keeps it cool? (Assuming the temperatures are fairly cool... Because Vancouver is neither too hot or too cold).

I have such an interest in computers, but I’m too lazy to get into the technical aspect :P Is there a specific area you are focusing in for Computer Science? What kind of job are you hoping to do?

Haha... Honestly... I feel like I’m talking too much about myself ^^;

Um... If I was an animal... I would want to be a tiger! They’re one of my favourite animals and they beat out wolves because they’re more solitary animals whereas wolves are pack animals (although it really was close because family means a lot to me too). I think tigers are so majestic and they’re awe-inspiring. It’s really heartbreaking that they are endangered and I’m hoping we can help them thrive again.

Between the two powers... You’ve made it so difficult! If I have to choose, I guess being invisible. This is going to be weird reasoning... I feel quite invisible in life and the awkwardest part of that is having a physical presence while feeling that. Like people notice you, but you aren’t part of the group/interaction so it’s like, what do I do with myself? Being able to turn invisible would solve that dilemma ^^ (Also... By stopping time, my interpretation is that everyone else would be frozen, but if I ever want to preserve a moment I would want to still like live in that moment... Haha... Am I making sense?)

Finally... One dish I would eat for a month... I’ve really been craving Asian food and I guess I would choose laksa. It’s a nyonya dish that originates from the Chinese Malay/Singaporean/Indonesian culture. It’s a seafood noodle soup dish... Really really yummy!

If you would care to... I would love to hear your answers to the same questions as well!

[weekendwarriorblog]

WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEKEND September 6, 2019  - LINDA RONSTADT: THE SOUND OF MY VOICE,  SUPER SIZE ME 2: HOLY CHICKEN! and IT: CHAPTER TWO

Lots of COLONS -- there, you happy Edward Havens? :) -- in this week’s featured movies, huh?

Although summer still has a couple weeks left according to a couple of my co-workers, the fall movie season officially starts this weekend, but before we get to the wide releases, I want to talk about the fantastic doc LINDA RONSTADT: THE SOUND OF MY VOICE (Greenwich Entertainment), which opens at New York’s Film Forum on Friday. Directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, this movie really surprised me, because I never considered myself a fan of Ronstandt, despite listening to a lot of AM Top 40 radio in the ‘70s – yes, I was alive back then. I know I don’t look it, but I’m old.

This movie gave me goosebumps hearing Ronstadt at the beginning of her career, the archival footage of her performances making it blatantly obvious how talented she was and why she became so popular, something that wasn’t nearly as evident hearing songs like “Blue Bayou” on the radio.  What’s even more amazing about Ronstadt is that I didn’t hear about much of her work in the ‘80s, as she started doing more unconventional things like honoring the traditional Mexican music of her father. I mean, she was just an amazing artist but she started drifting away as MTV made major stars out of much less-talented singers. And then of course, there’s the Parkinson’s Disease that made it impossible for her to sing and kudos to the filmmakers for actually catching a rare singing moment with her family. This movie honestly got me quite teary-eyed as it went along, because you watch this amazing talent having her greatest asset taken away from her by this horrible illness.

Anyway, this is another music doc that I highly recommend checking out if it plays at a theater near you as it continues a long run of solid music docs we’ve been getting so far this year. (Oddly, David Crosby was supposed to be in this movie, too, but I don’t remember seeing him in it, but saw his credit at the end. Weird.)

Another doc opening in New York, L.A. and Chicago before expanding further on Sept. 13 is Morgan Spurlock’s SUPER SIZE ME 2: HOLY CHICKEN!... and yes, the irony of Spurlock still calling his movie something that includes the words “Me, too” in it is a little more than ironic, since it was the movement that took him down just a few weeks after the movie premiered at the Toronto Film Festival (which is where I first saw it). But honestly, Spurlock took himself out, as he came forward and admitted a few things from his own past, which basically got the movie dropped by YouTube Red, who had just bought it. Two years later and I’m not sure how I feel about the movie, but when I saw it back then, I thought it was a worthy successor to Spurlock’s Oscar-nominated film. This time around, Spurlock wants to set up a healthier fast food option, choosing a chicken sandwich place but also wanting to stick to some of the guidelines by making the chickens organic and free-range, something that he finds is more difficult than he initially thinks.

I generally like Morgan Spurlock’s docs, which generally includes himself as a personality, similar to the work of his peer Michael Moore, but Spurlock doesn’t always make super-serious docs and always keeps him mind on the entertainment aspect of going to the movies, and in that sense Super Size Me 2 is as entertaining as some of his past films.

Super Size Me 2 is opening at the Cinema Village in New York and Laemmle Music Hall in L.A. on Friday.

The only new wide release this weekend is New Line/Warner Bros’ IT: CHAPTER TWO, which I’m sure I’ll be writing about a lot over at The Beat, so go click on those links so that they’ll continue hiring me to write more stuff! You can read my review here and an interview with actor James Ransone over at The Beat.

LIMITED RELEASES

Because it’s early September and there is a big wide release, there isn’t as much to talk about as far as limited releases.

Apparently, Janice Engel’s doc Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins (Magnolia) was released in Texas last weekend, which makes sense since that’s where journalist Molly Ivins is from, but it will open in New York and L.A. this weekend as well. I wasn’t as big a fan of this doc as the ones above just because Molly Ivins just felt like she was trying to do a stand-up comedy routine. In other words, the film lacked the depth I would have hoped from a political figure.

Chelsea Stardust’s Satanic Panic (RLJE Films), written by my good friends Grady Hendrix and Ted Geoghegan, that follows Hayley Griffith’s Sam, a pizza delivery driver whose last stop of the day is to a group of Satanists looking for someone to sacrifice. Yup, that sounds like something Grady and Ted (who wrote Ted’s second movie Mohawk) might come up with. So Sam must fend off witches and demonic creatures before she can end her shift. The film also stars Ruby Modine, Rebecca Romijn, Arden Myrin and Jerry O’Connell. It will be released in select theaters and On Demand Friday after premiering at the Overlook Film Festival and playing Fantasia in Montreal in July.

Two more movies opening at the Cinema Village(and other theaters) is Rowan Athale’s Strange but True (Lionsgate Premiere), a star-studded thriller based on John Searles’ novel, starring Margaret Qualley from Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood as the ex-girlfriend of a dead high schooler who shows up at his family’s house claiming that she’s pregnant with his child (five years after her boyfriend Ronnie’s death). Ronnie’s mother is played by the great Amy Ryan and brother by Nick Robinson, and the movie also stars Greg Kinnear, Brian Cox and Blythe Danner, which makes you wonder why this is being four-walled and most likely getting a typical Lionsgate Premiere VOD release.

Paul Taublieb’s doc Blink of an Eye (1091) is an inside look at the Daytona 500 in 2001, featuring Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr, and that’s about all I know about it. Waltrip is a perennial underdog who broke his 462-race losing streak just before the 2001 racing season, but when his best friend the older Dale Earnhardt crashes in the last lap of the Daytona 500, he steps up to race against Dale’s son, Dale Jr.

Opening at the Roxy Cinema in New York this week is Michael Oblowitz’s surfing doc Heavy Water, which follows surfer Nathan Fletcher, whose brother is credited for introducing punk rock skateboarding techniques to the sport. That’s about all I know about that one.

Since actor/filmmaker Justin Chon (The Twilight Sagaand Gook) will be in Toronto this weekend with Wayne Wang’s new movie (which is premiering there), he probably won’t be doing many opening weekend QnAs for his new movie Ms. Purple (Oscilloscope), which opens in L.A. at the Landmark Nuarton Friday and at the Quad in New York on Sept. 13. This one is a drama about a brother and sister (Teddy Lee and Tiffany Chu) who seemingly are stuck in Koreatown after being abandoned by their mother and raised by their father, who is dying. It sounds like a real hoot.

Opening in New York and L.A. is Simnon Hunter’s Edie (Music Box Films), starring 86-year-old legend Sheila Hancock as a widow about to be forced into  retirement home for her last days but wanting to do one last climbing trip before she dies.

The Bollywood film Chhichhore(FIP), directed by Nitesh Tiwari (Dangal), will also open on Friday in top markets, taking place in a hostel filled with interesting and unique characters who go on a journey together.

Coming to theaters for one night only (i.e. Thursday) is Melanie Martinez’s musical K-12 (Abramorama/Atlantic) about a girl named Cry Baby who is sent to a disturbing sleepaway school where she is bullied until she finds a friend who helps her fight against the Principal and his “wicked staff.” I haven’t seen this but having suffered through Slaughterhouse Rulez I’m slightly dubious.

LOCAL FESTIVALS

Not local, but the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) starts this week. It’s my favorite film festival on the world (after maybe Oxford) but I can’t afford to go for a second year in a row, so instead of writing about it, I’m just gonna spend the next week and a half sulking and writing about other things. L

REPERTORY

Since it’s September, a new month and a movie season, I’m welcoming a new addition to this section…

ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE BROOKLYN (NYC)

I went to see Hitchcock’s Vertigo in 70mm over the past and saw that they’re starting to do a lot more rep. programs tying to upcoming new releases by directors like Pedro Almodovar and Bong Joon-ho, so I’m going to start including some of their screenings and hoping they won’t disappoint me like the New Bev has the last few months. (And hopefully I can include the brand-new L.A. Drafthouse soon, as well.) The problem is that very often, the rep screenings might sell out before I have a chance to write about them, similar to the New Bev, actually.

Much of the Alamo’s rep programming happens on weekdays at 9:30 PM, but as I mentioned, they have some interesting fall series planned.

This week’s “Weird Wednesday” is Drop Dead Fred (1991), starring Rik Mayall of “Young Ones” fame. Monday’s “Video Vortex” is the 1943 Bollywood horror film Son of Dracula, and next Tuesday’s “Terror Tuesday” is the original found footage horror film The Blair Witch Project from 1999. (There’s a free screening of Jacques Demy’s The Umbrellas of CherbourgWeds night for Alamo Victory members but it’s already sold out.)

METROGRAPH (NYC):

I never thought the Metrograph would bring back its initial charter “A to Z” program with more offerings but sure enough, this week begins Welcome To Metrograph: Redux! On Thursday, it begins with John Carpenter’s Assault on Precinct 13 from 1976 and continues Saturday with Ján Kadár’s The Angel Levinefrom 1970. I have never heard of Paulin Soumanou Vieyra but clearly, the programmers at the Metrograph have as they’re playing two shorts programs as well as his 2019 movie Testimony on Sunday and Monday. Also, the Metrograph will continue showing off its love for Anime with a regular engagement for the late Satoshi Kon’s Millennium Actress (2001) after showing Paprika and Perfect Blue the last couple weeks. (You can still see Perfect Blue and Paprika on Thursday, as well as Roehmer’s Le Rayon Vert and Goddard’s Pierrot Le Fou.)  This week’s Late Nites at Metrograph  is René Laloux’s animated Fantastic Planet (1973). Kinda esoteric, no? Playtime: Family Matinees  is Miyazaki’s Spirited Away (2001), so a little more mainstream for the kiddies. Also, some of the Shaw Sisters movies continues through the weekend, and I can recommend both Puppy Love and Starry is the Night, two of my favorites from the series.

FILM FORUM (NYC):

“Marty and Jay’s Double Features” ends on Thursday, so your last options are William Holden’s The Counterfeit Traitor (1962) and Slightly Scarlet  (1956) on Wednesday and Sanjit Ray’s The Music Room  (1958) /Il Post (1961) or Voyage to Italy (1954) and Vincento Minnelli’s The Long, Long Trailer (1954), starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz on Thursday. Joseph Losey’s 1976 Holocaust drama Mr. Klein, the filmmaker’s first French film after being blacklisted in Hollywood, will be screened on DCP starting Friday. Also, “Film Forum Jr.” is BACK this weekend with Buster Keaton’s Our Hospitality  (1923)on Saturday and Sunday morning with live piano accompaniment.

EGYPTIAN THEATRE (LA):

Egyptian going a bit esoteric this week with “A Short Series about Krzysztof Kieslowski” (which I won’t even try to pronounce), dedicated to the filmmaker behind the famed “Three Colors” trilogy, which will screen (all three chapters!) on Sunday evening. On Thursday, there’s a double feature of A Short Film about Loveand A Short Film about Killing, both from 1988, and they’re both under 90 minutes so no lie in the title. Friday is a double feature of The Double Life of Veronique (1991) and 1981’s Blind Chance.

AERO  (LA):

This week begins the French Noir series “The French Had a Name for it 5” with a number of double features. On Thursday, there’s Quai es Orfèvres (1947) and The Sleeping Car Murder  (1965), Friday is Maigret and the St. Fiacre Case  (1959) and Port du Desire (1955) and Saturday is René Clement’s Purple Noon from 1960 and a double feature of Melodie en Sous-Sol (1962) and The Sicilian Clan  (1969). If it isn’t obvious, I haven’t seen any of them, but I have seen John Waters’ Pink Flamingos, which is the Aero’s Friday night midnight movie. Sunday’s French noir double feature is 1946’s Paniqueand 1947’s Non Coupable. “Heptember Matinees” continues on Tuesday with Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy in Adam’s Rib from 1949.

FILM AT LINCOLN CENTER (NYC):

Friday begins a new series called “Sci-Fi Visionary: Piotr Szulkin”  showing six of the Polish filmmakers films beginning with 1980’s Golemand 1981’s War of the Worlds: Next Century. They’ll also be showing a new 4k restoration of George Nierenberg’s 1982 music documentary Say Amen, Somebody (Milestone Films) about American gospel music starting Friday with QnAs and choir performances following screenings on Friday and Saturday.

IFC CENTER (NYC)

Beginning Weds, the IFC Center will screen the new 4k restoration of David Lynch’s Blue Velvet (1986), a movie that I feel it’s been showing as part of its midnight series for months… but if I get to this week’s offerings, and there’s the same bullshit I’ve seen every single week, I’m moving this down to the bottom of the rep section. This weekend’s Weekend Classics: Staff Picks Summer 2019 is John Singleton’s 1995 dramas Higher Learning starring Laurence Fishburne, chosen by “Kashif” and “Marilyn,” while Waverly Midnights: Staff Picks Summer 2019 is Scorsese’s 1999 film Bringing out the Dead (chosen by “Luke”), starring Nicolas Cage.Okay, at least this week’s Late Night Favorites: Summer 2019 is Satoshi Kon’s 2006 movie Paprika (2006), which the Metrograph has been playing for weeks, so I’ll spare the IFC Center from punishment … for now.

MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE (NYC):

On Friday night, the museum is showing Douglas Trumbull’s 1983 sci-fi thriller Brainstorm in 70mm, and then on Saturday and Sunday, its showing It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World and Spielberg’s Ready Player One, also in 70mm.

ROXY CINEMA (NYC)

On Thursday, the Roxy is showing Jonathan Demme’s Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense, and then on Saturday and Sunday, it’s showing the Apocalypse Now 40thAnniversary Final Cut.

LANDMARK THEATRES NUART  (LA):

This week’s Friday midnight is Tommy Wiseau’s The Room… again. YAWN.

THE NEW BEVERLY (L.A.):

Here I was going to give Tarantino the benefit of the doubt that he’d be back to rep programming in Sept. but why do your job as a programmer when you can just play your latest film and make just as much or more money? Sure, it’s playing The Postman Always Rings Twice from 1946 as the Wednesday matinee the original Disney The Parent Trap (1961), starring Hayley Mills, as the weekend KIDDEE MATINEE. And I do love P.T. Anderson’s Punch Drunk Love, which is playing as the Monday matinee. But otherwise, it’s all Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood all the time. (I guess the Saturday midnight movie is Reservoir Dogs at least?) For this infraction, the New Beverly is being moved to the VERY BOTTOM of this section as punishment, yes, even below the Nuart’s midnight screening.

(NOTE: As of now, it doesn’t seem like the Quad Cinema or BAM in Brooklyn have any new repertory screenings this weekend.)

Next week, the wide releases are STX’s Hustlers and Warners’ The Goldfinch, plus I hear Jillian Bell’s Brittany Runs a Marathon will be expanding even wider. I’ll cover most of those over at The Beat, but I’m sure I’ll have stuff to write about here as well.

[merigreenleaf]

Short Story: “Change of Choice”

(When I saw the prompts "4 people are shown where the made the biggest decision of their lives and what would happen if they had chosen differently" and "Your OC has the chance to go back in time and change something in their past. Do they take it?" a story immediately started brewing in the back of my head. It’s a nice mix of silly and sweet and was a lot of fun to write! I love my OT3. You can find the masterpost with links to read all of the short stories in this series here.)

————————————— 

“What exactly do you mean by ‘can you see a different me?’ Did you do some of your weird illusion weaving again?” Blythe squinted as she looked Adair over. “You don’t look any different. Maybe a few extra paint stains since this morning. Or is that pie filling?”

Adair scooped up some of the questionable splotch with his finger and put it in his mouth. Belatedly he realized this could be a bad move, but to his relief it wasn’t paint. “Jelly.”

Blythe covered her face with her hand. “Ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer. So what was your question about?”

Adair wiped his hand on his shirt, adding more stain to a piece of clothing already overdue for the trash bin, and found he couldn’t meet her gaze. He knew his request was going to sound foolish because Blythe rarely cared what other people thought. He usually didn’t either. Just about this and only because… he looked over at Etri who was too engrossed by the book in his hands to pay any attention to the conversation going on not five feet away. Etri was the one the horrible words were usually directed towards. Adair didn’t really care when someone said he was a failure as an Artisan; he’d heard it for most of his life. He was nontraditional and he’d ended up with nontraditional muses. The other Artisans didn’t approve of this. Blythe and Etri were carnival performers and to top it off, both were Adair’s sentinel. There was no rule saying an artist couldn’t have two bodyguards as their spouses, but it was all about tradition. Two artists were bound to one bodyguard. That was how it was done. That was how it had always been done.

So the other Artisans- and more than a few sentinels who were insulted by carnies having the same status they did- didn’t hide their disapproval. Etri, who was unusually tall, pale, and foreign, got the brunt of this. Blythe, as a local who trained as an ordinary guard before becoming a performer and healer, at least looked the part. She was also likely to out-snide anyone who tried to sass her. Etri, on the other hand, never said much. He didn’t have to. Adair could sense Etri’s anger and frustration through their link. So could Blythe, which is likely why she had so little patience for rude comments. Now that Adair thought about it, her knee-jerk response to Etri feeling hurt probably didn’t help matters. 

All this was the reason for the request Adair wanted to make of Blythe. He was pretty sure he’d made the right choice. His pair of sentinels felt right, inside his head or his heart or wherever it was his weaving linked to them. Still, a part of him couldn’t help fearing that maybe the naysayers were right. If he’d chosen tradition instead of his own path, would he have ended up with “normal” muses? If his choice had been different, would the chosen be changed?

Adair’s mind made up, he looked into Blythe’s dark, worried eyes. “You learned how to read memories and predict actions, right? Can you tell me what would have happened if I did something different? If I was something different?”

Blythe held out her hand and brushed Adair’s forehead with her thumb.“I can try. If I do this, will you promise to not taste-test paint in the future?”

Adair fully trusted Blythe inside his head and so let his eyes close. “I only did that because I thought it was-”

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

Adair’s ears picked up the grating sound of Feren’s voice. Even the overpowering music and laughter of yet another party couldn’t mask a sound he had heard almost every day for the past ten years. Feren reached him before Adair could decide between ducking under the nearest table or making a beeline for the kitchen. He did inch closer to the table just in case. 

“There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you. There’s someone I want you to meet.” 

Adair didn’t budge when Feren held out his hand. “It’s another of your Protectorate friends, right? Can’t we do this later? I’m really not feeling up to it.” 

Adair coughed to try to make this sound truthful, but knew before Feren let out a too-dramatic sigh that it wasn’t going to work. He found ways to avoid this often enough that now Feren didn’t believe any of his excuses. Ever since Feren gave up his original role as Adair’s sentinel-intended from fear of being inadequate as a bodyguard, it had become a nearly daily goal to set Adair up with another one. While Adair appreciated his concern because an artist did need a sentinel, Feren had far different taste than Adair. Every single one was bossy or crude or lacking in the brains department. Sometimes all three at once. Usually all three. Could Adair help it if he wanted a sentinel who could hold an actual conversation? 

Feren was not to be deterred. He tucked a loose strand of Adair’s hair back into the hated style- Adair pondered briefly what Feren would do if he hacked it all off like he wanted to- and brushed a few crumbs off the front of Adair’s silken dress robe. He made a disapproving clicking sound with his tongue. “You’re never going to make a good first impression. I swear you do this on purpose.” 

Adair bit back a retort about not wanting to impress anyone Feren introduced to him. If he argued, Feren would make a scene about how he should act like a proper Artisan. The last thing Adair wanted was all those disproving stares directed his way again. Directed at Feren’s outburst would have made sense. Instead it was at the fact that Adair was so flawed he needed a scolding in the middle of a crowded room. 

With his reluctance remaining unvoiced this time, he allowed Feren to take his hand. 

His silent prayers of escape were answered when an artist he didn’t know stopped Feren to ask him a question Adair didn’t bother to hear. He took this distraction as the lucky break it was and headed for the staircase at the back of the house. Adair plopped down at the top of the stairs- not caring about the wrinkles it would make in the draping fabric he wore or the anxiety caused by being up high- and propped his head on his knees. Hidden behind the railing he would be able to see if Feren approached again while hopefully remaining unseen, which made this the best location even if it did make Adair’s insides twist from the elevation. He wished he had brought his sketchbook despite Feren’s assumption that it would be rude to be so distracted. Adair’s protest that this was an Artisan party and others likely had brought their tools with them had been disregarded. Adair’s protests were usually disregarded. 

As he traced his fingertip over the intricate floral pattern carved into the banister, he could feel the sour taste of regret begin to ferment into resentment. He never should have chosen to stay with Feren. He could have been somewhere, anywhere else right now. 

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

Blythe leaned against the wall and crossed her arms over her chest. Unaware of her boredom, her roommate talked on and on with a cluster of other Protectorates. Occasionally her friend tried to draw Blythe into the conversation, but Blythe had nothing to add. She had been away from soldier gossip for too long. She had no idea who they were talking about or what “whip-flopping” even meant. Blythe got the feeling she’d only been invited along because her roommate felt sorry for her. 

When Blythe overheard the word “carny” and saw a few heads turn to look curiously in her direction, she pushed herself away from the wall. She didn’t want to talk about this. There were always two reactions when people learned she had worked as a carnival performer for two years: curiosity and disdain. Curiosity led to far too many questions about her past that she didn’t want to answer and disdain meant she wasn’t seen as a “real” Protectorate because she’d been forced away for a few years. Sometimes she wondered if it would have been better if she’d stayed with the carnival troupe instead of returning to her original career path. 

Deep in these thoughts, she headed in the direction she hoped the nearest set of stairs were located. Artisan houses were built with plenty of floors, display cabinets, and windows. What they weren’t built with was any common sense. A staircase in a house like this couldn’t be directly next to the one leading to the next floor down. No, that would be too logical, too mundane. Instead the one down to the next floor would be across the house in the library or the back of the kitchen. It would probably be simpler to knot together a couple of tablecloths and use the makeshift ladder to climb out a window. 

She smiled for the first time this evening when she spotted a staircase that did in fact go down. Another few of these and she could be out of here- assuming she hadn’t entered one of the artists’ paintings and was heading sideways. She stepped around the person sitting hunched over on the top stair, then stopped when she noticed the glare he aimed at nothing in particular. He was the first person besides herself who looked like he didn’t want to be here. “Hey, you okay?” 

It took a moment for the boy to realize she was talking to him. When he saw her he shrugged. This made his collar start to slide down his shoulder and he yanked at his sleeve to put the fabric back in place. Artisans dressed the way they built their homes: too many layers, too many colors, and a style that made you wonder how the whole thing didn’t come apart. As it was, a section of his hair had fallen out of its twist and hung down to the floor. She avoided this as she sat down. 

He didn’t seem to mind and leaned his back against a baluster to give her more room so she didn’t have to sit in the way of staircase-traffic. “Yeah. Let’s just say this is the last place I want to be right now.” 

Blythe chuckled. “Tell me about it. You got dragged here, too?” 

He wrinkled his nose. “Yeah. Third party this week. I’m so sick of parties.” 

“I was looking for the exit a second ago. Why don’t you come with me and we can both leave, assuming we can find the dang thing.” 

Blythe meant this as a joke, but he frowned and gestured in a downward direction. “My muse-intended would never let me hear the end of it if I left. Creators forbid there’s something I want to do...” 

It sounded as though he wanted to say more. Instead he trailed off and lowered his chin down on his knees. 

“Then how about we poke around the place instead? It has to be better than sitting here all night and your intended can’t complain if you’re still in the house, right?” 

“I guess not...” 

“Good. Then it’s settled.” Blythe climbed to her feet and held out her hand. “I’m Blythe and I’ll be your tour guide tonight.” 

He let her pull him upright then released her hand when his outer coat began to slide off his shoulder. After a mumbled curse and some adjusting, he said, “I’m Adair. So wait, you’ve been here before?” 

Blythe grinned at him. “Nope. Have you?” 

For the first time Adair smiled. She thought he had a nice smile and had a feeling he didn’t make that expression often. She decided that she’d make it her goal tonight to make him smile as often as possible. 

“Nope,” he replied. “This will be an interesting tour if neither of us know where we’re going.” 

“Interesting is what I strive for,” she replied with a wink. “Now let’s see what’s that direction. I predict a bathroom, another art studio, and a room with nothing but a collection of decorative wooden spoons.” 

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

Spoons. Etri had broken into more than a few homes and this was the first time seeing a room full of eating utensils. His employer had specified a spoon from a particular set and while that instruction sounded easy enough when assuming no sane individual owned more than maybe a dozen spoons, Etri was now at a loss as to which spoon. The one he was tasked to steal was imbued with weaving which would have been helpful if he had been given any way to test this. 

He reached out to take the nearest one from the where it hung on a rack with eight other nearly identical ones. It felt like a wooden spoon. In the hope it would play a song or light up, he turned it around in his hand. It remained spoon-like. Perfect for eating soup, not so perfect for determining its status as mundane or magic. Finding a needle in a haystack would be easier than this; at least he would have known the needle when he found it. 

He stared around the room in growing trepidation. He had but one more hour before he needed to report back to his employer with her requested theft. If he failed... 

Etri heard laughter from the hallway and hastily replaced the spoon with its siblings. It slipped off the hook and fell silently onto the carpet. He had just enough time to blend himself into the shadow of a curio cabinet- filled with forks as a nice change of pace- when the door opened. 

“It is a room of spoons! How in Petra’s name did you know that?” 

“Would you believe me if I told you I was psychic?” 

The first speaker broke into a chortle. His laughter was the contagious kind and it made Etri want to smile- if Etri was currently in possession of a mouth. “Nope! How’d you really know?” 

It was never easy for Etri to see when he took this form. The world became fogged and grey, as though he looked through a piece of fine gauze. The one was certainly an Artisan and the other, judging from her height and build, was likely his sentinel. 

The sentinel’s footsteps took her closer to Etri who tried to meld further against the wall. If only his shadow-weaving allowed him pass through it! She stopped a few feet away and picked up the spoon he so recently dropped. “Earlier tonight I poked my head into a studio and saw a bunch of spoons spread out on the work table. I figured whoever lives here made them and would probably be vain enough to display them. I was right, although I have to say I didn’t expect an actual room.” 

“Then you don’t know how vain most artists can be.” The artist came up next to her and took the spoon from her hand. “I see where this one’s supposed to go. I wonder how it fell?” 

This was all the warning Etri was given before his hand reached for the hook- and passed through Etri. It was the most uncomfortable and intrusive thing Etri had ever experienced. After the artist stared at his hand and the spoon in confusion, he turned his attention towards the narrow space between cabinet and wall. 

He hooked the spoon onto the rack and took a step back, never once taking his gaze away from where Etri hovered in the shadow of the cabinet. He couldn’t have seen him. Etri was all but invisible when he blended into shadow. Yet the artist didn’t look away until the woman asked, “What are you staring at the wall for?” 

Etri’s hope that he’d been wrong, that the artist couldn’t see him, was dashed when he reached back into the shadow. “There’s weaving here. Not the spoon weaving. That’s deep olive green. This one’s a sparkly pewter. And it’s cold. Feel it.” 

Now the sentinel held out her hand. This was disturbing and Etri really wished they’d stop prodding him. “I can’t see your weird artist colors, but you’re right about the cold. Are we near a window?” 

When they both looked around to see if this was the cause, Etri slid away and over to the far wall. 

“Now it’s warm again,” she said. 

The artist turned around to look at the room and his eyes fell on Etri almost immediately. “Because it’s over there now.” 

Etri didn’t have time for a hide and seek game. Whatever they could do to him wouldn’t be any worse than what would happen if he didn’t return back with the spoon in hand. He supposed the sentinel could try to arrest him for art theft, but it wouldn’t be successful when he could simply go intangible again. His only option was to take human form again and try to get out of here with the correct spoon. Whichever one was the correct spoon. 

He visualized his human self and when his vision returned to normal he found to no surprise that the pair had noticed. There was no way they could have failed to notice a person appearing out of thin air directly in front of them. 

The woman took a step forward and pulled the artist behind her, placing her body between him and possible danger. This solidified Etri’s theory that she was the sentinel. “What are you doing here? What are you?” 

“Why do you have weaving?” the artist piped up as he stood on tiptoe to see over her shoulder. 

Would truth or a lie be better? Etri decided on truth without all the details. “I am seeking a spoon.” 

The sentinel snorted a laugh. It was strangely endearing even if it wasn’t as infectious as the artist’s. “You do know you could buy a spoon anywhere, right? Not that the artist would notice one missing out of four billion.” 

“He is not the artist?” Etri nodded his head towards the boy who grinned at him. 

“Cartographer and part time painter. The only thing I use spoons for is eating.” 

The sentinel nudged him in the ribs. “Hush for a minute.” 

Then to Etri she asked, “What kind of thief steals a single spoon?” 

Etri couldn’t keep the bitterness out of his voice. “One who has been ordered to steal a particular spoon. One who would much rather be anywhere else right now. One who would prefer any other career.” 

The artist's voice was soft when he asked, “Then why do you do it?” 

Etri looked over at him in surprise. He expected anger from an artist after catching a thief, not… sympathy? While the sentinel didn’t seem quite as calm about this, she also hadn’t made any move to stop him. This was not his previous experience with sentinels. Perhaps his assumption about her status was incorrect. 

“If I do not return with this spoon, my employer will turn me over to the guards and claim she caught me stealing from her. If I could escape the guards, she would find me. Find us. I could not leave my brother behind. We are too foreign to remain hidden for long.” His mouth twitched into a wry smile. “There is not a day where I do not regret a decision I made.” 

The artist’s breath caught sharply and he turned to the woman. “We have to help him. I know what it’s like to have a choice like that.” 

She frowned, then looked from one to the other. Slowly she spoke, “I could change the choice I made. If I did, if I went back to the people I left, I could protect you. You would be out of the city where anyone would be hard pressed to find you.” 

“Why would you help me?” Etri’s voice was barely audible, but she heard him. 

“Because my heart tells me that walking away and leaving either of you where I found you tonight would be disastrous for you both.” 

The artist looked towards the door, then stood tall. “I don’t care where this place is, it’s gotta be better than what I have now. I’m in.” 

“I will only agree to anything if I can bring my brother.” At the probably-not-sentinel's nod, Etri added, “I would like to know where you plan to take us.” 

“My former carnival troupe. I was told if being a Protectorate didn’t work out, I could always come back. Frankly it’s a choice I don’t think worked out, so I’m willing to use my mistake to fix both of yours.” 

Troupes constantly traveled and in costume Etri and his brother would be hidden in plain sight. For the first time in years, he had hope. “I also accept.” 

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

"-pie.” 

Adair opened his eyes and found that he was back in the room the three of them shared at the Artisans’ guildhall. He pulled Blythe into a tight hug with a squeal of joy. Then he threw himself at Etri, causing the book to go sailing through the air as Etri fumbled it and scrambled to catch him. 

“What is the cause for such excitement?” Etri asked. 

Adair grinned up at him, too elated to make words work. He had his answer: any change in choice would have brought them together. Even if he had suffered through tradition, he still would have met his beloved carnies. 

It was a long time before he stopped smiling any time he saw a spoon. Although as Blythe could attest, Adair usually smiled whenever he saw a spoon because it might mean dessert. 

[minas-writing]

Blythe

(once again, I stink at titles)

World: Cloudstormers (a kinda hybrid between fairytales and the Avengers)

Length: 2,300 words

Summary: Blythe has an unusual fairy-granted gift: happiness. During her astral-projection coma, she helps the group of heroes to take her abuser down, but unexpectedly wakes up. Not all is what it seems.

TW: abuse, mind control kinda, light physical whump, but also lots of fluff!, people being overly dramatic

Dave sighed. "I wish I could get this fruit blaster working a little better. The pears are always absolutely minuscule." He flipped a few switches on the large-barreled weapon in his hands and pointed it at a chair on the opposite end of the room. When he pulled the trigger, a yellow pear, smaller than normal pears, launched out of the gun and landed on the floor instead. Dave grunted through his black beard in dissatisfaction.

"Why do you even need a fruit blaster?" Andrew asked, laying his big bear body down on the floor. He chewed at a piece of cake on a plate in front of him. Blue frosting smeared all over his nose.

Dawn waved her fork at Dave. "This isn't time to work, anyway, Dave. We've got a birthday to celebrate." She stuffed way too much vanilla cake into her own mouth. She knew that the big grin she gave was full of cake and definitely not appropriate. Her nana would have killed her for acting that way. Kala slid her a silent smirk, as if she knew what Dawn was thinking.

"Yeah, Dave," Pine agreed, propping his feet on the coffee table with his own plate of cake in hand. "No working."

"I don't even like cake," complained Dave, even as he set the blaster down and went over to the table to serve himself some sugar.

Andrew raised his head and licked his nose clean. "Yes, you do. Don't lie or we might not let you have any cake."

"This thing took me a solid two hours, so don't even try to disrespect it," Pine added. Dawn rather thought he sounded smug - as well he should. The entire cake had been made with magic, something Pine was learning to control. He was getting better, but things like food were easier to manifest. Not that Dawn would know - the only magic she could use involved bringing things to life and changing their colors.

"Guys, you really didn't have to go to all this trouble," said the computer speaker next to the big window in the room. "It's not like my birthday is even that important." Blythe sounded like she was laughing.

Dave interrupted, a plate of cake now firmly in his hand. "Maybe not, but you are important, Blythe. You saved us all last week with that giant robot."

"Not to mention when the jet's controls were shot out a few months ago," Andrew added.

Kala waved for everyone's attention and pointed at her thick bracelet.

"And you help Kala a lot," Dawn translated. "Blythe, let us love you, okay?"

Blythe made some unintelligible sound, something like "blaaagh". If they could see her, Dawn was pretty sure Blythe would be blushing and smiling. Unfortunately, Dawn had no idea what that would look like... none of them knew. They'd only interacted with Blythe's disembodied spirit, which usually inhabited a computer or, sometimes, a doll or statue. She'd helped the team with computer issues when Kala couldn't.

"We just have cake, anyway," Andrew said, licking the remnants of his slice off the plate. "It's not like there are balloons or a huge guest list or presents."

"Actually..." Pine hummed, his mouth full of cake. Everybody turned to him, waiting for his explanation. After swallowing his bite, he gave one. "It's been kinda quiet lately, you know? While practice and... inventing fruit guns - " he gave Dave a weird look, " - has been nice, I think it's time we became a little proactive."

Dawn narrowed her eyes. She didn't know if this was a good direction or not, yet. "So you're saying..."

"We need to go rescue Blythe," Pine finished.

Kala and Dawn exchanged a look.

"Um..." said Blythe, her voice a little crackly. A light on the computer nearby blinked erratically.

"No, I'm being serious. It's an ideal first step," Pine tried to explain. Dave had lowered his plate of cake as Pine started to ramble. "What's our endgame, really? Taking down Atoll, right? Well, rescuing Blythe is a relatively quick thing that can give us way more information than a simple recon mission. It's risky, yeah, but when is our job not dangerous? We've infiltrated her base before, and we can do it again. I want to do something productive, dang it. We have - "

Dave held up a hand, and Pine's rant stalled. "I see where you're coming from, Pine. You're right - it is a risky move, but I feel that it's also the smart one."

Kala hesitantly nodded in agreement.

"It makes sense," Dawn allowed. "But we do need to plan this out very carefully."

"Let's do it," Andrew said.

Pine grinned from ear to ear. Dawn felt herself begin to smile, too.

"You guys," Blythe said, with lots of emotion. "Nobody's ever cared about me like this before."

With a grunt, Dave stood to return his nearly-empty cake plate to the table. "Well, places like Atoll's castle in Nubes aren't exactly the sorts of places where you'd find caring people."

"I'm not arguing."

A few minutes later, and the group stood in their planning room, with Kala at the controls of the computer and Blythe speaking for her. Dave had gone to his own workshop, intent on creating something to help. Pine laid his hands on the tabletop and looked seriously down at the digital map of Nubes, where Atoll's castle was outlined in red.

"All right, first thing we have to do is get as much information as possible," he began. Dawn fiddled with the silver pendant on her necklace, a nervous habit she'd picked up from years of being told to stand still. "Blythe, anything you can give us about where you might be?"

Blythe was silent for a moment, though the waveforms on the screen behind Kala flickered, showing that Blythe was still around.

"I've lived in the castle my whole life," she eventually said with a small voice. "But I only ever saw the front end, the nice, pretty courtyard and towers. I know I'm not in that part anymore. I can't help as much as you probably hope I can. The only thing I know is that it's a sort of hospital room. I see it sometimes."

Dawn grimaced. She knew what that was like - drifting in and out of a magical coma. It wasn't the calmest of experiences.

"All right, well, that gives us a start," Pine nodded. "Thank you. Is there anything else?"

"I'm trying..."  Blythe's voice sounded farther away. Dawn bit her lip and looked at Tim, her bowie knife and also her friend. He bobbed at about Dawn's shoulder and rubbed his handle against her sweater, as if sensing her worry.

"I... I feel a bed," Blythe said. "Fabric? Restraints. I hear machines and see white, but... I - I lost it." Her voice returned, and Dawn relaxed a little. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Pine said seriously. "That's honestly more than I expected. Please don't hurt yourself."

"It's not hurting," Blythe tried to argue. "It's just..." she dropped off.

Dawn's fingers closed over her necklace. The edges dug into her skin with the force. "What's wrong?"

"Wrong?" Andrew said. His head twisted from Dawn to the screen and back. "What - "

"I think I'm waking up! But, Dawn, it's not at all like you described - it does hurt, and - and Atoll's there - "

"Don't worry, Blythe, we're coming," Pine assured her. He zoomed the map on the tabletop in, focusing on Atoll's castle. He circled a section with his finger, blue trailing behind it. "I might have a magical fix on you, just hold on." Another circle appeared, smaller than the last and slightly to the left. Pine kept at it, and Dawn could tell he was trying with all his might to hone in on Blythe, but his magic wasn't controlled enough yet. He kept messing up.

" - ow - I'm going to establish a neural link if I can, Kala, help - " Blythe's voice was getting quieter, as if she were shouting down a tunnel. Kala's fingers flew across her control pad, doing something computer-y that Dawn couldn't follow. She wanted to help, but didn't know how, so her other hand just wound up gripping a handful of Andrew's brown fur. They watched the screens behind Kala flicker and shift around.

Blythe sounded close to tears now. "I can't stay! Ow - ow - " and she was silent. The screens went dark.

Nobody spoke. Kala's breath came hard, and she kept doing whatever it was. Pine wasn't making as much progress as he evidently hoped he would. He'd managed to pin Blythe down to a wing of the castle, but that was still nearly ten rooms, and she was likely to move before they could mount any kind of mission.

Then a single screen lit up, horizontal bars flickering the image before steadying.

Dawn inhaled and increased the pressure of her fist in Andrew's fur. Something white filled the screen, but then the camera moved down and focused on a girl's body tucked under sterile white sheets. No, it wasn't a camera, Dawn realized. Blythe must have been successful in establishing a neural link, because now there was video from her eyes, somehow, and it sounded like they could hear what she could, as well. A heart rate monitor beeped into the planning room, accompanied by shallow, gasping breaths.

The sheets bulged, the girl's arms trying to move, but they only got so far. Dawn remembered what Blythe had said not a minute before - restraints. Other than herself in the bed, though, Blythe couldn't see much. The room was artificially bright and seemed empty.

"Good to see you again, dear," said a voice that Dawn couldn't see. She recognized the dry, eternally amused tones, however. Atoll. Andrew growled. Tim shivered and pressed closer to Dawn. She let her necklace go to stroke him.

"It's been a few years since we spoke face-to-face," Atoll continued. Dawn saw her hand reach around Blythe's chin, and her head tilted up to meet the witch's yellow eyes. "Let me tell you, it's been difficult keeping the suitors out of here. One of them may have woken you up," she laughed. Dawn sneered. Pine's fingers shook as he drew one more circle.

Blythe spoke up, her voice raspy and painful-sounding from disuse. "Leave me alone."

Atoll shook her head, mock hurt filling her face. "Is that any way to speak to your mother?"

"What?" Pine said in shock. His hand hovered over the tabletop.

"You forget that I know the truth now, witch. You killed my mother."

Atoll's eyebrows went up. "And the pitiful fairy Snowdrop gave you the gift of happiness. A fair trade, in my opinion." She smiled and let Blythe's chin go. The "camera" turned as far away from Atoll as was possible, but the witch was still there in the corner of Blythe's eye, since she had moved to the end of the bed. "You may be interested to know that I've found a way to properly use that gift, dear."

"Uh oh," Dawn said. She was watching the most terrifying movie of her life, the witch who cursed her threatening her friend. Atoll had hurt them all - she'd killed Pine's parents, forcing him to grow up on Earth, doing his best to suppress his cloudie nature. She'd stationed one of her spies on Kala's home island, where Kala had been given a potion that allowed her to shift her ethnicity but destroyed her voice. Andrew had been turned into a bear by one of Atoll's dwarf mages, and they had yet to find a cure. Dave had been a cloudie just like Atoll and Pine, but had made one mistake dealing with Atoll and been restricted to a lifetime of being a djinn, and his power was severely limited. Atoll had cursed Dawn herself with a similar spell to Blythe's, only Dawn had somehow woken herself up and gained access to the magic of her fairy gifts. They all had reason to hate Atoll, and they all had reason to love Blythe.

Atoll's hand onscreen filled with yellow flames, and her eyes lit up. "Your gift of happiness activates now when you obey me."

"No!" burst Blythe. She struggled, and sounded more upset than Dawn had ever heard her. That gift of happiness usually helped Blythe to see the positive side of things, and usually prevented her from feeling anything nearing sadness or pain (fairy ideas of "gifts" were often strange and not always helpful.)

"But yes, it does, dear. Now stop moving so I can get you out of that bed." Atoll approached and pulled the sheets back, revealing leather buckles keeping Blythe from moving very far. Blythe went limp.

"Now, there's the smile I like to see," Atoll said, opening the cuffs with a wave of her hand. "Now, I'm sure you understand how this is a good thing, don't you? Be a dear and sit up for me."

Blythe did so. A short giggle escaped her lips. "Please take it back," she said happily.

Atoll didn't answer Blythe directly. "Now, I'd like you to follow me. Your legs will be shaky, of course, but magic can help keep you up."

"Take it away, Atoll! Remove the gift." Even as she protested, Blythe slid off the bed, wearing a shapeless blue shift.

"Don't talk back to me, girl."

Blythe laughed. And laughed. She closed her eyes, the screen going dark, but the laughter still escaped the speakers.

Dawn turned around and fled the room.