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fluentmoviequoter · 8 months

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to being ghosts.

Chapter 1 - Ordinary Origins

Chapter Warnings: angst, misogynistic/sexist comments towards fem!reader, mentions of death and executions, incorrect depictions of hacking, a lot of world-building and several OCs are introduced. 7.5k+ words.

A siren blaring in the distance wakens you long before you’d prefer. Holding your eyes closed, you hope you can fall back asleep and dream of the old world. Such hope grows weaker every day, unable to keep your mind from the new horrors plaguing the world... your world.

“The New World Charter has assigned a president-elect,” a robotic voice announces outside.

Covering your head with your pillow, you try to drown out the reminders that life will never be the same, not after the death of Eli Ever and the subsequent dissolution of democracies and dictatorships alike.

With a sad sigh, you stand from your bed in your government-assigned apartment, dressing in your uniform and wondering how things went so terribly so quickly.

✯✯✯✯✯

Miles away from you, Victor Vale leads Mitch Turner and Sydney Clarke into an abandoned house on the outskirts of what used to be the overpopulated city of San Francisco. Today, it’s a ghost town, and Victor Vale (along with thousands of other EOs) is using these places as a refuge.

“How many countries are in the New World now?” Victor asks, watching Mitch pick up an outdated newspaper.

“As of two months ago, nearly half of the UN, 85,” he answers.

“Is that bad?” Sydney asks quietly, holding Dol closer as she awaits an answer.

“It may be,” Mitch answers honestly. “As long as they don’t have a unified leader, we’re better off.”

“And when they do?”

Victor looks out the dirt-stained window as he says, “We’ll know.”

✯✯✯✯✯

Walking into the New World Agency Headquarters, or NWA, you look at each passing agent and wonder what they did to earn their place. From open-minded United States federal recruits to Russian KGB leaders, every person wearing an NWA badge is considered qualified and necessary to the long-term mission. You, however, don’t know what the mission is, and though you feel like a ghost in these halls, the moment you decide whether or not you agree with it solidifies your future.

“Morning, agents,” NWA Director Smoak calls.

“Director,” everyone answers in sync.

“You have been called here because of your exemplary records.” He looks around the room as if analyzing each agent, including you. “Consider yourselves lucky to be the first group of recruits for NWA’s new task force, dedicated to the location and execution of EOs.”

Your breath catches in your throat. You didn’t choose to join the NWA; very few did, but you certainly didn’t agree to kill innocent people.

“We’ll be splitting you into teams. Agents Samuelson, Waller, and Daniels, stay here. The rest of you will find your lead agents outside. Head out and do good, bring the new world into the light!”

Following your partner, whom you have only heard referred to as Daniels, you have innumerable questions you want to ask. The walk to the director isn’t far, but it feels like miles as your stomach churns.

“You’re welcome,” Agent Daniels says, turning his head toward you.

“For what?” His eyes meet yours, and you quickly correct, “Sorry. Thank you, but for what, sir?”

“Getting you assigned to the best task force in the agency.”

You stop, unable to walk upon learning that your partner, the man who has been at your side since training ended three months ago, is willing to kill EOs just because they’re different. Not only that, but he thinks the assignment is something worthy of gratitude. A former U.S. Army sniper, Daniels’ kill count consists of a higher number than most peoples’ IQs.

“Daniels, I want you and your partner out by nightfall. You know your first mission, and upon its completion, you will receive the next. Prove your worth and another ticket may be in your future,” Smoak says, ignoring you as he speaks to your supervising agent.

Once upon a time, you dreamed of being a federal agent, but now that title is a nightmare come to life around you.

“Where are we going, sir?” you ask Daniels.

“Some town called Merit,” he answers, leading you through the back hallway of the NWA building.

“Merit? Where Eli Ever was arrested?”

“Maybe. I don’t tend to keep up with monsters like those people.”

“Those people?”

“EOs. We’ve got a long flight, so maybe pace your questions,” he snaps.

Nodding, you ask yourself how someone can have so little empathy for EOs, simply assuming they’re all like Ever. The Gulfstream plane awaiting you could get hundreds of EOs to safety, you think, before realizing that your mind and your mission are nowhere near aligned.

✯✯✯✯✯

“Problem,” Mitch calls.

Victor turns away from the window, walking to Mitch’s side.

“They have a leader. President-Elect Smoak, also rumored to be leading the New World Agency, the combination of all the government and law enforcement agencies of participating countries.”

“Number?”

Mitch doesn’t answer, turning around to face Victor as he tilts his head to the side.

“All of them?” Victor clarifies.

“Which means the new task force, Task O, has plenty of people to back it up.”

“We have to move.”

“Why?”

“Call it a hunch, a ghost giving me a clue, I don’t know, but we do. So, let’s go!” Victor turns away as he calms to say, “Sydney, time to go.”

“What are we telling her?”

“Not a word more than we have to.”

✯✯✯✯✯

“What is your issue?” Daniels asks.

You look up from the picture in the file, glancing at the clouds below. Even the sky seems sad these days.

“He looks like a kid,” you answer, shrugging. “Just not sure how you keep it so separated, sir.”

“He’s not a kid. Not even an ordinary human, not anymore. That- that change makes them different, and someone needs to do something about it.”

After the news shifted to the existence and creation of EOs, particularly Eli Cardale, you’d scoured the internet to find what made them so special. A rough draft of his work from Lockland University was produced by your effort: a simple, straightforward explanation with a bit too much religious symbolism.

“There was a time not long ago when being ordinary was considered a bad thing,” you hum.

“Not at the cost of our souls, our freedom, and the consistency of human nature.”

Human nature has never been consistent, you want to say. Instead, you nod and look back to the file. Daniels continues watching you, a suspicious narrowing of his eyes the only sign that he is experiencing any emotion.

“Do you have a problem with the mission? Because there’s a nice place for NWA agents who decide they don’t agree with our ideals,” Daniels says. “I hear most people never want to return to their old homes after visiting.”

“As nice as that sounds, sir, I’m fine. Just tired, I think.”

“Then get some sleep. We have an ordinary world to protect.”

Reading the top line of the file one last time, you close it and set it aside, wishing you felt safe enough to sleep. Dreams of a different world are the only relief you’ve found, but even that can only do so much.

✯✯✯✯✯

Mitch’s fingers fly across the keyboard, a few clicks of the trackpad interrupting his consistent typing. He knows better than to hack the New World Charter computers. If he can get into the United States government’s records, he may be able to find a thread worthy of tugging.

The screen goes black before an out-of-use desktop loads. Smirking at his success, Mitch navigates to the most recent records. It takes a few minutes, but he finds evidence of a conversation with someone named Smoak. He assumes it is the same Smoak now running the entire world, and the few ideas expressed in the months-old exchange concern him.

Noticing the presence of another user in the system, Mitch freezes his screen, disappearing into the shadows of the servers.

‘hey,’ someone types, ‘we’ve met before. they’re killing EOs, just thought you should know.’

The text box disappears before a small file opens: a single page titled “Task O” lists three teams, one under Smoak’s leadership and the team members. As concerning as it should be, Mitch’s attention is caught on the task motto: “For an ordinary world, no matter the cost.”

He knows he should tell Victor, but something makes him pause. Saving the file to his own computer, Mitch erases any sign of himself and his unknown partner before closing the laptop. Smoak has three teams under his direction: Samuelson, Waller, and Daniels, plus their partners. Seven people answering to one leader, who wants EOs dead as far as Mitch can tell, does not seem like a good thing. Though he knows Smoak’s name, one other name stays on his mind after closing the computer.

✯✯✯✯✯

When the plane lands, Daniels offers to split up and cover more ground, and you immediately agree. If you can find the young EO before Daniels, maybe you can help somehow. Daniels will eliminate him without a word or thought, but there has to be another way.

After a few minutes, you realize that Daniels is following you. He’s keeping his distance, but you must lose him and convince him to trust you for a few minutes before continuing.

“When you find him, radio immediately,” Daniels says in your earpiece.

“Yes, sir.”

After walking around the same city block twice, letting yourself look incompetent, Daniels sighs and breaks away. Picking up where you left off, you navigate the darkest alleys alone. Though you should probably be concerned for your safety, the EOs need your concern and protection more than you do. Daniels has already threatened to make you disappear, but your fate is still in your hands.

“Excuse me,” you call. The man turns around, his eyes wide and wild as he does. “I’m here to help you but I need you to trust me. Someone is trying to hurt you.”

“This is about that other guy that got killed in Miami, ain’t it?” he asks. “All the EOs are talkin’ about it. Like the police think we’re all bad because that Eli guy killed someone. EON was bad enough, but we didn’t think it would get worse after they went away.”

You raise your hand as you attempt to calm him and ease his nerves. “I know. When EON went away, I hoped it would get better for you guys, but there are always going to be people who are scared of new things, different things.”

“Then what’s the point of fighting?” he whispers.

“Because if you don’t, you’re proving them right. Let me help you, and maybe someday, you and the other EOs that I help will be able to make a difference and show the people that they don’t need to be afraid of you.”

Your shirt rides up slightly, exposing your NWA badge. He sees it, staring at it as he takes a step back.

“Hey, hey, look at me. They want me to do something that I’m not going to do, do you understand that? I wear the badge because I have to, but it doesn’t control me. They don’t control me, and you don’t have to let them control you either,” you explain.

He stops, nodding slowly. “What do you want me to do?”

“There’s a little town about ten miles from here. It used to be-“

“The train depot, yeah, I know it,” he interrupts.

“Go that way and wait for me. If I’m not there by sunset to give you more instructions, leave before dark and get to the depot.”

“Why? Why help us?”

“Because what they’re doing is wrong. You deserve a chance.”

“What if you’re wrong?”

You finally smile, and he mirrors it as you say, “Then I’ll change my mind.”

✯✯✯✯✯

Victor’s pale eyes are on Mitch. He fights the urge to squirm at his undivided attention.

“Can I help you?” Mitch asks finally.

“You tell me.”

Mitch glances over at Sydney before saying, “No.”

“Are we leaving again soon? Because I’m really tired,” Sydney asks, lying on the dilapidated couch with Dol under her arm.

“Not for a while. That’s the plan for now, at least, so get some rest,” Victor answers, demanding yet concerned.

“Still can’t help,” Mitch mutters as he walks by Victor.

✯✯✯✯✯

“Suspect down,” you radio, looking around the scene you’ve set up.

Standing on the rooftop, you’re impressed by the view. As the sun sets, mirroring a bloody smear across the sky, you imagine this is how Frodo felt on his journey to Mordor, just with more people to talk to. Below you, you’ve arranged pallets and red paint to look like someone fell off the roof. Your plan isn’t great, and it’s entirely dependent on Daniels believing it from the roof, but it’s all you can do for now. Either way, you gained a few more hours for the target to get to safety.

“I told you to radio when you found him, not after you took him out,” Daniels chides roughly behind you.

“I was going to, but he panicked and fell back when he saw the badge, sir,” you answer, keeping your eyes on the ground below.

Daniels walks to your side, surveying the damage in the alley below. His eyes darken momentarily before he nods.

“Back with the trash where he belongs,” he mutters. “I’ll call Smoak and get our next assignment. Meet you at the plane.”

As he turns around, you ask, “Should we do something with the body?”

“Leave it there. It’ll serve as a warning.”

Closing your eyes, you bite back your anger before you get in trouble. The new government doesn’t care about these people; they only notice EOs because they are afraid. Someone has to show them that EOs aren’t monsters to be feared, though you’re not sure if they’re allies. Regardless, you can’t prove anything without help, so you need to save enough of them to start a revolution.

Taking a deep breath, you hope the future is heading north.

✯✯✯✯✯

Your phone rings as you near the plane. Raising a hand to Daniels, you stop and answer it.

“Hello,” you greet.

“Hey. It’s Barton, do you have a minute?” your classmate from the police academy asks.

“Of course. Where are you these days?”

“NWA analytics. They- they want me to do something that I don’t agree with, and I feel stuck. If I don’t do it, something terrible will happen to me, right?”

“Barton, don’t,” you whisper harshly. “Do not do something stupid.”

“I’m not running.”

“Don’t do something else, then.”

“Too late,” he mutters. “But they won’t know about you.”

You flinch and drop your phone away when a gunshot echoes through the speaker. Ending the call, you breathe heavily as you wonder what he did. His promise that they won’t know about you makes you confident that whatever it is will make an impact.

Leveling your expression, you walk to the plane and stand beside Daniels. He types quickly, his complete focus on his phone.

“Everything okay, sir?” you ask quietly.

“No,” he answers. “New World Charter is- our leaders are in trouble.”

“How so?”

“Some- some complete idiot at NWA released a list of names.”

“Oh.”

Daniels looks up suddenly, his eyes dark and angry as he glares at you. “’Oh’? That’s all you have to say. Do you know what this means, agent? Every single person working with the New World Charter’s identity, their pictures, addresses, it’s all out there for anyone to see.”

“Well, they’re working for good, so no one should have a problem or try to do anything. Right, sir?” you ask, hoping everyone can see their true intentions and someone decides to do something about it.

“You really have no clue how governments work, do you? No matter how good they are, there will be people who try to hurt them.”

You press your lips together and nod. Daniels shakes his head, looking back at his phone when it buzzes again.

“Great,” he mumbles. “Now NWA.”

“What about it, sir?”

“List of names,” he grumbles.

“Our leaders?”

His eyes scan the screen, scrolling quickly. He releases a small sigh before putting his phone in his pocket.

“Good news?” you pry.

“My name isn’t on the list. Well, it is, but just my last name; listed as your superior.”

“Mine?”

“Oh, yeah, it’s all there. Full name, picture, address, contact information,” he lists off before smiling at you. “Better prove your worth or no one will care what you go home to.”

Daniels turns and boards the plane, yelling for you to follow. You swallow, hoping that having your name and picture made public won’t ruin your chances of helping the next EO.

✯✯✯✯✯

Mitch shakes his head, wondering how a police recruit was assigned to one of the most dangerous task forces in the New World. When he hears Victor approaching, he closes the window and moves away from his laptop.

“It’s getting worse,” he tells Victor.

“Shocking,” Victor mumbles sarcastically.

“Vic, we need to do something other than run. Surely there has to be another option.”

“Like what? Making a stand with a guy who can control pain, a hacker, and a kid who can raise the dead? We have no chance alone, Mitch.”

“Then why are you so opposed to help?”

“Because we aren’t normal people, Mitch. We have no home, no help, and no chance of being noticed without dire consequences. We’re ghosts.”

“You defeated Eli, and then EON. Why is this different?”

“Because this is EON multiplied by a million. And, technically, I didn’t defeat Eli, I just got him out of the way long enough to keep going.”

“If we’re ghosts,” Mitch says slowly, “then there’s still a chance.”

“Three versus the world government is not a fair fight, and one I refuse to pull you or Sydney into.”

“What if we had more help? A Good Samaritan willing to gather EO troops?”

Victor rolls his eyes. “Even if that was a possibility, it will never work. NWA doesn’t recruit Good Samaritans, or at least trains it out of them.”

Mitch doesn’t respond, which leads Victor to return to his side. “You know something.”

“I know lots of things.”

“Mitch,” Victor warns.

“I do, but it’s not important yet. Not pertinent, even.”

“Then tell me.”

“No. If I’m wrong, we don’t need that kind of negative impact.”

“Mitch, if it doesn’t matter, why do you keep bringing it up?” Victor demands.

“Because something is changing!” Mitch replies, raising his voice as he stands. “Can’t you tell that?”

“I can,” Sydney says quietly, standing in the doorway behind them. “There’s more, more life or something. It’s not quite as bad as it was.”

“That doesn’t mean there’s a powerful savior that makes this all go away; we are still in danger of being killed,” Victor argues. “I know it’s not what we want to admit, but it’s the truth – this ends with death for us. Especially if we rush into this fight without stopping to think for a minute. This isn’t beating Eli, not revenge, it is life or death.”

“Not just for us,” Mitch interjects. “Task O, as in O for ordinary, is killing EOs. But I think an agent, or someone else, is helping them. That’s why Sydney can sense more life than there ‘should’ be.”

“So, what you’re telling me is that because of one good NWA agent, there’s a bunch of ghosts?”

“Basically.”

Victor rakes his fingers through his pale hair as he thinks.

“You said it would take more than three ghosts,” Mitch reminds him gently. “If we can find a whole race of ghosts? EO ghosts, at that, and the NWA, the New World Charter doesn’t stand a chance.”

“What else are you keeping from me?” Victor asks.

“Chocolate milk,” Sydney whispers, a smile appearing when Mitch laughs. Each day her smile becomes a little rarer. That alone makes Victor want to fight, even though he’ll never admit it.

“A name,” Mitch answers. “And I’m still going to hold onto it. Until I’m sure.”

“You really think this will work?”

“I do. But not without you on board and willing to trust me.”

“I trust you, Mitch, I do. It’s them I don’t trust.”

“Give it some time. And we need to stay here.”

“It’s been days already; someone will be able to find us if they look hard enough.”

“Exactly,” Mitch says with a smile.

✯✯✯✯✯

You return to NWA Headquarters before receiving your next target. Every agent is recalled upon Barton’s sudden betrayal and execution. Sitting at the back of the crowded room, you hope more EOs have caught word of the ambush and found a safe hiding place. Finding them will be difficult, but the future lies in the hands of the superpowered people your neighbors are hunting.

Your mission, however, is to find the unfindable and get them to a safe place before gathering them for a revolution. Your future, and theirs, of course, has far too many variables. But, you will give everything you have, including your life, to bring peace and remind ordinary people that ExtraOrdinaries aren’t so different.

“Why can’t we just train them?” someone asks. “If EOs are dangerous now, then we can show them another way. Maybe they’re just as lost and surprised as we are. Thousands of experts are at your disposal, able to teach EOs how their powers work and maybe even gain an ally.”

You agree entirely, wishing you had the strength to stand up and voice your opinion, too. When the agent is cut off in the middle of a sentence, you’re glad you waited. NWA is not fond of its agents speaking out of turn, especially when what they say is morally right.

“Any other comments?” Smoak asks, practically daring someone else to speak. “Well then, let’s get this meeting underway.”

“Wait! My partner never showed up and I’m worried,” an agent explains, standing as they speak.

“Yes,” Smoak says, glancing at the paper before him. “Your partner has decided to take a less active role in our Canada region.”

Sighing, you wish you could comfort the agent. ‘The Canada region’ is the codeword NWA officials use for the same place Daniels threatened to send you. It’s a place for exiled and disgraced agents who are never heard from or seen again. You’re sure it’s a type of black site, not simply a prison compound, so you feel empathetic towards the exiled and their partner.

“Focus,” Daniels whispers, tapping you with his elbow. “We’re next.”

“Task O has made excellent progress in the early stages of the program. There is much work to be done ahead of us, and as the days progress, we will add manpower and more teams to this task force. We are aware of the security breach, and it has been dealt with internally, but the information is still out there for the public to view. Our analysis and cyber teams are working to scrub as much of this from global internet servers as possible, but we will be providing temporary housing and other aid as needed. NWA is not just an agency, we are here for you, so do not hesitate to reach out as needed.”

You shake your head, wondering how long they’ll be able to keep up the lies that they’re doing good and here for the people. The idea that Smoak cares about the agents who were exposed is laughable; your memory of hearing Barton’s execution keeps you from exposing your hand too early.

“One team, however, has made a big impact on us here at NWA. Supervising Agent Daniels and his team were the first to complete their initial mission.”

Supervising Agent Daniels and his team… as far as Daniels knows, you completed the mission. Yet, in typical government fashion, the man with seniority gets the credit. Not that you care; you are trying to stay below the radar and make yourself invisible as often as possible. Although, if this were your choice career, you’d be indignant.

“They have both our gratitude and admiration for such effectiveness in the field. For that reason, they will be receiving two assignments moving forward.”

There’s a small round of applause, and Director Smoak nods at Daniels before moving on to the next item on the docket.

“Port operations have resumed in major cities such as Los Angeles, Singapore, and Colón…”

You tune him out, your mind split between wondering what that nod was about and planning where you can send every EO to wait. Waiting will undoubtedly be the worst part of taking the world back from the dictators and murderers currently in charge, so a slow and steady approach is essential.

“You are dismissed,” Smoak nearly yells, pulling you from your planning.

“He wants to meet us about our new targets before we leave again,” Daniels fills you in, leaving you as he walks to the crowd of male leaders at the front of the room.

“Don’t know how you have the patience to work with a woman,” one of them jokes.

Daniels looks at you before reluctantly admitting, “She was vital to our success.”

It’s not an acknowledgment of the truth or your worth, but you play your role and smile at the men, unwilling to get angry or prove them right in any way. You will give Daniels all the praise and credit he wants to keep this assignment. One day, one person may know what you did or tried to do, and that is all you can ask for.

“Daniels,” Director Smoak greets, clapping his back. “You are our best, that’s for sure. Which is why I’m giving you and your partner here a new target. And I’m giving you our current most wanted EO. I don’t expect him to be easy to find, so I want you to blow through these other monsters while you’re hunting him. Shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

Smoak glances toward you, and you nod, giving him a respectful smile.

“I like this one. You work well together.”

“We do,” Daniels agrees. “And that’s certainly not a problem. We’ll keep knocking them down while we make our way to the top.”

“Exactly what I wanted to hear. Meet me in my office and we’ll discuss our most wanted.”

As you walk through the private hallways, off limits to agents such as yourself, you cross your fingers that you can find a well-known EO and get him on board with your plan. Another name, another pair of hands, anything will help. As long as they’re alright with being invisible.

✯✯✯✯✯

Victor drags a marker across a page, the odd domesticity of the situation making him anxious. Sydney returns from a quick walk with Dol, smiling again as she falls onto the couch beside Victor. Mitch is reading something on his computer, not unaware of how they’re all acting like they’re at home. He chuckles at the thought of the three of them sharing a home forever, and Sydney immediately asks what’s so funny.

“Nothing, just picturing how terrible Victor would be as a permanent roommate,” he answers.

Sydney joins his laughter as Victor pauses his editing.

“I wouldn’t be that bad,” he argues.

“Your last roommate is dead,” Sydney points out.

“Who killed him?” Victor challenges.

“Calm down,” Mitch says, feeling more like an overworked dad than ever. “And don’t get too comfortable, this isn’t the new normal, just a- just a break.”

“So, we’re setting a trap, luring someone into finding us?” Sydney clarifies, welcoming Dol onto the couch between her and Victor.

“More or less, yes.”

“Seems like more of a trap for us. Like a mouse sitting in a cage to catch a cat.”

Victor looks over at her, his brows raised as he nods. “Didn’t know you could make sense like that.”

“Says the cryptic old guy.”

Mitch sighs, and Victor returns his attention to the book in his lap, hiding how pleased he is to see Sydney acting like herself again.

“What happens after?” Sydney asks. “We get killed?”

“No,” Mitch and Victor answer together.

“I don’t know for sure what happens, Syd. This isn’t the same world we started in, and I can’t guarantee much past your safety, but I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Or yourself,” Sydney demands, not a question but a statement.

Victor nods, aware that he’s lying, and that Sydney knows it too.

✯✯✯✯✯

“Like many of our smaller units, we have a most wanted list for EOs,” Director Smoak explains as you and Daniels sit across from him. “Currently, there are ten EOs worthy of special attention. We don’t have pictures for several of them, but we have names and ideas of what their powers are. These people are dangerous, not just criminals to slap handcuffs on. There’s no training to prepare you for this mission, but you’ve proven yourselves trustworthy and competent.”

“Thank you, sir, it’s our honor to take this on,” Daniels responds.

Smoak slides two file folders across the desk before folding his hands in front of his chest. You open yours as Daniels takes his.

“Our most wanted.”

“Victor Vale,” you read. “What makes him so important, sir?”

“He is responsible for the death of Eli Ever, and the fall of EON. Not immortal or invincible, but he is hard to injure and harder to capture. The few agents who have had contact with him, or something close to it, have experienced excruciating pain and only one fully recovered.”

“His power is an ability to control pain,” Daniels deduces.

“Sorry, sir, but what do you mean by ‘something close to’ contact with him?” you interject.

“You don’t have to see him, even be all that close to him to be affected,” Smoak answers. “If he can see you, he can kill you.”

Nodding, you can’t help but imagine him dropping Daniels and removing perhaps your biggest obstacle. It is no wonder someone so powerful has maintained his freedom for so long.

“Two known associates? That’s a bit strange for EOs,” Daniels adds.

“It is. They tend to move and work alone, but this one has been seen with another man as well as a young girl,” Smoak reads.

“A young girl? Why?”

“We have reason to believe she is one of the EOs Eli Ever was searching for. There’s something special about this one, but we can’t be sure what without getting close. With Victor Vale at her side, that’s nearly impossible.”

“Is she considered dangerous?” you ask.

“Everyone with any association to Victor Vale is considered highly dangerous, especially if they are a suspected EO, as the girl is. While you hunt them, do not let your guard down for even a moment. Dangerous fights are unavoidable, but your safety is a possibility as long as you work together and use caution and logic.”

“You can count on us,” Daniels says.

You nod your agreement, your mind too caught on Smoak’s phrasing to reply. He considers this a hunt, not a search for a criminal. It fits, though, more like a hunt for sport as you track someone with the only intention of killing them. Or that’s what you would do if you weren’t a traitor.

“One more thing,” Smoak says, looking at you for once. “We have plenty of evidence that Eli was able to manipulate people very easily, especially women. Victor may have similar charm, but you need to keep your wits and the mission in mind, okay?”

You blink rapidly at his blatant sexism. “Yes, sir. I know that any interaction with Vale is simply to eliminate him.”

Smoak nods, dismissing you before speaking to Daniels. He doesn’t wait until the door closes and you hear, “Keep an eye on her, she’s good, but empathy has no place in this.”

You agree entirely as you desperately seek a way out of this fight, to finish it, and move on into a world where empathy is once again common and accepted.

✯✯✯✯✯

With the file nearly memorized, you stare at the ‘No Image on File’ block where Victor Vale’s picture should be. When you imagine meeting him, you see three possibilities: he reluctantly trusts you to join your treacherous plan, he doesn’t trust you and ignores you as he leaves, or he recognizes you as an NWA agent and kills you without question. Any choice has pros and cons, including the third, which removes you from the fight but reveals Victor’s path. If, miraculously, Victor chooses the first option, the New World Charter won’t know what hit them.

“What are you thinking about? If you’re worried about the charm statement, just force yourself to remember his known body count is nearing a hundred,” Daniels offers.

“No, sir, I wasn’t thinking about that. I was just wondering how he got his powers; pain can be an emotional experience sometimes, so it’s just an interesting idea.”

Daniels hums before arguing, “It doesn’t matter. He’ll be dead by the time we get to him anyway, so his second death will make a much bigger impact.”

You run your finger under the line about the young girl. If she’s present, you know you will do anything to keep her safe. After your own childhood and working with troubled youth early in your career, you have a soft spot for kids.

“We’re going after a water bender first,” Daniels says. “We’ve got his location and I’m exhausted, so I’m going to sleep until we land. Feel free to get started on tracking our ticket.”

The NWA equivalent of a golden ticket, or an assigning of your choice, a ticket is only achievable by apprehending or eliminating a top-tier EO or criminal. Since NWA was founded several months ago, only two tickets have been given: one for catching a serial killer and another for apprehending the last surviving captive of EON.

Uninterested in a ticket, you begin researching, hoping to find something that will help you before it helps Daniels. Your hands hover over the keyboard as you wonder where to start. The list of names that Barton leaked, you realize, wasn’t just a moral decision but a head start. Finding his already deleted account, you begin working backward until you find the original posting. With each step, each download and movement of the document, you get a bit more discouraged.

One record, however, was nearly wiped: a download from a U.S. government database. You track it, surprised to find a 30-second interaction between users, just sharing the file and sending a now scrubbed-away message. Assuming it’s somehow related to Victor, you track it as far as possible. There’s no IP address or location, but you get a region: somewhere outside San Francisco with no secure internet. Whoever hacked the database was very good, so you must work quickly and effectively before they realize someone is on their computer.

It's a long shot, but you manipulate the document and post it in a private forum, dropping a link to the two computers you can find. The first one bounces back, but the second seems to deliver. And now you have to wait.

✯✯✯✯✯

“EO down,” Daniels alerts.

You stop in the alley, pressing your hand against the brick wall as you lean forward. Your stomach flips with anxiety and sadness.

“Copy,” you radio.

A rogue tear breaks past your waterline. Wiping it away quickly, you kick a box before you, wondering how you failed to find this one.

Daniels says your last name, his voice eerily even.

“Find anything else? This guy implied there was another one around here.”

“His accomplice, Rock?”

“Presumably. All we know about Rock is he has geo-powers. Just keep an eye out, we’ll keep patrolling for a bit.”

“Copy that, sir. I’ll let you know if I find anything.”

Turning, you decide to go back the way you came. As you near the sight of the execution, the ground rumbles beneath you. You stow your badge in your back pocket, out of sight.

“Rock?” you ask quietly, introducing yourself. “I want to help. I’m sorry about your friend.”

“Help? No one can help. You should let him take me, too.”

“I’m not going to do that, Rock. Can you come out and talk to me? There’s still hope.”

“No, there’s not. You let me walk today, and tomorrow someone else comes along, gets scared, and I end up in the same position. I’m tired.”

The ground shakes harder this time, and you grasp the wall beside you.

“Rock, I’ve been helping EOs for a few days, and I’m trying to get more of you to help me fight NWA.”

Rock chuckles sadly. “NWA will always win. You should know, since they’re beating you, too.”

“Just for now. I’m doing what I have to for now, and then they will be history. But I need your help, Rock.”

“I need it more,” he says before the ground tilts beneath you.

Struggling to stand, you slip forward and tumble down the hill you stand on. A man sits at the bottom, and you move toward him slowly.

“Rock,” you say gently.

“It’s over.”

You look past him and see the hills moving, rocks rolling quickly toward the city.

“Rock don’t do this. These people don’t deserve this.”

“Neither do we.”

“Then come with me and help me show them. Killing these people won’t change anything; it will just make them think that you are the monster they believe you to be,” you explain, your voice rising passionately.

“Maybe we are.”

“We’re not!” you yell.

“We?” Rock whispers.

You can’t take it back, and you can’t admit that you misspoke, so you nod. “Don’t let them see us the way they want to.”

The ground stills, the rocks slowing to a stop as the ground levels out.

“What are you planning to do?” he asks.

“Gather EOs, get them to safety, and then when we can group together and make a plan that lets us work together, we take the fight to them. The New World Charter is telling people that EOs are monsters.”

“Won’t fighting them be proving them right, too?”

“Not the way I’m planning,” you answer with a small smile. “But sometimes it takes a little evil to fight for good.”

Rock nods, standing from a tree stump. “Tell me where to go.”

“West. There’s an abandoned train depot. It’s pretty far from here, but it was huge in its day. That’s where I sent the last three EOs.”

Rock nods and takes a step past you before you stop him.

“I can’t guarantee that they’re there,” you admit. “I can’t guarantee your safety after I leave, either. My plan is built on hope and nothing more.”

“We all died before this started. If there’s anything we can trust in, it’s hope,” Rock promises.

“Just- just be careful, Rock.”

He pats your arm, the ground rumbling beneath you.

“You, too. I think you’re in for a lot more trouble than we are.”

As he runs over the hill and out of sight, you let the faint shaking of the ground soothe you. He’s right, you’re in more danger than you care to think about. Now, though, you need to stage another execution.

“You got him?” Daniels asks. Confused, you don’t answer, so Daniels says your name.

“Yes, sir?”

“The ground is still; did you get him?”

“Oh, yes, sir. Sorry, he was strong.”

“Well done. Two in one. Meet me back at the plane.”

Daniels’ apparent trust in you gives you more hope that you are making progress. It also temporarily blinds you, and you don’t notice someone watching you in the shadows. You look at the tree stump beside you and step over it on your way back to the plane.

✯✯✯✯✯

Mitch’s brow furrows as he notices a changed name. The NWA’s list of names has been renamed, so Mitch opens it.

The motto at the bottom has been added to, For an ordinary world, no matter the cost. now says For a world that accepts the unordinary, no matter the cost.

Your name is highlighted, and Mitch smiles as he realizes he was drawn to your information for a reason. He types a quick, nearly unnoticeable change before saving it. A simple letter added, and a change of address to your contact information, which Mitch trusts will be enough to draw you in. The trap has been set, and he hopes they’re the cat in Sydney’s analogy, luring a mouse inside and not the other way around.

✯✯✯✯✯

Your name has been altered, your first and last now surrounding the middle initial V. For Victor, you presume. Your address lists a different city, and you finally know where you’re going.

“Daniels, I think I found a lead. Someone hacked into an old police database and downloaded some files. The computer was in a smaller town outside of San Francisco, sir,” you tell him.

He looks over your shoulder at the computer, and you’re grateful that you took the time to create some faux tracking records. Nodding, Daniels moves to sit across from you as he opens Victor’s file.

“One of the ones that was evacuated?” he asks.

“Yes, sir. During one of the first riots from what I can tell.”

During the dissolution of the United States and its integration into the New World Charter, there were riots in several big cities. They became overwhelmingly violent, and biological weapons were used, or at least threatened to be used in numerous cities, including San Francisco. When it reached this level, many of the residents in the cities and surrounding areas evacuated. Now, ghost towns litter the U.S., acting as the perfect hiding spot for people who don’t want to be found: for ghosts.

“Our next target is on the way to San Francisco; think we have time for a quick stop? Or will they move quickly?”

“I think we have time, sir. The IP location hasn’t changed since the download; maybe that data leak made them think we’d stop searching.”

“Let’s hope. It’d be nice to see that document used for some good.”

If you trusted Daniel a bit more, you’d think he was concerned for the well-being of the people on the list, but he only cares about himself and getting a ticket.

“That would be nice, sir.”

✯✯✯✯✯

“Promise not to get mad,” Mitch begins.

“What about me makes you think that’s something I would do?” Victor replies.

“Vic.”

“Fine. What’ve you got?”

“Our Good Samaritan. NWA Agent.”

“No.”

“Hear me out,” Mitch begs. Victor sighs, so Mitch smiles and continues. “She got into my computer; we’ve gone back and forth a few times, and she’s probably on her way.”

“You told her where we are?” Victor asks incredulously. “We don’t know anything about these people, except that they want to kill us!”

“She changed the motto, Vic, she’s on our side.”

“Oh, right, because liars and cheaters working for the New World Charter would never change a motto to learn where I am.”

“Guys?” Sydney asks, holding her arm over her chest. “It happened again.”

“Another life?” Victor asks, his voice softer.

Sydney nods. “I think I know what is causing it: a lot of people think someone is dead, but they’re not. Or something like that.”

Mitch looks at Victor to hypothesize, “As if someone was pretending to kill EOs, and telling their superiors they did their job. Which would affect the one person who can sense life and bring it back.”

Victor shows no emotion as he begins pacing, thinking about everything he’s learned in the last few weeks and now, minutes.

“Do you really trust her?” Sydney asks, moving to stand by Mitch.

“I do. I never would have told her where you were if I didn’t.”

“He doesn’t trust her.”

“No, I don’t,” Victor interrupts. “But I’m willing to meet her. Alone. If, somehow, she convinces me she is trustworthy, I will give her a chance to explain herself.”

“And if she doesn’t?”

Victor nods, acknowledging that he still vows to hurt people before they can hurt Sydney. His safety, his fate, is not the only thing reliant on his decisions, which is why he makes them so methodically.

✯✯✯✯✯

“I found her, Daniels,” you radio.

Someone is standing behind you, and you tense as you turn to face them. Looking around, you’re surprised that no one is there. You still feel eyes on you, but you ignore it and focus on Daniels’s reply.

“Where are you?”

“Second alley west of Main.”

“I’ll meet you there.”

Daniels enters the alley from the east, which surprises you. He passes you while you look at the alley entrance, wondering where he came from.

“Alright. Let’s go get a ticket, then,” Daniels says.

“That’s it, sir?”

“You did your job, didn’t you?”

Daniels sounds strange, something you can’t place in his expression and his words.

“Yes, sir.”

He shrugs and gestures for you to follow him. “Then we can go.”

Doubt, you realize. He’s doubting you for some reason. Assuming that it’s because you are risking his ticket if you are wrong, you follow him wordlessly.

“I think that I should go in alone to get Vale,” Daniels tells you as the plane door closes.

“Sir?”

“I’m the supervising and senior agent, and I don’t feel right about leading you into a death trap like that.”

“Oh. Yes, sir, I understand.”

Daniels smiles as he adds, “And Vale is mine.”

#to being ghosts.#victor vale x reader #victor vale #vicious ve schwab #vicious

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josephthesnailshow · 1 year

Text

Sammy's Secret (Sequel to Sammy the Cat)

~~~

Days turned into weeks after the discovery of the disturbing "Sammy the Cat" DVDs. The unsettling events and nightmares continued to haunt my thoughts. I decided to go deeper into the mystery, determined to uncover the truth behind this haunting show.

I have contacted the local police department again to inquire about any updates on their investigation into the second DVD I've reported. They informed me afterward that the man responsible for the show's disturbing content had been identified as Richard Turner, an actor who had struggled with severe mental health issues.

Intrigued and horrified by this disclosure, I decided to visit Richard Turner in prison. I wanted answers. As I entered the cold, dimly lit prison visiting room, I was met with a crooked and untidy man in a prison uniform. It was Richard Turner, the man who had portrayed Sammy the Cat.

He looked up, his eyes filled with a mixture of sadness and madness. I couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for him, despite the gruesome scenes I had witnessed in his show.

"Richard," I began cautiously, "I need to understand what happened with 'Sammy the Cat.' Why did you create such a disturbing show?"

Richard hesitated, his gaze fixed on the table. "It was my descent into madness," he mumbled, his voice trembling. "I was plagued by my demons, and I thought creating this show would somehow help me cope."

"But why the violence? The nightmares it caused?" I said.

Tears welled up in Richard's eyes as he recounted his troubled past. "I lost everything—my career, my family. I became consumed by my own darkness. I thought that by creating something so horrifying, I could share my pain with the world. It was my cry for help, albeit a twisted one."

I left the prison with a heavy heart, struggling to comprehend the depths of Richard's torment. It was a chilling reminder of the power of mental illness and the damaging impact it could have on a person's life.

Still, the mystery surrounding the second DVD remained. Why had it shown a seemingly different side of Richard, one that hinted at remorse and regret?

Determined to find answers, I revisited my great-aunt's estate, sifting through her belongings once more. Hidden among her possessions, she stumbled upon a diary that belonged to her. In it, she chronicled her experiences as a nurse at a psychiatric facility, including her interactions with a troubled patient named Richard Turner.

The diary entries revealed that my great-aunt had developed a deep connection with Richard, attempting to help him overcome his mental health struggles. She believed in his potential for recovery, even though others had given up on him.

As I pieced together the puzzle, it became clear that Richard had a complex history with my great-aunt. Her unwavering support and compassion had made a significant impact on his life, and he had dedicated the disturbing "Sammy the Cat" show to her memory.

The revelation left me with mixed emotions. While the show's horrors couldn't be excused, it was a stark reminder of the profound impact one person's kindness and understanding could have on another, even in the darkest of times.

I decided to preserve the story, not as a tale of terror but as a cautionary tale about the importance of mental health awareness and the potential for redemption, even in the most disturbing of circumstances.

After talking to Mr. Turner and sifting through my great-aunt's belongings, I realized that the police department was searching the house, and they found something unexplainable. It turns out he was living inside the walls the whole time before the police found him, and during that, they also found blood stains from the victims he killed. They already collected what he used in the show: his Sammy costume and the long-barreled shotgun. They decided to put the shotgun in a bag. They hired strong men to grab the costume and lock it away somewhere.

One of his friends was Jack Kennedy. How do I know him? I was searching more about Richard, and I found his name, so I clicked it to find more information; he was one of the people who knew Richard Turner at the facility where my great-aunt met Richard Turner, though the guy was less insane than he was. Jack Kennedy is a traumatized but intelligent man who suffered from child abuse. He later found the Sammy costume and saved it for family-friendly entertainment purposes, though he made it less low-budget in order to make it less creepy.

Now, before I end this, I have nothing else to say to anyone who reads this. Richard may not return to the public, but I assure you that I hope, and I'm being serious here, that despite him being a terrible person as seen in the previous tapes I watched, he does seem like he has remorse and regret for his actions, and I'm assuming that he's being truthful about it. Anyone can change if they put in the effort.

I'm glad I tried to end this on a little happier note, but I don't know yet, and luckily, I'm feeling a bit better after this situation.

#creepypasta #sammy the cat #lost episodes #television #warner bros #sequel #guilt #tw: mental illness

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thatguywiththecoydog · 3 years

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The Bad Seed (1956)

Spoilers below.

Warning: There are some themes in this post that might make some people feel uncomfortable. I will be discussing themes of suicide, murder, and antisocial personality disorder. Not to mention, there are a lot of violent descriptions that I go into detail about. If these are subjects that bother you on an emotional level, please have some discretion upon reading this.

I recently watched The Bad Seed from Warner Bros. released in 1956. This movie is based on the book and play of the same name.

The plot (major spoilers start at paragraph 2):

The movie starts off normally enough with the Penmark family living their everyday life. Kenneth, the man of the house, is stationed off on military duty, leaving his wife, Christine, and his eight-year-old daughter, Rhoda, at home. Rhoda's reputation at the apartment she lives at is a good one, as both her mother and the landlady, Monica, adore her and everything she does.

One day, Rhoda leaves for a school picnic at the lake and everything is as it should. Meanwhile, Christine is having lunch with the other people in the building when she gets a rather disturbing message from the radio. A child in Rhoda's class has just drowned in the lake. This ends up being a boy named Claude. Claude had previously won a penmanship medal that Rhoda was also competing for.

Rhoda says this on various occasions, "That medal was really mine."

Rhoda comes home unfazed by what happened, which is a bit off-putting to Christine. Even stranger, Rhoda seems to be in high spirits after the whole situation.

The next day, Rhoda's teacher, Miss Fern, comes by to explain to Christine that Rhoda was the last person to see Claude alive, suspecting that she may have had a hand in his death. She also explains that the penmanship medal disappeared from Claude's person, who had the medal with him that day. Miss Fern links these two events to Rhoda because she was seen trying to snatch the medal for herself the morning of the murder, reportedly, until Claude cried.

As things are getting tenser between Christine and Miss Fern, even to the point of expelling Rhoda, Claude's parents burst into the front door. His mother, drunk and distraught, and his father, trying to stop her. Claude's mother, again, accuses Rhoda of having a hand in her son's death.

Christine does not believe that her daughter could have done such a thing as murdering a classmate over a medal until she discovers the penmanship medal in Rhoda's room. She then questions her about why she had the medal and if she knew anything about Claude's death. After a lot of back-and-forth between the two, Rhoda says that she bought the medal off him for 50 cents. Christine does not believe that story and is overall, pretty dubious of Rhoda at this point.

That night, Christine's father visits. Along with him, is a doctor who explains to both of them that there is a new (for the time) study that homicidal tendencies can be passed on through genes. These actions can apparently start at a young age. As he leaves, Christine looks a bit panicked.

Being troubled by some sort of nightmare or memory that has plagued her since childhood, Christine explains this to her father who is shocked to hear that from her. The memory involves her running away from home as a toddler because she suspects that her mother had murdered her brother. This prods her father to tell Christine that he "adopted" her. She was found as a toddler at a house nearby to one of a notorious serial killer.

After her father leaves, Christine worries even more that Rhoda has killed Claude, if the study the doctor was anything to go by. She begins to suspect that Rhoda has genes that give her homicidal tendencies. At that moment, Christine catches Rhoda attempting to dispose of her shoes. After more severe questioning, this finally gets Rhoda to confess that she had killed Claude with the shoes. Christine, now distraught, tells her to put her shoes in the incinerator where they will be burned.

The next morning, the apartment caretaker, Leroy, teases Rhoda that she killed Claude, somehow ironically guessing he was whacked into the water. After how defensive Rhoda got about it, especially with how he guessed that he whacked him with a pair of shoes, Leroy goes down to check the incinerator, only to find the remains of a pair of shoes. Rattled that Leroy knows too much, Rhoda gets a match and lights his bed of excelsior on fire before he goes down there and locks himself in.

Meanwhile Christine, once again, is attempting to calm down Claude's mother from her drunken rage. After she leaves, Monica comes to see Christine. After some conversation, they hear some commotion from outside. They look out the window to hear Leroy is screaming trying to escape his cellar room, which is now on fire. Two other men get him out, but not on time. He runs around the lawn screaming and on fire (this happens all off-screen). He finally silences, collapses, and dies.

This sends Christine into a large, hysterical depression. That night, Christine throws the medal back into the lake and tells this to Rhoda. After this, Christine grinds a lethal amount of sleeping pills into a glass of water for Rhoda, which she drinks. As she is carrying her to bed, Christine mutters, "Nobody can save you from that [being taken away and "shut up"] unless I save you, so sleep well and dream well, my only child and the one I love. I shall sleep too." She then walks out of Rhoda's room and into her own. As the screen fades to black, we hear a gunshot and a thud. Christine had shot herself in the head.

They are taken to the hospital promptly after neighbors hear their neighbors hear the gun. They both survive. While Rhoda was completely better after a few hours, Christine was in a coma, with little to no chance of surviving.

After getting home with Kenneth, Rhoda is put straight to bed. Kenneth then gets a call from the doctor, saying that Christine has miraculously survived the shot, with a shot of her being conscious, but bandaged up.

After hearing that her father is asleep, she puts on her raincoat and leaves the house into the pouring rain. She goes to the lake to try to fish out the medal that Christine had thrown into the lake. As fate would have it, Rhoda is struck by lightning. This is where the movie ends.

My thoughts:

I think many people would overlook this movie, seeing as it is a black and white film from the 1950s. However, I would say that this movie does deserve a watch if you can find it. Even with the spoilers I gave, there was a lot I left out, so you could still enjoy it, even if you read through the entire plot. I was able to watch it using TV on-demand services, as Turner Classic Movies (TCM) has it available as of now ad-free.

Here's a list of what I think the movie does right:

It really thinks ahead with its depiction of mental insanity and how it can be passed down through genetics. Most people in the 1950s would usually say that murderers with some sort of mental disorder come from a bad environment alone and that they would not be influenced by their heritage. Modern 2021 science tells us that mental disorders are just as likely to come from genetics as well as environment. I think that is really forward-thinking of the authors of the original book and play, as well as the directors of this movie opting to keep that detail in-tact.

The acting is phenomenal. You can get almost sucked in completely by how great the actors portray their roles. You can feel your heart sink when you hear Leroy screaming in pain and you can also feel a lot of emotions coming on during Christine's depression.

The use of background music is great. All of the music heard in the background really matches the tone of the scene it is playing on.

The movie will sometimes break up the tension with a bit of comedy, so it isn't all doom and gloom.

There are a lot of twists and turns throughout the movie, which I will not share again if you skipped over the plot section. The movie really does make you think about the characters and their situation and what they are going to do next.

Now. Here's a list of what the movie did not as good and how they could have fixed it:

The movie starts off very slow. This could put some people off from watching it when the ending of the movie I could consider to be a classic film masterpiece. I think if there was less filler at the beginning (there's a good 20 minutes before the actual plot begins), the pacing would feel a bit faster.

Overall, I would probably give this movie a solid 9 out of 10. I definitely recommend you give it a watch, especially if you are into old psychological horror movies, or even if you are interested in psychology or sociology.

#the bad seed #horror

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nakuuro1994 · 4 years

Text

The Fairly OddFamily: Scary OddFamily

By nakuuro & jaxnation15

(So once upon a time on a seemingly ordinary Halloween night in a rather small suburb in Dimmsdale, California. Timmy Turner & his new God-Siblings (Trixie, Chester, Tootie, A.J. & Chloe) are relaxing & hanging out at Timmy’s house while watching the new Crash Nebula Halloween Special “Wrath of the Jackobots” while also getting ready to go out for some trick-or-treating!!!)

~ (Chester): Oh man, this year is going to be the best Halloween EVER!!!

~ (Timmy): Hehe yeah it is!!! We're gonna get so much candy!!! (He said this while grabbing some toilet paper for his mummy costume.)

~ (Tootie): And I finally get to do it with the boy of my dreams!!! (She was putting on her werewolf costume to wear.)

~ (Trixie): I know right!!! But hey, I’m just glad that I can actually enjoy some Halloween fun with you guys for a change!!! (As she tries putting on her rather large “Bride of Frankenstein” wig on)

~ (A.J.): Not to mention that theres a good 85% chance of us getting the maximum amount of Halloween candy around the neighborhood this year as well!!! (He stated as he puts on the finishing touches to his Frankenstein’s Monster costume)

~ (Chloe): And the best part is, everyone's gonna be out tonight! So we're sure to get tons of scares with our candy too!!! (She puts the finishing touches on her Dracula costume.)

~ (Timmy): This is gonna be the BEST HALLOWEEN EVER!!!

~ (Wanda): Alright kids, you all have some fun, but be careful not to get too carried away with the candy now!!!

~ (Cosmo): OH! Relax Wanda, They’ll be fine, plus since it’s Halloween again, we could finally join in on the fun without nobody finding out that we’re actually fairies!!!

~ (Wanda): Oh my gosh, you’re right!!! I almost forgot about that!!!

(So while Cosmo & Wanda change into their Halloween costumes to blend in, Timmy & the gang decided to finally head out to their first stop around the block until they all see a rather bizarre & haunting sight that they all didn’t see coming.)

~ (Chester): OMG!!! I CANT BELIEVE IT!! Vicky is the new leader of the neighborhood watch!?

~ (Timmy): WHAT?! Vicky's gonna ruin our night and everyone else's Halloween night!!!

~ (Tootie): Awww we won't be having any fun at all this year!!!

~ (Chloe): Well what can we do about it?!

~ (Trixie): Well....can we just say something & stand up for ourselves? (she says while her large wig is flopping on one side)

~ (A.J.): I highly doubt it, since she’ll probably just bury us all six feet under if we say anything.

(While they all observe her from a safe distance, Vicky begins her plans for both collecting, confiscating & hoarding all of the neighborhood kid’s Halloween candy for “safety inspections” while also making rather mean jabs at their Halloween costumes as well)

~ (Vicky): ALIGHT, WHO’S NEXT?

(One rather small 6-year old girl in a angel costume soon regretfully hands her only Halloween bucket to Vicky as she just adds it to the ever growing mountain on stolen Halloween candy that she’s been collecting for the past couple of hours)

~ (Trixie): OKAY THAT’S IT, GUYS WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS RIGHT NOW!!!

~ (A.J): Well...I say that we might actually need some help with this....Y’know....maybe some “magical help”!!!

~ (Chester): OH!!!.....RIIIGHT!!!.....some “Magical Help”.....yeah, I don’t get it!!!

~ (Trixie): UHHH....Chester, I think he meant asking Cosmo & Wanda for help?!

~ (Chester): OH!!....RIGHT!! Why didn’t I think of that!!!

~ (A.J.): Hey Timmy, where are Cosmo & Wanda right now anyways?

~ (Tootie): Yeah, aren't they always with you?

~ (Timmy): (holds up a pink bag and a green bag, with their faces popping up) Yeah, they're always with me!

~ (Cosmo): Hey kids, anything you need help with?

~ (Wanda): Because whatever it is, we’ll certainly do it no problem!!!

~ (Chloe): We need to find a way to stand up to Vicky and stop her from taking away everyone's candy!!!

~ (Tootie): How can we do that?

~ (Trixie): Hmmm....maybe we can all wish for our Halloween costumes to become “real & scary” so we can pretty much scare her into giving everyone’s candy back.

~ (Chloe): Um....Are you sure that will-

~ (Timmy): (to Cosmo and Wanda) I WISH OUR COSTUMES WERE REAL AND SCARY!!!

~ (Cosmo & Wanda): UHHH...YOU GOT IT!!!

(As soon as the wish was granted, Timmy’s & his God-Sibling’s respective monstrous & spectacular transformation were about to begin along with every kid in the whole city)

(Every kid began to feel strange, especially the main six. That's when they all began to transform right in front of their eyes! From ghosts to barbarians to witches to princes to villains, everyone was turning into their own monstrously spectacular being from the costume!)

(Chester was the first to change as his body began to grow in size while also developing a nice shining coat of green scales all over his body like a suit of armor that encompasses his entire being as he also starts to sprout razor sharp claws, fangs & fish-like gills as a result)

~ (Chester): OMG!!! THIS FEELS SO COOL!!!

(Timmy was the second to change as his body began to grow in size as well. The tissue began to turn into bandage wraps as his skin began to dry up to make him feel like a real mummy. Luckily it didn't make him too dried, just a darker tone with some wrinkles to go along with some added muscle mass on his body to finish off as a result.)

~ (Timmy): AW SWEET!!! I'M LIKE A REAL MUMMY!!!

(Then A.J. was the third to change as he grew out the most as his skin began to harden & darken onto a dark blueish grey as he also gained massive amounts of bulky muscles to compensate for his new massive frame as even his own round head began to morph & change into a rather oblong square flattop with his normally fast speech & extensive vocabulary slowing down considerably)

~ (A.J.): WELL....THIS....FEELS....PRETTY....ODD!?

(Next up was Tootie, as she grew a lot as well. Her skin began to get covered in dark brown fur, with her gaining massive amounts of muscles as well. To compliment her new size, her face began to change in that of a werewolf's face, with some wolf like ears and a massive, bushy tail. Her clothes ripped a bit as her hands and feet turned into claws, her teeth getting sharp to top it off.)

~ (Tootie): (howls loud and prowd to the moon while flexing) I FEEL AWESOME!!!

(Shortly afterwards, Trixie began to change as well, as she soon began to rapidly grow in size & stature as her large wig suddenly began to spark up with static electricity with each jolt amplifying & expanding her normallly slim & slender body into a rather majestic muscular but athletic frame as her eyes began to glow with a eerie luminous neon green light as well as her skin beginning lighten to a deathly & ghastly whitish-light green hue)

~ (Trixie): HOLY CRAP!!! THIS FEELS SO WEIRD & AWESOME!!! I LOVE IT!!!

(And last but not least was Chloe, who was also growing as well. Her body began to turn pale white, her hair began to turn long and black and white streaks, while her chest bursted out some massive breasts, and her butt inflated to the size of a watermelon! Her fingernails got sharp, her teeth even sharper and turning into fangs as she suddenly had a craving for blood, with her eyes turning blood red as a result.)

~ (Chloe): HISSSSSSSSSSSS!!!! WHY DO I HAVE A SUDDEN CRAVING FOR BLOOD?!?!

(So with their respective monstrous transformations finally complete, Timmy & the gang decided to seek out and find where Vicky is so they can all collectively give her the literal fright of her life!!! But when they encountered her, they saw her getting attacked by the other monsters, who were former kids who are now trying to take their candy back. Unfortunately, some of them haven't fully grasped of their new monstrous transformations and....went wild.)

~ (Chester): WOW!!!....Well....that was pretty brutal!!!

~ (A.J.): I...HAVE...TO...AGREE!!!

~ (Timmy): I think half of us should deal with Vicky while the other half deals with....everyone else...

~ (Chloe): Yeah because this is starting to become a massacre...

~ (Trixie): Uhhh...guy's....I think we got another problem to deal with at the moment.....LOOK!!!

(But as soon as she said that, the six god-siblings soon see a group of rich kids rapidly transforming into the terrifying Jackobots from the Crash Nebula Halloween Special they just saw a few hours earlier as the four mechanical monstrosities soon began to wreak havoc all across the city of Dimmsdale as they can only look in sheer horror as they all still trying to figure out on what to do next!!!)

~ (Tootie): Uhhhh....that doesn't look too good.....

~ (Timmy): Okay, one of us deals with Vicky, while the rest of us goes to deal with these Jackobots!

~ (Chloe): And just about every other raging monster in Dimmsdale!!!

~ (A.J.): UHHH.....GUY'S.....WHAT'S....THAT....OVER.....THERE?!

(So as the newly lumbering A.J. points his finger to the sky, a rather massive & familiar alien spaceship soon crash lands into the neighborhood as Mark Chang of Yugopotamia & his nerdy friends soon arrived on Earth to try and "save" Vicky from the horde of angry monsters' that are currently chasing all across town)

~ (Mark Chang): DO NOT WORRY MY LOVE hehe I, MARK CHANG OF YUGOPOTAMIA ......& MY FRIENDS, WILL SAVE YOU FROM THE EVIL MONSTER HORDE THAT CURRENTLY PLAGUES THIS PUNY PLANET!!!

~ (Tootie): Monsters, Jackobots and now Aliens....

~ (Timmy): I'm going to assume that we can't wish for everything to go back to normal yet.

~ (Wanda): I’m afraid not sport!!!

~ (Chester): And where have you two been?

~ (Cosmo): Oh! Well....we just been hiding in the nearby bushes this whole time to be perfectly honest!!!

~ (Chloe): Well....that's a bummer...

~ (Timmy): Does anyone have an idea on how to stop this?

~ (A.J): I......SUGGEST....WE.....SPLIT....UP.....IN....GROUPS..... OF.....TWO....AND.....

~ (Chester): SPIT IT OUT ALREADY!!!!

~ (A.J.): DIVIDE......AND..... CONQUER!!!

~ (Timmy): Two of us deals with the monsters, two of us deals with the Jackobots, and two of us deals with Mark and his crew.

~ (Tootie): Well I'm gonna be with you Timmy, so that way we can save the world together as boyfriend and girlfriend!!!:grin: (she grabs him and hugs him tightly.)

~ (Chester): I’ll guess I’ll go with Chloe so we can stop Mark Chang & his crew!!!

~ (Trixie): And I’ll go with A.J to stop the Jackobots from destroying the Earth!!

~ (Chloe): Now we got our partners, let's head out and save the world!!!

~ (Everyone): YEAH!!!

(So as the six God-Siblings decided to split up and equally divided their roles in teams of two, they all spread out across town in order to save Halloween and the Earth from certain destruction!!!)

~ (A.J.): ALRIGHT......ALL....WE....NEED....TO....DO....IS....TO...COMBINE....OUR.....ELECTRICAL.....POWERS.....AND....

~ (Trixie): And short circuit the Jackobot’s systems in order to shut them down!!! Brilliant idea A.J.!!!

~ (A.J.): THANK.....IT’S....WHAT....I....DO!!!

(While Trixie & A.J. are busy battling the Jackobots downtown, Timmy & Tootie are busy reluctantly trying to fend off the giant monster hoard from killing Vicky!!!)

~ (Timmy): (pulling and punching off one monster at a time.) Man, these monsters are hard to defeat!!! How are you holding up on your end Tootie?!?!

~ (Tootie): (pulling, punching and biting some of the monsters herself.) I'm doing as best as I can to defeat these monsters my future boyfriend!!!:grin:

~ (Timmy): oh brother....

~ (Vicky): Oh great!!! Just what I need right now, MORE MONSTERS!!!

~ (Timmy): Relax Vicky, it's just me and Tootie!!! We're trying to save you here!!!

~ (Vicky): Wait a minute, TOOTIE?!:face_with_raised_eyebrow:

TWERP, WHAT DID YOU BRATS DO?

(As soon as Vicky said that, the whole ground starts to shake as Mark Chang’s spaceship soon takes off as Chester & Chloe soon race towards Timmy & Tootie to help out with@the monster hoard!!)

~ (Timmy): That'll be explained later!!! Right now we're trying to save you!!!

~ (Chester): GOOD NEWS GUYS, we convinced Mark Chang & his friends to leave the planet..... for about two months!!!

~ (Timmy): It's better than 0 months!!!

~ (Tootie): Now let's hurry up and finish the job!!!

(So with the monster hoard defeated, all that’s left to do now is to somehow stop the Jackobots from activating the “Jack-O-Bomb” and destroying the whole planet!!!)

~ (Chester): OMG!! What do we do now!!??

~ (A.J.): CAN....ANY.....OF..... US....FLY?

~ (Chloe): I can fly!!! What do you need me to do?

~ (Trixie): Alright Chloe, all you need to do is to turn yourself into a bat and carry the Jack-O-Bomb & chuck it into outer space so that it could safely explode far away from Earth!!!

~ (Chester): And if case you were wondering if you can actually breathe in outer space as a vampire, don’t worry, you’re technically undead right now so you should definitely be fine!!!:sweat_smile

~ (Chloe): You got it!!! (Chloe turned into a bat and began to flap off to grab the Jack-O-Bomb.)

~ (Trixie): Man I hope this plan works!!!

~ (Chester): If not, it was a pleasure knowing you guys!!!

(Chloe grabbed and carried the Jack-O-Bomb, flapping up as high as possible towards the Earth's atmosphere. When she arrived, with time winding down, she spun around and toss the Jack-O-Bomb as far as possible into outer space, and just in time too! When it passed the atmosphere and drifted off, it created a massive explosion that everyone was able to see from down below.)

(So with the Earth finally saved, Timmy & the gang decided to wish for Cosmo & Wanda to change everything to go back to normal as their equally spectacular transformation back to normal was about to begin!!! So everyone in the entire world, including the 6 heroes, were all turning and shrinking down back to normal!!!)

(Chester was the first one to change back as his entire body began to shrink as his razor sharp fangs, claws & fish-like gills soon disappeared as well as his armor-like green scales started to fade away as well.)

(Timmy was next, as his skin started to turn back to normal, he was shrinking back to his normal size, and the wrappings around him began to turn back into some toilet paper.)

(A.J. soon started to change back next as his entire body started to rapidly shrink back to normal size as his skin started to soften & lighten up again as well as his head was beginning to reshape itself back to its normal round shape as well thus allowing him to speak in full sentences again!!)

(Tootie began to lost all her fur, shrunking back down into her normal size, along with her face turning to it's original self, her tails poofing off of her, her skin changing back to normal and her claws turning into hands and feet again.)

(Then Trixie soon began to change back shortly afterwards as her new muscular athletic body soon began to shrink back to normal as not only did her skin tone changed back & her eyes stopped glowing but even her rather large wig finally came loose and finally fell off her head as well.)

(And last but not least was Chloe, who was losing her fangs and her skin changed back to its peachy color, while her curves and her sharp mails changed back to normal. her clothes shrunk back down to her original size and looked like a costume again.)

~ (Chester): AWESOME!!! We finally changed back to normal!!!

~ (A.J.): But, we didn't get any Halloween Candy ALL NIGHT!!!

~ (Trixie): Ummm....I wouldn't say that, LOOK!!!

(So as soon as Trixie said that, all of the kids from all across the city of Dimmsdale all gathered at Timmy's house so they can give Timmy and the gang ALL of their respective Halloween candy as a way of saying thanks for saving all of them & the whole world from certain destruction!!!)

~ (Literally Everyone): HAPPY HALLOWEEN TIMMY & FRIENDS!!!

~ (Timmy): I knew this was gonna be the best Halloween ever!!!

~ (Cosmo & Wanda): THAT'S ALL FOLK'S!!

THE END

#the fairly oddparents #fop fanart #nickelodeon #nicktoons #fanfic #alternate universe #timmy turner #trixie tang #tootie #chloe carmichael #fop

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austinpanda · 3 years

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Dad Letter 082221

22 August, 2021

Dear Dad--

Happy what for you will be Sunday! Perhaps I should just say happy weekend. It’s Saturday morning here in the trailer and it seems like we’re going to catch some of Hurricane Henri sometime about Monday or Tuesday. I am excited by this! I’ve mentioned how our single-wide leaked like a sieve from the windows along its west wall. Well, in response to our maintenance request, they sent a dude around to come fix it. I believe caulk, or otherwise some big tube of silicone sealant in a dispensing gun (pew! pew!) was employed. We still have our original leak; water always comes in through the top of our back door. The dude put the magic caulk on that thing too, but it’s like original sin...it’s just always gonna be there. It’s the leak where the previous tenants installed plastic hooks on the door, to hang towels on, to catch the leaks.

I spent some time on the internet yesterday and got myself some medical benefits! I now have medical, dental, and vision coverages. I don’t know when they start, but I’m going to search for a dentist some more today. I tried the area’s largest family dentistry, a place with (I’m guessing) maybe 20 dentists working in it, and their website says they have no available appointments. This seems unlikely, but not impossible. I think there’s a problem with the scheduling website, or else they’re having a surge of business before school starts, or something else temporary. Either way, I’ll find a dentist. The dental pain which I’ve come to live with and treat with Ibuprofen every day may soon be a thing of the past.

I don’t suppose I can avoid mentioning that I’m still having problems with depression. I have a few online friends who’ve been super helpful while I seem to be in this downswing, and I’m hoping to get rid of it, and return to my usual sarcastic-yet-ebullient self soon. (You don’t need to suggest exercising, I can actually hear you thinking it from here. Got to admit, I kind of wish I owned a weight bench.) I believe at least some of the depression stems from having no circle of friends. I have, at best, a very tiny triangle of friends. The three components of the friend triad would be: husband, cats and coworkers, and Mr. and Mr. plant scientist guy. I was going to go with Zach to plant scientist guy’s home today to eat, but instead I’m going to stay home and eat worms and feel sorry for myself. (Zach suggested I might like some “me” time, and I’m not keen to inflict myself upon anyone just now anyway.) Also I have lots of work shirts to iron.

I’m actually looking forward to work tomorrow, just a little bit, even though it’s my Monday. My boss has suggested in advance that I do 6 of the 7 audits tomorrow, and I don’t think I’ve ever done 6 in a day before. I especially haven’t attempted to do 6 on a Sunday, since we always audit the previous day’s stuff, which means I’d be auditing a Saturday, typically a busy time. I’m confident that I can do it, however. I can do each of those 6 audits in about an hour, and that gives me a whole two extra hours for “shit happens.” I like knowing how to do all that stuff. There’s a good chance I’ll get through all 6 audits without having any questions, or any problems I can’t solve myself.

And it’s going to be September soon! That always gets me excited, since that’s when I start my two month scary movie marathon, beginning with Night of the Demon, from 1957. I’ve reached a point where, as soon as I hear that movie begin, I relax a bit, because I know summer is over. Also, a lot of my favorite movies are in that genre, including a bunch of British ones, and a bunch with extremely unconvincing monsters. But that’s when I watched The Thing From Another World (1951), and The Fog, and the original Amityville Horror, and The Changeling, with George C. Scott. Good stuff! And, of course, the two months culminate on Halloween, when I watch a couple I saved for last, and we eat all the candy we bought, because children generally know better than to come to a trailer park during the time of plague resurgence in search of things to put in their mouths, that they KNOW FOR CERTAIN was just handled by a stranger.

Actually, I think the way they do Halloween now is: everyone buys candy and drives to church, and everyone else brings their kids, and the kids just visit each car for candy, one after the other. It doesn’t sound like it provides as much walking as the traditional way of trick-or-treating, and it seems to reduce the possibility of criminal mischief to near zero. (I’m just thinking you can’t TP someone’s house when you’re gathering candy in the church parking lot.) But it preserves some of the elements of the old fashioned style. Halloween is a great holiday, mostly because I like watching the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown special. I’m one of the few people that loves every second of that TV special, even the WW1 parts where Snoopy gets shot down behind enemy lines by the Red Baron. That show has some great jazz music in it.

I received something kind of cool in the mail today, a 16 x 100 inch roll of dichroic film. What the shit is that, you ask? Well, you see it in holiday decorations a lot. It’s a colored film that changes color depending on the angle from which you’re viewing it. It’ll also do stuff like: light passing through it is blue, but light bouncing off it is bright orange. It’s just a film you can use to tint plastic and windows that make pretty colors. I have tinted two windows in our metal living tube with it! I’ll include the pictures. It sticks on with soapy water, and is supposed to peel right off when it comes time to move out and take all my disco shit with me. I’m considering putting a couple of small patches of it on my car, just because it’s so pretty. I’ll include a pic of the dichroic film. By now, as you’ve probably concluded, they use that dichroic glass in certain disco lights.

I have a few things happening, but it’s a slow period. I have already put some of the dichroic film on the bathroom window and the window in the back door, which we never open. As predicted, it is pretty as fuck! I want to cover my car windows with it, but I checked, and I’m pretty sure that would be illegal in Maine. Auto window tint has to allow at least 30% of light to pass through (no worries, and with disco colors!) and it has to be non-reflective (shit! Mine is super reflective!) Just taking a picture of some balled-up leftover bits of the dichroic film is pretty. Anything you can scrunch up into a ball and take a beautiful picture of it MUST be special.

I was afraid, for a period, that I had done something to kill my ability to read books for fun! I know I’ve been anhedonic lately, but I’m pretty sure that I haven’t smoked enough drugs to make myself illiterate. Then, as an experiment, I picked up a Jack Reacher book, and read all 450 pages in about a day. I am pleased to report that I have neither smoked myself illiterate, nor forgotten how to enjoy a good page-turner. This pleases me!

More next week! All my love to you both!

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rachelanne2018writes · 4 years

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Slowly Falling Down- Covered by His Wings

Accidentally posted this on the wrong blog! My Bad!

Summary: "He shall cover you with his wings and you shall be safe under his feathers."- Psalm 91:4

“I believe Mrs. Turner is improving slowly. But, she is still weak.” “Thank you, Doctor Evans,” Sister Julienne Responded. “I’ll let you return to her side now, but I would like to check on her one more time before I head home for the evening.” “Thank you, John,” Patrick commented before the pair reentered Shelagh’s room.

Ordinarily, seeing Shelagh asleep would be a sight that calmed and relaxed him. Now he just wanted Shelagh to wake up and reassure him that she would be okay.

“Doctor Turner, why don’t you head back to Nonnatus House and spend time with Angela,” Sister Julienne broke the unexpected silence. “I’d rather be here when she wakes, Sister,” Patrick countered. “Please, Doctor Turner, take care of yourself. You’ll be no good to Shelagh in your present condition, and if she wakes, you’re only a phone call away.”

This time as Patrick paused to think, a heavy silence filled the air. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but merely heavy with the implications that each choice might bring, and it was several minutes before Patrick could answer Sister Julienne.

“Alright, Sister, I’ll go but only for a short time.” “I shall see you back here later, then, in the meantime, enjoy Angela’s company and refresh yourself a bit.”

As Patrick left the surgery, Sister Julienne could feel her anxieties settling in. She worried that Shelagh would never wake up and that if she woke up, she would have an impairment from the medication. All that Sister Julienne could do now was pray and will that the Lord fulfill his will with Shelagh, no matter what came from this setback.

As she took Shelagh’s hands, Sister Julienne began to recite the verses of compline in time with her sisters back at Nonnatus house.

“Glory to the Father and to the Son, and to the holy spirit; as it was, in the beginning, is now and shall be forever. Amen. Alleluia*.”

Sister Julienne moved through the verses and songs of compline; she reached Psalm 91*,

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High and abides under the shadow of the Almighty, Shall say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my stronghold, my God, in whom I put my trust.’ For he shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He shall cover you with his wings, and you shall be safe under his feathers; his faithfulness shall be your shield and buckler. Amen.”

“You shall not be afraid of any terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day; Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor of the sickness that destroys at noonday. Though a thousand fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, yet it shall not come near you. Your eyes have only to behold to see the reward of the wicked. Amen.”

“Because you have made the Lord your refuge and the Most High your stronghold, There shall no evil happen to you, neither shall any plague come near your tent. For he shall give his angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. Amen.”

“They shall bear you in their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the lion and adder; the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. Because they have set their love upon me; therefore, I will deliver them; I will lift them up, because they know my name. Amen.”

“They will call upon me, and I will answer them; I am with them in trouble, I will deliver them and bring them to honor. With long life will I satisfy them and show them my salvation. Amen.”

Sister Julienne broke as she whispered the last lines of the verse, her voice choked by tears. Psalm 91 was his promise to not only her but Doctor Turner, Angela, Timothy, and Shelagh that everything would be okay, even if it weren’t okay at that moment.

It was that moment that she grieved that Shelagh may not wake up here in Poplar, but rather in heaven with the good Lord who loved her dearly. Sister Julienne wasn’t sure that she could accept the Lord’s plan at that moment. Shelagh was the woman that she had come to love, like the daughter she would never have.

Moments like this rarely come in one’s life- and are more complicated than outright acceptance, something Sister Julienne knew from her spiritual studies as postulant and novice but hadn’t ever experienced during her religious life. The moments where the only conceivable course of action is prayer and presence with the one who needs it most, where silence holds little meaning when one waits to determine whether the person will wake or be lead on to the promised land, and memories take over the thoughts of the companion. These are the moments that Sister Andrew Marie*, the beloved mistress of postulants, had long ago described the most critical moments in a relationship- whether with another person or the Lord himself. “The moments where prayer and silence overlap, but are not comforting are the moments that we, as sisters, must be vigilant of. These moments will give you fulfillment and control when you are aiding a family in need, but when they occur within our community, it gives us a chance to let the Lord our God bring his magic to the earth.”

It was then that Sister Julienne’s thoughts turned to who might know what to do in this situation, other than someone who had passed nearly fifteen years ago, but the only answer Sister Julienne could come up with was Shelagh.

Shelagh had the gift of knowing what to do in nearly every situation. If she were awake now, maybe Sister Julienne’s tears wouldn’t have broken free. Perhaps she wouldn’t have let out several sobs- only to be launched deeper into despair by the lack of response from Shelagh.

There was nothing more than Sister Julienne wanted at that moment than for Shelagh to wake up. Sister Julienne needed her daughter, and anchor by her side. As the tears continued to roll down her cheeks, she gently laid her head next to Shelagh’s while still holding her hand.

“Please, my dear Shelagh, wake up,” she choked in a whisper “oh lord, please protect my dear Shelagh.”

Notes:

Anglican Compline (Likely Modern Compline): https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/common-worship/daily-prayer/night-prayer-compline

A note on Sister Andrew Marie: Sister Andrew Marie is a #MediaNun and part of the Daughters of Saint Paul. She is on Twitter, and her handle is @SrAndrewFSP.

#call the midwife fanfic #call the midwife #patrick turner #shelagh turner #shelagh mannion #turnadette #timothy turner #angela turner #granny parker #season 5 #sister julienne #sister evangelina

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aerondudley · 4 years

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Introducing James Villiers, Earl of Jersey

FULL NAME : James Edward Villiers

NICKNAMES : Jamie/Jam, but there are few close enough to him that he will allow the use of the nicknames

OCCUPATION : Earl of Jersey

BIRTHPLACE : Radier Manor

CURRENT RESIDENCE : Divided between Middleton Park House, Radier Manor and the townhouse in London.

AGE : 33 (14th November 1757)

LANGUAGES : English, French, Latin and a some Italian learned through watching opera

FAMILY:

MOTHER & FATHER : Catherine Villiers & Edward George Villiers (deceased)

SPOUSE : Henrietta Villiers née Fane (second wife) & Rebecca Villiers née Wells (first wife; deceased)

ISSUE : None

SIBLINGS : None

ZODIAC : Scorpio

RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION : Anglican

POLITICAL AFFILIATION : Tory

FINANCIAL STATUS : Wealthy

ORIENTATION : Heterosexual

PERSONALITY TYPE :

VICES : Impulsive, arrogant, hedonistic, exhausting

VIRTUES : Thoughtful, intelligent, determined, witty

FEARS : Being vulnerable, repeating past mistakes, not being in control

LIKES : The arts, drinking, gambling, flirting

AESTHETICS : The clink of ice in a glass of whisky, red velvet curtains, petals falling from a rose, a crackling fireplace

FACECLAIM : Aidan Turner

HEIGHT : 6′1

RECOGNISABLE FEATURES : Dark curls, warm brown eyes, scar on his left shoulder from a pub brawl

How is your character viewed by the ton? :

A figure of notoriety, with enough scandal behind him to fill an entire gazette if only the proof could be found. Despite this, he is something of a condoned annoyance - happily humoured by those susceptible to his charm, and those who dislike him would at least begrudgingly concede he has the intelligence and skills of manipulation to keep himself secure, whether they agree with his choices or not.

GAZETTE QUESTIONAIRE.

what are two potential plotlines you would be interested in exploring with your character? It would be intriguing to delve more into his relationship with his first wife and the circumstances around her death. Having to await her death to remarry opens so many doors to the truth of what happened - Was there are foul play involved in her death to be rid of her faster? Was her death natural causes, but he is still plagued with guilt that their marriage was not a better one, or guilty because he felt relieved at her passing? Despite their marriage being completely unsuited, what were his feelings for his first wife? Did he hold her in contempt, did he care for her in a platonic way? How has his first marriage influenced how he behaves in his second? These are all questions I’d love to delve into it and figure out the truth of everything and how it has shaped him into the man he is now. Another plotline would be delving into how his relationship with his current wife works, if they are aware of each other’s romantic interests outside of their marriage, and if they are then is there any jealousy or is it a simple arrangement that they agreed upon for the sake of them both. I also really want to delve into his backstory and upbringing to flesh out how that has influenced him, and I think his relationships with family, friends and romantic partners are key to unlocking it.

how does this character’s reputation differ from who they actually are? The expression ‘his reputation precedes him’ is very well suited to the Earl of Jersey as he is notorious amongst the ton. Rumours persist everywhere he goes, ranging from idle gossip about the state of his marriage to rumours of gambling addiction and even suspicion surrounding the circumstances of his first wife’s untimely passing. The Earl enjoys playing along with some of these stories, as he knows which are true and which are fiction drummed up by those seeking scandal. He has a reputation for being something of a rogue and has been known to indulge in a few drinks too many and openly flirting with multiple women with his wife stood no more than a few feet away. He maintains this reputation as an easy mask to disguise his softer, more vulnerable nature as a man with a keen interest in beauty and the arts. His patronage of the arts is no secret, but few would believe the Earl of Jersey would shed a single tear watching a performance of a tragedy, nor would they believe his sleepless nights where he often awakes in a cold sweat, his face haunted by the spectres of guilt that invaded his dreams. He would much prefer the ton to gossip about the scandals he is able to control and influence himself by acting the rogue, and if he was ever to overhear a rumour about him that was too close to a hidden truth for comfort, he would be swift in using his reputation to his advantage to distract them with a new rumour to toy with, like a cat pawing at a piece of string and forgetting the mouse they were chasing across the floor moment ago.

#ls.challenge #i'll post another one later that's more like a proper bio

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gadgetgirl71 · 4 years

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Amazon First Reads for May 2020

It’s that time yet again, to choose one of eight books that Amazon First Reads lets Amazon Prime Members download for free. I always look forward to the beginning of each month to see what is on offer.

This months books are:

Contemporary Fiction

If You Must Know by Jamie Beck Pages: 362, Publication Date: 1 June 2020

Synopsis: Life turns upside down for two sisters in Wall Street Journal bestselling author Jamie Beck’s emotional novel about how secrets and differences can break—or bind—a family.

Sisters Amanda Foster and Erin Turner have little in common except the childhood bedroom they once shared and the certainty each feels that her way of life is best. Amanda follows the rules—at the school where she works; in her community; and as a picture-perfect daughter, wife, and mother-to-be. Erin follows her heart—in love and otherwise—living a bohemian lifestyle on a shoestring budget and honouring her late father’s memory with a passion for music and her fledgling bath-products business.

The sisters are content leading separate but happy lives in their hometown of Potomac Point until everything is upended by lies that force them to confront unsettling truths about their family, themselves, and each other. For sisters as different as these two, building trust doesn’t come easily—especially with one secret still between them—but it may be the only way to save their family.

Thriller

Don’t Make a Sound by T R Ragan, Pages: 285, Publication Date: 1 June 2020

Synopsis: Her own past could be a reporter’s biggest story in this twisting thriller about murder and family secrets by the New York Times bestselling author T.R. Ragan.

Plagued by traumatic childhood memories, crime reporter Sawyer Brooks still struggles to gain control of her rage, her paranoia, and her life. Now, after finally getting promoted at work, she is forced to return home and face her past.

River Rock is where she’d been abandoned by her two older sisters to suffer alone, and in silence, the unspeakable abuses of her family. It’s also where Sawyer’s best friend disappeared and two teenage girls were murdered. Three cold cases dead and buried with the rest of the town’s secrets.

When another girl is slain in a familiar grisly fashion, Sawyer is determined to put an end to the crimes. Pulled back into the horrors of her family history, Sawyer must reconcile with her estranged sisters, who both have shattering memories of their own. As Sawyer’s investigation leads to River Rock’s darkest corners, what will prove more dangerous—what she knows of the past or what she has yet to discover?

Biography

Gender Rebels by Anneka Harry, Pages: 277, Publication Date: 1 June 2020

Synopsis: Meet the unsung sheroes of history: the diverse, defiant and daring (wo)men who changed the rules, and their identities, to get sh*t done.

You’ll encounter Kit Cavanagh, the swaggering Irish dragoon who was the first woman to be buried in London with full military honours; marauding eighteenth-century pirates Mary Read and Anne Bonny, who collided on the high seas after swapping their petticoats for pantaloons; Ellen Craft, an escaped slave who masqueraded as a white master to spirit her husband-to-be to freedom; and Billy Tipton, the swinging jazz musician, who led a double life as an adult, taking five wives along the way. Then there are the women who still have to dress like men to live their best lives, like the inspirational football-lovers in Iran, who risk everything to take their place in the stands.

A call to action for the modern world, this book celebrates the #GenderRebels who paved the way for women everywhere to be soldiers and spies; kings and queens; firefighters, doctors, pilots; and a Swiss Army knife’s-worth more. These superbly spirited (wo)men all had one thing in common: they defied the rules to progress in a man’s world.

Book Club Fiction

Sorry I Missed You by Suzy Krause, Pages: 315, Publication Date: 1 June 2020

Synopsis: A poignant and heartwarming novel about friendship, ghosting, and searching for answers to life’s mysteries.

When Mackenzie, Sunna, and Maude move into a converted rental house, they are strangers with only one thing in common—important people in their lives have “ghosted” them. Mackenzie’s sister, Sunna’s best friend, and Maude’s fiancé—all gone with no explanation.

So when a mangled, near-indecipherable letter arrives in their shared mailbox—hinting at long-awaited answers—each tenant assumes it’s for her. The mismatched trio decides to stake out the coffee shop named in the letter—the only clue they have—and in the process, a bizarre kinship forms. But the more they learn about each other, the more questions (and suspicions) they begin to have. All the while, creepy sounds and strange happenings around the property suggest that the ghosts from their pasts might not be all that’s haunting them…

Will any of the housemates find the closure they are looking for? Or are some doors meant to remain closed?

Quirky, humorous, and utterly original, Sorry I Missed You is the perfect read for anyone who has ever felt haunted by their past (or by anything else).

Historical Fiction

Golden Poppies by Laila Ibrahim, Pages: 297, Publication Date: 1 June 2020

Synopsis: From the bestselling author of Yellow Crocus and Mustard Seed comes the empowering novel of two generations of American women connected by the past and fighting for a brighter future.

It’s 1894. Jordan Wallace and Sadie Wagner appear to have little in common. Jordan, a middle-aged black teacher, lives in segregated Chicago. Two thousand miles away, Sadie, the white wife of an ambitious German businessman, lives in more tolerant Oakland, California. But years ago, their families intertwined on a plantation in Virginia. There, Jordan’s and Sadie’s mothers developed a bond stronger than blood, despite the fact that one was enslaved and the other was the privileged daughter of the plantation’s owner.

With Jordan’s mother on her deathbed, Sadie leaves her disapproving husband to make the arduous train journey with her mother to Chicago. But the reunion between two families is soon fraught with personal and political challenges.

As the harsh realities of racial divides and the injustices of the Gilded Age conspire to hold them back, the women find they need each other more than ever. Their courage, their loyalty, and the ties that bind their families will be tested. Amid the tumult of a quickly changing nation, their destiny depends on what they’re willing to risk for liberation.

Legal Thriller

Legacy of Lies by Robert Bailey, Pages: 329, Publication Date: 1 June 2020

Synopsis: A small-town attorney takes on prejudice and corruption in this powerful legal thriller.

Small-town lawyer Bocephus Haynes comes home late one night to find District Attorney General Helen Lewis waiting for him. Her ex-husband has just been killed. She’s about to be arrested for his murder. And she wants Bo to represent her.

There’s a lot working against them. Just before his death, Helen’s ex-husband threatened to reveal a dark secret from her past. Bo has been in a tailspin since his wife’s death. What’s more, his whole life has been defined by a crime committed against his family, and he continues to face prejudice as the only African American litigator in Pulaski, Tennessee.

Bo’s back is against the wall, and Helen resigns herself to a dismal fate—but a stunning discovery throws everything into chaos. There’s a chance for justice, but to achieve it, the cost might be too much for Bo to bear.

Family Saga

A Decent Family by Rosa Ventrella, Pages: 251, Publication Date: 1 June 2020

Synopsis: For fans of Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan series comes a captivating family saga focused on a willful young woman’s struggles against her oppressive small town by acclaimed Italian author Rosa Ventrella.

In old Bari, everyone knows Maria De Santis as “Malacarne,” the bad seed. Nicknamed for her dark features, volcanic temperament, and resistance to rules, the headstrong girl can only imagine the possibilities that lie outside her poverty-stricken neighborhood.

Growing up with her mother, two brothers, and a tyrannical father, Maria must abide. She does—amid the squalid life to which she was born, the cruelties of her small-minded neighbors, and violence in a constant threat of eruption. As she reconciles her need for escape with the allegiance she feels toward her family, Maria has her salvations: her secret friend, Michele, son of a rival family and every bit the outsider she is, and her passion for books, which may someday take her far, far away.

In this exquisitely rendered and sensory-rich novel, Rosa Ventrella explores the limits of loyalty, the redeeming power of friendship and love, and the fire in the soul of one woman who was born to break free.

Literary Fiction

A Man by Keiichiro Hirano, Pages: 295, Publication Date: 1 June 2020

Synopsis: A man follows another man’s trail of lies in a compelling psychological story about the search for identity, by Japan’s award-winning literary sensation Keiichiro Hirano in his first novel to be translated into English.

Akira Kido is a divorce attorney whose own marriage is in danger of being destroyed by emotional disconnect. With a midlife crisis looming, Kido’s life is upended by the reemergence of a former client, Rié Takemoto. She wants Kido to investigate a dead man—her recently deceased husband, Daisuké. Upon his death she discovered that he’d been living a lie. His name, his past, his entire identity belonged to someone else, a total stranger. The investigation draws Kido into two intriguing mysteries: finding out who Rié’s husband really was and discovering more about the man he pretended to be. Soon, with each new revelation, Kido will come to share the obsession with—and the lure of—erasing one life to create a new one.

In A Man, winner of Japan’s prestigious Yomiuri Prize for Literature, Keiichiro Hirano explores the search for identity, the ambiguity of memory, the legacies with which we live and die, and the reconciliation of who you hoped to be with who you’ve actually become.

***Which book will you choose? I can’t make up my mind between: “If You Must Know and Sorry I Missed You”. Let me know which book you think I should choose.***

#amazonfirstreads #amazonkindle #amazonprimemembers #literary fiction #familysaga #legal thriller #HistoricalFiction #bookclubfiction #biography #thriller #contemporary fiction

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depulsorpg · 5 years

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WHATS IN YOUR FILE.

NAME: Alecto Carrow. GENDER & PRONOUNS: Cisfemale, she/her. HOUSE & YEAR: Slytherin, 7th. BLOOD STATUS: Pureblood. AFFILIATION: Death Eaters.

WHAT DO THE RUMORS SAY.

POSITIVES: Enigmatic, charming, clever. NEGATIVES: Hedonistic, selfish, manipulative. LOOKS LIKE: Sophie Turner.

WHAT IS THE TRUE STORY.

Alongside Amycus, she killed her father when they were sixteen years old.

Her brother may be the muscle, but she is most definitely the brain.

Despite that, she has a very strong impulsive and reckless streak.

Her mother was killed by a Muggle driver, which fuels her hatred for them.

Incredibly cruel and sadistic, but creative in her methods.

Already one of the Dark Lord’s favorites and she revels in it.

To be born into damnation, cursed from your very first breath upon this dull earth, was something Alecto had grown to understand. It was something in which the girl had swallowed, much like her pride, for far too many years. To carry the Carrow name was something of a legacy, whether that legacy was besmirched and tarnished beyond repair was futile. It was a legacy nonetheless, or at least that’s how her father had made it seem. One was to carry themselves in a certain manner, with poise and control. Control. The very thought that she could ever contain such a thing, master it in fact, was presumptuous at best. From a young age, Alecto Carrow had been known to hurt, to haunt, and she’d revelled in it. Her eyes, filled with what some would see as pure angelic intention, were nothing but a mere facade. Something to allow her prey to fall weak at her knees before she’d swallowed them whole. For, as graceful as she’d appeared to the untrained eye, if one were to look deeper into her gaze they’d see nothing but black, demonic and dangerous. There was nothing gentle or graceful about the way she’d watch as her venom seeping into ones skin, nothing beautiful about the way her lips would curl and her eyes would narrow towards those she’d attacked. How her father looked at her, pure and utter disgust within his features, at the monster she’d become. As if he were helpless in the matter, as if every blue tinged inch of flesh was something by mere coincidence.

Through it all, she’d had her brother. If she herself was the devil, a reincarnation of sin and hedonism, than he himself was that of war. Destruction and chaos, together they were seemingly unstoppable. From a young age, Alecto had known that her and her brother were different. Whilst other children opted for fairytales and fascinations, the Carrow twins were held within the dungeons of their home, dissecting every ounce of dark magic in which their father could place in front of them. Time came and went, the more the artifacts were placed in front of her, the more Alecto found herself enamoured. This, in fact, was the only difference in which she found she had with her brother. Where his chaos was summoned from pure brute strength, hers was something much more underestimated. Her intelligence, as a woman, was something her father had never quite understood. Whilst he strived to make his children into soldiers, sworn to the Dark Lord much like himself. He had never truly predicted the consequences, that his actions were the cause of his own demise. Their mother had died early on, a fair beauty who had always kept her mouth shut in the company of men, who knew her place in society. All that had been left was a father who shamed his daughter for learning the wickedness in which he’d placed in front of her. Where he wanted her to build a tolerance, to feel the pain in which the dark magic had plagued upon himself, she didn’t. She’d overcome it, every obstacle and trivial task in which he’d put her through.

By their thirteenth birthday, the Carrow twins had become someone of a force to be reckoned with. Never to be seen without the other, their bond was something to be feared. Alecto, the warmonger. Amycus, her physicality. Years of tolerance, of keeping her petal pink lips sealed only to appease to a man who took every frustration he’d had out on her, had only caused a silent rage to build within her petite frame. What she’d lacked in strength, she’d made up for in her wit and manipulative nature. It had only taken one small push over the edge, one hand laid upon her blush tinged cheek in order to cause Alecto to seek out vengeance. Caius Carrow, a coward in his own making. A miserable man who’d tainted the Carrow name with his unwavering disdain for being outsmarted, for being made a fool. How was it that the girl was to be punished for being moulded into what she had been by his very own hands? It was he who’d crafted her into a monster, who had stolen away a childhood only to replace it with the crafting of a weapon. He’d raised her as if a pig ready for slaughter, as if he were plotting to throw her to the Dark Lord on his own terms for suicide missions themselves, she was sure of it. Where others fell asleep beneath the watchful eyes of dreamily states, clouds and stars the last thing they’d see before drifting into a peaceful sleep, Alecto had vicious nightmares. Men gripping and grasping at every inch of her, leading her down hallowed out halls in order to sacrifice her, draining blood for their own cause. In the name of the Dark Lord.

She was sixteen, youthful glow effervescent as ever when they’d watched as their father cried for help. As he begged and pleaded beneath their watchful gaze. Monsters of his own making now coming for payment, now coming for revenge. Her own damnation had begun the moment she’d been brought into this world. Raised from wreckage by a coward of a man who’d raised his children to die at the hands of a man he’d been too afraid to truly serve. Their blood, as pure as any other, was not to be spilled by men who died at the hands of his own children. Who had, time and time again, proved that he was frightened of what they would become, of what they had become, due to his own cowardice. So they’d watched as the blood poured from his eyes, from his mouth and nose, staining his skin. Never once did they blink, never once did they cower. It was then that Alecto had truly realized what she was capable of, the power that was held within her hands, whether she bore a wand or not. A natural manipulator, Alecto prefers to use her words against those she deems unworthy. Turning Hogwarts itself into her very own hunting grounds, she is a girl of venom who latches unto her victims as if a snake herself. Careful in her recklessness, it’s her charm that she’s crafted that allows her to get away with it. The murder of her father, the torture of other students, she would rather burn herself at the stake of an old wives tale than be found guilty of these crimes. After all, she was a monster that had been made. A demon that was possessed at the hands of her very own father, a weapon that was only to create chaos. She thrived in it, as if it was all she’d ever known. As if it was all she would ever know.

WHAT ARE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS.

AMYCUS CARROW: Twin brother, loves dearly, but often has a conflict with. BELLATRIX BLACK: Partner-in-crime, but often bickers with. WALDEN MACNAIR: Sees potential in them, growing closer to. DORCAS MEADOWES: Dislikes, often targets.

#hp rp #new rp #harry potter rp #marauders rp #alecto carrow #alectobio #s #de #t

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innuendostudios · 6 years

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Thoughts on... some more games

[discussing The Silent Age, Unforeseen Incidents, and Unavowed; all spoilers studiously avoided]

Thoughts on The Silent Age

I think I first heard about The Silent Age on an episode of Idle Thumbs at least a year ago? They implied it was a neat bit of time travel malarkey, and that’s exactly what it turns out to be. You’re a janitor in the 1970s who has a run-in with a dying time traveler who tells you basically everyone in the future he’s just arrived from has died of a horrible plague, he’s come back to prevent the outbreak, but now that he’s dying it’s your job to finish his task. You inherit his portable time travel doohickey and... well, solve a bunch of adventure game puzzles.

What we have here is a smattering of puzzles with the twist that every location exists both in the “present” and the post-apocalyptic future. It’s a clever hook, and it makes a fairly standard set of adventure game puzzles more interesting, though you’ll jump back and forth in time so much that becomes mundane. Outside of a few sequences where your time travel doohickey is out of power - which have some of the better solutions - every puzzle requires a jaunt forwards or backwards through time. Every single one. It loses some novelty after a bit. It doesn’t help that every single puzzle is also an inventory puzzle. The time travel mechanic seems like it would lend itself to some real clever braintinglers, but time travel mostly exists as a way of getting around locked doors, sneaking past guards, and giving you two versions of every room to look for inventory in. Any object that looks like it’s important, you need to slap another object on. The formula never changes.

I’m ambivalent about inventory puzzles, because an adventure game engine is generally designed such that you can fit rather a lot of different kinds of puzzles into it. I made a point in my Monkey Island video that the opening three trials each involves a completely different part of the engine: learning patterns in the dialogue system, interpreting information in the picture window, and possessing without necessarily using inventory while the game makes jokes with the sentence line. But inventory puzzles have always been the path of least resistance - they’re the simplest to design and the easiest to program. So far as inventory puzzles go, The Silent Age’s inventory puzzles are not at all bad, but, given there’s a much more interesting time travel mechanic right there, it's a missed opportunity.

As for the story, for much of the game, it seems purely functional. It’s not particularly original - as you can guess from the premise, it’s borrowing a lot from Back to the Future and Twelve Monkeys. And time travel stories can often feel like puzzle boxes more that interesting narratives; a bunch of curious loose threads in the first half are all explained in the second half when you see how the time-travel shenanigans played out. The characters aren’t deep, the horrors of the apocalypse aren’t deeply felt, the ethics and mechanics of time travel are hinted at but not really engaged with. For much of its runtime, it’s just a well-oiled machine, and you play to watch the cogs turn and the tumblers fall into place. This can be satisfying but also kind of hollow.

But, unlike a lot of time travel stories - and a lot of adventure games I’ve been playing recently - it gets richer in the final act. Right when you feel the puzzle box clicking inexorably and obviously into shape, the game makes room to get just a little bit heady. Not intensely so, but enough that the game proves smarter than you thought. And it manages to find an ending that is unexpected and oddly compelling. It still grazes against some topics its not prepared to delve into - okay, game, you’ve dutifully avoided the bootstrap paradox in some clever ways, but don’t these laws of causality kind of prove that fate exists? - but it does give the ending a bit more heft than I was expecting.

It’s a quick, play-it-in-an-afternoon game, and it didn’t exactly knock my socks off. But after so many capsule reviews where I say “good game, but I wish the ending was better,” it feels really good to say, just this once, “the ending made the whole experience better.” It’s short and it’s cheap and it’s worth checking out.

Thoughts on Unforeseen Incidents

I’ve never really gone into my problems with Broken Sword - and today is still not the day I rant about how Broken Sword is everything wrong with adventure games - but, as I’ve said elsewhere, Unforeseen Incidents is Broken Sword if Broken Sword were good.

It’s got a similar flavor of hapless dork protagonist who stumbles into a conspiracy by pure chance, a similar female journalist sidekick whom he clearly has a crush on, and even the last line of dialogue in the game seems like an intentional inversion of the ending of Broken Sword. The difference is that the conspiracy actually makes sense, the sidekick is capable and interesting instead of just cute and French, the jaunting between locations doesn’t have overtones of imperialist globetrotting ripped off from Indiana Jones, none of the puzzles are infuriating, it maintains a consistent tone, the jokes are actually funny, and there are no cutscenes with Don Bluth’s rubbery faces and bad pacing. (I said I’m not getting into it today!!!!)

So, yes, Unforeseen Incidents does Broken Sword one better, and, seeing as Broken Sword is (bafflingly) considered a classic, that should put the game on your radar. But, also, even if it’s markedly better in every way, the game is clearly derivative of Broken Sword, which robs it of some novelty. (It also borrows a major plot twist from a certain not-very-good action movie, but it would be a spoiler to say which one.) It’s generally good advice that, if you’re going to steal, steal from someone you can improve upon, but it would have benefited from feeling a little more original.

Anyway, the basic plot hook is - in keeping with The Silent Age - trying to stop the outbreak of a plague. The main character, Harper, is a broke handyman in a small town that appears to be ground zero for an incredibly virulent and lethal disease, and he gets involved, at first, to help out his professor friend in finding a cure. (So I guess that’s another game that borrows from Back to the Future, but Harper’s friendship with Professor McBride is at least a little more plausible than Marty’s with a disgraced nuclear physicist.) Things get weirder and more complicated from there.

Here’s a thing that happened while I was playing: Most of the puzzles are fine. Just fine. Nothing to write home about, but they get the job done. A few were a bit annoying, but nothing insulted my intelligence. But there were about three that actually stumped me, where I couldn’t think of what to do next, and I looked up solutions online. Now, most of the time, when I look up a solution, the answer is something dippy and I think, “Well, that wouldn’t have been interesting to solve,” or, “How was I supposed to think of that?” It’s rare that I regret looking up solutions to adventure game puzzles, because, generally, if I’m looking up a solution, it’s because the game has not convinced me solving it myself will be interesting.

But, in this game, every single puzzle I looked up the solution to I kicked myself for not thinking of the answer on my own. This is not my usual experience! The solutions were actually clever, and I would have felt genuinely smart for figuring them out. I kept thinking, “Shit, I should’ve thought of that!” I dunno why this happened multiple times in this game when it’s so uncommon in others. Maybe the bulk of the puzzles were normal enough that I kept assuming the ones I was stuck on didn’t have interesting solutions. Maybe they didn’t prime me for the kind of lateral thinking I’d have to employ a handful of times. Or maybe I’m just not as smart as I think. (No, no, it can’t be that.)

It might be a pacing thing? Since most of the puzzles didn’t give me trouble, the game moved at a pretty steady clip, so the few times I was legitimately stumped just ground everything to a halt. A game that had more stumpers might’ve had a more methodical pace, where being stumped wouldn’t have felt frustrating. But, whenever I didn’t know what to do, it was annoying, because the game felt like a page turner whose pages suddenly refused to turn.

Or perhaps I’m making excuses! The short version is, when you get stumped in this game, take a break and come back to it later, see if you can’t figure the stumpers out on your own. I think you’ll be happier if you do.

The writing is generally good across the board, owing, I suspect, to some journeyman script work from Alasdair Beckett-King of the Nelly Cootalot games. The story really lends itself to stock characters and functional dialogue, so having everyone be just a little more believable and interesting than is strictly necessary is quite lovely.

Overall, the way the conspiracy shakes out is, well, believable and it works fine enough, but it’s not... interesting. There’s some solid character work thrown in at the climax that’s seemingly there to make up for an underwhelming payoff in the plot proper, but it doesn’t carry enough weight. I don’t get to say “the ending made the whole experience richer” this time; it’s another good game with a weak ending. (Not bad, just weak.)

Still, I had a really good time with Unforeseen Incidents, and would highly recommend it, if recommendations are, for whatever reason, what you came here for. It’s got good characters and great voice acting and some nice twists and turns, and the design ain’t have bad, either. Check it out.

Thoughts on Unavowed

It finally happened! I’m writing up a Wadjet Eye game! (Well, it is in a batch of mini-reviews, not getting a whole post of its own, but shut up.) My previous assessment of Wadjet Eye as a company was that their games - both those made in-house and those published but made by other studios - are consistently interesting and often good but never great.

I might be taking that back now.

The buzz around Unavowed was that its opening was one of its best sequences, so I grew skeptical of the whole game when the opening didn’t do much for me. Having finished the game, I’d say the first half hour is actually beneath the quality of the complete product - the writing is fine but not amazing and the first proper puzzle is actively bad. Rather than opening strong, I feel the game’s real talent is for deepening as you play it.

The basic premise is that you are a person - in my game, a woman - who has spent the last year possessed by a demon. The game opens with the demon being exorcised from your body by what is basically the supernatural version of the Men in Black or the RIPD - a jinn and a fire mage who police the secret world of spirits and elementals who hide in plain sight in New York. Having been touched by a demon and having no place to go after a year of murdering people while possessed, you join the Unavowed and work to uncover the mystery of what your demon was up to during the year you can’t remember. Spirit activity has been on the rise lately, so your adventure also involves recruiting new people to the Unavowed who have been, in various ways, touched by the “other side.”

Where the game started to click for me is when I recruited Logan - a bit character from my opening flashback - into the team proper, and I, er... fell in love with him? I don’t usually crush on fictional characters, or on men (real or imagined), but in the rare event it happens, I apparently have a type? Logan is a strapping, bald, man of color with a soft voice and a tortured past and he’s filled with regret but also working every day to be a better person and he’s even good with kids and oh god I adore him. He’s also a spirit medium, which means, if I died - and I would die for him - he would ease my passing, but how can I move on to the next world if the thing keeping me here is you, Logan? How?

The richness of the characters is what starts to bring the whole thing together, and they are some of the best characters I’ve hung out with in a game. The game is rife with little touches that keep the spotlight on their personalities - you bring two companions with you on every mission, and there’s a smalltalk feature where whichever two you picked will just chat about whatever, and you’ll find yourself lingering in a scene with nothing to do just because you want to hear the rest of the conversation. You can also chat with your companions at any time, which serves as a hint system but also lets you make smalltalk of your own.

The buzz has mostly praised this focus on character, but I think maybe folks are giving the plot short shrift? Things are pretty episodic for the first chunk of the game - you have a mission, you bring two teammates with you on it, and you go home when the mission is done - but around the midpoint there are... developments... which are, frankly, kind of brilliant? I don’t want to say more than that, but its the kind of stuff that reframes what came before, and it starts building towards a complex, satisfying, and unpredictable conclusion. Dave Gilbert is good with characters, but he’s no slouch at plot developments, either.

There are still some weirdnesses that I wish weren’t there. This is one of those games where one needs to clarify that having good writing is not the same as having good dialogue; Unavowed has frequently excellent writing but its dialogue is only OK. One of those games where I keep rewriting it in my head, which is generally a sign that the emotional beats are solid, I just wish they’d been written slightly differently. Being given the choice of who joins you on missions means that puzzles that can only be solved with the abilities of people you didn’t bring with you are still present, and they, at times, threw me off of what I was actually supposed to do. I also couldn’t understand why I couldn’t just go get the person who can do the thing I need done; the game rather arbitrarily refuses to let you swap out teammates once you’ve started a mission, even though the plot sometimes demands one get swapped without your consent. (In my game, Vicki got shortchanged, because, every mission I brought her on, for plot reasons she would get replaced with Logan partway through, not that I’m complaining.)

The game also borrows the “moral choice with lasting consequences” that everyone’s been borrowing since The Walking Dead, and even does the thing when it confronts you with the consequences of all your decisions in the late game, and, while it executes it okay, it was contrived when The Walking Dead did it, it was contrived when Life is Strange did it, and it’s still contrived today. There have to be better ways to make your decisions feel meaningful than having an antagonist monologue all your choices back at you in the endgame!

Also, for a game so focused on character, I wish there were more complex character arcs. This is a thing video games are kind of notorious about: The cast of Unavowed often have character-building moments, but, because they can happen in any order and some are optional, they can’t really change the character in any meaningful way (at least, not without writing a whole lot of additional content). In my game, my darling dear Logan had a fairly significant epiphany that, due to the nature of the game, was never mentioned again and didn’t alter his trajectory. In screenwriting terms, it was a Transforming Change that never led to an Ultimate Boon. If I’m being honest, the beat was also a little pat, but there were several similar beats with other characters that landed with more impact, but also never came to anything.

All that aside, I really fell for this game. The plot seems designed to justify vignettes that explore the game’s magical world, but each vignette also furthers a satisfying narrative. In my experience, you often get one or the other. It’s one of the best narrative games I’ve played in recent memory, and, of all the ones I’m discussing today, the one I’m most likely to play again. It’s definitely the most cohesive and complete game I’ve played from Wadjet Eye; I’m not sure how I’d rank it against Resonance, which has higher highs but is a deeply, deeply flawed game. Fortunately, we live in a universe where we don’t have to choose!

Unavowed is great. You should play it.

Odds & Sods

I also played Virginia recently, but have nothing to say about it except that it’s beautiful and you should play it right away, and I played Alum which... hoo, I am not ready to talk about Alum yet.

#capsule review #unavowed #unforeseen incidents #the silent age #adventure games #writings

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thisislakewood · 6 years

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→ IN CHARACTER INFORMATION

Character Name: Aiden Turner

Character Age: 38

Faceclaim Choice: Hugh Dancy

Second Faceclaim Choice: Orlando Bloom

Gender and Pronouns: Male; he/his

Birthplace: New York, New York

Birthday: June 19, 1981

Occupation: Employee of Texas Holdem Shooting Range

Family: In favor of the Rinaldi Family

Position: Soldier

→ BIOGRAPHY

Triggers: Abuse and excessive violence

Born close to the slums of New York City, it’s easy to say that Aiden Turner’s life was anything but easy. His father worked as a boatyard manager (as well as a part time bare-knuckle fighter) and his mother was once a seamstress. Everything seemed semi-normal, but that all changed. One night, his father resumed his old drinking habits and there was an argument between the married couple. Driven mad by the alcohol in his system, the father killed his wife in a blind rage. Having been only 3 at the time, Aiden remained the only witness to the entire murder that occurred in the living room of the small single floored house.

His father wished for his son to become his prodigy in the bare-knuckle ring, but Aiden wanted no part in it. Nonetheless, his father trained him in close combat and with a firearm (both of which Aiden seemed to have a nature talent for). When he was 7, his father constantly physically abused him, often with a belt, driven to such an end by copious amounts of alcohol and frustration. One night, an older gentleman (named Jamie) found Aiden wandering the streets of the City alone and the sight of various open wounds across the boy’s skin alerted him that something was amiss in this individual’s life. Jamie took Aiden into his care for a night and patched him up. The two made fast friends and Jamie treated him like the son he never was able to have, due to the early passing of his wife. During his stays with his father-figure, Aiden was educated math, science, literature, and history. Three times a week, he would sneak out to visit Jamie, with an eager mind for learning. However, this all came to an abrupt end. He had chosen to stay over at Jamie’s place, but little did he know that his father had followed him. Aiden was jerked out his sleep by a violent scuffle taking place and he had steadily crept down the stairs only to met with another sight that would forever scar him.

His father pulled the trigger on a wounded Jamie, striking the man in the chest. Out of anger, Aiden lashed out at the only other surviving member of his own kin. Blows were exchanged and his father reeked of a combination of alcohol, sweat, and blood. It was Aiden’s quick thinking that saved his life and ended his father’s. With the upper hand, he was compelled by revenge that his own dad had torn apart his life and he fired the gun. His aim was true and his shaking hands dropped the weapon as the adrenaline faded from his system, and the steadily realization of what he had once surfaced in his mind.

After that harrowing night, Aiden chose to leave the scene as it was, and making it look like a suicide. He returned home only to pack his belongings in a backpack and he made sure to grab whatever money he could find before departing. He took to the streets and promptly left the Tristate area and hitchhiked to Minnesota. He worked at the docks on Lake Superior in order to make some profit. During his stay, he rented out a small room thanks to a very kind lady, who only charged him a small amount of money per month. Now, he was 20 and by now other people his age would be in college.

He envied that life of education and opportunities that he lacked, however, he was aware that he had to work with the situations that he had been given. Every night, he was plagued by nightmares and flashbacks of what occurred in his youth. His hands never quite stopped quaking unless he was holding a gun, some other weapon, or focused on a task. He was on his way back to his living space when he was jumped and captured by a few men, who were apart of the local mafia. When his eyes finally adjusted to the new dim lighting of the bare chilly room, it was safe to say that he had no idea what would happen to him. * His pain became entertaining to to his captors who physically and verbally abused him. They wished for him to beg them for death, but Aiden always to break. The woman in charge of tending to his wounds after the beatings that occurred four times a week, took pity on him and treated Aiden with care and she steadily gained his trust. There was a mutual attraction that occurred between the both of them, but it could never be expressed in words. She’s sneak him extra food and water, which he was extremely grateful for. When police raided the place, the two of them attempted to escape together.

Weaving through various fights taking place, they raced for the exit, with their hands clasped together. Stray gunshots whizzed past their forms and screams rang in their minds, but they were focused on one goal. Just before their feet touched the open free ground of the earth, things happened simultaneously. Pain jolted through his right ankle and her grip slipped from his. He had stumbled backwards, with his body in agony but when his eyes fell upon her, his heart stopped for a second.

A bullet had exited her thigh and had grazed an artery before having exited and striking him, lodging itself within his body. He pulled her away from danger only to hold her in his arms before she died. After that night, he fled the state and soon found himself in Texas. Allying himself with the Rinaldi Cartel, he perfectly fit the mold of a soldier…and for once, it seems that he has finally found his place, but things don’t always stay the way they do.

→ PERSONALITY SUMMARY

Aiden is a very reserved individual and given the events in his past, this is not surprising. He does not trust easily and will likely do his best to avoid social interactions with strangers. He’s very observant and often sees details that others tend to overlook. Many consider him as cold, but in truth, he can be very kind and generous. He’s very well guarded and his eyes always carry a sense of sadness within them. He’s open to conversations with other members of the Rinaldi Cartel and doesn’t mind spending them with them. He doesn’t speak about his past very much and tends to get lost in his mind, often zoning out. However, when he’s assigned a job, he’s ruthless and doesn’t hesitate to pull the trigger. He has a cat at home, named Grady, and that may be the only living creature that has seen the soft of him.

#hugh dancy #established rp #rp #semi appless rp #oc rp #taken #rinaldi cartel #abuse tw #violence tw

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pennsylvaniaprelawland-blog · 5 years

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Response To Dangers of Underage Binge-Drinking Among Universities

By Emily Condon, University of Pennsylvania Class of 2021

September 23, 2019

It’s no secret that binge-drinking on college campuses, especially among underage drinkers, is pervasive and destructive. Binge-drinking is defined as having “5 or more drinks on a single occasion for men or 4 or more drinks on an occasion for women,” according to NIADA, the National Institute on Alcohol and Drug Abuse. As expressed in the media through newspapers, documentaries, and on social networking websites, excessive alcohol consumption isn’t only unhealthy for the person consuming the alcohol, but it also puts others at risk for accidental injury, detrimental decisions, and sexual assault. Below, we’ll take a look at some highly publicized cases of calamitous underage drinking and explore what school are doing to combat the issue.

In September 2016, the University of Pennsylvania off-campus fraternity names ‘OZ’ came under fire as a product of a party invitation email blast sent out to a number of Penn freshmen women. The email advised recipients to wear ‘something tight’ and encouraged the girls to act promiscuously through implication, as well as stating the intended service of alcohol to inevitably underage freshmen.

Upon receipt of this email, Penn students began to protest rape culture, plastering copies of this email throughout campus, along with the superimposed words, “THIS IS WHAT RAPE CULTURE LOOKS LIKE. WE ARE WATCHING.”

In response to issues like this one, and in an effort to keep students as safe as possible while partying on campus, Penn established a task force in February of 2017. The task force requires student groups, both affiliated and unaffiliated with the university, to register their events with the school’s office of Alcohol and other Drugs office (AOD). (VPUL, 2019) Once registered, third-party bartenders and bouncers are hired. The bartenders will only serve beer and wine at the event, and students are carded at the door, able to enter at 18-years-old, but only given an ‘of age’ wristband or hand stamp at 21-years old or over. If this policy isn’t followed, alcohol monitors or the Penn Police may approach the event and shut it down.

Northwest of the University of Pennsylvania at Penn State, drinking-related danger has plagued State College, PA. Following the well-known tragic fraternity hazing-related death of Timothy Piazza, which landed 3 affiliated men in prison, (Holcombe, 2019) the university outlines its guidelines of alcohol use and attempts to minimize future risk. Their policies state that alcohol is prohibited in all on-campus housing units, regardless of the possessor’s age. The Interfraternity Council also made the decision to contract with a third-party security company called St. Moritz to monitor parties, an entity present just minutes before Piazza fell down the fraternity’s stairs to clear the scene of the party. (Flanagan, 2017)

At Penn State, undergraduates must register all parties, and none of these parties may involve alcohol since it’s understood that most attendees at an undergraduate party will be underage.

Stanford University has implemented a policy which students colloquially dubbed ‘open door policy’ for the control of underage and binge-drinking and associated dangers on campus.

Stanford also recently dealt with a scandal related to excessive alcohol consumption with the assault and attempted rape of an intoxicated female student by student Brock Turner.

Stanford’s policy recognizes the fact that students will drink, and attempts to encourage them to do so responsibly. At Stanford, students must register parties, with deadlines of 3-30 days in advance depending on the type of party or event. Under no circumstances, even among graduate students all over the age of 21, may shots be served at a party. Undergraduate parties may only serve beer, wine, and other pre-packaged or pre-portioned alcoholic drinks, for example, wine coolers. (Stanford Office of Alcohol Policy and Education, 2019)

Stanford’s Office of Alcohol Policy and Education also outlines a number of prohibited behaviors related to partying. As stated, Stanford complies with federal law, prohibiting the consumption or service of alcohol by or to someone under the age of 21. Drinking games, hazing, and other activities that promote a high rate of alcohol consumption are not allowed. Additionally, all sober monitors must stay completely sober thought the event. (Stanford Office of Alcohol Policy and Education, 2019)

Stanford’s open door policy is similar to that of Washington University St. Louis. A Wash U. student interviewed for another article pertaining to the issue stated that, “‘The policy encourages freedom and trust between students and authorities.’” (Mariwala, 2015)

“Michigan’s Greek system promised to self-police,” reported the New York Times in an investigative piece pertaining to the issues of underage drinking. (NYT, 2016) The university has banned the sale of alcohol in and around the football stadium as a safety measure, as well as banning handles of hard liquor and kegs. Sober monitors much hold a certain ratio to other intoxicated guests at a party, and if any of these rules are broken, the university may intervene and students are subject to the implications of illegal activity. (NYT, 2016)

Another more hands-off measure used by universities such as Frostburg University involves social medial campaigning. The university has been involved in “sending regular emails and putting up posters for a campaign it calls "Reality Check." One says: “'Not Everyone's Doing It: 36 percent of FSU students reported they did not drink alcohol in the last 30 days.’" Another shows a young woman bent over a toilet, mouth open, with the caption, “'Glamorous, Isn't It?’” (Ludden, 2014)

Despite all of these various measures to help and encourage students to follow the law and lead healthier lives, the parties rage on, and risks to manage are inevitable.

In response to this reality, one constant among the schools listed above is the provision of detailed outlines of university and/or state enforced regulations related to medical amnesty.

Different schools involve this legal protection differently in conversation, but the bottom line is, medical amnesty removes a perceived barrier in calling for help when a student or their friend is intoxicated and demands medical attention. Students often feel concerned about legal

implications such as receiving a minor in possession charge if alerting emergency services about an intoxicated underage drinker or drug-user, and this policy removes that fear in an effort to protect students.

Stipulations to this law include potential legal implications for someone in possession of copious amounts of drugs, or as the University of Michigan’s University Health Service outlines, the student is only legally protected “when the amount of the drug possessed is sufficient only for personal use.”

However, at the end of the day, this measure enables students to feel more comfortable and able to seek medical attention where necessary, and removing the concern of getting into legal trouble is a step that university and state officials alike believe will help promote healthier and safer campuses.

________________________________________________________________

All About Alcohol. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://studentaffairs.psu.edu/support-safety-conduct/student-conduct/students-and-organizations/all-about-alcohol

Bausinger, A. (2018, January 30). Responsible Action Protocol amendment gives Penn State students medical amnesty regardless of who calls police. Retrieved from https://www.collegian.psu.edu/news/campus/article_a625f498-0535-11e8-997f-b35fb6703e52.html

Chaloupka, F. J., & Wechsler, H. (2007, July 2). BINGE DRINKING IN COLLEGE: THE IMPACT OF PRICE, AVAILABILITY, AND ALCOHOL CONTROL POLICIES. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1465-7287.1996.tb00638.x

Dastagir, A. E. (2019, September 4). Survivor in the Brock Turner rape case has revealed her identity. Retrieved from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/09/04/brock-turner-stanford-rape-case-chanel-miller-survivor-emily-doe/2207106001/

Digging Into the Defense: Details on Penn State Fraternity Death. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.erienewsnow.com/story/35402836/digging-into-the-defense-details-on-penn-state-fraternity-death

Fall Semester-A Time for Parents To Discuss the Risks of College

Drinking. (2019, August 19). Retrieved from https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/time-for-parents-discuss-risks-college-drinking

Flanagan, C. (2017, November 9). Death at a Penn State Fraternity. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/11/a-death-at-penn-state/540657/

Holcombe, M. (2019, April 3). 3 fraternity brothers sentenced to jail in Penn State hazing death. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/03/us/tim-piazza-fraternity-member-hazing-sentences/index.html

Ludden, J. (2014, September 16). Colleges Brainstorm Ways To Cut Back On Binge Drinking. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2014/09/16/347475250/colleges-brainstorm-ways-to-cut-back-on-binge-drinking

Mariwala, A. (2015, May 11). Enjoy responsibly: Alcohol policies at American universities. Retrieved from https://www.stanforddaily.com/2015/05/08/enjoy-responsibly-alcohol-policies-at-american-universities/

Medical Amnesty Policy. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.vpul.upenn.edu/alcohol/amnesty.php

Penn State Policies. (2017, August 7). Retrieved from https://policy.psu.edu/policies/ad18

Registration. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://alcohol.stanford.edu/party-planning/registration

Spinelli, D. (n.d.). Flyers cover campus with suggestive email, saying, 'This is what rape culture looks like'. Retrieved from https://www.thedp.com/article/2016/09/rape-culture-flyers

Task Force: Office of the Provost. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://provost.upenn.edu/task-force

The New York Times. (2016, October 29). No Kegs, No Liquor: College Crackdown Targets Drinking and Sexual Assault. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/30/us/college-crackdown-drinking-sexual-assault.html

University Health Service. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://uhs.umich.edu/medicalamnesty

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rachelanne2018writes · 4 years

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Slowly Falling Down- Support

Summary: Patrick supports Shelagh through another rough patch.

As Patrick Turner reentered the sitting room, he decided that rather than sitting next to Shelagh and potentially invading her space, he would settle himself in his chair with the latest few copies of the Lancet and a cup of tea until Shelagh woke up. Patrick decided that this would keep him close enough to keep an eye on her, but if Shelagh wanted space as or after she woke, it was available to her. Although Patrick was hoping that Shelagh would talk to him, he didn’t want to push her into something that she wasn’t ready to do. Several hours after they arrived home, Patrick had gone through two cups of tea and was in the kitchen to make another when he heard Shelagh waking up. Upon entering the sitting room, Patrick found that not only was Shelagh awake, but she was upset and in tears. It was at that moment that Patrick decided he needed to intervene. “It’s alright, Shelagh; I’m here beautiful girl.” He called to her softly as he came to her. “Patrick. Patrick.” She cried out; her voice flooded with tears. “Let it out; it’s alright. I’m here, and I won’t leave unless you want me too.” Patrick didn’t need a response; he could feel how tightly Shelagh was clinging to him. It took an hour of Patrick whispering encouragement into Shelagh’s ear and running his fingers through her hair to calm her down. “Would you like a cup of tea, dear?” “Yes,” she whispered weakly. “How about while I make it, you splash a bit of water onto your face and put your shoes away.” “Okay” As Shelagh entered the lavatory, she took a long look at herself in the mirror. Dark purple bags hung under her bloodshot eyes, and beside red lines that ran down her face from the tears that had plagued her last few days. The water refreshed her face, and although it did not remove the red eyes and purple bags, it removed the red tear streaks and lifted a small amount of the fog that had settled upon her brain. Upon entering the bedroom that she and Patrick shared, Shelagh began to wonder why Patrick was treating her so gently. “How can he love me when I’m so broken” she wondered in her head, “the doctors told us I am a broken woman. I must get better. I must go back to normal.”. As Shelagh put her shoes into the closet, her hand brushed a rogue photograph laying as though it had fallen from the shelf above her clothes. Shelagh picked it up and brought it back to the sitting room. As she settled on the settee again, Shelagh realized that the photo wasn’t one of a family member. The picture was one of the few that existed from her time in the order. The photo, in black and white, showed Sister Monica Joan, Sister Julienne, Sister Evangelina, and herself with smiles in a forgotten location. “No. No.” she whispered as tears welled in her eyes. “Shelagh. Shelagh, please, talk to me. What’s wrong? Please?” Patrick called from somewhere in the haze around her. The only thing that Shelagh could manage to do was attempt to put the photo in his hand as the tears broke free and rolled down her face. “Oh, Shelagh,” Patrick commented as he realized what was happening. Patrick knew at that moment the one person that could help calm Shelagh down “Shelagh, I’ll be right back. I’m just going to make a phone call.” Patrick tried to soothe. He knew that it probably wouldn’t help, but Patrick had confirmed that Shelagh hadn’t yet adequately grieved Sister Evangelina’s death. “Nonnatus House, Sister Julienne speaking.”

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jannasilvane · 5 years

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name/title: Janna Silvane, Queen of the Kingdom of the Mountains age: 23 fc: Sophie Turner

family background:

paternal:

HOUSE SILVANE is an old noble house of the Kingdom of the Mountains. Their sigil bears a triple pile inverted, silver on blue. Their house motto is UNYIELDING. House Silvane calls the northern region of the Kingdom of the Mountains home, and rule their land from a stronghold buried within a rocky range of peaks known as CLOUD’S CREST. Their fiefdom consists of protective mountains and lands made fertile by lakes and rivers. The lore of their ancestors paints the Silvanes as mountain-dwelling warriors, who often violently skirmished with the people of the nearby Wetlands over issues of land. When the region fell into civil war during SOREN’S REBELLION, LORD CARSEN SILVANE called on his bannermen to fight for DONTIN SOREN’S claim. Lord Carsen had served as both page and squire with Dontin Sorren when they were boys, and intermarriage between the houses had led to them considering one another to be kin.

Following the successful ascension of HOUSE SOREN to the throne, and the exile of the remaining members of *HOUSE ROWAN to the KINGDOM OF THE NOBLE ISLANDS, the Silvane’s gained significant lands and titles, making them especially powerful within the region. Among the titles afforded to Lord Carsen included the role of principal advisor to the newly-named KING DONTIN. Although the role was not intended to be a hereditary one, Carsen Silvane’s son SAMUEL SILVANE held the position as a second Soren King, NICLAS, was sat. The Silvanes and Sorens kept faith with one another after a brief war, known as *ROWAN UPRISING saw the Sorens unseated, and the Silvanes retained their power in court as WYLLAM SOREN rose to power, with ARTHUR SILVANE at his side. Throughout their rule -- considered in a historical context to have been something of a joint rule -- King Wyllam and Lord Silvane beat back several insurrections for the cause to restore House Rowan to the throne. Although the family was once painted to be bloody combatants, it is said that Silvanes have lost their way with swords and fight only with their tongues. Despite earning some envy amongst other nobles within the land, they are respected amongst the ruling class. They are liked enough amongst the smallfolk and credited with establishing some stability in the region.

maternal:

HOUSE VORGROVE is a similarly old and noble house native to the region, noted for their wealth and resiliency. Their sigil bears three orange-yellow flames on a black pale on a field paly of black and white. Their house motto is NEVER IN DARKNESS. They rule their land from their keep, LUCIDUS STRONGHOLD. With lands in the fertile southeastern tip of the region, the Vorgroves generate plentiful foodstuff for the province and also operate a thriving port known as EASTPOINT. Contrary to House Silvane, under the leadership of LORD MAVROCK VORGROVE, the House and their bannerman were staunch loyalists of *HOUSE ROWAN during the civil skirmishes for the throne. Indeed, a daughter of House Vorgrove was promised to the Rowan claimant in return for their men at arms.

After the war was lost and House Soren was sat on the throne, House Vorgrove swore fealty to KING DONTIN and were permitted to retain their lands and titles. After the death of DONTIN SOREN, the Vorgroves led by AUSTER VORGROVE were instrumental in leading a SECOND WAR to reclaim the throne for *HOUSE ROWAN. Although the newly-coronated NICLAS SOREN was briefly unseated for favor of the *ROWAN KING, the Sorens were ultimately returned to power and the Rowans beat back from the region. As a result, nearly the whole of the house was executed, save for the youngest boy ASCER VORGROVE. Ascer Vorgrove went on to be a ward of the King, and as such his land and wealth became effectively controlled by castellans appointed by House Soren. Ascer married LYLA SOREN, a younger sister of the King as a display of loyalty, and upon this marriage was permitted to return to his family home. Though House Vorgrove has publicly sworn their fealty to House Soren, they are largely considered to still be *ROWAN LOYALISTS. As their history has weakened their prestige within the Soren-ruled region, House Vorgrove relies on the relationship it fosters with its smallfolk and those who utilize their trading port.

At the behest of the King, a son of ARTHUR SILVANE (named JON) and a daughter of ASCER VORGROVE (named TWYLA) were married in an attempt to control the issue of House Vorgrove’s loyalties. Although Lord Silvane abided by the King’s order, he had been insulted by the match. The Silvanes thus retreated from their position in court to their home at CLOUD’S CREST. The union of Jon and Twyla produced three children: ALISTER, RANDALL, AND JANNA. To repay House Silvane for their loyalty -- and perhaps fearing losing a primary ally whilst *Rowans still had loyalists in the region -- King Soren brokered a marriage between Janna and his heir, OWAYNE SOREN.

character background:

Although the youngest child of three and the only girl, Janna Silvane was reared to be keenly aware of her importance and role. It was the intention of Jon Silvane, who lacked the wounded pride of his father, to return his House to the level of power behind the throne that they had maintained for years prior. After discussions with King Soren were made to arrange a marriage between Janna and Owayne, it was Jon’s goal to have his daughter be the bridge to welcome the family back into the capital. It was his intention that her eldest brother Alister reclaim the title that three Silvanes had held before them. She (along with her brother) was schooled rigorously in politics and courtly intrigue under the orders of her father, who was adamant that she be able to understand and negotiate the law as was necessary. Her mother -- having dealt with the stain of her family’s past -- fostered Janna in the importance of exuding charm and innocence. Never let them know what you are thinking, her mother had schooled, and always wear a smile.

Both House Silvane and House Vorgrove recognized the importance of currying favor with the smallfolk, and thus the Silvane children were frequently seen amongst the people and paid alms regularly. The people in the lands surrounding Cloud’s Crest nicknamed the daughter of House Silvane LADY RED, so-called for the auburn tresses common to the people of her family.

Janna was brought to the capital, *DRIFTPEAKE, when she was eleven years of age along with her brother Alister and her father. At the capital she continued in her lessons, and worked to endear herself to the common people in the surrounding city as well as the noblemen occupying the castle. She additionally worked to endear herself to her betrothed, but found it difficult to get on with Owayne. The prince was weak-willed, spoiled, easily made angry, and cared nothing for politics. She did find a friend and mentor in QUEEN CELESSA VALLIE, who was a beloved figure by the common people. Though Celessa was kind, she was ignorant to her son’s short-comings and could offer Janna little support in the manner.

Janna bled at age thirteen, at which point she was considered to be marriageable. She and Owayne were married, and after the wedding her father returned to his home. The young couple had limited power while Owayne’s father still reigned. Though Owayne Soren appeared to have a basic interest in his wife and future queen, his attention strayed easily to other girls and passions such as horseback riding and sparring. While Janna continued to endeavor for her husband’s affections, the Silvanes set their major task to forging bonds amongst the high and lowborn alike.

At fifteen, an illness spread through parts of the country, and came to be known as THE MAD PLAGUE – called such for its tendency to cause delirium in victims. This sickness claimed royal lives, including several of Owayne’s siblings and the King himself. Owayne had become ill for a time, but managed to recover physically. Janna and Owayne were thus coronated just before she turned sixteen. It was said by some that the loss of several of his family members, combined with nearly facing death himself, led to a strain on Owayne’s mental fortitude. While this made him prone to fits of high emotions, in more docile states he was easily swayed by those around him. Janna was swift to convince the young King to place Alister Silvane in the role of advisor.

The weak-willed Owayne was reported to maintain his lusts if not his senses, and he was rumored to spend two nights with a whore for every night he spent with his wife. Despite these tales of his supposed virility, Janna remained childless, as did the women who Owayne bedded. Without a strong King or an heir, and with the knowledge of remaining *Rowan descendants protected in the Noble Islands, the Silvanes feared a reprisal of civil skirmishes. They cautioned their King to build up their fleets and guards along the eastern border. Thoughts of potential warfare seemed to excite Owayne into a sort of mania, and he grew beyond the control of the Silvane siblings as he demanded warfare to eradicate the *Rowan threat.

personality traits:

+: adaptable, charming, compassionate, disciplined, graceful +/-: intelligent, willful, confidential, glamorous, ambitious -: cunning, secretive, possessive, occasionally complacent, deceitful

strengths: perseverance, love-of-learning, creativity, social intelligence, leadership. weaknesses: envy, desire for control, judgemental, self-righteousness, spiteful.

#bio

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